heartbreaking

BBC Breakfast announced the death of acclaimed playwright Tom Stoppard at age 88, sharing tributes from King Charles and Queen Camilla

BBC Breakfast was paused as today’s presenter delivered devastating news of a death just minutes into the programme.

During Sunday’s (November 30) episode of the beloved breakfast show, hosts Rachel Burden and Ben Boulos were back on our screens delivering the day’s top headlines from Britain and around the world.

But mere moments into the broadcast, Rachel broke the news of Tom Stoppard‘s passing as she disclosed that the Royal Family were amongst the first to honour his memory.

The cherished playwright, who scooped an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Shakespeare In Love, was 88-years-old when he passed away.

Addressing audiences at home, Rachel announced: “The King and Queen have led tributes to the playwright Tom Stoppard, who has died at the age 88.”, reports the Express.

“They have described him as a ‘dear friend who wore his genius lightly’. Among the awards was an Oscar for the screenplay for the film Shakespeare in Love.”

The programme then switched to a dedicated tribute segment for the legend as entertainment correspondent Guy Lambert reflected on Tom’s extraordinary career.

Returning to the studio, Rachel noted: “Tributes have been pouring in to celebrate the life of Sir Tom Stoppard.”

Just before sharing the King and Queen’s complete statement, the television host remarked: “King Charles and Queen Camilla called him a dear friend.”

United Agents released a statement at the time, expressing: “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved client and friend, Tom Stoppard, has died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family.

“He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language. It was an honour to work with Tom and to know him.”

King Charles paid tribute, stating: “My wife and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our greatest writers, Sir Tom Stoppard. A dear friend who wore his genius lightly, he could, and did, turn his pen to any subject, challenging, moving and inspiring his audiences, borne from his own personal history.

“We send our most heartfelt sympathy to his beloved family. Let us all take comfort in his immortal line: ‘Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else’.”

Sir Tom’s illustrious career in entertainment spanned over six decades, during which he bagged numerous Tony and Olivier awards, as well as the Golden Globe and Academy Award alongside Marc Norman for their 1998 screenplay Shakespeare In Love – featuring fellow Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow.

BBC Breakfast is broadcast daily from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.

Comedian Bob Mortimer shared a “sad” update on the Gone Fishing favourite’s health.

Bob Mortimer has shared a “sad” update on his beloved Gone Fishing co-star, their dog Ted. The comedian has fronted the beloved BBC programme with Paul Whitehouse since 2018.

Over that period, with the eighth series currently airing, Ted has frequently joined them, but during an appearance on Saturday Kitchen today, (29 November), Bob shared a concerning update.

When host Matt Tebbutt asked how Ted was doing, Bob jokingly put on a voice, imitating: “I’m alright mate.”

He then added: “No, he’s knocking on a bit.”

Bob revealed Ted was 15 years old, saying: “He still loves coming out with us, and he seems very happy.”

“I was quite sad when I saw him being wheeled around,” Matt replied.

Bob continued: “He doesn’t have to be wheeled around all the time, but for longer journeys, up the river bank, we put him in a pram now.”

Teasing the final episode of Gone Fishing, Bob went on to say “it’s a beauty,” adding: “It’s odd that people like it so much, but I kind of get it.

“We make the UK look really pretty – it’s nice to be reminded occasionally.”

This comes after Bob addressed his own health, revealing he’s ignored doctor’s orders to cut back on cheese after suffering a health scare.

The 66-year-old admitted he would rather “have three years less” than change his diet after having a triple heart bypass surgery.

Bob underwent the operation in 2015 after thinking he was suffering from a chest infection, and he later discovered 95% of his arteries were blocked.

He had been warned by his doctor that he would have had a heart attack on stage, and was forced to cancel tour dates with comedy partner Vic Reeves.

Despite the scare, he’s willing to take risks when it comes to giving up one of his favourite foods, telling The Daily Mail: “The dietitian said, ‘You can have a matchbox-size [piece] every week’.

“That broke my heart. There are probably those who do stick to it, but I’m probably in the school of thought that I’d rather have three years less.”

Last year, Bob opened up about his health struggles after facing shingles, and having to use a wheelchair while filming Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

He revealed he “wasn’t very well” and had to be “looked after” by co-star Paul after he was left unable to walk due to a six-month battle with the condition.

He said: “I wasn’t very well and it made it a bit of a struggle but, as always, Paul looked after me and pulled me through.”

The Last One Laughing star went on to say that he was getting better, while trying to “grow muscle back”.

He previously shared: “I got a bit unlucky with it, I lost the use of one of my legs but it’s coming back now, I’m a bit limpy but I’m very grateful to be back up and going.”

Saturday Kitchen airs at 10am on BBC One and iPlayer.

DAME Esther Rantzen has shared a heartbreaking health update after stopping treatment for lung cancer.

The veteran TV star, 85, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in January 2023 and had been undergoing experimental medication, though is no longer receiving any treatment.

She had previously joined a Swiss assisted dying clinic, Dignitas, in late 2023, stating her desire for a peaceful death if her treatment failed.

She has now revealed in a heartbreaking health update that she is celebrating Christmas early this year in case she doesn’t make the actual day.

Speaking to The Times, she said: “This year I am planning an ‘official’ Christmas with my children and five grandchildren, slightly ahead of the real Christmas so that there will be more chance that I am actually alive to enjoy it with them.

“Although I live alone, Rebecca (her daughter) will come and decorate the house beautifully, as she has done every year with all my old baubles and bits of tinsel.”

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In the candid interview, Dame Esther said: “When I was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2023, I did not expect to last until the next Christmas, so the fact that I am still here and looking forward to this one is a wonderful surprise.”

She then revealed how she is no longer receiving treatment, and her cancers are progressing.

“Right now I am not receiving any treatment, which was my doctor’s decision, as the side-effects outweigh the benefits,” she explained.

“So the cancers are progressing but, according to my most recent scan, very slowly.

“Incidentally, I have also discovered a mental health issue I never expected, scanxiety,” she added.

Dame Esther went on to explain: “Since I have no idea what is actually happening inside my own body, but every scan, every three or four months, carries with it the possibility of bad news, as the date approaches my anxiety levels rise — and we cancer patients have christened it scanxiety.”

She also revealed her “great hope” for the coming year, and what she would really want to happen.

“My great hope for 2026, which I do not expect to survive long enough to witness, is the final passing of the Assisted Dying Bill through all its stages in parliament,” she said.

Dame Esther is a big supporter of the Assisted Dying Bill, which narrowly passed through Parliament back in June.

At the time of the Bill passing through the House of Commons in June 2025, Dame Esther said the terminally ill are “truly voiceless” and face an “agonising death” – adding: “This is a crucial debate for the truly voiceless.”

She went on to say: “They are the terminally ill adults for whom life has become unbearable and who need assistance, not to shorten their lives but to shorten an agonising death – and their loved ones who under the current law will be accused of committing a crime if they try to assist or even stay alongside to say goodbye.”

Dame Esther also spoke about how she is in the midst of planning her memorial service, in her most recent interview this weekend.

She said how it is “quite fun to put together” as she is ruthless about asking favours from friends.

“Fortunately I have friends who are wonderful readers, Tom Conti, for instance, and Imelda Staunton and Judi Dench.

“It’s going to be quite an event!

“Pity I can’t be there myself,” she added.

Dame Esther previously questioned whether her stage four lung cancer might have been caused by exposure to asbestos at the BBC’s Lime Grove Studios in West London, where she filmed That’s Life! for 21 years.

Speaking to The Times in 2023, Dame Esther said: “Some time in the late-Eighties or early-Nineties, workmen wearing white spacesuits arrived to take down walls and ceilings along the corridors where I wrote our scripts to remove the asbestos.

“This did not surprise any of us since my team had called our route to the canteen ‘asbestos alley’.”

KELLY Osbourne has shared a heartbreaking clip of dad Ozzy as he missed out on festive family tradition. 

Ozzy sadly passed away aged 76 on July 22, with the cause of death later revealed to be a cardiac arrest.  

And Kelly, 41, revealed The Osbourne’s festive tradition of putting up the Christmas tree together was missing the unmistakable presence of Ozzy this year.

The mum took to Instagram to share a sweet video of her late father detangling Christmas lights. 

The scene shows the musician comically swearing as he struggles to undo a string of lights for the Christmas tree. 

Ozzy eventually shouts up to his beloved wife Sharon, 73, for help as he walks away.

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Kelly reposted the video from another online user adding an emotional caption over the top.

She penned: “We are meant to be putting up the Christmas tree today! It won’t be the same (crying emoji)”

The mom-of-one will be heartbroken to be spending her first Christmas without her father alongside the rest of the Osbourne clan.

Kelly has been supporting her mother through their loss, previously revealing she slept in her parents’ bed for two months after Ozzy passed away.

In a special episode of their family podcast titled Remembering Ozzy, Sharon confessed she “hates” going to bed at night.

Kelly said: “I mean, I slept with you for the first two months so that you weren’t on your own.

“But then I felt like you needed some space.”

Kelly and Sharon will also be missing son and brother Jack, 40, over the beginning of the Christmas period as he is currently taking part in I’m A Celebrity.

Jack recently left fans concerned as he ended up in tears while discussing Ozzy.

During a discussion with Eddie Kadi, Jack was asked what he missed most about Ozzy.

As he attempted to answer the question, Jack became overcome with emotion as he tried to compose himself.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it out like that,” Eddie expressed as Jack said: “No it’s fine.”

“I haven’t experienced what you’ve experienced,” he told the grief-stricken star before asking him: “What do you miss most about your pops?”

Again, Jack was unable to answer the question as he held his face into his hands and sobbed.

He finally expressed: “Just his energy. He had this force, so hard to describe. But he had this energy.”

One celebrity will be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing this weekend

One Strictly Come Dancing star could end up missing out on the semi-final as they’re dealt a devastating blow.

This weekend, another celebrity will be booted from the competition, and it’s not looking promising for one celebrity couple.

Whilst Balvinder Sopal is the bookmakers’ favourite to depart the competition this weekend, it appears it’s also grim news for Alex Kingston and Amber Davies, as they could also miss out on claiming the Glitterball Trophy.

According to exclusive odds provided by Betway, Balvinder has odds of 250/1 of departing this weekend, whilst Alex Kingston has 33/1, and Amber has odds of 20/1 of leaving before the semi-final, which takes place in two weeks’ time.

Nevertheless, the top three frontrunners predicted to reach the final are George Clarke, Karen Carney and Lewis Cope, reports Wales Online.

Last weekend, presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced that no elimination would take place after La Voix was forced to withdraw from the competition.

It was a shocking moment for the remaining celebrities, but it meant none of them were at risk of being axed from the show.

La Voix and her dance partner, Aljaz Skorjanec, appeared on Saturday’s show to discuss their decision to withdraw.

La Voix broke down as she said, “I came into the show as a minority, as a redhead, and you’ve all embraced me wonderfully.

“I cannot thank you enough… this is not how I wanted my journey to end,’ before joking: “At least it gives someone else in this competition a chance to win.”

Aljaz added, “I’ve been lucky this year. I’ve made two friends for life. On Saturdays/ Sundays, we all laugh with La Voix, and from Monday to Friday, I had the best time with Chris.

“I haven’t done a single crunch in the past six months, but I’ve got my six pack back, it’s amazing.

“Like Motsi said, ‘We all need it. The world needs more of you. Strictly needed it, you made my life a joy.. You are so beautiful in what you do.”

Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday on BBC One.

OVER the last 12 months, Kate Brazier has found her life completely turned upside down as a family feud, abusive behaviour, and rows over being a stay-at-home-wife rocked her marriage.

The PR guru, 35, – who took on the role as stepmum to Jeff’s grieving two sons – clung onto her marriage to Jeff Brazier for as long as she could, before finally calling it quits for good a few weeks ago. Here, insiders tell us what finally broke Kate, and reveal the heartbreaking battle she was fighting behind the scenes.

Our insider revealed: “The last year has been incredibly hard on all the family and unfortunately Kate is the one who has really suffered in it all.”

Last night The Sun told how Kate and Jeff, 46, who were together for twelve years, are now living apart after “a year of hell” involving issues with Freddy Brazier, 21 — Jeff’s youngest son from his relationship with tragic Big Brother star Jade Goody.

Amongst those issues was an escalating rift with stepmum Kate. In a cruel post, Freddy listed things he “hates” which included: “Step parents”, which was said to be “like a dagger in the heart” for Kate. 

The insider explained: “It’s no secret that Freddy has been struggling and has a number of issues, which has meant everything else has taken a back seat. 

Kate knows she’ll always come second to the boys.

Insider

“Freddy has been quite vocal about not liking Kate and is said to have been verbally abusive towards her at times. 

“Kate really thinks Jeff could have stuck up for her more in it all but instead she felt pushed out.

“People seem to forget that Kate has been a mother figure to both the boys since they were very young and has really given her all to support them and Jeff.”

Kate was just 24 when she first met the boys, it was five years after their mum had died and she admits she became a part of their life “without a clue what I was doing or how to help”.

From the outside Jeff appeared to have it all under control – Bobby his oldest lad, 22, was on EastEnders and Strictly, he was living the dream hosting on This Morning and Freddy was finding his feet in the world.

But behind the occasional picture perfect instagram posts, the truth was far darker and Freddy was battling his inner demons.

What followed was a devastating and very public family fall out, which saw Jeff launch legal action to block Freddy from seeing his gran, Jade’s mum Jackiey Budden, 68,

He accused Jackiey of being a bad influence on Freddy amid fears for his welfare.

In another bombshell, Freddy announced he was to become a dad for the first time with influencer girlfriend Holly Swinburn.

Jeff immediately stepped up and made it clear that he would do what he could to make sure the baby was safe and happy – which appears to have come at the detriment to other things in his life. 

The insider continued: “Things reached breaking point when Freddy revealed he was having a baby.

“Jeff is incredibly involved and Kate just knows it’s going to be a chaotic nightmare. Jeff is desperate to make the situation OK for his son.

“But it’s meant the issues he had with Kate have been massively amplified by the pregnancy and its caused a lot of stress.

“Kate knows she’ll always come second to the boys – and that’s fine. She gets it. But it’s all become way too much.”

In a new twist, Freddy has since split from Holly after a row over their dog, throwing decisions about the baby into chaos.

‘A RETREAT FOR EXTENDED FAMILY’

Over the weekend Jeff hinted his marriage was over in online posts and made it very clear where his priorities lay – with his soon to be extended family.

Revealing he had bought a new home, he wrote in a thinly-veiled dig: “After three years in the commuter belt to make things easy for everyone else, it was when I ultimately became a storage facility that I realised it was time to suit myself and open fields make me happy.”

He went on: “I wanted to be in a home that felt like a calm retreat for my soon-extended family.

“I realised some time ago that success equals peace and I’ve found the perfect environment for what feels like a transitional time in all our lives.”

But it seems Kate feels like the right decision has been made, she is back living in her apartment in Hackney and jetted to Vegas for the weekend for the US Grand Prix.

In her selfie from the trip, Kate wrote: “Possibly one of the best days of my life.”

Her words will no doubt be a crushing blow to Jeff, who is said to have been desperate to make things work after everything they have been through.

But yesterday he was not wearing his wedding ring as he reported for ITV’s Good Morning Britain from Reykjavik in Iceland.

A MOTHER FIGURE IN THEIR DARKEST TIMES

The couple first got together in 2013 before tying the knot in 2018, where the boys played a big part. 

The wedding was a huge milestone for Bobby and Kate because it was the first time he told he loved her.

She recalled:  “Fred says it to me every day, but Bobby is more reserved, so for me that was truly amazing and shows how far we have come.”

Bobby joked in his speech about how he struggled with their relationship initially, saying: “This is a bit awkward, but to cut a long story short, I didn’t really rate you to begin with,”

“But now I’m so glad I can genuinely tell you I love you. You being around has made things a lot easier for us boys, and we appreciate you a lot.”

Fast forward to this year though and there has been a huge shift in relationships.

Freddy, who lost mum Jade, then 27, to cervical cancer in 2009, when he was just four, heartbreakingly told his followers: “I don’t know how to love because I’ve never been loved.”

But Jeff and Kate briefly split at the end of 2022, partly due to clashes over their lifestyles — Jeff is a homebird while Kate enjoys socialising.

Back then Kate told pals she did not want to be a “stay-at-home wife”. But the couple agreed to give their marriage another go after Jeff revealed he was the loneliest he had ever been.

And things certainly looked rosy for some time – but as Freddy’s personal crisis escalated, Bobby also made a surprising decision to quit EastEnders and the spiritual lad moved to India to join a Hare Krishna commune

He said Freddy “needs to grow up” after images emerged of his younger brother and his nan Jackiey smoking a suspicious-looking cigarette next to the Thames in London.

Jeff reluctantly backed down from his legal action in August, and while he started communicating with Freddy again sources said his relationship with him remains strained.

And it seems despite his best efforts, drama continues to follow Freddy and whether he will be back with the mother of his child by the time they are born remains to be seen. Kate for one isn’t prepared to wait around to find out. 

Jeff and Kate have been contacted for comment.

Balvinder is a lifelong fan of Strictly who has wanted to take part for 20 years – let’s help her to enjoy Blackpool this weekend

Spare a thought for Balvinder Sopal. When she said last night that she just didn’t want to do the Strictly dance off, you’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel sorry for her, after she failed to get enough votes for the FOURTH time.

She’s now equalled 2015 contestant Jamelia for the all-time record she never wanted to hold – of having to fight for survival more than anyone else in the show’s history. One more, and she will take the title.

But surely, in Blackpool, the voting public needs to give the EastEnders star the support she deserves and let her just sail through to the following week without needing to perform twice? After all, in the jungle Ant and Dec have brought in new rules to stop the same people doing the Bushtucker Trials over and over again, so it seems only fair that Bal is also given a break.

READ MORE: Two Strictly 2025 stars plot new TV show together after forging close bond

The first time she was in the dance-off, against Ross King in week two, you could see it had massively knocked her confidence the following week. Since then she has also competed, and won, against rugby player Chris Robshaw, model Ellie Goldstein and now reality star Vicky Pattison.

The poor woman must be wondering how on earth she is still in the competition and also why it keeps on happening. But one thing is sure. Even though the situation is inevitably making her feel a bit unloved, it’s also making her fight. And boy, is she proving good at that.

Balvinder should also take heart over how judges have picked her to stay time and time again, showing that when she’s on the ropes, she can find something a little bit extra to impress them all. Craig said on Sunday that he’d noticed a “massive improvement” after her second go at the American Smooth – and so did the audience.

Of course today there are lots of people moaning that Vicky Pattison should have stayed in the competition – but the simple truth is that she and Kai were out of synch at times and it was all a bit messy while Balvinder and Julian went up a notch. They absolutely deserved to stay.

One fan lamenting Vicky’s demise moaned: “It’s crazy Balvinder got through – four times in the dance off, what does that tell you?” Well, what it tells me is that she’s got some resilience to come back each time and see off her opponents. Both women had the same score on Saturday, with 27 points apiece, but Bal did far better in the dance off. In the end, the decision was simple.

Balvinder is the perfect Strictly contestant – she’s not a trained dancer but she’s giving it her all and showing real signs of improvement each week. So let’s give her the treat she deserves for Blackpool – as a huge fan of the show for many years she’s bound to be hugely excited to make it to the iconic Tower Ballroom.

The Walford veteran many get to dance the Argentine tango that she’s long been dreaming to do this week – here’s hoping – but whatever she does, if it goes well, let’s stick some votes on her.

I’m backing an idea I saw being suggested by a fan who sensed she was “absolutely crushed” at the weekend. They said that if a few George Clarke fans threw Bal a side vote, she could have a week away from the dreaded red zone. “George would still avoid the dance off due to the apparent huge size of his fanbase and Bal could get a much needed break,” they said. Sounds like a plan to me.

So come on all you EastEnders fans. Suki needs you!

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George Clarke has admitted that his upcoming routine on Strictly Come Dancing means ‘so much more’ than just the routine because it will be dedicated to his family

George Clarke has admitted that his upcoming routine on Strictly Come Dancing means “so much more” than just the routine. The YouTube star, 25, is gearing up to perform a Rumba on Saturday’s edition of the BBC competition alongside professional partner Alexis Warr.

They will perform to Lily Allen’s cover of Keane classic Somewhere Only We Know, which his sister performed at his grandfather’s funeral, but as George appeared on Wednesday’s edition of the spin-off series It Takes Two, he emotionally explained that he has been struggling to ‘not put pressure’ on himself because he knows how much it will all mean to his family.

He said: “It definitely will be. Especially considering the past few weeks have been much much more ‘ok I can do the steps but can I perform?’ I feel like the steps are very important but the performance is everything to me because it’s a song that means a lot to me and my family. And yeah it is hard this week to not put the pressure on myself because it is a dance that I want to get right even more so.”

READ MORE: Strictly’s George Clarke reveals emotional meaning behind dance after ‘troubling’ decadeREAD MORE: George Clarke predicts Strictly Come Dancing winner – and it’s not him

But, It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara instantly stepped in to comfort George, and she reminded him: “You have got to let that go so you can enjoy it because it is about enjoyment. Like we was this past week!”

Just days ago, George admitted: “So my sister sang the song Somewhere Only We Know at my grandad’s funeral and it’s a song that means a lot to my whole family.

“My mum has had a lot of trouble in the last 10 years so I thought it’d be nice to use this platform to devote something to her and the rest of the family. Hopefully they’ll be less on the edge of their seat wondering if it’s going to go wrong.”

George has consistently been at the higher end of the leader board throughout his time in the competition so far, but admitted ahead of his next challenge that it can all feel ‘really strange’ to him because performing isn’t something he’s necessarily used to.

He said: “It’s really strange, the whole sort of performing side of it because that’s not something I do.”

Celebrity and PR expert Kayley Cornelius has speculated that George’s social media savviness is giving him is giving him an advantage in the competition. “As we see most years with Strictly stars, the type of content he’s now pushing out, he’s featuring Alexis in a lot of his videos, so he’s really trying to captivate the fans that may not have been familiar with him before,” she said on behalf of Online Slots provider Spin Genie.

He’s posting a lot more consistently and this new type of content seems to really be working with him, it seems to be pushing him on the algorithm more than usual. Strictly’s really bringing a whole new audience for him in that sense.”

She added that George’s large following – over 2.4m followers on TikTok – is also helping the BBC. “To be honest, I think George is doing Strictly more of a favour than Strictly is doing George,” she said.

“He’s bringing in a lot more of the viewers this year. I think there’ll be a conscious effort from the Strictly social team to make sure that he is featured more in the content going forward. They’ll know that a lot of George’s audience lands online. He has a large following, a really engaging, impressionable audience as well.”

She added: “George has had such an advantage point going into the competition. This year, the voting system has changed where they’ve moved votes online – that’s his bread and butter.

“He’s worked really hard, he’s performing well, and he’s just an all-round lovely person. So I think a combination of all three of those things will take him right to the finish line. And you know, with the betting markets at the minute, it is just looking like his competition to win now.”

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