Bucks Fizz? No, I’ll stick with a Costa thanks! As ex-bandmates enjoy Eurovision hype

As former winners of the Eurovision Song Contest, his former Bucks Fizz bandmates were in the spotlight ahead of the critically acclaimed contest in Liverpool.

But Bobby G seemed determined to steer clear of the hype – as he was pictured over 200 miles away at his home in Devon.

The 69-year-old singer – who has not been seen in years and whose real name is Robert Gubby – was dressed in a blue polo shirt, gray trousers, black trainers and held a Costa cup as he walked with what appeared to be a workman at the Tiverton property.

Meanwhile, the festivities were in full swing on the banks of the Mersey.

Ex-bandmates Cheryl Baker, Jay Aston and Mike Nolan, now known collectively as The Fizz, have made several TV appearances ahead of tonight’s grand final, in which Mae Muller will represent the UK.

Bobby G seemed determined to steer clear of the hype – as he was pictured over 200 miles away at his home in Devon

Bucks Fizz formed for the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and won with the hit Making Your Mind Up, in which the men ripped off their band members’ skirts halfway through the song.

The hit song was followed by two more number one singles, Land Of Make Believe and My Camera Never Lies. But things went awry in the 1990s after a series of lineup changes culminated in a bitter legal dispute in which Gubby’s wife, Heidi Manton, registered the “Bucks Fizz” trademark.

Baker, 69, Nolan, 68, and Aston, 62, were banned from using the name when they reunited in 2009.

Bucks Fizz currently consists of Gubby, his wife, Paul Yates and Tammy Choat.

Ms Baker, who previously labeled Gubby an ‘idiot’, recently opened up the dispute, claiming that it was ‘absolutely ridiculous’ that Miss Manton owns the trademark as the group rarely performs.

“We don’t have the trademark, the woman who married Bobby G… registered the name Bucks Fizz and so we’re not allowed to use it, which is just ridiculous, but please,” she told a newspaper.

‘You have to laugh. And she’s still reminding everyone that she can call herself Bucks Fizz, but we can’t.’ She continued, “It’s absolutely ridiculous and they hardly ever work, you know, a few gigs a year. But I also think it’s jealousy, but whatever.’

The Fizz have faced personal hardship in the years since the original group broke up.

Ms Aston had 40 per cent of her tongue removed after being diagnosed with oral cancer in 2018 and later feared for her daughter’s life after contracting bacterial meningitis.

Ms Baker struggled financially during the pandemic and resorted to selling her belongings on eBay and recording messages for fans, receiving £22.50 per video.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain at the time: ‘I’ve been selling messages and it keeps the wolf off the door. I get two or three a week, so that’s good.’

In 2016, Ms Aston revealed that they turned down a £1 million deal to reunite with Gubby and heal their televised breakup. But Nolan insisted, “We could never work with Bobby again.”