You ought to know

to know Art imitates life Ben’s divorce hell He’s opening up about his darkest days THE BIGGEST REGRET IN MY LIFE

They split in 2015 after 10 years of marriage, but Ben Affleck still has only loving things to say about his ex Jennifer Gardner.

The 47-year-old, who is set to star as an alcoholic struggling to overcome his demons in upcoming flick The Way Back – something he knows all too much about – has opened up about his battle with addiction and his divorce. “What I want to say publicly and privately is, ‘Thank you. Thank yo u for being thoughtful, considerate, responsible, and a great mum and person,’” he said in a statement read on his behalf following an interview where he g

HALLOWEEN RELAPSE 2019

confesse d, “I didn’t want to get divorce d, I didn’t want to be a divorced person, I really didn’t want to be a split family with my children. It upset me because it meant I w asn’t who I thought I was and that was so painful and so disappointing. In myself.” The actor said his drinking was under control while he was married to Jen, 47, with whom he shares Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, seven, but it became a problem when t marriage was falling apar th eir rt”. m w s w m h 1 b “

JENNA & STEVE EN t s wedding bells for Jenna Dewan and her partner, actor Steve Kazee! The couple, who are expecting their first child, announced their engagement last week. Sharing a gorgeous photo of the pair kissing, Jenna, 39, showed off her ring, saying, “A lifetime to love and grow with you … you have my heart.”

Steve, 44, also posted a touching message to his future wife, saying, “When you wake in the morning I will kiss your face with a smile no-one has ever seen. When you wake in the morning I will kiss your eyes and say it’s you I have loved all these years.” t’ Dewan it again! # e #

are online and could be seen by his kids (from left) Violet, Seraphina and Samuel. Th t i h h i ti

Ben, who hasn’t spoken a lot abo ut his alcoholism since his third stint in rehab in 2018 – the first two were in 2001 and 2017 – says he also regrets his brief setb ack last year, when photos of him lookin g drunk and gambling emerged.

“Relapse is embarrassing, obviously,” the Gone Girl star laments. “I wish it didn’t happen. I really wish it wasn’t on the internet for m y kids to see. Jen y an d I d id our b e st to add ress it an d b e h onest.” #

OOPS ... SHE DID IT AGAIN!

BRITNEY’S SLIPPERY SLOPE TOXIC RELAPSE! The singer is struggling to cope

ble ahead? Britney ears was seen for the t time in months looking worse for wear on her way to a tanning salon in Los Angeles, going braless in a tight crop top, denim shorts and a moon boot. “Britney’s been in a bad way since losing more custody of her boys Sean and Jayden in September,” an insider claims. “She’s been struggling with her mental health issues, turning to alcohol in a bid to mask her pain and displaying increasingly erratic behaviour, which has sparked fears she could be heading ro u Sp e fi rst for another breakdown. “She broke her foot in three places following a drunken stumble at her Calabasas mansion, which fuelled concerns her boozing has spiralled out of control –something pals say has worsened since the revelation

Friends and family fear Britney’s behaviour could cost her custody of sons Sean, 14, (left) and Jayden, 13. F f h J

her conservatorship is set to continue until April 30 when her case will be re-evaluated.” The “Crazy” singer fears she’s losing control over her life and feels powerless to stop it, but her mum Lynne, 64, and beau Sam Asghari, 26, have begged her to re-enter an outpatient rehab programme because they’re worried the 38-year-old will be sectioned again and lose her boys for good. But, says the source, “She’s fighting against anyone and everyone. “Brit’s so down, she’ll often have a drink first thing in the morning. She’s fallen back into a dark place.” #

Perry happy!

The dishevelled star needs to give booze the boot if she wants to see her kids.

h baby! Matthew Perry has made no secret of the fact he’s always wanted to be dad – and now his dream is oming true! Shortly after a gushing Valentine’s y tribute to her man, Molly rwitz spilled to close pals that he’s expecting a baby with him. hile it’s early days, they’re both er the moon and can’t wait to come parents,” says a source. eeting and falling in love with lent manager Molly, 28, changed erything for Matthew, 50. a u sh W v e ta l v “He’s credited her with helping him clean up his life for good and stay on the straight and narrow –now giving him even more reason with a baby on the way.” The loved-up couple have been house-hunting for their “dream family home” in Los Angeles, but in the meantime Friends co-star Courteney Cox has already offered to throw them a baby shower. Continues the insider, “Matt’s been through his fair share of troubles over the years, so everyone is overjoyed for him.” #

COULD HEBE ANY MORE EXCITED?

Royal insider

ANDREW 60 TH BIR Prince of scandal

With so many friends otherwise engaged, it was a non-event for the disgraced duke

As the Duke of York rose to give a speech at his ex-wife’s 60th birthday party last October, none of the guests assembled at their Windsor home, Royal Lodge, knew quite what to expect. It was not just that it came after a torrid summer of headlines about his friendship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, who’d died by suicide in his prison cell two months earlier. With word having spread that the duke was desperate to speak out on the scandal, was he about to bare his soul? Or worse, try to make light of the situation? Yet Andrew read the mood correctly. Appearing close to tears, he took guests back to the day he locked eyes with Sarah Ferguson at a Windsor Castle event in 1985. “I fell in love with her at that lunch and I have never stopped loving her,” he gushed. One of the 100 guests shared later, “I saw him in the most real way I’ve ever seen him.” One month later, Andrew sat down to defend his connection to Epstein in the car-crash Newsnight interview that brought his royal career to an abrupt halt. On November 20, he issued an unprecedented statement announcing he was stepping back from public duties for “the foreseeable future”. Finally showing some of the empathy he had lacked during the grilling by the BBC’s Emily Maitlis, he added, “I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law-enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.” And yet last month US attorney Geoffrey Berman said Andrew had given the FBI “zero cooperation” to date over its inquiry into Epstein –but sources close to the prince hit back, saying he was “angry”

Fergie released this photo of her ex on social media to celebrate his 60th.

and “bewildered” by the claims, as he hadn’t been approached by the FBI. At the time of going to press, the issue was ongoing. So how exactly did the Queen’s “favourite” son fall so spectacularly from grace? And after marking his 60th birthday last week, can he ever rebuild his reputation? Ten years ago, Andrew was basking in the afterglow of his 50th-birthday celebrations, which started with a private dinner in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, followed by a reception for 300 at Buckingham Palace and a third, more intimate do at St James’s Palace. This year was a stark contrast: so many invited guests were “unavailable” that the duke celebrated his milestone with a low-key lunch for 12 at Royal Lodge, the Windsor residence he still shares with his ex-wife. One source described the residence, an “unstuffy” 30-room property, as “probably the most normal family home of anyone in that family”, adding, “It’s very down to earth. The kids are always popping in. It’s super-normal. One of Andrew’s achievements is he has created that refuge for his family.” There are staff, but the Yorks “open their own front door”,

’S SORRY BIR THDAY Prince of scandal

The young prince was a welcome arrival to the royal family in 1960. Andrew’s personality has been described as Jekyll and Hyde –he can be “charming” and “prone to temper”.

➥adding, “They won’t make the tea but they’ll pour the pot –into a mug, not a cup and saucer ... They are generous hosts. But not flashy. If you go there for lunch, you get chicken pie.” Princesses Beatrice, 31, and Eugenie, 29, are generally regarded as the greatest of the Yorks’ achievements; neither receives a royal allowance and both have established careers (Beatrice works for a technology firm, Eugenie is an art gallery director). Indeed, they are likely the reason the Queen continues to host Fergie at Balmoral every summer. According to one family Andrew and Fergie wed in 1986, but after divorcing continue to live under the same roof.

➥friend, “They are the kind of girls who, if they enter the room and someone stands up, they immediately tell them to sit down again.”

That the duke insisted on a more grounded upbringing for the offspring he refers to proudly as “blood princesses” appears at odds w ith a man whose nearest and dearest admit he can be “prone to temper”, “rude” and “arrogant”. As one explained, “He can be a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. When it comes to his ex-wife and children, and a lot of causes championing young people that he’s supported, he can show emp athy, compassion and there’s a heart there, but on the other side he can suffer from a complete lack of emotional intelligence.” Another added, “He’d think nothing of bollocking the staff and demandin g to know, ‘What the f*** is this?’” Staff quickly grew used to Andrew pulling rank and going to “the boss” (aka Mummy) to sign off private-jet travel, a habit that earned him the nickname “A ir Miles Andy”. Reveals one insider, “He’d take a helicopter from his back garden. He could never have done that without Her Majesty’s approval.” The duke brandished his “Don’t you know who I am?” cre dentials in 2016 when he rammed the gates of his Windsor home when the automatic sensors did not work, causing thousands of pounds’ worth of damage to the gates and his $160,000 Range Rover. He reportedly “tore a strip off” armed officers when they confronted him in the grounds of Buckingham Palace in 2013 after failing to recognise him. Despite their rarified upbringing, Andrew and his younger brother Edward, 55, saw more of their mother than their older siblings, Charles, 71, and Anne, 69, to whom he is not particularly close. The Queen sent her younger sons to Heatherdown Preparatory

Independent princesses Eugenie (left) and Beatrice have made their own way in the world.

School near Ascot so they could be closer to Windsor Castle. According to a source who knew all the Mo untbattenWindsors, Andrew was “a charming boy”, albeit not blessed with academic aptitude. He excelled at sport and developed a love of skiing from an early age. “Edward was much shyer than Andrew, who was full of life, che eky and mischievous. If he could throw a snowball, then he wo uld,” adds the source. “The Queen made time for those children. She attended sports days and various matches.” The closeness perhaps goes some w ay to explaining why Andrew long appears to have been the Queen’s favourite. Unlike Charles, who she found emotionally complicated, Andrew was straightforward and the Que en enjoyed the company of the easy-going son who could make her laugh. Andrew didn’t go to university, but both his parents were proud when he joine d the Royal Navy in 1979 to train as a helicopter pilot. S ub Lieutenant Prince Andrew was aboard HMS Invincible when Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982. The Que en and the Duke of Edinburgh famously joined other families of the crew in welcoming the vessel home to Portsmouth after the war, when Andrew returned a hero. In O ctober 1982, shortly after his return, he went on a Caribbean holiday with US photographer-actress Koo Stark, who he had met the previous

Falklands hero

year. By now dubbed the “P layboy Prince”, he put his rep utation to good use after his eventual split from Koo. Reports abounded of “Randy Andy” clocking up notches on his be dpost, though the nickn ame also reflected a fondness for risqué banter. At a charity event shortly after media tycoon Robert Maxwell wen t overboard in the Atlantic Oce an, he is said to have made a particularly tasteless jibe. How ironic that seems now in light of his friendship with Maxwell’s daughter Ghislaine, who introduced him to her then-boyfriend Epstein in the ’90s, and is reportedly under FBI investigation over possible crimes linked to the sextrafficking charges laid against

‘He’s adamant he’s done nothing wrong. Let’s not forget innocent before proven guilty’

Andrew’s working to clear his name after allegations by Epstein’s “sex slave” Virginia (above).

Epstein before his death. (She is understood not to have been accused of any wrongdoing and to have denied any involvement in his alleged abuses.) It was also Ghislaine who allegedly introduced Andrew to Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was ordered to have sex with him while she was working for Epstein as a 17- year-old in 2001. Andrew claims he has no memory of meeting Virginia and denies any wrongdoing. “The duke might be a shagger,” insists one insider, “but he isn’t and has never been a paedophile.” It was apparently Fergie, not her husband, who played the field during their marriage. In her 1996 autobiography My Story she said when they first met she was “struck by how handsome he was in his morning suit”. But cracks emerged after their 1986 wedding. According to a friend, “She only saw him for about 30 days during their first two years of marriage. Loneliness drove them bothTEXT: © CAMILLA TOMINEY/TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP LIMITED 2020.

in different directions.” In March 1992, the palace announced their separation –and five months later, the infamous pictures of Fergie having her toes sucked by financial advisor John Bryan emerged. While Andrew was initially devastated by the break-up, one source described him as “like a kid in a candy shop afterwards”, adding, “Both pursued their own relationships but they realised they were still a good team and wanted to maintain the family unit for their daughters.” The start of the duke’s fall from grace came long before his recent troubles. Eyebrows were raised about his constant jet-setting after he was appointed as the UK’s “special representative” for trade and investment in 2001. Then there were his dubious connections. He was finally given his marching orders in July 2011, following criticism over his ties with Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif and also the son-in-law of Tunisia’s ousted president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. Andrew’s ex-wife did little to help his reputation. The duchess was caught in 2010 by an undercover reporter trying to sell access to Andrew for $1 million. The duke loyally stood by his ex-wife –just as the duchess steadfastly stood by her exhusband ahead of his Newsnight interview last year, writing on social media that he is a “true gentleman”. Andrew had become convinced in the weeks leading up to the sit-down that he needed to “clear the air”. His team of advisors, however, misjudged his ability to come across well on camera. Says an insider, “He’s not the kind of person who would want to be media-trained. He was trying to preserve his authenticity but it didn’t work.” There is no doubt he bitterly regrets letting his mother down. Despite the furore, the Queen let Andrew be photographed riding with her in Windsor days after the interview aired, and invited him to accompany her to church in Sandringham last month. Although one insider said the only family members who had supported Andrew were his parents, another insists, “Charles has been supportive. There’s a sense in the royal family that having had a very tough year they do have to stand together.” Since his disastrous interview, the duke has largely split his time between Royal Lodge and London, where he’s been meeting regularly with his lawyers in a bid to work out how he can “clear his name” and “support the Queen in her hour of need”, according to insiders. Allies are keen to stress that while he may have stepped back, he hasn’t stepped down. “He knows he’s got to clear the fog before he can even begin to rebuild public trust,” says the source. “He’s adamant he’s done nothing wrong. Let’s not forget innocent before proven guilty. He’s not been charged with anything. If I could use one word to describe his mood right now, it would be contemplative.” For a man renowned for speaking without thinking, it is certainly a start. #

S H Reality update

SEX TAPE CONFESSION Po c called! BOMBSHELLS BOMBSHELL

She’s made no secret of the fact that she’s worked as a scantilyclad bikini model, but bride Natasha Spencer has found herself at the centre of a vicious sex tape scandal that’s threatening to derail her life! Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Day , the brunette beauty, 26, holds back tears as she reveals a former lover has left her “feeling gutted”, thanks to his reckless decision to share a video online of her nude and cuddling up to her one-time lover.

“I was first notified of the video circulating last month,” reveals Natasha, adding she’s become a panicky and anxious mess over the situation. “A close friend of mine who works in construction told me the video was being passed around by tradies.” to vile abuse online with trolls labelling her a “MAFS s***”. While Natasha’s been left devastated by the situation, she insists she’s not surprised. “I’ve faced this sort of sexism in the corporate world,” she explains. “On the surface women are encouraged to embrace their sexuality and to not be embarrassed of enjoying sex, but the minute we do ... we’re torn down.” The optimistic financial advisor hopes her situation can be an example to girls to stop them from getting in front of the camera during sex.

“It’s absolutely a warning to everyone – don’t do it!” she declares. “By all means enjoy sex, get what you want, but don’t get behind the camera!” Agreeing to walk down the aisle on the country’s most provocative reality TV programme was a big decision or the bride, but this is omething she never saw oming. “I knew there would e interest in my personal fe, but this has gone too far,” ays Natasha. She reveals she’s asked ndemol Shine, the company at produces the ratings ggernaut, to provide her ith psychological support. Natasha maintains she s no shame in admitting e’s had to seek treatment r her mental health postming. Australian police are w investigating the matter. # e ays she’s been subjected p fo r film Too rude! A f l h l ft th b id i t PICTURE OF TAPE PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM NATASHA. Too rude! Just married ... Natasha and Mikey Pembroke.

S BOMBSHELLS

STACEY’S SURGERY SHOCKER... ‘SHE WANTED TO LOOK LIKE KYLIE JENNER!’

HER LIPS Bulging lips are aM dinner party staple, but a source close to mum-of-two Stacey Hampton insists she regrets getting lip filler. “She was caught up trying to look like Kylie Jenner in her youth!” jokes her friend. “She recently got them dissolved – her lips are naturally huge so she’s happy to have a more natural look.” MAFS

The mother-oftwo has had more than a couple of nips and tucks.

BOMBSHELLS

HER NOSE A friend of Stacey reveals the 26-year-old reality star suffered a lot of bullying about her nose throughout her teen years. “[Her high school peers] were ruthless – she was bullied relentlessly over the size of her nose,” says the friend, who explains that Stacey underwent rhinoplasty when she was 24. HER NOSE

Before

HER BOOBS They’re certainly unmissable, and according to her friend, Stace had her breasts augmented after breastfeeding both he sons, Kosta, four, and Kruz, three, which took its toll on her body. d according y e r d un mis After

Friends had to be coerced to attend, says a set source.

HAYLEY’S RENT-A-BRIDESMAID NIGHTMAR

Between her expletive-filled rapping and wild twerking, Hayley Vernon’s wedding was TV gold. But despite the former financial broker’s best efforts to put on a brave face, Woman’s Day hears the 32-year-old almost had to walk down the aisle alone! “Her stepdad only agreed to be on the show days before,” says a source. “At one stage production contemplated renting a group of bridesm because no-one was intere She doesn’t have many fri and she’s fallen out with m of her family.” What’s more, the bride i to have begged maid of ho Bek to attend. “She relucta agreed … they barely talk never hang out.” Hayley w devastated when her step and sister refused to atten m aids e sted. iends m ost s said o nour a ntly and w as mum n d.

Local exclusive

The TV stars are looking forward to a honeymoon in Europe.

‘I dreamed about you for 29 years before I met you ...’

Exchanging vows in front of co-star Antonia.

In a sunny Masterton rose garden beside weeping willow trees and displays of fresh lilies, Westside actress Jessica Grace Smith kisses her longtime beau Benedict Wall. Her co-star Antonia Prebble has just pronounced them husband and wife, as family and friends –who’ve come from all over the world –raise their champagne flutes, yelling cheers to the smitten newlyweds. “When I saw Jess walking down the aisle, I cried, and it would’ve been OK but my nose kept running, so I was sniffing a lot!” laughs former Shortland Street actor Ben, chatting to Woman’s Day after the ceremony. “The combination of beautiful words and her looking so gorgeous was hugely special.” For Jessica, who met Ben at a dinner party in Auckland the best part of 10 years ago, the ceremony at her father-in-law’s enchanting 120-year-old property is as magical as she’d hoped. Dressed in a simple but elegant Jessica Bridal gown, she admits to feeling like a princess. But like her wild West character Cheryl, the Sydney-based actress is in the mood to let her hair down, later admitting, “There’s a lot of dress and I partied hard in it until 2am and now the bottom’s a mess!” As the couple duck away for photos in nearby woods, guests TEXT: CLOE WILLETTS.

JESSICA & BEN’S WOODLAND WEDDING Forest of love

TheWestside star’s enchanted big day Jessica’s bridal party (from left) Mercedes Armada, Emma Draper, Kate McGill, Tim Carlsen and Amelia Reid-Meredith. You light up my life! Jessica and Ben hit the dance floor. Ben’s groomsmen (from left) David de Lautour, Finbarr Bunting, Oliver Wall, Matt Kingston, Michael Whalley, Riley Duff and Marlo Wilson (front). relax on rugs on the lawn, enjoying outdoor games and cocktails from a greenhouseturned-bar. While the day started with sunshine, it has turned to rain by the time the couple return and their loved ones gather inside a marquee. But the unexpected wet weather only adds another touch of romance to an already intimate afternoon, which follows with post-ceremony speeches and entertainment. There’s 120 iced cupcakes atop tiered cake stands –one for each guest –and festoon lights hang with decorative bunting above reception tables. The hand-sewn bunting was made byShorty actress Ria Vandervis for her own wedding to Chris Ashton. Jessica, 31, explains, “We went to Ria’s wedding and Ben loved the bunting, so she lent it to us.” A band made up of some of Ben’s best mates is preparing for a performance as Jess sits on a vintage couch opposite the makeshift stage, unaware her husband has a surprise in store. “I had my groomsmen and another bunch of male friends pretend they’d built a band up and as they went on stage I walked away to get a drink,” Ben, 35, grins. “When the song started I began singing from the back of the room and walked back to the stage. On the chorus the guys stood up and began singing alongside me, then broke into a choreographed dance.” He’s not a singer, but Ben had a special reason for his brave rendition of “Slow Show” by The National. He continues, “I liked the last line that says, ‘I dreamed about you for 29 years before I met you, I missed you for 29 years’ ... because I met Jess when I was 29.” After the showstopper, Jess wraps her arms around her hubby and enthuses, “It was so funny. It was amazing! I was so surprised because he never wants to sing in public and he did so well.” Ben jokes, “I was kicked out of the choir. I sang once or twice for drama school, but I was normally in the back. But I wanted to do something that wasn’t easy for me for our wedding day because what better way of expressing your love than doing something that challenges you?” For the pair’s first dance, they spin hand in hand to “Charlie” by Mallrat, and bright confetti falls. With the rain clearing again, an outdoor food truck begins serving warming finger food for the evening, including fish and chips, chicken curry, burgers and spicy prawn salad. The rest of the night is filled with dancing and laughter, before the happy couple head to a quiet glamping spot, waking in the morning to views of hills and horses. Reflecting on their nuptials, the newlyweds agree that having it at his father’s property –with good friend Antonia as celebrant –made for a beautiful, memorable day. “Antonia was amazing and made sure the ceremony reflected us,” enthuses Jessica, who is also friends with the actress’ husband and fellow Westside actor Dan Musgrove. While the besotted couple haven’t yet planned their honeymoon, since Jess is filming the final season of the hit Three series, the duo will head to Europe for a month when they get the chance. For now, they’re relishing in the memories of a day they describe as a mixture of “sentimental” and “fun”. Ben shares, “We’re really happy with how it all went because there was a good amount of heart and humour. It was romantic, ridiculous and perfect.” #