As soon as Drew Lachey walked onto Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium stage, the crowd of around 150, mostly women, all started screaming.

The former 98 Degrees singer and winner of the second season of “Dancing With the Stars” came to Central Michigan University on Monday, not to perform, but to discuss about how life in the public eye has affected him and his family.

Specifically, he talked about how he was willing to change all the plans he made in his life to take advantage of the opportunities that were given to him.

“Not only have I been in Thailand. I got sick in Thailand,” Lachey said about a trip where he got terribly sick and performed through it.

Lachey said life as a performer was often extremely difficult for him to deal with as a young man.

“I didn’t know how to handle the ups and downs,” Lachey said. “Then it went away.”

Lachey discussed the ending of 98 Degrees and how the tour broke up after a September 10, 2001 show in New York City because the band couldn’t fly out of the city to get to their next show.

“We just stopped,” Lachey said.

After he performed in “Rent” on Broadway, Lachey received a phone call from ABC, offering him a spot on “Dancing With the Stars.”

“Everybody told me not to take the show,” Lachey said. But “it changed my career.”

Lachey later discussed his current plans, which now include production of television programs.

After Lachey was finished with the talk, he went to sit down on the stage to answer audience questions.

As soon as he moved to sit, several ladies in the audience gasped at the thought that Lachey would be sitting five feet away from them.

Lachey took it all in stride though and said, “My back hurts, I have to sit down.”

Sanja Domazet, a Warren senior, said she was interested in Lachey’s background.

“It was really interesting to find out he followed his dream, got what he wanted in the end and he didn’t really follow any career path, just took it as it went,” Domazet said.

Heather Gayno, a Cheboygan senior, said Lachey seemed like just a regular guy.

“He seemed a lot more down to earth than I could’ve imagined,” Gayno said. “He seemed like a family guy.”

Gayno said her favorite part happened when the crowd coaxed Lachey to sing.

“He sang for us a little bit, that’s every girl’s favorite part,” Gayno said.

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E-mail the author: Eric Dresden