The "shared universe" in popular entertainment is nothing new. It goes back decades in comic

Prue Leith shared some amusing details about Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ visit to the set of Great British Bake Off. The 83-year-old TV presenter – who is a judge on the baking show alongside Paul Hollywood – opened up about seeing the famous couple during an interview with E! News. Reynolds and Lively first visited the two judges in June, who posed with the Deadpool star outside of the iconic Bake Off tent. Leith revealed that the actors’ visit wasn’t planned, recalling that it came after Reynolds realised that he was filming at the same studio as the baking show. “Blake is absolutely nuts about—well they both are, they’re both very keen on Bake Off,” she said. “When they heard we were filming in the same studio lot as Ryan was, he was making Deadpool, and so they both just turned up.” Leith said the visit was “so funny,” since usually, visitors aren’t necessarily allowed to be inside the tent. "Everybody keeps everybody out of the tent, you know. No strangers are allowed in the tent, absolutely, rule number one. I mean if my husband walked in without having cleared it all first he’d be just shown the door,” Leith quipped. However, she acknowledged that when the Green Lantern star and Gossip Girl star walked into the set, her co-workers were shocked, before welcoming them in with open arms. “But I’ll tell you what, when those two walked in, every cameraman, everybody, just stood there,” she added. “And of course we were absolutely thrilled to see them. All filming stopped while we all chatted to them.” She revealed when she was working in the studio at the same time as the Hollywood couple, she met with them on multiple occasions. “​​Because we were there at the same time as they were, you know, weeks on end, we got really friendly. So they came in a lot,” Leith added. The TV presenter highlighted how her and co-star’s friendship with the couple developed, as Hollywood did a commercial with Lively earlier this year for her newest alcohol brand, Betty Booze. In the advertisement, the Age of Adaline star even hilariously attempted – and failed – to get one of Hollywood’s signature handshakes. Speaking to E! News, Leith poked fun at that commercial, while expressing how much she’d loved the chance to work with Lively’s husband. “I was rather disappointed because I thought, you know, I’d do anything to do a commercial with Ryan," she quipped. “And [Paul] managed to do a commercial with Blake.” In June, Hollywood first went viral when he shared a post to Instagram of himself, Reynolds, and Leith, as they stood outside of the Bake Off tent. “Prue and I catching up with @vancityreynolds,” he wrote in the caption. “#legend.” He later shared a snap of himself and Lively in the tent, alongside a caption that quipped: “Sorry Prue, Blake (@blakelively) has taken your seat… welcome to cake corner Blake.” In the Betty Booze commercial, which aired in August, Lively hilariously and unexpectedly arrived at Hollywood’s home, with a case of Betty Booze cocktails in her hands. The ad continued with Hollywood giving his candid review of the drinks, saying: “I really like it. It is absolutely beautiful. I think really good.” After he praised the flavours in the drink, he reached his hand towards Lively - seemingly in an effort to shake her hand. While she then started to reach her hand towards his, she soon realised that Hollywood was actually just grabbing another can of Betty Booze. Read More Woman defends her $7,000 cheese board The symbolic foods eaten during the festival of Diwali How to get free nuggets at Wendy’s for the rest of the year Woman defends her $7,000 cheese board The symbolic foods eaten during the festival of Diwali How to get free nuggets at Wendy’s for the rest of the year

From woodland walks to winter terraces, the shorter days and longer evenings make you want to come home to a warm winter glow, earthy tones and forest green furnishings. Along with cosy textiles and ambient candlelight, the starting point is often a themed tablescape before thoughts turn to an inviting sofa with statement scatter cushions to sink into. Here’s how to embrace the natural world with forest green homewares and rustic accents… 1. Burleigh Tableware: Green Asiatic Pheasants Collection, Green Asiatic Pheasants 17.5cm Plate, £22; Green Regal Peacock Collection, Green Regal Peacock Mini Tankard Jug, (160ml), £36; rest of items from a selection, Burleigh. A flight of fancy brings the outdoors in with green pheasants and peacocks teamed with natural linens, seasonal décor and crystal stemware as clear as a calm stream. 2. Woodland Creatures Oven Gloves, £30, Cherith Harrison. With hearty casseroles and comfort food at the top of winter warmer menus, a practical pair of oven gloves takes on a whole new light with woodland wildlife enriching mealtimes. 3. Green Acorn Lidded Mug, £15, National Trust. Sweater weather is all about cupping your hands round a warming mug of cocoa, with a cute lid to keep it piping hot. 4. Living County Fabric 4-Seater Split Sofa Scatter Back, Rodeo Tan/Win Chk Choc/Pan Bge/Sta Bge – Fabric, £1,199, SCS. When you want to luxe up your life – and living room – a new sofa can be a game-changer. Think warm tones to lift your space, complemented by stud detailing, hardwood feet and co-ordinating cushions to up the comfort level. 5. Rustic Metal Reindeer Tea Light Holders, £16 each, Marquis & Dawe. Taking inspiration from a Highland lodge, these tea light holders set the scene with two similar designs… one features a small village house nestled amongst the tall pines. 6. Foxgloves! Lampshade, £65, Mountain & Molehill. With the clocks going back and shorter days on the horizon, lighting can make the biggest impact… providing the perfect centrepiece for country-style décor. 7. Orla Kiely Larch Fabric Medium Sofa, £1,399 (was £1,729), rest of items from a selection, Barker And Stonehouse. Orla Kiely’s leaf-on-stem designs always hit the right note, and this sofa in a solid fir green solves the styling dilemma of how to mix-and-match your furniture… the chic, clean lines and satisfyingly soft cushioning make this an investment buy that goes with everything. 8. Pheasant Wool Cushion, £43, JJ Textile. An easy foundation piece for creating a cohesive country living look, this pheasant cushion loves an accent chair. 9. Woodland Walks Candle, £21, (180g), Woodland Walks Diffuser, £30, Sophie Allport. A sure-fire way to recreate the earthy scents of woods and moss is to scent surround with candles and diffusers to bring the outside in. 10. Matcha Bouquet, Medium Letterbox, £42, Cult Furniture. This mixed bouquet of eucalyptus and rich green foliage channels a biophilic theme, and will lift a forgotten corner or sideboard. 11. Check Printed Fleece Duvet Cover and Pillowcase Set, £16 – £27, Chevron Faux Fur Throw, £40, rest of items from a selection, Dunelm. Team a cosy fleece in café au lait colours with moss green and moody mauve, topped with a faux fur throw… and you’ll be ready to snuggle up and slumber. 12. Luxe Faux Fur Throw Olive, £65, Walton & Co. Another easy styling tool: take this luxe olive faux fur throw and drape it over an armchair to cosy up your world with nature’s favourite shade. Read More Hibernation mode: 5 small self-care adjustments to make before the clocks change 13 possible cancer symptoms you should get checked out Neglecting women’s health at work could cost UK economy £20.2bn a year – analysis Nearly three-quarters of mothers feel invisible, study suggests The best ways to work-out in 22 minutes – as study finds this is magic number for offsetting ‘negative impact of sitting’ What crops will we be growing in the future, as climate change alters the landscape?

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Paediatricians have warned vaping is “fast becoming an epidemic among children” and are calling for disposable vapes to be banned. Many parents may be concerned about their own child’s health if they’re vaping. In May, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH ) warned there had been a 50% rise in the proportion of children vaping – from 7.7% of 11 to 17-year-olds trying e-cigarettes last year to 11.6% this year. And because vapes haven’t been around long (they’ve only been on sale in the UK since 2007) there haven’t been any long-term studies on the effect on health, and particularly on young lungs, hearts and brains. However, responding to a current Government consultation on e-cigarettes, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has warned e-cigarettes “are not a risk-free product and can be just as addictive, if not more so than traditional cigarettes”. The RCPCH’s vice president for policy and paediatric respiratory consultant, Dr Mike McKean, says: “Without a doubt, disposable e-cigarettes should be banned. Youth vaping is fast becoming an epidemic among children, and I fear that if action is not taken, we will find ourselves sleepwalking into a crisis.” But it’s a crisis many parents are ill-informed about – so here’s what the experts think parents should know… What are vapes?Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive at ASH, describes vapes – also known as electronic cigarettes – as “a battery-powered heating element which heats a liquid – generally containing nicotine and other ingredients – that’s then inhaled as a vapour by users”. Some vapes are single -use and come in bright packaging, with exotic flavours and enticing, sweetie-type names like strawberry ice cream, cotton candy and cherry cola, others are rechargeable. Can children buy vapes? It’s illegal to sell vapes to under 18s in the UK. However, youngsters are clearly still getting their hands on them. McKean, who practises in the north-east of England, says he’s concerned to hear there’s been an increase in unregulated e-cigarettes hitting the UK market recently. He points out that in the north-east alone, more than 1.4 tonnes of illegal e-cigarettes – which Trading Standards said were often indistinguishable from regulated products – were seized from shops in the second half of last year. “It’s impossible to know what these products contain or how they might impact young people’s health,” he says. “The thought that these products are ending up in the hands of children is terrifying.” What do they contain? The crucial thing for parents to know is that they contain nicotine, which is harmful and addictive. Gurch Randhawa, professor of diversity in public health and director of the Institute for Health Research at the University of Bedfordshire, says: “E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, the most harmful aspects of smoking cigarettes. E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, and flavourings.” Are they addictive? Yes. McKean warns: “Vaping is far from risk-free, and in many cases can be very addictive.” Cheeseman adds: “It appears likely that people who have not smoked can become addicted to nicotine through vaping”. What are the health impacts long-term? Randhawa says that because vapes are a relatively new product, evidence on their health impacts isn’t clear. Experts are concerned though – especially because people under the age of 18 are still developing. Nicotine is known to cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, flow of blood to the heart and a narrowing of the arteries.Cheeseman says: “We don’t know what the health implications will be long-term. It seems likely there will be some, but until we have a population of people who have exclusively vaped without smoking for many decades it will be difficult to fully assess the impact.” Decades ago, no one knew about the devastating health impacts of smoking either. How can parents help children quit? Ensure your child has all the correct information and risks associated with vaping. Rather than setting strict punishments, try to be understanding and have a gentle discussion about peer pressure and having the confidence to say no. Cheeseman says nicotine replacement therapy can be used for children as young as 12. Randhawa points out that e-cigarettes should only be used to help people stop smoking. “If you haven’t smoked, you should not use e-cigarettes, as they contain nicotine, which is addictive. This message needs to be understood and articulated across society and schools to support children to not take up vaping.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Leah Williamson’s first fiction book inspired by women’s football ban protest Love Island 2023: Is having a ‘type’ holding back your dating life? 8 home repair jobs to tackle quickly – before they cost you a fortune

When Lucy Hall was considering returning to the fashion industry — after briefly making a career switch from a model agent to restauranteur — she told herself, she would only come back if she wasn’t contributing to the landfill crisis. “I just couldn’t encourage people to keep consuming,” she tells Refinery29. Alongside co-founder and British model Jade McSorley, she found her happy medium in Loanhood, a peer-to-peer clothing rental app that allows users to lend their clothes.

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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed on Monday that she unwittingly ate a dish containing hallucinogenic mushrooms at a restaurant during a visit to China last month. “So I went with this large group of people and the person who had arranged our dinner did the ordering. There was a delicious mushroom dish,” she said on Monday. “I was not aware that these mushrooms had hallucinogenic properties. I learned that later.” “I … read that if the mushrooms are cooked properly, which I’m sure they were, at this very good restaurant, that they have no impact,” she added. “But all of us enjoyed the mushrooms, the restaurant and none of us felt any ill effects from having eaten them.” During the Treasury official’s visit to China last month, she and her team stopped at a location of Yi Zuo Yi Wang, a restaurant chain specialising in dishes from the Yunnan province, where a food blogger on Weibo spotted the top official eating a variety of Chinese dishes. “When I walked by their table on my way to the washroom, I slowed down to take a glance at the dishes they ordered,” the blogger wrote. That included an order of potentially hallucinogenic jian shou qing mushrooms, a delicacy in Yunnan province. “Our staff said she loved mushrooms very much,” the restaurant wrote on social media. “She ordered four portions of jian shou qing (a Yunnan wild mushroom species). It was an extremely magical day.” The mushrooms are “considered poisonous as they can be hallucinogenic,” Dr Peter Mortimer, a professor at Kunming Institute of Botany who studies the region’s mushrooms, told CNN. “However, scientists have not, as of yet, identified the compounds responsible for causing the hallucinations,”he added. “It remains a bit of a mystery, and most evidence is anecdotal. I have a friend who mistakenly ate them and hallucinated for three days.” Chinese state media quoted diners praising Ms Yellen for her interest in Chinese cuisine and warning about the impacts of the mushrooms. “You thought you were walking straight but you just fell sideways,” one person who had eaten a similar dish told the Xinhua state news agency. The restaurant where the secretary ate was quickly flooded with reservations. "We received a larger number of inquiries about bookings. We are fully booked for Friday and Saturday," a staff member told the state-owned Global Times. Read More Biden signs order barring US investment in Chinese chips, quantum computing and AI sectors Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly ate hallucinogenic mushrooms at restaurant during China visit China's Xi tells Kissinger that China-US ties are at a crossroads and stability is still possible