Carol Vorderman has called out Conservative peer Shaun Bailey after comments he made about her during an appearance on GB News last month.
Bailey – a former London mayoral candidate, who was appointed to the House Of Lords last year – recently took part in a debate on the divisive news channel, during which he criticised the former Countdown presenter’s credibility as a political commentator.
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“Look, on one hand she’s got all that stuff on [X, formerly known as Twitter], you know, she’s a serious political commentator, and then if you look at her Instagram it’s all pictures of her bums and her boobs,” he claimed.
“So what is it, here? She can’t be both.”
Carol then hit back on her X page on Wednesday, accusing Bailey of being “sexist” and referring to him as the “jingle and mingle partygate apologist”, referring to a picture of him that surfaced at a gathering at Conservative Party headquarters that was taken while lockdown measures were in place.
Tory Shaun Bailey is a MISOGYNIST #SexistShaun – the Jingle & Mingle Partygate apologist
“Carol Vorderman tries to be a serious political commentator. But if you look at her on instagram it’s all pictures of her bum(s) and her boobs. She can’t be both.” he grunted on GB News… pic.twitter.com/KA13Z16OD4
“So, Shaun thinks that women who wear lycra in the gym shouldn’t be allowed a political opinion… or I assume a vote!” she continued.
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“Failed Mayoral candidate #SexistShaun was made a Lord last year. Yet another Tory honour for dishonour.”
In a statement issued to HuffPost UK, Bailey said: “In a recent panel discussion, I used a clumsy form of words to describe Carol Vorderman’s Instagram posts.
“The point I was trying to make is Carol lives in a world of glitz and celebrity, as her Instagram portrays, but simultaneously demonises and bullies those who hold different political views to her own. I strongly support free speech. I don’t support bullying.”
HuffPost UK has also contacted GB News for comment.
“Really exhausting to see this said about @CarolVorders,” Evans wrote. “It’s so easy to use your interview time to go for someone’s arguments, yet he can’t help himself but go for her body.”
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Really exhausting to see this said about @carolvorders.
It’s so easy to use your interview time to go for someones arguments, yet he can’t help himself but go for her body.
Former Tory Mayoral candidate, who was photographed partying during lockdown.
Back in November, Carol told her followers that she was stepping down from her show on BBC Wales as she was “not prepared to stop” criticising the UK government “for what it has done to the country I love”, after new social media guidelines were brought in for BBC employees.
“I was brought up to fight for what I believe in, and I will carry on,” she said.
The Maths expert also recently revealed that she was teaming up with the non-profit the Good Law Project, in a bid to expose a “trove” of previously-unseen material relating to the government’s handling of the Covid crisis.
NEW – THE VIP FILES 🔍🗄️📂
I’m working with @GoodLawProject on a trove of never-before-published material which reveals the staggering scale of the cronyism behind pandemic procurement and the PPE scandal.
The much-loved singer received wide support and praise from fans and critics alike and said at the time: “I know I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to take some time out when others can’t and I’d like to thank my amazing family, friends, team, medical professionals and all of you who’ve been so supportive every step of the way through the good times and even more so during this past year when I’ve needed it more than ever.”
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Adding, “Playing for you every night is all I’ve ever dreamed of so this has been the most difficult decision of my life. I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can.”
The “Someone You Loved” singer stayed relatively quiet on social media until New Year’s Eve when he finally gave a long-awaited update on X (formerly Twitter).
Lewis Capaldi health update
In the update, Lewis shared that taking time off has given him time to work with “incredible professionals” that have helped him learn more about Tourettes and how to cope with that and his anxiety issues, adding that he’s noticed a “marked improvement” since he took time off six months ago.
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He added that the support that he received was “like nothing I’ve ever experienced” and assures fans that it has made him more excited than ever to return to doing what he loves.
He then went on to discuss his second album “Broken By Desire To Be Heavily Sent” and said, “it’s mind blowing to see the songs on this album still resonating with so many of you despite the fact that I’ve not been out there promoting it or touring, it means the world to me”.
Finally, the artist announced that an extended edition of the album has been released with five extra songs.
When it comes to his touring career, though, Lewis is still taking some time to recuperate. He said, “I’m going to continue to take some time to carry on looking after myself, maybe writing some music and taking a moment to reflect on some of the most incredible years of my life.”
Adding, “I want to make absolutely sure I’m 100% before getting back out there again properly for more shows and doing what I love more than anything!”
Speaking to Graham Norton on his self-titled chat show recently, Hollywood star Julia Roberts shared that the original screenplay for Pretty Woman was very different than the movie we all know and love.
Graham said that the movie was “much darker” in its original form ― and having heard Julia’s description of it, I have to agree.
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“I auditioned for this movie that was called 3000,” the Erin Brockovich actor told Graham. The name referred to the amount of money the movie’s main character paid a sex worker ― “and she was a drug addict,” Julia explained.
“The movie ended by him pulling down a side street in Los Angeles, and they have a fight, and he just says, ‘Get out’ and he kind of throws her out the car, throws the money on her, and drives away. The end,” she added.
In fact, former studio executive Jeffrey Katzenberg has previously said that Julia’s character died of an overdose at the end of the initial script. Oof.
So, how did we end up with the film we know and love today?
“The company that was making it folded, and the movie disappeared and I was crushed,” Julia told Graham. “And the next thing I knew, they said, ‘Disney picked up this film… and Garry Marshall is going to direct it.’”
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Disney, which is known for feelgood and child-friendly movies, was hardly likely to produce the script as-was ― and at that point in his career, Garry had worked on shows like The Fonz And The Happy Days Gang and Mork & Mindy.
So naturally, Julia was a little surprised by the pairing. “I was like, ‘oh, of course, this makes perfect sense to me,’” she sarcastically said of the change in director and producers.
“I went in to meet Garry, and he told me all the ways he was gonna change this and make it funny,” she shared with Graham.
In fact, she revealed some changes were so last-minute that they were, as Graham puts it, “kind of writing [the movie] as they were filming.”
“We would break at lunch at maybe 10:15 in the morning because we were out of pages,” Julia said. “We would just kind of, make it up ― Garry would do things like this… ‘Uhhh ― be funny! Action!’,” she added.
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People were pretty surprised
“Imagine signing on to play a drug-addicted [sex worker] in a dark drama, then the producers tell you the film’s retooled into a rom-com with Disney money,” one commenter said in response to a YouTube short of the interview.
“That original ending sounds a lot more realistic,” another (rather depressingly) added.
“OMG! I loooove hearing about how movies and songs get made. The creative journey is filled with surprises!” yet another person shared.
Fans of pop-punk act Paramore haven’t had the most restful holiday period since the band erased all of their social media presence and taken down their website this week.
While this could mean any number of things as artists are more often using their online presence to hype up new releases by wiping their Instagram grids, some fans are concerned that this is the beginning of the end for the trio.
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Can’t tell if this is an end-of-contract thing or a Paramore-being-weird-with-an-upcoming-announcement-thing
Others have pointed out that Paramore are due to tour in the coming weeks and let’s not forget that they’re supporting Taylor Swift on her UK leg of the Eras Tour next summer.
are paramore aware that they’re performing in *checks notes* 18 days?
Paramore’s last album release was This Is Why in February of this year and alongside it, the band released songs This Is Why and Running Out Of Time.
While their Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts are still live, they’ve been completely scrubbed and left with links to the Paramore website which returns a 404: Not Found message.
“All three members agreed that there’s a level of uncertainty”
Paramore recently did an interview with UpRoxx which concluded with: “Now that Paramore has spent the year touring behind This Is Why (and making sure to take better care of themselves while they’re at it), a chapter of the band’s career has come to a close.
“They’ve now fulfilled all label obligations and are effectively free agents. As for the future of Paramore, all three members agreed that there’s a level of uncertainty.”
In a move that concerned fans, lead singer Hayley Williams shared that excerpt in an Instagram story which really adds credence to the theory that the band are preparing to say goodbye after 20 years together.
Ever find yourself in an international airport, wondering why you haven’t seen a single celeb? It’s no secret that a lot of celebrities fly first class on commercial planes, but how come we never see them in the queue to board?
Well, it turns out that for the biggest stars in the world, there’s another secret way for them to travel through airports so that they aren’t confronted with fans.
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During a Q&A session on Twitter, Chrissy Teigen was asked in a now deleted tweet): “How the frick do most celebrities travel on planes? Are you ever just hustling through the airport trying to make it to your gate on time?”
It’s hard to imagine an A-Lister doing the same airport shuffle that we all do but with the strict regulations within airports, what else should we expect?
Well, it turns out that there’s a terminal a mile away from the airport that celebs pay membership for. They go through the same security that we do, though privately, and then they’re escorted to this terminal, before being driven to the plane in a car.
there is a terminal a mile from the airport that you pay membership for. they do the same security privately and take you to the plane in a car. I know. I know. https://t.co/BtFaTBaMKh
According to Women’s Health, Chrissy was likely referring to the Private Suite terminal at LAX which describes itself as being “far away from the traffic and bustle of the public terminal”.
Oh, how the other half live.
This terminal in particular offers, “a back door to your commercial aircraft, private TSA and Customs clearance, luxury spaces and white-glove service before and after your flight.”
Full membership for this service costs $4,850 for the year with an extra $3,550 for up to four travellers for private pick-up and drop-off to the suite though a membership that doesn’t include priority reservations or 30 night complimentary valet parking comes in at just (!) $1,250 for the year.
What are Private Suite terminals like?
Well, they are literally suites meaning that they come with bathrooms, minibars, a two-person daybed and a view of the runway.
Once the flight is boarding, a car will drive members to their plane, where the travellers will get priority boarding.
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According to Women’s Health, “most other airports have private or VIP terminals as well, like Heathrow in London, the Jetex FBO Terminal in Dubai, and Schiphol VIP in Amsterdam.”
I’ll probably stick to a pint in Spoons before my flight, tbh.
In addition to the usual fun and festivities associated with this time of year, Christmas Day in 2023 is a particularly big one for Doctor Who fans.
After those three stand-alone anniversary specials featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, this year’s festive special sees Ncuti Gatwa taking the lead at the helm of the Tardis for the first time.
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In 2017, Millie made her small-screen debut in the CBBC series Jamie Johnson, which centres around the titular teenager’s personal struggles and ambitions of becoming a professional footballer.
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Millie joined the show in its second season as Jamie’s schoolmate Indira Cave, sticking around until the end of the third run.
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The three-part series Butterfly told the story of Maxine, an 11-year-old who is coming to terms with her transgender identity.
Co-starring Anna Friel, Emmett J Scanlan and Alison Steadman, as well as Callum Booth-Ford in his break-out role, Millie played Lily, Maxine’s older sister.
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The chances are, if Millie does look familiar, it’s because you saw her in Coronation Street.
Millie was part of the long-running soap for three years, playing troubled teenager Kelly Neelan, who became the foster child for Toyah Battersby and Imran Habeeb.
During her three years on the cobbles, Kelly was part of some pivotal storylines, most notably her involvement in the death of Seb Franklin.
She also briefly dated Dev Alahan’s son Aadi, before leaving Weatherfield in 2022.
Millie’s time in Corrie may have been relatively short, but she certainly made her mark on the show, scooping Best Young Performer at last year’s British Soap Awards and making the longlist in the Serial Drama Performance category at the NTAs.
Millie Gibson’s other work
Millie Gibson at the British Soap Awards in 2022
Mike Marsland via Getty Images
In 2017, Millie also appeared in an episode of the short-lived Kay Mellor drama Love, Lies And Records, which co-starred Ashley Jensen, Rebecca Front and Mandip Gill.
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She’s also acted on stage in Prom! The Musical and Eyam, both of which were held at Manchester’s prestigious (but, sadly, now-defunct) Oldham Coliseum Theatre.
Millie also lent her voice to the Radio 4 dramas Me Myself I and Stone, but we’re guessing you won’t recognise her from those because… well… they’re literally radio plays.
Doctor Who’s latest Christmas special airs on Monday 25 December at 5.55pm.
While every year there are moans and groans about the Christmas TV schedules being packed with repeats, there’s one show that we definitely don’t mind watching again and again – the original Gavin & Stacey special.
The BBC sitcom had been running for two seasons by the time we got the first festive episode in 2008, and what a Christmas special it was.
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While we’d seen plenty of interactions between the entire Shipman and West clan in the years previous, there was a real moment of joy seeing them all prepare for their first Christmas together following Gavin and Stacey’s wedding.
Not only did the hour-long episode deliver on comedy and plot, but it also highlighted all those little Christmas foibles that go on in households up and down the country come 25 December.
And while it was a burst of nostalgia having the gang back together in 2019 for the much-anticipated reunion episode, there’s something magical about the original that made it such a festive masterpiece.
Here’s why it’s a show that’s worthy of repeat viewing every December…
1. Pam’s take on Christmas cards
Pam had strong views on when to send Christmas cards
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Before 2008, we were always baffled as to why some people would send their Christmas cards before December had even rolled around, but Pam Shipman imparted some serious wisdom on us that made us completely reverse our stance.
“What is the point of sending cards that arrive on Christmas Eve? They’ll get taken down in a few days. That’s why I send all mine on the first of November. Gives people seven weeks to enjoy them,” she said.
You have to admit, she has a point, right?
2. John who?
Step-brother John!
Speaking of Christmas cards, Pam and Mick also tapped into something we’ve all heard our parents say when they receive a festive greeting from someone they cannot quite place.
“Oh, look at that, ‘From John’… It could be mechanic John… It won’t be John from Ann and John.”
3. Doris being ‘absolutely twatted’ before lunchtime on Christmas Eve
Oh how we miss Doris
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A relatable queen.
4. Nessa in the grotto
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Merry Christmas” was an inspired piece of writing from Ruth Jones and James Corden.
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It’s the scene that inspired James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, and despite the fact he’s had the likes of Adele, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga join him in his car to sing along to their biggest hits, it’s still Smithy’s duet down the phone on Do They Know It’s Christmas? that remains the original and the best.
We’ve also never been able to say Midge Ure’s name the same way since.
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The scene where Gwen and Bryn share their first ever mint Baileys before boarding the coach to Essex wasn’t big or flashy, but it had a quiet comfort and poignancy about it, which Gavin & Stacey always nails so perfectly.
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7. Mick’s turkey saga
The turkey scene in Gavin and Stacey
Are you basting it? Are you soaking it overnight? Are you doing it the Nigella way? Or are you sticking to Jamie Oliver, because you “know where you are with him”?
Through the characters of Mick and Pete, the Christmas special managed to perfectly encapsulate the bizarre obsession and competitiveness dads have with other men about their turkeys each year.
8. The fight
Pam wasn’t exactly thrilled with Gavin’s news
Pam’s eruption after finding out her “little prince” was planning on relocating to Barry set off a chain of events that made this scene one of the most memorable in Gavin & Stacey history.
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Not only did Alison Steadman absolutely commit to the moment, but we also saw Gwen finally stand up to Pam, Nessa threaten to “see her outside” (and Pam stupidly believe she could take her on), before Pete went toe-to-toe with Dave Coaches to defend Dawn’s honour.
Admittedly, there’s some language that we’d hope wouldn’t make it into the script in 2021, and we were very pleased when they all put the row behind them. But it has to be said, this scene shook up the dynamic between all the characters and also sent up those fights that happen in every family each festive season.
9. Pam and Mick’s royal romp
Mick in his comedy Prince Charles ears
We learned that Pam’s obsession with the Duchess of Cornwall translated into the bedroom as she prepared to be “knighted” with Mick’s “special sword” while he was wearing a comedy pair of Prince Charles ears.
10. Pam’s vegetarianism comes unstuck
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As “Three Steaks Pam” faced the prospect of a turkey-less Christmas after her long-standing lies about being a vegetarian, it transpired she hadn’t fooled anyone with her stance on meat – except for Gwen that is, who had bought her a vegetarian cookbook for Christmas.
11. The opening of the ‘presents’
Nessa and Dave gifted everyone a single chocolate from a box of Celebrations
Never before had we been so eager to see which Celebration someone was eating, and we definitely still relate to Smithy wrapping all his presents in tin foil for ease.
Doris gifting Gwen talcum powder, despite her still having a stack of it unused at home from previous years, was also a foible we’ve seen play out during present openings over the years.
12. The Nessa and Smithy sexual tension
Smithy didn’t want Nessa to marry Dave
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Years before we got the 2019 Christmas proposal, there was a special moment between Nessa and Smithy that gave fans hope that the characters would finally end up together as Smithy urged her not to marry Dave Coaches.
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We are just days away from Christmas and now that we know that Wham! officially beat Sam Ryder to the coveted number one spot, we can reveal the UK’s favourite Christmas songs ever and it turns out that despite all of our memes, Mariah Carey somehow isn’t the number one fave.
Yes, according to research conducted by digital headphones magazine Headphonesty, which looked at Google search data to determine which of Spotify’s top 100 songs are most loved by Britons, we don’t give our top slot to the popular favourite.
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In fact, the song that hits the top of our charts… technically, arguably… isn’t a Christmas song.
With a winning 32,621 average searches per month, Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen is the UK’s favourite Christmas song. To be fair, it is the biggest Christmas song of the 21st century by a British artist but we’re still surprised to learn that it beats all other Christmas classics.
The most popular Christmas songs in the UK
Following closely behind at number two is of course, Mariah Carey Classic All I Want For Christmas Is You but then, and maybe it’s just me, they get a little weird.
Coming in at number three is the soulful hymn Silent Night followed by Jingle Bells, and Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.
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it’s worth noting, then, that only one of the top five Christmas songs in the UK actually came out this century.
However, recent research from CSGO Luck reveals that globally, people have a touch more taste. Sorry.
New streaming data reveals that Wham!’s 1986 hit Last Christmas is the highest-earning and most streamed Christmas song that has been released in the past 50 years.
The Wham! classic is followed by All I Want For Christmas is You, Ariana Grande’s Santa Tell Me, Michael Bublé’s rendition of It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas and Sia’s Snowman.
Commenting on these findings, a spokesperson for CSGOLuck said, “Social media once again has revealed its power, as you would expect more classic Christmas songs to rank within the top 10. Most of the songs in the ranking have been, to some extent, trending on TikTok or Instagram, resulting in a surge of streams.”
Wham! have emerged victorious in the race for this year’s Christmas number one.
The pop duo’s festive hit Last Christmas was revealed to have topped the charts on Friday, almost 40 years after its release.
Last Christmas first debuted in 1984, and was initially held off the top spot by Band Aid’s charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?.
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While it’s since topped the UK singles chart on several occasions in the streaming era – this marks the first time it’s landed the coveted number one spot at Christmas, which Andrew Ridgeley has said was always George Michael’s hope for the track.
“Last Christmas has finally ascended to the much-cherished and sought-after official Christmas number one, which was always the main goal,” he told the Official Charts Company on Friday.
“George would be beside himself [that] after all of these years, [we’ve] finally obtained Christmas number one. Yog said that he wrote Last Christmas with the intention of writing a Christmas number one. It’s mission accomplished!”
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This new feat makes Last Christmas the longest ever time between a song’s release and its ascent to the top of the Christmas charts, at 39 years.
“Christmas number one has been a long-held ambition for Yog and I,” Andrew added of his late bandmate. “And for the fans, too. It’ll mean a lot to Wham!’s legacy – it’s the crowning glory.
“Last Christmas was conceived as a Christmas number one. Lofty ambitions, but Yog set lofty ambitions for himself as a songwriter. Our fans will have a real sense of achievement and pride in the fact it’s become Christmas number one.”
Wham! had stiff competition from Eurovision favourite Sam Ryder in this week’s chart.
Sam Ryder performing at Camp Bestival earlier this year
“Christmas number two, isn’t that bonkers?” he said. “When we wrote this song, in the blazing month of August, we didn’t even expect it to chart. But here we are, in a Mariah Carey and Wham! sandwich, and we’re the filling. I’m stoked!”
Addressing his fellow musicians, Sam added: “I hope this has given some vigour and some fire to upcoming grass roots and indie artists. You can do it – you’ve just got to set your heart ablaze and get out there.
“Believe, have faith. We always keep fighting. There’s always next week!”
He also revealed he still has a chart-topper in his sights, stating: “Let’s go for it again, let’s get that number one.”
Behind him at number three is Mariah Carey’s festive tune All I Want For Christmas Is You, while Noah Kahan has the week’s highest non-Christmas single with Stick Season at number four.
“He was always slightly upset by the fact [that] he naggingly knew it was the best thing he ever wrote,” Napier-Bell said. “George, above all, really wanted to be remembered as a great songwriter. And I think at the bottom of his mind… it was rather annoying that the song he got so perfect was a Christmas song.”
The former Wham! manager, elsewhere in the interview, referred to the song as a “magnificent piece of work.”
“How can you create a Christmas song that has bells in it, which says ‘Christmas’ every three seconds, and yet has nothing cheesy about it?” he said of the 1984 song.
","type":"video","meta":{"author":"WhamVEVO","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm1QnxCbcLB8fQwoTDk39iQ","cache_age":86400,"description":"Wham! – Last Christmas (Official Video)\nWHAM! The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven: https://wham.lnk.to/TheSingles\nStream and download here: https://Wham.lnk.to/Playlists\nSubscribe to the Wham! YouTube Channel: https://Wham.lnk.to/YT_Subscribe \n \nWATCH LAST CHRISTMAS 4K MUSIC VIDEO ► https://Wham.lnk.to/lastchristmasplaylistAY \nWATCH CARELESS WHISPER HD MUSIC VIDEO ► https://GeorgeMichael.lnk.to/carelessplaylistAY \nWATCH WAKE ME UP HD MUSIC VIDEO ► https://Wham.lnk.to/toptracksplaylistAY \nWATCH CLUB TROPICANA 4K MUSIC VIDEO ►https://Wham.lnk.to/ctplaylistAY \n \nFollow Wham!:\nTik Tok – https://www.tiktok.com/@wham\nInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/whamofficial\nTwitter – https://twitter.com/WhamOfficial_\nFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/Wham\n \n#Wham #Last Christmas #WhamOfficial #GeorgeMichael #WhamOfficialVideo #WhamLive #LastChristmas #WakeMeUpBeforeYouGoGo #WhamLastChristmas #EverythingSheWants #GeorgeMichael #AndrewRidgeley #WhamNetflix #Netflix #80sMusic\n\nLyrics\n\nLast Christmas\nI gave you my heart\nBut the very next day you gave it away\nThis year\nTo save me from tears\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nLast Christmas\nI gave you my heart\nBut the very next day you gave it away\nThis year\nTo save me from tears\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nOnce bitten and twice shy\nI keep my distance\nBut you still catch my eye\nTell me, baby\nDo you recognize me?\nWell, it’s been a year\nIt doesn’t surprise me\n\nHappy Christmas\n\nI wrapped it up and sent it\nWith a note saying \"I love you\"\nI meant it\nNow I know what a fool I’ve been\nBut if you kissed me now\nI know you’d fool me again\n\nLast Christmas\nI gave you my heart\nBut the very next day you gave it away\nThis year\nTo save me from tears\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nLast Christmas\nI gave you my heart\nBut the very next day you gave it away\nThis year\nTo save me from tears\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nOh, oh, baby\n\nA crowded room\nFriends with tired eyes\nI’m hiding from you\nAnd your soul of ice\nMy god, I thought you were someone to rely on\nMe? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on\n\nA face on a lover with a fire in his heart\nA man under cover, but you tore me apart\nNow I’ve found a real love. You’ll never fool me again\n\nLast Christmas\nI gave you my heart\nBut the very next day you gave it away\nThis year\nTo save me from tears\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nLast Christmas\nI gave you my heart\nBut the very next day you gave it away\nThis year\nTo save me from tears\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nA face on a lover with a fire in his heart\nI gave you my heart\nA man under cover, but you tore him apart\nMaybe next year I’ll give it to someone—\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nSpecial\nSomeone\nSomeone\nI’ll give it to someone—\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nWho give me something in return\nI’ll give it to someone—\nHold my heart and watch it burn\nI’ll give it to someone—\n\nI’ll give it to someone—\nI’ll give it to someone special\n\nI thought you were here to stay\nHow could you love me for a day\nI thought you were someone special\n\nGave you my heart\n\nI’ll give it to someone—\nI’ll give it to someone—\n\nLast Christmas\nI gave you my heart\nYou gave it away\n\nI’ll give it to someone—\nI’ll give it to someone—","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E8gmARGvPlI/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Wham! 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The holiday hit holds the No. 4 and No. 1 spots on the Billboard and U.K. charts, respectively, as of late Wednesday.
The song has led TikTok users to take part in the “Whamageddon” game, as well, which Forbes described as a “two-decade-old challenge” where people have to avoid hearing Last Christmas before 25 December.
Andrew Ridgeley, one half of Wham!, told People magazine that the song was “absolutely knockout” when he heard it for the first time.
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“It sounded for all the world like a Christmas classic,” Ridgeley said.
“It’s Christmas distilled if you ask me,” he added. “It’s the essence of Christmas.”
