S Club 7 star Jon Lee is making a return to EastEnders nearly three decades after his brief stint on the BBC soap. The 44-year-old singer originally played Josh Saunders for 20 episodes in 1997, and he is now stepping back into the role to bid farewell to Nigel Bates, who has died after a battle with dementia.
Return to Albert Square
Jon's character, Josh, is the son of Nigel's ex-wife Julie. Speaking to The Sun, Jon expressed his surprise at returning to the iconic set: 'It was quite surreal stepping back on to Albert Square after so many years as it's so familiar to so many of us. It was lovely to see my onscreen family again.' The family has reunited to say goodbye to Nigel, whose death aired on Wednesday.
A source told the publication: 'It was so important for EastEnders fans that important people in Nigel's past returned for the funeral and Josh is a part of that. He has already filmed his scenes and they will air soon.'
From S Club 7 to Soap Star
Jon joined S Club 7 at just 15 years old, shortly after his initial appearance on EastEnders. This upcoming role marks his return to the small screen since appearing on Celebs Go Dating in 2025. On the dating show, Jon met hairdresser Jordan Fairhurst, but the couple split after six months due to the challenges of a long-distance relationship, with Jon living in Cornwall and Jordan in Merseyside. A source revealed: 'The distance became too much for Jon and Jordan, they are both so busy and the travelling became too difficult. There's no bad blood at all between them, it was a joint decision.' The former couple have since unfollowed each other on social media.
Personal Life and Dating Struggles
Jordan was Jon's first relationship in six years. On the first episode of Celebs Go Dating, Jon opened up about being celibate during that period. In his introductory video, he said: 'I've been single for six years and in that time I've been celibate as well.' Describing his ideal partner, he added: 'Someone who is a bit rough around the edges but seems like a quiet, nice and fun guy.'
Jon previously told the Daily Mail that his decision to join Celebs Go Dating followed a series of 'traumatic' dating experiences that nearly made him give up on love entirely. He said: 'I thought [after] my last relationship, I was just like, 'I'm done', I just really did not want to date at all. I thought I was very happy being single, I was single for six years, very, very happily single for six years. You know when it's just traumatic, you're just like, 'I don't want to do that anymore', so yeah, it was kind of a big thing for me to come and do this. My mate said, 'If you don't do this, you're going to end up single forever'.' His friend's advice gave him the courage to make one last attempt at romance on the show. 'It was sort of like… what can really go wrong? So, I thought I might as well give it one last hurrah', Jon explained.
