Royal Insider

Behind Palace gates with Juliet Rieden

The Basque cheesecake

It’s counterintuitive, but the beauty of this cake is that it’s burnt! It has a sweet, cheesy, custardy interior with a caramelised, smoky crust. A riff on the classic from the Basque region of Spain, meet the creamy cheesecake making a resurgence on social media.

The WOMAN behind the ANTHEM

To the world she was a feminist icon, whose song I Am Woman became a rousing call to arms. But in her ’70s heyday, for one young girl, Helen Reddy was simply “Mum”. Traci Donat shares her mother’s life story with Elaine Lipworth.

Quite a stretch

Reaching out may be just what the doctor ordered right now to keep our wellbeing intact, writes Vicki Bramley.

Hall of fame

There aren’t many middle-aged women brave enough to deliver a speech in their togs to a live audience, let alone tens of thousands worldwide. Writer and playwright Pip Hall is such a woman.

Inspired by...

Actress Antonia Prebble will be back on our screens soon starring in the last-ever season of cult show Westside on TV3.

DAME JULIE WALTERS Smelling the roses

In a candid interview from her UK farmhouse, British star Julie Walters tells Juliet Rieden about starring in a magical new movie adaptation of The Secret Garden, how the story resonated with her own childhood, and the health scare during filming that made her reassess her life

Harry & Meghan The Real Story

The authors of the explosive Harry and Meghan biography, Finding Freedom, tell Juliet Rieden how they uncovered the truth behind the headlines and why friends and aides were at such pains to set the record straight.

Secrets of the family tree

Do-it-yourself DNA tests are a popular hobby. For some the results are predictable, for others they’re a revelation. Genevieve Gannon meets historian Rose Overberg, who followed clues from her own test to find her biological father, and now helps others do the same.

‘My children are my GREATEST GIFT

With a lead role in a new Aussie drama and a marriage that arguably had its genesis on our shores, Hermione Norris tells Jenny Brown that Australia has given her plenty to be thankful for.

Into the light

After being brutally kidnapped by rebel soldiers in Sierra Leone’s war, Aminata Conteh Biger escaped to Australia. Now this courageous trailblazer is helping to save mothers and babies in her hometown, writes Juliet Rieden.

To catch a LOVE THIEF

When a Kansas woman starting blogging about her con-artist husband, she discovered he’d amassed many more victims – and wives. They joined forces with a bounty hunter to bring the swindler down. Genevieve Gannon reports.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

One is a thrice-married TV legend whose favourite meal is bangers and mash. The other is a flamboyant vegan model with aspirations to act. On the surface, Richard and Christian Wilkinson couldn’t be more different but, finds Tiffany Dunk, they have far more in common than meets the eye.

Forged in flames

When fire ravaged eastern Australia last summer, Shane Fitzsimmons was the steady, resolute, compassionate voice that saw us through. Samantha Trenoweth meets the former NSW RFS Commissioner and his family on their very personal quest for resilience and recovery.

Rebecca Gibney “I'm very much for the sisterhood”

In 1994, a role came around that changed Rebecca Gibney’s life. And as she steps back into Jane Halifax’s shoes, she tells Tiffany Dunk how the project that saw her plunge into a spiralling breakdown also brought a lifelong love.

Beatrice & Edoardo Our perfect day

Her Majesty played a touching role in the wedding of beloved granddaughter Princess Beatrice, writes Juliet Rieden.

Baking for a cause!

Today Extra co-host Sylvia Jeffreys turns to The Weekly’s fabled children’s birthday cake book to raise money for Youngcare.

LOVE AFTER LOSS

“Little by little we let go of loss, but never of love” is an adage Neil Seaman can attest to. The Farmer Wants a Wife contestant tells Tiffany Dunk why his past has made him the right man to romance the woman of his dreams once more.

‘My daughter is horrified by me!'

On the cusp of turning 50, Wentworth newcomer Jane Hall talks to Susan Horsburgh about letting go of her only child, staying (fiery) friends with her famous ex and dipping her toes into the dating pool again.

Not without MY BABY

As coronavirus forced international borders closed, hundreds of surrogate newborns were stranded without their parents on foreign soil. Genevieve Gannon meets one Australian couple who were prepared to risk everything to be at their baby’s birth.

PRINCESS ANNE “I've never been a city girl”

In a rare interview to celebrate her upcoming 70th birthday, HRH Princess Anne talks to Juliet Rieden about life as a farmer away from the royal beat, memories of Australia, riding with her grandchildren and why she chose not to give her children titles.

Shaun Micallef a sobering thought

Shaun Micallef is shining a light on the dark side of drinking. Now, for the first time, he tells Susan Horsburgh about the tragedy that inspired him.

LENA HORNE The voice of change

As the Black Lives Matter movement grips America – and the world – Chantal Walsh remembers a pioneering performer whose refusal to play by the rules would change the face of show business.

Royal dads

The delightful photos taken by the Duchess of Cambridge to celebrate Father’s Day offer a rare glimpse of family life behind palace walls, writes Juliet Rieden.

Holly go lightly

As muscular dystrophy takes hold of the bright and beautiful Holly Warland, she’s using her remaining strength to lobby for the right to die and to celebrate life. She tells Genevieve Gannon about her final fight.

FAMILY MAN

In the last 12 months, Ben Fordham has scored the biggest job in radio, lost his much-loved father to cancer, and he and wife Jodie Speers have welcomed their third bundle of joy. They invite Samantha Trenoweth into their home to recap a year of heartbreak, triumph and love.

DEBORAH HUTTON The scars that heal

When Deborah Hutton was rushed in for surgery on a facial skin cancer, she was shocked to hear it had been caught “just in time”. She tells Juliet Rieden about the wake-up call we all need to heed.

THE DEVIL INSIDE

Coercive abuse is common, can escalate to violence in a heartbeat, and can be lethal. One survivor shares her story with Genevieve Gannon in the hope it will shed light on warning signs and increase understanding.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE KENNEDY CURSE

Is the Kennedy family unlucky or cursed? Neither, says author James Patterson, whose new book unlocks the truth. In a revealing interview he tells Juliet Rieden the answer is much closer to home.

What Judith did next...

For more than 30 years Judith Lucy has been making us laugh by candidly relating her stories of life’s disappointments, failures and hard-won triumphs. But, as Tiffany Dunk finds, there is a sensitive side to the ballsy comic as she embarks on a brand new journey.