The Fizz Mike Nolan announces he is LEAVING the band after 43 years due to 'personal reasons' as he confirms: 'This is the time to do it'

The Fizz star Mike Nolan has announced he is officially leaving the legendary band.

Joining host Michael Ball on his BBC Radio 2 show on Sunday, the Eurovision star, 69, revealed: 'I'm going to be leaving, it's for personal reasons. I have decided to go, to leave.

'I've been thinking about it for a long long, long time and I just thought: 'this is the time to do it'.

The singer added: 'We've been together for 43 years.'

The Bucks Fizz reached stardom in the 1980s after winning the historical Eurovision Song Contest with the song Making Your Mind Up in 1981.

Their banger catapulted to No1 in the UK charts and sold four million copies worldwide. 

The group was originally formed solely for the contest and was comprised of vocalists Mike, Bobby G, Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston.

In 2004, a spin-off group of the band as The Fizz was formed after Bobby G, 70, won a court case preventing his former bandmates to perform under the name The Original Bucks Fizz.

The remaining three bandmates were said to be 'extremely disappointed' by the ruling, which happened in August 2011 after a long legal battle.  

The judge ruled in favour of Bobby on grounds that since his wife (Heidi Manton, also a member of his group) owned the Bucks Fizz name, the use of the name The Original Bucks Fizz was therefore an impediment on their trademark.

The Bucks Fizz story has been consistently dramatic with various members coming and going throughout the years.

In 1985, Aston left the group which led Bobby to perform as a three-piece with Nolan and Baker.

But when Baker left in 1993, Bobby largely took over management and hired new members Heidi Manton and Amanda Schwartz.

Heidi would later become his wife in 2000, with the couple going on to have daughter Millie in 2006.

Singer Cheryl, 70, revealed in May of last year that she didn't get a single penny - or any perks for that matter, for winning Eurovision with the group in 1981.

She told The Sun: 'The artists make nothing from the contest, not a single penny. We have one trophy to share, which I’ve never had in my house ever after forty-two-years. You don’t win any money, it’s the prestige.

'It opens so many doors. By winning Eurovision, our single was a global hit and we got to travel the world. We had loads of hit singles and hit albums. We were always travelling around the world to perform and that was because we won Eurovision.

'Maybe there was money, but if there was we didn’t see it and, it wouldn’t have been a lot. It was all about the prize and the trophy, the fact that you’ve won, that is a big enough prize – we didn’t need any money.'

Cheryl added that she doesn't recall any perks and certainly no goody bags when you win. 

In a previous interview, she said it was the tearaway skirts the ladies wore during their routine which secured them their first place win.

'I think it changed how people think of Eurovision because up until then it had been all about the song, she said. 

'And then suddenly we came along and it was not just about the song, it was about the performance and the outfit.' 

Meanwhile, Cheryl claims Mike currently has ownership of the trophy and won't let anyone else have it - but he has left it to her in his will. 

Cheryl has said there is 'no downside to winning' and admits she is still earning her living from the fact she was in a band that won.