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The Shift with Sam Baker

Pepsi and Shirlie on miscarriage, mental health and 40 years of friendship

The Shift with Sam Baker

Sam Baker Ltd

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Personal Journals

4.8525 Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It's season finale time. And have I got a festive special for you! There is no child of the 80s who won’t remember today’s guests. For a decade, Pepsi Demacque-Crockett and Shirlie Kemp - better known as Pepsi and Shirlie - were a fixture of the charts. First as part of Wham! With Shirlie’s school friends George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, then as a duo - their first single, Heartache, reached number 2 - only being beaten to number one by their good friend George. Even now they enter most of our homes at least once a year, thanks to the legendary Wham hit, Last Christmas.  Now friends for almost 40 years, Pepsi and Shirlie have written a memoir. It’s All In Black and White records the highs and lows of being thrust into the tabloid limelight while still in their teens, coping with fame - and then the loss of it; public success, personal memories and private grief.  They joined me to talk about their crazy journey from ordinary working class girls to global chart-toppers, their lifelong friendship, confidence, hormones, miscarriage, mental health and so much more. Hope you enjoy the nostalgia trip as much as we did Trigger warning: this episode contains candid discussion of the emotional impact of miscarriage. • You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at Bookshop.org, including It's All In Black And White by Pepsi and Shirlie and the book that inspired this podcast, The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too, by me! • The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker is created and hosted by Sam Baker and edited by Emily Sandford. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate/review/follow as it really does help other people find us. And let me know what you think on twitter @sambaker or instagram @theothersambaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is a paid message from GoFundMe.

0:02.9

My name is Ashley Kane.

0:04.6

I'm the daddy of a little girl in heaven and a father to two boys on earth.

0:09.9

I've got an incredible relationship with GoFundMe, both personally and via our daughter's foundation, the Azalea Foundation.

0:17.4

GoFundMe has allowed me, the foundation, and thousands of people out there to give hope to others in need.

0:25.5

You'd actually be surprised how many people out there are willing to show love and support you in your time of need.

0:33.3

My advice for anyone that needs to stop a GoFundMe would be do it.

0:38.6

You don't need to feel shame.

0:40.1

You don't need to feel guilt.

0:41.3

You don't need to feel embarrassment.

0:43.1

If you need GoFundMe, use GoFundMe.

0:46.8

Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com.

0:50.7

That's gofundme.com.

0:56.7

This message reflects one. That's go fund me.com. G-O-F-U-N-D-M-E.com.

0:59.8

This message reflects one person's experience.

1:10.9

Hello and welcome to The Shift, the podcast that aims to tell the no-hold bar-barred truth about being a woman post-40.

1:14.6

Created and hosted by me, journalist and author, Sam Baker.

1:18.6

There is no child of the 80s who won't remember today's guests.

1:23.9

For a decade, Pepsi de Mac Croquet and Shirley Kemp, better known as Pepsi and Shirley,

1:25.4

were a fixture of the charts.

1:28.4

First, as part of WAM, with Shirley's school friends, George Michael and Andrew Ridgley, then as a duo. Their first single, heartache, reach number two,

1:34.0

only being beaten to number one by their good friend, George. Even now, they enter most of our homes

...

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