Latest news with #NoelSullivan
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
00s pop star reveals pain of fame forcing him 'back into the closet'
Noughties music star Noel Sullivan has revealed the struggles he was secretly facing behind the scenes at the height of his fame in one of the country's favourite pop bands. Now aged 44, the Welsh singer rose to popularity in Hear'Say in 2001, having been created on the talent show Popstars. Along with bandmates Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, and Danny Foster, he broke chart records with their debut single, Pure and Simple, which remains just as catchy today. However, away from the bright lights of stardom, Noel was battling with having to stay quiet about who he truly was. Just 19 at the time he was thrust into the spotlight, Noel has said he was forbidden from discussing his sexuality, feeling as though he had been 'chucked back into the closet'. It wasn't until 2017 that he publicly came out as gay when he announced he had married his partner. Speaking to Heat magazine, he shared: 'It was really mad. It was a lifetime ago. I can look back at it with fond memories now, but it took a while to sort through the damage.' With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! 'But I'm here, and I survived,' he declared proudly. The performer reflected on his late teens and early twenties, which ought to have been the time he could 'explore who [he] is'. '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.' Noel is now in a happy marriage with husband James and often shares an insight into their relationship with social media snaps. On his birthday several years ago, he also reminisced on his pop band days and how he sank into 'depression' when he was unable to come out. He wrote: '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. '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,' Noel concluded. 'Free to let go of the past, free to love myself. But most importantly, free to love. Thank you [sic]'. While Noel now enjoys a much quieter, slower-paced life, he hasn't turned his back on entertainment completely. A lover of theatre, he previously appeared in productions of Fame, Love Shack, and What a Feeling, as well as playing male lead Danny Zuko in Grease on the West End in the late 2000s. Noel also had a cameo in Gavin and Stacey, starred as Galileo Figaro in the UK tour of We Will Rock You, and shared the role of Tick/Mitzi with Jason Donovan in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. In more recent years, he's popped up in BBC's Call the Midwife Christmas special and played Oscar Baxter in Doctors. As for Hear'Say, their glittering success was short-lived. Things started going downhill in January 2002, when Kym left due to conflicts with Noel and Myleene. She was replaced by former Boom! member Johnny Shentall, and they released just one single, Lovin' is Easy, as part of this lineup. In October 2002, Hear'Say announced they would be breaking up, having failed to make a commercial splash with their latest music. At the time, they cited 'abuse from the public' as the main reason for the split, while its members went on to achieve success individually. Kym, 49, enjoyed a solo career and famously starred as Michelle Connor in Coronation Street, has hosted Morning Live, and also starred in Waterloo Road. More Trending Danny, 46, has had a quieter career, but performs as part of his own soul and Motown group, Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation, and also auditioned for The Voice. Suzanne, 43, is an established West End performer, won series 3 of Dancing On Ice and took part in the All Stars series, and played Eve Jenson in Emmerdale. Finally, Myleene, 47, was an iconic I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! campmate in 2006, and went on to win the All Stars series in 2023. She also presents on TV and radio, and was awarded an MBE this year for her women's health campaigning. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: What I Own: At 22 and 23, we bought a run-down London four-bed for £910,000 MORE: EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite reveals her son, 17, is transgender MORE: Netflix viewers rush to watch 'absorbing' reboot of beloved Scottish crime drama
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Noughties pop star opens up about ‘damaging experience' in band after he was ‘forced to hide' his sexuality
HE garnered overnight fame back in 2001 after being launched on ITV's reality show Popstars before having huge success in the band Hear'Say, but it wasn't all glitz and glamour behind the scenes. 4 Noel Sullivan has opened up about his time in the band Hear'Say Credit: Rex 4 The band released two albums and four singles before parting ways Credit: Dave Hogan 4 Noel said it was a "damaging experience" to be "chucked back in the closet" Credit: Andrew Barr - The Sun Glasgow The singer has now opened up about his experience in the band and said the experience damaged him because he wasn't allowed to discuss his sexuality. He told '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.' READ MORE ON MUSIC Noel is now happily married to his husband James after coming out in 2017 and regularly shares pictures of the pair together on social media. This isn't the first time Noel has opened up about his sexuality being a point of contention when he was in the band. In 2017, he took to Instagram to share a picture of himself on his birthday and took the opportunity to get some things off of his chest. He penned: '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. Most read in Celebrity '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. The noughties pop group Hear'say perform their hit song Pure and Simple '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.' Hear'Say released two albums in their short-lived career, with their debut album Popstars charting at number one in the UK, Scotland and New Zealand. They followed this up with their second outing, in the form of Everybody, which released just nine months after their first, but it failed to have the same momentum, charting at number 24 in the UK. The band had four top ten singles, with hits Pure and Simple and The Way To Your Love bagging the top honours. After the band members went their own separate ways, Noel opted for a quieter life but didn't give up on the entertainment industry all together. He has appeared in several musical theatre productions, including Fame, Love Shack, What A Feeling and acted as Danny Zuko in Grease. Noel has also shown off his acting chops on the small screen, with appearances in Christmas special in 2021. Where are Hear'Say now? Danny Foster Danny, 45, stepped out of the spotlight after Hear'Say split. He is married to Victoria Goddard, who he has been with for nearly two decades. Danny popped up on The Voice in 2013 singing Spice Girls hit Wannabe but none of the judges turned for him. Two year later he suffered a terrifying car accident where he was forced to flee a burning vehicle. These days he runs a retro soul act called Danny Foster & The Kym Marsh Kym, 47, was the first member of Hear'Say to leave the band, later saying she'd had huge bust-ups with Myleene. She was replaced by The star went on to marry EastEnders favourite Kym, who appeared on Coronation Street as Michelle Connor and starred on Strictly, has three children - David, Emily, and Polly. She and Jamie had a son called Archie who tragically died soon after being born in 2009. These days the actor and singer is wowing audiences in a stage version of 101 Dalmatians. Suzanne Shaw Hear'Say split just after Suzanne's 21st birthday with the star, now 42, launching a career in musical theatre. She also appeared in both soapland, as Emmerdale's Eve Birch, and reality telly on Dancing On Ice. Suzanne has an 18-year-old son called Corey from her relationship with Darren Day and eight-year-old Rafferty with businessman Sam Greenfield. She is now a fitness fanatic and plant-based diet enthusiast. Noel Sullivan Noel, 43, said he'd been "thrown on the scrapheap" in his early 20s when the band split, but he quickly found a new career on the stage. He even moved to Las Vegas for 18 months fronting Strictly Ballroom and had a scene-stealing cameo as himself in Gavin & Stacey as Nessa's mate. In 2019, he shocked This Morning viewers after h He is married to James Bennett and the pair have been hard at work renovating their 16th century house in the foothills of the Pyrenees in France. Myleene Klass Myleene, 46, has had a varied media career from hosting The One Show, to presenting shows on Classic FM and of course a stint on Myleene has 4 The performer is now happily married to his husband James Credit: Instagram
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Noughties pop star opens up about ‘damaging experience' in band after he was ‘forced to hide' his sexuality
HE garnered overnight fame back in 2001 after being launched on ITV's reality show Popstars before having huge success in the band Hear'Say, but it wasn't all glitz and glamour behind the scenes. Noel Sullivan, 44, was chosen to be a part of the band alongside Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Danny Foster and despite their debut album going to number one, the group had short-lived fame after parting ways just two years later. 4 The singer has now opened up about his experience in the band and said the experience damaged him because he wasn't allowed to discuss his sexuality. 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. '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.' Noel is now happily married to his husband James after coming out in 2017 and regularly shares pictures of the pair together on social media. This isn't the first time Noel has opened up about his sexuality being a point of contention when he was in the band. In 2017, he took to Instagram to share a picture of himself on his birthday and took the opportunity to get some things off of his chest. He penned: '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. '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.' Hear'Say released two albums in their short-lived career, with their debut album Popstars charting at number one in the UK, Scotland and New Zealand. They followed this up with their second outing, in the form of Everybody, which released just nine months after their first, but it failed to have the same momentum, charting at number 24 in the UK. The band had four top ten singles, with hits Pure and Simple and The Way To Your Love bagging the top honours. After the band members went their own separate ways, Noel opted for a quieter life but didn't give up on the entertainment industry all together. He has appeared in several musical theatre productions, including Fame, Love Shack, What A Feeling and acted as Danny Zuko in Grease. Noel has also shown off his acting chops on the small screen, with appearances in Gavin & Stacey, BBC Drama Ordinary Lies, Doctors and the Call The Midwife Christmas special in 2021. Where are Hear'Say now? Danny Foster Danny, 45, stepped out of the spotlight after Hear'Say split. He is married to Victoria Goddard, who he has been with for nearly two decades. Danny popped up on The Voice in 2013 singing Spice Girls hit Wannabe but none of the judges turned for him. Two year later he suffered a terrifying car accident where he was forced to flee a burning vehicle. These days he runs a retro soul act called Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation and is heavily into meditation. Kym Marsh Kym, 47, was the first member of Hear'Say to leave the band, later saying she'd had huge bust-ups with Myleene. She was replaced by Lisa Scott-Lee 's husband Johnny Shentall while she forged a solo career. The star went on to marry EastEnders favourite Jack Ryder and Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas. Kym, who appeared on Coronation Street as Michelle Connor and starred on Strictly, has three children - David, Emily, and Polly. She and Jamie had a son called Archie who tragically died soon after being born in 2009. These days the actor and singer is wowing audiences in a stage version of 101 Dalmatians. Suzanne Shaw Hear'Say split just after Suzanne's 21st birthday with the star, now 42, launching a career in musical theatre. She also appeared in both soapland, as Emmerdale 's Eve Birch, and reality telly on Dancing On Ice. Suzanne has an 18-year-old son called Corey from her relationship with Darren Day and eight-year-old Rafferty with businessman Sam Greenfield. She is now a fitness fanatic and plant-based diet enthusiast. Noel Sullivan Noel, 43, said he'd been "thrown on the scrapheap" in his early 20s when the band split, but he quickly found a new career on the stage. He even moved to Las Vegas for 18 months fronting Strictly Ballroom and had a scene-stealing cameo as himself in Gavin & Stacey as Nessa's mate. In 2019, he shocked This Morning viewers after h e put on two stone to play Jack Black's character in the musical School of Rock. He is married to James Bennett and the pair have been hard at work renovating their 16th century house in the foothills of the Pyrenees in France. Myleene Klass Myleene, 46, has had a varied media career from hosting The One Show, to presenting shows on Classic FM and of course a stint on I'm A Celebrity. Myleene has three children, Ava and Hero with her ex-husband Graham Quinn and Apollo, three, with her fiance Simon Motson. 4
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
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
Noel Sullivan shot to overnight fame in Hear'Say but has revealed his short-lived 00s fame wasn't all glitz and glamour, and he had a huge struggle behind the scenes. 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.'
