Andrew Ridgeley wants to "focus on the good things" of Wham! rather than George Michael's death

Seven years on from his co-star's tragic passing, Andrew Ridgeley has shared that he wants to "focus on the good things" of Wham! rather than George Michael's death. 

The 60-year-old singer shot to fame alongside schoolfriend George - who died of heart disease on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53 - and after the pop duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently, admitted that he wants to move away from the "element of sadness" often associated with his tragic co-star.

He told PageSix, "It's more sweet than bitter. Looking at the positives rather than the element of sadness that attaches oneself. One should be focused on good things."

The 'Last Christmas' hitmakers enjoyed massive success in the 1980s before going their separate ways and George went on to release hits like 'Freedom! '90!' but Andrew reminisced that it was the live performances that he enjoyed the most during their heyday as he insisted that he has no bad memories from that time.

"I think it was the live shows that’s what I always enjoyed most. Our home demo that got us a record deal, that always lives strong in the imagination, the memory of it, that was a great moment. those early days are really precious. Nothing bad, really. Wham! was largely a wonderful experience from start to finish, we didn’t really have any lows. We were fortunate in that respect, we even chose to bring Wham to a close of our own volition so even that was a positive thing."

However, Andrew did joke that he is slightly "regretful" of the tiny shorts he and his bandmate famously wore in the video for their hit 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.'

He said: " [I’m] not amazed [at how short they were but] slightly, how shall I say? Regretful. No, it was all a bit of fun! They were well packaged!"

- Written by Bang! Showbiz and republished here with edits and permission