Pop Idol was one of the biggest TV hits of the early noughties.
Despite only running for two series, the show spawned the careers of both Gareth Gates and Will Young.
However, it also made a star of Kent-born singer Rik Waller, who was tipped to win the first series of the singing reality show.
In 2001, the then 20-year-old impressed judges Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman, Nicki Chapman and Neil Fox with an impressive vocal performance and successfully made it into the final ten.
However, the singer was forced to pull out of the show prematurely after suffering from laryngitis.
Despite this, he did find chart success with his cover of Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You which reached number six in the UK singles chart.
He signed a record deal with EMI believed to be worth around £400,000 and subsequently released a cover of Something Inside (So Strong).
Rik then landed roles on various UK based reality shows including a stint on Celebrity Fit Club.
Around this time, he was dropped by his record label EMI and formed a band that signed with Red Admiral Records.
However, following poor ticket sales they cancelled a planned tour and parted ways.
February 2007 is the last time Rik was seen on TV with an appearance on Never Mind The Buzzcocks.
It was since rumoured that he had suffered the loss of his ability to sing having damaged his voice.
In 2007, he said: “I’m getting tired of singing and I can’t rely on it for 100 per cent of my income. I’ve got two people to think about now and talent doesn’t always pay the bills.”
At the time, he was in a relationship with a Pagan woman and the couple were said to be planning a Pagan wedding ceremony.
However, the relationship split up and rumours circulated that she had encouraged Rik to stop performing.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2013, Rik admitted he had to visit a jobcentre, saying: “The most demoralising thing I’ve ever had to do was queue up at the jobcentre and have people look at me saying, ‘What a failure’.
“When you’ve lost the ability to do the job you’ve always done, it’s an incredible stab in the back to find people are actually laughing at you.
"It's why I don't make a lot of effort to talk to the press these days – it can be more trouble than it's worth."
He added: "If you've got a roof over your head and food on the table I don't know how anyone can be truly unhappy."
By 2014, Rik had moved back in with his parents and was working as a secondary school exam investigator using his given name, Richard.
He also reportedly helps his Dad run a local mobile karaoke and disco service.
According to his Facebook page, the former singer has been in a relationship since 2019 and now lives in Sittingbourne.
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