Stop This Flame Celeste has been charged over £500 after boarding a train in England without a ticket – but she has argued it was a technical glitch that was to blame
BRIT Award winning singer Celeste has been forced to pay hundreds of pounds after failing to pay for a train fare.
The 30-year-old star, whose full name is Celeste Waite, was stung when travelling on Chiltern Railways from London Marylebone to Bicester Village, Oxon. A report has suggested the star failed to pay £38.90 for the train ticket – and has been fined a total of £546 as a consequence.
The singer – who had a hit in 2020 with the song Stop This Flame which is now used as the Sky Sports Premier League theme – is said to have argued she tried to buy a ticket, but the app she was using did not work. Regardless, authorities ruled that the star had to pay hundreds of pounds over the incident.
As well as being told she had to pay the original £38.90 for the train ticket, the singer was also ordered to pay a £220 fine plus a further £288 for costs and surcharges. The London based singer’s case was reportedly held at Westminster magistrates’ court where authorities proved their case while Celeste herself was out of the country working.
The Sun reported on the case a quoted a spokesperson for the singer stating: “Celeste tried to buy a ticket before boarding but the train app wasn’t working due to a tech glitch. She was running late and mistakenly thought she could pay on board.
“She was then out of the country so missed all the correspondence. But she accepted her mistake and paid the fine in full.” The Mirror has contacted the star’s representatives for further comment.
Celeste released her debut album, Not Your Muse, in 2021 and it included the singles Strange, A Little Love, and Love Is Back – as well as Stop This Flame. Over the years, the singer collaborated with late Swedish DJ Avicii on his track Touch Me, and with Jon Batiste on the 2020 track It’s All Right.
Last year, Celeste had a small role in the film Blitz, directed by Oscar-winner Steve McQueen. And she was nominated for an Oscar herself for the song Hear My Voice, which featured in the legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7.
In 2021, Celeste was nominated for the Album of the Year, Best Female Solo Artist, and Best New Artist at the BRIT Awards, but sadly walked away empty handed on the night. The 2025 event is due to take place this March – with Jack Whitehall back as the host after a four year absence.
His return was announced last week – but his returned had been deemed: “not a comeback”. His hosting gig was unveiled in a video that showed Jack standing in the “BRITS Strategy Room” as he tried to figure out the winning formula to hosting the ceremony. Addressing the camera, the comedian says: “So I’ve had some ideas for the announcement video to cut through the noise.
“We need a slogan… ‘Jack’s Back!’ Yeah. Bit boring maybe? Once you go Jack, you never go back. And then we cross out the ‘never’.” A voice then asks: “Have we got anything else?” And the Fresh Meat actor says: “Maybe I’m getting bogged down in the puns…”
He then references returning American president Donald Trump by suggesting: “Make the Brits great again”. He then adds: “Spray me orange, I do the dance.” But the reviewing voice suggests that the plan might not please all viewers.
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