Liberty X’s Michelle Heaton Reflects on Fat-Shaming and Hints at Reunion 25 Years After ‘Popstars’

It’s been more than 20 years since ITV’s Popstar’s propelled a batch of hopeful young singers to stardom. 

The groundbreaking programme charted the formation of a modern pop group, with aspiring performers filmed as they competed for a place in the band. 

One such star was Michelle Heaton, who along with Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm, Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young, formed the group, Liberty X.

Despite being the runners up, they went on to eclipse the success of winners Hear’Say, bagging ten consecutive UK top 20 singles.

Yet while to the outside world it looked like they were living the dream, Michelle has revealed that she struggled with being fat-shamed and trolled over her appearance. 

Clips from Popstars recently went viral, with fans rewatching the series in a different light, and branding the show ‘unhinged’ for his fat-shaming, misogyny and exploitation of contestants.

Reflecting on the change in culture, Michelle mused: ‘It’s crazy. There’s loads of things from that time period that you think “wow, how did they get away with it?”‘

‘How they judged people and what they said about people was not OK.’

Michelle continued: ‘They were the ones who picked Hear’Say so how dare they then tell them to change themselves.’ 

Reflecting on her experience, she said: ‘I had a lot of fat shaming in Liberty X.

‘I put on a lot of weight over the first two years, I was drinking, eating pizza every night. Living on the road it was all sandwiches and fast food. 

‘The other two girls got away with it but I just got bigger and I was named the fat one of the group.’

She recalled one shocking incident when she couldn’t fit into a PVC catsuit at a photoshoot, prompting a member of their management to say: ‘I’ve noticed that you’ve put on a bit of weight recently.

‘You want to think about getting rid of it. We don’t want any fat pop stars.’

Since Popstars clips went viral, there have been calls to revive the show, albeit with a kinder approach to the contestants. 

Yet Michelle claimed the format wouldn’t work these days as the show had an ‘innocence’ in the Noughties.

‘People now know that they would get famous on it,’ she mused. ‘On Popstars it was just very girl next door and relatable. 

‘But I do believe we’re lacking in bands, especially mixed bands.’

Liberty X disbanded in 2007, briefly reuniting in 2013 for ITV’s The Big Reunion. 

Nowadays, Michelle still gigs with Jessica and Kelli, with the group having rebranded as girl band. 

Yet she insisted that there was no bad blood with the male members, Tony and Kevin, who opted not to rejoin the group. 

Indeed, there could even be an official reunion down the line, with Michelle revealing she hoped they will do something next year – on the 25th anniversary of Liberty X being formed. 

‘We’re not really Liberty X without the boys,’ she mused. ‘But we’ve managed to sustain a really healthy career as the three girls, and those girls are my sisters.

‘But next year’s the 25th anniversary since our first single and all I can say is a reunion is not off the table. 

‘It would be my ultimate dream for something to happen end of next year, so who knows. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.’

On why they split in the first place, Michelle explained that the band had grown tired of the long hours and constant work. 

And with their last album X a flop in the charts, they realised they needed to jump before they were pushed by their label. 

Recalling the moment they realised it was time to move on, Michelle said: ‘At that point I was drinking a bit heavier, Kevin was drinking and it was a bit of a messy gig.

‘Jessica was getting married, she wanted to start a family, I was about to get married to Andy Scott-Lee and we all had things personally going on. 

‘I remember Kelly and Tony coming off stage and saying, “I think I’m done.” So we didn’t have a massive fallout. 

‘Unfortunately we didn’t have a big hurrah to say bye to people. We had two more gigs to fulfill in our diary, two small gigs, and you knew that that was going to be it.’

Adjusting back to a life of normality proved hard for Michelle, who faced financial difficulties after leaving the band. 

‘Unless you’re writing the songs, it’s not a lucrative way to live life,’ she explained. ‘t helped me put a deposit down on my first, apartment but the money isn’t what people assume.

‘So it all stopped and I had tax to pay back but as much as you just need to work you can’t go and get a relatively normal job because people recognise you and people don’t want to hire you.

‘So you have to think outside the box. I did Celebrity Big Brother the year I came out of the band for that reason. I had to pay the bills.’

Currently, Michelle is training for her upcoming production, Ultimate Girl Band Show, which kicks off in January in Hornchurch and concludes in October in Chatham.

The Liberty X star is touring the UK with West End singers for a show that celebrates the biggest anthems from the world’s most iconic girl bands, including Spice Girls, TLC and Pussycat Dolls. 

Discussing the show, Michelle shared: ‘I’ve been waiting for almost 14 years to do a tour. It was never the right time because of the kids.

‘I still gig with Liberty X but to go out on tour and commit to a long time I had to wait until the kids were at high school because my husband works full-time.

‘I just want to have fun on stage and sing songs that empower women. It’s a good one for me and I just feel really privileged that I get to go out and do what I love.’

Tickets for the Ultimate Girl Band Show are available at www.sweeneyentertainments.co.uk

Noughties reality show Popstars – that launched the careers of Myleene Klass and Kym Marsh – goes viral two decades on as fans reflect on ‘unhinged’ moments that would NEVER air now from fat-shaming and misogyny to breaking a contestant’s NOSE 

Noughties juggernaut Popstars has gone viral two decades on after the series resurfaced on YouTube. 

The 2001 reality show followed aspiring singers in a documentary-style series as they competed to impress judges ‘Nasty’ Nigel Lythgoe, Nicki Chapman and Paul Adam and be selected to form a pop group. 

The winners of the series – Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan – went on to form the chart topping group Hear’Say.

Meanwhile, runners-up Michelle Heaton, Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm, Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young went on to eclipse the winner’s success after forming the group, Liberty X.

Yet  fans have now been rewatching the series in a different light, being left flabbergasted by the fat-shaming, misogyny and exploitation of contestants. 

So what were the moments that would never make it to air now? Daily Mail takes a look back at the shocking scenes on Popstars. 

Kym Marsh is fat-shamed (twice)  

Before landing her role on Coronation Street, Kym Marsh soared to fame on Popstars.

Despite being part of the winning group, Hear’Say, the star was belittled and demeaned on camera, and two decades on revealed she still battles with her body image after being humiliated about her weight on the show. 

At the time, mother-of-two Kym was a healthy dress size 12, but says she battled her body image for years afterwards.

Popstars judge Nigel was filmed telling her: ‘You need to lose some weight. Christmas is over and the goose has gotten fat.

‘I think you’ve put weight on over Christmas and I think you needed to lose weight before Christmas.’

In another cruel blow, a radio presenter labelled her the ‘fat one’ of the group after questioning who in the Popstars house owned an ‘abs blaster’ workout machine.  

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail in 2016, Kym revealed  she only recently regained her body confidence after being told she had ‘gotten fat’.

Kym revealed: ‘I’d always been quite body confident until that moment but when he said that it really affected me, I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror. 

‘I started to look at myself differently and question whether I was overweight. I started becoming far too critical of myself. My body had changed an awful lot after having children and I simply didn’t have time to exercise.’

Contestant breaks her nose doing bizarre exercise 

In order to have the contestants bond before forming a group, the producers decided to have them try out a trust exercise. 

The wannabe pop stars were tasked with falling onto their peer’s arms from a height in order to cement the ‘trust’ between them. 

Unfortunately it all went wrong when one overenthusiastic contestant launched herself face first into the pit, resulting in her breaking her nose. 

Talented singer is eliminated because of her ‘looks’ 

Aspiring singer Claire blew the judges away with her cover of S Club 7’s Reach, but despite her powerhouse vocals, the judges were more concerned with her image. 

Debating whether to put her though, Nicki reasoned with the other judges: ‘She isn’t run of the mill, she doesn’t look like a lot of the popstars sitting here today. I wonder how much that might have affected her?’ 

Claire was quick to agree that she didn’t fit the typical mold of Noughties groups, noting they were ‘skinny girls, that’s just my perception of girl bands.’

She continued: ‘I’m not really like that… I hope they can overcome that.’ 

Ultimately, Claire was sent packing, with her parting words being the knowing: ‘I’m not the kind of image they’re looking for.

‘I knew that looking around the room, everyone was so different from me.’ 

Darius is mocked for THAT Britney Spears routine 

Before becoming a household name with his stint on Pop Idol, Darius Danesh made his first bid for fame on Popstars.

The late singer entertained the nation with his quirky rendition of Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time but was mocked by the judges, with Paul musing: ‘He has talent, but I’m not sure if he’s the right person to fit into a five piece band or even a 100 piece band.’

Nigel added: ‘To do something like he has just done there which is a complete show off that doesn’t work is crazy.’

Darius then confronted the judges and asked if he would have made it through if he didn’t perform Britney and after that was confirmed he vowed to have released a number one single by the time he reached 35. 

Ultimately, Darius had the last laugh and the following year appeared on the first Pop Idol, finishing in third place behind Will Young and Gareth Gates.

Judge Simon Cowell was so blown away by his talent that he still offered him a record deal but he chose to turn the music mogul down and signed with producer Steve Lillywhite.

Darius’ debut single, Colourblind, was released in July 2002 and went straight to number one, marking the start of a run of top 10 releases.

He went on to launch a career in musical theatre, starring in hits such as Chicago.  

Tragically, Darius passed away in August 2022 after inhaling anesthetic drug ethyl chloride in a tragic incident that was ruled an accident. 

Dramatic moment contestant is eliminated for being too old 

During one of the rehearsals, judge Nigel was seen barging into the room and demanding that everyone declare their age after having to ban one of the contestants who was under the age of 18. 

He then addressed the group and reiterated it was ‘most important’ that everyone was between the ages of 18 and 24. 

One contestant then sheepishly came forward to admit her real age and when probed by Nigel to tell him ‘when do you turn 18?’ there was an audible gasp when she declared she was in fact 30 years old. 

Choking back tears, she continued: ‘I understand if I have to go, I took a risk’, to which Nigel promptly replied: ‘I’m sorry you do.’ 

The group then watched on as the contestant fled the room in tears.

Nigel later confessed: ‘It’s heartbreaking to send any kid away because of their talent but to send them away because of their age feels even worse.’

The contestants’ shoddy living conditions 

After the final five contestants were selected and Hear’Say were formed the band were moved into a new shared house to live for the duration of the recording and promotion of their first album. 

Unfortunately, the band quickly ran into difficulty, with the voiceover announcing: ‘The house is still dry and the band have called a plumber’, as the scene cut to footage of an exasperated plumber trying to find the root of the issue. 

Baby-faced Kym then chimed: ‘The thing is this, we’re supposed to be going for a photoshoot tomorrow and chances are we’re not going to be able to have a shower, wash our hair, even wash our faces.’ 

Cutting to her crossing her legs and waddling down the corridor, Kym wailed: ‘I need to go to the toilet!’ 

The band’s outrageous violation of privacy 

While Iiving in their shared home, Hear’Say had their bins raided by radio station Kiss, who went on to publish the contents on their website. 

The camera then cut to the radio hosts laughing: ‘Looking in their bin – alchohol tins, pizza, Abdotrim box – who’s working out? Beer.’ 

A shocked Suzanne was left openmouthed, saying: ‘Oh my God – they really are sad!’ 

The group were then quizzed about the Abdotrim box when they appeared on the radio show, with the presenter telling Kym: ‘I knew it was yours because you’re the fat one’.  

Suzanne Shaw is quizzed about her ‘lovely breasts’

During another radio appearance, a DJ read out a letter from a listener saying: ‘can you ask [Suzanne] if her breasts are real because they are lovely!’ 

A shocked Suzanne laughed before cupping her chest and declaring ‘they’re real’. 

As she was quizzed further about ‘what size’ they are, Suzanne declared ‘no! I won’t tell you. I’ll let you guess.’  

Kym Marsh is exposed for having ‘secret children’  

In one particularly dramatic scene, Nigel summoned a visibly nervous Kym to his office as dramatic music played in the background. 

Speaking to camera, Nigel shared: ‘I got a phone call from a solicitor that’s informed me of some news regarding Kym that has absolutely devastated me and I want to get of the bottom of it.’

It then emerged that Nigel had been informed Kym had not revealed she had two children: David and Emilie, now 29 and 27 respectively. 

Scolding Kym, Nigel said: ‘All I can say is how disappointed I am.

‘Number one, I get to hear from a solicitor when all of the times we’ve said to you “is there anything else we need to know about because the press are going to find all the skeletons in your closet”

‘You thought because you had two children it would affect you getting into the band.’ 

Kym was left sobbing as she admitted: ‘I didn’t want it to ruin my chances.’

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, reality TV fan Stuart went viral after posting a thread of moments that had shocked him during a recent rewatch. 

He shared: ‘I’ve been doing a rewatch of the seminal 2001 British reality show Popstars and it really was the most unhinged reality show ever seen on British television.’ 

Followers were quick to agree, commenting: ‘I now have to binge watch this. So much of it would never get on air now.’;

#It’s actually the least unhinged reality show because it’s the most true to how pop bands are selected and treated by the industry. Age, looks, weight, squeaky clean image, expectations regarding relationships. All of that is real. But subsequent ‘reality’ shows hid that.’;

‘My favourite part about Popstars is everything looked like it was taking place in a small town church hall/conference centre’; ‘Couldn’t get away with that amount of body shaming and sexism now. Good.’

Despite the controversy surrounding the series, it’s been claimed the show could still make a comeback.

The show was a hit for ITV and Hear’Say went on to sell three million records worldwide, as well as scoring two UK number-one singles.

A year later, Popstars: The Rivals launched, hosted by Davina McCall and saw the formation of Girls Aloud.

Speculation has been growing the broadcaster could relaunch the show after they have seen success with the comebacks of Big Brother and Dancing On Ice.

In October a casting call was put out for people aged between 18 and 23 who think they could be part of the ‘next generation of superstars to form a brand new five-piece boy band’.

‘First ITV brought back Big Brother, then the BBC brought back Survivor. Now this might form the holy trinity of big shows from two decades ago’, a source told The Sun.

‘There’s been a boom in popularity for programmes from that time among Milennials. But what they want is to go back to the origins of these shows.

‘X Factor may be the best known and most recent talent contest, but it was Popstars that kicked it all off.’