The popstar was absent from Mel’s happy day at St Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday, which saw Emma Bunton, 49, the sole other girl group member in attendance.
The Wannabe singer stunned in a gown adorned with dazzling pearl detail around the collar and sleeves and a long flowing veil as she stepped out of the iconic venue.
She uploaded a snap showing the happy couple together with the words: “So so happy for you both and beyond gutted I couldn’t be there.
“Excited to celebrate with you really soon. Yipee!”
In her next slide, Mel showcased a snap of her performing in Stockholm, Sweden.
She added the words: “Bit of a soggy one last night.”
Mel shows off her musclesCredit: ErotemeThe toned Spice Girl, 51, wore a leotard and red boots to help launch her new musicCredit: Unknown
The Pentagon issued a statement blasting the streamer’s programming and leadership Friday following an inquiry about the new series “Boots” from Entertainment Weekly. While the response from Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson did not directly address the gay coming-of-age military show, it did slam Netflix for following an “ideological agenda” that “feeds woke garbage to their audience and children.”
“Under President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the U.S. military is getting back to restoring the warrior ethos,” Wilson’s statement said. “Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn’t care if you’re a man, a woman, gay, or straight. We will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda, unlike Netflix whose leadership consistently produces and feeds woke garbage to their audience and children.”
Based on Greg Cope White’s 2016 memoir “The Pink Marine,” “Boots” follows Cam Cope (Miles Heizer), a gay teenager who enlists in the Marines at a time when being gay in the military was still a crime. Noting the show’s timely themes, Times television critic Robert Lloyd called it a “perfectly decent, good-hearted, unsurprisingly sentimental miniseries” in his review.
The show’s creatives also worked closely with several advisors with past military experience to authentically portray the Marines and military life in the 1990s.
The Pentagon’s criticism against Netflix follows the recent campaign led by billionaire Elon Musk calling for people to cancel their subscriptions to the streamer. The on-again/off-again Trump ally railed against Netflix on X earlier this month after clips of “Dead End: Paranormal Park,” an animated Netflix series featuring a trans character, was making the rounds on the social media platform. The show was canceled after its second season was released in 2022.
Despite being the target of right-wing ire, Netflix also has a history of being called out for its anti-trans programming. In 2021, transphobic remarks made by comedian Dave Chappelle in his special “The Closer” led to protests, walkouts and even a resignation of a trans employee. The streamer followed that in 2022 by releasing a comedy special from Ricky Gervais that also featured transphobic material.
Netflix drama military drama Boots is based on the true story of gay Marine Greg Cope White
13:37, 09 Oct 2025Updated 13:42, 09 Oct 2025
Boots, a military drama on Netflix, follows the journey of gay teenager Cameron Cope (portrayed by Miles Heizer) as he enlists in the Marines corps alongside his best mate, despite the inherent dangers.
The series is set in the harsh environment of the 1990s US Marine Corps, a time when homosexuality was still outlawed in the military. It traces the lives of Cameron and Ray McAffey (played by Liam Oh), the offspring of a decorated Marine, as they become part of a diverse group of recruits.
Together, they form unexpected friendships and discover their true identities while being pushed to their limits.
Netflix commented: “With sharp wit and plenty of heart, Boots is about friendship, resilience, and finding your place in the world – even when that world seems determined to keep you in line or leave you behind.”
Greg Cope White, a former sergeant in the US Marine Corps, served as a writer and executive producer for the series.
He is an ardent advocate for LGBTQ+ and veteran rights, and has appeared in the PBS docuseries American Veteran and published work in the military journal Zero Dark Thirty.
Reflecting on his journey from his days in the Marine Corps, he posted on Instagram: “At 18, I illegally enlisted in the Marine Corps to find my place as a gay man in the masculine world.
“The book honours my lifelong best friend Dale, who got me through a chaotic childhood, and the Marines who took a chance on me and changed my life.
“And to send a message to others who are bullied: Bullies don’t matter. You do. Hold on.”
Greg completed six years of service with the Marines, achieving the rank of Sergeant, before relocating to New York City to pursue studies in acting and writing.
He eventually settled in Los Angeles, where he secured his breakthrough in writing through employment with Norman Lear.
The Pink Marine website details how joining the Marines represented Greg’s initial struggle, as he “has to cheat to pass the physical and then lie on the enlistment papers about his sexuality”.
The protagonists Cameron and Ray draw inspiration from Greg and his closest mate Dale, with the website outlining the dangers they both faced.
It states: “It’s insanely dangerous for both of them. But as fate would have it, the Few and the Proud turn out to be a bunch of oddballs and eccentrics – and a brotherhood is born.”
In “Boots,” a new miniseries set in 1990, Miles Heizer plays Cameron Cope, a scrawny, bullied gay teenager who is out only to his best (and only) friend, Ray (Liam Oh). Ray, who is joining the Marines to make his disciplinarian but not unkind father proud, convinces Cam to join alongside him. (The recruiters sell a buddy system, which is a bit of a come-on.) Cam told his messy but not unkind mother, Barbara (Vera Farmiga), where he was going, but she wasn’t listening.
Though the series, which premieres Thursday on Netflix and is based on Greg Cope White’s 2016 memoir, “The Pink Marine,” is novel as regards the sexuality of its main character, it’s also essentially conventional — not a pejorative — and largely predictable. It’s a classic Boot Camp Film, like “An Officer and a Gentleman,” or Abbott and Costello’s “Buck Privates,” in which imperfect human material is molded through exercise, ego death and yelling into a better person, and it replays many tropes of the genre. And like most every military drama, it gathers diverse types into a not necessarily close-knit group.
Cam’s confusion is represented by externalizing his inner voice into a double, “the angel on my shoulder and, honestly, sometimes the devil,” with whom he argues, like a difficult imaginary friend. (It’s the voice of his hidden gayness.) Where basic training stories like this usually involve a cocky or spoiled character learning a lesson about humbleness and teamwork, Cam is coming from a place of insecurity and fear. At first he wants to leave — he had expected nothing worse than “mud and some bug bites and wearing the same underwear two days in a row” — and plots to wash out; but he blows the chance when he helps a struggling comrade pass a test. He’s a good guy. (Heizer is very fine in the part.)
Cameron (Miles Heizer), left, is convinced by his best friend (and only friend), Ray (Liam Oh), to join the Marines with him.
(Alfonso “Pompo” Bresciani / Netflix)
Press materials describe “Boots,” created by Andy Parker, as a comedic drama, although, after the opening scenes, there’s not much comedy in it — even a food fight is more stressful than funny. Using “Also Sprach Zarathustra” as the soundtrack to a long-in-coming bowel movement — I just report the news — was already dated and exhausted in 1990, and is bizarrely out of joint with the rest of the production. “Boots” isn’t anywhere near as disturbing as, say, “Full Metal Jacket” — which Ray told Cam to watch to prepare, though he opted for a “Golden Girls” marathon instead. But it makes no bones about the fact that these kids are being trained to kill. “Kill, kill, blood makes the grass grow,” they chant, and “God, country, Corps, kill.” And sometimes just, “Kill, kill, kill.” And things do turn violent, sometimes for purposes of training and sometimes because someone just goes off his head.
Still, that Cam survives, and, after a period of adjustment, thrives (that’s not a spoiler, Cope White lived to write the book) makes this, strictly speaking, a comedy. (And, by implication, an endorsement of the program.) “We’re killing our old selves so we can be our best selves,” he’ll say to Ray. The Marines may make a man of him, but it won’t be a straight man.
Rhythmically, “Boots” follows scenes in which someone will break a little or big rule — I suppose in the Marines, all rules are big, even the little ones — with some sort of punishment, for an individual or the platoon. Laid across this ostinato are various storylines involving recruits working out the issues that have brought them to this Parris Island of Misfit Boys. Cody (Brandon Tyler Moore) was taught by his father to look down on his twin brother, John (Blake Burt), who is in the same outfit, because he’s fat. Slovacek (Kieron Moore), a bully, has been given a choice between prison and the military. Mason (Logan Gould) can barely read. Santos (Rico Paris) is slowed down by a bum knee. Ochoa (Johnathan Nieves) is a little too much in love with his wife. And Hicks (Angus O’Brien) is a chaos-relishing loon, having the time of his life. Obviously, not everyone who joins the Marines is compensating for something; Nash (Dominic Goodman), a more or less balanced character who seems to be sending Cameron signals, is there to pad his resume in case he runs for president one day; but he’ll have his moment of shame.
Sgt. Sullivan (Max Parker), left, is one of the drill instructors who takes an interest in Cameron (Miles Heizer).
(Alfonso “Pompo” Bresciani / Netflix)
Though they all raise their voices and get in people’s faces, the drill instructors do come in various flavors. Staff Sgt. McKinnon (Cedrick Cooper), the senior instructor, is imposing but obviously sane and sometimes kind; Sgt. Howitt (Nicholas Logan) is an unsettling sort who will prove to have some depth, while Sgt. Knox (Zach Roerig) is a twitchy racist, soon to be replaced by Sgt. Sullivan (Max Parker), tall, steely and tightly wound. He doesn’t yell as loud as the others, but even his posture is intimidating. He focuses immediately on Cameron; make of that what you will. He’s the series second lead, basically.
There are some respites from the training, the running and marching, the room full of tear gas, the dead man’s float test, the hand-to-hand combat, the flower planting. (That part was nice, actually.) The yelling.
Ray winds up in sick bay, where he flirts with a female Marine. We get a few perfunctory glimpses of what the brass is like when they’re out of uniform and quiet; it comes as a relief. McKinnon’s wife is having a baby; he makes Cookie Monster noises on the phone for his son. Capt. Fajardo (Ana Ayora), “the first woman to lead a male company on Parris Island,” is heard talking to her mother, presumably about her daughter’s wedding: “I would rather not spend the time or the money because she can’t live without love.” Of her position, she observes that it “only took 215 years and a congressional mandate.” McKinnon, who is Black, offers a brief history of Black people in the Marine Corps as lived by his forebears.
The social themes become more prominent in the second half, and we learn or are reminded just how toxic the military was to gay people, and how backward was its attitude. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” wasn’t in effect until 1994, and it wasn’t until 2011 that openly gay soldiers could serve. Now, as civil rights are being beaten back to … backwardness by small-minded politicians, there’s a timely element to this perfectly decent, good-hearted, unsurprisingly sentimental miniseries.
Retailing for just £6.95 the treatment provides continuous moisture which nourishes the skin and promotes nail growth.
The product description recommends users massage the product into nails and cuticles once a day to see the best results.
This nail saviour has gone a storm with Boots shoppers, with the product receiving 100 five star reviews.
Glowing reveals for star nail product
One glowing review reads: “Absolutely the best cuticle cream I have used – very easy to use and super results.
“Having used more expensive brands I now realise that No 7 is the one I will always use in the future.”
Another delighted shopper added: “One one application and I have noticed a difference.
“My nails were flaky and split all the time. They are now actually growing without breaking.”
Beauty fans can get their nails done professionally for just £5 in Superdrug – here’s how
One happy customer also praised its affordable price point, writing: “Very cheap bur very good product!!!”
The hypo-allergenic product comes in a 10ml container.
How to keep your nails in pristine condition
Nail techs often recommend that avid acrylic and gel users take breaks in between every few sets, to give them a bit of a break.
If you’re looking to start the natural journey or are looking to just enhancenailcondition, nail strengtheners and cuticle oils are a great place to start.
Other nail strengtheners and oil that The Sun recommends include OPI’s Nail Envy, Sally Hansen’s Miracle Cure, and Jessica’s Bend Don’t Break.
If you are in the market for another more affordable option, Barry M’s Mani Hero is less than £5 and promises to be a great quality, budget-friendly alternative.
Earlier this month, nail pro Sarah Green, also told The Sun the four things people should avoid doing to keep them in good condition.
Among her pro tips were avoiding using hot water, using UV protection and applying cuticle oil.
Following this advice may help ensure your at-home manicure stays in pristine condition and chip-free for much longer.
NAILS NO-NO
A NAIL expert has revealed the two words that prospective clients say that can gets them ghosted.
There’s plenty of bad habits such as being glued to your phone and creating awkward conversations that can lead to a frosty atmosphere in the salon.
But some beauty fans could ruin their chances of an appointment before they’re even through the door.
Nickie runs her own salon in Musselburgh, East Lothian, and also trains up other prospective nail technicians.
In a recent TikTok video, she revealed her “unpopular opinion” about message enquiries.
She said: “I’m not replying to you if you just write to me ‘how much’.
“Sorry? How much for what? How much for nails? How much for training? Eyebrows? Hair? A lift to your mum’s house?
“Like what even happened to ‘hey how are you?’. Not even a ‘how are you?’ Just like a ‘hi’.
“‘Hi. How much is nails?’ Or ‘how much is training?’
“[Just] ‘How much?’ Like? I’m sorry but I can’t even reply because I feel like it’s like a waste of my time because then I know you’re not going to reply back to me again.”
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The No 7 product has been a huge hit amongst beauty loversCredit: Getty
A BEAUTY buff has shared how she banished her forehead wrinkles for good after ageing her skin with sunbeds.
Despite long being linked to cancer and banned in countries such as Australia and Brazil, sunbeds are still popular in the UK – and in fact, it seems that their use on the rise.
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Former sunbed user Chloe shared the shocking skin damage on TikTok – and how she got rid of the deep lines for goodCredit: TIKTOK/@chloe.w.hite
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According to the beauty buff, it’s all thanks to a bargain productCredit: TIKTOK/@chloe.w.hite
Last year, a survey by the charity Melanoma Focus found that28 per cent of UK adultsuse sunbeds, rising to a whopping 43 per cent among 18 to 25-year-olds.
In anotherstudyfrom Skin Health Alliance, 60 per cent of young people admitted to sunbed use, with 25 per cent using them on a frequent basis.
But while just one sunbed session can increase the risk of developing squamous cellskin cancerby 67 per cent, it’s also worth remembering the skin ageing factor.
Sunbeds emit extremely high levels of UV radiation, which damages the skin’s collagen and elastin fibres, leading to wrinkles and a loss of elasticity, warned Public Health Agency.
The faux golden glow can also cause increased melanin production, leading to the formation of sun spots or age spots, which can appear as dark patches on the skin.
One former beauty buff, Chloe White, recently took to TikTok where she showed the damage caused by soaking up the harmful UV rays – as well as how she drastically improved the appearance of her skin.
”I used to use the sunbeds and it aged my skin a lot quicker than I wanted to,” the young woman said in the video where she also shared a snap of her wrinkly forehead.
As well as saying goodbye to sunbeds, Chloe began to take better care of her skin – which also included using retinol.
Ideal to start incorporating into your routine as you approach your mid to late 20s, retinol increases skin cell production.
As well as unclogging pores, it also exfoliates your skin and increases collagen production, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, giving your skin a fresher, plump appearance.
Tan fan shows off shocking damage after just 15 minutes on a sunbed
While the high street is full of different retinols to suit every budget, there are also more affordable options – such as The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion Serum, £15.20 at Boots.
”Look at my forehead now – compare to that picture.
”I was actually thinking about getting Botox and I thought ‘Before I start injecting my face with things, why don’t I just try this?’
”And it was worked so, so unbelievably well for tightening up my skin.”
The blonde beauty went on: ”The only thing that I didn’t know when I started using it is that you do have to wear SPF as well, because it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun.
”But yeah, it’s worked amazing compared to what my wrinkles used to look like,” said Chloe, adding it too her just two weeks to see results.
”I actually promise I have no filter on my skin, my sister in law came over and she’s in her 30’s BEST SKIN EVER and that’s what she said she uses, never looked back,” said the TikTok who posts under the username @chloe.w.hite.
Risks of sunbeds
THE promise of a constant glowing tan is too tempting for some people to deny.
But while popping to the sunbed shop may seem harmless, people who use tanning beds should be aware of the risks.
Approximately 10 per cent of the population of Northern Europe use sunbeds on a regular basis, the World Health Organization says.
Some people use them for years on end, accumulating risk of serious disease.
We are here to give you the lowdown on sunbeds and if they are safe to use.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), sunbeds are as dangerous as smoking.
Like the sun, they give out harmful UV rays that damage the DNA in your skin cells.
Over time, this may lead to malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – studies have shown.
They report that sunbeds increase the risk of skin cancer by up to 20 per cent, and also state that they have no positive benefits to our health.
Cancer Research back this statistic, adding that ” there is no such thing as a safe tan from UV radiation”.
One study found that sunbeds can almost double the risk of cancer compared to never using them – with women 83 per cent more likely to develop the disease.
While some people think tanning beds are safer than sitting out in the midday sun, according to Cancer Research, the risk is still twice as high when compared to spending the same amount of time in the Mediterranean sun at lunch time.
The Sunbed Association claim there is not enough evidence to link sunbed use with melanoma, adding: “It is over-exposure and burning that will increase a risk of skin cancer, not responsible UV exposure.”
But the WHO says: “The majority of tanning parlours provide inadequate advice to their customers.
“The use of eye protection such as goggles or sunglasses should be mandatory.
“However, as sunbed users aim to have an even tan, they often decide against protecting any part of their body.”
Referring to the link with skin cancer, the world health experts add: “Sunbeds for self-tanning purposes have been available for the last two decades and due to the long latency period for skin cancer and eye damage it has been difficult so far to demonstrate any long-term health effects.
“Even though the causes of malignant melanoma are not fully understood, tumour development appears to be linked to occasional exposure to intense sunlight.
“Sunbeds subject their users to intermittent high exposures of UVA and UVB radiation – this may provide the ideal setting for the development of malignant skin cancer.
“However, the few epidemiological studies that have been carried out to date have not provided any consistent results.”
Despite the WHO’s cautious stance on the skin cancer link, it discourages the use of sunbeds, quoting an expert who said the use of tanning parlours is like “an industrial-scale radiation exposure experiment”.
Regardless of skin cancer, sunbeds don’t just have long-term health risks.
Users have reported a range of short-term symptoms including itching, dryness and redness of skin, freckling and photosensitivity.
Common outcomes in the longer term, especially in fair-skinned people, may involve blistering of the skin.
“Sagging and wrinkling of the skin are an almost certain price to be paid by frequent sunbed users”, the WHO says – not quite the outcome you hope for when going to the sunbed shop for a beautiful, youthful look.
How to use retinol?
The beauty bag must-have, a form of vitamin A, is to be added to your evening skincare routine – and never in the morning.
Before you use a retinol product for the first time, do a patch test on a small area of your skin to see if you have any negative reactions.
If, after a couple of days, your skin patch isn’t very red or itchy, you can safely add it to the skincare regimen.
Once you wash your face in the morning, pile on the nourishing products, too.
The golden rule is that less is more. Less product – a pea-sized amount should cover your whole face, using more won’t make it work faster – and less frequently.
Start with one night a week, then after a few weeks, once you know your skin is tolerating it, scale up to twice a week for a few more weeks and so on.
Don’t be disheartened if your skin can only handle it every other night, you’ll still be reaping the rewards and it’s better to use it consistently over a longer period than ramp it up and have to take a break because your skin reacts.
Avoid sensitive areas, like around your eyes and lips, as that’s almost guaranteed to cause problems, and our skin is porous so enough of the product will creep towards both when applied further away.
If you’re impatient, retinal works faster than retinol – yes, one letter makes all the difference.
Both have to convert into retinoic acid before unleashing their skincare benefits, and the former is one step further in that process, which many dermatologists I’ve spoken to mean it’s also kinder to skin, and better tolerated by those of us with sensitive complexions.
Beauty boxes are a great way to try out new products or stock up on favourites, and the Boots Fresh Faced Skincare Set has everything needed for a routine refresh.
Six out of the nine products inside are full-size, including Lumene’s Glow Boost Essence, which is worth £34 (more than the entire beauty box) when purchased separately.
Beauty of Joseon is the Korean beauty brand that’s been all over social media lately, and shoppers will receive its popular Matte Sun Stick.
The products also come with a stylish checked print washbag that’s ideal for storing away beauty essentials.
The £30 set only has a few reviews currently, all of which are five-star.
One shopper wrote: “This set is excellent value for money if you want to try some new brands and level up your skincare routine, and the bag itself is very good quality, plus it would make an excellent gift.”
Another added: “The bag included is very good quality that will last years and I got lots of products for a great price.
I bought this for myself to try some new products but it would also make an excellent gift.”
Shoppers caused mass sell-outs on the Boots website earlier in the month after the retailer launched its Luxury Haircare Beauty Box.
Featuring £219 worth of products for £45, the haircare edit didn’t stay in stock for long.
Lookfantastic also released a new beauty box recently, and the Trending Beauty Box comes with nine viral favourites worth £110 for £40.
The Boots Fresh Faced Favourites Beauty Box is still in stock for now, but if it’s anything like the retailer’s other new releases, it’s going to sell fast.
