Myleene Klass struggled with body image after Elton John called her 'ugly'

05 May 2023 , 20:29

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Myleene Klass struggled with body image after Elton John called her 'ugly'

I'm A Celebrity... South Africa star Myleene Klass has opened up on the body image issues she has suffered throughout adulthood after being told in her professional career that she needed to lose weight.

Myleene, 45, confided in her fellow campmate Carol Vorderman as she told her of the struggles she faced during the start of her pop music career.

The Hear'Say singer also recalled being dubbed as the 'ugliest' member of the band by music icon Elton John, who subsequently sent her flowers after she was left devastated by his cruel remark.

Myleene revealed that she was told to lose weight when joining the musical Miss Saigon and that Hear'Say was known as the 'fattest band in pop', with Tiny Dancer hit-maker Elton then making the 'ugly' remark.

Myleene Klas was called 'ugly' by Elton John (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Myleene has since suffered with body image issues

Opening up about her body confidence issues while having a heart-to-heart with Countdown star Carol in camp, Myleene explained: "When I joined the Miss Saigon cast, I was lined up with all the other girls and I was told, 'You’ve got to lose weight'.

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"And then I got in the band and I had other band managers coming up saying, ‘You’re the fattest band in pop’.

"Newspapers then were writing it - You won’t have to look hard to find those headlines. So again, rather than the fact we had talent, I could read any music, play most instruments you put in front of me - it came back to ‘fattest band in pop’.”

The singer was part of Hear'Say (Getty Images)

The singer went on: "We got sent flowers from Elton John who said we were the ugliest band in pop. He realised, maybe I shouldn't have said that. He sent ‘sorry flowers’ to us.

"I look back at that time, it was a different time in history.”

Myleene went on to further discuss the scrutiny she was under in the early days of her music career.

Myleene was also asked to change her name (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

She revealed she was asked to change her name as producers at the time felt her name 'Myleene' was too difficult because it was 'too ethnic'.

“I was asked to change my name. I was told people wouldn’t be able to pronounce it because it was quite an ethnic name. You’d be cancelled if you said something like that now.

"I was told to use my middle name. I am not using my middle name. My middle name is Angela."

I'm A Celebrity... South Africa continues tonight at 9PM on ITV1 and ITVX.

Susan Knox