Olly: “I was in awe of Kim Kardashian!”
Olly Murs opens up about his love life, friendship with Mark Wright and what he’s learned from his A-list pals
Shooting to fame on The S X Factor nine years ago, Olly Murs ascended from reality TV hopeful to celebrated pop star, before landing the job of talent show judge on The Voice.
But as he reflects upon his success, the Essex native, 33, still has unfulfilled ambitions, and wants to team up with his pal, former TOWIE star Mark Wright, who co-hosts La-based TV show Extra.
Olly tells Closer, “Mark and I have joked about presenting together. That would be such a laugh! At the moment, we’re doing different things, but in the future that would be so good. We’re both East End Essex boys, aren’t we? There’d be lots of banter. Mark’s done amazingly well – to come from a reality show like TOWIE and go on to what he’s done is a credit to him.”
MASSIVE STAR
Olly admits the pair were blown away when they met Kim Kardashian. Mark interviewed her in November, when Olly visited Mark in LA.
“Kim Kardashian was absolutely incredible,” he smiles. “She was amazing. I’d never watched the Kardashian shows, but I obviously knew who she was – she’s a massive star. All my mates used to be like, ‘Oh my God, Kim! She’s so fit!’ and I kind of agreed, but I’d never really been a big fan.
“But when I met her with Mark, oh my God, she was gorgeous. She was stunning – she was a beautiful woman, and lovely to talk to as well. She’s such a successful, powerful woman, and I was in awe of her. Since that night, I’m a massive Kim Kardashian fan.”
While Olly says his pal Mark “works really hard”, the singer is also ambitious, landing four number one singles, four chart-topping albums, and selling over 15million records worldwide.
But that’s not to say Olly hasn’t had to battle his fair share of tough times, too. Olly’s falling-out with his twin brother Ben has repeatedly hit the headlines in recent years, with reports suggesting the pair stopped speaking after Olly missed his brother’s wedding for the X Factor semi-final in 2009.
Opening up about the rift last year, Olly said, “[My family] don’t speak to my twin brother, and that’s been extremely difficult. Long before The X Factor there were problems between Ben and his girlfriend and our family. He made the decision not to speak to the family. But the door’s always open for him to come back.”
CRITICISM
In 2015, when Olly hosted The X Factor with Caroline Flack, 38, the pair faced an onslaught of criticism, following a spate of on-air gaffes. Olly and Caroline only presented one series of the show.
Three years on, Olly is in a great place both personally and professionally. And he says he’s still friendly with Caroline. “Caroline and I are still really close,” he grins. “We need a good old catch-up. I’m very excited for Love Island to return, and to have her on our screens again.”
But Olly wouldn’t reveal anything about Caroline’s love life – after news she’d split from former The Apprentice and Celebrity Big Brother star Andrew Brady, 27, after just three months together.
He also kept schtum on his own relationships. Over the last year, Olly’s been rumoured to have had romances with TV presenter Melanie Sykes, 47, and Love Island star Amber Davies, 21 – but insists he’s happy just focusing on his career right now.
He says, “The media are obsessed with who I’m dating at the moment – but I just want to focus on me! That’s the way it is, because I’m a young single guy. I’m loving my time on The Voice, and working on my new album.”
Olly says he has to pinch himself when he reflects on the talent he’s working alongside on The Voice – will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones and Jennifer Hudson. He says, “I’d met Tom and will a couple of times, but I hadn’t met Jennifer, and I was unsure about meeting her. Other American stars I’d met normally have their big entourages around them and you can’t really have a conversation with them, or get to know them. But Jennifer is the complete opposite – she’s full of character, friendly, open. I could sit and speak to her for hours, we get on really well.” Looking to the future, Olly says he’d love to take a seat on the judging panel back where it all started – The X Factor – with his former mentor and music mogul, Simon Cowell. He says, “It would be amazing to judge alongside Simon. I have so much respect for him, and it would be crazy for my career to at one point be sat next to him!”
‘Dating? I just want to focus on me.’