She burst onto the scene when she appeared as a contestant on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002.

And singer Javine Hylton has come a long way from her days trying to earn a spot in Girls Aloud.

The pop star, 43, narrowly missed out on a place in the group but didn’t let that stop her as she went on to launch a solo career.

Most memorably, she represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest three years later with her son Touch My Fire.

But she also hit the headlines for having an affair with rapper MC Harvey, while he was married to Alesha Dixon, with the pair welcoming a baby together.

Since then, Javine has appeared on several reality shows and she welcomed two more children.

MailOnline takes a look at where the star is now.

Javine Hylton burst onto the scene when she appeared as a contestant on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002

The London native, 43, has come a long way from her days trying to earn a spot in Girls Aloud (pictured with Sarah Harding in 2002)  

The pop star narrowly missed out on a place in the group but didn’t let that stop her as she went on to launch a solo career

Javine, who grew up in Ladbroke Grove, Kensington, started in the world of showbiz at a young age.

She went to stage school as a youngster and played Nala in a production of The Lion King for two years on the West End.

Speaking to The Guardian, Javine told she was originally planning on a career as a dancer and didn’t see herself becoming a singer.

She said: ‘I didn’t like singing. I started stage school at 10, because at my normal school, there were always fights. So I thought, what do I want to do? I want to dance.’ 

Javine later became one of thousands who auditioned for Popstars: The Rivals, the series which put together rival girl and boy groups to battle it out for the Christmas number one.

The singer made it all the way to the end of the compeтιтion and was one of the six final girls remaiing to be put into the five-person group.

Despite being the bookies favourite, Javine narrowly lost out on a place in Girls Aloud to Sarah Harding. 

Javine went on to launch a solo career, releasing her debut single Real Things the following year. It reached number four in the charts.

Javine was one of thousands who auditioned for Popstars: The Rivals, the series which put together rival girl and boy groups to battle it out for the Christmas number one

The singer made it all the way to the end of the compeтιтion and was one of the six final girls remaiing to be in Girls Aloud but she lost out on a place to Sarah Harding 

Javine didn’t let the slight get her down though as the following year she won the Eurovision: Make Your Mind up show and represented the UK in the annual contest in 2005

Later that year, Javine served as the opening act for rapper Nelly on the UK leg of his international tour. 

She release three further top twenty singles but was dropped by her record label in 2004 when her debut album Surrender just managed to chart.

Javine didn’t let the slight get her down though as the following year she won the Eurovision: Make Your Mind up show and represented the UK in the annual contest.

The other entrants vying to represent the UK that year were 1996 entrant Gina G, the singer Andy Scott-Lee and former glamour model Katie Price. 

Sadly the song underperformed during the show in Kyiv, Ukraine, finishing in 22nd place ahead of France and Germany.

Javine went on to star in the West End musical Daddy Cool, however, her turn on the boards became overshadowed by her personal life, after she began an affair with her co-star MC Harvey.

The pair were both in relationships at the time, with Harvey having only married Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon the year before.

News of their infidelity broke when Javine’s ex Karl ‘KG’ Gordon noticed Harvey’s car outside her house and alerted Alesha, who confronted her husband.

Javine went on to star in the West End musical Daddy Cool, however, her turn on the boards became overshadowed by her personal life, after she began an affair with her co-star MC Harvey(pictured together in 2006) 

The pair were both in relationships at the time, with Harvey having only married Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon the year before (Alesha and Harvey pictured in 2006)

Harvey left Alesha to move in with Javine, and they went on to welcome daughter Angel together in 2008, before splitting a year later (Angel and Javine pictured) 

The pair were hit by backlash from the public, causing Javine’s popularity to plummet as she was labelled a ‘homewrecker’. 

Harvey left Alesha to move in with Javine, and they went on to welcome daughter Angel together in 2008, before splitting a year later.

In 2022, the So Solid Crew star said he regretted ever being with Javine, calling their relationship ‘toxic’ and admitted telling his then wife Alesha what he’d done was ‘the worst thing he’s ever had to do’.

Opening up on the James English podcast the rapper said: ‘The day I left Javine’s house, it was so weird. I’d left her house and I was driving home to my marital home and as I’m two miles from my house, she (Javine) rang me and said “she knows, she knows” as I pulled up on my drive.’

‘The worst thing I’ve ever had to do is tell a woman I cheated on her.’

He continued: ‘She was there watching TV when she paused it and my heart sank. She said: ‘How long has it been going on Harvey?’ and that was it.

‘I thought she was going to kill me. To this day, it is the worst two days I’ve ever spent in my house.’

He added: ‘It came out in the papers and everyone hated me. I was a love rat. My mental health was like ‘oh my god.’ I went from being in a celebrity relationship and being loved to being hated within 48 hours. But it was self-inflicted.

In 2022, the So Solid Crew star said he regretted ever being with Javine, calling their relationship ‘toxic’ and admitted telling his then wife Alesha what he’d done was ‘the worst thing he’s ever had to do’ (pictured in 2007)

‘When I went through the madness of it all, and I went through the Alesha stuff and then obviously when I got with Javine, the mother of my daughter, I should never have been with her.

‘It was a toxic relationship and I escaped from it and I got out of the whole situation’.

While opening up on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, former Strictly Come Dancing champion and judge Alesha confessed she felt ‘lost and empty’ when her marriage to Harvey fell apart.

She said: ‘I didn’t eat for a few days. I just remember sitting on the floor in my house. I felt lost, I couldn’t find the words. You ask yourself those questions: Why? What have I done wrong?’

Javine has since welcomed two more children, both boys, although has kept their names private

Javine has since largely left the spotlight and appears to be leading a more private life raising her children

In later years Javine transitioned into TV work, appearing on Channel 4 sports show The Game and the celebrity version of Come Dine With Me. 

She has since welcomed two more children, both boys, although has kept their names private.

Javine has since largely left the spotlight and appears to be leading a more private life raising her children.

In one Instagram post where she took her son to his first ever rugby practice, she wrote: ‘I love being a mum, I just love it.’