Eighties pop pioneer responsible for a string of hits looks completely unrecognisable as he walks his dog – but can YOU guess who it is?

He was responsible for a string of hits that defined his era, but to outsiders he was just a man walking his dog on a Wednesday.

Wearing a hat over his famous mop of ginger hair, Mick Hucknall was unrecognisable as he approached the area around his North London home.

The Simply Red star looked out of place in his suburban surroundings in a dark green top and plain chino trousers as he walked his little dog Pip ahead of the band’s 40th anniversary tour.

Mick, 64, completed his look with a pair of brightly coloured sunglasses and a pair of fingerless gloves as he walked the dog on Wednesday.

The iconic singer became a household name in the 80s with Simply Red thanks to the hit singles Holding Back The Years, Money’s Too Tight (To Mention) and The Right Thing.

Mick on a night out in Los Angeles in 1996 (left) and in North London on Wednesday afternoon (right)

The Simply Red star looked out of place in his suburban surroundings in a dark green top and plain chino trousers as he walked his little dog Pip

Earlier this year, Mick reflected on his playboy lifestyle in the 80s, but admitted the coronavirus pandemic had taught him a valuable lesson.

The musician, who claims to have slept with more than 1,000 women, rose to fame 38 years ago with Simply Red.

He dated a bunch of beautiful actresses, sports stars and supermodels, sometimes sleeping with up to three women a day.

Speaking with The sunMick said: ‘I was just touring the world and being single, a playboy, a bachelor – I didn’t really know what I was doing.

“I just had a good time, whenever. I like to have a good time.”

His ex-lovers include actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones and Martine McCutcheon and model Melanie Sykes.

The songwriter is now the father of daughter Romy and in 2010 he married her mother, art dealer Gabriella Wesberry.

“I’m a father and a husband. And I’m still enjoying it. Very, very different, yes, but I love it.”

He said, “Those days are long gone. I don’t miss them. I’m in a much happier place now than I’ve ever been in my life.”

Mick on stage at Glastonbury Festival with Simply Red in 1986, shortly after the release of their debut album, Picture Book

Mick completed his look with a pair of heavily tinted sunglasses and a pair of fingerless gloves as he took his dog for a solitary walk on Wednesday

The iconic singer became a household name in the 80s with Simply Red thanks to the hit singles Holding Back The Years, Money’s Too Tight (To Mention) and The Right Thing

Pip was kept on a tight leash as Hucknall went out for a walk with the dog in North London

Mick (second from right) with Simply Red at the San Remo Pop Festival in San Remo, Italy on February 8, 1987

Last year, Mick announced that he was suffering from long-term COVID and was struggling with the aftermath of the virus.

Speaking with The sunMick said he suffers from heart palpitations and insomnia, explaining that he often wakes up in the middle of the night “with a heart going boom, boom, boom.”

The singer also revealed the real meaning behind Simply Red’s iconic hit, Holding Back The Years.

Hucknall made this surprising admission in an interview with The Sunday Times in 2023, a full 38 years after its release in 1985.

He said: ‘Granted, there have been hard times. My mother left when I was three, so it was just me and my father surviving on the poverty line.

“That’s what Holding Back the Years was about — hoping in a mother’s arms. But I found inspiration in my father’s determination. He worked f***ing hard and made sure we survived.”

Holding Back The Years was released as the third single from Simply Red’s debut album, Picture Book, and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK charts.