Highbrow Liza with an eye for the bizarre

A certain estranged husband is known to favour the tattooed look where his eyebrows are concerned.

And now it seems Liza Minnelli is following in former flame David Gest's footsteps.

At Heathrow airport on her way to New York the former star of Cabaret sported thick arched lines where her eyebrows should have been.

More of today's showbiz

• Now Cameron Diaz hits out at the skinny stars

• Showbiz news from BAZ BAMIGBOYE

• Beckham's bright idea for Mandela's Christmas gift: a book about Beckham

• Stallone looking more stocky than Rocky

• More showbiz news

The bizarre look gave the impression Miss Minnelli's eyebrows had been either painted or tattooed on.

But the star's decision to fiddle with her brows may be more than just a cosmetic malfunction, according to leading plastic surgeon Alex Karidis.

He told how many older women have their eyebrows painted or tattooed on when their real ones start to droop.

Mr Karidis said: "The brow is very important, it frames the whole face and when women age it can start to droop along with the skin.

"This is why many older women have their eyebrows shaved off and fake ones tattooed or painted in high above the eyes. It can make the whole area look younger and firmer."

He added: "Liza Minnelli was famed for her high, thick arched brows but it is inevitable they would start to fall slightly with age making the eyes look older."

The star is rumoured to have had plastic surgery and although Mr Gest looks like he has had extensive work done, he admits only to having a nose job 30 years ago.

The 60-year-old performer split up with Gest three years ago amid wild accusations that ranged from the ridiculous to the downright nasty.

Miss Minnelli claims, for example, that the 53-year-old events organiser tried to poison her.

And Mr Gest alleges the star beat him up in drunken rages and, more sinisterly, that she carried herpes but failed to tell him. The Oscar-winning singer, who is in the midst of a bitter divorce wrangle with Gest, has fallen on tough times since the break-up.

Not only is she being sued for £5.2 million by Gest for loss of work and illness allegedly caused by the marriage, but her career is almost at a standstill.

Miss Minnelli has barely worked, starring in a straight-to-video comedy and a few episodes in a TV sit-com.

Mr Gest, on the other hand, became a household name after his appearance in 'I'm A Celebrity..Get Me Out Of Here', and is planning an three day all star concert in London to celebrate the New Year.