Craig Bellamy laughs when asked about Rubin Colwill, the 23-year-old forward currently impressing for Cardiff City.
“He’s big for you, isn’t he?,” Bellamy asks the reporter who brings up his name.
Not that Bellamy is not a fan of the nine-cap midfielder, to the contrary.
However, Colwill has not always featured in Bellamy’s Wales squads despite playing a starring role in Cardiff’s League One promotion bid and their quarter-final EFL Cup run.
“Rubin is able, there’s still one or two bits that we need more from, but he’s capable,” insists Bellamy who has plenty of other reasons to be a regular at Cardiff City Stadium.
“For the first time in a long, long time, I’ve really enjoyed coming away from Cardiff games with a smile,” he added.
“Last year was difficult, the atmosphere was down, but now I get to see a number of Welsh young players playing in a way I like.
“I only see them improving and selfishly I just see that this is going to benefit the country, so I’m over the moon with that.”
It has been suggested that McKenna would be open to speaking to Celtic given his boyhood allegiances.
“Growing up, we all have our affinities,” he said when asked about those. “I don’t think everyone has to go around and announce what they were, but of course it’s a really big football club.”
McKenna signed a new four-year contract in 2024 and was asked about his reported £5m release clause.
“In every manager’s contract, there are things,” he replied. “I don’t know what mine are and, if I did, I wouldn’t tell you anyway!
“I approach this job like I’ll be Ipswich manager forever. I know that’s not always going to be the case, but I’ll always do my best as long as I am here.”
Bellamy played for Celtic on loan from Newcastle United in 2005, but the former Wales striker is minded to complete the current World Cup campaign, a stance that would effectively rule out the 46-year-old from immediately taking the Celtic job.
Wales are currently third in their qualifying group behind leaders Belgium and second-placed North Macedonia.
Victories over Liechtenstein and North Macedonia in November would book their place in the qualification play-offs, but they are all but assured of making those, thanks to a successful Nations League campaign, even if they fail to finish as Group J runners-up.
Given his current stance, Bellamy, whose contract expires after Euro 2028, would not be available until after the play-offs at the earliest.
Balvinder Sopal has opened up about ending up in the bottom two on Strictly Come Dancing two weeks in a row
EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal has spoken candidly about landing in the dance off on Strictly Come Dancing for two consecutive weeks, confessing she felt “crushed” following the most recent results programme.
The soap star joined her dancing partner Julian Callion on Tuesday’s (21 October) edition of It Takes Two, where they discussed the tense dance off with presenter Fleur East.
“My heart just sank. I felt quite disappointed. I thought we’d done enough to come back after the week previous, where we were were again, bottom two,” Balvinder admitted. “Yeah, I was crushed.”
Fleur, a former Strictly contestant from 2022, expressed empathy with Balvinder’s situation, remarking: “Yeah, it is such a crushing feeling.”
Julian, making his debut as a professional on the programme, explained how he comforted Balvinder when the results were announced, reports Wales Online.
“To be honest, I didn’t really say much because we’d actually just been in there seven days ago. I think in those situations where it’s high pressure, it’s high stress, sometimes the more you say and the more you try to think, the worse it is,” Julian said.
He added: “I definitely don’t think we were there based on dance ability or anything.”
The pair went head to head with rugby star Chris Robshaw and his partner Nadiya Bychkova in the elimination showdown, with both couples having garnered the fewest public votes.
The judges voted to save Balvinder, with Craig Revel Horwood having the deciding vote on the night, following a new rule which stops head judge Shirley Ballas having the deciding vote every single week.
“The new rules meant that Craig saved you. How did that feel?” Fleur asked Balvinder, who plays Suki Panesar in BBC One’s EastEnders.
The actress issued a heartfelt message to Craig, who is known for his harsh criticism and low scores on the BBC show, after he saved her due to her “quality” and “technical ability”.
“Oh, I mean, I am so grateful to Craig, actually,” Balvinder said. “And, he’s one of the scariest judges, I think. But, Sunday night, he saved us and I can’t thank him enough.”
It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two at 6.30pm. Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday on BBC One and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Wales’ players were crestfallen at the final whistle, glazed looks in their eyes as it dawned on them that a huge opportunity had slipped through their grasp.
Belgium’s goalless draw with North Macedonia on Friday had opened the door for Wales, who needed to win their remaining three games to finish top of Group J and qualify automatically for the World Cup.
But they fell at the first hurdle, outgunned by Belgium in another chaotic shootout after losing 4-3 in Brussels in June.
Again, Wales’ bold approach – to press and to pour forward at every opportunity – left them exposed defensively, and once again they were ruthlessly punished by Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and the rest.
On reflection, did Bellamy feel his side were just a little too open?
“We felt the best way of being able to combat this team was to have the ball,” he answered. “And we created a lot of chances, but we felt that was the way of being able to beat this team because we needed to win.
“It was as simple as that, and you could see even towards the end, we opened up more. We lost a bit of control in the game. But I always believe the way you can stop the opposition from scoring is by having the ball.
“But that transition moment, with Jeremy, it’s so fearful every time you have the ball that if it turns over, this kid, he’s just that.
“I’ve experienced it. I had him on my team [at Anderlecht], and I knew how dangerous he was, but going against him… We knew there were going to be difficult moments in that game.”
This has been a bruising window for Bellamy, whose decision to take on England in a friendly at Wembley last Thursday was met with a mixture of scepticism, bemusement and outright criticism.
The outcome, a chastening 3-0 defeat, intensified the fans’ discontent, though they were willing to keep an open mind if it helped Wales beat Belgium.
Supporters will be less forgiving now Wales have lost – making it 12 goals conceded in five games – and seen their hopes of qualifying automatically go up in smoke.
But nothing will deter Bellamy, unshakeable in his beliefs.
“I’ve seen a lot today that makes me feel we can get close to these. We can get close. We need to keep improving,” he said.
“But I told you at the start when I was going to do this. I’m going to press, and I won’t sit back. I know that goes against some people, but this is who I am.
“And today, I’ve seen a team with flaws because I have them. A team that wants to do something, because I want to. I’m grateful for that.”
Bellamy was on something of a charm offensive when he faced the media before this fixture. There was to be a new and bigger English audience to see what the Welsh public had already witnessed: his evolution from a combustible, confrontational player to a controlled, deep-thinking coach.
This was the sternest examination so far of that new image.
He simmered on the Wembley touchline as he watched his team fold obligingly in the face of torrential English pressure.
Bellamy kept his cool on the surface but did he manage such calm in the changing room too?
“I quite enjoyed half-time,” he said.
“I was like, ‘now we see’. What are we going to do?
“When those moments happen, it shows who you are as a coach. You can come in balling and throwing stuff, but to who? It makes no sense. Me, I’m calm.
“This is a moment we need to relish. It’s not gone well for us, [so] how are we going to do something about it? Now we see who we are. I like those moments.”
Bellamy is clear about how he wants his team to play – pressing high, attacking whenever possible – but acknowledged that, on occasions like this against superior opposition, that will not always be possible.
“I look at England, their physical profile, the speed, the duels. Of course, it helps when you’ve got a lot of players playing in the Champions League, but that’s where you want our players to be,” he said.
“[For] the players, it’s ‘this is where we want to be’. But we also know, we have to be at the top of our game to be able to play against these types of nations.
Ike Turner Jr., the son of Ike and Tina Turner who won a Grammy for traditional blues album in 2007 as a producer on his father’s album “Risin’ With the Blues,” has died. He was 67.
Turner died Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital from kidney failure, family member Jacqueline Bullock told TMZ. She said the musician had been battling heart issues for years and had a stroke last month.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my cousin, Ike Turner, Jr.,” Bullock said in a statement to the New York Post. ‘”Junior’ was more than a cousin to me, but rather a brother, as we grew up in the same famed household together.”
“As the son of Tina and Ike Turner, from an early age, his talents were evident as there wasn’t an instrument he did not want to play,” the statement continued. “Eventually, Junior would end up helping to run Bolic Sound Studios, the recording studios founded by his father, Ike Turner.”
Ike Turner Jr., and friend Mary Ellis at a memorial service for his father in 2007.
(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
A musician, producer and sound engineer, Turner was pulled into the music business by his father when he was 13.
“My father took me out of [the] house and out of school and I traveled [with them],” Turner said in a 2017 interview on “The Bobby Eaton Show.” “That wasn’t no easy work.”
In that same interview, he also shared the role his mother Tina played in the instruments he picked up in his youth.
“My first instrument was drums, until my mother started making me break my drums down every day,” he said. “The piano was always there in the family room, so I started playing piano. I play guitar and bass. Everything except horn because horn used to make me dizzy from blowing air.”
Turner was one of four children associated with Ike Sr. and Tina Turner’s famed union, which ended with the latter filing for divorce in 1974 (finalized in 1978). The couple performed together from 1960 to 1976 as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, but their musical achievements were often overshadowed by the former’s abuse.
Born in 1958 to Ike Turner Sr. and Lorraine Taylor, Ike Jr. and his brother Michael were adopted by the “What’s Love Got to Do With It” singer upon her marriage in 1962 to their father. Their siblings also included Ronnie and Craig.
“Tina raised me from the age of 2,” Ike Jr. told the Mail on Sunday in 2018. “She’s the only mother I’ve ever known.”
Over the years Turner had commented a number of times on his estrangement from his mother since his parents’ divorce. In 2018 he said he had not spoken to her in nearly 20 years.
Turner was preceded in death by both of his parents and two of his siblings. His father died in 2007 of a cocaine overdose and Tina died in 2023 after a long illness. Craig Turner died by suicide in 2018 and Ronnie Turner of complications related to late-stage cancer in 2022.
Craig Revel Horwood nearly slipped and fell on Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing as he attempted his favourite routine and fans at home flooded social media with their reaction
Craig Revel Horwood nearly slipped and fell on Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing. The professional dancer, 60, was back in his seat on the judging panel alongside Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke where he had spent much of the evening dishing out his typically-acerbic critique to celebrities like Thomas Skinner, Vicky Pattison and Ross King.
Just before Balvinder Sopal, who is known to fans of BBC soap EastEnders for playing Suki Panesar on the long-running programme, took to the stage, Craig leapt out of his seat once it became apparent that his ‘favourite’ routine was about to be performed. The TV star is a huge fan of the Charletson, and excitedly skipped around in front of the cameras.
Tess Daly was just about to introduce Balvinder to the stage, and laughed as Craig excitedly performed a few seconds of the famous routine. But the move didn’t necessarily go down too well with viewers at home as they noticed straight away that he almost lost his footing.
One fan wrote on X: “Craig being iconic but also nearly slipping there,” whilst another said: “Craig nearly slipping lmfaoooo” A third simply asked: “What the hell was that Craig?” whilst a fourth said: “Thought i was about to watch Craig faceplant onto the floor there for a sec.” Another added: “What was that all about with Craig? Really cringe & annoying,get back in your box mate!”
Balvinder then took to the stage alongside her professional partner Julian Caillon to perform the dance, all set to Been Like This by Meghan Trainor. They received a score of 30, made up of two sevens and two eights.
But Craig’s dancing moment wasn’t the only thing fans issued a complaint over during the second live show of this year’s series. As soon as the programme began, viewers took issue with the fact that presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly do not get their own introduction, even though the judges do.
One wrote: “Okay…..no intros for Tess and Claudia” and another said: “So Tess and Claudia don’t get introduced anymore” In agreement, a third viewer said: “I hate the way Tess and Claudia don’t get an intro now but the judges do!”
It was Amber Davies‘ night in the end, though, as the former Love Island winner and musical theatre star topped the leaderboard with a score of 56, when combining her scores from this week and the first week of the show.
To make things extra special for the West End actress, she celebrated her 29th birthday on Saturday and was surprised with a cake that came with a picture of her and her professional partner Kai Widdrington printed onto it. Just hours before the show, he surprised her with a large bouquet of flowers along with a Happy Birthday balloon.
The moment was captured on video, and Amber, who will star as Elle Woods in next year’s UK tour of Legally Blonde: The Musical, captioned the Instagram post saying: “Little me would never believe I would be celebrating my last birthday in my twenties on the Strictly ballroom dancefloor.”
She added: “Golden star for the most fab pro partner ever @nikita__kuzmin !!! He remembered guys best birthday EVER !!!! @bbcstrictly (he did infact say happy 40th birthday whilst handing me this gift..) Thank you so much for all the birthday love, time to celebrate with a SAMBAAAAA.”
And friends and family wasted no time in sending their best wishes to Amber. One person wrote: “Happy birthday beautiful!!! What a special day it’s going to be! The last year of your twenties is going to be the best
Meanwhile, It Takes Two’s roving reporter and former Strictly finalist Tasha Ghouri wrote: “Happy birthday lovely!! ” And Sue Davies, Amber’s mother, penned: “A very special birthday my girl love you so much .”
Before facing England on the field, Wales have been taking on their neighbours by trying to convince Tottenham Hotspur winger Mikey Moore to switch international allegiance to play for them.
Moore, who is on loan at Scottish Premiership side Rangers, has represented England Under-19s but qualifies for Wales through a grandparent.
“We look at every player that’s available,” he said. “I’d prefer it if it wasn’t aired, if I’m being honest, it does us no favours.
“We do our work behind the scenes. We do it for every player we feel is going to offer us something, but I’m always against pressure from the outside.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of players we feel would definitely benefit us in the future – we need a big squad, so we’re always aware of that. We would be naive not to be aware of it.
“No individual, I don’t believe, especially young players, should be in the public domain. I understand it but it’s not how I go about it. For me to mention individuals, I never do.
“But for us, we’re always aware of who can represent us. Do they have the mentality, do they have the ability to add to us? And if they do, then we’re always aware and always trying to be as active as we can, as we have been for a number of years.”
Craig Gordon has returned to the Scotland squad for the home World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Belarus.
The 42-year-old goalkeeper has not played since early May and is yet to feature in a Hearts squad this season as he returns to full fitness after a neck injury.
Capped 81 times, Gordon replaces club-mate Zander Clark, with Derby County full-back Max Johnston and Blackburn Rovers central defender Dominic Hyam also dropping out.
Scotland have four points after opening with a 0-0 draw in Denmark and a 2-0 victory against Belarus in Hungary.
The Greeks visit Hampden Park on 9 October and Belarus are in Glasgow three days later, with both matches live on the BBC.
Greece, who beat Belarus then lost to Denmark in Athens, have good memories of their last trip to Hampden.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg of a Nations League play-off in March, the visitors ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in what was Gordon’s most recent international appearance.
With head coach Steve Clarke opting for a smaller squad, there is no room for Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland, who has hit seven goals so far this season, or Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway.
Anthony Ralston, who withdrew from the previous squad along with fellow Celtic full-back Kieran Tierney, made his club return at the weekend after a month out.
Angus Gunn kept two Scotland clean sheets earlier this month but has not featured for Nottingham Forest since signing in the summer, while Rangers goalkeeper Liam Kelly has only played against Alloa Athletic in the Premier Sports Cup during this campaign.
Craig Revel Horwood has called for a former Strictly Come Dancing professional to make a comeback almost a decade on from when she left the BBC dancing programme
19:00, 18 Sep 2025Updated 19:01, 18 Sep 2025
The TV star, 60, is gearing up to take his usual place on the panel alongside Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas,and Anton Du Beke, when the show returns this month (Image: PA)
Craig Revel Horwood has called for a former Strictly Come Dancing professional to make a comeback almost a decade on from when she left. The TV star, 60, is gearing up to take his usual place on the panel alongside Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas, and Anton Du Beke, where he will be no doubt unleashing his typically acerbic feedback onto contestants like Love Island winner Dani Dyer, Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis and rugby player Chris Robshaw, amongst a host of others.
But when asked if he had to take to the floor himself, Craig, who was a professional dancer himself before joining the BBC competition series and is no stranger to the stage, having directed musicals like Sister Act and starred in hit shows like Annie and The Wizard of Oz over the years, revealed he would dance a Charleston and want to be paired up with Natalie Lowe.
He said: It would be a Charleston because I love the energy and goofiness of the dance. I would dance to Fat Sam’s Grand Slam [from the musical Bugsy Malone] and if I could choose any pro to dance with, I’d bring back Natalie Lowe.”
Craig revealed he would dance a Charleston, and would want to be paired up with Natalie Lowe(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking about why he would choose Natalie, who left the show in 2017, he added: “She’s a blast from the past, she’s really tall, and I think she’s fantastic to dance with.
Natalie first found fame when she was a professional on Dancing with the Stars in Australia, and she won with footballer Anthony Koutoufides in 2004, and also made it to the final with boxer Danny Green and former Home and Away star Tim Campbell.
Following this success, she moved to the UK to compete in Strictly Come Dancing and joined the programme in its seventh series.
While Natalie never managed to win the programme, she did reach the final with former Hollyoaks star Ricky Whittle, and got considerably far into the competition with stars like TV chef Ainsley Harriott and EastEnders actor Scott Maslen. After competing alongside Olympian Greg Rutherford in 2016, she announced that she had quit.
After competing alongside Olympian Greg Rutherford in 2016, she announced that she had quit(Image: PA)
“This was a very difficult decision for me not to accept the invitation to appear on this season of Strictly Come Dancing,” she told the Press Association at the time.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I have arrived at this decision. I’ll be forever grateful for the amazing time, opportunities and memories that Strictly has created for me. My time on the programme has been everything that I dreamed it would be and more.
“From the friendships I developed, the amazing dances I was able to perform in and the experiences that Strictly provided, it has been an incredible and extraordinary adventure.”
At the time, he said: “I was fortunate that I had a very experienced dancer in Natalie. We just tried to have as much fun as we could because it was her last season.”
Reflecting on the recent furore surrounding the professional dancers, which has marred the star-studded series, he concluded: “It works both ways. It’s a very intense show and you have dancers that have a very different view of the world to others.”
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday for its launch show.
JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez have gone from “Love Island” to Splitsville.
The pair of reality TV stars who kindled a romance last year on “Love Island” Season 6 have called it quits, The Times confirmed Monday. Craig broke up with Rodriguez on Sunday, a day after they were among the guests at YouTube star David Dobrik‘s birthday party.
“They will not be getting back together,” a source confirmed to People.
A representative for Craig declined to comment. The Times did not immediately hear back from Rodriguez.
Though Craig and Rodriguez fell short of winning their season last year (fellow contestants Kordell Beckham and Serena Page took the prize), the pair continued their relationship off-screen. Craig opened up about her relationship with Rodriguez to People in October 2024, telling the magazine that time away from the cameras meant “we can take our time.”
“We always forgot that there was cameras anyways so nothing’s really changed,” she said at the time.
Craig and Rodriguez’s relationship came back into the “Love Island” spotlight earlier this month for Peacock’s “Love Island: Beyond the Villa.” The series, which premiered July 13, follows the Season 6 contestants “as they navigate new careers, evolving friendships, newfound fame, and complex relationships,” according to a press release for the show.
Right before the premiere of “Love Island: Beyond the Villa,” fans bid farewell to “Love Island” Season 7 — which was notably marred by controversy. Two contestants — Yulissa Escobar and Cierra Ortega — left the series weeks apart after they came under fire for their off-air use of racial slurs.
The season ended with contestants Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales taking home the $100,000 grand prize.
This is a team Bellamy has built in his image. They are daring, adventurous, unafraid to lose in the pursuit of glory.
To sit back and play for a draw is not in their make-up, Bellamy said beforehand, and Wales backed that up with a momentous performance to roar back from 3-0 down to level.
Harry Wilson’s penalty, Sorba Thomas’ composed low strike and Brennan Johnson’s header had Belgium rattled and Wales dreaming.
Kevin de Bruyne had the final say to secure a 4-3 win for Belgium, but Bellamy could not help but smile when he was asked for his thoughts.
“I don’t like losing. I understand the game, but how you lose is more important,” he said.
“Who are you as a person? Who is your team? I see that and I’m beyond proud. We’re a good team.
“I understand results, I really do, but football means more to me than that. It always has done. I’d rather try something great and fail than do nothing and succeed.”
Harry Wilson says the style of play under Wales boss Craig Bellamy suits him as the team continue to collectively strive to fill the void left by Gareth Bale’s retirement in January 2023.
Fulham forward Wilson and his Wales team-mates host Liechtenstein in Cardiff on Friday before facing Group J favourites Belgium in Brussels three days later in their quest to reach the 2026 World Cup.
It’s 6 a.m. in Brisbane, Australia, and Kaitlyn Dever is thinking about going to the beach. Except it’s pouring rain outside, which is the only reason she had the option to check out the waves in the first place. The deluge has delayed her call time for “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova,” the monster movie she’s been shooting for the past couple of months.
Just how hard is it raining? Like a normal downpour? Or is it the kind of deluge we see in the final minutes of the season finale of “The Last of Us”?
“It’s actually pouring like the finale of ‘The Last of Us,’” Dever says, laughing.
With the beach off the menu, we have plenty of time to settle in and talk about the bruising (and possibly confusing) season finale of “The Last of Us.” Anyone thinking that the finale might feature a showdown between Dever’s character, Abby Anderson, the young woman who killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) to avenge her father’s death, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who has been hunting Abby to exact her own revenge, might be disappointed.
Abby doesn’t turn up until the episode’s last three minutes. When she does finally arrive, she ambushes Ellie. It’s not a tender reunion.
“I let you live,” Abby hisses. “And you wasted it!”
Then we hear the sound of a gunshot and the screen goes black. After a reset, we see Abby lying on a sofa in an entirely different environment, being beckoned from her respite to meet with militia leader Isaac (Jeffrey Wright). She strides to a balcony in Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, the stadium now being used as a base for the Washington Liberation Front. Her entrance is positively papal, and as Abby surveys the scene, a graphic lands on the screen: Seattle Day One, a time frame we’ve already lived from Ellie’s point of view.
What the hell just happened?
[Laughs] I don’t know. I have no idea.
It looks like the show just reset and we’ll be starting Season 3 following Abby for three days, leading up to her confrontation with Ellie.
One would think, yes. But [“The Last of Us” co-creator] Craig [Mazin] hasn’t talked to me about what he’s doing. All he said to me was, “Just get ready for what’s to come because it’s going to be crazier.” He always said he wanted to make Season 2 bigger than Season 1, and he said Season 3 is going to be even bigger. I’m like, “OK. I’ll be ready.”
How did he pitch you on doing the show in the first place?
At my first meeting with Craig and Neil [Druckmann, co-creator of “The Last of Us” game] they told me that their plan for Season 2 was Abby’s introduction to “The Last of Us” world. They told me the number of episodes, so I wasn’t super surprised about that, though I wasn’t thinking that the entire season was going to end on me. [Laughs]
So when you got the script and read that ending …
I was like, “We’re really doing this. Wow.” It’s a lot of pressure. I always think about the times in my past when I’ve done things and I’ve had one line in a scene, and it’s the most nerve-racking thing to do. Everyone else has dialogue, and you’re just thinking about your one line and how you’re going to say it and if you screw it up, the whole scene is screwed up because of your one line. It’s pretty terrifying — but thrilling too.
You’re talking about Abby telling Ellie, “You wasted it”? You really spit it out with some heat.
That’s good to know. I was going back and forth between Vancouver and L.A., so I constantly had to recalibrate and get back into the emotional intensity of Abby. That was actually the last scene I shot.
How did you find your way back into Abby’s anger?
Well, the very first scene I shot was the killing of Joel. The light one. [Laughs] So getting back into it, I’d always go back to that and Abby’s monologue, what she says to Joel before shooting him. Those words are so visceral and heartbreaking and really paint a picture. So I just kept bringing myself back to that place, how I’d been thinking about saying those words for five years.
Abby’s brutal encounter with Ellie in Seattle was the last scene Dever shot on “The Last of Us” Season 2.
(Liane Hentscher / HBO)
Did you watch that Joel episode when it aired or had you already seen it?
I did watch it with my partner. But the first time I watched it, I was by myself. And before that, I had gone to do ADR [automated dialogue replacement] with Craig, and he asked, “Can I just show you a little bit of it?” And I was on the floor because I was so overwhelmed. That is the most intense episode of television I’ve ever seen. And then when I watched it later, I couldn’t believe it, even though I had experienced it myself.
You had experienced it, but you’ve said you don’t really remember filming it because it was four days after your mother’s funeral. [Dever’s mother, Kathy, died from breast cancer in February 2024.] In some ways, it must have been like you were watching it for the first time.
I had to fly out three days after her funeral. And the fourth day was that scene in the chalet with the Fireflies and Joel on the floor. So, yeah, it’s all a blur, and it felt like I got to experience it as a first-time viewer. I’d see things and go, “Oh, yeah.” Grief does a really interesting thing with your brain. It messes with your memory.
Filming the scene where you brutally kill one of the most beloved characters on television goes back to what you were saying about pressure. And to do it under those circumstances must have been overwhelming.
I was terrified. I had spent so much time contemplating my mom’s death before she died, thinking about how I wouldn’t be able to go on. I couldn’t imagine. And then it’s a heartbreaking thing to think about, how life moves on. And you have the choice to keep going or not go to Vancouver and do the show that she was so excited about me doing. And then after she passed, I realized there’s no part of me that couldn’t not do this. I had to do it for her.
How did you fight past the fear?
My dad really encouraged me. I really was terrified. And he was like, “You got this. Mom was so excited that you got to be in this show.” And luckily, the crew was so understanding and supportive. Everyone took care of me.
Then it’s 15 months later and the episode finally airs, which I’d imagine brings about a different set of worries. Did you go online to check out the reaction?
Of course I did! I kill everyone’s favorite character, the love of everyone’s life. I’d never been part of anything this massive before. Like, the whole world is watching this. I had no idea what to expect.
And what did you find?
It was more positive than I thought it would be.
I didn’t play the game, so one of my first thoughts after watching it was: Wow, gamers can keep a secret.
They can. I loved watching all those TikTok videos where people were filming their parents or partners watching and showing their reactions.
Having played the game, you’ve known about Abby and Joel for years.
My dad was playing the second game and handed me the controller and said, “Kaitlyn, you’ve got to see this.” In the game, it’s so jarring and shocking.
On TV too!
[Laughs] But with the game, after they kill Joel, all of a sudden you’re playing as a woman. And my first reaction was, “Is this Ellie? Am I playing as Ellie?” It is interesting how they take these two characters who are mirrors of each other in many ways.
Dever’s Abby surveys the action inside T-Mobile Park on “Seattle Day One.”
(Liane Hentscher / HBO)
I was thinking about how it’d be great if Season 3 would have an episode with Abby and her father that mirrored the one with Ellie and Joel.
That’s a really good idea. I hope we get to do something like that.
I have a feeling you might. Maybe you even know something about that. [Laughs]
Honestly, I can keep a secret too! I knew about Joel dying long before even Season 1 because I had met with Neil years ago when they were talking about making a movie from the game. And he was showing me the making of the second game and asked, “You want to know what happens?” And I’m like, “Oh, my God!” So I’ve been keeping this in a long time.
So you’re good at keeping a secret. Gamers know how Season 3 is likely to develop. You’ve played the game. Are you being coy?
[Laughs] We don’t know what Craig’s plans are. He has been playing with dynamics, even in that first episode of the season where we see Abby taking charge and being a leader.
She sure looks like she’s a leader in the finale’s last scene.
That scene plays at the idea that Abby is sitting in her power. And whatever that means, I will keep to myself for now. People who have played the game will have a few guesses.
When you went to work on “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova” the day after the Abby/Joel episode aired, did people treat you a little differently? Maybe keep their distance a bit? Hide the golf clubs?
It was pretty wild to go to work that day. Everyone wanted to talk about it. And all they could really get out was, “Oooooof, that episode.”
One thing I kept looking for all season was where they used CGI to remove a spider bite from your face. I couldn’t find it.
[Laughs] It’s in the first episode with the Fireflies. I had gone home for a few weeks and got a spider bite on my cheek. I thought it was a pimple. It was not a pimple. It was a huge spider bite and … I hate to use this word, but it was oozing. And the CGI is amazing. You can’t even tell it is there. I still have a scar on my face because they had to cut it out.
Coronation Street has released a clip of the aftermath of a deadly assault on PC Craig Tinker who is covered in blood and barely alive, cradled by distressed neighbour Maria Connor
00:01, 17 May 2025Updated 00:01, 17 May 2025
There’s heartbreaking scenes ahead on Coronation Street as Craig Tinker exits the ITV soap, and a horrifying new clip reveals just how gruesome the episodes will be.
A first look clip shows the moment an ambulance races to the scene to save the injured police officer, whose life is hanging in the balance. Craig is left blood-soaked and beaten, left to die after a violent assault.
He’s found by his distressed neighbour and family friend Maria Connor who desperately calls for help, while cradling the dying character in her arms. She urges him to stay awake in the heartbreaking clip, with blood seen pouring from his head, face and his ear.
Craig is incoherent and barely moving, while he attempts to tell paramedic Asha Alahan what happened to him. Suddenly he begins to lose consciousness, unable to keep his eyes open as he deteriorates.
Asha shouts out to her colleague to get oxygen for her injured friend, as she begs him to stay awake not wanting to lose him. Soon Maria is comforted by Sarah Platt, and the two women are left in tears over the horrific site of Craig’s injures, with it clear he’s in a bad way.
There’s heartbreaking scenes ahead on Coronation Street as Craig Tinker exits the ITV soap(Image: ITV)
Spoilers have revealed that Craig is rushed to hospital, with it confirmed he is left in intensive care with swelling on his brain. Just as Craig wakes up and tries to communicate what happened there’s horror, as he takes a turn for the worse.
Doctors rush in as he deteriorates, while Craig’s attack sends shockwaves across the whole street. Craig’s fate is being kept under wraps, while it has been confirmed the character is leaving the show.
Next week his final episodes will air, with actor Colson Smith bowing out of the role. It had been reported weeks ago that Craig would be killed off in heartbreaking scenes, while nothing has been confirmed by the show.
With it revealed that this is Craig’s final storyline and his “final fight”, will tragedy see the police officer lose his life? In a trailer released by the soap, his colleague DS Lisa Swain is heard emotionally saying: “If we knew today was our last day on earth, what would we do differently?” She chillingly adds: “There isn’t always more time.”
He’s found by his distressed neighbour and family friend Maria Connor who desperately calls for help(Image: ITV)
Colson shared his excitement over the episodes, saying: “I can’t wait for people to see Craig’s final scenes. It is exactly the exit I wanted for him and we are all really proud of what we filmed in those final weeks.
“It was actually great fun. I was walking around covered in fake blood for days and I was chuffed that I got to work with so many brilliant people in this final storyline.”
The actor had revealed earlier this year he was leaving the show after being axed. He posted online: “Autumn last year I was told that Craig Tinker’s time on the Cobbles is to come to an end in 2025. I’ve LOVED every single second of my 14 year stay as a resident on the greatest street in the world.”
Warning: this article contains discussion of eating disorders
Paul Craig says he developed an eating disorder while cutting weight for his four-fight stint at middleweight and has urged any fighter who has experienced the same to “get help and support”.
The 37-year-old Scotsman, who has spent the majority of his 11-year career at light-heavyweight, moved down to middleweight in 2023 with a submission win over Andre Muniz.
Craig, who lost his next three fights in the division, said he restricted his calorie intake for 10 weeks leading up to the bouts.
Craig weighs around 220lb (15st 7lb) normally and described the cut to the UFC’s middleweight threshold of 185lb (13st 2lb) as “horrible”.
“I set myself a goal of being middleweight champion and focussed and did it. But mentally, I ended up with an eating disorder,” said Craig.
“The best thing I did was talk to people about it because for a long time I was embarrassed of it.
“I do believe there are other fighters out there going through this so put it out there, get the help and support.”
The National Health Service (NHS) describes an eating disorder, external as a mental health condition where people use the control of food to cope with feelings and other situations.
Unhealthy eating behaviours may include eating too much, too little, disordered eating or worrying about body weight or shape.
