My fellow bandmates Cheryl Baker, Bobby G and Jay Aston tell me how lucky I am because it was so horrific and they wish they could forget it.. But despite her success, she's still paying a mortgage on her 1million, five-bedroom home in rural Kent and lives off her state pension of 700 a month on top of 250 from a private one. Here he relives the night that changed his life. I have GP check-ups every six months and I go to the gym three or four times a week again. And it took doctors a while to get my medication right to stop the seizures. The contractual litigation that followed Astons departure in 1985 would force her to sell her dream home to pay legal bills running into hundreds of thousands of pounds; I had hardly anything left by about 91, she says, and it was only a solo deal and the opening of her own Theatre Arts School which turned her life back around. I honestly think that in 10 years time, if were still doing it then, we might be on Zimmer frames but when the skirts come off the cheers go up, every time., The song is quite magical, says Aston, laughing at the impact those throwaway three minutes had on her life. Last winter we did a fundraising gig for North East Headway in Newcastle which was quite poignant as that is the city where the coach crash happened all those years ago. She said: "I had no work coming in, but I was raised not to be a shirker so I rang a friend who runs a company. Mike Nolan (singer) - Wikipedia As a result of the accident, Mike will be on epilepsy pills for life, while Cheryl was left with serious damage to her spine. Back in December. Once the show went off air, says Jay Aston, one of the four dazzled Brits being ushered from obscurity to superstardom in just a few steps, we went into this huge hall where there were hundreds of photographers from all over Europe. I was still getting stomach problems because the microwave from the kitchen area of the coach had hit me in the abdomen during the impact. They had no idea I was Cheryl Baker.". Hopefully after this we will have happy memories of Newcastle instead of miserable ones.. A round-up of the latest Newcastle United transfer rumours. Jay Aston of Bucks Fizz interview | Den of Geek I used to be really cheerful but I became quite moody and withdrawn, he says. I have a great fondness for it, says G, its stood the test of time. Bucks Fizz now on the Eurovision 40th Anniversary - Express Bucks Fizz swept through 1981s A SongforEurope and had a top five hit even before the Eurovision ceremony, buoyed by an attention-grabbing gimmick whereby Nolan and G would pull Baker and Astons long skirts off at the lyric if you want to see some more to reveal miniskirts underneath. It was absolute lunacy, says Baker. I then blacked out for about 20 minutes or so before coming round again. He still suffers with memory loss today. She, Cheryl Baker and Mike - who still suffers seizures - are friends but have . Cheryl and Mike Nolan were catapulted through the window and were taken to hospital with band members Bobby G and Jay Aston. For more details visit formerlyofbucksfizz.com. [7] Nolan was featured on the front page of many of the tabloids over the next few days with headlines declaring him to be "on the brink of death". My face was cold. When did Bucks Fizz split up and reform and when did they win - The Sun As the band had work booked in Mauritius in April to film a TV show, we were all just thinking, lets get over this and get back onto our feet again. That would be my advice for someone who has a brain injury keep working at it. In 2013-14, there were 162,544 hospital admissions for head injuries alone. It was purely because I thought we were losing sight of democracy and I thought that was a critical turning point for our country, she explains, unrepentant. But the brain injury he suffered in the accident has left him with no recollection. I dont remember anything about it, but I died and they revived me. To be fair, I think we benefitted just as much as anybody else.. Im lucky to still be doing the thing I love.. What caused Bucks Fizz crash? Bucks Fizz feud: Why they're at each other's throats 30 years after But 31 years later, he is still living with the consequences. Bucks Fizz have been called out for 'LYING' about the reason behind their name change. Bucks Fizz performing at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin (Getty) In 2015, Baker admitted to having fallen in love with Nolan when she first saw him but attested that "nothing. It wasnt my cup of tea, says Laurel Canyon fan Baker, while Bobby G, having heard it had started life as a commercial jingle, had concerns for its longevity. I often get asked about the coach crash that nearly killed me and the thing is I cant remember it at all. We hadnt been wearing seat belts as it wasnt compulsory back then. It was really lovely to get back into my council flat and have Sunday roast and sit in front of the telly with my family round me and feel normal. [3] Despite multiple TV appearances, magazine interviews and several singles, the group never had a hit and eventually disbanded three years later. The Kent celebrities who have disappeared from the spotlight Bookmark. The Fizz undertook an extensive UK tour throughout 2015.[13]. Id quite often agree with Bobby because Mike and Cheryl, even to this day, would go the opposite of Bobby., Bucks Fizz performing at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, In 2015, Baker admitted to having fallen in love with Nolan when she first saw him but attested that nothing untoward had ever happened between them. Cheryl, 66, said she's had to resort to growing her own veg and has even been offered money by her Dancing On Ice partner Daniel Whiston and bandmate Mike Nolan in a desperate bid to make ends meet. Pop star Jay Aston says leaving band Bucks Fizz in 1985 was the worst financial decision of her life. Now 55, she still performs with Mike Nolan and Cheryl Baker in a version of the group which originally included Bobby G. Married to musician David Colquhoun and mum to daughter Josie, 18, here the singer recalls the bands near fatal coach crash in 1984 which left her badly hurt. A couple of months after that, I knew I had to quit. Bucks Fizz will be performing all their greatest hits the group had a string of smashes after winning Eurovision in 1981 with Making Your Mind Up. [5] The group were catapulted to fame overnight and the song made No.1 in several countries, including the UK. I was in and out of hospital for two and half years, in plaster, having physio, or on crutches. Jay Aston, one of the members of the original Bucks Fizz. We started making more records and going on tour, and so began a hectic whirlwind life. He developed epilepsy, lost 50% of his vision in both eyes, became withdrawn, and showed signs of personality change. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Epilepsy affects the brain and causes seizures. I woke up in hospital and remember thinking: Not here again. Fans were shocked to hear that the situation has got so dire for Cheryl - who enjoyed a successful global career with Bucks Fizz after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981. If you make it to the final it is a six-month project, so the money isn't much in comparison," she told the Daily Star. We thought, oh no, this is tough competition, says Aston. So when song-writing partners Nichola Martin and Andy Hill having already entered themselves into 1981s A Song For Europe contest as Paris with the song Have You Ever Been In Love? chanced upon her on reception at a recording studio while recruiting a rival band to enter another of their numbers, Making Your Mind Up, she was a natural fit. The contract was pretty horrendous and made other people very, very rich, says Aston. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The Eurovision winners were involved in a horror smash in 1984 and the physical and mental scars took a long time to heal. Like young people do, we thought it was really exciting, as opposed to thinking, we have a death threat on our heads, we could all die at any minute!They did, however, feel intimidated by the strong entries from Germanys Lena Valaitis and Irelands Sheeba. After life-saving brain surgery he was left half blind with epilepsy. Mike and his fellow band members were on their way back to their hotel when their coach collided with a lorry. I think I probably had a little bit more business sense, he says of his lack of bond with Baker. We had disagreements over the way that we should do things but we never fought. I saw the scans of my brain and the injury was horrific. I dont remember coming round but one of the paramedics that rescued me from the crash scene later told me that I briefly came round in the ambulance and asked if my face was marked. Jay, was the only one of the group to remain conscious during the crash. I've been training six days a week since October. A tangerine saved my life.. When I was about nine I had a little book and I had a list of all the things I wanted to achieve, says Aston today. Michael Nolan (born 7 December 1954) is an Irish singer who is best known as one of the four original members of the British pop group, Bucks Fizz, who now perform as The Fizz. Over the years Ive really tried hard to remember but nothing comes to me. This group reunited Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Shelley Preston, before Jay Aston replaced Preston in 2009. Mike Nolan released his first solo album in early 2013 entitled In My Life. In 2001, a judge refused to grant a court injunction against Van Day as he had . After changing his epilepsy medication 10 years ago he noticed his energy levels started to return to normal. With tensions rising within the band and their team (Aston would later reveal shed been having an affair with Hall) and rockier mid-Eightiessingles seeing their star decline, Bucks Fizzs peak era came to a screeching halt on 11 December 1984 literally and almost fatally. We had just performed our second show of a 40-night tour in Newcastle, and had all got on our touring bus to be taken back to the hotel. My favourite saying is: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and more tired. The bus roof was no longer there. He was a member of the group until 1996. On their return from Dublin, Fizzmania had broken out. Now called The Original Bucks Fizz, the concert at Newcastle City Hall takes place on December 12. She said visiting the spot was like a therapy session. Mike was worst off. Bucks Fizz: The inside story of the Eurovision winners - 40 years on Cheryl and I were then rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle where I regained consciousness. He gave me a job in his office answering phones, cold-calling potential clients, typing letters and invoices. And it wasnt, it was fantastic., It was that moment we realised our lives had changed with a silly three-minute song. And every year when the anniversary of the crash comes round, I think about it. My legs were also badly gashed across the shins. I also started having seizures which affected my speech. Though strangers until they entered a rehearsal room together early in 1981, the members of Bucks Fizz already had a wealth of showbusiness experience behind them, and no few links to Eurovision. It was the most awful time. I was told it was a side effect of the brain injury too. Bucks Fizz star Jay Aston relives coach crash horror and says 'we were all lucky to survive' - Mirror Online Bucks Fizz star Jay Aston relives coach crash horror and says 'we were all. In 2018 she signed up for a stint on Dancing On Ice in a bid to bolster the books, admitting the show 'saved my bacon'. Hershowbiz family background had seen her doing summer season since the age of 14andher brother had come second in Eurovision in 1980 with his band Prima Donna. Renamed The Fizz, theyve hit the top 30 with two new albums produced byStock, Aitken and Watermanlegend Mike Stock: 2017sThe F-Z of Popand last yearsSmoke & Mirrors. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Of course, he can pinpoint the exact moment when everything changed: 11 December 1984, the night Bucks Fizz were involved in an horrific coach crash returning from a concert in Newcastle. We were different animals. What Happened To Bucks Fizz, Where Are Bucks Fizz Members Now? Despite the fact the group was once paid the equivalent of 20,000 to perform a three-minute song at a corporate event, Cheryl has said that cash wasn't passed on. Two versions of Bucks Fizz were touring the UK and another Bucks Fizz original member, Bobby G brought a case in the High Court against Van Day. "I would say: Hi, my name is Rita Stroud my real name. Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker has taken the brave step of admitting she's totally broke after the coronavirus pandemic tore through the entertainment industry. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Cheryl Baker, Jay Aston, and Bobby G talk to Mark Beaumont about Eighties pop stardom, cliques and infighting, the crash that nearly ended their lives, and the little piece of Velcro that changed everything, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, Clockwise, from top left: Bobby G, Mike Nolan, Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston, A door opened on a grand hallway behind the scenes attheDublinconcert hallRDS Simmonscourt, and the cheers of the 7,000 strong crowd echoing those of 500 million TV viewers across the continent gave way to a blizzard of flashbulbs. The Bucks Fizz star has revealed how he has tried to remember what happened. More surgery followed and Mike was left with permanent damage to his health. As Nolan later reasoned, the idea of the group was 'dated'. I also had to be taught how to walk and talk again by physiotherapists. James Coxon, from brain injury charity Headway, says: Double vision or other temporary visual disturbances are common after a traumatic brain injury. Hes got his wit back and his quick thinking. I wasnt sure if I would recognise where it was, but when I saw the traffic lights I shouted this is it. He will be touring later this year. 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