Gareth Gates, 40, a pop Idol star, is completely unrecognizable. The spiky-haired teen turned his back on fame after a fling with Katie Price and has since found a new career.
Pop Idol 2002 was the year of the brave – Will Young famously shut down Simon Cowell’s criticism of his “average” performance, and 16-year-old Gareth Gates overcame his stammer to showcase his incredible talent.
Born in Bradford, Gareth showed an early passion for music. He joined the Bradford Cathedral Choir at the age of nine and achieved grade eight in piano, classical guitar, and singing. After finishing as the runner-up to Will, now 46, on the ITV competition, Gareth’s debut single, Unchained Melody, soared to number one and was certified double platinum.
His subsequent two singles also reached the top of the charts, and Smash Hits even honored him with the name “Gareth Gates Day” on October 7, 2002. However, fame is a contagious animal, and Gareth’s second album, Go Your Own Way, dropped to the top 32 in a week.
READ MORE: Gareth Gates poses with rarely-seen daughter Missy, 15, and fans can’t get over how much she’s grown
And his reputation harshly took a beating when it emerged that he’d lost his virginity to a pregnant Katie Price after he was spotted sneaking out of her hotel room on CCTV. Gareth insisted they hadn’t hooked up at first, but later admitted: “I denied the whole Jordan thing because I was 17, I didn’t want my family to find out about my sex life.”
And he even turned his back on fame as a result of the fallout. He once told the New York Times, “It wasn’t until soon after that that I decided to leave the industry.” magazine . I didn’t want to be a pop star because of it. There are stars who are there for the wrong reasons. I wished my talent was recognized.
Katie, 46, admitted that she was looking for love everywhere. She previously said, “I was still young, I was pregnant, I didn’t have the dad around, and I still wanted to be loved.” When I turn around, I realize it was wrong. In a second, it was over!
While producing a third album, Pictures of the Other Side, which he later released under UMTV, Gareth was let go by his record company, Sony BMG, in 2006, despite failing to make an impact. He eventually found the ideal setting for his musical theater talent, and he has since established a very successful stage career.
The actor has appeared in numerous films, including Boogie Nights, Legally Blonde, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. And in 2013 he formed a “super group” with singer Kavana, guitarist Dane Bowers, Adam Rickitt, and Blazin’ Squad star Kenzie for the ITV documentary The Big Reunion.
Gareth met his future wife Suzanne Mole when she was a dancer at the Record of the Year Awards in 2002. They married in 2008 and their daughter Missy was born the following year. But in 2012, the pair announced their split with Gareth explaining they had ‘grown apart’.
He told The Mirror: “Despite our efforts over the past three years to make our marriage work, sadly Suzanne and I have decided to separate. Whilst we have grown apart, we love and cherish our wonderful daughter Missy and together we will prioritise her happy upbringing.”
He subsequently dated Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes for almost seven years before they called off their engagement in 2019. Gareth went on to date DJ Chloe McLennan for two years, even moving in together before going their separate ways in December 2022.
Now, he’s loved up with West End star girlfriend, Allana Taylor. The pair met when they appeared in a pantomime production of Jack And The Beanstalk in 2022, and they made their relationship official on Instagram in July 2023.
The singer-turned-actor has been transforming himself into a beefcake for six years. It has been a difficult task to achieve his lean body. He bench presses 120 kg and exercises for two hours each day. He consumes 4, 000 calories, but focuses on clean eating and protein shakes to keep his body fueled.
“It took me six years to get this body,” I said. He told The Sun, “I stopped drinking when I was 30 and entered the gym.” However, I’ve started to take my fitness seriously over the past few years. I’d rather spend the day hungover and look good, feel good, and be up for the gym.
Gareth’s finances suffered a devastating blow of £25 000, despite him being in the best shape of his life. Unknowingly, he invested the princely sum with a dodgy money trader, but he soon realized the sum had been lost.
He told the Sunday Times last year that he was more cautious because he lost $2,500 and $2,500 in his previous career.
“That was the end result. I received nothing back, and it was a lot of learning. I came away with a significant lesson from my spending a lot more than I should have. Gareth also addressed his thinning hair in 2017, which had been bothering him for a while.
After years of struggled with hair loss, the star underwent a hair transplant. He later explained that because he was constantly on stage, “I have to look my best,” and that image is a big deal for me. “I’m nervous, but I’m also incredibly excited.” I’m eager to get it done and stop worrying that my hair is thinning.
As for Will – who he recorded a duet of The Beatles’ Long and Winding Road with – he confirmed that they’re still friends and always will be. “I keep in touch with Will. We went through a lot together. It was the first of its kind, well before X Factor and the likes, therefore we had no idea what this brand new format was about,” he said in 2017.
We had no idea it would change our lives or be as significant as it was. We are still good friends because we went through a lot together.
Gareth admitted to driving over the speed limit on April 6, 2024, his fourth crime in less than three years, and was given a six-month suspension from driving. Gareth’s three-year-old black Range Rover Sport was speed camera-captured at 62 mph in a 50 mph zone on the M4 in Port Talbot, South Wales, but he had been scheduled to fight a potential ban by claiming he would face “exceptional hardship.”
Gareth claimed in court that he was a “one-man band” who “drives himself to gigs with his Range Rover stuffed to the brim with gear, musical instruments, clothes, and outfits” and that he was “a one-man band.” He withdrew the claim and sent a letter to Cardiff Magistrates Court asking for the case to be handled on Thursday in his absence.
For three speeding offenses, District Judge Charlotte Murphy reported for The Sun newspaper: “Mr. Gates has nine points on his license. He will be prohibited from driving for six months.
The hitmaker for “Unchained Melody” also received a 230-pound fine, which was later reduced to 153 as a result of his guilty plea. After racking up points for four speeding offenses, Gareth previously faced a driving ban in 2017.
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Source: Mirror
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