JLS’ Aston Merrygold says ‘people gasp at massive guest list’ as he prepares to marry Sarah Richards this autumn

Aston Merrygold is currently very busy juggling wedding plans, his solo career and making his musical debut in Footloose.

The 34-year-old is set to marry former JLS backing dancer, Sarah Richards, 38, this autumn after initially popping the question on Christmas Eve in 2017. At the time, Aston had jiust taken part in Strictly Come Dancing and they were expecting the birth of their first child.

The couple made low-key wedding plans, however the covid lockdowns and the absence of family and friends made them  rethink their plans.

Speaking to Ok!, Aston revealed that they now have a “massive” guest list with at least 150 people invited.

“I would have been happy with a register office and Sarah would have too, but we both realised during Covid that we want our wedding to be a party. We want to celebrate with all our loved ones,” Aston said.

The nuptials come as fellow bandmate Marvin Humes renews his vows with wife of 10-years Rochelle in Italy’s Lame Como.

The JLS boys have been given “special roles” for Aston and Sarah’s big day, however none of them include the role of best man.

One of his childhood friends will be best man, while his two little boys will be their dad’s extra “best men” on the big day.

The role of wedding performer is yet to be revealed, but Aston says Adele would be a pretty good choice.

Aston has hinted that he will be persuading his JLS bandmates to jump on the mic at the party.  The band have released a number of hit love songs that would be ideal for karaoke at the wedding reception, including “Love You More” and “Day One”.

Aston Merrygold

Aston Merrygold is a British singer, dancer, actor and television personality. He is best known for being a member of British boy band JLS.

In 2002, at just 14-years-old, he came second in ITV’s talent show Stars in Their Eyes, where he sang “Rockin Robin” while dressed as Michael Jackson.

Aston left school in 2004 and joined TV host Laura Hamilton on the ITV children’s show Fun Song Factory.

To pursue further opportunities he moved to London, and during auditions he befriended future band member Marvin Humes.

Marvin, who had successfully auditioned to be a member of group UFO, with Oritse William, began to encourage Aston to audition to join his band. Aston agreed and along with fourth member, JB Gill - they formed and renamed themselves as JLS (Jack the Lad Swing).

In 2008, JLS auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor, where they went on to finish in second place to Alexandra Burke.

The group signed with record label Epic Records and went on to release four studio albums, JLS, Outta This World, Jukebox and Evolution.

• Aston Iain Merrygold was born on 13 February 1988 - making him 34 years old
• He has been engaged to girlfriend Sarah Louise Richards since 2017
• The couple share two children, their first son, Grayson is four and their second son, Macaulay is two years-old
• Aston has an estimated net worth of £6 million - mainly from his JLS success.

Connections 

Marvin Humes

Marvin Humes is a singer, disc jockey, presenter and radio host, born on 18 March 1985, in Greenwich, London.

He is best known for being a member of the four-piece boy band JLS, that came second to Alexandra Burke on The X Factor.

Away from the band, he has pursued many different projects, including hosting BBC One’s The Voice UK, and co-presenting The Hit List, with his wife, Rochelle Humes.

JB Gill

Jonathan Benjamin Gill is a singer-songwriter, presenter and farmer, born on 7 December 1986, in Croydon, London.

Gill was one of the last to join the band, in 2007, just a year before their on-screen debut as JLS on The X Factor.

In December 2012, JB won the Christmas Special on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing - he performed the jive with professional dancer Ola Jordan.

Gill is also a farmer, and has been involved in the turkey farming industry for some years. This career change also gave him the opportunity to become a presenter on CBeebies programme, Down on the Farm.

Oritsé Williams

Oritsé Williams is a singer-songwriter, dancer and record producer, born on 27 November 1986, in London.

Williams has been the most low-key member of the band, when regarding other projects and ventures.

He had made headlines in September 2018, when it was alleged that he forced himself onto a fan in Wolverhampton. A trial regarding the incident began at Wolverhampton Crown Court, in May 2019.

Williams was acquitted of all charges, and has mostly remained out of the public eye since.

Personal Life

Aston Merrygold was in a relationship with former Eastenders actress, Louisa Lytton, from 2006 to 2007.

He was also rumoured to be dating ex-Hollyoaks actress, Emma Catherine Rigby, in 2012.

Aston met his now fiancee Sarah back in 2012, when she was working as a back-up dancer for JLS.

In September 2017, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child together, this came shortly before Aston’s stint on the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Then just three months later on Christmas eve, Aston popped the question, a few short weeks before the birth of their first son, Grayson Jax. The couple then went on to welcome a second son, Macaulay Shay in June 2020.