Celebrity

TALKING BALLS

As the World Cup kicks o once again, Shire is embracing football fever and chatting to Peter Crouch, the Cheshire-born former striker and England hero, who has carved a thriving career o the pitch too

Capped 42 times for the England team including two FIFA World Cup tournaments, footballer Peter Crouch – ‘Crouchy’ to fans – is one of just 33 players to have scored 100 or more Premier League goals, and holds the record for the most headed goals in its history. Born in Macclesfield, he was obsessed with football from an early age. His family moved to Singapore before returning and settling in the south, where young Peter became a fan of Queens Park Rangers. He put his allegiances aside, though, when family contacts got him his first job – as a ball boy for Chelsea.

Once he started playing the game rather than just supporting the officals, it became obvious he had a natural talent. Peter turned down contracts from both Chelsea and Millwall, holding out for the offer that eventually came, and joined QPR in summer 1994. Multiple team changes followed in his extensive career, including success with Liverpool and Stoke City. As a stalwart of the England team, he scored 22 goals for his country between 2005 and 2010.

On his toes

Peter was equally well known off the pitch, for everything from dance moves to house moves. He became famous for the ‘robotic’ disco routine that he used to celebrate goals and the dance craze took off, with the crowds joining in. However, his dancing skills are nothing to those of his wife, model Abbey Clancy, who won the 11th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2013.

The couple have four children, and at one point lived in the Cheshire celebrity hotspot of Alderley Edge. The family rented the £4.5 million home of fellow sporting legend Freddie Flintoff in Prestbury, a six-bedroom mansion with its own gym, cinema room and swimming pool, with the likes of Rio Ferdinand and the Rooneys as neighbours.

Talking the talk

Since retiring from football at the age of 38, Peter has become a respected voice in sport, presenting multiple shows and launching his own podcast. That Peter Crouch Podcast is now embarking on its seventh series and has been listened to over 65 million times! The show has welcomed a number of high-profile guests including DJ Annie Mac and Louis Theroux alongside fellow players and managers, and was also invited to Kensington Palace for a special episode with HRH Prince William.

To kick off the latest series Peter is recording a Crouchfest special in front of a live audience at Wembley Arena – something he did for the last series and is looking forward to repeating.

“The first Crouchfest was one of the most special nights of my life,” he says. “To be bringing the podcast with my two silly little mates to a venue like Wembley Arena is, quite frankly, unbelievable. The power of the pod never ceases to amaze me.

“Our motto has always been to ‘come back stronger’ and that’s exactly what I can promise everyone about our next event. Admin and organisation are not a strong point of mine, but last time we pulled Katherine Jenkins and Liam Gallagher out of the bag, so I know we’ll be putting on a show that is bigger and better than anything I’ve done before.” The last Crouchfest also saw some incredible performances from Tom Grennan and You Me At Six, and Peter did his infamous robot dance, whilst also treating fans to a rendition of ‘Snow’ by Informer. Members of the audience were also invited to take part in games on stage. The subsequent podcast episode, detailing all the behind-the-scenes antics as well as extracts from the show, was enjoyed by over 1million listeners.

Taking place at OVO Arena Wembley on 19th November, Crouchfest 2 will serve as a curtainraiser for the 2022 World Cup, which starts the following day. As Peter says: “What a perfect way to start celebrations for what will hopefully be a great World Cup for England!”

Search for Peter’s podcast & the first Crouchfest online AND listen to the fun in full

‘Crouchy’ in 2022’s documentary Save Our Beautiful Game, championing grassroots community team Dulwich Hamlet

“TO BE BRINGING THE PODCAST TO WEMBLEY ARENA IS, QUITE FRANKLY, unbelievable” By royal invitation: recording with Prince William at Kensington Palace