After buying her a selection of her favorite songs on vinyl during their first year of dating, presenter Anita Rani has revealed how romantically engaged she is with her new boyfriend, Alex Lavery.
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Anita Rani shares details of new relationship with Alex Lavery(Image: BBC Studios/Pete Dadds)
Just two years following the breakdown of her 14 year marriage, Countryfile presenter Anita Rani has shared details of her new relationship with Alex Lavery. The couple went public in September this year during London Fashion Week and it looks as though Anita, 48, may have finally found her happy ever after.
As the couple walked hand in hand along London’s streets, they were pictured admiring one another in love. The TV star argued that Alex’s happiness with her was not just due to his attractiveness, but that she had discovered that she might have found her soul mate thanks to one romantic gesture.
Alex is “a beautiful soul, not just good-looking,” she told Mailonline. He is extremely energetic and free-spirited.
And when he told her that he had the potential to be The One, she continued to claim that he had purchased a collection of vinyl records and that the pair sat and listened to them.
When she inquired about his knowledge of his wife’s musical preferences so soon into their romance, he admitted that he paid close attention to her preferences as she discussed different musical styles and artists.
There is nothing more satisfying than listening to music with someone who shares your passion, she continued.
With Christmas just weeks away, the couple have already decided on spending it together and it seems Anita is going all out when it comes to decorations, something she hasn’t done in previous years, according to the star.
She wed tech executive Bhupinder Rehal in September 2023, and they are still dating.
And she continued to tell Love Sunday magazine that “life is good” a year later when she discussed her split. She stated, “Life is good, I’m in a good place.” My own desires and needs are the center of my attention. It’s nice to have time to reflect on my life’s second phase. It’s been called “Chapter Two,” I’ve been calling it.
In a rave in east London, Anita and her ex-husband met at a wedding and wed in a Sikh ceremony in 2009. According to reports, hectic schedules were to blame for the split.
At the time, a source told The Mirror: “It’s really sad but they’ve decided to separate. Their hectic schedules over the past couple of years have sadly meant they’ve drifted apart over time.”
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Anita claimed that she has enjoyed living as a single woman in her forties since splitting from her ex-husband and feeling more free since.
She said she was relieved that she is no longer liable to anyone because divorce was not something that her family members would accept readily.
READ MORE: ‘I saved £99 on beauty last Amazon Prime Day – this Black Friday I’ve saved even more’
Since Cilla Black’s passing, TV icon and singer’s clothes have been preserved and a sizable sum has been raised for charity.
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Cilla Black wardrobe raises big money for children’s charity(Image: Shutterstock)
The clothes collection of the late TV and singing star Cilla Black raised £40,000 for charity – with some items set to go on museum display in the future. On Friday, TV legend Cilla’s wardrobe featuring 246 items went under the hammer with the proceeds going to the children’s charity Variety.
The turquoise ‘Faye’ maxi dress worn by Cilla during her memorable 1971 appearance on The Morecambe & Wise Show achieved £800, the highest winning bid on the day. The second highest earner of the day at £720 was Cilla’s Jean Varon, ivory coloured mini dress which she wore in 1968 on the 1st season of her BBC ‘Cilla’ tv variety series.
Cilla was best known for fronting shows on ITV such as Blind Date and Surprise Surprise, having previously been a singer in the Sixties and starred at venues like The Cavern in Liverpool alongside The Beatles.
Commenting after the sale, Cilla’s son Robert Willis told the Mirror: “I’ve just learned that 100% of the catalogue lots were sold. I’m so glad that all the items have found new homes, where I hope they’ll be cherished, appreciated, and given fresh life and meaning by those who won them at auction. I’m also very pleased that we raised £40,000 for Variety, the Children’s Charity — something I’m sure Mum would have been very happy about!”
According to The Mirror, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&, A) is planning to make several of Cilla’s most well-known fashions available for public viewing in the future.
Robert responded, “It’s a fantastic compliment that the V&, A, such a prestigious institution, has chosen to take on part of the collection. It’s a great honor and I’m truly grateful. One day, I’m looking forward to seeing these pieces displayed at V&, A.
The auction included pieces by Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Muir, Loewe, Issey Miyake, Jimmy Choo, and many others, making it a rare opportunity to own a piece of British fashion and entertainment history. Cilla, a TV aficionado and singer, passed away in 2015 and is renowned for hosting shows like Surprise Surprise and Blind Date despite earlier chart success.
Robert explained that Cilla’s wardrobe had a proud place in the attic at The Grove, the family home in Denham, and that Cilla’s outfits remained spotless. She hid all of her clothing on rails, carefully stored under plastic bags, and according to Robert, “she kept everything on rails.” They stayed there for a long time. The sale occurred ten years prior to Cilla’s passing in 2015.
Cilla’s fashion choices were expressive and joyful, just like her personality. The collection featured feathered and beaded showgirls who adorned her television sets in sleek, tailored jackets.
The sale was announced by Variety’s CEO, Laurence Guinness, who stated: “Millions of disabled and disadvantaged children are currently living off of the basic necessities.” The life-changing impact of the Cilla Black collection auctioneers’ glamour rivals that of the Cilla Black collection auction. A vulnerable child could have a future filled with opportunity, while winning could give them a vital wheelchair, a special bed, or the means to communicate.
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Cilla was a strong supporter of Variety, and this is a chance to carry out her generosity at a time when it is more urgent than ever.
* Variety supports disabled and disadvantaged children across the UK https://variety.org/
In the midst of Pauline Quirke’s heartbreaking dementia battle, Linda Rosbson and Pauline Quirke have forged a decades-long friendship.
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Linda and Pauline have been friends since they were 10(Image: BBC)
Everything you need to know about Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson’s special friendship
North London stars Linda and Pauline have known each other since childhood. They first met aged just 10 and became swiftly inseparable. Both dreamed of stardom, and it led them to joining Anna Scher Theatre School together in the 70s. During a 2016 appearance on Loose Women, Linda declared they’d known each other ‘practically from the womb’.
The pair became well-known in the 1980s with their popular sitcom Birds of a Feather, which was filmed alongside their good friend Lesley Joseph and received tens of millions of views. As their wives struggled with their husbands’ imprisonment for armed robbery, their lives intersected in Sharon Theodopolopodous and Tracey Stubbs’ lives.
Pauline and Linda have had their ups and downs over the years, with rumours of rifts and off-screen tension, coming to a head in 2019 over a Birds of a Feather Christmas special, which Pauline eventually did not take part in. One past colleague said,”Pauline and Linda had a really tempestuous relationship at times. There were rows in toilets and disagreements over contracts but things are now much better.”
The friends would frequently use their fame to go on fun adventures, including meeting famous people, because they always shared a love of mischief and fun. When late singer George Michael left the venue, they once waited in a bar until 4am in the morning.
Pauline’s husband revealed her devastating 2021 dementia diagnosis in January. In a subsequent Instagram post, Linda wrote: ‘For the past three years, I’ve been in close contact with her husband, Steve, and spent time with Pauline. It breaks my heart to see her endure such a terrible illness..” In a new interview with the Mirror, Linda shared an update on her friend, admitting ‘I love her so much’.
READ THE FULL STORY: Linda Robson shares update on Pauline Quirke amid heartbreaking dementia battle.
Reuben Owen and girlfriend Jess Ellwood’s love life on the farm never ends, even at Christmas, thanks to turkeys, tinsel, and tractors. Speaking to The Mirror they exclusively reveal they are yet to spend a day apart…
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Reuben says: “I dug myself out of the snow to get to Jess. And I’d do it again a thousand times.”(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Even an avalanche would not keep Reuben Owen and his girlfriend Jess Ellwood apart – which is a good job, as TV’s favourite farming couple prepare for Christmas in deepest North Yorkshire.
Reuben proudly declares that they haven’t spoken a day apart since they met at a Young Farmers’ convention in 2024 and are now in love. Rebuen, who owns and runs his 2000-acre family farm in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, says, “It snows heavily where we are” and that they “have never spent a day apart.” From the plot, he runs a machinery company.
“We got snowed in last year. I’ve seen Jess every single day since we got together. And it was going to be the only day I hadn’t seen her. But I wasn’t going to let a little (or a lot) of snow stop me from getting to my love. It took me a long time to get the tractor started and even longer to dig myself out of the snow but I did it. I dug myself out of the snow to get to Jess. And I’d do it again a thousand times.”
READ MORE: Our Yorkshire Farm’s Reuben Owen and girlfriend supported as they celebrate wedding
Fans of Channel 5’s Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales will be impressed by his wildly romantic gesture, but he doesn’t care whether Jess, 21, spends a white Christmas with him, saying, “I’d rather it rained, so I could just drive over.”
The couple, who revealed their romance in November, have the support of both their loving families and viewers. Reuben, 22, rose to fame in his 22nd marriage to Amanda and Clive Owen, and his eight siblings, Raven, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clementine, and Nancy. Now his own show is a massive hit, the Christmas special of which, airing on December 23, will show everyone’s favourite characters coming together to convert an old barn on Jess ‘ family farm, ready for a festive feast.
Lovebirds Reuben and Jess spend much of his time on the site at Brough Castle, living alongside Jess’ mum Sarah, dad Dave, nana Diane, 400 sheep, 80 milk cows, three horses, 200 cattle, two cats and three dogs.
“When it snows, it freezes all the water pipes for the animals. You must also blow torch everything, including the troughs. It takes a long time. So we are not dreaming of a white Christmas”, laughs Jess. Because the milking parlours were cooled to minus 10 last year, we had to put heaters in them.
There’s a lovely connection between the two families, dating back to long before the young couple met. “Jess’ grandad used to raise hundreds of turkeys for Christmas every year, and when I was a boy my dad would come to the farm to buy the biggest one for our Christmas dinner,” says Reuben.
This year, the couple decided to turn turkeys from chicks into a festive feast for their Christmas dinner and the show. Jess laughs, “We do regret the day we made that choice.”
“We’ve had a run around from those turkeys,” he said. We had to re-build their fences twice because they have escaped so many times. They’re not like sheep – they’re chaotic – it takes three people to round one bird up. Porna rounds her nightie and slippers back into their pen after spending some nights outside in the freezing cold. We are all enthralled by the CCTV. They’ve certainly made us work for our supper”.
The farm’s Christmas season is busy. Everyone works together to accomplish it. Christmas was always chaos at my house growing up – and it still is to be honest. Reuben says it was loud and exciting because there were eight of us kids present.
But never, even on Christmas Day, does farming stop. “All our jobs still had to get done before we could open our presents”, says Reuben. The animals are just as hungry as we are! You never get days off, according to Jess, who continues, “because it’s the most challenging part of farming.” It’s back breaking work sometimes. Being tired is always the hardest part. “Especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
“Christmas is truly a time we should realise just how much work goes into our dinner. The people behind the food, the preparation and hours people put in,” says Reuben. “All the animals, the veg has been planted months earlier, and a bad bit of weather comes and it all goes to pot. The amount of hours that go into getting it from the field to the table – I wish people knew.”
Reuben and Jess are the newest generation of farmers in the country, preserving traditional farming techniques and putting them to use in their communities. Our lives are quite different I would assume to the average 20 something, “says Reuben”. However, it’s common for us to find many young people who grew up on farms working in agriculture.
It’s a very different life, Jess continues, “compared to someone who doesn’t farm.” But there are more and more young people getting involved. The number of students at agricultural college was the highest ever year that I attended. also includes both girls and boys. So things are certainly changing for the better. It’s greatly needed, and being a part of the change is exciting.
“Being a girl in agriculture is great. I have many friends who work with their fathers, and there are a few of us nearby. When she first remembers farming with her father, Dave, “I remember the sheep and the cows. I was a part of it all from birth. Since I was a young child, I’ve always wanted to help my father. There’s a lovely sense of freedom to farming. Weather permitting, we’re out. Additionally, I can operate a tractor.
Reuben adds, proudly: “She’s great with a machine…” Now the couple are looking forward to their Christmas TV special. There are turkeys, tractors, and tinsel everywhere! Everyone worked hard, and it was a big team effort. Jess was stirring concrete, I was lugging stone flags around, all the familiar faces from the show lent a hand – from Sonny and Capper, too, and my brothers Miles and Sid, and my dad Clive – even the production team got involved to get it all done”, says Reuben.
The couple has big plans for the space now that it is finished. We’ve talked about using it as a wedding venue, but I’m not sure if Jess will get a ring under the tree this year. There might even be wedding bells.
They also anticipate that there will be additional income from the barn. Reuben explains that because farming is now so profitable, people have to work elsewhere. “Years and years ago farms like this would have been fine, they’d have made good money. However, now that food prices are rising, you must diversify to maintain a steady income.
Milk is “as affordable as water, if not more affordable.” This life can be quite stressful. Why is having a community close by so important. Everyone works together and contributes. I have my staff – who are my friends. Both of us have family farms. We assist each other’s families. It brings us all very close together. “
Reuben and Jess’ families will gather to celebrate this year. Our families will gather for Christmas. It’ll be a full house! Reuben asserts that farming is a good job because we live on farms. I’ll likely arrive at Jess’ family farm for lunch, meet her, and then drive home for a second Christmas dinner at my family farm. And at some point, the whole lot of us will get together for a damson gin, made by Jess ‘ nana. “
What can Jess anticipate finding under the Christmas tree in the absence of a diamond ring? For Christmas, I gave my mother some stone troughs last year to visit a house she’s doing up. I like to get functional gifts. I’ve got a chain from Jess’ father, Dave. Not a necklace, in any case. It’s a tow chain made in Sweden. I got Jess a cordless angle grinder. Nothing, after all, can express love like a cordless angle grinder.
Reuben Owen: Christmas in the Dales will be broadcast on Channel 5 starting at 8pm on December 16th.
Article continues below
READ MORE: Amanda Owen’s sweet names for her nine children and what they are up to now
Reuben Owen and girlfriend Jess Ellwood’s love life on the farm never ends, even at Christmas, thanks to turkeys, tinsel, and tractors. Speaking to The Mirror they exclusively reveal they are yet to spend a day apart…
7 Images to View
Reuben says: “I dug myself out of the snow to get to Jess. And I’d do it again a thousand times.”(Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Even an avalanche would not keep Reuben Owen and his girlfriend Jess Ellwood apart – which is a good job, as TV’s favourite farming couple prepare for Christmas in deepest North Yorkshire.
Reuben proudly declares that they haven’t spoken a day apart since they met at a Young Farmers’ convention in 2024 and are now in love. Rebuen, who owns and runs his 2000-acre family farm in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, says, “It snows heavily where we are” and that they “have never spent a day apart.” From the plot, he runs a machinery company.
“We got snowed in last year. I’ve seen Jess every single day since we got together. And it was going to be the only day I hadn’t seen her. But I wasn’t going to let a little (or a lot) of snow stop me from getting to my love. It took me a long time to get the tractor started and even longer to dig myself out of the snow but I did it. I dug myself out of the snow to get to Jess. And I’d do it again a thousand times.”
READ MORE: Our Yorkshire Farm’s Reuben Owen and girlfriend supported as they celebrate wedding
Fans of Channel 5’s Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales will be impressed by his wildly romantic gesture, but he doesn’t care whether Jess, 21, spends a white Christmas with him, saying, “I’d rather it rained, so I could just drive over.”
The couple, who revealed their romance in November, have the support of both their loving families and viewers. Reuben, 22, rose to fame in his 22nd marriage to Amanda and Clive Owen, and his eight siblings, Raven, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clementine, and Nancy. Now his own show is a massive hit, the Christmas special of which, airing on December 23, will show everyone’s favourite characters coming together to convert an old barn on Jess ‘ family farm, ready for a festive feast.
Lovebirds Reuben and Jess spend much of his time on the site at Brough Castle, living alongside Jess’ mum Sarah, dad Dave, nana Diane, 400 sheep, 80 milk cows, three horses, 200 cattle, two cats and three dogs.
“When it snows, it freezes all the water pipes for the animals. You must also blow torch everything, including the troughs. It takes a long time. So we are not dreaming of a white Christmas”, laughs Jess. Because the milking parlours were cooled to minus 10 last year, we had to put heaters in them.
There’s a lovely connection between the two families, dating back to long before the young couple met. “Jess’ grandad used to raise hundreds of turkeys for Christmas every year, and when I was a boy my dad would come to the farm to buy the biggest one for our Christmas dinner,” says Reuben.
This year, the couple decided to turn turkeys from chicks into a festive feast for their Christmas dinner and the show. Jess laughs, “We do regret the day we made that choice.”
“We’ve had a run around from those turkeys,” he said. We had to re-build their fences twice because they have escaped so many times. They’re not like sheep – they’re chaotic – it takes three people to round one bird up. Porna rounds her nightie and slippers back into their pen after spending some nights outside in the freezing cold. We are all enthralled by the CCTV. They’ve certainly made us work for our supper”.
The farm’s Christmas season is busy. Everyone works together to accomplish it. Christmas was always chaos at my house growing up – and it still is to be honest. Reuben says it was loud and exciting because there were eight of us kids present.
But never, even on Christmas Day, does farming stop. “All our jobs still had to get done before we could open our presents”, says Reuben. The animals are just as hungry as we are! You never get days off, according to Jess, who continues, “because it’s the most challenging part of farming.” It’s back breaking work sometimes. Being tired is always the hardest part. “Especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
“Christmas is truly a time we should realise just how much work goes into our dinner. The people behind the food, the preparation and hours people put in,” says Reuben. “All the animals, the veg has been planted months earlier, and a bad bit of weather comes and it all goes to pot. The amount of hours that go into getting it from the field to the table – I wish people knew.”
Reuben and Jess are the newest generation of farmers in the country, preserving traditional farming techniques and putting them to use in their communities. Our lives are quite different I would assume to the average 20 something, “says Reuben”. However, it’s common for us to find many young people who grew up on farms working in agriculture.
It’s a very different life, Jess continues, “compared to someone who doesn’t farm.” But there are more and more young people getting involved. The number of students at agricultural college was the highest ever year that I attended. also includes both girls and boys. So things are certainly changing for the better. It’s greatly needed, and being a part of the change is exciting.
“Being a girl in agriculture is great. I have many friends who work with their fathers, and there are a few of us nearby. When she first remembers farming with her father, Dave, “I remember the sheep and the cows. I was a part of it all from birth. Since I was a young child, I’ve always wanted to help my father. There’s a lovely sense of freedom to farming. Weather permitting, we’re out. Additionally, I can operate a tractor.
Reuben adds, proudly: “She’s great with a machine…” Now the couple are looking forward to their Christmas TV special. There are turkeys, tractors, and tinsel everywhere! Everyone worked hard, and it was a big team effort. Jess was stirring concrete, I was lugging stone flags around, all the familiar faces from the show lent a hand – from Sonny and Capper, too, and my brothers Miles and Sid, and my dad Clive – even the production team got involved to get it all done”, says Reuben.
The couple has big plans for the space now that it is finished. We’ve talked about using it as a wedding venue, but I’m not sure if Jess will get a ring under the tree this year. There might even be wedding bells.
They also anticipate that there will be additional income from the barn. Reuben explains that because farming is now so profitable, people have to work elsewhere. “Years and years ago farms like this would have been fine, they’d have made good money. However, now that food prices are rising, you must diversify to maintain a steady income.
Milk is “as affordable as water, if not more affordable.” This life can be quite stressful. Why is having a community close by so important. Everyone works together and contributes. I have my staff – who are my friends. Both of us have family farms. We assist each other’s families. It brings us all very close together. “
Reuben and Jess’ families will gather to celebrate this year. Our families will gather for Christmas. It’ll be a full house! Reuben asserts that farming is a good job because we live on farms. I’ll likely arrive at Jess’ family farm for lunch, meet her, and then drive home for a second Christmas dinner at my family farm. And at some point, the whole lot of us will get together for a damson gin, made by Jess ‘ nana. “
What can Jess anticipate finding under the Christmas tree in the absence of a diamond ring? For Christmas, I gave my mother some stone troughs last year to visit a house she’s doing up. I like to get functional gifts. I’ve got a chain from Jess’ father, Dave. Not a necklace, in any case. It’s a tow chain made in Sweden. I got Jess a cordless angle grinder. Nothing, after all, can express love like a cordless angle grinder.
Reuben Owen: Christmas in the Dales will be broadcast on Channel 5 starting at 8pm on December 16th.
Article continues below
READ MORE: Amanda Owen’s sweet names for her nine children and what they are up to now
Exactly ten years after losing her father to the disease, GMB star Charlotte Hawkins expressed her emotions over how AI is assisting motor neurone disease patients.
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Charlotte Hawkins opened up about a family tragedy and a major personal milestone(Image: Getty)
Good Morning Britain’s Charlotte Hawkins reveals she “reassessed” her life after reaching a significant personal milestone. It occurred a decade following her father Frank’s death from motor neurone disease.
Charlotte launched her broadcasting journey at ITN in 1999 before moving on to present for outlets including LBC and Sky’s Sunrise. She joined ITV and Good Morning Britain in 2014, anchoring the programme and serving as the newsreader.
Earlier this year she marked her 50th birthday, reports the Express. And she reveals that reaching the major milestone provided a moment for personal reflection.
Charlotte told Charlotte in a statement to the Sun’s Fabulous magazine that she had turned 50 in May, and that it did prompt reflection on both your outlook and your approach to life. You want to live a nice life, after all.
You must concentrate on what brings you joy, which includes Ella-Rose, my husband Mark [Herbert, 52, a drinks executive], and our family and friends, who create wonderful memories. “
Charlotte acknowledges that during her early television days, she first experienced anxiety, which she refers to as the “fake it until you make it thing.”
Charlotte reveals that she was inspired by Frank, a vicar, by watching him deliver sermons to his congregation.
Frank was unavoidably diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2011.
It means Charlotte frequently finds the Christmas season rather bittersweet. Charlotte Hawkins has opened up about how her father’s death from motor neurone disease (MND) changed her perspective on life.
She said, “You have to take every moment because life is short because my dad died ten years ago from motor neurone disease, at the age of 78. We didn’t have much time to wait for him because his diagnosis was unexpected. “
Since then, Charlotte has steered the MND Association and has first-hand knowledge of how artificial intelligence (AI) can assist those who have been diagnosed with the condition.
She emphasized the benefits of AI in a segment on Good Morning Britain in August, saying, “I only want to highlight a potential positive use of AI because I work for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and this one caught my attention. One of the hardest things for those with motor neurone disease is losing your voice is a woman named Sarah Ezekiel, who is now diagnosed with motor neurone disease. “
After discovering a small video clip, she continued, explaining how AI had been employed to mimic Sarah’s voice, adding that “her voice was able to be replicated by the power of AI, and this is the voice that it gave her.” “
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Given her own father’s conflict with MND, the presenter acknowledged that she found Sarah’s story “emotional.” She admitted, “I feel really emotional because my dad lost his voice, which is one of the hardest things to do when you can’t hear your father’s voice anymore.” “
