The Sun Newspaper

KING Charles had a letter hand-delivered to the Osbourne family after heavy metal legend Ozzy’s death.

Widow Sharon revealed she was left touched after the “amazing” monarch wrote to them.

Speaking on The Osbournes podcast with her children, 73-year-old Sharon said: “If he did it for us, you know he does it for many, many, many people.

“Now here’s a man that does know what’s going on in the street with people. Not just politics, not just . . . here’s a man that cares about the environment, animals. He’s got a good heart.

“In the past — Ozzy’s birthday, when Ozzy was sick in hospital with the motorbike accident, he reached out.

“He’s a good, caring man with a good heart, and Ozzy’s, as me, we’re royalists and that’s it.

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“And again, took the time out of his day to write us, have it hand-delivered to us, a note from the King for Ozzy’s passing with his condolences, that says so much.”

Sharon also revealed that she had received a message from US President Donald Trump, adding: “He knows what’s going on in the streets . . . and I can’t say that for our Prime Minister.”

Black Sabbath star Ozzy died of a heart attack on July 22 at the age of 76. A week later, thousands of fans joined a huge parade in tribute to the Prince of Darkness in his home town Birmingham.

Sharon joined mourners along with kids Aimée, Kelly and Jack. They had a private funeral the following day.

Kelly, 41, said she had not seen “an outpouring like that since Princess Diana died”, adding: “It wasn’t just the heavy metal community. It was the entire world.”

KIM Kardashian refuses to throw in the book as she returns to studying, after fuming that psychics incorrectly predicted she would pass her exam to qualify as a lawyer.

The billionaire entrepreneur and reality star, 45, posing in a bikini while revising with a textbook, failed her California bar exam after six years of studying.

In a TikTok video, she ranted to her famous family that their clairvoyants were “liars.”

She said: “I’m just letting you guys know that all of the f***ing psychics that we have met with, and that we’re obsessed with, are all f***ing full of s**t.

“They all collectively, maybe four of them, have told me I was going to pass the bar so they’re all full pathological liars. Don’t believe anything they say.”

It comes after her Disney+ drama All’s Fair, about a group of female lawyers, was critically panned and received a four percent rating on review-aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.

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However, The U.S. Sun revealed how this took a drastic turn late Tuesday night heading into Wednesday, when reviews labeling the show the “worst of all time” began going viral.

“The show had a disappointing opening in the first 24 hours. 

“It wasn’t getting as much attention leading up because the media review embargoes weren’t allowed to go up until after the show had already dropped,” the source explained. 

“So all the 0% reviews came out at once, after the episode was already out, and helped draw droves of attention to it. 

“The reaction to all the bad reviews was the best thing that could’ve happened to the show. It basically, right away, doubled overall episode engagement. 

“Including viewership but also the amount of online mentions and social media activity.”

The insider added that producers are taking the critique well, as they know the show is meant to be “campy and fun” and is “not meant to be serious.” 

“No one likes their work being dunked on, but the show welcomes the chatter because it’s driving interest and the viewership is benefiting exponentially,” they added. 

Kim stars on the legal drama as a divorce attorney at an all-female law firm.

In addition to The Kardashians star, the series also includes Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash, Sarah Paulson, and Glenn Close.

DUA Lipa helped music boost the UK economy to the tune of £8billion last year. 

The singer — whose hits include New Rules and Levitating — was one of the industry’s biggest money-makers as its contribution to the country’s coffers leapt by five per cent. 

She saw album Radical Optimism debut at No1 in the charts, while dates in Singapore, Japan and Malaysia took export revenues to a new high of £4.8billion. 

Tours from Taylor Swift, Liam Gallagher, Take That and Bruce Springsteen also drove the figures, along with Charli XCX’s global success with album Brat. 

Of the £8billion total — up from £7.6billion in 2023 — £1.49billion came from physical sales, downloads and streaming.  

A record £1.02billion was paid out in songwriting royalties while merchandise sales rose too.  

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The findings are in UK Music’s annual economic report This Is Music 2025.  

It said the industry employs 220,000 people here, but warned growth was slowing down after taking off immediately after the pandemic. 

UK Music’s Chief Executive Tom Kiehl welcomed the figures but issued warning signs amid the challenges faced by the sector. 

He said:  “In recent years UK Music has reported that the music industry has enjoyed double-digit annual growth. 

“That growth has now halved indicates a levelling off of the immediate post-pandemic boost that we experienced, as well as other underlying issues set out in this report.  

“This points to the need for urgent action. If problems are not addressed then future growth cannot be guaranteed.” 

Dua, 30, is in Argentina on tour.  

She shared a snap of her with sister Rina at River Plate’s match against rivals Boco Juniors after two gigs at the Buenos Aires stadium.   

DESPITE claims Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater had called it quits after two years, I can confirm they are very much still together.

But the speculation surrounding their relationship is taking its toll.

Insiders have told me the pair were aware of the talk around their romance and spent the night after the Wicked: For Good premiere in London holed up in her suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

A source said: “Ariana and Ethan are still a couple but they’ve seen the chatter online and it’s not been easy.

“They were both at the ­Leicester Square premiere and the ­after-party at Brasserie Zedel but made sure they weren’t seen together.

“Obviously it fuels the ­speculation around them but they don’t want their relationship to play out in public.

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“When Ariana left the after-party, she went back to her hotel suite.

“Not long after, Ethan was taken there and went up to see Ariana to spend time with her.

“They are aware of what is being said and it’s not easy for them but they’re doing the best they can to snatch some quiet moments when no one is watching.”

Yesterday they rejoined the rest of the cast, including Cynthia Erivo, to fly to Singapore for the next leg of the promo run ahead of the second movie’s release next Friday.

It has been a couple of months since speculation about their relationship went into overdrive, with fans questioning why Ethan didn’t join Ariana at the MTV VMAs in New York in September.

The pair, who met on the set of Wicked in 2022, have also not been ­photographed together since before the summer, leading to an explosion of rumours on social media.

My insider added: “Once this next round of promo is completed for Wicked: For Good, Ariana and Ethan will be spending some time together out of the public eye.

“They’ve always preferred to be low-key and are happier just chilling at home together.

“No one is saying the past few months have been totally rosy but their relationship is still very much on.”

Hopefully this will shut down the TikTok trolls for a while.

Jacob Elordi – the star of ­Saltburn and Frankenstein – will next year star in a Wuthering Heights remake opposite Margot Robbie.

But the Australian actor admits his own film tastes are much simpler.

He told French website brut.media: “I watch a lot of Scooby Doo.

“I love the Scooby Doo movie Spooky Island so much.

“It’s a great film – a great whodunnit.”

Bonehead teases Oasis tour return

Oasis guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs is back with the band and raring to go.

I’m thrilled he is returning to the reunion tour after he dropped out of the global jaunt to undergo cancer treatment.

He will be on stage in Buenos Aires this Saturday, having missed the legs in Asia and ­Australia.

He had to step away from the gigs last month for prostate cancer treatment.

Bonehead was diagnosed with the disease before the tour kicked off in July and was “responding well” to treatment.

He then took a planned break for the next phase of his care.

Teasing his return, he tweeted an image of a flight path from London to Rio de Janeiro with the caption, “Incoming”, which was then reposted on Oasis’s official website.

The band have pulled off the seemingly impossible by making it through the tour without a mammoth bust-up between Liam and Noel Gallagher.

With that success, I’m sure these final five shows in Argentina, Chile and Brazil won’t be the last we hear from them.

You too can now look like Shakira – well, get locks like her anyway – as she has launched her award-winning haircare brand Isima in the UK.

It has been made available for the first time in Selfridges stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester after winning a string of awards in the States.

Kelly blasts boss’s boob

Kelly Clarkson has revealed she was once told to get a boob job by her manager.

Speaking on stage during her Las Vegas residency, the US singer said: “I had some d**k manager one time tell me to get a boob job. I was like, ‘Why don’t you get a d**k job?’

“Like, what? I’m fine with my itty-bitty t*tties. Get out of here. Who says that s**t? People say that s**t.

“They say it all the time to people in the industry. They say the craziest s**t.”

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On how many stars in the music business have had cosmetic surgery, Kelly continued: “I’m like, ‘This is not normal. You’ve normalised crazy’ . . . everybody’s out here looking like they’re in The Capitol in The Hunger Games.

“[Just] do you. Don’t make me do you. I like my itty-bitty t*tties. They’ve served me well.”

TODAY is Armistice Day, which marks the signing of the agreement to end the fighting of World War One. It came into force at 11am on November 11, 1918. 

Along with Remembrance Sunday, the day honours those who have died in conflicts, with the nation falling silent at 11am. 

This weekend the King led commemorations at the Cenotaph in tribute to the servicemen and women who defended our shores. 

But there are plenty of other ways to learn more about our wartime history on the home front. Lisa Minot highlights some amazing places to visit. 

REMEMBRANCE & COMMAND 

ALL eyes were on the capital on Remembrance Sunday as the Cenotaph parade saw more than 10,000 veterans march past. 

But you can pay tribute to the fallen year-round at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.  

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Set in 150 acres of woodland, there are more than 400 memorials honouring those killed on duty or by terrorism since World War Two. Entry is free. See thenma.org.uk.

A visit to the Imperial War Museum’s Churchill War Rooms is a chilling yet powerful experience. 

Hidden beneath Westminster, the underground bunker was where the Prime Minister and his government directed the war effort. The Map Room is exactly as it was in 1945.  

Tickets are best booked in advance and cost from £33 per adult and £16.50 for children five to 15. See iwm.org.uk.

Also not to be missed is HMS Belfast, now moored on the Thames near London Bridge.  

Explore the nine decks of the ship that fired some of the first shots on D-Day, supporting the landings at Gold and Juno beaches in Normandy.

Tickets cost from £29 for adults and £14.50 for children, including a donation. See iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast. 

THE SECRET WAR 

AWAY from the traditional battlefield, explore the impact World War Two had on the homefront and the secret work of those who changed the conflict’s course. 

Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes, Bucks, was where Alan Turing, inset, and his team of codebreakers cracked the Enigma and Lorenz ciphers.  

Tour the historic country house and the rambling huts and discover the achievements of these brilliant minds through immersive films, interactive displays and faithfully recreated rooms.

Tickets cost from £28 for adults and £19.50 for children age 12 to 17. Under-12s go free. See bletchleypark.org.uk.  

The Blitz brought the war to the lives of civilians living in our biggest cities.

Tour the eerie ruins of Coventry Cathedral, destroyed by Nazi bombs.

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the devastating night that left the city in rubble.  

Visit the modern cathedral built in its place.

Entry is free but there is a £5 fee to climb the gothic tower. See coventrycathedral.org.uk. 

DEFENDING OUR ISLANDS 

THE south coast of Britain was the UK’s front line in World War Two and the staging ground in 1944 for the liberation of Europe. 

Medieval Dover Castle sits above a network of secret wartime tunnels where the 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk was masterminded and later served as a command centre and hospital.

You can join a guided tour of the tunnels before exploring the castle’s rooms and grounds. 

Book castle tickets online in advance and save 15 per cent – from £27.20 for adults and £17.20 for children. 

There’s also a Dover Bunker escape room that can be booked separately with prices from £30. See english-heritage.org.uk. 

The D-Day Story in Portsmouth is the only museum in the UK dedicated to the Normandy landings.

The city was the main embarkation point and the attraction tells the story through personal accounts of those who were there.

It also features the incredible 83-metre Overlord Embroidery and a restored Landing Craft Tank. 

Book online for savings, with tickets from £15.95 per adult and £8 per child. See theddaystory.com. 

BATTLE BY SEA AND AIR 

LEARN the critical role played by the Royal Air Force at IWM Duxford, Cambs – the former RAF base is now Britain’s largest aviation museum. 

Its hangars and airfield played a key role in the Battle of Britain, and the base now houses a vast collection of aircraft, from Spitfires to Lancaster bombers, and tells the story of those who flew them.  

Tickets cost from £26.80 for adults and £13.40 for children aged five to 15. See iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford. 

In Lincoln, the International Bomber Command Centre is a striking memorial to those who lost their lives in the skies.  

Its 102ft spire – the height of a Lancaster bomber’s wingspan – is inscribed with the names of the 55,573 men of Bomber Command who lost their lives. 

For a World War One focus, Scapa Flow on Orkney is the vast natural harbour that was the Royal Navy’s main base and is most famous for the scuttling of the interned German High Seas fleet in 1919.  

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In the World War Two it was the site of the sinking of HMS Royal Oak.

The wrecks are now popular dive sites. See scapaflowwrecks.com. 

ACTOR Orlando Bloom isn’t scared to have a pop at his ex-fiancée Katy Perry. 

The Lord of the Rings star was at a Halloween bash in a skeleton outfit with a pal who was dressed as the singer. 

US actress Rachel Lynn Matthews, 32, wore a black wig and blue jumpsuit — just as Katy did for her space trip this year. 

Rachel was even pictured kissing the ground, recreating Katy’s actions on her return to Earth in April from the all-female Blue Origin flight. 

Earlier this month The Sun revealed how Pirates of the Caribbean actor Orlando had been using posh cocktail bar The Rex Rooms, on the King’s Road in Chelsea for a series of dates. 

Orlando, 48, and Katy, 41, announced their split in June. 

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Katy, dating former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, 53, details the relationship breakdown in her new single Bandaids. 

Taking to Instagram, Katy said: “To be honest I struggled for months with the idea of putting this song out… even after all these years it can be scary to be vulnerable… but hopefully the lyrics of this song resonate with someone going through what I have been through and maybe they won’t feel so alone and will find the strength to keep going like I have.” 

On the track Katy sings: “Hand to God, I promised, I tried… It’s not what you did, it’s what you didn’t.

“You were there, but you weren’t.” 

A source said: “Orlando and Katy split really amicably and only want the best for each other.

“He has been keeping things low-key but is dating again.

“He’s been on a string of dates in Chelsea and it looks pretty chill, but he’s having fun.

“Right now, he’s keeping it casual.”

DESPERATE Housewives star Eva Longoria puts on a sterling performance as she glitters in a silver gown at an awards do.

The actress, 50, was among celebrities at the charity gala at the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris.

She called the hotel her “home away from home”.

She was joined by Global Gift founder Maria Bravo and model Cindy Bruna, who won an award.

Eva is in talks for her next big role, alongside George Clooney, 64, in Netflix’s new series, Call My Agent.

Eva’s upcoming film Christmas Karma, is out here on November 14 and directed by Kenyan-born female director Gurin-der Chadha.

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When Mexican-American Eva heard about the film, she wanted in.what excited Eva most was working with Culture Club singer Boy George.

Boy George plays the Ghost of Christmas Future alongside American Kinky Boots star Billy Porter as the Ghost of Christmas Present.

She adds of filming with the I’m A Celebrity Star, real name George O’Dowd: “He’s amazing, he was so kind. He was kind of nervous, I think.

“All I wanted to do was get stories out of him.”

Indeed, Boy George is far from the only Eighties British music act Eva is mad for.

“Were The Police English?” she asks. Er, yes. Then she adds, “Other favourite band — Duran Duran”, and “Ooh, Dexys Midnight Runners . . . ”

HER face is her fortune, but Sydney Sweeney told co-stars not to hold back from punching it during her new boxing biopic.

The scenes for her role as US fighter Christy Martin may have been carefully choreographed, but they were so ferocious she suffered a bloodied nose and concussion.

The 28-year-old actress said: “The girls and all the fights you see are real. When I walked in and I met with everyone, I said, ‘I want you to hit me. And I want you to hit me hard. And can I hit you?’.

“So when you watch all those fights, we’re actually hitting each other. We were knocking each other out, we were getting bloody noses. I got concussion. We were actually fighting.”

Sydney added of co-star Katy O’Brian, who plays ring rival Lisa Holewyne: “Katy is a badass. I mean, she is strong.

“Katy’s only request was, ‘Please don’t break my nose’.”

Sydney’s childhood in Idaho saw her “kickboxing and grappling” from the age of nine to 19, which helped with the fight scenes.

But her astonishing physical transformation — putting on more than 2st of muscle over three months — was hard-earned, with up to five hours of training a day and countless protein shakes chugged.

She said: “I built my own ‘Rocky’ gym in my grandma’s shed and I trained back home in Idaho.

“I worked with my weight trainer in the morning and night, and then I had a boxing coach I worked with every day for two to three hours.

“I put on 35 pounds during that time.”

The movie, called Christy, which opens in cinemas on November 28, tells the story of WBC female super welterweight champion Christy, now 57, who was a trailblazer in the 1990s and put women’s boxing on the map.

But her biggest battle was behind closed doors, as her marriage to her older manager Jim Martin descended into violence.

When she tried to leave him in 2010, he shot and stabbed her. He was found guilty of attempted murder and died in prison last year.

But for Sydney, it was the strained scenes between Christy and her mum that she found the hardest to film.

She said: “Everything that happens within the house towards the end of the story of her life in the film weighed on me emotionally. But the one I had the hardest time doing and just ­processing was when she asked for her mum’s help.

“I have such amazing parents and I can go to them for anything. And I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for Christy and for others that deal with that as well.

“And it broke my heart while I was making that scene.”

As soon as Sydney heard Christy’s story, she told her team she had to have a part.

She said: “When I first read the script, I was completely blown away that I didn’t know who this woman was. She is one of the most inspiring women I’ve met in my life.”

For her part, Sydney’s grit and ­determination to succeed began at the age of ten, when she made a “five-year business plan presentation” to persuade her parents to let her try to become a movie star.

When they realised she was serious at 13, they made 38-hour round trips for auditions before relocating to Los Angeles to give her a ­better shot at stardom.

Sydney said: “It’s not easy. I didn’t get a project that helped open more doors until I was, like, 19, 20. And you get told ‘no’ endlessly by everyone.”

Sadly, her parents’ decision to relocate was a catalyst for them going bankrupt and they divorced in 2016.

But that setback only served to fuel Sydney’s drive.

She worked as a cleaner and babysitter before her break came in 2018, with roles in three big TV shows — The Handmaid’s Tale, Sharp Objects and Everything Sucks!.

A year later, she was cast as Cassie Howard in global hit Euphoria, and The White Lotus followed in 2021.

‘Really scary’

Movie hits also came with 2019’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, 2023’s Anyone But You and last year’s Madame Web and Immaculate.

In her love life, she has been linked to 44-year-old US record executive Scooter Braun, who she met at Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ wedding to Lauren Sanchez in the summer.

But she has insisted: “I’m single.”

She was previously engaged to movie producer Jonathan Davino, but they split in March.

For now, she’s firmly focused on her career as it goes stratospheric.

Speculation has also been rife that, with Amazon now owning the James Bond franchise, Bezos wanted her to be a Bond Girl in the next movie.

She responded that it would depend on the script and that she would have “more fun” playing 007.

She said of her upcoming roles: “Of course I have projects that I’m working on and I’m developing and I can’t wait to do. It’s kind of like this crazy rollercoaster.

“You’re never sure if it’s going to go up or down or upside down.”

Her path to success, Sydney admits, has been a battle at times.

I was so nervous. It’s so weird when you’re playing somebody and then you meet them.

Sydney Sweeney

She said: “I know what it feels like to be underestimated, to have people define you before you have a chance to define yourself.

“I know what it feels like to have to prove that you deserve to be here, to be seen, to be taken seriously.”

During filming of the boxing biopic, Christy herself turned up every day on set with her Pomeranian emotional support dog Champ.

And Sydney has since formed a friendship with her, with the pair going to a Nascar event in Phoenix together last week.

It is a leap forward from their first meeting.

Sydney recalled: “I was so nervous. It’s so weird when you’re playing somebody and then you meet them.

“You’re like, ‘Do you like me? Are you going to like what I do?’. It’s really scary.”

And the star admits the role has made her see life differently.

She said: “I think Christy has changed me. I’m a huge believer in separating yourself as much as possible from your character.

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“So that the moment they call ‘action’ and ‘cut’, you’re in and you’re out. And I go home and I’m Syd.

“But with Christy, I felt like I became the most free and powerful version of myself afterwards.”

HOLLYWOOD royalty Ariana Grande has arrived in the UK on a whirlwind stay fit for a princess.

The singer and actress flew in from Paris yesterday by private jet ready for the Wicked: For Good premiere in Leicester Square tomorrow.

The pint-sized pop queen touched down at Farnborough airport in Hampshire and was whisked away with her entourage to the five-star Raffles London at the OWO hotel.

I’m told the star, who plays Glinda, has hired six suites at £5,000 each a night for her trip — and chose the stunning building in Whitehall because she can easily enter and exit via the underground car park.

A source said: “Ariana’s team and the production crew from Wicked put their heads together to ensure Ariana is in luxury and comfort and has plenty of privacy.

“She will need plenty of time and space to prepare for her big red-carpet moment with her glamour squad.”

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Ariana is believed to be attending the movie premiere with her boyfriend and Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, having ignored rumours that they have split.

But she will be mostly joined at the hip with British actress Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba.

Production company Universal has splashed out £100,000 on hiring art deco French restaurant Brasserie Zedel in Piccadilly for the after-party, where Ari will let her hair down.

On Friday night, Ariana showed off her hand tattoos at the film’s Paris premiere, and many fans believe the inkings are linked to the movie and her friendship with Cynthia.

She was joined by another co-star, Michelle Yeoh, as she greeted the crowds.

In just over a week’s time, Ariana is due back in America for the film’s premiere in New York.

Ariana was last week forced to miss the Wicked premiere in Brazil due to flight issues.

She had been expecting to walk the red carpet at the Sao Paulo event on Tuesday evening but was forced to get off the plane because of safety issues.

Taking to Instagram to share her disappointment, Ariana said that her team failed to find an alternative arrangement to get her to Sao Paolo in time.

Hopefully her stay in Blighty will be much smoother.

LILY TO CLEAN UP WITH GIRL BRAND

LILY ALLEN is certainly soaking up the success of her latest album, West End Girl.

She released the 14-track record last month following her split from husband David Harbour, who appears in supernatural TV series Stranger Things.

I can reveal Lily, pictured here in her bra enjoying a bubble bath and pulling a funny face for a magazine shoot, has now applied to trademark the name West End Girl ahead of a tour that kicks off in March.

The trademark covers beauty items including cosmetics, fragrances, perfumery, sun cream and shampoo.

It also includes sunglasses, jewellery, bags, clothing, footwear and headgear.

Her album jumped to No2 in the Official Albums Chart this week.

Lily was left devastated when her four-year marriage to American actor David broke down last December.

The couple met on celebrity dating app Raya and moved to New York after tying the knot in 2020.

However, she has since moved back to London with her two daughters from her first marriage.

It comes as the Not Fair singer is gearing up for her 14-date tour in March, which starts at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall.

Fans are begging for more dates after the tour sold out in minutes this week.

If I can’t pin down a ticket, at least I’ll be able to get my hands on some Lily Allen bubble bath instead.

AFRICA A WINTER WONDER LAND

FORMER Love Islander Faye Winter is swapping her beach bag for a backpack to do community and conservation work in Africa.

The reality star, left, who found fame on the ITV2 dating show in 2021, is running a volunteer trip to Zimbabwe this month.

She has already given up the party lifestyle in London to return to her roots in Devon, where she lives with her golden retriever Bonnie and two rescue ponies, Keith and Kevin.

Faye told me: “I was out of my comfort zone living away from the countryside.

“The only thing that kept me going was my guide dog volunteer work. I find it so fulfilling, I’m not a party girl at all.”

Looking back on her life after the show, Faye admits that she wasn’t happy.

She said: “I struggled with the fact it was all about where you were seen.

“It felt materialistic. Giving back is so much more meaningful.”

HOLLY’S HAPPY MEALS

HOLLY WILLOUGHBY is a woman after my own heart when it comes to hangover cures.

The TV presenter said only a McDonald’s can soothe her after too many drinks the night before.

Asked what her go-to recovery meal is, Holly told a magazine: “I want a McDonald’s quarter pounder with cheese and if it hasn’t got a pickle on it, I’m gonna throw it back at you.

“I order extra pickles every time. Then I want skinny fries that are as salty as possible.

“I know some people think McDonald’s makes you feel rotten, but I just love it.

“You can tell how often I go because there are so many selfies of me sat in my car, taken by the drive-thru staff.”

Sounds like Holly is lovin’ it.

SLIMLINE JEN KIDS AROUND

HOLLYOAKS’ Jennifer Metcalfe has revealed the secret to her trim figure – she orders child portions.

The actress, who plays Mercedes McQueen in the Channel 4 soap, said smaller helpings mean she can have more of what she fancies.

During the show’s 30th anniversary celebrations at St George’s Hall in Liverpool, she said: “I eat what I want, when I want – small portions.

“Yesterday, me and my friend were out for five hours.

“We wanted a roast dinner, so I got a child’s portion, then we went to our local Indian and had poppadoms and all of the chutney.

“I have been eating loads recently, but my motto is ‘eat small amounts of everything you want’.”

Jennifer said she has just signed a year’s contract with Hollyoaks, adding: “We are making this 30th year count.”

PARTY OF THE WEEK

Tangle Teezer Festive pop-up, Vinyl Studios, Soho, Tuesday

WHAT WE ATE: Mini burgers, pigs in blankets and pick ’n’ mix sweets.

WHAT WE DRANK: Aperol spritz, Moscow mule and appletini cocktails.

WHO WAS THERE: Molly-Mae Hague’s hairdresser Jack Luckhurst, model Amanda Chrishell, influencer Tyra Baylis and our Emily, pictured with a handsome Santa.

TAYLOR & SABRINA’S HEIGHT ON THE TOWN

IT was the little and large show as chart superstars Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift went on a night out in New York.

Sabrina, who is 5ft, looked glamorous in a white roll-neck jumper and trench coat for the evening in SoHo restaurant.

Meanwhile, 5ft 9in Taylor showed off her long legs in a pleated mini-skirt and polo shirt.

It comes after Sabrina recently collaborated with Taylor on The Life Of A Showgirl track from her album of the same name.

CORKING HAT, LIAM

LIAM GALLAGHER gets into the Aussie spirit as he struts his stuff in a cork hat on tour Down Under.

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The Oasis singer, who is normally known for wearing a bucket hat, was on stage in Melbourne, complete with maracas, as part of the Live ’25 tour with brother Noel.

The band played in Sydney last night and will head to Buenos Aires in Argentina for a show next Saturday.

MOVE over, New York! Chicago will win your heart (and stomach), says writer Qin Xie.

“Is this place famous or something?” I overhear someone ask as our camera-wielding tour group files into Mr Beef.

The low-key Chicago sandwich shop is a cult favourite, serving wafer-thin slices of roast beef in gravy-dipped bread since 1979.

But thanks to TV show The Bear, which is inspired by the eatery, its popularity has sky-rocketed and now fans are flocking here on food tours.

At £96 plus tips, the half-day bus tour is a pricey day out – but as I bite into my flavour bomb of a sandwich, there’s nowhere I’d rather be (Chicagofoodtours.com).

Pizza the action

I’ve visited Chicago a few times and I always book a food tour, because the city is home to some of the best restaurants in the US.

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First-timers should try the gut-busting Original Chicago Pizza Tour, £66 for a half-day, where the classic deep dish is the star (Chicagopizzatours.com), though the fabulous half-day tacos and tequila tour in Pilsen, the city’s Mexican neighbourhood, is better for making friends.

I met a local improv comedian on mine and ended up going to his show.

Fantastic food aside, I love checking out the artworks scattered around Millennium Park, free fireworks displays at Navy Pier every Wednesday and Saturday night, plus quirky attractions like the Museum of Ice Cream, where you can try the hot-dog flavour!

It’s certainly an experience, but the strawberry cheesecake flavour is so much better.

Entry costs £18 per person (Museumoficecream.com).

Top of my list of places to revisit on this trip is Skydeck Chicago.

Located on the 103rd floor of Willis Tower, it’s the highest observation deck in the US, with sweeping views of the city.

There’s only one problem – I’m terrified of heights.

On my last visit, I hovered around the edge of the glass-bottomed viewing platform, too scared to step forward for a better view.

This time, as soon as I get close to the edge, my palms start to sweat and I’m ready to leave.

Then, out of the blue, a complete stranger offers me their hand to hold.

Something about it gives me the courage to step on to the glass and, between cold sweats and hot flushes, I manage to get a decent selfie.

Tickets cost £24 per person (Theskydeck.com).

Beach happy

On gloriously sunny days, it’s utter bliss to cycle along the Lakefront Trail next to Lake Michigan, stopping to flop out at the sandy beaches beside the city skyline.

I use bike-share scheme Divvy – there are bikes everywhere and they cost just £13 a day (Divvybikes.com).

The best place to refuel is Whispers at Oak Street Beach, right on the sand, although an iced coffee here will set you back close to £7 (Whispersgroup.com).

I’m staying at L7 Chicago By Lotte, a hotel in the heart of the city with rooms that come with yoga mats and free weights (Lottehotel.com).

It’s steps away from Chicago Riverwalk, the waterside footpath where the locals hang out, and it’s here that I join Urban Kayaks for a paddle past towering skyscrapers as a guide shares stories about the architecture.

A two-hour tour costs £44 per person (Urbankayaks.com).

My fave thing about coming to Chicago?

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Exploring the neighbourhoods, like leafy Lincoln Park with its free zoo, or trendy Wicker Park and Bucktown, which are packed with cool street art and edgy boutiques.

It’s why I can’t get enough of this city – each of its 77 neighbourhoods feels like somewhere new.

I’M standing open-mouthed on the edge of the desert, south-west of Cairo, the magnificent Great Pyramid of Giza directly in front of me.

For 4,000 years it was the tallest structure on the planet, and it is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.

Here in Egypt at its base, with the heat of the afternoon sun radiating around me, I’m struck by its awesome scale and the astonishing human endeavour that constructed it in the desert 4,500 years ago.

Experts believe it took around 100,000 men 20 years to build this tomb for the ruling pharaoh Khufu, and mystery still surrounds the methods of its construction.

“Could they build this without belief? Could they build it without science? Could they build it without art?” says my tour guide, Dr Tarek Sarhan.

“Three things: Belief, science, art. This is the triangle of civilisation.”

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A short distance away on the Giza ­Plateau is the Great Sphinx — a colossal limestone statue of a mythical creature, part lion, part human.

Even with its nose missing, this enormous creature still cuts an imposing figure.

History courses through the foundations of this captivating site.

But my four-day trip to the Egyptian capital is characterised not just by the old, but by the new.

Just over a mile from the pyramids, the $1.2billion new Grand Egyptian Museum has finally opened more than two decades after work first started.

The enormous building, covering an area of 470,000 square metres, houses more than 50,000 artefacts — and the centre­piece of its collection will bring all 5,000-plus treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb together for the first time.

Stepping through its pyramid-shaped entrance, the 3,200-year-old, 83-ton statue of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II sits in GEM’s soaring central atrium.

Another striking set piece here is the museum’s Grand Staircase, punctuated by fascinating relics of some of ancient Egypt’s most important kings and queens.

I walk up, passing statues, columns, granite doorways and sarcophagi.

At the top, a vast window frames the three main pyramids of the Giza Plateau.

Here is where visitors will also find GEM’s 12 main galleries, but the main draw will always be the entire contents of the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamun, displayed together since it was first found by British Egyptologist Howard Carter.

The collection, of course, includes Tutankhamun’s spectacular gold mask, throne and chariots.

The collection, of course, includes Tutankhamun’s spectacular gold mask, throne and chariots

Standing in front of statues of kings and queens is only part of the picture.

At the city’s National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, I get to stand in front of their mummified bodies.

Located in the Old Cairo district of the city, this modern museum has a large and open exhibition space with artefacts spanning prehistoric times to the modern day.

But for its biggest draw, I have to descend to the underground Royal Mummies’ Hall.

This dark-walled, low-lit space is now the resting place of 20 royal mummies — 18 kings, including Ramses II, and two queens — displayed in glass cases.

Some of them are showcased with the coffins they were found in.

Sweet perfume fills the air

Shadows shift as visitors move through this superbly presented exhibition and there’s a sense that one of these mummified bodies might suddenly be reanimated.

There is certainly life to be found in Cairo’s vibrant Khan el-Khalili bazaar.

The intricate, linking alleyways of this open-air marketplace are lined with stalls selling everything from lanterns and ­candles to jewellery and figurines.

Colourful textiles and printed designs hang from walls and stands, and a sweet perfume fills the air.

Away from the buzz of the bazaar, the five-star Waldorf Astoria is an oasis of calm.

Located in the upmarket Heliopolis district, its high-ceiling, glass-walled curved atrium is part botanical garden, part chic Art Deco lounge.

There is certainly life to be found in Cairo’s vibrant Khan el-Khalili bazaar

My room here is spacious and quiet and the breakfast offering a lavish buffet selection with additional a la carte options and a pancake and French toast station.

EasyJet now offers year-round flights direct to Cairo’s Sphinx airport from Luton as well as a huge choice of packages with easyJet holidays.

If your visit here is brief, you won’t want to miss the sweeping and unforgettable views of this fascinating city from the citadel of Salah El Din.

This ancient fortification served as the seat of power in Egypt for 700 years and it remains one of Cairo’s major attractions.

Inside is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali with its stunning domes, towering minarets, ornate interior and huge central chandelier.

The vistas from this elevated position are wonderfully panoramic.

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As I take my transfer back to Sphinx along one of the city’s upgraded highways, I remember the words of my guide, Dr Tarek, in front of the Great Pyramid: “Egypt is a story with no end.”

Perhaps nowhere is this truer than in Cairo, which is building on its past as it looks to the future.

WITH its harbour, picturesque beaches and rugged countryside, the island of Guernsey could be any ordinary holiday destination at first glance.

But scratch below the surface and you’ll uncover the fascinating story of its five-year occupation by the Nazis — and about an an unlikely survivor of the invasion, Timmy the Tortoise.

I was keen to learn about it during my adventure on the second largest of the Channel Islands.

So I booked several short guided day trips with Tours Of Guernsey.

Guide Amanda Johns and I ticked off all the key sites, from museums to former bunkers and even a German underground hospital.

This medical centre — which incredibly doubled up as an ammunition store — had to be the highlight, and the extensive dark passages are a must-see for any history buff.

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The huge maze of tunnels were excavated by slave labourers, leading to wards, operation theatres, escape shafts, a cinema room and mortuary.

Above ground, I headed to the northern coast to Fort Hommet, a former Martello tower which was turned into a searchlight bunker.

After the war, part of the bunker was transformed into The Shrine of the Sacred Heart, featuring 30 Biblical pictures made from seashells.

Other sites include the German Occupation Museum, a warren of rooms containing one man’s extensive collection of items from 1940.

The Pleinmont Gun Battery has been restored and offers terrific views across the English Channel.

Batterie Mirus, the largest World War Two gun battery in the Channel Islands, was my last stop.

Its underground bunker can only be viewed by private tour.

Restored by Festung Guernsey, with many original features being reproduced using a 3D printer, the walls within are still dotted with German inscriptions, including the Nazi Eagle.

Potato peel pie

It was an honour to pay it a visit the day after Princess Anne was shown around while on the island for the Liberation Day celebrations.

The day marks when Allied troops freed the locals from Nazi rule on May 9, 1945.

On the 80th anniversary this year, I witnessed a cavalcade of military vehicles, fireworks and a drone light show.

One local making headlines during the celebrations was Timmy, 87 — actually a female — who survived Nazi occupation.

She was given to Maggie Cull as a christening present in 1941, not long after she and her parents were turfed out of their home by the Nazis.

After all that history I’d certainly worked up an appetite.

Luckily my base, St Pierre Park Hotel, was just a 25-minute walk into St Peter Port, where there are pubs and restaurants aplenty.

Fifty Seven restaurant is set over two floors and has stunning views of Castle Cornet and the coastline.

The menu features steaks cooked fresh on the grill as well as some excellent fish dishes including oven-baked monkfish on chilli linguine.

As you’re by the sea, grab yourself some fish and chips — the restaurant at Les Douvres Hotel dishes up one of the largest portions I’ve ever seen.

On my last night I dined on a special Liberation Day menu at the Old Government House Hotel, close to the harbour.

This 5H property was turned into the German General Staff Headquarters during the war and it still has an old-world feel about it today.

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The menu featured a delicious potato peel pie, a dish created by locals to cope with food shortages during Nazi occupation.

The perfect meal to end my historical adventure.

MONDAY night is DJ night at Hotel Ibiza and the bar/lounge area is filled with ambient house tunes as pink neon lights flash in time with the beat.

But despite the name of the place, we’re nowhere near the Balearic Island.

We’re in Les Deux Alpes in France, one of the most snow-sure ski resorts in Europe, and the terrace outside looks across to the glistening peaks of the Parc National des Ecrins. 

It’s the week before Christmas and a group of us have brought our teenagers for some festive fun on the slopes.

They’re not yet old enough to venture out alone into the resort’s bars and clubs, but they’re still keen to do their own thing so the entertainment here is ticking all the teen boxes.

While we sit a­t the bar, chatting with barman Costas as he expertly mixes our pre-dinner drinks, the kids have gone downstairs again for another game of air hockey.

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The huge basement games room, which also has ping-pong, table football, arcade games and a dozen or so sofas to laze on, is proving to be a big hit.

But it’s dinner time and I know the restaurant buffet will easily tempt away Freddie, our 15-year-old, because it is serving lasagne — his favourite dish — among a host of other options.

Like most teenage boys, Freddie is a big eater and as I watch him tuck into his third portion I feel relieved that we went for the all-inclusive option.

Feeding a growing lad is expensive at the best of times but particularly so in a ski resort.

Luckily, the Hotel Ibiza offers a super deal throughout the winter season, with kids under 18 staying free when sharing a room with their parents at the same board.

You can go for B&B or half- board, but families usually make the most of the kids-go-free offer and splash out on all-inclusive.

It makes sense, especially when you factor in the drinks.

Soft drinks, wine and beer with meals, and a selection of spirits for pre- and post-dinner drinks are part of the deal, and Costas keeps them coming, along with bowls of peanuts and tortilla chips, until 10pm.

After that, you can carry on drinking at your own expense, but you’ll probably want to be tucked up in bed by then, exhausted by a day’s activity in the mountain air. 

It was early in the season but already the snow conditions were good.

The sun was shining (Les Deux Alpes boasts above-average sunshine too) and with heavy snow and white-outs forecast for later in the week, we were making the most of the blue skies. 

We loved the Jandri Express, the resort’s sparkling new state-of-the-art cable car that whizzes you up to 3,200m in just 17 minutes, half the time the old gondola took.

It takes up to 32 people at a time — 24 seated and eight standing — and gives you plenty of time to adjust boots or have a snack.

One morning we joined First Tracks, where you accompany the Ski Patrollers, who prepare the slopes daily, spending two hours learning about what is involved.

It costs €22 (£19.40) per person, including breakfast at La Toura Restaurant, and can be booked through the tourist office.

Best of all, it means you get to go up before the lifts open to the public and can be the first to ski down.

With freshly-groomed slopes to ourselves, it’s when we got our best photos.

We also tried yoonering — a bit like sledging but on a seat 20cm above the ground, with your legs stretched out in front to act as brakes, gliding down and leaning left or right to turn. It was easy to get the hang of it and went surprisingly fast.

We all loved it. 

‘QUIRKY AND FUN’

On a few evenings we stopped off for a beer or a vin chaud at one of the bars near the bottom of the Jandri, but most nights we got straight on the free shuttle bus for the five-minute hop home and did our après ski back at the hotel bar/lounge, enticed by the all- inclusive drinks and the chilled out, family-friendly vibe.

The hotel’s decor somehow manages to make it cosy and cool at the same time.

There’s a retro, musical theme, with prints of rock and pop legends along the corridors and coffee tables in the lounge, which double up as Monopoly boards or glass-topped exhibits of Barbies and Action Men.

It’s quirky and fun.

Our room, one of 60, was a two-bed family one, with balcony and bath.

Each room comes with bath robes and slippers for the walk down to the basement spa, with its sauna, steam room and indoor heated pool all free for guests.

The food was excellent for a three-star hotel, particularly the evening meals, when you could take a bowl and help yourself from the salad or soup bar, followed by an array of hot meat, fish and veggie dishes, plus a surprising amount of veggie sides, which is often lacking in ski hotels.

The desserts were so generous that even Freddie agreed to share.

After dinner we’d sink into the comfy lounge sofas en famille and play cards or games.

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One night after dinner, two of the younger children played Christmas songs on the grand piano and we all joined in — even the teens!

With only a few more years before they’ll probably be off skiing with their mates, it was a moment to be cherished.

CHELTENHAM is famed for its racecourse and its annual “Greatest Show On Turf”.

But there’s so much more to do in this pretty Regency spa town than have a flutter on the horses.

Emma Glanfield takes you on a tour of the best of the rest.

WHY SHOULD I GO? Sitting at the foot of the Cotswolds hills, Cheltenham is vibrant and buzzy, with a backdrop of well-preserved Regency architecture and rolling countryside.

And its abundance of quirky hotels, lively bars and boutique shops make it perfect for a weekend away.

There always seems to be something exciting going on, too, with the town hosting more than 30 festivals and events a year.

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Among these are the 80-year-old music festival and the world’s longest running literature festival.

And, of course, it is the home of National Hunt racing, with the Cheltenham Festival boasting pinnacle event the Gold Cup.

STREETS MADE FOR WALKING? The spa town is sprawling but walkable, and there’s plenty of gorgeous architecture to enjoy on the way.

Wander the elegant, tree-lined Montpellier district — one of the town’s most historic areas — and take in the surroundings while popping into boutique shops and cosy cafes.

The Grade I-listed Rotunda, inspired by Rome’s Pantheon, was once a spa pump room but is now a branch of The Ivy hotel. You can dine there amid the Art Deco-style interior.

It’s also worth a stroll around The Suffolks, a sought-after district with mid-19th century buildings, independent shops and cafes, plus a friendly pub called The Suffolk Arms.

ANYTHING FOR THE BUCKET LIST? It really is worth attending a Cheltenham race meet. There’s a reason the town is known for its horseracing, and you don’t have to be massively into the sport to enjoy it.

With food, drink and glam all on offer, it’s a great, fun-packed day out. Alternatively, take a walk up Cleeve Hill — the highest point in the Cotswolds — for breathtaking panoramic views across the town and towards The Malverns.

WHERE SHOULD I EAT? With burgers as big as your head, The Beefy Boys is not to be missed. It was buzzing on the Saturday night we visited.

The atmosphere was jolly but not so loud you couldn’t chat.

The award-winning Dirty Boy and Oklahoma Onion Boy are absolute beasts, but delicious. Go hungry!

For those wanting a more formal affair, or for a special occasion, Settebello, in Belgrave House, serves authentic Italian cuisine. We feasted on giant bowls of rigatoni with an ox cheek ragu, £18, and Spigola Puttanesca (sea bass with a punchy tomato sauce), £25. The two-course lunch menu at £19 is well worth the money.

FANCY A DRINK? There are stylish bars all over, but a visit to Mr Cambray’s Curiosity won’t leave you disappointed.

Cafe by day, cocktail room by night, it has five themed rooms to explore.

There’s also the recently opened Parler on Clarence Street, in the heart of town. This Georgian building has been reimagined into a Parisian-style cafe by day, and a Japanese listening bar come sundown, with a cosy retro vibe.

The Retreat Wine Bar in Suffolk Parade is a bit of an institution, having been serving drinks since 1982. For late-night entertainment, the Gin & Juice Bar has more than 400 gins on offer and regular live music.

WHERE SHOULD I STAY? For those wanting to be in the town centre, Hotel du Vin is a great choice. The 4H boutique hotel is set in the Montpellier district just a five-minute walk from The Promenade, a local shopping district.

Breakfast is a continental spread with hot plate options, taken next to the impressive underground wine cellars.

At night, guests can enjoy a glass of wine in The Laroche tasting room before diving into soft Egyptian cotton sheets in one of the hotel’s 49 bedrooms. Our room had a huge double bed and walk-in “monsoon” shower.

For those seeking pure relaxation away from the hustle and bustle, you won’t go wrong with The Greenway Hotel & Spa.

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The 16th-century manor house — an eight-minute taxi ride from the town centre — was once a grand family home before being taken over by The Eden Hotel Collection. A £1.2million makeover included 21 beautifully revamped bedrooms.

The in-house Elan Spa is not to be missed.

AS I walked down the gangplank, I felt green – no not seasick, ENVY!

I’m taking a look at the latest vessel to join the Ambassador fleet, its first fly-cruise ship.

Renaissance was setting off from London Tilbury on a cold afternoon to spend the winter cruising the Caribbean – sadly, without me.

The first guests were already having fun at Le Lido with its lovely swimming pool and two whirlpools, under an impressive retractable roof.

There is another outdoor pool at the stern.

Renaissance is British-French owned and recently renovated – and it shows. Not glitzy, not modern, just effortlessly chic.

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Top-notch dining

It can carry 1,100 guests who will fly/cruise from Barbados on 14-night itineraries, which include visits to St Kitts, Martinique, Antigua, St Maarten and Curacao.

The cruise line has chartered Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow or Manchester to fly you in style to join Renaissance for the winter season, with four choices of seating class.

Renaissance will then head to Blighty for the summer to join sister ships Ambience and Ambition with exciting new itineraries.

A peek at the choice of cabins impressed me. Even the inside one is spacious, light and airy, with serious amounts of storage – and enough hangers!

This is not a super- luxurious expensive cruise line, but it offers a great-value opportunity to escape the British winter.

The inside cabins were the best I have ever seen. The suites? Well, with a super-spacious private balcony, I would have had to drag myself away to enjoy the onboard entertainment. They were very good value.

There are of course porthole and window cabins, some balcony, and even cabins with sliding doors onto the outside deck.

The theatre was gorgeous – elegant and comfortable, West End glamour – without the queue for the Ladies!

A large gym, and free access to the spa suite promised opportunities to keep fit. Lots of lounge and library space too.

And there are plenty of top-notch dining options.

The impressive Valet main dining restaurant covers two decks and offers great sea views.

The Belle Vue buffet restaurant is great for casual dining and there are three speciality venues at a small extra cost plus a signature Chef’s Table seven-course dining experience.

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Kreole will serve up a vibrant menu reflecting Caribbean culinary traditions, Lotus has Pan-Asian options and Terre et Mer will feature a six-course extravaganza.

I was sad Renaissance sailed without me this time but you don’t have to miss the boat, there are Christmas and New Year cruises as well as lots more dates to discover the delights of Ambassadors’ Renaissance in the Caribbean in 2026.

ARRIVING in India, I feel like Dorothy entering Oz. This country is an assault on the senses in every way.

One minute I’m practising sunrise yoga to the peaceful sound of birds chirping; the next, I’m surrounded by loud honking cars and bikes on a bumpy bus ride through the city.

My serene morning walk at the green Lodi Gardens sits in complete contrast to the brightly coloured markets, selling vibrant yellow flower garlands under the smell of rich incense, that I’m exploring just hours later.

It was my first visit to India and naturally, as a solo female tourist, safety was at the forefront of my mind. But the tide is changing with regard to how women are accepted across the country, and this has been incorporated into Intrepid’s unique Women’s Expedition tours.

It supports locals on the ground, and I met some during my stay in Chandelao.

A tiny village an hour from Jodphur and off the tourist trail, it is home to just 3,500 people.

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There, I explored the local arts centre Sunder Rang, which employs women to work — uncommon especially in more rural areas.

The shop is full of multicoloured items made from scrap fabrics, with everything from clothing and bags to decorations on sale.

One of the young jewellery makers let me try my hand at threading beads as we huddled together in the shade.

Due to my novice skills, I resorted to buying her handmade necklaces (guided by her on which to choose, as they even earn commission).

My art skills were tested further at Chandelao Garh, a stunning 17th century former fort now a hotel with 20 rooms and a swimming pool.

Locals taught me the art of Rangoli — circular patterns drawn on the ground in celebration.

I was only slightly offended when the cheeky hotel dog Pluto walked all over my wonky chalk designs.

Chandelao is the kind of village where slowness is encouraged — be it a sunset walk through the streets or a leisurely candlelit dinner chased by a Kingfisher beer.

But just a few hours east is the crowd-heavy Jaipur, nicknamed the Pink City for its terracotta walls.

Keen to escape the market chaos, I opted for a tour with Renu, a rare female tuk-tuk driver and now chair of tour company Pink City Rickshaw.

While the women face adversity from both family and other male drivers, the job gives them economic independence.

I was whirled around in the electric tuk-tuks, exploring the Old City with street food stops to keep me going in the 33C heat. I recommend trying Sabudana tikki, an Indian hash brown with tapioca, followed by a cooling kheer rice pudding.

The female rickshaw drivers were patient enough to let me take my selfies at the famous pink Hawa Mahal palace, too.

Built to allow the female royal household to watch the city without being seen by others, the towering palace wall was too beautiful to skip.

It was as I was gazing up at the intricately carved windows (of which there are 953) that my driver explained some of the stares we noticed from locals while in the tuk-tuk.

“We’ve seen male drivers crash into walls, they are so shocked to see a woman behind the wheel,” Renu told me with a laugh.

My experience of the Fast & Furious-esque rickshaws that squeeze through impossible gaps in the traffic means this doesn’t exactly surprise me. Thankfully, the women drive at a slower, safer pace for any nervous travellers.

Travelling further east, we head to Agra, home to the historic red sandstone Agra Fort and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.

Haggled for scarves

It’s worth the 4.30am wake-up to see the sky lighting up behind the domed mausoleum, built over two decades by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in honour of his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

It’s almost impossible to comprehend the details that remain after 400 years, with the bright white marble towering 240ft high, ornamented with jewels and intricate patterns.

The early start also allows you to avoid the huge crowds and the midday heat.

I managed to skip the lunchtime crush by visiting Sheroes, a cafe run by acid-attack survivors.

It’s a hard visit, where staff share their stories about being injured.

Over homecooked chickpea curries and roti, I chatted to 25-year-old Dolly, who was attacked as a child by a man 22 years her senior. The cafe gave her confidence to re-enter society.

Being a female traveller, the Intrepid tour helped me explore the country safely as a woman.

I stopped in Jodhpur, the Blue City, and learned about the beautiful Mehrangarh Fort which was used to film Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, and the live-action movie The Jungle Book.

And in chaotic Delhi, I haggled for handwoven scarfs from eager market vendors, before being dragged into dance by a man wearing a bejewelled elephant outfit.

India might have a way to go still when it comes to equality. But it’s certainly on the right trajectory.

And with Virgin Atlantic now celebrating 25 years of flying to this awe-inspiring country, it shows this a destination that will always be top of British holidaymakers’ bucket lists.

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I’ll be back.

After a click of my new ruby red Indian slippers, of course.

JUST an hour away from Porto in Portugal lies a historic riverside city with a curious culinary tradition.

Amarante, perched on a bend of the Tamega river, has become widely known for its pastries — not because of their flavour or filling, but their shape.

The treats, named bolos de Sao Goncalo after the local patron saint, are baked to look like a particular part of the male anatomy.

Many believe they are a nod to Saint Goncalo’s success as a matchmaker, after he supposedly helped scores of single women and widows find husbands.

But the pastries’ story actually dates to medieval times.

As I tour the Sao Goncalo Church and Monastery, I learn that the shape is reminiscent of the ancient rituals and traditions related to prosperity and the fertility gods.

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Over time, the cakes gradually became associated with Saint Goncalo, and even though they were banned during Portugal’s dictatorship, which ended in 1974, they have since been embraced by the people of Amarante as a proud symbol of local identity.

People who are looking for love or hoping to start a family still visit the monastery today, reciting a hopeful prayer while clutching the rope belt on his statue.

Decorated inside with ornate gold leaf carvings and traditional Portuguese tiles, the beautiful 400-year-old building is worth a visit, regardless of your hopes for love.

But I was more interested in sampling the phallic pastries.

Confeitaria da Ponte, the city’s oldest bakery — so named because of its proximity to the bridge — is a great place to try the much- loved bakes.

Owner Joana Machado tells me that Amarante delicacies are generally made with lots of egg yolks.

This includes their house speciality — a moist, round, bite-sized confection coated with sugar that is also called a bolo de Sao Goncalo, although this one looks far less phallic.

“The recipes began in the monastery,” she explains. “Nuns used the egg whites to iron the clothes, so they used the yolks for baking.” The famous pastel de nata, or Portuguese custard tart, is another example of a “conventual” sweet (meaning originating in a convent).

At riverside cafe Casa dos bolos de Sao Goncalo, on Rua 31 de Janeiro, the classic penis cake has been given a modern update.

The choux pastry case is filled with pistachio cream and topped with a drizzle of green chocolate in an apparent nod to the Dubai chocolate trend that has recently taken the world by storm.

I can’t help but giggle as I slice a piece off the top of the golden brown treat.

Tasty souvenirs

The pastry is crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle, while the pistachio filling adds a sweet, nutty flavour.

I can certainly see why these cheeky cakes have been popular for centuries!

You’ll want to dine on more than just sugary treats, though — and there are plenty of places to do that.

Northern Portuguese cuisine is more meaty than in the south, where seafood reigns supreme, and the regional speciality, slow-roasted veal, does not disappoint.

Lusitana is an excellent spot that was recommended to me by the staff at my hotel, Casa do Ribeirinho. Here, thick slices of tender, juicy meat are served with roasted potatoes and rice. The hearty meal is affordable, too.

Mains for two, a shared goat’s cheese starter and chocolate mousse for dessert with two glasses of wine costs €24 each (around £21).

For a slightly more upmarket dinner, try Ze da Calcada, which also serves regional dishes such as chicken with chestnuts, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and green beans, as well as local wines from the Douro valley.

Mains are typically €16 each (around £14).

Before you depart Amarante, be sure to visit the stall outside the Municipal Museum Amadeo de Souza Cardoso.

Dedicated to the modernist painter after whom it is named, it is currently closed for renovations.

But the stall is a great place to stock up on tasty souvenirs.

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It is laden with phallic cakes of all different sizes, some of which are crunchy like biscuits and individually wrapped with colourful ribbons.

More robust than the choux pastry variety, they make the perfect take-away treat for yourself — or a great tongue-in-cheek gift for someone who needs a bit of luck in the love department.

RAPPER Chris Brown footed a £160,240 booze bill during a wild night out in London.

The US star — on bail for assault — partied with his entourage in the capital ahead of his trial next year.

One session involved at least four bottles of £2,900-a-time Louis Roederer Cristal Magnum Champagne at the Selene nightclub, which promises “the epitome of ultimate pleasure”.

Days later, the West End club posted the anonymous megabucks receipt on social media.

Some of those who partied with him — including models and other rappers — have revealed Chris footed the bill.

His entourage also posted the receipt alongside shots of a private jet and luxury hotel suites from his ten-day visit, after he flew in on October 18.

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One insider told The Sun: “Chris lives life in the fast lane and thinks nothing of splashing out on the best there is.”

Brown is set to stand trial in London next October, accused of attacking music producer Abraham Diaw at the Tape club in Mayfair in 2023.

He denies ABH, attempted GBH and having an offensive weapon — a tequila bottle.

The rapper’s agents were approached for comment.

PREDATOR: BADLANDS

(12A) 107mins

★★★☆☆

WHAT happens when the hunter becomes the hunted? That’s the question in this latest outing for the marauding monster franchise.

And for the first time it’s a Predator and not a person who is our protagonist.

This fundamental plot twist takes the action into pure sci-fi territory, too.

While Badlands still has a cat-and-mouse chase at its core, director Dan Trachtenberg disposes of the previous man versus masked extraterrestrials that glued together all predecessors.

And not a single human lifeform features in this script.

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Forget Predator’s 1980s roots, which saw Arnold Schwarzenegger battling other-worldly beings in the jungle.

Decent curveball

Here an epic 22-minute opening explainer sees our lead Predator — young Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) — witness the murder of his brother Kwei by their Yautja father.

Cast out from his clan he takes flight to a far-flung planet with the intention of hunting down and slaying the gigantic apex hunter known as the Kalisk.

As well as this mutinous adversary, poisonous plants that can paralyse and lethal grass made of razor blades, here Dek also encounters Thia (Elle Fanning) — a Weyland-Yutani android left hanging from a tree after the Kalisk cut off her legs.

This becomes Dek’s cyborg-in-crime as they help each other across the Badlands with the aim of taking out their mutual target.

Thia’s spoken sentences after an awful lot of subtitled (uncannily Dutch-sounding) Yautja language are a welcome relief.

There’s an unexpected amount of humour too, mostly centred on an additional cute critter travelling companion called Bud.

But amusing segues aside, the idea that everyone is doggedly hunting something does still stand.

The Kalisk and Thia’s evil android twin Tessa are intent on trying to capture Dek, which enables all the heavyweight stand-off set pieces you could hope for.

The graphics are consistently excellent and there’s a decent curveball at the end to leave the door to the next instalment open.

Predator fans may feel dissatisfied by just how far-removed Badlands has travelled from the original.

But doing so does pave the way for some unadulterated futuristic action that can be enjoyed entirely on its own merits, and by a whole new audience.

ANEMONE

(15) 126 mins

★★☆☆☆

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS makes his big-screen return after seven years in this movie directed by his son Ronan.

On paper, that reunion sounds moving. In practice, the film feels heavy, distant and difficult to connect with.

It’s set in the late 1980s on a grey northern coast, and the movie commits fully to that gloom, as every scene reminds of the weight of past burdens the characters still carry.

Day-Lewis plays Ray, a recluse who has cut himself off from almost everyone.

His estranged brother (Sean Bean), seeks to bridge the gap, bringing with him long-buried resentment and unfinished conversations.

The performances themselves are strong, especially from Day-Lewis, who can still command a screen with the smallest gesture.

But the script – written by the actor and his director son – rarely gives the audience room to breathe.

Silence stretches on, metaphors pile up, and the film’s symbolism grows so thick it begins to feel jarring.

There are flashes of genius – a confrontation here, a quiet confession there – but the slow, sombre bits in between offer little or no reward.

The film wants to be profound about pain passed between generations, yet its emotional impact gets lost in its own seriousness.

LINDA MARRIC

THE CHORAL

(12A) 113mins

★★★★☆

YORKSHIRE royalty, writer Alan Bennett, is the recognisable voice behind the script of this feelgood World War One drama.

Set in his native God’s Own Country and with a stunning scenic backdrop, the movie is laced with Bennett’s trademark dry comedy and explores the hope and the horror of wartime Britain through the members of a local community choir.

Ralph Fiennes – superb as choirmaster Dr Guthrie – is brought in to help raise the roof for the ensemble’s annual performance.

Here he heads up a comforting cast of acting heavyweights including Mill owner Duxbury (Roger Allum), pianist Horner (Robert Emms) and Simon Russell Beale as the composer Elgar.

Initially regarded with suspicion thanks to pre-war years spent living in Germany and his fondness for reading naval pages (aka relationships with men) Dr Guthrie soon galvanises his motley mixed generational gang of voices, all dealing in their own way with consequences of war.

Lofty (Oliver Briscombe) and cheeky-chappy pal Ellis (Taylor Uttley) are about to be conscripted, others are grieving those who will not return.

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Poignant and heart-warming stuff.

LAURA STOTT

REMEMBER those big rectangular pre-digital VHS tapes?  

Well, Shooter Jennings, son of late country music great Waylon, has held on to a few of them. 

Now I’ll explain why they’re so precious to him.  

They contain episodes of a TV show almost as popular as Dallas in the early Eighties — The Dukes Of Hazzard. 

As the opening credits roll, you see “The General Lee”, a souped-up 1969 orange Dodge Charger, careering into view.  

Inside are outlaw cousins Bo and Luke Duke, on the run from crooked officials, Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane. 

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You hear the rollicking theme tune, Good Ol’ Boys, being sung in commanding, if tongue-in-cheek fashion by — you might have guessed — Waylon Jennings. 

He also serves as the show’s laidback narrator, The Balladeer, and one of his pearls of wisdom is about poster girl Daisy Duke, remembered for her skimpy denim shorts. 

“She drives like [stock car racer] Richard Petty, shoots like Annie Oakley, and knows the words to all of Dolly Parton’s songs.” 

But he doesn’t appear on screen until season seven when, after demands from fans, he is presented as an old friend of the Dukes in an ­episode titled Welcome, Waylon Jennings. 

‘A massive cultural moment’ 

“Just last night, my wife and I were watching some episodes,” Shooter tells me via Zoom from America’s West Coast as we discuss a fabulous new project involving his father’s previously unreleased music. 

“It made me think what a massive cultural moment the show was,” he continues. “Just how perfect my father’s voice was for it. 

“I think he loved doing those shows and it wasn’t a lot of work for him. He’d be on the road and just stop by a studio and do the voiceovers. 

“There’s real humility about them. He seems to be making fun of himself the whole time. It’s really funny to hear.”  

Waylon is remembered as a ­pioneer of the “Outlaw” country scene, a singer who wrestled the Nashville music-making machine and won control over his recorded output. 

Hellraiser, maverick and bearer of a rich baritone, he was an obvious choice to join fellow renegades Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson in Eighties supergroup The Highwaymen. 

Born in Littlefield, Texas, in 1937, he was consumed by music at an early age and, in 1958, came under the wing of Buddy Holly, who arranged his first recording ­session. 

The stuff of legend, Waylon gave up his seat on the flight that killed Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens on February 3, 1959 — “the day the music died”. 

Shooter says: “If my dad had got on the plane, the music world would be quite different. I often think what it must have been like for him to have survived that. 

“Throughout his life, Buddy was huge to him and he used to talk about him all the time. 

“A lot of his spirit and energy came from rock and roll, from Buddy, who gave him little lessons in songwriting. 

“But he also loved country music, the beauty and sentiment of it, and his voice was just so ­vulnerable and awesome.” 

From the mid-Sixties onwards, Waylon would become a fixture at the top of the country charts but his best work appeared after he gained creative control from RCA Records in 1973.  

He delivered a string of fine unvarnished albums including Lonesome, On’ry And Mean, Honky Tonk Heroes, Dreaming My Dreams and Are You Ready For The Country. 

In 1979, he and fourth wife Jessi Colter, a fellow “Outlaw” country singer, had their only child together, Waylon Albright “Shooter” Jennings. 

The Albright comes from Richie Albright, Waylon Snr’s right- hand man and drummer in The Waylors. 

And the main reason I’m talking to Shooter is because he has unearthed a goldmine of un­released Waylon recordings, taped between 1973 and 1984. 

This has resulted in the appearance of Songbird, the first of three albums culled from the material and lovingly restored by him with the help of surviving members of his dad’s band, along with younger musicians and backing singers. 

‘Passion and soul alive today’ 

“It’s been surreal,” says Shooter, a singer in his own right and in-demand producer. “Everything has lined up for me to have this purpose. 

“This project has given me an entirely new chapter in my relationship with my father and working on this music has brought a whole new understanding about how, when and why my dad made music.  

“The hard work is there on the tapes and the passion and the soul within is as alive today as it was the day it was recorded.” 

I guess the reason The Dukes Of Hazzard cropped up in our chat is because much of the Songbird album’s music was recorded around the same time as the show aired. 

Then I just kept finding these hidden albums,” he says. “It didn’t feel like stuff that was not meant to be released and there were songs I never knew he’d attempted.

Shooter Jennings

Shooter became aware of Waylon’s buried treasure in 2008, “about six years after he died” aged 64 from complications of diabetes.  

But the project only began in earnest last summer when he started sorting through hundreds of high-resolution multitrack transfers of his father’s personal studio recordings.  

What Shooter discovered blew his mind.  

Listening to his dad performing with his ace band became “a wild adventure”. When Shooter heard their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours track Songbird, written by Christine McVie, he realised he was on to something “really exciting”. 

“Then I just kept finding these hidden albums,” he says. “It didn’t feel like stuff that was not meant to be released and there were songs I never knew he’d attempted.” 

Shooter says that much of the material was “professional cuts with a lot of attention to detail, much more than sketches”. 

“My mom told me that my dad always said that every song he recorded should be good enough to be a single when it was done. He had a great work ethic.” 

Shooter settled on Songbird as the opening track and album title because he realised that Waylon “was a kind of songbird”. 

“I wanted to hit home how good a song interpreter he was and how he could make a song his own,” he says. “And I wanted to bring him back with an emotional song, one that’s going to make you cry. 

“Every time I play it for anyone, they tear up at the bit which goes, ‘And I feel that when I’m with you, it’s all right’. 

“It’s such a beautiful take that people are shocked they haven’t heard it before.” 

In order to take Songbird to even greater heights, Shooter enlisted contemporary country singers Ashley Monroe and Elizabeth Cook to provide backing vocals. 

‘Obsessed with Hank Williams’ 

“They’re the funniest people, like a duo, and they’re hill­billies like me,” he says. 

“Elizabeth and I have been really good friends for 15 years plus and she brought Ashley to my studio around the time I was going through this. 

“And they were so moved by Songbird. I realised their airy, birdlike voices could elevate it to some fantasy realm. 

“So I asked them to come back and do some background vocals and they really killed it.” 

Also adding finishing flourishes to the album’s ten tracks are some surviving Waylors including guitarist Gordon Payne, bassist Jerry Bridges, keyboardist Barny Robertson, and backing vocalist Carter Robertson. 

The second song The Cowboy (Small Texas Town) is credited to Johnny Rodriguez but Shooter suspects his father had a hand in writing it. 

These telling lines back up that theory: “My long shaggy hair, and the clothes that I wear/Ain’t fit for no big fancy ball.” 

The song fits with Waylon’s image of staying true to his humble origins — a quality Shooter sees in today’s stars such as Charley Crockett, Tyler Childers and Benjamin Tod. 

He credits his father with blazing a trail for these independent spirits thanks to his battle with RCA Records. “My dad really opened it up. And even though Nashville got their grip back on it for a little while, they’ve been blown apart now.

“They’re just scrambling to find anyone who’s like one of these guys.” 

I ask Shooter what Waylon used to tell him about growing up in Littlefield, Texas. 

“He would tell me how poor they were, for sure, that they had dirt floors, that his mom would put him in places the rats wouldn’t get to.”  

When Waylon became famous, the town would hold a Waylon Jennings Day and their favourite son “would go back there and do a show”. 

Shooter adds: “I loved my dad’s family, his brothers and his mom. I got to know all of them and his brother James is still around and runs this little gas station there.” 

Unbeknown to the residents of Littlefield in 2025, Shooter decided to put up billboards around town featuring lyrics to some of the Songbird songs.

He and Johnny [Cash] came from the exact same background. They both picked cotton. They both listened to Hank Williams on the radio and both journeyed to Mecca [Nashville] to make music.

Shooter Jennings

“I didn’t even tell them. But when we put out that song, The Cowboy, I really wanted to put the focus on Littlefield.” 

We’ve heard about Buddy Holly but I’m keen to find out from Shooter who else was his father’s music hero. He instantly mentions country music’s first superstar — Hank Williams, who lived fast and died young. 

“My father was obsessed with Hank Williams. He was similar in a way because of the vision he had for his songs.” 

As for Waylon’s reputation as a hellraiser, Shooter has this to say: “It’s funny, he didn’t drink. People always get that wrong. 

“He only did the uppers but we had an empty alcohol cabinet in our house because he just didn’t get any.” 

And what does Waylon’s recently remarried widow Jessi Colter, Shooter’s mother, think of the Songbird project? 

“She has helped us,” he replies. “I had to borrow money from her to do it because I didn’t want to get a label involved. 

“She was also a great emotional support to me, even if she wasn’t emotionally tied up in the project.” 

Hearing Waylon sing “didn’t make her sad but she loved it. She’d say something like, ‘They sound like they were having a good time that day.’ ”  

Before we go our separate ways, Shooter opens up about Waylon’s famous friends, notably his Highwaymen buddies Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, still touring and making records at 94.

Waylon and Cash shared an apartment in Nashville in the mid-Sixties and had a strong, if sometimes tempestuous bond. 

“They loved each other,” says Shooter. “Just like anybody else, they would have little bicker fights and not talk for a couple of weeks here or there.  

“But he had a great relationship with Johnny and June [Carter Cash].  

“He and Johnny came from the exact same background. They both picked cotton. They both listened to Hank Williams on the radio and both journeyed to Mecca [Nashville] to make music.” 

Shooter continues: “And I loved Cash. We used to go to his house when I was little. He was always very nice to me.” 

He also remembers hanging out with Nelson’s daughters Amy and Paula. “We were all around the same age and together on the road during the Waylon and Willie tours.  

“And then The Highwaymen happened and I was around Kristofferson’s kids because they lived in Tennessee. 

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“Life’s weird, man,” decides Shooter. “I got dealt a really good hand being born to who I was. So I don’t take it lightly.” 

Hence a son’s labour of love to bring Waylon’s music to a whole new audience. 

WAYLON JENNINGS 

Songbird 

★★★★☆