Humiliated Cheryl Cole in hiding after being axed from U.S. X Factor... and she may not return to UK version

Her accent stopped U.S. audiences understanding her say TV bosses
Network have pulled the plug on Cheryl's £1.2m contract
Co-host Nicole Scherzinger will take her place on the judging panel
May 'severe ties' with X Factor completely
Next round of auditions taking place in Dallas today
Humiliated Cheryl Cole has gone into hiding following her devastating sacking from the U.S. X factor
The 27-year-old was last seen in public on May 19 at the last auditions in Chicago.

Both the X Factor and Cole's spokespeople are still refusing to comment on Cheryl's unceremonious departure - however with the next round of auditions taking place in Dallas today, the judges panel shake-up will soon be confirmed once and for all.


While Cheryl has not been seen for a week, her apparent replacement Nicole Scherzinger was pictured strolling through LAX airport just hours before the reports emerged last night with a very  telling smile on her face.

Simon Cowell is understood to be in a less than sunny mood though - inside sources today claimed that the show supremo is suffering from a 'bad migraine' as he prepares for the auditions in Texas.

Cheryl's future with the X Factor brand is now the subject of much speculation. While some believe she will return to the UK version, the singer is thought to be so furious that she is planning to 'severe all ties' with the show.




Last night the shocking reports emerged that Cheryl had been sacked from the U.S. x Factor less than two weeks after she started work on the series.

According to reports in America, she has been replaced as a judge by Nicole Scherzinger, who had been due to be a co-host on the series with Welsh hunk Steve Jones.

Last night sources said Cole was dropped from the judging panel because producers were concerned her Geordie accent would be too difficult for an American audience to understand.

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Adele's tax grievances claims she wanted to 'buy a gun and randomly open fire' when she saw her recent tax bill

The singer claims she wanted to 'buy a gun and randomly open fire' when she saw her recent tax bill – but her gripes are as tired as the most moat-friendly Tory grandee


Tax needn't be taxing, the advert simpers, and while that might be true, coughing up your hard-earned will never be anything less than grievously unpleasant. Yet hearing Adele complain about being taxed on the great tidal wave of cash generated by her multi-million selling albums, it's hard to feel much sympathy.

Speaking to Q magazine, the Rolling in the Deep singer said, "I'm mortified to have to pay 50%! [While] I use the NHS, I can't use public transport any more. Trains are always late, most state schools are shit, and I've gotta give you, like, four million quid – are you having a laugh? When I got my tax bill in from [the album] 19, I was ready to go and buy a gun and randomly open fire."

Now, I love Adele. But that doesn't exactly endear you to her, does it? Let's look at it again.

"I'm mortified to have to pay 50%!" The Beatles had to pay 95% - as did all the highest earners under two successive governments (Wilson and Heath) in the mid-60s. George Harrison wrote a song about it, can't remember what it's called, sorry.

"I use the NHS." Keep paying your taxes then or it'll be gone.

"I can't use public transport any more." The rest of us plebs still have to. Adele, however, will never be short of the sponds for a private car to Shoreditch House from now until the end of time.

"Trains are always late." What does that matter when you don't use them? And they're not anyway.

"Most state schools are shit."

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Mark's plans for a lads' holiday in Marbella.

'The Only Way Is Essex' stars Lauren Goodger and Mark Wright came to blows just minutes after their BAFTA win on Sunday night (22.05.11) over Mark's plans for a lads' holiday in Marbella.

Lauren Goodger and Mark Wright came to blows just minutes after their BAFTA win on Sunday night (22.05.11).

The 'Only Way Is Essex' co-stars - who got engaged during the second season of the ITV2 show - reportedly clashed over former womaniser Mark's plans for a lads' holiday in Marbella with best mate James 'Arg' Argent, with Lauren urging him to "behave himself" on the sunshine break.

An insider explained: "Lauren had a face like thunder and Mark was shrugging his shoulders as if he'd done nothing wrong.

"She'd necked a few drinks so was a bit tired and emotional as they say and kept telling him he had to behave. Mark kept telling her not to be so stupid and that he loved her and all the rest of it. But she's not convinced as he's got form."

However, the 24-year-old beauty was further riled when Mark - who had brief relationships with 'TOWIE' co-stars Sam Faiers and Lucy Mecklenburgh during the first series of the show - failed to keep control of his wandering eye.

The onlooker added to The Sun newspaper: "Put it this way, the BAFTA crowd was packed to the rafters with gorgeous women and Mark being Mark couldn't help but have a look.

"He was also mobbed with women wanting to take his photo - and they weren't exactly beating a path to Lauren."

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Natalie Cassidy's fiancé Adam Cottrell has been arrested after a violent row with the former EastEnders star 'turned physical.'

Cottrell, 31, was quizzed by policed and was later charged with two offenses of beating and two of criminal damage.

Natalie, 28, called police after Adam went 'berserk' and smashed up furniture in their Hertfordshire home during the heated argument on Sunday night.


Arrested: Natalie Cassidy's fiancé Adam Cottrell,, has been charged with assault following a fight between the couple

According to the Daily Mirror, Adam fled the property after the fight at which time Miss Cassidy called the authorities.

Hertfordshire police said: 'We were called on Sunday around 5.30pm.

 

'Adam Cottrell has been charged with two counts of assault by beating and two counts of criminal damage. He will appear at East Herts Magistrates Court on May 31st.'

The incident occurred as Natalie's gushing interview in this week's Closer magazine was published, in which she talks about the couple's spicy love life.


Violent: Natalie called the police after Adam, pictured with their eight-month-old daughter Eliza, smashed up furniture and fled their home

'We (she and fiancé Adam Cottrell) are having more sex than ever since we got back from our holiday to Cyprus (earlier this month),' she told the magazine.

'But we’re not at it like rabbits. I’ve no time for dressing up in sexy maid outfits!'

A source close to Miss Cassidy told the Mirror: 'Natalie is absolutely devastated by events.

'She and Adam had a huge argument and it spiralled massively out of control, ending with Adam losing his temper like never before. It turned physical.




'Her main concern is the welfare of her daughter and, for now, she just wants to keep a low profile and get on with her life until this has all been resolved.

'She doesn’t know what the future holds for herself and Adam.'

The couple welcomed daughter Eliza in September. Natalie's pregnancy was chronicled on her Channel 4 series Natalie Cassidy: Becoming Mum, which Adam starred in with her.

They became engaged in May last year during a holiday in Italy after meeting at the 2009 Isle of Wight festival.

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Ryan Giggs named as Premier League footballer in gagging order row

Mr Hemming said it was no longer practical for Giggs' name to be kept out of the public arena as so many people were now aware who he was, due to Twitter and other social networks.
"With about 75,000 people having named Ryan Giggs on Twitter it's obviously impractical to imprison them all," said Mr Hemming.
The MP was immedately rebuked by the Commons Speaker who said it was 'not the occasion' to raise such issues.
Mr Hemming retaliated, however, saying he wished to clarify the enforcibility of a law which 'clearly does not have public consent'.
The identification came just hours after the High Court had refused to allow journalists to name Manchester United player Giggs, who was alleged to have had a sexual relationship with reality TV star Imogen Thomas.

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KEITH RICHARDS insists he has made up with fellow ROLLING STONE MICK JAGGER after mocking his manhood in his memoirs.

The guitar legend, 67, said the pair met up a month ago - and are planning a 50th anniversary tour and album.

Keith added: "Mick pouted a bit, as is his wont. I told him, 'It's water under the bridge. I want to talk about the future. We're larger than a little bitching'."

He revealed "there's something in the wind" to mark 50 years since their first gig - in London on July 12, 1962.

Keith said: "The idea is there. We kind of know we should do it, but nobody's put their finger on the moment yet."

He also told how he loved making the new Pirates of the Caribbean film with JOHNNY DEPP.

Keith said: "It's fun and a change, a bizarre other world. If you're used to rock 'n' roll, books and movies are fairly tame.

"Johnny loves red wine, and I'll drink anything that's available."

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Pete Doherty will probably be released from prison in time to play the Reading and Leeds Festivals this August

Pete Doherty will probably be released from prison in time to play the Reading and Leeds Festivals this August, according to the official court report of his sentencing.

The Libertines man was sentenced to six months in prison on Friday (May 20) after pleading guilty to cocaine possession, but he has now been given a likely release date of August 21. This would be five days before he is due to headline the Festival Republic stage at Leeds Festival, on August 26. He's set to play Reading Festival two days later.

A Reading And Leeds Festivals spokesperson told NME today (May 23) that they had no comment to make yet about whether they would be holding out to see if the singer ended up being released in time for the events.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted fathering a child with one of his wife's longest-serving household employees.

THE secret behind the breakdown of one of America's most unlikely power marriages was revealed yesterday when Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted fathering a child with one of his wife's longest-serving household employees.

Mr Schwarzenegger, 63, a bodybuilder who went on to conquer Hollywood before entering politics, told his wife Maria Shriver, 55, about the child after he stepped down as Governor of California in January.

The child was born more than a decade ago, he said in a statement. The mother is understood to have worked for Schwarzenegger and Shriver for 20 years, before leaving in January when she received a severance payment.

Ms Shriver, a niece of John F.Kennedy, moved out of the mansion she shared with Mr Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles shortly after he told her of his infidelity. Last week the couple announced that they had separated after 25 years of marriage.

"This is a painful and heartbreaking time," she said in a statement yesterday.




"As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment."

She had been credited with lending her husband the political credibility that his Hollywood action-hero image would never provide - even though she hails from one of the Democrats' most celebrated clans and he ran as a Republican.

She also vouched for his personal integrity and behaviour towards women, crucially during his first campaign to become Governor in 2003 when more than a dozen women claimed that he had groped them.

The accusations of sexual misconduct "show why really good people don't want to go into politics anymore," she said at the time.

Mr Schwarzenegger, who has long been troubled by tales of womanising, initially denied the alleged affair but later apologised. He is thought to have taken financial responsibility for the child while the mother worked in his home.

In a statement he said: "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses."

Ms Shriver, who was forced to give up a career as a television journalist when her husband ran for office, is said to have been devastated by the news.

The couple, who have four children, had guarded their privacy but there had been persistent rumours of marital stress.

In 2009 Shriver was reported to have considered ending the marriage, but decided against it when her mother died. This year, she was again pondering a split when her father died in January. In a recent video on YouTube she sought advice on how to "handle transitions in life".

"It's so stressful to not know what you're doing next. People ask you what are you doing and then they can't believe that you don't know what you're doing," she said.

Since leaving office, Mr Schwarzenegger has been trying to revive his acting career, focusing on a new film in the Terminator franchise.

Yesterday he appeared to expect renewed media scrutiny. "While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not," he said.

In recent months he has travelled the globe, commanding high fees for speeches. He has also participated in a White House summit on immigration reform, written at length of his admiration for David Cameron and announced a new cartoon superhero to be based on his life.

Ms Shriver is being courted by television executives keen to employ her as a host.

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'It is NOT me': Former flight attendant denies she is mother of Arnold Schwarzenegger's secret love child

'It is NOT me': Former flight attendant denies she is mother of Arnold Schwarzenegger's secret love child

A former flight attendant on Arnold Schwarzenegger's private plane today denied she is the mother of his secret love child. 

Tammy Baker Tousignant, a California blonde who was in her late 20s when she worked on his private plane, gave birth to a son after an alleged affair during the Nineties.

She was initially linked to the 63-year-old in 2003 by the actor's biographer Wendy Leigh, who claimed Tousignant's son Tanner had a 'remarkable resemblance' to the star.

But today her lawyer vehemently denied a romance and insisted that a DNA test had proved the actor is not the father of her child.

Tousignant's lawyer Thomas E. Anthony told Radar Online: 'I will confirm the following: the Tousignant child was no "love child" involving anyone other than the parents of the child, Tammy and her husband, Tom Tousignant.


Not me: Tammy Baker Tousignant today denied having a love child with Arnold Schwarzenegger


Family: Tousignant in 2003 with her family including son Tanner (far right) at aged 11

'Arnold Schwarzenegger was not the biological father of the Tousignant child. All scientific tests confirmed that Mr. Tousignant was the biological father of the child.'

'From what I remember, Mrs. Tousignant had nothing but the highest regards for Maria and Arnold as a couple.'


Baby bombshell: Schwarzenegger today confirmed that he had a child outside of his marriage

Tousignant's name resurfaced in online reports today after Schwarzenegger admitted to fathering a child with an unnamed former employee.

The staff member in question is understood to have retired in January after working for Schwarzenegger and his now estranged wife Maria Shriver for 20 years.

The former Governor of California was not specific about the time of his extramarital affair, saying only that it happened 'over a decade ago'.

 

'This is painful and heartbreaking': Maria Shriver breaks silence after Arnold Schwarzenegger admits fathering a secret love child with member of household staff
Leigh wrote in 2003 that at 11, Tousignant's  son Tanner had a 'wide, toothy smile' and showed a 'remarkable resemblance' to the actor. 

Tanner is also the name of the actor's character in Total Recall.

The child is now understood to have graduated from Brea Olinda High School in Brea, California last year.

One of Tousignant's colleagues, Kristin Campbell, said the blonde would routinely boasted that 'her baby was Arnold's'. The same claim was made by two other women who knew Tousignant well, according to Leigh.

'Everyone knew that she was Arnold's lover - everyone,' a source employed within the California charter-jet business said at the time.

Tousignant is understood to have joined Schwarzenegger as he travelled across the county.

She was married at the time of their first meeting separated from her husband in1996.

The married couple later reunited and had another son, Connor, which is the name of the hero in Terminator.

Quizzed about the allegations back in 2003, Tammy denied any romance with Schwarzenegger and insisted she was the victim of 'dirty politics'.

'There is a picture out there and they say that my son looks like Arnold. But he looks like my husband,' she said at the time. 'It is incredibly hurtful for people to be saying these things about my family.

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Kate Middleton's family take action over nude pictures 'betrayal'

Famous around the world after their starring roles at their sister's wedding, Pippa and James Middleton are not going to let their dignity and elegance be lost without a fight.
Mandrake hears that the Duchess of Cambridge's family have taken action after embarrassing photographs of James and Pippa in various states of undress appeared on the internet in America.
"The whole family is furious at what they see as a betrayal," says a friend of the Middletons.
The family believe that the pictures, which are understood to have been taken by friends of the pair, were sold for substantial sums to photographic agencies. They have now succeeded in having them withdrawn from circulation after allegedly putting pressure on the photographers who own the copyright.
"The images were withdrawn from the entire market," confirms John Camarillo, of Zuma Press, an American picture agency. "They were only on the market for a few days. They got too popular and that's why they were withdrawn."

 

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Jemima Khan denies claims of Jeremy Clarkson super-injunction

It claimed Miss Khan had taken out a super-injunction to prevent intimate pictures of her and Clarkson emerging. But Miss Khan vehemently denied that either the pictures or any injunction existed.
“OMG- Rumour that I have a super injunction preventing publication of “intimate” photos of me and Jeremy Clarkson. NOT TRUE!,” she Tweeted last night.
A minute later she added: “I have no super injunction and I had dinner with Jeremy and his wife last night. Twitter, Stop!”
Within two minutes of the individual’s Twitter website being set up more than 2,000 people had signed up to follow updates and new postings.

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Nicolas Cage won't be charged with a crime after his arrest last month for domestic abuse in New Orleans.

The New Orleans District Attorney tells TMZ.com, "The evidence did not support charging Cage with a crime."
He was picked up by police around 6:30 a.m. after a cab driver said he saw him grabbing his wife, Alice, in a fight about where they live in the city. (His two homes in the city have been foreclosed upon; recap his biggest financial issues here.) Cage then allegedly dared police to "just arrest me," and they did.
Alice said she will not press charges and denied any physical contact.
He spent several hours in jail before reality star Dog the Bounty Hunter posted his $11,000 bond.
Cage has been in town filming Medallion.
"This is our fifth film with Nic Cage. He is a gifted actor and consummate professional. We know he will weather this incident wel. He has our total support," Producer Avi Lerner told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement two days after his arrest.

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Talent show tycoon Simon Cowell is laughing all the way to the bank after jumping above Sir Elton John and Sir Mick Jagger in the rich stakes, according to Britain's Sunday Times Rich List.

The music mogul, famed for his judging roles on American Idol and The X Factor, rose from 11th place to number six on the newspaper's 2011 music millionaires countdown thanks to his staggering $320 million (£200 million) fortune.
His wealth, which has increased by $56 million (£35 million) since 2010, takes him above rock legends John and Jagger, who are in seventh and eighth place on the list, with estimated bank balances of $312 million (£195 million) and $304 million (£190 million) respectively.
Sitting atop the list is Clive Calder, who sold Zomba Records in 2002 and has more than $2 billion in the bank.
Others in the money include Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber ($1.8 billion), Sir Cameron MACkintosh ($1.1 billion), Sir Paul MCCartney ($792 million/£495 million), Simon Fuller ($600 million/£375 million), Sting ($288 million/£180 million) and Keith Richards ($280 million/£175 million).
But they have some competition from a set of modern money makers in the music industry - Welsh opera star Katherine Jenkins is sitting pretty with a $20 million (£13 million) fortune, followed closely by Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis and Katie Melua who all have $19 million (£12 million). Joss Stone, Charlotte Church, Craig David, Paolo Nutini, Adele, Lily Allen, Natasha Bedingfield, Duffy and Amy Winehouse all have approximate fortunes of between $14 million (£9 million) and $9 million (£6 million).

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World Number One, John Higgins, admitted on Sunday that the 2010 frame-fixing scandal that nearly pulled the breaks on his career will be difficult to forget

The Scottish professional, Higgins, was accused of losing the frames intentionally. The news that Higgins lost frames intentionally rocked the world of snooker in 2010 during the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship final.

Higgins was banned for six months with a heavy fine for bringing the game into disrepute. However, the 35-year-old was cleared from all the charges.

John Higgins, who has recently won his fourth Crucible Crown, has become the third player after Stephen Hendry (seven) and Steve Davis (six) to win more than three World Championship titles.

However, he was reminded of  last year's frame-fixing scandal, when a spectator stood up and called him a ‘disgrace’ during the 28th frame of his semi-final match against Mark Williams in this year’s World Championship. The heckler yelled at Higgins by saying, “How did you swallow 300,000 John?” Though the person was removed immediately from the crowd, there was a drama in the Theatre which went on for a while.

Higgins, who was disturbed by the controversial remarks, did win the frame with a classy break of 128, but afterwards said to the media, "I think that showed that there are always going to be people that think certain things about me. I have to accept that I will have to contend with that for the rest of my life, something I will have to put up with."

Higgins further added, "I have just been totally focused on every shot I play since I came back, that has been my approach."

The four-time Crucible winner broke into tears when he was reminded of his father, who passed away in February 2011 due to cancer. He was then consoled by his wife, Denise and his children who certainly brought a cheerful smile on Higgins by celebrating his victory.

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James, a college dropout and entrepreneur, has a reputation as the "wild child" of the well-to-do Middleton family.

Kate Middleton has been British royalty for just five days -- and already the scandals have begun! While the new Duchess of Cambridge has been the model of decorum, her brother James apparently went through a phase of posing for naughty pictures. And a few of those cheeky (in more ways than one) photos are now all over the Internet.

James, a college dropout and entrepreneur, has a reputation as the "wild child" of the well-to-do Middleton family. In the scandalous photos, the 23-year-old socialite flashes his (admittedly cute) butt at the camera, lounges around semi-naked, and goofs off -- in an oversexed-frat-boy kind of way -- with a group of male friends. In one picture, he wears a French maid costume. The photos are embarrassing, no doubt, but also a bit silly -- like they were taken on a drunken dare.

The Queen Mother, however, is not exactly renowned for her sense of humor. The Windsors are extremely sensitive to anything that could embarrass the royal family. So what was Prince William's new brother-in-law thinking? Friends tell Us Weekly that he wasn't thinking -- he was just being a teenager.

"Most of the photos were from his first year at university," explains the source. "You know how it gets, a lot of silly parties and a lot of alcohol. He's grown up a lot since then and would never behave like this now. He's a good guy. Party days are well behind him."

The friend assures the magazine that the youngest Middleton sibling is wincing right now. "These photos were not for the public, they were on his private Facebook profile and someone managed to get in and take them," the insider says. "He'd rather they weren't out there."

As icing on the post-wedding scandal cake, a less-than-regal photo of Kate's sister and maid of honor, Pippa, also hit the Internet Wednesday, showing the 27-year-old clad in a bra and dirty dancing with an unidentified male. It's a pretty chaste photo by most standards -- unless, of course, your sister just married the Prince of Wales.

So let this be a lesson to all of us, royalty or no: Be careful what you put on your Facebook account or anywhere else on the Internet! Even your "private" photos can come back to haunt you -- no butts about it.

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Disgraced AFL player agent Ricky Nixon had sex and took drugs with the teenager at the centre of the St Kilda nude-photo scandal

Disgraced AFL player agent Ricky Nixon had sex and took drugs with the teenager at the centre of the St Kilda nude-photo scandal, according to reports based on a leaked document that led to his two-year ban.

Radio station 3AW this morning quoted from a leaked report, by David Galbally, QC, that says Victoria Police forensic experts had confirmed a video showing a man in his underpants in the 17-year-old's hotel room was authentic. The girl claimed she shot the footage of a liaison with Nixon.

The radio station also says the Galbally document reports that, while Saints captain Nick Riewoldt, a client of Nixon, believed the teenager was "psychotic", he would "punch his [Nixon's] lights out" if reports about their relationship were true.

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SCANDAL-HIT Silvio Berlusconi laughed off his legal troubles, telling a group of 1,000 women: "What a disaster I'm not with you."

Italy's 74-year-old PM - on trial for sex offences with a teenage prostitute - reeled off jokes as he addressed the women's political rally by phone.

One gag referred to Berlusconi's infamous "bunga bunga" sex parties - and ended with the billionaire media tycoon calling himself "an ageless legend" in the punchline.

He repeated another joke for the fourth time, but still raised a laugh by saying: "Thirty per cent of women would like to have sex with Berlusconi - the other 70 per cent replied 'Again?'"

Berlusconi was speaking at a rally for Letizia Moratti - running for mayor of Milan with his People of Freedom party.

The PM told the women: "Mamma mia! What a shame I am so far away, what a disaster that I am not with you.

"A dinner with 1,000 women - you can't miss something like that."

Berlusconi faces FOUR separate trials, accused of fraud, tax evasion, corruption, abuse of power and paying a 17-year-old belly dancer for sex.

He denies all the charges and claims he is the victim of a "left-wing conspiracy".

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TROUBLED actor JONATHAN RHYS-MEYERS has been dropped as the face of fashion brand Hugo Boss.

The Tudors heart-throb, 33, who has just gone into rehab for the fourth time, has advertised the brand since 2006.

He will be replaced by actor and musician JARED LETO, 39.

A movie insider said: "Brands will not want someone as troubled as Jonathan seems to be to represent them. He needs to sort himself out."

In 2009 Rhys-Meyers was quizzed over an alleged assault at Paris airport and last year he was banned from boarding a plane in New York because he was drunk at 7am.

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Michael Douglas claims Zeta’s Welsh background led to stress

Cancer survivor Michael Douglas has claimed Catherine Zeta-Jones broke down under the stress of his illness because of her “Welsh background”.

Douglas, 66, was given the all-clear from throat cancer in January.

But his 41-year-old wife was admitted to a US clinic for five days earlier this month where she was diagnosed with a mild form of bipolar disorder.

It is thought it was brought on by the strain of her husband’s fight against cancer and sticking by him when his son Cameron was jailed for serious drug offences last year.

At the same time, she has also been at her husband’s side as he faced multi-million-dollar legal action from ex-wife Diandra.

Speaking on the Oprah Winfrey show in the US to an audience of millions, Douglas said while he “got on with it” his wife showed typical British “stiff upper lip” and bottled up her feelings.

He told the legendary TV show host: “I think that part of Catherine’s whole background, she’s Welsh and with the Welsh it’s all stiff upper lip, not let your feelings show.’

Douglas agreed with Oprah that his health battle led to problems for his wife.

He said: “When you’ve got cancer you’ve got to take care of business. They tell you you have seven weeks of chemo, radiation, you kind of dive in and do it.

“I’m the kind of person when they’re sick, I just curl up, I don’t like a lot of fuss and no attention. I just like to get on with it. So I got on with it.

But Zeta-Jones, who has two children, Dylan, 10, and Carys, eight, with Douglas, was feeling the strain.

Douglas candidly admitted the past 18 months had been what he called “harrowing” not only for him but for his Swansea-born wife.

He explained: “In my last year and a half my eldest son is in federal prison, my ex-wife is suing me, and I got cancer. It’s kind of hard for the wife to say, ‘I’m depressed’.

“That played a big part of it, she’s got to be stoic and deal with all the stuff I’m going through. Probably the time I’m off the hook you finally relax.”

Douglas made it clear he was “so proud” his wife had the strength to seek treatment for her condition. He said it had helped her immensely.

He said: “She’s great now, she’s shooting a movie and she’s relieved she has a much better understanding because this was not something where she was clearly aware of what was going on.”

Asked how his cancer fight had changed him, Douglas was close to tears.

He said: “I’m much, much closer to my friends and family, I have a much deeper appreciation of family and friends and I was truly overwhelmed by their support.

“For somebody who has no formal religious education the amount of prayers and support I received worldwide truly did have an influence and a help.”

Of his son Cameron’s current jail term for selling highly addictive crystal meth, Douglas said he was “in real good positive shape”.

He said The Oprah Winfrey Show was apparently must-see TV with his son’s other inmates, or, as Douglas put it to Oprah, “Your show is very popular in the house.”

Cameron, serving five years, is Douglas’ son with ex-wife Diandra, who divorced the actor in 2000.

She has been seeking a share of the star’s fee from his 2010 movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Douglas’ next film project is to play larger-than-life entertainer Liberace in a biopic co-starring Bourne movies star Matt Damon, who will play Scott Thorson, Liberace’s younger lover.

Michael Douglas claims Zeta’s Welsh background led to stress

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Jeremy Clarkson’s secret mistress has been travelling the world with him as part of the Top Gear Live tour.

Blonde Phillipa Sage, 42 joined Clarkson in Australia, South Africa and Norway – and spent several nights with him in his hotel room.

They carried on their brazen fling while his loyal wife Frances was back at their country pile in the Cotswolds, where she runs his office.

Dad-of-three Clarkson, 50, was on holiday with his family in Barbados last night as his betrayal was exclusively exposed by the Sunday Mirror.

Our sister paper revealed how the close friendship between single mum-of-one Phillipa and 6ft 5in Clarkson developed when the Top Gear team got together after each show.

Twice-married Clarkson enjoyed a night out with wife Frances, his wife of 18 years, just 24 hours before he flew out to Norway where he shared a hotel room with Phillipa.

They were spotted outside celebrity haunt Scott’s in London after having dinner with friends. But Clarkson and the rest of the Top Gear party soon checked into Oslo’s £500-a-night five-star Grand Hotel, where the presenter was given a corner suite.

The following morning he and co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond were taken in two chauffeur-driven Range Rovers to the Spektrum convention centre. Clarkson was joined by Phillipa in the first car, with Hammond and May following in the second.

He fronted two live shows and eventually arrived back at the hotel shortly before midnight.

At around 1.15am, he and Phillipa went to his third-floor suite directly above Hammond’s room. Next morning the pair were driven in the same car as Hammond and May to the convention centre for two more shows.

In the evening, Clarkson rejoined his mistress and the team in the hotel’s rooftop bar, which was crowded with members of the public.

Hammond and May sat at the other end of the outdoor bar from Clarkson and Phillipa, who were sitting together under separate blankets, drinking white wine.

Shortly after 1am, he said goodnight to his colleagues and kissed Phillipa on the lips in full view of the group and public. Moments after he left, she slipped out of the bar, followed him into the lift and walked with him to his suite.

They remained in the room all night.

After the final show of the tour on March 27, Clarkson and Phillipa joined May and Hammond for an end-of-tour dinner at a restaurant in the centre of Oslo. Clarkson and Phillipa again spent the night together before both emerged on Monday morning.

The Top Gear party then flew home to the UK where Clarkson was reunited with Frances and their children, aged 16, 15 and 12.

In Australia the affair was also in full flow. Phillipa joined Clarkson at the five-star Palazzo Versace hotel near Brisbane – used by ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…

On March 6, he flew with her and other members of the tour to Hamilton Island, a luxury six-star resort near the Great Barrier Reef. They stayed in a £1,000-a-night villa with its own pool and took a helicopter to a quiet beach before returning to Melbourne for the final four days of the Australian tour. A week later, Phillipa and Clarkson were in Johannesburg for the next leg.

They were photographed on March 18, the day after their arrival, at the hotel pool and Clarkson was seen feeding Phillipa lettuce with his fingers by the poolside.

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