Did you know that Kate Winslet is friendly with Richard Branson? It makes sense, although I didn’t know that before today. Anyway, Winslet is tight enough with Branson that she was vacationing on his private island, Necker, in the British Virgin Islands. Have you ever seen Branson’s MTV Cribs where he shows off the Necker estate? It’s INSANE. It’s so beautiful there, and I would have put up with Branson just to spend some time there. That’s right, past tense. The place burned down early this morning while Kate, her children and other guests were staying there. No one is hurt! Everyone got out.
Kate Winslet’s tropical vacation turned terrifying early Monday morning when a fire broke out at Richard Branson’s Caribbean home where she and her family were staying.
The actress, 35, her boyfriend, Louis Dowler, and her children Mia, 10, and Joe, 7, escaped, along with 16 other guests from the eight-bedroom Great House on Necker, Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands.
Branson told the AP that the fire broke out around 4 a.m. during a tropical storm. His son Sam, 25, helped guests evacuate, and the house was “completely destroyed” by the fire.
The cause of the inferno is still under investigation, but lightning is likely to blame.
Winslet’s rep confirmed that the actress was unharmed.
Last month, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo were married on Necker island, saying their “I do’s” just steps from the house that burned down Monday.
[From People]
Is it weird that Kate was there with Louis Dowler? I thought they broke up? Ah, no, they were back on in June. Guess they’re still back on. At least they’re “on” enough for some vacation bonin’. Oh, well. I’m glad Kate and her kids are alright and no one was seriously injured. It’s sad about the damage to the property, though. This place really did look amazing:
Photos courtesy of WENN.
It was Sean Penn and those damn cigarettes. I didn’t even know they were dating.
Really a shame about the fire. It was a beautiful place. My condolences to the insurance company.
Listen, I really like Kate Winslet, but can she please get defuzzed? She has the means and she’s always photographed in light that illuminates it. Theres nothing wrong with a little peach fuz on the face, but I feel like she has a lot of peach fuz all over her face. I know it isn’t p/c, but if it was me I’d DIE thinking people can see all my fuzziness.
I’m seeing some forehead lines and what appears to be a mighty fuzzy moustache that were both absent in her “flawless” Lancome ads. Hmmmmm.
On a lighter note, glad she got away from the fire unscathed.
I am so with you on her peach fuzz! She always has a hair problem and I just wanna go get some wax and hair removal strips for her. Even her eyebrows always look unruly to me.
She has quite the mustache in that first photo. If she is against plastic surgery, fine, but depilatory wax should be her friend.
Glad she’s ok and also glad she’s a member of the anticosmetic surgery league or she would have melted for sure.
Scary! Glad everyone got out OK, too bad about the place though. At least he has the resources to replace it, plus a great insurance policy I bet.
Kate Winslet is not against plastic surgery or beauty treatments – at least not for herself. In her Oscar campaign to glam up she got an obvious nose job, bleached her hair blond and slimmed down considerably.
I believe her latest thing is her opposition to procedures that freeze an actor’s face.
Glad that everyone’s okay. She was just photographed on Saturday looking stressed. This vacation wouldn’t have helped with that. The property looked gorgeous in the video.
Louis Dowler is yum.
She’s made clear that she’s against plastic surgery (even though she did her nose) but is she also against epilation? My God that is hardcore.
Necker Island isn’t totally exclusive, you can hire it out- for only $55k a night for up to 28 people. Sounds like RB wasn’t hosting if he wasnt staying in the main house
I’m actually kind of surprsied this is being seen as a kate Winslet story and not a RIchard Branson story….
20 people in a 8 bedroom estate….How does that one work?
It is said that Marilyn Monroe was pretty fuzzy too, hence the nimbus in her photographs. I understand Kate’s reticence to wax her face – it could damage the skin, and come on, when is it enough? I am all for dealing with the coarse, dark hairs but the fuzzies? It’s time to embrace the fact that we are mammals, and we grow hair everywhere. Is it really so awful?
So she can’t win….
http://www.celebitchy.com/175199/kate_winslet_forms_british_anti-cosmetic_surgery_league_will_not_give_in/
I’m sure there’s some fillers etc in there but still – you can see that lighting and make up make a definate difference.
Her face is bothering me.
her guy is quite the looker
@newtsgal
“20 people in a 8 bedroom estate….How does that one work?”
Ahhhhh, how sweet. Nice to see there are still uncorupted ladies in this world…..innocence lost.
Do rich celebrities ever pay for their own vacations? They seem to mooch off each other more than couch-surfing students.
@Embee – you are my hero!!!!!!!!! But what is a nimbus?
I visited the island when I was 6, about twenty years ago, with a friend’s family. My friend and I nearly burnt the place down with a candle while we were building a pillow fort. I’ve always dreamt of going back, but i guess that won’t be happening any time soon…
Really sad. That place was beautiful. I love how the story became about some celebrities instead of the property and Richard Branson. I read elsewhere his office was in the house and he lost a whole lot of personal stuff too. Sad.
Oh, who gives a shit about her “peach fuzz”? Seriously, aren’t we the group that bitches and moans about celebs who nip and tuck? What will ever be a happy medium?
I’ll admit, I can never say a bad thing about Kate Winslet.She never pretended to be anything than what she is, and that was so utterly refreshing as a ‘tween who grew up in the “starve yourself and chop your face up to be pretty” late ’90s. To have a curvy, strong-jawed, big-nosed Ginger (at least then, and I think she actually is a natural blonde) that everyone thought was gorgeous was an amazing self-esteem boost.
Wow, what a gorgeous place that was. I’m glad everyone got out okay, but it’s a shame about the house burning down. It was really lovely.
ROL and Yahoo say she helped Branson’s 90-year-old Mum escape the fire. She and one of the younger Branson’s carried Mum out of the house.
I think Kate is a great actress, plus she is classy and brilliant. She’s not vapid, shallow or showing off all of time (think JLo & several others who are unbearingly divaesque). Kate’s talents are huge. She’s very attractive and who cares if she has fuzz. It’s only in these ridiculous closeups that we see every little thing on someone’s face. I just have to hand it to her because to me, she has it all. None of the other wannabe actresses can come close to her.
Am I really the only one who wonders about the…prophecy (?) of the wedding venue burning down? I mean, as a woman whose wedding venue ACTUALLY. BURNED. DOWN. (No effing joke! The sh!t burned down! After said wedding) I’m just curious, I guess. (And yes, it ended in an ugly divorce. As did my dear friend’s marriage, who also got married at said burned-down venue.) Jusssayin.
Oh, yeah, so grateful the non-plastic-face-and-stuff chick got out ok. And the rest of the guests (plebeians) too.
Sad about the property losses. The bf is prettier than Kate.
Wow.
Some of these comments are unfairly harsh..
I bet none of you have bad pictures of you out there, huh?… lol.. So. vain.
She’s a beautiful lady – a great actress and I’m glad EVERYONE on the Island is OK.
Can I just add that I sincerely doubt that Richard Branson is just letting celebrities “crash” for free on his Island and at his estate. Please. He’s a business man.
@Leigh —
I agree. I think Kate Winslet is beautiful, and her acting, to quote Hugh Benneville is, “A force of Nature.”
damn, some of you people are pitiful. The world could be coming to an end and you’d still make comments about someone’s wardrobe or their need to face the apocalypse with all of their makeup intact. We make jokes about how television has made us all shallow and unrealistic about beauty, but it seems like some of you aren’t in on it. You’re just happily brain washed.
How exactly do you guys suggest she “de-fuzz”. Laser hair removal only works on dark hairs (and it’s also not very effective on the face because facial hair can be hormonal and stubborn… plus, they can’t turn the shit up on super-blast because ya… it’s your face). Do you recommend she wax her entire face or shave it or something? I swear!!
Anyway, glad she’s ok…
There was a report I read somewhere that Kate actually carried Branson’s mum out of the fire (and Richard was running around nude)… Is there nothing this woman cannot do?