So near, so far

London, Jan. 4: A brother and sister who have been reunited after nearly 40 years discovered they had been living only 300 yards from each other, reports The Sunday Telegraph.

Whitty, 64, had even walked past his younger sister Yvonne’s house and had seen her in her garden, never knowing they were related. Whitty and his sister grew up together, but their parents died when they were young and they were placed into the care of a family friend. They stayed in touch after Whitty left home at 21, but lost contact when he went to visit her house and found it had been demolished in a slum clearance project. Both then went their separate ways.

After several failed attempts to contact his sister, Whitty wrote to the Manchester Evening News before this Christmas asking for help. When Whitty’s letter was published he received a phone call from an old school friend and five minutes later the telephone rang again and the voice said: “Hello, this is Yvonne.”

Kate & Katie

London: Kate Winslet’s critically acclaimed performance in Finding Neverland might have earned her an Oscar nomination, but it has not led to the actress being offered a part in a new stage adaptation. The role of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in a musical version of the film has instead been offered to Katie Holmes, the 30-year-old wife of Tom Cruise. The musical centres on Sylvia’s relationship with J.M. Barrie, whom she inspired to write Peter Pan. The show is expected to be given a Broadway run later this year.