Biography
Ian 'H' Watkins (born 8 May 1976 in Rhondda, Wales), better known as his stage name 'H', is a Welsh singer and actor. He was one of the five members of the British pop group Steps and later H & Claire.
After working as a redcoat for Butlins, Watkins joined pop group Steps in 1997. He was known as 'H' in the group - which stood for "hyperactive". Steps sold more than 15 million records and achieved 14 consecutive Top 5 singles. After Steps split in 2001, H formed a duo with fellow bandmember Claire Richards. H & Claire released three singles and an album before they were dropped by their record label in 2003.
H went on to a musical theatre course at the Royal Academy of Music which was followed by a reality TV show H-side Story. In the summer of 2007 he starred in the West End production of Fame. Earlier that year he was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother, finishing in fourth place.
On 3 January 2007, Watkins came out as gay, in an interview with The Sun newspaper. He also revealed that he had been involved in a ten-year relationship with Steps' manager, Tim Byrne, though this had ended a few months earlier. Prior to this, Watkins had hidden the fact he was gay from fans, although rumours were widespread. His interview was published the same day he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house. On 11 March 2008 Watkins presented a documentary about growing up gay in Wales, shown on BBC Wales.
Watkins starred in a production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang playing the part of the child catcher, with performances in Cardiff and Sunderland before touring with Frank Vickerys Erogenous Zones playing Michael.
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