Lucy in Disguise set to close?

An article I wrote whilst at Closer magazine, posted on closeronline on 18th July 2011.

We all watched Lily's foray into the world of retail with her sister, Sarah Owen last year, in the documentary "Rags to Riches".

On the documentary retail expert Mary Portas always thought their concept of renting out designer clothing is flawed.

Perhaps she has now been proved right, as now just ten months after the glamourous star- studded opening, the Covent Garden store is set to close.

They have apparently signed a lease for another permanent store, but no opening date has been fixed.

Instead the pair have opened a temporary pop up shop near Carnaby street, which has been described as a "last ditch attempt to save things".

Lily is adamantly denying the closure of the store, but with no set opening it all seems abit of a mystery. She later tweeted that stories of Lucy in Disguise clothing have been "deliberately misleading" and that the store has NOT closed, but just moved to a temporary store while they are waiting for their permanent premises.

Has Lily let things slip with the store? What with her recent wedding to Sam Cooper and her pregnancy she may want to concentrate on being healthy and chilled, unlike the tears and tantrums of last year. What will happen next? Guess we will have to wait and see....

Katie Price has had enough of quickies, apparently.

Jordan- known for her chaotic love life has shockingly vowed never to have a quickie marraige again.


Despite declaring her love for Argentine lover Leonardo Penna and stating her "perfect" she is determined not to repeat the mistakes of her previous relationships.


Katie Price has had many passionate and fiery relationships- from cage fighter and cross dresser Alex Reid, to loyal hunk Peter Andre and the seemingly innocent Gareth Gates- she sure has had her fair share of men.

Alex Reid.

Her last romance was on the rebound, when she drunkenly hooked up with Alex Reid just eight weeks after her relationship with Peter.

It was a whirlwind romance, within weeks of meeting Reid had moved into Katie's home and they were already declaring their love for each other.

Followed by a quickie Vegas wedding, she now admits that she rushed into marriage too quickly and is determined to make the same mistake again. "You can never predict the future, but I guarantee there will not be another Vegas wedding".  

Peter Andre.

Her perhaps most documented love affair was with the hunky, Peter Andre, whom she met on the reality show "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here!" We all watched as they fell in love in before our eyes and soon enough they soon moved in together and had two children, Junior and Princess Taamii.

Plus who could forget their big fat gypsy style wedding with Katie in a gigantic frothy dress and Pete wearing a white suit adorned with crystals- TOWIE eat your heart out.

However sadly it was not to be, when they called it quits after three and a  half years in 2009.



Gareth Gates.


Another "quickie" (so to speak) was the notorious Gareth Gates saga- when Jordan allegedly popped the innocent pop star's cherry. 


Jordan now looks back and regrets the fling, " it's terrible- I was still young, I was pregnant, I didn't have the dad around and just wanted to be loved. "



Dwight Yorke.


Dwight Yorke- the father of son Harvey was yet another turbulent relationship for the glamour girl. A rocky on/off relationship from the start, Jordan describes it as more like "drunken shags" than a "proper" relationship. 

When son Harvey was found to be blind, the couple got briefly back together again, only to spilt for good with Jordan raising Harvey as a single mum. 


Dane Bowers.

When Katie met Dane in a London nightclub back in 1998, she was sure she had found her soul mate in life. She claims, " within weeks of meeting him I was thinking at last I had found the man of my dreams, the man I wanted to marry". 

However, jealously  after two years eventually tore them apart. With Price suspecting her of cheating on him and Dane asking her to give up topless modelling- it was a romance not to last. Things turned nasty when Price fell pregnant with Bower's child and she had an abortion- resulting in her overdosing in painkillers. 


So can a leopard change its spots? How will the next chaper of Jordan's love life turn out? This time, at least, she is determined not to fall into the same trap, stating that there will be no quickie weddings for her. Even if her new boyfriend is perfect, she knows no- one can be that perfect, she says of Leandro-

" He's perfect at the moment but no-ones that perfect. There must be a vice, but I haven't found it".

So will Jordan resist her quickie habit- or will she succumb to her hot hunk's Leandro's charms? Only time can tell...

My article for Heatworld posted on 20th April, 2011. Enjoy :)

X

Warburtons Gluten Free Launch.

On January 21st I attended, or rather snuck in on,  the Warburton’s Gluten free event at the Covent Garden Hotel. Situated just over the road from Bauer headquarters, it would be rude not to have popped in! 

Another scrummy breakfast was on the cards, this time it was a selection of the much anticipated Warburton’s gluten free breads, teacakes and crumpets- including Phil Vickery's own bacon- which for the record was delicious!

The lovely Phil at the launch

Phil Vickery- I hear you call. What the devil was he doing there? 

Well, the celebrity chef has teamed up with Warburton’s to create the first mainstream gluten- free breads for people who suffer from Coeliac disease. 

Working closely both with Phil and Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with Coeliac disease, they have developed a range of breads, teacakes and crumpets all completely gluten and wheat free- so celiac’s  no longer have to miss out on what perhaps you and I take for granted. 

It has been recorded that one in 100 people in the UK are thought to suffer from Coeliac disease, however according to NICE (national institute of health and clinical excellence) only 10-15% are currently diagnosed. 

It’s a disease that we Britons know little about, even though there is over half a million people in the UK suffering from it. 

When Warburtons quizzed 3,000 people nationwide many Brits were unsure what the disease actually entailed, with 8% of people thinking a person with coeliac disease couldn’t eat salt, 6% thought it was a term for a first- time mother and 3% even thought it was the name of a religious cult! Hmm, not so great awareness then. 

Phil Vickery, celebrity chef and gluten- free food expert explains “There are more coeliacs in Britain than the population of Coventry and Hull combined- yet there remains much confusion about this disease”. 

However the good news is that research has shown Brits are willing to learn how to cook for people with coeliac disease.  

As Phil enthusiastically states, “the good news is that Brits are willing to learn about gluten- free and wheat – free dietary requirements of others and there is an increasing range of great- tasting food available to these people so they don’t have to miss out!” 

Not only are people willing to learn, but many are considering a wheat- free diet for themselves. With 18% of the population choosing to buy gluten/wheat free foods for themselves or their family, it is becoming a popular lifestyle choice. Mostly the young crowd, (25-34) year olds, are  likely to take up a gluten free and wheat free diet, whilst quite contradictorily it is the older generation (55+) who are the most aware of what coeliac disease is!  

So whilst gluten- free diets are becoming fashionable, I think the most important thing is that coeliacs can have greater access to gluten- free breads and can actually enjoy a piece of toast for breakfast or a tasty sandwich for lunch. 

The fact that Warburtons have launched a gluten and wheat free range across supermarkets means that there is a greater accessibility for coeliacs to taste good quality gluten free breads. 

Sarah Sleet, CEO of coeliac UK states that “Warburtons is the first major mainstream UK baker to launch a gluten- free and wheat free range and we’re delighted to see greater food choices becoming increasingly available to people with coeliac disease”. 

Do you suffer from Coeliac disease? Is it hard for you to find gluten- free products? Or perhaps much like me, had you not really heard of Coeliac disease before and didn't know the slightest what it was all about? 

I really did learn alot from the Gluten- free event, from chatting to the various guests, food editors and coealiac experts galore. Including Mr. Phil Vickery himself who was extremely enthusatic about the new venture, not to mention graciously welcoming- he even held my glass for me so I could eat my bacon sarnie!

 So let's hope this article has helped to demystify the stigma of gluten- free diets and if you want find out more check out the lovely Sarah's gluten-inspired blog @ 

http://glutenfreemee.wordpress.com/ for tasty recipes and know- how on living a gluten- free life, or perhaps try reading Phil Vickery's new recipe book Seriously good gluten free baking- which I received free in my goodie bag!

The full Warburtons range- available at a supermarket near you!

"Oops I did it again": Celebrity Scandals.

We probably think celebrities lead a perfect life. They seem to have it all, the flash car, designer clothes, the massive mansion, however they, just like everybody else manage to mess up! And when they do, there’s always a camera handy to capture their embarrassing moment! When will they learn, eh?

From serious public meltdowns, to celebrity mishaps Glamour takes you through the top celebrity scandals they would rather you not have seen….


1.“Cocaine Kate”

When the grainy pictures appeared in the Daily Mirror of “Cocaine Kate (Moss)”, they shocked the nation. The photos depicted a clearly drugged up Kate snorting a fat line of Coke for all to see. For years, rumours had circulated that Kate was a Class A drug user, but she had always denied it. However, the images made it plain to see that Kate not only did Cocaine, but was a practiced user too. Expertly chopping up the drugs for her rock star boyfriend Pete Doherty and his gang, she appears relaxed, openly using the drugs.
The incriminating images looked set to put an end to Kate Moss’s fabulous career, as Burberry, H&M, Rimmel and Chanel decided to axe her from their lucrative campaigns.

However, Kate came back stronger after the drugs incident, turning it around by sealing multi million deals with Long champ, Stella McCartney, Virgin mobile and Calvin Klein- earning her double than before the scandal!


2. Britney Spears Public Meltdown


In the 1990s, Britney Spears was a chart topping pop princess, who was known known for her sweet and innocent image. But then she hit the headlines when she suffered a very public meltdown.

The year 2007 marked a low point for Britney. After breaking up from her husband K-Fed, and losing a custody battle of her kids, Britney was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

A series of scandalous images emerged of the star that shocked, and worried the nation. From out partying with Paris Hilton, flashing her knickers to driving with her son Sean Preston on her lap, Britney seemed caught in a downward spiral.

Her erratic behaviour was clear for all to see when she rushed into an LA salon, grabbed a pair of clippers and shaved her long brown hair off completely. According to Steve Dennis, author of Britney biography Inside the Dream it was an act of rebellion. Fed up with being told what to do all the time, she shaved her head as a way of rebelling against her sanitised pop identity. Dennis suggests:

“What better way to rid herself of the performer's identity than by losing the very hair she famous for - sabotaging the act to free the person?”

The star swiftly checked herself into a rehab clinic- only to check herself out a mere 24 hours later!

Now, after a turbulent few years, Britney appears to have her life and career back on track. She released her sixth studio album Circus, which was an instant smash hit, with single Womanizer topping the charts all over the world. With various projects in the pipeline, the future looks bright for Britters!


3. Kerry Katona meltdown on This Morning.

Kerry Katona, was once a fresh faced pop star and one third of successful band Atomic Kitten. But she’s better known now for her scandalous personal life and drug-fuelled erratic behaviour.

Things came to a head, when Kerry appeared in an interview for ITV’s This Morning programme back in 2008. Repeatedly slurring her words, Kerry appeared under the influence of drugs or alcohol. She seemed so out of it that interviewers Phillip and Fern could not ignore the state she was in. They questioned if she had been drinking, but this only angered the dazed star who insisted the only thing that had passed her lips that morning was cups of tea. She claimed that the reason for her slurred speech was a side effect of prescription sleeping tablets she had taken late the previous night.

The interview shocked the nation, Kerry later stating that she was “nationally embarrassed” by the whole episode. She claimed that she was upset that This Morning jumped to the conclusion that she had been drinking, rather than ask her about her mental illness and medication.

However, after a turbulent few years Kerry is back on track with her life looking happier and healthier than ever before. Now separated from hubbie Mark Croft and newly signed to a new agency she looks set to be back on TV this year.


4. Vanessa Hudgens nude photo scandal.

Vanessa Hudgens, famous for her sweet fresh faced High School Musical character Gabriella, shocked the nation when naughty nude pictures of her surfaced on the internet. Posed provocatively for her boyfriend co- star Zac Effron and wearing little else apart from a gold chain, the star was left red faced when the sexy images were leaked onto the internet. Vanessa believed the shots would remain private forever - for her and her boyfriend eyes only. But she was totally wrong when multiple racy nude pictures appeared on the net.

The images look set to tarnish her squeaky clean persona and they have brought controversy to the whole High School Musical phenomenon sweeping America. Vanessa swiftly apologised for her “lapse in judgement” stating that the images were a stupid mistake and that she regrets ever taking them.

But in 2009, yet more racy pictures of the star emerged; this time from when she was only 17. This caused people to wonder - okay once is a mistake…but twice? Was it all a big publicity stunt to break free from the sweet, innocent image of HSM? As for HSM IV she is unlikely to have a starring role, now she has made sure at least she has one starring role- and a sexy one at that!



5. Paris Hilton: “One night in Paris” Video shocker

A little known Paris Hilton shot to fame and stardom in after a graphic sex video from 2003 surfaced on the internet of her and her then boyfriend Rick Soloman frolicking on a mattress. At first Paris denied the existence of the tape, calling Rick a liar and a scumbag. However, it soon became clear that the tape was all too real when it began circling the internet.

The Hilton family were outraged. They threatened Soloman with legal action and attempted to ban the video. Meanwhile, Paris portrayed herself as the innocent victim, who was deeply embarrassed and humiliated by the whole thing.

However, Paris is never one to miss a business opportunity and she turned the bad press around by using it to further her career. The notorious sex tape shot her to a whole new level of fame, with numerous book deals, magazine covers and her own MTV reality series with pal Nicole Ritchie, “The Simple Life”. As for the tape, this became an overnight sensation on the internet and Hilton now owns the rights to it.


Whilst the celebrity scandals at first cause embarrassment, threatening to ruin careers, a risqué moment in the headlines never does any long- term harm. In fact, the attention gained from the scandals often creates a new lease of life for the stars’ careers, making them more successful than they were before!