Chanelle Jade Hayes (née Sinclair) was born 11th November 1987. She later went on to find fame after appearing on Big Brother in 2007, when she was just 19-years-old.
However there is so much more to her than her reality television career; she’s also a singer, a model, and has bravely spoken out about her eating disorders, her self confidence issues, her depression, and her abortion.
Here’s everything you need to know about Chanelle Hayes.
Chanelle Haye’s adoption and early life
The reality star was born Chanelle Jade Sinclair, in Cheshire, to Andrea Sinclair.
After her mother’s death when Chanelle was just four months old, the little girl was put up for adoption.
She was raised in Wakefield, West Yorkshire by Christine and Harry Hayes.
Chanelle Haye’s suicide attempt
When Chanelle was a teenager, she was desperate for her adoptive parents to tell her the truth about her biological mother.
When they refused, she became depressed and withdrawn.
She said: “It was a bid for attention, more than a suicide attempt. But it worked.
“Shortly afterwards, mum finally realised how much it hurt, I needed to know.”
The shocking truth about Chanelle Hayes’s biological mother
Chanelle was always told by her adoptive parents that “her mummy had gone to heaven”, but it wasn’t until she was 15 that she found out the horrific details.
Her birth mother Alison Sinclair was a drug user and dealer, and gave birth to Chanelle while she was serving time in prison.
Alison, after being released from prison, needed a way to make money, so turned to prostitution and drug dealing.
She was murdered by client Keith Pollard, on 5 April 1988, when Chanelle was just four months old.
Chanelle said: “She ended up going to the Manchester flat of a psychotic freak.
“He strangled her to death, before cutting off one of her nipples, leaving her body so mutilated that she was only identifiable by a birth mark on her leg.”
Chanelle Hayes’s heartbreaking abortion
When Chanelle was just 18-years-old, she began dating an older man named Spencer.
When she found herself unexpectedly pregnant, she decided that she wanted to keep her baby desperately - until her (now ex) boyfriend threatened her.
“I’ll make sure everyone knows you’d be an unfit mother… they take babies off young mums all the time.”
Frightened and desperate, the teenager opted to have an abortion - but quickly came to regret her decision.
Writing in her book, Baring My Heart, Chanelle explained: “I was inconsolable about what I’d done. I woke up every day thinking ‘you’re a murderer’ and genuinely hating myself.”
Chanelle found herself suffering from “a kind of post-traumatic stress” and even considered killing herself.
Chanelle Hayes’s depression and weight obsession
After her abortion, Chanelle became obsessed with how her tummy looked and her weight.
She writes in Baring My Heart: “I started going to the gym for two hours every day… I started taking laxatives as well.
“On a good day, I could get away with eating just an apple and an orange… before long my weight had dropped to 6st 12lbs.”
After Chanelle begged her doctor for slimming pills, she was prescribed with depression, and the teen was referred to an abortion counsellor.
Over time, she began to let go of her guilt and began eating properly again.
Chanelle Hayes’s time on Big Brother, Series 8
In 2007, Chanelle appeared on the eight series of the UK’s Big Brother.
It wasn’t long before she had begun a relationship with her fellow contestant, Ziggy Lichman - and the duo’s budding romance became the show’s main focus until she left on day 62.
She later revealed that she had slept with Ziggy every single day during their time together in the house, saying: “I know I've always denied that anything happened in Big Brother other than arguments and drama because I didn't want to sound like the UK's biggest slapper.
“But now we've got Geordie Shore and The Valleys I feel totally OK being honest and saying we actually had sex every day for about three weeks.
“Sorry, not sorry!”
Chanelle Hayes’s glamour modelling career
After leaving the Big Brother house, Chanelle was voted the second Sexiest Female Housemate Ever, losing by a narrow margin to Imogen Thomas.
As a result, she later began to regularly appear on the cover of Lads' magazines such as Nuts and Zoo, and co-presented Nuts TV with O. J. Borg.
Chanelle Hayes’s calendar
Chanelle’s calendar in 2008 was one of the UK’s best-sellers, which inspired her to try and become THE biggest calendar girl for the following year.
She said: "All the girls are gorgeous and it’s brilliant to even be up there competing with girls who have been in the business a lot longer than me.
“But me, a relative nobody, came fourth this year, which is pretty damn good!“
She added: “Now I want to do even better and maybe knock one out of the way!"
Chanelle Hayes’s troubled relationship with Matt Bates
Chanelle began dating the former Middlesborough footballer in 2009, but their relationship was difficult - and, according to Chanelle, they constantly rowed.
The pressure of their relationship - as well as her own self-loathing - drove her to attempt suicide.
Days after downing four bottles of wine, four boxes of painkillers and a bottle of sleeping pills, the reality star told Now: “I just didn’t see any point in me being around.
“I thought I couldn’t make Matt happy and I couldn’t make myself happy.
“In short, I couldn’t do anything right.”
Chanelle Hayes and motherhood
Chanelle was dating Matt Bates back in 2010 when she got pregnant with their child.
After splitting from Matt, Chanelle found happiness with Jack Tweedy, dating him during her pregnancy and splitting just three weeks before Blakeley's birth.
Chanelle welcomed baby Blakeley on 20 July 2010 and quickly became besotted with her beautiful little boy.
She said at the time on Twitter: "I lovvvvvvve him more than anything ever.”
Chanelle Hayes’s music career
Chanelle starred in a reality TV series for VH1 UK called Chanelle: Wannabe Popstar, which charted her progress as she attempted to make a debut single and music video.
On 12th May 2008, Chanelle released a song called ‘I Want It’ - which was released in three different mixes for dance clubs.
It entered the UK singles chart at number 63.
Chanelle Hayes’s relationship with David McIntosh
Chanelle dated the ex-Gladiators star in 2009 before he started seeing model Kelly Brook.
Speaking to The Sun about their relationship, Chanelle said: “He’s not a gentleman at all. He is so in love with himself.
“All he spoke about was how great he was and his body was.”
She also claimed that Tornado wouldn’t even turn up the heating in his house because it was too expensive, and made her watch a DVD of the hit TV show.
Chanelle later added: “He made me buy my own pizza on a date!”
Chanelle Hayes’s relationship with Jack Tweed
In 2010, Chanelle reentered into a relationship with Jack Tweed, the ex-husband of Jade Goody, who died from cervical cancer on March 22 2009.
The pair’s relationship was very rocky, however, with the grief Jack was still experiencing over his late wife becoming too much for Chanelle.
At one point she tweeted: “Absolutely f**king sick of living up to a ghost and never coming close. What's been the point to my last three years of my life then?!”
Chanelle tweeted: “It is overwhelming clear to me we shouldn't have ever entered a relationship when he was still so badly grieving.
“This fact was never made clear to me and was always denied by him regardless of the support I offered to him.”
The mum-of-one later added: “I wish Jack all the best for the future and hope that he manages to learn to deal with his grief and be happy finally.”
Chanelle Hayes’s cake making business, Love Cake Love Me
In 2012, Chanelle launched her very own cake making business – Love Cake Love Me - after attending six cake making business courses.
With everything from Cookie Monsters, to leopard print and Dora the Explorer, Chanelle says she will try out any design on her cakes, cupcakes and cake pops.
She told the Morley Observer: “I just love cake really! I made a list of names and my friends thought Love Cake Love Me was the best. I love cake, and everyone says I love myself - my friends said I’m either eating cake or looking at myself in the mirror, so it’s perfect really.
“My mum always brought me up to be cooking all the time – there’s always food at my house.
“People love coming to my house, they come round and go straight for the fridge.”
Yum!
Chanelle Hayes’s weight loss journey
Chanelle had always struggled with her weight, but her self-confidence hit an all time low in December 2013 when she saw pictures of her size 16 bikini body on holiday in Tenerife.
By 2014, she had slimmed down to a size 8, and Chanelle - who has fluctuated between a size 4 and 16 - insisted her main push to lose weight came after a terrifying visit to the doctors.
The 5ft 4 reality star was told her body fat percentage had reached 43 per cent - compared to the normal range of 25 - 31 per cent - and was displaying symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes.
Speaking to Closer in 2014, Chanelle explained that it was in that moment she decided to ditch the junk food, fearing she'd end up dead if she continued with her unhealthy lifestyle.
She said: "The doctors told me I had a body fat percentage of 43 per cent and I was showing symptoms of type 2 diabetes, such as being thirsty loads, urinating all the time and feeling exhausted.
"I knew how drastic these symptoms were and that if I carried on the way I was going, I could end up dead. I’m a mother and have too much to lose. I saw food as an addiction and was just overeating and not exercising.
“I made a change just after Christmas to eat healthier and work out and I haven’t looked back. I’m now a size 8 and feel amazing.”
Chanelle Hayes ‘blackmailed’ by Jack Tweed
Taking to Twitter, Chanelle shared a screenshot of the abusive messages she has received from her former partner.
Although the whole messages couldn’t be seen, one of the texts read: “U take the f!cking p!ss Chanelle carry on and watch how much I embarrass u.”
The chilling messages were screenshotted and then tweeted at West Yorkshire and Essex Police, who Chanelle also sent her missed calls list to, which showed a withheld number calling every few minutes.
Responding to supportive messages on her Twitter page, Chanelle wrote: “Threats now. Twitter isn’t the place for this, but I am not scared of you and I will show everyone what you are like. Unstable psychopath.”
In a chilling twist, Chanelle also revealed that Jack has threatened to post intimate pictures of her online unless she does what he wants.
Chanelle Hayes’s book, Baring My Heart
On 1st January 2014, Chanelle published her emotional autobiography, which detailed the Victoria Beckham lookalike’s tragic past, Big Brother appearance, and her struggles with fame.
“Brutally honest and astonishingly sad, Chanelle's story does not make for easy reading, and she is the first to admit that she is no angel,” the description reads.
“In spite of all her troubles, Chanelle has emerged a stronger, happier woman, who has finally tackled her demons and can now embrace a brighter future with confidence.”
You can purchase a copy of her book on Amazon now.
Chanelle Hayes’s open letter
In 2014, Chanelle Hayes penned an open letter to parents after being labelled an 'irresponsible mother' by a cruel Twitter user.
It read: "To all the "superior" mums who think they can teach the world to be as good as them...
“Whatever happened to climbing tress, making mud and worm pies, collecting tadpoles, riding bikes down the woods??
"Now it's all antibacterial wipes, child massage classes, mollycoddling and worrying whether they might fall. If they fall, they'll learn to heal themselves and get support from us!
"It used to be an adventure to fall out of bed, now it's "child cruelty" to not have a bed guard. How do we think children survived before us?!
"Life is to live!! And I fully want my child to do so!! Yours sincerely, a "cruel" mother."
Chanelle Hayes slams X Factor’s Cheryl Fernandez-Versini for ‘fat shaming’ contestants
She said: “I was shocked at the girls she put through.
“Why am I commenting on all their appearances when this is a singing competition?
“Because I think that’s what Cheryl did!”
The reality star continued to blast Cheryl’s decision to favour Chloe Jasmine, writing: “How do you think Chloe-Jasmine will do on ‘Beyonce week’ or ‘rock week?’ Terribly!
“But how will she look? I’d imagine bloomin’ lovely!”
Chanelle Hayes’s struggle with binge-eating
After an accident in December 2014 left her with a broken coccyx and unable to exercise, Chanelle gained 2 and a half stone.
Explaining her weight gain at the time, Chanelle told Closer: “I’m one of those people who eats everything if they’re not training. When I don’t go to the gym, it’s like a free pass for me to binge.
“I actually think I have compulsive eating disorder.
“I think about food all the time - I need to have my jaws wired!”
Chanelle Hayes’s bitter breakup with Josh Singleton
Josh and Chanelle started dating in April 2015, but the pair did NOT end things on good terms.
Shortly after their split, Chanelle jumped on Twitter to say: "When your ex won't leave you alone and threatens you with social services because you won't get back with him... Awks. #f!ckoff.
"Josh Singleton is the WORST person I have ever met!! Threatens to call social services and say I'm a bad parent because I won't get back with him."
She finished her rant with: "I am disgusted. Sick freak."
He responded: "I wanted nothing to do with her, I've helped her move house and not asked for anything in return.
"I could write so much about @chanellejhayes and her attacks on me physically and verbally but I'd hate to see a child go without a mother!"
His tweets were later deleted.
Chanelle Hayes’s plus-size model dreams
In April 2016, the 5ft 4 reality star posed in a nude photoshoot for Closer - and revealed that finally felt happy in her own skin.
Weighing 14 stone, and a curvy size 16, Chanelle said: “I’m really embracing my body – why should there be so much emphasis on weight? You can look and feel good at any size!
“Besides my priorities have changed. Blakely is at school and I’d rather be at home with him in the evening than at the gym. There are more important things in life than what size you are.”
She added: “I’d love to be a plus-size model… I love my bum and curves now!”
Chanelle Hayes’s relationship with Ryan
Crediting him with helping her curb her depression and feel body confident, she said: “He always tells me how good I look.
“It’s a nice change because I’ve been in some bad relationships. Whenever I’m unhappy I turn to food, which is why I put on a bit of weight in the past.
“But now I’m eating normally because I’m happy.”
Chanelle Hayes’s social media handles
Twitter: @chanellejhayes
Instagram: @chanellehayes
Snapchat: chanellejhayes
Cakes: @lovecakeloveme
Makeup: @chanellehmakeup
Media Enquiries: mark@tm-media.co.uk
Chanelle Hayes’s net worth
According to Celebrities Money, Chanelle’s net worth is $2,000,000 and she earns around $242,424 per year.