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Are you an Xmas scrooge?

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UK stars on Christmas present, past and painful

by Georgina Bearns

Most love it, some hate it; a selection of Britain's top showbiz personalities talk about their Christmas preparations, traditions and memories

Jamie Oliver

'I always make sure that I take a week off at Christmas, I work so hard the rest of the year. It really is a time for families and we'll go to Jools' mum and to my mum and dad's in Essex.'

David Jason

'The very worst Christmas I ever endured was when I was doing a pantomime, Cinderella, in Newcastle. I was playing Buttons at the Theatre Royal, and it was my first ever panto. Just before Christmas Day, I came down with a terrible cold but still battled on. I was staying at a city centre hotel and decided to have a lie-in on my day off, Christmas Day. When I eventually got up, I found that everything was shut. I'd been effectively locked in! There were no other guests, all the staff had gone home for their Christmas dinners, and everyone had forgotten about Mr Jason in room whatever it was. I just stood looking out of the bedroom window, at all the lights twinkling away for miles around, and feeling completely lonely and cut off from it all.

Jordan

'I like Christmas at home with the family. Harvey and Junior will have their presents in the morning, then I'll cook Christmas lunch for us all - turkey and all the trimmings.'

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

'There are always about 15 of us with the kids and dogs at Christmas. The day starts early, with the whole family opening their stockings before heading to church. Then comes my favourite part of the whole day: lunch. But you should never let your standards slip; I always wear killer heels, even when watching the telly.'

Sharon Osbourne

'We wake up really late and then give each other presents. After that we have a fry-up, take the dogs for a walk and watch the Queen's speech. We eat our Christmas dinner at about 6pm. After that, we all lie on the sofa and have cold roast potatoes watching Tommy Cooper DVDs.'

Barbara Windsor

'One Christmas I recall vividly is when I had to record a Christmas Special for Ready, Steady, Cook as a celebrity guest along with Paul O'Grady. I turned up with £30,000 of hired jewellery in my handbag, which I'd used on a special photo shoot for a glossy magazine. I hadn't had time to return it because I'd been recording EastEnders, and the shoot had overrun.

As it was a Christmas Special, both Paul and I were costumed - me as a Fairy and him as the Wicked Witch. We all went out for dinner after the show, we enjoyed ourselves, and I woke up the next morning feeling a bit worse for wear. I reached for my handbag and it wasn't there. Someone was walking around with £30,000 of jewellery that didn't belong to me.

Panic! I rang around everyone I knew, but no-one had seen it. Thank God, when I finally got to my Eastenders dressing room there was a note from the Ready, Steady, Cook producer saying that she'd picked up my bag by mistake, and that she was sending it over by courier. I promised myself never to have Christmas drinks with Paul O'Grady again!'

Minnie Driver

'My family had wonderful traditions when I was a child. We'd take a carriage ride in the snow and look at the lights, or my father would take us away somewhere wonderful like Hawaii. Now for me the holidays are about simple things, like just being with the people I love.'

Helena Bonham Carter

'I'll be attempting to cook, but I also want to just watch television and sleep a lot. I always have a stocking, which my mum fills with presents.'

Noel Gallagher

'I hate Christmas. I hate the silly music on the radio, I hate the adverts on the telly. I don't like mince pies and I hate turkey. I can't be arsed getting involved. I was on the verge of saying to my daughter: "There is no Father Christmas". I'm looking forward to breaking the news to her one day.'