5ive's Ritchie Neville was paid less than minimum wage in the band's heyday

Louis Theroux's caller three-part documentary, Boybands Forever, looks astatine the 90s popular improvement with assorted boyband members reflecting connected the ups and downs of overnight fame

5ive prima Ritchie Neville has claimed helium was exploited by Simon Cowell erstwhile helium was lone making £100 a week erstwhile the set sold much than 20 cardinal records.

During 5ive's heyday, Ritchie and his bandmates - Scott Robinson, Sean Conlon, J Brown and Abz Love - achieved galore deed singles, including Everybody Get Up. Simon Cowell signed the radical successful 1997 for a six-album woody - but contempt his support, they were being paid a tiny play amount.

Ritchie said helium and his bandmates were lone fixed "two days disconnected successful 2 years" and helium said helium adjacent had his passport confiscated erstwhile helium contracted chickenpox portion connected tour. The set were performing shows successful Australia and New Zealand, erstwhile Ritchie was advised by a doc to instrumentality 2 weeks disconnected and alert location to his parents to rest.

But a statement rep showed nary empathy, alternatively telling him: "Doctors over-exaggerate, don’t they?" He said: "In the end, they wouldn’t springiness maine my passport to alert home.

"Scott [Robinson] had to spell successful and nick my passport and conscionable manus it to maine and bundle maine successful a taxi astatine 4 successful the morning." The Guardian reports: "At the time, I didn’t deliberation that overmuch of it. Now, that’s an encroachment of power, isn’t it really? It’s astir imprisonment."

The Mirror has reached retired to Simon Cowell's reps for comment.

Ritchie recalls his memories connected Louis Theroux's caller three-part documentary, Boybands Forever, successful which the writer and filmmaker delves into the 90s phenomenon. Including chats with members of Westlife, Take That and 911, it sees the stars of the bands look backmost connected however they were treated during the time, by euphony execs and fans.

Elsewhere connected Boybands Forever, which is disposable connected BBC iPlayer, Brian McFadden reflects connected the ups and downs of fame. In the documentary, the Westlife prima gives a scathing penetration into his seemingly adjacent relationship with Louis, 72.

He admits: "I hated Louis. Louis would locomotion into a country and go, 'Hey everyone', and past he'd look astatine maine and go, "Brian..." (Blowing his cheeks out). Basically saying that I'm fat. He was conscionable horrendous. But precise fewer things that helium touched didn't crook to gold."

Discussing Westlife's meteoric emergence to fame, Brian explained however helium and Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan became well-known practically overnight. He revealed: "I was moving successful McDonald's arsenic a information defender and six months aboriginal Swear It Again went to No1." Speaking connected the three-part series, Brian explains: "It was made precise wide to america by the powers that beryllium that our idiosyncratic lives 100 percent came 2nd to Westlife. We had times wherever we had relatives dice and we couldn't spell to the ceremonial due to the fact that determination was a gig oregon an interrogation that day."

The Mirror has antecedently contacted Louis' reps for comment.

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