Richard Madeley will reportedly do a guest stint on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this summer as a trial to replace Piers Morgan. The ex-presenter of This Morning said he would be “bonkers” to turn down a role on the show. An insider said: “Piers is nigh-on impossible to replace and GMB execs accept this, but Richard has his own inimitable style.”
There has been speculation about who would fill Piers’ shoes after he left the show in March amid controversy when he insisted he “didn’t believe a word” of Meghan Markle’s ground-breaking Oprah interview about her mental health struggles and experiences of racism. A source added: “He shoots from the hip, says what he thinks, and is a genuinely brilliant, likeable chap off air – so it’s very much a ‘watch this space’.”
The Brit Awards to be first indoor music event without Covid restrictions
The Brit Awards has been confirmed as the UK’s first indoor music event without face masks or social distancing. The event plans to host 4,000 guests at London’s O2 Arena on 11th May. It will form part of a government research programme, testing the safety of large indoor events. The audience will be required to have a negative Covid test before the event to be able to attend and be tested afterwards to collect evidence on the event’s safety.
Organisers will give over half the tickets to key workers from London selected by ballot, to minimise travel. It is hoped the evidence gained from the event will allow large indoor events to continue safely in the UK.
Boy George will release 60 new songs for his 60th birthday
Boy George revealed this week that he is releasing 60 new songs for his 60th birthday in June. The singer will reportedly announce on The Jonathan Ross Show that he's been "working furiously [on them] for a year." Despite nearing 60, the singer said: "I still feel like a teenager really. And act like one a lot."
The Culture Club star also said he will open up about his feud with Madonna in the 1980s, saying he is “actually a bit embarrassed” that he called the popstar “vile”. He added: “I treat Boy George from the 80s as a sort of cartoon character.”
Bake Off’s Prue Leith opens up about raunchy past in Paris
Also appearing on this week’s episode of The Jonathan Ross Show, Prue Leith admitted to attending “an orgy in Paris” when she was 19-years old. The Great British Bake Off judge did add: “I have to claim I didn’t know I was going to an orgy. I thought I was going to a party… All I can say is room after room of bouncing bottoms everywhere… I was so embarrassed.”
She added that in an attempt to be "invisible" and blend in, she also took her clothes off and wandered around the party for an hour. Leith admitted: "I missed the orgy, although I was there! I've lived a long time, doesn't seem worth not enjoying it."
Bette Midler sells her New York penthouse for $50 million
Bette Midler has finally sold her Fifth Avenue apartment after two years on the market, with the property selling for an eye-watering $50 million. The legendary singer owned the penthouse for 20 years, boasting three storeys, 14 rooms and a private lift. Having purchased the property for $3.5 million in 1996, Midler is set to make a substantial profit on the sale.
She lived in the Central Park-adjacent home with her husband Martin von Haselberg, and they raised their daughter Sophie Frederica Alohilani in the extravagant home. Alohilani married husband Harry Guinness last June in a small wedding amid the pandemic.
Image Credit: Rachael Crowe at Unsplash
