ANYONE hoping to catch a glimpse of Sabrina Carpenter between shows on the UK leg of her tour will need a stepladder – after she hired a couple of huge heavies to look after her.
One half of the tanked-up team is Mason James, a 7ft security guard who used to look after James Argent in his Towie heyday.
Sabrina being whisked off stage at the O2 Arena by Pascal Duvier[/caption]
Pascal was once the bodyguard of reality TV star Kim Kardashian[/caption]
The second is Pascal Duvier, who you might remember as the 6ft 4in bodyguard of Kim Kardashian.
Their relationship ended on troubled terms in 2016, after Kim sacked him when she was held at gunpoint in Paris by robbers who stole £7million worth of her jewellery.
Her insurers later sued Pascal for gross negligence as part of a £4.7million lawsuit that was settled out of court four years later.
During the Brit Awards, I spotted Sabrina being whisked off stage at the O2 Arena by Mason and Pascal and thought it might be a one-off deal.
But my moles have told me Sabrina has struck a longer-term deal with Pascal to be her close protection bodyguard while she is on the Short N’ Sweet Tour.
He was spotted guarding her on a visit to Annabel’s members’ club in the capital at the weekend, after Janet Jackson, Harry Styles, Emma Bunton and Salma Hayek all attended her shows at The O2.
My insider added: “Pascal hit it off with Sabrina and she feels very comfortable around him. He had a tough few years after the incident with Kim in Paris but he is still well regarded.
“Pascal was by Sabrina’s side at the Brits with Mason and now he is accompanying her on tour in the UK.
“Sabrina’s tour is off the charts in terms of demand and fans have been clamouring to meet her outside of her hotels and when she is travelling between venues.
“Pascal will be there during the tour to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
Sabrina’s last hired heavy got into hot water after accidentally whacking a fan in the face with a brolly when she was mobbed outside Radio 1 last summer.
Bedder than the rest
PACKED with hits, innuendo, and charm, Sabrina has the best show you will see in an arena this year.
From the moment she bounds on stage in a towel – which she opens up to reveal a Union Jack – to the point 90 minutes later when she leaves singing her mega hit Espresso, it is wall-to-wall joy.
The concert is set up to look like a Seventies variety show in a retro apartment and sees her move from room to room, having plenty of fun as she goes.
It’s an expensive set-up, with Sabrina performing Bed Chem to a camera on the ceiling, while the emotional Opposite is cleverly performed into a mirror in an on-stage loo.
Sabrina, who wore a red negligee followed by a silver mini-dress, will return to the UK in July for two nights at BST Hyde Park.
All a Brit costly
Sabrina Carpenter’s label came up with the cash to make sure her Brits performance was the best we’ve seen in years[/caption]
SABRINA delivered one of the best opening performances that we’ve seen in years at the Brits earlier this month.
And given ITV got 825 OfCom complaints from Karens moaning about her racy moves and sexy outfit, as well as Charli XCX’s amazing dress, we think she more than nailed it.
But to put on such a big production, which included elaborate moving platforms and a troupe of male dancers dressed up like the King’s Guard, meant Sabrina’s team had to dig deep.
We’re told Sabrina blew the budget Brits bosses had earmarked, with her label coming up with the cash to make sure the show became reality.
Our insider said: “Sabrina wanted to make her debut as epic as possible. But it was a pretty pricey plan and the budget the Brits had didn’t cover it.
“Luckily for her, rather than being sent back to the drawing board, her label Universal stepped in and splashed over £10,000 of their own money on the performance.
“They were determined to make sure Sabrina absolutely ruled the show and got everyone talking about how incredible it was.
“Sabrina is the No1 priority for the label right now. And the past 12 months have seen her star status skyrocket, so they won’t be taking their foot off the gas anytime soon.”
It sent her latest album, Short N’ Sweet, straight back to the top of the charts . . .
SABRINA is short and especially sweet after a baker turned her into a lifesize cake.
Lara Mason, of Walsall, showed off this 5ft recreation online to celebrate the Taste singer’s UK tour.
It took five days and 75kg of ingredients – and isn’t far off what Sabrina ended up wearing on stage, right.
Get her on Bake Off.
A baker has turned Sabrina Carpenter into a life-size cake[/caption]
Lara Mason, of Walsall, showed off this 5ft recreation online to celebrate the Taste singer’s UK tour[/caption]
Things improved for Millie
Stranger Things favourite Millie Bobbie Brown said she was crushed by the cruel comments from a casting director when she was ten[/caption]
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN was told she would never make it as an actress – before becoming one of the world’s biggest child stars.
The Stranger Things favourite, now 21, said she was crushed by the cruel comments from a casting director when she was ten.
But she channelled the pain into her first video audition to play Eleven in the Netflix hit.
Millie, said: “I had an audition where I got told I wasn’t going to make it because I was too mature. I went home and I cried and I cried and said, ‘I don’t want to act any more’.
“My dad was like, ‘There’s this audition in my inbox. Let’s do the last one and then we’re done’.”
Millie added on the SmartLess podcast: “That last audition was Stranger Things on that same day.
“I was so upset from what had happened, I used the emotion from earlier that day.”
Pixie’s mug of coffee
Pixie Lott looked impressed as she posed with a cup of coffee with a portrait of her in it[/caption]
PIXIE LOTT has a latte to smile about . . .
The singer looked impressed as she posed with a cup of coffee, which some arty type turned into a portrait of her.
She was presented with the creation at the Alpro Coffee Shop in Somerset House, London.
Pixie was also joined by pal Fleur East for a masterclass with “Barista Brian” – real name Brian Leonard – who taught them how to make the pictures themselves.
I think Brian has a little too much time on his hands. But still, I’m impressed.
Dua’s scent on hols
Dua Lipa relaxes on another luxury trip while posing for Yves Saint Laurent[/caption]
JET-setter Dua Lipa relaxes on another luxury trip while posing for Yves Saint Laurent.
The holiday-loving singer, who always seems to be somewhere sunny, leaned back in a black bikini and showed off the French fashion house’s new Libre L’eau Nue fragrance.
Dua, who is the face of the brand, will be flying off to warmer climes again this week, as she will kick off her Australian tour in Melbourne on Monday.
Given the sun has disappeared here again for the foreseeable, I have to admit I’m jealous.
It’s Conte for Kant
MIRIANA CONTE is about to anger Eurovision bosses even more, in a follow-up to the fallout about her controversial song title.
There was a diplomatic row last week when Malta’s entry was made to change the lyrics, after a complaint from the BBC about it sounding like a swear word.
But now singer Miriana is tweaking the title from Kant – which means “singing” in Maltese – to her surname, Conte, which sounds just as rude. In the original chorus, she sang of “serving kant”.
But local media in Malta said “kant” will be replaced with a sound effect in the new one.
LADY GAGA is on course for a fifth No1 album this Friday with Mayhem.
It is leading in the chart race, while Blackpink‘s Jennie is at No2 with her debut solo album Ruby.
If it stays there, it will be the highest-charting of the girl group’s solo projects, after Rose’s album Rosie went to No4 in December.
ARIANA GRANDE will release a deluxe album of her 2024 album Eternal Sunshine on March 28, with six new songs.
Fresh from promoting Wicked – and ahead of the second film Wicked: For Good, in November – she announced the long-awaited project on social media.
But Ariana faces competition to get another No1, as Mumford & Sons will drop Rushmere, their first album in seven years, the same day.
IRON MAIDEN are releasing a book called Infinite Dreams – The Official Visual History documenting the first 50 years of the heavy metal band.
It will feature photos from pub gigs in the 70s to preparations for this summer’s Run For Your Lives world tour.
Leader and bassist Steve Harris, said: “I knew I kept a lot of things from the early days but they have lasted really well and the photography has brought them back to life.”
