Olly Murs and Anastacia surprise fans at Radio 2 in the Park

Olly Murs returned to Chelmsford for Radio 2 in the Park and surprised the crowd by bringing Anastacia on stage.

The pair performed Olly’s 2015 single Up, originally released with Demi Lovato, after only rehearsing together twice. Olly told fans: “Essex, it’s good to be home – it’s good to be back in Chelmsford.”

The singer also revealed some personal news, sharing that he became a father for the second time just three days ago.

Speaking to his partner watching from home, he said: “Wife, I am so sorry I am here at Hylands Park with all these beautiful people. I love you and when I’m finished, I’ll be straight home, I promise.”

Olly dedicated his emotional performance of Dear Darlin’ to the late Caroline Flack, explaining how the song is always difficult to sing following the loss of his close friend. He said he misses her dearly and reflected on the unexpected impact the track continues to have on his friends and family.

Anastacia also delivered her own powerful set, launching with One Day in Your Life and thrilling fans with her 00s hits.

In a surprise moment, she welcomed Radio 2’s Rylan on stage to duet on Left Outside Alone. After the performance, Anastacia told the Chelmsford crowd how much she loved Essex, before closing with her global hit I’m Outta Love, which this year marks its 25th anniversary.

Elsewhere at the festival, legendary soul collective Soul II Soul brought their laid-back grooves with classics including Keep On Movin’ and Fairplay.

Their set ended with Back to Life and Holdin’ On, with famous faces including Dame Penny Lancaster, EastEnders star Francesca Henry and Traitors contestant Charlotte Berman spotted enjoying the show in the crowd.

British rock band Suede also took to the Main Stage earlier in the afternoon, performing fan favourites Beautiful Ones and Trash, alongside their new single Dancing With The Europeans.

Ahead of the performance, Brett Anderson told Scott Mills that the group’s resilience has kept them going for over three decades. He explained: “We like to say we’ve had about four debut albums. You can’t really kill us, we fall apart and then reassemble ourselves and become more monstrous.”