Bucks Fizz star Jay Aston has detailed a bitter rift with her former bandmates, claiming they threatened to derail her career after she left the group in 1985. Aston, who was the youngest member of the Eurovision-winning band at 19, stated that her bandmates made it clear they would "ruin" her professionally.
"You'll never work again and we can do it. [We] made you and we can break you," Aston recalled her bandmates saying in an interview on the Best: Suddenly Single podcast. She described the period following her departure as "really, really grim," adding that others were hesitant to work with her, viewing her as "trouble."
The dispute arose after a serious bus crash in 1984, which left Cheryl Baker with a broken spine and Mike Nolan in a coma. Aston stated she did not "see a future" for the group after the accident. Her decision to leave was also influenced by an affair with producer Andy Hill, the husband of the group's creator, Nichola Martin.
The band's management company pursued legal action against Aston over her contract. Although the case was dropped mid-trial, an injunction was placed on her that prevented her from starting a solo career for two years. This legal battle reportedly left Aston in financial ruin, forcing her to sell her home in west Kensington to cover £400,000 in legal costs. She described being "on the dole and living in a bedsit."
Mentioning the band's financial situation, Aston recalled that they had a "record deal that was so bad" and that despite public perception, they were not millionaires.
Aston's career took a different path when she established a performing arts school in 2001. In 2004, she reunited with Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan, marking her first involvement with Bucks Fizz since 1985. The trio toured as The Fizz, with Mike Nolan retiring in November 2024. The current lineup of The Fizz includes Aston, Baker, and two new male singers, Matthew Pateman and Nikk Mager.