When East 17 burst onto the scene, they offered an edgy and rebellious alternative to squeaky bands like Take That, while their catchy hits, like ‘Stay Another Day’ and ‘House of Love,’ saw them sell millions of records. But where are Brian, Tony, John and Terry now?
It was the early 1990s, and polished boy bands were dominating the British music scene – that is, until East 17 came along. The group was formed of four working class lads, Brian Harvey, Tony Mortimer, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell. And unlike the clean-cut image of their contemporaries, East 17 embraced a raw energy and a streetwise aesthetic that really resonated. “They shaved their heads, and had tattoos, and were a lot, lot cooler than… Take That,” music mogul Guy Adams noted.
The band was named after the postcode of the area in which they grew up – Walthamstow, London. It was started by lead songwriter and vocalist Tony after he landed a record deal in 1991 with his original rap material. In 1992, East 17 made their debut – and it would mark the start of an incredible journey. The band would go on to become one of the UK’s most successful pop groups of the decade, with multiple chart-topping singles and albums, and millions of records sold.
READ MORE: S Club Juniors now from famous husbands to sleeping pill heartbreak and TV feud
But their time together was marred as internal tensions, public controversies, and personal struggles which all began to take their toll. The late 1990s saw several line-up changes and public incidents that would ultimately lead to the original group’s split. So where are the band members now? Brian, Tony, John and Terry’s lives have changed radically since going their separate ways. Let’s take a closer look…
Brian Harvey
Brian, now 51, had a rollercoaster ride with the band, and he’s certainly no stranger to drama. In January 1997, he was at the centre of a highly-publicised scandal when he made controversial comments about ecstasy in a radio interview.
Brian’s remarks, in which he said he had taken 12 tablets in one night and then driven, caused a huge uproar, provoking the then prime minister John Major to condemn him in the House of Commons. The band was also taken off the playlist by 11 radio stations. It caused irreparable damage to East 17’s reputation – and led to Brian being fired from the group.
Then, in 2002, Brian was back in the public eye when it was revealed that he had been set upon in a savage attack outside a Nottingham nightclub. He needed reconstructive surgery, with the extent of his injuries so severe that police initially suspected a machete or an axe had been used. The star underwent a gruelling recovery process.
Brian’s mental health sadly took a turn in 2005 when he was hospitalised following what was believed to be a suicide attempt. Fans speculated at the time that he had been struggling with the decline of his music career and the loss of his grandmother.
That same year, the singer was caught up in a truly bizarre incident when he found himself in hospital after being run over by his own car. In a strange twist, he said the incident occurred because he had eaten three jacket potatoes topped with tuna mayonnaise and cheese. Brian said that after opening the door to vomit as a result of feeling overly full, he accidentally stepped on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, which resulted in him being thrown under the moving car. He was left with punctured lungs, several broken ribs, and a pelvis fractured in seven places.
In recent years, Brian has struggled financially – so much so that he had to resort to benefits in 2015 and faced the fear of being evicted from his home. In 2025, he filmed himself for TikTok, puffing on a cigarette and raging about “trolls” who claim he shouldn’t be receiving benefits, raging: “I’m entitled to benefits. I sold 22 million records, that’s not a big-up, it’s a fact!”
Recording outside his local council office, he could be heard bellowing: “Who put Walthamstow on the map?”What are you on about, wasting your time? You wouldn’t have a job here if it weren’t for me paying tax on 22 million f*****g records. F**k you!”
He also posted a series of videos on YouTube showing him smashing the band’s platinum, gold, and silver records in an alleyway, shouting “East 17, one million sales, this is what it f*****g means…That’s what I think of your f*****g music industry… F**k your record industry, and f**k your weird paedophile world “. He then shared a follow-up video, showing him returning to the scene to clean up the shattered glass and frames, stating, “I can be angry and f***ing tidy,” and adding, “I’m a peaceful person and I pick my rubbish up”.
Brian has a daughter named Teigan, who was born in 1996 from his relationship with dancer Tina Farris. He has never been married, but he had some notable relationships including a long-term relationship with model Danniella Westbrook in the 1990s. After East 17, Harvey had a relationship with model Emma B (Emma Blocksage), with whom he appeared on the show I’m Famous and Frightened! in 2004.
Tony Mortimer
Tony, 55, first quit the band in 1997, shortly after Brian’s comments about his ecstasy use; but he later rejoined for reunions, leaving again in 2006 and then for a third time in 2013. It was reported at the time that the media storm surrounding Brian’s remarks prompted his decision, but Tony has since said he was simply exhausted and wanted to go home to long-term girlfriend Tracey and their two young daughters, Atlanta and Ocean.
“It’s a hard decision to make because it affects everything and everyone,” he recalled in 2015. “You think about the fans. And you feel guilty because you know you have it good. It’s a Catch 22. It’s like moaning your diamond shoes are too tight. But in the end leaving becomes less hurtful than staying. I was completely burnt out.”
Tony was responsible for writing most of the band’s songs, which included co-writing their UK number one single, Stay Another Day – inspired by his brother Ollie’s suicide. And after leaving the band, he focused on music behind the scenes, penning singles and helping to manage bands. He did also release a solo album, in 2013.
Now, he lives a peaceful life at his home in Essex – his ‘farm’, which is set in five acres. He’s not in contact with his bandmates. Recently, Terry, John and Tony all featured on the BBC2 documentary Boybands Forever to reminisce on their time in the band. The trio were filmed separately and had no desire to catch up afterwards.
“We don’t talk,” Terry explained. “But I don’t hold any grudges. There were good times and there were bad times but that’s like in any job. We lived together basically, we worked for three years without a day off so of course we argued about things. But I’m grateful for the times I shared with them.”
In October 2000, Tony was back in the spotlight when he was chosen as one of four pall bearers at the funeral of gangster Reggie Kray. Tony once collaborated with Kray when he got JJ Gilmour to record a poem Kray had written while in prison; the song has never been released, but Tony still has the tape.
Tony shares two daughters, Atlanta and Ocean, with his longtime love Tracey. Precise birth dates for his children are not known, but in a 2009 interview Tony indicated that he and Tracey had already been together for many years and were already parents during the height of East 17’s fame. Tony also has at least one grandchild, as he revealed in a 2019 social media post.
John Hendy
John, 54, has taken a different path since the end of East 17, and has stepped away from the music industry altogether. In a 2024 interview, he revealed he now works as a roofer.
“When I started working roofing I thought I was gonna get really badly put down,” he confessed. “But I’ve had respect from people saying good for you getting back on the roof after what you’ve been through, what you’ve done. Some people say to me, ‘you must have no money’. I’m like, well we never got any money! That’s what people don’t get.”
When East 17 were formed they were signed on a million pound record deal. But their late manager Tom Watkins only paid them a wage of £125 a week – raised by £25 every four months.
John has been beset with financial difficulties in recent years. Shortly before the pandemic hit, he and wife Nina moved to Spain – but with lockdown crippling his business, he was forced to move back.
“We didn’t have any money. I had to borrow money from my cousin to get the flight back. Then we didn’t have anywhere to live, no one would put me up,” he told the Daily Mail. “My cousin paid for a hotel for about 10 days and then I had to get on Universal Credit. We ended up being put in a hostel and I lived there for a year and a half. It was bad. You’d walk down the corridor there’d be crackheads in there. It was during Covid time as well and we had to share a bathroom. We had to share a kitchen. We were in a room with bunkbeds with the kids.
“It was the worst. I’d gone from all alright upbringing, to wow now I’m a star, then back to normality and then right back down. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. Now when I see people out in the street begging for money, I always give them a couple of quid or something.” John shares two children – a boy and a girl – with wife Nina, who shares frequent family updates on her Instagram page.
Terry Coldwell
Terry, now 51, makes his living continuing to tour under the East 17 name – though he is the only founding member. He now appears with Joe Livermore, a break-dancer and film stuntman, and former Artful Dodger collaborator Robbie Craig.
Like John, he has had his ups and downs financially. “I look at other bands and see what they’ve got – bands who haven’t written their own songs and they’re still living in multi million pound houses,” Terry told the Daily Mail in 2024. “I wouldn’t say it stings because I’m not that type of person… just that the band ended. I went out and got a normal job because I had kids and that’s what you gotta do.
“A job’s a job. I’ve always seen East 17 as a job – the best job in the world don’t get me wrong – but it’s a job. I’m no bigger than the guy sweeping the street. We’re the same, we’ve just got different jobs.” He continued: “There was a time where I worked for Volvo, I’d drive the cars to the franchises and I was probably doing about 14 hours of driving a day. It was long hours but really crap money – about 45 quid a day for 14 hours – but you gotta do what you gotta do to feed the kids.”
Now he is happy back making music. In 2023, when asked if the band could reunite for the 30th anniversary of 1994 number one Stay Another Day, Terry revealed: “No-one talks in the band, not one member.”
He continued: “As you get older you have to be on the same page and we’re just not on the same page. I’ve tried getting the band together so many times, spent so much energy doing it, but it’s never come about.”
He said the original band had previously got a bad reputation for cancelling gigs and now the new line-up had “made the name East 17 good again, so I don’t think it’s [the reunion] ever going to happen now”.
