Maryam d’Abo Opposes Non-White James Bond Casting
Producers search for Daniel Craig’s successor amid rumors of a black or mixed-race actor taking the role of 007. Maryam d’Abo, the 65-year-old actress who portrayed cellist Kara Milovy alongside Timothy Dalton in the 1987 film The Living Daylights, strongly objects to the idea.
When asked about casting a black actor as the British spy, d’Abo responds: ‘Then don’t call it Bond. Call it something else. You can have a wonderful black hero, but then don’t call him James Bond.’
Among top contenders is Aaron Pierre, a 31-year-old Londoner with Curacaoan, Jamaican, and Sierra Leonean ancestry. He voiced Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King and starred in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge.
D’Abo emphasizes fidelity to the source material: ‘Personally, I would respect Ian Fleming books and keep James Bond being English and working for His Majesty’s Secret Service.’ Currently starring in Spanish Oranges at The Playground Theatre in London, she adds openness to Jacob Elordi, the Australian actor who plays Heathcliff in the new Wuthering Heights film released yesterday: ‘He’s Australian, but so what?’
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli stated in 2024: ‘It will be a man. He’ll likely be in his 30s. Whiteness is not a given.’ Broccoli and her half-brother Michael Wilson sold creative control of the franchise to Amazon last year in a $1 billion deal, maintaining co-ownership status.
The production team includes producers David Heyman (Harry Potter) and Amy Pascal (Spider-Man), director Denis Villeneuve, and screenwriter Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). Aaron Pierre follows Idris Elba, the 53-year-old Luther star once favored during Craig’s tenure but now considered too old.
Roxy Horner’s Bridesmaid Choice for Jack Whitehall Wedding
Roxy Horner selects fellow model Sophie Longford, 29, who has worked with Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci, as a bridesmaid for her upcoming wedding to comedian Jack Whitehall.
‘We’re very close,’ Horner says during a Galentine’s session at Backstage Chelsea salon in London. ‘It’s important to spoil your friends and show love to your girlfriends. They’re the ones that are always there for you.’
The 34-year-old and Whitehall, 37, share two-year-old daughter Elsie. They plan a child-free Valentine’s date night with Horner’s mother babysitting. ‘I bring out the romantic side of Jack. He’s very sweet, a gentleman.’
Dua Lipa Navigates Long-Distance Romance with Fiancé
Pop singer Dua Lipa, 30, admits work-related separations from fiancé Callum Turner, 35, challenge their relationship. The London-born actor and Lipa confirmed their engagement last June.
‘This is something I’ve had to get pretty good at over the years, especially during touring seasons,’ she says. ‘It does get easier with time, but it never stops being hard. Relationships do change with distance, but love doesn’t. If anything, it can feel even stronger when you don’t get to see each other all the time.’
Helen Fielding’s Daughter Debuts on Marc Jacobs Catwalk
Romy Curran, 19, daughter of Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding, makes her runway debut at the Marc Jacobs show in New York. She wore a strapless pink dress from the spring ready-to-wear collection, drawing attention from front-row guests including Anna Wintour, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Anne Hathaway.
Fielding, 67, shares: ‘Romy worked so hard (and did her college homework), practising fierce scary walk in high heels without tripping over or getting skirt tucked in pants. Trying not to turn into Bridget’s mother, saying, “Smile nicely for the camera, darling!”‘
Romy’s father, Kevin Curran, executive producer on The Simpsons, passed away from cancer in 2016.
BBC Rejects Bias Complaints Over Farage-Hitler Reference
Nigel Farage labeled BBC presenter Emma Barnett ‘utterly disgraceful’ after she referenced his alleged schoolboy ties to Hitler during a Radio 4 Today interview with Reform UK deputy Richard Tice last December.
The BBC dismisses bias complaints, stating: ‘The reference to a “relationship” with Hitler might have been regarded as an illegitimate slur if the interviewer had not gone on to specify what that relationship was alleged to have consisted of.’ Barnett cited claims of Farage’s youthful anti-Semitism and praise for Hitler.
Katherine Ryan Considers Breast Implant Removal
Comedian Katherine Ryan, 42, who underwent a facelift after giving birth to fourth child Holland last October, now plans to remove breast implants from the early 2000s.
‘I got some breast implants in the early Noughties, and I want those to come out because there’s no need for them now,’ she reveals at the Mundo Pixar Experience launch in Wembley, London. ‘I’ve started doing my research.’
Her civil partner Bobby Kootstra, 44, grows nervous about surgeries but supports her choices. ‘He’s not pro-surgery, but he’s smart enough to just let me do whatever I want. He was very relieved by my facelift results because I look the same.’
Wayne Sleep Inherits £250,000 from Former Partner
Ballet star Wayne Sleep, 77, who danced with Princess Diana to ‘Uptown Girl’ at the Royal Opera House, receives £250,000 from late ex-boyfriend George Lawson. The London book dealer, 82, passed away in 2024.
Their romance features in David Hockney’s unfinished double portrait.
Princess Beatrice Launches BY-EQ Advisory Website
Princess Beatrice, 37, unveils the website for her advisory firm BY-EQ, standing for Beatrice York and Emotional Quotient. The platform highlights her conviction that ‘business can and should have a positive impact.’
Harry Legge-Bourke Eyes Reform UK Seat in Senedd
Harry Legge-Bourke, 53, former Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II and ex-Welsh Guards officer, prepares to run for the Senedd with Reform UK. The Glanusk estate resident in Powys, once visited by the late Queen and King Charles, criticizes Wales’ governance.
A friend notes: ‘He detests how badly Wales has been run.’
Marc Quinn Steps Out with New Model Partner
Sculptor Marc Quinn, 62, whose works grace collections of Elton John and Kate Moss, attends the launch of Rachel Eliza Griffiths’s memoir The Flower Bearers at Nobu in London with Sudanese-American model Adot Gak, 29. The pair, post Quinn’s 2014 split from Lady Georgia Byng, appear inseparable and joyful.
