Table of contents for Issue 12, 2026 in New Idea

There’s no denying the pressure so many of us are feeling right now, every time we pull up to the pump. The ongoing fuel crisis isn’t just making headlines, it’s hitting households right where it hurts – in the bank account. At times like these, even small relief can make a meaningful difference. That’s why we’re giving away $3000 cash to spend on fuel. Three readers will each win $1000 bucks. You’ll find the entry details on page 18. Three years ago, I went on a country music cruise and still think about it – the incredible guitar performances, dancing all hours and new friends. Well, imagine my surprise when I heard Keith Urban had performed on one and I could’ve been that close! Check out page 12 for what…

As a mum of four, the recent Mother’s Day celebration in the UK should’ve been a special day for Victoria Beckham. But another shocking snub by estranged eldest son Brooklyn “hurt Victoria more than she’ll ever let on”, a source tells New Idea. On March 15, Brooklyn, 27, shared a gushing social media post which heaped praise on his mother-in-law, Claudia Peltz. The post was technically in honour of Claudia’s birthday, but Brooklyn specifically shared it on Mother’s Day and made no post about Posh, 51. “Happy birthday to the best mother-in-law,” Brooklyn shared while posting a photo with Claudia and his wife, Nicola, 31. “Love you so much and hope u [sic] had the most amazing day.” “Victoria would’ve been devastated,” our insider says. “She still can’t believe that…

Last October, Keith Urban was playing to 20,000 fans in a sold-out arena in Nashville for the closing night of his High and Alive world tour. Fast-forward five months and no-one could predict he’d be playing cruise ship gigs to just 1100 distracted passengers. But that’s exactly what has happened. Earlier this month, the country star performed on the Top Shelf Country Cruise, a Bahamas-bound trip that sees artists play for passengers in exchange for passage and pay. “It’s the kind of gig that Keith would have turned his nose up at during his marriage to Nicole Kidman,” a source tells New Idea. The move has left friends scratching their heads over why Keith, 58, who’s worth an estimated $160 million, would need to accept the comparatively modest cruise croon…

Only in New idea Robert Irwin is riding high right now. Not only is he loving fronting a major new US reality show, but he’s also reportedly enjoying a blossoming romance with one of the cast members! The 21-year-old has been spotted on the Gold Coast filming the new series, a spin-off of Dancing with the Stars. The show follows up-and-coming professional dancers as they live together under one roof and compete for a coveted spot on the next season of the US hit. It’s an exciting new gig for Robert, who won the 2025 season. But insiders tell New Idea that behind the scenes, production is buzzing with speculation about his love life. “People have definitely noticed Robert spending time with someone,” one local source spills. “There’s a lot…

During the Oscars, Barbra Streisand took to the stage to honour the late, great Robert Redford during the In Memoriam segment. However, her tribute hit a bum note with Jane Fonda! After speaking about Robert, Barbra, 83, sang a few bars of the title song from The Way We Were, the 1973 film they made together. Later, at the Vanity Fair afterparty, Jane, 88, made a swipe at Barbra, saying she was furious she wasn’t asked to present the tribute to Robert, who died aged 89 last September. “I want to know how come Streisand was up there doing that for Redford?” Jane quipped to Entertainment Tonight. “She only made one movie with him; I made four! I have more to say.” While reports claim Jane’s diss was said in…

Tensions are reportedly brewing inside the famous Jackson family after a fiery showdown between siblings Janet and Jermaine over early test screenings of the upcoming biopic Michael. According to insiders, the drama unfolded during a private family screening in LA attended by more than 60 relatives. While many applauded the film – which stars Jermaine’s son Jaafar Jackson as his uncle – Janet, 59, is said to have criticised almost every aspect, from the acting to the makeup and character portrayals. “She had something negative about almost every scene,” one screening attendee told Page Six. This irked Jermaine, 71, who reportedly accused his sister of being bitter. “Just get on the wave,” Jermaine said, according to a witness. Following the reports, Taj Jackson, son of Tito, appeared to debunk any…

Smoky Paprika Chicken with Roast Mediterranean Vegies SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 1 HOUR 15 MINS ■ 1.6kg whole fresh chicken ■ ¹⁄³ cup extra virgin olive oil ■ 2 tsp each smoked paprika, ground cumin and garlic powder ■ 250g truss cherry tomatoes ■ 175g punnet baby capsicums, halved, seeds removed ■ 2 zucchini, chopped ■ 1 tbsp red wine vinegar ■ ½ cup Sicilian olives ■ Fresh basil leaves, to serve 1 Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Place breast-side down on a board. Using kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove backbone and discard. Turn chicken over. Using the palm of your hand, press firmly on the breastbone to flatten. Cut in half along the breastbone to form two equal portions. Place in a…

Berry Biscoff Hot Cross Pies MAKES 6 PREP & COOK 25 MINS ■ 6 chocolate hot cross buns ■ Melted butter, for greasing ■ 3 eggs ■ ½ cup milk ■ 1 tsp vanilla extract ■ ¼ cup Biscoff Smooth spread, plus extra to serve ■ ¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries ■ Vanilla ice-cream, to serve (optional) 1 Split hot cross buns horizontally in half. Roll bases with a rolling pin until about 10cm in diameter. Reserve tops. 2 Lightly brush a 6-hole (¼-cup capacity) pie maker with melted butter. 3 Whisk eggs, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. 4 Place hot cross bun bases in egg mixture, turning to coat. Lightly press soaked bun bases into pie maker holes. Fill each with 2 tsp Biscoff spread. Scatter…

When children are little, parents are the centre of their world. From the moment they’re born and placed in our arms, we’re holding them and guiding them through life. As they get older it becomes more of a collaboration, and by the late teen years there is a definite shift that can be difficult to navigate. WHERE DID THE TIME GO? I have noticed the transition with my older kids, and it can be a really tricky time for a parent letting go and for the child to take the reins. Of course our role as a parent is always there – even in my adult life I still need my parents and value the relationship so much. It can be difficult when suddenly our babies are all grown and…

THE LAST POEM By Courtney Peppernell Out now, Simon & Schuster, $34.99 ‘I felt tiny under the weight of my grief’ Iwas told the firsts were always the hardest – like the first letter that arrived in the mail addressed to her; or the first evening I found myself in our favourite restaurant without her; or the first joke that made me laugh before I realised I couldn’t share it with her. Of course, there were also the obvious firsts, like the first string of holidays without her, the first birthday, and the first anniversary of her death. The firsts went by in a haze, as though they weren’t even real, and perhaps they weren’t, because I spent so much of that time ignoring my pain. What no one tells…

Pink The singer and her daughter, Willow, were on hand to celebrate Billy Joel at a charity concert thrown in his honour in New York. HEADS WILL ROLL! Sarah Michelle Gellar The Ready or Not 2: Here I Come star flashed a cardboard cut-out of her co-star, Samara Weaving, while doing press for the horror film in New York. Cameron Diaz She’s lager than life! The actress got animated in the Big Apple while filming a drinking scene for her new movie, The Sham. Scott Cam It’s hammer time! The Block host was spied filming the new season’s promo, which involved a dramatic hot air balloon arrival. You nailed it, Scotty. AIR HE IS! Zendaya The actress looked blooming lovely as she arrived to tape Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Los…

Kyle Sandilands has had a big month. After his KIIS FM radio program, The Kyle & Jackie O Show came to an abrupt end and show operator ARN terminated his contract, which he’s vowed to challenge legally, insiders are predicting Kyle’s TV career could also be in jeopardy. “Kyle is always controversial, but if he’s going to be distracted by his upcoming legal fight, Seven may wonder if his focus can truly be on Idol,” a TV insider tells New Idea. Following an extended absence from his judging gig on the show, the shock jock eventually returned, but our insider says Kyle’s place on Idol could be “under review” after the 54-year-old made pointed remarks about his radio stoush during filming on March 17. That day also marked the final…

Despite the fact that Margot Robbie has said “I can’t sing”, Kylie Minogue has long stated that she’d love the “Wuthering Heights” actress to play her in any biopic about her life. “Margot – in my dreams,” Kylie said, when asked about her ideal casting, in 2023. “She’d have the Australian accent down, that’s for sure.” And while word about a potential Kylie biopic went cold for a while, a recent Chanel fashion show in Paris, chatter immediately fired up again that the project could be in the works. “They were deep in conversation both before and after the show,” an onlooker told New Idea. The recent success of musical biopics on Freddie Mercury and Elton John – and the fact that Margot runs her own successful production when Kylie,…

After sharing that her cancer diagnosis is now terminal, Married At First Sight expert Mel Schilling is facing the unimaginable task of preparing her 10-year-old daughter, Maddie, for a life ahead without her mum. The tragedy is all the more unthinkable because Maddie is Mel and husband Gareth Brisbane’s longed-for only child. She was conceived after several gruelling rounds of IVF when Mel was in her early forties. Before she was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023, Mel, now 54, told New Idea’s sister magazine Who that “even though I’m biased, I have to say that Maddie is just a bloody dream, she really is. We’re just so happy as a little family of three.” The family opted to move to the UK in 2021 when Mel signed on to…

Equipped with a tea trolley stashed with items from the past – as well as feather boas, sequins and sparkle – Marina Lee-Warner and Julie Joy are the ultimate purveyors of fun. Known collectively as The Two Teabags, the women roll into aged-care homes across NSW, leaving laughter and joy in their wake. “We’ve both worked in aged care, and we looked at the statistics about how 40 per cent of people in aged care don’t have a visitor,” Marina, 66, from the Upper Hunter Valley, tells New Idea. “In rural areas especially, older people have to take a bed where they can get it, so they often have to move away from the area they grew up in. They are facing so much loss and, while activity organisers do…

When Jillian Nicol started feeling tired she, like many women, put it down to her busy life running a business. She’d always been healthy, walking 20 kilometres a week and enjoying hiking holidays with her husband, Gavin, so she wasn’t too worried. But something else she was noticing was the need to take deep breaths to get air in. “I couldn’t lie down and breathe easily at the same time,” Jillian, 63, from Brisbane, tells New Idea. In the end, Jillian was given a referral to see a cardiologist who specialises in hearts. “I thought it was an overreaction,” Jillian says. “I think as women we put everyone else first.” Being busy and then getting sick on the dates she’d arranged appointments meant it was nine months before she got…

Chilli Salmon and Sesame Slaw Burgers SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 20 MINS ■ 3 x 95g cans salmon with chilli, drained ■ ¾ cup packaged dried breadcrumbs ■ 1 egg, lightly beaten ■ 2 green onions, finely chopped ■ 4 large crusty bread rolls ■ Sweet chilli sauce, to serve SESAME SLAW ■ ½ x 300g packet fine cut coleslaw ■ 1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced ■ 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted ■ ¼ cup coleslaw salad dressing 1 Combine salmon, breadcrumbs, egg and onions in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. 2 Divide mixture into four equal portions. Shape portions into patties. 3 Heat an oiled, large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add patties. Cook for about 3 mins on…

Top tips for STIR-FRYING • Slice meat very thinly across the grain so it cooks quickly for tender results. • Toss meat strips in a little oil, instead of adding oil to the wok or pan. • Make sure the wok or frying pan is hot before adding the meat. • Stir-fry meat in small batches of about 250g as overcrowding causes meat to stew, rather than fry. • When adding meat, spread it over the base and up the side of wok. Leave it for about 30 secs to brown on one side, before stir-frying. This helps create a great flavour. • Don’t overdo it. Meat is cooked as soon as the redness has gone. AN APPLE A DAY • Autumn is the perfect time to crunch into a…

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EDITORIAL Acting Editorial Director Rachel Williams, Deputy Editor Leigh Credlin, Art Director Katie Garside, Picture Editor Matthew Mackay ARE MEDIA Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley, Director of Sales Anna Quinn, Director of Content Sally Eagle, General Manager Entertainment Susan Armstrong, Director of Marketing Carly Bowra Subscription enquiries: Customer Service 136 116 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST) International +61 2 9692 3535 Email magshop@magshop.com.au Website www.magshop.com.au Advertising enquiries: advertising@aremedia.com.au Published by Are Media Pty Limited (ABN 18 053 273 546), 54-58 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. ©2026. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission. New Idea is a registered trade mark of Are Media. Use of trademark strictly prohibited. Licensing Inquiries: www.contentshop.com.au / syndication@aremedia.com.au Printed by IVE Building D, 350 Parramatta…

After being completely disgraced by her links to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, Sarah Ferguson is currently in her real-life villain era. Now, PR strategist Mitchell Jackson has suggested to The Sun that the former Duchess of York, who was stripped of her royal titles last year, should lean in to her reputation – and sign on to play a TV villain on the US version of The Traitors, which usually casts celebrities on the show. “What she needs is a lifeline and the only one I see is The Traitors,” he said. He added that it’s the 66-year-old’s “only option” to save face. “PR is poker and she’s been dealt the villain card. She can’t play any other one.” Fergie hasn’t been seen in public since December and while there…

Elizabeth Hurley and her future stepdaughter, Miley Cyrus, struggle to find common ground at the best of times. But New Idea hears their upcoming weddings are proving to be an extra sore point. Liz, 60, is in a relationship with Miley’s dad Billy Ray Cyrus, 64, while Miley, 33, is engaged to musician Maxx Morando, 27. Our insider explains, “Liz and Billy are planning to tie the knot later this year, and while their engagement is currently on the down low, she still wants the biggest wedding ever.” On the other hand, our insider says Miley is “the complete opposite”. In fact, she and Maxx are said to be seriously considering hitting a drive-through chapel the next time they’re in Las Vegas! “The two couldn’t be more different in terms…

With Channel Seven’s Sunrise continuing to dominate breakfast TV ratings, its hosts Nat Barr, 58, and Matt Shirvington, 47, generally pay little attention to what’s happening at rival Nine program Today. However, a TV insider exclusively tells New Idea, the fevered discussion over who will replace Sarah Abo on Today when she goes on maternity leave later this year has raised some eyebrows at Brekky Central. The fact that there is intense speculation about Karl Stefanovic’s ongoing future on the show has also caused some chatter. “Any cast shake-up at the rival show will always be of some interest to all the key players at Seven, including Nat and Shirvo,” our source says. “But with Samantha Armytage potentially in the frame to cover Sarah, team Sunrise are paying especially close…

They quickly became the couple that MAFS viewers believed might actually make it as a couple, outside the experiment. But sadly, it looks like there will be no fairytale ending for fan favourites Rachel and Steven. Sources close to the couple have told New Idea that the pair’s relationship unravelled shortly after filming ended late last year. Steven, 34, reportedly backed out of plans to move to Melbourne to be with Rachel, 35. “Steven had been talking about relocating so they could give the relationship a real shot,” our source says. “But he got cold feet.” Our source adds that “moving interstate is a big step, and ultimately Steven decided he wasn’t ready to leave Sydney.” The bombshell news has been “incredibly difficult for Rachel”, our MAFS insider adds.…

A my Madigan confessed to being a “little flummoxed” as she accepted her Best Supporting Actress Oscar last week – but the Weapons star ensured she squeaked out a special thank you to her husband, Ed Harris, before being completely undone by her emotions. “The most important is my beloved Ed, who’s been with me forever and that’s a long-ass time,” she said. With fellow actor Ed looking on proudly and her voice starting to quiver, Amy quickly added, “None of this would mean anything if he wasn’t by my side.” Amy and Ed are one of Hollywood’s most successful partnerships, with the duo celebrating 43 years of wedded bliss this November! It was their love of the craft that first brought them together. In 1980 Amy watched Ed perform…

A visit to Uluru is on most Australian’s bucket list – and Queen Mary is clearly no exception! The Tasmanian-born royal may call Denmark home these days, but Mary, 54, and her husband, King Frederik, 57, kicked off their fourth official royal tour Down Under at the iconic landmark on March 14. When the royal couple arrived in the Northern Territory, Mary said that she and Frederik “had been so much looking forward to this trip” and added that it was “so great” to be home. She later said that the experience, in which Anangu traditional owners taught them about the rock’s significance and guided them to the Mutitjulu waterhole, had been “magical”. The visit forms part of their first official trip to Australia since Mary and Frederik ascended the…

Filming for the eagerly awaited fourth season of The White Lotus is about to get underway in the South of France, but already there’s drama brewing on the glamorous new set. Producers have drawn up a strict set of nonnegotiable rules for the new cast and crew that have got their backs up before the cameras even start rolling! “Last season was a massive hit with critics and audiences, but it was also famously mired in drama and infighting among the multigenerational cast,” a TV insider tells New Idea of the challenging seven-month shoot in Thailand for Season 3. “The upside is, all of those actors became way more famous because of the season’s success, but the show was not fun to shoot with so many cast members hating each…

Cappuccino Meringues with Mocha Drizzle SERVES 8 PREP & COOK 2 HOURS ■ 1 tbsp instant coffee granules ■ 4 egg whites, at room temperature ■ 1 cup caster sugar ■ 2 tsp cornflour ■ 1 tsp white vinegar ■ Cocoa powder, to decorate VANILLA CREAM ■ 600ml tub thickened cream ■ 2 tsp vanilla bean paste MOCHA DRIZZLE ■ 125g dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped ■ 2 tsp instant coffee granules 1 Trace 8 x 7cm circles onto two sheets of baking paper. Place trace-side down on two lightly greased, large oven trays. 2 Place coffee in a small snap-lock bag. Using a rolling pin, finely crush. 3 Beat egg whites in large bowl of an electric mixer until frothy. With motor operating, gradually beat in sugar, 1 tbsp…

NEW TREATMENT ALERT Don’t have time for a DIY? Head into your local Endota spa and try their new Sculpt & Glow Facial. The relaxing treatment includes a deep cleanse, facial cupping to release tension and gua sha sculpting to help naturally lift and contour. The results? A glowing complexion and a calmer mind. Head to endotaspa.com.au for more and find the right spa treatment for you. Whether you’re prepping for an event or indulging in a night of self-care, treating yourself to a DIY pampering session can do as much for your mood as your complexion. Not sure where to start? Our handy guide will walk you through creating the ultimate spa-worthy experience – all without leaving the house. 1 SET THE SCENE Ambiance is everything, so set the…