Salling 'defends Glee co-star GQ pics'

Mark Salling has defended his Glee co-stars against controversy over racy photos appearing in the latest issue of GQ.

Stars Lea Michele and Dianna Agron faced considerable criticism this week after posing in revealing clothing with Cory Monteith in a multi-page spread for the magazine.

However, Salling - who did not appear in the shoot - has insisted that the pictures are "not a big deal".

"Personally, I think it's not a big deal. Lea is 23 years old and has every right to do that. I mean, come on!" he said during an interview with presenter Jo Jo Wright on KIIS-FM.

"We're obviously not in high school. It's tongue-in-cheek that we're in high school. People are starving, [Dallas football team] Cowboys are losing - there's more important things to worry about in the world."

Agron has since apologised for any potential offense caused by the photos.

Cole dyes hair red 'to celebrate divorce'

Cheryl Cole has reportedly dyed her hair red in an apparent attempt at making a fresh start following her divorce from Ashley.

According to The Sun, the X Factor judge decided on the change after discovering that her marriage to the footballer will officially be declared over in the High Court next week.

On Monday Cole's lawyers will allegedly apply for a decree absolute, after being granted a decree nisi six weeks ago.

Friends said the new style was her way of telling the world: "I'm back!" The singer apparently returned to the X Factor studio and said: "Right, let's kick some arse!"

The star will discuss her divorce for the first time on ITV's Piers Morgan's Life Stories.

The Only Way Is Essex

ESSEX: Fake tan, big hair, stilettos: it's the only way in our county!

ESSEX fever is set to sweep the nation when a new ten-part TV series hits our screens.

Living soap, The Only Way Is Essex, is set to turn two Brentwood girls into instant stars of the small screen when it airs next month.

We'll certainly be seeing a lot of Amy Childs, 20, and 19-year-old Samantha Faiers when they go about their daily lives on the show next month.

Both were cast for the part-soap opera, part-documentary, part-reality show after producers spotted them partying on nights out in the town.

Tanya Cagehin, 20, works in the Slug and Lettuce in Brentwood High Street, a venue where the girls from the show can regularly be spotted with a glass of rosé in their hands.

Tanya jumps straight in with the gossip on beautician Amy.

She said: "Amy got a boob job for her 18th birthday.

"She comes in for lunch and is always glammed up when she does. She never slums it and always looks nice with the latest fashions on and immaculate make-up."

She added: "Amy's always chatty, she's not stuck-up at all like people might think, and she's really nice, unlike some of the girls around here. I think she went to Shenfield School so is a local girl born and bred."

Sam's also a known face around Brentwood and has had success as a glamour model for lads magazines like Nuts.

"I know Sam because I used to work opposite her ex-boyfriend Mark Palmer at Salon G," Tanya told the Gazette

"They were together for years. I always saw them in the bagel shop together. She would be in there in her bank uniform which is where she worked at the time."

Are Sam's glamour shots all airbrushing? Tanya doesn't think so: "She always looks nice when she comes in here, as well as in her photo shoots."

Denise Wadey who works in Caci Clinicii beauty salon in Brentwood High Street, says she recognises most of the girls in the upcoming series as they are regulars at the numerous beauticians in the town.

"Amy is a lovely girl," said Denise "She works at Virgin V salon in Chigwell. I know all her family, they live round here. Her mum does cupcakes and her dad has a gardening centre around the corner from here."

Denise thinks Amy, who has dated a few as-yet unnamed football players, will react well to the attention the series is likely to generate.

"Amy does like a bit of glamour," smiled Denise. "Yes, she's always liked the idea of fame."

The Only Way Is Essex is shown on ITV2 .

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Alexa Chung 'told she looks like a granny'

Alexa Chung has reportedly revealed that she is often told that she dresses like a "granny" but is happy with her sense of style.

The model and presenter admitted that she prefers to wear "different" clothes as opposed to high-end items.

She told Elle: "Everyone says I look like a granny. I do sexy sometimes, but never sl*tty. I'm quite proud that geeky, asexual dressing has become cool.

"It's good to promote a different look. It's cooler to get something for a fiver in a charity shop, than spend five grand in Versace."

Chung, who is dating Arctic Monkeys band member Alex Turner, said that she refuses to take any fashion advice from him.

She continued: "I reckon I've got it nailed, so if he doesn't like what I'm wearing, he's the one who's wrong. I say, 'You just stick with the music'."

The 26-year-old, who has been accused of having an eating disorder, also defended her weight by explaining that she is naturally slim.

She added: "I cannot express how frustrating it is to not be believed when you say, 'I don't have an eating disorder'. I am naturally very thin. I get even thinner when I'm stressed.

"It angers me because I don't want to be a pin-up for young girls just for being thin. I don't want to be admired for being thin, as opposed to being dressed well, and I don't want the two to get confused."

Katherine Heigl 'struggles to find balance'

Katherine Heigl has admitted that she still struggles to balance her career with the demands of motherhood.

The actress - who adopted daughter Naleigh from South Korea in 2009 - confessed that she often worries that she will "spread [herself] too thin" from trying to do everything.

"Most of [filming] Life As We Know It is a complete blur. I had just become a mum," she told Redbook.

"I still don't necessarily always know what I am doing, and I certainly didn't then... I was all over the place. I was really trying too hard. I was completely bonkers."

She added: "If I spread myself too thin, I'm not a good actor, I'm not a good mother, and I'm just really high-strung - and everybody hates me."

Heigl recently said that she has become a "pro" at changing diapers