Olly Murs won hearts across the UK when he came runner-up on the X Factor in 2009, aged just 25, and years later came back to present it with his friend, the late broadcaster Caroline Flack. Despite being a complete success story, he revealed to The Saturday Times that he has had issues with loneliness.
© Lucy North - PA Images"When you’ve been in the womb with someone, you struggle with loneliness. I had to deal with it when my twin and I went on our separate lives. I was desperate to be around people, could not sit in a room alone," said the singer, opening up.
Olly became estranged from his twin brother Ben in 2009, when Olly performed in the X Factor semi-final, which fell on the same weekend as his brother's wedding.
© GettyThe pop star previously told The Sunday Times: “It’s easy to blame my decision, but there’s much more to it than that, and in the end it was Ben’s decision. I apologised, said: ‘I’m sorry Ben, I love you to bits, have a great day, but I can’t come. This is massive for me, for the family, for us,’ but there were lots of other elements prior to that, and for my brother not to speak to the family, that’s his choice.
“Worry about him? I’ve seen the hurt he’s brought the family, my mum crying and upset, so that’s a tough question, but of course there’s a hole there. We’ve both started new lives. But of course I miss having my twin around."
Despite his family difficulties, Olly is leaning into life building his own family, as he revealed that he had to learn to like his own company when he was single for three years, which was when he met his now-wife.
© InstagramAmelia Tank, 31, is his wife and a fitness model, with whom he shares a beautiful baby girl, Madison, who was born in April this year. They tied the knot in July 2023 in a wedding exclusively covered in HELLO!. They married over three days of celebrations in Essex, at the 80-acre Osea Island in the Blackwater Estuary.
© Tali Photography"I was on the brink of crying at any moment," Olly said. "When my nephews walked down the aisle, I was gone, then when Amelia came in – oh my God! My mum said she hasn't seen me cry like that since I was four years old!"
