«IT'S CALLED GOSSIP AND OF COURSE IT'S AN OBSESSION OF MINE»

I've met Gwyneth Paltrow a couple of times at parties and she always seemed very pleasant. I was impressed when she ditched the mumsy look, and pitched up in a tiny lace dress and killer heels. But then things in Gwynnie world seem to have gone a bit pear-shaped. She shares a trainer with Madonna, and is a yoga nut – nothing too unusual about that. But when she decided to issue embarrassing twaddle on her website, offering useless "advice" and tips about health, warning bells rang. Too many workouts can rot your brain! Now, she seems to have picked up Madge's streak of ruthlessness – offering a chubby friend a free pass to a gym.I'm sure she meant well, but how rude. Can these paragons of physical perfection not cope with pals who may be wider than a stick of celery? Are they cleansing their surroundings by eliminating fatties from their lives along with their toxins? I've a horrible feeling it may be true. Just as people end up looking like their dogs, so Gwyneth and Madonna seem happiest surrounded by clones and yes-people who've signed up to the regime. Pass me a doughnut, please.

The Independent
April 24 2009