TV & Showbiz Features

HE gave up a promising career to become part of one of Britain’s biggest boybands – now JJ Hamblett is heading back to where it all started at 16.

The Union J star, 38, exclusively tells The Sun how he’s making a remarkable return to his first love, 15 years after he made it in the pop business – and reveals he will soon be back on stage with his former bandmates too in a hugely anticipated reunion.

JJ, who shot to fame with Union J after appearing on The X Factor in 2012, is returning to his roots as a champion jockey and has signed up for the Legends Race at Doncaster next month, where he’s set to go head-to-head with racing royalty, including Frankie Dettori.

And in the same breath, he’s revealed Union J are planning to mark their 15th anniversary next year with either a one-off show or a full tour – teasing a previously unreleased song that could finally see the group back in the studio.

Union J – completed by Jaymi Hensley Josh Cuthbert and George Shelley – went on to become one of the best-known bands to emerge from The X Factor, scoring hits including Carry You and Beautiful Life before eventually going their separate ways. JJ insists the four remain close.

He said: “We’re all kind of doing our separate things at the moment, but we always keep in touch. 

“They’re going to be brothers for life, and I know that sounds really corny, but without each other, and the success of Union J, we might not have had the opportunities we’ve had outside of the band.”

And fans may not have to wait much longer to see the boys back together. JJ revealed the group are already discussing plans for their 15th anniversary, with a tour his preferred option.

He said: “We did the London Palladium on the 10-year anniversary, which was such a pinch-me moment. 

“Next year we’re planning to do a tour or a one-off show. We haven’t decided yet, but I’m hoping it’s a tour, so it gives fans around the country the opportunity to get there. And hopefully festivals next year as well.”

And there’s even more exciting news for Union J fans – JJ teased that the group already have the perfect comeback song sitting in the vault, coming perilously close to giving away the title before catching himself.

He revealed: “There is one song. I can’t say what it is, but we were thinking about releasing it on the second album, and we didn’t. It fits lyrically so perfectly for us wanting to still do the band and missing being on stage together.”

He then began, “Will we [the band] ever…” before stopping himself and saying, “I can’t say the next two words, because if I say the next two words, sh**, it tells you the song. But it’s just a song that really fits us as a band, and us getting back together. I’m hoping we’re going to release that single.”

Before becoming a household name, JJ was a serious apprentice jockey in Newmarket, riding more than 250 times and even counting the late Queen among the famous names he rode for. Now, after around 15 years away from competitive riding, he’s caught the bug all over again.

He explained: “About seven or eight years ago, they asked me to do it, and obviously with the band, we were quite busy, and I just knew it wasn’t the right time.

“But then recently, in January, I moved back to Newmarket, which is the centre of racing. I thought about it, and I was like, ‘You know what? I’d love to give it another go, just race one final time.’”

His body, however, is not quite as enthusiastic about the comeback as he is. JJ has been riding out for top trainers John and Thady Gosden, and admits his first few days back in the saddle left him feeling every one of the years since his last race.

He said: “The first day, I thought they’ll put me on a trotter. And then they were like, ‘You’re going to canter up Warren Hill,’ which is a steep hill. And the next day, I was like an OAP. I couldn’t move.”

His partner, former champion jockey Hayley Turner, has been helping him prepare, while he’s been riding several days a week and hitting the gym.

But a fitness test with jockey Billy Loughnane proved just how much work he had ahead of him.

He admitted: “I was put through a fitness test with Billy Loughnane, who’s had an incredible season so far. And I was sick. I literally couldn’t do it. I was really, really struggling.”

JJ will find out whether the training has paid off at Doncaster on September 11, for the charity showpiece of the St Leger Festival, riding in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund alongside his friend Frankie Dettori.

He said: “It’ll just be phenomenal. All the jockeys riding in it are great. And just to be able to be beside them and racing against them is something I never thought I’d be able to do again.”

The significance isn’t lost on JJ either – Doncaster is where his racing story began, when he was just 16.

He recalled: “Doncaster was the very first racecourse I rode at as a jockey. That was 23 years ago. I remember going up there with my dad, listening to Enigma blasting out, trying to get myself motivated for the ride. I felt fit, I was young, and I couldn’t feel my legs after. I literally fell off the horse. Now I’m 38, and they’re gonna be a lot worse.”

JJ never regretted leaving racing behind, though. He’d been struggling with the demands of keeping his weight down as a jockey and had always dreamed of singing and acting.

He explained: “I got to the point where I was struggling with my weight, and it became quite difficult for me. I’ve always loved singing and acting, and then just before the X Factor, I was riding out there in the mornings and I thought to myself, right, I want to give that a go. And we were very fortunate to have the success we did.”

Returning to racing has also reminded JJ how closely his two worlds have always been connected. Newmarket is a small community, and he remembers the Gosden yard watching Union J on The X Factor while he was still part of their world.

He added: “It’s so lovely that people are still asking me about the band, bringing up memories of watching us and following our journey.”

And JJ believes one thing links his two careers perfectly – the adrenaline.

He explained: “When jockeys stop race riding, they search for adrenaline. I was very fortunate to have that, you know – when we had a single out, or getting on stage at Wembley Stadium, it was just that adrenaline feel.”

His choice of pre-race music, though, has moved on rather a lot from his boyband days.

He said: “I’m really loving Sam Fender. And Fleetwood Mac, my favourite band – I’ll be listening to probably a Fleetwood Mac album on the way up there. And I’ll be, in the final furlong, singing Union J, going past the winning post first.”

And JJ is under no illusion he’ll be there simply to make up the numbers – the competitive instinct, he says, never really leaves a jockey.

He said: “Everyone in it is competitive – that’s the reason jockeys do what they do. The outcome you want is to be able to win it.”

But the race is ultimately about far more than JJ’s own comeback. The Legends meeting raises money for the Injured Jockeys Fund, a cause close to his heart after training at its facilities.

He said: “The main reason I’m taking part is to really push what they do out there. It’s an incredible charity for jockeys, retired and current, and I’ve looked at the setup they have and it’s amazing.”

With his racing comeback and Union J reunion both now on the horizon, JJ says he feels lucky to get a second shot at both passions that shaped his life.

He said: “I’ve always missed horse racing, and I’m just very, very happy and fortunate and lucky to have that chance again, to do it one final time.

“Thank you to the Union J fans – we wouldn’t be able to even think about doing the 15th anniversary without that continuous support over 15 years, and we’re gonna be putting on the biggest, best show or tour for you next year. So watch out.”

The Leger Legends Race will be available to stream on ITV on September 11th.

THE devastating reality of raising twins with a life-limiting condition has taking a huge toll on Jesy Nelson. But now she has revealed a secret strategy which she has kept from fans, that is helping her cope.

The former Little Mix star opened up about how she’s dealing with her twins’ health taking a turn for the worse – admitting it’s “got her through” her lowest of times since her one-year-olds Ocean Jade and Story Monroe were diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1.

Last month The Sun told how, at the girls’ most recent three-month review at St Ormond Street’s Children’s Hospital, doctors warned they are not responding to treatment the way they had hoped.

It came days after she said she “can’t stop crying” over her “bittersweet” victory to change Government policy to test all babies in England with SMA – knowing it came too late for her twin daughters.

Now Jesy says she is using the devastating death of her friend’s child to combat fears she’ll be “heartbroken every day for the rest of her life” – after admitting she’s struggling to cope with her daughters’ prospects.

The 35-year-old told The Sun in an emotional interview: “One thing I constantly remind myself – and I think about it every single time I go to Great Ormond Street – is that there are always people worse off than you.

“I’ve got someone really close to me who lost their little girl and the pain that I feel for her every day…

“She would give anything to have her little girl back, whether she had what the twins have or whatever.

“I have to remind myself that, yes, I’m in this situation and it’s f***ing hard, it’s heartbreaking, but it could be worse.

“I just have to be grateful that my girls are still here and they are happy and I still get to see them every day.

“That is what gets me through. Genuinely, that is what I have to just remind myself every day.”

Jesy’s fight to add screening for spinal muscular atrophy to the NHS newborn blood spot test featured in her new Prime Video documentary, Jesy Nelson: Life Changing.

Every year 50 babies born with the condition will now find out they carry the genetic condition at birth. It means they can be given treatment before nerves and muscles are damaged beyond repair.

During the 60-minute programme, Jesy broke down in tears over the guilt she carries and worries her children will blame her, when they’re older, for not spotting the signs sooner.

The late diagnosis means the girls will most likely never be able to walk and will have problems breathing, eating and drinking on their own.

Jesy said it was a “tough pill to swallow” and she struggles to accept the diagnosis.

“I constantly battle between manifesting they’re going to defy the odds and trying to come to accept that that may not happen.

“It’s a really weird position to be in because you you think ‘well, if that doesn’t happen, am I just going to feel heartbroken for the rest of my life?’

“Then you worry, if I accept it, am I also manifesting that?”

She added: “Another friend of mine whose friend lost a child gave me advice, which I thought was really poignant.

“Basically he said, ‘you can’t live your life feeling heartbroken if it doesn’t happen’.

“He pointed out ‘you’re never going to enjoy the special moments with your girls because you’re constantly going to be thinking, ‘but I want this and I wish this had happened.’

“I’ve really tried to make peace with that. It’s a constant mind battle.”

Jesy now has to face both twins needing further operations – as well as Story being diagnosed with scoliosis, the abnormal curvature of the spine in an S-shape.

After recent test results, she told us: “Unfortunately, some of the numbers have gone down. We had a long discussion and there’s a possibility they may have to go back on treatment, which is just heartbreaking.”

The girls – who are on feeding tubes – will both undergo an op soon to repair trauma to their nose and throat.

Doctors will find an alternative way to feed the girls to avoid further damage.

Meanwhile Story will have to have an operation every six months because of her scoliosis.

“It’s never-ending,” added Jesy.

Asked how she copes on her toughest days, Jesy said: “I don’t really get a lot of time where I get to be by myself, but I think music is one of the biggest forms of therapy.

“So if I have to go to the shops, and my mum is obviously looking after the girls, I’ll get in my car and that’s one of my favourite times because I can blare out my music, which I never get to do.

“It’s the best and I just find it so therapeutic.”

A phased rollout to enforce SMA screening in England will begin in October 2026, but Jesy’s fight doesn’t end there.

She is continuing to raise awareness of the condition because the screening won’t be available in other parts of the UK.

“I hope as many people as possible see the documentary because I wanted to raise as much awareness as I could about it and the signs to look out for”, added Jesy.

“As amazing as the rollout is, Northern Ireland and Wales are still not part of the heel-prick test, meaning many babies will still be undiagnosed and not treated in time.

“I’m just praying that if they watch this documentary, they will spot the signs early enough, take them to the doctor and get them treatment.”

• Jesy Nelson: Life Changing is available exclusively on Prime Video.

MOST young mothers cannot fathom the agony of losing custody of their babies, but for British model Lucia Bartoli, an unimaginable nightmare has taken a dark and twisted turn after a ‘social media ban’.

The 30-year-old Luton-born mum has spent the last year fighting a desperate, David-and-Goliath legal battle against her ex-boyfriend, the £700million German fashion designer Philipp Plein.

Now, in a devastating new blow, Lucia has been silenced after a bizarre move wiped her only lifeline – her Instagram account – off the internet, leaving her isolated and on the brink of homelessness in a foreign country.

Her devoted fans have expressed concern about her internet disappearance.

With celebrity supporters such as actress Alice Evans posting: “Lucia you are SO STRONG. No mother should have to go through this. We are all here for you. Don’t break. We have a collective voice and we can speak for you.. Silence is violence.”

Since her bitter split from Philipp in 2023, Lucia had bravely used her Instagram account to document the destruction of her family and rally support from more than 300,000 followers.

The platform became a crucial tool, helping her raise over £50,000 through GoFundMe to pay her mounting legal bills in her fight to be reunited with her two young sons.

But days after a crushing blow was dealt on June 30, when her Instagram profile appeared to have disappeared.

Friends of the model claim the account was abruptly suspended after five of her own personal family posts, dating back to 2019, 2023, and 2024, were hit by copyright claims.

It is not known who is reporting the young mum’s social media accounts.

A friend of the distraught mother told The Sun: “Lucia is devastated. She is alone in Switzerland and, she has a few good friends there but her main support network is either at home in the UK or online. Losing the account has therefore been a huge blow.”

The digital wipeout has left the young mother feeling completely bewildered and targeted.

Her pal continued: “This came out of nowhere, and Lucia is very confused as to why old content that had been online for years was suddenly flagged for copyright.

“She is desperate to get the account back and has been following all the official steps to try and appeal.”

Lucia’s erasure from the internet has even followed her to other apps, according to pals, who say she has had difficulty posting on TikTok.

The timing of this high-tech silencing campaign could not be worse for the desperate mother.

Lucia was recently evicted from an apartment owned by her billionaire ex and is now rapidly running out of funds.

She has been living in a temporary Airbnb in Lugano, Switzerland, to stay near the jurisdiction where her children reside, but that lifeline is about to be cut.

Revealing the terrifying reality of her living situation, her friend said: “Lucia won’t be able to afford to live in Switzerland for much longer.

“Right now, she is living in a temporary Airbnb where the booking runs out in the next 10 days and she is unable to fund another place with ongoing legal costs.

“She is financially dependent on strangers’ kind donations through her GoFundMe, and she is worried that she may have to fly back to the UK.”

Without her Instagram platform to share her story, those vital donations are at risk of drying up completely, threatening to physically separate her from her boys while her ex pushes ahead with an application to permanently relocate the children to the United States.

At the heart of this digital warfare is a very human tragedy: a mother fighting simply to see her children.

The estranged couple faced each other in court in Lugano, Switzerland again in June for a new hearing, but no settlement was reached.

Consequently, matters relating to custody and residency of the children remain undecided, and Lucia’s court-ordered custody arrangement has not changed.

She continues to endure the pain of having absolutely no visitation or contact with her eldest child – a heartbreaking reality she has faced for nearly a year.

While her contact with her youngest child remains restricted.

The emotional toll of fighting on multiple fronts is becoming unbearable. Her friend admitted: “Dealing with her account suspension, on top of preparing for the next stage of her custody battle, has been exhausting for Lucia, and it has been almost impossible for her to stay positive.”

Philipp, 48, who is dubbed the “King of Bling” for his jewel-encrusted and extravagant designs, won temporary full-time custody last year.

While Lucia battles to restore her Instagram account and faces the very real prospect of homelessness, Philipp has previously maintained that he never wanted the legal fight.

In a prior statement to The Sun, a spokesman for the designer: “Mr Plein always believed, with pure heart and total integrity, in the Swiss judicial system and defended his rights and those of his children in procedures that were not started by him, that he did not want and that he tried everything he could to avoid and prevent.

“He is now facing the big challenge of protecting his children, himself, his family and his business.

“He will continue this fight to achieve respect and protection for his children.”

For Lucia, however, the fight is simply about survival and a mother’s desperate hope to hold her children again.

But with her funds drying up, her legal options narrowing, and her voice systematically erased online, the odds against this British mum have never looked so terrifyingly steep.