George Shelley (singer)
| George Shelley | |
|---|---|
_2015.jpg) Shelley performing in September 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | George Paul Shelley |
| Born |
27 July 1993 Clevedon, North Somerset, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
George Paul Shelley (born 27 July 1993) is an English singer, songwriter, television and radio presenter and actor. He is best known as a former member of the boy band Union J.
In 2015, he competed in the fifteenth series of the ITV reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and finished as a runner-up to Vicky Pattison. He co-presented The Capital Breakfast Show alongside Dave Berry and Lilah Parsons. He also appeared on BBC show Murder in Successville as a sidekick.
Early life
Shelley was born to parents Dominic Shelley and Toni Harris in Clevedon, North Somerset.[1] He attended Kings of Wessex Academy in Cheddar before graduating from Weston College in 2011.[2][3]
Career
Union J
In 2012, Shelley was part of British band Only the Young, but left the band to audition for the ninth series of The X Factor as a solo artist singing "Toxic" and was eliminated during the bootcamp stage, as were boy band Triple J. However, due to Rough Copy having to withdraw from the show, an extra spot was opened up in Louis Walsh's category for judges' houses. Triple J's manager, Blair Dreelan, was contacted by The X Factor producers with an offer for the group to return, on the basis that Shelley was added to the three-piece. All parties accepted the offer and the band – now a four-piece – became Union J and advanced to judges' houses alongside fellow recalled group Times Red.[4] Union J went on to progress to the live shows and finished fourth, behind Christopher Maloney, Jahméne Douglas and eventual winner James Arthur.
On 3 March 2016, Shelley left the band so he could focus on his acting and broadcasting career.[5]
TV and Radio
Shelley signed to MN2S agency in 2015,[6] but left for Coalition Talent where he is represented by agent Vinesh Patel for his live work[7] and Ashley Vallance at Cole Kitchenn for management. In 2016, George joined the radio station The Capital Breakfast Show as a regular presenter alongside broadcaster Lilah Parsons and Dave Berry. In early 2016, George hosted the Brits Red Carpet live show alongside Lilah Parsons,[8] and E!'s Golden Globes coverage alongside Sarah-Jane Crawford.[9]
In April 2017, it was reported that Shelley had left Capital Breakfast, along with Dave Berry and Lilah Parsons. However, a spokesman confirmed that Shelley and Parsons were "in talks to work elsewhere on the network".
Acting
In July 2016, Shelley made his acting debut by guest-starring in an episode of the British sitcom series Murder in Successville in series 2, episode 4 as Sidekick.[10]
After Union J and Originals
Shelley is working on solo music to release. Shelley announced that he would be releasing his debut EP in 2016 and would be releasing a series of music videos along with it. The lead single from the EP "360" was released on 20 November 2016.
He is also modelling and released a calendar in 2017.
The X Factor - Return
Shelley returned to the fourteenth series of The X Factor UK on Saturday 2 December 2017 and Sunday 3 December 2017, where he co-presented alongside Stacey Solomon where he interviewed the fourteenth series finalists parents, families, relatives and friends at the live finals from the ExCeL London on things such as how they feel about their finalist who is competing in the competition and wishing their finalist who is competing 'good luck'. The interview is to give the audience a sense of what kind of support the finalists have behind them. Shelley and Solomon were co-presenters for this purpose of interviewing only, the main presenter is Dermot O'Leary.
Personal life
On 3 February 2016, in response to rumours regarding his sexuality, Shelley uploaded a video to YouTube. In it, he stated that he is attracted to both men and women. However he also stated that he does not want to be labelled as bisexual: "I've had girlfriends that I've loved and they've been amazing periods of my life. But I've also had boyfriends. And I just want you to know that whether I decide to be with a girl next or a guy next, it's because I love them and it shouldn't be a big deal."[11]
On 12 April 2017, George confirmed via Instagram that he had been in a relationship with male model Matthew Holehouse since late 2016. However, they broke up later in the year.
Shelley's sister Harriet died after being injured in a car accident in 2017.[12]
In July 2018, upon the release of his debut single “Technicolour”, the singer came out as gay. In an exclusive interview for Celebmix.com, he said: “I was scared for a long time, terrified of coming out. But when I did everyone was just like ‘yeah’.[13]
Discography
EPs
Originals (2016)
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
SCO |
IRE | |||
| "360" | 2016 | – | – | – | Originals |
| "Soldier" | – | – | – | ||
| "Scars" | – | – | – | ||
| "Make it Better" | – | – | – | ||
| "Poltergeist" | – | – | – | ||
| "Prove Me Wrong" | – | – | – | ||
| "Technicolour" | 2018 | – | – | – | TBA |
Filmography
- Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The X Factor | Contestant | Series 9 |
| 2015 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | Contestant | Series 15 |
| 2016 | Murder in Successville | Sidekick | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Benidorm | Giles | Series 9 Episode 4 |
| 2017 | The X Factor | Final Co-Host | Series 14 |
References
- ↑ "Please mum, no! X Factor heart-throb George Shelley plays in pyjamas as a toddler after mum releases family album". SWNS.com. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ↑ "X Factor heart-throb George Shelley back on TV with Union J bandmates". Bristol Post. 28 July 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ↑ "Students root for George as Union J storm the X-Factor". Weston College. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ↑ "The X Factor: 24 become 25 as two groups replace Rough Copy". Metro. DMG Media. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ↑ Welsh, Daniel (4 March 2016). "Union J Backtrack After George Shelley's Exit: 'It's A Sad Day That's Been Blown Out Of Proportion'". The Huffington Post.
- ↑ "New Signing: George Shelley". www.mn2s.com. 8 December 2015.
- ↑ "New Signing Coalition: George Shelley". www.coalitiontalent.com. 6 Jun 2016.
- ↑ "Lilah Parsons and George Shelley Announced as the Red Carpet Live hosts!". Brit Awards. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ↑ Head, Caroline (9 January 2016). "Get Ready To Party E! Red Carpet Style And Give Your Opinion On Celebrity Fashion!". E! Online. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ↑ "Murder in Successville: George Shelley swaps the Jungle for the streets - but can he solve Ed Sheeran's murder?". Digital Spy. Hearst (media). 13 June 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ↑ "Union J member George Shelley comes out as bisexual in YouTube video". Newsbeat. BBC Online. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ↑ http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/union-j-star-george-shelleys-13643348
- ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: George Shelley Talks New Single 'Technicolour', Coming Out, and Dealing With Grief". CelebMix. 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
