The ‘secret’ celeb kids you never knew existed – from a Postman Pat star to a bikini model turning heads in NYC
HE was the baby-faced boy of the noughties whose appearance on TV talent show Pop Idol threw him into the spotlight.
And it came as a huge surprise to fans when Gareth Gates – who has somehow managed to keep his youthful looks – shared a snap with his 15-year-old daughter Missy to mark her recent birthday.
Paying tribute to his “beautiful little lady”, Gareth captioned the photo – in which Missy looks just like her dad -: “Happy Birthday to my beautiful little lady @missygates_x Daddy loves you more than the world.”
Fans were quick to congratulate with one writing: “Wow! Never knew you had a kid that age.”
Over her 15 years, Gareth Gates has been at pains to keep his daughter out of the limelight.
He has rarely posted pictures of his teenage daughter – whose mum is Gareth’s ex-wife Suzanne Mole – and on the rare occasions he has done, it seems to have been only to celebrate her birthday.
And he’d know about the importance of privacy, having experienced the giddy heights of his fame when he was just 17
They were at times pictured together on the red carpet, but Gareth chose to keep Missy’s privacy paramount when she hit her teenage years.
“I never like exposing too much of her. I think it should be her choice when she’s a little older,” he said.
And he’d know about the importance of privacy, having experienced the giddy heights of his fame when he was just 17.
His appearance on Pop Idol in 2002 saw his fame skyrocket, and along with it came dramas – including with Katie Price, who revealed she had slept with him when he was still a virgin.
Then came the public downfall of his marriage with Suzanne in 2012, followed by an engagement and subsequent break-up with Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes seven years later.
It could explain why he’d be keen to keep his daughter out of the spotlight.
And he isn’t the only one who has a child who lives under the public radar.
Here YASMIN HARISHA reveals other ‘secret’ kids of well known faces and the celebrities who you’d never even guess were parents…
Aimee Osbourne
Most of us are familiar with Kelly and Jack Osbourne, two of the offspring of Ozzy and recent Celebrity Big Brother star Sharon.
But Sharon has kept their eldest daughter Aimee out of the spotlight completely.
Aimee, 40, didn’t take part in their hugely famous MTV show The Osbournes, and when she was in shot, her face was always blurred out.
She’s previously been part of a band ARO – her initials – and appeared in an MTV adaptation of Wuthering Heights and voiceover work for Postman Pat: The Movie. But you won’t catch Aimee on red carpets or in social media snaps.
“She felt she didn’t want to grow up on camera,” Sharon has previously said, while Kelly has revealed they are not close. “We don’t talk. We’re just really different,” she explained.
Katie King
It seems that brains and sex-appeal run hard in Carol Vorderman’s family – her daughter Katie, 31, looks impossibly glam while also seemingly doing the impossible; attempting to cure cancer, by putting a lab in space.
She’s working on a form of antibody treatment which could enable cancer patients to inject drugs at home rather than in hospital.
The daughter of Carol and her second husband Patrick, Dr Katie credits her mum for her success.
She explained: “She has always said, ‘Make a change, you can do it, don’t doubt yourself’.
“That has been an amazing message to have, particularly as a young girl in Stem [science, technology, engineering and maths] subjects.”
Why do stars keep their kids out of the limelight?
The Sun’s Assistant Showbiz Editor explains:
In the age of influencers sharing their whole lives and their kids online, some celebrities have made a very conscious effort to keep their children out of the limelight.
In fact, some of the most famous stars around refuse to share pictures of them or divulge any details of their lives and it’s not hard to see why.
Many believe that it was their decision to be in the limelight – not their children’s and they will do what they can to protect them.
Halle Berry for example said in the past: “I have long since come to terms with the fact that choosing a career as an actress has made me a public figure, but my baby has made no such choice, and unless and until she does, I will do everything I can…to keep her out of the public eye.”
Others like Rochelle Humes and Emily Andre tried to keep their kids off the internet until they were old enough to make the decision themselves – and give consent to be shared.
Furthermore, many celebs have seen first-hand how bad trolling can be, so it’s no surprise they want to shield their offspring from that for as long as possible.
Some also are likely to feel they share enough of their lives with fans, without also having to share those nearest of them.
Joaquin Hoult
Many may remember Nicholas Hoult for his 2002 breakout role in About A Boy, as a cute-as-a-button troubled pre-teen alongside Hugh Grant.
So it may come as a surprise that Nicholas is a dad. While he has been at pains to keep Joaquin out of the spotlight, he does occasionally bring him into public life – most recently at an NBA game in Atlanta, where he is filming the role of Lex Luther in Superman: Legacy.
His mother is model Bryana Holly, and the pair – who are not married – welcomed their son in 2018. Speaking briefly about fatherhood, he said he enjoyed his offspring’s honesty.
“You get honest, instant feedback from a 4-year-old,” he said. “He will turn straight around, and he’s like, ‘This isn’t very good, Dad.’
“But then when you do get it right and cook something great, you get a big thumbs-up. It’s a great age.”
Missy Keating
Boyzone singer turned radio star Ronan Keating has a total of five children, and while many may know his son Jack Keating from Love Island 2022, his daughter Missy is also searching for fame.
The 23-year-old aspiring model and actress remains close to her family – including mum Yvonne – despite having moved from her native Ireland to Australia and now New York.
Crediting her “strength” on a recent trip to see her in the Big Apple, Ronan said: “You are such a bloody brave strong woman.
“Storm and I loved seeing you stand on your own two feet In the city that never sleeps.”
Cosima Diamond
While Nigella Lawson is one of Britain’s best known TV cooks, her children – after appearing in some early series of her shows when they were little – have chosen a life away from the public.
The result of her marriage to late husband and journalist John Diamond, Cosima, 29, is close to her mother, and often gives her advice.
Nigella, 64, said previously, “I have been forced to be guarded. I used to be more open and I’d like to think I will be again.
“Cosima said to me, ‘Mum, would you rather be a real person like you or someone who has hair and make-up done to go to the supermarket? It is better to be a real person.’”
She is the elder sister to brother Bruno, 26.
Isan Elba
Her father may have soured on the idea of playing James Bond, but one role he will always have is of doting dad.
Indeed, the 51-year-old actor is father to two kids, daughter Isan and son Winston. But it is daughter Isan that is gently making a splash in the world.
Posh mag Tatler named Isan, 21, one of their Best Dressed people in September last year – although it didn’t always start off like that.
She made her red carpet debut at the premiere of Daddy’s Little Girl when she was just seven – and she didn’t enjoy it.
“My dad picked up a red polka dot dress and a pink super girly furry dress.
“He said, ‘You get to pick which one,’ and I said the red one, but I ended up having to wear the pink and I hated it!”
She is now working towards being a movie producer, having studied at NYU.
Ty Tennant
The son of David Tennant and wife Georgia, Ty Tennant has already had quite an extensive career at the age of just 22.
In addition to appearing in the TV series War of the Worlds, he also played the role of a young Aegon Targaryen in Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon.
And he has even set his sights on stepping into his father’s footsteps by playing Doctor Who.
“I don’t think I would ever decline the offer,” he said, adding, “Doctor Who is such a massive thing to take on.”
David, 52, adopted Ty in 2011, the same year he married his mum.
Emmeline Bale
Christian Bale and wife Sibi have two children, Emmeline, born in 2005 and Joseph, in 2014.
While he had been at pains to keep them out of the public eye – in 2019 he didn’t even refer to them by name when he picked up a Golden Globe award, referring to them by nicknames Banana and Burrito – it seems Emmeline has different ideas.
In 2023, the aspiring model walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana, and it seems Christian, 50, was happy for her, as he and the whole family turned up to watch her. Cute!