Ross Antony turns 50: Six facts about the bird of paradise

Ross Antony (50) is one of the most dazzling figures in the German entertainment industry. Everything about him is colorful, happy and loud – but the Brit can also be very different and in his private life he is a loving family man and husband, nature fan and hobby baker. On July 9, the bird of paradise celebrates a special milestone: he turns 50. Here are six facts about the birthday boy.

Talent was in his cradle

When Ross Antony Catterall was born on July 9, 1974 in Bridgnorth, England, it was already clear that he would become a star. His grandmother loved singing, “my mom made theater costumes, dad sang in a choir and my sister was a costume designer,” he reported. So it’s no wonder that little Ross was on the theater stage for the first time at the age of three. Shortly afterwards, he began singing and dancing lessons.

After graduating from school, Antony turned his hobby into a career with a three-year course at the Guildford School of Acting. Musical engagements in Great Britain followed before the world premiere of the musical “Catharine” brought him to Germany in 1997. Here he played leading roles in “Mozart!” and “Hair”.

From “Popstars” to pop star

Ross Antony is a chameleon, and not just because of his colorful clothes. He has changed genres several times: He began his career as a musical actor, today he is a very successful pop singer – and then there is the phase of his life as a pop star. In 2001, the musician won the RTLzwei casting show “Popstars” and made it into the band Bro’Sis alongside Giovanni Zarrella (46), Indira Weis (44), Hila Bronstein (40), Shaham Joyce (45) and Faiz Mangat (43).

The group’s first single, “I Believe,” sold over a million copies, and the band sold a total of four million records. Live performances sent fans into hysteria for years before Bro’Sis split up in 2006 due to “musical differences.” “We had five great years together, partly because we were so different, but it still worked really well. And nobody expected us to stay together for so long,” recalled Ross Antony. But he definitely rules out a comeback.

King of the jungle despite great fear

After the end of his pop star career, Antony moved into the “jungle camp” in 2008. Laughed at by the audience as a crybaby, he had to face five jungle tests – and he excelled, because in the end “Rambo-Ross” was able to win the show despite all his phobias. “I was afraid of rats, snakes, spiders, everything and I thought that if I confronted everything directly, it would help me enormously and it did,” he summed up.

After the show, the singer was finally perceived by the public as an entertainer. Today, he sees it as the “springboard” to his success and doesn’t regret it for a second. The jungle was “the best decision of my life after Bro’Sis. I benefited a lot from it.”

His husband is also a musician

Ross Antony has been in a relationship with Paul Reeves (50) since 2006 and has now married him three times. Reeves is also a musician and works as an opera singer, and has also toured with star tenor Paul Potts (53). While his husband jumps around the stage in glitter, Reeves is more cautious. “He thinks I’m a bit crazy (laughs). But he loves that. Opposites attract. He’s the quiet and intelligent one in our family,” Antony told us about his love secret.

The couple has two children together, whom they adopted in 2015 and 2017. They keep their offspring strictly out of the public eye, so neither the gender nor the names of the children are known.

Experience in the hospitality industry

In addition to singing, dancing, acting and presenting, Ross has another passion: he has run several hospitality businesses in his life. In 2014, he opened the “Chillax” café in his hometown of Siegburg, where he also worked from time to time. Together with his husband, he also ran a bed and breakfast in Wallingford, England, which they eventually sold again because of Brexit.

Today Antony and Reeves have accommodation again, this time in the county of Cornwall. There they rent out two holiday homes, which they also partly live in with their family.

Great passion for baking

In keeping with his gastronomy, Ross Antony’s favorite hobby is baking. Since he made it to the finals of “The Great Celebrity Bake Off” in 2020, his enthusiasm for sweet pastries has been sparked. He has now published three baking books in which he presents his best German and British recipes with his mother Vivien, among others. “I noticed myself that I have a little talent for that, I like the precision in baking, decorating and I also like eating cakes,” he explained. When baking, the whirlwind can really relax and immerse himself in his own world.

His birthday month July

Will Ross Antony bake his own 50th birthday cake? He has big plans for the special day, as he is celebrating it in his houses in Cornwall for a whole month. “My friends and family will be coming to visit me in stages throughout July so that we can celebrate my birthday together. It will be great fun for everyone,” the birthday boy told the women’s magazine “Woche heute”. The program includes visits to restaurants, a picnic and horse riding on the beach.

The birthday girl is now looking forward to the new phase of her life with a relaxed attitude: “I was a little scared of turning 50, but my mother told me something very wise: I should be grateful that I am even allowed to turn 50. That is not a given.”