heartbreak

Reality star Savannah Chrisley on Tuesday announced her pregnancy and engagement to her mystery fiancé, finally revealing that his name is Jason after months of secrecy.

“The past few years have taken me through fires I never imagined I’d have to walk through,” the “Chrisley Knows Best” star captioned an Instagram post with a video announcing the news. “Right in the middle of the heartbreak. Before all the pieces were put back together. And somehow, he began healing parts of me he never broke.

“And just when I thought my heart couldn’t hold any more love,” Chrisley continued, “God gave us our sweetest blessing yet… we’re having a BABY!”

The news comes after years of fighting on behalf of her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were jailed in 2023 for tax evasion and bank fraud. Savannah’s efforts paid off when President Trump issued pardons for them in 2025, despite their conviction for conspiring to defraud Atlanta-area banks of more than $30 million in loans by submitting false documents.

“I’m finally in my happy era. And it’s taken a lot for me to get here,” Savannah said in her podcast “Unlocked.”

“I have really struggled [with] like, ‘When’s it going to happen for me?’” she continued. “I see so many people getting married and having kids and living this picturesque lifestyle and white picket fence and all of these things. And for so long I thought like, ‘It’s just not going to happen…Mom and Dad aren’t going to be here for these moments and those moments, and maybe I’m just not going to find the right person.”

In the episode, she describes her courtship with Jason and his proposal during their visit to the Cayman Islands.

“In all the silence that I’ve been giving, I’ve been living a lot of life, and I’ve been enjoying it for myself,” she said, acknowledging there is a “huge” age gap. “That’s probably part of the reason I kept a lot of it quiet, because I know how brutal the public can be.

“It’s just such an amazing, fulfilling feeling to finally find your person, and I’m there,” she continued. “So, yes, the age difference. So what? I don’t care. Let me tell you, he does not look his age, nor does he act his age. His body is great. His mind is even sharper. So, I really don’t care. OK? This person is the love of my life, and it made all the heartbreak that I’ve gone through worth it.”

‘A major failure’

A round-faced man with dark-rimmed glasses, a moustache and short-trimmed hair, Ismael came to the US when he was only five years old.

Southern California became his home, and as an adult, he qualified for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, which offered temporary protection against deportation.

He lost his DACA status, however, in 2015 after a conviction for driving under the influence.

His family remembers him as a caring son and uncle, always willing to buy his niece and nephew new clothes or school supplies.

“Ismael was always looking after his siblings. He just had a big heart,” said his brother, Jose Miguel Ayala. “He was very protective of not just us, but my mum and dad too.”

He was 39 years old when he was brought to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center.

Two weeks after his arrival, Ismael told his family that he developed a high fever and a painful sore on his backside.

On September 18, 2025, workers at Adelanto initiated a Code Blue alert for Ismael, signalling a life-threatening medical emergency. Medical staff rushed him from his dorm to the infirmary in a wheelchair.

ICE documents show that Ismael was given pain medication, an ointment and a fibre supplement.

But according to Physicians for Human Rights’ Cuneo, who reviewed the case, Ismael should have received a physical examination and antibiotics.

“That is a major failure,” Cuneo said.

That weekend, hours after Lucia’s visit, Ismael’s condition worsened. Just after midnight on Sunday, ICE records say he was vomiting, shaking and sweating.

According to ICE documents, he was later sent to an intensive care unit, where he went into cardiac arrest within minutes of his arrival and subsequently died.

“I believe Ismael’s death could have fully been prevented by timely care,” Cuneo said. “It was a simple abscess that was not treated in a timely manner.”

Fault Lines obtained a coroner’s investigation that reveals Ismael was critically ill when he first arrived at the hospital, a fact that was left out of ICE’s public report on his death.

The coroner’s report also contradicts ICE’s timeline for Ismael’s death. It indicates Ismael went into cardiac arrest early on September 21, nearly a full day before he passed away. Medical staff, however, managed to restore his heartbeat after intubating him.

That conflicts with ICE’s report, which only notes his pulse stopping once: shortly before his death was announced on the morning of September 22. ICE described his condition on September 21 as “calm and cooperative”, but it signalled no heart problems.

“If they had given him the medical care and what he needed, maybe he would be here with us,” Lucia said.

In a statement about Ismael’s death, ICE said detainees receive “comprehensive medical care” throughout their time in custody.

But California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta told Fault Lines that his office found “the exact opposite” during its inspections of the state’s detention centres.

“We’ve gone to these facilities. We’ve gone into Adelanto. We have done our own physical inspections,” Bonta explained.

“If what the ICE spokesperson said was true, Mr Ayala-Uribe would be with us today.”

An internal mortality review committee also found that the care provided to Ismael at Adelanto “deviated beyond safe limits of practice”, according to a document obtained by US media earlier this year.

It also suggests that medical staff delayed responding to calls about Ismael’s declining health in the days leading up to his death.

STRICTLY star Aston Merrygold has shared an emotional tribute following the death of his beloved mother-in-law Carole.

The JLS singer, 38, thanked wife Sarah’s mum for welcoming him into her family and being a devoted grandmother to their three children.

Sharing his heartbreak on Instagram, Aston wrote: “I still can’t believe this but thank you.”

He remembered meeting Carole for the first time, thanking her “for accepting me into your family with open arms and an amazing smile”.

Aston also praised her “for being the most loving thoughtful and HAPPY nanny to Grayson Macaulay & Riley”.

In the moving post, the singer recalled Carole telling him how much she wanted him to marry her daughter.

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He wrote: “You telling me at Sarah’s 30th after a few Tia Marias you can’t wait for me to marry your daughter (I did sh*t myself abit)”.

Aston also remembered her helping him organise a move with now wife, dancer Sarah Lou, and giving him her blessing ahead of their marriage.

Among his most treasured memories was a cuddle with Carole shortly before eldest son Grayson was born.

The sweet post also paid tribute to the bond she shared with her grandchildren, saying: “We all absolutely adore you and we always will”.

The heartbroken star said journeys to see the family would now feel different without her.

“It wont ever be the same going over that bridge but every time i do i’ll be looking out for the little rainbow and also give a wave to Nanny’s house,” he wrote.

He ended his tribute: “Until we get to have Nanny’s biscuits and a tea again..

“The mother of my bride, Our super Nanny, we love you and will always miss you.. Thank you Razzle”.

Family has long been at the heart of Aston’s life, with the singer sharing sons Grayson, eight, and Macaulay, six, and daughter Riley, two, with Sarah Lou.

And eldest son Grayson is already showing signs of following in his famous dad’s footsteps.

In August, the tween joined Aston on stage at Colchester Castle Park to sing Jessie J’s Price Tag.

The proud singer danced alongside his son before lifting him onto his shoulders, later commenting on a clip: “My star boy.”

Aston previously described his sons as “mini showmen”, revealing they had picked up their love of performing from watching their parents sing and dance at home.

Speaking to PA, he previously said: “We haven’t pushed them in any way to do it.”