[r.borton]

I am from reading pauls home town and tonight in the reading evening post newspaper their is an exclusive to say that .helen and paul have set up home together and reports that they are getting married are wrong and they have no plans to tie the knot.theysay they are very happy a spokesman for the couple agent says that some of paul and helen so-called friends are just trying to make a quick buck at the end of the day they have been together less than a year and they are still getting to known each other it goes on to say paul is working 3 days a week as car designer.

[Romantic Old Bird]

Hello r.borton! Welcome to the board!
Thank you for the information. Useful to have a reading contact!

[Sticks]

I have just been to the website for the Reading Evening Post, and I can not find this exclusive on their site. R.borton do you have access to a scanner so you can scan the article, upload it to a website and put the picture up on the boards here.

We kind of need it for some rumour control on other threads.

If you do not have a website to upload it, if you can scan it and e-mail it to me I can put it up on one of mine.

[Kaz]

Hi there, r.borton - welcome to the site.

Thanks for posting that information. However, as you'll probably appreciate, we're a wee bit cagey today about any info. concerning Helen & Paul following the posting on the Channel 4 Reach website about them splitting up. (See thread entitled 'Bad news - brace yourself')

Therefore, any clarification you can give about the article you've seen in the Reading Evening Post would be very much appreciated.

[Feefs]

Again, thanks for the info and hello to the mysterious r.borten.

I have to say that although I learnt a long time ago to take news posted on the internet with a big pinch of salt, especially from unknown or new sources, my instincts tell me to believe this one. It sounds like something that someone might announce, further, it says the kind of things we'd expect a spokesman for Helen and Paul to come out with. There is no malice in the tone, nor is the story controvertial or likely to upset.

This report only really serves to confirm what most of us had worked out. don't believe The People, or rumours on a C4 forum.

The story from the Sunday People had a number of holes in it - the main one being that they were still looking for somewhere to live. It is inevitable that people posing as 'friends' of anyone in the public eye will sell a story to a down market paper from time to time. Personally, I'd love to hear of an engagement, but I'd hope it wasn't leaked by supposed friends focusing on the financial side of things.

However, being a sad obsessive - I'd love to see any more details of this article.

Oh, and just to prove how pathetic I am, my other reason for thinking Mr/Mrs/Sir Borten is different from the normal wind-up merchants is the quite witty "No ring for Paul's Welsh rarebit". That's the sort of thing we expect from a nice respectable local newspaper, and far too creative for our normal wind-up merchants (or the Sunday People).

[Sticks]

I hve just been to the site of the Reading Evening Post, and there is still no sign of this article.

r.borton if you have a hard copy, see if you can get it scanned so we get corroboration. If you do not have a website e-mail us the image and we can put it up.

I hate to be the wet blanket, but we need hard evidence to put the other rumor to bed. Until then we can not discount the rumour that appeared for a while on the Channel 4 Reach forum.

[Feefs]

Sticks - there was no reason for us to believe the rumour on the Reach Forum in the first place! Fair enough to flag it for discussion, but all by itself it wasn't very convincing. Factor in Helen's jolly appearances on Lorraine this week, complete with ring when she's supposed to be nursing her wounds in Wales and you can be sure it was no more than a prank.

It's even been removed from the C4 website, so we should let it drop. They shouldn't be expected, nor have to deny every crank rumour going on the internet - they'd be at it all the time and they've probably got better things to do. Lucky things.

[r.borton]

sorry guys and girls i have no website or scanner but if you have address i can send it to i will be more than happy to send it to you. have a good weekend

[Kaz]

I've just noticed that Chilledbootz posted the following message at briandowling.net. The other posters weren't being too complimentary about Helen & Paul (what's newl!):

Well if anybody's interested. Paul's mum and dad have denied they are getting married in an article in the Reading Post. So save your congratulations, but i'm sure it won't be long now!!!!!!

This definitely seems to corroborate r.borton's information. So - if you're around, Chilledbootz - can you shed more light on this article? Cheers!

..................or, if it's not too big an article, perhaps r.borton or Chilledbootz could transcribe it here on the forum??? It would be much appreciated.

[Feefs]

Originally posted by Kaz
I've just noticed that Chilledbootz posted the following message at briandowling.net. The other posters weren't being too complimentary about Helen & Paul (what's newl!):

I saw that too. Some of them were very pleasant, but I was surprised that after all this time there were still some desperate for the opportunity to assume the worst, and pass judgement. Brian's doing so well now, so I thought they might be nicer and not begrudge a little media attention going elsewhere. I suppose old habits die hard.

I should know this, but Chilledbootz lives in Reading doesn't she? We've known her for ages, so surely even Sticks must give her testimony the seal of approval. Do you?

[Sticks]

Feefs this may seem a bit over the top, but to kill a rumour it is best to go for as much documentation as possible, so nothing can hide in the cracks.

Helen could have been coached to hide any tradjedy in her life. Yes I do hear the sound of a metal implement moving across the interior base surface of a cylindrical vessal designed for the containment of ethanol enriched liquid

We have to prove beyond all reasonable doubt, mi lud, that the poster rd6m7jrdr676r8o7,89980.jih.p is guilty of perpetrating a most egregious falsehood on the internet community. Also if what he posted is false, then he could be guilty of libel.

I know that libel is a civil offence, but there is such a thing as criminal libel, for which the threshhold of evidence is beyond reasonable doubt.

I have a relation who is technically part of the judiciary

So we need a much proof as possible to make sure our case is watertight. We don't want the perp getting off on a technicality

I dont think other people on the other forum really care, do they? As long as they havet actually split up, it doesnt actually matter. Its not like its in the press, it was only one message on a forum. Its stupid to get some lad/girl to go the all the trouble to send you an article so you can prove to a few people that Paul and Helen are still together.
Lets leave it at that now; THEY ARE STILL TOGETHER & THATS THE MAIN THING!!!!

By the way, HI r.borton!!!
Was so busy gon on that I didnt even welcome u 2 the board!!
Hope you enjoy your stay!! (god, I sound like a hotel leaflet!)

[Feefs]

Originally posted by WILDCHILD2K1
(god, I sound like a hotel leaflet!)

Well Sticks would probably like to see a passport, or at least take a credit card imprint from r.borton before accepting his evidence!

The way I see it, rumours (even libellous ones) can only do their harm when taken seriously. It only encourages the rumour instigators if people get in flap about it, so if we disapprove of them, the best thing to do is to ignore them and get on with our lives (I know, the irony is very evident to me) as we would have done anyway.

And Sticks - the initial story was that they had made an announcement and Helen had gone back to Wales. She plainly isn't in Wales, and if you are going to the effort of acting normally, why make an announcement? I'm not claiming to be the Brain of Britain, but I have been blessed with enough intelligence and reasoning power, along with a natural cynicism to spot the odd gaping inconsistencies when I see it.

[Kaz]

Hi chilledbootz

I see you're on line just now. Can you back up r.borton's post about a story in the Reading Evening Post? It would be much appreciated!

[chilledbootz]

Hi Kaz

I can't get the Reading Post sorry!! I've tried everywhere here but I can't find it!!!