MICHAEL’S PRAYERS

Every day for the past few weeks the phone has started ringing from about 7.30am with inquiries about Jade Goody. I always get an update from the hospital the night before.

On Sunday I arranged for Michael Jackson to speak to her. He wanted to talk before he left the country – he’s been in Britain to announce his farewell tour. Jade was on Celebrity Big Brother with Michael’s brother Jermaine; they got on very well. She’s not racist. Some of her best friends are black.

Her story has gone worldwide. According to my friend and client Simon Cowell, it’s the biggest story in Los Angeles. Michael just wanted to tell her that he was praying for her and how he wanted her to go to his London concert at the O2 arena in July. Of course that won’t happen, but she was chuffed he called because she is a big fan. “Who would have ever thought Michael Jackson would call me up,” she said later.

Later on I went to play tennis at St George’s Hill, near my home in Weybridge, Surrey. I play three or four times a week. I’m reasonably fit for 65. I have a pool at home: I swim five days a week, half an hour at a time. It keeps off the excess; I do a lot of eating. I love everything, from fish and chips to Thai, and I am very lucky – I can get a table anywhere.

Sunday night we ate out: me and my fiancée Jo with Des O’Connor and his wife Jodie in Mayfair. Jo and I are marrying next year. My first wife died of cancer six years ago in the Royal Marsden hospital, where Jade is now. My doctor was responsible for getting Jade in there at the last minute.

LURE OF THE POLE DANCE

On Monday I had a business meeting with Stephen Less, who owns Secrets, a chain of lap dancing clubs in London. He’s a client, looking to expand the chain across the capital, so we met to plan launches and organise celebrity involvement.

Lap dancing hasn’t been affected by the current climate. Although City lads might spend less in the clubs, the level of traffic is virtually the same. Stephen was expecting a dreadful spring, but he’s up on last year. People are looking for entertainment, whatever you want to call it.

I’ve been to a few lap dancing clubs myself. Pole dancing is an amazing thing to behold. Last time I went, I took Jo and I think she enjoyed it more than I did. Apparently more and more women are going to lap dancing clubs, particularly businesswomen. I haven’t a clue why. Maybe for the purposes of comparison.

I had lunch on Tuesday with Peter Powell, Simon Cowell’s agent. We analysed the Cowell phenomenon. His knack is that he says what everyone else is thinking and feeling. In all those talent shows, there is only one person the public is interested in: him. He does what comes naturally.

EMOTIONAL INSIGHT

On Wednesday Kate Jackson, who produced the television coverage of Jade’s wedding, came to my home and showed me the programme before it went out. It was emotional – a real insight into Jade and the person she is. It will easily make enough money for her children’s school fees, the education she never had.

She’ll make several hundred thousand pounds from the deals we did from the wedding and the christening with OK! magazine and Living TV. She could have made millions if she’d been well enough to take up all the offers – ITV, American television – but she hasn’t been able to.

On Thursday I attended a Comic Relief event at the New Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden. There were about 400 guests. It’s a difficult room for the singers and comedians to work in: too wide and too long. But Bobby Davro, the compere, did brilliantly. I think they raised about £100,000.

ON STANDBY

On Friday I flew to Spain for the weekend. I have a home in the hills near Marbella. I’m there this weekend for business to meet one of my Spanish clients, Sisu, a property company that owns a couple of restaurants there.

It will be launching a hotel, Lorcrimar, this Easter in Marbella. The restaurant will be called Sisu Novelli and will be run by Jean-Christophe Novelli. Jean-Christophe has had a bit of a rough time recently – he’s had to close a couple of restaurants in the UK. He’s an old client who came back to me a few months ago.

I’ve been looking for a couple of projects for him and this is one. It’s a natural partnership and he’ll be joining us in Spain.

If something happens to Jade while I’m away, I have a private plane and can be back in four hours. It could be tomorrow, but it could be a couple of weeks. I’ve already recorded 50 or 60 interviews over the past three weeks for her obituary.

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