I’m A Celebrity 2018 lineup: From Seann Walsh to Charlotte Dawson – all the rumoured celebrities

I’M A Celebrity 2018 is set to start as a new host of celebs get ready to enter the jungle.
But who’s in the lineup of this year’s series? – Here’s everything you need to know about the rumoured stars from Seann Walsh to Charlotte Dawson writes TextBackLinkExchanges  times..

Seann Walsh and Charlotte Dawson are rumoured to be heading into the jungle

Who are the rumoured celebrities rumoured for I’m A Celebrity 2018?

Speculation is growing over who may be heading to Australia for the 2018 series.
The much-awaited series 18 is on its way, but who will be heading into the jungle?
And who could soon be tucking into kangaroo penises and raw fish eyes?
Here we take a look at two potential contestants…

Seann Walsh

Seann Walsh could be entering the celebrity jungle

Getty Images - Getty

Seann Walsh,  32, is a comedian and Strictly Come Dancing 2018 contestant.
He hit the headlines after he was caught kissing his pro dance partner Katya Jones despite being in a relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries.
Rebecca went on to dump Seann with a searing statement on Twitter, which claimed he had called her a “psycho” for thinking he was cheating.
Seann was tipped for the jungle, three weeks after the scandal when he was voted out of Strictly.
Ladbrokes, who backed him at 5/1 said: “Seann’s Strictly exit has opened the door for an I’m a Celeb appearance and at this stage, it’s not something we’re ruling out.”
However, Seann’s reps denied the rumours when questioned by The Sun online.

Charlotte Dawson

Charlotte Dawson could be entering the celebrity jungle

Getty - Contributor

Charlotte Dawson, 26, is a make-up artist and reality TV star from Manchester.
Her dad was former comedy legend Les, who died in 1993 when she was just eight months old.
Her first reality TV appearance was on MTV’s Ex on the Beach back in 2016.
After bedding Geordie Shore’s Gaz Beadle in a saucy threesome, she was left panic-stricken when her ex Alex arrived on the sun-soaked island.
She was then forced to chose between Alex and Manchester lad Jordan Davies, eventually opting to spend some more time with “stubborn” Alex.
She also starred in the latest series of Celebs on the Farm.

Who else could be joining Seann Walsh and Charlotte Dawson on I’m A Celebrity 2018?

These celebs have all been tipped to appear:

• Alexandra Cane – Love Island 2018 star and make-up artist
• Tony Bellew –  Professional boxer from Liverpool and a three time ABA heavyweight champion
• Jamie Laing -Reality star famed for Made in Chelsea and Celebrity Bake off
• Nick Knowles -TV presenter and host of DIY SOS and Who Dares Wins
• Shayne Ward – Former X Factor winner turned Coronation Street actor
• David Baddiel – Comedian who wrote the England Football anthem with Frank Skinner
• Emily Atack – Inbetweeners actress who played Charlotte
• Harry Redknapp- Jamie Redknapp’s dad and former West Ham and Tottenham manager
• Sair Khan – Corrie actress who plays Alya Nazir
• Anne Hegerty – The Chase star and quiz genius
• Catherine Tyldesley– Ex Coronation Street actress
• Katya Jones – Strictly pro and wife of Neil Jones – it’s unlikely they’ll go in together though
• Olivia Attwood – Love Island 2017 winner
• Alexandra Cane – Love Island 2018 finalist
• Charlie Sloth – Former BBC Radio One DJ, actor and presenter
• Coleen Nolan -Loose Women panellist and Celebrity Big Brother 2017 winner
• Kate Garraway -Good Morning Britain host who appeared on Strictly in 2007
• Brendan Cole – Former Strictly pro dancer who was sacked from the show
• Fleur East – X Factor 2014 runner-up and singer
• Frankie Bridge – Former member of The Saturdays and TV presenter
• Kieran Hayler – Katie Price’s former husband and former stripper

Toff was crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2017 ahead of Iain Lee, left, and Jamie Lomas, right

Rex Features

Who won I’m A Celebrity 2017?

Made In Chelsea’s Georgia Toffolo was crowned the Queen of the Jungle in 2017.
Georgia, known as Toff, told Ant and Dec in the immediate aftermath of her win: “I don’t know what to say.
“Obviously, I didn’t think anyone would like me, never mind… sorry, I’m really taken aback.
“Thank you so much, I don’t know what to say, I’m really shocked!”
The show was marred with claims that the campmates were bullying Iain Lee who finished third.
Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas came second.

 

When is I’m A Celebrity back on TV?

I’m A Celebrity 2018 kicks off on November 18 on ITV.
If it follows the previous format and length fans can expect this year’s jungle king or queen to be crowned around the second week of December.
ITV will again air the show after agreeing a new two-year-deal before the start of the last series.
The show airs every weeknight and on Sundays, and this year will be presented by Dec Donnelly and Holly Willoughby.

If Sarah Paulson Were Your Girlfriend

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, you’d wake up early on the weekends. In fact, you’d find it easy to wake up early, buoyed out of unconsciousness by her radiant loveliness.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, you’d slide out of your recently laundered sheets, and go into the kitchen. You’d have one of those big marble kitchen islands. You can’t remember when or how it got there, but it’s there now in the middle of your kitchen. And all your kitchenware matches and your kettle is like a sculpture. You’d get all the ingredients for brunch that you bought from the farmer’s market out of the fridge. You’d get out the bowl of hollandaise sauce that you prepared yesterday, because now that Sarah Paulson is your girlfriend you pre-make sauces. As you started to poach the eggs you’d smile because you’d know that as she lifts her still-heavy eyelids to take her first, fresh look at the world that morning she’ll say, “I’m hungry.” And here you are, making her brunch.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend you’d routinely finish things before the deadline; that’s just how your life would go. You wouldn’t send them in when you’d finished them because that would feel a bit too much like boasting, but you’d send them in a couple of hours early.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend you’d have an office and a well-organised alphanumeric filing system for your finances, your medical documents, and your personal correspondence. You’d keep all your receipts properly filed for your tax return. You’d buy a shredder, and never again worry about someone stealing your identity and bank-frauding you.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, you’d always know where your keys were.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, sometimes Marcia Clark would come over for dinner. Before Marcia arrived, Sarah would worry that what she’s doing with her life isn’t worthy enough. Once Marcia was there you’d all drink martinis and set the world to rights. You’d go to bed because you never drink too much anymore, but Sarah and Marcia would carry on. How can Sarah hold her drink so well when she has that slight, elegant frame? You don’t know; you only know that’s she’s perfect.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, she’d tell you that she wished that she could get a queerer hairstyle. “I’d love to get an undercut,” she’d say, “but I can’t because of work”. The two of you would imagine what she’d get done if she wasn’t a working actor. As you tuck her hair behind her ear she’d tell you she’d dye it too, pink or purple or blue.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, you’d be sitting on the sofa together late one evening, you’d stroke her thigh and whisper “put the wig on, baby”.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, they’d put you on the list of noted alumni from your school and university. And it would be because you do Important Work. Perhaps the most important work of anyone who ever went to your school and university.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend you’d look good in unstructured clothing. 

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, when you felt sad she would give you a pep talk, and in the pep talk she would use a lot of words beginning with the letter ‘s’. The sound of that gentle sibilant lisp would make your heart sing in your chest. And at the end of the talk she’d look into your eyes and say, “you knock my socks off.” And your heart would hit the high note, the particular frequency that makes happiness resonate, sending waves of happiness off around the world and you’d know that everything was going to be just fine.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, you’d always take your makeup off before going to bed. In fact, you’d take each other’s makeup off. As you softly wiped her face with a high-end cleanser, she’d say, “everything is so easy with you.”

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, men and women would open doors for you, but in a way that felt genteel, not institutionally sexist or weird.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, all your pitches would get accepted. People would fight to make your sitcom or get you in their writers’ room. At meetings, everyone would fall silent when you started to speak. You would never again have to bear the injustice of one of your jokes not being laughed at.

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, late one evening you’d be in the car driving home, listening to the new Tegan and Sara album in blissful silence. That’s the thing with you and Sarah Paulson; you don’t have to fill all the silences. When you arrived home, she’d turn to you. And you’d know what she meant, because you two would just be so in tune. You’d go in and up to the bedroom and this time you’d put on the wig and the power suit. She’d open her mouth to speak, and you’d press a finger to her lips and say, “shhhhhh, it’s my turn to be Marcia now.”

If Sarah Paulson were your girlfriend, you would learn all the names of the stars. You’d go for nighttime hikes in the Hollywood Hills. Both of you would lie down and you’d point out all the constellations to her. And you wouldn’t be afraid of mountain lions. Not anymore. You wouldn’t be afraid of anything.

BEYONCÉ AND EMINEM HEADS OF POSTERS AT THE COACHELLA FESTIVAL

Beyoncé, Eminem and The Weeknd will be the headliners of Coachella's influential American music festival, the organizers of the rally announced on Tuesday, which for the first time will not have a rocker as their main attraction.

The festival, which takes place in the Californian desert in April on two consecutive weekends with the same programming, will mark the great return of Beyoncé, which will be the first concert since she gave birth to twins last June.

The pop star had promised last year that she would perform this year (13-15 and 20-22 April) after having to give up Coachella on the advice of his doctors, replaced by Lady Gaga.

The rapper Eminem will be the other big name of Coachella, back on stage after the release of his album "Revival" last month.

The Canadian R & B singer The Weeknd, who has exploded in recent years, will for the first time figurehead for this festival in which he has already participated.

This choice of Coachella is just one more sign that the traditional rock bands are losing ground on the American cultural chessboard, nibbled by the hip-hop which gleaned for the first time the majority of the nominations at the latest Grammy Awards.

Even though the gondola heads have changed, many rockers will still be present in April, such as The War on Drugs or alt-J.

The 2018 edition will also mark the first steps of the French Jean-Michel Jarre to Coachella, he who made his first American tour last year.

MADONNA: Singer's truce with Guy during child quiz

WARRING Madonna and Guy Ritchie have called a truce in a bid to convince a social worker from Malawi that they are fit parents to their African son, the News of the World can reveal.

Pals say pop queen Madge, 49, and film director Guy, 38, are determined to present a united front because they are TERRIFIED their adopted boy David Banda could be taken off them.

From Tuesday the mega-rich celebrity couple will share their £7 million London mansion with African child welfare chief Penstone Kilembe who will spend TWO WEEKS investigating their suitability.

On his return to Malawi he will advise the country's High Court on whether or not they should be allowed to keep the 22-month-old lad.

The "home study" is the final hurdle in adopting David, who has been living in England since Madge plucked him from a Malawian orphanage last October.

A friend of the couple told us: "They're on tenterhooks waiting for this man to arrive in the UK.

"Things haven't been great in their marriage recently but they're determined to put on a good show for him. To send David back would be devastating and it's something they're determined to avoid at all costs."

Mr Kilembe's two weeks with the Ritchies will be a far cry from his life in the rundown city of Lilongwe in Malawi. He will stay in one of the eight lavishly decorated bedrooms in their six-storey townhouse in Marylebone where he'll meet the couple's new £2,000-a-month ‘manny'—a male nanny dedicated to looking after David round the clock.

The social worker will also be introduced to the rest of their staff who live in two mews houses yards from their front door.

During his 14-day stay the inspector plans to quiz the couple on areas such as alcohol consumption, infertility and divorce. And he will also judge how loving they are towards each other and to Madonna's daughter Lourdes, ten, and their son Rocco, seven.

Mr Kilembe told us: "I just want to make sure the child is happy and with a good family. I have met both Madonna and Guy Ritchie and they seem like nice people."

The visit comes just a week after Madonna finalised plans to adopt a second orphan from Malawi next year.

Madge hand-picked 13-month-old Mercy from a line-up of ten babies during a visit to an orphanage last October.

Originally the Malawi government ordered Mr Kilembe to make two visits. But the second had to be cancelled because officials couldn't afford airfares to the UK.

"Madonna and Guy are relieved they are only going to have to do this once," said their friend.

"They're determined to come across as a perfect little family unit and also show that they've got enough money to buy David every last thing he could ever need."

Keeley Hazell's sizzling 2008 calendar

WHAT’S red, spicy, comes from Thailand and brings blokes out in a sweat?

These pics of KEELEY HAZELL, of course!

The gorgeous 21-year-old travelled to Pattaya, Thailand, to shoot her Official Calendar 2008—which is in shops now.

And I’m told she loved sampling the local cuisine while she was there. My sauce, sorry source, said: "She couldn’t get enough of the red and green curries."

Whoa, go easy on the chillies. I reckon you’re more than hot enough already.

CLICK CONTINUE FOR MORE PICS

Pic: Alan Strutt, Celebrity Pictures

Jade Goody's catfight with Dani Lloyd

IT'S all gone bad for the JADE GOODY clan.

First Jade gets in the way of this beautiful snap of sexy Miss Great Britain model RACHAEL TENNENT.

Then, her dopey boyfriend JACK TWEED fails to turn up to a court hearing.

Magistrates issued an arrest warrant for him after he didn't appear in front of a judge in Chelmsford on Friday.

Jack, accused of assaulting a teenager in a car park last year, blamed it on a delayed flight from Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, Jade gets involved in a fight with DANIELLE LLOYD at the Embassy club launch in Abu Dhabi. The girls were pulled apart as the row escalated into a brawl.

An onlooker said: "Jade was roaring like an animal. It was a huge bust-up."

Jade Goody and Danielle Lloyd...yep, that's a huge bust-up all right.

Is your iPod making you old? (And 6 other ageing enemies)

Feeling the effects of age? Forget smoking and sunbathing – there’s a new army of crinkle-culprits...

By Kate Langrish, 06/06/2010

From niggling new aches and pains, to the wrinkle you're sure wasn't there yesterday, getting older is no fun. Fact.But we all know what ages us fast, right? No, it's not just a life of constant partying. Research has uncovered that culprits now include gadgets, health kicks, even 'miracle' creams.

"While genes play a role in how we age, lifestyle is a huge factor, too. Luckily, you can do something about that," says Dr Pixie McKenna from Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies. Read on to find out what - then dust off your ID ready for the barman!

1: Ageing enemy:

Being so face fashionable

Yep, we're always leaving our sunnies in the park/office/pub, too - but buying a cheap pair to compensate could be a false economy as far as your eyes are concerned. "Many fashion sunglasses don't filter out the harmful ultraviolet rays that speed up the growth of eye diseases like cataracts," says Boots optometrist Carolyn Zweig. Not to mention the wrinkles from all that squinting

This season's wraparound specs - à la Sarah Jessica Parker - are perfect as they protect against harmful rays coming in through the sides, too. "Look for ones that filter both of the harmful tanning rays - UVA and UVB," advises Carolyn.

At full volume, MP3 players can reach 120 decibels - the same volume as a jet engine!

2: Ageing enemy:

Celeb-style workouts

You dutifully pound the park every morning to get a Teri Hatcher-style figure - but you could be adding years to your face. "Women take up running in the hope it'll make them look slimmer and younger, but too much jogging can strain skin," says diet and movement specialist Joanna Hall (Joannahall.com). "The constant up and down motion pulls facial tissues, reducing elasticity and firmness."

Walk before you run! "Walking won't put your skin under the same pressure," says Joanna. Step out in a pair of new Reebok EasyTone Flip Flops, £45 (Reebok.com). Bouncy air pockets in the soles reduce the skin-sagging impact and improve muscle tone in your calves by up to 28 per cent.

3: Ageing enemy:

Your love of GaGa

Your quest to drown out fellow commuters with Poker Face puts you at risk of permanent and premature hearing damage. "In-ear headphones you get with MP3 players aren't always great quality, so you crank up the volume - but this can permanently damage hearing after 15 minutes," warns Emma Harrison of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID). Experts are calling for the maximum volume setting to be 85 decibels.

"Invest in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones (available at Rnid.org.uk), which remove background sound so you don't need to turn the volume up as loud," recommends Emma. If you're worried about your hearing, take the RNID's online hearing check on its website to rate your ability to hear with background noise.

4: Ageing enemy:

Your gloomy outlook

Always double-checking you've been given the right change? Or likely to eye up your friend with a look of doubt when she offers you a compliment? It's time to loosen up, because not trusting people knocks years off your life expectancy. "Research shows that people who don't assume everyone's out to get them will live longer," says Phillip Hodson of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (Bacp.co.uk). "By always being on guard, your body pumps stress hormones like adrenaline into your system to keep you alert, and this can take its toll on your heart. It's like constantly revving your engine and it will wear out."

Let your guard down. "If you're speaking to someone new, ask them lots of questions about their life," says Phillip. "This will shift the emphasis from you, so you won't feel defensive and suspicious."

5: Ageing enemy:

Crash dieting

Think ditching a couple of pounds will help you look younger? Have we got news for you. Research by Harley Street plastic surgeon Rajiv Grover found that the strain put on your body from crash dieting can cause an ageing spurt on your face. "Ditching meat, fish and eggs, which lots of dieters tend to do, can thin hair and make skin look old before its time," says Dr Pixie. "That's because they contain cell-boosting iron, which makes haemoglobin to carry oxygen to cells, and vitamin B12, a great cell regenerator. These are both essential for healthy skin and hair."

Ditch the 3pm chocolate fix. Sugar causes a process called glycation, where pesky sugar molecules attach to protein molecules (such as collagen, which is essential for plump, pert skin) and destroy them. The result is wrinkly, saggy skin. Nice.

6: Ageing enemy:

Making sex-cuses

OK, so we're not saying you need the sex drive of a Premiership footballer - but saying no to nookie could take its toll on your complexion. New research by Dr David Weeks, a neuropsychologist at Royal Edinburgh Hospital, has found that couples who are at it at least three times a week look around a decade younger than those who have sex less often. "Sex releases endorphins, which improves circulation to your skin and boosts your immune system - making you look younger and helping you to live longer," confirms Dr Pixie.

Get wed! If you're married this could lengthen your life expectancy by five years - experts believe the security of a relationship makes people less stressed.

7: Ageing enemy:

Your designer moisturiser

Many moisturisers contain sunscreen to protect against the ageing effects of UV rays - but cutting out the sun can age you, too.

"We need sunshine to make vitamin D, which protects us from certain illnesses. Not getting enough could make you prone to ones linked to old age, such as brittle bones," explains Dr David Grimes, a consultant physician at Royal Blackburn Hospital. "Be careful, but try to get five to 10 minutes a day in summer without wearing sunscreen."

Keep wrinkles at bay with the new Slendertone Face (£300, Slendertone.com), which emits pulses of electric current that tone droopy face muscles. After 12 weeks, 94 per cent of testers had firmer skin*.

She's the daughter of Gordon Sumner - aka Sting - and has her debut album out this week.

She's the daughter of Gordon Sumner - aka Sting - and has her debut album out this week. But who is Coco Sumner and what is she actually made of?

Name: Coco Sumner ("After Coco the Clown," she says. "I was nicknamed after my brother's favourite toy." But her real name is Eliot.)

Age: 20

Is: The singer/songwriter of soon-to-be-massive band I Blame Coco.

Contacts: Dad is Sting. Mum is actress/planet-saviour Trudie Styler. Mates with Pete Doherty, Plan B and La Roux. Nuff said.

Hair: Straggly. Not for her the styling of the image-obsessed pop world. This is what our hair was like before God invented straighteners. Dark days.

Bow tie: Coco is a big fan of the androgynous look. It says serious artiste.

Key necklace: Is Coco making a fashion statement or just trying not to get locked out of her flat again?

Smoking jacket: Big news on the A/W catwalks. She was briefly a model, you know.

Shorts: Not to be confused with hot pants. Ever. Just baggy enough to show she knows about style, while skimpy enough to show off her impeccable pins (see 'ankle socks').

Brogues and ankle socks: The uniform of the edgy East Londoner. Only serves to emphasise how great her legs are.

I Blame Coco's debut album The Constant is out on November 1.

Don't Sugar the pill

Time to feel better about your life, career and general existence: The Apprentice is back on BBC1 this week, with another clutch of business 'brains' ready to amuse us with their idiocy. To celebrate, we've rounded up some of Lord Sugar's most scathingly genius comments over the years. Ouch.

"This is the job interview from hell. First prize, you get to work for me. Second prize don't exist."

"Could be you're here because you're good with words and know the right thing to say at the right time. I know the words to Candle In The Wind. It don't make me Elton John."

"Your mind seems like concrete to me - thoroughly mixed, but set in its ways."

"Well, you know how to work out redundancy on a calculator, don't you?"

"You're like my grandson coming round asking me to do his maths homework...he nods his head, but I ask him sometimes: 'Do you understand what I'm actually doing?'"

"You think you can play me? Well, let me tell you - I am as hard to play as a Stradivarius. And you lot, I can tell you, are as easy to play as bongo drums!"

"Business is not about come in, p**s my money up the wall, then 'Oh, never mind, sorry you lost it, now you've learnt your lesson, you won't do it again.'"

"I just don't know whether you're some sort of bloody nutter."

Left to right: House, The Event, Pretty Little Liars

Import-ant news America's finest - the shows we're getting ridiculously excited about

House Sky1 (Tonight, 10pm)

Our favourite ill-tempered doctor is back, cane in hand. This season, House and Cuddy have to deal with their feelings for each other, while Dr Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer) continues to look outrageously hot.

The Event Channel 4 (mid-October)

When Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) goes looking for missing fiancée Leila (Sarah Roemer), he exposes the biggest cover-up in US history: corrupt politicians, conspiracy theories and high-octane drama.

Pretty Little Liars MTV (end of October)

Love Desperate Housewives and Gossip Girl? Then you'll lurve this TV mash-up of the two. We're talking a missing teen queen, scary texts, dead bodies and whodunnits. Yay!

Robbie and Gary: a love story

With their single Shame out this week, the Robbie-Gary bromance is back on - but it hasn't all been plain sailing...

SOAPS

...Hollyoaks: Diane refuses to give up her stolen baby.

...Coronation Street: Nick asks his ex-wife Leanne to come and work for him.

...EastEnders: Alfie knows he's not the daddy.

When Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray, Love, enticed Julia Roberts back on to the big screen, we just had to know all about it.

 

Julia Roberts plays Elizabeth in Eat, Pray, Love

Here the author shares her journey

By Kathryn Knight, 05/09/2010

It wasn't the first time the topic had come up, but now my sister's words hit home in a way they hadn't before. As she cradled her baby, she joked:

"Having a baby is like getting a tattoo - you need to be certain it's what you want before you commit."

It was a flippant comment, but little did she know that it cut to the heart of the turmoil I was going through. I didn't want to face up to it, but I didn't love my husband any more. I didn't want to be married and I didn't want the baby everyone, including him, was expecting me to have.

Looking back, I had no idea then that this moment of despair would be the start of a journey that would change my life - and with it the lives of hundreds of other women who felt as low as I did. All I knew was that I had to escape.

Julia plays Elizabeth in the film

To outsiders, I had a charmed life. At 31, I was married, living in a beautiful house in the New York suburbs and loving my job as a freelance writer. But inside I felt empty and trapped.

When I met my husband in my early 20s and married at 24, I thought he was The One. No one prepared me for the fact he might not be; that, as the years went by, we'd grow apart.

After seven years of marriage, I plucked up the courage to walk away. The divorce was difficult and, by the time the decree absolute came through, I was 34 and struggling to come to terms with the failure of my marriage.

As the months passed, an idea began to form. I'd always wanted to explore Italy, India and Indonesia, and now I had no ties, it was my chance to get my life back.

Using my savings, I started planning my trip. When I set off in the late summer of 2003 I didn't know what to expect, just that I was going to write down all my experiences and find out what I wanted from life.

Elizabeth fell in love with Felipe in Bali

Eat

Arriving in Rome, I only had two plans. To rent an apartment close to the iconic Spanish Steps and enrol in Italian classes. In America I'd lived my life at breakneck speed, juggling work with a frantic social life, never wanting to slow down. I decided to let life run at its own pace.

I knew no one, which I thought would be terrifying, but I soon made lots of vibrant Italian friends who I'd meet for amazing meals in local restaurants where we'd drink limoncello until the small hours. They flirted with me too, especially Giovanni, a 24-year-old brown-eyed Casanova.

But however delicious the thought might be, inviting another man into my bed was not the right way for me to get over my failed marriage.

After Rome, I travelled all over Italy, marvelling at the fact that the woman who always watched what she ate now survived on cheese, pasta, bread and wine.

One night, as I tucked into pizza, I glanced into the mirror and saw a bright-eyed, clear-skinned, healthy face. I'd arrived sad and brittle, but food was healing me. By the time I left Italy I was a stone and a half heavier, but more content.

Spending a lot of time alone made me realise I was the only person responsible for my happiness, or lack of it.

The author healed her mind in India

Pray

When I arrived in India, four months after leaving New York, I was ready for my journey to take a new direction. My body was better, now it was time to heal my mind.

I'd arranged to stay at an ashram (a religious retreat) hidden in the heart of rural India. Each day I'd visit a meditation cave, chanting and trying to clear my mind of worries. It was hard at first, as I would think about what everyone was doing back at home. But slowly, I learned to focus and I soon learned to love the simple way of life at the ashram. I realised there was such a thing as being too in control. I had to stop taking myself so seriously.

As I left India for Bali, I felt full of peace in a way I'd never experienced before.

Love

And enjoyed the culture and food in Italy

Arriving on the Indonesian island, I rented a tiny cottage in the mountains, filling my days with walking, cycling, reading and meditation. With every day, the pain of my divorce eased. Instead of sickening heartbreak and failure, I could understand what had gone wrong. My husband wasn't a bad person, we'd just been wrong for each other. But I'd started to wonder if I'd ever find love again.

Then, a few weeks after I arrived on the island, I met Felipe, a 57-year-old Brazilian musician, at a party. He was also travelling and although my defences were still up, as the weeks went by I allowed myself to open up to him. We took road trips, explored sun-soaked beaches and spent lazy afternoons in each other's arms. Slowly, we fell in love. I didn't worry about the age gap, in fact I found it sexy, and the fact he already had kids from a previous relationship meant that there would never be any pressure on me to start a family. Felipe and I were equals, and by the time I had to return to America in 2004, we'd vowed to make a life together.

I decided to write a book about my journey, Eat, Pray, Love - eat for the food in Italy, pray for India and love for finding Felipe in Bali. I was thrilled and bewildered after it was published in 2006. Then I read in an interview with Julia Roberts that she was giving all her girlfriends the book as a Christmas present.

Suddenly, my life went crazy. What had meant to be a journal, charting my travels, became a bestseller. It felt great, but of course, there were downsides. Although friends and family who I'd mentioned in the book were happy with what I'd written, my ex-husband was angry about how I'd spoken about the breakdown of our marriage. He's moved on, remarried and since had children, but he felt I'd been unfair.

Elizabeth with star of the movie Julia Roberts

I'd moved on too. Felipe and I married in 2007 in a simple ceremony. Today we live in a small town in New Jersey. We don't have kids and I've no regrets.

When I heard Julia Roberts was going to play me in the film version of Eat, Pray, Love I was so happy. I visited the set and was introduced to her. She was really sweet.

In some ways my new life isn't so different from my old one - it's me that's changed. I'm calmer, more centred. I'm much more suited to my second husband, and I am a much better second wife." l Eat, Pray, Love opens in cinemas nationwide on September 24.The Eat, Pray, Love phenomenon

Elizabeth Gilbert's travel journal was published in America in February 2006. After talkshow host Oprah Winfrey dedicated two episodes of her show to Eat, Pray, Love, it quickly became a must-read. Only 30,000 hardback copies were released, but it has now sold more than 7 million copies in over 40 languages. Fans can even recreate Elizabeth's trip for themselves, with tour operators offering packages taking in the three countries she visited.