Category Entertainment News

Devastated by news of the One Direction singer’s untimely death, for former boyband singers Five the tragedy had a chilling resonance.

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Rocketed to overnight fame by their 1997 hit Slam Dunk (Da Funk), the next four years brought a whirlwind of success and scandal for Abz Love, Ritchie Neville, Jason ‘J’ Brown, Sean Conlon and Scott Robinson. Eleven top 10 singles, four top 10 albums and a BRIT Award came with a price for the now middle aged men, who have just completed a 25 date reunion tour, playing to more than 250,000 fans.

Now 46, Scott tells The Mirror: “Liam Payne is an absolute tragedy.” Liam died, aged 31, on 16 October 2024, after falling from a fourth floor hotel balcony in Argentina. Richie, also 46, adds: “It did resonate. And I think it affected us slightly differently than perhaps it would somebody ‘normal’, because we’re in a band – and it was in a hotel room.”

READ MORE: Simon Cowell recalls calling Liam Payne’s parents after heartbreaking death

They certainly understand how easily partying can tip over into alcohol abuse, as the pressures of fame saw Five (also known as 5ive) earn a reputation for wild behaviour off-stage. Richie and J, now 49, were arrested and charged after a drunken brawl in Dublin and they once attacked each other with baseball bats and took mentor Simon Cowell’s car for a joyride.

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In 2001, with over 20 million records sold, the band split, after “serious mental health issues” for Sean, now 44, while Scott “had a breakdown”. But today they are very grown-up versions of their former selves.

Scott who instigated the reunion in late 2024, recalls: “I phoned Abz [now 46]. And the five of us met up to speak as friends. Too much time had passed, where I would look at Abz or J’s number on my phone and think, ‘Why haven’t I called? Once upon a time they were my brothers’.” Richie adds: “It was 24 years since we’d all been in the same room at the same time.”

Originally signed to RCA Records when J was 20, Abz, Richie and Scott were 17, and Sean was just 15, in quick succession, Five released hits When The Lights Go Out, Keep On Movin’, Everybody Get Up and many more. ‘It was a hot, fast, rocket that took off. It ended abruptly, and proceeded for the next two decades to completely affect our lives,” says Richie.

J says: “It’s better this time around in all respects. We’re all in a different headspace, individually and collectively. We’re older and crucially we all 100% actually want to be in it this time. We’ve got brilliant people around us. “The first time around we were fending for ourselves a lot. We were young kids. We didn’t have any idea about where we were. We were thrust into fame, taken out of our lives, put in a house together and thrown into this crazy thing. We were given half an hour’s media training above a pub in Primrose Hill with [TV presenter] Kate Thornton.”

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Sean interjects: “I was 15 years old, straight from school. “To go from that to instant fame, with no space away from it or days off was wild.” Richie agrees, saying: “Problems were going to arise, someone was going to crack. Or go nuts.” Having too much of everything too soon, J feels they were destined to implode. Unlike bands like Boyzone, who at least did school tours and slowly built a fan base, they had no warm up, according to Scott.

He says: “We signed our record deal, did a Radio One Roadshow as our first ever gig, and then the very next gig we did was the Smash Hits Pollwinners Party, which we won. We were playing arenas from the get-go, it was just mental. I left the band at 21, still a baby, I’d travelled the world and had a breakdown. No wonder it took us so long to get us back onto the stage. We had to fix our broken minds for 20 years. Piece ourselves back together.”

But they have clearly healed and their strong performances are matched by a strong mental outlook. J says: “The first time around it felt like one big fight, the five of us against each other sometimes.” The reunion has helped Richie to make sense of the past. He says: “My memories of Five would have always had a jagged edge if we hadn’t got back together. I’d have always thought, ‘what was that and why did it happen to me?’ Now it makes sense.”

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And it has helped to Abz to appreciate their talent. He says: “I am starting to truly believe that we are the best band ever. We rock, we’re so good.” But their wilderness years saw them take quite diverse paths. J threw himself into archaeological studies, Richie opened a restaurant, and the others remained in the music industry, writing and performing as solo artists – although Abz was the only one to release a solo album.

Scott says: “I always thought it was my fault we had broken up, I carried that for years. I spent a long time afterwards trying to get the band back together. But it was never the right time. It would never have worked.” They did get back together briefly in 2013 – although without J – for the Big Reunion Tour, which also featured nostalgic bands 911, Atomic Kitten, Honeyz, Liberty X, Blue, and B*Witched. J says: “I never thought I’d do anything like this again. I’ve spent 25 years going in probably the furthest direction anyone could ever imagine from Five. I was so tainted against the music industry. I was disgusted by it and hated what it had done to me and my friends.”

Meanwhile, Richie spiralled into a drink problem when Five split. He says: “I was enjoying a lot of drinking. Then I got depressed. Then I drank every day to forget. Three years I did that for. I’d sit and think, ‘what are you going to do next?’ Like J, I didn’t want to get back into the music industry. Simon Cowell rang and said he wanted me. I just couldn’t do it. It was the wilderness years. I was completely and utterly lost. My partner at the time said to me, ‘Rich, I have never seen anyone as lost as you’.”

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When Five announced their return back in February, with all five members on board, fans went wild. They were not disappointed, with the band’s 2025 tour winning five star reviews. Sean says: “The songs have stood the test of time. People love them now.” He also thinks the band members are now better equipped to appreciate each other. “When we met up for the first time, I instantly felt this magic,” he says. “We appreciate each other now. In the 90s we couldn’t, we were so young. Rabbits trapped in the headlights. Our management definitely made mistakes in the past, but one thing they got right was putting us together. We’ll always thank them for that.”

And there is no danger of them being silenced any time soon. On Sunday, they were the surprise guests at Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball at London’s O2 Arena, while this weekend they will perform on Strictly Come Dancing. Richie adds: “We enjoy each show like it’s the last one we’ll ever do. Because it could all end. The first time around I didn’t ever consider that.”

Sean adds: “But nobody anticipated what our songs would mean to people so many years on. The industry got that wrong.” Some of their most loyal fans have grown up with Five. Scott says: “We once gave a group of girls some yellow blankets outside a hotel, because they were freezing and in the rain – and they came back to see us this year. They were 16 then – this time they brought their kids. It’s crazy.”

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Iconic boyband Five reveals how mental health issues tore band apart

The music mogul’s new series follows the entrepreneur as he attempts to create a new boy band.

Simon Cowell’s new documentary series, Simon Cowell: The Next Act is on Netflix and it follows the TV personality as he risks everything to find the next hit boy band.

He has already made some candid admissions in the six-episode series, sharing how he misses his early career, saying the “most successful” act he had worked with “by a long way” was One Direction, adding: “Everyone fell in love with them and they became one of the biggest bands in the world.”

He continued: “But since One Direction decided to split up I haven’t signed a successful boyband and I miss it, I miss it so much.”

The Britain’s Got Talent and X Factor star, who is now 66, founded the British entertainment company Syco Entertainment in 2005.

After starting his career as a record producer in the 80s and 90s, he started to become more widely known in 2001 as a judge on Pop Idol.

From here, he created the X Factor and the Got Talent franchise and has worked with huge music stars like Little Mix, Olly Murs, Westlife and Leona Lewis.

He has been named numerous times in Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He did not always have an easy career as straight out of school he took a few menial jobs, including working as a runner on the 1980 horror film The Shining.

His dad, who was an executive at EMI Music Publishing, managed to get him a job in the mail room. From here, he would go on to set up his own record label.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the star’s current net worth is $600 Million (£450million).

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The website also stated that his annual salary regularly exceeds $50 million (£37.5million), with his peak salary for American Idol being $33million (£24.7million) per season.

As for his personal life, he has been in a relationship with Lauren Silverman since 2013 and they have a son, Eric, together.

In 2022, Simon proposed to Silverman in Barbados, where they first met. The proposal took place during a family holiday, in the presence of their son.

When he was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, he paid tribute to his partner, saying: “Lauren, you’ve been my rock for the past few years, put up with everything I put up with.”

He also opened up on the joys of being a father and how he would love for his son to take over his empire, telling Extra TV: “I actually think it’s probably the best incentive I’ve ever had to keep everything running as well as I possibly can over the next few years.”

Andy Nicholson was a co-founder of the Arctic Monkeys and the original bassist but he left the band in 2006 and he has now opened up about the reasons behind his departure

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The founding bassist of Arctic Monkeys has disclosed it took him nearly 15 years to recover from the “soul destroying” experience of leaving the band. Co-founder and bassist Andy Nicholson unexpectedly exited in 2006, four years after the group, led by Alex Turner, was established.

He has now provided a rare insight into the true circumstances behind his departure.

At the time, “fatigue following an intensive period of touring” was cited as the reason for Andy’s absence from the North American tour that year. Arctic Monkeys subsequently became one of Britain’s most triumphant bands of all time – headlining Glastonbury for the first time in 2007.

Now, nearly two decades later, Andy, who looks completely different from his earlier rockstar days, has shared details about his exit in a candid interview with BBC Sounds.

Explaining his departure, he said: “I had just family issues at the time. I took a little bit of time off. We got Nick [O’Malley] to fill in, and then the band came back and said they want to keep Nick in the band, which at the time was soul destroying for me.

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“Being 19 years old, and these 19-year-old children making these huge decisions that are affecting lives, and a lot of lives, that took a long time to get over.”

He acknowledged that “everything happens for a reason” and that he has now processed it positively. Andy also revealed he is now friends with his former bandmates.

Discussing the harsh media treatment he endured at the time, Andy reflected: “Yeah, no, I was a bigger lad back then. So they used to refer to me as ‘the fat one’ or whatever they used to say and things like that.”

He also maintained that journalists wrongly reported he’d chosen to leave the group, insisting this wasn’t true and that he’d still be performing with them today had circumstances been different.

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When questioned about watching Arctic Monkeys soar to stardom without him, he revealed: “Yeah because I went from having the next two years of my life itineraried up, knowing where I was gonna be, what I was gonna do, to not even knowing what I was gonna do tomorrow, which was a big thing, especially at 19-years-old.”

Andy said he lacked the emotional maturity to cope with the circumstances back then, and it actually required up to 15 years for him to properly process and comprehend what had transpired.

He credited his family, mates and current partner for supporting him through that journey, confirming he’s now in a far healthier headspace.

Wrapping up, he shared: “Now I wouldn’t change anything, even though what has happened, I wouldn’t change anything that’s happened because the life I’ve got now is a beautiful life.”

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Andy has recently released a photobook titled I Bet This Looks Good On Your Coffee Table, featuring intimate snapshots captured while touring with Arctic Monkeys across a two-year stretch.

Following the shock elimination of Katya Jones and Lewis Cope on Strictly Come Dancing, PR expert Mayah Riaz has spoken with the Mirror about why it’s starting to feel that Katya ‘goes in every season already on the back foot’

As Katya Jones bows out of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, an expert has opened up about the truth behind the pro dancer’s “rough run”, while confirming some fans’ long-held suspicions.

In what was regarded as a shock elimination by many, Katya and her dance partner, Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, lost out in a tense dance-off against Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin and were sent packing. This is despite the pair having been frontrunners in the glittering competition for weeks.

Katya was in floods of tears and outraged viewers weren’t happy with the outcome either, with some even regarding the unexpected exit as a “fix”. It is thought that Lewis’ previous dance experience may have been to blame for the lack of the public vote. But in a bitter twist of irony, it was Amber’s ongoing dance experience as a West End star that saved her in the dance-off.

And this isn’t the first time Katya has had those watching at home locked in heated discussions. Ever since she first stepped into the ballroom back in 2016, the now 36-year-old’s Strictly journey has been filled with plenty of drama, particularly when it comes to the pairings she’s found herself in.

READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas lays feelings bare after Lewis Cope’s shock axe

Back in 2018, Katya caused a stir when she and then-partner, comedian Seann Walsh, were caught kissing outside a pub, despite both being in relationships at the time. In the wake of the scandal, Seann, who was dating actress Rebecca Humphries, fled to the States, and later expressed remorse over the episode in a 2022 stand-up show.

As for Katya, she and her now ex-husband, fellow dancer Neil Jones, went their separate ways in 2019, one year after that now infamous snog. Naturally, this series of events did nothing to quell rumours of a so-called “Strictly curse” that is said to rip couples apart, but it’s understood this controversy wasn’t the catalyst for the split.

Since then, Katya – who won the show in 2017 with Joe McFadden – has largely been paired with less able dancers from Tony Adams to Nigel Harman, both who who ended up having to pull out due to injury. Last year’s season also proved to be an awkward pairing for Katya, who was teamed up with opera singer Wynne Evans, best known for playing the fictional Gio Compario in Go.Compare insurance adverts. The Welsh tenor was booted off the Strictly live tour after making a lewd remark about Janette Manrara, who acts as a host on tour, using the demeaning term “spit roast”, in reference to an explicit sexual act. In a statement made at the time, Wynne told the Mirror: “My language was inappropriate and unacceptable, for which I sincerely apologise.”

Wynne previously faced backlash when he controversially placed his hand on Katya’s waist before appearing to move it closer to her stomach. Katya then appeared to brush Wynne’s hand away as the pair remained side by side. Both Katya and Wynne addressed the seemingly uncomfortable exchange in an Instagram video, in which they confirmed this interaction had just been a “silly joke”.

Each year, fans have argued that Katya has been “stitched up”, a suggestion PR expert Mayah Riaz agrees with. Speaking previously with the Mirror, Mayah remarked: “On Katya, I do think she’s had a rough run in recent years. She is one of the strongest and most creative pros on that floor, but she has absolutely been handed some tough partners. It has started to feel like she goes in every season already on the back foot.

“I would not call it a fix, but I would say it feels like she rarely gets a level playing field. And ironically, the one time she gets a genuinely strong partner again, he is labelled ‘too experienced’ and punished for it. The optics are not great. It looks like she can’t win either way. Too weak a partner, she’s dismissed. A strong partner, she’s penalised.”

Fans have also argued that Lewis and Katya were assigned the dreaded “death slot” by performing first, in what some regard as a deliberately unfavourable move. This is a position historically proven to result in lower scoring, with judges saving their best for later acts, making elimination more likely. Then, when the pair ended up in the dance-off, the “Judges’ Save” was introduced to keep the best dancers competing. However, critics argue that this move has become a means of overriding the public vote

On this note, Mayah reflected: “At the moment, it feels less about dancing and more about narrative control, and audiences are starting to clock it. There is also a bigger issue here around consistency. If previous dance experience is such a problem, then it should be applied across the board. You cannot ignore theatre and musical training for one contestant and weaponise it against another. Viewers see that, and they do not like it.

“With Lewis, I think he became a victim of perception rather than performance. He was not voted out because he was the weakest. He was voted out because the story around him shifted. And once that happens, it is incredibly hard to fight back. Strictly is still beloved, but moments like this chip away at trust. And once viewers feel that the journey is being manipulated, the magic starts to fade.”

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com. Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

READ MORE: Marks & Spencer’s hidden outlet is perfect for Christmas gifting with jumpers for £15

Shopping Writer Meghan has found the perfect ‘small but super powerful’ dehumidifier that’s ‘done wonders’ at keeping her attic room damp-free this winter

Whether you’re looking for a way to dry the condensation in bathrooms and kitchens more quickly or prevent the spread of damp and mould in older homes, a dehumidifier is a smart choice, as it works to keep moisture levels down. That said, there are plenty of options available that come with steep price tags, which may make them seem like an expensive and bulky addition to your house or flat.

But I’ve found a small and affordable gadget on Amazon that’s doing the job brilliantly, without costing a fortune or taking up too much space. Plus, it’s incredibly quiet while running, so you can leave it on day or night without it interrupting your work or sleep.

READ MORE: Shoppers find £6.50 Superdrug perfume they say ‘smells very similar to Baccarat Rouge’

READ MORE: Major supermarket slashes must-have Christmas clothing by 20% – but you have to be quick

This mini dehumidifier has been a godsend, as I live in an attic room of quite an old building, meaning the risk of damp and mould is quite high, especially during the winter months. But thanks to this little device, I’ve noticed that the damp has cleared substantially, and the air is a lot clearer – which is a major bonus during this time of year when colds are exacerbated by damp.

Coming in a compact size, this little whiz works effectively at reducing the moisture in the air without taking up a large amount of space or costing a fortune, as it retails for the wallet-friendly price of £25.49, down from £29.99, on Amazon.

My NETTA 500ml Dehumidifier is ideal as it extracts up to 300ml of excess moisture from the air per day. Touted as perfect for small bedrooms, kitchens, and even cupboards, this compact dehumidifier is ideal for removing excess moisture and preventing rooms from suffering from damp. Due to its compact size, you can place this dehumidifier almost anywhere you need it, as long as it’s near an available power outlet.

The detachable water tank makes emptying the appliance quick and easy, as it slides in and out of the device’s main body. The simple-to-follow lights on the machine indicate when it’s switched on and when its container reaches full capacity.

Powered by just 22 watts, this machine costs less than 1p per hour to run, so it doesn’t add extra expense to potentially steep energy bills. It is described as being no louder than 35 decibels when running, and I can attest that it doesn’t run any louder than your average silent fan, with a minimal whirring noise that doesn’t cause a distraction.

For those concerned about electricity costs, this gadget features an automatic shut-off function, which shuts down the machine once the water tank is full. This means you can leave it running continuously without worrying about it overflowing.

This small but mighty dehumidifier is currently on sale on Amazon for £25.49, as of the time of writing, and comes in a range of colours, including blue, black, and grey. Similar models in the same price range include this Dunelm 1L Dehumidifier, which is selling for £25.

In her first interview about Ozzy Osbourne’s death, Sharon has opened up about their final night together, and the last words the Black Sabbath rockstar said to her before he sadly passed away

Heartbroken Sharon Osbourne has opened up about the last words her husband Ozzy Osbourne ever said to her before he died, and the painful regret that haunts her.

The Black Sabbath frontman passed away on July 22 at the age of 76, having struggled with a range of long-standing health concerns, including Parkinson’s disease. Tributes rolled in as the Osbourne family laid Ozzy to rest beneath an apple tree on the grounds of the family home this summer, with many holding great affection for the ‘Prince of Darkness’.

This was especially true in the rockstar’s home city of Birmingham, where just weeks earlier music fans had lined the streets ahead of his final homecoming. Such displays of support have been greatly appreciated by the Osbournes, who have now opened up in a touching interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored. This includes Ozzy’s devastated widow, Sharon, who has shed light on their poignant last conversation.

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne ‘knew he was ready’ to die after having strange dreams

Speaking with Piers, whom she worked alongside on America’s Got Talent, Sharon, 73, remembered their final evening together. Explaining Ozzy had been up and down out of bed all night, Sharon recalled: “He said, ‘Kiss me’. And then he said, ‘Hug me tight’. I can’t help wondering if I should have, could I have? If only I’d have told him I loved him more. If only I’d have held him tighter. And he went downstairs, worked out for 20 minutes and passed away.”

The mother-of-three recalled how she’d screamed uncontrollably after finding her husband of 43 years dead, knowing nothing could be done to revive him, despite desperate efforts by medics. According to Sharon, “He had a heart attack. I ran downstairs, and there he was, and they were trying to resuscitate him, and I’m like, ‘Don’t — just leave him. Leave him. You can’t. He’s gone’. I knew instantly he’d gone. And they tried and tried, and then they took him by helicopter to the hospital, and they tried, and it’s like, ‘He’s gone. Just leave him.'”

Sadly, Sharon’s mental health plummeted as she grappled with her bereavement, and she says it was only the thought of her kids that pulled her through that dark time. She explained: “I would have just gone with Ozzy, definitely. I’ve done everything I wanted to do.” Having previously met women who’d lost their mothers to suicide, she’d vowed never to do the same to her children.

In the same interview, daughter Kelly, 41, emphasised just how much her father would have appreciated the “outpouring of love” following his passing. She said, “The outpouring of love has been so helpful to us. I never could have even imagined it to be as helpful as it has been to know that we’re not alone in our grief, in our sadness and that the rest of the world loved him as much as we did… I haven’t seen an outpouring like that since Princess Diana died. I didn’t expect it.”

If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com. Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne defied chilling warning from doctors to perform his final Black Sabbath gig