George Michael's friends expose detail in Last Christmas music video fans may miss

This Morning: Pepsi & Shirlie recall Last Christmas video

Pop icons Pepsi and Shirlie spilled the beans on some juicy behind-the-scenes gossip from the filming of Wham's legendary Last Christmas music video, as they graced Thursday's episode of This Morning to mark the song's 40th anniversary.

The show's host Cat Deeley was delving into a specific scene where George Michael is seen with his hood up, prompting Pepsi to interject: "There's a reason for that!".

When the ITV presenter hinted at vanity being the cause, Shirlie quickly corrected: "Not vanity, bless him! He was known for his gorgeous blow-dried hair, and when it got the snowball, it went so curly."

Pepsi revealed that despite instructions not to throw snowballs at George, his friends couldn't resist the temptation. Ben Shephard, chuckling, remarked: "That's the problem with getting your mates in! They won't listen to the director."

Yet, there was more to the story, as the pair disclosed another hidden detail from that iconic moment. Shirlie pointed out: "Thank god he had that big hood because that's a beautiful shot of him, I think, with all the fur around his face."

George Michaels Last Christmas detail exposed that fans may miss in iconic video (Image: YOUTUBE)

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Pepsi then let slip: "That shot is reversed! What happened was, we throw it at him and all the rest of it and then there's a moment where he puts the hood on. In fact, if you watch the video, he does this kind of movement and they had to reverse it so you don't see the curly hair."

Pepsi and Shirlie graced the ITV show in anticipation of the BBC documentary WHAM!: Last Christmas Unwrapped. Reminiscing about their times with the departed star, Shirlie admitted his profound love for Christmas, reports the Mirror.

Ben exclaimed: "Back then, pre-phones and stuff, he could go out unrecognisable. You could all go out and do your carol singing!" The pair disclosed that although they would venture out as a group to sing, each only knew bits of songs, leading to an impromptu medley for the listeners.

Ben pondered whether the singer managed to retain anonymity at those times, to which Shirlie confirmed. She mentioned: "I think Christmas was bigger than him, everyone's attention was on Christmas, and he blended in. So, he loved that time, he loved his friends. He always did beautiful parties at his house."

Pepsi and Shirlie appeared on Thursday's This Morning to speak about their time in the infamous music video (Image: ITV)

The upcoming WHAM!: Last Christmas Unwrapped airing on BBC Two on Saturday, December 14, marks the acclaimed holiday tracks 40th anniversary.

This one-hour tribute promises a heartfelt gathering with several figures from the original music video, including Pepsi and Shirlie, alongside rare archival footage and personal snapshots.

Andrew Ridgeley announced in regards to the documentary: "It's a privilege, 40 years on, to be able to have this opportunity to celebrate WHAM!'s wonderful and enduring musical homage to Christmas and I'm absolutely thrilled that WHAM! in partnership with The BBC will present this joyful and touching tribute to the nation this Christmas.

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George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley during the pop duo's 1985 world tour (Image: GETTY) window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20241210.min.js"

"Christmas was a special time of year for George and Christmas songs were a special type of song for him too and that was why he considered writing a Christmas classic one of the great achievements of his career."

"Only he will ever know quite what inspired him to such dizzying heights, but his songwriting genius led him to distil the quintessential essence of Christmas into a song whose breadth of appeal spans the generations. Revisiting Saas Fee, four decades on, with some of the closest friends of my youth was a very special experience and one which I know Yog would have loved to have shared in."

This Morning continues weekdays on ITV from 10am.