Hoping to follow in their footsteps? Mark Wright tweets wistful picture of his father and mother on their wedding day

He hasn't had the best of luck when it comes to walking down the aisle.

So it's nice to see that Mark Wright still appears to believe in lasting love.

The 25-year-old tweeted a picture of his mother and father on their wedding day, writing: 'Look at my mum @nannypat_carol and dad @bigmarkwright_ on their wedding day haha'

Inspiration? Mark Wright posted this photo of his mother and father on their wedding day on his Twitter page

The snap showed the youthful-looking couple both fresh-faced in white, with Carol's wedding dress perfectly setting off her healthy tan.

 

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Mark Wright Senior- who has only recently joined Twitter- posted the picture first, writing: '29 years and counting. Wow just looked nearly 8000 followers'

There is certainly clear a father-son resemblance, and there's no doubt where Mark and his sister Jessica get their good looks from.

Matchmaking on the mind? Mark has been hosting Take Me Out: The Gossip on ITV2, looking at the backstage goings on during the dating show

Perhaps his parents might be able to pass some tips on to Mark on how to sustain relationships in the future.

Mark claims he broke off his engagement to his former TOWIE co-star Lauren Goodger last year she cheated on him during a night out while he was holidaying in Marbella - which she vehemently denies.

He has not been in a serious relationship since - though he has certainly had matchmaking on his mind recently, hosting ITV2's Take Me Out: The Gossip, discussing behind-the-scenes goings on at the dating show.

Spot the resemblance? It's easy to see where Mark and his sister Jessica get their good looks from

But 25-year-old reality TV star looked as though he was feeling the strain of his new career when he turned up at the ITV studios looking tired earlier this week.

Normally dapper Mark looked a shadow of the smooth talking Lothario that viewers have come to know and love.

It is possible that Mark was having a meeting at ITV to discuss his career with producers.

Little stressed? Mark was spotted looking tired outside the ITV studios on Wednesday

According to reports, Mark is in need of tips on how to become a better presenter after failing to impress as a co-host on ITV2's Take Me Out: The Gossip.

An insider told the Daily Mirror: 'He was wooden and awkward but it's his first job as a presenter.'

Mark, who has admitted that Ant and Dec are a massive inspiration, is also keen to host a show with Dougi Poynter.

Didn't quite make it: Mark was engaged to his ex TOWIE co-star Lauren Goodger, but broke it off last year

The McFly bassist and the former footballer became good friends after appearing on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.

An insider said: 'Mark and Doug are itching to land their own TV show, something they can front together as a duo. Mark has loads of ideas and is really serious about trying to get producers to consider them.'

Little Mix-ing it up! Jesy Nelson proudly displays her slimmed-down figure in a variety of bikinis on Barbados break Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2100473/Little-Mixs-Jesy-Nelson-proudly-displays-slimmed-bikini-body.html#ixzz1mH4GMqri

She had a tough time of it on The X Factor, finding herself the victim of cyber bullying and cruel jibes about her weight.

But now Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson has well and truly put her insecurities behind her, embracing her figure with pride.

The 20-year-old singer displayed her newly-toned curves, the result of frequent personal training sessions, as she hit the beach in Barbados in a variety of bikinis.

Splashing around: Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson wore a variety of pretty bikinis as she made the most of some time off with her bandmates in Barbados

Minted: At another point, Jesy wore a pretty pale green polkadot number, which highlighted her toned curves

Jesy teamed her swimwear, which included a pink polkadot two-piece, a green version and a red bikini, with incredibly volumised hair, which fell down her back as she bounded around in the sea.

And there was no sign of the insecurities Jesy, who has apparently been sticking to three workouts a week, admitted she was feeling in an emotional interview while on The X Factor.

She said at the time: 'When you’ve got your own insecurities and then people… write them on websites for everyone to see, it just makes you feel really rubbish.

Soaking up the sun: Jesy and the rest of Little Mix were enjoying a holiday ahead of the X Factor tour beginning in Manchester on February 25th

No weight worries here! Jesy has well and truly put her insecurities over her size behind her

'Obviously, I know I’m a lot bigger [than the other girls].'The comments really got to me. I knew I’d get nasty stuff said about my weight from the start.

'But it’s not until you actually see it that it hits you. I thought I’d be alright and then I saw it and just burst out crying.'

The pretty singer was enjoying a break with her Little Mix bandmates ahead of the group headlining the X Factor tour, which begins in Manchester on February 25th.

Pensive: At points, Jesy looked deep in thought as she waded through the sea

Having fun? Jesy teamed her bikinis with incredibly volumised hair and sunglasses

Check out that flat tummy! Jesy's slimmed down figure is the result of frequent personal training sessions

The tour will see the group take to the stage in 32 different shows for their adoring fans - a prospect Jesy is thoroughly looking forward to.

She said: 'I’m so excited to go on the X Factor tour. Our National Television Awards performance just gave us a taster about what it will be like.'

For more information on The X Factor tour, as well as dates, visit Xfactor.itv.com.

Singing sensations: Jesy with her Little Mix bandmates late last year

Obama budget plan to tax the rich

The spending proposal includes $1.5 trillion (£950bn) in new taxes, much from allowing Bush-era tax cuts to expire.

He will also call for a Buffett Plan tax hike on millionaires and job-creating infrastructure projects.

The budget must be agreed between the White House and Congress.

Mr Obama will address students at a college in Virginia on Monday morning as he outlines his 2013 spending proposal to Congress.

Dead on arrival?

The BBC's Steve Kingstone says the budget will offer a clear contrast between Mr Obama's vision and that of Republicans.

At its core will be the idea that the wealthiest Americans should pay more in tax and that, in the short-term, a chunk of that extra revenue should be spent on job creation, manufacturing and upgrading the nation's schools.

But Republican leaders, who portray Mr Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal stoking class warfare, have already pronounced the budget dead on arrival.

Mr Obama's plan to allow George W Bush-era tax cuts to expire would affect families making $250,000 or more per year.

The president would also put in place a rule named after billionaire Warren Buffett to tax households making more than $1m annually at a rate of at least 30%.

In a populist touch, over the next decade, the plan would levy a new $61bn tax on financial institutions, in an effort to recover the costs of the financial bailout. And it would raise a further $41bn by cutting tax breaks for oil, gas and coal companies.

Republicans have been railing against the budget, which would entail a fourth year in a row of trillion-dollar-plus deficits.

The spending plan, which would take effect on 1 October, projects a deficit for this year of $1.33 trillion, with the amount shrinking to $901bn by 2013 and $575bn in 2018.

Mr Obama will also propose more than $100bn in investments for transportation projects, revamps for tens of thousands of schools and for the hiring of teachers and emergency service workers.

The plan would seek to defer major spending cuts until the economy is on a more steady footing, a priority as Mr Obama seeks re-election in November.

"I think there is pretty broad agreement that the time for austerity is not today," new White House chief of staff Jack Lew told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday.

Amsterdam's Schiphol airport evacuated amid bomb threa

Dutch police say they have arrested a man who locked himself in a toilet and claimed to have a bomb at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Parts of the airport have been evacuated and shut down since about 11:30 (10:30 GMT).

The bomb squad and scores of police are at the scene. The two main international terminals, one and two, have been evacuated.

Schiphol is one of Europe's busiest airports.

Military police spokesman Rob van Kapel said the man had been arrested and did not pose any threat.

"It's good news, so that we at Schiphol will shortly go back to doing what we're all here for.''

Dutch border police are investigating whether the suspect had explosives in his luggage, reports the BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague.

The airport's website is showing a number of flights being delayed after the threat was received, our correspondent says.

Live television streams showed police with guns, dogs and balaclavas outside the building, she says.

On 25 December 2009, a Nigerian student smuggled explosives on to a flight from Schiphol to Detroit in the US after flying into Amsterdam from Lagos.

He has pleaded guilty to trying to blow up the Northwest Airlines jet he boarded and is due to be sentenced on Thursday. He faces life imprisonment.

Israel envoys 'target of attacks' in India and Georgia

Israeli officials say their diplomats in India and Georgia have been targeted in apparent bomb attacks.

An explosion hit an embassy car in Delhi, injuring one diplomat. Police said there had been an "incident" but could not confirm an attack.

Israeli and Georgian officials said a bomb had been found beneath a diplomat's car in Tbilisi but was found and defused before it could go off.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran was behind the two incidents.

He also blamed Iran for recent plots to attack Israeli targets in Thailand and Azerbaijan that were prevented.

"In all those cases, the elements behind these attacks were Iran and its protege Hezbollah," he told a meeting of his Likud party MPs.

Israel's foreign ministry also said that Israel had the ability to track down those who carried it out.

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, in Jerusalem, says security at Israeli embassies has been further tightened in recent months following warnings of potential attacks after Iranian accusations that Israel was behind a series of attacks on its nuclear scientists.

Bomb squad

After the explosion in Delhi, Indian TV showed pictures of a burning car near the embassy. In later images, the fire was extinguished and the car could be seen burnt out.

The area around the vehicle was cordoned off and forensic experts and the bomb squad were examining the remains.

The embassy is guarded by several layers of security and is in a well-defended area of central Delhi close to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official residence.

David Goldfarb, the spokesman for Israel's Delhi embassy, said the diplomat's car was close to the building on Aurangzeb Road when the explosion went off.

He said they had no details as to who was behind the attack.

Officials in Georgia said an explosive device was attached to the bottom of a diplomat's car in the capital, Tbilisi, but was found and defused before it detonated.

Whitney Houston: No foul play, says coroner

A Los Angeles coroner has said there were no signs of foul play surrounding the death of singer Whitney Houston.

After a post mortem examination, the coroner said there were no visible signs of trauma on Houston's body and that foul play was "not suspected at this time".

He added officials were not ruling out any causes of death until they had the results of toxicology tests.

The star was found dead in the bath in her Los Angeles hotel room on Saturday.

The coroner said he would not release any more details on the post mortem, performed on Sunday at the request of police detectives investigating the singer's death.

Meanwhile, the music world has been remembering her life and career at the Grammy Awards.

Host LL Cool J opened the event with a prayer for the singer, who won six Grammys during her career.

"There is no way around this. We've had a death in our family," he said.

"The only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman who we loved - for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston."

The audience then gave a standing ovation after watching a clip of her hit I Will Always Love You.

Dressed in black and with a simple piano accompaniment, singer Jennifer Hudson later gave a moving rendition of the same song, ending with the line: "Whitney, we will always love you."

Others paying tribute during the ceremony included singer Bruno Mars, who told the crowd: "Tonight we're celebrating the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston."

LA county coroner Ed Winter: "Foul play is not suspected at this time"

"To Whitney up in heaven, we all love you," echoed Stevie Wonder.

Melanie Fiona, who won best traditional R&B vocal performance and best R&B song, said: "Whitney Houston, I would not be standing up here if it were not for you."

Reactions to Houston's death dominated the ceremony, the most high-profile event in the US music calendar.

Before the show, Jimmy Jam, a friend and producer of Houston's, said it was "a bitter-sweet occasion".

"Anytime someone passes away, the thing you do is you gather your family together [and] tell stories," he said.

"A little bit of mourning, little bit of celebrating - this is our family tonight and we're going to do it the best that we can do it."

Earlier on Sunday, the Reverend Al Sharpton paid tribute to Houston while preaching at the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

"Yes, she had an outstanding range," he said. "Yes, she could hit notes no one else could reach.

Singer Jennifer Hudson giving her rendition of I Will Always Love You

"But what made her different was she was born and bred in the bosom of the black church.

Meanwhile, Houston's 18-year-old daughter Bobbi has been released from hospital after being treated for stress and anxiety following her mother's death.

Houston holds the record for having the most consecutive chart-topping singles in the US, reaching number one seven times between 1985 and 1988.

But her later career was overshadowed by substance abuse and her turbulent marriage to singer Bobby Brown.

In recent years drug use had taken its toll on the star and her voice - once acknowledged as one of the finest in pop music - was badly damaged.

A Wendy house fit for a Queen: The secrets and history of the tiny Welsh cottage in the grounds of Windsor where generations of royals have played

The Diamond Queen, the BBC’s three-part series celebrating Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne, is perhaps the most intimate ever portrait of Britain’s monarch. Its presenter, Andrew Marr, was given unprecedented access to the Royal family, whose personal recollections offer a rare glimpse of the woman behind the role.  
Among the most intriguing stories in last Monday’s first programme was that of The Little House, the miniature cottage in the grounds of Windsor’s Royal Lodge where the Queen played as a child. Long forgotten by the public, it was revealed that it has recently been refurbished by Princess Beatrice, who charmed Marr and viewers alike when she spoke of her love for the tiny property and gave him a tour.
Another tantalising scene showed the Queen - dubbed Reader Number One by Parliament for her insistence on poring over every official paper - sitting at her favourite writing desk in Buckingham Palace. It was described as having once belonged to the Bourbons of France prior to the Revolution, but with no further explanation.

Y Bwthyn Bach' - The Little House at Royal Lodge at Windsor was given to the Queen on her sixth birthday

Behind the fleeting insights into these aspects of her life are fascinating stories, which can now be revealed by the Mail on Sunday...
Tucked away from public view in the south side of the gardens of Windsor’s Royal Lodge stands a miniature thatched, white-washed cottage described by the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice as ‘the most glamorous wendy house ever.’ Called Y Bwthyn Bach, or The Little House, it has been a play den for the Queen and subsequent generations of her family for the past 80 years.
The two-thirds size cottage, which measures 24 feet long, eight feet deep and with five feet high rooms, was presented to Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret in March 1932 on behalf of ‘the people of Wales’ on the occasion of Elizabeth’s sixth birthday.  
Designed by architect Edmund Willmott, who had earlier built a less grand little house for his own daughter to play in, it was intended as a symbol of the love and fascination of the Welsh people for the little princess who was, at that stage, never expected to become Queen.  
The mining communities of the valleys had suffered more unemployment than any other part of Britain during the Depression, and the house, built exclusively by Welsh labour and from Welsh materials left over from the Llandough Hospital, was a poignant reminder of a workforce in despair.
It was also designed as a link between the two privileged little princesses and those who lived in genuine cottages. It gave the sisters the chance to play at keeping an ordinary house - although it was far more luxurious than the vast majority of family homes at the time. 

Princess Beatrice, with Andrew Marr, was in charge of the renovations which recently took place at The Little House

The dining room with a portrait of the queen's mother... and Beatrice's teddies, left

The layout of a typical Welsh cottage was followed for the interior. The front door opens onto a small hallway with a kitchen to the right and the ‘siamber fach’, or Little Chamber, on the left. A staircase gives access to a bedroom and a bathroom, which, when it was first built, was very modern, with hot and cold running water, a heated towel rail and electricity.
The contents included a tiny radio, a little oak dresser and a miniature blue and gold china set. There was linen with the initial ‘E’ and a portrait of the Queen’s mother, the Duchess of York, hanging over the dining room mantelpiece. A bookcase filled with Beatrix Potter’s little books, including Jemima Puddleduck, ensured the girls never grew bored. Lattice windows, blue and white checked curtains, blue carpets and white walls finished off the decor.     
The house also contained little books, pots and pans, food cans, brooms, a packet of Epsom salts and a radio licence, all made to order and to scale. In the kitchen, there was a gas cooker and a fridge which both worked. There was even a working, miniature-sized telephone. The house also had its own front garden with scaled down hedges and flower borders. 

The replica gas stove with sparkling pots and pans beside a washing machine, mangle and apron    

The presentation of the finished house was preceded by a narrowly averted disaster. When the house was in transit, first by low loader and then by a steam traction engine, the tarpaulin protecting it caught fire, destroying the thatched roof and many of the timbers. Luckily, the Sea Insurance Company had issued a miniature fire policy for £750 on the building and £500 on the contents.  
Craftsmen worked day and night to repair the damage, with the final bill for all the work coming to an estimated £1,100. When it was finally ready, it was displayed at the Daily Mail’s Ideal Home Exhibition at Olympia for the masses to see. It was then reconstructed in Windsor Great Park for Elizabeth and became a favourite pastime.
The princesses spent many hours cleaning and tidying their tiny home, with Elizabeth in particular developing a reputation for being exceptionally neat. This was the children’s domain, and adults, who had to crounch to fit through the door, were admitted only by invitation.
Over the years, the Queen’s children have also played in the house and latterly, her grandchildren. It holds a special place in the hearts of all the royal children, but Beatrice was especially captivated it, adding, as a child,  a selection of her own teddy-bears to the living room sofa.
She has recently overseen its complete refurbishment over the course of a year, believed to have been paid for by her father, the Duke of York, who has resided at Royal Lodge since 2004. In the first episode of The Diamond Queen, the princess was seen showing presenter Andrew Marr the results.
Under Beatrice’s guidance, new curtains and upholstery were put in, the paintwork was refreshed, the roof was rethatched and the cottage was rewired. The original blue colour scheme was replaced by pale green sofa coverings and cream curtains with tiny dark pink flowers.
‘Granny was very clear that for all the fabric she wanted very little designs. It’s such a little house that she wanted little flowers and patterns,’ she said.     
‘It’s beautiful. I’ve been lucky enough to play here and now Granny’s a great-granny, so now Savannah [Peter and Autumn Phillips’s daughter] can enjoy it too.’    

Elizabeth with King George VI, The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret Rose at the house in 1937

My father put in the plumbing... and I played in the house before Elizabeth

The honour of presenting the keys of Y Bwthyn Bach to Princess Elizabeth’s parents, then the Duke and Duchess of York, was bestowed  Welsh schoolgirl Jean Blake.
On March 16 1932, the seven-year-old dressed in Welsh national costume and accompanied her father William, a plumber and engineer, to Cardiff’s Drill Hall. There, Jean was allowed to explore the little house before greeting the future King and Queen and proudly posing with them.
The Mail on Sunday has tracked down Jean, now 86 and living in Ontario, Canada. Eight decades on, she still recalls the excitement of the day she spent with Royalty.
‘It was luck that I was chosen really,’ she says. ‘I was a similar age Princess Elizabeth and my dad had installed all the plumbing and electricity in the cottage and knew the architect who designed it.

Jean, at home in Canada, accompanied her father William who worked on the house, to Cardiff's Drill Hall

‘My first thought when I saw the house was that it was absolutely beautiful, unbelievable because everything was so life-like but in miniature.  The tea sets, the pictures, a fridge and a cooker, all perfect for a child to use.
‘I remember sitting down at the kitchen table and pouring myself a cup of tea in the little cups. Everything worked just like in a normal house, yet it was a toy.’
Jean, a retired secretary who moved to Canada with her husband Frank Sharman, 90, in 1968, presented a bouquet of flowers to the Duchess of York. The princesses themselves were unable to attend, but their parents were thrilled with the little house.

Jean Sharman on the day she handed over the keys in 1932

‘It was really difficult for adults, especially men, to get into the house easily but the Duke of York ducked down and had a look around. I can’t remember what I said to them, but I do remember they were impressed with the cottage. It would be hard not to fall in love with it.
‘The highlight for me was peddling round in a toy car that was also being given to Princess Elizabeth. It had a little space in the back with a small puppy sitting in it that was another gift from the people of Wales. I’ve always loved dogs and if I’d had the chance I would have taken him home with me rather than hand him over,’ she adds, laughing.
Jean and her husband, who have six great grandchildren, still come back to Britain every year to visit family and friends.
‘A couple of years ago we went to Windsor Castle and asked about The Little House but we were told that it was tucked far back in the gardens of Royal Lodge away from public view and no-one except the Royal Family are given access, which is a great shame.
‘We are coming back to Britain next month and it would be lovely to see it again. At the age of six I didn’t really think about the part I was playing in this historic event, but now I feel very privileged to have been one of the few people outside the Royal Family to have played in the house - even more so knowing I got to go inside it before the Queen herself.’

Did the first owner of one's desk lose his head in the French Revolution?

Throughout her reign, the Queen has impressed one Prime Minister after another with her extraordinary dedication to reading and absorbing the detail of every official State paper she is given - earning her the nickname: ‘Reader Number One’.

The first episode of The Diamond Queen showed her poring over the papers at her writing desk in Buckingham Palace, a stunning cylinder-top escritoire of oak and pine adorned with photographs of her family. They include portraits of her mother and father, behind a calendar showing the date November 30, 2010, and above,  the Princess Royal with a horse, grandson William taken in 1995,  Prince Edward with his wife Sophie and a black and white shot of Prince Charles with Edward as a baby.
On the desk itself are paraphernalia including a black bone glasses case, a gold pencil case and blotter, letter openers, a magnifying glass and a gold initial ‘E’ paperweight.    
The desk itself is part of the Royal Collection of objects held in trust by The Queen as Sovereign for her successors and the Nation, and not owned by her as a private individual.
Briefly described by Andrew Marr as having once belonged to the Bourbon dynasty of France, it was made by Francois-Gaspart Teune, one of the leading furniture makers for the French aristocracy prior to the Revolution, and dated from 1781 - 1788, during the period of Louis XVI. It was purchased for George IV, and its receipt was recorded at Carlton House in September 1828.  
According to antique expert and master restorer Rodrigo Titian, who regularly works for the Royal Household and Historical Royal Palaces, the piece probably arrived in England during or shortly after the Revolution. 

The Queen's desk, which she uses to read through and sort important documents, adorned with personal effects

‘In the early days of the French Revolution, there was a period of frantic activity among the aristocracy, who were selling off their property in a bid to raise enough cash to disappear to safety. Some of it was also sold at auction by the revolutionaries after executing its owners.   
‘As a result, a lot of fine furniture made its way to England, which was prosperous. This desk may have spent years being moved around by the equivalent of modern-day dealers until it was bought by George IV, who was known as the Prince of Pleasure because he was so fond of spending money.
‘Many of the pieces which now reside in Buckingham Palace were originally in Carlton House or the Royal Pavillion in Brighton.’
The desk, which is almost identical to another by German-born Teune in the Decorative Arts Museum in Paris, is veneered in tulipwood, purplewood, sycamore, boxwood and satinwood. It has been exhibited twice in The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, in 1966 and 1988, in an exhibition called Treasures from the Royal Collection.
‘It is absolutely exquisite,’ says Titian. ‘Pre-Revolutionary France was known for lavish spending, and the aristocracy would literally spend as much as it took to make the most magnificent pieces possible.
‘A piece like this, made by one of the elite furniture makers of the time, would fetch anything from £500,000 upwards today. They are incredibly highly sought-after because not only are they beautiful, but there is also a fascination for the period of history they come from.’