\n Here are five celebrity stars whose childhoods are rooted firmly in and around Romford.\n<\/p>\n
Frank Lampard<\/p>\n
\n Frank Lampard was born in Romford in June 1978 (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n The Premier League’s seventh highest ever goalscorer, Frank Lampard, was born in Romford on June 20, 1978.\n<\/p>\n
\n Lampard was born into a footballing family with his father, Frank Lampard Sr, playing for West Ham United, while his uncle Harry Redknapp managed at the club.\n<\/p>\n
\n Lampard grew up locally and attended Brentwood School while progressing through West Ham\u2019s youth system.\n<\/p>\n
\n In his autobiography Totally Frank, he recounts his childhood in Romford and emphasises that football and family were the most important elements in his early years.\n<\/p>\n
Billy Ocean<\/p>\n
\n Billy Ocean moved to Romford aged 10 (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n Billy Ocean – whose birth name is Leslie Sebastian Charles – moved from Trinidad to Romford at the age of 10.\n<\/p>\n
\n He spent his formative years around Romford, singing in clubs in London while working as a tailor in Havering.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ocean has said that moving to Britain \u201copened up a whole new world\u201d for him in a 2020 Rolling Stone Australia interview, giving him access to the soul and R&B influences that shaped his sound.\n<\/p>\n
\n He rose to global fame in the 1980s with hits like Caribbean Queen and When the Going Gets Tough, winning a Grammy Award and selling more than 30 million records worldwide.\n<\/p>\n
Jesy Nelson<\/p>\n
\n Jesy Nelson was born in Romford in June 1991 (Image: PA)\n<\/p>\n
\n Little Mix star Jesy Nelson was born in Romford on June 14, 1991 and attended Abbs Cross Academy & Arts College in Hornchurch and later Jo Richardson Community School in Dagenham.\n<\/p>\n
\n After winning X Factor in 2011 and signing a record deal with Simon Cowell, Little Mix became one of the biggest pop groups in the country.\n<\/p>\n