‘Life’s getting BETTER!’
THE ACTRESS SHARES HER BABY JOY FOLLOWING A BITTER SPLIT
There is no doubt that the past 12 months have been turbulent for Christina Ricci, who was granted a restraining order against her estranged husband James Heerdegen in January. But things are finally looking up for the actress as she shares exciting new romance news – and her baby joy to boot!
The Casper star, 41, revealed the surprise announcement that she’s pregnant with her second child on Instagram on August 10. “Life just keeps getting better,” Ricci captioned an image of the baby’s sonogram.
The actress tagged Mark Hampton in the happy news, who went on to call himself the “daddy”. It’s not known when Ricci started dating the Hollywood hairstylist, but the pair have worked together on several fashion shoots this year.
Ricci revealed how important Hampton had become to her – and hinted at their exciting news – when she paid tribute to him in a sweet Instagram post last month for his birthday. The star gushed that the hairdresser was her “favourite person, gorgeous human, bringer of all things happy, magical and good”. “I love you... This next year is going to be the best one yet,” she added.
The news marks a fresh start for the actress who has been in the throes of a bitter divorce battle with her ex-husband. In January, Ricci was granted a restraining order against the cinematographer, whom she wed in 2013, following allegations of domestic violence.
“I was afraid to sleep at night,” Ricci told the court, after the pair were forced to continue to reside together following their split due to lockdowns caused by the pandemic. “[Heerdegen] focused solely on punishing and terrorising me 24 hours a day,” she revealed.
With the custody battle of their son Freddie, 7, behind her (Ricci was granted sole legal custody in April), she can now focus on her favourite role – motherhood.
“Having a child forces you to grow up at the speed of light,” Ricci previously told
The Edit website. “I’m a completely different person than I was before I had my child,” she shared. • By Kylie Walters If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732
For contender Seann Miley Moore, auditioning for Rita Ora on The Voice’s stage proved to be a full circle moment. “I had no idea she was going to be a coach this year,” the performer tells WHO. “When I found out, I was like ‘This is fate!’”
Back in 2015, Moore moved from Sydney to London and two weeks after his arrival, auditioned for British TV series The X Factor. His performance of Queen’s ‘The Show Must Go On’ garnered him four standing ovations from the judges including Rita Ora, who was moved to tears. “That was such a surreal moment,” says 30-year-old Moore. “To then meet up with Ora again six years later has been absolutely incredible.”
When they initially met, Ora said she was especially blown away by Moore’s “passion and determination”. And Moore looks back on that time with pride. “I had just moved to London and was discovering who I was as a queer man,” he says. “Rita told me then that she was so glad to see me following my dreams and expressing my individuality. To receive that recognition from a star like Rita meant the world to me at the time. I had moved to London because growing up in Australia had been hard for me.”
Until he returned Down Under at the end of 2019, Moore had been performing across Europe on the LGBTQI+ Pride circuit. He first moved to Oz when he was in Year 7. “I’m British, Australian and Filipino,” he says. “I went to an American school in Indonesia and it was hard settling back in Australia when I started high school here.”
He says being queer and loving “high heels, suits and makeup” made him the target for bullies. “I went to the UK, started performing and had some success on The X Factor – I had my butterfly moment there.”
Moore decided to try his luck on The Voice because his work as an entertainer had mostly dried up during the pandemic. “I just felt this pull to dress up and sing my heart out,” he laughs. To be doing so once again for Rita, who was desperate to nab Moore for her team before being blocked by an impressed Jessica Mauboy, has been a sweet moment. “To be performing in all my glory has been amazing,” he adds.
Having been a couple for more than five years, a wedding was always on the cards for Voice contender Mick Harrington and his partner Bec. But with two young daughters aged 4 and 17 months, Harrington says finding time to propose had been difficult. “Bec fell pregnant with our eldest daughter Bella three months after we got together,” the mowing business owner tells WHO. “Then Katie came along and so we haven’t had time to marry.”
The 32-year-old got the idea to propose to Bec – whom he met at high school before they reconnected at their 10-year reunion – a few weeks before his audition. “Bec is super-smart. I knew she’d be distracted by everything going on at The Voice, so it was the only way I could totally surprise her,” he says.
Harrington adds he wanted to make The Voice experience extra special for Bec, as she and the girls drove with him to Sydney from their home in country Victoria for his audition (when pandemic restrictions allowed them to do so).
“It was a massive commitment by her, so I took the ring along with me. I just wanted Bec to know how much I love her. She and the girls mean the world to me,” he says. “She said ‘No’ about four times at first, but I think it was because she was in shock!”
By Melissa Field (Watch The Voice on Sun., 7pm; Mon-Tue.,
7.30pm on Channel Seven)