David Oyelowo: ‘My wife and I made the decision early on never to be apart for longer than two weeks''
When we returned to the UK, we lived in a hostel for a time. Mum was coping with a lot of challenges, but she was a joyful person and always made our environment feel like we were kings again.My wife [actor Jessica Oyelowo] was told her IQ is off the charts during an assessment for ADHD. Now, she's a member of Mensa. Our four children are neurodiverse, too. They have incredibly special attributes that they wear as superpowers. I'm in awe that I get to be their father.Any lasting relationship needs non-negotiables. We made the decision early on never to be apart for longer than two weeks: 26 years married and we've only broken that rule once, by 11 hours, when my wife was in Sleepy Hollow. If I ever meet [director] Tim Burton, I'll be having words.Never let the sun go down on your wrath. We won't go to bed if a disagreement isn't resolved – sleep makes it grow like cancer. Before you know it, you don't remember why you were fighting, ego and pride becomes a factor, and then it starts to fall apart.God has never let me down. He's a key factor in guiding my decisions and feeling safe within them. My wife and I suffered three miscarriages, one of them quite late in the pregnancy. Without faith, we would have retreated into our own corners to lick our wounds, but our love increased.Sidney Poitier, a hero of mine, was full of compliments and respect when we met. I mustered up the courage to say hello and to tell him what he means to me, but instead he started talking about my work. I still doubt myself that it happened, but I have the photograph.Oprah Winfrey played my mother in The Butler. In one scene, she slaps me across the face, which was nerve-racking, because with each take she was gaining in confidence. Oprah taught me that the intention with which you do something manifests in the thing itself. If your intentions are pure, the chances are that it will be edifying both for you and the people you're doing it for.Success is subjective. It can sometimes mean coming away from something that failed, knowing you gave your best. That has been a guiding and guarding principle for me and has stood me in very good stead.
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The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
Nepo babies used to get on our nerves – now they've got the upper hand
This week, Brooklyn Beckham shocked his followers when he shared a video of himself rustling up a tomato pasta dish using seawater. In the clip posted to his Instagram, the would-be chef leans off the back of a luxury yacht and dips a silver saucepan into the sea, before bringing the briny to boil and plopping in some spaghetti. 'That's disgusting,' one person commented. Others said: 'Nothing like cooking in sewage water …' and – possibly most devastating of all – 'Go get a real job PLEASE!!!!!!' Beckham, 26, has long faced criticism from nepo baby haters for using his privileged position as the eldest child of David and Victoria Beckham to his advantage in his various 'careers'. His amateurish seawater pasta is but his latest clueless foray into the world of work. He irritated established fashion photographers when, aged 16, he was hired by Burberry to shoot its latest fragrance campaign. In a juvenile collection of his photographs, published by Penguin Random House, his shot of a dimly lit elephant was accompanied by a caption: 'Elephants in Kenya. so hard to photograph but incredible to see.' In 2022, his career relaunch as an chef-influencer, with his straight-to-Instagram show Cookin' with Brooklyn, reputedly required a team of 62 professionals, including culinary producers, cameramen and several producers – and cost a staggering £74,000 an episode to make. Nothing like starting at the bottom and working your way up, is there? When Oasis return to Wembley Stadium this weekend, for the first time since 2009, as part of the brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher's reunion tour, they will be supported by Richard Ashcroft of The Verve. But eyes have no doubt rolled at Liam's daughter Molly and Ashcroft's son Sonny gracing the front of the new issue of Tatler, as cover stars for their latest Cool Britannia issue for the same reason: they are only famous because of their parents. In the cover photo, Molly, 27, a model, is standing on an elaborate gilded French stool in a blue leather mini-coat, with musician Sonny, 25, who is hoping to release music soon – wearing a tie against the backdrop of a huge Union flag. The trouble with nepo babies – a phrase coined in 2022 that shortens 'nepotism', and which Gwyneth Paltrow dismissed as an "ugly moniker" with which to beat the children of famous people – is that they are successful only because their famous parent(s) helped them get their foot in the door. Those that are talented struggle to escape the pervasive feeling that their connections and money have given them a headstart that other equally talented people won't get. The resentment is that it's grossly unfair as the rest of us have to claw our way to the top. We can't just walk into a movie role, or capitalise on being the next generation leading the Britpop revival. To win favour, nepo babies shouldn't deny or hide their privilege like Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis's daughter Lily-Rose Depp, 26, did when she once claimed in Elle magazine that 'nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part'. This week, Isadora Bjarkardottir Barney, 22-year-old daughter of Icelandic singer Björk, claimed that being a nepo baby 'doesn't help you much', after landing her first leading role in a feature film, The Mountain. Hailey Bieber tried to embrace the term by wearing a 'Nepo Baby' crop top in 2023, to acknowledge her Baldwin family dynasty links, but was then criticised online for 'not being enough' of a nepo baby. Stranger Things actor Maya Hawke – daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman – tried a different tack, admitting what a privileged position she is in, compared with the rest of us. Since the whole debate erupted with New York Magazine's 2022 cover The Year of the Nepo Baby, things have changed. I say it's about time we stopped hating on nepo babies. Today's nepos – nepo 2.0, the next generation – are fully aware of their ridiculousness, and they're now actually playing up to it. Because they can't help who their famous parents are – and what else are they supposed to do? That's why Beckham now courts criticism and finger-pointing laughs by cooking seawater pasta, and why the Oasis nepo babies are happy to push their status as cultural icons for a new generation. The difference is the new breed of nepo babies aren't struggling with the nepo label. They are just happy to weaponise it and get up in our faces. Blue Ivy Carter, 13, the daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, has been dubbed a positive example of nepotism in the music industry for her stage presence and talent after she brazenly adopted the role of chief backing dancer for her mum's Cowboy Carter tour – often stealing the limelight. Kai Gerber, 23, looks the spitting image of her supermodel mum Cindy Crawford – for a reason. She's continuing Crawford's legacy in the fashion industry. Nepo babies offer the rest of us light relief in dark times. Getting ahead because of mum and/or dad isn't going away – so we might as well enjoy it.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Britain's UNLUCKIEST names, revealed - so, is yours on the list?
If you've ever felt like you just can't catch a break, it might not be random. Experts have analysed personal injury claims and identified the names most likely to have suffered slips, trips, falls and workplace incidents. Some of the unluckiest names are more than 20 per cent more likely than the average person to file a personal injury claim, they revealed. And it's bad news for people called David or Joanne – as they top their respective lists. Researchers analysed personal injury claims submitted to Edwards Hoyle solicitors over the space of a year. The data revealed that the name David accounted for a larger share of claimants than any other male name. Odds analysis suggests a man named David is a fifth more likely than average to file a personal injury claim. The news is enough to make David Beckham and David Attenborough pay special attention to their everyday safety. James Norton (pictured) is known for playing a 'bad boy' in Happy Valley - but in real life he has a name that indicates he's more likely to trip over his feet Sadly for actor James Norton, his name places second in the 'unluckiest' list of men. Comedian Stephen Fry, Prince Andrew and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin all possess first names which also appear in the top five list, the data showed. The top unluckiest female name was Joanne - especially for everyday accidents like trips or burns, the analysis showed. This would include the likes of Harry Potter author J K Rowling and actress Joanne Froggatt. According to the data, a Joanne's odds of lodging an injury claim were roughly one in 20 per year – significantly above the average for women. Other unlucky women are those named Emma, Clare, Karen and Lisa, the analysis showed. The likes of actress Emma Watson, broadcaster Clare Balding and presenter Lisa Snowdon should perhaps take heed. A spokeswoman from who commissioned the research, said: 'While your name alone doesn't doom you to bad luck, these findings show that some names turn up more often when accidents happen. 'Next time you slip, trip or burn your dinner, you might just blame your name… and have the data to back it up.' They explained that David and Joanne were extremely common names for people born in the 1970s – 80s, so they appear more often in any large dataset. Younger workers in physically demanding roles also tend to file more claims – and certain names also dominate those age groups. 'If your name is on the list, don't panic!' they added. 'Just be a little extra careful on staircases and kitchen floors.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Are David Beckham's parents the key to mending 'rift' with son Brooklyn? How 26-year-old's beloved grandpa and 'nanny' can help budding chef and his wife Nicola Peltz repair 'difficult' relations
When families suffer drifts, a cuppa at nan's house is often posited as the solution - and it may be no different for even the glitziest of A-listers. So as Brooklyn Beckham - eldest son of football and fashion royalty alike - shared a tribute to his grandfather Ted on his birthday on Thursday, it may well have marked a turning point in his and wife Nicola Peltz 's notorious bitter 'rift' with her in-laws. Sports legend David, 50, and ex-Spice Girl Victoria, 51, too shared a gushing post to the athlete's dad as he turned 77, making him a solid contender for uniting bridges between both couples. It's not the first time a quasi-olive branch has appeared from the budding chef's side - as he also commemorated his 'nana' Sandra's 76th just last month. The septuagenarian may know a thing or two about reconciliation, as he famously fell out with his superstar son in the noughties. However, now seemingly keen on building walls down, earlier this year, he called an end to a two-decade estrangement from ex-wife Sandra - the older generation could be monumental in tiding over troubled waters. David's parents divorced in 2002 following 33 years of marriage - with the process slow because the couple had not been able to agree a financial settlement. The pair were rarely seen together in the years that followed, and it became clear that David had taken his mother's side during the divorce - often pictured with Sandra at family gatherings and promotional events. Meanwhile, Ted was left on the sidelines, with David seemingly struggling to forgive him for printing an unauthorised biography on his England captain son without permission. Even after David and Ted made amends, his parents continued to keep their distance until the tragic death of a family friend in January brought the pair back together. The funeral of legendary Manchester United secretary Kath Phipps reconciled the family, and in a show of unity, David, Sandra, Ted and his wife of three years, solicitor Hilary, were all pictured walking into the church together. Kath had been at the club for 55 years, passing away at 85 years old, and had known David since he was a youth academy player, while Ted had been an ever present at his son's matches for much of his career. It's been suggested that Ted's wife Hilary has been instrumental in bringing him firmly back into the family fold, with the pair both included at numerous family events of late. In September 2023, Hilary was on the front row at Victoria's Paris Fashion Show and the whole family, including Victoria's parents, later posed for snaps in front of the Eiffel Tower. Hilary - who has taken the surname Meredith-Beckham - also posted on Instagram pictures from David and Victoria's Netflix premiere a month later in October. Ted, Hilary and Linda were also all in attendance for grandson Brooklyn's Palm Beach wedding to Nicola Peltz in May 2022, but no pictures were shared of the trio together. Brooklyn Beckham showed not all ties with his family have been severed as he shared a sweet birthday tribute to David's mum Sandra on Thursday Ted was said to have been a harsh taskmaster while David was growing up berating him for any tiny footballing mistakes on the training pitch and matches - and this tough love spilt into his marriage. David admitted as they were growing up, he never saw his father be tender to his mum. He wrote in his 2001 autobiography: 'He loves my mum but he's never been affectionate to her in front of my two sisters and me. He's quite hard-faced and can be sarcastic. 'He also gets fired up easily... The quality I like least in myself is my short temper. I think I get it from my dad.' Ted and David also struggled to bond when the former England captain moved to Real Madrid in 2003 - with Ted admitting the distance meant he feared he'd 'lost him forever'. This was compounded by the 2005 publication of his unauthorised biography David Beckham: My Son, which only deepened the rift. In 2007, Ted suffered a near fatal heart attack - but even then, years passed before a more official rekindling. By 2021 however, old wounds appear to have healed as David was the best man at his father's wedding to partner Hilary in December 2021. Now however, the former England captain may well be ruminating on lessons learned as he faces his own challenges with 26-year-old Brooklyn - who tied the knot with heiress and filmmaker Nicola, 30, in 2022. Tensions were felt in May, earlier this year, when the pair were no shows at any of David's 50th birthday celebrations - with The Mail revealing that Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull had been made the 'scapegoat' in the feud. Since then, seeming snubs and exchanges have been felt between both parties - as well as the occasional hints at what may be peace offerings. Most recently however, Ted and Sandra offered an insight into a potential future peace which lies ahead. Earlier this week, Brooklyn wished his granddad Ted a happy 77th birthday on - after his estranged mother Victoria snubbed him from her family tribute. The eldest son - who despite remaining largely quiet on social media had also posted a birthday tribute to his little sister Harper - shared a phot with David's father, writing: 'Happy birthday grandad. I love you xx.' Meanwhile back home Victoria honoured her father-in-law with a family snap that did not include Brooklyn and Nicola. She captioned the post: 'Happy birthday @tedbeckham kisses' before going on to tag sons Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, as well as daughter Harper, 14. David's mother, too, proved to be a uniting element in June - after Brooklyn shared a sweet birthday tribute to his grandmother last month. 'Happy birthday nanny xx love you so much,' he penned. The 'feud', however, has seen social media posts swing between seemingly hinting at reconciliation to being perceived as snubs. In one instance this week, Brooklyn embraced his billionaire father-in-law in snaps from the family getaway to St Tropez. The eldest son of Posh Spice and David enjoyed a friendly beer with Nelson Peltz, 83, before packing on the PDA with his wife onboard the businessman's superyacht. Amid the trip the couple enjoyed a swanky lunch with Brooklyn's godfather Elton John, who sources claimed planned the dinner in a hopeful attempt to calm the family's feud. Nicola shared a slew of final holiday snaps from the couple's lavish trip before heading home to the US. Meanwhile in early July, Brooklyn appeared to make a very pointed remark as he referred to not feeling like he has the confidence to speak up - and finally feeling empowered in a social media post. As he shared a cooking tutorial for a chicken Caesar salad wrap, the chef dropped a new hint that there is no sign of the feud healing - with the video accompanied by Two Door Cinema Club's I Can Talk in a seemingly pointed nod to the row. The lead singer, Alex Trimble, previously explained the origin and meaning behind the story, which was about when the band first started talking with record companies. Alex claimed they grew sick of people telling them what to do so took initiative and talked for themselves. And last month, Brooklyn failed to acknowledge his father David's knighthood amid the apparent fallout. Friends of the Beckhams said that they were 'not surprised' to see the silence - especially as they 'blame Nicola for controlling him'. Tensions were felt in May, earlier this year, when the pair were no shows at any of David's 50th birthday celebrations - with The Mail revealing that Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull had been made the 'scapegoat' in the feud. A close friend of David reportedly told The Sun: 'David and the family genuinely fear Brooklyn could be lost to them forever. 'The word "lost", here, is especially poignant as it was the exact sentiment used when David fell out with his dad. Ted believed his son would never speak to him again, and he was heartbroken. It was an extremely tense few years, and devastated the whole family.' David previously revealed he had to wait 'over two decades' before getting any approval from his father over his successful football career. Chatting to James Corden on his podcast series This Life of Mine in 2024, David admitted his ambitious drive came from the desire to please his father Ted - earning a 'you've made it boy' only after he won 100 caps. 'My dad never told me I'd done well really until my hundredth cap. That was the first time my dad turned around to me and said, "you've made it boy".' He said he didn't get the same recognition at any other point in his career despite six Premier League titles, two FA cups, four Community Shields and a Champions League title. David was said to be fearing that history is 'repeating itself' as he and Victoria have faced reports over a growing distance between themselves and Brooklyn. A source told The Sun: 'This is Victoria's worst nightmare. The thought of any of her children falling out gives her sleepless nights. 'It's been difficult with Brooklyn since he met Nicola, and there's no denying that there was a family fallout over their wedding. 'But Victoria and David have worked hard to get things back on track, so this is a real blow.' In May, Victoria's social media was filled with photographs from various parties held to celebrate David's 50th birthday, including a bash at their Cotswolds home. The fun-filled celebrations culminated with a massive party held at London's esteemed Michelin-star restaurant Core - andattended by A-list stars including Tom Cruise. David and Victoria's children Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 13, all attended - though Brooklyn was notably absent. It was claimed Brooklyn and Nicola pulled out of attending the Met Gala with the intention of attending David's birthday party, but were no shows at both events. Brooklyn was reportedly planning to attend David's 50th birthday party, but felt too uncomfortable to come after he felt Nicola was being blamed for the rift with his family. Claims that Brooklyn and Nicola were rebuffed when they asked David and Victoria to celebrate David's birthday privately were also said to be untrue. Sources close to Nicola told TMZ they wanted 'to get together privately' to avoid Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull as the couple are said to 'have a problem' with her. Brooklyn missed out on David's early celebrations in Miami last month as well as parties in the Cotswolds, France and London this week. Following the birthday party snub, it was revealed Brooklyn also declined an invitation by his father to join him and his brothers on a 'boys' fishing trip to celebrate his 50th. The Mail revealed David invited Brooklyn on a short break months ago - when he began planning, yet his son failed to go despite arriving in the UK the day he went with Romeo and Cruz. Sources have suggested that Brooklyn's decision was influenced by his American actress wife Nicola, 30. 'Brooklyn was asked to join them ages ago,' one claimed. 'Then he came to London in time but he didn't go. Once again David made the best of things and had a great time with Cruz and Romeo.' David still offered an olive branch to his son as he shared snaps from the trip, as he captioned one of his posts: 'You were missed @brooklynbeckham.' Elsewhere, The Mail reported that Romeo's girlfriend Kim Turnbull was being made the 'scapegoat' in the feud between Brooklyn and David - with Nicola 'at the centre' of the rift. Kim and Brooklyn were undeniably close for a brief period – as photographs of them together in 2016 show - but suggestions that they were ever an item are wide of the mark, according to well-informed sources who spoke to The Mail. In fact, younger brother Cruz, 20, personally shut down the gossip recently when he responded to an Instagram post showing a picture of Romeo and Kim together. In a now-deleted message, one user commented: 'It's appropriate to date your brother's ex too? Cool.' Cruz replied: 'Brooklyn and Kim never dated.' One friend told the Mail's Katie Hind at the weekend: 'This is nothing to do with Kim and is all about Nicola. 'All David and Victoria want is their son back – and they will be there to welcome him any time.' Family friends claim Brooklyn's wife has a pattern of 'starting an argument' before family events and then preventing her husband from attending. Some believe that friends of Nicola have been behind the briefings about Kim being the cause of Brooklyn's rift with his family, some of which went so far to claim that he had told them he refused to come to any event at which Kim was present. A source close to the family told MailOnline: 'Brooklyn was close to Kim because she was dating Rocco and they all hung out in a tightknit friendship group. But that was years ago. Brooklyn and Kim were close, but there was never any romance. 'It seems Nicola doesn't like Brooklyn spending any time with the Beckhams full stop and is using his previous closeness to Kim and her getting in with the family as a reason to not be around them. 'She denies it, but Nicola has been controlling him since the wedding. The family - including the brothers - have had enough of it. 'This is the narrative that's been put out to other news outlets, that Romeo is dating his brother's ex-girlfriend - and that's really weird, so that's why they wouldn't want to be around the family when she is there. 'But none of this is true. And it's really upset Romeo and his parents because Kim is seemingly being used by Nicola as a reason to start the rift. Romeo is furious at the suggestion that he would bring an ex-girlfriend of Brooklyn into the family when there never was any romance.'
