Justin Hawkins dresses up his dog in his spare time.

The Darkness frontman managed to overcame his drug and alcohol problems in 2006 and it now completely clean and sober and has diverted his attention to a much tamer hobby - photographing his pet pooch in various scenarios.

When asked about how he now fills his spare time, Justin replied: ''Now I'm professional? I play tennis when I can, but mostly I like taking pictures of my dog - in different scenarios, wearing different costumes. She's a griffon Bruxellois. Bigger than a Chihuahua, a terrior-sized dog. A big like a pug with longer legs.''

The Darkness' new album, 'Hot Cakes', has been a hit, and he's thrilled about the band's success globally.

He added to Classic Rock magazine: ''In the current climate the album's doing very well. It achieved the highest chart position of any Darkness album in Germany, in the US, in Australia ... The list is, well, it's not endless. It has an end, I just don't know where.

''And I'm not sure that 'hot cakes' is an expression that translates. A Spanish journalist asked me if it meant piles of cocaine.''