You have celebs from all walks of life. There is Bill Gates from the world of business, David Beckham from sports and Liz Taylor from entertainment. You even have heiresses like Paris Hilton that are born into celebrity status. They are all celebs because they are always in the news. Whenever celebs get free time, they do things that keep them in the news. We have tracked the lives of a few of them and have picked three activities that figure more often.
Manage Their Philanthropic Activities
For the most part, celebs consider themselves blessed and believe in helping the less fortunate sections of society. Each has his or her pet causes and favourite charities and spends considerable time and effort in ensuring that the donations reach the correct persons.
Celebrity philanthropy entered the high visibility range of the spectrum after Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates created The Giving Pledge in 2010. There were 40 founding signatories but today the number is well over 200 and they are from 28 countries. Coming mainly from the business community, some of the high profile names are Elon Musk, Ted Turner and Mark Zuckerberg.
Many celebrities engage in giving back to the world without being a part of The Giving Pledge. Oprah Winfrey has donated more than $40 million through her foundation. She champions the cause of education for girls in third world countries. Mel Gibson, Meryl Streep, Will Smith and Sandra Bullock are some of the biggest Hollywood celebs spending their free time and millions towards philanthropy. Among the singers, everyone knows of the charity work done by Bon Jovi. He has contributed millions to hurricane relief funds over the years and his foundation is engaged in activities like building houses for homeless veterans.
We tend to think of philanthropic celebs as people from the West and how incorrect this is was brought home by Senegalese striker Sadio Mane who plays for Liverpool in the Premier League. Recently, he was queried about the cracked iPhone he carried and his response was legendary. He said, “I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.” Instead of owning ten Ferraris and 20 diamond watches, all of which he can afford, he spends his wealth building schools in Senegal and providing clothes, shoes, food for people who are in extreme poverty.
Gambling at Glitzy Casinos
For the most part, celebs do display their wealth and status during their free time and there are no better places than the glitzy casinos of the Vegas Strip and the Riviera.
Though Paris Hilton would not figure on the biggest gamblers list, she makes sure that she is in the news. When she was just 25, she lost her Bentley playing poker at the family casino in Las Vegas. The episode resulted in her folks banning her from the casino for a while. There are many gambling stories around Paris and they all reveal that she flaunts her celeb stature. “I love to gamble. I love being around a lot of people. There’s always great restaurants and it’s fun. I like Atlantic City – it’s kind of like Las Vegas for New York,” she said.
Tiger Woods is one of the sports celebs that loves to gamble. Tiger has been said to bet as much as $25,000 per hand in some games and according to the grapevine has walked home with winnings of over a million dollars on a regular basis. If you want to catch a glimpse of Woods the gambler, hang out at the Mansion in MGM Grand, which is the celeb’s favourite haunt. Some celebs have become brand ambassadors for popular online gambling sites, like Rafael Nadal for PokerStars.
It’s almost impossible to think that certain celebs earn so much money. Figures regular people can simply dream of having in their lifetime – let alone in a mere year! Only if by some chance one hits the jackpot or benefits from some fantastic online casino bonus – but of course, this is just wishful thinking and far from the layman’s reality.
Holidaying at Exotic Locations
Celebs put in a lot of hard work in their professions to reach the top rung of the ladder. So, when they get free time, they holiday wildly. You would not see them at the common vacation places but the paparazzi follow them and reveal their favourite haunts.
It is believed that Brigitte Bardot discovered Saint Tropez in the 1950s, and since then this French Riviera commune has become an attraction for the rich and famous. Celebs, from Hollywood stars to leading politicians, have made Saint Tropez their summer retreat, largely due to the privacy it offers. Beyoncé and Jay Z and David and Victoria Beckham are regular couples. NBA player Magic Johnson celebrated his wife Cookie’s 60th birthday extravaganza there in 2019, which was attended by the likes of Jennifer Lopez. Saint Tropez also boasts a number of exclusive night spots, such as the legendary VIP Room and Club 55, where entry does not come easy.
Celebs that prefer the cold weather can be seen at snowbound retreats like Aspen in Colorado. The more athletic personalities can enjoy the best skiing and snowboarding in the world. Aspen plays host to stars like Demi Moore, Heidi Klum and Mariah Carey. Kim Kardashian enjoys the winter sports there with her family. Billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Goldie Hawn own homes in Aspen. Celebs can spend time at the high-end spa treatments, fancy boutiques and fine dining restaurants.
There are celebs that value their privacy, but most of them enjoy the adulation and share what they do in their free time on the social media.
