It’s been virtually impossible to keep up with the Kardashians this week – first Rob and Blac Chyna announce their imminent baby, then it emerges that Kylie Jenner and rapper (and Blac’s baby daddy of her first child) Tyga have split. We’re lost too.
The two are thought to have called time on their relationship two weeks ago – the trigger allegedly being Kylie and Blac Chyna’s friendship.
The youngest Jenner had previously uploaded a picture of her and Blac with the caption: ‘we’ve been best friends the whole time’.
Snapchat
According to Radar Online, Tyga branded her a ‘fake b****’ for posing in the picture with his ex. Woah.
A source said: ‘Tyga thinks that Kylie is a total sell out and he told her that he did not even know who she was anymore.’
Kylie appears to have moved back in with mum Kris since the break up, uploading a video to Snapchat in which she’s heard saying: ‘Do any of you OGs remember my old bedroom? I think I’m gonna be in here for a few days’.
And Tyga broke his silence last night, telling E! News: ‘I’m good, you know? Just another day and working hard to get to that next level and achieve big things and evolve.’
The split is said to have happened prior to the Met Ball – the pair both attended the event but didn’t walk the red carpet together. To rub even more salt in the pretty raw wound, Tyga went out to lunch with his mum and a model on American Mother’s Day… Ouch.
Unearthed footage from her time on Signed by Katie Price (remember THAT!?) shows that Jemma was once a fresh-faced wannabe who was yet to discover the bleach bottle of the tattooist’s chair.
Sporting her natural brown locks and minimal make-up, the footage is a far cry from Jemma’s current look.
Yes, that’s actually her!
Jemma appeared on the show – which sought to find an assistant and business partner for Pricey, and was eventually won by Amy Willerton – in 2011 as a hopeful 23 year old, but was eliminated in the sixth episode.
She went on to re-emerge on our tellyboxes last year on the third series of MTV show Ex on the Beach, appearing alongside of her ex-boyfriend Kirk Norcross, as well as Megan McKenna and Vicky Pattinson.
By then she had followed Pricey’s lead and dyed her hair blonde, and also started her growing collection of tats, which now includes inkings down both arms, on her neck and even on her face.
The reality star also sounded off about comments made about her career following the drama.
‘I won’t doss your career so don’t diss mine yeah??? I’ll go in on someone who goes in on me! FACT,’ she posted before vowing not to speak on the situation.
‘I stand by no comment as I have a right to – the tweets don’t phase me – make me laugh.’
She’s certainly found her voice along with her signature look!
Speaking to Gay Star News, Mel explained: ‘It wasn’t experimentation. I fell in love with a woman for five years. An experiment doesn’t last five years.’
She added: ‘[Now] I’m a married woman who’s in love with a man.’
Mel has been married to current husband Stephen Belafonte since 2008 and between them they have four children, including their daughter Madison who they welcomed to the world in 2011.
And when asked if she would be OK with one of her children growing up to be LGBT, the pop star said she would ‘celebrate’ whatever they ‘want to be’.
Mel added: ‘Yeah. Between me and my husband we have four girls. What’s the ratio, one in five? So I’m hoping probably one of them will be!
‘It’s not something I’d push, but it’s not something I’d push under the carpet. Whatever my kids want to be, I would celebrate.
‘Whether they were gay, bisexual, transgender, I wouldn’t care. I would love and support them as my daughters.’
Mel – who is set to host the RBS British LGBT Awards in London this year – also added she’s never been afraid of expressing her sexuality.
‘I don’t see any fear. Why would I have fear? I’m not a fearful person. As soon as I left home, I lived my life fully.
‘As long as I’m not being mean to anyone in my immediate circle or harming anyone, people out there can have judgement, it doesn’t affect me.
‘I’ve always been an independent person. ‘Fearless’ puts somebody in a box. I’m just me.’
He’s always refused to speak about his troubled romance with Charlotte... until now!
Remember whenGeordie Shore‘s Gaz Beadle tweeted ‘2 sides to every story… I have found out a lot of important stuff over the last few weeks… I’ll explain all soon.’? He was true to his word. In his most emotional interview to date, Gaz gives his version of events.
Despite recently being branded a ‘cheat’ following an on-screen ‘threesome’, Gaz denies to Now that he was even in a relationship with Charlotte Crosby at the time, saying: ‘We have never been boyfriend and girlfriend. I wanted to put a label on our relationship but she wouldn’t. What was I meant to do – sit around and wait for her?’
The volatile couple’s most recent troubles seemed to start a few months ago when Charlotte spectacularly ‘dumped’ Gaz in Now, telling us: ‘He isn’t The One!’ adding: ‘I don’t trust him!’
Strange then that when Gaz was reported as having a threesome, Charlotte was so upset. Seemingly heartbroken, Charlotte recently told friends that she was in pieces and ‘humiliated’ at the news her on/off ‘boyfriend’ of five years had a ‘threesome’ with Charlotte Dawson and Olivia Walsh while filming Ex On The Beach last month – shortly after a fling with tattooed beauty Jemma Lucy. A devastated Charlotte even threatened to quit Geordie Shore so that she never had to see him again.
After a number of cryptic tweets from Charlotte, Gaz hit back, furious at being called a ‘cheat’. ‘You f***ing kidding? Boyfriend? Since when were we boyfriend and girlfriend? Exactly, we weren’t. So how can you say I cheated?!?!?!?!’ Something that in our interview today, Gaz clarifies.
Charlotte was then pictured looking worse for wear and kissing a mystery man – two fingers up at Gaz? Until recently the relationship had appeared to be back on track with the pair enjoying dates together in both the UK as well as a very PDA-filled trip to Australia. Gaz had frequently and very publicly shown his feelings for Charlotte on his social media admitting he was concentrating on her, even posting loved-up pictures.
Today, Now is in Newcastle to celebrate the fifth birthday of Geordie Shore and to talk to Gaz for the first time about his relationship with Charlotte. Despite the rest of the cast, past and present, reuniting to celebrate the show’s success, Charlotte is nowhere to be seen and her representatives explain that she has food poisoning.
However, Charlotte is instead tweeting about how much she loves gravy and can’t wait to go to Ikea to get more furniture for her house. Hmm…
Time to hear what Gaz has to say. ‘I wanted to settle down with Charlotte, I told her I wanted us to be together, I gave her everything, but she didn’t want it…’ he reveals. Gaz has a lot he wants to get off his chest…
So, what’s happening between you and Charlotte?
I feel like a lot of people think they know what’s going on with me and Charlotte but they don’t. There’s so much that’s happened in our private time. We got really serious. However, we never put a label on it like ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ and we’re not.
Why not? Do you want to be?
I’d say: ‘Oh, we’re seeing each other…’ and she’d say: ‘Gary, we’re not’. In the reunion show, you will see I gave her everything, I took her on romantic dates and bought her flowers, and then she f**ked up.
So what’s happening now?
I have been away for three weeks, I’ve had no phone and I came back to see a lot of stuff has gone on and so I want to speak to her.
Is it the end?
I don’t know… I actually don’t know what’s going to happen between us until I speak to her.
Do you still have feelings for her?
Well, yeah, Charlotte and I have a lot of history. People ask why we didn’t say we were official and why we aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend and I don’t know.
But you got with other girls…
If I’m single then what am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for her?
Did it upset you when you saw her kissing another man in a club a few weeks ago?
No, because we’re single, so I can’t get angry about that. There’s a lot more feelings there and there’s a lot of pressure on us – especially when people start accusing me of cheating when I haven’t. It’s the first I’d heard of it as we’ve never been boyfriend and girlfriend.
So if you were never together then what was really happening?
We were just spending time together and having fun. It’s really hard to talk about because I can’t even guess what she’s going to say when I talk to her.
You confessed your feelings and said you wanted to be with her…
I know, and I’m the one getting all the sh*t! That’s what’s made me angry. I wanted us to start seeing each other but it was her that was umming and ahhing.
Why do you think she didn’t want to be with you?
I think she’s scared because of five years of history and trust issues. I don’t blame her – I was shagging birds in front of her for five years and then I’m turning round to her and saying: ‘Come on let’s go!’ It’s hard…
I guess you might consider Charlotte to be a complete nightmare?
No she’s not. Our schedules are nightmares, we are just getting somewhere and getting into something and it’s like we’re always busy, then one of us is off in Australia, for example. It’s hard fitting everything in.
When you go back into the Geordie Shore house for the next series, will you get back together?
I don’t know. If she wants to move on to another chapter without me then fair enough. I understand.
Charlotte isn’t here today…What do you think would happen if she turned up?
We wouldn’t speak. I’m a private person. I could have sold my story but I don’t like that. [Now didn’t pay Gaz a fee for his story.] I’m just going to leave it like: ‘We’ll speak when we speak and people can watch it on TV.’
Aren’t you too old for all this?
(Laughs.) Exactly! I’m 28 so whether it’s with Charlotte or someone else, at some point soon I’m going to settle down.
She’s had a lot of surgery on her face… Would you like the old Charlotte back now?
She looks just as good now. If she has insecurities and the money to fix them, then why not?
Do think she’s ruined her looks?
It’s her lips I don’t like. I don’t know why women do that [filler] – it makes them all hard. Eurgh!
Cold feet over Liam. Stress reignites weight loss. Dropped by her record label?
At face value, Cheryl has the perfect life: hot young boyfriend aka Liam Payne, five-star travel and back doing what she loves best, singing and performing.
But it’s not just an unwanted surname dragging Miss Fernandez-Versini back to a far trickier reality. Instead of counting down to a new smash-hit album, the troubled star looks like reaching her 33rd birthday next month with her career hanging by a thread.
Insiders say the singer could be facing a ‘major struggle’ to get her new music released. She’s been spending lots more time in the studio since December, working on new material. But after the woeful sales of her last offering, Only Human, the problem for Cheryl might be persuading her record company Polydor to release it.
‘Bigger stars than Cheryl have been dropped by their label,’ an impeccably placed source told Now last week. ‘The music industry is very simple – if you don’t sell units, you get dropped.And the story of Cheryl’s solo career has been one of ever- diminishing returns.’
THE NUMBERS GAME
Cheryl’s debut 2009 album 3 Words went triple platinum in the UK, selling over a million records in the process. But every album since has sold less and Only Human, released in November 2014, scraped to silver status – meaning she only shifted 60,000 copies. Her singles have done even worse, with the most recent, also called Only Human, limping to No. 70 in the charts.
‘No self-respecting record company executive is going to look at those numbers and say: “OK, Cheryl, name your price!”’ says our insider. ‘The clue’s in the name: it’s the music business, not a charity. If you don’t get market share – and Cheryl doesn’t any more – they move you on.‘It’s nothing personal,’ adds the insider. ‘It’s the nature of the beast that everyone in this industry has a shelf life unless they’re seriously talented. And no offence to Cheryl, but as a professional singer she isn’t in the league of performers like Adele or Rihanna.
‘You can get away with that if you’re Madonna. But what has Cheryl got on her CV? She doesn’t write all her songs, she doesn’t produce them and the ones she’s put out over the past few years haven’t shifted units.
‘Bear in mind how much it costs to promote a record, make a video and even pay for her hair and make-up. You need to be topping the charts just to break even. And she isn’t doing that any more.’
On doing some investigative work, our second insider says there are other options for her label to consider and offer her. ‘I know towards the end of The X Factor that Cheryl was trying to get a single out this September or October,’ says the source. ‘It’s clear she’s not seen as an albums artist any more, but there was a suggestion that Polydor would make a promotion for her to concentrate on singles. ‘The idea would be to release three singles and market them for the modern streaming consumer. This is a new way of doing things and it could fit well with Cheryl, who tends to have a couple of hit singles off each album, but not much else. You get more long-term return from singles anyway. The charts these days are far more slow moving and if you’re getting radio play your song will stick around for a long time – definitely longer than they used to.
‘The question is whether she’d accept that deal. Cheryl still sees herself as a credible and super-successful artist. If she’s talking about breaking out of the pop mould, this isn’t something she’d be into. But if it’s the only offer on the table, she might well take it.’
IT NEVER RAINS
Cheryl’s woes don’t end there. She has been distinctly quiet on social media of late and friends say that’s no coincidence. ‘They’re through the initial honeymoon period and the cracks are really starting to show,’ says one mutual pal. ‘Infatuation is temporary. They’re left with the fact that they’re very different people, even though they’re in the same business.
‘Liam fell for his teenage crush. That’s a tough dream to live up to and Cheryl has enough on her plate dealing with her divorce without a young lad gushing about weddings and babies. She hasn’t even got her latest husband Jean-Bernard to agree to a split yet. Marriage is the last thing on her mind. But it’s all new to Liam and he’s convinced the way to her heart is to declare undying love. She wants the pressure off, but even her toyboy’s laying that on her.’
TWO WORLDS COLLIDE
Despite being a decade younger, Liam has a wealth of experience in the studio and is building up
a portfolio of original material and Cheryl would love to work with him. She has a great amount of respect for him and knows how talented he is. It’s an open secret Cheryl’s been seeking a duet with him, but after showing initial enthusiasm he’s now backing away. After five intense years with One Direction, he’s wary of taking on any serious work commitments.
When 1D split, Liam said: ‘I think everyone needs a little bit of a break now.’ But he has started to collaborate. ‘A tune [You] he recorded with Wiz Khalifa was leaked and within a few days it had as many YouTube hits as Cheryl’s last official single has ever had,’ says an insider.
‘No wonder she wants him to give her new material a leg up. But he’s contractually tied up and doesn’t want a working relationship to get in the way of what they have together. If only they both saw it that way.’
Insiders say Cheryl’s desperate to move away from the poppier sound of her earlier records to the kind of credible R’n’B performed by Beyoncé and Rihanna. Unfortunately, some people close to her worry that she has the vocal ability to carry it off.
WHAT NEXT?
Having left The X Factor juggernaut (Cheryl says she resigned, others in the industry speculated that she may have jumped before she was pushed), the pressure to reignite her solo career is huge. This month, she’ll appear at the Cannes Film Festival to fulfil her promotional duties to L’Oréal. Otherwise, her diary looks slightly less busy than in previous years.
‘What has she got left in the tank?’ asks the industry insider. ‘She’s squeezed everything she possibly can out of Girls Aloud, she’s done a book, she’s done her calendars and she’s done The X Factor. But the kids today are looking at a new generation of idols. There’s a feeling among a lot of important people in this business that Cheryl’s at the very end of her 15 minutes of fame.
‘Liam’s her great white hope of a revival. With his selling power, she could yet make herself relevant. I wouldn’t bet on any relationship with that amount of pressure riding on it though.’
SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE
It’s little wonder that friends say Cheryl’s slipped into her old problems, as seen throughout both her divorces and her unceremonious dumping from US X Factor by Simon Cowell.
To quote their mutual friend: ‘How do you think Liam, who’s a 22-year-old lad with millions of pounds in the bank and women falling at his feet, feels about living under all this strain?
‘The only reason he’d stick around is if he believes that Cheryl’s the love of his life. But if she doesn’t want to move the relationship forward, then it’s doomed already.
‘She might look like she has it all, but I wouldn’t want to be in Cheryl’s Louboutins right now for all the tea in China.’
WATCH: Reggie N Bollie reveal what they REALLY think of Cheryl and Liam…
Nothing’s off limits with Loose Women in this behind-the-scenes Now exclusive…
It’s 8.45am at ITV studios in London, the home of Loose Women, and Now has been granted a special access-all-areas pass to join the gobbiest gals on TV to celebrate their special 2,500th episode.
There’s no doubt about it, there’s a special magic in the air as the ratings for the ITV1 lunchtime show are through the roof. And it’s clear to see as anyone who’s anyone wants to be on the panel – from Hollywood A-listers Joan Collins and Goldie Hawn to Robbie Williams. Could it all be thanks to the popularity of one of the UK’s best-loved faces and LW newbie, Katie Price? Or is it because the talk-show topics are just getting juicier and juicier?
Today we’re talking friendship, as the Loose Women celebrate their success, discuss the unbreakable bond and their chemistry together as one of the most popular brands ever on TV.
One person who knows all about friendship is Katie. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few years, you’ll know Katie’s been incredibly unlucky when it comes to so-called friends after discovering two of her closest mates were having secret affairs with her husband Kieran Hayler.
Sitting on the sofa, fresh-faced from the shower in a white dressing gown with her hair wrapped up in a towel sipping a cup of tea, Katie immediately brings up her sadness on the topic.
‘I thought they were my best friends, I never thought they’d be doing that with my man behind my back. It’s hard to trust people now,’ she tells the Loose Women editor Sally Shelford and the assistant producer – who’s frantically typing it all up in notes.
‘I don’t know how you got through that…’ says panellist Nadia Sawalha affectionately.
‘I’ve met Kieran and I don’t want to sleep with him!’ adds host Andrea McLean, as they all fall about laughing.
We’re inside the Loose Women green room, where every morning, from 8.45am until 10am, the stars of the show gather to divulge their darkest secrets to the production team for potential discussion live on air.
There’s the usual surgery stuff. ‘You should have Botox,’ self-confessed surgery fan Katie tells an unimpressed Kaye Adams, as the other ladies howl with laughter. Apparently, she’s mentioned it a few times!
And there’s even further discussion for Katie to get her teeth into: anniversaries.
‘I don’t celebrate mine… that’s my first one with Kieran,’ clarifies Katie. ‘I don’t even know when it was, but I told him it’s void anyway after what he did.’ Ouch! It’s fair to say this is like the best coffee morning ever.
As it approaches 10.30am, Katie dashes off to her dressing room where her own make-up artist and hairdresser perform her TV-ready transformation while Kaye, Nadia and Andrea are spruced up together elsewhere in the ITV make-up room. At 11.55am, the ladies pile into the green room for a boogie for a fun 30-second promo for the show during This Morning – and Now joined in the action as the dancing bunny! Then at 12.30pm it’s showtime. Now is in the front row to watch the special edition, and we’re with the Loose Women right until the end, to turn the tables on them in their most revealing interview…
The Loose Women enjoy lunch together after the show…
So ladies, congratulations on your success! The show is phenomenal at the moment. Why do you think it’s been so popular?
Nadia: We make the news, we don’t report the news.
Kaye: There’s a dynamic between us all. If you had four people who were superstars but starchy and the glue between them didn’t work, it would be uncomfortable. It’s about a foursome and a friendship, there isn’t one star.
Nadia: Katie has always made headlines, she always has and always will. That makes noise around the show, but Katie is one of the team, she doesn’t walk in and…
Katie: What I like is everyone treats me like one of the team. Nobody treats me any different but why should they? They know I’m very down-to-earth and normal. It’s not me who makes up this image of me being a diva-ship.
As the new girl, what has Katie brought to the show?
Nadia: Noise! So people go ‘oooh!’
Katie: You better be honest. I don’t give a s**t!
Nadia: I am being honest!
Katie: Oh my God! Have you seen this?! [Katie is distracted by some pictures of herself on her phone she’s seen on a website walking into the studio at 8am without her make-up on]. What do they think I look like that early in the morning?!
Kaye: She’s brought a new energy and new stories. It makes people sit up and it’s made us all think…
Katie: It was horrible at first as they’d been doing it for so long, so to suddenly fit in… I’m quite talkative and you have to share and not be all ‘me, me, me’. It’s a team thing and I’m used to working on my own, so in the beginning I was like: ‘Do I speak? Don’t I speak? Do I speak?’ Now, I don’t even worry. In the beginning I’d s**t myself and be reading all the notes properly…
Nadia: [Laughs] Used to read the notes ‘properly’…
Katie: Now I don’t get nervous at all. I just get on with it.
Does anyone dislike each other? Come on, spill…
All: No…
Katie: I think there’s people who you wouldn’t socialise with but that doesn’t mean you hate them. I don’t hate anyone but there’s people I work with who I don’t think I’m their type.
Like who?!
Katie: You wish! [Laughs]
Andrea: I think it’s a very normal family. There’s people you can have a laugh with, people you confide in, people you have serious conversations with and you turn to people for different things.
Nadia: There’s always a family member you avoid! [Laughs]
What do you think it takes to be a great Loose Woman?
Nadia: You have to be prepared to show your flaws and share them or be really interested in other people’s flaws as, let’s be honest, that’s what the show’s about. That’s why the audience look and think: ‘Oh, she feels how I do, I can’t believe there’s someone else that feels that way.’
Kaye: And you can’t pretend to be something you’re not or you get found out really quickly. There’s no point as that lack of authenticity is too obvious. You can’t kid a kidder and the audience have that heat-seeking talent for seeing a bulls**tter and they don’t like it.
Katie, we must admit it’s been surprising how you’ve been so open, especially about your split from Pete…
Katie: There’s still things you don’t know about me! It’s true… People think they know everything about me but they don’t. If they came to my house they’d know I was completely different. It’s not like I act, but there’s things that are private.
Do you consciously decide what to say and what not to say? Or does it all just pop out live on TV?
Katie: There’s one person who’s spent loads of time with me and knows exactly what I’m like and that’s Nadia. She’s seen me in situations in the CBB house and I’m chilled, I’m calm… I mean, I sit down and go over what I’m going to say. It’s a show, you can’t just go on and say anything. You have to be careful.
Nadia: Sometimes things slip out that you wish you didn’t say… like the other day when I said I’d wet myself.
Now that’s a confession! Is there anything else you wish you’d never said?
Kaye: I forgot I was on TV and I told someone: ‘God, you get on my tits!’
Nadia: [Laughs] When you’re very comfortable with people you have to be very careful!
Andrea: I once revealed a friend was online dating when her family didn’t know. I happily spoke about it and said her name and didn’t think anything of it. She rang me furious and, understandably, it was a right old mess and I felt so bad. I just said it without thinking!
Katie, your children and Princess asked you some quite close-to- the-knuckle questions when they were on Loose Women Kids recently. Were you nervous?
Katie: No, I wasn’t nervous…
Nadia: I was… bloody hell, I was buttock clenching! Oh my God…!
Katie: I was glad it wasn’t live! But then it would have put things in perspective and I could have gone ‘up yours’ to some people who’ve denied things. If you know what I mean… they would have done me a favour then but they didn’t air it. My kids give me a lot of stick!
Nadia: The only thing I’m really sad about is that we didn’t hear that Princess wants to be a maths teacher. In her brief, that’s what it said and I thought: ‘That’s so cute!’ [Nadia turns to Katie] Does she like maths or was she bulls**ting me?
Katie: I’ve never even seen her do maths!
All: [Laughs]
Who’s been the rudest guest you’ve ever had?
Kaye: John Barrowman!
Andrea: Oh, but he’s fabulous!
Kaye: I mean in a crude way… he’s so close to the knuckle, he really is.
Andrea: He’s a really good snogger as well… he doesn’t give you a peck he properly snogs you. We need to have him on again!
Nadia: People can be dull and not bother!
Katie: I haven’t been around long enough, nobody’s been rude to me.
Nadia: I don’t know, I don’t think Joan Collins likes me.
Who’s been your favourite ever guest?
Andrea: Michael Bublé. He was so rude – in a saucy way – we had to cut it, this was in the days when Loose Women was pre-recorded. We asked him: ‘When you’re on tour, you must get bored, what do you do?’ and he said: ‘No, I just sit in my hotel room, watch porn, drink and w**k.’ They had to yell ‘CUT!’ and then we had to ask him the question again and this time he replied: ‘Sightseeing.’
Nadia: Oprah. There’s no doubt about it, she’s goddess-like and you just know you’re in the presence of greatness.
Andrea: It was like the Queen had come in…
Nadia: She was polite, kind, decent, beautiful, classy, interesting, interested, imposing… just everything that a star should be.
Andrea: And she arrived just before we went on air and then disappeared straight after so we never saw her off-air.
Kaye: Jackie Collins was fabulous. It was her last show.
Andrea: I always said I wanted to go to the pub with her for a nice bottle of wine after the show.
Katie: I feel like I haven’t been here that long to know…
Nadia: Shut up! Who’s been your favourite guest so far?
Katie: Well, I haven’t met that many so I don’t know!
Nadia: You’ve been here for over six months – you’re a proper Loose Woman now!
Katie: Have I?!
Nadia: What about Jeremy Kyle?
Andrea: Yeah, he loved you!
Katie: Who wouldn’t?!
All: [Laughs]
Robbie Williams has been in the Loose Women studios a lot recently with his wife, Ayda Field – that must be amazing!
Nadia: I really, really like Ayda. I haven’t been on with her but I love her. She’s exactly my sort of woman, she’s ballsy, really quick New York humour. She’s really sweet as well… he was here the whole time hanging around in the wings, and he adores her. Absolutely, proper adores her. Have you met him, Katie?
Katie: I’m not really bothered. I’ve met Robbie before! I don’t mean it like that. He seems really nice and some people are like ‘Oh my God!’ but I’ve never been like that about him. He’s a brilliant entertainer, though.
Have you done a cameo for the Absolutely Fabulous movie? Because you should!
Andrea: I’m gutted we never got asked. I’ve seen a trailer… it would be great!
Kaye: It would have been absolutely fabulous!
Who’s the best drinker?!
Kaye: Nadia. Nadia: I’ve got hollow legs me. Andrea: I’m good with spirits. I’m not good with wine. Nadia: She’s the worst! [Points to Kaye] Kaye: I feel a bit tiddly now!
Do any of you get any creepy fan mail?
Kaye: Well, it’s a funny thing with social media as people have direct access now. Years ago you lived in this lovely bubble and you never really knew what people thought, you just saw people in the street and people in the street are always lovely.
Nadia: We never knew how much some people hated us! [Laughs]
Kaye: When I first came on Twitter, you got some pretty savage stuff. I remember saying to Nadia: ‘This is horrible, I had no idea that people didn’t like me.’ She said: ‘They never did like you, you just didn’t know before.’
WATCH: Our exclusive behind the scenes video from Loose Women…
Draped around her co-star and minus her wedding ring, Michelle Keegan looks incredibly happy as she takes some well-earned time out from filming BBC drama Our Girl.
But who’s that handsome man she’s got her arms around? It’s none other than actor Luke Pasqualino, 26, who played Freddie McClair in Skins and d’Artagnan in The Musketeers. He stars with Michelle, 28, in the second series of Our Girl as maverick Special Forces officer Elvis Harte.
Michelle’s stunt double Nadine Theron tells Now Michelle and Luke have become great friends. ‘Yes, look, I mean they have a little bit of a scene [a romance] in the series, but I mean, from what I can see they were really good friends and got along really well. The chemistry on set was fantastic and, you know, I think they had chemistry off set, but they were just great friends and nothing more. It was all just very nice to see that everyone got along so well. She got along with all the men really, really nicely and, I mean, I can understand why, they were also really, really nice!’’
Last week, Michelle flew home from South Africa for a short time before heading to Manchester to continue her gruelling filming schedule. Aside from the 10 days Mark Wright, 29, spent in Cape Town with his family, the couple have been apart for three months. According to our source, Mark also spent very little time on set with Michelle in South Africa.
‘Michelle’s taking this role very seriously and didn’t want any distractions. They saw each other in the evenings,’ says our source. ‘She knows the series will make her a huge star, so she’s committed to doing her absolute best.’
The couple’s marriage has been in the spotlight for a while. But with a stark absence of the loved-up pictures they usually post on social media, talk of their marriage being in crisis has stepped up. Mark’s camp has denied it, while Michelle’s has refused to comment.
Mark and Michelle got married last July, but have arguably been under more pressure than most couples. They’ve barely had a private moment together since because work schedules have kept them miles apart, so it can’t be easy for them.
Last week, Now spotted Michelle sans her wedding ring and it’s also absent in her picture with Luke. But Michelle’s denied there’s anything wrong after stepping out in the UK, ring back in place. She says the only reason she hasn’t been wearing it is fear of losing it while on location.
‘Michelle left her wedding ring at home in her safe as she was scared of losing it while filming,’ says a source close to the star.
WATCH: Michelle Keegan reveals her beauty secrets to Now!
It's not been long since she dumped Arg, but Lydia's already moving on
After 10 years together, Lydia Bright has finally ended her relationship with James ‘Arg’ Argent. And Now can reveal she’s not wasting any time in finding someone new.
The former TOWIE star jetted out to Bali in Indonesia after dumping Arg on 1 May, and we spotted her living it up at the Red Carpet Champagne Bar in Seminyak. ‘Lydia was out partying with a couple of her girlfriends,’ a fellow reveller tells Now. ‘She didn’t seem upset or sad at all – she was just having a great time drinking and dancing with her pals. She was more than happy to get photos with everyone. I thought she looked really relaxed and content.’
Lydia’s made no secret of how much fun she’s having right now, posting Instagram snaps of herself drinking exotic cocktails and visiting spas.
Lydia, 26, stood by Arg, 28, when he entered the Priory for depression and low self-esteem in November 2014, and after moving in together in March 2015 they even talked about marriage. ‘I’ve been waiting so long for this day to come and it’s never going to happen,’ Lydia said in March, while Arg replied: ‘I promised Lydia if I was ever to do it, it would be nice and private.’
Lydia’s already been linked to hot Australian rugby player Bill Meakes, and our spies reveal she was loving the male attention she was getting in Bali. Watch this space…
WATCH: Lydia Bright and her mum get glam with Now!
Eight years after he ‘wrecked her life’ Britney Spears is facing her former manager Sam Lutfi again.
Looking drawn and scared, last week Britney Spears faced Sam Lutfi – her former manager, confidante and reported lover, who’s suing her for breach of contract. Sat at the opposite end of a long table to Sam, 41, surrounded by security cameras to make her feel safe, Britney faced questions. Leaving hours later, Britney, 34, looked shaken, a million miles from the confident woman we’ve seen in recent years.
Facing Sam was the last thing Britney wanted to do. On 1 October 2007, the same night Britney lost custody of her two children Jayden, 9, and Sean, 10, Sam, a friend of Britney’s, moved into her home. He claims he was acting as her manager and helping her to clean up her act.
However, in February 2008, Britney’s parents intervened and placed Britney under a conservatorship – controlling every aspect of her life. Britney’s mum Lynne later labelled Sam as a ‘predator’ and claimed he was never her manager.
The following year, Sam filed a lawsuit and tried to sue Britney for breach of contract – claiming she owed him millions, from a verbal contract made between them that gave him 15 per cent of Britney’s earnings between 2007 and 2008.
Sam’s case was thrown out in November 2012, as the judge concluded Sam could not provide enough evidence. Now, four years on, after Sam successfully appealed, Britney is facing him. And she’s terrified.
‘This court case has been a nightmare for Britney,’ an insider confirms to Now. ‘She’s being brave on the surface, but she’s a total mess behind the scenes. This is the man whom she and her family blames for wrecking her life. Britney has been focusing on her breathing techniques to stay calm and talking to her therapist about how to handle the court case, but it hasn’t made it any less difficult. The sight of him brought back horrific memories of a past she’s desperately tried to erase from her memory.’
Right now, Britney’s on a month-long break from her Piece Of Me residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and is trying to carry on as normal, but friends fear this could be a major setback. ‘This could trigger a major backward step for her mentally,’ the insider adds. ‘She was a mess for weeks leading up to the court date, knowing it was coming up and her friends are worried this could tip her over the edge.’
When he’s not filming scenes for Geordie Shore, partying his way around the world or constantly promoting his many ventures, he’s busy hanging out with his army of famous friends. Most noticeable, Ellie Goulding.
But is there more than meets the eye between the pair?
What’s going on in your love life at the moment?
Everyone’s aware I’ve been seeing a girl [Francesca Toole] but I can’t commit because I’ve got to be single for the show. Plus for the past three months I’ve been in Newcastle – where she lives – for only 12 days, which isn’t enough. If I had a girlfriend I’d want to see her every day!
What’s going on with you and Ellie Goulding?
What? [Laughs] She’s just my pal. She’s really good craic! [Smiles]
What do you have in common?
I dunno… She’s in Canada at the moment and I’ll probably see her when she gets back. We keep in touch.
Will you take her out in Newcastle?
Yeah, definitely, she loves Newcastle. We were raving last time she was here, she came to one of my club nights, it was really good – her management and dancers all came too. She’s really nice and down-to-earth and it’s nice to know people like her are down-to-earth.
Do you fancy her?
Yeah, she’s fit, like!
You’re everyone’s new best friend! We saw pictures of you and Mark Wright together recently.
I’ve got a lot of celebrity friends.
Who’s your most famous friend?
I couldn’t say. I don’t get friends with them because they’re famous. I’m friends with them because I like them.
Who is the most famous person you have in your phone?
I’m not saying! (Laughs.)
Would you like to go to Hollywood?
As soon as I get a break, I’d like to go… but not for work. I wouldn’t leave Newcastle or Geordie Shore.
You’re friendly with Arg [James Argent], aren’t you?
Yeah. Why, what’s happened? [Now fills Scotty T in on Arg’s split from Lydia Bright.] I didn’t know any of that to be honest.
You’re a similar age and both in reality shows. Is it hard to keep your feet on the ground?
No, it’s not difficult, you’ve just got to be sensible and not be a f**king idiot!
Ibuprofen It can help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. If possible continue for a period of 48 hours.
Cool down Apply a towel dampened with cool water for 15 minutes. Pat skin dry, don’t rub!
Aloe up Aloe Vera gel can soothe and calm sunburn due to its high vitamin content.
Moisturise Use an un-perfumed lotion to soothe the skin and reapply regularly for several weeks. AVOID creams that contain petroleum, benzocaine, or lidocaine; they can cause local skin irritation.
Steroid cream - Try 0.5-1% hydrocortisone for 48 hours to speed up the healing process.
That fiery flame ball has plenty of health benefits too. Nutritionist Cassandra Barns lists the top three:
Vitamin D production Vital for our immune system as well as strong bones.
Better sleep Bright sunlight in the AM can improve sleep at night, by helping to regulate the body’s natural 24-hour sleep-wake cycle.
Immunity booster Sunlight exposure may strengthen our immune system, by increasing the number of white blood cells.
*Sunburn can cause long-term damage to the skin and prevention should be the key. For more information about skin cancer and prevention, see a dermatologist who can discuss sun-protection and mole monitoring in detail.
It's been 13 years since we said goodbye to The Office!
We miss The Office!
Can you believe it’s been 13 years since we said goodbye to receptionist Dawn Tinsley and the rest of David Brent’s staff? Since quitting the show, Lucy, 43, packed up and headed off to Hollywood where she set up home. Sadly her struggles trumped the stateside success she’d dreamt of.
Didn’t she almost die?
Prior to landing the role on The Office, Lucy was diagnosed with kidney failure during a medical examination prior to taking up her role in 1995’s Pride & Prejudice. Talking of the traumatic time, her father, comedian Jasper Carrott, revealed during an interview in 2015: ‘My wife donated my daughter a kidney 17 years ago, and the latest results indicated it will last another 17 years. My best friend Bev Bevan lost his father when he was 10-years-old to kidney disease. I realized he had a life without a father, but we have a life with a daughter.’
Then there was the divorce…
Lucy married Welsh actor, Owain Yeoman, in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral back in 2006 – but sadly it wasn’t meant to be. The pair later divorced in 2011 after five years together. Talking about the discreet break up, she revealed: ‘I don’t discuss my divorce because it’s about two people. I don’t have the right to clear up my mess in the press without regard to someone else.’ Owain is now married to jewellery designer Gigi Yallouz and they have a child, one-year-old Ever Belle.
Continued struggles
In 2013, Lucy very candidly opened up about her battle with bulimia and anorexia, saying: ‘If I can help one person by speaking out, that will be enough for me.’ She also documented how her problem with food had been present since she was a child, adding: ‘I was fortunate to have had a lively, happy childhood, but somewhere along the way I convinced myself I wasn’t wanted anywhere or by anyone if I wasn’t thin. It’s all to do with my life-long obsession with weight and food. I’d diet for five days, then binge eat a week’s worth of food in one day.’ Lucy now regularly attends Overeaters Anonymous.
And what about now?
Most recently Lucy has been working with American animal rights charity PETA and spotted on set of upcoming American superhero film, Wonder Woman. The actress was pictured filming scenes for the huge blockbuster, which will hit screens in 2017, while donning a variety of wartime period costumes and a redheaded wig.
Countryfile star Helen Skelton speaks to Now about life as a mum...
Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton, 32, speaks to Now about family life in the South of France with husband Richie Myler and their 11-month-old son Ernie.
Hey Helen! What has having a child taught you about yourself?
It’s very cliché but seeing Ernie smile is more than enough to keep me content. Just spending time with him, doing nothing but playing, is very fulfilling.
That’s lovely. Do you have any help with parenting?
Ernie’s grandparents are amazing. They follow us all over the country meeting to make our life easier. So far we haven’t used a nanny. I’m not ruling it out but where possible I want Ernie to be with family.
Bach Rescue Remedy spray. I travel a lot with my baby and my pals think I’m mad but as long as I can stay calm and stress free we make it an adventure.
Have you encountered any embarrassing moments as a mum?
Many! I took Ernie on a work trip to London and let’s just say, an exploding nappy, cream chinos and first class lounges don’t mix.
Uh-oh! What’s your favourite way to spend the weekends as a family?
Our life is so hectic I love pottering with my husband when we have time off. I love having no plans and taking hours over breakfast in a café. Life tends to revolve around meal times in France.
Any family films you love to watch together?
The Lion King; my husband loved it as a boy and has it on constantly for our son. He talks me through the lyrics of the songs telling me how they are good life lessons!
That’s great! Do you have any parenting hacks?
Wear clothes that double up as blankets or toys. I have pashminas and faux fur collars that Ernie loves. I also wear my biker jacket a lot as Ernie loves the zips. They keep him entertained for ages!
Helen Skelton is an ambassador of Rescue Remedy, available nationwide in Boots and Holland & Barrett, visit rescueremedy.co.uk for more information
Stephanie Davis has always worn her heart on her sleeve on Twitter but now the actress has mysteriously disappeared from the social media site.
The former Hollyoaks star – who split from on-off boyfriend Jeremy McConnell earlier this month – revealed in an honest message to her fans yesterday that she’s decided to take some time out from Tweeting.
No specific reason was given for Steph’s decision but she’d been sharing some heartbreaking posts in the run-up to her announcement.
The Celebrity Big Brother star seemed in a philosophical mood on Friday as she Tweeted: ‘On wards and up wards x’
She then wrote: ‘You can only pretend and laugh so long. The minute your true to your self.. It’s an achievement not a down fall’
Her melancholy mood continued when she reTweeted a sad post featuring a quote about losing love. Could it be a thinly-veiled reference to her recent troubles with Jez?
‘The worst thing in life is not losing the one we love, but losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much,’ the message read.
Steph’s string of thoughtful posts prompted much concern from her followers and many are hoping she’s okay after her news that she’s coming off Twitter.
‘a break will do you good, too much negativity..hope you’ll be ok xx,’ one admirer wrote.
Another added: ‘you need concentrate on yourself. Surround yourself with family and friends who love you for who you are. Hugs x’
Others are doubtful as to whether Steph will stick to her sentiment for very long…
‘stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before..,’ one Twitter user observed. ‘Hope it’s true. Will do U good’
Steph was very vocal on social media when her break-up from Jez, 26, was revealed just over a week ago.
The actress went on a now-deleted rant after his alleged cheating in which she said that she’d ‘seen the light’ and was happy just hanging out with her friends.
Let’s hope this Twitter hiatus helps Steph get some chill time…
Then the smitten star went and hinted at something HUGE happening in the future – a world tour! *fans self*
Okay, let’s just take a breath and talk Zigi first. Zayn, 23, posted a sultry picture of his model beau on Twitter earlier today where she’s seen posing at a casino in a top that reads: ‘lol ur not zayn malik’
A proud Zayn captioned the black-and-white snap: ‘Thas ma girl’
Awww, couple goals or what? Also we totally sense a new trend thanks to Gigi’s hilare choice of clothing.
‘I WANT THAT SHIRT,’ one fan commented on the post, whilst another suggested to Zayn: ‘ZAYN YOU SHOULD WEAR A “lol u’re not gigi hadid” T-SHIRT TOO’
Well nothing says celeb romance like matching outfits, right? Though we can’t see Zayn and Gigi rocking double denim à la the infamous Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake moment, but we can dream.
Maybe Zayn was missing his lady as he was off performing at the Wango Tango music festival in Los Angeles whilst she enjoyed some time with her girlfriends.
The former One Direction star’s set seemed to go down well though and he had a ball at the gig.
‘Support was great today thanks to everyone that showed up :),’ Zayn Tweeted later on.
Perhaps that successful performance coupled with his blossoming relationship with 21-year-old Gigi has given Zayn such a buzz that he’s ready to embark on something HUGE that we may have mentioned earlier…
Yep, the singer cheekily hinted at possibly going on a world tour when a fan queried him about it on social media.
‘will we be expecting a world tour soon?’ the admirer asked.
Zayn kept us all guessing by responding with the staring eyes emoji, but if you ask us that doesn’t exactly rule it out…
Yep, Charlotte is now the proud mum of a pair of puppies who came to live with her and resident dog Baby yesterday and she couldn’t wait to introduce them to her social media followers.
‘Meet the munchkins #Rhubarb & #Bear,’ Charlotte, 25, captioned an adorable photo of her fur babies on Instagram.
The Geordie Shore star had struggled to contain her excitement earlier in the day as she Tweeted about the tiny hounds during the journey home.
‘Taking the little fatty home now to meet her big sister,’ Charlotte posted with a snap of the black pooch.
She then confessed to deciding to give two pups a home by revealing the second new member of the family with the message: ‘I kind of got 2’
It sounds like the cute bundles of fluff have settled in well chez Charlotte and they certainly made their mum very happy when she awoke this morning.
‘Waking up to puppies is the BEST,’ an overjoyed Charlotte told her Twitter followers. Awww.
Rhubarb and Bear have come at a good time for the reality star as she’s ready to unwind following a hectic few days.
Throughout this week she’s been a regular on Rylan Clark’s new talk show Up Late With Rylan, starred in Geordie Shore: Big Birthday Battle and has also been hitting book signings for her latest tome Live Fast Lose Weight.
Oh, and she also fought her corner against Janet Street-Porter’s criticism of her surgery on Loose Women AND hinted at the whole Gaz Beadle drama with a cryptic Tweet about when something will ‘stop hurting’.
Phew, we’re exhausted just thinking about all of that so it’s no wonder Charlotte was keen to enjoy some downtime last night.
‘Tired is an understatement….this week has been NON STOP,’ the star Tweeted. ‘Finally back home in my own bed’
But with two new puppies on the scene, Charl might not be resting for long!
Chezza, 32, made everybody’s mouths drool at lunchtime when she shared a photo of a hearty dish cooking away and revealed how much she loves a good Sunday roast.
‘Sunday’s are my favourite,’ the singer captioned the scrummy snap.
The concoction features what looks like a portion of meat surrounded by an assortment of colourful vegetables.
It’s unclear whether Chezza created the meal herself but if she did, firstly kudos to you missus!
Secondly you’ve got A LOT of fans wanting to pop round to sample your goods, Cheryl.
‘room for a lil one?’ one admirer asked, summing up the sentiment of many of her followers.
Others are keen to know exactly what it is that Cheryl is about to tuck into.
‘it looks good! idk what it is though,’ an honest fan admitted. Answers on a postcard, people.
Several of the former X Factor judge’s fans think that if Chezza DID knock this up herself she should probably consider an appearance on Celebrity Masterchef – now THAT we’d like to see.
We can’t help but wonder if Cheryl will be joined by One Direction star Liam, 22, for the dinner after their Cannes trip together.
The pair, whose romance became public knowledge in February, made an official public appearance together for the first time at the Global Gift Gala in Paris on Monday night before heading to the French Riviera.
Once again on Thursday they stepped out together but Cheryl graced the red carpet alone on Friday for the Slack Bay premiere at the Film Festival.
She might be enjoying a chilled luncheon after her hectic few days but it sounds like Chezza hasn’t had a totally quiet weekend…
Earlier today she hinted that she’d been getting on down to her former X Factor act Reggie N Bollie’s upbeat track New Girl last night.
The singer responded to a Tweet reading ‘Who had #RNBNewGirl on their party playlist last night?’ by answering: ‘Me’
The actress recently reprised her role as Sam Mitchell to film scenes showing mum Peggy’s funeral but has found herself at the centre of claims she was axed after two episodes due to ‘unprofessional’ behaviour.
It’s been alleged by The Sun that Danniella, 42, often arrived more than two hours late for filming and would bring 23-year-old toy boy George Arnold along, though the paper claims that he was later banned from the set.
‘Danniella is gone after only two weeks – it was her last day of filming on Saturday and she won’t be back,’ a source says.
‘This is a huge opportunity lost for Danniella, who was being given another chance to prove herself. But she failed miserably.
‘Secretly she is devastated as she was pinning all her hopes on a full time return.’
The Celebrity Big Brother star has angrily hit back at the speculation though and insists she wasn’t given the boot.
A representative for Danniella tells MailOnline: ’She didn’t get fired she worked her full contract. It’s absolute lies.
‘She was not fired she fulfilled her contract and she was booked for two episodes and that is what she shot.’
The actress also clarified that the rumours were false on social media by writing: ‘I had two weeks work 2 do @bbceastenders a funeral to shoot. Nothing with Peggy or grant. I was not sacked or axed I just did 4 episodes’
She revealed yesterday that she was looking forward to a vacation after completing filming.
‘Really enjoyed my flying visit back @bbceastenders looking 4 ward 2 your all watching at the end off June #HoildayTimeNow,’ Danniella told her Twitter fans.
Really enjoyed my flying visit back @bbceastenders looking 4 ward 2 your all watching at the end off June #HoildayTimeNow
— Danniella Westbrook (@westbrookdanni) May 15, 2016
After her return was confirmed the blonde star – who last appeared on the soap six years ago – admitted that she’d love to go back for a longer stint.
‘I’m super excited to go back [to EastEnders],’ she explained during an appearance on Loose Women in March.
It’s going to be so nice having all of the original Mitchells back together.
‘It’s going to be great. To be honest, I’d love to come back to EastEnders full time.’
Luckily it wasn’t serious and Charlotte – who turns 26 tomorrow – was happy and safe taking shelter in a car with her companions whilst the incident was taken care of.
‘When you go out for your birthday meal and you get evacuated from the restaurant because of a fire,’ the Sunderland lass captioned a selfie of the group on Instagram.
She was also quick to reassure her followers that everything was okay.
‘(It was a mini one) (Nothing To worry about) we waited in the car #PileIn,’ Charlotte added. Well we’re glad to hear that!
It looks like Charl and her dinner buddies remained in high spirits despite the interruption to their meal and some of the ladies even appeared to have taken their drinks with them.
This certainly attracted the attention of the reality star’s fans…
‘That would only happen to you,’ one follower said about the incident, whilst one joked about the ladies’ drinks: ‘hahaha love that u took ur wine with u good work!’
It sounds like the blip didn’t ruin Charlotte’s evening thankfully.
Before the evacuation the reality star had been Tweeting about having a fun time with her girlfriends, having posted the message: ‘Sunday club food and drinks with my lllaaaaaddddiiieeeeesss’
Sunday club food and drinks with my lllaaaaaddddiiieeeeesss
— Charlotte Crosby (@Charlottegshore) May 15, 2016
She also shared a Tweet simply reading ‘Bubble gum mojito’, so we’re guessing the soon-to-be birthday girl was hitting the cocktails!
Charlotte’s latest drama comes after a very hectic week for her, which has seen her pop up on various TV shows, attend a book signing and welcome two new puppies into her home – phew.
Let’s hope the Geordie Shore lass’s big day goes off without a hitch tomorrow!
Sources say the former reality star is up for a film with Margot Robbie
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock (5674362cr)
Ferne McCann
House of Fraser British Academy Television Awards, Arrivals, Royal Festival Hall, London, Britain - 08 May 2016
And it certainly doesn’t look as if Ferne’s star is going to stop rising anytime soon, as it has been revealed that the Essex babe has been cast in her first Hollywood film – starring alongside The Wolf of Wall Street’s Margot Robbie!
Sources say that after spending some time meeting with directors at Cannes Film Festival last week, the former TOWIE star landed a role alongside Australian actress Margot, who Ferne’s already admitted to being a big fan of.
Ferne, 25, will apparently be playing a policewoman in the as-yet-unnamed musical flick – and it’s said to be her ‘dream role’ – aww!
‘Ferne has landed her first movie role alongside Margot,’ a source told Mirror Celebs. ‘It’s going to be amazing and it’s her dream role. She’s playing a police woman, it’s as you’ve never seen her before. The film title hasn’t been decided yet and it’s all at very early stages.
‘Ferne’s caught the eye of a lot of movie bosses.’
This is bound to be fantastic news for the 2015 I’m A Celebrity… finalist, as in the time since the show ended, she’s made no secret of her desire to be a star of the screen and stage. She’s even previously spoken of her admiration for Margot Robbie – so the chance to work with her must be the icing on the cake.
‘Everyone’s dream role would be in a Marvel film,’ Ferne said earlier this year. ‘Or I would like to do something really sassy. I really love Margot Robbie and her career and how that’s going. Every part she does I just think, yes.’
Ahh, we couldn’t be happier for her – from Essex to Hollywood, Ferne the world is yours!
Watch what happened when Now played 12 Questions with Ferne McCann…