I was a noughties pop heartthrob but I quit my chart-topping band and now I’m a personal trainer | The Sun

HE was a member of the first reality TV boyband – 10 years before One Direction became the biggest group in the world.

And while O-Town's Ashley Parker Angel has lived a successful music and theatre career, he's now turned his attention to something totally different.

The 42-year-old has reinvented himself as a personal trainer and is in the shape of his life.

Sharing a topless snap of his chiselled body, Parker explained why he's decided to help others get into shape.

He wrote: "Truth is having worked in entertainment biz from a young age I’ve gone through periods in my life where I partied excessively and I mean EXCESSIVELY. I made a lot of dangerous and unhealthy decisions. I was surrounded by a lot of negative influences at the time and maybe someday I’ll talk more about this but the fact is we all go through trials and temptations in life.
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"We either learn from them and rise up stronger or get stuck repeating the same mistakes. After learning from my many blunders and deciding to truly commit to living a positive and healthy life, I discovered I’ve never felt better and more successful physically, mentally and spiritually than I do when I’m pursuing the best version of who I am and who I can become."

Parker credits fitness with helping him beat bad habits and difficult life moments.

He said: "Training has become my meditation, my retreat, my therapy, my anti-depressant, my fortress of solitude where I can return back to the world stronger and more capable of achieving anything I set my mind to.
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"As humans we’re happiest when we’re making progress, however small. If you’ve ever had a bad habit like laziness, procrastination, smoking, drinking, over eating, lack of will power, etc I know of no better habit to begin developing than weight lifting and resistance training. Pushing through heavy ass obstacles on a daily basis in the gym is a great metaphor for life."

Five-piece O-Town were put together in 2000 as part of MTV's Making The Band reality show.

Their debut album reached number five on the Billboard chart and second single All or Nothing hit the number one spot.

While the group fizzled out nearly as quickly as it was put together, Parker did well as a solo artist with his 2006 album Soundtrack to Your Life again reaching number five in the charts.

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The father-of-one snubbed an O-Town reunion in 2013 in order to move on from his pop past and has landed major roles on Broadway including in Hairspray and Wicked.

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