It’s never too late to try something: The one lesson former Spandau Ballet frontman TONY HADLEY has learned from life
- His wife, Ali, suggested moving from London to the country, which has given him the sense of freedom
- READ MORE: It’s best to tackle one thing every day: MICHAEL ROSEN reveals the one lesson he’s learned from life
Tony Hadley, 62, rose to fame as the frontman of Spandau Ballet and has been a solo singer since 1990. He lives in Buckinghamshire with wife Ali and their daughters Zara, 15, and Genevieve, 11. He has three children from his first marriage.
It’s never too late to try something
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and think that because you’ve always done something, you can’t do anything else.
My wife Ali is a country lass and she once asked if I could imagine moving out of the city. I said: ‘I’m a Londoner, born and bred, I’ve lived here for 50 years!’
As a kid I played on bomb sites, I loved London and all that it was, as grubby as it could be sometimes. Then I wondered if I was being a bit selfish. She’d moved to be with me, so I thought I should be fair and consider it.
Tony Hadley, 62, ves in Buckinghamshire with wife Ali and their daughters Zara, 15, and Genevieve, 11. He has three children from his first marriage
Eventually, I decided to take the plunge. If I was moving out of London, I didn’t just want to live on the fringes of the M25; I wanted combine harvesters and farms – and that’s what we did.
That was 12 years ago and it was a massive sea change. As much as I love London, I’d found myself getting angry and wound up. To take Zara a mile to nursery school took 30 minutes; it was crazy.
That tension affected me. We’ve made some fantastic friends since we moved and the schools have been magnificent for the kids; but the one thing that has been important and changed me is the sense of freedom.
When you live in the countryside, there is so much space. That creates a different mindset and has been a calming influence.
There are no street lights where I live and I stand outside in the pitch black and gaze at the stars and listen to the owls.
Tony Hadley, 62, rose to fame as the frontman of Spandau Ballet (pictured) and has been a solo singer since 1990
When you live in the countryside, there is so much space. That creates a different mindset and has been a calming influence
Change can be scary. Because I was always in Spandau Ballet, I imagined I couldn’t do anything else and the thought of leaving to become a solo artist was terrifying. But it’s never too late to make a difference to your life.
And once you’ve realised that you can do it, then there’s nothing to stop you doing more. Some friends have just rented out their house and moved to Majorca.
I said to Ali: ‘Maybe when the kids have finished full-time education, we’ll do the same thing.’
Or maybe we’ll go and live in New York or LA for six months. It’s important to embrace life and not get stuck in your ways.
- Tony Hadley performs with Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra at this year’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival, which takes place from April 26 to May 1. cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz
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