Bec's the new Diana

[Becstar]

The Age

March 12, 2006

Crazy as it may sound, a soap star has become the darling of the gossip magazines. By John Elder.

Bec Cartwright is the new Princess Diana — as far as Woman's Day and New Idea are concerned. The editors of the magazines have told The Sunday Age that a new instalment of the Bec and Lleyton love affair — and breeding program — guarantees a huge surge in circulation. Up to an extra 100,000 sales.

Says Woman's Day's editor, Alana House, with 525,000 sales a week: "When we had the first baby photos (of little Mia), we had the biggest sale in 10 years. You're talking about the height of the Princess Di days.

"Bec Cartwright is massive. She's eclipsed Princess Mary. She is the number-one-selling cover girl in Australia. They can't get enough of her. (Cartwright) puts us into the 600,000s."

Says New Idea's editor, Robyn Foyster, with a circulation of 432,000 — up from 400,000 in the past six months: "The one thing about Bec and Lleyton is they guarantee sales — one of our exclusives gave us the biggest magazine sale in 10 years; the biggest since the death of Princess Diana."

Regarding her biggest sale, Foyster declined to talk figures, but she certainly remained hopeful. She believes that New Idea might take back the number-one spot that was lost to Woman's Day 20 years ago.

"When you look at what we've done you start to think it's possible for us to get to (number one)," she says. "Looking back over the figures, there's been a spike every six weeks that has put us ahead of Woman's Day. That hasn't happened before."

In the one corner, Woman's Day owns Bec and Lleyton (and little Mia) — having bought the baby diaries and photos, the exclusive interviews and Bec's involvement in a TV ad campaign for a reported $1.5 million. The deal runs until August.

"We have the real story," says House. "And with her column, Bec tells it as it is; we hardly change it at all."

In the other corner, New Idea, having reportedly paid up to $500,000 each for Simone Warne's heartache and the Bec and Lleyton wedding snaps — claims it does a better job by breaking "real news" about the couple. "Real news" means information from unnamed sources and photographs taken by paparazzi stalking the young family. The Sunday Age understands that a set of "papped" shots can bring between $10,000 and $20,000.

"We publish what is really going on with Bec and Lleyton," says Foyster, suggesting that readers would find New Idea more credible because it wasn't confined to publishing the kind of feel-good stories that Woman's Day is contractually obliged to run.

A big winner for Forster was the "Bec packs her bags" cover-line. It was sucked off the shelves by gasping readers, frantic at the suggestion that the sparkly love story was over.

The New Idea story claimed Cartwright (with little Mia) were heading off to follow Hewitt around the US tennis circuit — because Bec feared "separation will ruin their marriage".

How did New Idea know that Bec was worried about her marriage? "We had (unnamed) people telling us — various people we interview who know them well," says Foyster.

The story claimed that Bec was leaving the country following media backlash against the couple spawned by:

■ Their million-dollar media deals and desperate attempts to keep Mia bundled away from paparazzi.

■An embarrassing legal claim by a Sydney Harbour cruise company for an unpaid bill, a counter-claim that the cruise company had unlawfully sold photographs of the lovers.

■Suggestions that they were slow to fund an orphanage in Cambodia.

■ Legal action over a (reportedly wrong) claim that Hewitt snubbed a Special Olympics event.

■ An interview with radio ranter Alan Jones in which Hewitt whinged, "Every time I return to Australia I feel like it's a knife going into my back".

Meanwhile, Woman's Day has pushed the line that a States-side Bec and Lleyton "are happier than ever".

House admits that the "Bec packs her bags" line worked for New Idea, but believes that happiness and cross-eyed love works best for her readers.

When the Queen of Hearts died nine years ago, and all the tribute issues ran out of steam, magazine editors had one question: who will be the next Diana? The answer seems to be our royals, the Hewitts. It is a new world.

A life less ordinary for an everyday girl

Woman's Day editor Alanah House says the formula for today's winning tabloid cover girl is " a nice ordinary girl who has had something extraordinary happen to her".

Her top-five sellers of magazines:

■ Bec Cartwright Everyday soap star meets heartbroken, highly strung sports star who almost wins the Australian Open but earns the love of his nation for the evening, which ends with a marriage proposal.

■ Princess Mary Born in Tasmania, goes to a bar where a handsome prince falls in love at first sight.

■ Oprah Winfrey Abused as a child, lived poor, now a superstar who gives cars to studio audience members.

■ Kirstie Alley Pretty and funny woman who grew so fat she moved like a ship, lost a chunk of weight by eating cake and creamy pasta.

■ Angelina Jolie Abandoned by father, freak-show marriage to a cheat, shags other women's husbands, adopts children from poor countries.

[Lisa S]

Jeez, lucky Bec!!

Who would want to be the next Princess Di especially after the way Di was treated by the gossip mags and paparazzi. She ended up being hounded to death literally by these people. I am sure this sort of thing would have it's advantages for Bec through money and publicity but would it all be worth it when you can't walk outside your front door without being hounded.

[claire_louise]

^ Totally agree. I don't know why everyone wants to be the 'next Diana'. The woman's fame cost her her life for goodness' sake. Besides, no offence to Bec, but you can hardly compare an ex-soap star and tennis wife to arguably the most famous woman in the world. Comparisons like that are just insulting - although it's not quite as bad as Paris Hilton getting a 'Diana' haircut!

[ste]

OMG how disgusting. Bec is nothing like Diana.

[caitlin87]

Eeerr please, I feel like Im going to be sick.

[kim-b]

Thanks thats a very interesting article.

[Taft]

"Bec Cartwright is massive. She's eclipsed Princess Mary. She is the number-one-selling cover girl in Australia. They can't get enough of her. (Cartwright) puts us into the 600,000s."

Is that stupid editor woman serious? What a load of BS. I could give a toss what happens to Rebecca Cartwright and her angry husband. I'm interested in people like Ray Meagher and Cornelia Frances, who have to work for a living, and don't have some know-it-all gossip magazine pay for their lives. A pathetic article!

[Frankie]

"Bec Cartwright is massive. She's eclipsed Princess Mary. She is the number-one-selling cover girl in Australia. They can't get enough of her. (Cartwright) puts us into the 600,000s."

Is that stupid editor woman serious? What a load of BS. I could give a toss what happens to Rebecca Cartwright and her angry husband. I'm interested in people like Ray Meagher and Cornelia Frances, who have to work for a living, and don't have some know-it-all gossip magazine pay for their lives. A pathetic article!

Whilst I entirely agree with the sentiment...most people are not as discerning as you...or me for that matter...LOL.......I too would prefer to read about some of the better actors on Home and Away but unfortunatley the majority of hormonal teenagers...who buy the mags... want to read about the person they have posters of on their bedroom walls...and they wont be of Ray, Cornelia, Lynne or Ivar........talent does not sell magazines...its a sad fact ...but there you go. ....

..... so unless we can somehow persuade the mags to publish what we want...and also persuade a lot of people to buy them...we will just have to tolerate the Bec mania. It will die dwon soon when they find someone else to drool over...I give it a year and it will be "Bec who?" .... Mia is cute though...awwwww...

[Krazy Karl]

The article isn't saying she is on par with Diana as a person, just as a magazine seller...

[Genevieve]

The article isn't saying she is on par with Diana as a person, just as a magazine seller...

Exactly.

She sell magazines, thats why they use her. If she did not they would use someone else.