Huge DJ starts stem cell therapy in bid to stay young after being diagnosed with debilitating health problem
HE is one of Ibiza’s best-loved DJs and has played on the White Isle every summer for more than two decades.
But while his 60th birthday is just a few years away, Roger Sanchez tells me he’s not slowing down and has started stem-cell therapy treatment to keep his body in condition after years of partying knackered his knees.
“I have osteoarthritis in my knees from breakdancing,” the Another Chance hitmaker tells me from inside Pacha, Ibiza’s coolest nightclub, where he will play for Flower Power this summer.
“I’ve done some stem-cell shots, and that’s helped. And I have to train. I’ve got to hit the gym at least three or four times a week whenever possible, if not more.”
Roger has the body — and energy — of a man half his age and reveals he’s lost 4st after getting into a rut.
He says: “I was about 19st. I’m 6ft but was looking rounded.
“I went down to 15st, which is a dramatic drop. But now I’ve put on muscle weight so I’m about 15½st. I have to watch what I eat now but my weight is muscle — I can see it in my arms.”
American-born Roger started his DJ career in New York clubs and got his big break in 2001 with No1 smash Another Chance.
Since then he’s worked on huge tracks with a number of big-name acts, including Madonna, Daft Punk and Gewn Stefani’s group No Doubt — with his remix of their song Hella Good winning him a Grammy award in 2002.
He’s now back at Pacha all summer, with acts including Boy George booked in for guest shows over the next couple of months.
And it seems Roger is perfectly at home in the club, which is home to their legendary Flower Power parties every weekend.
“There’s also been a change of team at Pacha, with new owners buying it, and they’re very dialled in.
“They’ve done an amazing job with the refit and everything. Now it sounds great. It’s very different. They’ve done it justice.”
Roger’s 2006 hit Again recently went viral after his friend, Turkish DJ Mahmut Orhan, remixed it.
The video has scored 60million views and counting, and Roger admits the renewed love for the song means fans at Pacha are begging to hear it.
And as well as requesting songs, Roger says some clubbers go even further in a bid to catch his attention.
Legendary parties
He says with a laugh: “There have been people losing articles of clothing in front of the stage.”
And he adds of girls in the crowd: “They’ve had my name written across their chests. That’s hap-pened — a whole line of girls just kind of, you know, R-O-G-E-R S-A-N-C-H-E-Z — like literally the whole thing.
“It’s kind of like, ‘Hey, that’s nice’. And then it’s back to the business at hand.”
What a professional.
Moore the merrier
I CAN quite understand why Demi Moore had such a big smile on her face as she took part in a photocall for her new movie.
The horror film, called The Substance, received a 13-MINUTE standing ovation following a screening at the Cannes Film Festival, and Demi is even being tipped for her first Oscar.
The Hollywood A-lister, who dazzled in the South of France sunshine in a polka-dot frock and shades, said of making the movie: “Through the process of the film, I think I came out with greater acceptance of myself than I am.”
Rebecca’s up for a Euro win
REBECCA FERGUSON has thrown her hat in the ring to represent the UK at Eurovision next year.
The singer, who was a runner-up on X Factor in 2010, has odds of 4/5 to be the UK entry according to betideas.com – having performed at the semi-final last year when the contest was in her home city of Liverpool.
Posting about the odds online, she tweeted: “Give me an emotional ballad, a pretty dress and a mic and I’m nailing Eurovision!!”
Perhaps that’s not a bad idea.
Lucie Jones was on the X Factor the year before Rebecca and finished in 15th place when she competed at Eurovision with Never Give Up On You in 2017 .
It was exactly a stonking result, but it’s far better than we usually do these days.
Rebecca does have a belting voice and that’s definitely what we need if we want to trouble the contest judges next year.
Soph’s Isle of delight
★★★★☆
FLOWER Power at Pacha Ibiza kicked off in style on Saturday night, with Sophie Ellis-Bextor flying into the White Isle from London for a special performance at the opening party.
Alongside 3,000 other revellers, I danced non-stop as Sophie stepped up on to the stage next to the famous DJ booth to perform some of her best hits.
“I first came to this club back in 2000,” Sophie told the packed crowd, who stood shoulder to shoulder inside the heaving main room.
Playing her cult Noughties Spiller hit Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love), Sophie added: “This is the song that first brought me here.
“Think of all the people who have danced on this dance floor. Looking around the room now I can see you’re all great dancers.”
Buoyed by her compliments, I danced, drank and sang until 4am – with Pacha’s new resident DJ Bora Uzer playing a huge non-stop set, with hit after hit blaring out.
He will play every night this summer, with top guests including Grace Jones and Roisin Murphy also booked to perform.
The legendary Flower Power party has been reimagined for a new era.
Every Saturday, revellers are invited on a transformative journey through four chapters, Holi Ibiza, Army Of Flowers, Circodelia and Future Of Freedom, which embody the island’s free spirit.
Camelphat, Bedouin, Robin Schulz, Solomun, Diplo and Marco Carola will also perform as resident artists, with them all booked for multiple appearances at Pacha over the next couple of months.
Expect banging songs and a banging hangover – my ears are still ringing three days on.
For tickets, head to pacha.com.
KYLIE MINOGUE is teaming up with top producer LOSTBOY again after they won a Grammy for their tune Padam Padam.
He said: “Padam was its own thing, it’s lived its own life.
“The new stuff is so fun as well in its own way. I don’t know when it will be out.”
Tom: My beanie’s a nightcap
TOM WALKER has come up with a novel way to catch some well-earned shut eye while touring the globe.
The Leave A Light On singer says part of the reason he loves his beloved beanie hat so much is that it doubles as an eye mask.
Tom, who will perform at Flackstock festival in July, has grown so fond of woolly headwarmers he’d never consider performing without one.
He told me: “The beanie is as famous as I am. I’ve been wearing it so long it feels weird not wearing it, plus other hats don’t suit me. I’ve tried a flat cap and a bucket and they aren’t for me.
“I do use it as an eye-mask on flights sometimes. I pull down the front on the plane.
“It’s too hot to wear it in bed, but if I’ve had a few drinks sometimes I forget to take it off before I sleep.”
Zayn keen on ZZZZiggy
PILLOWTALK singer Zayn Malik has been enlisted to deliver a CBeebies Bedtime Story.
The former One Direction star will be on the box at 6.50pm tomorrow, reading from Ziggy Marley book Music Is In Everything to help kids drift off to sleep – but I’m sure plenty of mums will be keeping a keen eye on him too.
Zayn said: “I chose this book because I love [Ziggy’s dad] Bob Marley, and because music and reading are both important to me as a parent.
“I sing to my daughter when she goes to sleep and I read to her at bedtime too. I feel like this will be something really cool to show her, so I’m up for reading a CBeebies Bedtime Story.”
Ben woe threat to J-Lo tour
IT was supposed to be her triumphant return after five years away from the road.
But Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming US tour is starting to look like an almighty nightmare as rumours swirl about the status of her marriage to Ben Affleck.
They were photographed together on Sunday as they made their way into Soho House in Los Angeles, but the couple have been living increasingly separate lives.
Due to kick off next month, J-Lo’s This Is Me . . . Now tour was set to tell Ben and Jen’s two-decade love story – and how they finally made it down the aisle.
As well as emotional love songs penned by Jen, the staging and interludes were all created to show how she had found true love after years of searching for The One.
But with Ben ditching his wedding ring and uncertainty about what will now happen between them, her team are facing a crisis as to what to do next.
A source said: “It’s a mess. No one quite knows what to do. J-Lo wants the show to go on but this big love fest of a return is now tainted. One option is to rework large chunks of the show although that would cost a fortune.
“ Everyone is hoping Ben and Jen fix their differences but it’s not looking good.”
I don’t even want to see pictures of my ex, so I can only imagine how Jen is feeling at the prospect of embarking on a full tour all about Ben.