2008 Was A Great Year For These Celebrities
Russell Brand
Russell Brand resigned from his BBC Radio 2 show in November following prank calls he and Jonathan Ross made to ex Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, which lead to an Ofcom investigation. But that little scandal was a mere blip in an otherwise glowing 12 months for the long-haired lady-magnet. Russell hosted one of the biggest awards ceremonies in America – the popular MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles at the start of 2008 and he’s already been asked to present the 2009 ceremony. Russell released his autobiography, My Booky Wook, for which he won the top prize at the British Book Awards. Russell also had a main role in the hit comedy film of 2008 Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl has climbed the celebrity ranks in 2008. She was just one-fifth of Girls Aloud and a mere WAG to Chelsea and England footballer Ashley Cole. She had a horrible start to the year, temporarily separating from Ashley after stories of his infidelity were splashed across the tabloids. But the feisty Geordie soon picked herself up and fended off the likes of Mel B and Charlotte Church to land one of the biggest jobs on television, on the X Factor judging panel. Since taking the job, the 25-year-old’s popularity has soared, as she’s blubbed and bitched her way into millions of homes every Saturday night.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton had a great year in 2008, he began dating Pussycat Doll’s lead singer, Nicole Scherzinger, early in the year, then later in January, the F1 driver signed a multi-million pound deal with McLaren Mercedes and won the first race of 2008, the Australian grand prix. After several other wins and high placings, he clinched the Formula One World Championship in Brazil in November, becoming the youngest driver to win the title. Lewis was also featured in the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of £15 million – at only 23 years old!
Britney Spears
Britney’s year didn’t start brilliantly – she’d had two stints in a mental hospital, but the only way was up and Britney quickly got to work on putting her life back together. In September, Britney won her first ever MTV Award – in fact, she won three, for Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video Of The Year. By the end of 2008, the mum-of-two had regained shared custody of her sons and had returned to the stage with a new album and her first UK performance in years, on X Factor. She may have been criticised for miming, but the show received the highest ratings of the year to date as 12.8 million viewers tuned in.
Beyonce
In April 2008, Beyonce married the biggest rapper on earth Jay-Z, at a very intimate ceremony in New York. No photos of the wedding were released, making it the most private A-list nuptials in years; Beyonce only confirmed the marriage publicly in September. Also in 2008, the dynamic duo was named the richest celebrity couple in the world by Forbes magazine, which noted that Beyonce herself earned an estimated $80 million in the year up to June. It is also been reported that Beyonce will be appearing in two films in 2009, so watch this space!
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