Jones

BBC Morning Live presenter Gethin Jones co-hosts the show alongside Helen Skelton and Michelle Ackerley

Gethin Jones has been a co-host of BBC’s Morning Live for more than five years.

The 48-year-old has won over audiences with his approachable demeanour as he fronts the daily magazine programme alongside Helen Skelton and Michelle Ackerley.

However, the former Blue Peter host has now been reminded of the BBC’s editorial guidelines after he reportedly contravened broadcasting rules while on air.

Gethin is a longstanding ambassador for the Welsh heritage jewellery brand Clogau and has appeared in numerous promotional campaigns for the company. He even has a Clogau ‘wife’ – model Nikki Chislett, with whom he promoted last Christmas’s festive jewellery range while sporting a wedding band.

But The Mail on Sunday has now reported that Gethin has also been seen wearing various timepieces from Clogau while hosting Morning Live – which places him in breach of stringent BBC guidelines, reports Wales Online.

The corporation’s regulations stipulate that presenters ‘must not appear on-air wearing clothing or using products or services which they have been contracted to promote’.

BBC Studios told The Mirror: “We have clear guidelines around presenters’ commercial activities while working with the BBC, and Gethin has been reminded of these guidelines.”

According to The Mail on Sunday, throughout the past eight months Gethin has sported numerous Clogau watches on Morning Live, including a £550 model featuring a stainless-steel case and black bezel. Another timepiece, priced at £420, features a polished stainless-steel case with gold plating and is accompanied by a black leather strap.

He has additionally been spotted sporting a stainless-steel watch displaying a textured black dial alongside contrasting silver-tone hands and numerals.

Gethin becomes the most recent personality to seemingly flout BBC regulations. Monty Don, 70, received a reprimand last month following his appearance in a £300 Barbour jacket while filming Gardeners’ World – having previously featured in an advertising campaign for the brand.

The Mirror revealed that the jacket features in promotional material for Barbour’s Way of Life campaign, which prompts fans to “shop the look” showcased by the television presenter.

At the time, the BBC stated: “We have clear guidelines around presenters’ commercial activities while working with the BBC, and Monty has been reminded of these guidelines.”

Morning Live is on BBC One weekdays at 9.30am and BBC iPlayer

In early June, hundreds of fans dressed to the nines were in attendance at a rock star’s sold-out show at New York’s Beacon Theatre. There was lace everywhere and leather too. Chains dangled from belt loops and wrists. Some attendees arrived with dyed crimson hair, others with orange or pink.

Sheer black outfits that looked pulled from the pages of a gothic romance novel were draped on bodies. If “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” had collided with a modern concert, it might have looked something like this.

Then a man took the stage. Was it Lestat de Lioncourt, the immortal vampire-cum-rock star, or was it actor Sam Reid?

Moments earlier, attendees had watched the first episode of AMC’s “The Vampire Lestat,” the rebranded third season of “Interview With the Vampire” that premiered earlier this month. This season adapts Anne Rice’s novel of the same name, which is told from the perspective of Lestat, played by Reid, and transforms him into a touring musician.

Now Reid, dressed in black with his chest partially exposed beneath an open jacket revealing a scar, stepped on stage and into the role of Lestat in front of the audience. As he moved across the stage, phones shot into the air. Fans screamed. People sang along to a slew of songs, and for a moment, the line between actor and character seemed to disappear.

At first glance, the assignment to turn Lestat into a rock star seemed straightforward. The vampire at the center of Rice’s beloved novels has flirted with music before. In 2002’s “Queen of the Damned,” he emerged as a leather-clad nu-metal frontman capable of commanding massive crowds. But bringing Lestat into the present introduced a different challenge. Rock music no longer occupies the same place in popular culture. Fame is fragmented. Audiences are skeptical of celebrity. Social media can build a star overnight and tear them down just as quickly.

Yet “The Vampire Lestat” asks viewers to believe something as audacious as a centuries-old vampire still being able to captivate people, launch a music career and inspire a movement. Reid thinks part of what drives the character is something surprisingly modern.

“Nobody cares that I exist, nobody cares that I’m not relevant,” Reid said of Lestat’s mindset entering the season. “It’s really fun to see him struggle with that and see him try to find his place in the world and not immediately get world domination.”

Making that fantasy feel believable required far more than putting Lestat in leather and handing him a microphone. To pull it off, the show’s creative team had to build a rock star from the ground up, crafting a visual identity, creating music that could stand on its own outside the series, and transforming Reid into a performer capable of owning a crowd rather than simply acting in front of one.

Sam Reid’s Lestat de Lioncourt crowd-surfs in “The Vampire Lestat.”

(Sophie Giraud / AMC)

“Dropping Lestat down into 2025 and making the decision for him to play rock ‘n’ roll was a really great dramatic switch because while there are many great rock bands that are alive and kicking right now, their hold of the cultural landscape is quite small,” showrunner Rolin Jones said. “You couldn’t think of a worse way to get your message out than going to be a rock star right now.”

That challenge became the foundation of the season.

Step 1: Making the music

A polished aesthetic, marketing and, in Lestat’s case, book buzz can only take a musician so far. It’s the music that had to make diehard fans believe he’s an artistic genius, or at least a star in the making.

That challenge landed with composer Daniel Hart long before a single script was finished. In an unusual twist, many of the songs that would eventually appear throughout the season were written before the writers’ room fully mapped out the story.

“There were so many unknowns when we started,” Hart said. To find a way in, Hart and Jones started with their familiar reference point: David Bowie.

“We settled, I think sort of obviously, on David Bowie as the launch pad for our Lestat,” Hart said. “The way that Bowie was so mercurial, and he was a chameleon. He reinvented himself throughout his career.”

Hart also looked to artists as varied as Kurt Cobain and Chappell Roan, while drawing inspiration from classical music, blues and the old-world sound Lestat would have absorbed over his long life. One early writers’ room exercise even involved breaking down the influences embedded within “Long Face,” the Bowie-coded first single released from Lestat’s fictional album.

“‘Long Face’ feels like a Bowie rip-off to Daniel Molloy [played by Eric Bogosian], and so then Lestat breaks the song down for him and goes into all the other influences that are in there,” Hart said. “ ‘Long Face,’ you could say, was in some way influenced by Bach, and then [he] talked about Willie Dixon, and how the blues had influenced Lestat when he was around the … 1920s and ‘30s.”

“He’s been alive for 250 years,” Hart continued. “He’s seen and heard a lot of music.”

The creative team never set out to replicate the hard-rock sound that defined “Queen of the Damned.” If anything, Jones felt trying to outdo that soundtrack would have been a losing battle.

In “The Vampire Lestat,” Sam Reid sings every song himself, including “Long Face,” “Butterscotch Bitch,” “Your Biggest Fan,” “All Fall Down” and “Black Licorice.”

(Sophie Giraud / AMC)

“I mean, that soundtrack is deservedly very famous,” Jones said. “And I think if we decided to out-Korn Korn, we were going to be in trouble.”

Instead, their Lestat was a musician still searching for his voice. Jones says the season begins in a more performative glam-rock space before gradually evolving into something more personal.

“We thought ‘70s Bowie is where we would start, and that we would musically make a journey with him as we went deeper and deeper,” he said. “He would put his band on one tour, what a normal band would do, over four albums. The music just keeps changing. And as he gets more and more vulnerable, the songs begin to change. They get more raw. They get more exposure, and the music style evolves.”

Reid sang every song himself, including “Long Face,” “Butterscotch Bitch,” “Your Biggest Fan,” “All Fall Down” and “Black Licorice.”

“The more bombastic, the more over-the-top songs — he doesn’t seem to like them by the end of this season,” Hart said. “The more introspective songs that come later on are more in his new wheelhouse.”

That journey also shaped how Reid approached the material. While audiences will ultimately see the songs unfold within the context of the show, Reid encountered many of them before he fully understood where Lestat’s story was heading.

“I think in the beginning, he’s coming from an artificial kind of construct,” Reid says. “As the show goes on, the music becomes more personal, and he becomes less interested in actually finding love through his audience and more about finding who he is as an individual and as an artist.”

When Jones first began adapting “The Vampire Lestat,” he briefly considered making the character the sort of arena-filling superstar audiences might expect, like a Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. But the more the writers discussed it, the less interesting that version felt.

“If we were gonna start chipping away at all the armor that Lestat had, one of the great repetitive ways of a tour is you just can’t seem to break a ceiling,” Jones said. “He’s a niche star. And I think that is part of the gas that fuels this little journey.”

Hart also had the impression that Lestat would be a massive star.

“But it became more apparent that [he might] not exactly have the kind of success that he wanted and desperately felt like he needed — that was a more interesting story to tell,” he said.

Step 2: Getting the rock star look

While the audience has to believe Lestat is a rock star, they also have to believe he’s someone with the look — and worth staring at.

Lex Wood, the show’s costume designer, said that the challenge began long before cameras rolled on Season 3. Jones first floated the idea of rock star Lestat while the team filmed Season 2 in Prague in 2023, giving Wood time to begin imagining what a nearly 300-year-old vampire might wear while reinventing himself as a singer. During a production trip to Paris, she started sourcing pieces and collecting references that would eventually make their way into this season years later.

“The main aim of building costumes for Lestat was to maintain an element of the unachievable,” says show costumer designer Lex Wood. “To emphasize that Lestat is untouchable.”

(Sophie Giraud / AMC)

Being fashionable wasn’t the only goal.

“The main aim of building costumes for Lestat was to maintain an element of the unachievable,” Wood said. “To emphasize that Lestat is untouchable. Hence, building specific costume build shapes and patterns that we adapted throughout the season.”

That idea guided nearly every aspect of the wardrobe. While the first two seasons often presented Lestat through structured tailoring and muted palettes, Season 3 arrives in a much louder world.

“A big thing really was that we wanted to push more color into the season in general,” Wood said.

Wood said the choice reflected where Lestat finds himself emotionally. No longer confined to drawing rooms and period silhouettes, he’s navigating celebrity, performance and self-reinvention. Leather remains. Black remains. But so do bursts of color, softer fabrics and strange patterns.

“We wanted to break Lestat free of the suiting,” Wood said. “Though we wanted to remain true to his roots in the 18th century, we also wanted Lestat’s pieces to feel slightly otherworldly at times.”

That meant weaving in elements of garments from the 18th century and making them feel contemporary. This could look like a very specific cut of a sleeve of a shirt that nods to that time.

Wood also studied the backstage photography of Mick Rock, pulling references of Bowie, Iggy Pop and Freddie Mercury. She blended that with punk-inspired designs from Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier. Goth icon Siouxsie Sioux also became an influence, particularly in the use of layering, texture and attitude.

Wood said the scattered references reflect a character actively trying to figure out who he wants to be.

“He’s investigating social media himself,” she said. “As he’s discovering his presence as a rock star. He’s investigating what it means to be a rock star.”

“He’s finding his persona,” she continued. “And trying on different personas.”

That idea extends all the way down to accessories, with Lestat’s jewelry blending old and new — a custom necklace created by a U.K. silversmith recalls one worn by Mercury during Queen’s early years, while rings featuring sculpted teeth serve as subtle reminders of his vampiric nature.

“We purposefully wanted some of his wardrobe to not be recognizable to any particular brand — at other times, we wanted to celebrate high-end fashion, to explore his playfulness and unpredictable character through his clothing,” Wood said.

Even the shoes became part of the transformation. One of Wood’s earliest conversations with Reid centered on abandoning the heeled footwear that helped define earlier versions of the character. This Lestat needed something heavier for a performer who could pace a stage.

“He wanted something that felt more grounded,” Wood said. “Something he could bounce around more in.”

Wood said the redesigned footwear altered Reid’s posture and movement, helping create a version of Lestat that she noted feels more volatile and more comfortable captivating a crowd than charming one.

Step 3: Becoming the rock star

For all the work that went into the costumes, music and scripts, none of it mattered unless the watchers believed the actor tying it all together.

Reid had already spent two seasons playing Lestat through other characters’ memories and perspectives. This time around required him to carry the character’s story through his own reflections. More importantly, he had to answer a deceptively difficult question: Why would anyone follow Lestat in the first place?

“It’s not fame that he’s after,” says Reid of his character in “The Vampire Lestat.” “Fame is totally temporary for a creature that lives forever.”

(Sophie Giraud / AMC)

The surface answer might be fame. The character launches a music career, records songs and steps into the spotlight. But Reid doesn’t think that’s what drives him.

“It’s not fame that he’s after,” Reid said. “Fame is totally temporary for a creature that lives forever.”

Reid sees Lestat as someone searching for validation.

“Not for the vampire that he is, but for the human being that he was,” he said. “He’s been pretty heavily rejected. From Louis through the book, and then his mother knows exactly how to string him along, when to give him love and when to take it away. So he’s really looking for validation and going into an audience space is where he first experienced that.”

While developing the season, Reid says he became increasingly interested in the gap between the public version of Lestat and the person underneath it.

“His whole life has been performance,” Reid said. “His whole life has been a lot of adversity, and the way that he kind of climbs out of that is to build a construct that he can perform and operate in. It makes a lot of sense for him to do this rock star persona. Through this season you start to see him realize that the music and the art can allow him to access himself as opposed to it just being a performance.”

“He’s trying to discover his sound as a musician,” Reid continued. “But he’s also trying to discover who he is.”

Throughout the season, viewers see a musician struggling to connect.

“Why can’t I sell out 5,000 seats?” Jones says, describing the character’s mindset. “I used to be able to walk into a room and everyone would love me.”

For Jones, that’s ultimately what makes Lestat feel like a contemporary artist. Sure, he may be an immortal vampire, but he’s navigating the same questions that confront plenty of artists: How much of yourself to reveal? How much should one perform? Can admiration ever substitute for genuine connection?

By the time the season reaches its conclusion, Lestat is still larger than life. But he’s also a more complicated performer forced to reckon with the distance between being seen and understood. Jones said none of this would be possible without Reid in the role.

“I think his performance in Season 3 is one of the 10 greatest American TV performances of all time,” Jones says. “I’d put him right next to Carroll O’Connor, Walter White [played by Bryan Cranston] and James Gandolfini.”

“And I’d look at all of them and say, ‘You guys didn’t sing.’ ”

Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

Recently, I don’t exactly know why, I was overtaken by a concern that because of the impending merger of Paramount and Warner Bros., Olivier Assayas’ 2022 series adaption of his own film “Irma Vep” would be removed from the HBO Max streaming platform. With no official physical release, the series — starring Alicia Vikander as a Hollywood movie star making a project in Paris — could be effectively vanished from existence.

This is sadly inevitable, though some superfans have gone to extra-legal measures to ensure otherwise (not that we would ever endorse this). Most famously it’s happened with the original “Star Wars” trilogy. Billed as the “Grindhouse Edition,” these are discs of the first three “Star Wars” films sourced from scans of original film prints before the digital fixes and polish of the more recent official releases. Reengaging with these works in this way, scratches and all, is (I’m told) a strong reminder of why they hit so hard in the first place, similar to how it might be to reread a text in the original language instead of a more recent translation.

‘Indiana Jones’ marathon

Harrison Ford and Karen Allen on the set of 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

(Lucasfilm Ltd.)

The same deep understanding of genre filmmaking that went into the original “Star Wars” also went into “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the first adventure of the character of Indiana Jones. Directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Lawrence Kasdan and story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, the film is playful, thrilling and self-aware. It is made with such care, attention to detail and sense of fun that I remember how disappointed I was to discover not all movies would be like this.

There have of course been diminishing returns with the more recent run of Indiana Jones sequels, but the first three installments all have a real spark. And so the Secret Movie Club will present “Raiders,” 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and 1989’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” all on 35mm at the Million Dollar Theater in DTLA on Sunday in celebration of Father’s Day.

In her original review of the first film, Sheila Benson described that while watching it, she felt “a rush of gratitude which almost brought tears of contagious joy and — not to be corny about this — the strength of the film’s positive vision. If this is an era in which the heroic is lacking and the mediocre threatens us from every side, then ‘Raiders,’ which has no pretensions to importance, which is unabashedly wide-eyed and exaggerated and true blue but somehow cherishes the best in life and filmmaking — is a high-water mark.”

Plenty of jokes could be made about the movies having settled into what might be thought of as part of the dadcore canon: action-adventure movies that play well on TV and maybe you can take a short nap and not miss anything. So be it.

From one master to another

Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 thriller “North by Northwest.”

(Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty Images)

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has been making waves of late for his strong public stance against the use of AI in feature filmmaking. But it is worth remembering that he is also a deep and incisive thinker about older movies, a true fan, which makes his upcoming appearances at the Academy Museum a special occasion.

Del Toro will present five films by Alfred Hitchcock — 1946’s “Notorious,” 1943’s ‘Shadow of a Doubt,” 1959’s “North by Northwest,” 1953’s “I Confess” and 1972’s “Frenzy” — along with delivering a lecture on each of them. To see one great filmmaker reflect with such depth into the work of another is just remarkable. This is some genuine only-in-L.A. type stuff.

Comedy + politics = good fun

A scene from the 1976 movie “Car Wash.”

(Margaret Herrick Library / Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)

A raucous comedy set around the location of the title, “Car Wash” is also a sharp, politically minded satire about labor and money. Directed by Michael Schultz from a screenplay by Joel Schumacher, the film has an extended ensemble cast that includes Richard Pryor, Franklyn Ajaye, George Carlin and many others.

In his original review Charles Champlin compared “Car Wash” to films such as “American Graffiti” and “Nashville” and called it “light but not foolish. … The experience is exhilarating.”

A 50th anniversary screening at the Academy Museum on Saturday of a new 4K restoration will include a panel with Schultz and actors Bill Duke, Antonio Fargas, Melanie Mayron, Garrett Morris and Pepe Serna.

Collision report

James Spader in the 1996 movie “Crash,” directed by David Cronenberg.

(Jonathan Wenk / Fine Line Features)

The controversy that surrounded David Cronenberg’s “Crash” when it premiered at Cannes in 1996 and received a U.S. release in 1997 tended to overwhelm the actual movie. Shockingly explicit, the film is about a secret underground world of people who create a sexual fetish out of car crashes. An adaptation of the novel by J.G. Ballard, Cronenberg’s movie explores the cinematic obsession with sex and violence.

Over time, “Crash” has been evolving from a seemingly cursed object dogged by scandal into something that audiences can come to appreciate and admire — even if it is not a movie you can ever exactly fully understand. Part of Cronenberg’s brilliance is how enigmatic and unknowable his work can be: strange, inviting and enveloping while refusing easy or direct analysis.

The movie is playing twice locally this week, on Saturday at Vidiots in partnership with the Cinegogue, with special giveaways and exclusive merch, and again on Monday at the Academy Museum in 4K. Who will be brave (or perverse) enough to go twice?

A different view of Rio

Milton Gonçalves, center, in the 1974 movie “The Devil Queen.”

(Kino Lorber)

A drag queen (Milton Gonçalves) rules the criminal underworld of Rio de Janeiro in Antonio Carlos da Fontoura’s 1974 gangster drama “The Devil Queen,” an unlikely mix of camp aesthetics and gritty violence. Among the film’s many fans is Kleber Mendonça Filho, the filmmaker behind the recent Brazilian hit “The Secret Agent,” who referred to “The Devil Queen” as “bloody, nasty and full of personality.”

The movie is playing in a new 4K restoration at the Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills.

A musical melodrama returns

Raul Julia, left, and Teri Garr in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1981 movie “One From the Heart.”

(Rialto Pictures / American Zoetrope)

We have talked before about Francis Ford Coppola’s “One From the Heart,” a movie of such delirious audacity that it nearly ruined the filmmaker‘s career. A throwback musical about two lovers who break up in search of more excitement, the film stars Teri Garr, Frederic Forrest, Nastassja Kinski and Raul Julia.

On Saturday the film will screen at the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theater in a 70mm print for the first time in L.A. since 1990. The event is being dedicated to Dean Tavoularis, Coppola’s longtime production designer, who died in April. For “One From the Heart,” Tavoularis re-created the Las Vegas Strip on a studio back lot.

New this week

• Amy Nicholson is not a fan of the new “Toy Story 5,” writing in her review, “Pixar has continued adding shades to the same plot outline like a child with a box of 128 crayons (or a company clinging to its billion-dollar idea).”
• Glenn Whipp cast back into the “Toy Story” universe for a highly personal ranking of his 10 favorite “Toy Story” toys.
• Two gay teenage boys attempt to survive a supernatural entity and conversion therapy in Adrian Chiarella’s debut feature “Leviticus.” Jen Yamato spoke to the filmmaking team.
• I spoke to writer-director Michael Sarnoski about his new “The Death of Robin Hood,” starring Hugh Jackman in a subversively revisionist telling of the last days of the medieval bandit.

Welsh TV presenter Gethin Jones has opened up about his love life over the years

Gethin Jones is a much-loved Welsh TV presenter.

The 48-year-old played rugby union while studying at Manchester Metropolitan University and, upon graduating, kicked off his television career on Welsh language channel S4C, where he hosted children’s shows including Popty, Mas Draw and Uned 5.

In 2005, Gethin became the 31st presenter of the BBC’s beloved children’s programme Blue Peter. Then in 2020, he took on the role of host on the BBC’s weekday magazine show Morning Live, which is broadcast from studios in Salford.

He regularly appears on the programme alongside Helen Skelton, Michelle Ackerley, Gaby Roslin, and Janette Manrara.

That’s not all, as Gethin has also featured on Celebrity MasterChef, comedy drama Stella, and even took to the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor during season 5. What may come as a surprise to some fans is that Gethin once had a very well-known ex-fiancée, so here’s everything you need to know about the star’s romantic history, reports Wales Online.

Who is Gethin Jones’ famous ex-fiancée?

Gethin had a serious romance with Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins after the pair first crossed paths in 2007, while he was competing on Strictly.

The couple announced their engagement in February 2011. However, by December of that same year, both confirmed they had decided to part ways.

Reflecting on the break-up, Gethin previously opened up on Tom Bryant’s Outdoors in Mind podcast, saying: “I was engaged and then breaking up, afterwards, or even during that period, it was just awful… I definitely had a bad bout of depression during that time.” He continued: “It was horrible… a lot of what I read about myself wasn’t right.”

Gethin notably sought counselling in a bid to work through his emotions, explaining: “I saw someone, I had therapy for a couple of years and I still do my homework on that.”

Katherine has since moved on with American painter Andrew Levitas, with the pair tying the knot in 2014 and going on to have two children together.

Past romances and rumours

Three years after his separation from Katherine, Gethin enjoyed a brief romance with former TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh. The pair reportedly began dating in August 2014 after crossing paths at a Give Me Sport event.

Lucy later confirmed the relationship was short-lived, saying: “We went out a few times a while ago but it was bad timing for both of us.”

Gethin also dated model Katja Zwara in 2017, and was rumoured to have been linked to First Dates waitress Cici Coleman – though neither have confirmed a relationship.

There has also been considerable speculation in recent years surrounding a potential romance between Gethin and his Morning Live co-star Helen Skelton, though both have firmly denied they are dating.

When addressing the speculation in December 2025, Helen moved to quash the rumours, saying: “We just work together, we are not together. No, no, no. We are just work friends. They printed pictures of us at work and that we’re together because we are at work together.”

Speaking candidly about his friendship with Helen last year, Gethin revealed to The Sun: “We are very supportive of each other, we like to look out for each other. I think that’s fair to say on and off camera. You sometimes could get… you might need a little pep talk every now and then. Because she’s very passionate.”

Morning Live airs weekdays on BBC One at 9.30am

Paula Corbin Jones’ lawyers asked a judge in Little Rock, Ark., to order President Clinton to pay nearly $500,000 in legal reimbursements after he was found in contempt of court in her sexual harassment case. Their proposal came a month after U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright found Clinton in contempt for giving intentionally false testimony about his relationship with Monica S. Lewinsky. Wright ordered Clinton to pay Jones’ lawyers any expenses they incurred as a result of his false testimony. In a letter to Wright, Clinton lawyer Robert S. Bennett said Clinton will “object to the amount of the claim by Ms. Jones’ attorneys.”

TIKTOK star Becki Jones has revealed what she REALLY eats in a day on holiday at an all inclusive hotel.

Showing off her 10 stone weight loss in Tunisia, Becki, 32, could be seen eating yummy food and enjoying herself following the news of her engagement.

Becki, who has denied having used fat jabs or having surgery to shed the weight in around six months, began her day with some scrambled eggs and one slice of toast.

The slimmed down star then looked at the yummy cakes and pastries before opting for a bowl of yogurt with jam on top of it, a sprinkling of cereal and a tiny cupcake.

After breakfast, Becki headed outside and enjoyed a carton of apple juice.

She later sipped a fruity cocktail, which looked as though it had the consistency of a smoothie.

star’s joy

TikTok’s Becki Jones engaged to convicted con boyfriend after beachside proposal

WEIGHING IN

Sad truth behind Becki Jones’ weight loss after hols snaps as fans turn on her

Becki and her husband-to-be then looked at some of the food that was on offer on the beach.

Sitting down, Becki then zoomed into what was on her partner’s plate, which was fries and chicken nuggets, though it is not known if Becki ate anything.

Later on in the day, Becki ate a bowl of food that looked like minced beef, coleslaw, fries and some baguette without any butter.

She then headed outside again and enjoyed a yummy frozen cocktail.

Lounging beneath the sunshine, Becki opted for an ice cream which was in the flavour of ‘berries and cream’.

Back in her room, Becki had showered as she tucked into a packet of savoury snacks with some water.

Heading out again, Becki had a wander around before sitting down to eat two chunky spring rolls with a chilli dip.

She then ate what looked like mashed potatoes with a chicken kiev and broccoli.

Becki then enjoyed what looked like a creamy risotto dish before tucking into a berry-flavoured cake for dessert.

One fan commented on the post: “That risotto looked lush not gonna lie.”

While another said: “Great day of food!!! Looks so yum!”

This comes after Becki confirmed that her partner Chris Beattie had popped the question to her during a dreamy beachside proposal on their holiday.

Becki took to Instagram to share the moment that Chris got down on one knee to pop the question to the TikTok legend.

“We’ve been keeping a secret. I said yes. My fiancé, my Chrissy. What a surprise!!

“I was shocked, emotional, nervous laughing and we’ve been in a little bubble since Monday,” she penned online.

“You’ve not only shown me love but you’ve shown me kindness, respect and what it feels like to be treated like a princess.

“This was so special, romantic and the best kept secret.

“I love you Chrissy so so so much.

“Here’s to the future and making more memories.”

The BBC star was absent from her usual space on the green sofa as JB Gill and Angelica Bell fronted the programme.

Things looked slightly different during the latest episode of The One Show as people were quick to notice Alex Jones’ absence.

The Welsh star usually fronts the programme alongside a plethora of rotating presenters, including Roman Kemp, Vernon Kay and Clara Amfo.

However, on Wednesday night (June 10), BBC fans saw Angellica Bell and JB Gill opening the programme as they explained where the 49-year-old was.

Angellica said: “If you’re wondering where Alex is tonight, she’s at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition before it opens to the public next Tuesday.

“Last night, we revealed the successful artists, both amateur and professional, who were selected to have their work displayed in the world-famous gallery. Tonight, we’ve been invited to a special launch party to celebrate.”

The camera then cut to a clip of Alex inside Burlington House, where the event is taking place, as she walked through one of the rooms holding the artwork.

She said: “It’s one of my favourite nights of the year. Oh my goodness, there is so much to see here. Now, we’ve been following some of the artists all week who are hoping to get their work on the wall.

“Tonight, after 22 years of submitting, Vincent will finally see his on one of these walls, it’s going to be quite an emotional moment, I think.

“Also, you should see the guest list! There are celebrities everywhere here, and I might just get one for a chat later, who knows.”

The BBC star later spoke with Vincent who was overcome with emotion when he saw his artwork on the wall after two decades trying to achieve his goal.

Elsewhere on the show, Nikki Fox informed viewers that they won’t be seeing her on-screen for a while as Watchdog was taking a hiatus.

She told viewers: “We’re having a little break now. Going to have a little lie down and a bacon roll!

“But we are going to be back very soon with plenty more investigations from me, Matt and our new team members! We’ve got Nick Stapleton, who you saw tonight and Amanda Haque.”

As she wrapped up, Angellica told fans the Watchdog segment would return again in September.

The One Show is available to watch weeknights on BBC One from 7pm

Real Madrid to join Mateus Fernandes race, Brighton reject Spurs’ second Jan Paul van Hecke bid and Harry Maguire could leave Manchester United.

Real Madrid are set to join the race to sign Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes, 21, following West Ham‘s relegation from the Premier League. (Sun), external

Brighton have rejected a second bid from Tottenham Hotspur for Netherlands centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, 25. (Talksport), external

Harry Maguire could be allowed to leave Manchester United this summer, just months after the England defender, 33, signed a new contract. (Football Insider), external

Inter Milan have made an offer for England midfielder Curtis Jones, 25, but are currently some way short of Liverpool‘s valuation. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Liverpool could use Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, 27, as leverage in their bid to sign Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, 19, from RB Leipzig. (Teamtalk), external

Bayern Munich have said they have no intention of selling Michael Olise after Real Madrid said they would offer £130m for the France winger, 24. (Bild – in German), external

Bernardo Silva says that joining Barcelona is “an option” after leaving Manchester City but the Portugal midfielder, 31, is yet to make a decision on his future. (Marca – in Spanish), external

Tottenham‘s Italy international Guglielmo Vicario, 29, has emerged as the frontrunner as Juventus look to sign a new goalkeeper. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Coventry City have submitted a club-record £20m bid for Carl Rushworth, the 24-year-old English goalkeeper who helped the Sky Blues win the Championship while on loan from Brighton last season. (Talksport), external

Vinnie Jones is best known for playing villains on screen, but the actor and former footballer has shown a touching side.

Fans of Vinnie Jones are not used to seeing this side of him in his documentary series.

Celebrated actor and footballer Vinnie Jones is primarily recognised for portraying violent offenders and hardmen, but he has subsequently revealed a gentler nature.

The star presents a Clarkson’s Farm-style documentary series entitled Vinnie Jones in the Country, which follows him undertaking substantial projects at his extensive West Sussex rural property while confronting his own personal struggles.

In the third series of the programme, which broadcasts on Discovery+, he discussed acquiring the estate from its former owner and the commitments he made to her.

He was filmed clearing the barn at the property’s perimeter when he discovered some vintage photographs which had been abandoned by the woman. He explained how the former owner acknowledged it was a “struggle” to maintain it, noting: “She was terrified of losing her legacy.

“She didn’t want people coming in and splitting it up,” he stated. Numerous individuals had expressed interest in the property, but the owner was determined to sell to Jones.

He purchased the property while she remained alive and promised she could reside there until her death.

Handyman Paul Worby remarked on his friend’s compassionate character, observing: “That is a side of Vincent that not a lot of people see. He has got a very kind side.

“You know, he was very good to me when I was down. He kind of resonates with people who are at a bad stage in their life and tries to give them a bit of a pat on the back.”

Jones revealed one of the touching gestures he made honouring the former owner, explaining: “Part of the deal was, there is a little field down there called Mum’s Field. Her mum is buried down there. I put the ashes down there with her mum.”

While Worby and Jones examined the woman’s belongings, Worby remarked: “It’s someone’s life isn’t it, it’s someone’s memories.

“That’s why I get emotional about it all,” Jones responded. The actor purchased the property in Petworth, West Sussex, in 2022, several years following the death of his wife, Tanya.

She passed away after a battle with cancer and Jones has previously spoken about how relocating to the countryside “saved him”.

Vinnie Jones in the Country is available to stream on Discovery+

Jones’ performance wrote another chapter in his Wembley story, which started when he helped Coventry win the EFL Trophy in 2017 and being on their books when they won the League Two play-offs in 2018.

His previous visit for Notts involved him scoring a penalty in the National League promotion final shootout against Chesterfield in 2023.

He followed that up by representing Malta as a substitute against England in November 2023 before going on to be named League Two player of the year in 2024 after breaking a record shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne with 24 assists.

“I’d like to think there’s another chapter at Wembley coming for me,” said Jones. “I haven’t lost with a club. I’d like to think Wembley is a good place for me.”

County’s promotion was their 14th in EFL history, one short of the all-time record held by Grimsby Town, and Jones says there is no reason why they cannot be optimistic about the future.

“My godfather said to me when I went to Notts, ‘I really believe you can do something similar to what you did at Coventry and go up the leagues. Notts seem like the sort of club who would do something like that, they are a massive club’,” said Jones.

“It wasn’t that long ago that I was a Coventry City player and we got promoted against Notts in the play-offs. I hope they have forgiven me for that.

“Who knows where we can go. We are a fantastic club and I’m sure we’ll attract a lot of talent who will want to come and join us.”

As for it being a third major success among his significant clubs, Jones said he spoke about Arsenal, Coventry and Notts County having fruitful campaigns in a family group chat at the start of the season, saying it “would be amazing”.

“And it’s happened, fantastic.”

Vinnie Jones says one career moment is way above all others

Vinnie Jones believes winning the FA Cup will be written on his gravestone. Footballer and actor Jones, 61, was part of the Wimbledon team that stunned Liverpool in 1987 with their victory at Wembley. A new Netflix documentary looks at his extraordinary career working as a hod carrier and playing semi-pro football to becoming a Premier League star and then a Hollywood actor.

Looking back, Vinnie said: “I think the biggest achievement is the FA Cup. The odds, you know? Leeds was magnificent, but we built a good team and that was “shit or bust”—we had to get up that season. But Jack and the Beanstalk was a great story of mine as a kid, and that’s what we did at Wimbledon when we beat Liverpool.

“I remember the first round being 1-0 down against Mansfield away. Fast forward a few months, and you’ve beaten one of the greatest teams in the last 50 years. 1-0 in front of a hundred thousand people. It was some achievement. It will probably be on my gravestone, I should think.”

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Vinnie is still making movies and also now has his own reality TV show In The Country, detailing his life after taking on 2,000 acres of West Sussex countryside, but it hasn’t all been plain sailing. His wife Tanya died in 2019 with cancer, having beaten the disease several times in the past.

Asked if his attitude in life was all about proving people wrong, he said: “Not prove people wrong, but to keep trying to get to the summit. When you get to the ledge, there’s another ledge and another ledge. I don’t really know where the summit is, to be honest. So I’ll go to the next ledge and the next ledge. Hopefully one day I’ll get there and go, “There’s no more ledges.

“We’re happy in life right now. I’ve got a couple of great movies and TV shows. It’s been a long road; the last six years has been a long road for me. You can’t stay on the same ledge. You’ve got to look up.”

Vinnie admits in the doc he has a “big ego” but also that he had periods in his life when he struggled due to trouble he got into but also heavy drinking, with no one to talk to about his problems. He recalls how he considered suicide when he took a shotgun into the woods near his home and was struggling with his mental health.

He says in the film: “I was on the bed and I was just curled up like the baby position and I was like, enough. I can’t keep doing this to people, can’t do it to the family. So far, I thought I could go for a walk up the wood…. I took the gun, walked up the wood, and then all stupid things go through your head. And the easiest thing to do was just to stop it right there and then, that would be it.

“And then I sort of came round, like being knocked out I suppose like in boxing, when you come around and miss all the scream and the shouting and everything is slow motion and you’re kind of back, you go right f*** this.”

Later in the film he adds: “I’ve taken as many knocks as I’ve given, but I’ve grabbed every opportunity that’s come my way. Be someone, make your mark. I’ve made my mark.”

Asked what people should take away from his story in the documentary, Vinnie says: “I can remember back when I was cutting the grass at the Masonic School in Bushey, just looking up and thinking: give me one chance, one chance, wherever it is, third division, fourth division, please, I want to be a professional footballer. You’re saying that every day. And then all of a sudden, a bolt of lightning or a flash or a spark gives you that chance.

“Talk to the universe and be straight with the universe. Ask for what you want and don’t let it down when it gives you that chance. That’s what it is. There’s a reason why the chance to win the lottery is a billion to one. To build on your dreams is up to us. I think we’re the bricklayers and the carpenters of our own dreams.”

Asked about mistakes in his life, he said: “The biggest regret is not giving up drinking probably 20 years beforehand. I tried it but never stuck at it. I think I’d have achieved a lot more without the booze. When I first went to Wimbledon on that trial, I never had a drink for a year. I wanted to be the fittest I could be. And then I fell into the culture.”

He added: “I wasn’t a drinker or a smoker growing up; it was just football. It was all part of being part of the Crazy Gang. I think I’d have been a lot better player if I hadn’t drunk through my career. But when you’re a young lad from a building site and the next minute you’re playing in front of 50,000 people, you never think it’s going to end.

“Older people say, ‘I hope you’re putting money away because this won’t last forever,’ but they’re talking to a brick wall. You think it’s going to last forever.” Thankfully for Vinnie he found a new career and big paydays in films including Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

* Untold UK: Vinnie Jones is on Netflix from Tuesday May 26.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Eddie Jones suspended for four games over ‘verbal abuse’ of match officials during an Australian tour, Japan Rugby Football Union says.

Japan has suspended rugby coach Eddie Jones for four games and cut his salary for “verbal abuse directed at local officials” during an Australian tour.

The Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) said on Wednesday that the 66-year-old Australian violated their ethics and disciplinary regulations during a Japan Under-23 team tour of Australia from April 1 to 15.

“These measures relate to incidences of verbal abuse directed at local match officials,” the JRFU said in a statement.

They said Jones had “accepted this decision”.

“I accept the disciplinary action of the JRFU relating to the U23 Japan national team tour of Australia,” Jones said in a statement.

“Some inappropriate remarks that I made caused discomfort to local match officials and other related parties.

“I would like to offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved. I deeply regret my behaviour and words and will make every effort to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”

Jones will miss Japan’s Nations Championship opener against Italy in Tokyo on July 4 and not be allowed to take any part in two games pitting a Japan select team against Hong Kong on May 22 and 29.

He is also banned from the Japan XV game against the Maori All Blacks on June 27 in Nagoya and the full Japan side’s Nations Championship opener against Italy.

He is suspended from duty for six weeks between April 24 and June 5.

Former England boss Eddie Jones has been fined and suspended as head coach of Japan for abusing match officials during an under-23 tour of Australia last month.

The Japanese Rugby Football Union (JRFU) says that because of the “seriousness of the matter” and the contents of their contract with Jones, the 66-year-old has been stood down from his post for six weeks and banned from having any part in the Brave Blossoms’ next four matches.

Jones will miss his team’s opening Nations Championship match against Italy on 4 July, as well as two matches against a Hong Kong China Select side and a warm-up fixture with the Maori All Blacks.

The JRFU added that it had also imposed a salary reduction on Jones.

Jones, 66, said he accepted his punishment and “deeply regretted” his behaviour.

“Some inappropriate remarks that I made caused discomfort to local match officials and other related parties,” the Australian added.

“I would like to offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved.”

Japan’s under-23 team returned from the tour with three wins from four games, including a 38-21 victory over Jones’ old Sydney club side Randwick in their final match.

It is not the first time that Jones, who oversaw the Wallabies’ pool-stage exit from the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, has been involved in incidents on his return to his home country.

After a series-clinching win over Australia in Sydney in 2022, the then-England boss was twice involved in angry exchanges with fans calling him a “traitor”.

TIKTOK star Becki Jones has been praised by fans as she showed off her excess loose skin after her huge weight loss.

The social media sensation, 33 took to the platform and shared a video of her dancing up and down to Queen’s hit song, Don’t Stop Me Now.

In the clip, Becki was seen wearing a gym top and shorts and a black cap as she lipsynced to the words.

She wrote over it: “No I’m not embarrassed of my loose skin, I’ve got it it everywhere but it’s a reminder of how far I’ve come.”

Becki captioned the video: “I’m not bothered (as much) by it so you shouldn’t be either.”

Her loyal fans flocked to the comments section to praise her as one person said: “Loose skin is a way to know how far you have come!! You look incredible.”

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Another TikTok user penned: “You’ve done amazing and I hope you never feel any pressure to explain any of your weight loss journey as so many negative comments.

“You are 100% able to naturally lose weight like you have in the time you’ve taken.”

Somebody else commented: “That loose skin is a mark of a warrior. Wear it proudly! You’ve earned it!”

Yet another gushed: “You look amazing Becki, your journey is motivating me to be healthier, thank you hun.”

While a fifth added: “I’m so proud of how far you’ve come!! Seeing you happier is so nice.”

Becki has been at the centre of plenty of speculation about just how she lost her weight, with many people thinking she used fat loss jabs or opted for weight loss surgery.

Whilst Becki has stopped short of saying exactly how she managed to lose the pounds, she has previously alluded to withholding some information regarding her weight journey from public view.

Speaking recently on the Not My Bagg podcast, Becki admitted she would not be divulging any further information but revealed she was still going through something in regards to her weight.

She expressed: “I’ve been through, this is quite upsetting but I’ve been through quite a bad time with food, and I’ve fell out of love with food.

“I’m going through something, still to this day now, that I’m not comfortable talking about anywhere.

“I think people are getting that confused with me, they think I’ve had something done.

“Anything that I’m gatekeeping, as they call it, it’s nothing that would benefit people, it’s nothing that’s a quick fix for them.

“It’s nothing that would bring anything to their life.

“It’s one of the worst things I’ve ever been through.”

Becki gained popularity online thanks to her candid food diaries and lifestyle content.

She went viral in 2020 after posting a video of herself making a slow-cooker hot chocolate, which quickly amassed over 900,000 views.

TIKTOK star Becki Jones has admitted she “fell out of love with food” after losing a considerable amount of weight.

Becki, 33, has been subjected to countless rumours about how she slimmed down with many of her followers assuming she used fat jabs or opted for weight loss surgery.

Whilst Becki has stopped short of saying exactly how she managed to lose the pounds, she has previously alluded to withholding some information regarding her weight journey from public view.

Now, in a new interview, Becki has opened up on her relationship with food and her epic weight loss journey, which has seen her lose close to 11 stone.

Speaking on Not My Bagg, Becki admitted she would not be divulging any further information but revealed she was still going through something in regards to her weight.

Becki said: “I’ve been through, this is quite upsetting but I’ve been through quite a bad time with food, and I’ve fell out of love with food.

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“I’m going through something, still to this day now, that I’m not comfortable talking about anywhere.

“I think people are getting that confused with me, they think I’ve had something done.

“Anything that I’m gatekeeping, as they call it, it’s nothing that would benefit people, it’s nothing that’s a quick fix for them.

“It’s nothing that would bring anything to their life.

“It’s one of the worst things I’ve ever been through.”

Becki had previously made cryptic comments about her “not being honest” about how she lost the weight on a TikTok livestream.

Former Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones became the first among 34 defendants to plead guilty Tuesday in an expansive gambling indictment that also ensnared Hall of Fame player Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat star Terry Rozier and organized crime figures.

Jones was a Lakers coach in 2022 and 2023, long after he retired from an 11-year NBA playing career with 11 teams. Before a Feb. 9, 2023, game between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks in which LeBron James was a late scratch because of a foot injury, evidence showed that Jones urged a co-conspirator to “get a big bet on Milwaukee before the information is out!”

Jones urged his co-conspirator in a text: “Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!”

Jones and James were considered good friends for years. A person close to James told The Times in October that the Lakers star didn’t know that Jones was selling injury information to gamblers placing bets.

Jones had entered not guilty pleas in November to the two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in sports betting and rigged poker game schemes. However, during back-to-back hearings in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday, he entered guilty pleas to those charges.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6 before separate judges in the two cases. Guidelines call for 21 to 27 months in prison for the sports gambling charge and 63 to 78 months for the charge on rigged poker games. Prosecutors said they agreed to shave 15 months from the sentence in exchange for Jones pleading guilty by April 30.

He pleaded guilty in the sports betting case first. In a prepared statement, he acknowledged that he conspired with others to defraud sports betting companies by using “insider information that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player.”

Jones, 49, said the goal of the sports betting conspiracy was to use his insider knowledge of injuries to players to make money gambling.

“I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” said Jones, who was paid $21 million as a player.

Next came pleading guilty to participating in rigged poker games. Jones admitted that he was paid to use his NBA celebrity to lure deep-pocketed gamblers to poker games in Miami and New York.

Again reading from a statement, Jones said that, based on conversations with his co-conspirators at poker games, “I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated.”

And again he concluded with an apology, addressing the court, his family and friends.

“I’m really sorry to everyone involved for my actions,” he said.

Prosecutors said Monday they would seek additional charges against Rozier in the sports betting case because they had developed evidence that the 10-year NBA veteran solicited a bribe during an alleged gambling scheme.

According to the original indictment, when Rozier played for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, he told friends he was planning to leave a game early with a “supposed injury,” allowing others to place wagers. Rozier has made $135 million as a player.

Billups, who played with the Clippers for two seasons and later was a member of Clippers coach Ty Lue’s staff before being named head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021, is charged with rigging underground poker games that authorities said were backed by three of New York’s Mafia families. Billups, who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2024, made $107 million as a player.

Ireland’s Nations Championship fixture against Japan will take place at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, Australia on 11 July (11:00 BST).

Andy Farrell’s side open the inaugural tournament against Australia in Sydney on 4 July and will face the Brave Blossoms before travelling to New Zealand to take on the All Blacks at Auckland’s Eden Park on 18 July.

Ireland have won 10 out of 11 Tests with Japan, the sole defeat coming at the 2019 Rugby World Cup at Shizuoka Stadium. Ireland won the last meeting 41-10 in Dublin last November.

After July’s fixtures, Ireland will host Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in November at Aviva Stadium.

The biennial 12-team Nations Championship comprises six rounds of matches across the summer and autumn Test windows before a ‘finals weekend’ on 27-29 November at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

After each team has played the other six from the opposing hemisphere once, they are ranked within their own hemisphere.

The finals weekend in London will start with the sixth-placed northern hemisphere side taking on their southern hemisphere equivalent, and culminate in the two group winners taking each other on for the title.

The results on the finals weekend will also contribute to a north v south overall score and title.

Ireland’s fixtures (times BST)

4 July

Australia v Ireland, Allianz Stadium, 11:00

11 July

Japan v Ireland, McDonald Jones Stadium, 11:00

18 July

New Zealand v Ireland, 08:10

6 November

Ireland v Argentina, Aviva Stadium

14 November

Ireland v Fiji, Aviva Stadium

21 November

Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium

Finals weekend

27 November

Sixth-place North v Sixth-place South

Third-place North v Third-place South

28 November

Fifth-place North v Fifth-place South

Second-place North v Second-place South

29 November

Fourth-place North v Fourth-place South

First-place North v First-place South

On the soccer pitch, Cobi Jones was defined by blinding speed, a tireless work rate and an exceptional soccer IQ. But that’s not what stood out most when you watched him play.

It was the shoulder-length dreadlocks that made him instantly recognizable whether he was playing for the Galaxy or the national team.

So those became the most important — and more difficult — things to replicate in the nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture of Jones that the Galaxy will unveil Sunday before the team’s MLS matinee with Real Salt Lake.

“Essentially you build it out of clay and then you take it to a foundry and you pour bronze over the clay. That turns it into a statue,” said Galaxy president Tom Braun, who oversaw the process. “But you can’t do that with the hair. You have to build them individually and then solder them in.”

That meant artists Oscar Leon and Omri Amrany had to painstakingly join approximately 100 separate dreadlocks into the sculpture. The result, said Braun, one of two people other than the artists to have seen the finished statue, is remarkable.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime piece that is going to show him, and everything about him, in a really iconic way,” Braun said. “But I think when it comes to the hair specifically, they did a really nice job.”

The statue will join liked-sized tributes to David Beckham and Landon Donovan in Legends Plaza, which fronts the main entrance at Dignity Health Sports Park. Those sculptures, also done in Amrany’s studio, were unveiled in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

For Jones, the tribute is humbling.

“Just to be in the plaza itself and have a statue, that’s the incredible part for me,” he said. “When I’m long gone that statue will be there. My grandkids, hopefully, will still be able to see it.”

Yet having himself rendered in bronze was the furthest thing from Jones’ mind when he started playing soccer as a 5-year-old in Westlake Village.

“I don’t think that crossed anyone’s mind,” said Jones, 55. “It was all about just playing and having fun and trying to be the best player that I could possibly be. I was more focused on how do I beat the opponent in front of me than thinking about 20 years, 30 years down the road.”

”It makes me truly think about the past a bit more,” he continued. “All the various things that had to happen — that did happen — that came to this moment. It makes you kind of reminisce [on] the various histories and all the people that helped you.”

The statue is as much a monument to Jones’ self-confidence and refusal to quit as it is to his stellar playing career. Unable to land a scholarship coming out of high school, Jones used his academic success to enroll at UCLA, where he played as a walk-on for a strong Bruin team coached by Sigi Schmid. He wound up leading UCLA to its second NCAA championship while earning All-American honors — as well as a scholarship and a place in the school’s Hall of Fame.

Galaxy star Cobi Jones heads the ball above the Chicago Fire’s Carlos Bocanegra on Oct. 17, 2001.

(Fred Jewell / Associated Press)

He played the first of a U.S.-record 164 games with the national team in 1992 and played in the first of three World Cups in 1994 before starting a professional career that would take him to teams in three countries. He spent the majority of that time with the Galaxy, appearing in a franchise-record 306 games while making five All-Star teams and winning two MLS Cups, two Supporters’ Shields, two U.S. Open Cups and a CONCACAF title. He also served the team as an assistant coach and interim manager.

“It’s unequivocal that Cobi should have gotten a statue,” Braun said. “No one is doubting the contribution that Cobi Jones has had on the Galaxy and U.S. Soccer. So I think was an easy one for us to decide on and it’s probably long overdue.”

The plaza is nowhere near full, nor has the list of Galaxy players and coaches who deserve statues been exhausted, so Braun said there likely will be more sculptures added in the near future.

Jones had substantial input into the design of his statue, choosing the pose and offering other guidance. But it was important the statue show motion, as the Beckham and Donovan sculptures do. And the most obvious way to do that was to have Jones’ ample dreadlocks flowing behind him.

It might have been the most obvious way, but it certainly wasn’t the easiest one.

“We asked [Amrany] if he ever sculpted hair like this and he said no,” Braun said.

And he probably won’t do it again either — at least not for the Galaxy.

“They got to a point where they started to do it and we wanted some adjustments,” Braun recalled. “We wanted the hair to flow a different way and we thought maybe the hair was too long so we had them shorten it and move the hair a certain way that makes it look like it’s in motion.”

Although Jones said he wasn’t allowed to see the finished product so he has little idea how he has been rendered for history. He’ll find out Sunday.

“They took me out of the statue process as they started getting to the face and the head and hair and all that so that I could still have some element of surprise when it’s unveiled,” he said.

It figures to be a hair-raising moment.

⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.

By early 1963, the Station Hotel in London had become an epicenter of the burgeoning British blues scene. On a blustery, snowy night that February, the Rolling Stones’ classic early lineup took the stage for one of the first times, dazzling the audience with ferocious renditions of blues standards like Muddy Waters’ “I Want to Be Loved” and Jimmy Reed’s “Bright Lights, Big City.”

Multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, the band’s founder and leader, synchronized guitars with Keith Richards, who favored a distinctive slashing and stinging style. Drummer Charlie Watts, the group’s newest member, a jazz aficionado and an accomplished percussionist, propelled the music forward with a rock-solid beat.

Anchoring the rhythm section with him was bassist Bill Wyman, who was recruited more for his spare VOX AC30 amp that the guitarists could plug into than for his musical skills. The stoic bassist proved a strong and innovative player. Together, he and Watts would go on to form one of rock’s most decorated rhythm sections.

Ian Stewart’s energetic boogie-woogie piano style rounded out the sound. Months later, manager Andrew Loog Oldham kicked him out of the band for being “ugly,” although Stewart continued to record, tour and serve as the band’s road manager until his death in 1985.

This April 8, 1964, file photo shows the Rolling Stones during a rehearsal. The members, from left, are Brian Jones, guitar; Bill Wyman, bass; Charlie Watts, drums; Mick Jagger, vocals; and Keith Richards, guitar.

(Associated Press)

Fronting the group was Mick Jagger. Channeling the music like a crazed shaman, Jagger shimmied and sashayed, owning the stage like few lead singers have before or since. By the end of the night, the Stones had the crowd in a frenzy. Although only 30 people had made it to the gig because of the treacherous weather conditions, the hotel’s booker had seen enough: He offered the Stones a regular gig.

“The Rolling Stones had caught fire. The music they were playing and the way they played it struck a chord with a young crowd starved for something different, something their own… It was soul-stirring, loud and uncompromising,” writes Bob Spitz in “The Rolling Stones: The Biography,” his magisterial work that charts the 60-year journey of “the greatest rock and roll band in the world.”

Spitz, the author of strong biographies on the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, as well as Ronald Reagan and Julia Child, captures the drama, trauma and betrayals that have kept the Stones in the public’s consciousness for more than six decades. It’s all here: The Stones’ evolution from a blues cover band to artistic rival of the Beatles; the musical peaks — “Aftermath,” “Let It Bleed” and “Exile on Main Street” as well as misfires like “Dirty Work”; Keith’s descent into a debilitating heroin addiction that nearly destroyed him and the band; the death of the ‘60s at the ill-fated Altamont free concert; Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall and other lovers, partners and muses; the breakups, makeups and crackups; and perhaps most important, the unbreakable bond between Jagger and Richards at the center of it all.

Although Spitz unearths little new information, he excels at presenting the Stones in glorious Technicolor. Spitz homes in on the telling details and anecdotes that give the band’s story a deep richness and poignancy.

Take “Satisfaction,” the Stones’ 1965 classic and first U.S. chart topper. The oft-told story is that Richards woke up in the middle of the night, grabbed the guitar that was next to his bed, and recorded the iconic riff and the phrase “I can’t get no … satisfaction” on a cassette recorder in his Clearwater, Fla., hotel room before falling back asleep. But as Spitz notes, the song initially went nowhere in the studio. That is until Stewart purchased a fuzz box for Richards a few days later, which gave the tune a raunchier sound that perfectly matched Jagger’s lyrics of frustration and alienation. A classic was born.

Piercing the Stones mythology

Spitz’s deep reporting often pierces the mythology surrounding the band. Contrary to the popular belief of many fans, for instance, Jones bears much of the responsibility for the rift with his bandmates and his tragic demise.

The most musically adventurous member of the group — he plays sitar on “Paint It Black” and dulcimer on “Lady Jane” — Jones wasn’t a songwriter. That stoked his jealousies and insecurities, along with frontman Jagger stealing the spotlight from him. A monster of a man, Jones impregnated multiple teenage girls and physically and emotionally abused several women, including Pallenberg. Perhaps that’s why she left him for Richards. Over time, Jones made fewer contributions in the studio and onstage, becoming a catatonic drug casualty. The Stones fired Jones in June 1969 but would have been justified doing so a couple years earlier. He drowned in his pool less than a month later.

Author Bob Spitz

(Elena Seibert)

Similarly, Stones lore has long romanticized the making of “Exile on Main Street” in the stifling, dingy basement of Richards’ rented Villa Nellcôte in the South of France, where the Stones had decamped to avoid British taxes. In this telling, Richards, deep in the throes of heroin addiction, somehow managed to come up with one indelible riff after another built around his signature open G tuning — taught to him by Ry Cooder — leading the band to create one of the best albums in rock history. That’s not entirely accurate, according to Spitz.

Yes, Richards came up with the licks for “Rocks Off,” “Happy” and “Tumbling Dice.” But it’s equally true that a strung-out Richards missed myriad recording sessions, invited dealers, hangers-on and other distractions to Nellcôte, and repeatedly failed to turn up to write with Jagger. Far from completing the album in the druggy haze of a French basement, the band spent six months on overdubs at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, where Jagger contributed many of his vocals.

Beatles vs. Stones

One of the more interesting themes Spitz develops is the symbiotic relationship between the Beatles and Stones, with the Fab Four mostly overshadowing them — until they didn’t.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote “I Wanna Be Your Man” and gave it to the Stones, whose 1963 rendition, with Jones on slide guitar, became the group’s first UK Top 20 hit. The Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership inspired Jagger and Richards to begin penning their own songs. In early 1964, the Beatles came to the U.S. for the first time, making television history with their appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and playing Carnegie Hall. A few months later, the Stones kicked off their inaugural American tour at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino. In 1967, the Beatles released “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” a psychedelic masterpiece. The Stones responded with “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” a psychedelic mess.

The Rolling Stones: The Biography cover

As the Beatles began to splinter, Spitz writes, the Stones sharpened their focus. The band released “Beggars Banquet” in late 1968 and “Let It Bleed” the following year, albums every bit as innovative and visionary as “The White Album” and “Abbey Road.” For the first time, the two groups stood as equals.

When the Beatles broke up in 1970, the Stones kept rolling. With Jones replaced by virtuoso guitarist Mick Taylor — whose fluid, melodic style served as a tasty foil to Richards — they produced what many consider their finest works, “Sticky Fingers” and “Exile on Main Street.” More impressively, the band, with Taylor’s successor, Ronnie Wood, has continued to dazzle audiences with incendiary live shows, touring as recently as 2024 behind the late-career triumph “Hackney Diamonds.” The Beatles, by contrast, retired from the road in 1966 and devoted their energies to the studio.

Hundreds of books have been written about the Rolling Stones, but few sparkle quite like Spitz’s. For anyone who loves or even likes the Stones, it’s indispensable.

Like most of the band’s biographers, Spitz gives short shrift to the post-“Exile” period after 1972. He curtly dismisses 2005’s strong “A Bigger Bang” and 2016’s “Blue & Lonesome,” a back-to-basics album of blues covers, as “adequate endeavors that signaled a band living on borrowed time.” That critique is both off target and under-developed. Spitz ignores the band’s legendary live album, “Brussels Affair,” recorded in 1973, or why the band waited decades before officially releasing it.

These are small quibbles. Spitz has written a book worthy of its 704-page length; another 50 or so pages covering the later years would have made it even stronger. To quote the Rolling Stones: “I know it’s only rock ‘n roll, but I like it, like it, yes, I do.”

Marc Ballon, a former Times, Forbes and Inc. Magazine reporter, teaches an advanced writing class at USC. He lives in Fullerton.

For the first time, BBC will air the first ever full-length series of the show – six episodes filmed across six weeks – as the celebrities will face a range of weekly business challenges set by the business mogul

The Celebrity Apprentice line-up has been confirmed, with TV presenter Gethin Jones, singer Alexandra Burke and Love Island star Toni Laites all set to face Lord Sugar.

For the first time ever, BBC will air the first ever full-length series of the show – six episodes filmed across six weeks – as the celebrities face a range of weekly business challenges set by the business mogul.

Competing for the chance to win a £100,000 donation to a charity of their choice, they will each be hoping to prove their business acumen and ultimately be crowned The Celebrity Apprentice winner.

There will be another change to this star-studded series – the boardroom will relocate to a London City skyscraper, providing a distinctive new setting for Lord Sugar’s final deliberations.

The full line up includes Alexandra Burke, actor Danny Miller, presenter Gethin Jones, dancer and presenter Jordan Banjo, journalist Kay Burley, actress and online personality Maddie Grace Jepson, presenter, podcaster and content creator Max Balegde, Gladiator Sheli McCoy, UK garage legend DJ Spoony, TV and BBC Radio 2 presenter Richie Anderson, comedian and writer Laura Smyth and television personality Toni Laites.

Lord Sugar said: “We’ve not done anything like this before, and it’ll be entertaining to see these 12 celebrities being put through six weeks of some brilliant business challenges. But just because they’re celebrities, it doesn’t mean they’re going to get an easy ride, especially when there’s £100,000 at stake for their chosen charity.”

Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at the BBC says: “This brand-new full-length series of The Celebrity Apprentice takes everything audiences love about the format and turns the pressure right up. This year’s celebrities arrive with strong reputations – but in the boardroom, status counts for nothing.

“They’ll be tested on leadership, teamwork and commercial instinct, and only those who can truly deliver will make it through. It’s bold, unpredictable and hugely entertaining – and viewers are in for a brilliant ride.”

Broadcast details for The Celebrity Apprentice will be confirmed in due course. The announcement comes after Karishma Vijay was crowned the winner of the BBC business show last week after an all-female final, which saw her battle it out for Lord Sugar’s coveted investment against Pascha Myhill.

Karishma, from Surrey, recounted the moment Lord Sugar told her she had won and would be receiving his £250,000 investment, and said: “I was so blown away, so shocked – but I kept it very cool. Then, I got in my car and I was screaming. It was just insane – I can’t believe I’ve gone and done it after not having watched the show, I feel like that’s so cheeky.”

Explaining his decision on the hit BBC show, Lord Sugar said: “As always, it was close competition in the final after two outstanding pitches by two brilliant young businesswomen. But Karishma really impressed me throughout the process and has proven why she deserves my investment. She’s a proper grafter and she’s got that entrepreneurial spirit that I always look for. The cosmetics industry is one I know a lot about, and I know our partnership will pave the way for a bright future.”

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Bayern Munich are keen on Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers, Curtis Jones is preparing to leave Liverpool this summer, and Real Madrid are considering appointing former manager Jose Mourinho.

Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers is a target for Bayern Munich, who have joined Chelsea and Manchester United in wanting the 23-year-old England forward. (Football Insider), external

England midfielder Curtis Jones, 25, is preparing to leave Liverpool this summer, with Aston Villa ready to step up their interest. (Teamtalk), external

Manchester City continue to prioritise a move for Newcastle United‘s England defender Tino Livramento, 23, but are also looking at alternatives. (Teamtalk), external

Real Madrid are considering appointing former manager Jose Mourinho, who is in charge of Benfica. (Record – in Portuguese), external

Real Madrid will make a decision on manager Alvaro Arbeloa’s future at the end of the season. (Marca – in Spanish), external

Real Madrid are planning a major overhaul of their squad in the summer, with France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 23, possibly leaving. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Coventry City’s promotion to the Premier League means the loan move of Nigeria midfielder Frank Onyeka, 28, from Brentford will become permanent. (Talksport), external

Lorient are considering former Lens and Southampton boss Will Still as a candidate to become manager. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has brought forward a meeting with manager Antonio Conte to discuss his future amid reports linking him with the Italy team. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external