13 March 2024 , 10:55
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Jedward were the unexpected underdogs of the X Factor back in 2009 - and went on to make millions.
Under the mentorship of Louis Walsh, twins John and Edward Grimes finished in sixth place and went on to enjoy a lucrative career. Estimated to be worth £6.5million, the Irish duo have gone platinum in Ireland, competed in the Eurovision Song Contest twice and made a mint starring in their own television shows.
But despite their enormous success, former boss Louis, 71, isn't a fan of the pair anymore and dubbed them 'vile' on ITV's Celebrity Big Brother this week. The music manager, 71, said Jedward were simply a 'novelty act' as he slammed popstars he'd worked with over the years to Coronation Street actor Colson Smith.
Responding to the attack, Jedward, 32, posted to their 641,000 followers on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Louis Walsh is a cold-hearted b*****d who didn't even send us flowers when our mom died." As the stars take brutal swipes at each other, we take a look at where John and Edward are now - from their A-list pals to their devastating loss.
Jedward count Ed Sheeran among their showbiz pals (jepicpics/Instagram)While many X Factor acts have disappeared into the ether, Jedward have stayed relatively on the radar with appearances in Celebrity Big Brother in 2011 and 2017. But the latter was overshadowed by fear when the boys emerged in second place to winner Coleen Nolan only to find their father, John Snr, was in a critical condition in intensive care.
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Proud dad John wanted his sons to enjoy the experience so decided not to tell them, their mum Suzannah Condron revealed at the time. She told the Daily Star: "The last week has been very stressful for Jedward's family. John Snr has been in intensive care. He insisted Edward and John must not be informed about his critical condition."
She added: "He stated he would not jeopardise their chances of reaching the final as there would have been legions of disappointed fans." Their dad went on to make a full recovery from the mystery illness, but unbeknown to fans, two years earlier Suzannah had also been diagnosed with leukemia and kidney failure.
After five years of treatment, she died in February 2019 as her twins held her hands and played her favourite Fleetwood Mac songs. In a heartbreaking interview on Ireland's The Late Late Show, the boys opened up about their grief and their mum's peaceful final moments. Edward said: "We were there when she passed and we are thankful that we were there - we were able to hold her hand."
John and Edward were heartbroken over the loss of their beloved mum (Twitter)He continued: "We had some earphones listening to some music. We listened to some Fleetwood Mac and some of her favourite songs that she liked to play." John added: "It's very disheartening to think that she won't be at our weddings, she won't be there at the birth of our kids, but we always keep her spirit alive like have pictures of her around and tell stories.
"You just feel so disconnected to the world because the person that kept you anchored in the world and gave birth to you is gone and now you don't know where you should be, what you should be doing." And in tribute to their mum, the pair shaved off their iconic quiffs in 2021 to raise £2.5million for the Irish Cancer Society on The Late Late Show.
Edward explained: "We hope all the funds raised will contribute to a cancer-free future, this is such a good cause. We're sending so much strength and love to all those suffering with cancer."
The Jedward boys shaved their head in tribute to their late mum (Instagram)Meanwhile, one source of comfort was their good friend, American Pie actress Tara Reid, who struck up an unlikely friendship with the boys in the CBB house back in 2011. She starred in the video for their 2011 song, Wow Oh Wow, and even flew to Ireland to live with the twins and their family for two months.
On a We Hear podcast from Page Six, they explained: "Tara came to Ireland for two months and lived in our house with our granny with our family. We showed her all around Ireland. Our granny thought she was Marilyn Monroe." And when the pandemic struck, the trio even decided to lock down together at Tara's Los Angeles home.
There they were joined by her boyfriend Nathan Montpetit-Howard, and while Tara admitted living with her other half had been tricky, she said having the boys around was a hoot. "They have truly made this experience so much better than what it would have been for me," she said.
Jedward struck up an unlikely friendship with American Pie actress Tara Reid (SPLASH)In a recent interview with the Mirror, the brother discussed their friendship with Tara. They said: "We never would have crossed paths with Tara if it wasn't for Celebrity Big Brother. We're so opposite ends of the spectrum in different ways. Tara is like edgy and really cool, and we're kind of poppy. We've been friends for over 10 years now."
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As well as Tara, the Irish twins count Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran as their good friends, and they have sparked a close friendship with TOWIE and reality TV star Gemma Collins. The pair have praised her as a "solid person" in their lives and said she kindly helped them when they moved to London recently.
Jedward told the Mirror: "Our friend Gemma [Collins] recently gave us her furniture, so we have some Barbie furniture in our spot. Gemma is such a vibe, such a solid person in our lives. We've known each other for a few years now. There's a lot more to Gemma, cos obviously everyone has this opinion of Gemma but she can get deep and she's had things happen in her life."
The pair are best friends with Gemma Collins and call her a 'solid person' in their lives (Instagram/ @gemmacollins)The duo revealed they are currently staying busy and will be looking to release new music in the future. "We're still doing music, we have like 24 songs that are ready to be like tracked and are ready to go," they said. "We're ready to give a new sound, like a stripped back style like we did 'Everybody Hurts' on The Late Late Show."
In terms of their love lives, both are currently believed to be single. Back in 2017, Edward revealed he was dating a Swedish girl called Sabrina. And while they're happy to share details of their private lives, they have made a pact to keep their relationships off limits.
John previously said: "We have had relationships. I've had two long-term relationships that were private. That wasn't part of my career." Edward added: "We have had relationships, but it's never been our number one priority to showcase them. It's like a career movement that me and John were never like other people who are, 'Oh God, let's do the OK! spread, let's tell them about the break-up, the marriage, the kids', that was never us."