RICHARD EDEN: Apprentice star blames working from home for her slipped disc

Saira Khan impressed Lord Sugar with her skills as a saleswoman on The Apprentice.

But she fears that the working from home culture has robbed her and millions of Britons of their drive, and worse yet, their health.

Indeed, Saira, 56, who appeared on the first season of the BBC business show, reveals that she suffered a serious injury caused by spending too long being sedentary at home.

'I got a slipped disc because I went from going to an office and doing that little commute, to sitting at home in front of a computer,' the businesswoman, pictured, tells me at the Employee Network Awards 2026 at the InterContinental London hotel in Mayfair.

'I'm sick of Zoom meetings, I'm sick of not seeing people. It's making us all unhealthy. You can spend hours without realising and your discs compress. We are going to get real ailments from work from home, such as getting hunchback, our eyes going, but also isolation.'

The phenomenon of 'working from home', also known as WFH, went mainstream during the Covid lockdowns.

Earlier this month, Barclays employees revolted after the bank called for them to work in the office more. Staff who came in two days a week were told they would need to come in for at least three.

The former Loose Women star and founder of skincare brand Saira, who has two children with her husband Steven Hyde, adds: 'I learned all my skills in an office. If you're a young person working from home, what do you know apart from what you're seeing of your colleagues? I miss that element of getting us all together. We should be going back to the office.'

Saira, 56, who appeared on the first season of the BBC business show, reveals that she suffered a serious injury caused by spending too long being sedentary at home

Train delay sparks love for Imogen

Writer Imogen Lycett Green has embarked on a romantic new chapter at the age of 60. The granddaughter of poet laureate Sir John Betjeman has married renowned documentary film-maker Nick Broomfield, 78. 

'We're delighted to have found each other at this moment in our lives,' she tells me. 'A wonderful adventure.' 

The couple, who met at Lewes railway station in East Sussex after a train delay, exchanged vows at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London. 

Imogen has four children with ex-husband Gus Christie, executive chairman of Glyndebourne opera house in East Sussex. 

He is now married to opera star Danielle de Niese. Nick, who has two children from previous relationships, once enjoyed romances with actress Amanda Donohoe and Lady Cosima Somerset, a friend of Princess Diana. 

Writer Imogen Lycett Green has embarked on a romantic new chapter at the age of 60, marrying renowned documentary film-maker Nick Broomfield, 78, at Marylebone Town Hall

Finally, someone to sing Ed's praises

At last a fellow pop star has stuck up for Ed Sheeran! 

The singer, 35, has been hounded since his tour promoter dropped rap per Macklemore from the line-up for making pro-Palestinian comments. 

But Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid sang Sheeran's praises at the 2026 BMI London Awards. 

Receiving the BMI President's Award, McDaid, 50, said: 'One of the people who's taught me most about myself as a writer and as a human is Ed Sheeran...' 

McDaid, who co-wrote Sheeran's Shape Of You, added: 'We are more than best friends, he's my brother, closer than blood and I love him.' 

Fiona Shaw, who stars in the new adaptation of Sense And Sensibility, has voiced her sadness that she never had a child. 

'I had a boyfriend in my early 20s and I thought, 'I'd love to have a baby', but I didn't think I could have a baby out of wedlock, and I didn't think I could bring up a child, not in Ireland,' says the actress, 68. 

'I just put my mind into working.' She went on to marry Sri Lankan economist Sonali Deraniyagala, 62. 

City Slicker Bhoyrul shares his lates tips... on parenting

Journalist Anil Bhoyrul moved to Dubai following his conviction in the Daily Mirror City Slickers share-tipping scandal, for which he carried out 180 hours of community service in 2006. 

He and wife Branka sent their three children to school in Bolivia, a country chosen by throwing darts at a world map. 

Anil admits the plan backfired. 'They were meant to learn the value of money and not get carried away,' he tells me at the launch party for his book, Men's Guide To Pregnancy, at ESQ in London. 

'It didn't work. They came back after six years and within ten seconds their view was, 'I've done my time. Where's the iPhone? We're never going back'.' He adds: 'I wouldn't advise parents to ship their kids off.' 

A fiery 35th birthday for Weller's girl 

How about this for celebrating a birthday with a bang? Paul Weller's daughter Leah turned 35 and marked it by blowing alcohol over a lit candle, sending a dramatic burst of flame into the air. 

The singer and model, whose mother is the rock star's ex-wife and former Style Council vocalist Dee C Lee, spent the day with loved ones in London. 

'Happy 35th birthday to me,' she wrote online. 'Thank you for all the wonderful messages, so lucky to have amazing friends and family in my life.'

Paul Weller's daughter Leah turned 35 and marked it by blowing alcohol over a lit candle, sending a dramatic burst of flame into the air

Hollywood star Josh O'Connor plays a violinist who becomes a boxer in the play Golden Boy at the Almeida Theatre in London. The actor, 36, best known for his role in The Durrells and as Prince Charles in The Crown, appears, however, to have been on the ropes off stage. 

During Monday's performance, his head was swathed in a large bandage, prompting an announcement before the curtain rose, explaining: 'The head bandage is not part of the production.' 

A spokesman declines to comment, but Josh can be clumsy: In 2021 he accidentally hit himself in the head with his Emmy award while embracing a fellow guest, leaving him bleeding from the impact.

Hollywood star Josh O'Connor's appearance in the play Golden Boy featured a large bandage swathed around his head, which, an announcement stated, was not part of the performance