STRICTLY DR PUNAM KRISHAN RETURNS AFTER CANCER

Pic dr Punam Krishan insta 

Strictly star Dr Punam Krishan has returned to work at her GP surgery do the first time since having breast cancer and says her diagnosis has forced her to stop and unlearn over twenty years of conditioning. 
As she revealed she had new insight, Dr Punam said: “Today’s a big day. Today I’m back in my GP for the first time since finishing my breast cancer treatment. And being here has really made me think about something that I hear a lot. I hear it from my friends, I hear it from patients, I hear it from my colleagues, so many people that just say, I can't take time off or I feel so guilty for resting or I should really just be pushing through.
And the thing is, that that guilt just doesn't help healing them. In fact, it often makes illness harder, and it makes recovery longer. And it's because we live in a society that essentially teaches us to push on, even when we're not well.
And that's especially true, I think, if you are a parent, if you are a carer or a professional, or the one who usually holds everything together, that guilt can really feel real. And I realise how deeply that message runs, even in me, honestly. It has taken a cancer diagnosis to force me to stop and unlearn over 20 years of that kind of conditioning.”
Practising doctor Dr Punam went on to say that she has learned  ‘healing actually requires unapologetic, proper rest.’
She added: “It requires proper time.And it requires a serious sense of duty of care to yourself first, and that's not something that I was ever really taught at medical school, especially as medics or healthcare workers, we are taught of duty of care to others to show up, to cope, to keep going no matter what. But the truth is, when you're not well, you just can't get 100%, and as as a doctor, that matters because my patients, they deserve me well, they deserve me present and able to care properly, not exhausted, not running on empty, even though lots of us can be guilty of doing just that.”
Smiling as she retained to  her office after being diagnosed six months ago, she added: “So I am easing myself back now slowly, intentionally, and without guilt.
And I wanted to share this for anyone else who's off work just now, anyone who is recovering from illness, anyone resting and feeling bad about it, please don't.
Like, you're not weak, you are not letting anybody down. You're doing exactly what your body needs to do right now.
It needs to heal. So slow down, tune inward. Your health matters, you matter.
And when you're truly well, you'll be able to give back in the way that you want to again.”
So today, I am back where I belong back to what I love in my GP clinic, and I feel so incredibly grateful to back on this side of the consultation table again. It's been a really, really tough six months, but I know that I've come back stronger with new insight as well, and I hope that that helps me take even better care of my patients.
So let's go.”

LOUIS TOMLINSON GLASGOW BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

Louis Tomlinson was said to be ‘feeling broody’ as he met his youngest fan and signed a birthday card for her first birthday during a visit to Glasgow. 

Louis who has just released his album How Did I Get Here met several hundred fans at the city’s HMV for a signing. 
And the One Direction star admitted he was loving Glasgow and his beloved fans as hundreds queued in the freezing cold to meet him. 
Louis who wore a brown Ice Cream Services jacket and jeans smiled from ear to ear as he met some of his original boyband followers as well as new fans. 
Amongst them was his youngest fan Melody Shaw who dances to his songs in her buggy. 
Her mum Kayleigh,31, who took her to the signing alongside dad Kyle said: “She loves Louis Tomlinson and actually dances to his songs. I put the albums on and she just has a boogie. Right now, her favourites are probably Jump The Gun or Sunflowers.”

Louis signed her birthday card, because it’s her first birthday in two days, so... he said ‘I love your name because it’s music related and your jumper’ because I got a personalised jumper done for her, which says Louis Tomlinson on the front and back. Even when we were leaving, he was like, I didn't even notice the jumper. 
He may have been feeling broody. He’s got Freddie but maybe he wants another baby.”
Other fans included Rachel Haggerty, 21, from Glasgow and her friends Sophia Salmoni, 14, from Barrhead and Nikki Murray, 31, from Glasgow. 
Rachel said: “I asked Louis to sign the record for my mum who couldn’t make it and the CD for me. I love his music and was shaking so badly I couldn’t put it back in the sleeve.”
Sophie added: “I got him to sign CDs but ae weren’t allowed selfies though my mum took a video of me meeting him while she was standing in the back of the queue. He asked me about my favourite songs but I told him I don’t have one.”

And Nicky said: “I’m an OG Directioner so Ive met Louis a few times before. I told him about my favourite songs including Jump the Gun which he said will be really good live. I’ve got Louis’ song tattooed Faith In The Future on my arm too so showed him that.”

CHRIS HUGHES MENTAL HEALTH TRIP TO GLASGOW

Chris Hughes met up with Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and Traitors winner Meryl Williams on a visit to Scotland for a Burns supper.

Celebrity Masterchef’s Chris, who appeared at the event in his pink jacket and black shirt and trousers without his US girlfriend JoJo Siwa, shared photos on Instagram from the SAMH charity event at the Collectors Hall in Glasgow. 

Meryl also proudly showed off her new facial surgery and breast augmentation and uplift from earlier this month in a revealing silky dress from Zara, altered by her granny, also mingled with guests on the night. 

Chris, who tucked into Scotland’s traditional dish of haggis neeps and tatties, appeared at the event to support Craig Ferguson, a mental health advocate from Paisley who is set to walk more than 3000 miles across America to raise funds and awareness for Scottish Action for Mental Health. 


He said of the night: “So honoured to have joined Craig and the charity this evening at the @thecollectorshall, before he sets sail across America! This is honestly insane, in so many ways!

“'The Tartan Trek' will be Craig walking a MARATHON A DAY, for over 100 days, all on his own, with just his best friend in a support van which essentially will be his place to sleep on many occasions! He deserves everyone behind him supporting this. I can wait to keep track on this.”

He added: “Go and make your country proud Craig, and the rest of the world who will be supporting you in this incredible trek! A wholesome night!”

John Swinney told revellers on the night: 

“When I heard Craig was going to take on this challenge, I thought it was a fabulous idea, and to do it in aid of SAMH demonstrates a tremendous level of personal commitment and dedication.

“As a society, we must continue to create space for people to express how they feel. There is a great deal of pressure today, not least through social media, which makes this openness even more important. Sport has a unique way of bringing people together, and this challenge truly reflects that power.

“My advice to Craig would be to keep his eye firmly on the prize of Boston, where I’m sure he will receive a phenomenal welcome when he arrives.”

Craig is coordinating his Tartan Trek from LA on February 23, to arrive in Boston 104 days later to coordinate with the arrival of the Scotland team in the US For the World Cup.

He previously walked 1000 miles in 2024 from Glasgow to Munich ahead of the UEFA European Championship, which raised more than £70,000 for the men’s mental health charity Brothers in Arms.

RUBY WAX BUYS FINDHORN HOME

Pic Ruby Wax insta 

Beverley Lyons 

Ruby Wax has always had a love of Scots eco village Findhorn and its surrounding area and now she’s confirmed she has bought a home there because it reminds her of her childhood. 

The Illinois born comedian and TV star,  who has talked openly about her battle with depression throughout her life, has always been drawn to the community in Findhorn, explaining before that it has given her an inner peace. 

She has admired the ‘eco houses, sumptuous gardens and the free spirited nature’ of the 600 people that live in the little community and she’s often sought comfort in it when things have become too hectic. 

Mum of three Ruby even wrote her 2021 book A Mindfulness Guide For Survival, while living apart from her TV producer director husband Ed Bye in a “nano house” in Hertfordshire while he remained at their family home in London.

 And she stayed at Findhorn, when she completed her latest book ‘I'm Not as Well as I Thought Was’ as well as through lockdown, being interviewed by Louis Theroux at ‘Rainbow Lodge in the Field of Dreams’ 

Such is her draw to her Scottish ‘Mecca’, Ruby has now revealed that she has purchased a house there before even seeing it. It comes just as her son Max is also moving to Washington. 

Ruby, who was spotted there in recent days enjoying a sauna in nearby Hopeman East Beach, Elgin twenty minutes away, told her followers in the Travel Secrets podcast this month: “Well, I have a little house in Findhorn, which you'd never expect because I like five star. So I bought a little house where I'm going to tomorrow. This is so bizarre because I have another side of my personality that's quite bohemian, well hippie and kind of grungy, because it's my childhood.So I bought a place, tiny, and I'm going to see if I lost my mind in two days. It's got something.”

Ruby then went on to explain the appeal of Findhorn. 

She said: “The story is so bizarre that I wrote it in one of my books. 60 years ago Eileen Caddy heard a voice from God. He said, go to Finthorn, right? So she leaves her six kids and she meets the brigadier and he's got a voice from God, too.So they get a caravan that's about five feet long and it’s tiny and they live there and God talks to her. He says, meet me in the outdoor loo. So she goes to the outdoor loo and at two in the morning, God talks to her and he tells her how to plant these cabbages.She's not a gardener, right? But she takes the seeds and she plants them along where the water is and they become gigantic and people come from around the world, especially hippies and scientists, and they don't understand how it happened. So for the next 60 years, they develop it. The vegetables are gigantic.” “And there's 600 people living there, but 2,000 in the outside community. It’s the first big kind of hippie community. It’s called an intentional community. You can go and stay there in one of those caravans. There's not many places to stay, but there's pagan rituals on Saturday. There's yoga during the week. It’s like Sun City, except it's hippie.”

Ruby said of her new abode: “I bought it.It was being built. It's teeny. So I have extremes.”

“But I go in the North Sea, because that's my thing.I’m a cold water swimmer in December in the North Sea. There's a high you get. There's no question. You come out of there and you're hot.

“Then you get hypothermia a little later, but it's worth the high. I mean, they've taken everything, cigarettes, alcohol. So my last high is cold water. At Findhorn, I will be doing it.”

RICHARD GADD RETURNS TO EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

Pic copyright Bev Lyons 
Pics copyright Bev  Lyons 

Exclusive 
Beverley Lyons 
Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time since 2019 - and was accompanied by his fellow Netflix star Jessica Gunning.
Richard tried to keep a low profile as he attended Pleasance venue the EICC alongside Jessica for industry event the Edinburgh TV awards.
He was nominated for Best Drama and Best TV actor and sat in the audience alongside Jessica who was also nominated and won the award for Best TV Actor.
After the ceremony, Richard told fans outside: “I love coming back to Scotland and Edinburgh when I can and of course have recently been working on my new series Half Man for HBO and BBC but can’t say much else just now.”
Jessica also admitted she was thrilled to be back in Edinburgh.
She said on stage: “Some of those performances are the best I’ve seen in my life so to be nominated genuinely is really really an honour. Thankyou so much for this award. It encapsulated all my favourite things, Edinburgh, TV, winning awards ha!”
“This is especially special because the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is where Baby Reindeer began and I thank my lucky stars every day that Mr Richard Gadd trusted me to be his Martha and this is very very special. I kind of don’t really have the words really. Just thankyou to everybody involved in the show and especially thankyou to Richard for everything.”
She later added: “I used to come here when one of my good friends was performing at the Fringe so it’s great to be back.”
Richard recently said he wouldn’t be returning to the Fringe in an interview on Marc Maron's podcast. 
He explained: “Even when it goes well, the Fringe can be tough.
“Every time I would gear up to go and think: 'I'm not going to let it affect me this month. It's one hour's work a night and I just need to get through it.'
"But whatever happened, by the end of the month I would be like a dead man walking… I think doing Edinburgh shows, is probably a thing of the past.
Gadd last appeared at the Fringe in 2019, with the stage play version of Baby Reindeer.

LEWIS CAPALDI GLASGOW SHOE PARTY

Charttopper Lewis Capaldi is celebrating with a party after sealing a deal with a global shoe company that sells ‘Wally’ shoes. 
HEYDUDE, is a casual footwear brand which is a favourite of stars like Sydney Sweeney in the States. 
Manufactured by the same company behind Crocs, they sells themselves on ‘comfort and style’. 
Fresh of his Glastonbury comeback and charttopping single Survive and ahead of his sell out tour, Lewis teamed up with the brand as their UK ambassador to celebrate their ‘mindset and bold fits’ for its global campaign HEYDUDE Country.
The Scots star who is currently in rehearsals for his comeback tour launched the new deal with a party in one of his favoured haunts Glasgow’s Wunderbar club with guests invited from around the UK. 
Lewis has been spotted relaxing in the venues beer garden in the past. 
For one night only, guests were treated to custom cocktails at the Capaldi Bar, with a menu built around his favourite tipples, including some Irn-Bru specials. 
Glasgow's Frank’s Pizza was also on offer alongside  retro arcades, and live sets from a wave of local music talent throughout the night, featuring DJ Woody Cook - the son of Fatboy Slim legend Norman Cook and Zoe Ball. 
VIP Guests also walked away with their own pair of HEYDUDEs, customised live by illustrator Josh Parkin to create one-of-a-kind wearable art.
Lewis, who has been spotted wearing the brand’s Wally Stretch Sox in beige, said of his new shoe alliance: “It’s been great to partner up with HEYDUDE who are all about feeling right in yourself. Making music is something that brings me a lot of comfort. You have to make music for you and then you hope that people find some of themselves in it”.
Michael Anthes, SVP and General manager for HEYDUDE International added: “Lewis is the perfect fit for HEYDUDE Country - he embodies the spirit of our brand like no other. He’s authentic, effortlessly relatable, and lives the comfort-first lifestyle we celebrate. This campaign is about more than just footwear; it’s about confidence, self-expression, and finding that unique headspace where you can be unapologetically yourself. Lewis doesn’t just wear HEYDUDE, he is HEYDUDE Country, and we can’t wait to share that energy with the world.”

The launch of the global HEYDUDE Country campaign builds on the brand’s explosive growth in the US, where it’s quickly becoming a cultural favourite among Gen Z. 
The partnership with Capaldi is an important milestone for the brand as it looks to expand HEYDUDE Country internationally, with dedicated focus in the UK. 
Following the official launch event in Glasgow, the campaign will continue rolling out across Europe with a series of unexpected brand-inspired experimental moments and pop-up activations.

ROSS KING BRINGS HOLLYWOOD TO GLASGOW EPICURES

GLASGOW got a taste of Hollywood when TV’s showbiz presenter Ross King visited Epicures last night to try out the cocktails and other delights on offer.

The popular bar and restaurant in Hyndland Road which recently changed hands on May 1 has just launched a newly designed bar and restaurant with a stage for live music and an outdoor terrace, and Ross and his entourage turned up to enjoy their new seven nights a week late night opening
The presenter, who was with his new girlfriend Brigitte, his family and friends enjoyed trying out Espresso Martini’s and some fizz during his trip.
Taking in the LA inspired decor, ambient lighting and new menus which include mussels, beetroot salad, steaks and linguine, Ross explained he was back in Scotland from the Hollywood Hills for a couple of weeks.
He enthused: “I brought my girlfriend Brigitte who I met in LA to find out exactly what life is all about. My sister is here and it was her big birthday on July 4 and it’s my brother in laws birthday as well so we did a little wine tasting. We’ve had the most fantastic night.”
The renowned presenter who used to host on Radio Clyde and recently received an MBE also brought his hairdresser, Glasgow legend Gary Hely to his celebratory evening.
He said: “I also come back to Scotland to get my hair cut. I’m also out with the legend that is Gary Healy who has cut my hair since I was but a lad - and he’s the guy that can tell you the truth. My hair is natural. It said it on the bottle.”
Admitting he rarely gets a day off his telly job, Ross who lives overlooking the Hollywood Hills, added: “I’m on a tour. I’ve been to London and I’m going to the Cotswolds as well. My mum and dad used to say to me there is no place like home then I put them in one and they changed their mind. I’m joking. This is just my girlfriend coming to see everything here and Glasgow will always be home. I love coming back.”
Saying he’d love to return to try more of Epicures menu, he added: “It’s a long time since I’ve been allowed in a cool trendy place like this.