Actor and singer Shayne Ward is one of the celebrities taking to the dancefloor for the 2024 series of Strictly.
“I’m buzzing to see all of the sparkles and magic that is Strictly in real life. I’m no stranger to live TV, but dancing Latin and Ballroom in front of millions is a whole new level. No promises on my dancing ability, but I will give it my best shot!” he shared in a statement.
The British star has been a regular face on television for nearly two decades. However, in a major career move, he has decided to sign up for the hit BBC show and show off his moves.
But how did he originally rise to fame? Has he ever been married? Does he have any children? And how much is he worth? Keep scrolling to find out!
Strictly 2024: Who Shayne Ward is, how old he is, his height and where he’s from
Shayne Ward is a British singer and actor. He was born on October 16, 1984, making him 39 years old.
Shayne was born in Tameside, Greater Manchester to Irish Traveller parents who lived in the UK. He attended St. Peter’s RC High School in Manchester. He is 5 ft 9in tall.
How Shayne Ward became famous
Shayne shot to fame after winning the second series of The X Factor in 2005. On the show, he was mentored by Louis Walsh, who became his manager after.
It has been reported that Shayne won by a margin of 1.2% of the vote.
Before winning The X Factor, Shayne reached the final 30 of Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. He was also in a band, Destiny, with two female members. They never commercially released any material but performed at pubs, clubs and weddings.
In 2006, he released his own book, Shayne Ward: My Story, where he opens up about his meteoric rise.
Can Shayne Ward sing?
Yes. Shayne Ward can sing. He has both a high and low vocal range.
He’s had multiple hit songs. After winning The X Factor, he released his debut single That’s My Goal in December 2005.
After shifting more than 742,000 singles in its first week, That’s My Goal became the Christmas number one for 2005. The song remains the fastest-selling X Factor winner’s single to date.
Other songs Shayne released included No Promises, No U Hang Up and If That’s OK With You, all of which peaked at number two in the UK.
In 2011, it was announced that Shayne had been the fourth X Factor winner to be dropped by Simon Cowell’s label Syco after his third album, Obsession, failed to enter the top 10.
To date, Shayne has released four studio albums. His most recent album, Closer, was released in 2015.
Who is Shayne Ward married to?
Shayne Ward has never been married. However, he has been engaged more than once.
Between 2012 and 2014, Shayne was engaged to Trollied actor Faye McKeever. Shayne announced that their 10-year relationship had come to an end via X, formerly Twitter.
“Faye’s a great girl and it’s unfortunate that we have split up,” he wrote, adding: “It was hard to deal with. I still absolutely love her to bits.”
In December 2017, Shayne got engaged to former Hollyoaks star Sophie Austin after welcoming their first child, daughter Willow May, a year prior. In June 2022, Shayne and Sophie had a second child, a son named Reign Thomas Austin Ward.
They’re yet to tie the knot after postponing their big day during the pandemic. He told Lorraine Kelly: “We spoke about it and that was what was nice about it. Everything can wait, there is no rush. But we’re together for life and that is the main thing, we’re together regardless.”
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Speaking to Hello! after Reign’s birth, Shayne celebrated the new siblings’ bond: “It’s been really heartwarming to see how she’s built her own little friendship with him already. Every morning she says ‘Can I see him, can I see him?’ She was reading stories to him last night and is always wanting to be near him.”
Reign was conceived naturally following failed attempts at IVF, Shayne also revealed.
“I can’t believe we have got one of each! We are so blessed with this journey that we’ve been on – after we did IVF, this all happened naturally. I wasn’t fussed if it was a boy or girl, I just knew I had to have another child. I was over the moon that I was a dad again.”
What Shayne Ward has been in
Shayne has ventured into acting in addition to music. Between 2015 and 2018, Shayne starred in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Aidan Connor. He appeared in a total of 367 episodes.
In 2019, he appeared in The Ascent as Will Stanton and Jimmy in G-Loc the following year.
In 2023, Shayne portrayed the main role of Jack Grayling in the Channel 5 crime drama series The Good Ship Murder.
Shayne Ward in Corrie
Shayne played Aidan Connor in Coronation Street for three years. He announced that he would be waving goodbye to the role in 2018. His exit included a male suicide storyline.
“As an actor, I was honoured to be given the responsibility of this storyline. What actor would give up that opportunity? It was a decision that was made between us all and was totally storyline-led. They sat me down and said they were thinking of exploring this issue and I understood the importance of it,” he told Digital Spy.
“At the end of the day, I could have said no, that I couldn’t do it. But I thought about it and talked it through and there was a greater pull to want to do the storyline. I will miss playing Aidan and working with the fantastic people on this show, but it is a massively important storyline to tell.”
However, was it Shayne’s decision to leave? His on-screen sister Faye Brookes shared a rather cryptic comment as he last day approached: “I still feel really sad about it, and I think he’s probably going to be upset about it until he goes.
“It’s a difficult thing to deal with, but I totally understand why they’ve done it. I’m absolutely devastated that he’s going, but I also realise you have to go with the changes.”
What he’s up to now
Shayne is still performing. In 2023, he embarked on a nationwide UK tour.
In a December 2022 interview with Retro Pop Magazine, he told the outlet that he had been working on new music.
“I have some incredible country-pop songs I wrote from my trip to Nashville in March – that is an experience I’ll never forget as I am from an Irish family who always played country and Irish folk songs, and this is the home of some of the greats,” he said. “I got to work with musicians and producers you could only dream of!
“My future is excitingly busy with a lot of new projects. And I’m ready as always to share it with my beautiful fans,” he then said.
His upcoming acting roles are unknown right now.
His net worth
As of 2024, Shayne is worth an impressive $3 million (£2.5 million), according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Watch Shayne Ward on Strictly from Saturday September 14 at 7.20pm on BBC One.
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