Information about Jo O'meara
Joanne Valda O'Meara (born 29 April, 1979 in Romford, London Borough of Havering) is an English singer and actress. Formerly a key singer with the group S Club (7), she launched a solo career after the group's split in 2003 which was cut short following an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother where she was embroiled in a racial bullying controversy.
In her teenage years, Jo O'Meara would serve food at her local pub in Ilford. It was there that someone from 19 Entertainment spotted her on stage and recruited her to join a new pop group S Club 7. She was a prominent member of the British group, singing most of the group's lead vocals (with bandmate Rachel Stevens), as well as acting with the group in their own TV series (shot in Miami, LA, Hollywood and Spain), the group also had two reality television shows "S Club 7 Go Wild" and "S Club 7 Don't Stop Movin'", an as well as S Club's own movie, "Seeing Double".
During the filming of the movie, Jo hurt her back, limiting S Club's dance routines and leaving her out of the group for a brief period. Jo's voice remained; however, her vocals were re-recorded by Rachel Stevens for use during live television performances. Jo eventually returned to continue performing with S Club and to promote the movie. She remained with the band until their ultimate split in 2003.
In July 2005, Jo announced that she had signed a new solo recording deal with Sanctuary Records, the label behind acts such as Morrissey, KISS and Megadeth.
Her debut single, "What Hurts the Most", was released on 26 September, 2005, followed a week later by her album, Relentless. This, however, quickly fell out of the chart and sold poorly peaking at #47. It also charted and sold poorly throughout Europe reaching #82 in the Republic of Ireland. Jo abruptly left the record label while they were still planning to release a second single.
In 2006 she took part in the BBC gameshow Just the Two of Us. Her singing partner was Chris Fountain, an actor in Hollyoaks, a British Soap opera. The pair came third in the competition, failing to attract enough votes to make the final after their performance of "Never Had a Dream Come True".
O'Meara was the fourth person to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house on 3 January 2007. According to the Daily Mirror, Jo entered the show to pay off her £34,000 debt and relaunch her singing career, with a plan to launch her new single shortly after her exit from the house.[3]
She received a positive reaction from the crowd and admitted live that she had no idea what she was doing on the show. When betting opened, she was favourite to win.[4]
The basis of racist accuations against O'Meara were as follows:
Jo became the fourth housemate to be evicted from the show, leaving the house on Friday January 26 in a surprise double eviction, along with fellow contestant Cleo Rocos.
In her eviction interview with Davina McCall, Jo did not apologise for her comments and behaviour towards Shilpa Shetty, claiming she had done nothing wrong, a stance which she would continue to take in subsequent interviews. O'Meara also claimed that imitating her accent wasn't necessarily racist as Shilpa herself had laughed at Jo's imitation of her accent.
Her former housemate, Jade, disagreed with Jo's statement that she had done nothing wrong: "She's done everything wrong. She's made big mistakes;" and Jo's sister Julie admitted: "Jo should be very disappointed with herself."[8]
In a subsequent interview with GMTV which aired on Tuesday January 30, 2007 O'Meara apologised for her behaviour, but denied that she had been a bully or a racist while in the house, "I couldn't use those words. My cousins are actually of a different race and to use those sort of words, it would make me sick. I haven't got a racist bone in my body and I'm not a bully". She blamed poor editing by the show's producers (although this claim is undermined by the fact that the show was shown as a live feed on sister channel E4) and misquotation in interviews by national newspapers (especially the Mirror article) following the Celebrity Big Brother final, for contributing to her already-ruined image. She revealed she has not returned home due to unspecified death threats and concerns over her safety and was suffering from nervous exhaustion. She also revealed that her reason for entering the house was to help save her home, which had been threatened with repossession.[9].
In February 2007, the News of the World reported that O'Meara attempted to commit suicide and was "rushed to hospital" by friends.[10]. In an interview with Heat magazine (3-9 March 2007) she denied any intention to commit suicide as it would hurt her family but admitted some weight loss due to stress. She was also reported to be facing bankruptcy after her home was remortgaged for £200,000 without her knowledge and £200,000 went missing from her savings after apparently being a victim of a con scam. Media reports at the time suggested her house was in imminent danger of being repossessed.[11][12]
Life and career
O'Meara was born in Romford, London Borough of Havering [1] in East London to parents Dave and Barbara. She grew up in Collier Row, a suburban housing estate in the north of Romford in the London Borough of Havering. She was educated at Clockhouse Junior School and Bower Park School.[1]2-4 Family
In 1998, Jo started off her music career in the hip hop/rap group, 2-4 Family. She was however, only a part of the group for the duration of one track release, before deciding to leave to pursue other projects.S Club 7
In her teenage years, Jo O'Meara would serve food at her local pub in Ilford. It was there that someone from 19 Entertainment spotted her on stage and recruited her to join a new pop group S Club 7. She was a prominent member of the British group, singing most of the group's lead vocals (with bandmate Rachel Stevens), as well as acting with the group in their own TV series (shot in Miami, LA, Hollywood and Spain), the group also had two reality television shows "S Club 7 Go Wild" and "S Club 7 Don't Stop Movin'", an as well as S Club's own movie, "Seeing Double".
During the filming of the movie, Jo hurt her back, limiting S Club's dance routines and leaving her out of the group for a brief period. Jo's voice remained; however, her vocals were re-recorded by Rachel Stevens for use during live television performances. Jo eventually returned to continue performing with S Club and to promote the movie. She remained with the band until their ultimate split in 2003.
Solo career
Many speculated as to when Jo would make her comeback, having been the most prominent vocalist in S Club 7, but it was Rachel Stevens who was the first member of the band to release solo material. Jo surprised many of her fans by taking a long hiatus from pop music, and it was speculated that she was healing her back injury. According to reports in a tabloid newspaper Jo, who was estimated to be worth £500,000 when she left S Club, became addicted to gambling when she was unable to perform in the band due to her back problems.[2]In July 2005, Jo announced that she had signed a new solo recording deal with Sanctuary Records, the label behind acts such as Morrissey, KISS and Megadeth.
Her debut single, "What Hurts the Most", was released on 26 September, 2005, followed a week later by her album, Relentless. This, however, quickly fell out of the chart and sold poorly peaking at #47. It also charted and sold poorly throughout Europe reaching #82 in the Republic of Ireland. Jo abruptly left the record label while they were still planning to release a second single.
In 2006 she took part in the BBC gameshow Just the Two of Us. Her singing partner was Chris Fountain, an actor in Hollyoaks, a British Soap opera. The pair came third in the competition, failing to attract enough votes to make the final after their performance of "Never Had a Dream Come True".
Celebrity Big Brother 2007
O'Meara was the fourth person to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house on 3 January 2007. According to the Daily Mirror, Jo entered the show to pay off her £34,000 debt and relaunch her singing career, with a plan to launch her new single shortly after her exit from the house.[3]
She received a positive reaction from the crowd and admitted live that she had no idea what she was doing on the show. When betting opened, she was favourite to win.[4]
Accusations of Racial Bullying
More than 50,000 complaints were received by broadcasting regulator Ofcom about racial bullying directed towards Indian housemate Shilpa Shetty by Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd, Jack Tweed and Jo O'Meara.The basis of racist accuations against O'Meara were as follows:
- On Days 11 and 12, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara poked fun at Shilpa's accent.[5]
- Jo implied that all Indians were thin because they were always ill as a result of undercooking their food because she believed Shilpa undercooked a chicken meal.[5]
- After a particularly nasty verbal attack on Shilpa by Jade, witnessed by a giggling Jo and Danielle, Jo said that the verbal attack had made her day and that she felt a lot better for it.
Reaction and Aftermath
Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, said "What we are seeing is a noxious brew of old-fashioned class conflict, straightforward bullying, ignorance and quite vicious racial bigotry. It is outrageous, and it is unpleasant".[7]Jo became the fourth housemate to be evicted from the show, leaving the house on Friday January 26 in a surprise double eviction, along with fellow contestant Cleo Rocos.
In her eviction interview with Davina McCall, Jo did not apologise for her comments and behaviour towards Shilpa Shetty, claiming she had done nothing wrong, a stance which she would continue to take in subsequent interviews. O'Meara also claimed that imitating her accent wasn't necessarily racist as Shilpa herself had laughed at Jo's imitation of her accent.
Her former housemate, Jade, disagreed with Jo's statement that she had done nothing wrong: "She's done everything wrong. She's made big mistakes;" and Jo's sister Julie admitted: "Jo should be very disappointed with herself."[8]
In a subsequent interview with GMTV which aired on Tuesday January 30, 2007 O'Meara apologised for her behaviour, but denied that she had been a bully or a racist while in the house, "I couldn't use those words. My cousins are actually of a different race and to use those sort of words, it would make me sick. I haven't got a racist bone in my body and I'm not a bully". She blamed poor editing by the show's producers (although this claim is undermined by the fact that the show was shown as a live feed on sister channel E4) and misquotation in interviews by national newspapers (especially the Mirror article) following the Celebrity Big Brother final, for contributing to her already-ruined image. She revealed she has not returned home due to unspecified death threats and concerns over her safety and was suffering from nervous exhaustion. She also revealed that her reason for entering the house was to help save her home, which had been threatened with repossession.[9].
In February 2007, the News of the World reported that O'Meara attempted to commit suicide and was "rushed to hospital" by friends.[10]. In an interview with Heat magazine (3-9 March 2007) she denied any intention to commit suicide as it would hurt her family but admitted some weight loss due to stress. She was also reported to be facing bankruptcy after her home was remortgaged for £200,000 without her knowledge and £200,000 went missing from her savings after apparently being a victim of a con scam. Media reports at the time suggested her house was in imminent danger of being repossessed.[11][12]
Ofcom Report confirms Racism in Celebrity Big Brother 2007
In May 2007, Endemol released a transcript of an unshown conversation in which O'Meara, Tweed and Goody (with Danielle Lloyd and Cleo Rocos also present) constructed a limerick which was based around, although it did not use, the word "paki", instead replacing the racist slur for the word "tacky" at Tweed's suggestion. Ofcom published the report which confirmed that there had been offensive behaviour towards Shetty. [13]Discography
Albums
- "Relentless", 3 October 2005
Singles
- "What Hurts the Most", September 26, 2005
Unreleased Material
- Blue Today, Blue Tomorrow - a 13 second track leaked online in 2005 before "Relentless" was released.
- Amazed - Appeared on the original tracklistings for "Relentless" - Removed at the last moment.
- Incureable - Appeared on the original tracklistings for "Relentless" - Removed at the last moment.
- Don't Wanna Let You Down - The Mp3 of this track has been made available through various fansites, It's a duet with Lee Ryan, but Lee's management were unhappy with the song and it was never released. The track was written by Jo herself.
Selected filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Seeing Double | Jo (herself) |
Television
| Year | Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Miami 7 | Jo (herself) |
| 2000 | LA 7 | Jo (herself) |
| 2001 | Hollywood 7 | Jo (herself) |
| 2002 | Viva S Club | Jo (herself) |
References
1. ^ "Essex girls battle it out in Celebrity Big Brother", Essex Chronicle, Essex Chronicle Series Ltd, 2007-01-11, p. 27. Retrieved on 2007-01-27. (English) “Jo, 27, was born in Rush Green and grew up in Collier Row. She attended Clockhouse Junior School and Bower Park School in Havering North Road.
2. ^ Exposed: Gambling habit of S Club Jo. The Sun Online. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
3. ^ "Unknown", Daily Mirror, Trinity Mirror, 2007-06-01.
4. ^ Celebrity Big Brother UK Betting. Gambling911. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
5. ^ "How the Big Brother row erupted", BBC, URL last accessed on 2007-01-17
6. ^ "How the Big Brother row erupted", BBC, URL last accessed on 2007-01-17
7. ^ Race equality chief: Shilpa comments were racist. Daily Mail. Associated Press (2007-01-19). Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
8. ^ Lynsey, Haywood. "Celeb BB Jo: No apologies", The Sun, 2007-01-27. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
9. ^ "Big Brother backlash - Jo's anguish", GMTV, 2007-01-30. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
10. ^ "Jo O'Meara makes suicide attempt", Digital Spy, 2007-02-25. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
11. ^ "Celeb Big Brother's Jo Victim Of £200k Swindle", Entertainmentwise, 2007-02-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
12. ^ "S-Club Star Victim of £400,000 thefts", PR Inside, 2007-02-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
13. ^ "Big Brother: the missing footage", Asians In Media, 2007-05-25. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
2. ^ Exposed: Gambling habit of S Club Jo. The Sun Online. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
3. ^ "Unknown", Daily Mirror, Trinity Mirror, 2007-06-01.
4. ^ Celebrity Big Brother UK Betting. Gambling911. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
5. ^ "How the Big Brother row erupted", BBC, URL last accessed on 2007-01-17
6. ^ "How the Big Brother row erupted", BBC, URL last accessed on 2007-01-17
7. ^ Race equality chief: Shilpa comments were racist. Daily Mail. Associated Press (2007-01-19). Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
8. ^ Lynsey, Haywood. "Celeb BB Jo: No apologies", The Sun, 2007-01-27. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
9. ^ "Big Brother backlash - Jo's anguish", GMTV, 2007-01-30. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
10. ^ "Jo O'Meara makes suicide attempt", Digital Spy, 2007-02-25. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
11. ^ "Celeb Big Brother's Jo Victim Of £200k Swindle", Entertainmentwise, 2007-02-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
12. ^ "S-Club Star Victim of £400,000 thefts", PR Inside, 2007-02-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
13. ^ "Big Brother: the missing footage", Asians In Media, 2007-05-25. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
External links
| S Club 7 |
|---|
| Tina Barrett - Paul Cattermole - Jon Lee - Bradley McIntosh - Jo O'Meara - Hannah Spearritt - Rachel Stevens |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: S Club - 7 - Sunshine - Seeing Double - Don't Stop Movin' (US) - Best - The Greatest Hits |
| Singles: "Bring it All Back" - "S Club Party" - "Two in a Million/You're My Number One" - "Reach" - "Natural" - "Never Had a Dream Come True" - "Don't Stop Movin'" - "Have You Ever" - "You" - "Alive" - "Say Goodbye/Love Ain't Gonna Wait for You" |
| Filmography |
| Movies: Back to the 50s (TV) - Boyfriends & Birthdays (TV) - Christmas Special (TV) - Artistic Differences (TV) - Seeing Double |
| Television: Miami 7 - LA 7 - Hollywood 7 - Viva S Club - S Club Go Wild |
| Related bands |
| S Club 8 - Upper Street |
April 29 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.
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Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
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No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, were a BRIT Award-winning British pop group created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller. The group - consisting of Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel
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2000s in music in the UK
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List of number one singles
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Romford
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London Borough of Havering
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Status London borough
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— Total Ranked 231st
112.27 km
ONS code 00AR
Admin HQ Main Road, Romford
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Shown within Greater London
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Status London borough
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— Total Ranked 231st
112.27 km
ONS code 00AR
Admin HQ Main Road, Romford
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London
Canary Wharf is the centre of London's modern office towers
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Canary Wharf is the centre of London's modern office towers
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Collier Row
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Romford
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London Borough of Havering
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Geography
Status London borough
Area
— Total Ranked 231st
112.27 km
ONS code 00AR
Admin HQ Main Road, Romford
Demographics
Population
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Shown within Greater London
Geography
Status London borough
Area
— Total Ranked 231st
112.27 km
ONS code 00AR
Admin HQ Main Road, Romford
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Population
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Clockhouse Junior School
Type Junior community school
Location Collier Row
Greater London
England
LEA London Borough of Havering
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Type Junior community school
Location Collier Row
Greater London
England
LEA London Borough of Havering
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S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, were a BRIT Award-winning British pop group created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller. The group - consisting of Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel
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Ilford
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19 Entertainment, based in the United Kingdom, is a leading creator and producer of entertainment properties, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol
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Rachel Lauren Stevens (born April 9, 1978) is an English singer and actress and an occasional model who lives in Hampstead, London. Formerly with the successful pop group S Club (7), she launched a solo recording career and has released seven singles and two albums to date in the
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IMDb profile
Seeing Double is the debut movie starring S Club. It's about the band complaining to their manager about how tired they are from the demanding life in the road, they wake up and find out that the tour has moved on without them.
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Seeing Double is the debut movie starring S Club. It's about the band complaining to their manager about how tired they are from the demanding life in the road, they wake up and find out that the tour has moved on without them.
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Rachel Lauren Stevens (born April 9, 1978) is an English singer and actress and an occasional model who lives in Hampstead, London. Formerly with the successful pop group S Club (7), she launched a solo recording career and has released seven singles and two albums to date in the
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2000s in music in the UK
List of number one singles
Summaries and charts:
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
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List of number one singles
Summaries and charts:
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
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2000s in music in the UK
List of number one singles
Summaries and charts:
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
← 1999 This is a summary of 2005 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts.
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List of number one singles
Summaries and charts:
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
← 1999 This is a summary of 2005 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts.
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Sanctuary Records is a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Records.[1] Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world.
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Steven Patrick Morrissey (IPA: /moʊɹ.ɪs.i/) (born May 22, 1959) is an English singer and songwriter from Manchester, England.
He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the English band The Smiths.
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He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the English band The Smiths.
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Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by founder, frontman and songwriter Dave Mustaine. Formed in 1983 following Mustaine's departure from Metallica, the band has since released eleven studio albums, six live albums, two EPs, and two compilations.
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Released 2005
Format CD single
Recorded 2005
Genre Pop
Length 3:29
Label Sanctuary
Writer(s) Jeffrey Steele, Steve Robson
Peak chart positions
#13 UK, #78 Ireland
"What Hurts the Most"
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Format CD single
Recorded 2005
Genre Pop
Length 3:29
Label Sanctuary
Writer(s) Jeffrey Steele, Steve Robson
Peak chart positions
#13 UK, #78 Ireland
"What Hurts the Most"
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September 26 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.
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Relentless was the debut album from former S Club 7 lead singer Jo O'Meara and comes two and a half years after the pop outfit split in May 2003. Produced by Brian Rawling (Cher, Enrique Iglesias) and co-written by O'Meara herself, the album is a mix of contemporary pop,
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Anthem
Amhrán na bhFiann
The Soldier's Song
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Amhrán na bhFiann
The Soldier's Song
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Just the Two of Us is a British television reality singing contest hosted by Vernon Kay and Tess Daly. The first series of the BBC show saw eight celebrities team up with professional singers and sing each night in duets, with one pair being eliminated every night.
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