Celebrity Big Brother viewers have been left shocked after discovering Louis Walsh’s real name.
The former X Factor host and music manager, 71, has been a familiar face in pop culture for decades, however his name hasn’t always been Louis.
The Irish star was born Michael Louis Vincent Walsh and adopted Louis while trying to carve out a name for himself as a music manager.
He previously told the Standard that he “didn’t think Michael was very showbiz” - the likes of Michael Sheen, Michael McIntyre and Michael J Fox might beg to differ.
"Can’t believe Louis Walsh’s real name is Michael,” wrote one stunned person on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
While another posted: "I didn't know Louis Walsh's real name is Michael."
Walsh was in his forties when he first found fame and started making big money.This was when he switched from managing struggling rock bands to becoming a big hitter in the world of pop after being inspired by a Take That gig.
He had a vision of creating an Irish version and set about making it a reality by placing ads in newspapers.
The result was boyband Boyzone, featuring a line-up of Michael Graham, Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Shane Lynch and Ronan Keating.
Later in the 90s he began managing Westlife, initially alongside Keating, and the group has since achieved numerous chart-topping singles and albums and have sold over 55 million records.
In 2002, Walsh appeared as a judge on ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals and helped put eventual winners Girls Aloud together.
Two years later and he was snapped up as a judge and mentor on ITV’s The X Factor alongside Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne.
For a short time Walsh also steered some of the acts that he mentored on show, including 2005 winner Shayne Ward and Irish twins John and Edward Grimes, known collectively as Jedward, both of whom he parted ways with acrimoniously.
Ward went on to forge an acting career which saw him win a National Television Award for Best Newcomer in 2016 when he joined soap Coronation Street.
He has also appeared in The Good Ship Murder on Channel 5 and had roles in feature films Black Ops and G-Loc.
Jedward meanwhile earned a devoted legion of new fans when they represented Ireland twice in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The bequiffed duo also appeared on the eighth series of CBB in 2011, but are unlikely to be offering their support to their former manager.
