Tom Parker planning for life after The Wanted

After finding his voice at a school assembly while a pupil at Thornleigh, he went on to discover a passion for music and landed a place in boyband The Wanted in 2009.

In January, fans were left shocked when they announced they would go their separate ways but the 25-year-old hopes to make the most of the break, following their Word of Mouth tour which calls into the Phones 4u Arena, Manchester, on Tuesday, March 18.

He said: “I think when you do something so intense, it’s nice to branch out and do your own thing.”

His own thing includes a track called Fireflies with Fazer, real name Richard Rawson, from hip hop trio NDubz, and clothing line Hashtagz.

He said: “It was one of those things that I kind of came up with when I was on a train.

“I came up with the clothing line, I registered it and we’re working with Live Nation who are one of the biggest merchandisers, building the brand and we’ve got another deal with a major holiday company.”

The former St Brendan's Primary School pupil, who is settled with actress girlfriend Kelsey Hardwick in London, will also have more time to make the journey north to Tonge Moor.

He said: “It’s been pretty mental for the last couple of years.

“I get up to Bolton about two or three times a year.

“It’s good to see my mum and dad, it’s nice to come home.

“It’s a very calming atmosphere back in Bolton which is nice.

“I will get back a little bit more, it will be nice to see my family a little bit more.”

Since the split announcement, there have been a raft of stories about rows over girlfriends, business deals and the thirst for solo careers.

Tom said: “Newspaper talk, we’ve always been under the impression we don’t believe anything in the papers until we’ve heard it.

“There’s been a lot of talk.”

He insists the band, including former Bolton School pupil Max George, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran and Jay McGuiness, remain the best of friends and will work together in the future.

It was at the age of 15 that Tom discovered he had a talent for performing.

He said: “I sang in the school leaving assembly and everyone said, who is this kid that can actually sing?

“I got a little bit more confident and started doing local gigs and I was in a Take That tribute band for a while.

“I auditioned for The Wanted when I was 20 and I was fortunate to get into it.”

Thrust into the limelight, The Wanted have enjoyed a string of hit singles such as All Time Low, Chasing The Sun and Glad You Came, as well as scoring success in America, including reality television series The Wanted Life, which launched on E! in June, 2013, a number one single and performing at the White House.

Tom said: “For everyone that goes into the music industry, one minute you’re just a normal person and the next everyone wants a piece of you.

“But if you surround yourself with good people, good friends and a good team, you can keep yourself very grounded.

“We’ve not let ourselves get carried away with the fame side of things.”

While the lads have been unable to emulate the success of fellow boyband One Direction, who saw tickets for their tour sell out in minutes, Tom hopes their fans will stick by them.

He said: “(Their reaction) has been kind of mixed. I think they would prefer it if we stay together. It’s a bit of a strange one.

“We always want to do the best by them, they’ve been so loyal and supportive.

“We all came to the agreement it was nice to have a little break away from being in the band.

“You have to do right by yourself and follow your heart.

“I’m pretty sure they will be there supporting everything we do as individuals.”

And away from the crazy world of pop and boybands, there could soon be wedding bells with his girlfriend of four years, Kelsey, from South London.

He said: “She keeps me very grounded and settled.

“Yeah, there could be this year, we’ve got a house together.”

The Wanted Word Of Mouth World Tour will be at Phones 4u Arena, Manchester, on Tuesday, March 18.