Latest news with #Pepsi&Shirlie
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shirlie Kemp's garden terrace with firepit is the definition of cosy chic
Anyone who follows Shirlie Kempknows that her home is her passion project. The former Wham! dancer and her husband Martin bought a derelict Victorian home, renovated it entirely, and documented their journey on their Instagram account, @maisonnumer9. But their garden is equally stunning and boasts an outdoor terrace that is the definition of cosy chic. One terrace area they have in their garden is located far down their garden just outside the converted pig shed they've affectionately named Piglet. The area, centred in the middle of their sprawling lawn, has been fitted with stylish decking and Shirlie and Martin have erected a pergola which covers the terrace entirely. The pergola by nature is roofless but is covered in flowers making the area even more beautiful. The couple, who married in the late 1980s and are parents to singer Harley Moon and former Capital FM Radio DJ Roman, have also placed two wooden deck chairs outside Piglet and a few steps away they also have a huge firepit – making it perfectly cosy while sitting outside on chilly evenings. The area also has an outdoor dining table and chairs, a bench, plus a barbeque, so when hosting in the summer the family can enjoy al fresco dining. Not only has the main building been a major project for the couple, but the sprawling outdoor area has taken "years" for them to transform, with Shirlie admitting that there's still more to be done before it becomes her dream vision. The outhouse was originally a pig shed that the former popstars were tempted to rip down when they bought their property back in 2021, but instead, the Pepsi & Shirlie singer had a vision to transform it into a separate building in their garden. Piglet is stylish as well as functional. It's clad in wooden panels with black metal-rimmed doors and windows, giving it an overall rustic feel. Inside, the converted outhouse is a floral haven. Shirlie uses the area as her studio and it's naturally filled with workspace areas and is draped from top to bottom in gorgeous foliage. Elsewhere, Shirlie is looking forward to embracing the change of season very soon. Discussing the plans she has for her garden on Instagram she said: "It always amazes me that when [you're] out in the garden this time of year when it's freezing, wet and muddy that it will all come back. "I find the winters so hard but the promise of spring is so exciting. There's so much I'd like to add to the garden but I keep looking back to realise how far we have come."
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wham! star Pepsi details her 'traumatic' miscarriages and reveals 'difficult' decision she made with husband
Wham! star Helen 'Pepsi' Demacque-Crockett has opened up about her 'traumatic' miscarriages. Demacque-Crockett, who shot to fame as a Wham! backing singer and as part of the duo Pepsi & Shirlie, talked about her dream of having children with her husband, James Crockett. The singer, 66, reflected on the 'shame' she felt from her miscarriages and revealed the 'difficult' decision she and James made not to have kids after her fertility battle. The couple - who married in 2002 - considered IVF but ultimately decided against it and went on to create a 'life of value' travelling and living in the Caribbean. 'It was really initially difficult because it was like, seeing another woman with a baby in their arms, I was like, 'I'm never, ever, ever, gonna have that,'' she told The Mirror. The couple live in St Lucia, where her parents had emigrated to the UK from, and own a charter sailing business there. Demacque-Crockett went on: 'I had quite a few miscarriages and one of the big moments in my life was when I was in New Zealand and I had a miscarriage that was just to traumatic - and it was just quite extraordinary because there was an element of shame connected to it.' The singer said that she was able to let go of the 'shame' by talking about her experiences with other women who had had miscarriages. Demacque-Crockett revealed she and James decided to turn a life without children into a positive and take advantage of the 'freedom' of not having kids. 'We made a decision, it was like, 'Right, it doesn't look like it's gonna happen again. Why don't we just live our life?'' she recalled. ''Why don't we just just use the freedom of not having children, not bound by anywhere and really create a life of value?'' After singing with Wham! in the '80s and performing as one part of Pepsi & Shirlie, Demacque-Crockett collaborated with Mike Oldfield and performed on his Then & Now tour. She then left the spotlight, moving to New Zealand where she worked in a gift shop, before settling in the Caribbean. The star and her husband's charter sailing company run tours for holidaymakers and also offer a summer training program for students from the National Skills Development Centre, which helps get young people into work. Earlier this month, Demacque-Crockett released a book, Island Song, which she said was inspired by her parents. Sharing a video of herself walking along a beach in St Lucia on Instagram earlier this week, she wrote: 'It was my parents that inspired me to write Island Song. 'They left St Lucia in the 1950s and headed to a story of courage,resilience, hope, and lots of love.'
