Hello! says 'goodbye' to celebrity gossip

Glossy magazine targets upmarket readers with lifestyle revamp – but will it last?

From December 2010, Wayne Rooney's wife reveals that she has 'much to be thankful for'

Cocking its nose in the air and hitching up its ballgown, Hello! has flounced out of the celebrity party in search of more upscale company.

After 19 years of bumping into upstart rival OK! at glamorous bashes and product launches, Hello! now wants to run with the fashion and lifestyle crowd and hang out with Grazia and Stylist instead.

Hello!'s Spanish owner has asked the publishing industry to re-categorise the title and wants newsagents to no longer position it on the shelves alongside OK!, the cut-price competitor published by Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell.

In a snooty letter to the Audit Bureau of Circulation's Women's Lifestyle & Fashion Sector, Hello! publishing director Charlotte Stockting explained her reasons for moving her title. "It… reflects a move away from the celebrity sector, and it's (sic) obsession with made-up stories, scurrilous gossip, poor production values, real-life stories and low cover price," she sniffed.

Ms Stockting claimed that, unlike its "downmarket" celebrity rivals, Hello! was known for "upmarket editorial, strong lifestyle content, stunning photography and excellent print production".

The move also reflects a shift in the public's appetite for celebrity news. During the past 18 months, the Royal wedding and the escapades of Prince Harry have eclipsed the tantrums of reality TV contestants and glamour models that had previously kept readers enthralled.

The mediocrity of the England football team alongside the heroics of Team GB's Olympic and Paralympic competitors has not helped their WAGs (wives and girlfriends) in negotiating deals for coverage.

This shift appears to be reflected in the comparative sales of the two magazines with Hello! – which has a longer tradition of covering the royals and high society – having narrowed the circulation gap with OK! in the past year from 60,000 to 3,000.

The Hello! decision coincides with the Leveson Inquiry into media standards, much of which has been concerned with criticisms by celebrity figures of their treatment at the hands of paparazzi photographers. "A lot of people perceive the celebrity magazine sector as being on the outside looking in, with long-range intrusive photographs. But our magazine has always been about people inviting us into their homes," said Roger Williams, associate publisher, circulation and distribution, for Hello!

In reality, Hello! is hardly likely to abandon celebrity coverage, which is central to its brand. Yesterday its website was carrying stories about reality boy bands One Direction and The Wanted, the Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh and pop star Rihanna. Williams said the website would start to move away from coverage of TV stars and concentrate on blue bloods and Hollywood A-listers.

One industry insider described the Hello! move as a "gamble" which risked "opening the door to OK! to grab that readership". Another consequence of the Hello! decision will be the end of bidding wars between the two titles which have previously been exploited by celebrity agents to maximise the earnings of their clients. For the WAGs and the C-listers these are worrying times.

From A to Z-list: Famous front pages

"World exclusive: Colleen Rooney turns supermodel in Paris and sets the record straight" From December 2010, Wayne Rooney's wife reveals that she has "much to be thankful for"

"Exclusive photos and interview: Join us backstage, Girls Aloud invite us into their dressing rooms and private lives" From May 2009, Cheryl Cole talks about why she is "hurting every night" and gets publicity for album "3 Words"

"Geri Halliwell invites you to Bluebell's magical second birthday party" From 2008, Ginger Spice calls in the cameras as she blows two candles out with daughter Bluebell

"Jade Goody: Friends and family prepare for the final farewell as tributes flood in" From 2009, the tragedy of the most famous of housemates on Big Brother the show now shown on Richard Desmond's Channel 5 and closely tied to rival OK! magazine