Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s life as she joins Neighbours – stripping off to Strictly woes

British singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor came to prominence in the late 90s and is now one of the most well-known singers around.

The British beauty has had a stellar career that has spanned decades, notching up 14 Top 40 singles, with one going all the way to the top.

The model currently resides in her ultra-cool West London home which she shares with her husband and five sons.

Outside of her music career, the Murder on the Dance Floor hitmaker has also featured in a range of different TV series and was also an unexpected beacon of light during the pandemic.

Ahead of her guest appearance on Neighbours, Daily Star has taken a dive into Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s life.

Early life

The Queen of “sophisticated pop” was born in 1979 and grew up in the house of celebrity parents, therefore was aware of the business from a very young age.

By the time she was a teenager, she knew she wanted to be a singer and kicked off her professional music career in 1996, at the age of 17.

Standing as the lead vocalist for the indie rock back, Theaudience, the group enjoyed short-lived success as two of their singles reached the Top 40 in the UK singles chart.

In 1999 however, the band were dropped after their first album, prompting Sophie to go on the hunt for her own success.

Music career

In 2000, Sophie emerged as a major star when she collaborated with electronic music producer DJ Spiller on the single Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love).

The song found huge success, becoming a number one hit in singles charts around the world and famously beating Victoria Beckham’s single to the top spot.

To this day, it is regarded by many as Sophie’s first big hit.

It anchored her solo debut album called Read My Lips which was released in 2001 and caused her career to take off.

That year, the singer brought out hits like pop single Take Me Home and she also served up another chart topper in disco tune Murder on the Dancefloor which was an ultra-smash hit throughout Europe.

The singers career has by no means slow down and she now has six albums under her belt, selling more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Finding Love

While touring her first album in 2002, Sophie met and later fell in love with her bass player, Richard Jones.

Richard was the founding member of rock band The Feeling whose biggest hits include Fill My Little World.

When previously speaking about their romance, the now 42-year-old recalls that they had an “instant chemistry.”

After just six weeks of dating, Sophie discovered she was pregnant and gave birth to her first son, Sonny, in 2004.

The couple got married in Italy in 2005 and 17 years later, seem more in love than ever.

The musical duo currently resides in London with their five sons, Sonny, 17, Kit, 12, Ray, 9, Jesse, 5 and Mickey, 2.

Their children are typically kept out of the public eye, however, in 2020, they were seen participating in Sophie’s Lockdown Kitchen Disco.

Baring all

Sophie admitted she wasn’t above stripping off her top during her 2013 Strictly Come Dancing stint in order to take home the Glitterball.

The star admitted at the time that she could follow in the footsteps of 2012 champion Louis Smith, who famously bared his torso on the BBC dance competition.

Sophie gushed: “I’m going to get my top off. Oh golly, I can’t compete with Louis though.”

But the show did have an unexpected effect on her marriage to Richard, which Sophie spoke about in her memoir Spinning Plates.

She explained that Richard “became unusually insistent on knowing where I was all the time,” before adding: “If I didn’t reply to a text, he’d spiral.”

Sophie wrote: “He’d message me all day when I was rehearsing, extra keen to know my schedule.

“We would argue when I was home about how distracted I was and about whether I’d get through to the next week, he just felt as if I might slip into a new life that left our family behind.

“I had no such desire but was too spent at the end of the day to give the reassurance he needed, I think the only real reassurance could come with the show finishing.”

The Kitchen Disco

During the global pandemic, Sophie became an unlikely beacon of hope to many around the world.

Every Friday night, she put on “kitchen discos” which were performances from her kitchen that she lived-streamed on Instagram.

Wanting to give people a break from the news, she became the perfect distraction from the fear and anxiety that plummeted through homes during lockdown.

She gave gloriously chaotic performances while belting out her greatest hits – some of which were modified with pandemic-appropriate lyrics.

Her eccentric kitchen discos were an instant hit and even featured her husband along with several unexpected cameos from her five sons.

The shows led to Sophie’s second greatest hits compilation Songs from the Kitchen Disco, which was released in November 2020 and went into the Top 10 in the UK Album Chart.

Originally a means of virtual escapism, Sophie’s Kitchen Disco has now been brought to life and she is currently touring all across the country.

TV appearances

Back in 2013, Sophie took part in series 11 of Strictly Come Dancing.

The Get Over You hitmaker was partnered with Brendan Cole and finished fourth overall, however, she openly revealed that participating in the show took a heartbreaking toll on her marriage.

Previously speaking about her marriage at the time, she said: “We never doubted our love for each other, but I think Richard worried that I just wouldn’t want our life again. But of course, I did, to me, my family is everything.”

Although it had a huge impact on her personal life, she admits she was glad that she competed, saying it was “one of my favourite things I’ve ever done.”

Sophie swapped her ballroom gowns for armour in 2019 when she appeared as an extra in HBO phenomenon Game of Thrones.

She also appeared in season two of The Masked Singer, however, was rumbled pretty quickly despite her efforts to disguise her distinctive voice.

In October 2021, it was announced that Sophie would be joining Neighbours in a cameo role as it airs a special storyline in London.

The soap is heading overseas as character Harlow tries to solve a family mystery surrounding her mother, Prue, played by Denise Van Outen.

On joining the cast, Sophie said: “Neighbours was a huge part of my school days. We all watched it, loved it, talked about it. It’s a joy to now be able to say I’ve been in it!”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk