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ABZ LOVE AKA RICHARD BREEN
Abz Love was a member of the famous 90’s boy band 5ive. They sold almost 20 million records around the world. At an early age, Abz was singing and was accepted into the Italia Conti stage school and started auditioning aged 15. His teacher at Italia Conti suggested he audition for a boy band that was being put together by Simon Cowell. Abz was 17 when he joined 5ive.
5ive was put together in 1997. The boys were handpicked from 3,000 hopefuls at an audition. The band’s self-titled debut album debuted at number 1 in the UK chart in June. They returned to the UK charts in July 1999 with the number 2 single, ‘If Ya Gettin’ Down’, and finally achieved the top slot in October with ‘Keep On Movin’. The following July they topped the UK singles chart with an energetic cover version of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. 5ive’s third album was premiered by August 2001’s chart-topping single, ‘Let’s Dance’. The band split up in 2001
About a year after the breakup, Abz enjoyed a brief but successful solo career, releasing the album Abstract Theory in 2003, which produced three top 10 singles in the UK. Abz has
admitted he had thrown all his money away on a champagne and drug lifestyle: "I had weed hanging out of my mouth and cocaine all over me. I had 25 watches to choose from, I had so many diamonds rolling around my wrist that you couldn't even tell what the time was. It was pathetic."
In 2007, only eight months after reforming the band and having failed to secure a lucrative enough record deal, 5ive announced that they would no longer be pursuing a comeback.
Abz has now found love; he credits his girlfriend Vicky for saving his life: “I had therapy for a bit but it didn’t really work,” he said. “The only way I got through it was because of my girlfriend. She gave me a reason to live. Every day is a bonus now. I thought I knew it all and I was wrapped up in a superficial world – but she’s shown me there’s more to life.”
BRUCE JONES
Bruce Jones is an English actor, best known for his role as cab driver Les Battersby in Coronation Street. He left the role in 2007.
Bruce was born in Manchester and then lived with his grandmother in Wales where he joined his school drama group at the age of eleven.
Bruce’s first big break came in 1993 when he was cast as the lead of Bob Williams in the feature film Raining Stones by director Ken Loach. The film went on to receive great critical acclaim and won the Evening Standard Awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay. Bruce was presented with the European Actors Award.
Bruce married Sue Margaret Bailey on 12th June 1971 at St. Oswald's Church, Collyhurst. The couple had two sons, John and Stephen, and divorced in 1982. In 1984, Bruce then married Sandra and the couple had two children and lived in Marple.
In 1995, Jones had a role as a prostitute's client in Band of Gold. In 1997, he had a small part in the hit film The Full Monty. He played one of the males who auditioned to be one of the strippers, and he received the Stage Actor's Guild Award. He also appeared in the Shane Meadows film Twenty Four Seven with actor Bob Hoskins in 1996, before joining the cast of the ITV soap Coronation Street, playing the role of Les Battersby.
In 1998 he pleaded guilty to drink driving after being found more than twice over the limit and
was banned from driving for three years. By 2000, his boozing became so heavy he checked into
the Priory.
Over the following years Bruce gained numerous credits for film and television productions
including Benidorm, Heartbeat, Celebrity Wife Swap, A Touch of Frost, Famous, Rich and
Homeless, and The Dark Side of Fame with Piers Morgan.
In March 2007, Bruch was suspended from Coronation Street after allegedly getting drunk with
an undercover reporter, making inappropriate comments and revealing future storylines.
Jones told ‘The People’ newspaper in January 2009 that he had blown his £1 million fortune and has not received any offers of work since leaving Coronation Street, and owed £30,000 in taxes. In September 2009 he was living alone in a caravan in North Wales. In May 2010 it was reported that Jones has been made homeless after the bank repossessed his £500,000 Cheshire house in order to pay his large debts, and that he cannot afford to go into rehab for his chronic
alcoholism.
Jones performed as Captain Hook and Mr Darling in Peter Pan at the Blackfriars Arts Centre in
Lincolnshire over Christmas 2011. He struggled with this role and was reported to have lost his
voice; despite his alcoholism, he continued to drink throughout the run of the show.
In October 2012 Bruce and producer Steve Jones commissioned author and playwright Huw Roberts to write a one-man play about tackling and recovering from depression. Starring Bruce,
In May 2013 Bruce told ‘The Sun’ that he is also working as a mechanic at a garage in North Wales for £120 a week and still does to this day.
CAROL MCGIFFIN
Carol McGiffin is best known as a regular panellist on daytime talk show Loose Women. She married Chris Evans in 1991 and the couple separated in 1994 and divorced in 1998. She is now engaged to Mark Cassidy who is 22 years younger than her. She’s not shy of tabloid attention and has admitted to loving a few drinks and a good party
Carol started her broadcasting career in 1988 as co-host of the Chris Evans shows on GLR. Then in 1995 she became the founding member of the Talk Radio UK team, co-presenting the popular weekday evening show The Rude Awakening. When the show ended in September 1995 she became the station's music expert hosting her own Friday evening review slot
In 1996 Carol began co-hosting the breakfast show with Richard Skinner on Liberty Radio. Then in 1997 she reappeared again on Talk Radio on the Friday breakfast show with Paul Ross. Within a few weeks she joined Paul on Monday to Thursday as well as co-hosting a Saturday afternoon show during the summer
In 1999 she joined London radio station LBC teaming up with Nick Abbot. Abbot left the station after six months and McGiffin continued to host the show on her own with producer and sidekicks until 30th September 2000. She has also co-hosted phone-in shows on BBC London Live.
Carol then joined Live Talk in 2000 and was a regular from the start to finish. Carol returned to the rebranded version of Live Talk, Loose Women in 2003, where she has been a regular ever since. She is currently the longest-serving panellist on the show to date.
CHARLOTTE CROSBY
Charlotte Crosby is a British reality television personality who shot to fame on Geordie Shore. Her on-off relationship with fellow cast mate Gaz had viewers gripped. Famously labelled as Cheryl Cole’s favourite, Charlotte loves to be the centre of attention and describes herself as fun, loveable, ditzy and laid back.
In April 2013 Charlotte was kicked out of the Geordie Shore house after a fight with Gaz when she caught him sneaking a party guest upstairs. In dramatic scenes deemed too violent to be shown on MTV, Charlotte managed to pull a bed apart with her bare hands, breaking her foot in the process.
When joining the show Charlotte admitted she only ever went out with £10 in her purse and often resorted to stealing drinks off the bar or from other people’s tables. Charlotte has woken
up in some strange places including a police cell, a bar toilet and the roof of her house. Her
favourite party trick is balancing super noodles from each nipple.
Charlotte’s unique diet regime - the “tin diet” consists of only eating food straight from the tin such as cold beans and spaghetti-hoops.
When it comes to earning a living, Charlotte is not overly fussed about starting a career and is quite happy working in a local bar after failing college twice. The job is easy as she only ever works a maximum of three hours with her biggest responsibility being chopping up lemons. She also refuses to work in the evening because it interrupts her partying schedule with her five best friends the DCR (Dance Crew Rejects).
Charlotte admits she’s terrible in relationships and once got dumped by a boyfriend who labelled her a psycho for breaking into his house and getting into bed with his dad. She says: “girls call me a ****, ex-boyfriends call me a psycho and my Mum calls me an idiot.”
COURTNEY STODDEN
Courtney Alexis Stodden is an American television personality and model.
Courtney was born in Tacoma, Washington to Alex John Stodden and Krista Kay Keller Stodden.
At the age of 15, Courtney was crowned ‘Miss Ocean Shore Wa. Teen USA’ in Donald Trump’s
Miss USA Organisation. The young model’s passion for music led to her composing and recording several original home-grown songs/videos. One of which, ‘Don’t put it on me Girl’ has garnered over 6 and a half million You Tube views to date
At 16 Courtney, an aspiring country music and pop music singer and actress became in touch online with critically acclaimed Green Mile actor Doug Hutchison, on the recommendation of a friend who worked in Hollywood and knew Hutchison. They began a courtship over the Internet. On 20th May 2011, the couple married in Las Vegas.
Courtney [with her husband] starred in the second season of the VH1 reality television series Couples Therapy, which premiered in October 2012.
Stodden has been a dedicated vegetarian for the past two years. She has promoted the vegetarian lifestyle on PETA's behalf.
DANIELLE MARR
Danielle Marr is celebrity Botox Doctor and clinical Director of DermaFace Clinic. She rose to fame through the reality show Dublin Wives.
Danielle graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2007 as a dentist; she then went on to complete additional training including a 2 year GDip in Aesthetic Medicine in London. DermaFace started in 2007 and she now has two clinics and administers all the Botox injections herself.
The Filming of Dublin Wives started in January 2012 and aired in May 2012, running for two series with a total of eight episodes. It was an Irish reality television program airing on TV3, set in Dublin. The series followed the lives of five housewives living in the city; Danielle Marr, Jo
Jordan, Lisa Murphy, Roz Flanagan and Virginia Macari, and introduced viewers to their
lifestyles, families and homes.
Danielle was the ‘alpha female’ of the group, her strong wills, opinions and one liners alienating
her from the other Wives. Finding time in her busy and glamorous life for the needs of her clients and her home life was never easy. Danielle was the only single one in the group, and had

big plans for that to change. She was always on the lookout for love, ideally with an
international rugby player, and still is.
In April 2013 Danielle announced she was sick of “carrying” her co-stars on the show and was
striking out with her own solo TV career... Danielle said her co-stars were “talentless” and a “supporting cast”. “I’m doing a makeover show later in the year which is great as I already carried those four talentless f***wits for two seasons,’’ she said.”
On her quick witted one liners, she said: “I know my one liners were superb and obviously it has me in it so I am the first clinician to partake in a reality TV show. I guess I bring more brains to the show! I am definitely more PHD than GHD.”
Danielle has also been filming her own spin-off show, 'Dr Danielle's Diaries'. She produces all the videos herself and uploads them on the internet.
DUSTIN DIAMOND
Dustin Diamond is an American actor best known for his role as Samuel "Screech" Powers in the television show Saved by the Bell. He’s also appeared on the reality TV show Celebrity Fit Club and published a memoir, Behind the Bell. Dustin has also directed and released his own sex tape called Screeched – Saved by the Smell.
Dustin earned early success as a child actor, appearing in Yogi's Great Escape, Big Top Pee-wee and Purple People Eater. Dustin is most known for playing nerdy Samuel "Screech" Powers on Saved by the Bell. Dustin played the role for almost thirteen years from the beginning when it was named Good Morning, Miss Bliss in 1988 through to its final incarnation, Saved by the Bell: The New Class. He continued the series into Saved by the Bell: The College Years. The College Years was cancelled after one season. Dustin returned to Bayside High as Principal Belding's assistant in The New Class episodes, remaining with the show until its cancellation.
Nominated for three Young Artist Awards, Diamond was a key character in the world of Saved By The Bell. He appeared in the made for TV movies Saved by the Bell Hawaiian Style in 1992 and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas.
Diamond began doing stand-up comedy after the end of Saved by the Bell in 2000. He also featured on a number of game and reality shows including The Weakest Link and Celebrity
Boxing 2. Dustin has also made several cameo appearances in films, including appearances in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star in 2003 and in Made in 2001. In 2009, he also played the part of Alumnus Guy #1 in American Pie Presents: The Book of Love.
In 2000 Dustin declared bankruptcy claiming he earned about $2,000,000 acting as Screech on the various Saved By The Bell shows. However, he blamed his parents for stealing the money.
In 2009, Diamond published an inside story of the show's cast and crew, from his point of view,
titled Behind the Bell. The book paints an unflattering portrait of many of Diamond's colleagues and their alleged, sordid backstage behaviour; some of these claims have been refuted by Diamond's colleagues and questioned by critics. Diamond also alleges, in the book, that he has had sex with 2,000 women, one of them NBC's VP of children's programming, Linda Mancuso, who was 18 years, his senior.
LAUREN HARRIES
Lauren Charlotte Harries (born James Charles Harries) is a British TV personality. Beginning her career as a young boy at the tender age of 10 on the Wogan show, Harries was labelled a ‘child prodigy’ in the field of antiques. Harries, who is now a woman after a full sex change operation was born was born in Surrey in 1978. The family which included his mum, dad, and two brothers moved to Cardiff when James was still a baby.
From the age of five, Harries collected all kinds of objects from car boot sales and second-hand shops. His break came when a piece of porcelain he found was valued at several thousand pounds. The local paper carried the story and James was promoted by his father as a child prodigy in the field of antiques
Harries began making television appearances in August 1988 on Terry Wogan's UK chat show, Wogan. The 10 year old had a knowledge of antiques which, combined with an odd appearance including bow ties, hair in thick golden curls, formal attire and a precocious manner of speaking, made Harries someone the viewing public were unlikely to forget
On her appearance she said, “I was like this freak in this little suit with a bowtie on, I do see that as a different person, but as an aspect of myself as well."
James started cross-dressing in 1997 and changed his name to Lauren. Lauren has said that a casual remark in a supermarket, that 'he should be a woman', helped her realise that that was what she wanted.
In 2001, James underwent a full sex change operation and became Lauren Charlotte Harries. Lauren describes her life changing moment: "My life is just beginning. It's like I've been reborn."
Harries is a Buddhist and a vegetarian and can also read peoples auras.
LOUIE SPENCE
Louie Spence is an English choreographer, television personality and artistic director of Pineapple Dance Studios. He was a professional dancer and in his youth, performed in West End musicals such as Cats and Closer to Heaven
Louie rose to fame in docusoap Pineapple Dance Studios. The show gave viewers an insight into the world of Pineapple Dance Studios and introduced several employees including Louie Spence and fellow Celebrity Big Brother contestant Andrew Stone plus Dance Studio regular Tricia Walsh-Smith.
Raised on a North London council estate, Louie lisped his first words and was academically awful, but when he started dancing at the age of five, he shone.
He toured and worked with Take That, E17, 2 Unlimited, Boyzone, Eternal, Björk, and Jocelyn Brown. He was one of only five professional male dancers selected to accompany the Spice Girls on their debut Spiceworld tour travelling the globe for a whole year.
His best friend was, and still is, Emma Bunton from The Spice Girls. Their similar work ethic and working class backgrounds made them forever friends. One of his favourite ‘on tour’ anecdotes involves the Spice Girls filling up with petrol in their pyjamas.
Louie joined the West End cast of Cats as Magical Mr. Mistoffelees - a name he has great difficultly pronouncing, and for a year wore a Lycra cat suit with a yak’s-hair wig and tail.
MARIO FALCONE
Mario Falcone is an English television personality and also a bespoke tailor on Saville Row. He is best known for starring as himself in the ITV2’s The Only Way Is Essex. Debuting during the third series in 2011, Mario became known for his on/off relationship with Lucy Mecklenburgh, which finally ended in February 2013. He used to be a self-confessed player - involved in threesomes, foursomes and fivesomes.
Mario's family are massively important to him and his sister Georgia and his brother-in-law Tom from McFly are his confidants.
• The self-confessed ladies’ man said: “My most was during two weeks away in Crete — I slept with 23 girls!” He added: “I was 15 when I lost my virginity. I’ve had two serious girlfriends and
was with each one for two years. But when we broke up, I’d go mental.”
• He also revealed he tried to seduce Strictly Come Dancing winner Kara Tointon, he said: “It was a few years ago. She was friends with my sister Giovanna. I texted her but nothing happened.” He moaned: “Before, when girls threw themselves at me, I knew it was because of my good looks
and because I had a lot of swag. Now I don’t know if they’re only doing it because I’m on TV.”
His first episode aired on the 24th September 2011. He then began dating co-star Lucy Mecklenburgh and insisted his womanising days were behind him. He said: “With Lucy, we have sex a lot. I get more of a thrill out of that than when I used to wake up and see a girl next to me and think, ‘Get out of my house!’
RON ATKINSON
Ronald ‘Ron’ Atkinson is a football player turned team manager who went on to become a football pundit with his own trademark phrases known as "Big-Ronisms" or "Ronglish". He was famously forced to resign from ITV in 2004 after making a shocking racist comment about black Chelsea star Marcel Desailly.
After retiring from playing, Atkinson became manager player of non-league Kettering Town in 1971 at the age of 32. His success there led to a move to the league with Cambridge United, going on to win the then fourth Division in 1977.
At the start of 1978, Atkinson moved to manage First Division West Bromwich Albion. He went on to manage clubs including Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry City Aston Villa, Nottingham Forrest and Atletico Madrid picking up a number. Through his career Ron picked up a number of trophies including two FA Cup wins
Atkinson was already working as a pundit for ITV Sport and after leaving management he continued in this role. For a number of years he covered most of the channel's live matches, sometimes as a studio guest, but more often as the "ex-football insider" member of a two- man commentary team. His commentaries with Clive Tyldesley provided the basis for the
late-1990s and early-2000's ITV Champions League nights. He also fronted two series of Extra Time With Ron Atkinson for Central ITV with Ron interviewing football personalities like Kevin Keegan, Terry Venables and Martin O'Neill.
Ron Atkinson's media work came to an abrupt halt on 21 April 2004, when he was urged to resign from ITV by Brian Barwick after he made a racial remark live on air about the black Chelsea player Marcel Desailly; believing the microphone to be switched off, he said, "...he [Desailly] is what is known in some schools as a f****** lazy N****". Although transmission in the UK had finished, the microphone gaffe meant that his comment was broadcast to various countries in the Middle East. He also left his job as a columnist for The Guardian "by mutual agreement" as a result of the comment.
Since the Desailly incident, Atkinson has claimed that the comment was an aberration and that he is not racist, citing in his defence that his West Bromwich Albion side was the first high-profile British club to have a significant number of black players. However, this did not diminish the criticism he received from anti-racist groups and the public at large. In an article published in the Sunday Times on 19th September 2004, Atkinson was referred to as "Racist Ron".
SOPHIE ANDERTON
Sophie’s career propelled her into earnings of £30,000 per week and allowed her to lead a lifestyle of parties and drugs. The UK tabloid press reported this in detail, even more so when she became addicted to cocaine.
Her highly publicised downfall started when she was aged 17 after she was told cocaine would keep her looking slim: “I didn’t know what I was doing. Someone offered it to me and told me it would keep me skinny. So I did it.”
Sophie dated former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, who was also a cocaine user. Their four year on-off relationship became infamous thanks to the public rows which finally ended in 2007. On the relationship Sophie said: “My relationship with Mark was my lowest point”.
In September 2009 Sophie snorted cocaine for the last time.
• Sophie Anderton is an English model and reality television personality. She was born in Bristol and rose to fame after appearing in underwear brand Gossard’s 'girl in the grass' advertising campaign. She has been on shows such as Celebrity Love Island, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Hole in the Wall and Winter Wipeout.
In November 2012 Sophie announced that she was “completely clean of addiction" thanks to the support of the foundation set up following Amy Winehouse’s death. Sophie said: “I am proof you can change your life and I want others to know that, so I am helping other people who are in the same place that I was.” Sophie started working with the Amy Winehouse Foundation after meeting the late singer’s dad Mitch. She went into schools in London to talk to teenagers about the dangers of drugs.
On her weight, she said, “I don’t really care nowadays. I couldn’t give two hoots. When I was size 10 I was called obese now I’m size six to eight, my natural weight, people say I’ve lost loads of weight. I couldn’t be happier. In the grand scheme of things what I’m wearing isn’t important. It’s not going to solve world famine.”
Vicky Entwistle is most famous for playing the role of "loudmouth" factory worker Janice Battersby in ITV1's Coronation Street.
Born in Lancashire at the age of 16 she commuted to Blackpool to study drama while working nights at a local supermarket. For a time, she worked as a ‘bluecoat’ entertainer at Pontin's in Devon before she was accepted on scholarship to attend Drama Centre London, from which she graduated in 1992.
When not acting, Vicky lived off the dole but took part time jobs as a cleaner and helped out in her parents shop. Vicky then played Madonna freak Maxine Graham in Like A Virgin and was spotted by Granada Television casting director Judy Hayfield. She was offered the role of machinist Janice Lee in Coronation Street and made her debut on the 6th January 1997. She also starred in an episode of The Bill in 1997.
The following month, Vicky was told that she would become the mother of the street's new family The Battersbys and was introduced to fellow actors Bruce Jones, Jane Danson and Georgia Taylor.
Vicky married Andrew Chapman, after meeting on Coronation Street on 7th December 2002 in Manchester Town Hall.
On the 2nd August 2010 it was announced that Vicky Entwislte was to leave the show after thirteen years. Soap bosses said the actress "agonised" over her decision, but decided the show's 50th anniversary year was the right time to say goodbye. Vicky said: "Corrie means so much to me and I could easily have continued to play Janice for the rest of my acting career. But I've been thinking of leaving for some time, and couldn't deny those feelings. I've a hankering to do other drama projects and so if I don't make this move now I never will."
Entwistle, originally having become known for being, in her words, "the fat ugly one from Corrie", lost over three stone (42 lbs.) and ended up keeping two-and-a-half stone (35 lbs.) off, transforming from a size 16 to a 6. She later released an exercise self-help DVD, Vicky's WOW! Weight Off Workout, in 2006.
Since leaving the Street, Vicky has found work on the stage. She starred as the Wicked Queen in Blackpool's 2011 production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and in 2012 toured in Funny Peculiar an award winning show.
From January 2013 she has been playing the role of Madame Thénardier in Les Miserables on the West End.
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