American Idol's Justin Guarini resurfaces in Diet Dr. Pepper commercial

Justin Guarini melted teenage hearts when he battled Kelly Clarkson for the very first title of American Idol in 2002. 

Since then, Kelly's singing career has skyrocketed while Justin has dabbled in producing music, performing on Broadway, and occasionally appearing in small acting roles for short films and TV shows.

And now, he has resurfaced playing a soda guru called Lil' Sweet in a Diet Dr. Pepper commercial. 

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Idol: Justin Guarini was a heartthrob on the first season of American Idol, he has since resurfaced in a Diet Dr. Pepper commercial

While Justin's voice is easily recognisable, his character's quirky appearance led people to wonder if that was the same sweet faced singer that attracted fans 13 years ago. 

The singer, 36, makes a grand entrance in the commercial, sliding into an office kitchen on his knees, as he shook a tambourine and hit an impressive high note.

Once standing, it turns out that the soda guru (who in real life stands at 6ft) is a lot smaller than he first appeared, only about 4ft tall.

His ensemble included a thick forest green head band to hold back his long red locks, which matched his leather trousers and sparkly scarf.

Then and now: Justin's sweet voice was discovered on the first season of American Idol, and later heard in an odd Diet Dr. Pepper commercial

Cue lights! Justin slid into the office kitchen as Lil' Sweet to rescue the thirsty woman

The unusual outfit also included a studded metallic silver jacket and black lace fingerless gloves. 

In character as the soda enthusiast, Justin referred to himself in third person, saying 'Lil Sweet is self-employed,' and then slid backwards out of the room while still on his knees.

As he sung, three workers in the office became fixated on his strange but seductive demeanor. 

Behind the eye liner, studded shoulder pads, silver charm necklace and lace gloves, the Idol runner-up somehow still managed to look cool - in a Jack Sparrow meets Prince sort of way.

No joke: Justin's miniature character stood about 4 feet tall to offer the woman a taste of Diet Dr. Pepper

In the moment: Justin's character, Lil' Sweet passionately sang about the sweet, no calorie soda

Justin's first post-Idol appearance came immediately after the show in 2003 when he and Kelly filmed the spring break musical From Justin To Kelly: A Tale Of Two American Idols.

Earlier this month, Kelly admitted that she and Justin dated on Watch What Happens Live!, although she insisted that they weren't romantically involved during the competition.

After the release of his self-titled album in June of 2003, the singer/songwriter was dropped from RCA Records by December of the same year. 

In 2005 Justin started Justice Entertainment, Ltd., through which he eventually released two jazz and acoustic albums.

Best break room ever: The woman in the commercial requested something sweet and low cal, and 4 foot Justin delivered as Lil' Sweet

Cheers: The woman in the office unsure about the spectacle of 4 foot Lil' Sweet sliding into the room to offer her a beverage

Let it be: Once Lil' Sweet started to sing, everyone stopped to listen

While singing is what originally launched him into the industry, the father-of-three has periodically shown up in short films such as Frankie The Squirrel and Tilt-A-Whirl. 

He was also spotted in the popular Disney show Wizards Of Waverly Place, starring Selena Gomez. 

After turning down a role in the original production of Broadway musical Good Vibrations in 2004, the performer picked theater back up in 2009 in The Awakening of Angel DeLuna.

Justin married Reina Capodici in 2009 at a ceremony in Pennsylvania, who he began dating in 2007 after meeting in high school.  

The couple share two sons: William, three, and Asher, two, while Reina has a daughter who was born in 2005 before they were together.

Competitors and friends: Kelly and Justin battled for the title of American Idol in 2002, then dated while filming 'From Justin to Kelly' the following year

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