Everything changes for 55-year old Sang, a child of the Vietnam war, when he miraculously discovers his American father.
Sang is one of hundreds of thousands of unwanted and discriminated children left behind by the US soldiers after the Vietnam War. When his lifelong dream of finding his father comes true, Sang’s only mission is to race against time to meet his ailing dad and break the cycle of war trauma that has plagued generations.
After a long and challenging journey, Sang can finally go to the US, but without his wife, daughter, and beloved grandson. Reuniting with his father is a healing experience for both, but far from easy. Even though 50 years have passed since the last US soldier left Vietnam, many wounds remain open.
In a recent podcast episode, celebrity chef James Martin opened up about his culinary origins and explained why he “didn’t give a s***” when he received some savage criticism
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James Martin explained why he “didn’t give a s***” when he received criticism (Image: Getty Images)
James Martin has explained why he “didn’t give a s***” when he received criticism over what was described as the “disappointing” volume of work he produced as a boy. In a recent episode of Good Housekeeping UK’s My Life in a Biscuit Tin podcast, in which host Liz Moseley invites guests to stash various personal items in a metaphorical biscuit tin, James opened up about his culinary origins.
His first item was a small stack of school exercise books from his childhood, including his “most treasured possession”, a book from his primary school, around the time he started his career in the kitchen as a pot washer aged nine.
James explained that he worked at the Castle Howard estate in North Yorkshire, and once he found himself in the kitchen, he “felt it was my home.” However, as he continued with his schooling, he evidently left one person feeling somewhat disappointed.
Liz proceeded to read a comment from his exercise book from 1983, when James, known for such shows as James Martin’s Saturday Morning, James Martin’s United Cakes of America and The Box, was 11 years old.
In the author’s words, she told the podcast: “James has often displayed enthusiasm for various projects, but at the end of the day, the amount of work forthcoming has been disappointing.”
She noted that the comments were “brutal” and asked the celebrity chef if he had been “sad”, to which he replied on the podcast: “Not really; I didn’t give a s***, to be honest with you.”
Laughing, he continued: “But I didn’t. I didn’t; I’m sorry to ask. I didn’t because I just knew I want… that’s what I wanted to do, I knew from the age of nine that hospitality was going to be my thing.”
In other news, James recently got in the festive spirit on ITV’s This Morning by sharing the recipe for a simple three-ingredient gravy for our Christmas dinners, urging people to buy ready-made stock before it sells out.
James said: “It’s veal stock or chicken stock – that’s what you want. You can’t really make it out of turkey stock, because it’s not gonna taste the same.”
James poured red wine into a saucepan (you will need roughly half a bottle if you’re having 10 guests). He added: “Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, in the pan. Then you put these stocks in there, about a litre and a half of this stock, so a decent amount.”
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He then advised adding a portion of butter (about a third of a block) prior to gently reducing it. James added: “Now, the butter will sit on the top. When the sauce is ready, it all emulsifies into a gravy, into a classic chef-style jus or a sauce.”
James places the cooled gravy into ice cube trays, freezes it, and later uses two cubes per guest (heating it up in a pan).
While on an official engagement in Scotland earlier this year, the Princess of Wales candidly shared her unusual Christmas present and how it helps with a bizarre hobby
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The Princess of Wales has shared her unusual Christmas present from last year(Image: PA)
Princess Kate revealed that she received a chainsaw as a Christmas present last year in a candid admission while on a royal engagement earlier this year. In April, the Prince and Princess of Wales travelled to the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, as they celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary.
Mucking in at the community hall in the village of Tobermory, Kate asked for tips on carpentry and beekeeping and revealed the strange Christmas present when the royal couple were shown some of the refurbishment work, meeting the painter, carpenter and volunteers before getting involved in the action themselves.
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Shown a small work station, where Tom Nelson was making a new ‘surround’ for the community food bank fridge with wooden tiles on its roof, the Prince and Princess agreed to use a nail gun to add their own.
He fired several nails successfully before handing it over to his wife, advising her not to pull the trigger then and there “otherwise our trip will be remembered for all the wrong reasons”.
Crouching down and adding her tiles matter-of-factly, the Princess was heard to say “I’ve been given a chainsaw” for Christmas. Banjo, a carpenter admiring her work, told William: “What can’t she do!”. William, acknowledging his wife’s prowess at trying things out on public engagements, replied: “That always happens.”
Later during the trip, Kate, who has previously told how nature became her family’s ‘sanctuary’ after her diagnosis and during chemotherapy last year, told a local beekeeper how she was “desperate for any tips” for her new hobby.
The princess spent so long speaking to Sheila Barnard at a pop up market in the village of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, that her husband Prince William jokingly suggested he was going to stage an intervention.
Moving along several stall holders from local businesses, William and Kate – known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, stopped to talk to Sheila and her husband Tim who have been keeping bees for more than 30 years.
Sheila told the princess how their nine colonies of the native black bee are the only variety that survive over 5 degrees during the harsh winters on the island.
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Kate said: “This is my summer project, I’ve only just started. At our home in Norfolk, I’m not there much during term time but during the summer I am hoping to really immerse myself in the process. I find it absolutely fascinating. I’ll have to take your number for some tips!”
As Kate asked Sheila “what sort of advice would you have for a novice, I’m desperate for any tips”, William leant in and joked to his wife: “This sounds like a conversation that could go on for a while so you’ll have to take Sheila’s number.”
Lily Allen is the most successful she’s ever been after releasing her best album to date and launching a sell out tour – but what has become of ex-husband David and ‘Madeline?’
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Lily’s star is rising in the US as she gears up for her most successful year yet (Image: Getty Images)
Lily Allen is arguably the most successful she’s ever been at this moment – her latest album, West End Girl, about her brutal breakup with husband David Harbour topped the UK download charts and sparked a sell out tour.
The release of her ‘revenge’ album at the end of October 2025, appeared to be perfectly timed to coincide with ex David’s promo tour for the final series of Stranger Things, leading some to suggest it was a PR stunt.
There’s even talk it could be turned into a play, with 40-year-old Lily appearing to confirm it during an appearance on The Tonight Show in the US this week. Host Jimmy Fallon asked: “In London, they’re trying to make West End Girl into a play?”
“That’s true,” Lily replied, saying she might be involved in the project but that “the ink is not dry”. “But, you know, I’m definitely having some conversations with people about it. It’s very exciting,” she added. And David could be the butt of some jokes when she appears on Saturday Night Live this weekend.
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Though she’s admitted the album is ‘autofiction’ – suggesting not all the songs are actually about David, 50 – there are clear references to their four-year relationship, such as moving to New York and discovering he was cheating on her – which he hasn’t denied.
But the question on everyone’s lips after the album dropped was ”Who is Madeline?’ Referenced in her track Tennis, Lily details how she uncovered David’s affair with American costume designer Natalie Tippett, thought to be 34, from a message on his phone.
Natalie stepped forward as the woman behind the moniker after reportedly meeting David while shooting 2021 Netflix film We Have A Ghost.
In the song ‘Madeline’ – which she uses as a pseudonym for Natalie – Lily quotes texts seemingly sent between herself and Natalie. In what appears to be Lily putting on an American accent, she says Natalie told her David was being honest about their relationship. Lily and David had agreed to an open marriage at the time.
Lyrics from the song claim Natalie said: “He is telling you the truth. Our relationship has only ever been about sex. I can promise you that this is not an emotional connection. We don’t speak outside the time we spend together and whenever he walks about you it’s with the utmost respect.”
She goes on to say that if David is lying, she wants to know as “lies are not something I want to get caught up in”. She ends by saying: “You can reach out to me any time. If you need more details or you just need to vent or anything. Love and light, Madeline [Natalie].”
Though David and Natalie’s relationship is said to have ended two years ago after meeting on the set of 2023 film We Have a Ghost, the pair are rumoured to have reconnected again this year knowing Lily’s album was about to drop.
Natalie set tongues wagging when she shared pics of herself at the Thermea Spa Village in Winnipeg in Canada at around the same time David was also in town filming the sequel to his action hit Violent Night.
While David was in town for work, Natalie – who is a single mum based in New Orleans – was not officially attached to the production. So her apparent presence in the Canadian city, thousands of miles from her home with her two-year-old daughter, has fuelled intense speculation that she was there solely to visit him.
For now, neither has confirmed their relationship status but a source told Daily Mail: “We know that he and Natalie have been together recently.” An insider reportedly claimed that the pair have remained in contact and may even have got closer amid the fallout from the song.
But Natalie hasn’t shied away from the fact she’s the real life ‘Madeline’. She also told the Mail: “Of course I’ve heard the song, but I have a family and things to protect. It’s a little bit scary for me.”
As for David? So far, he’s yet to address Lily’s accusations directly – and perhaps won’t publicly – especially as he won’t want to rock the boat with the final episodes of Stranger Things due to come out. Released in three parts, episodes one to four went on Netflix on November 26. While fans will have to wait until Christmas Day to watch episodes five to seven, with the big finale available to stream from New Year’s Eve.
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The only thing he has said was in an interview with Esquire Spain, which was published on November 1, when he reflected on his “pain, slip-ups and mistakes.” Asked if there was anything he would change about his life, the actor said: “That’s such a hard question – the question of regre. I would change either everything or nothing.
“You either accept your path completely and realise that even the pain and the slip-ups and the mistakes are all part of the journey, and that there’s truth and growth, wisdom and deeper empathy and connection in all that. It’s kind of like a house of cards, the minute you try to change one thing you kind of have to change it all.” And it seems he has changed it all. Hey, Madeline…
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Superstar Kylie Minogue on her new festive album, spending a sunny Christmas down under and reflecting on her iconic Glastonbury set
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Kylie Minogue reveals her Christmas plans with an Aussie-twist (Image: Tim P.Whitby/Getty Images for Ba)
Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue is very much looking forward to Christmas — but this year, she tells us, she’s ready to embrace the sun-kissed version celebrated down under, complete with copious sunscreen and barbecues on the beach. Kylie, who at 57 somehow manages to look as youthful and glowing as she did in the 90s, is fresh from her hugely successful Tension world tour.
Not one to rest on her laurels, however, she has also re-released her much-loved 2015 festive album, Kylie Christmas . The new edition, Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped) , includes four new tracks and some intriguing collaborations. Here, the singer reveals what Christmas means to her, her hopes for 2026 — and her proudest moment to date…
Hi, Kylie! What doesChristmas mean to you?
I love Christmas, and I am going to say something completely unoriginal, but it really is about being with people you love. It’s really fun to race around and get the tree organised, try and find the perfect present for someone and just do the things that make us happy.
Where will you be spending the festiveseason this year?
I think I might be in Australia this year. It’ll be a barbecue Christmas at our family home. We have a country place that is really peaceful and very private. I don’t quite feel like I am 16 when I am there, it’s not a family home we had when I was a teenager but it reconnects me with nature back in Australia. It’s a special place. It’ll be fun but I do like a cold Christmas best.
What made you want to do thisFully Wrappedversion of your Christmas album?
I always thought that I would do a Christmas album at some point, I just didn’t know when. Then, 10 years ago, when it transpired we had so much fun making it and we had so many ideas that we thought we should look at doing something else for Christmas. I would love people to listen to this album and feel some abandon and joy at Christmas. I just hope people enjoy it and feel good.
Can you tell us about some of the standout tracks?
My new single, XMAS , came from an idea we had back then, when we had just finished recording Kylie Christmas . Office Party is also a really fun new song for Christmas that I’m excited for everyone to hear. I’m so happy it has become a reality and that everyone is finally catching up because, for me, it has been Christmas since June!
IsOffice Partyinspired by a Christmas party you’ve been to?
Well, I’ve never had an office job so I have never actually been to a real office Christmas party! The closest I get is probably a backstage party, somewhere. But the song is my take on an office Christmas party — and that moment when everything changes from the usual work situation.
You’ve been so busy this year.When did you find the time towork on this album?
We had to fit it in between dates on the Tension tour. We recorded the whole thing when I probably should have been taking time off. Instead, I was in the studio thinking of Christmas!
You have some incredible collaborations on it, tell us more…
I have a duet with my sister, Dannii. We wrote a Christmas song called 100 Degrees because, you know, I am Australian and I really wanted to have a song on the album that talks about it being summertime at Christmas. We’re getting colder but it’s getting hotter down under. It’s such a fun song. I also have a duet with Frank Sinatra on there.
Do you have a Christmas wishto take you into 2026?
To be able to spend more time with my family. To achieve what I want to achieve in my career takes a lot of time, so I hang on to the thought that I am going to take some time off and see my family more.
Does it often come down to a choiceof career or personal life for you?
You have to try and find the sweet spot. It’s quite difficult to find the harmony and balance between what you do, putting yourself out there, and connecting with the world. Sadly, you can’t just decide when to turn it on and off. My place of respite and my safety zone is really just being with my family and being at home. But, I also feel at home on stage. It’s a merry dance!
What motivates you to keep going?
I just love what I do. There’s always a song that hasn’t been written or that hasn’t been sung. I love my audience and I have more to share. I feel good and I am excited to do more and to see what comes next.
How does it make you feel when people remember your hits from the past?
It’s amazing. I mark so many places in so many people’s lives that it makes them reflect. It’s something that never fails to amaze me. I feel very humble about having such an effect on people. I don’t take it for granted.
When you look back over your career, what moment makes you most proud?
There are a thousand things. Playing the legends slot at Glastonbury in 2019 was a moment for me. But I don’t pat myself on the back very often. I’m too busy going, “What didn’t I do? What can I do next?” But at that moment I thought, “Wow!” Standing on that stage I did allow myself a tiny moment of, “Yeah, finally. I do feel like I deserve to stand on this stage.” But I’m still curious, I still love performing and I love my audience and what they give to me. That will always be the most beautiful thing.
X Factor heartthrob Lloyd Daniels was just 16 when he appeared on the ITV reality show back in 2009, and has since undergone a hair transplant and got engaged to his boyfriend
The X Factor star Lloyd Daniels is barely recognisable 16 years after after his memorable stint on the ITV talent show. The Welsh vocalist was merely 16 when he took to the stage before the judging panel in 2009, progressing to the quarter finals in the Boys category under Cheryl’s mentorship, eventually scoring fifth place.
Louis Walsh described him as “karaoke” before his exit, while Cheryl predicted a bright future, saying: “He is only 16 – he has got loads of time to blossom into a real star.” Lloyd went on to tour the the live version of the show during the following year.
Throughout his journey on The X Factor, the teenage sensation was known for his trademark floppy blonde hairstyle and youthful appearance. Fast forward to today, and Lloyd now sports a moustache or full beard alongside his much shorter blond hair.
The performer – who has since starred in musical theatre and pantomimes – was candid about getting a hair transplant back in 2017, when he was just 23, sharing updates on Facebook where he confessed to feeling “uncomfortable” about his receding hairline since his youth, calling it his “biggest insecurity”.
In a candid post before the surgery, he wrote alongside a near-nude picture of himself: “”This is a big deal for me… I’d rather be naked than show you this but here’s me showing you my biggest insecurity.
“There are ways of making a difference to how you feel within. Mine starts tomorrow. I hope this inspires some of you to make a step if you feel how I’ve felt for a long time!
“Thank you for all your support! I really mean it – I hope that people can realise that this is a struggle for some and that there is a way of maintaining comfort with a hair transplant if you’ve suffered hair loss, whether you are male or female.”
Back in 2020, Lloyd said he experienced pressure to conceal his same-sex romance while competing on The X Factor. Reflecting on his experience during an Instagram Live session, he disclosed he formed a connection with someone but felt compelled to keep his first relationship with a man private from viewers.
He explained: “I met someone on the show and we really clicked. I’d never had that emotion towards guys. I knew it was more than a friendship and it slowly unfolded. I ended up being with them for over a year.
“It was odd to accept it because I was going through a huge change in my life joining the music industry, I thought ‘am I going mad?’ I felt off-colour.”
Lloyd confessed that he felt unable to discuss his sexuality at the time due to his target audience being teenage girls. “The hardest part about it was not being able to talk about it. I won’t say I was under oath, but to that somewhat extent I couldn’t talk about it because of my status.”
He further explained: “I had to aim my marketing towards teenage girls, that was what was going to sell the whole ‘Lloyd Daniels, X Factor self’.”
