TALK of a romance between Gladiator star Paul Mescal and US singer Gracie Abrams has been blowing up my phone for weeks.
The pair were first spotted together at the end of June grabbing food at Brat in Shoreditch in East London, where Paul was seen stroking Gracie’s cheek as they chomped down on some small plates of food.
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Now I can reveal they have enjoyed a second date, heading to London’s posh Bond Street for a shopping trip last weekend where they splashed the cash at shops including Gucci and Ralph Lauren.
Clearly, Paul’s Gladiator II pay cheque is being put to good use.
My insiders told me Paul and Gracie went out of their way to remain low-key, and after their shopping date they headed off in separate directions.
I’m told: “Paul and Gracie looked like any other young couple hitting the shops, and they went almost unnoticed. They seemed very relaxed in each other’s company and were busy checking out the posh shops on Bond Street.
“Paul is a very low-key person, as is Gracie, so there was no fanfare and they kept their distance from each other when they were out on the street. When they had finished shopping, they each went off alone.”
Gracie, daughter of leading movie director JJ Abrams, has been in town for a series of acoustic performances across the UK.
Interestingly, when she played three consecutive gigs in Kingston upon Thames in South West London, Bristol and Southampton, she chose each time to come back to the capital.
My sources told me Gracie was staying at the Chiltern Firehouse in central London during her stay and returned there after each gig.
They added: “Paul wasn’t seen at any of Gracie’s shows but the fact she chose to keep coming back to London seemed quite telling.
“Bristol and Southampton are less than 100 miles apart but instead of bedding down at her next stop she came back to London each time.
“It seems being close to Paul is a real draw.”
And who could blame her?
After seeing those new photos of Paul with tree trunk- sized arms for his new role as Lucius in the Gladiator sequel, I think he’ll need a stick to fight off all his new admirers.
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Rylan shrugs off ban
RYLAN CLARK has been barred from sending messages on Instagram, after the app’s AI misread a photo of his garden.
The TV host says he has been punished for sending a snap which was monitored as X-rated by the dodgy software.
Laughing it off, he wrote on his account: “Anyone that’s messaging me – I’m not being rude but I’ve been banned for three days for sending a picture of a plant that looks like a willy. Back Wednesday.”
I’d love to know this plant that confused Instagram.
Answers to the Biz Batphone, please.
Mixed booked time off
THEY wrapped up their Hackney Diamonds tour in the US last night with a mammoth final show at the Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Missouri.
And as I revealed earlier this month, the Rolling Stones are now up for a well-deserved break before they start work on putting the finishing touches to a series of new South American dates.
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Amid the madness, insiders told me that Mick Jagger has been offered a series of big-money offers to finally put pen to paper for a memoir about his life.
But fans of the legendary frontman may be left wanting when it comes to an autobiography, as I hear Mick has turned down the idea of a book deal despite the huge sums of cash being waved in his direction.
A source said: “Mick has drawn the line under ever writing a book about his career and life.
“The sums are well over the £20million mark but he is all about looking forward, not reviewing the past.
“To spend 18 months or more working with an editor is not anything he is interested in. So it’s now a definite, ‘Thanks, but no thanks’.”
This week in bizness
TODAY: The festival that’s set up to celebrate the life of Caroline Flack, Flackstock, takes place at Englefield House, Berks, with a headline set from her pal Olly Murs.
Other acts on the line-up include Shaznay Lewis and Chesney Hawkes.
THURSDAY: Nominations for this year’s Mercury Prize will be announced at an event in London.
The gong celebrates the most critically acclaimed British albums of the past 12 months.
FRIDAY: All eyes will turn to Paris as the Olympic opening ceremony gets underway, with an estimated 2,000 dancers involved in the event.
The musical guests are being kept a close secret but it’s bound to be impressive.
SATURDAY: One of the UK’s largest pop culture conventions, Comic Con Manchester, takes over the BEC Arena.
Karen Gillan, Catherine Tate and – rather randomly – Tommy Fury will be among the stars offering meet and greets.
Maya’s having a ball
NEWLY single Maya Jama spent Saturday night with a group of lads who are exactly her type on paper.
In a stunning backless dress, the Love Island host – who was once engaged to hoops star Ben Simmons – was courtside as the American Olympic basketball team played at London’s O2 Arena.
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But I don’t think her recent ex Stormzy needs to be too concerned, as Maya had her little brother and mum in tow.
They were in good company at the game, with Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina also getting courtside seats, along with model Jourdan Dunn.
And after I revealed Adele is busy working on a return to the UK after years in America, the singer is making the most of her time back on home turf.
She watched the US slam-dunkers beat the South Sudan team, with her husband Rich Paul.
I’m surprised anyone was watching the game, with that much star-power in the front row.
The game marked the first of Teg Sport’s run of three gala events at The O2, with some tickets still available.
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A salute for Shar
SHARLEEN SPITERI has a lot to celebrate ahead of Texas’s arena tour this year.
Over the weekend she was honoured with the illustrious Chevalier medallion at the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) in France.
Sharleen was handed the honour for her contribution to music and the arts, and follows in the footsteps of previous honourees Uma Thurman, Kylie Minogue and Tim Burton.
She will hit the road for nine arena dates across the UK in eight weeks’ time, kicking off in Hull on September 3 before heading to London, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham and Glasgow.
We raise our glasses to you, Sharleen.
Marsh flogging sexy merch
THERE’S a reason Noughties fashion has yet to make a comeback, but for me there’s no garment more memorable than Jodie Marsh’s army belt top.
Now, 11 years on, the ex-party girl has revealed she still owns the outfit – even though she’s been trying to flog the skimpy strips of camo to fund her animal sanctuary.
But she said: “You can’t just do it on eBay because trolls mess it up with fake bids.”
Solo Jade gets off to a flyer
JADE THIRLWALL’s solo career is off to a cracking start, as her debut single Angel Of My Dreams is at No2 in the mid-week charts.
And she has already been celebrating, as the former Little Mix star was seen knocking back shots at Shoreditch House in London with boyfriend Jordan Stephens and pals late on Saturday night.
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That’s despite the fact she had a late one on Friday, when she made a surprise appearance at Jodie Harsh’s club night Feel It in the capital.
Jade has kept her distance from another Little Mix drama, after a producer revealed that Jesy Nelson didn’t sing on the group’s final single as a four-piece, No Time For Tears, in 2020.
Tre Jean-Marie, who worked on the track, wrote on Instagram: “All of Jesy’s backing vocals (and even one of the leads) on No Time For Tears are somebody else impersonating her because she was quite literally over it.”
DJ Joel to Ed off to Italy
ED SHEERAN has worked with Beyonce, Stormzy and loads of others over the years, and next up could be a collaboration with Brit DJ Joel Corry.
The Brit producer has revealed he is planning to jet off to Italy next month to get in the studio with the singer.
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Joel said of Ed: “He’s a lovely guy. He said he’s doing some music out in Italy this summer and he invited me to go over, so hopefully that can happen. I’m a big fan.”
But it sounds like Joel has another collaboration coming out before that, with Kylie Minogue.
Joel explained: “I was in the studio with Kylie in LA and it was an amazing experience. She was literally like, ‘We’re here to work. We’ve got to get this track done. We’ve got this many hours together – let’s smash it and focus and work’.
“I love working with someone who has that outlook on it. I can tell why she’s had such a long and successful career.”
Joel’s flourishing career, which also includes a crazy amount of shows each year, has come at a cost though.
He told the Headstrong podcast: “I don’t see friends any more, if I’m being really honest. I spend so much time on my own travelling around and working.”