Jake grabs the chance to really let his Hair down

The contestant on the 9th and 11th series of The X Factor went on to become runner-up in series 14 of I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

From there, he met Carl Fogarty’s daughter, Danielle, and they dated until just after Dancing On Ice, which he won in 2018, where he was partnered with professional German figure skater Vanessa Bauer.

Not bad for a former lifeguard and wannabe footballer from Scunthorpe.

Quickenden is now on the road with his first major theatrical production, Hair, coming to Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre.

The 50th anniversary production also feature Daisy Wood-Davis (Hollyoaks) and X-Factor finalist Marcus Collins.

The action is set in 1967 and Hair’s hippie youngsters in the East Village of New York are wild, colourful and free, changing the world with protest and song.

The production tells their story and is widely admired for its Grammy award-winning score featuring iconic hits, Aquarius, Let The Sunshine In, I Got Life and more.

Quickenden was thrilled when he was asked to feature.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to get into musical theatre. I’ve been in reality shows, starting with the X Factor, so for me it’s now about being a bit more credible and showing I have got talent. It’s about testing myself.

“I never feel I have to prove anything to anyone but myself. I’m not really bothered what anyone else thinks about me. People might say they wouldn’t do reality shows, but they’re probably lying. If you get offered money to go on a TV show and have a laugh for three weeks, you’re going to do it.”

He was drawn to the story of the show, which is set against the backdrop of The Vietnam War.

And he delights in the fact that the show is full of important messages about love and equality.

“We’re still fighting for everything that they were fighting for back then,” adds Quickenden.

“We’re still fighting racism. We’re still fighting for gay rights. We’re still fighting against wars.

“Everything is still so relevant. Conformity is a massive part of the show too. People don’t always want to conform. I think it’s really important to be individual.”

Quickenden plays Berger, a character he describes as ‘mental’.

“He’s perfect for me,” the stage star continues. “He’s the one they all look to for playing up the most and being the most rebellious, so I get to be a bit of a loose cannon.

“Everyone thinks that I’m in character the whole time, but I’m just being myself.”

He’s happy on the road, though he misses the home comforts of Scunthorpe while he’s holed up in hotels.

“I’ve done tours before, so I’m used to living out of my car. I’ve been doing it for about two years now. But I miss my girlfriend and my mates. I’m looking forward to touring the northern areas, because I’m from Scunthorpe. With my accent, I’ll be at home wherever we go up there.”

He looks back with fondness on his starring roles in reality TV and wouldn’t rule out similar in future.

“I appreciate The X Factor because it landed me where I am now. But I just wish that I’d done a better job there because I don’t feel that I did myself justice. But it has led me to amazing things, so I can’t really say anything bad about it.

“Dancing on Ice is definitely much harder than a lot of people think. I trained for 8 hours a day on that show. It was tough but it paid off. I believe that, in life, if you put work in then you get a lot out.

“And I’m a Celebrity was just fun. Seriously, I’ve been on worse holidays. It was amazing. I just chilled in a hammock and ate rice and beans. I felt like Bear Grylls.”