Former Premier league star Colin Hendry has faced more than his share of dark chapters in his life.
Last year he was given a 12-month restraining order after pleading guilty to harassment without violence for bombarding his ex-girlfriend with unwanted calls and gifts.
Former Premier League star Colin Hendry has faced more than his share of dark chapters in his life (Pictured in 1997 while playing for Scotland)
Beyond his legal troubles, Hendry’s battle with the man in the mirror has been a cause of distress for the sportsman, 60.
He has spoken candidly about the distress he felt after losing his famous blond locks and trademark mullet.
Now, however there are signs of light at the end of the tunnel, for Hendry, who captained Scotland at the 1998 World Cup, as I can reveal he is planning to write a book about his ordeal to tell his side of the story.
‘It’s something that I’ve decided I’m going to write about and include in a book,’ the Blackburn Rovers legend tells me.
‘It’s something that has got to be corrected from my point of view, and it’s something that is important to everybody around me and my family.’
Hendry appears in good spirits when we speak just days after undergoing his second hair transplant at Dr Mani Mittal’s clinic in London
The transplant was to combat male pattern baldness, a process that has cost him £12,000
‘They worked quite hard on me this time. I feel all right, I feel good'
Hendry appears in good spirits when we speak just days after undergoing his second hair transplant at Dr Mani Mittal’s clinic in London, to combat male pattern baldness, a process that has cost him £12,000.
Following a procedure he had nearly two years ago, his hair is beginning to grow back.
‘They worked quite hard on me this time. I feel all right, I feel good,’ he says. Speaking about his battle with hair loss, he says: ‘I didn’t really take it on board about how serious and how upsetting and how life-changing it could be, because my hair has always been part of me.’
Far from mere vanity, he insists the decision carried deeper emotional weight.
‘The amount of people who said to me, “oh, come on, big man, just get it shaved. Just shave it off and leave it” and for them not being in that situation, it’s easy. I couldn’t get used to not having hair.’
Speaking about his battle with hair loss, Hendry says: ‘I didn’t really take it on board about how serious and how upsetting and how life-changing it could be'
‘The amount of people who said to me, “oh, come on, big man, just get it shaved” and for them not being in that situation, it’s easy. I couldn’t get used to not having hair'
‘Denise loved my hair, she was a hairdresser and looked after it,’ says Hendry, who urges men who may be struggling as he did to seek help and ‘to talk to someone professionally’
Hendry admits, that restoring his hair is also, in part, a tribute to his late wife Denise, who died in 2009 from complications and a brain infection following a botched 2002 cosmetic liposuction procedure.
‘Denise, loved my hair, she was a hairdresser and looked after it,’ says Hendry, who urges men who may be struggling as he did to seek help and ‘to talk to someone professionally’.
Cannes charity gala snub to Fergie
Her whereabouts are currently the subject of intense debate, with feverish suggestions that she took refuge with her first great love, Paddy McNally, at his chalet in Verbier, before hot-footing it to Dubai.
But one thing is certain: Fergie will not be surfacing at the Knights of Charity gala at the Cannes Film Festival in May. ‘Sarah is no longer involved with the Knights of Charity gala and will not be attending this year’s event,’ founder Milutin Gatsby, assures me.
Sarah Ferguson and Knights of Charity gala founder Milutin Gatsby in 2022
‘She is in a sad situation and I hope God clears her pathway once in eternity.’
His good wishes may be scant consolation to Fergie, who, for the past year or two, has revelled in the lavish hospitality on offer at the gala.
‘Everybody just needs to be themselves – why is that not good enough?’ she asked at 2024’s bash.
Perhaps not quite good enough if it means being ‘bankrolled’ by Jeffrey Epstein for 15 years?
I’m wishing many happy returns to Vera star Brenda Blethyn, who was 80 yesterday. Revealing her mantra for ageing gracefully, she tells me at a red-carpet event in London: ‘Stop worrying about getting old and just live. I think there’s beauty in old age.’ The actress also urged younger counterparts to embrace their uniqueness, adding: ‘I don’t see why everyone wants to look the same as everybody else.’
Kiss and tell! Kimberley shows off her new beau
Kimberley Garner has never struggled for male attention – but has she finally found Mr Right?
The former Made In Chelsea star posted a video online of her locked in a passionate kiss with a mystery beau on a beach in the Maldives.
Garner, 35, who previously dated trader William Claeyssens de Tena, is refusing to name her new man, yet she’s clearly smitten.
Former Made In Chelsea star and now swimwear designer Kimberley Garner
She tells me: ‘I am in a new relationship but it’s early days.
‘We met through friends over the summer [last year] and we started dating three months ago.’
The swimwear designer says her boyfriend has already been making a positive change in her life and has inspired some of the menswear designs in her rebranded unisex label which is now called Sunday. She says of the brand, ‘it’s like a his-and-her concept’ and adds: ‘It’s a cute, fun thing to do. My boyfriend loves wearing the designs.’
Ms Garner posted a video online of her locked in a passionate kiss with a mystery beau on a beach in the Maldives
It's not unusual to be scammed by anyone... as Sir Tom Jones and his fans have discovered.
The Delilah singer, 85, has warned fraudsters are impersonating him online to con social media users.
‘There are many fake online profiles impersonating Sir Tom Jones,’ his management said. ‘Sir Tom does not personally or directly communicate to individuals via his social channels.’
They added: ‘It’s sad and disheartening to hear of these scammers attempting to trap and abuse vulnerable people.’
I want more queer roles, pleads Erin
Erin Doherty shot to fame playing Princess Anne in The Crown.
Now Erin, 35, whom last year I revealed was in a relationship with NHS radiographer Sinead Donnelly hopes to explore more ‘queer’ roles.
‘I’m massively excited about queer storytelling,’ she reveals.
The Golden Globe winning star of Netflix miniseries Adolescence says the LGBT community needs more adequate representation on screen. ‘It’s been there in the background, it’s like “okay, you’re the [LGBT] friend,” it’s a bit tropey,’ she explains, adding: ‘Whether it’s film, TV, or a play, I want to tell queer stories.’
And the actress still longs to receive a script for such a storyline, saying: ‘It’s just not come my way yet.’
Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes believes the British stiff upper lip culture is driving people to counselling. ‘I’ve never done therapy,’ says Lord Fellowes. ‘I’ve always been pretty lucky in having friends I can really talk to.’ He adds: ‘Some of the English [people] don’t have that, they can talk as long as the subject is safe, but they don’t give much away of themselves. For that reason, therapy is not as important to me as it might be.’
Pippa Middleton starts revamp of her £15million manor
While her older sister, the Princess of Wales, strains every sinew to shore up the House of Windsor at this critical time, I can disclose that Pippa Middleton is revving up for demolition.
Pippa and her husband, hedge fund executive James Matthews, have been given the green light to get cracking at the Berkshire manor house they bought for £15million in 2022. The wrecking ball won’t be smashing into the manor – a listed gem, dating from the seventh century – but what’s described as a ‘modern lean-to extension added in the 1970s’.
The couple aren’t hostile to all modernity, however. They have permission for an AstroTurf tennis court and swimming pool.
I'll see you in court, Laurence Fox tells theatre
He famously won an apology and an out of court settlement from actors’ union Equity for branding him ‘a disgrace’ after he’d argued on BBC’s Question Time, in 2020, that Meghan Markle was not a victim of racism.
Laurence Fox, 47, is in the mood for another set-to – this time with the Theatre Royal Winchester
Now Laurence Fox, 47, is in the mood for another set-to – this time with the Theatre Royal Winchester, which, he claims, ‘cancelled’ him from appearing in a forthcoming production because of his political views.
The Theatre Royal insists that this is not the case, saying that it was independent producers who decided against hiring the Lewis star, but Fox is having none of it. Indeed, he’s eager that the next act be played out in court.
The Theatre Royal, he tells me, is ‘Charity Commission regulated. My political values have nothing to do with whether I can act or not.’
Immediately after his ‘cancellation’, he adds, he was contacted by a no-win, no-fee lawyer who is initiating proceedings on his behalf.
Single Sabrina's ready to party
Society model Sabrina Percy recently filed for divorce from her husband, the Franco Manca pizza heir Phineas Page, whom she married in 2021 – and she appears ready to embrace a fun new chapter.
Lady Sabrina Percy attends the Dynasty Dinner at Park Chinois on February 18
The former Tatler cover girl has revealed she is back on the party scene, after taking five years out to become a chartered psychologist.
‘I took a break from partying... while I was studying because I thought I couldn’t be taken seriously doing psychology and fashion illustration,’ she tells me at the Wolf & Badger x Lulu Guinness party in Soho, London.
‘I had to separate myself from that world for a bit, but I’m back now,’ she explains.
Sabrina, 36, related to the Duke of Northumberland, is also reviving her career as an illustrator.
‘I was at a party this week for a brand called Fanbod and that was actually the first illustration job that I’ve got back into for such a long time.’
An award for me? You must be joking, Sophie tells festival
Winning the Artist of Distinction award at the Newport Beach Film Festival UK & IE offered Sophie Turner a moment of sweet redemption. The Game of Thrones star joked in her acceptance speech about the word ‘distinction’.
‘When I hear it, I think of school and the many distinctions I never received,’ said the actress, 29. ‘Even my drama GCSE I got a B, which is not bad, but is some distance short of a distinction.’
Turner, who was educated at Warwick’s King’s High School, which costs £7,290 a term, added: ‘So to be considered an artist of distinction is to recognise the work behind the scenes that has elevated a B-grade drama student to the stage right here.’
The accolade comes after a turbulent few years for the mother-of-two’s love life.
Following the breakdown of her marriage, to Joe Jonas, she found love with Peregrine ‘Perry’ Pearson, Viscount Cowdray’s son and heir and was recently linked to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
(Very) modern manners
Conservative peer Howard Leigh believes Parliament’s new security fence does little to improve the image of MPs. ‘It’s an outrage that a Grade I listed building should have that in front,’ he tells me at the Henley Festival 2026 Launch Party in Marylebone. ‘It makes us look like a prison.’
