Aug. 8 (UPI) — Former President Jair Bolsonaro will not be allowed to see his sons on Brazilian Father’s Day this Sunday, the country’s top court ruled.

Due to his health, Bolsonaro has been under house arrest in Brasilia since March while serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt.

Last month he was placed under a stricter regimen after he breached conditions of his house arrest.

The former president is not allowed to receive visits for 30 days, except by his medical and legal teams.

Bolsonaro’s defense attorneys on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court for special permission, calling it a “strictly humanitarian and family-related” visit for Father’s Day, which Brazil celebrates on the second Sunday in August.

“This is a unique date on the Brazilian calendar, and its observance, even for a brief period and under whatever conditions Your Honor may deem appropriate, would preserve family ties and an important aspect of the relationship between father and children,” the former president’s defense attorneys wrote to the Supreme Court, Gazeta do Povo reported.

But Brazil’s top court on Saturday denied Bolsonaro’s request to host sons Jair Renan, Carlos and Flavio, G1 reported. His fourth son, former Rep. Eduardo Bolsonaro, is living in the United States and was not included in the request.

Last month, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes barred Bolsonaro from receiving any visits of a “political-electoral” nature until after Brazil’s general elections in October.

The restrictions came after Bolsonaro wrote a political letter in support of his son, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, despite his sentence barring him from participating in national politics.

The younger Bolsonaro, who disseminated the letter on social media, is running against President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.

“They took away his freedom,” Flavio Bolsonaro wrote on X. “Now they want to take away even a father’s right to hug his children.”

Bolsonaro’s defense lawyers argued in court he was unaware that his son would divulge his writing on social media.

But the court disagreed.

“The letter — written and personally signed by Jair Messias Bolsonaro — was addressed ‘to the Brazilian people,’ demonstrating that it was not of a private nature but rather intended for political and electoral purposes, with dissemination to the general public, using Flavio Nantes Bolsonaro as an intermediary, or in his own words, as his ‘spokesperson,'” Moraes wrote in his decision, G1 reported.

“The text of the ‘Letter to the Brazilian People,’ therefore, clearly shows that Jair Messias Bolsonaro intended to communicate with his political supporters through his son’s social media accounts,” the justice added.

As a result of the restriction, he was also denied a visit by Argentinian President Javier Milei, who in July visited the country in support of Flavio Bolsonaro’s candidature.

At least 200 people have been evacuated after a wildfire broke out near Italy’s Lake Garda. Authorities said the fire started in the municipality of Tignale on the western shore of the lake. Lake Garda is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

EastEnders actress Kellie Bright has quit the BBC soap after 13 years, saying ‘now is the right time for me to say goodbye’ and teasing an ‘exciting’ exit storyline

EastEnders‘ Kellie Bright has quit the BBC soap. The actress, who played Linda Carter for 13 years, has said that she made the “tough decision” to leave over a year ago.

Posting the news to Instagram, EastEnders bosses wrote: “After 13 years, Kellie Bright is saying goodbye to EastEnders and her iconic role of Linda Carter.

“Kellie Bright burst onto our screens in 2013 as the loveable matriarch of the Carter family, and landlady of The Queen Vic, and has been at the heart of some of the show’s most explosive and iconic storylines since her character’s inception.

“From Linda’s journey with alcoholism, her integral role in The Six flashforward which saw her character responsible for Keanu’s Christmas Day murder, and Linda’s famed relationship with husband Mick Carter, Kellie has firmly cemented Linda as an EastEnders icon who is loved by the viewers and EastEnders company alike for her dedication to family, friendships and pink flamingos.”

They teased that her exit would be dramatic, saying: “Kellie and Linda’s exit is still a while away on screen, but with a rich history like Linda Carter’s, it would be impossible for her to leave quietly…”

Kellie, 50, first joined the show in 2013, as the new landlady of the Queen Vic when her husband Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) took over from the Mitchell family.

When she is set to leave the soap hasn’t been revealed yet, but she will be around until at least 1 January 2027, as Linda already appeared in the flashforward to that date earlier this year.

Sharing her decision to leave, Kellie said: “EastEnders has been my home for thirteen years and I have absolutely loved being part of the show, but I have decided that it is now the right time for me to say goodbye. I made the tough decision over a year ago, and after discussing this with Kate Oates and Ben Wadey, they asked me to stay on to be part of an exciting storyline they had planned, and I happily agreed to extend my stay. I will miss my friends and colleagues hugely, but I am looking forward to my next chapter and spending more time with my wonderful boys.”

Executive producer Ben Wadey added: ““Kellie has been at the beating heart of EastEnders for the past 13 years, and her characterisation of the fiercely lovable, protective, and brilliant Linda Carter has made her a favourite amongst the viewers and cemented her as a classic EastEnders icon.

Kellie has been involved in some of the show’s most explosive and iconic storylines, and everyone at EastEnders will miss Kellie and Linda dearly. When Kellie told us of her decision last year to leave, we already had big plans for Linda, so we were delighted that Kellie agreed to stay on to see them through. We’ve still got a long way to go before we say goodbye.”

The Sun quoted a source who said that Kellie felt it was time to look at opportunities elsewhere. The source also said that the “door is being left open” for Linda to return one day. As such, it is unlikely that she will be killed off – unlike Michelle Ryan’s Zoe Slater.

Zoe is thought to be set to die in a upcoming storyline after Michelle decided to quit earlier this year. A spokesperson said to the Mirror at the time: “We can confirm Zoe Slater will be departing EastEnders later this year. We wish Michelle Ryan all the best for the future. However, we never comment on future storylines as we don’t want to spoil it for the viewers.”

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

Barcelona increase Rodri bid, Cristian Romero wants to join Arsenal and Nottingham Forest are set to sign Ousmane Diomande.

Barcelona are in continued talks with Manchester City over signing Rodri and have made an increased bid of £51.4m for the Spain midfielder, 30. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Cristian Romero would like to join Arsenal, but Tottenham have no intention of allowing the 28-year-old Argentina centre-back to move to their north London rivals. (Sun), external

Romero is also an option for Barcelona, who are set to let Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo, 27, join Liverpool on loan. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external

Nottingham Forest are set to sign Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande, 22, from Sporting for £34m. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Spain forward Ferran Torres, 26, has told Barcelona he wants to join Paris St-Germain after agreeing personal terms with the European champions. (ESPN), external

Everton and Crystal Palace have held talks over a potential swap deal involving English winger Dwight McNeil, 26, and Palace’s Wales winger Brennan Johnson, 25. (Times – subscription required), external

Tottenham have held advanced talks with Manchester City over signing Brazil winger Savinho, 22, with a package worth £60m believed to be enough to complete a deal. (Football Insider), external

Aston Villa are closing in on a full agreement to sign Italian left-back Matteo Ruggeri, 24, from Atletico Madrid. (Athletic), external

Southampton’s Shea Charles could still move to Leeds if they offer more than Fulham‘s current £30m bid for the Northern Ireland midfielder, 22. (Football Insider), external

Niclas Fullkrug has agreed terms with Venezia but the move has been blocked because of West Ham’s asking price for the Germany striker, 33. (Bild – in German), external

West Ham have reached an agreement in principle to sign Israel winger Manor Solomon, 27, from Tottenham. (Athletic), external

Fenerbahce are set to finalise a deal to sign Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, 33, from Napoli, who will owe Chelsea a sell-on fee. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye have signed a joint defence pact.

It is an alliance that analysts say highlights Riyadh’s desire to diversify its defence partnerships, expanding to Ankara and Islamabad.

The pact was announced at a time of increased regional tension.

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has launched a military operation against the Iran-aligned Houthis following a series of attacks, while Iran and the US have yet to reach a final deal to end the war.

The trilateral Mecca pact raises questions about the effectiveness of the decades-long US military presence in the Gulf. Does this alliance offer a viable alternative to the security umbrella promised by Washington?

Presenter: Anna Burns-Francis

Guests:

Abdulaziz Alghashian – Senior non-resident fellow at the Gulf International Forum

David Des Roches – Professor at the Thayer Marshall Institute

Zaid M Belbagi – Managing partner at Hardcastle Advisory

From recent satellite imagery, the Russian Navy now looks to be using nets to protect submarines from drone attacks at a highly strategic base on the country’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. There are also signs that Russian forces have been taking new steps at a separate base along the Black Sea to shield submarines against uncrewed aerial threats. The appearance of the nets over the submarines at the base in Kamchatka point to how Russia’s concerns about drone threats have extended to critical facilities far removed from the battlefields of Ukraine.

TWZ obtained the imagery showing the netting in place over submarines at the Russian Navy’s base at Rybachiy from Vantor. Business insider was first to report on these images. Rybachiy is notably the homeport for the vast majority of Borei and Borei-A class nuclear ballistic missile submarines, or SSBNs, in service in Russia today. It is also home to various other guided missile and attack submarines assigned to the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet.

Images of Rybachiy from Vantor taken on August 4, seen at the top of this story and below, show several different types of submarines fully covered by nets. What is visible in the imagery is broadly consistent with netting that Russian forces have employed in and around Ukraine as a countermeasure against kamikaze drone attacks against assets on the ground and in the water. Similar netting has also observed in use by other armed forces elsewhere globally.

Russian forces at Rybachiy look to have started using these nets back in May based on additional imagery from Vantor. The imagery from May and August show crane barges being used to help erect the nets around submarines at their moorings.

As an aside, floating booms are also seen strung around the piers at Rybachiy. This is something else that is now commonplace at naval bases across Russia, and can help provide an additional barrier to certain threats on or near the surface, particularly explosive-laden kamikaze drone boats.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Defense in the United Kingdom also published additional imagery from Vantor of the Russian Navy’s base in Novorossiysk along the Black Sea taken back on June 13. The images show several Kilo class attack submarines partially submerged in port. Three of the boats also appear to have anti-drone armor screens installed over their conning towers. A cursory review of additional satellite imagery in Planet Labs’ archive suggests screens were a relatively new additional at that time.

“The Russian Black Sea Fleet has equipped three of its four Kilo class submarines with counter-UAS [uncrewed aerial systems] cages covering the vessels’ conning towers. This was applied as a preventive measure in response to Ukraine’s increased ability to strike targets further from the front line,” according to an accompanying assessment from British authorities earlier this week. “Analysis of commercial satellite imagery dated 13 June 2026 identified that three of the submarines had loosened their moorings and had submerged within the basin. Whilst the majority of the hull was below the surface, their conning towers remained above the waterline, explaining the need for the counter-UAS cage.”

“The fourth submarine, which had not been fitted with a counter-UAS cage, had slipped its mooring lines, manoeuvred away from nearby surface vessels and submerged within the harbour, its conning tower visible above the waterline,” the British government’s assessment continued. “The lack of a counter-UAS cage likely signifies this vessel has been de-prioritised compared to the other three.”

TWZ has also now obtained the June 13 image of Novorossiysk directly from Vantor, as well as another one taken on June 17, which shows the submarines surfaced and at their moorings as usual. This, in turn raises questions about whether or not the boats were submerged in response an attack or indications that one might be imminent. There could be another explanation for why the submarines were temporarily submerged in port, including a force protection readiness exercise in preparation for such an incident.

Growing threats posed by uncrewed aerial systems, as well as uncrewed surface vessels (USV), have already had a marked impact on the establishment of new defensive capabilities and force protection postures at Russian naval and other facilities. This is especially true of sites in more immediate proximity to Ukraine.

Back in 2024, satellite imagery of Novorossiysk notably showed that forces there had painted a silhouette of a submarine and built an actual mock conning tower on a pier at the base. This reflected a broader trend at the time to implement countermeasures against Ukrainian munitions with autonomous image-matching targeting capabilities.

Also in 2024, what looked to be additional overhead protection against drone attacks appeared on the Delta-IV class nuclear ballistic missile submarine Tula at the Russian Navy’s base in Gadzhiyevo in the country’s far northern Murmansk region. What was seen fitted to Tula at that time very rudimentary compared to what has now been seen erected over submarines at Novorossiysk and Rybachiy, which offers far greater and more elaborate coverage . More extensive counter-drone screens have also now appeared on other types of Russian naval vessels.

Ukrainian forces only continue to expand the area, both at sea and on land, that they can hold at risk with uncrewed systems, as well as more traditional missiles. As it stands now, Ukraine uses its ever more diverse arsenal of long-range kamikaze drones and cruise missiles to strike targets across whole swaths of Western Russia, including around the capital Moscow, on a near daily basis.

Footage of a Ukrainian FP-2 attack drone slamming into a Russian Wildberries distribution center in Yekaterinburg this morning.

The Russian distribution center, hit by multiple Ukrainian drones, is now ablaze. pic.twitter.com/W2r9t6f9q1

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 7, 2026

Ukrainian kamikaze USVs also regularly prowl the Black Sea. Submarines at Novorossiysk, as well as bases on the occupied Crimean Peninsula, have been the wide array of targets struck. There sas another daytime USV attack just yesterday on the Russian-occupied port of Yalta in Crimea. It’s also worth noting here that Ukraine has developed USVs capable of launching kamikaze UAS, combining those two capabilities and creating additional threat vectors Russia’s force have to contend with. In addition, Ukraine now has the ability to hit even moving targets using long-range drones equipped with miniaturized satellite communications terminals. This leaves even ships not sitting static in port very much at risk, which Ukraine has highlighted in recent months as it goes after Russia’s logistics ships in the Sea of Azov, a campaign that is only accelerating and spreading.

As noted, the appearance of the nets at Rybachiy, which sits thousands of miles from Ukraine, speaks to how much further the threat of drone attacks has expanded. This goes beyond long-range strikes, as well. Ukraine’s unprecedented Operation Spiderweb attacks on Russian airbases last year highlighted the dangers posed by near-field attacks launched from deep inside hostile territory closer to their actual targets. Bases in Russia’s far eastern regions were among those targeted in the clandestine operation. Ukrainian forces have also launched attacks on Russian-linked ships in the Mediterranean Sea.

СБУ показала унікальні кадри спецоперації «Павутина», у результаті якої уражено 41 військовий літак стратегічної авіації рф

➡️ https://t.co/OSxqEsI9CD pic.twitter.com/aGSZNEsoX3

— СБ України (@ServiceSsu) June 4, 2025

The russian terrorist state no longer has the ability to produce Tu-95s or any kind of strategic bomber. This is a tremendous victory for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/SVeQE78v0h

— Michael MacKay (@mhmck) June 1, 2025

It also worth mentioning here that just this week, a small quadcopter drone equipped with explosive payload was discovered at next to Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane at an airport in Germany. CNN reported today that U.S. authorities have now assessed that uncrewed aerial system to have belonged to a Russian intelligence service. This follows year now of concerning drone incursions over military bases and other critical infrastructure across Western Europe.

Just this week, the US assessed that an explosive-laden drone discovered at an airport in Germany overnight on Wednesday belonged to a Russian intelligence service, a US defense official in Europe told CNN — https://t.co/axn5uQRTiG

— Haley Britzky (@halbritz) August 7, 2026

Uncrewed aerial threats large and small are not at all limited to the context of the conflict in Ukraine and spillover from it into Europe, either. Drones have been a major factor in the conflict this year with Iran, as well as in other crises in and around the Middle East in recent years.

With the barrier to entry so low, drone threats are only becoming more commonplace globally as they proliferate to increasingly more capable degrees even among smaller nation state armed forces and non-state actors. For the U.S. government, counter-drone defenses for military installations and other critical infrastructure within the homeland, as to protect forces abroad, has become a major priority. Still, American authorities continue to lag in many respects in responding to the serious dangers that very present already.

Altogether, the expansion of counter-drone defenses around submarines at the Russian Navy’s bases at Rybachiy and Novorossiysk reflect very immediate threats emanating from Ukraine, but are also a sign of larger trends globally. Similar force protection measures could well continue to emerge elsewhere, and not just in Russia.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

BRITAIN’S Got Talent boss Simon Cowell is being sued over a £75million deal said to have been written on a napkin.

The TV and music mogul is accused by former business adviser Ian Rosenblatt of being unpredictable and “very difficult to speak to” as he refuses to own a mobile phone.

Mr Rosenblatt worked for Mr Cowell from 2018.

But he is pursuing him for millions after claiming a deal, originally hashed out over dinner on a serviette, was not honoured.

The pair are said to have met for dinner in London in October 2022 to discuss a way forward following a series of rows.

Documents submitted to the High Court claim that Mr Cowell offered an attractive fee arrangement for a deal he was working on at the time.

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The documents say: “The terms of that offer were written on a napkin which Mr Cowell then signed.”

It offered up to 15 per cent of any deal of more than £75million.

The deal was later formalised at a meeting at Mr Cowell’s Cotswolds home in February 2023.

Mr Rosenblatt claims to have not been paid at all for the agreement.

Lawyers for BGT and X Factor boss Mr Cowell are yet to respond to the claims.

The Sun on Sunday has contacted him for comment.

With the top three of Leeds, Wigan and Wakefield, getting plenty of attention, Warrington are travelling under the radar but that suits Burgess, with England captain George Williams set to make his comeback in one of the next two games and a home play-off within reach.

Williams’ return will boost Wire but 18-year-old Irwin and Leon Hayes, 22, proved an effective half back pairing, with the kicking both out of hand and off the tee superb.

Ethan Ryan had begun the scoring for the hosts with his 13th try of the Super League season on 14 minutes, Luke Hooley missing the extras – but that was as good as it got for the Bulls.

Ashton benefitted from slick hands by Josh Thewlis, Hopoate carried ball and Ryan over for a second before King and Irwin’s boot sent Wire in 18-4 to the good at half time.

Things might have been different had the home side’s Jamie Gill not had a try ruled out after Chris Atkin pulled back recovering defender Danny Walker, but within 60 seconds Wire were up at the other end with Philbin going over for a fourth.

It was a potential 12 points swing which sucked belief from the Bulls and from there, Warrington put their foot down.

Crowther scored six minutes later, Bradford dazzled by some dizzying angles, and Irwin’s twinkling feet added another before Ashton rounded things off with his second of the night.

Bradford: Aekins, Wynne, Holley, Fulton, Ryan, Dean, Atkin, Dean; Gardiner, Ackers, Gill, Sutton, Peposhi, Mellor.

Interchanges: Doyle, Scurr, Lewis, Leake

Warrington: Thewlis, Webster, Hopoate, King, Ashton, Irwin, Hayes, Byrne; Walker, Harrison, Holroyd, Bentley, Currie.

Interchanges: Sipley, Crowther, Philbin, Tanginda.

Referee: Aaron Moore.

Aug. 8 (UPI) — Overnight Russian attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed at least 4 people, one of which was a 3-year-old child, officials said Saturday.

Two of boy’s grandparents were also killed in the strike from Russian drones in the Brovary district of the Kyiv region, northeast of the capital city. Four others — the boy’s 15-year-old brother, his parents and a neighbor — were injured as they tried to help the three. They were all hospitalized.

In Kyiv, the city’s military administration said one other person was killed and four others wounded.

Ukraine‘s air force reported that it had downed or intercepted 135 of 151 drones launched by Russia overnight. The attack also involved six ballistic missiles and other guided missiles, CBS News reported.

“Last night, Russia killed three people in Pukhivka, Kyiv region, with drone strikes — a grandfather, a grandmother and their grandson. The boy was only 3 years old,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X. “Four more people were hospitalized: the child’s parents, his 15-year-old brother and a neighbor who came to the family’s aid and was wounded in a double-tap strike. The victims suffered thermal burns and shrapnel wounds. My condolences. It was an ordinary residential building. The Russians could not have been unaware of this. There was also a strike involving six ballistic missiles against civilian infrastructure in Kyiv. As of now, one person has been reported dead. My condolences to the family and loved ones. The Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Poltava regions also came under attack.”

Zelensky went on to reiterate that Ukraine needs more support, including stronger sanctions on Russia and anti-ballistic missile weapons.

The Ukrainian president is on an official visit to Serbia, a close ally of Russia. It’s a first for Zelensky, and the two countries agreed to work toward closer economic ties. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said his country will support Ukraine’s territorial integrity with “no buts” during a joint press conference, The Kyiv Post reported. Serbia is trying to join the European Union.

Zelensky has been trying to get the United States to license its Patriot interceptor missiles, but President Donald Trump has hesitated.

The U.S. Senate passed a bill Friday that imposes new sanctions on Russia and Iran. The bill was once championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. On Friday, the Senate voted 86 to 11 in favor of passing The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.

A drone also entered Bulgarian airspace Saturday after crossing from Romania and exploded near an international gas pipeline, the BBC reported Bulgarian prime minister Rumen Radev said. He said there was a “significant” amount of explosives aboard the drone, but that there were no casualties or reports of damage. It’s not clear where the drone originated.

Carrick has confirmed Marcus Rashford will rejoin the Manchester United squad for their trip to the Republic of Ireland.

Rashford, England team-mate Kobbie Mainoo and Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez are the final three players to return for United after the World Cup.

Although it was not expected Rashford would return to the club when he joined Barcelona on loan in July 2025, the La Liga champions failed to trigger a £26m option to buy the 28-year-old at the end of the season.

Despite interest elsewhere, there has been no deal, meaning Rashford will return to United for the first time since January 2025, when he moved to Aston Villa after falling out with former manager Ruben Amorim.

United are training at the plush Carton House hotel in Maynooth and have a friendly with Leeds United at Croke Park on 12 August.

They complete their pre-season programme against Amorim’s new club AC Milan in Wroclaw on 15 August, when Rashford could make his first United appearance since December 2024 if Carrick decides Wednesday is too soon.

A former team-mate, coach and manager of Rashford, it has been felt if anyone can patch up the relationship between club and player – which includes his number 10 shirt being given to Matheus Cunha who is also due to be on the trip after a minor injury ruled him out of the Gothenburg encounter – it is Carrick.

“I’ve played with him. I played in the game he made his debut, so we have a history,” Carrick said.

“We have got a full squad this week in Dublin. We fly straight there and have a few days where we have the whole group back together. Marcus is part of that, and Kobbie [Mainoo] and Lisandro [Martinez]. We look forward to seeing them.”

Does the arbitrary nature of our daily existence cohere into something resembling a story? And if so, how do we begin to tease out meaning from that story?

Valeria Luiselli posits these questions in her new book, “Beginning Middle End,” but mercifully she doesn’t weigh down her fiction with pedantry. Rather, Luiselli tucks her ideas into the folds of an all too human story about a woman, stinging from a recent divorce, and her younger daughter as they embark on a journey across Sicily. The book is written in fragmentary fashion, discrete chunks of prose that accrete into a greater whole, much like the ancient mosaics that are among of the novel’s thematic touchstones.

I recently spoke with Luiselli about Proteus, Pliny the Elder and Polaroid photos.

✍️ Author Chat

There are resonances of your last novel “Lost Children Archive” in “Beginning Middle End.” Certain character names are repeated, and there is also an audio-visual component, as there was previously. Additionally, a QR code in your new novel allows the reader to access audio recordings related to the book. Is this part of a larger project you have in mind?

I learned a lot about [sound and sound recording] when I was writing “Lost Children.” After I finished it I devoted the next five years to a work in progress called “Echoes From the Borderlands,” recording the sounds of the Mexican-U.S. borderlands. I think of “Beginning Middle End” as a book that exists both in its textual version and in its sonic translation.

The story is told in a fragmentary fashion, with short paragraphs that are separated by subheadings. And the last third of the book contains Polaroid pictures and postcards that relate to the story. There is also a mosaic tessera that is integral to the narrative. What is it that appeals to you about the notion of a story that is constructed from lots of discrete parts?

I’ve been interested for some time now in thinking about how to shorten the distance between process and result in such a way that the signs of the process can be read in the final project. When I’m working on something, I’m collecting postcards and archival material, and taking Polaroid pictures along the way, partly because I know that my process in writing is not linear. And I use Polaroids almost as Post-It notes, as another form of note taking.

Valeria Luiselli’s new novel, “Beginning Middle End,” is about memory and imagination.

(Clayton Cubitt)

It’s such a fascinating creative process.

It can be incredibly frustrating. Because sometimes it’s years before I know what language I’m going to be using in its final form.

Your book is about many things, but the act of storytelling is definitely a major theme. Not just in fiction, but in the way we shape our own personal narratives and how they are transmitted. And this notion of “the middle” as a space that hovers between two poles, the place where you are looking behind and ahead, between life and death, and so on.

The mother in the story is in the mess of the middle, trying to make sense of things and laying out events, but not really finding the deeper threads that tie life together and give it some kind of meaning. And it is only until her daughter arrives at the end of the book that you can read the novel backwards somehow, and understand in hindsight how she, the daughter, has seen a relationship all along between all these seemingly arbitrary events. She is the one that finds meaning in a sequence, where the mother sees only chaos.

The book is grounded in Greek and Roman Classical texts. Proteus and Pliny the Elder feature prominently. Where does your interest in the Classics come from?

The early pre-Socratic philosophers were the first to observe nature without the scaffolding of mythology, who were really just trying to make sense of it. And so that’s how I arrived eventually at Pliny, who has this 37-volume compendium of observations of nature that ask all the important questions about the oceans and rivers and mountains and the sky and the clouds. Pliny became a kind of ghost that led me through the years in which I was writing this novel.

Your novel delves into the relationship between memory and imagination.

What guides me are questions that press on me. I have little interest in plots early on. I become interested in plot as an emanation from questioning things. And one of those questions was about the relationship between memory and imagination. How are the two things connected? How much is our imagination shaped by our memory?

One of the writers that has best addressed that question is Jorge Luis Borges in the last story he ever wrote, “Shakespeare’s Memory,” where the protagonist has two consciousnesses inhabiting his interiority. When a train passes, he doesn’t know what it is, because he’s in Shakespeare mode. He doesn’t have a memory of the sound of a train. That story can be read as an allegory for how our memories and imaginations work as readers. We have all our life events that compose our being and our memory of life, but we also have everything we have read. And I think that that’s really where the discussion around imagination and memory gets very interesting.

This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.

📰 The Week(s) in Books

Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of “The Odyssey” ignited a fire in the literary world, inspiring harsh critiques from Homer translator Emily Wilson and staunch defenses from Joyce Carol Oates and Susan Orlean.

(Illustration by Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times; Source: Louis-Frédéric Schützenberger)

Chris Young was serving two life terms without parole for a low-level drug charge when Kim Kardashian intervened. The reality TV mogul successfully petitioned President Trump to commute Young’s sentence in 2021. Now Young has written “The Wound Is Where the Light Enters,” a searing memoir that “not only reveals the system’s horrors, but also celebrates the redemptive power of hope, intellect and community,” writes Julia M. Klein.

Justin Halpern, the co-showrunner of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” has written his first novel, called “Get Lost,” and Stuart Miller talked to him about it. Of taking on the challenge of writing alone, Halpern told Miller that “I’m definitely still codependent, but the novel forced me to venture into waters that I never would have gotten into on my own.”

The battle over Christopher Nolan’s movie adaptation of “The Odyssey” rages on. In the wake of Homer translator Emily Wilson’s excoriating critique of the film, Emily St. Martin reports that Susan Orlean and Joyce Carol Oates have publicly rallied behind Nolan. In a recent post on X, Oates wrote that Wilson’s “tone of dismissal & haughty superiority strike a sour note.”

Steve Wasserman takes a deep dive into “Too L.A.,” a newly published collection of author Eve Babitz’s rich trove of mostly unsent correspondence. The letters “brilliantly reveal Babitz’s eye for the deep shallow as well as explore the porous boundary between the largely self-inflicted injuries of her private life and the glittering sheen of her public persona,” writes Wasserman.

📖 Bookstore Faves

Whitmore Rare Books in Pasadena caters to customers who value the physical experience of reading books.

(Pierre Galant Photography)

Although it lives on a busy Pasadena street corner, Whitmore’s Rare Books feels like something a book hound might discover in London or New York: an elegantly appointed space with a large bookshelf running along the length of one wall that contains some of the store’s inventory of antiquarian treasures. Founded by a former lawyer turned bookseller and Pasadena native Dan Whitmore, the store is doing brisk business among a younger clientele that still values the tactile pleasures to be found from beautiful books. I spoke with Whitmore about what’s selling in his store.

How long have you been in the rare book business?

I stumbled into a first edition when I was in law school in Philadelphia in 2006 and I was bitten by the bug to start a collection. I worked as a lawyer for a year out here in L.A. and quit my job in 2009 to pursue rare books full time. So we’re coming up on 17 years, which is a good stretch, although there are people who’ve been in the trade for 50 or 60 years.

How do you find your inventory?

You amass this database of knowledge over time, and there really isn’t a substitute for it. I know people think that the AI boom is going to just turn around and be able to do what we do, but it’s not quite that simple. You really have to understand the market and the way that the market tends to shift over time. More modern material can shift a bit faster. But a Shakespeare folio or Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” or Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations,” books that document important moments in history where something new is introduced to the world, will always have value.

We just bought a first edition of “Alcoholics Anonymous,” and a second edition that was inscribed by Bill Wilson. These are books that have had such a profound impact on so many people’s lives that there’s this really strong market for early AA books.

What is selling presently?

I would say things like fantasy, science fiction, especially some of the classics: “Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit.” Some of these iconic works are having a moment right now, such as “Dune,” “I, Robot” and the “Foundation” trilogy. There are new buyers coming in, and I think some of that is tech money — people who maybe grew up reading these books and find inspiration there.

Why should we spend a lot of money on old books, when we can buy new ones for a lot less?

I don’t think that everyone is a collector or should be. I think that there are people who love the physical objects. They love the connection to history, that feeling of thinking about what it must have been like when someone opened the book and read that for the first time, and they get to have that experience again.

Whitmore Rare Books is at 121 E. Union St. in Pasadena.

(Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.)

Betfred Super League

Wigan (24) 48

Tries: Eckersley 2, French, Marshall 2, Hodkinson, Eseh, Field Goals: Smith 8

Toulouse (18) 18

Tries: Ulberg, Tropis, Rouge Goals: Rouge 3

Try machine Zach Eckersley and Liam Marshall both scored twice as Wigan Warriors overpowered Toulouse Olympique 48-18 to make it 11 wins in a row to climb to second in Super League.

Eckersley took his try tally for the season to 33 and Wigan have won 10 successive Super League games for the first time since 2023 when they were Grand Final winners.

Bevan French was magnificent and he scored the Warriors’ second try, while Noah Hodkinson, Sam Eseh and Jai Field also went over.

Toulouse had their moments and fought back to level 18-18 just before half-time as they scored through Paul Ulberg, Romeo Tropis and Cesar Rouge.

More follows

Wigan: Field; Hodkinson, Eckersley, O’Loughlin, Marshall; French, Smith; Havard, O’Neill, Thompson, Walters, Partington, Ellis.

Interchanges: Mago, McDermott, Eseh, Kerr.

Toulouse: Polselli; Laguerre, Tropis, Quai-Ward, Ulberg; Lacans, Rouge; Butler, Hands, Belmas, Stefani, Grossemy, Cator.

Interchanges: Marion, Roumanos, Wallace, Garrigues.

Referee: Tom Grant.

Aug. 8 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate passed a stopgap funding bill Saturday that would fund the government through Dec. 11 to prevent a government shutdown in September.

The bill was put in place to avoid a shutdown before November’s midterm elections. It’s unclear if the bill will pass the House of Representatives. The Senate passed the bill in a bipartisan 90-6 vote, with Sen. Darline Graham , R-S.C., voting present.

The Senate is now on a five-week recess and is scheduled to return Sept. 14.

The House passed a similar bill on July 22.

The Senate bill includes a section that would bar President Donald Trump from transferring funds to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a provision that Democrats demanded.

It would also delay a ban on intoxicating hemp products, which is scheduled to go into effect in November. The ban was made law in November 2025 with a one-year delay. The law redefined hemp and would make most hemp products illegal, including CBD, Delta-9 and others. The new delay would push implementation back until December.

A group of Republican Senators, led by Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., tried to block the delay of the law, but failed.

“After three unnecessary lapses in funding during the fiscal year 2026 cycle, putting the possibility of yet another harmful shutdown off the table should be a priority for each and every one of us,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Collins is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Democrats lauded the measure to prevent backdoor funding of the Border Patrol.

“This is an important step forward to prevent a shutdown no one wants and provide the runway we need to negotiate funding bills in the months ahead as we fight to rein in Trump’s corruption and make life more affordable for families back home,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the committee.

The bill also blocks the Trump administration until the end of the stopgap from finalizing a rule that would put political appointees in charge of approving federal grants.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said this week that he’s going to “fight like hell” in December to ensure Congress doesn’t further block Trump’s grant overhaul.

Collins said she will “continue to oppose” the administration’s plans “because I think they politicize the grants process, and I don’t want that to occur.” Murray said she, too, would “welcome the fight.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, praised the Senate bill for including the grant and immigration enforcement language.

“This bill is a clear improvement over the House Republican continuing resolution, but we are still nearly two months away from the end of the fiscal year and should be working together to pass full-year funding bills,” she said in a statement.

After passing the funding legislation, the Senate narrowly approved the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general early Saturday morning.

The UK media has been accused of giving far-right leader Nigel Farage an easy ride. Now, social media influencers are fact checking his anti-immigration rhetoric. Nigel Farage resigned as an MP after an investigation into his finances triggering a by-election.
Al Jazeera’s Antoine Allen spoke to the influencers

THIS was the moment thousands of disappointed music fans were left drastically booing after an iconic music act’s gig was cut short.

Fans who had descended on Milton Keynes to see The Fugees perform were left stunned when the concert was pulled after less than an hour.

Sounds of boos echoed around the Milton Keynes National Bowl from disgruntled fans who were left saddended that the performance by Lauryn Hill and co. had been sensationally axed.

The venue was forced to end the concert early due to licensing restrictions which prevented it from continuing on past 11pm.

Lauryn Hill, 51, and Wyclef Jean, 56, took to the stage shortly after 10pm, following an introduction from comedian Dave Chappelle – leaving little time for them to complete their full performance.

Fans were left bitterly disappointed when the pair were unable to perform some of the group’s biggest hits, including their 1996 multi-platinum smash Killing Me Softly With His Song as a result of the venue curfew.

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The pair, who first reunited in London ahead of the music and arts festival, attempted to address the crowd but their microphones were switched off.

Moments later, the giant on-stage screens also went black at the 65,000-capacity venue.

Fan-shot footage showed the pair complain to the crew on stage, with Lauryn pleading to finish the set as boos rang out across the crowd.

Lauryn did remain on the stage, according to eyewitnesses, thanking fans as they broke into an impromptu a cappella rendition of her hit, Ready Or Not.

Speaking following the abrupt end to the show, Wyclef Jean told us: “We’re really sad how it ended.

“We was just getting started, so we’re hoping to continue next year.”

He added: “We had so much surprises on the line up and everybody showed up and we really felt the crowd, that love and that energy, it’s something that they need, something they feel, it just reminds you of unity.

“With so much division, the diaspora calling is just to remind everybody to come together.”

Prior to the disruption, Lauryn performed a packed set featuring tracks from her landmark 1998 debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, including Doo Wop (That Thing) and Ex-Factor.

She was also joined on stage by her sons, including Zion Marley and YG Marley — but some fans were left criticising the additional performances for eating into the Fugees’ already limited set time.

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a vote early Saturday, cementing the command of President Trump’s former personal lawyer at a Department of Justice that Trump has sought to bend to his will.

The Republican-led Senate voted 50 to 49 to make Blanche the second confirmed attorney general since Trump returned to the White House last year with a stated desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his political enemies. While Blanche has already been leading the department in an acting capacity, his confirmation could free him to pursue the administration’s agenda even more aggressively.

Blanche said on social media that he was “deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me,” adding that he was “grateful” to senators for working late to confirm him.

The vote followed a tumultuous confirmation fight that exposed deep concerns — from some Republicans as well as Democrats — about installing Trump’s close ally atop a Justice Department that historically prided itself on its independence from the White House.

In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — and by every Democrat.

The path to confirmation for Blanche was unusually rocky, due in large part to Republican concerns about a controversial settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS.

Under pressure, Blanche publicly promised in writing that the department would abandon Trump’s proposed $1.8-billion compensation fund for the president’s allies, including those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and rein in another piece of the settlement designed to shield Trump and his family from IRS tax audits.

His appeals were enough to win over Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, the decisive vote who threw his support behind Blanche on Friday morning. Cassidy said no other nominee may be able to run the department better under Trump and suggested Blanche’s role as Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer can make him more effective at resisting the Republican president’s demands.

“This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” said Cassidy, who lost his primary this year to a Trump-backed challenger.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said confirming Blanche would be a “serious mistake.” He begged his colleagues not to be on the “wrong side” of history.

“If there is ever a moment in history when we need an attorney general above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption, even at the highest level of our government, it’s right now,” Durbin said.

Loyalty to Trump

The vote capped off a bruising confirmation fight, with Blanche’s loyalty to Trump at the center of the stalemate.

Blanche was elevated to the top Justice Department post in an acting capacity after Trump fired Pam Bondi in April. Blanche moved swiftly to advance the president’s interests, accelerating investigations into Trump’s perceived foes and announcing the settlement that created the $1.8-billion “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate Trump allies who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided the president and his family members with immunity from tax audits.

The controversial settlement threatened to torpedo Blanche’s nomination until he formally rescinded the fund in writing under pressure from Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The deal reached between the senators and the department unlocked a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which advanced Blanche’s nomination earlier this week.

Even after the deal, Blanche faced opposition from some Republican senators concerned with the settlement fund and the tax audit immunity.

Murkowski announced early Friday that she would join Collins in opposing Blanche’s nomination, saying the country needs an attorney general “who will check the worst impulses of this administration.”

Former prosecutor rises as Trump’s defender

A former federal prosecutor in New York, Blanche rose to public prominence as a lead attorney on Trump’s defense team, including during Trump’s hush money trial in New York in which he was found guilty of felony fraud.

He also defended Trump against criminal charges in the two federal cases brought by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice, related to Trump’s attempts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election and his hoarding of classified documents at his home in Florida. Both cases were dropped after Trump won reelection in 2024, and despite the seriousness of the charges, Blanche said that experience provided him a firsthand look at what he claims was the weaponization of the criminal justice system against Trump.

Blanche entered the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general under Bondi, overseeing the agency’s day-to-day operations and serving as the public face for high-profile and controversial matters, like the release of millions of investigative files related to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Democrats have accused Blanche of prioritizing his loyalty to Trump above all else through investigations against perceived Trump foes such as former FBI Director James Comey and a radical reshaping of the department. Under Bondi and Blanche’s leadership, the department has lost thousands of employees through firings, resignations or voluntary departures.

Blanche’s supporters say his experience as a federal prosecutor and the trust he earned from Trump in the courtroom make him better equipped than Bondi to explain to the White House the legal constraints of its demands. Republicans have also touted his efforts to bring down violent crime, tackle illegal immigration and combat violent cartels and drug trafficking.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Judiciary Committee chairman, gave a full-throated endorsement of Blanche ahead of voting, saying he’s led the Justice Department with distinction. “Mr. Blanche is the right choice,” said Grassley (R-Iowa).

It is unclear whether Blanche will fare any better in delivering on Trump’s desire for retribution than Bondi, whom Trump fired amid resistance from judges, grand jurors and the department’s own workforce as prosecutors sought to establish criminal conduct by one Trump foe after another.

Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to indict Comey on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.” Comey’s lawyers are pressing to have the case dismissed, accusing the department of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements and withholding key facts.

Blanche has also appointed Joseph DiGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump. But it remains uncertain whether that inquiry will result in any criminal charges.

Durkin Richer and Mascaro write for the Associated Press. AP writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Kevin Freking and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

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Serbia and Ukraine have agreed to deepen economic cooperation, with both sides pledging to finalise a long-stalled free trade agreement by the end of the year as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic hosted his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Belgrade.

The commitment came on the final day of a two-day visit that concluded on Saturday, Zelenskyy’s first to Serbia since taking office in 2019. The two leaders have met several times previously, most recently in Kyiv on July 15.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Vucic said Serbia would support Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union and maintain its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, including territories seized by Russia since 2014.

Belgrade has, however, refused to impose sanctions on Russia, its longtime ally.

Ukraine, for its part, has not recognised Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence. Serbia considers Kosovo part of its territory.

“You have never heard a single bad word about our country, neither from Volodymyr Zelenskyy nor anyone else [in Ukraine], and I am extremely grateful to our Ukrainian friends for that,” Vucic said.

“Our cooperation is expanding and will become much bigger,” he told reporters, adding that Serbia would help rebuild Ukrainian cities damaged by Russia’s invasion.

Long-delayed free trade agreement

The proposed free trade agreement has been under discussion for more than two decades, with both countries now aiming to complete a deal by the end of the year.

The agreement is crucial to Serbia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization and is a prerequisite for its EU membership. Ukraine has blocked a deal since 2005 over quotas and tariffs affecting its agricultural sector.

Both leaders pointed to progress on the agreement as a sign of strengthening economic ties, alongside Serbian commitments to provide humanitarian aid and infrastructure and energy support to Ukraine this winter.

Zelenskyy said the two leaders had discussed joint infrastructure projects as well as cooperation on energy and food security before the winter, saying that “virtually not a single thermal power plant remains intact” in Ukraine because of Russian strikes.

He said Russian attacks had also damaged railway stations, hospitals, universities and civilian businesses, and thanked Serbia for preparing a new humanitarian aid package focused particularly on the medical and energy sectors.

“We are developing all formats of cooperation which can give our people … more resilience,” Zelenskyy said.

In a post on X on Saturday, Zelenskyy said he also discussed economic and logistics projects with Serbian Prime Minister Duro Macut, including the Danube Corridor and closer links between Ukraine, the Western Balkans and the EU.

Zelenskyy thanked Serbia for pledging 2 million euros ($2.3m) to support Ukraine’s energy sector.

The two countries also signed a memorandum on animal health and food safety, according to the Kyiv Post. The agreement was signed by Serbia’s Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamocic and Ukraine’s ambassador to Serbia, Oleksandr Lytvynenko.

Serbia balances EU ambitions and Russia ties

Vucic expressed doubts that either Serbia or Ukraine would secure rapid EU membership.

“I wish Ukraine every success, but this is not just a merit-based process,” he said, noting that the bloc has not admitted a new member since Croatia joined in 2013.

He also warned that he did not expect the war in Ukraine to end soon.

“I’m very afraid that we’re in for a very difficult winter – especially for Ukrainians,” Vucic said, according to the Kyiv Post.

Belgrade had condemned Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but it has resisted joining Western sanctions against Moscow. Serbia also remains dependent on Russia for most of its gas.

At the same time, Serbia has sought to reduce some of its military dependence on Russia, including through an agreement to replace its ageing Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets with French Rafale aircraft.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Serbia of selling ammunition that ultimately reached Ukraine through intermediaries. Belgrade has denied supplying ammunition to Ukraine, but has said it sells ammunition to buyers around the world.

Vucic and Zelenskyy said military cooperation was not discussed during the visit.

Authorities warn residents to be prepared to leave their homes as fast-moving wildfires spread across western Canada.

The district of Summerland in British Columbia has issued evacuation orders, as powerful wildfires continue to sweep across western Canada.

A state of emergency was declared early on Saturday morning, with thousands displaced from their homes as the Bald Range wildfire continues to burn out of control.

“Summerland and Faulder and Peachland. Tonight our hearts are heavy as we watch the Bald Range wildfire. The firefighters and first responders are doing an incredible job and my heart is with them, as well as all the evacuees and volunteers,” Amelia Boultbee, a Canadian MP representing Penticton-Summerland, wrote in a social media post on Friday night.

The district is home to about 12,000 people, according to the 2021 census. On Saturday, local officials announced that the area had lost power due to the fire and instructed residents to boil water.

Saturday morning’s evacuation orders affect the Peachland watershed, the Brenda Mines area, Lower Princeton and its downtown core areas, according Emergency Info BC, a provincial government service.

All residents were asked to prepare to leave immediately.

Canada has faced a summer of large wildfires, with blazes tearing across provinces such as Ontario and Quebec.

Scientists have said that climate change has worsened wildfire conditions in recent decades, with areas across the globe experiencing periods of extreme drought and heat.

In recent months, Canada and the United States experienced a record-setting heat dome that helped exacerbate wildfire conditions by drying out vegetation.

To the south of British Columbia, the US state of Washington also experienced large wildfires this month, contributing to poor air quality across the region.

Firefighting teams from countries such as Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand have all provided support to Canada. About 1,500 firefighters are currently deployed across British Columbia, which has issued 39 evacuation orders and 49 alerts.

British Columbia’s Premier David Eby said earlier this week that the western province has sufficient resources to deal with the fires and has additional firefighters and aircraft at its disposal.

“For those in the area, please keep following updates,” Eby said in a social media post on Friday night. “If asked to evacuate, go immediately. The conditions are changing extremely quickly.”

It has been revealed that Emmerdale star Lawrence Robb attended a dance school for years as he signs up for the next series of Strictly Come Dancing, returning in the autumn

The yearly debate on whether those with dance training should be allowed on Strictly Come Dancing is sure to be reignited now that it has been revealed that Lawrence Robb attended a dance school for two years.

Lawrence, who was the 12th celebrity announced for Strictly Come Dancing, is best known for playing McKenzie Boyd on Emmerdale, but from 2007-2009, he was a student at The Dance School of Scotland. Glasgow City Council shared a video message from the actor, 34, where he shared his dance experience.

In the message, he said: “I studied at Knightswood incorporating the Dance School of Scotland along with the musical theatre course back in 2007 and left in 2009.”

After adding that he then went to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he praised his dance teachers for the “care” they had for their students. “If it had not been for the nourishment and the care and the love that the teachers put into teaching us,” he said.

“I’ve made friends for life at that place, it is up there with the two best years of my life. It gave me a wonderful springboard into the world of musical theatre and it’s just a magical place to be. My experience there is what shaped me into the performer that I am today.”

As a musical theatre performer, Lawrence is thought to have had more professional dance experience than the average Strictly celebrity contestant. West End stars have often come under fire for taking part in the show – just last year, musical theatre star Amber Davies‘ involvement in the show was heavily criticised when she proved to be a strong contender for the glitterball.

Likewise, Layton Williams was criticised for taking part given his experience performing in the West End. Actors who did dance training whilst at drama school have also faced backlash, such as Danny Mac and Nigel Harman, as have those who have competed in dance competitions or worked as dancers in non-ballroom or latin styles, such as Lewis Cope and Tasha Ghouri.

Year after year, fans are split between those who feel that such celebrities are afforded an unfair advantage and those who say that Strictly would be boring without these dancers providing high-scoring performances.

Strictly stars have often hit back at backlash, stating that the celebrities with dance experience have no advantages as ballroom is a different style. Speaking about it to The Sun, professional dancer Lauren Oakley said: “It’s a completely different experience, my friend is ballet trained but she’s had to unlearn a lot of things in order to do Latin. It’s a completely different discipline and you have to almost it’s not a blank page, you have to unlearn it before you.”

Despite Lauren’s words, celebrities who have dance experience consistently score highly and make the final. For instance, just last year, the winner Karen Carney danced as a child, Amber Davies made the final and Lewis Cope was often topping the leaderboard.

This year, Lawrence is not he only Strictly celeb to take part with prior dance experience. Cach Mercer, who won Love Island last year, is trained in hip-hop and often teaches dance classes. Bethany Antonia is also a West End star who played Eurydice in Hadestown on stage.

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