THE music industry can be a very cut-throat business – just ask Kimberly Wyatt.
The former Pussycat Doll, who suffered from adult acne during her time in the chart-topping girl band, reveals she was threatened with the axe if she didn’t fix her spotty complexion.
Kimberly Wyatt suffered from adult acne during her time in the Pussycat DollsCredit: Mark Cant
![Kimberly Wyatt Overcomes Agonizing Skin Condition that Nearly Ended Her Time with Pussycat Dolls 1 But the star, famous for her leg lift, says she was threatened with the axe from the band if she didn’t fix her complexion](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/kimberely-wyatt-tv-image-1-15803894.jpg)
But the star, famous for her leg lift, says she was threatened with the axe from the band if she didn’t fix her complexionCredit: Handout
Kimberly, 41, says: “At the beginning of the Dolls, I suffered with cystic acne, and almost lost my job as dancer because of my skin.
“I had it for years, it felt horrific, I had no confidence at all. Every time somebody looked at me, I knew they were looking at the massive spots on my face.
“I tried everything, but I think ultimately it came down to anxiety, stress and diet.
“I remember doing MTV Asia Awards in Singapore in 2008 and when the make-up brush was touching my face it hurt so bad.
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‘Comments all the time’
“I had to perform with it and I’d get comments all the time. People would tell me, ‘I needed to figure it out’, or I’d ‘no longer be allowed in the group’.”
Almost one in four young adults in the UK have some form of adult acne, according to Click2Pharmacy. While women are statistically more likely to have breakouts in adulthood.
“I just had to get on with it,” Kimberly says. “I changed my diet and skincare but it took me years to work out. I’ve really come a long way since then.”
The Pussycat Dolls, which also included Nicole Scherzinger, 45, Ashley Roberts, 41, Jessica Sutta, 41, Carmit Bachar, 48, and Melody Thornton, 38, were one of the most popular girl bands of the Noughties, selling 55million records.
Kimberly wowed audiences with her famous leg lift — a standing version of the splits.
But while many enjoyed the group’s energetic routines, she says she faced a barrage of sexist remarks from the public after taking burlesque to the mainstream as part of the Dolls’ raunchy act.
She adds: “All my life I have been wanting to make audiences scream and have the best time ever, but there was a lot of backlash and sexist comments.
“I had to learn to stop caring about what people think, but I found it really difficult. I’ve experienced so much sexism in my entire career.
“I spent most of my childhood training in ballet, jazz, tap, and winning so many scholarships to go to train in the summers — I really set out to make my dreams come true.
But of course, where your talent is depends on how it’s perceived and a lot of time with my talent, where I can do leg lifts, it’s perceived in a sexual way.
“Not because I’m sexualising it, but because other people do.
“It’s a shame because dance performances are so much more than cleavage and our bodies.”
As for her famous leg lifts, Kimberly, who now trains performing arts students at the Kimberly Wyatt Dance Academy in Addlestone, Surrey, says there’s no chance she will quit doing them in routines any time soon.
She adds: “I’ve got at least nine years left of this leg going above my head, and I am going to take advantage of every single one of them.
“When I was in the group, I was the punk doll, so I always wore Latex shorts, crossbones, motorcycle boots and chains.
“Even though I have grown since then and the group is over, that doesn’t mean the fun is over.
“If that fun means being a bit free and showing some skin, as long as the fashion and the moment lends itself, I’m loving it.
“That’s what I do it for, those fun moments, and I will continue to do it for as long as I can.”
Kimberly — mum to Willow, eight, Maple, five, and three-year-old Senna with husband Max Rogers, 40, a model — has spent nearly a decade dedicating her life to parenthood.
She says: “I’m definitely more confident than ever before. I am tired, from the parenthood work-life juggling act, but I am confident in my body and myself.
“We’ve had the craziest few years. I spent my thirties having kids and breastfeeding and dealing with nappies and that’s done now, well almost done.
“Now I’m coming into my forties, I’m really ready to enjoy my life.
“Parenting is full-on, it’s probably the toughest thing ever. You give so much to your work, then you come home and give everything to your kids.
“Finding the balance is not always manageable but Max and I find a way. I just want to make their childhood and their lives as amazing as I can.
“It’s relentless being a working mum and we should give ourselves a break sometimes.
“I’d love to have a spotless house, and a perfect life, but sometimes you just have to not raise the bar so much, and allow yourself some space to allow wherever you are to be OK.
“Max and I are putting a lot of time and effort into raising some brilliant humans.
“And as for keeping the spark alive with us, it’s hard with our busy schedules but I think we might be renewing our vows next year to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary. Why not?”
Kimberly recently launched her own touring DJ show, Don’t Cha Disco, and is set to perform next at Margate Pride in Kent in August, and Portsmouth Guildhall in March 2024.
But what about the future of The Pussycat Dolls?
The band’s 2022 reunion tour was called off amid the Covid pandemic and contract disputes, leading fans to believe we might never see the ladies on stage together again.
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But Kimberly says: “Never say never. I don’t think Pussycat Dolls is finished.
“I don’t know what the second phase will be and I certainly don’t have control over the timeline, but I don’t think it’s done.”
![Kimberly Wyatt Overcomes Agonizing Skin Condition that Nearly Ended Her Time with Pussycat Dolls 6 Kimberly revealed: 'People would tell me, ‘I needed to figure it out’, or I’d ‘no longer be allowed in the group’'](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/kimberly-wyatt-photographed-fab-daily-821561208.jpg)
Kimberly revealed: ‘People would tell me, ‘I needed to figure it out’, or I’d ‘no longer be allowed in the group’’Credit: Mark Cant
![Kimberly Wyatt Overcomes Agonizing Skin Condition that Nearly Ended Her Time with Pussycat Dolls 7 The singer adds: 'I tried everything, but I think ultimately it came down to anxiety, stress and diet'](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/singer-kimberly-wyatt-pussycat-dolls-829499848.jpg)
The singer adds: ‘I tried everything, but I think ultimately it came down to anxiety, stress and diet’Credit: Getty