The Sun Newspaper

OLIVIA DEAN proved she’s unstoppable after sweeping the MOBO Awards – just weeks after dominating the Brits.

The singer scooped Best Female Act, Album Of The Year for The Art Of Loving and Song Of The Year for Man I Need, cementing her reign at the top.

It means Olivia has now cleaned up at two of the biggest nights in British music in a matter of weeks – a seriously impressive streak.

Fresh from her chart-topping success, she also wowed with a stunning performance of A Couple Minutes, marking the song’s first televised outing.

There was another huge moment when Alesha Dixon made a surprise appearance to present Album of the Year to Olivia.

Elsewhere, Jim Legxacy took Best Male Act, Central Cee won Best Hip Hop Act and Raye picked up Video Of The Year, while Flo continued their rise with Best R&B/Soul Act.

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Special honours went to Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick, with the latter also taking to the stage.

Performances were just as big, with Flo debuting new music, Aitch bringing out schoolkids to join him on stage, and a huge Grime 25 medley featuring Chip and Wiley.

The star-studded night drew a huge crowd, with Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Emeli Sande, Tinie Tempah and Love Island stars Indiyah Polack and Ella Thomas all spotted on the carpet.

Earlier in the day, I caught up with some of them on the VIP train from London, where DJ Davda had kicked the party off.

In an exclusive chat, Keisha Buchanan – who later presented an award alongside Little Mix‘s Leigh Anne – told me: “It’s always a vibe – they have the best parties.”

Teasing new Sugababes music, she added: “We have new music coming this year, sooner than people think.”

Indiyah and Ella were dancing through the aisles, with Ella even bringing her dog along for the ride as the carriage turned into a rave.

Meanwhile, Tobi Brown kept it real, saying: “I don’t function this early.”

• The bash airs on BBC One at 11.25pm tomorrow night

GO to Dungeon Lane today and it’s strange to think it occupies a special place in Paul McCartney’s heart.

Yet it will go down in pop history alongside other street names associated with him, joining Penny Lane and Abbey Road.

Situated in the Speke neighbourhood of Liverpool, the L24 postal district, a faded road sign sets the tone for its desolate air.

It is bordered on one side by a solar farm business and, on the other, by a fenced-off area of scrubland which separates it from the city’s John Lennon Airport.

Before you get very far, a bright yellow “emergency access gate” bars further exploration.

But, as a child, Dungeon Lane was McCartney’s gateway to a stunning rural idyll where he could escape the hustle and bustle of urban life.

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In the Fifties, the lane took him past a daffodil farm to the Oglet Shore on the widest stretch of the River Mersey.

I wonder if young Paul, a keen birdwatcher, ventured into this wilderness clutching his trusty The Observer’s Book Of Birds.

There, he may have spotted any number of waders — curlew, snipe, dunlin, black-tailed godwits.

What we do know is that his lifelong love of our feathered friends began in those days.

This helps explain the compositions dotted through his career such as Blackbird with The Beatles, Single Pigeon with Wings, Two Magpies with The Fireman and solo efforts Jenny Wren and Long Tailed Winter Bird.

To McCartney, his early rambles into the countryside represent humbler, simpler times before The Fab Four exploded on to the scene, before his storied life in the dazzling glare of publicity.

Sir Paul, 83, has called his 19th solo album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane . . . which is, as he suggests, a trip down memory lane.

He got the title from the lyrics of its first single, Days We Left Behind, released yesterday, a nostalgia-filled acceptance that he has a far longer past than future.

Intimate, beautifully sung with Macca playing acoustic guitar, bass, piano and harmonium himself (how does he do that!?), it is the first taste of a project that has been five years in the making.

“This is very much a memory song for me,” he says. “I was thinking about just that . . . the days I left behind.

“And I do often wonder if I’m just writing about the past — but then I think, how can you write about anything else?”

For McCartney, the song conjures up “a lot of memories of Liverpool. It involves a bit in the middle about John [Lennon] and Forthlin Road which is the street I used to live in. Dungeon Lane is near there.”

Paul was born on June 18, 1942, to his midwife mother Mary and salesman father Jim, and they moved with younger brother Mike to 20, Forthlin Road, Allerton, in the mid-Fifties from Speke, where they had lived since 1947.

We also know that Paul first bumped into John on July 6, 1957, at roughly 4pm, at a garden fete behind St Peter’s Church, Woolton.

In Days We Left Behind, he sings of the bond he formed with the lanky lad 20 months older than him: “We met at Forthlin Road/And wrote a secret code/To never be spoken.”

Continuing his reflection on the song, he says: “I used to live in a place called Speke which is quite working class.

“We didn’t have much at all but it didn’t matter because all the people were great and you didn’t notice you didn’t have much.”

As already mentioned, birdwatching was a hobby, one that required little cash and gave him a lot of pleasure “in the nearby woods and fields”.

A recent entry in Macca’s Spotify playlists, under the banner Sticking Out Of My Back Pocket, came accompanied by these musings . . .

“My mum had the midwife’s house on the edge of Liverpool, where we lived,” he says.

“It was where Liverpool just stopped and became deep countryside, so that was when I had the opportunity to do quite a bit of birdwatching.”

He particularly cherishes the moment he saw a “skylark rising into the sky, singing its sweet song”.

That unforgettable sight has found its way into Days We Left Behind, with its lines, “In the skies the skylarks rise/Above the sounds of war/Since that day I knew they’d stay/With me for evermore.”

All these decades later, he reflects: “And now because I live part-time on a farm [in Sussex], I’m able to see a lot of birds and I don’t need The Observer’s Book Of Birds quite so much as I did back then.”

McCartney’s new album promises to be one of the most personal, most autobiographical song cycles he’s ever recorded, while also finding room for up-to-date love songs dedicated to third wife Nancy.

Yesterday’s announcement states that it finds him in a “candid, vulnerable and deeply reflective mood, writing with rare openness about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures shared with George Harrison and John Lennon”.

I’m guessing here but songs yet to be heard, Momma Gets By and Salesman Saint, appear to be affectionate remembrances of mum Mary, who died when Paul was just 14, and dad Jim.

This is not the first time Macca has delved into his early years for songwriting inspiration.

I talked to him about the playful On My Way To Work, which appeared on his 2013 album, New.

He called it a “collection of memories all morphed together”, providing a fascinating glimpse into his life before Beatlemania.

“It’s about me going to my first job, before The Beatles took off, which was working on a lorry for a delivery company called Speedy Prompt Deliveries — SPD.”

McCartney described going to work on the council-run green and cream buses which led to him looking at risqué magazines like Parade.

“I’d go on the bus at some unearthly hour of the morning,” he said. “I might buy a magazine and look at the nudies. I was too young to be interested in the news!”

He remembered how hard-up kids like him ripped the fronts off cigarette packets and traded duplicates with their mates, instead of collecting “football cards or, like in America, baseball cards”.

“It was like, ‘I’ll swap you two Craven A for a Woodbine’. Then there were the posh brands because this bus route went from the centre of Liverpool to the outskirts.

“Posh people would be smoking Passing Clouds or Sobranies and packets of those were very prized.”

Another song, Queenie Eye, referenced a childhood street game from “1940s Britain”.

“It’s what we used to get up to before video games and that whole home entertainment thing,” he said.

“Someone would be elected to be ‘the one’ or the ‘queenie eye’. We’d all stand behind that person and he would throw a ball over his head and one of us would catch it and hide.

“Then we would all chant, ‘Queenie eye, queenie eye, who’s got the ball? I haven’t got it. It isn’t in my pocket!’ It was simple entertainment for simple minds but great fun.”

Now it is time to return to the 2020s and the creation of The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, the follow-up to his captivating lockdown album, McCartney III.

This time, we’re told we can expect “Wings-style rock, Beatles- style harmonies and McCartney-style grooves”.

The process began around five years ago when Macca met American live-wire producer Andrew Watt, known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne, Lady Gaga, Post Malone and The Beatles’ greatest Sixties chart rivals, the Rolling Stones.

Watt, I gather, “pulled a guitar” on his latest rock icon, who instantly happened upon a chord he didn’t recognise.

As the story goes, the ever- experimental McCartney changed one note, then another, until he had a three-chord sequence.

That led to his new record’s opening track, As You Lie There, which in turn set the ball rolling for the other 13 songs.

It’s remarkable that, as with McCartney III, he is credited with playing all the instruments himself across the whole thing.

It brings to mind how at ease this enduring music obsessive seemed as he suggested specific drum beats and fills to Ringo Starr in The Beatles’ Get Back documentary.

With Macca still touring and playing momentous shows like his 2022 Glastonbury epic, Days We Left Behind has been honed over half a decade when time permitted.

During that period, he even managed to introduce the Stones to producer Watt, who helmed their 2023 comeback album, Hackney Diamonds.

When McCartney was in Los Angeles working with Watt, he was brought in to play bass on Mick Jagger and Co’s punk blast, Bite My Head Off.

Upon its release, I spoke to Keith Richards who was made up over their special guest.

“Yeah, Macca just strolled in with his bass,” the guitar legend drawled. “I think the song reminded him of those times [in the Sixties]. Beatlemania was equally as bizarre as Stones mania.”

There’s a moment towards the end of Bite My Head Off where you can hear someone saying, “Come on Paul, play something”.

“That might have been me,” smiled Richards.

But this is all about Britain’s greatest living songwriter, Paul McCartney, and his new album The Boys Of Dungeon Lane.

Time is precious but when it comes to music and life, he’s still facing forward at 83 — even if he’s remembering a youth long ago when “in the skies, the skylarks rise”.

GREGGS sausage rolls are seriously taking off — as easyJet is serving free ones on board for the first time.

The budget airline is dishing out the popular flaky pastries to mark the opening of a base in the heart of Greggs country.

And passengers can dip them in a range of new sauces inspired by destinations around the world, including kebab.

The collaboration celebrates the launch of easyJet’s new hub at Newcastle International Airport — 75 years after Greggs’ first shop was opened in the city.

Holidaymakers flying from there yesterday were treated to a free sausage roll, and all week punters can scoff one from a special easyJet service landing in the city centre.

They will also be offered limited-edition dips, such as Turkish-style kebab, with aromatic choices of lemon, vinegar and smoky paprika.

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There is also Tunisian– inspired harissa ketchup, or Italy’s silky affogato flavour, with hints of deep-roasted coffee, cocoa and vanilla.

Flyers tucked into their favourites yesterday.

Easyjet’s new Tyneside base is the airline’s 11th in the UK, and will offer more than 80 flights a week to 22 destinations.

It will also support around 1,200 jobs, including 140 direct roles for pilots and cabin crew.

Garry Wilson, CEO for its holidays business, said: “This is a major milestone for us, so partnering with Greggs, a true Geordie icon and one of the city’s most famous exports, felt like the perfect way to ­celebrate our arrival.”

Greggs director Hannah Squirrell added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the local community, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a sausage roll.”

John Gregg founded the bakery in Newcastle in 1939, and its first outlet opened in the city’s Gosforth in 1951.

ACTOR Orlando Bloom is dating a Swiss model 21 years his junior.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 49, started seeing Luisa Laemmel, 28, last year after his split from singer Katy Perry.

Last week the couple enjoyed a mini-reak in Switzerland, along with Orlando’s pet dog, and the Brit is believed to have met some of Luisa’s pals and family.

They stayed in a luxury suite at the Dolder Grand in Zurich, where rooms cost up to £13,700 per night, as dad-of-two Orlando took part in a promotional event for Porsche.

They then spent the weekend at the five-star Bürgenstock on Lake Lucerne.

A source said: “Orlando and Luisa have been quietly seeing each other for several months.

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“They’ve become a proper little family unit and Orlando even flew his teacup poodle Biggie Smalls over for the trip. He is based in Los Angeles while she’s in New York, so they don’t get to see each other all the time. But they’re constantly in touch and there’s a real spark.”

The couple were first linked last month when they were seen leaving the Super Bowl arm-in-arm at Santa Clara, California.

Luisa has a degree in psychology and has worked for Calvin Klein, Maybelline and YSL Beauty.

Orlando and US pop star Katy, 41, split last year after nine years, and have a daughter Daisy, five.

Orlando also has a son, Flynn, 15, from his marriage to Australian model Miranda Kerr, 42.

A spokesperson for Luisa declined to comment, while reps for Orlando did not respond

GET ready to rock ’n’ roll – there are more thrills and spills at our favourite theme parks.

The new season has launched and families are guaranteed exhilarating new rides, amazing attractions and sensational shows.

Disneyland Paris’s World Of Frozen is making headlines but other favourite kids’ TV characters are being celebrated with coasters, heart-stopping swing rides and even a new historical theme park.

Trisha Harbord picks top parks with something new for 2026, at home and abroad.

CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURES

PAW Patrol is on a roll, with a new £15million PAW Patrol Land opening at Chessington this spring.

The immersive experience, based on the children’s TV series, will be the first to open in the UK.

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A replica of the show’s Lookout Tower will form part of Chase’s Mountain Mission coaster.

And families can join a rescue mission while flying high on Skye’s Helicopter Heroes.

Other rides include Zuma’s hovercraft, which will slide, drift and skid, and Marshall’s rolling and rocking fire truck.

There will be pup meet-and-greets and themed play areas, along with PAW Patrol rooms at the park’s hotel.

GO: New season started on Friday. Tickets from £37. B&B for a family of four from £155. See chessington.com.

PAULTONS PARK

A THRILLING rollercoaster and swing ride are the highlights of Paultons Park’s new £12million themed world.

Valgard: Realm Of The Vikings features Drakon, the park’s first inverted coaster, which has a vertical lift hill and two twists taking riders upside down.

It will intertwine with the coaster known as Cobra, reborn as Raven, which is an exciting bobsled adventure.

Nearby stands the massive Vild Swing — the first wild swing of its kind in the UK — which will swirl riders 40ft in the air.

Valgard, opening at the Hampshire park on May 16, will also have a Feasting Hall restaurant and Viking-inspired playground.

There will now be more than 80 rides and attractions in six themed worlds, including Peppa Pig World.

GO: New season starts Wednesday. Tickets from £46.75. Those under one metre go free. See paultonspark.co.uk.

ALTON TOWERS

IN another first, the UK’s most popular theme park launches Bluey The Ride: Here Come The Grannies! on Saturday.

Bluey and her sister Bingo, dressed as mischievous grannies Janet and Rita, take families on an adventure through the TV characters’ back yard.

Fans can also meet the lovable pup at showtime and the CBeebies Land Hotel has Bluey-themed rooms — as well as Hey Duggee themed ones, which are new for 2026.

The Staffordshire park celebrated Bluey’s arrival by creating a giant portrait on the lawn.

It’s made from 11,000 cans of beans because they feature in the TV Grannies episode.

Alton Towers Resort has more than 40 rides and attractions, including thrilling roller coasters and a waterpark.

GO: Now open, with After Dark extended openings today and on March 27 and 28. Tickets from £32. See altontowers.com.

FUTUROSCOPE

A MAJOR new immersive experience that this park based on the marvels of science and nature will allow visitors to walk among the flora and fauna of the world.

After investing nearly 300million euros in new attractions, Futuroscope has again used amazing technology to create The Greenhouse Of Worlds, a colourful visual experience.

You wander through a massive dome to discover a professor’s collection of plants from all around the globe, which you can touch and smell as they are projected around you.

Also new at the French park, just north of Poitiers, is T.Rex — where a laser projection of images takes you back 67million years to get close to the legendary monster.

The park has also partnered with EDF to open an energy theatre with workshops and activities next month.

GO: Tickets from around £40. B&B and two-day tickets for a family of four from £250. See futuroscope.com.

KYNREN

AWARD-WINNING live-action night experience Kynren is becoming the UK’s first historic show park.

There will be no roller coasters at Kynren — The Storied Lands.

Instead, it will offer immersive live performances and large-scale shows depicting historical periods and legends.

Set within County Durham’s Kynren Park, it combines storytelling with cinematic music and breathtaking stunts.

The first phase, opening on July 18, features five attractions, including The Lost Feather, with 250 birds filling the sky above you.

Medieval knights charge into combat on horseback, a vast lake is turned into a stage, Vikings clash while fires rage, and a maze is full of surprise characters.

The night show Kynren — An Epic Tale of England continues on Saturday nights from July 18 to September 12.

GO: Tickets on sale next month. Night show tickets are £30 for adults and £20 for children. See kynren.com.

WALT DISNEY WORLD

FROZEN characters Anna and Elsa aren’t just in Disneyland Paris ­— they have sailed back to sunny Orlando in Florida.

The Frozen Ever After boat ride, closed for super technology changes, has reopened at Epcot — with the famous sisters looking even more life-like as they appear to the soundtrack of the hit movie song, Let It Go.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has had a makeover and opens at Magic Kingdom this spring, along with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.

In the summer, Hollywood Studios launches two new live shows, where you will be able to dance along with Mickey and Minnie, while Animal Kingdom welcomes two new creatures to play with — Bluey and Bingo.

GO: Seven nights’ room-only at the Disney All-Star Movies Resort, including seven-day park tickets and flights from Heathrow to Tampa on September 2, costs from £1,250 per person. Check out virginatlantic.com.

BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH

THE buzzing resort has a giant new ride costing nearly £9million.

Aviktas, a 138ft gyro swing — the UK’s tallest — opens at the town’s Pleasure Beach this summer as the attraction celebrates its 130th birthday.

The ride can seat 40 people at a time on a spinning circle at the end of a pendulum, which then swings to arc 120 degrees over Blackpool’s seafront.

It’s not for the faint-hearted, but there should be some great views from up there.

Aviktas joins other thrill rides including ten roller coasters, such as the Big One, which drops 235ft, and ICON, where you can feel the G-force of an F1 driver.

There’s also Nickelodeon rides for younger children, featuring favourite characters, plus water rides and shows.

GO: The Pleasure Beach is now open, tickets from £30. See blackpoolpleasurebeach.com.

LEGOLAND FLORIDA

NEW space adventure Lego Galaxy has blasted off, featuring the indoor Galacticoaster, with speeds of up to 40mph, and spectacular lighting and sound effects.

Rookie cadets are briefed by a moving, talking Lego engineer before designing their own digital spacecrafts, linked to the ride-by wristbands.

With up to 625 ride combinations, the coaster navigates twists, turns and dynamic launches.

Throughout Lego Galaxy — also open in Legoland California — there’s brick-building opportunities and galactic-themed food.

The park in Winter Haven has more than 60 rides, shows and attractions.

GO: Seven nights’ B&B at the Legoland Florida Hotel, including flights from Gatwick and two-day park tickets, is from £1,065 per person. See travelplanners.co.uk.

LIGHTWATER VALLEY

YOU’LL get an idea about this new ride from its name, Spinning Racer.

The roller coaster opens at the park, near Ripon in North Yorkshire, for the start of the new season on March 28.

Climb aboard and speed up to 45mph on the colourful track as the carriages whirl, twist and turn.

Lightwater, in 175 acres of countryside, prides itself on being a family-friendly park and has more than 35 rides and attractions including a swinging pirate ship, beautifully decorated chair swings, waterslides and an express train.

Easter events, including meet-and-greets with Ebor the resident dragon, are also planned, from the opening day.

GO: Tickets from £22, children under 90cm free. Special offer for opening weekend from £17. See lightwatervalley.co.uk.

THORPE PARK

THE legendary home of big-thrill rides, Thorpe Park is unveiling its very first recharge zone, The Launch Pad.

The dedicated space, in the heart of the Surrey theme park, is designed for guests to relax, refuel and rest before their next adrenalin hit.

Set on the site’s former Amity Beach, the new zone will be a vibrant space where you can take a breath before diving back into the action.

And there’s plenty of that, with the Big Six coasters to experience — led by Hyperia, the UK’s tallest, fastest, most weightless coaster.

Standing 236ft tall, it can reach up to 81mph.

Add to that Stealth, The Swarm, SAW — The Ride, Nemesis Inferno and Colossus, and you’ve got a thrilling half dozen.

GO: The season starts on March 27. Tickets from £32pp, see thorpepark.com.

In search of the perfect reset, Deputy Editor Ellie O’Mahoney and Art Director Laura Cunningham both tried different adults-only retreats.

The spiritual getaway with Kim Kardashian’s psychic in St Lucia proved magical for Ellie, while Ibiza offered the perfect couple time for Laura and her husband.

LUCIA SELF

FLYING into the Caribbean island paradise of St Lucia, I can see why it’s been chosen as the destination for a psychic retreat.

The mystical double mountains of the Pitons loom out of the mist, and I wonder what I’m going to discover about myself.

I’ve signed up to a four-day Spiritual Awakening retreat at adults-only, all-inclusive resort StolenTime, a sister property to St Lucia’s famous wellness resort, the BodyHoliday.

Set on the island’s longest white-sand beach, on its north-west coast and within seven acres of beautiful tropical gardens, StolenTime has 100 guest rooms and my veranda suite offers the most unreal view over the palm trees.

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The bed is absolutely gigantic and one of the comfiest I’ve ever tried, plus there’s a super-spacious bathtub, too.

As I sit on the love seat on the huge veranda, I gaze at the sky-blue sea while tropical birds chirrup, and it strikes me that this is my idea of total heaven.

READING THE ROOM

After waking early and making the most of my jet lag by heading straight to the beach to jump into the bath-warm sea, it’s time for the group’s first session.

The retreat is run by Jayne Wallace, one of the UK’s leading psychics, who has performed readings for both Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, at home, no less.

She’s far from your stereotypical woo-woo type – 6ft tall with a Cockney London accent, she’s straight-talking, and our group of six are all champing at the bit for a personal reading from her.

But first up is a workshop on flower psychometry, AKA flower readings. We each pick a flower and give it to a partner, who then has to describe what the bloom tells us about the picker.

It’s obviously not the most scientific process, but after a stressful few months, it is incredibly restorative staring at petals and trying to find out more about my fellow travellers.

Other workshops include aura drawings, how to connect with crystals and, my favourite, moon manifestation, which involves writing down our heart’s desires, then lighting bits of paper and sending them skywards in lanterns.

We cackle as the lanterns don’t quite do what we want them to.
I’m pleased to say, my personal reading with Jayne was worth the wait in the end.

And while I’m not going to divulge all the juicy details, there were a few things she got spot-on, including how wonderful my daughter is! Her readings also really seemed to comfort other members of the group.

JURASSIC JAUNTS

When we’re not tuning into our psychic selves, the hotel offers everything for the stressed-out soul – from yoga and Pilates to water-skiing, pickleball and archery.

There are two swimming pools and a lazy river, and each morning I head to the beach to grab fresh coconut water straight from the source, before digging into pastries, freshly made omelettes and delicious papaya at the buffet breakfast.

Come dinner, I dine with my feet in the sand at Malabar Beach Club and feast on treats like jerk pork rillettes with prunes and pancetta, and chips, of course!

Puds include roasted cashew nut tart with amaretto and beetroot ice cream, which sounds odd, but is divine.

On the last day, we take a four-hour boat trip, £56 per person, to spy the Pitons – think Jurassic Park views – and snorkel in coves. I gasp as I see a squid swim among the coral and coloured shoals of fish.

Later, we head to StolenTime’s champagne bar for a final toast. As I sit on a swing chair suspended from a 150-year-old samaan tree, its huge branches adorned with fairy lights, it feels as if I’ve found magic.

MORE THAN ALL WHITE

As the sky turns golden, we paddle into an atmospheric coastal cave, and I can’t help but mouth “wow” to my husband Barney, before promptly toppling off my paddleboard and splashing into the warm waters of the Med.

We’re on a two-hour guided sunset tour from our dreamy digs, the adults-only retreat of Cala San Miguel in northern Ibiza.

Just hours in, we’re already feeling more zen than we have in months – as two exhausted parents of three children under 10, we’re enjoying some much-needed couple time here.

The resort offers a host of complimentary wellbeing activities, including painting, guided hikes and mornings of yoga and sound healing.

Succumbing to the sound of gentle bongs and rain sticks make for the perfect start to any day.

The decor is all soft linens and natural wood tones, and a short stroll through lush gardens brings us to the private sandy beach – we spend our days flitting between here, the three pools and the seven eateries.

For lunch, poolside bar Calido serves up Asian-fusion dishes, such as crispy prawns with kimchi sauce, £16.

By night, its terrace transforms into La Savina, with succulent roasted poussin, £28, that we pair with sangria, £14 a glass.

But high above the bay sits Italian restaurant Da’mar, which wins for its stunning views and its gorgeously garlicky fettuccine puttanesca, £21.

Our favourite afternoons are spent at the Beach House right on the sand, tucking into fried squid, £21, creamy omelette with the freshest of red prawns, £19.50, and huge cuttlefish paella served straight from the pan, £28.

On our last evening, as we sink into a massive bean bag for a movie night under the stars, there’s the bonus soundtrack of waves lapping the shore, and we’re already planning our return.

B&B stays at Cala San Miguel Ibiza Resort cost from £193 per night (Calasanmiguelresort.com).

NEVER mind the spotlight – it seems Harry Styles prefers a different type of glow when he is not on stage.

I have been told that the fitness-obsessed pop star has splashed out £20,000 on an infrared sauna for his North London home.

The Watermelon Sugar singer is following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ellie Goulding and Lady Gaga in snapping up the very latest wellness status symbol.

A source said: “Harry is incredibly health-conscious these days.

“He loves running and needs to be on top of his health during his upcoming tour. He’ll be able to use the sauna in between shows to help repair his muscles.

“He loves running now and it’s the perfect antidote to training.”

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I reached out to Harry’s spokeswoman for comment.

The high-tech light therapy helps reduce pain, blood pressure and inflammation, as well as burning calories.

Harry will grace the May cover of fitness mag Runner’s World and completed the Berlin Marathon in under three hours last September.

He told the mag: “During my early days in One Direction, we spent so much time inside hotels and venues that there are countries I’ve been to that I didn’t really experience.

“So when I travel now, it’s about committing to going outdoors to see some stuff, whether that’s running or walking. You experience places in a whole different way.”

It comes as Harry, who is currently dating American actress Zoe Kravitz, is set to kick off his Together, Together tour in May in Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, his new album — Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally — holds the top spot for a second week on the UK Albums Chart.

After a busy start to the year, Harry will definitely be red-dy to recharge.

Making a meal of it Ron

HE is considered one of the greatest footballers in history.

But even his skills on the football pitch could not score Cristiano Ronaldo a seat at London’s latest celebrity haunt.

The Portuguese footballer, above, was turned away from posh pub

The Devonshire in Soho because he hadn’t booked a table.

Landlord Oisin Rogers said: “Cristiano Ronaldo tried to come to the restaurant when we were full, and we just didn’t have a table.

“We told his team that he could have a table in half an hour. But he wasn’t happy with that, so there was nothing we could do.”

It happens to the best of us.

Madge pops out after dark to shoot new vid

SHE has filmed a star-studded video to launch her big comeback.

But I have heard that Queen of Pop Madonna turned into a night owl during production – only shooting between the hours of 5pm and 2am.

Model Kate Moss, along with movie stars Gwendoline Christie and Benedict Cumberbatch, were recruited for the huge video.

A source said: “Madonna prefers to work in the evening, so the crew filmed late into the night to make the shoot happen.”

Our sister column Biz revealed how Madonna, right, spent four days and nights holed up at Black Island Studios in West London to film the X-rated music video.

It will accompany the first single from the new album, which will be a sequel to her 2005 record Confessions On A Dancefloor.

And I have heard whispers that Madonna has also recorded a track for The Devil Wears Prada 2 film.

A source said: “Madonna’s hit song Vogue was used in the trailer and the film is set to be a massive hit.”

The comedy – which stars Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep – is out on May 1.

SIMON COWELL wants Jeremy Clarkson to join The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir on Britain’s Got Talent.

Judge Amanda Holden pressed her golden buzzer last night for the group, who were founded by Jezza.

Simon said: “He has a responsibility to be there. Mind you, can he even sing?”

Robbie comes undone

ROBBIE WILLIAMS is in the best shape of his life after losing weight.

Even so, the Come Undone hitmaker, who is 52, has revealed he has been struck by a host of physical issues.

He told radio station Gold: “There’s always something going on for the middle-aged man. We used to be elasticated silly putty, and now we are frozen silly putty that just snaps.

“I did my groin in by sitting down. I did that for the first time this year – sat on a testicle.

“I put my back out by turning around – turning around! You know, what you are supposed to do as a human.”

The star added: “I’ve got arthritis in my facet joints in the base of my spine and I’ve got two discs that are popping out – one in the neck, one in the lumbar.”

Robbie is heading to Dusseldorf in June for the next leg of his Britpop world tour.

I hope there’s a good physio on the bus.

Aitch Surrey not sorry

MANCHESTER rapper Aitch has moved down South.

I can reveal that the I’m A Celeb star has splashed out on a plush six-bedroom mansion in Camberley, Surrey, for £1.6million.

A source said: “This house is a dream come true for Aitch and shows how hard he works.”

Aitch recently shared a glimpse of his new garden to his 2.9million Instagram fans, captioned: “Go step closer to that goal cos why not.”

The move comes after proud Northerner Aitch revealed that his second album 4 was inspired by his Manchester postcode M40.

Speaking last year, he said: “Since we were kids, when we used to take pictures, we always used to throw fours up.”

Lily furs night show in West End

LILY ALLEN looks like she’s raided the costume department in specs and a fur-trimmed coat as she leaves the London Palladium in London’s West End following the Friday night performance of her latest album.

An onlooker revealed she headed into a cab with her fella, writer and artist Jonah Freud.

The singer has won rave reviews for the tour, where she performs her fifth album West End Girl in its entirety each night.

A source said: “Fans have been blown away by her career-defining work.

“She’s on the best form and is loving being back on stage.”

Caught Live: Don’t myth out on hit

THIS odyssey through the underworld, led by former X Factor contestant Rachel Adedeji, offers a spellbinding love story.

Rachel shines as Persephone, delivering a vocally rich performance, while leads Bethany Antonia and Marley Fenton stand out.

After a storming run on Broadway, this tragedy remains compelling and haunting as ever.

The musical blends two ancient Greek mythic love stories – Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife Persephone.

Eurydice travels to Hadestown after being convinced by Hades that she will have a better life.

Desperate to keep her safe, her lover Orpheus follows her to bring her back to the living world.

Dancing On Ice pro Vanessa Bauer, actress Mia McKenna-Bruce, Vanessa Feltz and actor Mark Bonnar attended the gala night.

DESPITE winning dream roles, Anya Taylor-Joy admits her real wish is to retreat from Hollywood and live on a farm.

The 29-year-old is one of the world’s best-known actresses but has spent years feeling nervous on the red carpet, struggled to watch her award-winning performances and now wants calm.

She voices love interest Princess Peach in the new Super Mario Galaxy movie, which is released on April 1.

But Anya described her ideal life as “on a farm”.

She said: “I want goats, chickens, ducks, horses — all of it. I want to work, come into the city when I want to, then disappear and ride all day.”

The film is the follow-up to 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed more than £1billion worldwide.

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Princess Peach is the main female character and head of state of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Anya said: “I was so touched by how strong she is and how cool. The fact that’s going to be a role model kids can have nowadays is unbelievable. I left feeling very inspired by her.”

Anya knows all too well that life can be difficult as a child.

She was born in Florida, then lived in Argentina for five years where she rode horses in the idyllic countryside.

Her African-Spanish mum, a psychologist, and Scottish-Argentine dad, who raced powerboats, then moved the family to London when she was six — and things became dramatically different.

Anya was bullied, “locked in lockers, barred from classrooms, not invited to things” and did not speak English.

Watching films helped her navigate through the traumas.

She told the Happy Sad Confused podcast: “I’ve never been good at being cool, this is why I didn’t get along well with people in school.

“If I like something, I love it and it just pours out of me.

“But if I was sad, like if my hamster died, my parents could put me in front of a movie and I would feel better at the end of it.

“I could get lost in something like that.”

It was her love of movies that eventually helped her learn English.

She says: “I learned English when I was eight. I stuck it out for two years in London, refusing to speak English because I wanted to go home. Then eventually I was like, ‘I have no friends, this is going to be a needed skill’.”

Anya told her parents she was going to be an actress.

But first, after being “picked up” outside Harrods, she became a model at 16.

She was recruited by Sarah Doukas, boss of Storm model agency, who had discovered Kate Moss.

But at first Anya thought she was a stalker.

She said: “It was absurd. A black car comes up, starts chasing me. I pick up my dog, start running and a head comes out of the window and they say, ‘If you stop, you won’t regret it,’ and I stop.

“It was the head of a modelling agency. I don’t encourage other people to do this.

“I had no idea what I was doing, but luckily it worked out and my parents came with me the next day to the modelling agency.”

Her parents always supported her. Anya said: “They’d had six kids, so were like, ‘Oh, just do whatever you’re going to do’.

“I’m so grateful for the approach my parents have had because I did some pretty ballsy things in my teenage years and luckily they paid off, but they were always supportive.”

She did many auditions before getting her breakthrough role at 19 in film The Witch.

Anya said: “I thought that audition went so badly. I truly thought I had messed that up massively because I had a huge panic attack before I went into it, and luckily that really worked for the scene.”

It was then that Anya found where she truly belonged.

She said: “Going into work every single day felt like such a joy.

“I could breathe because I’d found a place where I was doing something I loved, with people who didn’t think I was a psychopath. And I could have fun with it. I loved every second of making that movie.”

She found it “mind blowing” that The Witch was a hit and forced herself to watch the performance.

Anya said: “It’s like getting hit by a bus. I personally don’t agree with not watching your films, it’s not all about you. It’s a whole bunch of other people who have done a lot of work and different departments that you have to go and support, because they deserve it and you love them. So I have to watch it.

“But the first time, I always feel I’ve let people down and I’m always like, ‘Oh, I messed it up’.

“Then I process it and the second time I watch it, it’s slightly more palatable and I’m able to lose myself a bit more.

“By the third time I’m just like, ‘OK, whatever’. You just have to get over yourself and applaud the people you care about that worked with you.”

Anya became a household name in 2020 after starring in Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, which led to a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

She went on to roles in horror film Last Night In Soho, black comedy The Menu and the apocalyptic film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Anya said she works “very hard, very gratefully hard” because she feels lucky to do a job she feels passionate about.

But it is not always easy. Despite her modelling background, Anya struggles with the limelight.

She said: “When I first started doing red carpets, I couldn’t handle the notion of being pretty.

“I was like, ‘I don’t do that’. I am a scummy, mud-caked ferret and striving for anything different felt disingenuous and scary.”

She has even been known to dress up “like an East Berlin spy” at times so nobody recognises her.

Now she is trying to make time for some balance in her life.

She said: “I’ve been living on film sets for five years and, occasionally, I think it would be nice to find out what Anya would do with three months if she wasn’t playing another person.

“So I’m trying to be more careful with my time there.

“You spend 18 hours a day thinking, behaving and breathing as another human being. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to figure out what it is that you like.”

And the person she wants to spend it with is her husband, US musician Malcolm McRae, who she married in 2021.

The couple split their time between homes in the Hollywood Hills and London.

She said: “I’ve finally found someone who will happily sit in silence with me, reading. We’re basically 80 years old and seven at the same time, and it works really well.

“When you are together, you are really valuing the time you have. Everyday, mundane activities are so full of joy.

“I love going to the petrol station with him and filling up the car and going to get breakfast.”

But right now, her focus is all on Princess Peach.

Anya told US Today: “She wants to find out where she comes from and is on a quest for adventure and prioritising herself a little bit more.”

Princess Peach sounds very much like the actress playing her.

LOVED-UP Pete Wicks and Olivia Attwood kiss in a packed hotel bar — just weeks after she split from her footballer husband.

The couple, snapped in London’s Soho on Friday, are said to have begun their fling earlier this month.

ITV star Olivia, 34, separated from Bradley Dack in January.

Olivia and Pete have seen their friendship “blossom into an unexpected romance”, pals said last night.

The pair had insisted they were just friends but their public kiss in front of cheering pals proved they are a couple.

Loose Women favourite Olivia, 34, screamed, punched the air and beamed in delight afterwards.

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An onlooker snapped their snog at rooftop bar Flute in London’s Soho, where they partied for 3½ hours on Friday night.

The venue is where Towie star Pete, 37, was spotted kissing Love Island’s Maura Higgins in 2024.

Last night a pal of Pete and Olivia confirmed: “They have been spending a lot of time together and an unexpected romance has blossomed from friendship.”

Olivia only announced her marriage split from footballer Bradley Dack, 32, in January.

She and Pete, who co-host Sunday Roast: The Podcast, are said to have begun their fling at the Brit Awards on February 28.

The friend added: “Their passionate romance only started in the last few weeks, since she has split from Bradley, there was no overlap.

“Olivia’s close friends know about this new development and are pleased Pete has put a smile back on her face.

“He has been a shoulder to cry on and there for Olivia during this really tough time.

“She has been in the depths of a really horrible break-up and Pete has helped her through it.

“They have got closer and Pete has held a torch for Olivia for a really long time.

“She is hurting and vulnerable, and he was in the right place at the right time.”

The friend added: “They get on really well and are taking it slow, there is no label at the moment.”

Since her marriage separation, speculation has mounted that Olivia has moved on with lothario Pete.

The pair have known each other for around nine years and both starred in Towie in 2019.

Last August they partied with friends on a yacht off Ibiza.

Three weeks ago — when they were still thought to be just friends — we told how they shared a 3am pizza in a Manchester hotel.

Proof of their relationship came on Friday in Flute at the five-star Broadwick Soho hotel.

The onlooker said: “Olivia and Pete looked like honeymooners as they kissed in front of revellers.”

The couple met with pals and sank glasses of wine and vodka drinks from 8.30pm until midnight.

Around 10pm, they stood at their table and openly snogged as their friends cheered.

Olivia broke off to scream in delight and punch the air in celebration.

An onlooker said: “It was a party and Pete and Olivia were the main attraction.

“If you didn’t know, you might have assumed it was an intimate wedding or engagement celebration.

“You would never have guessed Olivia had just endured a painful marriage split.

“She was beaming in delight and couldn’t have looked happier.

“And at one point she rose in front of her friends, took Pete by the hand, and they kissed passionately as a group of ten to twelve people cheered them on.

“Olivia and Pete didn’t seem to mind who saw them.

“The noise and spectacle they were making caused everyone in the room to stop what they were doing and look.”

Olivia looked stunning in a black top and skinny jeans, with Pete in a smart jacket.

She stopped and chatted to other revellers in the dimly-lit, discreet venue, even asking other drinkers if they felt she looked OK.

A source said: “She was very sweet and so obviously madly in love with Pete.

“She was anxious that she looked good for her man. They had a blissful night.

“Friends came and went from their table and when they were alone they were very intense, whispering and pausing conversation to kiss.

“And they were just as tactile when in a bigger group.

“Whatever hardships she has been through, it was very clear that Olivia was ecstatically happy with him next to her at their table.”

Our snaps of the loved-up pair are a hammer blow to her estranged hubby Bradley, who plays for League Two Gillingham.

We told how he blocked Pete on Instagram weeks after the marriage split was revealed.

At last month’s Brits in Manchester, Olivia and Pete were seen chatting and whispering despite being seated apart.

She was on the ITV table while he was with Kiss FM.

That night Olivia told The Sun on Sunday: “If you are going to be single anywhere this’d be the place. Is Harry Styles single?”

She and Pete later left an after-party together and took a taxi to the Edwardian Manchester hotel.

At 3am Pete was seen carrying two pizza boxes through the lobby before getting into a lift.

Hours later the couple emerged together, with both wearing baseball caps, and were driven off at around 12.30pm.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony Pete told their podcast: “What always happens at these events is Liv and I gravitate towards each other and basically just stick together, don’t we?”

Olivia replied: “Because I feel like we both have the same objective. And talk to as few people . . .” Pete then added: “As possible.”

Pete then said: “Although we are not going big this year, are we?”, to which Olivia countered: “What do you mean?” Pete continued: “You have a flight the next day.”

Olivia replied: “I know, you need to keep me lucid enough that I don’t get stopped at immigration.”

Pete said: “The danger being that I jump on the flight with you in what I am wearing from the Brits.”

The Sun on Sunday revealed in January that Olivia had split from Dack – following what sources said was a “breach of trust” on his part.

In 2017, she went on Love Island, later saying it was revenge on Dack for cheating on her at the time.

They reunited, and she joined Towie in 2019, on which Pete was already a regular. He went on to dance on Strictly in 2024.

Our revelation of Olivia and Pete’s romance will fan the flames between her and arch rival Maura.

In August 2024, at the same Broadwick Soho Hotel terrace, Pete and Maura had confirmed their romance — after rumours swirled at that year’s TV Baftas.

Days after splitting from Pete last year, Maura took a pop at him on Valentine’s Day.

Asked where he was as she left a restaurant, she quipped: “Dunno, probably cheating.”

Pete has bedded a host of TV personalities including Jess Wright, Megan McKenna and Megan Barton-Hanson.

His and Olivia’s people were contacted for comment. 

IN 2000 film Chocolat, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, the fairytale tone is set straight away by the sleepy medieval French village of the opening scenes.  

And especially the beautiful, cobbled street leading up from the river.  

Now my family and I are walking the same road in Beynac-et-Cazenac, in the dreamy Dordogne region, amazed by the views of the water below and the 13th- century chateau perched proudly on the hill above. 

The Dordogne might sound fancy — all turreted castles, foie gras and ancient villages — but it’s actually a great-value family holiday spot.  

The choice of child and teen-friendly activities seems endless. Castles, caves and canoeing all got the nod from our 12 and 15-year-olds. 

First up we got our bearings with a trip on a gabare — a flat-bottomed river boat which is used to carry timber, wine and other goods. 

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Now, they carry tourists up and down the Dordogne river (adults £8.50, children £4.50, gabarre-beynac.com). On the glassy-still water, we passed churches and castles, and waved to swimmers taking a dip.  

Next stop was Bergerac. The big-nosed, swashbuckling hero Cyrano de Bergerac, played by Gerard Depardieu in the 1990 film based on the real-life novelist, wasn’t from here . . . but the town has embraced him nonetheless. 

Check out the Cyrano de Bergerac immersive experience. There, a virtual actor took us backstage of a pretend production, where we tried on a fake nose and had a go on various interactive exhibits (adults £8.50, kids £3, quai-cyrano.com). 

Weather isn’t guaranteed in the Dordogne, but on drizzly days you can head for the Maxange Caves, which date back 60million years but were only discovered by accident by a quarry worker in 2000.  

He uncovered an incredible cave complex, which is now open to the public (adults £10, kids £8, maxange.com). 

Our guide pointed out huge stalactites and stalagmites as well as crystallizations in weird and wonderful shapes, marvellously called “eccentrics”.  

Many of the activities and experiences are good value. Driving through pretty villages, we would stumble across markets, free evening concerts and chateau visits that were all good value for money. 

The tiny medieval village of Cadouin is centred around its 12th-century abbey, where Richard the Lionheart is said to have once called by.  

Pop your head in to check out the fancy Gothic cloisters. We timed our visit to coincide with the Wednesday market in the main square, surrounded by honey-coloured cottages, art galleries, cafes and bars.  

Bigger and buzzier is Monpazier, which might be the cutest and best- preserved French village you have never heard of.  

Founded by England’s King Edward I, it’s a medieval time capsule. Where knights once walked, tourists now shop, sip beer and create Insta-stories round every corner — no filter needed.  

By now, the kids were desperate for some more adrenalin-based adventure so we decided to check out the canoeing. 

Gliding down the Vezere River is like floating past a live-action postcard — of ancient cliffs, prehistoric caves and stunning stone villages.  

We chose a gentle three-hour route from Thonac to Tursac, in a couple of two-person canoes. It is downstream so the paddling didn’t take much effort — just enough to feel adventurous without breaking into a sweat.  

Once we got the hang of it, we even pulled into little river beaches and went swimming. You can stand up most of the way, and the river was sparkling-clean. 

Energy fully exerted, we checked in to the converted 17th-century Chateau Les Merles, which has its own tennis court, swimming pools and a great view of the Dordogne valley.  

It is also a great base from which to explore. 

On the riverbank in the nearby village of Creysse, we then ate like locals in the great-value restaurant D’Aujourd’hui.  

It is run by a husband-and-wife team, and the name of the fisherman, who caught the fish we ate that day, was written on a sign on the wall. What a lovely touch.  

The vintage plates come from local flea markets, adding to the authentic vibe. 

A perfect corner of France — and a bon voyage that won’t break the bank. 

“OH, the kids would just love that,” I gasp as I watch the Aqua Slidecoaster rocket up and around the top deck of the new Norwegian Luna.

Following its progress around the pinnacle of this sparkling new cruise ship, I spot ten-deck slide The Drop, the multi-level tangle of Moon Climb’s obstacle nets, high-tech Glow Court with its interactive LED floor for virtual sporting challenges and the wacky technicolour holes of the Tee Time mini golf course.

Four more must-dos for any thrill-seeking kiddo.

Alongside indoor and outdoor arcades with carnival games, pools and splash parks and, of course, kids’ clubs, this ship is a paradise for little ones.

But the joy of this 3,565 passenger liner is the way it can keep all ages happy.

I was the first UK journalist to get a sneak peek of the ship last week as it made its way from Italy across to its new home port in Miami.

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And while the kids will be delighted, there’s so much more for all ages onboard.

Luna has a shimmering, celestial theme to its decor ­— think modern luxury with an almost art deco feel, opulent fabrics and glistening metals that are understated and ooze sophisticated calm.

For a little more luxury, at the rear of the ship the Vibe Beach Club with its cushioned loungers, comfy cabanas and hot tubs is an adults-only zone.

It may come at an extra cost but you are guaranteed your own lounger and there are no splashing kids to avoid.

And what mum wouldn’t want to enjoy a pamper in the vast Mandara spa with its indoor pools sitting beneath a sparkling two-deck high wall of waterfalls.

With multiple saunas, steam, ice and salt rooms, it’s the epitome of zen.

Treatment prices are on the steep side, though.

While the main pool has even more loungers than its Prima class sister ships, one of the features I loved about this ship’s design is the generously wide spaces on deck eight where some restaurants and bars spill outside with al-fresco tables and there’s still plenty of space for loungers, infinity pools and in-pool layouts.

Dubbed the Ocean Boulevard, this 46,000sq ft walkway wraps around the entire ship and also features a vertigo-inducing glass bridge and Luna sculpture that comes with a button you can press for a personal video.

Look up at the camera and within seconds it will take a video of you, panning out so you can take centre stage.

A download of the resulting video costs £3.75 — great for adding to your social media!

Talking of restaurants, the choice is dizzying with 17 dining options and 18 bars and lounges.

Norwegian were among the first to challenge the idea that cruise ship dining had to be formal and at set times.

The latest ship shows just how far they have taken their freestyle concept.

There are five venues included in your fare.

I loved the Indulge food hall where you can grab a tablet to make your choice from nine different stations featuring tapas and noodles to curries and barbecue.

Tap away and dishes are then delivered to your table.

Also stunning was Hudson’s – one of the two very chic main dining rooms with floor-to-ceiling sloping windows, offering fabulous views of the ocean.

For quick bites, there’s the Surfside Bar and Grill, The Local serving classic pub fare 24/7 and on-deck ice cream stands with soft whip treats.

But the ship comes into its own with the choice of speciality restaurants.

I sampled the freshest, tastiest sushi at Nama and a sublime filet mignon at Mediterranean-inspired Palomar.

Also new on Luna is authentic Thai cuisine at Sukothai as well as a vast teppanyaki restaurant, Nuki.

These do come at an extra cost, from £38pp for the sushi to £45pp for Palomar and Nuki.

When it comes to a tipple, there’s so much choice, but my favourites were the outdoor Soleil Bar for sunset sips and the Metropolitan for evening cocktails.

And when the sun goes down, there’s plenty of entertainment to keep the grown-ups happy with new shows Elton: A Celebration of Elton John and Revolution: A Celebration of Prince.

But the smaller venues are also sure to be popular with a new Eagles tribute in Syd Norman’s Pour House, an intimate rock-club venue inspired by the Los Angeles Sunset Strip rock scene.

And for a risque pop-circus song and dance experience, the new adults-only LunaTique show comes with an extra charge of £34, but does come with four (very sweet) themed cocktails.

At the end of the night, I was very happy to head back to my spacious balcony cabin, which has a huge bed plus a sofa bed and roomy bathroom with a rainfall shower.

Homeporting in Miami, the ship will offer three and four-day Bahamas voyages as well as seven-night Caribbean itineraries including calls at the Dominican Republic, Cozumel and St Thomas as well as the cruise line’s private island Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.

IT’S Monday morning, pouring with rain and I’m lugging a wooden sledge up to the top of a steep hill.

This is where I will meet the delivery driver who’s dropping off my shopping for the week.

Welcome to the life of a Clovellian — the name given to the residents of Clovelly in Devon, one of the country’s prettiest villages.

Once owned by the Queen of England, Clovelly dates back to the Domesday Book and is famed for its cobbled streets and the fact it doesn’t have any vehicular access.

For the 250 residents who live here, life is full of minor inconveniences but the trade-off is living somewhere quiet and safe with the community spirit of a bygone age — plus incredible views of the Atlantic.

You can’t just pack up and move here, though.

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Residents have to be approved by John Rous, the current owner and a direct descendant of Christine Hamlyn who inherited the estate in 1884.

The cottages in Clovelly are let to long-term residents only, so there aren’t any Airbnbs or second homes.

When we saw a house advertised on RightMove, we expressed our interest and met with the Estate Manager, who showed us around and explained the complexities of living there.

Then it was time for an audience with Mr Rous to see whether we would fit in and if we understood the ethos of Clovelly.

We succeeded, and were soon immersed in village life.

The harbour, at the bottom of the village, is generally where visitors gravitate and it’s a wonderful place for wild swimming as well as a hotspot for marine life.

I regularly see dolphins from my kitchen window and have to stop and pinch myself.

There are two pubs here, The New Inn and The Red Lion, and both are hubs for tourists and villagers alike.

I’ve even taken on one of the shops in the visitor centre’s car park where I’ll be teaching yoga, Pilates and providing a treatment space for massage and other therapies.

Because of the village’s layout, emergency services can’t access it, so if someone needs medical assistance they are either carried or walked to an ambulance.

In the event of a fire, crews need to come on foot or rely on specialist equipment to navigate their way from the top of the village.

It’s the reason why there isn’t any gas in the village. Instead, many of the cottages are heated by Aga Rayburn range cookers, which also heat up the water.

Most days, we forage on the beach for wood for our log burners, which has saved us a fortune.

So it goes without saying that you have to be physically strong to live in Clovelly — pulling your sledge up and down the hill is tough going — and especially on moving-in day.

Until 1983, donkeys were used to haul heavy loads up the cobbled streets but, although you will often see them being walked around the village, their days of service are now over.

Luckily, online supermarket deliveries are a thing of modern convenience and Amy’s Pantry — a converted van full of groceries, fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products — arrives each Wednesday.

Since moving to Clovelly, I am fitter than I’ve ever been and average 15,000 steps a day, although it is strange living somewhere where we are the subject of so much attention.

Our home is one of the most photographed cottages in the village, and in the busy summer months we are greeted by crowds of gawping tourists taking photos every time we open our front door.

When our son Zak recently visited from university, he couldn’t get over the fact we were a tourist attraction.

Generally, people are lovely and intrigued about what it’s like to live there.

However, we have had to buy a private sign for our gate because tourists kept coming into our garden.

There are regular festivals throughout the year, including the Seaweed Festival, Lifeboat Day and the Lobster & Crab Festival.

The Christmas light switch-on is a big event, too, with as many as 5,000 visitors coming to the village to enjoy the fireworks.

It’s the most incredible place and, despite the inconveniences, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now.

HE may be a 63-year-old “normal” dad these days, but Shaun Ryder has not lost the ability to shock.

When the Happy Mondays frontman spoke to host Jack Whitehall at the Brit Awards last month, his tale of nearly being busted for drugs had to be edited out.

But, then again, putting the potty-mouthed and straight-talking singer on live telly is always a risk.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the Mancunian reveals that ITV did not appreciate his story of a drugs raid that happened when he was up for a Brit award in 1996.

Back then, Shaun’s other band, Black Grape, had been nominated for British Breakthrough Act.

Shaun says: “I told him I went to score and the gaff where I went to score got raided by the police as I’m scoring and the cops cottoned on who I was.

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“And I’m saying, ‘Oh, I’m getting a Brit Award here’ and they let me go.

“They busted a heroin house and they let me go because I was up for a Brit Award.”

You might think that Shaun, who has already published two autobiographies, has no fresh stories.

But the singer, who has a new memoir out now and who is writing material for Happy Mondays’ first album in 20 years, always has plenty of tales to tell.

In his latest book, 24 Hour Party Person, he recalls facing down what he believes was a killer orangutan, escaping a gun battle and being held hostage by an armed robber.

There are also numerous car crashes from which he somehow escaped alive.

Shaun, who quit drugs aged 40 after 20 years of substance abuse, admits: “I have used up more than nine lives.”

It could all have ended shortly after Happy Mondays’ first album, Squirrel And G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out), came out in 1987.

Shaun, who was not famous at that point, went to Amsterdam to live for a short while.

He remembers: “Some nutcase we knew from Manchester, who was doing armed robberies and was then in Amsterdam, hijacked a load of people, put them in the canal and shot them and then turned up at the gaff where we were staying and held us hostage for a day or two.”

Luckily, Shaun managed to talk the robber into letting them go.

But there was no way of having a nice discussion with a great ape that appeared in front of Shaun on a Barbados beach when he was recording Happy Mondays’ fourth album in 1992.

At the time there were stories in the local Press about a dangerous orangutan, nicknamed Jack the Ripper, on the loose.

Shaun claims: “This thing just dropped out of the trees right in front of me. It was a f***ing big orangutan.”

Telling himself “don’t show any fear”, the musician stood tall and shouted, “Grrr, arrrgh, f*** off, just f*** right off”, at the animal.

Remarkably, the orangutan did as it was told.

Orangutans are not native to the Caribbean, so there is a good chance it was indeed Jack the Ripper.

And Shaun, who was “smoking up to 50 rocks of crack cocaine a day” in Barbados, insists it was not a hallucination.

The album, Yes, Please!, failed to generate enough sales to justify the £150,000 spent making it and the following year the Happy Mondays broke up.

Shaun formed Black Grape in 1993 with his dancer mate Bez and rapper pal Paul “Kermit” Leveridge.

But it did not help keep him out of trouble.

During one trip to Jamaica, he and Kermit found themselves in the middle of a gun battle while trying to buy drugs.

He recalls: “I was going scoring and someone got shot, shot in the head. We just ran for it. If you’re a junkie going scoring, that’s the sort of s**t you come across.”

It was getting together with third wife Joanne which finally helped Shaun give up drugs and stop boozing.

They had dated briefly before Happy Mondays had hits, but he says: “She blew me out.”

Joanne, who now manages the TV part of his career — which has included two appearances on I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here! — remained in the same circle as him.

The couple got together more than 20 years ago and married in 2010.

They have two daughters, Pearl, 17, and Lulu, 18.

Shaun, who also has four other children with previous partners, says: “She reeled me in and it’s a good job. “She didn’t let me get away with half of the stuff.

“If she hadn’t I’d have just carried on with crashing, but once I hit 40, I was determined to give up drugs anyway.”

His older children had to deal with his absences and spells in rehab.

But the youngest two have grown up in a more stable environment.

Shaun, who is also stepdad to Joanne’s son Oliver, explains: “I’ve still got two kids at home, so for the last 18 years, I’m just Dad.

“They’ve grown up coming and watching us at music festivals, and they’ve seen me in the jungle, but they’ve never seen that Shaun Ryder who’s off his nut.

“I pick them up from college and all that sort of thing, and drop them off. I’m the f***ing taxi service.

“In this house, you know, we don’t even have booze or anything, so, we’ve just been like a normal f***ing mad family for the past 18 years or whatever.”

Shaun says he did not see much of his older children and admits he was not a good dad to them.

But he says: “I’ve had really no trouble off my kids, I’ve been very lucky with the kids.”

This year is going to be an important one for Shaun.

Apart from the book and new album out next year, he is doing a Q&A tour and is on the road with Happy Mondays.

The return to the studio is due to former Creation Records label boss Alan McGee.

Shaun reveals: “I’m writing it now. Alan McGee wanted a new Mondays album, so Alan usually gets what he wants.”

When it comes out, it will be 40 years since the Manchester group’s first release in 1987.

These days various health problems, including a recent bout of pneumonia, means performing is harder than ever for Shaun.

One legal substance that has helped keep him on the road is the fat jab Ozempic.

Shaun says: “You just raid the medicine cabinet, don’t you, and get on with it, so the show must go on.

“I have an overactive thyroid, so even if I ate f***ing lettuce and tomatoes, I would be big.

“Since I started on the injections my thyroid started to get better.”

If Shaun has his way he will keep performing until the Grim Reaper finally catches up with him.

And the singer would settle for dying on stage, like the comedian Tommy Cooper.

He says: “In this game, you’re doing some Tommy Cooper style, you know what I mean?

“As long as you enjoy it, do what you do, f***ing do it and I still do.

“I’ll still make music and go play music out there until I f***ing drop dead on stage.

“It’s a good place to go, innit? To drop dead on stage, singing Kinky Afro.”

• Shaun’s new book 24 Hour Party Person is available from awaywithmedia.com.

SCREEN star Sydney Sweeney is rolling in dollar frills — after her new lingerie line helped to quadruple her fortune. 

The American actress is now worth $40million, up from $10million just two years ago. 

The news came as Sydney, 28, showed off a range of sexy pink and white underwear from her Syrn brand. 

The Seductress line launches next week after her original designs sold out in the US. 

Sydney launched the business on the back of becoming one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars. 

She was worth some $10million in 2024 thanks to roles in black comedy The White Lotus, teen drama Euphoria and the rom-com movie Anyone But You. 

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Lucrative deals with Armani Beauty, Ford and Samsung followed — while controversial adverts for clothing brand American Eagle saw sales shoot up, along with Sydney’s profile and potential earnings. 

Last year she raked in $7.5millon for her role in hit psychological thriller The Housemaid. 

Sydney launched Syrn in January in a bid to take on fellow celebs Rihanna and Kim Kardashian — who have become billionaires through their clothing brands Savage x Fenty and Skims. 

The star’s racy photo shoots have seen her criticised for not being a “girl’s girl”. But hitting back, Sydney said: “People will say, ‘Oh, she’s doing this for guys’. 

“I’m like, ‘What’s more ‘girl’s girl’ than owning your body and doing it for yourself?’.” 

ALFIE Boe – one of the nation’s favourite tenors – will be unleashing his inner rock god on new album Face Myself.

The record, out on April 10, is inspired by his love of the Madchester era and was produced by Myriot, who previously worked with Primal Scream.

In an exclusive chat, Alfie revealed the album’s title track pays tribute to late Stone Roses bass player Gary “Mani” Mounfield.

The classical singer said he spent his weekends travelling up to Manchester as a teenager to immerse himself in the music scene, where the Stone Roses launched hits such as I Wanna Be Adored. Alfie said: “At the time I was writing that song, Mani passed away.

“So I had to put a tribute in the song. I changed the lyrics to say, ‘For good old Mani, he played it right’.”

The high-energy track, which is released today, also name checks Liam and Noel Gallagher’s childhood home on Cranwell Drive and celebrates the Madchester spirit.

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On the track he sings: “Dreams are grown in Burnage sky, a golden past that made us cry.

“The prom is glorified with lights, for good old Mani, he played it right. Those Cranwell boys, they sang along.”

As a teen, Alfie, who has clocked up 12 Top Ten albums including four No1s, joined an indie band and later found himself exploring classical music.

“I was in an indie band called The English Roses,” Alfie said with a laugh. We were going to go on tour and I was going to be the drummer. But there was school to attend, which was fine, but then I joined lots of other little bands.”

Alfie’s new album is made up of mostly original material and he was inspired to start writing by his pal, The Who’s Pete Townshend.

And the Les Miserables stage fave says the record is all about facing his past, adding: “I thought, what is it about me I have to face?

“It was my childhood, my teenage years, and what got me to where I am today. It’s been a wonderful journey.”

Dua’s full of beans

Dua Lipa has a hefty cheque coming her way, plus a lifetime’s supply of coffee I imagine.

She’s signed up to be global ambassador for Nespresso and posed in blue co-ords to promote the new tie-in. Dua also had a snap with George Clooney, long-time face of the brand.

Greg heading to £2m…but pleads for Wills’ help again

Greg James continues his mammoth 1,000km cycle ride for Comic Relief after getting the royal seal of approval from Prince William.

He was given a boost on Tuesday, when the Prince of Wales hopped on the back of the Radio 1 DJ’s tandem.

As I caught up with Greg yesterday from the Yorkshire Moors, he said he wished William had stuck around.

Greg, resting up on a wall, below, said with a laugh: “I could’ve done with his legs today. Wills, if you’re reading this, help.”

He has remained incredibly upbeat despite the physical and mental toll the challenge is taking.

And he has been buoyed by the incredible donations from the public, which last night was creeping towards the £2million mark. Greg, who set off from Dorset last Friday and is pedalling all the way to Edinburgh, said: “The hills are very, very difficult today.

“But there was a really nice crowd of people shouting at me at the top.

“The good news is we’ve raised over £1.5million, which is an absurd amount. I’d be happy with that if it was the final total but we’ve got three days left.”

He starts his ride from Sunderland this morning with two full days to go.

Tomorrow he will begin his final push, cycling from Galashiels in the Borders to Edinburgh, where he is set to arrive in time for Comic Relief to start on BBC One at 7pm. You can do this, Greg!

Go to comicrelief.com/ride to make a donation.

Placebo are making a comeback for the 30th anniversary of their debut album, which they have reworked into a new version.

Placebo re:created will be out on June 19.

They will then kick off a European tour this September playing songs from their first two albums, with dates in Nottingham, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, London and Cardiff in November and December.

Big cat in Africa

Doja Cat showed her wild side in clashing animal prints while on stage in Rwanda.

The Say So rapper, who wore a blue wig with a tiger-striped bodysuit, was performing at Global Citizen’s Move Afrika concert.

She sounded great, despite her carefree lifestyle.

In a new interview with Vogue yesterday, Doja admitted she’s had to curb bad habits for the sake of her live shows.

She said: “I love trash – I’m Oscar the Grouch. I love to eat garbage, and I love to drink, and I love to party.

“Not too hard, obviously. I don’t do any drugs.”

Doja, who had a romance with actor Joseph Quinn in 2024, went on to reveal she is a serial dater, adding: “I’m 30, so I’m ovulating and horny.”

At least she tells it how it is.

Mosh-pit memories with trust

The Teenage Cancer Trust is staging a photo exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall to mark the joys of mosh pits.

Musicians including Yungblud, Wolf Alice, Fontaines DC and The Sex Pistols ft Frank Carter are featured in the show, called Good Energy.

It highlights “good energy”, which is the code used by fans to look after each other in the crowd. Frank said of his pic: “It was taken in the Royal Albert Hall.

“To play there with the Sex Pistols was a dream come true. Seeing a mosh pit inside such a venue felt like the definition of Good Punk Energy.

The exhibition runs until April 9. Buy signed copies of the prints at teenagecancer trust.org/good.

One direction’s Louis Tomlinson confessed the band’s debut No1 single, What Makes You Beautiful, was his least favourite track. He told Scott Mills’s Radio 2 show: “Performing it was always really eggy.”

Louis also took aim at the handling of 1D’s split, adding: “Hiatus, what a horrible word. It’s cringey, screams management.”

Princess is really made up

Harper Beckham has competition from another nepo baby when it comes to her upcoming beauty brand – Katie Price and Peter Andre’s daughter Princess.

The Sun told last week that Harper had taken part in a photoshoot for beauty brand Hiku by Harper, which is expected to launch in the coming months. Now Princess is following suit.

She said on the Not My Bagg podcast: “I’ve been working on it for ages. I was in Liverpool three days ago.

“I went up for a photoshoot for my beauty brand, which is so good. It’s being released this year.

I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to be involved in some sort of business. Make-up, I love, so it had to be that.”

MORGAN Freeman will become the voice of the London Underground this week.  

The Hollywood legend’s famous tones will ring out at Baker Street tube today and tomorrow.

The event is part of his big money advertising deal with Warburtons bread.

Instead of the announcer’s usual warning to “mind the gap”, Freeman will urge them to “mind the bap”.  

The bakery firm’s CEO, Jonathan Warburton said: “We wanted to share a bit of that fun with Londoners on their daily commute and hopefully raise a few smiles.  

“As you can probably tell, we also love a good bread pun, so Baker Street was a match made in heaven, and hearing a voice as legendary as Morgan Freeman’s booming to travellers on the platform is certainly a recipe for a memorable day.” 

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Freeman joined the likes of Robert De Niro, Olivia Colman and George Clooney when he signed up as the face of Warburtons last month.  

He admitted at the time he had never tried a crumpet before.  

New research by Warburtons reveals that 71 per cent of Brits consider the holey bun a cornerstone of UK culture.  

The firm will also transform signage at Baker Street tube into giant crumpets to celebrate Freeman’s turn on the tannoy. 

SIR David Beckham was just miles from his estranged son Brooklyn in LA on Monday — but the pair failed to meet.

Insiders said Becks, 50, was in the US city for work following a ski break in Canada with son Romeo.

Brooklyn, 27, and his wife Nicola, 31, live in Los Angeles and were at Sir Elton John’s Aids Foundation Oscars viewing party on Sunday.

A source said: “David was in Los Angeles for a new ad campaign, but given Brooklyn’s decision to cut off his family, there was no meeting between them.

“David had just come back from a ski trip with Romeo and friends in Canada when he flew to Los Angeles for work.

“Brooklyn would have just been miles away from him in the house he shares with Nicola.”

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The Sun first revealed how Brooklyn had cut off his family last year in a multi-pronged row.

In October insiders confirmed Brooklyn had no interest in making amends with his family.

By January he was communicating with them through lawyers.

Days later, Brooklyn released a bombshell statement confirming the story.

He went on to make allegations against his family, including claiming fashion designer Victoria had “hijacked” his first dance with Nicola at their wedding in 2022.

As well as cutting off his famous parents, Brooklyn is no longer in contact with his brothers Romeo, 23, and Cruz, 21, and sister Harper, 14, after blocking them on social media.

Yesterday, musician Cruz revealed the lyrics to a new song, Loneliest Boy, which appears to allude to Brooklyn.

On the track, Cruz sings: “Loneliest boy, mama don’t talk too much. It’s breaking her heart.

“It shows in the small things that you don’t do.

“I guess in the end that it’s you, yourself, and you.

“Tell me how do you live, when you’ve got nobody to lose?”

Brooklyn and wife Nicola were all smiles when they were invited by his godfather Sir Elton to be guests at his Oscars bash in Los Angeles on Sunday night.

Yesterday, Nicola shared a series of pictures of the night on her Instagram, including a black and white photo of her and Brooklyn.

She wrote: “What a beautiful evening for such an important cause. Thank you for having us Elton John and David Furnish, we love you both so much.”

On Sunday, Brooklyn’s social media followers rounded on him after he shared photos of mother-in-law, Claudia Peltz, who had celebrated her 71st birthday a few days earlier.

His post coincided with Mother’s Day. Mum Victoria shared tributes from Romeo, Cruz and Harper on Instagram, but fans noted there was no message from Brooklyn.

Those close to Brooklyn and Nicola said there was no going back in the feud with his parents.

A source said: “Brooklyn has said his piece. He is done. Moving on with his life with Nicola is his priority now.”

HOLLYWOOD actor Timothée Chalamet missed out on Oscars glory — and had to endure a string of jibes during the ceremony.

The Marty Supreme star was the butt of jokes having angered the arts world by stating nobody cared about ballet and opera.

And his comments came back to haunt him as Academy Awards host Conan O’Brien said: “Security is very tight tonight. There’s concerns about attacks from the ballet and opera communities.”

He waded in again later, saying to Timothée: “We’re vibing, right?”

He then told viewers: “He doesn’t think so.”

Alexandre Singh, who won Best Live Action Short Film for Two People Exchanging Saliva, also took a pop during his speech and said: “We believe art can change people’s souls.

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“Maybe it takes ten years, but we can change society through art, through creativity, through theatre and ballet — and cinema.”

Timothée, 30, also had to sit through a musical number from movie Sinners, with ballerina Misty Copeland — who had also criticised the star for his cultural views — dancing during the song.

Timothée was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar but lost to Sinners star Michael B. Jordan.

The backlash was sparked by his comment: “I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this any more.”

He quickly added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there”, but the damage was done.

His remarks were widely rebuked, with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli mocking the star by publicly inviting him to one of his opera performances.

Onlookers told The Sun Timothée and girlfriend Kylie Jenner, 28, walked out of the ceremony for an hour amid the drubbing.

They said: “Timothee and Kylie were replaced by seat fillers for an hour.

“It seems like he had enough of being the butt of the jokes.

“They only came back just before the Best Actress and Best Actor categories were announced.”

Timothée was seen leaving the Vanity Fair after-party in the early hours of yesterday morning with Kylie, who is part of the Kardashian reality TV family.

Kylie’s ex-partner, rapper Travis Scott, the father of her two children Stormi, eight, and Aire, four, also later appeared to mock Timothee’s defeat by sharing a photograph of Michael wiping away tears as he accepted his award.

Timothée attempted to shrug off the loss at the Vanity Fair do, where he was also joined by Kylie’s sister, Kendall, and half-sister, Kim Kardashian.

Timothée and Kylie, who have dated since 2023, had been sipping champagne with stars including Rolling Stones singer Sir Mick Jagger, Australian actress Nicole Kidman and British-born star Naomi Watts.

An onlooker at the party said: “Timothée was swarmed by well-wishers as he arrived.

“He kept his sunglasses on for most of the night and tried to be low-key, but he stood out like a sore thumb in his white suit.

“Kylie and him stayed for a while but then left together without being seen.

“It was the Irish exit he wanted — and needed.”

Who won on Hollywood’s biggest night?

One Battle After Another ran away with the night with six Oscars, while Sinners, which was nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards, came away with four. See the full winners list below:

Best Picture: One Battle After Another

Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons

Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Directing: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson

Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson

Original Screenplay: Sinners, Ryan Coogler

Documentary Feature: Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Documentary Short: All the Empty Rooms

Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters

Animated Short: The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Cinematography: Sinners, Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Costume Design: Frankenstein, Kate Hawley

Film Editing: One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen

International Feature: Sentimental Value – Norway

Life Action Short: 

The Singers (TIED)

Two People Exchanging Saliva (TIED)

Makeup and Hairstyling: Frankenstein, Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey

Original Score: Sinners, Ludwig Goransson

Original Song: Golden, KPop Demon Hunters

Production Design: Frankenstein, Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau

Sound: F1, Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta

Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash, Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett

Casting: One Battle After Another, Cassandra Kulukundis

BROOKLYN Beckham was offered a public show of support by Sir Elton John — who made him a VIP guest at his Oscars party.

The 27-year-old, locked in a family feud, was seen at the bash alongside wife Nicola Peltz deep in conversation with the singer, 78.

We revealed last year that the I’m Still Standing singer has been acting as a peacemaker between Brooklyn and estranged parents David and Victoria.

And the VIP invitation to Sir Elton’s Academy Awards viewing party in West Hollywood on Sunday night showed his continued love and support for his godson.

A source said: “Elton has seen Brooklyn all adrift without his biological family and he’s stepped up for Brooklyn.

“Inviting him and Nicola to the party was a public show of support for him.

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“Elton doesn’t want to get involved in the row — as far as he’s concerned that’s between Brooklyn, David and Victoria.

“But he has been watching everything that has unfolded over the past ten months.

“Brooklyn lives in Los Angeles and when Elton is in town, he’ll often touch base with him.

“Brooklyn knows he has Elton’s ear and support.”

Brooklyn and US actress Nicola, 31, were among a string of celebs at the Elton John Aids Foundation bash, co-hosted by the singer and his husband, David Furnish.

They were photographed with Sharon Osbourne and her I’m a Celebrity star son Jack, while singer Dua Lipa and her actor fiancé Callum Turner were also there.

A source added: “Brooklyn and Nicola had a fantastic time with Elton and David.

“He just wants to move on with his life and is happy to have the support of Elton and David, who have always looked out for him.”

Sir Elton, who has two sons Zachary and Elijah with his hubby, has been very close friends with Posh and Becks for several years.

They asked the singer to be godfather to their first-born son Brooklyn in 1999, and they did the same with Romeo three years later.

Former Spice Girl Victoria was also a guest at Sir Elton’s Oscars party in 2009.

But they have not been pictured together in public since August 2019, when the Beckhams joined Sir Elton and David on a yacht during a holiday in the South of France.

Victoria posted pictures of their trip on Instagram with the caption: “Happy Summer with friends. Kisses @davidfurnish @eltonjohn. We love u both and your boys so much.”

In May 2023, David and Victoria supported Elton on the final night of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour and shared videos and photographs from a box at London’s O2 Arena.

Last summer The Sun revealed that Sir Elton had reached out to Brooklyn and Nicola amid their family feud — and invited them to lunch to talk in the South of France.

A source said at the time: “Elton wants everyone to be happy.

“There is no side-taking as such; he simply adores his godson, and really has a laugh with Nicola who he thinks has a great sense of humour.

“He wants to look after them in his role as ‘spiritual adviser’ as a godfather.

“It’s a role he takes seriously.”

We revealed yesterday that Brooklyn snubbed Victoria on Mother’s Day — while posting a birthday message to “the best mother-in-law”.

He told Nicola’s mum, Claudia, “Love u so much”, as she turned 71.

Who won on Hollywood’s biggest night?

One Battle After Another ran away with the night with six Oscars, while Sinners, which was nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards, came away with four. See the full winners list below:

Best Picture: One Battle After Another

Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons

Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Directing: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson

Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson

Original Screenplay: Sinners, Ryan Coogler

Documentary Feature: Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Documentary Short: All the Empty Rooms

Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters

Animated Short: The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Cinematography: Sinners, Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Costume Design: Frankenstein, Kate Hawley

Film Editing: One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen

International Feature: Sentimental Value – Norway

Life Action Short: 

The Singers (TIED)

Two People Exchanging Saliva (TIED)

Makeup and Hairstyling: Frankenstein, Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey

Original Score: Sinners, Ludwig Goransson

Original Song: Golden, KPop Demon Hunters

Production Design: Frankenstein, Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau

Sound: F1, Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta

Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash, Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett

Casting: One Battle After Another, Cassandra Kulukundis

IF there’s ever a time to sink a pint of Guinness, it’s got to be today, which is St Patrick’s Day.

You’ll likely find the best pour in its birthplace of Ireland, but there are plenty of bars all over the world pulling stouts for punters.

Sophie Swietochowski shares her pick of unlikely destinations to pick up a Guinness, along with some holiday deals for those who are tempted.

NEPAL

THE aptly named Irish Pub is not only in one of the most off-grid locations in this list — being in the small town of Namche Bazaar — it’s also one of the highest boozers in the world.

Many claim it’s the most difficult pub to reach because of its position in the gateway to Mount Everest.

OK, it may be a two-day hike to get there but it’s well worth it for the views — and at least you can reward yourself with a well-deserved pint at the end.

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NORWAY

ON Paddy’s Day, punters sink Guinness like its medicine, so what could be a more fitting setting than a 19th-century pharmacy?

Svanen, in the Norwegian capital Oslo, ranks 32 in the 50 Best Bars in the world list, with its traditional glass medicine cabinets, marble columns and black and white tiled floors still intact.

You’d be hard pushed to find a quirkier joint for sipping the dark stuff.

JAMAICA

RICK’S Cafe has to be one of the most spectacular spots to enjoy a pint, with sweeping views of the Caribbean Sea that are best enjoyed at sunset.

The bar-cum-restaurant in the town of Negril has become a popular spot for cliff jumpers thanks to its hilltop perch, 35ft above a clear and perfectly blue ocean.

A pint of Guinness will set you back a fiver.

THE FAROE ISLANDS

THIS collection of volcanic islands, floating in the sea between the UK, Norway and Iceland, are so unspoilt that it’s hard to picture a bar here being anything more than a few tables and a weathered gent serving only the local poison.

But the Irish Pub (again) is a little more than that.

Located in the capital Torshavn, this charming spot offers lovely views of the harbour.

You may even spot seals, whales and dolphins, too.

ICELAND

IT may be better known for attracting geography enthusiasts than stout-loving stags, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t places serving the black stuff in the Land of Fire and Ice.

Den Danske Kro is a lively spot in capital Reykjavik with Danish-style furnishings and a wide selection of beers on tap — including the Irish favourite for £9.

CZECH REPUBLIC

IN capital Prague, pints are poured with a side serving of history.

Its Old Town dates back more than 1,000 years and is dominated by the Baroque Church of St Nicholas and the dramatic Kinsky Palace.

And just off the square you’ll find Waxy Malone’s.

A pour of Guinness here will set you back around a fiver.

“LIGHTS out and away we go!”, the famous F1 cry rang out as we were about to take off from Vegas to fly back to London.

It was a nice touch by the Virgin flight attendant and brought an approving chuckle from a plane packed with motorsport fanatics who had just enjoyed one of the most memorable weekends of their lives.

Every year, the streets of Sin City echo to the sound of F1’s elite machines roaring round a 3.8-mile circuit that takes in the iconic Strip and winds round the jaw-dropping Sphere.

Where else in the world is a more ­fitting home for the supercharged glam of the F1 circus?

Petrolheads may not be fans of the circuit for its racing quality, but if you want spectacle, well, this is THE place to be.

Whether you’re in one of the many stands dotted around the Sphere or watching the cars whizz by at 230mph on the Strip, it’s an experience like no other.

WAIL OF A TIME

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

NETHER BETTER

I visited the Amsterdam-alternative city named top destination for 2026

Those with deeper pockets can take pit lane walks and tours of the track.

For most, however, the only way to get a racer’s eye view of the circuit is at the F1 Arcade in Caesars Palace — one of several worldwide — where you can go wheel-to-wheel with your mates as you blast past all the Vegas landmarks.

If you’re lucky enough to be in town for race week, you can down a beer — or a tequila shot — at the Bellagio Hotel’s legend-ary Shoey Bar.

Named in tribute to Aussie driver Danny Ricciardo’s infamous celebration, when he downed champagne from his shoe, the pop-up bar serves drinks in footwear on a terrace overlooking the hotel’s famous fountains.

One of the best track-side points to watch race action is opposite the Sphere, Las Vegas’s enormous ball of fun that’s become a global phenomenon.

On the inside, it’s currently showing a specially adapted version of The Wizard Of Oz on its 160,000sq ft screen that makes you feel like you’re IN the movie.

As well as the expected special effects like blasts of wind when the hurricane blows in, there are animatronic flying monkeys, apples falling from the ceiling and flurries of snow.

With tickets from $104 (£78), it’s booking until the end of 2026, so there’s plenty of time for you to become the fifth member of Dorothy’s gang of misfits.

Away from the Sphere, another Vegas institution is the gravity-defying Cirque du Soleil — and there are six resident productions to choose from.

Of these, I recommend “O”. It has all the death-defying acrobatics, but with a £100million stage that transforms into a 25ft deep pool in seconds.

With a daredevil cast featuring former Olympic athletes, it’s just another way for Vegas to take your breath away.

For a classy dinner after all this fun, head to High Steaks, atop the Rio hotel.

Fifty floors up with 180-degree views from an outdoor terrace, as well as sumptuous steaks, you can gorge on extravagant seafood towers and smoked prime rib.

For something a little more relaxed, how about Pinky’s By Vanderpump at the Flamingo?

It’s no less Instagrammable, due to its sexy Art Deco greenhouse vibe, but with more affordable food.

And I urge you to try the Daddy Issues cocktail (make sure you stir in the candyfloss once you’ve taken a picture!).

For a classier speakeasy experience, The Vault — hidden deep within the sprawling Bellagio casino floor — oozes sophistication. But make sure you book to avoid disappointment.

Then on to a nightclub? Make it Omnia in Caesars Palace. You’ll be captivated by its famous kinetic chandelier that pulsates in time to the music above a dancefloor packed with beautiful people.

Away from the bright lights of the casinos and nightclubs, there is a little gem just off the Strip in karaoke bar Smelly Cat, where you can belt out your chosen anthem with a live backing group.

The resident band can play any tune their super-duper AI gadget can find. They’d never heard of Mardy Bum by Arctic Monkeys when it was requested, but they smashed it out of the park.

You can jump the queue to get up on stage by paying a $100 fee. Depending on how much you would love to sing with your own backing band, that could be an absolute bargain.

After the high-octane fun of casinos, the Strip and all those Daddy Issues, the Arts District is the place to head.

South Main Street, a 15-minute taxi ride from the Strip, is home to chilled bars and cafes, cool vintage stores, antique markets and art galleries.

It’s like an anti-Vegas if you need to decompress, and cafe/bakery 1228 Main is the ideal place to have a relaxed lunch mid-mooch — check out the breakfast burrito. A pit stop, if you will, after all that racing around.

But in Sin City — as in a Grand Prix — pit stops are very much temporary.

Cocktails await, followed by the casino, followed by a club . . . 

Lights out and away we go, people!

WEARING protective suits, masks, hats and gloves, we approach the buzzing hive in front of us.

The Canarian black bee, our guide tells us, is a hardy species adapted perfectly to the high heat and dry lands that make up Lanzarote’s volcanic climate.

My mum Rhona and I seem to have adapted pretty well ourselves, as we soak up the last of the afternoon sun.

The fourth-largest Canary Island, Lanzarote was the ideal destination for a pre-Mother’s Day trip, with its year-round “eternal spring” climate, lunar-like landscapes and white-sand beaches.

While a fly-and-flop holiday is always tempting, particularly when it’s 21C, I was determined to include some bonding experiences during our visit.

And our beekeeping tour was just that. Ahead of reaching the hive, our guide taught us all about the insects that live there.

WAIL OF A TIME

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

NETHER BETTER

I visited the Amsterdam-alternative city named top destination for 2026

Then, after shedding our protective suits, we were treated to samples of the organic honey, taking note of the sightly different flavours depending on which plants the bees had visited.

We felt fully connected to the surrounding nature.

When we weren’t off exploring, we could relax at the 4H Seaside Los Jameos, in Puerto del Carmen, one of the island’s most popular resorts.

With its beachfront location, palm tree-lined pools, gym, spa and cactus gardens, the recently renovated hotel is an oasis within the town, with plenty of activities on site.

I’m lucky enough to have a mother who can run rings around me, so we started each day with a jog on the beach.

I picked up pace as the week progressed, but never quite managed to catch up with my mum.

It was the perfect way to work up an appetite for the plentiful buffet breakfast.

My highlights were the mimosa station, with crisp cava and freshly squeezed orange juice, and the DIY waffle machines.

In the evenings, guests can expect live entertainment from acts such as an ABBA tribute band, as well as magic shows and children’s discos.

Outside of the hotel, nearby restaurants included beachfront tapas joint Restaurante El Molino, which was within walking distance, and Sebastyan’s Atlantico Lounge on the water (be sure to arrive in time for the stunning sunset).

Lanzarote also has a thriving plonk scene, with wineries dotted all around the island.

Our final First Choice excursion took us on a tasting and museum tour at Bodega Finca Mota, a charming family-run winery surrounded by Lanzarote’s distinctive volcanic landscape, where grapes grow in the black sand.

We started our visit with an introduction to vintage winemaking tools in the museum, before sitting down for some sipping.

We tasted three different wines accompanied by locally-produced cheese and traditionally-cured tuna, and enjoyed it so much we bought a bottle each to take home.

On our final day, we decided to explore the picturesque village of Yaiza, famed for its beautifully maintained whitewashed houses and palm-lined streets.

Mum and I both love to shop, so we enjoyed a potter around the boutiques selling jewellery and ceramics and found a delightful cafe to have coffee and baked goods.

Literally the cherry on top of the cake to end a dreamy Mother’s Day getaway.