BRAVE MAG

Andrew Lloyd Webberhas revealed that he is a recovering alcoholic, and that he now attends AA meetings every day – regardless of whether he is at home in London, Hampshire or New York.

The British musical theatre impresario behind hit shows such asThe Phantom of the Opera, EvitaandJesus Christ Superstarfirst announced that he had stopped drinking back in 2016.

At the time, he sold much of his famous wine collection that included cases of Château Pétrus 1982 worth £50,000 each.

But Lloyd Webber, 78, now says that he began drinking again in secret after 18 months.

“I was doing what they call ‘white-knuckling’, without any backup, and I started to worry that I wasn’t being creative,” he toldThe Times.

Lloyd Webber said he realised he needed help last year and that getting sober was “the best thing that ever happened to me”.

“You think it’s a secret, but it’s not,” he said of his past drinking habit. “Everybody knows. I started getting into a downhill spiral and about 18 months ago the family was in a desperate state. My wife was feeling she couldn’t go on.”

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The composer said he had been surprised by how much he enjoyed attending AA meetings: “You go into a room and everybody’s equal. I’ve made friends that I wouldn’t have thought possible.”

Lloyd Webber was also delighted to discover that, without alcohol, he is more productive than ever. He is writing two musicals, one based on the 2006 filmThe Illusionist,and another about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa.

He plans to auction off the last of his wine at Christie’s between 22 April to 6 May, with the estimated £300,000 raised to be donated to the Music in Secondary Schools Trust.

Lloyd Webber’s revelation comes shortly after his younger brother, the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber,announced that he is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

The musician, who had only just returned to live performances after a 12-year absence due to injury, said he looked forward to making a “full recovery” and had no intention of cancelling any of his engagements.

If you or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can confidentially call the national alcohol helpline Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 or visit the NHS website here for information about the programmes available to you.

If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: actiononaddiction.org.uk, mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk.

A former deputy cabinet secretary has said theprime ministerthrewOlly Robbins“under the bus” in the wake of the LordPeter Mandelson’s vetting revelations.

SirKeir Starmerfired theForeign Office’s most senior civil servant after it was revealed that the department overruled security vetting for LordMandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US.

Downing Streetis attempting to claim thatSir Keirwas only made aware of the issue this week when documents detailing his appointment came to light.

The prime minister has said it was “staggering” and “unforgivable” that he had not been told earlier, adding he was "furious".

However,the Independent revealed on 11 September last yearthatMI6 had failed to clear the then-Labourpeer, largely because of concerns over his business links to China.

Those concerns were put to No10, but the then-director of communications, Tim Allan, insisted: “Vetting done by FCDO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] in normal way”.

The former top civil servant has been formally asked to give evidence on the vetting of Lord Mandelson next week.

He previously told a Commons committee it was “clear that the prime minister wanted to make this appointment himself”. In the grilling in November, Sir Olly said he said he understood that Sir Keir “took advice and formed a view himself, and we then acted on that view”.

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Helen MacNamara, a former deputy cabinet secretary and co-host of The Independent’s politics podcastIn The Room,spoke about the topicin an exclusive clipand said that Sir Olly was “following [the PM’s] judgement”.

Helen and Cleo have already examined the PM’sobsession with ‘process’ in relation to Mr Mandelsonand spent an episode painfully combing through thefirst Mandelson tranchein previous episodes.

On Robbins, MacNamara said: “Some of the time, what you are doing as a very senior civil servant is deciding to take the risk onto yourself rather than pass everything up the chain. Sometimes you're saying that the right thing to do here is, I will not say this to the prime minister in all of the detail. I will take responsibility for holding some of this information myself because that is the right thing to do.

“If this can happen to Ollie Robbins with all of his skills, all of his ability, all of the things that he actually offers to the country day in, day out, and yet still, he's somehow being fired for the prime minister's misjudgment, then what signal does that send to everybody else?

She criticised the prime minister for axing Sir Olly, calling it a “reactive” and a “throwing under the bus”.

She added: “Let Olly explain in public actually what he's done and what he's not done. And then you can make a judgment.

“Doing exactly what the prime minister wanted him to do last January on the basis of information that the prime minister was aware of, because even by the standards, if that's the case, that's totally unacceptable.”

Watch Helen and Cleo’sfull reaction here

Former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara and ex-No 10 special advisor Cleo Watson are the co-hosts of The Independent’s politics podcast,In the Room. New episodes drop every Friday. Listen onApple PodcastsandSpotify, or watch onYouTube.

Aubrey Plaza wore a chic floral minidress from Stella McCartney's Spring 2026 collection for a special screening of her upcoming animated series Kevin, held at Metrograph in New York City

NEED TO KNOW

• Plaza showed off her baby bump in the spring ensemble

• The actress announced last week that she was expecting her first baby with partner Chris Abbott

Aubrey Plazawore a chic spring dress that showed off her baby bump on the red carpet for a special screening of her upcoming animated seriesKevin,held at Metrograph in New York City.

Plaza, 41, wore a 1960s-inspired babydoll minidress fromStella McCartney's Spring 2026 collectionto the event on Thursday, April 16. The white dress featured a blue floral and green vine design. The actress completed the look with white pointed-toe pumps and a bejeweled black-and-white cat statuette reminiscent of the titular cartoon cat Kevin, voiced byJason Schwartzman.

Plaza'sKevincostarsWhoopi GoldbergandQuinta Brunsonhugged her baby bump in sweet photos from the carpet.

Kevin, an animated series geared towards adult audiences, follows Kevin's adventures as he moves into an animal shelter in Queens, N.Y., after his owners break up.

The White Lotusalum, whoconfirmed her first pregnancywith her partnerChris Abbottlast week, debuted her baby bump on TV during an appearance onThe Viewearlier on Thursday.

Plaza walked in holding hands with a mascot ofKevin'stitular cat.

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Goldberg, 70, joked that she unknowingly predicted Plaza's pregnancy during the actress's last appearance on the show in October. She noted that she had just been “silly and having fun” at the time, joking about a pregnancy, but then it actually happened.

The show then cut a clip of Plaza tellingThe Viewaudience, “Whoopi and I have a little secret,” to which Goldberg — who is a voice actor onKevin— jokingly responded, “We're pregnant!” Plaza teased, “I'm carrying Whoopi's baby, but it's a cat.”

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The show then cut to the present day, where the audience applauded Plaza, whose baby bump could be seen under her navy blue dress. Keeping up with the bit, she thanked Goldberg before lovingly rubbing her stomach.

“Thank you. The cat is doing great,” she said, referring to her new baby.

Kevinpremieres on Prime Video on April 20.

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