While comedian Mark Steel was battling throat cancer, he was going through a major change in his personal life after trading one comedian girlfriend for another.
Steel previously dated former I’m A Celebrity star Shappi Khorsandi, who declared him “the love of my life”, and last year enjoyed a blossoming new relationship with fellow stand-up comedian, redhead Caroline ‘Cally’ Beaton. She comforted him as he battled illness and he called her his “partner”.
Now, however, I hear that the complicated merry-go-round of Steel’s love life has taken a new turn.
He and Shappi are ‘blissfully’ reunited and Cally is no longer in his life.
Shappi says: ‘I love Mark very much and we are very much together.’
I hear Mark Steel is back together with I’m a Celebrity star Shappi Khorsandi
Steel, 63, who declared himself cancer-free in May, reunited with Shappi, 51, last summer
She explains: ‘Mark and I are very happy and rebuilding. It’s so important for both of us to be in the moment. I adore him. He was my lover for years, on and off, but now we’re working it out.’
I understand that Steel, 63, who declared himself cancer-free in May, was reunited with Shappi, 51, over the summer.
During his illness, Steel, who regularly appears on BBC television and radio programmes, referred to his relationship with Cally.
He said: ‘To make it even more dangerous, I was in the exciting, early, somewhat tentative phase of a new relationship that seemed extremely promising. So one night I had to say, “By the way, I might have cancer.”
‘There are countless books, websites and forums that give detailed advice on how to act, what to look for and what to say in these early months of a potentially lifelong relationship. I doubt there is a single one that says, “Why not brighten up a romantic evening by mentioning that you might have cancer?”‘
Steel, who was adopted and later discovered that his real father was Joe Dwek, a Wall Street multimillionaire and friend of the royals, later paid tribute to Cally’s care, saying: “My partner has been extraordinary.”
Cally, who has two children, performs as a stand-up comedian, gives motivational talks and has made several television appearances, including Live at the Apollo. She also has a podcast, Cally Beaton Namaste Motherf***ers.
Heather goes on vacation…
For Heather Mills, marriage to Sir Paul McCartney was too much of a balancing act, but she is determined to prove she has managed to keep her head above water since then.
The 56-year-old businesswoman was so angry about the £24million settlement she received from the former Beatle that she doused his divorce lawyer with a jug of water, sharing this holiday snap of herself.
“Let this be a reminder that you can achieve anything you set your mind to,” said Mills, whose left leg was amputated from the knee down.
“Take it from the woman standing with one leg on a paddleboard on her head.”
Paul McCartney’s ex-wife Heather Mills does a headstand on a paddleboard while on vacation
Annabel’s Amazon Effort
Sir Keir Starmer may be the one screwed when it comes to the economy, but Annabel’s members are still just as generous. Annabel’s For The Amazon Gala at the private members’ club in London’s Mayfair raised a staggering £2.4 million.
Among the lots in the silent auction, which ended yesterday, was a Damien Hirst artwork that sold for £620,000 and a tennis lesson with Andre Agassi, which fetched £200,000. The money will go to The Caring Family Foundation’s reforestation and social work programs.
Richard Caring, Lisa Tchenguiz, Patricia Caring and Steve Varsano attend the Annabel’s For The Amazon 2024 Gala Dinner on September 19, 2024 in London, England
Crouch in the money after podcast transfer from Beeb
It appears that Peter Crouch’s departure from the BBC was a successful move.
The 6ft 6in former England footballer’s podcast company, Tall Or Nothing Limited, has raised £1.7m, up from £454,000 the year before, according to recently released figures.
The company, which produces That Peter Crouch Podcast and The Therapy Crouch with his wife, model Abbey Clancy, was worth just £18,000 in 2021.
In 2022, he broke his contract with the BBC and joined podcast hosting company Acast.
The figures are for the first full year after he left the company.
Former English footballer Peter Crouch’s podcast company raises £1.7m
This would make Charles Dickens, who created a cast of plump characters, turn in his grave: author Plum Sykes says her editor asked her to remove the word “podgy” from her latest novel, Wives Like Us. Speaking at the Cliveden Literary Festival, Sykes recalled her replying, “But she’s fat – that’s part of her character. It’s so silly.” Ultimately, “she just took it out.”
You would expect a major opera company to be familiar with the most talented candidates in their field. But the cash-strapped English National Opera has hired a headhunting agency, AEM Recruitment, to find its next music director. Classical music writer Norman Lebrecht calls it a “stunning admission of senior incompetence”.