Celebrity feuds: The unexpected spats we did not see coming in 2019

From Twitter rows to full-on fallouts, there has been some surprising celebrity beef in the past 12 months  
1/15
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

This year has been one for the history books in the land of showbiz, thanks in no small part to the many (many) celebrity feuds which have delivered twists and turns worthy of TV dramas.

Of course, there was one fallout in particular which left the nation with their jaws on the floor - yes, we mean Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney's fallout.

The so-called War of the WAGs takes the crown for the most iconic showbiz story of the year, the biggest feud and, arguably, the best piece of investigative journalism.

But there have also been a series of other unexpected spats between stars - with everyone from politicians and TV presenters to tile companies (yes, really) getting involved.

Here's a rundown of the most unexpected disputes...

Megan Barton Hanson vs Vanessa Bauer and Wes Nelson

PA/PA/Getty

Remember January? To kick off, let’s start with Megan Barton Hanson and Wes Nelson's break-up.

The duo fell in love in front of nation’s eyes on Love Island but their romance started on a controversial note as Nelson was coupled up with fellow Islander and friend of Barton Hanson, Laura Anderson. After a game of kiss, marry pie, Barton Hanson made her feelings clear and Nelson soon hot footed it to Barton Hanson’s bed. Their romance soon became one of the most supported in the villa and led to the duo finishing in fourth place on the show.

But it all began to crumble when Nelson joined the 2019 cast of Dancing on Ice and was paired with Vanessa Bauer, who Barton Hanson accused of ‘ignoring’ her and ‘tactically’ announcing her break up to make headlines.

The trio continued to row over social media posts until Nelson and Barton Hanson eventually split up weeks later.

Jason Gardiner vs Gemma Collins

Dancing on Ice continued to provide entertainment for readers as contestant Gemma Collins and judge Jason Gardiner also rowed during her stint on the show.

While these two reality TV titans arguing wasn't exactly unexpected, their feud featured numerous twists and turns as Collins accused Gardiner of “selling” a story about her to a newspaper – to which Gardiner retorted she was “a brat.”

Things seemed to quieten down after Collins left the show, but she couldn't resist sticking the knife in when her nemesis later departed the show.

Speaking about his exit on Good Morning Britain, Collins said: “"Hallelujah. Let's be fair he only works twice a year in TV. I think he does Dancing On Ice and panto. Would we miss him next year? Hell no.”

Azealia Banks vs Aer Lingus

January was a busy month for spats – and one we didn’t expect was New Yorker Azealia Banks versus Irish airline Aer Lingus and…half the population of Ireland (and then some more people around the globe).

Ahead of her show at the Academy in Dublin, Banks complained about the airline’s staff on her Instagram stories, claiming she was treated “like an animal” on a flight from London to Dublin. The rapper added that "Irish women are ugly" and claimed Aer Lingus has banned her from flying with them.

A spokesperson for the airline said Azealia and another passenger left the flight before it departed and added that they have a “a strict no-tolerance policy towards disruptive guest behaviour.”

Lorraine Kelly vs Esther McVey

ITV

In a bizarre twist of events, Lorraine Kelly found herself out of the showbiz spotlight and into the news agenda after giving the then Conservative leadership candidate a frosty reception when she appeared on Good Morning Britain.

When asked by Piers Morgan if she remembered Esther from their time working at GMTV together in the 1990s, she said “Yes, yes I do." Kelly then seamlessly carried on with the link.

Morgan pushed: “So you got on with Esther, then, Lorraine?”

“I don’t remember love, I don’t remember at all,” Kelly diplomatically replied. She later on denied remembering working with her.

Days later during a press conference, ITV political correspondent Paul Brand asked McVey what happened between the pair.

The politician responded: “Well we used to share a dressing room and she used to do the programme afterwards and obviously she used to be partnered with Eamonn Holmes and then I was promoted to be partnered with Eamonn Holmes.

"But she’s great and it was a great show. I can’t believe it. I think it was 20 years ago I did that show, but never mind. It was really good at the time. It was really good fun.”

Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan then raised the feud and McVey's comments, to which Kelly responded that she was “sick to the back teeth” of the “toxic, political atmosphere”, and added: “I strongly disagree with her on LGBT rights. I just thought to myself, ‘I’ve had enough of this’.”

James Charles vs Tati Westbrook

Non-YouTube fans are probably thinking, ‘Who?!’, but for the beauty YouTuber world – and Twitter – this became one of the most talked about feuds of the year.

James Charles, a 20-year-old make up artist, was first thrust into UK consciousness after bringing the Bullring in Birmingham to a standstill.

Five months later, Westbrook – who has supported Charles as he has built his career – posted a video criticising Charles and saying she did not want to be his friend anymore. The incident was sparked by Charles endorsing a hair supplement, which is a direct competitor to Westbrook’s. The video saw Charles’ subscriber count drop in record time and he also fell out of favour with fans.

Charles then posted an apology video and another clip addressing his ex-pal's claims. Westbrook then - yes, it's not over yet - deleted her original video and Charles deleted his apology. They both then retired from social media for several weeks, before (naturally) returning.

The duo have not addressed the feud since.

Taylor Swift vs Scott Borchetta

While Taylor Swift’s feud with Scooter Braun is not a surprising tale, her decision to cut ties with Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta came as a shock.

Her former label head was struck off Swift’s speed dial after he sold his company, and her entire catalogue of music, to Braun for $300 million.

Swift wrote an impassioned blog on her Tumblr deploring the move and the duo – with Braun in the mix too – have continued to row since, with Swift accusing Borchetta and Braun of not allowing her to perform her back catalogue of music at the American Music Awards.

Big Machine Records then released a careful statement which did not actually address Swift's main gripe though they later reached an agreement which saw her perform at the event and Swift appeared to use her costume choice to have the final word.

The talented Mancunian and serenading Scot locked horns after Gallagher gave an interview criticising today’s pop stars, saying: “Who's this Capaldi fella?" before branding him an “idiot.”

Capaldi found the comment humorous, which irked Gallagher further, prompting an ongoing fight on social media, during interviews and even at Glastonbury.

The feud appears to have ceased for the time being after Gallagher called Capaldi “Chewbacca”, prompting Capaldi to rebrand his Twitter profile as “Chewis Capaldi”, complete with his face superimposed onto the Star Wars character’s body.

The mask was later auctioned off for charity and purchased by none other than fellow Scot, Paolo Nutini.

Scarlett Moffatt vs MySuitcaseBoutique​

In July, Scarlett Moffatt was accused of not fulfilling a promise to promote a skirt by a boutique company. The Gogglebox star was said to have ordered a dress from clothing brand, MySuitcaseBoutique, and not posted photographs of it as she had allegedly agreed to.

Scarlett then apologised to the boutique on her Instagram story, and the clothing company accepted her apology.

Tim Wilson vs Nigel Farage

During the Circle (remember the Circle?) much-loved contestant Tim Wilson revealed he had a spat with Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage, while the pair were members of UKIP.

According to the BBC, their row erupted between the pair after David Coburn MEP compared Humza Yousaf (an SNP politician) to the convicted terrorist Abu Hamza.

Coburn protested that he had been “joking” and Farage backed his apology, stating the comment had been a "joke in poor taste" and deciding not to take any action. Wilson then quit the party.

Summer Monteys-Fullam vs Phil Turner

The former barmaid - and ex-girlfriend of Paul Hollywood - documented her extensive preparation process in the run-up to Gary Cockerill and Phil Turner's wedding - but things turned sour after the event at London's Cafe De Paris.

Posting on Instagram, Monteys-Fullam shared snippets of her preparations for the evening, including pictures of herself trying on dresses and having drinks at the Dorchester hotel in Mayfair.

But her joy turned to confusion after Turner posted on Facebook that she had “gatecrashed” the wedding and was not invited. Both Monteys-Fullam and her reps rejected his comments, saying she was a “confirmed plus one.”

Brendan Cole vs Max and Harvey

In the first episode of X Factor: Celebrity, Brendan Cole – who took part in the programme with Jeremy Edwards – was overheard slating the teenagers' social media following while watching them from backstage.

During the programme he said: "They say they've got eight million across social media but the reality is they've only got a chunk on each, and it's all the same."

His comments sparked a war between himself and Max and Harvey’s fans. He soon apologised though and the duo accepted his apology.

Amanda Holden vs Appleby's Tiles

In one of the most surprising spats of them all, Amanda Holden revealed in October she was locked in a battle with a tile company who declined to refund her over an issue with her order.

She later criticised them for saying in a message that they “do not make exceptions for celebrity status”, adding that she did not ask for a special service.

The company later stated that Amanda had been fully refunded and the member of staff who spoke to Amanda had been let go.

Michael Gove vs Stormzy

During an interview in November, former Conservative Cabinet Minister Michael Gove hit out at the Labour-supporting rapper, stating the grime artist is a “a far, far better rapper than he is a political analyst.”

When shadow education secretary Angela Rayner then tweeted “Michael Gove is crap at both”, Gove quoted Stormzy's 2015 hut Shut Up by responding: “I set trends dem man copy.”

Stormzy then hit back in an interview with the Observer magazine in December, saying using his lyrics was a "weaponised tatic" to encourage rappers to "stay in their lane".

He said: “It’s the classic, ‘You’re just a rapper,’” he says. “Using ‘I set trends dem man copy’... No one was talking about that. I wasn’t talking about music, I wasn’t talking about Shut Up – I was talking about politics. So him saying that is like he said: ‘Oh, no, forget politics. This is what he does. He’s a rapper.’ It’s a weaponised tactic."

He added: "They do it to young people, they do it to black people, they do it to rappers, they do it to entertainers: ‘Just shut up and rap.’ Stay in your lane. It’s very telling of who these people are. As much as I’m a rapper, I’ve also done X, Y, Z. But they’re dismissing everything else. They just look at me and say: ‘No.’ They reduce us to whatever they need us to be and dismiss it.”

Lorraine Kelly vs Jennifer Arcuri​

ITV

Kelly's cold shoulder came back with a vengance when Jennifer Acuri appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss her relationship with Boris Johnson for second time.

When quizzed by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about whether or not the pair had a romantic relationship, Acuri refused to answer. Kelly later said: “What was the point of that? What’s the point on coming on television to clear the air and then you don’t say anything?”

Arcuri disagreed with Kelly, and the host responded: “You didn’t answer any of the questions put to you, so I don’t see the point of you coming on to be honest.”

Roman Kemp vs Adele Roberts (over Jane McDonald)

Adele Roberts’ luxury item was a bizarre choice and sparked a conversation topic from the camp mates – and viewers – for days. The Radio One DJ’s had taken a framed photograph of Jane McDonald was a far cry from the campmates’ usual choices of a pillow, cosmetics or photographs of their families.

But it was Kemp who found himself in the middle of a row after being dubbed “prejudice” by Roberts after he described her choice as “random.”

Realising he had made his fellow star angry, Roman apologised, saying: “I wasn’t saying that at all. I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in