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Paris Latsis has only kind words for his ex-fiancée, Paris Hilton

Photo: Paris Hilton.

New York- The engagement has been called off, but Paris Latsis has only kind words for his ex-fiancée, Paris Hilton. The 22-year-old Greek shipping heir called Hilton "the most incredible woman I have ever met in my life," in a brief statement released Monday through Hilton publicist Elliott Mintz. "I respect her decision and appreciate the very kind and generous manner in which she is handling her very difficult decision," Latsis said. "This was the best experience of my life and I will always be grateful for it." Hilton, 24, announced over the weekend that she had ended their four-month engagement because she's "not ready for marriage" and didn't want it to end in divorce. There were earlier reports the two families had been concerned about Latsis's lack of a job and Hilton's busy social life. Latsis's father, Gregoris Kasidokostas, declined Saturday to say why the couple had broken up, but earlier had called a wedding postponement "common sense," according to People magazine's website. Latsis "is young and he should wait (for marriage)," Kasidokostas told People last week. The couple became engaged in late May. Latsis gave the hotel heiress/reality TV star a 24-carat, $5-million diamond engagement ring. A private sex tape of Hilton and an ex-boyfriend surfaced in 2003 just before the start of her Fox reality series, The Simple Life. She has said she was embarrassed and humiliated that the tape ever became public.

Pamela Anderson gets restraining order

Photo: Pamela Anderson, a cast member of the Fox comedy show 'Stacked' takes questions from the media in this Friday, July 29, 2005 file photo, at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. A judge granted a request Monday by Anderson for a three-year restraining order against an alleged stalker. Superior Court Judge Linda K. Lefkowitz called the claims against William Peter Stansfield, 29, 'sufficient, clear and convincing' enough to issue the order preventing him from contacting the 38-year-old actress, who stars in the TV series 'Stacked,' or her family.

SANTA MONICA, California- A judge granted a request Monday by Canadian-born actress Pamela Anderson for a three-year restraining order against an alleged stalker. Superior Court Judge Linda K. Lefkowitz called the claims against William Peter Stansfield, 29, "sufficient, clear and convincing" enough to issue the order preventing him from contacting the 38-year-old actress, who stars in the TV series "Stacked," or her family. Neither Anderson nor Stansfield were in court. Stansfield told "Inside Edition" last week that Anderson's allegations were "outrageous." Among other things, Anderson said he approached her 7-year-old son at school and told her that she should work on a film with a script he wrote for her. Other incidents involving Stansfield "frightened me tremendously," Anderson said in court documents.

OBESITY AND THE STARS

Opera world freezing out obese singers. Heppner lost 90 pounds

LONDON, New York - The Royal Opera House has cancelled a performance by one of the world's most sought-after sopranos because she is too fat, a theatre spokesman said. American Deborah Voigt had been scheduled to play the lead in a summer production of Richard Strauss's Ariadne on Naxos, but casting director Peter Katona decided a slimmer singer would be better for the part, spokesman Christopher Millard said. Mr. Katona had selected a black evening dress for the part and believed Ms. Voigt would not look right in it, Mr. Millard said. "Normally, Ariadne is presented on a stylized Greek island with the singers wearing toga-type clothes, but we wanted to present it in an elegant, modern evening dress," Mr. Katona said. Anne Schwanewilms, a more slender but lesser-known soprano, will sing the part of Ariadne. Ms. Voigt's weight remains a closely guarded secret. The best estimate of observers is that Ms.

Voigt is on the heavy side of 200 pounds. "I have big hips and Covent Garden has a problem with them," she said. "Or, at least, their casting director, Peter Katona, has the problem, and he's made it clear that I won't be singing in his house as long as he's around. Which is sad." Mr. Katona said: "In making these kinds of decision, it is not just a question of how someone looks; it is also how they move on stage. "Mr. Millard confirmed by telephone that size was the reason the 43-year-old Ms. Voigt was no longer scheduled to sing in the Royal Opera House production. There is a growing movement against fat singers in the opera, traditionally one of the places where they are most welcome. Luciano Pavarotti was ordered on a diet after he cancelled some performances. Vocal coach Seth Riggs said the weight loss would most likely improve the singer's delivery. ''You do not have to be fat to have a beautiful voice,'' he said. ''Look at Renata Tebaldi, she was a large woman, but not a fat one, and she had a beautiful voice,'' he said. ''And Norman Treigle was the skinniest fellow you ever saw. But he was a bass baritone with a booming voice. Tenor Franco Corelli had a beautiful figure.'' There is a misperception, Mr. Riggs said, that large diaphragms, and therefore large bodies, are needed for singers to sing well. Last year, Toronto heldentenor Ben Heppner returned to the opera stage after a 14-month absence, with two big differences: His vocal problems were gone and so were 90 extra pounds. His voice returned after he stopped taking high blood pressure medication. Then came a new diet and exercise regimen to take off the weight that was contributing to the blood pressure problem. Mr. Heppner said people should know opera singers do not need big bodies to have big voices. 'That,'' he said, ''is a myth.'' Ms. Voigt was awarded France's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2002, and was named last year's Vocalist of the Year by Musical America. Her debut solo album, featuring arias by Wagner and Strauss, is due for release on April 6. She is to give her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut the following day. Ms. Schwanewilms has sung at major European theatres and was a member of the Cologne Opera ensemble in the mid-1990s.AP