Gareth Gates endeared himself to British television viewers as the boy with the
stutter who sang like a dream and was narrowly beaten in the first series of Pop
Idol in 2002. It led to a string of hits, followed by a productive career in
musical theatre. From Bradford in the north of England, Gates joined the local
cathedral choir at the age of nine and was head chorister by 11, singing solo
for the Queen in 1997. He also studied piano, classical guitar and singing and
won a place at the Royal College of Music in Manchester at the time he entered
Pop Idol in 2002. He was the hot ...