As producers launch a secretive search for Daniel Craig’s successor as James Bond, former Bond girl Maryam d’Abo voices firm opposition to casting a non-white actor in the iconic role.

Maryam d’Abo’s Stance on James Bond Casting

Maryam d’Abo, 65, who portrayed cellist Kara Milovy opposite Timothy Dalton in the 1987 film The Living Daylights, reacts strongly to rumors of a black or mixed-race actor taking on 007. She states: ‘Then don’t call it Bond. Call it something else. You can have a wonderful black hero, but then don’t call him James Bond.’

Among top contenders is Aaron Pierre, 31, a London native with Curacaoan, Jamaican, and Sierra Leonean heritage. Pierre voiced Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King and starred in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge.

d’Abo emphasizes fidelity to Ian Fleming’s novels: ‘Personally, I would respect Ian Fleming books and keep James Bond being English and working for His Majesty’s Secret Service.’ Currently starring in Spanish Oranges at The Playground Theatre in London, she adds she would enjoy watching Australian actor Jacob Elordi, who plays Heathcliff in the new Wuthering Heights film released yesterday: ‘He’s Australian, but so what?’

Bond producer Barbara Broccoli stated in 2024: ‘It will be a man. He’ll likely be in his 30s. Whiteness is not a given.’ d’Abo and her half-brother Michael Wilson sold creative control of the franchise to Amazon in a $1 billion deal last year, retaining co-ownership status.

The production team includes producers David Heyman (Harry Potter) and Amy Pascal (Spider-Man), director Denis Villeneuve, and screenwriter Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). Aaron Pierre follows in the footsteps of Idris Elba, a fan favorite during Craig’s 15-year run who is now 53 and considered too old.

Roxy Horner’s Bridesmaid Choice for Jack Whitehall Wedding

Model Roxy Horner, 34, preparing to wed comedian Jack Whitehall, 37, has selected fellow model Sophie Longford, 29, as a bridesmaid. Longford has modeled for Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci.

The pair bonded during a Galentine’s pampering session at Backstage Chelsea salon in London. Horner says: ‘We’re very close. It’s important to spoil your friends and show love to your girlfriends. They’re the ones that are always there for you.’ The couple shares two-year-old daughter Elsie and plans a child-free Valentine’s date night with Horner’s mother babysitting. She describes Whitehall as ‘very sweet, a gentleman’ who reveals his romantic side with her.

Dua Lipa on Long-Distance Challenges with Fiancé Callum Turner

Pop star Dua Lipa, 30, opens up about managing time apart from fiancé Callum Turner, 35, due to demanding careers. The London-born actor and Lipa confirmed their engagement last June.

‘This is something I’ve had to get pretty good at over the years, especially during touring seasons,’ Lipa admits. ‘It does get easier with time, but it never stops being hard. Relationships do change with distance, but love doesn’t. If anything, it can feel even stronger when you don’t get to see each other all the time.’

Helen Fielding’s Daughter Debuts on Marc Jacobs Catwalk

Romy Curran, 19, daughter of Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding, 67, made her runway debut at the Marc Jacobs show in New York this week. She wore a strapless pink dress from the spring ready-to-wear collection, catching the eye of front-row attendees including Anna Wintour, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Anne Hathaway.

Fielding shares: ‘Romy worked so hard (and did her college homework), practising fierce scary walk in high heels without tripping over or getting skirt tucked in pants. Trying not to turn into Bridget’s mother, saying, “Smile nicely for the camera, darling!”‘ Curran’s father, Kevin Curran, executive producer on The Simpsons, passed away from cancer in 2016.

BBC Rejects Bias Complaints Over Emma Barnett’s Farage Interview

Nigel Farage labeled BBC presenter Emma Barnett ‘utterly disgraceful’ after she referenced his alleged schoolboy ties to Hitler during a Radio 4 Today interview with Reform UK deputy Richard Tice last December. The BBC dismissed bias complaints this week, stating: ‘The reference to a “relationship” with Hitler might have been regarded as an illegitimate slur if the interviewer had not gone on to specify what that relationship was alleged to have consisted of.’ Barnett cited claims of Farage’s youthful anti-Semitism and praise for Hitler.

Katherine Ryan Considers Breast Implant Removal

Comedian Katherine Ryan, 42, who recently had a facelift after welcoming fourth child Holland last October, plans to remove her early 2000s breast implants. At the Mundo Pixar Experience launch in Wembley, London, she says: ‘I got some breast implants in the early Noughties, and I want those to come out because there’s no need for them now. I’ve started doing my research.’

Her civil partner Bobby Kootstra, 44, grows nervous about surgeries but supports her choices: ‘He’s not pro-surgery, but he’s smart enough to just let me do whatever I want. He was very relieved by my facelift results because I look the same.’

Wayne Sleep Inherits £250,000 from Former Partner

Ballet star Wayne Sleep, 77, famed for dancing with Princess Diana to ‘Uptown Girl’ at the Royal Opera House, receives £250,000 from his late first love, London book dealer George Lawson, who died in 2024 at 82. Probate documents confirm the bequest. Their romance inspired David Hockney’s unfinished double portrait.

Princess Beatrice Launches BY-EQ Advisory Website

Princess Beatrice, 37, unveils the website for her advisory firm BY-EQ, standing for Beatrice York and Emotional Quotient. The platform highlights her conviction that ‘business can and should have a positive impact.’

Harry Legge-Bourke Eyes Reform UK Seat in Senedd

Former Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth and Welsh Guards officer Harry Legge-Bourke, 53, prepares to run for the Senedd with Reform UK. From the Glanusk estate in Powys, he aims to address Wales’ mismanagement, unlike his sister Tiggy, former nanny to Princes William and Harry.

Marc Quinn Steps Out with New Partner Adot Gak

Sculptor Marc Quinn, 62, whose works grace collections of Elton John and Kate Moss, attends the launch of Rachel Eliza Griffiths’s memoir The Flower Bearers at Nobu in London with Sudanese-American model Adot Gak, 29. Guests note the pair appeared ‘very happy together and were inseparable throughout the evening.’ Quinn split from wife Lady Georgia Byng in 2014.