Sophie Ellis-Bextor was elevated to headliner at the Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham on Friday, stepping in for Craig David, who claimed his set was cancelled at the last minute. The 47-year-old singer delivered a leggy performance in a sparkly pink mini dress, belting out her biggest hits.
Craig David's Cancellation
In a since-deleted statement on Thursday, organisers announced that Craig David, 45, would not perform. The singer took to Instagram to inform fans he learned of his axing at the same time as everyone else. He wrote: 'Hey everyone, it was brought to my attention that my performance at Wychwood Festival this Friday (May 29th) has been cancelled by the promoter. My team and I weren't made aware until after a statement had already been shared with fans, which sadly left us in no position to give you all an update ourselves.'
Craig added: 'We're really disappointed, as I'd been looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. If you purchased tickets in the hopes of catching my set, please contact the festival directly to request a refund. All my love, CD.'
Festival Statement
The festival's now-deleted statement read: 'We are disappointed to announce that Craig David Presents TS5 is unfortunately unable to join us at Wychwood Festival this year due to circumstances beyond anyone's control. We sincerely hope to welcome Craig to Wychwood in the future. Our team has been working flat out behind the scenes to make sure Friday night remains every bit as special as planned and we are thrilled to announce that the phenomenal Sophie Ellis-Bextor is now stepping up to headline Friday night.'
'Sophie was already set to bring the disco to the main stage, and now she will officially close the night with a sequin-studded headline performance. We're deeply grateful to Sophie and her team for rearranging plans at such short notice to make this happen.'
Sophie's Performance
The songstress, 47, stormed the stage in a sparkly pink mini dress, completing the look with sparkly heels. Despite the last-minute shake-up, she oozed confidence and was in great spirits as she performed her biggest hits.
Craig David's Career
Craig shot to fame with his debut studio album Born To Do It in 2000, which spawned hits including 'Fill Me In', '7 Days' and 'Rewind'. The record went straight to No.1 in August that year, instantly changing his life. He wrote the album in the bedroom of his childhood home on the Holyrood Estate near Southampton city centre. Now, the chart-topping singer has an estimated net worth of £14.5 million. Speaking to the Daily Mail in November, Craig shared: 'No one could have told me when I was a young kid growing up in my council flat with my mum, that 25 years later I'd have the career that spans this amount of time and that the songs would mean so much to people.'
