Five star Ritchie Neville reveals he was groped by a woman in her 30s when he was just 17 and admits he felt ‘imprisoned’ during band’s 90s heyday

Five star Ritchie Neville has revealed that he was groped by a fan in her 30s when he was just 17 years old as he struggled with overzealous attention during the band’s 90s heyday.

The singer, 45, was previously a member of the beloved boyband from its inception in 1997, until their split in 2001.

Speaking to The Guardian, Ritchie shared that there was ‘no off-switch’ when it came to Five’s huge fame.

The star is set to appear in a BBC documentary titled Boybands Forever,  which takes a deep dive into the careers of Nineties and Noughties acts such as Take That, Westlife and Blue, and is set to air this weekend.

He then recalled one particular encounter with a fan, who was in her 30s, when he was just 17 or 18.

The singer (pictured second right) was previously a member of the beloved boyband from its inception in 1997, until their split in 2001

‘While we were doing the picture, she just grabbed me down there like it was perfectly normal. I was like, ”What are you doing?” It became one of numerous occasions he was groped, he says, sometimes while performing. 

‘The thing is, a lot of guys would be like, ”What I wouldn’t give for that!” But it’s not always pleasant, if you don’t ask for it. It’s like, ”Why are you doing that? Please don’t do it again.” he said.

He went onto reveal that his lowest moment came when he contracted chickenpox while touring with Five in Australia and New Zealand. 

Despite being advised by doctors to go home for two weeks and rest, he was told by a representative for his record label: ‘Doctors over-exaggerate, don’t they?’

‘In the end, they wouldn’t give me my passport to fly home. [Bandmate] Scott had to go in and nick my passport and just hand it to me and bundle me in a taxi at four in the morning. 

‘At the time, I didn’t think that much of it. Now, that’s an encroachment of power, isn’t it really? It’s almost imprisonment.’

Louis Theroux’s documentary Boybands Forever, which takes a deep dive into the careers of Nineties and Noughties acts such as Take That, Westlife and Blue, is set to hit screens later this month. 

The three hour-long episodes will follow the life changing reality of stars finding fame at a young age and will dive into topics such as drink, drugs, bust-ups and exploitation.

Ritchie (seen far left) shared that there was ‘no off-switch’ when it came to Five’s huge fame, and at one stage it felt like ‘imprisonment’

Louis interviewed the likes of Robbie Williams and Brian McFadden as well as music label bosses Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh. 

Speaking ahead of his boyband series, Louis said: ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled about this series. An epic story featuring a cast of stars and star-makers, spanning three decades, it involves some of the icons of modern British pop. 

‘We see them through them through their highs and lows, hearing from the key players, as we chart the golden years of boybands. 

‘How they came together, the experience of sudden fame, the opportunity and temptations that came their way, conflicts within the groups, between the groups, and between the boys and their managers.

‘It’s a gripping fable about getting everything you dreamed of, and it not being what you imagined, centred on a generation of young men, and their managers, who were wildly successful and also immensely vulnerable, having the times of their lives and also in some cases cracking up. 

‘Those boys we all watched singing and dancing in tight formation – Take That, East 17, Westlife, Blue, Five, Damage, 911 and so many others – are now middle aged men who have the time and the maturity to look back reflect on what they went through. It’s taken us more than a year to make the series. Now I’m just excited for people to see it.’