'Covid-19 sufferer given helping hand by singer
Former Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow has recorded a video rendition of With A Little Help From My Friends for a woman fighting covid-19 in hospital and “all our NHS angels”.
The scottish singer filmed the video for 44-year-old Sam Emmonds, who has been treated at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
Her sister Hayley Fagan, an acute medical technician, reached out to Mr Pellow through social media to give Ms Emmonds a boost.
She told the Portsmouth
News: “We didn’t actually think anything would come of it. “He first sent a message to sam and the next day i asked him again – could he please sing? And he did.”
The singer posted on Youtube: “This one is for Sam Emmonds who is fighting the fight with help from our @ NHS angels at the Queen Alexandra hospital in portsmouth.
“Sing along with me for Sam and all our amazingly brave NHS staff.
“I have left a wee space for you to scream and let it all out. Stay home and stay safe everyone love to love Marti”.
The 55-year-old then posted a second video of him singing another of his former band’s cover versions that reached number one, Love Is All Around, in which he says: “I can’t believe the response to me singing the song for Sam, it’s unbelievable and I hear she’s on the mend.”
He adds: “Once again a big shout out to the NHS, key workers and frontline workers.” Claudia Winkleman, Dame Joan Collins and Carey
Mulligan are meanwhile among the stars supporting Comic Relief to raise funds to help vulnerable people whose lives have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
They are joined by Marcus Mumford, Himesh Patel, Louise minchin, miranda hart and Robert Rinder in backing a collaboration with author, artist and illustrator Charlie Mackesy, who has designed a T-shirt that will raise money for charities fighting the spread of Covid-19.
The limited-edition T-shirt features the illustrator’s characters, the Boy and the Mole, alongside the slogan Love Wins.
Winkleman said: “I think the design by Charlie Mackesy is just beautiful.”