Wham stars liken new chart joy to 'warm hugs'

The duo said they were "proud" of Andrew Ridgeley for the way he came across in the recent Netflix documentary about Wham

Wham backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie have said reaching number two in the UK album chart was "absolutely joyous".

The pair likened the reaction to The Singles Compilation: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven to "lovely warm hugs".

It is sixth top 10 album for Wham, which provided a breakthrough for schoolfriends George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the 1980s.

A documentary on the history of the pop act was released on Netflix last month.

In an interview with BBC Three Counties Radio, the pair recalled their memories of Wham.

Pepsi said she believes the backing duo made the band "more relatable"

Shirlie Kemp, who met Michael at Bushey Meads School, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, recalled the time the singer spoke to her about coming out in Ibiza.

She explained that at the time she "wasn't shocked", adding: "I'd never had a relationship with a boy where I was so comfortable and so close."

• Pop superstar George Michael dies at 53

• George Michael plaque unveiled at school

• Andrew Ridgeley: I wish Wham played a farewell tour

"What was so sad about that moment is he told me before he told Andrew [Ridgeley]," she said.

"I know there's so many young men that go through this."

This month Wham fans celebrated the 40th anniversary of the band's debut album Fantastic

The Netflix documentary covers the time when the band took part in a historic tour across China in 1985.

The 10-day visit made them the first western pop group to visit and perform in the country.

Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque described it as "an experience".

"We had a joke or two, we got through the tour but we made history," she said.

"It was strange and unusual at the same time."

Pepsi and Shirlie, who were backing singers in Wham, later went on to release music of their own

Michael - whose real name was Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou - died aged 53 at his home in Goring, Oxfordshire in 2016.

Last month, Ridgeley spoke of his regret that Wham never had a final farewell tour, rather than a single final gig at Wembley.

Shirlie and Pepsi, who released music of their own in the late 1980s, said they supported the idea of of a virtual Wham show, similar to Abba Voyage, which recreated the Swedish band Abba in their 1970s prime.

Describing the concept as "amazing", Shirlie added: "How crazy would that be if we went to the gig and we're standing there [watching ourselves]?"

But they insisted there were no Wham-related plans in the pipeline.

Pepsi added: "Let's just see what happens."