Ian 'H' Watkins believes Steps were "just treated as puppets" at the start of their career

He told Dailymail.co.uk: "Back in the day we were worked, oh my God, we were so tired. We all have a very similar tale to tell ... We were all exhausted.

"There was no aftercare in place, there was no mental health, no teams involved and we were just treated as puppets."

However, H explained Steps were initially only signed on a one album record deal, so they were in a better place to renegotiate after their first taste of success.

He said: "We learned very very quickly that we could take control of the way we were treated.

"A lot of our peers, they were a lot younger than us, so they didn't realise that they could actually have a voice, and we were very much in charge from very early on.

"For example financials, we knew exactly what was coming in and going out. How much video was costing, how much a car would cost, how much a makeup artist would be for the day, how much a costume budget would be, and that's why we did well because we looked after ourselves."

He added: "Whereas a lot of our peers they were signed on multi-million pound deals with five albums, we were signed on a one single deal and nobody really realised that we had a life after that.

"We took this beast, this monster that nobody could stop and I'm sure all the cool cats they were like, f****** hell Steps they keep coming back."

H has written his first children's book called Pride and The Rainbow Warriors and he's described it as a "a love letter" to his younger self after spending years feeling conflicted and keeping his sexuality a secret before eventually coming out publicly.

He told Pink News: "Back then, you had to be single, straight, available. I was living in this dark box and I couldn't get out of it.

"Since I have come out publicly, I feel I've got a lot of making up to do. I felt really embarrassed and I felt I needed to make amends with my old self.

"The way I use my platform today is the way I would ... I should have used it back then. But I'm making amends for it now."