It’s been 16 years since Joe McElderry received The X Issue, which modified his life in a single day and propelled him to stardom.

Nevertheless, so far as success is worried, his private life is shifting at a a lot slower tempo.

The singer, now 34, has opened up about his relationship life, admitting that he thinks he’ll be ‘eternally single’ after struggling to seek out The One.

Joe, who was simply 18 when he auditioned for Simon Cowell’s ITV expertise present, the place Cheryl was his mentor, got here out as homosexual shortly after his huge win.

In a brand new interview, the performer mentioned despondently: ‘I’ve been single for a really, very very long time.’

Joe continued to The Solar: ‘And I imply, pay attention, I’m open to assembly someone, and I’d love to satisfy someone, however I feel relationship is so onerous now.

‘On-line relationship is a minefield, and I don’t suppose individuals meet individuals except it’s on relationship apps now, which is loopy. It’s form of unhappy in a method.’

The Geordie added that any potential companions would want the approval of his grandmother, Hilda, with whom he shares a detailed bond, as they even host a podcast known as That’s Ridiculous collectively.

Declaring her a ‘superb decide of character’, Joe mentioned: ‘You’ll know if she doesn’t belief someone or she doesn’t like someone. 

‘In our trade, you possibly can come throughout some dodgy individuals, however she will name it out in seconds of someone strolling in a room, and I’m like, “That’s a sensible girl”.’

The Climb hitmaker has a packed schedule for the tip of 2025, as he’s heading out on tour throughout the Northeast.

Since profitable The X Consider 2009, in addition to attaining 5 prime 20 hit albums, together with two reaching the highest three, Joe has grow to be extensively recognized for his musical theatre work.

In 2011, he received the second collection of Popstar to Operastar and, in 2015, took the lead as Joseph within the Joseph and the Superb Technicolour Dreamcoat tour.

Final yr, he was additionally in panto in Newcastle, enjoying Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio.

Joe actually didn’t have a straightforward introduction to fame, although, as he’s mentioned he felt ‘compelled’ to share his sexuality publicly after countless rumours.

‘I made the selection to talk overtly about this,’ Joe mentioned on the time of his popping out as a teen.

Nevertheless, in an interview in 2024, he recalled of his X Issue expertise: ‘There’s slightly little bit of a fantasy; I feel that folks assume that I went onto the present and all of my household and associates knew I used to be homosexual, and it was this secret I stored from everybody.

‘No person knew; I wasn’t out to anyone, and I used to be nonetheless figuring out who I used to be.’

He added to BBC Radio Newcastle: ‘I bear in mind sitting in a press roundtable interview, fairly early on within the stay exhibits of The X Issue, and the journalists on the time… they have been hammering us with actually, actually private questions.

‘I used to be not ready for that in any respect. By no means thoughts as a human being, however as an 18-year-old boy who had by no means left the Northeast earlier than by way of a working surroundings, and also you go into this room, and I didn’t know the solutions to these questions.’

Joe, who would go on to duet with the late George Michael within the X Issue remaining, steered away from responding to deeply private interview questions on the time as a result of the truth that he didn’t even know who he was himself.

He continued: ‘Individuals all the time say you all the time know, and also you in all probability do, however it’s coming to phrases with it in your personal thoughts and being okay with it.’

After the present ended, Joe ‘found that [he] was homosexual’ and who he ‘wished to be’.

However, sadly, he hadn’t even processed the self-discovery earlier than feeling like he needed to make an announcement.

‘It wasn’t till way back that I used to be like, that was truly ridiculous, that it was front-page information as a result of it shouldn’t be.

‘It’s so non-important. It’s necessary in my life, and it’s necessary for who you’re as an individual, however for everyone within the nation to have to seek out out about that, and for it to be on front-page newspaper, it’s ridiculous.’

Within the years since popping out, whereas Joe is proud to be homosexual, he has not shared any glimpses of his relationship life on-line.

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