NICKI Chapman has revealed she’s had a FOURTH operation on her foot as she shared a snap from her hospital bed.
The TV host, 59, best known for presenting Escape to The Countryside, Pop Idol and Wanted Down Under, took to Instagram to post a health update with her 160k followers.
Nicki Chapman has opened up about her FOURTH operation on her footCredit: nickichappers/InstagramNicki has presented the likes of Escape to The Countryside, Pop Idol and Wanted Down UnderCredit: PA
In one picture she put her thumb up as she pointed at her boot while in hospital, followed by another of her out and about in London with a walking stick for support.
She captioned the post: “Every little step.
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“Slowly getting there & managed to walk to the end of the road. Result! Note snazzy stick mainly to keep people away from my foot!
“Fourth op over the years – never gonna make Strictly Come Dancing nor run a marathon but grateful for each tweak keeping me mobile & pain free.
She’s also had problems with her ankle since she was 15 and was diagnosed with ankle spurs.
The NHS website describes it as: “Osteophytes (bone spurs) are bony lumps that grow on the bones in the spine or around joints. They form when a joint or bone has been damaged by arthritis, but do not always cause problems.”
Nicki previously recalled: “I started getting pains that felt like I’d twisted it – I couldn’t work out what I’d done.
“It was so sore I went to my doctor and was referred to a consultant who diagnosed ankle spurs. Bone spurs are tiny pointed outgrowths of bone which occur where the normal bone keeps growing.
“They were causing a restriction within my ankle, which became inflamed and excruciatingly painful.
“I had an operation to remove them, and remember my consultant warning me against pursuing any career involving standing up – otherwise I’d have serious problems by the time I was 30.
“I’d always wanted to be a theatrical make-up artist, which involves lots of standing, so my career dreams were shattered. But I followed his advice because looking after my wellbeing was paramount.”
20 years later Nicki had to have a second operation, and underwent surgery for a third time in 2015.
Jessie J shares hospital snaps after recent surgery and cancer battle as she opens up about ‘healing’Credit: InstagramJessie J shares hospital snaps after recent surgery and cancer battle as she opens up about ‘healing’Credit: Instagram
Jessie announced that she was free of breast cancer in May after having a mastectomy and breast reconstruction in June 2025.
In a recent Instagram post, Jessie shared a mirror selfie of her in a hospital gown with her thumb up, while in another she posed for a picture in her hospital bed.
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She also posted some sweet pictures with her son, as well as her signing her Who You Are record, which was released 15 years ago.
In the caption she described each picture, and for one description she wrote: “[thumbs up emoji] to healing.”
The star captioned this post: “[thumbs up emoji] to healing (again)”Credit: InstagramJessie also wrote: “Me and this bra [handshake emoji]” alongside this snapCredit: Instagram
She added: “[thumbs up emoji] to healing (again).”
The Domino songstress took to her Instagram story to share an update after her second reconstruction.
“So I just got home from my second surgery,” Jessie told her 13.9m followers.
“And it all went well. I just wanted to tell you that it all went okay.”
She added: “Yeah man, life is good. Sending love. Good energy. See you soon.”
The NHS website states reconstruction is “where a new breast is made using a breast implant, or sometimes skin, fat or muscle from another part of your body”.
At the start of the month, Jessie said that the last couple of years had taken their toll and said she was taking a digital cleanse to focus on herself and life off-stage.
She wrote on Instagram: “I want to start this post off by saying I am ok. I am not at my best but very far from my worst. I know people can twist these kinds of posts.
“It’s no secret that the last 2 years have been magical, successful, life changing and extremely busy.
“I have loved the last 2 years mostly, hated it in moments and learnt the most I have ever learnt about myself and what I want from my life and mostly what I want it to FEEL like.”
She outlined all of the major life events she’d been through including moving from the US back to the UK and acting as her own social media manager and stylist.
“The past 2 years has taken a toll on parts of me that I haven’t had time to give space and grace to,” continued Jessie.“Now’s the time. Work has slowed down. So healing speeds up please.
“So I’m tapping out of this [world] for a while and into my real one. To give my mind, body and heart a well needed hug.
“To finally have my second cancer reconstruction surgery, to recharge, heal, to rest, to process, to love on myself and my boy, to water the next chapter of my life and most importantly be present and really live.”
Jessie went on to thank her fans for “holding me up” and said she might check in from time to time with work commitments.
On television, ads for UCLA Health show up behind the Dodgers’ home plate and in the background when Justin Herbert, the Chargers’ quarterback, speaks after a game.
At the Lakers’ training facility, the health system’s logo appears on the court and throughout the building, under a marketing partnership that cost the university tens of millions of dollars.
The ads are part of the public university health system’s strategy to increase the number of Southern Californians using its providers at its fast-growing number of clinics and hospitals.
University officials say its expansion to five hospitals and 300 clinics — up from 150 locations a decade ago — has given more Southern Californians access to its academic medicine.
Lakers championship banners hang from the rafters and trophies are on display in an office overlooking the news conference as Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, left, speaks while Lakers coach JJ Redick listens at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Last year, the system’s clinics and hospitals recorded 4.2 million outpatient visits — more than five times the number in 2015.
“As a public institution, we’re trying to make sure that patients within our community have access to care,” said Dr. Robert Cherry, UCLA Health’s chief medical and quality officer. “That’s the primary and overriding concern, because there’s an acute demand for our services.”
Yet healthcare economists point to repeated studies showing that hospital consolidation — where health systems expand, take over competitors and hire more of a region’s physicians — has become a leading driver of escalating health costs and insurance premiums, while doing little to raise the quality of care.
Glenn Melnick, a USC professor of healthcare finance, has documented how hospital consolidation in Northern California caused health costs to escalate. He said the mergers and acquisitions have continued, including with UCLA Health and other hospital systems in Southern California. UCI Health acquired four community hospitals in 2024.
One consequence, Melnick said, is surging insurance premiums for employers, which leave companies with little money for wage increases, while employees end up paying more for their health insurance and out-of-pocket medical costs.
“We’re now, I think, at a breaking point,” he said.
UCLA executives said the aim of the expansion was not to increase revenues the health system receives from commercial insurers. And they say they don’t believe UCLA Health is large enough to influence health costs.
“We actually represent only a small fraction of the inpatient capacity, physicians, clinics and resources available across the large and complex healthcare market in L.A.,” said Johnese Spisso, UCLA Health’s president, in an interview.
Nonetheless, the system’s expansion and its other recent financial decisions have led to protests by some of the university’s own staff and faculty, who point out the new clinics have been added mostly in wealthier neighborhoods, including Malibu and Montecito, where the majority of families have commercial insurance.
None of its clinics are in South or East Los Angeles, where more residents are covered by Medi-Cal, the state program for low-income people.
Cameron Carr during a news conference at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.
(Arwen Clemans/Los Angeles Times)
University of California system officials say Medi-Cal’s reimbursements are so low that they don’t cover the cost of care at the state’s five UC medical centers. Those losses, they say, must be covered by charges to those with commercial insurance.
Last month, dozens of medical residents and interns protested outside a UC Regents board meeting after UCLA Health failed to renew a Medi-Cal contract that had covered thousands of low-income patients. The doctors waved signs with slogans “Corporate Greed” and “Keep UCLA Health public.”
Dr. David Schriger, UCLA professor emeritus of emergency medicine, said that given the mission of the state’s public university, he questioned why the expansion had not included neighborhoods such as South Central L.A.
“The public should be making these decisions,” Schriger said. “It should not be at the whim of some executives.”
Santiago Munoz, UCLA Health’s chief strategy officer, said officials don’t consider neighborhood income levels when deciding where to open clinics. Instead, he said, the system has been adding clinics along freeways running north and south.
“We’re staying close to the 405 and the 101 because driving to locations in Los Angeles is inevitable, and it’s very difficult to get to Westwood,” he said.
Munoz noted that UCLA had recently leased a 20,000-square-foot space for a clinic in Inglewood, has locations in downtown Los Angeles, and provides physician services at two of L.A. County’s public hospitals.
“We are trying to go to where patients are,” Munoz said.
Worries about crowding
Nurses at the university’s flagship hospital Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood say the expansion has created crowding that has caused what they describe as an ongoing, daily crisis in the emergency room.
Patients coming from the 300 clinics for hip replacements, heart surgeries and other procedures at Ronald Reagan often wait one or two days in the emergency department until beds become available upstairs in the hospital, according to UCLA officials.
To accommodate those patients who’ve been admitted but don’t have a room, the hospital has installed dozens of beds in what was once the emergency department’s waiting room and in adjacent spaces. That has forced people waiting for emergency care into a large white tent outside, which was put up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“How do you do a good exam in a tent? It just doesn’t work,” said Dianne Sposito, a nurse who works in the emergency department. “I feel patients are in grave danger right now. Accidents are bound to happen.”
LeBron James has fun with his daughter, Zhuri, as son, Bronny, looks on during a G League game at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
A university spokesperson said the system has “extensive strategies to keep patients safe and decompress our emergency departments.”
At the September Regents committee meeting, Spisso, UCLA Health’s president, told board members that the system needs to add as many as another 400 hospital beds so that newly-admitted patients no longer have to wait.
For months, rumors have circulated that UCLA will soon buy Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, which would make the university the only hospital operator in that city. UCLA bought the city’s other hospital in 1995.
UCLA officials declined to say whether they were talking about acquiring the hospital. “We’ve found it’s best not to talk about discussions we may or may not be having unless or until we have something to announce,” Phil Hampton, a university spokesperson, said in a statement.
Consolidation hikes costs
The California Health Care Foundation found in a 2021 study that hospital markets were reaching “monopoly levels” in many of the state’s counties. The consolidation was increasing prices with “little to no improvement in quality” of care, the report said.
The study also detailed how physicians often change their referral and prescribing patterns after their practices are acquired by hospitals, sometimes requesting imaging or other procedures that are not needed.
Melnick, the USC professor, noted that when UCLA acquires physician practices and “re-designates them as hospital-outpatient departments,” the clinics can begin billing insurers for an additional “hospital facility fee” for routine office visits, imaging and minor procedures.
He added that insurers often consider UCLA as a “must-have” network, allowing it to negotiate higher reimbursement rates. When the insurer folds UCLA’s new hospitals and clinics into their plan, he said, it often agrees to raise rates at the newly-acquired providers to match what UCLA is receiving as an academic system. Patients get the same care, he said, “but there is a new name on the door.”
Munoz said that UCLA Health was adding facility fees to some bills, including for imaging, but not for physician care. “We’re running a fairly lean operation in the community when it comes to physician services and not collecting the facility fees that others are,” he said.
More income from patient charges
UCLA is not the only hospital system expanding in the L.A. region. For example, Cedars Sinai has also been adding clinics and buying hospitals.
Price data shows that insurers and patients often pay more for care at UCLA Health and Cedars.
Anthem, Southern California’s largest commercial insurer, this year is paying $20,265 to UCLA for a total knee replacement at Ronald Reagan, according to data gathered by Serif Health, a San Francisco firm that collects data from hospitals and insurers. That price is 9% higher than last year and doesn’t include physician fees, the implanted device or anesthesia.
Anthem pays Cedars more than twice as much for a knee replacement, according to Serif’s data, while it pays Providence St. John’s 22% less. Cedars’ current negotiated reimbursement is $42,559 — an increase of almost 17% over last year.
University executives said that because UCLA Health is an academic health system it provides a high volume of complex care that is more costly than care at non-academic hospitals.
UCLA’s expansion strategy has been financially successful, according to the health system’s annual report.
Last year, UCLA Health operating revenues grew by nearly 20% to more than $5 billion. After paying for expenses, its operating income was $793 million, a margin of almost 16%. That compares to the median operating margin of 1.5% for 45 academic medical centers across the country, according to a 2024 study by McKinsey & Company.
UCLA officials said the operating margin was not a good comparative measure because it doesn’t include a $496-million transfer to the university’s medical school to cover other operations including the training of physicians.
“Education, research, and clinical care are all part of our mission and our responsibilities to really train that next generation of healthcare professionals,” Spisso said.
Expansion continues
The university is now spending nearly $300 million to renovate a 170,000-square-foot building that sits on nine acres near Los Angeles International Airport. Purchased in 2024, the campus’ many offerings will include a sports medicine institute with physical therapy and advanced imaging, as well as an ambulatory surgery center with 10 operating rooms.
The university also plans to soon open a new 119-bed psychiatric hospital in L.A.’s Mid-Wilshire neighborhood. The facility was once the 204-bed Olympia Medical Center, where most patients were Black, Latino and underinsured. Olympia shut down after the university purchased it in December 2020.
The renovated hospital allows UCLA to relocate and expand the 74-bed Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, which is currently on the fourth floor of Ronald Reagan Medical Center.
“We have patients waiting for mental healthcare so we made a $650-million investment in this new facility,” Spisso said. “We will probably lose around $50 million a year just operating it, but we saw it as one of the most underserved areas.”
UCLA then plans to add 103 beds to Ronald Reagan by renovating its fourth floor, increasing the medical center’s capacity by 23% to ease the overcrowding.
In 2024, the university bought the 260-bed West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley from HCA Healthcare.
Last month, Spisso told the Regents committee that the hospital, now known as UCLA West Valley Medical Center, and its surrounding clinics, were making more money than officials had expected.
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany collapsed during training on Friday but is said to be ‘stable’ in hospital.
Published On 24 Oct 202624 Oct 2026
Bayern Munich expect coach Vincent Kompany to miss an extended period as he continues his hospital treatment for a virus after collapsing on the training pitch.
Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, a day after the collapse, Bayern Director of Sport Max Eberl confirmed Kompany was still hospitalised in a “stable” condition.
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Kompany’s English assistant coach Aaron Danks will replace the 40-year-old for Sunday’s Bundesliga match at Freiburg.
Eberl told reporters “examinations were continuing” to determine the nature of the former Manchester City and Belgium captain’s condition with a recovery timeframe yet to be determined.
“Vinnie will be given all the time he needs. We’re not starting to put together any timeframes.
“We need to firstly figure out what it is, and then we’ll discuss calmly what the recovery time is to be. We won’t be talking about days but weeks. We need to all be clear on that.”
Taking Saturday’s news conference in Kompany’s absence, Danks said he had spoken with the former centre back briefly on Friday but only to wish him well.
“I explained to him that we wouldn’t be having no football conversations. It was just checking in on his health and making sure he’s OK.
“All the football operations are in our hands, and we’ll work together as a team to keep the club moving forward.”
Bayern’s second team’s game was postponed on Friday after Kompany’s collapse, but Eberl said the club did not consider trying to postpone Sunday’s Bundesliga game.
“I think the greatest joy for Vinnie would be for us to play well tomorrow and, ideally, get a positive result,” Eberl said.
“That would probably be one of the best things we could do to help him recover.”
Danks confirmed Germany captain Joshua Kimmich, who has been on bereavement leave since Tuesday, would also miss Sunday’s game.
Kompany returned to the dugout for Wednesday’s home clash against Arsenal despite missing the pre-match news conference due to the virus.
Speaking after the Arsenal game, Kompany said his body reacted after he tried to push through the illness.
“I caught a pretty nasty virus last week, and of course, I didn’t listen to my body, and then at some point, my body just said, ‘Enough is enough!’”
The defending champions sit on top of the Bundesliga table before Sunday’s game, one point above Freiburg.
Their next Champions League match is on November 3 in Madrid against Atletico.
Taiz, Yemen – It was approaching 10:30am in the dialysis centre of the Republican Hospital in Taiz when a machine began filtering excess fluids, toxins and salts from the blood of Omar Mukhtar Hammoud.
The 16-year-old suffers from kidney failure and is one of 270 patients who regularly receive dialysis at the centre in the government-held city in southwest Yemen. But with essential medical supplies and fuel running critically low under the renewed Houthi siege, doctors fear they may soon be unable to provide the treatment that keeps their patients alive.
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Dr Essam Mahyoub Dahan, the centre’s director, warned that a complete shutdown could happen within days.
“Because of the siege and the shortage of diesel and medical solutions, we have recently been forced to reduce dialysis sessions from four hours to just two and a half,” Dahan told Al Jazeera. “We know this is not adequate, but we have no choice if we are to keep the centre operating for as long as possible before it shuts down completely.”
Dahan said the centre’s remaining stocks of specialised dialysis solutions were also close to running out.
The supplies, which are expensive, are normally provided by the Yemeni Ministry of Health every three months. But the latest delivery which was due earlier this month failed to arrive because of the Houthi siege on Taiz city. It began in the first week of October after Houthi advances in the Taiz countryside.
The city was previously under complete Houthi siege between 2015 and 2016, in the early years of Yemen’s ongoing war.
Across Taiz governorate, where battles are raging between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Iranian-allied Houthi fighters, the number of patients at risk is far greater.
In an October 12 statement, the governorate’s health office warned that the continued siege and obstruction of essential supplies could endanger the lives of 1,110 patients with kidney failure. They depend on dialysis services in the governorate’s hospitals, which collectively provide about 210 dialysis sessions a day.
International humanitarian and health organisations have issued similar warnings about the impact of the siege on the already fragile healthcare system in Taiz.
On Thursday, Amnesty International called on the Houthis to immediately reopen vital roads into and around the city, warning that the closure of the main road between Taiz and the southern port city of Aden threatened hundreds of thousands of civilians with losing access to food, water and healthcare.
Fuel: A lifeline for hospitals
Taiz’s hospitals depend heavily on diesel-powered generators because much of the city’s electricity infrastructure was destroyed during the war that began 11 years ago and has not been restored.
The renewed Houthi siege has severely disrupted the entry of fuel, including the diesel needed to run hospital generators and lifesaving medical equipment.
Dr Shaheed al-Ameri, deputy director-general for technical affairs at the Republican Hospital, said the shortages have had a devastating impact on medical services.
“A very large part of this suffering is because of the shortage of diesel,” he told Al Jazeera. “We have no reserve diesel supplies. Our stocks ran out early in the siege and we are now buying it on the black market almost every day, at prices that have reached five times what they were before the siege.”
Al-Ameri warned that the longer the siege continues, the more prices will rise and the further medical services will deteriorate.
The hospital has already suspended operations in some departments, including essential units, he said.
“If this situation continues much longer, we fear we will reach a complete and comprehensive collapse of healthcare services,” he said.
The shortages are not confined to the Republican Hospital. On October 22, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that critical shortages of fuel, oxygen, medicines and medical supplies were threatening lifesaving healthcare throughout Taiz governorate, with some hospital services already disrupted.
According to the WHO, 42 health facilities in Taiz city had reported severe shortages of essential supplies. Hospitals and ambulances require at least 156,000 litres of fuel a month to continue functioning.
The organisation also warned that diesel shortages threaten to disrupt oxygen production, water pumping, vaccine refrigeration and sanitation services, increasing the risks of disease outbreaks, particularly among displaced families and other vulnerable groups.
The United Nations has separately warned that the restrictions on supplies are bringing Taiz’s health system close to collapse and urged the Houthis to allow humanitarian assistance and essential goods to enter without obstruction.
Oxygen shortages deepen crisis
In its October 12 statement, Taiz’s health office warned that continued restrictions on fuel deliveries could lead to the shutdown of medical oxygen production plants, further endangering patients.
Taysir al-Samei, the health office’s media officer, said that would dramatically worsen the crisis.
“Many medical departments depend on oxygen, particularly operating theatres, inpatient wards, intensive care units and incubators for premature babies,” al-Samei said.
“Most hospitals have already suspended services in some units because of the shortage of diesel and the lack of necessary medical solutions, as well as shortages of medical staff who are struggling to get to work because of the lack of transport,” he added.
He warned that if conditions continued to deteriorate at the same pace, some hospitals could stop providing services in the coming days.
At the Republican Hospital, al-Ameri said that shortages were also affecting diagnostics and treatment. The availability of laboratory reagents had fallen to just 10 to 15 percent of previous levels, he said, while approximately half of the medicines normally available were now out of stock.
Prices for the remaining medicines had doubled, he said, placing them further out of reach for patients already struggling with Yemen’s worsening economic crisis.
The continued fighting and shelling around Taiz have increased the number of wounded people requiring emergency care – placing additional pressure on facilities already struggling with shortages of surgical supplies, anaesthetics and intravenous fluids.
Abdul Badi Abdulwuhab, 53, is another dialysis patient in the Republican Hospital, struggling to cope with the shorter dialysis sessions.
His voice was filled with desperation.
“Because of these measures, I suffer from weakness and I cannot bear the pain,” Abdul Badi told Al Jazeera. “Two and a half hours is not enough to remove all the fluids and toxins from my body.”
Dr Dahan said that the patient’s condition had deteriorated since his sessions were shortened.
“These measures are not effective for many patients,” Dahan said. “The only solution is to end the siege and return things to the way they were.”
Amanda Cannon was taken ill while on holiday with her daughter
08:10, 19 Oct 2026Updated 08:16, 19 Oct 2026
Amanda Cannon is fighting for her life in Turkey(Image: Marisa White/SWNS)
A British nan is fighting for her life in Turkey after suffering a heart attack while on holiday as her family faces a £25,000 hospital bill.
Amanda Cannon, 58, was rushed to intensive care after collapsing during a trip with her daughter Marisa White on October 10. The grandmother-of-nine from Redhill, Surrey, reportedly went without oxygen for 10 minutes after suffering what doctors believe was an epileptic seizure and cardiac arrest.
She is currently on life support in a private hospital in Antalya, Turkey. Relatives say her treatment is costing around €3,500 (£3,000) a day, with the bill already reaching €30,000 (£25,000).
Hannah Cooper, the mum of Amanda’s grandchildren, flew to Turkey with her five-year-old daughter after receiving a distressing call from Marisa. She said Amanda suddenly “jolted backwards”, turned blue and stopped breathing. Marisa immediately began CPR before paramedics arrived and took over.
No travel insurance
But because she has no travel insurance, her former daughter-in-law Hannah said Turkish medics would not stop treatment for religious reasons. They fear the mounting costs could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds if her condition does not improve.
Hannah, 33, from Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, told Talk to the Press: “She’s now in a deep coma. She’s got kidney failure, liver failure. They said there’s a 20 per cent chance that she’ll wake up and if she does, she’ll be in a vegetative state.”
She added: “I got a phone call from her daughter saying that she just suddenly jolted backwards, went grey, purple, blue, started foaming from the mouth and stopped breathing. Her daughter gave her CPR. Then when the ambulance got there, they took over. She went without oxygen for about 10 minutes.”
Doctors later told the family Amanda had suffered what appeared to be a seizure as well as a heart attack. She was placed on life support and remains in coma.
Amanda travelled to Turkey with daughter Marisa, who Hannah said suffered from many severe physical and mental health conditions. Concerned she would struggle to deal with the crisis alone, Hannah booked flights and travelled out to support her.
She said: “She doesn’t have the mental capacity to cope with what’s going on. The language barrier is so hard. We have to keep going on Google Translate to speak to the doctor because he doesn’t understand us and we don’t understand him.”
Medical costs stacking up
As the family tried to come to terms with Amanda’s condition, they were shocked to learn of the mounting medical costs. Hannah said she received a phone call asking for £5,000 shortly after Amanda was admitted.
She said: “I said to them that I don’t have £5,000, but I’d be flying over to Turkey. Since then, I’ve had several emails asking for payment.”
Hannah later discovered Amanda’s stay in the private intensive care unit was costing around €3,500 every day. She also revealed that the hospital wouldn’t release her to a public one until they cleared half of the bill.
Hannah said: “I’ve asked for a transfer to a state hospital where it would still cost money, but not like this.”
The family launched a GoFundMe appeal with an initial target of £15,000, but now fear the total bill could be far higher. Despite no longer being with Amanda’s son, Hannah said the 58-year-old has remained a huge part of her life.
She said: “She’s been like a second mum to me for 17 years. She’s always been my biggest supporter.”
Toll on family
The ordeal has also taken a toll on Amanda’s grandchildren.
Hannah said: “My eldest is asking a lot of questions and is upset. My little girl just keeps saying she wants to see her nan.”
She said doctors would either wait until Amanda was biologically dead or keep her alive. Hannah and her daughter are set to return to the UK on Sunday, October 18, while Marisa plans to fly back to Turkey after collecting medication.
Hannah concluded: “We’re upset, shocked and confused. We just don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
Eamonn Holmes’s girlfriend Katie Alexander says she’s had a ‘love’ call from the star, who is still in hospital following a strokeCredit: SplashKatie posted a video last week and captioned it: ‘When your man phones you to tell you he loves you’Credit: Instagram
Katie posted a video last week as she went for a stroll along a marina in a vest top, shades and headphones, adding a message: “When your man phones you to tell you he loves you.”
Tanned and relaxed Katie, 45, filming herself using a selfie stick, added the hashtags “you and me”, “meandE” — a reference to Eamonn — and “Lovewins”, with a heart emoji.
Eamonn and Karie on their in IbizaCredit: Darren FletcherEamonn was previously wed to TV host Ruth Langsford, his former co-presenter on ITV1’s This MorningCredit: Getty – Pool
SEAN “Diddy” Combs has been transferred to a new prison just days after he was hospitalised following a vicious brawl with another inmate, it is reported.
The disgraced music mogul was removed from his federal lock up in New Jersey, FCI Fort Dix, this morning.
Sean Combs has reportedly been transferred to a new prisonCredit: APCombs has reportedly been moved to Allenwood prison in PennsylvaniaCredit: Public Domain
Prison officials have not given a reason for the transfer to Allenwood in Pennsylvania, first reported by TMZ.
But Combs had been hauled into solitary confinement on two separate occasions for prison violations.
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The former hip hop star was written up by staff at Fort Dix for phone violations and violent behaviour, the outlet reported.
Allenwood is a low security prison with just 1,000 inmates – compared with Fort Dix’s 4,000.
Combs was reportedly injured in a fight with prison kingpin DudusCredit: U.S. Marshals ServiceCombs was said to have been conscious and speaking following the alleged incidentCredit: Getty
It was later revealed he suffered a head injury in a brawl with Jamaican drug lord Christopher Coke, known as “Dudus”.
Multiple sources inside the prison told TMZ the pair came to blows last Friday but Dudus had the upper hand.
The fight was reportedly sparked over inmates’ anger at Combs for getting exposed in a recent NBC News report about his lavish lifestyle behind bars.
The shamed rapper reportedly had access to a cellphone, alcohol and had paid other inmates for their prescription medication.
As a result of the leak, prison officials conducted two raids and confiscated cell phones from inmates – including Dudas.
The convict – serving a 23-year sentence since 2012 – is a kingpin at the prison, sources told TMZ.
Combs was said to have been conscious and speaking following the alleged incident.
He was reportedly taken back to prison grounds before sunrise the same day.
After the punch- up, both men were reportedly hauled into solitary confinement for twoweeks’s punishment.
A rep for the Grammy winner previously told Page Six: “We are aware of the reports concerning Sean Combs and are working to confirm the circumstances.”
“Sean’s health and well-being are our immediate concern,” they continued, “and we appreciate everyone who has reached out.”
The shamed rapper was sentenced to 50 months in FCI Fort Dix prison last year on two charges related to prostitution.
Combs was acquitted on more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.
He was due to be let out on May 8, 2028, under his initial sentencing terms but his final day behind bars has now been moved to January 21, 2028.
Selma Blair allegedly had a violent episode aboard a Delta Airlines flight.
The “Cruel Intentions” star was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for evaluation on Sunday night after allegedly becoming physically abusive with the flight staff, according to the New York Port Authority. The Port Authority Police Department responded to a call around 11 p.m., when a flight coming from Los Angeles International Airport landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and two flight attendants needed medical assistance after an alleged altercation while in flight. One flight attendant was also transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
The FBI is investigating the incident.
According to representatives for Blair, “Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.”
In dispatch audio, obtained by TMZ, a flight attendant suffered a bloody nose and Blair is alleged to have “bashed her head” against an overhead compartment.
A spokesperson for Delta told The Times in an emailed statement, “Delta has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.”
In 2016, Blair was hospitalized after an incident on a flight to Los Angeles International Airport from Cancun, Mexico. She subsequently apologized for the behavior, saying in a statement, “I made a big mistake yesterday. After a lovely trip with my son and his Dad, I mixed alcohol with medication, and that caused me to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret.”
The FBI could not immediately be reached for comment.
We are weathering a truly apocalyptic heat wave in L.A., but that hasn’t stopped Halloween from sneaking up on us. For those who like to give themselves the creeps, the city has its fair share of spook shows, including Griffith Park’s Haunted Hayride and the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor. These mainstays offer hardworking actors seasonal jobs, but usually don’t allow for any real narrative besides jump scares and chainsaws. Which is why I’m so jazzed about a new entry to the immersive Halloween show scene: “Hospital of Emotions After Dark,” with its specially ticketed basement creep-fest, “Below.”
For readers who haven’t been inundated with a million ads for “Hospital of Emotions” on your Instagram feeds, it’s an immersive art show that unspools in 80 discrete rooms over four floors of the shuttered St. Vincent’s Medical Center near downtown L.A. The 45,000-square-foot exhibition opened in late May and was supposed to close in late July, but has extended its run due to popular demand. This month that run includes an after-dark option, which features the regular show — only after-hours — with ambient lighting and roving actors who show up in the most unexpected places (I won’t spoil it, but I got one of the most serious jump scares of my life in one of the exhibit rooms).
A separate ticket (which can be purchased in a bundle with the main exhibition) gets you a ride in an elevator to the hospital’s long-abandoned basement where you are treated to an immersive theater show with a nun for a tour guide. My nun was played by Penny Wiggins, and I’m not sure I have ever witnessed such true commitment in a spook show. Wiggins sold her character — at one point with genuine tears.
I won’t give away the plot, but it’s harrowing, especially if you are someone familiar with the hospital, which opened in the late 1800s and was the first hospital in the city. I had my daughter there in 2016, so it was extra chilling to know that this basement of horrors was there even then. The show uses the building’s actual abandoned infrastructure as its framework, so guests are led through dank subterranean corridors, old examination rooms and specimen labs, as well as an autopsy room.
“Below” isn’t as viscerally gory as “Dark Harbor” or “Haunted Hayride,” but it’s more artistic. There is dancing and an actual script that features a “gotcha” twist — as well as an upsetting demon who appears out of nowhere. I applaud the commitment by the actors who, I imagine, must find it kind of scary just waiting down there for the next round of guests. Plus, it’s good fun to be in the “Hospital of Emotions” at night when everyone is a little wild and there’s a sense that something out of the ordinary might pop out at you at any minute.
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt begrudgingly wearing a tank top and shorts in early October. This is your arts and culture news for the week.
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
Felipe Dulzaides / Bradley Baboc Cuban-born artist Dulzaides uses photography, drawing, video, performance, sculpture and sound to capture the sublime nature of Havana knife sharpeners in the exhibition “Balance in Place.” L.A. painter Boboc drew on the Toy District as inspiration for a new series of paintings, “Shadoobie (Shattered).” Opening, 6-9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, through Nov. 8. Arcane Space, 324 Sunset Ave., Unit G, Venice. arcanespacela.com
Ludovico Einaudi The popular Italian pianist and composer returns to Disney Hall for the first time since 2019 on this solo tour. 8 p.m. Friday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Mälkki Conducts Bartók Susanna Mälkki leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Béla Bartók’s “Concerto for Orchestra.” 11 a.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Takács Quartet with Jeremy Denk The Grammy winning ensemble teams up with the MacArthur Grant-winning pianist for a program of chamber music featuring works by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Franck. 7:30 p.m. Broad Stage at Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica. broadstage.org
SATURDAY
Laura Andreson, 1979, Forrest L Merrill Collection, Photo by M. Lee Fatherree
(Photo by M. Lee Fatherree)
The Eternal Quality of Aesthetic Joy: Laura Andreson and Her Legacy The artist bristled at “superfluous” decoration, favoring distilled jar, box, bowl and vase forms influenced by her love for Scandinavian and Bauhaus design. She became a wizard with glazes, conjuring lustrous surfaces resonant with elements of the Southern California landscape. This show offers a rare opportunity to savor the gorgeous purity of her work, alongside that of several of her mentors and peers, such as Gertrud and Otto Natzler and Glen Lukens, as well as some of her students, including JB Blunk and Bernard Kester. (Leah Ollman) Noon-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, Oct. 10-Jan. 9, 2027. Craft in America Center, 8415 W 3rd St. craftinamerica.org
Haunted Soiree: True Crime An immersive theater experience inspired by the 1928 Hex Hollow murder with cocktails and curious encounters. Selected nights through Oct. 31. Nocturne Theatre, 324 N. Orange St., Glendale. hauntedsoiree.com
Pacific Jazz Orchestra’s Benefit Concert Songwriter and producer David Foster, singers Katharine McPhee, Joanna “JoJo” Levesque, Veronica Swift, Adam “AeJaye” Jackson, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and pianist Emmet Cohen are the headliners for a celebration of founding Artistic Director Chris Walden’s 60th birthday, which also includes a buffet reception and dancing under the stars. 7 p.m. Private estate in Toluca Lake, address to be provided upon confirmation of attendance. pacificjazz.org
Saint Megan Playwright Joy Gregory, inspired by the journey of the granddaughter of the founder of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church, examines the long history of American Christian zealotry. Opening, 8 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 22 (no performance Oct. 12 or Oct. 31. Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave. roguemachinetheatre.org
SUNDAY
Akram Khan Company In the London-based dance troupe’s final touring production, “Thikra: Night of Remembering,” an international cast of women perform contemporary and Bharatanatyam dances. 8 p.m. UCLA, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood, cap.ucla.edu
Camerata Pacifica The chamber ensemble opens its 37th Season with Rachmaninoff’s “Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op. 22” and Schubert’s “B-Flat Major Trio.” 5 p.m. Sunday. Bank of America Performing Arts Center, Janet & Ray Scherr Forum Theatre, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Huntington, Rothenberg Hall, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino; 8 p.m. Wednesday. The Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; and 7 p.m. Thursday. Music Academy of the West, Hahn Hall, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara. cameratapacifica.org
Heartbreak House The Antaeus Theatre Company launches its 35th season with George Bernard Shaw’s dark comedy. Directed by ATC Artistic Director Nike Doukas. The cast includes Elinor Gunn, Harry Groener, Arye Gross and Bernard Addison, Previews, 2 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m. Tuesday-Oct. 16; opening, Oct. 17-Nov. 16. Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center, 110 East Broadway, Glendale. antaeus.org
Musical Theater Guild members Valerie Larsen and Gabriel Navarro during a reading of “The Light in the Piazza” in 2024.
(Stan Chandler)
Here’s to Us! The Musical Theatre Guild marks its 30th anniversary with a benefit concert featuring show tunes from “Titanic,” “Fanny, “The Pajama Game” and “Sunday in the Park with George.” 7 p.m. Broad Stage at Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica. musicaltheatreguild.com
Untitled, n.d. Mavis Pusey
(Neil Lane Collection / Estate of Mavis Pusey)
Mavis Pusey Two exhibitions this fall will help familiarize audiences with this remarkable woman. “Mobile Images” at the Hammer is a full-scale survey co-organized by the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, and is accompanied by a rich and thorough catalog. “Restless” also adds a Pusey publication to the shelf. The Benton show focuses mostly on Pusey’s prints, drawing exclusively from the collection of Ian White, artist, educator and son of esteemed artist Charles White. (Leah Ollman) “Mobile Images,” through Feb. 28, 2027. UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. hammer.ucla.edu “Restless,” through Jan. 3, 2027. Benton Museum of Art, Pomona College, 120 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont. pomona.edu
MONDAY
Art Of Elan: In The Desert Inspired by a trip to Bryce Canyon, Olivier Messiaen wrote his percussion-rich chamber music masterpiece “From the Canyons to the Stars” as a 1976 U.S. Bicentennial commission from Alice Tully Hall in New York. Replete with Messiaen’s characteristic bird calls, it’s been done out of doors before, and memorably at the Ojai Music Festival. But the San Diego imaginative new music series Art of Elan is now taking it to the desert for a special performance led by percussionist Steven Schick at an outdoor theater in Borrego Springs. (Mark Swed) 6:30 p.m. Stargazing Theater, La Casa del Zorro Desert Resort & Spa, 3845 Yaqui Pass Road, Borrego Springs. artofelan.org
TUESDAY
Angela Hewitt The pianist performs an all-Mozart recital accompanied by Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concertmaster and violinist Margaret Batjer for the first installment in LACO’s inaugural recital series. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laco.org
WEDNESDAY
Lisa Batiashvili/Gautier Capuçon/Jean-Yves Thibaudet The superstar violinist, cellist and pianist team up for an evening of Shostakovich, Debussy, and Dvořák. 8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Joey Soloway.
(Loshara Vova)
A 1 They/Them Show The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning creator of “Transparent” steps out from behind the camera to try out their stand-up routine in L.A. before hitting the road with a deeply personal solo comedy performance exploring family, Hollywood, gender, sex, Judaism, ambition and reinvention. A tour is expected to include a November stop in Chicago. 8 p.m. Wednesday and Oct. 28, doors open at 7 p.m.. The Virgil, 4519 Santa Monica Blvd. dice.fm
THURSDAY
Houston Ballet
(Quinn B. Wharton/Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
Houston Ballet The Texas dance troupe brings celebrated young pianist George Li for an ode to Frédéric Chopin. Making its West Coast debut, and created by Stanton Welch AM, artistic director of the Houston Ballet, the piece, “Sons de L’âme” (Sounds of the Soul), merges choreography with a live performance of Chopin’s famed piano pieces, showcasing the talents of the nation’s fourth-largest ballet company and a rising star of classical music. (Eloise Rollins-Fife) 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org
Speaking In Tongues The world premiere of a Luis Alfaro play is always a welcome event. And his latest work, commissioned by Latino Theater Co. and developed at the theater’s Circle of Imaginistas playwriting group, resonates thematically with Alfaro’s 2023 play “The Travelers,” which LTC produced in 2023 and made my list of that year’s best theater productions. The new play, infused with Alfaro’s trademark Chicano humor, returns us to the world of California’s Central Valley and the stories of migrant farmworkers and their spiritual quests in a societal landscape transforming faster than anyone can keep up. (Charles McNulty) Previews, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; opening night, 8 p.m. Saturday; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through Nov.. 15. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, downtown L.A. latinotheaterco.org
The SoCal scene
Cuban-born artist Enrique Martinez Celaya paints the new curtain for the L.A. Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
ICYMI, the best of this week’s L.A. Times arts coverage:
L.A. artist Enrique Martínez Celaya hand-painted a brand new 70-foot curtain for L.A. Opera’s new season.
A documentary about Asco, the revolutionary arts group founded in the 1970s, is streaming for the first time on PBS.
As 24th Street Theatre prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, it has announced that it raised $3 million to officially buy the converted 1928 carriage house it’s called home for the past 29 years. It also purchased properties next door and across the street in order to expand its mission and community programming, including plans for an outdoor garden and a black box theater, which is, according to a news release, “officially named the 24th Street Black Box Theatre in honor of longtime supporter Jack Black, who is also the new venue’s first donor.” Black is set to host the theater’s gala on Oct. 18.
Tesserae — Andrew McIntosh, left, Ian Pritchard and Joshua Rubin — perform “Bowling, Animals and the Ocean” at the Sierra Madre Playhouse.
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
The 99-seat Sierra Madre Playhouse announced it has received $2.5 million from the State of California for a slew of exciting upgrades to its 100-year-old building — marking the largest gift in the organization’s history. The funds were secured by Pasadena Assemblymember John Harabedian, and will be used toward making the historic venue ADA-compliant, as well as to renovate lobbies and other areas open to the public. It will also help with new programming and building infrastructure.
The LA Phil and Orchestre de Paris have announced the launch of a new opportunity: the Salonen International Conducting Fellowship, which is, according to a news release, “designed to nurture and accelerate the careers of the next generation of orchestral conductors … the fellowship will offer early-career conductors unparalleled access to artistic mentorship, practical podium experience, and professional development opportunities at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Philharmonie de Paris.” The first yearlong program will start in the 2027-28 season, and will feature two to four fellows, who will spend about six weeks working with each orchestra.
The Hammer Museum at UCLA announced this week that Eric Esrailian is succeeding Marcy Carsey as the new chair of the museum’s board (after previously serving as vice chair). Karen Hillenburg will now serve as vice chair. The Hammer also named three new members to its board: philanthropist Leslie McMorrow, attorney Alicia Miñana de Lovelace and Joan Weinstein, vice president of program planning at the Getty.
PUSSYCAT Dolls star Kimberley Wyatt has revealed she had a hip replacement as she shared tearful videos from her hospital bed.
The singer, 44, shared a photo of herself on crutches with compression socks on after the operation.
Pussycat Dolls star Kimberley Wyatt revealed she had a secret hip replacementCredit: InstagramThe singer said she had to learn to walk againCredit: Instagram
Kimberley said prior to the procedure she was left limping around and could barely sleep because of the pain.
She wrote alongside a series of photos from her time hospital: “I had a moment tonight. I’m in Dublin, settling into another hotel room, and I’d taken in too much. Too much news. Too much of what’s happening to women. Too much casual cruelty online.
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“Too much of the stuff people seem to get away with and a bit too much from my own little world too.”
She then shared a clip of her in hospital before undergoing an operation.
Kimberley said prior to the procedure she was left limping and in agonyCredit: InstagramThe Pussycat Dolls are currently on the UK leg of their PCD Forever World TourCredit: Splash
The pop star went on: “So I got in the bath and somewhere in there I realised I needed to give my brain something else to hold onto.
“Something good, Something I’m proud of. Which, weirdly took me straight to my hip. A few years ago I could barely walk. For nearly two years, I limped through every day and barely slept because of the pain.
“I remember watching my children playing on holiday and being in too much pain to walk over to them.
“I just stood there and I was scared.”
The star then posted a clip of her in tears while attached to drips from her hospital bed.
Kimberley was told that she would need a hip replacement and ended up ended up having to learn to walk again after the opertation.
She spoke about the photo of her on crutches with her son, who was then four, and said: “I look at that picture now and I don’t really see the surgery. I see the strength.”
Kimberley admitted she barely spoke about her hip at the time but said it felt “frightening”.
Looking at how far she’s come, the American star said: “And tonight I thought about where those legs are now.
“On a Pussycat Dolls tour, after four major surgeries, three caesareans, one hip replacement and somehow this body is still dancing.”
She captioned the post: “I haven’t spoken much about this part of my story.
“Tonight, I realised why I needed to.
“STILL DANCING. Beautiful Movements,” with a broken heart emoji.
Her Pussycat Dolls bandmate Nicole Scherzinger commented: “Thankyou for this.”
It comes after Nicole suffered a horrifying mishap just an hour before she was due to take to the stage with The Pussycat Dolls.
The band’s lead singer took toInstagramto showcase images of painful burns on her leg, leading one fan to claim: “God heal Nicole of any pain”.
Nicole, 48, is in the midst of the band’s jam-packed tour and shared how boiling water had spilled over her lower leg shortly before taking to the stage in Germany.
The Don’t Cha hitmaker uploaded an image showing her limb looking sore with red raw marks across her inner thigh from the knee down to her ankle.
In her caption she wrote: “Nothing like boiling water falling on your leg an hour before your set.
“But the show must go on.
“Thanks Dusseldorf for keeping me going. See you soon Amsterdam!”
BSB leader Kyle Ryde won the opening two races of the weekend at Donington but Scott Redding clinched the third and final outing to take the championship to the final weekend at Brands Hatch from 17-18 October.
Gogglebox has returned to screens for another episode – but one notable face was missing from screens
Gogglebox legend rushed to hospital as they’re forced to miss filming for Channel 4 show(Image: mirror.co.uk)
A Gogglebox legend was rushed to hospital this week, causing them to miss out on filming for the latest instalment.
The long-running Channel 4 show returned to screens on Friday evening (October 2) for another episode. Back to share their thoughts on the latest bits of telly were siblings Pete and Sophie Sandiford and Ellie and Izzi Warner.
Married couple Andrew and Alfie and best mates Danielle and Daniella from Leeds also made an appearance, as well as newbies to the show, good friends Jude and Sherry.
However, one couple that failed to make an appearance was Sue and Steve from South London. The pair joined the programme in 2019 and quickly became firm favourites with fans.
But this week, Steve was rushed to hospital, meaning they were unable to film this week’s episode. On Instagram, the couple issued an update and shared a photo of Steve in hospital.
In the caption, they wrote: “What a difference a week makes. Steve was a little poorly and had to spend a few days in hospital & but he is home now. Out for lunch and enjoying his first beer in a while. Just call me Nurse Ratched.”
Confirming their absence from the latest episode, Sue told a follower in the comments section of the post: “We won’t see you this week but hopefully next week.” Meanwhile, other fans and Sue and Steve’s Gogglebox co-stars flooded the couple with support.
Izzi Warner wrote: “Glad you’re feeling better Steve.” Meanwhile someone else wrote: “Sorry to hear Steve wasn’t well, glad to hear he’s home and feeling better.” Another then penned: “Sorry to see this. Hope you’re feeling better soon.”
South London couple Sue and Steve joined Gogglebox almost 10 years ago in 2019 – and it’s fair to say it didn’t take them long to become firm favourites with fans.
Over the years, Steve, a retired black cab driver, and Sue, who is semi-retired, have had viewers in stitches thanks to their hilarious one-liners and comical takes on the telly highlights.
Away from the programme, the pair – who have been married for over four decades – are also doting parents to two daughters and are also grandparents to grandson Roman.
