'Now I can actually tell my kids off in Welsh'

Steps' Ian 'H' Watkins tells us about his new TV show and raising eight-year-old twins

- SARAH MORTON

For a man who’s been part of the pop landscape for almost three decades, you would think Ian ‘H’ Watkins would live and breathe showbiz. But when we catch up with the Welshman to celebrate the release of his new TV show, there’s only one thing that matters to him – and that’s his beloved children. 

H, 48, has been pop royalty since finding fame in Steps in 1997. And while the band has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, enjoyed multiple sold-out tours and remain a staple of every cheesy Spotify playlist, H is happiest at home.

Here, he opens up about parenthood, the “scary” Steps musical and how he’ll celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary…

“I say no to a lot of things now, just because I want to be home with my boys,” H tells us over a cuppa. “That’s what matters most to me.”

His eight year-old twin sons, Macsen and Cybi, are H’s pride and joy. So much so that his latest TV venture – one of the few he’s committing to right now – is essentially a love letter to them.

The Welsh show, Canu Gyda Fy Arwr, follows H as he learns to sing in Welsh. Despite being born in Wales, H isn’t fluent in the language, unlike his bilingual sons.  

“The reason I want to advance my Welsh is because my kids speak Welsh, and I need to know what they’re talking about behind my back,” he jokes. “And it’s enabled me to understand conversations and actually tell them off in Welsh, because I know exactly what they’re talking about now.”