Noel Sullivan claims he was 'chucked back into the closet' during his 'damaging' years in noughties pop band Hear'Say but 24 years on he has turned his back on fame
The Welsh singer, 44, was selected for the band alongside Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Danny Foster on talent show Popstars back in 2001.
However, the band didn't stand the test of time and split up in 2002 - just 20 months after their formation, and Noel has now looked back on that turbulent time in his life.
Now living a quieter live working as a theatre actor, Noel admitted his brief stint as a pop star aged 19 wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Unlike his famous counterparts, Noel chose a life away from fame with his husband James and now focuses on his theatre ventures, though he still documents his personal life on his public Instagram page.
Though he's come to terms with his difficult time in the spotlight, Noel said joining Hear'Say damaged him because he was forbidden from discussing his sexuality.
The Pure and Simple hitmaker revealed he felt like he was 'chucked back into the closet' and it wasn't until many years later in 2017 that he publicly came out as gay.
He told Heat magazine: 'It was really mad. It was lifetime ago. I can look back at it with fond memories now, but it took while to sort through the damage. But I'm here and I survived.'
Noel, who is now happily married to his husband James, had kept his sexuality under wraps at the time and admitted he was ordered to not speak about it.
He explained: '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.'
In fact, it was many years before he publicly came out as gay, only taking to Instagram in 2017 to address the years of being told to stay quiet about his sexuality.
At the time, he shared a photograph of him and his husband James on his birthday and ahead of their six-month wedding anniversary.
Discussing homosexuality being decriminalised 50 years earlier, he wrote: 'I can't express my gratitude enough to those who sacrificed everything, to give us the freedom we enjoy.'
He then discussed how he had been told to keep his sexuality a secret throughout his career, admitting he was left 'ruined' by his stint on Popstars.
'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,' he recalled.
'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. Free to let go of the past, free to love myself. But most importantly, free to love. Thank you.'
Following his turbulent and short-lived stint in the spotlight, Noel shunned fame in favour of a quieter career, though he has not left the entertainment industry all together.
Working as an actor, the Cardiff-born star has appeared in a string of TV roles including Russell T Davies' series Years and Years and BBC drama Ordinary Lies.
He also starred as Marcus Howell in soap opera Doctors and appeared in Call The Midwife's 2021 Christmas special, though he now focuses more on his theatrical ventures.
Noel has become a successful musical theatre star and has starred on the West End in many leading roles, including as Galileo in We Will Rock You and Danny Zuko in Grease.
He also led the cast as Dewey Finn in School of Rock, but looked unrecognisable after putting on two stone for the role because he 'didn't want to wear a fat suit on stage '.
More recently, Noel has been busy running his theatrical education company and is set to play King Charles III in the drag musical The Diana Mixtape.
Despite stepping back from fame, Noel didn't appear opposed to reuniting with his former Hear'Say bandmates and revealed they tried to plan a 20th anniversary reunion.
However, the idea never got off the ground and Noel hasn't spoken to his former band members 'in a long time', choosing to remain away from fame - unlike his former bandmates, presenter Myleene, 47, and actress Kym, 49.
Speaking about his life away from the limelight, Noel candidly added: 'I don't have to deal with the trappings of fame.
'I can move around day to day, I can get on the Tube while working in this amazing environment.'
Though the band was short-lived, Hear'Say's first single, Pure And Simple, became the fastest-selling record in British pop history and their debut album went straight to the top of the charts.
They even met the Queen when they starred at a Royal Variety performance.
However, they were soon plagued by rumours of furious rows between the band members - and Kym quit the group.
Johnny Shentall replaced her, with the group releasing flop single, Lovin Is Easy.
In October 2002, the band announced they were going their separate ways with Noel, Myleene, Suzanne, Danny and Johnny telling The Sun that their lives had been made hell by abuse in the street and jeers when they performed.
Danny told the newspaper: 'We have had enough. The public make you and break you.'
Myleene added: 'Nobody deserves what we went through.'
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