Not many people have their life changed by an advert. But it was a chance flick through a magazine's ad section that plucked 12-year-old Jon Lee out of deepest Devon and straight into London's West End.

"The ad was for auditions for Oliver! at the London Palladium and I thought, 'Why not?', I ended up landing the lead role of Oliver. I often look back and think, well if I could achieve that, I can do anything."

He may be the youngest 7, but Jon's already squeezed masses into 17 short years--and had major fun along the way. "Yeah, I like to have a good time," he says with a mischievous grin.

Jon appeared in his first play at the age of four and quickly decided he was better at acting than his other school subjects. He joined a drama group, took up acting lessons and then opened that fateful magazine. When his run in Oliver! came to an end, Jon joined the pop star training ground, Sylvia Young's Theatre School, and was soon regularly cropping up on telly, playing Josh in EastEnders, appearing in the BBC drama Mill on the Floss and singing on the Barrymore show!

As the other 7s will tell you, Jon knows how to party but he also has a quieter, more sensitive side. "I'm interested in environmental issues. I'm a vegetarian and hate animal cruelty, such as hunting. If I wasn't doing this, I'd want to be a vet." In fact, one of Jon's best mates is his four-year-old dog, Molly. "She's a big, fat, black thing and sits in front of the telly just like an old woman!"

When it comes to romance, Jon reckons, "I'm a very emotional person and love ballad singers like Celine Dion." But before things get too slushy, remember this is the same guy who ran around in front of a hotel full of guests in just his Y-fronts. "I'm always doing embarrassing things. It's terrible. If I get really embarrassed I develop this hysterical laugh," he adds, giggling.