The Sun Newspaper

KATIE Price wraps her legs around ex-hubby Lee Andrews in a raunchy move that will fuel theories they are back together. 

The couple writhed together at an outdoor disco days after she said she would be hooking up with him in Dubai. 

Footage shows 48-year-old Katie cavorting with conman Lee, 43, at beach-front bar February 30 in the early hours of Saturday. 

The ex-glamour model, wearing a black sequinned mini-skirt and white top, was lifted into the air by Lee in front of revellers. 

She raised her arms in the air before wrapping her legs around Lee’s waist in a sexy manoeuvre in front of the DJ’s booth. 

A security guard stopped the pair from getting carried away as dance music blasted out at the lounge and restaurant bar at West Palm Beach. An onlooker told The Sun: “They could have been honeymooners.

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“They were really getting intimate. You’d never have guessed at all the problems they’ve had between them.” 

Another witness said: “She was in the bar all night, then they started acting outlandishly.  

“It attracted a lot of attention. She didn’t care who saw them. It’s hard to keep up with Katie’s love life.” 

Katie revealed in a podcast last Thursday that she was going to Dubai. She said: “I’m having some bum filler, I’m having some face stuff done, and I will see Lee. There you go, there’s no speculation, you’ve heard it here.” 

Katie and Lee ended their marriage in September. They had got married in January, days after they met online. 

The Sun later exposed Lee as a crook who had swindled women out of hundreds of thousands of pounds. 

He was arrested over a civil matter in the United Arab Emirates in May and held in jail for four weeks. 

A three-month prison stint followed in July, before we revealed that Katie had dumped him by WhatsApp. 

The Sun told how Katie ditched Lee, her fourth husband, after discovering he had £2.22 in his crypto bank account — not the £37million he had promised. 

Furious Katie told him: “I have been played and you are not who you say you are. Why have you lied to me?” 

Lee, who proposed to Katie within ten days of meeting, denies all the allegations about being a prolific con-artist. 

But he has been caught out telling several increasingly embarrassing lies. They include claiming he has a diplomatic passport and that he has an engineering PhD from Cambridge. 

Following his arrest in May, he told Katie he had been arrested on suspicion of espionage. It was actually because of outstanding fees on a car rental. 

His reunion with Katie came after it emerged he bragged about having her name tattooed on his willy. 

He flashed his new inking — said to spell out “Katie P” in italics — to pals. The swindler already has “Owned by Katie” daubed across his back, and “Katie” scrawled on his hand and stomach. 

During her latest sunshine trip, mother-of-five Katie flaunted her new boobs in a teeny white top. 

Her 18th boob job, in September, took her bust size up to GG. 

IT’S not every day you stroll past one of Elton John’s feathered costumes or a Guns N’ Roses drum kit on your way to grab breakfast.

But at the 5H Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife, the A-list treatment comes as standard, alongside a host of megastar music memorabilia.

Tucked away in the quieter resort of Playa Paraiso on the south-west coast, it’s half an hour from Tenerife South Airport, an absolute lifesaver if you don’t fancy a lengthy trek after your flight.

Despite the name, this isn’t just an all-night party pad — although the rooftop bar, with its ocean views and DJ beats, is the perfect place to let loose.

From toddlers and teens to couples and grandparents, there’s something here to keep every generation smiling.

The rock-star treatment kicks off the second you stroll through the entrance.

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The colossal lobby doubles as a music museum, packed to the rafters with memorabilia.

You can ogle one of Taylor Swift’s stage outfits, alongside a guitar played by The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.

There are also personal treasures that once belonged to Amy Winehouse, Tracy Chapman and Michael Jackson.

What really sets the place apart, though, is the soundtrack.

Music follows you everywhere, from the lifts and corridors down to the swimming pools, where resident DJs provide the perfect backdrop to a day in the sunshine.

It’s a brilliant touch that makes the whole place feel distinctly different from your average beach resort.

Even the bedrooms get in on the act.

Guests can scan QR codes in the shower for specially curated playlists, or dial down to reception to have a genuine Fender electric guitar and headphones delivered to the room free of charge.

For the sake of my neighbours’ eardrums, I decided to leave the rock solos to the pros.

The hotel’s 624 rooms and suites are spread across two multi-storey towers, Oasis and Nirvana, with plenty of balconies overlooking the pools and the Atlantic Ocean.

Outside, the real fun kicks off with three swimming pools surrounded by palm trees and lined with loungers.

The enormous Lago Pool comes complete with its own beach-style sand area, ideal for families wanting to spend the day soaking up the rays.

Little ones are catered for with their own shallow fun pool.

And grown-ups can enjoy the swim-up bar in the adults-only Eden pool.

There’s something rather luxurious about ordering a cocktail without having to leave the water. Parents get plenty of downtime, too.

The Roxity Kids’ Club keeps children aged four to 11 entertained with games, sports and creative workshops.

Teenagers get their own hangout, Teen Spirit, too, fully loaded with PlayStations, virtual reality games and a DJ booth.

It means parents can enjoy some peace and quiet without worrying about keeping the youngsters busy.

For me, the resort’s biggest highlight is The 16th Sky Lounge Bar.

Perched high above the resort, it boasts panoramic views across Tenerife’s dramatic coast- line, including Mount Teide and the neighbouring island of La Gomera.

And it is particularly impressive at sunset, when the sky turns fiery shades of pink and orange and guests gather for drinks over the ocean.

Fancy toasting the view with a glass of fizz? The bar serves more than 17 different champagnes.

As evening hits, DJs turn up the music, creating a lively buzz without you needing to venture into town.

It’s the sort of spot where one drink can easily turn into several, and in winter, fire pits keep the night chills at bay.

If you’d rather swap the music for some tranquil chill time, the adults-only Rock Spa is another must-visit.

The retreat features a shaded outdoor water circuit, offering a welcome escape from the afternoon heat, alongside a menu of pampering treatments.

There’s a fully equipped gym for the energetic — although I was more than happy to stick to the spa.

All that swimming and relaxing naturally works up an appetite, and you won’t go hungry here.

At Sessions, the enormous breakfast buffet provides everything from pancakes and pastries to fresh fruit and a full English.

For lunch, The Beach Club serves Mediterranean favourites and Spanish specialities.

Come dinner, Montauk steakhouse delivers mouth-watering grilled meats and wine on a terrace overlooking the coastline.

While you would probably be tempted to remain within the hotel’s cosy confines, its setting is great for those who like to explore.

The shops, bars and restaurants of Playa Paraiso are a couple of minutes’ stroll from the hotel’s front door and for those looking to add a bit of retail therapy to their trip, the Rosa Center mall is a ten-minute walk away.

Tucked away just below the Hard Rock’s saltwater lagoon pool is Playa Las Galgas, a horseshoe-shaped, sheltered sandy cove with calm waters that are ideal for a morning paddle.

Winter is the perfect time to walk the coastal paths without working up a sweat.

A rugged trail heads north out of Playa Paraiso to the neighbouring village of Callao Salvaje, with the chance to soak up wild Atlantic views and quiet spots to watch the sunset.

For the freshest local seafood, head ten minutes by taxi to the former fishing village of La Caleta, famous for its whitewashed stone cottages and rocky coves.

Restaurante La Vieja is right on the water’s edge here with a terrace overlooking the fishing boats.

Staff will bring you the catch of the day to take your pick from, before grilling it or baking it whole in sea salt.

Opt for a whole sea bass if you can, served with classic Canarian potatoes and a fiery homemade mojo verde sauce.

Further afield, a trip to explore the Mount Teide National Park is a must and it’s easy to book a tour directly in the hotel’s lobby.

From toddlers splashing in the lagoon to grandparents toasting the sunset with Champagne, it turns out you don’t need a rock star’s rider to live the high life.

Britain’s winter can wait. I’m ready for an encore.

I HAVE quite a few questions before I embark on my night in a sub-zero snow hotel.

Is there somewhere to plug my phone? What if I need a wee? Why on earth did I agree to do this?!

I’m at the Snow Resort in Kirkenes in north-east Norway, way above the Arctic Circle.

Like thousands of visitors each year, I’ve stopped here ahead of a Hurtigruten cruise down the coast.

On arrival I took a powerboat out into Kirkenesfjorden to watch fishermen haul eight king crabs out of the water.

Less than an hour later — after the obligatory photo opportunity and steam cooking — I was tucking into the sweet, succulent crabmeat.

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At roughly £150 each wholesale, it is little wonder locals call them the “gold of the sea”.

Later I enjoyed a traditional Sami cultural experience, listening to folk tales from artist and musician Jon Henrik while we hand-fed his pet reindeer.

In the evening I ate reindeer — not Jon Henrik’s animal, I should like to add — washed down with delicious pear cider.

I could have opted to stay in one of the resort’s cosy-looking, glass-fronted cabins. Instead, I braved the Snowhotel 365 (it’s open all year), where my bed for the night was a slab of ice topped with a mattress.

Back at home, my wife insists on sleeping with a window open and often hogs the duvet, so I’ve had some training. Even so, this was the first time I’ve been handed a balaclava to wear in bed.

I turned in at around 10pm, with an ice-carved troll looming over me and the thermostat reading -0.2C.

Accompanied by some slightly disconcerting dripping noises, I felt like a packet of peas set to defrost.

I soon nodded off but just a few hours later I regretted the second glass of cider at dinner. Dragging myself out of my snug, arctic-rated sleeping bag, I slipped into spiked boots for a dash to the outside loo.

Ironically, an autumn night in Norway proved considerably warmer than my room.
It was a relief the next morning to board the MS Kong Harald, one of seven ships running on Hurtigruten’s Coastal Express route between Kirkenes and Bergen, calling at 32 ports along the way.

With space for nearly 600 passengers, this is not just a cruise but a working lifeline for locals who commute or move freight between remote fjords.

So is it a cruise or is it a ferry? Onboard you’ll find outdoor hot tubs, sauna, gym though there are no dedicated kids’ clubs. There is also super-fast wifi.

The food is distinctly upmarket, with an expansive buffet and à la carte restaurant bringing the best of coastal Norway to your plate.

The drinks menu is equally impressive. While on board, the crew were retrieving 1,002 bottles of Italian Barolo red wine that had been maturing for 12 months on the seabed of the Arctic Ocean. My cosy twin cabin had a comfortable bed and large window to admire the stunning landscapes.

The deck outside was perfect for viewing the Northern Lights or whale-spotting, both of which you can expect to see from late September onwards.

The ship docks day and night, for as little as 15 minutes in small villages, up to a few hours in bigger towns and cities.

I hopped off at Honningsvåg at 5.45am for an excursion to the North Cape, the dramatic clifftop situated on the coast of Magerøya island in Finnmark, northern Norway.

After soaking up panoramic sea views, I caught the coach transfer to rejoin the ship at Hammerfest without breaking a sweat.

At 11.45pm that night, I disembarked at Tromsø for an atmospheric midnight choral concert in the Arctic Cathedral.

With storms threatening my sea journey to Svolvær, I made the call to end my voyage early.

But the silver lining was a bonus half-day to explore vibrant Tromsø, capped by a wood-fired harbour-side sauna and an invigorating plunge into the icy Norwegian Sea.

Worth every goosebump!

GROWING up in front of the cameras, Princess Andre was always destined for stardom.

But the daughter of Katie Price and Peter Andre has revealed how she faced a tough battle with her self-confidence.

Now, the 19-year-old has launched her own beauty range, By Princess, which was inspired by her own insecurities.

Speaking to me at Biz on Sunday HQ in London, Princess said: “I used to struggle with my self-confidence, so that was my inspiration.

“I discovered make-up and how it can make you look different and feel more confident, which is what I liked.

“I feel like, nowadays, a lot of people want to permanently change themselves.

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“But with make-up, you can do just that without having to change yourself.”

She continued: “I don’t want to influence younger girls to wear make-up because I think they should feel pretty in themselves. But that’s why I’ve made it suitable for all ages.

“So, with the lip kits, I’ve got plumping glosses for girls if they want to volumise their lips, and then the option for without.”

Princess’s range — which launches on Tuesday — is described as “your new make-up obsession” and includes mascara, setting spray, contour kits and highlighters.

The young entrepreneur revealed she has had the seal of approval from her ex-glamour model mum Katie, who released her own beauty range in 2016.

“My mum loves it,” she said. “She likes to use the contour as a base and said, ‘Oh my God, it makes my skin look smooth’. You know how she likes to look airbrushed.”

Even Princess’s brother, singer Junior Andre, has tried the new lippy set.

She said: “Junior actually tested my lip kit. He said, ‘My lips have gone so big’. He is really happy for me — we are really supportive of each other.”

Princess, who has 2.2million followers across TikTok and Instagram, told how she is excited to be entering her “entrepreneurial era” with the beauty range.

“I mean, I’m still new to it. So, each day I’m learning new things,” she said.

“I mean, having my own business is crazy to say, because I’m 19. But yeah, I feel like I’ve learned so much and I’m still gonna learn so much more.”

Asked if she inherited her incredible eyelashes from her dad, Princess added: “To be fair, all of my siblings have lovely, long eyelashes — so it must have come from somewhere.”

I’M TOO BUSY FOR BLOKES

SINGLE Princess revealed she has been scared off dating apps after watching crime documentaries.

The star insists she would much rather get to know a guy in a natural setting.

She said: “I like to meet people organically. If I see someone and I have a good chat with them, I’ll just continue the chat.

“I’m not against dating, but I’m not actually looking for a boyfriend right now. I’m so busy – I don’t need a boyfriend.

“I don’t know if apps are my thing. I’ve watched too many crime documentaries.”

Princess has been linked to Love Island star Harrison Solomon after they were spotted together at Thorpe Park’s Fright Nights last month.

But online romance rumours were quashed after it was revealed that the pair just share the same management.

Princess said: “People are going to pick up on everything. I wrote in the comments, ‘Just because a boy and girl laugh does not mean it’s anything romantic’.

“I have a lot of guy friends, but it doesn’t mean there’s anything romantic going on.”

RACE GAVE ME TRAVEL BUG

APPEARING on Celebrity Race Across The World has inspired Princess to go travelling in Asia.

She signed up for the fourth series of the hit BBC One show with big brother Junior.

They had to find their way from Malaysia to Melbourne, Australia, with no phones, credit cards or home comforts.

Princess, pictured with Junior on the show, said: “The first few weeks I struggled. I was like, ‘This is not for me’. As time went on, I was like, ‘OK, I’m getting the hang of it’. We actually were there for each other quite a lot. It was out of my comfort zone . I had none of my home comforts.

“I was carrying a 15kg rucksack. It has made me want to travel.

“I definitely want to go to Thailand now.”

The series, which is currently airing, has brought the siblings even closer.

Princess admitted: “We butted heads a few times, but I think that is because I gave up a few times.

“He lifted us up and, to be fair, we didn’t argue as much as I thought we would.”

AGELESS SINITTA HAS SKIN IN THE GAME

EIGHTIES popstar Sinitta looks like she drinks from the fountain of youth – and now she is set to share her age-defying secrets with the world.

The So Macho hitmaker is planning her own cosmetics range.

She has logged the trademark Skinitta which could be used on everything from sunscreen and lipgloss to perfume and beauty serums.

The singer could also release her own range of clothing, if approved.

Looking incredible at 63, Sinitta puts it down to always slapping on the SPF, eating well and regular exercise.

Jaws dropped when she showcased her enviable figure wearing just banana leaves in front of Simon Cowell on The X Factor in 2009.

I’m sure plenty of fans will be keeping their eyes peeled for her range.

WHY HOWARD LOVES LIFE IN A POP GROPE

CRACKING a grope joke may not be advisable in the current celebrity climate – but that didn’t stop Take That’s Howard Donald making a cheeky quip about enjoying getting up close and personal with handsy fans.

Taking to the stage with bandmates Gary Barlow and Mark Owen for a special album launch show at the London Palladium on Friday night, he shared plans for their upcoming tour – on which he is looking forward to being pawed by the adoring crowds.

Howard said: “What is great is next year we are going out to quite a few new territories that we’ve actually not visited before. That’s quite bizarre.

“It’s literally like going back to the 90s because they’ve never had you in their country.

“It’s brilliant – I love getting groped . . .  still.”

Then acknowledging his other half Katie in the audience, he chuckled: “Sorry, wife!”

Excited Take That fans have indeed been known to grab their idols.

Former bandmate Robbie Williams has even got in on the action, giving Mark a little crotch squeeze on The X Factor in 2018.

On Friday the group performed tracks from new album Dreamers – Sweet July, Wonderkids and the title track – for the first time in front of a live audience. They also had a chat with Dermot O’Leary about making the new record and their huge summer Circus Live Tour.

Then the audience were treated to a run of their biggest and best-loved hits including Patience, Never Forget, The Flood and Greatest Day.

FORMER Strictly dancer Ola Jordan had a massive telephone row with her estranged husband James after he went on TV to deny cheating on her.

Furious Ola spent the day in tears following James’ appearance on Jeremy Vine’s Channel 5 show on Friday.

During a chat with the host, James insisted his new relationship with Russian ballroom beauty Polina Mayer began after his 22-year ­marriage to Ola had ended.

It comes after The Sun on Sunday revealed Polina’s hubby, Jamie Cutler, had called Ola claiming that his wife was sleeping with James — and to say he was filing for divorce.

Now, in another agonising twist, we can reveal Ola was particularly upset because she had welcomed Polina to stay in the spare room at their family home last year while she and James worked together.

A source said: “Ola feels betrayed and hurt by James’ actions. She can’t believe he is being so blunt and ­disregarding her feelings.

“She is shocked and devastated. It’s as if their decades of marriage and years as a couple meant nothing.

“She spent Friday in floods of tears after arguing with him on the phone.”

Ola and James — who also used to be a Strictly professional — announced their break-up in August.

He said he “needed to focus on getting myself into a healthier place”.

On Friday, James and fellow former pro Brendan Cole appeared on Jeremy’s show to promote their upcoming stage tour, Dance Rebels: Strictly Unleashed.

Asked about his marriage breakdown, James — who has performed on stage with Polina since 2024 — said: “I moved out . . . which was in the Press.

“I haven’t really spoken about it because I always said I wouldn’t speak about it, because I don’t think it’s fair unless Ola was to be here as well.”

Jeremy told him: “There was a story that you were having an affair with somebody and her ­husband rang Ola.”

James responded: “Apparently so, I don’t know if that is true or not.”

And Brendan interjected: “It’s hard to have an affair if you’ve moved out.”

As he was probed further, James insisted: “There was no affair. I have grown closer to someone since I moved out back in June . . . The problem is, if I say nothing it makes me look guilty.

“If I say something, it looks like I’m being defensive.

“So, for me, it’s a lose-lose. I will put out a statement at some point on social media to try to clarify what’s been going on.”

James’ suggestion he might set out his version of events online caused the exes to lock horns.

A source said: “Ola was left incensed and didn’t think it was fair that James was trying to ­control the narrative.

“She is devastated that he is now dating Polina after she welcomed her into their house and supported them dancing together.

“Ola feels she couldn’t have done more to be an encouraging spouse, and now he is rubbing her nose in his new romance by parading around with Polina. She has been really struggling.”

James and Polish Ola met in 1999 and married four years later.

They signed up as pros on BBC One’s Strictly in 2006, becoming two of its most popular dancers.

James stayed on until 2013 while Ola, who lifted the Glitterball in 2009 with sports presenter Chris Hollins, departed in 2015.

After having their daughter Ella in 2020, following years of IVF, the couple opened up about their weight gain and told The Sun their “bellies” were getting in the way of their sex life.

But they later revealed they had shed six-and-a-half-stone between them.

Meanwhile, in 2021, Polina, who also danced on Strictly, got engaged to Jamie and the pair tied the knot two years later.

In 2024, James started working with Polina on Legends Of The Dance Floor, along with other former Strictly pros. Jamie helped choreograph the routines they ­performed on stage.

After the Jordans confirmed their split to The Sun in August, James issued a statement saying: “I’ve been struggling more than I’ve let people see and I’m taking the time I need to focus on getting myself into a healthier place, both for myself and for Ella.

“Neither of us is in a good place right now. We’re both doing our best to navigate one of the hardest chapters of our lives.”

James threw himself into his new podcast, entitled Manopause, with his pal and ex-Strictly co-star Brendan and said he was going through a “midlife crisis”.

He also appeared on ITV’s This Morning, saying: “I’m now sitting in a one-bedroom apartment on my own at night, watching TV, going, ‘What is going on?’. But I just feel I need that time to find myself again.” James and Polina’s latest tour, The Legends In Vegas: After Hours, ended last weekend.

Last week, Ola told Hello! magazine how the breakdown of her marriage to James had left her devastated.

She said: “I’ve not just lost my husband, I’ve lost my best friend and business partner all in one go.

“It’s difficult for me to describe what happened between us because this wasn’t my decision. It came as a shock to me.”

She added: “At the end of last year, things came to a head when he told me that he was thinking of moving out, which obviously broke my heart. I tried to stop him and save the marriage, as you do when you love someone. Because I knew that if he went, we might never get back what we once had.”

The Sun on Sunday approached James and Ola for comment.

A LIVE performance of musical Legally Blonde had to be halted when a canine cast member pooped centre stage.

And the bulldog’s performance stool the show, with the audience giving him a standing ovation and a huge cheer at the end.

The sell-out crowd at the musical comedy, which stars Strictly finalist Amber Davies as Elle Woods, erupted into laughter when the pooch walked to the front of the stage before turning and starting to do its business.

Onlookers said the actors nervously glanced around, unsure what to do next, before quickly leaving the stage.

The lights at Manchester’s Opera House, which seats 1,920, were turned down and two maintenance workers wearing gloves and armed with disinfectant spray rushed on stage from the wings.

They quickly dealt with the situation before dashing off so the show could go on — to huge applause and cheers.

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One audience member said: “It was hilarious. The actors and audience were just like, ‘Oh my God, is this actually happening?’

“There was quite a lot of it, and the dog walked along as he was doing his business with his back end facing the audience.

“The show is brilliant, but that definitely got the biggest laugh. He stole the show. The actors were stood there looking at each other.

“It seemed to go on forever before they all went off laughing. But they recovered quickly, and once the mess was dealt with, they carried on the scene.”

The audience member added: “At the closing, the audience cheered and shouted when the dog was brought on stage, and they gave a standing ovation. It was all very funny.”

The bulldog in the show is called Rufus. He is character Paulette Bonafonte’s beloved pet, who becomes the centre of a custody battle with Paulette’s former boyfriend Dewey Newcombe.

The show, based on the 2001 comedy movie starring Reese Witherspoon, has been playing to packed-out audiences and finished its run in the city last night before continuing its UK tour.

WHETHER you are gathering seven friends for a picture-perfect getaway, taking the family to a relaxing lodge, or finding an unpretentious rural retreat, Britain’s countryside retreats have something for every pace.

Gayle Schoales, Milcah Fajardo, and Sinead McIntyre tell all about their getaways…

Mad Swans in the Mendips, Somerset

Deputy Editor Gayle Schoales finds good times are par for the course here – even with teens in tow!

Rabbits hopping along beside us, I steer our golf buggy through the ancient oaks and stone hollows at the foothills of Somerset’s Mendip Hills.

Even a golf virgin such as myself can tell this 12-hole course, from £24 a round, is special. Sadly, the same cannot be said for my swing, much to my 14-year-old son Jude’s amusement.

Luckily, at this Mad Swans rural retreat between Bath and Bristol – there’s another in the South Downs, too – the aim is having fun, not rivalling Rory McIlroy. Like a country club, but cooler, it has an unpretentious vibe – think no dress code, with music and beers allowed on the greens.

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Jude and I, plus my friend Daire and her daughter Mia, 14, are staying in two of the resort’s 16 eco-cabins. Each comes with chic, minimalist interiors, floor-to-ceiling windows leading on to decks that overlook a wildflower meadow, and fancy projectors rather than TVs.

Not that there’s time for screen time, with so much on offer and excited teens champing at the bit.

While said teens hit the pickleball and padel courts, from £15 per hour, Daire and I make our way to the bar for Lady Swan cocktails of vodka, milky oolong and strawberry syrup, £12. We reunite for shuffleboard and interactive darts, each £25 per hour, in The Hangout, one of two eateries here.

A pizzeria and bar with a veranda, it’s an idyllic spot for moreish Hail Caesar pizza with anchovies, romaine lettuce, parmesan and Caesar dressing, £12, as the sun sets.

The next morning, after a MasterChef-worthy breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, we tackle Putt Patch, the nine-hole mini golf course, £12 for adults, £6 for under-16s.

Then it’s on to the Swing Barn, a driving range with interactive screens that track your ball speed (or, in my case, club speed, after I inadvertently lose my grip mid-swing!). Flying clubs notwithstanding, it’s a complete blast, from £5 per person.

That evening, we hit The Potting Shed, Mad Swans’ cosy a la carte spot.

From roasted suckling pig, £23, to chicken Milanese with fried St Ewe egg, £17, every dish is sensational.

Afterwards, we pop next door to The Nest, a sweeping lounge filled with books, board games, plants and squishy sofas, for a nightcap before collapsing into bed.

As teen-friendly mini-breaks go, this has been a hole-in-one.

Stays for two at Mad Swans in the Mendips cost from £165 B&B (Madswans.com).

The Water House, Suffolk

Sub-Editor Milcah Fajardo checked into a picture-perfect cottage with seven besties.

With the smell of toasted s’mores and woodsmoke wafting from the hearth, my seven pyjama-clad friends and I sink into the technicolour sofas in the cosy living room.

We’re staying in The Water House, a Grade II-listed cottage deep in the sticks of Eye, Suffolk, where no detail has been spared in the chic, maximalist decor.

With four bedrooms, three bathrooms and more than five acres of land to explore, it’s safe to say it hosts us comfortably.

We find everything from a hot tub and Aga-equipped kitchen, to a croquet kit, board games galore and speakers in every room, plus a pretty conservatory.

There’s also lots to discover beyond the vibrant floral walls. We amble the nearby Thornham Walks to take in the woodlands (Thornhamestate.com), before heading for Bury St Edmunds, just over half an hour’s drive away.

Our taxi driver shares a list of must-visit pubs in the historic brewing town, and after browsing the vibrant Sunday market – with everything from home-made candles to Filipino street food – we settle on Greek eatery The Olive Grove for fall-apart lamb kleftiko, £21.50, and moreish halloumi fries with chilli honey, £7, to line our stomachs (The-olivegrove.co.uk).

Our bar crawl begins at Burnt Mill Taproom, serving locally-brewed creations, such as the tart Glass Horizon IPA, £5.60 a pint (Burntmillbrewery.com), followed by The Beerhouse with its rotating menu of indie pints and packs of trivia cards to borrow (Burybeerhouse.co.uk).

We end under the fairy lights of The Masons Arms’ beer garden, sipping their house bitter, £5.20 a pint (@Masons_arms_bse).

Later, we dine on hearty steak and local Abbot Ale pie with chips, peas and gravy, £19.50, and gooey maple and pecan cookie dough with ice cream and maple sauce, £8.20, at The White Horse Inn, a 15-minute wander from our beds (Whitehorse-suffolk.co.uk).

On our last morning – after I take a soak in the rolltop bath – we hit Southwold.

Our perfect day by the sea begins with chips and home-made curry sauce at The Little Fish & Chip Shop (Solebayfishco.co.uk), followed by souvenir shopping at High Tide (@Hightidesouthwold) and Harriet’s Chocolate Shop (@Harrietsofsouthwold) – before snapping the colourful beach huts.

Stopping by The Southwold Flower Company – where dahlias, cosmos and zinnias are in full bloom and pick-your-own bunches start from £8.50 (Thesouthwoldflowercompany.co.uk) – wraps up a blooming lovely weekend.

Two-night stays for up to eight at The Water House cost from £566 (Houseofclarkson.com).

The Barns at Blackwater Meadow, Shropshire

Editor in Chief Sinead McIntyre and her family loved lodge life in Ellesmere.

These luxe lodges, set around two lakes in a rolling meadow on the outskirts of historic market town Ellesmere, offer peace and tranquillity in bucketloads.

Daisy, our sprocker spaniel, gets her own treats and blankets in our beautifully decked-out three-bed barn, Osprey, while our 15-year-old twins, Riley and Harris, are thrilled to discover TVs in each bedroom.

The front garden comes complete with an alfresco dining set, a firepit, egg chair and hot tub.

Come evening, a short stroll along the Llangollen canal admiring the gorgeous narrow boats takes us into Ellesmere and to quirky cellar pub The Vault, with its shelves jammed full of antiquities.

Polishing off burgers and chips, £16, washed down with delicious shiraz, and pepperoni pizzas, £15, for the kids, it’s soon time for another hot-tub dip under the stars. Heaven!

Two nights for six at Blackwater Meadow costs from £515 (Stayatthebarns.com).

KATIE Price’s estranged conman hubby Lee Andrews claims to have his wife’s name tattooed on his todger.

He flashed his new willy inking — said to spell out “Katie P” in italics — to pals in Dubai.

It comes despite former model Katie, 48, saying she wants a divorce from the self-styled millionaire businessman, who was exposed as a swindler.

A source told The Sun On Sunday: “The tattoo is absolutely mad. It may be an attempt to show her how much he loves her and his way of winning her over, but it might just be a real turn-off.

“He’s got to be committed to her, because if he isn’t, the next person he gets with will see it.

“Who knows how she’ll respond to it.”

Andrews, 43, already has “Owned by Katie” daubed across his back, and “Katie” scrawled on his hand and stomach.

The mother of five married him in January, days after they met online.

The Sun later exposed him as a crook who had swindled women out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Andrews was arrested over a civil matter in the UAE in May and detained in jail for four weeks.

A three-month prison stint followed in July, before we revealed that Katie had dumped him by WhatsApp in September.

However last week she revealed she planned to meet him in Dubai while having more cosmetic work.

She said: “I am having some bum filler, I am having some face stuff done and I’ll see Lee.”

Andrews said yesterday: “Yes, you could write the alphabet on my d***, plus Katie’s name.”

I’M completely surrounded by the colour blue.

Overhead, the lapis sky is nigh on empty, interrupted only by sporadic puffs of cloud, while beneath me the whole scene is mirrored on the surface of the Loire river.

From there I can see towering oak trees, charming villages and dramatic chateaus made of chalky limestone, while I bob along in a kayak.

The ripples from my paddle shatter the illusion that I’m sailing on a sheet of perfect glass.

At just seven years old, I am oblivious to how truly beautiful my surroundings are.

Instead, my focus is on getting back to the campsite and scoffing chips.

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Luckily, returning to the Loire Valley from the UK was even easier to do 30 years later.

A Eurostar to Paris trip, followed by a quick change to Saumur, meant that I could finally make the most of all the Loire has to offer.

Now I was in a better position to appreciate the landscapes, the towns and definitely the drinks on offer in this underrated part of France.

It’s a region that looks even more spectacular in winter, too, when chateaus are dressed in a smattering of frost. Back on the river is where I begin my rediscovery, amid the same all-consuming blue skies that had surrounded me three decades before.

It’s a little too chilly for kayaking at this time of year, so instead I clamber aboard La Rebelle, one of Loire Vins Aventure’s flat-bottomed wooden boats, upon which passengers are provided with substantial amounts of local wine.

A bottle of sparkling Saumur rosé, just one of many tipples made nearby, was the perfect accompaniment as the boat’s captain steered us along a gentle route through the art-worthy scenery.

I sank glass after glass while watching the cormorants perched on nearby rocks drying their outstretched wings, after plunging into the water to catch fish.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of fish to go around. In fact some had been pulled from the very same river to make a starter served to me on my next boat trip.

This time we had a three-course banquet and, of course, some more local wine (Loire River tours start from €15 per adult and €10 per child, see anjou-tourisme.com).

After sampling two, I can certainly say that these boat tours are a great way of soaking up everything the region has to offer, both in culinary and scenery terms.

An elegant smoked trout stuffed with cod cream and red pepper opened my feast before a hearty gouline, or pork belly pie — a speciality of the region.

This was followed with a fig and mascarpone tart that was as much of a sculpture as it was a dessert, which seemed fitting for a destination known for both food and architecture.

Many of the ornate chateaus here are made from tuffeau limestone, which was extracted from underground quarries in the Middle Ages.

You can still visit this warren of troglodyte caves today, except they have been turned into atmospheric restaurants and hotels.

Fortunately, my room at the Logis Hotel Rocaminori had plenty of modern adaptations, including a comfortable double bed and shower.

I wasn’t forced to hunt for my dinner either, with a traditional meal of fouaces (a pocket-like bread, local to the Loire Valley) served in the hotel’s restaurant. These balls of dough were originally used simply to test the heat of wood-fired brick ovens in medieval times before more substantial loaves could be baked.

Eventually, the chefs realised that they puffed up into perfect pockets of crusty bread to serve alongside hearty and rustic stews made of meat, mushrooms, beans and herbs.

Of course, more of the Loire’s wonderful wines were on hand to help wash it down. If you somehow haven’t sunk enough of those grape tipples yet, then you won’t regret a visit to the caves at the Maison Ackermann to sample the valley’s oldest sparkling wines (self-guided tours start from €9 per adult).

Call in at the picturesque Famille Fournier-Longchamps while you’re there. The impressive countryside winery is surrounded by vines as far as the eye can see, and the plonk seemed to get better with each sip.

The same must be said for the Cointreau distillery in the city of Angers. Few people know it’s there and even fewer realise that it produces every single bottle of the world-famous orange liqueur, with each citrus fruit peeled by hand. Tours start from €25 per adult, including a cocktail masterclass.

The building smells like all the best parts of Christmas, while the tasting room experience was so enjoyable, I returned home with a suitcase clinking loudly after a trip to the gift shop.

I also brought home a new-found love of the Loire Valley and confirmation that its true joy had been lost on me as a child. Fortunately, it’s never too late to make up for lost time.

ALWAYS fancied a getaway on the sun-drenched island of Ibiza?

What if I told you there’s another Spanish region that offers similarly striking white-washed buildings and gorgeous sandy coves that fan out in every direction, but without the steep price tag.

Say hello to Cala D’or, a sparkling resort on Majorca’s southeast coast developed in the 1930s by an Ibizan artist.

Almost a century later, the region has preserved its charm — partly thanks to building regulations prohibiting high rises — with traffic-free, pedestrianised streets lined by chic restaurants, boutique shops and rooftop bars for soaking up the orange-hued sunsets.

And while it may not have the same booming party atmosphere as the White Isle, Cala D’Or certainly looks the part. Strikingly clean properties are fitted with traditional blue shutters and hotels are kitted out with lengthy balconies that overlook a calm ocean.

Fewer crowds and tourists also mean that holiday prices are much lower here than Ibiza, so you’ll be able to splash that extra cash on gorgeous paella dinners and late-night tipples.

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My base for the week was the adults-only 4H Inturotel Cala Esmeralda, which sits adjacent to the supremely popular Cala Esmeralda — a stunning cove surrounded by fragrant pine trees. And with TUI soon launching its Black Friday deals, be ready to lock it in for next year.

My partner and I were instantly won over by the hotel’s sleek, modern look and calming atmosphere — think soothing neutral stone, warm timber tones and mid-century furniture.

With temperatures always sizzling in Majorca, visitors can take advantage of the three outdoor pools: a sleek upper level option, one with gorgeous garden views and the scenic Sa Cala Beach Bar pool, just across the road.

The latter was by far our favourite of the bunch. Elevated on the side of the cove, it is cocooned by fragrant rosemary bushes and pines and has steps leading directly to the sea.

The adjoining stylish beach bar restaurant was buzzing every day during our trip, attracting hordes of glamorous holidaymakers hoping to capture the perfect holiday post.

Hotel guests can bypass queues by booking a table through the hotel reception, however.

When you’re not gorging on tapas here, there’s two other restaurants on site — the laidback Es Bar, which serves casual lunches, and Blau Restaurant, the main buffet dining spot.

Breakfast buffets were plentiful with a continental spread of made-to-order omelettes, warm pastries, tropical fruits and juices. Dinners, meanwhile, catered easily to my partner’s and my own differing tastes; with fresh sushi, tuna fillets, teriyaki chicken, grilled meat and salads all up for grabs.

After dinner, evenings were spent at an easy pace, often sipping Aperol spritzes while we watched the sunset at the beach bar. During the day, everything we needed sat within a short stroll, including the hotel spa which became a sanctuary during a sudden afternoon downpour — even my partner was converted by the heated ceramic loungers.

It’s well worth exploring beyond the hotel walls, though. And luckily getting around the area on foot is a breeze.

Cala Gran and Cala Petita are just a ten-minute stroll towards the town centre, where you’ll spot mega-yachts gliding into the marina. We loved Cala Esmerelda, however, which sits right on the hotel’s doorstep.

Keep your eyes open when strolling the sands as you’ll likely spot local social media superstar, the famous Fruit Man, whose booming calls echo across the bay.

His party trick is theatrically carving up pineapples, mangos, and watermelons for the crowds (for a small fee, of course).

Our favourite time to enjoy this beach was first thing every morning before breakfast and at sunrise. The hotel runs restorative yoga classes here each morning or you can simply come to swim in the still water while the sun rises beyond the horizon.

These were perhaps the best moments of the holiday and the only ones that I didn’t manage to get a photo of.

As I paddled through the calm ocean, the warmth from the sun heating my face, I looked back towards the gorgeous white-washed buildings hovering on the shoreline.

With views this good, Cala D’Or most definitely gives Ibiza a run for its money.

I’M standing next to a giant cackling Labubu dressed in pirate gear – a clear sign I’m in the year 2026.

But just a few hours earlier, I’d been exploring a 500-year-old Ming Dynasty garden, which looked straight out of yesteryear.

That’s Shanghai in a nutshell — a world of the crazy and modern, blended with an insanely rich history.

And there’s never been a better time to visit China’s biggest city.
Visas to visit the country, which usually involve an arduous and expensive process to obtain, have been scrapped until the end of the year.

And Shanghai has been listed as a trending destination, having been named the world’s second best city for 2026 by Time Out and having seen a boom in searches with booking.com.

It is nicknamed the Magic City, and I was under its spell in a heartbeat.

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Until the mid-1800s, Shanghai was a mere fishing village, far from its megacity status, now with a population of 25million. One of the city’s most beautiful corners is the former French Concession, once a self-governing enclave dating back to 1849.

Today it is made up of narrow roads, where both European and Chinese architecture mingle, and is lined with plane trees offering shade to the many cyclists.

It’s littered with excellent coffee shops and bakeries, too.

My favourite spot was Faust, where I drank my sea salt latte perched on a tiny metal stool next to locals catching up with each other before going to work for the day.

You’ll find selfie-taking tourists at Wukang Mansion, a wedge-like structure reminiscent of New York’s Flatiron Building that was loved by Chinese stars of the 1940s.

Nearby, you can grab some locally made jewellery and clothes at the small boutiques selling wares out of even smaller windows.

The laid-back nature of the streets was nothing like I had expected of Shanghai.

That peace and quiet was also found at Qibao, a 1,000-year-old ancient water town.

After a short metro ride from the city centre, I stepped back in time as I meandered down the narrow paths separating the historic street vendor stores.

Everything from silk fans and traditional dress to fresh food was on offer.

Food sellers casually offer passers-by a taste, but my stomach was more drawn to the city centre.

My mission was to brave the honking mopeds and elbow-jabbing tourists to find some of the world’s best food. And I think I succeeded.

I gorged on soup dumplings from Lai Lai Xiao Long Bao, a Michelin-recommended Bib Gourmand shop, with juicy crab and prawn oozing down my arm as I bit into them.

I spent a mere £1.80 on a Michelin Guide pancake from Dingxing Road, packed with chicken and fried dough.

And the famous £3 sesame paste noodles from Wei Xiang Zhai, also in the Michelin Guide, are definitely worth the queue you will likely find snaking out of the door.

The bright orange oily sauce was decadent and rich and left my stomach full (and my white T-shirt stained).

But as much as there is to do in the day, Shanghai really comes alive when the sun goes down.

Best explored at night is Yu Garden, dating back to the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century.

The bright red traditional pavilions transported me back hundreds of years, and this was only amplified by the many tourists dressed up in authentic hanfu clothing.

Its hourly light shows bring it back into the 21st century, but even that doesn’t detract from the history.

You can enjoy those same neon lights on Nanjing Road, the Oxford Circus of Shanghai, where shops entice you with 10ft clam sculptures and smoke-breathing dragons.

Head to Fuxing Road and you’ll be spoilt for choice for award-winning bars.

Hidden speakeasy Speak Low is credited with putting Shanghai on the map when it comes to its mixology scene, while Bar Leone (sister to the World’s Best Bar 2026 in Hong Kong) is a must.

Just make sure you get there early to grab a seat at the bar. I’d recommend the deliciously fresh Il Cacciatore, expertly made up of gin, cherry tomato and basil.

After the shopping, the eating and the history, my 20,000-step sore feet were ready for rest.

And a stay on The Bund waterfront promenade is a must when in Shanghai.

Nicknamed the Golden Mile, there is no where better for seeing the famous skyline at night, from the pink-lit Oriental Pearl Tower to Shanghai Tower, once the world’s tallest building.

I highly recommend Hotel Indigo, which is not only Westerner-friendly (some resorts don’t accept foreign tourists) but the rooms come with a spectacular view, too.

Along with two restaurants, a rooftop bar and glass-walled indoor swimming pool, it’s right by the cruise port, where you can catch the metropolitan views by boat.

My room was kitted out with everything I needed, from local teas and snacks to comfy beds and fleecy dressing gowns to wrap up in after a very, very long day.

So after a week of towering skylines, decadent food and thousands of years of history in the Magic City? I wasn’t yet ready to disappear.

EVERY girl dreams of being whisked away to a castle by a handsome prince.

So when an opportunity came for a one-night stay at the boutique Castle Hotel in the centre of Windsor, I jumped at the chance.

But I took my own dashing husband in place of royalty. However, the prospect of a rare evening away from our three kids — along with a peaceful, uninterrupted meal — was a fairytale enough.

The hotel sits in a prime spot on Windsor High Street opposite the historic Guildhall, where King Charles and Queen Camilla tied the knot in 2005, and right across the street from Windsor Castle.

Queen Elizabeth II famously loved escaping her Buckingham Palace “office” for the tranquillity of Windsor in Berkshire every weekend. And I can see why.

Steeped in centuries of royal history and lying on the banks of the River Thames, Windsor is a charming place, with cobbled streets, old pubs and quaint shops.

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The hotel makes a great impression too, with an imposing, creamy white stucco Georgian facade and intricate wrought-iron balcony.

Inside, the 500-year-old historic royal coaching inn has recently had a multi-million-pound refurbishment that has stripped away stuffy decor in favour of a fresh, modern feel.

While here, it would have been a wasted opportunity not to visit our hotel’s namesake, so we strolled across the street to join a free walking tour of Windsor Castle.

Our guide told us how the castle, built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, remains the longest-occupied palace in Europe.

It is the only one of eight castles he built — all a day’s ride out from the Tower of London — that is still standing.

We then used brilliant audio guides to tour the impressive St George’s Chapel, familiar to me as the setting for Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.

We then spent over an hour exploring the castle’s network of exquisite State Apartments which are still used by royals for ceremonies such as investitures.

The castle shuts at 5pm, but Evensong is held daily at 5.15pm inside St George’s Chapel and is open to the public.

We joined for the service and occupied the famous quire seats where the Royal Family and Knights Companions are usually seated.

Or in the case of Meghan and Harry’s wedding, Serena Williams, George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey.

The service, which is entirely sung, was both memorable and haunting thanks to the exquisite voices of the choir — one of Britain’s oldest musical ensembles. The young choristers are all drawn from St George’s College school which lies in the shadow of the castle.

Feeling spiritually uplifted, it was back across the road for some down time before dinner.

The Castle Hotel is luxurious and classy throughout. Our room had a separate sitting room and swish marble bathroom with freestanding bath.

The coffee machine and complimentary mini bar drinks and snacks were nice touches, too.

The smart bar, buzzy on a Friday night, was perfect for a pre-dinner glass of bubbles.

We then moved through to the newly opened Pennington’s brasserie where we were well taken care of by friendly staff. The menu is seasonal and British, the food beautifully cooked and plentiful.

I enjoyed scallops with smoked coral butter to start, followed by pollock on a bed of white beans and rapeseed aioli, both cooked to perfection.

My husband opted for heartier fare with venison tartare and an ox cheek pie.

The meal was rounded off with a wonderful piece of theatre in the form of a carved, wooden sweet trolley that was wheeled tableside, laden with cakes and sweet treats.

Well fed, we slept like kings in a very comfy bed and then it was back down to Pennington’s in the morning to enjoy a late breakfast.

Thanks to the hotel’s fantastic location, we stepped outside the restaurant and found ourselves in the perfect spot for the 11am changing of the guard at Windsor Castle, which happens on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

It was a rousing spectacle you could hear coming through Windsor before you spotted the scarlet jackets of the brass marching band.

With the festive season on the way, Windsor Illuminated has now transformed the greater Windsor Great Park into a dazzling after-dark trail of light and colour.

And after our wonderful mini-break, I am sorely tempted to book another to go and see it.

SHE may have been murdered on The Celebrity Traitors by best friend Alan Carr, but Paloma Faith is back and very much alive.

The singer has announced that her seventh studio album, In Full Colour, will drop on March 5 before she embarks on a huge UK tour.

The record is Paloma’s first since 2024’s The Glorification Of Sadness – an album all about the breakdown of her relationship with artist Leyman Lahcine, dad of her first two children.

While that record showed the singer at her most broken, she insists In Full Colour is her at her happiest.

Paloma, who appeared on last year’s Celebrity Traitors, said: “This album is intentionally optimistic. In a world that can feel hopeless, this album is joy as protest. Humanity can win.”

But self-doubt creeps into the lead single, Gone, which is out today and has a Seventies soul sound.

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Paloma explained: “It is about how isolating this job can be.

“You can be on a stage in full sequins and wonder if anyone can really see you, or even worse, if you can see yourself at all any more.”

Paloma’s 18-date tour, which kicks off next October, includes shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall and Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.

BONO gets emotional when he thinks about his bittersweet duet with Dolly Parton.

If like me, you adored the country icon and everything she stood for, you’ll also find it hard not to be deeply moved.

Their tender ballad Torn is the last track on U2’s new album, Carnaval De Luz, the Spanish for “carnival of light”.

It is also Dolly’s poignant final recording, her swansong if you like, in a career stretching back to childhood performances at the Grand Ole Opry in the Fifties.

“What a gift she gave us and what a blessing it felt like,” Bono tells me of his chance to work with her. “And I’m like you, Simon, I can hardly listen to that voice now.”

Completed in June, little more than two months before Dolly died aged 80, Torn is a tale of our times about a family divided by opposing political views.

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“Torn apart these loving hearts that beat and break the same,” she and Bono sing with voices intertwined, Dolly’s displaying a noticeable fragility.

And if Carnaval De Luz as a whole is a vibrant, punchy, forward-facing celebration of rock and roll, this song is an entirely fitting way for it to end.

“Dolly is the Queen of the Carnival. She’s the definition of it,” says Bono of the star noted for her billowing blonde wigs, physical enhancements and sequin-spangled outfits.

“She came from a one-room cabin on Locust Ridge Road (in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee) and real poverty, and she reminded us all that where you come from MUST not decide where you’re going in life.

“If you come from a tough neighbourhood or a broken family, you can still go all the way.”

I’m speaking to all four members of U2 as they celebrate 50 years since Larry Mullen Jr pinned up a handwritten note at Mount Temple School, Dublin: “Drummer seeks musicians to form band.”

Here they are before me, this seemingly unbreakable quartet of Sixtysomethings reclining on a sofa, from left to right, The Edge, Bono, Larry and Adam Clayton.

Even by their standards, this is a momentous year for U2, marked by their 16th studio album, two EPs themed around global turmoil and spirituality respectively, the big 5-0 anniversary and the announcement of next year’s mammoth world tour.

But first, let’s hear more of what Bono has to say about the incomparable Dolly Parton.

“I think what we loved about her was the lack of self-pity,” he says. “Years after she wrote about Jolene running off with her man, somebody asked her, ‘How do you feel about that song now?’

“She said, ‘When I look over and I see my man sleeping and catching flies out there on the porch, I think, ‘Come back Jolene and take him away!’

“There was always humour with Dolly and all our favourite people have that, don’t they? There’s no time for whining rockstars. Especially us, as we’ve been given so much.”

LARRY

Having not been around for a while because of injury, I’ve had a lot of time for reflection.

It was not a decision but a situation imposed on me. I couldn’t do my job and it was difficult to make my way through that. So it was good to have the opportunity to come back – because I missed everything!

And when I put my head in the studio again and started to play with these ideas, I felt, “Oh, this is where I’m meant to be. This is what I had hoped for”.

In our 50th year, it’s a great thing to celebrate the past and what we’ve done. But there’s nothing like looking at your 50 years and realise that there’s a future to be proud of, to be engaged with.

To still be moving forward, to have this record to take around the world, is exciting for us.

So how did U2’s collaboration with her come about? I ask.

“We wrote loads of songs that we tried to sell her,” says Bono

“But she said, ‘Well, I have a song I started that you may want to take in a different direction and it’s called Torn.’”

Dolly’s original concept followed a traditional country theme — a woman torn between two lovers — but now it focuses on a familiar U2 subject, how political divisions can destroy families.

Bono says: “Dolly stayed away from politics but she had two brothers that don’t speak to each other.

“They’re fighting about politics — and that doesn’t just happen in the red and blue states of America. It happens in the UK, it happens in Ireland, it happens all over the world, where families are at each other’s throats about the right way to go.”

He believes it’s time we give people with differing views to our own “a bit of slack” and listen to what they have to say and takes inspiration from Dolly’s approach.

“She always wanted anyone to be welcome at her show, whatever condition they arrived in,” he says, “And that’s the way it has to be for us on next year’s tour.”

ADAM

As teenagers in 1976/77, there was a lot of anger in the air. That was our go-to position, where we came from, our music. And the best way for a band to succeed was desperation. To have no plan B.

You had no choice but to keep going forward because your life depended on it.

Fifty years on, this band has allowed me to go from a position of great ignorance and arrogance – thinking I knew everything and could do anything – to realising that my relationship with these three other guys means I’ve been able to achieve way more than I could ever have expected.

The by-product is great humility and gratitude. I feel that we still have a lot to give . No matter where our lives have led us, the constant is mucking about in a studio, creating music together.

As for the sound of Torn, which bears the merest hint of country twang, Bono adds: “We did something similar with Johnny Cash. If you think about Larry’s drum part, it’s more of a sci-fi country landscape.

“I think he did her a favour by not doing the obvious but it was risky. If she didn’t run with it — and she’d have no problem telling you — then we’d have lost her.

“But she liked the direction we took it and her camp has a more traditional country version, which they’re going to put out.

“Hearing her voice in the context of Carnaval De Luz is a bit of a shock and a welcome one.”

Now it’s time to take a deep dive into the rest of the album, a freewheeling tour de force punctuated by The Edge’s most direct, driving riffs in years and blessed by an engine room — Adam on bass and Larry on drums — at the top of its game.

Bono is still finding an incredible vocal range, particularly noticeable through his falsetto on The Mirror Maker (Rosalia) and Superficiality.

As it’s U2, a number of words beginning with U spring to mind about the album — upbeat, urgent, unfettered, uncompromising.

The album begins with the pulsing adrenalin rush of Go (Carnaval De Luz) which segues in the glam-rock stomp of La Reina, which in this context means the carnival queen.

THE EDGE

I feel intense gratitude that I’m still able to make music with these guys, who are my friends as well as my creative partners.

That combination of trust and mutual respect and belief in one another, which is necessary for a band, is also incredibly hard to maintain.

The fact that we’re still here and still enjoying working together and still making great work is kind of mind-blowing.

For us, it’s about being exacting and going after it in an uncompromising way. The music will lead you on really circuitous routes before you get to the final version, but it’s important to never give up – that really comes above everything else, that’s the lesson.

I think it’s always the case with U2 that the music is the boss and the songs are the boss.

Of U2’s rekindled vigour, Adam says: “I suppose we’ve caught up with ourselves.

“Just as we were getting ready to go back to work after Covid, Larry couldn’t perform and had to have medical treatment.

“Now that he’s back in the band full-time, it’s full steam ahead. You can hear it on the record — it’s in the grooves.”

Larry says “it was a real thrill” to get back behind his drum kit in the studio.

“You never know what’s going to happen when you go into a room — it’s complicated,” he continues.

“But we captured a mood and what’s great about this record is that the mood continued.”

He believes that U2’s two EPs, the gritty Days Of Ash and the reflective Easter Lily, released earlier in the year, helped “us get something out of our system”.

“Something is stirring,” agrees Bono. “A disturbance in the force and we’re having fun with it.

BONO

Chemistry . . . there’s some humiliation involved in getting older and still your drug of choice is the perfect song or performance. It means you can be unhappy a lot of the time, because it’s just out of reach.

Further humbling comes, but it’s actually a gift, when you accept you can only achieve them with these three other people (he gestures to his bandmates).

You can’t become yourself without them – and I’ve tried.

I’ve been in other bands, as an anti-poverty activist and all that, but it’s something to realise you really need THESE people to be yourself. And, of course, Western – and Southern, Eastern, Northern – civilisation depends on us.

What would happen if we put out a shite U2 album? The whole thing would   collapse!

“We may have arrived with the right music at the right time — though that’s not necessarily a given. But Carnaval de Luz seems to have struck people the right way,” he adds, before acknowledging the U2 naysayers, “I’m sure there are plenty of people out there for whom it will not strike a chord.

“But for us, it is the sound of relief — and exuberance.”

As for The Edge, his blazing guitar is at the front and centre of the record and must be a source of satisfaction.

“It was a bit of a throw down because guitar hadn’t been at the forefront of contemporary music for a while,” he says.

“But now we’re seeing Fontaines D.C., Geese, The Lambrini Girls — all with fantastic sonics — and that’s what we need.

“It’s what I was searching for on this record. By the same token, it has to be in keeping with what Adam, Larry and Bono are doing.

“You can’t just play guitar for the sake of it. Riffs have to sit in the perfect context to make them great.”

One of the new songs, The Mirror Maker (Rosalia), is a sultry shout-out to shape-shifting Spanish singer Rosalia, who mixes flamenco with pop and hip-hop.

Her album Lux topped many 2025 end-of-year lists.

So I’m keen to find out what she thought of U2 singing about her.

“It was an awkward moment because she became so famous,” says Bono. “My daughter had seen her Motomami tour and I knew her music — but normally you have to be in jail or dead before we write a song about you.

“It was nice to find this incredible artist and celebrate her — but what if she wasn’t into it?

“I can tell you she’s been very kind and generous in our direction. Somebody asked the other day, ‘Would you have taken it off, if she thought it was s**t?’

“It was Edge who said, ‘No, we’d say it was about Saint Rosalia who lived in a cave in 12th Century Italy — at Monte Pellegrino, the same spelling as the sparkling water.’”

Edge says: “Rosalia has a healthy disrespect for staying in your lane, something that (Brian) Eno brought to our band early on.”

Moving on, I ask U2 about the flamboyant carnival concept behind their album.

“People forget that carnival was originally a religious festival,” says Bono. “And it came before BEFORE Lent, the period when people ask hard questions of themselves.

“Then Easter is supposed to arrive with the promise of transcendence — and we love a good rock and roll song with a bit of transcendence, you know Bruce Springsteen, Arcade Fire.

“That’s who we are and that’s what we love about music.

“But we got the protest songs and Easter Lily out of the way first and now it’s the carnival bit.”

This is the cue for Edge to implore people not to lose hope in straitened times. He says: “If you allow doomscrolling to dictate your mood, you’re never going to move forward.

“Without being in denial of the challenges facing us, the carnival is what we want to cling onto. It’s an act of defiance to hold onto joy and positivity in the face of everything that’s going on.”

He points to Donald Trump’s disastrous mid-term elections and alludes to authoritarian leaders being thrown out in places like Hungary and Serbia.

“Everyone was in shock at the number of authoritarian regimes springing up and now they seem to be on the back foot,” he says. “I think carnival is the right mood for this moment.”

Bono picks up the thread by adding: “Sometimes, dancing is the most revolutionary thing you can do.

“Think about it — people go to festivals, they want to dance, they want to move their bodies and they’ve got the freedom to do so.

“We’re not giving up that freedom. That’s what rock and roll is, and this is a moment to fight back by not letting somebody rob you of joy.”

That thought prompts him to consider next year’s The Greatest Show On Earth world tour, named after a Carnaval De Luz joint effort with long-time collaborator Eno.

“We want to go out and make it the best night of anyone’s life — and of our own lives.”

He stops in his tracks and adds with self-deprecating humour: “That sounds completely insincere and a sales job.

“I warn you I am also a salesman, but I’m not being insincere. U2 have to go on stage and believe each night can be the one.

“In these times, it had better be the one. People are paying for tickets, coming with their mates and families — and we are very proud to say that Wolf Alice are joining us.”

U2 are no strangers to carnival atmosphere and remember being taken by Quincy Jones to the Brazilian state of Bahia, the spiritual home of carnival.

“We also went to the Rio carnival and we’ve been to samba schools,” continues Bono. “There’s a reason South Americans are good at football — they’ve got rhythm and they’re better at being in their bodies than Irish people.” Edge and Bono riff off each other and the former says: “They say the Irish have a Latin sensibility but we didn’t get carnival when we were growing up. We got — as in the UK — pancakes.

“So when we discovered what was going on in Spain, South America and Mexico, it made a lot of sense to us.”

This brings us to barnstorming La Reina, on the surface a tribute to a carnival queen but also serving as a reminder that coming together is an antidote to loneliness.

Its mention prompts Bono to make a plea: “When we come to the UK next summer, people can tell us who they want for Carnival Queen and we’ll put them on a float.

“Usually, they came from a small town and weren’t posh but became queen for a day. I love the idea of finding our queen. They don’t have to be U2 fans, just someone U2 fans admire.

“We all have saints and angels walking around us. One works in the pub, one in the emergency room — and no doubt the odd hairy bloke dressed in a crown.

“La Reina is going to be a fun moment and great to hear Edge swagger it out on glam-rock guitar.”

I leave you with a lyric from stripped-back ballad If The World Is At War We Better Not Be. “I was standing in the schoolyard waiting for you to happen to me,” intones Bono.

In this case, “you” means meeting the three people who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him for 50 years — and they called themselves U2.

U2

Carnaval De Luz

★★★★★

RUSSELL Brand could be hit with a £2.9million tax bill after his jail sentence made him a UK resident again. 

The rapist was advanced £7.4million by his British firm managing his earnings after sex investigations began. 

Then two years ago he moved his residence to the US on company records.  

And the loan was taken off his firm’s accounts last year. 

Entrepreneurs living abroad usually pay no further UK income tax on dividends from their companies — if they stay abroad over five years. 

UK residents pay up to 39.35 per cent on dividends so Brand could be liable for up to £2.9million tax. 

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The fallen funnyman and his wife Laura co-own Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm Limited which was formed in October 2006. 

The company managed his earnings from film and broadcast work, live shows, royalties and merchandise and made profits of £3,341,057 in 2021. 

A tax expert said: “HMRC will want to know how Brand’s £7.44m loan was wiped out in 2025 as a dividend or a write-off is taxable, and prison could bring the five-year rule into play. 

“Companies House records show he didn’t change his residence to the US in 2024 so he hasn’t been there long enough to be exempt. 

‘The tax will be owed by Brand personally – not the firm – and he won’t be able to offset his criminal defence costs against any business profits.” 

Brand was convicted at Southwark Crown Court eight days ago of one rape and three sexual assaults against four women. 

 He was cleared of two rapes and an attempted indecent assault. 

DAVID Walliams plucked a model out of the Britain’s Got Talent audience then pestered her for sex, it was claimed last night.

Louisa — whose full name we are not disclosing — told The Sun how the disgraced entertainer paraded in front of her in a towel and begged her for intimate photos.

The aspiring model’s life turned upside-down after a night with her father to watch BGT auditions in Birmingham in February 2015.

Production staff picked her out of the queue to give her a seat near the front, before she was moved again to the front row, leaving her dad at the back of the auditorium.

She claimed Walliams “clocked” her as soon as he came out with fellow judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden.

She said: “I think a producer must have had a word, because he was looking out for me as soon as he emerged on stage — smiling and trying to catch my eye.

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“During filming he turned around and threw me a sweet, no one else. He wanted me to know he’d seen me. I didn’t know what was going on.”

After the show a producer singled out Louisa to ask if she could return the next day to “work on sketches” with them for spin-off show Britain’s Got More Talent.

Louisa said: “When I got home that night I told my partner. He didn’t believe me.

“Then suddenly David Walliams rang my phone. I’d left my number with the producer. David said I was charismatic and one of their models had dropped out, so he’d love it if I could fill in for them. I was in dreamland.

“And then the next morning I had a lovely chauffeured Mercedes pull up outside my home on a Walsall council estate.

“I was taken to Birmingham and met presenter Stephen Mulhern, ‘dancing’ dog Pudsey, and the band Diversity. It was all amazing.”

However there was a nasty surprise in store for Louisa, who went on: “I was ushered into my own dressing room when Walliams appeared naked apart from a towel. He claimed his shower was broken.

“I was intimidated and uncomfortable but didn’t know what to do or say. I was timid, on my own, and thought naively this is what happens in the world of TV.

“David stood there chatting and being very flirty. Looking back I think he was hoping I’d make a move on him there and then.

“I’m not that kind of girl. I’ve had one relationship in my life. I was appalled and freaked out.”

Louisa, then 24, had been asked to bring “provocative clothing” and posed in a skimpy top and hotpants while Walliams was dressed as a dog. She had to lead him out on a leash, and sit on his lap.

A clip showed co-host Mulhern asking Louisa if the star had been a “good boy”, then with a nudge and a wink he said to Walliams: “Did you get any treats?”

Afterwards, Walliams began lavishing Louisa with jewellery and designer handbags.

He would also FaceTime her and began begging for “sexual pictures”.

Louisa eventually visited his London home, but insisted on taking a pal.

She said: “He loved talking about himself. I was a masseuse and part-time model and he offered me a job there and then, saying I could work his body whenever he was stressed.

“It was sleazy, but I was caught up in it all. He made it obvious what he wanted from me.”

However she said his attitude later changed, recalling: “David grew impatient when I wasn’t doing everything he wanted. His wacky, fun public demeanour evaporated.

“He was particularly cruel one night at the Hotel Du Vin in Birmingham. I wouldn’t give him what he wanted and he called me boring, saying I reminded him of his wife because it was like we’d been married for years.”

Walliams split from supermodel Lara Stone in 2015.

Louisa said it was her love for her two children which gave her the strength to cut ties with him.

She said: “One time I was meant to go and meet him. I got to the train station but just watched the train go past. I’d had two years of being used by him. I didn’t want to be his ‘Birmingham babe’.

“I’d been picked up then tossed away like rubbish on a whim because I wasn’t pleasing him.”

Louisa said it led to the end of her long-term relationship and an ADHD diagnosis.

She said: “I was in bits. I had to take anti-depressants. He doesn’t realise what he’s done to me. Everybody hailed David. But the reality is, he’s a bit of a monster.”

A former junior BGT employee also said he saw two “very young” people in Walliams’ dressing room in 2017, while the star was wearing just a towel.

BGT bosses are now to wipe disgraced Walliams — a show judge for ten years — from film montages for its 20th anniversary tribute next year.

One source said: “They don’t plan on even mentioning it.”

BGT producers Fremantle said last night: “We are disturbed and concerned at these serious allegations.

“During David’s time on the show and in the intervening period, no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK.

“If anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone on any Fremantle or associated labels’ productions, we encourage them to come forward.”

Williams rejects any wrongdoing and has not been accused of any criminal conduct.

CHAT show host Jonathan Ross desperately sought to distance himself from shamed former friends Russell Brand and David Walliams last night.

But The Sun can reveal he let rapist Brand stay at his country home, unaware that just weeks earlier the comedian had allegedly attacked a woman in Los Angeles.

Glum Ross appeared deep in thought in London as the scandal threatened to engulf him.

Snaps emerged of him hugging Brand and smiling with Walliams — and in one image he grinned as he lay across their laps.

A picture also showed him with other celebs at a dinner table as Walliams posed with one of his alleged victims, Lilly Creightmore.

Ross, 65, was completely unaware of the rape allegation against Brand when he let him use his holiday home in Swanage, Dorset, in late 2012.

Neither Ross nor his family were there at the time.

It later emerged that in July of that year Brand was accused of raping a woman against a wall in his Los Angeles home — the same month his divorce from singer Katy Perry was finalised.

In a statement, Ross said: “I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation.

“There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.

“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”

Ross was slammed over a 2004 clip of him presenting an awards show saying: “The Comedy Awards is 15 years old — 15 years old.

“And like most 15-year-olds, it’s drunk, it’s unpredictable and it’s probably going home with David Walliams.”

Ross claimed he had not written the joke himself, and yesterday insisted: “I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit.

“This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.

“It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point.

“Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him.”

Ross added: “I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge.”

Brand, 51, was jailed for 10½ years on Monday for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.

He and Ross appeared on several TV shows together.

And on Radio 2 in 2008 they left a series of vulgar voicemails for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs about his 20-year-old granddaughter Georgina Baillie, who Brand had dated.

At one point, Ross shouted: “He f***ed your granddaughter!”

The scandal saw Brand resign from the BBC and Ross suspended from his TV show for three months.

Ross and Brand also appeared with Noel Fielding on Channel 4’s Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2007 — with Brand cracking jokes about rape, later described by fellow panellist Lily Allen as “really horrendous”.

In the episode, Ross moves singer Lily, then just 21, away from Brand and Fielding.

Ross tells her: “I’m a bit concerned because look where you’ve put us — you’ve put the only sexually attractive young lady near two of the best known cocksmen of the business.

“I’m going to insist as a sort of uncle figure in Lily’s life that she moves over there. And then, Lily might go home with her dress still on.”

The scandal saw Brand resign from the BBC and Ross suspended from his TV show for three months.

Ross and Brand also appeared with Noel Fielding on Channel 4’s Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2007 — with Brand cracking jokes about rape, later described by fellow panellist Lily Allen as “really horrendous”.

In the episode, Ross moves singer Lily, then just 21, away from Brand and Fielding.

Ross tells her: “I’m a bit concerned because look where you’ve put us — you’ve put the only sexually attractive young lady near two of the best known cocksmen of the business.

“I’m going to insist as a sort of uncle figure in Lily’s life that she moves over there. And then, Lily might go home with her dress still on.”

It is thought that when Brand stayed at Ross’s bolt-hole, it was allegedly to escape publicity over the break-up with Katy.

The woman who said she was attacked in LA told the Sunday Times she was treated at a rape treatment centre and had five months of therapy before deciding against pressing charges.

Brand sent her text messages apologising for what happened and describing his behaviour as “crazy and selfish”.

Brand was spotted in the seaside town walking along the pier and popping to a pub.

Ross and his wife Jane bought the £2million Grade II listed farmhouse in 2005.

It features stables, a 50m swimming pool, and an orchard that leads down to the tracks of a steam railway.

An elderly neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “I can remember seeing Russell Brand.

“He walked out of the private road in a group of people. It was definitely him because he is very recognisable.

“I rarely see Jonathan Ross. I believe the last time was in August. He is having building works done, I believe to his barns, so perhaps we’ll see more of him in the future.”

Another elderly neighbour refused to comment as he “didn’t want to make Ross’s life more difficult”.

Brand could face further ­allegations after cops said “several” people have come forward since the trial. The Guardian reported that at least ten more women are thought to have been attacked.

Jonathan Ross was approached for comment last night.

A VICTIM of rapist Russell Brand told a court she has lived with the never-ending trauma of the attack for the past 17 years.

The disgraced star’s youngest target met him when he invited her backstage at one of his stand-up comedy gigs.

He hand-picked her from a line-up of female fans at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2009.

He invited the woman, who was in her early 20s at the time, to his £2.3million home in Hampstead, North London, the following week.

He then anally raped her.

In a later text exchange she rejected his further advances, telling him: “You’ve pushed me far enough. You treated me like an animal.”

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In an emotional victim personal statement — one of four presented to Southwark crown court yesterday — the woman told how her life has been plagued by what she called the “lasting effects of trauma” from the attack.

She said: “The effects have been significant and continue to affect me today. Even now, I feel that I am living with the trauma of what happened. It is something I carry with me every day and it often feels never-ending.”

In her statement, read out by prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC, she told the court that she felt humiliated and overwhelmed and moved back in with her parents because she did not feel safe alone.

She described becoming hyper-vigilant, adding: “I often felt on edge and avoided certain situations.”

She added that she was left terrified that she had contracted a sexually transmitted disease from the comedian and TV presenter — and that also had a profound effect on her mental health.

In her statement, she said the thought of seeing Brand again caused her “anxiety and fear” and destroyed her career ambitions.

She told the court: “The defendant’s public profile had a significant impact on me.­

“Because of who he was and the influence he held, I did not feel confident speaking openly about what had happened.

“I did not know who I could trust or confide in.

“I felt that if I reported him, I would not be believed. His fame, wealth and influence created a power imbalance which made me feel powerless.

“I did not have the confidence to challenge someone who appeared so powerful, rich and influential.

“His public profile meant that he remained present in my life even when I wanted to move on.

“I would regularly encounter references to him in the media, which made it difficult to escape reminders of what had happened.”

The woman eventually came forward to police in 2025 after seeing he had been charged with attacking other women.

She told the court that Brand’s celebrity was a significant factor in her not contacting police about the rape for 16 years.

She added: “When I eventually reported what had happened, it was not simply because of the media documentary.

“By that stage I had become aware of the police investigation and felt that I was finally in a stronger position mentally to disclose my experience.

“Reporting what happened was something I had hoped I would eventually be able to do but it took a long time to reach that point. The investigation and criminal justice process have been extremely difficult.

“Providing personal records and access to my mobile phone felt highly intrusive and, at times, I felt as though I was the person being scrutinised and interrogated.

“Every update regarding the case brought back memories of the incident and felt like reopening old wounds.

“Rather than allowing me to move forward, updates often pulled me back into a painful period of my life.

“I have also been very anxious about attending court and being cross-examined. The thought of personal details being discussed publicly has caused me significant distress.”

The complainant also described the way Brand’s defence team labelled her an “obsessive fan” as deeply hurtful.

She responded: “That portrayal does not reflect who I am.

“I had my own ambitions, goals and aspirations.”

And she went on: “The media coverage surrounding the case has added another layer of difficulty.

“I was unprepared for the level of publicity.

“It has been extremely distressing to relive what happened and then see it discussed so widely across television, newspapers and online platforms.

“I have been worried throughout that my identity, or the identities of my family members, could become known.

“The intensity of media interest has created anxieties that are separate from the rape and has made it much harder to put the experience behind me.”

She went on: “My confidence and self-esteem have been badly affected. I regularly feel on edge and question my own judgment.

“I doubt my ability to make good decisions and no longer trust my instincts in the way I once did.

“I have lost trust in other people, particularly those I do not know well, and I often worry that I will not be listened to or believed.

“I also lost respect for myself following the incident and felt as though I had lost control over my own life. Looking back, I feel that I abandoned myself and my own needs.”

Concluding her victim personal statement, she told the court how what she called the “lasting and far-reaching” consequences of the attack had affected “almost every aspect of my life”.

She said: “Even now, I continue to experience anxiety, difficulties with trust, reduced confidence and the lasting effects of trauma.

“What happened is not something that I have simply been able to move on from.

“It remains a significant part of my life and continues to influence how I view myself, my relationships and my future.”

Brand — who clutched prayer beads in his hand — looked on emotionless as the prosecutor delivered the statement.

COLDPLAY’S Guy Berryman has returned to his native Scotland to tie the knot at a five-star hotel.

The bass player, 48, married partner Johanna Winona Ekmark at the Fife Arms in Braemar.

The Aberdeenshire venue is a favourite with the rich and famous.

Guy, now living in the Netherlands, was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and for-med Coldplay with Chris Martin after meeting at university in London.

His wife, 32, is a Swedish singer who uses the stage name Winona Oak.

A statement issued on his behalf said: “Scotland has always remained a huge part of who he is.

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“For Guy it was about sharing one of the most important moments of his life in the country he loves and beginning their married life somewhere that holds such deep ­personal meaning.”

He has three children with previous partners.

Chris Martin is known for singing about time through his band’s hit 2002 song, Clocks.

But the Coldplay frontman’s family has a long historical connection to timepieces.

The singer is actually the great-great-grandson of William Willett.

Willett was the British builder who first campaigned for changing the clocks, and what would become known as British Summer Time.

SETTING sail on a cruise doesn’t have to mean hitting pause on your hobbies.

Tour operator Cruise Nation has seen interest in themed voyages rocket by up to 50 per cent this year.

Lisa Minot looks at a host of options to please sports fans, green-fingered gardeners, cyclists and even armchair detectives.

BEST FOR CRICKET LOVERS

PAIR your passion for the Gentleman’s Game with a chance to explore some Christmas markets on Ambassador Cruise Line’s Cricket Legends Festive Getaway.

Sailing from London Tilbury, Ambassador Ambience will welcome players and broadcasters including Garry Richardson, Graham Gooch, Henry Blofeld, Jonathan Agnew, David Lloyd and Angus Fraser.

The five-night cruise will include Audience With sessions, with the VIPs sharing stories, insights and behind-the-scenes moments as well as a lively sports quiz.

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There’s also the chance to shop the Christmas Markets with calls at Bremerhaven, Germany; Ijmuiden, the Netherlands, and Zeebrugge, Belgium, as well as lots of entertainment onboard.

Five nights’ full-board is from £789pp, departing London Tilbury on December 13.

See ambassadorcruiseline.com.

BEST FOR TRUE CRIME FANS

THERE are high stakes on the high seas with Virgin Voyages’ True Crime sailing onboard Scarlet Lady.

The adults-only cruise is perfect for armchair detectives and podcast lovers.

The five-night voyage includes meet-and-greets with podcast favourites including Disgraceland, Buried Bones and Wisecrack as well as crime-based trivia and events, themed dining and calls at Virgin Voyages’ private beach club in Bimini, Bahamas, and Grand Turk in Turks and Caicos.

Cruise Nation has combined the trip with a three-night free hotel stay in Miami and return flights from the UK, departing March 17, 2027.

Prices from £1,569pp including full board on the cruise, wifi and up to $150 in free drinks.

See cruisenation.com.

BEST FOR CYCLISTS

COMBINE a love of cycling with the chance to cruise among spectacular Croatian scenery.

Sail Croatia has regular cruises that feature experienced cycling guides to help you explore from mainland national parks and shimmering lakes to smaller islands off the coast.

This is small-ship sailing where you will be joined by a small group of fellow cyclists and can opt to bring your own bike or hire a traditional or electric one.

Unpack once and then cycle at your ports of call with plenty of daily swim stops.

Seven nights’ full-board on a Premier ship, round-trip from Split, is from £949pp, based on April 2027 departures.

Flights extra. For details, see sail-croatia.com.

BEST FOR ASTRONOMY BUFFS

IF the 2026 partial solar eclipse in the UK unlocked your inner astronomer, don’t miss next year’s total solar eclipse passing over Spain in August.

With a cruise offering one of the best opportunities to capture it thanks to unobstructed 360-views, absence of light pollution, and lack of crowds, how about Celebrity Cruises’ 11-night sailing through Italy and Spain.

Celebrity Ascent departs from Rome on July 24, 2027 and calls at Italy’s Livorno and Portofino, plus Spain’s Barcelona, Cartagena and Malaga before a day at sea for the Solar Eclipse itself then stops in Cagliari and Palermo.

The full-board cruise is from £2,779 including a free two-night stay in Rome and return flights from the UK.

See cruisenation.com.

BEST FOR FLOWER FANS

A TRIP to the incredible Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower garden covering nearly 80 acres, is a must-do for all horticultural buffs.

Open for eight weeks between late March and mid-May, the historic Dutch estate erupts into vibrant colour as seven million tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and irises bloom.

Explore the festival and the estate’s pavilions, waterways and windmill on a five-day Riviera Travel excursion.

Boarding the 5H MS Emily Bronte in Zaandam, the round-trip river voyage takes in the picturesque countryside and villages of Zaanse Schans and Huizen.

There’s a full day at the Keukenhof before a relaxing morning sailing into Amsterdam for a guided tour.

The full-board cruise starts from £1,339pp including an all-inclusive drinks package, free wifi, six included excursions and return flights or Eurostar from the UK on April 2 with transfers.

Other dates are also available. See rivieratravel.co.uk.

DARE to bare was the theme of the night for the planet’s sexiest women as they stunned in these eye-popping dresses.

A-listers left little to the imagination at the LACMA Art+Film Gala, where the biggest surprise of the evening was Kim Kardashian arriving in a Gucci gown which was uncharacteristically modest by comparison.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who last month parted ways with M&S lingerie after 14 years, chose a look that needed no undies at all.

The 39-year-old British model made a big impact in a backless, black Gucci gown with an ultra-high leg slit.

The raised collar gave the appearance of a demure floor-length dress from the front, but when she turned round, Rosie revealed her bum.

Never one to miss an opportunity to flash some flesh, model Emily Ratajkowski, 35, sizzled in a white halter-neck Gucci number, which was slashed on the thigh and across her chest.

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Celebs cashing in with Christamas lingerie from Sydney Sweeney to Maura Higgins

Also on the red carpet at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was actress Amber Valetta, 52, in a backless gown complete with yet another thigh slit and a silver Gucci insignia.

Models Iris Law and Candice Swanepoel and US influencer Alix Earle all shimmered in silver at the charity gala on Saturday, which was sponsored by Gucci and co-chaired by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Iris, 26, was the boldest in a metallic mesh Amaramara dress, which had a thin strip covering her chest but had her rear end in full view.

Alix, 25, wore a Gucci thong halter bodysuit, draped in floor-length crystal tassels, to show off her bottom, back and sideboob.

And Candice, 38, went commando in a crystal Gucci design, which had two front slits so high that she was one gust of wind away from a paparazzi catastrophe.

Another head-turner — though not because of the amount of skin on show — was actress Anya Taylor-Joy, 30.

The Dune: Part Three star wore an off-white vintage Pierre Cardin gown with an extravagantly layered organza shawl.

Anya’s Style Queen

By Emily Regan Sun Stylist

AFTER a summer of near-naked fashion dividing critics, it seems the cut-out trend isn’t going anywhere despite the drop in temperature.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley proved she can push the boundaries in attention-grabbing Gucci.

With an almost entirely open back that revealed her toned physique and bottom, Rosie’s floral M&S collections suddenly seem a distant memory.

Fellow Victoria’s Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel also got the balance right. Her sparkly gown featured dramatic shoulder pads, which balanced out the plunging neckline and thigh-high slits.

A daring but sophisticated look.

Meanwhile, Alix Earle and Iris Law played a risque game in barely-there silver dresses.

But for me, the standout looks of the night came from the celebrities who chose to keep things a little more under wraps.

Anya Taylor-Joy brought the drama in a vintage floor-length column gown, by Pierre Cardin, which had a ruffled organza shawl.

The Queen’s Gambit actress made a big statement without a bum in sight.

Meanwhile, Nicole Kindman, 59, embraced the ballet-core trend, wearing a voluminous Chanel tulle dress with a taupe long-sleeved, open-back bodice.

Top Gun: Maverick star Monica Barbaro, 36, kept things tasteful in a white sequin Dior gown with a circular cutout back.

Proof you can still turn heads on the red carpet without flashing your flesh.

THE Great Bear – Ursa Major – burns bright against the darkening sky.

And if I twist my body a little, I can spot the Cygnus constellation shimmering through the gaps between the branches of a nearby tree.

It’s not every day that you get to stargaze from your bath. But at Liba Vineyard, the woodfired tubs are perfectly positioned for it beneath some of the darkest skies in the country.

This glamping site, on an old farm in rural Wiltshire, is home to just three snug pods, each set just beyond the vineyard’s young vines which are preparing for their first harvest next year.

Chris, the founder of the vineyard and glampsite, fires up the hot tub furnaces ahead of guests’ arrivals to ensure waters are kept at a balmy 40C.

Although that evening, I’m left to tend the dying embers solo, chucking on extra logs until smoke billows from the bath’s chimney in a magical plume.

WAIL OF A TIME

I drove Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands

TEMPTED?

Tiny ‘Bali of Europe’ town with stunning beaches, €3 cocktails and £20 flights

It’s pretty satisfying to watch nature work its magic beneath the glittering sky.

That’s a big selling point of the off-grid Liba, whose name stems from a blend of the words ‘life’ and ‘balance’. Here, you’re fully at one with your surroundings and there’s a huge emphasis on organic materials and natural methods.

The vineyard’s alpacas, for example, are used to keep the site nice and tidy instead of fertilisers. Every so often, they roam among the vines and gobble up weeds, trim the grass and . . . provide some of the best natural fertiliser.

It’s much easier to manage this type of natural wine-making on a smaller scale, and this small-scale production is partly what will make Liba’s wine so special.

After a soothing evening gazing up at the stars and toasting marshmallows, I was up early the next morning to feed the alpacas before helping out with some grape-picking at a neighbouring vineyard.

While Chris is currently waiting for his own vines to ripen, he has still been able to hone his wine-making techniques by using grapes from nearby vineyards.

I discovered how to weed out the ripe fruit from the rotten stuff and even got involved in the sticky action of smushing grapes the traditional way – with my bare feet.

This is the sort of hands-on experience Chris is hoping to introduce to guests once he produces his first bottles.

The glampsite has only been open for around a year and already enjoyed a sell-out summer.

I can’t say I’m surprised. It is idyllic, especially during autumn when the outdoor fire pit can be used to its full advantage.

The finer details are just as important. The mattress in my pod was incredibly comfy, while fairy lights around the fence ensured I could easily get in and out of the hot tub at night.

A small kitchen is well equipped for fry-ups and the sofa can be turned into a bed for two extra guests.

The pods also have lots of windows, to fully embrace nature – including that glittering night sky.