Lily will knock the spots off being 30
ACTRESS Lily James took time out from her stint in the West End production of All About Eve — in which she stars alongside Gillian Anderson — to attend the Into Film Awards in Leicester Square. Lily, who rose to fame playing Lady Rose Aldridge in Downton Abbey, wore a £1,266 black and cream polka dress designed by Petar Petrov and paired it with chunky back boots. The star, who turns 30 next month, says she feels more confident with age. ‘As I’m approaching ever nearer to my 30th birthday, in my wise years I have learned to be bold, brave and don’t think twice.’ TONY BENN’S personal archive, running to hundreds of thousands of documents and memorabilia, has been acquired by the British Library under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. Deemed a collection of national importance, the gift will settle a tax bill of £210,000 due from the Benn family. The maverick socialist attacked the privilege of inherited wealth during his journey to the far-Left, on the way renouncing his title, 2nd Viscount Stansgate, in 1963. But he was remarkably keen to pass his £5 million estate on to his children without the State taking a chunk of it. Transferring ownership of the family’s West London home in plush Holland Park after the death of Tony’s wealthy U.S. wife Caroline allowed the Benn dynasty, which includes Labour MP Hilary, to avoid inheritance tax.
HOLLYWOOD stars make the worst models, claims celebrated photographer Nick Knight. ‘I need to work with a great fashion model like Kate Moss, because they know how to twist their ankle by half an inch to make a dress come alive,’ he tells me at the FashMash Pioneers event at the Bloomsbury hotel in London. ‘Actresses like Uma Thurman are not great fashion models, nor should they be. If you ask an actress to repeat a scene 500 times, she’s not going to be very pleased.’