SCOTS CANCER TEEN GIVEN VIP TREATMENT AT NTA’s

Beverley Lyons 
A Scots teenager with brain cancer couldn’t believe  it when she was invited to the NTA’s as a guest of David Walliams and his team.
Thirteen year old Ellie Beattie went to London first class on the train, was chauffeur driven by limousine around London and was invited to the show as a VIP.
Ellie also received a personal message from David Walliams as well as video messages from Bradley Walsh and Ant and Dec on the trip, which was organised by Les Hoey MBE Dreammaker Charity. 
It was a real boost for the teenager who has been battling illness since she was seven when she first suffered from bad leg pains then headaches.
Ellie, who was taken into hospital in September 2017 and finally diagnosed with stage four metastatic pineo blastoma brain disease and leptomeningeal disease in May 2018, has had 32 doses of chemotherapy. 
Her mum Elaine said: “Ellie has been ill since she was seven and she’s really been put through the mill. She has had Bell’s palsy on her face, terrible headaches and lost her memory as the disease has spread. It’s been awful and she even ended up in a wheelchair after her chemotherapy. Her treatment finished in March 2019 when doctors had to cut it short because chemo nearly killed her. We are in a watch and wish situation now and she gets reassessed every three months. The disease is currently sleeping but it will get active again.”

Ellie, whose schooling has been interrupted by her illness, couldn’t believe it when Angela Cook from Les Hoey Dreammaker Charity got in touch to say she’d been invited down to the glitzy bash. 
She said: “It was amazing. I love David Walliams and have his book and couldn’t believe it when I got the random invite to the NTA’s. My mum had been talking to Les and the team about me and they invited me.  I got picked up by limo to go to the awards and when I was at the hotel I was gifted Gucci socks and given my note from David Walliams along with his book The Beast of Buckingham Palace. It said: ”Dearest Ellie I want you to know that I am thinking about you and sending you all my love.” He was too busy on the night hosting to say hello but I also got a video from Bradley Walsh as I’m a big fan of The Chase and he’s invited me down to the studios as his guest. Ant and  Dec also sent me a secret video  message too.”

Ellie was given VIP seats to the left of the stage where she and her mum could see the celebs up close as they went to pick up their awards. 

Elaine said: “We were on an aisle seat and we could see them coming down to go on the stage and shout down to them. When Tom Jones went by I said ‘What’s new pussy cat’ and he replied ‘Woah Woah Woah’.
Ellie reckons the whole experience made her forget about her illness for the evening. She said:  “The worst bit of my illness was being stuck in hospital  for months on end and this definitely made me feel happier than I have been.”
Les Hoey said: “This is the reason the charity was started. When these kids go to events like these they are the celebs.”

YOUTUBER AND STRICTLY STAR SAFFRON BARKER TALKS LOVE ISLAND’S PAIGE TURLEY

Exclusive 
Beverley Lyons 
STRICTLY star Saffron Barker has given her seal of approval to Scots Love Island contestant Paige Turley. 
YouTuber and dance contestant Saffron is currently in Aberdeen for the live Strictly tour and comes to Glasgow’s SSE Hydro this weekend. 
Speaking about Love Island, she said “I think Connaugh is beautiful, and Callum looks good too.  I’m not going to lie. I like Paige though, I really like Paige. I’ve liked Paige from day dot. No one likes Paige. I loved her from the minute she came in.“
Saffron reckons that Paige had a bad reception because of her constant name dropping  that she was Lewis Capaldi’s ex, but she blames show producers for making her mention him so much. 
She said: I feel like just because she’s Lewis Capaldi’s ex that nobody liked her but the thing is it’s a producer show and she’s going to get told that she has  to say that 1000 times. I really like her as well. I think her and Finn are cute although I’m not being funny I could never date a guy with a foot fetish. I honestly have no idea as to how that girl is doing that, honestly no idea at all because I really just could not. Paige is so chill and she has personality.”
Saffron’s costars have been loving their time  in Aberdeen. 
Dancer Neil Jones and judge Craig Revel Horwood also donned kilts for their first night. 
Neil said: “I have a surprise costume for you Aberdeen.” as fans teased if he was a true Scotsman. 
Katya Jones also had a tour of local hotspots including St Machars Cathedral, Aberdeen University, Kings college, Seaton Park and the Brig of Balgownie. She said: “Aberdeen is gorgeous.”
Cath Tyldesley enjoyed a breakfast fry up with two portions of black pudding ahead of her double shows yesterday and also put on a Scots accent ahead of her appearance. Sounding like Lorraine Kelly she said: “You know where we are don’t you. We’re in Aberdeen and I'm absolutely loving Aberdeen. 
Promising a show full of sparkle glitter and campiness she said: “We want you to cheer your socks off. Come on Aberdeen don’t let us down. Your auntie Cath loves you.”
As dancer Karen Hauer showed off some of her stretches on a tartan carpet, Dancer AJ Pritchard also embraces the city. As he sang along to the tune of Summer Holiday how we he admitted he was going to feel cold with the temperature at minus three.
The Strictly stars hit Glasgow on Saturday and Sunday. 

ASHLEY STORRIE GOES BANANAS AT GLEE CLUB BIRTHDAY

WE all went bananas at The Glee Club in Glasgow as they served up a slice of comedy gold at their eagerly awaited first birthday bash. An edible pair of The Big Yin’s ‘big banana boots’ took centre stage at the popular comedy club’s celebratory show.  

And Tv and radio star Ashley Storrie proved to be the real icing on the cake as she had the audience in stitches with her witty and down to earth humour, 

As they split their sides, guests were able ‘to fill their boots’ with slices of the eye catching life-size birthday cake which was created by award-winning Scottish cake designer 3D cakes. Handcrafted from toffee sponge and airbrushed to depict detail, the comedy cake was the brainchild of The Glee team who voted Billy Connelly’s famous fruity bootiestheir favourite Scottish comedy icon.

 A stellar line-up of other Scottish comics entertained the crowd throughout the evening, including the award winning Mark Nelson, the hilarious Christopher KCand up and coming stars Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Shona Lawson. 

Even the hecklers were entertaining - with a special mention going to troublesome OAP Elizabeth. 

Freshly made food, drinks and a lively after party ensured that a fun-filled evening was had by all to mark the one year milestone.

 Since opening its doors in early 2019, The Glee Club Glasgow has welcomed a raft of top comedians to its stage, including Sean Lock, Joel Dommett, Larry Dean, Janey Godley, Suzi Ruffell, Tom Stade, Fern Brady, Rosie Jones, Gary Meikle and Des Clarke. In addition to its popular weekend shows, the club has hosted a series of sell-out events such as book tours, drag shows and a hugely successful series of Christmas and Hogmanay comedy nights.

To further fly the flag for Glasgow’s thriving creative and entertainment industries, The Glee Club partnered with leading Scottish festivals throughout the year to deliver a series of unmissable events including Celtic Connections, Glasgow Film Festival and Glasgow Comedy Festival.

Glee founder Mark Tughan commented: “Billy Connolly has some pretty big boots to fill in terms of Scottish comedy, so what better way to celebrate our first year in the city than by paying tribute to him with our wonderfully banana’s cake! 

 We opened the club to showcase and support stand-up comedy in the city and we are thrilled that our first year has been such a success. Glaswegians are known for their humour, so the top notch acts that the club has attracted and sold out shows really is testament to this. 

 Our team is incredibly excited to bring more must-see shows to the city and fly the flag for Scottish comedy’

 The Glee Club Glasgow’s 400 seater interior, boasts theatre-style with great views to the round Glee stage, plus excellent lighting, acoustics and atmosphere. An extensive menu of delicious freshly made food and a great quality drinks offering enables guests to enjoy both an evening of entertainment and dining experience under one roof.

  

Prices: Friday night tickets £11 / students £8 / ticket + food £20, Saturday night tickets £17 / students £8 / ticket + pizza + drink £27

 

The Glee Club box office: 0871 472 0400 / info@glee.co.uk

www.glee.co.uk

KIRK DOUGLAS SANG I BELONG TO GLASGOW ON SCOTS TRIP

Exclusive 
Beverley Lyons HOLLYWOOD star Kirk Douglas waved his $75,000 plus fee after agreeing to speak in Glasgow for a charity dinner - and he told of his love of Scotland as he sang I Belong to Glasgow.
Theshowbizlion.com can reveal that the Hollywood A-lister insisted upon talking for no money and no expenses after deciding it was a cause close to his heart.
Kirk, who came to Scotland as a guest of the Jewish National Fund in 1995, made a personal phone call to the then chairman of the charity Stanley Lovatt after hearing that funds from the night were going to help a project in Jerusalem.
Stanley explained: “I approached Kirk’s agent in New York and he advised me his fee would be 75,000 plus expenses which was very expensive. I told him we couldn’t afford it. 
“It was funny. The agent asked me a few weeks later what the proceeds were going to and I told him it was for a project in Jerusalem.”
He asked if I had the details so I couriered a video and brochure of the project in Jerusalem to the agent in New York who passed it onto Kirk Douglas  in LA.“
Stanley couldn’t believe it when he got a personal call from the star a few weeks later.
He said: ”I was out shopping with my wife Carol and one of the boys from the committee said a guy claiming to be Kirk Douglas called and will phone you later. 
“He phoned me later that day and was the real deal. He was very charming on the telephone and said I will endeavour to come because I know what the project is and I made a movie there called  Cast A Giant Shadow. He insisted there was no question of a fee and that he wanted to pay all his own expenses.” 
Kirk arrived into London and Stanley had organised a private jet through the BBC’s Pebble Mill to bring him to Glasgow while he was being  interviewed by Gloria Huneford.  
He said: “He was absolutely charming. I went down to London to meet him and he was an absolutely incredible individual, charming, polite and very friendly. He told a story about visiting Edinburgh before and even sang I Belong To Glasgow.”
On the night Kirk indeed referenced his birth name Issur Dabiekovitch which he said he would have kept if he was going to be a ballet dancer, he added: “I’m glad to be here in Glasgow with a name like Kirk Douglas. “You know with my new name I went to New York City to attend a dramatic school and I rented a little room in an attic, and across the hall lived Bill Henderson. A short stocky fella from Glasgow. Now he was delighted to meet me, A fellow Scotsman. He asked ‘Now what part of Scotland are you from?’ Well I said that I might be somewhere east and south of Scotland like Russia.” 
Well he said ‘With a name like Kirk Douglas I’ll buy the first round.’ On Saturday nights we’d have a few beers when we had enough money and he taught me a Scottish drinking song. No as we see in movies cut, fade and dissolve into 40 years later. I was in Edinburgh Scotland for a big charity benefit for the Queen of Britain. Everybody was rushing round just before the curtain went up when I heard over the loudspeaker ‘ladies and gentlemen Mr Kirk Douglas’. I said ‘What do you want me to do?’ And they said ‘just do something’. The curtain went up and I thought of Bill Henderson. The Queen of England was in the audience and I had no musical accompaniment and I was in Edinburgh. Did I have guts?  This is what I sang. I belong to Glasgae. I tell you that song got a better reception here than it did in Edinburgh.”