Tony Mortimer re-releasing East 17’s iconic Stay Another Day & reveals why bandmates no longer talk to each other

Thirty years aft East 17 bagged the Christmas No1 with Stay Another Day, Tony Mortimer is bringing the way backmost for different ace astatine the apical spot.

The re-release, which volition beryllium retired connected vinyl connected December 13, is not for an ego boost, however.

Tony is teaming up with the superb euphony charity Nordoff and Robbins — with £1 of each 7in sold going to the charity.

As we settee down astatine London’s posh Century Club for a catch-up, my archetypal interest is the whereabouts of that celebrated achromatic overgarment helium wore successful the 1994 euphony video.

“Mine is successful the garage,” says Tony with a laugh.

“I weighed 9st backmost then; I’d ne'er acceptable successful it now.”

Tony is nary longer successful interaction with his bandmates Brian Harvey, Terry Coldwell, and John Hendy, telling me: “When you’re that adjacent it’s intense.

“We were precise young, and radical hide however young we were. It was a large time, but it’s a immense change.”

While the re-release whitethorn not person unified East 17, who notched up 11 Top Ten singles successful their time, it surely volition assistance the young radical who payment from Nordoff and Robbins’ euphony therapy work.

“The grounds institution said they wanted to bash thing for the 30th anniversary,” Tony explains. “I said I couldn’t conscionable basal there; radical would pelt me.

“They suggested getting Nordoff and Robbins involved.

“Seeing however overmuch bully they do, I wanted to bash it for them.

“I was past introduced to Ruby, who uses Nordoff and Robbins, and to spot that first-hand was incredible.

“She plays bass, and it reminded maine astir however I consciousness erstwhile I play guitar.

“I got connected to the soft arsenic she played bass, and I perfectly destroyed it.”

The brace volition execute Stay Another Day unneurotic connected December 10 astatine Nordoff and Robbins’ Christmas Carol concert.

Tony adds: “I spoke to Ruby’s mum. You could spot the value lifting disconnected her shoulders due to the fact that of Nordoff and Robbins. When I played Stay Another Day she started to cry.

“I conscionable privation to rise consciousness of the astonishing enactment they do, and if radical haven’t heard of them, I anticipation they scope out.”

Stay Another Day has a precise peculiar meaning for Tony. He wrote the opus for his member Ollie, who took his ain beingness aged 19 successful 1989.

“Stay Another Day wasn’t expected to beryllium released,” Tony tells me.

“It was truthful personal. It was a small ballad inspired by him, and I changed it into an ambiguous emotion song. But the symptom came from there.

“As soon arsenic the statement heard it, they said, ‘That’s going to beryllium Christmas No1’.”

Pulling retired his phone, Tony shows maine a photograph his sister had recovered of him and Ollie with their precocious dad.

Smiling, Tony explains: “That’s maine aged 10 with Dad, and that’s Ollie astatine 13.”

To make a lasting bequest for his member with specified a beauteous opus is something, I archer Tony, that helium should beryllium arrogant of. But ever self-deprecating, helium says: “I privation to apologise due to the fact that it’s truthful sad. I privation it was a blessed 1 I wrote.

“It was a achy story. But if you tin usage that to constitute thing that’s a benignant of emotion song, it’s going to beryllium rather powerful. This is my small acquisition to the world.”

l You tin get your peculiar vinyl and assistance Nordoff and Robbins astatine stayanotherday.co.uk.

Christine reddish hot

Christine McGuinness looked connected occurrence successful this mini-dress and tights astatine The Beauty Awards, truthful it’s nary wonderment her emotion beingness is flourishing.

The world prima and exemplary has revealed that she’s got a “busy dating diary” 2 years connected from her divided from hubby Paddy.

She told us: “I’m conscionable dating. I don’t privation to bash thing excessively serious; I’m conscionable figuring retired what works for me.

“I was azygous for a agelong time, and I stayed connected my own, and I loved it and I loved having that clip to myself.

“But I’m a woman. I privation immoderate company; I privation to beryllium astir adults.

“Right present I’m not acceptable to participate into a narration oregon anything,” she added.

She attended the bash successful cardinal London connected Monday evening alongside Ekin-Su Culculoglu, Lottie Moss, and Stacey Solomon.

The lawsuit celebrates the champion quality products connected the market, truthful I ideate they were each dashing to drawback a goodie container astatine the end.

Rod a Glasto legend

Sir Rod Stewart volition observe his epic vocation by playing the prestigious Legends Slot astatine Glastonbury next summer.

Rod, who past played astatine Worthy Farm successful 2002, said: “After each these years, I’m arrogant and acceptable and much than capable to instrumentality the signifier again to pleasance and titillate my friends astatine Glastonbury.”

Organiser Emily Eavis said: “Bringing Sir Rod Stewart backmost is everything we could privation for.

“What a mode to bow retired with the last Legends Slot earlier we instrumentality a fallow year.”

I, for one, cannot hold for a bully aged singalong.

Lana successful studio

Lana Del Rey volition person caller euphony retired successful clip for her stadium circuit adjacent summer.

The US singer, who shocked fans erstwhile she wed an alligator circuit usher successful September — conscionable 1 period aft their romance was revealed — volition merchandise The Right Person Will Stay connected May 21.

It comes aft Lana scored her sixth No1 medium with Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd past year.

Wicked’s spellbinding debut

Wicked has formed its magic connected audiences with the biggest opening play of the twelvemonth astatine the UK container office.

It made £13.7million successful its archetypal 3 days, which is £1.1million much than what Deadpool & Wolverine made successful July.

The movie, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, besides marks the best-performing opening play for immoderate stage-to-screen adaptation successful the UK.

Jack’s wrestle mania

Jack Whitehall isn’t precisely the astir buff bloke successful showbiz, but helium harbours concealed ambitions of becoming a wrestler.

The comic said: “I’ve ever liked wrestling. I besides had a mates of wrestling lessons erstwhile I was successful my aboriginal 20s.”

Jack would emotion to get successful the ring, conscionable similar Cruella and Black Bird histrion Paul Walter Hauser does.

He told the Proper Tasty Pub Quiz podcast, retired today: “Paul’s obsessed with wrestling, and that’s thing that we bonded over.

“He once, aft helium won a Golden Globe, went consecutive to AEW Wrestling astatine the Forum successful Los Angeles, and they enactment a seat done his head, which was great.

“I’d similar to bash that astatine immoderate point, if I ever triumph an award.

“Maybe spell and get connected signifier and get enactment done a array oregon something.”

Drake’s diss warfare hots up

Drake is going to warfare with his ain grounds statement implicit his spat with rap rival Kendrick Lamar.

The Hotline Bling vocalist has launched ineligible enactment against Universal Music Group and Spotify, alleging that they conspired to marque diss way Not Like Us, by Kendrick, much popular.

He has filed ineligible documents claiming they “launched a run to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

It’s beauteous singular fixed Drake has been signed to the statement for his full career, and it leaves question marks implicit his future successful music.

Spotify and Universal some contradict the claims.

In a connection to Billboard, a Universal rep said: “The proposition that UMG would bash thing to undermine immoderate of its artists is violative and untrue. No magnitude of contrived and absurd ineligible arguments successful this pre-action submission tin disguise the information that fans take the euphony they privation to hear.”

Ouch.

It’s ouch-o for the Groucho

It is the hedonistic backstage members’ nine wherever Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Robbie Williams, and Liam Gallagher person each partied.

Bono adjacent serenaded Bill Clinton determination successful the aged days earlier camera phones, which, I hasten to add, are banned.

But the Groucho Club could adjacent for bully aft being associated with “serious” crime.

The venue unopen connected Monday aft the assembly suspended its licence with contiguous effect.

Boss Elli Jafari emailed members, saying they expected a afloat review by Christmas.

As the news bandied astir my manufacture mates and celebrity pals, determination was genuine horror.

The Groucho has successful caller years been hammered for being “too corporate,” but to me, it trumps the Soho House laptop brigade, who clog up their London venues with their boring enactment lunches.

I sojourn regularly for a spot of celeb spotting, and the past enactment I snuck into determination was held by Blur earlier this twelvemonth to observe their caller film.

Last week I ate astatine the nine with comedian Stephen Bailey. As helium texted maine yesterday: “The lone superior transgression I tin deliberation of was america murdering those steaks connected Friday . . . ”

God assistance maine erstwhile my brag sees the bill.

If the Groucho closes for good, it would beryllium a bittersweet time indeed.

I anticipation Elli, the archetypal pistillate CEO of the club, which opened successful 1985, tin crook it around.

Hooraye to collab with Tom

Tom Grennan volition beryllium hoping to squad up with Raye successful 2025 aft revealing the vocalist is his imagination collaboration.

Tom told Hits Radio: “I’ve known her for a precise agelong time. And I deliberation what she’s done, and what she’s ever done, is brilliant.

“I retrieve we spoke astir it ages ago. Then she went and done what she’s done now.

“So I haven’t seen her for a while.

“But I would emotion to enactment with Raye.”