British singer Craig David has cut back on his punishing exercise routine after admitting he became hooked on lifting weights and working out.

The Fill Me In hitmaker became fitness focused after moving from Britain to Miami, Florida and shocked fans last year (12) after posting a picture on Twitter.com of his excessively muscly body.

The star has now admitted he took his obsession with staying healthy too far and explains how his memories of being an overweight child drove him to work harder in the gym.

He tells Britain's The Sun, "I took the exercise to the extreme. I wanted to see how ripped I could get. I wanted to prove to no one else but myself that I could take it that far.

"I was religious with the exercise. You can get addicted after a while and it became a big part of my life. I did it because it was a mission I needed to complete. I was trying to prove to the fat kid I was that I could take it to the extreme the other way.

"I'm comfortable with my body now. I never wanted to be a bodybuilder, I was just trying to get to my goal weight. You can't be like that all the time, it makes you lethargic and tired. It's not healthy. But I never want to be that fat kid again. It was not good for my self-esteem or my health."