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The Wire star Bobby J. Brown dead at 62 after horrifying barn fire

THE Wire star Bobby J. Brown has died after sustaining injuries in a barn fire.

Bobby, 62, who portrayed Officer Bobby Brown in the HBO drama series, passed away on Wednesday.

The Wire actor Bobby J. Brown (left) died after being involved in a barn fireCredit: Alamy Stock Photo
Bobby portrayed Officer Bobby Brown in the HBO seriesCredit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO

The actor’s daughter revealed he died of inhalation, according to TMZ, which first reported the news.

His cause of death was ruled diffuse thermal injury and smoke inhalation, per the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

His death was determined to be an accident.

The blaze reportedly started when Bobby went inside the barn to jump-start a vehicle.

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He then called out to a family member to fetch a fire extinguisher, but the flames had already engulfed the barn by the time they returned.

Bobby appeared in many other TV and film projects, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Veep, and We Own This City.

According to his IMDb page, Bobby originally was a professional boxer and won five Golden Glove Championships before transitioning to acting.

His first recurring role was on Law & Order: SVU, where he portrayed an NYPD officer.

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The former athlete has also shared the screen with Academy Award winners Robert DeNiro, Renee Zellweger, and James Franco.

In April 2022, the TV star’s son, Bobby Brown II, shared snapshots from the premiere of We Own This City.

He posed with his father and the show’s lead, Jon Bernthal, outside the event.

“It always great to celebrate my dads accomplishments. He always set the bar high and he still inspires me to this day,” Bobby’s son sweetly wrote in his caption.

Bobby posed for photos with his son, Bobby Brown II, at the premiere of We Own This City in April 2022Credit: Instagram/bbrown929



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Shia LaBeouf ordered to rehab after Mardi Gras arrest

Actor Shia LaBeouf’s raucous Mardi Gras episode in New Orleans earlier this month has now earned him court-ordered drug and alcohol treatment.

A New Orleans judge on Thursday ordered the former Disney Channel star, 39, to begin substance abuse treatment and undergo weekly drug testing after he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting two men in the city’s famed French Quarter. He was charged with two counts of simple battery, the Associated Press reported.

“Transformers” and “Honey Boy” actor LaBeouf agreed to the updated terms of his release, including posting bond of $100,000, and underwent a drug test during his court appearance on Thursday. His attorney said the test did not show illegal substances in the actor’s system.

Orleans Parish Criminal Court judge Simone Levine criticized LaBeouf for his behavior during the Mardi Gras celebrations. In addition to striking the two men at a bar, LaBeouf allegedly yelled homophobic slurs. Levine expressed concern for “the safety of this larger community” and said LaBeouf “does not take his alcohol addiction seriously.”

A legal representative for LaBeouf did not immediately respond to a request for comment but said during the actor’s court appearance that “being drunk on Mardi Gras is not a crime.”

The actor has yet to enter a formal plea to the charges.

The New Orleans Police Department said its officers responded to a report of an assault in the 1400 block of Royal Street. The former “Even Stevens” child star was “causing a disturbance” at the business, leading staff to remove him from the premises, police said. The actor allegedly “used his closed fists” on one of the victims “several times.”

Authorities said LaBeouf left the business but returned, “acting even more aggressive.” According to the incident report, an unspecified number of people tried to subdue him and eventually let him go “in hope that he would leave.” Instead, police said, LaBeouf began assaulting the same man as before, hitting his upper body with closed fists. The actor is accused of punching the second man in the nose.

People held down LaBeouf until officials arrived. He was transported to a hospital and treated for unknown injuries and was arrested and charged upon his release.

An additional police report identified a local entertainer as one of LaBeouf’s alleged victims. The “Megalopolis” actor, whose history of violent behavior has led to previous arrests and other legal troubles, allegedly threatened the man’s life and shouted homophobic slurs.

Levine ordered that LaBeouf refrain from contacting the two victims and visiting the bar at the center of the brawl. She also denied his travel requests.

Hours after news of the brawl and his arrest spread, LaBeouf issued a brief statement on social media.

He posted to X: “Free me.”

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Brad Pitt’s estranged son Maddox, 24, drops actor’s surname in credits of mother’s new film

BRAD Pitt’s estranged son Maddox has dropped the actor’s surname for his credit on his new film with mum Angelina Jolie.

Maddox, 24, served as the production assistant on Angelina’s critically acclaimed 2024 Maria Callas biopic and is now an assistant director of her latest feature, Couture.

Maddox Jolie-Pitt ditched his father’s surname for his latest film creditCredit: Getty
Brad has a fractured relationship with his six childrenCredit: Getty

For the first time, he’s been credited as Maddox Jolie rather than Maddox Jolie-Pitt.

The new flick sees Angelina play the lead role of Maxine, an American film director diagnosed with breast cancer before jetting to France to shoot the film that will open Paris Fashion Week.

Brad and ex-wife Angelina, 48, have six kids — they adopted MaddoxPax, 22, and Zahara, 21, and also have their biological children Shiloh, 19, and 17-year-old twins Knox and ­Vivienne.

Maddox isn’t the first child to ditch the Pitt name.

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Shiloh made the same decision in 2024. The legal forms were published in the LA Times for a month before a judge finalised the move as per California law.

Brad was reported to have been upset by the name change.

A source told People: “He’s aware and upset that Shiloh dropped his last name. The reminders that he’s lost his children, is of course not easy for Brad. He loves his children and misses them. It’s very sad.”

The same year Vivienne only used her mother’s name when she was credited as a producer on Broadway musical Playbill for The Outsiders.

While Zahara presented herself as ‘Zahara Marley Jolie’ at her introduction to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spellman College in 2023, this despite Brad describing her enrolment at the college as “really beautiful” months earlier.

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor’s marriage to Angelina came to an end in 2016 after an explosive row in front of their kids on a private jet. Brad allegedly clashed with Maddox on the same flight.

As the bitter divorce rumbled on, it became clear the kids were on their mum’s side.

An insider told The Sun: “As far as Maddox, Pax and Zahara go, the word is that they are totally in support of their mother and Brad doesn’t hear from them these days at all — certainly not the boys, and it’s been that way for a very long time.”

The source suggested Brad still had contact with his biological kids, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.

They said: “He still sees Shiloh and the twins whenever he can, though not as often as he would like.”

Angelina Jolie’s new film Couture is set to the backdrop of Paris Fashion WeekCredit: Getty
Maddox with his adoptive parents in 2013Credit: Getty

The multi-millionaire fought a long, bitter and expensive battle to try to gain equal custody rights with Angelina.

And in May 2021, a judge ruled he could jointly share access.

But just a few months later that was overturned following an appeal by Jolie on the grounds that the judge had financial connections to Brad’s legal team.

None of that stopped Brad from seeing the children under supervision, which he had to book in advance.

Following the break-up, Brad joined Alcoholics Anonymous and he has spoken about drinking too heavily for much of his life.

Pax’s private Instagram post in 2020 on Father’s Day suggested the kids experienced problems before and beyond the plane incident.

He wrote: “You time and time and again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person.

“You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence.

“You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you’re incapable of doing so.”

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Gorillaz’ Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett on how grief inspired their new album The Mountain

THE musician and the visual artist . . . two lives shaped by shared experience and creative endeavour. 

Damon Albarn was born on March 23, 1968, and eleven days later, on April 3, his chief collaborator, Jamie Hewlett, came into the world. 

Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn and their Gorillaz charactersCredit: Supplied
Damon says: ‘I think of a mountain as a manifestation of reincarnation… created out of tectonic plates and chaos into something new’Credit: supplied
Jamie and Damon at Mumbai Airport in 2024

In 1998, after bonding while sharing a flat, they dreamed up virtual band Gorillaz, a vehicle for wild flights of imagination. 

Fronted by cartoon characters 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs and Noodle, Gorillaz have blurred musical styles, crossed generations and involved numerous nationalities in their songs for more than 25 years. 

“We’re the Alan Whicker of bands,” declares Hewlett, in reference to the globe-trotting broadcaster. 

“More Michael Palin,” interjects Albarn. “He’s nicer and also very funny.” 

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In 2023/24, sad events conspired to take Damon and Jamie in a new direction — to that vibrant, teeming country of 1.4billion people, India.  

The result is the Gorillaz ninth album, The Mountain, with its title inscribed in Devanagari script on the cover. 

Performed in five languages — Hindi, English, Arabic, Spanish and Yoruba — it features a host of stellar guests, most living but some no longer with us. 

The musicians come from different corners of the globe, India, Syria, the US, Argentina, Nigeria, and, of course, the UK. 

Albarn says: “The original impetus came from quite a tragic story. We were in Belgrade finishing off a video when Jamie got a call from Jaipur in India. It was from his wife Emma, saying, ‘My mum’s in a coma’.” 

Hewlett picks up the story: “They had been there for a month at an Ayurvedic retreat (a system focused on balancing mind, body and spirit). 

“They had packed their suitcases, had called a taxi and were just on their way home when my mother-in-law had a stroke.  

“She was rushed to the closest hospital in Jaipur — it’s all about speed when you have a stroke.” 

So on December 4, 2022, Hewlett arranged to fly from Serbia to India and so began “eight weeks of daily hospital visits hoping she might wake up”. 

Sadly, his mother-in-law didn’t make it, leaving Hewlett to reflect: “It was a very traumatic experience but, in between those visits, we were able to explore Jaipur. 

“I just fell in love with the place. The people were so warm and I discovered that the whole subject of death is viewed from a very different perspective.” 

He’s alluding to the fact that Hinduism sees passing away as a natural transition — a temporary pause for the eternal soul rather than a final end. 

Hewlett continues: “When I was in the hospital, people were visiting loved ones who were dying. 

“There were tears but, at the same time, there was a feeling of celebration in the belief that they were coming back in an another form.” 

This got Hewlett thinking about possibilities for Gorillaz, his visual playground. 

“Damon was in touch with me the whole time I was there,” he says. “When I came home, I said to him, ‘We need to go to India together to see if we can do something’. A year later (after Blur’s epic reunion), we were off.” 

Albarn says: “I saw it as the perfect opportunity to give the whole world of Gorillaz a nice, new kickstart. I was just waiting for an excuse to go there.  

“I grew up in Leytonstone where my school was 30/40 per cent Asian. My dad was very into Indian classical music so I was genuinely listening to (sitar player) Ravi Shankar at the same time as The Beatles.” 

Albarn also saw visiting India as a perfect opportunity to spend quality time with Hewlett.  

“We enjoy each other’s company,” he says. “We’ve got an awful lot in common and our taste is very similar.” 

Hewlett nods in agreement and adds: “We thrive on finding ourselves in different cultures — and there’s so much to take from a place like India, even if somewhere as big as that can’t be grappled with immediately.” 

And Albarn again: “The first time you go there, you’re just so bewitched by the place.” 

With their sights set on a Gorillaz album drawing on Indian music, two more devastating events were to bring the pair even closer together — and the project into even sharper relief. 

In July 2024, some time after an initial foray to the subcontinent, Albarn’s dad Keith died. Ten days later, Hewlett lost his father.  

For Albarn, a return to India offered him a degree of solace. He journeyed to the ancient city of Varanasi to scatter his dad’s ashes in the Ganges. Keith had been a respected artist, designer and teacher who loved Indian culture. 

“Grief manifests itself in so many ways,” says Albarn.

“You don’t overcome it but you can learn to accept it and going to Varanasi definitely helped. 

“This place has been inhabited for 5,000 years and it’s where families have burned their loved ones every day, every night, for all that time.  

“The fire rituals are wonderful, so poetic — almost like an inhalation and an exhalation.  

“The idea that people pause at sunset, light fires and sing is so beautiful. Harder to do in northern Europe where cloud can bruise the spirit!” 

Albarn goes on to describe, “something I learned, which is a useful life lesson,” from taking a loved one’s ashes to the Ganges. 

“Don’t stress yourself by thinking too much,” he affirms. “At moments like that, don’t think of anything — empty your mind. 

“Emptiness is a beautiful thing and there’s infinite possibility within it. We mention ‘the void’ a lot on this record.” 

For Albarn, the album’s starting point was his gorgeous melody, which morphed into the title track and opener, The Mountain. He calls it the LP’s “signature tune”.  

The finished piece is blessed with sublime playing by Ajay Prasanna on bansuri, a traditional bamboo flute, with Anoushka Shankar, daughter of the late, great Ravi, on sitar. 

The Mountain is blessed with Anoushka Shankar on sitarCredit: Getty
Of all the myriad guests on the album, perhaps the most notable is 92-year-old Asha BhosleCredit: Getty

Albarn says: “Once I met Ajay and he’d played his bansuri, I thought, ‘I’m never letting this gentleman out of my sight again’. He’s an amazing person. 

“You give him a melody and he turns it into something godlike.” 

As for the contribution of Anoushka, whose mastery of the sitar echoes the work of her legendary father, he says: “I could hardly imagine the idea that I was going to play with one of the Shankar family.” 

Hewlett says: “If you’ve never been to India, you find yourself mentally transported there just by this song. It’s almost like the beginning of a movie.” 

The Mountain is the first of several tracks to feature the voices of the dear departed, in this case maverick actor and film-maker Dennis Hopper. 

Elsewhere, there are contributions from one-time Gorillaz collaborators who have since died — soul singer Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur of De La Soul, The Fall’s Mark E Smith, rapper Proof and Albarn’s long-time associate, drummer Tony Allen

GORILLAZ – THE FILM

TODAY on YouTube at 4pm, Gorillaz are revealing an eight-minute film, The Mountain, The Moon Cave & The Sad God.

Directed by Jamie Hewlett and THE LINE Studio, it shows animated adventures as the band journeys across India.

Damon Albarn says: “For anyone interested in Gorillaz, this will be one of their favourite things ever.”

Their inclusion is a poignant way of saying: They may have gone but they live on in some way. 

Albarn says: “I think of a mountain as a manifestation of reincarnation because, if you think about it, a mountain is formed through chaos and tectonic shifts. The change in everything creates something new.” 

The Mountain gave Hewlett all the inspiration he needed to begin conjuring up the exotic, beautifully realised imagery, which is so crucial to this Gorillaz project.  

He says: “I guess the biggest challenge for me was that we were dealing with a subject that is more grown up than in the past. 

“How should the characters behave because usually there’s a lot of sarcasm and jokes? 

“So I was thinking about how to tell the story in a respectful way but also maintain a level of fun.” 

Hewlett admits: “We didn’t rush into this one — a lot of work ended up going in the dustbin for both of us, musically and visually, until we got on the right course. But when Damon gave me this piece of music and called it The Mountain, that was the starting point. Everything opened up for me.” 

Of all the myriad guests on the album, perhaps the most notable is 92-year-old Asha Bhosle, one of the most revered singers in Hindi cinema, who sings on the shimmering, life-affirming The Shadowy Light. 

Albarn says: “She’s one of the most important living Indian singers — and maybe even the best. 

“Everyone in India knows her music, she’s had hundreds of billions of streams.” 

And Hewlett adds: “Damon managed to get her to sing for us in her apartment in Mumbai. He used his charm and she was very comfortable with him.” 

If India is central to The Mountain, no Gorillaz record would be complete without sounds of various cultures.  

The Happy Dictator, with eccentric American duo Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks providing the chorus, began life in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, a dictatorship in central Asia. 

“That’s where I got the idea,” reports Albarn. “I went there with my daughter. “We have a father-daughter holiday every year, and we’ve been to North Korea, China and Turkmenistan.  

“This year we’re going to Georgia. We share a real passion for the remnants of communism and the possibility of future socialism.” 

So what’s Turkmenistan like and why call a song The Happy Dictator? I venture.  

Albarn answers: “It’s a very barren place, almost entirely desert, with this pristine modern city of Ashgabat, which is made almost entirely of white marble. 

“Being in that society, I realised that they are given no bad news. They had no news at all, really.” 

Another fabulous song is Damascus, which rekindles Albarn’s abiding love of Syrian music.  

GORILLAZ – THE TOUR

THE Mountain tour kicks off with two warm-up shows in Bradford on March 13 and 14, before heading to arenas.

Manchester on March 20, is followed by dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin.

On June 20, Gorillaz headline Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with support from Sparks and Trueno.

You may recall when he helped assemble the Orchestra Of Syrian Musicians in London while civil war raged in their home country. 

For Damascus, Gorillaz employed the services of Omar Souleyman, one of the country’s pre-eminent singers, alongside American rapper Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def). 

With Syria still in state of flux after the toppling of the cruel Assad regime, Albarn says: “I wouldn’t go there at the moment but I did go to Mali (a favourite destination) in December, even if I was absolutely told not to. 

“I didn’t find it anywhere near as dangerous as everyone says it is and I would definitely go back.” 

This feeds into the notion that Gorillaz has no borders, that it’s an example of how multiculturalism can break down division and strife. 

“Not only is it the right way forward but it’s the most important way forward,” says Albarn.  

“Isolationism and the idea of demonising people from other cultures is not correct — and it’s profoundly dangerous.” 

The ManifestoCredit: Supplied
Orange CountyCredit: Supplied
The God of LyingCredit: Supplied

So that’s why we hear the freewheeling rap of The Roots’ Black Thought on a track like The Empty Dream Machine, which also harnesses the guitar power of Johnny Marr and more sitar from Anoushka. 

And why Albarn’s expressive tones are matched with Argentinian Trueno rapping in Spanish and telling words recorded by American rapper Proof not long before he was shot dead in 2006. 

Let’s not forget that love and loss loom large on this record.  

On Casablanca, again featuring Marr as well as The Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Albarn sings: “I don’t know anything that feels like this/I don’t know anything that hits like this.” 

Simonon has been a member of The Good The Bad & Queen with Albarn and the late Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen. 

You hear Allen intoning, “We are ready, let’s go,” on The Hardest Thing before Damon, clearly with his father in mind, sings: “You know the hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love.” 

Albarn says, “We definitely put a lot of love into this record,” and Hewlett signs off with, “There’s more to come. We’re not finished yet.” 

It’s anyone’s guess where in the world those Gorillaz masterminds will pitch up next

Gorillaz, The Mountain is out February 27Credit: Supplied

GORILLAZ 

The Mountain 

★★★★★

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Jessie Buckley flashes underwear in raunchy sheer gown after scooping Best Actress at Baftas

JESSIE Buckley has a clear vision for success — wearing a sheer gown over a corset for the premiere of her new film.

The 36-year-old, named Best Actress at Sunday’s Baftas for her role in Hamnet, stars with Christian Bale, 52, in The Bride!.

Jessie Buckley wearing a sheer gown over a corset for the premiere of her new filmCredit: Getty
Jessie stars with Christian Bale in The Bride!Credit: Getty

The pair posed together last night on the red carpet at Cineworld in London’s Leicester Square.

Based on the Bride of Frankenstein, the movie is described as a Gothic horror-romance and is set in 1930s Chicago.

Warnings include one for nude scenes — which may explain why Jessie was dressed to thrill.

Irish star Jessie is the red-hot bookies’ favourite for Best Actress at the Oscars.

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Accepting her award at the 79th Baftas at London’s Royal Festival Hall, she said: “When I first came to London, I had nuclear-bad fake tan on, white hoopy earrings, polka-dot red skirt and dress.

“I don’t know how she thought that was even possible.

“But thank you, Lindy, for always encouraging me to be disobedient and curious and human.

“This is nuts. This really does belong to the women past, present and future that have taught me.”

She dropped the F-bomb at one point, saying she “should’ve brought my f***ing thing up here” — meaning her notes.

Jessie choked up as she thanked her daughter, who was born last year, saying: “It’s the best role of my life being your mum.”

Actress Jessie on the red carpet at Cineworld in London’s Leicester SquareCredit: Getty

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Ant McPartlin reveals one show he won’t host ‘never again’

TV presenter Ant McPartlin shares the real reason he won’t be returning to host a major show

Anthony McPartlin has opened up on the one show he’s done with hosting as he admitted it can get too hard to control the crowd.

The TV star is well known for presenting a number of shows alongside hosting partner Declan Donnelly and among the many is the iconic BRIT Awards.

The duo have fronted the prestigious music ceremony on three occasions and Ant, 50, has since revealed the evening proves enjoyable for those up for gongs and their plus ones, but can be tricky for those presenting. Ant and Dec hosted the BRITs in 2001, 2015 and 2016.

During their podcast, Hanging Out with Ant & Dec, the duo seemed genuinely thankful they won’t be taking the reins at this weekend’s ceremony.

Ant stated: “[We’ve hosted it] three times, never again. And the reason why we always say, ‘oh, never again’, it’s not because we don’t believe in the awards. I really do. I think they’re really good for British music.

“It’s actually a really good night if you’re there as somebody who’s been nominated, because we’ve been nominated for a BRIT back in the day. That was a fun night. We didn’t win that night.”

The duo first crossed paths as young performers on CBBC drama Byker Grove, later pursuing pop stardom as PJ & Duncan, notably with their chart success Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble, which debuted in 1994.

In 1995, they competed for the BRIT award for best British newcomer but were beaten by the legendary Oasis.

Ant explained: “It’s a fun night if you’re nominated, it’s a fun night – not necessarily if you’re hosting it though because everybody in the room just wants to get drunk and have a good time and you’re trying to wrangle the whole crowd.

“You are also trying to present a TV show and also all the artists and bands who said they would happily do an interview with you before the show starts always change their mind.”

The Geordie presenting pair are renowned for fronting ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Britain’s Got Talent and the quiz show Ant And Dec’s Limitless Win.

Comic Jack Whitehall will take the helm at the BRIT Awards on Saturday in Manchester.

Chart-topper Harry Styles features amongst the impressive line-up of performers set to grace the stage during the ceremony, alongside Raye, Olivia Dean, Sombr, Mark Ronson and Wolf Alice.

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Maura Higgins is every inch the bombshell in glamorous golden dress as she steps out at Milan Fashion Week

MAURA Higgins continued her fashion hot streak in a stunning designer dress in Milan.

The US Traitors star slipped into a £2,350 Roberto Cavalli number for Milan Fashion Week and cut a modelesque figure as she posed for photos.

Maura Higgins wowed in a Roberto Cavalli dress at Milan Fashion WeekCredit: Getty
Maura’s gown retails for an eye-watering £2,350Credit: Getty

The striking golden gown is described as “a tribute to the beauty and power of the sun” on the brand’s website.

Maura gave a glimpse into her hotel room, showing a Roberto Cavalli bag on her bed supplied especially for her by the brand.

The striking look comes hot on the heels of her head-turning appearance at the Baftas on Sunday.

At the Royal Festival Hall she wore a figure-hugging red satin gown with a silhouetted cape and a fan-like neckline for the ultimate sexy senorita look.

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Maura Higgins’ plan to turn heads in US – & controversy that sparked it

Maura’s career is on the up and she’s been making big waves in America.

The 35-year-old hosts the Love Island USA spin-off show Aftersun and is in the final of Celebrity Traitors, where she struck up a friendship with Real Housewife Lisa Rinna.

She recently attended an event celebrating Lisa’s new book, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It.

The former reality TV bombshell, who shot to fame in 2019 with her razor-sharp one-liners and no-filter flirting, is fast becoming a US sensation. 

Back home, she has just bagged a six-figure deal with Victoria’s Secret — a major glow- up from her villa days. 

These days, Maura is living a jet-set life that would have felt a ­million miles away from her childhood in the town of Ballymahon, Co Longford. 

Of course, Maura’s American takeover didn’t come out of nowhere. 

In February last year, she found herself at the centre of a Brit Awards storm after being spotted by The Sun kissing married McFly singer Danny Jones.  

While his relationship drama played out publicly, trolls piled into Maura online, landing the blame firmly at her door. 

For a short while, she went quiet — but instead of retreating, she soon landed a spot on The Traitors US, which is hosted by actor Alan Cumming. 

And what looked like a ­reputational wobble in the UK has since become a full-blown American reinvention. 

A source said: “When the ­Traitors came knocking, she knew it could turn things around for her. Maura jumped straight into action. She was a woman who had something to prove.” 

After filming wrapped on the US series at Ardross Castle in Scotland last June, Maura walked away feeling confident that she had smashed it, according to pals. 

She has now signed up with top-tier agency Align PR, whose clients include Madonna and Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Bryce Dallas Howard. 

She has even been doing some acting herself, landing a role in an Irish buddy movie, The Spin, due to be released later this month. 

She was a sexy senorita at the Baftas on SundayCredit: Getty
Maura is taking the US by stormCredit: Getty

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Coronation Street viewers say ‘it’s over’ after fan favourite Bernie is arrested

Coronation Street viewers are worried for Bernie Winter’s marraige after she was arrested on Thursday night’s episode of the ITV soap following a mysterious attack

Coronation Street fans are worried for Bernie Winter after she was arrested on Thursday night’s episode of the ITV soap. The café waitress, who has been played by Jane Hazlegrove since 2019, has become the victim of stalking in recent weeks after she met the mysterious Mal Roper in a hotel room some weeks ago.

Bernie had turned to drugs following the death of her son-in-law Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank), which came just a couple of years after her son Paul passed away, and met Mal in the Chariot Square Hotel, spending some time in his room before passing out in a nightclub toilet.

Mal had arrived claiming to be the husband of a woman called Alice, whom Roy Cropper thought he had developed a penpal-type relationship with over their love of literature, and quickly got a job at Roy’s Rolls before setting his sights on Bernie. Viewers will know that earlier in the week, he locked her in the cafe and when she eventually made it home, she realised her own face had been cut out of her wedding photo.

READ MORE: Coronation Street to reveal Steve McDonald’s secret brother and we’ve already met himREAD MORE: Corrie icon Sally Ann Matthews blasts soap after exit – ‘I don’t want to waste my time’

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Things only got worse for Bernie on the latest instalment of the world’s longest-running TV soap as her husband Dev, who already knew about the drugs, and recently she had kissed Mal on that fateful night, delivered some home truths to Bernie.

He said: “Where was your honesty the morning after you betrayed me? Or every day since? Hmm? Because it seems to me, honey, that honesty’s all well and good when it’s convenient.

“It’s not about what you did any more. Yes, it hurts and I hate it! But I’ve been around the block, I can see how it could happen. No, it’s this slow drip of the truth as and when it suits you. This, is how it ends with your lies and your dishonesty.”

Just moments later, a patient was revealed being rushed to Weatherfield General, and it was indeed Mal, with medics speculating that some sort of attack had taken place. A nurse explained to DC Kit Green, Bernie’s long-lost son, that he had suffered a cardiac arrest when he hit his head on the pavement and was in critical condition in intensive care.

Dev later called round to the cafe to reassure Bernie that didn’t want to split up with her, having realised that she just needed to grieve. He begged: “No more sorries. And no more secrets, please. If you love me half as much as you say you do, then we don’t need them, do we?” and they shared a tearful embrace.

But Bernie’s troubles were far from over, as Detective Constable Browning marched into the café, looking for Bernie. He said: “Bernadine Winter-Alahan, I am arresting you on suspicion of assault…” before Bernie pleaded her innocence, to no avail. She begged: “Can you just tell me who I’m meant to have assaulted?” and she told that was a matter that would be discussed at the station.

This all comes after Bernie had some cross words with Mal in the street on Wednesday night, where he insulted her and taunted her over her grief. She warned him to stay away and said if she didn’t she would kill him, but walked away as Mal stood there chuckling.

Fans were convinced that all of this will ultimately spell the end for Bernie and Dev as a couple, who only got married towards the end of last year. One said: “Dev surely can’t forgive Bernie again. Her behaviour was terrible. He doesn’t deserve that.” Another wrote: “No don’t let it be the end of Dev and Bernie” whilst a third wondered: “Is Bernie and Dev over?”

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .



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‘The Gray House’ review: An uninspired Civil War drama

“The Gray House,” a limited series now streaming on Prime Video, purports to tell the fact-based story of Elizabeth Van Lew, who spied for the Union in the Civil War while living in the midst of Southern society in Richmond, Va. And in very broad terms it does, though it fills up the space within those outlines with an army of imagined details and melodramatic plots and subplots.

It is not the first work for the screen that betrays history by attempting to make it more exciting than it already is, and if you go in ready not to wonder or care what did or did not actually happen, and which characters are real or invented, you may make out alright. (If you do care, there is Gerri Willis’ 2025 volume “Lincoln’s Lady Spymaster: The Untold Story of the Abolitionist Southern Belle Who Helped Win the Civil War.”)

So I will not ring a bell every time the miniseries, which admittedly bills itself as “inspired by a true story,” diverts from the record, even though in my head it may be clanging.

It’s July 4, 1860, nine months before the beginning of the Civil War. Elizabeth (Daisy Head) lives in a mansion in Richmond with her mother Eliza (Mary-Louise Parker), and the two are throwing a party. Guests, including the historical Swedish novelist and social reformer Fredrika Bremer (Oxana Moravec), congressman Sherrard Clemens (Ionut Grama), Virginia Gov. Henry Wise (Mark Perry) and his awful son Obie (Blake Patrick Anderson), unload expository dialogue and provide a primer for anyone not acquainted with the roots of the Civil War. Meanwhile, a runaway slave shows up out back, pursued by hounds, having heard that the Van Lew house is the place to run for help. The women, who are against secession and for abolition but are practiced in the art of deceiving their neighbors, are involved with the Underground Railroad in some way that’s not exactly clear.

Among their servants — the Van Lew slaves were (secretly) freed upon the death of Elizabeth’s father — are head porter Isham, played by Ben Vereen, who it is a pure pleasure to see back on screen, and Mary Jane (Amethyst Davis). A well-educated, determined young woman who is just back from Liberia, which did not suit her — she calls it a “tricky little way of ridding America of free Blacks” — the series gives her a lot of agency and makes her a virtual partner in the spy ring. White and Black, they live as much like a family as is possible when some people are labor and others are management and it’s the antebellum, then the wartime South.

Also involved in Elizabeth’s tradecraft are Scottish baker Thomas McNiven (Christopher McDonald) and Clara Parish (Hannah James), a beautiful prostitute who dreams “of Bronte’s moors” and gets, of all things, a big musical number in an out-of-place Western saloon, like Marlene Dietrich in “Destry Rides Again.” (The saloon is a standing set at Castel Film Studios in Romania, where the production was based; their backlot Western street, too, makes an implausible appearance.)

A man in a dark suit walks with a bouquet clenched in one hand as a line of people watch him.

Ben Vereen as Isham Worthy, a porter in the Van Lew home.

(Bogdan Merlusca/Prime Video)

Out of the loop are Elizabeth’s brother, John (Ewan Miller), whose heart is in the right place, but who’s married to Laurette (Catherine Hannay), whose heart is not. An avaricious, envious flirt on the undisguised lookout for something better, she is angry that John wouldn’t use slave labor to build their house. She’s Scarlett O’Hara, minus the intelligence and charm.

Calling roll on the enemy, we find present Confederate President Jefferson Davis (Sam Trammell), in whose house — the eponymous Gray House — Mary Jane will be embedded, with a cocked ear and a photographic memory, to gather intel; Secretary of War (and then State) Judah P. Benjamin (Rob Morrow), who has a thing for Clara, to whom he opines on property rights while they share a bathtub; and a pip-squeak John Wilkes Booth (Charles Craddock), popping in and out no reason, unless it’s to foreshadow the death of Lincoln (who makes a rearview cameo), or just because everybody’s heard of him. Below them, but more in the action, are the nasty, thuggish Sheriff Stokely Reeves (Paul Anderson) and slave hunter Bully Lumpkin (Robert Knepper); and while thuggery and violence were endemic in a racist South, caricature and cliche do your history lesson no favors, however valuable it is.

Because Hollywood hates, let’s call it a love vacuum when it comes to screen heroines, Elizabeth will find herself the object of not one, not two, but (at least) three admirers, who prize her brains and spirit and talent for conversation. (She is no frilly, fizzy, fuzzy Southern belle, like the mean girls around her sister-in-law.) There is Hamton Arsenault (Colin Morgan), a sort of Rhett Butler lite, visiting from New Orleans with a huge live alligator, because I guess that’s something you could manage in 1860 just to make a splash at a party a thousand miles away. Capt. William Lounsbury (Colin O’Donoghue) is a dashing Union officer, escaping a Confederate prison, who passes through the Van Lew house on the way to freedom; they click together like Legos. Finally, there’s shy puppy dog Erasmus Ross (Joshua McGuire), who works at the Van Lew’s hardware store and will later have a post at a prison for captured Union soldiers, which the Van Lews will turn to their advantage.

“The Gray House” isn’t all bad, and its intentions are good, but it’s dramatically predictable and at eight episodes, some over an hour, goes on much, much longer than it needs to, letting scenes play out past profitability and wasting time on extraneous subplots involving minor characters — and minor minor characters — that do nothing to enrich the fabric of the show. A duel between two characters with no significant connection to the rest of the story exists here seemingly just because their historical counterparts did fight one, and gives the filmmakers the chance to add a duel — on horseback, like jousting with guns — to the show.

Parker is always fine, though the part requires a bit too much Southern breathiness. Davis and Head make strong impressions, masking the pedestrian, sometimes cornball dialogue. (The miniseries was written by Leslie Greif and Darrell Fetty, who collaborated on “Hatfields & McCoys”, with an undiscernable assist from John Sayles.) Keith David, who plays real-life activist minister Henry H. Garnet, gives a seven-minute speech on education as if he’s performing a Shakespearean monologue, after which he faces down a murderous sheriff like he’s Shaft. It’s a high point of the series, and the one scene I was happy to see go long.

Directed by Roland Joffé, who four decades ago was Oscar-nominated for “The Killing Fields” and “The Mission,” the production is a mixed bag; much care has been lavished on the costumes; the crowd scenes are well populated; printed material is done really well. (It matters.) Battle scenes — including Bull Run, where picnicking tourists are accurately shown in attendance — are convincingly rendered. But Romania, whether on or off the studio lot, only occasionally musters a decent impression of 19th century Virginia, reminding you, as “The Gray House” often does, that this is only a movie.

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Beloved BBC sitcom ‘returning 3 years after finale’ as fans spot cryptic post

Fans of a beloved BBC sitcom are convinced the show is set for a comeback after cast members shared a mysterious video online

BBC Ghosts fans are convinced that the beloved sitcom is poised for a return following a cryptic post.

The hit show originally ran for five series between 2019 and 2023, it followed a group of ghosts from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing it with its new living occupants – a married couple.

It quickly became a fan-favourite series and had an impressive cast including Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.

As well as Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond

Despite fans being devastated when it came to an end three years ago, Matthew Baynton, who played Thomas Thorne, has now sent fans into a frenzy as he took to his social media to tease the show return.

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The star posted a short clip of the famous wooden front door opening all by itself. He decided to keep the post a mystery as he didn’t caption the cryptic snap.

As expected it didn’t take long for fans to share their reaction as one fan said: “Ohmagaaad what’s going on!”.

Whilst another declared: “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS.” “Are we getting to return to Button House? ! ? !” a third asked.

“Is it Ghosts the movie? Please say it’s Ghosts the movie,” one supporter pleaded. Meanwhile another fan insisted: “Please say you are making a Ghosts film/Christmas special/new series? Pleeeeeeease! !”

Jim Howick, who played Pat Butcher, and Martha Howe-Douglas, who played Lady Stephanie ‘Fanny’ Button, also posted the same video of the door to their Instagram with no caption.

Ghosts came to an end with a Christmas special however it made a comeback in Australia. It was revealed it had been given the go ahead last year and it began airing in November.

It comes as no surprise that fans loved the show however it’s not clear if it will be returning for a second season.

Speaking about bringing the hit comedy to Oz, Kylie Washington, the Creative Director for the BBC in Australia said: “We’re excited to bring Ghosts to life with a unique cast of characters that reflect our very own history and culture.

“Western Australia will provide the perfect backdrop for all their comedic antics and we’re grateful to Screenwest for their support.”

Ghosts seasons 1-5 are streaming now on BBC iPlayer.

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Tommy Fury set to take on another triathlon after being accused of ‘lying’ when he posed at finish line with Molly-Mae

TOMMY Fury is set to take on a second triathlon after facing a 100km World Championship race last August.

The boxer, 26, took on the race in the French Riviera but came under fire after it was revealed he didn’t actually complete the full course.

Tommy Fury is set to take on another triathlon after being accused of ‘lying’ following his first attemptCredit: Getty
Molly-Mae greeted her partner at the finish line of his French Riviera feat last yearCredit: TIKTOK / t100triathlon
Tommy’s brother-in-law Danny Rae says they are training together to take on a triathlon

Now, his brother-in-law Danny Rae says Tommy is set to take on another three-fold endurance race.

“Tommy’s triathlon – he’s gonna do another one I believe,” athlete Danny told The Sun, who is married to Molly-Mae Hague’s sister Zoe.

Speaking at a pop-up event by drinks brand Celsius, Danny continued: “So, yeah, he just likes to be busy. He loves training.”

Tommy took on his first triathlon in August, but faced controversy after a marathon Investigation found that he did not actually finish the event, pointing to his bike splits, which showed he was not logged beyond the 48km point.

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MOL’S OUT

Molly-Mae Hague flashes her bra in see-through top on night out without Tommy

A search for his official time on the Sportstats website will reveal a large DID NOT FINISH next to his name.

But, it made him one of 93 athletes not to have completed the route – and there was a valid reason why they didn’t have a chance to go the distance.

Due to road closures and traffic, the group of athletes were told by organisers that they could not finish the route.

With Tommy set to go again, it seems that the whole family could be getting involved, said Danny.

The sportsman, who married Zoe Rae in 2024 and is a Hyrox world champion, continued: “I’m going to do a triathlon.

“So, the Hyrox season ends in June and then I’m just gonna sort of dabble in triathlons.”

Revealing that he and Tommy have been preparing together, Danny added: “We train together quite a lot.

“He obviously is a professional boxer who’s in camp quite a lot, and he’s, again, he’s very regimented with his training.

“But where we can share sessions, if it aligns with both of our individual training programs, we’ll do that. 

“So we trained together last night, we had a nice easy 90 minute 90 minutes of aerobic work.”

Danny spoke at a Celsius event, with the sportsman a partner of the energy drinks brand
Danny is married to Molly-Mae’s sister Zoe Rae, and has a close bond with the familyCredit: Instagram / zoerae

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Dolly Parton leaves fans ‘sobbing’ with emotional announcement after taking time off due to health crisis

DOLLY Parton has left fans sobbing with an emotional announcement.

After taking time off due to a health crisis, Dolly, 80, is back and she has returned with a touching announcement.

Dolly Parton uploaded an announcement video on her social media todayCredit: Instagram / dollychildrens
She revealed Dolly’s Children’s HospitalCredit: Instagram / dollychildrens
Last fall, Dolly was embroiled in a health scareCredit: Getty

Looking incredible while sitting in a colorful room, Dolly delivered the news that East Tennessee Children’s Hospital is officially becoming Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital.

In the video, she explained how she believes every child should grow up healthy and with a fair chance.

She then revealed the hospital’s name change before saying, “I can’t do it all myself,” and asking for people to get involved via her website.

Meanwhile, the caption of the video read: “A new chapter begins.

GOLLY DOLLY!

Dolly Parton’s $180m Tennessee real estate portfolio revealed

“East Tennessee Children’s Hospital is proud to share we are becoming Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital.

“Inspired by Dolly’s commitment to children, this transformation represents more than a name change, it’s a promise. A promise to bring hope, healing and world-class care to patients and families across our region.

“Together, we’re building a future where every child has the chance to grow, thrive and feel the comfort of compassionate care.

“The same dedicated team. The same trusted care. Now carrying a name that reflects the heart of our mission. Learn more at DollyChildrens.org.”

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Reacting to the announcement, one person penned, “Anyone else sob upon this news? Well deserved honor.”

“Our very own earth angel,” said a second.

“Bless you Dolly! A true angel on earth,” penned a third.

A fourth then demanded, “Dolly for president!”

“Ooooh Dolly, you truly are an angel! I have chills just reading this! Those kids will be wrapped in love,” said a fifth.

While a sixth penned, “The world needs more Dollys! She shouldn’t have to be one in a million.”

And an eighth added, “Dolly your are a great human being and do so much for the community and for the world.”

This comes after Dolly sparked health concerns last fall when she canceled several performances.

At the beginning of fall in 2025, the Tennessee native announced she was forced to postpone her Las Vegas residency after dealing with a number of “health challenges.”

Dolly’s shows were scheduled for six dates in early December at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Tim McGraw subsequently took her place and the rescheduled shows have been set for September 2026.

In her message to fans, Dolly explained that she couldn’t perform due to doctor’s orders and had to undergo “a few procedures.”

She assured fans that she would be back on stage soon, writing, “And don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet.

“He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.

“I love you and thank you for understanding.”

The singer has been branded an ‘earth angel’ by fansCredit: Getty

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‘One of the greatest sci-fi shows ever’ drops first-look at ‘thrilling’ new spin-off

One of the most critically acclaimed science fiction dramas of the past decade is expanding with a new spin-off series on Apple TV

Apple TV has just released the exciting first-look at the cast of Star City, the first spin-off to the streamer’s hit sci-fi drama For All Mankind.

Widely considered one of the best sci-fi series in recent years, the original drama takes place in an alternative history in which the Soviet Union beat the USA to the Moon in 1969 and the space race never ended.

While subsequent outings have jumped forward in time up to the 2000s in season four, Star City will look to the past once more, exploring the pivotal events that led up to the first man on the Moon.

Featuring a stellar cast, including some exceptional British talent from the likes of House of the Dragon and Motherland, the upcoming offshoot is a must-watch for both sci-fi and history buffs.

The creative trio behind For All Mankind, Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi are back to helm the new eight-part series, so quality can be assured.

A synopsis for the upcoming series calls Star City “a propulsive paranoid thriller that takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race – when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon.

“But this time, we explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts, the engineers, and the intelligence officers embedded among them in the Soviet space program, and the risks they all took to propel humankind forward.”

House of the Dragon’s Rhys Ifans leads the exceptional cast, which also includes Motherland’s Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O’Casey (Black Doves) and Alice Englert (Bad Behaviour).

Rounding out the supporting cast is another House of the Dragon star, Solly McLeod, along with Adam Nagaitis (Chernobyl), Ruby Ashbourne Serkis (I, Jack Wright), Josef Davies (Andor) and Priya Kansara (Bridgerton).

Apple has just released the first look at the cast today (Thursday, 26th February), and it’s shaping up to be another visually stunning and compulsive drama that streamers have come to expect from the platform.

The spin-off certainly has big shoes to fill, as audiences have continued to rave about For All Mankind since its first season premiere back in 2019.

An article on Wired has called it the “one of the greatest science fiction shows of the modern TV era”, adding: “The Apple TV+ alternate history series is simply more ambitious and thought-provoking than its contemporaries.”

Comic Book Resources called it the “Best Alternate History Show Ever Made” in their rave write-up.

And IMDb users have also given For All Mankind stunning reviews, with one writing: “I’m now binging all 3 seasons and can’t stop. If you’re a sci-fi fan and have been putting it off like me…stop! Go watch this as soon as possible because I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

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“For All Mankind is one of my favorite sci-fi shows that I’ve ever seen and that’s not hyperbole. I really can’t get over how much I loved this show,” someone else agreed.

While a final fan made a bold claim: “Best damn show currently airing.

“Season one was good, it was a good setup. But then from season two onwards, show exploded in quality. I just want more. We all need more of this. Everyone needs to watch this!”

Apple subscribers, make sure For All Mankind is at the very top of your watchlist if it’s not already on your radar before the new spin-off starts in just a few months’ time.

Star City premieres Friday, 29th May on Apple TV.

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Where to start with Lauren Groff, author of ‘Florida’ and ‘Brawler’

On the Shelf

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Across five novels and three story collections, Lauren Groff has merged wide-screen history with intimate stories about women seeking and confronting power, including in her latest spirited — and triumphant — release “Brawler.” Along the way, Groff has become the rare literary-fiction author who’s a mainstay on the bestseller lists, and a three-time National Book Award finalist as well. On Tuesday, she’ll discuss her work at a Vroman’s Bookstore event at Pasadena Presbyterian Church with Danzy Senna, acclaimed author of “Colored Television” and other novels.

If you’re new to her work, here is where to start with Groff’s sprawling canon, which spans from steamy Florida swamps to medieval abbeys with a gift for the unexpected.

"The Monsters of Templeton: A Novel" by Lauren Groff

“The Monsters of Templeton: A Novel” by Lauren Groff

(Grand Central Publishing)

“The Monsters of Templeton” (2008): Groff’s debut novel pays tribute to her hometown of Cooperstown, N.Y., featuring baseball lore, a strange aquatic creature and a young woman investigating her family history. It’s overstuffed but establishes some of her key themes: broken families, mythology and everyday misogyny.

"Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories" by Lauren Groff

“Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories” by Lauren Groff

(Grand Central Publishing)

“Delicate Edible Birds” (2009): Groff’s first story collection includes “L. DeBard and Aliette,” an off-kilter love story set during the 1918 flu pandemic that caught the attention of her longtime agent, Bill Clegg. Groff’s skill at historical detail is on fine display here, shifting from the World Wars to the present day, with particular sensitivity to the ways characters evolve over decades.

"Arcadia: A Novel" by Lauren Groff

“Arcadia: A Novel” by Lauren Groff

(Grand Central Publishing)

“Arcadia” (2012): Groff’s breakthrough novel features a lead character, Bit, facing two forms of pressure: First, a New York ’60s hippies commune that slowly fails to live up to its values, then a near-future America ravaged by climate change. Deftly written, funny and spiky, it showcases Groff’s ability to conjure storms both internal and external.

"Fates and Furies: A Novel" by Lauren Groff

“Fates and Furies: A Novel” by Lauren Groff

(Riverhead)

“Fates and Furies” (2015): Groff’s masterpiece upends the familiar domestic novel, studying the fracturing marriage between Lotto, a successful playwright, and Mathilde, his seemingly devoted spouse. Through some inventive structures and a playful rewiring of romantic tropes going back to Homer, Groff stitches together a portrait of a marriage that she then carefully unravels. As one character puts it: “Marriage is made of lies. Kind ones, mostly.”

"Florida" by Lauren Groff

“Florida” by Lauren Groff

(Riverhead)

“Florida” (2018): Set in Groff’s adopted home — she owns a bookstore called The Lynx Books in Gainesville, Fla. — her second story collection is concerned with troubling ferality. Here, snakes hiss, as do catcalling men, girls are abandoned, hurricanes blow through. Myth and metaphor still abound, but they’re more rooted in the everyday reality of a troubled parcel of the country.

Matrix by Lauren Groff

“Matrix” by Lauren Groff

(Riverhead)

“Matrix” (2021): The first of a planned trilogy of historical novels, “Matrix” is set in an English abbey in the 12th and 13th centuries. Marie, who becomes the prioress of the abbey at 17, begins a rise to power — or as much power as a woman is permitted — using her fellow nuns to fight off political and violent incursions. The theme and premise owe much to Margaret Atwood, but Groff’s gift for the long view is wholly her own.

"The Vaster Wilds," by Lauren Groff

“The Vaster Wilds,” by Lauren Groff

(Riverhead)

“The Vaster Wilds” (2023): The New World of the 17th century, in all its beauty and violence, is the setting for her latest novel, a potent study of a young woman who escapes the safety of her British settlement and sets forth on a solo trek toward Canada. Dangers are ever-present, but the novel is a study in unsentimental indomitability, as the hero reckons with the elements and her past on her way to a heartbreaking coda.

Athitakis is a writer in Phoenix and author of “The New Midwest.”

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Leigh-Anne Pinnock says marriage to Andre Gray is ‘stronger’ after ‘working to overcome betrayal’ & how they coped apart

LEIGH-ANNE Pinnock has opened up on her marriage again to reveal she and her husband are “stronger” than ever after his betrayal.

The former Little Mix singer candidly confessed earlier this year that she and footballer hubby Andre Gray experience a rocky patch in their marriage in which she admitted they had to work together to “overcome betrayal”.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock has opened up on her marriage againCredit: Instagram
The star reveals she and Andre are ‘stronger’ than ever following his betrayalCredit: Getty
Leigh-Anne has confessed all on her marriageCredit: Getty

The popstar, who has just released her debut solo album My Ego Told Me To, revealed she needed to learn to trust her husband again following the undefined betrayal.

Now, in a new interview, she had discussed her personal life once more in order to give a fresh update on her family unit.

Confirming that Andre sought out therapy following the betrayal, Leigh-Anne told People magazine: “The main thing for me was him just changing, really.

“He got therapy, he moved abroad as well.

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“Even just him being alone, he did so much self-reflection on that. That was a massive thing for us. I think he just did the work.”

The singer continued: “It really does mean a lot when you can go through something, come out the other end, and just you automatically become stronger for it.

“Now, obviously, we’ve been through our stuff.

“We’re married, we have kids, and we can just have a soft life.”

Previously, Leigh-Anne has been open about the fact she and Andre have always had a long-distance relationship due to his career seeing him play football across the world with the star having only recently relocated back to England to play for a UK team.

The pair, who share two twin daughters together, have admitted this distance has helped to keep their marriage going.

In the interview, Leigh-Anne said: “A big thing for us is distance. As s*** as it is, it’s been three years of long distance.

“It’s actually, I think, helped to keep the flame alight as well, you know?

“You can’t wait to see them. It’s actually really healthy to miss someone, I think.”

The pair have twins togetherCredit: Instagram

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‘Sickening’ true crime show returns with brutal episode tonight

The harrowing series has been branded a must watch for fans of true crime

A harrowing true crime documentary leaving fans sick to their stomach returns to television tonight (February 26), with a twist.

A Killer Makes A Call is a Channel 5 documentary that plunges viewers into the real life drama and urgency when a call is made to 999. But there’s a twist, as things are not as they first appear.

With each episode centered around a different case, the series so far has seen three instalments released, each with its own harrowing investigation at its heart. As Channel 5 teases: “The call comes through. Murder. But maybe the caller isn’t as innocent as they seem…”

The true crime documentary series instead focusing on instances where the perpetrator has made a call to the emergency services, often posing as a distressed witness or victim to avoid suspicion.

Branded as a perfect watch for fans of true crime, the harrowing series plunges viewers into each chilling investigation, examining why killers make a call to 999 and how they use that to create false narratives until detectives uncover the truth.

True crime fans will be pleased to know that A Killer Makes A Call returns to Channel 5 this evening with yet another disturbing case. It will air at 10pm on the channel.

The repeat episode, from series two, explores the moment a devastated family deal with their son’s fatal overdose. Carrying out their own investigation into what happened, the family soon find some surprising evidence.

Channel 5 teases: “When a family refuse to accept their son Jack died of an overdose, they undertake their own investigation, and identify a man with Jack the night that he died. Dots are joined, connecting four murders.”

With expert testimonies as well as heartbreaking family statements, viewers will witness how investigations were carried out as well as the reasonings behind the crimes.

First airing on Channel 5 back in 2024, the documentary series has become a popular choice amongst true crime fans with with many branded previous episodes as ‘sickening’.

Taking to social media, one person previously said: “Just watched this episode of #AKillerMakesACall on @channel5_tv. The verdict was quite sickening.” Another added: “Turned my stomach #akillermakesacall.” A third praised: “Great TV.”

The docuseries has also been branded as “wild” as another said it was “definitely one to watch.” Over on TikTok, one viewer said: “It’s definitely worth a binge watch if you like a true crime”, as another commented they had “binged” the episodes in one sitting.

A Killer Makes a Call airs tonight at 10pm on Channel 5. Episodes are also available to stream on 5 online.

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5 biggest bombshells from Bridgerton season 4 part 2

Bridgerton season 4 unveiled some major developments in the final episodes of the Netflix show.

The final episodes of Bridgerton season 4 on Netflix were full of dramatic twists.

**WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BRIDGERTON SEASON 4**

Bridgerton season four has now come to an end on Netflix with the final four episodes offering plenty of unexpected bombshells.

The second half of the season picked up with Sophie Baek (played by Yerin Ha) finally rejecting Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) proposal that she become his mistress.

However, as much as she tried to distance herself, the pair’s undeniable chemistry appeared to get in the way at every given opportunity.

Away from the lead couple, Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung) did her best to get Sophie out of the picture once and for all, while Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) attempted to rebuild the broken bond with her sister Hyacinth (Florence Hunt).

Elsewhere, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) returned with his wife Kate (Simone Ashley) to give Benedict some stern words of advice, while their mother Violet (Ruth Gemmell) was having relationship issues of her own. Here are just a few of the major revelations in the latter half of the season.

Cressida Cowper returned

Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) was unveiled as the new Lady Penwood following her emotional exit in season three. After surprising Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan), she revealed Lord Penwood was an old friend of her aunt Joanna’s, and had taken a liking to her when he was visiting the family in Wales.

Cressida had formed friendships with both Penelope and Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) for her own gain and had even threatened to unveil Penelope as Lady Whistledown if she did not help her restore her reputation.

Cressida had been forced to leave society after her father took away her dowry, and she did not have enough money to attract a suitor.

She and Joanna moved to the countryside in the hope she would be able to find someone outside of the ton. Thankfully, things seemed to work in her favour and she even reconciled with Eloise.

Penelope gave up Lady Whistledown

After realising she was holding too much power as Lady Whistledown and felt like she was destroying people’s lives, Penelope asked Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) permission to give up her column.

At first, the Queen refused, saying she enjoyed the gossip too much to see Lady Whistledown buried once and for all.

However, the Queen had a change of heart towards the end of the season, realising she needed to let society live their lives, and allowed Penelope to step down.

Penelope unveiled Lady Whistledown’s final pamphlet at the Queen’s ball, but it transpired it was not the end of the gossiper after all.

As the season concluded, someone else had decided to step up to the plate, although their identity is yet to be revealed.

The Queen set Lady Danbury free

After denying Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) the right to leave society and visit her homeland, the friends were both left in an unhappy place.

However, the Queen eventually learned she could not trap her friend for the sake of her own contentment, and with a nudge from those closest to her, she agreed Lady Danbury could leave.

While Lady Danbury stressed she would not be gone forever, there were a lot of emotional goodbyes as she had forged some priceless friendships over the years.

Fans will have to wait and see whether she appears in season five.

John Stirling died

For those who have read author Julia Quinn’s novels, they will know the ultimate fate of Francesca Bridgerton’s (Hannah Dodd) husband was drawing closer.

After spending some leisure time with his wife and his cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza), John said he wished to have a nap as he had a headache.

He had asked Francesca to wake him, but when Francesca went to stir her husband, he did not respond and she quickly realised he had died in his sleep.

A funeral was held, followed by a celebration of his life at their family home.

While the series does not say how John died, Quinn explains in the books he had a brain aneurysm.

Sophie discovered the truth about her inheritance

Some major revelations came about for Benedict and Sophie after the second Bridgerton son finally realised the maid he had fallen in love with was in fact the Lady in Silver all along.

He made the connection after finding Sophie’s mother’s necklace, which she had lost, and realised the mysterious woman from the ball had been wearing the same piece of jewellery.

Believing Araminta had been lying to Sophie about her inheritance, Benedict urged her to locate her father’s will so she could find out whether Lady Gun was telling the truth.

After locating the will, Sophie learned her father had left equal portions of the dowry to Sophie and Araminta’s two daughters. She was also able to use this to confirm she came from nobility and could therefore marry Benedict without being shunned.

At the Queen’s ball, Benedict and his mother Violet forced Araminta to come to an arrangement with Sophie, so neither of them would need to go to prison.

Araminta’s allegations were dropped and in return, the Bridgerton’s did not reveal she had lied and stolen Sophie’s inheritance.

A post-credit scene saw Sophie and Benedict finally tie the knot after he proposed to her at the Queen’s ball.

Bridgerton season 4 is on Netflix

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Tarantino snub led to ‘a really beautiful moment’ for Matthew Lillard

Matthew Lillard has been campaigning for a while.

He wanted to get back into the “Scream” franchise. Of course his character, Stu Macher, could survive a television being dropped on his head (though it’s said that he was electrocuted). Lillard even thought about dropping an actual TV on his head to prove that it was possible. Luckily, he didn’t go through with it, becausea lot of TV figuratively dropped on his head anyway.

The “Scooby-Doo” actor has been cast in several high-profile projects. He’s on “Cross,” the Amazon Prime show starring Aldis Hodge as a homicide detective and forensic psychologist. He will be in the eight-episode “Carrie” miniseries — yes, that Carrie — developed by filmmaker Mike Flanagan for Amazon MGM Studios. He’s dipping his toes in the Marvel cinematic pond with a role in Netflix’s “Daredevil: Born Again.”

On the big screen, he’s prepping for a third “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”

And his campaign paid off: He’s in the newest chapter of the popular “Scream” franchise — which just released its final trailer earlier this week.

All of this from an actor whom Quentin Tarantino (speaking on “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast”) “doesn’t care for.” Lillard has answered questions about and commented on Tarantino’s viral comments often in the last few months. An actor for almost four decades, Lillard says he has built up a thick skin, but the comments were hurtful.

He talks about those comments, along with his recent projects, working with friends and his constant desire to say “F— ICE.”

So. Tarantino said some things about your (and Paul Dano’s) acting prowess …

Look, candidly, it was a weird moment. It was a bummer. It was a drag at the beginning. But I’ll say this — I have never felt so seen by this industry. My entire career, I felt like a blue-collar working-class actor trying to be in the best movies and do the best work I possibly can. In that moment, along comes an industry that I’ve served now for 35 years, rising up and saying really lovely things. I said, in the past, it felt like I was living through my own wake. You don’t normally see that outpouring of love until after somebody passes. At the end of the day, it ends up being a really beautiful moment for me.

It’s not like I’m this fragile little thing. I’ve been around a long time. Did it suck? Sure.

This Quentin Tarantino thing … I’m good. I love his films. It also sucked because I was like, “Oh, I would love to get in there and kick ass for him.” But whatever. It is not about the box office wins that week. It’s about a body of work, a community of friends, and longevity that really defines. Which is the goal, and it defines a life well spent.

You mentioned longevity, and a quick IMDb search shows that Shaggy is your world! There’s so much “ScoobyDoo.” Straight-to-video. Live-action. Video games.

Yeah. Isn’t that crazy?

Looking back, how did you approach doing the voice work and being in the movies, and what was your thought process when that first came to you?

My first thought process was, “I’m getting that job.” I’m like, “I will kill that.” The way I got into the voice was that I would have to scream myself hoarse. I’ll never forget coming down and being in the car, an empty Warner Bros. lot, screaming to prepare my voice for the audition, and having Chuck Roven, the producer, walk by and knock on the window and be like, “Dude, are you OK?”

The first movie was so successful that I felt like I was launched. James Gunn and I went in and pitched “Plastic Man” at Warner Bros. I felt like, “Oh, I’m now an option to be No. 1 on a call sheet.” Then “Scooby-Doo 2” came out, didn’t do great, and started a reset of my career that took a couple of years.

I look back now at 56 years old and think, without that, I wouldn’t be in this career. I don’t know if I would have been around long enough to get this comeback that I’m in the middle of and enjoying.

“Scream 7” revisits one of the most successful horror franchises ever. How did you feel about being approached to come back? Can you say much about your role?

Ghostface in “Scream”

Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”

(Brownie Harris / Paramount Pictures / Spyglass Media Group)

I’m not going to lie, I was over the moon. At some point, right before I got the offer, probably three or four months before I got the offer, [“Scream” franchise creator] Kevin Williamson put it out in the world that the “Scream” franchise does not need Matthew Lillard. I remember reading that and thinking to myself, “Why don’t you just leave me alone? I’m planning on getting back in.”

[Film producers] Radio Silence had set up in [the fifth and sixth films] the potential or the whisperings that Stu was still alive. So I was like, “We’re trending in the right direction here. Why is Kevin Williamson kicking me in the teeth?” And the funny thing is, he called me in the middle of the afternoon and he’s like, “Are you interested in coming back?” I was super excited. And … there’s not a lot I can say about the movie, for obvious reasons. But I think that people are going to be really excited.

You’re continuing in the horror field with “Carrie.” No release date yet, but what can you say about it?

I had a small scene [in “Life of Chuck”], but the scene’s great and the movie’s beautiful. I saw Kevin Williamson at [“Life of Chuck” and “Carrie” producer] Mike Flanagan’s house because we were playing a game of “Mafia.” I was doing “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and I was sitting talking to Mike and he was talking about doing “Carrie” and everything he’s got coming up. After he and I did “Life of Chuck,” he’s like, “Well, congratulations. You’re now in the Flanafam.” He works a lot with the same actors.

I finally got up the courage to say, “Hey, listen, what is that? I mean, if I’m in the Flanafam, what does that mean? How does that work? Am I supposed to tell you my schedule?” He’s like, “Oh, no, no, no. I have a part for you in ‘Carrie.’ I want you to come and do ‘Carrie’ if you’re interested.”

Everyone knows the story. Carrie, pig blood, all that. But that De Palma version only uses certain specific aspects of the book. The thing I’m excited about is that Mike Flanagan pulls in elements of the book that are not necessarily in the first film, and then adds headlines ripped from today’s day and age in terms of bullying and things we’re seeing in social media and all of that. So he’s giving it a new lens to look at what bullying looks like for kids today. I saw the first three episodes — the entire cast gathered at a screening room — and it blew me away.

Summer Howell plays Carrie, and she’s incredible, and Sam Sloyan plays her mother. There’s three basic parties. There’s the kids, there’s the parents, and then there’s the faculty. I play the principal at the school, watching the entire thing fall apart around them.

You’re also dipping your toes in the world of Marvel with “Daredevil: Born Again.”

I can talk about “Daredevil” a little. I played Dungeon & Dragons with three incredible showrunners. Dario Scardapane, who runs “Daredevil,” Matt Nix, who’s doing the new “Baywatch,” and then Elwood Reid, who does “Tracker.” I’m their dungeon master. We play with Abraham Benrubi, this beautiful actor (“ER,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), a dear friend of mine. … Dario brought me in to play Mr. Charles [on “Daredevil: Born Again”], who’s like a CIA spook. He’s a guy that controls power from afar. He helps nations rise and fall, but he’s very clandestine. He is not impressed by the powers of [Vincent] D’Onofrio’s character [Kingpin] at all. He and I get into this really delicious struggle over power. It’s good. It’s fun.

Matthew Lillard holds a bottle of Ghostface Vodka.

Matthew Lillard taps “Scream” vibes with Ghost Face Vodka, whose release will coincide with the seventh installment of the film franchise.

(Andreas Branch)

You’ve combined storytelling with alcohol for your lines of whiskey, vodkas and the like. How did you decide to mix the two?

I started a Dungeons & Dragons company six years ago now called Beadle & Grimm’s. Somebody approached me about building a spirits company around Dungeons & Dragons.For me, what I heard in that was like, “Hey, build a luxury item for niche communities that people don’t always respect and know and understand.” My experience with Beadle & Grimm’s was very clear. They will come out and support it.

So we created Quest’s End Whiskey. Quest’s End is a 16-bottle drop over four years. Each bottle is a different character class, but each bottle delivers a new chapter of an ongoing saga. We sold out in the first two weeks. In a week, we had 25,000 people on the waiting list to purchase that first bottle.

I know the impact that “Scream” [has] had on the horror community. I realized that if we could license the [intellectual property] of [film villain] Ghostface that we could make something super badass that fans would go crazy for. It took us a while to secure those rights. But once we did, we built Ghost Face Vodka.Our hope was to sell 2,000 units of a collector’s edition. We had 40,000 people sign up for early access in the first 72 hours.

Ghost Face Vodka has a game on the back, a QR code. When you sit down, all your people can hit that QR code with their smartphones and load an automated game of “Mafia.” It’s a communal game. It’s like two or three of you are Mafia members, and you have to figure out who that is. And it’s super fun. Again, trying to build community. Our hope is that, launching around “Scream 7,” it’s going to catch the zeitgeist and blow up.

Lastly, we have “Cross,” your most current TV project.

A barefoot and bespectacled Matthew Lillard squats in front of stalks of corn in a field.

Matthew Lillard in “Cross.”

(Ian Watson / Amazon MGM Studios Prime Video)

I’m in love with that creative team and Aldis Hodge and everything he represents. I don’t think people understand that that show did 40 million views in the first 20 days for Amazon. It is unapologetically a Black show that … it feels like it’s being ripped from the headlines. I think Aldis Hodge and the creative team do an incredible job representing a man who is a Black man as a detective in this world. The relationships, the friendships, the bonds he has with his community — just being around that creative team has been really inspiring, and [show creator] Ben Watkins is an incredible storyteller.

I think the thing about “Cross” is that it really challenges you, especially given what we’re living through in this moment. I have to say it — politically speaking, we’re in a s— storm. I went viral a month ago about saying, ‘F— ICE.’ But … f— ICE.

Could you describe your character?

Another dubious character. He’s a billionaire named Lance Durand, and he’s out to solve world hunger. Sometimes, a billionaire has very questionable scruples as to the best ways to go about things. Solve world hunger, kill all the people. That’s how you do it.

The whole series opens up with a bunch of middle-aged white men on an island doing horrible things to girls. So when I say “ripped from the freaking headlines” … It’s, like, crazy.

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BBC confirms start date of Claudia Winkleman’s show and it’s sooner than you think

The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman has landed her own talk show and it’s set to air very soon

The BBC has finally confirmed the start date of Claudia Winkleman’s new show after she joked that she’s “going to be awful” hosting her show.

The TV star – who stepped down from her Strictly Come Dancing hosting role last year – has landed her own BBC talk show and it has now been announced that it’s just a couple of weeks away, with the first instalment set to air on March 13.

Produced by So Television, which is part of ITV Studios, each episode will see Traitors presenter Claudia welcome some of the biggest names from the world of showbiz. She will interview them on the sofa in front of a studio audience.

“I can’t quite believe it and I’m incredibly grateful to the BBC for this amazing opportunity,” she said as the series was confirmed. “I’m obviously going to be awful, that goes without saying, but I’m over the moon they’re letting me try.”

Claudia’s new project comes after she and fellow TV star Tess Daly quit Strictly Come Dancing after the last series of the BBC ballroom show. The pair announced in October that they would be leaving after that series – which was won by Karen Carney – telling fans that it “feels like the right time”.

In their farewell message on Instagram, Tess and Claudia penned: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.

“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day.”

“We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other,” they added.

“Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”

So far it isn’t known who will be talking over from the pair on Strictly, but there are several names rumoured to be in the mix, including The One Show’s Alex Jones, radio star Zoe Ball and Big Brother presenter Emma Willis.

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The Claudia Winkleman Show – which will be on BBC iPlayer and BBC One – starts at 10.40pm on Friday March 13.

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BBC Breakfast shares grieving mum’s heartbreaking loss as baby concerns ‘shut down’

Parents who lost their son at 14 days old opened up on BBC Breakfast on Thursday (February 26)

A grieving mum has claimed her concerns were “shut down” as she opened up about the loss of her baby on BBC Breakfast.

Robyn Davis – whose son Orlando died at 14 days old – appeared on the BBC show on Thursday (February 26), where she said that she was made to feel “like I was going insane and that my concerns weren’t valid or real”.

She spoke out during a report about maternity service failings, with host Charlie Stayt explaining: “Maternity services in England are failing too many families with problems at every stage of maternity journey. It’s the interim conclusion of the national review being led by Baroness Amos.”

His fellow presenter Naga Munchetty continued: “It has identified six factors that impact care, including racism, staffing and culture. The health secretary Wes Streeting, who commissioned the review, has promised to act on Baroness Amos’ final recommendations which are due in April.”

The programme then cut to a report from reporter Michael Buchanan, who said: “When an inquiry in 2015 found that 11 babies and one mother had died avoidably at Furness General Hospital due to poor maternity care, the NHS promised the mistakes would never happen again. Over a decade later, more than 10,000 babies are estimated to have died in England due to maternity errors.”

He went on: “Orlando Davis died in 2021 at 14 days old. Maternity staff failed to recognise his mother had become ill in labour and Orlando was born in a poor condition.

“An inquest found his death had been contributed to by neglect.”

Orlando’s mum Robyn said: “They actually made me feel like I was going insane and that my concerns weren’t valid or real because every time I raised them, they were met with a quick shut down. And because of this, I genuinely believe that that’s why our son is not here.”

The baby’s father Jonathan Davis said: “The number of individuals that were involved in this situation, this wasn’t one or two, this was multiple midwives, multiple consultants and registrars across a prolonged area of time from in the community to in hospital. This was not a one event caused an outcome.”

The report said the family’s experience is supported by Baroness Amos, “who says problems occur at every stage of the maternity journey”.

It went on: “The issues, she says, are caused by cultural leadership of maternity units with midwives and obstetricians sometimes not cooperating, workforce with units not being fully or properly staffed, racism and discrimination, including against poor women, a lack of accountability when things go wrong and outdated and dilapidated buildings.”

The report said that the health secretary “has promised to ensure the review’s final recommendations due in April are enacted”.

“But a maternity safety task force that Wes Streeting also promised to establish by now hasn’t yet been created,” it said. “He says it will be shortly.”

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BBC Breakfast airs on BBC One from 6am.

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Anya Taylor-Joy goes braless in see-through vest as she enjoys date night with rocker hubby Malcolm McRae

ACTRESS Anya Taylor-Joy looks simply the vest as she styles things out on a night out.

The Queen’s Gambit star, 29, wore the white strappy top with a green satin skirt.

Anya Taylor-Joy stepping out of a car at night, wearing a white tank top, light green skirt, and short tan cardigan.
Actress Anya Taylor-Joy goes braless in a white strappy top with a green satin skirtCredit: BackGrid
Anya Taylor-Joy cuddling with Malcolm McRae at dinner.
Anya was with rocker hubby Malcolm McRaeCredit: BackGrid

She and rocker hubby Malcolm McRae, 31, dined at the San Vicente Bungalows hotel in Los Angeles.

They were reported to have been joined at the luxury venue by The Godfather star Al Pacino, 85, as well as Deliverance actor Jon Voight, 87.

We revealed earlier this month how the crowbar-wielding robber who tried to smash into Anya Taylor-Joy’s bedroom as she barricaded herself inside has been jailed.

Kirk Holdrick, 43, was one of two masked men who smashed their way into the luxury property in London.

Read more on Anya Taylor-Joy

RAID HELL

Thug tried to smash into Anya Taylor-Joy’s bedroom as she locked herself inside


ANYA’S HELL

Anya Taylor-Joy ‘victim of burglary by raiders who tried to access BEDROOM’

Taylor-Joy’s husband Malcolm McRae confronted the intruders before barricading himself and his wife inside one of the bedrooms.

The robbers then tried to prise open the door with a crowbar during the terrifying raid in February 2023.

McRae was armed only with a lamp to defend himself but managed to scare the thieves off by shouting out: “I have a gun, I have a gun.”

They fled empty-handed but nine days later, Holdrick, who dated Towie star Hannah Voyan, tied up a mum and her daughter at gunpoint in another raid in Sandbanks, Dorset.

Holdrick was jailed for life in 2005 for armed robberies on a security van transporting cash and a jewellers.

He was recalled to prison to continue serving his life sentence after his latest offences and, last November, he was jailed for 12 years for the Sandbanks robbery.

Holdrick has now been handed a further three-year prison sentence for the burglary involving Taylor-Joy and her husband.

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D4vd ‘target’ of grand jury murder probe into teen found in his Tesla

D4vd is the “target” of a Los Angeles County criminal jury investigation into the death of a teenage girl. The singer’s star was on the rise, with a global tour in his future, before the discovery of the girl’s remains in the front trunk of his Tesla.

The singer, whose real name is David Burke, has been the subject of the probe since November, months after the dismembered body of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in the car after it was towed off a street in Hollywood.

According to a grand jury subpoena seeking to have Burke’s father, mother and brother testify in L.A., the musician is described as “Target David Burke,” who may have committed a criminal offense in California, “to wit: One count of Murder.”

The document was part of a legal challenge to the subpoenas filed by the singer’s family in Texas. The newly unsealed documents reveal that, when Los Angeles police opened up the Tesla trunk, they found “a black cadaver bag covered with insects and a strong odor of decay” inside. Investigators had been granted a search warrant to look in the vehicle Sept. 8 after a tow yard worker noticed a rotting smell emanating from the vehicle.

According to the document, detectives partially unzipped the bag and found “a decomposed head and torso.”

Criminalists and medical examiners then processed the body.

“Upon removing the cadaver bag from the front storage compartment, it was discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” the subpoenas noted. “A second black bag was discovered underneath the cadaver bag. Upon opening the second bag, the dismembered body parts were discovered.”

Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman issued the subpoenas on Jan. 15, with Superior Court judge Craig Richman approving them.

The First Court of Appeals in Texas on Feb. 9 denied petitions from the three Burke family members to ignore the subpoenas.

Months have passed since the gruesome discovery of the remains of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Although the LAPD has publicly declined to characterize the girl’s death as a homicide, an LAPD detective referred to the case as a murder investigation in a court filing.

In November, prosecutors began presenting evidence to a grand jury, described at the time as an investigative grand jury, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case with the media.

Since then, numerous witnesses have been called in to testify, among those, one of the musician’s managers. A friend of D4vd, Neo Langston, was arrested in Montana after ignoring a subpoena and was recently forced to return to L.A. to testify.

In a Texas appeals court footnote, the court refers specifically to the singer’s true name. The court states that the “underlying case” is “The People of the State of California v. David Burke,” pending in the 506th District Court of Waller County, Texas, with Judge Gary W. Chaney presiding. There is no public case with that name, but grand jury proceedings are confidential.

The singer’s father, Dawud, mother, Colleen, and brother, Caleb, reside in Texas, according to court records. Lawyers for the trio could not be reached for comment.

Detectives have spent months investigating the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death, as well as her relationship with D4vd.

His Tesla sat abandoned on a street in the Hollywood Hills for several weeks — potentially months — before its removal.

Authorities uncovered Celeste’s body the day after her 15th birthday. Her family had previously reported her missing.

L.A. Police Capt. Scot Williams, who leads the Robbery-Homicide Division, said the girl had been “dead for at least several weeks.” Williams said the body had not been decapitated or frozen, as some news outlets have reported.

Detectives determined that the Tesla had been parked on Bluebird Avenue since late July — around the time D4vd began a national tour. The tour was canceled soon after the death investigation drew worldwide media attention.

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