'Heat' editor quits to publish diaries

Mark Frith has quit as editor of Heat magazine to write a tell-all memoir about his eight years on the job.

The Celeb Diaries - Tears, Tantrums AND Excess will lift the lid on his experiences with stars including the Beckhams, Jude Law, Amy Winehouse, Take That, Geri Halliwell, Jonathan Ross and Ewan McGregor, who once branded the magazine a "dirty, filthy piece of s***".

Frith joined Heat in December 1997 when it was still in development and took over as editor in 2000. Under his award-winning reign, the publication became one of the most successful in Britain and led the way in the rise of celebrity magazines.

He has also made regular appearances on TV shows including The Apprentice: You're Fired and Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, as well as hosting BBC entertainment programme Liquid News.

He said: "Taking Heat from sales of 65,000 a week to over half a million has been an exhilarating experience. The Heat team is truly exceptional and I wish them all the best for the future.

"I'm extremely excited about the book and look forward to a brand new challenge when I've finished it."

The Celeb Diaries will be available this autumn from Ebury Press, which also published Piers Morgan's two memoirs.