Ricky Wilson: I love being a gay pin-up

Ricky Wilson says the best thing about his glossy makeover since appearing on The Voice is that he has garnered a gay following.

The 36-year-old Kaiser Chiefs frontman shed pounds and got his teeth straightened before taking to his revolving chair, and his dishy new look hasn’t gone unnoticed.

‘I get a lot more attention from men than women. They say, “You’re hot. I wouldn’t mind a go on you”, which I find a compliment. I find it harder to please the same sex,’ he told Metro in an exclusive chat.

Wilson, who has been with his girlfriend Lesley Williams for more than five years, warns he is going all-out to win their respect.

‘There was a load of us on holiday last year and we were all sitting around the pool and someone had brought the [gay magazine] Attitude issue with the 100 hunkiest men,’ he said.

‘I was reading through it and said “I am going to do whatever it takes to get in this magazine next year.” We have booked the same villa and we are going back to Tuscany at the same time that issue should be back and I want to parade around the pool with my 100th hunkiest male entry. If I scraped in at 100, I’d be fine.’

While the Ruby singer has had viewers of both sexes swooning as he coached acts on The Voice, he insisted he was embarrassed by his effect.

‘The thing is, you can put anyone on TV and they can be hot. It’s like listening to a song on the radio, if you hear it every day you’ll start liking it,’ he protested.

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Thursday 20 March 2014]

Ricky Wilson promises no 'novelty' on The Voice

Ricky Wilson has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at rival singing show The X Factor as he prepares to take up coaching duties on BBC singing show The Voice.

The cheeky 35-year-old Kaiser Chiefs frontman says viewers should tune in for true talent and shouldn’t expect comedy acts.

‘We don’t rely on the novelty of people being there that shouldn’t be there later on,’ he warned.

‘It gets to a point where everyone is getting better and better and it is down to the best singer. If you want to watch a show where the person is the best singer, The Voice is the show for you. If you want to see people making fools of themselves, you can watch shows on other stations,’ he laughed.

Having been drafted in to replace departing coach Danny O’Donoghue, of The Script, Wilson jokes he will stand out on style alone.

‘I can’t wear those low slung T-shirts!’ he chuckled before revealing he is anxious about the pressure of being on live television later in the competition.

‘It is going on TV [which is] something I’ve never done as myself before. I’ve always been singing, which is relatively easy.

‘When Tom Jones advised me to just be myself I thought, “but who is that guy?” I am a different guy to Danny, so I will come across as different. You can’t compare.’

[Originally published Metro, Guilty Pleasures, Tuesday 3 January 2014]