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Will Downton's Anna be toast of Tinseltown? Actress Joanne Froggatt up against Dame Maggie Smith at the Emmys

 

It was a shocking and controversial scene that prompted more than 200 complaints – and one nomination that has given Joanne Froggatt plenty to smile about.

 

The Downton Abbey actress who plays housemaid Anna Bates has been nominated for an Emmy as outstanding supporting actress in the wake of her character's rape scene.

 

The episode was originally shown in the UK last year and aired in the US earlier this year. In the scene Miss Bates is pushed against a wall by Lord Gillingham's valet Green (played by Nigel Harman) and he tries to kiss her. His advances spurned, he beats and then rapes her.

 

Although the attack was implied through sounds behind a door, ITV faced a backlash from fans and domestic violence charities who accused programme-makers of using rape to liven up the drama's script when it was shown in October last year. It prompted more than 200 complaints to ITV and regulator Ofcom.

 

 

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However US judges for the prestigious annual Emmy awards felt her performance deserved to be praised.

 

Speaking at the Audi Pre-Emmy party last week, where the period drama has been given 12 nominations including best actress for Michelle Dockery who plays Lady Mary Crawley, Miss Froggatt, 34, said: 'We are so so thrilled to be here and have 12 nominations, because the competition is so stiff this year - as it is every year.

 

'There is such great shows this year. We never expected anything. We were saying it was going to be hard, we would be lucky to get a couple of nominations.

 

'To get 12 is just incredible and we are over the moon and can't believe it and we are so excited just being in the mix.'

 

The new series of Downton Abbey will air in the UK next month and Miss Froggatt said British fans will see the aftermath of her character's rape and the impact it has on her on-screen marriage to valet John Bates.

 

She said: 'We will see them trying to move forward and heal themselves from what has happened to Anna.. But as you would expect there is a huge cloud hanging over them and it is not something they are going to process easily or if ever. Rightly so that storyline carries through. Also there is the issue of Mr Green's death.That is hanging over them and there are questions about that.

 

'There are moments of hope, love and joy for Anna and Bates. It is not all doom and gloom, It would be remise to leave these characters in that situation we have to follow that through and see where that goes.'

 

Downton Abbey faces strong competition this year from Breaking Bad, True Detective and House of Cards.

 

The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, take place this evening (Monday 1am GMT).

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It takes work to look this good! Jaime King wows in figure-hugging black after a day spent prepping for Sin City 2 premiere

 

After a busy day of preparations it's no wonder Jaime King looked immaculate

 

The actress showed off her stunning physique in a figure-hugging black gown featuring a seductive thigh-high slit at the Sin City: A Dame To Kill For premiere on Tuesday night.

 

She also displayed the white manicure she received earlier the same day as she enjoyed some pampering at a Beverly Hills salon.

 

Jaime, 35, showed-off her statuesque 5ft 9in figure in the floor-length dress which boasted a sweeping asymmetric neckline displaying her defined collarbone and slender shoulders.

 

The garment included a glittering trim around a zipped leg slit and an identical zip down down the back of the frock. She teamed it with a gold cuff around her wrist and simple spiked earrings.

 

Her blonde tresses were fixed in a super tight bun atop her head and she wore smokey eye make-up to perfect the evening look.

 

 

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On her feet she sported black patent heels which matched the curves of her dress perfectly and carried a coordinating black and gold box clutch.

 

During the day Jaime was seen getting ready for her glamourous appearance and donned a daring backless denim jumpsuit which cut low under her arms and hung delicately on her slender frame.

 

The mother-of-one was spotted at a salon enjoying both a manicure, pedicure and a simultaneous shoulder massage.

 

Her hair was scraped into a low bun which displayed her back tattoos and she donned retro style white-rimmed sunglasses.

 

Once home the star shared a snap with her Instagram followers showing her clad in a white dressing gown with her make-up and hair complete.

 

On her lap sat adorable 10-month-old son James Knight. She captioned: 'Getting ready for #sincityadametokillfor premiere with James Knight'

 

The Pearl Harbour star also gave her fans a sneak peek of the evening's look, posting a close-up of the jewel trimmed leg slit. She wrote alongside it: 'The dress for tonight's premiere is...90's SEX'

 

Jaime was joined at the premiere by co-stars Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba.

 

She plays both Wendy and Goldie - prostitutes and identical twins - in the action thriller which is the long-awaited sequel to the cult 2005 hit Sin City.

 

The second installment once again has the comic book creator Frank Miller at the helm, along with his co-director Robert Rodriguez, however this time Quentin Tarantino does not have a guest directing role.

 

The graphic film tells the tale of the notorious residents of Basin City as they fight to exist in a world of crime, grime and gangsters.

 

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For also stars Josh Brolin, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green and Lady Gaga, and will hit theaters on August 22.

 

Jaime is married to director Kyle Newman and she recently revealed they dealt with fertility issues for eight years as they struggled to bring their son James into the world.

 

And In an interview with ABC News in May, Jaime gushed: 'He's the happiest, most joyful, social and loving baby. This baby was a long time in the making and I feel like the universe put a little extra magic dust in him.'

 

Jaime and Kyle met in 2005 on the set of Fanboys, which he directed. They tied the knot on November 23, 2007, at Greystone Park and Manor in Los Angeles where Kyle had proposed.

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'Chickens picked from floor, washed in filthy water... then sold on to your supermarket': Investigation launched into claims contaminated poultry is being sold on the high street

 

Supermarkets have launched emergency investigations following claims that contaminated chicken is being sold on the high street.

 

Whistleblowers say the public is being put at risk because of suspect practices at two of the largest UK poultry processors, the 2 Sisters Food Group and Faccenda.

 

A hygiene alert has been raised around factories and farms supplying chicken to Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Marks & Spencer and Nando’s.

 

The allegations, which are denied by the two firms, have prompted Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer to launch inquiries into the way their chicken is produced.

 

Concerns about poor hygiene standards come at a time of mounting concern that supermarkets are failing to protect customers from food-poisoning bug campylobacter – which is most often found on raw chicken, and is responsible for around 100 deaths a year.

 

An official study published in 2009 found two thirds of all fresh chicken on shelves was contaminated with it.

 

 

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The whistleblowers claim failures they saw at the operations run by 2 Sisters and Faccenda are likely to spread bugs.

 

The allegations, which first appeared on The Guardian website, are denied by the companies, while the supermarkets all insist that their own audit systems ensure that the meat reaching the high street is safe. The insiders claim that:

 

Chickens that fell off the production line and on to the floor at two factories run by 2 Sisters were routinely put back into the food chain;

 

Mechanical failures meant material at risk of being contaminated – feathers, guts and offal – would be left to pile up for hours while production continued at a 2 Sisters factory in Wales;

 

An equipment failure meant around 250,000 dead birds were passed through dirty water at the start of the food production process;

 

A chicken catcher at a factory farm run by Faccenda claimed biosecurity rules designed to stop the spread of campylobacter were routinely ignored.

 

The alert was raised after the Daily Mail revealed how supermarkets have been secretly lobbying official watchdogs to stop them naming and shaming stores selling contaminated chicken.

 

Yesterday, the board of the Food Standards Agency decided to drop a previous pledge to publish quarterly surveys identifying which stores are selling chicken contaminated with the bug.

 

The decision followed pressure from retailers, producers and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

 

The move was widely criticised by food safety experts, academics, consumer groups and even several of the board members.

 

Erik Millstone, of the University of Sussex, said: ‘The decision of the FSA board is deeply disappointing, and shows it has abandoned its commitment to put the interests of consumers ahead of the interests of the food industry.’

 

The allegations about the two food firms were partly based on information supplied by Ron Spellman, director general of EWFC, which represents meat inspectors across the EU.

 

EWFC has been lobbying against a scaling back of inspections at meat plants that have been introduced by the EU and backed by the FSA.

 

Tesco said: ‘We take these allegations of poor practice against one of our suppliers extremely seriously, and have launched an immediate investigation.

 

‘Customers can be assured that we conduct our own stringent quality checks on fresh chicken received from suppliers before it is placed on shelves, so we can be confident that it meets our very high quality and safety standards.’

 

Sainsbury’s said: ‘Customers can be confident in the safety of products bought from our stores. We perform regular independent and in-house checks to ensure these standards are met and are investigating these allegations with 2 Sisters.’

 

M&S said: ‘We take food safety very seriously and regularly audit all of our suppliers to ensure they meet our strict codes of practice. We do not tolerate any alleged breach of our standards and have launched an immediate investigation into these allegations.’

 

Asda referred enquiries to its suppliers. Both Nando’s and KFC said they were confident that their suppliers operate to high hygiene and welfare standards.

 

Aldi said: ‘We take any claims of this nature very seriously. Aldi works with our suppliers to ensure the high standards we expect are adhered to.’

 

The allegations of malpractice relate to 2 Sisters’ plants in Anglesey, Wales, and Scunthorpe, and a farm and abattoir operated by Faccenda.

 

2 Sisters said: ‘The allegations about our processing sites are untrue, misleading and inaccurate. Both have British Retail Consortium “A” grade Food Standards certifications, based on a number of announced and unannounced visits.

 

‘Our Scunthorpe site has already surpassed the Food Standards Agency’s 2013 targets to reduce campylobacter levels, and continues to work towards the 2015 target.’

 

Faccenda said: ‘We operate under the Red Tractor standard, and are always looking for ways to further improve.

 

'We are investing heavily across our business to identify ways of reducing the risk of campylobacter.’

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