Movie star. Model. Homeless man. Mark Reay – an incredible life in close-up

In this weeks issue…A model of modern homelessness: Mark Reay (who’s on our cover in England, Wales, and the South West) has been in Sex and the City, Men in Black and on the cover of Vogue. Dashing, a photographer and still modelling at 56, he is the epitome of a wealthy ‘silver fox’. But he washes in the public toilets, irons his outfits at the YMCA and sleeps under a tarpaulin on the roof of a friend’s apartment block. As a film about his life is released, he tells Steven Mackenzie how he has slept rough in order to pursue his dreams in New York city.

Gary Neville – from red devil to green warrior: former Manchester Utd star Gary Neville has had a second life after football, leading a green revolution. He tells us how he lives sustainably, still dreams of being a pop star, and has become firm friends with famous Man City fan, Noel Gallgaher. (This feature doesn’t run in Scotland).

Paolo Nutini – “this might be the biggest day of my life”: our cover star for the Scottish edition, pop hearthrob Paolo Nutini has sold 6 million records worldwide, notched up a Number One with his last release, the brilliant and bizarre Caustic Love, and is about to play his biggest headline show to date, in front of 35,000 people at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park. He talks about his supporting act Grace Jones’ hula-hoop skills, the strangeness of fame, and why he thinks Gerard Depardieu should play him in the story of his life (This only runs in the Scottish edition.)

Big Issue vendors’ guide to the REAL Edinburgh: in August Edinburgh becomes festivals capital of the UK, with everything from high opera to low-dive stand-up – thousands of performers, millions of tickets sold. But Big Issue vendors know Edinburgh better than anyone else – so they’re sharing their unique and witty guide to the top places and secret spots in the city, for readers all across the UK! (This runs in all editions.)

And there’s more from Edinburgh in the Scottish edition: we’ve interviews featuring the controversial Kevin Day – having confessed to being a member of the National Front, he’s now admitting he finds the SNP “uncomfortable” – and the ever charming Phill Jupitus, who’s singing the praises of women comedians who are keeping comedy genius alive. Big Issue vendors dish the dirt on who’s naughty and who’s nice among the celebs they’ve met on the city’s streets during Festival time!

Also in the magazine…

Kelly Jones from Stereophonics is our Letter To My Younger Self – he wishes he was as carefree and brave now as he was at 16.

Josh Gad is putting life as Olaf from Frozen behind him, as he talks about his new comedy action blockbuster movie, Pixels.

John Bird has had his artistic impulses and revolutionary inspirations fired up by a visit to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

Our My Pitch vendor Sharon Tummon in Bournemouth has turned her life around from tough times, and pays tribute to her great customers, who always know when she needs cheered up.

Plus…

Damian Barr says we need to stand up against censorship and talk about difficult things even if we disagree on them, not hide behind bureaucracy.

There’s an excellent piece in books about being an American Anglophile, as Jonathan Ames waxes witty and lyrical about his favourite British authors.

In TV, Lucy Sweet pines for the days of Judith Chalmers on travel shows; find archaeological monuments from Libya standing in a field in the heart of England, with our free map in Hidden Britain; comedian Tiff Stevenson admits she’s a twitcher in My Peccadillo; Pause – and discover how to hear sound.