Category Entertainment News

Penny Lancaster became emotional after Rod Stewart revealed heartfelt details of their 26 year love story during a BBC festive documentary presented by Anita Rani

View 6 Images

Penny Lancaster broke down in tears as she learned a secret about how one of Rod Stewart’s friends tried to prevent them from dating – for a moving reason.

Rocker Rod revealed to his wife that a close friend withheld her phone number from him until he felt he was ‘fully healed’, following his bitter divorce from model Rachel Hunter. Rod has said his second wife Rachel’s decision to leave him had left him in physical pain and he finally knew what it meant to have a broken heart.

Rod and Penny, who have been together for more than two decades and share two children together, first met when Penny, 54, was a student at Barking College and he was performing.

In the aftermath of Rod’s split from Rachel, the singer, 80, met Penny but his close friend at the time, Carmine Appice thought Rod was not in an emotionally healthy place to be dating again – and so didn’t pass on her number.

The revelation was made during the first episode of Anita Rani’s My Life At Christmas for the BBC. Recalling the story with Penny sat beside him, Rod told Anita: “He was an absolute gentleman, he was band leader and bass player and he kept her telephone away from me.”

He continued: “He didn’t think I was in the right position because I had just got a divorce and didn’t know if I was coming or going and he said I will give it to you when I think you are ready.”

View 6 Images

He jokingly added: “I should have fired him but I couldn’t!” And it was at this point in the clip that Penny started to become emotional as she said: “Carmine had kept that telephone number away from him. He said ‘You are going to go a bit crazy over the summer and let your hair down and Penny seems like a nice girl.'”

Believing that she was not going to see the legendary singer again, she continued: “I really thought that was the last I would see of Rod. I remember processing those photos I took of Rod [at his concert] and thinking, ‘what a lovely memory’ and that was that.”

View 6 Images

View 6 Images

But Rod finally made the leap himself and contacted Penny and their relationship has since gone from strength to strength. The couple welcomed their first son together in 2005. Two years later, the pair tied the knot in a lavish ceremony before the arrival of their second son in 2011. But it seems they had to carefully navigate their way around Rod’s other children from previous marriages and relationships.

Penny candidly described what it was like entering into an already blended family. She explained: “I tiptoed very lightly. Because there were lots of personalities, and more important there were children ranging from all ages. From Liam who was five when we first met through to teenagers to Kimberly who was just about to turn 21 so it was delicate and they were children from different mothers.”

She went on to add: ” It was a scenario I had never faced before and I thought I need to stay in the background but be present and there if they want to approach me. I just wanted to take my time and it took a long time,’ attempting to hold back her sobs she continued, ‘but we got there and we have got to a place that I never thought I would get to with them.”

View 6 Images

Rod then chimed in and said: “I must admit the kids adore her now, they look for her for advice.”

Rachel Hunter was Rod’s second wife. Model Rachel was just 21-years-old when she met the Maggie May singer and despite their 24-year age gap, they married and had two kids – Renee and Liam.

The pair stayed married until 1999 when Rachel walked away, stating she’d “lost her identity.” She later admitted: “I’ll take to the grave the pain I caused Rod. I hurt the one person I loved and cared about.” Rod did not take the break up well, saying: “I took to lying on the sofa in the day, with a blanket over me and a hot water bottle against my chest. I knew then why they call it heartbroken. You can feel it in your heart.”

View 6 Images

Penny’s tears didn’t end there as the interview swiftly moved on to when they met the Pope in 2018. They had won the chance to meet Pope Francis on the back of a charity bid. Penny said: “As the Pope Francis came along the eye contact that we got was very powerful.

He spent quite a time with us and he placed both our hands on top of each other and placed his hand on top of ours.” Anita asked what that moment mean to her, to which Penny said: “It sort of cemented all the wishes that Rod and I had for one another. “

She added: “All those sort of prayers that we had had quietly. He gave us two rosary beads too and he blessed us as well and it made us feel like… it was all our destiny.”

But it wasn’t just Penny who found the interview emotional, as Rod also shed a tear when asked the secret to a 25 year relationship.

Through tears he said: “I think the age difference, there are downsides to it, but there is a maturity I may have taught Penny and there is an honesty she has taught me. We do not argue before we go to bed and we do not argue after a glass of wine and if we do have arguments it is over real quick. “

He continued: “I try to teach my kids, all of them, that real men say sorry, that’s what they do. There is a wonderful honestly between us and long may it last.”

READ MORE: Apple’s 8 best Black Friday 2025 deals on iPhone, MacBook, iPad and more

Horror icon Patty McCormack has opened up about playing one of the most terrifying child characters of all time in The Bad Seed, and why she’s stopping trying to distance herself from psycopathic Rhoda Penmark

View 4 Images

In the autumn of 1956, cinema goers settled in to see one of the creepiest child performances of all time. And in the years since, the former pint-sized star has done everything possible to “separate” herself from the eerie portrayal, which made her a household name.

Said to rank among master of horror Stephen King’s favourite scary films, The Bad Seed is a psychological nail-biter which follows the story of a frantic mother who begins to suspect her eight-year-old daughter could be a psychopathic serial killer. Patty McCormack, then just 11 years old, played pigtailed murderess Rhoda Penmark, with a stand-out performance that sent shivers down the spines of parents in the audience.

Patty, now 80 years old, enjoyed widespread acclaim for her portrayal of angelic-looking monster Rhoda, a character first dreamt up by writer William March in his novel of the same name. She became the youngest ever actress to be nominated for an Academy Award, as well as the youngest to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Now, Patty has spoken out about the role that changed her life, and why, for a long time, she tried to put a firm distance between herself and Rhoda.

READ MORE: ‘Key film everyone needs to see’ with Hollywood legend on BBC tonight

View 4 Images

In a recent episode of the It Happened in Hollywood podcast, Patty, originally from New York City, shared: “For a long time… it was something that didn’t get discussed because it was a past achievement. And in those days, there was that awful expression, ‘has-been.’ You know? You’re a ‘has-been’, or it’s ‘old news’ or whatever.”

As Patty explained, when she made the move to Hollywood, none of her classmates were particularly “thrilled” by her early success, as the majority of them had parents in the showbiz industry. She recalled: “I did my best to separate myself from that role and reputation. It’s not the same anymore – not with social media and people appreciating histories of people’s work. It’s such a different world now.”

In the 1960s, Patty continued to pursue acting work, mainly picking up “ingénue” roles in international low-budget films, but says “never did they connect my past with what I was doing in the present.” For a while, it was only film students with a deep knowledge of the genre who would quiz Patty about her iconic role.

View 4 Images

As the years went by, however, The Bad Seed entered cult classic status, and Patty began to appreciate the impact she’d had on the world of cinema. She said, “People started to appreciate the history of people’s careers. Also, my character was kind of cool.”

According to Patty, a friend of hers even told her that some fans even identified with terrifying Rhoda as she “went against the grain of what was expected.” Patty reflected: “She’s a rebel in sheep’s clothing, because she dresses really nice and pretty.”

Nowadays, Patty embraces this part of her legacy and will even attend screenings of the movie where cinema goers dress up as Rhoda, complete with blonde braids. She even returned as a different character for the 2022 sequel, The Bad Seed Returns.

View 4 Images

Still a stage actor, Patty is enjoying this later part of her career, revealing, “I have great freedom now. You have to be old enough where it doesn’t matter.”

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

Talya Honebeek

He’s one of TV’s most reliable ensemble actors, and appeared in pretty much every UK TV show worth its salt, from The Night Manager to Doctor Who

View 6 Images

Russell Tovey has quietly become one of British TV’s most in demand actors.

Having become a familiar face in the likes of Gavin and Stacey, where he plays a member of Gavin and Smithy’s rambunctious friend group, and Sherlock, where he appears as the mentally disturbed Henry Knight in the critically acclaimed Hound of the Baskerville episode, he’s gone onto pick up lead roles in both television and film.

Viewers will no doubt recognise him from his performance as the werewolf George Sands in the smash hit supernatural comedy Being Human, as well as his performance as Steve in the instant cult-classic sitcom Him and Her.

As he’s set to star in The Land Between the War and the Sea, we take a look at his life.

Start on the stage

View 6 Images

Like many young actors, it was the stage that offered Russell his first foray into the world of performance, with the Essex-born star joining a local stage school as a child. His talent was clearly appreciated, as at just 13 he was cast in the CBBC show Mud, although it only ran for one year.

The future star would go on to appear in a number of small productions and TV show, including episodes of Holby City and Agatha Christie’s Poirot, before landing his first big break: playing Rudge in the Tony Award winning play The History Boys, before going on to star in the film version too.

Since then he’s gone on to become one of TV’s most reliable ensemble actors, and appeared in pretty much every UK TV show worth its salt, from The Night Manager, to Doctor Who, to Sherlock.

Becoming an LGBTQ+ inspiration

View 6 Images

Russell has been open about his journey as a gay man, becoming a role model within the LGBTQ+ community.

He said he realised he was gay at 15, although he didn’t tell his family for another three years, having found himself secretly in love with an older male actor, a crush he desperately tried to hide from his colleagues.

He has spoken about how an older female co-star noticed his feelings and took him aside for a conversation that would change his life. She gently suggested that he “might be gay” and reassured him that it would be perfectly fine if he was.

Russell has appeared in several shows which explore issues in the LGBTQ+ community, including Juice and Looking, as well as becoming a patron for the Albert Kennedy Trust, which helps LGBT youth struggling with homeless.

Speaking on his partnership with the charity, he said he was proud to help with such an important issue: “I am honoured to be associated with them and if just by being there, I can make any difference at all, then that difference is the most important thing.”

A turbulent love life

View 6 Images

Russell found love with rugby coach Steve Brockman in 2016, with the pair announcing they were engaged two years later.

However, the couple’s relationship seemingly hit the rocks, with fans noticing the pair had unfollowed each other on Instagram after Russell posted a photograph of him and his dog on a beach with the caption: “It’s just you and me, kid.”

The pair did appear to patch things up the following year, and their relationship has remained the subject of speculation ever since.

Russell has spoken in the past about the emotional complexity of that first break-up, even admitting he sold his engagement ring and handed the money to his brother during a family trip to Disney World.

“We were together, then we broke up, now we’re back together… Is it like Snakes and Ladders?” he joked at the time.

Man of many talents

View 6 Images

Outside of acting, Russell has shown a real eye for art, and has made a name for himself in the world of collection.

The actor’s love of the artistic began when his parents bought him a Tracey Emin print for his 21st birthday, with that work sparking an obsession that has grown into a serious collection of more than 300 works, including pieces by Wolfgang Tillmans, Jamian Juliano Villani, Shannon Ebner, Amoako Boafo, and many others.

His interest in art extends beyond collecting. He co-hosts the Talk Art podcast with Robert Diament, where they speak with leading artists, curators, and critics, and has co-written a book based on the series.

Russell has curated exhibitions, organised contemporary art auctions for Sotheby’s, and served on the Turner Prize jury too. He has also shown an interest in the world of politics, becoming a member of the Green Party last year.

New role

View 6 Images

Russell plays Barclay in the upcoming BBC and Disney collaboration The War Between the Land and the Sea.

The first episode of the new Russell T Davis sci-fi miniseries, which sees the emergence of an ancient aquatic species threaten global war, airs this Sunday (7th December).

Speaking about the role, Russell said: “I wanted Barclay to feel like a lost boy at the beginning, and I really wanted to go on a journey with him.”

Millionaire music mogul, Simon Cowell, has opened up about his changing appearance as he admits to having undergone a number of cosmetic procedures

View 4 Images

Simon Cowell has finally revealed the cosmetic work he’s had done after years of speculation about the music mogul’s appearance.

Fans of the dad-of-one, 66, have been convinced that the X-Factor star – whose new Netflix show, Next Act, sees him on the hunt for the next big boy band – has been under the knife after Simon’s face suddenly seemed to change drastically.

With reports of botox, fillers and even a facelift, the Britain’s Got Talent star, has been plagued by rumours about his jaw-dropping new look. However, now he’s set the record straight as he spoke candidly about his appearance as well as the misconceptions about him.

READ MORE: Jack Osbourne’s glimmer of hope as he told dad Ozzy baby news before his deathREAD MORE: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ mum breaks silence on damning Netflix series and slapping incident

View 4 Images

View 4 Images

Speaking to the Mail, revealing he’s had botox, laser treatments and “this and that”, Simon denied having a facelift, insisting: “I have heard certain things about how I’ve had a facelift. I haven’t.

“I’ve had botox. I’ve had lasers and this and that. I look at myself sometimes and go, ‘Oh God, I look s**t.’ Sometimes I think I look OK. I’m more about: ‘Is it real?’ I guess that authenticity was my main thing.”

There have also been rumours about Simon’s physique, with the star noticeably trimmer than when he first found fame. It has been suggested he may have been taking diabetic drug Mounjaro, which is now being used for weight loss. However, he denied this was the case, but did say: “Whoever made it hit the jackpot”.

Explaining that he started taking more care of his body after he broke his back in a e-bike crash in 2020, he said: “Breaking my back, weirdly, was a good thing, because I hadn’t realised how unfit I was. Everything was spiralling badly down before that. So the exercise I had to do to recover and the diet change got me to where I am.”

Simon also said that he enjoys two smoothies a day with a bowl of porridge and eats his dinner, often consisting of haddock or chicken and mushroom pie at 5.30pm.

View 4 Images

Going back to botox, and Simon says it’s as ‘normal as toothpaste’, previously telling Glamour: “To me, botox is no more unusual than toothpaste. It works, you do it once a year – who cares?” However, he also told The Sun: “There’s lots of things you can do now. You don’t just have to stuff your face with filler and botox.”

One of these things includes washing your blood as the star Simon has also revealed that undergoes the gruesome sounding procedure at a ‘wellness clinic’.

He told Rolling Stone recently: “I go to this wellness clinic where they actually take your blood, they rinse it, they filter it, they put it back into your body.”

Claiming he was ‘ageing backwards’ by changing his lifestyle, Simon concluded: “I’ve actually aged backwards by eating better, more exercise, less stress.”

Coronation Street star Calum Lill is set to become a dad for the first time after revealing his fiancee is pregnant.

The soap star 30, took to Instagram to share the happy news – posting a festive snap showing wife-to- be Roberta’s bump painted like a snowman as she held up a scan photo and the actor held a carrot to her belly.

“New character dropping April ‘26,” Calum wrote alongside the announcement. The couple have been together since 2021 and got engaged last year.

“About time I made an honest woman of her,” Calum joked at the time. The star told The Mirror he kept the engagement ring hidden in his dressing room at Corrie as he waited for the perfect moment. “I’m so glad for the ring to finally be on her finger!”

Calum Lill played Coronation Street villain Joel Deering, and was involved in the soap’s biggest whodunnit in years. Calum’s alter ego, lawyer Deering, was recently revealed to have battered missing Lauren Bolton with a chair leg.

And nobody was less impressed with the storyline than Calum’s own grandmother. Calum was sitting next to her on the sofa when she first watched the episode – and his video of her priceless reaction has now gone viral on social media. “You mean to tell me my grandson’s a killer? You battered her!,” she asks. “I can’t believe that. Honest to goodness!”

The TikTok clip has now been watched over 8 million times.

Following the unlikely hit, Calum said he believes he owes his career to his gran’s sacrifices. Soap fan Sue who used her hard-earned money to pay for her grandson’s acting classes from the age of 14 – and she even ferried him backwards and forwards to his lessons.

“My grandma is so funny and I knew she wouldn’t be able to believe it. She’s a working class woman from Manchester; she’s so proud of me, but I knew her reaction would be priceless. We’d [always] watch Coronation Street together with a cup of tea and she used to drive me to my acting classes – from the age of 14.

“So to be able to watch this with her and share that moment was really nice and so special.”

Calum’s success did not come easy. His mum initially paid for acting lessons but found it too hard to make ends meet. So his gran and grandfather decided to do whatever they could to find the funds instead.

“We weren’t a family with money,” Calum recalls. “And the classes weren’t cheap, so I’m glad that I can now make all that expense worth it for her.”

The true state of shamed Andrew’s Royal Lodge home has been revealed and with an investigation launched into the Crown Estate, a royal expert believes it will have caused nerves among the royals

A probe into the Crown Estate in the wake of the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal could prove ‘uncomfortable’ for other royals, according to an expert. A powerful group of MPs who form the Public Accounts Committee are set to launch an inquiry after details of former prince Andrew’s rent deal for his crumbling Royal Lodge home emerged, causing public outrage.

When shamed Andrew was stripped of his titles in October, he was also booted out of his Windsor mansion after it was revealed he was barely paying rent to the Crown Estate for the property. The lucrative peppercorn rent prompted the public spending watchdog to investigate as profits from the Crown Estate go back into the public purse, leading to fears taxpayers could be missing out on value for money.

READ MORE: Fergie ‘plots fresh move’ for ‘independent life’ as clock ticks on Royal Lodge evictionREAD MORE: King Charles tactfully refuses to answer tricky question during unexpected game

And with it also now emerging that other royals, including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, also having peppercorn rent deals, royal expert Jennie Bond believes it’s time to be transparent – and the fallout may have to be dealt with a future king William.

She told the Mirror : “Although I don’t think the family will be jumping with joy at the prospect of a comprehensive rent review, I think they will accept that it’s high time that the monarchy’s finances were more transparent.

“In my opinion, it’s also time that the family’s property portfolio should be substantially reduced. And I think William will be the one to do that, if nothing has changed by the time he becomes King. For now, though, they will have to accept that their rents are being scrutinised.”

In initial answers from the Crown Estate to the Commons committee, it emerged that Andrew looks set to lose £500,000 in compensation after surrendering the lease on the property to go and live on the King’s private Sandringham estate – with the move believed to be happening after Christmas.

View 3 Images

If no end-of-tenancy repairs were required, Andrew would have been entitled to £488,342.21 for ending his tenancy on October 30, 2026. But the Crown Estate said that following an inspection of the property on November 12, it was thought unlikely that any compensation will be paid.

Meanwhile, in the information provided by the Crown Estate, it also emerged that unlike Andrew, the Prince and Princess of Wales are paying market rent for their new home Forest Lodge.

It said William and Kate, who moved into their property with their children in the October half term, hold a “a 20-year non-assignable lease with The Crown Estate for Forest Lodge, commencing 5 July 2025” and have “open market rent”.

View 3 Images

And Jennie added while William and Kate may have nothing to fear, the other royals will probably not receive any public sympathy. She added: “The findings could be uncomfortable for some of them, but as far as we know William and Catherine have little to fear in regards to their new home because they are said to be paying a market rent for Forest Lodge.

“But if they or others are found to be paying peppercorn rents, as Andrew did at Royal Lodge, then I think they’ll have to accept it’s time to stump up.

“None of them can possibly pretend to be impoverished. By normal standards, they are all extraordinarily wealthy and perfectly able to pay a market rent — or move to somewhere smaller if they don’t want to. I don’t think they should expect, or receive, any public sympathy about this.”

At the end of October, the King officially stripped his disgraced brother Andrew of his HRH style and his prince title, and removed his dukedom from the Roll of the Peerage over his “serious lapses” of judgment.

The move followed the publication of a posthumous memoir by Andrew’s accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and the US government’s release of documents from Epstein’s estate.

It emerged that Andrew had emailed Epstein in 2011 saying “we’re in this together”, three months after he claimed he had broken all contact with the paedophile. Andrew denies all wrongdoing.