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Julia Roberts shares rare throwback pic on twins' birthday

<p>Julia Roberts, the timeless Hollywood icon, recently spread waves of joy and nostalgia across the internet as she celebrated the 19th birthday of her delightful twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus Moder.</p> <p>In a heartwarming Instagram post, the 56-year-old actress opened the treasure trove of old photo albums to share a precious throwback, capturing a moment from the early 2000s when her twins were just infants.</p> <p>The enchanting snapshot reveals Roberts, adorned with the timeless grace that made her a <em>Pretty Woman</em>, seated cross-legged on the floor, cradling her tiny bundles of joy in her arms.</p> <p>The image is a testament to the unspoken joy, the endless fun, and the wild rumpus of life that the actress cherishes with her beloved children. In a caption that twinkles with emotion, Roberts expressed, "✨✨19✨✨ There are no words for the joy, the fun, the wild rumpus of life together. 💕"</p> <p>Roberts shares this beautiful journey of parenthood with her husband, the talented cinematographer Daniel Moder. The couple tied the knot in 2002, their love story unfolding on the set of <em>The Mexican</em> two years prior.</p> <p>The twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus, made their entrance into the world in 2004, followed by the arrival of their younger brother Henry in 2007.</p> <p>While the world has been privy to glimpses of Roberts' family life through occasional throwback photos, the actress has been deliberate in keeping her children away from the prying eyes of social media.</p> <p>In a candid interview with <em>The Sun</em> in 2019, Roberts shared her thoughts on navigating parenthood in the digital age, acknowledging the unique challenges it presents.</p> <p>"It's interesting trying to raise kids in this day because it's all so new — the pressures, the resources, having the world in your hand like that," Roberts mused. "I try to keep them off social media because I don't really understand what they need that for right now."</p> <p>Last year, Roberts commemorated Hazel and Phinnaeus' milestone 18th birthday with yet another heartwarming throwback, a testament to the enduring bond she shares with her twins. The caption read simply, "🌟🌟18🌟🌟 Love you." The image, taken in the heart of the family kitchen, captured a moment of pure maternal bliss as Roberts lifted one twin in the air while the other sat surrounded by toys.</p> <p>In the preceding year, for their 17th birthday, Roberts treated her followers to a delightful selfie featuring the radiant trio. The caption exuded pride and love, "17 of the Sweetest years of life ✨ 👫♥️🥳," adorned with celebratory cake emojis.</p> <p>As Julia Roberts and her family continue to celebrate the passage of time, these glimpses into their lives serve as a reminder of the beauty of family, the enduring bonds of love, and the joy found in the simple, precious moments of life.</p> <p>Here's to many more years of love, laughter, and unforgettable family memories for the Roberts-Moder clan! ✨🎉💖</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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"I am not a monster": Disturbing reason police have seized phone of woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann

<p>Polish woman Julia Faustyna who went viral over <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/woman-shares-evidence-that-she-is-madeleine-mccann" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claims she could be Madeleine McCann </a>has had her phone seized by US police over claims it contains explicit images of children.</p> <p>The phone was given to authorities by a former spokesperson for Faustyna and psychic private investigator Fia Johansson.</p> <p>The phone was reportedly left with Johansson when she brought Faustyna, 21, to the US for <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/julia-faustyna-takes-dna-test-to-prove-wild-identity-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DNA and family ancestry test results</a> over her claiming to be the missing toddler.</p> <p>The results confirmed that Faustyna was “absolutely, 100 per cent from Poland".</p> <p>Johansson handed the phone over to police during a search and seizure as part of an investigation, but the reason behind what prompted the pursuit remains unknown, according to the <em>New York Post</em>.</p> <p>Wroclaw police in Poland were contacted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and were informed that they were in possession of a phone thought to belong to Faustyna, according to a <em>RadarOnline.com</em> report.</p> <p>“Our investigation is taking a deep look into it and we’re going to let them do their investigative duties and then from that point let the judicial system take over – if it needs to,” department spokesman Sergeant Mike Woodroof said.</p> <p>Johansson reportedly added, “I’m told an investigator from the Sheriff’s Department is personally taking the device to Poland to make sure it doesn’t get lost or misplaced.”</p> <p>She also shared an image of a denied release of case information form from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department on social media, including a statement regarding the investigation.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrJh_DVvl3i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrJh_DVvl3i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Dr. Fia Johansson (@persianmedium)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“There will be no comment or discussion at this time or moving forward concerning the active ongoing investigation with Orange County Sheriff’s Department and special public affairs division due to protocol and the sensitivity and nature of the intelligence that has been gathered and rendered,” she said.</p> <p>“It’s an active investigation and DA will not comment out of concern for the safety of the victims.”</p> <p>After Faustyna received her DNA test results and appeared on Dr Phil, Johannson revealed she travelled back to Poland to live with her father.</p> <p>The DNA results prompted <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/madeleine-mccann-s-parents-speak-out-after-dna-test-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Madeleine McCann’s parents to break their silence</a> after months of emotional turmoil.</p> <p>Faustyna now denies all the allegations against her to reporters.</p> <p>“I didn’t have child pornography on my phone. I am not a paedo and I never tried to encourage any teenagers to do anything illegal and bad and disgusting,” she told <em>The Sun</em>.</p> <p>“Just think carefully, if someone is a paedo, I believe this person would never go by himself to a police station or this person would never talk about what I was talking in public to the whole world because it would be very dangerous for this person.</p> <p>“It is not logical ... I am saying the truth and I will make my name clean because I am not a monster.”</p> <p>She told <em>The Sun</em> she had purchased the phone from an unknown person, saying that if there were explicit images on her phone they were put there by someone else.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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Madeleine McCann's parents speak out after DNA test results

<p>Madeleine McCann's parents have spoken out after the results of Julia Faustyna's DNA test have returned. </p> <p>Julia Faustyna, a 21-year-old Polish woman, has been claiming to be the missing British child in a high-profile campaign that has seen her undergo a DNA test to prove her identity.</p> <p>The DNA results determined that Julia is not Maddie, despite Julia's claims of having similar facial features, suffering an abusive childhood and had starting to question her parentage as a result. </p> <p>Private detective Dr Fia Johansson arranged for Julia to give samples in the US for extensive DNA tests - including a DNA test similar to a 23andMe test, which established she is not Madeleine.</p> <p>The test looked into her heritage, and showed that she is from Poland, with some Lithuanian and Romanian heritage, <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21808585/who-julia-wendell-madeleine-mccann/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Sun</em></a> reported, but nothing to suggest any link to the McCann's. </p> <p>In response, a spokesman for Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann said, “There isn’t anything to report at this time. If and when there is, it will come from The Metropolitan Police.”</p> <p>Julia is also facing a nervous wait for the results of further health tests as doctors fear she <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/news/news/sad-health-news-for-woman-claiming-to-be-madeleine-mccann" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may have leukaemia</a>, Dr Johansson - with Julia’s permission - revealed to <em>The Sun</em>.</p> <p>She said, “Her health is very poor she has bad asthma and she suffers lots of pain in her bones."</p> <p>“She is booked in for a CT and MRI scan because of the pain in her bones."</p> <p>“Her blood work is also abnormal so my doctor here in the US is investigating whether she could have leukaemia so we are awaiting the results of that."</p> <p>“And if she needs any treatment we will make sure she gets that.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Sad health news for woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann

<p>The Polish woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann has been dealt a devastating blow, while in the middle of an investigation to prove her identity. </p> <p>Julia Faustyna has been subject to a number of medical tests, such as DNA testing, MRIs and CT scans, which have unearthed a problem bigger than Julia's seemingly unknown heritage. </p> <p>The 21-year-old may be battling cancer, her spokeswoman has revealed, and she is awaiting test results back over fears she has leukaemia.</p> <p>“We are still waiting on the result of DNA testing that will show us exactly what Julia’s ethnic background is and what country she and her true family are from. These kinds of tests are very accurate,” Ms Wendell’s representative and private detective Dr Fia Johansson told <em><a title="www.thesun.co.uk" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21719616/girl-madeleine-mccann-dna-ancestry-cancer/">The Sun</a></em>.</p> <p>“Of course depending on the result of that we will continue our investigation to see if Julia is could be Madeleine or another missing person."</p> <p>“But now the focus is on Julia as a person - not Madeleine."</p> <p>“She has had a neglected childhood and suffered much abuse."</p> <p>“Her health is very poor she has bad asthma and she suffers lots of pain in her bones... and she is booked in for another CT and MRI scan."</p> <p>“Her blood work is also abnormal so my doctor here in the US is investigating whether she could have leukaemia so we are awaiting the results of that. And if she needs any treatment we will make sure she gets that.”</p> <p>Julia has submitted samples for three different forensic examinations that will outline her DNA sequence, along with a genetic test to establish her ancestry. </p> <p>If Ms Faustyna's ancestry comes from the same region as Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, Dr Johansson said she will immediately send the DNA sequence to Portuguese investigators for comparison.</p> <p>The news of Julia's deteriorating health comes just weeks after she was forced to <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/finance/legal/woman-claiming-to-be-madeleine-mccann-flees-home-country-amid-death-threats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flee</a> her home country of Poland and relocate to the US after receiving countless death threats over her claims. </p> <p><span style="font-size: 16px; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; background-color: #ffffff;">Dr <span style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Johansson</span> said Ms Faustyna felt “terrified” after receiving threats and vile messages from online haters, with one death threat even putting a $48,000 bounty on her head.</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram / Getty Images</em></p>

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Woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann flees home country amid death threats

<p>A Polish woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann has fled her home country for the United States after being bombarded with death threats.</p> <p>Julia Faustyna left her homeland with California-based private detective and psychic medium Dr Fia Johansson, who is now working on the case and believes she could be the key to cracking it.</p> <p>Dr Johansson, who is renowned for working with police and private investigators to solve missing person cases around the world, said Ms Faustyna was no longer safe in Poland.</p> <p>She said Ms Faustyna felt “terrified” after receiving threats and vile messages from online haters, with one death threat even putting a $48,000 bounty on her head.</p> <p>Dr Johansson, who believes there are a lot of “unanswered questions” surrounding the mystery, flew to Poland to meet with Julia, but determined that she could not continue investigation amid the barrage of abuse online. </p> <p>The pair have now flown to the US, with Ms Faustyna, who has also been forced to close her viral Instagram account after claiming to be the missing British girl who disappeared at the age of three in Portugal in 2007, appearing in a post at LAX Airport.</p> <p>“I’m excited, thank you, Fia,” she said. “Never give up and believe in yourself dreams will come true.”</p> <p>Dr Johansson wrote, “Thanks for the extra protection; I love you USA. Welcome to USA Julia – the land of love and dreams.”</p> <p>In an interview with <em>The Sun</em>, Dr Johansson said her first priority was to keep Ms Faustyna safe.</p> <p>“The haters have been attacking Julia since she came forward,” she said. “The situation in Poland is she has nobody. Her family won’t talk to her."</p> <p>“Julia has never said, ‘I am Madeleine McCann.’ She has lots of questions about her past and she asked for help. We are open to all possibilities.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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Julia Faustyna takes DNA test to prove wild identity claims

<p>Julia Faustyna, the Polish woman who is convinced she is the missing Madeleine McCann, has reportedly taken a DNA test to prove her claim.</p> <p>However, in a stunning twist to the tale, Faustyna’s private investigation with spokesperson Dr Fia Johansson has led the young woman to consider the possibility that she may actually be another missing child - Livia Schepp, who went missing with her twin sister in Switzerland in 2011. </p> <p>“I’ve spoken to her about this and she is open to the fact she could be any missing child out there,” Dr Johansson said while speaking to <em>The Sun</em>. “Not just Madeleine. Julia wants to know the truth about who she is.” </p> <p>While Faustyna’s main argument has involved the physical similarities between herself and Madeleine McCann, one of the pivotal points in her story is how she recognised a suspect from McCann’s case - a man she has named as her own abuser. </p> <p>“One of the reasons she made the connection to Madeleine is because one of the suspects in Madeleine’s case looks very much like a man who she says abused her as a child,” Dr Johansson explained. “But the same man could be connected to Madeleine and other missing children, this is how predators and traffickers work.”</p> <p>“Julia has taken a DNA test,” she confirmed, “and we are investigating if it’s possible to check her DNA with that of [the] missing Livia. We are investigating all possibilities at this stage.” </p> <p>Livia Schepp - and her twin sister Alessia - went missing when they were six, after their father abducted them from Switzerland in 2011. Days later, he took his own life in Italy, and when police discovered the body, the twins were nowhere to be seen. </p> <p>Faustyna, who claims to have post-traumatic amnesia due to sexual abuse in her childhood, lacks clear recollection of her formative years, and has stated while she can recall holidays, she doesn’t “recall my mother being there, for example, or my stepfather, much less my dad.”</p> <p>Whether or not any of Faustyna’s theories are true, the public will have to keep speculating, as no results have yet been shared. </p> <p>However, Faustyna’s viral “@iammadeleinemccan”, where she was sharing updates and side-by-side comparisons with her followers, has since been deleted from the platform. </p> <p>The removal coincides with reports of the DNA test, and after Faustyna closed both her Facebook and Tiktok accounts, disputing her parent’s claim that she was only in this for attention when she said “if you don’t like me, please unfollow. I don’t want fans or followers.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram, Twitter</em></p>

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Julia Roberts learns shocking family secret

<p>In an interview with Ancestry's<em> Finding Your Roots</em> series, Julia Roberts discovered a shocking fact about her connection to the Roberts family, dating back over 150 years ago.</p> <p>Dr Henry Louis Gates Jr dug into her family tree and discovered that Julia Roberts' real name should be Julia Mitchells.</p> <p>The revelation came after Dr Gates found that Rhoda Scuttle, the actress' great-great-grandmother, had an affair.</p> <p>"Digging into Georgia's County archives, we discovered that sometime in the 1850s, Rhoda married a man named Willis Roberts," Dr Gates said.</p> <p>"Julia carries Willis' last name, but Willis passed away in 1864, over a decade before Rhoda gave birth to Julia's great-grandfather, John, leading to an inescapable conclusion."</p> <p>That conclusion was, "Willis Roberts could not possibly be your great-great-grandfather. He was dead."</p> <p>The <em>Pretty Woman</em> actress was left at a loss for words, "wait, am I not a Roberts?" she asked.</p> <p>Dr Gates then explained that he dug deeper into her history, using her DNA and found that she and her other relatives are linked to one man:</p> <p>Henry McDonald Mitchell Jr.</p> <p>"We found a cluster of matches that tie Julia and her cousin to one man," the ancestry expert said.</p> <p>"So, we're Mitchells?" Julia responded in disbelief. Dr Gates confirmed that her real name should be "Julia Mitchells".</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Julia Roberts shares adorable throwback pic in celebration of her twins' birthday

<p>Julia Roberts has celebrated the 18th birthday of her twins with an adorable throwback photo. </p> <p>The Hollywood actress shared a snap from when her children, Finn and Hazel, were younger on Instagram while sending them well wishes for their birthday milestone. </p> <p>The photo shows a young Julia holding one of her babies while the other looks on. </p> <p>She posted the photo with the simple caption, "🌟🌟18🌟🌟 Love you".</p> <p>The 55-year-old Oscar winner also shares another child with husband Daniel 'Danny' Moder: their 15-year-old son Henry.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClhFFqby85b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClhFFqby85b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Julia Roberts (@juliaroberts)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Fans flocked to the comments section, where Tom Hank's wife Rita Wilson wrote, "It can't be!!!!!!! Happy Birthday!!!!", while Jennifer Aniston was among the 400,000 people who likes the candid photo. </p> <p>The doting mother also shared a picture of the twins last year on their 17th birthday with the caption, "17 of the Sweetest years of life."</p> <p>Roberts gushed over her husband Daniel and their three children as she opened up about her family life in an interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPu5SSYe_t0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">CBS This Morning</a> in October.</p> <p>The award-winning actress, who has been married to the cinematographer for over 20 years, said, "acting is my dream, but it is not my only dream come true".</p> <p>Roberts insisted that her home life "isn't all rainbows and kittens" though, but she finds "a lot of joy" from spending time with her clan. </p> <p>She added, "The life that I have built with my husband [and] the life that we've built with our children, that's the best stuff. To come home at the end of the day, triumphantly, to them."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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Matthew Perry reveals rendezvous with Julia Roberts

<p dir="ltr"><em>Friends</em> actor Matthew Perry has opened up about his heated rendezvous with Julia Roberts…and other actresses. </p> <p dir="ltr">Perry found himself on the receiving end of Roberts’ flirty messages before he found out that she only agreed to appear in <em>Friends</em> if they shared the storyline. </p> <p dir="ltr">The sitcom’s co-creator urged Perry to get in touch with Roberts and “woo” her to join the series. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I had to woo her. I wanted something a tad flirty. I sent her three dozen red roses and the card read, ‘The only thing more exciting than the prospect of you doing the show is that I finally have an excuse to send you flowers’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Her reply was that if I adequately explained quantum physics to her, she’d agree to be on the show.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The following day I sent her a paper all about wave-particle duality and entanglement, and only some of it was metaphorical.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Not only did Julia agree to do the show, but she also sent me a gift: Bagels — lots and lots of bagels.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair continued to communicate via fax for three months before Roberts appeared at Perry’s doorstep. </p> <p dir="ltr">In Perry’s new memoir <em>Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing</em>, he revealed that he would be rushing home to see if Roberts had faxed him back. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This was pre-internet, pre-cell phones. All our exchanges were done by fax,” he wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was grinning like some 15-year-old on his first date. And we had never even spoken yet, much less met each other.”</p> <p dir="ltr">One fateful fax later, Roberts told Perry to call him and he realised that they had fallen for each other. </p> <p dir="ltr">Later that week, Roberts appeared at his doorstep and their relationship blossomed into a whirlwind romance.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I let her in, both figuratively and literally, and a relationship began. We would already be a couple by the time we started filming the Friends Super Bowl episode.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Then on New Year’s Eve in 1996, Roberts took Perry to a mountain hideaway in New Mexico on her private jet to her mountain hideaway to meet her family. </p> <p dir="ltr">But soon things took a turn with Perry unable to tame his demons and the thought of dating Julia Roberts became too much. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unlovable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I can’t begin to describe the look of confusion on her face.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Later in his memoir, Perry went on to reveal that he was also interested in Jennifer Anniston but she only wanted to be friends.</p> <p dir="ltr">He admitted that things were awkward on set but eventually he moved on from her lack of interest in him. </p> <p dir="ltr">And in 1994, before <em>Friends</em> hit the world by storm, Perry met Gwyneth Paltrow at a party in Massachusetts and the pair made out.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We slipped off into a broom cupboard and made out,” he revealed.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This was the last summer of my life when I could make out at a party with a beautiful young woman called Gwyneth and no one, save Gwyneth and I, cared.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Relationships

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Why women make up more than 80 per cent of true crime podcast listeners

<p dir="ltr">It’s been a running joke for a while that most true crime podcast listeners are female.</p> <p dir="ltr">But it has now been revealed that young women make up a whopping 80 per cent of true crime podcast listeners. </p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Julia Shaw, a criminal psychologist and co-host of the true crime and science podcast Bad People, said the simple reason was due to women’s experiences.</p> <p dir="ltr">She explained that growing up, women are told to keep an eye out for any danger such as a man staring at you for too long or following you home. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Women seem particularly interested in the intricacies of the criminal mind,” she told The Daily Mail. </p> <p dir="ltr">“There is a real drive to understand the 'why', not just the 'how' of the crime.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Claire Bord, a publisher at Bookouture concurred with Dr Shaw’s statement explaining how easy it was for women to “resonate” with the situation.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These kind of storylines tap into dark themes that resonate with readers because we can see ourselves in these everyday scenarios and then imagine what could happen,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I also think there are aspects of the dark themes explored in psychological thrillers, and indeed true crime, that can speak deeply to readers who have experienced difficult times in their own lives.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Mind

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See inside Julia Roberts’ stunning new home

<p dir="ltr">Julia Roberts has dropped $NZD 12.1 million ($USD 8.3 million) on a five-storey Victorian Revival-style home in San Francisco.</p> <p dir="ltr">The<span> </span><em>Pretty Woman</em><span> </span>star secured herself the five-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home in the quiet neighbourhood of Presidio Heights in 2020, after a price reduction of nearly $2 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite her new purchase, Roberts has been spending a lot of time in Australia recently to film<span> </span><em>Ticket to Paradise</em><span> </span>with George Clooney in Queensland.</p> <p dir="ltr">While down under, the A-list actress<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/news/inside-julia-roberts-stunning-115-million-home-in-san-francisco/?rsf=syn:news:nca:news:spa:strap" target="_blank">was spotted</a><span> </span>basking in Sydney in a pink swimsuit at Christmas.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her new San Francisco home, built between 1907 and 1908, boasts views of the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge from the kitchen, family room and primary bedroom.</p> <p dir="ltr">In addition to its five floors, the home includes a bonus room on the top floor.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other features include a two-car tandem garage, wine room, custom gourmet kitchen, and a separate staircase to the four other floors.</p> <p dir="ltr">The grand staircase, which features stained-glass windows, leads to the third floor, with its primary ensuite bedroom and walk-out balcony, large remodelled bath with split vanities, and a separate dressing table area.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to property records, the home is under the “Grayfox Trust”, which is associated with Roberts’ country-wide collection of properties, including a scenic ranch in Malibu, the<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://nypost.com/2021/12/28/inside-julia-roberts-stunning-8-3m-san-francisco-home/" target="_blank"><em>Post</em></a><span> </span>reports.</p> <p dir="ltr">Roberts previously sold her expansive Hawaiian oceanfront estate in 2016 for $NZD 17.18 million.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images, Realtor.com</em></p>

Real Estate

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Julia Child's iconic home hits the market

<p dir="ltr">The Washington DC home of famed chef Julia Child has hit the market with an asking price of $3.5 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">Child lived at the 290-square metre yellow clapboard house, where she created some of her most famous dishes that appeared in her book,<span> </span><em>Master the Art of French Cooking</em>, between 1948 and 1959.</p> <p dir="ltr">The three-bedroom and three-and-a-half bathroom home has been restored and renovated by its current owner, Rory Veveers-Carter, since he purchased it for $935,000 in 2015.</p> <p dir="ltr">It also underwent renovations during Child’s time, when she installed a $400 Garland Model stove that is now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now, the kitchen features stainless steel Viking appliances, an eight-burner cooktop stove, double stacked ovens, a wooden hearth, and a wine fridge.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, the original kitchen walls and window that appeared on Child’s cooking shows have remained untouched.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Encased in glass, this window to history that sparked an American food revolution is a classic conversation starter for guests,” the<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2706-Olive-St-NW-Washington-DC-20007/428757_zpid/" target="_blank">listing</a><span> </span>said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The listing also revealed that Mr Veveers-Carter's grandmother was an "avid watcher of Julia's cooking shows" and was drawn to the home after "the building fell into disrepair … work(ing) tirelessly to preserve this landmark house".</p> <p dir="ltr">Along with the famed kitchen where Child created many of her well-known recipes, the house has an open-plan design including an office, living room, foyer, fireplace and powder room.</p> <p dir="ltr">The upstairs floor houses a master bedroom and ensure, as well as two other bedrooms, with one that comes with an adjacent full bath.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Veveers-Carter also transformed the space under the kitchen into a den, laundry area and private Turkish steam room.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the<span> </span><em>Washington Post</em>, the home was first built in 1869 by African American architect Edgar Murphy, who lived there with his family until his death in 1908.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images, Zillow</em></p>

Real Estate

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Julia Roberts shares rare pic of twins in sweet tribute

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julia Roberts has shared a rare snap of her twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus, in a sweet tribute for their 17th birthday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taking to Instagram, the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pretty Woman</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> star wrote, “Seventeen of the Sweetest years of life” along with 17 birthday cake emojis to accompany a throwback photo of the twins as babies.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1VDguBV6F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1VDguBV6F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Julia Roberts (@juliaroberts)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her husband, Danny Moder, also took to social media to celebrate the special occasion. He shared a more recent photo of the pair, writing, “These rabble rousers. 17 today. Thank you for helping me through fatherhood.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1g7ubvW7L/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1g7ubvW7L/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by modermoder (@modermoder)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julia and Danny have kept their personal lives far away from the spotlight, and their daughter Hazel made her <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a38376389/julia-roberts-celebrates-twins-17th-birthday-pics/" target="_blank">first red carpet appearance</a> at the Cannes film festival earlier this year. Dressed in a pastel yellow long-sleeved dress, Hazel made the rare appearance in celebration of her Danny’s movie <em>Flag Day</em>, which also premiered at the festival.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ7iWowrv2_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ7iWowrv2_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by modermoder (@modermoder)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The star couple recently marked another family milestone, with Danny posting a photo from the early days of their relationship to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Today we start our 20th year of marriage,” Danny began the caption. “This photo was on a dusty road before that big idea … just holding on to this beautiful girl one day at a time. One epic day at a time.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Danny and Julia were married on July 4, 2002, after first meeting on the set of Julia and Brad Pitt’s film </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Mexican</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2004, the couple welcomed Hazel and Phinnaeus into the family, before having their third child, Henry, in 2007.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Family & Pets

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Willy Wonka star reveals Gene Wilder’s “favourite brat”

<p><span>A child star who had the opportunity to work alongside the infamous Gene Wilder has spoken out on the experience, 50 years since its first premier date.</span><br /><br /><em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory </em><span>hit movie screens 50 years ago on June 30, 1971 and achieved rapid success almost overnight.</span><br /><br /><span>The film went on to become a phenomenon that was registered in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.</span><br /><br /><span>The child actors Peter Ostrum, Julie Dawn Cole, Michael Bollner, Paris Themmen and Denise Nickerson – who played Charlie Bucket, Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Mike Teavee and Violet Beauregarde – all came together for a virtual reunion in honour of the film’s anniversary.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842239/willy-wonka.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b9da36eca8c24fbeb170655d6cf92150" /></p> <p><em>Image: Yahoo</em><br /><br /><span>The actors all had the opportunity to co-star together, and even got to explore the imagined Wonka Chocolate Factory.</span><br /><br /><span>The cast recounted such fond memories of exploring the film sets in Bavarian Germany and working with Gene Wilder.</span><br /><br /><span>Themmen admitted that he was indeed a “notorious troublemaker on the set.”</span><br /><br /><span>So much so that even Wilder called him “a handful”.</span><br /><br /><span>“I can corroborate that,” the actor, who played the television-obsessed rascal Mike Teavee, admitted.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was younger than the others. I was 11, they were 13 and was naturally just sort of more high-spirited and rambunctious.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842237/willy-wonka-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a8d501bcedd64f7b97dd573169a7717a" /></p> <p><em>Image: Yahoo</em><br /><br /><span>The now-62-year-old opened up about one brief moment he shared with Wilder, in 1976 during a fundraiser screening for the film <em>Silver Streak</em> at the Avon Theatre in Stamford, Connecticut.</span><br /><br /><span>“I sat at the back of the room and he gave his commentary and then I went up to the front of the room afterwards with my poster in hand,” Themmen relived with a smile.</span><br /><br /><span>“I said, ‘Hi, Gene, how you doing? I’m Paris Themmen, I was Mike Teavee in Willy Wonka.”</span><br /><br /><span>“And he said, ‘Oh you were a brat!’ And I flashed all the way back 50 years, or 40 years at that time, and said, ‘Well, I’m 50-something now and maybe not as much of a brat.’</span><br /><br /><span>And he signed my poster, ‘To my favourite brat.’”</span><br /><br /><span>Wilder died in 2016 at the age of 83 after a long vibrant career.</span><br /><br /><span>Cole, who played Veruca Salt, said: “I think people kind of want us to tell you that he was like Willy Wonka offset, but he wasn’t.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was such a lovely, kind man, very unassuming,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was just down to earth, not pretentious, he was just a wonderful person to be around and to work with,” said Ostrum, who played Charlie Bucket.</span></p>

Movies

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Hugh Grant opens up on Notting Hill sequel with Julia Roberts

<p><span>Hugh Grant has revealed he is willing to do a Notting Hill sequel – but stressed that fans could not expect a happily ever after.</span><br /><br /><span>The British actor took to Twitter where he participated in a Q&amp;A session for his new HBO miniseries The Undoing.</span><br /><br /><span>The 60-year-old explained what it would take for him to revisit the romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts, 52.</span><br /><br /><span>“I would like to do a sequel to one of my own romantic comedies that shows what happened after one of those films ended,” he explained.</span><br /><br /><span>“Really, to prove the terrible lie that they all were, that it was a happy ending.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’d like to do me and Julia and the hideous divorce that’s ensued with really expensive lawyers, children involved in (a) tug of love, flood of tears.</span><br /><br /><span>“Psychologically scarred forever. I’d love to do that film.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Do you have a favorite character that you’ve played in your career? <a href="https://t.co/FVeW4fWOwW">pic.twitter.com/FVeW4fWOwW</a></p> — HBO (@HBO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HBO/status/1320547232437813248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>The 1999 film follows London bookstore owner William Thacker (Grant) who, by a stroke of luck, meets famous movie star Anna Scott (Roberts).</span><br /><br /><span>The two develop an unlikely romance that involves tabloid drama.</span><br /><br /><span>Roberts’ lead character would also go on to say the iconic line: “I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”</span><br /><br /><span>In the end, the couple ends up married, in love and with a baby on the way.</span><br /><br /><span>Grant has famously starred in a number of iconic romantic comedies during the ‘90s and early ‘00s including Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Nine Months (1995), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) and Love Actually (2003).</span><br /><br /><span>In his new show with Australian starlet, The Undoing, he plays Jonathan Fraser, who is accused of murder.</span><br /><br /><span>In January, Grant admitted it was freeing to take on a completely different role.</span><br /><br /><span>“Christ, it’s such a relief (to play bad guys),” he explained to TVGuide.com at the time.</span><br /><br /><span>“I can’t tell you. Richard Curtis, who wrote all of those romantic comedies did a lot of – it always used to make him laugh that people thought I was that nice, public, Englishman because he knew that exactly the reverse was true.”</span><br /><br /><span>“It’s very nice to be closer to home,” he added.</span><br /><br /><span>Grant does not want anyone to get confused though - he does not regret any of his famous rom-com movie roles.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was being paid tons of money,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was very lucky. And most of those romantic comedies I can look squarely in the face – one or two are shockers, but on the whole, I can look them in the face and people like them.”</span></p>

Relationships

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Julia Roberts shares rare photograph with husband Danny Moder

<p><span>Julia Roberts has shared a tribute to her husband, Danny Moder, to celebrate their wedding anniversary.</span><br /><br /><span>The Hollywood heavyweight, 52, posted a loved-up photograph with her hubby on Instagram, captioning it simply “18 years” and the hashtag“#heckyes”.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCOnpCssjou/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCOnpCssjou/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Julia Roberts (@juliaroberts)</a> on Jul 4, 2020 at 10:24am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>Roberts and Moder, 51, first met in 2000 on the set of The Mexican.</span><br /><br /><span>They married two years later, on July 4, at her ranch in New Mexico.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxYOJmKApwR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxYOJmKApwR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by modermoder (@modermoder)</a> on May 12, 2019 at 2:59pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>The pair share three children, Henry 12, and 15-year-old twins Phinnaeus and Hazel.</span><br /><br /><span>The Oscar winner and cinematographer are both renowned for their extremely private relationship, but in 2019 Moder shared a small glimpse into their family life in a Mother’s Day tribute to his wife.</span><br /><br /><span>He shared a sweet photo of the Pretty Woman star surrounded by their kids, captioning it: “That pretty mama in</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Baz5y3-AR26/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Baz5y3-AR26/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by modermoder (@modermoder)</a> on Oct 28, 2017 at 4:58pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span><span>In an episode of the Goop podcast in late 2018, the actor described how she experienced a “seismic shift” when she met Moder.</span><br /><br /><span>“That was the first, like, my life will never be the same in the most incredible, indescribable way … He truly, to this day, to this minute, is just my favourite human,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’m more interested in what he has to say or his point of view just more than anybody. Really, we’re so lucky in that way. We just really, really like each other and we just enjoy each other’s company.”</span></span></p>

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All grown up! Julia Roberts’ husband shares rare family photo of their kids

<p>Julia Roberts is very private about her home life, but fans have received a glimpse into her world thanks to a sweet snap shared by her husband, Danny Moder.</p> <p>The Mother’s Day tribute was posted to Instagram on Monday, with Moder sharing a photo of himself, Roberts and the three children they share – twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, 14, and Henry, 11.</p> <p>The caption reads, “That pretty mama in the middle. We love you so much.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxYOJmKApwR/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxYOJmKApwR/" target="_blank">That pretty mama in the middle. We love you so much.</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/modermoder/" target="_blank"> modermoder</a> (@modermoder) on May 12, 2019 at 2:59pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Roberts and Moder wed in 2002, but Roberts shared on the Goop podcast what it was like when she met Moder on the set of <em>The Mexican</em> back in 2000.</p> <p>“That was the first, like, my life will never be the same in the most incredible, indescribable way … He truly, to this day, to this minute, is just my favourite human,” she gushed.</p> <p>“I’m more interested in what he has to say or his point of view just more than anybody. Really, we’re so lucky in that way. We just really, really like each other and we just enjoy each other’s company.”</p> <p>Roberts and Moder married in an intimate July 4th ceremony at her ranch in New Mexico in 2002, and shared in 2003 with<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a27465049/julia-roberts-husband-kids-rare-family-photo/" target="_blank"> Oprah</a> that meeting Moder changed her life.</p> <p>"I think it's not so much that I'm happier now than ever; it's that I'm more content. I'm in the harbor of my life," she said.</p> <p>"A huge part of it is my marriage. My husband, Danny, has really shined the light for me. Because of being married, I've met people and experienced all these little things that have nurtured my life – not so much changed it, just nurtured it in a way that's astounding."</p> <p>The last photo that was shared of the Roberts’ and Moder clan was back in 2017 when they accidentally bumped into each other at a surf shop when Roberts and Moder were supposed to be on a romantic birthday weekend.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Baz5y3-AR26/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Baz5y3-AR26/" target="_blank">No Lovers birthday weekend is complete without a surprise bumping into your kids in a surf shop. 50 is better with 5. This is the road to the tavern...where there is promise and joy. Love you.</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/modermoder/" target="_blank"> modermoder</a> (@modermoder) on Oct 28, 2017 at 4:58pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote>

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Notting Hill: The one line Julia Roberts “hated” saying

<p>20 years ago, the world became captivated by the love story between ordinary book store owner Will Thacker and Hollywood superstar Anna Scott in <em>Notting Hill</em>.</p> <p>No one knew the movie would garner the immense amount of success that it did when it was released in June 1999.</p> <p>Earning a massive $516 million at the box office globally, the movie starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts is one of the most iconic love stories of all time.</p> <p>It isn’t easy to find a British rom-com that compares to Richard Curtis’ charming script – he’s also the mastermind behind <em>Love Actually</em>, <em>Four Weddings and a Funeral</em> and many more – but believe it or not, there’s a line in the film that Roberts regrets saying.</p> <p>The dialogue is said when Anna and William are in bed and the actress opens up about the cons of fame, and how her love life has been affected by her super stardom.</p> <p>Anna: “Rita Hayworth used to say, ‘They go to bed with Gilda, they wake up with me’.”</p> <p>William: “Who’s Gilda?”</p> <p>Anna: “Her most famous part. Men went to bed with the dream; they didn’t like it when they would wake up with the reality. Do you feel that way?”</p> <p>William: “You are lovelier this morning than you have ever been.”</p> <p>Despite the scene causing heart eyes all around the globe, Roberts wasn’t so keen.</p> <p>“I hate to say anything negative about what Richard wrote because he’s a genius, but I hated saying that line (about Hayworth),” she later told <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/"><em>Vanity Fair</em></a>.</p> <p>“To me, it was nails on a chalkboard. I don’t really believe any of that.”</p> <p>However, the movie still holds a special place in the 51-year-old’s heart, even after she nearly turned down the part.</p> <p>“When I sat to read the script, I did not have any great expectations,” she admitted to <a href="https://www.birminghampost.co.uk/"><em>The Birmingham Post</em></a> shortly after the film’s release.</p> <p>“I had been given a brief synopsis and it sounded unappealing. But when I read it, from the very start with her going into the bookshop and she seems very mysterious and there is this guy having all these troubles and they leave and collide and she is at his house and she kisses him, I thought, ‘Jesus Christ, this is great’, I was completely sucked in.”</p>

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Julia Gillard praises "passionate" Duchess Meghan

<p>Julia Gillard has praised the Duchess of Sussex for her passion in gender equality as she joined the British royal on an International Women’s Day panel.</p> <p>On Friday, the former Australian prime minister participated in a panel at King’s College London to discuss women’s rights, feminism and gender equality.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">The Duchess of Sussex joins today's unique <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InternationalWomensDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InternationalWomensDay</a> panel, convened by <a href="https://twitter.com/queenscomtrust?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@QueensComTrust</a>, to discuss the obstacles that women face and the global opportunities that could be unlocked if girls and women are treated fairly and equally alongside men. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IWD2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IWD2019</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IWDxQCT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IWDxQCT</a> <a href="https://t.co/qyWsUj3aSH">pic.twitter.com/qyWsUj3aSH</a></p> — Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1104009306834378754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">8 March 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Ahead of the event, Gillard told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2019030870623/julia-gillard-backlash-australia-female-pm-exclusive/" target="_blank"><em>Hello!</em></a> that she was excited to hear from Duchess Meghan.</p> <p>"It will be great to hear her thoughts on how we move to that more gender-equal world," said Gillard.</p> <p>"I know that she is someone who is very passionate about the cause of equality, as is Prince Harry, and he demonstrated that in his speech today and certainly revved up the crowd."</p> <p>This was not the first time that Gillard worked with a member of the British royal family. </p> <p>"I also chaired the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Australia which the Queen plays such a special leadership role in," said the 57-year-old.</p> <p>"I had some exposure to the royal family then but it is tremendous to see the way the young royal family is raising issues that need to be discussed and really inspiring young people – and I have witnessed that with my own eyes today."</p> <p>Gillard also revealed the struggles she faced as Australia’s first female PM. "In my early days in politics even, I wouldn't say that it was that different for me because I was a woman. But once I got to the ultimate leadership position as prime minister, the first woman to serve, it clearly was a very gendered environment."</p> <p>In 2012, Gillard's speech against sexism from her political opponent Tony Abbott was reported around the world.</p> <p>"Currently, if we look at the parliaments of the world, only 23 per cent of parliamentarians are women and you can name the number of women leaders with your fingers," said Gillard.</p> <p>"There is a lot of change that is necessary if we are going to be in a world where it is as routine to see a woman being a president and prime minister as it to see a man serving in those roles."</p> <p>During the panel discussion – which was convened by the Queen's Commonwealth Trust and also joined by singer Annie Lennox, model Adwoa Aboah and British journalist Anne McElvoy – the Duchess talked about her hopes for her future baby.</p> <p>The 37-year-old is expected to give birth in late April.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Buv_SQllehv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Buv_SQllehv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">The Duchess of Sussex has become Vice-President of The @Queens_Commonwealth_Trust, of which Her Majesty The Queen is Patron, and The Duke of Sussex is President. On International Women’s Day The Duchess joined a special panel discussion of female thought-leaders and activists to discuss a range of issues affecting women today, convened by The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2019 #QCT #QCTxIWD</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/kensingtonroyal/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Kensington Palace</a> (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 8, 2019 at 5:57am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">"Its not just about girls going to school and becoming smart girls, its knowing that those smart girls become influential women, and that ends up changing the world for the better" - The Duchess of Sussex, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IWD2019?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IWD2019</a> <br /><br />Watch the full panel disccusion here: <a href="https://t.co/7LRphVaVP5">https://t.co/7LRphVaVP5</a> <a href="https://t.co/mysF322yfN">pic.twitter.com/mysF322yfN</a></p> — Queen's CW Trust (@queenscomtrust) <a href="https://twitter.com/queenscomtrust/status/1104469844051853313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">9 March 2019</a></blockquote> <p>"I'd seen this documentary on Netflix about feminism and one of the things they said during pregnancy was, 'I feel the embryonic kicking of feminism'," the Duchess said. "I love that. So boy or girl or whatever it is, we hope that that's the case with our little bump."</p>

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Joining forces: Why Julia Gillard will be spending the day with Duchess Meghan

<p>Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will be joining the Duchess of Sussex at a panel for International Women’s Day, held by King’s College London, this coming Friday.</p> <p>The panel, which is described as a “special panel of female thought-leaders and activists,” will shed light on the issues surrounding women today.</p> <p>Kensington Palace issued a statement confirming that the 37-year-old Duchess will indeed be joining the panel and will be discussing the significance of International Women’s Day.</p> <p>The Duchess is expected to talk about the importance of equal opportunity in the workplace and also how the day allows women greater access to education.</p> <p>“In front of an audience of students, opinion formers and young leaders, Her Royal Highness will join the panel to discuss the importance of International Women’s Day,” read the statement from The Palace.</p> <p>Music icon and activist Annie Lennox and model and activist Adwoa Aboah will also be joining the panel.</p> <p>Gillard, who is the chairwoman of King’s College London, took to Twitter over the weekend to share her excitement on sharing a stage with Meghan.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Excited to join HRH The Duchess of Sussex <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KensingtonRoyal</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnieLennox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnnieLennox</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/annemcelvoy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@annemcelvoy</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdwoaAboah_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdwoaAboah_</a>, Chrisann Jarrett of <a href="https://twitter.com/LetUs_Learn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LetUs_Learn</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AngieMurimirwa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AngieMurimirwa</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/Camfed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@camfed</a> this <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InternationalWomensDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InternationalWomensDay</a></p> — Julia Gillard (@JuliaGillard) <a href="https://twitter.com/JuliaGillard/status/1101484080514752514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">1 March 2019</a></blockquote> <p>“Excited to join HRH [Her Royal Highness] The Duchess of Sussex,” wrote the former PM.</p> <p>The royal mother-to-be has a long history with International Women’s Day and is known to celebrate the occasion each year. Last year, she joined a group of young women in Birmingham and took part in an initiative that helped boost recognition of science, technology, engineering and math-based education.</p> <p>In 2015, she gave a speech at the UN Women’s conference in New York where she touched on the importance of gender equality.</p> <p>To stay up-to-date with the 2019 panel, follow the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust on social media. </p>

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