Holly

Arriving at Sale Sharks as part of a high-profile revamp, Holly Aitchison has made one big move this summer.

She is adamant she won’t be making a second.

“[England head coach] John Mitchell has made it pretty clear to me that I can cover different positions, but I am a 10,” she told BBC Sport.

“And I won’t be seen as anything else.”

A year ago, the question wouldn’t have been asked.

At WXV in Canada, Aitchison was the Red Roses’ starting fly-half, steering them to title-clinching victories over New Zealand and Canada.

Her playmaking and running abilities were a key part of diversifying England’s threat, ensuring that, come the Rugby World Cup in England, they would have more cutting edges than a bandsaw.

It didn’t turn out like that.

Zoe Harrison edged in front as first-choice 10, with Aitchison shifted into the centres or on to the bench.

An ankle injury in the run-up to the Rugby World Cup meant Aitchison struggled to challenge for her spot, only appearing in the knock-out stages and then being deployed as a midfield replacement in the semi-final and final victories over France and Canada respectively.

But the 28-year-old is resolute in sticking to her position and her philosophy.

“I want to dictate,” she said.

“Obviously I got that ankle injury before the World Cup, but we were definitely moving in the more expansive direction.

“That’s something that I champion, that’s what I bring as a 10.

“I want to inspire the backline, I want to play this brand of rugby that attracts viewers.

“In the men’s game, I think of players like Finn Russell – you buy a ticket to watch him.

“I want that kind of hype around players in the women’s game where we’re creating that style of brand that people want to watch.”

At Sale, she hopes she has found the stage to do that.

The team finished last in PWR last season, but they have invested and improved.

Aitchison’s England team-mate Amy Cokayne and Scotland wing Rhona Lloyd were also signed over the summer while England’s Morweena Talling and the United States’ all-action lock Erica Jarrell-Searcy are part of an exciting back five in the pack.

Sale co-owner Michelle Orange had earmarked this season, after the Rugby World Cup, as a chance to lure some of England’s players back to the north and strengthen a struggling team.

Aitchison, born and raised on Merseyside, was a top target.

“Holly was on my hit-list, not just as a poster girl for the Red Roses, but for the North West and women’s rugby in general,” Orange tells BBC Sport.

“She is a perfect fit coming in. We are so lucky to have Katy Daley-Mclean – one of England’s best ever fly-halves – heading up our women’s programme and Holly follows in her mould.

“I love Holly’s style, her sass, the way she puts herself out on social media and identifies with her fanbase, this is exactly who we want in our team to bring some extra X-factor and complement the girls we have already got.”

Holly Willoughby is poised for a dramatic return to our TV screens, following her departure from This Morning in October 2023, as she’s set to host Strictly Come Dancing

Holly Willoughby “will take over” as Strictly Come Dancing presenter, according to top media source.

The host is set for a dramatic return to our TV screens, more than two years after quitting This Morning on ITV when she became the victim of a murder plot. Gavin Plumb, the creep behind the conspiracy, was jailed for life in July and now it is thought Holly, 44, is ready to come back to broadcasting.

Peter Fincham, who was director of the BBC for two years until 2007, understands Holly will replace either Claudia Winkleman or Tess Daly, who are leaving Strictly after more than two decades associated with the programme.

Mr Fincham, who since managed ITV between 2008 and 2016, said: “My hairdresser also cuts the hair of a well-known channel controller. What’s said in Harry’s the hairdresser stays in Harry’s. But he says with great confidence that Holly Willoughby will take over.”

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The insider spoke to Richard Eden, a journalist with the Daily Mail, who wrote Holly is likely to present Strictly from the start of the next series in 2026. Tess and Claudia will depart at the end of the current series, from which actress and model Ellie Goldstein was eliminated on Saturday.

Holly was on This Morning for 14 years until her exit, which came after her long-time co-presenter Phillip Schofield resigned. Phillip, 63, had admitted that, before leaving his wife, he had carried on an extramarital affair with a young male co-worker and had lied about it to ITV’s management, his colleagues, lawyers, agents and friends and family.

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The experienced presenter was dropped by his talent agency YMU after the affair, which was not illegal, and he also stepped down from ITV completely – meaning he did not host the British Soap Awards in the following days.

Holly’s return, said to be backed with “great confidence” by the “well-known channel controller”, would come off the back of this scrutiny – albeit more than two years down the line. The bombshell claims come after sources linked comedian Alan Carr, 49, to one of the two vacant Strictly posts.

The presenter is currently impressing millions with his playful charisma on The Celebrity Traitors, on which he has reached the final five. A source had said: “He’s an old-fashioned showbiz pro who would be just perfect hosting Strictly. If he does manage to win Traitors it will be a sign to the BBC that he has the star quality to present its flagship show.”

HOLLY Hagan’s Geordie Shore pals have donated thousands to her late sister Darci’s memorial so her family can take time off work to grieve. 

Heartbroken Holly, 33, revealed last week that Darci had passed away aged 19. 

Now her famous friends have rallied around the family during the incredibly difficult time, The Sun can reveal. 

An insider said: “Holly Hagan’s famous pals have donated thousands of pounds to help pay for her tragic sister’s funeral and memorial, and allow them some breathing space from work. 

“Charlotte Crosby and her partner Jake Ankers have donated £2,000, Sophie Kasaei has given £1,000, Adam Frisby £1,000 and Gaz Beadle and Nathan Henry gave £500 each.”

In an emotional statement sharing the tragic news, Holly wrote: “It is with immeasurable grief and sadness that our baby girl, my baby sister Darci Rose passed away peacefully holding my hand surrounded by family and her best friends.

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“She was never in any pain.

“The last four days have been something I hope no family ever has to go through.

“We are traumatised in every sense of the word.

“One day we will share Darci’s story. But for now I please ask that you do respect our privacy and allow us to process what has happened.

“To the incredible ambulance crew, and everyone at Manchester Royal Infirmary A&E and ICU, thank you so much for giving my sister the absolute best chance.

“Because of you all we have had the opportunity to hold her hand, stroke her hair and feel her heart beating for the last time.

“We will forever be grateful for the way you have looked after her and us throughout this unimaginable process.”

Holly added: “Right now my job is to support my family in any way that I can to ensure they don’t have to worry about work/finances.

“Any posts you see this month are pre-recorded and scheduled ahead of time. I will be continuing to work, so they do not have to.”

The TV star then reflected on her late sister and recalled some of the fondest memories they shared together.

Holly continued: “Darci is so beautiful and she genuinely didn’t even realise it.

“I always told her she’d look better without the huge spider lashes but we all know what a hypocrite I was being since I wore nine pairs at her age!

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“She lived in Darci world, forgetting to turn lights off, didn’t know how to lock doors after coming in from a night out, leaving the freezer open so my mam came down to a puddle of defrosted food.

“She was the best aunty, Alpha-Jax adored her. She spent his whole birthday on the bouncy castle with AJ and Alba, and that’s a memory I’ll cherish forever.”

Sonny Curtis, a vintage rock ‘n’ roller who wrote the raw classic “I Fought the Law” and posed the enduring question “Who can turn the world on with her smile?” as the writer-crooner of the theme song to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” has died at 88.

Curtis, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Crickets in 2012, died Friday, his wife of more than a half-century, Louise Curtis, confirmed to The Associated Press. His daughter, Sarah Curtis, wrote on his Facebook page that he had been suddenly ill.

Curtis wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs, from Keith Whitley’s country smash “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” to the Everly Brothers’ “Walk Right Back,” a personal favorite Curtis completed while in Army basic training. Bing Crosby, Glen Campbell, Bruce Springsteen and the Grateful Dead were among other artists who covered his work.

Born during the Great Depression to cotton farmers outside of Meadow, Texas, Curtis was a childhood friend of Buddy Holly’s and an active musician in the formative years of rock, whether jamming on guitar with Holly in the mid-1950s or opening for Elvis Presley when Elvis was still a regional act. Curtis’ songwriting touch also soon emerged: Before he turned 20, he had written the hit “Someday” for Webb Pierce and “Rock Around With Ollie Vee” for Holly.

Curtis had left Holly’s group, the Crickets, before Holly became a major star. But he returned after Holly died in a plane crash in 1959 and he was featured the following year on the album “In Style with the Crickets,” which included “I Fought the Law” (dashed off in a single afternoon, according to Curtis, who would say he had no direct inspiration for the song) and the Jerry Allison collaboration “More Than I Can Say,” a hit for Bobby Vee, and later for Leo Sayer.

Meanwhile, it took until 1966 for “I Fought the Law” and its now-immortal refrain “I fought the law — and the law won” to catch on: The Texas-based Bobby Fuller Four made it a Top 10 song. Over the following decades, it was covered by dozens of artists, from punk (the Clash) to country (Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith) to Springsteen, Tom Petty and other mainstream rock stars.

“It’s my most important copyright,” Curtis told The Tennessean in 2014.

Curtis’ other signature song was as uplifting as “I Fought the Law” was resigned. In 1970, he was writing commercial jingles when he came up with the theme for a new CBS sitcom starring Moore as a single woman hired as a TV producer in Minneapolis. He called the song “Love is All Around,” and used a smooth melody to eventually serve up lyrics as indelible as any in television history:

“Who can turn the world on with her smile? / Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? / Well it’s you girl, and you should know it / With each glance and every little movement you show it.”

The song’s endurance was sealed by the images it was heard over, especially Moore’s triumphant toss of her hat as Curtis proclaims, “You’re going to make it after all.” In tribute, other artists began recording it, including Sammy Davis Jr., Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Minnesota’s Hüsker Dü. A commercial release featuring Curtis came out in 1980 and was a modest success, peaking at No. 29 on Billboard’s country chart.

Curtis would recall being commissioned by his friend Doug Gilmore, a music industry road manager who had heard the sitcom’s developers were looking for an opening song.

“Naturally I said yes, and later that morning, he dropped off a four-page format — you know ‘Girl from the Midwest, moves to Minneapolis, gets a job in a newsroom, can’t afford her apartment etc.,’ which gave me the flavor of what it was all about,” said Curtis, who soon met with show co-creator (and later Oscar-winning filmmaker) James L. Brooks.

“[He] came into this huge empty room, no furniture apart from a phone lying on the floor, and at first, I thought he was rather cold and sort of distant, and he said ‘We’re not at the stage of picking a song yet, but I’ll listen anyway,’” Curtis recalled. “So I played the song, just me and my guitar, and next thing, he started phoning people, and the room filled up, and then he sent out for a tape recorder.”

Curtis would eventually write two versions: the first used in Season 1, the second and better known for the remaining six seasons. The original words were more tentative, opening with “How will you make it on your own?” and ending with “You might just make it after all.” By Season 2, the show was a hit and the lyrics were reworked. The producers had wanted Andy Williams to sing the theme song, but he turned it down and Curtis’ easygoing baritone was heard instead.

Curtis made a handful of solo albums, including “Sonny Curtis” and “Spectrum,” and hit the country Top 20 with the 1981 single “Good Ol’ Girls.” In later years, he continued to play with Allison and other members of the Crickets. The band released several albums, among them “The Crickets and Their Buddies,” featuring appearances by Eric Clapton, Graham Nash and Phil Everly. One of Curtis’ more notable songs was “The Real Buddy Holly Story,” a rebuke to the 1978 biopic “The Buddy Holly Story,” which starred Gary Busey.

Curtis settled in Nashville in the mid-1970s and lived there with his wife, Louise. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991 and, as part of the Crickets, into Nashville’s Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007. Five years later, he and the Crickets were inducted into the Rock Hall, praised as “the blueprint for rock and roll bands (that) inspired thousands of kids to start up garage bands around the world.”

Italie writes for the Associated Press. Associated Press journalist Mallika Sen contributed reporting.

TV presenter Holly Willoughby is reportedly plotting a bold primetime comeback with husband Dan Baldwin’s backing, aiming to reinvent herself as TV’s next big solo host

Holly Willoughby is said to be quietly preparing the next phase of her career, with husband Dan Baldwin stepping in to help steer the plans. After some time away from the spotlight, the couple are said to be putting together a strategy that could mark her biggest return yet.

Sources claim Holly’s aim is nothing less than a primetime slot, with the ambition to rival the likes of Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross. “Anyone who has written Holly off has another thing coming,” an insider revealed.

“She’s never been more determined. The next move is going to be spectacular, and Dan is her secret weapon.”

The former This Morning presenter, 44, who met Baldwin through work back in 2004, has faced a turbulent few years both personally and professionally. Her career slowed after she left daytime TV in 2023, while Baldwin went on to notch up a string of successes, including the reboot of Gladiators.

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That difference reportedly caused some tension, but the pair are now firmly aligned, determined to re-establish Holly as one of Britain’s biggest presenters.

“She and Dan both know she has what it takes to go solo in a primetime evening slot, and they plan to make her the biggest female presenter in the UK again. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with,” the source added to The Sun.

Holly has reportedly already been reaching out for advice and is said to have been quietly reconnecting with close friends such as Emma Bunton, Christine Lampard, and former Celebrity Juice co-star Fearne Cotton.

She has also recently been pictured alongside a strong circle of showbiz pals including Christine, Myleene Klass, and Spice Girls Nicole and Natalie Appleton.

Her break from television followed a deeply traumatic period. Gavin Plumb, who plotted to abduct and murder her, was later jailed for at least 16 years.

Holly then withdrew from public life to focus on her family – Harry, 16, Belle, 14, and Chester, 10 – and only dipped back into screens with Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt alongside Bear Grylls, which was sadly axed after one season.

Now, with her children older and more independent, she is said to be considering a return on her own terms.

“This isn’t a new thing – Holly has always had ambitions way beyond the This Morning sofa,” the insider explained. “She can see herself being the first big female primetime chat show host – a bit like a female Jonathan Ross. She’s 45 next year and she’s ready to go solo.”

Willoughby has always been most visible as part of a presenting duo, particularly with Phillip Schofield, but her focus now is on standing alone. She wants the top guests, the best slot, and the chance to finally carve out her own space in evening television.

The Mirror has approached Holly’s representatives for comment on this story.

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Holly Willoughbymarried TV exec Daniel “Dan” Baldwin in Amberley, West Sussex in 2007 and the couple, who have three children together, have recently moved house

TV power couple Holly Willoughby and husband Dan Baldwin have moved into “an amazing” mansion, it is reported.

Holly, 44, recently bought the “an insanely beautiful forever home” with her 50-year-old partner whose media company, it is said, struck a deal with America’s National Football League (NFL), Channel 5 (which now wants to be known as 5) and US media giant Paramount to bring live coverage of American football to UK viewers.

As the consortium has even bagged the rights to broadcast the Super Bowl in this country, it is thought Dan and Holly have been eager to explore opportunities to relocate. It is understood they’ve now snapped up a six-bedroom mansion, said to be worth millions of pounds.

A source who knows the couple, who married in 2007, said: “Together, Dan and Holly make a smashing pairing. They have the whole industry covered between them.”

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The Super Bowl is the most-watched annual sporting event in America and the second most popular around the world after the FIFA World Cup – with nearly 200million people worldwide tuning in each year.

And so television sources suggest the deal could be worth “well over £2million” for Baldwin and his consortium. The new American football show, which started last week, is presented by one of Dan’s best friends, Dermot O’Leary, 52, along with former NFL player Osi Umenyiora, 43, and hockey player-turned-sports-presenter Sam Quek, 36.

An industry insider told Mail Online: “It is the deal of the year. Dan pulled it off. It’s lovely, actually, as it means the pressure is off Holly to wait for the right job to come up… She has been to hell and back in the past two years. It has been awful for her.”

They referred to Holly’s ordeal at the hands of former security guard Gavin Plumb, who planned to kidnap and murder the star. He was jailed for life in July last year for the sinister plot, which a court was told was “life-changing for the victim.. both in private and personal terms”.

This came after Holly’s This Morning career ended abruptly in 2023 after a distressing fallout with her best friend Phillip Schofield over his brother Timothy’s sex offences trial. These episodes “knocked the wind out of Holly,” a source told Mail Online.

But Dan’s recent success has reportedly brought new vigour into both Holly and Dan’s lives, as mum-of-three Holly now has “some time to decompress”. The star, originally from Brighton, East Sussex, did co-host You Bet! last year with pal Stephen Mulhern, a revival of the game show after 27 years. The programme, though, was largely panned by viewers and critics.