It was the controversial win that not only created TV history, but also saw the beginning of an Internet meme sensation and a true-blue country bloke emerge as an Aussie icon.
And now 15 years after taking out second place on ‘Australian Idol’ and the start of the “Shannon Noll was robbed” movement, Noll admits that his recent stint on ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ hasn’t helped his case.
“I didn’t help the situation by coming second on ‘I’m A Celebrity’,” he told the Weekender.
“I think that sort of reinforced the old ‘always going to be the bridesmaid never the bride’ type of thing, which is very funny.”
With over 40 Facebook pages dedicated to the Orange-born singer, Noll has faced his fair share of criticism, but he admits his recent outburst at the Duck Creek Picnic Races wasn’t his finest moment.
“The one thing that I want to get across about it is that it wasn’t just one can, there was upwards of 30 cans at one stage, and I was so rattled and frustrated because security wasn’t doing anything,” Shannon said.
“I went too far with it and I have I apologised. Next time I just won’t take the risk and I’ll put my band’s and my safety first and foremost and we’ll just walk off, which is sad that it has to come to that.”
Looking to put the well-publicised incident behind him, Noll said he had a lot of positives to focus on, which includes the recent announcement that he and his wife, Rochelle, are expecting their fourth child.
“I think the detox in the jungle was a bit more thorough than I thought it was,” he laughed.
“Because we totally thought the boots were hung up on that side of things but we’re absolutely over the moon and the kids are ecstatic as well.”
Since leaving the African jungle, Noll has also been touring his new album, ‘Unbroken’, his first album released in seven years.
“It’s a much more personal album that I have ever done before, so I am really proud of it,” he said.
“It is a great feeling after listening to them in demo form for so long and then being able to listen to the crowd sing along to them, it’s just amazing.”
With a legion of local fans, tickets for Noll’s performance in Penrith next weekend are expected to sell out.
He’ll be performing his new songs as well as a few classics.
Shannon Noll will be performing at the Evan Theatre on Saturday, August 18 at 7.30pm. Tickets are $42.55. To book or for more information, call 1300 PANTHERS or visit http://www.penrith.panthers.com.au.
Lauren Suttie
Lauren Suttie is the Weekender's General & Community News journalist.