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Cruise control: Connor Cruise plans his escape

Cruise control: Connor cruise plans his escape

Tom Cruise’s only son infuriates his superstar father by abandoning the family business.

When Connor Cruise took his first few tentative steps into the film world with a small part in the Will Smith movie Seven Pounds and a role in the blockbuster remake Red Dawn, his proud father wasted no time in telling Hollywood the next superstar had arrived on the scene. Tom Cruise set about pulling showbiz strings and was determined his adopted son would follow in his famous footsteps. But the Mission: Impossible star’s dream has crashed, with Connor abandoning acting to focus on a new passion – DJing.

Tom, 49, initially encouraged the hobby, thinking it would give the 16-year-old’s image “a cool urban edge”. He bought Connor – who goes by the name “DJ C-Squared” – $8000 worth of DJ equipment and arranged his first paid gig back in July. Now Tom is furious the teenager has given up the family business, and relations between father and son – as well as stepmum Katie Holmes – are strained. “Connor is sick of living under Tom’s constant control,” a family friend tells Woman’s Day.

“He wants to be an independent man, so he’s started rebelling and there’s been some serious clashing of big male egos.” The situation has become so bad that Connor has begged his adoptive mother, Tom’s ex-wife Nicole Kidman, to let him live with her and her husband Keith Urban in Nashville.

Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Day, another longtime family friend reveals, “Nicole told Connor a move would be too disruptive and that he couldn’t run from his father, but she offered to talk to Tom to try to get him to calm down.” Tom is also refusing to allow Connor to trace his biological parents because it would disrupt his schooling.

Read more about Tom and Connor and how Nicole Kid man plans to stan by her man Keith, in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale November 14, 2011.

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Stars unite for White Ribbon

Domestic violence is more than black eyes and bruises – the emotional and psychological scars last forever. Our favourite stars have united with Woman’s Day, Mission Australia and White Ribbon to speak out in support of women and White Ribbon Day on November 25.

Shelley Craft: Host, the Nine Network’s Australia’s Funniest Home Videos and The Block

“The only way to make a change is to make noise and create a voice for women to feel empowered to come forward about violence.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

– Domestic abuse in Australia: The facts

Carrie Bickmore: Co-host, Network Ten’s The Project

“As a mother with a young son, I feel this is something that needs to be spoken about so the women and children who have been affected are free to seek assistance without fear of being judged.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

– Domestic abuse in Australia: The facts

Sheree Murphy: Actress wife of soccer superstar Harry Kewell

“I think when you are being abused in a relationship – mentally or physically – and that abuse is going on behind closed doors, you probably feel very alone. I hope that by speaking out, some women will feel they, too, can come out.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

– Domestic abuse in Australia: The facts

Antonia Kidman: Mother, author and TV personality

“Promoting awareness through campaigns such as White Ribbon, and empowering women and men to stand up and recognise that violence against women is never acceptable, will go some way towards protecting the vulnerable and eradicating this damaging behaviour.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

– Domestic abuse in Australia: The facts

Alison Langdon: Reporter, the Nine

“It’s my firm belief that if a man hits once, he’s guaranteed to do it again. No real man uses violence against a woman – it’s the coward’s way.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

– Domestic abuse in Australia: The facts

Chris Bath: Seven Network news anchor

“People often ask why victims of domestic violence don’t speak up, don’t leave. What they don’t understand is that by the time victims know they should get out, they’re stuck in a psychological trap that requires

the self-esteem, support and strength that’s been taken away from them.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

– Domestic abuse in Australia: The facts

Melissa Doyle: Sunrise co-host on the Seven network

“Women can do incredible things when they support each other. If you know a woman in an abusive relationship, be brave enough to step forward and offer help.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

Sandra Sully: Anchor of Sydney’s News at Five on Network Ten

“Men and women need to stand up and help each other in doing the right thing.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

– Domestic abuse in Australia: The facts

Giaan Rooney: Nine’s Wide World Of Sports and Postcards

” I am proud to support the White Ribbon campaign as it not only raises awareness of society’s ‘silent’ problem but encourages both sexes to find ways to end the violence.”

– Real life stories: I escaped domestic violence and you can too!

– Domestic abuse in Australia: The facts

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Is Schapelle Corby the greatest actress of all time?

Is Schapelle Corby the greatest actress of all time?

Schapelle Corby’s apparent crocodile tears and outrageous web of lies are exposed in an explosive new book, which claims her late father Mick Corby packed her boogie board bag full of marijuana and sent her to Bali as a willing drug mule.

Schapelle Corby might just be the greatest actress of all time. Since her arrest seven years ago at Bali airport with a boogie board bag full marijuana, ustralians have watched as Schapelle shed rivers of tears and appeared on the brink of insanity as she declared she had absolutely no involvement in the case. The desperation etched on her face has drawn sympathy from most of her countrymen and sparked high-profile campaigns demanding she be freed from her 20-year prison term.

The beauty school dropout was seen as the ultimate innocent abroad, caught up in a corrupt system. Now it seems Schapelle was putting on the performance of a lifetime, conning the world about her innocence while all the while knowing it was her father Mick, a long-time drug smuggler, who put her behind bars. Or at least this is what highly respected investigative reporter Eamonn Duff alleges in Sins Of The Father: The Untold Story Behind Schapelle Corby’s Ill-Fated Drug Run – an explosive new tell-all book alleging Schapelle is as guilty as sin.

“Schapelle took the rap for her father and his mates,” Eamonn says. “Loyalty to family ran thick through Schapelle’s veins. They had always been her lifeline, and dobbing in dad just wasn’t an option. She wasn’t going to ‘sing’ for anyone – there was way too much at stake.” Eamonn has spent the past three years interviewing relatives, friends and drug syndicate members, who all help to paint a picture of Mick Corby as an experienced smuggler who turned his daughter into a drug mule. “It was her father who packed these drugs into her bag,” he says. A family spokesperson told Woman’s Day Schapelle’s family would be making no comment on Sins Of The Father at this stage, while publisher Allen & Unwin kept the book under wraps until last week because of its claims.

The author says Mick had two convictions for possessing and using marijuana in 1973 and was openly selling the illicit drug as far back as the mid-70s, before graduating to smuggling as part of an international syndicate that stretched from Adelaide to Bali. He also says police seized 197 plants from the Queensland farm owned by Mick’s next-door neighbour, Tony Lewis – four weeks before Schapelle was arrested in Bali.

Read more about the Schapelle and claims in this new book in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale November 14, 2011.

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I escaped abuse and you can too!

I escaped abuse and you can too!

Danielle Guttridge is proof the tragic cycle of domestic violence can be broken.

Engulfed by laughter and the lively chatter of her three daughters, Danielle Guttridge is a picture of perfect calm and serenity. Danielle, 26, from Cootamundra in NSW, loves nothing better than to hear that happiest of sounds – little girls giggling at play. “It sure beats the years of tears,” she says, as her daughters Brooke, 9, Breanna, 7, and Aleisha, 6, play and run without fear of the next slap, raised voice or slamming door.

The happy moment isn’t lost on Danielle. Years of unspeakable terror, violence and mental anguish are finally over for her. “I’m living proof you can escape an abusive relationship and restore your life,” she says. “I just wish I’d had the courage to pick up the girls and leave earlier. Thankfully I finally did. “No man has the right to make you feel ugly, worthless or ashamed. No man has the right to hit you, ridicule or enslave you. No-one does.”

That’s the strong message Danielle will be sending on November 25 when Mission Australia hosts its annual White Ribbon Day. The White Ribbon Foundation’s primary aim is to prevent violence against women. “White Ribbon Day encourages men to take a stance against violence, by taking an oath swearing never to commit, excuse or remain silent about violence against women,” she says. Her words of wisdom, like many of life’s lessons, have been learned the hard way.

At just 15, Danielle fell in love with Trent* while babysitting for a friend at a house where he was staying. “And by 16 I had fallen pregnant to him,” she explains. “The mental abuse started pretty well straight away. He was always making derogatory comments, saying horrible things to put me down. If he thought I was planning on leaving, he would say, “Who would want to take you?”

Danielle hoped life with him would improve, but three children later the abuse continued. “He started taking drugs. I’d finally pluck up the courage to leave and then he’d ring and start crying, saying how he was going to stop taking drugs, how he’d make the effort to change,” she says.

To support White Ribbon Day on November 25, visit www.whiteribbon.org.au/myoath.

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Royal best friends: Kate and Camilla

Camilla Parker Bowles might not be everyone’s favourite royal, but Kate Middleton made her affection for William’s step-mother clear yesterday.

The Duchess of the Cambridge joined the Duchess of Cornwall at London’s Cenotaph for the country’s Remembrance Day ceremony.

Kate and Camilla — both dressed in sombre black — made their affection for each other clear, laughing and chatting during breaks in the event.

Camilla is said to have taken Kate under her wing before the royal wedding in April and regularly gives the younger duchess advice.

Kate and Camilla gossiped and giggled during every break in the ceremony.

The duchesses seemed delighted to catch up with each other.

Camilla is said to have taken Kate under her wing.

Camilla and Kate are reportedly very close, talking regularly.

Queen Elizabeth looked sombre at the Remembrance Day ceremony.

Kate looked stylish in a Diane von Furstenberg coat and hat by Jane Corbett.

Prince William taking part in the Remembrance Day ceremony.

The queen at the Cenotaph.

Kate also chatted animatedly to Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.

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Kate and William to be separated for six weeks

Kate and William to be separated for six weeks

Prince William and Kate Middleton at a charity gala in London last month.

Prince William and Kate Middleton will be forced to spend six weeks apart next year when William is posted to the Falkland Islands.

The Duke of Cambridge will complete a six-week tour of duty in the South Atlantic region in February 2012.

It will be the longest time William and Kate have spent apart since their brief split in 2007.

In pictures: Kate Middleton turns Grecian goddess at charity gala

Kate is understood to be very supportive of William’s career, considering herself “very much a military wife”.

William — or Flight Lieutenant Wales as he is known in the military — is an RAF search and rescue pilot and will be flying missions in Sea King helicopter during his deployment.

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict and William’s presence is expected to anger the Argentinean government, which asserts a territorial claim to the island despite defeat by British forces in 1982.

The British Ministry of Defence has stressed that William’s deployment is “routine” and the usual step for pilots at this stage in their career.

“The RAF can confirm that Flight Lieutenant William Wales, Search and Rescue Co-pilot, 22 Squadron, RAF Valley will complete a routine deployment to the Falkland Islands as part of a crew of four RAF personnel during the period February — March 2012,” a statement said.

In pictures: William and Kate meet Mary and Fred

“Flt Lt Wales is one of 38,000 RAF personnel, all of whom are regularly and routinely deployed abroad. It is part of the job A six week deployment to the Falklands is conventional for such pilots at this stage of their career.”

Your say: Do you think William should be allowed to serve in the military overseas?

Video: William and Kate’s new home

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The Weekly is Australia’s fastest-growing magazine

The Weekly is Australia's fastest-growing magazine

The cover of the current issue of The Australian Women's Weekly.

The Australian Women’s Weekly is not only the country’s most-read magazine — it’s also the fastest-growing.

The Weekly has had an incredible year, growing 5.9 percent to 2.34 million readers per month — up 131,000 from the same time year according to the latest Roy Morgan Readership Survey.

This amazing result is the biggest year-on-year rise of any Australian magazine title and confirms The Weekly’s position as Australia’s number one magazine.

In pictures: Retro Australian Women’s Weekly covers

The Weekly also remains the only magazine read by more than 2 million people per issue, leading the next most-read monthly magazine by more than 500,000 readers.

This is our best readership result since June 2008 and a credit to our editorial team’s dedication to bringing you the best news, features and recipes every month.

Your say: Who would you like to see on the cover of The Weekly next year?

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Kate Middleton turns Grecian goddess at gala

If Kate Middleton is upset about Prince William’s posting to the Falkland Islands, she wasn’t showing it last night.

The Duchess of Cambridge looked absolutely stunning in a silver Grecian-style gown as she and William hosted a charity dinner at St James’s Palace.

Kate and William seemed relaxed and happy at the event, and shot each other loving looks throughout the evening.

The gala was just hours after it was announced that William would be posted to the Falkland Islands for six weeks in February next year as part of his work as a search and rescue pilot.

Kate and William arrive at St James’s Palace for the event.

Kate looked relaxed and happy as she chatted to guests.

Kate shot several loving looks at William across the room.

Kate’s willowy figure perfectly suited her Grecian-style gown.

William spoke at the event, which was for the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal.

Kate and William wore red poppies in honour of Remembrance Day.

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Zahara gives paparazzi icy stare

Just as soon as they had landed they were off again! Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have packed up their brood of six and left Japan after just 48 hours in the country.

And it seems one of their children, six-year-old Zahara, wasn’t too happy about the constant travel. She gave waiting photographers an icy star as she boarded the plane with her parents and other siblings.

All of the Pitt Jolie clan clutched soft toys as they walked through the airport.

During their limited time in Tokyo the family visited famous local toy shops while Brad Pitt promoted his film Moneyball.

Zahara isn’t impressed with the wainting photographers at the airport.

Angelina ushers her children through the airport

Brad is close behind with Knox and Zahara.

Brad and Angelina looked red hot at the Moneyball premiere.

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George Clooney on sex, orgasms and farts

George Clooney

George Clooney © Getty

George Clooney has discussed losing his virginity, his first orgasm and his love of farts in a candid new interview.

The 50-year-old actor is usually guarded about his private life, but opened up in the interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

In pictures: George Clooney’s girls

Clooney revealed he lost his virginity at the age of 16, and now regrets taking such a big step before he was old enough to understand it.

“I was young, very young,” he told the magazine. “Too young.”

His first orgasm came much earlier and Clooney still remembers it more than 40 years later.

“I believe it was while climbing a rope when I was six or seven years old,” he said. “I mean, nothing came out, but all the other elements were there. I remember getting to the top of the rope, hanging off the rope, and going, ‘Oh, my God, this feels great!'”

Clooney also discussed his infamous sense of humour. The heartthrob is renowned for his love of pranks and juvenile jokes and says he still thinks there is nothing funnier than a fart.

“I think it’s one of the funniest things in the history of mankind,” he said. “Even the idea of a fart makes me laugh. Saying the word ‘fart’ makes me laugh. I have iFart on my phone. I have remote whoopee cushions. Farts. To me, there’s nothing funnier.”

In pictures: Hollywood’s biggest gentlemen

George is currently dating former professional wrestler Stacy Keibler after splitting from Italian model and TV presenter Elisabetta Canalis earlier this year.

Your say: Do you think George Clooney’s juvenile sense of humour makes him more or less appealing?

Video: George Clooney the prankster

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