Glasgow reality TV stars from Love Island, Big Brother and more

From Pop Idol winners to Love Island hunks, we've taken a trip down memory lane to round up the best reality TV stars from in and around the city over the decades.

Did your favourite make the list?

Reece Donnely

Although savvy businessman Reece Donnely has yet to appear on our screens, we’re sure he’ll make an impression in the upcoming series of the Apprentice which begins tomorrow evening.

Donnelly is the director and founder of Theatre School of Scotland and has worked with the likes of Still Game's Jane McCarry and River City's Gary Lamont to help develop the next generation of young actors.  

He has had a passion for the industry from a young age, securing a role at CBBC at the age of six.

Donnelly says he is the youngest chief executive of a further education college in the UK and he is determined to be the first Scottish winner of Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment.

He added: “I’m here to prove that Scotland is filled with forward-thinking entrepreneurs and that we are not in fact a haggis-eating, kilt-wearing nation.”

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Michelle McManus

Former Glasgow Times columnist Michelle McManus won the second and final series of Pop Idol in 2003.

The star, who is from the city’s Balliestion, enjoyed fame thanks to her winning single All This Time with her only album to date The Meaning of Love released in 2004.

She now hosts a weekly BBC Scotland radio show and has over 13,000 followers on Instagram.

Darius Danesh Campbell

Singer and actor Darius rose to fame on ITV talent shows Popstars and Pop Idol 20 years ago.

The singer, from Bearsden, came third on Pop Idol in 2002 and became a household name thanks to his theatrical take on Britney Spears's Hit Me Baby One More Time.

Following his Pop Idol and Popstar appearances, he went on to become a West End star appearing in musicals like Chicago and the Oliver Award-winning Guys and Dolls.

Tragically, Danesh was found dead in his US apartment, in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 last year at the age of 41.

The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has since confirmed that Darius died from “inhalation of chloroethane” in its report.

Federico Martone

In 2003, as Big Brother reached the height of its popularity, this young Glaswegian caused a stir with his larger-than-life attitude.

He was voted out in week four of the series and went on to open a vintage shop, Ruby Tuesday’s, in Glasgow city centre.

Federico also ran Qua restaurant on Ingram Street (formerly Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr’s Japanese sushi place, Oko) and made the news in 2018 when he turned down money from the Fast and Furious film franchise to close during the shoot.

Emily Middlemas

Middlemas appeared on the X Factor Series 13 where a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Master Blaster (Jammin) saw her secure a spot in live shows and mentored by Simon Cowell.

The star, who was born in the city’s Southside and attended Woodfarm High School, made it to fourth place in the competition and has since gone on to pursue a career in music under the stage name of ili.

In June last year, the singer got engaged to long-term boyfriend Ryan Lawrie, from Coatbridge, who also appeared on series 13 of the X Factor.

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The cast of Glow

The 2016 online reality series set in Glasgow may have been short-lived, but Glow introduced us to some memorable characters from ex-Rangers WAG Lauren McDonald to Merchant City nightclub owner Brian Matthews 

The show was a first for production firm GRTV who said their goal was to shine a positive light on Glasgow but was sadly cancelled thanks to low ratings and reviews.

Matthews went on to appear on a number of reality shows including MTV’s Just Tattoo of Us where the die-hard Rangers supporter had a Celtic badge inked on his leg.

Glow guest star Anton Danyluk famously enjoyed a stint on ITV’s Love Island in 2019 where he coupled with makeup artist Belle Hassan.

James English launched a successful podcast, Anything Goes Show with James English, and briefly dated former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona in 2017.

Nicholas MacDonald

Nicholas McDonald from Wishaw auditioned in Glasgow for series ten of the X Factor and made it to the finals of the live shows thanks to performances of heartfelt tracks like A Thousand Years and Someone like you.

After the competition, MacDonald quit school to pursue a singing career and released his debut album in 2014 reaching number six in the UK Album Charts.

MacDonald has a rare heart condition called long QT syndrome and has hosted a number of charity events to raise awareness.

Yong-Chin Marika Breslin

Yong-Chin Marika Breslin from Partick was crowned the winner in series four of Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star this year.

She competed against fellow make-up artists in a number of different challenges set by professional judges Val Garland and Dominic Skinner.

Some of the challenges included completing stage looks on artists for a live Cirque Du Soleil performance at the Royal Albert Hall; working with special effects to create alien characters for Doctor Who; and imaginative make-up transformation tasks.

Harry Young

Harry Young from Wishaw failed to make an impression during his brief time on Love Island in 2021.

The Arnold Clark salesman was part of the series' Casa Amor line-up but a dramatic recoupling saw him leave the show after just four days.

Shahbaz Chauhdry

Chatterbox Chaudhry was the only Scottish contestant on series seven of Big Brother but left voluntarily after just six days in the house.

His appearance made him popular with fans however and he received a warm welcome on Buchanan Street as he returned home