Latest news with #IanHWatkins
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Ian H Watkins slams JK Rowling as he says LGBTQIA+ community is 'under attack'
Steps star Ian H Watkins has written a new children's book which is called Pride and the Rainbow Warriors, which teaches readers of all ages the about the LGBTQ+ community Steps' Ian H Watkins has slammed JK Rowling as he says LGBTQI+ community is "under attack". In a move away from music, Ian has brought out a children's book which teaches people about the LGBTQI+ community. Ian has reflected on his own experiences growing up in the Rhondda Valley in Wales in the '80s and '90s and has said that despite the world now being more progressive, the community is still "under attack". Harry Potter author JK Rowling has very vocal on the subject of trans people over the years. Following the Supreme Court's judgement in April, she has referred to transgender women as "men". Speaking to MailOnline, Ian said: "There are a few, they are the minority, a few very powerful people making decisions that the majority do not agree with.... So this book is also a big middle finger up to the b***ts." Stephen Fry has also also criticised LGBT charity Stonewall as he called it "nonsensical" and "stuck in a terrible, terrible, quagmire" when it comes to trans issues. In December he said: "I am not sure I support them." Talking about the situation, Ian said: "There's actual human beings involved. I think they are playing a political game. But at the end of the day, the bottom line is just be kind. "We're all facing struggles on a daily basis, you never know what somebody is going through, so just be kind, life is hard enough, let it go. Who I choose to love, why does that form your opinion? Why should that make you lose sleep at night? No. Worry about yourself." Ian's new book, which is called Pride and the Rainbow Warriors, follows the Rainbow Warriors as they teach readers about the LGBTQ+ community. Talking about the book, Ian said it is a "love letter" to himself. He said he wishes he had the book when he was growing up as he was made to fell "very different". He explained that he spent a lot of time out of school due to the bullying and hopes his children don't have to go through the same. Ian is dad to twin sons Macsen and Cybi with his former partner Craig Ryder. The pair welcomed the boys via surrogate in 2016 before they went their separate ways a year later. As well as turning his hand to writing and releasing his new book, Ian also uses his time to talk about diversity in schools and encourages children to embrace their individuality. Ian came out publicly in 2007 when he did an interview with The Sun.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Steps' Ian H Watkins hits out at JK Rowling as he claims the LGBTQI+ community is 'under attack': 'How dare you challenge my existence?'
Ian H Watkins hit back at JK Rowling as he spoke out on the minority choosing to attack the LBGTQI community. In his latest career venture the Steps star has released a children's book teaching younger generations that being different is your superpower and Pride is a safe space for people to be open and not be judged by others. Reflecting on his own experience growing up in the Rhondda Valley in Wales in the 80s and 90s, the singer admitted that while things are now more progressive the LGBTQI+ community are still 'under attack'. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Ian explained: 'There are a few, they are the minority, a few very powerful people making decisions that the majority do not agree with.... So this book is also a big middle finger up to the b***ts.' Most notably JK Rowling has been very vocal on the subject of trans people for several years and following the Supreme Court 's judgment on April 17, the author has consistently referred to transgender women as being 'men'. Meanwhile Stephen Fry also criticised LGBT charity Stonewall as 'nonsensical' and 'stuck in a terrible, terrible, quagmire' on trans issues as he admitted 'I am not sure I support them' in December. Asked what his response would be to those who use their platform to go against more liberal and progressive views, he began: 'I would say "how dare you?" How dare you challenge my existence. 'Queer people have always been here, we are here and we always will be here. So how dare you make me feel like a second-rate citizen? 'I don't want acceptance, I demand respect and every other LGBTQI+ person would say the same.' Encouraging people to be kind he continued: 'There's actual human beings involved. I think they are playing a political game. But at the end of the day, the bottom line is just be kind. 'We're all facing struggles on a daily basis, you never know what somebody is going through, so just be kind, life is hard enough, let it go.' The star added: 'Who I choose to love, why does that form your opinion? Why should that make you lose sleep at night? No. Worry about yourself.' Ian's new book titled Pride and the Rainbow Warriors follows the Rainbow Warriors on a journey as they teach readers of all ages the definition, history and importance of Pride and what it means to be included in the LGBTQ+ community. Talking about the book, the star explained: 'It's a little love letter to my younger self. 'It's a book that I wish I had had when I was growing up. I was bullied. I was made to feel very different. 'I spent lots of time out of school because I was I called names. I felt like I was secluded and I wanted my children and their friends to grow up in a very different world so that's where the idea for this book came from.' Ian shares twin sons Macsen and Cybi with his former partner Craig Ryder. The couple welcomed the boys via surrogate in 2016 before splitting a year later. Explaining how accepting his children are of sexuality, he joked: 'One of the things Cybi said to me, we're talking maybe five years ago when they were four or five. 'He went, so Daddy, 'boys can marry boys" and I sad "yes," and "girls can marry girls" and I said "yes," and he said "But can a T-rex marry a pterodactyl? And that was the conversation. 'They didn't care about what humans could marry what humans. It was more that the T-rex would eat the pterodactyl. That was the conversation.' After coming out publicly in 2007 in an interview with The Sun, Ian revealed he now feels he is 'making up for all of the years I spent in the closet while in Steps. 'It was a very dark time for LGBTQ people in the 90s. You were demonised. You were painted as the devil. It was sensationalised when somebody was in the closet. 'There was always a gay in the band and the papers knew about it, the press knew about it, and we were scared but I feel like now I'm making up for it.' He added: 'I have a lot of peace to make with my silence and I'm very proactive. I use my voice in a political way and a supportive way for all of my peers. 'So it's a passion project for me this book and I'm really, really proud of it.' As well as the release of the new book, Ian also devotes his time to talking about diversity in schools and encouraging children to embrace their uniqueness. He added: 'There's also a massive lack of education in schools and libraries. The resources are very, very, very sparse. There's not much of it at all so that was another kind of fire in my belly to get this out there.'
The Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Steps star Ian ‘H' Watkins forced to change name of latest project after he's SUED by festival giant Coachella
FORMER Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins was forced to change the name of his festival Cowchella — because it was too similar to Coachella. Watkins organised a small event including a Harry Styles tribute act and actress Claire Sweeney. 3 But he was stunned to get a complaint about the name from Coachella, the famous festival in California with 250,000 fans. Watkins' show at his home town of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan is now called the Moo-La-La Festival. The Welshman, 49, said: 'I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine. 'It's a little bit mindblowing. What we're doing is very, very different to what they do. 'We don't have Beyonce performing. "We have a Steps tribute act and also they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans hosting, which in my book is much better than Beyonce.' He added: 'We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. 'So yes, those will have to go in the bin but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door.' 3
Wales Online
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Coachella in legal row with tiny Welsh festival over its name
Coachella in legal row with tiny Welsh festival over its name H from Steps says it is 'mindblowing' that Coachella has forced his small Welsh festival into a name change - but says he will take it as a 'massive compliment' Steps star Ian H Watkins said he couldn't believe the complaint from Coachella was real (Image: PA ) Steps band member Ian H Watkins expressed astonishment after his modest Welsh event, Cowchella in Cowbridge, was compelled to alter its name due to pressure from the behemoth California based music festival Coachella. The local festival's social media presence vanished and its Eventbrite ticket page lost its original moniker following a dispute that Watkins told the PA news agency originated from Coachella Ltd, the company behind the huge American music festival. By Sunday the event had re-emerged under the new banner of Moo-La-La Festival which will be hosted by Watkins alongside actress Claire Sweeney and BBC Radio 2 presenter Owain Wyn Evans. In a new update the original Cowchella festival announced its "fab new name" assuring that tickets already purchased would be honoured for the debut gathering set for August. Watkins said he was initially shocked when he received notice of the warning from Coachella, believing their social media accounts had been hacked before encountering an "official complaint from Coachella". Watkins was philosophical about it, seeing the complaint as a flattering acknowledgment of Cowchella's potential. He said: "I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel like our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine." But he said he couldn't believe they received the complaint in the first place. "It's a little bit we're doing is very, very different to what they do. Article continues below "We don't have Beyoncé performing. We have a Steps tribute act... and also, they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans, hosting, which in my book, is much better than Beyoncé." He expressed his delight that the event has become a "talking point" and that people "love that Coachella has put Cowbridge on the map" while also admitting that "luckily, it wasn't like, the week before because that would be the disaster". Watkins conceded that the thousands of pounds spent on "marketing costs, posters and banners" will be "a financial impact that we have to absorb". "We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. So yes, those will have to go in the bin... but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door." Many festivals adopt similar names including the Welsh event GlastonBarry, which is a play on Glastonbury in Somerset, and hasn't faced the same issues. The Cowbridge festival, which Watkins said would feature "the number one tribute acts in the country", will continue as planned on Saturday, August 2 at Bear Field. Article continues below
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Faye Tozer looks radiant as she gives first TV interview since split from husband of 16 years - but H steals the show with jaw-dropping reveal about his famous blond hair
Faye Tozer looked radiant as she gave her first TV interview since her split from husband of 16 years - but H stole the show with a jaw-dropping reveal about his famous blond hair. Pop group Steps appeared on Tuesday's instalment of Lorraine to chat about Here & Now - The Steps Musical with host Lorraine Kelly, 65. The band - who is made up of Faye, Ian "H" Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards and Lisa Scott-Lee - looked seriously chic for their telly appearance. Faye looked incredible in a pink sheer shirt, white trousers and pink open toe heels. She opted for a natural glamorous make-up look and styled her blonde locks into loose curls. The singer failed to discuss her husband Mick Smith's relationship after sparking fears for their 16-year marriage after posting a cryptic post about his heartbreak. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. But Ian "H" Watkins (pictured) stole the show with a jaw-dropping reveal about his famous blond hair while chatting on the live programme Meanwhile Ian AKA H raised some eyebrows when he made a shocking revelation about his locks. Right at the start of the interview, Lorraine praised the band for their co-ordinated outfits, with all of them wearing pink. She turned to H and said: 'Well, you go without saying!' Claire confessed: 'We're calling him Simon today. He's got his Simon Cowell glasses on.' H added: 'They are rose-tinted.' Lorraine told him: 'I'm loving the hair!' H clapped back: 'None of it is real,' leaving the host open-mouthed and his bandmates in stitches of laughter. It comes after the band took to the Britain's Got Talent stage to open the show. The group performed with the cast of their new musical, Here & Now, which is based on the band's biggest songs. The jukebox musical follows the workers and customers of a seaside superstore and is packed full of tunes from the group's back catalogue, which includes 14 consecutive UK top five singles. Taking to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes snaps from their BGT show, Ian posted a snap of the band together in a lift, looking incredible in matching black and sparkly outfits. Captioning the glamorous shot, he wrote: 'Serving @bgt realness. Shoutout to our glam squad'. Ian also filmed a video of the group backstage addressing their fans, as he began: 'Hi, we're Steps and we are super excited to be opening BGT tonight.' Claire took over to add: 'We are going to be performing with the cast of our brand new musical, Here & Now.' Lisa continued: 'So, tune in from 7pm. It's gonna be a party!' before Ian signed off: 'See you soon!' Fans were thrilled to see the group together, writing: 'OMG cannot wait for this'; 'We missed you so much'; 'Yay! My favourite 5 people on the planet together again'. While even Rylan Clark couldn't hide his excitement, commenting on the post with a string of heart-eyed emojis. Steps ruled the charts after forming in 1997, with mega-hits such as Tragedy, 5, 6, 7, 8, and Deeper Shade Of Blue, before parting ways in 2001. The fivesome reunited in 2011 and then again in 2017 in celebration of their 20th anniversary, going onto release their fifth album, Tears on the Dancefloor. Here & Now was written by Shaun Kitchener and is produced by the band themselves in collaboration with theatre company ROYO and music mogul Pete Waterman. Announcing the project in January last year, the group said: 'We've been lucky to do many things together as a band, but the question we get asked again and again is "where is the Steps musical?" Well…it's finally here and we couldn't be more excited. 'We've searched for the perfect story for our music and we've found it in the aisle of a seaside superstore where four friends set out on their own Summer of Love. 'It's a story of friendship, romance and community; packed with our biggest hits and sure to have everybody laughing, crying and dancing in the aisles. We can't wait to open the doors this year, and see you there!' Fans went wild for the announcement, with one quipping on X: 'Not getting a ticket would be a Tragedy.' The musical follows in the footsteps of other jukebox musicals such as Greatest Days, which is based on Take That's songs, and ABBA's global smash hit Mamma Mia which is the sixth longest-running show in West End history.
