The singer said he wanted something “extra” in his career and that he was “missing that buzz” with horse racing.
“I’m quite tall for a jockey, I’m 5ft 9in (1.75m)… but I did struggle with my weight, so I got to the point where I was about 8st 9lb (55kg) which does seem light in hindsight, but it was quite heavy,” he added.
“I was trying to keep my weight down all the time and struggling driving up to Scotland for one ride, and the opportunities weren’t there at the time.”
He went on to try acting before deciding to join an online platform for people in the creative industry. His future bandmate Jaymi Hensley then got in touch.
“To this day, he says, ‘The only reason I let you in is because you had a six pack,'” Hamblett added.
The band initially formed as a trio called Triple J in 2011 before they auditioned in the ninth series of The X Factor.
George Shelley joined as the group’s fourth member during the competition and the band, renamed Union J, went on to finish fourth under judge Louis Walsh.
