Filled with leafy trees and enchanting blooms, the grounds of the Hertfordshire home Shirlie Kemp shares with her husband Martin are her pride and joy – but she couldn’t quite believe it when they played host to none other than the Princess of Wales earlier this year. “They’ve got the royal stamp of approval now,” says the singer, author and photographer as she’s joined by former Spandau Ballet star Martin in HELLO!’s exclusive photos, taken in their outdoor space and the property’s former pig shed turned stylish studio, affectionately known as “Piglet”.
See Shirlie Kemp's transformed garden and pig shed
With the couple’s radio presenter son Roman, 30, known for playing practical jokes, Shirlie, 61, thought he was pulling her leg when he asked if he could bring the Princess to their house to film a video discussing her early-childhood campaign, Shaping Us, back in February. “It turns out he was serious! I was so pleased and proud that the Princess of Wales came,” Shirlie, who is currently renovating her Victorian home and garden with husband Martin, tells HELLO!, adding: “She was so lovely and – oh my goodness – beautiful. What an incredible Queen she’s going to make.”
Today, however, Shirlie’s thoughts are on royalty of the musical kind: her dear friend and former Wham! bandmate George Michael, who would have turned 60 on 25 June. “If he was here, he would have had a huge party at his house,” says Shirlie, who went to the same school– Bushey Meads in Hertfordshire – as George and his fellow Wham! founding member Andrew Ridgeley, before the trio’s friendship blossomed years later. “George loved having parties, and I always loved the food and his amazing flower displays,” says Shirlie, who marked the poignant day last Sunday by “opening champagne and celebrating”.
The bittersweet milestone has made Shirlie hold the precious memories of her friend even closer. “George loved to come over for dinner. The kids would always love sitting with us at the table because he was the best storyteller and would make you laugh; that’s the thing I miss most of all,” says Shirlie, who chose George to be godfather to her daughter Harleymoon and Roman. “He loved the kids. He used to say to me: ‘Roman is going to doreally well… I don’t know what it is about him, Shirl, but he’s got so much confidence.’
“If George was around, he’d be really proud to see what they have done. Both my kids have turned out so well, following their passions and working hard,” adds Shirlie of Capital FM presenter, author and mental health advocate Roman and his older sister Harleymoon, 33,who is a successful singer-songwriter and director.
Special moments from Shirlie’s own fruitful career as a backing singer with Wham! –alongside Helen “Pepsi” DeMacque, with whom she formed pop duo Pepsi & Shirlie in 1985– have now been immortalised in the new Netflix documentary, Wham!. “I took Roman tosee it and when it finished, he gave me a massive hug and said: ‘I’m so proud of you, mum. What a great life you’ve had,’” smiles Shirlie. “That was the biggest pat on the back I’ve ever had.”
Through never-before-seen footage and candid inter views, the documentary tells, in George and Andrew’s own words, the story of how in four years Wham! dominated the charts around the world and sold more than 30 million records. The show hits Netflix on 5 July, two days before the release of Wham! The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven, a special-edition box set of 7in vinyls containing the band’s greatest singles, from Club Tropicana to Last Christmas. “George always said music was the most important thing in his life. He never had kids, and I knew his music was his child. Sometimes I feel like I have custody of it – I need to make sure everyone knows how important it was to him,” says Shirlie.
Photographs: TAMSYN MORGAN
Wham! The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven is released on Sony Music on 7 July. The documentary Wham! is released globally on Netflix on 5 July.
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