“I love performing – it’s my form of release when I can’t speak,” said Gareth Gates, the inspirational chart-topping singer who rocketed to fame through television’s Pop Idol.

The 40-year-old star is currently lighting up two stage productions which are running in tandem. Gareth said: "It seemed like a good idea at the time but it’s a logistical nightmare. Sometimes you start the show and think which show is this? Let’s not launch into Frankie Valli when I should be singing love songs!”

Gareth Gates Sings Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons brings the singer to Buxton Opera House on March 24. He said: “I'm a big Frankie Valli fan - my parents listened to Frankie Valli when I was young so it was drummed into me. I love Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – I have sung that song in my set for many years all around the world; as soon as that chorus hits, everyone is up and dancing. To be doing a show that is all about Frankie Valli and celebrating that music is great. There is a cast of three other boys, one of which has played Frankie Valli in the show Jersey Boys on the West End so we take it in turns on the high notes – I have to to wear my tight trousers for that show!”

The entertainer, whose singing masks a speech impediment, will win hearts at Sheffield City Hall on March 28 with his show Gareth Gates Sings Love Songs From The Movies. Gareth said: “My first ever number one hit, my biggest hit to date, was Unchained Melody made famous by the movie Ghost. Some of the world’s greatest love songs are from movies and that got me thinking why not put together a show with all those big songs from Titanic, A Star Is Born, Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing, My Girl, Armageddon to name only a few. I’m producing the show myself, I’ve put together the cast, all backed by a live band. It’s a great evening of entertainment.”

Gareth Gates shares his experiences of school, telly's Pop Idol, musical theatre and producing shows.

placeholder image — Gareth Gates shares his experiences of school, telly's Pop Idol, musical theatre and producing shows.

Gareth’s life story will strike a chord with anyone who has struggled with a speech impediment. As a child, he was unable to speak and was bullied by kids in the school playground until he found his singing voice at the age of eight. Gareth said: “I couldn’t get a word out, couldn't answer a register, couldn't read aloud in class. There were times when I was beaten in the playground by bullies saying let’s get the words out...I still shudder at the thought. Those moments, although they were hell at the time, make you more resilient. As a result, I had to grow a very thick skin and I think that helps me….the music industry can be tough at times but not much fazes me these days because of this.

"Music saved me – I felt that I excelled at something which gave me respect at school whereas before that it was really tough.

"As a child I heard about a place called the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. I knew that I needed that at least three grade 8s to be within a chance of being accepted. All of my childhood I worked to make sure I got three grade eights, on piano, guitar and voice.”

Gareth passed his audition for the college in the same year as the Pop Idol live final. He said: “If I hadn’t done Pop Idol, I would have gone there and would have ended up somewhere in music. I didn’t really want to do Pop Idol, the thought of having interviews on TV – any interview is a fear of mine – but with some gentle encouragement from my parents I went along and am really pleased I did. The live shows should have been focused on the singing but I was more concerned about talking to Ant and Dec – I just had so much fear.”

Gareth Gates Sings Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Buxton Opera House on March 24, 2025.

The teenage Gareth was runner-up to Will Young in Pop Idol in 2002 and subsequently went on to have five number ones in the UK and sell millions of records around the world. He branched out into musical theatre, racking up West End credits by performing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Les Miserables.

Gareth said: “It's been a great 23 years and I'm very fortunate to say that I'm as busy as ever. I’m doing something every day that I love.”

He’s drawn on his experiences of having a speech impediment to write songs for his first musical, Speechless. Gareth said: “It’s not a biography of my life. We’re addressing the real-life situations of having a stammer and how it controls your life. Many stammerers end up in jobs sat behind a screen typing all day where they don’t have to talk to anyone. There is a story of a man who is in an accident who tries to call 999 and he can’t tell them where he is.”

Gareth has been working with renowned playwright Samuel Adamson on Speechless for the past 18 months. He said: “It’s very exciting and I can’t wait for the world to see it. We will hopefully have a production of the musical in the West End in autumn 2026 and are hoping it will make it over to Broadway.”

Gareth Gates tours his Love Songs from The Movies show to Sheffield City Hall on March 28, 2025 (photo: Andrew Plant/Imagine Photographic)

He is an advocate for the McGuire Programme which helps to empower people to overcome their speech challenges. Gareth said: “The programme teaches you a new way to speak, a brand new way of breathing and also a new way to tackle the mindset of having a stammer, which is avoidance of talking to people, avoidance of certain words that you know you are going to struggle on. It is about facing those fears, forcing ourselves to do the things we fear the most.” *Tickets cost £39.50 for Gareth Gates Sings Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Buxton Opera House; go to www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk. Tickets from £31.95 for Gareth Gates Sings Love Songs From The Movies at Sheffield City Hall, go to www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk