Robbie Williams asks Michelle McManus for tour duet in Edinburgh
Robbie Williams has invited Scottish Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus to sing a duet with him on the first date of his tour in Edinburgh.The Rock DJ singer will embark on a highly-anticipated European tour which starts in Murrayfield on 31 May.McManus, who won the televised singing competition in 2003, was interviewing Williams on her Afternoons show on BBC Radio Scotland when he surprised her with the invitation.He asked her: "Would you like to come and sing with me in Edinburgh?"
She replied: "What, sorry? What was that?"Williams repeated his question and McManus, from Glasgow, can be heard starting to cry."Is this a joke?" she said. "For goodness sake, yes!""Let's do it," said Williams. "We'll sort out what song later."The singer is set to perform some of his most popular songs on tour including Angels and She's the One, as well as new songs from his recent biopic.He has previously performed duets with the likes of Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Taylor Swift.
Better Man tells the story of Robbie Williams and his rise to fame - but he is portrayed by an anthropomorphic chimpanzee. The film was released in December and depicts the early days of Take That as well as his struggles with drug addiction and mental health.McManus told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme that she assumed Williams was going to ask her for food recommendations in Edinburgh."At no point ever in my wildest dreams did I think he was about to ask me what he did," she said."I cried a lot after it happened. It's the enormity of being onstage in Murrayfield in front of about 70,000 people with Robbie Williams."But it's also the magnitude of the kindness. Robbie has been so incredibly kind to me on so many different occasions even though he's such a megastar."
McManus said she got to know Williams in the early 2000s after she won Pop Idol."Robbie had just done Knebworth and he was absolutely huge with a solo career," she said."He was getting a lot of really horrible stuff written about him in the press. As soon as Pop Idol came along, I got a lot of that as well."It was so intense at the time about how unattractive I was, about how overweight I was. He was a huge fan of reality TV and noticed that we were both getting a lot of column inches."McManus said Williams reached out to her after her time on Pop Idol with some advice on dealing with the negativity.She added: "I cried a lot with him at the time and it never left me because he gave me some great advice and it really helped me get through that initial period."
When asked what she would like to sing with him, McManus said: "That man could hand me the phone book and I'd sing it for him, I don't care because it's Robbie Williams."Obviously I want to Lulu it right up - but I don't think he'll do Relight My Fire because why would he? With the back catalogue that man's got, I'm not going to ask him to whip out a Take That number."I'll give it my best shot. He knows I'm a big belter."She told BBC Scotland that it was especially meaningful to sing in front of a Scottish crowd with someone who has been "really important to me throughout all of my career".In 2014, McManus was invited to sing with Rod Stewart at the Hydro in Glasgow to celebrate 50 years of the Lisbon Lions - the Celtic team that won the European Cup in Portugal in 1967.She also performed alongside Susan Boyle for Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Glasgow in 2010.But she added: "To get to this point 22 years after I won the competition, this is probably the biggest thing I've been asked to do. "I'm still in shock. My heart is bursting."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
4 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
BBC Radio Scotland presenter to take time off after he was diagnosed with 'incredibly rare' cancer
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A BBC Radio Scotland presenter has announced he will be taking a break from his show after he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Bryan Burnett made an emotional announcement to his Get it On audience on Thursday, June 5, letting his audience know that he needs treatment for appendiceal cancer- which was discovered after having his appendix taken out earlier this year. The 59-year-old reassured that, although his cancer is "incredibly rare", it is expected he will make a full recovery following complex abdominal surgery and chemotherapy, reports The Daily Record. Burnett joked that he was "in good hands" knowing that his surgeon listened to his show. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. He said: "I've experienced the most incredible care and kindness from the NHS staff who have been looking after me. My surgeon is a Get it On listener so I know I'm in good hands. "I will really miss the music and the chat when I'm off but our listeners have given me hundreds of great playlists so that will keep me going over the next few months." He added: "I want to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to all my brilliant producers for all the hand holding and all the encouragement they've given me since they found out my news. "I'm sure they'll let you know how I'm doing over the next few weeks". His fellow BBC presenter, Grant Stott, is set to cover for him during his time off. Hayley Valentine, director at BBC Scotland said: "Bryan is one of our most popular broadcasters on Radio Scotland and I know listeners will join us in wishing him well as he embarks on his treatment. "We look forward to welcoming him back to the Get it On studio once he's recovered." Get it On is a popular evening show on BBC Radio Scotland at 6pm on weekdays. It plays requests sent in by listeners to match a theme set every show. He previously presented country music show Brand New Country for 15 years, and had periods at local stations Radio Clyde and Northsound.
NBC News
10 hours ago
- NBC News
San Antonio police walk back statement dismissing possible hate crime in Jonathan Joss' shooting death
San Antonio police apologized Thursday for a "premature" statement declaring there was no evidence of a hate crime in the death of Jonathan Joss. Joss, a voice actor known for playing John Redcorn in "King of the Hill," was fatally shot Sunday outside his San Antonio home. His neighbor, 56-year-old Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, was arrested and booked on a murder charge, police said. San Antonio Police said in a statement the following day that "despite online claims of this being a hate crime, currently the investigation has found no evidence to indicate that Mr. Joss's murder was related to his sexual orientation." That statement sparked outrage and was rebutted by Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, who believes his husband was killed for his sexual orientation. Chief William P. McManus retracted the police statement on Thursday. "Shouldn't have done it. [It] was way too soon before we had real information, and I will own that," McManus said. 'It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued.' "We understand that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling anxious and concerned. A lot of it has to do with that premature statement that we released, and again, I own that. Shouldn't have done it," he continued. McManus clarified that in Texas, hate crimes are not separate charges and are addressed as sentencing enhancements. "We don't charge with hate crimes. We gather the facts and we give those facts to the district attorney's office, and that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing, but we don't charge hate crime," he said. McManus also said there were concerns surrounding the history Joss had in the neighborhood leading up to the shooting. A review of police records and interviews with neighbors and Kern de Gonzalez showed the couple had issues with neighbors. Kern De Gonzalez said many neighbors would hurl anti-gay slurs at them and complain about their being 'loud.' McManus said Thursday that over the past two years, there have been 70 calls involving neighborhood-type disturbances. Sometimes, Joss is the caller, and other times, the neighbors are calling on him. The police's mental health unit had "extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to remediate conflicts and connect him with services he may have needed," the police chief said. The investigation is ongoing. Ceja was released on $200,000 bond Monday and was ordered to not purchase or possess any firearms and was issued a no contact order. He is awaiting indictment. A court-appointed attorney for Ceja did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The shooting stirred uproar online and among advocates. One X user called out the police department for initially claiming there was no evidence of a hate crime, saying, 'Meanwhile homophobic slurs were yelled, years of harassment were reported & ignored, a house was burned down…'
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
BBC Radio star announces break from show to have treatment for 'rare' cancer
BBC Radio listeners were told tonight that presenter Bryan Burnett would be taking time off from his evening show in Scotland to have treatment for cancer next week A radio host has announced that he will be taking some time off from his show as he undergoes treatment for cancer. Bryan Burnett shared the news with listeners live on BBC Radio earlier this evening ahead of surgery next week. Bryan, 60, opened up about his health on his BBC Radio Scotland show Get It On tonight, which he said would be his last episode for a few months. He said that a tumour was discovered during appendix surgery earlier this year, with it announced that he will now have abdominal surgery and chemotherapy as treatment for appendiceal cancer. He revealed that he's expected to make a "full recovery" and shared that colleague Grant Stott, 58, will cover for him whilst he's off work. Bryan also thanked his team at the radio station for their support during the latest episode. Bryan told listeners: "This is gonna be my last show for a wee while and I want to explain why that is." He went on to say: "Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to take some time off the show to have some treatment for cancer." He explained: "When they removed my appendix recently, they discovered a tumour and appendix cancer is incredibly rare but the good news is it is treatable but I do have to have some fairly hefty abdominal surgery next week." Bryan added: "It's going to mean I'm gonna be off work for a couple of months and you know how hard I will find that. However, I am expected to make a full recovery, which is good news, and I will be back on air, on the show that I truly love, later in the year." Speaking about his team, who he said are "close," he added: "I also want to take this opportunity to so say a massive thank you to my brilliant producers for all the hand holding and all the encouragement that they've given me since they found out my news. And I'm sure they'll let you know how I'm doing over the new few weeks." He then named his cover on the radio show as Grant, before paying tribute to his colleague. Bryan said: "When I'm off, Grant Stott will do most of the shows, so I know that Get It On will be in good hands." The BBC shared this evening that in a short statement Bryan explained that his treatment involves complex abdominal surgery and chemotherapy. Bryan also said in a statement shared by the BBC: "I've experienced the most incredible care and kindness from the NHS staff who have been looking after me. My surgeon is a Get it On listener so I know I'm in good hands. "I will really miss the music and the chat when I'm off but our listeners have given me hundreds of great playlists so that will keep me going over the next few months." BBC Scotland director Hayley Valentine added: "Bryan is one of our most popular broadcasters on Radio Scotland and I know listeners will join us in wishing him well as he embarks on his treatment. We look forward to welcoming him back to the Get it On studio once he's recovered."
