Michelle Heaton: Punched by Fan at Liberty X Gig

Michelle Heaton has revealed the terrifying moment she was violently attacked by a man during Liberty X’s early days, recalling how the incident left her shaken and forced an immediate stop to the band’s gig.

The singer, 46, revealed how the naughties pop group had already experienced frightening behaviour as they toured Europe, including an incident where a car full of fans drove so close behind them, their vehicle was forced off the road. 

But the disturbing moment came during another stop when in Germany, as the band made their way through a crowd and on the way to the stage.

Michelle said they had all been walking together, holding hands so they wouldn’t be separated, when a man suddenly struck her, sending her crashing to the floor.

She told The Mirror: ‘This man punched me to the ground. Kevin [Simm] looked back and I wasn’t there, I was on the ground.’

Security immediately intervened, lifting her to her feet and escorting the group out as the show was cancelled on the spot. 

Police later reviewed CCTV and identified the attacker, but the incident left the band deeply shaken and prompted a major overhaul of their security arrangements, with their team ramping up protection and pulling the group out of a number of nightclub appearances.

She added: ‘We were always watching our backs. But that was definitely the scariest moment.’

Reflecting on similar issues faced by stars today, Michelle pointed to recent red carpet incidents involving younger artists, like Ariana Grande who was ambushed by a crazed fan during the Singapore premiere of Wicked: For Good.

‘You still get that culture today, look at Ariana being accosted on the Wicked red carpet, and how easy that was’ she said. 

‘Mind-boggling.’

Michelle found fame on ITV’s Popstar’s more than 20 years which saw aspiring performers filmed as they competed for a place in a band.

Michelle, 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. 

The band split in 2007, briefly reuniting in 2013 for ITV’s The Big Reunion.

Nowadays, Michelle still gigs with Jessica and Kelli, and is gearing up to go on tour with Ultimate Girl Band Show next year, where she will tour 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.

It comes after Michelle, who is appearing on the latest series of Celebrity MasterChef was left close to tears earlier this week, after making a major blunder in the kitchen.

She is competing on the cooking show, alongside Love Island’s Chris Hughes, writer Dawn O’Porter, soul icon Jaki Graham and actor Jamie Lomas.

However, the mum-of-two admitted she was ‘absolutely gutted’ after accidentally burning her sweet potatoes fries and being forced to improvise last-minute.

Michelle had been cooking up a halloumi burger with sweet chilli jam with the chips as the side, but noticed that the potatoes were looking ‘soggy’.

Putting them back into the oven to crisp up some more, she ended up overdoing it and the chips came out blackened with a cloud of smoke.

Clutching her head in her hands, she cried: ‘Oh, no! I actually can’t believe it. Burned my sweet potato fries.’

Despite the blunder, Michelle refused to admit defeat, quickly chopping up some more sweet potatoes into cubes to fry up and serve, while confessing: ‘I am absolutely gutted’.

Presenting her dish to the judges, John Torode asked her about the error, saying: ‘You had a bit of a disaster’, as Michelle amended: ‘I had a massive one’.

However, the judge praised her for rallying herself and improvising on her feet, stating that perseverance was what the show was about.