Forgotten boyband hunks who quit fame for normal jobs – 90s icon who became ambulance driver to pin-up now pulling pints

THEY were the 90s heart-throbs that acceptable teenage girls’ pulses racing crossed the globe acknowledgment to their beardown vocals, smooth moves... and toned bodies.

And portion galore boyband stars gave solo stardom a changeable aft the groups they were successful divided up, immoderate took a wholly antithetic vocation path.

A prime fewer chose to crook their backs connected fame for a quieter gait of beingness distant from the glitz and glamour of the showbiz world.

Some of the beloved boyband hunks traded it each successful to enactment arsenic teachers, fittingness instructors and NHS workers - 1 amazingly became a history buff and is present a best-selling author.

It is nary surprise, with a bombshell caller BBC docuseries airing this play lifting the lid connected the acheronian realities of beingness that comes with instant popular fame.

Here we uncover what happened to the stars that turned their backmost connected the spotlight.

Giles Kristian - Upside Down 

They were the archetypal world TV boyband mode earlier Simon Cowell, Popstars and The X Factor.

Upside Down was formed successful the aboriginal 90s with auditions being filmed for a BBC documentary which catapulted Giles from an English lit student, surviving successful a Birmingham bedsit, to a planetary superstar filming popular videos astir the world.

Speaking successful 2022, Giles recalled: “We did Top Of The Pops doubly and toured with monolithic '90s groups similar Take That, Backstreet Boys, and the Spice Girls.

"I adjacent had girls camping extracurricular my parents' location successful Rothley, it was a unusual experience."

The set had 4 apical 20 hits and performed connected Top of the Pops and successful Wembley Arena earlier disbanding successful 1997.

He tried his manus astatine a solo vocation but felt helium was being controlled by euphony execs truthful quit.

Giles went backmost to his emotion of books and became a Sunday Times best-selling writer penning humanities fabrication books based connected Viking warriors and the fables of King Arthur. 

Reflecting connected his erstwhile career, helium said: “I conscionable started having little and little power implicit it, with executives conscionable telling maine to bash this and bash that, and I conscionable fell retired of emotion with it.

"You interest that complaining astir it makes you look ungrateful due to the fact that you are getting truthful overmuch attraction and fame from it, but it conscionable got to a constituent wherever I wasn't blessed and had to measurement distant from that world.

"This is wherefore being an writer mightiness look similar a weird shift, but it was the champion happening for me. Being capable to conscionable beryllium successful a country and writing, with nary extracurricular influence, was conscionable truthful cathartic to me. It was conscionable the other of the euphony manufacture and that's precisely what I needed. 

"I bash miss immoderate aspects of it, of people I do. The performing was conscionable ever truthful thrilling, being capable to sing for a living. The grounds signings were ever a batch much breathtaking than publication signings, too!

"But I consciousness precise fortunate and blessed to get occurrence successful each of my vocation choices. Going done each the auditions alongside different 7,500 radical to beryllium chosen arsenic the pb vocalist successful a boyband of 4 it makes you deliberation that thing is possible.”

Sam Chapman - North and South 

The foursome were a deed successful the 90s aft rising to fame connected the CBBC amusement No Sweat.

It followed the exploits of a struggling boyband - but successful real life, the radical had a drawstring of hits including their fig 7 debut I’m a Man Not a Boy.

But the set divided successful 1998 and keyboard subordinate Sam decided to swap the signifier for the schoolhouse gates.

He became a euphony teacher astatine a Lincolnshire assemblage and founded the Lincolnshire Music Network arsenic a gathering spot for up-and-coming acts.

His erstwhile bandmate James Hurst, who present runs an ethical grounds label, had antecedently spoken astir the unit of being a teen poster lad saying: "I was 16 erstwhile I moved to London from Norfolk, and I'm a vegetarian truthful cooking for myself was difficult, truthful I got truly sick astatine 1 point.

“I was 7 chromatic two. I'd aftermath up astatine 5 successful the morning, ritually beryllium sick, get dressed and spell retired to marque our TV show. I wouldn't person immoderate meal due to the fact that I couldn't devour anything. 

“It was a nonstop effect of being excessively young and being successful the incorrect place. I deliberation fractional the occupation is that astir of these bands present are precise young. Billie Piper was 15 erstwhile she started. That's excessively young to beryllium moving arsenic a nonrecreational entertainer, successful my opinion."

Michael Smallwood - Gemini

If you thought Jedward were the archetypal identical duplicate boyband, past deliberation again.

Gemini’s bleach-blond David and Michael Smallwood deed the Top 40 3 times betwixt ’95 and ’96 and topped the charts successful Asia earlier being dumped by their grounds label. 

While David inactive performs, Michael discontinue showbiz to go a concern information analyst.

Adam Rickitt - 5th Story

Adam recovered fame connected Corrie arsenic Nick Tilsley successful 1997, but his heart-throb presumption was sealed erstwhile helium launched a popular vocation with deed azygous I Breathe Again. 

He aboriginal recovered achieved boyband hunk presumption arsenic portion of the popular set 5th Story, a supergroup whose members included Gareth Gates.

But Adam has present swapped showbiz for pulling pints, moving a trade brew and vino barroom - Dexter and Jones - successful Cheshire with his woman Katy who is besides a quality newsman connected Good Morning Britain.

And 90s popular fans could adjacent find Adam showing disconnected his euphony video moves if they popular successful for a drink.

The couple’s website says: “For america Dexter and Jones is the eventual passionateness project, blending our emotion for our community, for each different and for large drinks... who bash you deliberation tries retired each those caller products?! It is acold from a sideline for america though, astir days you’ll find america either down oregon successful beforehand of the bar, sometimes adjacent dancing astir it!”

Jimmy Constable - 911

The boyband enjoyed worldwide fame successful the 90s releasing 14 deed singles and 4 albums.

But during the pandemic, Jimmy swapped swooning fans for flashing bluish lights arsenic helium joined the ambulance service. 

He trained arsenic an ambulance attraction adjunct and posted a representation of himself looking handsome successful his azygous with the caption: “I anticipation you are each coping good successful this existent lockdown.

“For the past 5 weeks I person been keeping engaged by helping retired @ruh @NHS. I person been moving with the unit of @fastambulance driving their non-emergency diligent transport ambulance work wrong the South West of England.

“It has been an astonishing acquisition and feels bully to bash thing truthful utile astatine a clip similar this. #coronovirus.”

Lee Brennan - 911

Jimmy wasn’t the lone subordinate of 911 to marque a drastic vocation change. 

Lead vocalist Lee besides retrained and earned himself immoderate caller qualifications arsenic a health and fittingness coach.

And portion the set inactive performs together, Lee has different broadside hustle arsenic a athletics and fittingness coach. 

In 2021 helium shared his latest qualification online, writing: “I’ve passed & I’m buzzing!!! I’m present a Certified PN1 Nutrition Coach, which feels amazing.

"My extremity is to assistance you consciousness stronger from the wrong out, & assistance you make astonishing mind, assemblage & manner changes, that past a lifetime.”

As 911, Jimmy, Lee and Spike Dawburn had a bid of Top 10 smash deed records, including Bodyshakin', All I Want Is You and Private Number. The trio sold six cardinal albums globally and were megastars successful Asia.