Gotta have faith

London, Jan. 16: The singer George Michael has signed a multi-million pound deal to write a “no-holds barred” autobiography, it has been announced.

In one of the biggest ever book deals, the former Wham! frontman has promised to reveal the truth about his turbulent personal life and career spanning 25 years. The yet unnamed book, which will be published by HarperCollins next autumn, will also cover his repeated brushes with the law and his battle with his record label Sony.

Andy Stephens, the singer’s manager, said: “George has promised HarperCollins a no-holds barred biography, and it’s certainly going to be that. People aren’t stupid, they’re beginning to notice that the truth is more interesting than the stories the press come up with.”

Michael 44, the son of Cypriot immigrants, rose to fame as the lead singer of Wham!, one of the biggest pop groups of the 1980s. He has secured 11 British number one singles, six number one albums and sold more than 80 million records worldwide.

But in recent years it has been his personal life, in particular his fondness for smoking cannabis, and not his music that has kept him in the headlines. Last June he was sentenced to 100 hours of community service after he admitted to driving while under the influence of prescription drugs.