East 17’s Terry Coldwell’s first memorable meeting with rival Robbie Williams

Exclusive: UK boyband star reflects on Nineties fame and the legacy of hit single ‘Stay Another Day’

Robbie Williams was listening to a song by East 17 when he bumped into the rival band’s singer Terry Coldwell, the “Stay Another Day” star has revealed.

The north London musician, 49, said that Williams was the only Take That member he would see out and about, while his bandmates apparently preferred to shut themselves in their hotel rooms after a show.

“I remember the first time I met Robbie, I think it was at Smash Hits awards, must have been around 1992 right at the beginning, and he was listening to [East 17’s hit single] ‘Deep’ on his headphones,” he told The Independent.

“I really like him, he was the only one we used to see at the bar when the others had locked themselves up in their room!”

East 17, named after the postcode of their hometown in Walthamstow, rose to fame as one of the biggest boybands of the Nineties, frequently vying for the top of the charts with Take That.

Coldwell said he felt as though he managed to stay grounded despite East 17’s success: “We were just normal,” he said of East 17’s “bad boy” image, a stark contrast to the squeaky-clean look promoted by Take That’s management. “We had girlfriends, we smoked…”

He added that he has yet to watch Williams’ new four-part Netflix documentary, which delves into his struggles with fame, addiction and depression.

“All these bands have the same story,” the singer, who signed the band’s lucrative record deal when he was just 16 years old, said. “It’s the same story over and over again. I know we got ripped off. Being in a band is a rollercoaster ride.”

Terry Coldwell (far right) with East 17 around the height of their fame (Alamy Stock Photo)

“With my mum and dad, I was always a worker as a kid – I had a paper round and all that. I saw this as the best job in the world, and thought it could end one day, so I always had that in my mind.

“Maybe because I wasn’t one of the lead singers so I wasn’t in the spotlight so much, but my friends and family always tell me I’m the same person from when I was at school. So I can’t talk about Tony [Mortimer] and Brian [Harvey] because their experience was slightly different to mine in the Nineties, a lot more was thrown at them.”

He continued: “I don’t hold grudges, I don’t wanna waste my energy. Over the years I’ve been the one trying to get everyone back together, but there’s probably too much water under the bridge. ‘Stay Another Day’ keeps going, but the other songs get forgotten if you don’t get out there.”

(YouTube)

The current East 17 line-up has been performing at a number of events around the UK in the build-up to Christmas, with their No 1 single “Stay Another Day” – which turns 30 next year – remaining one of the most popular festive songs.

It stood out not least for its poignant theme of grief after losing a loved one, and was written by Mortimer following the suicide of his brother, Ollie.

“It feels like an amazing legacy to have – one that we’ll leave behind,” Coldwell said of the song’s success. “The amount of messages we still get from people who tell us how much it means to them is amazing.”