James Arthur was left feeling emotional and was fighting back tears during a show in the North East as he reflected that it was 11 years to the day since his first X-Factor performance on the very same stage.

The Middlesbrough X-Factor winner, who won the competition in 2012 was said to have been emotional during the performance at Newcastle's Utilita Arena last night (March 9).

James, who took to the stage to play to a sold out crowd as part of his Bitter Sweet Love world tour treated fans to performances of his audition song Forever Young by Tulisa as well as his chart topping winner's hit Impossible.

The 36-year-old was then said to have been a bit emotional on stage as he thanked fans for their support.

During the gig, James said: "My mam and dad are here today, I want to thank them for their support and I want to thank everyone else for their support over the years."

James' tour comes after the release of his latest album Bitter Sweet Love as the region counts down the days until he will take to his hometown stage in Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.

In an exclusive interview with The Northern Echo earlier this year, the megastar confessed he is eagerly anticipating the show on June 8, which is a "full circle moment".

He said: “I’ve been describing it as an album that’s in two parts. There’s the very raw singer-songwriter thing, an acoustic-led track or piano-led track, things like ‘Sleepwalking’ epitomise me as an acoustic artist, and ‘Freefalling,’ the piano balladeer within me.

“Whereas the other half, contains my punk influences, my rock-and-roll influences, there’s everything in there from Stereophonics, The Beatles, The Pixies, Nirvana, a lot of the things I love within all of that.

“It’s sort of, half of it, if James Arthur was a band, and the other half is the stripped-back version of me that the hardcore fans know of me from inception.

He added the upcoming performance feels like a “full circle moment.”

He said: “I’ve been describing it as an album that’s in two parts. There’s the very raw singer-songwriter thing, an acoustic-led track or piano-led track, things like ‘Sleepwalking’ epitomise me as an acoustic artist, and ‘Freefalling,’ the piano balladeer within me.

“I’ve had a lot of memories at [the Riverside] over the years, particularly as a young lad, going to the games. My life, at one point, was all about going to games on a Saturday, the Riverside was a safe space, it was a happy place for me.

“I never thought when I was walking through those turnstiles, a small cog in a very big wheel, that I would ever be the headline act at a place like that. It’s truly humbling, it’s a pinch me sort of thing, I can’t describe how that feels. I’m very proud of that.”

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Here's a list of James' upcoming dates: 

Mar 10 - Hull, UK @ Connexin Live SOLD OUT

Mar 13 - Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro SOLD OUT

Mar 15 - Manchester, UK @ Manchester AO Arena SOLD OUT

Mar 16 – London, UK @ Wembley OVO Arena SOLD OUT

Mar 19 – Nottingham, UK @ Motorpoint Arena

Mar 20 – Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena

Mar 22 – London, UK @ The O2

Jun 8 - Middlesbrough, UK @ Riverside Stadium