Frankie Bridge facts for kids

{{Infobox person | name = Frankie Bridge | image = Frankie Sandford All Fired Up Live.png | alt = | caption = Bridge performing in 2011 | birth_name = Francesca Sandford | birth_date = (1989-01-14) 14 January 1989 (age 36) | birth_place = Upminster, London, England

| occupation =

| years_active = 2001–present

| spouse =

| children = 2

| module = Musical career

Francesca Bridge (born 14 January 1989), known as Frankie Bridge, is an English singer and TV star. She was a member of two popular music groups: S Club Juniors and later The Saturdays.

Frankie started her career in 2001 when she joined a TV show called S Club Search on CBBC. She won a spot in the pop group S Club Juniors. The group even had their own TV show, S Club Junior: The Story. With S Club Juniors, Frankie released seven hit songs and two albums. She also appeared in S Club 7's TV show Viva S Club and later in I Dream, where she played a main role. She even released a duet song called "Dreaming" with Calvin Goldspink.

In 2007, Frankie successfully auditioned for a new girl group called The Saturdays. They quickly signed with Polydor and Fascination Records. The group became very successful in the UK and later signed a big deal to release their music in the US. This led to Frankie's first UK number-one song, "What About Us". Throughout her music career, Frankie has had 19 songs in the UK top ten and six albums in the UK top ten. In 2017, she planned to start a solo music career, but she decided to focus on being a mom instead. Frankie has sold an estimated 10 million records worldwide over 16 years in music.

Frankie also became known as a style icon in the UK, with her short hair setting a trend. She has had a successful TV career, starring in her own reality shows like The Saturdays: 24/7 and Chasing the Saturdays. In 2014, she was a runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing. In 2017, she started presenting Cannonball. She married footballer Wayne Bridge in 2014, and they have two sons. In 2021, Frankie was a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and finished in third place.

Contents

• Early Life and Beginnings
• Music Career

• S Club 8
• The Saturdays

• Other Projects and TV Appearances

• Documentaries and Presenting
• Reality TV and Dancing
• Other Work

• Musical Style
• Personal Life

• Family
• Well-being

• Discography

• As featured artist

• Tours

• With The Saturdays
• As solo supporting act

• Awards and Nominations
• Filmography
• See also

Early Life and Beginnings

Frankie Bridge was born in Upminster, Essex, on 14 January 1989. Her parents were very sporty, but Frankie preferred dance. She started taking dance lessons at age three. She auditioned for a drama school in Romford and got a place. Frankie was inspired after seeing her future bandmate, Rochelle Humes, perform there.

From age nine, Frankie auditioned for TV shows and adverts. Even though she often made it to the final stages, she didn't get any parts. This made her question if she was good enough, so she took extra acting lessons. She has one sister.

In her early teens, Frankie won a contest for singing "Macavity" from the musical Cats. Her mom taught her the song, created the dance, and made her costume. Frankie has shared that she wasn't very good at math in school. Her school reports said she was well-behaved, only getting in trouble for forgetting homework.

Before becoming famous, Frankie worked in a bar and as a sales assistant at a clothing store in Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex. From a young age, Frankie experienced periods of feeling very down. Her grandmother used to call her 'Sunshine and Showers' because she could be very happy or very sad. After her grandmother passed away, Frankie got these words tattooed on her neck.

Music Career

S Club 8

S Club Juniors was formed in 2001 through a TV show called S Club Search. The show looked for a new group to support S Club 7. Frankie was one of the winners. The group was meant to perform only at one concert with S Club 7. But they were so popular that they became the support act for the whole tour.

In November 2001, the group made their first TV appearance on Children in Need. They gained many fans, and Polydor Records signed them. Their first song, "One Step Closer", came out in April 2002. It reached number two in the UK charts. Their second song, "Automatic High", also reached number two.

The group released their first album, Together, in October 2002. It reached number five. They released a fourth song, "Puppy Love/Sleigh Ride", which was also in the movie Love Actually.

The group then changed their name from S Club Juniors to S Club 8 because they were getting older. They released two more songs, "Fool No More" and "Sundown", which both made it into the top ten. Their second album, Sundown, came out in October 2003. It reached number 13.

S Club 8 also starred in a children's TV show called I Dream. They played versions of themselves at a performing arts college. The show included many songs and dance numbers. The group split up in 2005.

The Saturdays

The Saturdays on stage in 2009

In 2007, Frankie became a member of the girl group The Saturdays. The group has had thirteen songs in the Top 10 and five albums in the Top 10. The Saturdays were formed after auditions in June 2007. Frankie, who was already signed to Fascination Records from S Club Juniors, was asked to audition. She joined Vanessa White, Mollie King, Una Healy, and her former S Club 8 bandmate Rochelle Humes.

The group released their first song, "If This Is Love", in July 2008. It reached number eight in the UK. Their second song, "Up", reached number five. In October 2008, they released their first album, Chasing Lights, which reached number nine and sold many copies.

They released more hit songs like "Issues" and a cover of "Just Can't Get Enough", which reached number two. Their song "Work" was their first not to reach the top 20. The group then went on The Work Tour. In October 2009, they released their second album, Wordshaker, which reached number nine. The first song from it, "Forever Is Over", reached number two.

Bridge performing the song "Missing You during the Headlines Tour in 2011

In summer 2010, The Saturdays released their mini-album Headlines!, which reached number three in the UK. Their song "Missing You" reached number three. Another song, "Higher", featured rapper Flo Rida.

Their third album, On Your Radar, came out in 2011. It included top-ten songs like "All Fired Up" and "Notorious". In December 2011, the group went on their first arena tour, All Fired Up Tour!.

In May 2012, they released "30 Days", which reached number seven. Later that year, they moved to Los Angeles to try and become famous in America. E! Network showed Chasing the Saturdays, a reality TV show about their time there.

In March 2013, "What About Us" (with Sean Paul) became their first number-one song. It was one of the best-selling songs of the year. Their album Living for the Weekend became their fourth top-ten album. The group took a break in 2014 and released a greatest hits album, Finest Selection: The Greatest Hits.

Other Projects and TV Appearances

Documentaries and Presenting

In 2016, Frankie became an ambassador for Mind, a charity that helps people with mental health. She also became an ambassador for Marie Curie, designing makeup to raise money for the charity. She raised £430,000, which helped pay for many hours of nursing care.

Frankie also started presenting documentaries for Channel 5. In 2017, she presented Celebrity Trolls: We're Coming to Get You. In this show, Frankie and her team found people who sent mean messages to celebrities online. Frankie decided to do the show because she had received upsetting messages herself. In September 2017, Frankie appeared with her husband Wayne Bridge on Married to a Celebrity.

In September 2017, Frankie became a co-presenter on the ITV game show Cannonball. In January 2018, she took part in And They're Off! to raise money for Sport Relief. Since 2021, Frankie has been a regular panelist on the popular ITV daytime show Loose Women.

Reality TV and Dancing

Bridge at the Real Radio launch

In 2004, Frankie starred in I Dream, a children's musical TV show. In late 2008, she appeared in the teen soap Hollyoaks Later. The Saturdays also had their own reality TV series, The Saturdays: 24/7, which showed their daily lives.

In November 2010, Frankie took part in the TV show Ghosthunting with... with her bandmates. They explored haunted places in Wales. Frankie said she smelled cooking in an empty kitchen and felt marbles being thrown at her by a spirit.

In 2010, Frankie was on the ITV reality show The Door. She had to complete challenges to win money for charity. She was eliminated first because she couldn't put her hand in a bowl of spiders.

On 13 August 2014, Frankie announced she would be on Strictly Come Dancing. She danced with Kevin Clifton and they finished as runners-up. In 2021, Frankie was a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, reaching the final and finishing in third place.

Other Work

Frankie helped write The Saturdays: Our Story, a book about the band's lives. The book shares details about Frankie's life, her success with The Saturdays and S Club 8, and her friendships. It also includes fashion tips and photos.

As a member of The Saturdays, Frankie became the face of Veet hair removal products and Impulse deodorant. The band also promoted the Nintendo 3DS game Nintendogs + Cats.

In August 2023, Frankie made her West End debut in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Apollo Theatre. She played the role of Lauren. Frankie also co-hosts a podcast called First Dates: The Podcast.

Musical Style

Frankie's first band, S Club Juniors, made pop music. After the band split, she uploaded some solo songs online, including an R&B song called "Bored" and a pop rock song called "Swallow".

When she joined The Saturdays, their music included elements of synthpop and new wave. Music critics described their style as "uplifting pop" and "an 80's throwback". In 2010, Frankie also sang on a song called "Undercover Love" with the band Kids in Glass Houses.

Later, with The Saturdays, songs like "Missing You" and "Higher" used auto-tuning on their vocals. Some artists like Bruno Mars and Flo Rida have said they would like to work with Frankie as a solo artist.

Personal Life

Family

Bridge's husband Wayne, pictured in 2010

Frankie dated McFly member Dougie Poynter from 2008 to 2010. In late 2011, she started a relationship with footballer Wayne Bridge. They got married in 2014 and have two sons together. The family lives in Cobham, Surrey.

Well-being

In 2011, Frankie took some time off from her work with The Saturdays because she wasn't feeling well. It was later shared that she had been struggling with her mental health. Frankie was praised for speaking openly about her experiences, and this led to her becoming an ambassador for the charity Mind.

Discography

• Together (2002)
• Sundown (2003)
• Welcome to Avalon Heights (2004)
• Chasing Lights (2008)
• Wordshaker (2009)
• Headlines! (2010)
• On Your Radar (2011)
• Living for the Weekend (2013)

As featured artist

Tours

With The Saturdays

• The Work Tour (2009)
• The Headlines Tour (2011)
• All Fired Up! Tour (2011)
• Greatest Hits Live! (2014)

As solo supporting act

• The Dirt Tour (with Kids in Glass Houses; selected dates in 2010)
• Strictly Come Dancing – Live Tour (2016)

Awards and Nominations

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Frankie Bridge para niños

• List of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) contestants
• List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants