TOM GRENNAN faces a race against time to join his team-mates for this year’s Soccer Aid.
The singer has been England’s top man in recent years thanks to his background as a former youth player at Luton Town.
But fan favourite Tom has an anxious wait ahead of this season’s Unicef charity clash – after having emergency surgery on his right leg.
When Tom posted this snap of his leg in plaster, we dropped him a quick message to wish him a speedy recovery.
He jokingly said he was gutted he didn’t have a wilder rock ’n’ roll injury story to share.
Tom told me: “I would love to whip up a Louis Walsh-style story for you, like he did in that Boyzone documentary recently, but unfortunately it isn’t quite as exciting as that.
“I’ll try to think of something more rock ’n’ roll I can tell people.
“My tendons have gone in my leg and I’ve had to have surgery to get back to normal.
“But obviously my first thought was Soccer Aid.
“It’s pretty much my favourite thing of the year – the chance to get out there and play – so that’s the goal to get back for. I’m gutted, not what I had in mind.
“Fortunately, I don’t have any gigs scheduled in that recovery window so this is the goal . . . get back in time to play.”
There is a big year ahead for Tom, who recently released his latest single Shadowboxing.
It is the first track from his forthcoming album Everywhere I Went Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be, which is out in August.
Tom, who had success with his festive release It Can’t Be Christmas, also has a nationwide arena tour scheduled later this year.
The full line-up for this year’s Soccer Aid is due to be announced shortly, but has regularly featured a host of superstars including Usain Bolt, Sir Mo Farah, Will Ferrell and Robbie Williams alongside ex-professional players.
It has raised more than £106million to date, so here’s hoping Tom can make his recovery and get back out on the pitch.
Lottie’s a party Machine
LOTTIE MOSS partied with Machine Gun Kelly at his F175 after-party.
The half-sister of supermodel Kate put on her version of racing leathers for the bash inside new venue The Rex Rooms in Chelsea, West London.
Kelly, inset, hosted with designer Marc Jacques Burton to celebrate the official launch of the Formula 1 season, which happened earlier at London’s O2 Arena.
He also played a low-key set at the party, where actress Phoebe Torrance and film director Damien Bray were also guests.
The late nights will be good practice for Kelly, who is going to become a dad for the first time in a few weeks when his ex-girlfriend Megan Fox gives birth.
Welcome to the no-sleep club.
Libertines root out their healers for tour therapy
TIMES have certainly changed for The Libertines – those former drug-fuelled party boys have swapped dealers for healers on their European tour.
The Sun told yesterday that frontman Pete Doherty risks losing his toes due to complications with Type 2 diabetes, but he and the Can’t Stand Me Now rockers have been keeping chilled backstage with a couple of holistic healers.
They run a company called Root 2 Rise and claim to offer an “alternative medicine tool kit based on ancient wisdom to support healing and maintenance”.
Among the activities they have offered to Pete and his bandmates Carl Barat, John Hassall and Gary Powell are the Wim Hof Method – incorporating breath work and cold water therapy – sound therapy, reiki, cacao plant medicine, drumming and yoga.
They have been working with Pete for some time and were featured in his documentary with Louis Theroux, where they encouraged him through an ice bath.
That may well get the blood pumping, but it doesn’t look like it’s doing much for Pete’s health.
Sabrina to the rescue at park
SABRINA CARPENTER has saved the day for BST Hyde Park this summer.
The singer will perform a second date, taking the slot Hugh Jackman was due to perform in before he pulled out.
The US star’s first show on July 5 has sold out but now she will play the following night, and tickets go on sale from 10am Monday.
It has also been announced today that Sam Fender, Becky Hill, Fatboy Slim and Raye will perform on the same weekend at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
They will play across the event, which runs from July 3 to 6.
Brian’s new guitar is strumthing special
QUEEN legend Brian May has started working on new music after teaming up with Gibson to release a guitar.
He chatted about writing fresh tracks while unveiling the Brian May SJ-200 12-string acoustic guitar at a launch in London.
“I did a little impromptu performance for Christmas,”
Brian said. “I just started strumming to my beautiful wife.
“Any future releases? Very possibly. I hope so.
“I strum it the whole time because I love it. And it’s inspiring.”
Only 100 of the guitars are available to buy, and Brian said he collaborated with makers Gibson after needing a new guitar for Queen’s upcoming tour this year.
Brian, who made his Red Special guitar from an old fireplace, and plays using a sixpence as a pick, added: “One of the things I asked for was for the octave strings to be placed around the other way from where it is normally done.
“I like to pick upwards and hear the top notes when I’m playing. If you look at this guitar, the beauty of it, and the beauty of the sound, and look at the science in this guitar, look how much technology and craftsmanship has gone into it.
“Gibson was able to put the universe on it in a figurative way and the planet Mercury is here, and that is a little nod to a friend of mine that is always with me.”
Ella and Vick go back to school
ELLA EYRE and Vick Hope are encouraging youngsters towards a career in music and creative industries.
Radio 1 DJ Vick did a Q&A with singer Ella at Kelmscott School in Walthamstow, London, as the first of Mastercard’s Mic Drop Talks.
They are taking place in schools across the UK and are available to watch for free on YouTube to mark Mastercard’s 27th year as a Brit Awards sponsor.
VIRGIN Radio has today launched a pop-up station celebrating Britpop.
The station, which is available on your smart speaker and the Virgin Radio UK app, will feature non-stop music from acts such as Blur, Oasis, Suede, Elastica, Pulp and The Charlatans.
Virgin Radio Britpop will also have world-class specials with people at the heart of the scene in the Nineties, and sessions from the Virgin Radio archive.
Mike Cass, content director of Virgin Radio UK, told me: “The second coming of Britpop is truly here, from the Oasis reunion to so many seminal British albums celebrating their 30th anniversaries this year.
“So it’s the perfect time to celebrate the Britpop renaissance and give it the reverence it deserves with its own pop-up station.”
I’ll be tuning in for a trip down memory lane.
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