A music super-fan who has travelled the globe in a bid to meet idols a-ha is hoping her dream will be realised when they play in Canterbury in June.

Nicole Nitschke even left Germany at 16 to be closer to the stars who were living in England at the time.

“I was a rebellious teenager and came to Ramsgate on my own. I then went back and returned again at 17,” she said.

The mum-of-three has clocked up thousands of miles seeing the band, forming lasting friendships and special memories.

The trips to concerts have even seen her meet celebrities, such as Omar Sharif - but the chance to meet her idols has eluded her.

She added: “I have seen so much of Oslo through going to gigs and have been all over including Russia. I love the music - especially the earlier albums. I normally go to the gigs with my friend who I met at a concert.

“I could have bought a house with the money spent over the years! I once queued outside a gig from 3am and also queued in -15C in Oslo all night to get to the front!

“But I love it - it is a time for me where I am not mum or at work.”

The Norwegian band formed in 1982 with members Morten Harket, Pal Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholme, and rose to fame with hit track Take on Me. They have sold millions of records over four decades.

Nicole fell in love with the band at 14 and even approached our sister paper the Thanet Extra a decade ago to secure a meeting as she prepared to travel to Russia.

Now, to the 43-year-old’s amazement, they are playing a stone’s throw from her home in Central Road, meaning the dream of meeting them could finally come true in the cathedral city.

She said: “When I heard they were playing in Canterbury I could not believe it. It would be my absolute life’s dream to meet them..”

a-ha play the Spitfire Ground on Thursday, June 7.