Chesney Hawkes takes brutal swipe at Philip Schofield after 'awful' night scarred him

THEY say revenge is a dish best served cold - and for former pop sensation Chesney Hawkes it has only taken 33 years for him to fight back.

But after decades in the music wilderness, the mild mannered singer has finally unleashed his anger on those who poked fun at him after he dominated the charts in 1991 with his one hit wonder, The One and Only.

Chesney, now 53, was just a teenager when his marmite track propelled him to overnight stardom and exposed him to criticism from the likes of disgraced This Morning host Phillip Schofield and ex-Good Morning Britain anchor Piers Morgan after he topped the charts for five weeks at the height of the 90s grunge era when bands like Nirvana were normally the ones making headlines.

But as he prepares to mount a chart comeback with his first new album in 10 years, Chesney has not forgot those who laughed at him for not "fitting in" during the decade that brought us Cool Britannia when his global hit - penned by Eighties star Nik Kershaw - rattled the Nineties music establishment.

Hitting back at his haters for the first time in years, Chesney remembers: "Phillip Schofield...B*stard. I remember he once did a (jokey) sketch at [these] awards in 1991 where he pushed me into Hell with a pitchfork. I remember that moment as I was only a kid, I was 19."

The awards do in question was the 1991 Smash Hits' Poll Winners' Party.

"At first, Phillip was one of the first people who was very nice to me," recalls Chesney. "We did all the TV shows like Live and Kicking in those days and the Radio 1 roadshows. And suddenly they turned against me.

"I remember it well. I watched [the show] that year with my parents at home and they did this horrible thing where Phillip pushed me to the gates of Hell with a pitchfork. They had this guy dressed as me in a blonde wig with a mole. It was awful."

Today, in the wake of the Liam Payne tragedy when the importance of men's mental health is paramount, Chesney says it's vital for critics to learn how their actions could affect child stars later on in life.

Chesney, who was just a teenager when he became famous, says: "How does this happen? They were all old enough to know better.

"I think those moments, they were really difficult. I kind of had to push it down and tighten the lid on it and had to think it was just water off a duck's back. I just thought I would write a few songs and carry on but it is not until later on that I thought it was proper sh*t and it is not acceptable to do that.

"It is not responsible and it keeps happening. Piers Morgan also had a go at me during that time but my dad once poured a pint of lager over him at the Ivor Novello awards in London in 1992."

Chesney spoke out this week as he teamed up with 90s comic Richard Herring to record an episode of the alternative comedian's podcast which will be released in the new year.

And it seems Chesney is not shying away from speaking out after he recently shot the video for his comeback single Get A Hold of Yourself completely in the nude in homage to Gen Z cult movie fave, Saltburn.

Dad-of-three Chesney was warned by his management to keep his kit on for the video but the star was happy to strip off just like actor Barry Keoghan did in the 2023 movie.

Chesney says: "We filmed the video at Arley Hall in Cheshire, the huge country mansion where they film Peaky Blinders. Most of the time I was swinging in the wind and completely naked."

Despite his boldness, Chesney soon realised he was not frolicking alone on what he thought was a closed set.

"There was a moment I was dancing naked and the house has these big windows. The house is open to the public and I looked over during the shoot and there was a young girl outside pushing a pram," laughs Chesney. "I was like 'Can we close the curtains?'

"There was also a lady who was in charge of the house who was like our liaison and she kept coming up asking 'Does anyone want a cup of tea?'!"

Chesney posed nude in a bold statement to prove to his critics that he is not going to live in fear of what anyone thinks of him anymore.

He admits: "I did lean into getting nude. I wanted to raise some eyebrows and it was influenced by the end of Saltburn. The song, Get A Hold of Yourself, is about freedom of expression and being in your 50s and feeling a sort of freedom which I probably did not have in the early days.

"Like my song The One and Only, it is a self-empowerment song which helps keep your mental health in check."

Chesney was cheered on by his wife Kristina and his three children - sons Casey, 23, Indiana, 18, and daughter Jesse, 21, - for the video but says his kids did shake their heads when they saw their dad naked onscreen.

"I just wanted to do something bold, brave and liberating. My wife was supportive," says Chesney. "My team thought I was mad and said 'You are 50 with a dad bod'. I went back to them and said I had to do it. I got my kit off. It was liberating.

"There is a nod to Saltburn in the video, the movie Risky Business, Calendar Girls and The Fully Monty. I think we can have fun in our 50s. Our kids don't have to like it, in fact my kids did say 'Did you have to shake your ass?'"

Despite their blushes, Chesney has his family to thank for his new forthcoming album Living Arrows - his first release in over a decade.

The star unleashes his new album at the end of next February, featuring songs inspired by his kids. The album's second single Live Forever was released this week and penned by Nik Kershaw and Jake Gosling, who has worked with Ed Sheeran and One Direction.

Chesney worked hard on the new album, saying: "My latest song is on the A list on Radio 2. I have really pushed with this new album. This record does have some kind of energy behind it.

"I had my kids in mind the whole time because the messages on songs like Live Forever are to do with taking life by the horns, doing what you love and following your instincts. You have to let them do their own things and make their own mistakes."

Today, Chesney says he cant wait to get back out and play live across the UK next year - unlike the dark days of the Nineties when he couldn't face playing his much maligned hit, The One and Only, ever again.

He says: "I have to say that during from 1993 until 1994 I refused to play The One and Only. In the mid 90s it was all Brit pop and I just wanted to be Radiohead. I very much rebelled against the pop roots I came from. As a kid, the pop thing was not what I wanted to do.

"The One and Only was like an albatross, also the title did not help me. I did rebel against it for like 10 years. Sometimes I did not want to go out and play under my own name.

"I did not play again really until I was asked to play at some universities. I did not think anybody knew who I was but the love was just there with people with my face on their T shirts. It was like a student anthem at that time and I went on to do 10 years of those university gigs."

Helping to keep him on the straight and narrow is his American wife Kristina, whom Chesney married back in 1997.

Praising her loyal support, Chesney says: "I did turn out as a balanced adult and I do think that is because of my wife. We met at the right time. I was 22 when I met her at the end of all the craziness. We fell in love and she did not know who I was.

"When I met her it was exactly the right time for me. She gave me something else to live for. I did get into drugs and stuff like that and alcohol and I did try to shield it all so when she came it took me out of it. If it was not for her it would have been a different road."

Chesney admits his family's musical roots have also kept him in check over the years, thanks to advice from his his dad Chip Hawkes - former bassist of the 1960s group The Tremeloes.

"You see, I grew up in a very rock and roll household. My dad was in The Tremeloes. We as children were never going to be accountants as we used to wake up and had to step over sleeping musicians," he says.

"It was wild growing up and dad used to take us all to gigs and we would be peaking through the wings. We used to see knickers being thrown on stage. Today, I get boxer shorts thrown at me. In the early days I used to get knickers."

Although now comfortable with his past, Chesney says he has one more thing to accomplish - and that is writing his autobiography.

Rumours have been circulating that the singer is close to finishing a book about his life which will reveal all about his one hit wonder which is said to have made him millions in royalties over the years.

But if such a book is ever released, Chesney says it would tell the real story of the record business, saying: "I always say my autobiography should be called Fame, No Fortune as that is that is what it is like in the music business. But of course it will have to be called The One and Only.

"There is talk I made £8 million but that is utter b*llocks. I did make good money for sure but my wife would kill me if she knew I had made £8 million and spunked it all."

Chesney jokes: "Nik Kershaw, who wrote the song, got a couple of houses out of it. But today, it has now been nearly 34 years since that song. I am not earning a living from it.

"Listen, it is a self-empowerment song and that is why it has had longevity. The life of a song like that has really nothing to do with you. It is a very beautiful thing actually.

"Looking back I would not change a thing as life is an incredible journey and we are not here for that long are we? The Only and Only was only like six months of my life. I am happy being me and I would not change anything. Today, I am humbled I can still fling a guitar on my back and still make a living."

The Mirror contacted Phillip Schofield for comment.

* The new album by Chesney Hawkes, Living Arrows, is released February 28, 2025.