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Debbie Rowe: I want my kids back!

Debbie Rowe: I want my kids back!

With Michael’s family in chaos, his children’s mum is ready to save them.

Three years after the death of pop legend Michael Jackson, his family has descended into all-out war. And at the centre of their bizarre feud, including allegations of kidnapping, are his three children and their generous trust fund. Global news outlets have been in a frenzy trying to piece together the mysterious disappearance of family matriarch – and legal guardian of Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket – Katherine Jackson, with 14-year old Paris tweeting frantically in a bid to track down her beloved grandmother.

Now, in a world exclusive, Woman’s Day can expose how the extraordinary events of the past week led Debbie Rowe – mother of Paris and Prince – to make a return to their lives. Her decision comes as Michael’s siblings call into question their frail mother’s ability to raise his children.

“On July 14, Michael’s oldest sister Rebbie and his brothers Randy and Jermaine arrived at their mother’s LA mansion with a doctor who claimed to be the partner of her usual doctor,” says our source, who has strong ties with two senior members of the Jackson family. “He asked her some questions and then told her his ‘diagnosis’ was exhaustion and that she needed to get away from the children immediately and rest.”

Our insider says Randy, Jermaine and Rebbie took the 82-year-old to an apartment in Arizona – without the knowledge of Paris or her brothers. “Paris was out horse riding and Prince and Blanket were at karate, so when they got back their grandmother was gone,” says the source. “There was a note from their Aunt Rebbie saying, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve taken Grandma on a surprise holiday.’”

Read more about the Jacksons’s family feud in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 30, 2012.

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Bec Hewitt’s miracle escape

Bec Hewitt

Bec Hewitt rescued her terrified children after lightning struck their Bahamas home last week, setting alight one floor of the mansion.

Former Home And Away star Bec Hewitt was forced to flee with her three children when a fire broke out at their mansion in the beautiful Bahamas on Sunday, July 22. Emergency services on the ground report that Bec was lucky to escape unhurt from the terrifying ordeal, when the house was hit by lightning during a freak storm on the tropical island paradise.

“It must have been very frightening for the people there,” confirms Sergeant Anthony Mitchell, of the Nassau Fire Department. He says if it hadn’t been for the quick response from fire fighters, the house would have burned to the ground. “The lightning struck in the attic section of the house, which received extensive fire and smoke damage,” he reports. Bec’s husband Lleyton was “devastated” that he was not there to save his family. He was half a world away in England, preparing for the London Olympic Games, when the blaze broke out. “Lleyton is horrified by the enormity of the near tragedy,” shares one close friend. “He is also upset because he wasn’t there to protect his family when they needed him most.”

Fortunately Bec’s mum Michelle was staying to lend a hand with the children during Lleyton’s absence, and was able to help Bec get Mia, 6, Cruz, 3, and 21-month-old Ava to safety. Neighbours reported the blaze on Sunday morning, with Lynford Cay Fire Department requesting assistance at 11.09am.

Three fire engines rushed to try to save the mansion, which suffered smoke, fire and water damage. “All the insulation got damaged in the ceiling, along with a window,” says Sergeant Mitchell. “I couldn’t tell you whether it was blown out by lightning or the fire – but either is possible.

Read more about Bec’s escape in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 30, 2012.

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The final straw for Demi: Ashton’s baby news

The final straw for Demi: Ashton's baby news

As the actor and Mila go public with their love, the worst is yet to come for his shattered ex.

Last month, Mila Kunis insisted to a US magazine that she and Ashton Kutcher were “just friends – there’s no crazy love story”. And Ashton’s troubled ex-wife Demi Moore clung like a drowning woman to a lifebuoy to the hope that the younger actress was telling the truth.

But after months of speculation – with Ashton and Mila spotted together several times a week – Demi’s worst nightmare was finally confirmed when pictures surfaced online of the pair kissing tenderly at a movie-wrap party. It was all too much for the fragile 49-year-old, who earlier this year collapsed and was rushed to hospital then sought professional treatment for “overall health” issues. “Demi is beyond heartbroken. Even though Ashton cheated on her all the time, it was with random girls,” a source tells Radar Online.

“It wasn’t a relationship like it is with Mila, and that’s what’s killing Demi now. She was still holding out a little hope that they’d reconcile.” The knowledge that her estranged husband is getting serious with an actress 21 years her junior – whom he’s known since they played on-screen lovers in That ’70s Show and who recently topped a Sexiest Woman on the Planet poll – is bad enough. But it’s about to get a lot more painful for Demi.

Insiders tell Woman’s Day exclusively that infamous playboy Ashton, 34, is not only already talking marriage with the Black Swan star, he’s asking if she’s ready to have kids with him. While she’s in no rush, recently saying she wants to be a mum in five years’ time – Ashton wants to be a dad sooner rather than later. “Ashton and Demi tried for years, even with IVF – but Demi just couldn’t,” a close friend of Ashton said.

Read more about Ashton’s baby plans and Demi’s heart break in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 30, 2012.

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Prince Harry’s new woman

Prince Harry's new woman

The prince has his cousins to thank for his new girlfriend — but what’s in it for Eugenie and Beatrice?

It’s early days, but royal insiders are wondering whether eternal bachelor Prince Harry has finally found “the one”. With blue bloodlines and high-society connections, Burberry model Cressida Bonas – the daughter of 60s “it” girl Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon – has all the qualities deemed suitable for the third in line to the throne. And it helps that she fits his usual dating bill of being leggy, blonde and clever!

Introduced to Harry, 27, by his cousin Princess Eugenie, the “posh, pretty and perfect” 23-year-old has hit it off with the prince, with sources telling the UK’s Daily Star newspaper that they’ve been “seeing each other for a while”. But their undercover jig was up last week when a fellow movie-goer tweeted a picture of Harry and Cressida sitting with Eugenie and her boyfriend Jack Brooksbank at the UK premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. Later that night, the foursome regrouped at trendy London club Salon.

But the fledgling pair didn’t go unnoticed, with one witness reporting they were in a corner kissing, and another tweeting, “in Salon and Prince Harry with some lady by the bar. I figured it was his girlfriend.” A close friend of the prince explains, “Harry has had his eye on Cressida for a while. She is very pretty and a lovely person, and she moves in similar circles to him.”

“Similar” is an understatement. Cressida’s half-sister, Isabella Calthorpe, reportedly dated Harry’s brother before William fell in love with Catherine. And while Harry’s sister-in-law could understandably be uncomfortable with welcoming the relative of an old love rival into the fold, there are at least two family members who are thrilled with Harry’s choice.

Read more about Harry’s new girl in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 30, 2012.

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Suri’s tears: Please don’t make me choose

Suri's tears: Please don't make me choose

As a tug of war ensues over Suri’s affections, it appears calculating Tom could come out on top.

Since Katie Holmes’ ninja-like escape from her marriage to Tom Cruise, she has earned global admiration for winning primary custody of their daughter Suri. But despite the actress’s genius legal manoeuvring against her Hollywood heavyweight ex, it appears ultimately the decision over where Suri’s heart will truly lie rests with her six-year-old daughter – and Katie’s not going to like the answer.

In a bid to introduce the long pampered Suri to a simpler way of life, Katie has moved to an apartment in Manhattan since splitting from Tom and escaping his LA mega-mansion. She and Suri now take cabs instead of jets, do their own grocery shopping, and the previously home-schooled youngster has been enrolled in a co-ed school. Katie has even patiently refused to give in to the little girl’s most furious tantrums.

But the second Suri was reunited with her father last week, for the first time in a month, all of Katie’s hard work unravelled when it became clear that Tom was prepared to play good cop. “Tom spared no expense during his reunion with Suri,” an insider tells Star magazine. “He made up for lost time with more than $170,000 worth of extravagant gifts, lavish buffets of her favourite foods at their five-star hotel, and a round-trip helicopter ride to the beach. Tom was clearly trying to win over Suri – he wanted to make a grand impression on his impressionable daughter. And it worked!”

With everything laid on for her, it’s no wonder the little girl was shattered when she was returned to her mother. “She was crying her eyes out and wailing for her daddy,” says the magazine’s source. “Tom’s master plan worked to perfection, and Suri’s sobbing broke Katie’s heart. Now Katie is more afraid than ever that she’s going to lose Suri to Tom.”

Read more about Katie and Tom in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 30, 2012.

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Miranda’s treetop vigil: I’ve spent 299 days up here

Miranda’s treetop vigil: I've spent 299 days up here

The Olympic legend has finally learned what’s behind her debilitating dizzy spells.

She’s taken the concept of “tree-hugger” to dizzying new heights – and unwittingly found herself in the record books. Miranda Gibson is keen to keep Tasmania’s old-growth forests safe from logging. So much so, by July 30, she will have spent 229 days suspended 60 metres above the ground in a 400-year-old gum tree – smashing the Australian treetop record of 208 days, set by Manfred Stephens in Cairns in 1995.

On her platform in Tasmania’s wild southern forests, she’s endured snow, hail and gale-force winds. But the hardest thing, Miranda says, “is the isolation, the loneliness, and being away from friends and family”. “I’ve got a tarp to keep me covered, but that doesn’t really protect me from the bitter cold. We’ve had quite a bit of snow in recent weeks,” says Miranda, who’s permanently strapped to a harness, for safety, but has just 1.5 metres either side of the tree trunk in which to stretch her cramped legs. While she dreams of hot showers, she proudly boasts that her feet have never touched the ground during the protest.

She has a composting toilet, which she lowers by rope to her support crew on the ground, and bathes using a bucket and a washer. Miranda, who recently celebrated her 31st birthday, says she was thrilled when mum Glenys dropped in from Queensland for a surprise visit and morale boost.

“She came just before my birthday and stayed with me four days,” she beams. “I wasn’t sure how she’d go, because she has never really camped, let alone at the top of a tree. She absolutely loved it. I hadn’t seen her for so long… it was an amazing, connecting experience.”

To support Miranda visit observertree.org/.

Read more about Miranda in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 2, 2012.

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Zara Phillips’ emotional Olympic debut

Zara Phillips couldn’t keep the emotion from her face when she finally made her Olympic debut on July 29.

The Queen’s granddaughter grinned throughout her dressage test and shed a few tears as she left the arena aboard her horse High Kingdom.

Zara has been one of Britain’s best equestriennes for years, but missed the 2004 and 2008 Games when her champion horse Toytown was injured.

She is thrilled to be competing at last, and is now one of the favourites for an individual medal in the three-day eventing. Good luck Zara!

Zara Phillips and High Kingdom competing in the dressage section of the three-day eventing.

Summer,All year round

Zara smiled throughout her Olympic debut.

Zara missed the 2004 and 2008 Olympics due to injury.

Zara and High Kingdom’s dressage test put them in the top 10.

Zara pushed High Kingdom into a beautiful extended trot.

Zara’s mother Princess Anne and grandfather Prince Philip watched.

Zara waved to the crowd as she exited the arena.

Zara has said she is “nervous but excited” about her Olympic debut.

Zara and High Kingdom at a vet check before their first performance.

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It’s a Hollywood baby boom!

A celebrity baby boom has hit Hollywood!

From supermodel Gisele Bundchen to super star singer Adele , it seems that everywhere you look there is a star expecting.

And the stars aren’t afraid to show off their bumps either, with Vanessa Lachey recently posting this pic of herself looking like she is well and truly ready to pop!

Here, we take a look at the celebrities who will soon be hearing the pitter patter of little feet!

Vanessa Lachey looks like she is ready to pop! She posted this picture to her twitter page.

Reese Witherspoon was once tight lipped about her pergnancy, but there’s no hiding that bump!

Megan Fox is expecting her first child with husband Brian Austin Green.

Robbie Williams and Ayda Fields are expecting their first child.

Newly married Drew Barrymore is expecting her first child.

Super star Adele is expecting her first child with boyfriend Simon Konecki.

Lily Allen recently announced that she is pregnant with her second child.

Newlyweds Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves are expecitng their third child.

Gisele Bundchen confiremd her pregnancy by showing off her bumb in a bikini.

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Lauren Jackson will carry the flag

Lauren Jackson will carry the flag

Basketballer Lauren Jackson with the flag she will carry into the opening ceremony tonight.

Basketball star Lauren Jackson will carry the Australian flag into the Olympic opening ceremony tonight, the first woman to do so in two decades.

Lauren, 31, said she is “blown away” by the honour, and was surprised to win it over the likes of swimmer Leisel Jones, beach volleyballer Natalie Cook and cyclists Anna Meares and Stuart O’Grady.

Related: Olympic outrage – female athletes fly economy, men fly business

The statuesque blonde will lead Australia’s 409 athletes into the Olympic stadium in London this evening and has offered some advice to her fellow teammates.

“Enjoy it,” she said. “These are the greatest days of our lives.”

Lauren has been a key member of the Opals team since she was 14, helping them to silver medals at the last three Olympics.

Australian chef de mission Nick Green says this makes her the perfect person to lead the squad this year.

“There is no one better to lead our team as we attempt to mix it with the superpowers of sport here in London,” he said.

Related: Why a woman should carry the flag for Australia

Lauren is the fourth woman to carry the Australian flag into a summer Olympics. The last female flag bearer was diver Jenny Donnet in 1992.

Sprinters Raelene Boyle and Denise Boyd are the only other women to carry the flag into the opening ceremony, performing the duty in 1976 and 1980 respectively.

Your say: Do you think Lauren is a good choice of flag bearer for Australia?

Video: Lauren Jackson to carry the flag for Australia

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Are some people just born evil?

Are some people just born evil?

James Holmes, who is accused of the recent cinema shootings in Aurora, Colorado.

In the wake of yet another random mass shooting in America, people’s thoughts are undoubtedly with the families of the victims — but what about the family of the perpetrator?

More often than not, a large part of the blame is reserved for the parents of these violent offenders.

But in our hurry to point fingers, we often forget that they can be just as shocked as the rest of the world.

Related: Do children really make us happy?

There is nothing more disturbing than the idea that some children are born ‘evil’ and no amount of nurture can change that.

Are the parents of alleged Batman shooter James Holmes just the unlucky recipients of a child who was born lacking empathy? A new Australian study suggests this might be exactly what happened.

Research released by the University of Sydney last week proved some children are born “bad”, or as psychologists put it, born with “callous-unemotional” traits.

Such children show a fearless temperament and lack of interest in other people’s emotions from an early age.

This CU behaviour has been shown to be a strong indicator of psychopathic behaviour and violent crime in adulthood.

Even more alarming is the news that these children are indifferent to traditional punishment, according to the study.

There is hope for parents however. Even if a child is born “bad”, good parenting can stop them from developing violent traits.

“The quality of a parent’s emotional interaction and attachment with a young child is crucial to predicting if that child will develop this high-risk pattern of behaviour,” Dr David Hawes, the research leader from the School of Psychology at the University says.

“While CU characteristics seem to be largely under the control of genetics, if a child receives consistent and warm parenting in a secure family environment it can protect against those traits.”

Related: Don’t have a favourite child? You’re lying

Until recently the quality of a child’s parenting was not believed to have an impact on the behaviour of CU children, but this research suggests that strengthening the emotional bonds between parents and their infants can make a difference.

The research was unusual in concentrating on very young children and was based primarily on direct observation. It used video analysis to evaluate the quality of interactions and attachment between mothers and children.

Video: Attachment parenting vs. controlled crying

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