25th

THEY rose to fame in the Noughties with No1 hit Pure And Simple.

Now, 25 years on, I can reveal that Hear’Say are reuniting for a huge reunion tour to celebrate the milestone.

The group formed on ITV reality television show Popstars and debuted in 2001.

Band members Kym Marsh, Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw, Noel Sullivan and Danny Foster split two years later after a couple of No1 singles and a chart-topping album.

But my sources tell me that I’m A Celebrity star Myleene will not be joining the reunion due to a schedule clash with her other commitments.

A source said: “The group have been asked multiple times over the years about a reunion but it was never the right time.

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“The 25th anniversary feels like a special moment to celebrate the success of the band and give something back to their fans. Myleene was invited but their diaries did not align.”

The band set tongues wagging this week as they reignited an Instagram page to tease their tour.

They posted a screen recording of a WhatsApp conversation between them, with Danny writing: “Wow . . . can you believe the response to that tour clip we posted?!”, referencing a video they had shared of an old performance. Suzanne replied: “I know right, amazing! Ahhh the memories . . . can you believe it was 25 years ago?!”

Noel said: “OK, so hear me out . . . ” Kym urged: “Go on,” before Noel added: “Fancy getting the band back together?”

Fans spotted how Myleene was included as a member of the group chat but her Instagram was not tagged and she did not send a message.

Myleene previously ruled out reuniting, saying: “If I go backwards, I won’t know who I am.

“I hope it works. I will be cheering the loudest.”

BIZ on Sunday is giving away two tickets to see Westlife in Birmingham this month.

The prize is for Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour on Saturday, October 17, at the Utilita Arena.

For your chance to win, email sundayfeatures@the-sun.co.uk and quote “Westlife” with your name, telephone number, email address and postal address.

Entries close at 11.59pm on Monday, October 5. T&Cs apply and can be found at thesun.co.uk.

GOLDEN CURL SABRINA

SABRINA CARPENTER shows off her golden locks in a new 1960s-themed haircare advert.

The Manchild hitmaker posed in a butter yellow mini dress to match her lush curls for the clip.

Sabrina, who is a global ambassador for Redken, said it is a “dream” to work with the brand.

She added: “Beauty, and especially my hair, is a big part of my identity.”

SHARON’S M25 ‘IRELAND’

Catastrophe star Sharon Horgan has landed a £250,000 payday to become the face of an airline.

The Irish actress filmed an ad for Ireland’s Aer Lingus to show off the beauty of the Emerald Isle – but eagle-eyed fans may notice it was set just a stone’s throw from the M25 in London.

I can reveal filming took place in Surrey’s Virginia Water, which boasts a lake, 30-foot waterfall and tree-lined pathways.

A source said: “Virginia Water is the backdrop, which gives the illusion of Ireland’s stunning scenery. It is an odd decision given how close Virginia Water is to London Heathrow.

“They could have jetted over to Ireland in less than an hour to film the advert there.”

Virginia Water is at the edge of Windsor Great Park, which is managed by The Crown Estate.

Sounds like a right royal mix up.

CHRIS’S BIG STORY ENDING

HIT drama Small Town, Big Story will not be back for a second series.

The show, which featured Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks, was a big success for Sky Atlantic when it aired last year.

But Irish actor and comedian Chris O’Dowd who created the show, says he’s too busy to make more.

At the opening night of play Hay Fever in the West End, he told me: “Getting everybody together is tricky with such a strong cast.”

He is now focusing on other projects, adding: “I’m going to be writing something else.

“I want to do more stuff in Ireland. All will be revealed.”

MICAH & GINGE LINING UP

ANGRY GINGE and Micah Richards are set to become the new Ant and Dec after filming a pilot for a Netflix gameshow called The Line.

The hilarious programme focuses on our love of queuing and sees contestants compete to win a cash prize of £250,000.

It’s set to be one of Angry Ginge’s biggest TV gigs since he won I’m A Celeb last year.

A source said: “The duo had so much fun filming and are hoping the show gets greenlit for a series.”

I hope content creators the Bov Boys don’t mind Micah nicking their head honcho.

LOUIS MANE ATTRACTION AFTER SPLIT

FORMER Olympic gymnast Louis Smith has signed up for dating app Hinge.

It comes after I revealed that the 2012 Strictly champion had split from jazz dancer Charlie Bruce.

On the app, Louis has revealed that he is Christian and is looking for monogamy.

He has also included a snap of him in his Carwash costume on ITV show The Masked Dancer, which he won in 2021.

A source said: “Louis and Charlie are focused on co-parenting their young daughters.

“Louis signed up for the app when he felt the time was right and is hoping to find new connections.”

Louis also made a flirty reference on Hinge to his skills on the pommel horse, which earned him three Olympic medals during his sporting career.

A note on his profile says: “Dating me is like . . . Riding a wild horse but on the world’s most comfortable saddle.”

Sounds like Louis is cantering into the dating pool.

DEJA VU have been given the seal of approval from The Pussycat Dolls.

Nicole Scherzinger has invited the girls to join her group on the European dates of their PCD Forever tour.

Deja Vu reached the semi-finals of The Voice in 2023.

Carolina said: “It still feels like a dream.”

ROCHELLE IS PERFECT MATCHA

ROCHELLE HUMES looked like the cat who got the cream as she launched her new venture.

Holding what appears to be an iced matcha, the ex-Saturdays singer wore a trench coat and matching top to promote beauty brand Eulah.

The “cashmere coconut lip blanket” is my fave.

Sept. 11, 2026 11:58 AM PT

WASHINGTON — President Trump observed Friday’s 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at a ceremony at the Pentagon by commemorating the lives lost when Al Qaeda militants hijacked planes and killed nearly 3,000 people in three locations and upended American foreign policy and national security.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump listened as the names of the 184 people killed at the Pentagon that day were read aloud, a bell tolling between each. In his remarks, Trump recounted the stories of several of the victims and insisted that the moment has led to a fortification of American resolve.

“We will never, ever forget,” Trump said. “That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice.”

Earlier, in a downpour at daybreak, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top military officials stood outside and watched as a giant American flag was unfurled on the building struck by one of those planes a quarter-century ago.

It was the second year in a row that Trump observed the day at the Pentagon. The president, who is originally from New York, last attended the ground zero ceremony there in 2024.

Vice President JD Vance attended the New York observance alongside former presidents, while other administration officials took part in the ceremony in Shanksville, Pa. Vance had planned to be in New York for the anniversary last year but instead flew to Salt Lake City to be with the family of Charlie Kirk after the conservative activist was fatally shot.

Widow calls on Trump to reconsider relations with Saudis

At one point during the solemn remembrance in New York City, a woman whose husband died in the attacks criticized Saudi Arabia and called on the Trump administration to rethink the United States’ tight relationship with the kingdom.

Terry Strada, who lost her husband Tom Strada on 9/11, called on Trump to “tell the Saudis to stop lying” and accused U.S. presidents of choosing “to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families.”

Strada, who was one of the 9/11 family members who read aloud the names of victims at this year’s remembrance, added that the current administration should “stand with the families, stand with the survivors.”

“It has been one betrayal after another. President Trump can still change that,” she said before calling on Vance to “carry that message back” to Washington.

Strada is part of a group of family members of 9/11 victims embroiled in a long-running lawsuit against the Saudis. They allege a group of extremist religious leaders in Saudi Arabia gained influence in the Saudi government and aided the hijackers. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, but the Saudi government has long denied any involvement in the attacks.

Trump and Hegseth try to bridge 9/11 and Iran war

Trump began his remarks by recalling the sense of American unity following the attacks. “In those harrowing days after the attacks, we saw the authentic spirit of our nation,” Trump said. “We were all New Yorkers that day. Every one of us. We were all New Yorkers. We were all family.”

The president and his Defense secretary sought to connect the events of 9/11 to the war with Iran. Trump saluted the service members “working right now to ensure the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror — the Islamic Republic of Iran — will never, ever have a nuclear weapon.”

Hegseth used the moment to make the case that the U.S. military had “laid waste to the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism” with the war against Iran.

“Our warriors have fought an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century, that cheered on 9/11, a regime that has sponsored terrorist attacks against Americans for decades, killing thousands, including our comrades in Iraq, in Afghanistan,” Hegseth added.

Officials wonder if 9/11 could have been thwarted

At Friday’s commemorations, there was also a measure of reflection about whether 9/11, the deadliest attack on the U.S., could have been prevented.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin at a ceremony at his agency’s headquarters said it was a moment to consider the success of his department, which was established following the attacks and has “prevented it from happening again.”

Still, Mullin noted that Osama bin Laden, architect of the attacks, had fired “warning shots” in the years prior to 9/11 about his intent to carry out a major strike on the U.S. The U.S. national security apparatus certainly had “failures along the way,” Mullin said.

Condoleezza Rice, who was serving as White House national security advisor on 9/11, participated in Friday’s commemoration at the Pentagon. In her remarks, she acknowledged that she still feels deep pain that “those of us in authority on that day did not see the nature of the danger in time to prevent the attack of 9/11.”

“I will always carry deep personal remorse for the pain that you, the families of the fallen, still feel, and for the trauma that our country endured,” Rice said.

Binkley, Madhani and Kinnard write for the Associated Press. AP writers Anthony Izaguirre and Sagar Meghani contributed to this report.

A quarter-century after the attacks on September 11, 2001, officials across the United States have taken part in tributes and memorials to honour the 2,977 victims and those who risked their lives as part of the rescue efforts.

The incident is considered the deadliest “terrorist” attack in US history.

Four planes were hijacked. Two crashed into the World Trade Center, causing its Twin Towers to collapse. A third struck the Pentagon outside Washington, DC. And the fourth plummeted into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew rose against their attackers.

Through social media messages, public speeches and appearances at ceremonies, US leaders on Friday took different approaches to remembering the lives of the thousands who perished on the fateful day.

Here’s what they said:

US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump chose to stay in Washington, DC, to observe the 25th anniversary.

During the attacks, 184 people died near the capital when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US military.

Trump opted not to attend a Friday ceremony at the World Trade Center site in New York, where all his living presidential predecessors were in attendance.

His vice president, JD Vance, travelled to New York instead. The ceremony at the World Trade Center has a policy of not allowing political speeches.

In his remarks at the Pentagon, Trump described what happened as “true evil”. He also paid tribute to those who died in the attacks.

“We will honour their lives, we will cherish their beautiful memories, and we will protect this country and its freedoms for every future generation,” Trump said.

The president also praised US troops as he appeared to link the 9/11 attacks with his administration’s war against Iran.

“We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory,” Trump said.

“We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror – the Islamic Republic of Iran – will never, ever have a nuclear weapon,” he later added.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also spoke at the Pentagon, delivering his remarks shortly before Trump’s.

He warned the audience to practice “eternal vigilance” against what he called continued threats.

“There are still enemies who hate us. Every day, enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens, including from Islamic terrorists abroad and at home,” he said.

He proceeded to seemingly use the 9/11 attacks as justification for the US-Israeli war against Iran, which started on February 28.

“Over the past six months, we have laid waste to the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism,” Hegseth said, referring to Iran. “Our warriors have fought an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century, that cheered on 9/11.”

He went on to claim that the US military has destroyed Iran’s defences and that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for international trade.

Iran has stopped commercial traffic through the strait since the start of the war.

“We’re still sending terrorists where they belong, to hell, and tankers to the bottom of the ocean where they belong,” Hegseth said. “And we’re ensuring that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. The economic pressure tightens every day. We control the strait. We will finish this fight.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the New York memorial service, alongside the city’s former mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who led the city through the attacks.

Before the event started, Giuliani shook hands with the mayor, despite previously calling on Mamdani not to attend the event.

Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, had recently come under fire from some conservative politicians and victims’ family members who said his presence at the memorial would offend them.

A Change.org petition garnered more than 100,000 signatures from those who wished to express concern about Mamdani’s participation.

Like all politicians attending the service at the National September 11 Memorial, Mamdani was not permitted to speak.

Instead, the mayor released a video on social media remembering those who were killed and challenging the public to honour their memory by doing good works.

“Twenty-five years later, we have a sacred obligation to those who were stolen from us. To care for one another as they cared for strangers. To live lives worthy of the sacrifices they made. And to build a city worthy of their courage. A city where we run toward one another,” Mamdani said.

“That is how we’ll remember.”

On Tuesday, Mamdani also released a trove of previously undisclosed documents suggesting city officials tried to downplay – or even mislead – first residents about the dangerous air quality following the attacks.

US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed

Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed took to the social media platform X to honour the lives lost during what he described as a “cruel act of terror”.

El-Sayed is locked in a tight midterm race in Michigan against his Republican opponent, former US Representative Mike Rogers.

Michigan’s open Senate seat is considered a must-win seat for Democrats, if they hope to take back control of the US Senate.

Rogers has sought to create controversy over El-Sayed’s past comments about the September 11 attacks. He has pointed to audio of El-Sayed reportedly saying, “9/11 scarred our country in profound ways, but what we did after 9/11 scarred millions of other people.”

During the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, Rogers blasted El-Sayed, who is Muslim, for being sympathetic to terrorists. He also sought to highlight El-Sayed’s links to left-wing internet commentator Hasan Piker.

“I never imagined that, 25 years after 9/11, I would be running against somebody who campaigns with Hasan Piker, who thinks America deserved it,” Rogers said. “Yep, but here we are.”

On Friday, however, El-Sayed used his social media post to push back against Rogers’s attacks.

“Nothing can justify the murder of innocent civilians. Nothing,” El-Sayed wrote.

He also called on Americans to help build a country that was “more inclusive, more empowering, more just” in tribute to the lives lost.

“They didn’t just attack America that day. They attacked the idea of America,” El-Sayed said of the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers who participated in the attacks.

“The notion of a nation brought together by ideals where it doesn’t matter how you pray or if you pray at all. A place where freedom and commitment to justice bind us, even if at times we struggle to fully realise it.”