Why did my best friend dump me? How the end of a friendship is as painful as divorce

By Mandy FrancisBrutal reality: The romanticised notion of best friends forever really is a mythYou’ve bought each other carefully ­chosen Christmas presents for decades, but this year there was no ­beautifully-wrapped gift from your best friend under your tree - and there was a gap on your mantelpiece where her witty card packed with best wishes would usually stand.Experts claim that breaking up with a close friend can be as ­devastating as a divorce, but what should you do when your best friend suddenly decides to call time on your relationship?It came as a complete shock when it happened to me. Three years ago, right out of the blue, one of my very best friends - someone I had been close to for more than 20 years - dumped me.Without any...

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Caped crusader Coleen Rooney takes baby Kai and sister Rosie to watch Wayne play football

By Simon CableGrin and bare it: Coleen Rooney braves the freezing temperatures in an Alice by Temperley cape as she arrives at Old Trafford on Boxing DayGiven the freezing temperatures yesterday, it perhaps wasn’t the most sensible garment.But it didn’t stop Coleen Rooney opting for a £440 Alice by Temperley cape which exposed her bare forearms as she arrived to watch her husband Wayne play for Manchester United at Old Trafford.The garment, which was last popular in the Sixties, has been making something of a comeback in recent months.In the past few weeks, Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller, Amanda Holden and Katherine Jenkins have all been seen wearing capes.Samantha Cameron was even spotted wearing a similar item earlier this year during the...

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100-hour detox: Don't wait until the New Year to shed those extra pounds - start now to look trim by January 1st

By Alice Hart-davisKeep in shape: How you can shift that Christmas tyre in the 100-hour period between from today and the New YearAfter the traditional Christmas blowout, is your waistband feeling the strain? Well, there’s no need to panic — because your partner won’t care. What he really wants you to do is enjoy yourself, cut loose and forget the diet. Well, that’s what just over half of the men who responded to a survey last week said, ­anyhow. Trouble is, there are plenty who disagree. A rotten 42  per cent said they would be ‘less attracted’ to their partners if we put on half a stone. If your man falls into that category, you have two choices: either get rid of him; or get in shape, pronto, with a mini-detox that starts pre-New Year. The...

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Spot the Kardashian! Kim appears to be suffering some skin troubles as she heads for the gym

By Daily Mail ReporterBreaking out: Kim Kardashian appeared to have come out in spots as she headed to the gymWe're used to seeing Kim Kardashian with flawless skin - even when she's on her way to the gym.But the socialite appeared to be having an off day when she arrived for one of her regular workouts on Christmas Eve.The 30-year-old was showing signs of having had a breakout of spots - which were particularly noticeable on her make-up free face.And although she tried to cover up with a pair of oversized sunglasses, there was visible evidence on her forehead and cheeks that her skin was not at its best.However Kim made up for her blemishes by wearing another super-chic stylish outfit for her workout.Having attracted attention with an all-black...

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Feline Rihanna wears a black panther swimsuit as she hits the beach in Barbados

By Daily Mail ReporterBoxing Day beauty: Rihanna wears a black panther swimsuit in BarbadosRihanna spent the day after Christmas relaxing on Sandy Lane beach in her home country of Barbados.The singer hit the surf in a very eye-catching and unique panther-design swimsuit.And even though the suit was a one-piece, it still managed to emphasise the 22-year-old's enviable curves.The swimsuit is made by designer label We Are Famous and costs £195.00.Rihanna is spending Christmas with her family in Barbados before jetting back to the U.S in time for New Year's Eve. After doing her Christmas shopping in Los Angeles earlier this week, the Umbrella star jetted to Barbados's Grantley Adams Airport via Miami on Wednesday.At Miami, she bumped into her...

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Coronation Street star Debbie Rush shows off her amazing weight loss... in her fitness DVD of course

By Daily Mail ReporterChanging shape: Coronation Street actress Debbie Rush shows how she dropped four dress sizes in her new fitness DVDShe's known on Coronation Street for playing dowdy cafe worker Anna Windass.But in real-life, actress Debbie Rush is now cutting an impressive size 8 figure after dropping four dress sizes.And, as expected these days after a celebrity loses a significant amount of weight, the 44-year-old is revealing her slimming secrets in a fitness DVD.The soap star releases her fitness DVD, entitled Debbie Rush's Bulge Buster Workout, nationwide today.The 5ft 2 actress's weight had crept up to 11 stone and a size 16, but after seeing paparazzi photographs of herself in a bra and skirt at a department store over the summer,...

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007's love nest with Rachel... Craig and co-star share a cottage in the country

By Simon CableHand in hand: Daniel Craig and Miss Weisz take a stroll in the Dorset countryside Only months after saying that she wanted to be a Bond Girl, Rachel Weisz has got her wish.The actress appeared hand in hand with 007 actor Daniel Craig in the Dorset countryside.They are enjoying a Christmas break together at a secluded £1,000-a-week cottage after finally going public with their romance.Miss Weisz, 40, grew close to 42-year-old Craig while the two British stars played husband and wife in the forthcoming thriller Dream House. During filming in March, she said: ‘We’ve been getting on really well and yet I still haven’t had an offer to be a Bond girl – but if he asks me I’d definitely do it!’As recently as four weeks ago, the couple...

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'She burst into tears': Hugh Hefner, 84, surprises girlfriend Crystal Harris, 24, with engagement ring

By Georgina LittlejohnBetrothed Bunny: Hugh Hefner took to his Twitter page yesterday to announced he and his girlfriend Crystal Harris got engaged on Christmas EveHe's had his fair share of women over the years and only got divorced from his second wife in March.But Hugh Hefner knows how to bounce back in love, and yesterday he announced that he is set to get married again.The Playboy tycoon, 84, Tweeted last night that he and his girlfriend Crystal Harris, 24, had got engaged.In the early hours of Christmas Day morning, he wrote: 'After the movie tonight, Crystal & I exchanged gifts. I gave Crystal a ring. A truly memorable Christmas Eve.'Then last night he added: 'When I gave Crystal the ring, she burst into tears. This is the happiest...

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EastEnders and Come Fly With Me help the BBC triumph in the Christmas ratings war

By Daily Mail ReporterThe best-viewed show of the day proved to be an hour-long edition of EastEnders with an average of 11.4 million who tuned in to see Stacey Branning exit Albert Square The BBC was today claiming victory in the Christmas Day TV viewing battle with eight of the top ten most-watched shows.BBC1's big-hitters included Doctor Who, with more than 11 million tuning in to see the reworking of seasonal favourite A Christmas Carol, as the channel took all of the top five shows.The best-viewed show of the day proved to be an hour-long edition of EastEnders with an average of 11.4 million who tuned in to see Stacey Branning exit Albert Square after first scrapping with Janine Malloy (Charlie Brooks).Doctor Who drew an average of 10.3...

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From £32m to £269,000: Was huge fall in Robbie Williams’s income the real reason he rejoined Take That?

By Andrew BuckwellHe is one of pop’s most successful solo stars and is worth an estimated £80  million.But Robbie Williams may have had more than musical motives when he rejoined Take That in July.New figures suggest that his earnings from recording and touring dipped significantly in 2009, even though he released a solo album, Reality Killed The Video Star, at the end of that year. Income from his business, The In Good Company Co, which was set up in 2002 to handle his recording and tour revenues, fell from a high of £32 million in 2006 to just £269,566 in 2009.The company’s cash reserves dropped from £1.6 million in 2008 to £800,000 and profits from £708,000 to £555,000.Williams’ music publishing business, Farrell Music, recorded losses of...

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Beers Morgan! How Britain's Got Talent judge's love affair with the British pub has entered a new chapter

By Piers MorganThe traditional British pub means everything to Piers Morgan - it's a home, a sanctuary and a place of endless fun. Now he reveals how he has fulfilled his lifelong dream and become a landlord himself... Mine host: Piers Morgan and his wife Celia in his pub, The Hanson Cab 'I have two ambitions in life,' said the late, great Oliver Reed. 'One is to drink every pub dry, the other is to sleep with every woman on Earth.' Mr Reed sadly died without achieving either of his goals, though I bow to nobody in my admiration of the gloriously determined efforts he made to do so. But it was the legendary hell-raiser's devotion to the British pub that appealed to me more than his latent lust for the global female form. I'll confess now that...

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The Wombles creator Elisabeth Beresford dies aged 84

By Stephanie CondronRemember you're a Womble: Elisabeth Beresford, seen here with an Uncle Bulgaria toy and her MBE in 1998, has died aged 84Elisabeth Beresford, who created the popular children’s characters The Wombles, has died aged 84.Her son said she suffered heart failure on Christmas Eve at the Mignot Memorial Hospital on Alderney in the Channel Islands.Born in Paris in 1926, Ms Beresford came up with the idea of the Wombles in the Sixties after a Boxing Day walk on Wimbledon Common with her two children.After her daughter mispronounced the name, calling it Wombledon Common, she was inspired to create the pointy-nosed creatures, and in 1968 the first Wombles book was published.The Wombles then became household names on UK television from...

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Kelly Brook's playing the field: Model holidays with ex Danny... but is still making a pitch for former rugby star Thom Evans

By Katie Nicholl'Just good friends': Kelly Brook and Danny Cipriani are enjoying a sunshine break in the Maldives, pictured here before their split back in June in Los AngelesKelly Brook seems to be playing the rugby field. The 32-year-old enjoyed a break in the Maldives with England star Danny Cipriani last week, yet all is far from over with former Scotland winger Thom Evans. ‘Kelly likes both Thom and Danny which is awkward as they have played rugby together.’ says a spy. Playing the field: Kelly with former rugby star Thom Evans in London last month‘She was trying to play down her holiday with Danny as she believes she has unfinished business with Thom.’ A spokesperson for Danny said: ‘They are not back together but remain good friends.’Old...

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