Category Entertainment News

Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79, with the Hollywood icon bravely opening up about her battle with bulimia, which she described as ‘the lowest point in [her] life’

Diane Keaton, the Hollywood icon, has tragically passed away at the age of 79, sparking an outpouring of tributes from around the globe.

The star bravely opened up about her battle with bulimia in 2014, describing it as “the lowest point in [her] life”. As she aged with grace and poise, fans often marvelled at how she managed to maintain such good health and handle the ageing process with such resilience.

However, behind the scenes, the star was sadly grappling with body image issues and mental health struggles since her twenties. During a candid chat on The Dr Oz Show, Keaton confessed that she would consume a staggering 20,000 calories daily during the height of her bulimia battle.

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Describing a typical evening meal, the actress disclosed it would consist of “a bucket of fried chicken, several orders of fries with blue cheese and ketchup, a couple of TV dinners, a quarter of soda, pounds of candy, a whole cake, and three banana cream pies.”

According to People magazine, the star’s eating disorder began after the director of the Broadway show Hair offered Keaton the lead role on the condition that she lose weight.

“I was a fat person, I was an obese person, who had somehow tricked myself and managed to hide it,” Keaton explained. “So when you’re living with a lie for four years, think about what that does to you. All I did was feed my hunger, and I am an addict. It’s true. I’m an addict in recovery; I’ll always be an addict. I have an addictive nature to me.”

After losing a substantial amount of weight and keeping it off for over a year, the star admitted to becoming skilled at hiding her secret battle with the disorder.

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“I had a problem – it was sick and creepy. Bulimia takes a lot of time out of your day,” she candidly told People magazine.

Despite conquering her bulimia, in a 2020 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, the celebrity confessed that even as she grows older, she doesn’t feel “secure” in herself.

On the subject of ageing, she sadly expressed: “I don’t think it gets easier as you get older. I think it gets more pressing, just because it’s really about death. It’s really like approaching it, and how do you approach that part of your life? Nobody wants that.”

In conversation with chat show host Ellen DeGeneres about her therapy journey, Keaton revealed: “Because I talked. I spoke it out. I said my thoughts and feelings. And I feel like, once you do that, you own it as opposed to, if you don’t talk about it, it becomes very abstract. To keep secrets doesn’t help you at all.

“I think I’m a sister to all the rest of the women – and I’m sure men as well – who have had some kind of eating disorder, and I’m a part of the team.”

*For help and support on eating disorders contact Beat Eating Disorders on 0808 801 0677.

Actress Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79, her family have confirmed.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Diane’s loved ones shared that she had died in California as a spokesperson asked for privacy as the family navigate their grief.

The Oscar winning actress was best known for her work in films like The Godfather, Annie Hall, The First Wives Club and Something’s Got To Give. Keaton also worked with director Nancy Meyers multiple times on projects like the Book Club series.

She received numerous accolades throughout her career, including an Oscar, a BAFTA, Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award.

The late actress was romantically involved with Hollywood stars like Woody Allen, her Godfather co-star Al Pacino and Warren Beatty.

She never married but became a mother at the age of 50 when she adopted two children. She said of becoming a parent after the death of her father: “Motherhood has completely changed me. It’s just about like the most completely humbling experience that I’ve ever had.”

The Duchess of Sussex made her debut at Paris Fashion Week, following in the shadow of other royals before her, with former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond highlighting how Meghan’s trip marks the beginning of her foray into the fashion world

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Meghan Markle made her debut at Paris Fashion Week at the Balenciaga show for their Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear design showcase, which she attended to support her fashion designer friend Pierpaolo Piccioli.

The Duchess of Sussex ’s appearance turned heads for several reasons, from her divisive outfit to her seemingly awkward encounter with former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Now, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond has shed light on Meghan’s first trip to Europe in two years, noting some major likenesses from Meghan’s trip, to other royals’ appearances at glitzy fashion events. Meghan has long shared her love of fashion, becoming a style icon for many fans online, and Jennie believes that her invitation to the high-profile runway show could signify her foray into the fashion world.

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She told the Mirror : “Well, it’s a long way to go for the chance to dress up, but she obviously thought it was worth the effort. You can see from the interest in her at the show, including a greeting from Anna Wintour, that the fashion world values Meghan.

“And she is likely to become more and more interested in the fashion world, with all the collaborations and commercial opportunities it can offer. And that’s fine. She’s a pretty woman and is now free to do as she pleases.”

Jennie pointed out how both the late Queen and the late Princess Diana also attended past fashion week events, but under very different circumstances than Meghan’s surprise trip to the French capital.

The royal expert said: “As a working royal she could obviously have openly supported British fashion, but without any fringe benefits like complete freebies or paid endorsements. The late Queen made a front row appearance at London Fashion Week in 2018 and seemed to enjoy it very much, sitting next to Anna Wintour.

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“Diana, with her statuesque figure and global adoration, was an even bigger draw. But, even after she separated from Charles, she wasn’t a regular at fashion shows. When she did go, as in London in 1995, it was obvious that the massive media interest in her (far greater than the interest in Meghan) was intrusive and embarrassing.”

While in Paris, Meghan drew a lot of criticism for posting a video of her being driven through the city, which many royal fans pointed out was close to the site where Princess Diana died in 1997.

Meghan posted the video after attending a Balenciaga fashion show, in which she had her feet up on the car seat and then showed off the nearby sights, which included the Pont Alexandre III and the Pont des Invalides bridges, which are on the iconic River Seine.

From the clip, it seems she was heading towards the Pont d’Alma bridge, which is next to the Pont d’Alma tunnel where Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul died in a car crash in August 1997.

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According to Jennie, while Meghan’s video may not have been intentional, it still struck the wrong cord with many royal fans and she should issue an apology.

“I think Meghan’s Instagram post of being driven at night so close to the tunnel where Diana died was highly insensitive — but unintentionally so,” she said. “She should have thought about it harder but, like so many people these days, it’s all about sharing your life instantly without considering the implications.

“I’m sure it’s the last thing Meghan meant to do, why would she want to upset her husband? But perhaps she should have posted a follow- up explaining her mistake, and apologising.”

National treasure Bill Roache has played Coronation Street’s Ken Barlow for 65 years – but did you know he actually lied to land his first professional acting role?

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Now 93, Bill, who has been a fixture on the cobbles since the first episode of Coronation Street on December 9, 1960, recalls being invited to an audition at an address in London’s Belgrave Square.

He says: “This guy asked me to talk about myself and he said he had a part for me. He handed me the phone and the guy at the other end said there were two days work at £49 a day. He said, ‘You are a member of Equity (the actors’union) aren’t you?’ I heard this voice tell me to say ‘yes’.

“Two days later I got the contract and then I went to the Equity head office and I told them I had been offered this part and I was not a member. They told me to fill this form in.

“Normally you had to be from a drama school or had gone to theatre school. From then on, I met real actors for the first time and found out about a magazine that had all the contacts in and I wrote lots of letters.”

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Before acting, Bill, whose dad was a doctor, had a place to take up at medical college after he completed two years’ National Service in the Gulf with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, where he reached the rank of captain.

But he wanted to act, saying: “I was in the drama society at school and my mother directed, so I wanted to get into it. Every film I went to see I would take the name of the director and I would write to him. I did not get many replies!”

But after blagging his Equity card, Bill’s bravado knew no limits. He admits: “I went straight into an agent’s office one day and told a pack of lies. I knew there was a Colwyn Bay rep, I knew the names of the actors and I had been to see one or two plays there, so I said that I had been in Colwyn Bay rep.

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“This agent said ‘Oh that sounds very good. I have got a job if you like it? It is a juvenile lead in Clacton-on-Sea’. I said ‘Yeah, great thank you’. “ With his foot in the door, Bill then turned to acting legend Laurence Olivier for career advice.

He says: “I knew Olivier had just formed a company of his own and knew he was playing in the West End, so I wrote a note to him. Amazingly, I got a letter back from Sir Laurence, saying ‘come to the stage door at 7.15pm and I will see you’.

“I thought ‘wow,’ so at 7pm I was there. I went in and while he was getting made up, he was telling me about how he was going to America to make a film with Marilyn Monroe. “He said to me ‘What can I do for you?’ I told him I was 35 and was finding it difficult to get work. I said ‘a word from you would be worth a million more than anything from anybody else’.

“He said to me ‘don’t give up’. I can’t tell you how wonderful that was from a man who I thought was the greatest actor in the country. His words telling me not to give up buoyed me and I left there feeling as if I was walking on air.”

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Soon Bill landed a role on a weekly Play of the Week series on ITV. Then just weeks later, Corrie creator Tony Warren wanted him for a new northern soap he was writing. Bill says: “I was filming at Granada and unbeknown to me Tony Warren took the Coronation Street casting director down to the studios and pointed to me and said, ‘he is the one I want for Ken Barlow’.

“At the time, I had a little flat in Notting Hill (west London). My agent rang and said ‘I think they want you. It is for a northern comedy’. “I thought ‘I have got this lead in a play coming out. I don’t want to go back up to Manchester’. So, he rang a few days later and said ‘look, this series is only going to run for 11 weeks. It is going to go out on a Monday and a Friday, so on the Wednesday you can do your play. It is great publicity.’ I thought ‘ok, I will do it. It is only 11 weeks’. I am still waiting to go back and pick up my career!”

In Coronation Street, Bill has worked with greats like Violet Carson, who played the fearsome Ena Sharples, Doris Speed who was the original Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker and Pat Phoenix, who played fiery Elsie Tanner.. “Doris Speed was a real character,” he says. “We used to have a bridge room in the rehearsal room and if she ever had a good hand she would stand up. That would not be very good in poker, but she had the authority which was very good.”

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“Also, when the show first started it was supposed to be called Florizel Street. They had to get the right title and they changed it to Coronation Street. I mean Florizel? That sounds like a sanitary detergent.”

He recalls Frank Pemberton, who played his father Frank Barlow, struggling with some of the live scenes. He says: “In the early days, we did the first show live and the second one was recorded, but it was done as live. Frank often used to get into trouble with his words. “One day he wrote a word on his hard boiled egg on the living room table on the set. But I saw him smash it before he got to the word he needed to remember. Thankfully, he managed to get through it!” And he reveals how he thinks Corrie’s success is down to its realism.

He says: “When I joined the cast there were only about 15 of us and nobody was really that well known. It really hit the pulse of the nation. It was a time when realism was sweeping through the theatre. Like we had Marlon Brando and James Dean in the films and Look Back in Anger in the theatre. It was kitchen sink drama, so that was it. We zoomed to the top of the ratings and we have not been out of the top 10 in 65 years.”

Ken Barlow’s popularity has also never waned. Something of a ladies’ man, he‘s enjoyed romances with a string of characters, played by stars including Dame Joanna Lumley, Denise Black and even Hollywood icon Stephanie Beacham. But his favourite was, of course, the late Anne Kirkbride, who played Deirdre for 21 years – who he married twice.

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Paying tribute to Anne, who died aged 60 from cancer in 2015, Bill says: “I was so lucky. I remember a writer once saying ‘Ken and Deirdre should be together’. There was always a laugh when she was around. She was a brilliant actress. Absolutely spot on with her lines and her comedy timing was immaculate. She was a perfect acting partner and was a lovely person too. I really miss her.

“Anne Reid played my first wife and she has done incredibly well. We met recently for my birthday and all we did was laugh. She was such a good wife and Ken really loved her.” Bill also has fond memories of working with actress Julie Goodyear, now 83, who played Street firebrand and ex Rovers landlady Bet Lynch for almost 37 years.

In 2023, Goodyear’s husband Scott Brand revealed she had dementia. Bill says of Julie: “She did some wonderful scenes. She was a powerhouse and that came out of the camera and into your homes. ” Meanwhile, Bill says he would like to keep working on the cobbles until he is 100 – if the director is prepared to put up with him laughing while he tries to remember his lines. .

He says: “Once the director upstairs said to me ‘now, just stop it. It is unprofessional. I am coming downstairs’. I remember he came down and someone had a paper hat and they put it on my head. So I am sitting there with a paper hat on and he lectured us on how we were being unprofessional, but once you start (giggling) you can’t stop. The more angry someone gets the more you do it. I am absolutely terrible.”

His Corrie family will certainly be happy to raise a pint to Ken in The Rovers on his centenary – and the more laughs the merrier!

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Lostprophets’ singer Ian Watkins was killed in jail this weekend after a fellow inmate ‘ambushed’ him and stabbed him in the neck with a ‘shank’ – causing hi to die due to blood loss

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Lostprophets’ paedophile Ian Watkins accurately predicted his own death after being jailed for vile sex crimes. The disgraced former star was stabbed to death in jail on Friday while in the midst of serving a 35 year sentence for his crimes.

Reports have revealed he was stabbed in the neck by a fellow inmate in an attack that was described as “pre-planned”, “shocking”, and “gruesome”. Watkins had previously survived a stabbing incident in August 2023 – and he had previously predicted he would be attacked.

In 2019, he was put on trial for secretly having a mobile phone in prison – and had his sentence increased when found guilty of breaking this rule. When the verdict was read out, the former chart-topping star explained that “known murderers” in his prison had told him to keep the phone after leaving it on his bed.

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Speaking about possible repercussions following his trail over the incident, he said: “Chances are someone would sneak up behind me and cut my throat. It’s not like one-on-one. Stuff like that, you don’t see it coming.”

On Saturday, news broke that Watkins had indeed been stabbed in the neck and killed while behind bars. He was “ambushed” after inmates were released from their cells in the morning.

Watkins was stabbed in the jugular, causing him to die from blood loss. The violent scene is said to have left those that work in the prison shaken and horrified.

A source told The Sun: “The bloke who got him this time went for his jugular and it looks like a pre-planned attack. Watkins was obviously high-profile and in for the most disgusting crimes… Despite who he was, it was really shocking and gruesome.”

They added: “Experienced officers and a lot of the other prisoners were in absolute shock after what happened and a lot of them saw the awful scene. The inmate who attacked him used a ‘shank’ knife and he was apprehended pretty quickly.”

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In 2013, the Welsh native pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to 13 child sex offences. He also admitted to the rape and sexual assault of a child who was under the age of 13.

Watkins also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

Sentencing Mr Justice Royce said the case broke ‘new ground’ and ‘plunged into new depths of depravity’. He said Watkins had a ‘corrupting influence’ and had shown a ‘complete lack of remorse’. He added Watkins posed a significant risk to the public in particular to women with young children.

The musician was later handed an extra 10 months after he was discovered to have a mobile phone in his possession while behind bars. During the hearing, Judge Rodney Jameson QC said: “I am very conscious of the fact you are serving a very long time and you will be well into middle age by the time you are released. The fact of the matter is if there is not an appreciable penalty for having had a mobile phone in these circumstances then of course you would draw from that the lesson you could have another one and that is not a position I would want to encourage.”

He was said to be sharing his wing with murderers, killers, rapists and paedophiles, who he described as “the worst of the worst”. Asked to describe his music career during an earlier appearance, Watkins told the court his band had sold between five and ten million records across the world between 1999 and 2012. Watkins said the Lostprophets had toured all over the world, headlining at Wembley Arena and the MEN Arena in Manchester.