Category Entertainment News

Singer, actress and TV personality Brenda Edwards talks about the changes to Loose Women, the soap she’d love to star in and the office job she still has

Brenda Edwards rose to fame after finishing fourth on The X Factor in 2005. Since then she has forged a successful career as a theatre star and become a firm favourite on the Loose Women panel, which she joined in 2019. The star has brought her trademark fun and humour to the chat show, previously confessing that she and Judi Love are the“ wildest Loose Women”.

But it’s all change soon, after ITV announced that the show will be aired for just 30 weeks a year from January. Here, Brenda, 56, gives her surprisingly philosophical take on the news – and reveals the beloved soap she’d adore a part in and why, when work is lean, she’s quite happy to return to her temping job…

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Hi Brenda! Loose Women is so popular, it’s hard to believe ITV is cutting its screen time next year…

I think a lot of people were surprised, but it’s a business and you’ve got to run a business in the most efficient way possible. I don’t have anything to do with the business side, I’m just about giving my stories, opinions and views on things, so as long as I’m allowed to do that, I’m happy.

Rumour has it they may stop filming with a live audience…

They haven’t confirmed it, but I would miss it. A live audience is great because it gives you some affirmation, it confirms the things that you’re saying when With Brian May in We Will Rock You they clap. But we did without in lockdown, so… There might be a lot of fans at home who write in and ask for the audience back. So we’ll see.

Do you think it will still be successful with the changes?

I do. Because there is always a space for women – and men, because there are Loose Men as well. There is definitely a space for us to get our opinions out and help others. While there is somebody who needs helping or entertaining, there is always a space for Loose Women and Loose Men.

The show will be missed when it’s not on during the summer holidays…

Yes, it won’t air during the summer holidays and when Ascot and the racing is on, but we will just be bigger and better when we do come back. You’ve met so many celebrities on the show.

Who is the one person you still hope to meet?

Well, I would have loved to meet Whitney Houston, because she was my idol. I never got to do that, but I did get to see her in concert at Wembley.

What’s your funniest celeb story so far?

I was playing the Killer Queen in the musical We Will Rock You in Manchester and Brian May came to play his guitar. He came from one side of the stage, Roger Taylor came from the back of the stage on the drums, and they collided. I tried to save Brian – I went to get his hand but he stopped me. He kept playing his guitar, because he’s a rock star. In the words of Queen, The Show Must Go On.

You previously said you’d love to go on Strictly this year. Have they been in touch?

No, I haven’t been asked yet. I have a few other exciting things lined up, but I can’t say anything right now.

What about soaps? Would you ever consider a part on EastEnders?

Oh, I’d love it! If they came calling, of course I would. I’m a major fan and I’ve been watching it since it started. I love EastEnders – there is always a story there.

You could play Denise’s cousin on the show…

I could. Let’s manifest it! I could be Denise’s long-lost cousin, and it actually turns out that I had the child, not Denise.

The X Factor changed the course of your life. Did you ever imagine you’d leave your old job in accounts and do what you’re doing now?

I still go back to working in accounts when the jobs aren’t coming in. If I haven’t got any work on, I go back to temping. I’ve got a mortgage to pay. I’m not shy. Work is work and money is money. I’ve got to make my money even if I’m not doing anything on stage or on TV.

When was the last time you temped, then?

Just coming out of lockdown. I temped at Twickenham rugby ground and I worked in accounts payable. I’ve got my certificates, so I know how to do it. It’s like riding a bike – you never forget. I’m not afraid of hard work. Bring it on!

Former Coronation Street and new mum Michelle Keegan teased an upcoming project last week, but a source says it will bring up conflicting emotions

After being tipped for Hollywood stardom, Michelle Keegan is feeling “torn” between being a full-time mum and making the most of some exciting job offers. The former Corrie actress gave birth to baby Palma just four months ago, but already has TV execs vying to hire her, a source says, leaving her with a dilemma.

“Michelle has always been a hard worker, so she’s torn between staying at home with Palma and getting back out there,” our source claims. “It’s not an easy industry – you’re self-employed so you never know when your next job might be. It’s still really early days, but these are the questions she’s asking herself, because she’s very much in demand. Everything Michelle touches lately seems to turn to gold.”

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Just weeks ago it was reported that Stockport-born Michelle had signed a six-figure deal to become the new face of Sky – alongside Luther star Idris Elba. And Michelle recently shared some photos of herself stepping back in front of the camera for a mystery project.

Stylish in linen trousers and a top with ‘Copacabana’ written across the front, the 38-year-old was having her hair and make-up done. This could be her first big professional commitment since having Palma – her first child with her husband, former TOWIE star turned presenter Mark Wright – on 6 March.

But for Michelle, who shot to fame in 2008 as barmaid Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street, it also means stepping away temporarily from the most important role of her life – motherhood.

Parenting expert Joy Randolph tells OK!, “What Michelle is feeling is completely normal – and incredibly common for new mothers; that emotional tug between wanting to be there for every moment with your baby, and also honouring the career you’ve worked so hard to build. It’s not a lack of love or commitment. It’s the reality of being a working mother today.

“Her situation reflects the reality of many. She’s not choosing one over the other. She’s trying, like millions of women do, to hold both her baby and her career in the same hand. That’s not a weakness. That’s motherhood.”

With Michelle’s Sky comedy Brassic wrapping on its seventh and final season, she is clearly eager to stay connected with the network, in a new capacity.

Our source goes on to say, “The Sky deal is her dipping her toe back in the water and working out what she’s comfortable with. She knows she won’t get this time back with Palma, but it’s hard saying ‘no’ when you’re in demand and you don’t know how long that will last.”

The source continued, “The thought of leaving her baby even for a short time is really hard, even though Mark is an amazing dad and very supportive. She’s really ambitious and had such success with Fool Me Once that it’s hard for her to think about staying away from work for too long.”

Post-Corrie, Michelle’s career skyrocketed, as she took lead roles in BBC military drama Our Girl, Sky’s Brassic and BBC Australian period drama Ten Pound Poms.

But her star power was cemented last year, with her impressive turn as Maya Stern in Netflix’s Harlan Coben thriller Fool Me Once – which became a global hit and sparked rumours she was being touted for roles across the pond.

Between jobs, she’ll no doubt return to the couple’s Essex home to pick up where she left off. And Michelle and Mark have evidently been enjoying their time as new parents, sharing glimpses of Palma on their social media accounts.

The couple and daughter Palma – whose name is believed to have been inspired by the Spanish island of Majorca, where they own a property – recently returned from Spain’s £300-a-night SO/Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort Hotel after a break with Mark’s extended family, Palma’s first holiday abroad.

And, as our source claims, Mark has taken to fatherhood “like a duck to water” and will support Michelle in whatever she decides. Mark, also 38, was back at work in the Heart FM studio with pal and co-presenter Olly Murs just days after Palma’s birth.

Speaking to the Dance With Me Tonight hitmaker, who also became a dad for the first time last year, a besotted Mark said he’d be videocalling his wife and daughter during their studio breaks.

“It makes you realise what our mums did for us, and makes me have so much more respect than I already had for what women go through,” he added, praising Michelle as a “superhero”.

“Michelle has really bonded with Palma – as has Mark – and she is loving every second of being a mum, they both feel it’s all been worth every second of the wait for her. She’s such a happy baby and Michelle and Mark are brilliant parents – nothing seems to faze them. They’re both in their element.”

Junior Andre has opened up about his relationship with his mum and dad, Katie Price and Peter Andre, as he takes a serious next step in his relationship with his older girlfriend

At just 20 years old, Junior Andre already has the makings of a stellar career – and now he’s taken a serious next step with his girlfriend Jasmine Orr. The son of Katie Price and Peter Andre has just moved in with the influencer, 24, in a one-bedroom apartment in Surrey, and insists he’s more than ready to stand on his own two feet.

Singer Junior previously split his time between the houses of his dad and stepmum, Emily MacDonagh, and his mum Katie, and in an exclusive chat he reveals what thinks of his famous parents now he’s in a serious relationship of his own. “I mean, I’m my own man, aren’t I?,” he said, on the topic of getting life advice from Katie or Mysterious Girl singer Peter.

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He continued: “So, I learn for myself and I think that’s the way everyone does it. “It’s the same way my parents did it, you know, just life experience. You live and you learn.”

Junior’s mum and dad split in 2009 after four years together, and him and his younger sister Princess, now 18, split their time between the two houses. When it comes to his romance with Jasmine, which started last year after the pair met at a work event, Junior told OK! magazine they have both been “really supportive”.

“They were really happy for us,” he said. “My parents were both there if we needed anything while moving, and we’re still going to be going for barbecues at Dad’s, or to my mum’s for movie nights. Family is so important. We’re going to host them here, too, once everything is settled.”

Katie opened up recently about her experience of co-parenting Junior and Princess following her and Peter’s split, telling dating guru Paul C Brunson that they’d never “spoken” about their split since they separated.

Last year she also revealed how her role of mum was changing as the two were getting older and launching their own careers.

Speaking to her sister Sophie, 35, on an episode of her Katie Price Show podcast, the former glamour model said: “Although they live with me, because they’re going away soon and Junior’s just been doing night stuff, working nights, I haven’t seen much of them.”

Meanwhile, Princess, who turned 18 last month, has been filming her own ITV2 documentary and while Peter and Emily will feature, it’s understood Katie will not.

On a more recent episode of her podcast, Katie addressed the rumours and said: “Just ‘cos everyone knows she’s doing this documentary. I’m not in. But we’ll talk about that nearer the time. Certain people don’t think it’s good for Princess to be seen with me. Certain people who used to look after me.”

Her rise to fame from humble beginnings has been remarkable – but it didn’t stop GK Barry from feeling ‘terrified’ at the prospect of her first shows on Loose Women

GK Barry went from posting hilariously unfiltered content on TikTok during the Covid lockdowns in 2020, to launching her podcast, Saving Grace in 2022. Last year she made history by becoming the youngest panellist to join ITV chatshow Loose Women – something the in-demand 25-year-old says is a ‘dream come true’ for her.

Now a regular panellist on the female-led show, GK – real name Grace Keeling, admits during an exclusive chat with OK! that though she feels right at home now, it was a rather scary prospect stepping into the studio to do her first few shows, with the thought of debating with one particular panellist making her more nervous than others.

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“I was terrified. I begged them, please wait till I’m in the groove before you put me on the panel with Janet Street-Porter!”, reveals the witty star, with trademark honesty. “Then I did my show with her and she was adorable. But I was so scared at the beginning, thinking, this audience doesn’t know me — I’m some young woman off TikTok. But now I love it.”

Grace, who was born in 1996 – the same year that Loose Women first came on-air, adds: “Sitting with Kaye [Adams], Denise [Welch]… Loose has me, Olivia [Attwood], Frankie [Bridge] giving a different perspective. It’s fascinating, they’re all such interesting women. They’ve lived a life, you know?”

And the social media sensation, who went public with her footballer girlfriend Ella Rutherford last year, admits that she does battle with imposter syndrome, from time to time., when she thinks of her incredible path to fame.

“I started this whole thing by accident, I expected nothing — though when I was a kid I did want to be a Pussycat Doll, which didn’t quite work out. Being in the public eye was an amazing accident.

“Even in the jungle I’d be like, ‘What exactly have I done to be sitting here beside Tulisa and Coleen Rooney?’ I’m not sure, but I’m not complaining.”

She may have done an awful lot into her 25 years, but Grace has no intention of slowing down, and has a few burning ambitions she’d like to tick off. Her girlfriend would like her to do The Traitors, but she admits she’d swiftly get the boot as she “always looks guilty when she’s not”.

Grace admits that she would also love to be a guest on the sofa on The Graham Norton Show — but her absolute dream, she says, is to one day have her very own chat show, in the style of Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

GK Barry’s limited-edition Echo Falls Summer Berries isavailable from July until the end of summer at all majorgrocery stores. See Echo Falls on Instagram @echo_falls

At 20 years old, Junior Andre says he’s his own man, and reveals why he rejects relationship advice from his famous mum and dad, Katie Price and Peter Andre

Junior Andre is the product of one of of the most iconic celebrity marriages of all time, but has revealed he rejects relationship advice from his famous parents. Now aged 20, the son of Peter Andre and Katie Price has just taken a big step with his own girlfriend, Jasmine Orr, and the couple have set up home in their own flat in Surrey.

Junior met influencer Jasmine, 24, at a work event last April, and while he’s loving their new set-up, admits it’s strange being away from his siblings. “I’ve grown up with them in the house. So you know, I’m a big part of the family and I’m the big bro. They’ve missed me and my siblings are missing annoying me as well, which I’m happy to have got away from!!”

Junior introduced his stunning girlfriend to his family – including stepmum Emily MacDonagh, his 18-year-old sister Princess and half-siblings Amelia, 11, Theo, nine, and Arabella, 15 months – last year, but wasn’t keen to hear any relationship advice from Peter or Katie because “I’m my own man”, he says.

Now 20, Junior has lived in the limelight virtually his whole, but says he refuses to take relationship advice from his famous parents, including his mum, former glamour model Katie.

“I mean, I’m my own man, aren’t I?,” he said. “So, I learn for myself and I think that’s the way everyone does it. It’s the same way my parents did it, you know, just life experience. You live and you learn.”

He continued, “Parents are there to talk to, but I don’t really take advice from them because you’re the one in the relationship, you’re the one making decisions.”

Having grown up in the spotlight because of his famous parents, Junior also admits he wouldn’t have chosen a public relationship, but the attention on him and Jasmine was “inevitable”.

“I would have ideally been in a private relationship,” he shared. “But that’s impossible in my family. So you know, it was kind of inevitable. People think they know you and your business, which can be hard, but we just go with it.”

Despite his initial reservations about his relationship being public, Junior says he wouldn’t rule out his own reality show – a la Katie & Peter , and the new ITV2 show focusing on his sister Princess.

“Never say never,” he said. “We’d be open to it, but it would have to be real. I don’t like cheesy, fake stuff, so that would be the only prerequisite, but we’ll see! We want to do a lot of travelling in the next year, so that’s our main focus.”

GK Barry is a force of nature and her star on the rise, as she opens up exclusively about her partner Ella, the primetime TV show she’s co-hosting and her rise from ‘freaky kid’ to podcast queen

GK Barry wasn’t sure if anyone would bother watching when she started putting out her brilliantly unfiltered content on TikTok during the Covid lockdowns in 2020. But bothered they were — and in 2022, she launched her podcast, Saving Grace.

Fast forward to 2025, and the 25-year-old is one of the most sought-after women on television. Fresh from a stint on I’m A Celebrity last year, she’s now a regular panellist on Loose Women and soon to be co-host of a new primetime ITV show. Here, the relatable star, real name Grace Keeling, talks about being “a bit of a weirdo” as a kid, her plans for proposing to girlfriend Ella Rutherford, and her latest exciting TV show.

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“We’re two peas in a pod,” beams the podcast queen, softening when we ask about home life with her girlfriend, Ipswich Town midfielder Ella, 25, who she went public with last summer. “We’re constantly laughing at each other. She’s my wife!” she adds. They’re not married yet, however — though discussions are underway.

“Ella’s always like, ‘When are you proposing, then?’ She asked me to be her girlfriend, so it’s definitely me getting on the knee. But we need to explore more countries, see which we like, then I can propose there. “I’m not proposing in Skegness. She just needs to be patient — but patience isn’t one of Ella’s virtues!”

Now “flourishing in her WAG era” according to Ella, Grace confesses she had little clue about football when they first met. “I knew there were sweaty people that would kick a ball about and sometimes swear. Now, I know what a corner means. I know they sell prosecco in the bar… and I do like planning my outfits around the kit.”

Grace admits her I’m A Celebrity stint introduced her to a whole new audience. “The day me and Ella got back from Australia we went to get pie and mash — obviously — home comforts. And it was like a scene out of a film. Mums didn’t care about their daughters, they wanted a selfie for themselves. It was amazing. But I do struggle sometimes, as I’m actually quite shy. I love when people come and say hi, it’s just me. I’m an anxious gal!”

Grace also battles imposter syndrome. “I started this whole thing by accident, I expected nothing — though when I was a kid I did want to be a Pussycat Doll, which didn’t quite work out. Being in the public eye was an amazing accident. Even in the jungle I’d be like, ‘What exactly have I done to be sitting here beside Tulisa and Coleen Rooney?’ I’m not sure, but I’m not complaining.”

Looking back at her experiences in Australia she admits it feels like a “fever dream”. “I lived in a jungle for three weeks and had a shower in a cave. I can’t wrap my head around that. It’s one of the best things I ever did but it was so tough.”

Part of a WhatsApp group with her jungle mates, Grace stays in touch most with Reverend “The Rev” Richard Coles, Melvin Odoom, Dean McCullough, Tulisa and Maura Higgins.

Of the famous vicar she says fondly, “I love that man. I sometimes forget when I text him he doesn’t have an iPhone. So I’m sending emojis and he goes, ‘I can’t see the little blocks you’re sending.’ I think he has an old Nokia, bless him. He’s so wholesome.” She also teases a potential show with The Rev, but that’s “the only hint” she’ll give right now.

And tech-obsessed Grace admits the jungle taught her an important lesson. “I can’t switch off from social media. But it made me realise, if I want to take a minute, I can. Nothing disastrous will happen.” She adds, laughing, “The jungle also taught me I should never be trusted to cook rice and beans, or there’s a strong chance I’ll accidentally set fire to the place…”

Meanwhile, her podcast Saving Grace is still firing on all cylinders — and Grace can’t quite believe what started as banter with mates has become such a huge success. “I didn’t think anyone would watch it. I was getting my mates on. Now we have amazing celebrity guests.”

One of her favourites to date is comedian Katherine Ryan. “I love this woman. When she came on it was such a surreal moment. Rob Beckett, too — he’s a comedian I always watched. We stay in contact, it’s really nice.”

And there’s no topic off-bounds. Grace recalls, “We’ve spoken about vagina surgery, insane drunken moments, the craziest place they’ve had sex… unfortunately nothing’s off the cards.”

She’s taking the podcast — and her signature chaos — on a UK tour, Jungle Fever, from August to more than 16 locations nationwide, and jokes that it’ll be like an “oversold hen do with lots of audience participation, a Bushtucker trial and some very special guests”.

But that’s not the only career update. Grace is also set to appear this August on ITV primetime show Celebrity Sabotage alongside Joel Dommett, Judi Love and Sam Thompson, and admits she spent the whole filming process “crying laughing”.

Explaining the show’s premise, she says, “We’re all in mission HQ and we are sabotaging. Each week, members of the public come in thinking they’re taking part in an ITV show similar to some ITV shows you might know — some dating, some betrayal, some baking — but then, we have real celebrity guests hosting these fake shows.

“Every time we get a successful sabotage, we win them loads of money. It’s so humbling. We’re dressing up as bushes, hedges… We’re in different costumes every day. I’ve never been near so many twigs in certain areas.”

The star became Loose Women ’s youngest ever panellist last year, something she describes as a dream come true — though her first few shows were scary. “I was terrified. I begged them, please wait till I’m in the groove before you put me on the panel with Janet Street-Porter! I did my show with her and she was adorable. But I was so scared at the beginning, thinking this audience doesn’t know me — I’m some young woman off TikTok. But now I love it.

“Sitting with Kaye [Adams], Denise [Welch]… Loose has me, Olivia [Attwood], Frankie [Bridge] giving a different perspective. It’s fascinating, they’re such interesting women. They’ve lived a life.”

There are downsides to Grace’s rising fame, however, such as online trolls. “There’s also added pressure when you get bigger, as some people look up to you. I’ve got a young female audience, and with that comes responsibility. So I did feel I had to fix up in that way.

“I had a lot of comments about my skin during the jungle and how much it helped younger people seeing me on TV with my spots out, so I make sure to post without make-up too, so my followers see another side to photo shoots and glam.

Grace is a busy lady — she’s also collaborating with winemaker Echo Falls on a campaign that highlights the importance of female friendship, and she says it’s the wine she’s been drinking with her girlfriends since the “dawn of time”.

Female friends are central in her life, she adds. Her perfect girlie get-together would involve a daytime bottomless brunch with a game of Uno and a good gossip.

As for burning ambitions, Grace still has a few. Her girlfriend would like her to do The Traitors, but she admits she’d swiftly get the boot as she “always looks guilty when she’s not”. She would also love to be a guest on The Graham Norton Show — but her dream is to one day have her very own chat show, in the style of Alan Carr: Chatty Man .

It’s a far cry from the little girl who, growing up, she says, was “a bit weird and try-hard” and would get nasty comments from kids at school. She honed her talents at making others laugh in order to survive.

“Little Grace was such a freak. I wanted to be Evel Knievel and had this vicious bob — shorter at the back, longer at the front. I made Dad set me up a ramp in the garden which was 2cm off the floor and I’d jump off it. I’d get him to film me like I was doing my own talk show, chatting absolute waffle to the camera. So I’d say, if you have a kid like I was — don’t worry, because they might go into the jungle in the future!”

Grace admits it initially took her parents a while to come on board with her launching a career on TikTok. “When I left uni I told them I was going to do TikTok full time and my mum was like, ‘Are you?! I’m not sure. You need a back-up, this isn’t going to last long.’ Even my mates were like, ‘What are you doing?!’ and I was like, ‘Bear with…’ I was determined.”

As her fanbase began to grow and people stopped her on the street, her parents realised she was making a success of it — and now they couldn’t be prouder of how far their daughter has come.

“Mum will be at the supermarket checkout and go, ‘Have you got TikTok? Follow my daughter, GK Barry — you probably know her,” she laughs. “It’s cute — but it’s also mortifying. People are like, ‘Met your mum, she made me follow you.’ And at my dad’s work, he has them all watching my podcast or Loose Women .”

Grace has no regrets, not even about some of the more out-there videos uploaded to TikTok over the years. “I’ve made mistakes and will again but there’s nothing I haven’t learnt from, so no regrets. Apart from wearing green eyeshadow in 2016. That was an awful idea.”

GK Barry’s limited-edition Echo Falls Summer Berries isavailable from July until the end of summer at all majorgrocery stores. See Echo Falls on Instagram @echo_falls