Latest news with #JayMcGuiness
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Wanted star and former Strictly Come Dancing champion Jay McGuiness finds new career success away from boyband fame
He shot to fame as a member of boyband The Wanted in 2009. But since the group went on hiatus a decade ago, Jay McGuiness has found success in a whole new career industry, a world away from his pop star days. The singer, 34, was part of the band alongside Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker, and Nathan Sykes, which produced number one hits like Glad You Came and All Time Low. After they disbanded in 2014, he went on to appear on Strictly Come Dancing the following year and was crowned the champion with professional dance partner Aliona Vilani. Jay's incredible dancing talent soon opened new doors, with the musician going on to forge a career in musical theatre. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. He made his West End debut in Big The Musical, based on the 1988 film Big, and played the lead character made famous by Tom Hanks. He then treaded the boards in Rip It Up opposite fellow boyband and Strictly stars, McFly's Harry Judd and JLS' Aston Merrygold, as well as starring in musical stage versions of Sleepless in Seatle and White Christmas. Jay also was one of the famous faces to take a turn at starring in 2:22 A Ghost Story, while he has been starring as William Shakespeare in the UK tour of & Juliet. He has admitted that Strictly was a 'boomerang' for him to pursue his passion for musical theatre, crediting the show for allowing him the opportunity to get on producers' radar. He previously gushed: 'I'm so thankful I did Strictly. It's the scary things that end up being rewarding. 'Whenever I feel pretty low after a long period of time it is because I have cocooned myself away from the things that are scaring me. Then you end up feeling stagnant. Every time I have pushed myself, I have felt happy I did.' He added: 'I loved the nine hour rehearsals with Strictly and my partner was a legend. I was lucky as a lot of people were still in soaps or had kids to go home to. But I was free as a bird and could train for as long as I wanted. 'The adrenaline you get from going on live television on Saturday it really knackers you. And the day after your exhausted. You get Sunday off to decompress then go again.' But Jay has also begun a whole new career far away from the world of music and stage, having become a published author. He wrote his debut fantasy novel, Blood Flowers, in February 2024, with a sequel, Poison Tides, set to be released next month. According to Waterstones, the young adult series is 'a story of love, witchcraft, betrayal and murder', which focuses on themes of poverty, class divide and addiction. Opening up on he came to write the book, Jay appeared on Westlife star Nicky Byrne's podcast in February, where he explained he had always loved the fantasy genre. He said: 'They asked if I would be interested in writing an autobiography and I was like, "heck no". But fantasy was something I knew - I'd been around it for so long, I knew what I wanted to write. 'And so I guess, it was a year of me on my laptop going for it. And then we shipped it to a few different places and Scholastic is my publisher. And that is the OG publishers. They liked my draft and away they went.' Jay explained that he had wanted to write a 'fantasy book that I would've liked to have read when I was a kid' and admitted that the story was partly inspired by his own sudden rise to stardom in The Wanted. He said: 'It's like some kid that's in a small town, where everyone's sort of on top of you and on top of each other and they you find out you've got this magical power. 'And away you go into a world where all that stuff that used to scare you isn't scary anymore and now you meet the real big bad wolves. 'And it is parallel to me being whisked off into a boyband and meeting those music execs. I felt like a fish out of water when I was back home and now that I've seen the rest of the world, I am a fish so strongly from the water that I'm from. But with magic!' And with his huge success in theatre and publishing, it seems that Jay has also decided to draw a line under his time in The Wanted, following the tragic death of his bandmate Tom. The father-of-two passed away from brain cancer at the age of 33 in March 2022, after he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020, The Wanted released a greatest hits album in 2021 and performed a one-off show that same year, before they went on tour in early 2022, which ended just two weeks before Tom's death. And while members Max and Siva are touring together as The Wanted 2.0, Nathan has said that he and Jay would struggle to perform without Tom. He previously told The Sun in March: 'I'm really happy for them. They get a lot of enjoyment in performing the music and they see it as a tribute to Tom. 'I think it's really difficult imagining The Wanted as a four-piece because The Wanted has been and will only ever be a five-piece, it's difficult imagining not performing with Tom.'
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Huge boyband star and former Strictly finalist has very different career worlds away from chart fame
The group were nominated for two BRIT Awards GOLD FOREVER Huge boyband star and former Strictly finalist has very different career worlds away from chart fame A HUGE boyband star now has a very different career that is worlds away from his former chart fame. The singer also competed on the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2015. 8 Jay McGuiness (far right) was a member of The Wanted alongside (from left to right) Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker, Max George and Nathan Sykes Credit: Getty 8 However, the star has moved away from the music charts in recent years Credit: Getty 8 The singer is now an author of his own dystopian novel series Credit: Instagram Jay McGuiness, 34, is best known for being one of the original members of The Wanted. He joined the boyband back in 2009 alongside Max George, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, and the late Tom Parker. The group went on to sell 700,000 albums and 3.2 million singles in the UK according to the BPI (British Phonographic Industry). After winning Strictly with Aliona Vilani in 2015, Jay went on to forge a theatre career for himself on London's West End. He starred in several huge productions such as BIG! The Musical, Sleepless - A Musical romance and Rip It Up. In 2022 he took on the lead role in a touring musical version of White Christmas, before he landed a role as Ben in 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2024. Recently, he could be seen in the touring production of & Juliet in the role of Shakespeare. But away from the stage, Jay is establishing himself as a fiction author. Last year, the singer and actor released his debut fantasy novel, Blood Flowers. This year he released another book called Poison Tides which forms part of his very own dystopian series. Max George confirms he won't be playing show in Manchester During their tenure together, The Wanted achieved significant success both in the UK and around the world. Their first album peaked at number four in the UK chart and it spawned three UK Top 20 singles. In 2012, the group achieved success in the US and Canada with their track, Glad You Came. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 for four straight weeks, and it was the highest American chart entry by a British boyband at the time. The Wanted: Discography HOW did The Wanted place in the UK charts in their heyday? Albums The Wanted (2010) - UK number four Battleground (2011) - UK number five Word of Mouth (2013) - UK number nine Singles All Time Low (2010) - UK number one Heart Vacancy (2010) - UK number two Lose My Mind (2010) - UK number 19 Gold Forever (2011) - UK number 3 Glad You Came (2011) - UK number one Lightning (2011) - UK number two Warzone (2011) - UK number 21 Chasing the Sun (2012) - UK number two I Found You (2012) - UK number three Walks Like Rihanna (2013) - UK number four We Own The Night (2013) - UK number 10 Show Me Love (America) (2013) - UK number eight In their heyday, they were also nominated twice at the BRIT Awards in 2010 and 2012. They also won the Best British Music act at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards in 2011 as well as the Favourite Breakout Artist at the People's Choice Awards in 2013 in Los Angeles. 8 The Wanted achieved three UK top ten albums and a number of UK number one singles Credit: Getty Images - Getty 8 Although Jay has not given up performing and has established himself as a regular on the West End Credit: Instagram 8 He can be currently be seen on a UK touring production of the hit musical, & Juliet Credit: Instagram 8 Last year he bagged himself a role in the hit production, 2:22 A Ghost Story Credit: Instagram
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Huge boyband star and former Strictly finalist has very different career worlds away from chart fame
A HUGE boyband star now has a very different career that is worlds away from his former chart fame. The singer also competed on the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2015. 8 8 8 Jay McGuiness, 34, is best known for being one of the original members of The Wanted. He joined the boyband back in 2009 alongside Max George, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, and the late Tom Parker. The group went on to sell 700,000 albums and 3.2 million singles in the UK according to the BPI (British Phonographic Industry). After winning Strictly with Aliona Vilani in 2015, Jay went on to forge a theatre career for himself on London 's West End. He starred in several huge productions such as BIG! The Musical, Sleepless - A Musical romance and Rip It Up. In 2022 he took on the lead role in a touring musical version of White Christmas, before he landed a role as Ben in 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2024. Recently, he could be seen in the touring production of & Juliet in the role of Shakespeare. But away from the stage, Jay is establishing himself as a fiction author. Last year, the singer and actor released his debut fantasy novel, Blood Flowers. This year he released another book called Poison Tides which forms part of his very own dystopian series. Max George confirms he won't be playing show in Manchester During their tenure together, The Wanted achieved significant success both in the UK and around the world. Their first album peaked at number four in the UK chart and it spawned three UK Top 20 singles. In 2012, the group achieved success in the US and Canada with their track, Glad You Came. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 for four straight weeks, and it was the highest American chart entry by a British boyband at the time. The Wanted: Discography HOW did The Wanted place in the UK charts in their heyday? Albums The Wanted (2010) - UK number four Battleground (2011) - UK number five Word of Mouth (2013) - UK number nine Singles All Time Low (2010) - UK number one Heart Vacancy (2010) - UK number two Lose My Mind (2010) - UK number 19 Gold Forever (2011) - UK number 3 Glad You Came (2011) - UK number one Lightning (2011) - UK number two Warzone (2011) - UK number 21 Chasing the Sun (2012) - UK number two I Found You (2012) - UK number three Walks Like Rihanna (2013) - UK number four We Own The Night (2013) - UK number 10 Show Me Love (America) (2013) - UK number eight In their heyday, they were also nominated twice at the BRIT Awards in 2010 and 2012. They also won the Best British Music act at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards in 2011 as well as the Favourite Breakout Artist at the People's Choice Awards in 2013 in Los Angeles. 8 8 8 8 8
Wales Online
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Pilgrimage star Jay McGuiness' surprising career away from The Wanted pop stardom
Pilgrimage star Jay McGuiness' surprising career away from The Wanted pop stardom Jay McGuiness has been a familiar face on our screens for over 15 years and now he's persuing a career away from the stage, as well as continuing to entertain fans on it - with roles in various stage productions Jay McGuiness from The Wanted has enjoyed a career in musical theatre and writing following the band's hiatus in 2014 (Image: BBC ) Singer-songwriter Jay McGuiness will be taking a step away from the stage and embarking on spiritual journey in the most recent series of BBC's Pilgrimage. The Wanted star will be joined by presenter Jeff Brazier, comedian and writer Helen Lederer and the Traitors' winner Harry Clark amongst others as they take on the Swiss and Austrian alps to explore their faith and beliefs. Jay McGuiness has been a familiar face on our screens for over 15 years by now. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . Most fans will probably know him as being one-fifth of the popular boyband The Wanted, which reached major success all over the world and obtained two UK number one singles with All Time Low and Glad You Came from their debut eponymous named album in 2010. The band announced a hiatus in 2014 after six years of whirlwind success, but reunited for a greatest hits album and a performance at a charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2021 when band member Tom Parker had been diagnosed with brain cancer in late 2020. Tom Parker sadly died from the illness in March 2022. During the filming of Pilgrimage, Jay, who identifies as agnostic, reflects on the death of his friend and band-member and the grief that followed. Article continues below Since the band's hiatus in 2014, Jay has enjoyed a promising yet unique career. The star appeared and won the 13th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 with his professional dance partner Aliona Vilani. Max George (left) and Jay McGuiness of The Wanted carry the coffin at the funeral of their bandmate Tom Parker at St Francis of Assisi church in Queensway, Petts Wood, in south-east London (Image: PA ) Following from this, the Nottinghamshire singer forged a career in musical theatre, starring in shows such as BIG! The Musical, which was based on the popular 1988 film starring Tom Hanks, Sleepless - A Musical Romance, also based on the screenplay of another Tom Hanks film - Sleepless in Seattle. He also starred in the show Rip It Up, where he performed alongside JLS' Aston Merrygold, McFly's Harry Judd, and Olympic champion Louis Smith. In 2022, the singer took the lead role of Bob Wallace in the touring musical version of the classic move, White Christmas. And in 2024, he played the role of Ben in the award-winning play 2:22 A Ghost Story. Currently he's on stage in a touring production of & Juliet. The new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told and asks, what would happen next if Juliet didn't end it all over Romeo? In his personal life, McGuiness is a committed conservationist and environmentalist. The star is also a writer and has published a young adult novel. His debut fantasy novel, Blood Flowers, was published worldwide by Scholastic in February 2024. Aliona Vilani and Jay McGuiness with the winning trophy in 2015 (Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire ) According to Waterstones, the novel is a story of "love, witchcraft, betrayal and murder", which focuses on themes of poverty, class divide and addiction. While speaking on Westlife's Nicky Byrne's podcast - Nicky Byrne HQ, The Wanted band member explained how the opportunity to write came around. "They asked if I would be interested in writing an autobiography and I was like, 'heck no'," he said. "But fantasy was something I knew - I'd been around it for so long, I knew what I wanted to write. "And so I guess, it was a year of me on my laptop going for it. And then we shipped it to a few different places and Scholastic is my publisher. And that is the OG publishers". He continued: "They liked my draft and away they went." He then went on to say he wanted to write a "fantasy book that I would've liked to have read when I was a kid". Viewers can watch Pilgrimage's third episode on BBC TWO at 9pm on Tuesday evening, April 22, with all episodes available on BBC iPlayer. Article continues below
BBC News
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Slough Traitor's winner set to star in new Pilgrimage series
A winner of the BBC reality TV show The Traitors says his faith "saved" him when he was in the Clark, from Slough in Berkshire, explained that he suffers with his mental health and struggled at times when he was in the army, but his religion helped him through hard and difficult 24-year-old, who won season two in 2024, is taking part in a new three-part show that sees seven celebrities of differing religious faiths and beliefs tackle a 300km (186 mile) trek through the Austrian and Swiss Clark said: "It was more of an emotional journey for me rather than a physical one." "I come from a religious family, religious background and was always in church growing up," he said."I went through something in my life at 21, while I was serving in the British army, I was lost and my religion saved me."Talking about his new show, called Pilgrimage, he said he was used to the physical challenge from his training in the army but admitted "this was more like an emotional challenge". Mr Clark said: "I was in the army for nearly seven years, so the walking and hiking even though it was a lot, it was fine."We walked 15 -20 kilometers a day, up the Alps which was stunning, you didn't have the chance to moan because the views were beautiful."He explained there was a moment during filming when he asked the cameras to "leave him alone" .He said: "I struggle with seeing other people so lost in their faith, for someone like me I felt so at home on this pilgrimage."I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be on this journey."Pilgrimage is set to return with seven new celebrities on BBC Two on Easter include agnostic singer Jay McGuiness from The Wanted and journalist Nelufar Hedayat who refers to herself as a modern 12 days, they will face strenuous climbs along a medieval Catholic route which will see them travel from outside Austria to the Einsiedeln Abbey near Lake Zurich in Clark said viewers will see a whole different side to him in the show - as a "faithful". You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
