A PERFORMER since the age of three, Jimmy Osmond knows a thing or two about show business.

So a return to the stage at the age of 51 is merely another chapter in the extensive book of his life.

Jimmy and brothers Merrill and Jay Osmond will be touring the UK for a limited number of dates this autumn with their Up Close and Personal tour. They visit the Beck Theatre in Hayes on September 22.

Jimmy says there will be something for everybody on the night and his main concern is the audience enjoying themselves.

He said: “We just try to have a fun night. We learned a long time ago that the shows aren’t about us. It’s about us doing our job, providing the right entertainment and, hopefully, about the audience forgetting their troubles for the night.”

Jimmy is the youngest of nine siblings and achieved huge fame before most people would have even started school.

At seven, Jimmy was the first of the Osmonds to achieve a gold record and he remains the youngest performer ever to have a number one single in the UK singles chart.

He said: “In our case we’ve sure been on top and we’ve been on the bottom and, when you experience that kind of arc in your life, you appreciate each day and treat people how you want to be treated.”

It is evident that the solid foundations of a good family kept him level-headed and down-to-earth.

Of his strong family ties, Jimmy said: “Now, we just have a lot of fun because you do really care about those people you’ve grown up with and had to work with.

“My brothers became my best friends because I didn’t really have a social life growing up. It was a weird way to grow up but it’s been great. I have lifelong friends and an amazing bond with my family.”

Despite the loss of a true childhood, Jimmy seems to be at peace with his unique upbringing.

“You can always say ‘what-if’ but I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had,” he said.

“I look back at the mentors and the amazing people I worked with and these opportunities I had and you just kind of go ‘wow’.”

Jimmy says he has seen a clear change in the way the media treats celebrities.

“I think the media has started rewarding bad behaviour,” he said.

“I’m sure we thought about being bad, but the truth was people didn’t want to see us fail because we stood for something. I think if you know who you are and stand for that then people respect you.”

Jimmy has long felt at home in England and says he feels like an individual here as opposed to being considered part of his group of siblings when in America.

His favourite treats when he comes to England are Cornish pasties, Wotsits, Nandos and little custard pies from Marks and Spencers.

As a father of four, having such a hectic travel schedule is obviously difficult but Jimmy brings his children away with him as often as possible, an arrangement that is encouraged by their schools system.

As they grow older, however, they are staying at home more frequently, so he uses Skype to ensure he’s always touching base.

“I really try hard when we’re together to talk about their life not mine. I’ve had my day, so now the prom or the football game or whatever they're doing I try to make my top priority.”

The Up Close and Personal tour suggests he is showing no sign of slowing down and will be back in England to play The Baron in Cinderella at Christmas.

Jimmy’s outlook on life is refreshing entity. He has achieved so much in the public spotlight but maintains a grounded attitude.

“You get laughed at once in a while,” he said, “but people kind of know you because you’ve grown up in their living room on the telly and it’s nice to be known as a regular guy.”

To book tickets for Up Close and Personal visit www. becktheatre.org.uk