Blue’s Antony Costa recalls sofa surfing when he was left ‘skint’ after band’s split

Blue’s Antony Costa has recalled sofa surfing when he was ‘skint’ following the band’s split in 2005.

In a new interview, the singer, 39, admitted there were points in his career when he ‘couldn’t afford to get home’ as he blamed his past financial troubles on ‘not receiving advice about how to save money’ during his heyday. 

The musician also touched on when he and his band members struggled with mental health in silence and losing over two stone in lockdown after drinking ‘beer and vodka’ throughout last summer. 

On the challenges of staying above water, the actor said on this week’s The Hot Mess Mums Club: ‘There were times that I couldn’t even afford to get home afterwards to where I lived in Hertfordshire. 

‘I was sofa surfing because I was so skint. We were never given any advice on what to do with our money, how to save it, what not to do, and I was 18 years old and thought Blue was gonna last for donkey’s years.

‘When you are going through that, you would really find out who your mates are. You would just know who the fake friends were, like we would be at a party and people would be cracking up at a joke I would tell that wasn’t even funny.’

The stage star confessed he was also left confused about his next steps when the group – also consisting of Duncan James, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe – parted ways.

Antony explained: ‘For me, when the band split in ’05, I literally did not know what to do. I was lucky enough to have an ex girlfriend [Adele Silva] who was up in Leeds doing a soap and grafting away at it, which was great. 

‘Then my next calling happened to be me going into I’m A Celeb, then I was around people that I never thought I would be with, and I thought to myself I need to do something on my own, whether it be theatre or singing or being in a soap. 

‘I auditioned for the show Blood Brothers, and for me I always loved auditions, I loved being the underdog, and from that it just went on and on. 

‘I was always the underdog even in the band, it was always the other three and then me, if you were to put us in a room people would always go to the other three.’  

The media personality went on to discuss how the chart-topping artists wouldn’t disclose their personal issues with each other, until they reunited in 2011.

The Casualty star reflected: ‘The thing was about it was when we all had mental health struggles in the band, none of us knew the other was going through it. 

‘You would just expect everyone to say like ”shut up bruv” when you mention anything, you think to yourself who do I open up to. 

‘It was only when we got back together for our reunion that we started saying, I didn’t know you were going through that, to each other. Even though we were all going through these things, on the outside we were all so bubbly, but there were times, like I went through a lot of financial troubles. 

‘When I was working in town for Blood Brothers, it was literally like taking a drug being on stage.

‘I have never taken drugs in my life, but it was the nearest thing to a high I could think of, and then when you would come off stage it would be like coming down, so I would go and have a drink till like 1/2 in the morning.’

On his thoughts about making a comeback 21 years after Blue was first formed, he insisted: ‘Us getting back together would all really be based on whether the people want it. We have come back a few times, we are a bit like a boomerang. 

‘We did Eurovision on our 10th anniversary which was amazing, then we did the Big Reunion, which was also great because then we did our own little tour. 

‘But yeah, 20th anniversary is nothing to be sniffed at and it’s been amazing, the Blue brand and Blue music is still going on till this day. So, reunion is something we have definitely thought about but it isn’t going on at the moment.’

Elsewhere in the chat, the All Rise hitmaker spoke about shedding weight after finding himself ‘eating out of boredom’.

The songwriter added to hosts Jenny Powell and Kelly Pegg: ‘So I have lost just over 2 stone during lockdown. It was the first lockdown back in March, and I was up in Manchester doing a show and  it got cancelled, and then everyone was depressed.

‘There was nothing to do, and everyone online was talking about getting fit and home workouts and stuff, and in my mind I just rebelled a bit, I thought I can’t be bothered. 

‘Then I was just eating out of boredom, so I was just eating and eating and eating, and before you know it, summer comes and you’re having your beers, your vodkas and your having your BBQs and stuff. 

‘Then August came and I just wasn’t happy with the way I looked. Then I went for an audition on a TV show, and I saw a picture of me coming out of it and just decided to make a change from that.’ 

Aside from his music and acting career, Antony is a father to three daughters – Emelie, 15, from his relationship with Lucy Bolster, and Savannah, six, and Paloma, three – whom he shares with partner Rosanna Jasmin.

On how he’s coped with adjusting to homeschooling and being a stay-at-home dad during the crisis, the I’m A Celeb star revealed: ‘I try to be as hands on as possible, but amid the pandemic I have realised I am not a teacher.

‘Hats off to any teachers out there because you have the patience of a saint. My patience is way worse now than it was back in the day looking after three boys waiting for them to get dressed and go to the studio. 

‘I am counting the hours till my kids go back to school. It’s been tough on my relationship as well. I am not the type of person who is built to stay at home, that’s not in my DNA, I never have been. 

‘I’m always working and then have a couple of days at home then go back to work. I’ve ended up buying my own man-cave in the garden in my garage, so I can do stuff like this podcast, because if I was trying to do it in my house it would be like nightmare on sesame street.’