THERE ARE CERTAIN PHONE CALLS YOU REMEMBER FOREVER; they might be job offers, news of a loved one passing, or, if you're James Kelly, a surprise call from the producers of Teen Big Brother, who've somehow tracked you down to an Ibiza hotel.
On that day in June 2003, the 18-year-old James (now 37) was enjoying his newfound status of being legal drinking age by - as is a rite of passage for teenage Brits- wreaking hedonistic havoc on a European party island with 20 of his mates. It was in his hotel lobby that he found himself clutching a receiver, confused, hungover and scantily clad, as he learned he'd been selected to go into the Teen Big Brother house.
"Next thing I know, I've got to get to Ibiza airport, into London, and then back the same night - but no one could know," he recalls over Zoom from his home in Houston, Texas. Sworn to secrecy and now needing to vanish for 24 hours without a trace, James confided in one of his friends, who had to make up a story to explain why he'd suddenly disappeared. "He said I ended up with some girls," he tells me with a wry smile, his short black hair neatly slicked back. "At first, he made me sound like a bit of a lothario, but then he would add all these little stories, like I ended up on a boat out at sea. Some of those guys probably [still think] I was marooned with a group of girls." He shakes his head, beams, and adds with a fond scoff: "Gullible drunk Scots."
Denne historien er fra February/March 2023-utgaven av Rolling Stone UK.
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Denne historien er fra February/March 2023-utgaven av Rolling Stone UK.
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BACK TO THE GRIND
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RULE OF LAWTEY
Stepping up to play a comic-book icon in the big-budget sequel Joker: Folie à Deux could prove a life-changing moment for Industry star Harry Lawtey. But he's trying not to think about it...
