Where are they now?

Some stars will always be in the spotlight (ahem, Madonna) but others come and go from our lives without us really realising that we miss them. We take a look back at our favourite stars from yesteryear and ask, where are they now?

5ive

These five bad boys had the power to rock you and were the pin-up boys of the late 1990s, before breaking up in 2001. They had a brief reunion in 2006, when four of the original five reformed, and the boys have all been trying to make their mark on the celebrity circuit ever since.

Richard ‘Abs’ Breen: Abs had a brief solo career and his album Abstract Theory peaked at 23 in 2003. His appearance on Celebrity Love Island 2006 didn’t have the desired effect and he wasn’t propelled into the spotlight. Abs is still reported to be trying to break into the charts.

Scott Robinson: The day after 5ive announced their split Scott Robinson married his childhood sweetheart Kerry Oaker. They have two children together. Robinson dabbled in radio and was in the UK’s Boogie Nights Tour. Scott now runs an autograph collector’s shop in Essex and does appearances around the UK. 

5ive

Ritchie Neville: Perhaps the most famous of the boys, because of his relationship with Billie Piper, Ritchie Neville appeared on Cirque De Celebrite in 2007 and married fellow contestant, swimwear model Emily Scott, before moving to her native Australia. Four months later Neville was slapped with a restraining order after he had a row with his newly-wed wife at their Sydney home. The matter was later dismissed in court with no evidence.

Jason ‘J’ Brown: J kept himself quiet for the few years after the boys’ split, but in 2007 he appeared on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here finishing in an honorable third place. J now writes and produces for other artists.

Sean Conlon: Sean refused to join the boys for their abortive 2006 comeback. He’s now signed to Sony/ATV Publishing UK. Check him out at www.myspace.com/seanconlonmusic.

t.A.T.u.

In 1999 14-year-old Russian duo Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova shocked the world by appearing to be lesbians, using it to promote their first single All The Things She Said, which was actually quite a good song. In their 2003 documentary, Anatomy Of t.A.T.u., the girls admitted that it was all just a publicity stunt. They courted controvesy again in 2006, however, when they performed at the World Music Awards with real machine guns. Now 23 years old, the girls have co-starred in a fictionalised movie (still awaiting release) of their story, called You And I and starring Mischa Barton. Yulia Volka has just had her second child.

Darius Danesh

The Glaswegian star of Pop Idol had a brief but glittering career in music. Since the release of his second album, Darius has guest-starred in Hotel Babylon playing Italian newspaper editor Genaro Faxio, and has dipped his finger into lots of West End production, playing Billy Flynn in Chicago in 2006, taking over from Ewan McGregor in Guys And Dolls in 2007, and appearing in Gone With The Wind in 2008.

Holly Valance

Holly left Ramsay Street back in 2002 to pursue her music career. Her cover of the Turkish song Kiss Kiss reached No 1 in both the UK and Australian charts, and caused controversy as Valance appears to dance naked in the video (with strategically placed lights). After some more singles and legal problems with her manager/boyfriend, Holly was sued for trying to leave her record company. Valance later confirmed that she’s no longer interested in making music, telling Men’s Style magazine, “No one can make any money.” In 2004 Holly returned to acting in the US, taking up roles in CSI: Miami, Entourage and guest starring in Prison Break. The singer/actress recently starred in FrankMusik’s video for Confusion Girl and subsequently started dating the singer.

Adam Rickitt

Adam Rickitt left Coronation Street back in 1999, with his sights set on a pop career. After signing a six-album deal with Polydor, Rickitt only released one album, Good Times, in 2000. His first single, I Breathe Again, reached No 5 in the UK charts but his follow up singles didn’t do so well. In 2005 Adam was approved as a prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservative party. In 2006 he was one of the 100 would-be MPs chosen for the parties A-list. To date, Adam’s political career has been unsuccessful. Adam currently plays the role of Kieran Mitchell in New Zealand’s drama Shortland Street. In 2007, Adam was questioned over shoplifting a block of cheese, a bottle of HP sauce and a jar of coffee in New Zealand, but said it was an “honest mistake”.

Jake Lloyd

Jake played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, and melted all our hearts. After playing Ani, Jake took a break from the big screen to do some growing up. In a recent interview in Australia Jake explained how playing Ani had affected his life, claiming that kids at high school wouldn’t let it go. He now attends film school in Chicago, but doesn’t want to tell anyone what he plans to do in later life.

Hayley Joel Osment

After starring in Forest Gump and The Sixth Sense it’s hard to believe that Hayley Joel Osment is now 21 years old. In 2006 Hayley was arrested for a drug-related car accident, for which he had to serve three years’ probation, finish 60 hours in an alcohol rehabilitation programme, pay a fine of £750 and attend 26 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings over a six-month period. His younger sister Emily can be seen playing Miley Cyrus’ best friend in Hannah Montana. Hayley made his Broadway debut in 2008 starring in a revival of American Buffalo.

Larisa Oleynik

Larisa became our favourite supergirl when she starred in The Secret World Of Alec Mac, then went on to star in 10 Things I Hate About You in 1999 before disappearing into relative obscurity. Larisa was most recently seen in an episode of Without A Trace earlier this year.

Melissa Joan Hart

Now 33, Melissa Joan Hart used to be every teenage girl’s role model. She’s probably best known for playing Clarrisa in Clarrisa Explains It All and Sabrina in Sabrina The Teenage Witch. She also appeared in the video for Britney Spear’s You Drive Me Crazy, after Britney sung the song on the soundtrack of Melissa’s film of the same name. Melissa is also known as the girl that took Britney out to her first nightclub. She now has two sons, and is planning to appear in season nine of Dancing With The Stars.