JLS star and dad-of-three Aston Merrygold recalls the ‘dangerous’ early days of fame, and tells of his sorrow at fellow X Factor alum Liam Payne’s tragic death at 31
Shooting to fame with JLS on X Factor, former boyband star Aston Merrygold, says he was once in the “exact same space” as One Direction’s Liam Payne. Runners up to Alexander Burke on the 2008 show, JLS had formed the previous year in London, but the TV show made them stars.
Aston, 38, says:“I was 20 when I appeared on X Factor. It would have been very easy to go off the rails. The things that are thrown at you, given to you, the doors that are open. Your best interests aren’t always going to be at the forefront of things.
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“When you look at someone like Liam and the rest of the One Direction boys, we were in the exact same space at one point. And our paths crossed, of course they did. From the outside it’s all very shiny, life looks incredible but it’s scary. It’s scary to think of how Liam was feeling.
“As a kid, you’re given the opportunities to be standing center stage in front of thousands of people. They’ve bought a ticket. There’s money that goes into that ticket that goes into several people’s pockets including yours. That can turn into a lot of money, and a lot of success at a young age. That’s very dangerous.”
Aston was rocked by the news of Liam’s death in October 2024, after the 31-year-old singer fell from a third-floor balcony in Argentina, while high on drugs The tragedy happened 9 years after 1D – which also featured Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik – split up, having sold more than 70 million records worldwide since being formed on the 2010 X Factor.
JLS – which also includes Marvin Humes, now 41, JB Gill 39, and Oritsé Williams, 39 – have sold more than 10million records worldwide and had 5 UK number ones. And the band is now enjoying a renaissance, with a string of sold out shows coming up this summer.
But Aston, who lives in Hertfordshire with his wife, Sarah, 42, a dancer and choreographer, and their three children, Grayson, eight, Macaulay, five, and Riley, two, says life in the spotlight is very different now.
The star – who has just voiced an audiobook for Bupa Dental Care, The Dentist’s Apprentice, by Jennifer Gray, which is designed to help kids understand the dentist – says: “When I appeared on X Factor I was 20 – four years older than Liam.
“It’s early adulthood, you don’t really know what’s happening in life. My best friends in the world were still in uni, getting battered every weekend, while I was flying across the world. You’re not guided in any way, you’re just kind of thrown out there. It’s, ‘you want to be an entertainer – go do it’. As a child you’re always going to be attracted to the sparkly shiny stuff.
“It’s a very tempting but dangerous industry in that sense. And for life to just be kind of taken away like that [of Liam] is just heartbreaking for his friends, family, son. As a dad now, you go, ‘Oh my god’. It gives you shivers. The life we embarked on is such a whirlwind.”
After splitting in 2013 and playing a farewell concert at London’s O2 Arena that December, the JLS lads released a greatest hits album and then pursued solo careers. But they reunited in 2020 and Aston says: “I’m so grateful to be able to come back and do it as an adult and get a second chance.
“In our industry, you grow up fast and you have to have thick skin. Everything is being watched on a massive microscope. It’s daunting. But I’ve learned over the years that it’s the entertainment industry, it’s really not that serious. I’m not doing heart transplants or brain surgery.
“Fame’s cool and money’s great, but there are a lot more valuable things in life. And these days, my rider is mainly full of snacks for my kids!”
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