Artist News

Union J are still a thing, but 25% less a thing

By Andy Malt | Published on Friday 4 March 2016

Union J are now a trio, people. Or a trio again, if you follow ‘X-Factor’ history very closely, which we do not here at CMU. Plus the bigger news here is possibly that Union J are still anything at all. They’ve not split up! Except with George Shelley, who they’ve kicked out.

Speaking to The Sun, the remaining trio (the original trio, if you like) said that Shelley had to go because he’d shown a terrible lack of commitment. Terrible it was. After he went on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’ he seemingly got a bit too big for his boots. Because apparently being in a group most people think have split up and going on a programme many people think has been cancelled makes you the big man around town these days.

“I wrote a really strong email”, said the group’s Josh Cuthbert. “We basically gave him an ultimatum. It was, ‘You’re either in the band or you’re not’. George was in a position where he did the jungle, he came off it and his head space was different to ours. Using a sporting analogy, he wanted to turn up to the big matches but not turn up to training”.

“I would much rather have someone who wants to do it and is committed to do it”, Cuthbert added. “I’m not going to lose any sleep over him not being in the band”.

Fellow Union member Jaymi Hensley was less quick to write off his former bandmate, though, saying: “It’s heartbreaking. I spoke to him the other day and I said I’m heartbroken over this. I am absolutely devastated. This is taking up all my time and affecting my home life”.

Still, something had to give, he continued: “When you turn up to something and the other person can’t be there, or they are turning up late, that makes you not love the project. One negative view can ruin it for everyone. I am bitter about things that have happened. He wasn’t putting his full effort in. One member is not bigger than the band and we feel that there should be no member who is bigger than the project”.

A spokesperson for Shelley, meanwhile, insisted this was a resignation rather than a sacking, saying: “George left Union J as he had been offered a two year contract with Capital Radio and a contract with the BBC. He wants to focus now on broadcasting. He is beyond charming and not a diva at all. The other members of Union J are simply jealous he has achieved the start of a new career and they have not. George had agreed to be totally magnanimous towards them”.

How big of him.