Spice Girls star Melanie C and her younger brother Paul O’Neill are set to make their Celebrity Gogglebox debut on Friday night.
The siblings have joined the cast of the Channel 4 series and will be offering their views on the latest shows on telly over the next few weeks.
Confirming the exciting news on her official Twitter account last week, Sporty Spice herself penned: “@C4Gogglebox is back with its upcoming third series, and I can’t wait to be on the show for the first time alongside my little bother @PaulONeill29! Don’t miss it!”
Melanie, 47, and Paul, 41, share the same mother but have different fathers.
(Image: INSTAGRAM)
While the songstress is known for being a member of one of the biggest girl groups in the world, Paul is also a celebrity in his own right.
He is a former British auto racing driver and the co-founder of 29 Productions, a bespoke multi camera streaming and production company.
Mel previously told The Times that she’d occasionally be asked to look after Paul when they were younger, much to her dismay.
She told the publication back in 2016: “Being the older sister, I was often roped in for babysitting and, my God, Paul could be annoying.
(Image: Collect)
“I’d be up in my bedroom with my mates and he’d just burst in and do a massive fart.
“Looking back, I feel terrible ’cos I really did used to beat him up.
“I’d punch him with all my might, but he’d just laugh at me. And fart some more.”
Unfortunately, Paul dropped out college when he was younger due to the abuse he received from his peers for being related to Melanie.
He told The Times newspaper: “Some of those early Spice Girls songs are classics, but I grew to hate Wannabe.
(Image: Live)
“I was at college and all the people I hung around with started taking the p**s. I wasn’t Paul, I was Sporty Spice’s brother, the one who dressed in trackies and did flying kicks.
“I’d pretend to laugh it off, but it hurt me. I couldn’t take any more, so I left.
Despite being the older sibling, Mel said that Paul offered her plenty of advice back in the day.
The pop star told The Times: “Even though I was older, it was Paul who started giving me advice. ‘Stand up for yourself. If someone is a p***k, just tell them.’
(Image: PA)
“When I was at my lowest, he was always there. My family has always been there, giving me something I could hold on to.
“People sometimes refer to Paul as my half-brother. No, he’s 100% my brother. Even if he did used to fart in my face!”
Paul added at the time: “Although my sister’s got a few quid in the bank, she’s not as rich as everyone thinks. The mad money she was being offered would have come in useful, but I respect the fact she turned it down.
“My sister would never do anything just for the money, ’cos … she’s not an idiot. Despite the bizarre life she’s lived, she’s come out of it a decent, honest person.”
(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
Mel set Paul on the road to racing success – paying for his licence, buying his first racing car (a £22,000 Rover MGF) and arranging sponsorship.
Discussing the sweet gesture, Paul told The Times in 2016: “People tried to rip me off, so it was a steep learning curve, but Mel’s selflessness gave me a whole new career.”
Mel also helped diagnose Paul’s diabetes and probably saved his life.
While on holiday in Mauritius to celebrate Mel’s 30th birthday she noticed Paul was not his bubbly self.
(Image: Getty Images)
She told The Mirror in 2012: “He was sleeping a lot and losing weight despite downing huge bottles of Coke from the minibar.
“But it wasn’t until we got home and he started telling me about other symptoms that it all fell into place.”
Paul confided that he was constantly thirsty and his vision had become blurred.
Mel told her brother that the symptoms were similar to those suffered by a member of the Spice Girls’ office staff who had recently been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
When Paul saw his GP, his blood sugar levels were dangerously high and he was rushed straight to hospital.
“I’m so grateful to Mel for insisting I go to the doctor. I was on the verge of going into a coma,” Paul told The Mirror at the time.
“I now know that delaying treatment for type 1 diabetes can cause diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, a potentially life-threatening complication.”
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Tests confirmed that Paul had type 1 diabetes and strict rules meant his racing licence had to be surrendered to the Motor Sports Association and only returned once his blood sugar levels remained stable for six months.
With no cure available, Paul had to learn how to measure his blood glucose levels at regular intervals and inject himself with insulin.
After six months of stability, Paul and the family celebrated the return of his motor racing licence.
He enjoyed three more years of competing before becoming a coach and television presenter.
Paul has since become an ambassador for the charity Diabetes UK.
He’s also a Patron of The Sporting Memories Foundation and completed the Great North Run in 2017 to raise funds for the charity.
Celebrity Gogglebox airs Fridays on Channel 4 at 9pm
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
