engagement

OLIVIA Attwood has sparked engagement rumours to Pete Wicks after she was spotted wearing a band on her ring finger.

Olivia and Pete’s eight-year-long friendship recently developed into a romantic relationship, and now it looks like their bond has heated up even further.

Olivia has been seen outside a studio in North London sporting a band on her engagement finger.

This comes after she got her ring finger tattooed in dedication to Pete.

The star had her latest inking was done by an artist booked for the launch of her new cocktail brand, Savano.

After she got her inking and showed it off recently, one fan commented beneath the uploaded snap: “This is sooo for @p_wicks01.”

ATTA GIRL

Olivia Attwood takes new swipe at ex Bradley Dack as she shares sweary rant

cosmetic clash

Pete Wicks takes on Olivia Attwood with a rival show on extreme treatments

Olivia was previously married to footballer Bradley Dack however it has since been revealed that the marriage was not legally binding.

Romance rumours about her and Pete being in a relationship first surfaced in March.

The rumours were sparked when Olivia, 35, and Pete, 37, were spotted kissing during a night out at rooftop bar Flute.

Their smooch came just weeks after her split from Bradley became public.

Olivia recently revealed that the pair went from platonic to romantic “very quickly” after Pete confessed his feelings and made the first move following her split from Bradley.

Speaking to The Sun about Olivia and Pete’s relationship last month, a source revealed: “What they have right now is special.

“Because her other relationships have played out so publicly, she’s making a conscious effort to keep it close to her chest.

“She’s aware that in the industry she’s in, people want to know details, but this time she wants to keep something back, to herself.

“It’s serious and a more grown up relationship.”

Olivia had always downplayed her friendship with Pete, and even branded him “repulsive” two years before they got together.

The couple have shared subtle hints that they are now together, but are still keeping things on the downlow.

Pete has hard-launched their relationship a couple of times, but Liv’s approach is much more lowkey.

The BBC star shared the special news in a rare personal update on the programme to her colleague.

The Repair Shop star shared the news minutes into the episode.

On Wednesday night (August 12), BBC viewers saw art on paper conservator Angelina Bakalarou and resident upholstery expert Sonnaz Nooranvary waiting in the barn to meet their next guest.

However, when Sonnaz asked how her friend and co-star has been, Angelia wasted no time in sharing the good news.

Putting her hand up, The Repair Shop expert excitedly squealed, “I’m engaged!”. Sonnaz replied: “Congratulations! Look at that ring! Oh, I’m so pleased for you, exciting.”

Viewers were then given a close-up of the engagement ring, as it was a gold band with a dark red gem in the middle.

At the time the episode was first broadcast, last October, fans were quick to shower the BBC star with support and well-wishes.

On social media, one person said, “Congratulations on your engagement, Angelina. I hope you have many happy and healthy years together.”

Another agreed: “Congratulations on your engagement” as a third echoed: “You two make a handsome couple, congratulations!” A fourth chimed in with: “Many congratulations to you both, wonderful news.”

While it’s not known how long the BBC star has been with her partner, Simone, he first appeared on her Instagram back in 2015.

The pair seem to enjoy holidays together as The Repair Shop expert has shared glimpses of their time in the likes of Doha and Sardinia.

Angelina has been part of the BBC series since 2023, although it seems as though she already knew a familiar face in the barn, long-term favourite Will Kirk.

Not long after get debut, Will shared a snap of them together enjoying a day out with The Teddy Bear Ladies Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell.

When asked how she got involved in the show, Angelina replied: “One day, I got an email from a member of the production team asking whether I would be interested in joining and being an expert on the show.

“And, you know, one thing led to another interviews, videos, chats, and before I knew it, I was in the barn, doing my first item. So yeah, it was quite surreal.”

The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer

During a long-endurance trek across the Pacific, a small uncrewed surface vessel (USV) owned by a California company had an encounter with a Chinese guided missile destroyer near the Philippines. The Lightfish USV, owned by Seasats, came close enough to the Type 052D guided missile destroyer that it was able to capture the warship on video. Reuters was the first to report about this event.

The incident highlights the growing presence of USVs, and especially in some of the world’s most contentious locales. The USV coming so close to the Chinese surface combatant also underscores the potential danger USVs can pose even to an advanced warship, a fact TWZ has frequently reported on. It also raises questions about the rules of engagement navies, and even some merchant vessels in troubled areas, will have to adopt for when they happen upon USVs that come close without explanation or clear intent.

The incident in question took place about 73 miles northwest of the Philippine island of Luzon, Seasats CEO Mike Flanigan told TWZ. The Luzon Strait is one of the world’s most strategic waterways and a potential flashpoint. It sits south of Taiwan and north of the Philippines, in a channel that provides access from the greater Pacific to the South China Sea and vice-versa. This is an area that is highly trafficked in the air, sea and undersea by major military players in the region and commercial shipping. If a conflict were to break out over Taiwan, this area would be turned into a super weapons engagement zone. In a future war, due to its unique littoral geography and importance, it would be a prime hunting ground for USVs of many kinds.

The encounter involved a Lightfish USV, a 12-foot-long, 305-pound USV that can travel great distances for up to six months with the help of its solar power panels paired with its hybrid powertrain, according to the company. Lightfish is not a speed boat. It prioritizes extreme endurance over anything else, so it couldn’t have ‘chased down’ the warship in question, but many other USVs are very capable of doing just that.

“The Lightfish tracked the Chinese vessel on radar from a range of ~10 nm and visually to a minimum range of several hundred meters,” Flanigan explained in an email. “It took place in the evening Pacific time on June 15th and our team was alerted to it immediately by our watch team that monitors vessel traffic in the vicinity of our deployed USV fleets.”

The Chinese destroyer spotted the Lightfish and took evasive action.

“We don’t know the intent, but we were able to observe the vessel altering course and generally observing the Lightfish USV,” Flanigan noted.

The company discussed it with the U.S. military after the event, but Flanigan declined to offer any details.

The company shared with us two videos of the Lightfish’s view of the Chinese warship. In it, the destroyer appears to be moving very slowly if at all.

The videos are eerily reminiscent of scores of videos released by the Ukrainian military showing its USVs attacking Russian warships, although in this case, the Lightfish had no such capability or intent.

You can see one of those Ukrainian videos below.

As we have reported extensively, Ukraine has demonstrated the devastating potential of USVs against the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The Magura family of drone boats, among others, has been central to that campaign, and has taken on a wide variety of roles. Repeated successful strikes against Black Sea Fleet vessels and naval infrastructure forced Russia to relocate much of its fleet from occupied Crimea to the relative safety of bases in mainland Russia.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels were at the forefront of employing kamikaze USVs operationally prior to Ukraine. We first reported on the capability in January 2017, after an explosive-laden Houthi drone boat struck a Saudi frigate. The modern version of this concept traces back to Iran, which developed a variety of rudimentary one-way attack USVs before transferring the capability to its Houthi proxies, who became the first to use them successfully in the Red Sea in 2017. They have since used them repeatedly, targeting shipping during their intervention following the events of October 7th and Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

Fast forward to the present, with the U.S. military employing USVs as offensive strike weapons in combat for the first time on July 12. The strikes, which involved Saronic-built Corsair USVs, occurred amid an escalating exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran centered on the Strait of Hormuz. Among the targets of the drone boat attacks was an Iranian Ghadir class diesel-electric midget submarine.

The following video captures some of those strikes.

Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea… pic.twitter.com/bOM2kmgRxz

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026

More recently, the U.S. Navy showed off the danger its USVs present to potential enemy warships when one of its Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) USVs took part in its first live-fire training exercise. The kamikaze drone boat was employed during RIMPAC 2026, attacking the ex-USS Peleliu in one of the operation’s high-profile sinking exercises (SINKEX). You can read more about that here. The highly-publicized inaugural drone boat strike against Iran’s port and the use during SINKEX at RIMPAC clearly sends a message that the U.S. Navy is now aggressively pursuing this new form of kinetic surface attack. 

Amazing Footage from USV’s as they Attack the USS Peleliu (LHA 5)

These lessons are not lost on Seasats.

“The Ukrainians have definitively proven the threat that small USVs pose to surface ships,” Flanigan proffered. “With the Lightfish’s range — 8,000+ nm — we’re showing that the entire ocean is ‘in range’ for small USVs and that they aren’t just limited to coastal/littoral assets.”

The June 15 encounter was one of several Seasats USVs have had with Chinese warships. In May, the Lightfish came upon a Chinese Type 056 Corvette while transiting the Taiwan Strait earlier on this journey, Flanigan said. 

“This isn’t our vessel’s first run-in with a Chinese warship,” he noted in a company media release at the time. “But the location and timing make this encounter notable. It’s generally understood that the PLAN aggressively projects its vessels into the sovereign waters of smaller neighbors, but the opportunity to capture and share geolocated photographic evidence of it is unique.”

None of these incidents have resulted in China firing upon the drone boat. Still, these close encounters at sea raise questions about how warships should respond to such sightings, especially given what has taken place in the Black Sea, Red Sea, and more recently, near the Strait of Hormuz.

“This would be a better question for a military end user,” Flanigan answered when we asked him what the rules of engagement should be for these encounters. “I’d imagine it’d depend on the context and region (eg in the Black Sea presumably all USVs are assumed armed and dangerous). For commercial mariners, USVs would probably be treated with caution similar to other maritime hazards, with the level of caution depending on how well and predictably they (the USVs) are signaling their behavior.”

This is important, given the frequency of Lightfish sightings. 

“We have commercial shipping encounters on a nearly daily basis,” Flanigan said. “They happen so often that mariners don’t notice, or if they do, they are curious.”

This is especially true for fishing vessels, he pointed out.

Seasats Lightfish – Autonomous Drone Carrier

“Generally we follow two rules of thought” when it comes to other vessels, Flanigan stated.

The first is that “robotic systems should all fall secondary to human-piloted vessels. Meaning USVs should always avoid human vessels, and safety at sea rules should also bias towards giving right of way and safety of navigation to a piloted vessel,” Flanigan suggested.

The second is that “USVs should comply with COLREGs [International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea] and general navigational policies wherever possible,” he added.

Still, these are not crewed ships with people onboard that can communicate in some fashion. AIS identification is not proof of anything. And there is no way of knowing for certain if a curious USV belongs to a friend or foe. Hanging a flag onboard and painting a service name on the drone boat’s hull is in no way a definitive signal. How much risk will sailors take as the potential threat posed by these systems rapidly evolves and is already firmly in the hands of non-state actors?

It’s also worth noting that destroying a clearly uncrewed drone boat is a much lower threshold of escalation than doing so with a manned vessel, obviously. We have seen this reality played out repeatedly in the air, where an adversary will take a shot at a drone but not a crewed platform during times of tension but not outright war. Regardless of the international norms, taking out a drone boat that gets too close to a warship could become common place based on these factors, as well as the threat picture in the region and the status and proliferation of the technology.

Once again, in this case, the slow and small Lightfish may have been recognized as not a major danger to the destroyer, but as USVs become more common place in all forms, and especially in arsenals of militaries and potential nefarious actors alike, this equation will become more complex.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

LISA Snowdon has been seen without her ring on after sparking fears that she has split from her fiancé.

After 12 years with George Smart and plans to marry, Lisa, 54, has been seen without her engagement ring.

The TV presenter was spotted going to a Pilates class in Essex this week, with her ring was noticeably absent from her left hand.

She was chatting on the phone as she made her way home while rocking gym gear and carrying a tote.

Lisa said recently that she feels like she’s in a “new chapter of her life” at 54.

Lisa has been enjoying solo travelling recently, and has failed to share snaps of George on Instagram.

SPLIT FEARS

Lisa Snowdon sparks fears she’s split from fiance after 12 years together

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She last shared a snap of George, 46, on her Instagram back in January.

Meanwhile, his own social media account is currently set to private.

Her fiancé featured regularly on Lisa’s social media before then, but he hasn’t been seen on her socials in more than six months.

When Lisa shared a gallery of pictures of herself with her friends hanging out at Wimbledon last month, George was absent again.

Some fans noticed this and one wrote: “Oh no, no George again.”

George might be taking a break from social media and there might be nothing in it – but it’s sparked concern about their relationship.

Lisa and entrepreneur George briefly dated 20 years ago and reconnected in 2014,  before getting engaged in 2016.

Last year, Lisa said she was in no rush to marry George. 

She told Hello!: ‘A lot of women imagine walking down the aisle.

“They imagine their flowers, their dresses, and I just have never had that vision. It’s just a contract at the end of the day.

“I don’t want everybody looking at me, which is weird because I do television and hosting.

“I’m just really relaxed and so is George. It will happen, but I just don’t know what that looks like.”

But now she seems to be moving on.

In a chat with Prima this week, Lisa said: “I’m 54 now and see this time in my life as a new chapter. It’s important to reframe ageing in a more positive way. 

“It takes time for that readjustment to happen, but now I’m in this powerful place where it’s about, ‘What do I want? What do I need?”

She went on: “I don’t have children, so it’s easier for me than mums juggling teenage children, but it’s a powerful time for us to reconnect with ourselves and make big life changes. It’s the second spring.”

Three days ago, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert commented on a sexy selfie that pop singer Madison Beer posted on Instagram: “That’s my girlfriend!!”

On Tuesday morning, Beer posted several photos of the two of them together, along with a caption that provided a significant relationship status update.

“Meet my fiancé,” Beer wrote, much to the delight of the 1.5 million people who liked the post within the first hour.

The engagement announcement comes not quite a year after speculation started about a possible romantic link between the two. Last August, Herbert was photographed interacting with Beer on the set of the video shoot for her song “Angel Wings” at a house in Hancock Park.

The New York Post reported that Beer was seen introducing Herbert to crew members and that the two left the set together. They were spotted together multiple times soon afterward, including holding hands in Los Angeles the day after the Chargers’ seasonopener in Brazil last September.

They shared what is thought to be their first public kiss Oct. 5 on the SoFi Stadium sideline before the Chargers played the Washington Commanders. Since going public with their relationship, the 27-year-old singer and 28-year-old quarterback have been seen at Game 3 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium and sitting courtside at Lakers games at Crypto.com Arena.

In April, Herbert posted a photo of them on Instagram and captioned it, “My world!” Also this spring, he co-starred with Beer in the music video for her song “lovergirl” and received Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh’s blessing to miss portions of voluntary team workouts to join Beer on her world tour.

Beer’s post announcing the engagement features several photos of the couple, including one of Herbert down on one knee and another of him carrying his smiling bride-to-be over his shoulder with her ring on display. They each also posted one of the photos on their Instagram Story with Perry Como’s “And I Love You So” as background music.

No information on the upcoming wedding has been released.

Herbert was selected sixth overall by the Chargers in the 2020 draft. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, he has gone 52-43 as a starter and has passed for 24,820 yards with 163 touchdowns and 58 interceptions.

Beer has been nominated for two Grammy Awards — best immersive audio album for “Silence Between Songs” in 2024 and best dance pop recording for “make you mine” in 2025. Her third studio album, “locket,” was released earlier this year.

OLIVIA Attwood has put a new spin on getting closure, a day after her former husband was spotted with his ex-girlfriend.

The TV star, who split from Bradley Dack in January, threw a lavish soiree on the roof of her building to launch her new drink venture.

And on hand was a tattoo artist, who Olivia asked to ink her wedding ring finger – timely given her ex’s public jaunt with his former flame Emily.

The former Mrs Dack seemed nonplussed, however, looking glam as the tattoo was inked onto her digit as she sipped cocktails in the sunshine.

She was filmed during the process, asking the camera: “Who has a tattoo artist on their penthouse launch for their own drinks launch?”

She was then seen looking around and pointing to herself.

COUPLE CAMEO

Pete Wicks will join Olivia Attwood on ITV series as he’s seen in flirty clip

OPENING UP

Olivia Attwood thanks pals for ‘keeping her alive’ as she reflects on divorce

Olivia’s bold statement is another sure fire sign that she has moved on from Bradley, whom she split from in January due to a “breach of trust” on his part.

Last week her new beau Pete Wicks “hard launched” their romance on Instagram after months of speculation that they had gone from friends to lovers.

Pete will even appear on Olivia’s show The Price Of Perfection, when it returns to ITV2 for a fourth season next month.

In March, The Sun exclusively revealed that Bradley, 32, had reconnected with his ex-girlfriend, Emily Rose Moloney.

They were eventually pictured together for the first time this week, seen returning to her flat in South-East London.

While The Sun went on to exclusively reveal that the couple’s TV wedding was never legally binding, Olivia, 35, had been open about her heartache in the immediate aftermath of their split.

In a new advert for Olivia’s show The Price Of Perfection, Pete and Olivia are seen flirting up a storm in scenes from the upcoming season.

The series – which returns to ITV2 on August 4th – will feature Pete in at least one scene, as the pair chat together in the studio of their KISS FM radio show.

Pete is seen asking Olivia what she’d change about him, with her picking his eyes – much to his dismay.

EXCLUSIVE Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas, who has played villain Warren Fox for two decades, explains why he’s in no rush to get married

It’s been 20 years since Jamie Lomas debuted as Hollyoaks bad boy Warren Fox.

But the 51 year old has no plans to leave the villain behind anytime soon, telling us, “I just love it. I’ll take one day at a time, really. It’s exciting times on the show and we’ve got some great stories coming.I’m excited to see where it goes. Hopefully they don’t kill me off again! They can’t get rid of me.”

Jamie’s character was killed off back in 2009. In true soap fashion, Warren returned from the dead a year later having faked his death. He has since left the show a handful of times, with Warren often forced to go on the run from the law after committing some very dark crimes, including murder, kidnapping and drug dealing.

But the actor says he’s keen to stick around this time, after welcoming his daughter Bella with his fiancée Jess Bell in 2024. “Bella is two now,” Jamie says. “I got offered a couple of gigs going on tour last year, and I turned them down because I don’t want to be away from home.

“I think you realise as you get older, that time with your kids is precious. They’re only small for so long. Getting a chance to do it again at my age now, you realise how quickly time goes, and you just want to cherish those moments as much as possible. She’s so funny, Bella, and I’m really enjoying it.”

Jamie is also a dad to daughter Polly, 15, who he shares with ex-wife Kym Marsh, and son Billy, 20, from a previous relationship. Jamie says daughter Bella adores Polly, and that Polly is a great big sister. “Bella is great,” he says. “She’s beautiful, and very special.

“Polly helps with her, and Bella adores Polly. Bella comes home from nursery and shouts up the stairs for Polly. She’s so cute. She’s the best in the morning. She woke up the other morning, and she’s into Toy Story at the moment.

“She goes, ‘Woody, Buzz,’ and then opens her eyes and says, ‘Dadda?’, she was having a little dream.” Jamie has been engaged to his partner Jess since 2023. While the couple do plan on getting married at some point, Jamie reveals they are holding off on the big day so that Bella can be a part of it.

“We said that we are going to wait until she’s old enough,” he says. “We definitely will get married but we want Bella to be a little bit older to enjoy it.” Family time is just one of the ways Jamie switches off after hours of playing villain Warren.

With Warren’s kill count recently rising to 10, he says his fitness helps him to unwind after his heavy storylines. I play golf. I like to go around the golf course for five hours, although my missus is not too happy about that.

“I don’t think about anything when I’m on the golf course. It’s very relaxing. I love boxing as well. I go boxing twice a week, that’s my release. I go to the gym too, that’s how I spend my spare time. That and spending time with my kids, my family and my partner.

“It’s quite difficult to switch off sometimes, but I try to switch off as soon as I leave the set.” There isn’t much Warren hasn’t done on the show. From burying bodies, to being sent to prison and even needing a liver transplant, he’s been very busy for the past two decades.

Jamie does hope bosses will line yet more evil storylines for his villainous character. “I would love for him to go on a real rampage and start doing armed robberies,” he says. “Maybe he can get addicted to drugs or something, although he’s so anti-drugs because of what happened to his sister Katy. The writers do such a good job.” After taking some time out in 2024 following the birth of his daughter Bella, Warren jumped at the chance to return for the soap’s 30th anniversary last year. On what brings him back every time, Jamie explains, “It’s always nice to put his mask back on.

“It’s like coming back and starting again really. You’re starting with a blank canvas, and it was such an explosive ending the last time. There was a lot of unfinished business for him, so it was nice to come back and see what was in store.”

After so long on the show, Jamie says the cast have become family to him. He tells us, “I can’t believe it’s 20 years. I’d left for five years and went and did EastEnders, and numerous other things as well, but it’s just perfect.

“We’re like a family, but we actually are. My really close friends are Nick Pickard, Ashley Taylor Dawson and Jimmy McKenna. I’ve worked with them for years, and we’ll go and have a game of golf. We used to go out partying, but now we play golf.

“I can remember starting Hollyoaks like it was yesterday. We had such a good time, back in the day. I get to work with Jennifer Metcalfe a lot now, who plays Warren’s partner Mercedes McQueen. I’ve known her since the day I started her, and we both started around about the same time, so we often talk about stories from back in the day, and then have a laugh about it, and how times have changed.”

Hollyoaks is available to stream on Channel 4’s streaming service now, while it also airs Mondays to Wednesdays on E4 at 7PM. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok, Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.

Former EastEnders actress Gurlaine Kaur Garcha, who previously played Ash Panesar on the long-running BBC soap, has married her partner Max after a year-long engagement

EastEnders star Gurlaine Kaur Garcha has married her partner after a year-long engagement. The actress, 32, is best known known for having previously played Ash Panesar on the long-running BBC soap, but she left the programme just over three years ago.

On Friday, she took to social media to announce the news that she and her partner Max had tied the knot. Alongside a selection of snaps from the big day, she wrote on Instagram: “17.6.26.”

A slew of Gurlaine’s former co-stars were quick to congratulate her. Former Strictly Come Dancing star Balvinder Sopal, who plays Gurlaine’s on-screen mum Suki, wrote: “Gorgeous baby. Congratulations.”

Emma Barton, known for her role as Honey Mitchell, wrote: “Gorgeous… congratulations beautiful,” whilst Denis Fox actress Diane Parish simply said; “Congrats”

Last year, the actress, who last year was seen in an episode of the Amazon Prime hit The Girlfriend, shared the happy news of her engagement with fans on Instagram, flashing a huge diamond ring while sipping a cocktail abroad.

“v happy & v engaged!!!!!!” she wrote, keeping the caption short and sweet. Although Gurlaine’s kept her partner’s identity private, she confirmed the romantic proposal took place while on holiday in Ibiza.

Gurlaine made her debut in Albert Square back in 2019 as Ash; a confident, no-nonsense doctor who immediately made an impression. She arrived as the first member of the Panesar clan, with her brothers and mum Suki introduced shortly after.

Her character quickly became a key figure in several dramatic storylines from tense family fallouts and fractured relationships to fast-paced scenes at the hospital. She was also part of a same-sex romance with Iqra, making Ash one of the few LGBTQ+ South Asian characters in soap at the time.

Ash wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, often clashing with her mum Suki, whose controlling nature added even more fuel to their fiery dynamic. Her arrival was also seen as a big moment for representation, with viewers praising EastEnders for spotlighting a British Sikh woman in a lead medical role – something rarely seen on mainstream TV.

Gurlaine took a short break from the show in 2022 before officially bowing out in early 2023. At the time, soap bosses thanked her for her contribution, while the actress told fans she was “excited for what’s to come”.

Since then, Gurlaine’s kept a low profile but still shares snippets of her life online – posting travel pictures, moments with friends, and positive messages with her followers.

And while she’s stayed off-screen for now, fans will no doubt be thrilled to see her celebrating such a personal milestone.

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