Soul star Chris Amoo has spoken about his love for Crufts after finding success at the dog show.
Chris was the lead singer of Liverpool soul group The Real Thing, who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with tracks like "You to Me Are Everything" and "Can You Feel the Force?". Alongside his music career, Chris and his wife Julie have been successful dog breeders for decades, starting while The Real Thing were still in the charts.
The 70-year-old previously won Best in Show in 1987 with an Afghan Hound called Viscount Grant. Now, Chris and Julie have added another Crufts Best in Group title to their collection, picking up the gold in the hound group of this year's competition with Irish Wolfhound Paris.
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After winning the group title, Chris and his five-year-old Irish Wolfhound were a fan favourite at the Best in Show final but lost out to Lagotto Romagnolo Orca on Sunday evening. Despite not winning, the soul singer spoke about his love for the competition and what led him there.
He said: “It means everything. Crufts is the greatest dog show in the world and just to be able to win a group here is beyond most people's dreams, so it's fantastic.
“Most people are aware of my musical background. I remember our first dog show, I think we were No 5 in the charts, so everyone knows about it. I got into it a long time ago, we decided that we'd like an Afghan Hound and a friend of ours took us to a dog show.
“We just became enamoured with it all, I just loved it right from that moment and we've done it ever since.
“The crowd reaction was lovely and it gets him going. When he hears all the people clapping and shouting, he puts his head up and he just wants to go, it’s great.
“Irish Wolfhounds are really laid back but very athletic and they are just a pleasure to be with, very friendly and gentle, and they are a pleasure to own.”
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