Una Healy




The band she referred to is, of course, Britain's favourite group, The Saturdays. With four colleagues who are so close they could be her sisters, the songbird has enjoyed a string of top ten hits and played to sell-out audiences at home and in the UK. 

Flame-haired Una is also blissfully happy in her personal life with rugby star husband Ben Foden and the 'sixth member of the line up', little Aoife Belle.

Unlike many pop stars she didn't grow up in stage school dreaming of her big break. As a youngster, she seemed set for a career in medicine or sports. 

Una was born on 10 October , 1981 in County Tipperary to a GP and a nurse. Her cousin is successful international athlete Paul Hession. She showed promise as a swimmer, winning an All-Ireland championship, aged nine.

On leaving school at 18, she considered becoming a medical secretary, a nurse or a primary teacher, before finally deciding to pursue her passion for music. 

She represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 as a backing singer for Brian Kennedy on Every Song Is a Cry for Love.

The experience gave her the confidence to try her luck in London. She aced her first audition, landing a place in The Saturdays – along with Mollie King,Rochelle HumesFrankie Sandford and Vanessa White

Their first single If This Is Love went to number eight. It was followed by more chart-topping tunes such asHigherNotoriousMissing You and their first No. 1,What About Us. By 2010, the girls had sold 2 million records. 

Young fans wanted to dress like them and debated which was their favourite Sat. Una's new celebrity lifestyle was reflected in the way she met handsome England and Northampton Saints player Ben in 2008.

She recalled: "Ben's agent got in touch with my agent who then sent me an email asking if I'd like to meet with him – I really thought it was some kind of joke. 

"It certainly wasn't the way I expected to meet a guy."

His proposal on their third anniversary took a rather more traditional route. After asking her father John for her hand in marriage, the sports hero took her to a quiet gastropub, got down on one knee and presented her with an emerald-cut solitaire.

"I was so excited and emotional and I couldn't stop looking at the ring which was absolutely perfect," she told HELLO!

There was more excitement when Aoife (pronounced Eefa and meaning beauty) arrived in March 2012. "We love her so much and can't stop gazing at her. We feel blessed," said the proud mum.

The beauty was the guest of honour when her parents tied the knot in a Midsummer Night's Dream-themed wedding in Ireland four months later, with her four aunties, the rest of The Saturdays as bridesmaids.