World Leaks

PHILLIP Schofield has made some dreadful decisions in recent years.

And returning to TV in Channel 5’s Cast Away is another one.

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Phillip Schofield is obviously throwing himself a pity party on Channel 5’s Cast Away[/caption]

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Phil’s first job since being axed from This Morning will see him stranded on an island off Madagascar for ten days, and in the trailer he asks: “I know what I did was unwise, but was it enough to absolutely destroy someone?”

No, of course it wasn’t. Everybody deserves a second chance.

And I might have applauded his comeback if it was a presenting job, not a reality programme where he is obviously throwing himself a pity party.

He turned down offers for other shows on BBC and ITV so he could take centre stage in this one-man show. Plugging it, Phil says: “It’s my chance to tell my side of my story.”

But last year, after admitting to having a morally dubious affair with a 20-year-old runner on This Morning, he did have his chance to tell his side of the story.

He spoke to The Sun and the BBC about how his life had been ripped apart and he   felt suicidal.

He said the affair had been unwise but not illegal”, yet felt “regret and remorse and guilt”.

Phil said all the young runner wanted was “a quiet life”, and added: “He didn’t want any of this to happen in the first place.”

Phil also said that he “must have been gay” when he married his poor wife Stephanie, who was “absolutely shattered” by his affair.

That is why Phil agreeing to do a show where he is the one getting therapy courtesy of Channel 5 really is so utterly cruel and distasteful.

Any wounds that may have started to heal will be ripped wide apart again now because of his latest actions.

Sitting dishevelled on a tropical beach, he goes on: “I’ve been cast away on a desert island, completely on my own. All I have is camera gear, and I can say whatever I want about whatever I want.”

Yes, he can. If he’d been on I’m A Celeb, he may have been asked awkward questions. So he’s chosen this carefully controlled Phillip Schofield show instead.

He didn’t need to work for charity to prove he’s sorry, but to do something that is so obviously all about him — and what happened to HIM — is so self-serving.

Talking about his new show, Phil added: “It appealed to me on so many levels.

“I’ve recently had a lot of time to think about my life, what went right and what went wrong, but I’ve always had the safe arms of friends and family wrapped around me.”

What went wrong is that you had a secret affair with a much younger man then lied and lied about it to all those close to you.

And one arm that wasn’t there to greet him was his former co-star Holly Willoughby who admitted she, too, was hurt by his lies.

This show will be a ratings hit, giving Phil the attention he craves.

But choosing to make it will also show there’s one person Phil rates above everyone else — himself.

Maggie’s Violet was a blooming marvel

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Dame Maggie Smith was utterly brilliant as Violet Crawley in TV series Downton Abbey[/caption]

DAME Maggie Smith really was one of the greats.

She was utterly brilliant as Violet Crawley in TV series Downton Abbey and brightened up many of our family Christmases as the sharp-tongued dowager.

Tributes have described her as a “wise, witty, waspish, wonderful” star.

What a woman. I hope she rests in peace.

Put the lid on dip’s dangers

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Bacteria are more likely to grow in hummus kept refrigerated without airtight lids[/caption]

THANKS to supermarket bosses at Tesco and Sainsbury’s we could, according to scientists, all be in grave danger.

Well, if you’re daft.

Microbiologists have warned that bacteria are more likely to grow in hummus kept refrigerated without airtight lids, after the two super-market chains got rid of them and instead put on peel-off ones similar to those on yoghurt pots.

Primrose Freestone, Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester, warned that storing hummus without airtight lids could lead to food poisoning.

So how about we all just dig out that Tupperware which everyone just shoves in kitchen cupboards, and actually use it?

Simple. Panic over.

Perils of jab fixes

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Mum-of-five Alice Webb tragically lost her life after having a Brazilian butt lift[/caption]

ALICE WEBB lost her life after having a Brazilian butt lift.

As tragic and awful as it is, I am not surprised that someone has died from having such a procedure because the cosmetic surgery world is like a Wild West of undertrained “experts” who are injecting God knows what into people’s bodies.

Non-surgical “liquid” BBLs are not illegal here. Because of a lack of cosmetic surgery regulation, there are minimal requirements for people who perform them and other aesthetic treatments.

I have had a fair bit of Botox shoved in my forehead over the years and every doctor and nurse who has ever administered it has discussed how dreadful it is that people with the most basic of qualifications can do procedures that can have terrifying consequences.

I really hope Alice’s death, at just 33, means this business is finally regulated so only medically qualified practitioners can administer such treatments.

Maybe “Alice’s Law”, in years to come, could bring a tiny bit of comfort to her five young children too.

Harry no mug for ad

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Horrified fans have suggested Harry Kane sticks to football instead of acting[/caption]

HARRY KANE has been given a red card by fans for his acting skills after appearing in a porridge advert.

The plug for German-British brand 3Bears sees the Bayern Munich striker arriving at the company’s offices for his “first day at work” then being introduced to awestruck colleagues before sitting at a desk and pulling out a football-shaped mug.

Horrified fans have suggested he sticks to football instead of acting. But as dreadful as it is, it may just encourage kids to eat porridge this winter instead of sugar-laden cereals.

I had a staple breakfast of Shredded Wheat as a kid, thanks to Kevin Keegan. And yes, I am that old.

Did somebody say Just Eat?

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Just Eat has announced it has signed a deal to deliver sex toys[/caption]

EARLIER this year, Ann Summers teamed up with Deliveroo to bring instant satisfaction to their customers on Valentine’s Day – and now Just Eat has announced it has signed a deal to deliver sex toys.

Brings a whole new meaning to: “I’ll have some extra sauce, please.”

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AVOCADO on toast was for a while the food of choice for hipster millennials in trendy cafes – and now they’ve fallen in love with bathrooms of the same colour.

So sales have risen and they are bang on trend again – 50 years after they were first trendy.

But when you think about it, everything makes a comeback eventually, doesn’t it? Flares, aviator glasses, shoulder pads and jumpsuits.

The list goes on.

And actually, a warming, calming, green-coloured bath is probably better for a relaxing soak than a clinical white one.

Bring on the avocado.

WHEN the Conservative Party gathers today in Birmingham, there should be only one focus: unite behind a new leader — and sharpish.

In the wake of July’s General Election mauling, it was understandable that party bigwigs drew up a marathon contest.

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The Tories need to pick a new leader and unite to hold Keir Starmer to account[/caption]

But the Conservative beauty pageant has gone on far too long.

And the drawn-out battle is preventing Tories from carrying out the first duty of opposition — holding Sir Keir Starmer to account.

As it stands, the new leader will not be in place until November 2.

That is three days AFTER Labour’s critical first budget.

The job of responding to what promises to be one of the great smash-and-tax-grabs of our time will be left to outgoing Rishi Sunak.

This ludicrous timetable must be torn up.

Rarely has an effective opposition been so vital. The issues facing the country are too great to ignore.

The Tories must put their differences aside and come together to confront Labour in the battle of ideas.

Last week the PM said it was not possible to enjoy good public services without tax rises.

But as Tory frontrunner Robert Jenrick writes today, we need a small state that works, not a big state that fails.

As well as throwing billions more at the NHS, Sir Keir says he is committed to health service reform.

The new Tory leader must be in place to ensure the PM enacts it.

ROSIE AND GRIM

EVERY government is hit by the resignation of MPs — but normally in the dying embers of a parliament.

So the move by Rosie Duffield to quit Labour in fury less than three months after the election is significant.

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Rosie Duffield quitting Labour less than three months after the election is significant[/caption]

Ms Duffield has been a brave supporter of women’s rights in the face of hostility from the hysterical trans lobby.

She has accused Labour’s top-tier of “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice”.

The PM and his cronies should take note.

NANNYING NOT GRRREAT

LABOUR’S moves to slap chocolates and sugary cereals with cigarette-style health warnings smacks of the nanny state.

Ministers are determined to clamp down on childhood obesity, despite the fact there is little evidence this will work.

Even Tony the Tiger is in the Government’s sights.

We just hope a diplomatic row with the Ferrero Rocher ambassador can be avoided.

‘Words can’t describe how in-depth my grief was.’

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — One organization in the east is raising funds to support ALS patients and their families. The Charlotte Baker Memorial Benefit Organization started in September 2021, after Charlotte passed away in May of that year. The event raised $6,000 in its first run, and in 2023 they raised over $25,000. It’s clear [...]

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — The North Carolina Division of Transportation is urging people to reconsider any travel to western North Carolina. The NCDOT released a statement on Saturday that western North Carolina should be considered closed to unnecessary travel due to the lengthy recovery efforts. Around 390 roads and dozens of highways remain closed because [...]

WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) — The first ever Ovarian Cancer 5K took place on Saturday. Amanda Laughlin was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer March of 2023. While Laughlin was fighting her battle she realized that there just isn't enough research and awareness about the disease, which is why she put together the Ovarian Cancer 5K. She wanted to [...]

IF ever there was a Government that needed a robust opposition to hold its floundering feet to the fire, it is surely Sir Keir Starmer’s sleazy shower of freebie- loving socialists.

But where are the Tories when you need them?

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Instead they need to go after Sir Keir Starmer’s sleazy shower of freebie- loving socialists[/caption]

Stuart Brock

Alexis Quinn is a former GB youth swimmer and single mum to an autistic daughter who struggled to fit into a state primary school[/caption]

In Birmingham — for their party conference, beginning today, where the blues will spend more time talking about their new leader than what this Labour Government is now inflicting upon the country.

The Conservative Party is hardly worthy of being called His Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition.

As self-obsessed as ever, the Tories are taking so long to decide upon their new leader that the winner will not even be announced until November 2 — three days after Chancellor Rachel Reeves unleashes her Government-defining Budget.

But the Tories are not talking about Labour taxing the British people dry. The Tories are talking about themselves.

Yet there is real opposition to this unloved, unlovely Labour Government, and the resistance is coming from some unlikely quarters.

It is not the Tories who are shouting loudest about Labour robbing ten million pensioners of their fuel allowance — it is the Labour Party members who, at the party conference in Liverpool, voted against this mugging.

And it is not the Tories who are protesting about Labour’s Cloud Cuckoo Land drive to net zero. It is the unions — and especially Gary Smith of the GMB — who have called Labour’s job-shredding, lemming-like charge to net zero by 2030 “bonkers” and “fundamentally dishonest” and “not rooted in the real world”.

And it is not the Tories asking Labour the difficult questions, it is the media, print and broadcasters, with a special mention to Susanna Reid of Good Morning Britain, who gave squirming Starmer a grilling about his love of free stuff worthy of Jeremy Paxman in his Newsnight pomp.

And it is not the Tories who are fighting Labour’s unthought-out policies every inch of the way.

It is the people.

People like Alexis Quinn, a former GB youth swimmer and single mum to an autistic daughter who struggled to fit into a state primary school.

With the help of a scholarship and some financial support from her family, Alexis managed to get her daughter into an independent school, where she is much happier.

But this Government’s plans to impose VAT on private school fees has changed everything.

Alexis simply cannot afford the soaring fees.

But she is fighting back ­— with many others, including other parents of children with disabilities, military families and representatives of religious faiths.

They plan to challenge Labour’s plans to hammer the private schools, under the European Convention on Human Rights.

They will argue that, since the time of Elizabeth I, education has had a charitable status in this country — exactly the status that Labour is now removing.

They will argue that parents know best for their children, and that parents should have a choice.

The Tories should be making these arguments with them, and for them, and holding Labour to account on every front, from the winter fuel allowance and Keir’s Arsenal tickets to the impossible dream about making our energy carbon neutral by 2030.

The Tories should not still be yakking about leadership. They should be fighting to get back into power.

The Tory conference in Birmingham should be the coronation of the woman or man who is going to clean up the horrors that Labour will inflict on us over the next five years.

Instead, Labour is getting away with what our freebie-junkie Prime Minister piously calls his Government of “service”.

LITTLE LATE, CHRIS

PROFESSOR Sir Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, told the Covid-19 inquiry this week that health chiefs risked overstating the dangers of the disease.

“I worried at the beginning, and I still worry – did we get the level of concern right?” he said.

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Sir Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, told the Covid-19 inquiry this week that health chiefs risked overstating the dangers of the disease[/caption]

“Were we overpitching it so that the people were incredibly afraid of something where, in fact, their actual risk was low?

“Some would say, if anything, we overdid it at the beginning.”

Now he tells us!

Yes, people did die of Covid. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was almost one of them.

But a generation of youngsters had their development disrupted.

Old folk died alone, their mourners separated at funerals. Businesses were destroyed.

The lockdowns were well-intentioned. But we will be paying for them for the rest of our lives.

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NEW poll of iconic fashion items is a nostalgia-inducing ­compendium that includes such old favourites as Dr Martens boots, bomber jackets, Ray-Bans and Nike trainers.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, No1 is Levi’s 501 jeans.

These have been going far longer than anything else on the list.

They were patented by Levi Strauss & Co in 1873 – hard-wearing work ­clobber that was made to last until you got rich or died trying.

But 501s enjoyed their modern revival in the Eighties, when Nick Kamen sent sales and blood pressures soaring as he visited a launderette while Marvin Gaye crooned I Heard It Through The Grapevine.

That’s when the world as we know it really took to the “original shrink-to-fit jeans – now available in stonewash”.

Ironically, we only learned to love Levi’s 501s when Nick took them off.

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JET LOO SEX SO DATED

A COUPLE of randy morons were hauled off a crowded easyJet flight by cops after they performed a one-handed sex act in their economy seats.

“Who do you think you are?” Judge Lynne Matthews asked Bradley Smith, 22, and Antonia Sullivan, 20, when sentencing them to community work.

Jon Rowley

Bradley Smith and Antonia Sullivan performed a sex act on an EasyJet flight[/caption]

“There was a child sitting behind you who was able to see what was happening.

“What entitled you to behave in that way in full view of the people on the flight?”

Great question.

The answer – a sense of self-entitlement persuaded Smith and Sullivan to believe they could do whatever they felt like.

And when we get beyond the jokes about adopting the brace position, it is astonishing that a couple think they can get away with some mile-high masturbation with kids inches away.

Sex on an aircraft is nothing new.

But the mile-high club was traditionally convened behind the locked doors of a toilet.

How innocent that seems today!

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THE small boats will keep coming even as the private planes will keep leaving.

The slogan of “soak the rich” will always get a standing ovation with the Labour crowd.

But now Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being warned that driving millionaires and billionaires out of the country will leave a funding gap of £1billion for schools and hospitals.

Because the rich will be paying their taxes and spending their loot in some other country.

Labour always say that those with the broadest shoulders should carry the heaviest load. But it is a hard economic fact that they already do.

According to the London School of Economics, the top one per cent of taxpayers contribute 30 per cent of tax revenues.

When a government drives them out, the country suffers.

There is a reason we should all want the likes of Charlie Mullins – founder of Pimlico Plumbers, payer of over £120million in income tax – to stay in the UK.

And not because we need him to fix our leaky stopcock.

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JUST SAY CHEESE, PHILIPPINE

YVES Saint Laurent may have gone to the great fashion house in the sky – but the YSL show in Paris was practically a who’s who of the catwalk, big screen and glossy magazines.

Kate Moss wore a black tuxedo jacket.

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Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu stunned at the YSL show in Paris[/caption]

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Kate Moss buttoned up in a black tuxedo jacket[/caption]

Next to her was Zoe Kravitz, all legs and Lenny-like Are You Gonna Go My Way pout.

Gwyneth Paltrow hovered nearby, a black coat casually thrown over a grey suit.

And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley shimmered in a satin shirt dress that inexplicably came with its own suspenders.

Meanwhile, model Bella Hadid wore a suit, shirt and tie, like a civil servant from the days when they did not all work from home.

And yet among the intense competition for attention, all eyes were drawn towards the more mature Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, 61.

She beamed as she posed for pics in a transparent blue dress.

The Emily In Paris star was living proof that age doesn’t matter.

Unless you are a cheese . . . 

STARS of Loose Women dazzle in a glitzy photoshoot to mark 25 years of the daytime favourite.

Eighteen of the series’ biggest names reveal what it means to be part of one of television’s longest-running panel shows.

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Panellist Ruth Langsford says her and fellow celebs have shared their own lives with millions of viewers[/caption]

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Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood Dack cherishes the warm welcome she got from Ruth[/caption]

Among them is Ruth Langsford, who says she and her fellow celebs have shared their own lives with millions of viewers — including divorce and “very difficult, painful things”.

Ruth, who announced her split from Eamonn Holmes in May after 14 years of marriage, adds: “I was on Loose Women from the very start.

“I have noticed a huge difference in how much more open people are talking about difficult subjects.

“I believe that we have helped bring that about, because we bring honesty to the show, we bring our own lives to it.

“We talk about very difficult, painful things in our lives. But we know that reflects what people are going through themselves at home.

“And now we talk about Alzheimer’s, suicide, divorce, all sorts of things that were a little bit taboo, and I think it’s great we do that.”

It may be celebrating its quarter century but, incredibly, the first Loose Women episode almost did not air.

Just before going live in 1999, a problem was discovered with the sound from the studio.

An engineer frantically fiddled under a desk with a screwdriver as the clock ticked down, before emerging triumphant and giving a thumbs- up with only ten minutes to spare.

As social media did not then exist, the first panel of Kaye Adams, Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore and Karren Brady spoke to viewers by phone.

The show was originally commissioned for a month.

To survive, it had to secure a 30 per cent audience share. But from the start, it captured viewers’ interest by opening political debate, breaking down taboos and sharing raw, emotional moments.

And on the final day of the month, it hit its audience target, securing the bright future it has today.

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Denise Welch will always be grateful for the public’s support while dealing with her dad’s death[/caption]

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Panellist Ruth revealed that viewers often ask her if the presenters genuinely get on well together and she says: “My answer is always, ‘Yes, we do!’.”

And the family spirit behind the scenes was confirmed by former Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood Dack, who cherishes the warm welcome she got from Ruth on her Loose Women debut.

She says: “Ruth was so kind. In the breaks, she would check in with me, make sure I knew what was going on. It’s always stood out as something I’ll remember for ever. I really felt part of the team.”

Olivia believes the show’s power lies in the fact it has helped shape social attitudes.

‘Part of a big family’

She explains: “It’s brought so many taboo conversations into people’s lounges, and talked about so many things, whether it’s incontinence or domestic abuse or sexual health.

“It’s these conversations people don’t normally talk about. The show has done that beautifully. People shouldn’t be afraid to talk about them.”

Through the years, there have been light-hearted moments, too. Linda Robson’s 60th birthday skydive on the show was not just her most memorable moment, but the scariest thing she had ever done.

The Birds Of A Feather actress also got a massage from singer Michael Buble and taught him to speak Cockney. Linda says: “We’ve had some amazing guests over the years.”

Meanwhile, Denise Welch will always be grateful for the public’s support while dealing with her dad’s death, her marriage break-up and mental health issues.

Telling everyone at home I was pregnant and then having the babies, and announcing all of those things on the telly, was a huge privilege.

Christine Lampard

“I have lived with clinical depression for 35 years,” she says.

“For the 23 years I’ve been on the show, I’ve been talking about my battle with clinical depression. This has allowed me to reach millions and millions of people who also deal with that subject.”

Christine Lampard says that announcing the births of children Patricia, now five, and two-year-old Freddie, with husband Frank, are two of her best moments.

She adds: “Telling everyone at home I was pregnant and then having the babies, and announcing all of those things on the telly, was a huge privilege. You feel part of a big family.”

Eternal singer and actress Kelle Bryan summed up why the show stands united with fans, through crusades such as the Facing It Together domestic violence campaign.

She says: “I shared my story of domestic abuse. I think the Facing It Together campaign has given me the tools to help other women get through it, find help and resolve their issues. For me, that has meant the world.”

CAGE fighter Conor McGregor dished out £11,000 in tips at a posh restaurant — after flouting the dress code by wearing a stain-covered tracksuit.

The former UFC champion, 36, and fiancée Dee Devlin, 37, were still welcomed into Novikov despite them turning up in matching sportswear.

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Conor McGregor dished out £11,000 in tips at a London restaurant[/caption]

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The former UFC champion, 36, handed out wads of $100 notes to staff at posh Novikov[/caption]

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McGregor flouted the dress code by wearing a stain-covered tracksuit, above with fiancée Dee Devlin[/caption]

Irishman McGregor paid the £580 bill by card at the eaterie in Mayfair, central London — then handed out wads of $100 notes to staff from a Louis Vuitton bag.

An onlooker said: “Novikov prohibits sportswear but they seemed quite happy to bend the rules.

“Conor gave away about £11,000.

“Every waiter in there that night was grappling to serve him.”

‘The Notorious’, who is worth approximately £150 million, got engaged to the mum of his four children Dee, 37, in 2020 after 12 years together.

He hasn’t competed in the octagon since his horror leg break in a fight against Dustin Poirier three years ago.

But he hinted at a comeback on Friday when he challenged welterweight gold Belal Muhammad to a world title fight – urging UFC president Dana White to book it in now.

This year alone, at least 10 locations in Australia have closed — with a liquidator appointed for one more this week.