Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THE DIARY
Pup Nanta returns to the sea after rescue
Comic Jack Whitehall claims he has “PTSD” after his routine at the British Fashion Awards tanked in front of the likes of Karl Lagerfeld.
With his jokes going down badly, frazzled Jack was pressed to fill for a few minutes while Lady Gaga fixed a “wardrobe malfunction” backstage, prompting him to blurt out the only thing that came to mind: “Our next guest presenter is Lady Gaga, she’s had a wardrobe malfunction.”
Jack tells Radio X: “I panicked, so my introduction was just me telling everyone that her dress had broken. She wouldn’t even look at me, and I heard her calling me a very obscene word to the stage manager.
“I left in shame.”
There’s no styling it out with that crowd.
Masterchef was more popular than Strictly on the BBC’S on-demand service, iplayer, last year, and judge Gregg Wallace believes he knows why. He explains to Radio Times: “It’s like a big tub of hummus. You can dip in and out.” A simile worthy of a chef’s kiss.
Badger from The Masked Singer is about to have his “fifth and final” cub.
Singer Ne-yo, who finished second as Badger behind Joss Stone’s Sausage, has revealed his wife Crystal is expecting their third child together.
“Overjoyed to announce the family is expanding,” said Ne-yo, who has two children from a previous relationship, stating with certainty, this will be his last.
He’s got a full sett.
NANTA, a grey seal washed up weak and wounded in December, is released into the sea after being nursed back to health.
After the seal’s RSPCA carers opened the crate, Nanta wriggled out on to the pebbles at Pett Level Beach near Hastings, East Sussex.
He seemed a little nervous and unsure at first, looking back and seeming to think about getting back into the safety of the crate.
But then Nanta plucked up the courage and headed into the sea before swimming happily away, waved off by onlookers.
The pup washed up alone on Hythe Beach in Kent on Christmas Eve.
Estimated then to be just six weeks old, and weighing just over two stone, he was found looking weak and dehydrated, with wounds to his face and a cut to one flipper.
Nanta, named after a Star Wars character, has been recuperating at the RSPCA’S Mallydams Wood Centre in Fairlight, near Hastings.
Thanks to antibiotics and a daily diet of 3kg of herring and mackerel, Nanta grew to a healthy 6st 4lbs, and was freed on Friday.
His carers Clare Wilson and Ashleigh Peters had mixed feelings watching him swim off. They said: “Sometimes the seals shoot off into the sea without a minute’s hesitation, but Nanta gave us one final look before he took off.
“It is emotional to see the pups leave us as we have so much contact with them during their stay, but it is wonderful to see them strong enough to return to the sea.”
Since opening more than 50 years ago, the Mallydams centre has cared for more than 35,000 sick, injured and orphaned wild animals.
Last month a seal pup called Vera was flown 400 miles from Sunderland to recover after it had been attacked by adult grey seals.
The RSPCA advises anyone finding a seal pup to wait 24 hours to see if the mother returns before contacting them on 0300 1234 999. To donate to Mallydams, go to justgiving.com/campaign/rspca Mallydamswood
They had no interest in the truth and spent years putting together a hatchet job WOODY ALLEN BLASTS MAKERS OF NEW DOCUMENTARY
FURIOUS Woody Allen has issued a rare statement to hit back at long-standing allegations that he abused his adopted daughter.
The Oscar-winning film director, 85, launched a blistering attack on HBO’S four-part documentary Allen v Farrow, which has aired in the US.
The series examines Allen’s relationship with daughter Dylan and his split from her actress mum Mia Farrow.
Its explosive content includes a never-before-seen 1992 home video shot by Mia, 76, in which Dylan, seven at the time, describes how Allen allegedly
“touched her private parts”. She claims he told her: “Do not move, I have to do this,” as he allegedly molested her in the loft of the family’s then home.
But Allen, whose classic films include Annie Hall and Manhattan, and his wife, Soon-yi Previn, 50, blasted back: “These documentarians had no interest in the truth.
“Instead, they spent years surreptitiously collaborating with the
Farrows and their enablers to put together a hatchet job riddled with falsehoods. As has been known for decades, these allegations are categorically false. Multiple agencies investigated and found that, whatever Dylan may have been led to believe, absolutely no abuse had ever taken place.” They went on to suggest HBO’S collaboration with Allen’s estranged son Ronan proved its bias as the channel had a production deal with him.
The pair added: “While this shoddy hit piece may gain attention, it does not change the facts.” Allen claims he and his wife were approached about the series less than two months ago and given “only days” to respond.
But producer Amy Herdy insisted: “I reached out a few times to try and interview him and got crickets [silence] back.”
Dylan’s widely reported claim never resulted in criminal action against Allen, who accuses Farrow of “relentlessly coaching” his daughter into thinking he was a “dangerous sexual predator”.
Allen believes Mia was driven by fury at his relationship with Soon-yi, who is the adopted daughter of the actress and her conductor ex Andre Previn.