Idol calls cops in on paparazzi, by Richard Clune - 11th November 2007
(Credit: News.com.au)

AUSTRALIAN Idol favourite Matt Corby is learning the downside of celebrity, making an emergency call to police after being chased by paparazzi.

As pressure on the youngster mounts to win the competition, Corby spoke openly about his recent "harassment" by a lensman on Bondi Beach.

"There was this guy following me and (former Idol competitor) Marty (Simpson) and he just wouldn't go away," Corby told The Sunday Telegraph.

"He called all his pap friends and they came down and started getting real up-close to us.

"It was our only afternoon off in about four weeks.

"We just wanted to go for a surf and no where else was good but Bondi, so we went down there and tried to hide from the cameras.

"This guy found us and followed us.

"We went back to the car and he was waiting there.

"He just wouldn't go away; Marty was mouthing off at him.

"I was by the car trying to get undressed and it was just really confronting.

"I called the cops because I wanted to know if there was something illegal about them taking a photo of a 16-year-old kid on the beach.

"I thought there was a law against it, but apparently there's not."

While Corby claimed he was calm heading into the final - he will learn tomorrow night if he will perform at the Sydney Opera House - he described his Idol journey as emotionally difficult.

He even said he had entertained the idea of walking away from his chance at stardom.

"I'm okay at the moment. It has been a real roller-coaster of emotions," he said.

"I've been up and down the whole time.

"There's been so many days where I wanted to quit. No one understands what we go through.

"It's more than a TV show -- it's a massive life experience. But I'm really happy that I've copped it on the chin and kept going."

The singer, a favourite with the female audience, said his friends, family and fellow contestants had helped him deal with the bright spotlight that had shone his way.

"I've got a fair bit of s..t from people," he said.

"That's hard to deal with. If you give grief back, you'd be in the papers.

"You're living in a delicate conundrum."

Corby, who turned 17 last week, said recent media reports concerning a backstage blow-up were nothing more than a storm in a tea cup.

"When I haven't done so well on the show ... I've gone into the room and smacked myself on the head because all this pressure was on me to do well and I just lost it.

"I try to listen carefully to what the judges say each week and play the game in that sense - and take on board their criticisms.

"The thing I got really annoyed at was that Dicko told me one thing and then the next week said something completely different.

"I was like, 'What? I've just done what you asked me to do last week and now you're flaring up at me for doing that.'

"I was so angry and didn't want to talk to cameras and stuff and I had a whinge."

Like former Idol finalist Jessica Mauboy, Corby said he would not return to school.

"I've signed out and not going to do my HSC," he said.

"If I can make money out of what I love, then that's the best thing ever.

"If not, I'll become a garbo."

However, with Corby as short-odds favourite to win the competition, a career in waste removal seems unlikely.

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