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Coronation Street Star Kym Marsh's Heartbreak Following Baby Tragedy

2009-11-06T21:29:12Z

CORONATION Street star Kym Marsh is scared of trying for another baby after losing her premature son moments after he was born, she revealed today.

The Weatherfield favourite gave birth to Archie Jay in February, 18 weeks early.

She is now taking part in an investigation for ITV1's Tonight programme into premature births.

Kym, aged 33, said the ordeal was still "very, very painful", when she appeared on This Morning today.

Asked if she would be frightened to try again, she said: "Absolutely, yeah, and a lot of the ladies I spoke to felt the same way."

The actress, who already has two children, said: "You do go home and your body is still doing all the things it would normally do (after giving birth) but you have no baby.

"So it's very, very hard to try and channel all those feelings somewhere else. It's very difficult... there kind of wasn't an awful lot of support afterwards, so you just leave with leaflets."

She continued: "I obviously haven't really divulged too much about what happened to me and I don't intend to do that because that's something that is still very, very painful for me to talk about.

Marsh, who plays Michelle Connor, returned to the soap just two weeks after losing her child.

She said: "I want to know what might happen in the future. If I was to try again, I would want to know that I was being looked after and maybe some steps were being taken to make sure they were monitoring me more closely."

The Tonight programme featuring Marsh is to be screened on Monday at 8pm.

Strictly Come Dancing Stars Enjoy "Kiss Me Quick Fun" At The Seaside

2009-11-06T21:19:39Z

STRICTLY Come Dancing contestants have got into the seaside spirit - by donning "kiss me quick" hats to prepare for an edition from Blackpool.

The remaining stars hotfooted it to the Lancashire coastal town - a traditional home of ballroom dancing - for Saturday's programme, which will be broadcast from the Tower Ballroom.

They will also be dropping in at a BBC event aimed at encouraging hundreds of people to take part in a mass dance.

Contestants - including Laila Rouass, Craig Kelly and Ali Bastian - got the holiday vibe with Blackpool T-shirts, feather boas and buckets and spades as they arrived today.

The Tower Ballroom was for many years the traditional home to long-running BBC series Come Dancing, which was axed before the resurgence of interest in fancy footwork.

Strictly last visited Blackpool for the final of series two in 2004, when actress Jill Halfpenny and her dancing partner, Darren Bennett, were champions.

Tomorrow's mass dance events take place at Blackpool's Winter Gardens.

Simon Cowell Is All Yours ... For £19,000 An Hour

2009-11-06T13:45:08Z

X FACTOR supremo Simon Cowell was snapped up by his music business rival at a charity auction - at a cost of £19,000 for an hour of his time.

Cowell donated 60 minutes of his expertise at the sale - which featured leading figures from the business, arts and entertainment world - and he was bought with a winning bid by music mogul Lucian Grainge, chairman of Universal Music.

He was worth more than his pal Sir Philip Green, the retail tycoon, who went for £18,000 at the "Krug Mind Share" bash at auction house Christie's in London last night.

The price for Cowell's activity is way above the going rate for his time - he is thought to earn about £30 million each year, which works out at just over £3,400 per hour.

The talent show guru, whose label is tied to Universal's rival Sony BMG, donated the money he raised to Children's Hospices for which he was named as a patron last week.

Each of the figures taking part in the auction gave a share of their "mind" - or rather, an hour of their time - to raise money for a charity of their choice.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger went for £11,000 which was paid by Topshop boss, and Spurs fan, Sir Philip.

Others who took part were Net-a-Porter businesswoman Natalie Massenet (£10,200) and Mamma Mia! producer Judy Craymer (£4,000). The lowest prices were for historian David Starkey (£700) and Booker winning author Sir Salman Rushdie (£650).

It's Nappy Love For Sarah Jessica Parker

2009-11-06T11:32:50Z

SARAH Jessica Parker confesses that she loves the smell of dirty nappies.

The Sex And The City star - who welcomed the arrival of twins Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge by a surrogate mother in June - may have her own range of best-selling perfumes, but she likes a different kind of smell.

"I love the smell of diapers - I even like when they're wet and you smell them all warm like a baked good," she told Elle magazine.

The 44-year-old actress and style icon, who is married to Matthew Broderick, also revealed that her seven-year-old son James Wilkie is a great big brother, and even helped choose names for the twins.

Beyonce Scores A Hat-Trick

2009-11-06T07:39:27Z

BEYONCE has scooped a hat-trick of prizes at the MTV Europe Music Awards, dedicating one of them to husband Jay-Z.

The singer beat Leona Lewis among others to take home the Best Female gong, and also won Best Song for Halo and Best Video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) last night.

The awards burst into life with a performance by Green Day, followed by host Katy Perry's mash-up of the five Best Song contenders, including Beyonce's hit Halo and Kings of Leon's Use Somebody.

Perry, who is dating comedian Russell Brand, appeared in an array of wacky costumes, inspired by burlesque and Liza Minnelli's appearance in Cabaret.

She made a whirlwind of more than 10 outfit changes, donning a huge ballgown with holes cut out, a pair of knickers with a heart emblem and a blue rubber crop top and hot pants. Her head gear included a crystal-encrusted bowler hat and a giant pair of red lips.

The singer reclined in a giant cocktail glass and soared high above the 9,000-strong audience on a glittering half-moon shaped swing.

Perry set the tone of the awards, asking: "Are you feeling sexy, Berlin?"

The heat was turned up throughout the night as Beyonce, who sang Sweet Dreams, wore a red corset slashed to the navel, suspenders and long red gloves.

She dedicated her Best Video award to rapper husband Jay-Z, saying: "There's only one person I want to thank and that is Jay for putting a ring on it."

The event is one of the music world's most glitzy bashes and was held in Berlin to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a potent Cold War symbol.

Another highlight was a live show by U2, who performed One - the anthem inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 - just yards away from the ceremony at the Brandenburg Gate.

They were joined on stage by Jay-Z as they belted out Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

The band also scooped Best Live Act, scoring their third EMA award win since the MTV Europe Music Awards began in 1994.

Bono said: "Live is where this band lives. It's all that counts ... If you have given us this award I guess that's what you're thinking and it means a great deal to us."

Guitarist The Edge told how 20 years ago the band were in a studio, writing One, "which brought us back together".

The performance ran into controversy due to a barrier blocking the view of those without tickets.

But MTV denied it had erected its own Berlin "wall" and said the fence was part of a "comprehensive security plan" to ensure safety.

Jay-Z was handed the Best Urban gong, but said: "I go to the studio just like the Jonas Brothers, just like Green Day, and we're all just artists at the end of the day."

German band Tokio Hotel were named Best Group, and delivered a stunning performance of The World Behind My Wall, culminating in an explosive display which sent the band's instruments up in flames.

Another standout set was from former X Factor winner Lewis, who wore a long black gown as she sang Happy with masses of glitter descending. The show was beamed to more than 500 million homes worldwide.

Foo Fighters performed a rock medley, while Shakira gave a steamy performance of Did It Again, backed by dancers dressed only in skimpy towels.

Eminem won the Best Male category, beating Robbie Williams and Mika among others. Williams was due to attend the event but pulled out due to a "schedule clash".

Eminem said via video from a recording studio: "Thank you man for this award ... I want to say thank you to all the fans."

Best World Stage Performance was won by Linkin Park, who triumphed over Coldplay and other acts, while Pixie Lott was pronounced the first ever MTV Push Artist.

Lott said via video: "It has been a very amazing, crazy year so I want to say thank you to everyone who has voted for me."

Both categories were added to this year's EMAs for the first time, recognising artists who have been championed by MTV.

Lady GaGa, who was not at the ceremony, was named Best New Act, beating La Roux and Daniel Merriweather.

Sitting inside a giant red shoe earlier in the evening, Perry said: "They say if a guy has big shoes they have big ... The confusing thing is I borrowed this shoe off Lady GaGa. Oh well, I guess it's not always true."

Green Day won the Best Rock prize, with frontman Billie Joe Armstrong cheekily joking they had received the best "c**k award", adding: "Pardon my German."

Placebo beat British hopes Muse and The Prodigy to win the Best Alternative prize.

The ceremony tends to be dominated by acts from the United States, despite being a Europe-based event.

Lady GaGa and Kings of Leon had led the nominations, with five nominations apiece. Kings of Leon failed to pick up any awards.

Host Perry lost out to Beyonce twice - in the Best Female and Best Video categories.

Turkish act manGa picked up the Best European Act gong.

The Jonas Brothers introduced a video tribute to the late King of Pop Michael Jackson, who they described as "simply the best."

It showed members of the public singing along to some of Jackson's greatest hits.

David Hasselhoff was one of the guest presenters - and said he could not take credit for the fall of the Berlin Wall.

'The Hoff' told the Berlin crowd: "Wow, 20 years huh? ... I'm not responsible for the Wall coming down.

"The East Germans are responsible for the Wall coming down ... because they believe in freedom."

Dame Vera Lynn In Battle With X Factor Winner

2009-11-06T07:32:06Z

DAME Vera Lynn is to take on this year's X Factor winner in a bid to grab the Christmas number one, it was announced today.

The "Forces' Sweetheart" is to release a revamped version of her wartime song We'll Meet Again, along with a recording of White Christmas, to take on the reality show victor head-to-head.

The 92-year-old star, who kept up the nation's spirits during the Second World War, has already made an incredible chart comeback this year.

She recently became the oldest artist to reach the top of the album chart with her greatest hits collection, We'll Meet Again: The Very Best Of Vera Lynn.

Her new version of We'll Meet Again sees her backed by label-mates, the 60-piece Fron Male Voice Choir who perform along with her original vocal.

She was just 22 when she recorded the original in 1939, but cutting-edge studio techniques - previously used in movies - allow her voice to be isolated to perform with the choir.

Dame Vera said: "I'm amazed this is possible. It's wonderful."

The double-A single will also feature her wartime version of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, which was originally released in 1942. Her version was the very first UK recording, appearing on a Decca 78rpm release, which came out the same month as Bing Crosby's famous performance.

The X Factor winner will release their single on the same day as Dame Vera's, on December 14, and will form formidable competition.

X Factor stars have dominated the festive chart for several years and often become the year's biggest seller with only one week's sales.

The reality show winner has topped the charts for the past four years at Christmas with Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Leon Jackson and Alexandra Burke each taking their turn.

Dame Vera will soon be seen as guest of honour at this year's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. We'll Meet Again will be sung in her presence by Hayley Westenra who will also be backed by the Fron Male Voice Choir.

The choir will include their recording with Dame Vera on new album Memory Lane, which will be released on November 23 on Decca Records.

Fron Choir founder Dennis Williams said: "Vera was my sweetheart during the war, I was a young boy suffering from all the emotions of such a conflict. They dropped bombs in our lovely Vale of Llangollen.

"As kids we were scared running home from school with our gasmasks. To have someone sing beautiful songs of better times to come was just what we all wanted."

Ant And Dec's £20 Million Game Show Deal

2009-11-05T20:07:07Z

ANT and Dec have signed a new, exclusive two-year deal with ITV, thought to be worth around £10 million each to the presenters.

The Geordie pair have been working on a family challenge game show with the working title Push The Button, which will air on ITV1 next year.

ITV declined to comment on reports the new contract is worth around £10 million each to the pair, who are thought to be taking a 10% pay cut.

The deal takes Ant and Dec's long-term relationship with ITV through to December 2011.

Ant said: "We are delighted to sign with ITV for another two years to continue to make the programmes we love like Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain's Got Talent and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! - there is no better home for our shows."

Dec added: "We're particularly excited about the new media opportunities, which will allow us to make fresh and exciting content for online, and also launching our brand new entertainment show Push The Button in 2010."

The duo rose to fame as teenage actors on BBC children's show Byker Grove before a stint as pop singers. They joined ITV in 1998 presenting the Saturday morning shows SM:TV Live and CD:UK and they have been exclusively signed to ITV since 2000.

Ant told the Edinburgh International Television Festival in August that the pair were prepared to take a pay cut in the recession-hit industry.

He said: "You have to be realistic. If the whole of the industry is suffering it would be naive to assume that we would not suffer, too."

Kate Beckinsale Tops Sexiest Woman Alive Poll

2009-11-05T14:14:28Z

KATE Beckinsale has joked that she's found it "mortifying" being named the Sexiest Woman Alive in Esquire magazine's 2009 poll.

The stunning actress wowed photographers as she hit the red carpet at the AFI Festival in a strapless silver mini-dress for the premiere of her new movie Everybody's Fine

"Oh don't," she laughed when the subject was brought up at the glitzy premiere.

"It's such a nice thing to happen and then immediately it's mortifying."

Kelly Brook's Encounter With Topless Model Could Be Worth Millions

2009-11-05T13:57:18Z

GLAMOUR girl Kelly Brook may be fully clothed, but here she is with a topless model.

The actress - who bares all in her new West End role in Calendar Girls - posed in a soft-top sports car to promote this week's EuroMillions draw.

Brook has her fingers crossed for Brits who have bought tickets for the £90 million draw tomorrow night - and revealed that top of her wish-list if she won would be a silver vintage Mercedes with the roof down.

The star, wearing a scarlet top with a plunging neckline, said: "It's fun, a bit frivolous, totally impractical but very sexy!

"I could see myself driving around the gorgeous British countryside with the wind in my hair and a great pair of designer sunglasses - very old school glamour," said Kelly who also posed in a floral dress while swaying in a swing.

If a single British winner were to win tomorrow it would make them the biggest individual lottery prize winner in the country. They would also become the joint 600th richest person in the country, rubbing shoulders with the likes of novelist Jackie Collins, music legend George Michael, and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne in the wealth stakes.

A National Lottery spokesperson said: "This is a massive jackpot which will transform not only the winner's life, but the lives of the friends and family around them."

Terry Wogan Army Campaigns To Get Him To Number One

2009-11-05T13:41:26Z

SIR Terry Wogan's army of fans are launching an internet campaign to get their hero his first ever number one single, the veteran broadcaster said today.

The TOGs are planning to get Sir Terry to the top spot before he leaves his morning slot on Radio 2 on December 18.

At the launch of his charity single, a cover of The Beatles' hit All You Need Is Love, Sir Terry said: "I'm quietly confident. I got to number three last year, let's go for it.

"When I was 12 years of age I got to number 15 with a song called Floral Dance but I've never had a number one. It's really about charity though, for Children in Need, this will be as much Pudsey's number one as mine."

Chief TOG Norman Macintosh is fronting the internet campaign and said he plans to mobilise the TOGs through Twitter and Facebook.

He said: "We want him to have a number one for his last week of broadcasting. We got him to number three last year so let's go two better. The TOGs are an influential bunch."

Sir Terry, who will be replaced by Chris Evans in December, has 7.76 million listeners tuning in each week. He jokingly refers to his fans as TOGs, which stands for Terry's Old Geezers or Terry's Old Gals.

Mr Macintosh explained why Sir Terry is so important to them: "He's been around forever and for everyone. He's such a gentleman and he doesn't say horrible things about people - he's not nasty and has such a wry look on life."

On leaving the show he has fronted since 1993 Wogan said: "There's never a good time to leave, but there's a right time and this is it. I shall miss the TOGs as much as they will miss me, I shall miss the laughter."

The single All You Need Is Love will raise money for Children In Need and is available in shops on Monday November 9.

The Children In Need album Bandaged Together, from which the single is taken, includes the talents of Bill Wyman, Brian May, Bryan Ferry, Lee Mead, Aled Jones, Cerys Matthews, Elaine Paige, Sharon Corr and Hayley Westenra.

Katie Price And Peter Andre Reunite For Sick Harvey

2009-11-05T13:35:45Z

KATIE Price and Peter Andre put aside their differences to be at the bedside of her disabled son Harvey.

The seven-year-old was taken to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill by Katie's mother Amy and a nanny on Wednesday morning after waking with a high temperature and flu-like symptoms, and the star and her ex-husband Peter dashed to be at his side.

Katie's spokesman said: "Harvey woke up on Wednesday with a very high temperature and flu-like symptoms so he was taken to hospital, as he always would be with such symptoms because of his disabilities."

The spokesman added: "Doctors decided to keep him in hospital overnight for observation as a precautionary measure because of his underlying health problems.

"Katie was in touch with Peter from the moment it was decided to take Harvey to hospital and Peter visited Harvey in hospital.

"Katie also informed Harvey's biological father Dwight Yorke of the situation."

Harvey is partially sighted and suffers from severe autism.

Peter, aged 36, cancelled a visit to turn on the Christmas lights at a London store to visit the hospital.

His divorce from the 31-year-old glamour model, aka Jordan, was finalised last month.

Matthew McConaughey's 40th Brithday Bash

2009-11-05T11:31:19Z

MATTHEW McConaughey celebrated turning 40 by "grillin' steaks and sippin' beers."

The Hollywood heartthrob marked the milestone with a big party the night before his actual birthday.

Matthew wrote on his MySpace page: "My family, closest friends and I celebrated with a surprise performance by one of my favourite artists Jamey Johnson."

He added: "There were some epic stories told, lot of laughs and definitely some roasting. Somehow no blood or glass broken, and that's because the gig was so organised by lady and we went 'til 4.30am."

Matthew is father to son Levi with girlfriend Camila Alves, who is expecting their second child.

Britney Spears Is Big Down Under

2009-11-05T11:25:33Z

BRITNEY Spearsand her Circus tour have arrived in Australia.

The pop princess, who touched down in Sydney, couldn't resist Twittering as soon as she landed Down Under for her first Australian concert tour.

"Longest flight ever but we had a great time - so excited to be here," she tweeted.

Brit thanked the plane staff who looked after her and her crew, adding: "Really cool plane and the V staff took great care of us."

The star boarded a private jet to Perth immediately after she arrived in Sydney.

She will perform in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane before finishing in Adelaide later this month.

Ab Fab Stars And Wallace And Gromit Join M&S Christmas Ad Campaign

2009-11-05T08:32:43Z

STEPHEN Fry, John Sergeant, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders will star in Marks and Spencer's latest Christmas adverts, which asks celebrities to choose their most essential ingredient for the festive season.

Fry, dressed in a dapper suit, declares his special treat is: "A little mince. Well it's only once a year."

Absolutely Fabulous stars Saunders and Lumley are seen larking around in a kitchen, saying their top festive pastime is: "Stuffing... your face, sweetie."

Ashes To Ashes actor Philip Glenister, who also appears, cheekily says he enjoys: "That girl prancing around in her underwear", referring to skimpily-dressed regular of the adverts, model Noemie Lenoir.

James Nesbitt, Twiggy and Wallace and Gromit also feature among the well-known faces in the campaign, which gets under way on November 11.

For the first time this year, there will be several different adverts running through the festive period, including one starring Wallace and Gromit whose Christmas wish list features cheese.

Jude Law's Hamlet Makes Big Bucks

2009-11-05T08:20:17Z

JUDE Law's "spine-tingling" performance as Hamlet has helped turn the Shakespeare classic into a Broadway hit, with the production in the black and making money.

Producers of the latest interpretation of the play said today that they have now recouped the show's 2.5 million dollar (£1.5 million) costs in less than three months.

It follows rave reviews from New York critics after it swapped to Broadway following a successful West End stint.

Producer Arielle Tepper Madover said: "It's heartening to see that Shakespeare can be a commercial success on Broadway, as well as seeing so many young audience members at the Broadhurst (Theatre) experiencing their first Shakespeare production."

Law's star quality has been credited with helping draw crowds to the production. But his portrayal of the brooding prince has also received plaudits.

The day after opening in Broadway on October 6, New York's notoriously hard-to-please theatre critics were full of praise.

The New York Times's influential stage critic Ben Brantley wrote: "Mr Law approaches the role with the focus, determination and adrenaline level of an Olympic track competitor staring down an endless line of hurdles."

Although noting that "the finer shades of feeling" were often missing in the 36-year-old's energetic performance, the review was largely positive.

"Mr Law's undeniable charisma and gender-crossing sex appeal may captivate Broadway theatregoers who wouldn't normally attend productions of Shakespeare," the critic wrote.

Others were even more gushing in their praise.

The New York Daily News's Joe Dziemianowicz wrote that Law gave "a spine-tingling and richly layered performance" that made you "forget about his past roles and bad-boy melodramas".

The Michael Grandage-directed production of Hamlet arrived at New York's Broadhurst Theatre in October following stints in London and Denmark's Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, the setting of the play.