Pop Idol series one stars now – tragic death, ditching fame and Big Brother controversy

Pop Idol captured the imagination of the British public when it aired for the first time in 2001.

Devised by producer Simon Fuller, the show sought to discover the nation’s hidden singing talents at the dawn of reality television. Proving a precursor to X Factor – which began three years later – the ITV programme starred judges Pete Waterman, Neil ‘Dr’ Fox, Nicki Chapman and indeed Simon Cowell.

The show’s success spawned multiple series worldwide – most notably American Idol – which still runs to this day. After Michelle McManus won the second series in 2003, the show went on a permanent hiatus in the UK, with Cowell launching X Factor in much the same format until its 2018 demise.

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Pop Idol’s debut series captivated viewers with Will Young and Gareth Gates going head-to-head in a dramatic finale that saw the former emerge victorious by earning 53% of the public vote. Now, we look back at what happened next to the pair and the 9 finalists that battled against them in the weekly rounds.

Will Young

Winner Will went on to score four number one singles including his debut Evergreen and its follow-up, Light My Fire, as well as four number one albums. His most recent – 2021’s Crying on the Bathroom Floor – peaked at number three, meanwhile.

Away from the microphone, Will has tasted success in the acting world too, starring in 2005 feature film, Mrs Henderson Presents, and several TV shows including Skins and Bedlam. As well starring in various theatre productions, he has also tried his hand at presenting documentaries, fronting the likes of Losing My Twin Rupert, in which he opened up on the tragic loss of his brother in 2020. Will has also worked on initiatives with numerous charities including Women’s Aid, Mencap, Oxfam and WWF. The star featured briefly during the 2016 series Strictly Come Dancing only to pull out in week three citing “personal reasons”.

Gareth Gates

Runner-up Gareth’s stock rose dramatically in the aftermath of the show, with his debut hit Unchained Melody selling 3.5 million copies on its release. The singer stepped away from music following the release of his third album in 2007, however, turning to theatre.

There, he landed the lead role in Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat and toured with Les Miserables, Legally Blonde and Footloose to name but a few. Gareth, who became known for his stammer in his Pop Idol days, later qualified as a speech coach and latterly as a course instructor with the McGuire Programme where he helps those with stammers similar to his own.

Darius Danesh Campbell

Third-placed Darius received mixed reviews during his time on the show but soon boasted a number one single in the form of his self-written track Colourblind, after signing to Simon Cowell’s record label. He enjoyed a further four top 10 hits before penning a best-selling book on life in the music business.

The Scotsman went on to feature in a number of musicals and theatre shows including Chicago and Guys and Dolls. He married Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge in 2011 – only to split two years later – though their divorce took a further five years to be finalised. Darius was tragically found unresponsive in his apartment in Minnesota, USA on August 11, 2022. After he was pronounced deceased, his family revealed there were no suspicious circumstances or signs of intent surrounding his death. He was 41.

Zoe Birkett

After being eliminated two weeks before Will’s victory, Zoe went on to release a single, entitled Treat Me Like a Lady, before embarking on an acting career in shows like Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Thriller Live.

In 2014, she entered the ‘civilian’ Big Brother house – and soon attracted her fair share of controversy, after implying she didn’t want to stay in the house with “Tesco workers”. Speaking to Ash Harrison, Zoe said: “If they’d put me in the house with normal people who were like ‘I work in Tesco’, then fair enough. But I would have too many stories, too much life experience.”

When asked by Big Brother if she thought she was “above people”, Zoe responded: “I’ve never said that in my life. I’m a total down to earth person, that’s really annoyed us. I’m not even answering that, that’s a load of rubbish.” She later claimed that the chat was “blown out of proportion” – despite housemate Helen Wood scoffing: “Don’t lie, you’ve said it.” Most recently, she has starred in Moulin Rouge The Musical playing the female lead role of Satine.

Hayley Evetts

Fifth-placed Hayley went on to land a presenting role on Sky TV, fronting Cruel Holiday. Moving back to the performing arts, she then starred as Sandy in Grease the musical alongside Jonathan Wilkes in 2003.

Nine years on from Pop Idol, Hayley released a single, Waste My Time, before auditioning for X Factor and making it through to bootcamp after impressing the judges for a second time. She was eliminated at the judges’ houses stage, however, all but killing off hopes of a major musical comeback.

In 2016, meanwhile, she was a candidate to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest, but was forced to pull out owing to a severe knee injury. Hayley has also played a small role in Coronation Street – as a temporary character, Eve.

Rosie Ribbons

Rosie famously reduced Pete Waterman to tears with a Pop Idol rendition of Mariah Carey’s Hero en route to finishing in sixth place. Despite her elimination midway through the competition, she signed a multi-album record deal and soon found herself supporting Liberty X on tour. Two top 20 singles followed as well as another support slot with boyband, Blue, but her deal was axed due to poor sales. In 2007 she auditioned for Australian Idol, but failed to make the final stages.

Laura Doherty

After failing to land a record deal, Laura went on to study at the University of Ulster where she graduated with a degree in music in 2007, before marrying her childhood sweetheart a year later. She appeared to have no regrets about the music business, however, later admitting: “I couldn’t be a pop star. There is too much pressure and it is a very dirty business.”

She continued: “It’s so surreal. You have to get up at six in the morning and your face doesn’t get in front of the camera until 4pm. There is nothing glamorous about it. You have to leave home for too long.” In more recent times Laura has taught hip-hop classes in schools.

Aaron Bailey

Aaron went on to be a wedding singer and like Laura, later confessed his brief moment in the sun had changed his thoughts on the celebrity lifestyle. He told Entertainment Daily: “I didn’t much care for the TV side of things.

“I would get phone calls from the producers asking me about my song choices for certain weeks. And then I’d get a call a few days later telling me I could no longer sing that particular song as they were giving it to Gareth instead.” Now happily married with three children, Aaron works as a peripatetic music teacher in his native North East and has also released a self-written album, which he released on Spotify and iTunes.

Jessica Garlick

Post Pop Idol, Jessica was asked by the BBC to compete in A Song For Europe – a competition she won after being voted by the public to perform as the UK’s entry in the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest. Finishing an impressive joint-third with Estonia, she declared: “Eurovision was incredible! I loved the song, I loved the experience, I loved the fans. It was amazing! I had always wanted to represent my country in Eurovision since I was 12.”

She eventually turned her back on music and moved to Sydney, Australia via Las Vegas. After giving birth to her son back in the UK, Jessica became a special education needs (SEN) and music teacher at a primary school.

Rik Waller

Rik was cruelly the subject of jibes over his weight as he made it to the finals of Pop Idol – only to suffer a bout of severe laryngitis forcing him to give up his place to the aforementioned Darius. A brief music career followed, however, with the release of Whitney Houston’s belter, I Will Always Love You.

He remained in the limelight briefly the following year, appearing in Celebrity Fit Club, but by 2013 he was penniless. He told the Daily Mail at the time: “The most demoralising thing I’ve ever had to do was queue up at the job centre and have people look at me saying, ‘What a failure’. When you’ve lost the ability to do the job you’ve always done, it’s an incredible stab in the back to find people are actually laughing at you. It’s why I don’t make a lot of effort to talk to the press these days. It can be more trouble than it’s worth.” Rik later landed a role as an exam invigilator in a secondary school.

Chris ‘Korben’ Niblett

Korben was the first to be eliminated from the live shows and soon ditched his hopes of fame to being life in the beauty industry. After stints at Clarins and Dior, he landed a role of regional educational manager for Estée Lauder Travel Retail in 2014. Four years later he was appointed as the firm’s director of education and content development for retail engagement.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk