Entertainment

Courteney Cox recalls ‘nerve-wracking’ experience playing piano with Elton John

The actress and budding musician described it as the ‘thrill of my life’.
The actress and budding musician described it as the ‘thrill of my life’. The actress and budding musician described it as the ‘thrill of my life’.

Courteney Cox has revealed she had a last-minute piano lesson to prepare for a private performance with Sir Elton John.

The Friends star is a close friend of Ed Sheeran, who recently invited the pop veteran over to her home for dinner.

The 57-year-old actress, who played Monica Geller in the NBC sitcom, used lockdown to improve her piano-playing and called her teacher for an impromptu lesson, which finished just as Sir Elton was arriving.

Graham Norton Show – London
Graham Norton Show – London Courteney Cox said playing piano with Sir Elton John was nerve-wracking but thrilling (Matt Crossick/PA)

Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, she said: “I learned to play in lockdown but then Ed Sheeran invited Elton John to dinner at my house and suggested we all perform together.

“So I called my piano teacher and 20 minutes later he was walking out as Elton was walking in.

“It was the scariest, most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever done, and it was the thrill of my life.”

Cox is friends with chart-topping singer-songwriter Sheeran through her partner, Johnny McDaid, who plays keyboard and guitar in Snow Patrol.

Speaking about reprising her starring role in the new Scream film, she said: “I can’t believe I am in it again and I couldn’t believe they were doing another one, but it’s great – funny, gory and really scary.

“It’s just heightened. Everything in the world changed and it had to keep up – it’s relevant.”

– The Graham Norton Show airs on Friday on BBC One at 10.35pm and is also available on iPlayer.