A FORMER X-Factor star was inundated with support after a "suspicious letter" forced him to cancel his County Durham gig at the eleventh hour.

South Shields-born Joe McElderry was due to perform at Consett's Empire Theatre on Friday night but pulled out minutes before the show was set to start.

The singer learned only moments before the curtain call that the venue had received a "suspicious letter" three days earlier and took the decision to cancel it.

In a statement on Twitter, he said: "Myself and my management team were totally unaware of any threat to me before [Friday] night's show.

"At 7.26pm [on Friday] I was informed a suspicious letter had been intercepted by Consett theatre management three days previous and learned of some of its content.

"Upon hearing this I immediately told the theatre manager that the show would not be going ahead and to get everybody out of the building safely as soon as possible."

Fans were previously told the show had been cancelled due to an "incident" beyond the team's control and signposted concert-goers to contact the box office for ticket information.

Following that Tweet on Saturday morning, McElderry received a wave of support from understanding fans.

Among them was Joan Carr who tweeted: "Very saddened by this last night. As long as you and everyone in your family and the band are ok."

Cathy Sutton said: "As long as everyone is ok Joe that's the main thing."

And Maureen Thompson tweeted: "All that matters is that you are okay Joe. Please take care pet. We love you lots."

McElderry thanked his fans on the social media site for their messages, although not everybody was happy.

David Clarke tweeted: "Well my 75-year-old mother wasn’t very happy turning up and being told when they did that it was cancelled."

The Joe McElderry Live in Concert 2018 tour was back on schedule on Saturday as he graced the stage at Whitley Bay's Playhouse.

After the gig he tweeted: "Thankyou for being a wonderful audience tonight! So much fun!"