She took the male-dominated world of finance by storm, becoming a chief executive when only 35, was later made a baroness and government adviser, and has written two books (so far) as well as giving birth to nine children along the way.
But ‘Superwoman’ Helena Morrissey has never pretended that she could have managed without her husband, Richard, explaining that they’ve ‘made things work – most of the time’.
Alas, the same cannot be said of the second oldest of her offspring, singer-songwriter Flo Morrissey, whose first album, Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful, was acclaimed for its ‘graceful, preternaturally wise songs’.
Seven years after she and the arguably even more talented Benjamin Clementine, winner of the 2015 Mercury Prize, married in a ‘stunning ceremony’ – with her siblings singing George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord as she advanced down the aisle – the couple, right, have split up.
Baroness Morrissey with her daughter Flo on her wedding day
Seven years after Flo married singer-songwriter Benjamin Clementine, the couple have split up
‘It feels right for me to not hide that I got divorced,’ Flo, 31, confirms, saying: ‘As we all know, life and time can hold many truths at once.
‘Both wonderful and terribly hard things happen.’
The parting is all the more poignant given that the couple, who have two children, had also performed as The Clementines.
Born to Ghanaian parents, Benjamin, 37, grew up in London, where his father insisted that his sons wear suits, not hoodies and tracksuits, causing him to be picked on by other boys who decided that he was effeminate.
Leaving home at 17, he slept rough, first in London, then in Paris, where he busked on the Metro underground.
In summer 2017, he declared to an interviewer: ‘Right now, I’m not in love.’ Flo gave birth to their first child on Christmas Day that year.
Hamnet actress Jessie Buckley, who told her co-star Paul Mescal ‘I bloody love you’ as she scooped the Best Actress prize at the Critics’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles this week, has revealed the secret to their on-screen bond. ‘We had a ‘chemistry’ read,’ explains the actress, 36, who plays Shakespeare’s wife Agnes. ‘Luckily, it worked. It would have been a bit depressing if I was the only woman in the world not to find chemistry with Paul Mescal.’Â
Daisy’s maid of honour role for bride Ella
They played twin sisters in ITV’s hit comedy drama Cold Feet in 2017.
Now, Normal People star Daisy Edgar-Jones and Ella Hunt have proved that they’ve remained close friends.
Daisy Edgar Jones, right, and Ella Hunt pictured at Ella’s wedding
Daisy, 27, had a real-life starring role as maid of honour at the wedding of Ella, also 27, and American pop musician Thomas Bartlett, 44, better known as Doveman. ‘They got married and it was perfect,’ says Daisy, who has become a Hollywood star. Yesterday, she was announced as a brand ambassador for cosmetics giant Estee Lauder.
Ella, who’s pictured with Daisy at the wedding reception, describes Daisy as the ‘greatest maid of honour of all time’.
Being accused of a series of sexual assaults doesn’t seem to have harmed Russell Brand’s bankability.
I can disclose that the comedian, who has pleaded not guilty to five charges, made £4 million last year, boosting his fortune to £12 million.
Brand, 50, who moved to the US with his wife, Laura, 38, and their two young daughters, has seen his wealth in his main British company shoot up from £8 million in 2024, a 50 per cent increase, according to newly published figures.
His company, Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm Ltd, channels cash from his social media empire which includes regular conspiracy-style shows on video streaming platforms such as Rumble and YouTube. The new figures show he earned so much that he paid £1.83 million in corporation tax.
It’s John Cold-well: phone chillionaire!
What first attracted Olympic cyclist Modesta Vzesniauskaite to the billionaire John Caudwell?
Clearly it’s his toughness.
The Phones4U founder, 73, who has two young children with Modesta, 42, posted a photograph online of him rolling about in the snow while wearing only a pair of shorts.
‘Has it snowed where you are?’ he wrote, apparently from Broughton Hall, his Jacobean manor in Staffordshire. ‘I call this snow-rolling.’
Dame Emma Thompson has made a fortune in showbusiness and won two Oscars, but she still believes that women remain as oppressed as they were 50 years ago in Hollywood and wider society.
Claiming that she was treated poorly for being an outspoken woman and being an activist, the actress says: ‘Don’t take too much space up, don’t have opinions. Just don’t say anything. Just shut up, actually.
‘It costs because you get called bossy, you get called mouthy, or you get called bitchy. Just because you’ve expressed an opinion that is not that of a doormat.’
