Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s love is like a souffle, you can’t reheat it
Sadly, I don't think we'll be celebrating a Brad and Jen sequel any time soon
IT’S the rekindled romance we would all like to see happen.
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have sent the showbiz world into meltdown with rumours of a possible reunion.
Excitable US gossip columnists reported that Brad was buying Jennifer the £43million house they once shared, after it came back on the market.
It was claimed this was to be an extra-special birthday present for her 50th.
She was apparently broken- hearted when her dream home had to be sold after their divorce, especially as she had spent so much time lovingly renovating the property.
Sadly, it turns out news of this overly generous present was well wide of the mark. Not even big-hearted Brad has pockets that deep.
BEDAZZLE HIM
He is still in the middle of a messy and drawn out divorce battle with estranged wife Angelina Jolie and he has all that maintenance and child support to take into account.
Brad and Jennifer were the ultimate golden couple at the height of their power and beauty when they split almost 15 years ago.
It depends on what version of events you believe, but they either called time on their relationship before Brad fell head over heels in lust with Angelina on the set of Mr And Mrs Smith, or she was the other woman who swooped in and bedazzled him.
I don’t happen to think you can “steal” someone’s lover or partner, and there must surely have been some flaws in Brad and Jennifer’s marriage for him to have taken up with Angelina in the first place.
It has to be said, though, that the timeline has always been rather fuzzy.
Angelina did once say in an interview that Mr And Mrs Smith was a chance for their children to watch Mum and Dad falling in love, and that they had all sat down in front of the TV as a family to watch the film on DVD.
This prompted Jennifer to hit back, albeit in a classy and dignified fashion, saying she had no idea anything was going on at that time, and Angelina’s remarks were “uncool” and “inappropriate”.
Jennifer has never really vented any feelings of hurt and anger in public, and always behaved like a lady. I do wonder if Brad ever laments the loss of the uncomplicated woman he once loved so very much.
For a time, Brad and Angelina appeared to be extremely happy with their brood of children and stellar film careers, but no one knows what really goes on behind closed doors and it all started to unravel for them almost three years ago.
There were accusations and recriminations on both sides in a bloody war of attrition that really should have reached a truce by this stage.
Interestingly, both Brad and Jennifer are now single, though he was linked to Charlize Theron in January.
Her short-lived marriage to American actor Justin Theroux went belly-up last year.
The rumour mill went into hyperdrive when Brad turned up at Jennifer’s 50th bash in February and the two were seen to be getting on well.
There would be something very satisfying about this ridiculously good-looking, hugely successful famous ex-couple getting back together, but I’m not sure if you can ever reheat the souffle.
Perhaps you can eventually become friends, but whether or not you can forgive heartaches, betrayals and past pain is debatable.
Sadly, I don’t think we will be celebrating Brad and Jen the sequel any time soon.
THIS time last year my lovely friend and colleague Helen Addis was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the world went from colour to black and white.
She is only 38, has three young kids and her cancer was particularly ugly and aggressive.
Twelve months down the line, after gruelling treatment, Helen has somehow transformed her devastating diagnosis into a real positive.
Thanks to her courage and tenacity, and her cracking good idea, she will actually be saving lives.
Helen’s simple but effective plan is to have a sticker on the mirror of changing rooms in shops and gyms showing what changes to look out for in your breasts, as well as details of my colleague Dr Hilary Jones’s guide to checking online.
So when you are checking yourself out in a new outfit, you can also remember to check your boobs.
For more information see
Wrong to snub us, Meg
THE birth of any new baby is a cause of joy and celebration.
For the parents, it’s emotional, uplifting, overwhelming and also a tiny bit scary.
Harry and Meghan will be no different to any other mum and dad because, unlike domestic appliances, babies don’t come with instruction manuals.
The royal couple will be nervous about the first bath and will anxiously listen out for their little one breathing during the night.
Despite all the expert advice they can count on, they will still be typical, nervous, first-time parents.
While I totally respect their right to a certain degree of privacy during the later stages of pregnancy and the birth, I do think it was a mistake to fly so low under the radar at this time.
TIME TO ADJUST
The most dangerous development for any member of the Royal Family isn’t rampant republicanism. Instead, the big threat is indifference.
If people don’t care any more about the royals then the whole fragile monarchy could crumble like a stale meringue.
Obviously, just like all new mums and dads Harry and Meghan will want and need time to adjust to being a family.
It would, however, be a shame if, as has been forecast, they decide to completely withdraw from public life for the foreseeable future apart from some very cute Instagram posts.
There’s a danger people will shrug their shoulders and find other online influencers, or fail to turn up in all weathers to line the streets and give hearty cheers when Harry and Meghan eventually do resurface.
Apart from the Queen, no member of the Royal Family can take the adulation, support or even tolerance of the British public for granted.
Harry and Meghan have the potential to be a tremendous asset to the royals and there’s huge affection for both of them, especially now.
They can build on this and make a better future for all the world’s children, as well as their little one.
MADONNA kicked ass at the Billboard Awards in Vegas earlier this week.
She showed all the young pretenders that there really is only one true Queen Of Pop – and she’s a 60-year-old woman with chipmunk cheeks and the tight, muscular body of a 20-year-old pole dancer.
I love her new single, Medellin, and I adored that Billboard performance complete with state-of-the-art Madonna holograms.
It made everyone else look a little bit ordinary.
There have been many imitators over the years, but there is only one Madonna. No one else even comes close.
SLATT'S NOT ALL FOLKS
TONY SLATTERY was once a constant presence on our screens.
He seemed to be on every single TV panel show and had the same sort of manic comic genius displayed by the late, great Robin Williams.
Tony largely disappeared from public life in the late Nineties and endured a long struggle with mental health issues as well as booze and drug addiction. At one point he admits he was spending four grand a week on cocaine and vodka.
I often wondered what had happened to Tony, and it was heartening to see him popping up on This Morning this week, talking openly about being bipolar and living with depression.
He’s older, greyer and wiser, and very lucky to have the support of his partner of 35 years, actor Mark Michael Hutchinson.
It’s just a real shame that at a time when Tony really needed help, talking about mental health was still taboo and could end your career. Thank the Lord things are slowly changing for the better.
I wish Tony all the best as he rebuilds his career and looks forward to performing again at the Edinburgh Festival this summer. The world needs his funny, witty and honest take on life.
SACKED Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has sworn on his children’s lives that he didn’t leak Cabinet secrets.
That’s a bold and vehement statement that no loving dad would ever make lightly.
Whatever the truth, it’s another example of the utter shambles at the heart of Westminster, and how worrying that no one is the least bit surprised or shocked by these allegations.
MOST READ IN OPINION
May a third be with us
TODAY is an important one for Star Wars fans, who celebrate the date as “May The 4th Be With You”.
See what they did there?
I’m actually more concerned about the magnificent sci-fi TV series The Orville, with no word yet on whether the genius creation of Seth MacFarlane has been renewed for a third series.
I’d love fellow geeks to put me out of my misery and confirm whether we can look forward to more episodes of a show that captures the true essence of my beloved Star Trek in a far more affectionate and authentic way than its rival Star Trek: Discovery.
It would be a travesty if we weren’t able to boldly go on new adventures with the funny, exasperating, lovable and entertaining crew of The Orville.