Marcus Collins

Liverpool born and bred, Marcus Collins rose to fame, and won the hearts of the nation, on ITV1’s 2011 season of The X Factor.  Mentored by music legend Gary Barlow and hugely popular throughout the series, Marcus eventually finished as runner up in front of a sold out audience at Wembley Arena and more than 14 million viewers watching at home.  Since then he has toured the UK as part of The X Factor Live tour and has released the Top 10 album, Marcus Collins.  Marcus who has always loved music and drama and has landed the  leading role in Hairspray the Musical, he plays the part of Seaweed Stubbs, one of the coolest kids at Patterson Park High.The show, which runs at the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Monday 22 April to Saturday 27 April marks his musical theatre debut.

My School:
I went to Sacred Heart Catholic College in Crosby

My Favourite Teacher:
The entire music department they all nurtured me and pushed me to my best

Favourite Subject at School:
Without a doubt it was music

Were you streetwise or a bit of a geek?
I was in between, I played mediator between everyone, I was friends with cool kids, with the goth kids and the nerdy kids! I prided myself on being a versatile person and treating everyone equally as I craved that so much being one of a few black kids and gay kids in our community

My Favourite Childhood Band:
I loved cheesy pop, and also loved old school Motown, then Destiny’s Child and the Spice Girls, Brandy and Ashanti

My Favourite Extra-Curricular Activity:
I loved anything that was artistic so writing music or making clothes or painting! My mum is a textile designer and maker and she was great with me and the kids in our street. My mother would do summer clubs with us and face paints and taught us how to make things from salt dough and encouraged painting and drawing! I have happy memories of being a child

Do you remember your first school crush:
Yeah her name was Emma, and I put a heart shaped cake in her draw in Year 2. I adored her. She had Joe 90 glasses and freckles hahaha!

My Favourite Book:
I love the Secret Life of Bees and Da Vinci Code! I tried that 50 Shades of Grey but kept blushing because I knew my mum had read it so it got swerved! But I’m also all about celeb autobiographies, I’m currently on Paul O’Grady’s latest offering! Love him

School Dinners:
Bad in primary school, the chicken supreme was dreadful, but high school was great! Twizzlers and drummers with beans and chips on fat days or cheese and beans on a jacket spud served by our lovely Portuguese dinner lady who even asked what you would like first the cheese or the beans!

My Ambitions at School:
To be known for being good at something and having the things that made me unique or stand out used to my advantage, instead of ammunition to someone who wanted to be negative!