Caroline Stanbury, the reality television star known for Real Housewives of Dubai, has opened applications for a four-day wellness retreat on a private island in the Maldives this November, requiring a $5,000 (£3,700) deposit before guests can be approved.
Stanbury, 50, who once counted the man then known as Prince Andrew, the King's brother, among her close friends, built her reputation as one of television's most feisty, sharp-tongued figures. She shot to fame on Ladies of London in 2014 before joining Real Housewives of Dubai.
The Stanbury Retreats programme offers group coaching in what she calls "transformational conversations", along with curated wellness and personal growth experiences.
"I am myself the queen of reinvention," Stanbury said in a promotional video posted online. "I want to inspire you and let you know, that your next chapter is going to be the best one yet. This is not just a holiday. It's an investment in your future."
Stanbury, who is reported to be worth $30million (£22million) and lives in Dubai with her husband, former footballer Sergio Carrallo, has not revealed the retreat's full price. Given the $5,000 deposit required simply to be considered, it appears unlikely to be aimed at women she describes as having a "broke" mindset.
"I used to listen to TikToks saying get rid of your broke friends," she said. "And I'd be like, God no, I have friends from all different walks of life and I love all of them, and I still believe that because some people are on their journey."
She added: "I don't mean literally go out and get rid of all your broke friends, but what I do mean is the ones that think broke; the ones that are content-broke or pity-broke and like, 'this is my life'. They've accepted broke, and you are the pinnacle and you're the one that's just going to carry them for the rest of their lives. That doesn't work."
Stanbury said friends who are "broke" and do not see themselves reaching the same position "are a drain on you mentally", because of the constant worry involved.
Nadiya Bychkova wants Celebrity SAS challenge
Strictly Come Dancing's Nadiya Bychkova, dropped from the BBC show after seven seasons, says she is ready to take on Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The Ukrainian dancer, 37, speaking at the launch of the Restart Medical and Aesthetics Clinic in Fitzrovia, London, said: "It's one of the shows which I have thought about doing for a while. But when I was doing Strictly that was near impossible because there might be an injury."
Bychkova, who attended the MobLand Season Two world premiere in Leicester Square on 10 September 2026, believes years of competitive dancing have prepared her for the show's physical and psychological trials. "I have been competing my whole life and surviving everything, so I think I'm quite tough," she said.
Teri Hatcher steps into Devil Wears Prada role Madonna rejected
Actress Teri Hatcher is joining the West End production of The Devil Wears Prada at London's Dominion Theatre, taking over as magazine editor Miranda Priestly from Vanessa Williams, who leaves the show next week.
Hatcher was not the producers' first choice, however. Madonna, 68, was reportedly approached first but had no interest in the part. "Producers were obviously devastated as she would have boosted sales," a source in theatre land said, adding that bosses now plan to hire well-known names for stints of around three months each. A representative for Madonna was unavailable for comment.
Laura Hamilton opens up on low-key new relationship
A Place in the Sun presenter Laura Hamilton attended this week's National Television Awards in London without a partner, saying her new boyfriend prefers to stay out of the public eye.
"He avoids red carpets and events. He's like, 'Go do your thing.' He's not in the industry and he doesn't want to be known in that way," Hamilton, 44, said. She split from her husband, broker Alex Goward, with whom she has two children, in 2022. "I didn't think I would find love again. It's quite lovely," she said.
Biographer says Rishi Sunak was 'too nice' for No 10
Historian Anthony Seldon, author of Sunak At 10, said former prime minister Rishi Sunak's downfall stemmed partly from being too accommodating. Speaking at the book's launch party at Daunt Books in Marylebone, London, Seldon said: "Rishi almost had too low an ego to be a prime minister, and part of that was his sense of service, his faith."
Peruvian Connection plots London comeback after 'Kate Effect'
Fashion label Peruvian Connection, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is planning a return to London after the sales boost it received when the Princess of Wales wore its black alpaca fleece hat at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2017.
The brand's Kansas-born chief executive, Annie Hurlbut, who has built the label around clothing inspired by Andean textiles, said the company is "gearing up to come back in full force" following a difficult period that included the closure of its King's Road store. "Tell Kate, don't give up the ship. We're coming back strong," Hurlbut said, adding that the company has "seriously discussed opening a store in London".
Arnhem veteran's daughter fights to save 'sacred' building
Caroline Frost, whose father John Frost earned a second Distinguished Service Order with the Parachute Regiment at the Battle of Arnhem, is campaigning against plans to turn the last surviving building from the battle into a supermarket. "They're pressuring the owner of the last building from the battle to turn it into a supermarket. They can't. It's sacred," Frost said, calling on as many former Paratroopers as possible to join her outside the building during the battle's 82nd anniversary commemorations next Friday.
'Charlie's Angel' Davina Sheffield dies aged 75
Davina Sheffield, once romantically linked to King Charles when he was Prince of Wales, has died at the age of 75. The pair met in the summer of 1975, and one of Charles's biographers said he "could not disguise his yearning, even in public" for Sheffield, who was among the group of women dubbed "Charlie's Angels". Charles invited her to Balmoral, where she charmed those she met, but the relationship ended after it emerged she had previously lived with a former boyfriend, James Beard. Sheffield married in 1981 and had three sons.
