Gareth Gates

Speech and having a stammer is obviously a big part of my life. ”

I've got my feet firmly on the ground, I can't see life changing too much. I reckon more girls will talk to me at college and more people will look at me, but they know me for who I am. ”

Before all this happened, I always used to see my stammer as being a negative, all my life, but then when I went on 'Pop Idol,' and the first time I saw it on television, it was really, really bad, but also it made me stand out; it made people remember me. So for the first time in my life, it worked to my advantage. ”

Living with a stammer is difficult. It's a daily uphill struggle with emotional baggage weighing you down. You can't be the person you want to be. ”

I always wanted to be with a woman who has the same mindset and wants to look after me like my mum. ”

In the music business, I found it was much more about interviews, photo shoots and appearances rather than actual performing, which I do best. ”

I'm very driven, and I always have been. So I'd like to release a successful album, continue in musical theatre, and be more involved in business. ”

On the McGuire course, there's a technique called 'cancellation' where negative experiences are replaced with positive ones. ”

I was terrible when I first started skating and was clinging onto the side for dear life, but it's something I'll always have now, and the tour is always so much fun. ”

I do find my speech difficult at times, but it's getting so much better as my confidence grows and that's thanks to the position I'm now in, which is totally due to my fans. ”