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The prospect of being held underwater by one of The Krays’ henchmen is not one most people would jump at — unless you’re East 17’s Terry Coldwell.
Terry, 50, gladly put himself in Chris Lambrianou’s arms to be baptised at the River Church in London’s East End.
Seven born-again Christians stepped into the water with the 83-year-old former gangster, who spent part of his life as a member of ‘The Firm’.
The Firm was the nickname given to Ronnie and Reggie Kray’s gang, based in Bethnal Green, London, throughout the 50s and 60s.
A video shared by the Daily Mail showed Terry, speaking with Chris and the church’s pastor, Dave Gill, as he stood in waist-high water for the ceremony.
‘I’ve just been baptised and I feel absolutely amazing,’ the Stay Another Day hitmaker told the Daily Mail. ‘The service has been phenomenal today.’
Terry added: ‘I just feel great. I feel it was a long time coming and I’m really glad I did it.’
A baptism is usually performed by a priest or bishop, but there are no restrictions on this in the Bible.
East 17 rose to fame in the 90s, consisting of Terry, Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey and John Hendy, with over 18million albums worldwide.
The lineup has changed over the years, with Terry remaining constant, although he recently shared that he doubted a reunion was likely.
Meanwhile, Chris had a very different career and would probably rather have avoided the spotlight entirely.
He was involved in the dumping of Jack ‘The Hat’ McVitie’s body after he was stabbed by Reggie in 1967.
During his prison sentence after being arrested for armed robbery, Chris found God and moved away from his life of crime.
Of the baptism, he shared: ‘‘Baptising so many people gives me a spiritual high. It’s like you cannot buy the feeling I have.
‘That can only come from Jesus Christ. Trust in him and he will never fail you.’
He also set up a charity with a former Metropolitan police detective, Jon Wedger, to help provide work for young people and keep them from turning to crime.
Jon attended the Sunday service along with some close friends and said: ‘I found the service to be very moving. I’ve know Terry for a few years and his faith has got stronger and stronger and I think it’s been niggling away at him to get baptised for a while now.
‘Myself and Chris have worked together for a while now. He is a man who has turned his back on crime and devoted himself to God and is making a difference now in people’s lives and helping youngsters avoid making the same mistakes he did.’
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