VIS’ N’S ATH
MASTERCHEF
Ben’s 75-year-old grandmother Priscilla is also taking the news terribly hard.
Neighbours tell the Mail Online that Benjamin’s girlfriend, Diana Pinto, was heard screaming “Don’t do it” in the early hours of Sunday, July 12. They explain, however, that police – who allegedly weren’t called to the house until a few hours later – pronounced him dead at the scene.
“She kept saying, ‘I can’t believe it. I can’t believe he would do that to himself. The family’s going to hate me’,” a neighbour told reporters.
Ben’s dad is Lisa Marie’s ex-husband Danny Keough. They are also parents to actress Riley Keough, 31, while Lisa Marie has twins Harper and Finley, 11, with her most recent ex, Michael Lockwood.
In a candid statement to the media last week, Lisa’s rep said: “She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable, and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong ... [Lisa] adored that boy. He was the love of her life.”
The cast of feel-good TV musical series Glee were plunged into mourning for the third time in seven years after actress Naya Rivera’s body was found, presumed accidentally drowned, in a Southern California lake last week. Naya, 33, who played Santana Lopez on the hit show, went missing on July 8 after renting a pontoon boat in Ventura County’s Lake Piru – notorious for strong rips and ice-cold patches – with her 4-year-old son Josey Dorsey. Another family spotted the vessel floating aimlessly with Josey asleep on board and alerted authorities.
“He told police his mummy had gone swimming and didn’t come back,” a source close to the Ventura County Sheriff’s investigation tells New Idea.
Police divers were hampered by extremely limited visibility in the deep lake, as Naya’s parents and ex-husband Ryan Dorsey held vigil on the banks. At one point they were seen racing into the water, crying, laughing and splashing each other.
“It was their way of trying to be close to her,” says the source. “I think they knew in their hearts that she was dead. She grew up near that lake and knew it well – but she also knew how unpredictable it could be. Still, it was her happy place and her favourite thing to do was take Josey there to switch off.”
After an extensive search, Naya’s body was recovered on July 13, the same day her Glee co-star Cory Monteith died of a heroin overdose back in 2013. Authorities believe Naya and Josey got into trouble while swimming. He was wearing a life jacket, but she wasn’t.
“We believe ... that perhaps the boat started drifting. It was unanchored. And she mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat but not enough to save herself,” said Ventura Country’s Sheriff Bill Ayub.
Naya’s death has sent shockwaves through the Glee cast. “For a show that was meant to promote positivity it has gone completely the other way in real life, the word curse is definitely thrown around among the cast,” a set insider tells New Idea.
“Naya’s death is the worst of all so far. It wasn’t drugs, it wasn’t suicide, it was just a horrible accident by the sounds of it. It’s just unthinkably sad and everyone who worked with Naya has her parents and especially Josey in their hearts right now.”
Glee has been dogged by tragedy since its lead actor Cory Monteith died of a heroin overdose in Vancouver in 2013. At the time, Cory, who played Finn Hudson, was dating co-star Lea Michele – who infamously didn’t get along with Naya. The heavily pregnant actress was last week forced to delete her Twitter after fans raged over the way she’d treated Naya during the show’s 2009 to 2015 run. Glee also lost Mark Salling, who played Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman, after he died by suicide in 2018 just weeks before he was due to be sentenced for child pornography charges.
ON THE BACK OF A HUGE YEAR, THE JUDGE IS PREPARING TO TIE THE KNOT
Masterchef judge Melissa Leong is quite literally paid to eat!
Yet the 38-year-old food critic also manages to maintain a toned physique. So what’s her secret? Melissa has previously shared on social media her dedication to Pilates.
But when it comes to her diet, Melissa admits she’s made some adjustments over the years. Speaking to the Healthy-ish podcast, Melissa admitted that a fast metabolism in her 20s meant she used to be able to “eat everything”. However, she was forced to take stock of her body once she hit her 30s.
“My metabolism wasn’t the same as what it was and I didn’t look the same anymore, and that was a really sobering thing to realise,” Melissa recalls. As a result, Melissa has since made an effort to bring more balance into her diet.
“If I’m eating out professionally – if I’m going out to restaurants all day – then the days that I’m not, it’s really simple things,” Melissa said.
At home, Melissa also focuses on cooking protein and vegetable-laden dishes, “because you know what you’re putting into your food, and I know what works for me”.