Pop Idol legend looks unrecognisable with blue hair and a beard as he takes on new stage role

POP Idol legend Gareth Gates looked unrecognisable with bright blue hair and a bushy beard on stage in his new role.

The singer has joined the cast of The Spongebob Musical as the cynical Squidward Tentacles.

He stars alongside Divina De Campo, who has taken on the role of the Bikini Bottom’s power-hungry Sheldon J. Plankton.

It’s not his first time treading the boards after Pop Idol.

Gareth’s other theatre roles include Marius in Les Misérables’ West End and 25th Anniversary Tour, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Warner in Legally Blonde and Willard in Footloose.

But the pop star, 39, has perhaps never looked so different in character for the cartoon’s stage adaptation as SpongeBob’s grumpy neighbour.

Gareth appeared in photos from his latest performance with his hands on his hips, and sporting an angry scowl.

Gareth first wowed viewers when he appeared on the debut series of Pop Idol in 2002.

Will Young took the crown and Gareth came runner up.

That year Gareth hit the headlines when he hooked up with Katie Price while she was pregnant with her son Harvey.

Although his career as a pop star has since taken a dive, he has kept afloat by dabbling in the stock market despite having initially lost £250,000 by following some bad advice.

“I met someone claiming to be an expert in trading foreign currencies,” he told The Celeb Report last year.

“But I ended up getting conned and losing a lot of money. It was a long time ago now but it was a big learning curve for me.

“That’s why I set up my own business called LRG Investments to help other people learn how to trade. It’s going really well.

“It’s something you can do anywhere in the world, so when I’m performing on a ship, I’ll be trading shares at the same time.

“But after learning the hard way I never let a trade run and run if I’m losing.

“You have to be smart or else it can be as addictive as gambling.”