The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen has cancelled a show by ageing pop star PJ Proby after he publicly declared he only wanted to date underage girls.

Proby, aged 80, said he had not been in a relationship for 22 years because he was attracted to children and didn't use dating apps because his ideal match could land him in prison, according to interviews published in the national newspapers.

He was due to perform at the Lyric Theatre in King Street on June 6 but bosses at Carmarthenshire Theatres, which run the Lyric, have now pulled the plug on his show after he made the comments.

The US pop star, born in Texas was once known as the rival to Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard.

He had hits with songs such as Hold Me and Yesterday Has Gone and now lives in a cottage in Worcestershire.

The Carmarthen cancellation comes as Solihull Council also shelved plans for Proby to appear at the Core Theatre just 24 hours before the Lyric show. Shows in Teesside and Rotherham have also been called off.

A statement from Carmarthenshire Theatres said: “Following recent press articles in national newspapers and the serious nature of those articles concerning PJ Proby, we have taken the decision to cancel the forthcoming show at the Lyric in Carmarthen scheduled on June 6.

“Box Office will be contacting customers to offer refunds.

Proby made the revelation ahead of his 20-date farewell tour, which will potentially see him perform at venues around the UK.

However, there is mounting pressure for the tour to be scrapped as venues cancel his appearances.

The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen
The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen

Proby, who counted paedophile Jimmy Savile amongst his friends, said in interviews which appeared in national newspapers last week, including The Mirror : “I won’t marry a girl I can’t raise from the age of 12, 13 or 14.

“I like that they’re young and fresh-looking and don’t come with baggage – nobody’s messed with their heart and broken it.

“They’re still in school so I can have a hand in their education and make sure their grades are all right, make sure the way they think about religion is all right, and what is and isn’t proper.”

“I never dated young girls; I married every one I went out with,” he added.

“My first wife, Marianne Adams, was 16.

“My second, Judy Howard, was 17. Then I married a 21-year old girl from Blackpool named Dulcie Taylor. My marriages lasted no longer than three years.”

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Of his own sexual preference for children, Proby attempted to explain it away by saying: “I was raised in Texas and usually girls did marry by 12.”

He admitted he hadn’t been able to try online dating because “an agency would get in trouble if they looked for a girl of the kind I’m looking for, they’d go to prison”.