Jason Statham has run into a battle with local planning officials over plans for a new summerhouse at the £20million beachfront mansion he shares with fiancée Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 39.
The couple's six-bed house, in the south of England, has its own private beach, boating lake, wild swimming pond, yoga studio and a large tree house. It also has an existing three-bedroom summerhouse with a kitchen, dining room and lounge, which the couple have used to put up guests. But planning permission was originally granted to a previous owner only for a swimming pool pavilion without accommodation.
Statham, 59, who paid £20million for the property in 2024, has applied to the local council for a certificate of lawful development for the summerhouse as "ancillary residential accommodation" so he can build another one in its place. He says it has been used as a guest house for more than ten years, making it immune from enforcement action, and has cited evidence from the former owners.
A planning officer told him: "Whilst it may be able to be demonstrated that this use is lawful due to the length of time that it has been in place... it would still be unauthorised. Even if a lawful development certificate were obtained to confirm that the building is capable of continued use as ancillary accommodation, I'm afraid that without any other overriding justification, this is unlikely to justify its replacement with a new building that would be contrary to our policies." Planners are expected to decide on the scheme later this month.
Phil Collins on his Oscar nomination
Phil Collins says he refused to vote for his own song when he was first nominated for an Oscar. "When I got nominated for an Oscar, first time, for Against All Odds, I didn't vote. If you're nominated, you can vote. I didn't vote because I would never know if I only won by one vote," the 75-year-old says.
Speaking to the BBC about the track, which was nominated for best original song in 1984, Collins adds: "That wouldn't have felt right. So I didn't encourage people to vote for it because it's like, if I deserve it, I'm going to get it. If I don't deserve it, I'm not." The award went to Stevie Wonder for I Just Called To Say I Love You.
Lady Eliza Spencer's wedding plans
Lady Eliza Spencer, 34, has posed in a swimsuit with the words "Future Mrs M" written across her back to mark her engagement to tech executive Channing Millerd, 35. The picture was taken at Palazzo Avino, a five-star hotel on the Amalfi coast in Italy, which the couple are considering as a possible wedding venue. "Wedding venue hunting begins," Lady Eliza says.
Lady Eliza's father is Earl Spencer, whose nephew the Duke of Sussex once discussed replacing his own Royal Family surname, Mountbatten-Windsor, with Spencer. Lady Eliza's mother is the earl's first wife, Victoria Lockwood. The earl was absent from the weddings of her sisters, Lady Kitty in 2021 and Lady Amelia in 2023.
Tim Bentinck's Archers confession
Archers star Tim Bentinck, who is also the 12th Earl of Portland, has admitted he does not listen to the Radio 4 show despite having played farmer David Archer for 44 years. Queen Camilla is a devoted listener. "I never know what's going on. There are all these lines and I say, 'What does that mean?' They say, 'Don't you listen to it?' And I say, 'No!'" Bentinck says. Touring with fellow cast members to mark the show's 75th anniversary, he adds: "I've had to swot up to sound as though I know what I'm talking about."
Suki Waterhouse's vaping habit
Suki Waterhouse has admitted she struggles to put down her vape even during workouts. The singer and actress, 34, says her trainer was appalled to catch her at it. "My trainer was absolutely horrified with me because I was vaping during training, and he was just, like, 'What is going on?' He's a professional athlete. He's absolutely horrified," she says.
The Burberry model, who has a two-year-old daughter with fiancé Robert Pattinson, insists she remains committed to fitness otherwise. "I don't like the feeling if I haven't worked out in three or four days. My muscles don't feel as strong. I just can't run... It makes me feel very sick," she adds.
Chris Evans launches Marlow Car Club
DJ Chris Evans has gone into business with two of his closest friends after buying a £14million waterside mansion in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Evans, 60, has set up a firm called Marlow Car Club, an exhibition and fair organisers' business, with chef Tom Kerridge and entrepreneur Peter Jones, who both live in the town.
Evans, who created the children's charity fundraiser CarFest, shares his friends' love of motors. Dragons' Den star Jones, 60, owns several classic cars, while Kerridge, 53, who runs the Hand and Flowers pub in Marlow, has taken up car racing in a souped-up Renault Clio. "Last year was my first proper season," Kerridge says.
