MANCHESTER United midfielder Mason Mount has found love.
I can reveal that the England international was seen with his arm around marketing executive Jordan Porter on a family trip to Lapland in Finland over the Christmas period.
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Mason Mount has gone public with his new girlfriend Jordan PorterThe Manchester United player was seen with his arm around Jordan on a family trip to LaplandCredit: supplied
It is understood that the couple met through Mason’s pal Ben Harris who is engaged to Jordan’s sister Jodie.
A source said: “Mason and Jordan have been friends for a long time after being introduced through Ben.
“Family is important to Mason so having Jordan on the Lapland trip meant a lot.
“Mason’s performance on the pitch has also improved so it looks like Jordan is a keeper.”
Mason shared a snap of himself with his arm around Jordan at Lapland with his 5.6million followers last month.
The footie ace also posted a glimpse of two red stockings under his Christmas tree, embroidered with an M for Mason and J for Jordan. His brother Lewis also shared a picture of their family to his 16,600 Instagram followers.
Mason was pictured next to Jordan and with his arm around his dad Tony.
The pair were first linked in February 2024 when they were both pictured with a group of friends at the v.
Mason and Jordan also joined Ben and Jodie on their trip to Ibiza in July.
Jordan is Head of Experiences for London-based event planning service, GP Management, and grew up in South East London.
Mason had previously stated that football was his number one priority over finding loveCredit: Getty
Asked about his relationship status, he said: “Football is my priority.”
It sounds like Jordan is his new No1.
Tim’s scored Ad
MOVIE star Timothee Chamalet is a huge football fan, supporting both Chelsea FC and French club AS Saint-Etienne – and now I can reveal he has been signed up by sports giant Adidas to film a huge World Cup ad.
The actor, who is dating Kylie Jenner, shot a top-secret campaign last month in Barcelona alongside Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, ex of Kylie’s sister Kendall, and British Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.
A source tells me: “Adidas bosses were chuffed to bring Timothee on to the ad and paid a lucrative fee.
“It is believed the film will drop during the lead-up to the World Cup.”
Timothee has recently been on an epic press tour for his latest flick Marty Supreme, while mostly donning movie merch.
He’ll have to mix that up once the ad drops.
Jossa is strong for family
JACQUELINE JOSSA is determined to start 2026 in strong spirits, despite a probe into online death threats against her.
EastEnders actress Jacqueline Jossa had been sent menacing messages on social mediaCredit: BBC
But Jac who shares two daughters with husband Dan Osborne, is focusing her energy on her family and work.
A source said: “She trusts the police to investigate. She is not changing her routine and she is still fulfilling her commitments with family and work.
“She is very calm and content in the knowledge the police are dealing with it.”
Jacqueline posted Instagram snaps with the children and Dan in London’s Covent Garden last month.
She wrote: “I love this time of year so much. I love the age the kids are now. They are older but the magic is still here, it’s just different.”
It comes as the actress, who plays Lauren Branning in Albert Square, feared for her character when the soap’s top boss called her in for a meeting last year.
Of the flash-forward episode that aired on New Year’s Day, she said: “It’s always scary when you get called up to a meeting.
It’s either, ‘You’re going to be thrown off the roof of the Vic’ or it’s just a catch-up.”
Leo’s worry
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO says the film industry is “changing at lightning speed”.
The Hollywood star has bemoaned documentaries vanishing from cinemas and the fact viewers prefer to watch on streaming services.
In The Times’ Culture Mag, he added: “Do people still have the appetite?
“Or will cinemas become silos, like jazz bars?”
Tina will Corrie on
Tina O’Brien signed her new Coronation Street contract just before Christmas, it can be revealedCredit: Getty
CORRIE star Tina O’Brien has signed a new contract keeping her on the cobbles for another year.
The star, who began playing Sarah Platt in 1999, had a tough 2025, splitting from her husband Adam Crofts – father of her son Beau – after seven years of marriage.
Tina who also has daughter Scarlett with her former co-star Ryan Thomas, then revealed in November her beloved dad Steven had died.
A Corrie source said: “Tina had a very difficult 2025, so bosses wanted to reassure her there was nothing to worry about where her job was concerned. She put pen to paper just before the Christmas break.
“Obviously, there have been a lot of changes over the last few months and the last thing they wanted was for her to worry about her role on Corrie.
“She is very much adored on set and her character has got some big things coming up this year.”
Hopefully, 2026 is off to a better start . . .
Hannah Hope’s annual 2026 showbiz calendar
Cynthia Erivo and the Wicked: For Good cast will be hoping to triumph at the Golden Globe AwardsCredit: Getty
JAN: Dust off your sequins as 2026 season kicks off with the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles on January 11.
Comedian Nikki Glaser will return as host, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the running for gongs for their roles in Wicked: For Good, while Kpop Demon Hunters are up for their catchy track, Golden.
Rock band All Time Low will begin the UK leg of their Everyone’s Talking Tour on January 20 in Glasgow.
FEB: For the first time in its history, The Brit Awards will be heading up north to Manchester on February 28.
Jack Whitehall is back as host with pop star Tate McRae rumoured to perform at the star-studded show at the city’s Co-op Live Arena.
Fresh from the Strictly final, West End star Amber Davies will return to the stage as Elle Woods in the Legally Blonde musical at Leicester’s Curve Theatre on February 7.
The 2026 Grammys will hit Los Angeles on February 1 at the Crypto.com Arena.
Britain’s brand new boyband December 10 will release their debut single. The band consists of Cruz 19, Danny, 17, Hendrick, 19, John, 17, Josh, 17, Nicolas, 16, and Sean, 19.
Wolf Alice will be performing at the Teenage Cancer Trust Gigs at London’s Royal Albert HallCredit: Alamy
MAR: After the success of her album West End Girl, Lily Allen is set to kick off her album tour in Glasgow on March 2.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals returns in May for a nationwide tourCredit: BBC/Ray Burmiston
MAY: Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals returns in dazzling style.
Fans can see 11 pros – including Vito Coppola and Nancy Xu – take to the dance floor for the ultimate night out.
The nationwide tour, which travels around the country throughout May, kicks off at the Globe Theatre in Stockton-on-Tees on April 29.
Meanwhile, the glamour of the South of France will come alive with the 79th edition of The Cannes Film Festival on May 12.
JUN: A Glastonbury-shaped hole will be filled with the Isle of Wight Festival.
Lewis Capaldi, Calvin Harris and The Cure form the incredible line-up for the four-day festival which starts on June 18.
Following the global success of Wicked, pop star Ariana Grande will return to the stage for The Eternal Sunshine Tour, which begins on June 6 at the Oakland Arena in California.
Lewis Capaldi will perform at the Isle of Wight Festival with Glastonbury taking a year outCredit: Getty
JUL: Michael Bublé proves he does not just defrost for the festive season – as he headlines Blenheim Palace Festival in Oxfordshire on July 4.
Rapper Pitbull – aka Mr Worldwide – returns to the UK with special guest Kesha on July 10 for BST Hyde Park in London.
Lewis Capaldi will also be performing at the festival on July 11 and 12.
AUG: All Points East in London’s Victoria Park will see our favourites Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress and Lorde headline the festival on August 22.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs for three weeks from August 7, filling the city with the best theatre, comedy and music.
Zara Larsson will be performing at All Points East in London’s Victoria ParkCredit: Getty
SEP: The 31st National Television Awards will see your fave soap stars battle it out to be crowned the winner on September 8 at London’s O2 Arena.
Meanwhile the 2026 Emmy Awards are set to take place on September 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The nominations will be revealed on July 8.
Watch it
The long awaited sequel to The Devil Wears Prada is one of the films to look forward to in 2026Credit: Getty
ANNE HATHAWAY and Meryl Streep return in The Devil Wears Prada 2 on May 1.
Valentine’s Day just got even more romantic as Margot Robbie stars alongside Jacob Elordi in a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, which is out on February 13.
Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow starring Milly Alcock will hit cinemas on June 26.
Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the gang return in Toy Story 5 on June 19.
Cillian Murphy stars in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple which is out on January 14.
Christmas was only a few days away and the Finnish capital of Helsinki was ringing with festive cheer as we explored the Tuomaan Markkinat in Senate Square, sipping from mugs of hot, spicy glögi (mulled wine), and biting into joulutorttu (jam-filled puff pastries shaped like catherine wheels). A cold front had brought abundant snow and inhaling was rather painful at -8C, but nothing could still the tremble of excitement.
Along with my husband and two young daughters, I was here to take the Santa Claus Express to the northern city of Rovaniemi, the heart of Finnish Lapland – and the “official” home of Father Christmas. A regular commuter train for the rest of the year, come late November the Santa Claus Express is Finnish Railways’ flagship service, offering the ultimate sleeper-train adventure. As I checked my watch and announced it was finally time to make our way to Helsinki central station, the girls were pink in the cheeks, eyes sparkling from all the surrounding golden lights.
Inaugurated in 1919, the edifice of the majestic art nouveau station swept over us as our footsteps echoed beneath its arches, the ceiling hung with neoclassical chandeliers.
Our train was almost 20 minutes late and the anticipation was palpable as passengers shifted from one fur-trimmed boot to the other, a mass of parkas and puffer jackets milling around. Bobble-hatted children glanced hopefully at every train entering the station, their breath twisting up on the air. This is a bucket-list trip filled with snowscapes, perky elves, reindeer rides, husky sledding and northern lights, but I was quietly terrified that something might go wrong: a cancellation perhaps or a lengthy weather delay.
Helsinki central railway station. Photograph: Ryhor Bruyeu/Alamy
Then, at 7.45pm precisely, the Santa Claus Express appeared, red tail lamps blazing as it reversed in through the darkness, and my fears were allayed.
As a child, this train would have fulfilled my every dream. But who was I kidding? As an adult it still did. The green and white doubledecker, with Santa’s jolly face painted on the side, came to a standstill, the doors hissed open and we tumbled on board, clambering upstairs to our compartment. On one side were bunks and on the other an en suite toilet that converted to a shower area. With hot water, underfloor heating and a window seat to watch nature’s slideshow playing outside, it was perfect.
Up to the age of 10, children travel for free as long as they share a berth with another passenger, and the berths were wide enough for my husband and me to top and tail with the girls. I’ve travelled on more than 100 sleeper trains over the last 15 years, and this was the finest I’d yet found.
To hoots of delight and feet thumping along the corridors, we stashed bags and headed for the restaurant car, where a large family was already crammed into one booth, watchingthe movie Elf dubbed into Portuguese. Tinsel was wound up the brass bars, mistletoe peeked out from the backs of banquettes and the windows were sprayed with snow, the glass already steamed up. The aroma of home-cooking filled the car and a waitress soon arrived with a bowl of reindeer stew and two dishes of meatballs and mash (80,000 portions of which are sold every year according to the railways’ website).
The writer and her family on the Santa Claus Express
“What meat is this?” my elder daughter asked, dangling a piece of smoked reindeer into her mouth like a Roman ruler. It was a moment I’d been dreading. How could I tell her they were wolfing down the protagonist of their favourite Christmas song?
“Well,” I said, “in Finland they eat lots of different things depending on what they can grow and farm, and this is … reindeer.”
She shrugged and finished the bowl just as I noticed the train was on the move, the twinkle of the city already giving way to woods, branches sagging under the weight of snow.
Aware that other families were waiting to dine, we grudgingly gave up our booth and squeezed through what was starting to feel like a pub on New Year’s Eve, beer spilling on to tables amid the warmth and cheer of strangers exchanging stories and jokes.
Back in our compartment, the girls were soon tucked in. The train was strikingly smooth, barely a hum detectable over the sounds of parents yelling at their kids through the air vents. As the girls slept soundly, and my husband read, I sat at the window searching the darkness. Black lakes flashed under street lamps, sheets of ice dusty between skinny branches. From the little pull-down seat I could see how fragmented Finland’s landscape was: a mass of islands, lakes and forests locked together.
Cabins with igloo roofs at the Apukka resort beneath the northern lights
It was a worthwhile venture scouring the scene, watching walkers with their dogs, locking eyes with late-night smokers on their balconies, and spotting wreaths hanging on doorways. A single fox darted across a car park and I wondered what it might feel like to travel into the polar darkness. Tomorrow there would be no sunrise, so I left the blind up and climbed into bed.
The train drew into Rovaniemi just after 7am and we were soon at the Apukka resort, a collection of igloo-style cabins built around a lake. While husky rides and petting reindeer were high on the list, Santa Claus Village, which is on the Arctic Circle line, was our first port of call and we were soon in a queue curling up and around a staircase towards the magical wooden grotto.
I’d dreamed about this moment since becoming a parent. Bringing my children to meet the big man, watching their mouths fall open with joy. In reality, the girls had spent the last half hour grumbling about being bored and pinching each other, and I was now gripping their wrists and mouthing threats through gritted teeth. My elder daughter was also unconvinced about Santa’s identity. “It was Sophie’s dad, Steve,” she had said after the previous year’s school winter fair. How could they not see how special this moment was? On the verge of tears, I pulled the girls apart and eventually we made it to the front of the queue.
The writer’s daughters meet a man with an unfeasibly large beard in the Santa Claus Village
Inside, two elves were setting up their camera and I looked across to where Santa was sitting in a chair, knee-length beard and giant felt boots in place. He smiled over pince-nez and beckoned the girls, who had fallen silent. Exchanging looks, they shyly sat down. This was a Santa who was authentic enough to make me a believer again. He asked if he could visit in a few days, and they nodded, accepting two gift bags and waving. Outside, they pulled out two plush reindeer toys and beamed. “He was definitely the real Santa,” said my elder daughter, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “His beard was real.”
Making our way back outside, I barely noticed the chill. Flushed with warmth I looked down at the smiling faces and gave silent thanks for what had finally turned out to be our family Christmas miracle.
A two-person cabin on the Santa Claus Express from Helsinki to Rovaniemi starts from €239 one way on VR railways (travel time 11¾ hours)
Monisha Rajesh is the author of Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train, published by Bloomsbury (£22). To support the Guardian, buy a copy from guardianbookshop.com
From walking around in -32 degrees, eating Reindeer pizza, to having just a few hours of daylight – here’s what it’s really like to work in Lapland over Christmas
Saul Vendrig Castillo works in Lapland, describing it as a ‘real-life snow globe’(Image: Saul Vendrig Castillo/TUI)
Lapland is one of the most enchanting and Christmassy places in the world during this time of year, with its snow-dusted forests and roaming reindeer. Yet, imagine if the Arctic wilderness was the backdrop to your working day? And we’re not talking about being Santa Claus.
Saul Vendrig Castillo compares his office to a ‘real-life snow globe’ as he spends the most wonderful time of the year in Lapland, Finland, as a TUI representative. His job is to help create unforgettable moments for families who visit the magical winter wonderland, and it certainly comes with its perks.
“Every day I’m surrounded by snow, excitement and pure joy. Kids step off the plane with their mouths open in amazement, and you can feel the Christmas magic in the air. It’s like working inside a real-life snow globe!”, Saul said.
“Lapland is one of the only places on earth you can experience the magic of gliding through snowy forests, wrapped up warm, with a majestic reindeer leading the way. It’s peaceful, magical and gives you time to soak up the Lapland winter wonderland.”
Yet, it can come with its challenges as he revealed: “In December, we get just over two hours of daylight, which means at 4pm, it can feel like bedtime.” However, that hasn’t stopped Saul from making the most of the local delicacies, including one that some might frown upon.
“Reindeer pizza is amazing, and much better than I expected! I can also highly recommend a liquorice cake with blueberry ice cream that I ordered a few days in a row, as it was so good,” said Saul.
His job in Lapland can range from greeting families at the airport, helping them with their snowsuits and boots, to organising thrilling outdoor excursions such as husky sleigh rides, reindeer safaris or snowmobiling.
“The children get to ride in sledges pulled by a team of energetic huskies. The sound of their paws on the snow and the speed of the sledge make it an unforgettable adventure. Everyone leaves smiling and talking about it for days,” he explained.
But he confessed that the most rewarding part of his job is seeing the smiles on the children’s faces when they meet Santa. “When families visit Santa, it’s really special,” he shared.
“The children get to meet him in his cosy, twinkling cabin, tell him what they’ve been wishing for, and even receive a little gift to take home. The excitement in their eyes is priceless, and it’s magical for the parents to see too.”
Saul added: “When a child sees their first reindeer or throws their first snowball, that’s the moment you realise how special this job is. Then you take them to meet the Big Man, and their faces light up in a way you never forget. Parents often tell me this is the Christmas they always dreamed of giving their kids, so it’s really special to be a part of that experience.”
Currently in Lapland for his second season with TUI, Saul has picked up a few handy tips for those looking to visit the enchanting destination. He advised: “Make sure you bring lots of loose layers to wear under your snow suit as they trap the heat, whereas tight clothes can make you colder fast. And once you feel the chill, it’s hard to get rid of it, some days it can get to –32 degrees.”
He added that because Lapland only gets just over two hours of daylight in December, it’s best to “plan your activities with this in mind to really maximise those daylight hours”.
Additionally, Saul suggested: “For many people visiting Lapland, their bucket list goal is to see the Northern Lights, and my one piece of advice is to always be patient with them. They can be unpredictable, but they really are a sight to behold when they appear in the evening.”
During the summer season, Saul works as a TUI rep in various countries, including Greece, the Costa del Sol, and Mallorca. Yet, there’s something about Lapland, “The snow, the lights, the magic, the excited families always pull you back. There’s nowhere else like it,” he said.
If you’re interested in soaking up the festive merriment or planning a winter getaway for next year, TUI offers various packages to Lapland, departing from regional airports across the UK. The packages typically include flights, snowsuits, activities and transfers, and of course, the chance to meet Santa and witness the Northern Lights.
Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
