Few could be more shocked than I at the news that Rolf Harris has been arrested on suspicion of sex offences, for he has been a friend of mine for more than 15 years.
I know Rolf as a kind and generous man. I also know from past experience that, at times like this, you stand by your friends. That's why I pray not only that he is proven innocent, but also that he can survive what is to come.
For I also know from first-hand experience how allegations such as these can ravage lives.
A few years ago, another friend, a Catholic priest, was charged with a sexual assault in his distant past. Instead of being believed innocent until proven guilty, he lost his job as a result of the allegations and spent the next two years fighting the charges.
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The girl concerned was a fantasist with mental health problems which had been well documented, yet still that poor priest had to endure two years of living hell which left his reputation damaged for ever, particularly by smears on the internet.
My friend was a victim not only of one person's lies but also of a Catholic Church so traumatised by its history of child sex offences that it treated all priests tainted by suspicion as guilty until proven innocent.
In the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal, I fear we are in danger of doing the same thing to men such as Rolf.
I am not for one moment seeking to belittle Savile's victims, now believed to number as many as 1,350, nor to excuse any man or woman who abuses children.
But is it right that individuals can have their lives destroyed on the basis of cases that often boil down to one person's account of an event that is alleged to have happened decades ago?
Sometimes, these accusations are genuine and tragic. But it is important to remember that they can equally be false or even malicious. And the injustice is that even when a man is proven innocent, as my priest friend was, their lives are left in tatters.
Justice must prevail at all costs. But I fervently hope that, in due course, Rolf will be able to put these dark days behind him.
Carey is a sweet actress, but how can anyone compare with the sublime beauty of Mia Farrow? Carey's great, but no match for MiaLovers of Moulin Rouge breathlessly await the release of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan.
Carey is a sweet actress, but how can anyone compare with the sublime beauty of Mia Farrow, who played the part in the iconic Robert Redford film version? I have my doubts.
Mo is still a winner to meMo Farah has been criticised for a reported £500,000 deal to run half the London Marathon this year and the full race next year. Why such sniping? Mo is one of our greatest athletes, a devoted family man and a devout Muslim who has worked like a dog to win two Olympic golds and capture the heart of this nation.Unlike those oafish footballers who are paid a fortune, I don't begrudge Mo a penny of his hard-earned wealth.And, like most of the nation, I will be cheering him on tomorrow.
As part of her bid to shed her excess baggage, Nigella Lawson reportedly pays a hypnotist £295 a time to induce her into a 'relaxed state of consciousness', during which she loses all interest in food. Funny, just watching her last cooking show did that to me for free.
France's former finance minister Christine Lagarde, now head of the IMF, warns George Osborne to rethink his austerity plans and urges him to borrow more - on top of the £120 billion we borrow each year already. That's like maxing out on all your credit cards... and then being encouraged by an utterly unscrupulous bank to get another credit card.Besides, taking finance lessons from the woman who presided over the economic ruin of France is like taking marital guidance from Katie Price.
The real wizard of OzzyTheir marriage is on the rocks, he's back on the booze, she's photographed alone on a yacht half a world away from her husband - yes, the Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne show is back in town. Word has it Sharon is negotiating a deal to replace Tulisa on The X Factor panel, hence her sudden high profile.
She may be vulgar and loud-mouthed, but she's got an instinct for PR that Simon Cowell would kill for.
Funeral footnotes+ That gurning heffalump Fergie (below) treated Margaret Thatcher's service like a society event, loudly greeting friends, even appearing to send a text when it ended. She insists she was just writing a note to herself. What? 'Memo to self: Stop behaving like a self-obsessed idiot and try to show a bit more respect.' That gurning heffalump Fergie treated Margaret Thatcher's service like a society event+ The diminutive Alan Duncan bizarrely turned up in a gold-braid Privy Counsellor uniform clearly borrowed from some gaudy showman twice his size. Maybe he was standing in for Sir Elton.
+ Cameron announced we are all Thatherites now. A bit rich coming from a man who has run away from her legacy faster than Usain Bolt. Andrew Marr got it right in his History Of Modern Britain series when he said we were all 'Thatcher's children', products of the country she forged - even if not all children love their mums.+ Many took Samantha Cameron's handbag, suit and pussy-bow blouse as a tribute to the great lady, but the frugal Grantham housewife would never have forked out £360 for 'PanAm' SamCam's Jimmy Choos.
Kelly Brook tweeted she was 'cream crackered' after an exhausting day shooting her 2014 calendar Kelly's busy year in corsetsThe sumptuous Kelly Brook tweeted she was 'cream crackered' after an exhausting day shooting her 2014 calendar.
Yes, dear, it must be exhausting putting on your suspenders and stockings and sticking out your breasts. So much tougher than a real job.
Three Brits made it to Time magazine's latest list of the world's 100 most influential people - and the only royal to make the cut was the Duchess of Cambridge.
Which just proves how silly this list has become.
Kate's a grand girl, but marrying into royalty and influencing impressionable shopgirls to copy her High Street frocks hardly makes her a global titan. She was beaten in the list by Beyonce - which says it all, really.
In February 2012, they lived in an ex-council house. Now £45 million Lottery winners Matt and Cassey Topham reveal plans for their dream home. They are spending £5 million on a monstrosity that looks like the Teletubbies set. Proof that money can't buy you everything - in this case, taste.
For the Iron Man 3 premiere, the gorgeous Rebecca Hall unwisely chose a black jumpsuit split at the side, revealing a rather droopy cleavage. Thereby disproving once and for all last week's report that bras are bad for women.
Speaking of his lifetime in lurid catsuits, Rod Stewart says: 'I've always put myself out there for ridicule and the rewards are just wonderful, so I'll take any stick they can throw at me.' Happily married, a father of eight kids, a multi-millionaire... and still writing songs. As they say, his life is his best revenge.
