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Singer Adele ‘over the moon’ at birth of baby boy

Adele is reported to be 'ecstatic' following the birth of her first child.
Adele to design plus-size Burberry collection

Adele is reported to be ‘ecstatic’ following the birth of her first child.

The singer reportedly gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Friday, and it has been reported she and partner Simon Kenocki are “ecstatic at their new arrival”.

The couple, who have been dating for one year, were hoping for a boy. The 24-year-old recently told People magazine she wanted to have three sons by the time she reached 30.

Adele announced her pregnancy to fans on her website in June, saying she was “over the moon” to be pregnant.

“I’m delighted to announce that Simon and I are expecting our first child together,” she wrote.

“I wanted you to hear the news direct from me, obviously we’re over the moon and very excited but please respect our privacy at this precious time. Yours always, Adele xx.”

Simon already has a five-year-old daughter with his ex-wife Clary Fisher.

Though Adele is currently taking a break from the music industry, she is hoping for chart success with her latest single, the theme for upcoming Bond film Skyfall, released last Friday.

The singer said she couldn’t resist the challenge of recording a Bond theme, but will be focusing more on family in the future.

“If I am constantly working, my relationships fail,” she told US Vogue magazine.

“So at least now I can have enough time to write a happy record. And be in love and be happy.

“And then I don’t know what I’ll do. Get married. Have some kids. Plant a nice vegetable patch.”

Adele’s management hasn’t commented on the reported birth, saying on Friday they would not be releasing a statement.

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45-year-old woman gives birth to grandson

A 45-year-old US woman has given birth to her own grandson

45-year-old woman gives birth to own grandson

Knowing the odds of falling pregnant after a certain age, it is remarkable enough for a 45-year-old woman to be carrying a child. For US woman Angie Stockton, her pregnancy was even more unusual.

Twenty six years after last giving birth, the grandmother gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Saturday, only this time it wasn’t her child, but her grandson.

Related: Surrogate mum to give birth to baby 13

“People would come up and say, ‘Oh you’re expecting?’,” she said.

“I would say, ‘Yes, I’m carrying my grandchild’ and they would say, ‘do what?'”

Angie agreed to act as a gestational carrier for her daughter, Krista Saxon who was unable to bear her own child.

“As a mother, it’s something I wanted to do”, she said to My Fox Atlanta.

After carrying her grandchild, conceived through IVF for nine months, the 45 year old claims her daughter didn’t entirely miss out on experiencing the realities of pregnancy.

“It’s funny because she’s the one who ended up with a lot of the pregnancy symptoms”, Ms Stockton said.

Baby Tucker Saxon was delivered last Saturday at a healthy 7 pounds, 12 ounces becoming the fourth baby to be born to his or her grandmother in the U.S, and claimed to be the first in Georgia.

Ms Stockton said that while she enjoyed the pregnancy and was happy to give her daughter the gift of a child, the experience was challenging.

Related: I had a baby at 50 — without IVF

“It’s been 26 years since I’ve been pregnant,” she said.

“I’ve forgot a lot of things, so she [Krista] had to tell me what to expect.”

Parents Krista and Trent are thrilled to now have a healthy baby boy in their arms, but have told My Fox Atlanta they will be looking into adoption if they want another child.

Video: Grandmother gives birth to her own grandson

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Most shocking celebrity splits

Time together: 7 years History: Brad Pitt met Jenifer Aniston in 1998 and the couple were married two years later at a private wedding ceremony in Malibu. They seemed like one of Hollywood’s happiest couples, until the couple decided to officially split in 2005 and Jenifer filed for divorce two months later.

Time together: 8 years History: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s surprise wedding took place in 2003 and their split was equally as surprising. The pair who have three-year-old twins together said they came to an “amicable conclusion on all matters” when ending their marriage.

Time together: 11 years History: Courteney Cox and David Arquette, who met on the set of the teen horror movie Scream have reportedly called it quits after 11 years together. The pair have a daughter together named Coco.

Time together: 5 years History: Halle and Gabriel, a model, met on a Versace photo shoot. The nine year age gap which separates them is said to be part of the reason they called it quits. The pair has a two-year-old daughter together named Nahla Ariela Aubry.

Time together: 7 years History: Sandra met motorcycle builder and Monster Garage host Jesse after she organised for her ten-year-old godson to meet him as a Christmas present. The pair married in July 2005. The couple split after a number of women claimed to have had affairs with Jesse while he was married. Jesse responded to the rumours by issuing a public apology.

Time together: 5 years History: Jim and Jenny began dating in December 2005 but did not make their relationship public until six months later. The pair maintained that they would never consider marriage as they “didn’t need a piece of paper”.

Time together: 5 years History: Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman met in 2002 when Jordan was working at Christina’s management company Azoff Music Management. The pair married in the Napa Valley in 2005 and have a two-year-old son together.

Time together: 1 year History: Mel and his Russian pianist girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva made their first red carpet appearance together in April 2009. The couple have a one-year-old daughter together named Lucia. Since their separation, Oksana has released a number of violent voice mail messages sent to her by Mel which were leaked to the media.

Time together: 7 years History: Ryan and Reese, who starred together in Cruel Intentions met at Reese’s 21st birthday party 1997. She apparently attracted his attention by walking up to him and saying “I think you’re my birthday present”. The couple were married in 1999. The couple went through marriage counselling throughout 2005, but in 2006 they called it quits.

Time together: 11 years History: Tom and Nicole met on the set of Days of Thuner in 1990. They were soon married and had adopted two children Isabella and Connor in 1992. The couple decided to split in 2001, when nicole was reportedly pregnant, but she later miscarried.

Time together: 8 years History: Madonna and Guy met in 1999 and in 2000 Madonna gave birth to their son Rocco. The couple married later that year in Scotland. However, in 2008 rumours began to circulate of a split between the pair and they soon made it official by announcing it saying they couldn’t “bear to live with the pretence any longer”.

Time together: 2 years History: Jenifer Lopez and Ben Affleck had a highly publicised romance. The pair was soon dubbed Benifer and became engaged after JLo received a $1.2 million six-caret pink diamond ring. Despite JLo describing Ben as “the one” the couple ended their relationship in 2004.

Time together: 7 years History: Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey met each other in 1999 when they were both beginning their careers in music. However it was their reality television show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica that got them the most publicity. The pair married in 2002 and the show aired shortly after. However, in 2005 after much speculation the couple divorced.

Time together: 7 years History: Heather Mills and Paul McCartney were married in 2002, four years after Paul’s first wife, Linda McCartney, died of breast cancer. During their marriage Heather went on every tour with Paul and his band. However, the couple’s relationship begin to deteriorate in 2006 and Heather publicly blamed Paul’s daughter Stella for the couple’s break-up.

Time together: 11 years History: After dating for just two months Demi Moore married Bruce Willis in 1987. The couple, who have three daughters together, decided to separate in 1998, four years after the birth of their third daughter. The pair divorced in 2000, but to this day remain close friends.

Time together: 4 years History: Charlie Sheen met Denise Richards on the set of the movie Good Advice. The pair married the next year in 2002 and the couple have two daughters together. In 2005 Denise filed for divorce. Despite the couple briefly reconciling, Denise pushed forward with the divorce in 2006.

Time together: 6 years History: Kate Winslet and director Sam Mendes began dating in 2001 and were married in 2003. Steve directed Kate in her Oscar winning role in Revolutionary Road. However, the couple split in March this year with their reps putting out a statement which said: “The split is entirely amicable and is by mutual agreement.”

Time together: 5 years History: The world stopped and paid attention when Tom Cruise famously jumped up onto Oprah’s couch annoucing that he had fallen for Dawson’s Creek star Katie Holmes. The pair soon married in an elaborate castle in Rome. The pair, who are parents to Suri Cruise, had one of the most publicised marriages in Hollywood, but their divorce was short and sweet and settled in less than two weeks.

Time together: 25 years History: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver had been married for 25 years, but Arnold was keeping a 10 year secret from his wife. He fathered a love child with a member of staff who worked with their family which he kept from his wife until he left the governor’s office.

Time together: 30 years History: Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman met back in 1971 and have been married for 30 years. The pair who have three children together confirmed their split, but have not given a reason for the break-up.

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Celebrities aging gracefully

Actress Anjelica Huston,61, who played Morticia in the Adam’s Family movies, hasn’t adjusted her aging process. “This great fear of laugh lines and wrinkles and getting old is really unnatural. It happens to the best of us – what are we going to do?” she said.

When singer Tina Turner turned 60 she was on a world tour! It just goes to show that the singer not only embraces her age, but embraces life. She says age is no issue to her. “I think 50 is the new 30 and 70 is the new 50. There are no rules that say you have to dress a certain way or be a certain way. We’re living in exciting times for women,” she said.

A month before her 72nd birthday, Sophia Loren was voted the world’s most naturally beautiful person. When asked about her secret for staying so naturally beautiful she said: “a love of life, spaghetti, and the odd bath in virgin olive oil.”

Sexy and single at 66, Susan Sarandon says she enjoys aging gracefully, but won’t judge others who don’t. “I haven’t yet had any plastic surgery, but I won’t knock it. I think women have the right to do anything they want to their bodies that makes them feel good about themselves. It’s hard to be in this business and be viewed on a screen that’s huge. You can see every single line. But I think it’s an aesthetic choice for the individual,” she said.

Kim Catrall has admitted to having Botox, but says she is against plastic surgery. “I’m too terrified to get any proper work so I’ve had just little things done. I have a big crease between my eyebrows and I use Botox to get rid of that, but that’s kind of it,” she said. “I look at people such as Helen Mirren or Judi Dench, these amazing women who look great, but look their age.”

At 72 years-old Jane Fonda was aging gracefully until she admitted to having plastic surgery and she isn’t proud of it. “I caved,” she said in an interview with Larry King. “If I was really brave, I would have not. I vowed I wouldn’t – I did, and I don’t feel proud of it.” She is now writing a book about her aging process and her plastic surgery.

Sixty-four year old Bette Midler was quoted as saying “After thirty, a body has a mind of its own.” And it seems she isn’t too fussed about that.

Beautiful model and actress Geena Davis, who is famous for her role in Thelma and Louise, still has that youthful adventurous look about her at 56.

Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger constantly maintains a youthful glow about her. Kim has never shared her secret of youthful looking skin, but she is rumoured to be a fan of collagen therapy gel, a cream which sits in fine lines and plumps them out.

Joan Collins has always maintained that she has not had cosmetic surgery. “Women who turn to cosmetic procedures look ghastly. They don’t look like themselves,” she said in an interview with Hello magazine. “I quite like the way I look, I’m quite happy with the way I look and I really don’t want to change it.” Read more here

Avatar star Sigourney Weaver is not a fan of Botox or cosmetic surgery. “I would never have plastic surgery or Botox injections,” she said. “How can you as an actress? They both leave you with such a tight, unreal look. “It’s something fans and audiences pick up on instantly. Actors’ faces should actually be able to move.”

Actress Jane Seymour has slammed cosmetic surgery, despite admitting to having some procedures. “When I see people on television and nothing is moving and their eyebrows are up near the corner of their head I think ‘How can they do this? They’re destroying their expression.” she said. “I’ve had some things done to my eyes because I had some mole things and genetically we’ve all had bags under our eyes in my family, so we removed the bags, but that’s it.”

The Devil wears Prada star Meryl Streep says she is all about gracefully aging. “To each his own. I really understand the chagrin that accompanies ageing, especially for a woman, but I think people look funny when they freeze their faces. In Los Angeles there’s a lot of that. I pick up on the part that doesn’t move on a face. I’m immediately drawn to it and that is the opposite of what you’re intending. You pull focus to the area that’s been worked on,” she said.

In a recent interview Sharon Stone opened up about her plastic surgery disaster which swore her off any further procedures. She also made comments about Meryl Streep saying: “Meryl looks like an unmade bed, and that’s what I look like. To me, that looks true.”

Despite not desiring to go under the knife herself Helen Mirren doesn’t have a problem with those who do. “You go, ‘I don’t want to look at that face anymore,’ and I understand that, absolutely,” the actress said in a recent interview about plastic surgery. “I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want to make themselves feel happy.”

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis recently said Hollywood was experiencing a conspiracy when it comes to plastic surgery. “Everybody is saying that to get jobs you have to dye your hair and get injectables. It’s a conspiracy, a complete catastrophe, a surgical industrial complex. Somehow we are being fed this belief that to continue on we have to do this. Yet people are being disfigured. It’s shocking what people are doing to their faces.”

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Elizabeth Taylor’s scandalous love life exposed

A new biography of screen icon Elizabeth Taylor reveals scandalous details the actress' romances with Ronald Regan and John F. Kennedy.
Elizabeth Taylor

A new biography of screen icon Elizabeth Taylor reveals scandalous details of the actress’ romances with Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy.

Taylor’s saucy love life is laid bare in Elizabeth Taylor: There is Nothing Like a Dame, an explosive biography years in the making by authors Danforth Prince and Darwin Potter who have spent the past few years tracking down “all the gossip unfit to print from the glory days of Hollywood.”

The tell-all biography reveals that the Hollywood legend, who passed away last year, allegedly slept with Ronald Reagan as a teenager.

The authors claim Reagan was 36 when he seduced a teenage Taylor after inviting her to dine with him at his home in Hollywood.

“Reagan was treating me like a grown women, and that thrilled me. We sat on his sofa and I could tell he wanted to get it on but he seemed reluctant to make the first move. I became the aggressor,” she told a close pal — according to the book.

“After a heavy make-out session on the sofa, we went into the bedroom.”

The book goes on to detail revelations that Taylor also had a fling with JFK, and to even greater shock, enjoyed three-way sex with the president.

Prince and Porter claim that a nude dip in the politician’s pool turned into a three-way with Taylor and actor Robert Stack.

But those aren’t the only flings Liz Taylor enjoyed, the book goes on to detail sexual encounters with several stars including Peter Lawford, Errol Flynn, Paul Newman, and Frank Sinatra.

Her romance with Sinatra didn’t last long, as the book alleges the fling fell flat after Taylor told him she was expecting his child in a bid to blackmail him into marrying her, instead scaring the crooner off.

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Kids under 10 admitted to hospital with eating disorders

Kids under 10 admitted to hospital with eating disorders

Australian eating disorder services are treating children as young as seven

Already one of the most common chronic disorder affecting young girls, eating disorders are starting to strike at a younger age with children as young as seven being admitted to hospital for treatment.

Data from the UK shows that more than 50 under ten-year-olds were admitted to hospital with eating disorders in the past year, and the figures from Australia are just as shocking.

Related: How you can boost your daughter’s body image

Forty-seven children aged between five and nine were admitted to hospital for eating disorders in the UK in 2011/12, a dramatic increase from 17 the year before.

Total admissions for eating disorders tallied 2,288, with young girls aged 10 to 19 accounting for half of all admissions.

The shocking data also showed that girls under the age of five were being admitted for eating disorders , though experts said these were likely to be with physical problems with eating rather than mental health disorders like anorexia.

These issues have been echoed closer to home as well, with the Children’s Hospital at Westmead Eating Disorder Service, the largest eating disorder service in New South Wales, receiving an enormous increase in demand for admissions.

The latest data from the hospital shows a 270 percent increase in admissions since 2000 and a 1000 percent increase in outpatient appointments.

The eating disorder service, which treats children up to age 16, has admitted patients as young as seven for treatment.

Related: Why we should leave the body image debate to teens

The group showing the greatest demand for treatment for eating disorders were 14-year-olds, who made up 60 percent of admissions in 2009/10, but children up to age 12 made up 20 percent of the hospitals 81 admissions.

The majority of Westmead’s children’s eating disorders facility patients are treated for anorexia nervosa, the third most common disorder affecting adolescent girls, with a lifetime mortality rate of up to 20 percent, a rate higher than any other psychiatric disorder.

Video: Media gave me anorexia

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Naughty nude Harry makes Vegas millions

Harry in Las Vegas: 'Too much army, not enough prince'

Prince Harry's nude photo scandal has generated millions of dollars worth of publicity for the city of Las Vegas

A failed case of ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ may have publicly humiliated Prince Harry and the royal family, but it has paid off for Sin City in publicity valued at 23 million dollars.

A report released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority earlier this week suggests the Prince Harry photo scandal reached over 154 million people, generating an estimated $23 million in publicity for the city.

In pictures: The most shocking royal scandals

The photos released by entertainment website TMZ in August showed a naked Prince Harry reportedly playing ‘strip billiards’ with a nude female companion in a Las Vegas hotel suite.

The images taken on a camera phone at the private party went viral, along with news coverage of an online tourism campaign by LVCVA.

LVCVA also placed an ad in USA Today reprimanding those who leaked the images of the prince while wittily publicising Las Vegas’ ‘Know the Code’ campaign.

The campaign urges people to leave their never-to-be-told moments in the city of sin and out of conversations and twitter feeds.

Over 93 thousand people have submitted the campaign’s ‘Know the Code’ online oath with another video advertisement gracing the online world approximately a month after the Prince Harry photo scandal.

“For everyone’s sake, it’s important that ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,’” said Cathy Tull, LVCVA’s marketing senior vice president.

While LVCVA continue to passionately front the growing campaign, we have a feeling they secretly appreciated someone in Prince Harry’s Las Vegas Suite breaking the code on the night of ‘strip billiards’.

Related: How the Queen will punish Harry for his naked Vegas photo

LVCVA cannot directly measure whether the scandalous images of Prince Harry have brought more tourists to Las Vegas, but according to the Las Vegas Sun Chairman Tom Collins has praised the party prince for his contribution.

“God bless Prince Harry. He made us a bunch of money,” he reportedly said in a meeting this week.

Your say: Do you think Harry’s Vegas romp has helped lift the city’s profile?

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How flirting can help you get ahead

How flirting can help you get ahead

A new study shows that flirting is a better strategy for negotiating than appearing tough for women.

Women may be filling seats in university lecture theatres and beating men to top jobs more than ever before, but scientists say the best way for a woman to get ahead is to employ her “feminine charm”.

A US study suggests flirtation is an effective negotiation strategy for women when negotiating with men, rather than trying to be tough.

The study suggested a cheeky wink and a suggestive smile could help women get discounts, better deals, and get ahead at work, but wouldn’t work so well for men, who were found to gain no ground by flirting.

“Women are uniquely confronted with a trade-off in terms of being perceived as strong versus warm. Using feminine charm in negotiation is a technique that combines both,” said Professor Laura Kray of the University of California who led the study.

But researchers advised that women shouldn’t go too far by making over sexual advances, recommending subtle flirting tactics like appearing interested in the man they are dealing with.

“The key is to flirt with your own natural personality in mind. Be authentic. Have fun. That will translate into confidence, which is a strong predictor of negotiation performance,” Professor Kray said.

The 100 participants in the study were questioned over how much they relied on charm when negotiating, and their partners were asked how effective they were.

Women who were more willing to bat their eyelids to get what they want were judge by their partners to be better negotiators, while men who said they used more charm were not found to have an advantage.

Another part of the study explored negotiating while buying a car from a deal in a scenario where the participant was in full flirt mode, touching the seller’s arm, winking and laying on flattery.

The study found that male sellers were more likely to knock $100 off the selling price for flirtatious buyers than serious ones.

Your say: Have you flirted with someone to get ahead? Contact us at [email protected]

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Josh leaves *Big Brother* house due to family tragedy

Josh leaves Big Brother house due to family tragedy

The Nine Network has released a statement saying contestant Josh Moore has left the Big Brother house due to tragic personal circumstances.

Last night, Josh’s parents flew to the Gold Coast to break the news of the sudden death of his 32-year-old brother Toby. It is believed Toby suffered a heart attack.

The 28-year-old from Adelaide was called to the Captain’s Quarters as the housemates prepared to go to bed and given the news.

He was immediately released from the house so he could spend the night with his devastated parents. Josh later announced he would leave the competition to go home to support his family.

Live updates from the house have currently ceased to give Josh time to say goodbye to the housemates in private, and to allow them to process the news. Josh’s farewell conducted in privtae and was not filmed.

As a result of Josh leaving the house, this week’s voting has been closed and funds from this period will be donated to The Salvation Army, a charity nominated by Josh and his family.

There will be no Big Brother Eviction this Sunday night; instead Big Brother will show extended footage from the weekend and celebrate Josh’s time in the House. From Monday, Live Nominations will continue as scheduled.

“The Southern Star production team and the Nine Network wish to express their sympathy to the family and ask the fans of Big Brother and the media to allow them privacy at this time,” a Nine spokesman said.

See how you can send a message of support to Josh and his family at www.bigbrother.com.au.

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Orphaned puppy and kitten think they’re sisters

Orphaned puppy and kitten think they are sisters

An orphaned puppy and an abandoned kitten have become inseparable since being brought together at the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home in the UK, and now think they are sisters.

Kitty the cat was found alone in a garden at just one day old and handed into the rescue centre. Buttons, a Jack Russell, was born at the centre but was rejected by his mother.

They were originally put together at just two weeks old to keep each other company and have since formed a close bond.

Battersea veterinary nurse Sascha Taylor says the pair eat, sleep and play together, and that Buttons cries as soon as Kitty is taken to the cattery to spend time with other felines.

“Normally we’d hand-rear puppies and kittens separately but we thought we could try putting them together as they are both so young,” she says.

“Luckily it’s paid off as they adore being with each other and do everything together – it’s really very sweet.”

Staff at the shelter are now hoping someone will adopt both Kitty and Buttons together.

“Hand-rearing them is hard work – I have to feed them every two hours, even throughout the night – but it’s totally worth it,” Sacha says.

“We’re not sure if they’ll be rehomed together, though it would be great if they did.”

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