Chesney Hawkes (Celebrity Big Brother)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Chesney Hawkes

• Chesney Hawkes’ parents named him after the singer and comedian Chesney Allen.

  

• Chesney Hawkes grew up in a very “rock’n’roll household” as his father was a musician and his mother was an actor and gameshow hostess. Chesney’s parents had famous people as friends, which was why his house was always party central.

• According to Chesney Hawkes was a very smart child. He never had any other aspirations other than music, which made him a little rebellious in school. Chesney left school at the age of 15 and he learnt his musical craft by playing pianos in pubs where he used to play Elton John and John Lennon songs.

• In 1991, he released his first English song titled ‘The One and Only,’ which was released in his debut film as an actor titled ‘Buddy’s Song’ (1991). The song has been Chesney’s biggest hit single, as of 2025.

• While kickstarting his career, Chesney did not want to become an actor, but the only reason he agreed to do a role in the film ‘Buddy’s Song’ (1991) was because he thought there might be a record deal at the end of it.

• He became one of the first teenagers in pop history ever to bag the Number One spot with a debut release.

• Chesney Hawkes’ song titled ‘The One and Only’ spent five weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in March and April 1991.

• In the United States, his song ‘The One and Only’ was featured in the romantic comedy film ‘Doc Hollywood’ (1991), and it was the single that proved to be Hawkes’ only hit in the US, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in November 1991.

• In 1993, Chesney Hawkes released his English single titled ‘What’s Wrong with This Picture’ and the song reached number 63 in the UK in the same year.

• In 1995, Chesney met Kristian in a pub in Barnes, London. Chesney was 22 years old when he first met his wife and he stated in an interview that he vowed to marry her upon their first meeting. He was quoted saying in an interview that
  

  I walked up to one and asked if I could buy her a drink and she said: “I’ll have a pint of lager, please.” I was like: “Oh my God! Will you marry me?.”

• A few years into his musical career, one of the music labels dropped his contract with the company, which made him really depressed. He started drinking alcohol excessively and also started taking drugs to escape his depressive state of mind.

• During the initial years of his career, he was known for his lavish spending habits, including the purchase of a state-of-the-art recording studio and cars for his family.

• His lack of financial wisdom led to a sharp decrease in his fortune. It was reported that by the late 90s, Chesney had lost a large portion of his £8.2 million earnings due to excessive spending and poor financial choices.

• In 2000, during an appearance on the British television chat show titled ‘The Wright Stuff,’ Chesney stated that he is a big supporter of gay rights, including the right for gays to marry in church and the right for heterosexuals to be allowed to have civil partnerships.

• In 2002, he collaborated with the American musician and singer named Adam Schlesinger for the song titled ‘Stay Away Baby Jane.’ The song reached number 74 on the UK Singles Chart in that year.

• In 2005, he took part in the third series of the British reality sports game show titled ‘The Games,’ which was telecast on Channel 4. Chesney won third place in the competition.

  

• In the same year, he took part in the British television entertainment show titled ‘Hit Me, Baby, One More Time,’ which was telecast on the NBC TV channel.

• In 2007, Chesney got involved in a project called the ‘Lexus Symphony Orchestra,’ which was a corporate promotion designed to showcase the quality of Lexus’ in-car audio systems.

• He composed two original pieces of music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra for these events held at Castle Howard and Crystal Palace in the month of August 2007.

• In 2009, Chesney Hawkes surprised Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist Duncan Walker Bannatyne with a performance at his 60th birthday party. Duncan Walker is reported to be Chesney’s biggest fan.

• In 2011, he took part in the British television programme titled ‘Let’s Sing and Dance,’ which featured celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charities Comic Relief and Sport Relief.

• In the same year, Chesney Hawkes was cast in a sung-through musical titled ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,’ which was based on the character of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. Chesney Hawkes played the character of Joseph.

• In 2012, Chesney was supposed to take part in the seventh series of the British dancing competition television series titled ‘Dancing on Ice,’ but after fracturing his ankle, he had to pull out of the competition. He was replaced by the British singer Chico Slimani.

• In the same year, Chesney Hawkes created his YouTube channel and started uploading his music videos. His YouTube channel holds more than 7 thousand subscribers, as of 2025.

• In 2014, he performed his song titled ‘The One and Only’ with a flashmob dance group in the streets of Manchester to promote the MyMate Loans company. Chesney also recorded a version of the song with different lyrics for a MyMate commercial.

• In 2015, Chesney participated in the 10th series of the British competitive cooking reality show titled ‘Celebrity MasterChef,’ which was telecast on the BBC One TV channel. However, he was eliminated in the first round of the semi-finals of the show.

  

• In the early 2000s, Chesney got actively involved with The A21 Campaign, which was an organization combating human trafficking. He promoted the organization by using his platform to raise awareness and support their mission.

• He also participated in fundraising events and initiatives to support The A21 Campaign’s work and even advocated the organization’s efforts to rescue victims of trafficking and provide them with long-term support.

• In 2022, Chesney Hawkes released a career-spanning box set named ‘The Complete Picture: The Albums 1991–2012,’ which consisted of his four studio albums with a bonus disc with B-sides and remixes, and a DVD containing music videos, TV performances, and rare live footage.

• In the same year, he joined his father Chip and brother Jodie on the Sixties Gold Tour as part of the English beat group ‘Tremeloes,’ and became their singer for a series of dates around the UK.

• In 2022, Chesney Hawks performed live during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Qatar.

  

• In 2025, Chesney Hawkes took part in the twenty-fourth series of the British television reality game show titled ‘Celebrity Big Brother,’ which was based on the Dutch reality TV show titled ‘Big Brother.

  

• In the same year, Chesney released his live album titled ‘Living Arrows,’ which consisted of a total of 12 songs.

  

• Chesney Hawkes is an avid supporter of the Stratford-based football club named ‘West Ham United Football Club.’

• He occasionally consumes alcohol.

  

• Chesney Hawkes loves to spend time with animals, and he often shares photos with his pet dogs and pet cats on social media.