When he initially debuted on Popstars in 2001, Darius Campbell Danesh soared to prominence and went on to have a successful music and theater career.
On the ITV talent competition, Darius got notice for his rendition of Britney Spears’s “Hit Me Baby One More Time” with a ponytail and goatee, which was deemed cringe-worthy at the time.
While the final victors of the competition were Hear’Say and Liberty X, Darius never gave up on becoming a musical superstar.
A year later, the Scottish singer competed in Pop Idol, wearing a new style, and finished in third place, behind runner-up Gareth Gates and winner Will Young.
After Pop Idol, Campbell Danesh declined Simon Cowell’s offer of a record contract and instead signed with U2 and Rolling Stones producer Steve Lillywhite.
His first song, Colourblind, was released in 2002 and spent two weeks at number one on the charts.
Five of the singer’s songs reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom, and his first album, Dive In, was certified platinum.
After placing third on Pop Idol, he defeated Bernie Nolan of the Nolan Sisters to win the inaugural season of ITV’s Popstar To Operastar competition.
A few months after his victory on the ITV program, which was judged by Welsh vocalist Katherine Jenkins and Mexican-born tenor Rolando Villazon, he was cast in a new production of Carmen at the O2 Arena in London.
Darius played the leading part of the toreador Escamillo in the production, which was the venue’s first opera performance at the time.
In the West End, he appeared in Guys And Dolls, Gone With The Wind, and other productions. He also appeared as Billy Flynn in two runs of Chicago.
In 2011, he said that his depiction of Chicago’s conniving attorney Flynn was inspired on his former mentor and Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell.
Campbell starred opposite Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera in the musical set in prohibition-era Chicago. He stated, “He’s the consummate businessman and a wonderful guy, and there’s a lot of Simon Cowell in Billy Flynn in terms of the way he approaches things, and I recognize that in terms of the character.”
Cowell was credited with convincing him to accept the position in Chicago in the first place.
He said, “I’m really thankful for the experiences I’ve had and the chances they’ve provided, as well as being able to call Simon Cowell a friend and dine with him.”
He resided in the United States and fell in love with Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge, whose films include the science fiction smash hit Species.
The pair, who started dating in 2006, wed in 2011 at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, but eventually split.
Previously, he said to the Scottish Herald, “That partnership had its ups and downs.” Throughout the span of 12 years, we broke up many times and spent six months apart.
The singer and stage actress with Natasha Henstridge on February 27, 2011 at the Pacific Design Center for the 19th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Oscar watching party.
Half of it was often a long-distance romance. That in and of itself was a remarkable but difficult event. When you love someone, you want their company.
In 2016, he made his Hollywood debut as a co-executive producer on the horror picture Imperium starring Daniel Radcliffe.
In 2019, he was seen strolling in Portofino, Italy, with an unexpected friend, actress Rebel Wilson.
In 2010, the singer disclosed to Hello! magazine that he fractured his neck in a vehicle accident.
During a summer vacation in Spain, the singer was a passenger in a Porsche that crashed at 70 mph after slipping on oil and striking a wall.
Then, in 2017, Darius experienced another health crisis when he slipped into a near-fatal coma after drinking contaminated Thames water while shooting a charity water filter advertisement.
The Pop Idol star traveled to Glasgow to celebrate his mother’s birthday with her. It found out that the filter he used in the advertisement was a fake.
He told the Daily Record, “It found out that I had cerebral oedema, a condition in which the brain expands larger than the skull.” My father saved my life. He drove me to the hospital. They diagnosed it immediately.
After he slipped into a coma, his mother Avril, who was undergoing treatment at the time, continued a bedside vigil.
Campbell Danesh was born to a Scottish mother and an Iranian father in Glasgow.
He attended Bearsden Primary School before attending the University of Edinburgh to study English literature and philosophy.
Although he achieved popularity as Darius Danesh, he eventually adopted his mother’s maiden name, Campbell, after a visit to his grandpa at a Paisley nursing home prompted him to consider his Scottish background.
After both of his parents were diagnosed with cancer and recovered, he began supporting cancer organisations, particularly Cancer Research UK.