Saturday

Ever since Chico burst into the homes of the nation with his cheeky dance moves and powerful vocal talents on The X Factor, he has been a force to reckon with.

Chico has knocked Madonna off the top of the UK charts with his catchy number one single It’s Chico Time, has toured the UK as part of a sell-out national tour and even co-wrote, produced and starred in a BAFTA-nominated short film with his brother JC Mac called Winner Takes All. Not bad for a guy who started out life as a goat herder on the plains of Morocco.

There were humble beginnings for the charismatic entertainer. Chico [whose real name is Yousseph Slimani] was born into a loving family in Bridgend, Wales ­ but at the age of two his father took him to Morocco. Here, he was raised by his grandparents on a small farm. “I had a beautiful, loving childhood,” explains Chico. “We were poor, but it was a very loving environment that was very traditional and very pure. It was us, nature and the traditions of a thousand years. We never struggled for food because we grew our own and lived off the land ­ I’d even work on the farm herding the goats to help out.”

At 13, Chico returned to the UK to live with his father and complete his schooling ­ and even at this age he was turning heads with his entertaining nature and charming personality. “I was hyper happy at school,” continues Chico. “I was an intelligent kid who couldn’t speak English, so I couldn’t express myself. I had to start from scratch and sit in a remedial class because I couldn’t speak the language ­ and yet I was bright. It was a very frustrating time.”

His goal has always been to entertain, but there has been plenty of other work along the way. “I was a trainee hairdresser, a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer and then I joined a dance troupe to raise money for my ill grandmother,” he reveals. “She had a stroke so I found myself supporting my grandparents and uncles in Morocco. I’d send money back to them every month without fail ­ even if I didn’t have enough for my rent or my food.”

After a four-year stint as a compere singer, it was time to set the world alight with a certain television talent show. “I had the time of my life on The X Factor,” chuckles Chico. “It was a rollercoaster of emotions. It was exhilarating, amazing and fantastically Chico-tastic! By the time I left I’d made reality TV history by singing my own song, It’s Chico Time, live on air during the finals and I had achieved all I needed to achieve. I was ready.”

A few months later, Chico unleashed his first solo single ­ and it stormed straight to the top of the charts. The work hasn’t stopped since, with a follow-up single Curvy Cola [released 8th of October] and an album in the pipeline, as well as numerous appearances on TV and around the UK. He even won a celebrity edition of Blind Date during the Prince’s Trust 30th birthday television celebrations, notching up a date with Dame Edna Everage in the process.

A new addition to the Chico clan on 5 June 2006 was the birth of his first daughter. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be a father,” he adds. “My baby’s name is Lalla-Khira, which means ‘divine blessing’. She’s a healthy, happy, bouncing bundle of joy and she has shown me what unconditional love really means.

“The future’s bright,” Chico concludes. “Alongside my work, I’ve also started a charity called The Rainbow Child Foundation and I’m hoping it will raise money for children all around the world. we opened an orphanage in Cambodia with my best friend Amanda Hayes we will be there in March 2008 to open another one. I’m a very spiritual person, and God is the centre of my world, he gave me a gift to touch people and by helping them it is my gift back to him, after all the music business feeds the ego but helping others feeds my soul, for me a life lived for oneself is a wasted life, for truly living is when one learns the art of giving, Indeed, with all this and much, much more in the process, one thing is for certain… Chico’s time has only just begun.