With superhuman Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt holding sway, are there ANY limits to what the human body can achieve?
It was not that long ago that the 10-second barrier was thought to be unbreakable; now people are starting to ask if anyone could run 100 metres in nine seconds? Or even less?
Put bluntly, no human is ever going to run 100m in five seconds, or a marathon in 90 minutes - not without some serious genetic or prosthetic modification.
The top speed of an elite human male sprinter is a shade under 30mph, and the limits of our skeletal and musculature systems probably mean that 40mph is unlikely to be achieved.
Such feats are (probably) beyond what the human body can do - but that still leaves some way for the records to fall.
So how incredible is Usian Bolt's 100 metres achievement? One way of looking at it is to consider how long it normally takes to knock a tenth of a second off the 100m record.
On Oct 14, 1968, Jim Hines ran 9.95sec in the Mexico City Olympics (the first sub-10-second time).
From that day on, it took 28 years for this record to come down by the same amount that Bolt has now cut his own world record.
In fact, the story of the past 33 (when electronic timers meant hundredth-second increments could be measured) is of sprint records falling by 0.01 or 0.02 and never, up to now, more than 0.05 seconds at a time.
So Bolt's leap is truly extraordinary.
As is the performance of modern sprinters in general. In the 40s, 10.2 seconds was a world-class 100m time - nowadays this wouldn't get you into a major athletics final.
There are several reasons why athletes get faster and stronger.
First, equipment. The shoes worn by today's sprinters, for example, are custom-made, featherweight,
computer-designed marvels, a world away from the crude spiked shoes worn by top athletes a generation ago.
Running tracks are grippier and unyielding, meaning that less energy is wasted. Such things make little difference over the longer distances, but have a disproportionate effect in the sprints.
On the human side, it is training which has undoubtedly accounted for much of the improvements in sports as disparate as track athletics, swimming and tennis.
In the 60s, training was a relatively ad hoc, amateurish affair compared to the professional, scientific precision of today.
Bolt, a determined and intelligent professional, will monitor - and have monitored - every single aspect of his physiology and diet.
Training runs and weights sessions are being formulated using the latest advances in sports medicine.
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Taking sprinting to new heights certainty
Bolt has now run the 100 metres in 9.58 and the 200 metres in 19.19, world records beyond the imagination of everyone. The man, who stands 6-foot-5, has been leaving short sprinters in his dust for the last two years.
How does the Jamaican's huge frame help him run so fast, and why haven’t there been more tall sprinters?
He's easy to spot on the track, Goliath-ing over his human-scale opponents. The starting blocks cramp his frame. As he kneels for the gun, his rump rises high above his competitors.
Once the race starts, he looks like a high-schooler who lied about his age to win the blue riband event. Bolt takes 40 to 41 strides in a 100-metre race. Others take up many more, some more than 50.
If Bolt's long legs give him such an edge, why haven't there been more tall sprinters?
Traditionally, height has been seen as a detriment to sprinting. The formula for speed is stride length times stride rate.
If the longest legs always won the race, then Yao Ming would have the world record in the 100, and lions wouldn't eat giraffes.
Gangly guys, the thinking has always gone, don't win short races because they can't master the smooth form required to generate rapid leg turnover.
Sprinters are supposed to be compact and muscular: think Ben Johnson or Ato Boldon.
Big guys have physics working against them. This simply means, it’s hard to produce enough power to overcome the drag of a big body.
A Journal of Sports Science and Medicine study, which may now need to be rewritten, found that world champion sprinters ranged between 5-foot-9 at the low end to 6-foot-3 at the absolute max.
Unlike distance runners, sprinters do need to be big and strong enough to generate explosive speed. That's why 5-foot-9 has traditionally been the minimum height, whereas the elite distance runner Haile Gebrselassie is a mere 5-foot-3.
That range covers all the recent gold medalists, from Maurice Greene to Linford Christie. But not Usain Bolt.
Yet in the 100 metres, the tall guy ran away from his classically designed competitors, winning by such a wide margin and lowered the mark to a science-fiction-y 9.36 seconds Bolt is a hybrid never before seen in track and field: a spidery giant whose legs generate the propulsive power of a cannonball-thighed running back.
So will the starting blocks at future championships be filled by giants? Probably not.
One reason we've never seen such a tall sprinter is that athletes who combine height and coordination usually go out for more glamorous, high-paying sports.
Jamaicans regard sprinters the way the French regard wine: as a leading export, and a source of national identity.
Asafa Powell, who held the world record before Bolt, owns six cars and has been awarded the country's Order of Distinction.
America's Tyson Gay, by contrast, is less well-known than pretty much every NBA benchwarmer.
While Bolt's amazing feat likely won't inspire the next generation of Kobe Bryants to exchange their hightops for track spikes, he will undoubtedly be an inspiration to his fellow countrymen.
Bolt has confessed that his first love was cricket, but his victory in the 100 made him a hero in a way the bat and ball never could have.
He could be a one-off athletic freak, defying Newtonian physics, or the prototype for a new breed of bigger, faster sprinters.
We may just find out in years to come if long-legged Jamaicans drop their cricket bats and head for the track.
How does the Jamaican's huge frame help him run so fast, and why haven’t there been more tall sprinters?
He's easy to spot on the track, Goliath-ing over his human-scale opponents. The starting blocks cramp his frame. As he kneels for the gun, his rump rises high above his competitors.
Once the race starts, he looks like a high-schooler who lied about his age to win the blue riband event. Bolt takes 40 to 41 strides in a 100-metre race. Others take up many more, some more than 50.
If Bolt's long legs give him such an edge, why haven't there been more tall sprinters?
Traditionally, height has been seen as a detriment to sprinting. The formula for speed is stride length times stride rate.
If the longest legs always won the race, then Yao Ming would have the world record in the 100, and lions wouldn't eat giraffes.
Gangly guys, the thinking has always gone, don't win short races because they can't master the smooth form required to generate rapid leg turnover.
Sprinters are supposed to be compact and muscular: think Ben Johnson or Ato Boldon.
Big guys have physics working against them. This simply means, it’s hard to produce enough power to overcome the drag of a big body.
A Journal of Sports Science and Medicine study, which may now need to be rewritten, found that world champion sprinters ranged between 5-foot-9 at the low end to 6-foot-3 at the absolute max.
Unlike distance runners, sprinters do need to be big and strong enough to generate explosive speed. That's why 5-foot-9 has traditionally been the minimum height, whereas the elite distance runner Haile Gebrselassie is a mere 5-foot-3.
That range covers all the recent gold medalists, from Maurice Greene to Linford Christie. But not Usain Bolt.
Yet in the 100 metres, the tall guy ran away from his classically designed competitors, winning by such a wide margin and lowered the mark to a science-fiction-y 9.36 seconds Bolt is a hybrid never before seen in track and field: a spidery giant whose legs generate the propulsive power of a cannonball-thighed running back.
So will the starting blocks at future championships be filled by giants? Probably not.
One reason we've never seen such a tall sprinter is that athletes who combine height and coordination usually go out for more glamorous, high-paying sports.
Jamaicans regard sprinters the way the French regard wine: as a leading export, and a source of national identity.
Asafa Powell, who held the world record before Bolt, owns six cars and has been awarded the country's Order of Distinction.
America's Tyson Gay, by contrast, is less well-known than pretty much every NBA benchwarmer.
While Bolt's amazing feat likely won't inspire the next generation of Kobe Bryants to exchange their hightops for track spikes, he will undoubtedly be an inspiration to his fellow countrymen.
Bolt has confessed that his first love was cricket, but his victory in the 100 made him a hero in a way the bat and ball never could have.
He could be a one-off athletic freak, defying Newtonian physics, or the prototype for a new breed of bigger, faster sprinters.
We may just find out in years to come if long-legged Jamaicans drop their cricket bats and head for the track.
Tiny ‘engines’ with top endurance
FOR decades, the “Flying Finns” were the world's best in distance running, their wins multiplying in tandem with their growing nationalist tradition of success (a situation replicated in the javelin).
The Finnish were eventually eclipsed by the great Anglo tradition in running, led in the 1980s by Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram and Steve Ovett.
By the last decade of the 20th century, as the door of opportunity opened to less developed nations, the centre of gravity shifted dramatically and decisively toward North and East Africa.
According to some, that cycle of history itself suggests that no population has a lock on distance running success.
Surely, they say, Kenyan dominance will eventually fade, much as it did for the Finns and Brits, and the trend will shift once again to another nation?
Not so fast. To flesh out this debate, it's instructive to put Kenya under a microscope.
This small East African country, with a population of less than 30 million, is home to the greatest per capita concentration of raw athletic talent in the history of the world.
Despite the enormous success of Kenyan runners in the past two decades, running remains a relative afterthought in this football-crazed nation.
Yet, while Kenyans and other East Africans sweep upwards of 60 per cent of the world's distance running events, they are among the world's worst football players — and sprinters.
In the sprints, after an intense decade-long national recruitment and training effort, the best Kenyan time ever in the 100m (10.28 sec) ranks somewhere near 5,000th on the all-time list.
East Africans have a very distinct genetically endowed body type and physiology. Kenyans are ectomorphs, short and slender, with huge natural lung capacity and a preponderance of slow-twitch muscles, the vital energy system for endurance sports.
It's a perfect biomechanical package for distance running, but a disaster for sports — like sprinting and football — that require anaerobic bursts of speed.
While Kenyans and other East Africans hold more than 60 per cent of the world's top endurance times, athletes of West African ancestry, including most North American, British and Caribbean blacks, are among the world's worst distance runners.
The ectomorphic body type so common among East Africans is not very common in whites and is almost non-existent in those with roots in West Africa.
They tend to have small and efficient lungs, muscular 'mesomorphic' lower bodies, and a high proportion
of fast-twitch muscle fibres which contribute to explosive speed.
The Finnish were eventually eclipsed by the great Anglo tradition in running, led in the 1980s by Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram and Steve Ovett.
By the last decade of the 20th century, as the door of opportunity opened to less developed nations, the centre of gravity shifted dramatically and decisively toward North and East Africa.
According to some, that cycle of history itself suggests that no population has a lock on distance running success.
Surely, they say, Kenyan dominance will eventually fade, much as it did for the Finns and Brits, and the trend will shift once again to another nation?
Not so fast. To flesh out this debate, it's instructive to put Kenya under a microscope.
This small East African country, with a population of less than 30 million, is home to the greatest per capita concentration of raw athletic talent in the history of the world.
Despite the enormous success of Kenyan runners in the past two decades, running remains a relative afterthought in this football-crazed nation.
Yet, while Kenyans and other East Africans sweep upwards of 60 per cent of the world's distance running events, they are among the world's worst football players — and sprinters.
In the sprints, after an intense decade-long national recruitment and training effort, the best Kenyan time ever in the 100m (10.28 sec) ranks somewhere near 5,000th on the all-time list.
East Africans have a very distinct genetically endowed body type and physiology. Kenyans are ectomorphs, short and slender, with huge natural lung capacity and a preponderance of slow-twitch muscles, the vital energy system for endurance sports.
It's a perfect biomechanical package for distance running, but a disaster for sports — like sprinting and football — that require anaerobic bursts of speed.
While Kenyans and other East Africans hold more than 60 per cent of the world's top endurance times, athletes of West African ancestry, including most North American, British and Caribbean blacks, are among the world's worst distance runners.
The ectomorphic body type so common among East Africans is not very common in whites and is almost non-existent in those with roots in West Africa.
They tend to have small and efficient lungs, muscular 'mesomorphic' lower bodies, and a high proportion
of fast-twitch muscle fibres which contribute to explosive speed.
Black Diamonds SHINE
NO one will ever run as fast as a cheetah or dive as deep as a whale, but the achievements of elite athletes will continue to astonish us.
But what is more astounding is that every running record from the 100 metres to the marathon is held by an athlete of African ancestry.
However fastidious it makes some commentators to talk about this, there is absolutely no doubt that race - or more accurately ethnicity - is a huge factor in the world of elite athletics.
It is amazing that not one single white man has ever run 100m in under 10 seconds.
For nearly half a century, every men's sprint record has been held by blacks and it is a racing certainty that no non-black will win a major 100m or 200m title or set a record in these events again.
The last white sprinter to win Olympic Gold was the Briton Alan Wells, in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which the Americans had boycotted.
Wells's time - 10.25 seconds - was the slowest winning time since 1956. But it isn't Usain Bolt's skin colour that is important; it is where precisely his ancestors originated.
All the world's fastest men are not only black, but are almost always ultimately of West African origin: meaning actual West Africans, Americans (who may be the descendents of slaves from that part of Africa), Caribbeans
or black Britons.
William Aiken, a Jamaican doctor, has stated that the fact Jamaicans in particular excel at sprinting is a legacy of them being descended from the ‘fittest of the fit slaves'.
This is a theory espoused by superhuman Usian Bolt himself in a BBC interview, when he said: "I think over the years what makes Jamaica different is because of slavery really ... the genes are really strong."
Probably more important is that West Africans have certain physiological advantages. One theory is that they are more likely than most ethnic groups to possess a high percentage of 'fast twitch' muscle fibres in their bodies - the reasons for which have been lost in the mists of evolutionary time.
These fibres allow an explosion of power, enabling muscles to convert sugars in the blood into movement in the shortest possible time.
Preliminary findings of genetic data suggest that 70 per cent of Jamaicans have the "strong" form of the ACTN3 gene - which produces a protein in their fast-twitch muscle fibres that has been linked to increased sprinting performance.
Similarly, for so many marathon winners to have come from the same sliver of highland East Africa cannot be down to chance alone.
The people of the highlands of Ethiopia and Kenya are often tall, slim and have a large lung capacity.
Hence, it is not altogether surprising that this population produces a lot of good long-distance runners (although they are not gifted sprinters).
There is another reason people are getting faster - the growth in human population. Simply, with more and more people alive, the chances of a record being broken increase all the time as the pool of talent increases.
And as time goes on, the chances increase of ‘outliers' popping up - people who are simply in a different league to everyone else in their discipline.
Last year, a Stanford University specialist in animal locomotion, Mark Denny, published a study in The Journal Of Experimental Biology in which he compared the running performance of humans and that of two other species - dogs and horses (which, like us, also take part in races).
He found that speeds among the top racing greyhounds and equine thoroughbreds plateaued in the 40s through to the 70s, whereas human males continued to get faster, possibly as a simple result of population increase.
He believes that male sprint performance will level off at about 9.48 seconds.
Runners of West African descent - which include Jamaicans as well as most African-Americans - seem to be built for speed. In 2004, they held all but five of the 500 best times in the 100-metre dash.
Interestingly, we may already have seen female sprinters start to plateau. The current world record of 10.49 was set by Florence Griffith-Joyner of the US back in 1988.
Long-distance records probably have some way to fall. The two-hour barrier in the marathon has become the 21st-century equivalent of the old four-minute mile.
Currently the record stands at two hours three minutes and 59 seconds, set by Ethiopian, Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin last year.
In percentage terms, that last four minutes or so represent far less of a barrier than Bolt's demolition of his own 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s) records at Berlin 2009.
But what is more astounding is that every running record from the 100 metres to the marathon is held by an athlete of African ancestry.
However fastidious it makes some commentators to talk about this, there is absolutely no doubt that race - or more accurately ethnicity - is a huge factor in the world of elite athletics.
It is amazing that not one single white man has ever run 100m in under 10 seconds.
For nearly half a century, every men's sprint record has been held by blacks and it is a racing certainty that no non-black will win a major 100m or 200m title or set a record in these events again.
The last white sprinter to win Olympic Gold was the Briton Alan Wells, in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which the Americans had boycotted.
Wells's time - 10.25 seconds - was the slowest winning time since 1956. But it isn't Usain Bolt's skin colour that is important; it is where precisely his ancestors originated.
All the world's fastest men are not only black, but are almost always ultimately of West African origin: meaning actual West Africans, Americans (who may be the descendents of slaves from that part of Africa), Caribbeans
or black Britons.
William Aiken, a Jamaican doctor, has stated that the fact Jamaicans in particular excel at sprinting is a legacy of them being descended from the ‘fittest of the fit slaves'.
This is a theory espoused by superhuman Usian Bolt himself in a BBC interview, when he said: "I think over the years what makes Jamaica different is because of slavery really ... the genes are really strong."
Probably more important is that West Africans have certain physiological advantages. One theory is that they are more likely than most ethnic groups to possess a high percentage of 'fast twitch' muscle fibres in their bodies - the reasons for which have been lost in the mists of evolutionary time.
These fibres allow an explosion of power, enabling muscles to convert sugars in the blood into movement in the shortest possible time.
Preliminary findings of genetic data suggest that 70 per cent of Jamaicans have the "strong" form of the ACTN3 gene - which produces a protein in their fast-twitch muscle fibres that has been linked to increased sprinting performance.
Similarly, for so many marathon winners to have come from the same sliver of highland East Africa cannot be down to chance alone.
The people of the highlands of Ethiopia and Kenya are often tall, slim and have a large lung capacity.
Hence, it is not altogether surprising that this population produces a lot of good long-distance runners (although they are not gifted sprinters).
There is another reason people are getting faster - the growth in human population. Simply, with more and more people alive, the chances of a record being broken increase all the time as the pool of talent increases.
And as time goes on, the chances increase of ‘outliers' popping up - people who are simply in a different league to everyone else in their discipline.
Last year, a Stanford University specialist in animal locomotion, Mark Denny, published a study in The Journal Of Experimental Biology in which he compared the running performance of humans and that of two other species - dogs and horses (which, like us, also take part in races).
He found that speeds among the top racing greyhounds and equine thoroughbreds plateaued in the 40s through to the 70s, whereas human males continued to get faster, possibly as a simple result of population increase.
He believes that male sprint performance will level off at about 9.48 seconds.
Runners of West African descent - which include Jamaicans as well as most African-Americans - seem to be built for speed. In 2004, they held all but five of the 500 best times in the 100-metre dash.
Interestingly, we may already have seen female sprinters start to plateau. The current world record of 10.49 was set by Florence Griffith-Joyner of the US back in 1988.
Long-distance records probably have some way to fall. The two-hour barrier in the marathon has become the 21st-century equivalent of the old four-minute mile.
Currently the record stands at two hours three minutes and 59 seconds, set by Ethiopian, Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin last year.
In percentage terms, that last four minutes or so represent far less of a barrier than Bolt's demolition of his own 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s) records at Berlin 2009.
George Michael "devastated" over split with Kenny
George Michael and Kenny Goss split
George Michael is said to be living like "a hermit" following his split from long-term partner Kenny Goss, and friends are worried that he may be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The couple, who had been together for 13 years (that's the equivalent of about 50 showbiz years!), actually called it quits in December, but George has desperately been trying to win his man back ever since. One source explained, "Kenny never agreed with George's urges to go out cruising for other men, or his excessive use of cannabis." George is now said to have become extremely depressed, and has even parted ways with his manager. "The split has hit him hard," says a friend. Poor old George...
George Michael is said to be living like "a hermit" following his split from long-term partner Kenny Goss, and friends are worried that he may be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The couple, who had been together for 13 years (that's the equivalent of about 50 showbiz years!), actually called it quits in December, but George has desperately been trying to win his man back ever since. One source explained, "Kenny never agreed with George's urges to go out cruising for other men, or his excessive use of cannabis." George is now said to have become extremely depressed, and has even parted ways with his manager. "The split has hit him hard," says a friend. Poor old George...
OMG! Dougie McFly gets down on one knee!
When we first saw this picture, our stomach did a little flip and flew out of our mouth onto the desk. Dougie Poynter down on one knee? What did this mean?! Surely he's not proposing to his girlfriend Frankie?! We think they're a cute couple and everything, but we're SO not mentally ready for a McFly engagement. Thankfully, Dougie was in fact just getting down on bended knee to present his lovely lady Frankie with some flowers. She and the rest of The Saturdays had just performed their brand new single Forever Is Over live at the G-A-Y night at Heaven in London, and cute little Dougie was there to lend support. Sigh... We wish we had a McFly boy happy to get down on one knee in front of us (and yes, we do mean that in a slightly rude way – tee hee). If you could talk one member of McFly into marrying you, which one would you choose?
Oh, and make sure you pick up this week’s heat (out today), as there’s an interview with the lovely Dougie himself on page 142!
Oh, and make sure you pick up this week’s heat (out today), as there’s an interview with the lovely Dougie himself on page 142!
Justin Timberlake's gran was clearly NOT a fan of Jessica Biel
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel split
Justin Timberlake's gran has spoken out to set the record straight about her famous grandson and his former girlfriend Jessica Biel, and something tells us she's not that upset to see the back of her. "Jessica was keen to marry, but Justin isn’t ready," she explained to Closer magazine. "He’s busy writing new material and he works hard to be successful – he’s really focused on that. As far as we’re concerned, he’s always been single. The girlfriends come and go, but we believe nothing has ever been serious. Justin does his own thing and he isn’t ready to marry just yet." Ouch! He's always been single? And nothing has ever been serious? We wonder how poor Britney, Cameron and Jessica feel about that? Sounds pretty harsh to us. Still, we can totally understand Justin Timberlake having a protective and doting grandma. We wouldn't want to share him either.
Justin Timberlake's gran has spoken out to set the record straight about her famous grandson and his former girlfriend Jessica Biel, and something tells us she's not that upset to see the back of her. "Jessica was keen to marry, but Justin isn’t ready," she explained to Closer magazine. "He’s busy writing new material and he works hard to be successful – he’s really focused on that. As far as we’re concerned, he’s always been single. The girlfriends come and go, but we believe nothing has ever been serious. Justin does his own thing and he isn’t ready to marry just yet." Ouch! He's always been single? And nothing has ever been serious? We wonder how poor Britney, Cameron and Jessica feel about that? Sounds pretty harsh to us. Still, we can totally understand Justin Timberlake having a protective and doting grandma. We wouldn't want to share him either.
Guy Ritchie, "Madonna is retarded!"
We often wonder what the relationship between ex-man and wife Guy Ritchie and Madonna is like these days, and if this new interview is anything to go by, then we're guessing it's pretty amicable. Either that, or Guy Ritchie is a very brave man. Talking to Esquire about his feelings for his ex, Guy admitted, "Madonna makes things happen. Put Madonna up against any 23 year old, she’ll outwork them, out-dance them..." Asked by the interviewer if he still loved his ex-wife, Guy confessed, "And, of course, here you go: I still love her." We know. How sweet is that?! Well, it was until he added as an afterthought, "But she’s retarded, too!" We're guessing he means that in an affectionate way. At least we hope for his sake that he does...
Peter Andre has written a new song about Katie Price
Peter Andre has written a new song about his ex-wife Katie Price, but this time the lyrics are a little more...um...to the point, shall we say? The song, entitled You Ain't Worth Shit (erm, catchy), contains the lyrics, "Take a hike down to Devil's Dyke, you ain't worth shit – and maybe this song'll be a hit" and "You're in Spain with your man. He can go and...do the can-can." Peter is hoping that it will be as big as his post-I'm A Celeb... hit Insania, saying last night, "I hope people like it. It's tongue-in-cheek." You can hear the song for yourself by tuning in to the new series of Peter Andre: The Next Chapter on ITV2 at 9pm tomorrow night.
Britney Spears to fight for full custody of her kids
Britney Spears is going to fight to regain full custody of her two sons, it has been reported today. The Pop Princess lost her rights to full custody following her sectioning the the subsequent control of her finances passing over to her father Jamie, but now his conservatorship is drawing to a end, and Brit feels she's ready to be a full-time mum again. Dad Kevin Federline has been looking after Sean Preston, 4, and Jayden James, 3, ever since Britney became ill, but now the singer wants the arrangement back to how it was originally, with K-Fed still having visitation rights. "She is ready to fight to get her boys back," blabbed one source. "She wants full custody and for Kevin to have visitation." The conservatorship ends in November. Watch this space...
Fancy a night out with Take That? Of course you do!
We've known for a while there's going to be a SingStar Take That game coming out in a few weeks, and there had been a few rumours doing the rounds about there being a party to kick off the promotion. Well, we've just been officially told that the Take That boys themselves will be showing up for the launch bash in London later this month! *Screeeam*. The big night will be on 22 October – but even more amazing is that YOU could be there to celebrate with Howard, Gary, Jason and Mark. Even more lovely is that all ticket proceeds will be going to the Body & Soul charity. If you'd like to be there – you know, to have a little sing-a-long to SingStar Take That (we've seen the tracklisting and it's ACE) and generally mingle with some celebs, all you have to do is go to www.facebook.com/singstaruk for info on tickets. They're on sale for a measly £20 right now! Go! Go! Go!
Robbie Williams and Ayda Field Robbie Williams is just SO soppy these days
Robbie Williams has had a string of gorgeous girlfriends, but the 35-year-old singer reckons that he’s finally found "the one" (insert own obvious reference to Robbie’s single She’s The One here). The former Take That star says that his womanising days are over, and he’s ready to settle down with his 30-year-old actress girlfriend Ayda Field. Rob says, ”I was always thinking, ‘How am I going to keep the old chap in my pants?’ But Ayda and me are very loved up – sprogs on the way and all that business.” Rob, who has dated the likes of Nicole Appleton and Rachel Hunter, says that Ayda has had a positive, calming effect on him, saying, “She has made me a more centred person and I’m better to myself.” We hate to go all soppy on you on a Friday morning, but just how cute would little Robbies be?
Stephen Gately found dead
Boyzone singer Stephen Gately has been found dead while on holiday in Majorca, he was only 33. The boyband's website confirmed that he had 'tragically died' yesterday and that his bandmates Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Keith Duffy and Mikey Graham would be flying out to the Spanish island today. The singer died in his sleep following a night out on holiday with his long-term partner Andrew Cowles.
His manager Louis Walsh, who is due to be appearing on The X Factor results show tonight, said, 'We're all absolutely devastated. I'm in complete shock. I was only with him on Monday at an awards ceremony. We don't know much about what's happened yet. I only heard after The X Factor and we will rally around each other this week. He was a great man.'
Meanwhile, a friend of Ronan's said that the singer was 'completely distraught', saying, 'No one saw this coming. He loved Stephen like a brother, they were so close. It's absolutely floored him. It's a massive shock to everyone.'
heatworld's thoughts go out to Stephen's family and friends at this time.
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