Your round-up of this week’s biggest showbiz stories
WORDS: ARIANA LONGSON. PHOTOS: GETTY, INSTAGRAM @ALISONHAMMOND55, @RUTHLANGSFORD, @OPENINGNIGHTMUSICAL, ITV/THIS MORNING, SHUTTERSTOCK, SPLASH
Alison‘IT’S TIME TO SAY FAREWELL’
TV presenter Alison Hammond was overcome with emotion as she left her Solihull home for the last time. Taking to Instagram, the 49-year-old shared a short video of the £700,000 house – which she sold late last year – looking empty, with the caption, ‘Thank you for the memories. I loved this house but it’s time to say farewell.’
In another post, Alison gave fans a sneak peek at her new pad. She wrote, ‘Feeling very emotional that without all your support and love I wouldn’t be looking at this view.’ The former Big Brothercontestant added, ‘This is my new garden, I would draw it as a child but never dreamt it would become a reality. Thank you.’
The move comes after she announced she was temporarily saying goodbye to her hosting duties on This Morning. ‘I’m taking the next month off@thismorning and lovely@josiegibson85 will be filling in for me with @dermotoleary,’ she said. ‘Gonna have some time off to move into my new house and chill with my son. See you in April, love ya babs.’
Last week, we reported that Alison had shut down rumours that she wanted to present This Morning full-time – a role bagged by Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard. Clearing things up, Alison said, ‘I live in Birmingham and do Bake Off and For the Love of Dogs. I never wanted that job.’
PAUL: GENEROUS TO THE LAST
The late, great Paul O’Grady dedicated much of his life to charity and that has continued following his passing last March.
The TV presenter left a staggering £15.5 million in his will, with a total of £775,000 going to organisations close to his heart. Paul’s wish was that half a million pounds be donated to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, which featured in his best known TV show, For the Love of Dogs. In addition to that, he gave £50,000 to the Salvation Army and the same to elephant and orangutan charities. A further £125,000 was set aside to look after his beloved five dogs, while the bulk of his estate is expected to go to his widower Andre Portasio, daughter Sharon Mousley and sister Sheila Rudd.
WHY ANNE CAN ‘SAVE’ THE ROYALS
By anyone’s measure, the last few months h
