Michael Ball says association with Captain Tom Moore has been 'twisted' after report

Michael Ball, 62, has expressed his disappointment following a report which criticised the management of the charity set up in Captain Sir Tom Moore's honour. The singer, who collaborated with the late veteran on their charity single, "You’ll Never Walk Alone" to support NHS Charities Together, shared that it felt "almost like I don’t want to talk about my association" after revelations surfaced that Captain Tom’s family might have benefited from the Captain Tom Foundation.

A Charity Commission investigation concluded there had been "repeated instances of misconduct and/or mismanagement" involving Sir Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, and her husband Colin. The findings have been contested by the family who claim their reputation has been unfairly tarnished with severe impacts on their health.

Michael Ball recounted on ITV’s Good Morning Britain how the partnership began: "Disappointed, and if you take yourself back to what was happening during that time, I’m doing my radio show on Radio 2, just come back with Covid, we don’t know what’s going to occur."

"I hear about this story of him, get him on the radio, we’ve got a bond, the money starts coming in, and it grew, and then I had this idea of this record."

He emphasised the original spirit behind their collaboration: "It’s entirely, including from Tom, entirely altruistic, entirely just wanting a focus, something for people to bond with, to show the good, and now it’s almost like I don’t want to talk about my association. It was something I was so incredibly proud of for all the right motives, to see it twisted, really it’s a real shame."

One key finding of the report was that there was a misleading suggestion that profits from book sales would go towards the foundation, but in truth, a £1.4 million book deal enriched the family's private company, Club Nook—though the investigation did not address issues related to the charity single.

Sir Tom captured the heart of the nation at 99 when, amid the Covid pandemic, he set out to walk 100 lengths of his garden before his 100th birthday to raise £1,000 for NHS charities. His efforts went viral, resulting in a staggering £30 million in donations by his centenary.

The former British Army officer also made waves in music with his charity single recorded with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir, selling nearly 36,000 copies within the first two days and topping the UK singles chart in April, 2020.

Following Sir Tom's passing in February, 2021, at the age of 100, the cherished track was played during his funeral service. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter