'I’m not doing that' - Vinnie Jones says Simon Cowell wanted him to release a Christmas single

Virgin Radio

11 Apr 2024, 11:40

Footballing hard man and actor Vinnie Jones has revealed that he could have released a Christmas single, but turned the opportunity down.

After hanging up his boots, the former Wimbledon, Leeds, Chelsea and Wales player scored himself a career in the movies, starring in Films such as Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and has also appeared in TV shows including Extras and current Netflix series, The Gentlemen. 

He also took part in The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019, alongside celebs including Talk show star Ricki Lake and The Chase’s Jenny Ryan. The judges on the series were Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh.

Vinnie was eliminated in the semi-final, but it turns out that there was still a conversation about him making a Christmas single. He said: “When you do the X Factor, they really sign you up. Simon... no wonder he’s got a few quid. You are signed on for albums and singles, and I went, ‘don’t worry about it.’”

Talking to Geoff Shreeves on his Football, Music and Me podcast (via The Mirror), the tough-tackling midfielder continued: “All of a sudden, Simon or somebody had some good idea to bring out a Christmas single, and I said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m not doing that.’”

He added that watching back The X Factor recently wasn't an enjoyable experience: “The other day, one of the lads put the X Factor on... oh, it’s awful," he said.

“But at the time you think it’s good. The trouble was, in your drinking days, you think you’re the nuts!” 

The former footballer appeared on the singing competition in memory of his wife, Tanya, who died from cancer the same year. "It's been everything I needed since my wife passed," he said while on the show.

Whilst the Christmas single never did materialise, Vinnie did previously release an album of covers, called Respect, back in 2002.