In the week that saw us enjoy the hottest day in yonks, skinny jeans and leggings were tentatively tossed to one side, beauticians were inundated with panic stricken calls for waxing appointments, and as a nation, we all perked up tenfold as we basked in the annual (fleeting) heatwave.
It was off with the trusty red carpet rain mac, and on with the skimpy Paisie playsuit to welcome Hollywood legend Jack Black to London's Chinatown for a top-secret first look at his new movie Kung Fu Panda 3, due out next March.
As a seasoned showbiz cynic, it's always refreshing when you meet a truly genuine, humble and talented star. I've always said it: the bigger the talent, the less of the self-inflated 'BS' and zillions of hangers-on merely making up the numbers, blowing smoke up the 'stars' backside - Kim Kardashian take note. Mr Black is one of the former breed, I'm delighted to report.
Arriving in a bog standard taxi, with just his publicist (a thoroughly pleasant chap who was far more excited to be accompanying his famous colleague to the UK to feed his Wagamama's obsession), the movie A-lister happily mingled with fans, taking photos, and even insisting on pilfering my smartphone himself to record a School of Rock video message to my pal's boys - legend.
The special screening, hosted by Fox, showcased the latest movie release in the super popular Kung Fu Panda franchise, which stars Black as the lovable panda Po. Bryan Cranston, Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan make up just some of the all star cast, and I was delighted to host the 'story so far...' with my pal, Heart FM's Toby Anstis.
Often at these events, the stars say a dutiful 'hello' to the audience, then sneak off to a backstage dressing room to carry on being 'too famous' - not Mr Black! After a very witty, funny and ad-libbed introduction, the actor handed over his mic, simply grabbed a chair in the front row, and joined in the banter from start to finish, much to our delight. A terrific chap, a hilarious movie, and one for all the family when it's released next spring.
What to Read Next
Back to this summer; this weekend, celebrities including sporting aces Gareth Bale and Mike Tindall, TV stars Philip Glenister, Vernon Kay and Ben Shephard, and pop stars Ronan Keating and Brian McFadden, joined a plethora of other fellow celebrity golfing enthusiasts at the annual Celebrity Cup, which was, yet again, superbly hosted by the luxury five star, Celtic Manor Resort and Spa in Wales.
The charity event really is THE feather in the cap of celebrity weekends, and rightly so - two days of entertaining golf, glamour and gala dinners, all attended by some of the biggest stars in telly and sport, all united for one reason - to have fun whilst raising awareness and funds for The Caron Keating Foundation.
The popular TV presenter tragically lost her fight with cancer a decade ago, and thanks to the care, determination and kindness of her husband, co- founder of media agency James Grant Management, Russ Lindsay, the golfing event continues to raise much needed funds for the cancer care charity. Thanks to the generosity of the players and punters who both donated and bid in their droves, a whopping £50k was raised in a matter of hours during the weekend's official dinner and dance - terrific!
Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale may be the world's most expensive football player, but I can confirm that he's also the shyest, kindest and most humble chap you ever could meet. Having already treated his mates to their tickets for the evening's entertainment, during the auction he offered up a bag of signed swag, with tickets to a game of choice thrown in for one lucky bidder. The footballer was clearly one of the most in-demand guests amongst the 600 diners, and happily posed for pics with enamoured fans.
'Props' to Boyzone's Ronan Keating too, who generously offered up VIP concert tickets with several 'extras' (including Ben Shephard at one point!) for eager auction bidders.
The party continued from the ballroom to a special friends and family party, where former England captain Tindall pulled out some impressive dance moves alongside his equally lively wife, the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips, who spent much of the evening in the DJ booth selecting tune after tune for the appreciative revellers.
Team Wales brothers, Max and Thom Evans, impressed with their dance skills (Thom clearly remembering some of his well rehearsed Strictly moves), and the Keating clan, which included Ronan's adorable kids and fiancée Storm Uechtritz, showed just how a family can throw some shapes en masse.
After a much-needed lie-in in the world's most comfy bed, followed by an uber lush full body massage in the hotel's Forum Spa, the final afternoon of game play continued on Sunday, with all players refreshed and sated after an award-winning breakfast (seriously the food at Celtic Manor is beyond fab!).
And so, after 4 games each, several lost balls, and a lot of laughs later, the weekend ended with a huge victory for host nation Team Wales, who clearly reaped the rewards of having an early night - Teams Ireland and England take note for next year - and celebrated their win in style.
A cracking weekend, a brilliant cause, and superbly organised and hosted from start to finish by The Celtic Manor team, special thanks to Lindsey Evans and Ness Russell - if you're after a few days' rest and relaxation in a cracking setting, you really can't beat what this resort has to offer... perhaps just give them a chance to restock the well-used bar from this event first!
