Going from Blackpool to Beverly Hills glamour

An Oscars role beckons for broadcaster Sandro Monetti after making a name for himself in Hollywood. He tells his former university student ANDREW BETTRIDGE how he still spreads the word about Blackpool to anyone who will listen in LA.

Journalist Sandro Monetti swapped the familiar sands of Blackpool for the desert of Dubai earlier this month to mix with global leaders and Hollywood stars at the World Government Summit.

The former Gazette reporter, now a familiar face on CNN International and the BBC, was in the UAE to report on the politicians and thought leaders gathering to solve challenges facing the planet.

But his home town was never far from his thoughts. “The event was in the shadow of the world’s tallest building the Burj Khalifa which is very impressive but, to me, it’s still no Blackpool Tower,” said Sandro, whose heart is always in the Fylde.

Sandro Monetti pictured with actress Goldie Hawn

Now living in the ritzy Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles, he was also surrounded by Hollywood stars at the summit because with Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ government not sending any delegates to the international think tank, Hollywood celebrities, including Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Goldie Hawn, took it upon themselves to represent US views.

Hawn, pictured with Sandro, was urging world governments to focus on the happiness of their citizens and offering the assistance of her foundation which helps the youth of the world develop a