Ant and the urge to become a dad

THERE has been shock that Ant McPartlin has gone into rehab. You never can tell what goes on behind closed doors. Reports suggest he and his wife are troubled by their childlessness. It gives the lie to the idea that women are the ones who want children and not men.

Research shows that the first quality men look for in a woman tends to be a maternal nature. Children, or lack of them, were said to have been part of the reason for Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s split. There were other causes too of course but if nothing else her replacement Angelina Jolie is maternal. Face it, men can be very broody and one of them clearly is poor Ant. NICOLE KIDMAN, who has just turned 50, said in an interview she tries to “conduct myself with the abandon of a 21-year-old”. How very dispiriting. The world would be a considerably better place if 20-somethings emulated 50-somethings rather than the other way around. THEY’RE a real bundle of joy at the Food Standards Agency, are they not? Just as the sun finally comes out they issue dark warnings that using traditional wicker baskets could be a health hazard. Storing meat and soft cheeses in them could allow dangerous levels of bacteria to grow and a cool box should be used instead. Apparently cases of food poisoning do rise in the summer but does the FSA really have to attack the joys of al fresco dining from a hamper? Leave the great British picnic alone.