Britain’s most dedicated music fan camped out for a staggering 32 HOURS to get front row seats to see Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell.
Devoted Glenis Mantell, 50, battled temperatures of -2C to get her hands on the £39.95 concert tickets.
Glenis, who has seen her Irish idol over 100 times, as well as meeting him backstage, set up camp outside the Regent Theatre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, at 1am on Friday.
She pitched a small pop-up tent and had a sleeping bag to protect her from the sub-zero temperatures.
Incredibly, she stayed put outside the theatre – only leaving her post for toilet breaks – for 32 hours until the ticket office opened at 9am on Saturday.
But she almost lost out at the last minute when she dozed off while in line on Saturday.
The retired care assistant, from Werrington, Stoke, said: “It was quite cold and were freezing but I didn’t mind.
“When I got really chilly I’d just sing Daniel’s greatest hits like ‘Postman Said Good Morning’ to myself to keep my spirits up.
“I did nearly lose my place when I nodded off for a few minutes on Saturday morning but luckily I had my friend with me to wake me up so I was still first in the queue.
“I have been a fan for as long as I remember and have been to over 100 concerts and met him even more than that.
“He is such a lovely man, he always stays behind after his concert for a meet and greet and not many singers do that nowadays.”
The concert will be held on May 8 next year at Stoke’s Victoria Hall where he will perform to around 3,000 adoring fans.
Her pal Linda, a retired secretary from Northwich, Cheshire, also a Daniel O’Donnell fan, kept Glenis company.
She said: “I met Glenis on a Daniel O’Donnell Facebook group around three years ago and we have been friends ever since.
“I have been here with her since 1am too, like she said it is quite cold but it will be worth it in the end.
“I like getting the front row tickets so he sees me and I can see him, I have lost count of the amount of times I have met him and I sleep out all the time.
“He is my idol which is why I do things like this and I love his voice, my favourite song is ‘Waltz Across Texas’.”
Daniel O’Donnell rose to fame in 1983 and has had considerable success in the US and Australia with his mix of country and Irish folk music.
Last year, he became the first artist to have a different album in the UK charts every year for 25 consecutive years.
