Talent-spotted at the age of seven, John Cornelius sky-rocketed into the glamorous world of show business in the mid-1970s. Despite never having attended a single drama lesson, he landed the role of the Milkybar Kid in his second week as an actor and his life turned on its head. Reporter James Davis spoke to the Whiteshill resident and one-time golden boy of TV commercials about the highs and lows of being a child star.

ARRIVING late at the restaurant, it suddenly occurs to me that John Cornelius will not be the white-haired, bespectacled boy I remember from my childhood.

In fact, I suddenly realise I have no idea what he will look like and envisage traipsing round the place, encountering bemused faces as I inquire at each table after the Milkybar Kid.

Luckily my blushes are spared by a well turned-out, dark-haired John, who strolls over and confidently introduces himself.

Instantly likeable, John is soon explaining that he was the second Milkybar Kid and not the one I remember from the late 1980s.

Neither was he Nestle's original child star - although he was the first filmed in colour.

The seed for John's fruitful, yet relatively brief acting career, was planted while on a job with his father, a carpenter.

"A woman who worked as a chaperone for the Norrie Carr modelling agency suggested I have some photos taken," said the 39-year-old.

"A week later I did my first job which was followed quickly by the Milkybar Kid advert."

John's schedule quickly filled and soon he was the hottest property for advertisers - featuring in dozens of TV commercials and poster campaigns for brands including Lucozade, Slumberland beds and Nestle.

He was the star of six adverts for Milkybar and was also the face of British Airways - for a few years his image was everywhere.

"I remember driving through Wandsworth and seeing myself on a 60ft billboard," he said.

"I also remember watching TV one evening and during one commercial break there were three adverts with me in.

"I was just an ordinary kid on a council estate and my life flipped upside down within seconds."

His eyes light up as he recounts the countless days spent in TV studios- a familiar place for John who comes from a long line of skilled workmen who often plied their technical trades in the film industry.

And the lifestyle came with a whole host of perks beyond the wildest dreams of such an unassuming boy.

"I never wanted for anything - I was given free toys and clothes all the time," he said.

"I was chauffeur driven from the house to the location and was earning quite a lot of money for the time.

"When I was the Milkybar Kid I went to the factory and got as many boxes of chocolate as I wanted."

For four years, the jobs came thick and fast and school often played second fiddle to what was fast becoming his new vocation.

Despite narrowly missing out on a part in a big budget film and then losing another chance when a film was cancelled, the more serious acting roles never materialised.

He soon realised just how ruthless the industry can be.

On one occasion, a camera crew diverted his parent's attention so they could film him smoking a cigarette.

The heavy workload took its toll and at the age of 11 John decided he no longer wanted to continue acting.

"I thought I just can't do this any more," he said. "I wanted to do my own thing. "I got into it so quickly and was right out of it quickly too."

For a short time he enjoyed a refreshing taste of normality - going back to school full-time and living the care free, yet more structured, life familiar to his peers.

But this feeling of normality and balance would not return for almost 20 years.

The void left by acting was quickly filled by table-tennis.

Another talent was unearthed and it wasn't long before coaches were flying over from Germany to hone the gifted young man's skills.

By 14, he had amassed a string of titles, played for England cadets and beaten the Scottish men's number one.

But once again, John found himself unable to sustain a lifestyle that seemed to have chosen him.

"At 14 I snapped," he said.

"I blew up and started working at a racecourse where I was always around alcoholics and it was there that I found drink.

"Once I took a drink an alcoholic was born."

John trained as a carpenter, working sporadically around long spells of alcohol abuse during his teens and 20s.

He did return to the film industry as a tradesman to work on projects such as Judge Dredd and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

Certain sections of the media heard of the decline of yet another child star and seemed intent on exposing it.

"There was a big thing on me in a national newspaper 10 years ago," he said.

"I was in for all the wrong reasons - they were even comparing me to the American brat-pack scene around River Phoenix and Drew Barrymore."

The media also likened John's decline to that of famous child star Jack Wild, who played the Artful Dodger in the 1968 film Oliver and later became an alcoholic.

It wasn't until 1996 that John finally decided to give up once and for all.

"I had been in and out of detox but eventually I went into recovery because I was totally and utterly beat," he said.

"I was sick and tired of being sick and tired so I surrendered and once you surrender something changes.

"I knew I could always go home as my parents had always bailed me out but one day my mum dropped all my stuff round and said she could no longer watch me killing myself.

"At that point, no one was there to bail me out."

John moved to the Stroud area during his recovery and has been sober now for nine years.

The course of his life has taken a dramatic U-turn.

He works as a project manager for a construction company, has recently bought properties in France and Cheltenham and is married with a young daughter.

"I am much more content now in how I live and feel," he said.

"The industry is different nowadays and there are limits on the number of hours kids can work," he said.

"We live in a materialistic world and a lot of parents want it for their kids because they never made it.

"But you have just got to listen to your child and if they are not happy then let them stop."

And with a clear sense of perspective now, John says he would relish the challenge of being in front of the camera again.

"There's a bit of me that still wants the limelight," he said.

"I could go back into the industry and find the non-drinking side.

"That's why I have done shows like The 100 Greatest Adverts and 50 Years of ITV."

Not a man for regrets however, it is clear that experience has taught this particular kid a lot about himself.

"When I look back I am proud - not many people can say they were the Milkybar Kid."