Here's someone who WON'T be going to the Royal wedding: Sarah Ferguson fails to make the cut

By Fay Schlesinger



Snubbed: Sarah Ferguson dropped off her daughters for a night out with other Royals on Thursday, but is not among the 1,900 guests invited to the Royal Wedding in April


Sarah Ferguson has not been invited to the Royal wedding.

About 1,900 invitations have been sent to family, dignitaries, charity workers and friends of Prince William and Kate Middleton but the Duchess of York was snubbed, royal aides confirmed yesterday.

Friends of 51-year-old Fergie claimed she ‘never expected’ to be asked and would have missed the ceremony anyway owing to ‘private plans overseas’.


She is also understood to have been reluctant to go to the ceremony ‘alone’. As cousins of William, her daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are expected to sit at the front of Westminster Abbey while their mother, who divorced Andrew 15 years ago, would have been much further back.

The snub comes after a disastrous 12 months in which the duchess faced £5million debts and tried to sell access to her ex-husband for £27,000 during a newspaper sting, horrifying the Queen.

She spent Christmas Day alone at Andrew’s Windsor home – where she still lives – after holiday plans fell through. She is never invited to join the Queen at Sandringham.

Despite declaring last year that she was ‘doing everything she can’ to stave off bankruptcy, her foreign jaunts have run into double figures.

Last month she was pictured fanning a wad of cash while on a shopping trip on the Caribbean island of St Barts with Robbie Williams’s wife Ayda Field.

And two days later she jetted to the exclusive ski resort of Verbier in Switzerland for a family holiday.

At that stage, Sarah was in the dark as to whether she would be invited to the wedding on April 29, friends said.

She might have hoped that pictures of her surrounded by members of the Royal Family would reinforce her status and help her cause.

But courtiers last night confirmed she has been left off the guest list.

The formal invitations were sent out this week via Royal Mail, St James’s Palace confirmed. Six workers from the Lord Chamberlain’s Office addressed and filled the envelopes.

Among the guests will be a host of ordinary citizens who have worked closely with William’s charities, including teenagers, former drug and alcohol addicts and wounded servicemen for the country’s first ‘people’s wedding’.


Source:Dailymail

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Will Andy ever win a Grand Slam? Major questions over Scot's big-match nerve after he blows up for a third time

By Mike Dickson, Tennis Correspondent Reports From Melbourne



We came in the hope of seeing the Grand Slam- winning career of Andy Murray take flight. Sadly, we watched as he laid an egg instead.

Three finals in major tournaments and he has yet to win a set, indeed barely looked like doing so.

He looked further away than ever when going down 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to his childhood rival, the mightily impressive Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open final.

There is no disgrace in losing to someone who right now looks the equal of Rafael Nadal, but it should trouble Murray that he could not even lay a glove on a player who he had beaten on their last three meetings.

Most disappointingly of all, he appeared to have learned nothing from this same night 12 months ago when his straight-sets defeat by Roger Federer ended in a deluge of tears.

This time Murray was contrastingly matter-of-fact about the result, entirely in line with his flat response to what was surely his best chance yet of breaking Britain’s near 75-year drought of men’s Grand Slam titles.

From the outset he was too passive, just as he had been against Federer in 2010, missing the chance to get on top of the Serb when he, too, was at his most vulnerable and nervous.

About the only animation we saw was the recalcitrant teenager-type ranting at his box and occasional gesturing to them to calm down. Once Djokovic pounced in the 10th game there was really only one man in it.


Wrapped up in a green wax jacket and brown boots, Andy Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears is all smiles as she walks their dog ahead of his big match with Alejandra Gutierrez, the wife of Andy's brother. A few hours later it was a very different story as the 23-year-old Scot lost in the Australian Open final for the second year running


To the victor, the spoils: Serbia's Novak Djokovic poses for photographers with his Australian Open trophy


Murray walks behind Novak Djokovic as they hold their trophies after the Serb's victory


Thereafter, the 23-year-old Serb was outstanding and some of his baseline defence defied human biology as he did the splits and managed to loop back his opponent’s attempts at winners.

Djokovic was terrific and surely no easier a prospect than Nadal or Federer. But that is a reminder these opportunities may not come around too often for Murray, certainly not often enough for him to fail to turn up.

Let us be clear, however, that this is far from the end of the Scot’s Grand Slam ambitions. He can look at Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and Goran Ivanisevic as modern examples of players who lost their first three Slam finals (Lendl lost four) and ended up winning — the American and the Czech eight times, the Croat just the once.

It is customary after big matches for the winner to tell the loser that his day will come — Tim Henman often had that ringing in his ears — and Murray’s may come soon, but not until he learns to respond with the proper mindset to the biggest occasions.

Any time you get to the final of a Grand Slam and show the kind of courage he did to win his semi-final, it has not been a bad fortnight, but to achieve the extraordinary you have to come up with something special.

It is hard not to conclude that he suffered from failing to have a coach here who is used to going deep into a Grand Slam — his part-time consultant Alex Corretja, the former world No 2, remaining in Spain.

But the biggest single reason for yesterday’s huge disappointment was the brilliance of Djokovic, who was consistently the best player at this tournament, with his revamped serve to the fore. That was the department in which he outplayed Murray, as well as the relatively flatfooted British

No 1’s traditional forte of defence behind the baseline.

Both players were edgy at the start, but Djokovic was always the more assertive and at 5-4 he noticeably cranked up his intensity, driving deep and clinching the break to 15 when he forced Murray to hit long on the forehand.

That sparked a nightmare 20-minute spell for the Scot who, while his opponent seized the moment, went into meltdown.


Murray was defeated in straight sets by Djokovic, becoming the first player to reach three grand slam finals and not managing to win a single set during any of them


Supporters of Murray in a bar in his hometown of Dunblane react as they see the title bid slip from his grasp


It's all over. In Dunblane, fans of the Scot make their way home after the final


Champagne stays on ice. The bottles on the bar in Dunblane remain unopened as fans of Murray see him lose in the final of the Australian Open


Murray, who could not defuse his opponent’s lethal forehand, stopped the collapse by securing two games at 0-5 and then got his one meaningful break at the start of of the third set.

A missed overhead, one of several, contributed to him getting broken straight back, and although there was an exchange of breaks to keep glimmers of a comeback alive, it never looked like being ‘David Ferrer revisited’.

A final break of service for 5-3 effectively sealed it.

Surprisingly, Djokovic barely celebrated in the immediate aftermath.

Partly it was out of respect for Murray, his friend, but partly it was down to him not having been given much of a contest.It had all been so curiously, disappointingly straightforward.


Murray's mother Judy looks on as she sees her son's title bid in Melbourne slip from his grasp


No need to panic, Murray still has time on his sideINSIGHT: Brad Gilbert, Andy Murray's former coach

Don’t be kidded by Andy Murray’s outwardly composed response to this defeat — I know inside he will be really hurting, even stunned by the result.

My advice would be for him not to panic and, related to that, not to take the extended break he talked about. After having a well-earned rest, get back on the horse and start riding again, because there is still everything to play for.

Andy has lost twice in major finals to Roger Federer and once to Novak Djokovic — on each occasion facing a player ranked above him.

He needs to look not only at Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi as people who also had difficulty opening their Grand Slam tally but also to this year’s women’s champion Kim Clijsters, who lost in four finals before she got going (she has now won her last four).

There is no doubt that winning your first one is the hardest thing to do, but I still maintain that Andy has a window of about eight, maybe 12 tournaments in which to do that. It is not as if this was like the crushing, fourth round exit at Flushing Meadows against Stan Wawrinka.

But I was wrong in predicting that Andy would narrowly shade a victory yesterday. Where I was right was in saying that the real key to the match would involve who took care of their second serve the best.

The statistics, which showed that Novak won 60 per cent on his compared to Andy’s 31 per cent, tell a lot of the story.

That’s a huge difference and, while the British player had a bad serving night, his opponent really hit his spots.

Andy did not move particularly well, either, in contrast to Djokovic, whose overall calm really impressed me.

I knew he was in a special vein of form when he allowed Tomas Berdych, who had been looking pretty special himself, just eight games in the quarter-final, and he carried that on right through the tournament.

For the last six years we have seen Rafael Nadal and Federer finish the season as the top two in the world. After Djokovic’s US Open final appearance and winning here, there can be every expectation he will break up that arrangement this year.

Andy is the worthy world no 4 and the good news is that he can still improve significantly, because there is so much to his game and it was always going to take time, probably longer than with most players, for everything to come together.

I have mentioned his second serve, but I was actually very impressed with it all tournament until the final.

All he needs to do is remember Lendl, and his fellow former charge of mine, Agassi.

The lesson is that by the end of his career Andre had won every Grand Slam there is to win, which should be an inspiration.


Source:Dailymail

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Kardashians fail to score a hit for Piers Morgan as ratings are beaten by supermarket documentary

By Daily Mail Reporter



Not such a draw: Less than half a million people tuned it to watch Piers Morgan interview Kim and Kourtney Kardashian on his CNN show on Thursday night


Over 2.1 million tuned in to watch Piers Morgan interview Oprah Winfrey on his CNN debut two weeks ago.

But the British talk show host saw his ratings plummet over 75 per cent from his debut when he interviewed Kim and Kourtney Kardashian on Thursday night.

Rather embarrassingly, it appears more American viewers preferred to watch a behind-the-scenes documentary about supermarkets on a rival cable channel than the reality TV stars giving away yet more information about their private lives.


Just 498,000 tuned in to watch the Kardashians discuss their breasts and Kim's infamous sex tape during the 9pm slot - with conservative talk show host Sean Hannity pulling in 1.87 million on Fox.

In second place was the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC with 983,000 and Supermarkets Inc with 504,000 on CNBC.

The ratings slip suggests the average CNN viewer isn't interested in reality stars like the Kardashians, whose new TV show Kourtney And Kim Take New York attracted 3million viewers to the celebrity-centric cable channel E!

The drop has been noted by some U.S. TV critics, TV presenter Carol Vorderman and Lord Alan Sugar.


King of chat: Morgan's Thursday night ratings were a far cry from his debut two weeks ago


Keeping abreast of the issues: Kim insisted her breasts were real, while Kourtney spoke about having implants 10 years ago


Miami Herald TV critic Glenn Garvin wrote: 'Morgan dropped below half a million viewers Thursday night even with a bunch of crazed half-naked Kardashians sitting at the desk with him. Really. You can't break the half-million mark with Hollywood's most beloved trollops bragging about their boobs?

'(The scoop from Kim: "They're 100 per cent real!" Kourtney, not so much.) And their sex tapes? (Poor Kim says she's embarrassed by hers, though not embarrassed enough to stop talking about it on national television.'

Morgan's old adversary Vorderman wrote on her Twitter page: 'Seems (Jeremy) Clarkson not on Twitter for real. Shame... just found latest CNN Morgan ratings and they are soooo bad, Jeremy would love it.

'And so everyone understands we all go back a long way, indeed I was happy to be around when Jeremy punched Morgan all those years ago.


Drawing a crowd: CNBC's documentary Supermarkets Inc, billed as 'a fascinating look at today's supermarket industry' received more viewers


'Morgan's ratings fallen to 498,000 in 9 days, wiped out - CNN now 4th news network in slot, beaten even by CNBC. Interesting Stephen Fry, Lord Sugar? See for yourselves.'

After Lord Sugar found out the ratings from Vorderman, he began teasing Morgan on Twitter.

He gloated: 'Piersy is this true..? Piers Morgan beaten by CNBC oh dear! I got more ratings on CNBC when they ran UK version of Apprentice a couple of years ago.'

Defending his ratings and teasing Lord Sugar in return, Morgan Tweeted: 'Don't you worry about my ratings Lordy, they're ticking along nicely. You worry about your American ratings, which don't exist.


Twitter feud: Morgan hit back at Lord Alan Sugar's accusations his ratings were falling


'Tell you what I'd REALLY worry about, I just closed the gap by another 2k overnight.

'Hmmm, yes, I remember your Apprentice airing on CNBC...they cancelled it before end of 1st series didn't they Lordy.

'Hurricane Morgan is blowing stronger by the day... Let me explain again Shugs: my show airs to over 300 million people nightly on CNN America and CNN International.

'Right, Biggles, you toddle off in your little plane for a bit - I'm going for breakfast in Beverly Hills.'

Although Morgan scored huge ratings with his debut on January 17 debut, figures have been averaging in the 700,000-800,000 over the past two weeks.

Last Monday, he was in third place with 763,000 tuning in to watch him interview former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Morgan's predecessor Larry King was averaging 657,000 during the last three months of 2010.


Big debut: Morgan's first show on CNN with Oprah Winfrey drew 2.1million viewers


Source:Dailymail

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Outrage as picture of Elton John's baby is covered with shield by U.S. supermarket to 'protect children'

By Daily Mail Reporter


-Store claims 'several' shoppers complained about photograph
-Gay rights campaigners furious at move


Protective shield: Elton John and his newborn son were deemed too offensive for young shoppers at a grocery store in Arkansas, U.S.


A U.S. supermarket sparked outrage today after it covered with a 'family shield' a magazine showing a picture of Elton John, his husband and their newborn baby.

The Arkansas store deemed the image of the gay couple and their child, on the front of Us Weekly, to be offensive.

Staff say complaints from shoppers prompted them to cover the magazine with the 'shield' - the same method used to cover pornographic magazines.

The move today triggered fury among gay rights campaigners.


Uncovered: Elton John and his husband of five years David Furnish proudly showed off their baby son Zachary Jackson Levi Furnish John who was born via a surrogate mother on Christmas Day


The magazine cover shows Elton and his husband David Furnish, 48, proudly showing off their baby Zachary Jackson Levi Furnish John who was born on Christmas Day via a surrogate mother.

The Harps grocery store in Mountain Home, Arkansas even wrapped last week's edition of the magazine in a protective plastic shield to stop youngsters flicking through it.

Only the very top of the magazine was visible, with the cover reading: 'Family shield. To protect young Harps shoppers.'

The move has sparked outrage among representatives from GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).


Star: Sir Elton joined Chris Evans on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show this morning
Local resident Jennifer Huddleston took a photo of the shield and posted it on Plixi.


'This was taken at my local grocery store,' she wrote. 'I was shocked and horrified.

'They are saying they need to keep children from seeing it, because it is a gay family.'

Ms Huddleston then tweeted Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin, Ellen DeGeneres, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the ACLU and a number of other gay rights activists.

The picture immediately sparked controversy across the blogosphere.


Proud fathers: But photos of Elton John and partner David Furnish 'offended' shoppers in the U.S.


But a company spokesperson defended the shield, saying Harps bosses reacted in response to 'several' customer complaints at that particular store.

He insisted the move was 'in no way our opinion on this issue', adding, 'we do not have an opinion on this issue.'

But others were quick to complain about the shield, with many urging a boycott of the chain.

Even international news outlets carried the story.

Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail wrote: 'Heaven forbid your seven-year-old, while waiting in line with you at the grocery store checkout, be exposed to the gays.'


And British paper the Sun wrote: 'Either Elton's baby is in some way offensive or there's some serious homophobia going on here.'

After receiving a plethora of complaints, the store management have taken action and un-censored the magazine.

'In this case our store manager received some complaints and, as has been our custom, placed the shield over the cover of the magazine', said Kim Eskew, president of Harps Food Stores Inc.

'When we began receiving complaints at our corporate office, we reivewed the magazine in question, removed the shield and are selling the magazine in all our locations today without any shield', Ms Eskew added.

The shields are usually placed over adult magazines with racy covers.

'Our true intention is not to offend anyone in our stores and this incident happened at just one of our 65 locations, which when brought to our attention we reversed', Ms Eskew said in a written statement.

On its blog, a GLAAD spokesman said the shield should ‘never have been put up in the first place’, adding: ‘Obviously, someone felt that shoppers should not have to look at this smiling, happy couple and their newborn baby.’

Just last week Elton John publicly bemoaned feeling like a 'second-class citizen' in the U.S. because of his sexuality and said he was 'fed-up' about it.

During a performance at a Beverly Hills fundraiser to help the legal challenge to California's gay marriage back Elton said: 'As I get older, I get more angry about it'.

Elton and his husband David Furnish have been together for 17 years and were married in a lavish ceremony in 2005.

He recently shared how he is coping with life with a new baby.

'Fatherhood is fantastic', he said. 'It's been the most wonderful thing that's happened to me after meeting David'.

He said that being a dad is 'surprisingly relaxing'.

'This little soul that you're feeding, changing, bathing and telling bedtime stories to is a blank canvas', Elton shared.

'And all it needs is love and nurturing. When he gets to talking and running around, I will probably feel a little different.'



Source:Dailymail

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Hope you won't wear black on April 29, Kate... and a few hearty meals might fill out your wedding dress

By Katie Nicholl



Flying solo: Kate Middleton arrives for the wedding of the Honourable Sarah Louise Stourton and Harry Aubrey-Fletcher at St Andrew's Church in Aldborough, North Yorkshire


If Prince William and Kate Middleton wanted a dress rehearsal for their wedding, yesterday was the perfect opportunity.

The couple attended the nuptials of friends Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and Louise Stourton – and, unusually for a wedding, Kate was dressed in black.

Beneath a tailored velvet dress coat, she wore an elegant above-the-knee dress with a sheer neckline tapering to a silver clasp, an outfit completed by a black pillbox hat with an intricate fascinator, plum-coloured shoes and matching clutch bag.


It's a cold day for a white wedding: Kate chats to a fellow guest as they hurry inside St Andrew's Church


She also looked thinner than usual; like most brides-to-be, she is no doubt keen to look slim for the wedding photos – especially when those images will be seen by billions.

The stress of planning a wedding on such a huge scale as her April 29 affair may also have had an effect.

William, who was an usher, arrived at Aldborough Parish Church in Boroughbridge, West Yorkshire, at 1pm.

Prince Harry arrived at 3pm, chatting with pals about England’s Ashes victory. Princess Beatrice was also there.


Chic: Princess Beatrice looked sleek in a blue coat and matching shoes and fascinator, while her boyfriend Dave Clark looked dapper in his tie and tails


Here comes the bride: The Honourable Sarah Louise Stourton arrives at the church with her coat-clad bridesmaids and her father, Edward William Stephen Stourton, the 24th Baron Stourton, 28th Baron Segrave, 27th Baron Mowbray


High-class affair: The bride is from one of Britain¿s most aristocratic families. She is the eldest daughter of Edward Stourton, the 24th Baron Stourton, 28th Baron Segrave, 27th Baron Mowbray. Prince William was an usher in the ceremony


The main wedding party arrived in a vintage bus, but Kate came in a chauffeur-driven Range Rover, with more security than the two female personal protection officers who normally accompany her.

While most of the 200 guests had mulled wine at the church before the service, William took Harry, the groom and ushers to the village pub.

Brian Rey, landlord of The Ship Inn, said: ‘Both of the Princes came in. William had cottage pie of all things. I can’t remember what Harry ate but he had a pint of cider.’

After the ceremony Kate and Bea took the bus to the reception at Castle Allerton.


Hanging out with the future sister-in-law: Prince Harry joined Miss Middleton at the ceremony


Both Princes left in Audi A5s, William saying: ‘It’s not my wedding yet.’

Kate and William stayed overnight before heading home to celebrate Kate’s 29th birthday today.

The groom, one of William’s oldest friends, is the youngest son of Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, 8th Baronet and Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire.

He was at Ludgrove prep school and Eton with the Prince.

His bride is from one of Britain’s most aristocratic families.

She is the eldest daughter of Edward Stourton, the 24th Baron Stourton, 28th Baron Segrave, 27th Baron Mowbray. He is also the cousin of former Radio 4 Today presenter Ed Stourton – proving the ‘Posh Ed’ nickname he had at the BBC was well-deserved.





Source:Dailymail

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I'm 58... and having twins: Single ex-barrister spent years trying to have a baby and now she's pregnant, thanks to donor sperm and eggs

By Helen Weathers



Mum-to-be Carole Hobson: 'I'm just looking forward to meeting my babies'


At 29 weeks pregnant with twins, Carole Hobson is — like most expectant first-time mothers — a mixture of ­nervous excitement and apprehension. This, she admits, has been a difficult pregnancy, and it will be a relief when her babies are born, hopefully healthy and well.

Carole has suffered severe morning sickness, painful swelling of her legs and, most recently, dangerously high blood pressure. This week she was hospitalised for five days, and she has been warned by medical staff that the twins — not due until February 23 — could arrive any day.

She has been injected with steroids to help her babies’ lungs mature if they emerge ­prematurely, and she is taking medication to lower her blood pressure in the hope that she can carry them to 34 weeks, when doctors plan a ­Caesarean delivery.


The risk to her own health is, however, one she is fully prepared to take in order to realise her dream of having children; a dream that has so far cost her more than £20,000.

But that is by no means the most surprising part of the story. For Carole is 58 years old — an age when most women are well past the menopause.

And she is single. Her twins, a boy and a girl, have no genetic link to her whatsoever. They were conceived using donor eggs and sperm.

Oh, and her babies will be mixed race. In her determination to have children, Carole travelled from the Home Counties to the Ukraine, back to London, to Cyprus, and finally to India where her fifth attempt at IVF proved successful.

The donor eggs came from a 24-year-old Indian woman, while the donor sperm came from a ­Scandinavian engineering graduate.

This is, by any reckoning, a truly astonishing story of modern motherhood — and one that raises profoundly troubling ethical questions about the extremes to which some women are willing to go in their bid to have children.

When Carole gives birth, she will be younger by four years than the oldest woman in Britain to become a mother — Patricia Rashbrook, who in 2006 gave birth to a son at the age of 62. She will even be four months younger than the oldest woman to give birth to twins — Janet Bosher, a former nursery teacher who gave birth to twins in 2002 at the age of 58.


But she is the first to undertake such extremes as a single mother, and has taken some deeply controversial ­decisions along the way.

Not that Carole sees any problem with her circumstances.

‘I have absolutely no doubt about my capability of loving two children who are not genetically mine,’ she says, in her first exclusive interview. ‘If I did, I would never have gone ahead.

‘I am absolutely thrilled to be ­pregnant with twins, and I can’t wait to see my children for the first time.

‘Age, to me, is just a number. Some people reach 50, just give up and wait to die: but not me. I spent my 20s and 30s trying to avoid getting pregnant, but in my late 40s and 50s I felt ­incomplete without a child. I want to seize every opportunity that medical science can offer me, as a woman.

‘Some people might accuse me of being selfish, or going against nature, but isn’t it going against nature to ­perform heart surgery or transplants? I’m no more selfish than any woman who wants a family.

‘People ask me: “How will you cope with twins?” or “How will you feel when they start school and you are 63?” These things do not concern me at all.

‘Yes, I am sure it will be hard at times, but I’m fit and healthy, and I fully intend to enjoy and cherish my babies.’

Nor, it seems, does Carole have any moral or ethical issue with Western women paying for donor eggs from women from poorer countries.

‘That is just the way the world is,’ she says matter-of-factly. ‘If women in Britain are not donating eggs, then you have to take a more global view.

‘As for my children being mixed race, we now live in a multi-ethnic society where it is simply not an issue.

‘I believe a child’s identity comes from being loved and knowing themselves, rather than skin tone. When they are older, I shall take them to their countries of origin so they can learn about their cultures.

‘If there are issues, there are donor conception networks which can give advice and help.

‘I’m not pretending it won’t be hard at times, but, as a parent, my role is to love and help these two babies to become happy, independent individuals.’


Healthy: A hospital scan shows the promising growth of Carole Hobson's baby girl


What makes Carole’s decision even more remarkable, perhaps, is her ­profession. A qualified barrister and trained social worker, she works for a national agency supporting vulnerable children through the court process. She has witnessed first-hand the ­devastating effects parents can wreak on their children, either inadvertently through ill-health, lack of maturity or ignorance, or, in the worst cases, deliberately.

This, however, she says has given her insight into the emotional and physical needs of children. And while she accepts that in an ideal world that means ­having a loving father, too, she does not consider it essential.

‘Of course, fathers are important to children; but better no father than one who causes emotional or physical ­damage to a child,’ she says.

‘Through my work, I have seen what some parents can do to their ­children. On my side, I have maturity and wisdom.’

Perhaps so, but others will no doubt see her decision as reckless. So how did she come to take such desperate ­measures to conceive?

A headteacher’s daughter, and the eldest of four children, Carole grew up in Lancashire but has settled in Kent.

Her three younger brothers are all married with children, and are what she describes as ‘very traditional, very conventional’.


Indeed, one of them told her she was ‘crazy’ when she announced her ­decision late in life to try for a child, even telling Carole that her babies ‘would be no relatives of mine’.

‘Some members of my family have been shocked, but I am sure they will come round once they get over the ­initial embarrassment,’ says Carole, whose elderly parents are both 81.

‘My mother is concerned about my health, but, along with my sisters-in-law, has been very supportive, and we all just hope the twins arrive safely.’

Carole, who has never married, admits that when she was younger she never felt maternal. At 38, she fell pregnant accidentally with twins, but miscarried. She was sad, but also thinks it was for the best because it was ‘the wrong time’ and her relationship not solid enough.

It wasn’t until her late 40s, when she realised time had run out to have a baby naturally, that it suddenly hit her what she’d missed out on.

Involved in a long-distance, on-off, 11-year relationship with a geologist, she asked if he would be the father to her children, fertilising donor eggs through IVF.

‘He wasn’t exactly horrified when I asked him, but he wasn’t keen either because of the logistics of our ­relationship. He was away a lot, ­working abroad.’

‘Then, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that this was something I could go ahead with on my own. Once you can pass the psychological barrier that this child will not be biologically yours, then you can also accept that the father can be a donor, too.’

Not surprisingly, the relationship with her boyfriend petered out not long after as she embarked on her quest to have a child without him.


Expectant: Carole Hobson's babies are due on Feburary 23 2011


It is fair to say that Carole, a single-minded character, went to remarkable lengths to achieve her goal.

It was in 2007, aged 55, that she first travelled to a clinic in the Ukraine ­seeking help to conceive using Eastern European donors, but was refused treatment when a scan appeared to show a complication with her kidneys.

After further tests in Britain showed her kidney function was normal, she then approached a Harley Street ­fertility clinic, where she underwent a whole barrage of health tests before being referred to another clinic in Cyprus for the IVF, because of a ­shortage of egg donors in Britain.

‘I had two cycles, both of which failed, and then, once I turned 56, the London clinic refused to treat me any more because 55 was their cut-off age,’ says Carole.

‘So I went back to the clinic in Cyprus independently for a further two attempts. Each time it failed, I felt heartbroken. But once you get on the IVF treadmill, it’s so hard to get off. It’s a bit like gambling: you keep thinking “Perhaps next time, I’ll be lucky”.’

So in one last throw of the dice, Carole took the decision to fly to Mumbai to visit the Deccan fertility clinic, after learning they accepted patients up to the age of 63.

In recent years, India has, ­controversially, pushed medical and ethical boundaries by treating much older, childless women, despite ­concerns over life expectancy.

In 2008, Rajo Devi Lohan gave birth to a daughter at the age of 70, but has never recovered from ­complications. The same year, 70-year-old Omkari Panwar became the oldest woman in the world to give birth to twins.

Neither of these women is believed to have been treated by the clinic Carole attended.

‘From my research, I could see that clinics in India seemed to have very good success rates, and it was also much cheaper than British clinics,’ says Carole, who liaised by email with the clinic for a year until she was satisfied with their methods.


IVF: A scientist screens sperm for use in in vitro fertilisation


She paid £3,000 for her IVF in India. This included the fee that was paid to the two donors she selected from the clinic’s books.

The egg came from a 24-year-old Indian mother-of-two, whom Carole selected from an option of eight ­possible women she was shown details and photographs of. The sperm came from an anonymous 6ft tall Scandinavian engineering graduate. She chose him because — unlike the previous sperm donor she’d used — he shared her blood group, which she hoped would increase her chances of success.

These are the only details that Carole knows about her future children’s genetic parentage, although she says she was impressed by the clinic’s detailed medical analysis of the quality of sperm and eggs.

She admits, however, that British doctors she has visited were horrified over her treatment abroad. They were alarmed at the much higher dose of hormones prescribed by Indian doctors, warning of the risk of deep vein thrombosis (potentially fatal blood clots).

They were equally disturbed by Carole’s agreement to have six ­fertilised embryos implanted in her womb to increase the chances of ­success — a practice long considered high-risk in Britain.

‘When I went to my GP for the pregnancy test on my return to ­Britain, he was visibly shocked when I told him,’ explains Carole.

‘I’d agreed to the implantation of six embryos because I doubted any of them would work anyway. The night before the pregnancy test, I couldn’t sleep, and when it came back positive I couldn’t believe it.

‘It was a bit frightening, and a vision went through my mind of six cots — but when I went for my first scan on July 5, it showed three embryos. The other three had not taken.’

Pregnant with triplets, Carole ­realised the enormity of her situation. The cool-headed manner in which she decided to deal with it, did, she admits, upset some of her friends.

At 13 weeks, she opted for a selective reduction, whereby a needle was passed into one of the embryo’s hearts and injected with a chemical to stop it beating.

‘The worst part was waiting for the procedure, because I’d made up my mind at six weeks,’ she says. ‘I knew that if I tried to carry all three babies, the risk of disability was much higher, as was the risk of prematurity and the risk of losing them all.

‘I knew I wouldn’t be able to cope with three severely disabled children, who might need 24-hour care or be unable to lead independent lives. Everyone wants a healthy baby, not because they are selfish, but for the sake of the child.

‘A few of my friends could not understand or accept why I wouldn’t want to try to keep all three, but it is not a decision I have regretted.’


At 20 weeks, Carole found out the sex of her babies and was delighted to discover she was expecting a son and a daughter. She has already chosen the names Matthew and Freida, but for the moment has nicknamed them ‘Kicky one’ and ‘Kicky two’ because she feels them vigorously kicking each other in the womb.

‘And I’m sure that will continue after they are born,’ she adds wryly.

Carole has nothing but praise for the NHS, which has been supporting her through this pregnancy. She is under the care of the South-East Neo-Natal Unit based at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham.

Without doubt, though, there are some who will question whether the NHS should pick up the bill for a high-risk pregnancy conceived and paid for privately abroad.

Carole prefers to concentrate on the positives, despite the mixed reception from friends, family and medical staff.

‘How you cope as a parent is not about how old you are, and I think my chances are perhaps better than an immature 16-year-old,’ she says.

Having waited so long and spent so much money on her quest to have children, Carole, rather surprisingly, does not intend to be a stay-at-home mum. As a single parent, she will need her salary to support them, so is planning to return to full-time employment following ­maternity leave.

She has no husband or partner to fall back on for emotional or ­financial support, or, indeed, to look after the twins should anything ­happen to her.

‘You only have to look at people like Jade Goody to know that young mothers with children can die early, so nothing in this life is predictable,’ says Carole.

‘But I have three brothers with children who, I hope, will play an active role in their lives and step in should anything happen to me.’

In January, a Spanish male au pair will arrive to help out at her three-bedroomed home in Kent, doing the chores and walking Carole’s two dogs, Milly and Lucy, leaving her free to concentrate on the babies.

‘I have a lot of stamina,’ she says, confident that she can cope with the exhausting, sleepless nights. ‘As the eldest of four children, I was Mummy’s little helper with my brothers.

‘I have spent my whole career ­working with children. I’m sure the next few years will be jolly difficult at times, but rewarding and ­enjoyable too.

‘For now, I’m just looking forward to meeting my babies.’



Source:Dailymail

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'See what people will do for a Hublot?' Bernie Ecclestone poses in advert for watch brand after he was mugged for his £200,000 timepiece

By Daily Mail Reporter



Shock tactics: Bernie Ecclestone has turned his recent mugging into a money-making opportunity


Trust Bernie Ecclestone to manage to turn a mugging into a money-making opportunity.

The Formula One boss, who is worth an estimated £2billion, was attacked by four men outside his office in Central London last month.

But even before he'd had his four stitches removed, Mr Ecclestone contacted Formula One's official watchmaker, Hublot, and suggested they used pictures of his battered face as part of an adverting campaign.


'I rang them up and suggested this was a chance to do something different,' said Mr Ecclestone.

'I can understand people wanting to rob me when they are poor and they want some things for the kids with Christmas coming along, but what they did was unnecessary.'

Using the tag line 'See what people will do for a Hublot,' the advert shows the injury done to Mr Ecclestone during the attack and a large picture of a watch similar to the personalised one, worth £200,000, that was stolen from him.


Still sporting a shiner: Ecclestone soon after the attack and still showing the scars in Liverpool on Sunday


The poster also, perhaps unnecessarily, emphasises that 'Hublot condemns all forms of violence and racism.'

During the attack, the four muggers also stole jewellery from Fabiana Flosi, Mr Ecclestone's partner while kicking him to the ground.

The hard-working 80-year-old was back in the office less than 48 hours later



Source:Dailymail

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Wife of Britain's oldest father of twins is £7,000 benefits cheat... and now she is carrying the 72-year-old's 13th child

By Claire Ellicott



Lisa Roden, 26, received thousands of pounds of benefits after failing to tell authorities she had married her 72-year-old husband, Richard. Pictured with twins Ruby (left) and Emily


The 26-year-old wife of Britain’s oldest father of twins has been exposed as a benefits cheat after failing to tell authorities she was no longer a single mother.

Lisa Roden, who is eight months pregnant with another child by her 72-year-old husband, falsely claimed £7,000 in council tax benefit and income support.

Her secret came to light following her wedding to Richard Roden in September last year, eight months after he had become the oldest man to father twins.


She overclaimed £6,901.58 between February 2009 and January this year.

At Walsall Magistrates’ Court on Monday she admitted two charges of failing to notify authorities of a change in circumstances.


The mother of three, from Walsall, said that when she married former welder Mr Roden in September 2009 she had sent letters to both authorities.

But these did not arrive and she claimed she had lost copies she had made of them.

Catherine McTighe, prosecuting, said: ‘She considered she had lived with Mr Roden since the twins were born.

‘This came to the attention of the national media on the first birthday of the twins.’

Roden, who also has a nine-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, had been paid the benefits as a single parent since 2002.

She told magistrates she had started to repay her council tax benefit to Walsall Council five months ago.

She was ordered to pay a £50 fine for each offence, £100 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Mr Roden – who is 46 years her senior and has been married three times – is set to become a father of 13 next month when his wife is due to give birth to another girl, whom they have already named Madison.

A grandfather of 36 and great-grandfather of nine, Mr Roden was 71 when the twins Ruby and Emily were born – 50 years after the birth of his first child.

Yesterday at their terrace house Roden insisted she was not a benefits cheat and was not trying to ‘fiddle the system’.


Another on the way: The couple with their twins Ruby and Emily


She said: ‘I tried to notify them to tell them I was married and to show our current situation but apparently they never received the letters or have a record of the phone calls I made.

'I tried to explain that it wasn’t my fault that these people had not received the letters.

‘But I lost the copies of the ones I made during a clear-out.

‘We’re not trying to fiddle the system whatsoever. It was just a mistake.’

She added: ‘I’m just happy I’m not going to prison because I have three young children and another on the way that I need to be here to take care of.’

Her husband added: ‘We are not cheats.

‘I’ve worked hard all my life and I’ve only ever needed help once in all my years.

‘Lisa is a good person – that is why I married her. She is not trying to beat the system.’

The couple managed to conceive their third daughter, who is due a day before the twins’ birthday on January 29, despite Mr Roden suffering from bladder cancer over the past year.


Mr and Mrs Roden with the twin girls and one of his other daughters, Bethany in October 2009


Roden, who is a full-time mother, insists it will be the couple’s last child.

They met while studying at an adult education college five years ago and became lovers a year later.

Mr Roden has ten other children from two previous marriages, of whom the eldest is 52

Despite his health problems, he said he was looking forward to the latest addition to his family.

‘I’m very excited,’ he said. ‘I was with Lisa all the way through the twins’ birth and I wanted to cut the cord but they wouldn’t let me.

‘I’m hoping they’ll let me cut the cord for Madison.’

He added: ‘I wouldn’t swap my little girls for the lottery.

‘The cancer made me poorly for a bit, but being around my girls picks me up.

‘They give me strength and I get so much pleasure out of watching them. At my age, they have put new life into me. It is not a hindrance, it is a joy.’


Source:Dailymail

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Mother whose tumour meant she might never conceive splashes out on £30,000 to give baby designer lifestyle

By Arthur Martin



Happy holidays: Lisa Davis with her daughter Nicole Davis in her tailor made nursery and £500 worth of gifts she will be receiving for her first Christmas


Little Nicole Davis should, by rights, have a big smile on her face.

After all, her parents have spent more than £30,000 on lavish presents for their four-month-old daughter.

Her mother Lisa, 30, admits that she is addicted to spoiling Nicole after trying for six years for a baby with her husband David.


During her pregnancy the couple paid £6,000 for a designer nursery to be installed in their modest £150,000 three-bedroom semi.

They paid another £5,000 for a nursery for their holiday home in Florida and bought her a silver pram for £1,000. After Nicole’s birth, the heavy spending accelerated.

At £6,000, the baby’s christening which included a three course meal for 60 guests cost more than some weddings.

Nicole’s winter clothes collection is already worth £2,200 and still growing.

She sleeps in a £2,226 crib with carved cherubs on the headboard complete with £2,000 of bespoke bedding.


World of interiors: Lisa spent a total of £6,000 creating the nursery with many of the luxury items being shipped in from the U.S.


Her Christmas presents are already mounting up and they wildly outnumber those bought for other members of the family.

Indeed, such is her desire to spoil her daughter that Mrs Davis has already bought her a £6,000 diamond bracelet for her first birthday in July 2011.

Although Nicole now has far more clothes and toys than she needs Mrs Davis says she has no plans to stop spending.

‘I want her to have the best of everything,’ she said. ‘Some of my friends think I’m crazy because I spoil her so much but I don’t care.


Heirloom: Lisa had her own wedding dress cut up to make a christening gown for Nicole at the lavish ceremony


‘I don’t see myself cutting back on the spending - if she needs something I will have to get it for her.

‘I had spent so long planning and waiting to have a baby that I knew exactly what I wanted. I had a picture in my head of how I wanted her room to look - a coffee and cream theme nursery.’


In her nursery at the American holiday home, Nicole has a pink room with a brand new oak crib, a matching wardrobe and chest of drawers.

Every item in Nicole’s overflowing wardrobe is made by leading designers and her name is woven on almost every piece of clothing.

Mrs Davis, who lives with her husband, a property developer, in Winchester, said: ‘If I spend £200 on a pair of jeans I don’t see why I shouldn’t spend the same on Nicole. It’s important for her to look nice.

‘All of my family like to put effort into our appearance and make sure we look nice so we want the children to look nice too.

‘I think spending a lot of money on nice clothes shows how much you care about your child.
‘I can’t walk down the street without people stopping me and saying how beautiful Nicole is and how lovely her clothes are. I was quite spoilt as a child so I want her to experience that too.’

Mrs Davis said that one of the main reasons she spends so much on Nicole is because she believed she would never have a child.

After struggling to conceive, her GP discovered a benign tumour on her brain.
In April 2009, she underwent surgery to have the tumour removed, but there was no guarantee she would be able to have children.

But just six months after her operation Mrs Davis discovered she was pregnant and Nicole was born at the Portland hospital on July 22 weighing 8lbs.

She said: ‘I know some people might think I’m a bit mad, or over the top, but all my life I have dreamed of having a baby.

‘She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and has completed my life and brought so much happiness to my family.

‘I feel so lucky to have her, she is my dream come true, so nothing is too good for my little girl.’

Her husband David added: ‘I don’t really get involved with buying things for Nicole as Lisa enjoys doing all that.

‘I don’t mind how much she spends so long as she and Nicole are happy. That’s the most important thing to me.’



Source:Dailymail

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Now THAT'S a VPL: The new XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL underwear for women with a 105in waistline (and they're flying off the shelves)

By Daily Mail Reporter



Supersize me: A model poses in he latest range of underwear by The Big Bloomers Company, made to fit 45stone women with a 74 dress size


A company which makes the world's biggest knickers has been forced to make even larger underwear - for women who are a size 74 with 105in waistlines.

The Big Bloomers Company was set up by mother and daughter Dianne and Laura Mannering earlier this year making underwear up to XXXXXXXXL for 35 stone women.

But they were inundated with calls from obese women around the world claiming they are too small.


So the pair have developed their latest range - which are a staggering XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXL - to fit 45 stone women who have a 8.75ft waistline and a dress size of 74.

Women from New Zealand, France and Australia have already been clamouring for the items, which have been flying off the shelves since going on sale last week.


Made to measure: Since the launch last week, around 100 items have sold and New Zealand and Australia are the biggest takers


Dianne, 68, of Penryn, Cornwall said: 'We realised there was a woeful lack of selection and so decided to cater for much larger women, which proved very popular.

'But I have to admit I was very surprised when I started receiving phone calls asking for even bigger ones.

'We ship them around the world and, at the moment, New Zealand and Australia are the biggest takers.


Smalls: The pants worn in the film Bridget Jones are nothing compared to the Big Bloomers


'Our customers have been very enthusiastic and have given us help to tweak the design and make the knickers more accommodating.'

Retired insurance broker Dianne set up the Big Bloomers Company with daughter Laura, 46,in April after spotting the gap in the market.

Within weeks they were being contacted by customers begging them to make larger garments.

And now they have launched their 'super-super size' range and have already sold around 100 items since they went on sale last week.

The company, which sends a mail order catalogue to customers, also sells tights and gowns, which uses an incredible six metres of fabric.

For more details visit www.thebigbloomerscompany.co.uk


Source:Dailymail

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