20 years after almost 10 million people watched Steve Brookstein beat G4 in the final to scoop a £1m record deal, he has remained mostly out of the spotlight. In recent clips shared on Instagram , now aged 55, the singer looked miles away from his TV appearances as he covered his hair with a cap and wore glasses. It comes as Steve had been due to perform at the 300-capacity Merryfield Theatre in Verwood, Dorset, named after the late actor Buster Merryfield, who played Uncle Albert in Only Fools & Horses.
But the gig was called off 10 days before it was due to go ahead. Steve's agent Barry Collings claimed the show was cancelled due to ill health because the singer had lost his voice. But a spokeswoman for Dorset Council, which runs the Verwood Hub venue, confirmed he cancelled on February 8, 10 days before the show.
The singer played a gig in Esher, Surrey, six days after cancelling the Verwood performance. It marks a spectacular fall for the former star, who achieved a number-one single and album in the early days of his fame after X Factor. At the time, Simon Cowell, his mentor on the show, hailed him as the new Robbie Williams.
A post shared by steve brookstein (@stevebrookstein) His debut album sold over 105,000 copies, while his second album, which sold 3,632 copies, only reached number 165 in the charts in 2006. Over the years, Steve has been vocal with his opinions on The X Factor, claiming he was badly treated. He famously claimed that the show was ‘one big theatre.