It all went down the Pan..panto saved me!
Jake on cash crisis during pandemic
JAKE Carter has admitted he would have been penniless if it weren’t for his role as Peter Pan in the drive-in panto.
The 22-year-old singer explained that as a UK resident living in the Republic he was not entitled to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and raided his “rainy day fund” to make ends meet.
Liverpudlian Jake told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “Technically, I’m a UK resident so I couldn’t claim the Covid-19 payment.
“I move between Ireland and the UK but I had to stay in one place so I’ve been in Ireland. My rainy day fund is now dried up and I need to build it up again.
“But it was the same for everyone, without the panto I wouldn’t have had a penny.”
Jake was delighted he was able to work in the production at Malahide Castle in Dublin to earn some money.
He said: “I hadn’t worked since March but it was super the panto went ahead, we went to the O’reilly Theatre to shoot it.
“It was a bit odd filming it instead
We did a couple of online gigs but nothing beats performing live
JAKE CARTER ON WORKING DURING PANDEMIC
of live but it was incredible because I got to see the panto myself with my girlfriend Karen and her niece. Hopefully, for the second half of 2021 we’ll get working again. We did a couple of online gigs but nothing beats performing live.” Jake and his famous crooner brother Nathan were dealt a blow when their flight home to see their parents at Christmas was axed. He added: “I ended up going up to Enniskillen for the night with Nathan and Karen but it was nice to still have the guys to spend it with. We had planned to get home at Christmas, it was a shame but there was a lot of people who didn’t have anyone.”
Jake fell for his girlfriend, professional dancer Karen Byrne, from Dublin, on Dancing With The Stars two years ago and they won the show.
He said: “If you can survive lockdown you can survive anything. We’re way too young to start a family, [as for marriage] I’d have to start gigging before I could pay for that.”
BRADLEY SIMMONDS
His HIIT (high intensity interval training) and boxing sessions are famous for making you sweat. Having failed to make the grade as a teenager at Chelsea FC academy, the trainer is now an Instagram superstar with 413k followers. Calories burned: 412 per 30 minute session Celeb fans: John Terry, Niall Horan, Emma Bunton
LEANNE MOORE
Limerick native Leanne won You’re a Star in 2008 but she’s since carved out a career as a personal trainer during Covid-19. The fitness blogger hosts 40-minute sessions three times a week for her 56k Instagram fans with cardio, strength and stretching. Calories burned: Continues after workout Celebs: Michelle Mcgrath
MAEVE MADDEN
A study by Golfsupport. com found Irish fitspo and ex model Maeve Madden has one of the highest calorie burning Instagram workouts around.
She is an advocate of “strong not skinny” and her free highoctane cardio and abs sessions have earned her 200k followers. Calories burned: 331 per 30 minutes Celeb fans: Tracy Clifford (2FM), Meghan Scully
Joe Wicks puts his loyal fitness fans through their paces
CARLY ROWENA
This legs, bums and tums guru is one of fitness’s rising stars, amassing 400k Youtube subscribers and 170k Instagram followers.
Her philosophy is about small changes rather than turning down a meal to stay in shape and helping people feel confident in their own skin. Calories burned: 294 per 30 minutes Celeb fans: Jessica Alba
DANCE YOURSELF FIT
With in-person classes postponed due to the pandemic, Niall Newman has taken his fun cardio routine online with a 28-day every-step-counts challenge. It teaches steps of dances like cha cha, samba, waltz and jive to upbeat music and is sweeping the globe. Calories burned: Inconclusive – but who cares, it’s great fun! Celeb fans: For the masses