Rumble in the Jumble!

If you thought jumble sales were just for old ladies hunting out a bargain, think again! Because jumble sales have just had a fab new makeover thanks to Dawn Porter and friends. Raising money for Oxfam’s International Women’s Day, the presenter and journalist hosted  ‘Rumble in the Jumble’ alongside some celebrity friends yesterday evening, and I decided to pop along to see what the fuss was about. After being rescued from the unbelievably long queue and ushered inside, a large table groaning under the weight of cakes and brownies made a welcoming sight. What was more welcoming however was the warm greeting by BBC Radio 1extra host Gemma Cairney, who had a huge smile on her face as she talked about the event. Gemma, who co-hosted on the night, told me the idea initially came about after  she and her fellow celebs attended a launch for the Oxfam Get Together initiative and decided (after a few wines) to join forces  and host a massive sale to help raise as much money as they can. And that’s exactly what they did. 

Paying just £2 on the door, guests were asked to bring at least 1 bag of jumble to donate, which was then divided up and sold by the host of celebrities who attended (alongside their own stuff). Anything left over was donated to Oxfam. Celebrities putting in the graft  on the stalls included singer Kate Nash, Harry Potter actress Jessie Cave, fashion stylist Grace Woodward, singer Brigitte Aphrodite, presenter Cherry Healey, food writer Gizzi Erksine and Bridesmaids star (and Dawn Porter’s hubby-to-be) Chris O’Dowd. Stars who couldn’t attend but donated clothes included Lauren Laverne, Claudia Winkleman and Jimmy Carr. 

Sara Cox selling me her wares

Working  particularly hard was Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox, who was busy selling by the bucket load. She told me ‘I had a clean-out not that long ago and I managed to get some stuff together’. After insisting that I try on her straw hat, she added ‘Fearne Cotton left me a big bag of stuff as well which is really brilliant!’ This probably explained the hum of people buzzing around her stall. She later tweeted her appreciation to fellow radio DJ Fearne:  ‘Love to @Fearnecotton for the #RUMBLEintheJUMBLE gear. T'was like fashion bugs descending to munch up her cast offs.’ Indeed it was. 

Host with the most: Dawn Porter

Meanwhile, busy bee Dawn Porter was running around playing host, selling and conducting the much anticipated raffle. Prizes included Tom Ford sunglasses, luxury beauty products and a fantastic spa break worth £275! However, not to forget the importance of the night, Dawn further emphasized the reason everyone was there stating ‘every minute a women dies during childbirth; £46 would train a midwife and save hundreds of lives.’ She pledged everyone to dig deep in their pockets and give as much as they can to Oxfam’s campaign, which coincides with International Women’s Day on March 8. 

She's xtra lovely: me and Caroline Flack

Also joining in the fun was Xtra Factor host Caroline Flack, who despite rushing over from hosting Vodaphone’s London Fashion Weekend, still managed to look fabulous. She  stuck straight in, sorting through her bags of clothes she brought along before excitedly informing me  ‘I’ve got lots of X Factor stuff!’ This fact obviously excited a lot of shoppers as she later tweeted ‘Nearly all the clothes I've donated have gone.... 2 dresses left... A child bought my shoes.’

What a spectacle! With Georgie Okell

After discarding my 3 bags of jumble and picking up some bargains of my own (including a beautiful butterfly necklace formerly owned by Dawn Porter), I bumped into T4 host Georgie Okell, who despite arriving late wasted no time in getting stuck into the delicious chocolate brownies. After checking between her teeth before posing for a picture, she said ‘I raided my wardrobe for stuff to bring here!’ adding ‘it’s wild! Like a boxing day sale!’ She wasn’t far off as swarms of people had descended upon St Pancras Old Church, causing the queue outside to go snaking down the street! 

Before leaving, I couldn’t help but be lured to the cake table where delicious treats including red velvet cupcakes and chocolate and raspberry brownies awaited me. Provided by ‘Drink, Shop and Do’, the fabulous cakes were the perfect fuel to keep you going whilst you rummage, or in my case to suppress my hunger after some hardcore bargain hunting. 

All in all, it was an amazing evening which no doubt raised a huge amount of money for such a good cause. Well done to all the celebs and attendees who helped make this event special. Bring on next year!

Chris O'Dowd and fiancee Dawn sharing a laugh

Dawn and Gemma Cairney conducting the raffle

Gemma with the raffle box

Kate Nash making a sale

It's all getting a bit much for Chris O'Dowd!

All smiles with radio producer and Sink the Pink creative director Amy Redmond

Shoes!!!

Yummy cakes!

Chezza's at it again!

Former friends: Cheryl and Cher

Well she’s at it again! No, not Natasha Giggs and a horny footballer, I mean Cheryl Cole and her infamous Twitter scraps. Although, once again it’s not poor Chezza’s fault that someone has laid into her. This time it’s the turn of Cher Lloyd, yes the one who was mentored by Cheryl on the X Factor. To show just how much she appreciated Cheryl putting her through, supporting her and standing up for her, Cher made a naughty dig during a radio interview implying that Cheryl couldn’t sing live. Asked by Real Radio North West if a duet with the Parachutes singer was on the cards, Cher replied saying ‘Maybe if she sings live with me!’ When questioned if singing live would prove difficult for Cheryl, Miss Swagger Jagger added ‘Well it is nowadays, when you haven't got the nifty little button to press!’ Ooh, check her!  5 minutes in the business and she thinks she’s the bee’s knees! And just to dig her hole a little deeper, the 18 year old who recently got engaged to her boyfriend of 5 minutes, sarcastically replied ‘What? Oh no. Never, never ever!’ when pressed if she thought Cheryl needed the use of auto-tune.

 Not one to take it lying down (just ask MC Harvey), the Twitter war veteran flexed her fingers and delivered a scathing reply on everyone favourite social network; ‘Be Careful who you kick on your way up... They kick you twice as hard on your way back down. #unappreciationisugly.’ Ouch! I’m sure the same image of Chezza fly-kicking Cher in the head has popped into everyone’s heads as well as mine. And even though Cher has apologised about the remark, the young popstrel better watch out as we all know that our favourite Geordie lass has a mean right hook!

'I'm over age, promise!'

Talking of the X Factor (kind of) the lovable stud muffin known as Frankie Cocozza has apparently been TURNING DOWN girls! Well, one in particular. Now, I know this is hard to imagine as Frankie’s usual requirements is that you are breathing and have the correct, ahem, body part; but this lady in particular wasn’t so lucky.  Coming up to Frankie as he left London club Anaya in the wee hours, the poor girl draped herself over the ‘singer’ and planted a kiss on his cheek. Frankie, who was accompanied by BFF’s and fellow Celebrity Big Brother stars Kirk Norcross and Natasha ‘lock up your husbands’ Giggs, looked keen to get away, but the persistent brunette was a tough cookie to crack. Showing off her superb seduction skills, she then appeared to show Frankie her passport, perhaps to imply she is above the age of consent.  Classy. I guess it wasn’t her night as in a never before seen move, Frankie actually declined. But to be fair to the girl, I can clearly see why she and numerous other girls find the former X Factor star attractive. It must be his bird nest of a barnet, or perhaps his resemblance to that other hunk Pete Doherty.  Oh, I know! It’s his velvet smooth voice which is a cross between Gary Barlow and Lionel Richie. No?

'Give us a snog!' Frankie and his not-so-secret admirer.

In other breaking news this week, former TOWIE star Amy Childs and ex Heartbeat actress Tricia Penrose (Google her if you must) faced every girls nightmare- turning up to an event in the same dress! Oh the horror! At least it would have been if it was a nice dress. Take a look at the pics below and tell me if you think the dress is good or if it’s a tacky leopard print monstrosity that does nothing for neither of their figures? 

Frocky horror show: Amy and Tricia

 At the Pia Michi 2012 launch party (me neither), both girls refused to back down and change, but in the end it was Amy who relented and changed into an equally horrific purple number.  Tricia was overheard saying that she had ‘been around longer’ as a reason why she refused to change, but judging by your recent antics love, you’re in no position to talk! For as we saw a few weeks ago, at the same time Denise ‘show us yer tits’ Welch was doing what she does best outside a pub on her estranged hubby’s birthday, she was flanked by two other boob flashing women. One of which was Tricia. If you’re trying to get back in the limelight after a while in the shadows, this is not the best way of going about things dear. You’re a very good actress and so you should try acting instead of flashing your bits and picking fights with girls half your age! If you’re at a loose end love, I’m sure the Loose Women ladies will take you on board. I doubt no one will notice if they swapped you for Andrea ‘dull as dishwater’ McLean.

Whitney, we will always love you.

RIP Whitney. 09.08.63-11.02.12

This week probably has to be the most busiest and saddest in showbiz this year. On the same night, the music industry braced itself for the 54th Grammy awards whilst over here in Britain; film buffs welcomed the Bafta's. But overshadowing both those major events came the shocking news that the singer Whitney Houston had died. At only 48, the incomparable Ms Houston passed away at the Beverley Hilton hotel on 11 February. In news that rocked the music and showbiz world in the way that Michael Jackson’s death did, journalists and spectators scrambled to find out every detail of her death. Reports came in saying that her death was related to the stars much reported drug addiction and that her death was the result of a 48 hour drinking binge. Indeed Whitney was seen coming out of a club in the early hours looking worse for wear, being physically supported by boyfriend Ray J. In every news report that reported her death, they would touch on her amazing talent but then launch into her darker times. They would speak of her turbulent and destructive relationship with Bobby Brown, her dangerous addiction, her weight issues and erratic behavior; all of which casts a shadow over her dazzling gift. 

 
Yes we all have our own theories as to what may have happened and we all have strong recollections of Whitney’s drug addled and troublesome past. But whatever the reason, let’s remember that one of the greatest singers of our generation is no longer with us. Let us remember that she has a family, friends and a daughter who no longer has a mother. Let us remember that her songs have affected millions of people in so many ways. Let’s remember that her phenomenal voice has been the inspiration for many of our great female vocalists today. Let us remember the Whitney we know and love. 

 
For me personally, I remember being a little girl and screeching along to ‘I will always love you’, always running out of breath on that long note, but never forgetting that quivering lip!
I remember me and my cousins belting out ‘Run to you’ on a coach in Cuba and annoying every single passenger!
Getting dressed up with the girls and prancing around to ‘I wanna dance with somebody.’ The careless exuberance that the song brought is a feeling I’ll never forget.
I recall the ultimate girl power and solidarity that ‘It's not right, but it’s ok’ brought out in every female. Being in a club and pointing and pouting at every guy, who cowered back in fear!

 
Yes, we all have our great memories of Whitney Houston and her songs and this is exactly how she should be remembered.

 
Whitney once said that ‘We all die. The goal isn't to live forever. The goal is to create something that will"
Whitney my dear, I believe you have achieved your goal, for we will always love you and we will always love your music. Forever.

Fight! Fight! Fight! But NOT for this love!

Is it all in his head??

It’s all going down in celebville this week! A story that’s had all showbiz journalist salivating and clambering to their laptops, desperately trying to report any scrap of news that come their way. Yes, it’s the biggest fight since Tyson and Holyfield; I give you Cheryl Cole vs. MC Harvey (So Solid Crew). Huh? Yes that was my first reaction too. But it’s true; these two have been laying into each other over Twitter ever since the So Solid MC made shocking claims that he and Chezza had been involved in some sort of relationship following her split from Ashley Cole. According to an interview in a top celebrity magazine, Harvey states that ‘there was a relationship and attraction to each other's aura. I'm not going to sit here and say we went to this restaurant and that restaurant. But I'm sure people aren't stupid.’ He went on to add ‘We've known each other for years. But then (after Cheryl split with Ashley) we started confiding in each other. There was an attraction. That comes when you talk to people and Cheryl is a nice girl.’

Something to hide chez?

Just as journo’s were tripping over themselves to break this shocking news, Cheryl retorts with a massive ‘oh hell no!’ via twitter by angrily responding ‘was this "relationship" happening in your head @harveyofficial?! Are you smoking something? She then rubbed salt into the wound by adding ‘I think I've met you once maybe twice at public events and with your wife!! #sh*tjustgetsweirder”. Ouch!

But not one to step down, the rapper hit back at the girls aloud beauty with a string of angry tweets:

"Do you actually want me to tweet some of the messages you emailed me @cherylcole pipe down and stop playing the saint in front of your fans."

"I had your back @cherylcole until you sent that sh*t, disappointed in you if the public seen these emails you would end up with egg on your face."

"And let's get this straight @cherylcole I don't need no hype of you! I'd rather go broke and work in sainsburys than talk about your personal sh*t."

"This is not a twitter beef I still have massive respect for @cherylcole but you shouldn't of tweeted that knowing we both have personal messages to eachother #silenceinthecourt."

Ooh, touchy touchy!!

Not one to miss out on the action, Cheryl’s friend and band mate Nicola Roberts waded in to defend Cheryl, although what she said didn’t seem to help, but cause rather a few eyebrows to be raised, she tweeted ‘Emails..?? I think someone's been having you on mate.' before adding a hashtag which will probably go down in Twitter history: '#shedoesntdoemailsshedoesphonesex. Classic!

Wowsers, what would we do without Twitter eh? Now all we need is Alesha Dixon, Ashley Cole and half of So Solid Crew to join in and we’ll really have a party! Mind you, our Cheryl is no stranger to celebrity feuds; just ask Charlotte Church or Lily Allen.

Meanwhile, as Cheryl is licking her wounds over here, there’s drama galore at her old job on the X Factor USA. After a not so impressive series 1, Simon ‘Mr. grumpy’ Cowell decided to make a few changes and went all Alan Sugar on the other judges. In a humiliating move, host Steve Jones, Cheryl’s replacement Nicole Sherzathingy and pint-sized Paula Abdul have been given the axe. Whilst the other two doesn’t really surprise me, I was shocked to learn that Paula was given the chop as her and Simon are so close. In a statement, Paula has said ‘Yes, it’s true; I won’t be returning to The X Factor next season,' before adding 'I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry that business decisions often times override personal consideration.’

The aXe Factor!

Steve Jones took to his Twitter page to confirm his departure, telling his followers ‘I won't be hosting next seasons X Factor which is a shame but I can't complain as I've had a great time.’ Somehow I think  Steve’s' exit won’t be a big loss to X Factor fans as a lot of people complained that he didn’t fit in with the show and that for some reason they preferred Dermot O’Dreary.

So, now as it stands only Simon and music producer L.A Reid remain and the inevitable hunt for replacements can begin. Simon has spoken about his desire to have Mariah Carey on the panel, but apparently her husband Nick Cannon has said ‘Why would my wife want to be on a show like that? For somebody who has a legendary career, I don't know why they would.” Hey! If it’s good enough for Tulisa, then it’s good enough for Mariah!!

In other news:

• Forget a gold medal; Olympian Mo Farah has become the first person ever to complete The Cube. If you haven’t watched the ITV game show with Phillip Schofield, you should! It’s great. Mo scooped the £250k jackpot with an impressive 6 lives still intact!
• TOWIE's Lydia and large Arg have split again. Fast becoming the new Mark and Lauren, Lydia was seen sobbing throughout the whole of Sundays episode whilst Arg wondered around like a plonker. Diddums.
• Peter Andre has spoken out again about something to do with his ex Katie Price. He says zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
• Caroline Flack can now safely leave her home now that she and Harry Styles are no more. Such a shame, because if they had only waited for a few weeks, Harry would have turned 18 and things may have been different for their relationship. They could have gone to the pub together, or went clubbing together, or shared a fag, or voted for someone for something...

You can take a boy out of Essex...

That TOWIE lot, don’t you just love them. Not contented with being confined to Wednesday and Sunday nights on ITV2, some of them have now decided to branch out on their own. Being on the successful, BAFTA winning The Only way is Essex have led some cast members to believe that they can now make it big without the show that made them famous. They have somehow got it into their perfectly groomed heads that there is life beyond the Essex bubble. Let’s observe:

Exhibit 1: Mark Wright. Known to some as the ‘King of Essex’, the cheeky charmer thought that he would be ruling everywhere he went, so he went to Australia. In the I’m a Celebrity jungle he showed off those impressive pecs, flirted outrageously with some Aussie bird and struck up a bromance to rival the infamous ‘Marg’. All that hard work paid off as he came second in the show.  So those clever people at ITV decided that this was enough to give him his own show presenting Take Me Out: The Gossip. Big mistake. For weeks now the Essex wide boy has been boring Britain with his bland presenting and vacant expressions. Reading an autocue does not make you a good presenter! If ITV has any sense, they’ll drop this show quicker than Russell Brand dropped his wife.

Exhibit 2: Amy Childs. The red headed bombshell was a hit on the show thanks to her ditzy antics in her glitzy salon with her itzy bitzy cousin. So she decided to fly the Essex nest and soar into the big wide world, well London actually. So off she trotted into the Celebrity Big Brother house and flirted and pouted her way to a not too shabby fourth place. And so the clever people at Channel 5 decided to grace her with her own fly-on-the- wall show called it’s all about Amy. Unsurprisingly the show has bombed and has been swiftly axed by show bosses. Apparently Amy driving to photo shoots and fussing about vajazzles in her salon doesn’t make interesting viewing- no s**t Sherlock!

Exhibit 3: Kirk Norcross. The night-club owner and notorious daddy’s boy made quite an impression on the ladies. I’m sure it was his remarkable personality and had nothing to do with his bulging bank balance. Away he left (or so he claims) to pursue pastures new, or in other words copying Amy by moving into Britain's most famous house (after the Queen’s of course).  Here, he showed off his exceptional pulling skills (‘are your boobs real?’) and fantastic geographic knowledge (we all mix up Australia and South America from time to time), endearing him to a very large handful of viewers. And although he’s yet to be snapped up, rumours are that the very clever people at Channel 5 are looking to sign him up for The Bachelor. Oh. What. Joy.

And so as the new series kicks off, I’m sure there will be a new batch of superstars popping up on all our channels.  Perhaps the recently axed Maria Fowler could present the Antiques Roadshow? Or maybe you’ll find Harry Derbridge, who’s also been dropped, joining the team on Eggheads? Only time will tell. In the meantime, let us relish at the recent news that Amy wants to appear on Dancing On Ice and that Mark is planning on ‘writing’ a dating book. However, I think it’s safe to say that Kirk won’t be appearing on Mastermind anytime soon.

Something in the water?

There must be something in the water over in celebrity land. What else could explain all these break-ups?  It’s bad enough with Russell Brand and Katy Perry calling it a day, with Katy unfollowing her ex on Twitter (the new way to say it’s over!), but this new batch of splits have shocked us to the core (and when I say us, I mean romantics who believe in soppy true love). Two unions whom I thought were more solid than Jodie Marsh’s biceps have parted ways: Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis & Heidi Klum and Seal. I’ll give you a moment to take this in…

I ape to say it, but Heidi and Seal are over

Ok, moment over. What oh what could have driven these two seemingly in love couples apart? Is it their hectic work schedules? The pressure of a relationship in the public eye? January blues? Whatever it is, it just goes to show that celebrities are indeed humans, they do love and they do hurt.  All I know is that Halloweens will never be the same again, now that Heidi and Seal have split. Which other A- list couple will dress as life-like apes or Hindu gods for their Halloween party? You won’t catch Brad and Angelina doing that!

Over on this side of the water, break-up fever is just as strong as it’s emerged that Tulisa and Fazer have broken up. I’m just as confused as anyone as I’m pretty sure that I saw pics of them last week looking loved up on a Caribbean island! Wow, I know people are always down after coming back from hols but come on guys! Also rumoured to be on the rocks is Simon Cowell and Mezhgan Hussainy. Now this is no surprise as Simon is more of a commitment-phobe than George Clooney, but when they became engaged, I had high hopes that she would finally be the one to tame Mr. Nasty. I guess not. And finally, bringing up the rear is Andrea McLean and her fella, some bloke called Steve. Now I don’t actually know anything about Steve, but she seems to be always be banging on about ‘my Steve’ on Loose Women. So maybe he’s sick of her talking about their relationship on national TV or maybe he’s finally realised he is married to the blandest, boring and dull person ever!  Whatever their reasons, it’s never nice when people break-up (except for Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik and that cheeky girl, that was all levels of wrong!)

Should never have happened...

Were only in January, but things are not looking good for love in celeb land. Here’s a list of couples I hope will stay together his year:

1.William and Kate. They gave us the most amazing wedding day ever and a day off work! They should be together for that alone!
2.Brad and Angelina. I am now finally over hating Angelina for being a ‘home-wreaker’ (shush, you thought that too!), so it’ll be a shame if they split now.
3.Tom and Katie. After all that jumping on the sofa and gross pda’s, this marriage better be worth the effort!
4.David and Victoria. I now can’t imagine one without the other. Now their family is complete, I can’t imagine them apart.
5.Edward and Bella. I haven’t read the last book so I don’t know how their love ends. But after getting her knocked up and then turning her into the living dead, Edward better stand by his girl!