East 17’s Stay Another Day writer Tony Mortimer, 55, has shown off his recent weight loss as he returns to the stage to support fellow 90s icons D:Ream
Tony Mortimer may have faded from the spotlight, but fans still remember what a phenomenon his chart-topping boy band East 17 were in the 1990s. Their Stay Another Day hit became known for beating Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You to the top spot, with the single selling around 410,000 copies and is now a firm seasonal staple.
Since then, the group – whose hits also include House Of Love, It’s Alright and Deep – have all but disappeared. The original lineup featured Tony, Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell. Brian has occasionally made the news for his antics, including the time he smashed up his own records and when he ran over himself in his own car. And now Terry remains the sole surviving member at East 17 revival shows.
But this week Ivor Novello Award-winner Tony dipped his toes back into showbiz, supporting another 1990s pop icon at two UK gigs. The now-55 year old singer performed two DJ sets, in London and Leeds, as a warm-up to shows by Things Can Only Get Better hitmakers D:Ream, fronted by Peter Cunnah.
Talking about the gigs on Instagram, Tony asked: “Don’t forget these little 90s icons dates in your diary if you’re looking for somewhere to have a good old rave up. Who’s coming? See you there.” He later posted a picture of him choosing his music for the shows, saying: “Just sorting through some playlist choices for Thursday and Friday evening with @d_ream_music like a Time Machine. If it’s got piano and a diva it’s got a good chance of going in.”
It would appear that Tony, who is married to Tracey and has two daughters, has been going on a health kick lately. Several of his Instagram posts have featured him cycling, accompanied by comments about losing weight. In April, he said: “A little bike ride today buoyed by your comments and a little weight loss this week. Getting outside if only for a few minutes is great for the body and the mind.” And earlier this week he explained: “Getting some steps in and still forming the exercise habit. Apparently 8-10k is a golden daily number for health? Small walks, big changes.”
Two years ago, Tony spoke out about East 17’s Stay Another Day hit on Channel 4’s The Last Leg show, after a surprise reunion by the group. Responding to a question about when he last performed it, saying: “I don’t. I do listen to Christmas songs, I don’t mind a Christmas carol, a nice Christmas carol.” He subsequently mentioned Once in Royal David’s City as a festive favourite, steering the conversation away from Stay Another Day.
Presenter Alex Brooker and Tony then slipped on the iconic white coat from the original music video, with Alex delivering the vocals to the song, as Tony accompanied him on piano without singing, before guests including The Cheeky Girls and Alison Hammond joined in the performance.
The song has a deep meaning for Tony, as it was written after the death of his brother. In 2016, he told Songwriting magazine: “It was based on my brother’s suicide and losing someone. What would you do if you had one more day with a loved one?”
And he continued: “Over time I started to put together the story and I wrote it in a different way to any song I’d written before. It’s a different way of writing because they were just sections of statements, rather than a verse being a story from beginning to end.”
Born in Walthamstow, London in 1991, East 17 took their moniker from the local postcode. The band dominated the charts throughout the ’90s with their distinctly urban sound and aesthetic. They have sold an impressive 18 million albums across the world.
For mental health support, call the Samaritans for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org.
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