On the day the Leveson Inquiry report is due to be published I felt the following quote was appropriate. For anyone who is pushing for a state-regulated press, my only comment is be very careful what you wish for. I would also give this comment piece from Daily Express columnist Leo McKinstry a read. This is from the Press Freedom Index 2011- 2012. “Crackdown was the word of the year in 2011.  "Never has freedom of information been so closely associated with democracy. Never have journalists, through their reporting, vexed the enemies of freedom so much.  "Never have acts of censorship and physical attacks on journalists seemed so numerous.  "The equation is simple: the absence or suppression of civil liberties leads necessarily to the suppression of media freedom.  " Dictatorships fear and ban information, especially when it may undermine them.

For anyone who needed a reminder that you should never give up, there is no finer example than this. Of course, when it comes to citing tenacity, determination and sheer unbridled drive, no beacon shines brighter than our beloved Queen of Pop. We all know the Madonna legend – turning up in Times Square at the age of 17 after hailing a New York cab and asking to be “taken to the centre of everything”. Having nothing but the clothes she was wearing, 36 dollars in her pocket and a conviction that she was going to be the biggest star in the world. We also know she was turned away from audition after audition after audition, told she couldn’t sing, couldn’t dance, and would be better off forgetting about being a performer. She posed naked for art students and worked part time in a donut shop  to earn enough money to pay for dance classes. I wonder what Madonna thinks when she looks back on those early years. Madonna – the legend, the trailblazer for every ...

You know it’s almost Christmas when the Royal Variety Performance is on in London. And the Royal Albert Hall was in fine fettle last night as the show took to the stage for the 100th time. One of the good things about my job is you get invited along to these things to meet the celebs as they rehearse during the day. So yesterday morning, I took myself down to Kensington to do some glitzy hob-nobbing in the Royal Variety press room. Robbie Williams, and Kylie Minogue decided they weren’t going to play ball and snubbed the press, leaving most of Fleet Street's elite, who had been there all day, just a little frustrated. Maybe they consider themselves above talking to the British media? In any case, they have both taken a descent in my estimation. That aside, most of the others with equally busy schedules managed to spare a few minutes to come and have a chat. Of course, the stars of the show were Britain’s Got Talent winners, dancing dog act Pudsey and A...

Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear. Outspoken celebrity chef Clarissa Dickson Wright, known for delivering controversial comments sans censor, has caused a stir among the Muslim community. The tartly dame has been spouting off about multiculturalism, saying she “feels like an outcast in her own country” - naughty, naughty. Clarissa, button it. Surely you know you can't make comments likethat???  The row kicked off as she publishes a book  about her travels through our green and pleasant land. It seems she found out, much to her dismay, that some parts of our land are not as green and pleasant as she was expecting. The cook, one half of the television show Two Fat Ladies,  was shocked to find herself thrown among the Islamic community of Leicester during a chance, and unplanned visit to the city.  She doesn't recall the experience favourably. And her observations have sparked a row of Biblical proportions (am I allowed to say that?). Instead of ...

What I wouldn’t give to be a good sleeper. Anyone who knows me, or indeed has spend a night in the same house as me, will know a peaceful night is a rarity for me. Although I have always been the same It is something I wish could get to the bottom of. Sleep is important for heart health, a healthy immune system, stress, hormone production, mood, memory just to mention a few basic functions. It is, in fact the foundation of a healthy body and mind. Any insomniac will tell you there is nothing worse than lying wide awake at 3am with your mind churning over, your body crying out for it to shut up and let you get some rest. Or worse, a string of wakes from midnight through to 6am - on the hour every hour. So thanks to beds company Dreams for sending me some sleep info yesterday. Here are their expert tips for getting to sleep: Add  lavender or chamomile oil to your pillow. Bedroom temperature is vital to a good night’s sleep, the optimum tempera...