There have been challenges to overcome during their three decades together, not least when Martin was diagnosed with two brain tumours in the mid-’90s and spent several years battling back to health following life-saving surgery to remove them. Shirlie Kemp (née Holliman; born 18 April 1962) is an English singer, who found fame in the 1980s with Wham! Up until now because we've had the kids at home it's always been trying to keep work outside the front door - so it doesn't creep inside.

The session was the start of something magical, and made them realise how much they enjoyed recording together going onto work on a carefully selected track listing of uplifting Swing covers, chosen by the couple to reflect on their relationship. Martin and Shirlie Kemp have announced details of their new album In the Swing of It, set for release on Friday 22nd November via Sony Music. She adds: "I don't think all relationships should be all the way through your life, but Martin and I do want our relationship still, so it just feels normal.The idea came after an impromptu recording session with Martin, while working with Cher and One Direction producer Brian Rawling.

This album is wholly upbeat, even the potential ballads (A Nightingale Sang,The Way You Look Tonight) are swung. On 20 January 2006, Kemp opened a new CT scanning suite at Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, West Midlands. Kemp also performed with the band on the popular 1984 famine-relief-project song " Do They Know It's Christmas? She has a media company that makes TV commercials, so she did that side of it for us too," adds Martin proudly. Other than reuniting with Pepsi as part of a Hear And Now tour in 2011, she’s stayed firmly out of the spotlight.Part of the secret why we’ve lasted is to make sure you look after your friendship as well as your love for each other. I know must of them as they are standards and popular tunes even though they are well before my time!

I’m a real homebody and I am scared, because I’m thinking, ‘Just how long will I be away from home for?Writing for Classic Pop since our first issue, John has been to Adam Ant’s house, sworn at by Bob Geldof, touched Johnny Marr’s favourite guitar, interviewed Richard Coles on his vicarage bed and serenaded with Last Christmas by Shirlie Kemp. Although Shirlie has still dabbled in music over the years, she assumed her performing days were behind her. Just give her 20 minutes to warm up,” laughs Martin, poking fun at his wife – before heaping praise on her vocal prowess. What we have as a couple is rare,” acknowledges Shirlie, sat with Martin in a meeting room at their record company Sony.