Former S Club 7 star emotionally opened up about his father’s death during tonight’s Celebs Go Dating, and how he didn’t speak to his mum for two years while he was grieving
21:17, 14 Aug 2025Updated 21:22, 14 Aug 2025
Jon emotionally opened up about his father’s death during last night’s episode(Image: Channel 4)
It was former S Club 7 star Jon Lee who became emotional during tonight’s episode of Celebs Go Dating, as he opened up about his father’s tragic death.
Jon’s sadly lost his father in 2014, after he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. The star, who was very close to his dad, told dating experts Anna Williamson and Dr Tara that he “lost the plot” after his fathers death.
Opening up to the agents in Ibiza, the star opened up about how his dad had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease at the same time he found out his boyfriend had been unfaithful the entire time they were together.
Jon joined the agency after not having dated for six years(Image: E4)
“I had an emotional slap from this relationship, and then that happened. And I hadn’t quite recovered myself from that, and then that happened as well and everything fell apart.”
Opening up further, Jon expressed how close he was to his father, as he was seen tearing up in front of the agents. “Within the first year, he’d completely lost the ability to move, he couldn’t speak, he had to be fed through a tube in his stomach. He couldn’t talk to me. To go out like that, I literally lost the plot. I thought, ‘What the f**k is the point?’ It broke my heart.
Explaining on how he dealt with the grief, Jon continued: “I went out, I was taking loads of drugs. I went completely off the rails. That got to a point where I had to make a decision. I had to sort myself out or it wasn’t going to end well.”
Jon then recalled packing a bag, and never going back to his home. “I wrote to my mum, I sent her my front door key. I wrote her a note saying I don’t know where I’m going, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I need to sort myself out.”
The former popstar then left the country for four years, telling the agents how he didn’t even speak to his mum for two of them. “She didn’t know where I was. She said every time the phone rang she thought it was going to be the police saying, ‘We found Jon and he’s dead.’ That’s my biggest regret, that I caused her…” he said as he broke down in tears.
Jon went on his first date during last night’s episode(Image: Channel 4)
Earlier in the conversation, Jon opened up about how he felt he had to hide his sexuality while in the band, and didn’t really get to experience dating until they broke up in 2003. Jon was just 15 when the band started, as he told the agents he didn’t have an opportunity to figure out who he was in the real world.
Although Jon’s S Club 7 bandmades and his family knew he was gay, the star never spoke about it publicly. “Throughout the band, I wasn’t comfortable with my sexuality at all, so it would happen when I was drunk,” he explained.
“I didn’t feel comfortable enough to be in a relationship until after the band and when I went back into musical theatre,” he admitted. “It felt like I was out of the limelight then and no one cared about me anymore. That’s when I started my dating life, so I was massively behind and very emotionally immature.”
Jon’s time in the agency comes after a six year break from dating, as he told the cameras during the first episode that he had been celibate for six years.
“Jon has had a really interesting journey since S Club and I know a lot of it hasn’t been shared anywhere else. It’s a really interesting and insightful investigation into what really has been happening in his life since S Club and what he’s been doing in the recent years,” she told us.
“One of his revelations I was shocked,” Tara exclaimed, as she revealed Jon was the celebrity who surprised her the most in the agency. “I thought Jon would come in a lot more guarded but he’s not,” Tara said. “He’s ready to bare it all emotionally and it’s a beautiful thing. I’ve been learning a lot about him already, and I have to say it’s a very touching story.”
As Celebs Go Dating returns for a new series, Kerry Katona is desperate for love, while Christine McGuinness is looking to date a woman and S Club pop star Jon Lee tackles his ‘car crash’ love life…
06:00, 11 Aug 2025Updated 06:21, 11 Aug 2025
Kerry Katona admits she is known as ‘a car crash’ on Celebs Go Dating
With plenty of cheek, Celebs Go Dating is back tonight on E4 at 9pm, as more famous people volunteer to be filmed as they look for love. Guided by expert agents Paul C Brunson, Anna Williamson and Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, there is plenty of drama and lust as the celebs go dating.
This season kicks off with a mixer in London, hosted by Tom Read Wilson.
On the hunt for love in this latest series are Atomic Kitten blonde bombshell Kerry Katona (not her first time on the show), S Club pop star Jon Lee, Too Hot to Handle lothario Louis Russell, TV personality Christine McGuinness and Love Island sensation Olivia Hawkins.
Kerry says: “I’m best known for being a singer, a mother, a reality star and a car crash. People think I’m this crazy, partying wild person, when in fact I’m a bit of a loner. In fact, I’m just really boring.”
She adds: “The whole dating thing is just not something I do.”
Kerry explains: “I just meet somebody and get married. I was very young when I met my first husband, I was 18. We got divorced when I was 25. I got married straight away after that, got divorced, then got married again.
“Then I met my last fiance, but I never actually got up the aisle that time.”
Kerry Katona opens up about her love life on Celebs Go Dating
Kerry sighs: “I keep getting rejected, that’s what it is, I’m never good enough. They always want something else. I just want to be loved. I’m so desperate to be loved.”
She doesn’t fare too well though, with Anna Williamson noting that Kerry comes across as “insincere” when she’s talking to potential dates.
Meanwhile model, author and mum-of-three Christine says: “I’ve been separated from my ex husband for around three years. I met Paddy McGuinness when I was 19.
“I describe my sexuality as being a free spirit. When I was a teenager I dated men and women before I was married and now I’m really, really just enjoying spending time with women.”
Three years after breaking up with husband Paddy, Christine McGuinness is looking for love
While Jon reveals: “My dating has been a complete car crash, I’ve been single and celibate for six years. I want a man who’s rough around the edges.” Getting their flirt on and testing their dating skills, the celebs work the room and try to look for instant chemistry and sparks.
As the agents watch on, they find out just how hard they’re going to have to work to get their famous clients on the path to romance. Paul Brunson says: “We can see how they operate and gather information.”
Then a secret is revealed – the celebs must choose someone for a first date and it will be in Ibiza. “How can I go abroad with someone I don’t know? This is not normal,” says Christine, finally realising that she is on a reality show. A flash forward shows people swinging their tops around their heads, jumping on lilos, clinking glasses… It’s going to be messy.
*Celebs Go Dating airs tonight (Aug 11) on E4 at 9pm
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins returns next week for its latest series on Channel 4 and among the line-up for the TV show is former S Club member Hannah Spearritt
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins returns next month for its new series(Image: Channel 4)
One of the celebrity contestants on the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, which launches next week, reportedly dropped out just hours into the experience. The news comes after the line-up was announced last week.
Fourteen celebrities were enlisted for the Channel 4 show’s latest series, which was filmed in Wales. It’s teased that the contestants will take part in “the most gruelling phase” of Special Forces selection over the eight episodes, with the upcoming series set to launch next weekend.
It’s now been reported this week that Hannah’s experience on Celebrity SAS proved to be the “final straw” before she moved abroad. It’s claimed that she quit on the first day after hoping it would “turn things around for her”.
Hannah Spearritt is said to have dropped out of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins on the first day(Image: Channel 4)
A source told the Daily Mail that Hannah had “pretty much exhausted” her connections in the industry before her move to Costa Rica. They said that she no longer speaks to her bandmates and has “shut herself off” from the industry.
They added that the “final straw” came when she took part in Celebrity SAS. The source told the outlet: “Hannah truly believed that a stint on one of the hardest and most gruelling shows could turn things around for her.”
However, it’s claimed that Hannah struggled with the experience on the reality TV show. The source said: “But sadly she just couldn’t hack it and walked on the first day.” They then concluded by saying: “It was all rather embarrassing.”
She spoke about her hopes for the show in a statement released by Channel 4 last week when the line-up was announced. She said: “I hope to take out of this experience, strength. I want to feel stronger again, mentally and physically, because there’s always improvement there.”
She took part in the Channel 4 show prior to relocating to Costa Rica(Image: hannahspearrit/Instagram)
Hannah, who has two children, added: “There are always dips that happen along the way with motherhood or whatever but I think when you just experience different stuff, it changes you. I have no idea what to expect, but I do know it will be an experience and it’s something that I will have for life.”
She said: “However the experience goes, I am going to learn about myself. Maybe I’ll find out I am a bit of a mess or I might find out that I’m stronger than I think I am … it’s finding out things about yourself that you would never, ever find out. We live in this world where it’s so easy to live in our comfort zone, so this is an opportunity to get outside of that and … for me anyway, growth and expansion is one of the most important things, and that is something that hopefully I can pass on to my kids.”
Since taking part in the show, Hannah has relocated to Costa Rica with her husband Adam Thomas and their two children. Earlier this year, she teased that she was embracing a “new beginning” after having left the UK just months prior.
She’s shared updates from her new life abroad with her family in recent months(Image: hannahspearrit/Instagram)
Hannah confirmed in January that she had arrived at her new home, writing: “Well … we finally made it to paradise. Beautiful country, beautiful people.” She’s continued to share updates since then and her bio on Instagram reads: “Prepper, survivalist and creator now living the uninhibited jungle life.”
In one of her first posts after relocating, which was shared in February, Hannah said that the area had helped her “recover from a challenging year”. She made the comment alongside photos including one of her beside her kids on a walk.
She wrote in the caption: “Morning walks down to the waterfall… trying to keep up with the little legs! I’m putting together a little reel of this magical place that has really helped me recover from a challenging year and I’ll put the link in with it so you can enjoy it too if u like.”
From August 3, the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins can be streamed or watched live every Sunday and Monday from 9pm on Channel 4.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins is back and bosses have now confirmed the full line-up, including a member of the Peru Two drugs smuggling group and Rebecca Loos
The Celeb SAS 14 include stars from music, entertainment and sport(Image: Pete Dadds / Channel 4)
Celebrities from the world of music, entertainment and sport have lined up to take part in the most gruelling phase of Special Forces selection whilst being filmed so millions of people can watch from the comfort of their sofas.
Channel 4 bosses have chosen a wide selection of stars from football, reality TV and even a woman made famous as one of the ‘Peru Two’ drug smugglers for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Michaella McCollum will line up alongside other star names like Rebecca Loos, who had a rumoured fling with David Beckham as well as former Premier League footballer Troy Deeney.
The Seventh series will see the action play out over eight one-hour episodes as the 14 celebrities are put through their paces by an elite team of ex-Special Forces soldiers – Chief Instructor Billy Billingham and his team of Directing Staff (DS) – Foxy (Jason Fox), Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver. They take the famous faces to Wales, the home of the first phase of SAS Selection, where they will be stripped of their home comforts, families, agents and social media.
This year’s course will be physically demanding and psychologically gruelling; all but a few who take part will fail, but the question is who will make it to the end and eventually pass?
Commenting on this year’s group of celebrity recruits, Chief Instructor, Billy said: “This course is not an attendance course, the bar is set high and will not waiver. Every recruit is a volunteer who chose to step into our arena. Although many will start, very few will finish and even less will pass. This is not for the weak minded or faint hearted.”
DS Foxy said: “The world is now a complex and dangerous place with threats coming from all angles. Because of that, we as a country need to be ready. We want to show these celebrity recruits what it takes to prepare for war, but do they have what it takes, far away from their privileged lives?”
DS Rudy commented: “SAS: Who Dares Wins is brutal, revealing and a testament to human perseverance. Punishing elements, relentless pace, and standards that make war fighters proud to give these recruits a hard reset to find their true self. And in that truth, an insight into the human experience for us all.”
DS Chris added: “This isn’t just about physical strength; it’s about mental resilience too. The recruits will be pushed to their limits, both individually and as a unit. Trust in each other will be our greatest asset. When the waves are high and the wind is howling, they will need to rely on the training and instincts if they are going to succeed.”
Adebayo “The Beast” Akinfenwa
The Beast getting reading to take on the SAS challenges(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 43
Famous for: Former Wycombe footballer
What they say about challenge: “I’ve asked myself time and time again – am I built for the Special Forces? One of the reasons why I’m doing this is to find out. I would like to think that, put me in most situations, most environments, I’ll be able to put my best foot forward, get out of my comfort zone, hit my responsibilities and do what I need to do! I think that’s what I want to get out of taking part on this course.”
Troy Deeney
Footballer Troy has joined the line-up(Image: Channel 4)
What they say about challenge: “I’m at a crossroads in my life, so I’m hoping the course can highlight the good and bad in me, and hopefully we’ll see at the end that the good outweighs the bad. I’m sure the DS will get me irritated very quickly but they will also know how to nurture and to reshape and probably help me along the way.”
Conor Benn
Conor admits the show will be very different to his day job(Image: Getty Images for AELTC)
What he says about the challenge: “Although boxing is hard, I feel like this is going to be a completely different challenge, and I always want to challenge myself. I just want to see and experience the toughness and the grittiness you need to pass this course.”
Louie Spence
Louie is hoping to challenge himself
Age: 56
Famous for: Dancer, choreographer and television presenter
What they say about challenge: “This course I hope can walk away feeling I’ve actually really achieved something here, that I’ve really pushed myself to the edge of my boundaries and put myself in a position which is beyond something I could have even imagined a year ago. This is a course that is really going to challenge me. This is different to anything I’ve ever been part of before. There’s no fluff, there’s no glitter, there’s no getting myself out of a situation with a quick bit of wit. It’s really refreshing for me to do something like this…and, hopefully, come out a much better person, both physically and mentally.”
Tasha Ghouri
The Love Island star is ‘excited’(Image: PA)
Age: 26
Famous for: TV star
What Tasha says about challenge: “I’m very excited to actually take on the course and just go for it, push myself and really challenge myself. But I also want to show people that having a disability makes you no less able – we can also push ourselves, and do crazy challenges if we put our mind to it.
“I really want to be able to actually walk away from the course feeling like I’ve accomplished what I wanted to do and I want to look back and think, wow, I did that, I’m proud of myself. I’ll be doing this for the people who have doubted me. I want prove to them that they can’t bring me down. I can fight my way to the end.”
Harry Clark
Former military man Harry was inspired by the SAS(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 24
Famous for: Winner of season two of Traitors
What they say about challenge: “Growing up, I’d watch people close to me be in the SAS, which always inspired me. This show was a different experience to what I had imagined but I always love a challenge and it proves you’re always learning new things about yourself.”
Hannah Spearritt
Singer Hannah wants to gain ‘strength’ from her experience
Age: 44
Famous for: S Club 7 star
What they say about challenge: “I hope to take out of this experience, strength. I want to feel stronger again, mentally and physically, because there’s always improvement there. There are always dips that happen along the way with motherhood or whatever but I think when you just experience different stuff, it changes you. I have no idea what to expect, but I do know it will be an experience and it’s something that I will have for life.
“However the experience goes, I am going to learn about myself. Maybe I’ll find out I am a bit of a mess or I might find out that I’m stronger than I think I am…it’s finding out things about yourself that you would never, ever find out. We live in this world where it’s so easy to live in our comfort zone, so this is an opportunity to get outside of that and…for me anyway, growth and expansion is one of the most important things, and that is something that hopefully I can pass on to my kids.”
Rebecca Loos
The show represents a TV comeback for Rebecca who did reality show The Farm in 2004(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 48
Famous for: Yoga teacher who had a rumoured fling with David Beckham
What they say about challenge: “I honestly don’t know whether I am mentally strong enough but one of the reasons I want to do this course is because I want to find out whether I’m able to stick it through mentally. I think it’s going to be really, really tough. This is by far the toughest thing I’ve ever done. But I want to do this course because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to do an SAS training course. It’s going to be really interesting to see how far I can go and how strong I’m able to keep myself.”
Bimini
Bimini is hoping to prove they can do anything(Image: Channel 4)
Age:
Famous for: Drag queen and DJ
What they say about challenge: “I want to do this just to prove to myself that I’m capable of anything I put my mind to. I want to prove to myself that I can do it. No glam, no red carpets, no magazine covers. This is literally just going to be me to my core and I am excited about it but I don’t think the course is ready for Bimini.
“People in the UK love to debate gender like it’s a concept, not a lived experience. It gets reduced to headlines and toilet talk. I’m doing this to remind them that behind every opinion is a human being. The course, the SAS and the Army have got a very masculine stereotype and I’ve got both elements of masculine and feminine and that’s my superpower. Vulnerable, raw, and stronger than ever. This bleached rat tail is gonna f**k it up!”
Michaella McCollum
Michaella McCollum was one of the Peru Two(Image: Pete Dadds / Channel 4)
Age: 31
Famous for: One of the Peru Two drug mules
What they say about challenge: “The level of resilience I learned from being in prison in Peru and knowing how important that mindset is, will definitely help get me through the course, so I’m going to need to use my mental strength to help me along the way. In Peru, I was completely stripped back to the rawest version of myself…and I know in this course, it will have a similar effect. I will get to see the real me again and I want to challenge myself to see how capable I am. I don’t know if I’m physically fit enough to complete the course but I have good mental strength.”
What they say about challenge: “I hope I have the mental grit to get to the end of the course. I have been through quite a lot in my life, and I’ve done a lot of work to navigate what that left behind, and I really hope that I can apply it to the course, and make it all the way to the end.
“I’ve always wanted to do this course, and what I love about this course is the sheer pressure it puts on a human being, that you will just not get anywhere else in life. And I’ve had pressure, I’ve had so many forms of pressure, nothing like this, so I really just genuinely want to see how far my brain can go.”
Adam admits he loves a challenge(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 29
Famous for: Fitness coach and Love Islander
What they say about challenge: “Hopefully during the course, the DS will peel back a few layers because I’m stubborn as hell. And maybe I need to be broken down to then go and sort some stuff out.
“I’m doing it for the little boy who hated himself and couldn’t do anything and was the last to get picked in everything. And from an emotional point of view, I’m hoping that this spits out a better person.
“I love a challenge. And I really think this course is exactly what I want to really tap into my fitness, the mental strength, the resilience, and see if I’ve got the grit to finish and go all the way.”
Lady Leshurr
Lady Leshurr hopes to feel empowered(Image: Channel 4)
Age: 37
Famous for: Rapper
What they say about challenge: “I think this course is not only going to make me become the best version of myself, but it’s going to make me the strongest I’ve ever been. It’s going to make me realise so much about myself that I’ve kept in. It’s going to push, motivate and inspire me. It’s really going to make or break me. But regardless, it’s going to teach me a lesson about myself that I can definitely work on.”
“Doing this course is going to make me regain my strength, my understanding, who I am as a person and just unpack all the trauma that is on my chest…I’m hoping to leave this course feeling empowered, feeling the strongest I’ve ever felt, a beast. I want to walk into the gym the next day, like I own this place.”
Chloe Burrows
Chloe learnt a lot about herself(Image: Channel 4)
What they say about challenge: “On SAS: Who Dares Wins , everything is completely stripped back. You have absolutely nothing. And I want the course to kind of remind me of that, because I’ve got a bit lost in myself and the industry. I want to feel a little bit grounded. I want to get a sense of it. I want to push myself, and I want to get a sense of achievement. I want to feel proud of myself for whatever I put into it.
“I think the course is going to give me a bit of confidence. If I even achieve half of the course, then I can walk out and be like, yeah, guess what? I did that on my own. No makeup, no hot shower. I’m very capable…I would love to come out and just feel really pleased with myself and really confident in myself. I want to feel like I’ve tried my absolute hardest and that I had nothing left in the tank…I don’t want to leave half-heartedly. If I leave, it’s because I physically cannot do anymore, which is fair, but I just want to know that I’ve tried my hardest.”
* Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins can be streamed or watched live every Sunday and Monday from 9pm on Channel 4, starting on 3 August.
