OHMYGOSSIP — Shirley Ballas says the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ curse is understandable.
The new judge – who is taking over from the departing Len Goodman on the BBC One show – admitted she understands how intense romantic relationships can build between the dancers and their partners on the show.
Speaking about the ‘Strictly’ curse, which has seen some contestants fall for their dance partners, told The Sun: “If you’re locked up in a room and you’re coming out in your little sensual clothing and men are baring chests and you’re there every week and you have to do romance, it’s difficult not to have chemistry.
“I mean we need chemistry on the show. Who’s to say who falls in love with who?”
However, she insisted that not every relationship breakdown throughout the course of the show is ‘Strictly’s fault, adding that there could have been trouble already.
She said: “I understand life. I wouldn’t say particularly it’s down to ‘Strictly’. Maybe they were having problems before. It depends doesn’t it? We’re not inside those doors to tell or to judge really.”
Shirley is excited to join the show and insisted she has no plans to upset contestants with her critiques.
She said: “I’m not there for destroying souls – that’s not who I am.
I certainly won’t be giving a one or a two.
“But I’m going to take it from an honest point of view of what I see.
“You don’t want too much pink ice cream – that will make you sick, you understand?
“So I’m not going to sit there all, ‘you’re so lovely you’re lovely you’re lovely’ if it’s not really improving; it’s got to improve.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Lauren Pope has revealed the ‘Only Way is Essex’ cast are offered therapy every week.
The 34-year-old DJ insists reality TV bosses always look after their casts very well and offer a lot of support to cope with the adjustment of becoming a household name and living a life under scrutiny.
She told Closer Magazine: “I love reality TV and production companies are definitely there for you mentally. You’re well looked after and have therapy sessions before you start the show and are offered them every week during filming.”
But Lauren also admitted it takes a particular type of person to be able to withstand the scrutiny that comes with being on a popular TV show.
She said: “Ultimately, it’s just down to how you are as a person.
“You need to have a thick skin to do reality TV.
“You’ve also got to be realistic. You’re putting yourself and your life out there, so you’re going to be criticised and it’s going to have an impact on you if you’re not mentally prepared for it. It’s not for everyone.”
The blonde beauty spoke out after former ‘Geordie Shore’ star Sarah Goodhart – who appeared on series 14 of the show – criticised producers for not supporting her through an “emotional breakdown” and slammed ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ for its treatment of Sarah Harding, who has caused concern with her emotional breakdowns and explosive rows in the house.
However, Lauren thinks Sarah may have just been put in situations she couldn’t handle on ‘Geordie Shore’.
She said: “I watched Sarah’s series of ‘Geordie Shore’ and she seemed like a really sweet girl, so maybe she was just put in situations she wasn’t comfortable with.
“The show is very party-orientated and if you’re out drinking every night your emotions are going to be heightened. I think that, in Sarah’s case, it just wasn’t for her.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sarah Harding says her ex-boyfriend can’t compare to Chad Johnson.
The Girls Aloud singer was in a secret relationship with plasterer Aaron Lacey before entering the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house, where she fell for ‘Bachelor’ star Chad, and insisted that Chad has become her “best friend”.
Speaking after being crowned the winner, Sarah told host Emma Willis: “I was in a short-term relationship for a number of weeks.
“Chad became my best friend… he has been my rock; every day feels like a week in there.
“Everything we went through cannot compare with what I had on the outside; it was like we had known each other for weeks and weeks.
“I think we are just going to see what happens, but we are definitely going to see more of each other.”
The blonde beauty had exited the house in tears, and said she was “in shock” as she didn’t believe she would last longer than 10 days before being booted from the show.
She said: “I’m just in shock I can’t believe it, it’s been a bit of a tough ride.
“Honestly [I thought I’d last] about 10 days, I was so out of my comfort zone with so many big personalities. I’d been living in the countryside with my dogs, I knew I just had to get back out there. My confidence levels had dropped, I needed a new chapter to start afresh.”
Earlier, Jemma Lucy landed in sixth place, behind Chad and Derek Acorah who finished fifth and fourth respectively.
Third place went to Sam Thompson, whilst Amelia Lily was crowned the runner-up.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig are an “uber-gender-fluid couple”.
The two comedians instantly hit it off when they were hired to host the ‘Great British Bake Off’ when it moved to Channel 4, and the relationship between them is like a marital bond.
Noel told Heat Magazine: “Someone from Channel 4, and I think this is very perceptive, said we’re like a married couple. I’m the woman and Sandi’s the man.
“We’re just the most modern couple, really.”
Sandi quipped: “We’re like an uber-gender-fluid couple.”
And 59-year-old Sandi admitted her 44-year-old co-host cares far more about what he looks like on camera than she does.
She said: “We have a wonderful woman who looks after us and picks out our clothes and as I was leaving to go on set, she put her hand under my chin and went, ‘What colour are you wearing?’ I said, ‘I have no idea, I haven’t even looked down.’
“She said, ‘You don’t even know if it’s a shirt or a jumper. What is wrong with you?’ I said, ‘I’ll leave all that to Noel’.”
Despite their very different comedic styles, the pair realised they had “chemistry” straight away and found a middle ground with their humour that has served them well in hosting the show.
Noel said: “In comedy, you either have chemistry or you don’t. Some people just don’t have it and you can’t force it. We could tell straight away, couldn’t we?…
“I remember going home and saying, ‘I did want this job, obviously, but now I’ve met Sandi, I really want it’.
“In my head I was thinking, ‘This could be really good. I think we might actually be able to pull this off’.”
Sandi added: “What’s been interesting is we have very different styles and well – you’ll see when you watch the show – we’ve found the middle ground that makes both of us cry with laughter, which we would have never otherwise discovered.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sarah Harding has won ‘Celebrity Big Brother’.
The former Girls Aloud star has emerged from the infamous abode victorious during Friday’s (25.08.17) live final of the Channel 5 reality show, after she beat off competition from remaining housemates Amelia Lily, Sam Thompson, Jemma Lucy, Derek Acorah, and Chad Johnson, whom she formed a relationship with whilst in the house.
The blonde beauty exited the house in tears, and said she was “in shock” as she didn’t believe she would last longer than 10 days before being booted from the show.
Speaking to host Emma Willis in her interview after being crowned the winner, she said: “I’m just in shock i cant believe it, its been a bit of a tough ride.
“Honestly [I thought I’d last] about 10 days, I was so out of my comfort zone with so many big personalities. I’d been living in the countryside with my dogs, I knew I just had to get back out there. My confidence levels had dropped, I needed a new chapter to start afresh.”
The 35-year-old singer then added she has “no idea” how she won the £50,000 prize fund for her chosen charity, but has thanked her fans for voting her to victory.
When asked why she thought she’d won, she said: “I have no idea, i have literally gone through the whole spectrum of emotions, maybe I was just real and honest to myself. Just thank you, thank you so, so much, I honestly didn’t believe this could happen.”
Elsewhere in the show, Jemma Lucy landed in sixth place, behind Chad Johnson and Derek Acorah who finished fifth and fourth respectively.
Third place went to Sam Thomspon, whilst Amelia Lily was crowned the runner-up.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Ben Whishaw is set to play Hugh Grant’s ex-lover in a new BBC One drama.
The 36-year-old actor – who came out as gay in 2013 – will star as Norman Scott in the forthcoming show titled ‘A Very English Scandal’ – based on the book of the same name written by John Preston last year – as it depicts the story of the then-leader of the Liberal party Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh) as he’s accused of conspiring to murder his former flame.
Writer Russell T. Davies confirmed the news at the Edinburgh Intl. Television Festival on Friday (25.08.17) and revealed he’s already started penning the script for the show.
Ben is no stranger to a BBC drama as he most recently appeared in the channel’s ‘Queers’ – a series of one-off monologue directed by Mark Gatiss – this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK’s landmark Sexual Offences Act.
He also won an International Emmy and was BAFTA-nominated for his role in ‘Criminal Justice’ in 2008, nabbed a gong for his role as Richard III in the ‘Hollow Crown in 2013 and was nominated last year for a BAFTA for his lead part in the drama ‘London Spy.’
Hugh, 56, on the other hand hasn’t been seen on British television for nearly 25 years when he starred in ‘The Changeling’ opposite Elizabeth McGovern and Bob Hoskins.
‘A Very English Scandal’ is a three-part drama and will be produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin for Blueprint.

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OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ will return to television screens on September 9.
Charlotte Hawkins – who is one of the new celebrities taking part in the new series – has let slip that the launch show for the ballroom and latin programme will air in just over two weeks’ time when she and her fellow all-star competitors are partnered up with the professionals.
The 42-year-old presenter made the announcement while presenting ‘Good Morning Britain’ on Friday (25.08.17) alongside Richard Madeley but, although the launch show will hit screens at the beginning of September, the series won’t officially start until the end of the month.
And, judging by the line up, this year looks set to be a good one as viewers will see the likes of This Morning’s Ruth Langsford, Alexandra Burke, Debbie McGee, Jonnie Peacock, Aston Merrygold, Brian Conley, Mollie King and Davood Ghadami take to the dance floor.
The new series will also feature a special tribute to Sir Bruce Forsyth – who sadly passed away at the age of 89 last week – and the dancer have already started rehearsing the “heartfelt” performance to celebrate his life and his 10 years co-hosting the programme.
Louise Rainbow, the show’s executive producer, said: “The thoughts of everyone here are still very much with Sir Bruce’s family.
“Of course, we will be paying tribute to Sir Bruce at our launch show and this will include a heartfelt performance from our Strictly professional dancers.
“We all want to celebrate him and all that he loved about the show. Sir Bruce was, and will always be, a huge part of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.”
Bruce is survived by his wife Lady Wilnelia Forsyth and his six children – daughters Debbie, Julie and Laura from his first marriage with Penny Calvert, Charlotte and Louisa with his second spouse Anthea Redfern and a son with Wilnelia – as well as nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Nadine Coyle has jumped to her former band mate Sarah Harding’s defence after viewers slammed her “erratic” behaviour in the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house.
The 32-year-old singer – who shot to fame as a member of Girls Aloud when the band won ‘Popstars: The Rivals’ reality talent show back in the early 2000’s – has barely seen the singer after the group parted ways in 2013 but that’s not stopped her from sticking up for the blonde beauty after she was ridiculed for hooking up with her housemate Chad Johnson while seeing someone on the outside.
Taking to her Twitter account last night (24.08.17), she wrote: “I am so far behind on Sarah’s show. What is happening? I need a major catch up session!! Xx”
She then proceeded to give reasoning for how Sarah was coming across on the show, when she explained: “Inside info on Sarah, she is a very natural being. She dwells on of her feelings & acts on them. It is what makes her so unique.”
And added: “#nofiler was made for Sarah!!! (sic)”.
And whilst the countdown to the ‘CBB’ final is on, Nadine was keen to keep Sarah’s fan base strong ahead of her exit tonight (25.08.17).
She wrote: “Those of us who know & love her know that. The support from you guys will mean the world to her!! Xx” followed by three heart emojis.”
She concluded her support by hinting that she previously had got the blonde beauty’s back when they were in the band by writing: “If I was there, no one would DARE utter a bad word to her!!!!! Xx (sic)” followed by three angel and kiss emojis.
The ‘CBB’ final is on Channel Five tonight (25.08.17) at 9pm.

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OHMYGOSSIP — Jeremy Clarkson is set to be temporarily replaced on ‘The Grand Tour’.
The 57-year-old former ‘Top Gear’ presenter was recently hospitalised after contracting pneumonia and now Amazon Prime – the video streaming site that airs the motoring series – have posted an advert online in a bid to secure a new host.
The ad read: “Amazon Prime Video is seeking a host for an original TV series to be seen around the world. Currently, this is a temporary position to cover an absence due to pneumonia. The successful applicant will join a long-established team of variously sized co-hosts and possess a strong knowledge of cards, metaphors and progressive rock music. The host will have a proven track record in effectively dealing with colleagues that they find annoying and being lost in unknown locations.
“They must be entertaining, engaging and willing to pause before delivering the final words or words of some sentences.”
Bosses seem to be looking for a clone of Jeremy and described the ideal candidate as being “tall” with “curly hair”.
The advert also went on to describe the chaotic events the hosts – which also include Richard Hammond and James May – go through while filming the series, such as: “accidentally setting things on fire, handling heavy machinery (badly)” and also arguing a point that no one will ever agree with.”
It added: “Driving the world’s fastest and most exciting cars while talking to the camera. Ability to do this without crashing would be considered an advantage, but not essential (apparently).”
Amazon Prime were forced to look into a replacement host after it became apparent that Jeremy would be out of action for “some time” while he recovers in Majorca.
Jeremy said recently: “Thanks for all the good wishes. And to keep you up to date, I’ll be out of action for quite some time apparently. It’s really really annoying because I’ve never had one day off work since I started in 1978.”

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OHMYGOSSIP — Sir David Jason saw it as a “huge blow” when he didn’t make ‘Monty Python’.
The 77-year-old legend may have a highly successful acting career – with roles in ‘Open All Hours’, ‘Porridge’ and ‘Only Fools and Horses’ to name a few – but he was devastated when he found out his friends were concocting a plan to create the comedy show without him and he sometimes wonders how different it would have been if he’d been included.
Speaking in his new show ‘David Jason: My Life on Screen’, he said: “Missing out on ‘Monty Python’ was a real blow at the time.
“I sometimes wonder how things would have been different if I had been invited to join Monty Python, but as the saying goes, one door closes another opens.”
Shortly after he was rejected from the comedy group, David became good friends with the late Ronnie Barker and he believes he owes a lot of his “life and career” to the star.
He explained: “Ronnie would become both a wonderful friend and a great teacher to me. I owe him a great deal for the life and career that I have had.
“He was such a genius. I used to call him the guv’nor, because he was.”
David later secured the role of Del Boy in the comedy ‘Only Fools and Horses’ but has admitted he was shocked when he found out he’d been chosen to play the character.
He said: “Against the odds, I got the part.
“For inspiration I went back to my own working-class roots and ¬remembered a real life East End wheeler-dealer I met whilst working as an electrician, Derek Hockley. He impressed me so much that I thought that has got to be Del Boy. It was the age of the yuppie and oversized mobile phones. Millions of wannabe entrepreneurs all with plans of how to get rich quick. Del Boy captured the moment. After two decades on television it brought me a level of fame way beyond anything I had expected.”
And, although he’s achieved huge success in the UK, he’s never wanted to spread his wings and attempt to crack the US – despite having offers – because he’s too busy.
He explained: “Despite offers I have never felt the urge to try to make it in Hollywood. There are too many ­interesting parts for me to play here.”
With offers still flooding in, David is adamant he has no plans to retire any time soon.
He added: “I have been so­ ­fortunate. I always say, it is not the arrival, it is the journey. And there is still more to the journey left ­hopefully. I will continue to entertain the great British public. Because that is what I love doing.”

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