Despite rumours in the US that he's back on the bottle Backstreet Boy's Bad Boy AJ McLean is 'doing great' and is ready to return to the group's Black and Blue tour next Friday.

Band mate Howie Dorough told MTV's Total Request Live 'AJ looks great, he's put on a little bit of weight, his hair is platinum blond. He's really psyched to get back out there - he can't wait.'

McLean, entered rehab last month for treatment of alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety and recently went into what the group say is a 'transitional care' facility in Los Angeles.

The group say they now plan to go back on the road on 24 August in Milwaukee after twice postponing the tour because of McLean's problems.

Dorough said that the time off turned out to be a blessing for the whole group. He added, 'It was definitely an unexpected break here that we had. We took advantage of it - we're all rested up now, we're psyched up, we're ready to get back out there. We've had a chance to sit back and really think about all this. It gave us a chance to really re-evaluate our lives and our careers and our health.'

AJ had been the centre of rumours in some parts of the US media this week after reports he was seen partying when he's supposedly been recovering from his problems. But, photos showed that reports of McLean drinking beers at a Los Angeles restaurant are unfounded - it was merely a lookalike. A spokesman for the BSB confirmed there have been several McLean hoaxes going on in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Shaggy has pulled out of the BSB tour due to previous commitments and has been replaced by Sisqo. Shaggy is due to start a European tour in Belfast on 9 October.