How Elton John helped pal Lloyd Webber (and other A-listers) give up booze

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Andrew Lloyd Webber, who struggled with alcohol, credits his friend Elton John – whom he calls the ‘godfather of rehab’ – with helping him get sober.

The singer has assisted numerous celebrities, such as Donatella Versace, Robbie Williams, Rufus Wainwright, and Eminem, in overcoming addiction. Friends have also stated he was crucial in helping Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber achieve sobriety, a fact the composer himself confirmed recently.

We’ve also learned that long before the composer achieved sobriety himself, he quietly helped many of his West End peers get sober too. He even paid for several to attend rehab, sometimes multiple times.

After his son Nick passed away from stomach cancer in March 2023, he initially turned to alcohol, but then he found help at AA meetings and successfully got sober.

He’d struggled with alcohol for three decades before Nick passed away, so that wasn’t the cause of his issues. However, things definitely worsened after his child died, which is a natural reaction to such a loss.

‘Elton stepped in. He and [husband] David Furnish have both been phenomenal.

Knowing Andrew was going through a difficult time, Elton contacted him and offered support, which he provided.

My friend also mentioned that Andrew has quietly helped others for many years, including paying for residential rehab treatment for several people.

‘Some of them have been famous people, and some of them have just been figures in the West

End – involved in his musicals, or not. One of them was a quite well–known actress.’

According to a source, Sir Andrew would discreetly offer to cover the costs of rehabilitation for anyone he learned was battling addiction.

The 78-year-old entertainment executive recently shared with The Sunday Times Culture magazine that he’s been sober for 16 months and regularly attends daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to maintain his recovery.

He admitted he’d led himself to believe his friends and family didn’t realize how much he was drinking, but acknowledged, ‘Everyone knows, really.’

Andrew Lloyd Webber, the famous composer behind musicals like Evita and The Phantom of the Opera, recently attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Switzerland. He shared that being well-known hadn’t hindered his recovery journey. He also went to a meeting in New York earlier this month, on the very same day his new show, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, premiered on Broadway, and surprisingly, no one acknowledged his presence.

The composer is selling the last of his wine collection, built up over decades since he was a teenager. He’s donating the proceeds to help high school students from low-income backgrounds experience classical music.

Elton John, now 79, once helped Donatella Versace through a difficult time, and she later credited him with saving her life. However, not everyone he tried to help took his advice; both George Michael and Whitney Houston declined his offers of support.

 

Daring old man in his flying machine

Bloody Dangerous, a book by 105–year–old flying ace Colin Bell, has enjoyed heart–warming success.

I recently had the incredible honor of speaking with a true hero, a veteran who flew Mosquito bombers during World War II. He shared some amazing stories about his 50 missions – incredibly brave work that earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross. And get this – he didn’t slow down after the war! He continued working as a chartered surveyor and only retired at the age of 98. It just goes to show you can live a full and impactful life at any age!

Remarkably, the book – Bell’s first – reached number two in the non–fiction charts.

One of the tales recounts how, on his final mission, a tyre burst when he took off from France.

Bell disregarded the standard landing procedure when he returned home. Instead of landing on the plane’s belly as instructed, he landed on just one wheel because he was providing a ride to a coworker.

Afterward, his commanding officer explained that a failed attempt at that dangerous maneuver would have resulted in a court-martial.

Bell said with a touch of dryness, “If I’d been caught, there’d have been nothing left to bring me up on charges for.”

 

Ralf Little, who starred as DI Neville Parker in Death In Paradise for four years, has confessed that the show’s storylines don’t always hold up under close scrutiny.

He explained that each episode would finish with his character exposing the killer and their motive. However, Ralf, 46, would then jokingly question the crew, asking where the solid forensic evidence was to support that conclusion in a real court of law.

As someone who watches a lot of detective shows, I’ve learned it’s usually best not to overthink things! Seriously, if you start picking apart every little detail, you’ll probably just end up more confused. Sometimes it’s better to just enjoy the ride and not dwell on every plot point.

 

Keira to spend summer in France, with an old flame 

Now that’s what I call interesting timing.

Keira Knightley, recently the subject of rumors about her marriage to James Righton, will be filming a movie in France this summer. Interestingly, she’ll be working alongside her former partner, Jamie Dornan.

“The Worst” marks the first time actor Simon Woods has directed a film. He also wrote the screenplay, a satirical comedy that pokes fun at wealthy people.

Woods played Charles Bingley in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie starring…Keira Knightley.

In the film The Worst, Jamie Dornan plays a talent agent who frequently boasts about his famous clients. His character clashes with everyone at a disastrous dinner party in Provence, hosted by a socialite played by Alicia Vikander. Dornan previously dated Keira Knightley for three years.

Keira’s husband, Jamie Righton, who was once in the band Klaxons, was seen without his wedding ring earlier this week, but he put it back on a few days later. They have two daughters together, Edie, age ten, and Delilah, age six.

 

The animated KPop film, Demon Hunters, became Netflix’s biggest hit last year, attracting almost 500 million viewers.

You won’t be surprised to hear producers have already signed a (lucrative) deal to make a sequel.

The most popular movie on Netflix right now is “Thrash,” a fun, albeit cheesy, film about a town overrun by sharks. I particularly enjoyed a scene where Phoebe Dynevor hilariously pulls her baby out of the water using its umbilical cord – it really made me laugh!

My husband really didn’t like my latest film – he said it was the worst one he’s ever seen! But you can’t expect everyone to enjoy everything, right?

 

Sanctions? What Sanctions? Kanye will play two nights in Moscow after Wireless ban

Kanye West is reportedly planning to perform two concerts in Russia’s largest stadium, despite ongoing sanctions related to the war in Ukraine.

This news follows the cancellation of London’s Wireless Festival, which had previously announced the rapper as a headliner. The festival cancelled after facing public backlash over the rapper’s anti-Semitic remarks.

The Government then cancelled West’s ETA travel permit.

Plans for him to perform in France and Poland this summer have collapsed, too.

Okay, so, Ye – that’s what he prefers, you know – he’s always been… outspoken. Let’s just say he doesn’t always think before he speaks. Everyone was hoping this European tour would be his comeback, a way to show everyone he’s changed and get back on track. It was supposed to be his chance to prove everyone wrong, honestly. I was so excited, hoping it would work!

But now he looks set to pull off an even more audacious and controversial comeback.

I’m so excited! I just heard that he’s planning to announce two shows at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow – it’s huge, one of the biggest in Europe with over 81,000 seats! And apparently, people close to the deal are saying he’s going to publicly apologize to Vladimir Putin for everything he said – the anti-Semitic comments, you know. It’s a big step, and I’m really interested to see how it all plays out.

The US continues to impose sanctions on Russia, meaning trade with the country carries the risk of significant fines and penalties. Despite this, I’m hearing reports that Kanye West is determined to perform shows there. A source claims he was extremely upset about the recent issues with his Wireless Festival appearance, adding that the root cause of the problems is his own history of making antisemitic remarks.

Okay, so I heard about the Russia dates, and honestly, it just proves Kanye is on another level. Someone told me no normal agency would touch a deal like that – too risky, too unconventional. But Kanye? He doesn’t need them anymore! He’s completely taking control, making his own deals, and doing things exactly how he wants. It’s amazing, honestly. He’s a total visionary!

He’ll really need a lot of support from his friends who work for Trump to make this successful.

His decision to perform in Russia could create more difficulties for the countries, like Italy and the Netherlands, where he is still scheduled to play concerts this year.

He published a full-page apology in The Wall Street Journal for his anti-Semitic lyrics and comments, explaining them as a result of his bipolar disorder. This now seems like a first step in his effort to revive his career.

Russia has been sanctioned by the US, UK and EU since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

 

Jack Whitehall once had a particularly posh heckler at one of his shows. He remembers performing in Putney, a neighborhood near his home, and noticing a lot of people dressed in traditional, upper-class clothing – red cords and Barbour jackets.

I was working on a piece about Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and I figured it made sense to focus on someone who was already in the public eye.

I told a joke about someone turning on an Aga cooker. Then, someone in the audience pointed out that Agas don’t actually have an ‘on’ switch – that’s the whole joke!

‘I was like: ‘Wow, that is the poshest heckle that has ever been shouted out at a comedy club.’

‘And he got a ripple of applause!’

 

Sans beard, I’m an egghead

Matthew Macfadyen admitted he was disappointed to finish playing Charles Guiteau in the Netflix series Death By Lightning, simply because he enjoyed the character’s appearance.

He shared on the Prestige Junkie podcast that he really enjoyed having a beard, comparing it to wearing a hat because it noticeably altered his appearance.

Shaving can be a bit scary because it makes your face look pale and strangely shaped, almost like an egg. It can also be unsettling for your kids to see you like that, especially the way your upper lip looks.

The actor, best known for playing Tom Wambsgans on Succession, admitted he worried about what he’d do after the show ended, fearing nothing else could measure up.

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2026-04-24 02:05