Kate says bye to Woody

Oscar-nominated actress Kate Winslet felt 'sad' last week that she has had to pull out of Woody Allen's first film to be shot in Britain.

Kate was to have starred alongside Brian Cox, Emily Mortimer and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the movie that begins filming in London next month.

Indeed, the actress had even been for costume fittings, but with husband Sam Mendes preparing to shoot his Desert Storm movie, Jarheads, she realised that her schedule for the summer had gone bananas. 'She was very sad that she wouldn't be able to fit Woody's film in,' a spokesman for Kate told me.

But there was also relief. Lightening her summer workload means Kate will now be able to pack up the family - daughter Mia and son Joe - and spend time with Sam while he's making Jarheads.

She'll also be busy doing publicity for the marvellous Finding Neverland, in which she breaks your heart as the mother of the boy who inspired J.M. Barrie to write Peter Pan. 'Kate needs to be around for the family,' her spokesman said.

Woody Allen and his associates - on what is known as the 'Woody Allen Summer Project' - are now looking for another leading actress. Information about the picture has been hard to come by, but I gather that Mr Cox plays 'the father' with Ms Mortimer (so good in forthcoming Dear Frankie) as his daughter, although I've been discouraged from mentioning even that much. Woody's last movie was Anything Else, which I adored - although that view was not shared by many. It starred Jason Biggs, Christina Ricci and Allen himself.

I gather he will not be appearing in his 'Summer Project', his 36th feature