New Idea

My Kitchen Rules‘ Mary and Golden were ready for their chance in the kitchen, but admit to feeling more pressure than their rivals. As the show’s first Filipino team, the nurses were determined not to let their community down and plate up the best food they could. The best friends tell New Idea that judges Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel announcing they had never tried Filipino food only added to the stakes.

We only have to wait a few more weeks until The Block 2026 auction, but the reserve price has already been revealed. Even though the date of the auction hasn’t been confirmed by Channel Nine, fans have already been given an idea of how much the homes will be priced at. While last year’s $2.99 million reserve price caused an uproar, with two of the homes not selling on the day, in 2026, the price will be much higher.

Paramedics is back for season seven – and for the first time the show heads to Western Australia. Following emergency ambulance crews as they respond to Australians at the most challenging times of their lives, the observational documentary series shines a light on the people behind the uniforms. One of those important people is paramedic Hwee, who was born in Malaysia and moved to WA when she was 11.

Prince William and Prince Harry‘s rift has been deepening, but King Charles is determined to put an end to it. Royal insiders tell New Idea that the monarch wants William, 44, and Harry, 42, to mend their once-close relationship before the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. Charles, 77, is said to be considering holding a small, official service to honour the late Princess of Wales, and he expects both of his sons to be there.

Before Meghan Markle came on the scene, royal fans were convinced that Prince Harry would find his happily ever after with Chelsy Davy. The two dated on and off for years before eventually calling it quits in 2011 when Chelsey couldn’t take life in the spotlight any more. Whilst Harry and Meghan have been married since 2018, Chelsy is now settled down on the tropical island of Mauritius with husband Sam Cutmore-Scott and kids Leo, four, Chloe, three, and Finn, six months.

The countdown is on for The Block 2026 auction, and it will look very different this year because of a change in Victorian law. This time, the reserve price will be disclosed statewide exactly one week before any auction date. Under the new laws, which came into effect on October 1, real estate agents with auctions on and from October 16, must list the seller’s reserve prices to the exact dollar amount. If a reserve price changes, the date of the auction also has to be moved.

With Christmas approaching, Meghan Markle is making sure her As Ever brand is capitalising on all things festive. Her first-ever Holiday Advent Calendar, created in collaboration with LA chocolatier Compartes and priced at $148 (AUD211), became available for pre-order this week. However, it also marked Buckingham Palace released their substantially cheaper chocolate advent calendar priced at £12 (AUD2.80).

While the three-part Matthew Perry documentary is set to premiere this month, five familiar faces will be notably absent. Matthew’s Friends co-stars, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox have all declined to appear in the Netflix special, three years after his tragic death. New Idea understands that they felt it was simply too soon to revisit their grief publicly, and have chosen to honour Matthew in their own way and in their own time.

Meghan Markle has been quietly keeping notes for years, and insiders claim she’s preparing to tell her side of the story in an explosive memoir. With Charles Spencer’s Diana memoir and Angela Kelly’s Queen Elizabeth documentary dominating headlines, the Duchess is planning a project of her own. New Idea understands that Meghan, 45, hopes to transform her personal journals into a tell-all memoir and has already attracted interest from publishers. “Meghan never forgets,” an insider tells us.

When Stacey Chater and her husband, Ralph, got an answer about why their son, Brayden, had died so suddenly and unexpectedly they were left reeling. Usually fit and healthy, Brayden was just 23 when he deteriorated from what seemed like flu symptoms – a fever and runny nose – during the course of a day. By 9pm on November 18, 2022, Stacey found Brayden unresponsive on his bedroom floor. Later that night he was deemed brain dead, and tragically died the following day.