New Zealand Woman’s Weekly Issue 24, 2022

All the stars came out to play at the Cannes Film Festival – and Dame Helen Mirren and Andie MacDowell were the most playful of the lot! The twosome, who’ve been friends since meeting on the set of the 2001 sci-fi TV movie On the Edge, were clearly thrilled to see one another at the premiere of the movie Mother and Son. Dame Helen, 76, and Andie, 64, giggled, hugged and then performed a little dance together for thrilled onlookers. Four Weddings and a Funeral star Andie recently shared how much she enjoys working with women and said she had a “panic attack” when, in 2016, she found herself on a film set with only men. “It just freaked me out, not seeing any other women,” she confessed. “It’s not that I have anything against men. I…

This week we celebrate our Queen, a woman who has served tirelessly for the last 70 years. Now 96 years old, she is the longest-reigning British monarch in history and has been a mainstay for lots of people. Many Kiwis will have memories of Her Majesty, whether from one of her 10 visits to New Zealand or, like me, seeing her unexpectedly in London. Our chief sub-editor Denise met her in the early ’90s when she was working for Truth newspaper, something Prince Philip had a laugh with her about. And when I was talking to my dad about the royal milestone, he sent me some pictures of her in 1990 when she was in Waitangi and he was there too. The Queen’s jubilee is an incredible milestone and from…

It’s being described as the Queen’s last hurrah. Her Platinum Jubilee celebrations may well be the last time the UK and Commonwealth get to see commemorative events on this scale ever again, because it’s highly unlikely that there will another British monarch who achieves the staggering feat of 70 years on the throne, at least in the foreseeable future. While the 96-year-old could still have years ahead of her in the role she has carried out since she was 25, royal historians hope the jubilee celebrations will have paid a fitting tribute to her, because we are not likely to see anyone of her ilk again. “If you think about it, this will be the last really huge time to celebrate the Queen publicly and thank her,” says author and historian Hugo…

She has sat on the throne for 70 years, but the woman behind Queen Elizabeth II remains a closely guarded secret – or does she? A colourful collection of stories, reports, anecdotes and gossip give a fascinating insight into the mostly happy and certainly glorious reign of the 96-year-old monarch. This year, she is inviting the whole Commonwealth to mark her Platinum Jubilee, so here we roll out our own right royal celebration with 70 fascinating and little-known tidbits about the woman who has served so well as our Queen. From her pink tea set and pepper grinder collection to her TV favourites and pet hates, here’s 70 things you probably never knew about Her Majesty: 1 Elizabeth Windsor was not born in a palace or a castle but in a London townhouse.…

Princess Charlene of Monaco was in good spirits when she attended the principality’s Formula One Grand Prix on May 30, greeting driver Charles Leclerc with a peck on the cheek and holding hands with her seven-year-old daughter Princess Gabriella. The 44-year-old royal, also mum to Gabriella’s twin brother Jacques, had earlier in the day taken to social media to express her family’s excitement about the event, saying, “Focused on the win! Here’s to a great Grand Prix.” Prince Albert of Monaco, 64, also officiated at the event, which is the second time the couple have appeared in public together since French media claimed Charlene is being paid more than $19 million to stand by her husband’s side. The princess has rarely been seen with her husband since she spent 10 months in…

When US-born MasterChef NZ judge Michael Dearth set foot on New Zealand soil as a 22-year-old, he was smitten. “That turangawaewae, that sense of New Zealand calling me happened. I fell in love,” Michael tells the Weekly. Now, 30 years later, the 52-year-old has built the life he dreamed of all those years ago, raising his family in Aotearoa and opening two of New Zealand’s most celebrated restaurants along with his wife Annette. Though they can bask in their success now, Michael and Annette’s journey to culinary success has been a bumpy ride. Michael met Annette, 52, while working at a restaurant in San Francisco and when things started to turn serious, Michael told her of his desire to move down under and open his own restaurant. After she saw the beauty of our…