Michelle Obama was faced with a fresh wave of attacks on Thursday over her lavish break in Spain with 40 friends, which could easily cost US taxpayers a staggering £50,000 a day. The First Lady has been lambasted for her extravagance at a time when the economy is still struggling.

Her critics will be even further annoyed when they learn that she had a Spanish beach closed off by Spanish police on Thursday so that she, her daughter and their entourage could go for a swim.

Back in the US, anger was mounting — especially as it has emerged that the First Lady will have enjoyed eight holidays by the end of the summer. These include a trip to Los Angeles in June, a visit to the Florida’s oil-hit Gulf Coast next weekend and a ten-day trip to Martha’s Vineyard later this month.

Mrs Obama, accompanied by her youngest daughter Sasha, spent Thursday in the historic city of Granada. They arrived by plane at Malaga airport on Wednesday morning and were driven in a 14-car convoy to the five-star Hotel Villa Padierna, where her entourage has reserved 60 of the 129 rooms. President Barack Obama and her oldest daughter Malia are not expected to join them.

New York Daily News columnist Andrea Tantaros likened the president’s wife to French queen Marie Antoinette, who was famously extravagant with her spending. Tantaros accused the Obamas of hypocrisy for preaching the values of sacrifice and austerity to Americans while seemingly refusing to heed their own advice.

–Daily Mail

Why Jessica Simpson has given up trying to look like a ‘perfect Barbie’

She has made headlines for fitting into a pair of ‘Daisy Dukes’, as well as for filling out a pair of ‘mom jeans’, but Jessica Simpson says she has stopped worrying about her body shape. The 30-year-old has come to the conclusion that embracing her figure is more important than being ‘perfect’.

“We all obsess over looking like the perfect Barbie type, and that’s not always what’s beautiful. It’s about making peace with yourself,” she told the latest issue of Lucky magazine. The singer-actress has also picked up a few fashion tips as to what flatters her natural hourglass shape. “I’m a huge Jean Paul Gaultier fan. His pieces make my waist look good, they’re an investment, but I’ll have them when I’m old and grey,” she said.

Simpson does watch what she eats: “I think a woman always stresses out about their weight. It’s just like a woman thing — unless you’re the women we don’t like; that are the supermodels, that are just so naturally fantastic, but for me, I’m a curvy girl so I have to always be conscious of what I’m putting into my body, if I’m going to be working out,” She told E!’s The Daily 10.

–Daily Mail

‘Sealed’ with a kiss: Heidi Klum shares a romantic moment with her husband in Italy

They could be the happiest couple in Hollywood, as Heidi Klum and Seal couldn’t keep their hands off each other while holidaying in Italy on Friday.

The 37-year-old model and her singer husband, 44, snuggled up by the water with nine-month-old baby Lou asleep on his lap.

They were also spotted sneaking a romantic kiss while their other children Henry, four, Johan, three, and Leni, six, played in the sand in front of them. After months of working hard — Heidi has been shooting season eight of Project Runway in New York while Seal has been recording his sixth studio album in Los Angeles — the family are reunited and taking a well-deserved break.

They have been enjoying a Mediterranean holiday, boarding a luxury super yacht in Nice, France, and then sailing down the Italian coastline. Heidi’s mother Erna Klum also joined them aboard the 156-foot long luxury motor yacht Va Bene. While aboard the boat the family have been seen spending time on deck sunbathing with their friends and family and Seal and the kids took to the water on jet skis. They have also taken in the sights of the towns where they dock, eating out at restaurants and walking round the shops.

–Daily Mail