Latest news with #tabloids
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Princess Delphine of Belgium Just Majorly Defended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
For those not fully up to speed on the royal family's drama, let's have a quick recap: back in January 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced they would be 'stepping down' from their roles as senior working members of the royal family, amid cruel stories about Meghan from the tabloids. Later, they headed off to start anew in California with their son, Archie, later joined by daughter Lilibet, explaining they wanted to live a less public-facing life. Following on from this, the couple embarked on a range of solo endeavors, from Prince Harry's tell-all book Spare (which was sadly less than complimentary about his family, notably his brother Prince William) to Meghan's lifestyle brand, As Ever. One key issue at the heart of the rift has been Harry's push to have his high-level security reinstated, something he lost access to after stepping down from his royal working life (and which he argued was unfair, as his personal risk as a public figure had not decreased, but which the courts ultimately did not support). This, Harry has explained on multiple occasions, is part of what stops him and Meghan from visiting the UK on a regular basis. Now, an unexpected royal has spoken up in defense of Meghan and Harry—and their security predicament—with Princess Delphine of Belgium airing her sympathies on the It's Reigning Men podcast, which discusses all-things royal. Speaking to host Daniel Rosney, Princess Delphine said, 'I think there is this thing about security. I think it's to do with what happened to his mother. I understand the guy. He's just traumatized.' She added, 'I understand, so he's doing these things, and everybody's bullying him, but not thinking about his trauma and I just find it terrible because he's just been kind of left.' The Princess also fondly recalled Prince Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, who she said was a 'part of my life when I was in England.' 'She had these children and everything, and then this death was just horrible,' Delphine, who is an artist and known for her fashion flair, expanded. 'Especially seeing these two children left by a very, I thought, natural, nice, normal motherly woman.' 'They lost such an important figure, and I feel very sorry for Harry because I think that was traumatic for him. William didn't have a choice. I think Harry suffered so much, and I think he was traumatized and it's coming out now.' Far from having an ordinary life herself, Delphine has also had a difficult experience with the press; growing up, she was seen as an illegitimate child of King Albert II, who had an affair with her mother. It took her two decades of fighting to be recognized by a DNA test, in order to prove her paternity. As you might imagine, after her story broke, the press intrusion was intense—much like it has been for Meghan and Harry. Elsewhere, it's said that King Charles' personal team had a productive conversation and with a member of staff for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, so perhaps there's a proper reconciliation to be had after all. You Might Also Like Here's What NOT to Wear to a Wedding Meet the Laziest, Easiest Acne Routine You'll Ever Try
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jennifer Love Hewitt says she was never ‘insecure' until she was shamed for these 2007 photos
Jennifer Love Hewitt can hardly believe what the tabloids said in the early aughts. The actress, 46, was always confident in herself since stepping into Hollywood at age 10. But things shifted in 2007 after photos of her in Hawaii surfaced with the headline 'Stop Calling Me Fat!' 'I just had blind faith in myself,' Hewitt told Vulture in an interview published Friday about growing up. 'I highly recommend it.' The 'Ghost Whisperer' star was gutted after catching wind of the headline. 'I was having the time of my life,' Hewitt recalled. 'I had made up the dumbest song about eating snacks and playing in the ocean, and I was singing it to my boyfriend out loud, doing some weird dance move, and they got the picture and then it was on the cover.' 'I don't think I was ever really insecure until that cover,' she expressed to the outlet. 'And then when it happened, I don't know that I've ever recovered from it.' The paparazzi shots permanently shifted Hewitt's mentality. The 'Client List' actress detailed: 'There's a part of me that's always like, 'Is this version going to be good enough, or is that going to happen again?' Where somebody's going to be like, 'Hey, this is her without makeup at the cleaners. She looks 59.'' As for why that moment in particular was so traumatizing, Hewitt explained, 'Because that was me. I think that's why the insecurity carried on. I don't know if I've even ever put that together for myself other than right now.' 'I think I was like, 'Oh my God, I was myself one time, and this is what happened.'' Luckily, Hewitt's mother, Patricia Mae Hewitt, who died in 2012 after a battle with cancer, was there with words of wisdom. 'She was like, 'You don't get it. You can't win. This is just people having a problem with the version of you they think belongs to them.' And she said, 'Take your power back. Belong to yourself, and don't worry about it.'' Hewitt also touched on becoming a sex symbol in her late teens and early 20s after starring in hits like 1997's 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' 'Can't Hardly Wait' in 1998, and 'Heartbreakers' (2001). 'It bothers me more now than it did at that age because I was in it,' Hewitt stated. 'Before I even knew what sex was, I was a sex symbol. I still don't know that I have that fully defined for myself because it started so weird.' Now, after decades in the industry, the 'Tuxedo' alum has found a home on ABC. Hewitt stars as Maddie Buckley on the ABC drama '9-1-1.' 'I get to be, not ugly, but raw in a way that doesn't matter. I get to put all those little things into her that maybe I didn't notice or get to pay attention to along the way and heal them,' she shared. 'I give that to Maddie constantly.' For Hewitt, it feels like this is the first time since starring in 'Party of Five' in the '90s that people are focused on her work. 'It was the work and then it was the body. And not the body of work,' she reflected. 'Now we're getting back to the work part of it.' Along with playing the beloved 911 operator, Hewitt also stepped back into the shoes of the iconic Julie James. She reprised her role in the new 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' 27 years after the original film debuted in 1997. Hewitt stepped out for the sequel's premiere at LA's United Theater on Broadway on Monday. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr., who starred in the original project together, turned the premiere into date night. Prinze Jr., 49, reprises his role as Ray Bronson in the sequel. Gellar, 48, played Helen Shivers, who died in the original movie. Despite both being on the carpet, Hewitt and Gellar didn't pose for pictures together. 'For everyone asking — I never got to see @jenniferlovehewitt, who is fantastic in the movie. I was inside with my kids when the big carpet happened. And unfortunately, JLH didn't come to the after-party,' Gellar commented on Instagram Wednesday. The 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' star added, 'If you have ever been to one of these, it's crazy. I sadly didn't get pics with most of the cast. But that doesn't change how amazing I think they all are. Unfortunately, some things happen only in real life and not online.' For her part, Hewitt also shut down rumors of bad blood between the two. 'I haven't seen Sarah,' she told Vulture. 'Literally, we've not talked since I saw her at 18 years old when the first movie came out. That's why it's so funny to me. People were like, 'Say something back.' And I'm like, 'What am I going to say? I've not seen her.' On my side, we're good. I have no idea where this is coming from.' Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Exclusive: Sarah, Duchess of York: My ‘profound' trauma in childhood and public life
It is an extraordinarily frank series of revelations. But then Sarah, Duchess of York, has always had a willingness to wear her heart on her sleeve. Writing exclusively for The Telegraph, the Duchess describes 'the profound scars' of her childhood that 'led to feelings of unworthiness [that] contributed to an unhealthy attitude to food that often threatened to spiral into a full-scale eating disorder'. She writes, too, of being marked by 'tabloid headlines of the 1980s and 1990s' and more recent 'comments on social media (which I regard as a cesspit)'. Such was the extent of recent online vitriol, combined with a double cancer diagnosis, that she says her mind was forced 'to some dark places'. Coming to terms with all this, she says, was brought on by long discussions of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during a visit to a Swiss clinic. Her revelations, which you can read in full below, are a heart-rending reminder that this was a woman cruelly nicknamed the 'Duchess of Pork' and 'Fat Fergie' when she gained weight during her first pregnancy. Such language would never be tolerated today. It is with characteristic candour that she admits that her difficult childhood has had a much more profound effect on her adult life than she ever realised. Her description of how her mother's decision to leave the family when she was 12 for a new life in South America 'led to feelings of unworthiness' explains quite a lot of the Duchess's difficulties. As well as contributing to her 'unhealthy attitude to food', it perhaps also throws some light on why she has always tended to be so trusting of those who have shown her any attention. When her mother, Susan, abruptly abandoned her to live with an Argentinian polo player Hector Barrantes, Sarah was left to look after her father, Major Ron Ferguson, with her elder sister Jane, who later moved to Australia. Tragedy struck in 1998 when Susan Barrantes was killed in a car crash, aged 61. Coming just a year after the death of her beloved sister-in-law, Princess Diana, in a car crash – it left the Duchess completely bereft. She has previously blamed her fragile emotional state on her parents' marriage breakdown. In a 2018 TV interview with US show Modern Hero, she said: 'Suddenly she'd gone and she never came back and I never saw her again really. I built a huge wall to the real Sarah. And I believed it was because I was worthless. Why would you leave your child? You wouldn't.' Little wonder, then, that Sarah has always stuck by her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, with whom she still shares a home at Royal Lodge, Windsor, despite his own string of nightmare headlines. She was similarly unwaveringly loyal to her father following revelations he had frequented a London massage parlour, The Wigmore Club, in 1988. Father and daughter remained extremely close until Major Ferguson's death in 2003, aged 71. He had cancer during the last decade of his life, having been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996 as well as skin cancer. The Duchess had a similar 'double diagnosis' of breast cancer and skin cancer in 2023 and 2024 – which has also had an understandable impact on her mental health. As she writes: 'Most recently, I don't mind admitting that my mind went to some dark places – focusing on my own mortality – when I was diagnosed with first breast cancer and then skin cancer, which my father had when he died and also killed my best friend.' This is not the first time Sarah has admitted to seeking help for her internal struggles. Like Diana, she dabbled with psychics and, in 1992, was reported to have visited a 'mystic healer' called Madame Vasso. That was the year she suffered her most excruciating embarrassment, as tabloid headlines screamed 'Fergie Toe-Job' to accompany photographs of Texan multi-millionaire John Bryan sucking her toes while she sunbathed topless during a holiday in the south of France with her daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. To make matters even worse, Sarah was on holiday with the Royal family at Balmoral Castle when the gobsmacking images emerged. She had to walk into breakfast that morning as all the newspapers were laid out for the family – including the late Queen and Prince Philip – to see. Princess Diana summed up the mood in the Scottish Highlands with a message to journalist Richard Kay which simply read: 'The redhead's in trouble'. Quite how the Duchess, now 65, coped with that unedifying episode is anyone's guess. But the pain of being in the public eye didn't end there. The mother of two, who was married to Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1996, ended up being the subject of another tabloid exposé in 2010, when she was filmed by the News of the World offering Mazher Mahmood, an undercover reporter posing as an Indian businessman, access to Prince Andrew for £500,000. She later tried to sue Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers for £45 million in lost earnings. If these high-profile incidents weren't hard enough, spendthrift Sarah also had a succession of debt problems – and courted controversy once again in 2011 when it emerged that convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein had helped her to avoid bankruptcy. She later admitted taking money from Epstein had been a 'gigantic error'. Such highs and lows have helped make her the most relatable of all the members of the Royal family. Lately, her willingness to confront the lows confirms a fragility that has endeared her to the masses; something that was illustrated by the cheers from the crowd when she arrived at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 wedding. This latest admission once again serves as a reminder that the Royals are, at heart, just like the rest of us: real people who carry the emotional baggage of the journey they have been on. Mental health knows no boundaries by Sarah, Duchess of York As a mother, a public figure, and someone who has experienced the profound challenges of mental health, I have always believed in the power of openness, kindness and compassion. But being open about the struggles I have faced has not always been easy. I've always known there were issues I needed to address, stemming from my childhood and my time in the public eye. Then I was diagnosed with cancer, twice in the same year, something that would be challenging for anyone in terms of mental as well as physical health. I've always worked hard on my emotional wellbeing, so as well as exploring these issues, I was keen to understand how I could better use whatever platform I might have to advocate for more open discussion about mental health challenges and better policies in this area. I am particularly concerned about the crisis in mental health we are seeing in our young people. There are escalating rates of anxiety, depression and other wellbeing issues in the next generation. This crisis is driven by a combination of social, economic, and digital factors, compounded by the many challenges people face in accessing timely and effective support. All of this inspired my recent visit to Paracelsus Recovery in Zurich, which kindly hosted me as a guest. I am not embarrassed to reveal the clinic offered me a sanctuary, renowned as it is for its bespoke, cutting-edge treatment for those grappling with mental health and addiction issues – particularly those whose struggles are often hidden behind the facade of a public role. You may have heard of Paracelsus, named after the 16th-century Swiss physician and pioneer who went against the grain by declaring that those suffering from mental illness were not possessed by evil spirits but deserved humane treatment instead. The clinic that bears his name has proved successful because of two remarkable individuals: Dr Thilo Beck, the clinic's lead psychiatrist, and Jan Gerber, its chief executive and founder. Their insights into conditions such as complex post-traumatic stress disorder, adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the need for mental health advocacy have left an indelible mark on me and made me determined to do more. Dr Beck, with his decades of experience and roles advising governments on health policy, and his determination to make his expertise available to all, doing extraordinary work with homeless people suffering from mental health and addiction problems, provided an understanding of complex PTSD and adult ADHD. He explained that these conditions often manifest in subtle ways, making them challenging to diagnose, especially in high-functioning individuals. I learnt that complex PTSD, resulting from prolonged exposure to trauma, can lead to an inability to control or regulate one's emotional responses, feelings of detachment and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. I wasn't there to be diagnosed, but we discussed my own childhood and the profound scars that were left when my mother left the family when I was 12 for a new life in South America. This certainly led to feelings of unworthiness and I'm sure contributed to an unhealthy attitude to food that often threatened to spiral into a full-scale eating disorder. Spending most of my life in the public eye has been a great privilege, but has also presented its own challenges. The tabloid headlines of the 1980s and 1990s and intrusions into private life have doubtless left a mark, as do comments on social media (which I regard as a cesspit). Most recently, I don't mind admitting that my mind went to some dark places – focusing on my own mortality – when I was diagnosed with first breast cancer and then skin cancer, which my father had when he died and also killed my best friend. A lot has been written about ADHD in recent years, and I've sometimes wondered whether there might be signs of it in me. Dr Beck explained how adult ADHD often presents as chronic disorganisation, impulsivity and difficulties in maintaining focus, which can be misinterpreted as character flaws rather than a neurological condition. However, individuals with ADHD often think outside the box, leading to innovative solutions and creative breakthroughs. Their ability to connect seemingly unrelated ideas can be a significant advantage in fields requiring originality. Despite being easily distracted, they also often have periods of what's called 'hyperfocus', where they can concentrate intensely on tasks that interest them. This can lead to high productivity and exceptional performance in areas such as research, writing and creative endeavours. So people with adult ADHD can often be immensely successful and powerful. What struck me most was Dr Beck's emphasis on the importance of individualised treatment plans when treating mental health conditions. Patients must undergo comprehensive assessments, including functional medicine and genetic tests, to understand the root causes of their symptoms. This holistic approach ensures that treatments are not just reactive but proactive, addressing both the mind and the body. Jan Gerber shared his insights into the societal stigma surrounding mental health. He noted that individuals in high-pressure or public roles often feel compelled to maintain a facade of perfection, leading to isolation and often untreated mental health issues. I could certainly identify with this. When you're in the public eye, there's a need to be the proverbial swan – gliding effortlessly on the surface, while paddling frantically beneath the water. One of the reasons I am writing this is because I agree with Jan that we need to promote open conversations about mental health and how we can improve access to mental healthcare across society for all. Only by addressing the stigma head-on can society move towards a more compassionate and understanding approach to mental health. He also introduced me to some cutting-edge therapies. One of the most innovative I witnessed was the Satori Chair. Today, there is increasing research to demonstrate that music and sounds can have a profound effect on our minds and body. This state-of-the-art device uses vibrational sound therapy designed to retrain the brain to relax, producing deep, lasting levels of relaxation, meditation and sleep. For me, its effects were remarkable. Another groundbreaking treatment I experienced is intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia therapy (IHHT), a therapeutic approach that involves alternating cycles of hypoxia (low oxygen) and hyperoxia (high oxygen) to stimulate physiological responses in the body. Administered through controlled breathing sessions, there is emerging evidence that IHHT can enhance cellular function, improve cardiovascular health and support cognitive performance. It left me feeling energised and focused. Epigenetic and gut biology testing is also used, enabling targeted treatment via IVs, micronutrients and supplements and specially engineered diets to rebalance the biochemistry of the brain and body. What the visit taught me is that mental health knows no boundaries. It affects individuals across all walks of life, and it is imperative that we continue to break down the barriers of stigma and silence. As a society, we need to foster an environment where seeking help is seen as a strength, not a weakness. If you or someone you know is struggling, I encourage you to seek help. You are not alone, and there is no shame in taking the steps towards healing. Let us continue to support one another and work towards a future where mental health is treated with the care, respect and attention it deserves.
New York Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
He Was in the Pack Swarming Britney Spears. Now He's Ready to Tell All.
WAITING FOR BRITNEY SPEARS: A True Story, Allegedly, by Jeff Weiss In 2023, the pop princess Britney Spears published her autobiography, 'The Woman in Me.' In its pages, Spears had choice words for the paparazzi who pursued her at the heights and depths of her fame. She described them as enemy combatants, the ghosts in a Pac-Man game, sharks who sensed blood in the water. They were, she wrote, 'an army of zombies' who treated her with 'disregard' and 'disgust.' She hated them. She feared them. Jeff Weiss, by his own account, was one of them. In the 2000s, Weiss worked as an occasional reporter for a couple of tabloids. (He was also cited for trespassing on Brad Pitt's property, ostensibly at the bidding of People magazine.) He details these exploits — with grandiosity and rue — in 'Waiting for Britney Spears: A True Story, Allegedly.' It is not a novel, not yet a memoir. A roman à clef? Probably. Autofiction? Sure. It is also, in its most engaging moments, a bedazzled biography of Spears herself, as glimpsed across the dance floor, or through a long lens. Weiss, if you believe him, first met Spears when he sneaked into the ' … Baby One More Time' video shoot, which was held at his Venice, Calif., high school. The first glimpse of a pigtailed Spears ensorcelled him. A few years later, sprung from college and lightly adrift, Weiss found himself flung into her orbit again. Zhuzhing his résumé and shushing his qualms, Weiss persuaded a tabloid to hire him as a Hollywood party and celebrity reporter. (Context clues suggest that the tabloid was Star; in the book, Weiss calls it Nova.) This is a book that wears its antecedents on its sleeve, or perhaps low on the brow, like a Von Dutch hat. There's new journalism here and gonzo journalism, as well as more literary stabs at the mournfulness of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the contempt of Nathanael West. Parts of the book read like a retread of 'Miss Lonelyhearts,' doused in apple martinis. Other sections suggest link-rotted LiveJournal entries. In broad strokes, it is a story of a young man's disillusionment, a West Coast 'Sweet Smell of Success,' if success smelled like Victoria's Secret body mist. These strokes are indifferently compelling. Weiss falters in building stakes or sympathy for the self he describes. A 22-year-old college grad distracted from working on his novel? Oh no! And there is a cloying quality to his repeated insistence that he is too pure, too talented to do the work of a tabloid reporter. Many of us who make a life in journalism have done as bad or worse, without ever expensing our drinks. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Peter Doherty: Felt Better Alive review — charming poetry and silliness
Two decades of wild living, often played out for the fascination of the tabloids, have done their work on 46-year-old Pete (now Peter) Doherty. The co-leader of the Libertines, the band that for much of the Noughties found the missing link between the Clash and Chas & Dave, revealed earlier this year that if he doesn't do something about his rich diet, excessive boozing and cigarette habit, his toes will have to be amputated. This horrific scenario comes after Doherty finally managed to quit heroin, leaving behind the carousing of years past with Kate Moss and the like for a quiet life in Normandy with his wife, Katia, and their toddler daughter. Now comes an album that sounds like a visit to the last chance saloon, a final throw of the dice, an attempt to get his life back on track before it is all too late. And it is delivered with the mix of insouciance, resignation, poetry and silliness that has always been at the heart of Doherty's charm. • Peter Doherty interview: 'I can't wear normal shoes at the moment' 'I tiptoed around gravestones digging up old songs, felt better, oh my,' he sings over a haunted fairground rhythm on Felt Better Alive, one of a handful of songs in which Doherty addresses his life's calling as a salvation from himself. With its elegant strings and bright melody, Pot of Gold starts out as a seemingly innocent lullaby to his daughter, before Doherty reveals more venal intentions. 'If that lullaby is a hit, dad can buy you loads of cool shit,' he sings, also suggesting that if his child is silent for a few moments more, he can write 'the kind of thing they pay millions for'. Rarely has such naked intention been laid out so barely in lyrical form. You wouldn't think Doherty, being a beloved indie rock singer of ill repute, should be worrying about money, but it turns out that all those years of addiction, which included three spells in jail, did not lead to the most prudent investment choices. 'I'm in serious financial shtuck,' Doherty told The Times last year, before revealing that he was facing a £200,000 tax bill, a black hole of debt for the Libertines' residential Margate studio the Albion Rooms, and three grand a month in child support for two older children from previous relationships. 'Why do you think I'm doing this tour?' he elaborated. Doherty is equally honest about his motivations on this album, while infusing it with a romantic sensibility that stops things from getting unpleasantly transactional. • Pete Doherty live review — you can't help but be charmed Prêtre de la Mer and Stade Océan, eulogies to Doherty's local priest and Normandy's football stadium respectively, take inspiration from his adopted country and have a rollicking Gallic quality, equal parts maudlin and celebratory. Sometimes Doherty's attempts to write his way out of trouble reek of desperation — Fingee is a bit of nonsense poetry about not much at all — but in the main there is ragged appeal, as Doherty has matured from public enemy No 1 to an ageing roué. It's a role that suits him. (Strap Originals)★★★★☆ Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
