Hear'Say singer Noel Sullivan issues desperate plea as he says 'we're running out of time' - 23 years since finding fame on Popstars
Noel Sullivan last released a single with the band Hear'Say in 2002, and he's understandably changed a lot in the subsequent 22 years and has other more pressing things on his mind than fame and fortune. Now aged 44, the Cardiff-born singer recently shared with fans that he's become qualified in scuba diving, and urged his followers to heed a strong warning about the state of the planet.
After completing his PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) in the island of Ko Phangan in Thailand, Noel posted an emotional plea on his Instagram page, along with a carousel of photos from his training. "Performing is beautiful and I’m grateful for all of the things my life has had to offer so far," he began.
"But I wanted to understand what it takes to show people what is happening underwater," he continued. "The fragile ecosystems that I’ve been fascinated with since I was a kid are under threat. And when you see, first hand, it’s unbelievable. We can’t just show the future generations videos of reefs.
"Our emerging economies on this planet are so drastically uneducated about how to take care of the very places that sustain them and it’s breaking my heart. I’m very thankful to have met the next generation of brilliant instructors under some excellent mentorship and I hope we can collectively find a way to fix it. That sounds preachy. But hey. We’re running out of time".
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Noel has been busy since Hear'Say - which also included Suzanne Shaw, Danny Foster, Myleene Klass and Kym Marsh - officially split up in October 2022, a year after they were grouped together after the auditions on Popstars.
The show, which was the OG of music reality shows, followed the fivesome's progress from the auditions, right through to the recording and release of their single Pure and Simple, which entered the charts at number one in the UK charts and went double Platinum.
Since their separation, Noel has become a star in the West End and once shared the role of Tick/Mitzi with Jason Donovan for the UK tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and also secured parts in TV shows like Ordinary Lies and Call the Midwife.
He came out publicly as gay in 2017, and later revealed he'd felt pressure to hide his sexuality during his time on Popstars and beyond, and hoped that things had moved on in that regard. It’s taken me a lot of years to get over that shame," says star, adding: "I was only 19."
