FOR ME, watching Rebecca Loos being torn apart by Sharon Osbourne on Celebrity X-Factor this week has been predictable but very sad.
Why? After breaking the story of Rebecca and David Beckham in 2004, I introduced her to Cheryl Barrymore for representation. Cheryl had done a wonderful job building the career of Michael Barrymore and I knew that Rebecca, a bright and intelligent young lady who speaks several languages, had the potential to be a very good TV presenter.
In a short period, Cheryl got her lots of major appearances and was putting in place some programmes which would have potentially put Rebecca on the road to a very successful TV career. Cheryl was very close to finalising a series about the nightlife at holiday destinations around the world — and Rebecca, with her looks, sex appeal and ability to converse in several tongues, would have been great in it.
Tragically, Cheryl became ill and Rebecca quickly distanced herself — her great loss, as I'm sure she now realises. If the best she can hope for is to be insulted by Sharon Osbourne, then I think the time has come for Rebecca to disappear from the world of TV. She tried to be spectacular, but instead she has just become a spectacle.
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ANOTHER matter I've been caught up in is the Simon Jordan and Iain Dowie dispute, as Simon — owner of Crystal Palace football club — is one of my clients. Simon claims he released manager Dowie from his contract so he could be near his family in the north of England, only for Dowie to take a job down the road at Charlton Athletic.
I've a very high regard for Simon, whose outspoken views on football have upset a lot of people within the game. But it's a refreshing change when someone who knows what they are talking about has the courage of their convictions. I hope this dispute can be sorted out without going to court but I know Simon is far more sensitive than people realise, and that these events have really hurt and upset him.
Since Simon started his Observer column, numerous sports editors have tried to sign him up — but he says The Observer signed him when no one else was interested, so he wouldn't be comfortable writing for anyone else. This speaks volumes about the kind of man he is.
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I HOPE, like all the rest of us, that England do themselves and us proud and bring home the World Cup! In my view, they've as good a chance as Arsenal had of winning the Champions League (and they would have, if Thierry Henry had been up to his usual form). It's possibly even more important that England produce the same kind of sportsmanship achieved by our cricketers in their epic encounters with the world's best, the Aussies, for the Ashes last summer. The nation got a lift from the triumph, but also from the sportsmanship, camaraderie and human qualities displayed by both teams. Winning is ever so important — but how you take part can make so much difference to so many.
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