Gareth Gates Enjoys Romp With Frenzy Blonde

The Sunday People reports Gareth Gates has fallen head over heels with a stunning blonde pop star after a night of passion. The Pop Idol runner-up romped with Mandy Davis, the niece of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and a member of the up-and-coming band Frenzy, after a gig. “I know she and Gareth did share an intimate night together,” Frenzy’s co-manager Chris Nathaniel said. “They had all sorts of fun and games and she left at 6am. Mandy said she kept in contact with him. She sees him as a good friend at the moment and hopes it will develop into something more.”

Darius Danesh Takes A Stab At Gareth Gates

November 7, 2002 - The London Star reports Darius complained about manufactured pop and took a pop at fellow Pop Idol Gareth Gates. “Gareth’s great,” he said. “But the difference between us is that I am a songwriter.”

Gareth Gates’ Lawyers Tell Jordan To Zip It

November 7, 2002 - The Sun reports Gareth has sent his legal team after Jordan to shut her up about their alleged romance. “Jordan seems to be making a bit of cash out of Gareth and he’s not happy,” a pal said. “He has denied any relationship ever took place and he doesn’t want to read about it any more. It’s upsetting him. Jordan knows it’s not true - just like Gareth has been saying - and it’s about time she coughed up.” The legal move seems to have worked, as those interviewing the model have been warned not to ask about the Pop Idol.

Gareth Gates Tops Aguilera & Carter In UK Charts

November 4, 2002 - While David Gray beat out Gareth atop the UK album charts, further down the list sees Christina Aguilera at #19 with ‘Stripped’ and Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter at #91 with ‘Now or Never’.

Gareth Gates Appears At Bristol Virgin Megastore

November 3, 2002 - Gareth was spotted at the Virgin Megastore in Bristol, UK to sign copies of his new album ‘What My Heart Wants To Say’ on Friday (November 1).

November 17, 2002 Jeff C Gossip No Comments

David Gray Tops Gareth Gates In British Album Charts

The Sun reports that with David Gray beating Pop Idol runner-up Gareth Gates on top of the UK album charts this week, BMG is secretly bitterly disappointed that a balding songwriter in his thirties has trounced their polished little product. Still, Gareth took defeat graciously. “I’m still very young and I’m learning a lot as I go along,” he said. “David Gray’s new album is terrific. I’ve listened to it a lot while I’ve been out on the road. I loved ‘White Ladder’ as well.”

Dad Doesn’t Hear Gareth Gates Knockin’

November 3, 2002 - The Sunday People reports that a big fan of Gareth missed meeting the Pop Idol because her dad had a soccer game playing too loud on his TV. Gareth made the trip to see Lisa Dragoonis, 15, in Giffnock, near Glasgow, after she won a website contest. But Gareth had to leave her with just a posted photo as Peter, 45, failed to hear him knock over the Celtic v Blackburn match. Lisa said, “I’m not speaking to my dad. I’m gutted.”

Desperate Moves To Help Gareth Gates Debut At #1

October 31, 2002 - The Sun reports BMG record bosses have ordered Gareth to do extra last-minute in-store signings in a bid to get his album to #1 on Sunday, besting David Gray’s new release ‘A New Day At Midnight’. “It’s obviously very important for Gareth’s career that he gets to No1 with his first album,” an insider said. “Gareth is such a massive star and his popularity can’t be seen to be waning since Pop Idol. By getting him down to stores hundreds of kids will turn out to get their albums signed. That will obviously give him a vital sales injection.”

Stuttering Gareth Gates Mimes Between Song Banter

October 29, 2002 - The London Star revealed stuttering Gareth has been revealed as miming on stage when he talks. Gareth records his banter during concerts weeks in advance and lip-synchs to the tape between songs at his gigs.

Gareth Gates Debut Fails To Offer Any Real Surprises

October 28, 2002 - Michael Osborn of BBC News Online reviewed Gareth’s debut album ‘What My Heart Wants To Say’, which was released today. Osborn says, “This debut offering has been finely tailored to meet the needs of this captive audience who have elevated him to idol status since his sweat, toil and success were played out on television week in, week out.” He added, “This album falls neatly into categories and fails to offer any real surprises - even Gates’s joint writing credit on ‘Sentimental’.” Read more.

Hundreds Of Scottish Fans Mob Gareth Gates

October 28, 2002 - Ananova reports Gareth was mobbed by hundreds of Scottish fans as he signed copies of his debut album ‘What My Heart Wants To Say’ in Glasgow at the city’s Virgin Megastore. Gareth signed copies of the album and posed for photographs for 600 fans.

November 3, 2002 Jeff C Music Charts No Comments

Hayley & Gareth Stick Together Despite Jordan Boasts

The Sun reports Hayley Evetts hasn’t been scared off from boyfriend Gareth Gates after the Pop Idol runner-up was linked to busty model Jordan, who claimed to have taken his virginity. Hayley, who has dated him since they met on the TV show, says all the fuss has brought them closer. A pal revealed, “Jordan can say what she likes but it won’t change how Hayley feels about Gareth. They are stronger than that.”

Gareth Gates Denies Four Month Jordan Romance

October 14, 2002 - Gareth tells The Mirror that he can’t understand why Jordan told News of the World that she had sex with the him. “It’s a total mystery to me why Jordan has made up a story about us.” he says. “The fact is I’ve only ever met her once at the Elle style awards.”

October 25, 2002 Jeff C Gossip No Comments

Simon Cowell Slags Will Young

The Sunday People reports ‘Pop Idol’ judge Simon Cowell once drunkenly insulted the show’s winner Will Young, saying he wasn’t as good as runner-up Gareth Gates. “I grovelled an apology later,” Simon recalled.

Will Young 29th Most Irritating Person

October 8, 2002 - The Mirror’s 3AM Girls have named Will as their 29th most irritating person. They say, “To be fair, you have to admit the 23-year-old can hold a tune, but your enthusiasm is diminishing because he keeps doing covers.” They also criticized his brushing off of fans, saying “his five seconds of fame have gone to his head.”

Gareth Gates & Will Young Go Their Separate Ways

October 3, 2002 - Will tells Newsround that after his current UK tour with Idol runner-up Gareth Gates, the pair will go on their separate ways. “I think that after the tour we will go our separate ways,” he said. “My album’s coming out, his album will come out in the future. It’s a nice parting - a friendly farewell!” Read more.

Gareth Gates, Will Young & Craig David At TOTP Awards

September 13, 2002 - Ananova reports Gareth, Will and Craig are set to perform at this year’s Top Of The Pops Awards at the Manchester Evening News Arena on November 29. Pop Idol winner Young said, “To be asked to perform at the Top Of The Pops Awards is fantastic.”

October 13, 2002 Jeff C Gossip No Comments

Busty Jordan Has Secret Affair With Gareth Gates

News of the World reports 24-year-old pin-up Jordan had a secret affair with 17-year-old Pop Idol runner up Gareth Gates that carried on for four months. “He was like a rabbit caught in the headlights,” Jordan told a close pal. “Gareth claimed that he wasn’t a virgin—but I think he was lying.” Jordan herself told the British tabloid, “I can’t deny our affair any longer. We kept our love secret for a number of reasons—but mainly because Gareth was under pressure from his management to stay squeaky clean. Clearly that wasn’t a problem for me! But my manager didn’t want the news out either.”

Pepsi Says Pop Idol’s Shelf Life Is Up

October 10, 2002 - Looks like the shelf life of Gareth is just about up, as Peoplenews.com reports Pepsi has announced that they are dropping the 18-year-old as the face of its drink, seven months after the spikey-haired teenager signed a $1 million plus deal with them. A spokesperson for Pepsi said, “We are always hopeful people will become superstars. But in the same way as our deal with Roy Keane ran its course, Gareth has done his job and he’s been great.”

October 12, 2002 Jeff C Gossip 4 Comments

Gareth Gates In Secret Romance With Another Idol

The Sun reports Pop Idol Hayley Evetts has gone public about her secret romance with fellow Idol Gareth Gates. Hayley was overheard telling pals over the weekend, “Gareth and I are really close but 19 Management don’t want us to be together. They are worried his fans will turn against him if he is seen as unavailable.”

Pop Idol Runner-Up Fears Popstars

September 11, 2002 - Gareth tells the Sun he thinks the new Popstars bands will give him a big challenge, even before they have been formed. “I think they’re going to be absolutely huge - both bands probably will be. I watched the first show on Saturday night and there is so much talent out there. I’m worried, I had better watch my back. You saw it with Pop Idol and the hype around the show certainly helped me, so I think it will be the same with this.”

Gareth Gates Look-A-Like Getting A Lot Of Attention

August 25, 2002 - The Sunday People spoke with 19-year-old flight attendant Matthew Knights who has become an instant celebrity for looking just like Gareth Gates. The look-a-like has been getting greetings by screaming girls, some press phone numbers into his hands, and others even try to snatch a kiss. Matthew admits, “I enjoyed the attention at first, but after a while it was annoying, because I couldn’t speak to my mates without getting interrupted!”

September 16, 2002 Jeff C Gossip No Comments

Gareth Gates Treats Family To Disney World Trip

The Sun reports Pop Idol Gareth Gates got over $1 million for his Pepsi Twist deal, and used some of that money to treat his family to their first holiday abroad. “I’m only 18 and able to treat my parents and three sisters to two weeks in Florida,” he said. “That feels brilliant. Their faces were a picture when we walked into Disney World in Orlando.” Read more.

Gareth Gates Pitching Pepsi Twist In The UK

August 20, 2002 - Ananova reports Gareth Gates has been recruited by Pepsi as part of the UK unveiling of their new Pepsi Twist soft drink. Karen Goffe, from Pepsi, said, “Pepsi was the first to launch a lemon-flavored cola in the States and the UK launch is the next step in a leading innovation program.”

Gareth Gates Receives Scare When Luggage Gets Lost

August 13, 2002 - Gareth was flying back home to Bradford from Norway for his homecoming gig when he discovered his luggage vanished. “The airline told him his suitcase had gone to another airport,” he publicist told Sneak magazine. “There was a mad panic because it contained all his outfits, including his favorite leather shirt. Luckily, his stylist sent another outfit up in the car and he managed to get ready just in time.”

Gareth Gates Homecoming Draws 15,000 Fans

August 4, 2002 - Ananova reports that around 15,000 fans turned out to welcome Gareth back to his home town of Bradford, England, where the Pop Idol runner-up performed at Centenary Square. Gareth told the audience, “Coming home to Bradford is always special as this is where my friends and family are. The support I’ve had locally means the world to me.”

August 21, 2002 Jeff C News No Comments

More Preferential Treatment For Pop Idol Loser

There appears to be a new round of favoritism for the Pop Idol finals loser Gareth Gates as Will Young’s debut album will be put up against Elvis Presley’s greatest hits compilation ‘Elvis.’ Last week BMG, parent co of all the acts, pulled the JXL remix of The King’s ‘A Little Less Conversation’ to ensure Gareth’s new single ‘Anyone Of Us (Stupid Mistake)’ made a #1 debut. “It is getting quite embarrassing to see how much Gareth is being pushed ahead of Will,” said an insider. “Gareth seems to be their No1 priority - they have almost forgotten that Will was the people’s choice.”

Pop Idol Again Snaps Over Being Photographed

July 1, 2002 - The Mirror reports Will again snapped at photographers trying to take his photo taken at the Glastonbury Festival over the weekend. “No photographs. I’ve warned you not to take my photograph,” he yelled. “I’m taking time out and I am just chilling.”

Will Young Tops Eminem In British Singles Charts

June 9, 2002 - Will beat out Eminem again on the British singles charts, with his cover version of The Doors’ song ‘Light My Fire’ outselling Slim’s ‘Without Me’. Eminem did rule the album charts though, beating out ‘Queen’s Greatest Hits’.

Will Young At Ozwald Boateng’s Street Party

June 1, 2002 - Will attended Ozwald Boateng’s street party and collection preview of his new couture headquarters in Saville Row London on Thursday.

July 15, 2002 Jeff C Gossip No Comments

Gareth Gates Refuses To Sign Autographs

The Mirror had some harsh words for Pop Idol loser Gareth Gates after he refused to talk or sign autographs when he performed for the Pepsi Chart Show in London. The 3am girls write, “Word of advice, Gareth. Learn some manners.”

Gareth Gates Rents Plush West London Apartment

May 6, 2002 - Gareth has rented a plush apartment in Kensington, West London for £1,000 a week. A spokeswoman for the singer said, “Gareth has been moving around a lot since starting Pop Idol, so he is very much looking forward to settling into his new place. As far as we know he will be moving in by himself, but he has lots of friends and colleagues in the area, including Will Young, so he is very excited about moving in.”

Gareth Gates Switches Crush From Rachel To Britney

May 5, 2002 - Gareth tells Top Of The Pops magazine he’s over his crush on S Club 7 star Rachel Stevens, but admits to having a “soft spot” for Britney Spears. Gates revealed, “I have to say I’m over Rachel now - I’ve moved on. Not in a nasty way, it’s just that it was a crush when I was younger. I don’t have a crush on anyone at the moment.” He later added, “I just wanna focus on my career really, although Britney is an exception.”

Gareth Gates’ Search Interest Tops Will Young’s

May 4, 2002 - Search interest in the Gareth was actually higher in March than the show’s winner, Will Young, on pay-per search engine Overture.com. The stuttering singer received 52,699 searches during the month, about 15,000 more than Will. As for lyrical interest, there isn’t any - he’s only done covers to this point as he preps his album debut. The most popular misspelling was ‘Garath Gates’. The most searched web site was ggates.co.uk.

Gareth Gates Stays Atop UK Pop Charts

April 1, 2002 - BBC reports Gareth has held the number one spot in the UK singles chart, extending his run at the top to two weeks. Meanwhile, the Pop Idol contestant he lost to, Will Young, dropped two slots to #4 as Ali G and Shaggy’s ‘Me Julie’ hit #2, while Shakira’s ‘Whenever, Wherever’ got the #3 spot.

June 27, 2002 Jeff C Gossip No Comments

Gareth Gates Youngest Male Solo Artist To Hit #1

Gareth Gates has become the youngest British male solo star to have a number one single, having sold in the area of 900,000 copies of his debut cover song single ‘Unchained Melody’. The song itself became the only song to have made it to number one for four different artists. Gates fell short of the sales of Will Young, the artist he lost out to on Pop Idol.

Gareth Says He & Will Can Outlast Hear’Say

March 22, 2002 - Gareth spoke with The Sun’s Dominic Mohan on whether he and fellow Pop Idol star Will Young can stretch their careers beyond their record breaking debut efforts. Gareth said, “We have a great team behind us and I’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts. The only thing that worries me is if it starts affecting my family because it’s me who has chosen this career, not them.”

Gareth Gates Afraid To Drink Unlabeled Cola

March 22, 2002 - Peoplenews.com reports Pop Idol runner-up and this week’s UK chart-topper Gareth was paralyzed with indecision at a London bar the other night by a glass of cola. Without knowing what brand drink it was, the singer who has a £750,000 sponsorship deal with Pepsi didn’t want to create a Britney Spears like situation, and left the soda undrunk.

March 24, 2002 Jeff C Music Charts No Comments
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