Jonathan Wilkes (born 1 August 1978) is an English television presenter and singer.

Early life and career

Jonathan Wilkes was born in Baddeley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, to Eileen Wilkes and Graham Wilkes, and spent most of his childhood in Packmoor, an outlying village of Chell, with his friend Robbie Williams. He has one older sister called Kay. He signed for Port Vale FC, aged seven, and played for Everton FC as a teenager. He was dropped from the team due to his unwillingness to 'eat, sleep and breathe football'. His first stage role was in a Stoke Amateur Operatic Society production of Hans Christian Andersen, playing opposite his friend Robbie Williams. In 1996, he won the

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "t ...

Young Entertainer of the Year Award. From this, he went on to work in Blackpool under the name 'Jonathan and the Space Girls', until being spotted by

Kevin Bishop Kevin Brian Bishop (born 18 June 1980) is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Jim Hawkins in ''Muppet Treasure Island'', Stupid Brian in ''My Family'', and Nigel Norman Fletcher in the 2016 revival of ''Porr ...

of the BBC, who employed him as a presenter for the precursor channel to BBC3. He has since gone on to work in West End Musicals, and has presented '' You've Been Framed!.'' After signing a record deal with Virgin, Wilkes had a brief spell as a pop-music singer like his friend Robbie Williams, his single " Just Another Day" went to No. 24 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top ...

. The single hit the Top 5 in 18 countries worldwide. During his brief singing career, he performed with his friend Robbie Williams at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

and sang

Somethin' Stupid "Somethin' Stupid", or "Something Stupid", is a song written by C. Carson Parks. It was originally recorded in 1966 by Parks and his wife Gaile Foote, as Carson and Gaile. A 1967 version by Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy Sinatra became ...

together which received positive reviews. However, Wilkes later opted to stop making music in order to move back into TV and stage work, the latter being his biggest passion. Wilkes is a panto star, being a regular at the Regent Theatre Stoke since 2005.

Soccer Aid

Wilkes participates and assists in the organisation of

Soccer Aid ''Soccer Aid'' is a British annual (formerly bi-ennial) charity event that has raised over £38 million in aid of UNICEF UK, through ticket sales and donations from the public. The televised event is a friendly-style football match between tw ...

, an event he has been involved in since 2006 with his friend Robbie Williams.

Personal life

Wilkes attended City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College. He is a boyhood fan of Port Vale like his friend Robbie Williams. While working for the BBC, he lived in London with his friend Robbie Williams in Williams' mansion. Also while at the BBC, he met his wife Nikki. The couple live in

Royal Wootton Bassett Royal Wootton Bassett , formerly Wootton Bassett, is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001, increasing to 11,385 in 2011. Situated in the north of the county, it lies to the west of the major ...

. In September 2013, Wilkes opened his own full-time performing arts college called Wilkes Academy. The patrons of the academy include Ant and Dec, Arlene Phillips and his friend Robbie Williams. The college is based in

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon unitary authority area had a population ...

Discography

Single

References

External links

* English male musical theatre actors English male singers English male stage actors English television presenters People from Baddeley Green 1978 births Living people English footballers Association footballers not categorized by position {{s-end