Liberty X assemble: Michelle Heaton leads former band mates Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young as they reunite to support Kevin Simm on The Voice UK

By HELEN TURNBULL FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 22:49, 26 March 2016 | UPDATED: 22:52, 26 March 2016

They split for good just under ten years ago.

But Noughties pop group Liberty X have defied the popband curse and stayed good friends with one another since their demise in 2007.

Michelle Heaton assembled her female former bandmates - Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young - as she led the mini reunion, without Tony Lundon, to support Kevin Simm on The Voice UK's first live show of the series on Saturday.

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Bandmates reunited: Michelle Heaton led a mini Liberty X reunion as she joined former bandmates Jessica Taylor (left) and Kelli Young to watch Kevin Simm perform on Saturday night's live episode of The Voice UK

Michelle, Jessica and Kelli were the picture of happiness as they cosied up for selfies from their seats in the BBC studio, eagerly awaiting Kevin's performance.

The mother-of-two boasted about the meet-up on social media and shared sweet snapshots of the trio.

Kelli, 33, was flanked by pouting Jessica, 35, and 34-year-old Michelle in one photo, posted to her Instagram during the evening. 

Say cheese: Michelle, 36, Jessica, 35, and Kelli, 33, were the picture of happiness as they cosied up for selfies from their seats in the BBC studio, eagerly awaiting Kevin's performance

Back in the day: Michelle, Kevin, Kelli, Jessica and Tony Lundon made up the five-piece pop pack who were prominent in the charts between 2001 and 2007

Another depicted the popstars smiling sweetly with their hair and make-up perfectly in place.

'Fabulous seats .. Just two hours to wait lol come on @Kevsimmx with my girls @KelliYoungX @JessicaLibertyX,' the Newcastle-born star captioned it.

All in all, the girls appeared thrilled to be having a long-overdue catch up with Jessica teasing the mini meet-up earlier in the week. 

 'Cannot WAIT to see my girls @KelliYoungX & @wonderwomanshel & the Simm family to scream our heads off for @Kevsimmx on The Voice! Pls vote,' she gushed on Twitter.

Promising debut: The 35-year-old's could win the show after being told, 'you have one of the best voices in the industry' by will.i.am

Paloma Faith added: 'I think he's adorable and I love him to bits. Without a doubt, like Will said, you've probably got one of the best voices in the country, not just this show'

However, her plea to the public for votes wasn't needed as Kevin, 35, sailed through to the Semi Final thanks to a Fast Pass from mentor Ricky Wilson.

The father-of-two was told 'you have one of the best voices in the industry', by will.i.am after belting out a near faultless version of Des'ree's Kissing You although his song choice was subject to criticism. 

'I think he's adorable and I love him to bits. Without a doubt, like Will said, you've probably got one of the best voices in the country, not just this show. I think that you can pick a much more powerhouse-y song next week and I can't wait. I don't think that song showed everything you're capable of,' Paloma Faith offered.

The Voice UK returns on Saturday 2 March on BBC One at 7pm

His main man: Kevin had mentor Ricky Wilson to thank for granting him a Fast Pass into next week's Semi Final

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3510786/Michelle-Heaton-leads-Liberty-X-reunion-support-Kevin-Simm-Voice-UK.html#ixzz443R3ApmU
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Blue crash Big Reunion with fighting talk

'It's boyband eat boyband': Blue crash Big Reunion with fighting talk... as they are set to bruise some 90s pop egos

By FAY STRANG

PUBLISHED: 22:00, 14 March 2013 | UPDATED: 22:42, 14 March 2013

Just when they all thought they were nearing the end of the road towards the most important performance of their lives, things get turned upside down.

The six bands taking part in The Big Reunion were knocked for six when they discovered that boy band Blue would be joining them on stage.

But while they were met by an extremely frosty atmosphere from their pop peers the boys were more than ready for battle.

The boys are back: Blue make a surprise arrival on The Big Reunion on Thursday night's show

Not intimidated by the situation Duncan James said: ‘It’s dog eat dog, boyband eat boyband.'

While being perhaps a bit more diplomatic Simon Webbe mused: ‘Obviously a new band being introduced into the bill will cause disruption.'

As the group entered the room for the first time, Lee was surprised that he was met with a frosty reception.

Private time: Blue request that they get the chance to practise without all the other bands watching them

But it seems apart from bruising a few egos, there are more sensitive issues to be dealt with first as Lee Ryan is reunited with his former fiancée Liz McClarnon from Atomic Kitten for the first time.

Trying to go in for a hug, he finds that Liz is trying to avoid him, slightly confused Lee said: 'She just went really weird with me. She was just edging away.

He jokingly added: 'I don’t know why that is the case, unless she still has feelings for me.’

Not happy: Edele Lynch is not pleased that the boys have just joined the show

Frosty: The girls from B*Witched can't hide their unhappiness at Blue's arrival

It's not just Liz who has an issue with Blue, in particular it seems that Edele from B*Witched is not happy with the four headed surprise.

She said: 'I feel like we’ve had blood sweat and tears and to get a band that aren’t reuniting, they're still together. I don’t get it.'

Jessica from Liberty X is equally as unsure saying: 'It feels like they can waltz in when everything is done.'

Bring it on: Duncan is ready to take the other groups on during the live show

As they entered the rehearsal room for the first time Edele marches over to Duncan to tell her how it is.

He said: ‘Edele came straight up and made a point that she wasn’t happy about it.’

Michelle from Liberty X also confronted them, joking:'How do you feel about trampling all over us?'

Understanding: Simon admits that he knows it must be hard for the other bands to have them come and crash their party

Arriving for the first time dressed in suits Blue requested private rehearsals time before performing in front of the rest of the groups.

Speaking about his dancing skills, Anthony said: 'Am i a dancer? I'll let you guys be the judge of that.'

While Simon admitted: 'Our dance routines always looked like we were falling over.'

But it's not long until Lee gets distracted by the red-head dancer and spends time looking at her rather than concentrating on their routines.

Nerves: As the boys get ready to dance, they all admit they are scared

Back to his old tricks: It doesn't take Lee long to turn his attention to one of the female dancers present

When the time comes for the group to perform in front of their piers once again, tensions are high.

Taking to the rehearsal space the boys give it their all, while the other six groups look on a suspiciously.

A nervous Simon admitted: 'Performing in front of your fans is much easier than performing in front of those guys.'

What?: The news is met by mixed reactions as the groups feel Blue aren't properly reuniting

Duncan agreed: 'It was like the first day back at school.'

But it seems their efforts paid off and they soon win over most of the other singers.

Scott from Five is excited for them, saying: 'They fit into the show well. And it's a few more drinking partners.'

Emotional: Kerry Katona from Atomic Kitten was struggling with the vocals as they rehearsed

Meanwhile despite their party being crashed by Blue,  all the over groups have issues to deal with.

991 are having a few problems of their own as Lee arrives two hours late for dance rehearsals.

This unsurprisingly prompts the other two members of the band to comment on his diva like behaviour.

Support: Out of all the groups Atomic Kitten appear to have slotted back together the best

When he arrives hungover two hours late, they confront him about his attitude and while he says he won’t do it again, it seems the cracks are starting to show.

Lee has issues elsewhere as he is forced to spend time with his ex wife Lindsay from B*Witched.

Talking to each other for the first time since rehearsals began the couple discuss their odd situation, admitting it’s strange because it’s the same environment in which they met all those years ago.

Come so far: Singing Whole Again makes Kerry weep as she feels like her life has come full circle

Support: Kerry is joined by her eldest daughter who reveals she can be judgmental about her mum

Struggling: Sinéad from B*Witched admits she is finding it very hard to slot back being a pop star

A sad looking Lee said: ‘It does take us back to where we first met. Everything in life was fine and dandy.’

Over with the Kittens, Kerry is really struggling with her vocals, and although she is being praised for them her tendency to sing over the other two is causing issues.

As they rehearse Whole Again, Kerry breaks down in tears, finding the whole situation very overwhelming.

For Kerry it feels like the song is very personal to her because like the song she has come full circle.

Fighting back the tears she said: ‘I should technically have been dead. I am very proud of myself.’

Talking thing over: Lee and Lindsay who used to be married talk about spending time together again

Talking it over: The members of Liberty X join the other bands to discuss what they think of Blue

Diva: Lee's 911 bandmates are not happy with his behaviour as he keeps turning up late

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2293565/Blue-crash-Big-Reunion-fighting-talk--set-bruise-90s-pop-egos.html#ixzz2NYoSmK1y
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Liberty X's Kelli Young's 'desperately' trying to lose her baby weight in time for Big Reunion tour

'Now I feel pressure to be slim': Liberty X's Kelli Young opens up about how she's 'desperately' trying to lose her baby weight in time for Big Reunion tour 

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 14:52, 19 February 2013 | UPDATED: 16:14, 19 February 2013

But six years later the tables have turned and it's her Liberty X band mate Kelli Young who is worried about slipping into that infamous catsuit.

The 31-year-old, who gave birth to twins just seven months ago, has spoken out about her desperate struggle to lose her baby weight ahead of the Big Reunion tour.

'Desperately' trying to lose baby weight: Liberty X star Kelli Young, pictured in January, has admitted that the pressure is on to look good for the Big Reunion tour

'I'm desperately trying to get rid of my baby weight because Jess and Michelle want to get into tight clothes, so now I feel pressure to be slim,' she told OK! Magazine.

Speaking on the ITV2 show, both Kellie and band mate Jessica Taylor admitted that they were able to stay slim during their time in the band due to their fast metabolisms, while Michelle's weight always fluctuated.

'Jess and I would eat takeaways, burgers and never put on weight, that's why Michelle found it so hard,' added Kelli.

Gearing up for the catsuit: Kellie has admitted that she's worried about squeezing back into the 'tight' clothes that Michelle and Jessica want to wear

Under pressure: Kelli, who found it easy to stay slim during the band's heyday, gave birth to twins just seven months ago

But although the stars were body-confident back then, it seems that they're now worried about squeezing back into the skintight outfits they became known for.

'We had such fast metabolisms then, but I know that people will scrutinise and compare us to how we looked back then because it's such an image-conscious industry, so we want to look our best,' Jessica told the magazine.

Although Kelli was able to eat pretty much whatever she wanted during her time in the band, after they split in 2007 she began to struggle with her weight.

'Fast metabolism': Kelli used to eat whatever she liked when the band was at its peak, thanks to her metabolism

Speaking to Closer Magazine back in 2009, Kellie admitted that she'd put on and lost a whole two stone in just two years.

'When I was in Liberty X, I weighed between eight-and-a-half stone and nine stone, but a year after the split I had gone up to 10-and-a-half stone and a size 12,' she said

‘I didn’t look “fat” because I’m tall, but I was flabby and untoned and I had a paunch where my six-pack used to be. My 25in waist jeans wouldn’t even go past my knees.’

The star quickly lost the weight and toned up, but is now struggling to shift the last few post-baby pounds in the run up to the reunion gig.

All of the acts featured on the ITV2 show will play 12 dates in May, kicking off in Sheffield.

Iconic look: The Liberty X girls were known for their PVC catsuits, which they wore in 2002

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2281074/Liberty-Xs-Kelli-Young-opens-shes-desperately-trying-lose-baby-weight-time-Big-Reunion-tour.html#ixzz2LOBoR4pT
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Michelle Heaton breaks down while watching Liberty X videos as she reveals diet pill addiction on The Big Reunion

PUBLISHED: 23:37, 31 January 2013 | UPDATED: 23:45, 31 January 2013

Michelle Heaton has revealed how her obsession with maintaining a pop star body ended with her being addicted to diet pills.

The former pop star explained how she struggled to compete with her fellow Liberty X band mates and their svelte bodies.

Speaking during ITV2's The Big Reunion, Michelle, 33, admitted that watching footage of herself in the chart topping band's hit song Just A Little made her upset.

Just A Little: Michelle Heaton admitted that she was addicted to slimming pills when she was in Liberty X

She said: 'It's a very sad time when I look at me in the video. I was ever so large.

'At the time I was addicted to slimming pills. I took them every single day. I took them because I was scared of putting on weight.'

The mother-of-one revealed how she was stuck with the pills as she battled to be as thin as female vocalists Kelli Young and Jessica Taylor.

Party animal: Michelle loved the pop star lifestyle but found herself stuck in a vicious circle taking tablets to stay slim

Feeling the strain: Michelle said that she struggled to keep her weight low unlike band mates Kelli Young and Jessica Taylor

She said: 'I was in this vicious circle of taking the diet pills to lose weight.

'I had been addicted to them for two to three years and they were no longer working because my body was immune to them. I didn't look healthy, I obviously wasn't healthy.'

Talking to MTV last year, Michelle added: 'I was probably about 18 or 19 when I started taking diet pills. 

The winners: Liberty X formed after the individuals failed to make the cut for the band that would become Hear'Say

'You could get them from anywhere at that time and they had an ingredient in them which I’m sure you’re familiar with called Ephedrine.

'Nobody really knew the background of them, and I was taking them and it was giving me a buzz.  And I was losing weight and I wasn’t eating and it was all great and brilliant. 

'Then they stopped making them but a friend of mine said they could get pure Ephedrine.  I didn’t think anything of it, I didn’t think it was illegal, or a class B drug or anything like that.

The life and times: Michelle partied hard and enjoyed her fame until she was hospitalized due to the pills

Helping hand: Liberty X only split because they were no longer having chart success

'I was lying on my couch and my heart started going into an irregular pattern, you can feel it in your chest, it just feels like it’s going to explode so I got rushed to A&E and they were convinced it was cocaine which is something I’ve never done.' 

Now, the reality TV star is clean of the pills and is concentrating on being healthy and caring for her daughter Faith.

Although she went down a difficult path due to the tablets she enjoyed the pop star lifestyle.

She said: 'I loved being a pop star. I really enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed going to parties, I was young.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2271624/Michelle-Heaton-breaks-watching-Liberty-X-videos-reveals-diet-pill-addiction-The-Big-Reunion.html#ixzz2JbYa9UYn
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Lorraine Kelly applauds Liberty X's Michelle Heaton's new 'boobies'

'A massive hurrah to the boobies!' Lorraine Kelly applauds Michelle Heaton's new bust as singer reveals post surgery figure for the first time on morning TV

By LUCY BUCKLAND

PUBLISHED: 13:38, 31 January 2013 | UPDATED: 15:49, 31 January 2013

She was meant to be on morning TV to promote former band Liberty X's big one-off come back gig but Michelle Heaton, or rather her new chest, stole the show after an ever enthusiastic Lorraine Kelly applauded the 33-year-old's large bust - a result of reconstructive surgery after a double mastectomy.

Before the interview had even started Lorraine said: 'First of all we have to say a massive hurrah to the boobies', to which Michelle simply replied, 'Yep, the boobies are out.'

Married mum-of-one Michelle opted for a plunging black Hybrid dress for the interview, proudly showing off her reconstructed bust - a first for the 33-year-old after her surgery.  

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Back where she belongs: Michelle showed off her new bust after reconstructive surgery as she revealed her desire to start a Liberty X Junior group

Singer Michelle, who opted for a double mastectomy after discovering she has an 80 per cent chance of getting breast cancer, said she was thrilled with the results.

Liberty X were one of the famous pop bands in the early Noughties, notching up 10 consecutive top 20 hits until they suddenly split and vanished in 2007.

But have no fear the pop-tastic band are back, albeit just for a one-off gig for The Big Reunion - where they fivesome spill the beans on their split and some sordid secrets behind their six years of fame.

Fully recovered: Michelle Heaton opted for a plunging dress for her Daybreak interview and showed off the impressive results of her reconstructive surgery

Applause: Michelle's new look got a round of applause from Lorraine and her fellow band members 

Happy to be back: Michelle said she couldn't refuse a chance to reunite with Liberty X

 VIDEO  Lorraine and crew applaud Michelle's assets... 

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Watch the full interview here

Although other members Tony Lundon, Kevin Simm, Kelli Young and Jessica Taylor, also told a ever cheery Lorraine that although the game was over for Liberty X, they had plans for a spin-off group - of their own children.

All five members, who were formed from the 2001 runners-up on Popstars, now have kids, bringing the Liberty X junior group up to eight members.

Speaking the morning before the show aired Michelle, mum to Faith, said: 'We're thinking Liberty X Juniors but there's only one girl. She'll have to be the lead singer.'

The fivesome, who split to concentrate on their families, said getting back together for the ITV show was a surreal experience and added they have no idea what each other said about their time in the pop group. 

Back together again: Jessica Taylor, Kevin Simm, Kelli Young, Tony Lundon and Michelle Heaton reunite after six years for The Big Reunion

They haven't changed too much! Liberty X are back... well, for one night only

Kevin, 33, who released his own album in Japan, said: 'It's surreal, it's totally weird. but it's a really change from day to day life. It was a strange coming together with Popstars and we just all hit it off. It just shows every time we get together it's like a long lost friend.'

Kelli, mother to nine-month-old twin boys, added: 'It's an adjustment, leaving the twins has been very difficult. It's weird but then it feels like no time has passed whatsoever.

'But I have got baby weight to lose before we start recreating those costumes. My corset will have to be boned to death if we are recreating Just A Little Bit.' 

Back in the day: Liberty X notched up ten top 20 hits (pictured, the group in 2004)

Still working it... a little bit: Liberty X perfect their pouts outside ITV studios

Tony, who is also father to nine-month twins, said: 'We all did interviews on our own and we all had to remember the highs and lows.

'We'll probably find out an awful lot about each other tonight. we all realised if we wanted to commit to another album it would have been three years of our lives and we were at the point where we all wanted to have families.

He added: 'Back in the day we were the flopstars and the rejects. But as soon as we had a number one it really turned around.

Back together: Lorraine was obviously a massive Liberty X fan, the host looked positively thrilled to be in the company of the pop stars

'I won't be showing the kids, they don't need to see me jumping around like an eejit in white jeans, there's no excuse for that.'

Jessica, who is married to cricket ace Kevin Pietersen, said she had to be persuaded to take part in the show as she was enjoying her quiet life with three-year-old son Dylan.

Looking stunning in a black Hybrid Kingston satin panel dress, she said: 'I felt very safe in my little bubble of motherhood and domesticity. It’s quite scary to contemplate going back into the public eye.

Simple LBD: Michelle's panel dress showed off her incredibly slim figure

'I felt we’d done it and wrapped it up in a nice box and put it on the shelf to look at. What swung it for me was that it would be a good way to get closure. People didn’t know we had finished. We just quietly disappeared.'

'This will be a big bang. I will always cherish the memories. It was the most fun time of our lives and to recapture a bit of that would be amazing.'

 VIDEO  Baby boom! Liberty X reform for The Reunion (tonight ITV2)

 

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Watch the full interview here


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2271278/Lorraine-Kelly-applauds-Michelle-Heatons-new-bust-singer-wears-plunging-LBD-morning-TV.html#ixzz2JaP7G9xr
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