olivia Newton-John partner 'alive and well'
The former boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John who was thought to have drowned at sea faked his own death, it has been claimed.
According to US investigators, Patrick McDermott is currently travelling along the coast of South America to avoid paying his debts and to allow his son to collect his life insurance policy.
McDermott was dating the Grease actress around the time of his disappearance on a fishing boat called The Freedom in June 2005, the Daily Mail reports.
Lead investigator Philip Klein told NBC show Dateline that his agency was close to finding Newton-John's former partner.
"He's alive - there's no doubt in my mind, this guy's alive," he said.
i always had my doubts he was dead
'Kumars' writer Sardana dies, aged 40
Tributes are being paid to comic writer Sharat Sardana, who has died at the age of 40.
Sardana collapsed at his father's home suffering from a streptococcal virus, reports the Evening Standard. He died at Whipps Cross University Hospital in East London on Tuesday.
The writer was behind television hits such as Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars At Number 42.
Actors Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar described Sardana as being like a "brother". In a statement, they said that they are "stunned and completely broken hearted" about his death.
The statement read: "He was not just a gifted writer and a long-standing colleague and friend. We were part of each other's extended families and losing him feels like losing a brother."
Executive producer of BBC Comedy Jon Plowman called Sardana's death a "truly shocking loss". "It's a very sad day for comedy to lose a writer who managed to help comedy break through in the way that Goodness Gracious Me did," he said.
