Stars stepped out on Monday night to attend an exclusive screening of Fifty Shades Free, hosted by HELLO! and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment at the Covent Garden Hotel. Author of the popular books, E. L. James, was the guest of honour at the event held to celebrate the film's Blu-ray and DVD release.
Our editor-in-chief Rosie Nixon acted as compère, inviting VIPs including TV presenter Laura Hamilton, best known for A Place in the Sun, and her husband Alex Goward. Former JLS singer JB Gill and his wife Chloe, who is pregnant with the couple's second child, were also on the VIP guest list as was fashion designer Tabitha Webb, who counts Pippa Middleton and the Duchess of Cambridge among her celebrity clientele.
Alex Goward, Laura Hamilton, E. L. James, Chloe Gill and JB Gill attended the screening
Also scoring an invite to the exclusive screening were Fifty Shades of Grey superfans and HELLO! competition winners, who had the chance to snap selfies and chat with their heroine, E. L. James – full name Erika Leonard. Guests sat down to watch a special extended version of the blockbuster, which stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan and is the third and final part of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.
After the screening of the special extended version of Fifty Shades Freed, Rosie and Erika sat down to chat about the films and the books. Sadly, the author confirmed that she would not be releasing a fourth novel about Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele – although she does have an idea of what she'd write.
Jamie and Dakota on the red carpet...
"I have got a story for a fourth book, but I don't think I'll ever write it," Erika revealed. On the ending of her third book, Fifty Shades Freed, she added: "I just wanted to put them in a happy place. What would be interesting is seeing Christian's journey as a father because he's an incredibly damaged young man, and I think to watch someone that you love, care for your child in the way that you should have been cared for, would be an interesting journey for him."
Tabitha Webb and Rosie Nixon
As well as the original cinema version and the steamy unseen extended version, for a limited time only the Fifty Shades Freed Blu-ray and DVD come with a Special Edition bonus disc that includes more than 30 minutes of never-before-seen content.
Fifty Shades Freed is available now on digital download and on Ultra HD, Blu-Ray and DVD. To order, visit amazon.co.uk.
