Crooning glory
his particular job description because I believe it was a rather secret operation. I always wish that I had pressed him for more information. One of my other grandads also served in the RAF during National Service.”
No wonder then she was determined, despite being eight-and-a-half months’ pregnant, to finish recording I’ll Remember You in the summer.
She said: “I was really pleased we did so well and managed to get the album done before I gave birth.
“It’s been six weeks but I’m going to be filming some TV shows this week and will be taking Jessie with me.
“It’s been good timing. Next year we are going to go on tour so hopefully childcare will be established by then and she’ll be six months plus.”
Hubby David was born in Aberdeen and works in paediatrics at St George’s Hospital in Tooting. London. He also beat Emily Louise on to TV, appearing in 24 Hours in A&E last year.
Though baby Jessie is half Scottish, she hasn’t made it north yet to visit David’s mum and sister, who live in Dunfermline.
Emily Louise explained: “I want to wait until she’s a bit older before we get her on a plane with all these coughs and colds about.
“The last two Christmases we’ve been in Scotland but this year we’ll be with my family. David’s sister came down last week and his mum will be coming down soon to meet Jessie.
“But his side of the family are already making sure she knows her Scots roots. Her auntie has bought her a tartan dress.
“I’m really intrigued to see if she speaks like me or like David.”
While Emily Louise was on maternity leave The D-Day Darlings sang at the funeral of Amanda Holden’s gran, who also served in the military.
She said: “I wasn’t there because I was about to have a baby but the rest of the girls performed. She asked us to perform at her grandmother’s wake.”
While fellow BGT judges Simon Cowell and David Walliams haven’t been in touch, all are rooting for the album’s success. As well as the wartime classics, there are two brand new songs, I’ll Remember You and Mary (a tribute to Mary Ellis, the last female spitfire pilot who died in July) both co-written with Katie Ashby, the band’s founder and lead singer. She formed The D-Day Darlings a decade ago as a trio. They are now a nine-piece group and proudly supported by Dame Vera Lynn.
On BGT they wore WRAF uniforms against a backdrop of wartime film footage, with David Walliams saying they were the “most incredible celebration of this country”.
They hope BGT success will see people going out and buying the album. And while they know the wartime classics won’t be played on Radio 1, they are hoping the two new songs might be given airplay as they are more modern.
Emily Louise said: “It’s really important, especially this year to remember those who lost their lives 100 years ago in World War I.
“Hopefully the album is uplifting and something to bring everybody together.”
The D-Day Darlings’ debut album I’ll Remember You is out now.