Pop twins Jedward, who are now 30, took over our screens on the X Factor way back in 2009. With their towering hairstyles and matching outfits, the Irish duo had quite the fanbase.
The duo, real named John and Edward Grimes, were mentored by Louis Walsh on the show and ultimately finished in sixth place before launching a huge music career together.
With some bumps along the way, including backlash from Louis who branded them the “most embarrassing thing to happen to him”, we take a look at where the Dublin duo are now…
X Factor fame
Singing duo Jedward, who are identical twins, launched to fame after competing on the sixth series of the X Factor.
During their time on the show, judge Simon Cowell branded them “not very good and incredibly annoying”, but despite this the pair made it through to judges’ houses where Louis Walsh selected the pair for the live shows.
Jedward finished in sixth place and were managed by Louis Walsh after their success on the show, going on to release four studio albums and compete on Celebrity Big Brother twice.
Louis Walsh row
John and Edward infamously fell out with their mentor Louis after the music mogul said the most mortifying moment of his career was "working with Jedward and putting them through on The X Factor”.
The twins didn’t take the words lightly and hit back in their defence.
"I think we are the most financially beneficial act of his career in the last 10 years," Edward claims.
John echoed his statement, saying: "I don't think he took us under his wing. I think we were already flying and he was like, 'Oh I think I want a part of that.
"I think he got old. It's like someone saying behind your back and you are like, 'wait, I didn't know there was a problem.'"
Family tragedy
John and Edward were left devastated when their mother, Susanna Grimes, sadly died after battling cancer in 2019.
Susanna had worked as the pair’s manager since their X Factor success.
Sharing the sad news on social media, the duo wrote: “Rest In Peace Mammy . You live on through us. We will miss you and your smile.
"You shaped the character of who we are. Mammy lived with cancer for many years but was always full of life! You live on in our Memories and will always be alive in our Hearts."
The pair had made an appearance on Loose Women where they revealed their mum had been battling cancer for five years.
Edward said: "It's been ongoing for the past five years, and I feel now mum has passed, it just feels so weird because it's all we've ever known.
"You think you want to call her and there's no one there to call."
Dating history
In 2017 Edward met Swedish beauty Sabina on the MTV show Single AF, which saw celebrities enlist the help of their social media followers to find love.
Edward told The Irish Sun at the time: “I’m not single any more. Sabina is amazing so we will have to see what happens.”
Asked if he was official with Sabina, Edward replied “yeah” and said it was “early days” when questioned if he was in love.
A sweet selfie of Edward and Sabina also appeared on the Jedward Instagram in June 2017, captioned: “#MTVSingleAF Relationship Goals! @mtvsingleaf."
However Edward has not since posted a picture of him and Sabina.
Speaking in 2017 about him and his brother keeping their love lives private, Edward said: "We have had relationships, but it's never been our number one priority to showcase them."
Similar to his twin, John has also preferred to keep his love life out of the spotlight, and it is not known if he with someone currently.
“I've had two long-term relationships that were private. That wasn't part of my career,” he said in 2017.
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