quitting

HANGING up the phone after her landlord told her he’d be selling her home, Melanie Bentley-Moore looked out at the pouring rain and decided to leave the UK.

The mum-of-one, from Manchester, has now packed her bags to move across the world. Her rent will be half of what she pays back home, and she can eat out for just £1 a meal.

“I got a call from my landlord saying he’s selling, and I said, ‘Do you know what? I’m just going to leave the UK,’” Melanie, 33, tells the Sun.

“I’m scared, but obviously I’m doing it anyway.”

She has booked flights to Thailand in early September, and is staying at a friend’s house until then.

Explaining why she’s so desperate to move overseas, Melanie explained how Asia is much more affordable than the UK.

“Petrol, energy, food, you notice the food goes up in price; however, they decreased the packaging sizes,” she says.

There, she explains, she will be paying significantly less rent, with a “really nice apartment” costing around £400 a month, compared to the £750 she pays at home, and an evening meal just £1.

Melanie left the UK in 2017 to travel around Asia, using Vietnam as her main base.

But she returned to the UK two years later because she was missing chip shops and Nando’s.

Then her son Antares was born in 2020, and she decided to stay.

But astrologist Melanie claims she has wanted to “get back out there” ever since.

And she has slammed those who also yearn to leave the UK for sunnier shores, but just “talk” about it, and never move.

She has now sold all her belongings, and she and her son will be jetting off to Asia to live their “best lives”.

“Here it feels like we’re surviving; however, I know in Asia, where I’m heading, I’d be able to thrive instead,” she says.

“I wouldn’t get anxiety paying for a food shop, the contrast is massive.

“Your money goes a long way.

“I could stay on the beach somewhere, and it would cost half my rent.

“When I used to live in Vietnam, I wasn’t really doing food shops there because it’s so cheap to eat out. I was having my tea for £1.

“After looking now, it will be around £400 rent per month, that’s for a really nice apartment.”

But the cost of living isn’t the only reason she’s quitting the UK.

“The energy here just feels heavy, it’s dark,” she says.

“There’s no room to grow. The majority of people are miserable because of all the stuff that’s going on, the cost of living, everything’s rising.

“I just don’t feel alive here, and I think that’s not just a ‘me’ problem either; everyone that I’m speaking to just feels soulless.

“I’m just bored, I can’t live ‘Groundhog Day‘, I can’t just continue this way.

“Just hearing everyone else complain, that weakens my spirit.

“Most people are miserable, and they’re always complaining; it seeps into everything.

“It’s like an infinite cycle of ‘rinse and repeat’ complaining. It’s just a feeling, I just don’t feel alive. It sucks the soul out of me.”

Explaining how she chose her destination, Melanie says “I lived in Asia for two years, so I’m very familiar with that area of the world.

“I was only meant to go for three months, but I ended up staying out there for a couple of years, travelling around Asia.

“My main base was Vietnam, I did some English teaching out there and came back home because it’s something random, I really wanted chippy and Nando’s.”

According to the single mum, she also wants to show her son “real life”, and she prefers the values in Asia.

And she has taken Antares out of school, as she prefers education systems where children start school later.

Discussing how she believes the move will positively impact her son, she says: “I’m going to do some charity work and volunteering with him. There is no better learning than real life.

“He’s only five, I prefer the Scandinavian way.

“In Scandinavia, there’s a reason why their children are the happiest and most successful because they don’t start school till they’re seven.

“With the values and stuff, life’s just better over there. It’s slower, it’s sunny, the scenes are beautiful, and you realise there is so much more to life than what I’m used to. It’s a completely different culture as well.”

Melanie has also said that she wants people to “follow their hearts”.

“It’s no good talking, there’s a lot of talkers out there – I ‘do’.

“I refuse to stay here in a life of struggle and misery. The energy is dark, it’s always raining, it’s grey.”

“I feel so soulless and miserable in this place, and I’m not doing it anymore, and I thought f*** this.”

“Life is for living and feeling joy and love and wonder, I don’t feel any of that here.

“There is something about England energy-wise that is just so off.”

A NOUGHTIES pop star has hinted he’s quitting fame after 25 years in the spotlight as furiously ranted online.

The 42-year-old took to his Instagram to share some hard truths about the industry and told how he’d rather live a simpler live.

Lee Ryan, a star of the 90s boyband Blue, explained that he’s “been through hell and back” and said he now “hates the public eye.”

The singer found fame in the early 2000s after the band achieved massive success with their debut album All Rise in 2001.

Blue, who have three UK Number 1 Platinum-selling albums, are still going strong, with tours lined up for the rest of this year and next.

Alongside Antony Costa, Duncan James and Simon Webbe, Lee has been taking to the stage but it seems he’s not entirely happy.

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He posted a picture of himself singing at a concert on Instagram and captioned it with the statement: “As much as I love my career I’ve had for 25 years singing in Blue, sometimes I just want to go home to be a husband and father to my baby’s.

“There’s no place I feel more at peace than with them. This industry sucks you in and spits you out the other end… I’ve been through hell and back in the public eye and I actually hate it now.”

Lee continued: “I don’t like the fame part of this job anymore, it’s fake and quite toxic. People use you and abuse you and use your success as a weapon.”

“Don’t get me wrong I love singing and being creative making music and seeing the fans at shows,” said Lee.

“The rest I could leave behind and never step foot into that space again happily… I have no interest in the industry bs anymore…. Rather be home being a dad and a husband x”

Fans took to the comments to support Lee while some felt annoyed that they had brought tickets and could see he “didn’t want to do it anymore.”

One fan wrote: “I love blue, I still do. But at the concert I feel like I could see that you don’t really want it anymore. It‘s sad because people pay money to see the absolute best of you…”

Another fan said: “Thank you for carrying on and bless us with your beautiful voice. There is no place like home and I am sure your family is forever proud of you.”

A third fan added: “You would be missed, your voice, stage presence and banter is truly in a small minority BUT you have to do what’s best for you.”

Lee’s wife Verity also rushed to support her man. She said: “You get to do both!!! Be a pop star and come back to reality and live on the farm in the sunshine!!! We love you Mr, keep going nearly home time xxx”

The couple, who married in Gibraltar in 2022, share four children together.

Blue took a hiatus in 2004 but later reformed with the original bandmembers in 2011.

MAURA Higgins turned heads at Cannes film festival as she was seen for the first time since quitting Love Island USA.

The brunette beauty looked as flawless as ever as she put on a leggy display in France.

Reality TV star Maura has confirmed she’s walked away from her Love Island USA: Aftersun hosting job after three years.

As she continues to make big moves cracking America, Maura has revealed she’s ready for a fresh start.

The 35-year-old stepped out today at the festival wearing an incredible structured white shirt dress.

She flaunted her sizzling figure as the dress, with pops of aqua and hot pink, cinched her waist and flashed her legs.

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Maura kept the rest of her ensemble simple, donning a pair of matching white heels, some silver studded earrings and opted for no bag.

The Celebrity Traitors US star had her locks scrapped back into a sleek bun, leaving one piece to frame her face.

She gave the cameras a sultry pout as she posed for snaps.

Maura looked very glamourous, opting to have her makeup glowy and bronzed and finished with a nude pink lipstick.

The Irish star – who is heading for the Dancing With The Stars ballroom – told Vulture that she won’t be returning to Fiji for the upcoming eighth season.

She said: “You won’t. I’ve done it for three years, and they’ll always be family to me, but I think it’s time to try something different.

“I’ve got amazing opportunities coming in the door.

“I think it’s time to say good-bye. But you know what? I won’t say forever.

“I’ll still be watching from afar and I love them and miss them. It’s just time to move on.”

Maura has been dominating the US since her successful stint on Celebrity Traitors US.

She has certainly been busy, appearing on US chat shows, red carpets and has even been seen rubbing shoulders with Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker and model Emily Ratajkowski at industry events.

Irish beauty Maura skyrocketed to fame after debuting on season five of Love Island in 2019 – she’s among the show’s most successful participants.

HE was a 90s heartthrob in one of the decade’s biggest British boybands.

With a bad boy image and bundles of energy, John Hendy, 55, and East 17 stood out from other, more clean cut, acts like Take That and Boyzone.

But even at the height of the group’s fame, they saw little of the money generated by hits like their huge Christmas number one Stay Another Day.

In the early days, the group’s members were only pocketing £125 a week each, proving the pop dream wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

The boys had differing fortunes after splintering in 1997 following controversial comments band member Brian Harvey made about taking ecstasy.

Band leader and songwriter Tony Mortimer continues to receive an estimated £97,000 each year for the popular Christmas hit.

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But bandmates John, Terry Coldwell and Brian Harvey aren’t included in the royalties.

John continued with the next iteration of the group, E-17, and was part of various line-ups over the years.

In 2018 though, enough was enough, and he decided to leave after falling out with Terry Coldwell and new arrival Robbie Craig.

It wasn’t long afterwards that he fell on hard times when the coronavirus pandemic shook the world. He was forced to move into a hostel with his family for 18 months, which he found particularly tough.

But in recent years things have taken a positive turn and John is successfully plying his trade as a roofer, the job he held before his pop career began.

He shares his trade on TikTok and his latest job saw him working on a tall property in Lewisham.

Though he was praised for his work ethic, fans feel he should have made enough from music to retire.

One person commented: “No hate, but how is this guy still working when he sold the records he did. He should be retired and living it up somewhere hot. Great resurrection album E17.”

Another said: “Nothing but respect for this man – royalties and fair distribution should see him retired and taking life easy – very unfair but what a lovely guy – humble.”

John previously reflected on how shortchanged his group was in an interview with the Mail Online.

He said: “I haven’t even got a house and people think you’re millionaires and that, and I’m thinking, I don’t even got an house out of it.

“We should have all come out with a house, at least.”

However, John admitted that, despite hanging out with “rich friends”, he is content with his work van and regularly discusses the highs and lows of having money with his pals.

He recalled: “When I turn up to a party and my rich friends are coming in their Porsche’s and Range Rovers and I’m pulling up in my roofing van and I’m like ‘oh mate, it makes me feel sick coming to your parties’.

“And then they put it in perspective to me. They are like ‘John, mate, it’s money, it doesn’t mean nothing, mate’.

“One friend said to me ‘I’d rather give this all up and then just go out for one week and experience what you’ve done’, you know what I mean? Because what an experience that is.”