Ashley Roberts
Ashley Roberts
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Ashley Roberts

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Ashley Roberts

Ashley Allyn Roberts (born September 14, 1981) is an American singer, dancer, and media personality. She was a member of the girl group the Pussycat Dolls (2003–2010, 2019–2021), who sold over 55 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling female groups of all time. Roberts also had a brief career as a solo singer and released the album Butterfly Effect (2014).

Roberts has presented various television shows, including Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (2013–2016), the Emmy-nominated 1st Look (2016–2018), The Real Dirty Dancing UK (2022), and Dance Monsters (2022–present). She has also appeared as a contestant on British reality television shows, including I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2012), The Jump (2015), and Strictly Come Dancing (2018).

In 2019, Roberts became the showbiz correspondent for the national Heart Breakfast radio show. Since 2022, she has been a presenter for Heart 00s, part of the Heart radio network.

Ashley Roberts was born and raised on September 14, 1981, in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the daughter of Pat Roberts, a former drummer of the Mamas & the Papas, and Peggy Lorraine, a Pilates instructor. They split when she was 14. She has a younger brother, Jayce who at 16, was diagnosed with a severe mental illness after years of misdiagnosis. A DNA test revealed the family is of English, Irish, Swedish, and Spanish ancestry. She began studying styles such as contemporary, hip-hop, and jazz at an early age, which inspired her to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

In 2001, Roberts relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked as a professional dancer in music videos for artists such as Aaron Carter, Josh Groban, and Counting Crows.

Through a friend, Roberts learned about the Pussycat Dolls, a modern burlesque dance ensemble founded in 1995 by choreographer Robin Antin. The troupe performed regularly at The Viper Room during that time. Roberts successfully auditioned and began performing with the group in 2002. The following year, Antin, struck a deal with Interscope Geffen A&M Records' Jimmy Iovine to develop the group into a brand and create a separate pop girl group. It ultimately consisted of six members: Carmit Bachar, Roberts, Nicole Scherzinger, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton, and Kimberly Wyatt who signed a contract with the Pussycat Dolls partnership, receiving a percentage of the group's revenues. Though it was later revealed that the members are actually salaried employees of the label. In April 2005, they released their first single, "Don't Cha" (featuring Busta Rhymes), which stands as the group's most successful single to date peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reaching the top in 15 other countries. They released their self-titled debut album in September 2005. Subsequent singles "Stickwitu and "Buttons" also reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the former earning Roberts a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The album went on to sell seven million copies worldwide and established the group as viable in the music industry earning them a reputation among the century's few breakout successes.

Roberts played a supporting role in the dance film Make It Happen (2008), which starred Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Tessa Thompson. It was released in the UK on August 8, 2008, and went direct-to-video in the US on December 9, grossing $10.15 million at the box office. The group's second and final studio album Doll Domination was released in September 2008 and attained their highest position on the Billboard 200 (number four). The album is considered a commercial disappointment selling less than 400,000 copies in the US which propelled the label to reissue the album with new songs. The album and its reissues spawned three top-twenty singles: "When I Grow Up", "I Hate This Part", and "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)". The latter sparked controversy and media attention as it credited Scherzinger as a featured artist, leading to internal friction within the group. The album was additionally promoted with their second headlining concert tour, Doll Domination Tour which grossed over $14 million. The group would then confirm a hiatus towards the end of the year.

In February 2010, Roberts announced her departure from the group in pursuit of acting and solo music. Her first solo release, a beat-driven cover of "Theme from A Summer Place," was released in September through B-Sharp Records and Saguaro Road Rhythm (SRR), part of Saguaro Road Records.

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