OHMYGOSSIP — Charles Venn feels like “art is imitating life” after he became a grandfather in real life, and in ‘Casualty’.
The 51-year-old star’s character Jacob Masters recently became the legal guardian of his grandchild, after Jacob’s son Blake (Kai Thorne) abandoned his child, and Charles is also now a gramps.
He told OK! magazine: “I recently became a grandad myself in real life, so the timing feels like art imitating life!
“Jacob is definitely the most fulfilling character I’ve ever played and I’ve grown as an actor with him.
“He’s gone through so many challenges in his nine, almost 10, years at ‘Holby’ and there are still many things unexplored with him.
“Although [laughing] when I started in 2015 I had a lot less grey hair!”
Blake left baby Carter outside the A and E, department and has not been seen since.
Charles admitted that while his alter-ego found it difficult to suddenly take on a full-time grandparent role, he had no choice.
He added: “Of course Jacob takes on the role of guardian, as difficult as that is to do.
“But it’s better than Carter being taken into care. So Jacob’s having to juggle looking after him along with his job – luckily he’s got lovely Jan [Di Botcher] to help him, otherwise there would be no way he could do that.
“In the midst of that, he’s looking for Blake. As a father, the thought of my son out there and I don’t know where he is, it’s not right. Blake has a history with narcotics too, so it’s stressful.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Josh Widdicombe has been awarded an honorary degree from the University of Exeter.
The 41-year-old comedian – best known for his stint on ‘The Last Leg’ and his BBC Three sitcom ‘Josh’ – grew up in Devon before going on to study sociology and linguistics at the University of Manchester, and he was delighted to be recognised in his home county.
Speaking at the ceremony on Monday (15.07.24), he said: “This is a genuine, huge honour. When they got in touch with me about this I was thrilled.
“I would like to begin by thanking everyone at Exeter University for what we all know is an undeserved honour.
“I’m genuinely humbled, particularly because I didn’t even go to this university.”
Josh has offered graduates advice, and warned them: “Life isn’t a straight path.”
The comedian said: “Your 20s are meant for experimenting.
“When I left university, I was kind of panicked.
“What am I going to do? What am I going to do next? It’s not a race.
“If you don’t know, you will find out, there is no rush about this at all. I spent years at Waterstones.
“I worked at a petrol station … some of those things I didn’t think were a good use of my time, but life isn’t a straight path.”
He also advised new graduates not to take themselves too seriously.
The TV star said: “We are all idiots muddling through. That is what nobody tells you.
“Nobody believes really that they know what they are doing.
“Life is absurd, embrace it. Laugh at yourself. Fun and play produces the best work.
“It gives you confidence to try things you wouldn’t and to go to places you would be otherwise too scared to go to.
“All the best art, music and writing comes from places of excitement and childish play. Do not lose that.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Michael French is returning to ‘EastEnders’.
The 61-year-old actor feels “honoured” to be returning to Albert Square as David Wicks for the first time in a decade and teased the womaniser will be stirring up a “lot of drama” during his brief return.
He said in a statement: “I feel honoured to be asked to reprise the role of David Wicks once again. It may only be a brief visit, but we know from his past that David never fails to create a lot of drama in a very short time.”
Soap bosses are delighted to have the “legendary” character back on screen in preparation for ‘EastEnders’ upcoming 40th anniversary.
Executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: “David Wicks is undoubtedly one of EastEnders’ most beloved rogues, and we are thrilled to welcome the talented Michael French back to the legendary role as we lead up to the show’s 40th anniversary.
“David’s character was never shy of drama during his previous stints, and I can assure you this return will be no different.”
Michael played David – who is the son of the late Pat Butcher (Pam St. Clement) and Pete Beale (Peter Dean) from 1993 to 1996 before returning in 2012 and again from 2013 to 2014.
David’s most recent stint in Walford saw him reconnect with childhood sweetheart Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson) – the mother of his daughter Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) – while she was battling breast cancer and they got engaged, but their wedding plans fell apart as their relationship broke down.
Michael’s return follows in the wake of Laurie Brett making a surprise comeback as Jane Beale, and the recent announcement that Tracy-Ann Oberman is to reprise her role as Chrissie Watts.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — ‘The Traitors’ bosses are reportedly planning to release a special range of perfumes.
The BBC’s reality gameshow – which sees the Faithful contestants try to weed out the Traitors while avoiding getting ‘killed off’ by them – has proven to be a huge hit with viewers, and now the programme’s creators are keen to capitalise with fragrances aimed at men and women.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s TVBiz column: “It’s understandable that the creators of the programme want to make the most of the huge popularity of the show.
“And given the fanatic following it has, they’re bound to lap it up — then splash it on — when the fragrance goes on the market.”
Options for the perfumes could include a “devilish” scent to represent the Traitors, and a more “heavenly” one for the Faithfuls.
It’s said ‘The Traitors’ producers have trademarked the show’s name in the UK, and they’ll be able to work on a range of merchandise.
Filming has just finished for the upcoming third series with Claudia Winkleman at the helm ahead of its return to BBC One in January 2025.
And Deadline recently reported that the murdery mystery phenomenon – which experienced a staggering 300,000 applications to compete on the UK edition of the show and stay at the iconic Ardross Castle – is getting a celebrity edition after the success of the US star-studded version hosted by Alan Cumming.
This came after the programme’s boss Stephen Lambert told ‘The News Agents’ podcast that it was “obviously a possibility”.
It’s since been reported that ‘The Masked Singer’ judge and chat show host Jonathan Ross could be part of the spin-off after teasing he was trying to find space in his schedule for a “reality type thing”.
An insider has since told The Sun: “Jonathan is the ideal target for ‘The Traitors’ producers because he’s a high-profile celebrity who doesn’t regularly appear on the reality TV circuit.
“He’s also one of a small army of stars who are self-confessed fans of the show.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Olly Rix has reportedly landed a “steamy” new role on ‘Casualty’.
The ‘Call The Midwife’ first played Matthew Aylward in the BBC period drama in the tenth series, and it’s said he has been written out after the character left for New York earlier this year.
As reported by The Sun newspaper’s TVBiz column, Olly is now set to play a surgeon on the long running hospital drama.
A source said: “He has already got viewers’ hot under the collar on ‘Call the Midwife’, but their pulses will be truly racing when they see Olly embrace the steamy new role.”
And while the cast and crew have already been on set working on the upcoming series, Olly’s first scenes won’t be airing until 2025.
The insider added: “Although filming on the new series has been going on for weeks now, fans of Olly will have to wait until next year before they get the chance to see him on ‘Casualty.’ ”
In October 2023, it was reported his character was being written out after getting married to Trixie Franklin (Helen George) in the last series.
A source told The Sun: “The news of Olly’s departure has left the cast and crew stunned and upset.
“They all thought he was a mainstay on the series after his prominent wedding scenes to Helen last season. Some feel it’s a bit unfair and he is well liked by everyone.
“It felt very out of the blue. There is concern now among the remaining cast about not wanting to upset production and people are keeping their heads down.”
‘Call the Midwife’ has run for 12 seasons and the BBC recently commissioned two more – meaning the show will remain on air until at least 2026.
Speaking at the time of the announcement earlier this year, creator/writer Heidi Thomas gushed: “I’m overjoyed by the news that the doors of Nonnatus House will be open for a few more years!
“‘Call the Midwife’ is the pride and joy of all who work on it, but it’s our fantastic, loyal audience that matters most. We are a family behind the scenes, on the screen, and in front of the telly, and I’m thrilled that we’re all heading into the 1970’s together.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Karen Blick doesn’t think Lydia Dingle got justice in her harrowing ‘Emmerdale’ storyline.
The ITV soap star’s character Lydia was sexually assaulted late last year by her old childhood friend Craig Reed (Ben Addis), who was killed by Kim Tate’s horse, and the actress has admitted the storyline was “quite authentic”.
She told RadioTimes.com: “No, I don’t think she she did [get justice].
“That’s quite authentic in terms of whether victims [and] survivors of that sort of crime do ever get justice. So she was frustrated.”
Karen admitted Lydia’s feelings in the aftermath of the assault were “complicated” because of her relationship to Craig.
She added: “It was complicated, because it was somebody she knew, somebody who she grew up with and… there was a part of it that wanted to protect him, in a complicated way.”
Last summer, Karen revealed she had turned to crystal healing therapy to help her cope with the dark storyline.
She was quoted by the Daily Star newspaper’s Hot TV column at the time as saying: “I’ve got a lovely friend who’s a crystal healing therapist and she contacted me a couple of weeks before we started filming and said, ‘Can I help you? Can I help you look after your energy?’
“I’m really open-minded about things like this and I thought, ‘Well it can’t hurt. I’ll give it a go.’
“She gave me some crystals to carry around with me and to keep in my dressing room.”
Karen admitted she saw a benefit to the “useful ritual” when it came to dealing with the “negative” feelings around the storyline, while she also turned to other “healthy, productive” methods to help her cope, including hypnotherapy and yoga, and ensure she wasn’t taking her work home with her.
She added: “I was keen to find healthy, productive coping mechanisms. I made sure that I was in a good, strong, physical, psychological place in order to tackle this story.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — A third dancer has reportedly been identified as a “person of interest” in the investigation into ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
The name of the male dancer – who is no longer part of the show – is said to have been given to lawyers Carter Ruck, which followers allegations made against Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “A professional’s name has come up, alongside Giovanni and Graziano.
“He is no longer part of the show but he has been named as a person of interest. Conversations are ongoing and there are more people who need to be spoken to.”
A file is being put together to be given to the BBC as part of the investigation.
The insider added: “A dossier is being compiled which will be handed over to the BBC.
“What is becoming clear is that there appears to be a more widespread issue over the conduct of some of the professionals in training.
“And the more people who come forward, the clearer the picture is becoming.”
A Strictly spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: “We will always listen if people want to make us aware of something or raise it with us directly.”
Graziano was axed by the show last week amid reports of alleged misconduct relating to how he treated his 2023 dance partner Zara McDermott, while Giovanni will also not be returning to the programme amid allegations about his treatment of his celebrity dance partners.
Last weekend, Graziano confirmed he had departed ‘Strictly’.
He wrote on Instagram: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.
“Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.
“While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can’t discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.
“I wish the Strictly family and the BBC nothing but success in the future. I also want to thank everyone who has supported my career, both professionally and personally. When the time is right, I will share my story.”
Zara has since told how she had a “very different” experience “inside the training room” compared to how it was working with her fellow contestants, and she claimed there are videos of “particular incidents, which are incredibly distressing to watch”.
She wrote on Instagram: “I have wrestled with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming.
“But after a lot of conversations with those I love, I’ve gained the strength to face these fears, and when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show.”
The BBC didn’t discuss the allegations against Graziano, but said they were aware of their duty of care.
A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Graziano Di Prima is no longer a part of the line-up of professional dancers for the upcoming series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
“While we would never comment on individual cases, it is well-known that the BBC has established robust duty of care procedures, and if issues are raised we will always take them seriously and act swiftly as appropriate.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Danny Dyer has delved into “some weird s***” to make himself cry on camera.
The former ‘EastEnders’ actor – who plays Lee in Ryan Sampson’s new comedy ‘Mr Bigstuff’ – has opened up about getting immersed in a character, and admitted he has “sometimes” channeled very real emotions during filming to help his performances.
Speaking on the ‘Dish from Waitrose’ podcast, he said: “If the writing and the text is good enough, then you f****** buy it and you believe what you’re saying.
“But sometimes you have to dig into some weird s*** to make you cry.”
The 46-year-old star admitted that can be difficult on a soap, where you might have “weeks of crying” during a tough storyline.
He added: “When you’re doing a soap, you have whole, you know, you have weeks of crying on end.
“And then you sort of have to go home and go, ‘Hello kids! How are you, all lovely?’ You know, you’re, you’re in a, you know, you’re a bit f***** in the nut from it, it’s like…
“So it depends how much you want to commit. You got to sell it. And so therefore, you know, what’s a few tears between friends? We all need a f****** good cry.”
Danny noted there are different approaches, with some people on Albert Square using what was nicknamed “the award stick” to look like they were crying.
He said: “It depends, it depends how you approach it, really. Some people, we’d have it on ‘EastEnders’, it were called ‘the award stick’.
“So you’d have a – there’s a stick that you get, it’s basically Vicks, and you put it in your eyes. And it creates tears and then you just pull a face. And I’m not saying who did that.”
Danny revealed he would often get upset after “knockbacks” as an actor trying to land roles.
Pointing out the importance of watching other performers, he said: “I think like all art, you watch stuff and you take stuff on, and then you try and nick stuff and use it slightly. I think that’s what art is really.
“But I think what gives you a career is your own identity and makes you different from everybody else.
“But there’s a lot of knockbacks, a lot of people saying, no, we don’t want you. You’re s****, he’s better. Which, you know… I just go home and sob my heart out.”
Dish from Waitrose is available on all podcast providers.

Source: VacationHunter.Online