James Blunt relished saving his local pub

James Blunt fulfilled a “dream” by rescuing his local pub.

The 47-year-old singer bought the Fox & Pheasant pub in Chelsea, London, in 2017, and James is thrilled that he managed to stop it from being turned into a house.

The ‘You’re Beautiful’ hitmaker explained: “It was run-down and unloved.

“I never thought it would come up for sale. I didn’t imagine owning a pub in the first place, it wasn’t an ambition. But when I heard it was going to be turned into a house and developed, I thought – well it’s the dream of a minor pop star to save the local.

“I’m in the business of bringing people together for live shows and concerts, standing shoulder to shoulder next to strangers. Pubs are the same, too. It’s a community-based thing where people come and congregate and socialise. There’s an importance to that, as humans, that we need, and it’s a really fantastic job to be involved in.”

James admits to being a “happy drinker” and even likened her tour bus to a “mobile bar”.

Asked to recall his drunkest adventure, the singer – who served in the army before finding success as a pop star – told JOE: “Well, that’s the whole point. You can’t remember it. I’m a happy drinker and I don’t normally – touch wood – become incapacitated. But I’ve had a fair amount of practice.

“I’m a touring muian; I get on a tour bus which is baally a mobile bar – it has an endless supply of beer and we tour the world, we do a concert, and the real point of the concert is so that we can have an afterparty afterwards.”