Video: Megastar Justin Bieber turns chart rival Leeds doctor into a Belieber with NHS Choir meet up

A Leeds doctor, who helped to mastermind the NHS Choir's charge to Christmas number one, has met pop superstar Justin Bieber months after he urged fans to take them to the top spot.
Justin Bieber meets the NHS Choir including Dr Katie Rogerson (front row, centre right). Picture by Carsten Windhorst/ FRPAP.com.Justin Bieber meets the NHS Choir including Dr Katie Rogerson (front row, centre right). Picture by Carsten Windhorst/ FRPAP.com.
Justin Bieber meets the NHS Choir including Dr Katie Rogerson (front row, centre right). Picture by Carsten Windhorst/ FRPAP.com.

Dr Katie Rogerson, a children’s doctor from Roundhay, joined her Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust colleagues from the NHS Choir in meeting the pop icon through an Official Charts Company gathering in central London yesterday.

The Canadian singer high fived choir members before posing for photos and chatting to the group, whose ‘Bridge Over You’ single sold more than 127,000 copies to clinch number one.

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Bieber’s track ‘Love Yourself’ looked set to hit the Christmas chart summit before he tweeted his 72million Twitter followers asking them to back the NHS Choir’s charity single.

Katie, whose high five with the star has already been made into an internet ‘meme’ by NME Magazine, said that Bieber’s festive tweet was a big thumbs up to health workers and has personally made her a ‘Belieber’.

The former Notre Dame Sixth Form College pupil, who now works in London, said: “It was wonderful that Justin supported the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir.

“By doing this, he not only recognised our mental health charities and Carers UK, but also acknowledged every single member of our hardworking NHS team across the UK.”

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The NHS Choir, originally made famous by TV choirmaster Gareth Malone in 2012, is made up of around 30 nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, porters and administrators.

Dr Katie Rogerson.Dr Katie Rogerson.
Dr Katie Rogerson.

Their single’s success followed a Facebook campaign set up by Katie and colleagues Harriet Nerva and Joe Blunden, which went viral and amassed millions of shares and likes.

During his visit, Bieber was also presented a plaque by the Official Charts Company recognising his New Year achievement of becoming the first artist to hold the top three positions in the UK singles chart.

He said: “I was honoured to meet everyone from the choir and I’m really happy that they got their number one.”

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All proceeds from the NHS Choir song, which was a mash-up Simon and Garfunkel and Coldplay hits, were shared between Carers UK and Mind (including Mind’s sister charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland), and other smaller charities.

Justin Bieber. Picture by Carsten Windhorst/ FRPAP.com.Justin Bieber. Picture by Carsten Windhorst/ FRPAP.com.
Justin Bieber. Picture by Carsten Windhorst/ FRPAP.com.

Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, added: “[Bieber] proved himself to be a bona fide legend in our eyes at Christmas and the New Year, both with his fantastic achievement of claiming the top three in the Official Singles Chart and also in throwing his support behind his closest rivals – the NHS Choir – in the race for the Christmas number one.”