All posts tagged: Julie

The Repair Shop: The emotional story behind Britain’s first Black professional ballet dancer Julie Felix and her pointe shoes

The Repair Shop: The emotional story behind Britain’s first Black professional ballet dancer Julie Felix and her pointe shoes

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Britain’s first professional black ballerina was left “winded” and “breathless” after witnessing the restoration of her historic pointe shoes on the BBC’s popular programme, The Repair Shop. Julie Felix, a London-born dancer who is of Caribbean heritage, brought the very ballet shoes she wore for her inaugural professional solo performance four decades ago to the reality series. Her emotional appearance offered a poignant reflection on the profound struggles she endured throughout her pioneering career, with her mother remembered as her staunchest supporter. Ms Felix recounted a pivotal moment in the 1970s when a London ballet company explicitly rejected her due to her race, stating: “we can’t have a brown ballet dancer in the line-up of the swans”. This stark discrimination ultimately compelled her to seek opportunities abroad, shaping her remarkable journey. She subsequently secured a contract with the all-black Dance Theatre …

The Repair Shop: The emotional story behind Britain’s first Black professional ballet dancer Julie Felix and her pointe shoes

Julie Felix: The emotional story behind Britain’s first Black professional ballet dancer and her pointe shoes

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Britain’s first professional black ballerina was left “winded” and “breathless” after witnessing the meticulous restoration of her historic pointe shoes on the BBC’s The Repair Shop. Julie Felix, a London-born dancer, of Caribbean heritage, brought the ballet shoes she wore for her first professional solo performance four decades ago to the popular reality programme. Her appearance offered a poignant reflection on the struggles she endured throughout her career, with her mother remembered as her staunchest supporter. Felix recounted a pivotal moment in the 1970s when a London ballet company rejected her due to her race, explicitly stating, “we can’t have a brown ballet dancer in the line-up of the swans”. This discrimination ultimately led her to seek opportunities abroad. She subsequently secured a contract with the all-black Dance Theatre Of Harlem, based in New York, a move that shaped her professional …

The Repair Shop: The emotional story behind Britain’s first Black professional ballet dancer Julie Felix and her pointe shoes

Julie Felix: The emotional story behind Britain’s first Black professional ballet dancer and her pointe shoes

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Britain’s first professional black ballerina was left “winded” and “breathless” after witnessing the meticulous restoration of her historic pointe shoes on the BBC’s The Repair Shop. Julie Felix, a London-born dancer, of Caribbean heritage, brought the ballet shoes she wore for her first professional solo performance four decades ago to the popular reality programme. Her appearance offered a poignant reflection on the struggles she endured throughout her career, with her mother remembered as her staunchest supporter. Felix recounted a pivotal moment in the 1970s when a London ballet company rejected her due to her race, explicitly stating, “we can’t have a brown ballet dancer in the line-up of the swans”. This discrimination ultimately led her to seek opportunities abroad. She subsequently secured a contract with the all-black Dance Theatre Of Harlem, based in New York, a move that shaped her professional …

Inside Balamory star Julie Wilson Nimmo’s relationship with famous husband

Inside Balamory star Julie Wilson Nimmo’s relationship with famous husband

Published by Daniella Wilson

If you grew up during the 00s or had children at the time, then at some point you will have tuned in to Balamory, the iconic children’s TV show that aired between 2002 and 2005. The show was jokingly referred to as the “world’s first soap for pre-school children” and it dealt with the lives and issues faced by the residents of the fictional coastal town. Characters included police officer PC Plum, fitness instructor Josie Jump and café owners Suzie Sweet and Penny Pocket. However, the show’s central character and narrator was Miss Hoolie, a nursery teacher who was played by Julie Wilson Nimmo. Julie shot to fame thanks to the children’s TV show, and also appeared in the likes of Olga Da Polga, Fags, Mags and Bags and mockumentary series Scot Squad. Although the return of Balamory will feature new characters, it’s been confirmed that Julie will be reprising her role as Miss Hoolie, despite initially being glad to see the back of her, with the recognition from children meaning that she once had …

Inside Balamory’s return with Miss Hoolie icon Julie Wilson Nimmo

Inside Balamory’s return with Miss Hoolie icon Julie Wilson Nimmo

Published by Daniella Wilson

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Julie Wilson Nimmo is reminiscing about the very first scene she filmed in Tobermory, Mull, the real-life town with its rows of colourful waterfront houses that acts as Balamory. She had to wave to the camera in front of Miss Hoolie’s green cottage for the opening credits of the Scottish children’s series that first aired in 2002. She was 29 and a new mum to her seven-month-old son Benny, who went to Mull with her, along with her parents. “I could see them out of the corner of my eye – my mum and dad and my wee boy just across the road,” she remembers. More than 20 years later, at the age of 53, Wilson Nimmo got “really emotional” filming the same exact scene for Balamory’s reboot on CBeebies, something she thought was never going to happen. “I was worried about being old and feeling old, but then I got a good talking to from one of the producers, who said, ‘That’s the end of that.’ …

Sex and the City star, Julie Halston, 71, turns heads in latest red carpet outing

Sex and the City star, Julie Halston, 71, turns heads in latest red carpet outing

Published by Daniella Wilson

Actress Julie Halston made a striking appearance on the New York red carpet this week. The Sex and the City star, 71, attended the opening night of Marcel on the Train at Classic Stage Company on Saturday, February 21 2026 in New York City. The veteran star posed confidently for photographers in a vibrant red tailored jacket paired with wide-leg black trousers. The structured blazer, finished with statement black detailing and a matching scarf-style collar, created a bold silhouette that felt both theatrical and effortlessly chic. © Getty ImagesJulie Halston attends “Marcel on the Train” Opening Night With her platinum blonde hair swept back and her signature bright red lipstick adding a pop of glamour, Julie looked polished and radiant as she smiled for the cameras.  Julie is best known to many fans for her role in Sex and the City, where she appeared as Bitsy Von Muffling – the wealthy and ever-optimistic socialite who memorably married flamboyant cabaret singer Bobby Fine, played by Nathan Lane, in the original HBO series. Her character became a …

Julie McCulloch to join EPI as new chief executive

Julie McCulloch to join EPI as new chief executive

Published by skeptic

ASCL policy chief ‘hugely privileged’ to take over as CEO of think tank EPI ASCL policy chief ‘hugely privileged’ to take over as CEO of think tank EPI More from this theme Recent articles Julie McCulloch has been appointed as the new chief executive of The Education Policy Institute (EPI). McCulloch is senior director of strategy, policy and professional development at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), and is currently on a secondment as head of policy at the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). She said she was “hugely privileged” to join the EPI, an independent research institute that aims to raise standards in education. Her appointment comes after EPI co-founder Natalie Perrera stepped down as CEO of the think tank at the end of January, to take up a senior role at the country’s largest exam board, AQA. Perrera had been at the helm of the EPI since its creation in 2015. McCulloch will join EPI at the beginning of May. Prof Sir Chris Husbands Professor Sir Chris Husbands, chair of the board …

Carol Burnett reveals the ‘dirty limericks’ Julie Andrews used to send her

Carol Burnett reveals the ‘dirty limericks’ Julie Andrews used to send her

Published by Daniella Wilson

Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews are friendship goals. The 92-year-old comedian first became friends with the Sound of Music actress in the 1960s. And their friendship has only blossomed over the last six decades. Both Carol and Julie are iconic actors. Carol has won many awards including seven Emmy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award. And Julie has won an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, seven Golden Globe Awards, two Grammy Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards © Getty Images How did Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews first meet? During an appearance on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Carol opened up about her friendship with Julie, 90. The two met while both performing on Broadway – Carol as Princess Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress and Julie as Queen Guenevre in Camelot. Their friendship quickly took off, with Carol calling Julie “my chum” and saying: “We love each other, we are like – we’re sisters.” © Getty Images Their funny friendship “We went to a Chinese restaurant …

Julie Campiche: Unspoken review – a harpist’s tender, quietly radical hymn to women who endure | Jazz

Julie Campiche: Unspoken review – a harpist’s tender, quietly radical hymn to women who endure | Jazz

Published by Sam Flores

When the London jazz festival ran online only in 2020, an enthralling livestreamed performance by Swiss harpist Julie Campiche’s avant-jazz ensemble was a startling highlight, introducing UK audiences to a virtuoso instrumentalist and composer who was already turning heads in Europe. Campiche plucked guitar, zither and east Asian-style sounds from the harp, mingled with vocal loops, classical music, Nordic ambient jazz and more. You might call her soundscape magical or otherworldly if it didn’t coexist with a campaigner’s political urgency on environmental and social issues. But Campiche is too much of a visionary to overwhelm the eloquence of pure sound with polemic, as her new album, the unaccompanied Unspoken, confirms more than ever. The artwork for Unspoken by Julie Campiche Campiche’s extra-musical agenda here is a celebration of sisterhood, dedicated to women in public and private lives who have inspired her. The opening Anonymous is built around a Virginia Woolf quote – “for most of history, ‘anonymous’ was a woman” – repeated by a chorus of women’s voices in different languages building to a clamour. …

Todd, Julie Chrisley on Masked Singer, Advice from Trump Post-Pardon

Todd, Julie Chrisley on Masked Singer, Advice from Trump Post-Pardon

Published by Daniella Wilson

[This story contains spoilers from episode three of The Masked Singer.]  Back in their first reality television appearance following their release from prison, after President Trump granted them a full pardon, Todd and Julie Chrisley have been revealed as the Croissants on The Masked Singer. The unmasking moment was one that the internet guessed after their performance during the season 14 premiere last Wednesday to “Jailhouse Rock,” where the couple were dressed up as the pastries wearing black and white striped costumes.  “I think from the very beginning, we embraced it,” Julie tells The Hollywood Reporter of their Croissant personas. “I get the nod and the stripes and all that, but the costumes themselves were just so beautiful.”  The Chrisleys’ release from prison made national headlines, arriving roughly a week after Lifetime announced the family’s return to reality TV with a brand-new series. Todd and Julie were convicted of federal bank fraud and tax evasion charges; they were sentenced in November of the same year, with Todd receiving 12 years in prison plus 16 months …