Australian Idol judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson on almost getting a ‘normal job’ at an IGA in rural Queensland – as he admits he was ‘hooked on fame’ and was ’embarrassed’ when success dried up
Former Australian Idol judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson has spoken openly about being ‘hooked’ on fame and embarrassed when his TV career ended in the late 2000s.
Speak against Jess Rowe’s big talk show last weekTthe retired British music executive, 60, admitted to feeling “hollow” after quitting Idol and “the phone stopped ringing”, and would spend hours “scouring the internet” for articles about himself.
“It absolutely shocked me to the bone because I didn’t realize how addicted I had become to fame. I was embarrassed,” he told podcast host Jessica Rowe.
“I was so embarrassed that something as hollow and superficial as Australia’s C-class celebrity status had caught my eye.
“I’m embarrassed to tell you this, but I’d even scour the internet for mentions of myself, and that’s just horrible to admit. My skin is crawling even telling you that… but I had just wrapped up my importance and value as a person [who is a] public figure.
Former Australian Idol judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson has spoken openly about being ‘hooked’ on fame and embarrassed when his TV career ended in the late 2000s
The retired British music executive admitted he felt “hollow” after leaving Idol and “the phone stopped ringing”, spending hours “scouring the internet” for articles about himself
And when that was threatened and questioned, it really shook my confidence, like you wouldn’t believe it. You know, I was in my fifties and just felt invisible.”
After moving from Sydney, Australia’s media capital, to rural Queensland in 2016, he was in doubt as to whether or not he would land a ‘normal’ job.
Dickson considered a job at an IGA supermarket in the town of Maleny, and also considered applying as a ‘lollipop man’ for the local school.
He said the idea of a steady job appealed to him because some of his retired friends had done the same and seemed to enjoy it.
The former TV star told Rowe that his family moved to a country town because he felt it would help him “stop being so embarrassed that he’s not valuable anymore.”
“The hardest thing for me is realizing that I still feel like I’d be a little embarrassed if I got a good job,” he said.
‘Many of the guys I work with are retired [and] they work in the IGA and stuff and that actually looks nice but I think I’d act weird with my little IGA hat on [and] my IGA polo shirt, I don’t know.’
After moving from Sydney, Australia’s media capital, to rural Queensland in 2016, he was in doubt as to whether or not he would land a ‘normal’ job. Dickson (pictured in October 2013) said he was considering a job at an IGA supermarket in the town of Maleny
Dickson was a judge on Australian Idol from 2003 to 2004 alongside Mark Holden and Marcia Hines, before defecting to rival Channel Seven from 2005 to 2006.
There, the British-born TV presenter hosted Australian Celebrity Survivor and season two of My Kitchen Rules, as well as taking part in Dancing with the Stars.
He returned to the Idol panel in 2007, with the addition of Kyle Sandilands as a judge, until the show’s cancellation in 2009.
He made a brief return to TV in 2021 as a contestant on the miniature golf show Holey Moley.
Dickson was a judge on Idol from 2003 to 2004 with Mark Holden and Marcia Hines (center), before defecting to rival Channel Seven from 2005 to 2006. He returned in 2007, with the addition of Kyle Sandilands (left) on the panel, and remained until the show’s cancellation in 2009