Charity and music becomes ever-intertwined, with Lily Allen cancelling a charity gig, Robbie Williams claiming that he wasn’t even booked, and Peter Andre now busking for charity.

Fans were left disappointed when Lily Allen (definitely our favourite in these offices) couldn’t play at Coldplay’s charity gig due to a throat infection. Instead, the poor fans had to endure an extended set from Coldplay themselves.

Robbie Williams, on the other hand, claimed that he hadn’t even been booked for Rio Ferdinand’s fundraiser on 16th December, despite claims that he had indeed been on the list, and had failed to turn up. His legal adviser told The Sun newspaper:

“Robbie was never, ever confirmed to play at this event. How could he be when he was recording a TV show? His management tried everything to get them to stop using his name to promote the show, even sending them daily legal notices.”

However, one singer has performed for charity – by busking at Spitalfields market in London. Peter Andre braved the Arctic temperatures with a gospel choir to raise money for Help a London Child, his favoured charity.

After the festive busk-fest, Pete told his followers on Twitter: “I have never felt the cold like today, ever, but there is something special about this and I hope your (sic) all getting in the Xmas spirit.”

We say: We do hope Lily gets better. She’s ace. But Peter Andre proves that no matter how big you are, you can always do something small for charity – you don’t need Coldplay-style epic gigs all the time.