In the summer of 2001 he filled out an application for a new ITV show 'Pop Idol', based on the previous programme 'Popstars', but instead this would be to find solo stars not a pop group. In the queue for the Manchester auditions he was spotted by the camera crew and Gareth and his sister sang 'Beauty And The Beast' as the auditionees waited to be let in to the building. In front of a judging panel of Simon Cowell, Nicki Chapman, Pete Waterman and Dr Fox, Gareth gave a breathtaking rendition of 'Flying Without Wings', the judges were so astounded at his performance they invited him to London for the next heat straight away.
At the London heats Gareth was put through to the final 50. TV viewers gave him an astounding 62% of the votes when he sang 'Flying Without Wings' on the first live show. In the final ten, the tension really began to mount. Over the next few months Gareth showed extreme talent and vocal ability as he performed tracks as varied as Abba's 'One Of Us' to Frank Sinatra's 'Mack The Knife'.
The final four contestants were Gareth, Darius, Will, and Zoe. Zoe and Gareth had met at the first auditions in Manchester and had developed a close friendship, and media speculation led to stories of a love affair between the two. On Week 4 Zoe was voted off the show, Gareth broke down in tears at losing his best friend from the auditions and both vowed to be friends forever. Two extremely polished versions of 'Unchained Melody' and 'Yesterday' led to Gareth being cast in the final against 23 year old Will Young.
Over eight and a half million people phoned in to vote for their favourite contestant in the grand final televised on 9th February 2002. Gareth lost out on winning the Pop Idol title to Will by only 500,000 votes. Despite this setback Gareth has been signed by Simon Cowell and the release of his debut single next month is much anticipated.
A young Gareth was a choirboy
Gareth performs 'Flying Without Wings' at the Manchester auditions.
The final ten contestants
The final three contestants
INTERVIEW WITH GARETH GATES
Who is your pop idol?
Robbie Williams - he's an all round entertainer
What's your star sign?
Cancer
What would you like most about being a pop idol?
I'd like to help others, really. I'd give money away to charity to feed
the starving.
Have you got a partner?
No. I've always had loads of friends who are girls but not the girlfriend.
Describe your ideal partner
It would have to be Britney Spears - she's hot! I definitely prefer
blondes.
Tell us a secret about yourself:
I don't have any secrets, to be honest.
Have you ever met anyone famous:
I met Claire and H from Steps when I went on the TV programme Steps To The
Stars in February.
Which three words best describe you:
I'll say, determined, hard working and friendly.
Name three of your likes:
Singing, playing the guitar and piano.
Name three of your dislikes:
Show offs, selfish people and people with huge heads!