Samuel Preston, the frontman of the indie band The Ordinary Boys, has undergone a transformation so complete that fans from the group's 2000s heyday would struggle to recognise him. The 43-year-old musician, who famously used just his surname, has swapped his signature mod style for bleached hair and grandad jumpers, marking a stark contrast to his former image.
A Comeback and a New Look
This striking change comes as Preston announced the return of The Ordinary Boys. Following the release of their comeback single, 'Christmas Starts Tonight', a collaboration with pop star Olly Murs, Preston addressed fans directly via the band's official Instagram. In a video shared last week, he declared the band's return and outlined plans for 2026, including festival slots and new records.
The pairing with Olly Murs may seem unexpected, but Preston has a history with the singer, having co-written Murs's 2011 chart hit 'Heart Skips A Beat'. The new single signals a fresh chapter for the band, which first burst onto the scene in 2004 and hasn't released music in a decade.
From Indie Stages to Reality TV Fame
Despite The Ordinary Boys' solid indie following, Preston pursued mainstream fame by entering the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2006. He finished fifth, but the show's impact was life-changing. It was there he met fellow contestant Chantelle Houghton; the couple married just seven months later.
Their relationship, however, was short-lived, ending after 10 months, though the pair reportedly remained friends. Preston later reflected that their intense bonding experience in the Big Brother house ultimately doomed the relationship, comparing it to a shared trauma.
His reality TV fame led to a notorious 2007 appearance on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, where host Simon Amstell read excerpts from Chantelle's autobiography. A furious Preston stormed off the set, later branding Amstell a 'snotty little posh boy'.
A Harrowing Parallel and a Sobering Reflection
Earlier this year, Preston gave a poignant interview to Rolling Stone magazine, drawing a chilling parallel between his own near-fatal accident and the death of his friend, former One Direction star Liam Payne.
In September 2017, Preston was hospitalised after falling from a second-floor balcony while drunk in Denmark. He suffered catastrophic injuries, including a leg broken in four places, a shattered pelvis, and a punctured lung. He publicly vowed to 'go sober' for the next 30 years.
Preston, who had written music for Payne, described the circumstances of Liam's death in October 2024—a fall from a hotel balcony in Palermo—as 'f**king insanely, eerily similar' to his own experience. He spoke of their shared struggles with addiction and the anguish he could see in his late friend.
As The Ordinary Boys gear up for their return, Preston's journey—from indie icon to reality star, and through personal trauma to a sobering new perspective—paints the picture of a star who has lived several lives in the public eye, now re-emerging with a wholly transformed image and purpose.
