Читать книгу Union J: The Unauthorised Biography - Rebecca Grey - Страница 10

George Shelley grew up surrounded by music. He was born in Bristol on 27 July 1993 – just one day less than a year after Josh! – and his nurse mum Toni decided to name her third son after one of the patients she’d bonded with. Even as a toddler, he couldn’t wait to start playing musical instruments and began singing as soon as he could talk. His mum would fill up bottles with uncooked rice so little George could turn them into maracas, and an early photo shows him as a cute toddler, with baby-blond hair and dimples, sitting proudly behind his Mickey Mouse drumkit. ‘George, even as a young boy, always wanted to join in and used to pretend he was playing on the drums, using a saucepan and a wooden spoon,’ Toni told the Bristol Post newspaper. ‘He has always been the sort of person who could pick up an instrument and play it – a talent he got from his granddad.’ George’s granddad, Dave, a retired policeman, was a real rock’n’roller, playing in many bands – he was to play an influential role in his grandson’s life.

George was born into a big family: he has two older brothers, Tom – who is his half-brother – and William. When George was nearly three, his little sister Harriet arrived. ‘I remember walking past my mum and dad’s room,’ he told Bliss magazine. ‘My mum told me to put my head on her belly and she said, “That’s your sister.”’ Sadly, after Harriet was born, George’s mum Toni and his dad Dominic split up. George stayed with his mum, living in a ‘really small house’ in Clevedon and going to Happy Hours Day Nursery. He then started at Backwell Infant School, moving on to Golden Valley Primary School and then Yeo Moor Junior School as his family moved house a lot. George was a smiley, sweet little boy and began showing an enthusiasm for the guitar, which his mum Toni also played, often performing at pubs, clubs and festivals with songs she’d written herself. The family wanted to encourage George to explore his musical talent, but they couldn’t afford to pay for lessons. So with some help from his granddad Dave, George began teaching himself to play guitar and was so excited when he got his own guitar for his 13th birthday. He spent hours honing his skills, practising chords and trying to learn his favourite pop songs, especially those by the Black Eyed Peas. ‘Where Is the Love?’ was one of his top tunes.

But George also had to deal with some difficult times, too. His brother Will, who had joined the Royal Marines, went off for his first tour of duty in Afghanistan when his little brother was only 13. George had to deal with the fact that Will was risking his life for his country, and that he might not see him again. ‘It was really hard knowing your big brother’s going out there fighting for his country and he might not come back,’ George told The X Factor, years later. And after starting high school, sensitive George found himself the victim of cruel bullies who ended up physically hurting him, just because he didn’t fit in. ‘I was 12 stone and really short. All the other boys loved football and I just wanted to play my guitar. I was always the last one picked because no one wanted the fatty who couldn’t run,’ he told the Daily Star Sunday. ‘The worst thing that happened was we were playing football and one of the kids purposefully kicked the ball as hard as they could right at me. I put my hands up to protect my face and ended up breaking my wrist.’

It was a nightmarish experience for George, who felt he was always a bit of a ‘loner’ at school. But after this traumatic experience, he transferred schools to Kings of Wessex in Cheddar, where he found his niche in the creative subjects. He even landed plum roles in school productions of Animal Farm and Much Ado About Nothing – as well as bagging his first kiss with a girl called Sandy! Meanwhile, his guitar playing went from strength to strength, and George performed in the Priddy Folk Festival near his home in Somerset, aged just 14. His dad Dominic was still an important part of his life. He spent as much time as possible at his dad’s house in Nottingham, where George was accumulating even more brothers and sisters! With his new partner Rowena, George’s dad Dom had three children – Leo, who came along in 2003; Archie, born in 2008, and little Spencer, born in 2011. Including George’s stepsisters Annabelle and Louisa, he now had a truly huge family! George adored his little siblings and they, in turn, looked up to their cool big brother in awe.

Creative George went on to study graphic design at Weston College, part of Bath Spa University, where he received distinctions for his work. During the holidays he earned extra cash working part-time in Costa Coffee. He expected that he’d follow a career in design, perhaps in America, after graduating from uni. Meanwhile, his older half-brother Tom emigrated to Australia, where he worked as a builder but was also a drummer in a band. Seeing his eldest brother follow his musical ambitions stirred something in George. He’d long harboured a secret dream no one knew about – that he wanted to follow a career in music, too. By now, he was really talented on the guitar and was able to pick out a tune on ‘anything from a bongo to a banjo’, according to his mum Toni. George also had a gorgeous singing voice, but modestly held back from pushing himself forward. But a devastating event in March 2011 changed his attitude. Toni, who’d been working as a nurse, felt very ill one day and went to hospital. There, she was diagnosed with a severe migraine and sent home – whereas, actually, she was having a stroke. Toni suffered a brain bleed, which left her with loss of feeling on her left side. She had to have surgery on her wrists as well after she developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a painful condition where the hands and fingers develop a dull ache and tingling sensation after a nerve is compressed. Having to leave her job and spend months recovering from a big health scare was traumatic for Toni and the rest of the family. Seeing his mum go through such a scary illness left its mark on George and he knew then that he should follow his heart.

Just a few months later, he was hanging out with Weston College friend Emily Tollner when they saw that The X Factor auditions would be coming to Cardiff. ‘Go on,’ urged Emily – it would be just a short journey away across the River Severn. Her encouraging words gave George the confidence boost he needed. And so, on a March day in 2012, he packed up his guitar, bought a train ticket and plucked up the courage. He was going to enter The X Factor.