SHOW BIZ

A mother who faked a pregnancy after suffering several miscarriages is the subject of a harrowing Netflix documentary.

Netflix’s latest docu-drama unravels an elaborate lie that saw a woman to cross an irreversible line.

Streaming giant Netflix has just unveiled an emotional trailer for a tragic docu-drama perfect for Maternal Instinct fans, that tells the story of a Mexican woman named Alejandra.

Based on real events that shook all of Mexico in 2009, the film, which features both dramatisations and real home footage, tells of how Alejandra had always wanted to be a mother. However, after suffering multiple miscarriage and noticing the distain from her family, she decided to fake a pregnancy.

The trailer features the voice of Alejandra, who says: “I felt so special. From the moment that the people close to you start treating you lovingly, expectantly, with that joy.

“The way they come up and touch your belly…Many times I wanted to say ‘This isn’t happening, I’m not pregnant’.”

Alejandra explained the tragic reasoning behind her actions, sharing: “When I got married, I felt pressured to please his family.”

Being only 25 at the time, she felt burdened by family and societal expectations and despite her efforts to conceive, she struggled numerous times.

Alejandra then recalled how she met a young woman named Mayra, who she claimed was pregnant but did not want to have the baby. Fixated on the knowledge she knew somebody who did not want to keep their baby, Alejandra began orchestrating her elaborate plan to abduct a child.

She is heard saying: “When I started gaining weight, everything started to change. I wanted someone to burst that balloon of lies.”

In June 2009, she went to the Hospital General de México, where she was employed, and left with a newborn girl, tucking the baby into a bag. Contributors offering their testimony in the film are heard saying: “This was very hard to believe. Yet, it happened.”

Reflecting on her actions, Alejandra said: “What did I do wrong? Breaking the law. Deceiving. Hurting. I think my desire to be a mum was to please others.”

Her story was told in a book by Randall Fuquay called A Child to Call My Own: A True Story of Desperate Love, a Stolen Child, and the Nine Months that Changed Everything. Now, the story has been adapted for the small screen by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Maite Alberdi.

A Child of My Own comes to Netflix on August 13

STACEY Solomon has been left “heartbroken” after daughter Rose, four, said goodbye to her nursery.

The mum-of-five got very emotional as Rose marked the end of an era, ahead of the next stage of her education journey in September.

Stacey shared a picture of a scrapbook filled with notes and photos from Rose’s time at nursery.

She wrote: “The end of an era [crying emojis]. Looking through Rose’s last 3 years at nursery is actually heartbreaking.”

On another post of an orange sunset, she wrote: “What a day. Watched Rose’s graduation to Primary. Saw my niece finish primary ready for secondary. Said goodbye to some very special teachers.

“Just a little message to say… cuddles to all the parents & carers entering into new beginnings. And just a huge thank you and I can’t even begin to describe the appreciation & admiration I have for learning staff.”

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She continued: “You’re raising my babies with me. Honestly I love our teachers & caregivers so so much. The effort, love, kindness and care every single day.

“Helping us shape our humans ready for the world. Hope you get a rest over the summer. To the moon and back.”

Stacey’s brood are a variety of ages. Her eldest boys — Zachary and Leighton — are from past relationships and are 18 and 14, respectively.

Her youngest three — Rex, seven, Rose, four, and Belle, three — are from her marriage to Joe Swash. She is also stepmum to Joe’s son Harry, 19.

The family live at Pickle Cottage, a picturesque home in rural Essex.

Stacey has amassed a £10m fortune since shooting to fame on The X Factor in 2009.

She’s now best known for her time on Loose Women, her DIY hacks on social media and her decluttering show Sort Your Life Out on the BBC.

Music sensation – and I’m A Celeb star – Aitch will feature in a huge new Netflix documentary later this month. The show follows the star as he undertakes a monumental challenge for charity.

Rap sensation Aitch will star in a new Netflix documentary, chronicling his gruelling quest to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The 26-year-old rapper – real name Harrison James Armstrong – took on the challenge last year with the special doc streaming later this month.

Aitch rose to fame in 2018 with his hit track Straight Rhymez – and went on to unleash his number 2 album Close to Home in 2022. While reality TV fans will recognise the rapper from Manchester thanks to his star turn in the 2025 season of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! – where he finished in fourth place.

Fans will soon have a chance to see Aitch endure a trial more challenging than anything he faced in the jungle – by climbing the biggest mountain in Africa. The task was not just for fun, however; he also raised a substantial amount of money for charity in the process.

The musician took on Mount Kilimanjaro alongside his closest friends, family members, and team, and the climb was recorded on film as they undertook the monumental task. The resulting footage has been edited into a brand-new Netflix documentary titled Aitch: Don’t Be Afraid.

Directed by Aaron Fitzmaurice and Harry Tatem, the BRIT Award-winning star is shown taking on the unforgiving conditions as he makes his way up the huge mountain, which stands 19,341 feet above sea level. The Taste (Make It Shake) rapper raised over £160,000 following his challenge, with the funds going to the Down’s Syndrome Association, for which he is an ambassador.

The documentary promises emotional scenes as cameras captured every moment of the challenge. Fans will see “the physical and emotional realities of the journey”, a press release about the special stats.

“As the altitude rises and the conditions become increasingly unforgiving, viewers witness the determination, vulnerability and camaraderie that carry the group towards the summit,” it continues.

“Through candid moments on and off the mountain, the documentary explores the motivation behind the challenge, highlighting the strength of family, resilience, and the importance of raising greater awareness and creating opportunities for people with Down syndrome. More than a story of endurance, Aitch: Don’t Be Afraid, which was shot last year, shines a light on a cause deeply personal to Aitch, celebrating his younger sister Gracie’s impact on his life while encouraging audiences to support the Down’s Syndrome Association and the work it does for individuals with Down’s syndrome and their families across the UK.”

Aitch’s 16-year-old sister, Gracie, frequently features in his social media output – and his 2022 song, My G, featuring Ed Sheeran, is dedicated to her. The star has opened up about his special relationship with his younger sibling – and has previously stated he makes music to support both Gracie and her twin sister Hattie.

Opening up about their relationship at the Pride of Britain Awards last year, he said: “Gracie is my hero because she’s just an absolute soldier. Just what she’s been through and all that. She just lights up every room she walks in.”

And heaping praise on Hattie, whom he branded “the superstar in my family”, he added: “Them two are my heroes, even though they do my head in sometimes.”

Fans were touched to hear the singer open up about his sisters while in the I’m A Celeb camp last year. He gushed to fellow contestants – including Shona McGarty and Jack Osbourne: “My baby girls, my two sisters, everything I do is for them two… Bottom line, I’m on this show for them two. I make music for them two. I try to make a living for them two. Yeah, they’re my girls.”

And during a previous appearance on Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing’s podcast, Aitch explained how Gracie had helped shape his life. He said: “I wouldn’t even be half the person I am if [Gracie] wasn’t here.

“She actually teaches you lessons that you don’t realise till after. It’s taught me, and this sounds bad, but it taught me more to treat everyone the same. And to understand that everyone is a human.”

Aitch: Don’t Be Afraid will be available to stream via Netflix from Sunday, 26 July.

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OLIVIA Atwood and Pete Wicks are all loved-up on date night just days after going Instagram official.

The couple spent the evening together through to the early hours and sealed the deal with a steamy snog.

Love Island Alum Olivia and TV star Pete were spotted celebrating her new range with Tatti Lash launch in London this week. 

The pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other and looked as loved up as ever as they embraced each other. 

They even shared a steamy snog outside Pete’s favourite hotspot Stringfellows enjoying the night together. 

Olivia stunned in a pink number, which was emblazoned with sequins and featured a mesh shirt design which came into a fitted skirt, matching a pink bra seen through the garment.

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She pulled her blonde tresses into a tight ponytail and matched pink heels with the look.

Pete opted for an all black outfit pairing a shirt with trousers and carried a designer bag with him. 

It certainly seems the pair’s relationship is here to stay, with the couple trying to keep their relationship under wraps for months, but have still been pictured kissing, cuddling and on romantic dates. 

Just days ago Olivia and Pete made things Instagram official after jetting off to Ibiza together.

Pete flew out to visit Olivia in Ibiza as she filmed a new series of her show, Bad Boyfriends, and now he has shared snaps of them together for the first time.

In a perfect hard launch, he captioned the snaps: “I guess someone has to go first…IBIZA” followed by a black heart emoji.

The first black and white snap saw them lying together on a yacht while sailing across the water, and another showed Olivia lying in Pete’s lap as he kissed the top of her head.

His Staying Relevant co-star Sam Thompson was quick to comment: “Never thought I’d see the day YOU hard launch!! couldn’t be happier for you brother.”

Pete’s post came just hours after Olivia returned to her Olivia’s House podcast and said: “Just in the way that I don’t send the first good morning text, I’m not f***ing hard launching anyone first.”

Pete had commented on the post with the wide-eyed emoji, so clearly knew what he had to do.

The pair – who host a KISS FM radio show together – began dating back in February, following Olivia’s split from husband Bradley Dack.

IT WAS must-see viewing for Britain’s teenagers slumped on the sofa on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The cool young cast of T4 delivered zany segments and upbeat links between popular programmes including Hollyoaks and Shipwrecked.

And now as a former teen telly icon is given a peer by Keir Starmer we reveal where some of the other popular TV presenters are now.

June Sarpong (2000-2007)

SHE was a working class immigrant kid who grew up on a council estate but now TV star June Sarpong is taking a seat in the House of Lords. 

The proud honour marks a meteoric rise for June, 49, who first appeared on our screens as a host of MTV before joining the iconic Noughties show T4 way back in 2000.

She was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting and has made a name for herself as a high profile equality campaigner.

As she celebrated the political honour yesterday, June said: “Words cannot even begin to describe how truly honoured and humbled I feel to have been appointed to the House of Lords by Keir Starmer on his final Honours list.

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“As a working class immigrant kid from a council estate in East London it is not lost on me what this means.

“As I embark on this next chapter, I look forward to being able to use this role to further champion the causes and issues that are dear to my heart.”

But June is not the only former member of the T4 gang who has gone on to bigger and better things. 

It was a hugely successful launchpad for many of the most familiar faces on TV today.

Dermot O’Leary (1998-2001)

A baby faced skinhead, Dermot was part of the original presenting line up when T4 first launched.

Before that he had been a DJ on Radio Essex but Dermot, now 53, proved  such a success with the viewers that Channel 4 swiftly selected him to front spin off show Big Brother’s Little Brother until 2008.

He has since landed a string of high profile presenting gigs including The X-Factor which he hosted for 11 years.

Now Dermot has a Radio 2 show and fronts This Morning on Fridays, as well as publishing a string of hugely successful children’s books about Toto The Ninja Cat. 

Margherita Taylor (1999-2001) 

She was a DJ at Birmingham based radio station BRMB when she took part in a radio contest and moved to Capital Radio. 

From there Margherita landed a spot on T4’s starting line-up alongside Dermot and Vernon Kay and never looked back.

Margherita, 53, went on to present BBC One’s Escape to the Country between 2016 and 2022.

Now she is a familiar guest presenter on  Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, Countryfile and This Morning, but her first love was always radio and she still hosts shows on Smooth Radio and Classic FM.

Ben Shephard (1999-2000)

Ben, 51, was a regular host of Channel 4’s spin-off morning show The Bigger Breakfast when bosses decided to put him on T4.

Just two years later he joined ITV’s GMTV as an entertainment host, then as a main presenter in 2005.

He quit the show in 2010, weeks before it was axed anyway, but returned to ITV in 2014 to front the newly-launched Good Morning Britain, where he remains as one of the country’s most recognisable presenters.

Now the much loved millionaire dad of two is rarely off the box, having swapped his seat at the Good Morning Britain newsdesk for the sofa at This Morning alongside Cat Deeley.

Ben has also hosted hit gameshows including The Summit, Tipping Point and Ninja Warrior UK.

Vernon Kay (2000-2005)

Hunky Bolton lad Vern was working as a model when he was scouted by TV bosses to front T4 and soared to stardom.

After quitting the show All Star Family Fortunes made him a household name.

His 23 year marriage to Strictly’s Tess Daly has crumbled but this week he was named as one of the BBC’s best paid presenters, raking in a staggering £450,000 a year for his Radio 2 mid-morning show, Alternative Dance Sounds of the 90s and other appearances.

Steve Jones (2003-2010)

Welsh lad Steve, 49, – who stripped off several times on the show, was one of T4’s best loved presenters when Simon Cowell chose him to present the American version of The X Factor.

But the show bombed and Steve was axed after just one series.

The former model went on to present a property show called Perfect House, Secret Location and appeared on This Morning before landing a full time gig in 2016 to lead the presenting team for Channel 4’s F1 coverage. 

Miquita Oliver (2006-2010)

While most of the original T4 crew were newbies, Miquita already had five years of telly experience under her belt having fronted Popworld with Simon Amstell. 

But she was suspended from T4 in 2010 after being overheard insulting singer Kesha.

She has also claimed she lost a job on Radio 1 for “saying silly things”.

Since then fashion favourite Miquita, 42, has been on a string of TV programmes, including Celebrity Gogglebox alongside her mum Andi, and has a hit podcast with her pal Lily Allen.

Rick Edwards (2007-2011)

Rick, 47, was performing stand-up comedy at Cambridge University when he was spotted by T4 producers who gave him his first TV job. 

Since then he went on to land a string of presenting gigs including Tool Academy, Made in Chelsea, Freshly Squeezed, E4 Music, and much of Channel 4‘s 2012 Paralympics coverage.

Rick has also hosted a BBC One quiz show called !mpossible and now he can be heard on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Breakfast Show every morning, as well as Fighting Talk on Saturdays and their Premier League review on Sundays.

Alexa Chung (2008-2009)

Fashion icon Alexa, 42, began working as a model after she was scouted at the Reading Festival at the age of 16. She joined Popworld alongside Alex Zane in 2006 before joining T4 two years later. 

She famously inspired the Alexa handbag by British designer Mulberry, and has dated big names like Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner and actor Alexander Skarsgard.

She pivoted back to style and lifestyle content on TV for shows like Gok’s Fashion Fix, Next In Fashion and now runs her own lucrative fashion label.

Jameela Jamil (2009-2012)

London born Actress and activist Jameela, 40, was working as a school teacher when she was scouted by a TV producer in a bar.

She followed Alexa on to music show Freshly Squeezed alongside Nick Grimshaw and became a DJ on Radio 1 and the event circuit – with her first show being at Elton John’s birthday party.

In 2016 she moved to LA to become a screenwriter but ended up landing a role in American hit comedy The Good Place as Tahani Al-Jamil.

She’s also become an outspoken campaigner for equality and is dating pop star James Blake.

Nick Grimshaw (2010-2012)

Grimmy started out in student radio before landing a job on Radio 1’s Switch youth programme in 2007.

His career really kicked off the following year when he landed the station’s weekend breakfast show, before moving to a late-night presenting slot.

In 2010, Nick, 41, added T4 to his roster, fronting it until he was promoted to the Beeb’s breakfast show, replacing Chris Moyles.

On TV he’s been a judge on The X Factor, filmed cameos for soaps including EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale and has also starred on Celebrity Gogglebox.

Now he hosts BBC Radio 6 Music’s flagship breakfast show, Sidetracked with Annie Mac and foodie podcast Dish.

The ‘outstanding’ historical drama, adapted from a best-selling book series, has been dubbed ‘highly addictive’ by fans who are calling it ‘a treat to watch’ — streaming free on Channel 4

An under-the-radar period drama currently streaming free on Channel 4 is being hailed as a masterpiece adaptation of a best-selling book series — and viewers are ‘obsessed’.

The series, originally developed for the BBC, delves into Britain’s history and is based on real events that took place in the 1400s in the tumultuous battle for the throne of England. With the War of the Roses as the backdrop of the historical drama, the series takes a closer look at real-life incidents and the drama surrounding court politics at the time.

The period drama is based on author Philippa Gregory’s Cousins’ War book series and has been adapted from three best-selling novels — The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter.

The costume drama is an amalgamation of stories, characters, and instances from all three books and follows the story of three women — Yorkist Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV and played by Rebecca Ferguson; Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort, mother of the Tudor King Henry VII of England and portrayed by Amanda Hale; and Yorkist Anne Neville, wife of the Duke of Gloucester, King Richard III, portrayed by Faye Marsay.

Elizabeth Woodville is the protagonist of the 2009 novel The White Queen, while Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville are the focus of The Red Queen (2010) and The Kingmaker’s Daughter (2012) respectively. These three women appear in the three novels which constitute the screenplay of this underrated television drama which first hit UK airwaves in June 2013.

The series has been on the receiving end of glowing reviews from both critics and audiences.

One critic says of the show: “As a love story set in an impossibly chivalrous past, this was deliciously enjoyable. The conflict between the houses of Lancaster and York ceased to matter — the crucial conflict was between Innocence and Experience.”

While another reviewer writes: “Part soap opera, part war film, and part melodrama, this series is an intoxicating jaunt through a snippet of British history fraught with contentious loyalties and lethal power struggles.”

A third critic said: “It’s a great tale and beautifully told with beautiful actors…Don’t miss it.”

One viewer posted to IMDB: “Fantastic!! The BBC, like most of their period piece dramas, got this series right. It is highly addictive and very watchable. The White Queen has everything an avid audience for this type of show craves; It is romantic; It is violent; It is full of vengefulness, cruelty and karma. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted more.”

While another fan of the show added: “Excellent period drama! BBC does it again! I came across this title by accident and I ended up watching the first four episodes! I love the love story, the drama, the betrayal. Truly a treat to watch! I really enjoyed it, I found the actors to be truly convincing, the decor lovely and the storyline engaging!”

Another IMDB user review reads: “I’ve read the 3 books, The White Queen, The Red Queen and The Kingmaker’s Daughter, and this series is one of the most faithful adaptations I have ever watched.

“The portrayal of the Tudor and Lancastrian England, the life and politics of the feudal society, how Kings and Queens and Great Royal Houses were made or unmade with in fire and blood, and the brilliance and fortunes of Edward’s court, with some artistic license from Philippa Gregory, make for a very compelling watch.”

While one audience review of the show on Rotten Tomatoes states: “I absolutely loved this mini-series. Gorgeous costumes, realistic scenery, intrigue, treachery, lies, unexpected twists and a torrid love story. Seriously, what more could you ask for?”

The White Queen is available to stream for free on Channel 4.

Tennessee propositioned Paramount Skydance, hoping to tempt it to become the next company to leave California.

As California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta gathered a coalition of 12 state attorneys general to try to block Paramount’s $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Tennessee slid into Paramount’s DMs, suggesting it would be better treated in the southern state.

Corporate flight from the Golden State has increased in recent years, with many California-based companies fleeing for lower taxes and more lax business regulations. For the first time this year, California was not the state with the most Fortune 500 companies, after Texas dethroned it in June.

California companies packing up their people and headquarters to move to Texas has been a well-traveled road for those looking for options. Now Tennessee wants to be in the running as a prime destination as well.

Here is what you need to know about its efforts:

What happened with Paramount?

In a July 2 letter to Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison, Tennessee Deputy Gov. Stuart McWhorter pitched a relocation of the studio’s Hollywood headquarters to the Volunteer State. In the middle of a brutal legal battle with California regarding the proposed Warner Bros. merger, Tennessee may appear more appealing to Ellison. Paramount relocated its headquarters from New York to Los Angeles in August of last year.

“As Paramount Skydance writes its next chapter, Tennessee offers a compelling proposition: a state where creativity and technology converge, where talent is developed intentionally, and where innovation is embraced,” said McWhorter in the letter viewed by The Times. “We would welcome the opportunity to share our vision for how Tennessee could help shape the future of Paramount Skydance and its talented team.”

Though many in Hollywood have giggled at the idea of a major studio moving to the South, it isn’t totally ridiculous.

Ellison has backing from his father, tech billionaire and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Oracle, once a California-based company, is now moving its headquarters to Nashville.

In December of 2020, the software tech company left California, where it was founded in 1977, to relocate to Texas. In April 2024, it chose Nashville as the home for Oracle’s “world headquarters,” which began construction in February.

Have other companies moved to Tennessee?

Oracle isn’t the first company to set up in Tennessee. Nissan, which had operated its U.S. headquarters out of Gardena since 1960, left the state in 2005 for Franklin. Nissan chose Tennessee for its drastically lower operational costs.

Mitsubishi Motors also moved its headquarters to Franklin from Cypress in 2019. Mitsubishi moved for lower operational costs and to be in a state with less-strict business regulations than California‘s.

Two beloved California burger chains moved to Tennessee.

In 2018, CKE, the parent company of Los Angeles-founded Carl’s Jr., also left California for Tennessee. CKE consolidated Carl’s Jr. and its St. Louis chain, Hardee’s, under its headquarters in Franklin.

In-N-Out — arguably California’s most iconic burger spot known for its animal fries and double doubles— began a transition out of California in 2023. It established a corporate office in Franklin, and last summer, owner and Chief Executive Lynsi Snyder announced her own move to Tennessee.

Last year, Snyder said pandemic-era restrictions and California policy motivated her decision to leave, but she has no plans for In-N-Out to expand farther East. The majority of In-N-Out locations are still in California.

“There’s a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here,” Snyder said.

What is so special about Tennessee?

The southern state’s highly business-friendly tax incentives make it an extremely desirable location. Businesses and billionaires are drawn to Tennessee by its lack of state income and property taxes. Instead, the state relies on a 7% sales tax as its main source of tax revenue. Tennessee also offers a number of tax credits and grants for businesses, including many designed to support newly relocated businesses, cover costs of training new employees, and construction.

Tennessee’s central location and well-connected infrastructure support supply chain logistics. Seven interstate highways run through Tennessee, and six of the United States’ class 1 rail lines operate there, allowing companies to cut transportation costs dramatically. Memphis is also home to the busiest cargo airport in the country.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development says the state has one of the best business incentive programs in the country and has been ranked the third best state for doing business by Chief Executive magazine.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee attributes the success to the state’s competitive tax policy, workforce, and quality of life.

“Companies choose Tennessee because they recognize the strength of our workforce, our strategic location and our ability to support long-term growth,” Lee said in an emailed statement. “Tennessee’s success comes from our commitment to helping businesses thrive.”

Beloved presenter Fern Britton is best known for hosting ITV daytime programme This Morning

Fern Britton has a very famous father and fans will be floored at who he is.

The former This Morning presenter is currently appearing on screens in Fern Britton: Inside the Vet’s. The ITV documentary series follows Fern as she goes behind the scenes at a Bristol surgery.

The programme has recently returned for a second season at The Grove Vets, with the latest instalment set to feature a 10-month-old cat with an injury sustained in a fight. That’s not all, as Dr James Greenwood also provides emergency care to a whippet with a nasty throat injury, and delivers a masterclass on doggy dental hygiene with special help from his own pet.

As Fern continues to delight audiences on ITV1, some viewers may be surprised to learn that she comes from a very famous family, reports the Express.

Who is Fern Britton’s famous dad?

Fern’s dad was the actor Tony Britton. Tony was best known for starring in BBC sitcom Don’t Wait Up alongside Nigel Havers in the 1980s, as well as many British films including The Day of the Jackal.

He also appeared in Robin’s Nest alongside Richard O’Sullivan and Tess Wyatt, and films Operation Amsterdam, as well as Sunday Bloody Sunday. In 1975, he won the Broadcasting Press Guild’s best actor award for his role in The Nearly Man.

Fern announced her father’s death in 2019, just one year after the passing of her mother, Ruth. The deaths of her parents were followed by more heartbreak, as her marriage to TV chef Phil Vickery soon “fell apart”.

The couple announced their split after two decades together in 2020. Fern and Phil haven’t spoken in several years, with Fern claiming that her ex “stopped talking to me” after her mum died.

“My mum died in 2018 and my dad died in 2019, and then my marriage died,” Fern previously told The Telegraph.

Fern Britton’s body transformation

The 68-year-old star recently revealed her weight loss to fans on social media, after losing five stone.

Fern has since spoken about the massive change she made to her diet and how it has influenced her weight loss journey.

Speaking on the Postcards From Midlife podcast, she said: “I realised the sugar intake. I’m addicted to sugar and, funnily enough, if you’re not eating doughnuts, biscuits, cake, jam, you know… it makes you feel a lot better. So, now if I’m eating sugar, it’s too sweet for me because I used to be able to tolerate an awful lot.”

She added: “And like cigarettes as well, I used to be able to tolerate anybody smoking anything in my face, but now it’s like, ‘Stop it’. Apart from that, it was very much kind of sensible.”

Fern Britton: Inside the Vet’s is available to stream on ITVX

KATIE Price’s good friend and podcaster pal Lewis Nicholls shares sweet moment with her son Harvey on social media.

It follows husband Lee’s latest lock up in Dubai, whom Katie, 48, married in January just days after meeting him.

Lewis took to his Instagram to post a heartwarming video of him and Harvey, 24, in his apartment.

Harvey is filmed giving Lewis a flower as a gift as the two share a sweet moment.

As Lewis filmed the gesture, he said: “Best gift ever. Harvey, what did you give me? 

Harvey replied: “A flower.”

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“You got me a flower. It says to Lewis, you look handsome Lewis. Love from Harvey Daniel Price. Thank you so much,” he added.

The video then ends with Harvey sweetly kissing Lewis and saying “Love you”.

He captioned the post: “Harvey just melts my heart. Came back to the apartment and had this gift waiting for me (heart emoji)”

Lewis is close with the family and most recently went on holiday with Katie to Cornwall.

The pair snapped themselves whilst away, dressed in matching harnesses and helmets with Go Pro cameras attached to them. 

“What have we just done,” Lewis captioned the photo of them with an eye emoji.

Katie reshared the image on her Instagram Story and wrote: “Such a fun day with friends in Cornwall.”

She also hung out with Lewis’ parents at a pub, with Lewis sharing photos of them having dinner and cocktails. 

The pair grew close when Lewis hosted Katie and Kerry Katona’s tour around the UK, An Evening With Katie Price & Kerry Katona.

“Katie – well, what can I say, the most random, funniest and loyal person I have met and we have had lots of laughs from our daily shopping trips, sunbeds and car singalongs,” Lewis wrote alongside photos of them on tour in November.

Speaking of his relationship with Harvey, Lewis said: “Also spending a week with Harvey was the best and to see how much of an amazing mum she is and their bond is just the best, he loved my voice-over.” 

It comes several days after Lee was put into prison once again in Dubai.

The controversial businessman was arrested for unpaid debts.

Many of Lee’s victims have told The Sun he took thousands of pounds from them in supposed investment schemes only to be left high and dry.

Lee has already boasted he’s raised the cash to get out of Al-Awir prison and is expected to be a free man by the end of the week, The Sun exclusively revealed.

In another fresh blow it was then revealed, that Conman Lee Andrews’ father joined him in prison earlier this week, after being reported to officials by a third party. 

Father and son are understood to have seen one another inside the jail, with both believed to be facing allegations of fraud.

Lee is currently trying to raise funds to pay off his debts and be released, from where he faces extradition. He hopes to return to the UK, to be with his wife.

Sources say a patient Katie has finally snapped – and is now “at the end of her tether” with friends urging her to leave Lee once and for all.

RICHARD Gere is spotted getting close with his 28-year-old co-star on the set of controversial romance movie.

The esteemed actor, 76, is currently in New York City and was seen filming scenes with the actress in a park.

The actor is back doing what he does best, and is gearing up for his new flick Asymmetry, which is adapted from Lisa Halliday’s same named novel. 

The film centres around an intense love affair between author Ezra (Gere) who is in his seventies and an aspiring writer called Alice.

The book itself had sparked massive controversy due to the character’s shocking more than four decade age-gap.

As filming began in New York City, Gere and actress Diana Silvers were snapped getting cosy on set.

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The Hollywood star embraced and held hands with his much younger co-star, with the two keeping things strictly professional off-screen.

The pair shot scenes on a bench in Central Park, which is a crucial scene where the two characters meet, before beginning a steamy romance.

The actor can be seen in a white shirt and jeans as he sits alongside Diana who’s styled in a floral mid length dress. 

Both stars were also seen walking around the park laughing and smiling together.

Oscar-winning producer Edward Zwick is directing and writing the film.

He said to People: “It’s about two people who discover that what the world calls asymmetry can in fact have another name: love.”

Pretty woman actor Gere, is happily married within his own age-gap marriage to his 43-year-old wife Alejandra Silva.

The couple have two children together, welcoming their latest baby on April 23, 2020.

He was previously married to Carey Lowell with whom he has a son, Homer – the pair split in 2013 after 11 years of marriage. 

From 1991-1995 he was also married to supermodel Cindy Crawford.

The star has starred in many blockbuster hits, but when he was 41 he was cast in Pretty Woman.

The film, which came out in 1990, saw him star alongside Julia Roberts – and told the story of a romance between a wealthy businessman and a Sunset Boulevard prostitute.

At the time he was already a famous face in Hollywood after the huge success of An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982.

In 2002 he appeared in the film version of the musical Chicago which won six Academy Awards including Best Picture in 2003.

Irish actor Brenda Fricker, who won an Oscar for her role in “My Left Foot” and whose Pigeon Lady befriended Macaulay Culkin‘s Kevin McCallister in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” has died. She was 81.

Her talent agent Phil Belfield confirmed Fricker’s death in a statement shared with The Times on Friday. The actor died peacefully Thursday evening in Dublin after a “period of ill health,” he said.

“We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her,” Belfield said in the statement. “I was honored to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”

Fricker, who was born Feb. 17, 1945, in Dublin, appeared in nearly 100 TV, film and short projects since the mid-1960s. She reached international acclaim for her work in Jim Sheridan’s 1989 comedy-drama “My Left Foot,” based on the life of Dublin-born painter Christy Brown, who only had control over the titular limb due to cerebral palsy. Daniel Day-Lewis starred as Brown and Fricker played his supportive mother. She earned the Academy Award for supporting actress, becoming the first Irish female actor to win an Oscar, and Day-Lewis took home the prize for lead actor.

“My Left Foot” was also nominated for best picture, director and adapted screenplay.

In her review of the film for The Times in 1990, film critic Sheila Benson praised a “magnificent” Fricker for her portrayal of motherly love. “She plays [Mrs. Brown] like the rock she must have been, without a jot of martyrdom or a flicker of complaint and without an actressy moment,” Benson wrote.

The ‘90s brought Fricker additional roles in productions including “The Field,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” “Angels in the Outfield,” “A Time to Kill” and “Veronica Guerin.” She counted Cate Blanchett, Joe Pesci, Tim Curry, James McAvoy, Fiona Shaw, Sean Bean, Richard Harris, Christopher Lloyd and Tony Danza as co-stars, to name a few.

For generations of movie audiences, however, Fricker will most likely be remembered as the Pigeon Lady from “Home Alone 2.”

A sequel to the hit “Home Alone,” Fricker’s Pigeon Lady was a source of unexpected tenderness for Culkin’s Kevin, now stranded during the holidays in New York. He first encounters Fricker’s odd character in Central Park, dressed in oversized, dirty clothing with city birds resting on her head and shoulders. Though a terrifying sight at first, the film later reveals Fricker’s character has a heartbreaking past.

“The man I loved fell out of love with me,” she tells Kevin one evening, adding, “whenever the chance to be loved came along again, I ran away from it. I stopped trusting people.”

Kevin later gifts his new friend a turtledove ornament after learning the animal represents friendship and love.

Fricker continued acting through 2015 — with roles in numerous TV movies, miniseries, more than 70 episodes of the show “Casualty” and films such as “Conspiracy of Silence” and “Rory O’Shea Was Here” — but her career tapered off. She was last credited for the 2024 film “The Shallow.”

Fricker attended Catholic school but drifted away from religion in her late teens. She suffered injuries from a car crash at age 14, prompting her parents to spend their life savings on plastic surgery as part of her recovery. She also suffered other health issues during childhood and spent two years in a sanatorium.

“The positive side is, it taught me about self-sufficiency,” she told The Times in 1993.

She was a journalist for the Irish Times, where her father had also worked, before she started acting. She graced the stage at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, and never looked back.

Amid her mounting fame in the 1990s and early aughts, Fricker did not heed the call to move Stateside and lived in the U.K. before ultimately returning to Dublin. “I didn’t like Los Angeles,” she recalled in 1993. “I don’t like the heat and I found it uninteresting. I wasn’t comfortable there.”

Before her death, Fricker penned a memoir, “She Died Young: A Life in Fragments,” about her upbringing and experiences with sexual violence and mental illness. In February, Fricker was awarded Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daryl Barron honored Fricker in a statement shared Friday.

“She was a proud Dub with a sharp wit and warmth that exuded to all who knew her and experienced her work,” Barron said. “She will be sorely missed.”

It feels like the World Cup started only yesterday, but we’re quickly approaching the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday. Even if soccer isn’t a sport you typically watch, it was hard not to get sucked into the enthusiasm of the game and cheer for the teams, whether you had a connection to a particular country or not. If you’re among the viewers who are going to feel a little melancholy after it’s all over, you’re not alone. Culture critic Mary McNamara has been enthusiastically following the matches, and if you’re feeling more globally minded as a result, she came up with a list of international TV shows to watch when the the World Cup is over.

My colleagues at De Los, who, like many of us, have been watching the matches on Telemundo (I count myself among them), might be following up their World Cup viewing with some episodes of “El Señor de los Cielos,” the network’s long-running series starring veteran Mexican actor Rafael Amaya. The ads for the show have been a constant between timeouts and matches, and I’m intrigued. And I’ll admit the racy ads for “El Turco” also caught my eye — Telemundo knows exactly what it is doing.

And as the global event winds down, if you’re still hankering to watch something sports related, you’re in luck because Netflix released its latest comedy starring Will Ferrell, “The Hawk,” in which the comedic actor plays Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins,” the greatest golfer in the world. The series, which Ferrell created with longtime collaborators Harper Steele and Chris Henchy, reunites him with fellow “Saturday Night Live” alums Molly Shannon and Chris Parnell. However, the person you’ll see him most with onscreen is his co-star Fortune Feimster. The stand-up comedian and actor dropped by Guest Spot to chat about the new series, her experience with golf and what it was like to go toe-to-toe with Ferrell, one of her comedy heroes.

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend a romance horror film that set the internet ablaze earlier this year and a classic British spy series. — Maira Garcia

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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Inde Navarrette stars as Nikki and Michael Johnston as Bear in “Obsession.”

(Focus Features)

“Obsession” (Peacock)

After earning $428 million worldwide at the box office (on a $750,000 budget) and sending shock waves through Hollywood, the cautionary love story in this romance horror film hits streaming. Directed by YouTuber-turned-horror-auteur Curry Barker, the film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a shy, hapless guy who, after being unable to summon the courage to confess his feelings for friend and co-worker Nikki (Inde Navarrette), dubiously turns to a one-wish willow toy and hopes for her to “love him more than anyone else in the world.” And, well, the results are chilling — in large part due to Navarrette’s ability to go from completely charming to completely frightening with just her face. If you want to understand some of the online discourse the film has ignited — what it says about consent, its plot holes, whether it’s worthy of the hype or just what the heck was up with that walking backward moment — here’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about. — Yvonne Villarreal

Patrick McGoohan stars in the 1967 TV series “The Prisoner.”

(ITC Entertainent)

“The Prisoner” (Criterion Channel)

The 17 episodes of “The Prisoner,” Patrick McGoohan‘s 1967 existentialist, anti-authoritarian, anti-nationalist, mod-a-go-go avant-garde ode to individualism, have been given a deserved berth in the cinematic pantheon that is the Criterion Channel, looking clean and crisp and immediate. Created in an era rife with screen spies — including the one creator-star McGoohan had previously played in the show aired here as “Secret Agent” — its hero is a British operative who resigns his job in the opening credits, only to find himself imprisoned in a fanciful seaside village — a kind of Baroque hilltown impression of a holiday camp. His unidentified jailers believe there must be a darker reason for his resignation and spend the series attempting it to extract it with elaborate charades, gizmos and gadgets, while our hero spends it trying to bring them down and/or escape. (A giant floating white ball provides creepy security.) Unwilling to bend, impossible to break, McGoohan at once upends the James Bond mythos and provides a dashing hero, clever, witty and terribly attractive. — Robert Lloyd

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A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

In “The Hawk,” Fortune Feimster plays Sam, who becomes the caddie for Lonnie (Ferrell).

(Colleen E. Hayes / Netflix)

“The Hawk” gives us a tour of the golf world through the eyes of the titular Lonnie Hawkins (Ferrell), whose better days in the game appear to be behind him. With his trusty caddie Old Henry (Keith David) by his side, he’s feeling like things are looking up — until Old Henry dies suddenly. Lonnie is heartbroken, but he’s not deterred, choosing to continue his ambitious return to the PGA Tour, leading him to be extremely late to Old Henry’s funeral and making a disastrous entrance.

But who will be his new caddie? Enter Sam, played by Feimster, a drifter Lonnie meets in a Walmart parking lot when he pulls over his tour bus. Sam’s late-model Cadillac is broken down in the parking lot, but that doesn’t get her down. Lonnie and Sam strike up a fast friendship, and before you know it, she’s driving his bus and working as his caddie on the course, encouraging him as he goes up against foes like Golden Fisk (Luke Wilson), Anton (Parnell) and even his own son, Lance (Jimmy Tatro), with whom he has a difficult relationship. Her methods are unusual — Sam doesn’t know much about golf, but their mutual love of fast-casual dining and pickles (a running gag in the show) gets them through.

“I’m excited for people to see another big broad comedy,” she says about “The Hawk.” “You know, we need to laugh. That’s what’s been missing, I think, from our current times is we need some more laughter, some more levity.”

The actor spoke about hers and Ferrell’s onscreen friendship, which has become a real-life friendship thanks to their mutual love of sports, how a silly musical moment in the finale came together and why you might see her and interior designer Jeff Lewis together again soon. — M.G.

I feel like a lot of your comedy has some sensibility of who you are as a person and where you come from — the South. How did you relate to Sam in this series?

The heart of Sam was something I really responded to. I love that this was a really silly, wacky character where I got to show off the broad comedy that I often enjoy doing. But I appreciated the trajectory of the character, that they allowed me to have this range where I got to show emotion and be disappointed and angry and just go through a mix of emotions as an actor. That was a really cool road to get to go down. But I love the heart that she had. And I think that’s something that I try to incorporate in my own life, positivity and cheering people on and that belief in people that they can do it.

How much did you know about golf before taking role?

Not much, honestly, other than a few rounds at Top Golf. [Laughs] I’m a sports gal. I love sports. I played sports my whole life, but for whatever reason, golf was the one sport I did not partake in … I even played college sports. This was the one I didn’t have much knowledge of, but luckily my character did not need any knowledge of golf. It almost was beneficial that I did not know what I was talking about. So when Will’s character needed a club, and I had no clue which one it was, that was all very real.

Do you think the show helps make golf more relatable? Golf is presented as a highbrow sport, but Sam and Lonnie, they’re grounded. He found Sam in a Walmart parking lot.

I definitely think it makes it more palatable for people that aren’t familiar with that world. I think that’s why you start rooting for this character, because he’s the outsider that doesn’t necessarily fit in that world. You kind of like that chaos that he brings to this very posh, very put-together sport. That’s why I think you find a lot of comedy in the juxtaposition of that. Comedy’s all about tension and release, and you have a lot of tension with that stuffy golf world and that competition, and then the release is this fun comedy, ridiculous people, crazy outfits — it’s fun to watch the two worlds collide.

I’m so glad you mentioned crazy outfits because there’s this scene where Sam gets herself a leather suit as a reward. Was it hot to wear?

As a comedian, the suit was incredible because it was so ridiculous. And of course, my character would waste her money on something like that right away instead of being responsible with it and saving it. As an actor, that suit was so, so hot. We were filming in the hottest parts of the Valley of L.A. and they did everything they could to make it not just like … my body sweated every two seconds. It sure was rough at times. But for the look of it all and the comedy of it all, it was worth it.

There’s another great moment, in the finale, where you’re trying to motivate Lonnie and you start singing the Chili’s “Baby Back Ribs” song. Was that in the script?

That was in the script, mainly just because anything song related had to have clearance. But there was a lot of riffing between him and I about fast food restaurants and about restaurants in general, and a lot of that was off the cuff, he and I just talking as people about all the fast food restaurants we love. The Chili’s song is that iconic jingle that everybody knows. We took it very seriously getting to sing it with each other … and we were practicing like, “OK, you take this part,” and he’d be like, “OK, no, you keep going, and then I’ll come in.” It felt like a real musical situation that we were prepping for.

Oh, my God, I need to see that outtake. I would be dying.

Luke [Wilson, who plays Golden Fisk] said he had passed by us practicing, and he said it was such a surreal moment seeing how serious Will and I were taking this song.

Fortune Feimster as Sam and Will Ferrell as Lonnie in “The Hawk.”

(Colleen E. Hayes / Netflix)

Speaking of Will, I went through our archives and you told one of our writers in 2023 that you hoped to one day have a career like Will Ferrell’s. Now you’re starring in a show with him. What was it like working with him, and do you feel like you’re getting closer to that goal?

The experience of working with him was definitely a dream come true — he and Molly Shannon, the fact that I’m with both of them on the show is pretty crazy. I feel like everyone growing up has their “SNL” cast that they are like, “That’s my cast, that’s who I watched every Saturday,” and they were definitely my cast. My early knowledge of comedy comes from them, and I’m sure there’s a big influence of them in my comedy now, having watched them religiously. To now be on a show with the two of them does not feel real at times.

What’s nice is I’d done two movies with Will, like very small parts, and had hoped that that would lead to something more in the future and was so lucky that it did. But we really got to know each other a lot better on this show, obviously, because I was basically his right-hand person the entire show. I would say 85% of what I filmed was with him. We just hit it off right away. Our energies are very similar. We’re very similar in our outlook. Our sensibilities of comedy are very similar.

We became genuine friends. He’ll pick me up and take me to a Lakers game. We just went to the World Cup game together. We definitely have a bond of sports. It’s so cool to not only get to be working with someone I admire so much and a comedy hero, but to now be genuine friends, it’s pretty incredible. I’m so lucky that I’m in that position.

What World Cup game did you guys go to?

We went to USA vs. Turkey here in L.A. He wore his visor that says “Hawk” on it. We kept trying to get the camera guy’s attention because we weren’t sitting in a box. We wanted to be in the mix … with the fans, and so no one expected to see Will sitting there amongst the fans.

After halftime, they go around and show different [celebrities] like, “Leonardo DiCaprio is here.” I said, “Will, the camera guy’s looking at us.” Everyone in our section got really pumped about it. We show up on the Jumbotron, and our whole section starts going nuts. And I’m pointing at Will’s hat, he’s dancing, and we didn’t know that it was also on TV. My phone blew up for like the next 30 minutes because everyone and their mother was watching this soccer game. We ended up inadvertently promoting “The Hawk” on this really big world stage.

What’s a TV series or film that you’ve watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone?

I feel like it’s not something that I have to recommend, so many people know of it, but I really loved “Hacks” [HBO Max], and especially this last season of it, I felt like they wrapped it up so beautifully. Sometimes these shows have this good run, and then they sort of fumble it at the end, and I just thought the way they ended that show really serviced all of their characters in such a great way and highlighted this really beautiful friendship from people of different generations.

What’s your comfort watch, a TV show or film that you love to return to and watch over and over again?

A movie that I could watch no matter what … is “Bridesmaids” [Peacock, Hulu]. That movie never gets old. I just think it’s one of the best comedies. Of course, as a female comedian, I love a group of women doing funny things together. And those particular women are just so incredible. I’ve gotten lucky enough to work with Kristen [Wiig] and Annie [Mumolo] — I did “Barb and Star [Go to Vista Del Mar]” with Kristen and Annie. Even though I was a tiny part of that movie, I can watch that movie over and over again. I just love their sensibilities as writers as well.

I promised my colleague I would ask you one more question, about getting your house renovated by Jeff Lewis on “Flipping Out” and what that was like.

That always cracks me up how many people saw that show. I’m working with him right now. I have a new house that he is helping with at the moment.

I mean, listen, he’s a big personality. There’s a reason why they gave him “Flipping Out” for so many years that he has a radio show now [“Jeff Lewis Live” on SiriusXM], and they’re actually bringing his “Flipping Out” show back [“Still Flipping Out” on Bravo], which I did a little bit of that show as well. But as an interior designer, he definitely has this — he kind of walks into a space and you see him calculate things, like “A Beautiful Mind,” where he’s seeing everything in front of him, and he’s very decisive. I’m very indecisive with interior design. Even though he has this … over-the-top personality, as a designer, he’s so gifted. And when you see his work, you’re like, “Oh, my God, this is incredible.”

Obviously he and I have a funny rapport with each other, but now also doing this house, I feel like I’ve learned even more to the point where I know when to give it back to him a little bit. He likes that little ribbing of each other.

ICYMI

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OLIVIA Attwood certainly had a glow about her as she stepped out in London on Friday night to celebrate her new range with Tatti Lashes.

And whether it’s because she’s so happy to be celebrating the collaboration, or due to a recent hard-launch from her boyfriend Pete Wicks, is still to be determined.

This week, Olivia unveiled a new collection she has created with false eyelash brand Tatti Lashes, and celebrated the release on Friday night.

Matching the brand’s pink colour scheme, the TV host and former Love Islander looked stunning in a candy pink mini-dress.

The number was emblazoned with sequins and featured a mesh shirt design which came into a fitted skirt, with Olivia’s matching pink bra seen through the garment.

She pulled her blonde tresses into a tight ponytail and matched pink heels with the look.

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Blowing a kiss for the cameras before heading into the event in Central London – where a slew of Love Islanders were on the guest list.

Olivia appeared in high spirits ahead of the celebration, which could have been helped along by recent affairs of the heart.

The reality personality enjoyed a loved-up holiday to Ibiza last week with Pete , during which the pair didn’t shy away from PDA.

Pete had flown out to meet Olivia after she wrapped filming on her ITV show Bad Boyfriends, which was taking place on the White Isle.

And while they looked very cosy throughout the trip, the couple were yet to confirm their relationship online.

But yesterday, upon returning home, Pete shared a carousel of pictures confirming the romance as he sweetly hard-launched Olivia.

One snap showed Pete planting a kiss on Olivia’s head, while another was of the couple cuddled up during a yacht trip.

“I guess someone has to go first…IBIZA” captioned Pete, followed by a black heart emoji.

His caption about ‘going first’ was seemingly a reference to Olivia’s podcast that had been released just hours earlier.

Returning to her Olivia’s House podcast following the holiday, she said: “Just in the way that I don’t send the first good morning text, I’m not f***ing hard launching anyone first.”

And he certainly understood the assignment, with Pete wasting no time to make sure he obliged.

EXCLUSIVE: Love Island star weighed in on Ellie Chadwick’s dramatic departure at ITV’s reality event in London today.

Love Island stars have been having their say on the dramatic moment Ellie Chadwick made a shock exit from the villa.

Charleen Murphy, 27, found fame when she joined the cast of this year’s edition of the hit ITV2 dating show but was dumped from the villa after 30 days on screen. Meanwhile, Ellie was enjoying a blossoming romance with Finley Maddock but it all started to go wrong when he fell for Elicia, bombshell who entered the villa.

In shock scenes that aired on Thursday night, Fin was voted out of the villa by his co-stars and Ellie, in floods of tears, decided to leave as well, claiming that she couldn’t see herself finding love with anyone else.

Speaking about the dramatic moment, Charleen exclusively told The Mirror: “Her journey was definitely with him and it made sense to finish it with him but it was sad to see her go.”

Meanwhile, Lola Deal, who recently departed the island with Sean Fitzgerald, was asked if she was shocked by the sudden exit and told us: “Not if Fin was leaving. She really, really likes Fin, and it was always a thing that if he was going, she was going. So as soon as he was voted out, I think we knew she was going.”

Asked if could’ve told Ellie anything or given any advice, Sean said: “I would’ve told her to probably just weigh up how much you were gonna take of him switching what he was gonna be doing. He does really like her.

“They talked about their future together and everything, and she’s probably a bit further along with how much she likes him. She’s had a longer journey, she’s gone through all the other relationships she’s had. When he says he owes it to himself to get to know other people but he does really like her.”

Former Islander and current Love Island: The Debrief host Shakira Khan said: “I wasn’t surprised she left, i just wish she knew how loved she was on the outside and how supported she was.”

When Fin was voted out by his fellow contestants, Ellie simply said: “It’s fine. It’s done.” But she then whispered: “I can’t do it. I’m going,” and promptly burst into tears.

Ellie then insisted that there was no one else who would enter the villa who would make her as happy as Fin had and begged her co-stars to stop arguing over their decision.

She said: “Who is gonna walk through these doors and I’m gonna have a connection in two weeks like I did with you? F*****g leave it, stop arguing.

“I’m going. You’ve done what you had to do so I’m going so please don’t f***g argue with each other.”

She then reassured Lorenzo that she had “made peace” with her decision and was looking forward to seeing her family. Reacting to the news, viewers flooded social media with their opinions on all the action that had just exploded across their screens.

One wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Why would Ellie do this for a boy? She could have recoupled and still win. Everyone loves her over here. Why would you do this for fin?”

Another said: “They know Finley was using Ellie as a free ticket to the final. That was the ideal outcome tbh,” and a third wrote: “To be honest, if Ellie wants to leave, they should let her go and stop trying to make her stay. Crying over a guy who found you boring and moved on the way he did with Elicia?? The show isn’t about her.”

Like this story? F or more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, has enjoyed an afternoon out with a fellow soap legend from the ITV show

Tracy Shaw has enjoyed a leisurely afternoon with Sally Ann Matthews amid her cancer battle. The actress, 52, who played Maxine Peacock on Coronation Street from 1995 until 2003, announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and has been keeping fans up to date ever since.

On Friday afternoon, Tracy shared a photo of herself and Sally Ann, 55, who played Jenny Bradley on the ITV soap on and off for almost 40 years, onto Instagram after they spent the afternoon catching up. Whilst the pair’s Weatherfield alter-egos never crossed paths on screen, the actresses met when they both starred in a tour of the play Mum’s The Word in 2010.

She wrote: “Never stopped laughing #sallyannmatthews. Meet for an hr Brunch led to lunch 3 hrs of glorious laughter. Homemade ginger biscuits, and sunflowers , I was spoilt. We met on tour years ago and we haven’t stopped laughing since. Love you Sal.”

Tracy then shared the picture to her Instagram Story, and in the background , she added the Cyndi Lauper classic Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.

“Good morning everyone. I’ve put some makeup on because I’m going to meet a friend who is going to collect me and we’re gonna go for a drink. I wanna share about how when you are at home and then you go out…do you remember the COVID days?

Earlier in the day, Tracy became emotional as she said she was getting ready to go out with a friend and it struck her just how how it felt to be leaving the house after so long indoors.

She said: “All of a sudden we started going out in the world…that’s how it feels and I feel really emotional about meeting my friend because I haven’t seen her for so long and I’ve just spent some time putting makeup on but I’ll probably cry so that’ll come off and I do feel like a painted doll! But anyway, I can’t wait to show you more and tell you more. Have a beautiful morning!”

Tracy, who also enjoyed a brief pop career with a cover of the Lonnie Gordon track Happenin’ All Over Again before going on to appear in Casualty, Doctors and a string of theatre productions over the years, previously told her followers that she was “all over the place” thanks to all the side effects of chemotherapy, and various things stopped her venturing far from home.

“Because of all the medications, thrush, and shingles, I’m all over the place. The smallest things can affect us and this, setting myself, starting the day, listening to the birds and seeing the sunrise and be amongst nature at its best.

“Also, it’s really hot and I have to get the dogs out and I’ve been really locked in the chemo land of not being able to go out because there isn’t a toilet that can actually take what I need now. That’s a bit frank but that’s the truth.

“So, today, we’ve gone to their favourite park and that will be them for the day, and me for the day. I just wanna say hello to everyone. Stay cool.”

If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support.

Like this story? F or more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Universal Studios Hollywood has long been slated to have the biggest theme park opening of 2026 with its new high-speed coaster, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. But with no officially announced opening date, questions have started to intensify and rumors have begun to swirl as to what may be causing the park to go radio silent on what is expected to be its centerpiece attraction.

According to Universal, there is no need for concern.

Yet speculation has zeroed in on the potential noise of the coaster as being a problem for residents of the nearby of Toluca Lake. Rumors were fueled Friday by Fox 11 Los Angeles reporting, via a since-deleted post on social media network X that Hollywood Drift’s opening had been delayed at least until the end of year due to neighborhood complaints. Videos of audible screams of riders on the coaster have gone viral in recent weeks.

A spokesperson for Universal said reports that the coaster’s opening is postponed until the end of 2026 are “not accurate” and disputed the notion that the coaster has been delayed. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, the spokesperson said, is still on target to open before the end of summer.

“We expect to announce an opening date soon,” read an official statement from the company. “The information online is incorrect.”

The summer season lasts through the end of September. The park begins its popular fall Halloween Horror Nights on Sept. 3. Tickets for the latter are currently on sale, and Universal is promising access to Hollywood Drift for those who purchase its line-skipping express pass, which starts at $259.

Sources familiar with the coaster’s operations have also disputed the notion that noise is a cause for the coaster having not yet opened, instead pointing to more routine mechanical issues that have arisen during its test and adjustment phase. One theme park insider, however, stressed that when Hollywood Drift does open, it will likely be considered a “top-5, or top-10 coaster, in the world.”

The view of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift from Universal Studios Hollywood’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is unique in that it is a 72 mph ride with vehicles created to rotate 360 degrees through multiple inversions. Designed to mimic the feel of stunt cars, its four-seated vehicles will twist and turn through banks in the track in an effort to create a drifting sensation.

Universal’s own website earlier this summer posted June 26 as an opening date, and while that was once the targeted launch, the date was quickly removed from the site. Universal began hosting media for walkthroughs of the coaster in May.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has been in the works for than a decade. Built essentially on a cliff between the park’s upper and lower lots, the ride’s existence is a feat of engineering, and Universal has described it as among the most intense attractions in its global park portfolio.

Before land was moved, Universal began a series of tests to track how noise would travel through the surrounding neighborhood. Universal placed speakers on the old special effects and stunt buildings to see how ride screams traveled down the hill.

Ultimately, the tracks would be complemented with multiple sound walls and shields, the latter clear structures designed to block coaster rumbles and audience screams. And because the cars can rotate 360 degrees, Universal can in theory direct rider yells away from the studio below and the neighborhood nearby. The actual track has been filled with pea gravel, designed to minimize noise from any reverberations.

“It’s incredibly quiet,” said Jon Corfino, the lead creative at Universal Studios Hollywood. “We were able to do that by putting materials inside portions of the track to deaden the sound. I’m not sure we would have needed it, but it was important to do the right thing. It’s pea gravel and rocks. It’s quieter than I ever thought it was going to be.”

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift isn’t the only notable coaster slated to open in Southern California this year. Buena Park’s Knott’s Berry Farm initially intended to launch its reimagined Montezooma’s Revenge, now known as Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress, on Monday. Late last night, the park indefinitely delayed its public unveiling, with a spokesperson citing additional fine-tuning that surfaced during its final days of testing.

The delay is not expected to be a prolonged one.

“We appreciate everyone’s understanding and look forward to welcoming media and guests in the coming days when we can showcase the attraction exactly as intended,” read a statement from the park. Montezooma: The Forbidden Fortress has been in development for the past four years.

Roger Hawes and Janey Smith are engaged, three years after they found fame, and love, on the first series of Davina McCall’s hit ITV dating series My Mum Your Dad

Roger Hawes and Janey Smith are engaged. The TV stars found fame when the signed up to appear on My Mum Your Dad, which follows Davina McCall as she oversees two single parents try to find love, have been one of the programme’s biggest success stories and appeared all the way back in the very first series when it aired in 2023.

On Friday, the couple took to Instagram to share the news that they are to wed after Roger popped the question just ahead of the weekend.

Alongside a snap of Janey showing off her ring, Roger wrote: “dreams do come true … x” and then another photo, this time of Roger’s dog, appeared and a message engraved on the pooch’s collar read: “Will you marry my daddy?”

Roger became a widower when he lost his first wife and it was their daughter Jess who sent off his application off for the show, which was axed in early 2025, in the first place. Meanwhile, Janey went on the show with her son Will, and the happy news comes just weeks after Janey was rushed to hospital.

At the time, she explained in an Instagram post: “They did a CT scan straight away and found my appendix had blown and needed surgery asap. I was in hospital for a week as the infection had filled my stomach.”

After their romance blossomed, the pair made a joint appearance on Loose Women together in 2024, where Roger explained: “It didn’t show on the show itself but she just came in and I obviously liked what I saw straight away.”

“We just hit it off; she just said randomly, ‘What am I like?’ and I said, ‘I know what you’re like!’ And everybody else was just looking at us and we were just off in our own little world!”

At the time, Janey also admitted just how emotional it had been to see her love story play out on screen. She said: “When you see it, it’s like ‘oh no, don’t set me off.’ It was a very emotional time. There was anxiety, it was a big thing. It does take you back. It’s an outer body experience really.”

She also recounted the pivotal advice from her father as she explained: “We like Roger, don’t push him away,” which led her to tackle her personal issues head-on during a live TV appearance.

She added: “They said, ‘So why are you here?’ and I could feel it coming, I wasn’t going to say anything but I thought, ‘I’ve got to be honest here,’ I know I’ve pushed people away in the past. There’s some traits in me and adopted people that you carry and never address it.”

Reflecting on her candid moment, she expressed pride: “I felt for the first time in my life, ‘Well done Janey, you’ve just gone and said it on live TV.’ You don’t even tell people you meet but thank goodness I did.”

Janey previously admitted that she never worried Roger would leave her even though her son was concerned he might not be ready for another relationship after losing his wife.

She said: “It’s funny, I didn’t worry about that with him. With Roger what you see is what you get. He’s definitely a one-woman man and just not out to hurt me at all. I remember my son [William] being a bit worried that Roger wasn’t quite ready to date yet, but I think because Roger had gone through his own form of grief, we helped each other.

“The only worry I had early on was similar to my son’s – I didn’t want to be an experiment for someone to dip their toe back in.

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When you walk into a room with Los Primos del Este, the happy-go-lucky guys immediately make you feel like part of the family. What they first cultivate with silly banter and lighthearted ad-libs eases into a more vulnerable, introspective atmosphere, comparable to a cathartic therapy session.

When I met the norteño-sax band in at Interscope Records — the major label that signed them in early 2023 — it was just a couple of hours before the official release of Los Primos’ new album, “Dulce Amargo,” on Thursday.

For a young band of players in their early 20s, they play it cool; “Dulce Amargo” is their eighth LP to date. The project feels thoroughly chiseled to their refined sonic tastes (influenced by Julión Álvarez, Legado 7 and Remmy Valenzuela) inflected with raw, sentimental lyricism and a wailing saxophone that commands each track with the spirit of an electric guitar.

“Play it back to back and actually start understanding the sound more and realize there’s new sounds being created,” said lead vocalist Geovanni Flores. “Because a lot of people get stuck in their old ways.”

Made up of five members — Flores, bassist and supporting vocalist Ariel Jesus Lopez, accordionist Juan Luis Hernandez, drummer Alejandro Tellez and saxophonist David Tellez — the group has built a steady momentum in the música mexicana genre. They’ve championed the resurgence of norteño-sax, a subgenre that fuses the accordion sounds of norteño music with an invigorating alto saxophone, made popular by legendary groups like Conjunto Primavera.

Since forming in 2017, the North Carolina-based band has gained over 2 million listeners on Spotify through catchy norteño-sax songs like “No Es Mentira (Version Norteña),” “Poema” and “Mami” — drawn together by a polka-like beat that has made them a staple of Mexican dance venues.

In 2024 alone, the subgenre grew by 39% in both the U.S. and Mexico, per Spotify.

Los Primos del Este formed in 2017 out of North Carolina.

(Arwen Clemans / Los Angeles Times)

The band took a few years to find its groove. Its 2020 debut album, “PDE,” experimented more with the prickly, sad sierreño sound popularized by acts like Eslabon Armado and DannyLux — as well as trap-infused corridos tumbados with a thumping tololoche. Still, this was music one could bop their head to, even if dance parties were limited during the global pandemic. With norteño-sax, the group could incorporate contemporary dating themes into songs that bring people physically closer to one another on the dance floor.

“There’s been a sense of maturity that’s happened within the group. In the past, we would just make music to make music and release it,” said Flores. “ We thought about every single detail now, even down to the album cover.”

Before getting into the thick of their recent music catalog, Los Primos del Este quickly unfurled details of the album cover, which shows the group sprawled across the flatbed of a white truck. The image was inspired by Alejandro Cartagena, a Dominican Republic-born Mexican creative who photographed carpooling laborers on the flatbeds along a highway in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2012. The project was a visual representation of how everyday people — often marginalized individuals — navigate transit in a sprawling suburban area.

Such an open stance on community issues appears to be a norteño-sax speciality. In 2000, their forefathers Conjunto Primavera previously told The Times that they make music for working-class audiences: “Wealthy people don’t like what we do.”

“Personally, I found myself in the bed of a truck at one point, low-income, trying to make something out of nothing,” said Lopez. “That’s the world I grew up in, and that’s the world I wanna show everybody. It’s not all sweet, you know?”

The band also nods to injustices faced by immigrant communities — including the recent fatal shootings of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and 26-year-old Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Texas and Maine, respectively.

“We’re willing to take the heat,” said Lopez, referring to the band’s pro-immigrant stance. “The community looks at us as a negative presence, but in reality, we’re hard-working, dedicated family people.”

It is both that honesty and vulnerability that are etched into the 14-track LP “Dulce Amargo,” which translates to “bittersweet” in English. The band shared that each member contributed details of his own personal experience to the brainstorming sessions — a process they likened to therapy.

“We were comfortable enough with each other to let [our] stories be heard,” said Lopez. “In the Latino community, there is kinda like that stereotype [that] you have to be strong.  I think this message goes out to everybody — if you’re feeling something, specifically the men, it’s OK to just let it out.”

(Arwen Clemans/Los Angeles Times)

The hazy love melody “Tremenda,” for example, underscores an intense yearning for connection. Written after Lopez was starstruck by a woman, its first lyrics begin in wondrous marvel: “Tal vez fue tu mirada,” or, “Perhaps it was your gaze.”

“What’s the first thing you do when you look at somebody? I look at the eyes,” said Lopez. “They say the eyes are the doors to the soul.”

Alejandro Tellez’s contribution came with the punchy “Linda Sonrisa,” that pleads for someone to realize the realities of the mistreatment they’re facing with another lover.

“How many times are you gonna let him do you wrong until you realize that you have the right guy in front of you?” said Alejandro Tellez in a sing-song twang. “That’s a story that I went through in high school.”

For Flores, the EDM-fused, echoing melody “Mejor Sin Ti,” struck a personal chord; could a relationship be the only thing standing in your way to personal success? “Some people do hold you back, some people tie you down — that’s what I felt,” said Flores.

Hernandez gets a bit teary-eyed when talking about his favorite song, “Sentimientos,” a whirling polka-driven ballad about an avoidant situationship, he said. “To me, it’s like we both kinda love each other already, but we’re kind of afraid to say it,” he explained. “A lot of people are afraid of falling in love again, so that song hits close to home.”

The concept behind “Mereces Mejor,” a trance-inducing ode with floating melodies that implores a loved one to recognize their self-worth, was inspired by David Tellez’s own experience with unrequited love: “She’s trying to go to the bad guy, and I’m over here giving everything I got.”

As the five artists prepare to take their new album on the road — including an upcoming performance at the Lone Star State’s Truck Show Texas Fest on July 25 — they want to make clear that norteño-sax is not a stagnant subgenre. Like most of música mexicana, it, too, is evolving, both in sound and lyricism, encapsulating today’s complex dating culture. Their emotional vulnerability is welcome in a field flooded with artists that may otherwise shrink away from such honesty — perhaps due to the stigma of mental health issues in the Latino community, especially among men.

“We understand that changing the sound may not be for everybody, but we’re making music for the next generation,” said Lopez. “Who knows? Maybe their parents might end up liking this too.”

Things took an emotional turn on Celebrity Gogglebox with Vernon Kay reduced to tears

Vernon Kay was left wiping away the tears on Celebrity Gogglebox in a candid moment.

The Channel 4 spin-off programme returned to screens on Friday (July 17) for a new episode, welcoming back firm favourites, such as Vernon Kay and Paddy McGuinness, Nick Grimshaw and niece Liv, and Denise Van Outen and Johnny Vaughan.

There are several new additions to the new series too, including Olivia Attwood and her mum Jennifer, Harry and Matt aka Nitro and Legend from Gladiators.

However, in the latest instalment, things took an emotional turn when the celebs watched an episode of The Piano. On the show, young pianist Grace, who lost both her fingers and lower legs to meningitis as a child, performed.

The Celebrity Gogglebox cast were left in awe by The Piano scene, with several celebs reduced to tears, including Vernon Kay. He said: “Go on Grace,” before wiping away the tears from his eyes.

His co-star Paddy McGuinness said: “Innit amazing like human beings, what we do or what we go through; resilience,” as Vernon agreed.

Reflecting on the performance, Ellie Simmonds also said: “What people perceive to be how it has to be, it can be done so differently. She is breaking down barriers.”

Josh Homme also added: “This is where you’re like, the world is full of magic. No matter what is going on in the world, it’s out there.”

Meanwhile, talking about being on the new series of Celebrity Gogglebox Olivia Attwood said it “was chaotic but in the best possible way”.

She explained: “It’s not often that we agree on things, which I think the viewers may find entertaining. My family are huge fans of the show so it’s a real honour to be a part of such an iconic British programme.”

Strictly 2025 finalist George Clarke also said: “I loved it, mainly because it gave me a full excuse to take the mick out of Max on national TV. He reacts to everything, so you’re never bored. It’s so easy to get into as well, you just sit there, say exactly what you’re thinking, and before you know it, we’ve gone completely off track!”

Coronation Street legend Nigel Havers also shared: “It’s a dream come true working with Julian on Gogglebox. I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening… (Julian wrote this).”

Celebrity Gogglebox airs every Friday at 9pm on Channel 4.

IT was seen as total madness by many and a charade by others.

But pop duo Wham!’s 1985 trip to China for two special concerts in the newly opened communist state turned out to be a stroke of genius.

The gruelling ten-day trip saw Wham! become the first Western band to perform in Communist China, and helped fast-track school pals George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, now 63, to superstardom.

During their illustrious time together they sold more than 25 million records worldwide and clocked up five UK No1 singles including Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, I’m Your Man and Last Christmas.

Crucially the trip helped the duo crack America and, armed with their catalogue of hits and flanked by a camera crew, it was filmed for what would have been a gritty documentary about the band leading a Western revolution in the country.

Speaking in the documentary, George, who died on Christmas Day 2016, recalls: “It was historic. There were only a few things that you can do as a pop band that haven’t been done before.

“It was a great privilege being the first people to play real Western pop music to those people.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. It’s just that it was a pretty hard couple of weeks.”

Wham!’s manager, Simon Napier-Bell, initially believed that getting renowned British director Lindsay Anderson on board to make the film was a massive coup which would add credibility.

But, it quickly became apparent they had completely different visions for the documentary.

George and Andrew just wanted to make a glossy concert film, while Lindsay, who openly criticised the group, was focused on a hard-hitting documentary about the westernization and opening up of Communist China.

And due to these creative differences the documentary was never shown and the tapes were archived.

Now, for the first time, the incredible footage has been unearthed and the historic trip is told in George and Andrew’s own words in the 90-minute film, Wham! 10 Days In China.

While often unpredictable, the late singer was by all accounts far better at playing the media game than his bandmate.

At a VIP screening at Soho House in London, Andrew told The Sun: “Frankly, I behaved like a bit of a t**t, honestly.

“We were relatively young, but we had also had a good two or three years worth of experience with the press.

“We knew the game. We knew what was at stake. We knew how to behave and how not to — but I just chose not to.”

The band had formed just four years earlier, releasing their debut single Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) in June 1982.

Andrew knew going to China was a “risky” move for the famous duo, who had experienced phenomenal success but were yet to reach the international stardom they eventually went on to achieve.

He adds in the film: “Wham! In China . . .  I was cynical. Untried. Untested. Risky.

“I didn’t really like it. Landing in China, I felt we were there on false pretences. It was a circus. Wham! in China was more than just the shows.

“A show had to be made of Wham! in China and that meant official events, interacting with our hosts. It was just part and parcel of being there.

“Being dragged around to contrived scenes was not something either of us was particularly comfortable with.”

However they took the risk, determined to break the US market as quickly as possible.

Andrew continued: “To break the States was a huge ambition for any act — and George’s ambition overrode everything.

“However, he had suffered with his voice breaking down.

“He had undiagnosed polyps on his vocal cords at that point and so he didn’t want to spend months touring small venues. We wanted to fast-track Wham! straight to the top. Something was going to have to be done.”

Run like a royal tour, as well as the two concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou, the trip included a number of photo opportunities and government-organised events.

The whole tour was masterminded by Napier-Bell, who saw the opening of China as a way to make history and fast-track the boys to the top.

In return, China got foreign investment.

Alongside the more obvious choices, such as a trip to the Great Wall of China, Wham! were guests of honour at a State Dinner and a garden party at the Ambassador’s house inside the British Embassy.

Publicly, the pair put on a great show, making small talk and mingling with dignitaries.

But amusing new footage reveals the stars oscillated from finding the whole thing hilarious to being sick to death of being wheeled out to all and sundry.

During the dinner, they were presented with an intricate tapestry, prompting George to whisper to the camera like a naughty schoolboy: “It’s a bath mat. We will cut it down the middle. My mum can have one half and Andrew’s mum can have the other half.”

The long, drawn-out trip to the Ambassador’s house almost pushed them too far.

Andrew recalls: “Our schedule was such that we were being pulled in a variety of different directions.

“The Ambassador’s residence was a bit of 1930s Blighty transported into Peking. They seemed to exist in this colonial microcosm. It’s quite strange.

“There was nowhere to hide in there. I thought I would be polite and play the game, but Yog [George’s nickname] didn’t feel the same way. He thought it was an utter charade.”

George was so fed up with parts of the trip that he upped sticks and left Andrew in the middle of a cassette signing with fans.

His bemused bandmate was forced to make up excuses that George was feeling sick and needed a lie-down to cover up the fact the star had simply had enough.

In historic footage of the moment, seen for the first time, a baffled Andrew says: “He’s left me in the lurch before, but once bitten, twice aware — or twice as aware.”

Grilled as to how he would describe his partnership with George, he added: “Stormy, but mostly on the fair side. He’s a nice enough chap.”

While the band split in 1986, the pair went way back before fame, having known each other since 1973, after meeting on their first day at Bushey Meads School, Herts.

Asked if he found watching footage of his late friend difficult, Andrew added to The Sun: “Sometimes it catches me out.

“The moments that really appeal to me are scenes like the one where we are bickering in the back of the car — just two youngsters, two friends.

“They are the ones where you can see the essence of real friendship. They are the things I miss, as we are unable to share them now.

“Anyone who had his company and his friendship for an extended period of time will know he was a deeply caring chap, and we all miss him. To have lost the best friend I have ever had is difficult, as they are irreplaceable. A childhood friend who you have spent all those years with.”

The trip wasn’t without drama.

During an internal flight, one of the band’s trumpet players suffered a breakdown — stabbing himself in the stomach and forcing his way into the cockpit.

For the first time, backing singer Shirlie Kemp — who went on to become one half of Pepsi & Shirlie along with Helen DeMacque — speaks about how she was left terrified and covered in her bandmate’s blood.

Shirlie said: “It was one of the most scary experiences of my life.”

Despite the mile-high terror, Wham!’s trip was hailed a success, both in terms of winning over the Chinese with their music and cracking America.

Chatting to The Sun, Andrew says he believes his late pal would be most proud of the fact the gigs helped inspire a generation of children in China to get into music, many of whom had never even danced in public before attending the Wham! gig.

Andrew told us: “I think George would feel very much the same way as I, in that the legacy that exists for the Chinese people who were at the show is the most meaningful and substantial of all the legacies.

“It achieved what it was supposed to. The trip was designed to raise our profile in the US, as we didn’t want to do a long tour. Yog didn’t like being away from home for extended periods.

“He would find the fact that there are Chinese artists whose careers may exist only because they saw Wham! incredible.”

• Wham! 10 Days In China will be in cinemas from July 28 and will then air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in August.

The new six-part series sees actress Diane Morgan play a social humanoid robot, Linda.

The new series has caused a stir online.

BBC’s six-part comedy Ann Droid kicked off on Friday night (July 17) as viewers tuned in to watch actress Sue Johnston play lonely widower Sue.

Concerned about her health and well-being, her son Michael (Paul Ready) decides to get her an AI eldercare robot, much to her annoyance.

Giving the robot, whom she calls Linda (Diane Morgan), a trial run, it’s clear things aren’t going smoothly as viewers saw the robot walk in on her in the bath and ruin her dressing gown.

However, as the episode began, it wasn’t long before people commented on the new series as many viewers shared the same opinion.

One person said: “#AnnDroid Funny, sad, incisive. Diane Morgan and Sue Johnson are brilliant. SueSueSue is a winner.” Someone else added: “#AnnDroid is my new favourite telly show.”

Another viewer wrote: “Just watched the first episode of #anndroid by @Sarah_Kendall and Diane Morgan, and it is a great piece of writing and acting. Deserves to be a hit with viewers #suesuesue.”

One fan commented: “Ann Droid is sharp, witty and gorgeously funny. Sue Johnston is brilliant as per, and if you’re a fan of Diane Morgan, it’s a real treat #AnnDroid @BBCOne”

While another added: “Watched episode 1 of #AnnDroid. Brilliantly funny, but also so full of emotion. It made me cry! Absolutely loved it.”

Speaking about playing the role, actress Diana Morgan detailed the hardest part about playing a robot.

She commented: “What was hard was that Sue got these really emotional scenes, and I’m sitting next to her, motionless. But obviously I’m hearing everything, and she’s amazing.

“There were times, sitting on the bed, where I thought, ‘I’m gonna cry, I’m gonna cry’. And I can’t cry, I’m a robot. It was really difficult.”

Although the pair got off on the wrong foot to begin with, the episode took a heart-warming turn at the end.

Changing her mind on sending Linda back, Sue decides to keep the robot for a little while longer as she helps her to navigate with her loneliness and grief as an unexpected friendship forms.

Ann Droid is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.