Former Hear'Say star and actress Kym Marsh has spoken candidly about the lasting impact of being publicly body-shamed on national television over two decades ago.
The Humiliating Popstars Moment
In a new interview, the 49-year-old reflected on the notorious 2001 incident during the formation of the band Hear'Say on the ITV talent show Popstars. A clip recently resurfaced showing judge Nigel Lythgoe – infamously known as 'Nasty Nigel' – instructing her to lose weight in front of millions of viewers.
Speaking to Prima magazine, Marsh stated she feels fortunate for the career launch the pioneering show provided. However, she admitted the experience left her feeling deeply wounded at the time. 'I felt humiliated and ashamed, and insecure about myself,' she confessed.
'There were so many things that happened at that time that you’d never get away with today,' Marsh said. 'There’s that famous scene where Nigel Lythgoe called me fat. I’ve never been anywhere near massively overweight, but even if I was, how dare you?'
A Painful Legacy for Hear'Say
The distressing exchange occurred after Marsh successfully won a place in the band alongside Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw, Noel Sullivan, and Danny Foster. In the clip, Lythgoe quizzed her on her diet and fitness, leading Marsh to ask, 'Do you think I'm fat?'
His reply was to suggest she had 'put weight on over Christmas' and to question her exercise and diet regime. Marsh revealed the comment made her feel like an object rather than a talented performer chosen for the group. 'I was chosen to be in Hear’Say because of my talent but then hearing a comment like that made me feel like an object, an item, not a human being,' she explained.
Her bandmate Myleene Klass recently echoed these sentiments, telling Loose Women that their management would 'control how much we were eating' for fear they would gain weight. Hear'Say, formed on the show, scored a number one with 'Pure and Simple' but split in October 2002, citing public abuse as a key reason.
Looking Forward to 50 and Family Life
Elsewhere in the interview, Marsh, who turns 50 in June, discussed embracing her milestone birthday and her joy at being a grandmother. 'I’m not horrified about turning 50. Isn’t 50 the new 40?' she said enthusiastically. She plans to celebrate every month of the year and has 'no plans' to mark the occasion quietly, including a holiday with a friend.
Marsh, whose grandchildren call her 'Ya Ya', became a grandmother for the first time at 42. Her family recently grew as her daughter, Emilie Cunliffe, 28, welcomed a baby boy named Bobby on Christmas Day – Marsh's fourth grandchild.
'I’ve told friends... that it’s like you have all the love you have for your children, then an added extra on top,' she gushed about grandparenthood. 'It’s like having a king-size Mars bar – it’s the best.'
Her son David is father to two-year-old Clayton, while Emilie is mother to Teddy, six, step-daughter Polly, nine, and newborn Bobby.
The full interview with Kym Marsh is featured in the February issue of Prima, on sale from Tuesday 30th December.
