Gareth Gates: The singer talks fatherhood, hair transplants and losing his voice

The Bradford-born singer talks to Grace Hammond about fatherhood, having a hair transplant and losing his voice.
RESTORED CONFIDENCE: Musical theatre star Gareth Gates and Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes.RESTORED CONFIDENCE: Musical theatre star Gareth Gates and Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes.
RESTORED CONFIDENCE: Musical theatre star Gareth Gates and Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes.

Gareth Gates found fame as a spiky-haired 16-year-old who, despite a stammer, bravely competed in TV talent show Pop Idol.

Against the odds he finished as runner up to Will Young and went on to became a fully-fledged pop star with five No 1 singles and a string of sell-out tours. He’s forged a successful second career in musical theatre appearing in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Les Miserables and Legally Blonde.

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But three years ago, Gareth was left devastated when his voice started to fail. The 33-year-old, who’s been dating Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes for five years, and has an eight-year-old daughter, Missy, from a previous relationship, says almost losing his voice led to depression, but now he’s feeling more confident than ever.

“Starting to lose my voice three years ago was a huge wake-up call which made me totally change my lifestyle,” says Gareth. “I’d just turned 30 when I started having problems with my voice and finally it completely went when I was performing at a gig in front of around 3,000 people. As I walked away from the stage I was terrified I’d lost my voice forever. Although my speech is affected by my stammer, when I sing I’m free from it, so singing is my release and how I express myself and having it let me down was devastating.

“After treatment (an injection to a vocal cord under general anaesthetic) I took six weeks off to recover. For nearly two years after that, every time I opened my mouth to sing, I was worried. I’d signed big musical theatre contracts so I had to keep performing, but in between I’d spend all day not speaking to rest my voice. For a while I didn’t really have a life. It was hell and the worst time of my life. The whole experience really shook me up and I was quite depressed for a while afterwards, but I’m so thankful that my voice is now fully recovered and stronger than ever. It’s made me more driven.”

He says he now goes to the gym everyday, instead of eating carbs he eats healthy protein-heavy foods like chicken, steak, eggs and vegetables.

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“I suffer debilitating migraines – coffee is a trigger – so I only drink herbal teas. That inspired me to create my own teas using coconut.

“Last year I had a hair transplant because my hair had started to thin and I was self-conscious about it. It’s been another boost for my confidence.”

He says his speech is still a constant battle, but something he has learnt to live with.

“In a way, my stammer has made me the person I am, because having to face difficult times has made me stronger.” He says being a father has altered his perspective on life and he is taking a year out of touring to spend more time with Missy.

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“Every decision I make is based on the wellbeing of Missy. I think it’s why I’m so driven, because ultimately I’m not just making a future for myself; I’m making one for her. She’s absolutely incredible and doesn’t have a trace of a stammer, which is a great relief.”

SCHOOL PLAN

Gareth Gates has set up a school to help children with stammers. “My struggle’s made me determined to help children who stammer. That’s why I’ve set up the Gareth Gates Stammer School. I’ll be there with speech and language therapists and hope to show kids you can cope with a stammer, improve your speech and succeed in life,” says Gates. The first two-day course is on January 27 and 28.

garethgatesstammerschool.com.