Eight-foot statue of H from Steps to be erected in Wales: ‘One of my proudest moments’
Ian ‘H’ Watkins shot to fame with Steps in the 1990s and came out publicly in 2007. (Getty)
Steps star Ian “H” Watkins is set to become a certified gay icon with the news that an eight-foot-high statue of him will be erected in his home town of Cowbridge in Wales.
The Welsh singer, who said in a documentary last year that he felt like “the only gay in the village” growing up in Cwm-parc, in the Rhondda Valley, will be immortalised with a sculpture outside The Bear Hotel in the town centre.
The statue, made possible by private donations, is set to be revealed at the Vale of Glamorgan town’s Pride event in June.
Watkins told Sky News that the planned tribute came as a shock to him.
“When I got the e-mail informing me, I fell off my chair,” the star said. “This is one of my proudest moments, not bad for a Welsh lad lots of people think is as daft as a toilet brush.
“I love calling Cowbridge my home and I’m passionate about doing my bit to help make it a better, more inclusive, superb place to live.”
In 2022, the hashtag “Blocked by H from Steps” trended on Twitter/X after the star went on a spree of blocking anti-trans hate.
Despite a backlash, Watkins made light of the situation posting memes, including an old photo of himself at a desk using a computer with the caption: “Very busy day at the office… #blocked.”
He came out publicly as gay in 2007 and has become a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in the years since.
After making history as one-half of Dancing on Ice‘s first same-sex couple, and despite homophobic complaints he received while on the show – which he called “a dagger to the heart” – he called on producers to cast a transgender contestant.
Last year, he revealed that Steps had turned down an invitation to perform in Dubai because of anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the United Arab Emirates city.
