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Loose Women panellist Brenda Edwards opened up on a brand new career opportunity she’s working on that is worlds away from her position on the ITV daytime programme

Brenda Edwards was thrilled to announce her debut directing role for Hairspray: The Musical on Tuesday’s edition of Loose Women.

“I am excited because I’ve been offered by the producers of Hairspray my debut director role to direct Hairspray: The musical next year,” Brenda said before admitting to suffering from “imposter syndrome”.

“I’ve played the role of Motormouth for like five years in this particular production and it was very overwhelming to be asked,” she continued. “At the time, when they asked me I thought about it and, at the end of the day, I am a product of an open audition so I suggested to them that I wanted to conduct open auditions to give opportunities and chances to people who might not necessarily have them.”

Brenda, who has previously played “Motormouth” Maybelle in three tours of Hairspray, will join the creative team alongside Paul Kerryson to direct a new production of Hairspray which will embark on a major national UK and Ireland tour in 2024.

Brenda has played ‘Motormouth’ Maybelle in three tours of Hairspray ( 
Image:
ITV)

Speaking about her new role, Brenda said:“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be invited by the producers to make my directorial debut on the show as a co-director with Paul Kerryson. Hairspray, and this production in particular, has been such a huge part of my life. The show’s story and themes are as relevant as ever and I cannot wait to hold the open auditions to discover a new cast and work together to present a vibrant new production of this timeless musical for everyone to enjoy.”

Composer and Co-Lyricist Marc Shaiman said: “Brenda Edwards has been a part of the Hairspray family since she took on the role of “Motormouth” Maybelle in 2015 and hearing that she is co-directing the latest tour is music to my ears. The strength and soul that Brenda brings to both her performances and her life have already made me a fan and I hope a friend for life, and I can’t wait to see how she brings her personal perspective to our show. Brava Brenda!”

Strictly Come Dancing’s Gorka Marquez took to social media to share with fans the lavish birthday celebrations for contestant Angela Rippon as she turns 79 years old

As she waltzed her way along the dance floor a few weeks ago, you could be forgiven for thinking that Angela Rippon was still in her youth.

And although she remains in the running to win Strictly Come Dancing this year, the reality of her age was brought to light after Strictly pro Gorka Marquez posted a video on his social media to celebrate her 79th birthday. Angela’s high kick during one of her earlier performances left both viewers and the judging panel in awe, and on Loose Women earlier this week, lead judge Shirley Ballas claimed that she couldn’t even attempt the move.

Strictly’s Angela Rippon celebrated her 79th birthday ( 
Image:
gorka_marquez/Instagram)

Angela and her partner Kai ( 
Image:
BBC/Ray Burmiston)

In the video, Angela is seen being presented with what looked like a vanilla cake as the crowd in the marquee tent sang Happy Birthday. Angela turned 79 on Thursday this week and her Strictly pro dancer Kai Widdrington was one of the first to pay tribute to the legendary former newsreader.

Taking to social media he wrote: “Happy birthday to my wonderful dance partner in crime @theangelarippon you are one of the most amazing women I’ve ever had the pleasure to know and it’s my honour to get to dance with you every day.” And Tyler West also said: “Happy birthday ange!!!! @theangelarippon ” Nadiya Bychkova said: “Happy birthday @theangelarippon,” while Gorka Marquez replied: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY @theangelarippon ”

Another Strictly pro Dianne Buswell, who is partnered with Bobby Brazier said: “happy birthday.” Although Angela has made a good impression with her skills on the dancefloor, former Strictly pro Brendan Cole recently expressed his fears over her stamina in the competition.

Brendan said: “I think (Angela Rippon) can go all the way to the final but I don’t think she can go all the way and win it. The thing with Angela is, I think they were very clever – the music choice – ‘You make me feel so young’, (Kai Widdrington) looked really dapper. He looks after her, he’s a lovely boy. She knows how television works to say all the right things.”

He added: “She did a really nice Foxtrot, it was a pretty dance. She wasn’t hitting a particularly wonderful ballroom position but she’s 78 years old. What are we expecting? I think time will play against her in the show because it is very demanding and trying to make two numbers look good is very different to trying to make one number good. Half the time on a number can make a number go from being really nice, to really awful. I’ve no doubt that she’ll probably get to week eight or nine and that’d be great, but then once you step into two numbers, and you’ve got show dances and whatever, that becomes a tricky thing.”

Loose Women presenter Ruth Langsford opened up about her sister’s tragic death – and revealed that without her TV job she would have ended up crying all day

Loose Women presenter Ruth Langsford has revealed that work was her saviour following her sister’s suicide four years ago.

Her sister Julia, two years her senior, died following a lengthy battle with depression and Ruth, 63, said that without her TV job she would have ended up crying all day. “I needed a focus, which was – get up and I would cry in the shower – have a big old bawl – and then I could almost cut it off and go: ‘right, come on, time for work, dry your hair, go to work.’

“I needed that, because I could lie and cry all day about my sister. I needed that focus and structure back in my life,” she told Kaye Adams on her How to be 60 podcast. ITV host Ruth, who shares 21 year-old son Jack with her GB news presenter husband Eamonn Holmes, also credited her family with supporting her following her sister’s tragic death.

Ruth pictured with her mum Joan and her late sister Julia ( 
Image:
Instagram)
“Eamonn was amazing during that time and Jack and then work,” she added. “The hardest year of my life was when my sister died. I can’t even tell you what year it is, because I’ve blocked it from my memory really.”

Ruth said there were frequent sad reminders that her sister was no longer with her. “You reach to get a card – at Christmas I always used to get my sister a funny card – and then it jolts you, where you think: ‘oh, I don’t need to get her a card anymore.’ Everybody has their pain. We all end up losing people we love. But it’s important we don’t lock it all away in a box.”

Ruth also admitted that she is concerned about developing dementia, because of her family’s connections with the disease. Her father Dennis died in 2012 after being diagnosed with dementia, having been looked after by Ruth’s mother for more than a decade before his death.

She then developed dementia too. But Ruth told fellow Loose Women anchor Kaye Adams that she would refuse a test to see if she was likely to develop the condition herself.

“My father had Alzheimer’s. My mum is now 91 and living in assisted living. It always worries me, but I try not to let it consume me,” she explained. “Whenever they say that you can do a test to see if you would be prone to getting Alzheimer’s, I don’t really want to do it, because there’s no cure at the moment.

“If I could do that test and they said: ‘right, now you know, this is what you do to stop you getting it. You have to take this tablet, you have to do these exercises, you have to eat this or don’t eat that.’ But there’s nobody can tell you that, so I almost don’t want to know.“But of course, every time I go: ‘where are my glasses?’ and they’re on my head, or: ‘where are my keys? and I have those blank moments where you suddenly forget someone’s name – somebody you know really well. You think: ‘oh my God,’ so of course I worry, with both parents. But I try not to think about it too much, because it’s too depressing.”

Loose Women presenter Coleen Nolan shared a rare snap of all of her sisters, including sister Bernie, who sadly passed away in 2013 after being diagnosed with breast cancer

Loose Women presenter Coleen Nolan has delighted her fans after sharing a throwback family picture with all of her sisters on social media.

The black-and-white snap shared on Instagram shows a young Coleen dressed in a floral dress, white tights, and a classic pair of black school shoes. She stands in front of her five sisters – Denise, Maureen, Linda, Bernadette, and Anne. The photo appears to have been taken during the festive period, as a Christmas tree towers over them, while the family stands on a decorative rug laid out on the floor.

Captioning the post, the 58-year-old wrote: “Happy Saturday everyone. A little throwback,” finishing the post off with a heart emoji. Fans were in awe of the picture. “So cute Coleen. Family pic to cherish,” and a second added: “Precious memories,” and a third said: “Omg the cutest.”

It’s an adorable picture! ( 
Image:
coleen_nolan/Instagram)
While Coleen has a close relationship with her siblings, tragically her sister Bernadette passed away from cancer in 2013 at the age of 52. The presenter recently shared an update on her sister Linda’s health after she was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. She admitted her sister is “struggling” with her mobility as she continues to live with the awful disease.

“Linda is just a machine,” the TV star said. “She’s unbelievable, you know. Cancer just hits her again and again and again and she just keeps going. And she’s incredible because she’ll say, ‘I can’t meet you all today for lunch because I’ve had chemo, I’m not feeling great.’

“And then the next day [she says] ‘Right, where are we going?’ It’s hard for her. She’s struggling to walk now, but she just gets on with it every day.” Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Coleen added: “It is frightening. Especially when you think they’re going to say it’s eczema and they go, ‘No, it’s carcinoma, you think, ‘Woah.’ It’s all scary and of course, I think about it all the time, but I’m very vigilant with it and if I’m ever unsure about anything I go straight away because that’s the whole point of it – go straight away.”

“That’s what The Real Full Monty is about, to raise awareness, to check yourself and if you’re worried, go [to the doctors]. Nine times out of 10 it’s nothing, but if it is and you’ve caught it early the chances are amazing. Linda’s [had cancer] for 15 years, she’s incredible and Anne survived it, my eldest sister.”

The 58-year old made the admission on Monday as she joined fellow panelists Ruth Langsford, Brenda Edwards and Sally Dynevor in a discussion about first impressions

Coleen Nolan has made the stark confession that she has “never liked” one of her Loose Women co-stars and “still doesn’t”. The 58-year old made the admission to fellow panelists Ruth Langsford, Brenda Edwards and Sally Dynevor during Monday’s edition of the ITV daytime show.

Following the triumphant return of Big Brother after a five-year wait the night before, the ladies discussed the impact of first impressions and how people are judged based on those impressions. Head panelist Ruth admitted that people inadvertently judge others on the first time they meet them.

The 63-year old explained: “It’s natural human instinct to make a first impression. It just is – even if you try not to. Naturally, the minute you meet someone – whether it’s about their eye contact, their smile, whether they ask something about yourself. Whatever that interaction is, we will make a first impression.”After Sally revealed she felt “really giddy” when she joined the programme, Coleen added she feels predominantly more shy when in front of an audience. Then the mother-of-three made the hilarious quip that she believed Ruth was “stuck up”, to which Ruth responded that her pal was “too loud”.

Coleen joked: “She’s got a point,” before Ruth replied: “All of us have talked about our insecurities. When you think now, every situation that you’re in public with people that you don’t know – everyone in that same room is having the same feelings. You think you’re the only one, but you’re not – so it is interesting.”

Coleen quipped: “Never liked you, though. Still don’t,” prompting Ruth to joke: “Well we’ve got that in common.” “Touché!” added Coleen. “That’s going to be on the front of a magazine now.”

Loose Women star Carol McGiffin has been slammed by fans after her comments on British Airways’ new uniform changes which allow male pilots and flight attendants to wear makeup and carry handbags

Carol McGiffin, the former Loose Women star, has faced criticism from fans following her remarks on British Airways’ decision to provide a non-binary uniform option for its employees.

The 63-year-old shared her views on Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster’s GB News show, discussing the airline’s new uniform policy. British Airways has eased its uniform regulations, offering a gender-neutral choice and permitting male pilots and flight attendants to wear makeup and carry handbags.

McGiffin criticised the decision on GB News, stating she didn’t want to see ‘a bloke wearing a skirt’. She elaborated: “Personally I want to see someone walking up and down the aisles looking professional, like a woman, I’m not saying she has to wear a skirt, but I don’t want to see a bloke walking up and down wearing a skirt.”

McGiffin criticised the decision on GB News ( 
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GBN)
She further added: “I don’t know why but I am old-fashioned like that. I want to see air stewards and stewardesses looking very, very professional. These are the people you rely on when you are flying and for me, it is not a good idea.” She also claimed that the changes ‘hadn’t gone down well with the crew either’, except with those who identified as non-binary.

She concluded: “People are saying that what they should have done is designed a uniform for the men, a uniform for the women, and a uniform for the non-binary people who want to be whatever they want, but where does it end? Where does it end? How many uniforms do you need?”

Carol’s remarks sparked a wave of online backlash, with many fans expressing their disapproval. One individual commented: “Oh Carol…put all that hateful energy into something more productive,”

Another critic added: “Carol McGiffin is a hateful, old grifter. She knows the only way she can make money is to sink to the level of GB News and pick on marginalised people. Pure scum of the Earth!” A third person chimed in with: “Why are people so triggered by how people want to identify!? Live and let live! No-one wants to see Carol McGiffin spouting utter nonsense again but here we are.”

This controversy follows Carol’s departure from Loose Women, which she attributed to the show becoming ‘too woke’. She revealed that she had been asked to sign a contract that was “totally unjust and unworkable for me”.

In a conversation with Dan Wootton, she stated: “Well put it this way, reading all the comments from the article at the weekend there are a lot of people who think the programme has gone very, very woke.”

Carol then confessed: “Well, neither do I. The whole of mainstream media is very, very woke.”

“You just don’t have to keep forcing this stuff down peoples’ throats, it’s not just ITV, the BBC is probably worse actually and saying that, Channel 4 is probably the worst out of all of them. It’s not a place where I feel I fit in,” she concluded.

“And, even though, you should be having the debates and seeing a difference in opinion, in the typical woke ideals, you don’t really get it anymore, you’re not allowed to say it and if you do, you either get censored or you get cancelled as many people have learnt to their cost.”

Big Brother has returned after a break and it’s already getting off to a dramatic start, with cracks beginning to show in the house

Former Loose Women star Saira Khan has said that she thinks Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield should be put into the Big Brother house.

The iconic reality show has returned to our screens and has been just an entertaining as everyone expected so far. Saira took part in the celebrity version back in 2016 but it’s not known if Celebrity Big Brother will make a come back.

However, it it was to return, Saira thinks that Holly and Phil would make the perfect housemates. Despite knowing that it would be unlikely they did go on the show, she says that “ratings would soar” if they did take on the challenge.

Saira was on Big Brother in 2016
Speaking to Closer magazine, she said: “I’d love to see Holly [Willoughby] and Phil [Schofield] in there. Wouldn’t that be great? It wouldn’t happen in a million years, but the ratings would soar.”

Saira competed in the 18th series of the show when she starred alongside model Sam Fox, former EastEnders actor Ricky Norwood and now-jailed Stephen Bear.

She had a hard time in the house, breaking down in the diary room on day three after having an argument with Bear. She admitted at the time that she didn’t think she would breakdown after such a short amount of time, but many report the show to be a high pressure environment.

Saira was the second contestant to be evicted but she has since admitted that she only went on the show for the money. Despite saying it’s an experience “money can’t buy” she also admitted that she was “paid really well” and she got a contract extension afterwards.

Big Brother has returned for the first time since 2018 and is already off to a drama-filled start. Despite only coming back on Sunday, there has already been some iconic moments including suitcases being blown up, hot water bans and what has been dubbed salmon-gate.

Contestant Olivia Young became noticeably irritated when fellow housemate Farida Khalifa asked if she could try some of her salmon. She said she could but became annoyed when she double dipped.

It wasn’t long until Olivia went outside to get other contestant’s opinions on the situation, which they have since sarcastically called salmon-gate.

Coleen Nolan has weighed in on the BBC’s The Reckoning which documents the harrowing crimes by notorious sex offender Jimmy Savile which have resurfaced

the vile paedophile and said she was invited back to his hotel room when she was just 14. Coleen told Piers Morgan that Savile, who died in 2011 before the vast majority of his crimes came to light said he would “look after” her.

Speaking on ITV’s Loose Women, the 58-year-old said of The Reckoning said: “I will watch it, I’m really interested in true crime, I do watch the documentaries, I have watched documentaries on Jimmy Savile. I actually think, obviously, some of the victims have given their blessing to see this air and I think the reason being is, that we should continue to watch it.

Coleen Nolan has claimed there are ‘many’ Jimmy Saviles still working ( 
Image:
ITV)
“There are still, many, many, many Jimmy Saviles working out there and we need to be reminded, you may be watching and seeing some of how he came about to entice those women. Someone might watch it and go ‘Oh that’s what whoever down the road is doing and we need to be aware of it and keep an eye on it.’”

Despite some people disagreeing with The Reckoning being made by the BBC, the same corporation that Savile worked for, one of his victims, named Susan said: “It’s not going to stop any other predator but what it might change is to make institutions not put their heads in the sand.

“Instead, take action from the beginning and for all of us to see how grooming happens so we understand it more.” Janet Street-Porter added: “Men like Jimmy Savile operated in a circle of people who knew only too well what he was doing. So Jimmy Savile operated within a close circle, you see them in the drama, of men, who might not have liked what he was doing and didn’t stop it and gave their approval by default.

Janet Street-Porter claims grooming is still rife ( 
Image:
ITV)
“Yes, that still goes on in the industry so when you talk about grooming, it’s not going to be one person behaving badly or inappropriately to one woman, it’s going to be a group of people involved.” Viewers tuned into the series which uncovers the true extent of his horrific crimes against teenage girls, young women, younger girls, boys, ill people, disabled people and even the dead.

Savile died in October 2011, aged 84, before he was able to be held accountable for his sickening crimes. Over the course of his life, he was confronted with several allegations of sexual abuse, the earliest being in 1958, although it was claimed at the time that there was not sufficient evidence.

Following his death, allegations dating back to 1963 were made against him and an official investigation, Operation Yewtree was launched in 2012. In October of the same year, The Met Police said they were looking into 400 enquiries and that the number of alleged victims was around 450.

He is said to have told people that he liked to have “sex with dead bodies”.

Rebecca Loos famously claimed she had an affair with David Beckham in 2004, with the footballer vehemently denying the claims.

Her public claims of an affair with David led his wife Victoria Beckham to describe the aftermath as the “hardest period” for both of them. In Tom Bower’s latest book, The House of Beckham: Money, Sex and Power, it’s claimed Rebecca decided to break her silence about her alleged affair with the former England captain after being disgusted by David’s behaviour towards a waitress.

She alleged that she walked in on him in bed with Spanish model Esther Cañadas. It was claimed the incident happened when an upset Posh Spice called Rebecca in order to find her husband – who was said to be at a party at a footballer’s villa.

Rebecca reportedly found him in a bedroom with the model at 3am and told him that she ‘had his wife on the phone’. He got up to answer the call and she claimed she saw the model in the bed, which made her feel ‘very hurt’. Rebecca told her friend at the time: “I thought I was the only one.”

Rebecca claimed she had an affair with David Beckham ( 
Image:
AFP/Getty Images)

Victoria opened up about the affair in the family’s Netflix documentary ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images)

In the days that followed Rebecca’s story dominating headlines around the world, Beckham’s PR team were quick to whip up an image of unity at the snowy Courchevel ski resort to safeguard Brand Beckham’s image. “In a bravura performance, the couple clung to each other with an iron grip on his hand. Then they performed a piggy-back and smiled,” notes Bower in his book.

However, their closed-door affairs weren’t as picture-perfect. “Once the show was over they disappeared into their chalet….as everyone drifted off, one journalist looked through the Beckhams’ chalet window. Posh was slapping Beckham hard on his face. Beckham, famous for his ‘short fuse’, did not retaliate.”

Rebecca claimed she saw Esther Cañadas in the bed ( 
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Getty Images)DON’T MISS
Victoria’s transition to Spain was difficult, making her life there unenjoyable. “Her life in Madrid was lonely and unhappy. Although she had everything money could buy she was isolated. With few friends, she was unwilling to learn Spanish. Her diet, rigorous exercise and chain-smoking reflected her anxieties.”

In recent years, Rebecca has stepped back from the limelight and rarely makes media appearances. She is now a married mother-of-two, Rebecca lives in Norway where she works as a yoga teacher and massage therapist. Opening up in the Netflix docuseries Beckham, David and Victoria explained how damaging the allegations were for their relationship.

She admitted that this was ‘one hundred percent’ the lowest point in their marriage, Victoria shared in the documentary: “It was the hardest period for us. Because it felt like the world was against us. And here’s the thing; we were against each other, if I’m being completely honest.

The Mirror have contacted David and Esther’s reps for comment.

Victoria Beckham once gifted Meghan Markle £6,000 worth of clothes from her brand, but the move failed to have any benefit for the fashion designer.

Victoria and David Beckham were friends with Meghan and Prince Harry, with the former Spice Girls star giving the Duchess of Sussex outfits to wear for her Christmas Day appearance with the Royal Family. She also gave Meghan a custom-designed outfit when she was pregnant.

However, royal author Tom Bower has said the gifts didn’t make great publicity for Victoria’s fashion brand. In his new book House of Beckham, Bower wrote: “Victoria agreed to provide a coat, dress, boots and a handbag worth £6,000 to Meghan for the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas Day parade in Sandringham.

Meghan Markle was given outfits from Victoria Beckham ( 
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Getty Images)

They included pregnancy clothes ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
“Later, Meghan wore a Beckham custom-made pregnancy outfit and a white coat and dress for a service in Westminster Abbey.” He continued: “The financial benefit was nil. The only success in 2019 was a £1,400 handbag that had been displayed by Meghan.”

Meghan and Harry’s relationship with the Beckhams worsened over the years, with Bower claiming Meghan became “irritated” when she found out Victoria is richer than she is. His new book claimed she was annoyed when she found out the Beckhams had “considerably more wealth” than herself.

Cracks started to show in the relationship between the famous families in 2018, according to Bower. While David and Victoria received an invite to Meghan and Harry’s wedding that year, they were not invited to the wedding dinner.

Victoria didn’t get any benefits from the gifts
Bower claims things then went from bad to worse when Meghan and Harry were left odd the guest list for Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’s wedding. However, Prince William and Princess Kate made the invite list.

In House of Beckham, Bower said Meghan had ranked herself above the Beckhams in the social pecking order. He said: “In Meghan’s celebrity world, ranking depended on wealth and fame. As a seasoned operator, Meghan deluded herself that her status in the Royal Family placed her above Victoria in the social pecking order.”