Saturday 10 September 2022 04:28 PM EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Can Selina Scott help ex-King of Spain in his legal woes ... trends now
Sometime BBC ‘golden girl’ Selina Scott could be about to embark on a dramatic royal rescue mission.
I can disclose that The Real Marigold Hotel star has been asked by King Juan Carlos of Spain to help save his honour — and fortune.
The king wants the broadcaster, 71, to give a character reference for him to the High Court in London, where he’s being sued for damages by his former mistress, the German socialite Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, 58.
Juan Carlos, 84, hopes that Selina, who was a newsreader on ITV’s News At Ten before she was poached by the BBC to launch Breakfast Time, will do the same for him as Kate Moss did for Johnny Depp when she defended the Hollywood star during his highly acrimonious court battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Selina Scott, pictured with the then King Juan Carlos of Spain may be able to assist the former monarch with his legal case against his former mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
The king wants the broadcaster, 71, to give a character reference for him to the High Court in London, where he’s being sued for damages
‘It’s tragic what has happened to him,’ Selina tells me of Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014 in favour of his son, King Felipe, 54. Juan Carlos has been dogged by a series of scandals since he abdicated.
Prosecutors in Switzerland and Spain investigated him for suspected money laundering and tax evasion over a separate $100 million payment from the Saudi Arabian government.
Those cases were dropped last year for lack of evidence.
Juan Carlos, who returned to Spain for a brief visit this year but has spent the past two years living in exile in Abu Dhabi, denies the accusations. ‘I found Juan Carlos a passionate man, handsome and lots of fun, with a refreshing world view,’ she adds.
‘He introduced me to Fidel Castro and gave me a ride on his high-powered motor cycle, which was exhilarating.’
The king is being taken to court by Corinna over claims that he caused her ‘great mental pain and distress’ when he tried to recover more than £50 million that he claims he lent her, but she says was a gift.
She will also claim damages for the pain she alleges was caused by agents spying on her in London and her home in the country. She will tell the court of mysterious break-ins at her Knightsbridge flat.
The king’s request to Selina follows an article she wrote for Spanish newspaper El Pais in which she recalled interviewing him for a landmark ITV programme. It caused a sensation in Madrid because it portrayed him as a hard-living, hard-loving hedonist with popular appeal.
Yorkshire-based Selina, who has had a holiday home on the Spanish island of Majorca for 30 years, has yet to decide if she wishes to be drawn into the court battle.
Patsy says yes to future husband Number FIVE
Actress Patsy Kensit declared just last month that she ‘can’t be bothered’ with men, so imagine my surprise to learn that she’s got engaged . . . again.
The ex-model, 54, is said to have accepted a proposal from property tycoon Patric Cassidy, 58.
Her spokesman will say only: ‘Patsy is very happy.’
Cassidy would be in line to become her fifth husband.
Actress Patsy Kensit declared just last month that she ‘can’t be bothered’ with men, so imagine my surprise to learn that she’s got engaged . . . again. He has reportedly agreed to marry property developer Patric Cassidy
She was first married to Big Audio Dynamite singer Dan Donovan, pictured at a party for the film Batman in 1989
Later she married Simple Minds front man Jim Kerr, pictured here in Dublin in 1995
Her third husband was Liam Gallagher from Oasis, pictured here at the Vogue Party in London in 1998
She then had a three year marriage with DJ Jeremy Healy, pictured, which ended in divorce in 2010
She divorced DJ Jeremy Healy, 60, in 2010 following a three-year marriage. At the time, Kensit said their split had taken its toll on her mental health and caused her to gain weight. ‘I lost my confidence and ballooned from 8st to 11,’ she said.
She was previously married to Oasis star Liam Gallagher, 49, with whom she has a son, Lennon.
She has another son, James, with her second husband, Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr, 63, whom she divorced in 1996. Her first husband was Dan Donovan, 60, lead singer with Big Audio Dynamite.
Booker Prize-winner Douglas Stuart was looking forward to watching something on the small screen when he settled down for a long-haul flight.
Unfortunately, BA had other ideas and put him in a seat without a working television. ‘Thanks British Airways, seven-hour flight and no working telly,’ rages the Glasgow-born author of Shuggie Bain, who’s lived in New York for more than 20 years. ‘When I told the hostess, she smiled and said, “Oh, so you got the booby seat. Sorry.” Couldn’t give a f***. Nice One.’
He’s since deleted the comment on Twitter.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Labour MP Rupa Huq settled a long-term score when she made her first appearance on the Commons Culture Select Committee. Grilling BBC boss Tim Davie, she asked why ‘at the turn of the century the Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq was paid less than the male presenters’. Invited to declare any personal interests at the start of the hearing, Rupa declined to disclose that Konnie is her younger sister.
William's songbird sweetheart to marry
She captivated a young Prince William, with whom she enjoyed a carefree romance in the months after he left Eton.
Since then, Rose Farquhar has melted hearts at
