baby

FORMER Home and Away actress Isabel Lucas, 40, is expecting her first child and has revealed her partner for the first time.

The actress announced her happy news with a series of beachside photos where she showed off her growing baby bump and shared a smooch with her partner.

5

5

5

Isabel posed in a flowing white linen dress which she wore completely unbuttoned and showed her lacy black underwear, as she cradled her belly.

Other photos in the post shared to Instagram showed the Aussie actress sitting beach side in a white top and skirt, and where her baby bump was proudly on full display.

Also in the photos was her partner, Cyrus Sutton, a US filmmaker, surfer and the owner of a luxury spa home in Washington State.

Isabel captioned the post: “Sometimes words flow and sometimes the mystery is too vast and all that remains, is to feel. A new forever exists here. Among petals of silent wonder and pure love.

“Together we hold this miracle with tender heartful hands.”

Her fans and famous friends rushed to congratulate the star in the comments.

“Another perfectly healthy and beautiful 40 year old woman having a baby. don’t let anyone tell you there is a deadline by 30,” wrote one fan.

Fellow Aussie actress Teresa Palmer wrote: “Can’t wait to see you as a mother and for these little babies to be together. We love you guys xxx”

And Slumdog Millionaire actress, Freida Pinto added: “Oh Izzy!! This made my heart so happy. Sending you and your sweet baby so much mad love.”

Isabel rose to fame playing Tasha Andrews on the Aussie soap, Home and Away.

It was on the set of that soap where she met future Hollywood A-lister, Chris Hemsworth, and they dated for around three years.

Isabel later dated Entourage star Adrian Grenier and Australian folk singer, Angus Stone for two years.

The actress’ other TV roles include in the MacGyver reboot and Steven Spielberg’s war miniseries, The Pacific.

Her film credits include Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and 2022’s Bosch & Rockit opposite her ex, Chris’ brother, Luke Hemsworth.

5

5

Big Brother star Gani made a shock confession during Thursday night’s episode as he revealed he was forced to marry his own cousin and now has a 10-month-old baby

A Big Brother housemate left their co-stars stunned by a shock revelation about their love life. The housemates have been getting to know each other as the hit ITV show returned to screens earlier this week.

However, along the way there has already been some surprise admissions. On Thursday night, Gani revealed he was forced to marry his own cousin.

The pizza shop manager, 39, decided to open up to Jenny about his love life and how he explored his sexuality. He revealed that it was his dad’s decision that he should marry despite him knowing it wasn’t for him.

READ MORE: Big Brother fans uncover housemates secret past – including Downton Abbey roleREAD MORE: Big Brother makes huge change to live evictions after 25 years as twist exposed

Gani, who is from south London, also shared that he is a dad to a 10-month-old baby. When he entered the Big Brother house, he was open about being bisexual.

Jenny asked if he had found love since moving to the UK from India, which prompted Gani to revealed more about his life. “This is going to be very interesting and very shocking for you,” he explained.

“2022 was the turning point in my life. I was so open-minded [on sexuality], even though I was from a religious background. I was always like, ‘why not try everything’.”

He added: “From 2022 to 2024, I was literally enjoying and exploring bisexuality. And then at the end of 2023, December 2023, my dad all of a sudden was like, ‘Gani, how long are you not gonna be married. Come on, please marry, why are you doing this?’

“And I was like, ‘no, I don’t want to get married, blah, blah, blah’.” In a turning point, Gani explained: “Then my dad asked me [to get married] and I couldn’t say no. That is how I got married in January 2024 with my cousin.”

Jenny was physically stunned by what she had heard as she asked if he is still married. Gani told her: “I am still married, yeah. I have a baby boy – 10 months old.

“And I said to my mother, ‘It is not you, it is your husband [Gani’s father]. It is my dad, your husband – he forced me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have married.”

Gani admitted he would never have planned to get married himself as he insisted it is “not for me”. Jenny said: “As long as you are happy and your wife is happy but talking to you now, I don’t think you want to be married?

“If you don’t want to be married, can you not get divorced or is that really bad in India?” He went on to explain: “The thing is Jenny, I didn’t marry to get divorced actually.

“I love my wife, I love my son. From where I’m standing, I wanted to repair things and I wanted to be with my wife and son. This is me – either take it or leave it. I choose to live like this because this is my second life and I want to live in a f***ing iconic way.”

Viewers were also as surprised as Jenny as one said: “Biggest bombshell of the season is Gani being married and having a child with his COUSIN.” Another added: “GANI IS MARRIED AND HAS A 10 MONTH OLD SON???? Huhhhh?!” Someone else commented: “gani with the crazy lore drop hello??” A fourth wrote: “Gani is married to WHOOOO????”

READ MORE: £6 ‘pain-free’ razors has shoppers ditching professional exfoliating

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

An Israeli air strike has killed journalist Yahia Barzaq, who was known for his creative portraits of newborn children before the war in Gaza.

Dancer Dianne Buswell announced she was expecting her first child with partner Joe Sugg earlier this month as she performed her first dance with Stefan Dennis on Saturday night

Strictly Come Dancing kicked off it’s first couples dances on last night’s show (Saturday 27 September) and one particular person who was glowing was pregnant dancer Dianne Buswell. She and her celebrity partner Stefan Dennis took to the dancefloor to perform a Foxtrot to the Neighbours theme song as she showed off her growing baby bump.

The Aussie native, 36, announced her pregnancy with partner Joe Sugg earlier this month and despite questions being raised about whether she would be able to still compete, Dianne proved she can do it all as she showed off her pregnancy glow.

For her performance, she wore a flowy blue dress with flower detailing and a v-neck, which perfectly held her growing baby bump. The pair received a score of 22 from the judges, putting them in eighth place on leaderboard out of the 15 contestants.

Dianne’s pregnancy didn’t go unmentioned on the live show as her co-stars flocked to congratulate her and make her feel special. Following their performance, host Tess Daly exclaimed: “Dianne, we can not let you leave the floor without saying congratulations.”

She responded gleefully: “Thank you so much! “That’s why we’re in blue tonight,” she laughed before saying: “Not really, but lets pretend!”

READ MORE: First Strictly Come Dancing star to be axed ‘exposed’ but it’s not who you thinkREAD MORE: Strictly star says ‘this changes everything’ as results show shake-up confirmed

As she and Stefan made their way upstairs, Claudia Winkleman decided to throw her an impromptu baby shower. Pro dancer Neil Jones came out wearing an animal costume and she was presented with balloons, a teddy bear and some cupcakes.

Fans flocked to X to compliment the mum-to-be during the live show as one person gushed: “Dianne’s baby bump awwwww,” Another fan said: “Dianne’s baby bump. So happy for Dianne and Joe. They met on Strictly 7 years ago and now a baby is on the way.”

Somebody else commented: “Stefan and Dianne were incredible and Dianne looked so beautiful! And her little bump showing,” while a fourth added: “Love this when the #strictly cast congratulated Dianne on her baby news, she is going to be an amazing mum.”

Her baby bump television debut comes after vile trolls complained about seeing her pregnant on the show. One troll in particular wrote on social media: “I don’t want to see her dance being pregnant, it’s already feeling uncomfortable and she’s only starting to show. It’s really not appropriate.”

Dianne posted it on her Instagram story and responded: “”I can’t believe in 2025 things like this are still being said.”

Her fans rushed to her defence, with one writing: “Saw @diannebuswell’s story and just had to say something. Her dancing pregnant in Strictly this year is nothing short of beautiful and magical. Women’s bodies are INCREDIBLE and I don’t actually think people realise that.

“This will show all of those people who believe this weird twisted notion that women should hide away when they’re carrying a baby that women are capable of much more & can do anything.

“You’re inspirational and incredible. We as a family cannot wait to watch you doing what you love and were born to do again every weekend. And we will be cheering you on as always beautiful.” Dianne reposted the comment with a series of happy crying and heart emojis.

She makes history as the first ever dancer to be pregnant while competing on the BBC One show.

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

AN INFLUENCER with dwarfism has urged people to think twice about the way they speak to “little people”.

Lucy Sleight has made a name for herself as someone to watch in the social media world, and has a whopping 20.7 million likes on her TikTok page.

2

2

She uses her platform to share fashion and beauty advice, but recently shared a video in which she opened up about some of the things she finds most difficult about being somebody with dwarfism.

One thing she can’t stand is when people “full on get on their knees” to talk to her, as she said it gives her “second hand embarrassment” for what they look like.

Instead, she urged them to sit down while she stands up, so that they’re at similar heights.

And don’t even think about patting her on the head – or using her as an armrest.

“Like girl please!” she sighed in the TikTok, which she captioned “things I find patronising as a little person”.

“This hasn’t actually happened to me many times thank God.

“Because if somebody did I’d literally be like excuse me. Like who do you think I am?

“I am not an object!”

She can’t stand it when people call her “cute”, which happens a lot – especially when she’s out with her boyfriend, who also has dwarfism.

“I want to be gorgeous. I want to be beautiful,” she said.

“I want to be amazing. I want to be incredible.

“And I feel like me personally. I associate the word cute with like small things or younger things.

“Like I’d call my nephew cute.

“I’m 26. I don’t want to be cute!”

Lucy also took aim at people who call her “inspirational” just because she’s a dwarf, as she said she wants to be considered an inspiration to others because of the things she does with her platform – not just because of her condition.

And she can’t stand it when people “overcompensate” in the way they talk to her, and end up talking to her like she’s “three years old”.

“I just want to reiterate like I know all those things I’ve mentioned are like are harmless,” she concluded the video, which has had over 357,000 views on the social media site.

“People are being nice, but it’s just sometimes the way things come across.”

The comments section was immediately filled with people having their say on Lucy’s advice, as one wrote: “I hate it when people infantalise people with dwarfism or visible disabilities.

“All of these comments must be so infuriating and annoying.”

“What is wrong with people?” another sighed.

“I don’t see you as anything different.

“You’re a beautiful human with an amazing personality!”

“As a wheelchair user and someone with cerebral palsy, I relate to all of these! Drives me mad,” a third admitted.

Rihanna and ASAP Rocky have welcomed the latest addition to their growing family: their first baby girl.

The “Love on the Brain” singer announced the arrival of her daughter with the “Highest 2 Lowest” star on Wednesday, sharing a photo of her newest bundle of joy to Instagram. In the picture, Rihanna cradles her newborn, who is wearing a baby-pink jumpsuit.

“Rocki Irish Mayers,” she says in the Instagram caption, which also reveals the date of birth, Sept. 13.

Baby Rocki is the third child for the celebrity pair, who began dating in 2019. They also share sons RZA, born in May 2022, and Riot, who was born in August 2023. Rocki’s name is a twist on her father’s stage name, but it also continues the stars’ tradition of choosing names that begin with the letter “R.” Notably, Rihanna’s and ASAP Rocky’s birth names also begin with that letter: Robyn and Rakim.

The Fenty Beauty mogul shared the first public photos of her daughter months after her splashy pregnancy reveal at the 2025 Met Gala in May. At the event, the singer cradled her baby bump as she posed for photographers in a custom-made Marc Jacobs suit. She walked solo down the red carpet. ASAP Rocky, who was one of the co-chairs of the annual event, had arrived earlier in the evening. Even before hitting the carpet, the “Umbrella” and “Don’t Stop the Music” hitmaker publicized her pregnancy on social media.

“It feels amazing, you know,” ASAP Rocky told CBS News in May, confirming the pregnancy on the red carpet. “It’s time that we show the people what we was cooking up.”

For Rihanna, 37, and ASAP Rocky, 36, the arrival of their baby girl is the latest event in a busy year that also included a legal victory for the “Sundress” rapper and Hollywood projects for both.

In a 2024 cover story for Interview magazine, the singer expressed her desire for a large family, saying that having children with ASAP Rocky “was the best thing that ever happened to us.”

Rihanna also said at the time that she wanted as many kids as “God wants me to have.”

AS I watched the scene playing out on the TV, my heart started pounding.

Estate agent Cherry was meeting her boyfriend’s mum, Laura, for the first time – bringing back memories of the real-life monster-in-law who tried to destroy me in ways you wouldn’t believe.

5

5

5

Hoping to make a good impression, she arrived with a beautiful bunch of flowers, but her future mother–in-law callously tossed them on a table, dismissing them as rubbish.

It’s a tale as old as time: son introduces the woman he loves to his mum, who instantly feels jealous that a new female will take her place.

So she makes her life HELL.

The reason The Girlfriend had such a strong impact on me was because, in many ways, I’d been there myself.

My ex’s mum hadn’t just disliked me, she’d hated my guts from day one.

She too had thrown down the flowers I’d given her the first time we met – not onto a table, but on the floor.

And the memories of the awful things she did while I was with her son still make me shudder.

Courteous to my face, but nasty behind my back, my monster-in-law, Jackie, constantly bad-mouthed me to friends and family – even my own neighbours.

She regularly told her son, Simon, that I wasn’t good enough for him and urged him to leave me, despite us having a child together.

Eventually, she succeeded and we split up. I simply couldn’t cope with her twisted games anymore.

Thankfully I’ve had no contact with her since the split, but I still have nightmares about it – and watching TV show The Girlfriend brought them all back.

I won’t spoil the story for those who haven’t seen it, but although Cherry isn’t all that she seems, Laura’s actions beggar belief.

For me, though, there’s one big difference.

Courteous to my face, but nasty behind my back, my monster-in-law, Jackie, constantly bad-mouthed me to friends and family – even my own neighbours

Cherry

While Laura’s awful behaviour pushes her son into his lover’s arm, the same could not be said for me and my ex.

His mother’s constant interference created a crack so wide that we still don’t talk to one another, despite sharing a six-year-old.

‘Overbearing’

I’d hoped the unappreciated flowers might be a misunderstanding, but soon I was being subjected to constant put-downs.

Sometimes we’d pop to her house for breakfast and if I asked for a bit of fruit instead of bacon and egg, she’d tut and mutter that I was ‘strange’.

She’d also get in a huff if Simon chose to spend a Saturday night out with me, instead of going round to see her.

He’d tell me his mum was ‘in a mood’ because he wasn’t paying her as much attention now.

I thought he was joking – at that point I had no idea how bizarre their relationship was.

5

5

Just like obsessed Laura in The Girlfriend, Jackie had to know where Simon was at all times.

She’d call and text him multiple times a day, despite only living around the corner.

On one occasion, we were having sex at 11am when she messaged him six times in a row.

“Can you turn it off?” I pleaded as Jackie’s impatient alerts threatened to kill the moment.

I’m not alone in having a difficult relationship with my partner’s mum.

A two-decade study by Dr Terri Apter, a University of Cambridge psychologist, found that more than 60 per cent of women admitted their relationship with their mother-in-law caused them long-term unhappiness and stress.

Two-thirds of daughters-in-law also believed that their husband’s mother frequently exhibited jealous, maternal love towards their sons.

This was definitely true of Jackie.

She relished standing in front of me with her arms wrapped around Simon’s waist or shoulders.

And she had a key to his flat, so would often turn up unannounced.

One morning I plodded, half-awake, into the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of knickers, only to find Jackie casually washing his dishes.

I complained that I found her actions overbearing and gently tried to explain to Simon that it wasn’t normal for a mum to be so involved in her adult son’s life.

But he responded saying she only did so because she “cared about him so much” and wanted to help.

Two-thirds of daughters-in-law also believed that their husband’s mother frequently exhibited jealous, maternal love towards their sons

During the three years we were together, Jackie would constantly gaslight me, telling Simon she’d sent texts inviting me to the cinema, or out shopping, and that I’d ignored them.

And if he dared take my side, she’d burst into tears on the phone so that he’d have to go round and console her.

Her words were vicious, but her actions were even worse.

If I invited her and her doormat of a husband round for dinner (yes, she controlled him too) she’d politely accept, then not turn up, secretly texting Simon afterwards to say she felt my invite was “fake”.

About a year into our relationship, I found out I was pregnant with our son, Josh.

For a while, Jackie softened – but within minutes of his birth, she reverted to type.

I had a terrible labour which culminated in an emergency c-section. Josh then had to be rushed to intensive care.

I felt exhausted, broken and bloody, so we requested that loved ones give us time to rest.

Everyone respected our wishes – except Jackie.

An hour after I’d got off the operating table, she burst into the room armed with balloons and a giant teddy bear.

“We’ve all been through it, you know,” she crowed as I burst into tears and begged Simon to get her out of there.

She even insisted on sneaking into the intensive care unit to see our newborn, even though I hadn’t been able to see him yet.

Jackie’s treatment only worsened when we finally brought Josh home.

She would message me constantly, telling me which wet wipes to use and what kind of vests I should be putting on him.

I even saw messages on Simon’s phone telling him to hide clothes I’d bought for the baby and replace them with ones she’d supplied instead.

The bullying was so bad, I even went to see a counsellor.

Jackie’s interference caused countless arguments and at one point, I even left Simon after she texted him claiming that I was “lazy” and “a useless mum”.

What hurt even more was that he never defended me.

That’s when I realised the level of control she really had over him.

It was relentless and in the end, I left for good.

I realised I would never be able to have a healthy relationship with such a mummy’s boy and that Jackie would never change.

Thankfully, I have little to do with her now, although she did try to continue her antics after we split.

She bombarded my friends and family with messages claiming that I was mentally ill, an unfit mother and needed help.

Luckily, they knew what she was like and blocked her.

But I’ve had to write my story anonymously, for fear of any backlash.

As a mother of a son myself, I understand it can be difficult seeing your child growing up, moving on and having another woman take centre stage.

But I’ve vowed never to be like my ex’s mum and to try to love whoever my son brings home.

I know all too well what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a hate campaign from a woman it is impossible to compete with.

THEY were lovers from opposite ends of society — a runaway aristocrat and a convicted rapist who sparked a nationwide manhunt when they went on the run to hide their secret newborn baby from social services.

Now, in a dramatic twist, Mark Gordon’s sister has lifted the lid on her convict brother’s twisted past that led him on the path to a toxic “Romeo and Juliet” romance – culminating in the tragic death of their child.

15

15

15

15

It comes as Marten, 38, and Gordon, 51, were yesterday sentenced to 14 years behind bars after being convicted of gross negligence manslaughter when their newborn baby, Victoria, died, likely of hypothermia.

Gordon got an extended four-year licence as he met the threshold for dangerousness, meaning he has a high risk of reoffending.

It means after serving his sentence, he will remain under state supervision and have certain restrictions.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Karen Satchell, 54, from North London, reveals for the first time how her jailbird brother dreamed of a new life – and fathered another child before vanishing off-grid with Marten.

She told how her brother was once dubbed “The Preacher” by other lags because he often quoted from the Bible when he was serving 20 years in a US jail for rape, aged 14.

We can also reveal that he had his first baby just a couple of years after returning to the UK after spending time in an American jail.

The child now lives in Greece with their mother, and Gordon’s family still get sent pictures of how they are doing.

Sister Karen Satchell said the runaway father had ambitions to become a businessman before his life spiralled further after a chance encounter with Constance, a woman closely linked to the Royal Family.

And he became increasingly paranoid in what Karen has called a “Romeo and Juliet” style relationship, with lovers from two wildly different families.

It is understood Gordon met Marten’s relatives shortly after they began dating around 2014, and even went to their house before Marten became estranged from them.

With Constance, 38, Gordon had five children – four of whom were taken off them after concerns over their caring abilities, and the fifth, Victoria.

Gordon grew up as a “shy” lad in Birmingham, attending the state comprehensive Yardley Primary School.

While future-wife Marten – the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II’s former page – reminisced about childhood picnics and naked siestas in hay bales at her country mansion in Dorset, Gordon, the youngest of seven, was digging up dirt in his yard and chasing his sisters around with worms.

Half-sister Karen remembers him as a “good kid”, adding: “A proper naughty little brother but more mischievous than anything bad.”

He went to church weekly with his tight-knit family, and his mum Sylvia was a licensed pastor.

He totally shut down and was in a daze. He wasn’t aware of what was really going on. He looked younger than he was. To think of him with felonies is unbelievable.

Karen Satchell on Mark Gordon’s rape arrest

And while Marten’s family had annual skiing holidays, Gordon’s went to Butlins each year, where he once won some money and flowers in a mother-and-son competition.

Karen said: “They were standing on the stage and Mark was asked a few questions about his mum.

“They thought they were the most bonded.”

But he was described as “a bit of a loner” and preferring instead to play by himself, or hang out with Karen and her friends, following them around and threatening to snitch on her to his mum if she was ever up to no good.

When he was still young, Sylvia moved to America to try to build a better life for them, while Mark and Karen stayed in Britain with a nanny.

They were excited when, aged 11 and 15, they joined Sylvia in New York – but it was a culture shock.

They started off at a run-down school in the Bronx, plagued by bad behaviour and knives. Then moved to a better school, but had to catch two trains and two buses to get there.

A year later, the family relocated to a three-bed, single-storey home in a predominantly white neighbourhood in Florida while their mum studied to be a nurse.

15

15

Karen said: “We became popular – everybody wanted to hear us talk because of our accent.

“The girls loved Mark. They knew where he lived and followed him home.

“They would knock on the door, and he was hiding. He didn’t want to talk to them. He was really shy. I never saw him with a girlfriend.

“When I got to the age when I had a boyfriend, he tended to stay home in his room. I was like ‘come out of your room, talk to some girls’. He said ‘get out, leave me alone’.”

‘He shut down’ after rape arrest

Their happy family life turned upside down, however, when he was arrested for rape in 1989.

They panicked when he failed to return home and spent all evening searching the neighbourhood for him, fearing for his safety.

Mum Sylvia, who was training to be a nurse, was away in Jamaica at the time but flew back in a panic as Mark’s siblings phoned the police to make a missing persons report.

But when Sylvia turned up at the police station, she was devastated to hear her last-born son had made a taped confession to rape.

Karen said: “We were devastated. He never spoke. He stopped speaking.

“He totally shut down and was in a daze. He wasn’t aware of what was really going on.

“He looked younger than he was. To think of him with felonies is unbelievable.”

He was convicted of armed kidnapping, multiple counts of armed sexual battery and other charges in 1994.

His family visited him frequently in prison, but he never spoke about any hardships inside.

He had been nicknamed ‘The Preacher’, thought to have been because he was often quoting the bible to get through.

But Karen said he also became incredibly studious.

He got a degree after studying electrical engineering, IT and business management – and built up the life he wanted to lead in his head.

‘He’s somebody you don’t want to cross’

When he returned to Britain in 2010, Karen says he was different – much more philosophical and a “proper naturalist” who worked out and was into healthy eating.

She often saw him having blended vegetables or raw eggs, and was into herbal tea and holistic healing.

15

15

Karen also described him as cunning, charming, but still incredibly private.

She threw a welcome home party for him at her flat in Palmers Green, but he never went.

In fact, she didn’t hear from him for six months after he landed.

Karen said: “He went quiet and we didn’t know where he was.

“I was ringing, trying to go to prisons and agencies, trying to find out where he went. I had been waiting for him.

“When he was on his feet, he showed up. I was like ‘Where have you been?’.

“He was smiling and laughing, saying: ‘I’m alright, sis.’

There’s a look in his eyes that would make you shut up. You shut up and agree with him. He does these weird stares.

Karen Satchellon her brother’s chilling look

He would often turn up to see his sister wearing smart suits, he went to business conventions and became interested in investments, stocks and bonds. She said he was articulate and productive.

He “never drank, never smoked, never swore, never raised his voice” and told his family he always had different ventures and sales meetings going on.

But she also remembered he sometimes had a strange look in his eyes.

She said: “This is what got him through his jail time. There’s a look in his eyes that would make you shut up.

“You shut up and agree with him. He does these weird stares.

“He’s not a person who had to do anything action-wise. You would look at him and go ‘leave that man alone’.

“He looks like somebody you don’t want to cross with. But when you get past that, he’s quite shy. I think that’s his defence mechanism.”

15

15

He also never told her exactly where he lived, nor exactly what he did.

Within the first year of coming back to Britain, he had his first daughter, who Karen never found out about until she was two.

She went to meet her for the first time when she was three, when Mark was living with her and her mother in Ilford, East London.

Karen said: “We were shocked. We didn’t know he had a daughter. He was a private guy.

“When I met the girl, they had been together for a little while. She was lovely. So beautiful. He took care of his kids really well.”

She added: “I think he always wanted to be a dad.”

They broke up shortly after for unknown reasons, just before Mark met Constance Marten in an incense shop in Tottenham, North London, in 2014.

Paranoid he was being followed

After this, Karen says he became noticeably more paranoid, often talking about people following or tracking him.

He moved around after dark, whispered on the phone and asked to meet his sister in parks at strange hours.

When he visited Karen, he would stay for a few minutes, ask about them and just laugh if asked where he was staying.

He would say: “It’s alright, sis, you don’t need to know.”

He stayed with her in 2015 for around a month, coming in and out regularly at night, before suddenly leaving without a fuss.

Karen remembered: “I’d say Where do you live? Where are you going?

“I want to help like a big sister would. He just said it’s okay, I don’t need it, I’m good.

“They went travelling a lot. I asked him how he could go to all these places.

“He just did a little smirk and said: ‘Don’t worry, you will get there one day.’”

Gordon and Marten’s troubles escalated shortly after they got married in Peru, in a ceremony that is not recognised in the UK.

15

15

They then had their first baby in 2017 after living in a tent together in Wales to escape Marten’s family and their private investigators.

Karen said: “He called me once from Wales and asked me to help him out, and if he could stay at my address.

“He called and said, ‘What are you doing? ‘ but said he couldn’t talk right now because ‘they are listening’. It was weird.

“He said, ‘You can’t help me’. He said he had gone to see his wife. He was hiding out, whispering.

“He said I’m visiting my wife. I asked what was wrong, and he just said ‘Long story, something to do with the baby’.

“He said he was trying to get his wife moved out. He wanted to come back to London.”

His family only knew about his first two babies with Constance.

They never met her, and don’t even know the gender of the second two children and were never told anything about their battle with social services.

15

15

The couple were supposed to spend Christmas 2019 with Karen, but Mark arrived without her, saying she was away and that “It’s complicated”.

Karen said: “I said, ‘Why, who is she? The Queen? Then it turned out she was linked to the Queen!”

She reckons Marten was the “boss” in their marriage, while Mark would have guided her decision-making.

And she insisted the couple just “wanted to be naturalists”.

She last spoke to Mark about a year before he went on the run, which would have been during the time he and Constance were trying to keep the latest pregnancy hidden from everyone.

Days after his arrest, Victoria’s body was found dead in a plastic bag in a disused allotment shed.

Karen concluded: “It went terribly wrong. They made a terrible mistake.”

15

How does one care for their aging parent without losing sight of their own identity?

The first thing Roxana Ortega will say is: “We have to not abandon ourselves.”

The L.A.-born Latina actress outlines the deeply emotional process of caring for an aging parent in her first play, “Am I Roxie?,” which premieres Sept. 11 and kicks off the Geffen Playhouse’s 2025-26 season.

The production will remain through Oct. 5 at the Gil Cates Theater and is directed by Bernardo Cubría, (“Crabs in a Bucket” and “The Play You Want”).

Ortega’s one-woman show was inspired by her mother, Carmen, whose memory is in decline due to Alzheimer’s disease. Bounded by her commitment to being the perfect Latina daughter, Ortega illustrates how she stepped up to provide caregiving duties, while trying to sustain her acting career — even if it was just a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich commercial.

“This show to me is about how to not abandon ourselves in a time of such great darkness,” says Ortega through a video call.

Onstage, Ortega masterfully transforms her solo act into an ensemble performance, through her many quirky accents and mannerisms alone; her characters range from her three Peruvian tías to an imaginary cholo critic and a perky, silicone-bloated nurse.

Capturing a broad emotional spectrum, from joy to grief, it is clear that Ortega — a former troupe member of the Groundlings Sunday Company — showcases a lifetime of skills on the Westwood stage.

“Everything just merged as I was trying to write about what was happening,” says Ortega. “I was also leaving sketch comedy [group] the Groundlings, so I was finding my own voice. All those things merged to birth this, a perfect combination of so many desires and dreams I’ve had.”

With over 80 acting credits to her name, the multi-hyphenate artist is best known for voicing the melodramatic Frida Casagrande from Nickelodeon’s Emmy-winning show “The Casagrandes,” an animated sitcom about a family living in the fictional Great Lakes City. Other notable credits include Netflix’s “Grand-Daddy Day Care” and “Santa Clarita Diet,” Warner Bros.‘ “Miss Congeniality 2” as well as the popular Fox series “New Girl.”

Audiences should buckle up — preferably with tissues at the ready — for a roller coaster of emotions, as they witness Ortega relinquish control over an unchangeable fate, while holding compassion for her mother and herself in “Am I Roxie?”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Your one-woman show, “Am I Roxie?,” explores your personal journey as a caretaker for your aging parent, but it also focuses on your artistic aspirations. Can you walk me through your decision to make this the subject of your next project?

I’ve always wanted to turn my personal material into art; most artists do feel that way. I had been doing it for quite a while in sketch comedy, [by] taking characters like my tías, who I find to be so hysterical, and trying to put them into things. So I knew somewhere in the back of my brain — or in the middle — that I wanted to do a show about my family. I watched Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s “Lackawanna Blues,” so I always wanted to do that.

This play approaches heavy topics with humor. How did you strike that balance?

I think that’s just the way my brain works. I think a lot of comedians are this way; we’re always looking for laughs and maybe that’s how we survive ’cause we are very sensitive people — I’m very sensitive and very intense, so laughter is that levity.

Through the development process, we did have some discussions about certain moments. Do we want people to laugh when I’m in the chaise longue texting, “Is [my mom] still alive?” We had more “Shark Tank” sounds running through that and then changed it.

Caregiving is obviously a huge endeavor for Latinos — Latina women, more specifically. How do you make sense of the idea of care now?

I [think of] abandonment. There’s something so primal when somebody is aging and you can tell, “This person was in charge of me; they’re so vulnerable; now they need me. Oh my god, I can’t abandon them, right?” You feel like, “I don’t want to be abandoned, so I don’t want to abandon them.” It really shocked me how strong that urge was and I think we also have to not abandon ourselves. We absolutely cannot.

If you go into the caregiving world, they talk about care like: “Here’s your pills, here’s the food and we have some music coming in.” Maybe if you’re lucky, there’s bingo — but my mom wouldn’t play bingo! Are you f— kidding me? Care should be individualized. It should address the spirit.

Guilt creeps up in this play disguised as your inner Latina critic every time you do something that feels selfish in light of your mom’s situation. What relationship do you have with your inner critic now?

I definitely feel like I’ve gone through a journey from fear to love with the task of caregiving and even in relation to myself; I learned to love myself more, which is part of caring for yourself.

In this process of putting [my story] out there, of just being so gentle with myself and saying, “No matter what happens, no matter how it’s received, I’m not going to put my identity on the line.” There will be no beating myself up. There will be no, “Now you’re terrible because this, this, this …” It’s always a practice. Life is too short for us to feel bad.

There’s no benefit to suffering, and most of our suffering we do to ourselves through that critic by giving it power. And in our culture, sometimes it’s glorified.

You’re an overachiever, a Berkeley grad and former Groundlings member. But in “Am I Roxie?,” you balance the urgency of achieving your goals with the grief of losing a parent who is still alive. How did it feel to not give up on your dreams?

I felt like a terrible daughter. It’s hard. There’s a point in the show when I leave my mom and she says, “Don’t leave me here,” and I leave her and go to an audition. That’s a hard moment and I can tell that the audience is like, “How could you do that?” It feels vulnerable to show that I did that. But then, how does a mother leave their child at kindergarten? How can you find the balance where you are nurturing yourself and nurturing somebody else?

It was hard. I would beat myself up a lot and cry about feeling so terrible. And then go the next day to absolve myself. The more [my mom] found other relationships with a caregiver, the more I felt like, “Okay, she’s safe.”

Motherhood is also at the core of your story — not just with your mother, but as you explore your own fertility journey. How did your concept of motherhood change after caring for your mother?

What I didn’t explicitly say in the play is that I am a mother. I mothered my mother. Now, not everyone who is a mother by having a baby is necessarily a “mothering mother.” Something that this disease taught me is what these words really mean. What is it to be a sister? What is it to be a mother? What I learned in caring for my mom is that I am a mother, because I was able to nurture on such a deep level. Even when all the signs showed that she’s not there anymore. A mother knows her baby. She was my baby at the end.

After our fertility journey, 10 years of trying, me birthing this piece of art was me mothering my creativity into existence.

 You don’t mention Alzheimer’s by name until that very end. Why?

Part of it was accepting the journey and being able to say the diagnosis. Sometimes there’s an avoidance around Alzheimer’s. Nobody wants to say the word or talk about the disease ’cause it’s sad. So I wanted to make it a moment when I actually said it so that we can see the weight of it. Hopefully viewers will leave the theater being able to speak about it and to know it in an intimate way. Naming it is so important, so we can take the sting and discomfort off.

There are tender moments onstage where you let out tears. What is it like to relive those real-life moments on stage every night?

It is so difficult, more difficult than I thought it would be. My mom is onstage with me when I walk out there. I take her hand and I put her in that little opera chair next to me and we are together. Saying goodbye to her every night is hard.

A REAL-LIFE Downton Abbey couple have revealed they’re secretly married – four years after welcoming their first baby.

Laura Carmichael and Michael C. Fox went public in 2016, but began dating two years earlier.

4

4

4

They play Lady Edith Crawley and Andrew Parker respectively in the smash-hit period drama.

In 2021, the co-star couple welcomed their first child, son Luca, into the world.

Michael, 36, has now seemingly confirmed that he and Laura have tied the knot.

Speaking at NBC‘s Downton Abbey Celebrates The Grand Finale, he said: “I owe a lot to this show.

“I think so much of my life has been shaped around this show.”

Co-star Lesley Nicol – who plays Mrs Patmore – then asked: “What if someone said you’re actually going to find your wife and have a child? Life-changing stuff.”

To which Michael replied: “I know. It’s incredible.”

The Sun has contacted Michael’s representatives for comment.

Meanwhile, the event marked Downton Abbey‘s conclusion – spanning 15 years worth of a TV series and now three feature films.

In April 2022, The Sun revealed how the couple had welcomed Luca over a year earlier.

A source told the Sun on Sunday: at the time: “Laura and Michael absolutely love being parents and were grateful to have some time away from the limelight to enjoy the moment.

“Laura’s taken motherhood in her stride and it’s added another string to her bow.”

Meanwhile, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale features Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern as the Earl and Countess of Grantham, as well as Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley and Jim Carter as Mr Carson.

The beloved original series ran from 2010 to 2015 on ITV and PBS in the US.

Ahead of the third film‘s release, Hugh told how it will pay tribute to the late Dame Maggie Smith.

The screen legend played Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham.

Hugh told The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery on Virgin Radio UK: “It’s very much set in the house and saying goodbye to all these characters and we obviously say goodbye to Dame Maggie, which was very poignant on screen and now in real life.”

“She’ll be sorely missed. But the final film will obviously be a great lasting tribute to her.”

4

A BABY whose mother was not vaccinated against whooping cough has died after contracting the infection.

The UK Health Security Agency said the tot, thought to be under the age of one, died between March and June.

It is the first whooping cough death in the UK this year and comes after a child died of measles in Liverpool last month.

The agency’s Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam said: “Sadly, we are again reminded how severe whooping cough can be for very young babies.

“Vaccination is the best defence.

“It is vital pregnant women and infants receive their vaccines at the right time, ideally between 20 and 32 weeks.

“This passes protection to their baby in the womb so that they are protected from birth.”

Overall vaccination rates for primary school pupils are at the lowest for 15 years — with almost one in five not fully protected from diseases.

Over the coming weeks, millions of children will be flooding into classrooms across the UK.

And there’s a real risk they will return home with more than a few new friends and knowledge.

Pharmacist Thorrun Govind tells Sun on Sunday Health: “There’s often lots of hugging and playing between friends they haven’t seen all summer — and all that close contact means germs can easily spread.

“They also tend to cough and sneeze without covering their mouths and don’t always wash their hands without supervision.

“With early wake-ups, hard work in lessons and sports clubs, children can also get tired, which weakens their immune systems, leaving them prone to picking up illnesses.”

1

EXCLUSIVE: Jean, 85, can still vividly remember the moment her newborn baby girl was taken from her when she was 16. A Long Lost Family special tracks down Jean’s daughter and highlights a UK-wide scandal

Nearly 70 years after she held her baby in her arms for the last time, elderly Jean’s eyes fill with tears as she remembers her newborn’s blue eyes and blonde hair. Her baby girl, who she named Maria, was snatched away for adoption without even time for a kiss goodbye – and Jean never saw her again, until now.

In heartbreaking scenes to be screened in a Long Lost Family: Mother and Baby Home Scandal special on ITV, the 85-year-old finally gets to meet the child who was taken away from her so brutally, leaving her traumatised for decades. Jean was just 16 in the summer of 1956 when she discovered she was pregnant by Tony, her first ever boyfriend. They wanted to marry, but having brought shame to her family, Jean was sent to the Home of the Good Shepherd Mother and Baby Home in Haslemere, Surrey, a home established by a moral welfare association connected to the Church of England, and a baptism and adoption were arranged.

Jean, from Chertsey, Surrey, recalls: “It was a big house and we had to scrub all that clean. We had to go to chapel every morning and evening to ask forgiveness for what we’d done. I didn’t know I was pregnant at first because I wasn’t sure how you had a baby. I was terrified, I didn’t know what to do. My dad was a bully. I remember him saying to my mother, ‘I told you she’d be no good didn’t I?’ He called me the biggest whore under the sun when he found out I was pregnant. I couldn’t stay there because ‘What about my father’s job?’. You’d think he was the Prime Minister, instead of the caretaker of a school.” Jean adds: “I’ve always felt inferior, I’m not good enough for people.”

With no option, Jean and Tony reluctantly took their 10-week-old baby to the London offices of the Southwark Catholic Rescue society. Jean says: “I gave her to this woman who’d said we’d go and show her off, so I thought she was bringing her back to let us kiss her goodbye, but she didn’t. When she was 18, I wrote to the society to ask if they had any news of her. He wrote back and said ‘No’ and maybe we’ll be reunited in heaven one day. I thought that was a horrible thing to say to me.”

Jean’s story is just one of many distressing accounts from a period between the 1940s and the 1970s, when an estimated 200,000 unmarried women, many just teenagers, were placed in homes, run often by religious organisations – and thousands of their babies were taken for adoption. Lyn, who was in a Cornish mother and baby home, says: “No matter how far pregnant you were, you had to wait on the staff and scrub the floors. It was all draconian and very cruel. You’d walk down the middle of the church, and you’d hear, ‘Sl*g, prostitute, whore, slapper. ’ I mean what had we done wrong? Nothing. It was hell.”

The two-part ITV special, hosted by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell, delves into this scandal, following three emotive searches. Davina says: “You’ve probably walked past a mother and baby home on a quiet suburban street and have no idea of its secret history or what happened to young unmarried mothers.”

Fortunately for Jean, there is a huge breakthrough as the Long Lost Family team tracks down her daughter, now named Cathy, with the middle name Maria. Mother-of-two Cathy, 68, who lives with Gary, her husband of 51 years, in Ilford, London, had a wonderful adoption and is thrilled to hear from her birth mother. She says: “I feel very sorry for what she had to go through – I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. My own daughter is unmarried and has a daughter who lives with us and she’s a delight. I think it was an absolute disgrace the way women were treated in those days.”

Tearful as she reads a letter from Jean asking for her forgiveness, she adds: “I never ever blamed her. I’m sad that she’s been looking for so long.” When Jean hears the news that Cathy has been found and wants to meet her, she is completely overwhelmed. Jean, who went on to have four other children and split from her husband, says: “I just hope she likes me and I don’t let her down.” There is a clear narrative that many of the women affected blamed themselves, with adoptions often forced on vulnerable young women.

Campaigners are now lobbying the UK government to join the Welsh, Scottish and Irish governments in apologising to those affected. But time is running out for these women to find any adopted children. Jean and Cathy are among the luckier ones. Both are nervous and emotional as they prepare to reunite, but immediately they hug and are clutching each other’s hands. “I didn’t think this day would ever come,” says Cathy. “We’ve been waiting nearly 69 years since she was last able to hug me.” Jean tells her: “We had nobody to help us and I had no choice. I had nowhere to go. I knew I couldn’t keep you so I tried not to love you too much.” Cathy replies: “I had a hole in my life, you had a hole in your life. We’ve now managed to fill the hole.”

Jean says afterwards: “I kept looking at my arms because last time she was in my arms. It will probably sink in a lot more as time goes by. But I’ve also got to try to forgive myself.” As the mother and daughter introduce each other to their extended families, Jean says: “Now I know why I’ve lived so long. This is the reason.” She adds: “I’m feeling quite happy inside. I still can’t believe it. I won’t need to worry about her anymore because she’s got a family and they seem very kind.” Cathy says: “This is going to change my life. That void has been filled.”

Also in the show, sisters Viv and Julie are looking for their lost older sibling on behalf of their mum Margaret, who gave birth in a Baptist Union-run mother and baby home called The Haven, in Yateley, Hampshire, in the late 1950s. Margaret was in the Royal Navy in Cornwall when she fell pregnant aged 20. The father hadn’t revealed he was married with a family and abandoned her. In a poignant moment, Margaret, now 89 and suffering from moderate dementia, recalls singing ‘You Are My Sunshine’ to her baby Helen, and sings the chorus, which ends ‘Please don’t take my sunshine away’.

Margaret adds: “I’d love to see her and know she’s had a good life. I want her to know I loved her and haven’t forgotten her.” Julie says: “I don’t think mum was given any choice. We had an older brother who died in a motorbike accident just before he was 30. So mum feels that she’s lost two children.”

Ann also wants to solve the mystery of what happened to her brother Martin, after their mother Cora gave birth in the Catholic mother and baby home, St Pelagia’s in Highgate, North London in 1962. Ann, from London, says: “I had no idea that there was an elder brother. And then one day, one of my younger sisters came across a death certificate which said, ‘Martin, son of Cora’. My mum promptly whipped it from her hands, tore it up, and said, ‘Give me that. Don’t worry about that. Just forget you ever saw it’.”

After her mother Cora’s death in 2008, Ann discovered that Martin’s father was a Sri Lankan man who Cora had fallen in love with at work. Ann says: “My mum had not only had a child out of wedlock, but to have had a mixed-race child then, she would have been doubly frowned upon.” Ann has since discovered racist descriptions of her brother in his file and proof he was rejected for adoption and taken in at a children’s home run by nuns. After handing Martin over fit and well at eight-weeks-old, Cora was told within 48 hours that he had died – but Ann wants to know the truth.

For Ann, closure appears to be hard reach, as the team investigates an alleged scandal in Ireland of babies being illegally adopted, with parents told the babies had died. Could this have happened in England too? With varying testimony, it’s tough to know for sure, but it is believed most likely that Martin would have died.

There is better news for Margaret as her 68-year-old daughter, now called Sian, is finally found after months of scouring the records. Sian has cerebral palsy, which was diagnosed after the adoption, which means she is non-verbal and has been a wheelchair user since childhood. She’s delighted that her birth mum has been looking for. Sian says: “I know that my mother had difficulties while I was being delivered, because the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck, so oxygen didn’t get to me.”

Davina reveals to Viv and Julie that Sian has been found, and that when her condition was discovered, the adoptive family were asked if they wanted to give Sian back. Davina says: “They were offered the opportunity to swap her for another child without a disability. But they’d completely fallen in love with her.” Having shared the news with their mum, Viv says: “Mum said to us that now we’ve found Sian, she can die happy.”

A government spokesperson says: “This abhorrent practice should never have taken place and our deepest sympathies are with all those affected.” A spokesperson for the Church of England said: “It is horrifying to hear first-hand accounts of pain and distress experienced by women and their children connected to mother and baby homes, including any which were affiliated with the Church of England. There is no doubt that attitudes towards unmarried mothers in society at the time, including by many within the Church, often put immense pressure on young women to give up their babies for adoption. We all now recognise the profound and lasting impact some of these decisions have clearly had on so many lives and we express our heartfelt sorrow and regret for those who have been hurt.”

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Guildford said: “We feel immense sadness and regret for the emotional pain experienced by Jean and other women who were separated from their children. We are grateful to this programme for reuniting Jean with her daughter Cathy, but we are also aware that many like her would have sadly died without being reunited or having a sense of closure. While attitudes within the church and society have significantly changed since that time, it does not erase the lasting damage that these adoptions had on the women.” The Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary reflected and declined to comment and said that the allegation related to the “actions and decisions of sisters who are no longer with us”.

*Long Lost Family: The Mother And Baby Home Scandal airs across two nights on ITV1: September 3rd and 4th at 9pm

Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.