Newsgirl Jane says no to kids

BBC newsreader Jane Hill, who came out as a lesbian in 2009, has revealed she and her partner, Sara Shepherd, have decided not to have children — but have adopted a border collie puppy instead.

‘Sara and I decided children aren’t for us,’ Jane, 46, tells me. ‘But we have lots of godchildren and I have two lovely nieces, so we have a balance.

‘We’ve just become parents to a very lively puppy. It’s so exhausting I feel as if I’ve had a baby. If we’re lucky she lets us sleep until about 5am.’

DESPITE being a sturdy 72year-old man, shoe designer Manolo Blahnik used to try on every one of his high-heeled creations to test their practicality. ‘Sadly, I can’t do that any more since I broke a tendon in my leg,’ says the Spaniard, who lives in Bath, Somerset. ‘But my assistants and I used to walk up and down the factory in the heels to ensure the shoes didn’t rub or cause blisters. ‘I think that it’s a strange, prehistoric idea that you have to suffer to be beautiful. The heel shouldn’t be too high, but just high enough to give women that sexy sway when they walk. ‘I love to see English women in my shoes — they bring a natural theatre to them.’