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Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Where is Abi Titmuss now? Star quit her lads' mag career in favour of quiet family life in LA with soap star husband
She was once one of Britain's most famous glamour models, gracing the covers of lads' mags and the first-ever series of Love Island back in 2005. But Abi Titmuss is living a very different life now than when she first found fame as a TV personality and Page Three girl. The 49-year-old, who grew up in Lincolnshire, now lives in Los Angeles where she is a married mother-of-one. Abi has largely retreated from public view in recent years in favour of living a quiet family life. From Celebrity Love Island to a stint on US soap opera Days Of Our Lives, MailOnline takes a look at where the star is now. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Abi became a lads' mag favourite after her relationship with disgraced TV presenter John Leslie pushed her into the public eye. Indeed, at a time when they were flying off the shelves, she famously ranked seventh by FHM in their 2005 list of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World. Abi and John started dating after they met in a bar in Fulham on April 10, 1999. She was his girlfriend when he was charged with sexually assaulting another woman in 2003 and was subsequently cleared. After causing headlines while leaving court with John, Abi went on to feature on the front page of various lads' magazines - including Nuts, Loaded and FHM. She told Femail back in 2012: 'I didn't think I deserved the attention, so the more money I earned, the worse I felt. 'I could make £30,000 for a shoot but I knew how third-rate I was. I could feel my lack of discernible talent as though I was wearing it.' She later told the publication: 'Suddenly I was being offered a lot of money to do shoots. I thought I could handle it. But I couldn't. 'They created this caricature of a person that I didn't recognise. I was always the same Abigail inside. 'I studied Latin at school, I'm from a good family. But the image that was created was nonsense.' After going their separate ways around 2004, Abi then went on to work as a roving reporter for Richard and Judy, before appearing in a selection of reality shows - including Hell's Kitchen, Celebrity Love Island and Come Dine With Me. Later, Abi decided to focus on an acting career and took courses at the Central School of Speech and Drama. A short stint in theatre beckoned, where Abi bagged a Fringe Report award for Best West End Debut in Two Way Mirror, before going on to play Lady Macbeth in Lowestoft. After starring in Hotel Babylon and then Casualty in 2012, she fled to the States, changed her name to Abigail Evelyn, and in 2015 landed the role of Nurse Jackie in long running soap opera Days Of Our Lives. It was there that she met husband Ari Welkom, 41, an American rock star and actor, who rose to stardom in 2005 following his appearance in Brick, alongside Joseph-Gordon Levitt. She said that what attracted her to Ari, who plays Aldo in the soap, was his lack of judgement about her saucy former career. 'I wanted to meet somebody who didn't know anything about me so I would know 100 per cent in my heart this person just liked me for me and didn't have any judgement.' It was around this time Abi admitted that the arc lights of fame drove her into a suicidal depression that took years of therapy and a move to the other side of the Atlantic to break. Speaking of whether she actually considered killing herself, Abi told Mail Online in 2015: 'Yes, many times. It took me years of therapy to deal with the depression. It was a traumatic experience. I don't think it will ever go away.' Abi and Ari tied the knot in May 2017, and the media learned she was pregnant in January 2018, when the couple were spotted leaving the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. Following their exchange of vows, the blushing bride confessed to Hello! magazine that she was aware of the baby's presence during their big day. She told the publication: 'I was aware throughout our wedding day that there were three, not two, of us experiencing it together. 'The baby is able to hear now and it was lovely to think he or she could have been listening to us making our vows. 'When the harpist started to play, I could feel him or her moving around.' The news came after Abi, who previously enjoyed dalliances with David Walliams, footballer Lee Sharpe and actor Marc Warren, revealed she was 'ready to be a mum', in light of her engagement. It's not known exactly when Abi gave birth to her son but she was seen out with him for the first time in January 2018. Abi apears to have given up acting with her last credit on IMDB being from 2019. She has also gone quiet on social media, with her last Instagram post from 2021. Abi was most recent seen in April 2025 where she stepped out for an afternoon stroll with her husband and son in LA.
Edinburgh Live
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Where are Blue Peter stars now from 'phone scandal' to Edinburgh controversy
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Here's a blunder from the past! The wholesome reputation of Blue Peter, the world's longest-running children's TV programme, has occasionally been marred by the behaviour of its presenters. From Richard Bacon's cocaine scandal in the '90s to Scottish entertainer John Leslie's leaked sex tape and sexual assault allegations; Konnie Huq's phone-in controversies and the failure of TV bosses to shield their youngest ever host Yvette Fielding from notorious paedophile Rolf Harris, the show has sometimes made headlines for all the wrong reasons since its 1958 debut. But what became of the hosts after they bid farewell to the show? Here, we delve into the varied fortunes of some of Blue Peter's most beloved presenters..., reports the Mirror. Richard Bacon. One of the show's most notorious former presenters, Richard is now a successful US TV producer based in LA, where he comes up with new concepts for game shows. However, nearly three decades on, Bacon, now 47, remains best known for his dismissal from Blue Peter for using cocaine in a London nightclub. Fired in October 1998, the then 22 year old became the first presenter on the children's show to have his contract terminated mid-run when he confessed to taking the Class A drug following a Sunday tabloid's exposé. Despite the scandal, Bacon's television career survived, and he went on to host The Big Breakfast and Top of The Pops, as well as having an afternoon slot on BBC Radio 5 Live. In 2014, Bacon relocated to the United States to host a daytime TV show and shared about his struggles with addiction, particularly with alcohol, during his past. He confided in The Guardian, stating, "My wife would like me to do AA all the time, and I just don't, but I have said I will spend more time with our therapist examining my relationship to drink." Four years later, Bacon's health took a drastic turn when he became severely unwell during a visit to the UK. He was rushed to Lewisham Hospital's A&E, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia and put into an induced coma. Richard later recounted that doctors told him, "You were lying on the hospital trolley, you were crashing. You turned blue. We thought you were going to go into cardiac arrest and die." Upon regaining consciousness nine days later, Bacon discovered that the London hospital's ICU team had performed a life-saving tracheotomy. Currently residing in Los Angeles with his wife, Rebecca McFarlane, and their two children, Arthur (14) and Ivy (11), Bacon quipped that despite his accomplishments, his obituary would inevitably highlight his dismissal from Blue Peter. John Leslie. (Image: Press Association) Preceding Bacon's tenure on Blue Peter, Scottish presenter John Leslie co-hosted the show from 1989 to 1994 alongside the late Caron Keating and Anthea Turner. Leslie was previously in a high-profile relationship with Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones but garnered more attention for his involvement with nurse and model Abi Titmuss, particularly when an explicit video he filmed of her was leaked. However, Leslie's successful career co-hosting This Morning with Fern Britton took a nosedive in 2002 when Swedish TV presenter Ulrika Johnson disclosed in her autobiography that she had been raped at 19 by "an acquaintance", and his name was accidentally and incorrectly said by Matthew Wright on live television. Despite being acquitted of all charges, he told the Scottish Mail, "I lost everything overnight. I'd gone from earning over £300,000 to not a single penny coming in. And I spent about £500,000 on legal to sell his £3.5m mansion and move back to his native Edinburgh, Leslie survived on royalties and DJing. Having fought his way back from being". Forced to sell his £3.5m mansion and return to his hometown of Edinburgh, Leslie managed to get by on royalties and DJing gigs. Having battled his way back from being a "depressed and suicidal" recluse, Leslie, now 60, is currently a property developer and resides with his girlfriend Kate Moore. However, Leslie has continued to be plagued by past assault allegations, including a woman claiming he groped her breasts at a celebrity party in 2008 and another accusation in 2017 where he was alleged to have put his hand down the back of a woman's trousers while dancing. Leslie has consistently vehemently denied both allegations and was acquitted in both cases. Yvette Fielding. Notorious paedophile Rolf Harris was a frequent guest on many BBC shows, but Yvette Fielding, who joined as a co-presenter alongside Mark Curry and Caron Keating at the age of 18 in 1987, disclosed that she was molested by the disgraced entertainer after being left alone with him in a TV studio. Last year, Fielding levelled accusations against the BBC, claiming it had failed in its duty of care towards her. In an interview with The Sun, she recounted a disturbing encounter with Rolf Harris, stating, "It was bizarre to think Rolf Harris was squeezing and patting my bottom and I am standing there, thinking, 'I don't know what to do.' Other people in the industry must have known what he was like and (they) left me alone in the studio with him. That shouldn't have happened. I think a lot of them did know'." Now 56, Fielding is renowned for co-creating and hosting the paranormal TV show Most Haunted alongside her husband, cameraman and producer Karl Beattie. Konnie Huq (Image: BBC) Konnie Huq, who co-presented with Richard Bacon and was the show's longest-serving female presenter from 1997 to 2008, was compelled to issue an on-air apology for a phone-in scandal that resulted in the BBC being fined a record £50,000 by Ofcom. The controversy centred on a Blue Peter competition to identify the celebrity owner of a pair of shoes, where the results were fabricated after technical issues prevented genuine calls from reaching the studio. Instead, a child visiting the studio was allowed to pose as a caller. Huq was also embroiled in the show's cat-naming controversy, later admitting, "I was horrified. I couldn't believe it was allowed to happen. It was partly because of the scam I made the decision to leave." At 49, the London-based mother of two and wife of Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has transitioned from television presenting and appearing as a celebrity panelist on game shows to penning books and scripts. She's now garnered success as an author writing for children. Pet Scandals. Blue Peter wasn't adverse to pulling the wool over their young audience's eyes, experiencing its first animal-related scandal in 1962. It was later revealed that the initial pet Petra was not the original dog but an urgent stand-in after the first pooch sadly passed away from distemper just two days before her scheduled debut. Biddy Baxter, who presided over Blue Peter as editor until her retirement in 1988, confessed in her autobiography, "Married to Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, the 49-year-old mum-of-two in London swapped TV presenting and celebrity game show panellist roles for writing books and scripts, and is now a successful children's scandalsIt wasn't unknown for the show to pull the wool over their young viewers' eyes, and had its first scandal involving an animal in 1962. It came out many years later that the first pet Petra was actually an emergency replacement for the original dog who had died of distemper two days before she first appeared on the Blue Peter editor Biddy Baxter, who retired in 1988, revealed in her book, The Woman Who Made Blue Peter, " that substituting the canine without alarming viewers was necessary: "It was unthinkable to traumatise our youngest viewers, so we had to trawl London for the dead pup's lookalike." The programme also witnessed a tug-of-war over Blue Peter's beloved collie Shep when iconic presenter John Noakes, part of the show during its halcyon days alongside Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves, decided to leave after a 12-year tenure. Noakes, who had become inseparable from the energetic Shep since the dog's television debut in 1971, expressed his frustration at the time, saying, "I thought Shep was mine – they told me I could keep him, but they went back on their word." In her memoirs, Leicester-native Biddy Baxter, presently aged 91, detailed that Noakes did indeed take Shep with him until his global sailing expedition in 1982 with his spouse Vicky, subsequent to which the show's pet carer Edith Menezes took in the dog. Sadly, Noakes passed away in 2017. Peter Duncan. In 1980, the daring Noakes was succeeded by another action-oriented figure, actor Peter Duncan, who had previously appeared nude in a risqué film titled The Lifetaker. Despite the ensuing controversy, Duncan, who co-hosted with Simon Groom, Sarah Greene and Janet Ellis, wasn't dismissed. Reflecting on the incident, he says, "They labelled me a soft porn star and it was nonsense. Yes, there was a bit of soft-focus nudity, but it wasn't salacious." Duncan even made light of the situation in 2014 when he tweeted, "For your pleasure on my 60th trailer from my 1973 'porn' film that caused trauma and headlines." In the early 2000s, Duncan and his wife Annie produced a series of family holiday documentaries featuring their four children. Now aged 71, the former chief scout Duncan remains active every Christmas for panto season with his Jack and the Beanstalk production. Stars lost too soon. When Duncan departed from the show in 1984, he was replaced by Michael Sundin, whose tenure was marred by controversy when rumours about his homosexuality led to his dismissal. Tragically, Michael passed away at the age of 28 from an Aids-related illness in 1989, although it was reported as "liver cancer" at the time. The show also mourned the loss of another presenter taken too soon, Gloria Hunniford's daughter Caron Keating, who succumbed to breast cancer in April 2004 after a seven-year battle. She was only 41 and left behind two young sons. Peter Purves. Blue Peter legend and its longest-serving male presenter, Peter Purves, is still going strong at the impressive age of 86. Having been a part of the iconic show from 1967 to 1978, he made headlines for a fleeting romantic encounter with fellow presenter Valerie Singleton during his marriage. Candid about the affair, Purves later revealed: "It was only one night. We remained great friends." Additionally, the seasoned broadcaster faced a health scare with skin cancer, which he attributes to his global adventures during filming. He recounted to The Mail on Sunday: "I travelled to 27 countries with Blue Peter in the 1960s and early 70s." Both having gracefully sidestepped the so-called Blue Peter curse, Purves now enjoys a tranquil life in rural Suffolk with his wife Kathryn Evans and their beloved dogs. Valerie Singleton, on the other hand, now 88, has chosen a life without marriage or children. Following a fruitful stint in radio post-Blue Peter, she now resides in serene retirement in Somerset.
Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Blue Peter hosts now from sex tape and cocaine sting to 'porn' role
The dark past of some of the legendary BBC childrens' TV show hasn't stopped some them going on to have surprisingly successful careers. We look at the secrets and scandals of the show's hosts and reveal where they are now Here's a boo-boo I made earlier! The wholesome image of the world 's longest-running children's TV programme, Blue Peter, has often been tarnished by the antics of its presenters. From the cocaine shame of '90s presenter Richard Bacon to Scottish entertainer's John Leslie 's leaked sex tape and sexual assault allegations; Konnie Huq 's phone-in scandals and TV bosses' failure to protect their youngest ever host Yvette Fielding from depraved paedophile Rolf Harris, since its 1958 launch the show has sometimes made headlines for all the wrong reasons. But what happened to the hosts after they left the show for pastures new? Here, The Mirror takes a look at the mixed fortunes of Blue Peter's most loved presenters... Richard Bacon One of the show's most infamous former presenters, Richard is now a successful US TV producer in LA where he develops new ideas for game shows. But nearly three decades later, Bacon, now 47, is still best known for being fired from Blue Peter for taking cocaine in a London nightclub. Sacked in October 1998, the 22-year-old became the first presenter on the children's show to have his contract terminated mid-run when he admitted taking the Class A drug after a Sunday tabloid broke the story. However Bacon's telly career did survive the scandal and he went on to present The Big Breakfast and Top of The Pops and had an afternoon slot on BBC Radio 5 Live. In 2014, Bacon moved across the pond to present a daytime TV show, and also admitted to addictive behaviours in the past, especially around alcohol. He told The Guardian, "My wife would like me to do AA all the time, and I just don't, but I have said I will spend more time with our therapist examining my relationship to drink." On a trip back to the UK in 2018, Bacon fell sick and took himself to A&E at Lewisham hospital, where doctors discovered he was so desperately unwell with pneumonia, they had to put him in an induced coma. Later Richard says doctors told him, "You were lying on the hospital trolley, you were crashing. You turned blue. We thought you were going to go into cardiac arrest and die." Waking up nine days later after his near-death experience, Bacon discovered the London hospital ICU team had given him a tracheotomy to save his life. Now living in LA with his wife Rebecca McFarlane and their two children Arthur, 14, and Ivy, 11, Bacon joked, 'I could bring peace to the Middle East and still, when I die, the top line of the obituary will be 'fired from Blue Peter'.' John Leslie Prior to Bacon's stint on the show, Scottish presenter John Leslie hosted Blue Peter with the late Caron Keating and Anthea Turner from 1989 to 1994. Leslie dated Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, but he became more even more famous for his relationship with nurse and model Abi Titmuss when a video Leslie filmed of her having sex with another woman was leaked. But Leslie's high-flying career co-hosting This Morning with Fern Britton came crashing down in 2002 when Swedish TV presenter Ulrika Johnson wrote in her autobiography that 'an acquaintance' had raped her at 19, and his name was mentioned by mistake by Matthew Wright on live TV. Later cleared of all charges, he told the Scottish Mail, 'I lost everything overnight. I'd gone from earning over £300,000 to not a single penny coming in. And I spent about £500,000 on legal costs. Forced to sell his £3.5m mansion and move back to his native Edinburgh, Leslie survived on royalties and DJing. Having fought his way back from being a 'depressed and suicidal' recluse, Leslie, now 60, is now a property developer and lives with his girlfriend Kate Moore. However Leslie has still been haunted by historic assault allegations when a woman claimed he groped her breasts at a celebrity party in 2008 and again in 2017, when he was accused of putting his hand down the back of a woman's trousers while dancing. Leslie has always strenuously denied both allegations and was found not guilty in both cases. Yvette Fielding Predatory paedophile Rolf Harris was a regular on many BBC programmes, but teenage Yvette Fielding, who co- presented with Mark Curry and Caron Keating when she joined aged 18 in 1987, revealed that she was molested by the disgraced entertainer after she was left alone in a TV studio with him. Last year she accused the BBC of failing in its duty of care to look after her, telling The Sun newspaper, 'It was bizarre to think Rolf Harris was squeezing and patting my bottom and I am standing there, thinking, 'I don't know what to do.' Other people in the industry must have known what he was like and (they) left me alone in the studio with him. That shouldn't have happened. I think a lot of them did know'.' Now 56, Fielding is best known for going on to host and co-create the paranormal TV show Most Haunted alongside her cameraman and producer husband Karl Beattie. Konnie Huq Richard Bacon's co-presenter Konnie Huq, who was the show's longest female presenter from 1997 to 2008, was forced to apologise on air for a phone-in scandal which saw the BBC fined an unprecedented £50,000 by Ofcom. Bosses admitted the results of a Blue Peter competition to identify the celebrity owner of a pair of shoes were faked when the show allowed a child visiting the studio to pose as a caller when technical problems stopped real calls getting through to the studio. Later Konnie was also involved in the show's cat-naming fix. She admitted later, 'I was horrified. I couldn't believe it was allowed to happen. It was partly because of the scam I made the decision to leave.' Married to Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, the 49-year-old mum-of-two in London swapped TV presenting and celebrity game show panellist roles for writing books and scripts, and is now a successful children's author. Pet scandals It wasn't unknown for the show to pull the wool over their young viewers' eyes, and had its first scandal involving an animal in 1962. It came out many years later that the first pet Petra was actually an emergency replacement for the original dog who had died of distemper two days before she first appeared on the show. Veteran Blue Peter editor Biddy Baxter, who retired in 1988, revealed in her book, The Woman Who Made Blue Peter, 'It was unthinkable to traumatise our youngest viewers, so we had to trawl London for the dead pup's lookalike.' There was also a custody battle for Blue Peter's favourite dog Shep when legendary presenter John Noakes left after 12 years, having co-presented during the show's golden era with Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves. The lively border collie, who had lived with John since his TV debut in 1971, and when Noakes left, he said angrily at the time, 'I thought Shep was mine – they told me I could keep him, but they went back on their word.' Leicester-born Biddy Baxter, now 91, explained in her book that Noakes did keep Shep until he and his wife Vicky went sailing around the world in 1982, before he was adopted by show pet carer Edith Menezes. Noakes later died in 2017. Peter Duncan In 1980, daredevil Noakes was replaced by another action man, actor Peter Duncan, who it was revealed appeared nude in a racy film called The Lifetaker. Despite the furore, Duncan, who co-presented with Simon Groom, Sarah Greene and Janet Ellis, wasn't sacked. He says now, 'They called me a soft porn star and it was nonsense. Yes, there was a little soft-focus nudity, but it wasn't salacious.' Duncan even made a joke about it in 2014 when he tweeted, 'For your pleasure on my 60th trailer from my 1973 'porn' film that caused trauma and headlines.' In the early Noughties, Duncan and his wife Annie made a series of family holiday documentaries with their four children. Now 71, former chief scout Duncan is still busy every Christmas for panto season his Jack and the Beanstalk production. Stars lost too soon When Duncan left his first stint on the show in 1984, he was replaced by Michael Sundin, who was very controversially sacked when rumours of his homosexuality circulated in the press. Sadly Michael died aged 28 from an Aids-related illness in 1989, although it was reported as 'liver cancer' at the time. The show also lost another one of its presenters far too young, Gloria Hunniford's daughter Caron Keating, who died after being treated for breast cancer for seven years in April 2004, aged 41, leaving behind two young sons. Peter Purves However, Blue Peter's longest serving male presenter Peter Purves, is still going strong today at 86. Purves joined the show in 1967 until 1978, and famously had a brief fling with co-presenter Valerie Singleton while he was married. The veteran presenter later admitted, 'It was only one night. We remained great friends.' The presenter also developed skin cancer from all his exotic TV destinations, telling The Mail on Sunday: "I travelled to 27 countries with Blue Peter in the 1960s and early 70s.' Having both defied the curse of Blue Peter, Purves is now living peacefully in rural Suffolk with his wife Kathryn Evans and their dogs, while Valerie, now 88, has never married nor had children, and after a career in radio after the show, has retired to Somerset.
