Gareth Gates has spoken out about his brief relationship with Katie Price, revealing how 'shocked' he was when she publicly disclosed intimate details. The singer, now 41, was just 17 when he rose to fame as runner-up on the first series of Pop Idol in early 2002. Shortly after, he had a short-lived romance with Katie, then known as Jordan, one of Britain's top models.
Gareth Gates Reflects on Past Relationship
Katie Price, 47, currently involved in the mystery surrounding her missing husband Lee Andrews, previously claimed she took Gareth's virginity. More than two decades later, Gareth admitted he would 'never' have made such a public statement about someone regarding something so private. Speaking on the Great Company with Jamie Laing podcast, he said: 'I haven't ever spoken about relationships. I believe that relationships are between two people and I couldn't believe that somebody else was selling stories about very, very intimate details. I was shocked. But I learned a lot about the industry, and trust. I would never have done that to her or anybody else. It was a real learning curve for me.'
Lessons Learned in Showbiz
Gareth, who has daughter Missy, 17, with ex-wife Suzanne Mole, was previously engaged to former Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes but now dates West End star Allana Taylor. He insisted Katie is a 'lovely girl' but had to quickly learn how to navigate trust early in his showbiz career. He told Jamie Laing: 'It was a shame because she's a really, really lovely girl but I couldn't believe that somebody could do that. I became very wary of trusting people after that because that was such a big thing, on a massive, massive scale. It was everywhere. It became the main thing that everyone wanted to know about. It was a shame I had to talk about it when I just wanted to be an artist. That was tough. It made me extremely wary.'
The star, who enjoyed hits like 'Anyone Of Us' and 'Unchained Melody' before a successful musical theatre career, reflected on the situation, concluding he was 'so young' when everything with Katie developed. He said: 'You become very careful about what you text people, what you say to people, and if you're a single man, I was a boy at the time - I wasn't even an adult - you become very wary about what you say to people because you're thinking "They could sell this." It was tough times, I was so young. This all happened before I was 18 even.'
Katie Price's Past Defense
Katie has previously defended the infamous fling, which occurred when she was pregnant. On the Anything Goes with James English podcast, she said: 'Yeah I took his virginity when I was six months pregnant.' When James shook her head, Katie added: 'Well you're asking me! What you looking at? Just because I was pregnant don't say I can't have a boyfriend.'
