Strad Kyriacou and his wife Gina are not only the owners of Chris’s Fish and Chips in London, but are also entertainers who were selected as part of a competition by Just Eat, to entertain the nation during the X Factor UK ad breaks, singing Next to Me by Emeli Sandé and Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran.
Just Eat, a X Factor sponsor shines a spotlight on local food talent, with restaurant staff performing their unique talents on stage. The aim, to showcase the flair that goes into creating and delivering a perfect takeaway night in.
Strad and Gina were chosen following a rigorous audition process, which followed a not too dissimilar format to The X Factor’s selection process. Strad said that him and his wife entered the competition as last year he got told off from Gina who really wanted to enter, but he avoided it. This year he said, not auditioning wasn’t an option.
Taking the stage and performing a rendition of Wannabe by The Spice Girls, Strad and Gina impressed the Just Eat judges and were handpicked for the final line up.
When they weren't rehearsing, they were working the kitchens of their shops Chris’s Fish & Chips and Bombay Bites, which have each picked up awards for the Best Takeaway in East Midlands at the British Takeaway Awards in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Strad noted that “the fish and chip trade has been in my family for years and I met my wife Gina while she was working part time in my father’s fish and chip shop, we started dating and the rest is history!”
Talking about being lucky enough to be chosen to perform on stage, Strad said “It still hasn't sunk in. The whole experience has made us really respect music artists as the amount of work that went even into this was phenomenal. Performers have it tough! It’s great to be featured in the ad with my wife and good friend Ahmed...”
Ben Carter, UK Marketing Director of Just Eat, stated that “we’re proud to be shining the spotlight on the stars of Just Eat – our restaurants. By giving them the chance to shine on prime time TV we’re able to champion the magic that goes on behind the scenes in kitchens all over the country. Just Eat and The X Factor are the perfect combination.”
And just a side note, if Strad is not eating his signature dish- fish and chips, he would be eating his favourite chilli chicken chinese and Gina’s chicken chop suey (stir fry).
You can watch the small snippet of their performance here-