Holly Valance thinks Strictly girls at disadvantage dancing in heels

September 30, 2011 By Trudi Johnson
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Ex-Neighbours actress Holly Valance has revealed that she thinks the female contestants are at an instant disadvantage compared to their male counterparts as the pain of dancing in heels makes training and performing all the more gruelling.

The Kiss Kiss singer made the comments during an interview with BBC Breakfast News ahead of the first Strictly Come Dancing Show on Saturday night. Aussie Holly Valance has been partnered with last year’s champion professional dancer, Artem Chigvintsev who lifted the glitter-ball trophy at the end of the last season with celebrity partner, Eastenders actress Kara Tointon.

Speaking on the morning programme, Holly Valance revealed she’s been struggling with painful feet during training for the live shows as all of the female dancers have to wear heels. Holly explained that it’s not the height of the heels which is the problem, more that the shoes force you to walk on the balls of your feet, with is proving very painful. The Aussie joked that the male dancers should wear heels as well to make the competition fair.

The 28-year-old revealed that rehearsals are going well in preparation for the live shows, although admitted there have been a few squabbles between her and her dance partner Artem, but added their tiffs were only ever light hearted and credited the professional dancer for being a great teacher.

Tune into BBC1 tomorrow night to see how Holly and Artem fair in the live shows.

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Jonathan Ross could work with rival broadcasters from next year

October 14, 2009 By Dez Rowley
Jonathan Ross could work with rival broadcasters from next year
Jonathan Ross could work with rival broadcasters from next year

Jonathan Ross could work with rival broadcasters from next year

Jonathan Ross’s £18 million 3 year contract comes to an end next year and the presenter could end up working on rival channels. At present Ross is subject to an exclusivity clause which prevents him from working for any other network, however his next contract is expected to be considerably less than his current one as the BBC are keen to be make cut backs in light of he current economic climate. It’s likely that the clause will also be lifted if a less lucrative deal is struck giving Wossie the freedom to work on other projects outside the BBC.

It was also announced this week that Jonathan is to be reinstated as the host of the Comedy Awards after he was replaced last year by Angus Deayton following the Sachsgate scandal. This year will be the 20th anniversary of the awards which are due to take place in the run-up to Christmas. Ross said “I’m delighted – it’s the most prestigious awards show in the world. Obama may have a Nobel Prize. But he’s not even in the running for Best Entertainment personality. It’s that prestigious.” The comedy awards will be shown on ITV, Ross has a special agreement which allows him to work for the rival broadcaster to host the popular one-off show.

Negotiations for Ross’s new contract are currently being discussed however it’s extremely unlikely he’ll be offered anything near the £6 million a year deal he enjoyed previously which made him the Beeb’s highest paid presenter. Sources close to Jonathan say he will continue his flagship Friday Night With Jonathan Ross Show for the BBC but is open to the possibility of working with other broadcasters.

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Amy Winehouse to make comeback appearance on Strictly Come Dancing

October 6, 2009 By Trudi Johnson
Winehouse will appear with goddaughter on Strictly
Winehouse will appear with goddaughter on Strictly

Winehouse will appear with goddaughter on Strictly

The BBC have confirmed that troubled singer Amy Winehouse will perform on Strictly Come Dancing this Saturday. However the star seems to be easing herself back into the spotlight as she won’t be the main attraction on the hit BBC1 show. Instead she will be singing backing vocals to support her goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield’s, debut TV performance.

Amy is a big supporter of 13-year-old Dionne and has even signed her to her own music label, Lioness Records. The talented youngster will perform a cover of the 1961 hit for The Shirelles, Mama Said, with her famous godmother helping her out with backing vocals.

It’s a massive coup for the aspiring singer who will benefit from the huge boost in her profile just in time for the release of her debut album which features a string of covers featuring soul hits such as Tell Him and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Amy has been heavily involved in the making of the record also providing vocal support on a number of the tracks.

Dionne and Amy share a close relationship with the 13-year-old describing her as being “like my sister.” Ahead of the forthcoming performance Dionne admitted that the pair of them are big fans of Strictly with the youngster admitting to never missing show.

Amy has spoken in glowing terms about her goddaughter highlighting her unique talent saying: “The first time I heard Dionne sing, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – such an amazing voice from such a young girl.”

Following a turbulent few years whilst Winehouse has endured a public battle with drug and alcohol addiction and gone through a divorce, we’ve seen very little of the Rehab singer. Aside from an impromptu appearance at the V Festival alongside another band, Amy has spent the last 12 months in St Lucia writing material for her eagerly awaited new album.

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Limo hire industry healthy expansion continues

August 15, 2009 By Dez Rowley

audi-q7-blackLimo Broker News has finished an investigation into the current state of the limo hire industry today, following on from research unveiled last year by the BBC a year ago. That research concluded that the Limo hire industry was thriving with very strong growth of over 300% in 5 years and that limo numbers on the roads since 2002 had increased to over 15,000 vehicles. Of these the strongest growth was in large limousines, such as Hummer limos or Jeep limos, whose numbers had shot up to over 5,000.

Limo News have spoken to several industry leading companies about how their fortunes have gone since the recession took hold and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Oswald from Glamour Limousines said: “I’ve been booked out far more often than not and this year’s prom season was the busiest ever. In the past 12 months we’ve taken on three more vehicles, a lincoln and two hummers, to meet demand”

Similarly Roy from Chic Limousines told us: “This years prom was insane, we had 3x as many enquires as we had capacity for and we’re trying to get more cars in so we’re better prepared for next year”.

Many analysts has predicted that Limo hire would suffer during the recession due to it being a highly luxury item however the strong industry growth prior to the recession and the changing in attitudes in favour of limo travel have stood the industry in a good position to handle the recession.

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Del Boy’s yellow 3-wheeler up for sale

July 29, 2009 By Dez Rowley
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Del Boy and Rodney - Only Fools and Horses

Had it not had a starring role in the hit BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses this old banger might have hit the scrap yard some time ago. But with its comedy pedigree, this iconic Robin Reliant is set to live on for many years to come and can be yours for only £6,995 – that’s what I call bargain!

The battered banger is one of six models used in the series as Del Boy’s vehicle of choice. The company slogan “Trotter’s Independent Traders – New York, Paris, Peckham” is emblazoned along the outside of the car leaving in no doubt the identity of its previous owner. After the series, starring David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst, came to an end in 2003 there was no further need for the vehicles so the fleet of 3-wheelers were auctioned off.

With top speeds of 55mph, 43,000 miles on the clock and a current MOT this motor should fly off the shelf; although the seller did admit that “inside, it could do with a good vacuuming.”If that isn’t enough to entice you into digging out your cheque book, the seller is also throwing in a sheepskin coat, market trader’s suitcase and a bottle of “genuine” Peckham spring water.

Other original 3-wheelers from the series are still knocking about, one is on display at a museum in Cumbria, another was bought in an auction for £44,000 by boxer Ricky Hatton in 2007.

It mightn’t be as spacious as a limousine, or exude the glamour of a Ferrari but this little run-around is guaranteed to draw plenty of attention. Previous owners of the battered 3-wheeler have turned their piece of comedy history into a nice little earner by hiring out the vehicle for weddings and parties; carry on like that and this time next year we’ll be millionaires!

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