SHOW BIZ

LILY Allen has opened up on her state of mind and the “huge change” in her family life situation following her split with husband David Harbour.

The popstar candidly told how she had now come out from the other side of a “nervous breakdown” which saw her hospitalised.

Lily, 40, who shares two daughters with first husband Sam Cooper, and endured a bitter split with Stranger Things actor David, 50, last year.

Cheating allegations and a marriage lacking intimacy were allegations levelled at the Netflix actor by Lily, with the former couple starting to negotiate the sale their £6m Brooklyn townhouse.

The marriage breakdown sparked Smile songstress Lily’s first album in seven years.

At the heart of the record is a character called Madeline, who Lily confirmed to the Times is a construct of other people, and the secret relationship she has with a man many are interpreting to be Harbour.

LILY’S HABIT

Lily Allen reveals she’s in therapy for secret addiction

HER CHOICE

Lily Allen admits she ‘can’t remember’ how many abortions she’s had

Now she has opened up on the after effects on her Miss Me? podcast.

She said: “I’ve done quite a lot this year.

“I’ve finished an album, I got a boob job, I had a nervous breakdown, I went into hospital for a bit, I came out, I did some podcasting for a while, then I played one of the hardest tracks in theatre and killed myself (in the role of Hedda Gabler) every night for seven weeks.”

She added of teen daughters Ethel, 14, and Marnie, 13: “My kids are f**king mental at the moment.

“They are really developing their personalities. It’s just a lot.

“There’s a lot of questions.”

Tacitly making reference to the life changes prompted by the split she said: “There’s a lot of change in our lives at the moment

“We’ve changed houses, we’ve changed countries, we’ve changed schools, and it’s a lot.”

The Fear hitmaker added to her show: “The last five years, I’ve been a stay-at-home mum.

“And now I’m a single mum that has to work and suddenly has a lot of work opportunities on my plate and I’m having to travel a lot.”

MARRIAGE SPLIT

Lily previously told how she was suicidal after her marriage split and voluntarily opted to go to rehab.

She has previously been open about her recreational use of drugs and alcohol but she opted to quit the substances six years ago.

It led the star to find her marriage split even more challenging as she wasn’t able to use the substances as a way out.

Lily said: “The feelings of despair that I was experiencing were so strong.

“The last time that I felt anything like that, drugs and alcohol were my way out, so it was excruciating to sit with those [feelings] and not to use them.”

Lily said: “I’ve been into those places before against my will and I feel like that’s progress in itself.

“That’s strength. I knew that the things I was feeling were too extreme to be able to manage, and I was like, ‘I need some time away’.”

Lily married David in 2020 – her second husband following her marriage to the father of her children, builder Sam Cooper.

The LDN hitmaker was married to Sam from 2011-2018 although the relationship was understood to have crumbled sometime before they made their break-up official.

TOUGH TIMES

Lily and David split up in December 2024 and it was later reported he’d had a three-year affair.

David had even made a shock “cheating” joke while doing a tour of their New York City home two years prior.

But the split fuelled the Lily’s huge music comeback, with the toxic fallout playing out on her first album in seven years.

The eye-watering details of her open marriage and split from actor David are seemingly laid bare in the 14-song album.

On the album, Lily took aim at David and claimed how he allegedly ­bedded a woman called “Madeline”.

The track is written as a letter to the woman David had an affair with.

“How long has it been going on? Is it just sex or is there emotion?” Lily sings at one point.

And in the song Tennis, Lily croons:  “So I read your text, and now I regret it.

It has since been revealed that “Madeline” is likely based on Natalie Tippett, a single mum aged 34, from New Orleans, who has strongly denied any affair.

The finale of Netflix’s blockbuster series “Stranger Things” gave movie theaters a much needed jolt, generating an estimated $20 to $25 million at the box office, according to multiple reports.

Matt and Ross Duffer’s supernatural thriller debuted simultaneously on the streaming platform and some 600 cinemas on New Year’s Eve and held encore showings all through New Year’s Day.

Owing to the cast’s contractual terms for residuals, theaters could not charge for tickets. Instead, fans reserved seats for performances directly from theaters, paying for mandatory food and beverage vouchers. AMC and Cinemark Theatres charged $20 for the concession vouchers while Regal Cinemas charged $11 — in homage to the show’s lead character, Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown.

AMC Theatres, the world’s largest theater chain, played the finale at 231 of its theaters across the U.S. — which accounted for one-third of all theaters that held screenings over the holiday.

The chain said that more than 753,000 viewers attended a performance at one of its cinemas over two days, bringing in more than $15 million.

Expectations for the theater showing was high.

“Our year ends on a high: Netflix’s Strangers Things series finale to show in many AMC theatres this week. Two days only New Year’s Eve and Jan 1.,” tweeted AMC’s CEO Adam Aron on Dec. 30. “Theatres are packed. Many sellouts but seats still available. How many Stranger Things tickets do you think AMC will sell?”

It was a rare win for the lagging domestic box office.

In 2025, revenue in the U.S. and Canada was expected to reach $8.87 billion, which was marginally better than 2024 and only 20% more than pre-pandemic levels, according to movie data firm Comscore.

With few exceptions, moviegoers have stayed home. As of Dec. 25., only an estimated 760 million tickets were sold, according to media and entertainment data firm EntTelligence, compared with 2024, during which total ticket sales exceeded 800 million.

Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

One of the bummer parts of any awards season is how it leads to a narrowing down of what movies are getting talked about and subsequently remembered from any given year. There are always way more than five or 10 titles from any given year that deserve the spotlight.

Which is why it was so exciting this week when Envelope editor Matt Brennan chose Mona Fastvold’s “The Testament of Ann Lee” and Angus MacLachlan’s “A Little Prayer” as his favorite movies of the year. “A Little Prayer” first premiered at Sundance in 2023, but didn’t get a theatrical release until this past summer. The delicate jewel of a film features warm, tender performances by David Strathairn and Jane Levy as a man and his daughter-in-law both reconciling themselves to the fallout of problems in her marriage. The movie is available now on digital platforms and is well worth seeking out.

David Straithairn and Jane Levy in the movie “A Little Prayer.”

(Music Box Films)

And we talked about “Ann Lee” here last week and will likely have more to say about it as awards season moves on. Matt’s list also included films such as “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another,” “Sentimental Value” and “Sirāt” along with “Sorry, Baby,” “Nouvelle Vague,” “Hedda,” and “The Alabama Solution.”

Meanwhile, with 2026 so fresh and new, it’s almost sacrilegious to start thinking about a future best-of-year list. But we’ve got one anyway: Here are the 14 movies we’re most excited to see in 2026. Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Steven Spielberg doing aliens again — at least on paper, there’s a lot of promise here.

4K premiere of Friedkin’s ‘Sorcerer’

An image from William Friedkin’s 1977 movie “Sorcerer.”

(Criterion Collection)

On Friday night, the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre will host the West Coast premiere of a new 4K restoration of William Friedkin’s 1977 thriller “Sorcerer” scanned from the original camera negative.

The film was a notorious flop when first released, in part because it had the misfortune of opening a week after the first “Star Wars.” An adaptation of the same novel that spawned Henri-George Clouzot’s 1953 adventure “Wages of Fear,” “Sorcerer” follows four desperate men tasked with transporting a truckload of volatile nitroglycerine through a South American jungle.

Friedkin, who died in 2023, spoke to The Times’ Kenneth Turan in 2013 before receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Venice Film Festival. The only movie shown as part of the tribute was “Sorcerer.” As Friedkin said at the time, “Every one of the films that I made, even the ones that haven’t worked, are films that I had to envision, that I had to see in my mind’s eye. And ‘Sorcerer’ is the film that came closest to my vision of what I wanted to make.”

In a January 1977 interview conducted when he had just completed filming, star Roy Scheider said that working with Friedkin “was not always to my liking as an actor. He is organized and meticulous but difficult, opiniated and tough. He can even be cruel at times. When Friedkin works on a film, nothing gets in his way, including the actors.”

Roy Scheider in the movie “Sorcerer.”

(Criterion Collection)

The film’s initial reception is perhaps well summarized by Charles Champlin’s originalLos Angeles Times review, in which he writes, “William Friedkin’s ‘Sorcerer’ is one of those movies that must make executives, no less than critics, shake their heads in stunned glum wonder. What the hell went wrong?

“A first-rate and proven piece of material. Executed with loving and meticulous care on a damn-the-cost basis by a prize-winning director with two large commercial successes behind him. But it all ends up a swollen, leaden and almost totally uninvolving disappointment that seems fairly unlikely to be saved commercially by its detonations, special effects and strenuous physical sequences.”

Champlin did seem to enjoy one element: the synthesizer score by Tangerine Dream (later of “Thief” and “Risky Business”), music that he calls “a new flavor, Latin Anxious, that works well.”

‘The Godfather Part II’

Al Pacino in the 1974 sequel “The Godfather Part II.”

(Paramount Pictures)

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, an original I.B. Technicolor 35mm print of Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part II” will screen at the New Beverly. It’s a rare and unusual way to see a great movie that can sometimes be flattened by overfamiliarity but remains as fresh and revealing as ever. The movie would go on to win six Oscars including best picture (the first sequel to ever do so).

The story cross-cuts between Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in the 1950s and Robert De Niro playing his father Vito Corleone in the early 1900s. The film shows the growth of the Corleone family empire and what it takes to keep it running.

In a January 1975 interview, Coppola talked about his motivations in approaching the sequel, saying, “The finished film makes what I consider a tough statement for a $13 million mass-audience picture. It says that this country is in danger of losing its soul, like Michael did. That power without humanity is destructive. … I didn’t want Michael to be destroyed by another gang or by a Senate investigation of organized crime. I wanted him to destroy himself. And to juxtapose his fall with flashbacks of his father’s rise a half-century earlier.”

Coppola, candid as ever, continued, “And, to be completely honest, there was the possibility of my making so much money I could bankroll some of my other projects.”

In his original Dec. 1974 review of the film, our Charles Champlin wrote, “In its way, ‘Godfather II’ is more daring than the original … The risks were worth taking, and the reward is that a single monumental segment of the American experience is neither glorified nor patronized, but made comprehensible and real, transmuted into drama of both scope and depth.”

Points of interest

‘The Birds’ in 35mm

Tippi Hedren and children are attacked by crows in a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”

(Screen Archives / Getty Images)

On Monday the Academy Museum will show Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 “The Birds” in 35mm. The film is showing as part of a series about nature’s revenge on humans — a fun group of titles that also includes “Jaws” and “Orca” (both playing in 35mm), “Creature from the Black Lagoon” in 3D, “Alligator” with director Lewis Teague in person and “The Revenant” in 4K.

Transporting Daphne du Maurier’s original story to the setting of Bodega Bay in Northern California, “The Birds” presents a classic, apocalyptic what-if scenario when humans are suddenly attacked from above.

Star Tippi Hedren, who turns 96 later this month, made her movie debut in the film and over the years she has been open about how difficult the process of shooting was for her. In an April 1963 interview with Hedda Hopper, she said, “The Humane Society was there to protect the birds but there was no one to protect me.”

In a March 1963 review, The Times’ Philip K. Scheuer wrote, “Are actors people? No matter. Alfed Hitchcock, who filmed ‘The Birds’ at Universal, was once widely quoted as saying he hated actors. After his 1960 ‘Psycho’ and now ‘The Birds,’ it must be fairly obvious that he has extended his abhorrence to the whole human race.”

Oliver Lax’s ‘Fire Will Come’

Amador Arias, left, and Benedicta Sánchez in ‘Fire Will Come’

(KimStim)

Spanish filmmaker Oliver Laxe’s “Sirāt” has become one of the most celebrated films of the year, popping up on critics list and making a strong showing on the recent Oscars shortlists. On Tuesday, Acropolis Cinema will present the Los Angeles premiere of Laxe’s 2019 film “Fire Will Come” at 2220 Arts + Archives (its original release was curtailed by the pandemic). Laxe is scheduled to attend in person.

In the film, Amador (Amador Arias) has just been released from prison for arson, after having started a wildfire that ravaged the local mountains. Living with his mother, he has to overcome the suspicions and distrust of everyone in the community.

Reviewing the film in 2020 for a digital release, Carlos Aguilar called the film “quietly phenomenal,” adding, “Its discourse on forgiveness simmers in one’s mind inextinguishably.”

Joachim Trier tribute

Director Joachim Trier, photographed at the Los Angeles Times Studios at RGB House during the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

The American Cinematheque is launching a tribute to Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier this week. He will be appearing person with co-writer Eskil Vogt following screenings of “The Worst Person in the World” and his current movie “Sentimental Value.”

These are also rare opportunities to see two of Trier’s earlier films — his 2006 debut “Reprise” and 2011’s devastating “Oslo, August 31st” — in a theater.

“Sentimental Value” directly engages with the legacy of Scandinavian cinema, with Stellan Skarsgård playing an arthouse filmmaker trying to get a new project off the ground with his daughter (“Worst Person” star Renate Reinsve).

Going all the way back to “Reprise.” Trier has been making a case for a new kind of Scandinavian cinema: “I would hope young people would see this not as the old, dreary, dandruff-on-the-shoulders, slow European film,” he said in 2008. “I wanted to make something more sexy and relevant to people.”

Viewers have been praising a BBC drama that’s been gripping them for months. Some say it’s so good they keep rewatching it, with it being deemed “better than Night Manager”

If you’re hunting for gripping viewing to see you through the bleak January evenings, BBC viewers are currently singing the praises of a particular drama series. While the broadcaster’s iPlayer platform boasts an impressive catalogue, certain shows have a knack for completely capturing audiences.

One such gem recently sparked discussion on Reddit when a user shared their obsession with a particular miniseries. They revealed they’d become utterly absorbed by it, watching it multiple times and discovering something new with each viewing. Since then, others have admitted how gripping it is, with some claiming it’s “even better than Night Manager”.

It’s not the only BBC drama to have audiences enthralled recently. Another adaptation of a well-known novel earned widespread acclaim just months back.

The Reddit user gushed: “The Little Drummer Girl is superb. At the risk of being a pretentious bore, the show really struck a chord with me. I watched it, and then immediately rewatched it. Now I’m watching it again.

“There’s a huge amount of depth here. It’s not Homeland, but it’s seriously good. Strongly recommended.”

The post triggered an enthusiastic response, with another viewer saying: “I agree with everything you just said! I LOVED Little Drummer Girl. Florence Pugh is fantastic in it. Very moving.”

On a separate thread, someone else declared: “I thought it was fantastic, one of the best spy thrillers I’ve ever seen. I chase the high of that show sometimes from other things, but nothing ever quite scratches the itch.”

A third gushed: “It’s a classic. My first exposure to Florence Pugh and loved her moments in just as she’s sassing Skarsgård. All episodes enraptured me to the very end. Excellent acting from everyone, excellent story, plot, masterful directing. Definitely would rewatch again. Recommended to anyone who enjoys political thrillers, espionage and/or spy fiction.”

Meanwhile, a fourth shared: “I watched the show first because I am a huge Park Chan-Wook fan and that is actually how I discovered Le Carré. I absolutely loved it. I thought the performances, cinematography and direction were phenomenal.

“Funnily enough, I haven’t actually read the book yet. When I tried to, I only read a few pages and put it down. Wasn’t in the right headspace for it, and was afraid I might dislike it.”

Other viewers have hailed the series as “magnificent”, calling it essential viewing. The stellar cast has also received widespread acclaim.

What’s the storyline?

For those unfamiliar, The Little Drummer Girl is a British spy thriller series adapted from John le Carré’s 1983 novel of the same title. The initial six-part series premiered on BBC One in 2018 and remains popular with audiences, still streaming on iPlayer.

The narrative unfolds in 1979, following a young English actress who gets recruited by Mossad. Her mission involves going undercover to infiltrate and dismantle a Palestinian organisation planning terrorist attacks across London and elsewhere in Europe.

The series features an exceptional cast, with stars such as Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgård and Florence Pugh all earning acclaim from viewers for their performances.

In certain cases, audiences have gone so far as to suggest the adaptation surpasses the original novel – remarkable praise by any measure. One viewer commented: “The book is a bit too long and meandering in parts, but the TV series definitely is worth watching.”

Another added: “Thought it was more engaging than Night Manager.”

VIC Hope has shared a rare snap of her baby boy Micah as she and husband Calvin Harris shared their first Christmas as a family of three.

The BBC Radio 1 presenter, 36, gave birth to the couple’s first child in July, returning to work for an awards ceremony in October.

Now she has given her Instagram followers a sneak peek into her festive period with the iconic DJ and their firstborn.

Vick kicked off her image carousel with a snap showing her donning a shimmering gold dress as she sat at a table awaiting a Christmas feast.

She pulled her locks back into a stylish up-do and kept her make-up natural, accessorising with huge gold earrings.

She followed with a tender snap of Micah on her tummy before images showed Summer hitmaker Calvin, 41, picking up their Christmas tree and their tot wearing a ‘my first Christmas’ baby grow.

DADDY COOL

Calvin Harris is the doting dad as he poses with baby son Micah in a papoose

GOT HOPE

Vick Hope looks incredible as she returns to work after she welcomed first child

Snapshots of their family celebrations followed as Calvin was seen sat by the baby in his high chair.

In her caption, Vic wrote: “Twas the season.”

MUM JOURNEY

Back in October, Vick admitted that she’d been covered in “bright yellow s**t” since giving birth.

And addressing a graphic snap of her placenta, posted by hubby Calvin, she joked: “‘It was posted by my husband but placentas are amazing.

“I am keen to celebrate motherhood after what my vagina has done – it’s f***ing majestic. 

“And now you’ve all seen my placenta too!”

The placenta pic was included in a series of snaps he posted, as he announced the birth of his son on Instagram back in August.

The post, which included images of Vick in a birthing pool, had snaps of her placenta with capsules, suggesting they had it encapsulated – an increasingly popular trend.

He wrote in the caption: “20th of July our boy arrived. Micah is here!

“My wife is a superhero and I am in complete awe of her primal wisdom! Just so grateful.

“We love you so much Micah.”

Vick previously posted a series of summer highlights on Instagram and looked radiant as she cradled the couple’s son at the couple’s sprawling Spanish residence.

Calvin bought the stunning 138-acre farm, known as Terra Masia, back in 2022, and the couple spent much of the summer there, with Vick even giving birth in the Ibiza property.

The Night Manager has returned to BBC One, with a tense clip from episode two showing villain Teddy Dos Santos complaining about someone making his life difficult

The Night Manager could be in for a shocking twist, with a teaser clip showing baddie Teddy Dos Santos hinting that he wants someone killed.

The BBC drama, which stars Tom Hiddleston as MI6 agent Jonathan Pine, has returned for its second series, a decade after the first series captivated audiences. The initial series followed Pine, a night manager at a Cairo hotel, who was enlisted by Angela Burr from the Foreign Office (Olivia Colman) to infiltrate the inner circle of arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie).

The second series, which premiered on New Year’s Day, picks up several years later, and a gripping snippet from the second episode shows Pine coming face-to-face with his new adversary.

Pine is now a low-ranking MI6 officer overseeing a discreet surveillance unit in London. However, things take a turn when he identifies one of Roper’s former mercenaries, with a synopsis stating it “prompts a call to action and leads Pine to a violent encounter with a new player: Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos.”

An exclusive preview of the second episode reveals him covertly listening in as Teddy (Diego Calva) engages in a sinister conversation with a General, reports the Express.

Teddy informs the General that a man named Alejandro Gualteros is “making my life difficult”, claiming that he has frozen his bank accounts and is attempting to inspect one of his shipments.

“That cannot happen,” he cautions.

The General reassures Teddy that he’ll handle it, to which the arms dealer responds: “Make it quick. No money. No operation.”

In a conversation between Teddy and Pine, Pine masquerades as a businessman who has spent his career in a Hong Kong bank, aiming to gain the villain’s trust.

“You’re English?” Teddy asks during their encounter at a tennis club. “I’m from Hong Kong,” Pine responds. “Swiss Bank. I’ve been there for 10 years.”

When questioned about his presence in Colombia, he coolly answers: “Let’s just say it’s getting more complex to work with our Chinese friends. So I’m seeking new opportunities.”

“You are a risk taker,” Teddy observes. “In life as in on the court,” Pine retorts with a smile.

The latest series of the drama also stars actress and model Camila Morrone as Roxana Bolaños. She portrays a businesswoman who is close to Teddy and reluctantly assists Pine in penetrating his arms operation.

The plot summary concludes: “As allegiances splinter, Pine races to expose a conspiracy designed to destabilise a nation. And with betrayal lurking around every corner, he must decide whose trust he needs to earn and how far he’s willing to go before it’s too late.”

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

The Night Manager is broadcast on BBC One.

‘This toe-tapping film celebrates the transformative power of music and individuality’

One of the most popular family films of the 21st Century, featuring a standout performance from Hollywood’s biggest comedy stars, is on ITV tonight (Saturday).

The electric Jack Black takes centre stage in Richard Linklater’s School of Rock, which was a huge surprise smash in 2003 and has gone on to become a stone-cold classic.

Black plays struggling rock guitarist Dewey Finn, who is fired from his band and ends up posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After witnessing the musical talent of the students, Dewey forms a band to compete in the upcoming Battle of the Bands, seeking revenge on his old band and the winnings to pay his rent.

However, Dewey’s unique teaching style begins to ignite a passion in his pupils, and they, in turn, start to inspire him. Featuring some amazing performances from the young cast (which includes iCarly’s Miranda Cosgrove), School of Rock also boasts a killer soundtrack and great supporting performances from the likes of Joan Cusack and Sarah Silverman.

School of Rock received a big thumbs-up from critics. It has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which says: “Black’s exuberant, gleeful performance turns School of Rock into a hilarious, rocking good time.” Legendary critic Roger Ebert wrote that the film “proves you can make a family film that’s alive and well acted and smart and perceptive and funny – and that rocks.”

It has gone on to make many ‘best of’ lists since, with Looper ranking it number 41 on its 2024 run down of the ’50 Best PG-13 Movies of All Time’, writing “as a feel-good movie for the whole family, its powerful messaging of championing creativity, self-expression, and the pursuit of passion leaves viewers of all ages with a sense of joy and optimism after every viewing.”

It was also a huge smash at the box office, too, and earned almost four times its budget to become the highest-grossing music-themed comedy of all time, until it was overtaken in 2015 by Pitch Perfect 2.

Cinema fans have been enjoying School of Rock again and again ever since, with one writing: “School of Rock is about nothing but pure joy and constant smiling. I expected a goofy and funny movie, but this is so much more fun and amazing than I expected.”

Another enthused: “A classic movie that delivers everything it promises. A timeless quirky/funny movie with great lessons hidden in its development, suitable for all ages and young audiences. A beautiful way to spend your time.”

A third said: “School of Rock is an electrifying musical masterpiece that strikes a chord with its exceptional cast, infectious energy, and empowering message. This toe-tapping film celebrates the transformative power of music and individuality, leaving audiences inspired and wanting more. Rock on!”

Despite rumours of a sequel that never happened, the film did spawn a hit stage musical and a television series that ran for three seasons.

School of Rock airs on ITV2 tonight (Saturday, January 2) at 6.45pm.

PARIS — Actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney were granted French citizenship because “they contribute, through their distinguished actions, to France’s international influence and cultural outreach,” the French government said Wednesday, defending their naturalization that was questioned by a junior French minister.

The naturalizations of the Kentucky-born star of the “Ocean’s” series of heist movies, his wife and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and their twins Ella and Alexander were announced last weekend in the Journal Officiel, where French government decrees are published.

Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a junior minister at the Interior Ministry, expressed misgivings Wednesday that some of the Clooneys’ new French compatriots may think that the star couple was granted special treatment. The actor speaks only what he himself says is “horrible, horrible” French.

“The message being sent is not good,” Vedrenne said in an interview with broadcaster France Info. “There is an issue of fairness that, in my eyes, is absolutely essential.”

The couple purchased an estate in France in 2021 and Clooney has said that it’s their primary residence. Non-French residents of France have multiple possible routes to becoming naturalized. It wasn’t clear whether the 64-year-old actor retained his American citizenship. His 47-year-old wife was born in Lebanon and raised in the U.K and naturalized by France under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin. The 8-year-old twins were born in London.

The Foreign Ministry said the Clooneys were eligible for citizenship under a French law that allows for the naturalization of foreign nationals who contribute to France’s international influence and economic well-being.

It argued that France’s cinema industry will benefit from the actor’s clout as a global movie star and said that as a lawyer, Amal Clooney regularly works with academic institutions and international organizations in France.

“They maintain strong personal, professional and family ties with our country,” the ministry said.

“Like many French citizens, we are delighted to welcome Georges and Amal Clooney into the national community,” it concluded, giving the actor’s first name a French twist by adding the “s” at the end.

The decision was also defended by Vedrenne’s superior at the Interior Ministry, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who said he signed the naturalization decree.

“It’s a big chance for our country,” he said.

In recent media interviews when he was promoting “Jay Kelly,” Clooney said that he is trying to teach himself French using a language-learning app. He said that his wife and children speak the language perfectly.

“They speak French in front of me so that they can say terrible things about me to my face and I don’t know,” he joked, speaking to French broadcaster Canal+.

French media have reported that the Clooneys live part-time in their luxury 18th-century villa outside the town of Brignoles in southern France, where they can keep a lower profile and their children are protected from unauthorized photographs by French privacy laws.

In an interview with Esquire in October, Clooney said: “I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood.”

“I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids,” he said. Growing up away from the spotlight in France, “they have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”

Coronation Street legend Beverley Callard, who starred as Rovers landlady Liz McDonald, has hit back at accusations she has taken weight loss medication to get into shape

Beverley Callard has insisted she has not been using jabs to lose weight. The actress, 68, who is best known for her legendary portrayal of former Rovers Return landlady Liz McDonald on Coronation Street, is also a qualified fitness instructor alongside her television career and took to social media on Friday to show off her trim new figure.

But some followers did not believe that she had simply adopted a healthier diet and exercise regimen to drop the pounds and accused her of turning to “skinny jabs” as a quick fix.

In the video, Beverley said: “No girls, I am not on a skinny jab. I have worked out my whole life and I have been working my a** off, literally. Although I must say, I would not knock anybody who is on it. Just do what you’ve got to do.” The former I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! star, who was last seen in her signature soap role in 2020, also used the caption of her post to quash the accusations.

READ MORE: Coronation Street’s best storylines and most iconic characters ‘revealed’ by fansREAD MORE: Coronation Street icon ‘convulses’ as she is ‘possessed by spirits’ on new TV show

She wrote: “Just addressing some of the comments I’ve been getting recently about my weight… as there have been quite a few! I’ve spent my whole life doing fitness and working my arse off… literally! Each to their own when it comes to weight loss, but I’m not on any weight loss jabs. Just clearing that up!”

During the height of her television fame in the mid to late 1990s, Beverley released a series of workout videos and also wrote a fitness-themed column for the Mirror. Fans of the Two Pints of Lager and A Packet of Crisps actress rushed to the comments section to throw praise on the star.

One wrote: “You have always looked amazing @beverleycallard ignore all the comments those who love you and follow you know you’ve done this with healthy eating & good exercise happy new year to you & keep doing what your doing xx”

Another said: “I still use your exercise DVD, it’s still fab! You need to upload it or do a new one!” and a third wrote: “I’ve been working out to your DVDs for years. Along with Rosemary Conley, you are my favourite fitness instructor. I’d love to train with you for real if you ever decide to hold some local classes.”

Since quitting her role as Liz, Beverley moved from Manchester to Norfolk with her husband Jon McEwan and quickly started offering exercise classes in her local area. When she launched them in 2022, she said: “I can’t wait to meet you all. Thank you to all of you who have been in touch already! Those of you who have emailed but not filled in the questionnaire yet, please send me them!

“If you’re interested in being one of my 25 strong women and part of my new fitness classes.” Beverley was an aerobics teacher before she was cast as Angie Richards in Emmerdale in 1983, and when she left Coronation Street for the first time in 1998, she decided to focus on her fitness career once again.

She then appeared as Liz again from 2003 until 2011, and then again from 2013 until 20202. Once she left for the final time, Beveley admitted she had worked six days a week and filmed from 7am to 10pm in the evening.

Beverley also took a swipe at the writers of the long-running ITV soap as she spoke of why she doesn’t think the “scripts are as good now”, in comparison to when she first made her appearance as Liz in 1989.

In an interview with The Sun, Beverley said of her decision to leave: “As an actor, you’re scared to say no to a job, but the scripts came and I thought I’ve just got to trust my instincts really. It’s not nine to five, it’s like seven until ten at night and it’s six days a week, it’s really full on and you have no life, like it used to be a lot harder years ago when the cast was smaller. I personally don’t think the scripts are as good now, I think we’re overloaded with soap operas, which is a shame.”

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