Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Strictly glum dancing
Since the last celebrity series in 2009, it’s fair to say the civilian version of The Apprentice has veered even more towards showcasing the stupidity and egotism of the contestants.
So I was a little worried Comic Relief might struggle to persuade any celebrities to step into the firing line for this comeback.
But I can only pay tribute to the likes of and for selflessly deciding that raising money for a good cause was much more important than preserving dignity and reputation. In fact, well done to everyone who took part. Your attempts to stage a couple of cabaret auction nights were more of a mess than we could have hoped for. Highlights include Ayda Field, inset, admitting: “I’m completely blagging this. I think they think I know what I’m doing, but I’m like aaargh!” (If only she’d been so upfront with The X Factor producers.)
Big Sam apologising for being late by saying: “I’ve been to Cannes” but pronouncing it “cans”. offering the and this canape: a lettuce leaf with a dollop of tuna on it. calling someone “thick” in the trailer for tonight’s boardroom massacre. (Guess any one of 10.) And Ayda actually saying this to her husband,
“It’s a cabaret act so I was wondering if you could do it.”
Fair play to Robbie for still showing up after that burn. And to his old Take That buddies, who pledged £50,000 on the spot. guests The I’m A Celeb star marked the launch of her clothing range in style, where she confessed she’s “piled back on” the half a stone she lost in the jungle. But she certainly won’t be dieting. “I’m throwing it out the window,” she vows.
Emily, a size 10/12, has faced body-shaming from people in public as well as online trolls. One man approached her in a restaurant to tell her to put down her burger, saying: “Starvation suits you.” Others made nasty comments about her outfit for last month’s Brit awards on the 29-year-old’s social media pages.
“I’ve piled it all back on, and I don’t really care,” she shrugs. “It’s funny. For once in my life I’m not focusing on diets and all that s***.”
After responding to some vile comments, she says: “I’m not an aggressive person. I thought, I’m sticking up for every girl who looks at my Instagram and thinks, ‘If they’re calling her fat, what am I?’ I just thought, ‘P*** off !’”
Meanwhile, Emily launched her In The Style range at London’s Libertine club with pals including Celebrity Juice star Keith Lemon walking the catwalk to model it.
She had such a great night, yesterday she asked her kinder followers: “Anyone got Nurofen?”