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Megan Gale: My new love

Megan Gale: My 24-year-old toyboy

Megan Gale. Photography by Steven Chee. Styling by Judith Cook and Mattie Cronan.

Megan Gale copped a hailstorm of criticism when she broke up with comedian Andy Lee in 2010, so she can be forgiven for keeping her new romance quiet.

Now 18 months into her relationship with 24-year-old AFL player Shaun Hampson — a man 13 years her junior — Megan has spoken about her new love for the first time.

Related: Miranda Kerr – I can’t imagine life without my mum

In an interview with the October issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, Megan praised her young boyfriend, saying he was mature beyond his years.

“The age difference does not bother us at all,” she says. “We make jokes about it. I know there are people who raise their eyebrows at the age difference. But if he was 13 years older than me, no one would mention it.

“No one ever mentions the age difference between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, but it’s the same as between me and Shaun. And I don’t know why that is. Why is there something scandalous about it when the woman is older?

“Besides, at 24, he is far and away more mature than guys I have gone out with who are five and six years older than me. So it doesn’t really matter. He’s focused and mature beyond his years.”

But no matter how well the relationship is going, Megan says she’s not sure she’s “the marrying type”.

Despite this, she does hope to have children in the future and doesn’t believe her age will stop her having a family.

“I have always had this ‘better late than never’ thing going on,” she says. “Whether it be with modelling, with film or my life in general. It always does happen, it’s just always far later than I hoped.

“I would love to be a mum one day — and it’s probably again going to be one of those things that is better late than never, considering I’m 37.

Related: Zara Phillips – I want to start a family

“And I don’t get too worried about the age factor either because I think women of my generation are having children a lot later. It’s definitely riskier and there are issues, but I think women are really wanting to get a lot of life experience under their belt — whether that be travel or work — and are becoming more certain about who they settle down with.”

Read more of this story in the October issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

Video: Megan Gale’s swimsuits

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William wants to join Harry in Afghanistan

William wants to join Harry in Afghanistan

Prince William and Prince Harry.

Prince William has reportedly requested a posting to Afghanistan so he can join his brother Harry on the front line.

William — who currently works as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot — has asked his bosses for a period of active service, a defence source told the UK’s Daily Star.

Related: Harry vows to stay in Afghanistan

As second in line to the throne, William is banned from any dangerous activities but senior royals and military leaders are said to be considering allowing him to carry out some low-risk missions.

“William is a serving officer and has said he wants to go,” the source said. “Although the rule is he cannot be placed in harm’s way, they are seeing if they can bring it about before next spring when he has to decide if he’s staying on or leaving the Forces to be a full-time royal.

“He could do a secret visit of a week or two if the powers that be would allow it. We are not talking bombing the Taliban, more like flying fetch-and-carry missions but he could still be involved.”

William’s brother Harry is currently on a four-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, where he is flying Apache attack helicopters.

The Taliban has made numerous threats on the Prince’s life since he arrived in the country, and last week launched a deadly raid on Camp Bastion where the young royal is stationed.

Related: Taliban death threats for Prince Harry

He escaped the attack uninjured, but two people were killed and one injured.

William completed a six-week tour of the Falklands earlier this year.

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Emmy Awards red carpet arrivals

The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards have kicked off at the Nokia Theatre in Hollywood and the stars have hit the red carpet in spectacular style!

Green was certainly the colour to be seen in with Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara just some of the stars who opted for the trend.

But there was plenty of colour on the red carpet from Ginnifer Goodwin‘s fiery orange number to Kelly Osbourne‘s purple one-shoulder stunner.

Watch this space for more Emmy’s red carpet arrivals.

Emmy Awards red carpet arrivals.

Christina Hendricks.

Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi.

Julianne Moore.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman.

Revenge star Emily VanCamp.

Giuliana Rancic.

Sofia Vergara.

Christine Baranski.

Kelly Osbourne.

Heidi Klum.

January Jones.

Glenn Close.

Ginnifer Goodwin.

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Emmy Award winners

Emmy Award winners

The cast of Modern Family.

Here is a full list of this year’s Emmy Award winners.

Drama Series: Homeland

Comedy Series: Modern Family

Variety, Comedy or Musical Series: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race

Host, Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars

Supporting Actor, Comedy: Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Supporting Actress, Comedy: Julie Bowen, Modern Family

Guest Actor, Comedy: Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live

Guest Actress, Comedy: Kathy Bates, Two and a Half Men

Lead Actor, Comedy: Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

Lead Actress, Comedy: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Emmy Awards red carpet looks

Supporting Actor, Drama: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Supporting Actress, Drama: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Guest Actress, Drama: Martha Plimpton, The Good Wife

Guest Actor, Drama: Jeremy Davies, Justified

Lead Actor, Drama: Damian Lewis, Homeland

Lead Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, Homeland

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Berenger, Hatfields & McCoys

Lead Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Julianne Moore, Game Change

Lead Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys

Directing, Comedy: Steve Levitan, Modern Family

Directing, Drama: Tim Van Patten, Boardwalk Empire

Directing, Variety Special: Glenn Weiss, 65th Annual Tony Awards

Directing, Miniseries or Movie: Jay Roach, Game Change

Writing, Comedy: Louis C.K., Louie

Writing, Drama: Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, Homeland

Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Special: Louis C.K., Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre

Writing, Miniseries or Movie: Danny Strong, Game Change

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Big Brother update: Wow, look at Vesna!

Big Brother update: Wow, look at Vesna!

The reality star tells how she transformed her body…and found true love and happiness along the way.

Vesna Tosev was an overnight sensation on season five of Big Brother. Her outrageous personality, killer curves and say-anything attitude made her a crowd favourite. However, beneath the confident facade, Vesna admits she was anything but happy with herself. “I didn’t really love my body,” she says. “I was forced to love it. I wasn’t healthy. I wasn’t fit… I was forced to be OK with it.”

Seven years on, it’s hard to believe the trim, toned 35-year-old posing for our exclusive shoot is the same woman. Bouncing along to music, Vesna is happier than she’s ever been – and 15kg lighter too. “I do feel comfortable in a bikini these days,” she says, grinning. “I’m not perfect, but I do feel fabulous.” After exiting the Big Brother house, where she piled on the kilos, the voluptuous hairdresser found herself branded the pin-up star for plus-size women – whether she liked it or not. The fact is, she didn’t.

“I stacked on the weight in the house,” Vesna recalls. “I thought I was that curvy girl before I even entered the house, but when I put on all the weight, that label was thrust on me. I didn’t like it at all. “I just had to accept it, even though it did make me feel very uncomfortable. I felt I had to put a smile on my face and get on with it, but it caused me a lot of pain. “With time, I came to realise that wasn’t who I wanted to be forever,” she continues.

“I still wanted to be curvy – and I always will be – but I didn’t want to be large. I realised that I really wasn’t happy. Everyone else seemed to like me that way, but I didn’t.” Having tried almost every diet imaginable – “pills, potions, lotions, everything” – and with her weight fluctuating wildly, Vesna settled on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet combined with gym workouts four times a week. “I have six small meals a day during the week, with my carbs only coming from vegies,” she reveals. “I don’t eat bread, pasta, rice or potatoes, but I will have those on the weekend.”

Read more about Vesna’s weight loss in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday September 24, 2012.

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Ashton and Mila: It’s baby time

Ashton and Mila: It's baby time

Ashton and Mila have been associated with each other since they starred as lovers in That '70s Show.

Hollywood’s hottest young lovers are getting very serious, very fast.

Canoodling like a pair of teens on the streets of New York last week, it was clear that Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are very much in love. As Ashton, 34, leaned in to whisper in her ear, 29-year-old Mila dissolved into fits of laughter and then moved in for a smooch. It’s no wonder some of the hundreds of onlookers at first wondered if the two actors were in the middle of filming one of the mushy romantic comedies they’re so famous for.

The lovestruck couple have been in a relationship for just five months but already those closest to them are saying a walk down the aisle – and even the And the breakneck speed of the romance comes as no surprise to those around them. “This is more than just a honeymoon period,” a mutual friend – who has know the pair since they met on the set of That ’70s Show 14 years ago – tells Woman’s Day.

“Because they’ve known each other so long, they know everything about each other. It’s ridiculous to think of this as a five-month relationship. It’s really a 14-year relationship.” It’s no secret that Ashton is ready to have babies, with some friends believing it was the underlying cause of his scandal-laced split from wife Demi Moore, 49.

“Ashton feels that his biological clock is ticking,” a source told US Star magazine recently. “He has wanted kids for ages but he and Demi didn’t have any luck conceiving, mostly because of her age.” Fortunately for Ashton, Mila is keen to have children soon, too. She recently stated she wants a family within the next five years, adding, “I think in this industry, people have a short shelf life, truly.”

Read more and see the pictures of the pair’s park PDA in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday September 24, 2012.

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Courageous Kate: The new people’s princess

Courageous Kate: The new people's princess

The Duchess of Cambridge shines brighter than ever, tells veteran royal reporter JUDY WADE from the South Pacific.

As the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William swayed their hips and waved their hands to exotic music in remote Tuvalu, it was clear they were settling into the swing of island life. Crowned with flower garlands instead of royal jewels, Kate was letting the relaxing sea breezes and friendly crowds go to her head. Following the topless photo furore in France the week before, the tiny South Pacific island nation proved the ideal place to summon up her courage and, in true British style, to keep calm and carry on.

That’s exactly what she did in the greatest example of grace under pressure I have ever seen from any royal. While most girls in such an embarrassing pickle would want to dive under the covers and stay out of sight, Kate had no choice but to keep a poker face. But with William’s support, she focused on continuing the royal tour, facing cameras from all around the world.

No-one would have guessed that she had a care in the world when she attended a Sunday evening service at St Barnabas Cathedral in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara. The generator that kept the lights blazing cut out four times sitting near Kate and found it hard not to laugh when we were left in the dark again and again. But ever professional Kate kept a straight face, charmed everyone and was the picture of a perfect princess.

That was until the next day, when she couldn’t contain a giggle when she saw topless dancers at a festival. “What’s the fuss about?” one native woman asked. “We all go topless here.” I have learned by travelling around the world with Kate that she is a strong character. I couldn’t help but compare her cool composure with how William’s mother Princess Diana reacted when she was faced with similar situations. Diana would let us know how angry she felt. Kate didn’t. She took it all in her stride.

See more pictures in our special official Royal Tour Album in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday September 24, 2012.

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Asher Keddie divorces husband Jay Bowen

Australia's favourite TV actress Asher Keddie has split from husband Jay Bowen ending their five-year marriage. The couple spoke to The Weekly about their relationship before their marriage ended.
Asher Keddie: The girl who played Ita

Australia’s favourite small-screen actress Asher Keddie has split from husband Jay Bowen after five years of marriage.

The Offspring star and her musician/actor husband are believed to be on good terms following an amicable break-up which reportedly took place last December.

One of Australia’s most in-demand actresses, Asher is yet to comment on the split since news of it emerged over the weekend.

The Weekly spoke to Asher and her husband about their relationship last year, just weeks before it ended.

“She was just so compelling,” Jay Bowen said of his wife, reminiscing about their first meeting which was “love at first sight” for the couple almost eight years ago.

When the question of starting a family with Jay came up, Asher revealed that she hated being asked about it, and told The Weekly she didn’t believe she needed to have babies to be considered a success.

“Why are we only considered successful if we can juggle a family and a demanding career?” she said.

“I admire people who can do it, don’t get me wrong. But I feel successful not doing it as well. I don’t think, ‘Oh gosh, I won’t be quite there and I won’t be as successful as I want to be unless I’m juggling a couple of kids, a marriage and a career.

“It’s not that I don’t think I can do it. It’s not that. It’s that I don’t know.”

Asher described her husband as an “awesome showman, part Michael Hutchence, part Freddy Mercury.”

Since the couple’s split became public it appears that Asher has already found new love with well-known painter Vincent Fantauzzo.

Fantauzzo is a celebrity in the art world having painted Heath Ledger, Matt Moran, Brandon Walters and Emma Hack for the Archibald Prize, and winning the People’s Choice Award twice. Most recently he won the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize for his portrait of Baz Luhrmann.

A representative for the actress confirmed with the Daily Telegraph that the pair were dating and that Asher and Jay were still great friends.

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Seb White signed as youngest Down Syndrome model

He's only four years old, but Seb White is about to become one of the UK's biggest child models.
Seb White

He’s only four years old, but Seb White is about to become one of the UK’s biggest child models.

Seb – who has Down syndrome – has just signed a contract to star in retail giant Marks and Spencer’s Christmas catalogue after his mother Caroline contacted the department store to complain about the lack of diversity in kids modelling.

The adorable little boy has previously worked for UK baby and maternity wear label JoJo Maman Bebe.

Seb is the latest in a host of kids with Down syndrome making a big impact in the modelling world. Here are some of the other rising stars.

Seb modelling pyjamas for JoJo Maman Bebe.

Seb in another ad for JoJo Maman Bebe.

Valentina Guerrero modelling for DC Kids swimwear.

Valentina, 10 months, became an internet sensation in July.

Valentina has won fans around the world.

Taya Kennedy is signed to the Urban Angels modelling agency in the UK.

Ella Kinder. Photo by Carrie at photographybycarrieperez.com.

Traditional

Six-year-old Ryan Langston (far left) has modelled for US Target.

Ryan has also modelled for US department store Nordstrom.

Five-year-old Natalia Goleniowski (right) for Frugi.

Australian target included this girl in a 2011 catalogue.

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Single mum becomes full time Kate look-alike

Single mum becomes full time Kate look-alike

Spot the difference: Kate lookalike Heidi Agan's facebook profile picture and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

UK waitress Heidi Agan has been mistaken for Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge so many times, she’s quit her job to become a full-time look-alike.

The single mum of two says even her three-year-old daughter can’t tell the difference.

“When my daughter sees her in a magazine she points and says ‘There you are Mummy’. She’s turned into a right little royalist,” Heidi told the UK’s Mirror newspaper.

The 32-year-old, who until recently waited tables at a diner-style restaurant chain for around $10 an hour, has now signed up with an agency and is getting more than $1000 for each public appearance.

“It’s a huge difference from working in a restaurant and it pays better. It’s a really fun job as I’m doing something different every day,” she said.

Heidi is strikingly similar to Kate to look at, and when she donned a dress like the one Kate wore for her engagement announcement and had her hair styled in a similar manner for a recent photoshoot, it was almost impossible to spot the difference .

“People would come in [the restaurant] and point at me and say ‘That’s her!’,” reveals Heidi.

“I’ve had other people come up to me during jobs convinced I’m Kate.

Heidi says the most unusual request she’s had was to play a game of Twister with Prince William and the Queen look-alikes for a photoshoot.

“I guess people want to put us in real-life situations that they would never see the royal family in, like playing Twister,” she says.

Your say: Is Heidi a convincing lookalike? Tell us below.

Related video: Kate’s style.

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