Category Entertainment News

TV icon Jenny Eclair says she was passed up twice as the presenter of the Great British Bake Off, despite getting to the final two candidates back in 2020, missing out to Matt Lucas.

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When Alison Hammond joined The Great British Bake Off in 2023, most thought she was a natural choice, but comedian Jenny Eclair was hoping it would be her who got the call.

“I’d have loved to present Bake Off! I was second to Matt, you know,” Jenny tells Mirror, referencing when, in 2020, fellow comedian Matt Lucas took over from Sandi Toksvig, in presenting the Channel 4 show.

“I was in that audition process, and it came down to me and Matt. I would have loved that gig. I’d still be there now if I got it! But I auditioned and then I got a big bouquet of flowers the day before they announced Matt, with a little note saying ‘next time’.”

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However, in 2023, it was This Morning star Alison that got the call to take over from Matt. “I don’t know what happened to next time!” laughs Jenny.

Alison hosts the show alongside Noel Fielding, while Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith serve as judges. And while Jenny never quite made the presenting line-up, she has been inside the famous tent, appearing on Stand Up To Cancer’s Celebrity version of the show in 2020.

Losing out to her former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! campmate Alison wasn’t so bad, though, says Jenny. who is now a big fan of the This Morning star. Jenny and Alison appeared in the jungle back in 2010, alongside the likes of Shaun Ryder, Gillian McKeith and eventual winner, Stacey Solomon.

“I always knew Stacey would do well, it was obvious she was going to win [I’m A Celeb] from the beginning. But Alison, I think her career has been just as much a surprise for her as it has for anyone. She’s found a really great niche and is a regular in people’s sitting rooms, I really do love watching her on Bake Off,” says Jenny.

With a second All Stars series of I’m A Celeb on the horizon, would Jenny be up for facing some critters again?

“Oh, the money would have to be really good for me to consider that. As in, a life-changing amount of money. And I don’t work Tuesdays, do I? I would need to commute from South Africa or take Arlo with me,” she laughs, explaining that Tuesday is “Nana day”, when she looks after two-year-old grandson Arlo.

For now, she’ll stick to being a little closer to home, and it sounds like she’s got a pretty jam-packed schedule as it is. Heading off to continue her stand-up tour, Jokes, Jokes, Jokes Live! the day after our interview, Jenny still has plenty of important prep to do. “I need to get my car sweets for the journey. And biscuits, I always bring biscuits for the front row audience.”

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The show is based on her 2024 memoir, which delved into Jenny’s family life, her upbringing and the changing face of women in comedy – as hilarious, insightful and disrespectful as you’d imagine it to be.

“It’s a lot lighter than the book, it’s all jokes and punchlines,” says Jenny of the tour, which runs until late November. “It becomes less personal to me and more general to the audience, as most people have experienced some kind of parent loss, siblings, school, first love, having babies…

“So, it should strike a chord with everyone. It’s a mix of a professional look-back with personal bits and some gossip from I’m A Celeb thrown in.”

And as one tour comes to an end, another begins, as Jenny will be back on stage in the lead-up to Christmas for a string of shows for her hit podcast Older And Wider , which she co-hosts with writer friend Judith Holder, as they natter about life.

For tickets to Jenny Eclair’s stand-up show Jokes, Jokes, Jokes Live! visit Jennyeclair.com. Tickets for the Older And Wider Live podcast shows in London this Christmas are available now from leicestersquaretheatre.com/show/older-wider-live-at-christmas.

Over the weekend, Maureen, Denise, and Anne took to the stage to pay homage to their late sisters, Bernie and Linda, both of whom passed away from cancer.

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Three members of The Nolans reunited on stage this weekend to perform a special one-off gig to help raise money for cancer following the loss of two of their sisters to the illness in recent years.

On Saturday night, Anne, 74, Denise, 73, and Maureen, 71, performed at Sheffield’s City Hall in support of the Weston Park Cancer Charity.

Sadly youngest sister, Loose Women star Coleen Nolan, 60, was unable to join her older siblings due to work commitments and was said to be “absolutely gutted” as they were “doing it in honour of Bernie and Linda.”

Tragically, Bernie, the sister of Bernie, passed away from breast cancer in 2013 at the age of just 52, making the family’s situation worse.

After two decades of incurable secondary breast cancer spreading to her brain, Linda passed away in January of this year from pneumonia at the age of 65.

READ MORE: Coleen Nolan opens up on new romance with candid five-word confession

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Their 70-year-old brother, Brian, was just diagnosed with prostate cancer, and their sister Anne, who passed away before taking the stage, has also had cancer twice.

Simply The Best, the first time this line-up of Anglo-Irish sisters had performed together since 1978, was the title of the show.

One of the best-selling girl bands ever, they have sold 30 million records and have a particular strong following in Japan, making them one of the best.

The band’s most popular song is “In the Mood For Dancing,” but Denise first gave it a performance before it was released in 1979.

Sharing their reasons for doing the special show, Denise told the BBC they were determined “to do their sisters proud” and said: “Everything is difficult when someone goes, everything is a memory.

“But I believe that professionalism overtakes.” When Linda passed away, I gave her eulogy, and of course, you can’t wait until you think, “Am I going to break down?”

However, once you get there, it feels like you’re speaking to someone else, you’re doing your job, and you’re aware of your desire to make someone proud.

The trio also set a Guinness World Record for Tell Me It’s Not True from Blood Brothers.

At the fundraising event, celebrities like Dr. Ranj Singh, Layton Williams, Janette Manrara, and Darren Day joined them.

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One awkward situation was uncovered on camera as The Duchess of Sussex surprised onlookers as she arrived for a surprise visit to Paris Fashion Week. Now that the “cringe” exchange has been decoded, an expert has.

Meghan Markle was the picture of elegance as she stepped out at Paris Fashion Week this weekend, stunning fans with her surprise trip to the French capital.

It’s the first time the duchess has been in Europe for three years but the visit appears to be a solo one, with Prince Harry nowhere to be seen.

Meghan dazzled in a chic all-white ensemble at Saturday night’s Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear presentation, making her debut at one of the fashion world’s biggest annual events.

The former actress also reunited with formidable fashion queen Anna Wintour at last night’s show and was all smiles as the Vogue chief complimented her outfit.

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However, one encounter was slightly awkward because Meghan accidentally hit her head on Italian designer Pier Paolo Piccioli’s sunglasses, leading to a harmless air kiss.

The duchess, who had “long admired” Balenciaga’s newly appointed creative director, made a beeline for his “classic” and “modern elegance.”

But as she leaned in to say hello to Pier and say congratulations on his new collection, it appeared to be hitting his dark sunglasses.

Pier appeared to laugh off the disjointed encounter and invited her in for a photo when she realized the cameras had captured their awkward embrace. As she handled it smoothly, Meghan was all smiles.

And now an expert has revealed how the awkward incident occurred, claiming that Piccioli was responsible for Meghan’s unintentional butthead with him.

Judi James, a leading communication and body language expert, tells The Mirror: “It was Piccioli who created the ‘cringe’ moment for poor Meghan, getting way too close to greet and speak to her, leading to a lack of reading her non-verbal cues when they air-kissed, leading in turn to a nose-clunk when they each aimed in the wrong direction.”

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He attempted to control Meghan by turning her in front of the cameras, but he also kept his sunglasses on, which wouldn’t have helped. She quickly regained control of her own, putting her arm in his direction, she continued.

When Piccioli moved in for a close-quarters hug with Meghan after the photos were over, according to Judi, who was analyzing the footage of their interaction.

The body language expert said Meghan’s greeting with Wintour “was much more like a top-drawer fashionista ritual.”

Although everyone in the industry is aware that a fashionista air-kiss ritual will be used on friends and foes alike, Ms. Meghan’s round cheeks and her small gasp of fond recognition should have dispelled any rumors of a fight between the two women, according to Judi.

“Like the word ‘darling’ it means not one jot in terms of genuine affection or even liking in the fashion business. But at least they both looked keen to announce a friendship to the world here.”

After alleged drama behind the scenes at Vogue over Meghan’s “demands,” Judi’s expert insight makes reference to a long-reported feud between the pair.

The duchess served as guest editor for a 2019 issue of British Vogue, which sold out in just ten days, making it the magazine’s top-selling issue ever.

Meghan reportedly spent seven months working with Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue, to produce an issue honoring inspiring, pioneering women for the Forces for Change issue.

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Meghan’s “demands” to the Vogue editorial team allegedly caused a rift between the duchess and Enninful, with claims that Meghan even approached Wintour about them after being told by Enniful that they simply couldn’t be met at the time.

Meghan had been given “extensive features” that included coverage of her one-world summit speech in Manchester across the magazine and its digital editions.

However, Page Six claims Meghan sent Enninful a list of six requirements in order to complete the planned articles. A source told the outlet that “Meghan requested control over [the] photographer, writer, final edit, photos, cover lines, and wanted a global issue.” Nobody understands that. Not even Beyonce.

Meghan is alleged to have requested to appear on the US and UK editions of September, but Vogue editors on both sides of the pond had already secured cover stars, making it impossible to grant her request.

Linda Evangelista was scheduled to appear on the UK edition of the magazine while Serena Williams, Meghan’s close friend, was scheduled to grace the US cover.

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The duchess is said to have bypassed him completely by approaching formidable Wintour, the inspiration behind the legendary film The Devil Wears Prada, in a bid to secure dual covers across both the US and UK, despite Enninful reportedly telling Meghan that her six demands couldn’t be accommodated.

A source told Page Six that “Anna wasn’t interested.” Anna responded politely by asking for a Zoom with her to think about it.

Although there are conflicting reports as to the extent of the rift, Enninful’s refusal to grant the duchess’ requests is said to have caused it.

After Enninful or Wintour failed to fulfill Meghan’s demands, Enninful is said to have pulled the plug on the feature’s entire production.

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According to a source quoted by The Daily Mail, “The duchess and her team had high expectations, and they were hoping she might get a print or at least a digital cover out of it,” Enninful was unable to fulfill those expectations.

He already had the magazine cover that month in his bag. Both Edward and the Condé Nast power brokers were furious that they had lost the project.

The process “came across very challenging,” the source continued. Although Edward was only able to promise her a significant, outrageous feature in both the magazine and online, she turned it down.

The duchess and her former friend are no longer speaking with one another, according to them, and the incident has caused a significant rift between them.

Dame Joanna Lumley, who was elevated to Dame status in 2022, has expressed her emotions since meeting Princess Anne during the ceremony held at Buckingham Palace.

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Legendary actor Dame Joanna Lumley admitted to struggling to control her emotions when she was given the honor of Dame.

Although she has worked her way to the top of her career in numerous highly acclaimed movies and TV shows over the years, Patsy Stone’s portrayal in Absolutely Fabulous was the catalyst for her rise to fame.

However, when faced with meeting royalty, she began to “choke up,” despite having one of the most glamorous casts and having rubbed shoulders with the industry’s elite throughout the years.

Told in December 2021 that she would be awarded a Damehood in the 2022 New Year’s Honours, during a recent conversation with Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio Breakfast Show, she confessed that she burst into tears after finding out the news.

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Nevertheless, it was when the time arrived to visit Buckingham Palace and join the other distinguished recipients of the accolade that she disclosed she began to “choke up”.

She recalled the agonizing moment, saying, “It was only a small ceremony with 24 people present. This was very quiet, unlike the big ones, where the entire ballroom is set up and bands playing throughout.

When she and the Princess Royal met her, she said, “I choked up and I couldn’t speak, and she whispered, Never mind, never mind. “

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Then, according to Dame Joanna, she said, “howled” alongside her husband Stevie in the splendor of the palace setting after leaving the room.

The occasion marked the second time the esteemed actor was recognised by the Royal Family for her contributions to the arts.

Her first royal award was received in 1995 by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

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Beyond her royal honours, Dame Joanna has been celebrated for her exceptional talent, securing multiple awards including two BAFTA TV Awards for her iconic portrayal of Patsy Stone in the hit BBC series Absolutely Fabulous.

Talking about her most recent album and new label, Zara Larsson claims that her dream is for people to start dressing up as her for Halloween and that her brand identity should be strong and easily recognized.

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Zara Larsson, known for her hit singles, Lush Life and Never Forget You, and a successful music career spanning 17 years, has shared what her ultimate dream would be.

The singer-songwriter has opened up for Tate McRae’s North American tour and wowed people with her stage presence, vocals, and dancing abilities, but despite all her successes, she says her dream is for people to start dressing up as her for Halloween.

The Swedish singer-songwriter spoke to W Magazine about her fifth album, Midnight Sun and her new lingerie brand, Main Rose. When speaking about her looks on tour she said: “It’s all custom. We worked with so many different designers, and a lot of them are up-and-coming.

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“I want to be comfy on stage, of course. I dance a lot, so I don’t want things that are going to get in the way. We’re going for a vibe of very summery, very glittery, fun, and colourful. It’s kind of stepping into a bit of Barbie world.”

She continued, “It’s my dream to have people dress like me for Halloween.” I want my brand to be so strong that people can see or feel Zara Larsson’s face and identify it as such. My dream is that.

She arrived earlier this year in a sheer, glittering outfit that left little to the imagination. She made a splash at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this year.

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Larsson walked out of the red carpet wearing a translucent, flower-adorned mini dress with dangling crystals. She revealed matching sheer bottoms underneath without a bra. The look, which included orange strappy heels and oversized flower clips in her hair, immediately made a statement in Paris Hilton’s early 2000s red carpet era and Bianca Censori’s daring fashion choices.

The outfit quickly sparked a social media debate. The glam was just delivered by Sara Larsson. One user posted, “Can’t wait to see her slay the VMAs red carpet.”

One tweet reads, “Oh, really, that’s how she’s going to dress,” and another directly asks, “What is she wearing?”

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She appears to be ready to steal the show, according to another addition! Hope her performance is as good as her red carpet game, eh? Nothing worse than a fantastic outfit and a flat song.

Some fans praised the bold writing, “OMG she is stunning,” and “someone commented,” VMAs are bringing the action!” However, users were criticized frequently for calling the look “attention-seeking,” not “Paris Hilton,” and not because of it.

Tess Daly, the host of Strictly Come Dancing, has been a well-known face since she was 17 years old, but many viewers are unaware of the significance of her real name.

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You know we’re heading towards Christmas when Strictly Come Dancing is back on our screens, in a flurry of fake tan and sequins. Battling it out this year are stars including Stefan Dennis, Thomas Skinner, Vicky Pattison and George Clarke – yet apparently some of them have been left fuming over their wildy-different wages.

You can anticipate them to demonstrate all of their best moves in front of the show’s adored judges, including co-hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, among others.

Tess has been a star on television since she was just 17-years-old. The 56-year-old television personality started a modeling career after being discovered waiting for her sister outside a McDonald’s in Manchester. Tess wasn’t always referred to as such.

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Indeed, ‘Tess’ isn’t her genuine name but rather a professional alias, a revelation that has stunned viewers. Born in 1969 as Helen Elizabeth Daly, she embraced the name Tess upon beginning her modelling journey, though never officially altered it out of deference to her parents, Vivian and Sylvia.

She explained the reasons behind her change of name, adding that Helen Davies was already working for her agency when she first started modeling at age 17. In response, it was suggested that she give up “Henry Daly” because of its similarity. Her agent, who was “obsessed” with Nastassja Kinski, the star of the 1979 film Tess, suggested the name Tess.

Tess, who presents Strictly alongside Claudia Winkleman, remembered: “So Tess it was. I was gullible and impressionable. Mind you, two weeks later, I was in Japan, then I travelled the world Paris, Milan, New York,” reports OK! The television darling has admitted that only one person persistently adheres to her actual name, disclosing: “My mum’s really the only person who still calls me Helen, and that’s not often. She tends to call me ‘love’, so when she does say ‘Helen’ it can take me a while to respond.”

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Tess admitted that she never changed it because she believes it would disrespect my parents.

Fans were shocked to learn that Tess Daly’s real name is Helen, and one person posted a shocked video on social media. I feel lied to because I can’t look at her at the same time.

Another person said, “I’ve never known her since I was a baby. “I have so many questions,” added a third person.

Nevertheless, Tess and her husband BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay wed using her original surname back in 2003. The pair exchanged vows in a heartfelt ceremony in Vernon’s hometown of Bolton on September 12, 2003, and are doting parents to two girls, Phoebe and Amber.

Last year Tess shared her tips for maintaining her youthful appearance while acknowledging that wrinkles are simply a part of growing older. In a candid chat with Closer, she shared confessed, “I’ve got wrinkles galore. You know when you look down at your iPhone and the camera is open, and you go, ‘Oh my God!’ I’m at that point – but what’s the alternative?”.

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Tess revealed she follows a specific skincare routine to maintain her youthful glow, admitting to wearing less makeup now than in her younger years, even on television.

Tess insists she hasn’t had cosmetic surgery, but she does spend money on skin treatments like Ultratherapy, which start at around £500.

READ MORE: ‘I tested this £28 foundation – it’s a dream and made my face glow all day’