New Idea 1 May 2017

My husband isn’t the greatest cook in the world (fingers crossed he doesn’t mind me outing him like that!), and he believes that if you can’t chuck everything into one saucepan and cook it, then it isn’t worth the hassle. This means he’s been the creator of some amazing culinary delights over the years. My favourite is probably his ‘Chicken in a Big Old Pot’, where he just throws everything he can find in the fridge into the slow cooker with some chicken legs and then just hopes that it all works out. One time that included sweet potato, parmesan and grapes. Try selling that dish to the kids! So I shall be cutting out this week’s food special on One-Pan Dinners (page 43) and leaving it somewhere he’ll see it, in the…

The sentimental country crooner delights his wife with a gift from the heart‘He decided to buy the home there and then – it was an impulse decision, but he knew it would make Nicole so happy’ Proving he’s one of Hollywood’s most devoted husbands, Keith Urban has surprised his beloved wife Nicole Kidman with a truly breathtaking gift. The singer is buying Oscar winner Nicole her childhood home in Hawaii – the perfect family abode for the loving couple and their two daughters. Nicole, who was born in Honolulu and lived there until she was four, has often spoken of her love for the beautiful beachside home she grew up in – revealing how her family even gave her a Hawaiian nickname, which was the inspiration for a tattoo over Keith’s heart. ‘Nicole has…

They’re the much-loved mother-daughter team taking My Kitchen Rules by storm – but Valerie and Courtney reveal their relationship was put to the test on the hit cooking show. While the powerhouse Brisbane team say they are ‘very close’, they admit they found the pressures of filming and having to live with each other incredibly demanding. ‘I moved out of home years ago, and after doing MKR, I now remember why,’ 30-year-old Courtney tells New Idea. ‘Mum can be direct – direct with respect is what I call it. She sometimes just thinks I’m still 12. ‘But spending every waking second with Mum, even sleeping in the same hotel room... it was tough.’ Valerie agrees there were some conflicts between the pair, but says she’s learnt some valuable lessons from their disagreements. ‘Courtney and I get…

They’ve been at each other’s throats for the entire MKR season, but New Idea can reveal the bitter rivalry between Amy and Betty runs deep. ‘There was tension between us and David and Betty,’ Amy says. ‘They would do anything they could do to get as far as they could in the competition. ‘They’re very good at the talk and they like to manipulate situations and get under the skin of other contestants by dropping little tidbits of information – whether they’re correct or not,’ she explains. ‘Other contestants would take things they’d say very seriously and then they’d come to me and say: “Oh, David and Betty have said this,” and I’d tell them not to listen to them. ‘Some of the things they would say particularly upset Tyson and I’d have a…

Meet the man spotted time and time again with Jennifer Aniston, who has complained of being lonely when husband Justin Theroux is away. Thought to be her bodyguard, Jen has become ‘incredibly close’ to him. The pair have reportedly been mixing business with pleasure – sharing meals while Justin travels around the world for The Leftovers – with the actress confiding her innermost thoughts and fears to the mystery man. ‘If Jen’s on her own, she’ll often invite him to lunch and to go shopping with her,’ an insider tells New Idea ‘She doesn’t like eating on her own, and with Justin away all the time, she likes having him for company. He’s actually very funny.’ Another source adds: ‘He’s quickly become her rock. She confides in him about everything, and tells him all her…

Prince Harry is to marry his American girlfriend Meghan Markle, New Idea can exclusively reveal. The happy couple will announce their engagement in August – exactly 20 years after the death of Harry’s mother Princess Diana. A fairytale wedding in Westminster Abbey will follow within months, possibly as soon as December, and the pair will be given royal titles – the most likely of these is the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. ‘They are head over heels in love and they can’t wait to be man and wife,’ says a friend. ‘Harry says Meghan is the one he wants to share the rest of his life with. ‘I have never seen him so happy or at peace with the world. Meghan is 36 in August and they both want children soon, so they don’t see…