He’s known for a back catalogue of iconic hits, but to passersby on Wednesday, he was just another man walking his dog.
With a hat covering his signature ginger locks, Mick Hucknall was almost unrecognisable as he stepped out near his north London home.
The Simply Red frontman looked at ease in a forest green top and loose-fitting jeans as he walked his small dog, Pip, ahead of the band’s upcoming 40th anniversary tour.
Mick, 64, completed his look with dark tinted sunglasses and fingerless gloves during his solo dog walk on Wednesday.
The legendary singer shot to fame with Simply Red in the 1980s, delivering chart-topping hits like “Holding Back The Years,” “Money’s Too Tight (To Mention),” and “The Right Thing.”
Mick pictured during a night out in Los Angeles in 1996 (left) and spotted in north London on Wednesday afternoon (right).
Earlier this year, Mick looked back on his playboy lifestyle in the ’80s, acknowledging that the coronavirus pandemic had taught him an important lesson.
The Simply Red frontman, who rose to fame 38 years ago, has claimed to have slept with over 1,000 women. During his heyday, he dated a series of beautiful actresses, athletes, and supermodels, at times seeing up to three women in a single day.
In an interview with The Sun, Mick reflected on his past, saying, “I was just touring the world, being single, a playboy, a bachelor—I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was just enjoying myself whenever I could. I like to have a good time.”
His former relationships include actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones and Martine McCutcheon, as well as model Melanie Sykes.
Now a father to daughter Romy, Mick married her mother, art dealer Gabriella Wesberry, in 2010. “I’m a father and a husband, and I’m still having a good time. It’s very, very different, but I love it.”
He added, “Those days are long gone. I don’t miss them. I’m in a much happier place now than I’ve ever been.”
Mick performing with Simply Red at the 1986 Glastonbury Festival, not long after the release of their debut album, *Picture Book.*
Mick completed his look with dark tinted sunglasses and a pair of fingerless gloves as he took a solitary walk with his dog on Wednesday.
Pip was kept on a tight leash as Hucknall took a walk with his dog in north London.
Mick (second from right) with Simply Red at the San Remo Pop Festival in San Remo, Italy, on February 8, 1987.
Last year, Mick disclosed that he’s been grappling with long COVID and its lingering effects. In an interview with The Sun, he shared his struggles with heart palpitations and insomnia, noting how he often wakes up in the middle of the night with his heart racing.
Despite his personal fortune of £60 million, Mick also revealed the deeper meaning behind Simply Red’s iconic hit “Holding Back the Years.” In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2023, nearly 38 years after the song’s 1985 release, he explained, “Admittedly, there have been some tough times. My mother left when I was three, so it was just me and my dad struggling on the breadline. That’s what ‘Holding Back the Years’ was about—longing for the comfort of a mother. But I drew inspiration from my dad’s determination. He worked incredibly hard to make sure we survived.”
“Holding Back the Years,” released as the third single from Simply Red’s debut album *Picture Book*, reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart.
The band will celebrate their 40th anniversary with a UK arena tour starting September 23 at Belfast’s SSE Arena. The 13-date tour will conclude with two performances at London’s O2 Arena on October 9 and 10, featuring support from R&B legends Soul II Soul.
