Dark truths behind Wham! - both before and after George Michael's tragic death

UK number 1 Christmas Hit, Last Christmas, celebrates its 40th anniversary but the Wham! band members have had some troubling times in the past

Last Christmas by Wham! might have been released 40 years ago but every year, the iconic Christmas jingle comes out of the woodwork to entertain the masses.

The timeless music video has once again beamed itself back in the limelight despite several dark twists and turns of fate of its cast members, most notably George Michael. Polling as the UK's Christmas favourite for the second year in a row, the lives of Andrew Ridgeley and backing singers, Shirlie Kemp and Helen 'Pepsi' DeMacque, have changed drastically since the 1984 release. The most obvious twist of fate was the death of lead singer George in 2016, aged 53. The songwriter was found alone in his bed on Christmas day, breaking hearts of fans everywhere, but especially those of the close-knit band.

George Michael

Band member Andrew says there is still "an incompleteness" without George, on the BBC Two's documentary 'Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped'. "To lose such a dear friend, when you have a particular bond, it was a truly desperate moment," he went on, describing George as his "other half."

The Wham! duo bonded over being sons of immigrants in North London (George's father was Greek Cypriot and Andrew’s was Egyptian). In a later interview, Andrew says George's lack of confidence in his looks "came from a childhood perspective" that was "hard to shift."

George had troubles with his sexuality. He shared: "My depression at the end of Wham! was because I was beginning to realise I was gay, not bisexual." The documentary shares how George had come out to Wham! after filming 'Club Tropicana' in Ibiza. With a failed-to-follow-through civil partnership with ex Kenny Goss, George appeared to have been unlucky in love.

George also was also connected to multiple arrests regarding drug abuse. After his 2008 Tour, the singer "lived in a haze," and "stayed high on pot for almost every waking moment." In the biography George Michael: A Life, it says he "arranged GHB-fuelled trysts and took midnight joints to [Hampstead] Heath” — a gay cruising area. In 2008, George was arrested for lurking in an underground men’s room in Heath and possessing marijuana and crack cocaine. Months later, he was arrested after a car accident where he was found "drenched in sweat” with “gaping eyes and dilated pupils.”

George had a nine-year, on-and-off relationship with adult-film star Paul Stag who acted as both supplier and escort. The famed singer was found in various instances passed out from excessive substance abuse and overdose only to die during his last Christmas, alone in his bed.

Andrew Ridgeley

Three years after George's passing, Andrew published a book called Wham!: George & Me which reflected on their lifelong friendship, and the ups and downs of his musical career. The book sheds light on Andrew's suspicions where he wrote: "The circumstances of [George's] death seemed unclear. Without any real closure the grieving seemed terribly raw." In Wham!, Andrew co-wrote, played guitar and provided backing vocals. Being reduced to George's shadow as 'Randy Andy', Andrew preferred to stay away from celebrity life. He said to PennyBlackMusic: "I didn't need the aggro! It was a constant gnawing at me."

Disbanding in 1986, tabloids blamed Andrew for being the 'weak link' who did not contribute to the band's style. Though Andrew has stated the Wham! break up was a mutual decision, he admits in the documentary trailer that he "only ever" wanted to be in a band with George. He told The Big Issue that he "had no real idea" what to do next. "I didn't have any real ambitions to do anything else in music," said Andrew. "I didn't have any artistic destiny like [George].'

Andrew has since failed to find similar success across several career switches, including his short-lived Formula 3 racing in Monaco, acting attempt in LA, and poorly sold album 'Son of Albert' which received half a star from Rolling Stones in 1990. Since then, he adopted a private lifestyle in Cornwall.

Following George's death, Andrew has broken up with Bananarama's Keren Woodward after 27 years, left a year-long relationship with socialite Amanda Cronin, and has recently revealed to The Telegraph he is now in several relationships and "no longer aspires to be monogamous." The previously labelled 'Animal Andy' now claims that, due to lifestyle, a long-term relationship is difficult to maintain."

Shirlie Kemp

Backing singer and dancer Shirlie has recently shared her battles with endometriosis. On Lorraine, she shared how she would experience "excruciating pain" where she was "bed-ridden, vomiting and unable to move." She recalls how her then-GP suggested it was food poisoning "because the vomiting didn't make sense" and given only paracetamol.

She told the hosts: "When you're suffering really badly as a young girl, and other people aren't, you're looking [at] 'It's just a period pain, you need to get over it. Or you'll grow out of it.'" Shirlie admits she "never grew out of it," it got "worse and worse" and "was like 48 hour, continuous labour."

During Wham!, Shirlie shared she would look at her diary in dread: "Pepsi knew how bad I was and would always back me up saying we can't do that." She shared that on airplanes she would "roll up in a ball and put a blanket over herself" and dangerously took too many anti-inflammatory meds. "There wasn't any help. I feared that time of the month." This began to affect Shirlie's confidence. Shirlie went so far as to claim childbirth was genuinely easier than endometriosis pain.

After dating bandmate A ndrew for two years, Shirlie married Martin Kemp in 1988 and experienced a new set of trials outside of Wham!. She also formed a popular duo with a fellow bandmate, as 'Pepsi and Shirlie', releasing two successful albums.

Shirlie later had to leave work in 1995 to look after husband Martin when he was diagnosed with two brain tumours. She told This Morning: "One of the hardest things, mentally, was knowing that he had this huge brain tumour and this huge operation where they removed his skull, put in titanium plates on his head, but he had another tumour as well that we had to fight for the next one."

The couple had to sell their house and move to somewhere cheaper: "Martin didn't earn anything for five years. I sold off our art, furniture, everything. I wanted us to maintain a normal life." In The Times, Shirlie said "This was all I wanted - babies, marriage - and now it was falling away. For a few years I was drowning in emotion." After George's death "I was a zombie for weeks. My family didn't leave my side. They lit candles around the house."

Helen 'Pepsi' DeMacque

Before she joined Wham! Pepsi admitted she felt like an outsider. She shared she "desperately wanted to be part of their gang" and that "people assume we became good friends instantly but they had all known each for a long time". Experiencing a sense of loss after Wham!, she also found splitting from Pepsi and Shirlie "very difficult for a long time" and was left aimless.

Pepsi detailed how she found out about George's death through her daughter Harley. Speaking to The Guardian, she said: "When George died, Shirlie couldn’t make the call to me as she was too upset, so Harley did. It was a hard, hard time for all of us. I came back to the UK for his tribute at the Brits a few months later. At first it was really emotional to see Shirlie again, then you start having a little bicker and soon enough it creates a lightness that softens the load."