A year ago tomorrow , the Zacatecas native suffered a heart attack and mild stroke in the moments after seeing his Dodgers win Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. He spent three days in a medically induced coma at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and regained consciousness to news from jubilant nurses that the Dodgers had won the championship.
The lifelong baseball fan had no idea what they were talking about. His passion for the sport was lost along with his memory.
When family members put on highlights from the 2024 championship during his rehabilitation at a clinic in Gardena throughout the end of the year, the former carpenter would shrug and change the channel. When someone told him that legendary Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela had died, Contreras swore that he had just seen his fellow Mexican pitch at the stadium.
It wasn’t until the 2025 baseball season came along that Contreras’ mind began to truly rebound. He watched games from his longtime home in the unincorporated Florence-Graham neighborhood and learned to love the Dodgers anew. But he didn’t cheer like before. Contreras followed doctor’s orders to stay calm when the Dodgers were losing instead of cursing like the past and quietly applaud when the team was winning when he would’ve previously roared.
He’s the father-in-law of my sister Alejandrina. And I wanted to hang out with Don Conrado for Game 1 of this year’s World Series to experience fandom in all its mortality.
Wearing a flat-brimmed fedora and a blue Dodgers 2024 World Series champion, I caught Contreras just as he was entering my sister’s Norwalk home holding on to his walker with the help of Alejandrina’s husband, Conrad. His father talks slower than he used to and can’t drive anymore, but Contreras is once again the same man his family knows: witty, observant and baseball-crazy.
A schoolyard pitcher in his hometown of Monte Escobedo, Contreras fell in with the Dodgers almost as soon as he migrated to the United States in 1970 to join a brother in Highland Park. He used to attend games every week “when $10 got two people into the stadium and you could also eat a hot dog,” Contreras told me in Spanish before Game 1 began.
His stories from those years were immaculate. Don Sutton throwing a shutout. The Cincinnati Reds always “ready to play to the death.” Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Willie Stargell hitting a home run out of Dodger Stadium in 1973 “and all of us just staring above our heads in awe.”
Contreras was such a fan that he took his pregnant wife Mary to watch Valenzuela pitch on the day in 1983 that Conrad was due because they were giving out “I (Heart) Fernando” T-shirts, an anecdote that left their son flabbergasted.
“What happened to the shirt?” Conrad asked his mom in Spanish.
“I threw it away,” replied the 61-year-old Mary.
“They’d cost a lot of money now!” he groaned.
“They were cheap! The color really faded fast.”
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run home run during the seventh inning of Game 1 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Roger Centre on Friday in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays won, 11-4.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The family continued to attend games through Conrad’s teenage years but stopped “when even the birds couldn’t afford to attend,” Mary said. Conrad, 42, thinks the last time he went to a game with his dad was “at least” 20 years ago. But they regularly watched games on television. It was he who administered the CPR a year ago that saved his dad’s life.
“He was walking around the house angry all that game,” Conrad said.
“No, well, Roberto was making me mad,” Conrado replied, his nickname for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “But I can’t get mad anymore.”
I asked how he thought this year’s series would go. He mentioned Shohei Ohtani, whom he kept calling el japonés in a respectful tone because, well, his memory can be fuzzy.
“He strikes out too much, but when he hits it, he hits it. If he plays like that, they win the series. But if Toronto hits, forget it.”
One more question before game time, the one too many liberal Latino Dodgers fans are belly-aching over right now: is it ethical to root for the team considering they haven’t been too vocal in opposing Donald Trump’s deportation campaign and owner Mark Walter has investments in companies that are profiting from it?
“Sports shouldn’t get into politics, but all sports owners are with Trompas,” he said, using a nickname I’ve heard more than a few rancho libertarians use for Trump. He shrugged.
“So what’s one to do? They kept la migra out of the stadium,” referring to an unsuccessful June attempt by federal agents to enter the stadium parking lot. “If the team had allowed that, then there’d be a huge problem.”
Mary wasn’t as sympathetic. “Latinos shouldn’t let the Dodgers off so easy. But when Latinos surrender, they surrender.”
It was game time.
Conrad slipped into a gray Dodgers away jersey to match his black team cap. My sister, an Angels follower for some reason, wore a Kiké Hernández T-shirt “because he stands with immigrants.”
“The only good thing about the Dodgers is that they aren’t winning with a gringo,” said Mary, who actually doesn’t care much about baseball because she finds it boring. “It’s someone [Ohtani] who doesn’t want to speak English who’s winning it for them.”
Her husband smiled.
“Let’s see if Mary gets into baseball.”
“That’ll be the real miracle,” she snapped back.
Contreras rubbed his hands in glee as the Dodgers went up 2-0 in the top of the third and merely frowned when the Blue Jays tied it in the bottom of the fourth while we were enjoying takeout from Taco Nazo. “His anger comes in waves, it’s a trip,” Conrad said. “He’s calmer but se enoja.”
“Who?” Conrado deadpanned.
When Dodger starting pitcher Blake Snell left the game with the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the sixth, Contreras shook his head in disgust but kept his voice calm.
“This is what gets me mad. They should’ve taken him out long ago, but Roberto didn’t. This is what I was afraid of. When Toronto get on, they get on. They won’t stop until they destroy.”
Earlier in the game, Alejandrina had told Conrado that Kirk was a Tijuana native. The pride in shared roots, albeit generations apart, took a little bit of sting off his home run, which made the score a humiliating 11-2.
“Thank goodness he’s Mexican,” Conrado told his son, patting his knee. “That’s what’s left for us” to be happy about the game.
An inning later, Contreras began to feel woozy. His sugar level was elevated. Mary took off his jacket to fix his insulin device. My sister’s corgi, Penny, jumped onto the couch and lay on his lap.
“They do know when someone someone’s ill, right?” he said to no one before scratching Penny’s tummy and cooing, “You know I’m ill, right? I’m ill!”
When the “massacre” finally ended, Contreras remained philosophical.
“It’s incredible that I’m able to see this. But I’m still malo. My feet hurt, my memory isn’t what it used to be, my sense of balance isn’t there. But there’s the Dodgers. But they need to win.”
Conrad went to the bedroom to grab his father’s walker.
“Do you want a Toronto shirt now?” he joked.
His dad stared silently. “No, that would give me another heart attack.”
She was one of the most successful comics of her time in Britain and was once dubbed the “funniest woman in the world”
Hylda Baker died penniless(Image: ITV)
Hylda Baker, a beloved BBC actress and comedian, sadly passed away penniless despite her decades of fame and a successful stint on the hit ITV sitcom Nearest and Dearest.
The talented Hylda first graced the stage at the tender age of 10 and was already producing her own shows by the time she turned 14.
She became a household name after appearing on the BBC show Good Old Days in 1955, which paved the way for her own television series, Be Soon, in 1957. This was followed by her own sitcom, The Best of Friends, in 1963.
Hylda stood out as one of the most successful female comics in Britain during an era dominated by male comedians. However, she is perhaps best remembered for her portrayal of Nellie Pledge in Nearest and Dearest from 1968 until 1973.
Despite her incredible fame, which included roles in films like Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and the musical Oliver!, Hylda tragically didn’t have a penny to her name when she passed away. Known for bringing joy to others through her performances, her personal life was unfortunately filled with hardship, reports the Daily Record.
One BBC star died without a penny to her name(Image: ITV)
Hylda married Ben Pearson in 1929, but their marriage fell apart after Hylda suffered two ectopic pregnancies. The couple legally separated four years later in 1933, according to the Express.
Tragedy struck again for the actress when she was hit by a passing car in 1961, leaving her injured. After suing the driver for damages, she was awarded just over £4,000 in 1965.
In 1971, six years later, her chauffeur nicked £2,500 of her money and legged it, only to be nabbed three months later with a mere £45 left of the stolen cash.
At the age of 67, Hylda began showing signs of cognitive decline.
She had to rely on cue cards to remember her lines for the later series of Nearest and Dearest, and her acting career came to a halt when she broke her leg after a fall on set and decided to take legal action against production company LWT following the injury.
Hylda was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and moved into Brinsworth House retirement home in 1981 when she was 76.
She died in 1986 at Horton Psychiatric Hospital in Surrey from bronchial pneumonia.
Despite all her fame and success, she tragically spent her final years penniless and “lonely and forgotten”, according to Pride of Manchester, with fewer than 10 people reported to have attended her funeral.
A quarter of holidaymakers have travelled without insurance all together, according to new research
One in six British holidaymakers confess they haven’t been entirely truthful about their health when buying travel insurance. The study reveals that a quarter of travellers have jetted off without any cover whatsoever, whilst a fifth have embarked on trips knowing their policy wouldn’t fully protect them.
The research found that a quarter of holidaymakers believe it’s acceptable to conceal details about health conditions they don’t consider serious in order to secure cheaper premiums. Some felt under pressure to keep holiday expenses low, with a quarter thinking it was fine to omit health information because they only wanted basic protection for cancellations or lost luggage.
Travellers have paid the price after hiding health conditions on their insurance(Image: Getty Images)
A Staysure spokesperson, who commissioned the study, remarked: “This survey paints a worrying picture.”
“When buying a travel insurance policy, you want to know you’ll be in safe hands if the worst should happen so be as honest and detailed as possible about your current health.”
Most travellers were oblivious to the fact that weight loss medications must be disclosed, along with HRT, a treatment used to manage menopause symptoms.
Moreover, a quarter of holidaymakers didn’t think it was necessary to mention high blood pressure or recent surgery, or that they have previously had a heart attack or severe organ condition.
“Many people don’t realise that their NHS medical records are checked when they make a medical claim to verify their policy against their current health,” the spokesperson added.
“Any undeclared medical conditions, or recent GP and hospital visits that are not covered on their policy could invalidate their cover – leaving them high and dry to foot a medical bill alone.”
Seven out of ten revealed their greatest worry was having their claim rejected and being stranded overseas with an unaffordable medical bill. For 14 per cent they know someone whose medical claim was refused because they failed to disclose a health condition beforehand.
The spokesperson continued: “Declaring all your medical conditions ensures you are financially protected if you need medical treatment abroad or repatriating home – last year the average cost of an air ambulance from Spain alone was £45,136.”
Among those surveyed, 81 per cent believed their travel insurance represented good value for money, with 26 per cent having previously submitted a claim.
“We urge people to tell their insurer if they’ve recently seen a medical professional as not all heath changes will increase the price of their policy but may just save them thousands of pounds in unexpected medical costs.”
TOP 10 CONDITIONS TRAVELLERS DIDN’T REALISE YOU HAVE TO DECLARE:
Singer Ray Stevens has shared his first update since being admitted to the hospital on July 4 for surgery.
According to his Instagram, the 86-year-old has been moved out of intensive care and is continuing to recover.
“Ray is out of ICU and beginning to walk the halls as therapy with a nurse’s assistance as he is working towards recovering from this surgery,” the post from Wednesday reads. “Ray is very grateful for all of the cards and get-well messages. Everything is Still Beautiful!!!!”
The last line is a reference to one of Stevens’ best-known songs, the Grammy Award-winning “Everything Is Beautiful.”
In a previous statement provided to People magazine, representatives of Stevens said he was recovering after a “minimally invasive heart surgery” on Monday. On July 4, he went to a Nashville hospital after experiencing chest pain.
Following a heart catheterization, Stevens was informed that he had suffered a minor heart attack. A subsequent surgery was carried out successfully.
Though the two-time Grammy winner’s upcoming performances at his CabaRay Showroom in Nashville have been canceled, fans are just happy to hear he is OK.
“This is the good news I was waiting for,” one Instagram user commented under the update. Another rejoiced, saying it was “great news in a world of such sadness and loss recently.”
Stevens has had a successful music career, cutting his first top 10 pop hit, “Ahab the Arab,” in 1962. The singer has recorded 45 albums, according to his website, won two Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
Following the induction, Stevens was asked whether he would be retiring anytime soon.
“I feel fine; I’ll probably keel over after I hang up the phone,” he joked.
In 2024, he announced he would be hanging up his boots — only to change his mind a year later with the release of a new album, “Say Whut?”
“Although I said earlier that last year was going to be my final year at the CabaRay … I’m kind of going back on that because I want to promote this album,” he told NewsChannel 5 Nashville.
MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace was reportedly rushed to hospital for a suspected heart attack, just days before the TV presenter faced fresh misconduct accusations from 50 people
23:09, 08 Jul 2025Updated 23:18, 08 Jul 2025
A close friend of Gregg Wallace has said that he’s ‘in a bad way’ after being accused of misconduct by 50 more people(Image: BBC)
Shamed MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has been sacked after 50 more people complained about him – but he has vowed to fight back. The 60-year-old accused BBC News of “peddling gossip” after it claimed to have received dozens of new complaints about him, ranging from sexual comments to groping. Wallace accepts his humour was “inappropriate” on the show. And a source close to him admits a social media video in which he lashed out at “middle-class women of a certain age” was a sackable offence.
But he still believes himself to be a victim and called the new claims “baseless and sensationalised”. He insisted: “I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience.”
Gregg Wallace has been accused of misconduct by 50 more people(Image: BBC /Shine TV)
It comes just days after the TV presenter was reportedly rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack. The 60-year-old was treated at a hospital in Ashford, Kent, after two days of agonising chest pain. A friend told The Sun: “The stress of this betrayal brought on my suspected heart attack. It’s been hell.” It is reported that two days after leaving hospital, Wallace was told that his contract would be terminated.
MasterChef production company Banijay is expected to release the findings of a six-month review into his behaviour tomorrow or on Friday. The review, by law firm Lewis Silkin, was ordered after allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour on the set of the BBC cooking show were made against Wallace last year. His lawyers said then: “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”
A Banijay insider said many of the BBC’s latest allegations are likely to have already been examined during the review. One source who has read the 200-page report said Wallace’s worst mistake was his December 2024 video about the initial allegations, in which he said: “The complaints [are] from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age.” The source added that alone was a “dismissible offence”.
Yesterday, the presenter posted a five-page statement on social media. Wallace said: “I recognise my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise.
Gregg Wallace has been axed from MasterChef(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“I have now been cleared by the Silkin report of the most serious and sensational accusations. The most damaging claims, including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld, were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”
The presenter said he had taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkin report because: “I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged.”
Wallace claimed the new BBC News allegations included “legally unsafe accusations” which had been “found not credible by Silkin”.
He said allowing the stories to run ahead of the report was an attempt to derail the process. And in response to claims that the BBC had “fired” him, a spokesman said that this was impossible, because it was not his employer. Wallace, whose young son Sid has autism, argued that he should have been better looked after.
He added: “I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand.
“Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem. My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.
“Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years. That failure is now being quietly buried.”
He added: “I was tried by media and hung out to dry before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told.”
A source close to Wallace insisted he had been made the fall guy. They added: “This is about protecting a format, one of the most valuable formats that Banijay and the BBC has. And what they should be doing is having a clean start and not just chucking one bloke under the bus. Gregg has employed a lawyer and he’s going for blood. The report talks about him being odd – the guy has got autism and it was never addressed. It’s been a trial by social media and a big pile-on.
“All these things, when they’re looked at by a lawyer, are not true. Bullying Penny Lancaster? Not true. Vanessa Feltz? No evidence. It’s about him having a terrible sense of humour and telling rude jokes.”
The pal said that dad-of-three Wallace was “in a bad way”, warning: “This guy is fragile. When everything has been taken away like this, it’s quite overwhelming.”
One MasterChef insider said that no conversation over Wallace’s future employment had yet taken place. The latest allegations include two women who said Wallace exposed himself to them, a student who says he put his hand up her skirt in 2013 and another woman who claims he groped her the previous year.
It is not clear how many of the 50 allegations have been examined by the review lawyers, who looked only at allegations relating to MasterChef. The BBC said: “We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings published.”
BBC show Pebble Mill at One was an iconic magazine programme that ran throughout the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s – and here’s what happened to the original faces of the daytime series
08:20, 05 Jul 2025Updated 08:20, 05 Jul 2025
Pebble Mill at One was the BBC’s much-loved daytime magazine show(Image: BBC)
They were the familiar faces that lit up Britain’s afternoons – the hosts, producers and personalities behind Pebble Mill at One, the BBC’s beloved daytime magazine programme that ran from 1972 to 1986. Whether they were interviewing celebrities, dispensing gardening advice or covering human interest stories from the famous foyer of the Birmingham studio, the Pebble Mill team became a fixture of the nation’s lunchtime telly.
But what happened to the show’s stars when the cameras stopped rolling?
From telly legends who went on to headline primetime shows, to behind-the-scenes figures who subtly influenced British broadcasting, many continued to leave their mark across radio, film and theatre. Others quietly stepped out of the spotlight – while some faced scandals that shook their public persona.
Here, we reminisce about the highs, lows and unexpected twists in the lives of Pebble Mill’s most recognisable faces. From gardening guru Marian Foster and broadcasting legend Alan Titchmarsh to the late Donny MacLeod and troubled DJ Dave Lee Travis, here’s what unfolded for the faces who once dominated daytime TV.
Dave Lee Travis
His career was later overshadowed by legal troubles(Image: Getty)
Dave Lee Travis was best known as the host of The Golden Oldie Picture Show and a DJ on BBC Radio 1. However, his career was later marred by legal issues.
In 2014, he was found guilty of indecently assaulting a woman working on The Mrs Merton Show in 1995 and was handed a three-month suspended sentence.
Though acquitted of several other accusations, the conviction resulted in the presenter’s episodes of Top of the Pops being no longer repeated by the BBC. Travis expressed being “mortified” and “really disappointed” by the verdict.
Despite the scandal, the now 80-year-old made a comeback to broadcasting. Throughout the years, Travis has presented programmes on various UK radio stations, including periods at Classic Gold, BBC Three Counties Radio, and United DJs Radio.
In 2025, he hosts a Sunday morning programme on Heritage Chart Radio.
Currently residing in Buckinghamshire with his Swedish wife Marianne, whom he wed in 1971, Travis enjoys photography and vintage automobiles.
Jock Gallagher
Gallagher joined the BBC in 1966 as a news producer(Image: BBC)
Gallagher began his BBC career in 1966 as a news producer and swiftly climbed the ladder, ultimately leading the Pebble Mill at One.
His influence extended beyond the programme’s triumph to nurturing celebrated BBC radio productions including The Archers, alongside programmes such as From the Grassroots and Offshore Britons.
Following decades of broadcasting service, Gallagher stepped down from the BBC in 2014.
He died in May 2025 aged 87 at Worcester Hospital. Former colleagues and admirers paid tribute, with one remembering: “I remember having a conversation with Jock in the late 1980s when I was trying to become a researcher, and fancied working on Radio 4 series.”
Donny MacLeod
Donny hosting the daytime programme from its very first episode in 1972(Image: BBC)
Donny was a beloved figure on television, known for his warmth, professionalism, and innovative approach, becoming a staple in homes as the leading presenter of his show and shaping daytime TV for countless viewers.
He was one of the original faces of Pebble Mill at One, hosting the show from its beginnings in 1972 until his sudden death in 1984.
His career was studded with standout moments, including major BBC specials like MacLeod’s Soviet Union and MacLeod’s America, and memorable interviews with prominent figures such as Edward Heath, Les Dawson, Terry Wogan, Dame Edna Everage, and Morecambe and Wise.
Touching tributes have continued to honour Donny’s legacy, with one colleague fondly remembering: “He was kind and ever prepared to lend this novice a helping hand… For 11 years Donny was Pebble Mill at One.”
Passing away at the young age of 52 from a heart attack, Donny is still deeply missed as a trailblazer in British daytime broadcasting.
David Attwood
David passed away on 21 March 2024 after a period of illness(Image: The Guardian)
Starting his career as an assistant floor manager, David Attwood climbed the ladder, contributing to series like Out of Town Boys (1978), Keep Smiling (1979), and the BAFTA-winning Boys from the Black Stuff (1982).
After completing the BBC Directors course in 1984, he quickly made a name for himself as a director.
Attwood’s portfolio includes directing All Together Now, Airbase, and the intense thriller Killing Time.
He later pursued a freelance career, directing critically acclaimed projects such as Wild West, Fidel, and Stuart: A Life Backwards, which starred Tom Hardy.
David sadly died on 21 March 2024 after battling illness.
Remembered by peers as a talented and considerate director, David left an indelible mark on British television drama over three decades.
Marian Foster
She made history as one of the first presenters on Top Gear(Image: BBC)
A multifaceted broadcaster, Marian Foster was celebrated for her engaging on-screen personality and a deep-rooted passion for horticulture, which became her signature.
She broke new ground as one of the original presenters on Top Gear and went on to host gardening segments for BBC Look North after her time at Pebble Mill.
Foster boasts an extensive career in radio, having presented shows on BBC Radio 2, Woman’s Hour on Radio 4, and currently hosts Garden Mania every Sunday on BBC Radio Newcastle and Radio Tees.
A familiar face at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, she has imparted her horticultural wisdom to audiences for more than three decades.
Her diverse work includes documenting the impact of Live Aid in Ethiopia and even sharing the stage with The Who for a rendition of Tommy.
In recent times, she has continued her role as a judge for Northumbria in Bloom, been featured by Radio Times, and remains an endearing presence in the North East.
Alan Titchmarsh
He currently hosts a Saturday afternoon show on Classic FM(Image: Getty)
Alan Titchmarsh rose to fame as the beloved presenter of Ground Force and later captivated viewers on ITV’s Love Your Garden, affirming his status as one of the nation’s favourite gardeners.
His natural charm extended beyond the garden, leading him to host various programmes including The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Popstar to Operastar, and Secrets of the National Trust.
In 2024, he made waves when North Korean TV censored his jeans, prompting Titchmarsh to quip that it gave him “a bit of street cred”.
The 76 year old father of two is a prolific author, having penned over 70 books, including best-selling novels, gardening guides, and memoirs.
He currently presents a Saturday afternoon programme on Classic FM and continues to write regularly for the press. Now in his mid-70s, he divides his time between his farmhouse in Hampshire and his residence on the Isle of Wight.
Titchmarsh was awarded an MBE in the 2000 New Year Honours for his contributions to horticulture and broadcasting, and was later promoted to CBE in the 2025 New Year Honours for his services to horticulture and charity.
Celebrities and the world’s toddlers adore the long-running Aussie children’s TV entertainers, but now in it’s third reincarnation, the punishing schedule has taken its toll on the kiddie supergroup
(Image: Getty Images)
Robert De Niro, Dolly Parton and Jessie J are fans, they’re worth millions and play sell-out concerts around the world. The Wiggles – aka The Beatles for toddlers – are a preschooler’s entertainment juggernaut that has taken over the world.
They’ve got a new country album out, Wiggle Up Giddy Up, featuring two songs with the rhinestone queen herself, Dolly Parton. And tickets to their current world tour are hotter than an Oasis reunion gig.
They have previously sold out Madison Square Garden in New York for 12 days in a row and, ahead of this week’s show in the US, Hollywood legend De Niro, 81, was granted a backstage pass with his two-year-old daughter, Gia, to meet her idol – founder member, Anthony Field (Blue Wiggle).
Like most people over the age of five, De Niro didn’t have a clue about this global phenomenon until he had Gia with professional martial artist girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 45.
The Wiggles sang their classic banger Rock-A-Bye Your Bear for the veteran actor’s family, which drew a rare smile. And De Niro admitted: “I didn’t know of them until I started seeing them and my daughter loves to watch them… but they’re great!”
Jessie J and son Sky meet The Wiggles and Tree of Wisdom at their Bouncing Balls Tour in Croydon in May 2025(Image: Mike Marsland/Getty Images for T)
With the advent of YouTube and the arrival of their shows on Netflix, a new British audience is embracing The Wiggles.
When they came to the UK recently, Jessie J met them with her son Sky and was treated to some of the Tree of Wisdom’s viral TikTok dance moves.
They’re also part of a wave of Australian children’s TV, like Bluey, that is captivating British kids, giving them Aussie accents and pushing CBeebies off the map.
Borkowski PR’s Gregor Cubie expects his 19-month-old to join the fan club soon, and wonders if ‘Aussie-ness’ is the magic ingredient wooing international audiences.
“In the same way that Bluey is almost universally popular and accessible, The Wiggles’ sheer Aussie-ness might work in their favour when it comes to their reputation,” he says.
But, scratch the surface, according to Gregor, and you’ll find a long-running supergroup, dogged by controversy, ill health and accusations of “going woke”.
The Wiggles’ original line-up Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, Greg Page and Murray Cook perform in Sydney in December 2012(Image: Getty Images)
One of Australia’s most successful exports, The Wiggles take it in turns with pop sensation Kylie Minogue and Hollywood actor Russell Crowe to top the Aussie rich list.
Majority owner Anthony is estimated to be worth £25m, on top of the £10 million a year the band rakes in from tours, TV shows, new releases, merchandise and sponsorships.
They have their own TV series Ready, Steady, Wiggle, have produced 62 studio albums, sold 40 million books, CDs and DVDS, and attracted more than 5 billion views on YouTube and 3 billion streams across various music services.
They’ve been making ear-worm sing-a-long pop since 1991, when kindergarten teaching students Anthony and Jeff Fatt, who were members of the R&B pop band the Cockroaches, and got together with two fellow students – Murray Cook and Greg Page – in Sydney, to make an album of simple, catchy songs for pre-schoolers
After Anthony’s infant niece tragically died from sudden infant death syndrome, the Cockroaches disbanded.
Founder Blue Wiggle Anthony performs at Falls Festival Melbourne in December 2022(Image: Getty Images)
One of the songs Anthony wrote, Get Ready to Wiggle, inspired the new band’s name because they thought “wiggling” describes how children dance.
“We met at university doing a course in early childhood – this connection with music and teaching is what became The Wiggles,” explains Anthony.
While The Wiggles has evolved since those early days, the four original members hold a special place in people’s hearts – Anthony and Jeff Fatt (Purple Wiggle), Murray Cook (Red Wiggle) and Greg Page (Yellow Wiggle). And their hits like Hot Potato and Fruit Salad, were toddler dance floor fillers for the next two decades.
While members have changed, the primary colours of red, yellow, blue and purple that they wear is no doubt the secret of the Wiggles’ success with the ankle biters.
In Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles 2023 documentary, Anthony says: “It doesn’t matter who wears the skivvies, as long as we reflect our audience and communicate with children.”
The Wriggles with stand-in Sam Moran after he replaced Yellow Wriggle Greg Page who had to leave the band due to illness in 2006(Image: Getty Images)
Like any band, they had to break America to go truly global – and when the Disney Channel played them four times a day to their 85 million subscribers, their success was meteoric. All of a sudden, they were playing 10,000 seater arenas.
PR, Gregor puts their success down to a “combination of their prolific output with its ceaseless ability to hypnotise toddlers”.
He adds: “Also, a less extreme version of the Royal Family’s ‘never complain, never explain’ approach. Instead of saying nothing, they say the bare minimum and carry on as if nothing happened.
“You rarely see naval-gazing and the consistency and popularity of their work keeps generations of kids coming back for more.”
While there aren’t many skeletons to rattle in The Wiggle cupboards, behind their happy faces and signature finger point, members have been dogged by setbacks.
Jeff Fatt, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Anthony Field attend the Hot Potato: The Story Of The Wiggles world premiere in Sydney in October 2023(Image: Getty Images for SXSW Sydney)
Controversies include the Hot Potato incident two years ago, when a council in Western Australia played their famous song on loop to deter anti-social behaviour at a homeless shelter.
The Wiggles complained, saying their music should only be used to “spread joy and happiness” but the damage was done.
But the fact De Niro was happy to be pictured with The Wiggles is a massive endorsement.
“Robert De Niro seems increasingly like the kind of guy who considers how his every public appearance and utterance might affect his legacy, so it’s a pretty major stamp of approval that he’s happy to be publicly associated with the Wiggles. Fundamentally they are free of reputation risk,” says Gregor.
“The irony is that the Wiggles have had a few controversies which are fairly stereotypical of long-running bands – walkouts, inter-band marriages and divorces; allegations that a song is racially insensitive, accusations of going ‘woke.’ They’ve been ruthlessly parodied on 30 Rock and, of course, the Hot Potato incident was unpleasant.”
Robert De Niro meets Captain Feathersword aka Paul Paddick of The Wiggles on June 28, 2025 in New York City(Image: Getty Images)
For members of The Wiggles, the squeaky clean expectations can be tricky.
“During my time in The Wiggles, I was out at a gig one night and I was having a drink, and the next day a newspaper reported: ‘The Wiggles member caught having a beer’, and that was a shock. I am an adult!” says Murray.
And doing 400 to 500 shows a year – cramming up to three gigs into a single day – took its toll on the original members, with Jeff, Murray and Greg retiring for health reasons in 2012.
A mystery illness forced Greg to leave in 2006. He was replaced by Sam Morans, but came back in 2012. Then he suffered a heart attack on stage during a 2020 reunion show. That same year, Murray had open heart surgery.
Revealing his own struggles, Anthony released a memoir Out Of The Blue last year, detailing the years of mental and physical health problems he’s suffered, including depression, undiagnosed ADHD and chronic pain.
The second Wiggles line-up, left to right, Simon Pryce, Emma Watkins, Lachlan Gillespie and Anthony in New York in 2015(Image: Getty Images)
Yet Field created a second generation of Wiggles with Simon Pryce (Red Wiggle), Lachlan Gillespie (Purple Wiggle) and the first female, Emma Watkins (Yellow Wiggle).
“We might be responsible for their first experience of music,” says Emma, speaking about their responsibility to their tiny fans
Sadly, trouble soon upended their paradise, as shortly after Yellow Wiggle Emma married Purple Wiggle Lachie, they divorced and she left the group not long after.
Another shake-up in 2021 saw 15-year-old Tsehay Hawkins becoming Yellow Wiggle.
Now 62, Anthony is the only remaining original Wiggle, in a group of eight performers – Tsehay, Lachlan, and Simon, as well as Caterina Mete, Lucia Field, Simon Pryce, Evie Ferris, John Pearce – who are as gender-diverse and racially-diverse as their millions of fans.
The new extended Wiggles crew at Croydon meeting Jessie J in Croydon in May 2025(Image: Mike Marsland/Getty Images for T)
Costumed characters, played by the more junior Wiggles, include Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog, and Captain Feathersword.
While some of the newer members say their estimated £72,000 earnings are a fraction of the big bucks of the original members, they have given the group a bigger presence on social media, where the Tree of Wisdom (played by Anthony’s nephew, Dominic Field) regularly goes viral on TikTok, with his exuberant dance moves.
And, in recent years, they’ve been noticing something new – a generational crossover, as kids grow up, but remain fans.
Dorothy the Dinosaur is also now a DJ, who remixes the original Wiggles classics for the older audience. And they’ve been getting down with the cool kids – covering songs by Fatboy Slim, White Stripes and Tame Impala’s Elephant.
“We’re bringing back happy memories,” says Anthony. “And it’s a real privilege to do that.”
Altogether now, kids, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!
Classic kids TV groups down the years:
The Monkees, 1960s – Four cute surfer boys Davy Jones, Mickey Donlenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith running around in zany plots to brilliant pop tracks, in a sitcom that captured the spirit of the era.
The Banana Splits, 1970s – Four costumed animal characters who’d perform songs and comedy skits in a psychedelic world, was just as weird and fun as it sounds. The makers had clearly been on the wacky baccy.
The Teletubbies on their 25th anniversary in 2022(Image: PA)
Rainbow, 1980s – Presenter Geoffrey and his camp puppets Zippy, George and Bungle and hippy singers Rod, Jane and Freddy took us “Up above the streets and houses, Rainbow climbing high” every week. I still miss them.
Teletubbies, 1990s – Some called it the most disturbing children’s show on TV – but even now millions of babies are glued to repeats of these four tubby aliens, Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-laa, and Po, with coat hangers on their heads living on a mini golf course.
Zingzillas, 2000s – Puppet monkey band Zak, Tang, Panzee and Drum lived on a tropical island and made real music together and introduced tots to rock, soul, jazz and samba styles – along with some dodgy titles like Do You Didgeridoo?
TOWIE star Amy Childs’ friends are worried about her relationship after she postponed her wedding to fiancé Billy Delbosq for the second time
08:40, 06 Jun 2025Updated 08:40, 06 Jun 2025
Friends have expressed their concerns about Amy Childs’ relationship after she postponed her wedding for the second time(Image: Instagram/amychilds1990)
Amy Childs has left friends and fans worried after calling off her wedding to fiancé Billy Delbosq for the second time, sparking rumours of relationship troubles among those who are close to her. The former beautician, who shot to fame on The Only Way Is Essex nearly 15 years ago, became a household name thanks to her larger-than-life personality — and introducing the public to the concept of ‘vajazzling’.
After a romantic past full of ups and downs, Amy, 34, seemed to have finally found lasting love with Billy, a fellow reality star who once appeared on Channel 4 ’s First Dates. The couple got engaged in 2023 after welcoming twins Billy River and Amelia Mae.
Friends have expressed their concerns about Amy Childs’ relationship after she postponed her wedding for the second time(Image: @amychilds1990/Instagram)
But last month she postponed their wedding again, after already delaying it last year over doubts about whether Billy was truly ready to tie the knot.
This latest cancellation has caused speculation that not all is well in their relationship. Friends close to the couple have voiced their fears, with one source telling the Daily Mail : “Billy has always been a player. He’s one of the biggest players in Essex…now there are fears that all is not well, that something could have happened between them.”
Fuel was added to the fire when Amy was spotted in Brentwood looking visibly thinner and not wearing her engagement ring. However, another source close to the couple insisted the pair are still going strong, and suggested she only removed the ring to work out.
In the paparazzi snaps that sparked concern, she was indeed dressed in gym gear. However, Amy and Billy were also seen at Stansted Airport on Thursday while en route to Spain for TOWIE filming, looking “preoccupied and unsmiling”. One pal admitted: “They usually seem so happy together. This time they looked really down in the dumps, neither particularly looked like they wanted to be there.”
Behind the scenes, Amy has been privately coping with a family crisis. She recently told The Mirror that her mum Julie, who has also made appearances on TOWIE, suffered from a heart attack in April and had to be rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
She added: “It has been intensely stressful. None of us was expecting Mum to have a heart attack – it turned our world upside down.
“It was so frightening. She had a stent put in and was in hospital for six days. She’s now home but she’s being monitored daily and is on a lot of medication. It’s so tough for her – she sometimes struggles to walk upstairs.”
Amy and Billy made the difficult decision to postpone their September wedding at Cliveden House in Berkshire. The TOWIE star explained: “It’s upsetting, but I know we’ve made the right decision. Right now, we’re focused on looking after Mum.”
In response to the online abuse over her weight loss, Amy hit back, saying: “People don’t know what is going on behind closed doors…To be honest I do feel better when I’m a bit heavier than I am at the moment. There’s so much going on – it’s the result of pure stress.”
Despite facing these heart breaking family challenges, Amy is still hopeful that her and Billy will be able to get married abroad next year, and have planned for their kids to play a special role in the wedding. She concluded: “We just want it to be amazing, not rushed.”
Commentary: He’s just happy to root for the Dodgers again after almost dying during the last World Series
There was probably no Dodgers fan more grateful to see the Blue Crew lose badly in the opening game of the World Series than Conrado Contreras. See, the 75-year-old was happy to enjoy any Fall Classic at all.
A year ago tomorrow , the Zacatecas native suffered a heart attack and mild stroke in the moments after seeing his Dodgers win Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. He spent three days in a medically induced coma at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and regained consciousness to news from jubilant nurses that the Dodgers had won the championship.
The lifelong baseball fan had no idea what they were talking about. His passion for the sport was lost along with his memory.
When family members put on highlights from the 2024 championship during his rehabilitation at a clinic in Gardena throughout the end of the year, the former carpenter would shrug and change the channel. When someone told him that legendary Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela had died, Contreras swore that he had just seen his fellow Mexican pitch at the stadium.
It wasn’t until the 2025 baseball season came along that Contreras’ mind began to truly rebound. He watched games from his longtime home in the unincorporated Florence-Graham neighborhood and learned to love the Dodgers anew. But he didn’t cheer like before. Contreras followed doctor’s orders to stay calm when the Dodgers were losing instead of cursing like the past and quietly applaud when the team was winning when he would’ve previously roared.
He’s the father-in-law of my sister Alejandrina. And I wanted to hang out with Don Conrado for Game 1 of this year’s World Series to experience fandom in all its mortality.
Wearing a flat-brimmed fedora and a blue Dodgers 2024 World Series champion, I caught Contreras just as he was entering my sister’s Norwalk home holding on to his walker with the help of Alejandrina’s husband, Conrad. His father talks slower than he used to and can’t drive anymore, but Contreras is once again the same man his family knows: witty, observant and baseball-crazy.
A schoolyard pitcher in his hometown of Monte Escobedo, Contreras fell in with the Dodgers almost as soon as he migrated to the United States in 1970 to join a brother in Highland Park. He used to attend games every week “when $10 got two people into the stadium and you could also eat a hot dog,” Contreras told me in Spanish before Game 1 began.
His stories from those years were immaculate. Don Sutton throwing a shutout. The Cincinnati Reds always “ready to play to the death.” Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Willie Stargell hitting a home run out of Dodger Stadium in 1973 “and all of us just staring above our heads in awe.”
Contreras was such a fan that he took his pregnant wife Mary to watch Valenzuela pitch on the day in 1983 that Conrad was due because they were giving out “I (Heart) Fernando” T-shirts, an anecdote that left their son flabbergasted.
“What happened to the shirt?” Conrad asked his mom in Spanish.
“I threw it away,” replied the 61-year-old Mary.
“They’d cost a lot of money now!” he groaned.
“They were cheap! The color really faded fast.”
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run home run during the seventh inning of Game 1 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Roger Centre on Friday in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays won, 11-4.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The family continued to attend games through Conrad’s teenage years but stopped “when even the birds couldn’t afford to attend,” Mary said. Conrad, 42, thinks the last time he went to a game with his dad was “at least” 20 years ago. But they regularly watched games on television. It was he who administered the CPR a year ago that saved his dad’s life.
“He was walking around the house angry all that game,” Conrad said.
“No, well, Roberto was making me mad,” Conrado replied, his nickname for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “But I can’t get mad anymore.”
I asked how he thought this year’s series would go. He mentioned Shohei Ohtani, whom he kept calling el japonés in a respectful tone because, well, his memory can be fuzzy.
“He strikes out too much, but when he hits it, he hits it. If he plays like that, they win the series. But if Toronto hits, forget it.”
One more question before game time, the one too many liberal Latino Dodgers fans are belly-aching over right now: is it ethical to root for the team considering they haven’t been too vocal in opposing Donald Trump’s deportation campaign and owner Mark Walter has investments in companies that are profiting from it?
“Sports shouldn’t get into politics, but all sports owners are with Trompas,” he said, using a nickname I’ve heard more than a few rancho libertarians use for Trump. He shrugged.
“So what’s one to do? They kept la migra out of the stadium,” referring to an unsuccessful June attempt by federal agents to enter the stadium parking lot. “If the team had allowed that, then there’d be a huge problem.”
Mary wasn’t as sympathetic. “Latinos shouldn’t let the Dodgers off so easy. But when Latinos surrender, they surrender.”
It was game time.
Conrad slipped into a gray Dodgers away jersey to match his black team cap. My sister, an Angels follower for some reason, wore a Kiké Hernández T-shirt “because he stands with immigrants.”
“The only good thing about the Dodgers is that they aren’t winning with a gringo,” said Mary, who actually doesn’t care much about baseball because she finds it boring. “It’s someone [Ohtani] who doesn’t want to speak English who’s winning it for them.”
Her husband smiled.
“Let’s see if Mary gets into baseball.”
“That’ll be the real miracle,” she snapped back.
Contreras rubbed his hands in glee as the Dodgers went up 2-0 in the top of the third and merely frowned when the Blue Jays tied it in the bottom of the fourth while we were enjoying takeout from Taco Nazo. “His anger comes in waves, it’s a trip,” Conrad said. “He’s calmer but se enoja.”
“Who?” Conrado deadpanned.
When Dodger starting pitcher Blake Snell left the game with the bases loaded and no one out in the bottom of the sixth, Contreras shook his head in disgust but kept his voice calm.
“This is what gets me mad. They should’ve taken him out long ago, but Roberto didn’t. This is what I was afraid of. When Toronto get on, they get on. They won’t stop until they destroy.”
Sure enough, the Blue Jays erupted for nine runs that inning, including a two-run blast by catcher Alejandro Kirk, who had sparked the Jays’ initial rally a few innings earlier.
Earlier in the game, Alejandrina had told Conrado that Kirk was a Tijuana native. The pride in shared roots, albeit generations apart, took a little bit of sting off his home run, which made the score a humiliating 11-2.
“Thank goodness he’s Mexican,” Conrado told his son, patting his knee. “That’s what’s left for us” to be happy about the game.
An inning later, Contreras began to feel woozy. His sugar level was elevated. Mary took off his jacket to fix his insulin device. My sister’s corgi, Penny, jumped onto the couch and lay on his lap.
“They do know when someone someone’s ill, right?” he said to no one before scratching Penny’s tummy and cooing, “You know I’m ill, right? I’m ill!”
When the “massacre” finally ended, Contreras remained philosophical.
“It’s incredible that I’m able to see this. But I’m still malo. My feet hurt, my memory isn’t what it used to be, my sense of balance isn’t there. But there’s the Dodgers. But they need to win.”
Conrad went to the bedroom to grab his father’s walker.
“Do you want a Toronto shirt now?” he joked.
His dad stared silently. “No, that would give me another heart attack.”
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Famed BBC star died penniless after becoming ‘most famous comic’
She was one of the most successful comics of her time in Britain and was once dubbed the “funniest woman in the world”
Hylda Baker, a beloved BBC actress and comedian, sadly passed away penniless despite her decades of fame and a successful stint on the hit ITV sitcom Nearest and Dearest.
The talented Hylda first graced the stage at the tender age of 10 and was already producing her own shows by the time she turned 14.
She became a household name after appearing on the BBC show Good Old Days in 1955, which paved the way for her own television series, Be Soon, in 1957. This was followed by her own sitcom, The Best of Friends, in 1963.
Hylda stood out as one of the most successful female comics in Britain during an era dominated by male comedians. However, she is perhaps best remembered for her portrayal of Nellie Pledge in Nearest and Dearest from 1968 until 1973.
Despite her incredible fame, which included roles in films like Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and the musical Oliver!, Hylda tragically didn’t have a penny to her name when she passed away. Known for bringing joy to others through her performances, her personal life was unfortunately filled with hardship, reports the Daily Record.
Hylda married Ben Pearson in 1929, but their marriage fell apart after Hylda suffered two ectopic pregnancies. The couple legally separated four years later in 1933, according to the Express.
Tragedy struck again for the actress when she was hit by a passing car in 1961, leaving her injured. After suing the driver for damages, she was awarded just over £4,000 in 1965.
In 1971, six years later, her chauffeur nicked £2,500 of her money and legged it, only to be nabbed three months later with a mere £45 left of the stolen cash.
At the age of 67, Hylda began showing signs of cognitive decline.
She had to rely on cue cards to remember her lines for the later series of Nearest and Dearest, and her acting career came to a halt when she broke her leg after a fall on set and decided to take legal action against production company LWT following the injury.
Hylda was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and moved into Brinsworth House retirement home in 1981 when she was 76.
She died in 1986 at Horton Psychiatric Hospital in Surrey from bronchial pneumonia.
Despite all her fame and success, she tragically spent her final years penniless and “lonely and forgotten”, according to Pride of Manchester, with fewer than 10 people reported to have attended her funeral.
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Expert warns Brits risk hefty bills by hiding health details on travel insurance
A quarter of holidaymakers have travelled without insurance all together, according to new research
One in six British holidaymakers confess they haven’t been entirely truthful about their health when buying travel insurance. The study reveals that a quarter of travellers have jetted off without any cover whatsoever, whilst a fifth have embarked on trips knowing their policy wouldn’t fully protect them.
The research found that a quarter of holidaymakers believe it’s acceptable to conceal details about health conditions they don’t consider serious in order to secure cheaper premiums. Some felt under pressure to keep holiday expenses low, with a quarter thinking it was fine to omit health information because they only wanted basic protection for cancellations or lost luggage.
A Staysure spokesperson, who commissioned the study, remarked: “This survey paints a worrying picture.”
“When buying a travel insurance policy, you want to know you’ll be in safe hands if the worst should happen so be as honest and detailed as possible about your current health.”
Most travellers were oblivious to the fact that weight loss medications must be disclosed, along with HRT, a treatment used to manage menopause symptoms.
Moreover, a quarter of holidaymakers didn’t think it was necessary to mention high blood pressure or recent surgery, or that they have previously had a heart attack or severe organ condition.
“Many people don’t realise that their NHS medical records are checked when they make a medical claim to verify their policy against their current health,” the spokesperson added.
“Any undeclared medical conditions, or recent GP and hospital visits that are not covered on their policy could invalidate their cover – leaving them high and dry to foot a medical bill alone.”
Seven out of ten revealed their greatest worry was having their claim rejected and being stranded overseas with an unaffordable medical bill. For 14 per cent they know someone whose medical claim was refused because they failed to disclose a health condition beforehand.
The spokesperson continued: “Declaring all your medical conditions ensures you are financially protected if you need medical treatment abroad or repatriating home – last year the average cost of an air ambulance from Spain alone was £45,136.”
Among those surveyed, 81 per cent believed their travel insurance represented good value for money, with 26 per cent having previously submitted a claim.
“We urge people to tell their insurer if they’ve recently seen a medical professional as not all heath changes will increase the price of their policy but may just save them thousands of pounds in unexpected medical costs.”
TOP 10 CONDITIONS TRAVELLERS DIDN’T REALISE YOU HAVE TO DECLARE:
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Musician Ray Stevens recovering after heart attack
Singer Ray Stevens has shared his first update since being admitted to the hospital on July 4 for surgery.
According to his Instagram, the 86-year-old has been moved out of intensive care and is continuing to recover.
“Ray is out of ICU and beginning to walk the halls as therapy with a nurse’s assistance as he is working towards recovering from this surgery,” the post from Wednesday reads. “Ray is very grateful for all of the cards and get-well messages. Everything is Still Beautiful!!!!”
The last line is a reference to one of Stevens’ best-known songs, the Grammy Award-winning “Everything Is Beautiful.”
In a previous statement provided to People magazine, representatives of Stevens said he was recovering after a “minimally invasive heart surgery” on Monday. On July 4, he went to a Nashville hospital after experiencing chest pain.
Following a heart catheterization, Stevens was informed that he had suffered a minor heart attack. A subsequent surgery was carried out successfully.
Though the two-time Grammy winner’s upcoming performances at his CabaRay Showroom in Nashville have been canceled, fans are just happy to hear he is OK.
“This is the good news I was waiting for,” one Instagram user commented under the update. Another rejoiced, saying it was “great news in a world of such sadness and loss recently.”
Stevens has had a successful music career, cutting his first top 10 pop hit, “Ahab the Arab,” in 1962. The singer has recorded 45 albums, according to his website, won two Grammy Awards, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019.
Following the induction, Stevens was asked whether he would be retiring anytime soon.
“I feel fine; I’ll probably keel over after I hang up the phone,” he joked.
In 2024, he announced he would be hanging up his boots — only to change his mind a year later with the release of a new album, “Say Whut?”
“Although I said earlier that last year was going to be my final year at the CabaRay … I’m kind of going back on that because I want to promote this album,” he told NewsChannel 5 Nashville.
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Sacked Gregg Wallace’s ‘heart attack’ scare before ‘groping’ allegations released
MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace was reportedly rushed to hospital for a suspected heart attack, just days before the TV presenter faced fresh misconduct accusations from 50 people
23:09, 08 Jul 2025Updated 23:18, 08 Jul 2025
Shamed MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has been sacked after 50 more people complained about him – but he has vowed to fight back. The 60-year-old accused BBC News of “peddling gossip” after it claimed to have received dozens of new complaints about him, ranging from sexual comments to groping. Wallace accepts his humour was “inappropriate” on the show. And a source close to him admits a social media video in which he lashed out at “middle-class women of a certain age” was a sackable offence.
But he still believes himself to be a victim and called the new claims “baseless and sensationalised”. He insisted: “I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience.”
It comes just days after the TV presenter was reportedly rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack. The 60-year-old was treated at a hospital in Ashford, Kent, after two days of agonising chest pain. A friend told The Sun: “The stress of this betrayal brought on my suspected heart attack. It’s been hell.” It is reported that two days after leaving hospital, Wallace was told that his contract would be terminated.
MasterChef production company Banijay is expected to release the findings of a six-month review into his behaviour tomorrow or on Friday. The review, by law firm Lewis Silkin, was ordered after allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour on the set of the BBC cooking show were made against Wallace last year. His lawyers said then: “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”
A Banijay insider said many of the BBC’s latest allegations are likely to have already been examined during the review. One source who has read the 200-page report said Wallace’s worst mistake was his December 2024 video about the initial allegations, in which he said: “The complaints [are] from a handful of middle-class women of a certain age.” The source added that alone was a “dismissible offence”.
Yesterday, the presenter posted a five-page statement on social media. Wallace said: “I recognise my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate. For that, I apologise.
“I have now been cleared by the Silkin report of the most serious and sensational accusations. The most damaging claims, including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld, were found to be baseless after a full and forensic six-month investigation.”
The presenter said he had taken the decision to speak out ahead of the publication of the Silkin report because: “I cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged.”
Wallace claimed the new BBC News allegations included “legally unsafe accusations” which had been “found not credible by Silkin”.
He said allowing the stories to run ahead of the report was an attempt to derail the process. And in response to claims that the BBC had “fired” him, a spokesman said that this was impossible, because it was not his employer. Wallace, whose young son Sid has autism, argued that he should have been better looked after.
He added: “I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer. A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand.
“Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem. My neurodiversity, now formally diagnosed as autism, was suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons of MasterChef.
“Yet nothing was done to investigate my disability or protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment for over 20 years. That failure is now being quietly buried.”
He added: “I was tried by media and hung out to dry before the facts were established. The full story of this incredible injustice must be told.”
A source close to Wallace insisted he had been made the fall guy. They added: “This is about protecting a format, one of the most valuable formats that Banijay and the BBC has. And what they should be doing is having a clean start and not just chucking one bloke under the bus. Gregg has employed a lawyer and he’s going for blood. The report talks about him being odd – the guy has got autism and it was never addressed. It’s been a trial by social media and a big pile-on.
“All these things, when they’re looked at by a lawyer, are not true. Bullying Penny Lancaster? Not true. Vanessa Feltz? No evidence. It’s about him having a terrible sense of humour and telling rude jokes.”
The pal said that dad-of-three Wallace was “in a bad way”, warning: “This guy is fragile. When everything has been taken away like this, it’s quite overwhelming.”
One MasterChef insider said that no conversation over Wallace’s future employment had yet taken place. The latest allegations include two women who said Wallace exposed himself to them, a student who says he put his hand up her skirt in 2013 and another woman who claims he groped her the previous year.
It is not clear how many of the 50 allegations have been examined by the review lawyers, who looked only at allegations relating to MasterChef. The BBC said: “We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings published.”
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Where BBC Pebble Mill at One stars are now – sudden death, arrest and troubled pasts
BBC show Pebble Mill at One was an iconic magazine programme that ran throughout the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s – and here’s what happened to the original faces of the daytime series
08:20, 05 Jul 2025Updated 08:20, 05 Jul 2025
They were the familiar faces that lit up Britain’s afternoons – the hosts, producers and personalities behind Pebble Mill at One, the BBC’s beloved daytime magazine programme that ran from 1972 to 1986. Whether they were interviewing celebrities, dispensing gardening advice or covering human interest stories from the famous foyer of the Birmingham studio, the Pebble Mill team became a fixture of the nation’s lunchtime telly.
But what happened to the show’s stars when the cameras stopped rolling?
From telly legends who went on to headline primetime shows, to behind-the-scenes figures who subtly influenced British broadcasting, many continued to leave their mark across radio, film and theatre. Others quietly stepped out of the spotlight – while some faced scandals that shook their public persona.
Here, we reminisce about the highs, lows and unexpected twists in the lives of Pebble Mill’s most recognisable faces. From gardening guru Marian Foster and broadcasting legend Alan Titchmarsh to the late Donny MacLeod and troubled DJ Dave Lee Travis, here’s what unfolded for the faces who once dominated daytime TV.
Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis was best known as the host of The Golden Oldie Picture Show and a DJ on BBC Radio 1. However, his career was later marred by legal issues.
In 2014, he was found guilty of indecently assaulting a woman working on The Mrs Merton Show in 1995 and was handed a three-month suspended sentence.
Though acquitted of several other accusations, the conviction resulted in the presenter’s episodes of Top of the Pops being no longer repeated by the BBC. Travis expressed being “mortified” and “really disappointed” by the verdict.
Despite the scandal, the now 80-year-old made a comeback to broadcasting. Throughout the years, Travis has presented programmes on various UK radio stations, including periods at Classic Gold, BBC Three Counties Radio, and United DJs Radio.
In 2025, he hosts a Sunday morning programme on Heritage Chart Radio.
Currently residing in Buckinghamshire with his Swedish wife Marianne, whom he wed in 1971, Travis enjoys photography and vintage automobiles.
Jock Gallagher
Gallagher began his BBC career in 1966 as a news producer and swiftly climbed the ladder, ultimately leading the Pebble Mill at One.
His influence extended beyond the programme’s triumph to nurturing celebrated BBC radio productions including The Archers, alongside programmes such as From the Grassroots and Offshore Britons.
Following decades of broadcasting service, Gallagher stepped down from the BBC in 2014.
He died in May 2025 aged 87 at Worcester Hospital. Former colleagues and admirers paid tribute, with one remembering: “I remember having a conversation with Jock in the late 1980s when I was trying to become a researcher, and fancied working on Radio 4 series.”
Donny MacLeod
Donny was a beloved figure on television, known for his warmth, professionalism, and innovative approach, becoming a staple in homes as the leading presenter of his show and shaping daytime TV for countless viewers.
He was one of the original faces of Pebble Mill at One, hosting the show from its beginnings in 1972 until his sudden death in 1984.
His career was studded with standout moments, including major BBC specials like MacLeod’s Soviet Union and MacLeod’s America, and memorable interviews with prominent figures such as Edward Heath, Les Dawson, Terry Wogan, Dame Edna Everage, and Morecambe and Wise.
Touching tributes have continued to honour Donny’s legacy, with one colleague fondly remembering: “He was kind and ever prepared to lend this novice a helping hand… For 11 years Donny was Pebble Mill at One.”
Passing away at the young age of 52 from a heart attack, Donny is still deeply missed as a trailblazer in British daytime broadcasting.
David Attwood
Starting his career as an assistant floor manager, David Attwood climbed the ladder, contributing to series like Out of Town Boys (1978), Keep Smiling (1979), and the BAFTA-winning Boys from the Black Stuff (1982).
After completing the BBC Directors course in 1984, he quickly made a name for himself as a director.
Attwood’s portfolio includes directing All Together Now, Airbase, and the intense thriller Killing Time.
He later pursued a freelance career, directing critically acclaimed projects such as Wild West, Fidel, and Stuart: A Life Backwards, which starred Tom Hardy.
David sadly died on 21 March 2024 after battling illness.
Remembered by peers as a talented and considerate director, David left an indelible mark on British television drama over three decades.
Marian Foster
A multifaceted broadcaster, Marian Foster was celebrated for her engaging on-screen personality and a deep-rooted passion for horticulture, which became her signature.
She broke new ground as one of the original presenters on Top Gear and went on to host gardening segments for BBC Look North after her time at Pebble Mill.
Foster boasts an extensive career in radio, having presented shows on BBC Radio 2, Woman’s Hour on Radio 4, and currently hosts Garden Mania every Sunday on BBC Radio Newcastle and Radio Tees.
A familiar face at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, she has imparted her horticultural wisdom to audiences for more than three decades.
Her diverse work includes documenting the impact of Live Aid in Ethiopia and even sharing the stage with The Who for a rendition of Tommy.
In recent times, she has continued her role as a judge for Northumbria in Bloom, been featured by Radio Times, and remains an endearing presence in the North East.
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh rose to fame as the beloved presenter of Ground Force and later captivated viewers on ITV’s Love Your Garden, affirming his status as one of the nation’s favourite gardeners.
His natural charm extended beyond the garden, leading him to host various programmes including The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Popstar to Operastar, and Secrets of the National Trust.
In 2024, he made waves when North Korean TV censored his jeans, prompting Titchmarsh to quip that it gave him “a bit of street cred”.
The 76 year old father of two is a prolific author, having penned over 70 books, including best-selling novels, gardening guides, and memoirs.
He currently presents a Saturday afternoon programme on Classic FM and continues to write regularly for the press. Now in his mid-70s, he divides his time between his farmhouse in Hampshire and his residence on the Isle of Wight.
Titchmarsh was awarded an MBE in the 2000 New Year Honours for his contributions to horticulture and broadcasting, and was later promoted to CBE in the 2025 New Year Honours for his services to horticulture and charity.
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Dark side of The Wiggles with group dogged by rows, walk-outs and divorce
Celebrities and the world’s toddlers adore the long-running Aussie children’s TV entertainers, but now in it’s third reincarnation, the punishing schedule has taken its toll on the kiddie supergroup
Robert De Niro, Dolly Parton and Jessie J are fans, they’re worth millions and play sell-out concerts around the world. The Wiggles – aka The Beatles for toddlers – are a preschooler’s entertainment juggernaut that has taken over the world.
They’ve got a new country album out, Wiggle Up Giddy Up, featuring two songs with the rhinestone queen herself, Dolly Parton. And tickets to their current world tour are hotter than an Oasis reunion gig.
They have previously sold out Madison Square Garden in New York for 12 days in a row and, ahead of this week’s show in the US, Hollywood legend De Niro, 81, was granted a backstage pass with his two-year-old daughter, Gia, to meet her idol – founder member, Anthony Field (Blue Wiggle).
Like most people over the age of five, De Niro didn’t have a clue about this global phenomenon until he had Gia with professional martial artist girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 45.
The Wiggles sang their classic banger Rock-A-Bye Your Bear for the veteran actor’s family, which drew a rare smile. And De Niro admitted: “I didn’t know of them until I started seeing them and my daughter loves to watch them… but they’re great!”
With the advent of YouTube and the arrival of their shows on Netflix, a new British audience is embracing The Wiggles.
When they came to the UK recently, Jessie J met them with her son Sky and was treated to some of the Tree of Wisdom’s viral TikTok dance moves.
They’re also part of a wave of Australian children’s TV, like Bluey, that is captivating British kids, giving them Aussie accents and pushing CBeebies off the map.
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Borkowski PR’s Gregor Cubie expects his 19-month-old to join the fan club soon, and wonders if ‘Aussie-ness’ is the magic ingredient wooing international audiences.
“In the same way that Bluey is almost universally popular and accessible, The Wiggles’ sheer Aussie-ness might work in their favour when it comes to their reputation,” he says.
But, scratch the surface, according to Gregor, and you’ll find a long-running supergroup, dogged by controversy, ill health and accusations of “going woke”.
One of Australia’s most successful exports, The Wiggles take it in turns with pop sensation Kylie Minogue and Hollywood actor Russell Crowe to top the Aussie rich list.
Majority owner Anthony is estimated to be worth £25m, on top of the £10 million a year the band rakes in from tours, TV shows, new releases, merchandise and sponsorships.
They have their own TV series Ready, Steady, Wiggle, have produced 62 studio albums, sold 40 million books, CDs and DVDS, and attracted more than 5 billion views on YouTube and 3 billion streams across various music services.
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They’ve been making ear-worm sing-a-long pop since 1991, when kindergarten teaching students Anthony and Jeff Fatt, who were members of the R&B pop band the Cockroaches, and got together with two fellow students – Murray Cook and Greg Page – in Sydney, to make an album of simple, catchy songs for pre-schoolers
After Anthony’s infant niece tragically died from sudden infant death syndrome, the Cockroaches disbanded.
One of the songs Anthony wrote, Get Ready to Wiggle, inspired the new band’s name because they thought “wiggling” describes how children dance.
“We met at university doing a course in early childhood – this connection with music and teaching is what became The Wiggles,” explains Anthony.
While The Wiggles has evolved since those early days, the four original members hold a special place in people’s hearts – Anthony and Jeff Fatt (Purple Wiggle), Murray Cook (Red Wiggle) and Greg Page (Yellow Wiggle). And their hits like Hot Potato and Fruit Salad, were toddler dance floor fillers for the next two decades.
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While members have changed, the primary colours of red, yellow, blue and purple that they wear is no doubt the secret of the Wiggles’ success with the ankle biters.
In Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles 2023 documentary, Anthony says: “It doesn’t matter who wears the skivvies, as long as we reflect our audience and communicate with children.”
Like any band, they had to break America to go truly global – and when the Disney Channel played them four times a day to their 85 million subscribers, their success was meteoric. All of a sudden, they were playing 10,000 seater arenas.
PR, Gregor puts their success down to a “combination of their prolific output with its ceaseless ability to hypnotise toddlers”.
He adds: “Also, a less extreme version of the Royal Family’s ‘never complain, never explain’ approach. Instead of saying nothing, they say the bare minimum and carry on as if nothing happened.
“You rarely see naval-gazing and the consistency and popularity of their work keeps generations of kids coming back for more.”
While there aren’t many skeletons to rattle in The Wiggle cupboards, behind their happy faces and signature finger point, members have been dogged by setbacks.
Controversies include the Hot Potato incident two years ago, when a council in Western Australia played their famous song on loop to deter anti-social behaviour at a homeless shelter.
The Wiggles complained, saying their music should only be used to “spread joy and happiness” but the damage was done.
But the fact De Niro was happy to be pictured with The Wiggles is a massive endorsement.
“Robert De Niro seems increasingly like the kind of guy who considers how his every public appearance and utterance might affect his legacy, so it’s a pretty major stamp of approval that he’s happy to be publicly associated with the Wiggles. Fundamentally they are free of reputation risk,” says Gregor.
“The irony is that the Wiggles have had a few controversies which are fairly stereotypical of long-running bands – walkouts, inter-band marriages and divorces; allegations that a song is racially insensitive, accusations of going ‘woke.’ They’ve been ruthlessly parodied on 30 Rock and, of course, the Hot Potato incident was unpleasant.”
For members of The Wiggles, the squeaky clean expectations can be tricky.
“During my time in The Wiggles, I was out at a gig one night and I was having a drink, and the next day a newspaper reported: ‘The Wiggles member caught having a beer’, and that was a shock. I am an adult!” says Murray.
And doing 400 to 500 shows a year – cramming up to three gigs into a single day – took its toll on the original members, with Jeff, Murray and Greg retiring for health reasons in 2012.
A mystery illness forced Greg to leave in 2006. He was replaced by Sam Morans, but came back in 2012. Then he suffered a heart attack on stage during a 2020 reunion show. That same year, Murray had open heart surgery.
Revealing his own struggles, Anthony released a memoir Out Of The Blue last year, detailing the years of mental and physical health problems he’s suffered, including depression, undiagnosed ADHD and chronic pain.
Yet Field created a second generation of Wiggles with Simon Pryce (Red Wiggle), Lachlan Gillespie (Purple Wiggle) and the first female, Emma Watkins (Yellow Wiggle).
“We might be responsible for their first experience of music,” says Emma, speaking about their responsibility to their tiny fans
Sadly, trouble soon upended their paradise, as shortly after Yellow Wiggle Emma married Purple Wiggle Lachie, they divorced and she left the group not long after.
Another shake-up in 2021 saw 15-year-old Tsehay Hawkins becoming Yellow Wiggle.
Now 62, Anthony is the only remaining original Wiggle, in a group of eight performers – Tsehay, Lachlan, and Simon, as well as Caterina Mete, Lucia Field, Simon Pryce, Evie Ferris, John Pearce – who are as gender-diverse and racially-diverse as their millions of fans.
Costumed characters, played by the more junior Wiggles, include Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog, and Captain Feathersword.
While some of the newer members say their estimated £72,000 earnings are a fraction of the big bucks of the original members, they have given the group a bigger presence on social media, where the Tree of Wisdom (played by Anthony’s nephew, Dominic Field) regularly goes viral on TikTok, with his exuberant dance moves.
And, in recent years, they’ve been noticing something new – a generational crossover, as kids grow up, but remain fans.
Dorothy the Dinosaur is also now a DJ, who remixes the original Wiggles classics for the older audience. And they’ve been getting down with the cool kids – covering songs by Fatboy Slim, White Stripes and Tame Impala’s Elephant.
“We’re bringing back happy memories,” says Anthony. “And it’s a real privilege to do that.”
Altogether now, kids, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle!
Classic kids TV groups down the years:
The Monkees, 1960s – Four cute surfer boys Davy Jones, Mickey Donlenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith running around in zany plots to brilliant pop tracks, in a sitcom that captured the spirit of the era.
The Banana Splits, 1970s – Four costumed animal characters who’d perform songs and comedy skits in a psychedelic world, was just as weird and fun as it sounds. The makers had clearly been on the wacky baccy.
Rainbow, 1980s – Presenter Geoffrey and his camp puppets Zippy, George and Bungle and hippy singers Rod, Jane and Freddy took us “Up above the streets and houses, Rainbow climbing high” every week. I still miss them.
Teletubbies, 1990s – Some called it the most disturbing children’s show on TV – but even now millions of babies are glued to repeats of these four tubby aliens, Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-laa, and Po, with coat hangers on their heads living on a mini golf course.
Zingzillas, 2000s – Puppet monkey band Zak, Tang, Panzee and Drum lived on a tropical island and made real music together and introduced tots to rock, soul, jazz and samba styles – along with some dodgy titles like Do You Didgeridoo?
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Amy Childs’ concerned pals work out real reason she’s called off wedding
TOWIE star Amy Childs’ friends are worried about her relationship after she postponed her wedding to fiancé Billy Delbosq for the second time
08:40, 06 Jun 2025Updated 08:40, 06 Jun 2025
Amy Childs has left friends and fans worried after calling off her wedding to fiancé Billy Delbosq for the second time, sparking rumours of relationship troubles among those who are close to her. The former beautician, who shot to fame on The Only Way Is Essex nearly 15 years ago, became a household name thanks to her larger-than-life personality — and introducing the public to the concept of ‘vajazzling’.
After a romantic past full of ups and downs, Amy, 34, seemed to have finally found lasting love with Billy, a fellow reality star who once appeared on Channel 4 ’s First Dates. The couple got engaged in 2023 after welcoming twins Billy River and Amelia Mae.
But last month she postponed their wedding again, after already delaying it last year over doubts about whether Billy was truly ready to tie the knot.
This latest cancellation has caused speculation that not all is well in their relationship. Friends close to the couple have voiced their fears, with one source telling the Daily Mail : “Billy has always been a player. He’s one of the biggest players in Essex…now there are fears that all is not well, that something could have happened between them.”
Fuel was added to the fire when Amy was spotted in Brentwood looking visibly thinner and not wearing her engagement ring. However, another source close to the couple insisted the pair are still going strong, and suggested she only removed the ring to work out.
In the paparazzi snaps that sparked concern, she was indeed dressed in gym gear. However, Amy and Billy were also seen at Stansted Airport on Thursday while en route to Spain for TOWIE filming, looking “preoccupied and unsmiling”. One pal admitted: “They usually seem so happy together. This time they looked really down in the dumps, neither particularly looked like they wanted to be there.”
Behind the scenes, Amy has been privately coping with a family crisis. She recently told The Mirror that her mum Julie, who has also made appearances on TOWIE, suffered from a heart attack in April and had to be rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
She added: “It has been intensely stressful. None of us was expecting Mum to have a heart attack – it turned our world upside down.
“It was so frightening. She had a stent put in and was in hospital for six days. She’s now home but she’s being monitored daily and is on a lot of medication. It’s so tough for her – she sometimes struggles to walk upstairs.”
Amy and Billy made the difficult decision to postpone their September wedding at Cliveden House in Berkshire. The TOWIE star explained: “It’s upsetting, but I know we’ve made the right decision. Right now, we’re focused on looking after Mum.”
In response to the online abuse over her weight loss, Amy hit back, saying: “People don’t know what is going on behind closed doors…To be honest I do feel better when I’m a bit heavier than I am at the moment. There’s so much going on – it’s the result of pure stress.”
Despite facing these heart breaking family challenges, Amy is still hopeful that her and Billy will be able to get married abroad next year, and have planned for their kids to play a special role in the wedding. She concluded: “We just want it to be amazing, not rushed.”
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