WHO caught up with the 30-year-old softie - dad to Charlie, 14 months, with wife Michelle - to discuss regrets, why Sabrina was in the bottom three, and his upcoming opportunity to support Rob Thomas on tour.

Did you have an inkling you were going?

I scraped through the whole way and I guess I had an inkling I was going to be in bottom three. But when they announced Sabrina and Kim [first], I thought maybe there was a chance they wouldn't call my name. I'm definitely disappointed but looking at this as an opportunity to move forward and focus on my original stuff. For me, just to get your peers' respect is so important. Maybe I didn't think I was going to win, but I wanted to leave on a good note. Dicko had a chat to me in the corridor after the show and said, 'Look mate, if there's anything I can do to help you from this point, let me know.' I've also potentially secured the support spot for Rob Thomas when he tours in February. This might be the end of the road for Idol, but I don't think it's the end for me musically.

Do the contestants discuss how the public is voting?

We talk about it a little bit, but even from what we've seen already, there's been a few surprises, like Ashley last week.

Do you have any regrets?

My biggest regret is we spent the whole week rehearsing our songs to sing last night. I was going to sing an acoustic version of George Michael's Freedom. The rehearsals were amazing and everyone said it was by far the best I've sounded. I knew if I got to perform it, it would've been a turning point.

You're a seasoned musician but do you ever get nervous?

Yeah I did, only because I was out of my comfort zone. I spend most of my musical career playing guitar and I'd never been on stage before with just a microphone. But I loved it! I needed a show like this to get me out of my comfort zone.

Are you looking forward to going home?

When they showed that package at the end, the first thing that came into my mind is thank God I get to see my wife and my daughter. It's been hard getting updates from Michelle and realising I'm missing out on all Charli's milestones. It's been really difficult because this is such a huge opportunity, but at the end of the day my family is the most important thing and a reality TV show isn't.

What was it like living in the Idol house?

I own my own house so it was definitely a bit of a culture shock. But I've worked in a US summer camp as a camp counsellor with lots of kids, so I'm used to being in that sort of environment where you're amongst a lot of different personalities. I actually got along really well with everyone and was like a father figure in the house in the sense they'd have a chat or confide in me even with song choices and ideas. It's great we all worked together in that sort of way, because I had a good chat with Wes Carr and one of the things he said was the reason he did so well in the competition was because he and Luke Dickens would often bounce ideas off one another, whereas some contestants get a bit protective about what they're doing. He said they were the ones who tended to drop away, and I agree with that.

Who did you click with most?

Stan, Toby, Scott and Hayley. I'd love to see Stan win-he's just deserving. Not only is he a natural talent and has the best voice by far in the competition, but he's just a really genuine person.

Is anyone being fake?

No, I don't think so. All I'll say is the Australian public are not stupid and they'll work it out for themselves.

Do you think Sabrina is in the bottom three because of her outspoken personality?

Oh, no. I've been asked this a lot, but I think maybe she isn't coming across in the way she really is. She does have a few personal issues that people already know about, but when you get past that she really is a lovely girl. After the show she was one person who stood out in their support for me.

What's next?

I'm a full-time musician so I'm going to focus on writing and recording a new album and I really want to work with some other songwriters and get a new release out early in the new year. If Rob Thomas is keen, I'm available!

Finally, did you enjoy meeting the cast of Glee?
They were lovely. I already loved Jane Lynch from movies like the The 40 Year Old Virgin, she's just a classic. She came over at the end and said, 'I didn't get to see you perform, but from what I saw of the package you seem like a lovely guy and you deserve all the success you can get.' How nice is that!