East 17 star Mortimer plots solo comeback

Former East 17 star Tony Mortimer is said to be trying to launch a solo career.

The singer has been in talks with old record label executives in a bid to rekindle the success he achieved in the 1990s, according to The Sun.

Mortimer enjoyed eleven Top 10 singles and four hit albums as part of the group before leaving in 1997. The band's brief reunion in 2006 was thwarted when Brian Harvey and Mortimer came to blows.

"Tony was devastated the reunion came to nothing. He spent much of the early part of the millennium hiding away in his Essex mansion," a source told the newspaper.

"He’s been in touch with old record label contacts and is determined to make a go of it as a solo artist."

The star won an Ivor Novello Award as songwriter of the year for East 17's 1994 Christmas number one 'Stay Another Day'.