Our round-up of the funny, fascinating and unusual stories this fortnight
End of the road
After a staggering 60-year career, we reckon Lulu (75) has earned her retirement from touring.
The Scottish singer, born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, who stormed into the pop charts with Shout in 1964, has announced that her Champagne for Lulu tour, ending April 17, will be her last.
“I want to carry on working but I want to do it in a different way,” she says.
Brave words
It’s never easy to face up to your problems and when you’re in the public eye it must be that much harder. So every credit goes to Loose Woman and Birds of a Feather star Linda Robson (65) who has opened up so candidly about her struggles with mental health and alcohol in her new book Truth Be Told: Tales From a Baggy Mouth. Let’s hope that her honesty in speaking out inspires other suffering women to speak up and seek help.
GOOD MOOD FOOD
Eating kiwi fruit for just four days has been shown to improve vitality and mood, according to a new study.
A team from the University of Otago, New Zealand, asked people with low Vitamin C levels to eat two of the soft green fruit a day for eight weeks.
They then reported back on their vitality, mood, sleep quality and physical activity and this was compared with people taking Vitamin C supplements or placebos.
The results, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that kiwi fruit improved vitality and mood within four days whereas Vitamin C supplements only marginally affected mood at day 12.
DOWNTON’S RETURN!
It’s been eight years since it was last on the small screen – but Downton Abbey is apparently making a return to television, and has already begun filming.
While it has not been confirmed, bosses are hopeful that many big names including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Joanne Froggatt and Michelle Dockery will return, and insiders are said to be “thrilled” with how filming has been going.
A source said, “It has been going on for a few weeks now, it’s all very, very secret. It was such a huge success before and there are so many more stories to be told.”
Spread the warmth
If you’ve got an old winter coat lurking unworn at the back of your wardrobe, Age UK would love to take it off your hands.
The charity is appealing for donations of warm coats and clothing at their 262 shops in England and Wales.
The garments will be sold on to help others stave off the cold and raise funds to support v
