GARETH GATES: I Was Beaten Up For My Stammer. Pop Idol Saved Me
Great Company with Jamie Laing
Jampot
4.6 • 951 Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2026
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Gareth Gates became a household name overnight. When the first series of Pop Idol aired in 2002, it was the first show of its kind and Gareth instantly captured the nation's hearts as the boy who defied his stammer to sing.
Growing up in Bradford Gareth was severely bullied at school for his stammer, so convinced he was defective that he almost didn't audition for Pop Idol at all.
In our conversation, Gareth opens up about the whirlwind of Pop Idol fame, and how he's spent the years since learning to accept the very thing he once felt ashamed of.
In this episode, Gareth shares:
- Being bullied at school and how joining a choir became his escape
- Why he almost didn't audition for Pop Idol
- The reality of being thrown into the whirlwind of fame
- How his relationship with Katie Price changed the way he approaches love
- How he's finally learned to accept his stammer as part of who he is
Gareth Gates is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. He reminded me that being different isn't something to hide - it's the thing that makes you, you.
Gareth Gates is Great Company.
Check out Gareth’s tour HERE
Gareth’s Instagram - @gareth_gates
If you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us:
Instagram- @greatcompanypodcast
TikTok - @greatcompanypodcast
Jamie - @jamielaing
And if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: greatcompany@jampotproductions.co.uk
THE CREDITS
Producer: Helen Burke
Assistant Producer: Issy Weeks-Hankins
Video: Josh Bennett
Senior Social Media Manager: Laura Coughlan
Audio: Rafi Amsili Geovannetti
Executive Producer: Ewan Newbigging-Lister
Great Company is an original podcast from JamPot.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I became the boy that wasn't able to speak but could sing. |
| 0:03.4 | I have a stammer, you know, so I'm finding it hard. |
| 0:05.6 | My name is... |
| 0:08.8 | You'll find it in the strange place. |
| 0:12.4 | Having a stammer is hard. |
| 0:15.2 | It was hell at school. |
| 0:17.7 | I was badly bullied. |
| 0:19.0 | Like lads would hold me down in the playground and said, |
| 0:22.1 | let's beat the words out of him. You know, it was a very lonely place. You started singing. |
| 0:26.2 | What did that do for you? I could finally get out of me what was in me and I could express myself |
| 0:31.4 | through music and that changed my life. Hey, I'm Gareth Gates and I'm in great company. |
| 0:38.3 | You had sold 3.5 million records worldwide by the time you were 18 years old. |
| 0:45.5 | Simon Cowell's right. I saw pound signs in his eyes when I couldn't speak. |
| 0:51.5 | Katie Price claimed in one of her books that she took your virginity. |
| 0:55.3 | That was tough. |
| 0:57.3 | It just kind of made me extremely wary of people in the industry. |
| 1:02.1 | This literally all happened before I was, before I was 18. |
| 1:09.1 | If you actually find it hard to talk, because it is, you never talk. |
| 1:12.9 | That's a problem of mine. |
| 1:15.0 | You know, I don't talk much. |
| 1:17.1 | I don't, you know, sort of air what's in my mind. |
| 1:19.0 | You can't help but feel like it's a defect. |
... |
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