Category: Pepsi & Shirlie

Martin Kemp is interviewed for Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, which airs tomorrow at 9pm on ITV1.

In the interview, Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet tells how George Michael introduced him to his wife Shirlie Holliman while she was with Wham!, helped find the expert who saved Martin’s life, and landed him his key acting role in EastEnders.

In a clip on the show, Shirlie Kemp says: “Every time I used to see him, I’d think, ‘Oh my God, he’s so good looking!’

“I was at my friend George Michael’s house and he was saying, ‘You really ought to phone him’.

“He dialed the number and handed the phone to me and the rest is history.”

Martin says: “The first date Shirlie and I ever went on, George came as a chaperone.

“I spent the whole evening trying to lose him so me and Shirlie could sneak off somewhere and snog. I was completely obsessed with Shirlie.

“I’d seen her on Top of the Pops doing ‘Wham Rap’ wearing this white dress with a big slit up the side and I was in love with her.”

While Martin was shooting a television show, Shirlie found a lump on the back of Martin’s head. Martin had two tumors and the one inside his head was the size of a grapefruit and weighed 2kg.

Martin explains: “Shirlie went off with George Michael and they found this professor and he said to me, ‘They haven’t tried it before but there’s a machine in Barts Hospital called stereotactic radiation where they zap it from all different angles’.

“They’d only tried it on cancer patients and never on a benign tumor so they didn’t know if it was going to work.

“I went there and within 20 minutes of being zapped the thing started to die.

“So it was a lot of stress and a lot of worry, but I’d finally reached the end of it.”

Then in 1998 he was cast as Steve Owen in EastEnders.

Martin says that George Michael was up at the Square a few weeks before and said, “You should look at Martin Kemp, he’ll be good for this.”

Martin adds: “He’s a special person, George. He’s been a good friend to us for years.”

Shirlie Kemp posted the following on her Twitter account:

I haven’t heard anymore news about George, which I guess is a good thing, he is being well looked after and responding well to treatment

The Mirror is reporting:

Pop star George Michael was being treated in intensive care for pneumonia last night as concerns for his health mounted.

The singer is under round-the clock care at a top hospital in the Austrian capital Vienna after he was struck down with illness before a gig this week.

Yesterday an unnamed doctor at the hospital told a local newspaper that he is also being treated for serious heart problems by cardiologists, but George’s spokesman insisted it was “absolute nonsense”.

According to Austria’s respected national broadcaster ORF, George, 48, was initially admitted to the Wiener Rudolfinerhaus private clinic after doctors examined him at his hotel suite just hours before he was due to go on stage on Monday.

But his condition worsened and he was transferred to the intensive care unit at the city’s AKH General Hospital.

The Mail is reporting:

One relieved close friend told the Mail: ‘George has woken up and he’s in good spirits.

‘Doctors are very pleased with him – and he’s making progress.

‘He’s been in terrible pain. He’s had a dreadful chest infection – but he’s been in good care. He’s in very capable hands.’

Showing the deep level of concern for the star amongst his close-knit circle, the friend went on: ‘This is a very serious condition. It cannot be understated. George needs rest.

‘It takes ages to recover. It is serious – but he is in good hands.’

Michael is being treated on the thirteenth floor of the AKH hospital, in a suite normally used by Austrian politicians and other VIPs when they are seriously ill.

Doctors yesterday brought in a special bed for the star which is used to help breathing for patients who have suffered bad cases of pneumonia.

Another friend said today: ‘George is improving. He’s happy – and smiling.’

The Daily Star is reporting that it could take up to two months for George to recover:

Drug users are among the higher-risk group of people susceptible to catching pneumonia.

Medical experts say it can take as much as two months to get over serious pneumonia.

Advice on private health firm Bupa’s website said: “Pneumonia can make you feel very tired for up to six weeks afterwards, or longer if you were in hospital.

“At first, you may find it hard to walk without getting out of breath but as you recover, your energy and lung function will return to normal.

“After six weeks you will probably have a check up with your GP and possibly a follow-up X-ray, especially if you’re a smoker.”

Shirlie Kemp posted on her Twitter account that:

George is doing well, been rather poorly but on the mend x

The Daily Mail is reporting:

A friend, though, insisted he was responding ‘well’ to treatment for the pneumonia.

‘He got ill, it’s very cold in that part of Europe, and then he got pneumonia. He’s responding well to treatment, very good. But he has to rest. He’s got to let this illness run its course.’

The Daily Mail also reported that George is being treated in Vienna and he is being cared for by medics in a private house.