EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Ridgeley trades Club Tropicana for a Mayfair restaurant as he dines out with a mystery blonde – after millionaire ex Amanda Cronin claimed they ‘don’t share the same values’
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Club Tropicana was traded for the quiet ambience of a local restaurant as former Wham! star Andrew Ridgeley dined out with female friend on Sunday evening – shortly after his model ex-girlfriend admitted he’s ‘not a keeper.’
The musician enjoyed a dinner date at exclusive Mayfair venue George, where he was seen exchanging Careless Whispers with a female companion as they sat opposite one another.
Ridgeley, 60, looked appropriately dapper in a two-piece suit, white dress shirt and knotted tie as the pair shared an animated exchange while making their way inside.
Opting for a leopard print jacket and form-fitting trousers, the former musician’s friend appeared to be fully engaged in their conversation as waiting staff poured drinks and took their orders.
Their night on the town comes after millionaire model Amanda Cronin ended her romance with Ridgeley because he’s not ‘relationship material.’
Night out: Club Tropicana was traded for the quiet ambience of a local restaurant as former Wham! star Andrew Ridgeley dined out with female friend on Sunday evening
Close: The musician enjoyed a dinner date at exclusive Mayfair venue George, where he was seen exchanging Careless Whispers with a female companion
Old times: Andrew Ridgeley and former girlfriend Amanda Cronin at Wimbledon last year – the couple separated in May
Stylish: Opting for a leopard print jacket and form-fitting trousers, the former musician’s friend was dressed for a night on the town
Speaking in May, she told the Mail: ‘I’m grateful for the time we’ve had together – he’s smart, funny, sexy and cool. Andrew is such a phenomenal guy, but I don’t think he’s really relationship material, although he has been in a very long relationship.’
Cronin has since discussed her romance with Ridgeley at length, admitting she’s looking for the sort of romance he was unable to offer.
‘I’m looking for a monogamous relationship,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘When the next Mr. Right comes along, he will have the same set of values that I have.
‘I’m quite traditional, a sweet, country girl. I’m also discerning and want to be around other people who understand what that means.’
By way of acknowledgment that the split may have been by mutual consent, she added: ‘I’m intelligent, demanding. Not for everyone.’
Amanda insisted she had no regrets about the year she spent with Ridgeley, before confirming their break-up in May.
‘It’s massive — dating Andrew Ridgeley from Wham! — wow,’ she said. ‘I’m quite proud of it. He’s a good person and it was just great, a lot of fun, and will make a fabulous chapter in my memoir.’
Amanda revealed she was eager to see the recent Wham! documentary on Netflix, adding: ‘I think it was very well done,’ she tells me. ‘It was so brave of Andrew to step forward and we talked about the documentary often.
Cheers! The pair appeared to raise their wine glasses in a toast while occupying a window seat
Down the hatch: Ridgeley’s female companion was seen drinking red wine as they enjoyed their night out
Chemistry: The pair were engaged in an animated conversation while sat opposite one another on Sunday evening
Let’s talk: The former musician’s friend appeared to be fully engaged in their conversation as they waited for their meals
Time for a refill: She held her empty glass while chatting with the 80s music legend
‘He really wanted people, especially the younger demographic — who may only have known of George Michael from negative headlines about his illness and sudden passing — to understand what a wonderful genius he was: a singer, songwriter, producer and amazing friend.
‘Also, that the band had four members, not two [backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie], and each played a massive part.’
Ridgeley has revealed the last time he met his Wham! co-star George Michael was for a game of Scrabble at his English country mansion.
The singer recalled his final meeting with Michael, whose 2016 death shocked the world, at his home in England just months before his passing.
Michael was a ‘big fan’ of the board game and they often met ‘over the scramble board,’ Ridgely told People magazine.
Single life: Ridgeley was dining out two months after splitting from millionaire model Amanda Cronin
Smart: The former musician’s friend swept her blonde hair back as she stepped out with Ridgeley
Smart: Ridgeley looked appropriately dapper in a two-piece suit, white dress shirt and knotted tie
I’m your man: The former Wham! star’s companion beamed as the pair chatted over dinner
‘He’d beaten me the week before, and I was exacting my revenge,’ Ridgeley explained.
‘It took us right back to just the essence of our schoolboy friendship and one-upmanship. It was a game that stimulated him, and me also. That was a few months prior to his passing.’
The new Netflix documentary debuted on July 5. The project follows the story of the group with unseen footage to mark Wham!’s 40th anniversary.
Michael, whose real name was Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, died in 2016 at the age of 53 as a result of suspected heart failure.
The documentary is a celebration of the young pop duo who sold more than 30 million records worldwide and turned out hits such as Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Club Tropicana and Last Christmas.
Intimate setting: Venue of choice George is exclusive members only club in the heart of London’s Mayfair district
Unfamiliar face: Ridgeley’s appearance with his blonde friend is his first of note, and comes just two months after his last relationship
It also features a wealth of unseen material. One of its producers, Simon Halfon, said his team spent over two years digging for footage and audio, and as a friend of both men Simon had a good idea on where to look.
Michael and Ridgeley met at school in Hertfordshire, England, before forming Wham! in 1981. They later split amicably when Michael launched a solo career.
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