It is an endorsement likely to carry some considerable weight in these febrile times. The battle for Joanna Lumley’s political soul has been won by the Greens.

Fresh from her Gurkha victory over Gordon Brown, the actress has thrown her support in the European elections on June 4 behind Caroline Lucas, of the Green Party, who is one of the current MEPs for the South East region. Lumley said: “Caroline is a tireless campaigner in the European Parliament, staunchly defending human rights and strongly promoting greater protection for animals. I urge you to cast a positive vote for a better future by voting Green in the European Elections.”

Both women have campaigned to end factory farming and protested against human rights abuses in Burma. But will Dr Lucas, the first offical “leader” of the Greens, become overshadowed by the party’s high-profile, glamorous, new backer? “We don’t want a repeat of Robert Kilroy-Silk and that UKIP takeover,” said one grumbling activist.

Whatever climate change there may be within the Greens, the party must surely now be firmly in support of settlement rights for the Gurkhas.

Has Joanna Lumley checked out all the potential benefits of this political endorsement business? During this month’s elections in India, Salman Khan, the Bollywood star, campaigned for both the Congress Party and its rival BJP, collecting two million rupees (£27,000) per appearance, plus travel and hotel expenses, according to Variety. Perhaps Khan, who left the country before voting took place to film in London, was undecided.

Would you dare tell Oprah Winfrey to shed those excess pounds? Anna Wintour, the fearsome editor-in-chief of Vogue, had no such qualms before allowing the chat-show star to grace her front cover. “It was a very gentle suggestion,” insists Wintour. “I went to Chicago to visit Oprah and I suggested it might be an idea if she lose a little bit of weight. I said simply that she might feel more comfortable.”

Winfrey lost about 21lb (9½kg) in the “stringent diet” that followed. She was rewarded with the Vogue cover line: “Oprah! A major movie, an amazing makeover.”

Michael Martin may enjoy the quieter life of Lord Speaker in the Upper Chamber one day. While he made his disastrous Commons statement on Monday, Baroness Hayman, his elevated counterpart, was hosting a practice session of the House of Lords bridge club in the Speaker’s sitting room. Meanwhile, West End producers yesterday offered Martin the role of Billy Flynn, the expense-account-loving lawyer, in Chicago. Can he dance?

A consumer champion for 40 years, Esther Rantzen’s threat to stand as a “clean up the House” MP in Luton South cannot be good news for Margaret Moran, the Labour incumbent.

Rantzen, 68, promises to “pay for my own dry rot”, and has nothing to hide — she admitted to receiving Botox injections before going on I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!, where she embarrassed her daughter by talking candidly about her early sex life.

While That’s Life! exposed child abuse and dodgy salesmen during its 21-year prime-time run, behind the toothy smile Rantzen’s personal life was rocky. She began an affair with her best friend’s husband and BBC boss, Desmond Wilcox, whom she eventually married nine years later.

Rantzen, a widow since 2000, has recently found her measured tones rediscovered by broadcasters. The anti-age discrimination campaigner says: “If not now, when?”

It’s a bit like Wayne Rooney sauntering over to Anfield on a day off and asking for a game. Chris Evans, on holiday after bagging two Sony Awards for his Radio 2 show, popped in to the rival station, talkSPORT, and ended up on air during a show hosted by Alan Brazil and Ronnie Irani. “You were nominated — I think you should have won,” Evans said live on air. “You get on very well and you know your audience well.” High praise, but not particularly welcomed back at Broadcasting House.

Jessica Biel, the actress partner of Justin Timberlake, is distressed that the best roles keep going to Natalie Portman.

“If you don’t like the audition, then don’t hire me! But if you don’t want to even see me — that’s hurtful. You might have seen me in some movie you didn’t like. But . . . I’m a very 360-degree person.”

Spandau Ballet added some 1980s glam to Cannes, despite staying in a Novotel to cut costs. The re-formed group threw a beach bash to announce a documentary. Martin Kemp, who is also an actor, said: “Cannes is a place where everyone tells you, ‘yes, yes, yes’, and you get home and think maybe they meant ‘no’.”

people@thetimes.co.uk

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