While we’re all switching to darker tones this autum, Helen Skelton is switching up her colder weather wardrobe by adding a pop of colour with this pink maxi coat
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Helen Skelton brightens autumn wardrobe with ‘elegant’ pink coat that’s on sale(Image: Helen Skelton/Instagram)
Just because we’re switching to coat weather doesn’t mean we have to wave goodbye to vibrant colours until next spring. Helen Skelton recently showcased to her fans and BBC viewers that autumn doesn’t mean just shades of dark red, purple, brown and grey – pastel pink can be all year round.
It’s not confirmed exactly what coat Helen is wearing, though it does appear to be this Brushed Relaxed Longline Coat from Dorothy Perkins. And not only is this a stunning piece to add to your autumn-wear collection, it’s currently 45% off.
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For her BBC Morning Live appearance, Helen donned this pastel pink maxi coat as she braced the chilly outdoor air. The Brushed Relaxed Longline Coat, which normally retails for £99, is currently on sale in all sizes (8 to 18) for £ 54.45, a significantly more wallet-friendly price.
Boasting a brushed texture that creates a soft, tactile finish, this maxi coat offers a relaxed fit design that enables comfortable layering over your favourite autumn and winter outfits. Featuring a longline silhouette that provides extra coverage and creates an elegant, sophisticated profile, Helen’s coat comes equipped with practical front pockets that add functionality without compromising the coat’s clean lines.
This Dorothy Perkins brushed longline coat is the perfect blend of timeless elegance and everyday practicality. Its relaxed fit offers a modern silhouette that’s ideal for layering over jumpers and jeans for those weekend catch-ups with mates.
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This versatile design is perfect for family get-togethers or baby showers when you want to look stylish yet comfortable. This coat is set to become your go-to piece of outerwear, striking the perfect balance between comfort and sophistication for your casual daywear wardrobe.
David and Victoria Beckham’s love story is one of the focuses of her new Netflix documentary, which also documents her move from famous singer to successful fashion designer
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(Image: Netflix)
David and Victoria Beckham’s love story has been in the headlines ever since they first started dating. From the original story of how they met, to David’s alleged affair with Rebecca Loos.
Even amidst a very public feud with their son Brooklyn, Victoria and David have remained resilient. Whilst the documentary focuses on Victoria, her family – minus son Brooklyn – play a huge part in the series. At one moment during the documentary, Victoria says her husband is at least partly to blame for her looking so unhappy.
As they got ready to go out, she said: “Here’s a fact, I’ve looked miserable for all these years, because when we stand on the red carpet, this guy [Becks] has always gone on the left. Okay.
“Now I didn’t realise that when I smile, which I do! I smile from the left, because if I smile from the right I look unwell. So consequently I’m smiling. I’m smiling on the inside, but no one ever sees it, so that’s why I look so moody.”
Body language expert Judi James has now given us an insight into David and Victoria’s longstanding romance and how they’ve got through some of the toughest times together.
Speaking about how the pair’s dynamic has shifted over the years, Judi exclusively explained to The Mirror: “One thing that has clearly endured throughout the Beckham’s long and chequered relationship is their ability to role-shift.
“Even at the height of both their fame she would act like his besotted fan when he was the star of an event, and he would do the same for her. There was never any sign of success envy and here we can see them complimenting each other and switching their body language signals of status and power up and down accordingly.”
Annabelle Knight, Sex and Relationships expert at Lovehoney, added: “David and Victoria Beckham’s love story has always felt like something out of a movie. He was the golden boy of football, she was Posh Spice – one of the most recognisable women in the world – and yet when they met, there was this instant spark and sense of partnership.
“You could tell they adored each other’s drive, ambition and humour. That early connection set the tone for everything that followed – a relationship built on mutual respect as much as attraction. What people love about their relationship is that it feels real. They’ve had their fair share of ups and downs, and yet they’ve always come out stronger.”
Despite the “set up” nature of Victoria and David’s chat in their Cotswolds home, Judi says one thing is clear about their bond and romance; that they compliment each other so well.
“When they sit at the table though there is a role-swap and their ‘chat’ is more like a football pundit interview, with David asking the questions while she goes into vulnerable childlike mode. All her words are punctuated with spiky-fingered hand gestures, suggesting tension and anxiety while his body language signals relaxed confidence,” she said.
“She appears as the needy one in the relationship here, crying over making a cheese sandwich and claiming she’s trying to prove herself to David despite having been one of the biggest pop stars on the planet when he met her.”
Even the toughest parts of their romance – David’s alleged affair with Rebecca Loos and the family’s feud with Brooklyn – has only strengthened the pair’s marriage now and going forward.
“The Rebecca Loos scandal could’ve been the end for many couples, but they chose to face it together. When trust is shaken, it’s easy to walk away but instead, they’ve rebuilt their relationship. That takes honesty, forgiveness and a lot of teamwork,” Annabelle tells us.
“Even now, with all the chatter around their son Brooklyn, they’re showing what being a united couple really looks like. Parenting grown-up kids can test even the best relationships – loyalties get pulled, and emotions can flare but David and Victoria have always had each other’s backs. Their marriage clearly comes first, and that’s what keeps them solid.”
Judi further reveals that Victoria seems more “insecure” in their exchanges. She added: “She doesn’t appear to trust his compliments and support here, but he seems to act in the role of counsellor and coach.
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“He claims she’s trying to prove something to herself, not him. There are clearly expressions of affection exchanged but there is an air of calm patience from him and tense insecurities from here that are hopefully complimentary. It could be that we see more of his support and reassurance to her here and not enough of when she’s flattering and reassuring him too.”
Annabelle added: “They’ve got that ‘us against the world’ energy, which feels like a bit of a modern fairy tale.”
Great British Bake Off legend Dame Prue Leith has opened up about the embarrassing blunder she made when she met the late Queen Elizabeth decades ago
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Dame Prue Leith has shared how Queen Elizabeth took ‘revenge’ after a mishap(Image: Jeff J Mitchell, Getty Images)
Great British Bake Off’s Dame Prue Leith has shared a hilarious anecdote about the time she made an embarrassing mistake while serving tea to the late Queen Elizabeth.
The renowned chef, now a household name on British television, recently reminisced about her younger days when she had the rare privilege of meeting the Queen.
During an episode of the Making A Scene podcast, Dame Prue recalled the embarrassing incident that occurred over 50 years ago, when she was tasked with preparing a cup of tea for Her Majesty.
Speaking to podcast hosts Matt Lucas and David Walliams, she revealed how she went above and beyond to ensure the Queen’s tea was made exactly to her liking.
Despite contacting the Palace in advance to learn the Queen’s tea preferences, she was instructed to prepare a selection of options—including lemon tea and Earl Grey—for the Queen to choose from.
However, when the moment came to serve the Queen, Dame Prue admitted to making a series of errors, such as adding a slice of lemon to her black tea and diluting it excessively. She recalled: “She said, as it filled, ‘I like it strong.’ So the poor woman—she wanted a strong tea, and she got a lemony, weak tea.”
Even decades later, Dame Prue revealed that the Queen had her sweet revenge, joking: “Well, she got her revenge, because it took her 50 years to give me a damehood.”
Dame Prue was honoured with an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1989 and later elevated to a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2010.
The pinnacle of Royal recognition came in 2021, when she was awarded a damehood for her contributions to food, broadcasting, and charity work.
Expressing her joy on X, formerly known as Twitter, she wrote: “I’m not sure I deserve such a pat on the back for doing things that I’ve loved all my long life—in business or cooking or campaigning.”
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Recently, the 85-year-old has reunited with Paul Hollywood, judging the efforts of contestants on The Great British Bake Off.
The Princess of Wales has made a surprise visit to a play session with young children after sending a warning about how smartphones and other gadgets are harming family life.
Kate’s outing at Home-Start in Oxford today comes just hours after she warned about the “epidemic of disconnection” created by smart phones and other gadgets and urged society to “invest in the relationships you have with each other”. During the visit, Kate, dressed in an olive Victoria Beckham suit, met volunteers at the service, which provides support to parents, as well as the parents themselves and their youngsters. She even joined them for a stay and play session where she crouched down to join the children for messy play and sweetly let one little girl smell a rose.
Kate joins in with messy play with some of the youngsters during her visit today ( AP)
She joked the “messier it is, the better the fun” when she joined children playing with clouds of flour. The princess helped them make imaginary cakes with plasticine and flour, and chatted to mothers about her own children.
The princess spoke to sisters Mariam Namakula, 30, and Sumayya Nabatanzi, 28, from Oxford, as their combined five children ran around having fun.
When one of the children injected Kate with a toy syringe, the princess was left with flour on the jacket of her trouser suit and she asked another child “what are you making, are you making a cake? Delicious”.
Kate got flour on her Victoria Beckham suit as he joined in with messy play ( Getty Images)
Ms Namakula said afterwards: “She was enjoying herself with the kids and said ‘the messier it is, the better the fun’. Kate was saying Charlotte enjoys the outdoors and doing activities, and making things and how her kids are growing up fast. She said George is 12 years old and would soon be starting secondary school.”
Kate’s outing today came after she aired her concerns about the problems posed by modern technology at the expense of family life in an essay written in collaboration with Professor Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development.
Kate chats to the youngsters waiting outside to see her ( PA)
Focusing on good connections with family and friends was the key to a healthy and happy life, said the princess, who took the lead in the article, and helping children develop “strong social and emotional skills” would equip them to maintain positive relationships for decades.
The major article appears to set out much of the future queen’s thinking on the early years development of children, said to be an important element of her life’s work, and comes after Prince William gave a groundbreaking interview last week saying he would “change” the monarchy when he becomes king.
Kate has warned how smartphones and other gadgets are harming family life ( AP)
“We live increasingly lonelier lives, which research shows is toxic to human health, and it’s our young people (aged 16 to 24) that report being the loneliest of all, the very generation that should be forming the relationships that will sustain them throughout life,” wrote the princess and the professor.
They added: “While new technology has many benefits, we must also acknowledge that it plays a complex and often troubling role in this epidemic of disconnection. While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite.
“Our smartphones, tablets, and computers have become sources of constant distraction, fragmenting our focus and preventing us from giving others the undivided attention that relationships require.
Kate poses for a photo with families, volunteers and children ( PA)
“We sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications, and feeds. We’re physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.”
Kate also spoke about the importance of spaces to connect like at meal times, echoing the words of William who said in his major interview the couple always have dinner around the table with their three children. He also said they had a strict rule and banned Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis from having mobile phones.
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Victoria Beckham’s brand new Netflix documentary series is designed to promote her fashion business but the show’s editors have cut all the fun out of it
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The Beckhams looked immaculate at the Netflix premiere(Image: WireImage)
In high end fashion, as we learn in Victoria Beckham’s Netflix documentary, so much of what is created is down to tiny details.
The precise cut and tailoring of the material before it is worn on the catwalk, counts for everything.
So it is a real shame Victoria’s new three part Netflix series does now share these same skills when it comes to the cutting together and editing of the footage compiled over a year spent with its subject.
It’s pretty clear from watching it that Team VB saw this as a great opportunity to sell the fashion and makeup brands and also tell the business story on their own terms. Yes it had lost millions of pounds but things had changed and the business was now a success.
But it would have been possibly to tell this story with more fun, more laughs, and more of a look back over her life too. The balance is off. Where is the spice and the fun?
Speaking to some Netflix insiders today, I’m led to believe there was plenty of spicy stuff and lots more jokes and light-hearted moments between David and Victoria that were filmed. But they weren’t fashioned into useable segments and instead lie on the cutting room floor.
The choice of talking heads and friends to speak in the film is also telling. Yes, having Vogue megaboss Anna Wintour is great from a fashion point of view and makes sense. But having a number of other fashion faces and no other Spice Girls talking seems odd when you have a three part series about the life of Victoria Beckham. Literally Posh Spice.
This three parter misses the point that viewers want and need to be entertained too. What fans really, really want is some more laughs and nostalgia.
Of course when she promoted this series Victoria said she was “defined by when she was in the Spice Girls” and makes the point it is only four years of her life, whereas her fashion brand is now two decades old. I take this point too. But we could have heard more about family life, child birth, amazing parties they’ve had or milestones in her life.
Even the fashion side of things seemed quite surface level, with the climax of the series around a giant Paris show and the worry it might rain.
I have watched films about the great Lee McQueen and seen how hands on he was with designs and I got a real sense of his genius and how he would get inspiration for designs and then turn them into a reality on the Alexander McQueen catwalks.
READ MORE: Victoria Beckham Netflix show bombshells – Brooklyn, babies and huge David fight
Victoria admits she does not sketch, but it would have been lovely to have been in some meetings where she had an initial idea with her team, and then see some designs were put on paper or a laptop and fabrics discussed before the finished product was on the catwalk. So we could see how she creates her designs and just how hard she works. She and David mention this a lot and I have no doubt Victoria is a grafter like her dad, we just didn’t really see this on screen. We need to see the reality of her still working at 1am or with bags under her eyes after a 14 hour shift reworking a design with her team.
For this series to be a huge success, there was a delicate balance that had to be met between fun and anecdotes at home with the Beckhams, mixed with the story of her fashion business and how it has become a major player with Anna Wintour’s seal of approval. But the editor and executive producers haven’t managed it.
The one positive is after reading the reviews Victoria may want another stab at showing the ‘real’ her and some more humour and fun on screen. Perhaps we will get a third Beckhams doc series from Netflix set in their Cotswold home. I wouldn’t bet against it.
A shopper picked up an ‘old’ box from a charity shop but after taking it home, they were quickly ‘tearing up’ after discovering the touching, handwritten message written on the bottom of it
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The box with the handwritten message was found at a charity shop (stock image)(Image: Olena Malik via Getty Images)
A charity shop customer was left “tearing up” after buying a vintage wooden box and discovering a heartfelt, handwritten message penned on its underside. Charity and thrift stores can prove to be goldmines for clothing, keepsakes and personal items, with countless shoppers hunting for affordable yet quality pieces.
One bargain-seeking customer spotted a “well made little box” at a Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) charity shop and was moved by the message scrawled on its base. The shopper feels “honoured” to own it and has vowed to become its “caretaker”.
The customer shared their discovery on Reddit, posting pictures of the box and the poignant, handwritten note, admitting it made them “tear up”. This follows another charity shopper who discovered an old Playboy magazine featuring a Donald Trump interview while they were bargain hunting.
The shopper who discovered the box simply titled their social media post: “Made me tear up”.
In the description below photographs of the piece, they wrote: “Found this at SVDP. It is a beautiful, well made little box. Smells very nice.
“I wish I could find who it belonged to, but sadly there is no identifying information, other than the date of death.”
The inscription on the box’s bottom reads: “This was what Grandma promised you for your birthday. Grandpa, June 17 – 1961”. A further message, penned in different handwriting, reveals: “Grandma passed away March 19, 1961”.
Reddit users were quick to share their thoughts in the comments section. One person said: “I am so glad you found it, I hope you took it home with you.
“I too am a collector of these sorts of memories belonging to others. Personalised notes in books and keepsakes always find their way back to my house.”
The shopper responded: “That I did. I use it to house special, sentimental scraps of things I’ve collected throughout life. It also holds some ashes. It’s a special little box, and I’m honoured to be its caretaker!”
Another person suggested: “The person who was gifted this in 1961 likely kept it her whole life and recently passed herself, probably in her 70s.
“It’s nice that that grandfather’s care lives on.”
A different Reddit user commented: “I think it made it to the right person. You should consider writing down the date and place you got it, and any little tidbits about yourself, and tucking that inside.”
Yet another shared: “Glad you appreciate it. I have pieces of furniture like this with my grandpa’s writing on the underside and I wonder what would happen to it when I’m gone.”
