Myleene Klass

About Myleene Klass

Myleene Klass (born April 6, 1978) is an English actress, singer, model, pianist, and media personality, formerly a member of the now defunct pop band Hear'Say.

Born in Gorleston, Norfolk, England, to an English/Austrian father and a Filipina mother, Myleene comes from six generations of classical musicians on her father's side: Klass's grandmother was an opera singer, and her grandfather left his violin to her, which she later went on to play.

Klass began to learn the piano (and violin) from the age of four and then the harp at 12. She took Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams in violin, piano, and voice. She received an A grade in A-level music and became a Norfolk County scholar.

Klass's big break came when, in 2001, the ITV1 show called Popstars gave an opportunity for contestants to become part of a newly formed pop band. Klass attended the auditions and made it through several elimination rounds. She was then chosen as one of the 10 finalists and became a member of Hear'Say alongside Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, Danny Foster, and Noel Sullivan. To do so, Klass had beaten 4,000 other hopefuls to a place in the group. The rejected five contestants from the final 10 became the chart-topping Liberty X.

Hear'Say's first single, Pure and Simple, was the fastest-selling non-charitable record ever, selling 1.3 million copies. This record has since been beaten by Will Young, the first winner of Pop Idol, and his debut single, Anything is Possible/Evergreen. Popstars, Hear'Say's debut album (named after the TV show), sold 1.2 million copies in the UK.

Following the success of their first album, the band was given their own TV show entitled Hear'Say It's Saturday. During the show's run, the band had a chance to perform with established artists such as Lionel Richie, Celine Dion, Bradley Walsh, Blue, and Atomic Kitten. At the end of 2001, Hear'Say appeared on the prestigious Royal Variety Performance. Subsequently, the group achieved a 37-date sell-out arena tour and performed numerous television guest appearances. Klass made many appearances with Hear'Say on TV and at live performance venues during 2002. The pop act's many promotional appearances during the year were also broadcast as part of their own TV shows entitled Hear'Say: A New Chapter in Full and The Hear'Say Story. In total, Hear'Say had two 1 singles, a 3 single, and a #6 single in the British charts before splitting amid a blaze of media headlines after a reported long-term feud between Klass and Marsh. The feud resulted in Marsh leaving the band in 2002 and being replaced by Johnny Shentall.

In early 2006, Myleene was cast as one of the 3 women starring in the long-running play The Vagina Monologues and performed in Bromley, Richmond, and Brighton. Her run was then extended to include all dates in Nottingham.

Klass took part in the 6th series of ITV1's highly successful reality television series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, which began on 13 November 2006 and ended on 1 December 2006. Klass was paid a reported £100,000 to appear on the show, making her the equal-highest-paid female in the history of the show (with Jordan). Klass was very successful on the show, reaching the final and then coming in second place, finishing narrowly behind Matt Willis. This was actually considered to be rather surprising, as Klass was the 6-5 second favorite to win behind Jason Donovan, who finished in third place, while Matt was an 8-1 outsider. Since her time on the show, Klass's popularity has skyrocketed, particularly with male viewers, as Klass's sex appeal in a bikini was a frequent focus on the show.

In November 2004, Klass posed for Loaded magazine. After she appeared in a shot for Maxim magazine in February 2006, it was revealed in April 2006 that Klass charted at number 78 in the FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2006, after not being included the previous year. She had previously appeared at number 84 in 2002, number 33 in 2003, and 43 in 2004. Klass was chosen as the new face of Ortak Jewellery. In January 2007, it was announced that Klass had signed a multimillion-pound deal with Marks & Spencer to model clothes and swimwear for the new season.

As the new face and body of Marks & Spencer's Spring and Summer Collection, Klass appeared in both print and television advertising, including one modeled on Ursula Andress's first appearance in Dr. No. From 2012, Klass modeled for the catalog store Littlewoods.