Tim Harding
Timothy John Harding (born 1 February 1978) is an Australian musician, singer, guitarist, entertainer, most famously known as one of the original members of the children's musical group Hi-5 and the associated television series of the same name from its inception from 1998 to 2007 before retiring after nine years with the group due to suffering major injuries following a motorcycle accident.
Biography
Harding was born in Gosford, New South Wales but grew up in Sydney, with two younger brothers named Peter and James and attended St Andrew's Cathedral School. In 1993 he began a funk band Compos Mentis with his brother Peter, family friend Mike McCarthy and bass player Sam O'Donnell.
In 1998 while studying social work at university, he auditioned for the children's musical group, Hi-5. Harding was accepted and became one fifth of the members of Hi-5, where he was featured in the Making Music segment of the series, he also played as a puppeteer for Jup Jup in the Puzzles and Patterns, from Series 1 to 9, hosted by Kathleen de Leon Jones (Season 1-8) and Sun Pezzimenti (Season 9). In November 2007, Harding announced that he will be leaving Hi-5 after a motorcycle accident at the Eastern Creek Raceway in June of the same year which resulted from a broken back and toes.
In 2009, Harding moved to the U.K. and became a singer and guitarist in the Michael Jackson spectacular, “MJ Timeless” at the Globe Theatre in Blackpool and performed at the famous Blackpool Illuminations “Switch On” along with artists like Robbie Williams and The Wanted. He was the front man of Manchester-based rock group "Pangaea" who's self-titled album was released in December 2012.[1]
Harding has since moved back to Australia as of 2013, now living in Newcastle, New South Wales with wife, Natasha (née Humphreys), and their two daughters Arielle Poppy-Marie, and Beatrix Joelle.