Chesney Hawkes

Early life

Hawkes was born in Windsor, Berkshire. He was named after the singer and comedian Chesney Allen. His father is singer and bassist Chip Hawkes of the 1960s band the Tremeloes. His mother is former actress/game-show hostess Carol Dilworth, who appeared in an episode of the 1960s version of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) called "For the Girl Who Has Everything", as well as the 1969 horror film The Haunted House of Horror. Keely Hawkes, his sister, was the lead singer of 1990s band Transister, and is currently a songwriter based in Los Angeles. He attended Charters School in Sunningdale. Jodie Hawkes, his brother, played drums in Chesney's band and is currently in The Tremeloes.

Career

Hawkes' career began at 19, when he appeared as the title character in the film Buddy's Song. In March 1991, he released from the film's soundtrack his biggest single "The One and Only", on which his younger brother Jodie was the drummer. The song, which was written by Nik Kershaw, spent five weeks at No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. Hawkes has released eight singles including "I'm a Man Not a Boy" and "Secrets of the Heart".

In 1993, his single "What's Wrong with This Picture?" reached number 63 in the UK, and his 2002 collaboration with Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, "Stay Away Baby Jane", reached number 74 in the UK Singles Chart.

On 21 March 2001, Hawkes appeared on the second episode of ITV's documentary series Holiday Airport, which followed British holidaymakers as they passed through Palma Airport, Majorca. The episode resurfaced more than 20 years later on 13 March 2022, when it was uploaded to YouTube by ITV Studios' Our Stories channel.

Hawkes returned to the media's attention with his involvement in Channel 4's The Games in March 2005, in which he won a Bronze Medal. He also took part in the ITV programme Hit Me Baby One More Time in April that year. He released a single called "Another Fine Mess" in May 2005, it reached number 48. The following album of the same title featured fifteen songs written by Hawkes.

Hawkes was involved in a project called the Lexus Symphony Orchestra, a corporate promotion designed to showcase the quality of Lexus' in-car audio systems. Hawkes composed two original pieces of music performed by the London Symphony Orchestra for these events held at Castle Howard and Crystal Palace, in August 2007.

Hawkes appeared in a musical, Can't Smile Without You (featuring songs of Barry Manilow). National tour started at the Liverpool Empire Theatre on 15 September 2008, prior to performances in the West End.

Hawkes appeared briefly in a cherry picker on Celebrity Big Brother (shown on 8 January 2009) on Channel 4. "The One and Only" was used as a cue to have contestants worship at a Chesney Hawkes shrine.

In January 2011, Hawkes performed at the live finale of Louie Spence's Showbusiness. During February and March 2011, he took part in the BBC series Let's Dance for Comic Relief. He now performs a mixture of his own material and covers at University Freshers week. In May that year, Hawkes took part in the ITV series Sing If You Can. In September, he appeared as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. On 24 December 2011, he appeared on the ITV programme Text Santa, with Ant & Dec.

Hawkes was due to take part on ITV's skating programme Dancing on Ice in 2012 but after fracturing his ankle, he had to pull out. He was replaced by Chico Slimani. In May, he played at Lakefest festival. In December, he appeared as an accident-prone version of himself in the ITV comedy drama Panto!.

In 2014, Hawkes performed "The One and Only" with a flashmob dance group in the streets of Manchester to promote MyMate Loans. In addition, he recorded a version of the song with different lyrics for a MyMate commercial.

In 2015, Hawkes competed in Celebrity MasterChef on BBC One. He was eliminated in the first of the semi-finals of the show.

In 2016, Hawkes was a guest on ITV's Loose Women, with his parents in the audience. He spoke about the relief of his family, following a not guilty verdict of an alleged incident involving his father Chip, 48 years prior to Chip's Court appearance and charges dismissal. He also discussed his charitable work with The A21 Campaign.

On 25 March 2022, Hawkes released the box set The Complete Picture: The Albums 1991–2012, which consists of five CDs and one DVD. In addition, he released the digital single "The One and Only (2022 Nik Kershaw Remix)". In autumn 2022, he joined his father Chip and brother Jodie on the Sixties Gold Tour as part of the Tremeloes, becoming their singer for a series of dates around the UK.

On 17 February 2024, Hawkes became the Unexpected Celebrity Star Star, of Michael McIntyre's Big Show Series 7, Episode 6, for BBC One. The elaborate stunt was set up with the help of his wife Kristina, that sees him perform his song, The One and Only to a live Theatre Royal, Drury Lane audience. Hawkes was greeted on stage by his band, which also featured his guitar playing son. In April 2025, Hawkes entered the Celebrity Big Brother house to appear as a housemate on the twenty-fourth series. On 11 April 2025, Chesney's new album 'Living Arrows' was Radio 2's Album of the Week.

Personal life

Hawkes married his American girlfriend, Kristina, on 4 July 1997. They have three children together and having previously lived in Chertsey, they resided in Los Angeles for 12 years until moving back to Surrey in 2024.

Hawkes is a supporter of West Ham United FC. Entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne is a fan of Hawkes, and was surprised with a performance at his 60th birthday party in 2009.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Extended plays

Compilation albums

Box sets

Singles

Filmography

• The Bill – "Photo Finish" (1991)
• Buddy's Song (1991)
• Prince Valiant (1997)
• Panto! (2012)
• Loose Women (2016)
• Hollyoaks (2022)
• Never Mind the Buzzcocks (2023)
• Michael McIntyre's Big Show (2024)
• Radio 2's Piano Room (2025)
• Celebrity Big Brother (2025)
• Celebrity Escape to the Country (2025)

References

References

1. "One-Hit Wonders at the BBC".
2. Our Stories. "Check-In Chaos & Celebrity Sightings {{!}} Holiday Airport E2 {{!}} Our Stories". [[YouTube]].
3. "Chesney Hawkes official website". Chesneyhawkes.co.uk.
4. (August 2017)
5. (1 April 2011). "Live at The Showbusiness Finale – TV.com". TV.com.
6. (3 February 2011). "Chesney Hawkes, Lulu for 'Let's Dance' – TV News". [[Digital Spy]].
7. (14 May 2011). "On tonight's Sing If You Can: Chesney Hawkes, Martin Bayfield, Tricia Penrose, Craig Doyle, Roxanne Pallett & Leanne Jones". Primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk.
8. (20 January 2012). "Lakefest 2012: Line-up 2012". Lakefest.co.uk.
9. MyMate. (6 March 2014). "Chesney Hawkes flashmob in Manchester". [[YouTube]].
10. (30 August 2013). "MyMate: The One You Wanted". ABF Pictures.
11. (16 July 2015). "Celebrity MasterChef 2015 Chesney Hawkes leaves the kitchen and feels gutted".
12. (4 August 2016). "Chesney Hawkes Opens Up About The Difficult Times In His Life {{!}} Loose Women".
13. (24 March 2022). "Chesney Hawkes – The Complete Picture: The Albums 1991–2012".
14. "The Tremeloes featuring Chesney Hawkes".
15. "The Tremeloes".
16. [https://sixtiesgold.com] {{dead link. (September 2025)
17. "BBC One - Michael McIntyre's Big Show, Series 7, Episode 6".
18. Hallam, Katy. (18 February 2024). "Chesney Hawkes on Michael McIntyre's Big Show surprise - 'revenge is sweet'".
19. Hallam, Katy. (17 February 2024). "Michael McIntyre addresses Big Show criticism and explains how secret is kept".
20. "Celebrity Big Brother 2025 line-up: Full list of 'confirmed' housemates".
21. "What I know about women: Chesney Hawkes". The Scotsman.
22. (3 May 2012). "The one and only Chesney Hawkes on music, celebrity and life in Chertsey". SurreyLife.
23. (8 February 2025). "Chesney Hawkes: 'As my dad once said, don't believe the hype'". The Guardian.
24. (3 July 2020). "The Six Factor – Singer, songwriter and actor Chesney Hawkes".
25. Roberts, David. (9 February 2009). "Bannatyne tells birthday guests: I will never retire". [[The Northern Echo]].
26. "Chesney Hawkes". [[Official Charts Company]].
27. Roberts, David. (2006). "British Hit Singles & Albums". Guinness World Records Limited.
28. (27 April 2012). "96.4 Eagle Radio Celebrity Interviews". 96.4 Eagle Radio.
29. "Chesney Hawkes – US Hot 100". billboard.com.
30. (4 April 2025). "Celebrity Big Brother cast 'revealed' and it includes a Marvel star".
31. "BBC One - Celebrity Escape to the Country, Series 3, Chesney Hawkes".