*Christina Aguilera responded to claims she was a tad smutty on last week’s X Factor final when I bumped into her at the Burlesque premiere earlier this week. The star completely dismissed people left shocked over her raunchy moves and tarty clothes and quipped: “What’s new in my career? I think it’s great that I continue to confidently inspire women to feel confident and comfortable in their own bodies. People have always tried to shame women for their sexuality and I think this movie definitely embodies beauty and the art of Burlesque is all about female empowerment.” Righty, er, ho.
I don’t know why – but Christina doesn’t seem to have a good aura when you meet her. She was giving evils to many people on the red carpet one minute and posing nicely the next (admittedly with me too). And she took a bit of a dig at Cher when I spoke to her. On working with Cher she said: “Everyone even myself included were a little bit in awe, you could feel the excitement when she came on set.
“She is an inspiration and it was so great working with him….him?!  Sorry I mean her.” It was almost like she wanted to shove a cat among the pigeons!
Christina also managed to cause a scene at the after show bash with her erratic behaviour. I saw her openly snogging her new boy toy Matt Rutler, getting sloshed big time and she ended up being carried out by security to her hotel. Throughout the night she had been knocking back the cocktails and at one point she took three drinks for herself from the waiter….classy lady.

*Burlesque star Cher is a legend – and it was an absolute pleasure to meet her this week. She sounds like she had a blast working on Burlesque – despite being initially reluctant to take the role. “I didn’t want to do the film so I thought it was really funny that Christina said that she would drink my bath water to get me on board,” she laughed. “She was a little shaky at first. She was finding her way, but she got there, she should be very happy with her performance. We got on great and has a great dry sense of humour. It was a dream of mine forever to sing in the film so I thought I should do it now or I’ll never get the chance.” The film’s ace – check it out guys.

*Olly Murs (above) has some great advice for Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson and One Direction. Speaking at the recording of the Top of the Pops Christmas Special he told me: “When you finish you have to use the platform you’ve got. You get an opportunity to do the most amazing things and you’ve just got to work hard – don’t take holidays or say you don’t want to do a certain gig. Earn as much money as you can. You can’t sit there and rest on your laurels.” I’m sure Katie Waisell’s got that idea!
After a cracking year it sounds like Olly’s really going to town for Christmas this year. He revealed: “I’ve set the bar for Christmas presents as I’ve already bought my sister central heating for her house because she had no heating. It was so lucky as we installed it a week or two before the snow hit. So my family are expecting good gifts but I haven’t brought presents for the last two years. I like giving things to people so this year I’ve been really thoughtful about what I am going to give them. I’ve got my nan a really amazing present but I can’t tell you what it is.” Lucky nan!

Above: JLS also star in the Christmas special…

*Plan B sounds like he’s kinda glad his recent UK tour has come to an end. It sounded exhausting!  Plan, real name Ben Drew, tells me: “You wake up at 3pm, because you would have been partying the night before, sound-check, promo, maybe eat if you’re lucky, then gig and relax and then party till 5am. Every day. It was pretty much like that for two months. It can drive you crazy but I’m back now.
“I want to go back into the boxing gym as I really like the boxing circuit. Then in January I’m off to America and then Australia to tour too. So I need to enjoy my normality for a few weeks.”
His album The Defamation of Strickland Banks is one of the best albums of the year….

*Ellie Goulding (above) didn’t expect the amount of success she’s managed to get for her beautiful – if not a bit over hyped – version of Your Song. The tracks been hovering at the top of the charts for weeks now and she told me at TOTP: “I didn’t expect the reaction I’ve got to Your Song at all. I didn’t expect anyone to like it really. I think the opinion has been really polarised actually and a lot of people hate it, genuinely. I think you should think of it as a different song as I’ve missed out lyrics and sung it in a different key. It’s weird as I’ve got this acoustic song but then my album is going to a whole different direction. It’s weird as it’s going from Starry Eyed, to Your Song to something that’s going to be really crazy. It will have moments of folk.”
The singer also said she finds it bizarre that people are bothered about her growing relationship with Radio One’s Greg James. “It is a little strange to have this interest in us because to me he is just Greg,” she said. “I suppose it is weird thing that he’s a Radio 1 DJ as it’s kind of like, not my enemy, but certainly not like dating someone from my label. But Radio 1 have been such an amazing support to me before I even knew of him.” And I’m sure they’ll continue to be Els!

Above: Tinie Temper went for yellow jeans ala Matt Cardle

Above: Chris Martin and Coldplay were back in action too!

Top of The Pops Christmas Special, Christmas Day, 2pm – 3pm, BBC One!

Congratulations to my neighbour Amanda Lamb who has gone and put a ring on it with her cameraman boyfriend Sean McGuinness. The pair, who have a beautiful daughter called Willow Rose, got engaged on Friday. I couldn’t be happier for such a perfectly matched couple.

Ronan Keating is preparing for his next solo venture ahead of the Boyzone tour in Spring – he’s jetting off to LA to complete a new album with legend of music Burt Bacharach. He tells me: “2011 is going to be a very busy year – I’m in LA for 3 weeks doing a record with Burch Bacharach and then we have the Boyzone tour from February – but that’s just the way I like it. Life is good when you keep busy.” Good luck, Ro.

I hear the union between One Show host and Welsh rugby star Lee Byrne has come to an end. The pair had been dating since the summer on a casual basis and have finally decided to split with Alex deciding things just weren’t working out for anything more long term. I hear Lee’s already moved on and has been trying to bag Welsh newsreader Andrea Benfield for a date. Lee clearly likes an educated lady on his arm. Good for him.

London based rockers The Boxer Rebellion have been backed by Drew Barrymore to win an Oscar. The band have been shortlisted for an Oscar nomination for their track If You Run in Drew’s latest film Going the Distance. She handpicked the lads to star alongside her in the film after seeing them play live in New York earlier in the year. They’re now one of her firm favourites for an Oscar nod! Good luck!

Above: Strictly star Brendan Cole and his beautiful model wife Zoe Hobbs…

*Remember when Natasha Kaplinsky was big news? Nope, neither do I. It was a lifetime ago. Anyway, she’s just about to leave Five where she’s the channel’s news anchorwoman and has been busily enjoying being a mother to her two young children. Speaking at the English National Ballet’s The Nutcracker bash this week she told me: “I can’t believe I’ve had two children in the space of two years. It’s crazy. I definitely won’t be having a third. As much as I enjoy it, I’ve put my motherhood boots away.
“I’m really exciting about my future actually. I leave Five next week and have already been talking about different projects. I’m not sure if I’d want to present something like X Factor as it’s a huge entertainment show, plus Dermot does a great job.” Damn right, love.

Above: Paloma Faith seemed to dress down for the ballet.

*Kate Moss and Sadie Frost enjoyed a girlie night out with their children at the ballet – La Moss arrived just before the curtain rose with a posse including Sadie and Lila Grace and seven other children. My spies saw Kate refuse to use the normal toilets too, instead sneaking into the disabled loos with Sadie’s sister. X Factor star Brian Friedman ran over to her when he saw her and she told him she had been enjoying the show. I love to think Kate’s a normal girl at heart!
Talking of normal, Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis arrived with his kids and brought pre-prepared homemade sandwiches for the little ones to munch on. Classic!

*You can’t knock Cherie Blair (above with daughter Kathryn) – she can work a room these days. The almighty postbox mouthed one was grabbing every celeb in the room and talking to them like old friends  at the English National Ballet’s The Nutcracker this week. Each of the guests, including Brendan Cole and Kate Moss, was introduced to her daughter Kathryn before the show at a posh drinks reception.

*Tamzin Outhwaite sounds as if she’s enjoying a well deserved break after months of working her backside off on the West End in the musical Sweet Charity. She told me at the Ballet: “I’ve been loving having time off and being at home with the kids. As it’s nearing Christmas we’ve really been getting into making homemade Piccalilli and apple chutney. I making so much of it that it’s ridiculous. I’m becoming a proper housewife and even have a whole drawer in the kitchen full of warming jars. It could be a whole new career for me – I could have my own range of condiments. Or I could just sell them at the front of my house with a honesty box although someone would probably just put 5p in and I’ll be shouting: “It cost me £12 to make”.” Sounds yummy to me.

Above: Lorraine Ashbourne, Andy Serkis and the beautiful Natascha McElhone.

English National Ballet’s The Nutcracker runs until Dec 30th at the London Coliseum followed by Romeo &Juliet from Jan 5 – 15

James Blunt has had a great year – his album Some Kind of Trouble is flying off the shelves across Europe and he’s ready to spend Christmas at his home in Verbier. It’s OK for some!
Anyway, news for the ladies. James is single after splitting up with girlfriend Sabina Vidal a few weeks ago. The pair have been together for a good few months but have parted ways on good terms and remain friends. My source tells me: “James has been away so much and wasn’t ready to settle down and they mutually agreed it was time to split. They will no doubt see each other – especially as they both have homes in Ibiza.”
So there you have it ladies – start those engines. Blunty’s back! Oh, and his great new single So Far Gone is out January 3.

The Saturdays treated fans to an exclusive one-off intimate gig at Scala, London this week as they teamed up with KIT KAT® Senses to help raise £100,000 for Breast Cancer Campaign.
Looking cute as ever ladies….
Mollie King told me: “This is a fantastic event to be involved in.  ‘Concert for a Cure’ saw loads of our female fans gather together for a great night, but there is a serious note to the gig and we really hope that we have inspired people to donate money to such an important cause.”
It’s been a great year for The Sats – but in 2011 I want some girl band competition for them. My money’s on this new group Parade being pretty damn big.

Could Naomi Campbell be preparing for motherhood? It certainly sounded like she was open to the idea when I sprang it on her this week. Naomi, who’s happily settled down with Russian billionaire Vladislav Dororin, said: “Oh wow, if I was blessed enough to fall pregnant or have a child then that’s in God’s hands. I’d be thrilled.”
Naomi was celebrating after receiving a special recognition award at the British Fashion Awards. I caught up with her and we nattered about her staggering 25 years in the industry. She laughed: “Getting special awards for years in the industry is weird – I hate the thought of being old or that my careers over. It’s not. I’m still modelling and busier than ever before really.”
I asked her whether she thought the day would ever come when new supermodels ruled supreme in the fashion world. “I’ve never commented on this before because I always thought we would be replaced,” she said. “But now I look at Christy, Kate, Claudia and the girls and think we are irreplaceable. I just don’t think we’ll have models succeed us. We were a special time in the fashion world and I doubt it’ll ever be repeated.” I couldn’t agree more!

Bros fans rejoice – Matt Goss and former bandmate Craig Logan have kissed and made up.
The pair have barely been in contact since they parted ways in the band at the end of the eighties. Even recently when Matt was in town he told me: “If Bros were ever to reform then it wouldn’t be with Craig. My brother Luke and myself were Bros. Craig was a very small part of it.”
But it would seem shortly after we met Matt decided to hand out an olive branch to his old friend. Craig received an invite to fly down to Las Vegas to watch Matt play his Caesar’s Palace show. A close source tells me: “Craig flew down to see Matt and they got on like old times. They hung out, cleared the air and had dinner after the show. Matt even introduced Craig to the crowds with a spotlight announcement during his performance.”
But although they’ve made up don’t get excited about a comeback from Bros. My source adds: “Craig will never go back to perform with them. But he’s thrilled they’re pals again.”
Matt’s still going down a storm in the US – he’s just had his Caesars headline show extended to 3 nights a week and been booked for a further 3 years. He will also be bringing his show back to the Royal Albert Hall in 2011 and will be releasing a swing version of the Bros track When Will I Be Famous. The new version is even being remixed by superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold.