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Megan Elizabeth McKenna (born 26 September 1992) is an English television personality and singer. After making appearances on ''
Ex on the Beach ''Ex on the Beach'' is a British reality television series that is broadcast on MTV. The series was first announced in February 2014, and premiered on 22 April 2014. The series is narrated by Andrew Maxwell. ''Ex on the Beach'' follows the forma ...
'' (2015–2016), she received wider attention for appearing on ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'' (2016) and ''
The Only Way Is Essex ''The Only Way Is Essex'' (often abbreviated as ''TOWIE'' ) is a British reality television series based in Brentwood, Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way." Originally b ...
'' (2016–2017). McKenna then launched her music career, releasing her debut studio album, ''
Story of Me ''Story of Me'' is the debut studio album by English singer Megan McKenna, released on 7 December 2018 through FrtyFve. The album was preceded by three singles; " High Heeled Shoes", "History" and "Everything but You". The album peaked at number ...
'' (2018), and she later went on to win '' The X Factor: Celebrity'' (2019). Since her win, McKenna has continued to release music, as well as competed in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
series ''
Celebrity MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...
'' (2021).


Early and personal life

McKenna was born on 26 September 1992 in
Barking, London Barking is a suburb and List of areas of London, area in Greater London, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is east of Charing Cross. The total population of Barking was 59,068 at the 2011 cen ...
. In her autobiography, ''Mouthy'', McKenna explained that as a child, she was bullied at school. In order for her to attend the
Arts Educational School Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in mus ...
to study musical theatre, her family relocated to
Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...
. In 2016, McKenna revealed that she suffers from
coeliac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barle ...
. In March 2016, she began dating ''The Only Way Is Essex'' cast member Pete Wicks, but the pair broke up in 2017. In 2022, McKenna authored a
gluten-free A gluten-free diet (GFD) is a nutritional plan that strictly excludes gluten, which is a mixture of proteins found in wheat (and all of its species and hybrids, such as spelt, kamut, and triticale), as well as barley, rye, and oats. The inclus ...
cookbook, titled ''Can You Make That Gluten-Free?''.


Career


2009–2019: Reality television and ''Story of Me''

In 2009, McKenna reached the semi-finals of third series of ''
Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...
'' as part of the music duo Harmony. In the same year, she appeared in an advertisement for the second series of ''
The Inbetweeners ''The Inbetweeners'' is a British coming-of-age television teen sitcom, which originally aired on E4 from 2008 until 2010 and was created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris. The series follows the misadventures of suburban teenager ...
''. McKenna appeared in an episode of ''
The Only Way Is Essex ''The Only Way Is Essex'' (often abbreviated as ''TOWIE'' ) is a British reality television series based in Brentwood, Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way." Originally b ...
'' in 2010, where she auditioned to be part of the girl group LOLA. As part of LOLA, she performed at T4 Stars of 2010. She also auditioned for ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' twice, making it to bootcamp each time. In 2015, McKenna appeared on the third series of
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
reality series ''
Ex on the Beach ''Ex on the Beach'' is a British reality television series that is broadcast on MTV. The series was first announced in February 2014, and premiered on 22 April 2014. The series is narrated by Andrew Maxwell. ''Ex on the Beach'' follows the forma ...
''. She returned to the programme for the fourth series, alongside
Jordan Davies Jordan Davies (born 24 June 1992) is a Welsh television personality and DJ, best known for his role on ''The Magaluf Weekender'', and its successor ''Ibiza Weekender''. Early life Davies was born in Cardiff, Wales. His father left his family w ...
. She departed from ''Ex on the Beach'' early due to the death of her grandfather. She went on to become a housemate in the seventeenth series of ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'' in 2016. During her time in the house, she received a formal warning for using aggressive and threatening behaviour towards her fellow housemates. She was the fourth housemate to be evicted having received the fewest votes to save, spending a total of 18 days in the house. In March 2016, she joined ''The Only Way Is Essex'' as a full-time cast member. In May 2017, McKenna launched her own restaurant, "MCK Grill", in
Woodford Green Woodford Green is an area of Woodford in north-east London, England, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It adjoins Buckhurst Hill to the north, Woodford Bridge to the east, South Woodford to the south, and Chingford to the west. Epping F ...
. Later in 2017, she released a range of hair extension pieces with Easilocks. McKenna made her final appearance on ''The Only Way Is Essex'' on 25 October 2017, expressing an interest in focusing on her music career. In 2017, McKenna starred in her own reality series, ''There’s Something About Megan''. The series focused on McKenna travelling to
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
to begin a career in country music. The series consisted of three episodes, and aired on
ITVBe ITVBe, stylized as itvBe, is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first announced on 12 February 2014 and launched on 8 October 2014. ITVBe broadcasts reality and unscri ...
. After the series finale, McKenna launched her music career, releasing her debut
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
, featuring " High Heeled Shoes" and "Far Cry from Love". The two songs topped the British
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
chart within 24 hours of their release, and on 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-s ...
, "High Heeled Shoes" peaked at number 43, with "Far Cry From Love" peaking at number 53. In December 2017, McKenna embarked on her first headlining tour to promote the release of "High Heeled Shoes", which consisted of four dates, visiting
The Sugarmill The Sugarmill is a nightclub and music venue in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, that opened in 1994. Events The Sugarmill hosts Electric Friday club nights weekly, the longest running alternative club night in Staffordshire. The last Friday of each m ...
, The Venue, Palace Theatre and Scala. In July 2018, she supported
Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
at the British Summer Time show at
Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...
. On 26 July 2018, McKenna released her debut autobiographical book, ''Mouthy'', published by John Blake. The book topped the '' Sunday Times'' bestseller list. In August 2018, she released her debut clothing range, Studio Mouthy. This accompanied her makeup range, Mouthy Cosmetics. Later that month, McKenna took part in the first series of ''
Celebs on the Farm ''Celebs on the Farm'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British television series that began broadcasting on 5Star from 20 August 2018, presented by Stephen Bailey. The first series consisted of 10 episodes, and was won by Gleb Savchenko. ...
''. She was eliminated second, finishing in seventh place. McKenna released her debut album ''
Story of Me ''Story of Me'' is the debut studio album by English singer Megan McKenna, released on 7 December 2018 through FrtyFve. The album was preceded by three singles; " High Heeled Shoes", "History" and "Everything but You". The album peaked at number ...
'' on 7 December 2018. The album peaked at number four on the UK Country Chart.Peak positions for albums on the Country Artists Chart in the UK: * For ''Story of Me'': From May 2019 to September 2019, McKenna embarked on the Story of Me Tour across the United Kingdom. In February 2019, she participated in the sixth series of the E4 reality series ''
Celebs Go Dating ''Celebs Go Dating'' is a British dating reality series. It began broadcasting on 29 August 2016 on E4, with the first series having 15 episodes. Paul Carrick Brunson and Anna Williamson currently appear as the dating agents, with Tom Read Wi ...
''.


2019–2021: ''The X Factor: Celebrity'' and other projects

From October to November 2019, McKenna competed in the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
series '' The X Factor: Celebrity'' and was mentored by
Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s and 2000s. He later be ...
. For her audition, she performed "Everything but You", a song from ''Story of Me''. On 30 November, she was crowned the winner of the competition with 46.3% of the final vote, which not only gave Walsh his third overall victory of the show but also won her a record deal with
Syco Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2005 through So ...
. In February 2020, McKenna began recording her second studio album, and later that month, it was announced that she is set to support
Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...
on the British leg of his 2021 tour. In August 2020, McKenna released a clothing range with online retailer In The Style. On 5 February 2021, McKenna announced that "This" would be released as a single on 19 February 2021. In April 2021, she was announced as a contestant on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
competition series ''
Celebrity MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...
''. She reached the final. On 28 May 2021, McKenna the song "Ruin Your Night", which was followed by "Won’t Go Back Again" on 24 September 2021. In October 2021, McKenna announced the release of her second book. Titled ''Can You Make That Gluten Free?'', the book is a
gluten free A gluten-free diet (GFD) is a nutritional plan that strictly excludes gluten, which is a mixture of proteins found in wheat (and all of its species and hybrids, such as spelt, kamut, and triticale), as well as barley, rye, and oats. The inclu ...
recipe book inspired by her coeliac diagnosis. On 19 November 2021, McKenna released her first original Christmas song called "Family at Christmas".


2022–present: Independent music and upcoming album

In June 2022, McKenna announced that she had parted ways with her record label. She revealed that her pop music releases with them had been heavily influenced by them, as they had preferred them to the country songs McKenna had instead wanted to release. Following the departure, she announced that she would be independently releasing a song a week, beginning with the single "Baby Talk" on 24 June 2022. Later that month, she performed at Glastonbury Festival, a moment she had "dreamt of" throughout her career.


Filmography


Discography

* ''
Story of Me ''Story of Me'' is the debut studio album by English singer Megan McKenna, released on 7 December 2018 through FrtyFve. The album was preceded by three singles; " High Heeled Shoes", "History" and "Everything but You". The album peaked at number ...
'' (2018)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKenna, Megan 1992 births Big Brother (British TV series) contestants Britain's Got Talent contestants Country pop musicians English autobiographers English country singers Gluten-free cookbook writers Living people People educated at the Arts Educational Schools People from Barking, London People from Essex Syco Music artists Television personalities from Essex The X Factor (British TV series) winners