By Sylvia Toh Paik Choo

DON'T Cha believe what cha hear and read - except this TNP report of course. It's all only gossip.

Direct from the horse's mouth, Lewis Hamilton himself told fans and media that he and his doll Nicole Scherzinger are still very much together.

When asked what he listens to on his iPod, the reigning F1 champ said: 'Don't Cha.'

His answer raised every pair of eyebrows capped by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren baseball caps yesterday in Paragon's main atrium.

We heard you'd broken up... began the presenter. Lewis shook his capless head (hey sponsor, how come?) and said: 'No, that's not true, we're still... and when you're away from each other for like two months, you want to hear her.'

So confirm, fans, rumours only lah, now that Lewis has brought us up to speed on his lady love; who knows, the Pussycat may even make a vroom appearance here.

What a difference a year makes.

When Lewis Hamilton came to Singapore for the inaugural SGP F1 night race last September, man, his stop at a Ngee Ann City boutique for some clothing line had all the trappings of a little emperor's arrival.

He was 'securitised' every step of the way and no one could get close to get a question in, never mind photographs and autographs.

(Well, boo, except for the VIP clients of the shop.)

He also looked pretty uptight then. (2008's F1 crown was not under his safety belt yet.)

Yesterday at Paragon for his Mercedes-Benz appearance, you could not have met a nicer guy. He landed at 4pm and was in the mall by 7.30pm. And with a couple more events later to show up at.

Easy, cool, relaxed, confident, smiley, and needless to say, diplomatic.

'Singapore is fantastic,' he says, and he expects Mercedes to be in the front somewhere, and he answered every boring question charmingly - how much do you want to win this race? Hello already, like he is here for the Hainanese chicken rice.

He said: 'I'm here to focus on my job, push for some points, and concentrate on next year.

'I need to redeem myself, meet and greet fans.'

And the champ did. He signed dozens of autographs for kids and grown-ups who'd waited two hours to catch him, and he posed for pictures with lucky draw winners.

Don't Cha just luv 'im?

This article was first published in The New Paper.