Chesney Hawkes takes brutal swipe at Philip Schofield after 'awful' night scarred him

THEY accidental revenge is simply a crockery champion served acold - and for erstwhile popular sensation Chesney Hawkes it has lone taken 33 years for him to combat back.

But aft decades successful the euphony wilderness, the mild mannered vocalist has yet unleashed his choler connected those who poked amusive astatine him aft helium dominated the charts successful 1991 with his one deed wonder, The One and Only.

Chesney, present 53, was conscionable a teen erstwhile his marmite way propelled him to overnight stardom and exposed him to disapproval from the likes of disgraced This Morning big Phillip Schofield and ex-Good Morning Britain anchor Piers Morgan aft helium topped the charts for 5 weeks astatine the tallness of the 90s grunge epoch erstwhile bands similar Nirvana were usually the ones making headlines.

But arsenic helium prepares to equine a illustration comeback with his archetypal caller medium successful 10 years, Chesney has not forgot those who laughed astatine him for not "fitting in" during the decennary that brought america Cool Britannia erstwhile his planetary deed - penned by Eighties prima Nik Kershaw - rattled the Nineties euphony establishment.

Hitting backmost astatine his haters for the archetypal clip successful years, Chesney remembers: "Phillip Schofield...B*stard. I retrieve helium erstwhile did a (jokey) sketch astatine [these] awards successful 1991 wherever helium pushed maine into Hell with a pitchfork. I retrieve that infinitesimal arsenic I was lone a kid, I was 19."

The awards bash successful question was the 1991 Smash Hits' Poll Winners' Party.

"At first, Phillip was 1 of the archetypal radical who was precise bully to me," recalls Chesney. "We did each the TV shows similar Live and Kicking successful those days and the Radio 1 roadshows. And abruptly they turned against me.

"I retrieve it well. I watched [the show] that twelvemonth with my parents astatine location and they did this horrible happening wherever Phillip pushed maine to the gates of Hell with a pitchfork. They had this feline dressed arsenic maine successful a blonde wig with a mole. It was awful."

Today, successful the aftermath of the Liam Payne calamity when the value of men's intelligence wellness is paramount, Chesney says it's captious for critics to larn however their actions could impact kid stars aboriginal connected successful life.

Chesney, who was just a teen erstwhile helium became famous, says: "How does this happen? They were each aged capable to cognize better.

"I deliberation those moments, they were truly difficult. I benignant of had to propulsion it down and tighten the lid connected it and had to deliberation it was conscionable h2o disconnected a duck's back. I conscionable thought I would constitute a fewer songs and transportation connected but it is not until aboriginal connected that I thought it was due sh*t and it is not acceptable to bash that.

"It is not liable and it keeps happening. Piers Morgan also had a spell astatine maine during that clip but my dada erstwhile poured a pint of lager implicit him astatine the Ivor Novello awards successful London successful 1992."

Chesney spoke retired this week arsenic helium teamed up with 90s comic Richard Herring to grounds an occurrence of the alternate comedian's podcast which volition beryllium released successful the caller year.

And it seems Chesney is not shying distant from speaking retired aft helium precocious changeable the video for his comeback azygous Get A Hold of Yourself wholly successful the nude successful homage to Gen Z cult movie fave, Saltburn.

Dad-of-three Chesney was warned by his absorption to support his kit connected for the video but the prima was blessed to portion disconnected conscionable similar histrion Barry Keoghan did successful the 2023 movie.

Chesney says: "We filmed the video astatine Arley Hall successful Cheshire, the immense state mansion wherever they film Peaky Blinders. Most of the clip I was swinging successful the upwind and wholly naked."

Despite his boldness, Chesney soon realised helium was not frolicking unsocial connected what helium thought was a closed set.

"There was a infinitesimal I was dancing bare and the location has these large windows. The location is unfastened to the nationalist and I looked implicit during the sprout and determination was a young miss extracurricular pushing a pram," laughs Chesney. "I was similar 'Can we adjacent the curtains?'

"There was besides a woman who was successful complaint of the location who was similar our liaison and she kept coming up asking 'Does anyone privation a cupful of tea?'!"

Chesney posed nude successful a bold statement to beryllium to his critics that helium is not going to unrecorded successful fearfulness of what anyone thinks of him anymore.

He admits: "I did thin into getting nude. I wanted to rise immoderate eyebrows and it was influenced by the extremity of Saltburn. The song, Get A Hold of Yourself, is astir state of look and being successful your 50s and feeling a benignant of state which I astir apt did not person successful the aboriginal days.

"Like my opus The One and Only, it is simply a self-empowerment opus which helps support your intelligence wellness successful check."

Chesney was cheered connected by his woman Kristina and his 3 children - sons Casey, 23, Indiana, 18, and girl Jesse, 21, - for the video but says his kids did shingle their heads erstwhile they saw their dada bare onscreen.

"I conscionable wanted to bash thing bold, brave and liberating. My woman was supportive," says Chesney. "My squad thought I was huffy and said 'You are 50 with a dada bod'. I went backmost to them and said I had to bash it. I got my kit off. It was liberating.

"There is simply a motion to Saltburn successful the video, the movie Risky Business, Calendar Girls and The Fully Monty. I deliberation we tin person amusive successful our 50s. Our kids don't person to similar it, successful information my kids did accidental 'Did you person to shingle your ass?'"

Despite their blushes, Chesney has his household to convey for his caller forthcoming medium Living Arrows - his archetypal merchandise successful implicit a decade.

The prima unleashes his caller medium astatine the extremity of adjacent February, featuring songs inspired by his kids. The album's 2nd azygous Live Forever was released this week and penned by Nik Kershaw and Jake Gosling, who has worked with Ed Sheeran and One Direction.

Chesney worked hard connected the caller album, saying: "My latest opus is connected the A database connected Radio 2. I person truly pushed with this caller album. This grounds does person immoderate benignant of vigor down it.

"I had my kids successful caput the full clip due to the fact that the messages connected songs similar Live Forever are to bash with taking beingness by the horns, doing what you emotion and pursuing your instincts. You person to fto them bash their ain things and marque their ain mistakes."

Today, Chesney says helium cant hold to get backmost retired and play unrecorded crossed the UK adjacent year - dissimilar the acheronian days of the Nineties erstwhile helium couldn't look playing his overmuch maligned hit, The One and Only, ever again.

He says: "I person to accidental that during from 1993 until 1994 I refused to play The One and Only. In the mid 90s it was each Brit popular and I conscionable wanted to beryllium Radiohead. I precise overmuch rebelled against the popular roots I came from. As a kid, the popular happening was not what I wanted to do.

"The One and Only was similar an albatross, besides the rubric did not assistance me. I did rebel against it for similar 10 years. Sometimes I did not privation to spell retired and play nether my ain name.

"I did not play again truly until I was asked to play astatine immoderate universities. I did not deliberation anybody knew who I was but the emotion was conscionable determination with radical with my look connected their T shirts. It was similar a pupil anthem astatine that clip and I went connected to bash 10 years of those assemblage gigs."

Helping to support him connected the consecutive and constrictive is his American woman Kristina, whom Chesney joined backmost successful 1997.

Praising her loyal support, Chesney says: "I did crook retired arsenic a balanced big and I bash deliberation that is due to the fact that of my wife. We met astatine the close time. I was 22 erstwhile I met her astatine the extremity of each the craziness. We fell successful emotion and she did not cognize who I was.

"When I met her it was precisely the close clip for me. She gave maine thing other to unrecorded for. I did get into drugs and worldly similar that and intoxicant and I did effort to shield it each truthful erstwhile she came it took maine retired of it. If it was not for her it would person been a antithetic road."

Chesney admits his family's philharmonic roots person besides kept him successful cheque implicit the years, acknowledgment to proposal from his his dada Chip Hawkes - former bassist of the 1960s radical The Tremeloes.

"You see, I grew up successful a precise stone and rotation household. My dada was successful The Tremeloes. We arsenic children were ne'er going to beryllium accountants arsenic we utilized to aftermath up and had to measurement implicit sleeping musicians," helium says.

"It was chaotic increasing up and dada utilized to instrumentality america each to gigs and we would beryllium peaking done the wings. We utilized to spot knickers being thrown connected stage. Today, I get boxer shorts thrown astatine me. In the aboriginal days I utilized to get knickers."

Although present comfy with his past, Chesney says helium has 1 much happening to execute - and that is writing his autobiography.

Rumours person been circulating that the vocalist is adjacent to finishing a publication astir his beingness which volition uncover each astir his 1 deed wonderment which is said to person made him millions successful royalties implicit the years.

But if specified a publication is ever released, Chesney says it would archer the existent communicative of the grounds business, saying: "I ever accidental my autobiography should beryllium called Fame, No Fortune arsenic that is that is what it is similar successful the euphony business. But of people it volition person to beryllium called The One and Only.

"There is speech I made £8 cardinal but that is utter b*llocks. I did marque bully wealth for definite but my woman would termination maine if she knew I had made £8 cardinal and spunked it all."

Chesney jokes: "Nik Kershaw, who wrote the song, got a mates of houses retired of it. But today, it has present been astir 34 years since that song. I americium not earning a surviving from it.

"Listen, it is simply a self-empowerment opus and that is wherefore it has had longevity. The beingness of a opus similar that has truly thing to bash with you. It is simply a precise beauteous happening actually.

"Looking backmost I would not alteration a happening arsenic beingness is an unthinkable travel and we are not present for that agelong are we? The Only and Only was lone similar six months of my life. I americium blessed being maine and I would not alteration anything. Today, I americium humbled I tin inactive fling a guitar connected my backmost and inactive marque a living."

The Mirror contacted Phillip Schofield for comment.

* The caller medium by Chesney Hawkes, Living Arrows, is released February 28, 2025.