Alison Moyet – “I honestly don’t envy Adele her success”

Singer reveals why we’ll never see her in the I’m A Celebrity jungle or Big Brother house.

“I’ve been offered all the reality shows for years,” Alison told The Sunday Post.

“I don’t understand the thinking. I can’t imagine anyone watching someone making an idiot of themselves on reality TV and thinking: ‘I must look into their art’.

“It’s a folly, a goon show. I don’t know why they equate having a higher profile with being more sell-able.

“I’m not trying to put down those who do them people have to make a living the best way they can.

“I’m fortunate in that I’ve sold a lot of records and made enough money to put myself in a position where I could say no.”

In the mid-1980s Alison had smash hits like Only You and Nobody’s Diary with Yazoo, followed by solo smashes such as Love Resurrection and All Cried Out.

It made her Britain’s biggest female star, on a par today with Adele (above) whose powerful vocals Alison more than matches.

“I don’t know Adele but she seems far better put together than I was,” says mum-of-three Alison who admits being centre stage sometimes left her feeling like a “rabbit in the headlights”.

“The very first time I was on TV was singing Only You on Top of the Pops.

“As I started singing it occurred to me that I hadn’t even thought what I was going to do with my feet, so I started doing this strange shuffle.

“I had no money no one had given me any advance so I was wearing a dress that my mate had knocked up from some material bought from a market.

“Adele and the newer generation are prepared and styled. They have hairdressers and get to practise in a safe environment.

“For me it was all about doing it under the spotlight.

“I think Adele is a great singer and I’m genuinely happy for what she has done. But I wouldn’t have relished that success.”

Alison’s new album the minutes is out now.

And tickets for her autumn tour, which includes October dates in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Gateshead, are on sale at ticketmaster.co.uk