It’s been 22 years since iconic pop group Blue formed – but what are the lads up to these days? Let’s take a look…
Back in the day, band members Lee Ryan, Duncan James, Antony Costa and Simon Webbe stormed the noughties charts with their debut album, All Rise.
Over four years, they released 16 singles and even collaborated with top music stars such as Elton John and Stevie Wonder.
But shortly after in 2004, the lads left devastated fans all over when they announced they would be taking an indefinite hiatus.
Five years later, in 2011, the group reformed for the Eurovision Song Contest where they came 11th.
The pals then got came together again in 2013 thanks to ITV’s Big Reunion and their following headline tour.
Unfortunately, Blue were dropped by their record label in 2015 after their album, Colours, peaked at number 13 in the charts.
However, skip to 2022 and they are set to put on a secret intimate show this weekend, release new music in the coming months and be heading out on tour once again.
But let’s take a look at what they’ve been up to individually over the years…
Duncan James
In 2016, Duncan suffered a terrifying illness that almost left him wheelchair-bound.
The star had two emergency operations on his back and was told by doctors he had faced death and might not ever walk again.
He told The Mirror: “They said if they didn’t operate that same day I’d be paralysed because a nerve that was trapped would die.
“I’d also lost control of my bladder. They said I might have to be catheterised permanently.”
Luckily, Duncan made a full health cover after his major health scare.
Duncan went on to have daughter Tianie Finn, now 16, with his ex-girlfriend Claire Grainger before coming out as gay in 2014.
Nowadays, he is all loved up and dating Brazilian hunk Rodrigo Reis who has he been with since 2019.
Simon Webbe
Blue singer Simon Webbe was devastated when his brother Straon took his own life in November 2018.
Simon shared the tragic news on his Instagram and said: “I lost my brother Straon to suicide while I was working in Bradford! He was someone I thought I’d see again and hurts me deep that people, like myself struggle everyday with Mental health issues.
“It’s taboo and needs to be brought to the forefront, we can all start by asking someone, anyone close to you “ how are you really feeling” after that the key is to listen.”
Simon, 43, had even released music as a solo artist, with his last work being his album titled Smile in 2017.
The star has a grown-up daughter, Alanah, 24, with ex-girlfriend Nicola Jones, and had his second child with his wife Ayshen in May, another girl called Cyan.
Lee Ryan
After Blue’s split in 2005 and reunion six years later, Lee Ryan found the pressures of fame and his 2013 split from long-term girlfriend Sammi Miller too much to deal with.
Lee developed an alcohol issue and described himself as an “alcoholic for a good ten years”.
He told The Mirror: “I turned to drink to numb the pain. I thought it was the answer. Basically, I was drinking to cope with the sadness. I’d go on binges and stay up for days, just drinking.
“On one occasion I went from bar to bar, on my own, getting hammered. I burst out crying to someone in the street, a random stranger who asked if I was OK. I started telling them all my problems about my relationship, my life and how it was getting me down. It was awful.”
He also revealed how pal Duncan caught him going through his cupboards, looking for more booze, and then helped him check into rehab.
As a result of his drinking habits, Lee, 38, developed an aggressive cyst in his throat which he worried could end his career. However, thankfully it was benign and treatable.
Last year, he became a dad for the third time with his Ariana Grande impersonator partner and X Factor contestant Verity Paris.
The singer already had daughter Bluebell, 13, and son Rayn, 12, who he shared with exes Jessica Keevil. and Samantha Miller respectively.
Luckily for Lee, his life is now back on track and he moved to Spain with his family last year to build a new life and secretly married his wife Verity, 31, earlier this month.
Antony Costa
Alike his bandmates, Antony is also now a father and shares two daughters, with his wife Rosanna, Savannah Rosa, six, and Paloma Valentina, three.
The singer was signed up to this year’s series of Dancing on Ice but sadly was only considered as a ‘reserve’ by ITV and never made it onto the show.
Antony has battled his weight on and off for over a decade and has often fluctuated on the scales.
Talking about his bigger points, he said: “I looked like a young Pavarotti – double the size of the guy I was in Blue. How come I hadn’t noticed? I had a double chin, a sagging midriff – I hardly recognised myself,” he said after watching himself on TV.
In 2018, he starred on Channel 5’s Get A Holiday Body: Lose A Stone In 4 Weeks and dropped 16lbs but over lockdown gained a little weight again.
But soon turned this around after turning to a meal delivery service which helped him lose a stone in a month, with him looking great as a result of it.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk