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ONE MORE SHOT
JLS 2020 reunion tour confirmed as star Oritse Williams vows to put rape trial hell behind him
IT’S been seven years since JLS decided to hang up their microphones after becoming one of the biggest pop acts of a generation.
Since then the four-piece have enjoyed an extraordinary range of highs and lows — from successful careers as TV presenters, Strictly Come Dancing and even becoming a farmer, to the nightmare of a rape allegation and trial which saw Oritse Williams cleared after three years.
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But throughout his ordeal the four lads — who sold ten million records and landed five No1s — have remained tight.
JB Gill exclusively revealed to The Sun Online earlier this week that talks to reform the band were finally going ahead.
Speaking at the Paddington premiere, he said: “We are all very much in touch, we’re still brothers. We met up recently, a few weeks back, and we’ve always said when the time’s right we could do something. So a reunion... never say never.”
Today, they reveal how they proudly supported their pal through his darkest days before agreeing to a comeback which has been four years in the making.
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Singer Marvin Humes says: “I always wanted us to do it again, and I remember starting conversations about four years ago.
“We were at a mutual friend’s house and Aston (Merrygold) and JB (Gill) were both there, and I thought, ‘Right, it’s a good time to try to get the conversation going’.
“They were both up for it and then I took Oritse on a little date to a sushi restaurant and I put my arm around him. But it must have been bad sushi, because he said, ‘No way’.
“Then last summer, we were on holiday together. The wives have gone to bed, we’d be drinking and talking about doing stuff together again.
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“The last time we got together we just thought, ‘It kind of feels like it’s time now’. It’s not about money, it’s the right thing to do.
“This is about nostalgia, celebrating what we did and what we had together, and giving the fans what they’ve been asking for.”
For three years all hopes of a comeback were dashed as Oritse battled to clear his name following rape allegations after a boozy night out in 2016.
He was charged two years later and, last year, faced a nine-day trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, where a jury acquitted him in just two hours.
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The episode marked the darkest period of his life but he says the support of his bandmates was pivotal in holding it together.
Oritse tells me: “The past is behind me and this is a beautiful new chapter. The future is bright again.
“Being back with my brothers is the most amazing thing. They’ve been incredibly supportive over the past few years and now I feel like I’m back home.
"They really put their arms around me and we’re inspired for this new phase.
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"I’m blessed to have them — we’re brothers through thick and thin, the best and the hardest times.
“That’s when you know who the people are that truly love and support you.
“The worst part was that being in the public eye means my personal life is out there for all to see. It’s the worst thing about fame.”
Oritse now hopes his return will help and inspire others who face a similar ordeal.
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He says: “For me it’s about if anyone can take anything from what I’ve been through that might be inspirational for them.
“I’ve had the darkest days, but I want people to say, ‘You know what, no matter how dark your days may get or how much adversity you may face, you can rise above it and in the end they can overcome all obstacles’.”
Bandmate JB also told of how the group shared their pal’s trauma, and felt the impact of the allegations as a group.
He says: “It was so difficult to watch a friend go through something like that because of course it doesn’t just affect Oritse, it affects everyone around him.
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“His family, us, and obviously in our position we felt helpless because it was a burden he had to bear himself.
“But it’s amazing to be able to support him through that, and then to be able to have this opportunity for him to rebuild his life. It’s amazing and it’s something that we are incredibly proud of.
“We all learned lessons through that. I mean, if I put myself in that situation, I can’t believe how he’s been so strong. That would break people, everyone can see that.
"We’re incredibly proud of him and excited to continue the journey.”
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At their height, the boys earned themselves a reputation for hard partying. They enjoyed the trappings of fame and the high life of boozing and living it up in London’s top nightclubs all week long.
Aston and Marvin became a prolific double act who played up to their pop star roles to perfection.
But having since settled down with partners and children, they insist that things will be more sedate on their forthcoming tour.
Aston says: “We like to reminisce about that era, but I don’t think I really miss it.
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“I like sleep now. I enjoy a good six hours. Kids down and it’s straight to bed.
“There’s no excuse now of, ‘Oh I had a massive party last night. I’ve overslept, there’s loads of people in the hotel room’.
“We’ve all got to be up for the school run!
“We’ve got our first big night out again at the Brits next week — although actually I am going out tonight, too, so maybe I can still party a bit.”
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And Marvin adds: “It’s not going to be like that this time.
“This tour is all about nostalgia, it’s all about celebrating ten years since we did our first ever tour. If anything more comes of the reunion after the tour, then so be it.
“You’re going to come to this show, it’s going to be like where we left off, except my hairline’s got a bit thinner, but we’re not ruling anything out.”
In an era of bland and polished pop stars heading to bed by 9pm, here’s hoping the lads pick up exactly where they left off. It’s exactly what we need.
JLS bit
THE lads give their first comeback performance on BBC1’s The One Show Friday– live, and outside in the cold.
Marvin says: “Yeah, it’s live – we didn’t want to make it easy for ourselves, but hopefully it’ll be great.”
READ ON FOR MORE OF SIMON BOYLE'S BIZARRE JLS REUNION EXCLUSIVE
When the boys were wrap stars
DURING their heyday, the boys were such pin-ups they brought out a range of JLS-themed condoms.
Released in 2010 for Durex, the packets featured pictures of the boys’ faces with the slogan “Just love safe”.
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But now the lads are more grown up, JB says their merchandise is going to follow suit.
Talking about what they could bring out for the reunion, he says: “Nappies would be good this time, or maybe a skincare range.
“Whether it’s giving back to the fans or working alongside charities and stuff like that. We had our own foundation at the time as well. Things like that make us proud, too.
“We’ve always been light-hearted and fun with it but at the same time we’ve taken that responsibility seriously to an extent.
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“We’ve always respected that side of it and we’ve always prided ourselves on moments like that.”
In the seven years since they announced their hiatus, Marvin, Ashton, JB and Oritse have all had children. Now they say their touring schedule is going to take into account time for their families.
Marvin explains: “Our children are our priority. Like this week we have been super busy as a band but we’ve still been doing the school run. We just have to manage our time.
“We have to work it better to suit our individual needs.”
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Irish and UK gig dates
THE JLS lads will be dusting off their performances to go on the road this November.
First stop for the two-time Brit award-winning group on their UK and Ireland tour will be Dublin’s 3Arena on November 12.
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Speaking ahead of their concerts, the band say in a group statement: “We are so excited to be working together as a group again.
"We have always been like family, and now we feel that this is the right time for us to get back on stage and perform in front of our loyal fans.
“Even though it has been seven years, you can be sure that it’s going to be as high energy as ever.”
Tour dates
Nov 12: Dublin 3Arena
Nov 13: Belfast SSE Arena
Nov 15: Brighton Centre
Nov 16: Bournemouth International Centre
Nov 18: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Nov 19: Hull Bonus Arena
Nov 20: Sheffield FlyDSA Arena
Nov 21: Newcastle Utilita Arena
Nov 25: Leeds First Direct Arena
Nov 26: Glasgow The SSE Hydro
Nov 27: Manchester Arena
Nov 28: Birmingham Resorts World Arena
Nov 30: Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Dec 1: London The O2
Dec 2: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Only family knew of plan to reform
THE band’s reunion will even come as a shock to close friends and family who have been kept in the dark.
The JLS boys admit only their wives and children had been given the heads-up about their plans to reform the band.
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JB says: “Some still don’t know.”
Marvin adds: “At 6.30 a photo of us four is getting dropped into the Whats-App group. There’s about a hundred of my family in it.
“We’ve had to keep it under our hats because everyone is going to be excited and obviously JLS means so much to our family.”
With the eldest of their children being six – none of them remember when their dads were in the band. But some are already avid fans asking to listen to the tracks in the car.
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JB says: “My little boy’s already saying, ‘Daddy can I have a JLS album in the car’. I have to put the first album on because he likes Crazy For You and all of those ones there.”
Marvin adds: “Everyone around has been really supportive, they’re all excited that it’s happening.
“Rochelle and the kids have been totally behind me and I know the other guys are the same.”
bizmeter
- THE group are best known for their dance routines but while it’s been easy for Oritse, Aston and JB, Marvin admits he’s struggled to keep the pace. He says: “I was stiff. Aston has a dance studio and these three have all done dance shows, but I’ve never done one. For me getting back into a dance studio was a bit like, ‘Woah’.”
- Despite being away for almost a decade, Oritse says the moment the band decided to get back together, it was like nothing had changed – even when it came to their harmonies. He says: “We hadn’t sung together in so many years but we just harmonised straight away.”
- They're the best of pals but the lads have a way of keeping each other in line. Marvin says: “JB got kicked out of the WhatsApp group for a minute. We kick people out for a bit but only if they get out of turn. We’ve got one with the wives, too. The one with us four is way more active now.”
- Even though Simon Cowell refused to sign them after The X Factor, the band say they’re still close. Aston says: “We’ve always had a great relationship with him. When we won our two Brits he was one of the first people to come over and just say, ‘Knew it’. Simon said it from our first audition – ‘They are potential winners of the show’.”
JLS have officially confirmed they are reuniting six years after they split up
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