As Lily Allen is back on top in the US – where are David Harbour and ‘Madeline’ now?

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?’

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.

READ MORE: Lily Allen’s ‘revenge album’ inspired Cambridge Dictionary’s Word of the Year

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.

Article continues below

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…

READ MORE: Ted Baker necklace that’s an affordable alternative to Kate Middleton’s pearl jewellery is on sale

Kate Middleton reveals baffling she got for Christmas – and nobody could have guessed it

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

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.

READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quietly release new Netflix show inspired by ArchieREAD MORE: Have William and Kate been ‘selfish’ in their move to Forest Lodge? Take our poll and have your say

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.

Article continues below

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.”

James Martin says ‘I didn’t give a s***’ as he addresses brutal criticism

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

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.”

Article continues below

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).

X Factor star unrecognisable 16yrs later after hair transplant and engagement

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’.”

Article continues below

Jamaica series about ‘more than scoreline’ after hurricane

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before. Hopefully I’ll never see it again.”

Jamaica netballer Khadijah Williams should have been preparing for a series against England but instead she and some of the other players found themselves helping relief efforts in their homeland after the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October.

The hurricane swept across the Caribbean, destroying homes and infrastructure and flooding neighbourhoods. About 1.5 million people have been affected – more than half the country’s population – and 28 people were killed.

It took Williams’ team-mate Abigale Sutherland several days to track down her grandfather, whose roof had been blown off his house, and the lack of power also meant training together as a national side became impossible.

Jamaica’s two home legs of the four-test series were cancelled but they will play England twice this weekend in the Horizon Series, which you can watch on the BBC.

    • 4 days ago

‘I’m glad you’re alive’

“I didn’t hear from my grandfather for several days. When I heard from him, I started crying, and was like ‘thank God’,” Sutherland told BBC Sport.

“I was listening to the radio station hoping not to hear his name. It was a sense of relief knowing that he lost so much, but that he’s still here.”

Many parts of the island lost power and electricity, making any sort of communication difficult.

“We didn’t have any phone service at all,” Williams said.

“It was challenging and scary, you didn’t know whether people were OK.”

Residents of Jamaica have described the landscape as being “flattened”, and many still do not have electricity or access to water.

Williams and fellow ‘Sunshine Girl’ Shanice Beckford were among those who joined the relief efforts, handing out care packages that included food, sanitary products and nappies.

“I literally cried the entire time. It is heart-breaking to see what our fellow countrymen are going through,” said Beckford, who has won two Commonwealth Games bronze medals and a silver for Jamaica.

Netball Jamaica

‘We weren’t able to train’

Last year Jamaica claimed a convincing victory against England to win the inaugural Horizon Series 2-1.

This year’s series had been set to start with the opening two matches in Jamaica in early December but England Netball and Netball Jamaica cancelled them after the hurricane.

Jamaica, third in the world rankings, will still face England, ranked fourth, in a two-match series at the Copper Box Arena, London.

But this year, their preparations have been very different.

“We weren’t able to train for two weeks,” Beckford said. “We weren’t on court because of the impact, no lights, no electricity, no signal.”

Aerial shot showing destroyed buildings following the passage of Hurricane MelissaGetty Images

‘This is more than the scoreline’

England Netball will donate £1 to Netball Jamaica’s chosen charity, World Central Kitchen, from every Horizon Series ticket sold – and has also announced fans will be able to contribute to the British Red Cross’ Disaster Fund.

The fixtures may be taking place under challenging circumstances, but England captain Francesca Williams said her team’s approach remains unchanged.

“We’re definitely not holding back,” Williams told BBC Sport.

“You are always going to put out your best performance possible and do what you can to help the team win. That’s showing the other team the most respect, playing to your best ability.”

While these matches represent “more than the scoreline”, the Jamaican side will be “coming just as hard” as they would if it were in different circumstances, Williams said.

But for them, it is also a chance to bring joy to people back home.

Sutherland said people in Jamaica “are setting their alarm, and putting on their black, green and gold” to watch the games on television.

She hopes the TV audience include her grandfather if the power is restored to his area in time.

“He’s really excited that I’m on tour, asking how he will watch the game,” she said.

Related topics

  • Netball

Bolivia jails ex-president Arce on corruption charges ahead of trial

A Bolivian judge has ordered former President Luis Arce to remain in detention for five months while prosecutors investigate allegations he embezzled millions of dollars from a fund meant for Indigenous communities.

Arce, who left office just a month ago, appeared before Judge Elmer Laura in a virtual hearing on Friday, two days after his arrest on the streets of La Paz.

Recommended Stories

list of 2 itemsend of list

The judge rejected appeals from Arce’s legal team for his release and ruled he must await trial in one of the capital’s largest prisons, citing the seriousness of charges that “directly affect state assets and resources allocated to vulnerable sectors”.

No trial date has been set.

The accusations centre on Arce’s time as economy minister under former President Evo Morales between 2006 and 2017, when authorities say he oversaw the diversion of approximately $700m from a state fund created to channel natural gas revenues into development projects for Indigenous peoples and peasant farmers.

Interior minister of the new right-wing government, Marco Antonio Oviedo, has described the 62-year-old former president as “the principal person responsible” for approving transfers of large sums into personal accounts of government officials for projects that were never completed.

Arce maintained his innocence during Friday’s hearing, saying he had no personal involvement in managing the fund and dismissing the case as politically motivated. “I’m a scapegoat,” he told the judge. “The accusations are politically motivated.”

His defence lawyers had requested his release on health grounds, noting his previous battle with kidney cancer.

However, Judge Laura denied the appeal and exceeded the prosecution’s request of three months’ detention by ordering five months in a state prison rather than a juvenile facility.

The case first emerged almost a decade ago in 2015 when the Indigenous fund was shut down amid corruption allegations, but investigations stalled during the years of Movement Toward Socialism governance.

The probe was revived after conservative President Rodrigo Paz took office last month, ending nearly two decades of left-wing rule in Bolivia.

Paz campaigned on promises to root out corruption at the highest levels as Bolivia grapples with its worst economic crisis in 40 years. His vice president, Edmand Lara, celebrated Arce’s arrest on social media, declaring that “everyone who has stolen from this country will return every last cent”.

Former ministers in Arce’s administration have condemned the arrest as an abuse of power and political persecution against the Movement Toward Socialism party.