Glow Up season 5 contestants: meet the MUAs and new host

Glow Up season 5 contestants — Top L-R: Morgan, Keiran, Leomie Anderson, Wezley, Saphron Bottom L-R: On-May, Sarah, Taisha, Axel, Howard, Roo
Meet the contestants and host of Glow Up season 5. (Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

Glow Up season 5 is back with new host, model Leomie Anderson and a fresh batch of young makeup artists (MUAs) all hoping to be crowned Britain's Next Make-Up Star.

The ten contestants must master every creative brief in order to impress judges Val Garland and Dominic Skinner.

Let's meet the MUAs and host all hoping to demonstrate their makeup artistry in Glow Up season 5...

Glow Up season 5 contestants: meet the MUAs

Axel

Axel with a black graphic eyeliner look and mesh top with a silver chain

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

27-year-old Axel is a computer arts student in Dundee and started experimenting with makeup as a teenager. Back then, they were influenced by creature design and were obsessed with turning themselves into monsters. Now, Axel loves drag and transforming themselves into interdimensional beings.

Howard

Howard smiling and wearing a striped shirt with a black background

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

Howard is a retail MUA and assistant manager from London. He grew up in Malaysia and was inspired to get into the world of beauty when watching his mother put on her makeup. However, his parents were concerned that he wouldn't be able to make a career out of it.

After moving to London to study hospitality management, he quickly realized that glamour was his true calling. At 30 years old, Howard dreams of producing exquisite model looks and perfect magazine cover-ready makeup.

Keiran

Keiran with curly brown hair and a bold eyeliner look posing in front of a black background

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

Keiran, 23, will be swapping their hairbrush for a makeup brush as the award-winning hairstylist from Cheshire joins Glow Up. At the age of 13, Keiran realised they wanted to be an MUA and watching RuPaul's Drag Race made them discover the power of expressing their femininity.

Morgan

Morgan against a black background wearing a brown top

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

Morgan is a 19 year old freelance MUA and beautician from Durham. Morgan became a self-taught MUA after COVID cancelled her college course and was inspired by superheroes and the supernatural.

At 19, Morgan already has her own business as a freelance makeup artist, but that doesn't stop her from being a perfectionist.

On-May

On-May against a black background with a bold yellow eyeshadow look

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

On-May, who resides in Glasgow, is a student and retail MUA. She got into makeup after watching Michael Jackson's Thriller music video and seeing a classmate's perfect eyeliner.

A mixture of Halloween horror and flawless glamour sums up the 21-year-old's style perfectly. Although she works as a retail makeup artist, she loves creating bold characters based on what she's learning on her film and TV makeup course.

Roo

Roo against a black background with curled ginger hair at the front

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

24-year-old Roo is a painter and decorator, whose parents worked in the theatre, which led them to study fine art at university. Roo realized that fine art wasn't their true passion and used another art form to discover their "strange" and "wacky" sides — makeup! This resulted in the birth of their drag king alter ego. 

Saphron

Saphron against a black background with two pink stripes in her hair

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

As a child, Essex-based Saphron had struggles with her skin and suffered from acne that would flare up when she got anxious.

Saphron, 23, now works as a part-time makeup artist who has learned to embrace her skin. She also has a job as a pizza delivery driver when not working with clients and on film sets.

Sarah

Sarah against a black background wearing a black and white pinstripe jacket

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

25-year-old Sarah is a freelance MUA from Manchester. Growing up with three brothers, Sarah used the power of makeup to help her be confident and stand out.

She studied biomedical science but discovered her true passion was with makeup, so decided to become a freelance MUA. Sarah loves to work in a “very diverse” set of styles.

Taisha

Taisha against a black background with curled red hair and a green zip up top

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

Taisha's journey to becoming a freelance MUA began when her brother bought her a makeup palette for her 16th birthday, which led to her becoming a counter makeup artist.

In 2020, Taisha lost her brother to cancer and lost her job at the same time. The 23-year-old Londoner was prepared to quit makeup but decided to keep it up to honor her brother.

Wezley

Wezley against a black background wearing a white open shirt with a sparkly blazer

(Image credit: BBC/Wall To Wall)

Wezley began wearing makeup at a young age and didn't care what the residents of his hometown Weston-Super-Mare thought of him. He studied hair and makeup at college and now works as a freelance makeup artist with an extensive client list that features a number of glamour models. 20-year-old Wezley dreams of creating his own makeup line.

Glow Up season 5 host

Leomie Anderson

Model Leomie Anderson posing in front of the Glow Up sign in a leather jacket and trousers

(Image credit: BBC/Wall to Wall)

Taking over from previous Glow Up host Maya Jama, supermodel Leomie Anderson will be bringing her expertise to the Glow Up studios. 

Since being scouted to be a model at the age of 14, Leomie has walked some of the most famous catwalks including Victoria's Secret, Vivienne Westwood and Calvin Klein. She has also done TED Talks about the modeling industry, spoken at Oxford University and even founded her own fashion brand in 2016.

Talking about hosting Glow Up to the BBC she said: “I wanted to bring something different to the series. I know the impact of having make-up on that doesn’t make you feel the best. So, this is a big moment for me."

She added: “The challenges are even more memorable this time around. I’m a huge Bridgerton fan, so having the first episode on set there was amazing. There is so much talent, it is through the roof. They all have such individual styles. What I love about Glow Up is that it lets people who might not usually get to be on TV have a place to shine."

Glow Up season 5 will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer on Tuesday, May 2 at 6am and BBC Three at 8pm. Episodes will then air weekly on Wednesdays.

Grace Morris
Staff Writer

Grace is a freelancer writer with WhatToWatch.com, and she now writes for our sister site TechRadar. She graduated from Anglia Ruskin University in 2020 with a degree in Writing and Film Studies, which only made her love for creative writing, film and TV grow stronger.

You'll usually find her watching the drama unfold in the latest reality series or much-loved UK soaps (usually with chocolate by her side!). She's an expert in EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and everything reality-related from Selling Sunset and Married At First Sight UK to 90 Day Fiancé UK. Plus Netflix megahit Virgin River!

Grace also likes to explore new places with her friends and family and, of course, watch and read about the latest films and TV series.