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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Frances Kindon

Why Strictly's Matt Goss fell out with Bros' Luke before tragedy reunited them

Twin brothers Matt and Luke Goss were just teenage schoolboys when they found fame in eighties boyband Bros.

Along with pal Craig Logan, they sold 16 million records worldwide, hit the number one spot with tracks including I Owe You Nothing and When Will I Be Famous and drove legions of obsessive fans wild with hysteria dubbed 'Brosmania'.

But the gruelling schedule of interviews, flights and shows took its toll on the group, in particular on bassist Craig, whose health rapidly deteriorated.

Aged just 19, he was diagnosed with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, and quickly became too sick to walk on stage.

Pop group Bros, from left to right, Craig Logan, Matt Goss and Luke Goss (Getty Images)

In a featurette for the DVD version of Bros' 2018 documentary, After the Screaming Stops, he said: "Your body starts to say I've had enough and you don't listen. That happened several times and it had a real effect on me.

“Doctors gave me injections to get on the stage every night and it got to the point where I couldn't walk any more, I was in a wheelchair.

"I remember trying to pick up the phone but was too weak. I had to be carried to the bathroom.

"I got on a plane, went home, and was admitted to the hospital within an hour. I was in for several weeks and then the rehabilitation process started to learn to walk again. That took six months.

"It was a tough time, but a lot of that were my issues, not the band's."

Craig suffered with ill health during his time with the band (PA)

So, at the peak of their fame in 1989, Scottish-born Craig - who had met the twins at Collingwood School in Camberley, Surrey - decided to walk away.

Meanwhile, relations between the brothers turned volatile, and in their viral Netflix documentary, it was clear to everyone that they didn't see eye-to-eye.

The issue, it emerged, was jealousy over Matt's position as the frontman while Luke played drums.

"I was jealous of the way he was heard by management – the way he was considered and I wasn't. I felt undervalued by the team," Luke told The Sun.

In turn, that had an impact on Matt, who said he shrunk away from the conflict and just wanted to please.

Matt said: "I respect Luke as a human being, so the fact that me being the lead singer caused a rift was tough. I was so afraid of p**sing him off that I became subservient, worried anything I said would be misinterpreted."

Matt and Luke were estranged for several years (BBC/Fulwell 73)

In a separate interview, Matt went on to describe drummer Luke as the 'backbone' of the band but said he had often felt guilty about stealing the limelight as the charismatic frontman.

"I felt I had to apologise for being the frontman for three decades. Those days are over," he vowed.

However, after years of estrangement, their mum Carol's death in 2014 eventually brought the grief-stricken siblings back together.

Matt and his twin, Luke, formed Bros in the '80s (EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)

"When you lose your mum, emotions are high and all your nerve endings are broken. I have to say it broke us a little bit," he previously told The Mirror.

"Then I got a call from my brother's wife Shirley. Me and Luke just jumped on the phone and started talking

"It was a couple of years after mum passed. I realised, there and then, that Luke is the love of my life."

Now they talk between one and four times a day, and start every phone call with 'I love you'.

Who do you think will win Strictly this year? Have your say in the comments section below...

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