
Photograph by Derrick Santini

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JAMELIA AND FOOTBALLER DARREN BYFIELD
JULY 20 BIKINI HEROES, DENISE LEWIS, KIM MEDCALF, ANDREA CATHERWOOD, ANGELA GRIFFIN, KATY BRAND, STYLE-SLIM CELEBS
JULY 13 SURANNE JONES, GLAMMED UP V DRESSED DOWN, TRACEY COX, LIZ MCCLARNON, SINITTA, RICHARD FLEESHMAN, OPRAH DIET
JULY 6 PATSY KENSIT, MARIELLA FROSTRUP, LINDA ROBSON, JAIME MURRAY, CLAIRE RICHARDS
JUNE 29 DENISE VAN OUTEN, CELEB WEIGHTS, MEET THE 'WINOS', JUNE SARPONG, KYM RYDER, LULU, SUZI WALKER, VANESSA FELTZ
JUNE 22 TESS DALY, JACKIE CLUNE, NELL MCANDREW, ZOE SALMON, NATALIE PINKHAM, ROXANNE PALLETT
JUNE 15 SHOPAHOLICS, SHAZIA MIRZA, JENNY FROST, POOJA SHAH, CAPRICE
JUNE 8 FEARNE COTTON, JUSTIN LEE COLLINS, PARIS HILTON, CAROLE SMILLIE, TAMARA BECKWITH
JUNE 1 DAVINA MCCALL, VICTORIA BECKHAM, JESSE MCCARTNEY, ABBEY CLANCY, EVA LONGORIA PARKER, KIRSTY ALLSOPP, ANTHEA TURNER
MAY 25 TRINNY & SUSANNAH, SALLY LINDSAY, SAMANDA DO KYLIE, ESTELLE, FAYE TOZER, DR LINDA PAPADOPOULOS
MAY 18 MEL B, GILLIAN MCKEITH, COLEEN'S WEDDING, JENNI FALCONER, JENNIE BOND, ZIGGY, DAVID KIRSCH
MAY 11 FEARNE COTTON, JANE DANSON
MAY 4 LISA SNOWDON, JANET ELLIS, SUSIE AMY, MICA PARIS, THE CHEEKY GIRLS, JK AND JOEL, NATALIE CASSIDY, GISELE, DENISE VAN OUTEN, KELLY ROWLAND, COLIN AND JUSTIN
APRIL 27 MARTINE MCCUTCHEON, ULRIKA JONSSON, SARAH HARDING, NANCY SORRELL, KATIE HOLMES, ZARA ABRAHAMS, ERIN BOAG
APRIL 20 KIRSTY GALLACHER, ANNA FRIEL, AGGIE MCKENZIE, KATIE HOPKINS, MICHELLE KEEGAN
APRIL 13 NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, SIAN LLOYD, KONNIE HUQ, HANNAH SANDLING, JESSICA ALBA
APRIL 6 AMANDA HOLDEN, ANGELA GRIFFIN, KACEY AINSWORTH, SARAH CAWOOD
MARCH 30 HEIDI KLUM, SUZANNE SHAW, BEN COHEN, KIMBERLEY WALSH, SINITTA
MARCH 23 JOSS STONE, LEIGH FRANCIS, JENNIFER LOPEZ, ROISIN MURPHY, DAVINA MCCALL
MARCH 16 EMMA BUNTON, SHARON HORGAN, TRINNY WOODALL, JACQUELINE GOLD
MARCH 9 SUGABABES, TINA O'BRIEN, GENE HUNT, SAIRA KHAN
MARCH 2 RIHANNA, PENNY LANCASTER, JONATHAN ANSELL, SARA COX, TAMZIN OUTHWAITE
FEB 24 KARA TOINTON, NATALIE CASSIDY, TRISHA GODDARD
FEB 17 NICOLA ROBERTS, SUSIE AMY, KATY BRAND
FEB 10 JAMELIA, KONNIE HUQ, EMMA GRIFFITHS, TARA PALMER TOMKINSON, TRACEY COX
FEB 3 KELLY OSBOURNE, ANNA RYDER RICHARDSON, SUZANNE SHAW
WHEN Cheryl Cole went through the agony of discovering her husband Ashley had betrayed her on a drunken night out, Jamelia, a close friend of Cheryl’s, felt her pain and humiliation.
“I know what she’s been through and I feel for her because I’ve been through that hell,” Jamelia says. “I just hope Cheryl gets through it OK.”
Today 27-year-old Jamelia is wearing an enormous engagement ring and making plans for her wedding to footballer Darren Byfield next year.
But it’s not long since she was on her own after dumping Darren – the father of her youngest daughter, Tiani, two – and telling the world: “I want to be single again.”
There was speculation that their relationship stalled over allegations that Darren had cheated on her.
She shakes her head: “It never happened, and it was certainly not the reason for the split.
"I know he never cheated on me. He wouldn’t. It’s just sad that there are desperate women out there whose mission in life is to sleep with a footballer.
“We’d got to the stage in our relationship where nothing was terribly wrong but I still had questions.
"I needed to end the relationship to find out what it would mean to be without Darren.
“Initially he rang me every day begging me to get back together with him. "I just kept saying: ‘No’, that I needed time and space, but he kept on and on.
"Then he stopped calling me.
Three days passed and I didn’t hear from him. I panicked. I suddenly had a vision of my life without Darren.
"I had to confront the idea that he was gone and that was it. Then I realised I could never be with anyone else and I would never find another man like him.”
She grins: “When he did call, we were back on – and this time it’s forever.”
The marriage proposal came in October when Darren popped the question in front of friends and family at his 31st birthday party.
These are happy times for Jamelia, but she’s had her share of difficulties.
She grew up on a rough Birmingham council estate and her life story, which she is about to write, has all the hallmarks of a misery memoir.
One of her stepbrothers was stabbed to death when he was 15, and one of her half-brothers is behind bars for murdering a teenager in a drug-related gangland drive-by shooting.
Another half-brother was initially linked to the shooting of two young girls outside a New Year’s Eve party in 2003, but was later cleared of all involvement.
Jamelia became involved with her first serious boyfriend, Terry Wallen, and fell pregnant with his daughter, Teja, now six, when she was 20.
Shortly after Teja’s birth, Jamelia enjoyed huge chart success with hits like I Do and Superstar and was nominated for three prestigious Brit Awards.
Yet when she went home at night she was regularly beaten by Wallen, often in front of their baby girl.
When Jamelia finally found the courage to end their relationship, she wrote the song Thank You as an anthem to abused women.
When, at the age of 20, and just months after signing a new record deal, Jamelia found out she was expecting her first child.
She did what she thought was best for both of them and took time out from recording.
She fell pregnant with Tiani soon after her “comeback” in 2005, but once again she firmly put her family first.
“I always take risks but for me, risks pay off.
"When my first relationship broke down, I promised myself I wouldn’t be with anyone unless he was perfect.
"I was single and celibate for three years until I met Darren.
“This is everything for me. It’s the conclusion.
"So much bad stuff has happened in my life, but I believe if you think it’s going to turn out good, while trying to be a decent person, then everything will be OK.”
CLICK HERE FOR READERS' COMMENTS ON JAMELIA
Share a secret about yourself - something we'd never guess. I'm a computer geek. I have a very technical brain. When we moved house and all the electrics went, I fixed them on my own.
What rule do you try to live by? It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
What's your party trick? When I get drunk I can't sing a note. I sound like the worst karaoke contestant you've ever heard.
David Cameron or Gordon Brown? Gordon Brown's more real. I can't get into Cameron. He talks the talk, but I don't think he can walk the walk.
Last supper? Aki, salt fish and corn, and an entire strawberry cheesecake.
Jamelia's autobiography will be released by Orion in the autumn. Her Model Me haircare range is available now in Boots and Toni & Guy salons across the UK