Jay McGuiness
Jay McGuiness | |
|---|---|
 McGuiness in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James McGuiness |
| Born | 24 July 1990[citation needed] |
| Origin | Newark, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2009–present |
James "Jay" McGuiness (born 24 July 1990) is a British singer, songwriter, actor and author best known as a vocalist with boy band The Wanted. In 2015, partnered with Aliona Vilani, he won the 13th series of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. In February 2024 Jay’s debut fantasy novel ‘Blood Flowers’ was published worldwide by Scholastic.
McGuiness has forged a career in musical theatre starring in BIG! The Musical at the Dominion Theatre in London's West End, Sleepless - A Musical romance at the Troubador Theatre and Rip It Up at the Garrick Theatre. In 2022 McGuiness took the lead role of Bob Wallace in the touring musical version of the classic movie White Christmas.[1] In 2024, Jay landed the role of Ben in the award winning play 2:22 A Ghost Story. McGuiness is a committed conservationist and environmentalist.
Early life
McGuiness grew up in Newark, Nottinghamshire,[2] and attended All Saints RC School, Mansfield.[3] He has a twin brother, and three other siblings.[citation needed]
From the age of 12, he pursued his love of performing by attending the Charlotte Hamilton School of Dance in Newark. As his love for the performing arts grew he attended the prestigious Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama in Carlton near Nottingham.[4]
Career
The Wanted
McGuiness is known as one fifth of Anglo-Irish boy band The Wanted. He has been a member of the band since 2010, alongside Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker and Nathan Sykes. He discovered the band by Googling 'auditions' and getting two results, one for a circus and one for the band.[5][6]
In October 2017, McGuiness won the first series of Celebrity Hunted alongside bandmate Siva Kaneswaran.
Strictly Come Dancing
On 24 August 2015, McGuiness was confirmed as a celebrity contestant in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with professional dancer Aliona Vilani.[7][8] In the third week of competition, he was awarded a total of 37 points out of 40, the highest week 3 score in the history of the competition, for his jive, receiving the first 10 of the series. In week 6, he danced an American Smooth to "Li'l Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs and scored 34, putting him in second place by only one point.[9] In week 10 he danced a tango to "When Doves Cry" by Prince and scored 38. In Week 11 he danced a rumba to "Falling Slowly", from the musical Once, and scored 39, putting him at the top. In the semi-final his Charleston scored 37. In the final, on 19 December 2015, the couple danced a quickstep to "My Generation" by The Who, scoring 36, a showdance to "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd, scoring 35, and a pasodoble to "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi, scoring 39. In the public vote the couple were voted the series winners, gaining the Glitterball trophy.[10]
In 2020, the BBC ran an audience poll for the greatest Strictly dance of all time as part of the 2020 Christmas special. Jay's ‘Pulp Fiction’ Jive topped the poll as viewers favourite Strictly routine ever. [1]
- Strictly Come Dancing performances
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' scores | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revel Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Reach Out, I'll Be There" | 5 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 27 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Waltz / "See the Day" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive / "Misirlou/You Never Can Tell" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 37 | Safe |
| 4 | Quickstep / "My Generation" | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 25 | Safe |
| 5 | Paso Doble / "It's My Life" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 6 | American Smooth / "Li'l Red Riding Hood" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 7 | Argentine Tango / "Diferente" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 8 | Foxtrot / "Lay Me Down" | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 9 | Salsa / "Cuba" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 10 | Tango / "When Doves Cry" | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| Quickstep-athon / "Sing, Sing, Sing" | Awarded | 3 | Extra | Points | 41 | ||
| 11 | Rumba / "Falling Slowly" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 12 | Viennese Waltz / "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| Charleston / "Doctor Jazz" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 37 | ||
| 13 | Quickstep / "My Generation" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Winner |
| Showdance / "Can't Feel My Face" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | ||
| Paso Doble / "It's My Life" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | ||
Theatre
In 2018 he made his West End debut in Big The Musical at the Dominion Theatre, a musical remake of the 1988 film Big starring Tom Hanks.[11] He played Josh Baskin, the character made famous by Hanks, and co starred with Kimberley Walsh, Matthew Kelly, and Wendi Peters.
In October 2018 McGuiness appeared at the London Palladium in the show Rip it Up the 60s, alongside Harry Judd, Aston Merrygold and Louis Smith. The show then transferred to the Garrick Theatre.[12][13][14]
October 2019 saw McGuiness land the leading role in the West End musical BIG!, playing the role of Josh Baskin, made famous by Tom Hanks in the hit movie.
In 2020 McGuiness starred in Sleepless, the musical adaptation of the 1993 movie Sleepless in Seattle, at the Wembley Park Troubadour Theatre. Reuniting with his Big co-star Kimberley Walsh, also featuring Harriet Thorpe and Corey English.[15]
In 2022, McGuiness starred in the touring production of White Christmas playing the role of Bob Wallace.
Also in 2022, he took part in and won Richard Osman's House of Games on BBC television, following a tense daily battle with fellow contestant Bobby Seagull.
In January 2023, Jay took the role of Ben in the UK tour of the award winning play 2:22 - A Ghost Story.
Personal life
McGuiness is vegetarian, although he has described himself as "not a militant vegetarian by any means".[16] He was named PETA's Sexiest Male Vegetarian Celebrity in 2013.[17]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Chasing the Saturdays | Himself | Episode: "DeepFriedSats" |
| The Wanted Life | |||
| 2015 | Strictly Come Dancing | Contestant | Series 13 |
| 2017 | Celebrity Hunted | Contestant | Series 1 |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | Big The Musical | Josh Baskin | |
| 2025 | & Juliet' | William Shakespeare | UK Tour |
References
- ^ Mayo, Douglas (17 October 2022). "White Christmas Tour 2022 - Irving Berlin's classic musical live". British Theatre. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Notts Most Wanted: Jay McGuiness". Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ "Screaming girls greet singer who goes back to school". Newark Advertiser. 23 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ "Jay McGuiness Wanted on the Strictly dance floor". BBC.
- ^ "BBC One – Strictly Come Dancing – Jay McGuiness". BBC.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing – Jay McGuinnes – BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ "Jay McGuiness: Strictly Come Dancing 2015 contestant". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ "'Strictly Come Dancing': Aliona Vilani 'Argues With Husband Vincent Kavanagh' After Being Snapped With Partner Jay McGuiness". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ "BBC Blogs – Strictly Come Dancing – Halloween Week Leader Board Recap". BBC. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ "Video: Strictly Come Dancing 2015: moment Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani win the show". The Daily Telegraph. 19 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ "'Big', Dominion Theatre review: Kimberley Walsh is a knockout in zestful production with an uncynical spirit". Independent.co.uk. 18 September 2019.
- ^ "Rip It up – the 60's to transfer to the Garrick Theatre". 8 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Rip It Up The Show". Ripituptheshow.com. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ Hutera, Donald (9 August 2023). "Review: Rip It Up — The 60s at the Garrick Theatre, WC2".
- ^ Davis, Clive (9 August 2023). "Sleepless: A Musical Romance review — a dream of a feelgood treat without all the schmaltz".
- ^ McGuiness, Jay (25 March 2015). "I'm not a militant vegetarian by any means, but please watch this before your next". Twitter.com. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- ^ "The Wanted's Jay McGuiness Named World's Sexiest Male Vegetarian Celebrity". Capital FM. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
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