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James Michael Constable (born 21 September 1971) is an English pop singer, songwriter and dancer. He was a member of the pop band 911.
Constable was born in Oxford Street Maternity Hospital, Liverpool to parents Margaret and Ronnie. He is a fan of Liverpool F.C..[citation needed]
1990s: The Hitman and Her
Constable began his career in the early 1990s as a dancer on the late-night ITV dance music show The Hitman and Her.[1][2]
1995–2000: 911
Whilst on the show, Constable met Simon "Spike" Dawbarn and Jason Orange.[3][2] Having seen how successful the latter went on to become with his band Take That, Constable and Dawbarn put their own band together, and 911 was born. Lee Brennan joined the line-up and they became a trio.[4]
911 spent several months building up a fanbase from scratch, performing gigs in schools and small public venues. After independently releasing two singles which both made the UK top 40, "Night to Remember" and "Love Sensation", 911 were signed by Virgin Records.[5][6]
911 sold over 10 million singles and six million albums worldwide before splitting up in 2000.[7] Constable announced the split live on Radio 1 and in 2005 said: "I didn't have any time to get my head around it. I had a lump in my throat saying it, then we came out of Radio 1 and the other two guys went to the pub. I got in my car and took off and I never saw them for two years."[8]
Post-split
After the band split, Constable turned to drink and drugs, admitting "I found myself in my old single bed with a bottle of Jack Daniel's and a bottle of pain killers and thought about ending it there and then. The only thing that stopped me was thinking about the devastation it would cause for my family."[9]
Constable return to the music industry in 2006 by taking part in the MTV series Totally Boyband. The series followed ex-members of other boy bands forming into a new band, called Upper Street. But their first single was a commercial failure, charting at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart and the band disbanded.[citation needed]
On 28 August 2007, he appeared on the BBC Two game show Identity, billed as an 'ex boyband member'.[citation needed]
2012–present: The Big Reunion and 911 comeback
On 18 October 2012, it was announced that 911, along with B*Witched, Five, Atomic Kitten, Honeyz and Liberty X, would be reuniting again for the ITV2 documentary series The Big Reunion.[10][11]
Constable also does songwriting for other artists. He has worked with Les McKeown of the Bay City Rollers and Rod Stewart.[2]
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Constable was previously in a nine-year relationship with his girlfriend Bernadette Robertson, whom he met in 1985. He proposed to her in 1988 and four years later she gave birth to their son, Scott. In 1994, Constable left Bernadette in order to move to Glasgow, Scotland and focus on his music career with 911, although he did agree to give her away at her next wedding.[12] Constable lives with his wife Claire (whom he married in 2009) and two other children.[7] On 7 June 2013, he appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show to talk about the issues that almost destroyed his life.[13]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Noel's House Party | Himself | Episode #7.18 |
| 2005 | Hit Me, Baby, One More Time | Special TV show | |
| 2007 | Identity | Mystery guest (1 episode) | |
| 2011 | Celebrity Juice | Special guest (1 episode) | |
| 2013 | The Big Reunion | 9 episodes | |
| Big Brother's Bit on the Side | 1 episode (4 August) | ||
| The Big Reunion: On Tour | 3 episodes |
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