Noughties pop star opens up about ‘damaging experience' in band after he was ‘forced to hide' his sexuality

The Sun

a day ago

HE garnered overnight fame back in 2001 after being launched on ITV's reality show Popstars before having huge success in the band Hear'Say, but it wasn't all glitz and glamour behind the scenes.
Noel Sullivan, 44, was chosen to be a part of the band alongside Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Danny Foster and despite their debut album going to number one, the group had short-lived fame after parting ways just two years later.
4
The singer has now opened up about his experience in the band and said the experience damaged him because he wasn't allowed to discuss his sexuality.
He told Heat magazine: 'It was really mad. It was lifetime ago. I can look back at it with fond memories now, but it took while to sort through the damage. But I'm here and I survived.
'I was 19, 20 years old at the time, so at an age when I should be exploring who I am.
'To be boxed back up and chucked back in the closet was a damaging experience for me, it took a lot of time to find some resolution to that and not feel guilty or shameful because of it.'
Noel is now happily married to his husband James after coming out in 2017 and regularly shares pictures of the pair together on social media.
This isn't the first time Noel has opened up about his sexuality being a point of contention when he was in the band.
In 2017, he took to Instagram to share a picture of himself on his birthday and took the opportunity to get some things off of his chest.
He penned: 'As a 19 year old, I was told to shut up about my sexuality. If I wanted a career, I had to be something else. Silent. It ruined me.
'No one was held accountable for the years of depression and self abuse that followed. It got to the point where I felt like I couldn't speak out anymore because my time in the spotlight had passed and I assumed no one would care.
'It was a turbulent time but I took solace in my family and in theatre. Without the crazy, beautiful, supportive and talented people I worked with, lived with and performed for, I could never have found myself.
'After years of self doubt I finally feel free to say what I need to. Free to let go of the past, free to love myself. But most importantly, free to love. Thank you.'
Hear'Say released two albums in their short-lived career, with their debut album Popstars charting at number one in the UK, Scotland and New Zealand.
They followed this up with their second outing, in the form of Everybody, which released just nine months after their first, but it failed to have the same momentum, charting at number 24 in the UK.
The band had four top ten singles, with hits Pure and Simple and The Way To Your Love bagging the top honours.
After the band members went their own separate ways, Noel opted for a quieter life but didn't give up on the entertainment industry all together.
He has appeared in several musical theatre productions, including Fame, Love Shack, What A Feeling and acted as Danny Zuko in Grease.
Noel has also shown off his acting chops on the small screen, with appearances in Gavin & Stacey, BBC Drama Ordinary Lies, Doctors and the Call The Midwife Christmas special in 2021.
Where are Hear'Say now?
Danny Foster
Danny, 45, stepped out of the spotlight after Hear'Say split.
He is married to Victoria Goddard, who he has been with for nearly two decades.
Danny popped up on The Voice in 2013 singing Spice Girls hit Wannabe but none of the judges turned for him.
Two year later he suffered a terrifying car accident where he was forced to flee a burning vehicle.
These days he runs a retro soul act called Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation and is heavily into meditation.
Kym Marsh
Kym, 47, was the first member of Hear'Say to leave the band, later saying she'd had huge bust-ups with Myleene.
She was replaced by Lisa Scott-Lee 's husband Johnny Shentall while she forged a solo career.
The star went on to marry EastEnders favourite Jack Ryder and Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas.
Kym, who appeared on Coronation Street as Michelle Connor and starred on Strictly, has three children - David, Emily, and Polly.
She and Jamie had a son called Archie who tragically died soon after being born in 2009.
These days the actor and singer is wowing audiences in a stage version of 101 Dalmatians.
Suzanne Shaw
Hear'Say split just after Suzanne's 21st birthday with the star, now 42, launching a career in musical theatre.
She also appeared in both soapland, as Emmerdale 's Eve Birch, and reality telly on Dancing On Ice.
Suzanne has an 18-year-old son called Corey from her relationship with Darren Day and eight-year-old Rafferty with businessman Sam Greenfield.
She is now a fitness fanatic and plant-based diet enthusiast.
Noel Sullivan
Noel, 43, said he'd been "thrown on the scrapheap" in his early 20s when the band split, but he quickly found a new career on the stage.
He even moved to Las Vegas for 18 months fronting Strictly Ballroom and had a scene-stealing cameo as himself in Gavin & Stacey as Nessa's mate.
In 2019, he shocked This Morning viewers after h e put on two stone to play Jack Black's character in the musical School of Rock.
He is married to James Bennett and the pair have been hard at work renovating their 16th century house in the foothills of the Pyrenees in France.
Myleene Klass
Myleene, 46, has had a varied media career from hosting The One Show, to presenting shows on Classic FM and of course a stint on I'm A Celebrity.
Myleene has three children, Ava and Hero with her ex-husband Graham Quinn and Apollo, three, with her fiance Simon Motson.
4