George Shelley was a finalist on I’m a Celebrity in 2015 but before he became a band member in Lightlines, he was forced to work in a coffee shop after spending all his money
George Shelley finished runner-up on I’m a Celebrity following his rise to fame with X Factor boyband Union J —but spent all his earnings after finding fame.
After this, he reportedly found himself pulling shifts in a coffee shop just to make ends meet. This apparent setback might well have been a stroke of luck, as it ultimately guided him back towards his musical roots.
George, 32, first burst onto the British entertainment scene in 2012 when he auditioned as a solo act on The X Factor. Despite being knocked out during bootcamp, he was brought back for judges’ houses as part of boyband Union J. The group eventually finished fourth in the competition.
The performer then entered the jungle for I’m a Celeb in 2015, securing second place. Twelve months later, he departed Union J to chase acting and broadcasting opportunities, spending fourteen months on The Capital Breakfast Show and making guest appearances in programmes such as Benidorm, but his television work has since become increasingly sporadic.
Currently, he’s part of new group Lightlines, though he’s disclosed that prior to this venture, he was grafting in a coffee shop after squandering all his music and television earnings. Speaking to The Sun, he revealed: “Last year I was just grafting a lot, doing a lot of social media for other people, video editing and coffee shop work.”
He confessed he wasn’t particularly skilled as a barista and frequently damaged equipment, explaining he had to take the work because he’d “given up” on music. “I did smash a lot because I’m quite high energy. I’m always knocking things over and slipping over. I’d given up on music.”
However, it was his job at Chi Chi’s coffee shop in Enfield, North London, that steered George back to his musical roots, introducing him to his Lightlines bandmate, Alex Pothecary, reports the Mirror.
Alex, who happened to be George’s boss, discovered his new barista was a renowned singer. Upon this revelation, Alex, who holds a Masters in musical composition, and George began jamming together.
Soon after, George crossed paths with the third member of Lightlines, drummer Will Jackson, in another coffee shop, forming their trio. “The songs that I write by myself, they’re very introspective and deep,” George shared.
“And when I realised these boys could play guitar and drums, I was like, ‘This feels really right’.”
In July of this year, they launched their first single, Wasted. In this debut track, George croons about “pills and bars” and “getting wasted”, drawing from his personal experiences following the loss of his sister Harriet in 2017.
“When my sister passed away, dealing with the grief on top of the rejection of the industry, it was a lot. My coping mechanisms were toxic for a long time and I was just in the wrong environments.”
Now, George embraces periods of total sobriety to concentrate on his music. The band is gearing up to drop their first album, and George has expressed that one of the reasons he’s so invested in it is to regain “agency” over his life.
He stated: “A big part of me doing music again is to make sure I don’t hand over my autonomy, and that I have agency over my own life and my creative choices.”
He also mentioned he’s not averse to taking on odd jobs, such as being a barista, once more. “If in a month’s time I need to get some cash in, I’ll just do some night shifts somewhere or do some gardening.
“I’ve not got an ego, thinking that I’m too good for having to work again.”
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
