Singer/songwriter Dido was reluctant to allow rap giant Eminem to sample her track Thank You for his hit song Stan as she feared he would ruin her hard work.

The British singer was contacted by the hip-hop star out of the blue in 1999 when he sent her a note praising her song and asking for permission to use it in his next single.

Stan went on to become a huge international hit, topping the charts in more than a dozen countries and exposing Dido to a wider global audience - but she admits she was initially fearful of associating with the rapper.

The White Flag hitmaker tells British magazine Radar, "I got a letter from him out of the blue with a Cd just saying: 'I love the track. Can I use it?' I was a proper fan but I did think for a moment: 'What's he going to have done with the song?' But it just sounded amazing."