Peter Andre's coronavirus fears: Signs warn fans not to touch star

Peter Andre says he thought fans were joking when they revealed they'd been told not to touch him. Photo / Getty Images.

Peter Andre has denied he ordered fans not to touch him over coronavirus fears at an Q&A event in England over the weekend.

The 47-year-old Australian singer spoke about his career and performed an intimate concert for his army of loyal fans at Central Hall in Southampton on Saturday.

But many were left shocked and disappointed when a sign at the venue warned they would not be allowed to touch or take selfies with the star.

"Due to the recent cases of the coronavirus please DO NOT have any physical contact with Peter Andre," the sign said, according to photos posted on Twitter.

"Please DO NOT take any selfies with Peter Andre. Apologies for any inconvenience."

This photo of the sign was shared on Twitter. Photo / Twitter.

Peter Andre is best known for his hits Mysterious Girl and Flava. Photo / Getty Images.

The apparent diva request spawned hundreds of jokes and memes on social media, with fans rewriting the lyrics to one of Andre's best-known hits, Mysterious Girl.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Coronavirus girl
I don't wanna get close to you
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Coronavirus girl
Move your body away from mine#PeterAndre pic.twitter.com/hgAyml7R8n

— Joe (@MrJoeGooch) March 2, 2020

Wash hands throughly ✅
Avoid large crowds ✅
DO NOT TOUCH PETER ANDRE pic.twitter.com/33ikbfJeGe

— Elf Wood (@el_f_wood) March 2, 2020

But in an Instagram post on Monday, Andre denied he was behind the sign and said he happily mingled with everyone he met.

"OK this must be a wind up because I hugged everyone I met," he said.

"People were saying to me that they had been told not to touch me and that there were signs. I thought they were joking.

"Brilliant. I am now officially a diva without being a diva. On a serious note though don't touch me."

View this post on Instagram

Ok this must be a wind up because I hugged Everyone I met. People were saying to me that they had been told not to touch me and that there were signs. I thought they were joking. Brilliant. I am now officially a diva without being a diva . On a serious note though don’t touch me 😂

A post shared by Peter Andre (@peterandre) on Mar 1, 2020 at 11:49pm PST

Forty people have now been infected with the COVID-19 virus in the United Kingdom, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning on Monday the disease would likely continue to spread.

"When it starts to spread – as I'm afraid it looks likely that it will – we are in a position to take the steps that will be necessary," he said.