Gareth Gates

Biography: Singer Gareth Gates, born 12th July 1984 in Bradford, is the spiky-haired, stammering pop star who shot to fame in 2002 as a contestant on the television show; Pop Idol . During the course of the show, audiences were captivated by his singing, and also by his ability to overcome a life-long stuttering problem. He narrowly lost the singing contest to Will Young, but competition judge and record producer Simon Cowell guaranteed Gates a record contract anyway. A few weeks later, his debut single, ‘Unchained Melody,’ was on top of the U.K. charts, beating out Young’s first single. Gates followed up with a string of hits, including a cover of ‘Spirit in the Sky’ and a cover of The Beatles’ ‘The Long and Winding Road,’ a duet he sang with former rival Young. Gates became a genuine pop idol, with an endorsement deal with Pepsi, a book deal and tabloid reports of romantic dalliances with super-chested model Jordan.