The Sun Newspaper

HIS fans have been speculating that something isn’t quite right between Jake Quickenden and his wife Sophie Church over the past couple of days.

And now his pals have ­confirmed to me that the couple, who married in 2022 and have two children together, have formally separated.

Former X Factor star Jake, who has also appeared on I’m A Celeb and Dancing On Ice, and Sophie are understood to have told their close friends and family about their decision to split.

“Jake and Sophie have ended their marriage but they remain incredibly amicable,” a pal told me.

“There is still a huge amount of love and respect between them.

“Their main priority has always been, and continues to be, their children, and they are fully committed to being the best parents possible.

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“Over time, they started to grow apart and Jake and Sophie have had some long and honest conversations about this.

“While they might not be together any more, they are still on great terms and are looking to the future, co-parenting together. Maintaining a happy and supportive family unit together is their focus now.”

Jake and influencer Sophie got together in 2018.

They dated for three years before he popped the question during a holiday to Rhodes in 2021.

Jake spoke about his love for Sophie in the days following their wedding in Ibiza a year later, saying: “I thought it was an angel walking down the aisle.”

He went on to admit they wrote their own vows, joking: “I was saying, ‘I won’t leave empty wrappers in the cupboard any more’. I said, ‘I’ll still love her when she makes a noise when she eats like a squirrel’.

“I said at the end, ‘I think there’s only one true love and you’re my soulmate’.”

Although it hasn’t worked out, I’m glad to hear they’re still on good terms.

MGK’s swipe after Yung’s ticket rap

THEY were once close friends and collaborated on Acting Like That and Body Bag in 2020 and 2019’s I Think I’m Okay but Machine Gun Kelly has now declared war on Yungblud.

The US nonentity took a swipe after Doncaster rocker Yung spoke out about the ­rising cost of live music tickets.

In a video posted on Instagram, Yungblud – who cancelled several dates of his North American tour last year – said: “Live music has become inaccessible, that’s a fact. Artists are cancelling all the time based on lack of ticket sales, because it is an issue, it’s completely unaffordable for people.”

But MGK lashed out: “You cancelled a tour because you couldn’t sell tickets, blamed it on mental health then got paparazzi’d at Nobu the next day Pinocchio. Your tour tickets are the same price as every other artist. Shut the f* up you ­silver-spooned preachy w**r.”

Taking the higher ground, a rep for Yungblud – real name Dominic Harrison – replied: “He genuinely hasn’t got time to engage in this.”

Dom should now let his music do the talking. His last three studio albums went straight to No1, and earlier this year he landed a Grammy for his rendition of pal Ozzy Osbourne’s 1972 hit Changes.

MGK, meanwhile, has never hit the top spot here . . . 

Kylie strikes chord with pal Chris

KYLIE MINOGUE has revealed Coldplay frontman Chris Martin helped bring her new song Light Up to life by sending her a voice note.

I joined a handful of Kylie’s biggest fans at Spotify’s Listening Lounge in London ahead of the launch of her new Netflix docuseries simply titled Kylie, which dropped yesterday.

She explained: “I was coming out from the studio on the phone to Chris while I was working on [album] Tension.

“I told him some of the lines I had, and he asked if he could put some chords to them. Within half an hour, I had a voice note back from him.”

She added: “I can’t imagine Chris is ever very far away from a guitar or drums.”

As well as her new music, fans are finding a new resonance in Kylie’s older tracks following the docuseries – particularly 2023 release Story.

In the Netflix show, Kylie reveals that the closing track from her Tension album was actually about her second cancer diagnosis in 2021.

She sings: “I didn’t let the world know, I was fighting a big fight. Fighting a dark light. Raging hard on the inside.”

Kylie is one of life’s fighters.

Madge point

MADONNA has taken a swipe at Charli XCX after the Guess singer said she reckons dance floors are “dead.”

On her new song Rock Music, Charli sings: “I think the dance floor is dead, so now we’re making rock music.”

Madge’s dance-heavy new album, Confessions On A Dance Floor: Part II comes out on July 3, and she certainly doesn’t agree.

Her original Confessions On A Dance Floor in 2005 was one of the top albums that year and one of the best-selling records of the 21st Century.

So in response, Madge posted this snap on Instagram last night and wrote: “If your dance floor feels dead, maybe you’re playing the wrong music.”
Ouch.

All dolled up

THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS might have been forced to cancel their US tour but they want us to know it is business as usual.

Kimberly Wyatt, Nicole Scherzinger and Ashley Roberts came together in pink outfits to perform at a Huda Beauty event in London.

It was the first official comeback performance ahead of their shows later this year.

They hit Europe and the UK in September.

Frank in new goal

HE co-wrote one of the world’s best football songs with 1996 classic Three Lions, and now Frank Skinner is at it again.

Ahead of Euro 2028, Frank has written a new poem to kick-start BT’s partnership with the competition.

“If you properly care, then you’re properly there,” the poem reads.

“Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, West Bromwich, ready to cheer, to revere and pay homage to our teams and our dreams, our fists punching the air or clenched in despair.”

Let’s hope it’s not the latter.

UNA HEALY has quit alcohol because she was sick of having a “rotten hangover”.

The Saturday’s star, who is five months sober, said on Instagram: “I’ve been asked, ‘Is it hard? Is it tough?’ Well, it is hard.

“Sometimes you feel like you’re missing out but you’re not missing out on that rotten hangover.

“If it’s one day without feeling like s**t because of drink, then bring it on.”

POP singer Kylie Minogue tried to have children via IVF and secretly battled breast cancer for a second time in 2021, she has revealed.

She uses her self-titled three-part Netflix docuseries to speak candidly about struggling to conceive after a fight with cancer in 2005.

Kylie, 57, says in the show, which is out today: “It was always with such a thread of hope but I couldn’t not try.

“I did try IVF a number of times. If it had happened it would have been just shy of a miracle. But it didn’t work out that way.”

Poignantly, she adds: “One can’t help but wonder what it would have been like.”

Kylie’s singer sister Dannii, 54, has one son, as does her brother Brendan, 55.

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Dannii said of Kylie: “She is amazing with kids. Just naturally incredible. She is amazing with her nephews.

“I never saw myself being a parent and she always did. And that is heartbreaking.”

The lyrics of Kylie’s 2012 song Flower dealt with the pain of not having children.

It includes the line: “Distant child my flower, are you blowing in the breeze?”

In another revelation, Kylie said she secretly battled cancer for a second time after being diagnosed with primary breast cancer in early 2021.

Kylie said: “I was able to keep it to myself and go through that year.

“I didn’t feel obliged to tell the world and actually I just couldn’t at the time as I was just a shell of a person.

“I didn’t want to leave the house again at one point.

“Thankfully I got through it again, and all is well.”

Kylie now has the all-clear and hopes that speaking out will encourage women to go for early screenings.

She said: “I know there will be someone out there who will benefit from a gentle reminder to do their check-ups.”

FIRST REVIEW

By Jack Hardwick

★★★★★

THIS went far beyond anything I thought she’d say.

Revelations on struggling to find love, cancer battles and heartbreaking attempts to conceive via IVF are here.

For someone who’s hardly spoken of life away from the stage they are jaw-dropping.

It is one of the most genuine and honest celebrity documentaries I’ve seen.

VICTORIA Beckham put on an Adams family party to celebrate the 80th birthday of her dad Tony. 

Posh Spice, whose maiden name was Adams, posed with her clan, including husband Sir David and 14-year-old daughter Harper — but estranged son Brooklyn, 27, was not there. 

Fashion designer Victoria, 52, was also joined by her younger sons Romeo, 23, and Cruz, 21, and her mum Jackie. 

The lavish celebration at the weekend was at Hotel Café Royal in Central London. 

Victoria, who wore a white dress at the party, said as her father turned 80 yesterday: “Happy birthday, Daddy, we love you so so much! 

“Thank you to all our friends and family who helped to make it so special! Such an amazing night celebrating my wonderful dad.” 

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The mum-of-four was known as Victoria Adams before marrying England footie star David in 1999. 

Brooklyn made a rare mention of his family by posting a photo on social media, right, of him and Tony and saying: “Happy 80th papa x I love you so much.” 

Brooklyn is said to still be close to his grandparents despite not seeing them for months amid his feud with his parents and brothers. He has remained in the US with his wife Nicola Peltz, 31. 

Sir David, 51, gave Tony a leg of Monte Nevado ham as a gift and called him “the best father-in-law I could ask for”. 

There was a more down-to-earth birthday celebration yesterday — a visit to a pie and mash shop in Waltham Abbey, Essex, where Tony was presented with some school cake. 

I COULD feel my body softening with each wave of my masseuse’s hand.

She scrubbed in circular motions, massaging the salt into my skin until it sparkled like the sea just beyond the spa door.

Salt, it turns out, is so much more than just a seasoning to sprinkle on your food — especially here on this picturesque stretch of Majorca’s southern coast.

I was staying at recently-opened five-star hotel Iberostar Selection Es Trenc, in the town of Colonia de Sant Jordi, half an hour’s drive from Palma airport.

It oozes relaxation, with its seafront location, ocean-coloured decor and knock-out spa treatments.

The hotel is also big on using local produce — including the nearby salt flats’ Flor de Sal.

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This is used in massages and scrubs, as well as food served at the hotel and even cocktails.

Keep your eyes peeled for the picante salt, used to rim some of the hotel’s signature cocktails like mezcalitas and spicy margaritas.

Should you wish, you can visit the salt flats — a 20-minute cab ride from the hotel and home to fabulous wildlife.

You can even try harvesting some salt — it’s harder than it looks, but you’ll leave with your own jar of the flakes.

If that’s not enough physical exertion, the Iberostar Selection Es Trenc also offers rental bikes.

I weaved my way along the sun-drenched local roads for a gentle ten minutes toward the Far de la Colonia de Sant Jordi lighthouse.

The views from here are breathtaking and great for photos.

Those who prefer a more intense workout can pick from kickboxing, TRX gym work and Zumba classes.

I opted instead for a dip in the pool on the hotel’s rooftop terrace, also used for sunrise yoga classes.

I’m sadly not a very nimble yogi, but did join a session and felt serenely relaxed.

Not that I needed to unwind any more — the hotel is designed so every room has a sea view, and I opened my curtains each morning to soothing views of the waves.

Another treat is the hotel’s a la carte restaurant, Salvient, which has a homely feel.

It takes its name from the Spanish word for salt — sal — and you will not struggle to guess why.

If you’ve developed a taste for Es Trenc’s “white gold”, as the locals call it, make sure to order the dentex — a sea bream-style fish cooked whole and served on a huge bed of salt.

The large fish can be shared with family or friends, but was so light and flaky I reckon I could have eaten the entire thing by myself.

Or the hotel has a buffet-style restaurant — and there’s plenty of restaurants in town, too.

5Illes restaurant, by the town beach and about a 15-minute walk from the Iberostar, is well worth a visit.

It specialises in rice dishes and my paella was one of the best I’ve ever tasted, served sizzling in a large pan and stacked with seafood.

Tummy well and truly satisfied, I ended my Majorca getaway with a private boat trip around the island to soak up my final sunset.

I’m not sure what was better — the view from the Iberostar rooftop or this one from the sea.

As long as I have a salt-rimmed cocktail in hand, who cares?

FOUR of the world’s biggest stars dazzled on the Cannes red carpet last night.

Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Bella Hadid and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy starred before the screening of new film Garance at the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival.

Hadid wore a custom Prada powder pink sheath dress, with a matching stole and beaded detailing.

She was flanked by Moore in a strapless red gown and diamond jewellery.

Former First Lady of France Carla wore a white-tiger ballgown signed by Roberto Cavalli while Cate Blanchett stunned in a shiny Givenchy floral look.

Garance is a film about a gifted young actress living in a small Parisian apartment.

Hollywood icon John Travolta turned heads at the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival, debuting a dramatic new look.

The 72-year-old Grease pin-up arrived on the red carpet looking preened-to-perfection as he posed with his stunning daughter, Ella Bleu.

FOR almost four decades, Kylie Minogue has soundtracked our lives with anthems of love, joy and heartbreak.

While her own personal life has seen both stellar highs and crushing lows — including failed romances, and cancer — she has kept calm and carried on, and on, then on some more.

As for those gold hotpants from her 2000 video for disco belter Spinning Around, they brightened up all our lives, to the point they are now under lock and key in a museum.

But as Kylie, 57, sits down with me for her only newspaper chat ahead of her self-titled Netflix docuseries that airs on Wednesday, she insists she is just like the rest of us when heartbroken.

In the TV tell-all, she recalls her devastating 1991 split from the late INXS frontman, Aussie Michael Hutchence, after a passionate two-year romance — and how she slept on a pal’s sofa in Paris while unable to face the couple’s old stomping grounds in Oz and the UK.

She had previously also dated Aussie actor-singer Jason Donovan — and when I ask if she’s ever “gone full Bridget Jones”, liked the unlucky-in-love soul of movie fame, she swiftly replies: “Oh, 100 per cent.

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“I’ve had different relationships that all shaped me. Of course, I talk about Michael. I’ve also got Jason Donovan, who speaks so amazingly in the documentary.”

During the Netflix special, Kylie recalls how she struggled post-Hutchence — and tells viewers: “I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I knew I didn’t want to be in London and I didn’t want to be in Australia, so I went to Paris.

“I remember having a tiny English to-French dictionary. I didn’t know anyone, but had two numbers on a bit of paper. One of those was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of mine.

“She lived with a girl called Kat, who is now my oldest, best girlfriend. I moved into her apartment, got a sleeping bag and slept on the sofa. I was feeling heartbroken.”

Keen not to sugarcoat her life for Netflix, Kylie let director Michael Harte retain total creative control, even when she may have liked some bits left on the cutting-room floor.

In one episode, her former Neighbours co-star Jason remembers the moment Kylie left him for rocker Michael — explaining how they met him after an INXS gig before Jason watched the pair disappear into a hotel bathroom together.

Jason admits: “He wasn’t interested in me. I could sniff that a mile away. And she disappeared with him into the bathroom, which is fine. You know, we’re grown-ups.”

Reflecting on that evening, Kylie adds: “After the gig, Jason and I were invited back to the after-party. I would have been a bit like, ‘How did we get here?’ We were just talking about singer stuff.”

Kylie has been single since splitting from GQ magazine boss Paul Solomons in 2023, and insists she does not need a man to feel complete.

When I ask if she is happy, All The Lovers singer Kylie replies with a smile: “I’m super-happy, yeah.”

She told the Sunday Times’ Style magazine yesterday: “I don’t have a boyfriend. I was in a relationship, and when that ended, I realised I was OK on my own. I’m getting pickier. Narcissists . . . I’ve dated one and I’m grateful I now have that knowledge. That’s my red-hot ‘no’.”

Similarly, when Kylie and I last chatted, in October 2024, the I Should Be So Lucky singer told me: “There’s no one significant in my life and I feel content. I feel like this is my destiny right now.”

But she STILL fiercely believes in love — and enjoys watching it bloom for others.

We first met in 2023 while she was promoting 16th album Tension. I was shamelessly chasing a boy and, on my way to her Claridge’s hotel suite, bought a bottle of Kylie Prosecco for her to sign for him.

After our chat, she agreed, writing his name on the bottle and wishing me luck in my romantic pursuit. The next summer, he was my boyfriend.

During a brief meeting in 2024, at the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park, I thanked her for the part she had played. “See, I’ve still got it!” she happily told her team, punching the air.

But by the time we crossed paths in May 2025, outside her dressing room as she played London’s 02 Arena for her Tension world tour, I was single once more.

I mentioned I was seeing her show again the next night and bringing my ex. “Ooh, what’s the goss?” Kylie asked. Laughing awkwardly, I admitted I wished we were still together.

Meanwhile, in episode two of her Netflix series Kylie wells up as she admits she has been searching for a love like she shared with Michael ever since their 1991 breakup.

Kylie says to camera: “I haven’t quite got it. I’ve probably been looking for something like that ever since.

“He was a first for so many things and one was heartbreak. I was devastated. He was a rock star, which doesn’t just mean that he needs many women in his life, but he needed to go where he needed to go. But I know from people in his circle that he talked of me and thought of me. We were good together.”

Shrugging off the emotion, Kylie adds: “Shoulda, woulda, coulda  — whatever. But it was an amazing time. The memories make me feel good, even if I’m getting teary. It was good to have someone, to feel like you were a good team. I’m fortunate. The emotion and the memories I have with that time — I just felt protected, nurtured, valued, and believed in.”

Recalling Michael’s funeral in 1997 in Sydney, after he died at just 37, Kylie says: “At the church it was overwhelming, the outpouring of love for him. I felt him saying, ‘It’s OK. It will be OK’. I always feel he’s with me.”

But as we chat, Kylie wishes she had “stressed less” over the course of her career, and she admits she sometimes “didn’t manage it well”.

I am also relieved that — like me when love’s course goes awry — this global superstar so indentifies with Bridget Jones, as played in the films by Renee Zellweger.

In the series’ first film, Bridget Jones’s Diary, in 2001, the pyjama-clad protagonist has break-up blues as she clutches a bottle of wine and belts out power ballad All By Myself.

I doubt Kylie’s go-to heartbreak fixes are the same as my budget pairing — a £4.99 supermarket Pinot Grigio and Cadbury popping-candy chocolate bar. But I do recommend them, Kylie.

Of course, the other bombshell in Kylie’s life came at just 36 when, in 2005, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

She had to pull out of a Glastonbury set and part of her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour to undergo a lumpectomy as well as chemotherapy.
The next year she was in remission and given the all-clear.

But Kylie tells Netflix viewers: “I felt removed from my body. I was so scared of what was ahead of me.” Her singer sister Dannii adds: “We didn’t know, if she was ever going to be well again.”

It is hard to believe, though, how she has kept much of her off-stage life little known about.

When I put this to her, she nods and says: “It’s like, is there a monster under the bed? You build up this fear of telling.”

But she adds: “There’s enough behind me, and in front of me, that now has made it a good time. And what am I so scared of? It’s been a good exercise to have a look back at life, and find acceptance.”

In the docuseries, Kylie admits she was “riddled with self-doubt and anxiety” — and that those feelings still rear their head.

Kylie, who wrapped up her 66-date Tension tour last year, tells me: “I still have anxiety and self-doubt. No, not all the time, but a healthy amount is good.

“I know what I’m doing more now, which is satisfying. There’s definitely moments but that doesn’t permeate through.”

Although Kylie is now a superstar, she got there through steadfast resilience — proving critics wrong time and time again.

Her decision to quit Aussie soap Neighbours at the height of its success — when 24 million daily viewers was commonplace — was deemed by many as crazy.

Indeed, so popular was the soap that when Princess Diana missed just two episodes, she called up the BBC to ask after recordings.

Kylie’s sixth studio album, 1997’s Impossible Princess, was savaged so brutally by critics that radio stations refused to play her singles. A billboard even told the world Kylie was “over”.

Yet nearly three decades later, the 5ft powerhouse has never been more beloved. In December, she landed her eighth UK No1 single, ,and her first festive chart-topper, with Xmas.

A seasoned pro with interviews, Kylie usually has a slick answer ready for any question. But when I ask what she would say to her younger self, she takes her time before replying: “I still don’t know what’s ahead of me now — but I especially didn’t at 16.”

During the Netflix series, Kylie hits back at a suggestion she might be ready to slow down soon.

“Tell that to Cher and Barbra [Streisand]” she quips.

Both are plenty older than her — Cher recently turned 79 and Barbra 84 — and Cher, in particular, is still dusting off her suspenders and stockings for performances.

So, can we expect to see Kylie still doing The Locco-Motion at 80?

Beaming, she replies: “With all my heart, I hope so, yes.

“But how I’ve done this is, I am not a planner, I like to be fluid. I have a loose idea, I know what I want to do — but, yeah, maybe next week or this month.”

But while Kylie may still be up on stage in 2049, her famed gold hotpants will not. They are in a museum in Melbourne, Australia — but Kylie beams at my idea they belong in the Louvre museum in Paris, with the Mona Lisa painting.

Kylie says of the hotpants: “That would be amazing. But I bought them for 50p — my girlfriend found them in a secondhand store. I wore them quite rigorously so they’re fragile and the museum have said they have got to stay flat. They are in preservation mode.”

I also ask if “Kylie the pop star” ever feels like “Kylie the person” is forgotten.

But she feels fans want her to be both, adding of time on stage: “It’s a place for me to harness everything I’ve worked for and that I feel, and be expressive.”

The word “icon” is overused, but when I tell Kylie she is one, she replies simply: “I try.”

NEWLYWED model Roxy Horner soaks up the romance during her honeymoon on the Orient Express.

The 34-year-old took a bath as she and comedian hubby Jack Whitehall, 37, travelled from Venice to Paris.

Posting snaps of the train and dining carriage, Roxy wrote online: “Having a bath on a train is so romantic.”

The couple, who are parents to Elsie, two, married at a lavish ceremony in the Cotswolds last month.

We revealed earlier this month how Roxy wowed onlookers with her dazzling diamond wedding rings after marrying Jack Whitehall.

Mum-of-one Roxy showed off her multi-layered rocks while on a night out with Laura Whitmore at the launch of blow-dry specialist Duck & Dry at The Whiteley in Notting Hill.

rock on

Roxy Horner flashes HUGE diamond wedding rings after marrying Jack Whitehall

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The show-stopping multi-stone ring boasts a huge pear-shaped diamond sat next to a white gold oval eternity diamond ring, thought to cost around £13,300.

The 34-year-old looked stunning in a casual combo of flared diamante jeans, a nude crop top and leather jacket as she posed with the former Love Island presenter.

With her long blonde hair down in waves, she accessorised with red lips, tanned heels and the eye-popping jewellery.

Pregnant Laura matched her look in a leather jacket and red lipstick with her hair slicked back.

HIS love life has been almost as varied as his incredible songwriting catalogue.

Sir Paul McCartney endured the tragedy of losing first wife Linda to cancer and a catastrophic £24million divorce from Heather Mills before finally finding happiness again with American businesswoman Nancy Shevell.

But today The Sun can reveal the identity of the secret childhood crush who became Sir Paul’s “one that got away” — a pretty neighbour whose striking good looks inspired the opening track to his new album, which tells the story of his childhood in Liverpool.

The record was unveiled at a preview event in London this month, where the legendary Beatles songwriter recalled memories of a pretty neighbour called Jasmine, who lived close to his home.

Today, it has emerged she is retired mum-of-three Jasmine Howe, who left the area and resettled in Hertfordshire before retiring to the New Forest in Hampshire.

And the now 83-year-old’s ­family were stunned to learn of the £800million rock legend’s youthful infatuation — revealing she had “absolutely no idea” about his fondness for her.

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They explained: “It’s a cute story, she lived nearby and knew who he was, but she never got close to him — meanwhile, he obviously felt very differently!

“It’s an amazing story — a very long time ago now, but we’ve chatted as a family in the past about how Jasmine grew up close to Paul McCartney.
Goosebumps

“She just knew him as one of the boys in the local area. It’s enough to give you goosebumps!”

The Boys Of Dungeon Lane is Sir Paul’s first solo album in five years, and critics say it is his “most personal to date”.

The title is taken from Days We Left Behind, a wistful acoustic track that references Dungeon Lane, near the River Mersey, where McCartney played as a boy, as well as a “secret code” and mysterious promise made to John Lennon at the time, which he insists “will never be broken”.

At a special event, held at the iconic Abbey Road studios in London where the Fab Four ­produced their biggest hits, Sir Paul played tracks from the new record and explained their ­origins — beginning with opening song As You Lie There.

The lyrics recall: “Do I ever cross your mind as you lie there? As you lie across your bed, am I there inside your head?”

Revealing the inspiration to a small invited audience, Sir Paul explained: “Up in one of the ­windows, there was a girl I ­fancied called Jasmine.

“But I didn’t know how to approach her — I never spoke to her.

“The joke was, she did show up later that year and knocked on the door. I was indisposed — I was on the toilet — so I missed Jasmine!”

Turning to his wife Nancy, who he married in 2011, he grinned and quipped: “Sorry, Nancy.”

Prior to meeting his third wife, Macca famously had quite a ­colourful love life.

His first serious romance was with Dorothy ‘Dot’ Rhone, who he met at the Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool in 1959.

The pair dated for more than two years and even got engaged, but split just before Beatlemania exploded.

In 1963, Paul met actress and model Jane Asher backstage at one of the band’s concerts.

The relationship would last five years and Paul even moved into the family home on London’s Wimpole Street.

Jane was his muse and introduced him to the avant-garde arts and classical music scene, which would inspire some of his most famous songs.

Despite being charmed by Jane’s cultured family and domestic life, Paul had secret flings with model Maggie McGivern and US writer Francie Schwartz — betrayals that ultimately shattered one of the Sixties’ most iconic romances.

He met his second wife, model and amputee activist Heather Mills, at a charity event in 1999, marrying her three years later.

Their daughter Beatrice was born the following year. However, the pair split acrimoniously three years later with a very publicly played-out divorce — one that cost the star £24million.

However, the singer enjoyed real happiness with his first wife, American photographer Linda.

They married in 1969, raised four children together, and were ­inseparable until her death from breast cancer in 1998.

Growing up, Sir Paul lived with his parents at 20 Forthlin Road in Allerton, Liverpool, while Jasmine lived with her family on the corner of neighbouring Hurstlyn Road, just 20 yards away.

Both properties still stand in the south Liverpool suburb, nestled in a series of brick-built terraces — though Sir Paul’s is now owned and maintained by The National Trust as a museum.

The Trust operates tours around Sir Paul’s home and also John Lennon’s childhood home nearby.

Inside, the three-bed property has been meticulously preserved as a snapshot of 1960s Liverpool, including some of the family’s original decor — and a blue plaque outside commemorates “The Birthplace of The Beatles” as Paul and pal John would meet there to compose their earliest songs.

Jasmine later married her boyfriend Charles, known to the family by his middle name, ­Christopher, and they had three sons — Philip, Matthew and, amusingly, Paul.

A photograph of Jasmine posted online by a family member shows her looking elegant in a navy blazer at a relative’s wedding, with carefully cropped blonde hair beneath a wide-brimmed hat.

The relative explained: “She is 83 now and lives quietly. She wouldn’t want it to become any more of a story than it is — she had no idea that Sir Paul liked her, but she’s happy to leave it as that.

“It’s a good story for our family.”

The album, released on May 29, returns the world’s greatest living songwriter to many of his early memories and experiences, with Sir Paul going on to explain more about his 18th solo collection.

He said: “This was a lot of memories of Liverpool for me, but also any days we’ve left behind.

“Everyone’s got them, school, old mates  . . . It has memories of John in the middle — that’s lovely to go back to. Someone asked: ‘What’s the secret code?’ I’m not telling.

“You make up a lot of stuff when you write songs.”

And that admission may chime with Jasmine’s family, who later jokingly insisted: “She never ­actually knocked on his door.”

On another track, Salesman Saint, Sir Paul turns to his parents. “I was born in 1942, in the war. I was too young to appreciate that, but my parents weren’t.

“My dad was a fireman, putting out fires from the bombs. My mum was a nurse and midwife. But they carried on, because they had to.

“Like people in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere now.”

Meanwhile, Down South, one of the album’s most nostalgic tracks, recalls a story of hitchhiking with Lennon and fellow pal and later Beatles bandmate George Harrison.

The lyrics explain: “It was a good way to get to know you before we learned Twist & Shout.”

And reminiscing about the trip, Sir Paul reveals how he and George climbed on to a milk float.

He says: “There was the driver’s seat, a battery and a passenger seat. George got the battery. His jeans had a zip on the back and it connected with the battery. Later, he showed me the big zip burn.”

The new record was unveiled in Liverpool with a series of cryptic posters around the city.

Artwork for the project was designed by Sir Paul’s nephew, Josh.

It features cameos from Ringo Starr, The Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde and Texas frontwoman Sharlene Spiteri.

And its release coincides with a series of major Beatles retrospectives — including Peter Jackson’s seminal Get Back documentary put together from restored archive footage that details the creation of their final album, Let It Be, and the band’s break-up.

But still to come is a major new dramatisation of the band’s rise to fame directed by Sam Mendes and with Paul Mescal as Macca.

The blockbuster will be released simultaneously as a quadrilogy in 2028, with each movie focused on one of the Fab Four’s formative years, charting their coming together as the world’s greatest musical group.

Filming with Mescal as Paul, Harris Dickinson as John, Barry Keoghan as Ringo and Joseph Quinn as George has already begun.

ANIMATION movie favourites Wallace and Gromit needn’t have hopped on that rocket to the moon in search of cheese.

The chocolate-box Somerset village of Cheddar is closer – and no prizes for guessing what the star of every quaint cafe’s menu might be.

In fact, Cheddar cheeese can be enjoyed in any and every way imaginable here – piled into a sandwich with chutney, blended into a savoury scone . . . or even in ice-cream form.

These cafes sit alongside cheesy souvenir shops, clothing boutiques and attractions all dedicated to the well-known dairy delight.

Luckily, Wallace and his dog Gromit have finally cottoned on.

The duo are at Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge until May 31, starring in a new illuminated trail that celebrates 50 years of their creators, animation firm Aardman.

WAIL OF A TIME

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

TEMPTED?

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

Dotted throughout the ancient, cavernous structure are sculptures of Wallace and Gromit, and franchise characters Feathers McGraw and Shaun the Sheep, for kids to gawp at, while adults can uncover facts about the gorge itself.

It’s pretty much the only local attraction that’s not dedicated solely to cheese, although if you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll still spot some of the yellow stuff (more on that below).

Labelled as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Gough’s Cave began forming over half a million years ago and shows how incredible nature can be.

Most of the stalagmites have been developing for hundreds of thousands of years and there are areas of the cave that resemble the remnants of a giant candle with a waxy exterior that has melted into a puddle on the rocky floor.

As I wandered the damp tunnels, my audio guide kicked in, like my personal geographical expert, highlighting how the minerals have transformed the colour of calcites into shades of rusty red and yellow over many years.

About a third of the way in, hidden in a cool, damp area, you’ll find huge wheels of cave cheese, placed carefully on shelving units.

Cave-ageing is one of the traditional methods for maturing cheese, in cool and dark conditions.

Although much of the UK’s Cheddar production sadly no longer occurs in these parts, you can still pick up some local stuff from the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Co, including the cave-aged Cheddar – rich and complex in flavour.

Anyone who buys a ticket to the caves can climb Jacob’s ladder, an historic set of 274 steps that leads to the peak of the gorge, with a lookout tower offering spectacular views.

The village itself is also a great place for a stroll.

Or meander past the shops, following the river and visit quaint cafes featuring walls decorated with flower-filled pots.

Cafe Gorge is one of the best spots for lunch. Its ploughman’s platters are properly hearty, with big hunks of white bread accompanied by dollops of piccalilli and generous wedges of Cheddar.

If you’re a wildlife lover, keep your eyes peeled for furry mountain goats grazing on the craggy hillside.

The whole experience is rather cheesy, but that’s what makes it so Gouda!

REMOTE, rugged, and refreshingly underrated, Montenegro doesn’t scream and shout for your attention.

Everyone goes wild for Croatia’s polished reputation when planning their summer travels, but that comes with a conveyor belt of tourists pottering through various old towns and restaurants lining the Adriatic Sea.

An understated alternative, Montenegro is every bit as beautiful, but far less busy.

Explore further and you’ll find an abundance of great food and adventure without needing to reserve any sun loungers or doing serious damage to your bank balance.

Little but lovely, this country in the Balkans is one of Europe’s most unsung, and you should go before others catch on.

On the way through various towns, you won’t find any attempts to cater for mass tourism, a testament to their “Polako, Polako” approach to life, which translates as “slowly, slowly”.

WAIL OF A TIME

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

TEMPTED?

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

Nothing reflects that more than McDonald’s attempt to crack the market in the country.

The fast-food giants opened a restaurant that was so unsuccessful they quickly closed it — the people here prefer to eat locally.

Surprisingly, while the culture and people are beautiful, warm and welcoming, they’re far from the standout feature of this stunning country.

Variety is perhaps the word that describes it better than any other.

In a matter of hours, you can go from ski slopes to beach sun lounger — and that’s without considering its stunning lakes.

Montenegro is not somewhere you go to sit still for a week, although you could. It’s somewhere you must explore.

For me, the best way to ease into the “Polako Polako” way of life was on a boat trip through Lake Skadar.

Getting there is an experience in itself. Winding along one-track roads, we arrive in the village of Rijeka Crnojevica.

Clambering aboard a local’s traditional wooden boat, we glide silently along narrow channels lined with towering reeds.

As we emerge into the open water, the lake reveals its true scale, a shimmering body of water framed by the dramatic, jagged peaks of the Albanian Alps on one side and the rolling green hills of Montenegro on the other.

Keeping our eyes peeled — it’s a sanctuary for more than 280 species of birds — we attempt to spot the rare Dalmatian pelican, known to perch on the ruins of the 19th-century Lesendro Fortress.

The rare bird evades us, although we do spot a lone heron and plenty of other birds chirp overhead.

Looking at the almost turquoise waters, you see colours you would expect in the Maldives or Australia — not somewhere less than a three-hour Jet2 flight from Stansted.

The lake tour is around two and a half hours.

For couples, it’s an easy win: Relaxed, scenic, and just enough activity to feel like you’ve done something with your day.

After the cruise, a simple lunch of freshly prepared local fish rounds things off, and every bite tastes as fresh as the water we’ve been floating through.

That sense of authenticity carries through to the food more broadly, and nowhere is that clearer than at one of the country’s traditional olive farms.

Moric Olive Farm on the Lustica Peninsula is a perfect example and the journey there takes us past wild pomegranate trees, dry stone walls and into the silver-green olive groves.

We are welcomed by Ilija Moric, whose family has tended the trees for eight generations.

His passion is obvious as he takes us through the farm’s history, showing us the contrast between the ancient stone mill where donkeys once turned the heavy wheels to the shiny, modern organic production they use today.

If Lake Skadar is about slowing down, Montenegro’s vast black mountains are where the country comes to life.

Paved roads give way to rugged tracks, and the scenery becomes more dramatic with every turn, revealing sweeping viewpoints, scattered churches perched in improbable locations, and a sense of isolation that feels both exciting and grounding.

Exploring this landscape on foot, stopping to take in the silence or to light a candle and say a prayer in a small, weathered church, adds a layer of depth to the experience.

Rarely does a destination manage to balance contrast so well, moving seamlessly between rustic and refined, active and relaxed, without ever feeling disjointed, and it’s that consistency of variety that makes Montenegro so worth visiting.

Our base was the 4H Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort, set right on the edge of the bay.

There’s an underground tunnel connecting the hotel with its private shingle beach, and the hotel itself features two pools including a vast, heated infinity pool overlooking the bay.

There’s three restaurants on site but it is just a 15-minute drive to the medieval maze of Kotor’s Old Town.

For couples searching for a summer escape that delivers on scenery, activity and atmosphere without the crowds or price tag of more established hotspots, Montenegro makes a strong case as the quieter, more affordable alternative to Croatia.

GRACEFULLY stepping on to the red-carpeted gangplank, I turn and wave to the crowd.

Well, I say crowd. It’s a coach party from Aberdeen, who, like me, have come to snoop around our late Queen’s favourite floating home.

The Royal Yacht Britannia, docked in Edinburgh’s port of Leith for the past 28 years, has been named the World’s Best Attraction at Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards 2026.

An accolade that Queen Elizabeth II would surely have approved of, in what would have been her 100th year.

It’s a 25-minute tram ride from Princes Street, where I’m staying at The Rutland Hotel — with super castle views.

The yacht features in season two of TV hit The Crown and is a huge draw for tourists.

WAIL OF A TIME

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

TEMPTED?

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

Built in 1953 in Clydebank, Glasgow, Britannia sailed more than a million nautical miles during her 44-year reign over the waves and accompanied the Royal Family on 968 state visits to 135 countries.

Her new £3million visitor centre leads with a photo-heavy exhibition about the ship’s history, including an interesting Day In The Life Of Queen Elizabeth II.

An excellent audio tour then guides me through the five decks on board.

On the bridge, I sit in the captain’s chair overlooking a rather grey Firth of Forth and imagine the sights seen from here over the years, such as the Sydney Opera House and Hong Kong skyline.

But the Queen simply adored sailing around the Hebrides on her annual royal holiday, which she described as “the one place I can truly relax”.

Walking the scrubbed teak decks, I get a glimpse of royal life on board this floating palace.

There’s Her Majesty’s office, where she would work each day, and the Sun Room — a teak-panelled lounge with bar and rum tub said to have been the Queen’s favourite spot on the ship.

It overlooks the Veranda Deck, where Prince Philip would set up his easel to paint.

I can picture myself playing quoits with Princess Anne or enjoying a Dubonnet and a game of whist with Princess Margaret.

On board, it’s like time has stood still.

Not least because every clock is set at 3.01pm, when the Queen and Prince Philip disembarked for the final time on December 11, 1997.

Echoing the plush decor found in other royal homes, the State Drawing Room is the family room. In the corner is a Welmar baby grand piano — bolted to the floor to withstand the waves — which was played over the years by guests including playwright Noel Coward and Princess Diana.

The Vestibule Deck has the State Apartments — including the somewhat modest adjoining cabins of the Queen and Prince Philip, with single beds.

Only one suite has a double bed — installed on request by Prince Charles for his first honeymoon.

Like Princess Margaret, I’m also partial to a pre-lunch sharpener.

The Royal Deck Tearoom serves her favourite Dubonnet cocktail (£16), as well as Moet by the glass or bottle (£15/£78), and a great coronation chicken sandwich (£10).

But the State Dining Room — rarely open to us commoners — is where VIP guests, such as Sir Winston Churchill, would dine with the Royal Family.

Below deck, I wind through the galley, laundry and medical room — with operating theatre — to discover how the 220-strong crew ran the ship like clockwork.

In the gift shop, you can get everything from a stuffed corgi (£25) to a Launer handbag (£2,850), a favourite of Her Maj.

As the State Apartments are not yet on Airbnb, you can enjoy a similar experience nearby at The Fingal, a former lighthouse tender turned luxury floating hotel.

REALITY star Maura Higgins has asked former Strictly Come Dancing pro Karen Hauer to help her train for the US version of the show.

The Love Islander will start filming for Dancing with the Stars in America in July.

But she has already begun training in London with Karen, 44, who was axed from the BBC1 show this year.

An insider said: “Maura is a complete novice when it comes to dancing so Karen has kindly offered to show her the ropes and teach her the basics.

“Maura is determined not to be the first voted off so is giving it her all.

“She has her sights set on becoming a huge star in America.”

READ MORE ON MAURA HIGGINS

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MAUR STYLE

Maura Higgins seen for the first time since quitting Love Island USA job

Earlier this year Maura, 35, lost out in the final of the US version of The Traitors.

We revealed this week how Maura  is walking away from Love Island USA.

She revealed that she’s ready for a fresh start after three years.

Speaking to Vulture about whether fans would see her back on screens this summer, she said: “You won’t. I’ve done it for three years, and they’ll always be family to me, but I think it’s time to try something different.

“I’ve got amazing opportunities coming in the door.

“I think it’s time to say good-bye. But you know what? I won’t say forever.”

LOVE Island stars Whitney Adebayo and Yamen Sanders have split after five months.

The pair found love in the ITV All Stars villa in South Africa in January – finishing in fifth place.

However, rumours have swirled of their break-up after the couple were navigating a long-distance relationship.

Whitney was based in the UK while American footballer Yamen was in the US.

A source told me: “Whitney and Yamen did try and put everything into their relationship.

“But it has inevitably been tough to keep up their romance long-distance.

OH MA-YA MY

Maya Jama stuns in pink PVC dress as she counts down to Love Island in video

YAS HOT

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“Whitney has been spending more time with her girls and has been leaning on them while navigating her break-up.”

Earlier this week, Whitney was spotted on TikTok with fellow Love Island star Millie Court having a girly night in.

The pair were seen in their pyjamas clinking glasses of red wine together with the audio ‘so we’re going to heal’ playing.

Sounds like Whitney has a hot girl summer pending.

PARIS Fury has revealed why Tommy Fury wasn’t at Venezuela’s wedding after his pregnant fiancée Molly-Mae Hague flew to the venue by private jet.

The proud mother-of-the-bride showered Molly, 26, with praise for going above and beyond to make it to Venezuela’s big day, while Tommy was nowhere to be seen.

Molly, who is heavily pregnant with her second child, was seen stepping onto the runway with her daughter Bambi, 3, and sister Zoe Rae.

The extravagant soiree is taking place at The Comis Hotel and Resort on the outskirts of Douglas, Isle of Man.

In awe of Molly, Paris told The Sun: “She is incredible. She is being fully supportive, and she is bringing Bambi over, so that Bambi could be a bridesmaid with the kids.

“But I have got to throw her props. She is making that journey while heavily pregnant and I wouldn’t have been able to face that while I was at her term of pregnancy.

“It’s very good,” Paris added.

Molly’s fiancé, Tommy, 27, Tyson’s younger brother, wasn’t able to join in the festivities.

Tommy, who Molly met on the reality TV hit in 2019, had to stay in Manchester for his boxing training camp.

She says: “I’m very glad that they are coming. It means a lot. It’s a big journey for anyone to come from home to here.

“It’s lovely that they are making the effort. It’s lovely that Bambi and the other little girls all get to be bridesmaids. They are all cousins and it’s sweet that they‘ll make memories together.”

Bambi is one of 13 of the child bridesmaids, including Venezuela’s little sisters Valencia, eight, and Athena, including four of Noah’s cousins, and family members, as well as five grown up bridesmaids.

Venezuela revealed: “I chose powder blue cupcake dresses for the little ones, they’re really cute, and fitted gowns for my friends.”

Paris said: “Evangeline Designs in Liverpool made the bridesmaid dresses and every day there it was like, ‘There’s a new little dress, there’s a new dress there’s a new dress, because we ended up having a few extra little bridesmaids’.

“They’re wearing flowers in their hair.”

Paris revealed: “We found £120 shoes for the little ones, and the only shoes we found in the right shade of blue for the women were stunning shoes that were £13 from Shein.”

Paris stored all the wedding party outfits in a specially allocated wedding room in the basement of their home.

Paris and Venezuela thoughtfully put together goodie bags, which included diamante Primark flip flops, matching pyjamas, a hairbrush, sweets, Doll beauty make up and a “little dolly” for each of the younger bridesmaids.

And it wasn’t just the women who dazzled on Venezuela’s big day. The men were looking just as dapper.

“The men are in black tuxedos, Tyson too and Noah is in an ivory tuxedo. Noah picked it,” Paris said.

“Collecting everything wasn’t easy. I felt like I was doing circles on ferries with carloads.”

PAIR a foodie city break in Canada’s Toronto with vineyards and lakeside luxury in Prince Edward County, says Deputy Picture Editor Antoinette Cumberbatch.

Cocooned in a blanket, I gaze at the yellow hue above the horizon and the colours sweeping across the sky, as the sun sets gloriously over the vast expanse of Lake Ontario.

From my deckchair, all I can hear are the rhythmic sounds of water hitting the pebbled shore as I sip a glass of crisp rosé. This is perfection.  

Feeling vine 

I’m exploring Canada’s Prince Edward County, a 21/2-hour drive east from Toronto, and the eclectic Drake Devonshire in the quaint town of Wellington makes for the perfect base, with its beach-house feel, glass-fronted outdoor sauna and this idyllic lakeside setting.

Airy bedrooms with quirky artwork, plus a ping-pong table and photobooth downstairs complete the vibe.

Double rooms cost from £164 per night (Thedrake.ca/drakedevonshire).  

ISLE HAVE SOME

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JET SET

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“The County”, as it’s called by Torontonians, is fast becoming known for its wineries, too.

Less than 10 minutes’ drive from my pad is Huff Estates, where the team has been perfecting its wines since 2002.

I sample a few silky blends – my fave is the Vines Unoaked Chardonnay – and learn how the region’s limestone-rich soil and cooler climate produces a unique blend. Tastings cost from £12 per person (Huffestates.com).  

Meanwhile, it’s a family affair at TerraCello Winery.

The seven-acre vineyard with Italian heritage is small compared to the others, but it makes exquisite riesling – tastings cost £11 per person – as well as delicious pizza, £10 (Terracellowinery.com).

For fans of elegant pinot noir, Closson Chase is also worth a stop, just a few minutes down the road (Clossonchase.com). 

Top of the crops 

Later that evening, I join a farm-to-table experience that’s as hands-on as it gets, with husband and wife team Luhana and Zach at Littlejohn Farm.

Cooking together in a small group, I’m tasked with rolling and filling fresh pasta for the cheese agnolotti – a skill I vow to continue back home.

But the star of the show has to be tender, home-raised lamb, which is the best I’ve ever tasted. Experiences cost from £122 per person (Littlejohnfarm.com).

I end my night at The Duchess, an elegant art-deco bar just a stroll from my hotel, with a Stay Curious cocktail – a heady blend of brandy, pineapple rum, coconut Campari, bergamot, lime and cucumber, £12 (Barduchess.com).  

Another gem is Base 31, 20 minutes’ drive away. Once a former WW2 airbase, it’s now a creative cultural hub with street food and live gigs.

I wander around the former barracks and gaze up at the restored Lancaster Bomber, before reading poignant love letters from a serviceman to his wife in its Love Notes exhibition. Entry costs £5 (Base31.ca). 

To the tower! 

The sister hotel of my lakeside stay, The Drake, puts me in the thick of Canada’s biggest city and Ontario’s capital, Toronto.

Set in one of the city’s coolest districts – Queen West – indie shops, cafes and restaurants line the pavements, alongside vibrant street art. Double rooms cost from £142 a night (Thedrake.ca/thedrakehotel). 

Of course, my first visit here wouldn’t be complete without whizzing to the top of the CN Tower.

Standing at 533m high, this former communication tower has been a staple of the skyline since 1976. Tickets to the highest platform cost £32 per person (Cntower.ca). 

But for me, Toronto is really about the food. I start at Lakeview diner, in the Dundas West neighbourhood.

You may not know the name, but it’s big-screen famous, having featured in blockbusters including Hairspray and Cocktail.

You can even sit in the booth where Tom Cruise sat, sipping its must-try apple-pie milkshake, £6.50.

Just being here feels like stepping into cinematic history, with autographs scrawled above the bar by actors who have filmed here (Thelakeviewrestaurant.ca).  

Elsewhere, St Lawrence Market, set up in 1814, proves perfect for a crash course in Canadian flavours.

I can’t resist picking up a raspberry-shaped pastry filled with raspberry whipped cream, £2.45, from Future Bakery, and I try the legendary peameal bacon sandwich in its salty, buttery roll from Carousel Bakery, £4.50 (Stlawrencemarket.com).  

Maple matters 

Close to St Lawrence’s, the historic Distillery District oozes character with its industrial red-brick buildings and cobbled streets.

I grab a delicious signature maple latte, £3.25, at Balzac’s (Balzacs.com), before heading to Mexican El Catrin Destileria for lunch.

Guacamole is crushed tableside for the nachos, £11.30, and I devour the fish tacos, £15.50, in seconds.

With tequila flavours including hibiscus and lime, tamarind and pineapple, I opt for a flight of mini margaritas to remove any decision-making, £27 for four (Elcatrin.ca). 

Craving some retail therapy, the next day I head to Ossington Avenue, a 10-minute stroll from The Drake.

Here, I find LoversLand, a stylish concept store selling cute trinkets and excellent socks (Loversland.com), retro fashion heaven Uncle Studios (Unclexstudios.com), and Rotate This, a record shop stacked with nostalgic vinyl (Rotatethis.com). 

The final evening of my trip comes around all too soon, and to mark the occasion I book a table at the achingly-cool Prime Seafood Palace, which is high-end – the chef’s menu will set you back £133 – but without any of the pretentiousness.

The tuna tartare and prime rib are flawless, but it’s the key-lime pie and maple tart that really steal the show for me (Primeseafood palace.ca).  

It makes for a pairing as perfect as Canada’s unofficial capital and the rural haven of Prince Edward County. 

WE were tucking into mouth-watering Mickey waffles soaked in syrup when in popped the Mouse himself.

It was just after 8am and our amazing Walt Disney World adventure had kicked off with a bang — plus a load of bangers and bacon.

The delicious food at Tusker House restaurant in the Animal Kingdom was as plentiful as the special guests.

Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy waltzed in, too, and there was just no containing the grandkids’ excitement.

Nine-year-old Albie’s impersonation of Mickey had the mouse in stitches and there were hugs from Mila, seven, and Lois, four.

The scrumptious character breakfast buffet isn’t cheap, at around £45 an adult and £25 a child.

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NORTH STAR

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But, as in all the snack bars and restaurants in Orlando’s four Disney parks, the quality of food is excellent and there’s always plenty of it.

One way of saving cash is the Disney Dining Plan, just launched again for next year and even free on selected holidays.

Depending on the package, each day you get the choice of quick- service or table-service meals and snacks from 170 locations.

If staying at a Disney hotel for a week, the plan saves families hundreds of pounds.

A Disney experience is as much about the great food and drink options as it is the rides.

Themed restaurants are hugely popular, so we made bookings on the Disney app as soon as reservations opened — 60 days before arrival.

Our choices, with kids’ menus and main courses between £12 and £26, turned out winners.

Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Skipper Canteen, for a touch of African and Asian flavours, and The Plaza for club sandwiches and milkshakes.

At the Fifties-style Sci Fi Dine-In Theater, in Hollywood Studios, we sat in retro cars to eat burgers and fries while watching old movie clips.

And our favourite, at Epcot, was Teppan Edo, where the Japanese chefs juggle cooking utensils as they chop and stir-fry dishes at your table.

Our party of five adults and three kids also did a lot of snacking — extra-large iced doughnuts for less than a fiver, chocolate-chip cookies, Mickey’s ice-cream bars and multi-coloured iced drinks.

But, in our defence, we were often in the parks from dawn until dusk and even later when we saw spectacular night shows.

I reckon Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios is one of the most thrilling ever.

Its half an hour of pure magic ­— lights dancing on the water, fireworks flying from Mickey’s hands, lasers and all your favourite characters setting sailing on boats around the lagoon.

Magic Kingdom’s parade and the Happily Ever After fireworks spectacular at Cinderella Castle are a must-see, but then every Disney show is a treat.

You name it, we saw it — including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, the hilarious ­Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Finding Nemo and the new ­Villains: Unfairly Ever After.

Like we did, use them for a breather, and certainly after a meal, before going back to the thrills and spills of some of the best rides in Orlando.

We hurtled up and down on the Tower of Terror and sped around a track on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Expedition ­Everest.

We spun 360 degrees, too, on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind — the first ever reverse launch on a Disney coaster — and were whisked through the universe on Avatar Flight of ­Passage and Soarin’.

The imagination, hi-tech design and special effects are simply breath-taking.

“Wow!” is the only word when you come face to face with legions of stormtroopers in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — or witness the sheer genius of being shrunk down to the size of a rat on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

We blasted our way around Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, just re-opened with new interactive targets, and got very wet on the Kali River Rapids.

Slow the pace by hopping on a Kilimanjaro Safari truck, to see 34 species of African wildlife in their natural habitat, and take a boat to Elsa’s ice palace in wonderful Frozen Ever After.

Disney has hotels with pools and entertainment to suit all budgets — and these include the fabulous Animal Kingdom Lodge, where animals roam free on the ­savannah.

Of course, we ate there — at The Mara where we had a grab-and-go breakfast before catching the free shuttle for early entry into the parks, and at Boma for a buffet dinner.

Oh, there was one more treat — Mickey biscuits filled with oozing, toasted marshmallows — around the firepit. Yum! It just had to be done.

WANDERING through the garden of Wastwater Cottage, the only sounds I hear are birdsong, the occasional bleat from a Herdwick lamb and the brook at the end of the garden.

The 15th-century four-bedroom farmhouse is the perfect pick for an off-grid break in the British countryside.

My partner Owain and I had initially come to the Lake District with the ambitious plan of tackling some of the biggest mountains in the national park.

But upon arriving in the Cumbrian village of Boot, we were immediately sidetracked.

On our doorstep were two fantastic pubs — The Boot and Brook House — as well as a gift shop and the oldest working water mill in the UK.

Our accommodation was via Bridge End Farm Cottages, which has several luxury self-catering homes in the Eskdale Valley — one of the UK’s best Dark Sky spots.

HOL NO!

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Our cottage featured rear doors on to a garden, which meant twinkling stars could be easily admired at night.

And each morning we would tuck into breakfast croissants outside as we watched birds of prey hunting on the mountain in front of us.

Inside were stacks of boardgames, as well as Sky TV and a grand piano.

But the highlight of the property was undoubtedly its location.

From our doorstep, we could embark on dozens of walks over the Western Fells.

These include one from spectacular Wastwater lake, the deepest in England, to Stanley Ghyll waterfall — or another up England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike.

We started our weekend by following the brook down to the River Esk, walking through luscious green forests that are home to native red squirrels.

Children will be sure to love the stepping stones across to the opposite bank.

Of a warm summer’s day, there are also dozens of natural swimming pools to cool off in after a day exploring.

If you head in the opposite direction from the cottage, you can take a footpath up to the ancient White Moss stone circle and enjoy spectacular views of Scafell Pike — without the challenging four-hour hike up to its summit.

En route, we passed hundreds of the Herdwick sheep that live on the mountains year-round.

It turns out this hardy breed was saved from decline by Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter, who bred her own flocks in the area.

From here we made a descent into Eskdale, which is a slightly larger village about three miles from Boot.

The village is home to a fantastic — and unexpected — Japanese garden, adorned with maple trees and exotic plants.

An ornate footbridge over a pond is the centrepiece, and despite being on the steep side, the walk around takes only 15 minutes.

With slightly sore legs, we decided to take the vintage steam train from Eskdale back to Boot and our holiday home.

The Eskdale-to-Ravenglass railway was built in 1873 to transport iron ore mined in the valley to the coastline, but nowadays the trains run daily as an attraction, with afternoon tea available to pre-book.

In a charming tradition, passengers must flag down the driver to board, which really adds to the fun.

If you do want to travel somewhere that’s not reachable on foot, car is by far the easiest method of transport. We used Turo (think Airbnb for cars) to rent a vehicle at a much lower cost than a mainstream service.

Driving around, you’ll likely see some pretty cool spots.

Our route took us via the UK’s steepest road, Hardknott Pass — and about halfway up we came across a fabulous 2nd-century Roman fort.

It was well worth getting out to explore, as its walls are the best preserved of any ancient fort in Britain — and free to admire.

For nature lovers, the wonderful Lake District Wildlife Park, just over an hour away from the cottage by car, is home to more than 100 species of birds and mammals, both native and exotic.

Grizedale Forest is definitely one for the kids, featuring a Gruffalo orienteering trail, plus a Go Ape high-ropes centre and the Grizedale Observatory.

There are also boat trips across Windermere, which run every day from Ambleside.

The latter is close to the Beatrix Potter Museum and boasts dozens of boutique shops and cafes.

One of the beauties of staying in the Eskdale Valley is you can tick off all these main attractions but still stay away from the crowds.

As one local whispered to us about the valley’s beauty and tranquillity: “Don’t tell anyone about it.”

I hope she’ll forgive me before I return.

“WE have a saying in Catalan,” my guide Rosa tells me, looking up at the towering structure and surrounding cranes looming over us. 

While Brits may grumble that something is “taking for ever”, the people of Catalan prefer to say: “This is taking longer than the building of the Sagrada Familia.”

It’s a valid joke. 

Barcelona’s most famous church has been under construction for 144 years, and five generations have watched legendary architect Antoni Gaudi’s vision slowly come to life.

But at last, the Sagrada Familia has reached the final stages of completion. And I couldn’t wait to check it out.

There’s never been a better time to visit the Spanish city of Barcelona. Crowned the World Capital of Architecture 2026, it is currently marking the centenary of Gaudi’s death with a year-long calendar of concerts, exhibitions and events. 

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I was visiting with Tui, which made my action-packed break super-smooth thanks to a host of easily-bookable excursions via its Tui Musement site.

Of course, it includes a Sagradia Familia tour with a specialist guide and access to the tower.

Guides really know their stuff, too. Rosa tells me, with its latest tower finally in place, the Sagrada Familia now stands at 172.5m, making it officially the tallest church in the world. 

While the landmark is technically close to structural completion, that doesn’t necessarily mean we are much closer to seeing a “finished” version without any scaffolding.  

In fact, the Sagrada Familia is far more likely to remain a perpetual work-in-progress with older, more weathered parts of the building undergoing continuous restoration.

Nonetheless, it will still take your breath away. Each side of the church tells hundreds of stories through carved figures and symbols. Look closely and you’ll see more than just saints — Gaudi used local labourers, their children and even himself as models, immortalising the people who built the church into its walls.

If you don’t fancy the crowds of the Sagrada, there are plenty of other architectural delights to admire elsewhere in the city.

Gaudi fans will find 12 more of his designs here, including Casa Batllo.

This building was designed in 1904 and sits on the Passeig de Gracia, or as I like to call it, Sweets Street (the house is now owned by the founder of Chupa Chups lollies, plus Casa Amatller next door has housed three generations of chocolate-makers).

Inside, Casa Batllo feels like a Willy Wonka dream. Gaudi took inspiration from nature, which can be seen in the spirals and rounded wooden doors that make walking the hallways feel like a fairytale.

My ­personal highlight was the ­mushroom-shaped fireplace. 

An eight-minute walk from here is the equally unmissable Casa Mila.  

And away from impressive buildings, there’s plenty of shopping. Just avoid the touristy streets of Las Ramblas and instead head to La Boqueria, a must-visit market. It’s still popular, but no tourist trap. The recommendation came from Rosa, who explained that if she’s cooking for guests, she shops there. 

Across the road you’ll find the much quieter Placa del Pi, a peaceful square with a smaller artisan market. 

From here, wander down Calle­Petritxol, home to the oldest art gallery in Spain, Sala Pares, which held Picasso’s first exhibition. 

If you’ve been inspired by all the stunning artistry, an espadrilles- making class (£88pp with Tui Musement) might appeal.  

You’ll learn about the shoe’s beginnings as farm-workers’ footwear, before it was brought into fashion by Salvador Dali.  

You’ll pick your ribbons, enjoy a glass of cava and get to work on making a pair for your next holiday. 

On my final day, I had booked onto a full-day e-bike, winery and boat tour (£122pp).

I cycled along the coast to the charming village of Alella to enjoy a tasting at a family-owned vineyard, before ending the afternoon with a yacht tour, where I could admire even more of Gaudi’s modernist cityscape from the sea. 

Staring out towards the glorious shoreline, I can easily see where he drew inspiration — and just why he loved this city. 

POP star Sabrina Carpenter pips it in the fashion stakes in a lemon yellow frock.

The Espresso singer, 27, donned a transparent Dior gown which showed off her white underwear.

And she clutched a ­yellow Dior handbag as the French fashion house showcased its new collection in Los Angeles.

Carpenter had also worn a Dior dress at the annual New York Met Gala, which paid homage to Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 film Sabrina.

She was joined at the Dior show by The Queen’s Gambit actress Anya Taylor-Joy, 30, who was in a black cut-out frock.

This comes off the back of Sabrina’s sensational headline concerts at Coachella last month.

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The singer delivered a set dubbed “Sabrinawood” with a Hollywood-themed set across two weekends on April 10 and 17.

Her shows featured some very iconic cameos from the likes of Madonna, Susan Sarandon, Will Ferrell, and Sam Elliott.

The setlist highlighted her most recent album Man’s Best Friend.

But it also included some of her biggest hits like Espresso and Feather.

IN the weeks before we lost The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson on June 11 last year, he had two special visitors. 

They were the group’s surviving founder members, his first cousin Mike Love, and his best friend from college, Al Jardine. 

It was their chance to say goodbye to the man who, above anyone, brought “good vibrations” to the world and created their 1966 magnum opus Pet Sounds. 

First to venture up the drive at Brian’s Beverly Hills mansion for one last time was Jardine.  

“I last saw him at the very end,” he says. “I came up to the house and he just pointed at me. 

“He said, ‘You started the band’, and I went, ‘Wait, come on, Brian, I’m sure you had a little something to do with it!’ 

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“He was very direct at times — he could be very unfiltered — but I think our friendship meant a lot to him. 

“He was always my best friend, right from when we started out.” 

Despite Brian’s well-documented struggles with mental health, Jardine insists that his old buddy never lost his passion for music. 

“His reputation remains solid,” he adds, before supplying an answer to his own question: “What’s the term? Legend.  

“His work will be appreciated for centuries to come. He had his own style. Just listen to his arrangements and his chord changes — they’re just so unusual.  

“His brother Dennis actually said it first, ‘Brian is The Beach Boys’. He created our sound and, as Mike Love would say, he heard things we couldn’t hear.” 

Of his last visit to Brian, Love says: “A couple of weeks before he passed away, I was able to go and see him. 

“We had a great time. We sang together, actually, which was a lot of fun.” 

Love leads the latest incarnation of The Beach Boys, keeping their songs alive in concert, including Pet Sounds classics God Only Knows, Wouldn’t It Be Nice and Sloop John B.  

“Brian’s still with us every night in that music,” he affirms 

If Brian, younger brothers Carl and Dennis, Mike and Al started out by singing about surfing, girls and open-top cars in the California sun, it was the elder Wilson sibling who took things to the next level with Pet Sounds. 

A themed song cycle employing pioneering production techniques, sublime harmonies, divine melodies and darker, soul-searching lyrics, it is regarded as Brian’s masterpiece.

He had been impressed with The Beatles’ sonic adventures on Rubber Soul — now he was pushing The Beach Boys to raise the bar higher, in turn inspiring their chart rivals to make Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. 

Paul McCartney maintains that God Only Knows is his favourite song and that Pet Sounds is among his top three albums.  

He once enthused: “The musical invention on that is, like, ‘Wow!’  

“I just thought, ‘Oh dear me, this is THE album of all time, what the hell are we gonna do?’” 

To mark its 60th anniversary, The Pet Sounds Sessions — including demos, alternate takes and outtakes — are receiving digital, CD and vinyl editions. They feature a host of a cappella tracks shining the spotlight on the breathtaking harmonies.  

Which is why I’m speaking to Brian’s bandmates via video calls that seem entirely appropriate for singers who epitomise California’s sunny beach vibes.  

As we’re connected, Love, 85, reports that he’s “driving down the Pacific Coast Highway outside of Malibu”. 

In a separate call, Jardine, 83, is sitting in his solarium under clear blue skies in Monterey, gateway to the rugged Big Sur coastal region. 

First, Love gives me insights into his Beach Boys journey, leading up to the groundbreaking Pet Sounds.  

His mother Glee was the sister of Murry Wilson, father of Brian, Carl and Dennis, “so every holiday — Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Fourth of July — and birthday was celebrated with music. 

“When Brian and I were teens, we’d get together and sing or listen to the radio, hearing groups like The Everly Brothers.” 

When they formed The Beach Boys, the clean-cut image involving surfing, sun and girls was, he says, “environmental because we lived a few miles from the sea”. 

Love continues: “We would often go to the beach for family outings. There, you’d find people who dressed a certain way, talked a certain way and had a certain attitude.  

“They were the surfers who inspired our first song, Surfin’ [released in 1961].” 

As to whether The Beach Boys joined the craze, he adds: “Dennis, Al and I had surfboards but we weren’t the greatest athletes. We appreciated it though, and we gave it a shot. 

“I’m not sure Brian ever tried it. He could only hear out of one ear and didn’t have much balance. You need all the balance you can get when you’re surfing.” 

Love recalls how he would “sit down at the piano with Brian while he figured out chord progressions, tempos and melodies.  

“I felt it was up to me to come up with lyrics and sing lead on songs we were working on together such as Surfin’ USA, I Get Around and Fun Fun Fun.” 

Jardine, who currently fronts The Pet Sounds Band of ace Brian Wilson associates, also casts his mind back to the early days but is interrupted by “actual pet sounds”. 

“Hang on a second, we have a little dog outside and he’s barking — I gotta shut him up,” he reports.  

When calm returns, I ask Jardine how he came to form a band with three brothers and their cousin in 1961.  

He answers: “Well, Brian and I were classmates in high school but didn’t really know each other. 

“We were on the football team — he was quarterback and I was full back. He would call the plays, either pitching the ball to me or somebody else. 

“But we didn’t interact until we went to college. I’d heard him in concert and, in our second year, I bumped into him on campus and said, ‘We gotta start a band’.  

“We walked over to the music room and started playing music for each other.  

“I’d already been in a folk group and, when he heard me sing, he realised I had a gift. 

“Then he said, ‘I’ve got my little brothers and my cousin, Mike. I’ll introduce you to them. I rented instruments from a local music store but we didn’t know how to express ourselves at first, so we just sang a cappella. 

“Once we finally got around the piano, we were off and running. 

“I soon realised that Brian was a fine-tuned instrument. He had a great voice, a great knack for composition and already had a duet thing going on with Mike.” 

As for the surfer image, Jardine credits Dennis Wilson, the family rebel who played the drums. He says: “Dennis was a surfer and the rest of us were land lovers. He taught me how to surf but I sank like a stone. 

“But surfing was the craze so we put lyrics to our first song and called it Surfin’.” 

In 1964, Brian dropped the bombshell that he was stepping back from touring to concentrate on studio work.  

Love provides this insight into his cousin’s state of mind: “Brian wasn’t comfortable on the road — he got nervous and unhappy. He missed home and he missed the studio. 

“It was a drag to see him leave the live group but it was in his best interests.” 

Afforded fewer distractions, Brian applied himself to Pet Sounds and, in tandem with it, the sophisticated sonic miracle Good Vibrations — a standalone hit deemed not a good fit for the album. 

This period coincided with his experiments with LSD and marijuana.  

He once stated that drugs helped him achieve a deeper level of creativity but later expressed regrets over the damage to his mental health. 

Because of the complexity, Brian needed longer than usual to finish Pet Sounds so The Beach Boys released a stopgap party album, yielding one of their biggest hits, Barbara Ann. 

Then, after a tour of Japan in January 1966, with Bruce Johnston taking Brian’s place, Carl, Dennis, Mike, Al and Bruce returned for the momentous sessions.  

In their absence, Brian had employed lyricist Tony Asher and crack session musicians the Wrecking Crew, including, among many, Glen Campbell on guitar and banjo. 

Love says: “The tracks Brian had done were completely amazing. Our main job was to finish them vocally and we worked very hard.” 

One of the songs was God Only Knows, which he says was “sung so beautifully by my cousin Carl”. 

“We lost him many years ago to lung cancer. For concerts these days, my son Christian sings lead.” 

So what was Carl like? “He was our musical director on stage and the most proficient musician in the group,” replies Love. 

Jardine adds: “Carl could knock it out of the park. He was right in the centre of our harmonies with Mike’s baritone below and me higher, with Brian higher still.” 

And what about Dennis, who had a wild reputation and later befriended cult leader and killer Charles Manson? 

Love says: “He lived a dangerous life because of the alcohol and drugs he got involved with. He died [from drowning] in 1983.” 

Jardine adds: “Dennis was our Keith Moon. Oh boy, all he had to do was just stand up on stage and the crowd would go nuts.” 

It was self-confessed folkie Jardine who brought Bahamian sea shanty Sloop John B to Brian. He says: “I was a Kingston Trio fan. They were big Capitol Records guys, same label as us, and they wore striped shirts.  

“Learning all their songs was my musical training. When the time came to start The Beach Boys, I went out and bought striped shirts for us. 

“Sloop John B was my idea. I said, ‘Brian, if we add one major and one minor chord, it’ll sound like us instead of The Kingston Trio’. 

“He put it to good use. It became Pet Sounds’ lead single. Capitol always wanted a hit to sell an album.” 

Recalling the sessions, Jardine says that Brian’s abilities had been “growing exponentially” while they’d been away. 

“In spite of our jet lag, we were in the studio the day after we got home from Japan. We were extremely impressed with Brian’s arrangements. 

“People forget that he was a masterful producer. He knew the language. He could go into a studio and the studio became an instrument for him.” 

That said, it wasn’t all plain sailing, as Jardine explains: “Mike didn’t like the lyrics on some songs so he insisted on changing a couple around.  

“He thought a song called Hang On To Your Ego was too sophisticated for our crowd so he changed it to I Know There’s An Answer.” 

The story of Pet Sounds wouldn’t be complete without mention of the album title and cover shot of the boys among the goats at San Diego Zoo. Love says: “Brian didn’t know what to call the album.

“At the end [of final track Caroline, No], you hear a train going by and dogs are barking.  

“Those were Brian and [first wife] Marilyn’s dogs. So I said, ‘Why don’t we call it Pet Sounds? It was a double entendre, of course — and it stuck.” 

Jardine picks up the story of the photo shoot: “It was a total mystery to me.  

“We had to drive to San Diego, which was 200 miles away. We had our own zoo in Los Angeles, for God’s sake!” 

The resulting album cover has a quaint charm but it’s not exactly up there with Sgt Pepper’s iconic Peter Blake design. 

Love smiles at the memory and says: “I was in India at the Maharishi’s place when Paul McCartney and I had a conversation one night. 

“He was saying, ‘Mike, you ought to take more care with your album covers’. 

“So I told him, ‘Paul, you’re absolutely right.

We should’. 

“But we always felt that what went into the sleeve was more important than the cover itself.” 

And speaking of goats, to many including Macca, Pet Sounds is the GOAT. 

THE BEACH BOYS 

The Pet Sounds Session Highlights 

★★★★★

HOLLYWOOD star Demi Moore showcases her chic side at the Cannes Film Festival.

The US actress, 63, wore a strapless, violet gown for a screening of French romantic comedy La Vie D’Une Femme.

She was joined on the red carpet by stars including Gillian Anderson and Ruth Negga.

Demi was last at Cannes in 2024, promoting her film The Substance, which won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

Just months ago, Demi capped off a stellar career comeback by being named Glamour’s Woman of the Year.

She was interviewed by her Substance co-star Margaret Qualley for the mag and said: “With everything I’ve been through, which has been a lot, I wouldn’t trade where I am today.”

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She added a difference with her younger self is the “freedom to know I don’t have to have the answer, and life is not going to be completely stolen from me if I somehow don’t know”.

During Demi’s emotional Golden Globes acceptance speech last year, she spoke of having been at a “low point” and not thinking she was “enough”.

The actress has battled countless traumas and rejections during her life – including her biological dad leaving before she was born, saving her drug addicted mum from suicide, two spells in rehab and being raped aged 15. 

The star of Ghost, Indecent Proposal and A Few Good Men’s return to form in the satirical horror movie The Substance is one of the greatest Hollywood comebacks of all time.

BARBIE actress Margot Robbie stands and delivers in a dandy highwayman outfit.

The Aussie, 35, wore a black tailcoat jacket with gold embroidery — like 1980s singer Adam Ant.

She was attending the London West End premiere of the play 1536 — a drama about three Essex women set in Tudor England during Anne Boleyn’s downfall.

Margot, a producer on the play, said at The Ambassadors Theatre: “The conversations these women have are the same ones that women now are having.”

Earlier this year we revealed how Margot was named the world’s most beautiful woman.

The Aussie beat fellow actress Scarlett Johannson to the honour in the poll organised by website Ranker.

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There were more than seven million votes cast in total.

But the married mum-of-one has not always been convinced about her looks.

She once said: “In my big group of girlfriends at home, I am definitely not the best looking.

“I did not grow up feeling like I was particularly attractive.”