RESEARCH by boffins at the University of Leicester has found that an astonishing one in three people in Britain is suffering from Celebrity Worship Syndrome after becoming obsessed with their idol.

Extreme sufferers admit they would lie, steal or worse if the object of their admiration asked them to do so.

What in the name of sanity is going on? I can remember when CWS used to stand for the Co-op, not Celebrity Worship Syndrome.

Kylie Minogue, David Beckham and Tony Blair were among the most popular personalities named by participants in the research.

The first two are hardly surprising, though the inclusion of St Anthony came as something of a shock, especially to Tory diehards whose leader, though a capable politician, would hardly cause a flicker on the Richter scale of celebrity devotion.

What has caused an explosion in the number of people suffering from this newly-diagnosed quirk in social behaviour?

Well, tabloid concentration on the lives and times of the rich and famous, occasionally for reasons which defy logic or an individual's right to privacy, is easily the most identifiable cause.

Hero worship used to be mainly confined to legends of the silver screen. To a lesser degree it involved supporters and certain footballers but soccer "giants" of yesteryear would surely have been horrified if fan loyalty had developed well beyond what they considered normal.

The danger lies in catapulting "stars", from whatever environment, into the stratosphere of public awareness. For example, David and Victoria Beckham are now the most easily recognised couple on the planet, an identity which has a double edge.

Fame brings wealth beyond the dreams of most people, including, very probably, those directly involved.

The Beckhams have something in the region of £90 million in the bank but the threat of kidnapping is ever present.

There have been examples, too, of fans becoming so obsessed with certain celebrities that they have stalked them, defying threats of imprisonment for so doing.

It would be wrong to blame examples of such extreme behaviour totally on tabloid newspapers, though the deluge of photos and newsprint can only fuel the imagination of those suffering from Celebrity Worship Syndrome, craving their daily fix. Nor would it be accurate to say that this "ailment" is a product of the 20th or 21st centuries.

People have had idols throughout history.

The trouble lies in the proliferation of media outlets where "celeb" worshippers can gorge themselves on a diet of multi-channel television, newspapers and magazines.

The study suggested that celebrity worship, while not necessarily a bad thing, is, like many other behaviours, sometimes harmful for those who over-indulge.

The problems surface when idolatry is taken to the extreme; when "sufferers" lose their own identity and become immersed in someone else's.

I wonder how many Kylies or Becks are reading this. Probably a lot more than the Tony Blairs!