• Anna Nicole Smith has been released from hospital after having a procedure to drain liquid from her lung. Anna Nicole was admitted to the Doctors Hospital in Nassau, in the Bahamas, last week after being diagnosed with pneumonia, which her spokesperson attributed to a recent spell of cold weather.
  • Des O’Connor has been selected to be the new presenter of Channel 4’s Countdown after Des Lynam quit in September. A Channel 4 source revealed that officially the contract is still being negotiated but is expected to be finalised this week. The source added “[Co-presenter Carol Vorderman] is thrilled. Des has just the right chemistry with her, which is the most important thing.”
  • Billy Zane has revealed his wedding plans to fiancee Kelly Brook are nearing completion. He told the Mirror: “We’ve been saying it’s going to be Italy, but it’s probably going to be Greece. We did a film together in Greece and, yes, it was a reconnaissance mission for the wedding. We’ve been trying to put people off the scent, but you might as well know.”