Gareth Gates was verbally abused by three female passengers on board a P&O cruise who goaded him for his stutter.
The singer has revealed that the women in their 60s – whose cabin was next door to his – relentlessly bullied him, mimicking his speech issue by stuttering David Bowie’s hit Changes.
Gareth, 39, who was last week unveiled as the winner of this year’s on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, said: ‘Every time we’ve been out on our balcony… it’s been constant verbal abuse.’
‘They started by [stuttering] the song Changes by David Bowie and it progressed on to ‘G G G Gareth Gates’. It’s gotten worse and worse.
‘I’m more than used to this and can handle it and at first I was like ‘Let’s just leave it’ but three days is relentless. It was three girls in that cabin, the same age as my mum.’
Gareth went on to explain that the women were reprimanded by P&O bosses and given a warning after his partner, West End actress, Alanna Taylor, confronted them.
He explained: ‘I could hardly head round there myself as it was three women, so my other half said ‘Look, I’ve had enough of this’ and went round and politely asked them to stop and it actually worked.’
The father-of-one decided to share what happened publicly ‘because if we stand up to bullying it can stop’.
He added: ‘I’m the first person to take the Mick out of my speech but knowing the person that you’re taking the Mick out of can hear, takes a completely different person.
‘If you are those three women in cabin 8206 on my ship then shame on you, we’ve heard your conversations.
‘You obviously have kids and grandkids so what kind of example are you letting to your children? Let’s stand up to bullying.’ he concluded.
Fans and famous faces flocked to the comment section to express their support and love for the star.
‘Fair play to ur lady for politely going round & asking them to stop… i wouldn’t have been so nice’ said singer Becky Hill.
Will Mellor wrote: ‘Some people feel the need to do this to take the attention away from how sad they are!!! Glad your partner said something. Enjoy the rest of your holiday pal.’
Hayley Tamaddon penned: ‘I am so sorry this happened to you Gareth. Shame on them. Disgusting behaviour’
Whilst Danielle Lloyd who appeared on the gruelling military show with him wrote: ‘Shame on them Gareth your so strong and an amazing person.
‘Sadly in life there will always be people who are unhappy with themselves and have to try being others down!!! Raise above it my darling’ followed by a red heart emoji
In an update, Gareth, who has been working with P&O for five years, wrote: ‘Thanks for all of your kind messages relating to my Stand up to Bullying video…
‘Thanks to Neil Oliver and his team onboard Arvia for dealing with the situation immediately. They moved us to another cabin straight away and the 3 women were pulled into the office and given a warning. Again, hopefully they’ve learnt their lesson…’
Just last month the singer became emotional while talking about growing up with a stammer on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
A tearful Gates, who is now a musical theatre performer and found fame on the first season of Pop Idol in 2002, finishing second to Will Young, said: ‘For me, growing up was hard – at school, having a stammer.
‘School was just… [I was] verbally abused, physically. Lads just holding me down and shouting things,’ said Gates who occasionally took breaks to wipe tears from his eyes.
‘I think that’s why I’m here, to show myself that I am stronger, and that hopefully this time, I won’t break.’
Last week Gates was announced the winner of the 2023 military-style series, beating competitor, the disgraced former health secretary Matt Hancock.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
