London’s finest, Stormzy, celebrated his 30th birthday with a blow-out bash last night. He invited several dozen friends to Mr Chow, a Chinese restaurant in Knightsbridge, and made a speech thanking them, saying “all I need is love”, before they all did shots and danced in the restaurant.
He had some special gifts including a gold Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, which can be worth tens of thousands of pounds, and posted a picture of a fancy-looking car covered in wrapping paper. He also got a box of fish fingers, but said: “All I wanna do is spread the love and blessings that my God has showered down on me… Today just bless someone, encourage someone, doesn’t need to be material, can be a helping hand or a smile on the street.” Earlier, the Croydon-born singer, real name Michael Omari, went to the gym and posted a picture of himself in a pink outfit.
One friend not in attendance was Keir Starmer. The Labour leader said yesterday on podcast Table Manners that Stormzy’s label invited him to the studio to hear part of his “really good” latest album. Stormzy was keen to hear his verdict. “He was sort of texting them at the time saying what does he think of it,” Starmer recalled. He chose Stormzy’s Bridge Over Troubled Water on his Desert Island Discs.
‘Lessons in love’ uni course scrapped
A much-debated “intimacy coordinator” university course has been scrapped at short notice, leaving students in the lurch. In March, Peckham-based Mountview theatre academy announced a two-year Master’s degree, backed by the University of East Anglia, to specifically train students on how to make actors feel comfortable while working on sex scenes. It was going to be run by Ita O’Brien, whose technique got famous after her work on the BBC’s steamy Normal People, starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones. The need for intimacy coordinators has sparked debate, with Sean Bean saying they spoil spontaneity, while Dame Emma Thompson says they make people feel comfortable. Variety reports that students were set to pay over £15,000 a year.
Susan Hall: Standard splash wouldn’t make my Tinder profile
Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall is learning to take things in her stride. When she was selected to take on Sadiq Khan last week, the Standard ran a front page photo of her that was considered by some unflattering. Tory deputy chairwoman Nickie Aiken called our cover “malicious” and “contemptible”. But Hall is more relaxed. “I thought: I won’t put that picture on Tinder. Can you imagine waking up next to that? No, no,” she told The Spectator in her first interview since the splash. “I’ve got very thick skin,” she added. Her good humour was a contrast with the rest of the interview, in which she promises to beef up the Met Police.
