THOUSANDS of pop fans at a North-East music festival were left disappointed last night as organisers announced that Gareth Gates had cancelled his appearance due to illness.
About 25,000 fans turned up to see the pop idol, who was booked to sing live at the Stockton Riverside Festival along with other bands including Junior Senior, who also pulled out.
Gareth's cancellation came after he was rushed to hospital for a brain scan after falling ill when he returned from his tour of Asia and Australia.
The 19-year-old was suffering from acute headaches and a high temperature when he arrived at his home in Kensington, London, on Thursday night.
He was taken to Chelsea and Westminster hospital where he was kept overnight. A spokeswoman from 19 Management said: ''He's been told to rest by doctors and has had to cancel some of his appearances.''
The singer is believed to be exhausted after a gruelling schedule of tour dates. Since June, he has performed in France, Germany and Norway, Brazil, London, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand and Australia.
Fame Academy winner David Sneddon replaced Gareth at the Riverside show and band Triple A came on to replace Junior Senior.
Other acts included Busted, Lemonescent, Mark Owen, Kym Marsh and Girls Aloud, and a surprise appearance was made by band Tommi.
Organisers were delighted with the turn-out, with the event reaching full capacity.
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