March 2010

31/03/2010 - Exclusive interview with Matt Lucas

The UK's first French channel, Cinemoi, (Sky channel 343) has an exclusive interview series, In The House. Matt Lucas will be featured on: Sun 11 Apr at 8:00pm, Tue 13 Apr at 3:00pm and Sat 17 Apr at 2:15am.

28/03/2010 - Walliams admits that his fear of being alone had turned him into a serial dater

Even the most cynical would wish David Walliams and his fiancée, Dutch model Lara Stone, the best. On the surface, they seem set for a fairy-tale finish. Walliams first spied Stone, 26, last March at a Chelsea football match. He pursued and wooed her, sending flowers by the house-full. After a whirlwind courtship, he proposed in January, popping a vintage Tiffany ring into her cheeseburger. A summer wedding is expected. So far, so fairy tale.
But the bigger picture is rather darker. Just a month before meeting Stone, Walliams gave a glimpse into his psyche when he was the castaway on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. Under probing from host Kirsty Young, he confessed to extreme ‘self-loathing’ and a ‘pathological fear’ of being alone. ‘I hate it,’ he said. ‘When I’m with my own thoughts, I start to unravel and think really dark thoughts, self-destructive thoughts.’
To avoid this, Walliams, a familiar face on the party circuit, would go out every night, surrounding himself with people. ‘If somebody said to me, “You have to spend a weekend on your own”, I wouldn’t be able to hack it,’ he admitted. Stranded on that make-believe desert island, he chose as his ‘luxury’ a gun to shoot himself with rather than be lonely.
Walliams’s own fear of being alone sounds rather extreme – he himself describes it as ‘pathological’. Now a recognised medical condition known as ‘monophobia’ or ‘isolophobia’, it can have sufferers clinging to their partners when they leave for work, and obsessively needing company.
Indeed, Walliams has identified this in himself – and hinted at a traumatic event in his childhood which he won’t reveal while his mother is alive. He has admitted that there is ‘something strange’ in his need to perform in front of 10,000 strangers. And then there is the string of beautiful women who’ve hung from his arm – Lisa Snowdon, Denise Van Outen, Geri Halliwell, Abi Titmuss, Patsy Kensit.
What is the fear behind it? ‘It’s being face to face with yourself’. ‘It’s a fear of facing what you are, or where you are – and the possibility of having to resolve whatever it is you’re trying to avoid,’ reports The Daily Mail's, Anna Moore.

26/03/2010 - Walliams' bride-to-be Lara Stone visits florist as wedding day nears

Lara Stone visited a high-end florist in south London today as she continued preparations for her wedding to David Walliams. The model was seen leaving a store owned by Rob Van Helden, who created floral designs for Pierce Brosnan's wedding and Elton John's famously lavish White Tie and Tiara Ball. The 26-year-old took along two friends for company and emerged with an envelope and small box, which was presumably carrying floral samples.
Meanwhile, her fiancé was across town in Marylebone catching up with comic partner Matt Lucas. While there are rumours the pair will marry tomorrow, sources insist the nuptials will take place at Claridges in May.

25/03/2010 - Celebrities spring clean for charity

Cancer Research UK and retailers TK Maxx and HomeSense have teamed up with eBay for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to bid for a piece of celebrity history.
Sharon Osbourne, Duffy, Jenson Button and David Walliams are just some of the celebrities that have parted with their prized possessions for Give Up Clothes For Good.
Fans keen to purchase their favourite celebrity items will have the chance to bid on clothing including designer handbags, dresses and t-shirts such as David Walliams’ Tom Ford suit. The auction will go live for a week on Thursday 25th March at 9am – closing on Thursday 1st April at 3pm, right here.
David says: “I’ve donated my favourite Tom Ford suit to the campaign.  It’s dark grey and I’ve looked outrageously smart in it in the past. While I would have loved to keep it, I know it will be raising money for an important cause. Cancer is such a horrible disease at any age, let alone when you’re a child, so we need to do everything we can to help fund more research. Please take part in this campaign and help save more lives.”

24/03/2010 - Rumour #1 of many to come...

David and his fiancé Lara Stone have recently been spotted arriving at a top London hospital, which can mean only one thing, she’s got to be pregnant right? Okay, it could obviously mean a million other things, but presuming she’s pregnant is the most interesting thing we could come up with and it would also explain their shotgun wedding, which takes place at Claridges this weekend.

23/03/2010 - David reveals bike ride took its toll

David Walliams says his recent Sport Relief cycling challenge took its toll on him. 'It wasn't as much fun as I'd imagined,' David tells us. 'I had this vision of us cycling round the country, stopping off for cream teas, but that didn't happen. 'We'd cycle about 30 miles at a time and I fell off three times going up Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District - I just keeled over.' David is still recovering from the challenge. 'I've been in incredible pain,' he says. 'My tendons are sore and I'm walking a bit funny. There was a lot of chafing.'

20/03/2010 - Matt Lucas sues the Daily Star over ex’s death stories

Matt Lucas is suing the Daily Star over stories regarding the death of his ex partner. Lucas will use the ‘Max Mosely’ defence in the High Court action – that the Richard Desmond owned publication misused private information. Legal action was taken against Express Newspapers after two stories published last October in the Daily Star following the death Kevin McGee, his former civil partner. Law firm Shillings is taking up the case under as a apparent breach under the Data Protection Act, suggesting the paper did not comply with data protection principles as required by the Act. He is also seeking an injunction against the Star from repeating the allegations or processing confidential or private information about him, where it is true or false.

15/03/2010 - Not to be missed...

Join David and his team mates on BBC1 this Thursday at 9pm for the Sport Relief Bike Ride.

Matt on the 'fiddle'

Fresh from his success in fantasy flick Alice In Wonderland, Matt is now in the running to star in a new movie version of the classic musical Fiddler On The Roof. Matt has auditioned for the lead part of Tevye and is in advanced talks to get the Hollywood role. A source revealed: "Matt's already sung for casting agents and is a strong contender to get the part."

14/03/2010 - David and Lara to wed in 13 days

David Walliams is to marry supermodel Lara Stone at posh Claridge's Hotel just 13 days from now. The Little Britain star and Lara, 26, went to their local town hall last week and posted their wedding banns. The document reveals that David, 38, and his Dutch-born lover will get hitched on March 27 at Claridge's in London's Mayfair.
An onlooker said: "David and Lara appeared so excited as they went up the steps of the town hall holding hands. "They clearly want to get married as soon as they can."
David popped the question when they were holidaying in Los Angeles at New Year after he phoned Lara's parents in Holland to ask their permission.
The pair will have a civil ceremony at the hotel followed by a banquet designed by award-winning executive chef Martyn Nail.
The marriage comes after a whirlwind romance between David and Lara who met at a football match last year. They started dating in May and went public in November.
They went to Camden Town hall in North London last week to give notice of their wedding. The banns - which must be made public by law - list the comic actor under his real name David Edward Williams.

11/03/2010 - Lucas quits Shooting Stars quiz

Matt Lucas has said he will not be appearing in the new series of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's BBC show Shooting Stars. The comedian, who has played giant baby George Dawes since it began in 1993, said he is "busy writing a new series".
In a statement he said: "I just couldn't fit everything in this time, because we'll be right in the middle of rehearsals and rewrites." Filming for the comedy panel quiz is scheduled to start in the spring. "I love being on the show and love working with Vic and Bob and the whole team," Lucas said. "Of course I'll be watching, and I hope we can all do something together again soon."

04/03/2010 - Mission complete - The team arrive at Land's End!

Race against time for Sport Relief team

The Sport Relief Cycle team have dug deep during their third consecutive night ride, in a bid to beat the clock and make it to Lands End on time today.
With strained muscles, bruised limbs and very sore bottoms indeed, the celebrities went out one by one and put in some painful, but impressive performances.
After comedian Jimmy Carr and Dragon Peter Jones both met up with the team yesterday - Jimmy to help out on the road and Peter to help them towards their million pound total - it was down to the original six to make the final push overnight. And that is exactly what they did - powering through the North West of England and into the South West through sheer grit and determination.
David Walliams said: 'This was my last night ride and as much as I've grown to enjoy being woken up at 2am to go out and cycle up an enormous hill, I shan't miss it. This has been really difficult.

03/03/2010 - Jimmy gets on bike to boost flagging team

After two solid days of thigh-bursting cycling and living in a cramped and increasingly smelly coach - the Sport Relief cyclists received a timely boost today as comedian Jimmy Carr arrived to help out.
The funnyman arrived in the morning and was immediately put on the road, although he missed out on another element of the event that is becoming a real challenge - the bus.
With 48 hours’ worth of sweaty gear hanging from every peg and door knob - as well as an almost constant flow of massages and muscle rubs being administered - the vehicle has taken on the air of a football changing room on wheels.
With the team now moving through north-west England to the Midlands, the halfway point of the 1,000-mile ride has been reached.
But as Jimmy Carr arrived, the team were in urgent need of a boost and an extra pair of legs to lighten the cycling load. So it was straight in the saddle for Jimmy, who has previously admitted to doing virtually no training for the challenge despite warnings of it being a gruelling physical feat.
To help accustom the new team member to the difficult conditions on the road, team leader, David Walliams, accompanied Jimmy on his first leg of the relay and they braved the difficult terrain together.

Rough ride for Sport Relief cyclists

Day three of Sport Relief's celebrity bike ride from John O'Groats to Land's End saw a shaky start as comedians Patrick Kielty and Miranda Hart took tumbles on the road. Video...

Walliams falls on Brutal Ascent

David Walliams took a tumble as he took on one of Britain's most notorious mountain passes on the second night of his celebrity team's cycle challenge. It fell to the comedian, who swam the channel four years ago, to take on the Kirkstone Pass - a 1000ft climb through the heart of the Lake District. The punishing 1 in 4 gradient proved too much at one point sending David crashing to the ground as he struggled to maintain momentum. After pushing the bike for a spell he got back in the saddle and made it to the very top, before finally making his descent.
He said: "It was so steep you just couldn't get the speed up to stay upright and I went over. It was a very tough route, a 1 in 4 gradient was incredibly hard to overcome."

Peter Jones searches for 1,000 companies to sponsor cycle challenge

Entrepreneur and TV Dragon, Peter Jones CBE, is calling on Britain’s small-to-medium-size businesses (SMEs) to dig deep and give to this year’s Sport Relief campaign. Peter has answered a plea from David Walliams to take on the role of “fundraising guru” in support of The BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride.
Peter is asking businesses nationwide to each make a small donation and together make a huge difference to the projects supported by Sport Relief. He’s looking to find 1,000 companies prepared to donate at least £100 each – but he hopes that well over 1,000 will get on board and that many will choose to give a larger sum.
In return, Peter has created his own online ‘share’ index called ‘The Pedal Power 1000’, which will showcase every company that makes a donation.

02/03/2010 - Jimmy Carr to join team tomorrow

Comedian Jimmy Carr will be joining the rest of the cycling team tomorrow. Jimmy says: "The cycle team are in Wick (Walliams says it's cold). I'm joining them Wednesday. Sort of wish I'd trained now."

Sunshine thaws out Sport Relief riders as the lakes beckon

After a night in the Highland deep Freeze, the Sport Relief riders were greeted by bright sunshine and blue skies as they made their way to the English border. David Walliams and Russell Howard ushered in the daylight; both putting in a sterling stint in the saddle. With cross channel veteran Walliams beginning to tighten up after his effort he received a deep tissue massage on the back of the tour bus.
Next in line was Miranda who'd really suffered in the night having to walk up one particularly brutal hill and being given acupuncture for sickness and exhaustion. But with the sun on her back today she kept a good pace, although admitting that the last 20 minutes was "Hell".

Sport Relief night riders survive "deadly" conditions

The Sport Relief bike challengers have battled through temperatures as low as -15°C as they made their way through the Highlands of Scotland.
The first night ride of the John O’Groats to Land’s End challenge turned into a tempestuous trial as the bitter winter that has gripped Britain for months bit once again.
First Miranda Hart, David Walliams, and then Fearne Cotton braved the conditions before Davina McCall and Patrick Kielty really felt the full force of the icy blast as they passed through the ski resort of Glencoe.
At one point an experienced support rider had to be brought in after his five-hour stint left him unable to communicate with the team bus because his tongue was completely numb.

01/03/2010 - And they're off!

The brave team of celebrities have now set off on the BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride! They’re on their way from John O’Groats to Lands End in a non-stop cycle relay. It’s one mighty challenge and we’ll follow their every move through the wind, rain and snow. Can they do it? One thing’s for sure, they’ll need all the support they can get. Video...

Celebrity cyclists on charity ride

Celebrity cyclists including Fearne Cotton and David Walliams will set off on a thousand mile ride from John O'Groats to Land's End aiming to raise £1 million for Sport Relief. The first 24-hours of the non-stop relay ride will see the fundraisers tackle an overall hill ascent of almost 29,000ft - the equivalent of Mount Everest. Television and presenter Cotton said: "When I was told that we would be climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest on the first day alone I thought it was a joke. "But when you look at the route it's true - there's almost 29,000ft for us to pedal up on the Scottish leg of the trip. And a lot of that is in the dark!" Little Britain star Walliams, who swam the English Channel for Sport Relief four years ago, said: "Water is one thing, but I'm not built for a bike. I'm not sure what I've let myself in for"

David's on a love train

David's fiancée Lara Stone let the train take the strain - as they head off on a romantic rail journey together. Loved-up David, 38, and the Dutch supermodel kissed and cuddled when they arrived at Waterloo Station in central London. The pair had their arms around each other as they strolled to the station concourse and then stood studying the departures board. And they posed for a photo before boarding the train, proving their love isn't going off the rails.

How Matt learnt to laugh again after ex-partner's suicide

Walking down the red carpet at the royal premiere of Alice In Wonderland on Thursday night, Matt Lucas did his best to keep a fixed grin on his face.  As excited as he was to meet Prince Charles and Camilla (apparently he's a big fan) and to relish the premiere of his first big Hollywood film, it was also a situation that had terrified him.  For it was, in effect, the night that Matt, 36, re-entered the world he's been hiding from since the suicide of his former civil partner Kevin McGee four months ago.
In the past couple of days, he has been promoting Alice In Wonderland (in which he plays Tweedledum and Tweedledee) and The Winner Is, his new Radio 2 comedy show.  He has looked ill at ease in many of the promotional interviews, but that is no surprise considering what's he's been through.  Since that night in October, the Little Britain star has been a virtual recluse. For a while he refused to leave his house at all and anything that reminded him of Kevin would prompt hours of tears.
David Walliams, his comedy partner, has called him at least once a day, to check in. Fellow comic Sacha Baron Cohen, who went to school with Matt, has also been in touch constantly. Johnny Depp, his Alice In Wonderland co star, has been trying to cheer him up by sending silly clips from YouTube.  And Matt's older brother Howard is a regular visitor to his lavish Regent's Park home, making sure he gets up, gets dressed and eats something. He has also taken solace in his religion. Full story...