Darius Campbell Danesh’s reality TV redemption took extraordinary courage

Darius Campbell Danesh leaves behind the reminiscence of a golden pop profession (Image: Gisela Schober/Getty Photos)

‘Darius, neglect the spiel. Let’s get on with the track,’ stated Nigel Lythgoe to aspiring popstar Darius Campbell Danesh again in 2001, unaware that he was about to witness a real star being born earlier than his very eyes.

In fact, what adopted was one of the vital excruciating performances of Child One Extra Time possible, of which there have been many.

When Darius auditioned for Popstars on ITV – the truth TV present that shaped pop group Hear’Say and was watched by over 10million folks – to the general public, he was too intelligent and cocky for his personal good.

Whereas Large Brother had made a actuality TV villain out of ‘Nasty Nick’, Popstars made Darius the primary actuality TV ‘laughing inventory’.

That would have been his legacy.

For a lot of, we might have hid away, praying footage of us lacking the excessive be aware that nobody requested for would by no means see the sunshine of day once more – unaware that YouTube and social media would in fact take advantage of embarrassing second of our lives immortal.

Not for Darius, nevertheless, who has died aged 41. As an alternative, he leaves behind the reminiscence of a golden pop profession, a belter of a primary single in Colourblind and simply the very best redemption arc actuality TV has ever seen.

A 12 months after he was eradicated from Popstars – and the cries of an out of tune ‘give me a siiiiign’ had been nonetheless ringing via playgrounds and pubs up and down the UK – Darius really disregarded his defeat and confronted Pop Idol judges Simon Cowell, Neil Fox, Nicky Chapman and Pete Waterman for an additional shot at stardom.

He wasn’t going to fade away flippantly. And he didn’t.

He was a complete triumph, profitable over the panel and the vicious public who, in a single day, had been mincing their phrases.

Darius solely continued to point out indicators he was the truth is a possible pop idol.

He tamed his voice, reduce off that slicked again ponytail and after getting nothing however large acclaim week on week within the reside exhibits performing to record-breaking variety of viewers, he finally got here third in what was on the time the largest singing competitors the world had ever seen.

Nonetheless to at the present time, there hasn’t been a turnaround fairly prefer it.

In fact, Pop Idol was received by Will Younger, whereas Gareth Gates got here in second place, each occurring to have a string of primary singles however in hindsight, Darius’ journey on Pop Idol was really fairly extraordinary.

Darius first appeared on Popstars in 2001 (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

He’ll all the time be remembered as a little bit of a ‘legend’ (Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)

At 21 years previous, Darius’ bravery to face a trial by the general public for a second time after he’d been splashed throughout tabloids as a joke – even parodied on Comedian Reduction as a result of his humiliation was deemed truthful sport – is thus far above and past the extent of braveness most of us may really dream of.

And look the way it paid off.

Had he not auditioned for Pop Idol, Darius may have been destined to make his residing from membership appearances and presumably getting booked for Ricky Gervais’ Extras if he was fortunate.

Possibly Superstar Large Brother would have come calling? Even that was in all probability unlikely.

As an alternative, his reliance was the power that paved the way in which for a platinum-selling album, 5 UK high 5 hits, three main West Finish stints starring in Chicago, Guys and Dolls and Gone With The Wind, in addition to profitable his third crack at a actuality TV singing contest in Popstar to Operastar.

I’m not going to fake I'm nonetheless one among Darius’ die-hard followers, however I do know that whereas his demise at 41 is simply impossibly unhappy, he’ll all the time be remembered as a little bit of a ‘legend’, a high bloke with absolute bops who must be celebrated as one of many first true actuality TV icons.

If he hadn’t taken that massive leap of religion, decided to show he wasn’t going to vanish as that man who virtually ruined a Britney basic, his legacy may have been one other story.