admits

RIVERSIDE — It would not have been an easy reelection bid in any case for freshman Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Riverside), who barely made it to Congress two years ago.

But now Calvert’s biggest reelection hurdle may be his own indiscretions, which also could pose a problem in surviving even his own party’s June primary.

The reason: After months of denying it, Calvert, 40, has admitted having sex in his car one night last November with a woman who police say is a known prostitute.

Initially, Calvert–a member of a prominent Riverside County family–said he was doing nothing wrong with the woman when police saw them together on a Corona street.

Corona police said simply that the congressman was spotted sitting in his car with a female, that there was no criminal activity and that after a few words the congressman drove off.

But the Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper went to court to press Corona for release of confidential police reports that had been prepared by officers who were sensitive to the fact that they had a street-level encounter with their local congressman.

The city was ordered to release the report, which indicated that there had been evidence of a sex act under way, and an embarrassed Calvert responded with a prepared statement.

“My conduct that evening was inappropriate,” he said–not because it was illegal, but because “it violated the values of the person I strive to be.” He admitted that he was caught in “an extremely embarrassing situation.”

He said he did not pay for the sex. He said he “panicked and tried to drive away” when the officers confronted him, but “came to my senses” and cooperated with them.

Corona Police Capt. John Dalzell said Calvert was not detained or arrested because “while the officer saw certain things, he didn’t see everything necessary to support a finding that a crime was committed.” Dalzell said there was no witness to an exchange of money for services, and neither party claimed to be a victim.

Dalzell said Calvert did not try to exert influence to avoid arrest. He said the officer’s decision not to pursue the matter “wasn’t a close call. He didn’t even call for a supervisor.”

In his explanation for his conduct that night, Calvert said he had come back from a rough week in Washington and was reeling from his father’s suicide a year earlier, as well as his wife’s request for a divorce, which had been granted just a few weeks before.

“I was feeling intensely lonely,” he said. “I realize now that this, or a similar incident, was probably inevitable.”

Calvert, who worked in commercial real estate before his election to Congress in 1992, was expected to coast to his party’s nomination this year to represent western Riverside County in Washington. His opponent in the primary, conservative Joe Khoury, 47, a professor of finance at UC Riverside, ran second behind Calvert in the primary two years ago but thinks he can prevail this time.

“I thought he was vulnerable, even before this incident,” Khoury said. “Riverside is conservative, and voters’ reaction to this is not pleasant. It plays differently here than it would in, say, Los Angeles.”

Calvert’s campaign manager, Ed Slevin, agreed that Calvert will have his hands full winning the primary because of the Corona incident. “I assume he’s more vulnerable in June among conservative Republicans than he’ll be in November,” he said. “I think that, by then, it’ll be considered old news.”

If Calvert wins the primary, his Democratic challenger is expected to be Mark Takano, a high school history and English teacher and trustee of the Riverside Community College District. Takano lost to Calvert by a little more than 500 votes in 1992, and is expected to handily win his party’s nomination in June against a single challenger.

Takano scolded Calvert for not coming clean earlier about the Corona incident. “Mr. Calvert has only himself to blame for his becoming a bigger issue than putting people back to work, fighting crime and improving our schools,” Takano said.

Democratic Party strategists said that, even before Calvert’s encounter with the woman in Corona, the 43rd Congressional District seat had been targeted for turnover because of what they characterized as Calvert’s lackluster performance in Washington during his first stint there and his vulnerability back home.

Jamie Vardy had left Cremonese after one season with them relegated from Serie A and his time in Italy a struggle for the family in terms of finding schools and home comfort foods.

Pensive Rebekah Vardy admits the future for her family is up in the air after their return from Italy – as her husband weighs up where to play football next.

The Mirror told yesterday how Jamie Vardy had left Cremonese after one season with them relegated from Serie A and his time in Italy a struggle for the family in terms of finding schools and home comfort foods.

On their future she joked: “Is there ever a f**king plan?” Before she went on to say she did not see Jamie returning to Leicester City. Other reports suggest he could join Sheffield Wednesday or go to play in the Netherlands or even return to the Premier League.

In an interview with the Times to promote their new ITV reality series about their time in Italy, Rebekah spoke of her public persona after losing the Agatha Christie trial against Coleen Rooney.

She said: “I accept that I am very Marmite. I’ve been portrayed as a villain since I met Jamie — they called me a gold-digger and said I’d leave when his football career ended — and to an extent I’ve played up to being that villain.

“I don’t do emotions; that’s genuine. Someone once said I have a ‘resting bitch face’ and I ran with it. It gets me into trouble because my face doesn’t portray the feelings I have inside. I am not a bitch. I find it hard to show vulnerability because of my childhood [Vardy’s family were Jehovah’s Witnesses], and the church forces you to suppress how you feel.

“That cycle is hard to break. So yes, I do come across as cold, but when you look at the bigger picture there’s a reason. At the same time, I am not a victim. I will not play the victim card.”

She also says abuse from trolls and losing the court case against Coleen, leaving her with legal bills of millions of pounds, have taken their toll in the past.

Rebekah added: “There were times when I questioned the point of existing. I didn’t want to be here any more. It was a horrendous time. What got me through was the life we have together and our children. Always the kids. They are our world.”

ITV will next week profile the family’s time in Italy in three-part series The Vardys. The new ITV documentary was supposed to celebrate a great new chapter in their life.

But instead the cameras show Rebecca struggling to find accommodation and schools for their children; Olivia, six, Finley, nine, Sofia 12, Taylor 16.

It was not the Italian dream they hoped for and lasted less time than expected. Once positive is Rebekah will get Jamie at home this Summer as at 39 he is too old to make it into the England squad.

And she insists she won’t miss not being at the World Cup. She said: “It’s actually quite lonely. You go to support your husband or boyfriend but you don’t get to be near them very much. And Russia was terrifying. It was not an easy place to be.”

* The Vardys airs at 9pm on Tuesday June 2nd on ITV1 & ITVX. All three episodes will be immediately available to stream as a boxset online.

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MOLLY-MAE Hague has hit back at trolls and said she’s been “humbled” after being mocked for her outfit at Venezuela Fury’s wedding.

The influencer, 27, attended the high profile nuptials of Venezuela, 16, and Noah Price, 19, in a black top with cutaway details, smart black trousers, heels and a slicked-back bun in her blonde tresses. 

Molly’s partner Tommy Fury, 27, the brother of boxer and father-of-the-bride Tyson Fury, 37, was working away – she did all of this single-handedly.

But some trolls took aim at Molly’s outfit and slammed her for not making an effort, while others said she shouldn’t have worn black to a wedding.

Molly, who is 37 weeks pregnant, has now responded to the criticism as she defended herself and said her attendance was very last minute.

Speaking on her latest YouTube vlog, Molly said: “We had Venezuela’s wedding two days ago now, it was touch and go whether we were going to go.

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“I got severely humbled in the comments, which to be fair I don’t know why I didn’t expect because the whole time I was saying to myself, if I do go and I haven’t given birth by then, I was like ‘I don’t care what I look like’.

“Bambi was asked to be a bridesmaid and I wanted to honour that and be there for the family and just show up because obviously if you can, that’s what you do.”

Molly said she was called out for her appearance on the day but said she wanted the spotlight to be on Venezuela and Noah, and not her.

“I did actually put a bit of thought into it, I did get that jumpsuit tailored and everything,” Molly continued.

“But the hair, I actually had my hair done in the morning, I had this gorgeous bun but I ended up taking the bun out and slicking by hair back and you can see my hair bobble and my roots.

“My hair is a different conversation at the minute, it’s grown so much to the point that I except that I have to be a brunette.

“I did have a bit of a spiral yesterday morning, I don’t know why I didn’t think that… I should have thought that there would be pictures and videos that will come out because in my head I was thinking about the wedding and obviously it’s their day and about them.

“I’m so so so glad we went because it was such a nice day and I fear that Bambi will never ever get over it.”

Molly also addressed her choice of outfit colour which divided fans.

She said: “Also, since when is it not acceptable to wear black to a wedding because I genuinely never though that guys.

“I saw the comments saying ‘I can’t believe she wore black’, I didn’t know you couldn’t wear black to a wedding.

“I know technically it’s a funeral colour but as long as it’s not white and it’s smart, but anyway I can only be described as Bambi’s chaperone for the wedding.

“There was not one part of me that thought about what I was going to look like.”

Bambi was one of 13 bridesmaids, who matched Mother of the Bride Paris Fury in the same blue hue.

In one sweet photo, Bambi is seen being held by Venezuela who Molly dubbed ‘beautiful bridey’ in the caption.

Another photo saw Bambi pucker up for a kiss with her mum, who wore ablack jumpsuit, with a floral mesh style top for the occasion.

The tot was also seen looking with awe at Venezuela and groom Noah’s incredible blue cake that was almost three times the height of her.

The cake boasted five tiers and was accompanied with an impressive blue and yellow floral display.

“WOW,” read Molly’s caption as Bambi gazed up at the towering creation.

Venezuela stunned in a lace fishtail wedding dress with elaborate sleeves and a train spanning 50ft.

Paris revealed the real reason Tommy did not attend the wedding.

Irish media personality Vogue Williams told her sister, Amber, she’d crossed paths with Joanna Lumley, the Absolutely Fabulous star, at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Vogue Williams has admitted she “considered it” as she opened up about a moment she “stared hard” at Joanna Lumley. Her remarks came during a recent chat with her sister, Amber Wilson, in which Vogue revealed she ran into the Absolutely Fabulous star at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Held on the banks of the River Thames, the world-renowned flower show aims to “inspire, educate and excite visitors about horticulture” — and it often attracts famous faces and members of the Royal Family.

Among the star-studded line-up this year were King Charles and Queen Camilla, Sir David Beckham, artist Grayson Perry, Strictly Come Dancing‘s Dianne Buswell, TV star Myleene Klass, and presenters Angela Rippon and Ruth Langsford.

Vogue was left starstruck when she spotted Great British Bake Off legend Mary Berry. Vogue told the Vogue & Amber podcast: “Anyway, so the flower show. So, we’re just walking around the flower show. There’s Mary Berry.

“There’s bloody Mary Berry in front. No, don’t say bloody that. You can’t say that in front of her name. God. God. There’s Queen Mary Berry. She’s so slight and lovely and petite and just looked so… like, she looked gorgeous.”

Elaborating on her encounter with Joanna, she added: “And then took…took a lot of might not to go up to her. A lot of might. And I mean we stared hard; Joanna Lumley.”

A clearly impressed Amber noted that she would have “made an exception” to snag a photo with Joanna. But Vogue explained that she didn’t like “interrupting people”.

She added: “We did. We considered it. We did. And we stared…we stared her down as hard as we could, but I just… I feel like… I feel like there’s, I don’t know. I just liked…

“I don’t like interrupting people when they’re just trying to have a nice time. You know what I mean?”

Amber suggested that Joanna would have “liked that”, although she admitted that she didn’t think the actress’ personality was similar to the characters she has played over the years.

As the pair shared a laugh while recounting an old episode of Absolutely Fabulous, Amber described the series as an “absolute banger”.

In other news, Vogue, who is expecting her fourth child with husband Spencer Matthews, recently dubbed him a “sicko” as she made a swipe at the former Made in Chelsea star.

Speaking to Amber on a separate instalment of the podcast, the Irish media personality said: “When I got pregnant, my knickers all got too small for me. I had to borrow Amber’s knickers.”

Amber jokingly suggested that her sister would have to lend Spencer’s underwear before revealing he “doesn’t wear boxers”. Vogue replied: “Spenny just goes around rubbing his bum on his trousers, what a sicko.”

WASHINGTON — Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), one of two acknowledged homosexuals in the House of Representatives, admitted Friday that he had employed a male prostitute as a personal aide, but he said that he fired him after learning that the congressman’s Capitol Hill apartment was being used as a house of prostitution.

Frank said he met the man, whom he identified as Steve Gobie, through an ad in a Washington gay newspaper in 1985 and paid to have sex with him. The Massachusetts congressman, who at the time had not made his public acknowledgement that he was gay, said he later hired Gobie as a chauffeur and housekeeper with the hope of reforming a troubled young man with a history of petty crime and prostitution.

‘I Was Victimized’

“I hired him out of a charitable impulse. I thought I was going to be a liberal who got involved directly with an individual who needed help,” Frank told reporters in Boston on Friday. “ . . . I was victimized. I misjudged his character.”

Frank was responding to a front page story Friday in the Washington Times headlined, “Sex Sold Out of Congressman’s House,” that included the young man’s description of his former relationship with Frank.

Frank said he paid Gobie about $20,000 a year in his own funds. According to the newspaper, the congressman wrote letters on Gobie’s behalf to Virginia probation authorities. Gobie was on probation after being convicted in 1982 of four felonies, including cocaine possession and production of obscene items involving juveniles.

In August, 1987, Frank said he fired Gobie and ended their relationship after his landlady alerted him to the prostitution business being run out of his basement apartment several blocks from the Capitol.

House Democratic leaders were quick to come to Frank’s defense.

Foley Offers Backing

“There is no more able, articulate and effective member of the House of Representatives than Barney Frank,” House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.) said in a statement. “He has provided outstanding service to his constituency and the nation, and I’m absolutely confident he will continue to do so long after this matter has been forgotten.”

Despite Foley’s statement of support, several politicians raised the possibility that the House Ethics Committee may choose to investigate Frank’s conduct as unbecoming of a House member.

Just last month, Frank was one of three House members to ask the Ethics Committee to investigate sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. Gus Savage (D-Ill.). A Peace Corps worker has accused Savage of making sexual advances during an official trip to Zaire.

Frank said he intends to run for reelection next year and does not believe the Gobie incident would undermine his campaign. “I don’t believe it shows me as unethical,” he said. “I believe it shows me as gullible.”

Frank, who publicly acknowledged his homosexuality in 1987, has faced only token opposition in recent elections. Since 1980, he has represented a Massachusetts district that extends west from Boston’s Back Bay through the generally liberal, affluent suburbs of Brookline and Newton and then veers south to the blue collar, old textile towns such as Fall River.

In 1983, another Massachusetts Democratic congressman, Gerry E. Studds, admitted having sex with a male page employed by the House. His Cape Cod constituents also have continued to elect him overwhelmingly.

Dorothy Reichard, an aide to Frank in Boston, said the several dozen calls to his office have been overwhelmingly supportive. “I think people feel he’s an excellent congressman who’s done his job, even though he may have used poor judgment in this instance,” Reichard said.

Rylan Clark made a candid admission about his divorce from Dan Neal on ITV’s The Assembly

Rylan Clark has candidly opened up about his split from ex-husband Dan Neal.

The 37-year-old TV personality is the latest famous face to take on ITV’s The Assembly, as the candid interview series wraps up its second run.

This extended series has also welcomed beloved figures including Sir Stephen Fry, former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, comedy icon Sir Lenny Henry, actor Anna Maxwell Martin, and rapper Aitch.

The famous faces have to answer an unflinching series of questions that go beyond anything typically asked on traditional chat shows, press tours or even political interrogations. Rylan’s episode airs on ITV1 and ITVX at 10pm on Sunday (May 24), where he confronts difficult questions about his divorce.

The presenter parted ways with his husband Dan in 2021 following six years of marriage. Rylan has been open about what led to the separation, acknowledging his infidelity during the early stages of their relationship, reports the Express.

In the upcoming episode of The Assembly, a man named Cameron asks Rylan: “When you told your husband you cheated on him, he divorced you. Is honesty always the best policy?”

The question clearly catches Rylan off guard, prompting him to respond: “Oh wow,” before continuing: “Yeah, I think it is. I’m okay admitting I’m in the wrong, because actually I don’t deal well with guilt and I don’t deal well with secrets. It made me so ill, like so ill. It sounds a terrible thing to say, but I’m glad it happened.”

Cameron follows up with: “What do you miss about Dan, if anything?”

Rylan pauses to collect his thoughts before responding: “Do you know, I never think about him. So, this is like, my whole body just went [tense]. I miss feeling like I’ve got it all. I thought I had life done – I’ve got the job, I’ve got the family, I’ve got the marriage, I’ve got the car, I’ve got the house.

“I thought I had it sussed. I didn’t have anything sussed. I didn’t know what was a real relationship, and I can look back now and know that I don’t regret anything. I don’t regret anything, so I’ll leave that up to your imagination.”

During a break from filming, Rylan is seen getting his make-up done. He says to the make-up artist: “I’m so glad I did this. But yeah, [the] Dan questions, I was like [surprised] – I don’t even say his name.”

The television personality goes on to openly reflect on the collapse of his marriage and the subsequent breakdown he went through.

“When my marriage ended, you know that term when someone says, ‘To pull the rug from under you?’ That’s the only way I can describe it. It’s like someone went like that and I fell over, and I couldn’t get back up. [It was] like I broke both my arms and legs,” he reveals.

“I thought I wasn’t going to get out of it. I went back to live with my mum because I didn’t want to be in my house, because there were too many memories of things in there.”

Rylan is currently in a relationship with Kennedy Bates, who works in the fairground industry. The couple went public with their relationship after Rylan posted snaps of their sun-soaked Maldives holiday back in January.

Speaking on The Assembly, he reveals: “When I first started dating Kennedy, and I told [my mum] about him, she was like, ‘He’s handsome,’ and he is handsome. And then she was like, ‘So, has anything happened?’ And I’m like, ‘Shut up! Shut up!'”

Rylan’s episode of The Assembly will air at 10pm on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday, May 24

The brand new show is perfect for Rich House Poor House fans

A teenager has admitted “I really do not want to do this” after being stunned by a school’s strict regime during Channel 5‘s explosive new series.

Last week, Channel 5 launched a brand new show that was dubbed the perfect watch for fans of Rich House Poor House.

Titled Trading Places, the show takes a new group of young people each week out of their comfort zone and plunges them into a completely different life.

Tonight’s instalment (May 17) saw three 18 year olds, who have given up on education, as they were taken to one of Britain’s most elite and traditional private boarding schools – Christ College in Brecon.

A synopsis teased: “Three 18-year-olds who’ve given up on education bed down in one of Britain’s most elite and traditional private boarding schools, where excellent results and respect count for everything.”

Following Shadiya from Bristol, Molly from Essex and Danny from London, the synopsis continued: “For the next week, these three reluctant sixth formers will be bedding down in Christ College, a prestigious private boarding school in Brecon.

“Established by King Henry VIII, it’s one of the oldest schools in Wales and believes in getting results ‘the Brecon Way’. The strict rules and fierce competition will be a real test for its newest pupils.”

The students were forced out of their comfort zone as they re-entered a classroom for the first time in a while, but for Molly, things soon became a struggle.

Molly, a part time retailer from Essex, was distraught on GCSE results day when she found out she had only passed three subjects, leaving her with a very negative view of education. A post showing the moment she opened her results was viewed by more than 20 million people online.

On the show, Molly was recruited in the school’s chapel choir due to her musical background, but was soon seen struggling to read the sheet music and sing in French, leaving her deflated.

During practice, the 18-year-old was stunned as she admitted she struggled to keep up. Speaking to producers, she added: “When I heard I had choir practise, I was so happy, and then wow that is something different. I couldn’t sing in French and I just felt so awkward the whole time.”

She later said: “Music is literally the most important thing ever to me and that made music miserable.”

In a further revelation, Molly said on her diary cam: “Everyone is really polite which feels slightly odd. I feel like I haven’t really seen anyone express themselves properly.

“They’ve all kind of got the same humour, same kind of mannerisms, same attitude, it kind of feels like a cult.”

The next day, when it came to the performance, Molly continued to feel the nerves as she admitted: “Yesterday I was thinking about just walking out of the choir, I was like no I cannot do this.”

Getting dressed in a striking red robe, Molly could be heard telling the group: “I really don’t want to do this guys.”

However, despite her nerves, Molly performed in the chapel choir and was proud of her achievements. She told producers: “Being judged is something that really does scare me and concern me.

“I got bullied in Year 7 to 8 and that really did just ruin my time at school. I just felt really uncomfortable around everyone in a classroom watching me.”

Trading Places is available to watch on Channel 5.

Richard Madeley has been married to fellow TV presenter Judy Finnigan for almost 40 years, but the couple have been sleeping in separate rooms due to one particular reason

Richard Madeley has revealed the heartfelt reason behind why he sleeps in a separate bedroom from Judy Finnigan. The 69 year old Good Morning Britain presenter shot to stardom alongside Judy during the 1980s when the couple fronted ITV’s This Morning, before launching their own show, Richard and Judy, on Channel 4.

The pair first crossed paths in 1982, while both were married to different partners, but their romance flourished and 39 years ago today (November 21) they tied the knot in Manchester. They share two children, Jack and Chloe Madeley, while Richard is also stepfather to Judy’s two eldest sons, Dan and Tom Henshaw, from her previous marriage.

Richard and Judy, who turns 78 today (Saturday, May 16), ran from 2001 to 2009 before declining ratings led to its cancellation by television channel Watch. Judy later became a regular panellist on ITV’s Loose Women while Richard joined Good Morning Britain. However, a decade ago, Judy made the major decision to step back from television – which has resulted in them sleeping separately.

And Richard says his wife is “really enjoying” her break from the cameras. Meanwhile, he continues presenting GMB alongside journalist Susanna Reid. Though he recently took time off from the programme, informing followers he was “operating at 80 per cent” after contracting Covid.

Hosting ITV’s flagship morning programme means early rises for Richard. With GMB broadcasting from 6am, he regularly retreats to the spare room so his wife can enjoy a few extra hours of sleep. The beloved presenter lifted the lid on their bedtime arrangements during an appearance on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast.

He explained: “When I’m doing Good Morning Britain I sleep in the spare room. I do probably sleep a little bit better in bed with Judy but I’m okay on my own.” When asked whether he’d consider waking Judy up early instead, he added: “I wouldn’t think of doing that to Judy. Apart from anything else, Judy and her sleep, you do not mess with,” reports the Manchester Evening News.

Kate revealed that fellow early-morning broadcaster Amol Rajan claims he “sleeps better” with his wife beside him — meaning the couple, who have four children all under the age of seven, must rise at the crack of dawn whenever he presents the Today programme. Richard quipped: “Amol Rajan’s wife must be a saint.”

He added: “We did This Morning, but the difference between me and Amol there is that Judy and I would get up at the same time. The alarm would go off, we’d both get up and roll into our jeans, get in the car, and drive to Liverpool to do the show, and then when we were in London, drive down to the Southbank.

So we went to bed at the same time and woke up at the same time.” Richard and Judy first crossed paths in the 1980s while working on separate Granada TV programmes. Richard recalls hearing that Judy was “dicing [an executive] into small cubes with her tongue” following his “something sexist” remark. Speaking to the Guardian in 2014, he said: “I thought, wow – I’m going to marry her.”

Richard has recently disclosed that Judy initially harboured doubts about his capabilities as a stepfather. Speaking to Busted’s Matt Willis on the On the Mend podcast, Richard revealed that Judy made clear she came as a “three-pack” alongside twins Dan and Tom. To thoroughly assess his feelings about the relationship, Richard jetted off to Greece for some soul-searching.

He spent a fortnight in the Mediterranean nation reflecting “quite deeply” on his future, though the tale would eventually reach a happy ending. Richard explained: “So, I went off on my own. I went off to Greece for two weeks on a kind of a solo holiday to think about it, because I didn’t want to rush – well, I wasn’t rushing – but I didn’t want to make that mistake.”

Richard says the period apart from Judy helped him recognise that he was “quite comfortable” taking on a role in the boys’ lives. He added: “I didn’t want to say airily and with super-confidence, ‘Oh, yeah, it’ll be fine. You know, I’m happy to be a stepfather’. I needed to know that I could deliver and that I meant it.”

Monty Don says he often felt like ‘summer had arrived without me’ when spending time at boarding school as a child, a feeling he experiences now when filming a hit BBC show

Monty Don finds himself “restraining tears” as he opened up about a moment that makes him “resent” a BBC show. Monty, 70, says he has long realised that “home is the epicentre” of his world.

It came after he was sent to boarding school as a youngster and found himself feeling as though “summer had arrived without me”. Monty says that while the seasons shifted at school, home is where they “truly existed”.

He admits that his world now “spins” around his Longmeadow home, which he purchased in 1991. The property consisted of an abandoned field with a single tree in it when Monty bought it.

It now boasts a series of lovingly crafted gardens. It is at Longmeadow that Monty often finds himself feeling like he did when he was a small child, bursting into tears as he realised the seasons had come and gone.

Writing in the Gardeners’ World magazine, he said: “I still have a moment or two like that every year in the garden, although now, 67 years later, I do my best to restrain the tears.”

Monty says a garden often has a “watershed moment” where it seems as though one season becomes the next. The star believes it can often happen with “seemingly no transition” between the two.

On the whole though, Monty explains that in gardening, things “change constantly” through “slow mergings”. He says one moment he often notices the change at Longmeadow is when he goes to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Monty presents the coverage alongside the likes of Rachel de Thame, Angellica Bell and Nikki Chapman. Monty says he leaves Herefordshire on the Sunday and returns a week later.

In that time, he jokes that his garden has “completely rearranged itself”. “Spring has toppled into summer and I was not there to see it,” he explains.

It brings a “complicated mess of emotions” for Monty, a hark back to his days as a boy at boarding school. He says he feels a sense of “betrayal” from his garden, as well as the delight at welcoming in the new season.

And in part, Monty says he blames the Chelsea Flower Show for taking him away from Longmeadow. He continued: “I do not want to miss out on the greatest garden extravaganza of the year and am delighted to and privileged to present the programme from there, and yet part of me resents being taken away from the garden at this critical moment.”

Monty will return to screens this evening from 8pm (May 15) on BBC Two with Gardeners’ World. He will be making a start on some of his amazing summer planters, including working on his leeks and making fertiliser.

Elsewhere, Frances Tophill will be in Berkshire learning about biodynamic gardening and the benefits it can bring. Adam Frost will be showing viewers around his new garden as it begins to take shape.

Ex-mayor of wealthy Los Angeles suburb promoted pro-China propaganda at behest of Chinese officials, prosecutors say.

The former mayor of a wealthy suburb in the United States city of Los Angeles has admitted to acting as an illegal agent of China, according to authorities.

Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, agreed to plead guilty to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government from late 2020 until 2022, the US Department of Justice said on Monday.

Wang admitted that she did not notify the US government that she was acting on behalf of China while promoting pro-Beijing propaganda, the Justice Department said.

Wang, 58, operated a website, called the US News Center, that published content supportive of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) while purporting to provide news for Chinese Americans, the department said.

Wang ran the site with Yaoning Sun, a Californian man who was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government in October 2025, according to US prosecutors.

Wang’s activities included republishing a “PRC official-written essay” that denied allegations that the Chinese government was committing genocide against ethnic-minority Uighurs in its far-western region of Xinjiang, according to prosecutors.

Wang resigned as mayor on Monday, according to a statement published on the City of Arcadia’s website.

She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Her lawyers, Brian A Sun and Jason Liang, said Wang wished to apologise for “mistakes she has made in her personal life”.

“It is important to note, however, that the conduct underlying the information and the agreement with the government relates solely to Ms. Wang’s personal life – i.e., a media platform that she once operated with someone whom she believed to be her fiancé – and not to her conduct as an elected public official,” Sun and Liang said in a statement.

“Her love and devotion for the Arcadia community have not changed and did not waver,” they added.

“She asks for the community’s understanding and continued support.”

US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg issued a statement expressing deep concern over Wang’s activities.

“Individuals elected to public office in the United States should act only for the people of the United States that they represent,” he said.

“It is deeply concerning that someone who previously received and executed directives from PRC government officials is now in a position of public trust at all, but particularly so because that relationship with that foreign government had never been disclosed.”

China’s embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wang’s prosecution comes as US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet in Beijing on Wednesday for a summit expected to focus on the US-Israel war on Iran, trade, and the status of Taiwan, among other issues.

The summit comes after the two leaders agreed to a yearlong pause in their trade war during a meeting in South Korea last October.

Players’ union challenge French state’s failure to protect professional footballers from the health and safety risks.

Football players’ union ‌FIFPRO is hailing a “landmark” legal win after a European rights ⁠body agreed to ⁠investigate whether the French state failed to uphold labour standards for professional footballers.

The unanimous decision by the European Committee of Social Rights in March marks the first time a players’ union has successfully advanced a collective complaint under the European Social Charter. It paves the way for ⁠an investigation into whether France has failed to ensure proper working conditions for professional players, including minors.

FIFPRO described the heart of the dispute as the French state’s failure to protect professional footballers from the health and safety risks posed ‌by a congested and expanding international match calendar, which it argues is driven by FIFA’s unilateral decisions on competition formats.

The inaugural edition of a rebranded and expanded FIFA Club World Cup came in for particular criticism from across the game when it was staged last year.

The French government had sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that any alleged labour violations were the responsibility of private sports bodies, such as FIFA or the French Football Federation, rather than the state.

The Committee rejected that objection, ⁠affirming that national governments remain legally responsible for ensuring ⁠fundamental workers’ rights are upheld within their jurisdictions, regardless of whether a private entity manages the industry.

FIFPRO Europe, which is supporting the French National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) in the ⁠case, described the decision as a “signal case” for the industry.

It added that the complaint highlights how global governing ⁠bodies “frequently bypass national labour standards regarding rest periods ⁠and collective bargaining.”

FIFPRO Europe confirmed it would provide full support to the UNFP during the upcoming proceedings and called on other European states to hold football authorities accountable for “systemic failures” that ‌it said prioritise commercial interests over player safety.

“France is not alone: many other states are in a comparable situation, with minimum standards for working time, ‌rest ‌periods, occupational health and collective bargaining structurally undermined by decisions taken at global level,” its statement said.

AFTER quietly returning to the dating scene following his split from Chloe Madeley, James Haskell thought he was ready to move on.

But the former England rugby star says one fear involving his ex-wife can still stop him in his tracks. 

James and Chloe split in October 2023 after five years of marriage, just 14 months after welcoming daughter Bodhi, now three, despite appearing to have the perfect family life. 

But it was the thought of publicly dating another woman while still close to Chloe – daughter of daytime TV icons Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan – that caused James to pause for thought.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun about starring in the new series of E4’s Celebs Go Dating, James says: “It sort of felt like I was cheating because it was the first time I was dating in public in front of Chloe. I got all these mixed emotions and froze.

“For me, when you’ve got a daughter and you’ve got an ex-wife, both of them I hold in the highest regard and I want to be the most respectful I can be.

“I talked to Chloe [about doing the show] because it was really important to do that. We discussed it because I was probably getting quite nervous about doing it.

“This is very much out of my comfort zone. You’ve got emotions, you’ve got other people, you’ve got romance…

“It’s a difficult thing to put in the public eye, so I spoke to her about it. She was very supportive.

“I would talk to her about how the stuff on the show went, so she was always informed.

“And if my daughter ever watched it back, I’d want her to be proud of how her dad was.”

James admits navigating romance in the public eye hasn’t been easy off-screen either. 

The former rugby star, who dated advertising executive Helen Barclay and Big Brother star Sara McLean in 2025, admits relationships come with added pressure. 

James split from Sara just days after they went public with their romance at Cheltenham.

The rugby star has also been linked to other women since his split from Chloe and previously sparked speculation after being spotted looking cosy with a mystery brunette on a night out. 

“I’m in the public eye and a lot of my life is centered around stuff on social media and DJ’ing and making music and podcasting stuff,” he explains.

“So I’m always very wary if you were to go out on a date and get photographed, that narrative can be created around that, which puts pressure on both people.

“I want to go on date people and have fun and when it’s the appropriate time, you would then discuss it with an ex partner but sometimes that’s taken away from you.

“So I’ve always been quite nervous. I have dated, I’ve been quite chilled out, but it’s always been quite respectful.

“That’s why this was such a big moment, because actually one of the first things I thought was ‘Oh my God. I’m like, now doing this in front of people’.

“There’s so much more to think about as opposed to just going for a drink with someone.”

James, 41, and Chloe, 38, split while their reality series, Chloe Madeley: A Family Affair, was still airing on TV. 

But rather than mixing things up in the future, James reveals he’s in the market for a strong, independent woman – just like his ex.

He says:  “I know what I want, I want someone that’s got intelligence, I want someone that’s got their own life, their own success.

“I’m not threatened by having a really powerful partner who could be more successful than me.

“Badass is the wrong word, but that’s the kind of thing.

“I want someone to challenge me so I can learn from them.

“I had a lot of that or had almost all of that with Chloe really, she made me a better person in lots of ways.

“When you come out of a relationship, you want to find that in someone else.

“And that’s kind of what I doubled down with really on this.”

He continues: “While looks and stuff are really important, I wouldn’t settle because all my dating technique would always be to go up to someone and speak to them, I never used apps, I would do everything in person.

“So this process was so weird because someone was telling you who you could date, which is weird.

“This was a bit like looking around in the dark and exploring.”

Fitness fanatic Chloe has spent years documenting her gruelling workouts and toned physique online – and it seems James still has a clear type.

As well as wanting a confident, driven woman, the rugby ace admits he is attracted to women who prioritise their looks, fitness and overall wellbeing. Sound familiar?

He says: “It shows a commitment, just someone who takes care of their appearance because I think it helps in other areas of your life.”

He also reveals the “real reason” he signed up to the show – and it wasn’t just for him to find his dream match.

“Being a strong man with good manners and morals and to show a vulnerable side as well as other sides is really important,” he says.

“I was nervous, but I think I managed to navigate it in the appropriate way and actually show a bit of a different side to myself than some of the bravado and the kind of stuff from being a former sportsman or DJ’ing.

“I grew a lot, I’ve obviously been separated for a little while, but I wanted to have an adventure and I’ve learnt to be vulnerable.”

And while James teases that he isn’t against tying the knot again in the future, his number one priority is crystal clear.

He says: “My priorities are very simple – my daughter, she’s nearly four. I want to be the best dad for her and provide the best kind of life for her.

“We’re obviously having her kind of 50 per cent of the time, which means that you have to prioritise different parts of your life.

“Relationships are lovely and I think if you meet the right person and obviously as we’ve gone through this process, I’ve met lots of lots of really interesting people.

“I’d say that isn’t something that is a real focus to settle down and get married.

“I think if it happens, it happens.

“But I’m quite happy in my own space, really.”

And don’t expect James to introduce Bodhi to a new partner anytime soon, as the star has one very strict rule when it comes to future girlfriends. 

“Essentially I’d have to be walking down the aisle [to introduce my next partner to my child],” he says.

“Genuinely my life is very complicated. The idea of bringing somebody into my daughter’s life and putting a sort of a tent pole on the ground and saying, listen, this is something serious.

“I’m light years away from that because it’s not something I want to mess around with.

“Chloe and I are still a family. My daughter is still a family that sits over here. My life sits over here [with them].

“And I mean when is the right moment? It will be light years away.”

And any future girlfriend won’t just need to win over Bodhi – she’ll also have to impress James’ fiercely protective mum, Susie Haskell, too. 

This week, Susie Haskell made her Celebs Go Dating debut, and didn’t hold her tongue.

Fearing what she could say, James told the camera: “Mum is an absolute loose cannon at the best of times.

“I am dreading what’s going to come out of her mouth. As long as she does not upset my ex.”

But Susie struggled to hold back as she ripped into Chloe.

Susie said: “I’m not sure where he’s gone wrong because prior to his marriage, I met lots of lovely girlfriends.

“Each of them just loved me, which is a bonus.”

She added: “I do have quite a strong opinion on why I think it went wrong.

“You can’t have two stars because you have them competing for the floor space the whole time.”

Susie continued: “In the past he’s been extremely popular. I’ve seen at rugby matches where elderly ladies have got very close to him.

“He needs someone who can see the softness of him, coupled with quite a brilliant intellect. He’s written seven books. Three of them are on The Times best-seller list.”

James previously admitted that his love of drinking contributed to the end of the relationship, describing their final year together as a “difficult period”.