| Kéllé Bryan | |||||||||
| Birth Place: | Plaistow, London, England | ||||||||
| Birth Date: | 12 March 1975 | ||||||||
| Alma Mater: | Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts | ||||||||
| Children: | 2 | ||||||||
| Years Active: | 1991–present | ||||||||
| Module: |
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Kéllé Bryan (born 12 March 1975) is an English singer and actress. Known as one of the founding members of girl group Eternal,[1] she sold more than 10 million records[2] and achieved the UK number-one single, "I Wanna Be the Only One" alongside BeBe Winans.[3]
When Bryan was 11, she joined the Italia Conti Academy school where she trained eight years of performing arts and later qualified as a dance teacher. She met friend and future bandmate Louise Redknapp (née Nurding) during her studies.[4] The two would form the girl group Eternal along with Vernie Bennett and her younger sister, Easther.
During her time being in the group, she attained three UK top-ten albums. In 2018, she began portraying the role of Martine Deveraux in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a role she played until 2022. In 2019, she became part of the Loose Women panel. In October 2020, Bryan, Charlene White, Brenda Edwards and Judi Love became the first all-Black panel in the show's history.
Bryan was born on 12 March 1975 in Plaistow, Greater London[5] [6] and was born to her mother, Marilyn.[7] Aged 11, Bryan joined the Italia Conti Academy stage school, where she completed eight years of performing arts and qualified as a dance teacher.[8]
While at the school, she met Louise Nurding – the pair met executive record producer Oliver Smallman, who was forming a girl group.[9] According to Nurding, Eternal was initially planned as a trio consisting of her and the Bennett sisters. However, it was then proposed that the group could become a quartet. She suggested to add Kéllé to the now-quartet.[10]
On 31 March 1992 she appeared as Debbie, a college friend of Lloyd Tavernier (Garey Bridges) in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders.February 2025.
In 1993, Bryan and Nurding, together with sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett formed the 1990s British R&B girl group Eternal. The group would sell 10 million records. The group released their debut album, Always & Forever in November 1993.[11] The album included the hit singles "Stay" and "Just A Step From Heaven".[12] It reached number two in the UK Albums Chart.[13] The album sold over one million copies in the United Kingdom, and was awarded four times platinum, making it one of 1994's biggest selling albums.[14] After their debut album, Louise would leave the group, making the group a trio.[15]
Two years later, the group, now a trio, would release their second album, Power of a Woman. The album, including the hit title track,[16] would reach 4× platinum and a song from the album, "I Am Blessed" was performed for Pope John Paul II.[17] Their third album, Before the Rain, would include their first and only number-one hit, "I Wanna Be the Only One" featuring BeBe Winans.[18]
After their "rush-released" compilation, Greatest Hits, which included the single "Angel of Mine" that would be given to American singer Monica,[19] Bryan was controversially fired from Eternal by their solicitor via fax.
Following her departure from Eternal, Bryan signed a record deal with Mercury Records and began work on her debut solo album, titled Breakfast in Bed,[20] [21] scheduled for release in November 1999.[22] The album would never be released.[23]
Her debut single, "Higher than Heaven", was released in the UK on 20 September 1999.[24] It debuted at number 14 on the chart and remains Bryan's only solo hit to date.[25] The song was marked as a "next week hit" in the magazine Hit Music.[26]
The second single, "I Wanna Know", was released to Lithuanian radio on 5 August 2000.[27] The single was released to radio in the United Kingdom,[28] [29] and was scheduled to be fully released on 4 September.[30] However, the single release was subsequently shelved after Bryan was diagnosed with lupus.[31] The single would later be digitally reissued by Universal Music on 23 August 2019.[32] The song was also included on the Universal Music TV compilation Hot Pop![33]
In 2006, Bryan was a contestant on Love Island 2, finishing as the female runner-up.[34] Bryan said that being on the show has given her "the confidence to know that [she] did have a life outside of Eternal".[35] Six years later, Bryan also had a starring role in a film called The Naked Poet, playing the part of Michelle. In 2012, she played the part of Fran in the BBC comedy Me and Mrs Jones.[36]
Bryan joined the cast of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks in September 2018, portraying the role of Martine Deveraux.[37]
After four years of appearing on Hollyoaks, Bryan announced her exit from the show on 3 June 2022 with her final scenes airing that same day.[38]
From May 2019, she has been appearing regularly on ITV's show Loose Women.[39] On 1 June 2023, Bryan made a surprise appearance on stage at friend and former bandmate Louise's Shepherd's Bush Empire concert where they performed 1994 Eternal single "Crazy".[40]
In September 2023, Bryan pulled out of a purported Eternal reunion tour as a show of support of the LGBT community.[41] Redknapp and Bryan reported that Easther and Vernie Bennett had refused to perform at a number of proposed LGBT pride events over objections that the trans community had "hijacked" pride.[42] Bennett's manager Denis Ingoldsby commented that the sisters supported the LGBT community and played at many events, but that Vernie has raised concerns about "the trans lobby".[43] Bryan went on to post a statement on her Twitter stating she is "an advocate for inclusion and equality for all".[44]
Bryan was diagnosed with lupus in 1998. In 2014, Bryan began to develop serious symptoms of her lupus. She lost a lot of hair and her sight, hearing, and movement deteriorated, and she was unable to speak. She then had a seizure, and the doctors confirmed that her lupus was affecting her brain.[45] After the seizure, Bryan had to relearn how to read and write, and continues to struggle with short-term memory loss.[46] She is a patron of St Thomas' Lupus Trust.[47]
In 2010, she married Jay Gudgeon.[48] The pair have two children together.[49]
In 2024, Bryan was hospitalised due to a kidney stone. She said on Loose Women that the pain was so intense that she asked her 12-year-old son to help take her to the hospital.[50]
See also: Eternal discography.
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK[51] | ||||
| "Higher than Heaven" | 1999 | 14 | rowspan="2" | |
| "I Wanna Know" | 2000 | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart in that territory. | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | EastEnders | Debbie | Episode: 31 March 1992 | February 2025. |
| 2004 | The Weakest Link | Herself - Contestant | Episode: "Pop Special" | |
| 2006 | Celebrity Love Island | Runner-up | [52] | |
| The All Star Talent Show | 1 episode, 3rd place | |||
| 2007 | The Virus | Nurse | Short film | [53] |
| 2009 | The Brothers | Jen | Main role, 3 episodes | |
| 2012 | Me and Mrs Jones | Fran | Main role, 6 episodes | [54] |
| Rocket's Island | Wendy Sparks | 3 episodes | [55] | |
| 2014 | Celebrity Chase | Herself - Contestant | 1 episode | |
| Celebrity Juice | Herself - Panellist | 3 episodes | ||
| 2015 | Flockstars | Herself - Contestant | 2 episodes | |
| 2016 | The Naked Poet | Michelle | Film | [56] |
| 2018–2022 | Hollyoaks | Martine Deveraux | Series regular, 244 episodes | [57] |
| 2019–present | Loose Women | Herself - Panelist | 213 episodes | [58] |
| 2022 | The Weakest Link | Herself - Contestant | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | Significant Other | Shelley | Main role, 5 episodes | [59] |
| 2024 | Celebrity Catchphrase | Herself - Contestant | 1 episode | |
| Richard Osman's House of Games | Series 8; 5 episodes | [60] | ||
| 2025 | Crongton | Mum (Liccle Bit's) | 8 episodes | |
| The Hit List | Herself - Contestant | Episode: "Celebrity Special" | ||
| Pointless Celebrities | 1 episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2006 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Jill | Buxton Opera House | ||
| 2006–2007 | Cinderella | Cinderella | Catford Theatre | ||
| 2007–2008 | Oakengates Theatre | [61] | |||
| 2008–2009 | Aladdin | Princess Jasmine | Rickmansworth Watersmeet Theatre | ||
| 2009–2010 | Cinderella | Cinderella | Derby Assembly Rooms | [62] | |
| 2010–2011 | The Playhouse, Weston Super Mare | ||||
| 2023-2024 | Snow White | Good Fairy Elementa | Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton | [63] |
| Year | Award | Category | Result | scope=col class=unsortable | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | TV Choice Awards | Best Soap Actress | [64] | ||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | [65] | |||
| I Talk Telly Awards | Best Soap Performance | [66] | |||
| 2021 | 26th National Television Awards | Serial Drama Performance | [67] | ||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | [68] | |||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Partnership (shared with Richard Blackwood) | ||||
| I Talk Telly Awards | Best Soap Performance | [69] | |||
| 2022 | The British Soap Awards | Best Leading Performer | [70] |
