EXCLUSIVE: George Michael ‘cheered from sofa’ as Prince George was born, says Shirliekemp
Shirlie Kemp is recalling the moment she showed her best friend George Michael her son Roman’s early YouTube videos. What should have been a simple proud mum moment was far more profound for George, who saw in his godson something he had always longed for – the ability to be unapologetically himself.
Shirlie, 60, is “hiding from the builders” at her new countryside home when we chat over Zoom. She shares the house with her husband, Spandau Ballet bass player Martin Kemp, also 60. They have two children together – Harley, 32, a singer-songwriter, and radio DJ and presenter Roman, 29. The topic of the Queen evokes a happy memory for Shirlie. “I was with George when Prince William and Kate named their son George,” she recalls. “We had the news on and George just stood up on the sofa and started cheering. He was so happy he shared the same name.”
Pepsi first met Shirlie in 1982 outside Finsbury Park tube station in London on her way to an audition to be a backing singer. Pepsi’s first impression of George was that he was “focused but funny – and was a great hugger!” For Shirlie, her friendship with the icon dates back further. She was in the year above George and Wham! co-founder Andrew Ridgeley at Bushey Meads School in Hertfordshire.
“Oh darling, I knew right from the beginning,” says Pepsi. “Being on the dance floor with George, he can only be gay, dear. He danced like a dream.”a Brazilian fashion designer who he spotted in the crowd while on stage in 1991, who features heavily in the film. After only months together the couple discovered Anselmo had Aids, leading to his tragic death in 1993. George later dedicated the single Jesus To A Child off his third album Older to him.
“We had such a big argument about it,” says Shirlie. “He said, ‘You can’t take them away from me, we’ve got the best schools.’ He really loved our family. It was so special. He had a lot in common with Roman in particular – George really connected with him. They both loved having debates and were massive Simpsons fans. He bought Roman his first PlayStation – that really changed Roman’s life. He would come round and they’d play on the PlayStation together.
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