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The Queen’s fury: Pippa Middleton linked to married man

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The Queen's fury: Pippa Middleton linked to married man

Claims about the newly single royal in-law cause a stir behind palace walls.

Chatting to wealthy young businessman Ben Goldsmith at a fundraising evening with London’s high-society set, Pippa Middleton drew glances not only for her form-fitting dress by Dannii Minogue’s Project D label, but for the fact that she and her fellow partygoer seemed “spellbound” by each other. At the time, the royal sister-in-law was all but engaged to English banker and former cricketer Alex Loudon, while Ben was a married father of three young children.

How things can change! Just two months later, Pippa, 28, is one of the world’s most eligible women, with Alex having abruptly ended their one-and-a-half year relationship. Meanwhile, Ben has had to defend his marriage to his wife of eight years, Kate. These events have sparked media controversy, with an insider claiming in US magazine In Touch that it was Pippa’s close friendship with Ben – the 31-year-old brother of Jemima Khan – that’s been a key factor in both cases.

“Pippa’s increasingly flirtatious relationship with Ben is why Alex must have broken off his engagement with Pippa,” the source claims to In Touch, adding that the pair are in constant contact. “Pippa and Ben are regularly calling, texting and having dinners together,” the insider claims. However, UK newspaper the Daily Mail  has rubbished the story, quoting a friend who says, “Ben met Pippa at a cricket match and thought she was charming but they have never been for dinner or spoken on the phone.” The friend also insists Ben will spend Christmas with his wife and kids in Somerset.

And now Pippa has been spotted on an intimate dinner with yet another ex-boyfriend, banking heir JJ Jardine-Paterson, whom she dated for three years before Alex. Nevertheless, the reports of Pippa’s friendship with a married man have already ruffled feathers among the royal family, with the Queen in particular said to be less than pleased that the media obsession with party-loving Pippa and her flirty antics could tarnish the Windsor name.

Read more about why Pippa is a problem for the Royal family, plus read about how Prince William and Kate Middleton plan to spend their first Christmas as a married couple together in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale December 19, 2011.

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VIDEO: ‘Pageants are like drugs’ mum says

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VIDEO: 'Pageants are like drugs' mum says

It’s well known that beauty pageant mums are quite competitive but one mum in the US has likened the experience to doing drugs.

The mum from Michigan named Kelly appeared the on the TLC show Toddlers in Tiaras in the US on Wednesday night.

“We do pageants because they’re fun and addicting,” she said.

“Pageants are just like drugs or alcohol. You do drugs because you want to get high. You do pageants because you want to win.”

And as scenes from the episode played out it is clear that she fully believes in this statement.

Kelly started the show on a high, as she prepared her two-year-old daughter Natalie for the show. But when things didn’t go her way, it turned ugly.

“Shut the front door!” Kelly said in shock when the results didn’t favour her little girl.

“Let’s go. This is a f—ing joke! Leave the crown on the chair. Let’s go!”

Watch Kelly in the video player above.

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Molly Meldrum remains critically injured

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Molly Meldrum remains critically injured

Molly Meldrum remains in a critical condition in Melbourne’s The Alfred Hospital after falling at his Melbourne home on Thursday night.

The Director of Neurosurgery at The Alfred Hospital, Jeffrey Rosenfeld, has given an update on his condition saying that it’s a matter of “life and death”.

Molly, 65-years-old, broke several ribs, punctured a lung and cracked the back of his head which led to bleeding on his brain.

Watch Dr Jeffrey Rosenfeld’s update in the video player above.

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Harper Beckham is being showered with Christmas gifts

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Harper Beckham is being showered with Christmas gifts

It’s not unusual for a new celebrity baby to be sent presents from fans of mum and dad. But things may be getting out of control for baby Harper Beckham, who is apparently being sent several bag loads a day packed with pretty packages!

A family friend of Posh and Becks says that Christmas is getting out of control for the Beckhams.

“Mostly, it all arrives to Victoria’s office address or at David or Victoria’s publicist’s offices. But there’s so much, they keep getting calls from staffers wanting to know what to do with it all! It’s completely jamming up their offices,” a friend close to the couple told Woman’s Day.

So, what are fans sending Harper?

“Mostly toys and rattles or little booties and cute girly outfits and blankets,” said the friend. “It’s crazy because this never happened with the boys. I guess people are just going wild with the idea of helping David and Victoria spoil their only little girl!”

Of course, the Beckham’s three boys Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, aren’t so happy to hear the world is sending their baby sister so many surprises — and leaving them out totally!

“It’s not that they want her toys, of course. They just find it hard to understand why they care about the baby so much and not them at all, you know? But Victoria handled it like a well-seasoned mum. She told everyone to calm down, since no one was getting the gifts. She has instructed everything to be donated to a charity for single mothers!”

This isn’t out of character for the designer mum, in fact, when she first announced she was having a girl and was showered with baby gifts, she and David donated the extra gifts to a local charity store in LA. This time, at least one truck full of items have been given away.

“And there should be at least another truck full or two coming before the holidays are over! Funny, we’re supposed to be in a recession, but people somehow have money to buy gifts for a baby they’ve never met and is born to two of the richest and most famous people in the world,” said a pal. “Just think how bad it’s going to be when the royals have their baby! I can’t even imagine!”

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The ability to love begins earlier than you think

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The ability to love begins earlier than you think

Image: Getty, posed by models

The ability to trust, love and resolve conflict with loved ones starts much earlier than you think.

In fact, a new review of the literature in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, found that these abilities start in early childhood.

Psychologist Jeffry A. Simpson, one of the authors of the paper from the University of Minnesota, said the first 12 to 18 months of a child’s life are crucial to this development.

“Your interpersonal experiences with your mother during the first 12 to 18 months of life predict your behaviour in romantic relationships 20 years later,” he said.

“Before you can remember, before you have language to describe it, and in ways you aren’t aware of, implicit attitudes get encoded into the mind.”

While these attitudes can change throughout life with new relationships, in times of stress old patterns often reassert themselves.

The study reviewed 75 children of low-income mothers, which were assessed from birth into their early 30s. The subject’s relationships with their close friends and romantic partners were monitored.

As infants, the subjects and their mothers were put into strange or stressful situations to test how they were bonded.

Now that the children are adults they return regularly for assessments of their emotional and social development. The review focuses on their skills and resilience in working through conflicts with school peers, teenage best friends, and finally, love partners.

The review found that those who were mistreated as infants become a defensive arguer, while the baby whose mum was attentive and supportive works through problems, keeping in mind the feelings of the other person.

“People find a coherent, adaptive way, as best as they can, to respond to their current environments based on what’s happened to them in the past,” Simpson said.

The idea that what happens to you as an infant affects you as an adult isn’t such a new idea in psychology, but solid evidence backing this up is needed.

This is what Simpson and his colleagues, W. Andrew Collins and Jessica E. Salvatore, are investigating the links between mother-infant relationships and later love partnerships as part of the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation.

“Psychologists started off thinking there was a lot of continuity in a person’s traits and behaviour over time,” Simpson said.

Simpson said that the research has found a “weak but important thread” between infants relationship with their mother and a 20-year-old’s relationship with their partner.

“One thing has struck us over the years: It’s often harder to find evidence for stable continuity than for change on many measures,” Simpson said.

Simpson said although the link is prominent, if one is able to talk about the past and get involved with a committed, trustworthy partner, they may be able to “revise your models and calibrate your behaviour differently.”

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Dr Katrina Warren answers your pet questions

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Dr Katrina Warren

Do you have a question about your pet? Leading pet expert Dr Katrina Warren answers Woman’s Day reader’s questions about their problem pets.

Question: How do I get my dog to stop barking while I’m not at home?

Katrina says:

I would try a citronella anti-barking collar. These collars have a little box that squirts citronella each time a dog barks. It doesn’t hurt the dog at all, but most dogs do not like the smell, and so they quickly learn to stop barking to avoid the citronella. They are not suitable for very small dogs.

I would also increase the amount of exercise that you give your dog, so that he/she is tired and more likely to sleep in your absence. Consider hiring a dog walker to take him/her out for an hour. Give your dog lots of things to do while you are gone, such as safe toys to chew on. An idea is a hollow Kong toy that you can stuff with food and freeze.

Question: I’ve got a really large dog and I’m finding it hard to walk him as he’s really strong and tends to drag me as soon as we leave the house, he goes a little crazy and is super excited but after walking down the street he calms down. What can I do to calm him down at the start of walks and get him to walk beside me?

Katrina says:

You and your dog would benefit greatly from joining a dog training club and doing regular obedience lessons. I also recommend that you use a product like a Gentle Leader or Halti — which you can easily find online. These are similar to head collars that are used with horses and they give you much more control when walking your dog. They need to be fitted properly and take a little while for dogs to get used to, but they are well worth it.

Question: How do you know which breed of dog is right for you and your family?

Katrina says:

It really depends on your individual circumstances but it is important to look at your lifestyle and figure out how much time you have to spend on exercise, training and grooming. Consider the breed over the size of the dog. For example, some of the smaller dogs like Jack Russells or Fox Terriers are extremely active and need a lot of exercise.

Here is a link to a website that allows you to put in your criteria and it will give you some suggestions on how to choose the perfect dog for you: www.pawclub.com.au

Question: I have a dog who gets jealous when I give attention to other animals. He jumps up on me reminding me that he needs attention too. How can I stop him being so jealous?

Katrina says:

The best thing would to be to get a professional trainer to come to your house and help you with some simple tips. I would also go back to the very basics of training and work on teaching your dog the commands of sit, stay and drop. You need to be constantly rewarding him with treats for doing the right thing, and practise over and over so that he knows there are treats up for grabs all the time. When he jumps up, he must be asked to sit or drop and then he needs to get a treat. He must not get any attention or treats until he sits or lies down. You could also look at teaching him to go to a mat or bed in return for a treat or something yummy to chew on.

Make sure all your pets get individual time with you and if it is easier, you may want to put him outside with something else to do (such as chew on a raw bone), during the time you want to interact with your other pets.

Question: My pup is a really fussy eater and refuses to eat dog food. Is there something I can cook up for him myself?

Katrina says:

It can be difficult, but not impossible to cook up a completely balanced diet for your dog. Remember, dogs are omnivores and require a mixture of proteins and carbohydrates. I am not sure how old your dog is, but it would be best to discuss the nutritional requirements for the life stage of your dog with your vet, before you do all the cooking yourself.

Your dog will still need some hard food in the diet to help look after his teeth and gums— raw bones and dry food are good for this. If you would like to try to get him to eat some dog food, I recommend the premium brands of dry food. You could try mixing the dry food with some warm chicken broth or juice from cooked mince, as this will add some flavour.

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Charles and Camilla coming to Australia

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Charles and Camilla coming to Australia

Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton at Zara Phillips' wedding in July.

We were hoping for William and Kate, but the palace has confirmed Prince Charles and Camilla will visit Australia next year as part of the queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

To mark Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years on the throne, members of the royal family will visit every realm, Commonwealth Country, Crown Dependency and British Overseas Territory.

In pictures: Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Australia

Charles and his wife will tour Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The heir to the throne will also travel to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man alone.

Prince William and Kate, who were rumoured to be coming Down Under, will instead tour Malaysia, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Party-loving Prince Harry is likely to be very happy with his itinerary, which includes Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.

Prince Andrew will visit India, while Prince Edward and his wife Sophie will tour Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Gibraltar, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

Princess Anne will travel to Mozambique and Zambia, Prince Michael of Kent the Falkland Islands and Uganda, and the Duke of Gloucester the British Virgin Islands and Malta.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip will stay closer to home, touring the UK including trips to Wales, Scotland and multiple destinations in England.

In pictures: Previous royal visits to Australia

The monarch and her husband completed a very successful tour of Australia earlier this year, which included visits to Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

Your say: Which member of the royal family would you like to see in Australia?

Video: William and Kate’s new home

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Naomi Watts overtakes Nicole and Hugh on rich list

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Naomi Watts is Australia's richest actress

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts has overtaken Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe to become Australia’s highest-earning actor.

Naomi is number three on BRW’s Top 50 Entertainers List, valued at $19.1 million. Her wealth has increased by $8.2 million since last year, when she came seventh on the list.

In pictures: The best dresses of 2011

Nicole’s worth also dramatically increased, from $9.6 million last year to $18.6 million this year, putting her in fifth place.

Despite Naomi and Nicole’s massive increases in wealth, the total earnings of BRW’s Top 50 Entertainers List are down by 29 per cent this year to $409.7 million from $579.5 million last year.

Global Creatures — the production company behind Walking With Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular — remains at the top of the list, despite its earnings almost halving in the past 12 months.

The Wiggles took second place, with earnings of $28.2 million and music promoter Michael Gudinski took out fourth place.

Naomi has had a busy year professionally. She appeared in three big-budget films — Dream House, starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz; J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Clint Eastwood; and The Impossible, starring Ewan McGregor.

In pictures: Gender-bending actresses

Video: Naomi Watts talks about love, family and her career

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Too tired for school? Chronic fatigue could be to blame

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Too tired for school? Chronic fatigue could be to blame

For many parents, getting kids out of bed and ready for school is a daily battle, but new research suggests tired children aren’t just being lazy — they could have chronic fatigue syndrome.

Researchers at Bristol University in the UK found that many children who were too tired to go to school had the condition.

Related: Parents DO have a favourite child

The study found that around one in 100 UK children had the controversial condition, but that two-thirds of those made “rapid progress” and stopped missing so many school days after being diagnosed and treated.

Researchers studied children aged 11 to 16 years who missed school time for “unexplained reasons”.

They found that 461 of 2,855 children enrolled at three schools had missed more than 20 percent of school in a term.

Of those 461 absent children, 315 had known reasons for missing school. Of the remaining 146 with unexplained absences, 42 were referred to a specialist clinic and 23 were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Including five children who were already diagnosed with chronic fatigue, 28 of the 2,855 kids at the school have the syndrome, which represents one percent of the total sample size.

Researchers checked the progress of 19 newly-diagnosed chronic fatigue sufferers and found that six had fully recovered after six weeks, and a further six had fully recovered after six months.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalitis or ME, can affect children as young as five.

Sufferers report extreme tiredness, lethargy and flu-like symptoms, which are possibly triggered by a viral infection.

There is no cure for the syndrome, but exercise and other therapies can help manage the symptoms.

Related: School starts too early, study finds

The study was published in the current issue of BMJ Open.

Your say: Do you struggle to get your kids up in the morning?

Video: Horror parenting stories

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Jennifer Lopez to sell jewellery from Marc Anthony

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Jennifer Lopez to sell jewellery from Marc Anthony

As the divorce settlement of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony nears, it seems Lopez is well and truly making a fresh start.

Already dating a new, younger man, back-up dancer Casper Smart, the singer is now quietly selling off all the jewellery that her estranged husband gave her throughout their relationship — and there’s a lot!

The sale also includes the 42-year-old’s $4 million engagement ring, the The Chicago Sun Times reported.

The engagement ring is one of the priciest pieces in her collection as it has a rare blue 8.5 carat diamond within it.

The singer is also giving away clothes that Anthony brought her during their romance and marriage of seven years.

An unnamed friend of Lopez told that paper that she has always done this when moving on, not only from an ex, but when detaching herself from former employees and unhealthy friendships.

“‘It was true when she split with Ben [Affleck], Diddy [Sean Combs] and obviously Ojani Noa,” the source said.

“When Jennifer moves on, she totally moves on.”

The unnamed source went on to say that they wouldn’t be surprised if she did the same thing to Smart.

“[Casper Smart] will likely discover he will ‘disappear’ when she tires of him too,” the source said.

Although she is cleaning things out, Lopez is said to be keeping items that were given to her and Anthony’s three-year-old twins Max and Emme.

The jewellery sale comes after reports that Anthony has banned his ex-wife’s new boyfriend from driving the children around because of his bad driving record.

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