HE has delighted crowds as ‘Karaoke Joe’ and now he has played cupid at his favourite bookies.

Joe Smith, from St Helens, loves to serenade the ladies with his routines - and he has played a key role in a real-life story when he spotted a job as a cleaner advertised on the door of the Betfred at Fingerpost Street.

The retired labourer knew Warrington-based Jodie Lyon, 23 the daughter of a friend, was after a job and told her dad John, persuading her to apply for the post to the then manager Jamie Mower.

And the rest is history with the two now engaged, having also set up home together in Parr and now parents to a baby son.

The pair will marry next year and VIP guest Joe is confident he’ll get the nod to sing their favourite number for the first dance.

Jodie said: “Joe knows all about love with his singing and the truth is if it wasn’t for him I would never have met Jamie. I was interviewed by Jamie and got the job. I’d been studying IT at college but didn’t fancy a career in that.

“I was only doing the cleaning job at Betfred for an hour each week but I was always reliable and tried to do a good job. I always volunteered to get a bacon barm cake for him, I remember that!”

Jamie, 32 added: “Karaoke Joe told me she was a good girl – and he was right.”

Jodie became deputy manager at another Betfred, with the couple eventually going out on dates a few months later after becoming reacquainted at the Wheatsheaf pub in town.

Joe, 72, said: “I’m chuffed to bits how it worked out. It’s a nice feeling playing cupid!”