Chico Slimani was one of The X Factor’s biggest stars in the early 2000s after he made it all the way to the quarter-finals of the 2005 season.
After leaving the show, his career went from strength to strength, with the singer even landing a number one song on the British charts called ‘It's Chico Time’.
However, since then his life has completely changed after he suffered a stroke in 2018 which changed his life completely.
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Childhood
Chico was born in Bridgend, Wales in 1971, making him 53 years old this year.
He moved to Morocco from the age of two, when his father took him to live on the family farm, but he later returned to the United Kingdom with his father at the age of 14.
After he finished school, he trained on the Youth Training Scheme as an electrical engineer before turning his attention to the entertainment industry.
Stroke
Chico suffered a stroke in 2018 at the age of 47, with him sharing that it completely changed him and the way he saw his life.
“My whole life outlook on life changed completely when I had my stroke because health is your wealth and your wealth is your health,” he told OK! last year.
“I set about trying to get myself back to full health through different exercises like Block Fit because when you're not well, all you want to do is to feel well again.
“My stroke put things into perspective for me and I knew that the most important thing I could do was heal myself and help be an instrument for healing others.
“So during the lockdown, when many people were struggling with their mental health, I decided to start HU Breath classes online, helping people from all over the world.”
He added: “If I were to go back to my old life, it would be a bit like dying because I'm expanding and becoming a better version of myself every day and it's impossible to go back.”
Chico explained that it wasn’t easy for him to get to the point he’s at now, as he had concerns and worries.
“Although life is great now and I love helping others, it hasn't always been easy during my career,” he said. “There were times when my family and I were on the breadline and all my work was cancelled.
“I had a mortgage to pay and I was anxious because I wanted to provide for my wife and family and I couldn't.
“It's also been a challenge getting the retreats to where they are now because I've had to juggle the spiritual aspect of it with building the business.”
The X Factor star added: “Many people only know me as Chico Time but my real name and nature is Yousseph, which is Joseph in Arabic. Now, I'm transitioning from Chico to Yousseph, finding the truth and guiding others to find their truth and happiness.”
Family life
Chico is married to Daniyela Rakic-Slimani - she is the sister of 2008 and 2009 Wimbledon Men's Doubles Champion Nenad Zimonjić, a Serbian tennis player.
The couple have two children together, a daughter named Lalla-Khira and son Zacharia.
English (US) ·