David Bowie is “not my late husband, he’s my husband,” says Iman who never wants to remarry

By
Monica Pop
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David Robert Jones, or David Bowie as we all know him, was considered a leading figure in the music industry and one of the most famous and most influential musicians of the 20th century. Unfortunately, this great man left this world in 2016 after a battle with cancer. He left behind a legacy and a number of iconic music pieces that would be around in the years to come.

Bowie had been married to entrepreneur and former supermodel Iman for 26 years. They had daughter Alexandria “Lexi” Jones together, who was still a teenager when her father died.

Today, almost 6 years after his passing, Iman spoke of the sorrow she felt and the presence of her husband that she feels every single day.

Speaking to Today, Iman revealed how her daughter asked her if she would ever remarry, to what she answered “no.”

“People say to me when they talk, ‘Oh I loved your late husband,’ and I said, ‘He’s not my late husband, he’s my husband,’ so that’s how I feel about it. This was truly the love of my life, and I just wait until I meet him again.”

In the process of helping Lexi deal with the grief, Iman realized she didn’t dealt with the grief herself.

“I had a daughter who was a teenager when her father passed away, so I was really more concentrated in helping her go through her grief,” Iman shared. “But I thought, oh yes, I did go through my grief, but I actually did not.”

“Last year I went to my house estate, this beautiful property that I haven’t spent time there since my husband passed away, and there I was stuck for the year and I was forced to deal with it,” she continued. “All of a sudden grief knocked on the door and became a companion. And I went through all of it, and now it is the joy that I remember.”

Iman also recalled the time she and Bowie first met. Apparently, he felt it was love at first sight. She, on the other hand, needed few months to get there.

After their first date, Iman had to travel to Paris for a runway show. Once she entered her hotel room, she was stunned by the incredible sight. The entire place was filled with beautiful Gardenias that Bowie arranged for her. When she returned, he waited for her at the airport.

“Early on, we were walking down the street and my shoelace came undone and he got on his knees to tie it for me and I thought he’s the one,” she told People.

The muse of a number of designers, among which Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Yves Saint Laurent, paid tribute to her late husband by creating a fragrance named Love Memoir. It can be purchased exclusively at HSN and hsn.com.

“There are days that are harder than others but the memories are not all sad of why the person isn’t here. The memories are now of how great it was. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I had 26 years. So I have that to sustain me,” she said.

“I definitely feel his presence,” Iman added, “especially when I look out over the glorious sunsets at our home because David loves sunsets. So in that way he is ever present.”

What these two had was truly special. We are so very sad for Iman’s loss. Rest in peace, David Bowie, you live through your music.

Man takes chance on jobless handyman standing on side of road begging for a job

By
Monica Pop
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The ongoing pandemic imposed “a new normal” where we are expected to limit the social contacts to the minimum. A number of businesses were forced to close down and that left millions of people jobless and struggling to make ends meet. One of those affected by the pandemic was a man named Robert Simpson who not only experienced a hard time landing a job, but lost his home too. He and his girlfriend, along with her 6-year-old son, were forced to move into a hotel where they pay rent. But with his only income being his disability check of $1,000 a month, living was hard.

Unable to provide for his family, Robert decided to try his luck by standing at a corner at the Hurstbourne exit off Interstate 64 in Louisville with a sign in his hands saying, “Handyman. 25 years exp. Need work.”

Source: YouTube/ WLKY News Louisville

He stood there for days before someone snapped a photo of him and shared it on Instagram along with the caption, “This man was out on Hurstborne (Louisville, Ky) today. He isn’t asking for money, he just wants to work. If you know any businesses that may be in need of a handyman please pass his number on.”

Luckily, the photo caught the attention of the right person, Kyle Kark, the owner of Greenstar Home Remodeling, company offering remodeling services, mainly of offices.

Even though he had never met Robert before, Kyle decided to give him a call and offer him a steady job. Just what Robert needed and hoped for.

Source: YouTube/ WLKY News Louisville

Speaking to WLKY News Louisville, Robert said, “It feels excellent. It’s a blessing. I didn’t even ask him what he was paying. I just came. And he’s been taking care of me ever since.”

Kyle even drives Robert to work every day as he doesn’t have a car. On top of that, Kyle organized a fundraiser to help Robert with his rent and to ease his life even further.

Source: YouTube/ WLKY News Louisville

“Green Star Home has had the honor and privilege to work with Rob the Handyman today,” the GoFundMe page read.

“Though we will continue to help Rob and his family out when and where we can, we ask our community to also provide the much needed support.

Rob is a humble man and has not once asked for a dime he has not earned, but he and his family are without essential needs, such as a vehicle and a permanent place to stay, so it is Green Star’s hope that you will join us in supporting our neighbor Rob and his family by providing the funds needed to get him back on his feet.

We thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity.”

Source: YouTube/ WLKY News Louisville

The page helped raise over $24,000. One person who donated $1,000 wrote, “God bless you and your family. I am honored to help you to gain a fresh start. You are the best this Country has to offer! A real role model.”

Source: YouTube/ WLKY News Louisville

For more on the story and Robert and Kyle’s interviews go to the video below. What an inspiring story during these tough times for the humanity.

Body of missing 2-year-old Emma Sweet has been recovered from White River

By
Monica Pop
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Rescue teams consisting of the Bartholomew County Water Rescue and Recovery Team, other water rescue agencies, as well as a number of volunteers, were searching for 2-year-old Emma Sweet after her father Jeremy was spotted by duck hunters in his partially submerged pick up truck last Friday. Both Jeremy and Emma were reported missing by the girl’s mother, but at the time Jeremy was found, little Emma was nowhere to be seen.

The extensive and thorough search ended up with Emma’s body being recovered from White River, some 2.5 miles downstream from where Jeremy was discovered. The body was found next to a pile of debris in the water, as reported by Yahoo.

Emma’s mother and uncle were also part of the search teams.

In a Facebook post on the Bartholomew County Sheriff page, Sheriff Matt Myers wrote while the search was still ongoing, “I have never in my 30 years in law enforcement seen such cooperation and teamwork in an investigation. I had no doubt that the men and women searching for Emma would find her.”

Speaking of the girl’s mother and family, the sheriff added, “I pray the Lord to comfort them during this difficult time.

“I again want to praise the first responders and all of those who came out to help search for Emma.”

It remains unclear how the pick up truck ended in the water. In the meantime, Jeremy was placed on the 72-hour hold.

Detectives spoke to him several times and he has given conflicting stories about how he and his daughter ended up in the water.

Once he’s out of the hospital, where he is being treated for hypothermia, he would be taken to the Bartholomew County Jail, as per sheriff Myers.

Rest in peace, Emma!

The short-lived marriage of Kenny Chesney and Renée Zellweger

By
Monica Pop
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Hollywood is the place where the magic happens. Besides all those glorious million-dollar worth productions, it is also known for the love stories of many celebrities who hope to find the right one in a colleague or a co-star. However, what is typical for most Hollywood marriages is that they don’t usually last, and the one between the Bridget Jones’ Diary star Renée Zellweger and country singer Kenny Chesney is an example of that.

From the very start, the public believed that this couple was a bit unlike. Renée was reaching for the stars at the time, while Kenny already had a number of famous songs under his belt, so they were both famous in their own right.

What they had in common was that they were both from Texas, but that wasn’t reason enough for their union to succeed.

Getty Images

The two were reported to have first met during NBC’s broadcast “Concert of Hope,” a tsunami aid telethon in January 2005. Apparently, Kenny learned that Renée was trying to “pass him a note.”

“When the broadcast wrapped, [Chesney] went over [to Zellweger] and said, ‘I hear you are trying to pass me a note — don’t let the principal find out,’” a friend of Rene’s told People.

Before this meeting, Renée was dating other people. She was shortly engaged to actor Jim Carrey and dated musician Jack White, lead singer of The White Stripes.

At the time, Kenny already had 20 albums and more than 40 top 10 singles on the US Billboard Hot Country, while Renée charmed the world with her roles in Jerry Maguire and the iconic Bridget Jones Diary.

Jim Carrey & Renee Zellweger at the Mann Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California
(Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Once Renée and Kenny announced they were dating, the news took the magazines by storm. Few weeks later, they revealed they tied the knot during a private ceremony at St. John at Kenny’s place in the gated community of Peter Bay.

“It’s a quick, surprise wedding, kind of a shocker for all of us here in Hollywood who did not see it coming,” Mark Steins of Entertainment Tonight wrote at the time.

What came as a bigger shock was that just four months after saying I do, Renée asked her marriage to be annulled. Neither of them wanted to speak of the reasons which led to the decision at the time, but over the years, they both opened up and tried to make things more clear.

Shutterstock

Apparently, Rene listed “fraud” as the reason for her marriage to be annulled, and that caused quite a stir because people started speculating that Kenny could be gay. The actress the felt the urge to comment on those speculations, saying, “the miscommunication of the objective of their marriage at the start is the only reason for this annulment.”

Further, she was reported to have told Celebrity Nine, “That made me sad. It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences. Of course, there’s the bigger-picture problem of why anyone had to make up a story at all.”

Some believed the problem started at their honeymoon. “Well, we did our honeymoon in Little Rock at a show. I had to go back on the road, so we went to Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Dallas and San Antonio. And then I flew here. So it was not that great of a honeymoon,” the musician reported back in the day.

During an appearance at Oprah, Kenny tried to explain what really happened between him and his now ex-wife. He said his life was sort of packed in a box, and Renée somehow didn’t fit in that box.

”I panicked. It was out of the box. Oh my God, but it’s tough. It really is tough, and she’s a sweet soul, no doubt about it, but I just wasn’t ready…. This is the first time I’ve actually talked about it, but that’s what happened.”

This, however, didn’t put a stop to the rumors, so in 2009, Kenny had an interview with Playboy, as reported by CMT News, and went further on to explain, “That is the most unbelievable thing in the world … What guy who loves girls wouldn’t be angry about that sh—? I didn’t sign up for that. I think people need to live their lives the way they want to, but I’m pretty confident in the fact that I love girls. (laughs) I’ve got a long line of girls who could testify that I am not gay.”

Shutterstock

Although this celeb marriage was short-lived, it managed to cause controversy. We believe both Renée and Kenny are glad this period of their lives is behind them as they both continued be great at what they do when it comes to their professional lives.

Amber Rachdi became a role model for millions of people after she lost over 260 pounds on “My 600-lb Life”

By
Monica Pop
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Every journey starts with a single step, and the road to a healthier lifestyle for the “star” of the third season of My 600–lb Life, Amber Rachdi, was challenging and burdensome. It took this young lady five years for her to get her life back. This is her story.

Youtube/HealthyWays

Amber struggled with her weight basically her whole life. When this Oregon girl was just five, she weighted 160 pounds. She struggled with eating disorder that later led to anxiety disorder and anxiety attacks. Sadly, in order to calm down, Amber would always turn to food. She admitted she found comfort in eating and her parents cooked her meals whenever she was anxious or nervous.

When Amber was 23, her life didn’t resemble that of those her age in any way. While her friends were out partying, she was “imprisoned” in her home and had a hard time performing even the simplest of tasks such as getting down the stairs.

The only time she went out was when she and boyfriend Rowdy, who lived with her and her parents, went shopping together. Even then, she was moving around using a mobility scooter.

Youtube/HealthyWayse

The worst of all was that although Amber hated the condition she put herself in, she believed there was nothing that could be done and instead of turning to a healthier way of living, she would just eat more and more with each passing day.

“I’ve tried so hard, so many times, to change the way I eat. But I can’t. I’m already such a failure. Why not just keep failing? I hate being in public. I feel like a sideshow,” she said.

However, her wake-up call was when she was told that in case she doesn’t change her life, she wouldn’t likely reach her 30th birthday.

Youtube/HealthyWays

At the age of 23, Amber met the doctor who would change her life, famous Dr. Nowzaradan, also known as “Dr Now” who’s part of the TLC’s show My 600-lb Life.

However, on her way to Houston, Texas, where the show is filmed, she experienced an unpleasant situation. Her wheelchair couldn’t hold her and broke down, so her father had to wheel her through the airport in an over-sized luggage cart. On the plane, Amber was sitting on two sits and could hardly squeeze into the row.

Youtube/HealthyWays

Amber was hoping to get the so much anticipated gastric bypass to reduce her enlarged stomach, but that wasn’t as easy as she thought. Dr. Now said her condition was worrying and asked her to lose at least 20 pounds before he considered operating on her.

She was determined to continue her journey and her diet now consisted of mainly vegetables and chicken. Her family moved to Houston to help her stay on the right path, although her boyfriend continued eating junk food in Amber’s presence but she didn’t fall into temptation. Instead, she started going to the gym. “Starting to walk again has been difficult,” she explained. “It hurts and it’s hard.”

Youtube/HealthyWays

Amber lost 17 pounds, and Dr. Now decided it was enough for the surgery to take place. Her stomach was reduced from the size of a football to the size of a baseball. It was the new start she was longing for for so long, and she knew there was no going back if she wanted to be happy and healthy again.

Over the course of a year, brave and determined Amber lost 267lb, going from size 6X to 2X.

She said her journey was hard and described it as a “crummy experience,” according to the In Touch Weekly. “They exert a certain kind of pressure and lack a human touch sometimes,” she wrote. “They assumed we would be difficult and were rather forceful with their demands? It didn’t feel good, respectful, or mutually beneficial working with the production. There are lovely individuals on their payroll, and I met some incredible people, but it definitely wasn’t an experience I want to repeat.”

After Amber’s family got back to Oregon, she and her boyfriend stayed in Houston and could finally go on their second date outside her house.

“I surprised myself.” Amber said. “I’m shopping for myself, I’m eating healthy and I’m working out. I’ve taken control of my life.”

Amber inspired millions of people and was dubbed a role model by many.

Today, five years after her journey started, Amber is getting married to her new boyfriend, as she and Rowdy split but remained good friends.

She wants everyone to know that taking back control over your life is not always easy but it’s well worth it.

Speaking about her life-changing journey, Amber wrote on Instagram, “I was REAL fat. Now, I’m just normal fat. Life ain’t bad.”

We wish her only the best in life.

Girl raises $2K for veterans through her lemonade stand

By
Monica Pop
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Children have the purest souls.They always speak their mind and do impressive things. The parents of 8-year-old Sammie Striker of Saginaw, Michigan, have a lot to be proud of because of their daughter. You see, Sammie isn’t an ordinary girl who dreams of buying herself a bunch of toys and fancy clothes. She knows that somebody out there could use the money she earns for much practical purposes.

Sammie “runs” a lemonade stand and all the money she makes go to a special place, the VA Hospital in Saginaw.

Source: WILX News 10

Although she’s young, she understands the sacrifice of our veterans so she wants to repay them for their service in the most adorable way. Knowing she collects money for the veterans, most of her customers don’t ask for a change when they buy a cup of her juicy refreshment. Many leave $10 or even $20.

Last year, she sold 65 gallons of lemonade and made $1,500. This year, she set her goal to $2,000, and thanks to everyone who stopped by her stand, she reached it.

Sammie presented the hospital with a check of $2,111.

Source: WILX News 10

“They said that we need more people like you in the community because we can take all the help we can get for the hospitals and because there’s a lot of people that need help,” Sammie said of the hospital’s officials.

Jeffrey Wendt, an official with the VA Hospital, said that they are impressed with Sammie’s work and her dedication to her cause. “It’s a great message to other students and other young people to be as generous and as hard working as she is,” he said.

For next year, Sammie is hoping to raise $5,000 that she’s planning on donating again.

What a thoughtful thing to do.

Kidnapper grabs pre-teen, but soon realizes he messed with the wrong group of girls

By
Monica Pop
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Four girls who were out having fun and hanging out were suddenly attacked by one man who tried to kidnap one of them. He pulled the girl by the hair and started pulling her towards him. It was a moment of shock for both the girl in question and her friends.

“He looked really weird,” Allison Eickhoff told Inside Edition. “He grabbed me and he, like, covered my mouth and he grabbed my head. He said, ‘You’re coming with me,’ and I was, like, in shock.”

Source: YouTube/ Inside Edition

Luckily, the rest of the girls, among which Allison’s sister, acted quickly and prevented the worst case scenario from taking place all because of our favorite beverage; coffee. Having their huge cups of coffee in their hands, the quick-thinking girls threw them at the alleged abductor and started hitting him on the head.

“I grabbed my drink and chucked it at his head. I tried, I punched him in the head,” Lauren told ABC News. “Seeing that your little sister was going to get taken is very scary.”

Source: YouTube/ Inside Edition

The police arrived at the scene just in time to arrest the predator, 22-year-old Bruce Hipkins who has since been charged with a multitude of cases including unlawful imprisonment, assault and battery, and two counts of criminal sexual conduct. His bail was set at $250,000.

The girl’s bravery could also be seen on Hipkins’ mugshot, which shows his shirt visibly covered in coffee stains.

The girls’ dad, Aaron Eickhoff, has taught his daughters how to act in self-defense and his glad those lesson came in handy when they needed them the most.

“Punch ’em, kick ’em, anything to get away and always punch in the throat … they go and stop breathing,” Allison shared some of the tricks with Inside Edition.

Source: YouTube/ Inside Edition

Millington Police Chief Jason Oliver was pretty impressed with the girls’ act and how they saved themselves. “The girls thought fast and did the right thing by fighting back,” he said.

The girls shared a piece of advice with others, saying to “always fight back because you always have a chance.”

For more on the story check out the video below. We are so glad everything turned out for the best and a disaster was avoided from taking place.

Donald Trump met up with Kyle Rittenhouse days after he was found not guilty

By
Monica Pop
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The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, which ended with him being found not guilty, attracted the attention of the wide public. And while some believed he acted in self-defense the night he killed two people and wounded one, others were convinced he needed to be found guilty of all the charges and jailed for life.

On the night of August 25, 2020, Rittenhouse left his home in Antioch, Illinois, and went Kenosha, Wisconsin, holding a weapon. He claimed he drove to Kenosha in order to protect businesses from the rioters protesting against the police in the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Rittenhouse faced charges of first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree intentional homicide, amongst others, with the second of those carrying a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. The entire time, he claimed that he killed his victims, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounded third, because he acted in self-defense.

Source: Getty Images

Amid his trial, a poll asked the public to take a stand, and the results showed that two-thirds of Republicans believed he should be acquitted, while three-quarters of Democrats thought he should be convicted.

After reaching a verdict and finding Rittenhouse not guilty, he went on to speak of his case, saying that it was a classic example of prosecutorial misconduct. In an interview with right-wing host Tucker Carlson, Rittenhouse said, “It wasn’t Kyle Rittenhouse on trial in Wisconsin; it was the right of self-defense on trial.”

He then went on to explain, “I believe there needs to be change. I believe there’s a lot of prosecutorial misconduct — not just in my case, but in other cases. And it’s just amazing to see how much a prosecutor can take advantage of somebody. If they did this to me, imagine what they could have done to a person of color who doesn’t maybe have the resources I do or isn’t widely publicized, like my case.”

One of the public figures who stood by Rittenhouse’s side from day one was former President Donald Trump. Six days after the trial started back in 2020, while Trump was still POTUS, he was reported saying, “He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like. I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed,” referring to the shooting.

Days after getting out of prison, not surprisingly, Rittenhouse paid Trump a visit at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. The two shared a photo on Twitter on which they have huge grins on their faces.

After the meeting, Trump had an hour-long interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, during which, among the rest, he discussed meeting Rittenhouse and his mother.

“Kyle, I got to know him a little bit. He called. He wanted to know if he could come over and say hello because he was a fan, unlike the other guy,” Trump said.

Referring to the trial, Trump added, “He should never have been put through that. That was prosecutorial misconduct,” calling Kyle “a really nice young man.”

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