Gareth Gates

Finally having the freedom to speak is a really liberating feeling.

Musical theatre is something that I always wanted to be a part of, and my first ever role on the West End as Joseph in 'Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat' gave me a taste for it.

My speech is really important to me, but the thing is at the moment it can't be more important than my singing. Until I'm an established name all over the world, my speech won't be more important than my music.

Before all this happened, I always used to see my stammer as being a negative, all my life, but then when I went on 'Pop Idol,' and the first time I saw it on television, it was really, really bad, but also it made me stand out; it made people remember me. So for the first time in my life, it worked to my advantage.

I like to have quiet evenings and relax.

If I get a bad review, I don't take it personally because everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I'm part of a speech therapy course called the Maguire Programme. It isn't a cure; it's something you need to maintain and work on. I get days where I find things more difficult than others.

Breathing is fundamental to speech. A stammer is caused by erratic airflow, so if you have a smooth airflow, you have smooth speech.

On the McGuire course, there's a technique called 'cancellation' where negative experiences are replaced with positive ones.

I'm very driven, and I always have been. So I'd like to release a successful album, continue in musical theatre, and be more involved in business.

The moment an athlete doesn't train, things start to get a bit rusty.

Speech and having a stammer is obviously a big part of my life.

Sharing the stage while singing my songs was a bit of a daunting prospect.

I'm not closing the door on my solo career, but with 5th Story, if the public demand is there, then I'll continue to work with the band. If not, we'll all go our separate ways again.

I really love it in Belfast. I always stay in the most bombed hotel, the Europa!

I've stammered all my life, and it's fair to say that my stammer has shaped my life. It's made me make some decisions that I'm sure I wouldn't have if I didn't suffer with this affliction.

Living with a stammer is difficult. It's a daily uphill struggle with emotional baggage weighing you down. You can't be the person you want to be.

Young adults living with a stutter is hard work. How do they handle job interviews? What do they do when the phone rings? How do they 'chat someone up'? All these things the average person takes for granted prove to be a stammerer's biggest challenge.

Having my first number one single and being able to travel to places I've never been before has been amazing. The tour was also fantastic. There are so many things which I've experienced this year which I never even dreamed of.

I was always used to being centre stage - something that had its good and bad points.

I love musical theatre because I love doing a live performance eight times a week.

As you know, I was a solo singer, something I just got very much used to. Turns out I'm quite enjoying being in a band!

I'm part of a speech therapy programme called the McGuire Programme. It teaches you a new way to breathe, a new way to speak, a brand new way of tackling the mind-sets that come with having a speech impediment. Mainly, it teaches you how to slow things down, and that has really helped me.

In the music business, I found it was much more about interviews, photo shoots and appearances rather than actual performing, which I do best.

At the age of 13, I felt it was up to me to decide whether I wanted to go to church or be with my mates, and I chose to go to church.