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Sofia Vergara engaged: reports

Sofia Vergara engaged: reports

Sofia Vergara and Nick Loeb together in Mexico.

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara is reportedly engaged to businessman Nick Loeb.

The pair, who have been dating since 2010, split up just two months ago. But things have obviously changed, with the pair said to have rekindled their romance in June.

Loeb accompanied the actress and her friends to Mexico where she celebrated her 40th birthday.

People magazine cites a source that says Loeb popped the question while Vergara and her group of friends were visiting the Mayan archeological ruins of Chichen Itza.

On Monday night Vergara was spotted wearing a large diamond sparkler while toasting champagne with her close friend Fernando Fiore, who posted a picture of the pair to his Twitter account.

There is still no official word from either Vergara or Loeb’s representatives.

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Is it over? Melanie Griffith steps out without wedding ring

Is it over? Melanie Griffith steps out without wedding ring

Are Melanie Griffith and Antonia Banderas the next celebrity couple heading for the divorce court?

As reported in Woman’s Day in April 2012, the couple were on the brink of a $50 million divorce after video footage of Banderas cuddling up to a mystery blonde surfaced.

Now, Melanie has stepped out in Hollywood without her wedding ring.

The actress — who has been married to Banderas for 15 years — wore a round diamond ring on her middle finger instead of her square-cut engagement ring.

In April, Banderas was spotted partying with a mystery blonde in a Cancun night club.

“They kissed more than once,” a witness told Woman’s Day.

“At 2am, Antonio and his beautiful blonde left together.”

An insider revealed to Woman’s Day that Melanie was well aware of what went on in Cancun and chose to “tolerate it”.

“Melanie knows about it,” says the source. “She knew about it almost right after it happened. It doesn’t make her happy … but she tolerates it as long as Antonio comes home to her.”

But by the looks of things, Melanie may now have had enough.

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Toast left by Charles on his 1981 wedding day goes up for sale

Toast left by Charles on his 1981 wedding day goes up for sale

Prince Charles and the toast he left uneaten on his wedding day 31 years ago.

A slice of toast left uneaten by Prince Charles on the morning of his wedding to Princess Diana is going under the hammer in the UK.

Despite being more than 30 years old, the bread — crusts cut off, of course — is expected to sell for more than $760.

The slice was one of several served up to Charles in Buckingham Palace in 1981, as he dressed for his wedding ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral.

In pictures: Love match for William and Kate at Wimbledon

The nervous prince couldn’t finish his breakfast and the piece of toast was taken as a keepsake by Rosemarie Smith, who was invited to the palace that morning by her daughter, who worked as a royal maid.

“At the time my daughter was a maid at the palace and one of her duties was to collect Prince Charles’s breakfast tray from outside his room,” Rosemarie told the UK’s Sun newspaper.

“I was with her in the corridor and saw that Prince Charles had left some toast on the tray. I had been thinking about a keepsake from the wedding and saw the toast and thought to myself: ‘Why not?'”

Related: Kate Middleton mocked as gold-digger in bizarre ad

The quirky item will be sold Charles Hanson Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbyshire, on July 19.

“It must be the world’s upper-crust slice of toast,” auctioneer Charles Hanson said. “It witnessed Prince Charles in private on the morning of his big day and to a royalist collector it provides an added dimension to the royalist history.”

Video: Kate Middleton’s bikini diet

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Cruise and Holmes reach divorce settlement

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

It has taken less than two weeks, but Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise have reached a “private” divorce settlement, both vowing that their main priority is to protect their daughter, Suri.

While the details of the settlement have remained private, Radar Online are reporting that Holmes will have primary custody of the pair’s six-year-old while Cruise will have extended, generous visitation rights.

“The case has been settled and the agreement has been signed,” Holmes’ lawyer Jonathan Wolfe said.

“We are thrilled for Katie and her family and are excited to watch as she embarks on the next chapter of her life.”

In a joint statement, the pair said they wished to do what was in the best interest of Suri, after Holmes filed for divorce following five years of marriage.

“We are committed to working together as parents to accomplish what is in our daughter Suri’s best interests,” the statement said.

“We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other’s commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other’s roles as parents.”

It is understood that the pair’s high-profile lawyers have been negotiating throughout the week to reach a settlement.

“We thank Tom’s counsel for their professionalism and diligence that helped bring about this speedy resolution,” Holmes’ lawyer Wolfe said.

Holmes will continue to live in New York with Suri while Cruise, who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, has returned home to Beverly Hills after he finished shooting Oblivion in Iceland.

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Healthier kids grow up with a pet dog

Healthier kids grow up with a pet dog

Children who grow up with dogs are healthier throughout their life, a study in Finland has found.

Kuopio University Hospital researchers have found that children who are exposed to dogs in the first year of their life had fewer infections.

Researchers studied children in their first year and found those with a canine at home developed 31 percent fewer respiratory tract symptoms or infections, 44 percent fewer ear infections and required 29 percent fewer antibiotic prescriptions, MyHealthNewsDaily reported.

“We speculated that maybe the dogs somehow can bring dirt or soil inside the house, and then the immune system is strengthened, or maybe it’s something about the animals themselves,” lead researcher Dr Eija Bergroth said.

Of the 397 children involved in the study, 35 percent lived in a home with a dog, while 24 percent lived in homes with cats. Researchers also took into account children’s contact with pets outside of their home.

The study also found that contact with cats was linked to fewer infections in children, although the reduced risk of infection was not as prevalent as for children living with dogs. Infants living with cats were 2 percent less likely to need antibiotics than infants living without pets.

The link between pets and fewer infections in children was strong even when researchers took in account the factors that affect children’s infection rates, such as breastfeeding and the number of siblings they have.

Researcher said that they couldn’t account for all factors, and said that they found a correlation, not a cause-and-effect relationship.

“According to our results, there’s no reason to be afraid of animal contact, or to avoid them,” Dr Bergroth said.

Dr Bergroth said that although parents want to create a hygienic environment for their new born children, this may not be the best option as it doesn’t challenge their immune system.

Dr Bergroth noted that the study results may not translate to urban children as the children studied lived in rural or suburban areas. She also noted that urban pets may not track in the same dirt.

The research supported the “hygiene hypothesis”, an accepted theory that suggested that children exposed to extremely clean environments are more likely to develop allergies and asthma.

Dr Bergroth said she hoped the research will stop people from thinking that if “they’re having children, they should get rid of animals”.

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Katie Holmes wins sole custody of daughter Suri Cruise

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have settled their highly-publicised divorce out of court, with the actress reportedly getting sole custody of daughter Suri.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have settled their highly-publicised divorce out of court, with the actress reportedly getting sole custody of daughter Suri.

Tom, 50, and Katie, 33, met in New York yesterday to hammer out the details of their split and Katie’s lawyer confirmed they had reached agreement just hours later.

“This case has been settled and the agreement has been signed,” Wolfe told gossip website TMZ. “We are thrilled for Katie and her family and are excited to watch as she embarks on the next chapter of her life.

“We thank Tom’s counsel for their professionalism and diligence that helped bring about this speedy resolution.”

Katie will reportedly have sole residential custody of Suri, six, but Tom will get “significant custodial time” with his daughter.

The divorce agreement also reportedly bans Tom and Katie from discussing religion with Suri, an apparent reference to Katie’s fears that Tom was brainwashing the girl into following his bizarre religion Scientology.

A further indication that Scientology was involved in the split came in Tom and Katie’s joint statement, released shortly after the divorce settlement was signed.

While reiterating that Suri was the couple’s top priority and asking for privacy, the statement also claimed that both Tom and Katie “respected” each other’s religious beliefs.

“We are committed to working together as parents to accomplish what is in our daughter Suri’s best interests,” the statement read.

“We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other’s commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other’s roles as parents.”

Katie will reportedly walk away from the marriage with a portion of the couple’s sizeable property portfolio, significant child support payments and a “good will payment” of several million dollars as a reward for the speedy settlement.

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New yummy celebrity mummies

Whether they are welcoming a newborn, adopting or announcing a pregnancy, celebrity mums are everywhere! Leading the pack is Kourtney Kardashian who welcomed a baby girl named Penelope Scotland Disick on Sunday July 8.

Sienna Miller also welcomed a baby girl over the weekend naming her Marlow. Meanwhile, Alyson Hannigan is celebrating her new daughter, Keeva Jane and stunning supermodel mum-of-two, Alessandra Ambrosio who welcomed son Noah Phoenix on May 7, is already proudly showing off her post-baby body.

Lily Allen has recently announced she is expecting her second child. So, we can certainly expect to see some cute kids running around Hollywood very soon!

Alyson out and about celebrating the 4th of July with daughter Keeva Jane.

Alessandra seen out on the 4th of July with newborn son, Noah.

Kourtney gave birth to a beautiful girl named Penelope.

Sienna recently gave birth to a baby girl.

Lily Allen pregnant with her first child back in 2011.

Charlize Theron’s very cute adopted son Jackson.

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Tom Cruise and his team hit crisis mode

Tom Cruise and his team hit crisis mode

Tom Cruise and his team are no longer in Cruise control — they’re in crisis mode.

A source close to the 50-year-old star told Us Weekly that since his estranged wife Katie Holmes announced she was filing for divorce and applying for full custody of daughter Suri on June 28, Cruise’s life “has been torn apart”.

“He is on the phone with his lawyers 24/7,” the unnamed source said.

The source also said that while he is seeking top legal advice, Cruise is trying to avoid going to court over custody, child support or property division.

Cruise’s desire not to go to court could have a lot to do with his strong ties to the Church of Scientology and doesn’t want “his entire life laid out for everyone to dissect anymore,” the source said.

Meanwhile, People magazine is reporting that while Holmes was planning her escape from scientology, she was also preparing for a new production, playing the role of a single mother.

She has co-written the film, titled Molly, which will start shooting in New York next month with Holmes in the lead role.

Other projects she has coming up include Responsible Adults with Chace Crawford and she will be promoting her Holmes & Yang fashion line at New York’s Fashion Week for the first time since it launched in 2009.

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Katie’s kidnap fears

Katie's kidnap fears

She is free of her husband, but the actress now lives in terror of something far more sinister.

Katie Holmes turns to her security chief, who is leading her new team of five highly trained bodyguards, and asks the same question she’s already asked three times that morning: “Are they still out there?”

It’s no wonder Katie is frightened. The New York apartment she holed up in after filing for divorce from Tom Cruise was supposed to be her haven. But now it’s being staked out by two mysterious burly men inside SUVs with darkened windows. The men wear permanent scowls and each has an earpiece in one ear and a mobile phone pressed to the other.

Some reports suggest they’re armed. The licence plates are from Tennessee, the home of a Scientology base and “celebrity centre”. At first glance outsiders might find it hard to take Scientology – with its stories of ancient alien wars and bizarre sci-fi babble language – seriously. But those who have crossed the church in the past can understand only too well why Katie, 33, is terrified of being stalked, kidnapped and perhaps even worse.

A former Scientologist, who played a leading role in the church for almost 10 years before leaving 18 months ago, agreed to speak to Woman’s Day on condition of anonymity. “Katie has never been liked or trusted by the top tier of Scientology leadership,” she explains. “But now she’s enemy number one as far as they’re concerned. She has been downgraded to a minus 40 on the ‘tone scale’ – that’s the lowest value that a person’s soul can be given. Lower than a person who has died or even a paedophile. I am scared for what they might do to Katie.”

Read more about Katie’s fears as well as Tom’s fighting words in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 9, 2012.

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Charlene and Albert…and they said it wouldn’t last!

Charlene and Albert...and they said it wouldn't last!

Despite speculation it was never meant to be, Monaco’s “runaway bride” looks radiant as she celebrates her first wedding anniversary.

This time last year, she was dubbed “Her Miserable Highness” and “Runaway Bride” after three alleged attempts to flee Monaco in the weeks leading up to what should have been the happiest day of her life.

But a year on from Charlene Wittstock’s tear-stained $75 million wedding to Prince Albert II – a wedding that was nearly overshadowed by sensational allegations that the groom had a lover who was pregnant with his third illegitimate child – it seems the blonde princess has finally found her fairytale ending.

The stunning Zimbabwe-born Charlene, a former South African Olympic swimmer, is clearly enjoying royal life far more these days. While Princess Charlene hails from a down-to-earth family a world removed from the aristocratic and glamorous Grimaldis, she’s now at ease in her marriage to the ruler of Monaco.

Whether she’s looking radiant and relaxed at a glamorous Jubilee lunch at Windsor Castle, or laughing her way through a sleigh ride in Finnish Lapland, the statuesque princess appears to have settled into her spot in the global limelight. And through it all, Charlene, 34, has had her prince by her side.

Read more about Princess Charlene in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday July 9, 2012.

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