Something tells us there’s going to be a fair few Wet Wet Wet hankies around today, after Marti Pellow dealt fans an upsetting blow.
The Scottish star, 52, has decided to leave the band after 35 years to concentrate on his solo and acting careers.
But it’s with a heavy heart that the singer – real name Mark McLachlan – will be quitting the group he formed with a bunch of mates in Clydebank in 1982.
“I will be spending more time on my solo work,” he said of his decision, “performing concerts, acting and my own songwriting. As an artist, I feel a lot more settled in this world.
“I have had a great time and loved my career with Wet Wet Wet, and to me they will always be the best band in the world.”
They certainly enjoyed their fair share of chart success, achieving no fewer than 22 Top 20 hits in the UK.
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Who could forget Love Is All Around, which stayed at number one for a million consecutive weeks (OK, it was 15 but it felt like longer), and Pellow’s cheesy smiles whenever the band performed it on Top Of The Pops?
But sadly, it sounds like the fire’s no longer in the singer’s belly, and it’s time to move on to pastures new.
“When I started in Wet Wet Wet, I gave it 100% of my heart and soul, and that’s what it demands and that is also what the fans demand,” he continued.
“And if I can’t do that because my focus is elsewhere, then this is not fair on the fans or the rest of the guys in the band.”
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As you might expect, fans of the Wets were devastated by Pellow’s decision.
“I don’t know what to say. I will still follow you to the ends of the Earth and back, but @wetwetwetuk will be forever in my heart,” wrote one devotee on Twitter.
Others twisted the band’s lyrics to express their sadness. One commented: “I’ve gone numb at this news. No feelings all around me.”
And another followed up with: “Now that is a sweet little mystery. It makes me wanna try try try to understand why?”
This isn’t the first time that Pellow has ‘gone solo’. Over the course of his career, he’s recorded ten albums on his own, and pursued a number of other projects, including playing Billy Flynn in Chicago.
But something tells us that this time it could be final.