Life after The Valleys
It is a decade since the controversial reality TV show, charting the fortunes of aspiring actors, DJs and models first came to our screens. Sam Cook found out what they are up to now
THIS month marks a decade since a group of young adults from the South Wales Valleys moved into a garish yellow flat in Cardiff Bay.
They were the cast of MTV’s Welsh reality series The Valleys, which first appeared on our screens in September 2012.
The show, primarily shot in Cardiff, followed the group as they moved to the capital city.
Running for three series, The Valleys was generally a ratings hit, despite heavy criticism from some viewers and Welsh politicians. Each episode drew in between 495,000 and 582,000 viewers.
One person who was highly critical of the programme was Welsh singer Charlotte Church, who tweeted the series was “exploitative” and a “horrific representation of the country [she] loved”.
These sentiments were echoed by Rhondda MP Chris Bryant, who called the premise “hideously patronising”.
Carley Belmonte
At the time a 21-year-old, Carley Belmonte travelled down to Cardiff from Caerphilly. During her time on the show she was at the forefront of a flirty “will they, won’t they” relationship with co-star Darren Chidgey. She also had a passion for rosé and was an aspiring DJ.
Nowadays Carley still has an active social media presence and regularly updates her 90.6K followers on Instagram.
According to her LinkedIn page, she now works as a senior account manager. However, she previously ran a fashion business and also shared that she is interested in “casual lifestyle and fashion blogging”.
Darren Chidgey
A bricklayer from Bridgend, Darren Chidgey featured in all three series of the show. “Chidge” was a gymobsessed aspiring model and prior to entering the house said he was determined for viewers to see that there were Welsh people who had a sense of ambition.
“We want to put Bridgend on the map,” he proudly declared during the first episode.
During his time on the show Chidgey was known for his laddish behaviour and his ex Natalee Harris even showed up in the series. Drama, naturally, ensued.
Ever since The Valleys finished, Chidgey has stayed out of the public eye. He has not tweeted since 2017 and it is understood that he is still working as a bricklayer.
Natalee Harris
We spoke to the former Valleys star, who on hearing that the show would be celebrating its 10th anniversary, said: “It feels like my life is flashing before my eyes because it doesn’t even feel like that long ago that I was skipping work to attend the interview for it.”
She said her fellow cast members “disappeared off the face of the Earth” after production on the show ceased and added: “There were talks of bringing it back for a little reunion but it never materialised.”
Natalee now runs her business, Aesthetics by Natalee, while also working in a salon and an NHS job.
“There was a stigma attached to us after it,” she said. “I think people think that when you do TV work you’re loaded. I can categorically tell you that is not the case. I left that show with less money than I started with.”
In 2014 Natalee returned to reality TV in MTV’s Ex on the Beach but has said that after the conclusion of the show her mental health was “on the floor”. She said: “I don’t think people understand how much social media has an effect on you. If I’m honest, I was kind of glad [that it finished].”
Things are very different for Natalee now and she said she follows a strict routine, holds multiple stable jobs and no longer drinks alcohol. She described how, in a bid to ease the emotional strain of her NHS job, she has set up a side business. “I literally ploughed all of my savings into [Aesthetics by Natalee]. I do fillers, Botox and cosmetic work. It’s doing really well at the moment.”
Lateysha Grace
Someone else who reaped the benefits of The Valleys is Lateysha Grace. During her time on the show she stressed she was determined to start a career in music. Despite this not taking off, “Luscious” Lateysha has continued to work within the entertainment industry.
The reality TV star, originally from Port Talbot, released an autobiography titled Valleywood in 2015 in which she talked about her failed music career and time on the MTV show. In 2016 she entered the Celebrity Big Brother house but was eliminated as part of “Annihilation Week”.
In 2018 Lateysha starred in her own MTV series, Million Dollar Baby, that documented herself, business partners and friends trying to raise £1m for her daughter Wynter. Two years later she appeared on Celebrity Ex on the Beach. This year Lateysha gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Layke.
Lateysha recently announced she is launching a range of hair extensions with Unique Hair Supplier. In a statement on Instagram she said: “This is a dream come true for me!”
Jenna Jonathan
Jenna, from Tonyrefail, already had one degree under her belt while filming The Valleys and after the series she went back to university to study law. Jenna has since graduated for the second time with a distinction, won the Blake Morgan award for best performing legal practice student, and then went on to become a qualified lawyer.
In March of this year Jenna revealed that she was pregnant with her first child with her boyfriend. A video on her Instagram confirmed that she’d be having a girl.
Liam Powell
A wannabe DJ in The Valleys house, Liam has had a very successful career following the end of the series. Liam, from Ystrad Mynach, is now a businessman and runs a car-leasing enterprise called Ask4Leasing.
Of his brief period of TV fame, Liam has said: “Being on television was an amazing experience and one I’ll always be thankful for. It has helped me to get to where I am now and it taught me to never take anything for granted. Tasting the success we have is all that bit sweeter when you have been through tougher times.”
Liam still updates his fans with regular posts on social media to this day. The openly gay former Valleys star has a following of more than 20,000. Despite this he only follows one of his co-stars back – Natalee Harris. During his time on the show he had a severe bust-up with co-star Carley Belmonte, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the pair do not keep in touch.
Aron Williams
Tredegar-born kick-boxing champion Aron only featured in the first series before choosing not to return for the second run.
He does, though, still acknowledge his role on the series. In his Instagram bio he cites MTV and his username refers to The Valleys.
Aron, director at Fresh Active gyms, has a passion for fishing. He regularly updates his followers on his “catches of the day” and lives a quieter life compared to his former Valleys persona.
Anthony and Jason Suminski
Brought in during series two to shake things up, twins Anthony and Jason did just that. Tattooed from head to toe, the pair were known for their outrageous behaviour on the series.
The twins returned to college after the series concluded, studying psychology and mental health respectively. Website Behance shows they have also done some modelling.
Leeroy Reed
During his time on The Valleys Leeroy was aspiring to be a professional rapper. Throughout the show he would regularly enter the music studio and showcase his lyrical talents. These talents would lead to him releasing a single, Can’t Get Enough, in 2013.
However the same year he was found guilty of slamming an ex-girlfriend’s head into the door of a BMW but was spared jail. He was given a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £630 in court costs.
In 2017 Leeroy was jailed for 22 months for his part in a drugs gang that dealt in cocaine and cannabis. Police described him as “instrumental in supplying drugs in and around Porthcawl”.