The Sun Newspaper

FIRST REVIEW CONFESSIONS II

★★★★★

AS one of the most talked-about, celebrated and frequently derided pop stars of all time, returning with her first album in seven years is a high-stakes move for Madonna.

The Queen of Pop has never left it so long between albums in her 43-year career. And she has taken an even bigger risk by recording a ­follow-up to her much-lauded 2005 dance-pop opus, Confessions On A Dancefloor.

But rather than playing it safe, ­Confessions II sees her doing just that — confessing.

She addresses everything from how she failed her eldest daughter Lourdes to her regrets over her relationship with her late brother, Christopher Ciccone.

And also, surprisingly, how her first husband, Sean Penn, 65, made her feel during their short-lived marriage.

The most venom-tongued track is titled Bizarre, in which she squarely attacks the Hollywood A-lister, who she was married to from 1985 to 1989.

She references the 1968 Shelby GT500 convertible she gave him as a wedding gift and his conviction for reckless driving in 1987.

And she also lays into how Penn was “threatened” by her and claims he resented her while they were together.

Madge sings: “Love is the strangest thing. Just when you think you’ve finally let go, it comes back to you.

“Movie star, deep blue eyes. In Hollywood, we’re a perfect prize.

“He drove way too fast, Shelby Cobra wasn’t meant to last.”

Earlier the lyrics had turned to anger, as she sings: “Roll out the carpet for us, but you don’t share it.

“All ’cause you’re threatened by me, you won’t admit it.

“The little things that you do don’t make me want you. Who knew love could be so bizarre?”

And in a later verse, she adds: “I know I left you behind and you resent me.

“A thousand reasons why you could never have me.

“The thought of being with you is so indecent. I guess you’ll never know my dirty little secret.”

Penn isn’t the only subject of her scorn, with Betrayal appearing to be about her stepmum Joan, who died in 2024 while the album was being made. Madonna did not attend her funeral.

The singer was five years old when she lost her mum — who she was named after — to breast cancer. Three years later, in 1966, her dad Silvio married Joan, who worked briefly for the family as a housekeeper.

In the opening verse of Betrayal, Mad­onna sings: “This is a story of betrayal. You couldn’t see your fall from grace.

“So take the hammer, hit the nail. You’ll never take my mother’s place.”

And later in the track, she adds: “You betrayed me, you enslaved me.”

But Madonna, 67, shows her softer side on The Test, which sees her and Lourdes, 29 — the eldest of her six kids — open up about their at-times difficult relationship.

On how her daughter was thrust into the limelight because of her own fame, Madonna sings: “Little star, I tried to put you on a pedestal, you didn’t ask for all the flashing lights.

“I didn’t think of how we could disturb, or how it hurt. I wish I knew the pain I caused.”

She continues: “Sometimes I think you wish I’d go away, but the shadow stays, and it’s OK to be yourself.”

Madge also appears to touch on her 2023 brush with death, when she was found unresponsive at her New York apartment and placed into a coma after suffering from an infection that led to sepsis.

Lourdes, 29, who Madonna had with fitness trainer Carlos Leon, was among those that rallied around her in hospital.

Madonna sings: “You made me whole when I was broken, too. I hope and pray I can do the same for you.”

Paying tribute to her mum, Lourdes sings: “You are my reason to be, what I want or look like, what I wear, all the clothes on my back, and what I attract.

“I trace the line of what you have sewn. Keep my own design. Make it a landscape. Make it alive.”

Elsewhere on the album Madonna makes peace with Christopher, who she was accused of “dropping” as her creative director in the early-2000s, and who later wrote a book titled Life With My Sister Madonna.

The once-close pair never fully repaired their relationship and he died of cancer at the age of 63, in October 2024 although she says he now visits her in her dreams.

On the song Fragile, she sings: “We shared a name, a home. We shared a fragile bond, now you’re gone.

“We laughed, we cried, we held each other’s hands. We had each other’s eyes and they belonged

“This is the time I hate the most, the words inside my heart

“I know you’re fragile ’cause you’ve been hurt, been let down.”

At the end of the track, she adds: “Late last night I was fast asleep, you came to me in a dream.

“You said don’t forget about me, don’t forget to be happy.

“So I hope you found a higher ground.”

The 16-track album clocks in at almost 64 minutes, and is a metaphor for a night out, starting with the heavy, pulsating beats of a club.

Then the final five songs represent the evening winding down, with Madonna spilling out her deepest feelings with the bravery and vulnerability that comes from a night of loud, messy partying.

When she reaches the last track L.E.S. Girl — about her life pre-fame on the Lower East Side of New York — you can hear traffic beeping, signalling she is finally on her way home as the morning rush hour starts.

It’s a neat arc for the ambitious album, which she once again made with English producer and songwriter Stuart Price, who she teamed up with on the first Confessions album.

But this record is much darker, heavier and grown-up.

And as well as being symbolic of a single night out, Madonna uses it to represent key parts of her life and the moments that have made her.

The most brilliantly bombastic highlight comes in Danceteria — named after the New York nightclub where she found her friends in the industry and where DJs played her music for the first time.

It’s a feel-good number with a Vogue-style rap and namechecks for everyone from her pal Debi Mazar to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and even The B-52s.

Another highlight comes with Love Sensation, which appears to be a tribute to her boyfriend, Akeem Morris, 30.

She started dating the former football player in 2024, two years after ending a three-year romance with dancer Ahlamalik Williams, 31, and they now live together in London.

Madonna sings: “When I feel alone I always want to bring you near ’cause you bring a smile right here. You chase away my darkest hours.”

And in the chorus she continues: “Baby, come and get with me, there’s something that I gotta do.

“Baby, when you’re here with me, there’s nothing that we cannot do.”

So far in her career Madonna has sold 450million albums, and counting.

And with this project, she proves there is still plenty of passion, ambition and talent.

Undoubtedly it is her most cohesive and accomplished album since the original Confessions, 21 years ago.

And long may the Queen of Pop ­continue to reign.

LOVE, BETRAYAL AND ECSTASY ON SWEET 16

I Feel So Free: The opening track, released in April, is a throbbing song with breathy vocals and a sample of the 1989 Lil Louis acid house track French Kiss, complete with orgasm. It’s a statement of what’s to come as she says: “On the dancefloor, I feel so free.”

Good For The Soul: Heavy-sounding verses make way for a buoyant and optimistic pop chorus, all about how important letting your hair down is. It was written on her first session for the record.

One Step Away: Madonna dives headfirst into house music on this pulsating track about the release she feels in a nightclub. Over the beat, she utters: “The dance floor is not just a place, it’s a threshold. A ritualistic space where movement replaces language.”

Bring Your Love: The credibly cool lead single features Sabrina Carpenter, uniting two generations of pop stars who are resolute in their determination not to be swayed by naysayers. In the chorus they say: “Bring your love ’cause you cannot shake me. Bring your love ’cause you’ll never break me.”

Danceteria: “Everyone here is a work of art,” Madonna sings on this wonderfully poppy single, inspired by the New York nightclub she went to as a youngster.

Read My Lips: Spanish guitar and a guest appearance from Colombian singer Feid give this a different feel, though there’s a Latin trap beat to keep the party going. It’s clear Madge isn’t happy on it, though, singing: “You cut me with your lies, ’cause you hurt me with your kiss.”

Everything: It opens with strings reminiscent of her 1992 track Deeper And Deeper, but evolves to have regular house music breakdowns fit for a packed Ibiza dancefloor. And she’s worked up, spitting: “It’s not OK, I don’t f*** with it.”

Love Sensation: Pop makes a return on this heart-warming crowd-pleaser. “There’s nothing that we cannot do,” she repeats as the track builds to euphoric choruses. This is destined to be a future single.

Love Without Words: An ode to partying, starts with the sound of smoke being pumped on to a dance floor. “Call it trance, call it house, call it love without words,” she sings.

Bizarre: Madonna teamed up with super-producer Martin Garrix for this revenge track about her ex Sean Penn. The melody, complemented by strings and hints of EDM production, is enough to have people throwing their hands in the air.

School: “I can make moves on the dance floor, I can make love on a man’s floor,” she breathlessly coos on this track, on which her vocals are heavily distorted. It’s one of the weaker songs.

Fragile: There’s a major change of pace with break beats and strings, as she sweetly sings about her late brother Christopher. Her voice truly takes centre stage here.

My Sins Are My Savior: She is joined by Belgian rapper Stromae on this dark and moody track, which wouldn’t sound out of place on 1992’s Erotica album. Reflecting on the criticism in her career, she sings: “I was not lost, I was just broken. They tried to take me down, they tried to take my crown.”

Betrayal: She teams up with producer Mirwais, who she first worked with in 2000, on this 90s-inspired track, featuring brass and piano over bleak and mournful vocals.

The Test: Madonna has said Lourdes approached her about working together to heal their rift, and it certainly sounds cathartic. Her daughter’s voice here is far smoother, but they blend exquisitely.

L.E.S GIRL: It’s the end of the night, Madonna is on her way home and she’s reflecting on when she was a “Lower East Side girl, lost in a fragile world.” It’s a tear- jerker, and triumphant look back at how far she has come. The perfect ending.

TO the untrained eye, he was just a bloke in a shiny police helmet singing about staying at the YMCA.

But behind the tight trousers and macho character in disco group ­Village People, Victor Willis was a musical hitmaker who co-wrote songs that will provide the soundtrack to every wedding, birthday and office party for years to come.

Yesterday, in a Facebook post, his wife Karen Huff-Willis announced Victor’s death, aged 74.

“It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband,” she said.

“Victor passed away on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, as a result of a short but aggressive illness.”

Long before he was commanding crowds to put their hands in the air to anthems that defined an era, including YMCA, Go West and In The Navy, Victor was singing gospel music in his Baptist minister father’s church.

Read more on Victor Willis

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He grew up in San Francisco and his high school band, The Ballads, supported The Temptations.

He sat in on sessions with American jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, before becoming an actor and singer.

A role in the Las Vegas production of musical Hair earned him a place in Broadway productions of Two Gentlemen Of Verona and The Wiz.

In the late Seventies, he caught the attention of flamboyant French producer Jacques Morali, who was creating a musical group based on the macho stereotypes and gay pin-ups of New York’s Greenwich Village.

Their four-track demo, called The Village People, earned the group a record deal, and Jacques asked ­Victor to become the frontman.

While the rest of the line-up were recruited from dance studios and clubs for the roles of the cowboy, the Native American, the biker, the construction worker and the soldier, Victor was thought to be the only straight member.

After albums Macho Man in 1978, and Cruisin’ in ’79 which gave us YMCA, they put out Go West and its title track became a gay anthem, later covered by The Pet Shop Boys.

It also featured In The Navy, which the US Navy co-opted for a recruitment campaign, before realising they were using the ultimate camp parody.

It was around then that Victor met and married his first wife, future Cosby Show star Phylicia Rashad.

They split in 1982.

After battling growing frustrations within the group, Victor walked out in 1979.

But his departure triggered a downward spiral.

He struggled to escape the group’s flamboyant reputation and establish credibility on his own.

His 1979 solo project, Solo Man, remained unreleased for more than 30 years until 2015.

The Eighties and Nineties became a blur of substance abuse, addiction, and brushes with the law.

In 2015, he said: “I got very depressed over the years.

“I got kind of drugged out, because I was disappointed with the way things were and got frustrated, and gave up for a bit.”

He began to turn things around in 2006 after he received court-ordered substance abuse treatment and completed three years of probation.

After getting clean, he turned his energy towards a battleground between him and ruthless record executives who had pocketed the lion’s share of the royalties from the Village People’s catalogue.

This led Victor to meet his second wife Karen, an attorney who helped him fight his copyright case against the companies who controlled Village People’s hits.

They ­married in 2007.

Victor, armed with a gritty determination, launched a historic, multi-year lawsuit under a loophole in the 1976 US Copyright Act, which allows artists to reclaim their work after 35 years.

In a legal victory that sent shockwaves through the music industry, the US courts ruled in his favour in 2013.

Victor clawed back up to 50 per cent of the lucrative copyright percentages for YMCA and his other hits, becoming a hero to older musicians everywhere.

The resolution paved the way for his return to the group in 2017.

Older, wiser, but with that same thunderous voice, he toured the world to packed arenas, watching three generations of families throw their arms in the air to spell out those four famous letters.

By then, YMCA was being regularly played at Donald Trump’s political rallies, a use Victor was unhappy with.

“I don’t endorse Trump, I’ve never endorsed Trump, nor have the Village People,” he told the BBC in 2020.

However, he surprised fans last year by agreeing to take part in the politician’s second inauguration saying: “Our song YMCA is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.”

In his tribute yesterday, Trump claimed: “He was a great and happy guy who loved that I used YMCA at my rallies.”

Regardless, YMCA remains Victors’ biggest hit, reaching No1 in 17 countries.

The star may have hung up his police helmet for the final time, but his legacy is firmly etched into global nightlife.

As long as there is a wedding with a dancefloor, people will be ready to fling their arms up in the air in the shape of a “Y”.

MADONNA is being lined up to make a superstar appearance at London Pride on Saturday.

She has long been a celebrated figure in the LGBTQ+ community, and kicked off Pride Month with a surprise showing in New York last month.

London Pride, which is expecting 1.8million people, will take place at locations across the centre of the capital, with acts including Beth Ditto and MNEK booked to play the main stage in Trafalgar Square.

And my music moles have told me that is where they are expecting Madge to pop up.

My insider explained: “Madonna is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has been a very vocal campaigner for decades.

“Pride means so much to her and the London event happens the day after Confessions II is released.

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“Organisers are playing it by ear in case of any last-minute changes but as it stands, Madonna is primed to come out on the main stage.

“She isn’t going to be performing like she did in New York. It’s more her coming out, speaking to the crowd and then heading off.

“They’re expecting absolute pandemonium if they pull it off.

“But it would be incredible for everyone going to the Pride event in London.”

Madge’s surprise 20-minute set in the Big Apple just weeks ago went down a storm with the crowds, who watched her sing Get Together live for the first time in two decades.

And fans don’t have long to wait until they can hear Confessions II, her latest album with producer Stuart Price.

Madonna has signed a huge new deal with TikTok, with the app streaming tracks from the record live tomorrow night from her VIP album launch party.

The hour-long broadcast will also see Madonna being interviewed about the making of the record, as well as playing a handful of her favourite songs from Confessions II.

It’s a big move for Madonna, after she revealed this week that she can’t stand social media, branding it “mesmerising and also soul-destroying”.

She told Vogue Italia: “Algorithms and artificial intelligence are the opposite of taking risks and to me that is the opposite of making art.”

Anything for us fans eh, Madge?

NICOLE’S PUSSYHAT DOLL

NICOLE SCHERZINGER is brimming with happiness in this sunhat as she celebrates her 48th birthday.

The Pussycat Dolls singer posed for a selfie at the beach on Monday.

Nicole is with her British fiancé Thom Evans in Hawaii, where she was born.

She said: “Last day at this age and she was feeling cute at sunset, back home at her fave beach.”

Nicole will begin rehearsals later this summer for the Pussycat Dolls reunion tour. UK arena shows start on September 29 in Birmingham.

BAD BUNNY COURTS OLD FLAME AT WIMBLEDON

BAD BUNNY has hopped back into his ex’s good books.

He has rekindled his romance with jewellery designer Gabriela Berlingeri, who was with him before fame arrived.

The Puerto Rican rapper played to more than 100,000 fans during two sell-out shows at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the weekend.

There in support was Gabriela, who has quietly been accompanying him on tour.

She was also by his side at Wimbledon on Monday.

They met in 2017 and dated until 2022. She even appeared as a bride in the video to his 2022 single Titi Me Pregunto.

But he later got together with Kendall Jenner and they dated for 18 months.

Bad Bunny has had quite the glow-up in the past few years and he’s become one of the most-streamed acts in the world.

I’m sure Gabriela will now be the envy of millions.

BRITISH girl group Flo have found a superfan in K-Pop sensation Taemin.

Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renee Downer met Taemin backstage at BST Hyde Park where they played on Sunday, after he requested an audience with them.

A source said: “Taemin absolutely loves FLO and thinks they’re brilliant. They talked about working on a collaboration together, which made Taemin’s day.

“They were laughing and joking around for ages before the girls offered to teach him the dance routine to their song, Leak It.”

LILY’S SITTING PRETTY

SULTRY Lily Allen actually has plenty to smile about despite her very public divorce from Stranger Things actor David Harbour.

The singer and actress wore satin lingerie and tiny black shorts when she brought her West End Girl tour to London’s O2 Arena at the weekend – and will return to the capital next week for a third gig at the venue.

Despite looking moody while sitting in a chair on stage, Lily found her smile again as she clutched a bouquet of flowers.

Lily has spent much of the year on the road and was back on stage in Dublin last night.

After a summer of festivals, she will fly to North America in September to play arenas there.

It’s clear Lily is chuffed with the show she has created, which sees her perform her West End Girl album in full.

She wrote on X: “Everyone on this tour is really working very hard to give people the best show we possibly can, and I’m extremely proud of it.”

SAM: I’M HOOKED ON FISH

SAM SMITH has revealed a yearning to be a fishmonger.

The Promises singer told the Dish from Waitrose podcast: “I’m still gutted I’m not a fishmonger. Honestly, I’m not just saying this.

“I was lucky as a kid. We used to go to Waitrose a lot – and the fish section, I just loved. I just like to handle fish. I don’t know, it felt very calming.”

Earlier this year I told that Sam had launched a TikTok account called Sam Served, which documents favourite meals.

And it’s all part of a ploy to get closer to the fish counter.

Sam said: “I was in San Francisco on tour and I was bored, so,I filmed myself eating and it’s just reignited the fishmonger in me.”

I’VE got a sneaky suspicion there may soon be a song featuring pop girls Zara Larsson and Jade Thirlwall.

The pair secretly had a studio session in Paris last week, after the Solidays Festival, where they were both set to perform, was cancelled due to bad weather. I have high hopes for whatever it is they come up with.

BOWIE TREASURE ON TOUR

DAVID BOWIE fans are in for a treat as the V&A Museum has announced today that his incredible archive of outfits, handwritten lyrics and photographs are going on tour for the first time.

David Bowie: On Tour opens at V&A Dundee in November, before heading to Blackpool, County Durham, Hull and Bristol, with more locations to follow.

The collection on Bowie features never-before-seen items including Polaroids for his make-up and costume fittings, a Ziggy Stardust-era acoustic guitar, unreleased projects, lyrics, performance notes and costumes from the singer’s final albums The Next Day and Blackstar.

WILL’S BRIEFS ENCOUNTER

SEEING Will Ferrell playing golf in his underpants wasn’t on my wish list.

But Kim Kardashian signed the actor to model her Skims men’s undies – and it has certainly got us all talking.

Will appears in blue briefs for the new ad campaign, though he was in character as golfer Lonnie Hawkins from his new Netflix comedy series, The Hawk, out July 16.

Kim said of Will: “His body says retired, his Skims say one more round. Built for men who still know they’ve got it.”

If you say so, Kim.

SHAGGY IS THE RIO DEAL

THEY say never meet your heroes, but Shaggy has spent a lifetime doing exactly that.

He has no shortage of famous fans and everyone from Nelson Mandela to Michael Jackson has sung his praises.

In a chat with showbiz reporter Freya Fraser at Rock In Rio Lisboa festival in Portugal, he said of meeting the former South African president: “We were at an award show in South Africa and we’re at the same table.

“He just kind of says, ‘You’re doing really great stuff’.

“We had a great conversation. I’ve met a lot of other people. Michael Jackson was also a super-big Shaggy fan.

“That’s documented on YouTube, everybody sees that. I have actually performed twice for Pope Francis. Queen Elizabeth, we performed for her Jubilee. I met all my heroes, to be honest with you.”

Shaggy is not modest when it comes to his achievements, and he is pretty flashy with his lifestyle too, even if he reckons he isn’t.

He said: “I’m a very practical person, so I’m not buying cars I don’t drive because I’m always on tour. I never drive anywhere, somebody’s always driving me around.

“I’m not buying homes I don’t live in. I have two homes. I’m not buying five of them, you know, I’ll rent them when I need them.”

But he is humble when it comes to his career, which has seen 16 Top 40 hits including four No1s.

He said: “I’m not a genius, God gave me those. If I wrote them, I’d be writing one every week.”

CAUGHT LIVE

Central Cee @ Rock In Rio Lisboa

★★★★☆

CENTRAL CEE ticked Lisbon off his bucket list as he took over the World Stage at Rock In Rio Lisboa before headliner 21 Savage.

On what was the most rap-focused line-up in the festival’s 22-year history, the Londoner tore through a mammoth 21-track set, including Loading, Doja, and Band4Band.

Cench proved he is an international star as thousands of Portuguese fans rapped every word back to him.

The atmosphere could not have been more different from the night before, when Sir Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper and Joss Stone had fans swaying along to their anthems.

Staying true to his nonchalant persona, Central Cee – real name Oakley Neil Caesar-Su – asked: “We’re not in a rush, are we?”

And as he worked the crowd and whizzed through high-profile collaborations such as Did It First with Ice Spice and Dave’s Sprinter, I was getting treated like an A-lister.

Rock In Rio Lisboa pulled out all the stops for its guests, with one of the biggest hospitality areas I have ever seen.

The UK may have provided a lot of the talent on this occasion, but we could learn a thing or two from Portugal’s festival scene.

FREYA FRASER

SIR Elton John has signed a multi-million pound deal for an un- limited residency in Las Vegas — as a hologram.

The pop superstar, 79, will be immortalised using cutting-edge tech so fans can enjoy his live performances for decades more.

Elton, whose sight is failing, retired as a touring artist in 2023, but is still set to appear at special one-off gigs.

Dua Lipa, 30, who had No1 song Cold Heart with Elton in 2021, will also appear as part of the residency.

So will Kiki Dee, 79, who topped the charts with Elton with Don’t Go Breaking My Heart in 1976.

The immersive experience is set for the new Hard Rock Hotel, opening next summer.

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Elton is booked to film his performances with Dua and Kiki at Pinewood Studios, Bucks, this autumn.

A source added: “Elton, Dua and Kiki will be holograms. It’s similar to the Abba Voyage show in London, but far more advanced as the technology has come on so much.

“Elton signed a seven-figure deal with Hard Rock. It’s a shift away from a traditional residency and is billed as a fully immersive experience.

“It’s going to look phenomenal.”

AS one of Hollywood’s highest-earning actresses, Millie Bobby Brown has her pick of big-budget productions.

But she reckons British reality show The Celebrity Traitors would be the perfect platform for her secret manipulation skills — after she beat a lie-detector test.

The inquisitive actress took a polygraph with her Enola Holmes movie co-star Louis Partridge, who ended up in a real sweat as he was grilled.

But Millie, 22, remained so composed under questioning, that the machine failed to spot she was telling porkies.

The Stranger Things star, who earned nearly £20million last year, says: “I so want to be on The Traitors. I think I’d be really good.

“Do you know why? I did a lie-detector test with Louis, and Louis was sweating during the whole thing and could not lie.

“And then he said, ‘Her hands are getting cooler and she’s evading the questions’.

“Somehow, the report has come back, like, ‘She’s a pathological liar’.”

The BBC and its Traitors host Claudia Winkleman should get right on the telephone to Millie’s agent, because her appeal to young audiences is unrivalled by any other actress from these shores.

Millie, who grew up in Bournemouth, has been acting since she was nine.

For nearly a decade, she played telepathic Eleven in Strangers Things, which broke streaming records on Netflix before ending last December.

She is now back as Sherlock ­Holmes’ detective sister in her third Enola Holmes movie, which lands on the streaming channel today.

Millie is also working on a host of ideas, producing projects alongside her 24-year-old husband Jake Bongiovi, who is the son of rock singer Jon Bon Jovi.

The couple, who married in May 2024, have a lot on their hands.

Not only did they adopt a baby girl last summer, they also have a huge menagerie of animals at their home in Georgia — including sheep, ponies, goats, cows and ten dogs.

Some critics have questioned whether Millie was too young to adopt at the age of 21.

But she says: “I love being a young mum because I’m able to run around and chase after her.

“And I love where I’m at right now. I never was the kind of girl to be, like, out on the town, you know? So it wasn’t just in my nature. I love living on my farm. I love sewing.”

Having missed out on a normal childhood because she grew up on sets with “men over 40 years old” talking about “grips” and “ladders”, Millie was not the most outgoing teenager.

But that has all changed since she met Jake.

Millie explains: “I can’t talk about, you know, ‘Oh my God, what bars do you like around this area?’. I lack a little bit of that.

“When I met my husband, he’s the most social butterfly, the complete opposite of me. I really tried to lean more into that.”

A lot of Millie’s time, though, is spent watching the telly at home — where ITV’s Love Island is her guilty pleasure. Although Jake is not so keen on the dating show.

She says: “Love Island. He’s like, ‘Millie, I don’t care about these ­people’. And I’m like, ‘Well, I do. And they just broke up’.

“Yeah, I’m a reality TV snob. I mean, I just watch every show out there.”

Film buff Jake would rather go to the cinema to watch a movie, but parenthood now makes nights out a bit tricky.

And Millie says she usually nods off if she settles down in front of a movie.

She reveals: “I have to have a coffee because I typically fall asleep. It’s not because of the film, it’s because I’m tired. I’m a mum.”

Even though she is still only 22, Millie is now almost a showbusiness veteran, having been in the industry for 13 years.

She is able to call on a host of big names for advice, including Top Gun and Mission Impossible megastar Tom Cruise.

Millie is also close to many of the actors she has appeared with on screen, including Winona Ryder, Matthew Modine and David Harbour who are her Stranger Things co-stars.

There is also Helena Bonham Carter, who is her character’s mum in Enola Holmes.

Millie says: “Winona will text every four months, but the longest message ever. However, Helena Bonham ­Carter, she is there for me whenever I need her, and I’m very, very ­grateful to her.

“Matthew Modine, my godfather. He officiated my wedding.”

Tom Cruise is also only ever a phone call away. Millie says: “I’m very lucky to call him my friend.”

Now, she is paying back the support she has received from industry greats by helping to mentor young talent.

Owen Cooper, 16, was thrust into the limelight when his debut performance in Netflix drama Adolescence led to a string of awards, including an Emmy last year.

Millie says: “He has my number, anytime he needs me, has any questions. He texts me, he’s like, ‘Hey, am I doing this magazine? Is this, like, one I should do?’.

“And I’m like, ‘Owen, do what makes you happy. If you’re not tired, do it. But if you’re tired, don’t do it.

“‘Don’t run yourself into the ground and listen to your parents and just enjoy it. But don’t push yourself’.”

Reports emerged at the end of last year about a claimed fall-out between Millie and David Harbour.

It was alleged that she had filed a bullying and harassment claim against the 51-year-old actor, who played her adoptive father in Stranger Things.

But there is no sign of tension in Millie’s interview to promote Enola Holmes 3, where she speaks warmly about David.

She says: “I’m very lucky. David Harbour’s a great person. I like to talk to him.”

The duo are teaming up again for a Netflix TV series, where David is a former FBI agent reunited with his daughter, played by Millie.

The actress insists the untitled project, which will be written by Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne, is “concrete”.

Millie adds: “The schedule is insane and it’s just placing things in the right place for my time and my schedule. But the David Harbour project is sooner than expected, I think.”

Most recently, Millie filmed a romantic comedy called Just Picture It and has written a book about her grandmother’s World War Two ­stories, called Nineteen Steps.

Whatever she is doing, the young actress and producer will make sure that everyone is comfortable with the working environment.

Discussing the main rules on set, the Gen Z icon says: “I don’t tolerate any bullying. I don’t tolerate any negativity.

“I have been in situations like that before and I only tolerate positivity, love, friendship, kindness, trust, communication.

“And I just will stop people in their tracks if I see that.

“I’ll just take them to the side and be, ‘This isn’t working’.

“I’ll just take them to the side and be, ‘This isn’t working’. We’re playing pretend, for goodness sake. My daughter plays pretend. This is meant to be fun.

“You know, let’s not yell or be upset or dwell on something that’s very, very small and minor.”

Years in showbiz, which is often unforgiving, has clearly taught Millie how to cope with relentless negativity.

The hatred she has experienced online led her to delete her social media in 2021 and leave someone else to deal with her digital output.

She explains: “I needed to hire someone for my mental health to take care of it for me.”

There is no escaping the trolls, though, and last year she called for the cruel comments about her appearance to stop.

There were dumb remarks online about her appearing to be aged 35 or 40.

Afterwards, Little Britain creator Matt Lucas apologised for posting, “No but, yeah but” — the catchphrase of TV “chav” Vicky Pollard — next to an image of Millie in a pink tracksuit top.

He admitted it was a misplaced gag.

Fortunately, Millie is now able to laugh off those brickbats, intended or not.

She says with a smile: “If you Google it, everybody says I look like a 50-year-old. And honestly, I am here for that.

“My mum looks amazing for 50. Gosh, I feel very much 22.”

Let’s all hope that is the truth, and that Millie has the youthful energy to keep up her incredible output on screen.

And with any luck, we will see her plotting away in a cloak inside a Scottish castle very soon.

• Enola Holmes 3 is streaming on Netflix from today.

LEAVE the kids at home – because these cruise ships are pulling out all the stops for the grown-ups.  

TUI has announced that its Marella Discovery 2 will permanently switch to an adults-only vessel from winter next year.  

And it’s not the only cruise line to make this move either.  

Oceania put an 18-plus rule in place for travellers in January, while Fred Olsen made its Borealis ship adults-only at the beginning of the year.  

Sophie Swietochowski picks the best adults-only cruises to book now for 2027.  

SPAIN

Marella Explorer 2  

ALL hands are on deck as TUI’s Marella Discovery 2 is set to transform its children’s spaces into a chic speakeasy, escape room, karaoke room and arts and craft area.  

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This change is scheduled for next winter, but the Marella Explorer 2 is already over-18s only.  

The ship’s features include a “press for bubbles” button at its champagne and prosecco bar Flutes. There’s also the 19th Hole sports bar themed around golf, plus a luxurious spa that has been designed in partnership with wellness brand Champneys.  

If you book now you can bag nearly £500pp off a Spanish Sights sailing, which calls at Palma in Majorca; Palamos, Castellon and Cartagena in Spain; and Gibraltar.  

GO: The seven-night cruise costs from £1,097pp, departing Malaga on May 26. The price includes flights from Gatwick. See tui.co.uk.  

ROME TO BARCELONA

Allura  

THE Oceania cruise line oozes so much sophistication you’ll question why it ever allowed kids on board in the first place.  

Its bars are elegant, its entertainment spaces glitzy and the food surpasses that on most other cruise lines.  

Its newest vessel, Allura, is no exception. Cruisers’ favourite restaurant, Jacques, delivers delightful soufflés and tableside steak tartare.   

There are cooking classes in a swish kitchen and one of the most chic libraries I’ve seen at sea.  

The week-long Rome to Barcelona cruise has port calls including Florence in Italy; Cannes and Provence in France; Palma de Mallorca; and Valencia and Barcelona in Spain.  

GO: The seven-night Rome to Barcelona sailing costs from £1,939pp, departing Rome on October 22.   

See oceaniacruises.com.  

EASTERN CARIBBEAN

Brilliant Lady  

IF raucous fun and debauchery are what you’re after, try Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady.  

Guests can enjoy Scarlet Night, where the ship transforms into one mega party, with performances and late-night dancing in the pool, plus Loteria Gigante, a modern bingo involving shots of tequila and Mexican food.

And that’s barely scratching the surface of the wild shows and theatrical restaurants.  

There is space to unwind, too, including a spa, complete with a mud room, salt room, sauna, steam room and more.  

Right now, an Eastern Caribbean sailing is cracking value, with a free $600 bar tab for anyone who books an Inside or Sea Terrace room via Iglu Cruises.  

The cruise departs Miami and calls at St Maarten; Tortola; US Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; and Bimini, Bahamas.  

GO: The ten-night Eastern Caribbean & Bimini Beach Club cruise costs from £793pp, departing Miami on January 11. See iglucruise.com.  

NORWAY

Aurora  

AURORA is one of two P&O Cruises’ ships that are adults-only. It is more intimate than P&O’s other vessels, sleeping 1,800 guests, so is great if you’re up for meeting like-minded travellers.  

Its Crystal pool, with a retractable roof, is one of the highlights, meaning you can swim and relax whatever the weather. Plus there’s the Playhouse Cinema featuring 200 proper cinema seats.  

You’ll love the British feel to this ship, too. There’s a homely pub culture on board and many of the boozers offer live music, quiz nights and TVs showing the latest sports games.  

The cruise line is very affordable, with a 14-night Norway sailing costing less than £1,500pp, without the need to shell out on flights.   

The ship departs Southampton and spends a few days at sea before pulling into Alesund, then Bodo, Narvik, Tromso and Haugesund.  

GO: The two-week Norway cruise departs Southampton on March 19. See pocruises.com.  

ISLES OF SCILLY

Spirit of Discovery  

SAGA Cruises has nailed the midlife market. Its ships and itineraries have been specifically designed with age 50-plus travellers in mind — and although you can expect to pay a slight premium, cruisers won’t need to lift a finger.  

Unlike other cruise lines where you’ll have to shell out extra for speciality restaurants or booze, these come included in the price, as does travel insurance, and you’ll also be chauffeured from your door to port.  

Every cabin has a balcony, and solo travellers are extremely well looked after.  

Next year, the cruise line will be celebrating 30 years of sailing so is bringing premium wines on board for the occasion. And those who book early can bag up to 35 per cent off the original fare.  

Included in this offer is the Isles of Scilly and Celtic Sea Escape which calls at Falmouth, Isles of Scilly and Cork.  

GO: The six-night Isles of Scilly and Celtic Sea Escape on Spirit of Discovery costs from £2,306pp, departing Dover on June 27. See travelsaga.co.uk. 

SUPERMODEL Cara Delevingne has revealed she snorted rhino ketamine at the peak of her drug addiction.

The 33-year-old also confirmed for the first time that she dated Aquaman actress Amber Heard.

Cara told a podcast she regularly took a scary amount of drugs and never came down in her 20s because she was always high.

She explained: “I remember being sold, like, rhino ketamine but it wasn’t really rhino ketamine.

“When I first started doing it, if anyone who takes ketamine or has taken drugs knows, you do a tiny bit of ketamine, and that’s enough.

“But I’d be doing really long, big lines because I just wanted to disappear, not have a bit and feel weird. I wanted to completely lose consciousness, tranquilise myself, I suppose.

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“My tolerance was so high with that stuff to the point where I’d go to a party and I’d give some to a 6ft 5in man, and he’d be floored by doing a tiny amount compared to what I was doing, which is scary.”

Class B drug ketamine is a dissociative general anaesthetic and known as a horse tranquilliser.

Rhino ket is the term for a powerful synthetic version or a mix of ketamine and amphetamine.

Cara got sober only in 2022 after photos emerged of her looking dishevelled after the Burning Man festival.

On The Louis Theroux Podcast, out today, she said of the illegal substances: “They were my best friend, my support. They were the thing that I could control my emotions with, you know? They kept me going.

“For a long period I only did drugs. I didn’t drink at all. I don’t know why. I just didn’t like it. I think in my 20s, I never came down, I was just working and partying, and it was fine.”

Cara said she and Amber, 40, formed a friendship on the film London Fields and became romantic only after Amber’s toxic split from Johnny Depp in 2016.

Cara said: “We were close for a long time, then when they were going through the divorce. Yeah, we were entangled, I suppose. But she was also entangled with others.”

When Louis suggested that could be a reference to her dating Elon Musk, she replied: “There you go.”

Heard and Musk dated on and off from 2016 to 2018.

HARRY Styles is looking at New Orleans for his wedding to Zoe Kravitz, it can be revealed.

Pals close to the loved-up pair say they think the Southern US town could be a special spot to tie the knot and have researched venues.

Zoe’s famous musician dad Lenny Kravitz has long-standing roots in the town after buying his first home in the Louisiana town, which has deep ties to the blues music scene.

Back at home, the One Direction star, 32, and US actress, 37, this weekend enjoyed London’s heatwave and were snapped cuddling on a picnic blanket on Hampstead Heath.

They confirmed their engagement to close family and friends in April.

A source said: “Harry and Zoe might have a string of celebrity friends and a Hollywood lifestyle but their wedding won’t be like that.

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“They’re a cool couple and want something unique.

“Zoe’s family ties to New Orleans, plus the town’s musical history, is making it a front runner and they’ve told pals that they’re looking at options for holding their big day there.”

Rock icon Lenny bought his first home in New Orleans in 1994 – a Creole cottage on Dauphine Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, a block away from the town’s famous Bourbon Street.

Whilst Zoe grew up in Los Angeles with her mother Lisa Bonet, in her teenage years she spent more time with Lenny at his Miami estate and New Orleans cottage.

The Sun revealed snaps of Zoe with a huge diamond ring on her wedding finger in April.

Ex-One Direction singer Harry and Zoe, who played Catwoman in The Batman, have dated since August last year.

They went public with their relationship in Rome but have since kept matters private and not commented on their status.

Harry is said to have popped the question with a ring worth up to £500,000 and first sparked engagement rumours when he and Zoe flew to the Bahamas just after Christmas to stay in her dad’s home there.

A source said at the time: “If it wasn’t an engagement, then it was something that shows they are very much committed to each other.”

REALITY TV star Maura Higgins has everyone asking “Who’s that curl?” as she shows off her latest hairdo.

The Love Island star switched her usual sleek locks for something with a little more volume.

Maura, 35, teamed her new look with a black dress slashed to the waist, black heels and big shades.

She was in the South of France for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The event is the world’s largest for the advertising and marketing industry.

Maura posted the pics on Instagram.

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She made light of her love for reinventing her image, wrote: “I’ve been about 47 different people this year.”

Since leaving the Love Island villa in 2019, Irish Maura has appeared on some of the biggest shows in the world.

She was on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2024.

Maura later hosted Love Island USA: Aftersun.

Earlier this year she was on The Traitors US — where she was a Faithful and finished runner-up.

In September she will be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars — America’s version of Strictly.

THIS summer’s celebrity trend isn’t a snatched waistline or even a peachy backside.

It’s the ‘11-line abs’ – a pair of razor sharp lines running down the stomach.

A host of stars, including Jodie Comer, Zendaya and Maura Higgins, have been proudly proving the magic number is 11 by flaunting their honed stomachs.

It’s an enviable look that screams gruelling hours at the gym and super-low body fat.

Until now, the number 11 was something women dreaded as it referred to the pair of lines that form between the eyebrows through frowning.

Now, however, 11 has become the ultimate badge of fitness — 11-line abs are created by the natural gap between the six-pack muscles (rectus abdominis) and the abdomen’s side muscles (obliques).

While it may have once been tacky to show off your naked waist, this year people are exhibiting their defined midriffs everywhere — not just at the beach or the gym but on the red carpet, too.

Earlier this month, actress Jodie Comer looked sensational at a star-studded bash as she flashed her sculpted midriff in a black dress.

But if you think achieving this physique is as simple as jumping on fat jabs, you need to think again — it’s down to exercise and good nutrition, according to women’s fitness expert Shakira Akabusi.

“There isn’t a single magic exercise to achieve visible abs,” says mum-of-four Shakira.

“But a great set of core exercises are planks, dead bugs, hanging knee raises and bicycles. Compound exercises like squats and deadlifts are also great.”

Although Shakira recommends a well-rounded diet, she says “a modest calorie deficit” is necessary to reduce body fat.

She adds: “Your abdominal muscles sit beneath a fat layer, so visible definition relies on overall body composition as well as building muscle.”

The expert emphasised that aesthetics and health shouldn’t be confused.

“Visible ab definition is not a marker of health, and is down to many factors including genetics, hormones, body fat distribution, nutrition and even lighting.

“So, don’t be fooled by social media posts.”

SHE’s a singer, songwriter and actress – but Charli XCX is yet to achieve her original life goal.

The Rock Music singer, whose new song Wink Wink is out now, said: “When I was younger, I thought it would be fun if my job was being a fairy or something.

“I had a pink princess dress, a puffed out sparkly kid’s dress that I just absolutely loved.

“It was probably some sort of Toys R Us situation, the peak of fashion, you know. And it came with these little lacy white gloves.

“I remember being really, really into that when I was younger and always wanting to wear it.”

That’s a far cry from the grungy aesthetic of her new album Music, Fashion, Film – which is out next month.

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In an interview with Bella Freud on her Fashion Neurosis podcast, Charli also opened up about the envy she has for other artists including Lorde, who she collaborated with on the 2024 song Girl, So Confusing.

Quizzed on whether she gets attacks of “competitive jealousy,” she said: “Of course. I think I’ve said this to Lorde before, I was so jealous when I heard Royals for the first time.

“I was like, ‘I’m so jealous. I wish that I could have written that song.’

“I thought it was so spectacular…it really defined a time, that song.”

SIR ROD’S BACK AT FULL GAS

SIR ROD STEWART proved he’s back at the top of his game as he headlined the Rock In Rio festival in Portugal – just days after he was seen needing oxygen during a US gig.

For 100 minutes he barely paused for breath, belting out hit after hit while strutting across the stage – which marked his first Rock in Rio appearance in 18 years.

Sir Rod also used his set to make a political point, shouting “F**k Putin,” as he dedicated Rhythm Of My Heart to the people of Ukraine and their president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, much to the appreciation of the crowd.

Rod also had the Portuguese fans eating out of the palm of his hand as he asked: “Are Portugal going to win the World Cup?

“Fingers crossed, guys, fingers crossed.”

Sadly they’ve got a far better chance than his beloved Scotland, who are already heading home.

MILLIE BOBBY BROWN admits married life didn’t get off to the best start – she was stung by a bee as her husband said his vows.

The Stranger Things actress, who wed model Jake Bongiovi in 2024, explained: “As I was getting married, and my husband was saying his vows, there was a bee under my veil.

“I heard it and I was like, ‘Oh god.’ It started flapping under my veil.

“It stung me and then it got out and probably died

“After we walked down the aisle I was like, ‘Babe, babe, did you see this bumblebee?’ It stung my back and it hurt so bad.”

Speaking on the Jake’s Takes YouTube series, she added: “My acting skills really had to come into play because I had to pretend everything was OK.”

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BAD BUNNY had my beloved Tottenham Hotspur Stadium rocking to a pulsating Latin beat on Saturday night on the first of two sold-out shows.

The star-studded crowd included Adele, Lola Young, Joe Jonas and former Dr Who star Ncuti Gatwa, while tennis legend Novak Djokovic introduced a song.

Newly single Maya Jama was also there, and got on stage to dance with him as part of the brilliant concert.

WITH its pretty timber-framed walls and stained-glass windows, even from the outside you can instantly tell The Old Inn is something special.

It’s been welcoming guests since 1614, but that doesn’t mean the hotel in the village of Crawfords-burn, Co Down, is stuck in a time warp.

Inside, it has been transformed into an oasis of modern luxury, and it has proved such a hit since it was bought by the Galgorm hotel group in 2021 that it was recently crowned the AA’s Hotel of the Year for Northern Ireland.

Now, with its stunning Treetop spa, it promises the ultimate romantic retreat – apt, because Narnia author CS Lewis chose it for his honeymoon in July 1958.

We stayed in one of the spacious junior suites, with a super-king bed and a stand-alone copper bath by the ornate bay window.

Antique furnishings maintain the 17th-century character, while the bathrooms are new and luxurious, with a marble sink and a vast rainfall shower.

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The attention to detail really makes it stand out from other 4* hotels, with lavish toiletries, fluffy robes and slippers, a GHD hairdryer, and free soft drinks in the fridge as well as a Nespresso coffee machine and minibar.

We spent most of our stay unwinding in the Treetop spa, which is without doubt the star of the show.

Hotel guests get access from noon on the day of check-in until check-out.

Overlooking the Crawfordsburn Country Park and surrounded by greenery, this outdoor haven features a heated hydrotherapy pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room.

Or you can also relax by a wood-fire stove in the cosy conservatory, taking in the forest views below, or indulge in a treatment such as a facial or massage.

But the best part is that you can order cocktails straight to the pool or your lounger.

On a Sunday morning, I was able to sweat out my multiple cocktails in the hotel’s new gym, which also offers various classes, including yoga.

As for food, the hotel’s charming 1614 Bar offers pub grub such as fish and chips and burgers.

For dinner, we headed into The Restaurant to try the a-la-carte menu.

It’s not cheap, but is excellent if you fancy splashing out.

To start, I had the white asparagus with shaved mushrooms, Irish coppa and truffled honey (£15), and for my main I had the monkfish with spring brassicas, mussels and buttermilk (£33) with a great bottle of white wine.

After dinner, we returned to the 1614 Bar for a nightcap or two with live music.

Breakfast is a continental buffet spread and guests can also order a la carte.

The hotel prides itself on its fresh food, so everything from fish to yoghurt at breakfast was local.

We then strolled through the park to Crawfordsburn beach.

A winding path takes you through woods, then the trees clear and you are on to the sweeping, sandy beach looking out over Belfast Lough.

You can see why CS Lewis chose this spot for his honeymoon – with stunning scenery on your doorstep and a warm welcome, it’s couples heaven.

LEMONADE, lemon beer, lemon cocktails, lemon tea, lemon cakes and, of course, that dangerously tasty liqueur, limoncello.

There is no escaping lemons on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

They adorn tea towels, shirts, skirts, dresses, trousers, and bags galore.

Our base on Travelsphere’s eight-day tour of the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Capri was the charming, laid-back seaside village of Minori, at the excellent family-run 4* Hotel Villa Romana.

Just three miles and a glorious 15- minute boat ride from Amalfi itself, Minori is quieter and classier, with stylish and affordable restaurants and bars.

Surprisingly for a village of its size, Minori has an 18th-century neoclassical domed cathedral. Surrounded by lemon groves, of course.

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One of my highlights was walking the Path of Lemons, which connects Minori to the larger neighbouring village of Maiori.

The trek takes around 90 minutes, with an initial climb up several hundred steps and a similar descent.

But the view of the village and sea is spectacular and worth every straining leg sinew.

The beauty of our schedule is that there is still plenty of free time for you to pursue your own holiday agenda.

You’ll get the chance to indulge at Minori’s sumptuous Sal De Riso patisserie or watch the famed limoncello being made at the Liquorificio Mansi Carlo.

Alternatively, stop by at one of Minori’s beachside bars and watch the tide roll in.

But the best place to see the Amalfi Coast is from the sea and the area is served by efficient, reasonably-priced ferry operators.

It is only from the clear blue waters that you fully appreciate the stunning coastline and its tumble-down towns with pastel-coloured houses perched precariously atop majestic cliffs.

Our first trip was to the historic town of Amalfi itself, dramatically set below those same cliffs.

On arrival at Amalfi, we had the freedom to see the town for ourselves.

The main square and its streets were packed with sightseers.

But climb a few steps up one of the alleyways and you will find peace and quiet and cheaper restaurants.

A lunch of cured meats and seafood, in cool stone surroundings behind a church, cost £21.50 a head with drinks.

By the time we had finished, the crowds had thinned out at Amalfi’s magnificent medieval cathedral, which holds the remains of St Andrew.

But there was no escaping the crowds at Capri, a gorgeous 90-minute boat trip from Minori.

The island has been home to the international jet set for decades and it’s not difficult to see why.

A walk down to the gardens of Capri Town was followed by a look, from outside anyway, at the amazing designer boutique shops.

A glass of fresh orange and lemon juice from a stall was a cheaper alternative to buying a designer Patek Philippe watch — and then it was time to get our minibus to Anacapri.

This village, with views of the Bay of Naples, is much quieter and more affordable than Capri Town.

We got the chairlift up to the highest point of the island, almost 1,800ft above sea level with a view to die for.

There are optional tour trips to the lively lemon-filled town of Sorrento and the gorgeous cliffside village of Positano.

Or you could take the 45-minute ferry from Minori to Salerno, a bustling coastal city where we had a superb fish lunch at Mama Rosa.

The undoubted gem of the tour was our visit to Pompeii, destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD.

The last agonies of victims frozen in time when they suffocated from poison gases are captured in plaster moulds created from their remains.

It is a powerful experience.

And yet the humanity of this once prosperous and thriving coastal Roman city, discovered in 1748, shines through from the haunting remains.

The municipal buildings, public baths, grand villas, lead pipe water system and amphitheatres paint a picture of an advanced society on which much of our own world today is based.

Our last scheduled trip was to the gorgeous medieval mountainside village of Ravello, with its cobbled streets lined with pottery and linen shops leading off the main square and 11th-century cathedral.

The journey up to the 1,200ft-high village involves navigating hairpin bends with sheer drops below.

It was not a drive I would have relished but in the expert hands of our driver I felt safer than being on the M25.

A delicious lunch followed at the Il Rifugio family-run restaurant in Tramonti, a 15-minute drive from Ravello up into the Lattari “Milk” Mountains — so-named because of the goats which graze there.

After taking in the spectacular view of the sea, and sampling local wines, we were then driven to a small local vineyard to see how it was produced.

All too soon it was time for the journey home from Naples Airport, with its abundance of lemon gifts and souvenirs.

Fortunately, you don’t get a hangover from vitamin C.

EACH step I take is marked by a comforting crunch as my spiked hiking boots grip the snow.

Directly ahead of me is Mont Blanc’s breathtaking peak, straddling France, Italy and Switzerland.

And beneath my feet is the Ghiacciaio del Monte Bianco glacier.

I’m reminded to stop my gawping and keep walking, by a firm tug from the rope tying me to my guide and to the three other people in the expedition.

I approach the edge of the glacier and spot a huge crack in the snow where it’s threatening to suddenly fall away.

Then, as I peer thousands of feet down into the valley to try and spot my hotel, Gran Baita, I hear a huge rumble.

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Looking nervously to my right, I see a small avalanche careering down the side of Mont Blanc.

It’s a not-so-subtle reminder that the ropes around our waists are the only things that might offer protection if the glacier beneath our feet suddenly shifts.

But despite the snow on the ground, I’m soon stripping off my layers because the temperatures can reach balmy heights in this gorgeous Italian Alpine region during summer.

To arrive here, I hopped on the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car which whizzed me 3,466 metres up to the glacier from the village of Courmayeur in ten minutes — with a stop at 2,173 metres to switch cabs.

The cable car costs £50 in advance to go to the top — but this does include entrance to a variety of attractions including an Alpine garden, kids’ play area and Europe’s highest library.

As well as a chance to refuel in its restaurants, the middle Skyway station offers another treat — a cave where they mature a vintage wine grown here.

And even if you’re not drinking wine, you’ll be able to drink in the amazing views of Italy’s Aosta Valley.

Skyway Monte Bianco slowly rotates so you don’t miss any of the incredible scenery.

Back in the sun-drenched valleys, there’s not a speck of snow in sight — but we still eat for winter, piling our plates with gourmet raclette and classic Italian pastas.

The region’s restaurant highlights include Cadran Solaire, whose wild-boar ragu is the stuff foodie dreams are made of.

But if your stomach is firmly in summer mode, you can tuck into lighter home-cooked delights at La Terrazza, where the owner has brought southern Italian delicacies to the Alps.

Classics like carbonara are on offer, as well as starters of anchovies with mozzarella.

If you’re worried about all those calories, the slopes of Courmayeur will be your saviour.

The mountains become a walkers’ paradise in summer, with unbelievable trails from the two valleys either side.

One morning, I headed to Val Ferret, which can be accessed by bike, a free bus or car.

It’s flanked by the Mont Blanc Massif, Mont Dolent and Tour Noir.

From here you can see the gigantic Brenva Glacier — the second-longest glacier in Italy.

The valley can be enjoyed on foot, or on horseback for around €30 (£25) an hour.

But for those who prefer something more challenging, the ski area Checrouit offers uphill walks where you climb 300 metres in just an hour.

Thank goodness for the heated pool and sauna back at the Gran Baita.

I’m not sure how my limbs would have recovered without them.

STEP into your own David Attenborough show on a dreamy family staycay.

From a gorgeous country estate on the England/Wales border, to seal-spotting and wild swimming while kipping in sleepy Harleston

Marrington Escapes, Shropshire

Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley and her gang found a gorgeous country estate brimming with nature on the England/Wales border.

A grazing pony, strutting pheasants and hopping hares are just a few of our neighbours on the glorious, family-owned Marrington Estate.

And we’ve spied them all before we even embark on an hour’s walk down through the stunning Dingle Valley, where the babbling River Camlad is home to crayfish, otters and kingfishers.

We’re kipping in one of the estate’s biggest properties, Marrington Farmhouse, which sleeps 10 under cloud-like duvets – although the dining room is better-suited to eight – and which comes with a kitchen proper cooks will love.

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A large hot tub, The Traitors board game complete with cloak, a verdant lawn and an apple orchard brimming with harvest make it an idyllic spot and, come evening, we toast marshmallows on the firepit and stargaze.

Our welcome hamper includes pistachio sablés from What A Pickle! in the county’s foodie capital Ludlow and a bottle of zingy Shropshire Lady white wine using Solaris grapes from Kerryvale Vineyard, 10 minutes’ drive away.

But with little ones in tow, we resist a vineyard tour and tasting, £25 per person (Kerryvalevineyard.co.uk), and instead take a trip across the border to Wales on board a steam train.

The nearby Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway trundles us through the rolling hills and, once we arrive in Llanfair, Poppy, seven, and Raffy, four, are thrilled when the friendly driver spots them looking on wide-eyed in awe and invites them into his cabin to pull the steam whistle.

Return tickets cost £27 per adult, £10 per child (Wllr.org.uk). We’re also close to several castles, from which we pick the striking 13th-century Powis Castle, a 20-minute drive away.

Its baroque terraces are a spectacular display of colour, and feasting on a cream tea, £7.50, among the blooms before a stroll through the woodlands is heavenly.

Adult tickets cost £18, over-fives are £9 (Nationaltrust.org.uk).

On our way back, we make a pitstop at The Nags Head Inn in Garthmyl for the Sunday roast of dreams, tucking into a delicate crab salad with watermelon and pineapple salsa, before tackling ginormous three-meat platters with all the trimmings in the lively dining space (Nagsheadgarthmyl.co.uk).

Two courses cost from £24.45, and we haven’t had a roast that good since!

Stays at Marrington Farmhouse, sleeping 10, cost from £30 per person, per night (Marringtonescapes.com).

Mendham Mill, Suffolk

Writer Ellie O’Mahoney and her family spotted seals and tried wild swimming while kipping in sleepy Harleston.

Paddling in canoes up the River Waveney, it feels like we are in the middle of a painting.

We’re staying at Mendham Mill Holiday Cottages on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, and canoes here are free to borrow, from which we spot newly hatched goslings, grazing cows and a hovering kestrel.

We’re bedding down in wheelchair-friendly North Meadow Cottage, which sleeps six, and our children, Elliot, 11, and Molly, nine, whoop for joy when they find the games room with table tennis and a pool table.

Later, we take a bracing swim in the river at the bottom of the garden, then warm up under the outdoor shower.

Norfolk is famous for its seal colonies, so we make the hour’s drive to one of the UK’s largest, Horsey Gap, to spot them (Horseygap.co.uk).

Close by is wooden marvel BeWILDerwood, where the kids burn off their energy exploring the treehouses, zip wires, mazes and slides.

Tickets cost from £20.95 for those over 92cm (Bewilderwood.co.uk).
Another day, Framlingham Castle, inspo for Ed Sheeran’s Castle On The Hill, proves the perfect spot for playing warring knights.

Entry costs from £8.10 (English-heritage.org.uk).

Later, we get a Michelin-recommended taste of old-school Suffolk at The Peacock Inn in Chelsworth, a 14th-century Grade-II-listed pub in the prettiest of villages.

Battered haddock with koji tartar sauce, £18, is standout, while the mousse, £11, made with 85% chocolate from local chocolatier Pump Street is to die for (Thepeacockchelsworth.com).

Stays at Mendham Mill Holiday Cottages, sleeping six, cost from £35 per person, per night (Premiercottages.co.uk).

 OR GO REALLY WILD…

The Reserve, Cheshire

Wake up to giraffes as campmates at Chester Zoo, says Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley.

Stuffing play balls with lucerne hay, my kids are thoroughly enjoying preparing teatime treats for giraffes with zookeeper Sophie, while learning about their surprisingly small poos and why their long tongues are black (to protect them from the sun, FYI).

The excitement continues when later we join an after-hours tour to catch a glimpse of nocturnal animals waking, including aardvarks, and learn about the incredible cancer-fighting superpower of naked mole rats.

By sleeping over, guests are helping the conservation efforts here and The Reserve’s reception, restaurant and bar ooze sophistication.

Welcome cocktails of sapling vodka, lime and honey – and juices for the kids – are quickly slurped, and the 51 lodges are swishly furnished, although our lakeside pad is without much of an actual lake view and comes with the buzz of traffic that leaves us feeling very much still in England when on our veranda.

Pricier lodges overlook the giraffe enclosure and, on our stroll to the plentiful breakfast, we spot the majestic creatures through gaps in the foliage.

As well as exclusive animal tours and fireside stories in the lounge, overnight guests also get to step into the zoo early, and it is undoubtedly one of the UK’s best – home to more than 500 species, including orangutans, elephants, leopards and lions.

All in all, our little ones think this is a roar-some mini-break.

Family stays for four at The Reserve cost from £306 B&B, including two-day zoo access (Chesterzoo.org).

LOOKING cool is no sweat for Kylie Jenner — thanks to her latest cosmetics creation.

The US beauty mogul posed in a see-through slip dress to help promote a powder which claims to be sweat and humidity-proof.

It is the latest launch from her Kylie Cosmetics range, which has helped the 28-year-old rake in a £500million fortune.

Meanwhile Kylie, who is dating Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet, has provided the AI assistant’s voice for a pair of smart glasses.

She also helped design the £359 oval Starfire Kylie Edition shades for tech giant Meta.

Wearers can take photos and videos, make and answer phone calls, listen to music and ­interact with a virtual assistant voiced by Kylie.

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The star said: “I recorded all these little lines.

“You put them on in the morning and it says, ‘Rise and shine’.

“It just felt like something I’d actually reach for every single day.”

The new hi-tech specs come in 26 different styles and eight colour options.

They include selections of Meta Adventurer (rectangular) and Meta Fury (squared) spectacles, as well as Meta Glasses by Kylie (with a slim oval shape).

They’re all “smart glasses”, which means they have built-in cameras, microphones, and an AI assistant – but not a display.

HOLIDAYS to Dubai are back on track. The UK Foreign Office last week scrapped the advice against all but essential travel to the UAE, as well as nearby destinations such as Qatar and Bahrain.

And with hotels and attractions itching to welcome us once more, there are some great bargains to be had right now. Whether you’ve got bags of cash to spend or are hunting for ways to make your dosh go further, we’ve got you covered.

ON A BUDGET?

FROM beach club deals, through to discounted 5* “business lunches”, a classy trip can be yours but without the cost — if you know where to look.

One of the biggest expenses on a visit to the UAE city can be at the ever-popular beach clubs.

Expect to drop hundreds of dirhams once you’ve paid for entry, loungers, food and drink.

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Yet one of the newest on the block is also one of the most affordable — the Casablanca.

As part of landmark resort Atlantis, the club is a bargain, so long as you time your visit for a weekday.

Paying around £24 per person for a sun lounger, you can still enjoy the pool and beach without having to spend a fortune.

My hours were happily spent with a few Prosecco foam cocktails and truffle fries while enjoying the party atmosphere, thanks to the upbeat dance music being pumped out.

Dips in the pool were followed by lolling on the beach swing, before sunning myself to dry off on my striped lounger.

Want to go higher? When it comes to a rooftop pool, Aura can’t be beaten, taking the title of the world’s tallest 360-degree infinity pool.

But if you love the views and aren’t fussed about the pool, try their lounge breakfast package.

For a fraction of the price of using the pool, you get a breakfast and two drinks.

I might have stayed dry, but I got those influencer-style shots posing next to the water without the cost. From the miso eggs benedict to pomegranate juices, I promise it’s worth the early start.

For more of the high life, also drop in at Ce La Vi. The famous bar has some of the best views of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

But you’ll be joining the locals if you visit at lunch rather than dinner — and will stay in your budget, too.

Dinners can see a main course alone costing £30. Yet the three-course lunch set menu will set you back just £28, including a glass of wine.

But while Dubai is certainly a foodie city, the real flavour of the place is to be found in the street markets.

Head to the Grand Souk, where you’ll find breads stuffed with cheese or Nutella for £1.22, or Iranian falooda — a sorbet-like dessert made of thin rice noodles and syrup — for £1.

You’ll certainly need some energy for going shopping afterwards, with streets of spices and gold jewellery (Dubai is home to the world’s biggest gold ring — 21-carat, and weighing 59kg).

And after all that, your well- deserved rest will not tip your budget over the edge — Brits will be pleased to spot the famous purple signage of Premier Inn, there being seven across Dubai.

Yet these are pimped-up Premier Inns, with gyms and rooftop pools — as well as the familiar Costa outlet in the lobby.

And who knew they’d be even cheaper than the UK, with rooms for as little as £21 a night during the off-season? That means you could spend a week in Dubai for under £150 — half the price of one night at the Atlantis.

Otherwise there’s Rove, the UAE’s own budget hotel chain.
Slightly pricier at £44, it has a bit more to it, from ice-cream trucks to beach- bar happy hours.

So don’t believe the rumours that Dubai has to be expensive.

Live the high life — often literally — and still come home with some change to spare.

MORE CASH TO SPLASH?

IN my opinion, upgrading your hotel generally comes with a multitude of benefits that extend way beyond just a swankier room.

The Palm ­— so named because of its fronds of sand jutting out into the sea that resemble the leaves of a palm tree — is one of the most desirable areas to stay in but you can get the same luxury for a fraction of the price elsewhere.

Book one of the 5* resorts that sit at the bottom of its branch, along Mina Seyahi beach.

The 5* Westin is a sprawling resort that features several pools and seemingly more sun loungers than there are rooms.

With a whopping ten restaurants on site, you don’t even need to leave the resort.

Kids have use of all the fun-packed waterslides at neighbouring hotel Le Meridien, while parents can kick back in the adults-only area where there is a constant supply of mellow music and freshly shaken cocktails.

Adults after a more sophisticated atmosphere, however, will likely prefer the trendy 5* W Hotel, home to bold bedrooms and the sky-high Attiko restaurant (for those aged 21 and over).

The menu of Asian-fusion bites is designed for sharing — try the spicy tuna taco topped with avocado and yuzu and the crispy scallop, served in its shell.

These are dished up alongside cocktails that are as jaw-dropping as the views of twinkling hotels at night.

It’s safe to say fancy food isn’t in short supply in Dubai. In fact, this Middle Eastern city is now catching up with some of the world’s most celebrated foodie destinations — competing with the likes of Tokyo and Paris.

The Michelin Guide for Dubai features 117 restaurants for 2026.

Last year, Avatara, in Dubai Hills, became the first vegetarian Indian restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star. And having sampled all 17 delicately crafted courses on its flavour-packed tasting menu, I can see why it’s ranked so highly.

The experience is wonderfully theatrical, and the plates could be considered works of art, not just the meals — decorated with edible flowers, rich sauces and billowing dry ice.

It costs around £150pp for the tasting menu, but my word, you’ll leave satisfied and full to the brim. But while Avatara may have the wow factor for serious foodies, those who prefer more of an experiential dinner should book a Lady Nara cruise.

This fancy wooden vessel runs breakfast and dinner sailings at various times of day, but the most spectacular has to be at night when Dubai’s glowing skyscrapers are fully lit.

We sailed between various landmarks while tucking into a feast cooked up in the kitchen below deck. Hors d’oeuvres were followed by huge bowls of fresh leaves and artichokes topped with shaved Parmesan, and hearty meats served in zingy sauces, while gentle music hummed in the background.

If fine dining isn’t your thing but you still want to push the boat out a bit, you can always spend that hard-earned dosh on a flight upgrade instead.

Emirates is the official airline of Dubai and is currently the only one offering direct flights from the UK. It launched a fourth daily flight between Dubai and Gatwick at the start of this year, giving travellers even greater flexibility.

The experience in Emirates business-class cabins is as flashy as Dubai itself, thanks to the doting crew, as well as the on-board cocktail bar — where you can while away the eight or so hours on board sipping on martinis made at 38,000ft.

THIS may sound strange, but as we finished our first circuit around Yorkshire Wildlife Park, I was pleased we hadn’t seen all the animals who call this place home.

We hadn’t spotted them all because the amazing beasts — including giraffes, rhinos, zebras, lions, tigers, polar bears and wallabies — live in huge, free-roaming enclosures.

They have areas to play, relax, eat and sleep instead of being squashed in small cages just so humans can instantly peer at them.

The humans on my trip included my son Alex and his friends Jack and Finn, together with their mum Laura. They travelled from London and we went from Manchester, meeting at the park in Auckley, Doncaster.

Even though our visit to the 175- acre adventure park was in February we were lucky with the weather and by the end of our day we were lucky with the animals we saw, too.

It takes about 90 minutes to walk the 3km circular route, and once you’ve done it the first time, you can do it all over again.

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As we passed by the 30 life-size dinosaur models and then watched sea lions, the boys used the park’s app to decide which animals they wanted to see.

For Alex, it was the six polar bears. They live in ten acres, with grassy plains, rocky beaches, water pools and shaded caves, but thankfully seemed to love being near visitors.

One gigantic bear dipped in the pool and had a kickabout with a football right in front of us.

Finn chose the red pandas. Visitors can book 30-minute experiences with several of the animals, including the red panda, and feed them.

But Finn was thrilled just to see the “real-life Kung Fu Panda”.
Jack’s wish was to see the tigers.

As we headed there, we first saw monkeys swinging through trees and playing, which the boys loved. Then we stopped at Leopard Heights, which has a large elevated viewing platform plus ground-level glass wall to see the big cats play on their huge wooden climbing frames.

But as big cats go, they weren’t as majestic as the lions who sprawled out on rocks, seemingly oblivious to everyone gazing at their splendour.

Throughout the park, signs explain each animal’s back story. There is a big focus on environmental projects and it was lovely to read how the lions had been rescued from dangerous situations, including from Ukraine.

The Amur tigers were a highlight. One wandered right past us making moaning noises, which apparently indicated contentment. But as one man behind me rightly commented: “You wouldn’t want to hear that on a dark night, would you?”

There are several picnic spots here, too. One is sensibly inside and next time I visit I’ll shove a sandwich or two in a backpack.

But we weren’t that organised so had lunch at the Safari Cafe. Two very decent coffees for the adults, plus sandwiches and quiche with salad, and three portions of nuggets, chips, beans and apple juices for the kids came to £45 which, for a tourist spot, didn’t seem like bad value.

There are also many play areas and the boys loved the Jungle lookout, climbing through wooden tree forts, over obstacle courses and down slides as us adults had a catch-up.

Finally we returned to the Yorkshire Hive — a hub at the centre of the park with a beauty salon, shops, cafes and fitness centre plus hotel the Hex, where we were staying.

After dumping our bags, we went to Evolution Experience Restaurant where there were more roaring dinosaurs, illuminated dragons, smoke effects, crayons and colouring sheets for the boys.

They each had home-made pizza, apple juice and organic fruit lollies for £10 while we had ribs for £12 with a decent sauvignon blanc and prosecco.

The hotel ticked a lot of boxes — bunk beds and giant bean bags for the boys to sit on and watch Netflix plus black-out blinds, Temple Spa bathroom products, fresh coffee sachets and the cutest packets of mini Jammie Dodgers I’ve ever seen.

But without doubt the best bit of that room was two oblong windows in the walls — one at kids’ level and one at adult height — giving a bird’s eye view over the park.

We watched the wolves prowling and then eating their breakfast. It was the highlight of our trip.

After we had our own breakfast — a full English buffet at the Wilds Cafe Bistro — the boys had a final run around at the large soft play centre, while we relaxed and chatted.

That’s what is so perfect about this place — they catered for the needs of the animals, the kids and us. And for me, that was the real winner.

TELLY favourites Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash are set to upgrade their Pickle Cottage home for a sprawling mansion set in 30 acres.

The couple have set their sights on an impressive eight-bedroom Victorian mansion, which is said to be central to DIY influencer Stacey’s next renovation project.

A source said the pair “fell in love” with the Essex property after viewing it as a potential new home for their family of eight.

And the news should help quash rumours that their relationship is on the rocks.

Stacey, 36, will have her work cut out transforming the already-impressive gaff, which costs almost double the £1.3million price of their current home and is more than 7,500 sq ft — complete with a pool and a lake.

Our source said the couple would be sad to leave Pickle Cottage, but are grateful to have the chance to make “new memories” with their brood.

They said: “They viewed the house and fell in love with it. It’s got extra space for the kids.

“Pickle Cottage only has five bedrooms. They have six children and then they need a room for themselves. It gives Stacey a chance to do more of her amazing DIY work as well.

“She has a great eye for interiors. This house needs a bit of love and work to make it the absolute dream home where they can make new memories.”

The family’s current Tudor-style Pickle Cottage, also in Essex, is the setting for their reality TV show, which launched to 4.2million viewers in April last year, with a second series last September.

The BBC has commissioned a third series of the show, despite scrutiny after The Sun’s revelation that the couple’s lavish 2022 wedding was never made legal.

Following the news, Stacey took to social media to tell her six million followers the pair had always been clear it was a “religious ceremony and blessing” in their garden.

She added that the couple plan to get “legally married at a later point”.

Stacey and Joe, 44, have three kids together — Rex, seven, Rose, four, and three-year-old Belle — while Stacey also has teenage sons Zachary, 18, and Leighton, 14, and Joe has son Harry, 19.

In March, after being pictured multiple times with and without her wedding ring, Stacey addressed speculation about “issues going on” in her marriage on ITV’s This Morning.

She told presenter Ben ­Shephard: “There’s a new rumour each week. Have I not been wearing my ring? I probably took it off to go to the toilet or something.”

Stacey and ex-EastEnders star Joe have built lucrative careers on their family image after first meeting on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity show in 2010.

AFTER years of writing about politics, technology and the chaos of the modern world, Matt Bellamy wanted something different for Muse’s tenth album.

“The theme was to get back into mystery a little bit,” he says. “The mysteries of the universe, mysteries of spirituality and returning to the rawness of the unknown.”

Inspired by the 1977 Wow! Signal — an unexplained radio signal from space once seen as possible evidence of alien intelligence — and a turbulent period in his personal life, the record finds Bellamy searching for meaning on both a cosmic and personal level.

“I’ve turned completely apolitical,” he admits. “It’s weird when you go through things in your personal life — the news just becomes an annoying noise.

“When your life’s going great, you get drawn into the news and what’s going on in the world.

“But when you’re actually going through something yourself, the news and politics just become a headache.

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“I’m a little bit gloriously out of touch. I’ve normally been so in touch, my finger’s always been on the pulse, and a lot of the albums I’ve made talk about the rise of populism. But this album and my life for the last year-and-a-half has been different.”

Bellamy has split from US model Elle Evans, his wife of six years, who he quietly separated from in October 2025.

“I’ve been through a separation involving two young kids,” he says carefully.

“I can’t really talk about the reasons behind it, but it was not your normal run-of-the-mill situation. I became a full-time single parent for a period of eight months.

“She’s doing a lot better now and she’s getting better, but it was an unusual situation to go through. It made writing the album so much easier.

“It’s hard to talk about what’s behind the album because I don’t throw people under the bus. And I don’t want my kids to grow up reading stuff.”

Bellamy, 48, is in London for band rehearsals and when we meet, he’s just back from the gym in a bid to shape up for the tour.

“I’m not that old,” he laughs. “But I met Mick Jagger at a party and I went straight in on the fitness. I was, like, ‘What is your secret?!’ He said when he was in his 30s, he started working out a few weeks before a tour.

“By the time he got to his 40s, he was working out for the same length as the tour.

“If it was a three-month tour, he’d work out for three months before. And by the time he got to his 50s, he was just working out all the time, all year round.”

The 1977 Wow! Signal fascinates Bellamy because it remains unexplained and happened around the time the band members were born.

“The Wow! Signal is probably, to this day, still the most interesting signal that’s ever been seen in space,” he explains.

“It happened in 1977, which is basically within 12 months of all the band being born.

“Chris [Wolstenholme] and I were born in 1978 and Dom [Howard] in 1977, so I just thought it was funny that this little Wow! Signal appeared around the time we came into this world.

“I think this album was really me letting go a little bit and engaging with the unknown.

“What is this thing inside me, or all of us, that wants to not be alone? I don’t mean with a partner or friends. I mean this thing in the universe. At the moment, we appear to be so alone, and we have this drive, which you see through religion and science.

“Behind all of it, we just don’t want to be alone.”

That search drew Bellamy back to one of his formative influences.

“I grew up watching Contact, the Jodie Foster film from the 90s,” he says. “I used to read Carl Sagan’s books and that film really stayed with me.”

It has also led him into the world of AI.

He adds: “I’ve spent time in the tech world, in California’s Silicon Valley and the Bay Area, and I had some involvement in that world.

“I went to a private talk where Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) was talking off the record about his thoughts on AI.

“I saw (Meta CEO Mark) Zuckerberg talking about it, too, and I was interested in what they were saying.

“When you really hear them, they know they’re ushering in an intelligence which is beyond us. They start to see it as, ‘Well, we’re just kind of messengers bringing in this thing that is going to be more intelligent than us’.”

Bellamy says he enjoys asking AI philosophical questions — and that is where Hexagons began.

“That’s actually my favourite thing to do with AI, and where I got the idea for Hexagons,” he says. “And again, I think that is part of the same human condition.

“Whether it be religion, looking for aliens in space or trying to bring in artificial intelligence, it’s kind of all the same thing.”

Epic, organ-led Be With You was the first song that made the album’s direction clear.

“You can look at it as a love song, or you can look at it as a religious song, almost,” he says.

“I’m not a religious person, but I decided to play the song on a church organ.

“I went to the biggest church organ in Los Angeles, so the song was recorded in this church-like setting.

“I liked the idea that it could be perceived as searching for alien life, or searching for alien intelligence of some kind, or God. That was the first song that felt right, lyrically and musically.

“There are a lot of personal elements in the album that are quite unusual for me.”

Bellamy says the album came from a difficult period, but that made the music flow.

“This was actually the easiest album for me to write and make for 15-plus years,” he says.

“Space Debris is probably the biggest reveal of what I went through, especially lyrically at the end,” he says.

“It’s the rawest moment of explaining what really happened over the last year. I like using space analogies — space debris, things breaking up and falling apart in gravity — to describe the chaos and feeling in your life.

“It also fits the theme of connecting this search into outer space for a higher power with the chaos and feeling in your own life.

“I hope the fans don’t ask me to play that one live.”

If Space Debris is the album’s rawest confession, Bellamy says it also opened the door to bigger questions running through the record.

“What I went through threw me off into the unknown,” he explains.

“When things go wrong in your life, that’s when you’re most likely to seek meaning or search for answers.

“In my case, it was a blend between religious thought, alien intelligence and AI.

“I don’t know what it is, but you’re searching for this higher power to guide you, or to give you answers.

“Music became my catharsis. It became my way to understand my situation.

“Making this album gave me flashbacks to these periods where music was my everything.

“It wasn’t something I had to do to pay the bills. It wasn’t something I had to do for the record label. It was something that I had to do for myself.

“That’s why I think this album is probably, since the 2000s anyway, the most raw, emotionally raw and honest album I’ve done.”

Bellamy says despite the personal nature of the album, Chris and Dom were central to every song.

“I’ve always been in charge of the lyrics, and I’m the leader in terms of the concepts,” he says.

“But musically, this is the most equal album we’ve had for a long time.”

The Wow! Signal includes some of the best tracks Muse have made in years.

Cryogen has already been compared to early Muse, while Shimmering Scars shows off the vulnerability in Bellamy’s voice.

“Cryogen is deliberately Muse from 2001,” he says.

With Shimmering Scars, he explains: “I felt like I needed to do five or six takes, so we could edit the best bits in.

“But producer Dan Lancaster was, like, ‘Nah, let it be raw, let it be weird.’

“To me, it sounded a bit off — not quite what I wanted it to be. But he was, like, ‘No, that’s the whole point. That sounds a little bit raw’.

“This is the first album where we said, ‘Let’s give Dan a go at producing it’. The last two albums were self-produced, so it was nice to hand the reins to someone else.

“He did a great job keeping us towards that more raw, vulnerable state in the performances.”

Bellamy believes AI is pushing younger listeners back towards authenticity.

“My stepson with Kate [Hudson], Ryder, is 22 and he’s just graduated from NYU,” he says. “Then Bing is 14, and I’ve got the two little ones as well.

“Having a boy who’s 22 and a boy who’s 14 means I get a real sense of what’s going on in their generation.

“I think that generation is turning away from pop, hip-hop and dance a little bit. They’re seeking raw, chaotic-sounding music.

“I think the reason why is because that generation is drowned by AI. AI is dominating everything they do, from schoolwork to music and the arts.

“I could be wrong but from what I sense from them, they’re gravitating towards what they know to be real.”

Recent single Nightshift Superstar was the band wanting to go French disco.

“I love Daft Punk, Justice and ABBA,” Bellamy says. “I went to see ABBA’s show and I loved it. They’re some of the best songs ever written. So after that and seeing Justice in Paris, I was, like, ‘How do we do that? Let’s just go there’.

“The song has a late-70s feel but with a more cutting-edge tone associated with modern dance music.

“But the good thing about it is that it really is us playing.”

One surprise on The Wow! Signal is Hush — a collaboration with pop star Ellie Goulding.

“Ellie was in the studio next-door, working with Marshmello on something,” says the singer.

“We have known each other for years and always wanted to try and do something together.

“Muse fans will read online that we’ve done a song with Ellie Goulding and think it’s going to be a pop song.

“But it’s got one of the biggest, heaviest riffs we’ve done in a long time. To me, it sounds a bit like New Born or something from 2001.

“The verses get a little bit poppy, I guess, but the main riff is pretty hard rock, so I thought it was quite fun to get Ellie’s voice over that kind of heaviness.

“I think it’ll be a nice surprise.”

Bellamy says the song came together by chance.

“This was an experiment,” he says. “It’s the only song on the album that really involves multiple writers.

“Ellie popped her head in towards the end of the day, at about 11pm, and went, ‘Hey, what are you guys up to?’ We played the song and she said, ‘Oh, can I sing on it?’ We tweaked the lyrics and turned it into a duet.

“It came completely by chance. It wasn’t planned to be a collaboration.”

Bellamy says the reaction from Muse fans to the new songs has “been the best we’ve had for at least 15 years” and he’s looking forward to getting back on the road following their special Brixton Academy show in April to launch the album.

The show marked Muse’s first appearance at the venue in 25 years, just before the release of Origin of Symmetry.

“I didn’t realise it had been so long,” Bellamy says.

“I remember the last time we played there, it was around the second album and I was so nervous because it was the biggest show Muse had ever done.

“We got to debut Be With You for the first time, and we had a great time.”

Visually, Bellamy says the full Wow! Signal world will come to life properly when Muse return to Europe in November.

“The American tour starts with what I’d call a medium-level production,” he says.

“But when we come to Europe, including London and Manchester in November, that’s when we’re going to ramp it up to a really sophisticated production.

“I think there’ll be a lot of geometry, a lot of hexagons, shapes and lasers, and strange, interesting visuals.

“Hopefully we’ll build the spaceship you see on the album cover in the arena.”

• The album The Wow! Signal is out today.

The Wow! Signal

POP superstars Madonna and Kylie Minogue get into the groove as they film a comedy bar sketch for Madge’s special with Graham Norton.

Madonna, 67, invited Kylie, 58, to take part in the top-secret filming last month, having admired her career for over a decade, the Sun can reveal.

A source said: “Madonna and Kylie have long been fans of each other, so when Kylie got the call to make a cameo in the BBC special, it was a no-brainer. Rather than a performance, Kylie actually appears in the show in a light-hearted skit.

“She plays a barmaid, though, awkwardly, Madonna doesn’t like the drink Kylie gives her. It’s all very light-hearted.”

The Sun understands the pair have discussed hitting the studio together in the future.

The TV special, Madonna & Graham, airs tonight at 10.40pm on BBC One.

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It was filmed in Camden at Koko, where Madonna performed for the first time in the UK for just 200 people in 1983 when it was called the Camden Palace.

Graham said: “As a lifelong fan it is always a thrill to interview Madonna. But to meet her on the dance floor where she first performed in London over 40 years ago felt incredibly special.”

Kylie made a surprise guest appearance at Madonna’s The Celebration Tour in LA in 2024.

They performed Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 hit I Will Survive in a nod to Kylie’s 2005 breast cancer battle.

HARRY Styles has some tricky steps to negotiate in his £30million mansion project — restoring a rotten staircase.

The former One Direction singer is paying experts to return the 300-year-old feature to its former glory as he turns three properties into one huge home.

The staircase revamp could delay the renovation project, which is slated for completion by October 2027.

A source said: “Harry doesn’t do anything by halves.

“This is a very ambitious project so there are bound to be stumbling blocks.

“The staircase is the latest snag but it’s a lovely period feature and he’s going to get the very best craftsmen to make it as good as new.

“It will take a while because it has to be taken apart piece by piece, restored and then put back in place, so it could well affect the deadline.”

In planning documents, Harry’s team say the condition of the 1734 staircase has deteriorated and it had some “poor-quality repairs” over the years.

He has appointed heritage carpentry experts to assess the best way to restore the feature.

Harry, 32, who is dating US actress Zoe Kravitz, 37, is merging the Georgian and 18th-century properties in Hampstead, North London.

The extensive renovation project includes high-end amenities such as a basement cinema, pool and gym.

The development has faced opposition previously from neighbours concerned about disruption and blocked light.

Despite the staircase issue, Harry had a spring in his step while in cut-off jeans in London after his weekend shows at Wembley.