Personal Life, Charitable Work and Other Activities
Gates had lived in Chiswick, West London, with wife Suzanne Gates (née Mole) (until their split in 2012), a dancer he met at the Record of the Year awards in 2002, which he won for "Unchained Melody". In October 2006, The People newspaper incorrectly reported that they had secretly married. Gates and Mole got engaged on New Years Eve 2007 and were married on 18 July 2008 in a private ceremony for family and friends. The couple had their first child together on 6 April 2009, a girl they named Missy. Gareth announced through his Website on 28 October 2012, that he and his wife having grown apart had decided to separate. Gates qualified as a speech coach and latterly as a course instructor with the McGuire Programme where he helps those with stammers similar to his own. He co-led his first full course in February 2005 and in August 2006 he instructed his first course single-handedly in Galway, Ireland. He led his second at Bournemouth in November 2006, and continues to lead courses in the UK and Ireland, the most recent of which was in November 2010, with further courses scheduled in October in Birmingham and in Galway in November 2011.
"Gareth Gates' Stammer House" is to form part of the new documentary season for BBC Three recently announced by Zai Bennett at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August 2011, due to air later this year. In the documentary made by IWC Media, Gates will take five young men and women who've stammered since childhood and in four intense days transform their lives. Over the four days the group will confront their stuttering demons on an intensive and testing course. Speaking of the documentary, he said "Hopefully this documentary will give people an insight into something that most take for granted - speaking!"
The documentary, remnamed "Stop my Sutter" aired on BBC3 on 27 February 2012 on BBC Three
Gates pretented the BBC Lifeline Appeal for the British Stammering Association.
Gates spoke to MPs including David Amess MP, Robert Buckland MP, and Steve Brine MP at the Palace of Westminster as part of a briefing on communication disability hosted by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and the Centre for Social Justice. Gates said "By speaking today I hope to shed light on the issues that surround speech and language difficulties. In particular, through my own experiences, I want to explain how the inability to converse and communicate drastically shapes and moulds people’s lives. It determines the sort of people they become and the paths they follow." On 18 October 2011 his work as an ambassador, raising awareness of the issues surrounding speech difficulties was recognised at the Giving Voice Awards Ceremony.
Gates is a patron of the HIV/AIDS charity Body and Soul and of the Bobby Moore Fund, which supports research into bowel cancer. He took part in the 2009 Cosmo Everyman campaign to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer.
In 2008, Gates appeared on ITV1's Dancing on Ice with skating partner Maria Filippov, finishing fourth, losing a place in the final to Zaraah Abrahams and dancing partner Fred Palascak.
On 7 September 2008, Gates played for England against The Rest of the World in Soccer Aid 2008 at Wembley in aid of UNICEF.
Gates played Prince Charming in the pantomime Cinderella at New Wimbledon Theatre, from December 2008 to January 2009 alongside Joanna Page and Alistair McGowan. Further pantomimes followed - the Prince in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Woking in 2010-11 and Aladdin in Milton Keynes in 2011-12
In December 2009, Gates took part in ITV's All Star Family Fortunes, along with ex-wife Suzanne, mum Wendy, sister Nicola and best friend Matt, and won £30,000 for the Bobby Moore Fund for bowel cancer. Other TV and sporting activities for charity have included an appearance on Sky's Don't Forget the Lyrics! and ITV's Mr and Mrs again for the Bobby Moore Fund and various events for the Rhys Daniels Trust.
Working with Jonathan Wilkes, his wife Suzanne and Wilkes' wife Nikki, Gates set up the Gates and Wilkes Academy of Performing Arts for young people from 5-18, in his home town of Bradford. Gates and Wilkes opened a second academy in Milton Keynes. During an interview with BBC Radio Leeds on 16 June 2012, Gates announced plans to open a further academy in Leeds.
It was reported that Gates lost his virginity to glamour model Katie Price during the 2002 Pop Idol. Gates initially denied the rumours but finally admitted the relationship in 2003.
In 2009, it was reported that Gates has made an estimated £6.5 million during his career to date. The Irish Independent newspaper reported that Gates was one of a number of celebrities with investments in the company Ingenious Media, which backed a number of films, including Avatar and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
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