Anna Kournikova out at ‘Biggest Loser’ - People
Anna Kournikova didn't make the cut for the next season of The Biggest Loser. Effective immediately.
The sexy tennis star, 30, had joined the NBC show as trainer back in August for Season 12, replacing Jillian Michaels, who is trying to adopt a baby from the Congo.
The Hollywood Reporter says Kournikova rubbed some of the contestants the wrong way with her tough-love approach. The local hottie, who lives with boyfriend Enrique Iglesias, confirmed the news in a statement to THR: "I enjoyed my time on the Biggest Loser ranch. Although I will not be returning as a full time trainer on season 13, I will always be a part of The Biggest Loser family and my commitment to bettering lives through health and fitness will continue.''
Just recently, the Russian-born certified trainer got high praise from BL contestant Joe Mitchell, who was sent home. He said that he was grateful to her because she "fixed'' his mentality about exercise. "She drilled into our heads that the only person you can really rely on is yourself.''
"Drilled'' may be the operative word: Some show insiders told THR she was a bit harsh.
Now that she's unemployed, will Kournikova go into wedding-planning mode? Don't count on it. "I'm in a happy relationship," she told the November issue of Women's Health. "That's all that matters.''
MADELEINE MARR
Taking the stage
Kathleen Turner has played South Florida before, portraying a larger-than-life Tallulah Bankhead in the solo show Tallulah! in Coconut Grove and Palm Beach a dozen years ago. She's coming back, this time in Matthew Lombardo's High, a three-character drama that will play Fort Lauderdale's Parker Playhouse Feb. 29-March 4.
In High, Turner plays a nun with a past, a sometimes foul-mouthed woman who has become a drug counselor, in this case trying to help a suffering 19-year-old. Though the play didn't run long on Broadway last season (lasting just 29 previews and seven performances before closing), Turner's star power has made the production a box office success in regional and touring venues.
Performance at the Parker, 707 NE Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale, are 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Tickets are $35-$55. Call 954-462-0222 or visit www.parkerplayhouse.com for information.
CHRISTINE DOLEN
