A relationship expert has said that people who are attracted to their coworkers are often not in love with them, but rather have “office glasses.”

Similar to beer glasses – used to refer to the effect alcohol has on a person’s visual perception – work glasses are for when you’re attracted to someone just because they’re your co-worker.

Molly, from London, spoke on her podcast 2 Girls 1 Puppy about liking people you work with – and warned people not to fall into the trap.

She wondered if there was something “in the water coolers” or if the “fluorescent lighting” made colleagues more attractive.

‘You’ve heard of beer glasses, but let’s talk about office glasses. [There’s] One person in the office who you would never look twice at if you met under normal circumstances,” she said on TikTok.

‘But for some reason they’re a sex bomb in the office, they’re everything you’ve ever wanted in a partner and more.

“Maybe it’s just the fact that you have to spend 38 hours a week with that person.”

Dipti Tait, a relationship therapist from the Cotswolds, told MailOnline that in some cases colleagues who spend more time together than with their partners or families feel more connected as a result.

“When individuals spend a lot of time together in a professional environment, the brain undergoes a fascinating process of neurochemical bonding,” she said.

‘Just as oxytocin promotes connection and trust in romantic relationships, the brain releases this ‘bonding hormone’ during collaborative tasks and moments of shared achievement at work.

‘Through repeated exposure and shared experiences, the brain begins to associate positive feelings and rewards with the coworker’s presence.

‘This can overturn first impressions and preferences, leading to renewed attraction.

‘Spending many hours together undeniably plays a role. The brain’s familiarity bias sets in, where repeated exposure to a stimulus – in this case a colleague – produces comfort and sometimes attraction.’

Dipti said workplace relationships carry inherent risks, including “potential conflicts of interest,” adding that attraction in a professional setting can cause awkwardness.

She added that anyone experiencing “office glasses” should prioritize professionalism and clear communication.

“When feelings are mutual, setting boundaries and considering possible consequences becomes imperative,” the relationship expert added.

“Seek support from trusted confidantes or, if necessary, professional guidance to navigate the complexities of workplace romance with finesse.”

But TikTokker Molly warned listeners about romantic relationships with coworkers, saying it’s not worth the stress.

She said, “The next time you have drinks at the office on a Thursday evening, [and are] down a few glasses of cheap wine, and you start to think to yourself [that] Jack from the technology development team could be the love of my life, I’m begging you, I’m begging you, just take 30 seconds and step back and think to yourself, “If I saw him on the street, would I really like it? Or is it just the work glasses?”

“I promise it feels like a sexy affair at the time, but it’s not worth the anxiety.”

Users watched the video, which has almost 200,000 views, to share their thoughts.

One wrote: ‘No one falls in love faster than two married colleagues.’

Another wrote: “I always remind myself that he’s your coworker and you’re bored.”

A third said: ‘I met my partner at work, been together for 21 years and let me tell you, it was office glasses.’

A third commented: ‘From someone who has had two work relationships (both sitting at the same desk), you don’t need that heat in your life, mates. I left a trail of carnage. ‘

By Savanna Young for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 5:12 PM EDT, March 21, 2024 | Updated: 5:23 PM EDT, March 21, 2024

Outdoor benches actor Chase Stokes pushed back on the idea that he’s “sharing too much” regarding his relationship with the country singer Kelsea Ballerini.

“Sometimes it feels like the situation is being shared too much, or there may be a lot of details,” he said. E! News in an interview published on Wednesday, March 20, “but I honestly think my personal life is really, really private.”

Stokes, 31, hasn’t hesitated to share glimpses of his private life on social media, but he insisted it’s just that: a glimpse.

“I still feel like I understand my privacy very well,” he added.

Stokes, who played John Booker “John B.” plays Routledge from the Netflix drama has been dating Ballerini, 30, since January 2023 – and the two regularly share photos of themselves together on Instagram. They also have a lot of PDA on display, appearing together at sporting events, awards shows, or on simple date nights.

However, as is the case with any celebrity couple, the two had to navigate making each other a priority in their busy schedules. Stokes said they often have to turn to technology to bridge the geographic divide.

“We’ve done FaceTime date nights where we pick a cuisine and then think, ‘Do we want to do red wine tonight? Do we want white wine or just drink water?’ So we’ve found great ways to make distance work sometimes,” Stokes explains.

That seems fitting for a couple who first got together when Ballerini came into Stokes’ DMs. Ballerini said in February 2023 that their relationship began around the time she was ready to start dating again after her divorce from a fellow American. Morgan Evans in November 2022. When Stokes and Ballerini started following each other on Instagram, she sent him a message saying, “Hi, Chase Stokes,” and their relationship built from there.

Luckily for the two, their schedules are actually quite well aligned, with Stokes films Outdoor benches At the same time, Ballerini is at her busiest.

“We have been really fortunate in this recent chapter that our busy seasons have not overlapped,” Stokes said. “So, [Ballerini will] Either stay here or I’ll go to Nashville, which has made it a lot of fun. Going forward, and as we continue to grow in our relationship, we try to make sure our schedules can coexist and that we have time.”

Stokes is currently filming season four Outdoor benches alongside costars Austin North, Rudy Pankow, Jonathan Daviss, Drew Starkey, Madison Bailey and his ex-girlfriend, Madelyn Cline.

Dan Schneider has defended his relationship with a teenage Amanda Bynes and revealed he supported her decision to pursue parental emancipation aged 16.

The producer, 58, who has faced numerous allegations of inappropriate behavior  on the set of children’s TV shows, spoke out in the wake of documentary Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV – which made shock claims about the ‘toxic environment’ at the network.

Schneider, who was disturbingly filmed in a hot tub with a then-16-year-old Bynes in 2002, said he helped Bynes after she ran away from home and was ‘concerned for her safety’ when she decided to leave her parents.

Speaking with former iCarly actor Bobby ‘BooG!e’ Bowman on his own YouTube account, Schneider said of Bynes’ decision: ‘She wanted that for herself. We supported her.  

‘Amanda was between the ages of 16 and 17 and she wanted to get emancipated from her parents, which was a fairly common thing with successful young actors — at least at the time.

‘She wanted that for herself, so she turned to her team, which included her lawyer, her agent, her manager, her publicist, me — because she included me as part of her team, thought of me that way. 

‘We supported her, she tried to get emancipated and it ended up not working out and she didn’t.’

Schneider claimed matters came to a head one night when Bynes called him following a row with her parents – which led him to call a person he trusted to take her to the police.

He said: ‘One night very late, well after midnight, 1 or 2 in the morning, phone rang, I answered, it was Amanda.

‘She was upset. She was in distress. She had had some conflict with her parents, I think her father, and she called me. I was immediately concerned about her safety. 

‘I called someone that I knew was fairly nearby. That person was able to go and pick her up. I knew she was safe, I felt better. She ended up being taken to the police.’

Bynes did pursue legal emancipation from her parents Lynn and Rick – but later withdrew the petition. 

The 19-minute video saw Schneider discuss Quiet On Set, released at the weekend, which he said had made him ‘face his past behaviors.’

Schneider admitted that had previously overstepped professional boundaries and conceded he owed ‘some people a pretty strong apology.’

Schneider, who was previously described as ‘Nickelodeon’s golden boy,’ began by addressing the furor head on as he explained: ‘Watching over the past two nights was very difficult. 

‘Me facing my past behaviors – some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.’

Schneider, who began working at the network in 1993, is said to have ‘launched the careers of child actors who became major stars’ including Miranda Cosgrove, Jamie Lynn Spears and Ariana Grande.

But he was later flooded with allegations before being sued over accusations of gender discrimination, hostile work environment and harassment – many of which were divulged in the new documentary.

It wasted little time in dishing that the period of the 1990s and 2000s ‘marked one of the darkest chapters,’ writer Scaachi Koul said.

Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen were hired as co-writers for The Amanda Show and split a single salary – as the network got ‘two writers for the price of one.’

‘It was early on when we first started that Dan said he didn’t think women were funny,’ Christy said.

‘He had fostered this very casual, fun atmosphere but I felt that Dan could be very volatile and could turn any moment. I was scared.’

She said that staff were left feeling ‘paranoid and uncomfortable,’ concluding: ‘Working for Dan was like being in an abusive relationship.’

Jenny also dished on having a similar experience, sharing that he ‘didn’t really value women in the writers’ room.’

But that was not all because, dishing on the depths of the inappropriate behavior at the channel, she claimed: ‘Dan was showing pornography on his computer screen. He asked me several time to massage him in the writers’ room and in the studio…

‘You always felt like disagreeing with Dan or standing up for yourself could result in getting fired. 

‘One of the worst, we were in the writers’ room and Christy was talking about high school which is relevant because we are writing for a young girl. 

‘And Dan just said: “You know what would be funny? If you leaned over the table and acted like you were being sodomized and told that story about high school.”‘

Jenny said that Christy had initially said no but Dan kept insisting and ‘she couldn’t get out of it.’

‘So she just leaned over the table and did what he asked her to do. It was upsetting to watch because I knew Christy at this point and I didn’t feel at all comfortable complaining to him.’

She concluded: ‘It was probably the wrongest thing I have ever seen happen to a woman in a professional environment ever.’

Christy herself declined to talk about the incident but remarked that she felt sorry for her former self as she was just a young woman at the time. 

Ultimately, after quitting her role at the network, Jenny decided to sue Dan because she ‘didn’t want it to happen to other women in the future.’

‘I hired a lawyer and started blowing whistles. My lawyer filed complaints against the production company for gender discrimination, hostile work environment, harassment – and in response they did an internal investigation and they settled.

‘But it had a lasting impact on my career… To learn that it didn’t stop and that it was all for nothing.’

Former assistant Amy Berg also took to X, formerly Twitter, in recent days to slam Schneider as a ‘f***ing a**hole.’

She branded him as a ‘psychological tormenter’ and a ‘manipulator’ before claiming his treatment caused her to suffer panic attacks, anxiety, and develop a ‘heart arrhythmia.’

Addressing the widespread reports of inappropriate behavior in the writers’ room, Schneider said: ‘Let me just say no writer should ever feel uncomfortable in any writers’ room. Ever. Period. The End. No excuses.

‘Most TV writers comedy writers have been in writer rooms and they are aware that a lot of times there a re inappropriate jokes made and inappropriate topics come up.

‘But the fact that I participated in that e specially when I was leading the room embarrasses me. I shouldn’t have d one it.’

He continued: ‘I can tell you why it hurts really bad for me. I remember very clearly my first experiences in the entertainment business.

‘I was green, I was scared, I was excited – it meant the world to me that I was getting those opportunities and I went in and I got lucky because they were great.

‘My first couple of experiences were fantastic and t he fact that I didn’t pay that forward to every employee that walked through my door it hurts my heart because I should have. I wish I could go back and fix that.’

Schneider conceded: ‘In the writers’ room there’s no doubt that sometimes those jokes went beyond t he pale and I said things that went too far or made practical jokes that went too far.

‘That was wrong and that was because I was an inexperienced producer. I was immature – it wouldn’t happen today but I’m just really sorry it happened.’

Elsewhere, he also apologized for his frequent requests for massages from female members of staff while in the studio.

‘It was wrong. It was wrong that I ever put anyone in that position. It was wrong to do. I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then. I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that situation,’ Schneider said.

‘Additionally, I apologize to the people who were walking around because there were lots of people who witnessed it who also may have felt uncomfortable so I owe them an apology as well.’

BooG!E urged Schneider to directly address the people who did not have a good experience working for him as he dished: ‘I hate that anybody worked for me and didn’t have a good time… I would let the pressure of doing 40 or even more episodes per year get to me – which a good boss should never, ever do…

‘I would snap at people sometimes, I would be snarky when I could have given them a nicer answer, I would not give people the time that they needed, I would be in too big a hurry to get on to the next thing I had to do.

‘Watching [Quiet On Set], there were so many times I wanted to pick up a phone and call some of those people and say “I’m so sorry and let’s talk about it and I wish you had a better time and I wish I could have shown you a better experience.”‘

The documentary had also explained that Nickelodeon had raised eyebrows under Schneider’s leadership with some of its shows that were ‘full of uncomfortable sketches.’

Among them were ‘disturbing’ scenes that ‘sexualized’ child stars – including Ariana Grande who featured in scenes sticking her hand down her throat, putting her toes in her mouth, and talking about being ‘soaking wet’ at the age of 16.

Other parts also showed Ariana trying to get juice from a potato – which involved her squeezing it as hard as possible and letting out loud moaning noises – and attempting to drink water upside down in a provocative position – which resulted in it spilling all over her head and chest. 

‘It was clear that there was a permissibility around these sexualized jokes with children,’ commentators in the documentary shared.

Responding to the criticism, Schneider said: ‘All these jokes that you’re speaking of… every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience because kids thought they were funny – and only funny.

‘Now we have some adults looking back at them 20 years later through their lens and they’re looking at them and they’re saying “oh you know I don’t think that’s appropriate for for a kid show.” 

‘I have no problem with that if that’s how anyone feels then let’s cut those jokes out of the show.

‘I want my shows to be popular… so if there’s anything in a show that needs to be cut because it’s upsetting somebody let’s cut it.

‘The last thing I want to ever do is put any content in a show that’s going to upset my audience and make them want to turn off the TV. Why would I ever want to do that?  That makes no sense.’

Schneider also insisted that there were ‘many, many levels of scrutiny’ at every stage to get a joke approved and also denied that he had ever been banned from his own set – branding it as a ‘false rumor.’

In recent days, a resurfaced clip being circulated online shows Schneider in a hot tub with an underage Amanda Bynes during a Nickelodeon sketch.

The scene in question – which is understood to have been filmed in 2002, when Bynes was around the age of 16 – shows Schneider sitting next to a bikini-clad Bynes for the skit, which he wrote himself, with commentators branding it as ‘very uncomfortable.’

But Schneider, who is 20 years Bynes’ senior, defended his friendship with the child star and said he had only been trying to help her ‘regardless of what some people may think.’

It was also revealed in the Quiet On Set expose that three members of Nickelodeon staff were charged over child sex abuse to varying degrees – as Drake Bell spoke for the first time about being abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck who was described as ‘very much one of the cogs in the Dan Schneider machine.’ 

But, in his new interview, Schneider was quick to distance himself from the predators and stated that he had not been responsible for hiring Peck.

He added: ‘When Drake and I talked and he told me what had happened I was more devastated by that than anything that ever happened to me in my career thus far.

‘I told him “I’m here for you, what do you need” which Drake mentioned in the show.’

Schneider went one step further by slamming the famous faces who had continued to show their support to Peck even after the charges came to light – sitting on his side in court and writing letters of support during sentencing.

He fleetingly broke down in tears as he said that Drake’s mom, who he is still in contact with now, had gone to him for advice in writing her speech for the judge at the time.

‘That was probably the darkest part of my career,’ he said.

Schneider began wrapping up by admitting that there are ‘definitely’ things that he would do differently.

‘One that I think would be really, really important is when you’re hiring young actors – minors – to work in television I would suggest that we have a licensed therapist there to oversee that process for the specific reason of making sure that those kids really wanted to do this job – that they really wanted to be on television.

‘Maybe they should even be informed about what that means – what’s it going to mean if you’re famous, what’s that going to mean on social media, what’s it going to mean within your family. Let them find out.

‘That way if a kid doesn’t want to be on a TV show they can opt out.’

He continued: ‘Additionally, the main thing that I would change is how I treat people. I definitely at times didn’t give people the best of me.

‘I didn’t show enough patience. I could be cocky and definitely overambitious and sometimes just straight up rude and obnoxious. I am so sorry that I ever was.’

He concluded: ‘When I watched the show I could see the hurt in some people’s eyes and it made me feel awful and regretful and sorry.

‘I wish I could go back – especially to those earlier years of my career and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was okay to be an a**hole to anyone ever.

‘I wanted to make funny TV shows for kids and we definitely did that but if I could go back I would get it done in different ways. I would just be nicer as often as possible and listen more to the people on my team.

‘I would do everything that I could to make sure that everyone had a good experience.’

Schneider left Nickelodeon in 2018 and said at the time he was parting ways to pursue ‘other opportunities and projects.

The real estate agent who accidentally set fire to a $3.2 million home before an open house inspection had previously had a relationship with the owner, court documents show.

Julie Bundrock’s employer, Domain Residential Northern Beaches, was ordered to pay $862,315 to the owner and four tenants for negligently causing a fire that burned the house to the ground.

It can now be revealed that Mrs Bundrock was previously in a relationship with Peter Bush, who was preparing to sell the house at the time of the incident. news.com.au reported.

When questioned by Bush’s barrister, Dominic Priestley SC, Ms Bundrock said the pair had dated when they were younger and were still friends in 2019.

Ms. Bundock is not accused of any criminal wrongdoing and there is no indication that she acted with malicious intent when she accidentally started the fire.

Earlier this week, Daily Mail Australia revealed Ms Bundock herself owns two coastal properties.

The Northern Beaches real estate agent accidentally set the Avalon Beach home on fire in 2019 after noticing the current tenants had left some bedding on the deck to dry.

She threw the sheets on a shelf in a room downstairs and then turned on a lamp placed above the shelf.

Twenty minutes later a fire broke out and destroyed the entire house. It is believed that the light heated the bedding until it ignited.

Ms Bundock, who no longer works for Domain Residential Northern Beaches, has an extensive property portfolio on Sydney’s North Shore.

She owns a two-bedroom Queenscliff unit with panoramic views of the nearby beach.

She bought the clifftop property in 2004 for just $785,000 and now rents the apartment on vacation rental website Stayz for $695 per night.

‘A very private and peaceful area, the highest point of the hill. Enjoy the sounds of the waves and enjoy the sunrises over the ocean and beautiful sunsets over the hills,” she describes on the property listing.

‘Luxuriously furnished with designer finishes, recently renovated with luxurious carpets and an open plan living area leading through sliding glass doors to an extensive wrap-around balcony.

‘Designer kitchen and bathroom, king size main area, very comfortable second, views and built-ins in both. Sep toilet with sink. Study room, unlimited WiFi, washer-dryer combination, closed garage with automatic door.’

She also owns a nearby property in Dee Why, which she bought in 2007 for $290,000.

Ms. Bundock is no stranger to luxurious living.

On social media she shares photos of holidays to Vincentia in Jervis Bay and lavish trips to the snow.

On Tuesday, Avalon owner Peter Bush filed a complaint in court, along with the four tenants who lost everything in the 2019 fire.

Mr Bush told the court that Mrs Bundock said words to the effect of: ‘Oh my God Pete, I think I burned down your house’, and she did so in front of others.

‘I was doing some cleaning up. “I gathered some sheets that were drying on the porch and threw them on a free-standing metal shelf in the bedroom under the stairs,” Ms. Bundock reportedly told Mr. Bush.

‘I just threw them there, Piet, right against the light on the wall. I think that’s what started the fire.”

On Tuesday, Ms Bundock’s employer argued in court that the four tenants who rented the property at the time were responsible for the fire.

The defense stated that the tenants left the house “untidy,” forcing Mrs. Bundock to remove the bedding from the deck before the open house.

During her cross-examination, Ms Bundock said the house was ‘particularly messy’ that day and she was making it ‘presentable for sale’.

Chief Justice David Hammerschlag ruled that Ms Bundock ‘actively created the risk of fire and resulting damage’.

‘It is obvious that a fire can start if you put or throw bed linen against a burning light. That risk was clearly foreseeable, and Bundock should have known,” Hammerschlag said in his decision, also noting that the officer was an “aggressive and uncooperative witness.”

“Her evidence was clearly colored by a heightened sense that she had caused the catastrophe,” he said.

Mr. Hammerschlag ordered Ms. Bundock’s employer to pay Mr. Bush $740,642 for the loss of his home and a total of $121,475 to the four tenants, plus interest.

By Kinta Walsh-cotton for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 03:15 EDT, March 21, 2024 | Updated: 03:19 EDT, March 21, 2024

Kristen Dout‘s romance with Lucas Broderik started as a summer date, but quickly became something more.

The Vanderpump Rules alum met Broderick in June 2022 when he served as a bridesmaid and groomsman at their mutual friend’s wedding.

“Right after we met at the wedding, or like hung out at the wedding, we had sex,” Doute revealed during a December 2022 episode of the series “Love, sex and what else matters“podcast.

Doute confessed that she was hesitant to pursue a relationship with Broderick after their breakup Alex Menache in June 2022.

“I had trouble being your person. I love you so much, but just the thought of being someone’s girlfriend again messed me up because I want to be a wife and a mother,” she explained.

The pair ultimately followed through on their respective reservations and went public in December 2022. In March 2024, they took their romance to the next level by starring together in The valley.

Scroll down to relive Doute and Broderick’s relationship from the beginning:

For a young man who has spent so much of his life kept fiercely out of the spotlight, Barron Trump made his TV debut at a shockingly young age.

He was just two months old when his proud parents allowed Gayle King – then working on The Oprah Winfrey Show – to come and coo over him in the baroque splendor of their $100 million penthouse in Trump Tower.

But first, Melania Trump dutifully gushed over her husband’s paternal instincts: ‘He’s amazing, you know. He takes [Barron] in the morning when he wakes up. And he brings him in his room and they’re watching TV together and they’re reading the papers.’

Then it was off to baby Barron’s grand nursery, a corner room with sweeping views of Manhattan and stuffed full of huge soft toys, where The Donald borrowed his son – dressed in a flouncy old-fashioned baby boy dress – from the nanny so he could hold him for the cameras.

‘See the little delicate hands,’ said the business tycoon who would one day be mocked over the small size of his own hands.

Then King got down to the tough questions.

‘So Donald, you’re not opposed to changing diapers, you just haven’t had to do it,’ she quizzed. ‘But you know how to do it?’

‘I would be able to do it, yes,’ replied the father of five.

But before King had time to ask him to prove it, Barron started wailing and a relieved-looking Trump passed him back to his mother.

Eighteen years later, Barron is rather bigger – at 6’7, he looms over his 6’3 father – but still very much tied to Mom.

He comes of age today, after a high-profile childhood that, if physically pampered, cannot have been emotional plain-sailing with such a polarizing man for a dad.

The first boy to grow up in the White House since JFK Jr in 1963, he has lived through scandal after scandal – shielded, as best she could, by a highly protective mother.

In January 2018, he was not yet 12 when the media was engulfed by porn star Stormy Daniels’s bombshell claims that she had an affair with Donald just four months after Barron was born.

During his presidency, Trump’s most ardent critics even resorted to criticizing the young boy as a means of attacking his father.

Comedian Rosie O’Donnell, who had reason to hate Trump for once calling her a ‘pig’ and a ‘degenerate’, shared a video in 2016 making wild and totally unfounded claims that Barron had autism.

O’Donnell later publicly apologized to Melania, but the damage was already done. The following year, during Trump’s inauguration, SNL writer Katie Rich tweeted: ‘Barron will be this country’s first homeschool shooter’.

In fact, the slurs hurled at Barron got so bad, that another former First Child – from across the aisle – spoke up on his behalf.

Chelsea Clinton tweeted: ‘Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does-to be a kid.’

And Trump Sr deserved the chance to be a dad. 

Although he would boast in 2015 that ‘I’ve always prided myself on being a good father’, biographers say he agreed with Melania that if she had a child, he wouldn’t be actively involved in their day-to-day upbringing. (Trump wasn’t even in the delivery room, although he suggested ‘Barron’ as a name).

Melania had help when Barron was very small, but she later insisted on raising him largely by herself – with considerable assistance from her Slovenian parents.

While some – Melania included – claimed to see a strong resemblance between Donald and Barron, nicknamed ‘Little Donald’, when he was a baby, others now insist that in one crucial respect he’s very different.

‘I cannot stress enough how kind and polite Barron is… he’s just a great kid,’ Stephanie Grisham, former White House Press Secretary and Melania’s one-time chief-of-staff told DailyMail.com.

Grisham added that she saw a ‘definite difference’ between Barron and his much older half-siblings – who include Ivanka, Donald Jr, Eric and Tiffany.

‘Just very, very kind and humble and empathetic and smart,’ Grisham said. ‘Not that I’m saying his half-siblings aren’t smart at all.’

That also doesn’t mean to say that Barron missed out on the same cosseted upbringing enjoyed by his elder siblings, who have earned something of a reputation for being a chip off the Trump block.

Melania has always indulged Barron, admitting that she allowed him to draw on the walls of his playroom for fear of stifling his creativity.

‘His imagination is growing and important,’ she told Parenting magazine in 2012, adding that – as fitting his grandiose name – young Baron had an entire floor of Trump Tower to himself.

At night, Melania would slaver his skin with her own-brand caviar moisturizer.

And at five, he announced that he wanted to become a businessman like his father, preferring to wear a suit and tie than jeans and a T-shirt.

‘He is a very strong-minded… He is independent and opinionated and knows exactly what he wants,’ Melania told Parenting mag.

In 2016, when Barron was 10, she did another interview, this time with Us Weekly, telling the publication that she was at home ‘most of the time’ with Barron, ‘giving him morals and tradition and teaching him values’.

According to Stephanie Grisham, for family-oriented Melania, Barron always ‘came first’.

‘She did things very much her way,’ Grisham added. ‘But she also did a great job in keeping him shielded from a lot of the animosity.’

Barron was educated at a succession of the smartest and most expensive private schools, including Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where his mother would take him to and from school in a chauffeured SUV.

She’d also cook his breakfast every morning and prepare his lunch.

He was still only 10 when his father became President and, as First Lady, Melania had to contemplate giving up the very private and independent existence she cherished in New York.

She famously insisted on staying in the Big Apple for almost the first five months of the presidency – with Trump alone in DC – so Barron could finish his school year.

Trump said he was sympathetic – claiming that his son found the idea of leaving his friends and his Manhattan comfort zone ‘a little scary’. That feeling cannot have been improved when, after anti-Trump protesters started picketing Trump Tower, Melania had the Secret Service take over doing the daily school run.

Melania continued to break with White House convention in not sending Barron to the Quaker school, Sidwell Friends, where previous presidential children including the Clintons, Bushes and Obamas had all been educated.

Instead, the Trumps plumped for Barron attending the $50,000-a-year St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in one of DC’s smartest suburbs in Potomac, Maryland.

Some Trump critics couldn’t resist taking it out on Barron, mocking his hair, clothes and towering height, which one wit compared to two kids inside a trench coat.

However, Barron soon found an early distraction from the pressures of First Child life in soccer. In 2017 he joined the Under-12 division of professional team DC United, playing in midfield and impressing players of the main team with his in-depth knowledge of the sport.

His other interests include sneakers – he has an impressive collection – and computers. In fact, his father claimed 2022 that Barron was rapidly able to break into his laptop when it locked him out during a conference that year.

So much younger than his siblings that he was effectively an only child, Barron gets on best with Tiffany, say insiders.

He soon became bilingual, learning to speak his mother’s native Slovenian so well that he could phone his grandmother – who died in January – and not have to resort to English during their conversations.

Melania’s parents, Viktor and the late Amalija Knavs (a former car dealer and textile worker respectively), moved from Slovenia to New York in 2017, before following their daughter to DC and later – after Trump left office – to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.

They were very close to Barron and are said to have been ‘instrumental’ in his upbringing, an insider told People last year.

In March this year, the magazine confirmed what appeared to have long been obvious from his rare public appearances – that Barron shares his mother’s personality.

‘Barron is shy and reserved, and she has been a good mother to him all of these years,’ a source said.

As for his relationship with Donald, White House chronicler Michael Wolff controversially claimed in 2019 that Trump resented his son for becoming taller than him, adding: ‘His son is effectively not at all a part of his life.’

But Stephanie Grisham – who saw the family in an intimate setting – strongly disputes any perception of the father-son relationship as hostile or distant.

‘I saw Barron spend a lot of time with his father in the [White House] residence,’ she said. ‘I would see them joke around quite a bit.’

If he was a rare sighting during Trump’s presidency, Barron has been seen even less since he moved with his parents to Mar-a-Lago.

He is due to graduate this year from the nearby $41,500 Oxbridge Academy. The school was founded in 2011 by billionaire William Koch, brother to Republican super-donors Charles and David Koch (who last year deserted Trump to back his nomination rival Nikki Haley).

What’s next for Barron?

Insiders say he will be going to college but won’t speculate on where or other future plans.

‘Did you know when you were 17?’ asked a source. One confident prediction has been made however: wherever Barron goes next, his mother will want to move with him.

The family and friends of Australian-born Bianca Censori, wife of Kanye West, are said to be concerned about her well-being. Based on the pictures and stories I’ve seen online, I can’t say I blame them.

Censori, 29, an architect with a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne, and West, 46, the rapper-ex-husband of reality star Kim Kardashian, secretly married in December 2022 and have been causing controversy ever since.

Censori has been seen in increasingly risky and compromising situations, from appearing to be performing a sex act with her husband in Venice to wearing increasingly revealing clothing.

Additionally, West has posted disturbing images of her on his Instagram page for his 20 million followers to view. These include shots of his wife in fetish gear, performing household chores, all uploaded to a chorus of criticism.

Censori herself has no social media accounts – apparently banned by her husband, who says it is for her own protection.

There are other reports that West dictates what his wife wears, what she can eat and when she can speak.

Of course, what we see is just a snapshot of a marriage, and for his part, West has said he just wants to show off his beautiful wife.

Yet former girlfriend Julia Fox, 34, who dated West for a month in 2022, made some serious allegations about someone she refers to only as “the artist” in her memoir, Down The Drain.

She revealed that ‘the artist’ tried to control what she wore by sending her a wardrobe of clothes he had pre-approved. He also tried to persuade her to get breast implants.

When it comes to Censori, photos of her before she met West show a happy, smiling young woman partying with her friends in Melbourne, wearing cocktail dresses, shorts and T-shirts.

In contrast, photos of her taken last month at Paris Fashion Week, wearing a fur stole and sheer tights, with what appears to be no underwear underneath (a choice that could get her sued for indecent exposure), seem alarming.

Although Censori insists she is comfortable in her own body, it is clear to her family and friends that something has changed.

Over the years I have had a number of patients who were in coercive and controlling relationships – a form of psychological abuse in which the abuser exhibits a pattern of manipulative behavior within a relationship.

What is shocking to those on the outside is that the victim is often unaware that it is even happening.

I’ve sat in front of people (usually women, but men can be victims of coercive control too) and told them I’m afraid they’re being controlled, and they’ve shaken their heads in utter denial.

One woman was not allowed to see her family, had her own bank account and had to keep a tracker on her phone so that her husband always knew where she was. She didn’t think this was shameful, horrifying behavior.

He had convinced her that it was because he cared about her so much and wanted to know that she was always safe.

The manipulator is often very clever at gaining control; it happens gently at first and in small, subtle ways. They might suggest that a partner isn’t very good with their finances, or is being scammed in some way, and that it would be better if they took full control of the money.

Perhaps after a fight with their family, the controller will encourage someone to cut off contact, saying their family doesn’t deserve them.

It is usually expressed in terms of wanting to help the other person be happier. Little by little, the victim’s sense of self is destroyed and his self-confidence is eroded.

Sometimes it can happen so gradually that the person doesn’t realize it – until one day they wake up and realize they barely know themselves anymore.

Because they often deliberately distance themselves from friends and loved ones, it is all the more challenging to open their eyes to what is really happening.

But people can and do escape these types of toxic relationships, and the first step is always recognizing the signs that they may be being manipulated. Women’s Aid highlights ten key red flags to look out for:

• Isolating yourself from friends and family;

• Depriving you of basic needs, such as food;

• Taking control of aspects of your daily life, such as where you can go, who you can see, what you can wear and when you can sleep;

• Monitoring you via online communication tools or spyware;

• Deny you access to support services, such as medical services;

• Repeatedly putting you down and telling you you’re worthless;

• Demean, humiliate or dehumanize you;

• Control over your finances;

• Making threats or intimidating you.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. But if any of these ring a bell in the relationship you’re in, it could indicate coercive control, a recognized form of domestic violence. It’s a crime and the law is on your side.

For more information visit womensaid.org.uk or call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

Lawyer Paul Alexander, who died last week, spent more than 70 years on an iron lung after contracting polio as a boy. His remarkable story embarrasses most of us with our daily complaints.

Meghan’s vengeful timing Maybe it was just a coincidence that the Duchess of Sussex launched her new lifestyle brand just 45 minutes before Prince William gave an emotional speech at the 25th Diana Legacy Awards?

Perhaps it was yet another coincidence when Meghan and Harry announced the winner of Archewell’s $100,000 civil rights prize a few hours later. But I suspect they don’t do much by accident.

In that case, it seems cruel to steal Prince William’s attention in this way, especially if it was a celebration of his mother’s legacy.

It comes across as petty and bitter. I had hoped that the brothers would find a way to reconcile. But there can be no hope of healing as long as one party behaves this way.

For all the Sussexes’ talk about how ’empathy and compassion are the building blocks of a better world’, it’s just hot air. It is not compassionate to try to mislead a family member, especially at a sensitive time. It’s mean and vindictive.

Lily Allen said last week that having children “totally ruined” her career as she chose to prioritize it over singing and acting projects. She insisted that you can’t have everything. I think she’s right.

But why should women feel torn between a career and a family, while men usually aren’t? For me, this is where the real sexism lies. If having children means you can’t have everything, that should apply to fathers as much as it does to mothers.

Dr. Max prescribes… an ice bath A study from the University of Warwick found that a dip in a cold bath can reduce inflammation in the body and promote good health.

Reducing inflammation is important because it can be linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, as well as depression and anxiety. Granted, not as appealing as the idea of ​​a warm bath, but maybe it’s worth a try?