Samuel Dylan Murray Preston (born 16 January 1982), more commonly known simply as Preston, is an English singer-songwriter and reality TV contestant. He is a member of the band

the Ordinary Boys The Ordinary Boys are an English pop band from Worthing, West Sussex. Originally named Next in Line, they are influenced by punk rock and Britpop music. Their name derives from a Morrissey song, "The Ordinary Boys". The membership of the band ...

, finding fame appearing in the reality television show ''

Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''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, t ...

'' in 2006, in which he finished fourth. After the Ordinary Boys split in 2008, he embarked on a songwriting career. In 2013, he officially reunited the Ordinary Boys and in 2015 they released their

self-titled An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

comeback album, which peaked at #27 in the charts, spending 1 week on the chart.

Early life

Samuel Preston was born in

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

, West Sussex. He was educated at Sompting Abbotts Preparatory School and

Bishop Luffa School Bishop Luffa School, named after a former Bishop of Chichester, Ralph de Luffa, is a co-educational Church of England secondary school located in Chichester, West Sussex, England. The number of enrolled pupils was around 1,400 in 2010, in eight ...

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

. He is the son of Anthony and Miranda Preston (born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

), and brother to Alex and Lucy Preston. His grandfather was the

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

English professor

Samuel Hynes Samuel Lynn Hynes (August 29, 1924 – October 9, 2019) was an American author. He won a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for ''The Soldiers' Tale'' in 1998. Biography Hynes was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended the University of Minnesota and C ...

. His brother, Alex Preston, is a novelist. At age 16, Preston was kicked out of his family home and in his teenage years, he lived in Philadelphia with his mother's side of the family. He is a descendant of the 19th-century British Prime Minister

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. As prime minister, Grey w ...

Music career

Preston became the lead singer of

-based pop group, the Ordinary Boys. They had several top-ten releases in the UK Singles Chart. Their best known song, " Boys Will Be Boys", is featured in the 2007 film ''

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the fifth and longest novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwart ...

''. After the Ordinary Boys split, Preston started working on material for a solo album, and released the song "Dressed to Kill", on 5 July 2009 as part of T4. The song samples the introduction from the song "

Happy House "Happy House" is a song written by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and recorded by their band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single in March 1980 by record label Polydor, then later included on the band's third album, ''Kaleid ...

" by

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...

. The single was released on 7 September 2009 but failed to chart after Preston had to delay the launch and pull out of promotional performances after breaking both arms in a bicycle accident while inebriated. He is also a songwriter. In 2011, Preston co-wrote the number one

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence after participating on the sixth series of the television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2009, where he finished as runn ...

song "

Heart Skips a Beat "Heart Skips a Beat" is a song by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, taken from his second studio album, ''In Case You Didn't Know''. The song features vocals from English hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, and was released as the album's lead single ...

". Preston announced the re-forming of the Ordinary Boys in 2011, and a new 12-date tour. Preston also co wrote the song and duet "

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

" by

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums ''Enrique Iglesias (album), Enrique ...

and

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

for their respective albums, and his track " Dressed to Kill" was re-recorded by American singer

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

for her album ''

Closer to the Truth ''Closer to the Truth'' is the twenty-fifth studio album by American singer and actress Cher. It was released on September 20, 2013, by Warner Bros. Records. Opting to re-establish her music career, she began planning the project in 2011, shortly ...

''.

TV appearances

In January 2006, Preston appeared on

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 ...

's fourth series of ''

''. During his time in the house he became close to the eventual winner,

Chantelle Houghton Chantelle Vivien Houghton (born 21 August 1983) is an English television personality and glamour model. In 2006, she competed in the fourth series of the Channel 4 reality series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. Houghton was sent in as a non-cele ...

. Preston was evicted during the final episode on 27 January 2006, finishing in fourth place. In 2007, Preston filmed a documentary on voodoo for

. He has also presented ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' and '' CD:UK''. In January 2007, Preston appeared as a guest panellist on comedy gameshow ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first host ...

'' (Series 20, Episode 3). He walked out of the studio during the programme's recording, offended by jokes made at Houghton's expense by the show's host

Simon Amstell Simon Marc Amstell (born 29 November 1979) is an English comedian, writer and director. He wrote and directed the films '' Carnage'' (2017) and ''Benjamin'' (2018). His work on television has included presenting '' Popworld'' and '' Never Mind t ...

, who read extracts from Chantelle's autobiography. In an interview with ''NME'' after the incident, he claimed that Simon Amstell didn't write his own jokes, and called him a "snotty little posh boy". He later regretted this, reflecting to the BBC "I'm struggling to think why I would have acted so weird." Speaking of Amstell, Preston said he is "funny, charming and likeable, which made it alking offall the more embarrassing". On 24 August 2010, he returned to the ''Big Brother'' franchise for ''

Ultimate Big Brother ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the British reality television programme '' Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol. ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was an all-star edit ...

'', along with his now ex-wife Chantelle; he finished sixth. He also made an appearance on Channel 4's First Dates, where he was showcased in an awkward date during his quest for romance. The date was unsuccessful, his date appearing unimpressed with his obsession with celebrity.

Personal life

A week after the end of ''Celebrity Big Brother'', Preston proposed to his longtime French girlfriend Camille Aznar. He kept in contact with fellow contestant

and, a month later, broke up with Aznar and arranged for Houghton to relocate to his

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

flat. He and Houghton got engaged on 11 April 2006, four months after leaving the Big Brother house and, in an exclusive deal with

OK! magazine ''OK!'' is a British weekly magazine that primarily specialises in royal and celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly magazine, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, ''OK''! launched in Australia as a monthly ...

earning them £300,000 each, they were married on 25 August 2006 at Dartmouth House in

Mayfair, London Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts in ...

. After their honeymoon, Preston moved Houghton into his flat in

, East Sussex. After 10 months of marriage, Preston and Houghton announced their separation on 27 June 2007, and Houghton received the

decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the con ...

for their divorce on 21 November 2007 on the grounds of Preston's "unreasonable behaviour". Preston escaped to Philadelphia in 2008, where he lived for three years. He is a citizen of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

by virtue of being born to an American mother. In 2017, he was hospitalised following a drunken fall from a balcony while on holiday in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. Preston has been open about his addiction to both alcohol and sleeping pills. As of 2018, Preston is engaged to Emily Smith.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Songwriting discography

* "Don't Say Goodbye" by

(2010) * "

" by

(2011) * "On My Cloud" by

(2011) * "Hard To Love Somebody" by

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

feat.

Arlissa Arlissa Ruppert (; born 21 September 1992), known professionally as Arlissa, is a German-born British singer and songwriter. Life and career Arlissa Ruppert, known professionally as Arlissa, is a German-born, London-raised singer and songwri ...

(2012) * " Dressed To Kill" by

(2013) * "

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

" by

Lucy Spraggan Lucy Honour Ruby Spraggan (born 21 July 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Spraggan was a contestant on ''The X Factor'' in 2012, and she was the first contestant in the show's history to score a Top 40 single and album before the live show ...

(2013) * "Goodnight Goodbye" by John Newman (2013) * "Beautiful" by

feat.

(2014) * "Million Words" by The Vamps (2015) * "The Reason" by Lower Than Atlantis (2015) * "Chewing Gum" by

Nina Nesbitt Nina Lindberg Nesbitt (born 11 July 1994) is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She is best known for her UK singles chart, UK and Scottish Singles and Albums Charts, Scottish top 40 hit singles "Stay Out" and "Selfies (song), Selfies". She also ...

(2016) * "Casual" by

Alex Adair Alex Adair (born 3 March 1993) is an English DJ, producer and remixer from West Chiltington. He attended The College of Richard Collyer and Canterbury Christ Church University where he studied Creative Music Technology. He is best known for h ...

(2017) * "Hands" by Mike Perry (2017) * "Karma" by Tom Walker (2017) * "

Personal Personal may refer to: Aspects of persons' respective individualities * Privacy * Personality * Personal, personal advertisement, variety of classified advertisement used to find romance or friendship Companies * Personal, Inc., a Washington, ...

" by The Vamps (2017) * "Slow Me Down" by

Jessie Ware Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer and songwriter. She came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, '' Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and produced the sing ...

(2017) * "Starting From Now" by

Catherine McGrath Catherine McGrath (born 9 June 1997) is a Northern Irish country music singer and songwriter. Career Early life Born in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, McGrath learned guitar from her grandmother, who taught her to play and sing "The Lion Sleeps T ...

(2017) * "Technology" by

Don Broco Don Broco are a British rock music, rock band formed in Bedford, England, in 2008. The band consists of Rob Damiani (lead vocals), Simon Delaney (guitar), Tom Doyle (bass and programming) and Matt Donnelly (drums, lead and backing vocals). The ...

(2017) * "What Do I Do" by Sjur (2017) * "Heartbeats" by

Matoma Tom Stræte Lagergren (born 29 May 1991), professionally known as Matoma, is a Norwegian Disc jockey, DJ and record producer. Early life Lagergren was born in Åsnes Municipality, Norway. He started playing the piano as a child. During that p ...

feat.

(2018) * "Please" by

Samantha Harvey Samantha Harvey (born 1975) is an English novelist. She won the 2024 Booker Prize for her novel ''Orbital (novel), Orbital'', which drew on conventions from multiple genres and fields, including literary fiction, science fiction, and philosoph ...

(2018) * "Put It On For Me" by

Don Diablo Don Pepijn Schipper (; born 27 February 1980), better known by his stage name Don Diablo, is a Dutch DJ, digital artist, record producer, musician and songwriter of electronic dance music. He is one of the pioneers of the future house genre and ...

feat.

(2018) * "Ruins" by

Claire Richards Claire Richards (born 17 August 1977) is an English singer and member of the pop group Steps. As a solo artist, Richards has released two studio albums: her debut, '' My Wildest Dreams'', was released in 2019 and ''Euphoria'', a covers album, ...

(2018) * "Slow" by

Liam Payne Liam James Payne (29 August 1993 – 16 October 2024) was an English singer and songwriter. He was a member of the pop band One Direction, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, alongside Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Loui ...

(2018) * " All I Want (For Christmas)" by

(2019) * "All You Need To Know" by

Gryffin Daniel Griffith (born September 29, 1987), known by his stage name Gryffin (often stylized as GRYFFIN), is an American musician, DJ, and music producer. He gained recognition for remixing some well-known songs such as Tove Lo's " Talking Body", ...

feat. Calle Lehmann (2019) * "Is It Really Me You're Missing?" by

(2019) * " Live Forever" by

feat

Cheat Codes Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...

(2019) * "Told You So" by Hrvy (2019) * “Dopamine” by

Sum 41 Sum 41 was a Canadian rock band formed in Ajax, Ontario, in 1996. The band's final lineup consisted of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason McCaslin (bass, backing vocals), Tom T ...

(2023)

References

External links

"Dressed To Kill" Single Review

Statement on Preston's comeback
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston 1982 births Living people Musicians from Worthing The Ordinary Boys English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters People educated at Bishop Luffa School