US comedian Jerry Lewis (73) said yesterday he was delighted to be alive after a bout of viral meningitis which forced him to cancel an Australian tour.
"I didn't think I'd see anybody else again. I thought there was no way back," he said in Sydney before flying to the US. Famed for his double act with the late Dean Martin, Lewis was admitted to a Darwin hospital last week after being diagnosed with the potentially fatal illness.
Paul Gascoigne's best friend, Jimmy "Five Bellies" Gardner, (34) has been jailed for six months by a judge after admitting possession of an unloaded air pistol.
Gardner pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing after police stopped him in May carrying a target air pistol. Gardner, who had been drinking, was returning home when he was taunted by a group of youths.
Character references from friends, including radio DJ Chris Evans, were produced to the judge before sentencing.
Fidel Castro joined an exclusive group including The Beatles, Pope John Paul and Saddam Hussein yesterday - as the latest wax figure at Madame Tussaud's.
The Cuban president's statue was unveiled by his ambassador to commemorate his 73rd birthday and will join over 365 famous and infamous figures from politicians to pop stars.
Castro donated a pair of boots and a set of fatigues for the figure, and sculptor Steve Swales visited Havana to take the hundreds of measurements needed. The Cuban president said: "I could have never imagined so many measurements . . . it has been for me a great honour, much more than I deserve."
An Everyman documentary about psychics filmed a former Blind Date star "in good faith", the BBC said yesterday. Programme makers launched an inquiry after Andre Price claimed viewers were fooled into believing he was a genuine student of a spiritualism college in last month's documentary. The BBC said Price volunteered to take the course and was upset when he failed.
The latest claims come just weeks after Everyman programme makers were duped by a reporter from the Sun newspaper who posed as a sex addict.
Spice Girl Mel C has chosen a small club to play her first ever solo concert, it was disclosed yesterday. Sporty Spice has chosen The Leadmill, Sheffield, which has a capacity of just 900, for her debut gig.
Elton John feels "partly to blame" for the rift with his longstanding manager John Reid, but thinks he will never speak to him again, he said.
"As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't exist any more, which is very sad, but he doesn't," he told David Frost in a wide-ranging interview to be shown in the US this weekend.
John dispensed with Reid's management services last year after a business relationship of 28 years, and Reid has reportedly paid the star a multi-million settlement out of court.