He was the fresh-faced boy with the cheeky smile and smooth voice who came second on the X Factor 11 years ago, after acting in Brookside. After winning Dancing on Ice:Champion of Champions and writing a book, Ray Quinn's now starring with Hi-de-Hi's Ruth Madoc, Emmerdale and Waterloo Road star Roxanne Pallett and Jon Robyns in The Wedding Singer and is all grown-up.

I actually decided I wanted to do The Wedding Singer two years ago...

It’s taken two years of preparation to get it to here. I loved the film and I love Adam Sandler and one of the producers asked me to come along and read the script and I said straight away that I’d love to do it.

I’ve changed quite a bit since The X Factor – it’s been a long time...

I work out a lot now. It was a conscious decision to do that and it definitely helps to have stamina and energy on a tour like this and a show like this. Exercising like that focuses your mind a little bit more. It’s good for the body. We have a 7.30pm show and you can go and play the XBox with the boys, or you can go to the gym. I have time for both!

This show has everything and it’s really grown...

It started off as a six week tour. And it turned into this five star, No.1 tour, going across the UK and in Dublin.

I do get to sing in the show, but it’s only one song...

I’m quite happy with that actually. It’s All About the Green and it’s a great number. I’m really happy on the stage at the moment.

I’m on the tour until October...

Then there’s a number of things going on: Dancing On Ice (in which Ray won the final all stars’ special) is supposed to be coming back so I’ll keep my eye out for that. There’s panto to think of and some of my original music that I’ve been working on will be coming out. I’ve got a great manager and there’s quite a few things coming up, but they’re not all finalised.

I was born three years after The Wedding Singer was set in 1985...

I love the 1980s. I’ve got a bit of a guilty pleasure about it. Maybe not so much the hair, but the vibrant life, the clothes – everything was so big and colourful. I grew up with the music as my parents had their youth in the 1980s. With my mum and dad a show like this takes them back.

Working with Ruth Madoc is such an honour...

She’s been in the business for 60 years so she’s got that star quality and everything. She’s been in the business so long, to have someone in the cast with that experience is amazing for all of us. And she’s so into it – she’s twerking on stage and everything.

The show’s quite naughty...

There’s vibrating beds, and in my singing number, there’s strippers on my table. It is a bit naughty but I think it’s definitely got something for everybody.

DETAILS

The Wedding Singer will be at Dartford’s Orchard Theatre from Tuesday, March 21 to Saturday, March 25. To book tickets visit orchardtheatre.co.uk or call 01322 220000.
The show will also be at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley from Tuesday, August 1 to Thursday, August 5. For tickets visit churchilltheatre.co.uk or call 020 3285 6000.
Finally, it will be at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells from Tuesday, September 5 to Saturday, September 9. To book, visit assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk or call 01892 53061.