Latest news with #GIJane
Irish Examiner
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Suzanne Harrington: From hair-do to hair-don't — I just don't care about hair-care any more
On my way to the hair salon to get my newly short hair cut even shorter, I tell my partner about what happened when my sister shaved her head a while back, going from a regulation shoulder-length lady hairdo to suedehead in less than 10 minutes. Her partner thought she was using her new baldy look to signal an unexpected rerouting in a Sapphic direction, a route on which he was not invited; that she was visually breaking up with him, via her hair. Her tweenage daughter, outraged at the unexpectedness of her mother's GI Jane skull, refused to speak to her for weeks, while older relatives assumed the worst — that my sister was bravely undergoing chemo. Why else would a woman shave her head, unless she had become possessed by the spirit of 2007 Britney? 'Ha ha,' I say to my partner. 'Imagine all those inferences from a Number 2 setting on the clippers. Doing a sexual U-turn or having cancer or both. Almost as though straight women owe the world their hair.' 'Ha ha,' replies my partner nervously. 'You're not shaving your head, are you?' When I emerge with a buzz cut — my son and I now have identical short back and sides — my partner does his best to conceal his dismay. He's a modern man. I'd go as far as to say a feminist, and although he wouldn't know Andrea Dworkin if she headbutted him, he does recognise Simone De Beauvoir's idea that women are not born, but made. He gets it — in theory at least. But Sinéad aside, turns out baldy women are not his thing. For context — I have not got rid of my hair because of a sudden attraction to other women (a pity, living as I do in Brighton, lesbian capital of the universe). Nor am I undergoing chemo, thanks for asking. No. It's far simpler — I just can't be arsed anymore. The clue is in the second syllable of haircare. It's a Boots aisle I no longer wish to visit. After 40 years of hair caring — from my first teenage dye-job, to decades of bulk-buying hair colour and DIY'ing over the bathroom sink, to snipping my fringe in the mirror — I want a hair holiday. A hair don't care. I want no further involvement other than occasionally rubbing my head with a bit of kitchen-roll. I want to break up with my hair. And yes, when I look in the mirror, it's not a version of Sinéad looking back at me, all big eyes and bone structure, as much as Jo Brand — someone I greatly respect and admire, but don't necessarily want to see in my reflection. But at 57, can't-be-arsed wins hands-down over vanity every time. The only problem with a buzzcut is that it grows out, which is why men go to the barbers every two weeks. Unless of course you stash a set of hair clippers in your bathroom cabinet in place of all the stupid hair products relentlessly marketed at us from puberty to deathbed. Bzzzzzzz. 'Are you identifying as they / them now,' asks my partner bravely. He's doing his best, but he's struggling. 'Your lovely hair,' he whispers, almost to himself. Then he locks himself in his car for a cry. Read More What we know about that couple on Coldplay's kiss cam
Scottish Sun
20-07-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
I lost nearly a stone on a week-long slimming holiday in the UK WITHOUT fat jabs
Leanne Knowles, 38, hated her figure before she booked the Kent retreat - she has since lost even more weight on trips to Greece and Thailand. SUN-JARO I lost nearly a stone on a week-long slimming holiday in the UK WITHOUT fat jabs Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IN the run up to a holiday, most of us look forward to the all-inclusive buffets and perhaps expect to gain a few pounds. I used to love the kind of break where I'd fly somewhere sunny and sit by the pool or on the beach, sipping cocktails and enjoying the hotel's barbecue nights. 8 Leanne lost weight attending different boot camps around the world (pictured here in Thailand) Credit: Leanne Knowles 8 Leanne said she would have considered fat jabs, but choose to focus on lifestyle and diet changes, which have been a huge success. 8 Leanne wasn't happy with her weight before and a holiday to Kent changed everything. Credit: Leanne Knowles At 5ft 1in and 12st 9lb, I sometimes felt self-conscious in my bikini, but none of the diets I'd tried, from Slimming World to a high-protein Atkins diet, had worked. When I inevitably quit, I'd find myself gaining even more weight than before. Trendy weight-loss jabs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are all the rage now, but I didn't know anything about them. I'm sure would have given the fat jab a go eventually, as I was frustrated with my inability to lose weight. I was desperate. But I knew when I stopped taking them, I would have gone back to my old habits. I was rushed off my feet and felt constantly exhausted and miserable. Believe it or not, it was a holiday that helped me to change my lifestyle for good. During a trip to Canada, a friend took a photo of me at Niagara Falls. Usually, I'd only take photos of my face so I could hide my lumps and bumps. But this snap was a wake-up call. I hated the way I looked. I was only 28 – what had happened to me? I tried the new Gladiators event at Butlin's with some of the TV stars… and my kids were obsessed 'Fat camp retreat' Back then, my routine was to come home from work and watch TV all evening. One of the shows featured a 'fat camp' retreat where overweight guests can go enlist the help of fitness experts to shed lbs. I knew it was exactly what I needed, so I did some research and came across GI Jane Bootcamp, a retreat that helps women to get fit and lose weight, military style. One week cost £900 for food, accommodation and the boot camp. I was determined to sign up, so I cut back on treats for a while to save up for it. The camp was held at Scuttington Manor in Sittingbourne, Kent. When I arrived, I was petrified. I'd never really exercised before – I didn't even own workout clothes. But the welcome meeting, where I met GI Jane's trainers and the lovely group of women I'd be working with, put me at ease. We were all there for our own reasons: some, like me, wanted to lose weight, some needed head space, while others wanted a bit of a confidence boost. 8 This photo of Leanne in Niagara Falls prompted her weight-loss journey Credit: Leanne Knowles 8 Leanne (pictured at one of the GI Jane retreats) is now a bootcamp pro and would recommend it to everyone Credit: Leanne Knowles One lady said it wasn't her first retreat, and that she keeps returning because 'it's good for the soul,' which I found really inspiring. From the very first day, we were tested to our limits. We'd get up at 7am – which was called 'falling in,' military style – and go on a hike of four or five miles before breakfast, which was usually home-made muesli and fresh fruit. Then, we'd have four exercise sessions across the rest of the day between healthy meals – anything from obstacle courses, boxing and intervals, to HIIT sessions, kettlebells and games. The morning after my first day, my legs were like jelly. But the trainers knew how to build us back up slowly each morning. The motto of GI Jane is 'You're only as fast as your slowest man,' and we were encouraged to support each other every step of the way. We bonded over every session, laughing and joking our way through the pain. I'd never run in my life before, so I struggled at first. I was thrilled when I realised I was gradually running further each day without stopping. On my last day I managed a full mile while carrying weights, which felt like such an achievement. At the end-of-week weigh-in, I discovered I'd lost 9 lbs in seven days, which I was thrilled about. On jabs like Mounjaro, the average weight loss is around 2lbs a week and you are not getting the added benefit of being fitter and healthier. 8 Boot camps further afield include exotic destinations like Koh Samui in Thailand Credit: Alamy 8 Leanne (pictured in Cornwall) says her holiday habits have changed but she still treats herself Credit: Leanne Knowles 8 Before the boot camp, Leanne preferred resort holidays to active breaks but that has all changed. Credit: Leanne Knowles More importantly, I'd got a new lease of life and learned what it took to take care of my body. Back home, I took everything I learned at the camp on board. I couldn't afford a gym membership, so I bought my own kettlebell, and would run around my local village, Beverley in East Yorkshire, to exercise. As well as using all the tools I'd learned, I received fantastic support from the camp WhatsApp group too. Some of the trainers were in the chat, and were happy to offer advice and share recipes. How the weight stayed off and I ended up signing up to another camp - this time in Thailand. Nine months later, I was given the chance to attend another GI Jane Bootcamp, this time in Thailand. By then, I'd already shrunk down to 8st 11lbs at home, with my own drive and willpower. I signed up to go and by the end of a week in beautiful Koh Samui, I'd reached my target weight of 8st 7lbs. As well as the camp, you get to travel the world with like-minded people too. I'd shed over four stone overall, and was now a trim size 8. It was an incredible moment. Since that first year, I've attended lots more GI Jane Bootcamps, including a week in Greece last year. I've made friends from all over the world, and there's always a friendly face there. My confidence has sky-rocketed, too. Aside from the boot camps, it's fair to say all my holidays look quite different now. I still treat myself, but I'm also very active, which would have sounded like torture before! It's amazing to think how a one-week holiday changed my life so dramatically. I'm sure that if I'd tried so-called 'fat jabs' the weight would have piled back on when I stopped taking them, the same as with every other diet I've tried. But although some might see what I've done as losing weight the 'hard way,' I see it as life-changing. I'd urge anyone thinking about using expensive weight-loss medication to consider trying a boot camp first. You might be surprised.
Daily Mirror
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Bruce Willis' daughter Rumer praises dad amid Die Hard star's dementia battle
Bruce Willis' eldest daughter Rumer has publicly credited her dad for being her inspiration, as the Hollywood action legend's condition continues to decline following his dementia diagnosis Rumer Willis has publicly praised her dad, crediting him with giving her the inspiration to become an action star, like iconic Die Hard actor Bruce. The 70-year-old was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023, with the action hero now "non-verbal" and requiring 24-hour care. His tragic diagnosis was made just a year after he retired from acting after being diagnosed with language disorder aphasia, in March 2022. His family confirmed his disease had progressed to FTD, which has a typical life expectancy of between six and eight years, but can be as low as two years. Bruce was married to actress Demi Moore, 62, between 1989 and 2000. They share three daughters, Rumer, 36, Scout, 33 and Tallulah, 31. The pair divorced, and Bruce remarried after meeting British model Emma Heming - they share two daughters, Mabel Ray, 12, and Evelyn Penn, 10. Bruce's eldest, Rumer, has revealed she is following in her dad's footsteps by making the move into the action genre. In her new movie, Trail of Vengeance, she plays disgruntled widow Katherine Atherton, who is dead-set on revenge after her husband's murder. In a recent interview with People magazine, she said: "My dad is such an action man," adding: "My mom's done her fair share [of action] as well." Rumer's mum Demi starred in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and GI Jane - in which she played the titular character. Rumer added: "I felt like a little kid when I found out I got [this role]." The movie is out now in cinemas. Mother-of-one Rumer makes sure her two-year-old daughter Louetta spends as much time as possible with her dad while she still can. A source previously revealed: "Rumer wants to make sure Louetta knows Bruce. "She wants him to be actively involved in Louetta's life. It's a very special bond. Rumer and her sisters love their dad so much. They are very conscious that any day could be his last." And his ex-wife Demi has also stepped up to make sure Bruce and their daughters are taken care of, despite their divorce. Speaking previously to Variety, the Substance star said: "We will always be a family, just in a different form." She added: "I've shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely: It's so important for anybody who's dealing with this to really meet them where they're at. And from that place, there is such loving and joy." Speaking about her ex's diagnosis, Demi told Town & Country magazine: "Finally getting to a diagnosis was key so that I could learn what fronto-temporal dementia is and I could educate our children. I've never tried to sugarcoat anything for them. Sppeaking on CBS Sunday Morning in September she said: "The important thing is just to meet him where he's at, as opposed to being attached to who he was, how he was. Because, again, that only just puts you in a place of loss versus being in the present, meeting him where he's at, and finding the joy and the loving of just all that is where he is."
