Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer. Gayle had success as a soul and R&B singer in the 1990s, having achieved seven

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

in the UK Singles Chart. These include "

Sweetness Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones ...

" and "

Do You Know Do You Know may refer to: Music Albums * ''Do You Know'' (Michelle Williams album) an album from Michelle Williams ** "Do You Know", the album's title track * ''Do You Know'' (Jessica Simpson album), an album from Jessica Simpson ** "Do You Kno ...

". She released two top 40 albums through

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

but they parted company in 1997, and although Gayle has recorded other albums, they have not been released. As an actress, Gayle is known for her work on television, in particular playing

Hattie Tavernier Hattie Tavernier is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michelle Gayle between 5 July 1990 and 21 December 1993. Hattie and her family were introduced in July 1990 by producer Michael Ferguson (director), Mich ...

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' from 1990 to 1993. She has also had various roles in film and theatre, such as playing Belle in the West End musical ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' in 1999. She has taken part in several celebrity-based reality television shows, and, in June 2007, she became a panellist for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

's topical chatshow ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about aspects of ...

''. Gayle also branched out into writing, and the rights to her first novel were acquired by

Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...

in 2010. The book, ''Pride and Premiership'', was published on 5 May 2011.

Acting, presenting and personal appearances

Acting

1987–88

Gayle was born in 1971 in the northwest part of London, in the

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, north-west London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west towar ...

area. She attended the

Barbara Speake Stage School The Barbara Speake Stage School was opened on 10 February 1945 as an independent school, and was initially set up as a dancing school, by the founding principal Miss Barbara Speake, MBE, and was located in East Acton, London. The school was fe ...

in Acton, west London, at a time when

Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...

Amma Asante Amma Asante (born 13 September 1969) is a British filmmaker, screenwriter, former actress, and Chancellor at Norwich University of the Arts, who was born in London to parents from Ghana. Her love for the film industry started when she receive ...

and

Kwame Kwei-Armah Kwame Kwei-Armah (born Ian Roberts; 24 March 1967 in Hillingdon, London) is a British actor, playwright, director and broadcaster. In 2005, Kwei-Armah became the second black Briton to have a play staged in London's West End when his award-w ...

were also attending."From Grange Hill to the valleys"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. URL last accessed on 2007-06-25. She first became publicly known when she appeared in the

children's BBC BBC Children's and Education is the BBC division responsible for media content for children in the UK. Since the launch of specially dedicated television channels in 2002, the services have been marketed under two brands. CBBC (short for Chil ...

television programme ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...

'' in

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

and

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

as Fiona Wilson, who was most notably part of a rap duo named Fresh 'n' Fly."I Love 1978"
BBC. URL last accessed on 2007-01-05

1990–1993

Gayle later appeared as an extra in TV Drama '' London's Burning'' and in the

Children's ITV CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...

television programme ''

Press Gang Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is a type of conscription of people into a military force, especially a naval force, via intimidation and physical coercion, conducted by an organized group (hence "gang"). European nav ...

'' in 1990 as a background member of the news team, and that same year she won the role of

in the popular BBC soap opera ''

''. The introduction of the Tavernier family heralded the first time that an entire family had joined the programme all at once. Their introduction was also a well-intentioned attempt to portray a wider range of

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

characters than had previously been achieved on the show. Gayle's character remained in the show for three years as

Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...

's PA and was featured in an array of storylines including being abandoned by her fiancé

Steve Elliot Steve Elliot is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Mark Monero between 8 October 1991 and 12 February 1996. Creation and development Steve Elliot was the second of only two regular characters to be introd ...

(

Mark Monero Mark Marcel Monero is a British actor and musician. He is best known for his role as Steve Elliot in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1991–96), but he has appeared in many other television and theatre roles, and had parts in a number of film ...

) and suffering a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

as a result. However, music was always Gayle's first passion, and in 1993 she left ''EastEnders'' to pursue a singing career.

1999 onwards

In 1999, Gayle played Belle, the lead female, in Disney's ''

'', and she returned to television acting in 2003, guest-starring in the BBC television dramas ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

'' and ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

''. She went on to play the role of Lara in the

Five 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...

soap opera, ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

'' (2005), and played the lead female character, Yvonne, in the film ''

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

'', which was released in November 2006. The film tells the story of a German boy who is orphaned in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and then groomed as a

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

sleeper. Gayle starred in Jason Barrett's British feature film ''The Naked Poet'' as character Joanne, which was screened in London's Mayfair Hotel December 2011. On stage, she played the role of Brenda in

Angie Le Mar Angie Le Mar (born 27 October 1965) is a British comedian, actor, writer, director, presenter and producer. Le Mar is married with three children. Early life Born in Lewisham, London, of Jamaican parentage, she grew up with four older brot ...

's ''The Brothers'' at the

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "the most beautiful theat ...

in April 2006, and she went on to play Jill in Pat Ashworth's ensemble stage production, ''Mum's the Word'', which toured the UK from February to June 2007."Mum’s the Word"
''The Stage''. URL last accessed on 2007-02-11 She appeared in the CBBC series ''

Wolfblood ''Wolfblood'' is a British fantasy teen drama television series. Created by Debbie Moon, it is a co-production between CBBC and ZDF/ZDFE. The television series revolves around the life of the species known as wolfbloods. They are creatures tha ...

'' as Imara. In March 2018, she began playing the role of as Alison in the musical ''Son of a Preacher Man'', which is based on the life of

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

. She is currently playing the role of Hermione Granger in the West End production of ''

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' is a play written by Jack Thorne from an original story by Thorne, J. K. Rowling, and John Tiffany. The plot occurs nineteen years after the events of Rowling's novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hall ...

''.

Presenting and reality television

Gayle was a contestant on

's reality-television show ''

Reborn in the USA ''Reborn in the USA'' is a British reality television show broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV, in which ten British pop acts were transported to the US, where they were supposedly not known in the hope of revitalising their music career. Each we ...

'', competing against artists such as

Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1945) is an English Rock music, rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe (band), Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest su ...

Sonia Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to: People * Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya) :* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films :* Soni ...

Gina G Gina G (born Gina Gardiner, 3 August 1970) is an Australian former singer. She is most notable for her song " Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit", with which she represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1996. The song reached ...

Leee John Leslie McGregor "Leee" John (born 23 June 1957) is an English musician, singer and actor of St Lucian descent. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the soul band Imagination, which had three UK top 10 hits in the early 1980s. He is known for h ...

and

Tony Hadley Anthony Patrick Hadley (born 2 June 1960) is an English pop singer. He rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of the New wave music, new wave band Spandau Ballet and launched a solo career following the group's split in 1990. Hadley retur ...

. Gayle made it to the final and finished second behind Hadley. In 2004, Gayle presented the UMA Awards with ex-EastEnder

Gary Beadle Gary Beadle (born 8 July 1965) is a British actor. Life and career Beadle was raised as one of five children in Bermondsey, South London, where he was baptised a Roman Catholic. As children, he and his elder brother Rikki produced a version o ...

,"BULLETS’N’BLING"
''The Voice''; accessed 2007-01-05 and in 2005, she appeared as a celebrity mentor on the

documentary ''Pushy Parents''. In March 2006, she took part in the fourth series of the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

reality-television show '' The Games'' competing against various other celebrities in a series of sports events. Gayle came third in the competition and raised more than £5,000 for her chosen charity, the

Willow Foundation The Willow Foundation is a national charity established in 1999 by Arsenal footballer and BBC sports commentator Bob Wilson and his wife Megs as a lasting memorial to their daughter, Anna, who died of cancer aged 31. It is the only national charit ...

."Michelle Gayle raises £5,000 for Willow Foundation"
''Willowfoundation''; accessed on 2007-02-11 She later became a guest panellist on

's topical chatshow ''

'', in June 2007. In June 2009, it was announced that Gayle would be one of several celebrities competing in ''

Dancing on Wheels ''Dancing on Wheels'' is a British Reality TV show made by production company Fever Media and first broadcast on BBC Three on 11 February 2010. The concept of the show is that an able-bodied celebrity dances with a wheelchair user. The couples ...

'', BBC's spin-off show to the popular reality television competition ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

''. ''

'' paired able-bodied celebrities with those in wheelchairs. The winning pair represented the UK at the Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships in Israel in October 2009. Gayle and partner Harry Maule reached the semi-finals, but were beaten in the dance-off by Diana Morgan-Hill and Olympic swimmer Mark Foster.

Musical career

1993–1998

Before she gained commercial success, Gayle sang with a rap duo called R-MOR-FUS, performing gigs at various clubs and low-key venues. In 1993, while she was still on the cast of ''EastEnders'', Gayle signed with

and launched herself as a solo artist. Her debut single "Looking Up" reached number 11

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

. By 1994, she had her biggest-selling single to date, "

", which reached number 4,Michelle Gayle
, BBC. URL last accessed on 2007-01-05. spent 16 weeks in the UK Singles Chart and was certified silver, selling more than 300,000 copies. Gayle had further chart success in 1994 with the number-26 hit "I'll Find You"; in 1995 with the number-16 "Freedom"; and the number-11 "Happy Just to Be with You" which sampled The Sugar Hill Gang's "

Rapper's Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 rap song that serves as the debut single of American hip-hop trio the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's " King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper ...

" and

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictionaries classified ...

's "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

". These five singles were taken from Gayle's self-titled debut album ''

Michelle Gayle Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer. Gayle had success as a Contemporary R&B, soul and R&B singer in the 1990s, having achieved seven top 40 single (music), singles in the UK Single ...

'', which was released in 1994, peaked at number 30 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, and was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

. Gayle also appeared on the Childliners charity record " The Gift of Christmas" in 1995, alongside acts such as

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...

Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band created in 1993 by the talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's ''The Late Late Show (Ireland), The Late Late Show''. Its most successful line-up was co ...

, E.Y.C.,

Sean Maguire Sean Maguire (born 18 April 1976) is an English-American actor and singer who has been professionally making films, television shows and performing on stage for over 40 years. Originally from London, Maguire started his career at age five starr ...

, Deuce,

Ultimate Kaos Ultimate Kaos (stylised as Ultimate KAOS) were a British boyband from the 1990s, who were formed by Simon Cowell. Its original members comprised Jomo Baxter, Jayde Spence, Ryan Elliott, Nick Grant and the then 9 years old Haydon Eshun. Caree ...

Let Loose Let Loose is a British pop trio, started by Richard John "Richie" Wermerling (lead vocals and keyboards), Robert George Edward "Rob" Jeffrey (guitars and backing vocals) and Lee J. Murray (drums, percussion and backing vocals), and currently co ...

East 17 East 17 are an English pop boy band started by Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell in 1991. They are best known for their 1994 hit single " Stay Another Day", which was the UK Christmas number one that year. The g ...

Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea; 27 February 1973) is a British-Australian singer, songwriter, and media personality. Born in England to Cypriot parents and raised in Australia, Andre achieved success in the mid-1990s as a singer, topping ...

MN8 MN8 are a British R&B- pop group. They consisted of KG (lead vocalist), Kule T (lead vocalist, songwriter), G-Man (lead vocalist), and Dee Tails (rapper, stylist and choreographer). Career MN8's 1995 debut hit single, " I've Got a Little So ...

Dannii Minogue Dannii Minogue (; born 20 October 1971) is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. As a child, she became known for her appearances on the television talent show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988). She went on to play the r ...

and many more. It peaked at number 9. Gayle returned in 1997 with her sixth single, "

", which reached number 6. This was followed by the song "Sensational", which reached number 14. Both singles were taken from Gayle's second album, '' Sensational'', which had multiple producers, and was recorded in both London and Los Angeles. Despite ''Sensational'' being praised by

critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

, the album had disappointing sales. It entered the album chart at number 17, but quickly fell out of the top 40 the following week. Due to poor album sales, Gayle left RCA. During the time she was signed to the label, Gayle received three BRIT Award nominations: two in 1995 for 'Best Single' and 'Best Female Artist', and one in 1998 for 'Best Female Artist'.

1999–2004

Following her departure from RCA, Gayle signed with

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

. She recorded an album for that label, but due to an artist rostering re-shuffle, she had left the company by 1999 before the album was released. After leaving EMI in 1999, Gayle took to the West End stage and played Belle in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's ''

''. After an extended break from show business to look after her son, Isaiah, Gayle began developing her music production company M Media Productions.GOTTA BE ME
", ''anglo plugging''. URL last accessed on 2007-01-05 She also appeared on other artists' albums, including those of

Ivan Matias Ivan Matias is an American singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, hip hop ghostwriter, and entrepreneur. He is primarily known for writing and producing hit songs for artists like En Vogue ("Don't Let Go (Love)"), Angie Stone ("Wish I Didn't M ...

Me One Me One (born Eric Martin on 19 August 1970), also known as MC Eric, is a Welsh musician, rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer, who rose to prominence for his work for the Belgian-based recording act Technotronic. Early life Martin wa ...

, Shabba and Lemon D.Michelle Gayle written by Andrew Davis
, ''Underground soul''. URL last accessed on 2007-02-11 In 2003, Gayle accepted the offer to appear in the reality television series ''

'', a televised singing competition where former British pop acts were transported to the US, with the hope of revitalising their music careers. Gayle finished second in the competition, taking runner-up position to

in the final. Following her success on the programme, Gayle began working on new material.MICHELLE MARK II
, ''The Voice''. URL last accessed on 2007-01-05 Gayle reinvented herself as a UK R&B artist, and worked on material for her third album with New York record producer Terence Dudley – famous for working on

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

's album ''

Get Rich or Die Tryin' ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Eminem's Shady Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After si ...

''. At the end of 2004, Gayle appeared on several TV shows promoting the release of her new single, "Gotta Be Me", but the single was pulled before its release. In an interview with '' The Voice'' newspaper in April 2006, she divulged that she did make a new album, but her record company (N2 Records) folded.LE MAR'S TALE
, ''The Voice''. URL last accessed on 2007-01-05

Eurovision 2008

Gayle was one of the participants of the pre-selection stage of '' Eurovision – Your Decision'', which determined who the United Kingdom would send to the ''

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

'' in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

on 24 May 2008. Gayle co-wrote her song, "Woo (U Make Me)", with Rashelle Davies and Morten Schjolin, and described it as "pop in essence, but with a very cool 60's vibe to it". Gayle came second in the public vote on 1 March 2008, behind

Andy Abraham Andrew Abraham (born 17 July 1964) is a British singer. He was the runner-up in the The X Factor (British series 2), second UK series of TV talent show ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor'' in 2005 to Shayne Ward, and also represent ...

2020s

In June 2023 Gayle made a surprise appearance on stage at singer Louise's concert at the

Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...

to perform "Sweetness".

Writing career

During an interview with the ''Blackpool Gazette'' in February 2007, Gayle mentioned that she was in the process of writing her first novel. The plot involved an unpleasant TV talent-show judge who discovers he is dying. She said: "It's sort of fiction but not fiction but it is made up and true, so when you read it you'll see it's fictional but also real, and I hope it explains a few things about the pop business.""Michelle's a mum on move"
''Blackpool Gazette''; accessed 2007-02-11 It was never published.

acquired the rights to Gayle's novel, ''Pride and Premiership'', in 2010 and the book was published on 5 May 2011. The novel, aimed at a teen market, depicts the story of two girls who aspire to be

WAGs Wag generally refers to tail wagging by dogs. Wag, Wags, WAG or WAGS may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Wag (band), a Japanese rock music group, active 1998–2006 * Wag, a character in ''Kabumpo in Oz'' (1922) * Wags the Dog, a m ...

, or wives/girlfriends of football players. Gayle, who was once married to a professional footballer, has commented, "In the time of

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

's '' Pride & Prejudice'' a woman had to get married to support herself. We’ve got to an age where a woman can support herself but still wants to marry a footballer to support her. I'm not WAG-bashing or footballer-bashing, I just want girls to make informed decisions about their future." She has also written for television, contributing episodes of ''

'' and ''

A Discovery of Witches ''A Discovery of Witches'' is a 2011 historical-fantasy novel and the debut novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It follows Diana Bishop, a history of science professor at Yale University, as she embraces her magical blood after finding ...

''.

Personal life

Gayle was married to ex-professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

and football pundit

Mark Bright Mark Abraham Bright (born 6 June 1962) is an English sports correspondent and former Association football, footballer. Born to a The Gambia, Gambian father and English mother, he was adopted into a foster family in Stoke-on-Trent at an early a ...

"Passion for sport"
, BBC. Accessed 2007-01-05. for ten years, and had one son, Isaiah, with him. The couple separated in 2007 and divorced on 18 April 2008. Gayle is godmother to the daughter of the actress

Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence is a British former actress, most famous for playing the role of Etta Tavernier in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She no longer acts and as of 2008 works in criminal law. Career She trained to be a dancer at the Martha Gr ...

, who played her on-screen mother,

Etta Tavernier Celestine and Etta Tavernier are fictional characters from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Leroy Golding and Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence respectively. Both appear primarily in the serial as a married couple between 1990 and 1992. Celesti ...

, in ''EastEnders''. Gayle is a

teetotal Teetotalism is the practice of voluntarily abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler (US) or teetotaller (UK), or said to be ...

ler and does not eat meat.''

Come Dine with Me ''Come Dine with Me'' is a British reality series that has aired on Channel 4 since 10 January 2005 and is narrated by Dave Lamb. Format The original format features five amateur chefs who live in the same town or area, who each host a three-c ...

'', Channel 4 22 December 2010 On 4 August 2011 it was announced on ''

The Wright Stuff ''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...

'' that she was pregnant. On Twitter, she announced the birth of her son, Luke, on 2 November 2011.

Discography

Albums

Singles

B-sides and other tracks

*"Say What's on Your Mind" ("Sweetness"

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

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'' album track) *"Tell Me" ("I'll Find You" B-side) *"I Thought I Was Your Lady" ("Happy Just to Be with You" B-side) *"Juicy" ("Sensational" B-side) *"Give Me a Try" ("Sensational" B-side) *"Sunshine After Rain" ("Sensational" B-side) *"Until You Come Back to Me" (''Reborn in the USA'' album track) *"Love Me Tender" (''Reborn in the USA'' album track) *"Got to Be Me" (unreleased single) *"Don't Want It" ("Got to Be Me" unreleased B-side)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gayle, Michelle 1971 births Living people 20th-century Black British women singers 20th-century British women singers British contemporary R&B singers English soap opera actresses English television actresses English musical theatre actresses Actresses from London Black British actresses English people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent English women pop singers People educated at Barbara Speake Stage School 21st-century Black British women singers 21st-century British women singers Actors from the London Borough of Brent People from Harlesden