Downfall of the noughties' most notorious love rat: What happened to model James Gooding who BLAMED girlfriend Kylie for his stint in rehab - after he cheated and called her 'self-obsessed and friendless'

Daily Mail​

04-05-2025

Kylie Minogue called him her 'delightful scruff from Essex' and with few male models ever becoming household names, the fame afforded by dating one of the world's biggest popstars should have been a dream come true for James Gooding.
However, the model turned-photographer, now 50, admitted to cheating on the singer during their on-off relationship, and later branded her a 'self-obsessed, virtually friendless control freak' in a scathing tell-all interview.
'I fear she's going to end up a lonely spinster with only a cat for company,' he said of the singer, now 56, who he also accused of 'ruining' his life, while also holding her responsible for a drinks and drugs bender at the end of their three-year relationship that resulted in a stint in rehab.
But while Gooding, who was once Britain's highest-paid male model, had harsh words for Kylie, his own dalliances were equally unflattering in their verdicts on his character.
Martine McCutcheon said he was 'cheap and disgusting,' while another ex, singer Victoria Harrison, called him a 'pathetic loser'.
Slightly more forgiving was a female admirer who admitted: 'You don't know whether to slap him or snog him'. These seemed like prophetic words when Sadie Frost, who dated the model after Kylie, was cautioned for assaulting him in October 2012.
Meanwhile a male friend described him as an 'incorrigible, accomplished, world-class flirt' and 'the 'Shoreditch Travolta'.
James first met Kylie backstage at the Brit Awards in March 2000 and in 2002, they announced their relationship was over.
But it limped on in an on-and-off fashion for another year before coming to a dramatic halt at the same ceremony in 2003, when they had colossal bust-up in front of shocked party-goers after Kylie's raunchy duet with Justin Timberlake.
Gooding accused her of flirting live on stage during a duet in which the former NSync singer touched Kylie's backside.
Minogue and Timberlake had followed their duet with dinner at the Montpelliano restaurant in Knightsbridge before going to the after-show party thrown by her label, EMI, at the Sanderson hotel.
Gooding turned up hoping for a reconciliation with the Australian singer. Minogue's management had told doormen not to let him into the VIP area, but he sneaked in through a side entrance and found her at a table with sister Dannii as well as Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
He accused her of making a mockery out of him in front of millions of Brits viewers and confronted her over her reported dates with Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay.
Earlier in the evening, after watching the Brits from the audience at Earls Court, Gooding said with apparent sarcasm: 'Yeah, I really enjoyed it tonight. My favourite part of the whole evening was Justin and Kylie's duet.'
Asked how he felt when Timberlake fondled Minogue's behind, he said: 'That really made the performance for me - it was the best bit.'
He later admitted that after seeing Justin put his hands on Kylie's bottom during the dance routine, he had taken a cocktail of tranquillisers, cocaine and whiskey.
He said: 'I took a potentially lethal dose of 15 Temazepam tablets, half a bottle of Jack Daniel's and cocaine.'
Despite claiming she had ruined his life, the model boasted he had cheated on her with model Sophie Dahl after flying out to see her in New York.
He had also been unfaithful with Davinia Taylor, former star of Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.
'I've been lucky enough to have made love with many beautiful women but Kylie was a really special relationship. After making love with Sophie I was racked with guilt - so much so that I flew straight back to London,' he said.
Despite his own behaviour, he claimed that the relationship had driven him to drink and drugs.
'Bit by bit, the pressure of the relationship had stripped away layers and left me an emotional wreck, and I turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort. Kylie's wrecked my life,' he said.
His resentment over his split with the star was clearly evident in everything he said, including: 'This was the woman who nearly pushed me over the edge. None of her public saw that side of her and even I was stunned by the full force of her selfishness.
'Her obsession with success completely did my head in.'
After their split and the scene at the Brits he held a vigil outside Kylie's Chelsea house before going on a drugs bender, and ending up spending 10 days in rehab at Farm Place Clinic in Surrey.
'Rehab was a scary and positive experience,' he said previously, 'If everyone just stopped and looked at themselves, the world would be a better place.'
In a 2003 interview with The Telegraph, he denied being addict but said that the stint had been valuable.
He admitted: 'It was good, it was scary, it was a real eye-opener for me.
'My head was a bit messed up. And my father was a heavy alcoholic, so I thought there was definitely a part of me that could go down that road.'
Following his split from Kylie, James moved on with another high profile name - Sadie Frost.
The pair dated from 2012 to 2013, and had a bump in the road where Sadie was cautioned for assaulting the model in October 2012.
Sources said Sadie was convinced that James was still in love with ex Kylie and their separation was a 'sore' subject for Sadie at the time.
Friends said Sadie believed Kylie was the love of her ex's life.
'She just knows – you can always tell with something like that,' - a pal told The Telegraph.
Now a photographer, producer and director, James has put his love rat ways behind him.
His LinkedIn profile reads: 'I excel in leading creative initiatives, managing strategic partnerships, and driving global teams, with notable skills in content production, team leadership, and revenue growth.'
As well as an impressive CV of directing and producing, he also volunteered at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services for two years between 2017 and 2019.
It's a far cry from the person who once, speaking of Kylie, said: 'I fear she's going to end up a lonely spinster with only a cat for company.'
In a 2012 interview with The Standard, speaking of his public split with the star, with he admitted: 'I was in a situation I had no control over. It was a very difficult time. I'm glad it's over.
'I wanted to draw a line under it and move on. That part of my life is over. I want to distance myself from it.'