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How Kate Middleton will celebrate her 32rd birthday

The Duchess of Cambridge turns 32 tomorrow but there'll be no big party. Instead, Kate is reportedly planning to spend the day relaxing at home with Prince William and their son George.
Kate Middleton smiling

After a busy Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham and a raucous New Year with Kate’s family at the Middleton Manor in Berkshire, the Duchess is said to be keen to avoid a big party.

Instead of heading out on the town or going to a friend’s place, Kate will remain at home in Kensington Palace but her big day will be far from boring – it is likely her family will drop in for a quiet dinner, as they did last year, and William is a famously thoughtful gift-giver.

In 2009, he surprised Kate with a romantic candle-lit dinner in a remote log cabin on the banks of a picturesque river in Scotland, while in 2011 he bought her a cocker spaniel puppy, a breed Kate had loved since childhood.

His presents aren’t always so well-received, however. In 2010, he reportedly bought Kate a pair of pearl earrings which she “adored” – until they were swallowed by the family dog.

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Angelina Jolie to play Nigella Lawson in new film

Angelina Jolie is reportedly in negotiations to play Nigella Lawson in a new movie about the celebrity cook's recent legal troubles.
Nigella Lawson and Angelina Jolie.

Nigella Lawson and Angelina Jolie.

Angelina, 38, is said to be so interested in the role she is considering cancelling a planned sabbatical in order to accept it.

“Angie had planned to take a lot of time off next year but this role is very tempting,” a source told the UK’s Sun newspaper.

“She has been gripped like everyone else by all the drama surrounding Nigella these past few months and thinks she is a remarkable woman.

“The story has got it all and she’s as intrigued as anyone else by it.”

The will centre on Nigella’s role in the fraud case against her former personal assistants Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo.

The routine trial took a sensational turn late last year when Nigella’s ex-husband Charles Saatchi changed sides, backing the Grillo sisters who claimed Nigella had a serious drug problem.

The allegations forced Nigella to admit she had tried cocaine a few times but was by no means an “addict”.

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Madonna’s toy boy addiction: Meet her new man!

Madonna's toy boy addiction: Meet her (younger) new man

Picture: Getty/twitter

When it comes to moving on, Madonna doesn’t waste time! The 55-year-old singer already has a new man – 26-year-old back-up dancer Timor Steffens.

Madge, who split from Brahim Zaibat only a month ago, introduced him to friends at a New Year’s Eve party recently.

“The chemistry between Madonna and Timor was pretty intense,” a guest at the New Year’s Eve party hosted by designer Rudolph Valentino told Radar Online.

“Some people at the party were whispering about how Madonna had just broken up with her ex, and now she’s already with a new guy.”

Madonna and Timor also recently enjoyed time away with Madge’s family at a Swiss ski resort.

The source was also quick to point out that Madonna’s son Rocco is a fan of Timor already, with the pair sharing Instagram shots of each other on the slopes.

“Madonna was even hinting to people that one of the reasons she likes Timor so much is because he’s a natural with her children,” the source said.

“She isn’t really the type to come out and say something like that, but it was obvious. She had a little smile on her face whenever she watched Timor goofing around with Rocco and the other kids.”

Madonna ended her three-year relationship with Brahim due to “busy and conflicting schedules”.

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Disturbing ‘bikini bridge’ danger for teens

A dangerous new trend is sweeping social media posing a huge risk to the body image of hundreds of thousands of teen girls worldwide.

A dangerous new trend is sweeping social media posing a huge risk to the body image of hundreds of thousands of teen girls worldwide.

Following in the footsteps of the recent ‘thigh gap’ trend – which demanded legs so thin they don’t touch above the knees – the new ‘bikini bridge’ fad glorifies girls so slender their bikini bottoms are suspended between their jutting hipbones.

In the past few months, dozens of blogs and social media pages have been set up devoted to the ‘bikini bridge’ and encouraging girls to submit photos of their own, which they have been doing in the thousands.

Collectively, the main sites now have more than one million followers, leading body experts to despair about the effect it is having on young girls everywhere.

“The bikini bridge is just another example of horrendous thinspiration that encourages young women to develop poor body image and disordered eating,” health and wellbeing specialist Katie Lowe says.

“We need to learn that bodies are beautiful in all shapes and sizes and encouraging young women to strive towards something like this is just unhealthy.”

There has been speculation the “trend” is an internet hoax but the Lowe says: “Hoax or not, putting the phrase into common use is damaging.”

Urban dictionary defines the bikini bridge as “when bikini bottoms are suspended between the two hip bones, causing a space between the bikini and the lower abdomen”.

Thousands of women have shared pictures of their “bikini bridge” online.

The hashtag #bikinibridge was used more than 4000 times yesterday.

Body image experts have slammed the trend.

“We need to learn bodies are beautiful in all shapes and sizes,” body image expert Katie Lowe says.

“The space between your abs and your bikini does not define your beauty ladies,” fitness blogger Cassey Ho tweeted.

“This is a sign of how silly and superficial young women have gotten when it comes to achieving beauty,” Ho wrote.

“Bikini bridge or not, don’t base your self-worth on it,” Ho says.

“Don’t be superficial enough to sacrifice your happiness to attain a physical attribute.”

Model Adrienne Curry.

Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington Whiteley.

Supermodel Heidi Klum.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

An image from the BikiniBridge Tumblr account.

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Jessica Simpson: I’m proud of my new body

Jessica Simpson: I’m proud of my new body

Jessica Simpson on Good Morning America. Picture: Splash

It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Jessica Simpson since she signed up as the poster girl for Weight Watchers, but the singer-turned-fashion designer says now that she has never been more proud of the way she looks.

Jessica has showed off her new slimmer figure on Good Morning America, where she opened up about losing her baby weight and working hard to have a healthy body for the sake of her children.

“As a mum I just have this confidence and I just feel so proud of what I’ve done and what I’ve accomplished,” she said.

“And I really do also feel this need to be the best role model for my children and I want Maxwell to look up to me and want to be like me.

“I don’t want to give her any false perception of what is real and what’s important.”

Wearing a sexy black dress with nude panels, the 33-year-old explained that the Weight Watchers program is the perfect lifestyle for her, because it allowed her to set small goals for herself.

“It just kept me going and I was just so impressed with myself. I’m like ‘Oh my gosh, I can do this!’,’ she said.

While she allowed herself to eat anything she wanted during her first pregnancy, her second was different.

“When I was pregnant with Ace, my second, I had already been on Weight Watchers and I had already lost over 50lb [22kg] and so I wasn’t as relaxed in my eating and everything that I was with Maxwell.

“But I was just already in a healthier regimen so I kept walking and staying active and Maxwell started walking.

“It’s a lifestyle and I’ve tried so many different diets and you can only stick to something for so long.”

The star also revealed she hopes to tie the knot with her fiance Eric Johnson before the year is out.

“We don’t have an actual date but we do know that we want it to be this year.

“We need to get married. I already feel like we’re an old married couple, because if he wanted to run he could have run when I was hormonal and pregnant.”

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Dannii Minogue snapped with new man in Sydney

Dannii Minogue snapped with new man in Sydney

Dannii Minogue and Adrian Newman step out after the X Factor final in Sydney last October.

Dannii Minogue has found love with a new man and is ready to show him off!

The singer, 42, has begun dating Adrian Newman, a multi-platinum songwriter and producer, and has been snapped with him at Sydney’s Northern Beaches following a morning coffee.

The hot new couple were spotted strolling hand-in-hand before taking Dannii’s four-year-old son Ethan for a swim at Bilgola Beach.

Dannii and her new beau then posed for some happy family snaps with Ethan.

It looks like 2014 is set to be a successful year for Dannii with her new love interest and the launch of her first solo album in six years.

There’s also talk that the petite Aussie star is set to return as a judge on the UK X Factor.

Dannii split from ex-partner and the father of her child, model Kris Smith, in April 2012.

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Star wars: Celebrity family feuds

Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr’s business empire was shaken last month when her mother Therese launched a rival skincare line in direction competition with the supermodel’s Kora Organics.

It was a surprising move that suggested all is not well in the Kerr camp. Rumours of a rift between the mother and daughter team have been swirling since Therese stepped down as general manager of Kora Organics last January.

She then posted a cryptic message on Twitter reading: “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it.”

But Miranda isn’t the only star who is battling an apparent family feud – these celebs are all locked in battles with blood relatives.

Jaid and Drew Barrymore, Therese and Miranda Kerr and Matthew and Beyonce Knowles.

Miranda Kerr and her mother Therese are suspected to be involved in a family feud with the supermodel’s mum recently launching a skincare range in direct competition with her daughter’s Kora collection.

Drew Barrymore has been estranged from her mother Jaid for years, this week admitting “we can’t really be in each other’s lives at this point”.

Beyonce Knowles reportedly hasn’t spoken to her father Matthew since 2011 when she fired him as her manager.

Alec Baldwin made headlines in 2007 when an abusive voicemail he left his then 11-year-old daughter went viral. Luckily, Ireland and her father have managed to get past the incident and are now close.

Sources say Lindsay Lohan hasn’t spoken to her mother Dina in more than a year after they fell out over an unknown family issue.

Courtney Love’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain, 21, took out an AVO against her mother three years ago but recently had it lifted in an attempt to patch up their relationship.

Angelina Jolie fell out with her father Jon Voight in 2002 when the veteran actor publicly accused his daughter of her of having ‘serious mental problems’. Jolie then swing back insinuating that Voight was an absentee father and criticised him for having multiple affairs behind her mother’s back. The pair have now made amends after Angelina’s partner, Brad Pitt, engineered a reconciliation.

Tori Spelling and her mother Candy Spelling suffered a relationship meltdown following the death of Tori’s father, Hollywood mogul Aaron Spelling, with Candy writing numerous open letters to her daughter discussing their feud.

Actress Jennifer Aniston has reportedly been estranged from her mother, Nancy Dow, for more than 10 years following an unauthorised tell-all interview her mother gave in 1999.

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Queen orders Prince Harry to shave

Queen orders Prince Harry to shave

Prince Harry has welcomed in the New Year with a bushy, ginger beard but his grandmother, the Queen, is stamping down her royal foot and declaring a hair-free zone on the youngster’s chin.

It’s not uncommon to have meddling grandmothers – but when yours is the Queen, most would choose wisely to obey.

But Harry, 29, is unperturbed for now – he wants to show off his beard to girlfriend Cressida Bonas before he falls back into squeaky-clean line.

The scruffy beard was borne during the Prince’s Walking With The Wounded charity trek to the South Pole.

The charming prince thinks the beard is a nice, traditional touch and says despite the Queen’s dislike of it his brother Prince William, Catherine and the rest of his family are quite fond of his new look.

“The rest of the family liked it and were taking the micky – especially his cousin Zara, who dubbed him ‘Prince Hairy’,” a royal source told UK Express.

But Her Majesty is going to need more convincing and is holding on tight to royal traditions that ban all royals, including staff members, from having facial hair.

“She doesn’t mind royal men growing beards when they’re away in the armed forces or out in the wilds, like Harry was in the Antarctic, but she expects them to be clean-shaven when they get home,” the source said.

“Royal staff are not supposed to grow beards or moustaches and she probably thinks it’s difficult to enforce that rule when her own grandson has a beard.

“Harry doesn’t like to upset the Queen and will probably shave it off soon but he’s still a bit of a rebel and he wasn’t going to remove it straight away.”

So just when can we expect Prince Harry to conform and shave off his fluff?

His girlfriend Cressida, 24, is currently living it up on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island in the Caribbean. So unless Harry plans to take his royal whiskers on a cross-Atlantic trip, the Queen may have to endure her pesky grandson’s beard for a little while longer.

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Ten years in the spotlight: Kate turns 32

She was just 22 years old when she started romancing Prince William – now, a decade later, Kate is preparing to celebrate her first birthday as a mother.

She was just 22 years old when she started romancing Prince William – now, a decade later, Kate is preparing to celebrate her first birthday as a mother.

The Duchess of Cambridge turns 32 on January 9 and is reportedly planning to spend the day at home in Kensington Palace with William and their son Prince George.

The past 10 years have held many ups and downs for Kate, from the heartbreak of two brief splits with William to their subsequent engagement, marriage and the birth of their first child.

These pictures trace her journey from university girl to one of the most admired women in the world.

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Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas’ romantic rendezvous

They were forced to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve apart – now Prince Harry has whisked girlfriend Cressida Bonas off to Switzerland to make up for lost time.
Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas hugging

They were forced to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve apart – now Prince Harry has whisked girlfriend Cressida Bonas off to Switzerland to make up for lost time.

Harry and Cressida reportedly departed London last night bound for the Swiss Alps, where they will spend a few days hitting the slopes and getting reacquainted.

“Cressida is a very good skier, unlike Harry’s former girlfriend Chelsy Davy who hated the cold,” a friend told the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper.

“She and Harry have been looking forward to getting away with each other for a long time.”

It will be the couple’s second ski holiday in the snowy country – they travelled to Verbier in February last year. It proved to be a very romantic break, with the couple being photographed hugging and kissing in public for the first time.

It was a rare display of affection from the pair, who usually go to great lengths to avoid being pictured even walking next to each other.

The romantic getaway fuels speculation Harry is preparing to propose to Cressida, his girlfriend of around 19 months.

The young lovers haven’t seen much of each other in recent months. Harry was trekking in the Antarctic for four weeks late last year and they spent Christmas apart because girlfriends aren’t invited to the Queen’s official festive celebrations in Sandringham.

Shortly after Christmas, Cressida flew out to the Caribbean with her half-sister Isabella Calthorpe to enjoy some sunshine, meaning she and Harry weren’t together for New Year’s Eve either.

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