HELLO! magazine 1657

‘When I found this place, I must have been guided by angels’ With her tousled long blonde hair, husky laugh and an edgy dress sense that involves bold splashes of colour and a bohemian vibe, Jo Wood will always be the ultimate rock chick. Yet when she shows HELLO! around her idyllic new domain – a beautiful grade II-listed farmhouse in the depths of the Northamptonshire countryside – for this exclusive interview and photoshoot, it is evident that she has become quite the green goddess. Surrounded by six acres of fields and trees, Jo has finally kissed goodbye to the frenzy of her life in London and embraced the tranquillity of an off-grid lifestyle. With her own well for water, solar panels for energy, plots-full of home-grown organic fruit and vegetables and even…

The Duke put a protective arm around his wife There was cause for celebration when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex met up with A-list friends David Foster and Katharine McPhee close to their stylish home in their new neighbourhood of Montecito. The starry double date on the patio at Lucky’s Steakhouse came on the evening before the news was announced that singer and actress Katharine is expecting her first child with the Grammy-winning musician and producer. The Duke put a protective arm around his wife, who looked chic with a trench coat draped round her shoulders, skinny trousers, and bright orange mules by Chloe Gosselin. MUM’S THE WORD Former actress Meghan will no doubt be on hand with pregnancy and first-time mum advice for Waitress star Katharine. They attended the same school, and last…

‘I’d come out here and do random mad things like water Derek’s favourite plants’ It was back in the summer that Kate Garraway first spoke to HELLO! about the sanctuary she found in her garden amid the most traumatic time of her life. Now in a new interview the Good Morning Britain ( GMB ) host tells how this precious green space is where she feels hope is still kept alive as her husband Derek Draper remains in intensive care more than six months after he was diagnosed with Covid-19. The garden of her North London home has provided refuge even in the early hours. “I would get a phone call at midnight saying: We’re not sure if he will make it through the night.’ I was helpless,” she says. “And I…

‘I’m so excited to share my life with HELLO! readers. I’ve never done anything like this before’ Shirley Ballas is on sparkling form when we meet just days before she takes the hot seat on the Strictly Come Dancing judges’ panel. Chatting in her usual easy manner, she is radiating good health and happiness and clearly in a very joyful place with her boyfriend of nearly two years, Daniel Taylor. The 60-year-old Liverpool-born star is always open and candid, but never more so than today, when she reveals to HELLO! that she has turned to counselling after writing her autobiography Behind the Sequins . “It was very difficult to write,” she says. “It’s almost like I was reading somebody else’s life.” The book brought back memories of several tough and unresolved periods of her life,…

‘I’ll be out of my comfort zone, but I’m looking forward to it’ Nicola Adams They have been working in a bubble, recording their spectacular routines, and now it’s time for Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancers to find out whom they will be partnered with in their quest to lift the show’s coveted Glitterball trophy. All of the female professionals, pictured above, were said to be hoping to make show history by being partnered with Olympic boxer Nicola Adams for the first same-sex pairing – and last week, it looked as if Katya Jones was the chosen one when the two were spotted together. “It means a lot to me,” said Nicola about dancing with a female pro. “I think it’s a brilliant step in the right direction.” After joining the Class of 2020…

THE COUNTESS OF WESSEX LEADS A ROYAL MARATHON EFFORT No one can accuse the Countess of Wessex of failing to go the distance when it comes to supporting her charities. Approached to complete part of this year’s virtual London Marathon for learning difficulty charity Mencap, of which she is patron, 55-year-old Sophie took it in her stride. Joining first-time marathon runner Tomas Cardillo-Zallo in Windsor Great Park, the Countess ran the first 1.5 miles to represent the 1.5 million people in the UK who, like Tomas, have a learning disability. “Thank you for allowing me to come,” she told Tomas. “Let me know how you get on.” Sophie had nothing but praise for her fellow runner, calling him “an inspiration”. The mother of two was not the only royal offering encouragement. Taking steps to ensure the event…