What is Olaplex treatment and can it really transform hair? (Spoiler alert: yes it can)

https://ift.tt/3uhnCCo

The hair treatment to end all hair treatments

In a nutshell, Olaplex treatment is a haircare range that every hairstylist worth their salt swears by for keeping strands healthy. 

You see, it doesn’t just paper over the cracks, making hair look smoother. Olaplex treatment actually improves its structure.

The Olaplex treatment line-up involves nine steps, two of which are in-salon treatments for those who frequently bleach or dye their hair. These prevent breakage during the colouring process and ‘glue’ together the broken bonds that occur as a result.

Black Friday 2021 Best Beauty Deals – Quick Links

•  40% off Charlotte Tilbury 
• Glossier Black Friday deals
• Up to 50% off perfume – Le Labo, Creed, Burberry
• Up to 80% off Huda Beauty

Then there are seven at home products. These include the now infamous Olaplex No. 3 mask, which Kim Kardashian swears by, saying:  ‘When your hair is really damaged, if you sleep in that, it really works. I notice a huge difference.’ 

All deliver shine, strength and manageability to all hair types and textures, coloured or not.

In other words, Olaplex is an adjunct to the other rules to follow for healthy hair.

But what do the experts think? We spoke to a top stylist and trichologist, as well as putting the range through its paces ourselves…

Black Friday 2021 Beauty Deals

Kérastase Blond Absolu Bundle – was £139.70, now £111.75 | Lookfantastic
This is hands down one of the best purple shampoo range to be had. We even gave it a 2021 Marie Claire Hair Award. Toning products, like purple shampoos and treatments, can be really drying on the hair, but this one has hyaluronic acid which helps boost moisture levels, whilst removing brassiness. This bundle is perfect for anyone with blonde hair who likes it on the cool side.

View Deal

ghd Platinum+ Hair Straightener – was £189, now £156,99 | Amazon
The cheapest so far of this stand out hair straightener.

View Deal

Shark Style IQ Hair Dryer & Styler – was £229, now £179 | John Lewis
This hairdryer suits all hair types and comes with smart intelligent technology and rapid airflow. It has two attachments – the diffuser and the concentrator – as well as iQ technology that helps to reduce damage (but not time). It also has three temperature settings and three air-flow settings with a cool shot button also there.

View Deal

Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer – was £59.99, now £29.99 | Argos
The styler of the moment, this will give you Adele curls for under £30!

View Deal

What is Olaplex treatment?

Olaplex was founded by Dean Christal, who teamed up with scientist Dr Craid Hawker and Dr Eric Pressly to create a new molecule that works from inside hair strands.

Each of the nine Olaplex products contains varying amounts of this hero active ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, which repairs broken disulfide bonds in the hair.

Nicola Clarke, Creative Colour Director at John Frieda Salons, elaborates for us: ‘Olaplex is the biggest game-changer in hair colour. It maximises the strength of hair by reconnecting disulphide sulphur bonds. These are normally broken down during the colouring process or when hair is subject to regular heat treatments.’

‘It allows you to rebuild the structure and integrity of hair and is compatible with all hair types,’ she continues.

That includes Afro hair as it will help to reduce frizzy hair and make curls more defined.

Olaplex: Before and after

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OLAPLEX (@olaplex)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by OLAPLEX (@olaplex)

Olaplex treatement: A Review

by Fiona Embleton

Six years ago I saw Nicola Clarke at John Frieda after a hair colour disaster at another salon.

To cut a long traumatic story short, my colourist had left the bleach on for waaayyy too long and, in the ensuing frenzy to get the foils out, I was left with broken pieces of hair.

I looked like an angry child had taken a pair of scissors to my hair. It was that bad I even forewent my regular colour session for 6 months – which is as controversial as a Strictly pro skipping self-tan.

But old habits die hard, and I desperately wanted a sun-kissed, beachy do for summer. ‘Not yet,’ said Clarke, leading me to the salon’s back room.

Here she shoved a test tube containing the Olaplex No. 3 into my hand. She had syphoned it off the first UK sample being trialled at the salon. ‘Use it three times a week without fail and come back in three months,’ she whispered. 

I felt like I was in possession of fairy dust and religiously applied it, praying to the hair gods for a miracle.

Gradually the softness and elasticity returned. It was like I was resuscitating lifeless hair.

By the time I next saw Clarke, she was in possession of the Olaplex No. 1 and No. 2 in the salon so we tried that with my colour. The only difference was the extra 20 minutes added on to my appointment time for the Bond Perfector to be applied once the foils had been rinsed out.

For the first time in ages, my new colour not only looked great but my hair actually felt strong – not frazzled – when I ran my fingers through it.

And the products?

With results this good, of course I followed up with all the at-home products. 

Special shout outs go to Olaplex No. 6, the lovechild of a styling cream and leave-in conditioner for smoothing the ends of my hair.  

Meanwhile, hair oil used to be my nemesis. I hated it and more often than not ended up a hot greasy mess when I used it on my fine hair.

Olaplex No. 7 changed all that – lightweight, effective, it babies my hair but is also great in place of a heat protecting spray. Read more about my relationship with the Olaplex Bonding Oil here.

All of which, I know, costs a pretty penny. So have I lost my head in trying to save what’s growing on it?

I asked trichologist Sally-Ann Tarver for her thoughts.

‘Olaplex is a brilliant product, I actually purchased my own to take to my colourist and have used it for my last three sets of highlights,’ she says. ‘My personal experience of it is that my hair feels stronger after colouring than it normally would.’ 

So should you believe the hype? It’s a big, resounding yes from me. 

Olaplex: The Nine Steps

Conveniently the system is numbered so you know precisely what order to use the products…

The post What is Olaplex treatment and can it really transform hair? (Spoiler alert: yes it can) appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/2zAybtb
via IFTTT

Meet the trailblazing women who are driving change on their own terms

https://ift.tt/3DM9CWE

Vick Hope in conversation with Marie Claire's Holly Rains

At some point in recent history, you’ve probably been told to ’embrace change’ and welcome it into your life, but be it a personal change, or ploughing forward with a professional goal – the idea of stepping into the unknown can often lead to stasis. Every possible outcome starts playing out in your mind, and because the human brain is a funny old thing, it’s the negative thoughts that get the air time…

“Am I good enough to do this?”

“What if it doesn’t work out?”

“Who do I think I am?!”

How about, we let the positive thoughts get their time in the sun for a change, because we’re pretty sure Jeffrey Bezos didn’t sit in front on the mirror and ask his reflection if he was “good enough” before experiencing four minutes of weightlessness in suborbital space. Whilst a multi-billion pound joyride to space is out of the question for most of us, we do admire that spirit of adventure. The desire to try something new, embrace the now and become your own agent of change.

And it’s with that spirit in mind that, as part of our Driven series with Ford, we sat down with some of our favourite women to properly understand what it took to get where they are today; from navigating stumbling blocks and taking the path less travelled, to not being afraid to use their voice to affect positive change – their energy and ambition is not just inspiring, it’s infectious

---

Visit the Driven Hub to find out more tips on how to create more, do more and change more…

---

Case in point: Our interview with broadcasting powerhouse Vick Hope. The queen of positivity’s energy is only matched by her drive to make lasting change and amplify voices that have traditionally been excluded from the mainstream narrative, all whilst balancing her career as a broadcast journalist and presenter. Her tip? Keeping a sense of perspective… and a banging playlist, obviously.

Lennie Ware chats to Marie Claire’s Holly Rains over coffee

We also sat down with social worker, author and podcasting legend Lennie Ware for a candid chat about what can be achieved when you actively embrace opportunities that come out of nowhere. Whilst the Table Manners’ matriarch can now count 3.5 million of us as fans, it was a happy accident that she became so heavily involved in the podcast. Initially enlisted by her daughter, Jessie, to cook for the guests, her natural rapport with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Ed Sheeran became a key ingredient to creating the hit show, proving that whatever stage of life you’re at, if you’re receptive and not afraid to take a chance, change can be a very good thing indeed.

Watch the full Driven series here. 

The post Meet the trailblazing women who are driving change on their own terms appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/3FueKzm
via IFTTT

"Told off for sharing my salary": How a lack of pay transparency is fuelling the gender pay gap

https://ift.tt/3oDl8xs

You need to start telling your colleagues what you earn, ASAP...

Pay transparency: Why talking about salaries will close the gender pay gap

Talking money is without doubt a major taboo. It’s rude to ask a new acquaintance over dinner what their salary is, so you’d never dream of it, right? 

In that scenario, it’s completely fair enough. Most people probably don’t want to offer up the ins and outs of their monthly pay cheque. But there are some circumstances where pay transparency would benefit us all – especially women. And that’s within the workplace.

Ultimately, the culture we live in – the one that shrouds salaries in secrecy – is fuelling the gender pay gap. It actively enables companies to exercise disparity in wages. Because as long as it’s frowned upon to tell people what you earn, there’s no accountability.

When Georgia, a 23-year-old PR Director, told her former manager in a one-to-one meeting that she knew she was underpaid in comparison to her colleagues, she was surprised at the conversation that ensued. Instead of addressing the concerns head-on, reassuring her that she was valued by the company and promising to rectify the imbalance, Georgia’s boss… told her off. 

“I was told directly that I shouldn’t be discussing salaries with other members of the team,” recalls Georgia. “Knowing I had made me feel like I’d done something wrong.” Worrying she’d overstepped the mark, Georgia began second guessing her decision to talk to her co-workers about pay. “I immediately tried to justify to my manager that it had only come up in casual conversation,” she tells Marie Claire.  

Slumped back at her desk, feeling disheartened about the uncomfortable conversation, Georgia began to ruminate on it. “I realised that her abruptness could have actually been from a place of fear.” After a quick Google, which confirmed that pay is actually something staff should be encouraged to discuss with colleagues (especially women), Georgia wondered whether her manager’s reaction was indicative of a company-wide salary discrepancy issue. She decided to look into it further. 

“I discovered that some people had worked at the company for almost 10 years on minimum wage and without a single pay rise,” she explains. “Women were managing teams of 5+ people and earning thousands of pounds less than men at the same level who didn’t manage anyone, and juniors were even being brought in on higher salaries than experienced existing employees because ‘that was just the hiring market’.” Georgia also uncovered that members of staff had been asked by their manager to actively lie about their higher salaries to colleagues who were being paid less.

Needless to say, Georgia swiftly left the organisation. But she’s not the only one who’s experienced such shadiness around pay. When she worked at a technology retail store, 24-year-old Danni Scott, now a journalist, was shocked to receive a company-wide email discouraging employees from discussing pay. The email stated that workers should “never discuss pay with other members of staff, as it is a private matter.”

“Nobody challenged the email formally but it did make us all feel annoyed,” Danni tells Marie Claire of her colleagues’ reaction. “Surely it’s our choice to discuss our financial situations, not something to be mandated by a company? I believe Head Office was concerned that any discussions would have a knock-on effect on the entire payroll and were scared for their pockets.”

Today (18 November) is Equal Pay Day in the UK – a day identified annually by gender equality charity The Fawcett Society as the point in the year where women effectively stop earning, thanks to the gender pay gap. The average gender pay gap for full-time workers in the UK is currently calculated to be 11.9%. In real terms, it means that for every £1 a man earns, a woman doing the exact same job would earn, on average, just shy of 89p. When you think about it like that, it’s painfully frustrating.

But the more we keep quiet about what we earn, the more this culture is able to thrive. To mark this year’s Equal Pay Day, company review site Glassdoor conducted some research that reveals some very uncomfortable findings about pay transparency. Only one in four workers feel strongly that their employer is transparent about pay, despite 70% of those quizzed believing that pay transparency is vital for employee satisfaction.

“The current culture of secrecy around salaries is reducing awareness of the real and urgent problems of the gender pay gap,” says Professor Emma Parry, an expert in HR from Cranfield School of Management. “If conversation is stifled, it becomes harder to identify where such problems exist,” she adds. “If we truly want to eradicate the gender pay gap, transparency in pay scales and encouraging discussion provides an open and honest space for employees, who will understandably have a view on any discrepancies within their organisation.” 

Glassdoor’s research also uncovers how much less likely women are to demand their worth from an employer. 67% of female workers did not ask for a pay rise in 2020, which is a staggering 30% more than men. But television producer Siobhan is a shining example of how talking openly about pay can lead to fairer remuneration.

As she approached the end of a six-month fixed contract at a production company, Siobhan was offered a six-month extension. Around that time, she happened to be discussing with a male colleague whether she should stay, or go somewhere new. “To help me decide what to do, he asked me outright how much I was getting paid,” recalls Siobhan.

“In the moment, I was shocked. It felt like a ‘rude’ thing to ask, but I swallowed my feelings of discomfort and told him my weekly rate,” she tells Marie Claire. “Without flinching, he then told me that he was getting paid £200 more than me per week. He had the same job title, and less experience than me.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stay Dulce (@candyskloset)

Unsurprisingly, Siobhan was furious. “I felt angry at the company I was working for, and grateful to him.” Her colleague encouraged her to use the information to leverage a pay rise, and said he was happy to tell their boss that he’d shared the information himself.

Her confidence boosted, Siobhan arranged a meeting with her boss to discuss her contract, and said she’d stay for an increased rate of £200 extra a week. “She said no, adding that it was more than their ceiling rate for my job title,” says Siobhan. “I held back every instinct I had to say, ‘ok, no problem, sorry I asked,’ and instead told her that I knew what my colleague was getting paid.”

Siobhan’s boss looked “embarrassed” at being challenged, and while she initially denied it, she followed up the next day to confirm they would pay what she had asked. Siobhan accepted, and earned herself an extra £5,200 in total over the following six months.

“I was obviously delighted with the pay rise but annoyed that I had been knowingly underpaid for the last six months,” says Siobhan. “My experience shows that it’s so important to discuss pay among colleagues – particularly between men and women. Transparency is one way of closing gender pay gaps, and leading to a more equal workplace,” she tells Marie Claire. 

Ilona Alcock, Co-Founder and Director at business development consultancy Elevate, also believes we’re holding ourselves back by keeping quiet. “Not talking about money takes our sense of control away from us. It is often proven that organisations with transparent pay structures are less likely to have a gender pay gap,” she says, adding that a “lack of discussion around this only serves to benefit certain demographics such as white men.”

“Salary secrecy often means that people of colour are more likely to earn less than their colleagues,” Ilona tells Marie Claire. “Active discouragement of discussing pay raises a huge red flag for me. Although leaving is not an option open to everyone and many factors should be considered, lack of transparency on pay can be a sign of a toxic workplace and not one that you should invest your time into.”

The obvious answer is to start having open conversations about what you earn, but a deep-rooted stigma around money means this is usually easier said than done. “It’s always easier to offer information, than to ask for it,” suggests Ilona as a way in. “Tell people what you earn, but be mindful that it may provoke an emotional reaction, particularly if a colleague is being underpaid and had not realised.”

As for broaching the topic of unfair pay with your boss, Georgia recommends knowing your rights. “Employees have a legal right to discuss salaries and you should feel empowered to speak up if you notice that something is wrong, especially when it comes to issues such as discrimination.”

Ilona agrees. “Arming yourself with research and resources about market rate is a good place to start. For example, it has been found that turnover is lower in companies with transparent pay policies and adverts with salaries attract stronger candidates. By explaining these benefits, you are removing the emotion from the issue and ensuring that your suggestions are taken seriously,” she says.

“Ultimately, we all go to work to be paid a salary,” the business expert points out. “So it’s bizarre that we don’t talk about it.”

Feeling inspired to fight for your worth? Go and start some conversations about salaries, and ask for that pay rise.

The post "Told off for sharing my salary": How a lack of pay transparency is fuelling the gender pay gap appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/3CthJpZ
via IFTTT

Beyoncé twins with her daughters in new, rare appearance

https://ift.tt/3EcNzIZ

They're growing up fast!

Beyoncé shows off her daughters Blue and Rumi in rare video appearance

Considering quite how famous she is, Beyoncé keeps her personal life relatively private.

A scroll through her Instagram page reveals mainly pictures of just Beyoncé, and a scattering of photos with her husband, Jay-Z. But in a recent upload on her Ivy Park account, Beyoncé has included clips of her two daughters, Blue Ivy and Rumi – and people can’t believe how grown up Rumi looks in particular.

The video is a new ad campaign for the fashion brand, and at around 50 seconds in 9-year-old Blue and 3-year-old Rumi are featured wearing matching outfits to their mum.

The two girls wear mini-me versions of Beyoncé’s adult-sized black and white gingham outfit, and nobody can get enough of how cute the whole thing is. “Rumi looks so beautiful! Omg!!!” wrote one follower. “BLUE AND RUMI TAKING OVER YUPPPP” added another.

Blue – who fans note looks very similar to her younger sister – can be seen holding a football, while Beyoncé holds little Rumi (whose twin brother, Sir, doesn’t feature in the clip) on her hip. “Blue and Rumi are legit twins,” commented one person. And they are not wrong – those are some strong family genes.

But Beyoncé and Jay-Z aren’t the only celebrity parents whose children feature in the Ivy Park campaign; Reese Witherspoon’s eldest children, Ava and Deacon Phillippe, also star in it.

Excitedly, proud mum Reese commented on the Instagram post. “Oh heyyyy @avaphillippe ” she wrote in one comment, and “Hiiiii @deaconphillippe ” she said in another.

All-in-all, this one star studded campaign. You can watch it in full here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by IVY PARK (@weareivypark)

Apologies in advance if you’re now off to buy the entire Ivy Park collection…

 

 

The post Beyoncé twins with her daughters in new, rare appearance appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/3G266IC
via IFTTT

The Gucci family just slammed 'House Of Gucci' film

https://ift.tt/3d5HcLV

Not impressed would be putting it mildly.

House of Gucci: The Gucci family's review is scathing

House Of Gucci is one of the most hotly anticipated cinema releases in years. And that’s not just because there’s hardly anything released in the cinema anymore.

The biopic is a dramatised account of how Patrizia Reggiani (played by Lady Gaga) planned to kill her husband, former head of the fashion house, Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver). And while the reviews have been largely positive, it doesn’t seem the Gucci family are quite so thrilled with it.

Al Pacino stars in the movie as Aldo Gucci – Maurizio’s uncle – and Aldo’s real-life descendents have gone so far as to issue a statement sharing their very unfiltered thoughts. In short, they’ve absolutely slammed the film, describing it as “extremely painful” and “an insult” to the brand’s legacy. Ouch.

“The production of the film did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci – president of the company for 30 years – and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them,” the statement, published by Variety, reads.

It continues, alleging that the movie suggests “a tone and an attitude to the protagonists of the well-known events that never belonged to them.”

“This is extremely painful from a human point of view and an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today,” added the Gucci family.

Oh dear, oh dear.

The House of Gucci cast at a screening in LA

The statement also suggests that the character of Patrizia, who went to prison for hiring a hit man to murder Maurizio, is “portrayed not just in the film, but also in statements from cast members, as a victim trying to survive in a male and male chauvinist corporate culture.” The family insisted this “couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Despite this less-than complimentary perspective on House Of Gucci, the film is still proving very popular. According to UK-Ireland box office stats, the film raked in £2.4m from 685 locations in its first weekend alone. While it’s not quite reaching the dizzy heights of some recent superhero and James Bond movies, it’s still pretty impressive figures and has taken it to the number one spot in the box office as a result.

So, will you be going to watch it?

The post The Gucci family just slammed 'House Of Gucci' film appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/3d9eHNi
via IFTTT

The Queen banned this particular board game at Christmas after it became "too vicious"

https://ift.tt/31oqRiQ

No, it seems it's not just your family...

Advent is officially here and, with it, comes yuletide, mince pies, mulled wine, and, well, board games, naturally, as the whole family comes together.

Whether it’s Monopoly, Scrabble, or Trivial Pursuit, the festive season in my household is normally packed full of board game fun (and arguing, when someone inevitably loses or cheats).

In Royal news today, it appears that the Royal family is no different.

It’s thought that, as a family, they’re actually so competitive that HM The Queen has gone so far as to ban one board game entirely to prevent them from arguing about it or so reports The Express. Another member of the Royal famils has shared that the board game became “too vicious.”

Wondering which game it is that’s off the cards in the Royal household?

A YouTube video – titled Royal Rule Book: The Royal Family’s Strangest Rules – says: “The royals love a good game, but Monopoly is off the cards.”

“Prince Andrew said it is banned as it gets too vicious.”

Apparently, in December 2008, Prince Andrew attended Leeds Building Society’s newly-refurbished Albion Street headquarters.

It’s thought that before he left, the Duke was gifted the property board game Monopoly as a token to mark his visit.

Interestingly, he declined the game and simply said: “We are not allowed to play Monopoly at home.”

The Daily Telegraph then went on to explain why. Apparently, it can cause tension within the family, with Andrew adding that it “gets too vicious.”

Who’d have known?

We wonder whether they play Cluedo, Pictionary and Rummikub, instead? What about chess, backgammon, and draughts?

This year, it’s thought the Royal family will spend Christmas at Sandringham, after being separated in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

They’ve had Christmas in Sandringham since 1988 and are hoping to do the same this year, restrictions permitting.

So far, it’s not believed that Harry and Meghan will fly to the UK with their children, Archie and Lilibet, to reunite with the rest of the family. Lilibet is still yet to meet her grandmother the Queen in real life.

Do you have any board games that are totally off-limits in order to keep the family peace?

The post The Queen banned this particular board game at Christmas after it became "too vicious" appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/3EbPde3
via IFTTT

Apparently this was the final straw that convinced Harry and Meghan to step down as senior Royals

https://ift.tt/3xBPX9T

Interesting.

In Royal news this week, a new claim has surfaced about the final reason as to why Harry and Meghan decided to leave the Royal family and step down as senior Royal family members.

In Brothers And Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William Kate, Harry and Meghan, a new book about the Royals, the author, Christopher Andersen, claims that it was in fact the Queen’s actions that tipped them over the edge and finalised their decision to move to California.

Apparently in 2019, prior to recording her annual festive broadcast, which airs every year on Christmas day, she instructed an assistant to move a photo of Harry and Meghan out of shot.

Which exact photo it was is unknown, but it is claimed that only Meghan and Harry were in the image. It is believed the photo was on a desk alongside other framed photos of Royals including William and Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Queen’s father George VI, and the Duke of Edinburgh, too.

All of theirs remained in the frame but Harry’s and Meghan’s did not.

Apparently, the Queen instructed an assistant to remove the image by saying: “That one, I suppose we don’t need that one.”

It’s thought that HM decided to remove the image from the frame as the pair had snubbed her previously, choosing to spend the festive period with Meghan’s mum, Doria Ragland, instead.

Shortly after this, Harry and Meghan made their final decision to step down as senior Royal family members.

This comes at the same time as a two-part documentary titled Princes and the Press has gone into detail about the supposedly strained relationship between brothers Prince William and Prince Harry.

It’s thought that the Royal family aren’t happy to not have been given right to review the show, even issuing a rare joint statement saying as much and threatening not to work with the BBC in future.

The second episode of the documentary has made claims that certain members of the Royal family, including Prince William, “planted” stories in the press about Harry struggling with his mental health.

The post Apparently this was the final straw that convinced Harry and Meghan to step down as senior Royals appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/3G2mpoY
via IFTTT

Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden moves in with Tom Fletcher after health scare

https://ift.tt/3pd7KQW

The professional dancer suffered an unexpected Crohn’s flare up.

Strictly: Amy Dowden moves in with Tom Fletcher's family after hospital trip

It’s hard to believe that this weekend was the 10th live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2021. Next week is the quarter final, and over the past couple of weeks we’ve sadly lost some of our most-loved celebrities in the dance off.

On musicals week, it was McFly frontman Tom Fletcher and his professional dance partner, Amy Dowden, who were voted off Strictly by the judges. And in a dramatic turn of events, Amy ended up briefly moving in with Tom and his family following an emergency trip to hospital.

After Tom and Amy unexpectedly left the show, the pair were unsurprisingly reluctant to go their separate ways. So on the Monday after their elimination, they shared on Instagram that they had booked a dance studio so they could continue enjoying the Strictly dance fun.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TomFletcher (@tomfletcher)

But following that, things deteriorated for dancer Amy Dowden. Sharing a post on Instagram, she explained the “scary” events that led to her missing Saturday night’s live Strictly show (the professional dancers continue to feature on the show even after they’re voted off with their celebrity partners).

Thanking her followers for the all their messages, Amy wrote: “Unfortunately, I was missing from the show as I had an unexpected Crohn’s flare up and hospital admission in which I received unbelievable care. I’m recovering very well and certainly being well looked after and look forward to returning to the dance floor.”

Amy added that she owed a big thanks to Tom Fletcher and fellow Strictly celeb Sara Davies, who were with her when she fell ill while her fiancé Ben was working away.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Amy-Dowden (@amy_dowden)

“To the Fletchers who made sure I had everything and more at the hospital, have brought me back to theirs where the whole family are giving me all the love, care, burnt toast (Tom), unlimited supply of @mrsgifletcher clothes along with @tomfletcher sock choice you could possibly need, lots of drawings and pretend injections from my new doctors Buzz, Buddy and Max. Thank you, they really were sent to me,” she added, with two pink heart emojis.

Tom also took to Instagram about Amy’s health issues, describing her as “one of the strongest people I’ve EVER met!” and recalling her Crohn’s flare up as “a pretty scary experience”.

“She’s home with us now and back to chatting non-stop and drinking her way through our supply of teabags, so I think she’s on the mend. Rest assured, the Fletchers are taking care of her,” added Tom.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TomFletcher (@tomfletcher)

Well at least she’s in good hands, and if she’s not well enough to attend Strictly Come Dancing’s live show this Saturday, then we’re sure she’ll be tuning in at home.

The post Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden moves in with Tom Fletcher after health scare appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/3E8lWB2
via IFTTT

William and Kate are 'unlikely' to stay with Harry and Meghan during their trip to the US

https://ift.tt/3roNsGO

Credit: Neil Mockford / Contributor / Getty

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relocated to the US after stepping down as senior royals last year. They have since settled in the Californian seaside town of Montecito with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.

Since their move, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spoken publicly about their decision to leave the UK. During an interview with US chat show host Oprah, Harry spoke about his fractured relationships with family members, and Meghan revealed how constant media scrutiny impacted her mental health.

However, since moving overseas the couple said they are ‘thriving’ and enjoying life.

Over the last two years, Harry’s relationship with his brother, Prince William, has made headlines across the globe with an onslaught of rift and fallout rumours. So when William and Kate revealed that they will be heading to the US as part of their environmental initiative, The Earthshot Prize – which will be hosting its second annual ceremony across the pond in 2022 – many wondered whether or not they will stay with Harry and Meghan

It will be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first visit to the US since 2014, but royal expert, Jonathan Sacerdoti told US Magazine that it’s quite unlikely the brothers will reunite this way.

He claimed: ‘It’s like so many of these things – it’s a sort of lose-lose situation. If they get invited and they decline, it seems petty and nasty. And if they don’t get invited, it seems petty and nasty from the other side.

‘And if they do accept such an invitation and something goes terribly wrong, that seems like a bad idea. I can’t quite see how this would work.’

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, royal author Omid Scobie said he believes that Harry and William’s relationship is ‘still very much one of distance’.

He said: ‘I don’t just mean physical [distance], across the Atlantic, but they are not talking that much, and that is exactly how sources close to William have put it.’

He added: ‘They are very different men. And I think that William has certainly become someone who is really living his life for the crown, for the institution. Harry has really sort of gone completely in the opposite direction.’

Harry and William have not commented.

The post William and Kate are 'unlikely' to stay with Harry and Meghan during their trip to the US appeared first on Marie Claire.

from Marie Claire https://ift.tt/3rlt4q0
via IFTTT