S Club 7 star Jon Lee opened up about his father’s tragic death during tonight’s episode of E4’s Celebs Go Dating, as he admitted he “lost the plot” while grieving
Former S Club 7 sensation Jon Lee was left in tears during tonight’s Celebs Go Dating, as he bravely shared the heartbreaking story of his father’s tragic passing.
Jon tragically lost his dad back in 2014, following a devastating Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis. The performer, who shared an incredibly tight bond with his father, confessed to dating gurus Anna Williamson and Dr Tara that he completely “lost the plot” following his dad’s death.
Speaking candidly to the agents whilst in Ibiza, the star revealed how his father’s Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis coincided with the devastating discovery that his boyfriend had been cheating throughout their entire relationship.
“I had an emotional slap from this relationship, and then that happened. And I hadn’t quite recovered myself from that, and then that happened as well and everything fell apart.”
Getting more personal, Jon described the incredibly close relationship he shared with his father, becoming visibly upset as he spoke to the agents. “Within the first year, he’d completely lost the ability to move, he couldn’t speak, he had to be fed through a tube in his stomach. He couldn’t talk to me. To go out like that, I literally lost the plot. I thought, ‘What the f**k is the point?’ It broke my heart.”, reports the Mirror.
Detailing how he coped with his overwhelming grief, Jon went on: “I went out, I was taking loads of drugs. I went completely off the rails. That got to a point where I had to make a decision. I had to sort myself out or it wasn’t going to end well.”
Jon then remembered stuffing belongings into a bag and abandoning his home for good. “I wrote to my mum, I sent her my front door key. I wrote her a note saying I don’t know where I’m going, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I need to sort myself out.”
The ex-pop sensation then fled the country for four years, revealing to the agents how he cut all contact with his mum for two of those years. “She didn’t know where I was. She said every time the phone rang she thought it was going to be the police saying, ‘We found Jon and he’s dead.’ That’s my biggest regret, that I caused her…” he said as he became emotional.
Earlier during the chat, Jon revealed how he felt compelled to conceal his sexuality whilst in the group, and didn’t truly get to explore romantic relationships until they disbanded in 2003. Jon was merely 15 when the band formed, as he explained to the agents that he never had the chance to discover his true identity in the real world.
Whilst Jon’s S Club 7 bandmates and relatives were aware he was gay, the performer never discussed it openly. “Throughout the band, I wasn’t comfortable with my sexuality at all, so it would happen when I was drunk,” he revealed.
“I didn’t feel comfortable enough to be in a relationship until after the band and when I went back into musical theatre,” he confessed. “It felt like I was out of the limelight then and no one cared about me anymore. That’s when I started my dating life, so I was massively behind and very emotionally immature.”
Jon’s stint in the agency follows a six-year hiatus from dating, as he revealed to the cameras in the first episode that he had been celibate for six years.
During a filming break, Dr Tara confided to the Mirror that Jon was the celebrity who took her by surprise the most in the Agency, and he was poised to make a “shocking revelation”.
“Jon has had a really interesting journey since S Club and I know a lot of it hasn’t been shared anywhere else. It’s a really interesting and insightful investigation into what really has been happening in his life since S Club and what he’s been doing in the recent years,” she shared with us.
“One of his revelations shocked me,” Tara exclaimed, revealing that Jon was the celebrity who surprised her the most in the agency. “I thought Jon would come in a lot more guarded but he’s not,” Tara disclosed.
“He’s ready to bare it all emotionally and it’s a beautiful thing. I’ve been learning a lot about him already, and I have to say it’s a very touching story.”
