Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 39, 2024 i Woman's Day Magazine NZ

Since they made their big red carpet debut at the Venice Film Festival just weeks ago, Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon have been flaunting their love from Europe to New York and now back in their LA neighbourhood. And their smitten appearances recently have only fuelled the whispers that a wedding is next for Brad, 60, and Ines, 31! “Brad and Ines both feel like they’ve met their soulmate,” an insider told Us Weekly. HERE COMES THE BRIDE The actor and the jewellery executive have gone from strength to strength since they began dating two years ago, with Ines moving into Brad’s mansion earlier this year. And recent reports that Ines has asked her work contacts to sign non-disclosure agreements to protect her relationship with Brad is yet another…

Have you clashed with the other judges? They’re all amazing artists and we’re actually good mates, but I did have some tense moments with Guy Sebastian. Because we knew each other, I felt like I could be quite blunt with him. But he gives as good as he gets and it was all in good fun. As Aussies, do you and Guy have a special solidarity? We actually do. This was Guy’s sixth season on The Voice, so he’s a master at it. He was a bit of a daddy figure for all of us throughout – showing us the ropes and really guiding us through the process. He’s really clever and very generous with his knowledge. Is Guy your best buddy on The Voice? Well, actually, I sit next…

Katie Flood’s life is the epitome of glitz and glamour – if her reality TV career and sizzling social media accounts are anything to go by. And although the Below Deck star first found fame working on a TV show about life on luxury yachts, she’s decided that now’s the time for her to take a break from boats. “I’ve been in the industry for 10 years and it got to the point where I just couldn’t do it any more,” the 32-year-old shares. “Yachting consumes your life. I was working 18-hour days. I didn’t have the energy to do anything healthy, like work out or meditate. “I didn’t even have time to speak to my family. I chose violence and completely changed my whole life!” After our fabulous Woman’s…

LARA & PETER Wedding florist Lara and electrician Peter often work seven days a week, missing out on time with their children, Leo and Mia, but they still haven’t been able to afford to renovate. They dream of turning their 1960s Sydney house into an open-plan space for entertaining. BRAD & MEL This Melbourne couple and their four kids, aged 12 to 18, are currently crammed into a three-bedroom, one-bathroom 1920s house. Musician Brad says a renovation would transform their lives from “chaos to calm”. With no renovating experience, they’re keen to learn. TAELER & ELLE These Melbourne sisters have a huge advantage – Taeler is an architect and pro house flipper. She’s doing Dream Home to help out HR adviser Elle, who bought a dated 1960s house with boyfriend…

Farmer Wants A Wife’s Matt Young and Olivia Benic have revealed to Woman’s Day they had to “fake it” for weeks after realising early in this season that they’d already found The One with each other. “It was hard because we both wanted to respect the other ladies and the process, but it didn’t really coincide with how we would have lived our lives,” says school administrator Olivia, 24, adding that being forced to take things slowly had a silver lining. “I think that made us really strong very early on and that’s what’s helped us now with these new life challenges, such as moving and having new careers.” Since filming finished, Olivia has moved from Sydney to Canberra to live with Matt, 24, after the sheep and cattle farmer…

Arresting performance! ANNA DELVEY Rocking an ankle bracelet, the fake heiress went from house arrest to disco diva with Ezra Sosa on the US Dancing With The Stars, getting the boot on the second epsiode, as did Tori Spelling! Lady in red LADY GAGA & JOAQUIN PHOENIX Shoulder pads may be the big trend of 2024, but Gaga took it to the extreme in Celine at the UK premiere of her film Joker: Folie À Deux in London. Leggin’ it CHRISTOPHER HER MELONI With the SVU actor’s extensive experience in chasing bad guys on Law & Order, he knows how important it is to stretch your legs before going for a jog. But perhaps he should’ve worn sneakers on set in New York? Jen’s worries in-crease!…

I’m thrilled this week to have celebrity chef, best-selling cookbook author and former Woman’s Day columnist Chelsea Winter back in the mag. It’s been a while since she graced our cover and the MasterChef NZ winner has been through a whole lot of change since then – in both her family life and her cooking style, as you’ll read in our story starting on page eight. I’m particularly interested in her focus on plant-based cooking. Since I last passed out on Chelsea’s couch after a wild dinner party many years ago, I’ve married a vegetarian who is a fantastic cook, so most of my meals these days are vege ones, although I can’t resist fresh kaimoana when I see it on a menu or a greasy pie after a night…

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher after the backlash they faced for supporting their That ’70s Show co-star, Danny Masterson, ahead of his rape conviction. Now, Ashton, 46, is facing another scandal, with old footage of him talking about his friend P Diddy’s “weird” parties resurfacing, while the jailed rapper awaits his sex-trafficking trial. An insider says the latest controversy is too much for Ashton and 41-year-old Mila’s marriage to handle. “They’re on a break right now,” a source says. “Mila’s had her suspicions about him cheating in the past, so it’s been a fear he would do the same to her. The stories about what went on at all of Diddy’s parties are hard to hear.”…

Prince Harry has had a busy couple of weeks, from mingling with the Hollywood crowd at a charity event at Kevin Costner’s Santa Barbara estate to a jam-packed itinerary of high-profile events over in New York. Then, it was on to his native London for the annual WellChild Awards. And during all the prince’s very public appearances, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that his wife, Duchess Meghan, has been conspicuously absent as she continues to deal with the fallout from the damning Hollywood Reporter exposé that accused her of being “a dictator in heels” to her staff. Now a royal insider reveals that Harry, 40, has been relishing the freedom of being able to fulfil his duties solo, including speaking at the Halo Trust’s anti-landmine event in New York, where he…

After working in the mines and having lost several close friends over the years, Reuben De Melo knows the importance of brotherhood. It’s why he chose I See Fire by superstar Ed Sheeran for The Voice Australia’s blind auditions. “It reminds me of a brotherhood – of chipping away at work next to the boys,” says Perth local Reuben, 31. As a fly-in-fly-out worker, Reuben spends a lot of time away from his wife Olivia, sons Malakai, four, and Zion, two, plus new baby Delilah. But it wasn’t until recently he was able to deepen that connection with his coworkers, after the loss of his bestie “H”. Reuben recalls, “I took my guitar up to the mines a couple of months after H passed. I wrote a song called The…

When Ryan Moloney first stepped onto the set of Neighbours in 1994 to play Jarrod “Toadfish” Rebecchi, the role was only supposed to be a one-off guest appearance. Fast-forward almost three decades and Toadie, as he’s affectionately known, is the third continuous longest-serving character in the show’s 39-year history, and his journey from troubled class clown with a resplendent mullet to clean-cut lawyer is one of Erinsborough’s greatest success stories. “Ryan is a beloved Neighbours cast member and Toadie is an iconic character,” executive producer Jason Herbison says. “Very few actors can turn a bit-part into a near-30-year acting role, and that’s testament to Ryan’s talent and versatility.” Fans have weathered plenty of storms with Toadie, including five marriages, often ending in tragic circumstances. But Toadie’s eventful and impressively long…

At just 16, Molly Payton got a lucky break. At the time, she was unhappy at her Auckland school, describing herself as a “troubled teen”. When her mother Mary suggested they move to London for a few years, Molly leapt at the opportunity. Mary had been regularly travelling between New Zealand and the UK for the healthcare software company she co-founded, and the move offered Molly a much-needed fresh start. And as luck would have it, Molly found herself attending the prestigious Hampstead Fine Arts College, rubbing shoulders with the kids of A-list actors and football stars. “It was nuts,” the now-23year-old London-based muso laughs. “Here I was getting by on my 20 quid pocket money from Mum and these kids were off to Paris for the weekend to party!”…

It’s one long “Yes Day” at Renee Staska’s home. If her six-year-old Austin suggests visiting 10 playgrounds in one day, the devoted mum’ll try to make it happen. And if Hudson, nine, and Holly, eight, want to sleep in the lounge room, Renee’ll drag the mattresses out. It’s all about making the kids smile and creating a lifetime of memories for Renee to cling on to. “I’m a big believer in saying yes to things and being present,” the 32-year-old full-time single mum from Adelaide tells Woman’s Day. “If the kids want to play basketball, I’ll stop doing the dishes and play.” She has a very good reason. Renee’s children have all been diagnosed with a devastating type of childhood dementia that has an average life expectancy of 10 years.…

UPSIDE-DOWN NOODLE RICE BOWL Contrasting simple noodles, rice and veg with oozy spiced eggs and tangy Sichuan chilli oil is a real joy. SERVES 2 TOTAL TIME 18 MINUTES • 1 nest of vermicelli rice noodles (50g) • sesame oil • 1 x 320g packet of mixed stir-fry veg • olive oil • 30g unsalted cashew nuts • 2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce • 1 x 250g packet of cooked brown rice • 2 limes • 2 free-range eggs • curry powder • Sichuan chilli oil • ½ bunch of coriander (15g) 1 Rehydrate the noodles in a deep 16cm serving bowl according to the packet instructions, then drain, return to the bowl and toss in a little sesame oil. 2 Tip the stir-fry veg into a very hot…

Boo Boo knows he’s irreplaceable AMANDA SAYS Boo Boo comes through and tells me he has passed. Boo Boo wants Debbie to know it was nothing she did that caused his passing – I feel his heart shut down. There is another guinea pig that is still living called Yogi. He and Boo Boo were the best of friends, and played together a lot, even though they had two different personalities. Yogi tells me he knew the moment that Boo Boo passed and he let out a piercing scream. Boo Boo tells me that there is a new guinea pig there now called Merlin. He’s happy Yogi has a friend and knows that no one can replace him. Merlin sees Boo Boo around a lot. Debbie’s grandfather Pa loved…

Much of her life has been an open book, but chat show queen Oprah Winfrey was so determined to stop a new documentary about her from seeing the light of day, she paid millions to ban it! Insiders say the film, which is directed by Kevin Macdonald, who’s made movies about Bob Marley, Whitney Houston and Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, exposed so many well-kept secrets, the star, 70, got nervous and paid Apple TV+ to ditch the finished product. “There are rumours that Oprah clashed with Kevin over some of the topics he insisted on including,” one source says. “It’s unlikely she’d ever agree to addressing all those gay rumours about her and her best friend Gayle King, but word is there was too much in there about her very…

Ben Affleck is used to sharing his surname with his actor brother Casey, but now his second cousin Zac Affleck and wife Jennifer are name-dropping him left, right and centre, despite the fact that they’ve never met! The pair star on The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives and Jen in particular can’t seem to stop blabbing about the “distant” Affleck connection. “Zac’s dad has met them, when Ben was very little,” she says of her father-in-law Dave, who is Ben’s first cousin. A source reveals the whole thing is “embarrassing” for the Oscar winner, adding, “He barely knows Zac, so this is all starting to get uncomfortable now. He’s just hoping they don’t make it on to the next season!”…

This year has been massive for Marisiale “Siale” Tunoka. After donning a cloak in The Traitors NZ, the 43-year-old from Dunedin is set to appear as a detective on Shortland Street next week. “It’s all happened at the same time – it’s crazy,” says Siale, who was able to keep his award-winning acting skills under the radar while on The Traitors to make it agonisingly close to the end. He still feels “stink” about using his power as a Traitor to eliminate his closest ally, Utah Mann, but adds, “Though we had an agreement to take each other to the end, my focus was how I could do the best for my family at home.” Despite being eventually voted off himself at the final roundtable, Siale still feels victorious. “If…

Veterinarian and TV star Dr Chris Brown is somewhere in South America when we talk and a rooster keeps interrupting him. “If you could see where I am, you would really laugh,” the Dog House Australia narrator and former Bondi Vet host says over the loud crowing. “I’m legitimately in the middle of nowhere.” This is a big year for Chris, 45. Not only is he hosting a new renovation show Dream Home, as well as the latest Aussie season of Dancing With The Stars, but he’s also working on a series he’s co-created, the animal-focused adventure show Once In A Lifetime, which is the reason for his trip to South America. The star made headlines across the ditch when he quit his longtime job as host on reality series…

Farmer Wants A Wife screens 7pm Sundays on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ+. It’s time for farmer Brenton Kuch to make the difficult decision whether he wants to spend the rest of his life with Sophie Holcombe or Rachel Boothman. But if Rachel can’t tell him how she’s feeling, does she even stand a chance of being chosen? In Farmer Wants A Wife this week, Victorian sheep and cattle farmer Brenton, 26, visits both Brisbane social media manager Sophie, 25, and Perth promotions assistant Rachel, 22, in their hometowns, meeting their families to help him make his decision. When he arrives at Rachel’s house in Western Australia, he says he can definitely see a future with her – but she hasn’t told him how she feels and it’s weighing…

Edited extract from The Fishmonger’s Son by Anthony Yotis & Laura di Florio Yotis ($50, Pan Macmillan). Photography by Mark Roper. Crispy fish tacos A refreshing Mexican-inspired feed complete with smoky chilli slaw MAKES 8 Place 200g plain flour, 1 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp black pepper in a deep bowl. Coat 8 small white fish fillets (600g total) with skin off in the flour and set aside on some baking paper. Combine 1 carrot ( julienned), ¼ cabbage (shredded) and ½ finely sliced red onion in a bowl, with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If you like a little heat, add some smoked chilli oil here.…

Libra 24 SEP – 23 OCT Go, girl! Whether it’s a business brainwave or a loved one’s good news, a sense of anticipation is building – you might even win an award. If you’re ready to reinvent yourself, some new clothes or cosmetics should set the ball rolling. Hit the shops on Saturday! STAR TIP: With your networking skills hitting their peak, keep an ear to the ground. FRAN DRESCHER The Nanny star turns 67 on 30 September. Scorpio OCT 24 – NOV 22 It’s lucky you love a good mystery! The stars are filled with intrigue – and possibly the odd skeleton in the closet too. A hidden agenda might even come to light. If you’ve been worn down by someone’s niggling criticisms, it could be…

1 My real name is Domenica Pellegrino, which in English means Sunday Pilgrim. Growing up in northern England with a name like Domenica was never likely to go well. I was already a ginger-haired giantess, so it had to change. 2 My very first words to my husband were: “Hi, I’m Nicky and I’m going to marry you.” We met in 1992 at a friend’s wedding in the Wairarapa. In my defence, I thought he was rich and I’d hooked into the bubbles. 3 I was fired from my first job as a waitress in a not-even-very-fancy restaurant after dropping salad on a woman’s head. Then I got fired from my second job, in retail, also for clumsiness-related reasons. 4 I never assume that I’m capable of doing anything I…