James Bond Casting Sparks Debate
Producers search for Daniel Craig’s successor amid rumors of a black or mixed-race actor taking the role of 007. Former Bond girl Maryam d’Abo expresses strong opposition to the idea.
The 65-year-old actress, who played cellist Kara Milovy opposite Timothy Dalton in the 1987 film The Living Daylights, states firmly: ‘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 31-year-old Londoner Aaron Pierre, whose ancestry includes Curacaoan, Jamaican, and Sierra Leonean roots. He voiced Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King and starred in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge.
Maryam prefers fidelity to Ian Fleming’s novels. ‘Personally, I would respect Ian Fleming books and keep James Bond being English and working for His Majesty’s Secret Service,’ she says. Currently starring in Spanish Oranges at The Playground Theatre in London, she adds she would enjoy seeing Australian actor Jacob Elordi in the role. Elordi portrays Heathcliff in the new Wuthering Heights film. ‘He’s Australian, but so what?’
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli commented in 2024: ‘It will be a man. He’ll likely be in his 30s. Whiteness is not a given.’
The franchise’s creative control shifted last year in a reported $1 billion deal with Amazon, positioning Broccoli and her half-brother Michael Wilson as co-owners. New producers include David Heyman of Harry Potter fame and Amy Pascal of Spider-Man. Denis Villeneuve directs, with Steven Knight scripting.
Aaron Pierre follows in the footsteps of Idris Elba, who was once favored during Craig’s 15-year run but is now considered too old at 53.
Roxy Horner’s Bridesmaid Choice
Model Roxy Horner prepares for her wedding to comedian Jack Whitehall. She selects fellow model Sophie Longford, 29, known for campaigns with Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci, as a bridesmaid.
‘We’re very close,’ Roxy shares during a Galentine’s pampering session at Backstage Chelsea salon. ‘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 mother of two-year-old Elsie with Whitehall, 37, plans a child-free Valentine’s date night with her mother babysitting. ‘I bring out the romantic side of Jack. He’s very sweet, a gentleman.’
Dua Lipa on Long-Distance Love
Pop star Dua Lipa, 30, navigates challenges of separation from fiancé Callum Turner, 35, due to demanding careers. The couple confirmed their engagement last June.
‘This is something I’ve had to get pretty good at over the years, especially during touring seasons,’ she admits. ‘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 Catwalk
Author Helen Fielding, creator of Bridget Jones, celebrates her daughter Romy Curran’s runway debut at Marc Jacobs’ New York show. The 19-year-old wore a strapless pink dress from the spring ready-to-wear collection, catching eyes from Anna Wintour, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Anne Hathaway.
‘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,’ Fielding, 67, shares. ‘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 Farage Bias Complaint
Nigel Farage labels BBC presenter Emma Barnett ‘utterly disgraceful’ for linking him to Adolf Hitler during a Radio 4 interview with Reform UK deputy Richard Tice. 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 referenced claims of Farage’s schoolboy anti-Semitism and praise for Hitler.
Katherine Ryan Eyes Implant Removal
Comedian Katherine Ryan, 42, who recently had a facelift after birthing her fourth child, Holland, considers removing early 2000s breast implants. ‘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. ‘I’ve started doing my research.’
Her civil partner Bobby Kootstra, 44, grows nervous about surgeries. ‘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’s Inheritance from Ex
Ballet star Wayne Sleep, 77, who danced with Princess Diana to ‘Uptown Girl,’ receives £250,000 from former boyfriend George Lawson, a London book dealer who died in 2024 at 82. The bequest appears in probate documents. Their romance inspired David Hockney’s unfinished double portrait.
Princess Beatrice Launches Advisory Site
Princess Beatrice, 37, unveils the website for her advisory firm BY-EQ, standing for Beatrice York and Emotional Quotient. The platform emphasizes her drive that ‘business can and should have a positive impact.’
Harry Legge-Bourke Eyes Politics
Former Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth, Harry Legge-Bourke, 53, campaigns for Reform UK in the Senedd. A former Welsh Guards officer from the Glanusk estate, he criticizes Wales’ governance, according to friends.
Marc Quinn’s New Companion
Sculptor Marc Quinn, 62, whose works grace collections of Elton John and Kate Moss, attends Rachel Eliza Griffiths’s memoir launch at Nobu with Sudanese-American model Adot Gak, 29. Witnesses note the pair appeared ‘very happy together and inseparable.’ Quinn split from Lady Georgia Byng in 2014.
