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SUAVE: Bashy, Jasmine and Ashley Walters

THE National TV Awards recently took place at the O2 Arena and it seemed that the Adidas VIP box was the only place to be, as it was heaving full of movers and shakers from all industries.

Former Atomic Kitten singer-turned reality TV star Kerry Katona was in the box next door, so we all had a bit of a giggle with her, before Peter Andre popped by to be a part of the fun.

Artist manager/producer Richie P brought Peter in to meet us all, and a bizarre spell seemed to come over all the men and ladies around me as Peter came to join us. The ladies made him pose for pictures where he was kissing their cheeks, which he was more than happy to do. And the men cleared their masculine throats and said, “Oh well, I might as well grab a picture with Peter too.” It seems everyone loves them some Peter Andre!

ALL SMILES: Jasmine and Peter Andre

We were over 20 strong with a cast that saw (deep breath, here we go) actors Ashley Walters, Daniel Kaluuya, Jason Lewis, Eddie Kadi, Bashy, Wale Adeyemi, London 360 reporter Rosa Doherty, SBTV’s leading lady Georgia, Adidas head honcho Paola Lucktung and many more.

In fact, I must give a thumbs up to Adidas. They do a great job when it comes to supporting the UK urban scene, whether it be music acts, DJs, comedians and athletes, as well as putting on music events and more.
Anyway, the hot food feast provided at the awards ceremony was scrumptious! Salmon, salads, chicken, vegetarian delights – it was all wonderful.

The drinks were in full flow, but most of the box were well behaved and stuck to soft drinks, with maybe just one cheeky alcoholic beverage. I think when there are so many movers and shakers around each other, no one wants to get too tipsy! That said, by the end of the night, Ashley Walters had his shirt open and had fans mobbing him!

FUN AND GAMES: Jasmine and friends strike a pose

Ashley’s most recent drama, Inside Men, is currently on screen on Thursdays on BBC One. This is a guy really who underplays his achievements. But if you look at Ashley’s credits, it’s staggering how long he’s been doing his thing, and balancing his role as a family man too.
Also that night, Eddie Kadi arrived late, so we all had to pose again to take our group pictures. But he and the other gents had all made such a wonderful effort, looking amazing in their black tie outfits, how could we be mad?
When we weren’t all messing around and having fun, we did make time to actually catch some parts of the awards ceremony! Everyone in our box went wild when Celebrity Juice scooped the award for best comedy panel show.
Then, there was more fun and frivolity as we chatted and took more pics. One person I must give a thumbs up to is SBTV’s leading lady Georgia who is a breath of fresh air in a field of wannabe female presenters. She’s professional, intelligent, sassy, full of ambition and respectful of all those around her. Watch out for her – she’s gonna go far!

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Fabulous at 50!

FAMOUS FRIENDS: Mervyn Lyn with singer Whitney Houston

THIS week, we had D’Angelo tickling our fancies with his UK shows. (Did I ever tell you about when we were both in a bath together for an MTV interview? No? I’ll leave it there then!) In addition, Sony’s former big don Mervyn Lyn threw a party for his 50th birthday in east London. From famous ex-footballers, to record label execs and street teams, to his nearest and dearest, plenty of folks came out to celebrate Mervyn’s milestone and a great night was had by all.
Food nibbles were passed around on silver platters by chef Collin Brown and we left at 3am, dripping from a sweaty, fun night out. Happy half-century, Merv!