Katherine MacAlister talks to Lee Brennan about the pitfalls of fame, his depression, time in boy band 911 and new role in Footloose: The Musical

To an outsider Lee Brennan had it all. Fame, success and money. He was lead singer in boyband 911, starred in TVs Big Reunion and then landed a lead role in Footloose The Musical.

But behind the scenes things were very different, because Lee spent the intervening years staring into the abyss, depressed and worried he would never achieve those heady years again.

Until now, when he decided that 2016 was going to be his year, got back out there, went to auditions and landed the role of Willard in this, his musical theatre debut.

Taking over from Gareth Gates, Lee kicks off at Oxford's New Theatre from Monday and is frantically rehearsing and getting in shape for the role.

“I might get away with it because Willard is a bad dancer to start with who gets better as he goes along,” Lee laughs, “but I also have some big numbers, and am slowly finding my feet and growing in confidence. I feel it a bit more with each rehearsal.

I'm so excited I’m like a little kid. It's such an adrenaline rush."

Which does beg the question what took him so long, it being nearly 20 years since 911 got together? “I didn’t have the confidence. It’s as simple as that. I had no self esteem, so instead I’ve been hiding away for far too many years.

"Except that 2016 was always going to be my year. I’ve always loved musical theatre and decided I was going to go after it and give it my all, so this was such a good opportunity."

It took ITV’s Big Reunion to spur him on, a 90s band reality TV show. "It made me realise how much I love performing and since then I’ve been getting my confidence back bit by bit. The Big Reunion helped me to see how many of us had found it hard afterwards when the record labels dropped us and everything stops."

So how did he cope? "It took a few years to adjust," he admits, "I couldn’t get my head around it. I felt I bit of a fool at times but we all dealt with it in different ways, some with drink or drugs, but I got depressed.

"Because being in a successful band is an absolutely incredible experience when you are in it, but you have to find a way of coping with everything that happens, because there is no balance, and you get carried away with what people say and begin to believe it yourself," he admits.

Bearing in mind in their five years together 911 scored ten UK top 10 singles, sold 10 million singles, six million albums around the world, and were very popular in South East Asia, where their first two albums went to number one, it's hardly surprising.

"I wasn’t very confident to begin with anyway, but being in the band gave me a fake confidence based on euphoria and adoration. and then it all got taken away," he remembers.

"Looking back I think the problem was that I didn’t ask for any help. Lucikily I have always been a bit of a thinker so eventually worked out how to dig myself out of a negative hole and try some new things and bit by bit I have got my confidence back.

"So this is the right time. It’s not about a comeback, it’s about the next job. I would love to stay in musical theatre, that’s what I'm working towards, to be doing something I love. And this is so different to being in 911 so I’m really excited and buzzed up."

And yet musical theatre isn't so far away from where he began: "I started in performing arts after all and it's what I’m happy doing. I love the interaction with the crowd, so when I got offered the part in Footloose I wished I'd done it before, but I don’t want to look back anymore, only forward."

Gigging with 911, a successful reunion tour and album resulting from the Big Reunion, Lee says "we still have a real hardcore of 911 fans 20 years on who are still supporting me, which is great to know."

It also means that Lee is an old hand at touring: "I've basically spent the past 20 years living out of a suitcase, so I'm very good at packing. And I'm single at the minute (he got divorced from B*Witched's Lindsay Armaou in 2012) and just moved into a new house so it's probably the right time to be on tour. Rock and roll,” he laughs.

"So even though I'm scared and excited, I’m going to enjoy it. I’m just going to go for it when the curtain goes up and if I get a few dance moves wrong, no one will know,” he chuckles.

Footloose: The Musical is at the New Theatre Oxford from April 18 – 23. 0844 871 3020 or www.atgtickets.com/oxford