THAT'S MY GOAL
Who is Shayne Ward and when was he eliminated off Strictly?
Find out what the singer did before finding fame
SHAYNE Ward shot into the spotlight almost two decades ago when he won The X Factor.
In 2024, the singer returned to Saturday night TV to perform on Strictly Come dancing before waltzing off the show for good.
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Rise to fame
Born on October 16, 1984, Shayne Ward is a singer and actor from Tameside, Greater Manchester.
He won the second series of X Factor in 2005, competing against Andy Abraham, who finished in second place, and Journey South, who took third.
The star won a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco label and went on to release several successful singles.
Before finding fame on The X Factor, Shayne was part of a band called Destiny, along with Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle. They performed at pubs, clubs, and weddings.
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Becoming a Strictly star
In July 2024, it was exclusively revealed how Shayne had signed up to compete in this year's Strictly.
The star - who was partnered with Nancy Xu - had an impressive run on the show and made it to week eight before losing his place.
Shayne left Strictly on November 10, 2024, and said: “I'm proud that I made it to eight weeks as a novice dancer.
"A massive thank you goes to this incredible human right next to me [Nancy], who has put so much fire in me and made me believe that I can actually achieve more if I let myself go.
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"I'm sorry it didn't work out to the end, but I'm super proud that I got to meet you [to Nancy] and dance with you, so thank you.”
Hitmaker singer
Shayne's biggest hits include That's My Goal, which was his debut single and reached number one in the UK.
Strictly's Shayne Ward sparks exit fears after he performs the rumba
Another popular track is No Promises, which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
His song Breathless from his second album was also a big hit and peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
Shayne won a National Television Award in 2006 for Most Popular Talent Show for his win on X Factor.
As well as his music career, Shayne later took on the role of Staycee Jaxx in the '80s musical Rock of Ages on the West End, and stayed with the show from 2011 to 2012.
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Coronation Street fame
After achieving significant success in music, Shayne broadened his career by venturing into acting.
The X Factor winner joined the cast of Corrie as bad boy Aidan Connor in August 2015 – the half-brother of Carla (later revealed in a dramatic storyline), who owned the factory, Underworld, at the time.
His character quickly became known as a ladies' man, something which came back to haunt him in a complicated love triangle between Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon) and Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley).
In a typically dramatic conclusion to the storyline, Aidan felt the wrath of Eva as she went "full bunny boiler" on the discovery of his affair with a devious plot to sabotage their wedding day.
He bagged two gongs for Best Newcomer in 2016 – one at the National Television Awards and the other at Inside Soap awards.
But in 2018 his on-screen persona committed suicide on Coronation Street.
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Finding love
Shayne is in a long term relationship with former Hollyoaks actress Sophie Austin.
The pair started dating in 2016 and got engaged the following year.
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The couple have not yet revealed their wedding plans.
Shayne and Sophie welcomed their first daughter, Willow, in 2017 and their son Reign, in June 2022.
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