Oasis have hired former SAS soldiers as bodyguards.

The group's guitarist Noel Gallagher was reportedly wary of performing live following an incident in Canada last year where he suffered cracked ribs after being attacked by a stage invader, and insisted the band draft in extra security guards ahead of their UK stadium shows.

A source told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "Noel was seriously shook up after he was attacked. It was a freak moment when someone burst through and managed to get on stage. But he wanted to make sure he never had to go through that again.

"There was a time when he was genuinely scared of getting back out there and performing. It was only fleeting but he couldn't get the image out of his head of what had happened. He was drugged up on painkillers and kept dreaming about the night.

"So he told the others he wanted extra security - of course, they agreed - after all it could have been any of them.

"When he heard a couple of the guys brought in to try out as security were ex-SAS, he knew he was in safe hands. They left the service a while ago but their killer training never leaves them."

Oasis - also comprised of singer Liam Gallagher, guitarist Gem Archer, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Chris Sharrock - are not the first stars to draft in protection from the elite armed forces unit.

'Harry Potter' actor Daniel Radcliffe hired four ex-SAS (Special Air Service) members last year after receiving a death threat.

A source said at the time: "There is a real concern for Daniel's welfare. No one has said what has been going on. It's all hush-hush - but security has been massively ramped up. Daniel has the four guards with him at all times."

The protection is similar to that given to Britain's Princes William and Harry when they are not on military duty.