Will Young, Cheryl Hole and Sinitta celebrate at Metro's 50 years of Pride party

2022-07-01

Will Young, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Cheryl Hole, and reality star Megan Barton Hanson were among the star guests of honour at a dazzling party to celebrate 50 years of Pride.

Hosted by Metro, Thursday’s event featured music, dance, performances and activism, along with fundraising for vital LGBTQ+ charities.

Singer Will sat down for an open conversation with comedian James Barr, where he shared his hopes for the future and reflected on how things have changed in the 20 years since he came out as gay.

Celebrities piled into the exclusive venue as the night began, with Cheryl and Will cuddling up for photographs upon entry.

Cheryl wore a spectacular sequinned orange jumpsuit and daring heels, her platinum blonde hair in high on her head and cascading down her shoulder.

Will, meanwhile, beaming for the cameras, dressed casually in blue jeans and Doc Martens. (Along with an eyebrow-raising shirt featuring the mugshot of singer Sky Ferreira, who was arrested in a drugs bust in 2013.)

Also in attendance was 80s pop icon Sinitta, a special invited guest to the party, who dazzled in a colourful flowing dress and cool denim jacket.

The star playfully posed for photographs, sticking out her tongue at the camera as she made her way into the venue.

And as the night went on, she got into the full swing of things, partying on the dance floor with the rest of the revellers, including The Only Way Is Essex star Bobby Norris.

Love Island star Megan arrived looking incredible in a plunging tight black outfit, her blonde locks cascading over her shoulders in waves as she enjoyed a drink and a dance on the catwalk.

She was later joined by boxing legend Nicola Adams OBE, with the pair posing for a snap together as they relaxed at their table amid the madness of the night.

Model and influencer Ashley James, who later DJ’d at the event, looked stunning in short a hot pink dress as she worked the decks.

And Made In Chelsea star Sophie Hermann posed expertly in a ruffled pink dress with button patterns, her blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail.

Legendary DJ Fat Tony, who has just released memoir Don’t Take Requests, helped bring the night to a close hours later with a savage set of his own, featuring brilliant 80s hits and party anthems.

The icon’s incredible playlist led to the revellers clambering onto the stage to party alongside him late into the night.

Sponsored by Visit Malta, the lavish party helped to raise money for the LGBTQ+ community in Ukraine affected by the Russian invasion, through the help of charities Kyiv Pride and The Albert Kennedy Trust.

The Albert Kennedy Trust has been set up to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths who are homeless and living in a hostile environment, helping them to find safe accommodation.

Metro.co.uk editor Deborah Arthurs and executive editor Richard Hartley-Parkinson welcomed partygoers to the event by encouraging them to contribute to the silent auction raising money for Kyiv Pride.

The charity is engaged in a daily battle to ensure the LGBTQ+ community survives Vladimir Putin’s illegal war, and recently opened a new shelter which provides emergency accommodation to those left homeless or penniless by the fighting, especially for those with families who do not accept them.

They have provided food, money and support to people who have no one else to turn to, with around 70 people helped so far.

Speaking on the night, Richard took to the stage to speak about the vital work the charities do, as well as reflect on his own journey as a gay man who, he revealed, was inspired by Pop Idol star Will to come out over 20 years ago.

‘Your bravery in coming out so early in your career helped me chip away at the feelings of rejection of my true self that I had built up for so long,’ Richard said.

‘It took two or three years for me to come out to everyone, but your coming out story is an important part of my coming out story and it’s a privilege to be able to tell you that now.

‘I’m sure I was not the only one that you helped all that time ago.’

He went on: ‘Many people say we’re safe in this, the greatest city in the world. However, and I’m sorry to burst that London bubble, that’s not my lived experience.’

Richard went on to share statistics from the Albert Kennedy Trust which states that ‘half of young people in the UK fear being evicted for revealing their sexuality and far too many feel threatened by relatives before becoming homeless. That’s why we’re supporting the Albert Kennedy Trust.’

Following speeches from the Metro bosses and short videos featuring the charities the night was in aid of, the night kicked off with influencer Ashley DJing a savage remix set of iconic songs.

Drag Race legend Cheryl hosted a special game of Drag Queen Bingo before launching into a show-stopping dance to a medley of Dua Lipa tracks, with celebs and Metro staff alike hitting the dancefloor and, eventually, the stage itself.

Earlier in the night, trailblazer Will spoke about the huge strides forward society has taken for LGBTQ+ equality, while admitting there was still much more to do.

He recalled how different things were in the music industry when he first came out in 2002, sharing a shocking story of when he was told he would have to kiss George Michael on stage if he wanted a particular gig.

Will said a record company executive told him in no uncertain terms that if he wanted to perform at the Brit awards he would need to need to have a ‘Madonna and Britney moment’ and kiss the singer during the performance.

Will revealed: ‘But I said no. It’s a sign of what it was like then.’

The star also opened up on homophobia within the industry, adding: ‘I’m probably in quite a privileged position.

‘I noticed that when people realised they could start making money out of it, then it was like, make him gay, make him gay.’

Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride

This year marks 50 years of Pride, so it seems only fitting that Metro.co.uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ+ support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates all things Pride, but also share stories, take time to reflect and raises awareness for the community this Pride Month.

And we’ve got some great names on board to help us, too. From a list of famous guest editors taking over the site for a week that includes Rob Rinder, Nicola Adams, Peter Tatchell, Kimberly Hart-Simpson, John Whaite, Anna Richardson and Dr Ranj, as well as the likes of Sir Ian McKellen and Drag Race stars The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Tia Kofi offering their insights.

During Pride Month, which runs from 1 – 30 June, Metro.co.uk will also be supporting Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian charity forced to work harder than ever to protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community during times of conflict, and youth homelessness charity AKT. To find out more about their work, and what you can do to support them, click here.

For Metro.co.uk‘s latest Pride coverage, click here.

Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride

For Metro.co.uk‘s latest Pride coverage, click here.

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