Singer and former Strictly star Sophie Ellis-Bextor shared an emotional moment with fans at a music festival on Friday night as she opened up following the death of her beloved step-dad two years ago. The Murder on the Dancefloor singer was the headline act at The Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, on Friday (June 3) when she addressed the crowd.
She had just performed her single Young Blood which she has since dedicated to her stepfather John Leach, who died in 2020 from cancer. She said the song is about how when you fall in love with someone, no matter how many years go by, a part of you always sees the other person as they were when you first met them.
It was a powerful and emotional rendition of the song that was released back in 2013. And Sophie, who was performing her Kitchen Disco at the festival at Cheltenham Racecourse, shared a surprising and moving revelation as she finished singing.
She said it was the first time in two years she has sung the song with her eyes open, telling fans she has always sung it with them shut. And the reason for keeping them open was because of the stunning sight of lights shining from festival-goers' mobile phones that created a powerful galaxy of lights.
There were shouts of 'we love you, Sophie' as she performed her own hits and disco classics to a packed festival as the sun went down.
Last month, Sophie, 43, revealed she once turned down the chance to be a judge on the Eurovision Song Contest. The singer-songwriter was lined up for the panel in 2019, but said a combination of having a young child and being unable to watch the show in silence had prevented her from taking part.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Sophie said that following the success of her hit song Murder On The Dancefloor, which was the most played track in Europe in 2002, she had had a “conversation” about becoming a competition judge.
“I had a very small baby that I was still feeding, and they wouldn’t let me bring it along,” she said.
“I’m pretty sure the baby would have been impartial but, you know what, I think part of what I like about Eurovision is that it has very much got its rules… it’s kooky.
“We weren’t going to be allowed to speak while we were watching it either, and I thought, ‘I can’t watch Eurovision in silence’.”
During her Kitchen Discos the singer hosted during lockdown, when she encouraged people to sing and dance in their own kitchens as she livestreamed from home with her own family.
In 2013, Sophie reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing with partner Brendan Cole. And last November, she raised £803,384 for BBC Children in Need after dancing for 24 hours.
