Claire De Stefano and pal did not even book a hotel for their girls holiday
09:57, 28 Aug 2025Updated 09:57, 28 Aug 2025
Claire and Donna loved every minute of their trip
A sun-seeking mum jetted off to Ibiza for a mere 24 hours, making it back in time for work the next day. Claire De Stefano, 52, had initially planned a longer getaway to the White Isle with her friend Donna Duncombe, 50.
However, when their schedules clashed, they opted for a whirlwind one-day trip without even booking a hotel. The duo departed the UK at 6pm on August 12 and were tucked up in their own beds by 1am on August 14, meaning they went nearly 48 hours without sleep.
Claire was back at her desk by 7:30am, telling her incredulous colleagues about her trip. The mother-of-four from Romford, East London, said: “We had wanted to go to Ibiza again this year for a few days but unfortunately our diaries didn’t match up.
“So, we decided to bite the bullet and just fit a day in. It was so nice to get away from reality and do something a little bit different rather than washing and working. I would definitely do it again. We are looking at doing more of these trips. We want to visit some of the other superclubs that we didn’t get to in our youth – when life and children got in the way.”
Claire De Stefano and Donna Duncombe decided to go on a 24-hour holiday so that they could experience the clubbing without booking a hotel
The friends wrapped up a full day’s work on August 12 before heading to London Stansted Airport at around 6pm for a Wetherspoon dinner. They touched down in Ibiza just after 10pm and made a beeline for a bar, before hitting the iconic nightclub Pacha where they danced the night away until 6am.
After witnessing a beautiful sunrise on the beach, they spent the day basking in the sun, having breakfast in the Old Town and taking a dip in the sea. They then jetted off from Ibiza airport to return home on August 13, ready to get back to work the following day, August 14.
Their total expenditure came to an estimated £197, which included £62 for return flights. Claire shared: “We got into the club and soaked in the atmosphere, then we danced until 6am.
“There were some sunbeds out so we chatted there for an hour while the sun rose. It was beautiful. We changed into our swimming costumes under our evening wear and spent the day on the beach. It was a lovely relaxing day.”
Claire De Stefano and Donna Duncombe in Ibiza
For their holiday, the pair packed light, carrying only their passports, a swimsuit, a change of underwear, sun cream, and a travel toothbrush in their handbags. Claire, who is employed as a safeguarding officer, revealed that her four adult children and all her colleagues thought she was bonkers, but she had a fantastic time.
The mum and her self-employed friend are already planning their next adventure, with hopes of experiencing the clubbing scene abroad again in the future. She added: “We had an amazing time. Everyone said we were crazy but sometimes you have to be a bit crazy. I need stories to tell my grandchildren eventually.
“The club was everything we had hoped it would be. It met and exceeded both our expectations, and we are eager to do it again. We are in our 50s but we felt no judgement on the dance floor. Everyone was just having a good time together.
“I got to work at 7.30am and told everyone I was in Ibiza a few hours ago. They didn’t believe me. But you have to try everything once. It was our first time doing a day trip, but it certainly won’t be the last.”
Claire and Donna did not even book a hotel
The mum also expressed her belief that more young people should embrace clubbing, which she feels is becoming something of a lost art. She believes that hitting the dance floor keeps you youthful and helps create unforgettable memories with friends.
She said: “I do enjoy going out with my friends and dancing- I always have done. I think it keeps you young. It is definitely a dying art. I have four adult children who never go out. I don’t think it is part of their make-up.
“I was clubbing in the late 80s where clubs were the place to be. Everyone used to go. That isn’t unfortunately a thing with the youngsters these days. It is a shame because we used to have great times back in the day. And we still do today!”
Brits heading on Ibiza holidays to enjoy the island’s world-famous clubs, bars and boat parties are being warned of a simple scam that’s leaving them out of pocket
10:18, 18 Aug 2025Updated 10:23, 18 Aug 2025
Brits are being sold bogus tickets and packages(Image: Daily Mirror)
Brits heading to Ibiza this summer to make the most of its epic boat parties are being warned of a common scam that could leave them out of pocket, staring at an empty dock.
Ibiza Town is famous for its epic nightlife from the packed clubs and bars to boat parties where revellers can soak up the views and sunshine while listening to live music and DJ sets. However, one insider has warned that Brits planning Spain holidays should stay vigilant when trying to make the most of the atmosphere.
“Living in Ibiza opened my eyes to how sophisticated these scams have become.” He said. “The operators know exactly what buttons to push with British tourists, so they’ll promise VIP treatment, exclusive access, or once-in-a-lifetime experiences. But there are always telltale signs if you know what to look for.”
He adds that boat party scams “have exploded in recent years”. Fraudsters set up websites and social media pages to promote incredible events complete with celebrity DJs, unlimited drinks and VIP packages. Only, these events are completely made up; when people turn up to the docks or venues, there’s nothing there.
James warned: “These scammers are getting smarter with their online presence. They’ll steal photos from legitimate boat parties and create convincing websites. But when you turn up at the supposed departure point, there’s no boat – and no refund.”
Brits are being warned of ‘bogus’ boat parties(Image: ,Humphrey Nemar)
He urged Brits to keep an eye out for red flags such as vague meeting locations, requests for full payment upfront via bank transfer, and reluctance to provide official booking confirmations or company registration details.
It’s also worth noting that in recent years, Ibiza officials have introduced strict rules around boat parties in a bid to crackdown on unruly tourists. This includes a ban on party boats sailing within one nautical mile of a number of towns on the island, with captains also prevented from picking up and disembarking passengers in the regions.
Other common scams according to James include approaching tourists with ‘discounted’ tickets to clubs such as Pacha or Amnesia.
“They’ll show you what looks like a genuine ticket and claim they can’t use it,” he explained. “The story is always the same: they’re leaving the island early, their friend cancelled, or they double-booked. But these tickets are either completely fake or already used.”
If they won’t let you check the ticket or refuse to provide contact details, be wary. They may also use high pressure tactics such as telling you someone else is interested.
Meanwhile if you’re promised unlimited drinks and queue skips, proceed with caution, especially if you’re being approached in the street. “The legitimate venues don’t work this way,” James pointed out. “Real clubs sell their own packages through official channels. These street sellers are either selling fake vouchers or massively overcharging for basic entry.”
People have been left in stitches of laughter after hearing about a woman’s story while holidaying in Ibiza – she thought she had hit the jackpot and met Wayne Lineker but the truth left her red-faced
15:56, 12 Aug 2025Updated 16:07, 12 Aug 2025
She thought she was at the hotel with Wayne Lineker(Image: Jam Press/@waynelineker)
A young woman on a girls’ holiday with her mate was absolutely buzzing after she believed she’d encountered her “hero”, Wayne Lineker. Gary Lineker ‘s brother can frequently be found chatting to punters at his cherished party destination, Ocean Beach in Ibiza – with countless visitors clamouring for snaps with his during their visit.
The Spanish beach club has enjoyed tremendous success since launching 13 years ago, and remains essential for Brits visiting the party isle. Celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Jason Derulo, Jack Grealish and Conor McGregor have been photographed at the San Antonio venue. One woman was thrilled after meeting who she believed was Wayne Lineker, who has remained single for seven years.
She became even more excited when he reportedly offered to buy her a drink. The party-goer was holidaying with a friend she’s called Faye, and the duo were staying at Ibiza Rocks. One day while at the poolside party hotel, the two women were approached by some “absolute sorts” they nicknamed “Ibiza Final Bosses”. The blokes invited them to Ocean Beach for the day, which they accepted.
She and her mate headed to the beach club with the group and claims she was “having the time of her life” with them, until something caught her attention. She revealed in a frank TikTok video : “Out the corner of my eye I could see Wayne Lineker. I know exactly who Wayne Lineker is, I know he is into brunettes.”
She continued: “My mate Faye doesn’t know who he is. He approaches and asks ‘do you want a drink’. I respond ‘I’ve got my own drinks but sure I’d love you to get me a drink’. So we end up spending time with Wayne Lineker and his companion, let’s call him Barry for the story.”
Lacy explained she and her friend departed from the initial group they’d joined at the beach club, hoping to spend their day with ‘Wayne’ and his mate. She observed they were having “a great time”.
The pair were invited to an afterparty at the location where the two men were staying. Lacy revealed: “I’m like absolutely, I’m thinking there’s going to a party, this is going to be lit, me and Wayne are going to be a thing, I’m literally going to come back to Torquay engaged. I manifested the whole thing.”
However, she began feeling doubtful when they climbed into a vehicle to reach the party. “I thought we were going to get into a Range Rover, it wasn’t quite that,” she revealed.
Lacy explained she hadn’t realised how intoxicated they were until that point. She described how they exited the car and entered a hotel, despite anticipating a large villa gathering.
“It is a disappointment to say the least,” she remarked.
Please note the follow video contains strong language.
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She continued: “So we’re all sat in this twin room with Wayne, Barry, my mate Faye and me. They’re like ‘do you want a drink’, I’m like ‘yeah sure’. Anyway we do the whole formal thing of asking each other’s names.”
Lacy revealed she jokingly asked ‘Wayne’ what his name was, completely convinced it was him, and was stunned when he replied saying ‘Tim’.
She explained: “I said you’re so funny. He goes, ‘what do you mean’. I go ‘you’re name’s not Tim’, he goes ‘yeah my name’s Tim’. So it’s at that moment I realise what I’ve done. This ain’t Wayne Lineker.”
She continued: “I realised I have royally f***ed up. I have brought us to the back end of Ibiza where I have never even visited with this guy Tim – and now come to think of it, he doesn’t even look anything like Wayne Lineker. I am that lit, I’m stuck in this crazy hotel room with my mate.”
She feigned illness so she and her pal could make their getaway.
But matters got worse when they couldn’t find a taxi for more than an hour.
Lacy continued: “I am stuck in a hotel room with f***ing Barry, Wayne, Faye, and me drinking the worst f***ing prosecco while all the Ibiza final bosses are at a party.”
Wayne Lineker, who also runs Linekers bars and Bam-Bu-Ku, spotted the post and replied in the comments.
Wayne quipped: “Who’s Barry? Must be Dean Gaffney.”
Lacy fired back: “No way has Wayne entered the chat. Deffo not as hot as Dean Gaffney, more like Barry from Eastenders. Don’t worry Wayne I would recognise you in a crowded room any day of the week…it was an off brand night.”
The video was a hit with viewers, with one quipping: “What in the Jet 2 Holidays is going on here.”
Another chimed in with: “Wayne Lineker from Temu,”. A third couldn’t contain their laughter, commenting: “I am crying,” while another person penned: “I have never laughed so much at 7am on a Sunday morning.”
Another fan added: “Haha brilliant. Knew that was coming. Sounds like something I’d do. At least you have a great story to tell.”
One viewer shared a personal anecdote, stating: “Wayne Lineker tried chatting me up in his bar in Tenerife 35 years ago! He’s spent his life trying to pull women. I think you can do better.”
Columnist Jessica Boulton brings you her brutally-honest and wry rundown of Showbiz’s latest shenanigans: from Ibiza Final Boss to MasterChef muppets, she’s not holding back
Jessica Boulton works on the Mirror’s features desk, specialising in celebrity features and interviews. She also writes a weekly observational comedy column Jess Saying, which runs each Saturday. In addition, she oversees the entertainment pages, helps co-ordinate the Pride of Britain coverage and newsletter and guest edits The Diary. Jessica joined The Mirror’s sister paper The People in 2006, and has since worked on the Sunday Mirror and Now magazine. Most likely to be found raving about The Oscars, BAFTAs, Netflix, Friends or Star Wars.
The face that launched a 1,000 snips? Ibiza Final Boss Jack Kay must follow rules to cash in(Image: TikTok)
It’s a strange, strange world when I’m feeling sorry for a bunch of Love Island contestants. But in this social media age, it is sadly what it’s come to. For the poor lovelorn bedhoppers at the Mallorca villa have been putting in weeks of seriously hard graft – flashing their abs and parading around in thong bikinis – to get the one precious thing, (I suspect) their hearts truly desired. No, not love. Fame. Glorious, generous, glittering FAME.
But in the days after Monday’s final, the Islanders soon found themselves getting a cold hard lesson in the pitfalls of success: There’s always someone waiting in the wings – ready to cut short your 15 minutes….
Cach Mercer and Toni Laites have been revealed as the winners of Love Island 2025(Image: ITV)
For it wasn’t the winning Islanders “Breaking The Internet” this week. It wasn’t the winning Islanders batting off the biggest brand deals or most enticing DMs from Blue Tick TikTok. And it wasn’t the winning Islanders getting excitable TV companies all in a lather, begging for interviews. It was….a HAIRCUT.
Yes, the biggest celebrity getting buzz online this week wasn’t even a celeb when the week began. He was Jack Kay, a literal normal down-to-earth 26-year-old Jack-the-lad, from Newcastle on holiday in Ibiza.
He’s been offered free holidays, brand endorsement deals, flights on a £5million private jet, and a whole list of big-money nightclub appearances. He’s signed with Joey Essex’s agent and has landed his own tour and – according to media experts – he could be well-placed to launch his own merchandise range and even bag a possible spot on a reality show. All in all, it’s predicted he could rake in a whopping SIX figures by the end of the year.
For nowadays you don’t need to work summer seasons in Blackpool or win a talent show to become a star. You can become ‘famous’ just by making the right people laugh, at the right moment in time, as they absent-mindedly scroll through their phone while listening to podcasts. Yep, Fame has reached Peak Fickledom.
So, when the stars and algorithms do align to make you a viral hit, you need to make the most of it. And while Jack’s ‘success’ is all thanks to what is ON his head, it’s what’s inside it which will prove his biggest asset. For in 2025, turning your viral moment in the sun into a longer-term earner is all about savvy strategy, clear thinking and mindset:
Are Jack Kay/Ibiza Bob’s fellow Geordies Ant and Dec jumping on the Ibiza Final Boss bandwagon?
(*Okay, okay, PhotoShop may have lent a hand). As for the rest of the week? Well, Celebland was throwing us all sorts of surprises…..
Monday mayhem
Be afraid, be very afraid! For the stars of an upcoming new theatre tour have been doing the press rounds this week. And from the sounds of it, there will be no one safe this Halloween and autumn. Indeed, it’s expected to have many a celeb not just quaking but SHAKING, QUAKING, QUIVERING, TREMBLING AND OUTRIGHT SHUDDERING in their boots.
No, it’s not a new take on Phantom of the Opera (albeit some may be haunted by what’s said). Nor is it Saw: The Musical (although that is a multi-million pound idea). It’s the terrifying new two-hander: An Evening With… Katie Price and Kerry Katona. The pair’s tell-all 33-date UK tour was feared to have been cancelled earlier in the summer due to… well, whatever Katie’s snoresome crisis-du-jour was at the time.
Katie Price and Kerry Katona are getting ready for their new tour (But I have a few notes!)(Image: Instagram)
But the pair are back and have now been hitting the interview circuit to give fans a little taste of what to expect. Target one? “Snobby” Strictly – which they publicly dissed this week for having never asked them to take part. (One suspects they’ve now said “Foxtrot Oscar” to any future possibilities too).
Of course, we all know the real dirt will be saved for the show itself. Yet however juicy the eww -some twosome’s tete-a-tete promises to be, I can’t help but wonder if the panto frenemies could have come up with a slightly more, er… spicy format… A WWE-style grudge match with lookalikes of their many nemeses, perhaps? Imagine the commentator yelling to the roaring crowd: “Get Ready to say mi-OWWW! It’s our very own….. Nuclear Cheetah aka Kerry Katona! – from Atomic Kitten to a one-woman weapon of mass destruction…”
Or maybe… they could make it a dramatic retelling of Four Weddings And A Funeral, where Katie’s the bride each time and the funeral’s for her tragic lack of taste? Or finally, what about a musical? After all, KP’s been Defying Gravity for years (with the help of her plastic surgeon).
What a royal twit Tuesday
It’s not been a good week for Royal affairs – of any kind. But a new bombshell biography has cemented one unassailable truth: Young kids fed on fairy tales and Disney movies are far more likely to find themselves a talking warthog or a flying elephant than a real-life Prince Charming.
Yes, a new book by historian Andrew Lownie has claimed Prince Andrew allegedly strayed “more than a dozen” times before his first – yes, first – anniversary with Fergie. Clearly their wedding certificate was not worth the paper it was printed on.
Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York in 1986 – the year they married. They divorced 10 years later(Image: Hulton Archive/GettyImages)
Fergie did have a little something in common with Cinderella however. She was sporting some rather fetching slippers this week. They weren’t glass ones though – they were fluffy numbers emblazoned with the unofficial Royal motto “Never Complain, Never Explain”. It warms the heart, it really does.
Wok you gonna do? Wednesday
The BBC took a leap with its MasterChef dilemma by airing the first episode of the pre-recorded series on Wednesday. Surprisingly they went for primetime BBC1 instead of hiding it on iPlayer only. Presumably they figured they were in for a roasting whatever they did – so they might as well fill a hole in the schedule.
John Torode and Gregg Wallace in the new series of MasterChef, recorded before their two scandals(Image: BBC)
The real stars of the series are the editors who faced the unenviable task of trying to cut out as much of the under-fire Gregg Wallace and John Torode as possible – which from the looks of the results is a bit like trying to remove excess garlic from a pasta dish. You can’t. Everything’s already tainted.
What I don’t understand is why the Beeb didn’t go with my previous suggestion: just do some deep fake trickery. So what could they replace them with? Let’s see: Option 1: A literal toxic trigger warning; Option 2: Bradley Walsh and Rylan Clark (they’re on everything else anyway); Option 3 (and perhaps most apt): Statler and Waldorf. A couple of muppets… who are completely stuffed.
Half-baked deep fakes? What the BBC could have done to solve their MasterChef problem with hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode
No relief for kangaroo testicles Thursday
Talking of show formats (see Monday), there was one news story this week that left me feeling a little… well, antsy . What was it? This: “ITV bosses are planning the next five years of I’m A Celebrity…” (really? another FIVE?); “With talks under way to film in the jungle until 2030….” (Wait, 2030 is only five years away??); “When it’ll reach its landmark 30th season”. (30 years? 30? 3-0?)
You mean to say we’ve been watching the same show with the same hosts, same sort of trials, same prize, same location, same set and same set of scandals just with different faces… for nearly 30 YEARS? They say doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. So either, we can all relate to Peter Andre’s infamous jungle-penned hit Insania – written while a campmate in 2004 – or we really don’t mind the deja vu.
So what can we expect over the next few years? Well, I have two predictions:
Ant and Dec have been doing I’m a Celeb for 25 years and counting (Image: ITV)
1. Princess and/or Junior Andre will follow in their parents’ footsteps, going back to the scene of the crime special place where the Katie and Peter’s “love” story first began.
2. Following the “success” of political hires Matt Hancock and Nigel Farage, bosses will make a “bigly” play for President Trump at the end of his term. (If he doesn’t rewrite the US Constitution, that is.) After all, there’s been quite a few (thousand) of his type involved in the show before. Fatima Whitbread even got one stuck up her nose… Much to the chagrin of her and the cockroach, I suspect.
Foolish Friday
It was a mixed day for Richard Osman. On the plus side, Netflix released the first trailer for the movie adaptation of his bestselling crime novel The Thursday Murder Club (starring Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren).
Richard Osman gets loose-lipped on podcast (Image: SKY)
On the downside… Osman – who has produced a number of game shows including Pointless, Total Wipeout, Prize Island, and my absolute FAVOURITE Only Connect – inexplicably decided to tell podcast listeners that quiz shows often use “an algorithm” to stop contestants winning too much money.
It’s obvious to be fair, and while not quite a Gerald Ratner-level own goal, it wasn’t terribly clever. I wouldn’t want to overtly criticise him in a family newspaper, so here’s my verdict – in the style of Only Connect’s Missing Vowels Round. Enjoy! WH TTT LPLNK R*
Picture of the Week
Being a 30-something in today’s world must be tough. There you are, juggling career, love life, social life and saving for an inexplicably-expensive “micro-loft” – and somehow you also have to make time for what’s really important: taking impossibly perfect pics for the ‘Gram.
But it looks like a certain 35-year-old Oscar-winner has got this careful balancing act all figured out. For, Avengers star Brie Larson posted THIS video on Instagram this week.
Brie Larson’s quirky balancing act – HOW IS SHE DOING THAT?(Image: Instagram)
Brie as Captain Marvel: yes, she can save the universe and the fabric of time itself, but can she balance on one stiletto heel atop a can of peaches?(Image: Handout)
And while she might be steady as a rock, I – as Gen Z would say – “am shook” . In fact I’m more impressed by this feat than by any of her big screen Captain Marvel antics.
Brie, who is promoting her new tome, Party People, accompanied this video with a quip: “My social media manager said this will sell 1,000 books. So here I am.” The book in question is a “cookbook for creative celebrations” with “endless ideas for weird and wacky parties” – which goes some way to explaining this impressive-yet-leftfield marketing campaign.
Personally, I’m most amazed by her superhuman pain threshold. For, anyone who has experienced the inherent cruelty of the modern-day torture device known as a stiletto heel, will appreciate that this is not just a demonstration of core strength, stability and precision… but of sheer, sheer, sheer ENDURANCE.
So how did she do it? The way I see it, there’s only one explanation: she’s in the wrong franchise… the girl’s a Wonder Woman for sure.
What do you think? Have you seen some funny celeb moments this week? Let me know in comment or on X/Instagram via @JessicaBoulton
*Answer To Missing Vowels Round: “What a plonker”
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The president of the local health services union, José Manuel Maroto, told elDiario.es that club owners must start forking out for private ambulances to help ease the burden on the service
Ibiza’s clubs have been urged to stump up for private ambulances(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Services have been pushed to the brink in Ibiza due to partying holidaymakers.
The ambulance service on the Spanish island is facing collapse, a union has warned, due to the huge number of clubbers falling ill after taking drugs. A third of all call-outs the ambulance service makes are to clubs, some of which can hold as many as 10,000 ravers.
It is the latest strain on the Balearic island, which attracts around 3.4 million tourists a year—many times more than its 160,000 permanent residents.
The president of the local health services union, José Manuel Maroto, told elDiario.es that club owners must start forking out for private ambulances to help ease the burden on the service.
“It’s inconceivable that businesses with an income of millions of euros a year can’t provide this service, which is saturating the emergency services at the expense of the local population,” he said.
Do you have experience of this side of clubbing in Ibiza? Email [email protected]
A third of ambulance service call-outs are to clubs(Image: Getty Images)
“The clubs are obliged to employ nurses and other health workers, but not ambulances—the cost of which is borne by public services.” According to Maroto, only one major club, DC-10, uses a private service.
Although the dealing of recreational drugs such as MDMA is illegal on Ibiza, as it is in the rest of Spain, many dealers operate on the island. The high cost of drinks in many of the superclubs means taking illicit substances is often cheaper.
The Hollywood star Will Smith was at the inauguration last month of UNVRS, the island’s biggest club, where the cheapest entry is €100 (£86) and drinks can cost €25.
A study by the local paper El Diario de Ibiza showed that the island is the third most expensive destination in the Mediterranean after Saint-Tropez and Capri.
“Sadly or not, drugs are the cheaper option. Not trying to vouch for them, just saying. Drinks are crazy expensive—a vodka soda should be around €22–25, but even a beer is €16–18. Club entry is €50–100,” one Reddit user recently wrote on a forum about the costs of clubbing in Ibiza.
Unlike in the UK, where venues that serve alcohol are legally obliged to provide free water to customers, clubs in Ibiza make a huge amount of money from selling it bottled and canned to dehydrated drug takers. According to one person on Ibiza Spotlight, they were charged €13 for a 330ml can of water in the superclub Pacha.
Data on the number of recent drug deaths in Ibiza is hard to come by. However, a 2017 study in European Psychiatry found that 58 drug-related fatalities were recorded in Ibiza from 2010 to 2016. Of those, 87% were men, while more than a third were Brits—by far the biggest single group.
