LONDON GOSSIPS.

Bush's baby goes dirty dancing

Photo: The President's daughter courts publicity after some dirty dancing

A RAVENOUS appetite for the latest dirt on First Daughter Barbara Bush is rumbling through America's gossip columns this week. A week after George W. Bush's 21-year-old twin daughter was photographed at a New York fashion week shindig, accessorising a plunging neckline with handsome young bachelor Fabian Basabe, the media has been fighting for the inside story. Barbara cavorted wildly on the dance floor at the Viscaya club with the 25-year-old man-about-town after a Jennifer Nicholson show, a routine that has reportedly resulted in a ban for Basabe from the White House. US television show Entertainment Tonight (ET) yesterday reported an inside source at Washington saying the President was "unhappy" with the behaviour of the pair in the glare of the public eye. However, Basabe, who is the son of an Ecuadorian millionaire, claims he knows nothing about any such prohibition. "I haven't heard anything official," he quipped on ET. "I'll let you know when I go for the tour if they let me in." Basabe was keen to distance himself from any romantic links with Barbara, who has yet to comment on the story and is unlikely to start now. "We've never been romantically involved," Basabe said. "We were just two friends out having fun and someone took a picture . . . I wouldn't mess with her." Barbara - perceived as the quieter twin next to her sister Jenna, who once faced court for underage drinking - is a taken woman anyway, according to friends at Yale University, where she is said to be dating a fellow student. Basabe also claims to already have a partner, despite a reputation as one of the most eligible bachelors on the New York scene. His squeeze, he says, is "a college sweetheart", and yes, Barbara has met her, and yes, they (still) get along famously. The publicity is probably more of an amusement than a concern to the Bush clan, and Basabe is positively reveling in it. "I am so lucky to be able to go out with gorgeous women every night," he boasted, commenting on a plethora of images of him cuddling up to beauties all over town. And having just signed a modelling contract with the Elite agency - which also boasts first niece Laura Bush on its books - the more his face is seen, the better. Basabe's past, though, is not as bright as his future. He failed to appear in court on three traffic violations in California at the age of 19 but, as he happily admits, "nobody's perfect". Tobby Forrage.

Another challenge for brave Tawera

YOU can't keep a good man down and former NRL star Tawera Nikau is no exception. Nikau, who had his right leg amputated below the knee after a motorcycle accident last July, has set his sights on the Paralympics. The New Zealander's first test will be next month's Eve Rimmer Games in Tauranga, where he will compete in the javelin, shot put and discus events. "I'm really looking forward to it," Nikau told The Sunday Telegraph from the township of Ohinewai, in New Zealand's North Island. But Nikau knows he still has a lot of work to do before he can call himself a Paralympian. "They are really amazing athletes," he said. "It's going to be really tough to make the squad but I'm going to do my best." Nikau shattered his leg last July when his 1450cc Harley-Davidson clipped a four-wheel drive heading in the other direction on a country road near his home. "The doctors gave me a choice," he said. "They told me they could try to save the leg but it would mean 12 to 15 months in hospital with more operations, or they could amputate and I'd be up and walking in three or four months. "I said, 'Cut the bugger off'. " Nikau said he knew everybody in the operating theatre because of several lead-up operations before the amputation. "I saw all the tools and instruments in the tray and then I saw the guy with the saw," he said. "They gave me the gas mask and took a deep breath and I sucked in a big breath of gas and that's the last thing I remember. I felt pretty sorry for myself when I woke up but that's the only time I ever have." His children; Heaven-Leigh, 16, and Tyme, 12; helped their father through the bad times. After spending several months in hospital recovering, Nikau wasted no time getting back to training. He now coaches the Waikato-based WaiCoa Stallions. His disability only affected his job in that he could not run as fast or tackle as hard as he used to. "The training and the physical fitness has really helped me psychologically," he said. Nikau played 19 Tests for New Zealand between 1990 and 1997 and won the 1999 NRL premiership with the Melbourne Storm. The Sunday TelegraphNewsWire.