The former Britpop icon and party girl who has reinvented herself as a wholesome radio host after making headlines with reality TV romance

She was once a fixture on the Britpop scene, with a string of hits that were beloved by fans across the nation. Yet while Catatonia frontwoman Cerys Matthews' time as part of Wales' biggest bands is nothing but a distant memory, she can still be heard regularly on the radio. The singer, 55, first rose to fame in the Nineties, with her band's biggest hit, Mulder and Scully, reaching number three in the UK charts.

Now, however, she announces the songs instead of performing them, presenting two shows on BBC Radio. Cerys has earned a new legion of fans hosting the weekly Blues Show on Radio 2, and a self-titled Sunday show on 6Music. Former Britpop icon Cerys Matthews has reinvented herself as a radio giant after her reality TV romance made huge headlines (pictured at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2023). While Catatonia frontwoman Cerys' time as part of Wales' biggest bands is nothing but a distant memory, she can still be heard regularly on the radio (pictured in 1996).

Yet it hasn't all been smooth sailing, with Cerys forced to apologise after playing a song containing a racial slur on her BBC 6 Music show. In 2020 she featured Scottish country music singer Thomas Fraser's cover of the 1940 song The Mississippi Shore, which contains the word 'd**kies'. Responding to outrage on Twitter after the broadcast, she replied: 'Shouldn't have gone through. Trying to redact it now xx.'.

More recently, Cerys published an illustrated retelling of the radio drama Under Milk Wood in 2022 that offered a colourful take on the classic bedtime tale. Catatonia first formed in 1992, with Cerys and bandmate Mark Roberts forming a relationship as well as writing songs together. The group's original line-up was Cerys, Mark, Paul Jones, Dafydd Ieuan on drums and keyboardist Clancy Pegg, but Daf later joined Super Furry Animals, while Clancy became a bassist for agit-rap group Tystion.

During the band's heyday, Cerys was one of the poster girls of ladette culture, with her hard partying, and stories of downing cognacs with Tom Jones and serenading Bill Clinton at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival. In 1999 the band's Equally Cursed And Blessed album struggled to generate enough sales despite reaching number one in the charts, and rumours of unrest within the band began to swirl. Now, however, she announces the songs instead of performing them, presenting two shows on BBC Radio (pictured with guest Billy Nighy last year).

Cerys has earned a new legion of fans hosting the weekly Blues Show on Radio 2, and a self-titled Sunday show on 6Music (pictured with Van Morrison in 2023). Catatonia first formed in 1992, with their biggest hit, Mulder and Scully, reaching number three in the UK charts. During her stint on I'm A Celebrity in 2007 she formed a surprise romance with EastEnders star Marc Bannerman, but they split just four months after leaving the show.

In 2001, Catatonia split when it was reported that Cerys had entered rehab following struggles with drugs and alcohol. A statement said at the time: 'They have thought about this for quite a while and they decided it was best to put it to bed. 'Their decision has been made entirely amicably, and there are no details at present as to their future plans.'. 'We'd like to thank everybody who has supported us down the years, and given us a lot of great memories.'.

After her spell in rehab, Cerys relocated to Nashville in 2002 and settled down with record producer Seth Riddle, with whom she had two children. However, the pair split several years later, and Cerys was single when she took part in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! in 2007. During her stint in the jungle she formed a surprise romance with EastEnders star Marc Bannerman, but they split just four months after leaving the show.

Despite the abrupt end to the romance, Cerys said in 2011 she had no regrets about her reality TV stint, telling the BBC: 'I thought I would do it and see what it's like to be inside a reality TV programme. 'One has only one life on this earth and I want to damn well fill it.'. In 2011, Cerys married her second husband Steve Abbott, and he has two children of his own. After Catatonia's split, Cerys went onto kickstart her solo career, and released her first album, Cockahoop, in May 2003, followed by Never Said Goodbye in 2006.