Latest news with #PureandSimple
Metro
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
00s pop star reveals pain of fame forcing him 'back into the closet'
Noughties music star Noel Sullivan has revealed the struggles he was secretly facing behind the scenes at the height of his fame in one of the country's favourite pop bands. Now aged 44, the Welsh singer rose to popularity in Hear'Say in 2001, having been created on the talent show Popstars. Along with bandmates Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, and Danny Foster, he broke chart records with their debut single, Pure and Simple, which remains just as catchy today. However, away from the bright lights of stardom, Noel was battling with having to stay quiet about who he truly was. Just 19 at the time he was thrust into the spotlight, Noel has said he was forbidden from discussing his sexuality, feeling as though he had been 'chucked back into the closet'. It wasn't until 2017 that he publicly came out as gay when he announced he had married his partner. Speaking to Heat magazine, he shared: 'It was really mad. It was a lifetime ago. I can look back at it with fond memories now, but it took a while to sort through the damage.' With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! 'But I'm here, and I survived,' he declared proudly. The performer reflected on his late teens and early twenties, which ought to have been the time he could 'explore who [he] is'. '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 in a happy marriage with husband James and often shares an insight into their relationship with social media snaps. On his birthday several years ago, he also reminisced on his pop band days and how he sank into 'depression' when he was unable to come out. He wrote: '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,' Noel concluded. 'Free to let go of the past, free to love myself. But most importantly, free to love. Thank you [sic]'. While Noel now enjoys a much quieter, slower-paced life, he hasn't turned his back on entertainment completely. A lover of theatre, he previously appeared in productions of Fame, Love Shack, and What a Feeling, as well as playing male lead Danny Zuko in Grease on the West End in the late 2000s. Noel also had a cameo in Gavin and Stacey, starred as Galileo Figaro in the UK tour of We Will Rock You, and shared the role of Tick/Mitzi with Jason Donovan in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. In more recent years, he's popped up in BBC's Call the Midwife Christmas special and played Oscar Baxter in Doctors. As for Hear'Say, their glittering success was short-lived. Things started going downhill in January 2002, when Kym left due to conflicts with Noel and Myleene. She was replaced by former Boom! member Johnny Shentall, and they released just one single, Lovin' is Easy, as part of this lineup. In October 2002, Hear'Say announced they would be breaking up, having failed to make a commercial splash with their latest music. At the time, they cited 'abuse from the public' as the main reason for the split, while its members went on to achieve success individually. Kym, 49, enjoyed a solo career and famously starred as Michelle Connor in Coronation Street, has hosted Morning Live, and also starred in Waterloo Road. More Trending Danny, 46, has had a quieter career, but performs as part of his own soul and Motown group, Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation, and also auditioned for The Voice. Suzanne, 43, is an established West End performer, won series 3 of Dancing On Ice and took part in the All Stars series, and played Eve Jenson in Emmerdale. Finally, Myleene, 47, was an iconic I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! campmate in 2006, and went on to win the All Stars series in 2023. She also presents on TV and radio, and was awarded an MBE this year for her women's health campaigning. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: What I Own: At 22 and 23, we bought a run-down London four-bed for £910,000 MORE: EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite reveals her son, 17, is transgender MORE: Netflix viewers rush to watch 'absorbing' reboot of beloved Scottish crime drama
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Noughties pop star opens up about ‘damaging experience' in band after he was ‘forced to hide' his sexuality
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. 4 Noel Sullivan has opened up about his time in the band Hear'Say Credit: Rex 4 The band released two albums and four singles before parting ways Credit: Dave Hogan 4 Noel said it was a "damaging experience" to be "chucked back in the closet" Credit: Andrew Barr - The Sun Glasgow 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 '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.' READ MORE ON MUSIC 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. Most read in Celebrity '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. The noughties pop group Hear'say perform their hit song Pure and Simple '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 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 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 The star went on to marry EastEnders favourite 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 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 Myleene has 4 The performer is now happily married to his husband James Credit: Instagram
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Popstars winners Hear'Say today - from Dancing On Ice champ to Coronation Street
Hear'Say were the original reality TV pop band who shot to fame when they won the reality show Popstars in 2001 with hit single Pure and Simple, but where are they now? Hear'Say catapulted to stardom in 2001 after clinching victory in the popular singing contest Popstars, but have since gone their separate ways. Back in 2000, thousands of aspiring singers flocked to auditions for ITV's talent show, Popstars. The hopefuls were evaluated by Nigel Lythgoe, Paul Adam and Nicki Chapman, who had previously worked with the Spice Girls. The five selected vocalists formed Hear'Say, while the five runners-up went on to create the band Liberty X. The pop group's achievements set the stage for success for its members - Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan. During their time together, they dominated the charts with their hit single Pure and Simple and their album titled Popstars – both the single and the album secured the number one spots at the time. 2001 saw the band achieve so much, going from strength to strength and garnering an impressive fan base. Due to Kym's unwavering popularity, she fast became the most famous member - which was partly down to the fact that she was dating EastEnders ' actor Jack Ryder at the time. Everything fell apart for the band when Kym announced she was leaving in 2002 – but what have the Hear'Say members been up to since they went their separate ways? Kym Marsh As we discovered earlier on, Kym left the band in 2002 to 'pursue solo ventures' – but she later revealed that not all was what it seemed. Rumours have often swirled around whether or not there were feuds among the bandmates, and apparently, this was the case. Kym apparently clashed with Myleene Klass and Noel Sullivan – which is part of the reason the band split. Jumping ship from music to acting, Kym moved to the cobbled streets and joined the cast of Coronation Street in 2006. Fans will remember the brunette beauty joining the soap as Michelle Connor, where she was a part of some huge storylines. She ended up staying in the soap for 13 years and announced her departure in 2019. Myleene Klass Mylene is another successful former member of Hear'Say and has gone on to have a glowing career since the band broke up. One year after the band split, she signed a five-album deal with Universal Classics and Jazz, with a classical music album being released a year later in 2003. She's had number ones and number twos in the UK chart – going from strength-to-strength as a classical music artist. Myleene has also had a glowing career on TV and has often popped up on our screens. Most will remember the stunning brunette star for appearing on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here in 2006 – yes, she was responsible for the slew of iconic shower scenes! In 2010, she also hosted Popstar to Operastar – keeping her work within the realm of her classical music expertise. And you may recognise her dulcet tones from presenting her own radio show on Smooth Radio. Suzanne Shaw Suzanne Shaw was just 21 when Hear'Say split, but this didn't prevent her from making a name for herself and hitting the big time. She went on to perform on the West End and was the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in 2005. After that, she starred as Janet in The Rocky Horror Show national tour. A couple of years after her theatre stin,t she went on to star in The Bill in 2007. Fans of the band or those who love the soaps might recognise her from her role of Eve Birch in Emmerdale, or from when she won Dancing on Ice in 2008. More recently,y she's dipped her toe into panto and in 2021 she played Belle in Beauty and the Beast at Chesterfield's Pomegranate Theatre. Danny Foster Danny Foster hasn't really stayed in the public eye since the breakdown of the super band, but he's doing pretty well. He's thought to still be singing, while in the band, Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation, which has a focus on performing Motown songs. His dream of making it big has never gone away though and in 2013 he auditioned for The Voice but sadly didn't make it through. Danny's social media presence is very low-key, and he has just under 4K followers on Instagram. Posting snippets of his life with wife Victoria Goddard, Danny appears to be incredibly spiritual and his bio says he's, "on a mission - creating life of well-being" along with "spreading love". Noel Sullivan Noel Sullivan is a Welsh singer and actor who has gone on to have a brilliant career since his stint in the band and its subsequent downfall. Like Suzanne, he has gone on to star in many stage productions, including Fame and as Danny in Grease on the West End. In 2010, he appeared in the hit rom-com TV series Gavin and Stacey. Noel announced he got hitched in 2017 to his husband James.
