Pregnant Dannii Minogue has a heavy load to carry as she stocks up on household goods for new £1m Melbourne home

By Mail Online Reporter

Lightening the load: Dannii Minogue fills her trolley up with household goods as she goes shopping with boyfriend Kris Smith in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday


At eight months pregnant, Dannii Minogue certainly has a heavy load to carry.
And judging by this shopping spree, it's not just the burgeoning bump we're talking about.

The X Factor judge's trolley was laden with household goods as she took boyfriend Kris Smith and a friend to get stocked up for their new £1million Melbourne home.

And the 38-year-old star's bump looked bigger than ever, bundled up in a poncho-style cardigan which she teamed with a tie-dye scarf, a beret hat, knee high boots, leggings and a form-fitting top.

Dannii looked very much in love with 32-year-old Kris as they perused Howards Storage World and Ikea at Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre in Melbourne Park yesterday.

Hand-in-hand, the pair loaded up their trolley with household items as they shot each other affectionate looks while Dannii laid a protective hand over her stomach.

The couple have just managed to find the time to move into their new family home in her native Melbourne, just weeks before their baby is due.

Minogue and model Smith have bought a £1million two-storey house with a large garden and heated outdoor swimming pool.

The couple bought the house in April when Minogue was travelling around the country filming her role as a judge on TV talent show Australia's Got Talent.


Hand-in-hand: Seen here with Kris Smith and another friend who came along for the shopping trip


But they only got to move in last week after spending the past few months at Dannii's parents Ron and Carol's home a few miles away.

The gated property features several ensuite bedrooms, solid wood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and even a hot tub.

The AUS$1.77million price tag is quite expensive for Melbourne, whose property prices are more affordable than London - the average house price in the Australian city is approximately AUS$500,000.


Open plan living: Dannii and Kris have bought this £1million family home in the affluent Melbourne suburb of East Hawthorn


Tropical garden: The large garden features a swimming pool and jacuzzi bordered by palm trees


East Hawthorn is an affluent middle-class suburb just nine miles east of Melbourne's CBD and is only a few miles from the singer's parents home in Surrey Hills, where the Minogue siblings grew up.

Although being based in the UK for the past few years and living in her London flat, the mum-to-be decided she wanted to have her family around her as she prepared to give birth.

Her older sister Kylie is expected to fly to Australia next month, while their cameraman brother Brendan, who has sons Charles and James, also lives in Melbourne.


Private: The stylish two-storey home is gated and situated in the affluent middle class suburb of East Hawthorn


She said earlier this year: 'Kris's work now is predominantly here in Melbourne and Sydney and we've got to be together and at home as it's really important.

'Also I think it's important for a mother of a baby to have her mother around.'

She told the Mail on Sunday's You magazine earlier this month: '(Kylie) is so excited, but I don’t want her waiting around when she has work to do.'

With her other home in London currently experiencing a heatwave, the heavily pregnant star is probably welcoming the cool Melbourne winter weather.


Pristine: The immaculate kitchen features a breakfast bar for lazy mornings


Just lounging: The living/dining area is open-plan and lets in lots of light


Busy Dannii has spent most of this year in Australia, working on her Project D fashion line and judging on Australia's Got Talent.

After giving birth to her baby in mid-July, Dannii is expected to return to the UK in September to resume her judging duties on The X Factor during the 'judges' houses' section.

During her maternity leave from the show, ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, Natalie Imbruglia, Katy Perry and Pixie Lott have been standing in for her during the live auditions.


Child's play: A large play room looks like it could be a perfect nursery for Dannii's new baby


Minimalist: One of the luxurious bathrooms features clean white and brown lines


No doubt, fans will be expecting to see which judge wins the fashion war in the new series after Minogue was the clear winner in 2009.

Minogue told You: 'It’s hard on both of us, because you want to have your own vibe and do your own thing.

'It reminded me of the years I’ve been through with Kylie: "Who’s better? Who’s prettier? Who’s got nicer clothes?"'


Shall we put the X Factor on? The open plan living area and kitchen looks like a comfy place to settle down in front of the box


Looking stylish: The X Factor judge bundled her growing bump in a poncho-style cardigan, teamed with a beret hat and knee-high boots


source: dailymail

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Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen, 16, wears stripper heels, bustier and suspenders as she smokes illegally on stage

By Daily Mail Reporter

Breaking the rules: Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen lights up at the Warped Tour in California; at 16 she is legally too young to smoke in the state


From her stripper heels, complete with dollar notes inside, to her lack of clothing, heavy make-up and illicit cigarette, Taylor Momsen seems intent on shocking.

In a provocative outfit entirely unsuitable for a 16-year-old, she showed off nearly every inch of her body as she danced around the stage yesterday with her rock band The Pretty Reckless.

At one point Taylor smoked a cigarette onstage, despite being two years beneath the legal age for both smoking and buying cigarettes in California.

Revealing: Taylor is the face of British store New Look, a favourite with teens


Taylor, who is the face of British clothing store New Look, was performing at the Warped Tour at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura.


Stripper shoes: The perspex heels say 'tips' and have dollar notes inside


The teen obviously intended to look like a stripper with her perspex six-inch heels labelled 'tips' with a gap for putting dollars inside.

Her transparent studded bustier was barely hooked, revealing her underwear beneath, while her dark make-up and bleached extensions were reminiscent of Courtney Love.

Even taking into account the need to dress up for the stage, her outfit seemed over the top.


Sweet 16: Taylor was performing with her rock band The Pretty Reckless


On the set of Gossip Girl, in character as Jenny Humphrey


This isn't the first time Taylor has made an effort to shock.


In an interview with Britain's Metro newspaper she recently told how she has a knife collection and 'relaxes' by opening and closing a switchblade.

She said: 'I have a knife collection. I have my favourite black knife with me all the time. It's a switchblade.

'It relaxes me to flick it. I close it and open it.'

Perhaps Taylor is keen to replicate the headlines her fellow teen Miley Cyrus has generated with her revealing stage outfits recently.

Miley, 17, shocked family audiences by simulating a kiss with a female dancer onstage in Britain's Got Talent, although she later denied this had been her intention

Taylor was born in St Louis, Missouri, where she attended a Catholic school, before moving to Maryland.

She finished her schooling in New York, at the Professional Performing Arts High School (P.P.A.S), on which the hit 80s musical Fame was loosely based.

As a child she starred as the rosy-cheeked Cindy Lou Who in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. She now plays Jenny Humphrey in Gossip Girl.


source: dailymail

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How sad that some mothers would rather be seen as sex objects than breastfeed their child

By Bel Mooney

Britain has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe (20 per cent never even try, compared with 2 per cent in Sweden)


Most sensible women have always been astonished at the breast fetish which turns men into slavering fools. A whole culture of men's magazines and loutish rags has been founded on this obsession - which doesn't need Freud to deconstruct.

Yet now a female writer has joined the ranks of the lads. The deputy editor of a magazine for new mothers has whipped her metaphorical bosom out for all to marvel at - defending her decision not to breastfeed her child using language which ought to have lads' magazines Zoo and Nuts competing to offer her a job.

Writing in mother And Baby magazine, Kathryn Blundell calls her breasts 'fun bags' and writes with distaste of the whole idea of 'sticking my nipple in a bawling baby's mouth'.


Artificial milk been a godsend to women like Bel Mooney who had no choice in the matter


Even if we give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that Ms Blundell was (in part) playing devil's advocate and seeking a controversial way to restart the age-old debate of breast v bottle, one has to marvel at the sheer distastefulness of her argument.

Whatever her intentions, it was an extraordinarily trivial way to address a profoundly important issue: Britain has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe (20 per cent never even try, compared with 2 per cent in Sweden).

Yet what troubles me more is the deep-seated attitude to aspects of womanhood revealed by her choice of words - and the fact that many thousands of young women will have agreed with her. For this takes us beyond the breast v bottle debate and beyond one woman's personal opinion.

To me the mother And Baby article raises questions about a widespread attitude to femininity and motherhood in modern society. Ms Blundell chose to portray herself as a woman who is much happier to buy into the culture of 'boobs 'n' booze' than one who takes the responsibility of being a mother as seriously as it deserves. It is almost as if she sees motherhood itself as something to be mocked and trivialised.

This is an attitude that I can see creeping up in society at large: one in which motherhood is seen as tiresome, inconvenient and intrusive on a woman's 'right' to work hard, play hard and fulfil herself sexually.

If bottle-feeding is one way to protect that right, then (so Ms Blundell's supporters would have it) far from being seen as 'second best to breast' it should be hailed as a liberating influence, right up there with the Pill.

Before I go on, I should just confess that I was a miserable failure at breastfeeding my first child, and with my second it was impossible as she was in the intensive care baby unit, and I was too sick to express.

Yes, I too formula fed, Ms Blundell, and feel no guilt about it. Therefore I have no moral axe to grind.

But I am deeply troubled by the way her logic reflects on the whole issue of female identity in modern Britain. For is it not the case that there are many, many young women like her for whom the whole notion of being seen as 'maternal' is to be resisted and shied away from?

Some do so in the most literal sense - delaying having children until the last possible moment, lest it should interfere with their career plans or their social lives.

Others do it in more subtle ways: they have children (and cherish them in private) yet outside of the home live in fear of being seen as 'mumsy'. (Even that word has such negative overtones.) So they do their damnedest to dress and behave in as un- maternal a manner as possible.

It is a warped world indeed when a woman would rather be seen as a sex object than as a mother. Yet that seems to be the implication of Ms Blundell's piece.

For here is a professional woman admitting proudly that she chose not to breastfeed 'because I wanted my body back. (And some wine). . . I also wanted to give my boobs at least a chance to stay on my chest rather than dangling around my stomach.

'They're a part of my sexuality too - not just breasts but fun bags. And when you have that attitude (and I admit I made no effort to change it) seeing your teeny, tiny, innocent baby latching on where only a lover has been before feels, well, a little creepy.'

Sorry, but I find her whole attitude entirely 'creepy'. Let us put aside for one moment the fact that many men (those who do not get their opinions from Zoo or Nuts) find the sight of a beloved partner breastfeeding their precious offspring as beautiful as any great work of Renaissance art.

No, focus instead on the way that crass opinions like Ms Blundell's are propagating a wholly destructive notion of womanhood.

As a proud feminist, I am wary of any form of gender stereotyping, still less of being seen as a cheerleader for the antediluvian view that women belong only by the stove and the crib-side.

Yet I look around today and it depresses me beyond measure to see so many intelligent, liberated women who define themselves (and their bodies) in terms of sexual attractiveness alone.

Every day in our society, and from all sides, the propaganda comes. Little girls (the ones who once played ' mummies' with their dollies) are encouraged to parade their physical attractiveness from the day Mum picks out a pretty pink T-shirt with the words 'So many boys, so little time' picked out in silver glitter.

Those little girls grow up to be teens who might well work hard at school but statistically value glamour above graft. How many teenagers today dream of becoming a wonderful mother? How many are even taught that it matters?

Teachers, parents and anyone concerned with the welfare of young people must be troubled by the fact that in recent years we've seen far more psychological problems relating to body image than at any other time.

Yet surely the root cause is that there is more pressure than ever on young women to conform to an absurdly unrealistic ideal of sexual attractiveness? Is it any wonder, then, that when they become mothers, they are so fearful of its impact on their looks and figure, worrying that the sagging breasts and post-pregnancy weight gain have somehow robbed them of their very femininity?

And this is called progress? No, it is a return to a form of contemptible snobbery that was once an integral part of the old class system.

For centuries, aristocratic women employed wet nurses to feed their babies because breastfeeding was believed to ruin a woman's figure, and be rather 'grubby' with it.

At that time, wealthy women had little to do with their own offspring. Giving your child to another woman to feed was commonplace, even among middle-class women, until the middle of the 19th century, when doctors realised that wet nurses might be passing on infections such as syphilis, cholera and TB.


Artificial milk was developed as an alternative for mothers who did not want to breastfeed themselves. And there's no doubt it's been a godsend to women like myself who had no choice in the matter.

Yet I was staggered to learn that even in the age of formula milk, wet nurses are back in vogue among the 'new aristocracy' of the wealthy elite. In the past few years, the Beverly Hills agency Certified Household Staffing has reported an increasing number of wealthy Californian mothers, many of whom have had breast implants, who want wet nurses for their babies.



Passion killer? No, it gave me the figure I'd always dreamed ofBy Annabel Venning

Annabel Venning's C-cup became a Double-D through breastfeeding


Before I gave birth to my first-born seven years ago, I too worried that breastfeeding would make me feel like an intensively-farmed dairy cow, plugged in five times a day, wearing bras with motorway-width straps.

So nine months after my son was born, no one was more surprised than I to find myself still breastfeeding - and reluctant to stop. No, not because of the benefits it conferred on my baby but because I had never felt so good about my body.

Breastfeeding might have been good for my baby, but it was brilliant for me. having always had a slightly boyish figure, with (pre-children) a conservative C-cup, I coveted curves throughout my adult years.

I longed for a cleavage that was more V-shaped valley than glacial gap. My sister has an enviable hour-glass figure: slim, yet shapely. But I knew that in terms of curves, I would always be the poor relation.

Then I began breastfeeding. I'd been warned by friends ad tedium about the downsides (the sagging, the sore nipples), but no one told me about the magical effect it would have on my figure. Not only did breastfeeding act like liposuction on my stomach and thighs, my breasts changed from half-time oranges to watermelons overnight.

Suddenly I had a killer cleavage. My C-cup had become a Double-D, my size ten figure a size eight. I could wear wrap dresses without looking like an empty envelope. Vest tops that had hung vertically were now filled voluptuously.

The more I ate, the more milk I produced, the bigger my boobs got and the smaller my waist. I was like one of those pin-ups painted on the side of World War II aeroplanes: I had breasts men went to war for. My husband, who had always been, tactfully, 'more of a legs man', could scarcely believe his luck.

I went to a wedding wearing a strappy dress with no bra - milk-filled breasts are self-supporting - and I have never had so much male attention in my life.

Far from feeling like a frumpy dairy cow, or 'creepy', I felt like a sexy earth-goddess. Cutting back on booze and curries was a small price to pay for a Kelly Brook body.

But all good things must come to an end. When I dropped to a size six I decided to call it a day. Sadly, so did my cleavage. My glorious Double-Ds dwindled to Double-As.

I couldn't wait to get pregnant again so I could breastfeed once more. Giving up the second time round was harder than ever. I even considered becoming a wet nurse so I could continue indefinitely, but my husband thought that would be genuinely creepy.

Now, whenever I see a woman breastfeeding I feel a rush of warmth and envy, remembering the wonderful, fulfilling feeling of having a milk-sated baby falling asleep on my chest - and the best body I've ever had.


source: dailymail

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'I don't think I'll do it much longer': Angelina Jolie hints she may quit acting for her family

By Mail Online Reporter

Interview: Angelina Jolie speaks about her children, and her marriage in Vanity Fair's August issue


She's a dedicated mother of six children, but she's also a very successful actress and global humanitarian.

But, Angelina Jolie says she might soon give up acting to spend more time with her family.

In an interview in the new issue of Vanity Fair, the actress says: 'It is not the most important thing in my life. It’s a fun job. It’s a luxury. But I don’t think I’ll do it much longer.'

Jolie, currently filming in Venice for her role as an Interpol agent opposite Johnny Depp in The Tourist, says the need to be with her family is behind her stance: 'I have a happy home.'

She and Brad Pitt have six children, Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax and Vivienne and Knox - three of whom (Maddox, Zahara and Pax) are adopted.

Miss Jolie took time to describe her children's burgeoning personalities during the interview with the magazine.


Treat: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with, left to right, Pax, Maddox, Shiloh and Zahara in Venice earlier this year


She explained: "Mad's [Maddox] a real intellectual, which I can take no credit for genetically. He's great at school, great at history. He feels like he could be a writer or travel the world and learn about places and things.

'Zahara's got an extraordinary voice and is just so elegant and well spoken.

Shiloh's hysterically funny, one of the goofiest, most playful people you'll ever meet. Knox and Viv are classic boy and girl. She's really female. And he's really a little dude.'

And she said Shiloh, often seen in very boyish-looking clothes, it's very much a tomboy.


Dressing up: Tomboy Shiloh (centre) with mum Angelina Jolie and Zahara


She said: 'Like a little dude Shiloh, we feel, has Montenegro style. It’s how people dress there. She likes tracksuits, she likes (regular) suits.

'She likes to dress like a boy. She wants to be a boy. So we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.'

Although they have not ruled out adding to their family, Jolie says the couple are aware of the demands of six growing children and denied she was carrying a seventh.

Jolie told the magazine: 'I'm not pregnant. We're not opposed to it. But we want to make sure we can give everybody special time.

'They're kids now, and can play together, but they're going to need a lot more talking in the middle of the night, like I did with my mom for hours. We want to make sure we don't build a family so big that we don't have absolutely enough time to raise them each really well.'

The August edition of Vanity Fair is out on Friday.


source: dailymail

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From bedbound to Spelbound: Five years ago the troupe's leader was so ill that he couldn't lift a can of Coke

By Bonnie Estridge

Alex Uttley suffered from Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS)- an inflammatory illness affecting the nervous system


When Spelbound won Britain's Got Talent with a breathtaking acrobatic display earlier this month, the 13-strong troupe from Ashford, Middlesex, were immediately hailed as future Olympic medallists.

No one could have been more proud than their leader Alex Uttley. Alex said at the time that Spelbound had entered the talent contest to promote acrobatic gymnastics, which has never been considered an Olympic sport, with the hope it might become an event at the Games.

And Alex, 25, had a very personal reason to feel euphoric. Five years earlier he was so ill that he could not dare to let himself believe he might walk again, never mind have the strength to form the middle of a human pyramid.

Alex was struck down with Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) - an inflammatory illness affecting the nervous system that afflicts about one in 100,000 people in the UK every year, and typically causes rapid development of paralysis starting in the legs and spreading to other muscles around the body.


Having been a very athletic teenager and a gymnast since the age of eight, regularly representing the UK in global events such as the World Games in Beijing, Alex says that during much of the time he was unwell he did not have even enough strength to lift a can of Coca-Cola.

'Sometimes when one of the guys in Spelbound is doing a handstand on the top of my head I still cannot believe that my muscles had wasted to such an extent that I had actually lost all my core stability because of this illness,' he says.

It was just before Christmas 2004 that Alex, then 20 and living at the family home in Halifax, Yorkshire, felt as though he had flu. A few days earlier he had been suffering from an ear infection but, he says, he had been doing plenty of training and not felt particularly tired.

'I wasn't feeling too bad over Christmas, but soon afterwards my muscles and joints were really aching and my friends kept telling me that I was walking as if I was drunk - but I hadn't touched any alcohol.

'This progressed to noticeable stumbling, and although I had been given antibiotics, I thought that maybe it was the ear infection that was now affecting my balance.'

A few days later Alex was in the bathroom looking in the mirror when he noticed that the left side of his face was paralysed.

'I couldn't lift my arms and my mum made an emergency appointment with
our GP,' he says. 'I was unable to walk in a straight line at all and the doctor told me that he was going to have me admitted to nearby Calverdale Royal Hospital immediately.

'At first, none of the doctors could work out what was wrong with me. I had a lumbar puncture which, thankfully, was far less painful than I'd imagined, plus CAT scans and blood tests.


Bouncing back: Alex Uttley and Spelbound. 'I still cannot believe that my muscles had wasted to such an extent that I had actually lost all my core stability' he says


'Eventually, having also been attached to a machine that sent electrical impulses through my nervous system, I was given the diagnosis. There were antibodies attached to my nerve endings that stopped the messages getting from my brain to my muscles.

This, I was told, meant that I almost certainly had Guillain–Barré syndrome - an illness that I'd never heard of before.'

Alex was taken straight to intensive care as the condition had started to affect his breathing and heart rate.

'I couldn't walk at all at that point,' he says. 'I was in a wheelchair the whole time I was in hospital - which was almost two weeks - and still on a drip. It was an incredibly frightening experience because I had always been so fit.

'Having been an active gymnast regularly representing my country and then to find myself so weak that I couldn't move was a devastating feeling.' Dr Ashwin Pinto, consultant neurologist at Spire Southampton Hospital, says: ' Guillain–Barré syndrome is a rapid onset of neurological symptoms that is typically triggered by an infection.

'It is often caused by the food poisoning bacteria Campylobacter. It can affect
any age group - anyone who gets an appropriate infection ''trigger'' could, in theory, get it. Both the former Liverpool FC footballer Markus Babbel and former Celtic player Morten Wieghorst had Guillain–Barré syndrome and returned to playing football again.

'GBS can vary in severity; typically patients are very poorly and can have difficulty walking and are frequently admitted to hospital. The illness usually begins a couple of weeks after an infection with tingling in the hands and feet and rapidly developing paralysis starting in the legs and spreading into the arms.

'Severe cases such as Alex's are associated with paralysis of the face, swallowing and breathing muscles and disturbance in blood pressure and heart rhythm.'

Alex left hospital after 12 days, a shadow of his former self. He had lost nearly two stone. 'I knew that I had to start thinking very positively, so I used visualisation techniques to help me see myself as superstrong and athletic as I had been before this illness, to keep reenforcing the idea that I would be.

'I had a very long way to go to build up my core stability, which was by now nonexistent. I worked for hours with gym balls, lifting my legs, onelegonly movements and so on. I had plenty of sessions with a physiotherapist and plenty of exercises with weights.

'Diet, of course, was incredibly important and I was told to eat a lot of Omega3. So I ate plenty of mackerel, which is particularly high in these fatty acids. Protein for muscle building and carbs for energy were also very important.'


Spelbound performing at Britain's Got Talent earlier this month


Desperate to get back to the gym in the spring of 2005, Alex managed to persuade his mother to take him to watch his teammates and, feeling so much stronger, he asked his coach if he could join in. Disappointingly, the answer was 'no' as he was deemed to still have a long way to go to be fit enough.

'In the end I took the whole of that year out so that I could concentrate on my fitness,' he says. 'Slowly, I managed to fight my way back to full fitness and the following year I took part in the World Championships in Beijing and that's when I knew that, finally, I was 100 per cent physically and emotionally better.'

According to Dr Pinto, the acute stage of GBS can last three months. 'The patient would need to be initially treated in hospital during this stage,' he says. 'Rehabilitation lasts for almost a year so Alex was pretty much a textbook case.'

With his recovery complete, Alex left home in Yorkshire at the beginning of 2007 and worked in a London bank while training parttime. He later joined Spelthorne Gymnastics Club in Middlesex where he met his fellow Spelbound members - hence the idiosyncratic spelling of the troupe's name - and the rest, as they say, is history.

'We're the most dangerous act that had ever been on the show,' he says gleefully. 'We thrive on taking risks and knowing that people can't bear to watch our act and have to cover their eyes.

'My parents loved it - they were very sporty when they were younger,' he adds. 'They were so proud when Spelbound won Britain's Got Talent - I think they are happy that all the time and money spent on my training has been worth it. Now at least I can feel as though I'm giving them something back.'

Spelbound are appearing in the Britain's Got Talent Tour at UK arenas until July 11. www.ticketzone.co.uk.


source: dailymail

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Suicide-bid model Noemie Lenoir's walking back to health

By Mail On Sunday Reporter

Looking happy again: Noemie with her luggage in New York last week


Former Marks & Spencer supermodel Noemie Lenoir looks drawn as she pulls her luggage along a street in New York, where she is trying to rebuild her modelling career after her recent suicide attempt.

With dark patches under her eyes, sallow skin and no make-up, the 30-year-old looks a far cry from the stunning model who has earned £10million modelling for L’Oreal, Victoria’s Secret and Gap, as well as M&S’s TV and billboard adverts with Twiggy and Myleene Klass.

Friends linked Ms Lenoir's turmoil to her relationship with multi-millionaire Carl Hirschmann, who is involved in a sex and extortion scandal in Switzerland.

Hirschmann, a notorious playboy who once dated Paris Hilton, has been accused by police of being involved in orgies with young models whom he is said to have plied with vodka-based cocktails before videoing them. He denies the accusations.

However, it is clear that Miss Lenoir was still very much involved with her former boyfriend, ex-Chelsea star Claude Makelele, the father of her five-year-old son Kelyan, with claims that she tried to take her own life after the footballer dumped her for the third time.


Turbulent relationship: The model has a five-year-old son with her on-off boyfriend Claude Makelele, the ex-Chelsea football star


source: dailymail

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Heidi Klum takes her ENORMOUS brood for a trip to the park in New York

By Sarah Bull

Family time: Heidi Klum takes her four children and a friend to Hudson River Park in New York to make the most of the sunshine


Attempting to manage four children in the New York heat would be a stressful experience for anyone.

But Heidi Klum looked the picture of calm yesterday as she took her enormous brood to a park in New York to make the most of the sunshine.

Wearing a casual outfit of denim shorts, checked shirt and suede shoes, Heidi clutched a slightly bizarre green drink as she walked around Hudson River Park.




Toned: The mother-of-four looked stunning in a pair of denim shorts and checked shirt


The Project Runway host, who is married to musician Seal, said recently that while her body has changed after having children, she would never regret the experience.

She said: 'People always say your body changes a lot after you have kids - and it does! But it's worth it for me.

'The children are more important than myself. But I have not forgotten about myself. I enjoy my life more than ever now that I have this big family that I always wanted.'

Heidi, 37, and Seal, 47, have been married since 2005. They have three children together, Henry, 4, three-year-old Johan, and eight-month-old Lou.

Heidi also has a six-year-old daughter Leni from a previous relationship.


I want some! Heidi's son Henry tries to grab some of his mum's bizarre green drink


Relaxing: Heidi and her eldest son looked deep in thought in the park


It was recently announced that Seal and Heidi will star in a new reality show for U.S. TV network Lifetime called Love's Divine, which will 'help inspire other couples to share special moments'.

Speaking about the programme, which they have not ye started filming, Heidi told America's People magazine: '[Seal and I] make special moments into something big and noticeable for everyone in our family.

'For birthdays, we handcraft special cards and gifts. We hang welcome signs when Dad comes home from long travels or when the tooth fairy comes at night.

'With a family of six, there is always something to make, create and do together.'
After their morning at the park, Heidi later took her children to go and see Toy Story 3.


Movie time: Heidi carries Leni as she takes her children to see Toy Story 3


source: dailymail

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There's something fishy about this pedicure... carp used to nibble dead skin at unusual spa

By Claire Bates

Tasty treat: The Garra rufa fish nibble away dead skin even from between the toes


An unusual spa treatment is being offered in London for the first time which exfoliates your feet using 150 FISH.

The Garra rufa fish have no teeth and nibble away dead skin using suction-shaped mouths leaving healthy new skin underneath untouched.

The carp, which originate from Turkey, have long been used in the Far East to treat skin complaints such as eczema and psoriasis.

In Japan they offer whole-body immersion fish spas and recently the craze has spread to the U.S, Europe and the UK.

Britain's first dedicated fish spa, Appy Feet, opened in Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre earlier this year.

Now visitors to England's capital can experience the strange therapy at the Aqua Sheko spa in Kensington.

The 25-year-old founder To Chan from Hong Kong said the fish saliva contained an enzyme called diathanol 'which improves the skin regeneration process.'


Visitors to the Aqua Sheko fish therapy spa have their feet exfoliated by the unusual pedicurists


However, the treatment has caused controversy in America with opponents insisting the practice is unhygienic.

Fish therapy has been banned in 14 states and New York senator Jeffrey Klein is campaigning to outlaw it in the city as well.

'Fish pedicures are dirty and dangerous', he said.

Many officials argue that the doctor fish breach U.S health regulations which state that beauty equipment should be thrown away or sanitised after each use.

They fear that infections could be spread between customers through small nicks in the skin.

But supporters say spas have addressed any hygiene concerns.

At Aqua Sheko they have round-the-clok sterilising system that changes and purifies the water in the eight glass fish tanks five times an hour.

source: dailymail

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Sugababes' Amelle Berrabah showcases her washboard stomach in slashed crop top

By Mail Online Reporter

Have you got my best side? Sugababes singer Amelle Berrabah smiles for the cameras as she leaves the May Fair Hotel in central London in her gym kit


With a washboard stomach like that, it's no wonder Amelle Berrabah's a fan of the fashion for crop tops.

The 26-year-old singer was spotted leaving the May Fair hotel in central London in a slashed T-shirt and leggings after working up a sweat in the 5-star venue's gym.

And she was more than happy to pose for the waiting paparazzi in her sweaty kit before being whisked away in a Mercedes convertible.

Her ease with the cameras could be down to a new-found confidence in her body - thanks, in part, to her passion for Bikram Yoga.

Amelle told Closer magazine: 'It's yoga but in a heated room like a sauna. You sweat like mad and toxins pour out of you. I swear by it and I think I'm looking pretty good.'

It's good to hear her happy with herself at last.

Less than a year ago she described herself as looking like an 'anorexic rat' after she became so dangerously underweight that her doctor prescribed her a diet of high-calorie food to be eaten every two hours.


Curvy: Amelle looked toned but shapely as she made her way into a waiting Mercedes convertible after what appeared to be a workout


Amelle was also flying the flag for England ahead of Sunday's match against Germany with a Union Jack bag.

But she kept things glam with a cream Chanel handbag in her other hand.


Taking it easy: After all that hard work in the gym, Amelle was happy to be driven home in a huge Mercedes convertible


source: dailymail

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Pregnant and proud Alicia Keys parades around on stage in a beige playsuit

By Kelly Hartog

Bump ahead: Alicia Keys shows off her burgeoning baby bump as she performs on ABC's Good Morning America in Central Park


A radiant Alicia Keys proudly flaunted her baby bump as she took to the stage in New York this morning.

The Grammy award winning musician drew the biggest crowd yet as she performed in Central Park for ABC's Good Morning America's summer concert series.

The 29-year-old wowed the audience with her renditions of Empire State of Mind and Trying to Sing With a Broken Heart.


Hail to the fans: Alicia rocks out to a huge crowd at Rumsey Playfield


Alicia looked anything but broken-hearted as she danced around the stage wearing a huge smile and a beige playsuit, which clearly showed off her burgeoning tummy.

The recording artist is expecting her first child with music producer Swiss Beatz in around four months.

Her high energy performances on Good Morning America come shortly after her return from South Africa, where she sang at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg.


Baby on board: Alicia is around four months pregnant with her first child

Alicia and her fiancé also had their upcoming wedding and unborn baby blessed in a Zulu ceremony, which was performed by female elders.


Baby blessings: Alicia and Swiss Beatz took part in Zulu ceremony to bless their upcoming nuptials and their unborn baby


Keys told the GMA audience that her latest album The Element of Freedom 'is extremely special to me. I love the way this album feels. I was really able to explore so many things.'

She also talked about the establishment of her South African AIDS charity called Keep a Child Alive.

'We're about to build a village,' she said. 'It will be a safe haven for these children.'

Alicia currently shows no signs of slowing down.

She'll perform at the 2010 BET Awards on June 27, where she is also nominated for four awards, including Best Female R&B Artist.

Then on July 3, she'll head to New Orleans to headline the 16th annual Essence Music Festival.

Aside from adding the role of mother to her resume, Alicia is also set to branch out beyond her music career.

In the autumn of 2010, Alicia will launch her I Am Super Woman (IASS) website.

The site is designed to to empower, motivate and captivate women everywhere, according to Business Wire.

It also aims to become a full-scale editorial site and community with well-known contributors.


source: dailymail

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Kim Kardashian hits the gym to keep her curves in check after finding love with Miles Austin

By Daily Mail Reporter

Keeping fit: Kim Kardashian visited her local gym in Beverly Hills for a workout session yesterday


With a new man in her life, Kim Kardashian is clearly eager to be looking her best.

The curvy reality TV star was spotted visiting her local gym in Beverly Hills for a workout session yesterday.

She arrived with her hair scraped back into a ponytail and hid her eyes behind huge black sunglasses.


'Torture': The 29-year-old is a regular at Barry's Bootcamp, a class which combines drill sergeant tactics with a party atmosphere


New man: Kim has started dating NFL player Miles Austin


The 29-year-old is a regular a Barry's Bootcamp, a one hour class that combines drill sergeant tactics with a party atmosphere.

'It’s torture but it’s amazing,' she has said of the regime. 'I see a difference right away when I go.'

Kim is now dating Miles Austin who, like her ex-boyfriend Reggie Bush, is a NFL player.

'They're taking it slow,' a source tells America's People magazine. 'She thinks he's a really good guy. He's really sweet to her. ... He thinks Kim is his dream girl.'

Miles, 25, is originally from Summit, New Jersey and was drafted to play for the Dallas Cowboys in 2006 after he left college.

Kim has been linked to several men since her split from Reggie earlier this year, including Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

She was previously married to music producer Damon Thomas from 2002 to 2004.


source: dailymail

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Multitasking mother Jools Oliver struggles in the London heat as she balances heavy shopping bags and daughter Petal

By Sarah Bull

Multitasking: Jools Oliver struggles as as she pushes daughter Petal on a bike and tries to carry heavy shopping bags in London yesterday


Carrying shopping bags, pushing daughter Petal on a bike and managing her burgeoning bump, Jools Oliver was the epitome of a multitasking mother in London yesterday.

But the 34-year-old star, who is due to give birth to her fourth child with husband Jamie in September, appeared to be struggling in the heat yesterday as she attempted to manage her heavy loads.

Wearing a striped T-shirt dress which fitted tightly over her burgeoning bump teamed with Converse plimsolls and aviator sunglasses, Jools couldn't hide the stress from her face as she walked home with her youngest daughter.























Burgeoning bump: Jools's tight T-shirt dress highlighted her curves

However, despite her stress, renowned chef Jamie says Jools, who has even written a book about pregnancy entitled Minus Nine To One: The Diary Of A Honest Mum, came into her own the day she welcomed first daughter Poppy Honey into the world.

He said: 'She just wanted to be a mother and that was it. I didn't understand at all. Why would you want to be a mother? We all want to have jobs and careers, don't we?

'Everyone around me was the same. Until she became a mother, I never understood how honest she was being. She's a mum and that's her world.'
The new baby will join Petal Blossom Rainbow, one, Daisy Boo, seven and Poppy Honey, eight.


Stress: The strain on Jools's face was clear to see as she struggled in the heat


Meanwhile, while Jools is preparing for the birth of her fourth child, her husband Jamie is equally busy forging ahead with his career.

It was recently announced the 35-year-old is planning to set up his own school for children who are disaffected with mainstream education.

His 'school with a difference' will follow youngsters who are dyslexic, have suffered bullying or attended private schools but 'still haven't fulfilled their potential' for a new Channel Four fly-on-the-wall reality show


Proud parents: Jools and Jamie pose with daughter Petal on the steps of the Portland Hospital after her birth last year


source: dailymail

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