Reality TV is a blessing for many celebs; those whose careers have started to fade can prolong their fame by allowing cameras to document the ins and outs of their personal lives, with a mixture of hilarious and cringe-inducing consequences. In the music biz cash-in reunion tours have become de rigueur, giving pop stars the chance to re-live their glory days, but in some cases former stars have no choice but to get a humdrum job to pay the bills.
Antony Costa from boy band Blue spent all the money he earned while in the band, ending up on the dole once they split up as well as sleeping on people’s sofas. Costa had to give up his luxury home, swallow his pride and move back in with his parents. He did manage to land a lead role in the West End musical Blood Brothers, but his salary was far smaller than the £250k a month he claims to have earned while he was a pop star. He was so hard up for cash that some days after appearing on stage he couldn’t afford the train fare back to mum and dad’s and had to stay with friends. Blue haven reformed (for ITV2’s the Big Reunion) and Tony has vowed to be more careful with his wages time round.
Jeremy Edwards was once a heartthrob, after appearing in Hollyoaks and Holby City in the 90s, but now he’s a labourer. While engaged to Rachel Stevens he was frequently papped, but nowadays he’s more used to pushing a wheelbarrow full of cement around. This is despite his attempt to claw some fame back by appearing on Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing on Ice in 2009.
\n\nHe may never have been was never much of a celebrity, but Lee McDonald played Zammo Maguire in seminal BBC programme Grange Hill, a long running show that was broadcast on television from 1978 to 2008. The fresh-faced schoolboy had a gritty storyline that saw him become a heroin addict. As a result McDonald became a poster-boy for anti-drugs campaigns, taking him as far as the White House to meet the Reagans. Today he owns a key-cutting shop in sleepy Wallington, and has a picture of his alter-ego on the wall, which he says is a talking point that’s helped him drum up business.
A more curious development is down to Another Level’s Benjamin Robinson, who became an official dog walker for Buckingham Palace in 2009. According to reports he is a favourite of the Queen, achieving a level of success that eluded him in his previous career.
Another boy band member, Ziggy Lichman from the short-lived Northern Line, took part in Big Brother 8, where he began a stormy relationship with fellow contestant Chanelle Hayes. He ended it publicly in a tabloid newspaper (naturally), trained as a cage fighter, and now runs a management company that’s responsible for Lucien Laviscount among other illustrious names. \n\nSophie Anderton’s fall from grace has been well documented. From being the Gossard Girl in the late 90s she went on to appear on practically every reality show going: Love Island, Simply the Best, Cold Turkey, Fear Factory and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Then in 2007 a News of the World reporter exposed her cocaine habit and sideline as a prostitute, by posing as a wealthy, potential client. She has since admitted to working as a high class escort at plush hotels in Knightsbridge to pay for her drug addiction (and in 2004 had already confessed to sleeping with an Italian businessman in Florence for money). Anderton’s story is particularly sad as her actions, all aimed at attracting attention, show a deep insecurity. She claims to be clean now and frequently speaks to the press about her “drugs hell"; she also works with the Amy Winehouse Foundation, visiting schools to talk to kids about the perils of taking drugs.
Remember Eternal, the 90s girl group with Louise Nurding (nee Redknapp) in the line up? Originally made up of Nurding, sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett and Kelle Bryan, Nurding left to go solo and Bryan was sacked unceremoniously by fax. The two sisters then found Jesus and attempted to continue in the band but were unsuccessful, and plans for a reunion tour were thwarted due to poor ticket sales. Vernie now works as a lawyer in London.
Last are the Big Brother contestants, to whom the phrase “15 minutes of fame" is most applicable. Shaven-haired Nicola Holt, from BB1, attempted to launch a pop career with predictable results, before settling for making porn and working as an escort. She can also be spotted taking her miniature pooch for walks along Primrose Hill, making sure she’s recognised by stumbling into people and talking as loudly as possible. She previously had a fling with Sada Walkington, the yoga-loving veggie from the same series, but Sada went to live in India for a while. She now works as a waitress at a restaurant in Earl’s Court. Flamboyant Makosi Musambasi, who appeared on BB6, tried her hand at glamour modelling as well as being a call girl before being deported to Nigeria. BB2’s Penny Ellis worked as a school teacher in Stratford, but was fired after appearing naked on the show. After a stint as a waitress she is now back to teaching.
