'Fame Academy' winner decides to turn his back on life in the spotlight

First Hear'Say, the manufactured band that won ITV's Pop Stars, disintegrated in the face of public opprobrium, which included being shouted at in shops and, in the case of the singer Myleene Klass, being assaulted. Then One True Voice, the male winners of the runner-up show Pop Stars: The Rivals faded into obscurity with two forgettable singles.

Now the polite Scot who won a £1m recording contract for being the winner of the BBC's Fame Academy has decided he would rather not be a pop star after all.

David Sneddon, 25, has opted to turn his back on what millions of young Britons hanker for to concentrate on the shadowier skill of songwriting. "I have had a good year and I know what I want to do with my life. Being a pop star isn't it," Sneddon said.

His decision is all the more surprising considering the wealth and success Sneddon has accumulated since he polled 3.5 million votes to win the first series of the BBC light entertainment show that selects and trains aspiring pop stars.

As well as a springboard to stardom, his Fame Academy win furnished him with the one-year recording deal with Mercury Records, a luxury apartment and a car.

A debut single, "Stop Living The Lie", shot to number one in January. His follow-up, "Don't Let Go" reached number three. His third single, "Best of Order" reached number 28 and his fourth single, "Baby Get Higher", has just been released.

Yet the unpretentious Glaswegian has denounced the record industry for being home to money-grubbing executives who care nothing for music.

Sneddon said he also did not want to cope with the publicity. "I've always had a steady relationship with my family and girlfriend. It always seems to be things like that that people want to pick apart. I want to keep it to myself but you can't do that when you are famous."

Instead of making the most of his new-found celebrity in the nightclubs of London, Sneddon prefers to sit in his parents' house "keeping myself to myself".

He admitted that his decision to step back from the limelight would surprise the pop world. But he added that he had never had any expectation of winning Fame Academy, and only entered it at his father's suggestion.