It's the news I've been waiting for - Robbie's ready to rejoin Take That! At last some celeb news to make me smile. Hoorah!

I remember getting into so many arguments at school over who was the most gorgeous band member. Some girls went for pretty boy Mark (too cutesy for me) and most were in love with Gary Barlow (too predictable!), but Rob was always my fave.

That's why - to me anyway - Take That without Robbie is like a Louboutin without a red sole. Looks fine at first glance, but take a closer look and it's clear an important feature is missing.

So come on Gary, what are you waiting for? Pick up that phone and make that call. You owe it to your fans!

I know there's been a lot of doom and gloom in celeb land lately, but I couldn't not write about Jade. The fact that we were all expecting the news of her death didn't make it any less shocking or sad. And when I saw the press conference of her mum Jackiey announcing her daughter had lost her battle against cancer I felt a huge lump in my throat.

It's just so sad to think of those boys growing up without their mother. At least when they're old enough to understand they'll know how much she loved them. While she didn't always get things right, and could irritate and offend almost as easily as she charmed and amused, there's no denying that her heart was in the right place when it came to her sons.

As much as she loved to be the centre of attention, that attraction must have palled slightly towards the end. But she'd entered into an agreement with the press in order to guarantee her beloved boys' start to life was very different from hers. And, a brave trouper, she kept her end of the deal. Among all the cards and flowers left outside Jade's home, this poem struck an especial chord:

Mothers never really die,
They just keep house up in the sky.
They polish the sun by day
And light the stars that shine by night
Keep the moonbeams silvery bright
And in the heavenly home above
They wait to welcome those they love.

A lovely thought that hopefully will bring comfort to Bobby and Freddie, the sons she promised she'd be watching from heaven.

I still can't believe that Natasha Richardson is dead - and as the result of such an innocuous incident. It wasn't even like she was on a black slope or anything. She was just trying to get the hang of things on the ski resort's nursery slopes. It's just too sad for words.

 

I know it's said so often it's become a cliche, but my heart really does go out to her family and young sons. Her husband Liam Neeson looked absolutely devastated as he bravely tried to raise a smile for photographers waiting outside the couple's New York apartment as he returned from the hospital after the family had said their goodbyes. I can't even begin to imagine their heartbreak.

 

Celebrities so often seem to lead charmed lives. An incident like this just goes to show that they're vulnerable to exactly the same unexpected twists of fate as the rest of us, though. Sometimes you wish they weren't. It's bad enough to lose someone you love, but having to put a brave face on things as the world watches how you cope must be incredibly hard.

 

What with Jade Goody and now Natasha there seems to have been an awful lot of sadness around in the world of celebrity of late. I guess these things go in cycles, but at the moment I'm finding my personal celebrity radar dominated by Jade's brave struggle, and the heartbreak of Natasha's family.  

Somehow I always imagined Vivienne Westwood and her husband swanning round London in a limousine or a statement-making set of wheels. I never really pictured them pedalling along, though.


I almost choked on my frappachino today when I read Andreas Kronthaler's comment about them biking from Camden to Wandsworth. Apart from the fact that the idea of the doyenne of fashion on a push bike was strange to say the least, it's miles!

And as there's no way either of them will be wearing a tracksuit, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled next time I'm in Wandsworth to see what the grand dame of fashion considers suitable 'biking' attire!

Somehow, even though it's long sold, whenever I think of Michael Jackson I still envisage him amid the surroundings of Neverland, his California ranch come theme park. Which makes the news that he's going to be hanging out in Rod Stewart's place in Essex while in the UK for his July concerts even more interesting.

Despite his jet-set lifestyle, with his football and fondness for all things Scottish Rod gives the impression of remaining essentially grounded. The same cannot be said for his new American tenant.

Admittedly it's unlikely Michael will be pottering along to the pub, or dropping by to catch a local soccer match. But it's an intriguing thought!

It's not unknown for high-profile property owners to make their accommodation available to famous pals. George Clooney does it regularly with his Lake Como mansion, as does Elton John. How great to be a fly on the wall as the newcomers arrive and begin to explore. There's just something so intrinsically thrilling about being let loose in someone else's home!

I almost choked on my cappuccino today when I saw the pics of Matt Damon filming the new Nelson Mandela flick. Is it me, or does he sort of look like Richie Cunningham from Happy Days?

When Matt came onto the scene circa Good Will Hunting, he didn't float my boat at all - Ben Affleck was much more my thing. Now après the Bourne films, I see him in a whole new light. That's why I don't like his new dye job - it's spoiling the tough guy fantasy of him in my head. Lucky it's just for a role.

It must be great being a movie star. Apart from the obvious stuff like free designer clothes, big buck wages and red carpet shenanigans you get to experiment with your look for film roles. And if you look terrible it's all in the name of your art so no-one can tease you about it.

As an excited owner of a Britney Spears Circus tour ticket, I rushed to my laptop this morning to read the reviews for her debut show. And I have to admit I was relieved to see it went down a storm, on the whole.

I did notice one or two comments about her lip-synching... Well, so what? I'd like to see these people who complained sing while hurling themselves round the stage in energetic dance routines for 90 minutes!

Give the girl a break. Britney's as known for being a performer as she is a singer, and I for one will be going to the 02 Arena ready to be enveloped by the whole experience, not just her vocals.

She's come such a long way since that MTV performance. By the time she reaches our shores in June, I predict Miss Spears will be right back to her pop princess best!

As someone who virtually need oxygen on standby when the lift in her apartment building is out of order and she has to take the stairs, I have to say I'm blown away by Cheryl and co's mountain trek. I mean, they could have taken the easy option and released a charity single or designed a t-shirt or something to raise funds for Comic Relief.

I have a pal who's scaled Kilimanjaro and let me tell you, it's no walk in the park. The stories she came back with about blisters upon blisters, 14-hour walks at minus ten degrees and altitude sickness were bad enough, but her tales of giant ants were what really gave me nightmares.

Good luck to them all. I hope they get to the top safely and raise the 'mountain' of money they're aiming to. Several members of the expedition group have gone up in my estimation considerably for taking on such a challenge. And I bet I'm not the only one who thinks that way...