Latest news with #UnionChapel
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
EastEnders legend lapping up 'unemployment' after dramatic soap exit
Charlie Brooks has been making the most of unemployment, with the former EastEnders star and I'm A Celebrity winner using her newfound spare time to read and go to gigs with her pals EastEnders star Charlie Brooks has been making the most of her "unemployment", having spent Friday night at a gig in London. The former Janine Butcher actress saw Martha Wainwright on the UK leg of her tour, when she played at Union Chapel in Islington. Charlie, 44, left the soap in 2012 but went on to set up her own acting training business, iampro, which offers mentoring and industry classes for creatives. She also took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2011 and was crowned queen of the jungle after winning I'm A Celebrity in 2012. But aside from some smaller roles, she's remained off the screen for some time, but she is lapping up her so-called "unemployment". Writing on Instagram, she said: "Joys of unemployment. Getting to watch Martha Wainwright at Union Chapel with my gorgeous friend @shazzleydazzley for belated birthday celebrations. "Having time to read her book. Martha was everything and more. Thank you x." The star shared a series of photos and a video from the gig, as well as a snap of singer-songwriter Wainwright's book, Stories I Might Regret Telling You. Charlie first appeared in Albert Square way back in 1999, and remained rher euntil 2004, before going on to have roles in Robin Hood and Beverley Allitt: Angel of Death, in which she portrayed a killer nurse. She returned to the Square in 2008 until 2012. The mum-of-one returned to the soap in 2022, before competing in Dancing on Ice, alongside Olympic skater Eric Radford. Back in January, she addressed whether a return to Walford was on the cards. "I'm going straight back into Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for a while, and then I probably need a little bit of time off," she said. "And then we're in talks about another theatre project at the moment, so I don't know yet. "I'm biding my time. So who knows." Charlie starred as the Childcatcher in the UK tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, taking to the stage alongside Coyote Ugly's Adam Garcia last year. Charlie shares her daughter, Kiki Truman Brooks, 20, with her ex partner, Ibiza club owner Tony Truman, who she split up with in 2006. But despite their relationship breakdown, the pair are still on good terms - so much so, that he lives in the flat above Charlie's home in Surrey. She also dated architect Ben Hollington for around five years, but they split in 2017. Tony had got so attached to her new fella that he sobbed when they called it a day. More recently, she's been linked with advertising producer James Fuller. Speaking on Yahoo UK' s White Wine Question Time podcast, she said: "My ex partner Ben, who I was with for five or six years, who's an amazing human being, you know, we woke up on Christmas Day together, all of us. Tony would come down, we'd all get into bed and open the presents together with Kiki, cos she adores Ben, and I think it can be problematic. "I think he probably has more issues with that sort of thing than I do. I've been single for four years, so that's the longest I've ever been single. Then I was with Ben before that for five or six years, who was just really accepting. Tony absolutely adored him, we all went on holiday together. Tony cried when me and Ben broke up. He actually cried."
The Sun
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Iconic singer reveals first solo album in seven years – and she could celebrate with surprise Glastonbury appearance
WITH stints on The Masked Singer in the UK, US and Australia, Macy Gray hasn't strayed far from a microphone. But in more good news for fans, she is ditching the costumes and covers for her first solo album in seven years. 8 8 And she may well celebrate by making a surprise appearance at Glastonbury this summer. In an exclusive interview, Macy — who has been juggling studio sessions with rehearsals for her imminent tour — said: 'We're probably going to drop a record when we're in the UK. 'We're in the middle of it and we want to drop some songs to see what everybody thinks. 'Then I will probably be able to put out an album by September. 'I like raw music with less production to show my voice, so everything's kind of stripped down. It's really cool. I'm having fun.' The I Try singer is embarking on a tour to celebrate 25 years since her debut album, On How Life Is. And she will play a trio of shows at London's Ronnie Scott's next month. Then she returns to the capital on June 23 for a show at Union Chapel. That will be followed by gigs at Manchester's New Century Hall, Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket and, finally, Birmingham's Town Hall on June 28. And when I told her that is the Saturday of Glastonbury — and the day before her pal Rod Stewart, who she has previously written for, performs in the Legends slot — she said she is hoping to get down to Worthy Farm. Watch bizarre moment Macy Gray throws herself on the floor as she's unmasked on The Masked Singer US She added: 'I would love to go out there. I love that festival. Maybe I'll run up there.' Macy has played the Pyramid Stage twice, most recently in 2003, and I can see why it's stuck in her head. She explained: 'That was my first, like, huge festival and I had never seen anything like that. 'People were walking around naked. This couple jumped on stage naked and ran across the stage while I was up there. 'It's wild. I'd just never seen anything like that. 'Of course, it was raining a little bit, but then, you know, hundreds of thousands of people singing your song, that's just the best, best thing that could ever happen to you.' Recreating that moment this summer would be a fab way to top off the tour. Up and coming RISING singer-songwriter Nell Mescal has been snapped up by major label Atlantic Records and could soon rival the acclaim of her Gladiator star brother Paul. The Irish star has just inked the deal, which means she is on the same roster as Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and Charli XCX. 8 Yesterday Nell dropped her first track with the label, called Thin, which is about body image and self-worth. Nell said: 'I'm beyond excited for what's to come. I have lots of new music that I'm currently working on, which will be out soon.' Coleen's Waitrose workout WHO needs to hit the gym when you're doing the weekly shop for a growing family of six? Certainly not Coleen Rooney, who was spotted using some elbow grease as she lugged around four bulging bags of Waitrose groceries on Tuesday. The I'm A Celeb star struggled to lug her supplies as she left a branch in Cheshire. I'm sure there's plenty of things she doesn't miss about being in the TV jungle. But despite the tiny portion sizes on the show, at least when she was Down Under she didn't have to schlep to the supermarket to carry home the family's favourite snacks. J-Lo put AMA into amazing JENNIFER LOPEZ is dripping in glamour as she poses in a tasselled dress while preparing to host the American Music Awards. The Waiting For Tonight singer posed with one of the bash's coveted trophies as nominations were announced yesterday for the event, which she will host in Las Vegas on May 26. 8 Kendrick Lamar looks set for glory on the night as he leads the charge with ten nods, followed by Post Malone with eight. BIllie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey have seven each, while the AMA's most awarded artist, Taylor Swift, drew with Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen and SZA with six apiece. But if this snap is anything to go by, I imagine all eyes will be on J-Lo and her magnificent wardrobe on the night. Florence a sheer delight YOU could see right through Florence Pugh in this sheer outfit at an after-party following the London premiere of her Marvel blockbuster Thunderbolts. She wore a black dress, left, to the red carpet launch but switched to the nude get-up for the bash afterwards, which was also attended by Peaky Blinders actor Finn Cole. 8 I first revealed last September how Florence was dating Finn, and it looks like things are still going strong with them. She will be back on screen from next Thursday in the movie, in which she returns as assassin Yelena Belova, who she first played in 2021's Black Widow. And she has one stunt in the movie which is so extreme, it had never been attempted before. As a result, Florence said: 'My double, the female co-ordinator and I are all now Guinness World Record holders!' Bandit set for club banger FOR more than a decade, their fusion of pop and classical instruments has been a hit-making formula. But British trio Clean Bandit are now returning with a fresh sound and will drop a trance banger called Tell Me Where U Go tomorrow. I got an early first listen to the euphoric track, which blends a hardcore electro chorus with strings and vocals from German pop star Leony and a helping hand from Tiesto. It's in a similar vein to Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding's 2023 hit Miracle so I'm sure it will be a summer club fave across Europe. Despite being a feel-good tune, Jack Patterson says it was actually inspired by a counselling session. He said: 'My therapist said I dissociate sometimes. She said, 'Tell me where you go'. 'After the session, we made this song.' SABBATH WORK UP A SWEAT OZZY OSBOURNE has got his sweatbands on and is working out to prepare for Black Sabbath's mammoth final show at Villa Park on July 5. Speaking in the US, he said: 'It really is like starting from scratch. It's endurance training. 'The first thing to go when you're laid up is your stamina, so believe it or not I'm doing walks and weight training. I'm waking up in my body – I've been lying on my back recovering from umpteen surgeries.' It's worth the wait, Amy AMY MACDONALD is back with her new album, Is This What You've Been Waiting For?, after a five-year break. And as she pops into Bizarre's office following a show in Switzerland, the Scottish singer tells me that she can't wait to get back out there playing her new songs, including the album's punchy title track – and my favourite – Can You Hear Me?, live. 'Getting that first gig under my belt was important,' Amy explains. 'We played four new songs and they got an amazing reaction. It's cool to be able to finally share these songs with people.' Amy will take her new album, which is out on July 11, on the road this summer. She has a string of massive dates lined up in Europe, before she plays 13 shows across the UK and Ireland, starting at London's Eventim Apollo on November 20. 'My last record came out when Covid hit and it was a pain in the are because we couldn't go out on tour,' Amy says. 'It feels so nice to put a record out and then play it live.' Is This What You've Been Waiting For? feels like her most honest and raw album to date, with We Survive sounding like the next chapter of her 2007 runaway hit, This Is The Life. Amy says: 'We Survive was originally inspired by two of my closest friends who are absolute party animals, and me going, 'How do they still do that?'. 'It's also about the darker side. Scotland's not got a great relationship with party culture. But people look forward to a party because everything else is a bit s*t for us. That's our escape. We Survive is like a dark version of This Is The Life.' That song has become an enduring hit for Amy, who wrote it aged just 16, and has had a new lease of life on social media thanks to sports stars – and US actor Ryan Reynolds. 'I started getting loads of comments on my videos in Arabic,' Amy explains. 'Then I saw This Is The Life was used in compilations of Cristiano Ronaldo scoring goals for his team there. They never had charts in Saudi, but then they introduced it and This Is The Life was one of the first songs to go to No1. 'My stepson absolutely buzzes when my songs are used in videos. 'He'll tell me Ryan Reynolds used one of my songs in a TikTok, then there was F1's Fernando Alonso. 'He thinks it's brilliant.' LOLA LEADS NOVELLO NOMS LOLA YOUNG will be popping the champagne after leading the nominations at the Ivor Novello Awards. The Messy singer has landed three nominations, including for Best Album and Best Song: Musically and Lyrically, as well as a nod in the Rising Star category. The ceremony, in association with Amazon Music, takes place on May 22 at London's Grosvenor House. Raye, Ghetts and Conor Dickinson all received two nominations. Jade Thirlwall also has reason to celebrate, as her debut single Angel Of My Dreams, has landed her a nod for Best Contemporary Song. And Harry Styles is still dominating, with his 2022 song As It Was in the running for the PRS for Music Most Performed Work.
