OHMYGOSSIP — Martha Howe-Douglas almost played Charlotte Richie’s character in ‘Ghosts’.
The 43-year-old actress – who eventually ended up in the role of uptight Edwardian Lady Fanny Button – explained that when she and the rest of the BBC sitcom’s co-creators were working on previous show ‘Yonderland’, she had played a similar part to Alison and she’s become used to the idea.
She told RadioTimes.com: “For me, personally, the transition from ‘Yonderland’ to ‘Ghosts’ was that I got back into playing ‘character’ because, obviously, in ‘Yonderland’ I was the sort of Alison character.
“And, because we did three years of that, that kind of felt like my natural… that’s where I felt most at home at that point, which is crazy because we started on ‘Horrible Histories’, where we were playing all these mad characters.”
When it came to starting work on ‘Ghosts’, Martha was open to the idea of taking on Alison, but her co-stars disagreed.
She added: “So when we were doing Ghosts and we were writing it, I was thinking, ‘Should I just be the Alison character?’
“And the guys were like, ‘No, you have to be a character, you have to come back and play with us’.
“Because when I was the Alison character [in Yonderland], Debbie, I sort of lost that sense… they were all playing the mad characters. Although I played Imperatrix, she wasn’t particularly zany.”
After so long in ‘Yonderland’ playing stay-at-home Brummie mum Debbie – who finds out she is a saviour of a fantasty realm with epic characters – Martha had lost some confidence”.
She said: “I think I was feeling a bit like, ‘can I even do that again?’ Because I’d been out of that for so long, just playing a sort of straight woman – and then I played Fanny, and we all know how that ended up!
“Ridiculously extreme, but so much fun. I’m so glad that they said that to me because maybe I’d lost a bit of confidence about doing a ‘character’ again.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Monty Don is considering leaving ‘Gardener’s World’ in the next two years.
The ‘Monty Don’s American Gardens’ presenter is thinking about saying goodbye to the long-running BBC Two gardening television series in 2025 as he wants to spend his time left on planet Earth pursuing his other favourite activities.
The 68-year-old broadcaster told Fi Glover, 54, and Jane Garvey, 59, on their Times Radio podcast ‘Off Air With Fi and Jane’ that he wants to get away from the “remorseless treadmill” and dedicate more of his life to writing and travelling.
Monty said: “If they offer me a bit more time, I may take it. But I’m 70 in a few years.
“I like writing books and doing TV shows and have the energy to do that. I have to give something up.
“And I’m not prepared to give up writing and I really enjoy the travel stuff.”
The former ‘My Dream Farm’ presenter – who has three grown-up kids, Adam, Tom and Freya, with his wife Sarah – also admitted that he has been incredibly lucky having “every door open to” him after growing up “incredibly privileged”.
Monty told the presenting duo: “I come from a middle-class Oxbridge background. Every door is open to me and has been all my life. It’s an incredibly privileged class. But if you’d asked me at any stage of my life if I was privileged, I would say of course not. No, no. I’m just like anybody else … And that’s just not true.
The ‘Gardening Book’ author outlined his longing for his potential replacement to be from an under-represented group to “include everybody” in both telly and gardening.
Monty said: “In a truly just and fair society, we wouldn’t care what someone’s colour or race or creed or sex was. But the truth is that it’s much more delicate.
“And I think that I’m absolutely persuaded that in order to include everybody, you have to open doors that either are or seem to be shut. And if the door is perceived to be shut then it is shut even if actually you think it’s not.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Chris Kamara broke down in tears as he recalled feeling “ashamed” of speech disorder.
The beloved 65-year-old pundit was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in 2021 and then apraxia of speech – a kind of condition affecting the body’s ability to perform natural motor functions – which has subsequently seen him step down from his broadcasting commitments.
Appearing on ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ on Thursday (09.11.23), he said: “I thought that defined me, I get upset talking about it because I was in denial, I was ashamed that I couldn’t speak.
“I didn’t want to a burden, I’ve spent my life looking after my family, and I don’t want to be in a position where they have to look after me, but they would love to… I realised how wrong I was.”
Host Susanna Reid comforted the former Sky Sports presenter – who recently released new memoir ‘Kammy: My Unbelievable Life’ – and offered some words of support.
She added: “You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, honestly. Let me just take your hand. You’ve done so much to inspire other people.'”
Kammy previously revealed how Susanna’s co-star Ben Shephard convinced him to open up about his diagnosis on ‘GMB’ in March 2022.
He said: “I’m so glad Ben talked to me about doing GMB because in many ways, I’d say I’m 70% better since that day.
“Acceptance was the hardest thing but now I’ve got this clear determination to help other people with speech conditions.”
Appearing on the show again today, he gave a “big thank you” to his friend, who went over and hugged his pal.
Ben quipped: “Laura can we get the weather now please? This is really embarrassing.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Nicola Coughlan is joining ‘Doctor Who’.
Show boss Russell T Davies has confirmed the ‘Bridgerton’ star is the latest famous face to join the cast revealing she will be onboard for episodes set to air over Christmas 2024.
He told The Sun newspaper: “Nicola Coughlan [is joining]at Christmas, next year. We are shooting Christmas 2024 now.”
Another big name joining the cast is ‘How I Met Your Mother’ star Neil Patrick Harris and Russell admitted the actor had no idea what he was signing up for.
He added: “Neil had never heard of it. In fact, he read the script and he phoned me up and said, ‘So, the doctor is an alien?’”
He really was from scratch.
“I was lucky enough to know him because I’d already worked with him on ‘It’s A Sin’, he was in the first episode and so glorious in that, and so we knew him.
“He was perfect for this because Neil loves magic and magic tricks, and the Toymaker does play with cards and he does magic tricks and sleight of hands and all of that, and Neil already does that.”
Russell added: “He is phenomenal. That is a great villain who will scare you, he’s got so much range and had so much fun with it.”
The showrunner, 60, returned to the beloved BBC show in 2022 after 14 years once Chris Chibnall, 53, departed. Now, Russell is gearing up for the release of the 60th Anniversary specials, which will see fan favourite Time Lord David Tennant, 52, board the T.A.R.D.I.S. once more with accomplice Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, 53. After the special, the showrunner is due to introduce Ncuti Gatwa, 31, as the Fifteenth Doctor, and he will be sticking around once the ‘Sex Education’ star’s adventures begin. In an interview with SFX Magazine, Russell revealed his plans for the future of the sci-fi programme. He said: “I’m planning season 3 now, there’s plans for season 4. “Absolutely. Who knows? Who knows. I’m not getting any younger.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Nigel Farage and Jamie Lynn Spears will lead the line up for this year’s ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’.
The tough jungle reality show is set to get started on 19 November and the 12 stars from the worlds of entertainment, sport, and politics who will be taking part have been revealed by The Sun newspaper following weeks of speculation.
As well as the controversial politician and singer Britney Spears’ younger sister, soap stars Nick Pickard, who plays ‘Hollyoaks’ stalwart Tony Hutchinson, and Danielle Harold, who left her role as Lola Pearce-Brown in ‘EastEnders’ earlier this year will be heading into camp.
They will be joined by JLS singer-turned-presenter Marvin Humes and food critic Grace Dent, as well as ‘First Dates’ maître d’ Fred Sirieix.
From the world of sport, boxer Tony Bellew and jockey Frankie Dettori – who is already in Australia – will be among the campmates, while Nella Rose will be hoping to get the votes of younger viewers, with the 24-year-old social media star already having a million followers on TikTok, almost 800,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel and 892,000 on Instagram.
Rounding out this year’s line-up are ‘Made in Chelsea’ star Sam Thompson, and former ‘Big Brother’ winner-turned-‘This Morning’ presenter Josie Gibson.
A source previously said of Josie: “Josie is hugely popular with This Morning viewers and producers were determined to get her.
“She is seen as the perfect person for the jungle as she’s already such a familiar face on ITV and will bring her fanbase with her.
“She’s incredibly down-to-earth and seems to strike a chord with people at home. Plus they’re confident Josie will bring the laughs to ‘I’m A Celebrity’, as she already does on ‘This Morning’, and is guaranteed to get on with most of the jungle campmates.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Home And Away’ star Johnny Ruffo has died aged 35 after a battle with brain cancer.
The singer/actor – who was diagnosed with the disease six years ago – passed away at a hospital in Sydney, Australia on Friday (10.11.23) with his partner Tahnee and his family by his side. The sad news was confirmed in a statement posted on his Instagram account, which read: “It is with a heavy heart that today we had to farewell our beloved Johnny.
“Surrounded by his partner Tahnee and family, Johnny went peacefully with the support of some incredible Nurses and Doctors. He was a very talented, charming and sometimes cheeky boy. Johnny was very determined and had a strong will.
“He battled all the way to the end and fought as hard as he could. Such a beautiful soul with so much more to give.We all love you Johnny and will remember you for all the joy you brought to our lives.”
Johnny shot to fame back in 2011 with an appearance on ‘The X Factor Australia’. He made it to the final and went on to win ‘Dancing with the Stars Australia’ a year later – just weeks after releasing his debut single ‘On Top’ in June 2012.
He released a second single ‘Take It Home’ later that year before swapping music for acting after landing the role of Chris Harrington in ‘Home And Away’ in 2013. He starred on the soap for three years until 2016.
After leaving the show, Johnny starred in mini-series ‘House of Bond’ which aired in 2017 but his career was interrupted by his diagnosis with brain cancer.
He underwent surgery in 2017 and two years later he announced he was “currently clear of cancer” and he released two more singles ‘Broken Glass’ and ‘Let’s Get Lost’.
However, in November 2020, Johnny confirmed his cancer had returned. In a post on Instagram, he wrote: “After an unexpected week of seizures and excruciating headaches it is with a heavy heart that I have to let you know I now have another huge battle ahead of me as my brain cancer has returned, though I will dig deep and beat this shit disease again.”
In August 2022, Johnny released his autobiography ‘No Finish Line’ and confirmed his cancer was now terminal.
In a post on social media, he wrote of his cancer battle: “One of the saddest things about cancer is that even though it can feel like an isolating experience and that you’re the only victim, you quickly learn that it’s actually quite a large club that nobody asked to be part of. Every day, I’ve found that identifying just one thing worth fighting for can give me the strength needed to pull my chin up and attack the day.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Amy Dowden cried as she rang the bell to celebrate finishing her chemotherapy treatment.
The 33-year-old ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and she has been undergoing treatment for the last few months, however she was able to celebrate this week after reaching the end of her chemo sessions which she marked by ringing the bell as hospital staff clapped and cheered.
She shared a video of the emotional moment on Instagram and wrote: “I rang the bell and I’m so thankful I got too! My toughest journey yet! These past few months I look back and think how did my body get through this both physically and mentally. From the words I’m so sorry Amy, it’s cancer and what’s your fertility plans. To having a mastectomy, two weeks later hormone daily injections for egg retrieval, a little Crohns flare up and then on to chemo plus shutting down my ovaries on the same day which sadly lead to sepsis, blood clots, losing my eyebrows, lashes (I have a few hanging in there) and three toe nails.
“But also it’s taken away my love of life these past few months and of course my DANCING!”
She added: “It’s been tough. But hopefully has now given me chance of more life which I’m eternally grateful for and I will never take for granted again.
“I’ll never be the same Amy again but, what I do know is I’m so much stronger than I ever knew and I have made the most amazing friends along the way.
“I hate looking in the mirror at the moment but I know this is a small price to pay and ‘this too shall pass’.
“I’m so grateful to the wonderful Sheldon oncology unit and my family and friends who have been there endlessly for Ben and I. We did it!”
She ended her post by revealing she now has to have a scan to see if she will need any more surgery, but she’s happy to have concluded the chemotherapy stage of her treatment.
Amy added: “All though my journey isn’t over yet, this day of ringing the chemo bell felt like an endless distance away and at points I thought I’d never make it to. I’m so proud of myself.
“I now await an MRI to determine if I need more surgery but for now I’m celebrating my chemo journey coming to an end. “Thank you all for your love and support along the way. My dancing shoes are warming up and I can’t wait to get back in the training room! Now please remember to check yourselves, if you aren’t who is?”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec are to appear on the first celebrity edition of ‘Escape to the Country’.
The married ex ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professionals will hunt for a potential country pile across the Home Counties on the five-part BBC One series – alongside former ‘I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!’ star Christopher Biggins, 74, Bucks Fizz icon Cheryl Baker, 69, television personality Dr Ranj Singh, 44, and ‘The Chase’ star Jenny Ryan, 41.
John Comerford, Head of production company Naked West, said: “We love helping prospective rural dwellers find their dream homes and we’re delighted the BBC have commissioned this special series giving us all an insight into our favourite celebrities’ lives as they look to swap the city for a new home in the country.”
Julie Shaw, BBC Daytime and Factual’s commissioning editor, said: “Escape to the Country has been a staple in the BBC daytime schedule for 21 years. Audiences love this programme and watching the journeys the house-hunters go on, so it was about time we got to go house hunting with some famous faces. I can’t wait for this to land in the schedules.”
Janette, 39, and Aljaz, 33, and their rural lifestyle dreams will be featured on the first star-studded version of the long-running real estate programme which kicks off next month.
The couple’s new project comes after they became parents to daughter Lyra back in July.
Janette told Digital Spy last month: “She’s incredible. She’s the best, best baby,” she said of Lyra. “I think we really lucked out because she sleeps alright, she doesn’t cry a lot and she’s just happy, she smiles all the time.”
Janette added their journey to motherhood had felt “really natural” and that Aljaz becoming a father had improved their marriage as she enthused about being a working mother.
She said: “I was already in love with him before but to see him now. He’s such a good father to Lyra. It changes everything and takes our relationship to the next level.”
“He’s doing daddy daycare at the moment whilst I’m down in London filming ‘It Takes Two’. So there’s lots of FaceTimes and lots of videos going forward to see how she’s doing.”
Janette went on to praise everyone competing on the BBC One Latin and ballroom competition this year – which includes broadcaster Angela Rippon, 79, actor Layton Williams, 29, and newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy, 53 – and saying its “anyone’s game”.
She said: “Everyone’s so good. It’s literally anyone’s game. I’m intrigued to see what’s going to happen.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Olivia Bowen is ready to settle into a “new lifestyle” as she prepares to move house.
The ex ‘Love Island’ star and her husband Alex Bowen – who she met and fell in love with on the ITV2 dating reality competition back in 2016 – are moving out of their Essex mansion and getting ready to start a new chapter in a home they’ve designed themselves but Olivia is adamant the move is “bittersweet” for them.
The 29-year-old television personality wrote on Instagram: “A new chapter begins in our story. We will be saying goodbye to this house, which is so very bittersweet. We were both sad when we first decided it was time to move on, but this has been nearly a year in thought so we’re so excited and ready to experience our next adventure.
“We hold so many incredible memories in this home, not only that but it was the house that taught me everything I know.
“Renovating has been an amazing experience and has led us on to this next journey we are about to embark on… something I have wished of doing since finding a love for interiors all those years ago. Building our own home.”
Olivia revealed the new house is “currently being built” and “there’s so much more” to share so she urged her 3.1 million followers to keep their eyes peeled.
She explained: “The Bowen Home 2.0 is currently being built, and has been being built for a while now, we are now at watertight stage the real fun begins… there’s also a catch.
“Designing our own home was always a bit of a dream to us, but the opportunity arose and gave us the option to move into a new way of life that we want for our family unit. So much has changed since those four years ago myself Alex, both huge party animals, bought this house, we’re both ready for a new lifestyle and home.
“I will be doing some stories because there’s so much to talk about!”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Rick Stein struggled to come to terms with his dad’s suicide admitting he felt the tragedy was “embarrassing”.
The celebrity chef was just a teenager when he his father Eric took his own life back in 1965 and he ended up moving to Mexico which he admits was a way to escape his feelings of sadness and shame.
Speaking to Kate Thornton on her ‘White Wine Question Time’ podcast, he explained: “It’s true [I was running from grief]. I mean, you don’t think that at a time. I remember The Animals song ‘We Gotta Get out of This Place’ at that time, and I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to get away’, but I didn’t sort of realise what was driving me at the time.
“It was grief and it’s quite a gloomy thing having a father that’s committed suicide. It’s hard to come to terms with, it’s embarrassing. Also, you’re missing your dad, so it was a really good time to run away, I must say.”
Rick launched his first business when he turned a mobile disco in Padstow, Cornwall into a nightclub with his best friend Johnny and he was left devastated when they lost their licence after a number of fights there.
However, Rick insists the closure was actually a good thing in the long run.
He explained: “I was really devastated. I was declared a not fit and proper person to hold a drinks licence … I remember after that notorious fight, somebody got struck with a broken glass. I said to my friend Johnny and business partner, ‘We just can’t go on like this right?’
“We were just so young and not equipped to run a nightclub with a late licence, that in fact, what happened looking back, that was the best thing that could have happened to us being, closed down.”
He added: “I probably said in my memoir, but about four or five years after we were closed down, the policeman that had closed us down, the Inspector, invited me over for tea.
“He said, ‘we felt really sorry for you boys because you were just so green behind the ears, but there was nothing we could do for you but make sure you were closed down’. By then I was starting to make a bit of a name for myself for cooking, and I just said, ‘Well, to be honest, it was the best thing that happened to us.”
White Wine Question Time is available to listen to on all podcast platforms.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Lorraine Kelly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after covering the Lockerbie bombing for ‘TV-am’ back in 1988.
The TV presenter was the Scottish correspondent for the breakfast show when a bomb exploded onboard Pan Am flight 103 above the town of Lockerbie killing all 259 people onboard as well as 11 residents of the town and she was sent to the scene to cover the aftermath – and Lorraine says the horrifying experience still haunts her to this day.
She told The Telegraph newspaper: “I was the Scottish correspondent of ‘TV-am’ and we were among the first reporters there. It was horrendous .. Eerie, really quiet, with lots of weird smells. But it is the aviation fuel that I remember most.”
Lorraine went on to admit she still has nightmares about the crash site, saying: “Often times I am above it, like a drone, looking down. That is really awful.”
The TV presenter recently returned to the town for the first time since covering the bombing as a 29-year-old reporter to film a new documentary called ‘Return to Lockerbie’ and Lorraine admits the project brought back long buried memories.
She added: “Isn’t it odd, how the mind plays tricks on you? … There were certain things that happened to me that night that I only found out about while making this documentary … ”
Lorraine revealed she didn’t get any professional help after the experience, but she explained talking to her dad about it was a huge help.
She explained: “No one took me to one side. It wasn’t because they were uncaring, it was because it was 1988. It wouldn’t have been something that I actively would have gone looking for.”
“But this is not about me. Nobody got the help they needed. Nobody talked about mental health. PTSD was something still not defined.”
She explained she didn’t want to admit to suffering from PTSD for a long time because she thought it was only for those who had lived through Lockerbie or for soldiers in war zones, but Lorraine can now say she was “very badly affected” by covering the disaster.
‘Return To Lockerbie With Lorraine Kelly’ airs on ITV1 at 9pm on November 15.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Adele Roberts “hit the jackpot” when she was paired up with professional skater Mark Hanretty for ‘Dancing On Ice’.
The 44-year-old broadcaster and DJ, who beat bowel cancer last year, will be the first person to take part in the ITV ice-skating show with a stoma bag, which she has nicknamed Audrey, and she’s now revealed she’s paired up with pro partner Mark for the show and she’s thrilled.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “I cannot believe it! I’ve been paired with the magnificent ice skating genius that is @MarkHanretty. Mark, I have admired you from afar for many years. I can’t believe I’m now getting the privilege of skating with you. If one ounce of your brilliance rubs off on me, I’ll be over the moon!
“I will work so hard for you and give this my all. We hit the jackpot Audrey, thank God we bought that lucky dip!”
Adele went on to reveal her fiancee Kate Holderness is also excited about the pairing and she is looking forward to introducing Mark to her mum.
She added: “An incredible dreamy morning with this man. My heart is so happy. Another reason to take chances in life. You never know what you’re going to get. Christmas has come early!
“Can’t wait to tell my Mum all about him. He’s a goodun Mum, he even drove me home. What a beautiful soul. Kate loves him too. In fact, we might not let him out. He lives with us now.
“Thank you for the best present ever @dancingonice. Audrey and I shall take good care of him. Ps. Mark ignore my bent leg on the photo. I shall extend and point my toes from now on.”
Adele will be part of the line-up when the show returns to TV in January alongside stars including former boxer Ricky Hatton, actress Claire Sweeney, actress and singer Hannah Spearritt, West End star Amber Davies, Olympic Champion and presenter Greg Rutherford, TV personality Miles Nazaire, ‘Gogglebox’ star Stephen Lustig-Webb, comedian and writer Lou Sanders, and former ‘EastEnders’ star Ricky Norwood.

Source: VacationHunter.Online