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Jo Brand, a psychiatric nurse, is as hilarious and outspoken as ever as she ever is when she talks comedy, motherhood, and a terrifying incident while working as a comedian and Bake Off favorite.

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She shook up the stand-up comedy circuit in the 80s with her no-holds-barred humour and since then Jo Brand has become one of Britain’s best-loved comics.

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice presenter, 68, is famous for her candid comments and self-deprecating jokes about her appearance – most notably, her weight. But the London-born mother-of-two doesn’t intend to resort to weight-loss drugs.

“I think weight-loss drugs are great, but I wouldn’t do it because I’ve heard lots of things about side effects and I’ve got enough wrong with me already,” she tells us. “Also, as soon as you stop them, the weight piles back on. They’re meant to stop the hunger pains and the ‘I want food noises’ and I get that a lot.”

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She continues, “It’s really difficult because fat people have to deal with it.” I recently read that a woman’s chances of getting a better job are higher if she loses a lot of weight. People believe you don’t care about yourself or that you’re lazy if you’re fat. You were subjected to all of those things. Which is why you must work for yourself and refrain from giving a damn about it like I do?

Before she became a household name, Jo worked as a psychiatric nurse. Speaking at a gig in London’s Greenwich, she told the audience her experience changed her perception of people who are mentally unwell, and revealed that some of the patients once rescued her from a terrifying assault.

This guy came up to me and said, “Looking at you, it’s like looking in a butcher’s window and seeing a piece of meat I can afford,” after which I worked nights for a while on a long shift.

He claimed that I was actually a nurse, and as soon as he said, he just jumped on top of me and pushed me onto a chair, yelling, “Help, help, get off.”

Two of the inpatients woke up and came to save me, would you believe it? Because I tell that story, I believe that the person responsible for it is not a staff member.

Jo used the stage name The Sea Monster when she first started a stand-up show because “I occasionally eat people while swimming.”

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Before making her TV debut on Saturday Live, she was a headliner at many of the biggest comedy clubs in the UK. She claims that the men were the ones who defined what was funny because she is one of the few women on the circuit.

She says, “You hear people saying that women aren’t funny even now, but I realised I was funny early in my career when I made a table full of blokes laugh.” Such a ridiculous statement.

The men have spent too much time believing that. Although it is changing over time, it is taking a long time. It’s great to see how many excellent female comics are now.

Away from the public eye, Jo has been happily married to Bernie Bourke for almost 30 years and they have two kids. Although Bernie is also a qualified psychiatric nurse, they didn’t meet in the NHS, but at a comedy gig when Jo was 38.

She claims that she was 43 when my first child was born. Because I was getting on a little, I believed I should have them. My mother was elderly.

“I was overweight and smoked about 600 fags per day, but everything worked out just fine.” My daughters are two. They are currently 24 and 22 so they are also getting along!

It was delightful when they were younger. They were stunning, but they didn’t quite understand what I did. I recall Maisie saying, “Mom, are you Jo Brand? ” when she returned from school on her first day. “

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Maisie, a musician with a sizable TikTok following, says Jo that using social media, her daughters keep her relevant.

“My daughters made me go on in Instagram and they examined with a fine-tooth comb how I was getting on. At the time, Normal People was a big show with Paul Mescal in it and apparently his neck chain had its own Instagram page. My daughter said to me, very smugly, ‘Mum, you have less followers than Paul Mescal’s neck chain.’”

Jo does less stand-up these days, but often appears as a panellist on Have I Got News For You and has been the main presenter of The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice since 2014.

She claims that because there are too many of us, being a comedian is now much harder. No, because I’ve been doing it for almost 40 years and haven’t had any ideas in a while, it’s much harder for me. However, I also feel that the general opinion is out of touch with me.

Your content must not be posted on social media because it will discourage users from leaving. Therefore, you must make special snippets of your talking to the audience that draw people in for the performance. But that’s not what I’m up for.

Jo has also written a number of books, including Sheridan Smith’s role in the movie The More You Ignore Me. However, she won’t be pursuing acting on her own.

“I can’t act to save my life,” she says. “I once went for a Lynda La Plante drama about the comedy scene. The part was based on me and I still didn’t get it. I also auditioned for Harry Potter, but unfortunately Robbie Coltrane got the part.”

As a new film looms, the Call the Midwife Doctor Truner star has opened up about living with his BBC drama co-star.

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Stephen McGann has opened up about the forthcoming Call the Midwife movie and his private life with his co-star wife.

The beloved BBC period drama has made a triumphant comeback with a new series, and Stephen has once more taken on the role of Doctor Patrick Turner.

The 62-year-old actor has captivated audiences since he first arrived in Poplar as the heroic doctor during the inaugural episode in 2012.

A beacon of hope in the impoverished corner of London, Dr Turner has saved lives, assisted in childbirth, and consistently warmed viewers’ hearts with each episode.

The BBC show is now in its fifteenth series, which has transitioned to 1971, ushering in a new era for the plot.

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The Women’s Liberation movement, premature births, cancer diagnoses, and other topics are the topics of the upcoming decade’s research.

A 16th series has been confirmed as the period drama enters the 1970s. A prequel series starring the first members of Nonnatus House and a film starring them will also be released in Poplar during World War II.

Stephen has opened up about the upcoming Call the Midwife movie and shared a cheeky relationship with Heidi Thomas, the show’s creator.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

Appearing on Thursday’s episode of The One Show (January 15), the actor joined hosts Lauren Laverne and Roman Kemp, and guests David Baddiel and EastEnders star Kim Medcalf, and opened up about the forthcoming Call the Midwife movie and gave a cheeky insight into his marriage with the show’s creator, Heidi Thomas.

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Roman responded, “Stephen, your wife is one of the show’s creators.” The film being made needs to be discussed. Everyone is so excited. What can you say to us, exactly?

It’s so difficult to say anything, Stephen replied. She always tells me to leave right now because she is so busy. Although it is (the year) 72, I am aware that many of the characters will be present because of it.

Although there is a prequel, the actors are all “old hands,” with possible additions of even more.

He continued, “Asking people to come along and be in our episodes is a very different attitude from asking them to be in a movie is a great thing.”

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The canvas is wide, but I’m a little hesitant to ask for anything because, last time, she asked me if she thought she was getting too big for my boots and she said, “How would you feel if Doctor Turner lost a lung?”

Then David Baddiel posed the question, “Will your wife give you a terrible storyline if you have a fight with her?” She actually suggested that entire plotline, Stephen joked. I did a row, and now I’m terrified! She will act in anger because it was at the breakfast table.”

Who is the wife of Stephen McGann?

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After getting married to Heidi Thomas in 1988, the couple, both 27, had a honeymoon in Tuscany. They soon began a new life together in a cottage in rural Essex. Dominic is their son.

After auditioning for Heidi’s new play at the Liverpool Playhouse, Stephen’s book, A History of My Family in Seven Maladies, was published.

Katie Price’s worried mother said she looked “shocking” and “too thin,” so Katie Price went under the surgeon’s knife to address her “deflated balloon” bottom.

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Katie Price has gone under the surgeon’s knife again, just minutes after being told by her worried mum she looked “too thin”. The former glamour model was filming a YouTube video of her latest surgery when she received the message from her 73-year-old mum, Amy, who also asked if she was “using a pen”, referring to weight loss injections.

The mother of five has been concerned about her reportedly shrinking frame in recent months, and she insisted that because of her “more active and healthier” lifestyle. Because “I am healthy and I do eat,” she continued, “she was driving her mad.” Even in the Jordan era, I was always thin if you look at my old, old photos.

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Katie had a procedure to “bring life to her bum” with 500ml of filler, and Katie had a vlog from a UK clinic. She told the audience, “I am no longer looking at my bum like a deflated balloon.”

I feel like I’ve lost weight on my butt because I’ve lost it there, and when you lose it everywhere, too. Everyone else replies, “No, it’s fine, it’s fine,” but it’s not. It’s not, I promise you not.”

She also addressed the criticism of her repeated operations, saying, “Damn what anyone says, they’re not me. I’m me. And I’ll pursue my goals.

Just before the surgery, Katie’s mother texted her, which also mentioned her ferocious fear of needles. Kate responded, “You are too thin, Kate, you are too thin.” You appear shocking. Do you write with a pen? You have a bad back. The former glamour model then responded with a voice note, claiming that she is told “every week” that her appearance is “too thin.”

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No, I don’t use any pen, but starting next week, my bum will grow, making it possible for people to say I’m curvier. “Yes, I’m sorting my ar*se out, so I’m hoping that you’ll reply with, “Oh you’re so stupid!”

She also defended some of her earlier cosmetic surgery clinic visits in Turkey, saying, “You’re always going to hear horror stories wherever you go… what annoys me is you always hear about the things that have gone wrong.”

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“So yeah, you’ll always hear about procedures that involve women or men who have infections or have their bodies reject… people have to bear in mind that it can occur to anyone.”

She continued, “It’s happened to me in my boobs frequently where it’s rejected, then I’ve had my implant removed, but I’ve still gone back to the same person because that’s just how your body reacts to things.”

She said she anticipated being “sore for a few days,” but she intended to take it easy and record her podcast this week on her bed to support her buttocks’ recovery.

Katie also took to Instagram to reveal she’d had more filler injected into her face, as well as new eyebrows and lip blush which left her feeling as though she was the “old” Katie, at the height of her Jordan fame.

When they were cast as Gavin and Stacey Shipman in the sitcom Gavin and Stacey, Joanna Page admits that they were “complete and utter unknowns.”

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Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page admits that the hit BBC show “didn’t pay very well”. The 48-year-old made the revelation after admitting she once worked in a shoe shop after suffering a blow during her TV career.

Joanna launched her career in 1999 when she starred as Dora Spenlow in the BBC’s adaptation of David Copperfield. She later went to star as Judy in Richard Curtis’s Christmas flick Love Actually before landing the role of Stacey Shipman in Gavin and Stacey in 2007.

The mum-of-four admits that “money is unpredictable” as an actor and recalls one moment when both she and husband James Thornton saw their shows dropped by the BBC. She told the Mail on Sunday : “It was terrifying but we scraped through – me by working at a shoe shop, James by doing voiceovers. Then, luckily, we started getting acting work again.”

When Joanna and Matthew Horne first started appearing in the roles they were given, both of them admitted that Gavin Shipman and Horne were “complete and utter unknowns.” She revealed that neither of the pair had “silly money” when the show ended.

Gavin & Stacey didn’t do well at all, according to Joanna, “Co-star Mathew and I were recently laughing at how poorly they performed.”

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The cast would have “done it for free,” she continued. Joanna claims that the show “paid well” after it first aired on the BBC, where she claims she began securing modeling contracts with make-up companies and landed roles in advertisements.

The 2024 Christmas special was one of the most watched programs of the century thanks to the success of Gavin and Stacey, which attracted almost 191 million viewers. However, BBC bosses have previously acknowledged that Larry Lamb, the show, saw it as an “experiment.”

He acknowledges that the cast wasn’t “in it for the money” and claims that James Corden and Ruth Jones had a “low budget” for the series.

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He stated in an interview with the Mail in October that Gavin and Stacey were always working for very little money. No one was aware of how it would operate, so a limited budget was used right away.

“Everyone was in the same boat,” the statement read. You were doing it because you adored the project and the people, not because of the money.

Joanna, who studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada), has previously acknowledged that her career would be hampered by her Welshness. She remarked, “I couldn’t believe it, when I spoke at the Cheltenham Literary Festival. I turned around and left, but I haven’t returned since.

After months of unrest, those close to the Beckham family have urged him, his wife, and his family to call it quits.

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For the best part of last year, the ongoing feud between Brooklyn Beckham and his family has been the main talking point among fans and industry insiders, the world over. And during this time, it is safe to say there was no sign of a white flag being raised by either Brooklyn or his billionaire wife, Nicola Peltz, as the Beckhams stood on the periphery, hoping for a reconciliation.

However, in a shocking turn of events, it appears that the Beckham clan’s eldest son may be thinking about ending a feud with his parents and siblings. Brooklyn may now be moving toward reconciliation behind closed doors after more than a year of unresponsiveness.

According to reports, a source close to the aspiring chef’s family has spoken out saying that while he will “at some point want to reconnect with his parents,” he will “at some point want to reconnect with his parents.”

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A source told the Mail on Sunday: “Brooklyn wants to do anything to make Nicola happy, but this is all getting out of control. I can’t imagine a world where Brooklyn wouldn’t want to see his parents again.”

Brooklyn obviously wants to please Nicola, but maybe, just maybe, he’ll want to get back in touch with his parents at some point. Nothing would bring them joy.

Brooklyn has since split up with his entire family because he missed his dad’s birthday party, his daughter’s recent birthday party, and her Parisian fashion show, and has since unfollowed his family on social media.

Within that whirlwind of events, he not only failed to invite them to his vow renewal last year but also avoided spending Christmas with them. And this was the first time Brooklyn had stayed away during the festive season. Instead, he chose to spend it with his wife and posted their time together online.

This finally reached a halt and took a dramatic turn when his younger brother, Cruz, broke the family’s code of silence and spoke up about Brooklyn blocking his family on social media. Taking to his Instagram stories in light of reports that his parents were the ones who unfollowed his brother, he wrote: “NOT TRUE. My mum and dad would never unfollow their son… “

Let’s get the facts right, he continued. They both woke up blocked, just like I did. Victoria would occasionally contact her son on social media and like his posts despite not having any contact with him. However, as a result, Brooklyn issued a legal notice to his parents.

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Brooklyn’s allegedly warning his parents to only contact him via his lawyers, which reportedly failed to put an end to the feud, on the news. His parents were advised not to use his social media tags in the legal notice.

After Victoria, who is best known for her role in The Spice Girls, liked his cooking video, she responded. However, the desist claimed that this was ruled to be in contravention of the law.

A source told The Sun that “he actually requested that they send them a letter at the end of last summer, asking that any correspondence only be handled by lawyers, and that he wanted to try to make amends privately, not publicly.”

He added that he believed his parents would continue to ignore his wishes and to postpone communication with him. Additionally, it was reported that the conflict has now spread globally.

Brooklyn is said to be close to both his maternal and paternal grandparents, despite not having a relationship with his siblings. He appears to no longer reside in contact with his ancestor’s Ramsay family. Despite being invited, Holly Ramsay skipped the wedding at the end of last year.

Adolescence star, Owen Cooper, trained at Tina O’Brien’s drama school in Manchester before he shot to fame in the Netflix series and ended up bagging a Golden Globe

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Coronation Street’s Tina O’Brien is feeling a bit miffed by Adolescence star, Owen Cooper, according to reports. The Golden Globe winner, 16, has the world at his feet after wowing audiences on both sides of the pond with his incredible performance in the Netflix series

Last weekend, Owen was the toast of Tinseltown when he bagged the Best Supporting Actor gong for his portrayal of 13-year-old murder suspect, Jamie Miller, in the award-winning show. Taking to the stage in front of a whole host of A-listers, he thanked his family while explaining he “took a risk” when he signed up for his drama class. However, there was no mention of Tina, whose acting school, Drama Mob, he trained at.

Sources now claim the Corrie legend, 42, who set up the drama school with her friend, Esther, because she thought there was a lack of acting classes for her daughter, Scarlett, 16, feels ‘abandoned’ by Owen, who she did so much to help.

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Speaking to the Daily Mail, they said: “Tina was absolutely key in Owen’s success, but she was forgotten last week. It was pretty rotten to have left her out like that.

” While Tina is humble and so proud of her young starlets, she did start him on his road to stardom, and she is just so thrilled for him. But someone could have given her a bit of a big-up after the Globes. “

The lack of recognition for Drama Mob in Owen’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed by its teaching staff either. When Adolescence aired last year, some reviews suggested the young actor from Didsbury had no training before his debut, which” frustrated us a bit”, co-founder Esther said at the time.

She added:” We invest a lot of time in our young people, including Owen. We really got to know him and his parents and supported them through the process. “

Esther told Lorraine Kelly on her show last week, “I knew he was good enough back then. Tina, whose daughter Scarlett studied with Owen at her mother’s drama school, has not yet commented on his success.

As he reflected on his “unbelievable journey,” there is no denying that Owen has earned every bit of his success. He addressed the star-studded audience at the Los Angeles Golden Globes, which included Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, and thanked them for their incredible journey.

I took a chance and took a chance by enrolling in drama classes, which I initially thought I might enjoy. It was embarrassing because I was the only boy there.

However, I made it through, and I’m still a student learning from those who were my inspiration throughout the day. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. What is going on, madness?

Tina’s representative has been contacted by The Mirror for comment.