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The wild man of comedy used to love causing controversy with his jokes and pranks.

He liked nothing better than sparking complaints to Ofcom and generally giving TV and radio bosses nightmares when booked to appear on their shows.

But now he’s a 43-year-old mature grown-up who likes to bake.

It seems Russell is more at home in the kitchen after taking part in Channel 4’s charity edition of The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer.

Judge Prue Leith has revealed: “I can tell you that Russell Brand went home, so inspired by his baking and everybody else’s baking, that he sent Paul and me a piece of cake to judge about a week after. I IT’s no secret that Samantha Womack was furious when EastEnders bosses killed her character off on New Year’s Day 2017. Soap fans were stunned when Ronnie Mitchell (Sam) and her sister Roxy (Rita Simons) met a watery end and drowned. Sam now admits she rowed with the producers over the way her character was going and this might have sealed her fate. She says: “There would be so many times when the plot would require her to be more murderous or bad and I’d say: ‘But why does she want to do this?’ and there would be no response apart from: ‘That is your script, that is what you do’.”

Hilarious

should think he sent it by a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, but it came fresh and it was delicious.”

Russell will be appearing on the show – which airs next year – alongside the likes of Michelle Keegan, Johnny Vegas, Rylan Clark, Russell Tovey and Jeremy Paxman.

Prue adds: “It’s absolutely hilarious, but not the best baking you’ve ever seen”. DOMESTIC: Brand „

A BATTLE of the divas is looming between Towie’s Gemma Collins and Welsh legend Dame Shirley Bassey.

Gemma has signed up for a festive edition of the BBC talent show.

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And she decided to perform Dame Shirley’s iconic hit Big Spender for the 100 judges on the show who include Spice

Girl Geri Horner.

However, midway through the track Gemma decided to “add a bit of Towie sparkle”.

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She rapped some lines – including:“I

don’t pop my cork for every man I see”

her Essex accent.

A source said: “Dame

Shirley will be shocked.”