DOUBLE TAKE
Hunk who stars in new BBC drama revealed as former X Factor contestant – do YOU remember him?
Scroll down to find out how he changed his physique for his new role
IF the leading man in new BBC One drama, Virdee, looks familiar, it's probably not just because he's now an established actor.
Hunky Staz Nair was also on the X Factor as part of a boyband called Times Red who sang a cover of Amy Winehouse's classic, Rehab.
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He plays a detective in the new crime series set in Bradford, but back in 2012 he was part of the group who auditioned in front of Geri Halliwell and Gary Barlow.
As the pictures show, he even flashed his chiselled abs to the delight of the former Spice Girl and the ladies in the audience.
But talking about playing DCI Harry Virdee in the new six-parter which starts tonight, he reveals he deliberately tried to lose the ripped physique which has helped him get roles in US shows ranging from Game of Thrones to Supergirl.
Staz said: "Hollywood has a tendency to give everyone abs, but I didn’t think that was Harry Virdee.
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"He is in his late 30s, he’s a father, he’s a husband who does nothing but work and then go home and love being a father and a husband.
"The book described him as burly, as more of a rugby-esque physique, so I was keen to make him more relatable.
"Physically, I actually ate a lot."
Yes, I think I can definitely relate to this character.
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