Latest news with #Roberta
Edinburgh Reporter
23-05-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Reporter
Doctor honours mother's memory with marathon for rare cancer research
When Roberta Garau's mother died from a rare cancer ten years ago, her daughter promised that she would help people like her in the future. Now Roberta, 31, is a doctor and will run the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday in her memory. Her mother Valeria, living in Italy, had sudden symptoms of heavy bleeding and went to A&E. A growth in her uterus was found. Within a few weeks, she had been diagnosed with uterine leiomyosarcoma. Valeria – a researcher who analysed biological data – had an operation to remove the cancer, but it later spread to her lungs and, aged 60, she died in 2015. Roberta Garau Roberta was a student at the University of Aberdeen at the time. She said: 'My mum was an incredible woman – extremely intelligent, hard-working and fun to be around. 'I think about her every single day, and I miss all our conversations. I wish she could have seen the fruits of all her hard work parenting and been there for all my adult life milestones. ' I promised her I would do my best to help people like her in the future. I've since become a doctor, and I am training to be a surgeon with a special interest in cancer, and I am pursuing a PhD in cancer research.' Roberta, from Edinburgh, has just completed a year as President of the Association of Surgeons in Training. She is currently undertaking a PhD looking at colorectal carcinogenesis. Roberta Garau On Sunday, she will be taking part in her first ever marathon for charity Sarcoma UK. She said: 'I remember the difficulty when my mum was the only one with her rare subtype of sarcoma in our town in Italy. She did not have a community or a support network which could give her advice and support. Sarcoma research needs more funding and attention. 'I am fundraising for Sarcoma UK because it provides a community of people with a rare cancer and their family a lifeline for information, support and much-needed research funding.' Sarcoma UK's Ambassador in Scotland, Shelagh Alison, said: 'Dr Garau's dedication to sarcoma awareness represents exactly what we need – passionate individuals who understand both the medical challenges and personal impact of these rare cancers. 'Her journey from a daughter's promise to becoming a surgeon and researcher embodies the determination required to advance sarcoma understanding, support and treatment. 'Every stride she takes in the Edinburgh Marathon helps shine a light on these under-researched cancers and brings hope to patients and families currently facing the issues Valeria experienced. 'We're incredibly grateful for champions like Roberta who transform personal loss into powerful advocacy.' To donate to Roberta, go to Like this: Like Related
Vogue
22-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Vogue
The Deeper Meaning Behind Olive Oil's Use as a Southern Italian Bridal Beauty Ritual
Photo: Carmine Romano 'Thanks to the constant use of olive oil, week after week, my skin appeared visibly smoother and brighter,' explains Roberta. 'Even my hair, which is naturally curly and difficult to untangle, has become much softer and easier to manage. I chose to be faithful to the traditions that my mother passed on to me through this natural but very effective beauty routine, and I also wore the tiara that she herself wore on her wedding day—a gesture full of meaning and a further good omen for my union.' It turns out the use of olive oil as a cosmetic good-luck charm dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Their beauty routine, in fact, focused on ointments and oils extracted from olive trees, which were used to moisturize and perfume the face and body: Women would cleanse their skin with oil while bathing and then, once finished, reuse it to obtain even more hydration. Olive oil also had pharmaceutical uses—and it was precisely its effectiveness on many fronts that made it almost magical in the eyes of these ancient populations. Athletes and gladiators were anointed with olive oil for its spiritual meaning, and eventually it also acquired an important role in wedding rituals, with spouses being blessed during ceremonies with the oil as a symbol of fertility. So it's only natural that Southern Italian brides continue to use it in their weddings. There's no modern product—however expensive or innovative—that could rival its unique blend of utility with a deeper meaning.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Fuori' Review: A Writer's Wild Life Gets Tame Treatment in a Serviceable Italian Biopic
It's not generally a good sign when explanatory title cards at the start and end of a movie give you vital information missing from the movie itself. But that's what happens with Fuori, a serviceable account of Italian writer Goliarda Sapienza's years as both a prisoner and ex-con, during which she forged relationships with inmates that inspired some of her best literature. Directed efficiently if too tamely by Mario Martone (Nostalgia), and starring Cannes regular Valeria Golino (Rain Man), the film should find an audience in places where Sapienza's books are popular, mainly Italy and France. The author became famous in her homeland after her novel, The Art of Joy, was published in 1998. It was a critical and commercial success that turned Sapienza, who had died two years earlier, into a major voice in Italian literature. She had led a fascinating life before that, growing up in Sicily with socialist-anarchist parents, fighting in her dad's brigade of partisans during World War II, acting on stage and in films (including a tiny role in Visconti's Senso) and trying to make ends meet during years of impoverishment as a struggling writer in Rome — until she wound up stealing a friend's jewelry and found herself locked up. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'The Disappearance of Josef Mengele' Review: An Artfully Directed, Intellectually Vacuous Holocaust-Ploitation Flick Feinberg on Cannes: Oscar Contenders Emerging From First Half Include 'Nouvelle Vague' and Jennifer Lawrence for 'Die, My Love' 'A Magnificent Life' Review: Sylvain Chomet's Beautifully Animated but Clumsily Scripted Love Letter to Marcel Pagnol For those unfamiliar with Sapienza's life or work, much of this is only made clear through the title cards. Otherwise, the script by Martone and Ippolita di Majo focuses solely on the time Sapienza spent in jail — which seems like months in the movie, but in reality was just five days — as well as the period afterwards during which she befriended an inmate, Roberta (Matilda de Angelis), who was young enough to be her daughter. Set in 1980, Fuori seesaws between prison scenes and life on the outside, where Sapienza, who was already in her mid-50s at the time, is back home in Rome trying to write. When she gets a call from Roberta, who's fresh out of jail and looking to reconnect, she begins to reminisce about their days together behind bars. The cross-cutting can feel a bit systematic, but it also adds something dynamic to a movie that's more of a chronicle celebrating the women's burgeoning friendship than a full-fledged drama. Which doesn't mean Roberta's life isn't filled with conflict: She's a total badass, stealing cars whenever she pleases and shooting up heroin every night. Sapienza seems captivated by the young woman, who can go from hot to cold in a heartbeat, acting all seductive in one scene and then treating the older woman with contempt. The two eventually link up with fellow ex-con Barbara (Italian pop star Elodie), who now runs a perfume shop. Together, they form a unique bond that's far more appealing to Sapienza than all the stuffy writers and intellectuals who populate her bourgeois world. The writer's attraction towards the criminal underclass is what makes her books, especially The University of Rebibbia (named after the place where she was incarcerated) and The Certainties of Doubt, so fascinating, but it doesn't necessarily make for great cinema. Martone favors an academic style that can feel rather stolid, even if the tech credits are polished in all departments. Scenes are handsomely lensed by cinematographer Paolo Carnera (Io Capitano) and the recreations of '80s-era Rome by production designer Carmine Guarino (The Hand of God) are expertly handled. The catchy score by Valerio Vigliar is another plus. But not a single sequence in Fuori manages to really stand out. Golino, who also wrote and directed a six-part TV adaptation of The Art of Joy (the pilot premiered in Cannes last year), convincingly embodies a woman who was a rebel in her own time. The actress literally bares herself in certain nude scenes, whether it's upon arriving in prison or during a cheesy shower sequence in which Sapienza, Roberta and Barbara bathe together at the back of the perfume shop, just like they used to do in jail. De Angelis gives an explosive performance as a girl incapable of settling down, oscillating between playing the daughter Sapienza never had and becoming a potential love interest. Fuori means 'outside' in Italian, and the film professes that life after prison is often a continuation of what went on behind bars, which is why so many ex-cons wind up going back in. Martone underscores these ideas in a story showing how Sapienza's experience at Rebibbia impacted her in the years that followed, even if her famous novel was written beforehand. It's a thought-provoking subject that probably plays better on paper than on screen, urging us to seek out the writer's books once the movie is over. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
Edinburgh Live
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh celebrity chef up against UK's finest for coveted national award
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 An Edinburgh celebrity chef is in the running for a major award - up against famous chefs from around the UK. Restaurant Online released its 'Chef of the Year' shortlist for the National Restaurant Awards 2025 and Edinburgh's own Roberta Hall-McCarron made the exclusive six-person list. She is up against heavy-hitting chefs from around the UK such as Mark Birchall of Moor Hall - a three-Michelin Star eatery in Lancashire - and Kim Ratcharoen, who runs Gordon Ramsay's three-star London restaurant. Roberta made her mark on Edinburgh's culinary scene with her early work at The Tower Restaurant, formerly located in the National Museum, the Balmoral Hotel, and the Castle Terrace, as well as working alongside Tom Kitchin at The Kitchin - a Michelin-star restaurant in Leith. She made a splash in Edinburgh's fine dining world after opening The Little Chartoom, a Michelin-guide Leith restaurant and wine bar which "ranges from subtle to bold flavours while always retaining a keen sense of balance", according to the Guide. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Roberta also co-runs restaurants Eleanor and Ardfern on Bonnington Road, rounding out a her prolific portfolio and garnering national fame. Restaurant Online says Roberta transitioned "seamlessly" to more casual ventures in her more recent ventures Eleanor and Ardfern. The celebrity chef has appeared on BBC's Great British Menu. The multi-hyphenate has also released a debut cookbook in 2024 called The Changing Tides which offers recipes that utilise Scottish produce such as game, fish, wild mushrooms, and berries. The winner of the coveted Chef of the Year award will be announced at the National Restaurant Awards on June 9.
The Age
15-05-2025
- The Age
Roberta Williams' property raided as part of NDIS fraud probe
Australian Federal Police officers have raided the northern Melbourne home of gangland widow Roberta Williams as part of an investigation into National Disability Insurance Scheme fraud. Thursday's raid was conducted by the AFP's Fraud Fusion Taskforce, which involves the National Disability Insurance Agency and Services Australia. Roberta was the wife of Carl Williams, a drug dealer convicted of four murders and conspiracy to murder a fifth man during Melbourne's gangland wars. Carl was beaten to death by an inmate in Barwon Prison in April 2010. On Thursday, Roberta and Carl's daughter Dhakota hid behind her hoodie as she arrived at the property, before heading inside. A dozen officers spent hours combing the property and vehicles, seizing several items. No charges have been laid and investigations are ongoing.
