The British tabloids are on the hunt for St. Léonard cutie Mirella Dell'Aquila, the 20-year-old Vanier music student who was chosen a couple of years back on the Global TV show Popstars to be a singer with the manufactured group Sugar Jones.

It seems Sugar Jones's Canadian hit, the catchy Days Like That, is set to be released in Britain and someone started a timely rumour that Dell'Aquila is engaged to a handsome 21-year-old pop star named Darius Danesh who happens to be very popular in Glasgow. (And all the publicity got Dell'Aquila's mug plastered on a lot of British newspapers this week.)

"They're telling me Mirella's engaged to this Darius, but it's the first I heard of it," he said.

He said his oldest daughter, who quit Vanier to go on the road with Sugar Jones, is in London this week recording a solo track. She was in Montreal for a visit two weeks ago.

"She told me a year ago that she met Darius and that he was a big star, but that was it," he said. "She hasn't really spoken about him. When I saw her she wasn't wearing a diamond ring."

Anna Adams, an editor with the Sunday Mirror in Glasgow, said her paper was going to go to press today with a story that Dell'Aquila's publicity team planted the story to maximize her exposure before Days Like That is released.

Dell'Aquila's Toronto manager, Gary Francis, wouldn't comment on whether rumours of the engagement were true or false.

"Mirella is a very talented young lady. We're just getting started with her," he said. "We're trying to do a Jennifer Lopez with her because she's got the look and the talent."

Francis said the raven-haired beauty also wants to break into movies and has a starring role in Angel Tears, a film by Montreal director Minor Mustain that is scheduled to be shown at this summer's Jazz Festival.

Dell'Aquila will be back in Canada at the end of this month to be a presenter at the Radio Music Awards in Toronto.