EVERYBODY IN LOVE - 'IT'S CRAZY MARV AND ROCHELLE ARE CELEBRATING 10 YEARS BEFORE SARAH AND I ARE EVEN MARRIED!'

AS JLS STAR ASTON MERRYGOLD PREPARES TO WED HIS LONG-TERM PARTNER, HE REFLECTS ON FAMILY AND THE FUTURE

- NICOLA FAHEY

Aston Merrygold is juggling some major wedding planning with his solo career and making his debut in musical Footloose this week, so the dad-of-two can be forgiven for not even knowing which city he’s in right now.

“Oh my God, where am I?” he says, as he calls us for a catch-up while on the road, then remembers: “I’m in Edinburgh!”

“When I was young, I was the type of person that was cool with going away for work. I got used to missing people. But when my kids were born, it changed my outlook. It’s a lot harder now because I miss them. Luckily, I’ve got a great team around me, and my fiancée Sarah is incredible – she holds the fort. And FaceTime is amazing!”

As Aston, 34, prepares to marry Sarah Richards, a former JLS backing dancer, this autumn, his bandmate Marvin Humes is renewing his vows with wife Rochelle, 10 years after their big day at Blenheim Palace.

“It’s crazy that Marv and Rochelle are celebrating 10 years before Sarah and I are even married!” laughs Aston. “As I said to Sarah, the last few years have been crazy for everyone and stuff’s been postponed, but once we actually get married, it will be like, ‘We should have done this sooner.’

“Finding a venue has held us up. We’ve been looking for the perfect place abroad. We searched and searched, and at one point almost gave up before saying we’re just going to do it here. Then we randomly found a place and fell in love with it.”