Helen Mirren, Riz Ahmed and Naomi Watts are among the stars who've turned to social media while isolating at home. Instagram
Helen Mirren, Riz Ahmed and Naomi Watts are among the stars who've turned to social media while isolating at home. Instagram
Helen Mirren, Riz Ahmed and Naomi Watts are among the stars who've turned to social media while isolating at home. Instagram
Helen Mirren, Riz Ahmed and Naomi Watts are among the stars who've turned to social media while isolating at home. Instagram

Riz Ahmed's buzz cut to Helen Mirren's selfie: The most relatable celebrity posts from lockdown


Emma Day
  • English
  • Arabic

As much as they might proclaim it so, celebrities aren't exactly like the rest of us.

And that fact has become ever more clear during the current lockdown measures in place around the world, to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Many A-list social media accounts show palatial properties, swimming pools, at-home gyms and sprawling backyards in which their owners while away the days. Many of us, on the other hand, are watching back-to-back TV shows in one-bedroom apartments.

But, there are a handful of celebrities who are proving themselves rather relatable amid a time of isolation and social distancing.

With no further delay, here are the stars with some of the best posts from lockdown.

Naomi Watts

Spending more time indoors has been great for our laundry baskets (which have never been less full), but not as good for our waistlines, thanks to the plethora of snacks just a hand's reach away. The British-Australian actress is experiencing the same battle with her pantry, with nearly all her Instagram posts in recent weeks featuring food, from recipes to just good old-fashion indulgence. Take the shot above as reference, which she captioned: "Quarantine pro-tip: Eat your feelings..."

Sam Neill

The New Zealand actor has proved himself somewhat of a national, nay global, treasure during the pandemic, with almost daily posts shared from his home. From home-made renditions of classic hits on his ukelele to hand-washing all his shoes, the Jurassic Park star's wholesome uploads show he's struggling to fill time like the rest of us.

Kate Beckinsale

The British actress is already something of a social media gem, thanks to her witty quips (you'll regularly see her featured on the Instagram account, Comments by Celebs). Here, the Underworld star showed that, like us, she's sometimes struggling to decide what's an essential when she nips out to the shops (clock the butter sculpture in particular).

Riz Ahmed

When stranded from your nearest salon, The Night Of actor did what many around the world are also considering doing: taking matters into their own hands. "Anyone else do a #Stayhome haircut that got outta hand? Least now it feels like there's someone else here when I look in mirror," he captioned the above post.

Jack Black

Staying at home made the actor and comedian capitulate: he finally joined TikTok. And what a debut the School of Rock star made, uploading this frankly beautifully timed piece of performance art, filmed on a half-pipe. This synchronised dance is an accurate representation of how many of those entering more than two weeks in lockdown feel: ready to make total fools of ourselves just to stay entertained.

Florence Pugh

The British actress proved why she was nominated for that Oscar this week, with her 21-part Instagram Story all about the art of making "browned bread", AKA toast. The Little Women star hilariously recounted just how she achieves that most expert of snacks – but you'll also find slightly more advanced recipes, such as the above butternut squash soup, on her page, too.

Helen Mirren

When it comes to being relatable, the British dame of acting hit the nail on the head with this straight-out-of-sleep self-portrait, dishevelled hair, nightie and all. The Queen star, 74, uploaded this selfie in a bid to raise for intensive care wards in the UK. "In return for this pic of me literally first thing in the morning, please donate to the intensive care support," Mirren captioned the shot.

Kristen Bell

The Forgetting Sarah Marshall star and her husband, actor Dax Shepard, are known for being rather filter-free about their relationship, and that's not changed as the pair isolate with their children.

"We've gotten on each other's last nerve these last couple days," Bell told ET Online this week. "We're doing much better now because were laughing about it. But when we were not laughing about it for the first couple of days, that's the hard spot."

However, the couple have also found plenty of time to indulge in some self-care between rows, as the above post demonstrates.

Reese Witherspoon

Time spent at home has, it appears, given the Oscar winner even more opportunity to partake in a parental favourite – shaming your offspring. Witherspoon called upon her son, Deacon, to teach her all about social media platform TikTok. "This is so embarrassing," the teen said, after showing his mum some dance moves.

Teri Hatcher

The Desperate Housewives actress this week gave a very in-depth, and refreshingly unglamorous, tutorial to home-dyeing your grey roots. The American actress used fresh-out-of-the-box colour, and even gave herself a pretty professional-looking blowdry.

Elizabeth Banks

We may not all have such an artfully arranged coffee table, but that drawstring-trousers-and-comfy-cardigan combo looks pretty familiar.

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Read more:

'This illness is serious and real': Pink confirms she has recovered from Covid-19

'Put them in the desert': Kuwaiti actress Hayat Al Fahad under fire for telling expatriates to go home

Coronavirus: What the UAE's most famous faces have been doing during self-quarantine

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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Directed by: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry

4/5

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8

Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Price: from Dh850,000

On sale: now

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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. 

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera

Three stars