Vandals torch children's beloved story characters within Ayrshire beauty spot
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Scottish Sun
27-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
I'm being booted out of our £4m home in 10 days… but I REFUSE to leave, says Harry Potter star Leslie Phillips' widow
After Leslie, who voiced The Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films, died two and a half years ago aged 98, the contents of his will remained private KEEP CALM & CARRY ON I'm being booted out of our £4m home in 10 days… but I REFUSE to leave, says Harry Potter star Leslie Phillips' widow Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CARRY ON star Leslie Phillips' widow is being ordered to leave the home they shared throughout their married life. Zara Phillips has been warned by lawyers that if she does not vacate by August 7, they will go to court to get her out. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Leslie Phillips' widow Zara is being ordered to leave the home they shared throughout their married life Credit: Brad Wakefield - The Sun 4 Zara has been warned by lawyers that if she does not vacate by August 7, they will go to court to get her out Credit: Jon Bond But Zara, 69, insists: 'I am not going.' After Leslie, who voiced The Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films, died two and a half years ago aged 98, the contents of his will remained private. But when his last wishes were made public in 2024, it became clear that Leslie's will had been changed during the Covid crisis. The new will, approved in the Court of Protection, was substantially different to the one drawn up by Leslie the day before the couple married in December 2013. In 2014 Leslie suffered a massive stroke, and Zara quit work and looked after him until his death in November 2022. Leslie's first will had allowed Zara, his third wife and 36 years his junior, to stay in his £4million West London home for the rest of her life. But former air stewardess Zara discovered that a new will states the property must be sold and the proceeds put into a trust fund to be divided between her and Leslie's two sons and two daughters from his first marriage to actress Penelope Bartley. The new will, drawn up in November 2020, insists Zara has to be out of the five-bed property next month. According to a legal letter seen by The Sun, if she refuses to go, lawyers will apply to the courts for possession. Fighting back tears Zara says: 'Where would I go? I am in ill-health, old and frail, not well enough to move and I am still grieving.' Leslie Phillips dead at 98 – Harry Potter star who voiced Sorting Hat and Carry On icon passes away after long illness She adds: 'Leslie would not have wanted me to be thrown onto the street. I had known him for nearly 30 years. 'They told me that if I do go to court, they will deduct the money from my inheritance. 'The court can bring the bailiffs to throw me out but I won't go. The executors said, 'We know you looked after Leslie very well 24/7. That's the reason we're giving you money'. 'I found it very disrespectful. A wife doesn't charge her husband for looking after him when he is ill.' In a showbiz career lasting eight decades, Leslie appeared in more than 200 movies as well as hit TV series and on stage around the world. He was best known for his catchphrases 'Ding Dong', 'Well, Hellooo' and 'I Say' from appearing in 'Carry On' movies, delivered in rich dulcet tones. He wooed a new generation of fans as the voice of The Sorting Hat in Harry Potter movies, and also appeared with Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider as well as Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun and in Out of Africa with Robert Redford. Leslie's personal life was plagued by tragedy. His first wife Penelope died in a house fire in 1981, while Leslie was in Australia. The following year he married Bond girl Angela Scoular, who killed herself in 2011 with a lethal cocktail of drugs and alcohol after suffering terminal bowel cancer. Zara, a friend for more than 20 years, helped Leslie come to terms with Angela's death. They fell in love and married in December 2013. The actor's estate is valued at over £5million, including the house, which he bought in the 1960s at the height of his fame. When Covid shut down the country in 2020, Zara protected Leslie from the effects of the pandemic. But at that time Leslie changed the will, giving Zara just two years nine months after his death to vacate the house. Zara says: 'I was very vulnerable that time. The country was in the grip of the Covid crisis. 'I was the main carer for Leslie, who was disabled. His will was not my priority at that time. 'I was younger than him and I was devoted and committed. He was my main priority. I loved him with all my heart. I did what I had to do and put Leslie first.' A spokesman for the executors of Leslie's will says: 'I confirm that the administration of Leslie Phillips' estate is ongoing in accordance with a Will approved by the Court of Protection. 'It would not be appropriate for me to comment further for reasons of confidentiality.' 4 The couple tied the knot back in 2013 Credit: Louis Hollingsbee - The Sun
The Herald Scotland
15-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Stunning exhibition celebrating artist Paula Rego hosted in Kilmarnock
A public preview evening will take place at the Dick Institute on Thursday 19 June from 5pm, providing visitors with an early opportunity to experience the exhibition. One of the great printmakers and storytellers of our time, Paula Rego drew inspiration from a vast range of sources - from traditional folklore and fairy tales, to literary classics and nursery rhymes. (Image: ● Captain Hook and the Lost Boy, 1992, Coloured etching and aquatint on Somerset paper) Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature will present three of the artist's most ambitious and profound series of works in printmaking: Nursery Rhymes, Peter Pan and Jane Eyre, made across a decade of the artist's life. Each series will be accompanied by a variety of personal items from the artist, many of which have never been publicly displayed before. Unseen preparatory sketches, etching plates and Rego's very own childhood copy of Peter Pan will offer audiences an intimate portrayal of the artist's lifelong fascination with literature and insight into how the artist transformed this material into startlingly original and unexpected pictures. From menacing oversized creatures etched into life from children's nursery rhymes such as Little Miss Muffet and Three Blind Mice, to the almost hallucinatory depictions of Neverland from Peter Pan and the tumultuous relationships based on power read about in Jane Eyre, Rego's work tells stories that combine fantasy and imagination, innocence and cruelty, in order to explore the complexities of life and the experience of women in particular, in all its strangeness and mystery. Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature aims to spark new ways of seeing the world from audiences in relation to these seemingly familiar, age-old stories. Hayward Gallery Touring is the UK's largest contemporary art organisation producing exhibitions that tour Britain. As part of the Southbank Centre, an engine of creativity for the nation's artists and audiences, Hayward Gallery Touring is passionate about the important role that cultural institutions play in providing access to the arts. Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature will bring a unique cultural experience to new audiences up and down the UK, providing an opportunity to step into the world and mind of one of the most important figurative artists of her generation. Brian Cass, Senior Curator, Hayward Gallery Touring, says: 'Throughout her life, Paula Rego used print-making as a central tool of her art. Taking inspiration from literature, she connected with stories in very personal ways, using them to articulate the conditions of her own life and draw her desires, dreams, fears, and traumas into sequences of remarkable pictures. "Hayward Gallery Touring had the honour of working with Paula Rego on a small travelling show in the 1990s. We are absolutely delighted to continue this relationship 35 years later, and by collaborating with a range of exhibition patterns, celebrate her unique art and vision with audiences across the UK.' Geraldine Green, Visual Arts Development Officer, East Ayrshire Leisure, says: 'We are honoured to present Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature at the Dick Institute. Rego's work resonates deeply with audiences through its powerful storytelling and emotional intensity. "This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to explore her printmaking in depth, revealing the creative processes behind some of her most iconic series.' (Image: The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock) Paula Rego's Estate, says: 'Life with Paula was filled with stories, humour and mischief and she always seemed to have her own, surprising twist on the books she read. She often said that she had the most fun making the prints for these series because the stories were already laid out for her, but there's no question that she made them her own. "We'd like to thank Hayward Gallery Touring for mounting this exhibition.' Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature will be a long-standing touring exhibition, taking residency at further locations following its presentation at Lakeside Arts. These locations will be announced at a later date. Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature is a Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition. It has been developed with the support of Paula Rego's Estate. For more details, click here
Belfast Telegraph
12-07-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
How I missed out on chance of an acting career when I turned down a role that was made for me
I missed the boat to my acting career when I refused to board the good ship Jolly Roger. The opportunity came about 20 years ago when I was offered a part in the legendary Peter Pan Grand Opera House pantomime. This was a role with a difference. It was being specially written for me. I was to be the weatherman on the high seas, pointing the pirates in the right direction.
