James Blunt's classic track 'You're Beautiful' was based on a true story.

The 49-year-old singer topped the charts with the love ballad that focuses on a man accepting that his love for another woman will always be unrequited almost 20 years ago and has now revealed that the track was in fact inspired by an ex-girlfriend.

Writing in a piece for Metro newspaper's Rush Hour Crush column, he said: "'I do believe in love at first sight, definitely.

"I think we've all experienced that moment where we just pass by someone and catch their eye and wonder what might have been.

"And, yeah, first impressions are everything. I can feel someone's spirit and soul when I first meet them.

"People do have an energy, and you can sense someone who's aggressive, or someone who's kind, or someone who's gentle. Silence speaks often so much more than words."

"It's a true story. She was an ex. She was with her new boyfriend - I didn't know that he existed. But we walked past each other, we caught each other's eye."

The 'Goodbye My Lover' singer - who is now married to Sofia Wellesley - recalled "living a lifetime" for the split second that he and his ex clapped eyes on each other and immediately felt inspired to put pen to paper for the now-anthemic track.

He added: "We lived a lifetime in that moment but I didn't do anything about it. I just went home and wrote a song about it and got a house out of it - the whole thing. So, I'm happy for them."

Following its release, the track sold 625,000 copies in the United Kingdom and James' debut record 'Back to Bedlam' became the best-selling album of the decade.