from STAR MAGAZINE - Jan 2001
INTERVIEW WITH RICH
...This story seems to prove that Ritchie's over his traumatic split from Billie Piper - and unfazed by the news that she's dating Chris Evans. But why speculate when Ritchie's prepared to tell STAR the truth himself?
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE PAST YEAR?
Turbulent! We were touring last year then I got the chicken pox in New Zealand. We flew on to LA but the doctor said there was no way I could carry on. I then fell out with the rest of Five because I had to come home. I was still going out with Billie at the time, but when I got home, she'd moved out of our flat and left me a letter saying it was all over between us.
THAT WASN'T ALL, WAS IT?
No, I crashed my car. It was the worse week of my life - a nightmare. I went from having a great girlfriend, a great car, good friends and a successful career - to nothing. Everything was gone.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN IN LOVE?
When I was 16, I experienced puppy love - it was an immature kind of of love. So I'd just say once with Billie.
DO YOU THINK CELEBS CRAVE STABILITY MORE THAN OTHERS?
Maybe. One minute, thousands of girls are screaming at you on stage; the next, you're alone in your hotel room. You need a constant in your life because so much changes. At the moment, that's my friends and family.
HAS THE CHRIS EVANS/BILLIE AFFAIR UPSET YOU?
No, not at all. I think it's quite funny. I'm waiting for the next installment!
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF J SAYING CHRIS SAVED FIVE BY TAKING BILLIE AWAY FROM YOU?
We have an unwritten rule that we don't talk about each other's lives, so I don't know where that came from. I wasn't even with Billie when Chris started seeing her - I think the papers were just piecing a story together.
DO YOU THINK THAT YOU'LL EVER BE ABLE TO REPLACE BILLIE?
You think it won't happen and then suddenly someone's thrown in front of you. I love it when you meet someone like that. I'll find someone - it's a big old world with lots of people in it.
WHAT WILL DO YOU DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME?
When I fall in love, I fall head-over-heels in love, but now I'll be more wary. I won't be f***ed about it.
HAVE YOU GOT YOUR EYE ON ANYONE?
No, I'm just having a laugh, having fun. So I've got my eyes on everyone!
YOU SEEMED TO BE ENJOYING THE LADIES IN RIO.
Yeah, but I'm not going to get serious with anyone for a while. I'm only 21 and mum says that everyone needs some time alone to sort out their life and to make themselves happy.
IN THERE A PLACE IN YOUR LIFE FOR ONE-NIGHT STANDS?
I'm not saying I wouldn't have one, but I'm not going to make a habit of it. I'll have a laugh and a kiss, but one-night stands were really for when I was 16. When you had a numbers game with your mates!
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU AND J WERE ARRESTED IN DUBLIN LAST DECEMBER?
We had a whole day off in Dublin so I suggested we went on an all-day pub crawl. But we got to this bar and some guy started mouthing off at us. I wished him a Merry Christmas and told him to just enjoy his drink with his mates. But he carried on so I said, "Look, mate, you're the same age as us, and we just earn our money in a different way!" It ended up with somebody being hit. I didn't throw any punches - I was just drunk and disorderly.
DID YOU SEE THE TROUBLE BREWING?
No, I was too pissed [drunk]. I'd had 8 pints. Then the next thing I knew...
WHAT? DID J WHACK HIM?
Yes! I was outside, shouting at the guy who'd been taunting us, when I realizes I couldn't move my arms - two police officers were pinning me down.
DID YOU FEEL PRETTY STUPID GOING TO COURT?
Yeah - I mean, we only went out for a quiet Christmas drink. We've been to court twice now, but all they do is read our names out, then we stand there for about 30 seconds, and we're told we have to come back. I really don't understand it at all.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR TRIP TO RIO.
It was amazing! Whenever we've been up all night, we have an all-day p***-up when we get to our destination. We arrived, and we found Liam Gallagher sat by the hotel pool, with a big bucket of beers. He invited us over to join him and by 2:30pm, I was out of my tree. We talked about music and our bands, women, beer. And the difference between what's written about Liam in the papers and what the truth is.
DID YOU TALK ABOUT NICOLE?
Yeah, and he's happy. But I'm not going to talk about Liam's private life.
DOESN'T LIAM HATE BOYBANDS? HE HATES ROBBIE [WILLIAMS]!
Well, Robbie's a fantastic performer and writes some great songs, but people have forgotten what band he was in. I mean, TAKE THAT were very cheesy! Five are different - we're cheese, but we're not THAT cheesy!
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM?
Well, we're trying out some new ideas but we're not going to make the mistake of being completely credible and completely grown-up.
HOW INVOLVED ARE YOU IN THE WRITING?
There won't be one song that isn't written by us, unless an out-of-this-world song happens to come along. We all write lyrics and vocal melodies.
DO YOU GET SCARED OF SPLITTING UP?
No. If we split up, then it's time. We've always said we won't peak and then start to dip. We want to be remembered at the height of our fame...but we're happy now.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH CRACKING AMERICA?
Breaking that market is really important to me but we were messed around with record company politics. The American record company wanted us to be a carbon-copy of N'Sync and Backstreet Boys. I'll make it over there one day, with or without the boys.
WHO WOULD YOUR SOLO CAREER BE INFLUENCED BY?
Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and Bush; George Michael; some garage.
WOULD YOU GO SOLO IF FIVE SPLIT?
Definitely! - I couldn't do anything else! Three weeks before the end of my A levels, I left to join the band. I've been wanting to do this since I was four, I just hope everything works out otherwise I'm f****ed! We wouldn't do solo songs while the band is still together. It's confusing for the fans and I don't think it's right - if you're in a band, you're in a band. But I enjoy doing some TV work on my own.
WHAT'S YOUR NEW PAD LIKE?
It's a really funky place in North London. I didn't want to go home to the place I was in before - I used to ask Abs if I could stay with him. This is my proper home now. I've got a really cool shower - it's a "making love" shower. It's got a cobbled glass wall, with just enough room for two ... or maybe three if you wanted.
DO YOU HAVE A BIG GROUP OF FRIENDS?
Well, I've had my clouds a little bit. Basically, I fell in love last year - oh, we have to get off of that subject or the article will just read, "Billie, Billie, Billie, Billie!" But I did cut myself off a bit from everything else that's important. It's just a case of getting back in there. I've been single for a good few months now, and it's been the best thing for me. I've rediscovered myself and it's great - I love it. My dad said, "When you were with Billie, you weren't you. You were but you weren't - there was something missing. She took something from you, I don't know what it was, but you didn't have your spark that you used to have." I've got it back now, and I'm very happy.
