Sad news for Total Wipeout host Amanda Byram….she’s split with her long-term fiance Craig McMullen.
I can reveal the pair – who’ve been together for three and a half years – secretly split last month and Amanda has been getting herself back on track over the past weeks. The star didn’t feel up to talking about the split when I nattered to her at the National TV Awards after show. But she did confirm the union with the Australian former rugby player was over. “I’m gutted,” was all she’d say on the matter.
Sources tell me the pair just couldn’t carry on with their plans to wed and start a family after spending lots of time apart working on separate work projects. My source tells me: “Amanda’s got a lot of work coming in and she’s been away and all over the world filming different projects.
“Craig’s got lots on his plate too and the truth is they just didn’t press forward with wedding plans because they were too focused on careers and not spending enough time together.”
I doubt Amanda will be single for long – she’s a fine woman.

PARTY OF THE WEEK – National TV Awards After Show at the O2 Arena

BEST COP OUT: Tulisa Contostavlos: “I’m leaving early – I’ve got a carbonara in the oven at home.”
BEST DRESSED: Fearne Cotton (above with me) in a stunning Temperley dress and slicked back hair.
DRUNKEST CELEB: Melanie Sykes (by far). She flexed her muscles in front of me and literally screamed: “I’m ripped Mutha******.” Before being carried out by a male friend. Extraordinary.
BEST PARTY SNUB: I caught Jessie Wallace sneaking out of the awards before they’d even finished. She looked good but didn’t want to mingle!
BIGGEST NUMPTY: Peter Andre with a burly bouncer in tow. Nobody else had/needed one.
CANER GONG: Holly Willoughby was on fire after winning for Celeb Juice and This Morning – and quite right too.
SURPRISINGLY HUNKY: F1 presenter Jake Humphrey. He’s cheeky and amusing.
SURPRISINGLY COOL: Downton’s Hugh Bonneville. The guy likes to partay. Who knew.
WE ATE: Mini sausage and mash, Shepherd’s Pie and Ice cream tubs.
WE DRANK: Bubbles, beers and vino collapso. No spirits.

Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model is changing big time this year. Grace Woodward and Charley Speed are no more and there replacements are……The City’s leggy clothes horse Whitney Port and top male model Tyrese Gibson. I hear the new signings are to appeal to a bigger audience worldwide. And if you ask me they are just perfect additions to a show that continues to grow. It will start filming for Sky Living in the coming weeks!

Michelle Collins took the Coronation Street win as a clear indicator that people had begun to accept her on the show when I caught up with her. The actress was given such a hard time for her northern accent when she joined the Street.
The blonde says she’s now settled into the role and is loving every minute. “I’ve got bills to pay and a mortgage like everybody else,” she told me. “It was hard when I started. I was getting a lot of abuse and I struggled to cope with it. But I’m fine now. This award the show got tonight is a big fingers up to the doubters and haters. I’m happy on the show and hope to stay for a long time.” Good for her.

Doctor Who star Karen Gillan (above with me) had a novel way of holding her gong for Female Drama Performance at the after show. She marched around with it poking out of her green Kate Spade bag! “It fits perfectly,” she told me.
The star said she felt like she ballsed up her speech though. “You get up there and immediately forget everybody you wanted to thank and just waffle,” she said. Indeed.

Mark Wright is busy carving himself a career as a TV presenter these days – and I have to say he’s doing a good job. He seems confident and enthusiastic and is already hosting Take Me Out: The Gossip with the wonderful Zoe Hardman. Now he has set LA in his sights. I’m told Mark will be shooting a show in LA within the next couple of months – but right now it’s unknown what the subject matter will be. “It’s not reality or some boring ‘Mark tries to make it in LA’ style show,” says my mole. “It’s going to be something more than that. He’s not in this game to be some puppet and ITV want to develop him for the future. He’s got a lot to be excited about.” America get ready.

Paul O’Grady sounds like his new TV show is a bit of a nightmare for him to deal with. He’s hosting a new show about the day to day running of Battersea Dogs Home and he’s had to get staff on the crew to enforce a band on him adopting/stealing doggies from set! “Doing a show like this is my worst night,” he told me. “I love dogs and thought on the first day of filming that I was strong and wouldn’t be too effected by their tragic stories. And within minutes I wanted to adopt two and was acting like Cruella De Vil when they tried to prise me off them.” I’d be so weak – I feel his pain!

Last night’s premiere of The Chemical Brothers DON’T THINK directed by Adam Smith which took place at Hackney Picturehouse.  And it attracted a brilliant selection of names including Hollywood star Keira Knightley and her Klaxons man James Righton, director Joe Wright (above with the pair) who’s currently working with Keira in Ana Karenina and Doctor Who stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.

So nice to see Miss Knightley relaxed and smiling – and good to see her still going strong with James!

Above: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and the film’s director Adam Smith

Above: Adam Smith and Chemical Brother Ed Simons

Pictures with thanks: Matthew Joyce

She’s popped two bones, pulled a muscle in her bottom and is plastered in bruises…yet Heidi Range (above right) says she’s having the time of her life on Dancing on Ice. She also says the show has helped her through her painful split from fiance, TV presenter Dave Berry.
“The end of last year was awful – it really was,” says the tearful singer. “We’re still great friends and I saw him last week – but it’s hard.
“Dancing on Ice has got me through it. It’s given me a new lease of life and I’m having the best time and getting myself back on track.”
Talking for the first time since the shock break-up with Capital FM DJ Dave six weeks ago she says it’s been the hardest emotional time in her life.
But she says: “What’s nice now is that I don’t know what I want to do, how I want to do it or what the future holds.
“My life’s been turned upside down and I don’t know what is going to happen. I’m thinking about a solo album, I’m thinking about TV presenting and I’m thinking the world is my oyster right now.
“For ten years every part of my life has been planned. It’s been in the diary. It’s exciting to be making a fresh start. This show has been brilliant. It’s given me confidence and I’ve got my groove back.”
For the past ten years Heidi’s known her destiny. She was part of the multi-platinum girl band Sugababes and continually recording and promoting music – her diary was booked three years in advance at one point.
Heidi’s life couldn’t be anymore different right now.
The girl band that made her name are now on hiatus and have no plans to record new music, she’s newly single and she’s got to think about her career as a solo artist.
She’s lost over a stone since training begun and is back in size six jeans thanks to the gruelling four-hour a day training sessions.
“The weight loss has been brilliant,” she laughs. “I’ve lost about a stone now. I was just over 8 ½ stone before I started and I’ve always had to work really hard on my figure.
“I wasn’t one of those girls blessed from birth. Now I’m just over 7½. I’m 5ft 2ins so I’m small  and I’ve still been in the gym lots. I guess I’ve been stressed over the past few months with everything that’s happened too – lots of things have added to the weight loss.
“Overall I’m more toned than ever before. I’ve been doing personal training sessions three times a week with my trainer on top of the skate training. I go into my trainer with the moves I’m going to be doing and we work purely on core strength so I can manage the lifts and the moves.”
It’s not been an easy challenge preparing to compete in the show. She was only just about able to stand up on the ice at the start, was forced to change partners just four days before her first performance of the show when first partner Sylvian Longchambon became injured and she’s a nervous skater.
Heidi, 28, who was in the skate off during the first week of the series two weeks ago, explains: “I was so scared going onto this show. Your legs go to jelly and you have nerves that completely overcome you. It’s really tough. I obviously had to start afresh when my new partner Andrei Lipanov came in and that was hard.
“I learnt everything from scratch with Sylv and it was different with Andrei. They hold me differently and you need to get used to it. But we’re fine now and are getting stronger and stronger.
“I couldn’t skate at all to start with. I could stay upright and that’s about it. Now I can go backwards and do crossovers. I hate crossovers – they’re the bane of my life. The lifts are terrifying but once you get it they’re fine. I feel dead proud when I’m able to do a lift right. I trust Sylvian – the person I don’t trust is me.
“The girls need balls in this competition and I haven’t got any at all.”
The star has also had to deal with numerous small injuries throughout the training for the competition.
“I had a bone pop on my wrist, a bone pop out in my ribs and I’ve pulled a muscle in my bum this week,” she said. “They’ve had to pop the bones back in which was uncomfortable and I’m covered in bruises but I’m loving every minute.
“I don’t want the experience on the show to end. I honestly don’t. I hope I can do the tour and in all honesty I wish it could continue for a year. I’m loving the experience.
“I always said I’d never do Dancing on Ice. I never wanted to do it. And then it just came at the right time. I had time off from the band and things had changed in my life and I just thought I ought to try and get into it something to keep me going.”
Although the Sugababes haven’t officially split up the threesome, including Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen, remain firm friends.
Squabbles and line-up changes of the past are clearly far from their minds. But they have no plans to record music together or perform in the future.
“It has been fun being on my own for the first time in ten years,” she admits. “I love the girls. They’re coming down at the weekend and Amelle’s pratically moved into mine at the minute. She’s round all the time. Comes in makes a cup of team, a sandwich and feeds the dog. She’s great.
“But the Sugababes have got no plans for anything at the moment. Nothing. It’s a break. There’s no plans at all for the future. We’ve just wanted to try our own things out. If I’m honest, I’ve loved having some time out from the band.
“I love the band – I really do – but I was ready to try other things out.”

You get the feeling Heidi’s still coming to terms with the split from Dave (below with the star in better times) and how much freedom she has in her life. She’s realistic about her plans – I ask what her dream for the future and she replies: “To stay skinny. I bought a pair of size six jeans the other day – I don’t want to be putting my Size 10 jeans on again. I think they were a big six though, if I’m honest.”

Dancing on Ice, Tonight, 6.10pm, ITV1

So the relationship between Caroline Flack, 32, and One Direction star Harry Styles, 17, continues to push forwards.
Xtra Factor host Caroline went up to Cheshire last weekend to meet Harry’s mother Anne and step-father at their house in Cheshire.
And I’m told the Flackster enjoyed dinner with the in-laws and everything went swimmingly – Anne apparently loved her son’s new lady friend.
A source reveals the pair are getting on brilliantly. “Caroline and Harry are a full on couple now,” says the source. “Things are getting seriously pretty quickly and they’re in love. At first it was just a fling and something that neither of them really thought was going anywhere but now they’re looking at a future together.
“Caroline seemed to make a great impression with Harry’s mother and it was mission accomplished. Any fears she may have had are now no more.”
I described this union as creepy when I revealed they had been snogging back in October and the lady in question flipped out about it. So all I’ll say this time is good for them.

Is all well in the life and times of Take That star Jason Orange and funny girl Catherine Tate? I only ask because Jason was flying solo over the New Year at Thailand’s exclusive detox resort Kamalaya whilst Catherine was back here in the UK looking decidedly glum.
A source saw Jason in the plush resort – that specialises in colonics and yoga – on New Year’s Eve and he joined “the single’s table” for a healthy dinner, downed a few beers before launching Chinese lanterns into the sky.
He spent much of the night chatting happily to a blonde girl named Caroline. I’m sure it was all perfectly innocent….

Harry Potter fans prepare for a shocker. The three stars of the film franchise are far from close buddies in real life according to Daniel Radcliffe.
In fact Dan revealed – whilst promoting his new flick Woman in Black this week – that he’s hardly ever in touch with Rupert Grint! Fortunately he is in contact with Emma Watson who played Hermione. Dan revealed: “There’s this idea that Emma, Rupert and myself are the best of friends, who grew up together and now always hang out as best friends as a result. I’m just going to put out there, Emma and I text all the time, I always know what she’s at but I’m just going to say, Rupert and I never text each other, we never see each other. If I see him every six months or so, it’s a friendly ‘hello, how things with you’ but that’s about it. He’s the most laid back guy in the world, I could finish up a conversation with him, and pick it up at the same spot six months later, it’s easy between us but nothing close at all.”
The geeky star also revealed a random fact – the three of them were once offered roles in a remake of The Wizard of Oz. “I would be playing the cowardly lion, but it would be a karate kicking cowardly lion,” he revealed. “How could I turn that down?! Emma was obviously to be Dorothy, and Rupert I think Scarecrow, so Tin Man I presume was to be animatronic. So that was a weird one to get.
“I’ve had a lot of offers post Potter, but I just try and stay away from any of the next big fantasy franchises….or anything crap really.” Sounds wise.

Who knew Meryl Streep was such a whizz in the kitchen? By the sounds of it The Iron Lady actress is gunning for a Delia Smith biopic next.
Radio 1′s Edith Bowman let slip the A-lister’s hidden culinary skills at the Film Critics’ Circle Awards. She said: “I had dinner with Meryl about two months ago as we got invited to the house of Phyllida Lloyd who is the director of The Iron Lady. Meryl made apple pie and it was phenomenal. There was about 15 of us there and one point I turned around and Meryl was squatting in a AGA oven checking her apple pie. She kept it real.”
And Edith has been racking up her A-list encounters as just last week she was interviewing Madonna at the premiere of W.E.
“I’ve been a life long Madonna fan since the age of eight when I dressed up as her so to actually chat to her was a bit mind-boggling. I was a little bit worried as there have been some pictures of her where you think ‘dont do any more plastic surgery’ but she looked beautiful and amazing in the flesh. She told me that she was only taking her coat off for me and flicked it off and someone behind her caught it. That was pretty special so I’m not sure who could top that.” Nobody can top her Madgesty.