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Michelle Keegan has reportedly quit a drama just weeks before she was set to begin filming and now a former Doctor Who star has is said to have taken over the role

Michelle Keegan has quit a drama just weeks before she was set to begin filming.

The actress, 39, is said to have been gearing to take on the part of a working class barrister in a new series that has been penned by Sherlock creator Steve Thompson, with cameras set to roll from November.

But it’s now thought that Michelle, who has to Palma, 18 months, with husband Mark Wright, has pulled out of the project in what is being called a “huge blow” for the production.

A source said: “Michelle was really keen to take on the meaty role, but the heavy filming schedule would take her away from daughter Palma for too long.

According to reports, former Doctor Who actress Jodie Whittaker has been drafted into the role instead but fans of Michelle will soon be able to see her in in Netflix drama The Woods, which is based on the Harlan Coben thriller of the same name.

Speaking to The Sun, the source added: “The hours were quite intense and the project was starting straight after her Netflix drama The Woods and she just couldn’t commit. She is dedicated to her acting career, but like all working mums has to prioritise being there for her family, juggling work, parenting and being present for Palma.”

Michelle shot to fame when in 2008 when she was cast as Tina McIntyre on Coronation Street, and stayed with the soap for seven years before making a permanent exit when the much-loved Rovers barmaid was killed off as part of a whodunnit plot. Since then, she has Michelle has become one of the most famous actresses in Britain, starring in top-rated programmes like Brassic and Ten Pound Poms.

Michelle previously starred in Fool Me Once for Netflix, which was based on Coben’s 2016 thriller, but this time round, she will play Lucy Silverfield, who helps her former partner, played by Tom Bateman. In

When the latest adaptation of The Woods was first announced, Coben said in a statement: “The Woods is a haunting and very personal story. It has everything you expect from us – twisty, turning, gasp-inducing – but at the core is a story of old love and yearning.

“Working with a cast led by Tom Bateman, Michelle Keegan, Mandeep Dhillon, Pearce Quigley, James Buckley, Tom Allen – it’s an embarrassment of riches.”

Penned by Danny Brocklehurst, the upcoming eight-part thriller begins with a mysterious disappearance 20 years ago that leaves a family devastated.

When new evidence comes to light that convinces barrister Paul ‘Cope’ Copeland (played by Bateman) his missing sister could be alive after all, he begins a relentless investigation to unearth the truth.

The Mirror has contacted Michelle’s representatives for comment

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Patsy Kensit, who first appeared on Emmerdale in 2004 before leaving two years later, is back in the village and has recalled how she made one demand when she returned to Emmerdale as Sadie King for a six month stint

Patsy Kensit made one demand when she returned to Emmerdale – that Sadie King wouldn’t be killed off.

Iconic character Sadie is back in the Dales, arriving this week by helicopter in a nod to her previous arrival in the village a number of decades ago. Patsy, 58, first appeared in 2004 before leaving two years later, but is back in the village once more after two decades for a six months stint.

She’s quickly at the heart of the action when it was revealed that Sadie had been having an affair with Jimmy King (Nick Miles), who died in a devastating marquee car crash and left Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) struggling with the financial burden of raising their kids and trying to fund university education for their eldest.

It was a joy for Patsy to return, but she had one demand for bosses. “It came out of absolutely nowhere, which is sometimes the nicest way things can happen,” she says.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to kill the character off, though, because I would love to think that she may return again.’ So the team of writers are phenomenal… and people will be shocked.”

Such was her return a secret that she booked into a hotel up North with a fake name to keep things under the radar. “The hotel, I had to put under a fake name there. And my agent and I came up and sat and chatted and just was like, ‘Yeah, you know, why not? Let’s do it,'” she says. Of how it’s changed since her first stint 20 years ago, she added: “I think one episode I’m in 60 scenes or something… It used to be six days a week when I did it first time around.”

Her return doesn’t just impact grieving Nicola’s life, but Sadie soon crashes into a number of her character’s conquests.

Her tryst with Robert Sugden (then played by Karl Davies and now played by Ryan Hawley) was a big part of her original appearance, as was her romantic connection with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley).

“Ryan and I have had a lot of stuff to do together… He’s very funny, and that’s been great,” she says, “It was quite a daunting day with Jeff Hordley scenes. It was all about putting that relationship to bed. There was a lot she revealed that happened to her after he left her on the runway.

“Jeff’s such a brilliant actor, as is everyone on the show. I’m learning so much every day again… but we decided to sort of play against that and just make it a real conversation between two people that had shared some time together.”

Her return marks the reunion of two of the soaps ‘super b***ches’ as Claire King’s Kim Tate goes head to head with Patsy’s Sadie. On working with the soap legend, she says: “Claire King is the queen, and I’m so happy to be working with her.

“I’ve got so much respect for Claire… I’ve always been a super fan. Our paths cross a couple of times and then some barbed comments, which is very Dynasty.”

Despite her glittering acting career, it didn’t stem the nerves when she returned to Emmerdale this time around. “I was so nervous my first week. Mark [Charnock] called me up just to say, look, you know, ‘We’re so thrilled that you’re coming back,'” she says.

“And I said, ‘Mark, I’m just I’m absolutely s***ing myself.’ And he said, ‘You know what? It would be weird if you weren’t.'”

“There’s nothing like a warm Yorkshire welcome… It’s the nicest place to work. Everyone genuinely cares about the show. It’s hard work, I’m not going to say it isn’t, but it’s rewarding,” she says.

Patsy feels very “protective” over Sadie and she is thoroughly enjoying living vicariously through her character.

“For me, it’s a role that I’ve really cherished, and I’m very protective about her. It changed my life when I did it, you know, 20-odd years ago, and it’s just wonderful to be back for a little while and just get to say all those horrible things to people with delight,” she says.

“It’s wonderful to live vicariously through this woman who seems to have no shame in her game. But does she really have what she had before when she left? They’re really taking apart who the woman is.”

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Summer is nearly over and TV is gearing up for winter TV, and this Love Island star could be the new face of the jungle

Love Island favourite Chloe Burrows has been tipped to be heading Down Under after reportedly entering talks for this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

The 30-year-old shot to fame on Love Island in 2021 and proved a huge hit with viewers, eventually finishing runner-up alongside her then-boyfriend Toby Aromolaran. Now producers are allegedly keen to sign her up for I’m A Celeb, with Chloe said to be enthusiastic about swapping her home comforts for life in camp.

She is said to have held a number of meetings with bosses behind the ITV jungle show ahead of its return to Australia later this year.

A source told The Sun: “Chloe is in advanced talks and they love her. She was hugely popular in Love Island. She made it clear she’d love a chance to go to Australia to be on the show.”

Her sizeable online following is also reportedly attractive to producers as ITV continues to bring social media personalities into the jungle.

The insider added: “She has a very big following on social media too, very much like Angry Ginge and GK Barry, and ITV bosses think she could bring in a younger audience.

“ITV moves with the times. They’ve seen the surge of popularity with influencers.”

YouTuber and streamer Angry Ginge was crowned King of the Jungle last year after securing 13million votes, while podcaster and social media star GK Barry finished fifth in the 2024 series.

Since leaving the Love Island villa, Chloe has successfully built a career away from the dating show. She now hosts her own podcast, Chloe vs The World, and can also be heard on Kiss Breakfast alongside Strictly Come Dancing star Tyler West.

It wouldn’t be her first experience of being pushed outside her comfort zone on reality television either. Last year, she signed up for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, although her time on the gruelling Channel 4 programme was short-lived. She chose to leave the process during the second episode after struggling with its demanding challenges.

If she does sign on the dotted line for I’m A Celeb, Chloe is expected to fly to Australia’s Gold Coast ahead of filming beginning in November.

She isn’t the only famous face being linked with this year’s line-up. Paralympian and television presenter Ade Adepitan, 53, and Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page, 49, have also reportedly been approached about taking part. It’s worth nothing, however, no contestants have yet been officially confirmed.

After The Mirror reached out for comment, ITV said, “Any names suggested for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! are just speculation.”

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KASABIAN’S Leeds Festival headlining slot is under threat as bosses have sent an urgent warning to “take cover”.

The annual festival kicked off it’s four-day extravaganza today, with revellers expected to turn up in their thousands to see their favourite acts perform live.

Iconic rock band Kasabian, which consists of members Sergio Pizzorno, Chris Edwards, Ian Matthews and Tim Carter, are set to perform tonight at on The Grid stage from 9:20 to 10:50pm.

However, it’s been revealed that a thunderstorm is going to happen in Leeds and it could derail the highly-anticipated performance.

The organisers took to Instagram to share a statement for those attending the festival today.

They penned: “Weather update. There will be a thunderstorm in Leeds today.

STAGE EXIT

Reading Festival axes iconic stage after 18 YEARS – as new programme announced

SINGING IN THE RAIN

Soaked revellers brave rain & mud as Reading & Leeds Festival begins

“Please take cover where you can including in your camping tents and avoid sheltering under trees.”

Festival-goers took to the comments section to share their thoughts as they urged bosses not to cancel acts because of the weather.

One person wrote: “I better see no acts cancelled because of this weather.”

Another reveller commented: “Is this a joke.”

Somebody else said: “Please don’t do what you did last time and shut the stages down. Hopefully the stages aren’t affected much.”

Yet another joked: “It wouldn’t be Leeds Festival without rain!!”

The iconic event began at 10am this morning and will be running until Sunday evening.

Other stars set to perform over the next few days are Charli XCX, Chase and Status, Dave, Florence + The Machine and Raye.

As well as this, sombr, Skepta, Jade and Declan McKenna will also be crooning to some of their biggest tracks.

The iconic event is taking place at Bramham Park, which is located between Leeds and York.

Eight episodes are currently available to stream on Netflix

Love Is Blind UK bosses have opened up on a history-making moment that viewers never see on the show.

The third instalment of the hit Netflix show has returned to screens this week with the first eight episodes released in one go yesterday (August 19).

Hopeful singles have once again headed to the Love Is Blind dating pods hoping to find ‘the one’ where they will date potential partners. They will only meet face to face for the first time if a couple decides to take their relationship to the next step and become engaged.

The series has proved a hit with Netflix viewers, but there is a wait on their hands before the next batch of episodes will be released (August 26).

As the new release hits screens, executive producer Nazleen Karim and series editor David Cheesman spoke about one thing that viewers did not see and it is an incredible milestone which has made history.

This time around, there was an unprecedented number of engagements as 14 pairs took their relationships to the next step. However, the show only showed six couples’ journey, meaning there was so much more that viewers didn’t get to see play out on screen.

Nazleen said: “When there are more engagements than we can physically follow, we have to make difficult editorial choices. We’re looking for a range of different relationship journeys and stories that together capture the full experience of the experiment.

“Not being selected isn’t a reflection of the strength of a relationship – many couples continue exploring their connection once they leave the Pods.”

David added: “It’s never an easy decision and we wouldn’t want to diminish the love those other couples have formed. We’ve never had as many as 14 engagements which is why we ended up following six couples this time as opposed to five.”

With a combination of “natural drama and love, sexiness, chemistry and humour”, the series is potentially the strongest so far as David confirmed: “Every season brings something different, but this one has some of the most surprising twists, emotional moments and unforgettable characters we’ve seen.”

Hosts Matt and Emma Willis also touched on the monumental engagements as Matt said: “There are clearly a lot of thirsty people in the UK! I think we both got a strong sense that people really were there to get married.

“They weren’t just going in to see what this was all about – they wanted to find a husband or wife. Maybe the RAYE song ‘Where Is My Husband!’ was the inspiration.”

Although the new episodes follow six potential pairs, viewers will need to tune in to see who makes it to the altar, and who, if anyone, continues their marriage in the outside world.

Love Is Blind UK can be streamed in the UK.

The new start of this year’s I’m A Celebrity has reportedly been pushed back after ITV won the rights to the UEFA Nations League, meaning there would be a schedule clash

Bosses at ITV have been forced to delay the latest series of I’m A Celebrity, according to reports. It’s claimed a major scheduling clash has led to the series Down Under being pushed back.

That’s because the channel has landed the rights to the UEFA Nations League. It’ll see England back in competitive action following this summer’s World Cup disappointment.

The international tournament will kick off on September 24. The games will continue for a number of months and England are set to take on current World Cup champions Spain on November 15.

The game, being held at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, will kick off at 8.45pm. This is just 15 minutes before the start of I’m A Celeb 2026 was pencilled to begin.

But it’s claimed the football has taken priority, with the reality series said to now be commencing a day later on November 16.

A source told The Sun: “I’m A Celeb has always benefited from the Sunday night prime-time slot, but this year it’s all change. Now ITV has the rights to the UEFA Nations League bosses have had to go back to the drawing board.”

And a second source added: “Bosses have pulled out all the stops to ensure this year’s IAC launch show is must-see TV. Following the huge success of this year’s World Cup, bosses are overjoyed to have such a stellar lineup of entertainment and sport this autumn on ITV.”

While the campmates for the upcoming series are yet to be announced, speculation is already growing. And there are also reports that there will soon be another spin-off of the series.

Rio and Kate Ferdinand have reportedly signed up for an I’m A Celebrity: Wild Frontier, a new spin-off of Ant and Dec’s classic reality show which will be filmed in Canada.

If they have signed up, it means they have become the first married couple to join the show, which is focusing on celebrity pairs. Together, they will have to face their own daredevil challenges and Bushtucker Trials and it will mark England star Rio’s first venture into reality TV.

A source said: “Bosses are overjoyed to have landed the Ferdinands. It’s a real coup for the show. They have brilliant chemistry and are great fun. It will be the first time viewers have really seen Rio away from football chat, too.

Speaking to The Sun, the source added: “ITV are still in talks with some other brilliant names and this show promises to be absolutely spectacular — and a real social media talker.”

Unlike the Australian series, the spin-off show sees famous faces compete in pairs. It could be with friends, relatives or couples as they take on Bushtucker-style trials together before facing elimination as a duo.

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