TV "POPSTAR" Suzanne Shaw was greeted with deafening cheers from excited pupils at her old school, when she and fellow band member Kym Marsh paid a visit to St Gabriel's High School in Bury.

Accompanied by camera crews, the two members of hot new pop act Hear'Say, who shot to fame with the TV show Popstars, were visiting former stomping grounds across the North West.

Suzanne first learnt that she was in the band when visited at her grandmother's home in Stand Lane, Radcliffe, by talent judge Nigel Lythgoe.

Hot on the heels of their debut single release, Pure and Simple, and a live performance at the Brit Awards on Monday (Feb 25), the pair put in a special lunchtime appearance on Tuesday (Feb 26) at Suzanne's former school. In response to the rousing reception from youngsters waiting outside, 19-year-old Suzanne said: "The reaction that we've had is amazing, we haven't really had that yet, it's really mad."

The pair fielded questions from a select band of Year 11 pupils who asked if they could believe their new found stardom.

"Every day you wake up and think 'Oh my God is this really happening'," said Suzanne.

"There were times we thought maybe nobody was going to react to any of it but thankfully it's come off and been a big success.''

On the difficulties and upheaval band members faced when secretly whisked off to live in a house together, Suzanne said: "It was quite difficult for me at first because it was the first time that I had moved away from home, so I was missing my family a lot."

Suzanne, who visited her family in Bury during the trip, added that her mum, dad and grandma would help keep her feet firmly on the ground: "It's so easy to forget about what would have happened if we hadn't got in the band, but as long as you sit down and have a reality check, and your family are there to tell you if you get too big for your boots then that's okay."