horror

Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell both returned to the judging panel of Britain’s Got Talent, alongside Amanda Holden and YouTuber KSI, while Ant and Dec returned as the show’s hosts

Britain’s Got Talent is back, and the nation is ready to watch along as the search for the next big thing gets underway. But for Alesha Dixon, filming the show resulted in a horror injury.

Speaking to the press at a launch event for the show, which kicks off its 19th series on Saturday, 21 February, Alesha revealed how a fight against Simon Cowell left her physically hurt. “I injured myself trying to stop Simon pressing the Golden Buzzer,” she said.

During the audition phase of the series, the judges – Alesha, Simon, Amanda Holden and KSI – can press the Golden Buzzer to send an act straight through to the live semi-finals. Simon shared that he and the other judges were “fighting over the Golden Buzzer a lot” this year.

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In one case, this meant Alesha hurt herself. “There was an act where we were quite competitive for the Golden Buzzer. And I could sense Simon getting up, so I literally dived across the desk.

“I’ve never done that before, I dived onto the desk. And then they wanted me to recreate this dive. So how can I recreate this? Because I injured myself just to stop him getting his way.”

Alesha has been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent since 2012. Two of her fellow judges, Amanda and Simon, have been on the show since it began in 2007, but YouTuber KSI is a newcomer. Having made a few guest judging appearances last year, he took over for Bruno Tonioli this year.

Speaking on the series as a whole, Alesha said: “It was so funny. For me, overall, this season felt like we were back to the chaos that we love on our show. More than ever, it just felt bonkers.”

This comes just weeks after the Mirror reported that Alesha’s band Mis-Teeq were in talks to reunite for their 25th anniversary and were eying up a potential Britain’s Got Talent performance.

A reunion had previously seemed unlikely, as Sabrina Washington had launched legal proceedings against Alesha and their prior label, Universal, for royalties six years ago, but she and the BGT judge now seem to be on talking terms again.

Sabrina had claimed that Alesha had “wrongfully claimed” credits for writing their first two singles. At the time, a spokesperson for Ms Dixon said: “Alesha wrote the raps on both Why? and All I Want and that is why she gets a split. The rest of the song was written by a production team. Sabrina has no reason to sue Alesha.”

This now appears to be water under the bridge for the stars, though. Speaking to the Mirror, a source said: “There’s always talk of a reunion and projects on the table, but it’s a matter of trying to get everyone together. Alesha and Su both have children; Su’s in Australia permanently, and Sabrina has been doing a lot of solo gigs across the UK and Europe.

“Sabrina and Su participated in the Girlbands documentary, albeit separately, but it raised more questions than answers, with Sabrina being visibly upset when asked about how the group split, following their UK label’s collapse. Su mentioned there was a potential new record deal for the group at the time, which then became an Alesha solo deal. Nobody’s sure if Sabrina was aware of that, or if the first time she found out was watching the documentary. “

Our source added: “They will want to do something that’s meaningful, but they haven’t been in a room as a trio, together, since their split in 2005. They’ve seen each other individually and speak to each other, but some are most closer than others. They haven’t physically been together yet, and it seems there’s a lot to discuss before they’re in a place to do a reunion.”

A source also told The Sun : “One thing that has come up is the idea of a one-off show. It could be an intimate gig for their die-hard fans or a performance on a big TV programme such as Britain’s Got Talent.”

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Nestled in lower Wharfedale, Hebden village offers stunning walking routes, trolls folklore linked to Hound of Baskervilles, Roman history, and a charming tea room in a former chapel

Tucked away in the hills of lower Wharfedale lies a hidden treasure brimming with history and spine-tingling stories.

Hebden sits within the Yorkshire Dales National Park’s protected conservation areas – this particular village occupies land where an ancient Bronze Age settlement once stood.

The area boasts stunning walking trails that wind past charming Yorkstone cottages. One notorious route leading to the village passes through a ravine called Trollers Gill.

This now-popular picnic destination harbours a sinister past. Locals once believed the gorge was inhabited by malevolent trolls who would murder humans by hurling boulders at them.

Even more disturbing, the cave at the passage’s end was thought to shelter a wolf-like creature that would slaughter anyone who locked eyes with it, reports Yorkshire Live.

This legend is believed to have inspired Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated tale The Hound of the Baskervilles, according to Yorkshire Dales.

Romans also established themselves in the vicinity – with 33 silver denarii coins discovered in the surrounding countryside – supporting the theory that Romans inhabited the region between 30 and 170 AD.

Along the village’s main street, you’ll discover something unexpected. Within Hebden Methodist Church, formerly a school, sits a charming tea room.

Outside the Old School Tea Room, the postbox has been painted gold to honour Yorkshire’s Olympic gold medallist – rower Andrew Triggs Hodge. One Trip Advisor user described it as “the perfect pit stop”.

They explained: “We visited the Old School Tea Room while doing a loop walk from Linton, along the river, via Hebden and to Grassington.

“It was about halfway, and we were ready for cake! Lovely, characterful building, inside and out, friendly staff and a great range of cakes. I opted for a raspberry and white chocolate one. Delicious! And all with a really nice cup of Yorkshire tea. I’ll definitely be back!”.

For bird enthusiasts, there’s an impressive array of wildlife worth getting the binoculars out for, including Canada Geese, Teal and Reed Bunting.

Hebden’s more recent past has been shaped by mining. Evidence of this former industry can be spotted along the popular Lead Mining Trail, which begins at Yarnbury to the north of Hebden.

The route takes you through Orefield, one of the principal mines during the Victorian period, and skirts the edge of Hebden.

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Palestinian women tell of harrowing experience at hands of Israeli military at reopened Rafah border crossing in Gaza.

Palestinian women have described a “journey of horror” as they passed through the Rafah border crossing on their way home to Gaza from Egypt, with the few allowed to enter the war-torn territory being separated from their children, handcuffed, blindfolded, and interrogated “under threat” for hours.

For the 12 Palestinian women and children allowed to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Monday, the journey back home was “long and exhausting, marked by waiting, fear and uncertainty”, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al Khalili said, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The small group of returnees was subjected to harsh security procedures by Israeli forces who hold the power at the Rafah crossing to determine “when and if” people will be allowed to return to their homes in the Palestinian territory, Al Khalili said.

“They took everything from us. Food, drinks, everything. Allowing us to keep only one bag,” said one of the returnees, speaking to Al Jazeera about her ordeal at the hands of the Israeli military on Monday.

“The Israeli army called my mother first and took her. Then they called me, and took me,” the woman said.

“They blindfolded me and covered my eyes. They interrogated me in the first tent, asking why I wanted to enter Gaza. I told them I wanted to see my children and return to my country. They tried to pressure me psychologically, wanted to separate me from my children and force me into exile,” she said.

“After questioning me there, they took me to a second tent and asked political questions, which had nothing to do with [the journey]… They told me I could be detained if I didn’t answer. After three hours of interrogation under threat, we finally went on the bus. The UN received us; then we headed to Nasser Hospital. Thank God we were reunited with our loved ones,” she added.

Another member of the group, Huda Abu Abed, 56, told the Reuters news agency that passing through the Rafah border “was a journey of horror, humiliation and oppression”.

Accounts of being blindfolded, handcuffed and interrogated for hours by Israeli forces were given to reporters by three women, Reuters said.

Some 50 Palestinians had been expected to enter the enclave on Monday, but by nightfall, only 12 – three women and nine children – had been allowed through the reopened crossing by Israeli authorities, Reuters said, citing Palestinian and Egyptian sources.

Worse still, of the 50 people waiting to leave Gaza on Monday, mostly for critical medical treatment, only five patients with seven relatives escorting them managed to clear the Israeli inspections and cross into Egypt.

On Tuesday, just 16 more Palestinian patients were allowed to cross into Egypt via Rafah, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said, reporting from Khan Younis.

The numbers being allowed to cross at Rafah are far below the 50 Palestinians who Israeli officials said would be allowed to travel in each direction via the crossing every day, Khoudary said.

“There is no explanation as to why crossings are being delayed at Rafah,” Khoudary said. “The process is taking an extremely long time.”

“There are about 20,000 people waiting [in Gaza] for urgent medical attention abroad,” she added.

Legendary star Jeff Hordley admits that his latest dramatic storyline has been his “hardest ever” and has vowed to get a special blood test, checking for warning signals, for his own peace of mind.

Emmerdale’s Cain Dingle is told tomorrow night that he has prostate cancer. With 64000 new cases diagnosed in the UK predominantly in men over the age of 50, Jeff Hordley – who has played hardman Cain for 25 years – tells the Mirror: “This is the hardest story I have ever worked on throughout my time on Emmerdale because I want to make sure I get it right for the many men who are sadly affected.”

The most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, a family history of the disease also increases the risk of prostate cancer, which effects one in eight men – with the risk doubling for Black men. Often without symptoms in the early stages, a special PSA blood test, can, however, detect abnormalities that can lead to early diagnosis and a far better survival rate.

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Jeff, 55, explains: “Prostate cancer can have such an enormous effect on both the person diagnosed and their family. I feel fortunate because my family has not been affected by the disease and thankfully a health check I had a few years ago, that included my prostate, was fine.

“But filming this storyline has made me realise how sobering the disease can be and how it affects so many. It’s so important if you are in a higher risk category to get tested. As soon as I have my next day off, I am going to be making an appointment with my GP to have a PSA test.”

Unfortunately, Cain, 51, like so many men in real life, failed to take a test because he lacked symptoms. But in January during the explosive Corriedale special, the Dingle fan favourite was shocked to learn he had a mass on his prostate gland after being rushed to hospital when he was shot at by evil John Sugden. Scanning his wound, the tumour was detected and doctors ordered further tests.

Now after an agonising month-long wait, Cain will be told he has cancer. It is localised but aggressive and he will require urgent surgery. He is also warned there could be serious surgical side effects including incontinence and erectile dysfunction. It leaves the family man, whose wife, Moira, is currently locked up in prison charged with two murders she didn’t commit, terrified he won’t be able to protect those he loves the most if he tells them the truth.

“Cain is frightened of telling anyone,” says Jeff. “Everything is falling to pieces and he doesn’t deal with his diagnosis at all well. He has never found it easy to talk about his feelings anyway but after learning of his diagnosis, he snaps at everyone. He worries that if he tells anyone and with Moira in prison, nobody will be around to look after their children. He is terrified he is going to die.”

A very likeable actor who is worlds away from the hardman he plays on-screen, Jeff – happily married to fellow Emmerdale star Zoe Henry, 52, who has played Rhona Goskirk for 22 years – is keen to use his soap role to raise awareness. He says: “We’ve been working together with Prostate Cancer UK on Cain’s story and we are going to explore the enormous impact it has on everyone’s lives. Soaps can play a hugely powerful part in raising awareness and if it encourages one man to get tested and find out they have this illness before it is too late – then that has to be a positive thing.”

Secretly told about Cain’s cancer storyline last September, his first reaction was understandably to take a big gulp when he heard the word ‘cancer’. Fearing it might mean the end of his character’s time in the soap, he confesses: “When I had my meeting, our producer, Laura, told me Cain was going to get shot in Corriedale. I was like ‘oh gulp’. But she said: ‘it’s ok you will survive the shooting’. It was then she told me doctors would find a mass from a scan in the hospital and that it would be cancer. I had to do a double gulp.”

Reassured the storyline would pan out for quite some time, Jeff remains tight lipped about what lies ahead but teases: “Cain is told surgery could make him incontinent and/or he could have an erectile dysfunction afterwards. “For some men, this can be short term but for others, it is forever. What if Moira won’t want him? This will be a story about how ultimately their love for each other is so strong.”

He admits the surgical side effects were something he had no knowledge of before he started filming, adding: “I found them really sobering and I think it is important we do make men aware, so they do feel more knowledgeable.”

Working flat out on the huge storyline, it is the latest of many powerful plots he has been involved in during his stellar 25-year soap career including discovering Cain was the illegitimate son of Zak Dingle and being diagnosed with a brain injury in 2015.

Jeff confides it helps enormously that Zoe, who he has two grown-up children with, understands the pressures of filming a big storyline. To unwind, they enjoy country walks near the family’s home in Yorkshire. He says: “Zoe totally understands and I’m so lucky that if I have had a big day and she gets home before me, she will cook something nice. Walks with my dogs are also a good way to switch off too, as is watching a film. I also DJ a bit which I really enjoy.”

And as someone who abstains from drinking alcohol in January and February, he says a ‘clear head’ helps him cope too. Going on to praise the entire Emmerdale cast and crew, he feels ‘blessed’ to be working alongside Natalie J Robb, who plays Moira. He adds: “We have a great shorthand and it is easy to be in Cain and Moira’s world when you are acting alongside Nat. To work on the Corriedale special was also an honour and my one day on ‘the cobbles’ was like the best ‘work placement’ day ever. To see Bill Roache walking the Emmerdale corridors was surreal, he’s such a legend and a gent.”

While Jeff acknowledges he is lucky to not have cancer, he does, however, live with Crohn’s disease. As a result, he is very health conscious, grows his own vegetables on an allotment and cooks from scratch. Jeff, an ambassador for Crohn’s & Colitis UK, says: “It is a different debilitating disease to cancer. I had a big operation in my final year at drama school at the age of 26 and since then, I have mainly been ok. I have been able to navigate it with my diet thankfully.”

For now, Jeff hopes by giving a rare interview, it will help to save lives, adding: “I hope after watching Cain’s storyline, it will encourage men to get tested. It could save their life.”

*If you have been affected by the Cain storyline, help can be sought at prostatecanceruk.org

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