Meet the real Downton hounds: the Countess of Carnarvon's dogs behaving badly
We have six labradors and two working cocker spaniels. It all started with Percy, a yellow labrador I bought from a friend when my son, Eddie, was two years old. He was a lovely dog for Eddie to grow up with and we nicknamed him the Yellow Lion because he had this wonderful old-fashioned big head.
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Daily Mail
3 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
David Beckham, 50, strips down to tiny trunks to be photographed by wife Victoria and son Cruz on lavish yacht... after being mocked by his kids for his trademark skimpy swimwear
The Beckhams have been enjoying a swanky getaway on their £16m yacht. And the fun continued on Wednesday as father David, 50, got into holiday mood by stripping down to his tiny swimwear to be photographed by son Cruz, 20, and wife Victoria, 51, on the summertime jaunt. A running joke during the holiday has been his cheeky sons Cruz and also Romeo, 22, stealing David's trademark 'budgie smuggler' style. David, whose trip is without their allegedly estranged son Brooklyn, 16, looked as buff as ever in the tiny shorts which gave his kids a run for their money. Victoria was also showing off her figure in a skimpy black swimming costume while protecting her complexion from the sun with a wide-brimmed sun hat. Victoria turned snapper to capture the best shots of her hunky husband in action David was seen readjusting his skimpy ensemble after hitting the high seas Cruz took a hilarious swipe at his father David as he mimicked him once again in a pair of tight white pants that mirrored his dad's underwear campaign on Instagram last week Cruz's look mirrored his dad's recent BOSS underwear campaign David's hard-worked frame was on full display, with his incredible six pack defying his years while his inkings drew the eye further to his frame. Last week, Cruz stripped down to some $550 (£410) white Prada budgie smugglers and frolicked on the sun deck with his bikini-clad girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 29, before diving into the water. Cruz's look was reminiscent of David's iconic Armani underwear campaigns, where he has previously worn white briefs to show off his muscular frame. He was again joining his parents and Jackie on the high seas, during which the aspiring musician took out his guitar to seranade his girlfriend. Posh and Becks traded in their £5million yacht for the much bigger vessel last year, and had been pictured on it sailing around Miami. The impressive looking vessel, understood to be worth £16million, was a significant upgrade on the comparatively modest 100-foot yacht reportedly purchased by Beckham in 2022. The football legend was said to have 'treated himself' to his original vessel in 2022 after being inspired by his maritime jaunts with close friends Sir Elton John and David Furnish - who often holiday at sea. A source told The Sun at the time: 'David had a look around some yachts in the summer, and decided to treat himself. He helped design the boat himself, and has been incredibly hands-on with everything. He was again joining his parents and Jackie on the high seas, during which the aspiring musician took out his guitar to seranade his girlfriend 'It's not an oligarch-style superyacht, but it's still pretty plush by anyone's standards. He was inspired after holidaying with Elton and David on their boat - and loves life on the water. 'There will be an area for the kids to snorkel, and the boat will be a brilliant base for the whole Beckham clan to have magical holidays abroad.' Earlier this week, Victoria gave a rare insight into her feelings about estranged son Brooklyn with a telling social media move. Brooklyn is the only Beckham child not on the getaway, having spent the week before in the same location with his wife Nicola Peltz, 30, and his in-laws. The eldest Beckham son looked to be missing out on a fun-filled trip, as the other offspring made the most of their trip together. Brooklyn left the south of France to return to the U.S, where he was spotted looking glum on an outing in New York with his wife and mother-in-law, Claudia, on Tuesday. Cruz enjoyed a moment alone on the boat
The Guardian
3 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Amaarae: Black Star review – glamour, glitz and lust from a pop star who should be a supernova
Fountain Baby, the second album by Amaarae, was a revelation – a sensual, funny, frank and musically dense record released in 2023 that established the 31-year-old Ghanaian American pop musician as a cultural force to match contemporaries such as Rosalía and Charli xcx. Although the songs are hedonistic – largely oscillating between wry flexes of wealth and lyrics about trifling with, and being trifled by, women in her orbit – she is also a realist: actions have consequences in Amaarae's world, such as on Reckless & Sweet, as she wonders whether her lovers desire her or merely her money. Despite the ingenuity and complexity of her music, Amaarae has struggled to break into the mainstream, in the UK at least. A recent Glastonbury set felt sparsely attended and, aside from 2020's Sad Girlz Luv Money, one of the most enduring viral hits to emerge from TikTok into the real world, few of her singles have had crossover moments. Hopefully that will change with Black Star, her sleek and hugely enjoyable third album. It requires a slight resetting of expectations. After the plainly radical Fountain Baby, perhaps Amaarae would become downright experimental, but Black Star makes it clear that she just wants to have fun. This is her take on a club record, weaving elements of house, trance and EDM into Afrobeats rhythms and spiky rap cadences. It's more straightforward than its predecessor, but that doesn't diminish its pleasure, derived in large part from Amaarae's relentless pursuit of just that: these songs exalt drinking, drug‑taking, rowdy sex and fine dressing in such a clarified, unapologetic way that they would elicit blushes even from the Weeknd, pop's reigning king of smut. You can imagine Amaarae's bass-heavy but elegant music soundtracking a dark, exclusive superclub, a fitting mode for a musician who prioritises opulence and indulgence in her music. Starkilla, a collaboration with the London rapper Bree Runway, is a villainous-sounding house track the hook of which is simply 'ketamine, coke and molly' over and over again; the slick crush-object song B2B combines pulsating electro with the euphoric chug of South African amapiano. There is a remarkable amount of other dance styles explored here: high-speed dembow and baile funk animate Girlie-Pop!; there are elements of Detroit techno and gqom, another South African style, on SMO; and the opener, Stuck Up, features raucous club rap. Even if it's a more traditional record overall, her globalist attitude makes for sparky, cosmopolitan music. The focus of Amaarae's lyrics hasn't changed significantly, although Black Star is a softer and more lovestruck album than its predecessor. On Kiss Me Thru the Phone Pt 2, a PinkPantheress-featuring sequel to the Soulja Boy original, Amaarae and PinkPantheress sing sweetly about 'yearning for you to the bone', their twinned helium voices sounding surprisingly great together. Fineshyt, the best song here, is a gentle trance track that captures the innate sense of melancholy in the much-maligned genre, Amaarae singing about wanting to try a real relationship with her object of affection. These songs provide a welcome counterpoint to the abrasive posturing of earlier ones, which have Amaarae and guests – including Naomi Campbell – mugging and boasting to admittedly great effect. Campbell's appearance is eyebrow-raising: 'They call me a bitch, a villain, controversial diva – no, I am the black star,' she intones, which will probably inflame the many people still up in arms over Campbell's misdeeds, ranging from assault convictions to the alleged mismanagement of a charity (which she denies). But it's fitting for an album that is deliriously in love with wealth, celebrity and all the power it affords. There is a difference between Amaarae and all the other stars fixated on such topics: for her, glamour is a side quest and love is the motive. Shopping at Saks and being passed another blunt might be nice, Amaarae seems to say, but the real high comes from finding someone to share it with. Wild Pink and Fenne Lily: Disintegrate – Edit Wild Pink's John Ross is one of the best lyricists in indie music. The deluxe reissue of his fantastic Dulling the Horns promises plenty of great reinterpretations of his bizarro images, including this soft take on Disintegrate by the English folk singer Fenne Lily.
The Sun
3 minutes ago
- The Sun
Emotional moment pop star reveals horrifying sexual assault by family friend when she was just eight years old
A BRITISH popstar has revealed the horror moment she was subject to a sexual assault aged just eight. The Brighton-based songstress spoke bravely about her ordeal at the hands of a family friend on Paul Carrick Brunson 's We Need To Talk podcast. 6 6 X and Y singer Caity Baser, 23, was inspired to become a singer after watching Katy Perry at London 's O2. The chart star, known for tracks including Pretty Boys, began writing songs in lockdown. Her tune Average Student is about how mundane life is and amassed half a million views in less than a day after being uploaded to TikTok. She has already collaborated with Sigala, Mae Muller and Stefflon Don. Yet away from her success on the music scene, she spoke frankly about her terrible childhood ordeal in the MAFS expert's latest podcast. Caity, who was born in Southampton, revealed the meaning behind her new track The Weight Of You and said the meaning was "a big one." Paul encouraged her to "throw a boundary" in the chat whenever she needed to as he raised how she was sexually assaulted at the age of eight, and to "say only what you are comfortable saying." Caity then confessed: "I was eight years old and I was out with my grandad and going back to his house and it was my grandad's next door neighbour that did it to me. "Who I knew, and spent a lot of time together, and he was really lovely to me. Celebs Go Dating Paul Carrick Brunson agent reveals series of explosive bust-ups "My grandad parked the car up and just went inside because he [the neighbour] was like 'hi Caity are you OK' because that was normal." She then continued of the alleged perpetrator: "He started talking he sort of like grabbed me and pulled me in, and yeah. "That [sexual assualt] happened, I came out, and obviously was like 'that was wrong.' "I went to my grandad and burst into tears and said 'take me home'." How to report a sexual assault Contact a doctor or practice nurse at your GP surgery. Contact a voluntary organisation, such as Rape Crisis, Women's Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Male Survivors Partnership. Call the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247. Speak to the rape and sexual abuse support line run by Rape Crisis England and Wales – you can call the helpline on 0808 500 2222 or use the online chat (both are free and are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year). Caity then told how the ordeal had sadly strained her relationship with her grandfather. She broke down in tears as she suggested the incident had been where "all the issues with myself had stemmed from." Fans were quick to offer their support and praise Caity's candid approach. One wrote: "Wow what a beautiful conversation and big up Caity for your honesty. Talking about these difficult conversations will help so many people." A second put: "This really spoke to me. I related a lot. Well done for speaking up x" A third then posted: "This interview is so powerful! Caity babes you are an inspiration." One then put: "This is everything these conversations are so important and all of the topics were handled with such grace and sensitivity. "Thought I was going to have a little cry at my desk but you both created such a safe space!" CAITY BASER'S CHART HITS BRIT popstar Caity Baser has rocketed in popularity in the UK - yet what are her hits? The Brighton-based star, known for tracks including Pretty Boys, began writing songs in lockdown. Her tune Average Student is about how mundane life is and amassed half a million views in less than a day after being uploaded to TikTok. She has already collaborated with Sigala, Mae Muller and Stefflon Don. Her highest-charting hit is Pretty Boys which reached number 26 on the UK chart. Dance Around It, with Joel Corry, reached 61, while X and Y charted at 91. Feels This Good then peaked at 93. Her debut EP was Thanks For Nothing, See You Never SPEAK OUT Previously, Caity told how she funelled her own personal experiences into her songwriting. She admitted to Ticketmaster Discover it had been an evolving process and said: "I think it's because I spent so much of my life beating around the bush and sugar coating everything. "I was afraid I was gonna hurt someone's feelings, afraid to say how I actually felt. "Now that I have a platform of people supporting me and telling me that they want me to tell them how I feel, why wouldn't I do it? "So I'm just like, 'Here's what happened, here's how I feel about it!'" 6 6 6
