The ultimate Fleur East profile
TV

Fleur East’s journey from The X Factor to Saturday Night Takeaway star

The most beautiful smile on TV

Fleur East is once again on our screens – but when was she on The X Factor, where is she from… and are her teeth real?

Yes, people love Fleur’s sassy and vibrant energy and she’s back on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

So here’s everything you need to know about the star…

Fleur East is photographed on her way to a radio appearance
Fleur became a star thanks to The X Factor (Credit: SplashNews.com)

When was Fleur East on The X Factor?

Fleur East is a singer, DJ and TV presenter.

She was first in the public eye when, as part of girl band Addictiv Ladies, she appeared on series two of The X Factor in 2005.

Read more: Fleur East: How she went from X Factor contestant to Saturday Night Takeaway presenter

However, the band was eliminated after week one.

Fleur then worked with drum n bass producer DJ Fresh, who hired her as a singer. She subsequently appeared on his album Turn It Up in 2012, and performed live with him on Radio 1.

In 2014, Fleur returned to The X Factor as a solo artist and this time it was a different story.

Fleur East    Uptown Funk  The X Factor Uk 2014 Live Semi Final HD1

What did Fleur sing on The X Factor?

Mentored by Simon Cowell himself in the Over 26s category, she belted out a memorable version of Uptown Funk in the semi-final.

After an amazing competition, she lost out to Ben Haenow in the final.

In 2020, Fleur told inews: “I’ll be forever grateful to The X Factor, because without it I wouldn’t have a career.

“At the same time, there are pitfalls to being on a show like that – you get scrutinised and there’s a stigma attached to it.

“When you finally come into the music industry, people see you as that girl from that reality show and assume you don’t have real talent because you’ve come from a TV show. So you must work 10 times harder in that respect.”

She also scored a huge top 40 hit in 2015 with the song Sax.

Fleur East on series 18 of I'm A Celebrity
Fleur on I’m A Celebrity in 2018 (Credit: ITV)

When was Fleur East in the jungle?

After The X Factor, Fleur’s television career started to take off.

In 2018 she appeared in series 18 of I’m A Celebrity, alongside celebs like Harry Redknapp, Emily Atack and John Barrowman.

And she did great, coming fourth in the series.

This year she mused on the current version of I’m A Celebrity, which has been held in Wales the past two years because of the pandemic.

She thinks stars have had it easy compared to the “original” Australian experience.

“I’m kinda envious, envious that they get hot water, but then at the same time…I dunno, I’d much rather be in the heat than be freezing cold,” she told The Mirror.

Fleur East looks pretty in pink on the red carpet at a Hits Radio event
Fleur is a Londoner, born and raised (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Where is Fleur from?

She was born in London in 1987, which makes her 34-years-old.

Her dad, Malcolm, was British, while her mother Irene (née Frimpong-Manso) is of Ghanian descent.

Growing up in Walthamstow, north-east London, she has been open about the fact that she experienced racism when she was growing up.

In 2014, she told The Mirror: “I was really young when this girl came up to me in the playground and said, ‘Urgh, what colour are you? Your skin is really dirty’.

“I remember going home in tears and my mum and dad said to me, ‘don’t ever listen to anyone who makes those kinds of comments – you are beautiful and this is the way that God made you.'”

Is Fleur East her real name?

Fleur was born exactly as her name is now – Fleur East.

She has one sister – Keshia – who is a make-up artist.

Fleur East looks incredible with her trademark Afro on the red carpet at an ITV event
Fleur’s incredible hair is her trademark (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Is her hair real?

She’s famous for her incredible, vibrant Afro and the good news is that her hair is indeed real.

However, Fleur has only recently learned to love her hair.

She told Grazia magazine that there was always pressure to straighten her hair when she first entered the industry.

“The message to me then was that there was only room for one black girl with Afro hair in that group, the market wasn’t ready for more. It was really sad.

“I was on a real journey with my hair at the time and struggling to accept my natural hair and she was someone that I looked up to and who helped me to embrace it.”

Furthermore, she told Lorraine Kelly in 2020: “It’s hard to believe now.

“I was literally told my natural hair was distracting, unruly and it wasn’t marketable and wasn’t going to sell.”

Are Fleur’s teeth real?

Aside from her talent – and her incredible hair – Fleur has a mega-watt smile.

And we’re also happy to report that her teeth are real.

The question arose during her stint on I’m A Celebrity, where one viewer took to Twitter to ask: “Is it just me or does Fleur East have lots of tiny teeth in her mouth?”

In fact, the website Reality Titbit even asked an actual dentist to comment.

The dentist said: “Because her teeth are so straight, it makes the front eight teeth extremely visible. Others often only have six teeth on display when they smile.

“Combined with the brightness of Fleur’s gnashers, you can almost make out her back molars as well.

“This creates the sense that she has as many teeth as a whale when in reality it’s just her perfectly straight teeth and huge smile that causes the illusion.”

Who is Fleur’s boyfriend?

Fleur doesn’t have a boyfriend anymore. She has a husband!

In 2018, she tied the knot with fiancé Marcel Badiane-Robin in the stunning Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

Marcel told Hello! magazine: “There’s a big difference between a marriage and a wedding – and you’ve got to make sure you’ve met the right person.

“It’s a lot of work. You need a friend as well as a lover; someone who understands you and has the same vision as you.”

Currently, they do not have any children.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fleur East (@fleureast)

What happened to Fleur’s dad?

Sadly, Fleur lost her dad Malcolm in March 2020.

One year on, she shared a heartfelt and touching tribute to him on Instagram.

She wrote: “What an incredible Father you were! I am so blessed to have had your love, your guidance and your experience to learn and grow from.

“My number 1 fan who taught me how to be an independent, confident woman and I will live my life making you proud.”

She explained to Evening Standard that she and her family used lockdown during the pandemic to grieve.

“It is strange thinking about going back to normal,” she reflected.

“The whole world has stopped with us in our grief.

“And when things start up again, it is going to be – that is going to be something we need to get used to. Going back to normal without my dad in it, we haven’t had that yet.”

She also revealed on ITV reality show Don’t Rock The Boat that she was able to speak to him the night before he died.

Fleur East smiles as she stands on the red carpet at the BRIT Awards
Fleur has done well for herself (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Where does she live?

In 2018, Fleur revealed she lives with Marcel in Walthamstow Village.

Keeping it real and close to her family roots.

Her first home, she said she had got the “interior design bug” and her house is filled with colourful artwork and comfy furniture.

How much is Fleur worth?

Thanks to her music career, her fitness modelling and TV appearances, Fleur has done very nicely for herself.

So much so, the website Celebrity Net Worth estimates that she’s worth a cool £4.4million.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fleur East (@fleureast)

What else is Fleur East up to now?

Fleur is super busy at the moment.

On top of her daily breakfast show on Hits Radio, she also presents her own podcast, The Reality Of Reality TV.

And on Instagram, she recently teased a new gig.

Read more: The Void star Fleur East on how lockdown helped her with crippling grief following loss of beloved father

She told fans: “Just returned to the UK after a really exciting trip to the States.

“Those of you who watched my stories this past week will have seen my new fitness venture. I can’t wait for you to work out with me very soon! Feeling very grateful.”

Fleur East Was Told to Straighten Her Hair in Order to Be Successful | Lorraine

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor