His bad boy EastEnders character ‘Woody’ Woodward caused a stir when he rocked up to Albert Square this year.
And Blue’s Lee Ryan, 34, has spoken out for the first time about his real-life brush with the law, the night he was arrested by police for suspected drink driving.
In a new book he’s penned with fellow band mates Duncan James, 39, Simon Webbe, 39, and Antony Costa, 36, the singer-turned-actor is candid about the embarrassing ordeal, which saw him throw a tantrum and disgust police officers as he urinated in his cell – because he ‘hoped they’d beat me up’.
Feeling Blue: Singer Lee Ryan (pictured) has spoken out about his arrest for suspected drink driving, admitting he taunted police in the hope they would ‘beat him up’ after becoming increasingly stressed, he claimed, by public backlash after his stint on Celebrity Big Brother
In an extract from Blue: All Rise, which has been shared with the Sun newspaper ahead of its release on October 19, Lee said: ‘The truth is, I was hoping they would beat me up so I may well have been taunting them to fight me.’
Lee was banned from driving for two years and fined £3,250 after failing to provide a specimen for a drink-drive test in 2014.
Prosecutors at the time said the singer, who is father to ten-year-old Bluebell with Jessica Keevil and eight-year-old Rayn Lee Amethyst with Samantha Millar, urinated all over his cell and shouted and swore at officers.
Lee blamed his meltdown on the torrent of online abuse he received in the wake of his controversial appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
All Rise and fall: (From left) Lee, Antony Costa, Simon Webbe and Duncan James all speak candidly about their money troubles in the new book – as well as sharing various hilarious anecdotes from their years of fame
This wasn’t the end to his string of mishaps, and the hapless singer become the fourth and final member of his Noughties boy band to declare himself bankrupt when he filed papers in 2015.
The book gives just as much insight into the financial failings of each of the lads as it does the fun and enjoyment they’ve had across their colourful careers together.
On the subject of women, the boys reveal the huge amount of attention they had after they shot to fame with their first album All Rise in 2001.
This Temptation: All four members of the band declared themselves bankrupt after squandering their fortunes
Ups and downs: The band’s book gives just as much insight into the financial failings of each of the lads as it does the fun and enjoyment they’ve had across their colourful careers together (pictured after winning their Best British Breakthrough award at the Brits in 2002)
Lee said: ‘I dived in that pot, swam around in it and took a big, happy bite,’ while Duncan, despite later coming out as gay, added that he had ‘more than my share of beautiful women on my arm’ in the band’s heyday.
The book is crammed with hilarious as well as candid anecdotes, such as Duncan’s description of soiling himself live on air while presenting the National Lottery, and Simon’s confession that he couldn’t remember an ‘aggressive’ night when he was found trying to start fights with people after a boozy night in Kazakhstan.
Perhaps most bizarre is Lee’s love of pranking various celebrities, including when he offered Cherie Blair some chewing gum at a charity event in No10.
He said: ‘I hadn’t mentioned it was trick chewing gum. Half an hour later she came back, her mouth, her lips, even her teeth, all bright blue.’
Bad boy: Lee announced he bagged the role of ‘Woody’ Woodward on EastEnders in March
To Albert Square! The singer turned his talents to acting (above) earlier this year