There are many famous faces who call Kent home. We have high profile actresses, singers and stars from across the show business industry living across the county.
But these current celebrities in the spotlight today may one day discover that fame can be lost overnight. You may learn that while there’s no business like show business, fame can be a cruel mistress – as some of the celebrities on this list know all too well.
Those famous faces that used to always be heard on TV or radio have disappeared from our screens. Where are you now? What happened to them?
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Some of them played on our televisions almost every day, while others contained a number of hits that we just couldn’t get out of our heads.
Unfortunately, that kind of notoriety didn’t mean her fame would last forever. Many of them have disappeared completely, while others have reappeared.
Here are just 13 Kent celebrities from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s who have been pretty much forgotten.
Mike Nolan – Broadstairs
British pop group Bucks Fizz, (clockwise from top) Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston(Image: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Mike Nolan from 80s pop group Bucks Fizz lives in Broadstairs.
As a member of Bucks Fizz, he won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 and achieved 20 UK Top 60 singles between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits.
In 2009, Mike and another band member began performing together again as Formerly of Bucks Fizz.
Today Mike, who suffers from epilepsy after a bus accident 31 years ago, runs the charity Headfirst, which raises money for head injury research.
Mike continues to perform with original Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston under the name The Fizz.
Joss Stone – Dover
Joss Stone was born in Dover(Image: Getty Images/James McCarthy)
Singer Joss Stone was born at Buckland Hospital in Dover.
She rose to fame in 2004 with the release of her most famous song, “You Had Me,” and won two Brit Awards and a Grammy throughout her career.
Joss made headlines when she landed an invitation to Windsor Castle to see her pal Prince Harry tie the knot with Suits actress Meghan Markle.
She recently married her American musician boyfriend Cody DaLuz, with whom she has two children, in a secret ceremony.
She still performs regularly and released her latest album – Merry Christmas, Love – in 2022.
Lee Ryan – Chatham
Lee Ryan from Blue(Image: Jonathan Myers)
During his time in the band they achieved three number one albums and the band sold 15 million records worldwide.
Blue also represented Great Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 – they came 11th.
These days you’re more likely to see the star on Eastenders, Celebrity Big Brother or Strictly Come Dancing.
He secretly married his long-time girlfriend Verity Paris, with whom he has a daughter.
He was found guilty of a racist attack on a flight earlier this year.
The Baby from the Teletubbies – Chatham and Canterbury
Jess Smith was the Sun Baby of the Teletubbies in the 1990s(Image: `)
Jess Smith was one of the most recognizable faces on British television in the 1990s – as the laughing Baby Sun.
The former Chatham South and Horsted Primary School pupil also studied dance education at Canterbury Christ Church University.
She recently announced on Instagram that she is pregnant (congratulations) and was flooded with congratulatory messages.
One user wrote on Instagram: “Teletubbies baby is having a baby,” while another added: “Congratulations!!! ‘You’re going to have your own sun baby!!!’
Nick Bateman
(Image: Daily Record)
This controversial character from Wickhambreaux, near Canterbury, was eliminated from the first series of Big Brother in 2000.
The 47-year-old was disqualified after attempting to manipulate the competition.
After his departure, Bateman returned to Big Brother in 2010.
In 2013, Nick moved to Australia, where he now lives in Bondi Beach with his partner Carol.
Rick Waller
(Image: LWT)
You may well remember Gillingham’s Rik Waller from 2001 (he dropped out in the second week of the live shows due to laryngitis). He subsequently released two Top 40 singles, most notably a cover of “I Will Always Love You” which peaked at number six, and appeared on Celebrity Fit Club in 2002.
Rik ended his singing career after losing his singing voice and is now an exam supervisor in Sittingbourne.
Jonathan Shearer
(Image: Lion TV)
This 2007 castaway winner spent his entire time on the show insulting other contestants, refusing to help them with tasks, and should have been voted out in the third week, only to be saved by a behind-the-scenes trick from the producers become.
Nick Wilton
His main job was to close down stalls and block the business dreams of more sympathetic members of the cast. A backstory in 2011 that made it clear that his life wasn’t rosy either was a start, but audiences still didn’t like him. In the end he was replaced offscreen.
Only the boys
Remember those X Factor hopefuls? They came from Canterbury and Thanet.
Members of the group of four included childhood friends Charlie George from Chartham and Parisa Tarjomani from Ramsgate. They were eliminated in week seven, finishing in seventh place, and things were looking good for them for a while.
Before they even auditioned for X Factor, they played Capital’s Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium and even released a single during the show in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
In May 2015 they signed with Warner Music. Their hit single suffered numerous problems – including a YouTube hack and problems getting the physical CD into stores – and only charted at number 53. They separated later that same year.
Charlie and Parisa are both still singer/songwriters.
Shaun Williamson
(Image: PA)
We all know him as Barry Evans from Eastenders – but Shaun Williamson’s most famous scene is probably the one above, in which his wife Janine pushed him from a height in 2004.
Shaun lives in Maidstone and has had a number of leading roles in showbiz since leaving the ` soap.
Since 2009 he has played a leading role in Scoop, a ` children’s show.
It seems harsh to include him on the list since, let’s face it, he is an absolute icon. But the star now leads a quieter life – on the Isle of Sheppey, here in Kent, with his wife.
Kate Bush
Kate Bush now leads a very private life in South Devon (Image: Trevor Leighton/PA Wire)
Wuthering Heights and Babooshka singer Kate Bush was born in Bexleyheath in 1958.
She is one of the most successful British artists of all time, having started writing songs at the age of 11.
Kate came into the public eye in the late 1970s and experienced rapid success before beginning the decade in the 1980s with the release of her studio album Never For Ever.
She returned to the stage in 2014 with a series of concert performances and turned 60 in July this year.
The legendary singer made something of a comeback as her music climbed back up the charts – all thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things and TikTok.
Bush has stayed out of the spotlight in recent years and rarely gives interviews.
However, she made a rare media appearance last month to discuss the revival of Running Up That Hill following the release of Stranger Things’ fourth season.
Speaking to ` Women’s Hour, she said: “Well, it’s just extraordinary. I mean, you know, it’s such a great series, I thought the track would get some attention.
“But I just never imagined it would be something like this. It’s so exciting. But it’s really quite shocking, isn’t it? I mean, the whole world has gone crazy.”
Did we miss anyone? Do you remember a celebrity from Kent but don’t know where they are now? Let us know in the comments below.
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