Lady Deborah Holmes, Millie's beloved stepmother, told The Diary the family are grieving for a young man they welcomed as one of their own. "Connor was part of our family and we loved him very much."
They are asking for privacy as they grieve their loss.
Beaver shuns stardom, goes fishing
It's not every day a movie gets made about your celebrated career, so what is World Cup rugby hero Stephen Donald doing to acknowledge the much-anticipated television premiere of The Kick on Sunday night? He's going fishing.
"I'm in Waiuku and I'm just going to go fishing," he told The Diary yesterday. "You know, it's not really my thing. We're just country folk. All this fuss, it's a bit outrageous."
Donald, who was whitebaiting at the time he got called back into the team, is known for his humility. An All Black source says he was one of the most highly regarded players of the World Cup-winning squad, even before that famous kick, because he never put himself above anyone else.
"He treated everyone the same, from the union chairman to the young kids in the stands. Beaver has time for everyone."
As Donald sees it, he's not comfortable being singled out.
"It's a bit embarrassing. I'm happy to be a part of the movie, but it was a team effort."
He watched the tele-movie with his parents on Monday night in the family's Waiuku home. Mum, Sheryll, and Dad, Brett, "were most worried about what they would look like", Donald laughs.
As far as biopics go, this one is sugar-coated, he says with earnest modesty. "The producers say it's not meant to be a documentary. There's movie stuff chucked on top of facts, but as long as people know it's been spiced up for TV, that's okay."
He says he's already copping ribbing from friends and expects the teasing "to go through the roof by 10pm on Sunday".
Girlfriend Alex, a nurse, who guards her privacy as much as her reluctantly famous boyfriend, will be by his side.
She has been helping Donald in his rehabilitation off the field. He had two hip operations in March, which followed two months on crutches. He's had to learn to walk and run again. But he expects to be back to match fitness in three weeks, when he returns to Japan, where he plays for Mitsubishi DynoBoars in Sagamihara, near Tokyo.
He says he likes the culture, but forget learning the lingo. "I can hardly speak English, so speaking Japanese is impossible," he laughs.
A-Paqs turns on Green power
Anna Paquin may be new to Twitter, but it seems she's not above using her celebrity social media power for a little nepotism. What else are sisters-in-law for, eh?
She's taken to the platform to sing the sweet praises of her sister's husband, Russel Norman, and his Green Party - and even volunteered to put up election hoardings.
Anna Paquin tweeted her support for brother-in-law Russel Norman and his Green Party campaign. Photo / Getty Images
"Need any help?" she tweeted Norman. "Stephen Moyer [husband and co-star] and I are ready, willing and able."
Good news, only ... when was the last time A-Paqs left Hollywood for Wellywood?
The celebrity endorsement rings loud and clear. Too loud. "We support my sister's partner Russel Norman and Green Party #LoveNZ #Green2014," the actress tweeted yesterday, for anyone who may have missed the previous half dozen messages of support.
Only, how many of her 102,000 Twitter followers are eligible Kiwi voters? The electioneering is likely to reach only the ears of offshore vampire fans.
The new Hudson and Hall
Prime Minister John Key turns 53 on Saturday, but there won't be a lavish celebratory party to mark the milestone.
"I'm not having much of a break for my birthday because it's countdown to the election.
"There'll just be a quiet family dinner on Saturday night with Max and Bronagh at a restaurant," Key told The Diary.
Prime Minister John Key plans to celebrate his 53rd birthday quietly with his wife, Bronagh. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Local fave Antoine's is not on the menu. "No, we might try somewhere new."
"Chez Peters" in St Mary's Bay?
Winston Peters exposed a hidden culinary talent this week when he donned a pinny for a cooking demonstration on TVNZ's Good Morning.
Who knew he could cook? Who knew his election strategy is to appeal to stay-at-home mums?
Key's potential bedfellow laughed: "Everything on a need-to-know basis, Rachel."
If a partnership is cooked up, with whatever secret ingredients both chefs bring to the recipe, does that make Peters and Key the Hudson and Halls of NZ politics?
