George Michael’s death was the poignant inspiration for Bananarama’s reunion, the trio has revealed.
Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin - who formed the original lineup for the chart-topping band all the way back in 1979 - announced yesterday that they would be reforming for their first ever tour, and now one of their number has explained how the loss of their great friend had prompted them to get back together.
Keren, who was in a relationship with George’s Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley for 25 years, told the Sun how the death of their great friend had made them realise “life’s too bloody short” to waste the opportunity to reform.
Karen said: “He was such a huge part of our lives. I’d only just lost a cousin too who was my age, and George’s death was the instigating factor really for saying yes to doing this now.”
“Before George’s death the fact my cousin had passed away had already got me thinking along those lines too – the fact that they were both around my age, that just makes you think ‘Life’s too bloody short’.
“You’ve got to do whatever you can, you don’t know what’s going to happen, and all those things made me think ‘It’s now or never.’”
Keren lived with Andrew for more than two decades and, although she reveals the couple have now split, they both continue to live in Cornwall.
George Michael had been very close friends with all of the Bananarama girls since the 1980s when they all found fame. Boy George recently revealed that, although he had never been good pals with George Michael, he had once enjoyed a great evening with him, when they both been invited to dinner with the pop trio.
Bananarama will be going back on the road later in the year for 15 dates, in which will be their first ever tour. This fact may surprise their fans, bearing in mind their long string of top ten hits - including ‘I Heard a Rumour, ‘Venus’, ‘Love in the First Degree’. Their success made the the biggest-selling girl band of the 1980s, but they split acrimoniously in 1988, when Siobhan Fahey left to form Shakespear’s Sister.
Siobhan told Chris Evans’ radio show yesterday: “I was really touched because it wasn’t for any other reason than we love each other and really loved what we did.
“These were my formative years. I never thought it would happen again.”
