Des O'Connor

Des O'Connor was one of Britain's best-loved and longest-serving all-round entertainers, issuing a string of hit songs in the late '60s, including a number one single, "I Pretend," in 1968. He was born in Stepney, East London, on January 12, 1932, and was evacuated to Northampton during the Second World War. Briefly a professional footballer with Northampton Town, he joined the Royal Air Force to fulfill his required national service. His first job after leaving the Air Force was as a complaints clerk in a boot and shoe factory, but he followed his dream to work in show busine...