Bob Geldof's life now from 'f***ing scary' career move to Ed Sheeran Band Aid row
As a new anniversary mix of Band Aid's iconic charity single, Do They Know It's Christmas? hits the airwaves, the Mirror takes a look at Sir Bob Geldof's life now, from staggering net worth to finding love again
Sir Bob Geldof is embroiled in an awkward Band Aid row with Ed Sheeran - but he's not backing down.
It's now been 40 years since the Boomtown Rats frontman co-wrote charity supergroup Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? alongside Midge Ure to raise money amid the 1983 to 1985 famine in Ethiopia. The 1984 track topped the UK charts after it was released on December 7 of that year and went on to raise £8 million in just 12 months. It's now raised almost £150 million to date.
Regarded as a Christmas song classic, the original track - which featured icons such as Bono, Sting, and George Michael - will still be blasted out in shops and pubs in the month ahead, while many will remember subsequent versions of the hit, released in 1989, 2004, and 2014.
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And now, to mark the 40th anniversary of chart-topping charity single, a new version will premiere today on UK breakfast radio and streaming platforms. Sir Bob, now 73, has made it clear that he'll never stop fighting to end world hunger, even in the face of critisism. But what does the Irish rockstar's life look like nowadays? Here we look at everything the star has been up to...
'F***ing' nerve-wracking career move
Sir Bob has tried out various career paths, from music to campaigning - and he's now making a name for himself as an actor in his eighth decade. And even though he's stood on many a stage in his time, he's admitted to having been 'very f**king nervous'
Back in October, Sir Bob was down under in Australia, shooting his scenes in a zombie plane movie which was filmed at Gold Coast Airport. In Zombie plane, which also stars action icon Chuck Norris and 90s rapper Vanilla Ice, Sir Bob plays a hero who saves passengers aboard a zombie-infested plane.
Speaking with reporters at the Brisbane International Film Festival, Sir Bob, who has previously made cameos in films such as Pink Floyd: The Wall and Spice World, admitted: "I am actually starring in Zombie Plane. Obviously, I'm very f**king nervous because this is a big acting role."
Ed Sheeran tiff
In recent days, Sir Bob Geldof has hit back at Ed Sheeran after the Galway Girl singer slammed the new Band Aid release.
He told fans his vocals had been used without his permission in the new track, adding that he would have declined to feature on the track, had he been asked.
In an Instagram Story, Ed, who sings with Sting claimed: "My approval wasn't sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals. A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by [Fuse ODG]. This is just my personal stance. I'm hoping it's a forward-looking one. Love to all."
In his story, Ed cited a post from rapper Fuse ODG - who refused to take part in the 2014 version - to argue that the song perpetuates the notion that Africa is a victim of "famine and poverty" - which he asserts is "not the truth".
Responding to these comments in an interview with The Sunday Times, Bob said: "This little pop song has kept millions of people alive. Why would Band Aid scrap feeding thousands of children dependent on us for a meal?"
Going on to list all the work the charity does, Sir Bob added: "Why not keep doing that? Because of an abstract wealthy-world argument, regardless of its legitimacy?
"No abstract theory, regardless of how sincerely held, should impede or distract from that hideous, concrete real-world reality. There are 600 million hungry people in the world — 300 million are in Africa. We wish it were other but it is not. We can help some of them. That’s what we will continue to do."
Politics controversy
Earlier this year, a number of fans were surprised after Sir Bob, nicknamed 'Saint Bob' by some, endorsed a Tory MP ahead of the 2024 General Election. The rockstar chose to back former deputy foreign secretary and friend Andrew Mitchell in an expletive-laden video shared via social media, describing him as a "decent person".
Confessing he had "no bloody idea" where Mitchell's Sutton Coldfield constituency actually was, Sir Bob told followers: "The party that Andrew Mitchell is a member of is not important to me. What is important is that he's a decent person, or else he wouldn't be a friend of mine, I guess."
He continued: "What we so desperately need in our Parliament, whether again in opposition or in Government, is clever, committed, capable people. We have had enough of leery shysters, buffoons and tiresome w*****s. We need people who can actually do things and then get it done. Mitchell knows how to do stuff and to get it done."
Back in December 2005, Sir Bob explained his position on government matters after agreeing to advise the Conservative party on matters relating to global poverty. He told the Irish Examiner: "I'm not a Labour party member. I've no intention of becoming any of those things. I've done this for 20 years. I have an expertise. If I can be of benefit to shape another party's policy towards this agenda, I'll do it.
"That's my job, to be used so long as I can help steer the policy towards those who are dying. I've said I'll shake hands with the devil on my left and the devil on my right to get to where we need to be."
Louis Walsh jibe
Back in March, former X Factor judge Louis Walsh laid into Sir Bob during his highly opinionated stint on ITV's Big Brother reboot and declared that he didn't care if the Live Aid founder heard what he had to say.
During a chat among housemates about iconic songs. Coronation Street's Colson Smith noted: "Bob Geldof wrote I don't like Mondays,'" which prompted Louis to mistakenly credit Prince.
Picking up on some tension, Zeze Millz enquired: "I take it you're not a Bob Geldof fan, Louis?" Not holding back, Louis raged: "Well, I think he's full of s**t, he's from Dublin. I know little bits. The Boomtown Rats were good." Even though Marisha cautioned him to be careful, in case Sir Bob was tuning in, unbothered Louis couldn't have cared less, retorting: "I don't give a f**k."
Incredible net worth
As per wealthygorlla.com, Sir Bob's net worth is estimated to be around $150 million - approximately £110 million. Music and philanthropy aside, the I Don't Like Mondays hitmaker has established himself as a successful businessman, having made plenty of money in television. His TV production company Planet 24, which was sold to Carlton TV in 1999, was the force behind a number of wildly successful TV shows, including The Big Breakfast.
Speaking with Wales Online in 2006, Sir Bob opened up about why exactly the world of business was so attractive to him. He revealed: "Music is a completely different kind of sensation to business," he says. "It's far more sublime and substantial. Business just happens to be something I am able to do and is fairly empirical really. It is the creative side of both that I enjoy and get most out of."
Finding love again
Although Sir Bob has enjoyed plenty of career successes, his life has also been marked by devastating tragedies. TV presenter Paula Yates, the mother of his daughters Fifi Trixibelle Geldof, Peaches Geldof, Pixie Geldof, and Tiger Lily, died from an overdose in 2000. In 2014, his daughter Peaches also passed away following an overdose at the age of just 25.
Nowadays, Sir Bob is married to French actress Jeanne Marine, with the couple tying the knot in France back in April 2015 in France, after 20 years together. They now live in Battersea, South London.
On a 2017 episode of the podcast An Irishman Abroad, Sir Bob opened up about the reason they'd finally decided to say 'I do', two decades into their relationship. Sir Bob explained: "When my [first] wife left me and subsequently died, I met a girl who knew nothing about me, who I married a couple of years ago, and I married her after my daughter died because things were so dark in our family that I feared for my children's health, never mind mine."
He continued: "It happened to be my wife's 50th birthday, and we'd been together 20 years, and to let some air into the room, to let some light into the fog, I proposed to her, and she married me. Though all the family was ruined, she's a wonderful woman. But I didn’t marry her because of that, I loved her anyway, but here was a celebration of life in the face of the other."
A new BBC documentary The Making Of Do They Know It's Christmas? is now set to reveal 75 minutes of original footage from the recording, shot on 16mm film, sharing how the festive song was recorded in just one day at a London studio.
The Making Of Do They Know It’s Christmas? is set to air on BBC Four on November 29 at 9pm.
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