Elaine Paige, 78, is an English musical theatre singer and actor, best known for playing Eva Perón in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita. Her single “I Know Him So Well” with Barbara Dickson from the musical Chess remains the highest-selling record by a female duo. She has been nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, hosts Elaine Paige on Sunday on BBC Radio 2 and has just released her 23rd studio album, Miscellaneous Paige.
Here, she looks back at the moments that made her, from leaving home to live in a commune at 18 to keeping fit in her seventies – and her ambition to fly a plane.
Shorts
Scroll to previous short
Scroll to next short
CULTure
Netflix neck-and-neck with BBC when British viewers switch on TV
Caption: (FILES) In this file photo illustration a computer screen and mobile phone display the Netflix logo on March 31, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia. – Bridgerton has become Netflix’s most popular new series, with more than 82 million households tuning in to watch the period drama, the streaming service has announced. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: OLIVIER DOULIERY
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
TV viewers are now as likely to watch Netflix as the BBC, a survey for Ofcom suggests.
Netflix is the first choice for 26 per cent of viewers compared to 25 per cent who favour the BBC.
What the study tells us
Caption: FILE PHOTO: The YouTube logo is seen at the YouTube Space LA in Playa Del Rey, Los Angeles, California, United States October 21, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
Photographer: Lucy Nicholson
Provider: REUTERS
Source: X90050
YouTube viewing surges
The amount of time people watch YouTube on TV sets has doubled since 2022 to an average 19 minutes a day.
Netflix standouts
Netflix hits Adolescence and K-Pop Demon Hunters were two of the top 10 most streamed shows in 2025.
Caption: Adolescence. Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in Adolescence. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix ?? 2024
TV still
Netflix
Provider: Courtesy of Netflix
Source: Adolescence_(UK)_n_S1_E3_00_14_3
Copyright: Cr. Courtesy of Netflix ? 2024
(Photo: Simon Ackerman/Getty Images)
Beeb’s biggest draws
The BBC showed the other eight, including The Night Manager and Run Away.
24 million watch England on BBC
Celebrity Traitors and its video podcast Traitors Uncloaked was the BBC’s biggest title last year, with the finale attracting an average audience of 14.9 million viewers across BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina attracted a peak audience of 24 million viewers across BBC platforms.
LIVE
1 min read
Big Read
3 min read
Battle of the broadcasters
Last year, 70 per cent of people in the UK watched content from traditional broadcasters – including live TV, recorded playback and on-demand services – for at least 15 minutes in an average week, down from 73 per cent in 2024 and 78 per cent in 2022.
Netflix and Disney subscribers could be asked to contribute to the BBC licence fee (Photo: Getty)
The BBC will start showing EastEnders again (Photo: BBC)
Ariana Grande sues hackers who ‘leaked music online’
Ariana Grande is suing hackers who she alleges stole her unreleased music as well as private photos and video.
Caption: US singer actress Ariana Grande attends the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on January 4, 2026. (Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: CHRIS DELMAS
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Hacked off: what we know
The singer alleges two unidentified hackers stole material from her collaborators’ computers, court papers filed in LA show.
Caption: LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 09: Singer Ariana Grande performs at the IPOP! Concert Series an Evening with Make-A-Wish Foundation and Starlight Children’s Foundation at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on January 9, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
Photographer: Angela Weiss
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images North America
Copyright: 2010 Angela Weiss
Caption: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 11: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Ariana Grande attends the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Photographer: Monica Schipper
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images North America
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
It led to 45 songs being leaked in 2023 alone, Grande claims. Since her music debut in 2011, hundreds of similar leaks have taken place, the court documents say.
Lawsuit allegations
The lawsuit aims to reveal the hackers’ identities.
Grande alleges one hacker impersonated a photographer to gain access to material.
Studio footage and music videos were also allegedly stolen.
It’s claimed the material was sold on the dark web.
MUSIC
4 min read
What has she said previously?
In 2024, the pop star and actress. after her song Fantsize was leaked, said: “Before I left for Wicked – [there were] a few studio sessions that I did which are all over TikTok, thank you so much, I’ll see you in jail.
“Those were all written for a TV show.”
FILM
2 min read
MUSIC
4 min read
Why organic free-range eggs are ‘worst for the environment’
Organic eggs are twice as bad for the climate as eggs produced by caged chickens, a new study indicates.
Caption: Asian woman holding a shopping basket, Grocery shopping in supermarket. Woman choosing fresh organic egg. Fruits and vegetables shopping. Healthy eating lifestyle. Pesticide Safe food and vegetable selection for life.
Photographer: nomadnes
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Copyright: POJCHEEWIN YAPRASERT
Organic or caged chicken egg model?
Tonnes of CO2 predicted
2.36m
Greenhouse emissions expected if all the UK’s egg production is switched to organic.
Free range eggs are laid by hens that are fed organic feed,
1.184m
The equivalent in tonnes of CO2 if all egg production was from caged chickens.
More organic chickens are required to produce the same number of free-range eggs.
Facts and figures
Organic egg production needs significantly more land.
Deaths in free range chickens were higher, the study published in Royal Society Open Science found.
The study used data from 2009-2010 from UK poultry farms, The Guardian reports.
Egg consumption across the world is growing.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
Go deeper on this subject
To some people, an egg is an egg, but the variety in appearance, size and the colours of shells and yolks varies a great deal.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
news
Why sitting under a tree during a heatwave may not be as safe as you think
Caption: A person sits in the shade in Castle Park, Bristol. The heatwave across the UK looks set to continue as 2026 became the first year to record temperatures of 35C on six separate days, and emergency services warn of “extreme” wildfire risks over the weekend. Picture date: Saturday July 11, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Photographer: Ben Birchall
Provider: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Copyright: PA Wire
Visitors to parks during the current heatwave are reportedly being warned against sitting under trees, as branches could break as a result of the extreme temperatures.
Here is everything you need to know about the risk.
‘Don’t take shelter under old trees’
Normanby Hall Country Park in North Lincolnshire has warned visitors of the dangers of breakage during the heatwave, after several of their oldest trees lost large branches.
Branch falls have been reported across the UK, with MP for Putney Fleur Anderson saying a mature tree fell on her house in June’s heatwave.
Caption: A hot day to start the week in Cambridge where tempreatures reached 31 degrees and it looks set to remain hot for the reast of the week . July 6, 2026. Photo released 06/07/2026
Photographer: James Linsell Clark / SWNS
Provider: James Linsell Clark / SWNS
Source: James Linsell Clark / SWNS
NEWS
3 min read
Why is this happening?
Due to a lack of water, the trees are basically going into survival mode. [They are] trying to protect the main trunk and [their] system. Any branches that are untoward or have cracks in them, they’re just shedding them.”
Liam Dent, parks and gardens officer at Normanby hall
The nearby district of Rossendale offers a whole host of walks and stunning views
Photographer: Fiftythreenorth
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
What about elsewhere?
Workers at London’s Hyde Park have been told to avoid placing deckchairs under trees, The Times reports.
Royal Parks said it was taking “active measures” to reduce the risk.
“We are fully aware of ‘summer branch drop’, when trees can shed branches due to stress from prolonged dry, hot weather,” a spokesperson said.
Exclusive
3 min read
world
Meet the UK university students preparing for war
While many UK university students are more used to dancing late into the night, some are getting up before dawn to train part-time with the British Army.
The goal for the military is to have a ready group of potential UK officers in case war breaks out.
Eager recruits
The University Officer Training Corps scheme, run at over 50 institutes, sees undergraduates undertake 38 annual days of Army training alongside their degree.
In return, they receive a nominal £1,600 a year, new skills and a potential career path – around 40 per cent of 1,400 recruits join the regular or reserve force afterwards.
NEWS
4 min read
Battle-ready
Officer cadets spend around one afternoon a week with the military, as well as five weekends and a two-week exercise each year. They learn everything from firing rifles to battlefield first aid and planning operations to surviving in the wild.
The exercise this year, in partnership with Dutch university officers, focused on clearing urban areas, navigating trenches and battlefield first aid.
Staying on
Esme Beckly, 21, an English literature student, said the course “made me realise that it is something that I want to do in the future”. She will join the Army as an officer when she graduates.
Monty Walker, 20, who grew up in a military family in Reading before studying accounting at York University, is weighing up his options. He said: “I finish this exercise on Sunday, and then on Monday I’m in London starting an internship. It’s a switch into a different life.”
Watch more from The i Paper
Would you spend your summer holidays on a military training exercise? Six years before the First World War, the British military launched a scheme to train university students as army officers. Dozens of universities are still involved with the University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) , which has 15 units across 27 training locations. The i Paper’s global affairs correspondent, Molly Blackall, joined one cohort for a recent training exercise in The Netherlands. #britisharmy #cadets #putten
♬ original sound – The i Paper – The i Paper
Two beaver kits born in Highlands after repopulation effort
At least two baby beavers have been born near Loch Ness in Scotland for the first time in more than 400 years.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 WEDNESDAY JULY 29
Handout photo dated 24/10/25 provided by Trees for Life of a beaver being released at Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands. At least two baby beavers have been born in an area of the Highlands, marking the first time in four centuries where such births have been recorded in the region. Issue date: Tuesday July 28, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Paul Campbell/Trees for Life/PA Wire
Photographer: Paul Campbell
Provider: Paul Campbell/Trees for Life/PA Wire
Source: PA
Kits born to families released to wild
Two baby beavers, estimated to have been born in May or June, were recently spotted in Glen Affric. This follows the release of seven beavers in October last year and a further four in February.
Caption: Close up of two Eurasian beavers / European beavers (Castor fiber) fighting in pond. (Photo by: Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Photographer: Arterra
Provider: Universal Images Group via Getty
Source: Universal Images Group Editorial
Copyright: ? Arterra / Sven-Erik Arndt
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 0001 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12
File photo dated 05/03/25 of a beaver swimming following a licensed release at Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve. Communities are being invited to discuss the potential return of beavers to the Loch Ness area. The discussion is being run by Trees for Life in partnership with Beaver Trust during September and October. Issue date: Friday September 12, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Photographer: Andrew Matthews
Provider: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire
Source: PA
They are reportedly in good health and their birth signifies a success for the reintroduction project in the area. Beavers were first reintroduced in 2009 after being hunted to extinction in the 16th century.
A ‘wonderful milestone’
These young animals represent the first generation of beavers that will help shape Glen Affric’s future – creating wetlands that support countless other species, improve water quality and build resilience to climate change.
Tobias Leask, beaver management officer, Trees for Life
‘Sightings’ of the so-called monster began in Loch Ness in 1933 (Photo: Sean Gladwell/Getty)
Are you having as much sex as everyone else?
It’s natural for libido to wax and wane due to life events, dating status or hormonal changes.
And it can be hard to say what a “normal” sexual frequency is. But research and case studies give us a rough idea.
The statistics
When it happens
61%
A 2023 survey concluded that almost two thirds (61 per cent) of us wait until night-time to have sex.
Only 14 per cent opt to get busy in the early evening, and 10 per cent in the morning.
Three
Research from 2019 suggests that the average number of times British live-in or married couples have sex per month is three.
Are Gen Z having less sex than older people?
I see my partner on the weekends and have sex with others in the week.
Leanne, a 27-year-old influencer from Bristol has sex three or four times a week, but only sees her long-distance partner on the weekends. They have agreed they can both sleep with other people during the week.
Millennials
35-year-old Rebecca usually sleeps with her partner once or twice per week due to not having much child-free time.
Clare, 32, says her job is busy and she has to schedule sex with her partner on weekends, or some afternoons twice a month. “Occasionally this slips and I do worry that it makes us not as connected,” she says.
Gen X
Daisy, 56
I haven’t had the issue of my sex life drying up with menopause. I’m more aroused now.
Anna, 52
I’ve been married for 15 years. I love my husband, but our sex life is non-existent, and has been for about five years.
Mimi, 46
I’m not really motivated to seek out partners; I vaguely like the idea of it but not enough to take any action.
Boomers
I’ve been married for 20 years and sex has become something of a rarity. We maybe have sex once a week on a Sunday morning as we’re both relaxed and I can take Viagra late on Saturday night – without it, I can’t perform.
JACK, 63, OFFICE WORKER, KENT
Couple, talk and arguing with fight at house for disagreement, conflict and divorce discussion. Woman, explain and bored man for conversation, toxic relationship and drama and marriage fail in lounge – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The seven rules that could save your marriage
Keep your sense of self
I did what I thought I was supposed to do and forgot my needs and wants. I think it’s really important that you’re an individual and not just a person who is married.
KATIE STRATFORD*, A 55-YEAR-OLD MUM OF TWO, WHO DIVORCED ATER 19 YEARS
Caption: A married couple sitting in silence, looking in opposite directions. The image captures the concept of female loneliness within a marriage, emotional disconnection, and relationship problems. Symbolizes quiet desperation and isolation at home
Photographer: Galina Zhigalova
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Seven rules to save your marriage
(Photo: Kathrin Ziegler/Getty).
The small things
Small things, like being brought a cup of tea or saying thank you, make a big difference.
Therapists
Karen Deulofeu, who ended her six-year marriage, believes all couples should seek support, even before they think they need it.
Female psychiatrist discussing with mid adult woman during therapy session – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: MTStock Studio/Getty).
Listen
Listen properly by repeating what you have heard and ask if you’ve got that right.
Don’t lose communication
People don’t talk about the deep issues; nobody else is going to do it for you. You don’t want to ask questions because it might rock the boat…you have to keep talking, and talk about what it is that you want within the relationship to keep going forward.
KATIE STRATFORD
‘One question is how to achieve such a longevity hack when most of us have relationships that unsettle us,’ says Dr Amir Levine (Photo: Oliver Rossi/Getty)
Seven rules to save your marriage
Remember that things change
“What you see on social media and what friends say is quite often the nice version. Everything is a phase,” says Deulofeu.
‘I’m genuinely considering returning to full-time work’ (Photo: PeopleImages/ Getty Images)
Caption: A senior couple spend time in an indoor sunny market. The woman looks through a clothes on a rail as her husband waits patiently behind her.
Photographer: Catherine Falls Commercial
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Look at yourself first
“Focus on what’s in your control and what you can do differently, rather than the other person or a situation that you can’t control. Invest in understanding yourself,” she adds.
When I was young, I just lived life and had a good time – sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. But now it’s all about exercise: keeping moving to stay supple and young. As you get older, you think more about your health than you ever did. I play tennis as much as I can.
The 1960s and 70s were the most magical time to be alive. It was all about freedom, kindness, honesty, independence and equality. We were the first teenagers, the first baby boomers. Everything was a first. Sadly, now we’ve gone completely the other way from all the wonderful things the 1960s and 70s brought us. Everybody seems antagonistic, aggressive, angry and upset.
Back then, you didn’t have to be sexually involved to live with men. It was about freedom and experiment. When I was 18, I told my mum and dad I was leaving home to live in a commune in Hampstead. My father said: “Who are you living with?” I think he expected me to say lots of other girls but, of course, it was mixed, which shocked my parents. To us, it was a new way of life.
Theatre was my university. I was a nice girl from suburban Barnet, Hertfordshire – innately shy, and so full of self-doubt and emotion. Theatre It gave me the spirit of adventure, and that youthful sense of freedom and opportunity.
I only took drugs because my peers did. We had all that wonderful music – the Beatles, Buddy Holly, the Hollies, the Humblebums. We’d sit on homemade beanbags, getting stoned, listening to Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, and Leonard Cohen. My mother used to say: “How can you listen to that man? He can’t sing.” I’d say: “No, mum, but he’s a poet.”
In my twenties, I was always too short for every role. I’d get down to the final two or three of any audition, but then they’d say: “We like you a lot, but you’re too short.” I’m probably only about four foot eleven now, if that. I never made it to five foot – that was my goal.
‘I’ve never had a great deal of confidence. I’m quite a private, reserved person. Whatever you see is a front to hide the true me’
Fame was not something I ever desired. When it came, it was a terrible shock. I wanted Evita very badly – I knew it was a good part and thought I could do it justice – but I was nearly 30, still pretty naive, and living in my first flat in West Hampstead.
I cried when I got Evita – but not tears of happiness, tears of fear. My mother was staying when my agent turned up unannounced, hiding a bottle of Dom Pérignon under her coat, to tell me I’d won the role. It was the most exciting, wonderful evening of my life. The next day, the press descended on my doorstep. We had to pull the blinds down and take the phone off the hook. It was like a scene from a movie. I realised my life had changed in an instant, and it frightened me. I thought: “How am I going to handle this?”
I’ve never had a great deal of confidence. I’m quite a private, reserved person. Whatever you see is a front to hide the true me. I think that’s why I wanted to be involved in theatre because you can hide behind characters. I’m not a party person. I’m much happier at home, reading a book, watching telly or painting. I like my own company. I’m not afraid of being alone.
I keep wanting to retire, but nobody will let me. I was cajoled into making this new record. My record company took me out for lunch and said: “Would you like to make another album, Elaine?” I said: “I’ve made 22 already! Why would I want to make another one at this age?” You can’t sing about unrequited love at my age. It’s ridiculous. But they suggested an album to celebrate my – I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud – 60 years in the business, so I started listening to songs I remembered from my youth, and hit on the idea of songs about how we feel differently at different stages of life.
Why is it unseemly to want to live a real life? Diana Rigg once said to me: “There is more to life than being in the theatre.” She was right. I missed so much. Now I enjoy seeing friends, going for lunches, playing tennis three times a week. I was always in a theatre, so now I’m seeing the world and educating myself through new experiences. I can’t see myself performing live anymore.
I’ve always wanted to fly an airplane. I have a few things on my bucket list. I might do one of those pilot simulators at Gatwick, but I don’t know if I’ll have the nerve. I’ve been on a hot-air balloon ride a couple of times. The last one, in Cappadocia, about three or four years ago, was nearly a disaster. We landed in a tree and it was very frightening.
Elaine’s new album, Miscellaneous Paige, is out now