HELLO! magazine 1737

Hollywood’s A-list pulled out all the stops with a decadent display embracing the Gilded Glamour theme As red carpets go, it doesn’t get more starry or fashion-forward than the Met Gala. And last week, the A-list put on the most outlandish show of the year as they gathered in New York, where former Gossip Girl star Blake Lively – who co-hosted the evening alongside her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds – was the belle of the ball. She was a fairytale princess in her Atelier Versace “patina-ed” rose gold gown – unpacked on the staircase to reveal an extravagant turquoise train cascading down the steps behind her – with statement earrings and a tiara. The theme of the event – officially the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala – was Gilded Glamour and…

‘I’ve had an incredible nine years on Strictly but it felt like the right time to open myself up to new challenges’ Aljaz They have been part of the nation’s Saturday night entertainment for the best part of a decade and now Hollywood is beckoning for Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara as they contemplate their lives after Strictly Come Dancing. Joining HELLO! for this exclusive interview and photoshoot – their first since Aljaz announced in March that he’s following in his wife’s footsteps and leaving the show – the married professional dancers reveal that Aljaz is retraining as an actor and has a film role in the pipeline. Meanwhile, the couple have their sights set on hosting a TV show together and becoming the new Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. IT TAKES TWO “Being…

‘Now that we’re both parents, it’s extra special to be able to spend this time together’ Standing on the sidelines shouting her support, the Duchess of Sussex was definitely her husband’s biggest cheerleader last week. Meghan was spotted watching the Duke play in a friendly polo match at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in California, only five miles from their home in Montecito, where they live with son Archie, who turned three on 6 May, and daughter Lilibet, 11 months. Looking happy despite the news last week that Netflix had cancelled development of her proposed children’s animated series, Pearl, Meghan was joined to watch the action in the Harry East Memorial Tournament by her old friend Markus Anderson, the Soho House consultant said to have had a hand in introducing her…

‘I did a curtsy and spun like I was doing a West End show!’ Mel As a Spice Girl, Mel B has performed all over the world and lived through once-in-a-lifetime experiences. But she has told HELLO! in an exclusive interview how receiving an MBE from the Duke of Cambridge was the most memorable day of her life. The singer was last week awarded the honour for services to charitable causes and vulnerable women at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace. “I felt like it was the most incredible day of my life,” she tells us. “It felt amazing that it was me, Melanie Brown, a working-class girl from Leeds, and not Mel B the Spice Girl who had received the award.” The singer, a patron of charity Women’s Aid, said the experience…

‘My co-stars have all said: “Do we have to bow?”’ Topping off incredible achievements that have seen him go from homelessness to TV stardom, The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades last week received his MBE at Windsor Castle. The 52-year-old furniture restorer, honoured for his work promoting heritage craft, was given his medal by the Prince of Wales. Jay said his co-stars on the BBC show, which he has hosted since its launch in 2017, were “over the moon” for him. He added: “They’ve all said: ‘Do we have to bow? Do we have to curtsy to you?’ and stuff like that. “I’ve just said there’s one request: as long as they can bring me a biscuit with my cup of tea, that’s all I want.” He said that he spoke to Prince Charles about the importance…

‘These photos show a pretty little girl who loves being outdoors, unfazed by her royal rank’ Robert Jobson Beaming among the spring bluebells, Princess Charlotte looks full of high spirits in a trio of charming photographs taken by her mother the Duchess of Cambridge at Anmer Hall, the family’s country home in Norfolk, to celebrate her daughter’s seventh birthday. The young royal shows confidence, poise and a sunny joie de vivre as she sits with her arm wrapped around cocker spaniel Orla – seen for the first time since being given to the family by Uncle James Middleton in 2020 – and holding a few stems of flowers. Her smile – revealing a gap from a missing milk tooth – and long honey-blonde hair flowing over her blue Ralph Lauren jumper also reveal…