OHMYGOSSIP — Armie Hammer is to star in ‘Death On The Nile’.
The ‘Call Me By Your Name’ actor is the latest big name to sign on for Sir Kenneth Branagh’s next Agatha Christie adaptation, with the news of his casting coming days after Gal Gadot joined the project.
Though it hasn’t been confirmed who Armie will play, he is expected to take on the role of Simon Doyle, the husband of Gal’s Linnet Ridgeway Doyle, who was previously engaged to her best friend.
Michael Green, who also wrote ‘Murder On The Orient Express’, is writing the script for the movie, which sees Poirot (Branagh) investigating a murder on a Nile cruise, but after identifying a collection of potential killers, the mystery twists and turns after several of the suspects also end up dead.
Meanwhile, Branagh recently admitted directing an all-star cast in ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ – which featured the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Dame Judi Dench, Johnny Depp and Willem Dafoe – was “intimidating”.
He said: “That’s my point of departure, that’s what I do for a living, but in a way you’re more aware that you’re asking people to come in for a finite amount of time, and you want to give them a good time.
“So the prospect of standing up in front of Judy Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Derek Jacobi, Willem Dafoe and telling them my cunning plans was a little intimidating.”
Branagh wasn’t the only cast member to have nerves because of the high-brow cast, after ‘Star Wars’ actress Ridley cried when she started working on the film.
She said: “I turned to Ken, wiped away a tear and said, ‘I can’t believe I’m here, thank you so much. Did someone make you cast me?’ ”
‘Death Of The Nile’ is due for release in January 2020.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Nicolas Cage has been accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend.
Vickie Park – who claims to have had an on/off relationship with the ‘Mandy’ actor since June 2017 – has alleged the 54-year-old star became abusive on September 20, 2018, after the Slash Film Festival, describing him as “severely intoxicated at the time”.
The allegations are featured in court documents obtained by The Blast as part of a restraining order application Vickie is seeking against Nicolas’ estranged wife Alice Kim.
The woman has accused Alice of harassing and stalking her on social media and claimed she is too afraid to leave her house because of the actress.
The judge in the case denied her request for a restraining order until a hearing later this month.
And a spokesperson for the former couple – who have 13-year-old son Kal-El together – has slammed the “absurd allegations” against them.
The representative told The Blast: “Nicolas and Alice Cage categorically deny the absurd allegations listed in the filing of a temporary restraining order against Alice Cage, which was denied by the court.”
The ‘Con Air’ star split from Alice in January 2016 shortly before he started shooting his latest movie ‘Mandy’, and he recently admitted their separation was unexpected for him.
He said: “It was a shocker for me – I definitely didn’t see it coming, and those feelings had to go somewhere, so they went into the performance.”
But Nicolas is happy to still be friends with his 34-year-old former partner.
Asked if he and Alice are still friends, he added: “Oh yes, I want to. She was quite young when I married her and I don’t really have any ill will towards what happened. That’s all I’ll say.
“And now it’s like, wow, I’m 54 and I’m single again – I didn’t see that coming! It’s pretty grim.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Casualty’ has bagged a “phenomenal new talent” to play a student nurse.
The BBC medical drama has just secured Shaheen Jafargholi to play their new medic Marty Williams after he left his role as Shakil Kazemi in ‘EastEnders’ earlier this year, and bosses have decided to give the 21-year-old actor something juicier to get his teeth stuck into as they’ve also recruited upcoming actress Gabriella Leon to portray Jade Lovell so that they can be a double act.
Simon Harper, Executive Producer of ‘Casualty’ and ‘Holby City’ told Metro.co.uk: “Gabriella is a phenomenal new talent and an utter joy as Jade, a character by turns chaotic, funny, bolshy and vulnerable – she has a brilliant, comic partnership with Marty as two student nurses navigating their first months in the NHS and a huge journey ahead of her as she learns the ropes.
“I can’t wait for the audience to see her on screen.”
Shaheen recently admitted he was looking forward to working on the show because his alter-ego Marty is “so different” from Shakil but he’s anxious about the medical lingo he’ll have to get used to spitting every episode.
He said recently: “One of the main reasons after seeing the script that I wanted to go in and read for this was that he is so different to Shakil. For starters, the character is not a teenager so even that in itself is a different mindset.
“There is a team of medical experts on set though who can guide you with how things are said but I am confident that after they are there and tell me what to do and say, I will still end up pronouncing it wrong nine times out of 10 time.”
Shaheen and Gabriella will make their debut on the programme next month.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Nick Cannon’s friends didn’t believe he’d ever date Mariah Carey.
The ‘Wild ‘N Out’ star always had a “crush” on the ‘Hero’ hitmaker – who he wed in April 2008 after a whirlwind romance – and was determined to woo her and prove his pals wrong.
He said: “At one point, I was like, ‘I’m gonna get Mariah Carey!’
“It turned from my celebrity crush to, ‘Nah, she’s about to be my girlfriend.’ People were bugging, like, ‘There’s no way you can get Mariah Carey.’ I was like, ‘Watch, I’m telling you.’ ”
Nick eventually met Mariah backstage at the Teen Choice Awards in 2005 and “doubled down” on his efforts to win her over – but he only really caught her eye when he turned down her request for him to star in the video for her 2008 single ‘Touch My Body’.
He recalled in a preview for his appearance on ‘Uncensored’: “She had heard me speaking all these positive, secretive little nothings in interviews and I remember seeing her backstage at the Teen Choice Awards. She stops right in front in me and was like, ‘I heard all these nice things you’ve been saying about me,’ and I said, ‘They true! Just give me an opportunity to make ’em come true’ and she smiled and they floated her off and from that day I knew she knew, from that day I doubled down but people would just laugh it off.
“Then she wanted me to star in a video, it was ‘Touch My Body’,
“I was like, ‘I’m not about to be in that video, people already think I’m corny enough! If you got me playing the nerd in your video.’ I was not going down, I pass.
“I told Mariah no, and people don’t tell Mariah no.
“I was like, ‘You got another one for me where we can get down?’ She called me and said not only have I got another video for you to be in and be my love interest, but I want you to direct it.
“Bam, I’m in there.”
Though Nick, 37, and 45-year-old Mariah – who have children Moroccan and Monroe, seven, together – split in 2014, they are still “best friends”.
He said recently: “That is one of my best friends in life, so it is always going to be that.
“The fact that there is no bad blood and we can still coexist, I think that is the best place for it.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Zoe Kravitz drinks apple cider vinegar as part of her daily beauty regime.
The 29-year-old actress – who is the daughter of rocker Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet – has shared the staple products she uses to get her enviable flawless complexion on a daily basis and says the fruit and yeast mix has a number of health benefits that could you looking great, even though it’s less than pleasant to drink.
Speaking to ELLE.com, Zoe said: “I drink apple cider vinegar. It doesn’t taste great, but it gives you energy, helps your immune system, and is great for the skin.”
Zoe is committed to living a healthy lifestyle but when she does have an alcohol-fuelled night out she has her own special hangover cure.
She said: “I hike, run, jog, or go to the gym and do the elliptical or the treadmill. I also do simple strengthening moves like squats, sit-ups, and push-ups.
“[To get over a hangover] Lots of water, plus coconut water and bread to soak it all up. And I love to steam. Sweating it out is the way to go.”
Zoe became an Yves Saint Laurent beauty ambassador last year and the face of the company’s Black Opium fragrance and she was very keen to work with the fashion brand because she has long been a fan of the scent.
She shared: “When I’m into a fragrance, I tend to wear it every day. It’s really for me more than anyone else. I fell in love with Black Opium a few years ago. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, because of the musk undertones. It’s a nice balance of masculine and feminine, and it’s not overpowering.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Roger Mathews claims he’s having electroshock therapy to be a “better husband” to Jenni ‘JWoww’ Farley.
The 43-year-old businessman has made no secret of the fact he’s upset the ‘Jersey Shore’ star filed for divorce last month and now he’s joked he’s had a device called the “Dirtbag 9000” implanted in his back so the brunette beauty can “shock” him every time he does anything wrong.
He wrote on Instagram: “Technology is an amazing thing. Science has advanced to the point my where they make shock therapy specifically designed for men to become better husbands. I had this device installed with shock leads that go directly into my spine and my wife holds the controller and settings. It’s called the “Dirtbag 9000″ .”
Roger went on to explain the alleged functions of the device, which he shared a picture of but is actually to stimulate the spinal chord.
He wrote: “It has voice recognition so if you question your wife it will light you up like a f***ing Christmas tree. It has four settings. 1. You’re a **** 2. I should have stayed with my ex 3. I hope you die a slow painful death 4. Just for fun. (Which is the most powerful setting and is like being shot by a police taser)
“Humor has always been my way through life. Praying for a better tomorrow. (sic)”
He signed off the post by telling his estranged wife he loves her.
Roger – who has children Meilani, four, and two-year-old Greyson with Jenni – also poked fun at himself in his new Instagram biography.
It now reads: “Good father.Horrible husband.Worst lover ever.10foot tall and bulletproof.Figuring life out.(sic)”
The businessman vowed last week to “win back” his wife.
He said: “I’m not done fighting. I am going to win my wife back.
“I’m going to win her affection back, I am going to win her love back. I have no intentions on being a single dad. We’re in counseling so there is hope. It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Tracee Ellis Ross finds being single and childless “fascinating”.
The 45-year-old actress isn’t upset about not having a partner but she’s found she’s been able to figure out what she wants from life by the constant questioning she faces about her personal circumstances.
She said: “It’s sort of fascinating to be 45 and single and childless.
“Happily single, I should add. Not at home crying about it.
“These are very big and very personal questions that aren’t anyone’s business but that somehow, like the right to choose, become fodder for public conversation.
“Some of the ability to reflect on what I really want comes from pushing up against a society that shames me for not having the expected trappings. I’m very pleased with my existence these days.
“Have I had to learn to make friends with loneliness? Yes. I think if I were in a relationship, it would be the same.”
The ‘Black-ish’ actress – who is the daughter of Motown legend Diana Ross and music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein – admitted she has never been big on partying and is known among her friends for making sudden exits when they’re on a night out.
She told the new issue of America’s InStyle magazine: “To get me out of the house is not so easy. I lose my social ability after 9 o’clock.
“My friends joke about it: You could be on a dance floor with me and we are [dancing] and you turn around and I’m gone.”
Tracee is grateful for the “privilege” she grew up in but is also glad her family never took things too seriously.
She said: “It’s funny. I think reality television has warped people’s sense of what having money or fame looks like behind the scenes. I have always had a lot of abundance. I was very well educated because of my mother’s gift.
“I feel very aware of that privilege. There were beautiful things everywhere, but there was a sense of taking care of and cherishing beauty. And also of not taking things too seriously.
“You could be climbing all over my mom’s head while she’d be sitting in an interview, putting your handprints on everything.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Mark Little has signed up to appear on ‘Dancing On Ice’.
The former ‘Neighbours’ actor – who played Joe Mangel on the Australian soap from 1988 and 1991, with a brief return in 2005 –
has agreed a deal to join the celebrity skating contest and bosses think the ex-‘Big Breakfast’ host will be a big hit with fans.
A source told The Sun Online: “Bosses were desperate to sign him up.
“Mark will add a sense of nostalgia to the show – everybody knows who he is.
“Joe Mangel is a Neighbours’ legend to fans old and new.”
A number of stars have already been confirmed for the new series of the show, which returns to ITV in January 2019.
‘Loose Women’ star Saira Khan revealed earlier this week that she has signed up after being “shamed” by her 10-year-old son Zachariah when she initially turned it down.
Saira – who also has seven-year-old Amara with husband Steve Hyde – said: “They asked me to do it and I refused, ‘No, no, no, I’m too old, I’m going to fall, I’ll injure myself and I haven’t got the time# and my little boy said, ‘Have you heard yourself? What if I said I couldn’t do my homework, it’s too hard, I’m busy’ – he shamed me into doing it, so I am doing it for my kids.
“I’m not doing it for the money, I’m doing it for my kids.”
Brian McFadden, James Jordan, Gemma Collins and Richard Blackwood have all also confirmed they will be taking part in the next series.

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OHMYGOSSIP — James Wan says Michael Chaves is the “perfect fit to direct the next ‘Conjuring’ film”.
The 41-year-old filmmaker was responsible for helming the first two movies in the franchise, but James has stepped aside for ‘The Conjuring 3’ and Michael will instead assume the responsibility.
Speaking about the decision to The Hollywood Reporter, James – who will serve as a producer on the upcoming movie – explained: “While working closely with Chaves on ‘The Curse of La Llorona’, I got to know him as a filmmaker.
“Chaves’ ability to bring emotion to a story, and his understanding of mood and scares make him a perfect fit to direct the next ‘Conjuring’ film.”
Of his own role with the franchise, James added: “I’m excited to be back as producer and continue with Vera [Farmiga] and Patrick [Wilson] on the next supernatural adventure of the Warrens.”
Meanwhile, Michael has revealed he is looking forward to working with James on the new movie.
He shared: “I am a huge fan of the ‘Conjuring’ films.
“The movies are the rare combination that deliver both tremendous heart and awesome scares. It is both a total thrill and absolute honour to be working with James and the gang at New Line again.”
‘The Conjuring’ franchise has already proven to be a huge box-office success and the latest spin-off film, ‘The Nun’ – which was released earlier this year – recently became the highest-grossing film in the series to date.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sophia Hutchins thinks she and Caitlyn Jenner have a “great partnership”.
The 22-year-old graduate lives with the 68-year-old reality star and though they “share a life together”, the blonde beauty – who works as the Executive Director of the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation – insists they don’t have a “romantic relationship”.
Speaking on ‘The Hidden Truth with Jim Breslo’, she said: “I wouldn’t describe it as a romantic relationship.
“I would describe our relationship as we’re partners, we’re business partners.
“We have so much in common; we see the world so similarly and we both are such a good match for each because we challenge each other.
“She challenges me in so many ways, has allowed me to grow in so many ways and I hope I challenge her to grow and I think because we share so many of the same passions and views, it’s just a great match, a great partnership.”
But Sophia insists neither she nor the ‘I Am Cait’ star – who fathered six children before her transition – feel the need to label their bond.
She added: “I don’t think we need to talk about, ‘Is it romantic or not?’.
“We’re partners in everything we do, we’re inseparable, we’re business partners, we live together, we share a dog, we share family, we share a life together.
“As far as caving into the media and having one of us label it as something, we’re not gonna do that.”
Sophia also refuses to call the ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ star her “girlfriend”.
Asked if she had ever dated another transgender person, she said: “I would not say we’re dating. I would back up, I would say we are partners. I would not use the word ‘girlfriend,’ I would not use the word ‘dating.’ We’re partners.”
Despite the 46-year age gap between them, Sophia and Caitlyn “don’t feel that it’s there” because they are so similar.
She said: “[The age gap is] there, but we don’t feel that it’s there.
“I see we are two souls that are a fantastic match for one another and I feel that we’re so blessed to have found each other and to be so supportive of one another in everything that we do. I feel beyond blessed that we’ve been able to keep it going for the time we’ve been able to keep it going. I don’t think of the age difference as anything… for us, it’s not even a factor.”
A few months ago, the former Olympian admitted she was “very close” to Sophia but didn’t want to “get into” the nature of their relationship.
She simply said: “We do a lot of things together. We’re kind of inseparable. We’re the best of friends.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Will Smith never used to worry if his movies “sucked” – so long as they had good trailers.
The 50-year-old actor admitted it used to be much easier to make a popcorn blockbuster because it took a while for people’s verdicts on the films to come in, but the instantaneousness of social media has forced change because now a strong promotional clip is no longer enough to drive audiences into cinemas.
He admitted: “We used to say ‘We’re not in the movie business, we’re in the trailer business.
“Once you have a good trailer you’re done. Now, what’s happened with technology, on Friday night at 7:30, people are tweeting, ‘Hey Will’s movie sucks, go see Vin Diesel’s.’
“We no longer [have] the three-day window. If you had a great trailer, it was Monday at noon before everybody knew that ‘Wild Wild West’ sucked. You had already made your money. ‘Oops, sorry, catch you on the next one.’ ”
He also recalled speaking to a producer about the way technology has changed.
The executive told him: “This is bulls**t. We got to make f***ing good movies now.”
But the ‘I Am Legend’ star – who has son Trey, 25, with first wife Sheree Zampino and Jaden, 20, and Willow, 17, with wife Jada Pinkett Smith – wouldn’t be surprised if people chose to see Vin Diesel’s movies over his own.
He quipped during a talk at New York’s Advertising Week: “Vin is sexy. Vin is a sexy man.”
After successful ventures into acting, rapping and producing, Will has now become an online sensation thanks to his popular YouTube channel and he’s pleased with his new direction.
He said: “I feel like I’m getting a fourth bite of the entertainment apple.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Danielle Lloyd could have twins when she undergoes gender selection treatment next year.
The 34-year-old model – who has sons Archie, eight, Harry, seven, and George, five, with ex-husband Jamie O’Hara and 12-month-old Ronnie, with fiancé Michael O’Neill – is planning to spend a month in Dubai next summer for medical treatment to ensure she will have a baby girl and she also faces the decision as to how many embryos she wants to have implanted.
She said: “We have to go to Dubai for a whole month, we’re taking the children and we’re gonna do it in the summer holidays [in 2019]. “A bit of a break as well but I’m going to be going to the hospital and stuff as well, then hopefully I’ll be pregnant.
“It has to take and I also have to decide whether I’m going to have one or two embryos put in, so I could be having twins.”
While Danielle has faced criticism for her decision to have the treatment, she insists she is only looking for “balance” in her family and doesn’t think the process should be open to just anyone.
She said: “I just found it overwhelming, where does it end? For me I just want my family to be balanced and that’s it, but going to the extreme of eye colour is just too much.”
And asked on ‘Jeremy Vine’ if she would have done the same to have a son if she was currently mother to four girls, she said: “Yeah, and that is literally all I went for, the balance. I don’t agree with picking your first child.”
The former ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ star admitted she’s been targeted with horrible comments over her decision – and even had people asking her to donate her eggs to help them have a child of their own.
She said: “I opened my mouth a bit too soon I think, people tell me I’m disgusting and I should just love the children I’ve got.
“I’ve [been] asked to donate my eggs…”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Claudia Winkleman has two naps a day.
The ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ host – who has three children; Jake, 15, Matilda, 12, and Arthur, seven – has had to stop herself from having a snooze in the afternoon before she picks her kids up from school because it was interrupting her quality of sleep at night.
Speaking on the Emma Guns Show beauty podcast, she said: “I’m not that busy, and I do like napping. I’ve had to stop having two naps a day as I was no longer sleeping at night, that’s what happened when I turned 46. I love a nap. Yesterday I thought, ‘I don’t even need a nap, but I’m going to have one.’ I’ve had a good night’s sleep, it was not necessary. I didn’t have to leave the house until 2.45pm to pick up the kids, I’ve eaten, it’s 1.15pm, let’s just see what happens, an hour and a half later — snore.”
The 46-year-old beauty isn’t the only television star who has an odd sleeping regime as Nigella Lawson recently admitted she naps in two-hours bursts so she can drink tea.
The 58-year-old chef explained: “What I like a lot about getting older is you don’t feel embarrassed about going to bed early. I’m like, ‘When can I lie down next?’ That’s all I think about really. I would very happily go to bed at 7.30pm. I’m not sleeping. I don’t do much but I need to be lying down. I think that in a way is a wonderful state to be in.
“I need time to wind down and that takes its own time. I make myself cups of tea as well. I sleep in only two-hour bursts and not many of them.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Kim Kardashian West is not afraid to disagree with Kanye West behind closed doors.
The 37-year-old reality star – who has kids North, five, Saint, two, and eight-month-old Chicago with Kanye – has been largely supportive of her husband in public, but is apparently happier to challenge Kanye on his controversial views when they’re at home.
A source told People: “She lets him take the lead, and she never disagrees with him publicly.
“She has decided that’s the right move, but she isn’t scared to share her disagreements with him behind closed doors.”
Kim is said to disagree with her husband on a number of issues, including some of his political beliefs.
But the brunette beauty has decided to keep their arguments private because she thinks it’s the best way of “managing him”.
The insider explained: “Don’t think that she’s afraid of him, because she’s not. She’s just managing him the best she can.”
Recently, Kanye claimed he’s a “God”.
The ‘Famous’ hitmaker revealed he’d come off the medication he was previously using and was “fully back in mode”.
Kanye said: “Those five albums that I dropped earlier were like superhero rehabilitation.
“Now the alien, Ye, is fully back in mode, off of medication, working out, breathing as much fresh air as possible, thinking, doing, being himself.
“When I say I’m being myself, that doesn’t mean I’m being Donald Trump, it means I’m being me and I’m punk and I can wear whatever I want ’cause I’m a God.”
Kanye also tried to clarify his recent tweet in which he suggested he would support abolishing the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery.
The rapper insisted he should have used the word “amend” rather than “abolish”.
He said: “Abolish was the wrong language. I misspoke by saying ‘abolish’. ‘Amend’ is the right language. And what’s beautiful about our Constitution is that we can amend it, right?”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Louis Theroux’s new BBC Two show ‘Altered States’ will show him exploring “love, life and death” in the United States.
The 48-year-old documentary filmmaker is investigating
how changing social attitudes in America have changed how people live, how they raise their children and how they die.
The first episode ‘Take My Baby’ will explore the adoption industry and the multi-million dollar business of mothers selling their newborn babies, whilst the second installment is entitled ‘Maximum Love’ and will see Louis travel to Portland, the US capital of polyamory and ethical non-monogamy.
The series concludes in California with the episode ‘Choosing Death’ in which Louis explores the six American states that allows the terminally ill to choose to end their lives on their own terms.
In a statement, Louis said: “I have always been interested in how people conduct the most intimate aspects of their lives. For this series we looked at the new ways Americans are approaching some of humanity’s oldest dilemmas: pregnant mums who feel unequipped to keep their babies and so pick new parents for them; the world of polyamory aka ‘ethical non-monogamy’; and people with debilitating conditions who opt to hasten their own deaths.”
Louis has been given “extraordinary levels of access” for the three-part special and admits it was a “privilege” to be able to tell the stories of the people featured in the programme.
Louis added: “All of these stories have something a touch utopian about them, involving a kind of idealism and forward thinking that brings new opportunities but also new risks.
“I have been given extraordinary levels of access to courageous people and families across the United States, many of them enduring unbelievable levels of stress and anguish, and it was a privilege to be allowed into their lives in this most personal way.”
Louis achieved success and received critical acclaim for his shows ‘Weird Weekends’ – which ran from 1998-2000 – and ‘When Louis Met…’ which saw him profile several celebrities, including now controversial figures Jimmy Savile and Max Clifford.
‘Altered States’ will air later this year with an official date yet to be announced although he has hinted himself it will hit screens in November.

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OHMYGOSSIP — John Partridge believes his late mother was “an angel” on his shoulder during the ‘Celebrity MasterChef’ final.
The former ‘EastEnders’ star was left heartbroken by the death of his mother Bridget, who passed away on 13 April 2017 after living with Alzheimer’s disease for seven years, and it was exactly one year on that he was crowned the winner of the cooking show, beating Spencer Matthews and Martin Bayfield to the coveted title.
The three-course meal that swayed judges John Torode and Greg Wallace was John’s ‘There’s No Taste Like Home’ menu which consisted of a starter of scallops with Bury black pudding, a main of Lancashire lamb hotpot rounded off by an egg custard tart for pudding and he could feel the love of his mum as he prepared the dishes.
Speaking on ‘Loose Women’ on Monday (1.10.18), John said: “It was an amazing experience from beginning to end. My mum passed away on April 13th 2017 and I won ‘MasterChef’ on April 13th 2018 … so when I went in for that final cook, I definitely had an angel on my shoulder.
“You know I took her wooden spoon with me, I know she was there, she was stirring that custard.”
The 47-year-old actor – who quit his job on ‘EastEnders’ to look after Bridget and went on ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ in 2016 to get the money to pay for her to have professional care when her condition worsened – was also recognising a significant landmark in his life on the ITV daytime show as it has been exactly a year since he got sober.
John admits his alcoholism and substance abuse got out of control after his mother died because he didn’t know how to cope with his loss, but he’s know clean and healthy.
He said: “I’m one year sober today. For the first two weeks, I would just go to a supermarket, I’d buy ingredients and I’d come home and cook to distract myself.
“I said, I want to do that programme … I was doing ‘The Real Full Monty’ and ‘MasterChef’ at the same time and I just started talking. That’s all it was. I talked about having cancer and just the talking about it, what I’m so grateful [about is] that they allowed me to continue that conversation on ‘MasterChef’. They allowed me through the programme to keep talking.”
And John admits his journey on ‘MasterChef was very cathartic because many of the dishes he cooked allowed him to relive many happy memories from his childhood.
He shared: “When I started cooking on the show and remembering and going back, cooking the food from my past has helped me to live in the present. In my present. Going back and remembering that cheese and onion pie with my mum and that custard tart and that Lancashire hotpot and that black pudding. It reminded me of being that person and I’m so grateful for it.”

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