Ditto to repay friend with new song

The Gossip star Beth Ditto has revealed that she is to write a song for a friend who helped launch her career.

Kathy Mendonca used her credit card to pay for Ditto and guitarist Brace Paine - real name Nathan Howdeshell - to move from their Arkansas trailer park to the Washington college where they started the band.

Mendonca was the original drummer when the group formed in 2001 but quit before they made it big with hit 'Standing In The Way Of Control'.

Ditto revealed: "When you are college age, credit card companies bombard you with applications - so Kathy applied and got one.

"She paid for Nathan to move to Olympia with her and, when I graduated from high school a couple of years later, she paid for me to come out there too."

She added: "On the next record I am going to write a song called 'Kathy's Credit Card'."