LEO WOODALL has already dazzled us with his TV acting skills, personality and good looks — but now he is working on getting the full Hollywood physique.
I can reveal the actor, who found fame on dramas including The White Lotus and One Day, put a mini-gym on the rider of his current film, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
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It is so he can always look buff when playing London gardener Rockstar, who becomes the toyboy crush of Bridget, played by Renee Zellweger.
A TV insider said: “Leo is already in great shape.
“But given the fact he’s supposed to be someone who spends all day doing manual work, he really wants to look the part.
“So, as the consummate acting pro that he is, Leo is said to be hitting the weights between takes so he can look his best for the cameras. And judging by some of the images that have been coming from the set of the film, the hard work certainly seems to be paying off.”
Leo already had viewers hot under the collar when he stripped off in the second series of The White Lotus in 2022.
He played Jack, an Essex boy who was hiding an uncomfortable secret underneath his co*cky exterior.
Then he had audiences in tears playing the leading man Dexter in One Day, an adaptation of the romantic novel by David Nicholls.
It was screened on Netflix earlier this year, and once again saw Leo lose his clothes in love scenes.
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But the actor admitted he had to stop working out so much because he figured the character would not be into beefing up.
Bridget Jones's greatest moments
He said: “I remember thinking that Dex can’t be a big gym guy.”
But the need for more muscle was obvious when he took on the role of Rockstar, a Hampstead Heath park attendant in Mad About The Boy.
Not only have the movie’s producers put him in an extremely tight T-shirt, Leo also has to have Bridget attracted by his charms, or maybe just his arms.
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Malala loves a laugh
MALALA YOUSAFZAI may be an education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, but she likes a laugh.
She was invited to feature in the second series of Channel 4 music comedy We Are Lady Parts, about a rock band.
Writer Nida Manzoor said: “I had this idea for the song, Malala Made Me Do It, it’s a hype track. I was massively stressed out about how we were going to make sure Malala had a good time.
“She was so laid back and easy- going. She also has a very dark sense of humour, and she’s so funny.”
Olden age of Love Island
IS Love Island taking inspiration from fellow dating show My Mum, Your Dad?
After Davina McCall's series proved daters with more life experience can create TV gold, ITV has upped its age limit for the Love Island villa.
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The full cast, revealed in The Sun yesterday, are the show’s oldest bunch of sexy singles yet.
They include a hairdresser, mental health nurse and a sweet salesman.
But they also include footballer Ronnie Vint, 27, and recruiter Munveer Jabbal, 30, who says he is mates with Piers Morgan's son Spencer.
Then there’s office worker Patsy Field, 29, and make-up artist Samantha Kenny, 26, also alongside the usual clutch of those in their early twenties.
It means the average age of the Islanders in this year’s line-up is 25 – more than two years older than in any other season.
A source said: “Two years might not sound like a lot but in Love Island years it really is.
“Having the older castmates in the mix will hopefully bring about better conversations, meatier storylines and a lot more drama.”
Which is handy, because host Maya Jama has revealed her main goal for this year’s series is more war than peace.
Ahead of the launch next Monday at 9pm on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX, she said: “I’ll be honest, I’m hoping for drama.
“I want loads of love and happy couples at the end but I do want to be entertained, so I’m hoping for lots of fiery moments.”
So this is going to end
I CAN reveal comedy drama This Is Going To Hurt has reached the end of its life, with no plans for a second series.
The Bafta-winning BBC One show was based on real-life experiences of former NHS doctor Adam Kay and starred Ben Whishaw.
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Director Lucy Forbes said: “There’s zero chance of it coming back it’s categorically gone.
“This Is Going To Hurt was a very popular series and it could have continued, but we told a self-contained story in a single series that was rounded off at the end of the seventh and final episode.”
It is at odds with what creator Adam had shared last year, when he hinted: “If I thought of ideas for one I might do it. It remains a possibility.”
Joseph's terror
JOSEPH Fiennes was more scared of having no props or a script than dangers Canada’s wilderness threw at him.
He was joined by his cousin – – Sir Ranulph Fiennes – for National Geographic’s Fiennes: Return to the Wild.
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They retrace the steps of the explorer’s 1971 tour of British Columbia.
But death-defying glaciers and mountain peaks were the least of his worries.
Joseph said: “I much prefer props and moustaches, and you know, a script to hide behind.
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“There’s something kind of scary about being exposed and having to be yourself. It’s devised to a degree but it’s unscripted. I’d rather hide behind another persona than to be myself because I’m a little bit awkward.”
The second episode is on Sunday.
