Matt Gardner

I would like to think that I am not seduced by the cult of celebrity, but with websites like TMZ.com, television channels such as E! News and several hundred magazines akin to Heat, Closer and OK!, it can be hard to resist the temptation to revel in the woes of any person in the limelight.

It seems to stem from a mixture of jealousy and natural hatred of those better off - a potentially worrying combination.