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"What a legend": Michael J Fox receives emotional standing ovation

<p>Michael J Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, made a surprise appearance at the BAFTA Awards in London. </p> <p><em>The Back to the Future</em> actor came onstage in a wheelchair, but he insisted on standing up at the podium to present the Best Film award. </p> <p>The star-studded audience all rose to their feet and gave the actor a standing ovation.  </p> <p>When presenting the award, Fox described cinema as "magic" which can "change your life".</p> <p>"Five films were nominated in this category tonight and all five have something in common. They are the best of what we do," he said. </p> <p>He added that films can bring people together "no matter who you are or where you're from".</p> <p>"There's a reason why they say movies are magic because movies can change your day.</p> <p>"It can change your outlook. Sometimes it can change your life."</p> <p>Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in the 1990s, rarely makes public appearances. </p> <p>Many fans were pleasantly surprised at his appearance as he presented the night’s biggest award, Best Film, to <em>Oppenheimer</em>.</p> <p>"I was in tears the moment Michael J Fox came on the stage," one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.</p> <p>"THE MAN IS A LEGEND"</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">i was in tears the moment Michael J Fox came on the stage 😥😥😥</p> <p>THE MAN IS A LEGEND <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAFTAs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAFTAs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAFTA2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAFTA2024</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EEBAFTAs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EEBAFTAs</a> <a href="https://t.co/Uud368S9gb">pic.twitter.com/Uud368S9gb</a></p> <p>— RanaJi🏹 (@RanaTells) <a href="https://twitter.com/RanaTells/status/1759323180060299726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>"Michael J Fox. Absolute hero. What a legend," wrote another. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Michael J Fox. Absolute hero. What a legend. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BAFTAs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BAFTAs</a> <a href="https://t.co/62lxpCy3mn">pic.twitter.com/62lxpCy3mn</a></p> <p>— Jules 🌼 (@JulesItsjules) <a href="https://twitter.com/JulesItsjules/status/1759320058583568638?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>"All those stars in the room, and still the biggest and most affectionate reaction is for Michael J Fox, because the man is a legend," added a third. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">All those stars in the room, and still the biggest and most affectionate reaction is for Michael J Fox, because the man is a legend. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EEBAFTAs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EEBAFTAs</a></p> <p>— Declan Cashin (@Tweet_Dec) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tweet_Dec/status/1759319831696855281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>"He's a total legend and wonderful human," wrote a fourth. </p> <p>The actor has spoken <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/i-m-not-gonna-be-80-michael-j-fox-s-tragic-admission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">candidly</a> about his experience with Parkinson's over the years, and has said that he has made peace with the degenerative nature of the disease. </p> <p>In a previous interview with AARP magazine profile, the actor admitted that he did not fear death. </p> <p>“I am genuinely a happy guy. I don’t have a morbid thought in my head — I don’t fear death. At all," he told the publication. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

TV

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Michael J. Fox gets mushy over 35 years of wedded bliss with Tracy Pollan

<p>In a tremendous display of tenderness, Michael J. Fox, the time-traveling heartthrob from Back to the Future, has taken to Instagram to pay tribute to his wife, Tracy Pollan, on their momentous 35th wedding anniversary. </p> <p>The 62-year-old star couldn't resist pouring his heart out, and he wrote, "35 years of [laughter], living, listening, and loving you, @tracy.pollan. Thank you for it all. Forever yours, Mike." </p> <p>Pollan, unable to contain her overflowing affection, gushed in the comments, "Love you so much!!!" Oh, the lovebirds! This display of love and adoration didn't stop there. Tracy took to her own Instagram account to pen a tribute to her hubby. "35 years!!!" she exclaimed, "Happy anniversary, my love. Here's to many more glorious adventures together. I could not love you more." Cue the swooning!</p> <p>The couple didn't stop at heartfelt messages either. They also shared a collection of adorable photos that showcased their journey of love and togetherness.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuwsTfyrq3b/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuwsTfyrq3b/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Michael J Fox (@realmikejfox)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>This isn't the first time Fox has let his feelings flow like the DeLorean's exhaust. Just last month, he wished his beloved wife a happy 63rd birthday with an Instagram post that melted hearts worldwide. He referred to her as his "forever summer girl," his love, his best friend, and the most beautiful, amazing mum to their four stupendous kids. </p> <p>Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Fox and Pollan's love story started on the set of <em>Family Ties</em> in 1985, where they played love interests. Little did they know that their on-screen chemistry would spark a real-life romance. At the time, Fox was involved with Nancy McKeon, while Pollan was seeing Kevin Bacon (yes, the <em>Footloose</em> guy). Fate had different plans, though, and the couple found themselves reuniting in 1988 on the set of <em>Bright Lights, Big City</em>. Talk about a plot twist!</p> <p>Within seven months of their reunion, Fox and Pollan were engaged and soon walked down the aisle, sealing their fate as one of Hollywood's most enduring and beloved power couples. Together, they have gracefully navigated the highs and lows of marriage and are proof that true love can withstand the test of time (and maybe a little flux capacitor magic).</p> <p>Their love story expanded to include four children: Sam, 34, twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, 28, and Esmé, 21. Clearly, their love multiplied like Marty McFly's time-travelling adventures.</p> <p>But it's not just lovey-dovey romance that makes this couple shine. Fox has openly praised Pollan for being his rock during his battle with Parkinson's Disease, which began in the early '90s. He once revealed in an interview, "Tracy was just like, 'You've got a stone in your shoe. We'll do what we can until you can get it out. In the meantime...you can hold my hand, and we'll get over that.'" Now that's love that defies the laws of physics.</p> <p>So, let's raise a glass to Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan as they celebrate 35 years of marital bliss. May their love continue to shine like the Flux Capacitor, and may their adventures together never run out of 1.21 gigawatts of excitement. Cheers to love, laughter, and happily ever afters!</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

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Michael J Fox shares rare photos of lookalike son

<p dir="ltr">Michael J Fox has shared a few rare photos of his eldest son, Sam, in a sweet birthday tribute.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Back To The Future</em> actor took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a series of photos in celebration of his lookalike son’s 34th birthday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Happy birthday to my big bouncing baby boy, you are the best. Proud to be your pops. Love you!” he captioned the photos.</p> <p dir="ltr">The first photo showed his son blowing out a few candles on a huge chocolate ganache cake.</p> <p dir="ltr">The second photo showed the father-son duo beaming as they sat next to each other on a boat ride and in the third photo, Fox can be seen planting a big kiss on his son’s cheeks.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs3tLlOLCBb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs3tLlOLCBb/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Michael J Fox (@realmikejfox)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Sam is the eldest of the four children Fox shares with his wife Tracey Pollen. They are also parents to twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, 28, and Esmé, 21.</p> <p dir="ltr">Many fans took to the comments to share their birthday wishes to Sam.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Happy birthday Sam ❤️” read one comment.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Chip off the old block. Very handsome. 😍Happy Birthday!!” wrote another fan.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Never realised how much he looks like you until now! Happy birthday.,” commented a third.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Gosh, he looks SO much like you at that age!” gushed a fourth.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Rare sighting as famous friends step out in support of Michael J. Fox

<p>Michael J. Fox has been joined by a host of his famous friends for a screening of his upcoming documentary. </p> <p>The new documentary explores the <em>Back to the Future</em> star's ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease, and the changes in his life and condition as he gets older. </p> <p>In a show of support for the actor, his celebrity mates joined together for a screening of <em>Still</em> at New York's Lincoln Center. </p> <p>Among the famous faces was actress Meg Ryan, who has not been spotted in public for more than six months. </p> <p>The former rom-com queen, best known for starring roles in films like <em>When Harry Met Sally</em>, <em>Sleepless in Seattle</em> and <em>You’ve Got Mail</em>, lives a more quiet life outside of the spotlight these days.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr1TCUeO8e3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr1TCUeO8e3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tracy Pollan (@tracy.pollan)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Ryan hasn’t appeared on screen since the 2015 film <em>Ithaca</em>, which she also directed. </p> <p>However, she is plotting a return to screens later this year, with Ryan starring in and directing the film <em>What Happens Later</em>, which is currently in production.</p> <p>Ryan was among a star-studded group of famous friends supporting J. Fox for the premiere of his doco, with stars including Bill Murray, Denis Leary, Joan Jett, Katie Couric, Mariska Hargitay, and Debra Messing. </p> <p>The screening of the documentary comes after Michael J. Fox <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/i-m-not-gonna-be-80-michael-j-fox-s-tragic-admission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that his battle with the disease is getting more difficult. </p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“I’m not gonna be 80,” he said in a preview for an upcoming episode of the American current affairs program <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">CBS Sunday Mornin</em>g, according to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Page Six</em>.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">In the clip, Journalist Jane Pauley tells Fox that he has “not squandered” but that his condition will eventually “make the call” as to when it’s his time to go.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“Yeah, it’s, it’s banging on the door,” the actor said.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher.”</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';"><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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“I’m not gonna be 80": Michael J. Fox's tragic admission

<p>Beloved actor Michael J. Fox is acknowledging how difficult his more than 30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease has become.</p> <p>“I’m not gonna be 80,” the Back to the Future star said in a preview for an upcoming episode of the American current affairs program <em>CBS Sunday Mornin</em>g, according to <em>Page Six</em>.</p> <p>In the clip, Journalist Jane Pauley tells Fox that he has “not squandered” but that his condition will eventually “make the call” as to when it’s his time to go.</p> <p>“Yeah, it’s, it’s banging on the door,” the actor said.</p> <p>“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher.”</p> <p>Fox revealed that he had surgery to remove a benign tumour on his spine, but the procedure “messed up” his walking and so he started to “break” other parts of his body, including his arm, elbow, face and hand.</p> <p>He added that the “big killer” of Parkinson’s disease is “falling” and can also be “aspirating food and getting pneumonia”, pointing out that it is “all these subtle ways that gets you.”</p> <p>You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s,” he said. “So – so I’ve been – I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it.”</p> <p>The actor was diagnosed with the brain disorder at just 29. He has since become a leading advocate for research on the condition, with the launch of the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help educate the public and fund studies.</p> <p>He has previously revealed that he does not fear death.</p> <p>“I’m really blunt with people about cures. When they ask me if I will be relieved of Parkinson’s in my lifetime, I say, ‘I’m 60 years old, and science is hard. So, no,’” he admitted in an AARP magazine profile in December 2021.</p> <p>“I am genuinely a happy guy. I don’t have a morbid thought in my head — I don’t fear death. At all.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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“Game-changer”: Michael J Fox shares huge medical news

<p dir="ltr">Michael J Fox has shared news of a medical breakthrough into Parkinson’s disease.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 61-year-old – who was diagnosed with the disease in 1991 – was thrilled to share the news, despite suffering a “terrible year”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Fox told <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2023/04/12/michael-j-fox-parkinsons-biomarker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Stat News</em></a> that he had broken multiple bones after a fall, including some in his hand and face, but has said that in some ways he is “feeling better”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite his own personal battle, the <em>Back to the Future</em> star was overjoyed to share the breakthrough in Parkinson’s research.</p> <p dir="ltr">The study – funded by Fox’s charity organisation that aims to find a cure for Parkinson’s – found that a key Parkinson's pathology can now be identified by examining spinal fluid from living patients, allowing earlier intervention.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s all changed. It can be known and treated early on. It’s huge,” he said</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is the thing. This is the big reward. This is the big trophy.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The findings, published in <em>The Lancet Neurology</em>, are the result of a 1,123-person study that Fox’s foundation has put hundreds of millions of dollars into since it began in 2010.</p> <p dir="ltr">An editorial in the medical journal has also called this research “a game-changer in Parkinson’s disease diagnostics, research, and treatment trials”.</p> <p dir="ltr">In late 2022 the actor opened up about his struggle with Parkinson’s in his emotional acceptance speech for the <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/michael-j-fox-reveals-more-details-about-his-struggle-with-parkinson-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jean Hershel Humanitarian Award</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the speech he said that the hardest part “was grappling with the certainty of the diagnosis and the uncertainty of the situation,” but has since felt relieved after an “outpouring of support” from the public and his peers.</p> <p><em>Image: Frazer Harrison for Getty Images</em></p>

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Jamie Foxx hospitalised

<p>Corinne Foxx, eldest daughter of American actor Jamie Foxx, has shared the news of her father’s hospitalisation.</p> <p>Taking to social media with a post on behalf of the entire Foxx family, Corinne revealed that Jamie “experienced a medical complication”, and that thanks to “quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery.” </p> <p>The 29-year-old actress went on to add that the family were grateful from the thoughts and prayers of Jamie’s followers, and that they were requesting privacy during their difficult time. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq9NCSnu3gq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq9NCSnu3gq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Corinne Foxx (@corinnefoxx)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>A source informed <em>TMZ</em> that Jamie’s condition had been so serious that members of the actor’s family had raced in from out of town to see him in hospital, but that “he’s communicating now, and that’s good news.” </p> <p>The scare comes just weeks after Jamie returned to the set of his film <em>Back in Action</em>, in the wake of reports breaking that the star had fired multiple people working on the project - an executive producer and two directors. </p> <p>“There have been some issues on set and Jamie has had a major ‘meltdown’ over it all,” a source told<em> The Sun</em> at the time. “He demanded the problems be sorted immediately and sacked four of the production staff, as if that would magically improve the situation.</p> <p>“Some people working on it are totally fed up with how this has played out and Jamie has become pretty unpopular.”</p> <p>It remains unclear whether or not Jamie’s illness will impact the filming schedule for <em>Back in Action</em>. As recently as days before his incident, Jamie had been seen recording scenes with co-star Cameron Diaz in England. </p> <p>Cameron had previously announced her retirement from acting, but credited Jamie with getting her back on board when she signed up to star alongside him - in their third film project together - when she declared on social media that “only you [Jamie Foxx] could get me back in action. I can’t frickin’ wait it’s gonna be a blast!”</p> <p>And while rumours have swirled that Cameron intended to resume her retirement following the reported on set ‘drama’, a source stressed to<em> Page Six </em>that this was not the case. </p> <p>“When you are in a position of authority, sometimes you have to make decisions to let people go who do not share the same vision as you,” the source said, before explaining that they would be surprised to learn of any lingering tensions between the film’s two stars.  </p> <p>“Cameron is a businessperson and understands that this is necessary at times and, honestly, Jamie is the only reason that she is doing this film and they are still very close.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Great Scott! Michael J. Fox poses with new pup

<p>Michael J. Fox has a new furry friend, and fans are saying the pup resembles the dog from the <em>Back to the Future</em> movies.</p> <p>The 61-year-old icon shared a post on Instagram featuring himself snuggled up with his adorable new dog, whom he named Blue.</p> <p>The star captioned his post, “Hey Blue, welcome to your new home!”</p> <p>Fans of Fox flocked to the comments to share their thoughts on the new pup as well as comparing the dog’s looks to Dr Emmet Brown’s dog in the <em>Back to the Future</em> trilogy.</p> <p>The dog featured in the trilogy, the infamous Einstein, was a similar breed to Fox’s new furry friend.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpePqBRr3A5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CpePqBRr3A5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Michael J Fox (@realmikejfox)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p> People wrote comments such as, “Einstein came back using the time machine,” and “Aww he looks like a baby Einstein!”</p> <p>The dog in the films was a fully grown sheepdog that went on some serious adventures with Fox’s character, Marty McFly and Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd.</p> <p>Several A-list stars also took to the comments on Fox’s post.</p> <p>“Oh my gosh!! So cute 🥰,” wrote Julianne Moore.</p> <p>Jennifer Grey from <em>Dirty Dancing</em> expressed her thoughts through a series of emojis, commenting, “💞🐶👅🐶👅💞,"</p> <p>Fox is known to be a dog lover, having mourned the loss of his previous dog, Gus, in April of 2021.</p> <p>When he announced the loss of Gus on Instagram, he captioned his post, “Gus - great dog and loyal friend, we'll miss you.”</p> <p>The actor has mentioned several times how much of a “wonder dog” Gus had been over the years.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram/Reddit</em></p>

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Back to the Future stars reunite

<p>It’s been 37 years since the cinematic masterpiece, Back to the Future part 1, graced our screens. You might be wondering where they are now, although the appropriate question would be, “when the hell are they?”</p> <p>The Back to the Future stars joined up at a fan convention in Portland, USA, and the excitement from fans sighting Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Thomas Wilson used up a lot more energy than 1.21 gigawatts.</p> <p>Last year, Fox and Lloyd came together on stage at Comic-Con in New York in an emotional display, which brought fans in the audience to tears.</p> <p>On stage, Fox said, referring to his co-star Lloyd, “The best part of the movie was working with Chris,” going on to say he was a genius, also revealing there was “immediate chemistry” between the pair.</p> <p>Fox played the iconic Marty McFly in the 1985 movie. Director Robert Zemeckis had originally cast Eric Stolz as Marty, however, due to conflict with his schedule on Family Ties, Stolz couldn’t continue with the project.</p> <p>Stolz started filming in November 1984 but was replaced by early January. Aside from the schedule conflict with Stolz, it was reported that early footage was also underwhelming. Now that’s heavy!</p> <p>Fox officially joined the production in mid-January of 1985.</p> <p>Fox played Marty McFly in all three Back to the Future movies, Great Scott!</p> <p>The fans are on a sweet nostalgia trip seeing the cast back together after over three decades.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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Michael J Fox reveals more details about his struggle with Parkinson's

<p>Michael J. Fox has delivered an emotional and heartfelt speech, during which he recalled keeping his life-changing Parkinson’s diagnosis a secret, in fear it would impact his career.</p> <p>The famed actor was diagnosed with the disorder in 1991, at only 29 years old. It wasn’t until seven years after that he made public his health battle.</p> <p>As he accepted the Jean Hershel Humanitarian Award (an honorary Oscar recognising his philanthropic efforts), Fox said the “uncertainty” of his condition caused him to stay silent the entire time.</p> <p>"I was told I only had 10 years left to work. That was s---ty. That's what happened," he told the crowd, as per People magazine. "The hardest part of my diagnosis was grappling with the certainty of the diagnosis and the uncertainty of the situation. I only knew it would get worse. The diagnosis was definite, the progress was indefinite and uncertain."</p> <p>"Then I entered into seven years of denial, trying to make sense of it all," he recalled. "The kid who left Canada convinced that he would make anything happen, at least by working hard and by believing, now had a tall order in front of him.” He said he told "very few people" about his diagnosis and they all kept his "secret".</p> <p>"Then there were all kinds of doctors who helped me understand the physical processes that were at work, or not at work, in my brain, as the case may be," he shared. "Finally, I felt like I needed to tell everybody. I understood it would have a huge impact on my career."</p> <p>Fox eventually spoke about his diagnosis with American journalist Barbara Walters and the aftermath of the intimate interview surprised him.</p> <p>"What happened next was remarkable," he remembered. "The outpouring of support from the public at large, the beautiful reaction from all of my peers in the entertainment business, all of you, thank you, and the people that I worked with, was transformative."</p> <p><em>Images: Getty </em></p>

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Michael J Fox shares sad family news

<p>Michael J Fox has revealed that his mother Phyllis died in late September at age 92. </p> <p>The actor shared the news during his appearance at the 2022 New York Comic Con on Saturday, where he also reunited with his <em>Back to The Future</em> co-star Christopher Lloyd. </p> <p>Michael remembered Phyllis by recalling a funny anecdote about how she thought he was being overworked when he was filming <em>Family Ties</em> in the daytime and <em>Back to the Future</em> at night in the 1980s.</p> <p>He said, "I was 23 years old, and I called her, she was in Canada, and I said, 'They want me to do this Steven Spielberg movie, but I have to do it at night and I have to do <em>Family Ties</em> in the daytime.' And she said, 'You'll be too tired,"' he shared. </p> <p>The 61-year-old star told his mom in response, "I live for this kind of tired. It'll be okay."</p> <p>He then added, "To this day — well, till two weeks ago — my mother thought it was a really bad idea for me to do <em>Back to the Future</em>. She loved the movie, [but she was right], I got tired."</p> <p>During his Comic Con appearance, Michael also updated his fans on how his Parkinson's disease is progressing, and how he remains optimistic despite his ongoing health battle. </p> <p>"Well, in the last year I've broken my cheek, my eye socket, my hand, my elbow … my shoulder. I had a rough year of getting beat up. But that was really cool because it made me realise … with gratitude, it's sustainable," he stated.</p> <p>"If you can find something to be grateful for, if you can find something and say, 'Well, that's good,' … It'll always get better… I'm very optimistic." </p> <p>"I'd say optimism is thinking that things are more likely to get better than they are to get worse. If you believe in that, and you are grateful for it, that'll sustain you the rest of your life," he added.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Coronation Street star dies after sudden accident

<p dir="ltr">British actress Maggie Fox, known for her roles on <em>Coronation Street</em> and <em>Shameless</em>, <a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/maggie-fox-dead-sudden-accident/d25e9cd5-b1ed-4852-95ff-cba0b642b5ba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has passed away</a> following a “sudden accident”.</p> <p dir="ltr">It is understood she was 58 when she died, reportedly passing with her loved ones surrounding her at home.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sue Ryding, Fox’s comedy partner, announced the news on social media, writing that Fox’s family were “in a state of shock” after her passing.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Maggie Fox, my comedy partner of 40 years and co-Artistic Director of LipService. Maggie passed away yesterday with her family around her,” Ryding wrote on Tuesday night.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8732801b-7fff-1ad1-f66c-efa517a99f33"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Consequently, the Spring Tour of Chateau Ghoul has been cancelled. As you can imagine I am completely heartbroken.”</p> <p><iframe style="overflow: hidden; border: initial none initial;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLipServiceTheatre%2Fposts%2F10160212086563641&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="781" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">Ryding recalled how the pair first met as students studying drama at Bristol University in the 1970s and reflected on their relationship since.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We were in a very serious production of Ibsen’s The Lady For the Sea but for some reason the audience was on the floor laughing. A tragedy for Ibsen (he was good at those) but the launch of an epic comedy partnership,” Ryding wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our theatre company LipService was officially launched in 1985 and we have written 22 original comedies, touring all over the world, managing to have children in between!</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s notoriously difficult to present new work in theatre and we are really proud that we managed to do so and to build an audience for it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are still all in a state of shock as this was very sudden following an accident.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ryding revealed that a digital version of their latest work, Chateau Ghoul, would be shared later in the year “in memory of Maggie”, as well as live events using archived footage.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0bb40d89-7fff-3e03-1255-922eb1edd7f5"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to thank their fans for supporting them over the years, promising that more details would come.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Really sorry to hear about the death of Lipservice’s Maggie Fox. I know how well loved she is in Manchester in particular. She will be sorely missed. <a href="https://t.co/ooSeD3W0FB">pic.twitter.com/ooSeD3W0FB</a></p> <p>— Rachel Fox (@therealdaftbear) <a href="https://twitter.com/therealdaftbear/status/1506238880269447173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Tributes to Fox soon emerged online from fans, colleagues and others in the theatre world, with many praising her talent and sending their thoughts to her family.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So sad to hear the news about Maggie Fox,” theatre publicist Duncan Clarke wrote. “I had the pleasure of working with her &amp; she was such a wonderful lady.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4654b448-7fff-5e62-a176-d3d9c89a57e4"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Even had the honour of sharing the stage with her once in a cameo as a Ninja in the fab Jane Bond. My thoughts are with Sue &amp; Maggie’s family.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Maggie Fox. We completed a bathroom renovation for her last year and some other repairs round the house. Last time I saw her she was on the mend so I’m shocked by today’s news, I was actually next door to her today too. A really lovely woman. Thoughts to her husband and daughters</p> <p>— James (@Stellify_J) <a href="https://twitter.com/Stellify_J/status/1506306413647253507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Heartbroke to read of the sudden passing of the incredible, hilarious Maggie Fox, who alongside Sue Ryding has entertained audiences since 1985,” one fan shared.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve been lucky enough to see you many times.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-72217a0d-7fff-7eab-af5c-9f1a8fa0a6a3"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I can’t even fathom the depth of devastation.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Maggie Fox of <a href="https://twitter.com/LipServicetour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LipServicetour</a>. Maggie and Sue have been bringing their brilliant comedy partnership to Harrogate Theatre for years and were much loved by all.Our thoughts go out to Maggie’s family, friends and of course Sue. <a href="https://t.co/svn0npxjwn">https://t.co/svn0npxjwn</a></p> <p>— Harrogate Theatre (@HGtheatre) <a href="https://twitter.com/HGtheatre/status/1506213750763888644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Incredibly sad to hear this news about the brilliant Maggie Fox. Much love to Sue and their families x,” another wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">In addition to her role as Ruth Audsley on <em>Coronation Street</em>, Fox was known for her work in <em>Reckless</em> and <em>The Forsyte Saga</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4c05a526-7fff-99a6-dd54-fb33576e2231"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: LipService Theatre (Facebook)</em></p>

News

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Grieving Maggie Beer finds amazing way to honour her late daughter

<p>Australian culinary legend Maggie Beer and her husband Colin have found a heart-felt way to honour their late daughter Saskia. </p><p>Saskia, who shared her mother's passion for cooking and ran her own business, is about to be honoured in the form of a Churchill Fellowship. </p><p>"It allows people for, say, four to eight weeks, depending on what they envisage doing, of going overseas to find something that can't be learnt in Australia... that's the strength of it, and when they bring it back, they have to give back to the community in large what they have learnt," Maggie told <em>A Current Affair</em>.</p><p>"Through the Saskia Beer Churchill Fellowship, the people who are awarded that Fellowship will pay tribute to Saskia's life and continue her legacy through their passion for food," Winston Churchill Trust CEO Adam Davey said.</p><p>Two years ago, Maggie and Colin were blindsided by the sudden death of their 46-year-old daughter, who passed away unexpectedly in her sleep in February 2020. </p><p>Maggie said the beginning of the pandemic gave their family valuable time to grieve together. </p><p>"COVID to me was a bit of a gift, to isolate... we didn't want to talk to anyone except for our very closest," Maggie said.</p><p>After her daughter passed away, Maggie found solace in the kitchen: a space that they both shared a deep love for. </p><p>"My happy place is being in the kitchen... so it gave me comfort," Maggie said.</p><p><em>Image credits: A Current Affair</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Downton Abbey: A New Era full teaser FINALLY released

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Only a week ago, it was announced that the new teaser trailer for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Downton Abbey: A New Era</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> would only be shown in cinemas ahead of showings of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Belfast</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fortunately, those of us that haven’t been to the cinema can now enjoy it from home, with the </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/full-teaser-trailer-online-for-downton-abbey-a-new-era/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">release</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of the footage online.</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ZLjAORkXS0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the release of the new trailer, more of the film’s plot has been revealed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Specifically, Dame Maggie Smith’s Violet Crawley reveals that she had a casual fling in the past that has resulted in her inheriting a French Villa.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845740/downton1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/65764e4a03a342509dd9174c34fdafd7" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @downtonabbey_official (Instagram)</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Plus, the family are gearing up to welcome a royal visitor to the estate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The film also promises to include the wedding of assistant cook Daisy Mason to footman Andrew Parker.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845741/downton2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/172d00698e014b368b3a3a4e57822057" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Universal Pictures UK / YouTube</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The list of returning faces includes: Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham), Laura Carmichael (Lady Grantham), Jim Carter (Charles Carson), Brendan Coyle (Mr Bates), Michelle Dockery (Lady Crawley) and Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates).</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845742/downton3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9f2f1567c0724ca79f57a3111e92b8da" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @downtonabbey_official (Instagram)</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joining them are newcomers Hugh Dancy (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hannibal</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">), Laura Haddock (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guardians of the Galaxy</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">), Nathalie Baye (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Catch Me If You Can</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">), and Dominic West (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wire</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Directed by Simon Curtis and scripted by Julian Fellows, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Downton Abbey: A New Era</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is due to arrive in cinemas on March 18, 2022.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @downtonabbey_official (Instagram)</span></em></p>

Movies

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Michael J. Fox opens up about secret health battle

<p>Michael J. Fox, who has battled Parkinson’s disease for decades, says the lowest moment in his life happened while he was recovering from an unrelated health issue. </p> <p>In 2018, the 59-year-old actor underwent a risky spinal cord surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumour.</p> <p>“I was heading for paralysis if I didn’t get it operated on,” he told People. A few months later, the Family Ties star, who had to learn to walk again, was alone in his family’s New York City apartment when he fell and shattered his arm.</p> <p>“That was definitely my darkest moment,” he said.</p> <p>“I just snapped. I was leaning against the wall in my kitchen, waiting for the ambulance to come, and I felt like, ‘This is as low as it gets for me.’</p> <p>“It was when I questioned everything. Like, ‘I can’t put a shiny face on this. There’s no bright side to this, no upside. This is just all regret and pain’.”</p> <p>While he’s known to be an optimistic person, his positive attitude began dwindling.</p> <p>“Parkinson’s, my back, my arm … it still didn’t add up to moving the needle on the misery index compared to what some people go through,” he said. “I thought, ‘How can I tell these people, chin up; look at the bright side; things are going to be great?’”</p> <p>Fox revealed that he convalesced by watching game shows from the ’70s and slowly regained his positive outlook.</p> <p>“Optimism is really rooted in gratitude,” he said. “Optimism is sustainable when you keep coming back to gratitude, and what follows from that is acceptance. Accepting that this thing has happened, and you accept it for what it is. It doesn’t mean that you can’t endeavour to change.</p> <p>“It doesn’t mean you have to accept it as a punishment or a penance, but just put it in its proper place. Then see how much the rest of your life you have to thrive in, and then you can move on.”</p> <p>These days, Fox lives a quiet life with his wife Tracy Pollan and their four children, son Sam, 31, twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, 25, and daughter Esme, 19.</p> <p>“I’m actually having a really good time,” he said.</p> <p>“People don’t believe me, but I love life. I love being with my family. I love being with Tracy. I love that I don’t do a lot of useless stuff that I used to do, because I don’t have the energy or the time. I’m grateful that I went through a crucible there in my late 50s. I figured some of this crap out finally.”</p> <p>Fox’s new memoir No Time Like The Future comes out on November 17.</p>

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Maggie Beer's fresh raspberry cake

<p>One of Australia's most loved foodies, Maggie Beer, shares her recipe for a delicious raspberry cake.</p> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p> <ul> <li>2 2/3 cup plain flour</li> <li>1 tsp baking powder</li> <li>½ tsp sea salt</li> <li>¼ tsp baking soda</li> <li>1 cup unsalted butter</li> <li>1 ¾ cup sugar</li> <li>1 tsp pure vanilla extract</li> <li>4 eggs</li> <li>½ cup buttermilk</li> <li>2 cup fresh raspberries</li> </ul> <p><strong>Syrup</strong></p> <ul> <li>1 cup Sangiovese Verjuice</li> <li>¼ cup sugar</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat the oven to 180C. Prepare a 20cm cake pan with vegetable-oil cooking spray and parchment paper.</li> <li>Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.</li> <li>Put the butter and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Incorporate the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, alternating between each, in two additions. Fold in the raspberries and pour into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes.</li> <li>To make the syrup, combine the Sangiovese Verjuice and ¼ cup of sugar and heat to boiling point in a small sauce pan. Continue to simmer until the syrup is reduced to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Take off the heat and cool slightly before spooning over the top of the whole cake or drizzle over individual pieces of cake once they have been cut. Serve with thick cream.</li> </ol> <p><em>Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/maggie-beer-fresh-raspberry-cake.aspx"><em>Wyza</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Michael J Fox opens up about recent health struggles: "To get to that place is pretty dark"

<p>Michael J Fox has opened up about his recent health struggles. The actor and comedian, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, revealed his new health problems in an interview with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/01/magazine/michael-j-fox-parkinsons-acting.html?module=inline" target="_blank"><em>The NY Times</em></a>.</p> <p>“I was having the recurring problem with my spinal cord,” said the 57-year-old.</p> <p>“I was told it was benign but if it stayed static I would have diminished feeling in my legs and difficulty moving. Then all of a sudden I started falling – a lot. It was getting ridiculous. I was trying to parse what was the Parkinson’s and what was the spinal thing.”</p> <p>Fox revealed that he was heading for work in August 2018 when he fell and fractured his arm, resulting in him getting 19 pins and a plate to repair the bones.</p> <p>While the <em>Back To The Future</em> star did not believe that these medical struggles happened “for a reason”, he said: “I do think the more unexpected something is, the more there is to learn from it. In my case, what was it that made me skip down the hallway to the kitchen thinking I was fine when I’d been in a wheelchair six months earlier?”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7824313/1michael-j-fox-embed.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/5ad3eab7f8354ec998a6d05fe128b6e9" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="p1"><em>Michael J. Fox attends the 2018 Fan Expo Canada at Metro Toronto Convention Centre on August 31, 2018 in Toronto, Canada.</em></p> <p>Fox is currently working on a book about his health journey. “I realized that the understanding I’d reached with Parkinson’s was sincere but risked being glib,” he said.</p> <p>“I’d made peace with the disease but presumed others had that same relationship when they didn’t. Then when I started to deal with the effects from the spinal surgery, I realized: 'Wow, it can get a lot worse.'</p> <p>“My health issues last year brought me to places where I started to say, ‘Was it false hope I’d been selling? Is there a line beyond which there is no consolation?’ For me to get to that place is pretty dark.”</p> <p>Upon finding out his diagnosis at the age of 29, Fox took up numerous jobs in comedy films that turned out to be critical and commercial flops.</p> <p>“I was so scared,” he said. “I’m fine now but back then I wasn’t in the ‘I’m fine now.’ I was in the ‘I’m going to be bad.’ That thinking didn’t allow me to trust that I could make a decision without worrying about time restrictions or financial pressures – which were inflated in my head.”</p> <p>Fox said he only began to accept his disease in 1994 and went public with it in 1998. He went on to open the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, a foundation dedicated to finding a cure for the disease, in 2000.</p>

TV

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The truth about Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan's inspiring 30-year love story

<p>They fittingly met on the ‘80s hit show <em>Family Ties</em>, but it wasn’t love at first sight for Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan. In fact, both were seeing other people at the time and it would be several years before the pair coupled up to become one of Hollywood’s most enduring relationships.</p> <p>Although their characters Alex P. Keaton and Ellen Reed were loved up on <em>Family Ties</em>, in real life Pollan was in a serious long-term relationship with Kevin Bacon and Fox was dating <em>Facts of Life</em> actress Nancy McKeon.</p> <p>"I always thought [Tracy] was cool," Fox told People years later, "but it was like a couple of married people who worked together and liked each other."</p> <p><img width="402" height="512" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/clv.h-cdn.co/assets/17/39/768x980/gallery-1506544204-gettyimages-140631084.jpg?resize=480:*" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>It wasn’t until 1987 when the Pollen and Fox worked together in a movie called <em>Bright Lights, Big City</em> that a romance began to blossom.</p> <p>Pollan told Winfrey in 2002: "From the beginning, I loved his sense of humour and that brain of his. He's so smart."</p> <p>Fox <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://people.com/archive/cover-story-getting-back-to-his-future-vol-32-no-23/" target="_blank">told People in 1989</a></strong></span> of hearing that Pollen and Bacon had split: "It sounds really horrible, but it was one of those things. Someone goes, 'Did you hear that so-and-so aren't together anymore?' and you go, 'Hmm, that's too bad. Where's the phone?'"</p> <p>Seven months after they started dating, he proposed on December 26, 1987.</p> <p>"I wasn't really worried that she would say no," he recalled. "The toughest part was trying to figure out when to get married, and then to figure out how nobody else could know about it."</p> <p><img width="400" height="518" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/clv.h-cdn.co/assets/17/39/768x995/gallery-1506542281-gettyimages-529485432.jpg?resize=480:*" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>The couple tied the knot in an outdoor ceremony at Vermont's West Mountain Inn on July 16, 1988. Fox, who is Episcopalian, and Pollan, who is Jewish, had an interfaith ceremony with both a minister and rabbi.</p> <p>"Michael seemed a little nervous," Rev. Joan O'Gorman later told People. "In fact, they seemed just like any other young and loving couple who were excited to be getting married."</p> <p>Their first child, a son they named Sam Michael, was born on May 30, 1989. Fox and Pollan loved being parents, and would go on to have twin girls, Aquinnah Kathleen and Schuyler Frances, in 1995, and one more daughter, Esmé, in 2001.</p> <p>"I kind of shut the door and said to everyone we love who wanted to see the baby, 'Just give us a little bit of time to get used to it ourselves,'" Fox said after the birth of Sam. "What's interesting is that the parental instinct just kicks in. The next thing you know, you've got a sore hip because you're holding him all the time."</p> <p><img width="394" height="402" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/clv.h-cdn.co/assets/17/39/980x1001/gallery-1506543551-gettyimages-1319529.jpg?resize=480:*" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>The couple grew even closer when faced with one of life’s biggest challenges – Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at age 29 in 1991 (though it wasn’t until 1998 that he shared the news publicly).</p> <p>"A lot of my adjustment has been dictated by Michael's point of view," Pollan said in <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/oprah-interviews-michael-j-fox-and-tracy-pollan" target="_blank">a 2002 interview with Oprah Winfrey</a></strong></span>. "He's so relaxed and so accepting of where he is, and that makes it easier for me, the kids, and everyone around him."</p> <p>But when the couple first received the news, it completely shocked and devastated them. Fox fell into a depression and started drinking heavily, before eventually getting a handle on his new reality.</p> <p>"I used to drink to party," the actor recalled on The Howard Stern Show in 2013, "but...now I was drinking alone and to just not be [present]. Every day."</p> <p>"So once I did that," he continued, "then there was about a year of, like, a knife fight in a closet, where I just didn't have my tools to deal with it. Then after that, I went into therapy and it all started to get really clear to me."</p> <p>He said he realised he just had to take life "one day at a time” and "then everything started to really turn the other way. My marriage got great, and my career..."</p> <p>Stern interjected here to suggest Fox's marriage "got great" after he realszed that Pollan wasn't going anywhere after his diagnosis. "Exactly," Fox agreed.</p> <p>Fox later told Winfrey: "There were a lot of questions I was afraid to ask Tracy. "Like, 'Does it scare you that I'm sick? Do you not love me because I'm sick?' I didn't ask her those questions. But nothing Tracy was doing was showing me that she didn't want to be with me."</p> <p>When Fox publicly revealed that he had Parkinson's disease in 1998, he began in earnest his life’s mission of raising awareness and money for Parkinson’s through the Michael J. Fox Foundation. As of April 2017 the foundation has funded more than $700 million in research.</p> <p>"The reason I wasn't telling was that I wondered if people would still laugh if they knew I was sick," Fox told Winfrey. "Can you laugh at a sick person [on TV] and not feel like an a--hole? I finally thought, let me not worry about that. What other people think is none of my business. I just have to have faith in the audience. If it's funny, they'll laugh."</p> <p><img width="444" height="329" src="https://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2018612/rs_1024x759-180712134829-1024-mjfox-tracy-nba-game.jpg?fit=inside|900:auto&amp;output-quality=90" alt="Michael J. Fox, Tracy Pollan, 2011" border="0" class="image--full" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>And every day the couple deal with Fox's condition, but always as a team.</p> <p>"Tracy wasn't sentimental or romantic about it at all," he <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/style-trends/info-2017/michael-j-fox-aarp-magazine.html" target="_blank">told AARP magazine</a></strong></span> in 2017 about how his wife reacted to his Parkinson's diagnosis. "No terror. No big windy... So, no exhibition of grief and fear. Tracy was just like, 'You've got a stone in your shoe. We'll do what we can until you can get it out. In the meantime, if you limp with the stone, that's all right. You can hold my hand, and we'll get over that.'"</p> <p>Pollan added that, of course, there were tough days, but they both knew they were in this together.</p> <p>"Through it all we've loved each other," Fox said. "And that love never died," Pollan added. "We had a solid foundation to begin with."</p> <p>When Winfrey asked if Fox felt Parkinson's had been a blessing for their marriage, giving them no choice but to become stronger, Fox replied: "I've often referred to Parkinson's as the gift that keeps on taking. It's a gift in that it really gave me a whole different appreciation for life. I discovered that I wasn't me minus Parkinson's. I was me plus it. I have been enriched by what it has opened up for me. It hasn't allowed me to take anything for granted."</p> <p>Before the diagnosis, "I had been constantly taking care of this and making sure that was okay, and now Tracy and I are just in it."</p> <p><img width="446" height="297" src="https://hips.hearstapps.com/clv.h-cdn.co/assets/17/39/980x654/gallery-1506544626-gettyimages-693930746.jpg?resize=480:*" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>When asked about their then-27-year marriage in 2015, Pollen said: "It's like dog years!"</p> <p>She told People that "giving each other the benefit of the doubt" has been key to keeping their marriage strong.</p> <p>"There are so many times when you have arguments, when you have things come up, and it really doesn't have anything to do with what he did, or said – it's how I am projecting that onto myself," Pollan continued. "A lot of times he'll just say to me, 'You know who I am, would I ever say anything to try to hurt your feelings? Just give me the benefit of the doubt.'"</p> <p>"I'm irritating but lovable, I have that effect on everybody," Fox said during the Daily Shot interview.</p> <p>"[I] won the lottery in the wife department," he later added.</p>

Relationships