He shot to fame with his boyish good looks when he landed the role of Nick Tilsley on Coronation Street in 1997.
Yet nearly three decades on and Adam Rickitt has adopted a bold new look – that has left his loyal fans divided.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the 46-year-old actor revealed he’d swapped his iconic curtains for long bleach blond locks, claiming his wife had encouraged him to make the change.
Alongside a snap of himself on holiday in Sicily, he shared: Day 1…90% vino or mojito…stupid hair (sorry) but @katyrickitt keeps saying she like it!!!’
Yet not all his followers were convinced, with some praising the look while others compared him to actor Jean-Claude Van Damme and singer Bonnie Tyler.
Nineties icon Adam Rickitt was compared to Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bonnie Tyler by fans as he unveiled a shock new look in an Instagram post on Sunday
He shot to fame with his boyish good looks on Coronation Street in 1997 (left). Yet nearly three decades on and Adam has adopted a bold new look
Fans penned: ‘Loving the hair buddy!’; ‘It’s your hair but defo suit it short’; ‘Jean-Claude Van Rickitt’; ‘The hair is giving Bonnie Tyler and I stan’; ‘the long hair looks great.’
‘It looks great Adam really suits you’; ‘As a mother ridiculous hair!!! xxx’; ‘Bring back the curtains’; ‘I’m lovin the hair!! ❤️’
Adam found fame when he was cast as Gail Platt’s (Helen Worth) son on Coronation Street in 1997, playing the role for two years.
He returned briefly in 2002 and for a longer spell from 2003 to 2004 when his character was involved in the series’ first gay kiss with Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley).
During his soap break, he decided to launch a music career, releasing album – Good Times.
His first single, I Breathe Again, reached number five in the UK, and spawned the iconic 1999 music video where he appeared nude in a glass box while being inspected by doctors.
However, the album only managed to peak at number 41, with Adam promptly dropped from his label.
What followed was a brief foray into politics, with the star approved as a prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in 2005.
The 46-year-old actor revealed he’d swapped his iconic curtains for long bleach blond locks, claiming his wife Katy (pictured) had encouraged him to make the change
Yet not all his followers were convinced, with some praising the look while others compared him to actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (left in 1993) and singer Bonnie Tyler (pictured 1986)
Alongside a snap of himself on holiday in Sicily, he shared: Day 1…90% vino or mojito…stupid hair (sorry) but @katyrickitt keeps saying she like it!!!’
Yet he failed to make a list of 20 candidates for the Folkestone and Hythe seat being vacated by Michael Howard, and decided to call his political career a day.
He returned to acting with a three-year stint on New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, which ended in 2010.
In 2014, he went back to music, joining the supergroup 5th Story, who took part in the second series of The Big Reunion, alongside Kenzie from Blazin’ Squad, Dane Bowers from Another Level, Kavana and Gareth Gates.
A pivot back to acting came two years later, when he made a guest appearance in an episode of Doctors.
He joined the cast of Hollyoaks in 2017 but left the soap three years later in an emotional male suicide plot.
His last acting stint came last year when he played Michael Harvey in an episode of Doctors.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Adam was amongst the best soap actors in the country so it was only a matter of time before he landed a new role.
‘He’s really excited to get started on Doctors and bosses can’t wait to see how viewers react to him.
‘Adam has spent a lot of time working on his bar but is in a position to get back to acting now.’
In between acting gigs, Adam opened craft beer shop, gin specialist and ‘micro bar’, called Dexter and Jones, in Knutsford with his GMB presenter wife, Katy.
Adam found fame when he was cast as Gail Platt’s (Helen Worth) son on Coronation Street in 1997, playing the role for two years. He returned briefly in 2002 and from 2003 to 2004
He joined the cast of Hollyoaks in 2017 playing Kyle Kelly but left the soap three years later in an emotional male suicide plot
The star may be most known for is his iconic 1999 music video I Breathe Away where he flaunted his naked body while being inspected by doctors