A homeless man from Richmond turned his life around to become a hit in the charts and the fashion industry.

Emmanuel left his humble beginnings behind him to become part of new pop group, Cushh, which includes himself and band mate Saskia, from Chiswick, who attended Richmond’s Royal Ballet School from a young age.

With their first single debuting in the UK top 40, the group are hoping to continue their success with the release of their second single, Fabulous.

Described by the band as “a feel-good anthem”, the single’s video has been directed Daniel Zirilli, who has shot numerous videos ranging from the Rolling Stones to Tupac.

It features a remix by platinum-selling producers, the Wideboys, who have remixed songs for stars including Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Taio Cruz and Britney Spears. The single has already had more than 70,000 views on YouTube.

Emmanuel went from living rough in Ealing Park, to studying at college and working until he earned enough to study software engineering and business information at university.

He founded his own IT company, production company and clothing label, also named Cushh, which is currently being sold in Fenwick’s and Dorothy Perkins.

The fashion line already has a celebrity following from the likes of Una Healy from The Saturdays and Katie Price.

When speaking about his past, Emmanuel says: “It’s like I was on a runaway train with no one driving it, but now I’m driving it.”