John Gibson: Am I too hard on their heels?

I’ve stood next to Tom Cruise. Well, in his shadow. And height-wise Tom, when you get up close and relatively personal, is a wee bit soul. A comparative smout.

And he had his platforms on. These shoes, built an inch higher than normal for what might be considered the abnormal, are enjoying a comeback. Shoes that remind me of a Hollywood hunk from way back, gunslinger for Westerns Alan Ladd. Poor Alan, he had a problem getting on a horse. He had to stand on a box to get his leg over.

Debenhams report a sales boom in this type of footwear. Ask Simon Cowell, pushed to walk tall. Present-day movie star Danny DeVito hasn’t resorted to “lifts” and I have to say it pains me to mention him and Cowell in the same breath. Deepest apologies, Danny.

One Kind deed

Ever the caring kind when it’s to do with animals, the Dowager Duchess of Hamilton (to me, Kay Hamilton) hosted a fundraising Burns Supper at the Apex International for the Edinburgh-based animal welfare charity One Kind. The hundred guests raised £3000.

A cause close to Kay’s heart. It was her paternal grandmother’s creation a century ago for the prevention of vivisection and the money will go towards educating children on ending animal cruelty.