I knocked my best mate's dad off number one
from News Of The World - June 24, 2001 by Julia Kuttner

Who did Texas' Sharleen Spiteri call when her album toppled The Beatles from the top of the charts? Her best pal, Stella McCartney! Oh, and Madonna, most probably.

It should be enough of a thrill to knock the Fab Four off the top of the charts. But when your best mate is Macca's daughter, there's even more of a chance to gloat.
That's what happened when Sharleen Spiteri's band Texas grabbed the Number One slot from the Beatles' One album.
"Stella and I had a great laugh about it" giggles Scots lass Sharleen. We talk all the time but I haven't seen Paul since then so I don't know what he has to say about it".
"I felt delighted, obviously, on the day we got to number one, even if we did push The Beatles off the top."
"When we compiled our Greatest Hits album we knew it was a really strong collection, but replacing a Beatles best of is an honour. I'm a huge fan. I really had to pinch myself."
She and Gucci designer Stella hit it first off when they were both guests on Chris Evans' TFI Friday Show.
"After the interviews with Chris we rushed out to a quiet room to call our families to see whether they had watched us. But while ringing my parents in Scotland she's ringing Paul McCartney - a Beatle!" gushes Sharleen, "I've had diner with the whole McCartney family a few times. Paul is just a great person and I met Linda too. Stella comes from an amazing family. When she did shows in Paris, Paul always came over and took everyone to lunch, but it was about everyone else - Stella, family and close friends - not about him."

Down to earth Sharleen hopes to hit the top of the charts again on July 9 with a remix of Texas' first hit, I Don't Want A Lover.
The title isn't true in her case - she's happily living with boyfriend Ashley Heath, an editorial director of three magazines, including the trendy The Face mag. Fresh and back from a European tour, Sharleen is happy to be pottering around at the home they share in North London, doing a spot of gardening and catching up with close pals like Stella and Madonna.
Today she's nursing a few bumps and bruises: her lips are out of shape since she had a run-in with a microphone and her arm is just out of a bandage from another mishap - a collision with a fan. Despite enough injuries to keep the Casualty team busy for a whole episode, she can still talk. Particularly about fashion hottest name, Stella, who is now at the Gucci label.

When Sharleen appeared on the Lottery show last year she wore a Chloé top. "It was great, Ashley's mum called me to say she liked it too which was really flattering."
But it's not all designer threads for Sharleen. "I think I will always combine high street with designer. At the moment I've been buying a lot of vintage clothing and mixing that with both. My cheapest recent purchase is a fantastic embroidered Gypsy top that cost me £8."
It was suggested that Sharleen advised Madonna on winter warmers when Madge went to Sharleen's native Scotland for her wedding. But Sharleen says she and Mrs Ritchie are far more likely to natter about prperty prices and food. "Madonna knows what she's doing when it comes to clothes. But she'd never had Scottish tablet (an extremely sugary sweet) until I gave her some. When I see Madonna we talk about property or buying homes sometimes but our friendship is based on our mutual respect for one another and a love of music. I am close enough to Madonna to call her Madge, but I don't. When people ask if I'll still be playing music in 10 years, I think about her, I think I'll take it easy at 42. She's 10 years older than me, and I don't look at her and think 'My God, you look really old to be doing this!' I just look at her and think 'She's done it again!'
"It just depends where you are in your head. Doing the Brixton show with Madonna was great and I found that I had a few hundred new best friends trying to get on the guest list too!"

Sharleen's next big project (hopefully anyway) is babies. "I want a family and most ipmortant thing is that Ashley and I are in the same country at the same time. It's a start, there are no wedding plans, but we'll let you know when there are", she jokes of her boyfriend of eight years.
"When I look at Paul McCartney and his family, it just amazes me and I hope that is where I am with my own family one day."


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