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TOURETTES campaigner John Davidson said he was mortified after sparking a race row by shouting out the N-word at the Baftas. 

John later voluntarily left the ceremony amid shock at his swearing as Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were on stage presenting an award. 

But the slur by John — whose life inspired the double gong-winning film I Swear — wasn’t cut from the BBC’s two-hour ceremony coverage at London’s Royal Festival Hall. 

Yesterday, bosses apologised and removed the episode from iPlayer. 

Last night John insisted he was “mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”. 

And Bafta confirmed he left the room before the awards ended. 

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In statement the organisation said: “Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people. 

“Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted.

“We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism. 

“John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen and we would like to thank him for his consideration of others on what should have been a night of celebration for him.” 

I Swear saw ­Robert Aramayo, 33, pick up Best Actor. It also won Best Casting. 

Scottish-born John, 54, is a campaigner for Tourette sufferers and aged 16 was the subject of a BBC documentary, John’s Not Mad, about living with the condition, which leads some to shout swear words. 

The Sun understands that Sunday night’s audience was not told a ­person with Tourette Syndrome was present.

Previously, at the Bafta TV awards, people have been warned in similar situations. 

A source said: “Neither host Alan Cumming nor any of the Bafta team warned people — the apology and comments came after the outbursts.” 

Cumming had said: “Tourette Syndrome is a disability. We apologise if you’re offended tonight.” 

Hannah Beachler, the production designer on movie Sinners, said: “What made the ­situation worse was the throwaway apology of, ‘if you were offended’. Of course we were.” 

It was reported BBC production staff did not hear the N-word — which meant it was left in the coverage.

However, a source added: “It was as loud and as clear as day.” 

The corporation said: “Some may have heard strong and offensive language.

“This arose from involuntary ­verbal tics associated with ­Tourette’s and, as explained during the ­ceremony, it was not intentional. 

“We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast.” 

The Norwegian diplomat who was a key architect of the 1993 Oslo Accords is facing a storm of corruption and blackmail allegations after new documents revealed he was deeply embedded in the inner circle of late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Terje Rod-Larsen, a central figure in the Middle East “peace process” in the 1990s, is implicated in newly released United States Justice Department files and Norwegian media investigations that expose a relationship involving illicit loans, visa fraud for sex-trafficked women, and a beneficiary clause in Epstein’s will worth millions of dollars.

The revelations have sent shockwaves through the diplomatic community and led to the resignation of Rod-Larsen’s wife, Mona Juul – herself a pivotal figure in the Oslo negotiations – from her post as Norway’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq this month. Her security clearance was also revoked.

Palestinian leaders are now questioning whether Oslo’s foundational agreements of the two-state solution were brokered by a mediator vulnerable to elite blackmail and foreign intelligence pressure.

The plan was heralded in the Western world at the time, and in the 30 years since, has been trampled on by successive Israeli governments, with the far-right leadership now openly pushing for annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Investigations by the Norwegian broadcaster NRK and newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) detail how Rod-Larsen used his position as president of the International Peace Institute (IPI) think tank in New York to launder the reputation of Epstein’s associates.

According to the files, Rod-Larsen wrote official letters of recommendation to US authorities to secure visas for young Russian women in Epstein’s orbit, claiming they possessed “extraordinary abilities” suitable for research roles.

In reality, these women were often models with no academic background who were allegedly trafficked and abused by the financier. One victim told NRK she believed Epstein sent her to Rod-Larsen’s institute “to manipulate” her, while another described how the diplomat facilitated her visa after a direct request from Epstein’s assistant.

The transactional nature of the relationship was explicit. Documents show Epstein loaned Rod-Larsen $130,000 in 2013. More damningly, reports indicate that Epstein’s last will and testament included a clause bequeathing $5m each to Rod-Larsen’s two children – a total of $10m.

‘Oslo was a trap’

For Palestinians living under the reality of the failed agreements Rod-Larsen forged, the scandal offers a disturbing explanation for a “peace process” that many believe was rigged.

Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative political party, told Al Jazeera he was “not surprised at all” by the corruption allegations.

“We never felt comfortable with this person from the very first moment,” Barghouti said. “Oslo was a trap … and I have no doubt that Terje Rod-Larsen was being effectively influenced by the Israeli side all along.”

Barghouti argued that the revelation of millions of dollars potentially flowing from a Mossad-linked figure like Epstein to the Rod-Larsen family suggests the corruption was “directed to serve Israel’s interests against the interests of the Palestinian people”.

The ties between the disgraced Epstein and Israel have come into sharp focus after the release of millions of documents.

The documents have revealed more details of Epstein’s interactions with members of the global elite, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. But they also document his funding of Israeli groups, including Friends of the IDF (Israeli army), and the settler organisation the Jewish National Fund, as well as his ties to members of Israel’s overseas intelligence services, the Mossad.

The missing archive

The scandal has reignited calls in Norway to open the “private archive” Rod-Larsen kept regarding the 1993 secret negotiations.

Media investigations have revealed that documents from the critical period between January and September 1993 are missing from the official Foreign Ministry archive. Critics argue these missing files could obscure the extent to which personal leverage or blackmail played a role in the concessions extracted from the Palestinian leadership during the secret talks.

Governing by blackmail

Analysts argue the Rod-Larsen case is symptomatic of a wider system of global governance driven by systematic blackmail and intelligence operations.

Wissam Afifa, a political analyst based in Gaza, drew a parallel between the exploitation of minors on Epstein’s island and the geopolitical treatment of Palestinians.

“We, as Palestinians, were treated as minors … considered as having no right to demand our rights,” Afifa said. “Today we discover that a large part of the international system is essentially ‘Epstein Island’”.

Afifa suggested that the “silence” of the international community regarding the current genocidal war on Gaza could be linked to similar networks of influence and extortion.

“The world was managed from Epstein’s island … in dark rooms,” Afifa added. “We are victims of the influence network that Epstein managed with politicians, leaders and states”.

As Norwegian authorities, including the economic crime unit Okokrim, open investigations into the scandal, the legacy of the diplomat who once shook hands on the White House lawn lies in tatters, casting a long shadow over the history of deeply flawed Middle East peacemaking.

Feb. 9 (UPI) — Prince William and Princess Catherine have said they are “deeply concerned” by the latest information coming out of the Epstein files in their first public statement about the scandal.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said the Prince and Princess of Wales were “focused on the victims” after new information released showed an increased number of mentions of William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

The spokesperson said: “I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”

William is in Saudi Arabia on the first day of an official three-day visit.

Mountbatten-Windsor, 65, has been stripped of his royal titles and was forced to leave the Royal Lodge residence by King Charles III. He now lives on Charles’ privately owned Sandringham Estate. The late Queen Elizabeth II stripped him of his military titles and patronages in January 2022.

Charles faced hecklers Monday during a visit to Clitheroe train station in Lancashire. One person shouted, “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?” the BBC reported.

The Justice Department’s Epstein files drop on Jan. 30 included many from a suit against Mountbatten-Windsor that he settled with Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre in 2022.

Giuffre, in a lawsuit, accused the then-prince of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager and employed by Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied the allegation.

The release included photos of Mountbatten-Windsor, including one showing him leaning over the body of a woman who was lying on the ground and another of him on all fours while next to the same woman, whose face was redacted.

Former This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby has reportedly sold her £6.4 million London home in an attempt to “move on” from a tricky period in her life

Holly Willoughby has reportedly sold the £6.4 million London home she fled after being the target of a horrifying kidnap plot. The former This Morning host, 44, bought the six-bedroom property in Barnes, South West London more than a decade ago but it’s thought that Holly, along with her husband Dan and their children Harry, 16, Belle, 14, and 11-year-old Chester, have already moved out.

It all comes after Holly was at the centre of a horrific case which saw security guard Gavin Plumb plotted to kidnap, rape and murder the TV star, and was he was eventually jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years.

Holly quit her long-serving role as presenter of This Morning following the ordeal, but her departure also came after another media storm which saw her former co-host Phillip Schofield admit to having an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague, and insiders have said that a change of scene will help her move on from such a tricky time.

READ MORE: How it all went wrong for Holly WilloughbyREAD MORE: Holly Willoughby pleads guilty to knocking man off bike while driving

A source told The Sun : “This will draw a line under a deeply uncomfortable period of Holly’s life, and ensure they can make a fresh start in their new family home.

“Though it’s bittersweet too as it’s where Holly and Dan raised their children too, so it has many happy memories for the couple as well.”

The Mirror has contacted representatives for Holly for comment.

Following his conviction, Plumb was branded a significant danger to women, who caused fear and shock in the former Dancing On Ice presenter.

He then sought to appeal against his sentence at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Reading out the Court of Appeal’s judgment, Justice Edis said that having considered the case with “anxious care”, along with Mr Justice Martin Spencer and Ms Justice Norton, they rejected the appeal.

Refusing the application, Lord Justice Edis told the court that the offences were “so serious” that a life sentence was justified.

“They were horrifying and contained graphic detail of what the applicant proposed to do to Holly Willoughby. They are distressing, even for seasoned professionals, to read.”

He told the court: “That is to say, a long period of time during which a significant number of people were prevailed upon in the hope that they would prospectively, along with the applicant, kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby Plainly that behaviour arose out of an obsession that he had formed with her.”

He added: “It is important to note that the applicant’s personal circumstances would have made it very difficult for him to carry out these offences He appears to have been substantially immobile, perhaps due to obesity.

“He is not in good health, he cannot drive and does not have a car, he does not have access to the sort of property that might serve as a temporary prison during which a kidnap victim could be held, raped and murdered.”

The news of Holly’s supposed house sale comes just hours after it was claimed that the TV favourite had been in talks to take over a presenting role on Strictly Come Dancing following the recent departure of Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, although that is not going to happen now.

A source told The Sun: “There was much talk about Holly joining the show. Many think she is brilliant and more than deserving of the role, but the truth is some execs were also fearful. She may be squeaky clean, but she will always have that association with Phillip.”

If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999

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