FORMER British School of Bahrain (BSB) pupil James Arthur, who went on to win the UK X Factor, has written about his ‘amazing’ time in the kingdom.

His official winner’s book James Arthur – My Story, published by Harper Collins, continues to fly off the shelves as the singer works tirelessly in the recording studio on his first album.

He tells readers: “My mum remarried when I was nine, and we all moved to Bahrain because her new husband got a job out there.

“It was a complete contrast to the life I was living before in every way, but it was great being exposed to something so different at such a young age.

“I especially liked school as all the kids in my class were from all over the world, so I experienced a lot of different cultures.

“In Bahrain we had a much grander lifestyle than the one I had been used to, so it was a bit of a culture shock at first.

“None of my mates sang or performed when I was growing up, and I didn’t really tell anyone that I did it on the quiet.

“When I first realised that I wanted to be a singer I kept it to myself, and it wasn’t until I moved to Bahrain that I even took part in a school performance.”

When he was 12 and 13 he won leading roles in the school musicals Oliver! and The Pirates of Penzance, notching the ‘performance of the year’ award for his latter role as the General.

“Whenever I was in plays it was because my teachers used to encourage me to get involved, and they really pushed me, otherwise I’m not sure I would have bothered,” he revealed. “We stayed in Bahrain for a few years and I had an amazing time.”

As reported exclusively in GulfWeekly, James is fondly remembered by his fellow students and teachers at BSB and has received an invitation to return to formally open its music and drama rehearsal studios and a 400-seat auditorium, which is part of a BD4.1 million expansion of its facilities so that he can he can ‘rekindle the wonderful memories’ he had from his time as a student.

Head of School Karen Moffat said: “It would be wonderful if he could spare the time to join us in celebrating the opening of our new music and arts facilities when all the work is concluded in 18 months’ time.”

Fans hope he will perform at the new National Theatre of Bahrain in Manama as part of a series of concerts planned in the Gulf region.

According to newspaper reports, talent show mogul Simon Cowell’s team has big plans for X Factor winner James after the storming success of his debut single Impossible.

It’s still being decided which Sony label James will go through. But it’s possible the very credible team at Columbia – home to acts including Kings of Leon and Bruce Springsteen – could head up the project.

His fairytale success comes after the desperate time he suffered when he returned to the UK from Bahrain. In his book, he says: “We all came back down to earth with a bit of a bump when my mum and my stepdad got divorced and all the family decided to move back to England.

“I guess it was rags-to-riches, then back-to-rags kind of tale. It was once we moved back that things began to go wrong.”

However, sleeping rough, living in foster care and a tiny bedsit are things of the past. The future looks bright.

“Winning The X Factor has been more mind-blowing than I ever imagined,” James said. “Before the show, I felt I had no future. It has been an incredible journey and I’ve grown up so much, both as an artist and as a person.

“All I’ve ever wanted is to show people that if they believe in themselves, they can achieve their dreams. I hope you can see, from what’s happened to me, that anything is possible.”

l James Arthur – My Story is available priced around BD10 in shops and online, including through Words BookstoreCafe at Palm Square, Budaiya Highway, Saar.