Boss resigns in row over ‘forced hugs’
OUT Ted Baker’s Ray Kelvin THE founder of Ted Baker quit yesterday amid claims of “forced hugging”.
Ray Kelvin, 62, who resigned as the label’s chief executive, said: “I’ve decided to step away from Ted and allow the business to focus on being the outstanding brand it is.”
Claims about publicityshy Mr Kelvin emerged in December when more than 200 staff – both male and female – signed a petition in protest.
The UK-based retailer insisted hugs were “part of Ted Baker’s culture” and Mr Kelvin greeted many people with that way.
But accusations included that he massaged staff, kissed their ears and asked some to sit on his lap. Mr Kelvin denies all allegations of misconduct. BEVERLY Hills 90210 star Luke Perry passed away yesterday, following a major stroke last week.
Hollywood stars paid tribute to the 52-year-old ’90s heart-throb after he died surrounded by family and friends, including his two children and fiance.
The American actor shot to fame when he played rebel Dylan McKay in the hit teen drama Beverly Hills 90210. Since 2017, Luke had starred in US comic book series Riverdale.
His Riverdale co-star and ’80s teen movie icon Molly Ringwald, 51, said yesterday: “My heart is broken.
“I will miss you so much Luke Perry. Sending all my love to your family.”
Confirming his death, Luke’s agent said: “Actor Luke Perry, 52, passed away today after suffering a massive stroke.
“He was surrounded by his children, Jack and Sophie, fiancee Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends.”
The agent continued: “The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning.” Luke broke many a teenage heart when he married Teen Wolf Too actress Rachel “Minnie” Sharp in 1993. The couple had son, Jack, and daughter, Sophie. They divorced a decade later and Luke was engaged to Wendy Madison Bauer when he died.
The actor passed away five days after being admitted to hospital in Burbank, LA. He had been rushed to intensive care after collapsing at his home in Sherman Oaks, LA, last Wednesday.
Doctors sedated him on his arrival “to give his brain a fighting chance to recover from the trauma” but the star failed to respond to treatment.
Writer and director Joss Whedon, who worked with Luke on the 1992 movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, said of the actor: “Funny, committed and always gracious. He shouldn’t be gone.”
Luke’s 90210 co-star Ian Ziering, 54, who played Steve Sanders, said: “Dearest Luke, I will forever bask in the loving memories we’ve shared over the last thirty years. May your journey forward be enriched by the magnificent souls who have passed before you, just like you have done here, for those you leave behind.”
Hours before his death, his former 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty, 47, was asked about his stroke. She said: “I can’t talk about it here because I will literally start crying but I love him and he knows I love him. I’m in contact.”
On the day Luke fell ill, Fox Studios announced it would be reviving 90210, which originally ran from 1990-2000. Most of the show’s original cast were on board but Luke was not due to appear.
Stars including Jason Priestley, 49, Jennie Garth, 46, Gabrielle Carteris, 58, Brian Austin Green, 45, Tori Spelling, 45, and Ziering will return.
In recent years, Luke found renewed popularity playing Fred Andrews in Riverdale. He had completed filming on Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which will be released in the US in July. Luke’s career began in the late 1980s with a stint on US soap Another World. But his big break came playing Dylan on 90210. He appeared in 199 of the show’s 293 episodes, in a role that made him an international sex symbol.
He was so adored that, in 1991, when around 2,000 fans were expected to attend an autograph signing at a mall in Florida, a stampede ensued when 10,000 showed up. Several people were taken to hospital.
But Luke’s talent was not always so appreciated. He once said that it took him 256 auditions before he secured his first acting job. The star said of what kept him going: “I just kept thinking, ‘You know, I just walked out of a room full of fools’. Those people have no idea.”
While starring in 90210, Luke appeared in films including Buffy in 1992 and 8 Seconds in 1994, before taking a hiatus from 90210. During that time, he appeared in the 1997 film The Fifth Element, before eventually returning to 90210 until its series finale in 2000. SHANNEN DOHERTY CO-STAR ON LUKE’S MASSIVE STROKE
I can’t talk about it as I’ll literally start crying. But he knows that I love him.