'Stars In Their Eyes': 20 Celebrities You Forgot Had Appeared On The Show

Vorders as Cher? Jerry Springer as Elvis? Roy Cropper as Roy Orbison? Yep, they all happened.
ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

There’s plenty of talk right now about some of our favourite cheesy TV faves returning to our screens, with reboots of both ‘Blind Date’ and ‘Dancing On Ice’ thought to be in the pipeline, while Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby are still enjoying success as the hosts of ‘Catchphrase’ and ‘Surprise Surprise’ respectively.

When we think classic Saturday night telly, though, there’s one show in particular that sticks out, and that’s ‘Stars In Their Eyes’.

True, a reboot with Harry Hill at the helm aired in 2015, but it never quite hit the spot the way the original series did, and in particular, its celebrity counterpart.

In fact, a host of stars who still grace our screens on a regular basis imitated music icons as diverse as Madonna, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Nina Simone, and we must admit, more than a decade on we’re shocked at some of the transformations that occurred when the celebrities emerged through those famous doors.

Here are just 20 of the celebrity ‘Stars In Their Eyes’ contestants we’d forgotten clean about (alongside their actual counterparts, so you can see how well they did)...

Bradley Walsh as Tony Bennett
Ken McKay/Rex/Shutterstock/ITV/David Redfern/Getty
Long before finding success as the host of 'The Chase', Bradley played Danny Baldwin in 'Coronation Street', and took part in a Soap Stars special of 'Stars In Their Eyes' in 2005.

Eleven years on from paying homage to Tony Bennett, he'd release his first ever collection of swing standards, which would eventually be named 2016's highest-selling debut album.
Kerry Katona as Marilyn Monroe
Dave J Hogan/Getty/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis
Of course, if it's a TV show with 'celebrity' in the title, you can bet your bottom dollar that Kerry will have starred in it at some point or another.

In the 2006 Christmas special, she channelled Marilyn Monroe for a performance of 'Santa Baby' (not letting the fact that Marilyn never actually had a version of 'Santa Baby' slow her down for even a second).
Stephen Mulhern as Robbie Williams
Barcroft Media/Getty/Rex/Shutterstock/ITV/Vevo
He may now be known as one of the safest faces on telly, but in 2005, Stephen Mulhern showed off a very different side for this bare-chested rendition of 'Let Me Entertain You'.
Carol Vorderman as Cher
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock/David M Bennett
In the very first ever celebrity edition of 'Stars In Their Eyes', Carol threw on a leather skirt and the biggest wig she could lay her hands on to perform 'The Shoop Shoop Song' as Cher.
Beverley Callard as Cher
Sipa Press/Rex/Shutterstock/ITV
While we're big fans of Vorders, it's hard to deny that she was outshone by Beverley Callard's efforts as the 'Believe' diva six years later.

Bev went the whole shebang with her outfit, even recreating the leather jacket and revealing leotard video Cher sported in the 'If I Could Turn Back Time' music video.
Jerry Springer as Elvis Presley
ITV/Rex/Shutterstock
One of a few international stars to appear on 'Stars In Their Eyes', Jerry (Jerry! Jerry!) crossed the Atlantic to pay tribute to the King, singing 'Can't Help Falling In Love'.
Suranne Jones as Madonna
John Philips/Getty/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock/YouTube
Back when her 'Doctor Foster' TV Bafta was still barely a glimmer in the distance, Suranne was best known to 'Corrie' fans as machinist Karen McDonald.

In 2001, she and a number of her co-stars appeared in a 'Coronation Street' special of 'Stars In Their Eyes', and here she is giving her best Madonna.
Jane Danson as Madonna
Stuart C Wilson/Getty/Eugene Adebari/REX/Shutterstock
But Suranne wasn't the only lady of Weatherfield to put her spin on the Queen Of Pop, with the Leanne Battersby actress winning the Legends special with her take on Madonna's 'Frozen'.

Take that, Rhona Cameron as Judy Garland.
Eamonn Holmes as Johnny Cash
Sipa Press/Rex/Shutterstock/ITV/Steve Meddle
While we're sure Ruth Langsford would probably rather put this to the back of her mind, Eamonn put his all into his performance as Johnny Cash, singing (what else?), 'Ring Of Fire'.
Yvette Fielding as Annie Lennox
Rex/Shutterstock/ITV/Vevo
That same year, 'Blue Peter' presenter and paranormal aficionada Yvette Fielding dug deep for her interpretation of Annie Lennox's 'No More I Love Yous'.

They both lost out to Dale Meeks and Mark Charnock (us neither), who performed as The Blues Brothers.
Brian Blessed as Luciano Pavarotti
SAV/Getty/ullstein bild/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock
Sometimes, the 'Stars And Their Eyes' team had their work cut out for them, and spent hours transforming celebrity contestants with the help of make-up, wigs and sometimes even prosthetics.

Other times... this was less necessary.
Harry Hill as Morrissey
Photoshot/Getty/Rex/Shutterstock/ITV/Martin ONeill
Self-confessed Smiths devotee Harry Hill's appearance gave 'Stars In Their Eyes' one of its most memorable moments ever, when he performed 'This Charming Man' while swishing his flowers and tossing his quiff in true Morrissey fashion.

The illusion was only slightly broken by the fact he kept his specs on the whole time, mind you.
Denise Welch as Petula Clark
Ken McKay/Rex/ITV/Shutterstock/George Konig
On the same bill as Harry Hill was then-'Coronation Street' star and forever-HuffPost UK favourite, Denise Welch, who performed 'Downtown' as Petula Clark.
Paul Burrell as Richard Gere
Miramax/Producers Circle/Storyline Entertainment/REX/Shutterstock/ITV/Ken McKay
In the last ever celebrity Christmas special, Paul Burrell gave viewers a touch of musical theatre, throwing on his best tuxedo to perform 'Razzle Dazzle' from 'Chicago'.
Alison Hammond as Nina Simone
Ken McKay/Rex/ITV/Shutterstock/David Redfern/Getty
What can we say? Marvellous.
Al Murray as Neil Diamond
John Phillips/Getty/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock/Andre Csillag
He swapped his usual Pub Landlord attire for some 1970s garb and ditched the trademark pint glass for a guitar, but we'd still recognise him anywhere. Even in that wig.
Lisa Riley as Stockard Channing
Paramount/Rso/REX/Shutterstock/Ken McKay/ITV
We've got one word for that jacket. Flammable.
Linford Christie as Ray Charles
Can Nguyen/REX/Shutterstock/ITV/Mark Downey
Having already more than proved himself as an Olympic runner, Linford Christie tried something a bit different when 2000, when he gave singing a go.

Sadly, his Ray Charles was no match for Claire Sweeney's Celine Dion.
Esther Rantzen as Edith Piaf
Bettman/Getty/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock/James M Warren/Silverhub
In one of the more cultured 'Stars In Their Eyes' moments, Esther Rantzen performed a song entirely in French when she gave a rendition of Edith Piaf's 'La Vie En Rose' in the show's Divas Special.
David Neilson as Roy Orbison
ITV/Rex/Shutterstock
And... yeah. That happened.
Rylan Clark-Neal

Reality TV Repeat Offenders

Close

What's Hot