HE has already starred in TV's top soap, scaled the heady heights of the pop charts - but at the tender age of 22 Adam Rickitt is ready for a new challenge.

The former Coronation Street heart-throb is about to combine acting and singing and make his stage debut in the first British tour of the US hit musical Rent.

''I was not amazingly happy with the way my career was going,'' said Adam after his flirtation with pop. I thought it would be partying all the time but it wasn't.

''You find yourself going into your flat on your own at about 2am, so tired you couldn't even feed yourself and then you would be up at 5am for more promoting.

''And the only time you sing live is when you are promoting the album. The rest of the time was just miming. Pop is fun but I realised it was not something I wanted to pursue for five albums, so I said to the record label ''do you mind if I call it quits for a bit'' and a bit grudgingly they said OK.''

He moved back to the family home in Cheshire and took a couple of months off to decide what to do with his life. ''It occurred to me the times I have been happiest was when I was recording live or on the set of Coronation Street,'' he said. ''So now I'm combining both.''

Adam's Manchester fans will get their chance to see him live in action in the city for a week from Monday April 9 when the musical about a group of friends in New York's Greenwich Village visits the Palace Theatre.

Adam said: ''I play Mark Cohen, the narrator. He is a dweeb who has got dumped by his girlfriend because she is a lesbian. They flew me out to New York to see the Broadway version and I thought it was such an uplifting, positive thing.

''When I walked out I literally couldn't talk. It was so good. I am nervous, not about getting up and performing, but because I love the show so much I don't want to drop the ball. I want to make sure what I give to it is worthy.''

He is even on a health kick in a bid to give it his best shot and has stopped smoking. ''We do eight shows a week and if you are singing you have to push your voice quite hard. If you smoke as well you would lose your voice.''