Kimberley Gail Marsh is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress and singer.
Early life
Marsh was born in
WiganWigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
,
Greater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
and raised in
GarswoodGarswood is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England, within a civil parish called Seneley Green.-History:Historically within Lancashire, Garswood is from Old English wudu "wood" with an uncertain first element...
, in the
Metropolitan Borough of St HelensThe Metropolitan Borough of St Helens is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It is named after its largest town St Helens, and covers an area which includes the settlements of Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown, Haydock, Rainhill, Eccleston, Clock Face, Billinge and...
,
MerseysideMerseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. She first came into the public eye in 2001 after appearing as a contestant on
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's talent show
PopstarsPopstars was a UK talent show series that was broadcast on ITV in early 2001. It was the first UK series of the international Popstars franchise, and was billed as a documentary on the formation of a modern pop group. The series began with audition rounds of aspiring singers performing songs...
where she made the final line-up for the band
Hear'SayHear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
along with four others. Marsh left the group in 2002 and now plays
Michelle ConnorMichelle Sinéad Connor is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Kym Marsh, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 3 April 2006...
in the long-running
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
Solo singing career
Prior to her time in Hearsay, Kym had provided session vocals for a number of artists including Matt Darey DJ having recorded several songs, Hemstock & Jennings. She sang in Norwegian for their track 'Arctic' which caught the attention of
Paul van DykMatthias Paul, better known by his stage name Paul van Dyk is a German Grammy Award-winning Electronic Dance Music DJ, musician and record producer...
and was remixed and re-recorded with additional vocals from
Jan JohnstonJan Johnston is an English professional singer, best known for collaborating with some of the world's top trance music DJs.-Career:...
. The track was released in the UK via Positiva and reached #14 in the UK charts Kym and Jan were only credited to the track on the inner sleeve notes.
After a while out of the spotlight, Marsh emerged again, signing a solo record deal with
Island RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. Her first single, Cry, went to number two in the
UK singles chartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, whilst her second single Come On Over made number 10.
In July 2003, Marsh released her début solo album which contained three solo singles and twelve other tracks.
Marsh's make-or-break third single, Sentimental, stalled at number 35 resulting in her being dropped by her
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
Discography
Albums
- 2003: Standing Tall - UK
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#9
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart positions |
Album |
| UK The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
|
IRE The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
|
| 2003 |
"Cry" |
2 |
25 |
Standing Tall |
| "Come On Over" |
10 |
— |
| "Sentimental" |
35 |
— |
Popstars and Hear'Say
- 2001: Popstars
- 2001: Everybody
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart positions |
Album |
| UK The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
|
IRE The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
|
| 2001 |
"Pure and Simple "Pure and Simple" is a popular song, released as the debut single by Hear'Say, the original winners of the UK version of Popstars. It was released as a double A-side with "Bridge Over Troubled Water", which was a fan favourite at the live shows....
" |
1 |
3 |
Popstars (Hear'Say Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
album) |
| "The Way To Your Love "The Way to Your Love" is the second single from the group Hear'Say, the winners of the UK version of Popstars.This song debuted at number 1 in the UK Singles Chart and despite the success of the group's debut single "Pure and Simple", it only spent one week at the top of the chart and only a 10th...
" |
1 |
10 |
| "Everybody "Everybody" is a song by Popstars winners Hear'Say, released as their third single, the only one to be taken from their second album, Everybody. It reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart. The single also was the last single for Kym Marsh as she quit the band to start a solo career.-Chart positions:...
" |
4 |
24 |
Everybody (Hear'Say Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
album) |
Eurovision
In a surprise move in early 2006, she entered
Making Your Mind UpEurovision: Your Country Needs You was a BBC TV show broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest...
, the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
show to pick a singer and song for the
Eurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
with a song called Whisper To Me. Marsh came fourth in the contest, losing out to winner
Daz SampsonDarren "Daz" Sampson is a British dance music producer, musician and singer-songwriter.Up until 2006, when he represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest, Sampson was best known for his commercial dance music, often reworkings of older songs as a solo act and as a member of various...
.
Television career
Marsh made her TV acting debut in a 2005 episode of BBC soap opera Doctors, playing a character called Ruth Parry.
In 2006, after playing prostitute Kay Price in one episode of Channel 4 late night soap
Hollyoaks: In The CityHollyoaks: In the City was a British television drama series set in Liverpool and first broadcast in 2006. Hollyoaks: In the City was a spin-off of Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, originally devised by Phil Redmond...
, she joined the cast of
Coronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
as
Michelle ConnorMichelle Sinéad Connor is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Kym Marsh, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 3 April 2006...
on 3 April 2006.
On 14 December 2008, she appeared as a presenter for the
X FactorThe X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
final. She presented for 20-year old,
Alexandra BurkeAlexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
, in
North LondonNorth London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
- Burke's home town. Alexandra went onto win the show.
In January 2010 Marsh participated in the British
ITV1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
celebrity reality television programme
Popstar to OperastarPopstar to Operastar is a British television programme singing competition based around the training of pop stars of current to be able to sing opera. The show began airing on ITV on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show is repeated on TV3 Ireland on Saturday evening. The programme is produced by...
. She was voted out in Week 5 along with
Marcella DetroitMarcella Detroit is a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. She was a member of the band Shakespears Sister, along with Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama. Detroit's soprano voice provided lead vocals on their biggest hit, "Stay," which was No...
.
Personal life
Marsh has two children, David Ryan (born April 1995) and Emily May (born late 1997), from a previous relationship with Dave Cunliffe. The family presently live in Appleton Thorn,
WarringtonWarrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
.
Marsh married former
EastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
actor
Jack RyderJack Seigfried Ryder is an English actor, best known for playing Jamie Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 1998 to 2002.-Biography:...
in
St AlbansSt Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
,
HertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, on 10 August 2002 and, after settling in
St AlbansSt Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, the couple had early difficulties and split for a short while before reconciling. In light of Marsh's regular roles in
North WestNorth West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
-produced dramas, while Ryder generally tours in theatre, the couple moved to
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and closer to Marsh's family in 2005. It was announced on 20 March 2008 that the couple had decided to separate and was looking to divorce. On 26 March 2009, Marsh admitted she had committed
adulteryAdultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
during her marriage, although it was stated that the adultery was not committed whilst she was actually with Ryder only once they had separated. Marsh and Ryder announced their divorce on 12 August 2009. This was following a reportedly "bitter" battle with some reports suggesting Ryder was seeking one million pounds from Marsh.
Marsh has been dating
HollyoaksHollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
actor
Jamie LomasJamie Lomas is an English actor best known for his role as bad boy Warren Fox on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks....
(who plays
Warren FoxWarren Fox is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jamie Lomas. He first arrived in 2006 as an old acquaintance of Sean Kennedy and quickly became known as the show's main villain...
) since July 2008. She and Lomas announced that they were expecting a baby due in the summer of 2009. On 12 February 2009, Marsh released a statement announcing their son, Archie Jay Lomas, had been born 18 weeks early on 11 February, and had died moments after birth. Marsh stated "Archie is our beautiful angel and we will miss him so much. Thank you all for your support." Marsh and Lomas announced their split on 9 October 2009, and Lomas subsequently moved out of Marsh's home. The couple reconciled the following month as Marsh won Mother of the Year 2009 and on Christmas Day 2009 Lomas proposed to Marsh and she accepted.
Marsh and Lomas announced Kym was 3 months pregnant on 26 October 2010. Marsh filmed a documentary for ITV about premature births, called: Born Too Soon and in late 2010 spoke at and helped organise a celebrity filled gala to raise money for special care baby charity
BlissBliss is the UK charity that helps care for premature and sick babies. They support families, fund research and campaign for improved hospital resources.Its patron is HRH The Duchess of Gloucester and its chief executive is Andy Cole.-History:...
.
On 23 March 2011, Marsh gave birth to a baby girl, Polly, who was delivered five weeks early and weighed just over 4lb.
Awards and nominations
2007:
- Won Best Newcomer at The British Soap Awards
- Won Best Newcomer at the TV Quick
TV Choice, is a British weekly TV listings magazine published by H. Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group...
Awards
- Won Favourite Newcomer at the TV Now Awards
- Won Most Popular Newcomer at the National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
2008:
- Won Best TV Soap Personality at the TRIC
The Television and Radio Industries Club is a British institution chartered in 1931 to "promote goodwill in the television and radio industries"...
Awards
- Won Best Celeb Mum at the Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
Awards
- Won Favourite Actress at the TV Now Awards
- Won Best Dressed Soap Star at the Inside Soap Awards
The Inside Soap Awards is a yearly award ceremony run by Inside Soap magazine since 1996. The awards celebrate the British and Australian soap operas and their actors. Until 2007, EastEnders had won the award for "Best Soap" on every occasion...
'2009':
- Won Bounty Celebrity Mum of the Year
External links