REALITY star Katie Price has hit back at rumours her marriage to Lee Andrews is on the rocks as she shut down speculation in a feisty move.
The couple, who tied the knot in January, were due to appear on GMB on Tuesday but Lee failed to reach the UK leaving Katie to face the interview solo.
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Katie Price has hit back at Lee Andrews marriage speculation after his UK no show dramaCredit: InstagramKatie today announced Lee would be taking a break from social mediaCredit: Getty
‘Businessman’ Lee Andrews failed to fly into the UK for his scheduled GMB interview alongside his wife Katie PriceCredit: Lee Andrews/FacebookReality star Katie said her and Lee are ‘very happy’ in their marriageCredit: Backgrid/Instagram
She reposted a picture of a Bratz doll blowing a kiss, with the caption: “Glad I’m the girl being talked about not the miserable one doing the talking.”
She said: “Due to all the madness of trolling, people’s speculation and media frenzy that as a married couple we have both decided @wesleeandrews is taking a break from social media.
“And we are keeping things between us for now as it’s our life and marriage and are very happy.”
She explained on her podcast The Katie Price Show: “I said to him, ‘If you don’t turn up to England this time, what’s the deal? Tell me what’s going on because I’m not flying out to Dubai now. I’ve got family, my kids and my job here’.”
Katie said: “If you can’t come to the UK and you are on a flight ban, it’s fine. Just tell me. Does it matter if you can’t fly out of Dubai for whatever reasons, whether it’s two years, three years or never, just tell me.
“I want answers. Just a bit of respect. Just tell me what’s going on.”
KATIE Price has dropped a huge hint that she’s already forgiven husband Lee Andrews after their recent public row sparked split speculation.
The former glamour model shared a gushing loved-up post on Instagram just hours after ditching her wedding ring in a new photo.
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Katie Price has dropped a huge clue that she’s still in love with LeeCredit: GettyKatie Price has hinted she’s forgiven Lee following their rowCredit: Instagram
Katie Price had earlier shared a photo where she appeared to ditch the huge diamond wedding ring husband Lee Andrews gave her when they married earlier this year.
However, just hours later, Katie shared a post posing the hypothetical question: “What’s he like?” before responding with what appeared to be a gushing tribute to her husband, who was also tagged.
She wrote: “He’s like all the love I’ve ever poured out into the world finally found its way back to me, wrapped in human form.”
Katie has shared a sweet post which appears to be about Lee AndrewsCredit: Backgrid/InstagramKatie’s husband Lee failed to turn up for an appearance on Good Morning BritainCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
After claiming he missed the flight due to business commitments, Katie defended him, while Lee later shared a social media clip hitting back at claims he had been detained.
However, speaking on her Katie Price Show podcast with sister Sophie Price, Katie admitted: “I have said to him, ‘You’ve made me look like a d**k, you’ve made yourself look like a massive d**k.
“He hasn’t made it to the UK and I’ve said to him he needs to make it to the UK, because if he doesn’t, then there’s obviously something not right going on.”
She added: “And if he does make it to England, it will shut all the rumours up.”
There is ongoing speculation thatKatie‘s husband Lee, 43, is unable to leave the United Arab Emirates cityafter allegedly forging his ex-girlfriend Dina Taji’s signature to secure a £200,000 loan – something he’s strongly denied.
Lee Andrews has altered his social media pages after wife Katie Price expressed frustration about him not making it to the UKCredit: wesleeeandrews/InstagramHe’s switched the comments section off on a number of his online postsCredit: Backgrid/@Katie Price
Now Lee has turned off all the comments sections on his recent social media posts so he can’t receive messages from fans.
Katie said time is running out for Lee in an ultimatum on her podcast, The Katie Price ShowCredit: @KatiePriceYoutube/BackgridKatie had to appear on Good Morning Britain alone because Lee didn’t make it, and said he made her look like a “d**kCredit: BackGrid
Speaking on her podcast The Katie Price show, she said: “I’ve said to him, he needs to make it to the UK, because if he doesn’t, then it’s obviously something not right going on.”
She then admitted to confronting Lee over the situation, and said: “It’s the fact you keep saying you’re coming and then don’t come.
“Of course, everyone is going to flag up. Even I’ve flagged it up to him.
“Big time I’ve flagged it up now. I said, ‘Don’t do that to me again. Me having to go on live TV without you and make me look stupid and a d***.
“No wonder everyone’s saying, ‘You’re this, you’re that’, because they’ve got a reason to say it. I agree with everyone.”
FORMER glamour model Katie Price has taken a fresh swipe at “missing” Lee as it seems they weren’t on the same page when he failed to show up in the UK.
Katie Price has slammed Lee on social media, captioning a video ‘Where’s Wa-Lee’ after he failed to show up in the UKCredit: @KatiePriceYoutube/BackgridLee posted snaps from the airport in Dubai but fans are convinced they caught him in another lieCredit: wesleeeandrews/Instagram
Katie was left fuming with the Dubai-based “businessman,” who she married in January, and has even issued him an ultimatum.
Lee Andrews and Katie Price tied the knot in JanuaryCredit: InstagramKatie was left blindsided by Lee when he didn’t arrive for their scheduled GMB interview earlier this weekCredit: BackGrid
It seems Katie is beginning to question her man as she bantered that he was hard to track down.
In the video, she said: “I just want him here, just to visit here and shut everyone up that he can get here.
“So next week when we do the pod we’ll find out whether he’s come to England or not and we’ll see what he’s said.”
Lee has claimed he was going to fly into the country multiple times but is yet to show up.
With Lee still mooching about the UAE, Katie admitted today that she has started to question her husband.
She captioned a post on social media: “Time is running out for Lee and he needs to give a good reason as to why he can’t get back because I am not going back to Dubai.”
During her podcast, The Katie Price Show, she admitted to confronting Lee over the situation.
She said: “It’s the fact you keep saying you’re coming and then don’t come.
“Of course, everyone is going to flag up. Even I’ve flagged it up to him. Big time I’ve flagged it up now. I said, ‘Don’t do that to me again. Me having to go on live TV without you and make me look stupid and a d***”.
“No wonder everyone’s saying, ‘You’re this, you’re that’, because they’ve got a reason to say it. I agree, I agree with everyone.”
Lee, dubbed a “Walter Mitty,” was caught in yet another lie as documented his journey to the UK on Instagram.
LEE Andrews ex has shared a cryptic post that hinted at his downfall as she sends a new message to Katie Price.
The self-proclaimed businessman, 42, was supposed to appear onGood Morning Britainwith wifeKatie Priceon Tuesday but she was forced to go solo after he claimed he missed his flight.
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Lee Andrews ex has shared a cryptic post that hinted at his downfallCredit: InstagramAlana Percival has sent a message to Katie saying that her DM’s are openCredit: Instagram
Lee Andrews ex Alana Percival has posted a cryptic story which said: “Today is the day..unfolding,” amid his failure to reach the UK.
In a second post Alana declared: “Also I promise there is so much to come to show you exactly what I meant when I warned her from him.
“I refuse to keep silent not just for me but for anyone else that is going through the same thing I went through.”
Almost talking directly to Katie Price, she added: “I am healed/healing and happy and if I can help anyone going through anything similar my messages are open, you are not alone.”
Alana and Lee dated for nine months until late last year, even proposing to her in a identical proposal to the one he did for KatieCredit: InstagramKatie Price had to appear on GMB alone after Lee failed to fly to the UK againCredit: ITVSusanna and Ed said they had been informed that the Foreign Office had “supported a British man detained in the United Arab Emirates“Credit: ITVLee later shared a video on Instagram from the airport to say he was on his way to the UKCredit: wesleeeandrews/Instagram
This comes as there’songoing speculation thatKatie‘s husbandLee isunable to leave the United Arab Emirates cityafter allegedly forging his ex-girlfriend Dina Taji’s signature to secure a £200,000 loan – something he’s strongly denied.
After missing his flight, Lee later shared a video on Instagram from the airport to say he was on his way to the UK to see his wife again.
However, despite his claims that he was flying from Muscat in Oman, he was caught in a lie as he was clearly at Dubai airport in the video, which is where he resides.
Katie addressed the situation on the latest episode of her The Katie Price Show podcastCredit: BackGrid/Katie PriceKatie has said Lee needs to give her answers about not flying to the UKCredit: wesleeeandrews/instagram
They dated for nine months until late last year, even proposing to her in a identical proposal to the one he did for Katie.
Taking to her Instagram stories, she expressed: “Another time he ‘pretended’ to be coming to the UK to come and see me.
“Wearing his cap so facial recognition doesn’t get him hahaha lies lies and more lies… delusional is a understatement.
“This excuse was one of soooooo many but a ‘flight risk’ if this one. He went all the way to the airport to lie when he cannot travel lol.”
During the GMB interview with Katie, Susanna and Ed told how they had approached the Foreign Office to see if Lee had a travel ban.
They said they had been informed they had “supported a British man detained in the United Arab Emirates“.
Walsall have appointed former Huddersfield Town boss Lee Grant as the club’s new head coach.
Grant, 43, has signed a three-year contract at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium.
He replaces former Saddlers striker Darren Byfield, who had been given the interim job until the end of the season following the sacking of Mat Sadler in March.
Walsall finished the League Two season in 13th place, 13 points outside the play-offs, having been top of the table at Christmas.
“I’m super delighted and proud to be the new head coach,” said Grant, who was sacked by the Terriers in January after eight months in charge.
“The teams I’ve been involved in have scored lots of goals and there’s been a good development of players and my ideas around that are strong – it’s going to be a busy period for myself and the club but I’m really excited to get going, help the football club progress and I very much look forward to getting to work.”
After three years on the coaching staff at Ipswich Town, former goalkeeper Grant was appointed Huddersfield boss in May 2025, his first senior management job.
But he left just eight months into a three-year deal, despite the club sitting sixth in League One at the time.
FOR someone whose face never moves, Katie Price couldn’t hide her emotion yesterday as her husband Lee Andrews stood her up on live TV.
What was supposed to be the loved-up couple’s chance to quieten the naysayers turned Katie into a laughing stock as she desperately tried to explain Lee’s absence amid claims he had been detained in the UAE. We’re told the public humiliation was a step too far for those close to Katie, 47, but has it been enough for her to see the light?
Katie Price was left high and dry on GMB yesterdayCredit: ITVLee Andrews claimed he was at the airport and travelling to the UKCredit: wesleeeandrews/Instagram
An insider said: “It’s not nice to see Katie put on the spot like that. All she ever does is try to be the perfect wife, but she’s struggling with the constant uncertainty.
“Her inner circle are worried it’s going to take its toll on her. It’s put a lot of pressure on the other relationships in her life – like with her sister Sophie, who has been terrified about Lee’s intentions from the start.
“Katie has been through so much heartache in the past and been treated so badly by men, and they think she deserves more – or at least some transparency.
“It’s one thing Lee supposedly missed the flight, but the videos of him at the airport while he desperately insists he is still coming are a hard watch. There is a feeling that he needs to accept the game is up, and they are just worried about how Katie will react when she realises that something is amiss.”
The couple, who tied the knot in January, were due to appear on GMB yesterday. It was set to be their first joint telly interview and a chance for them to set the record straight.
But while Katie, who had been visiting Lee in Dubai, made it back to the UK, Lee was nowhere to be seen. What followed was a bizarre game of will-he, won’t he, while poor Katie was left struggling alone.
There is ongoing speculation that Lee, 43, is unable to leave the United Arab Emirates city after allegedly forging his ex-girlfriend Dina Taji’s signature to secure a £200,000 loan – something he’s strongly denied.
Presenters Susanna Reid and her co-host Ed Balls told how they had approached the Foreign Office to see if Lee had a travel ban.
They said they had been informed they had “supported a British man detained in the United Arab Emirates”.
When the pair quizzed Katie as to whether this was Lee, she said he had denied it in a voice note and added laughing emoji icons to his message.
Explaining the reason for his no-show, Katie, who wore a pink shirt and gold hoop earrings for her chat, said: “He just didn’t make the flight.
“He’s coming here to spend quite a few months now. He’s been sorting out my visa, my international driving licence.
“He’s flying from Muscat, and he had things to do; he didn’t make the flight, but he’s at the airport now”.
Lee reinforced her words as he took to his social media page from the departures lounge.
He praised Katie’s appearance on GMB and said: “Yes, I am at the airport and flying to my wife, who did very well on GMB today.
“And I am on my way to her. I had a couple of things that I had to do last-minute; I couldn’t make the show. I was hoping to get on there with the Zoom link, but they carried on with Kate, and she did really, really well”.
Katie appeared upset when she found out Lee wouldn’t be on GMBCredit: BackGridKatie and Lee’s marriage has been highly controversial and full of AI picturesCredit: wesleeeandrews/Instagram
Mum of three Susanna mused: “I wonder if he’s telling you everything, do you trust him?” to which Katie said, “Yes”.
He then asked if Lee was normally unreliable, and she replied: “Not with me”.
Our insider added: “Katie was desperate to keep painting a happy picture, but the cracks are starting to show. She will have been upset about the line of questioning about the man she loves. She is a hopeless romantic and wants to believe the best in Lee, even if no one else does.”
The interview was a disaster, and clips of Katie frantically trying to defend Lee quickly went viral, and Lee was heavily scrutinised. Some people claimed the video he shared wasn’t filmed where he said it was, while others felt sympathy towards her.
Who is Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews?
KATIE Price tied the knot with Lee Andrews in January 2026. Yet who is he?
Failed actor is just another title to add toLee’s questionable CV, after he claimed to have once worked as the Director of Philanthropy at The Prince’s Trust (now The King’s Trust)
Lee also shared images – since proven to be AI – of him working with Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian
It’s been revealed shameless Lee told former girlfriends that he had studied at Cambridge University, and has a PhD in biotechnology science
But The Sun has seen a response from the university explaining it could not find a record of Lee being registered as a student with a date of birth they had provided
His LinkedIn profile says Lee has been a Member of the Board of Advisors to the Labour Party since 2015
Lee was also mocked for repeating theexact same wedding proposalon Katie – that he did for another woman just four months ago.
One person commented: “I actually feel a bit sorry for her.”
Another remarked: “This is so sad. The penny still has not dropped, even though GMB know its him that’s been detained as they would have had it confirmed. I hope Suzannah told her after the cameras stopped rolling.”
And as the day went on, it seemed less and less likely Lee would actually arrive, despite his insisting he was on his way.
There certainly seems to be some confusion with the couple’s timeline – over 12 hours before she was due on GMB, Katie posted on her social media – in a video which has now been deleted – to reveal Lee was joining her
She said on social media: “Where the hell is my husband? Lee will not be on Good Morning Britain with me!!”
She added: “Well, he is not coming, which is gutting really as he said he was coming, so I’m getting the house ready for me”.
And for the first time, the tide might be slightly turning for Katie, and in a surprise movie, she did lay down an ultimatum.
Katie said that although Lee “pays for” her flights to Dubai, she needs him to be more present in the UK.
Katie has said she can no longer keep travelling back and forth to DubaiCredit: Instagram/mistraesthetics/Those close to Katie fear she is headed for more heartacheCredit: Getty
The mum-of-five, who hasn’t even been able to introduce her kids to Lee, said: “I’ve been in Dubai, I came back on Friday.
“But because I can’t keep going to Dubai, because obviously I’ve got work and my kids here.
Susanna quipped: “And it’s expensive”, and Katie replied: “Well, he pays for it anyway.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, seen here arriving at Incheon Airport on Wednesday, met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on a stop in Seoul ahead of his trip to Beijing for the Trump-Xi summit. Pool Photo by Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday held back-to-back talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, and reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation amid global challenges, his office said.
Lee said during his meeting with Bessent at Cheong Wa Dae that South Korea and the United States should further strengthen economic cooperation through close communication so that they can continue the “positive trend” of both countries maintaining stable economies despite increased global uncertainties, according to his spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.
Lee also called for further developing bilateral cooperation in the economic and technological sectors, especially in terms of critical minerals, supply chains and foreign exchange markets, the spokesperson told a press briefing.
While concurring with Lee’s remarks, Bessent credited his leadership for South Korea’s growth and stock market performance under difficult circumstances, such as the Middle East war, she said.
Lee held talks with He earlier in the day and asked him to play an active role in expanding cooperation between South Korea and China in diverse sectors, including the economy, industry, trade and culture.
The vice premier responded that he is pleased the two countries’ bilateral trade increased further this year and conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s greetings.
Lee recalled his meeting with Xi in January and asked that the vice premier also convey his sincerest greetings, the spokesperson said.
The back-to-back talks came as Bessent and He were in Seoul to coordinate the agenda of Thursday’s high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi in Beijing.
Following their meetings with Lee, the two officials met behind closed doors at a VIP lounge at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.
The talks were held under tight security, with all access points to the lounge closed, including to the press.
Bessent will later head to Beijing to join Trump on his two-day visit to the country.
Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.
KATIE Price has issued husband Lee Andrews a new ultimatum after he failed to fly to the UK AGAIN – ditching their first joint TV interview in the process.
The former glamour model, 47, spoke out about the latest debacle surrounding the self-styled businessman in a chat on Good Morning Britain.
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Katie Price has issued husband Lee Andrews a new ultimatum after he failed to fly to the UK AGAINCredit: ITVIt came after the self-styled businessman was a no show for their first ever joint TV interviewCredit: Instagram
In the chat, Katie defended her man and his absence, and said he had been delayed by business duties – and he has since taken to his Instagram page to double down on her claims.
Instead, the mum of five defended their marriage solo on the ITV daytime show sofaCredit: ITVKatie said she told Lee ‘I said ‘look I keep flying to you, you’ve got to come to England now’Credit: ITVKatie, 47, insisted Lee is at the airport and now preparing to travelCredit: wesleeeandrews/Instagram
She told GMB: “I’ve been in Dubai, I came back on Friday.
“But because I can’t keep going to Dubai, because obviously I’ve got work and my kids here,” before host Susanna Reid quipped: “And it’s expensive”.
Katie replied: “Well, he pays for it anyway.
“But I can’t keep going to Dubai”.
Who is Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews?
KATIE Price tied the knot with Lee Andrews in January 2026. Yet who is he?
Failed actor is just another title to add toLee’s questionable CV, after he claimed to have once worked as the Director of Philanthropy at The Prince’s Trust (now The King’s Trust)
Lee also shared images – since proven to be AI – of him working with Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian
It’s been revealed shameless Lee told former girlfriends that he had studied at Cambridge University, and has a PhD in biotechnology science
But The Sun has seen a response from the university explaining it could not find a record of Lee being registered as a student with a date of birth they had provided
His LinkedIn profile says Lee has been a Member of the Board of Advisors to the Labour Party since 2015
Lee was also mocked for repeating theexact same wedding proposalon Katie – that he did for another woman just four months ago.
Laying down her ultimatum she added: “So he is now shifting to here, so he is going to spend a lot of time here now.
“Because I said ‘look I keep flying to you, you’ve got to come to England now’.
On today’s GMB, presenters Susanna and her co-host Ed Balls told how they had approached the Foreign Office to see if Lee had a travel ban.
They said they had been informed they had “supported a British man detained in the United Arab Emirates”.
When the pair quizzed Katie as to whether this was Lee, she said he had denied it in a voice note and added laughing Emoji icons to his message.
Explaining the reason for his no-show Katie, who wore a pink shirt and gold hoop earrings for her chat, said: “He just didn’t make the flight.
“He’s coming here to spend quite a few months now.
He’s been sorting out my visa, my international driving licence.
“He’s flying from Muscat and he had things to do, he didn’t make the flight but he’s at the airport now”.
She then clarified: “Because of his business he had some things he had to do last minute.
“He is at airport now he is on his way”.
Lee reinforced her words as he took to his social media page from the departures lounge.
He praised Katie’s appearance on GMB and said: “Hello everyone.
“Yes I am at the airport and flying to my wife, who did very well on GMB today.
“And I am on my way to her.
“I had a couple of things that I had to do last minute, I couldn’t make the show, I was hoping to get on there with the ZOOM link but they carried on with Kate, and she did really really well”.
Mum of three Susanna mused: “I wonder if he’s telling you everything, do you trust him?” to which Katie said yes.
Ed then quizzed if “the Foreign Office were right and Lee was arrested ayt the airport?”
He then asked if Lee was normally unreliable, and she replied: “Not with me”.
It isn’t the first time Lee has reneged on his vow to travel to Katie’s home turf.
Lee Andrews and Katie Price have scrapped their first joint TV interviewCredit: InstagramThey were due to appear on ITV daytime series GMB togetherCredit: ITV
Though after the self-styled businessman failed to travel to the UK, GMB media posts advertising the segment were hurriedly removed from the programme’s social media accounts after ITV staffers were told Lee would be unable to reach the UK.
GMB anchor Susanna Reid then confirmed Katie would appear on-screen solo.
She told viewers during the live show: “Katie Price is back with us in the studio.
“We invited them both [Katie and Lee] into the studio and initially yes, we though that would happen.
Katie confirmed the businessman would not be travelling from his home in DubaiCredit: GettyA source again confirmed to us how Lee has a travel ban and cannot leave the UKCredit: wesleeeandrews/Instagram
“But Lee didn’t make his flight from Dubai, we are going to find out why when Katie joins us alone after 8”.
Katie, 47, then posted on her social media – in a video which has now been deleted – to confirm the switch up.
She said on social media: “Where The Hell Is My Husband? Lee will not be on Good Morning Britain with me!!”
Our source said Katie ‘believed’ Lee would be travelling to London for the chatCredit: GettyHe has previously denied being subject to a travel banCredit: Instagram/mistraesthetics/
She added: “Well he is not coming, gutting really as he said he was coming, so I’m getting the house ready for me”.
A source mocked the cancellation and told The Sun: “Lee has a travel ban so he was never going to make GMB for a sit down interview with Katie.
“He assured them he was flying over, even Katie believed him – then it was all cancelled.
“Lee is still in Dubai because he has a travel ban that stops him from leaving.
Who is Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews?
KATIE Price tied the knot with Lee Andrews in January 2026. Yet who is he?
Failed actor is just another title to add toLee’s questionable CV, after he claimed to have once worked as the Director of Philanthropy at The Prince’s Trust (now The King’s Trust)
Lee also shared images – since proven to be AI – of him working with Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian
It’s been revealed shameless Lee told former girlfriends that he had studied at Cambridge University, and has a PhD in biotechnology science
But The Sun has seen a response from the university explaining it could not find a record of Lee being registered as a student with a date of birth they had provided
His LinkedIn profile says Lee has been a Member of the Board of Advisors to the Labour Party since 2015
Lee was also mocked for repeating theexact same wedding proposalon Katie – that he did for another woman just four months ago.
“The sooner people stop falling for his claims he can leave Dubai the better.
“It’s a waste of time and energy.”
Katie returned to the UK from Dubai without Lee – who she married within just weeks of meeting him in at the start of the year – last week.
Despite the change, he has continued to re-post GMB uploads about their interview.
Katie Price has arrived back in the UK after visiting husband Lee Andrews in DubaiCredit: BackGridShe was accompanied by an assistant who wheeled her bags around Gatwick AirportCredit: BackGrid
The Sun exclusively revealed she hasn’t settled her debts – despite hubby Lee claiming to be a billionaire.
The mum of five flashed a smile as she arrived in the UK’s Gatwick Airport, wearing a tight-fit grey crop top which clung to her curves and black joggers.
She pulled on a trendy pair of sunglasses and styled her hair poker straight, looking fresh from the long-haul trip.
Katie – who flashed her huge wedding ring in the Arrivals terminal – was accompanied by an assistant who wheeled three bags of luggage alongside her.
She arrived back on home turf after her husband Lee Andrews was accused of not paying their surgery billsCredit: Instagram / @wesleeeandrewsKatie cut a striking figure in a tight fit top and shadesCredit: BackGridKatie recently appeared to confirm husband Lee’s travel banCredit: BackGridShe flashed her ring as she strolled through the airportCredit: BackGrid
As such, she is the one doing the graft with the long haul flights.
Though this time around, Katie’s spouse has been slammed by a popular UAE-based aesthetic clinician for failing to cough up the money for the cosmetic work they’ve had in recent months.
Katie Price surgery boxout
KATIE Price’s love for surgery is no secret – here’s the details
1998 – Katie underwent her first breast augmentation taking her from a natural B cup to a C cup. She also had her first liposuction
1999 – Katie had two more boob jobs in the same year, one taking her from a C cup to a D cup, and then up to an F cup
2006 – Katie went under the knife to take her breasts up to a G cup
2007 – Katie had a rhinoplasty and veneers on her teeth
2008 – Katie stunned fans by reducing her breasts from an F cup to a C cup
2011 – Going back to an F cup, Katie also underwent body-contouring treatment and cheek and lip fillers
2014/5 – Following a nasty infection, Katie had her breast implants removed
2016 – Opting for bigger breasts yet again, Katie had another set of implants, along with implants, Botox and lip fillers
2017 – After a disastrous ‘threading’ facelift, Katie also had her veneers replaced. She also had her eighth boob job taking her to a GG cup
2018 – Katie went under the knife yet again for a facelift
2019 – After jetting to Turkey, Katie had a face, eye and eyelid lift, Brazilian bum lift and a tummy tuck
2020 – Katie has her 12th boob job in Belgium to correct botched surgery and a new set of veneers
2021 – In a complete body overhaul, she opts for eye and lip lifts, liposuction under her chin, fat injected into her bum and full body liposuction
2022 – Katie undergoes another brow and eye lift-and undergoes ‘biggest ever’ boob job in Belgium, her 16th in total
2023 – Opting for a second rhinoplasty, Katie also gets a lip lift at the same time as well as new lip filler throughout the year
2024 – Katie has her 17th boob job in Brussels after revealing she wanted to downsize. She performed at Dublin Pride just days later and surgeons warned the lack of recovery posed a risk of infection
Lee allegedly refused to pay the bill, however he insists the work was ‘complementary’.
The clinic specialises in facial contouring and liquid rhinoplasty among other surgical and non-surgical treatments.
In response to a recent Sun post about Lee using fake money to scam women, the clinician has shared his own experience with the couple.
Just days ago, the beauty clinic owner claimed that he had not received any money and was still chasing the couple.
But in a surprise move, he alleged that he had been blocked, without any explanation for their failure to pay.
He said: “This is expected as they both left without paying for their treatment and after multiple sent invoices, I was blocked.
“Although no mention of being unhappy with the results was ever brou- ght to my attention.
“What Katie is experiencing with her treatment is perfectly normal.”
But Lee has denied these claims when the The Sun reached out to him.
He has insisted that Katie was left “unable to move her mouth” following the procedure and disputes the charges.
FROM declaring himself as a millionaire to the mysterious ‘travel ban’ saga, Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews has seemingly left fans more concerned for the glamour model than ever before.
But as friends of the star grow increasingly worried about the whirlwind marriage, and more of Lee’s apparent untruths come to light, The Sun can reveal why Katie isn’t going anywhere, no matter how muddied the waters get.
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As friends and family continue to fear for Katie Price amid her whirlwind relationship with Lee Andrews, The Sun reveals why she won’t walk awayCredit: GettyThe couple met, got engaged and married earlier this year in a whirlwind romanceCredit: Instagram
“Everyone has told Katie multiple times that Lee is not the man for her and that she needs to walk away. Everyone believes that he is a con artist but she will not listen.
“His lies are mounting up and every week there is something new. Everyone feels helpless or the situation and they can’t keep trying and trying. It’s tiresome,” said the insider.
They continued that Katie is brushing off the worry and working harder than ever to ensure this marriage works out.
“The sad thing is, Katie won’t walk away because she hates being on her own and always has been that way.
“She is never without a man and has never been single. Even though she may appear fiery and strong from the outside deep down she is quite vulnerable and she hates being alone.
“She is very co-dependent and does rely on a man. She’s hates a quiet home it’s her worse nightmare,” they explained.
Lee has raised suspicions after several of his false claims were uncovered and questions were raised over his ‘fortune’Credit: The SunThis marriage is Katie’s fourth union, after first tying the knot with Peter Andre in 2005Credit: GettyNext she wed Alex Reid, but the pair’s marriage ended after less than a yearCredit: Getty – ContributorShe later married Kieran Hayler, and since their 2018 split, doesn’t want another failed marriage on her name, our source saysCredit: Getty
This has led to fears’ for Katie from all angles, but the mum-of-five isn’t listening, says the source.
“Despite the fact that so many men have been her undoing before, she is addicted to love and always thinks the next time will be different.”
“No matter how many times she has her heartbroken, and even when everyone else sees the red flags, she puts blinkers on because she doesn’t want to see them.”
She married for the first time in 2005 to Peter Andre, welcoming two children together before their divorce in 2009.
The following year, she tied the knot with Alex Reid in a Las Vegas wedding, but split from the cage fighter less than a year later.
In 2013 she then headed to the Bahamas to say ‘I Do’ to Kieran Hayler, they then finalised their divorce in 2021, three years after parting ways.
So now, following her Dubai ceremony with Lee earlier this year, our source says that Katie won’t accept another failed union.
“Katie is also very proud and really can’t have another failed marriage. She feels like she would be a laughing stock and a punchline, and she refuses to be the butt of people’s jokes,” they said.
“She’s very stubborn like that, and hates when her doubters are right, even if they have her best interests at heart.”
They continued: “She knows everyone is waiting for her marriage to Lee to fail, especially because of the whirlwind nature in which they got together, so she is determined to prove people wrong, even if that sometimes means turning a blind eye to the warning signs.”
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers an address at an event commemorating Labor Day at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday. Photo by Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday pledged unwavering commitment to workplace safety in his address to mark Labor Day at Cheong Wa Dae.
“I will neither compromise nor make concessions on workplace safety,” he said, vowing to build a “normal” country where no worker ever has to risk their life at work.
“Safeguarding workers is the most basic responsibility of any nation and any business,” he said.
The president also pushed back against the notion that worker welfare and business growth are incompatible, stressing the two are mutually dependent.
“We can only move forward by breaking free from the outdated thinking that being pro-business means being anti-worker,” he said. “Growth has a future only when labor stands behind it” he said.
Amid growing concerns that artificial intelligence (AI) threatens jobs, the president sought to reassure the public that the government prioritizes people over productivity.
“As technologies advance, the prevailing view is that machines powered by artificial intelligence will largely replace human labor,” he said. “But it is not right to ask workers to sacrifice themselves in the name of productivity,” he said, adding that growth that leaves workers behind is not growth at all.
Lee called workers “the backbone of our economy,” who keep things running on the ground and drive the spending that fuels growth.
It marked the first time a Labor Day event has been held at Cheong Wa Dae. The event brought together some 130 participants, including key figures from labor, management and government, as well as workers from diverse occupations, to mark the occasion.
It also marked the first time two major umbrella labor unions — the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions — that are said to hold different political views both took part in such an event.
South Korea had initially observed Labor Day on May 1 before it was renamed “Workers’ Day” in 1963. The government restored the name to Labor Day last year and designated it as a national holiday earlier this year, allowing all workers to take the day off.
In celebration of Labor Day, a variety of events took place across the country, highlighting the value of work and its role in improving quality of life and driving economic growth.
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AN eye-watering amount of cash is stuffed into suitcases, with Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews’ name printed onto a label stuck on top of the thousands upon thousands of $100 bank notes.
But rather than a show of his apparent wealth, today The Sun can reveal Lee’s boastful videos share the hallmarks of high-level scams – with his ex-fiancee Alana Percival warning that his time evading the heavy hand of the law may be running out.
Katie Price and Lee Andrews said I do in a surprise wedding just days after the former glamour model announced her ninth engagement.Credit: BackGridLee’s ex-fiance Alana Percival has warned that that his time evading the law is running outCredit: Click News and Media
Former glamour model Katie, 48, flew back to Dubai over the weekend to join Andrews, 41, in the country at a £36million mansion which he claims he bought in cash.
The shameless brag, like most that come from his lips, is not true and the London football club have had no dealings with Andrews.
No doubt, like many women, Katie may have seen the suitcases stuffed to the brim with what appears to be millions of pounds in cash.
His alleged vast fortune is, he claims, from complex deals with foreign embassies and treasuries that he’s spent the past nine years developing.
Sharing the two videos with The Sun to prove his “wealth”, Lee alleges he ships the cash to Africa for institutional investment.
However, our analysis found that the clips are almost identical to the dubious proof-of-funds videos often used by fraudsters to convince people they have large sums of money.
In one video, Lee’s name is written on a sheet of A4 paper along with the date, while the man filming references a fictitious code that The Sun has discovered does not exist in the real world banking system.
The wads of $100 notes are bound by plain bands labelled “BEP” (Bureau of Engraving and Printing).
To the untrained eye, it would seem Lee is sitting on a fortune.
But those BEP labelled bands are most commonly found on film sets, binding together fake wads of cash seen in blockbuster movies.
Authentic BEP bands include the institution’s name, a routing number, and a branch ID.
Andrews’s bands include none of those.
The videos are known as “Black Money Scams” – and are often seen in fraud cases.
Metal briefcases, locked with padlocks, labelled “FRAGILE – HANDLE WITH CARE” — are designed to look like a secure, official shipment of cash.
Stacks of $100 bills are then laid out in an open case with a note to make it look personalised and real.
In fact, where these scams exist it’s all faked – the money is not real.
Andrews’ former fiancee Alana has warned the net may be closing in on him and claimed last week that a warrant was out for his arrest in Dubai.
And now those close to Katie tell The Sun they hope she can finally start to see what is happening.
“Alana is saying a warrant is out for Lee’s arrest in Dubai, he still appears to be taking money off women, but Katie still can’t see what he’s doing,” a friend tells The Sun.
“It’s exasperating. Those around her think Lee is bad news.
“The brags about his wealth, the videos of the fake cash, the claims he’s bought a £36million mansion in cash – it’s all laughable.
“Kate is usually shrewd but when it comes to matters of love, she thinks with her heart and not with her brain.
The video shows wads of cash in a suitcase and is designed to flaunt wealthCredit: The SunKatie reunited with Andrews in Dubai at the weekendCredit: wesleeandrews/Instagram
“It is painful for her friends and family watching her consort with this man.”
Alongside the videos supposedly proving his income stream, Andrews also provided three documents.
One of these is a payment guarantee letter for a $100m transaction, the first payment of a proposed $5bn.
It is signed by Mr Sikakaew, allegedly from the Thai bank Kasikorn, who holds a “Supreme SSID License”—a term not recognised in banking, as SSID is actually a name for a Wi-Fi network.
In the document, a scanned image of Lee’s passport appears to have been digitally manipulated and features glaring mistakes such as an upside-down photo and backward font.
A second document is a Memorandum of Understanding, which is a non-legally binding statement of intent to work with another party.
It mentions a “UN license for a mixed currencies redemption program”, something that also does not exist.
The letter, which outlines the transfer of $5bn to the Royal Thai Embassy in Kenya, is signed by American Joseph John Garrity, with no record of such a person being involved in high-level international finance.
The third document is a Capital Readiness Program prepared for Lee by Hachi Capital LLC — a business with no legitimate record.
A similarly named UK company called Hachi Capital Ltd was dissolved in 2013 and coincidentally featured Craig Boddington as director, the same name managing Lee’s account.
The program promises financial returns well beyond any realistic measure, claiming a 500 per cent return on investment per monthly cycle and as much as 100 per cent per 10-day cycle on “bullet trades”.
Further red flags include the business not being licensed or regulated by any major financial authority and has hallmarks of investment scams with six-figure set up fees designed to get clients to part with cash before realising any profits.
A number of women have spoken to The Sun after falling for such Andrews’ investment promises.
Crystal Janke claimed she lost £123k in investmentsCredit: InstagramAndrews claims he ships vast amounts of money to AfricaCredit: The Sun
The money has since disappeared, with Crystal filing a police complaint in the US.
Andrews denies the claims but Crystal to date is still insistent she’s not had a penny, after sharing with The Sun her bank statements which prove the transactions into Andrews’ account.
Earlier this year The Sun revealed that his company, Aura Worldwide Holdings Ltd, was actually dissolved in 2024.
But Andrews is still claiming it is open, despite paperwork proving otherwise, and is pushing his schemes upon women he meets on social media and women he knows through business.
Last month, another woman came forward to tell The Sun she had invested $1,000 but still had no return.
When she confronted Andrews, she claims he fobbed her off and made excuses about the whereabouts of her funds.
A friend of Katie’s told The Sun: “Why Katie cannot see what is going on under her nose is scary.
“None of this is legitimate and everyone is just praying for the moment the penny finally drops and she gets the hell out of this marriage.”
Andrews previously denied all the allegations brought against him by The Sun.
He later claimed his inflated LinkedIn CV was the result of errors by his former assistant and swiftly removed some of his false work history.
Among them was that he was a Member of the Board of Advisors for the Labour Party and Director of Philanthropy at The King’s Trust.
He said: “I think that’s been hyped up and made to look better than what it is and it needs to come down.
“I can’t take the showmanship of it, but I’ll take the accountability.
“The PA no longer works for me now anyway, for other reasons — probably because of that.”
He told us: “People don’t know I’ve met Harvey and two of the kids, I haven’t seen the young ones.
“I’ve been back and forth, I just don’t f***ing tell anyone. I lead a very private life. I tell people what they want to hear, the rest they can make up, you know.”
A representative for Katie later told The Sun this claim was a lie and that Andrews had never met her children.
Katie was warned over new husband by two of his exes who claim he is lying swindler who preys on womenCredit: InstagramLee’s ex Crystal Janke invested into his company Aura Worldwide Holdings LtdAlana Percival was previously engaged to Lee Andrews
After back-to-back appearances at both weekends of Coachella, David Lee Roth popped out Saturday at Stagecoach to sing Van Halen’s “Jump” with Teddy Swims for the third (and final?) time. To discuss what he called his “three-peat,” I caught up later with the 71-year-old singer, who wore a bedazzled jacket and a leather vest.
Have you bought property in Indio? Do you just live here now? No, I’ve bought property in the American musical fabric that extends beyond time frame, that extends beyond shoes and haircuts. It includes cowboy hats and yarmulkes.
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Next weekend this place is gonna be barren. Will you be back to sing “Jump” with nobody? There’ll be plenty of people here for the Diamond Dave Big Rig Trucking School and Day Care Center.
You’re on your own tour right now. How are those shows going? They go exquisitely because if you enjoy what you saw onstage [tonight], it’s that times 22 songs.
Twenty-two songs in the set. Oh yeah. I wrote every word that I sing, I wrote every note that I sing — all the melodies — and I stacked all the harmonies. Ed [Van Halen], of course, contributed all the great guitar parts. And we wrote all of those parts literally sitting in a tiny little alcove room where you put a washer and a dryer. We would sit knee-to-knee the room was so small, and he’d play the electric guitar. His mom wouldn’t let him plug in because it would be too loud, so I had to lean over. Every song that you know of Van Halen, I heard from an unplugged-in electric guitar from four inches away, going, “Too long.”
Tighten it up. Cut it short. All great musicians finish long after the ending.
Last time we talked, you said you were wearing Artemis II. What’s the outfit tonight? This is classic Nudie’s western wear from Lankershim. This is from the ’50s. This has been all over the world. This is made by Nudie’s of Hollywood, who made all of Roy Rogers’ and Jean Autry’s [clothes] and all of “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke,” “Rawhide’s” wear. Look up Nudie of Hollywood, OK? This baby’s worth more than my shoes, and they’re custom-made. This jacket’s worth more than my teeth — same thing.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung answers a question from a reporter during a speech about the ‘restoration of democracy, and resilience of the people’ during a press conference with foreign media held to mark the one-year anniversary of the 03 December martial law crisis, at the former presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, in Seoul, South Korea, 03 December 2025. Photo by JEON HEON-KYUN /EPA
April 24 (Asia Today) — South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Friday criticized an award-winning newspaper report on the Daejang-dong development scandal as a “tremendous fabrication” and called for the award to be canceled and the article corrected.
Lee made the remarks in a post on X after sharing an article about the Korean Newspaper Association giving the 2023 Korean Newspaper Award to the report.
“Would it not be proper, even now, to cancel and return the award, apologize and correct the report?” Lee wrote.
Lee said the award committee had cited the article for uncovering “powerful facts” in its coverage of the Daejang-dong issue.
“In reality, it was not fact-finding but a tremendous fabrication,” Lee said.
Lee accused the report of creating a link to him that he said did not exist in the Daejang-dong recordings.
“By reporting that ‘that person’ in the Daejang-dong recordings was Lee Jae-myung, even though that was not in the recordings, they caused the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate to lose the election and changed the history of the Republic of Korea,” Lee said.
Lee said the country had regressed as a result and that the public continued to suffer from the consequences.
“History must never again be changed by presidential election manipulation carried out by powerful institutions and the media,” Lee said.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enter a room for their summit held at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday. Photo by Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung held summit talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, focusing on deepening economic ties and strengthening the countries’ strategic partnership amid the war in the Middle East.
The two leaders were earlier expected to discuss ways to bolster cooperation in artificial intelligence, defense, and the shipping and shipbuilding industries, while expanding the scope of bilateral manufacturing cooperation beyond electronics and vehicles.
They also likely discussed enhancing coordination on global supply chains and energy security as their countries, both heavily reliant on imported energy, grapple with the fallout from the war between the United States and Iran.
In an interview with The Times of India published earlier in the day, Lee stressed the need for South Korea and India to work together to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for oil and natural gas, and make joint efforts to stabilize global supply chains.
It marked their third in-person meeting since Lee took office in June 2025.
Ahead of the summit, Lee paid tribute at Raj Ghat, a memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, and planted a commemorative tree with Modi at Hyderabad House.
Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.
ITV’s The 1% Club host Lee Mack was left mortified after his joke confused a contestant during a Coronation Street question
ITV’s The 1% Club host Lee Mack kicked off the programme with a string of gags, but it soon caused confusion(Image: ITV)
ITV’s The 1% Club host Lee Mack kicked off the programme with a string of gags, but it soon caused confusion.
While the comedian is no stranger to cracking jokes, one quip proved poorly timed and left a player utterly baffled. The show’s format presents questions to contestants beginning with simpler ones, gradually ramping up in difficulty with each round.
Within the opening minutes, one of the more straightforward questions displayed on screen was a “spot the difference” featuring the Coronation Street set.
Two images were placed side by side, with one reading Rovers Return Pub while the other read Ravers Return Pub. As the 30-second countdown began, he reminded contestants they needed to identify the difference between the two pictures, before quipping: “One’s on the left and one’s on the right.”
Regrettably, one contestant took the remark at face value, convinced he might be dropping a hint and that it was a “trick question”, so she wrote that down.
Lee was utterly gobsmacked when he called out to her in the audience to find out what had gone wrong, only to discover his throwaway joke was the culprit.
The host confessed to feeling rather guilty as he noted: “In the history of the show, no one has taken the joke as the actual clue.” The contestant laughed it off good-naturedly, before Lee asked her, as he does with every player, what she would have spent her winnings on, to which she revealed it would be her house plants.
An embarrassed Lee then told her: “I’m glad you haven’t won. What a waste of money!” before laughing it off and pressing on with the remainder of the programme.
At the close of the show, contestants are given the choice to either pocket £10,000 or take a gamble on the 1% question, which would award them the full prize fund, standing at £94,000, reports the Express.
The 10% question eliminated eight of the nine contestants, leaving just one participant, Tessa, aged only 19, to be offered the opportunity to tackle her 1% question. In a surprising turn of events, she revealed to Lee that she was a hobby opera singer and even treated her fellow contestants to a brief glimpse of her vocal talents.
She ultimately opted to take the safe route and pocket £10,000 rather than risk it all for the £94,000. Had she chosen to proceed, her question would have been: “Using only two letters to fill in the blanks, what is the world below?” With P—E–I-N spelled out. Fortunately for her, she didn’t know the answer and walked away with the £10,000.
KATIE Price’s son Harvey has called her new husband Lee Andrews “daddy” after appearing to confirm Lee’s travel ban.
The self-proclaimed businessman, 43, took to his Instagram stories today to share a picture that Harvey had drawn for him.
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Katie Price’s son Harvey has called her new husband Lee Andrews “daddy”Credit: Paul EdwardsLee shared a drawing that Harvey made for himCredit: Instagram/wesleeeandrews
In the picture, two frogs are seen sitting next to each other with a love heart saying “I love you” in between them.
He addressed the drawing to “Mummy Bullfrog and Daddy Lee Bullfrog,” and said: “I hope you have a great Valentine’s Day and a happy holiday, love from Harvey.”
Lee wrote under it: “Harvey Price. You are just the best human,” as Katie reshared his story on her own profile.
It comes after The Sun revealed Lee’s devotion to Harvey with an apparent tattoo on the side of his left hand.
She said: “Of course I’m going back to Dubai and Lee will come here when he needs to.
“People have to remember he’s lived in Dubai for 21 years, that’s where he lives and where he does his work. There’ll be a time when he does come to England and he’ll be with me.”
Sophie replied: “I thought he had a travel ban?”
Katie and Lee tied the knot back in JanuaryCredit: wesleeeandrews/instagram
While not confirming whether or not Lee is unable to leave the city, Katie said: “Do you know what? Everyone has said to me you can get a travel ban over anything in Dubai.
“A parking ticket or if you owe a bill for electricity or something… you can get a travel ban for absolutely anything.”
Sophie asked: “Do they do anything like that over here?”
The I’m A Celebrity star joked: “No. If they did, I’d be banned for life! But yeah, you can get one for even breathing the wrong way in Dubai. It’s so strict.”
A clip from the podcast was posted on social media, with Katie writing: “Lee’s travel ban… it’s so strict!!!!”
How’s Lee Cronin doing? Fine. You know, still making movies. This one’s his third feature. Somebody — perhaps it was Lee Cronin himself, probably not — wanted us to know that his latest project, “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” was no mere mummy movie. Certainly not the one you have in mind: bandaged dead guy, ominous hieroglyphics, maybe Brendan Fraser. This is not that mummy movie. This is “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.”
As for what that possessive credit means, we’re still in a haze. Cronin’s previous outing was “Evil Dead Rise,” a sequel heavily devoted to the gooey game plan mapped out by Fede Alvarez’s 2013 rethink of Sam Raimi’s gross-out comedies. In our current moment, when horror seems to be mining an especially rich vein (we’ve even seen an Oscar go to an unforgettable witch in “Weapons”), Lee Cronin represents the safe old ways of dutiful stewardship, getting the job done for a generic night out.
There are worse sins in the world. And sometimes the best way to introduce an ancient Egyptian curse is via a prologue that’s tonally very much like the one in “The Exorcist.” Who is the spooky, smiling woman beckoning to a young girl at the edge of her garden? No matter. The kid goes missing and, eight years later, her American family, since relocated to suburban New Mexico, is still feeling the loss: TV reporter Charlie (Jack Reynor), his haunted wife Larissa (Laia Costa) and their two semi-surly children, Maud (Billie Roy) and Sebastián (Shylo Molina).
When their precious Katie (a game Natalie Grace) is somehow returned to them, though, nearly catatonic with wrinkled, desiccated skin and gnarly toenails that would make a pedi technician shriek, it’s hard to blame them for feeling euphoric. Working from his own screenplay, Cronin barrels over the gaping plot holes — a doctor might have some thoughts here — and gets to the good stuff with the family at home in squirm-inducing close quarters, a live-in demon resting in her bedroom.
“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” works best as a variation on Ari Aster’s career-making “Hereditary,” slicker and less guilt-ridden, with Grace’s Katie prone to jaw-snapping clicks and faraway looks, a spin on Milly Shapiro’s hypnotic turn as a doomed host. Eventually, things get more obvious: a levitating wheelchair, some skittering around on the ceiling. If Cronin does have a signature — more of a penchant, really — it’s for juicy gore, Katie’s skin peeling off in sheets. She goes to town on her own teeth.
All these moments are good for audience groans and there’s an enjoyable bad movie here for the seizing — that is when Cronin isn’t steering the action back to Egypt for an underpowered mystery thread involving a one-dimensional Cairo detective (May Calamawy) pursuing the root of the trouble. Why deploy a plummy archaeology professor (Mark Mitchinson) if you’re only going to give him a single scene to cut loose? He’s the kind of character who usually makes it to the big finale.
The film is tangled in its mess of references: a possession thriller that also wants to dish out some grainy video footage à la “The Ring” or “Bring Her Back” along with the expected mouth-to-mouth vomiting. Ironically, an honest-to-goodness mummy movie consumed with exotica (the first one from 1932 was released in the wake of the global mania over King Tut’s tomb) makes a lot of sense right now, with America straying into foreign deserts.
Was that in mind at any point? You’d have to ask Lee Cronin. It’s his movie and these are his mummy issues.
‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’
In English and Arabic, with subtitles
Rated: R, for strong disturbing violent content, gore, language and brief drug use
There’s a couple somewhere in Los Angeles who unknowingly inspired the second season of “Beef.”
Lee Sung Jin, the creator of Netflix’s anthology drama that swirls in the consequences of class struggles, resentment and the absurdity of life’s curveballs, once again found himself inspired by a tense interaction playing out before him. A road rage incident at a stoplight in Hollywood a few years ago, triggered by Lee’s delayed response to a green light, became the catalyst for the first season. An early idea to write about a men’s doubles partnership gone awry lost its luster after “Challengers,” Luca Guadagnino’s drama about a love triangle between tennis pros, came out. But a heated argument coming from a house in Lee’s neighborhood became the next spark that lit a narrative fuse.
“I told the story to people — it caused a little stir in the neighborhood,” he says. “And what I found fascinating was the different reactions. When I told younger folks, I’d get, ‘Did you call the police? Should you go check on them again?’ Very concerned, having an ideological view on relationships. When I told the story to older friends and couples, they were just kind of like, ‘Who among us hasn’t?’ I thought the idea of juxtaposing these couples at different stages felt like ripe ground.”
The overheard in L.A. moment inspired the eight-episode season,
Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac square off with Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny in Season 2 of “Beef.”
(Netflix)
The twist-filled, darkly comic thriller kicks off when a young couple, Ashley and Austin (Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton), who work at a Montecito country club, witness the explosive altercation between their boss Josh (Oscar Isaac) and his wife, Lindsay (Carey Mulligan), an interior designer, the night before the club’s new Korean billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-jung), takes over. She has her own mess to tend to involving her husband (Song Kang-ho), a doctor whose health is affecting his work on patients. The calamities each couple faces spin out into a web of favors and coercion in this tale of broken systems and characters going to great lengths to get what they want.
“The idea of cycles felt interesting,” he says. “A lot of shows and movies cover marriage through the lens of one couple, you don’t really see that multigenerational juxtaposition.”
Speaking from his office on the Raleigh Studios lot in Hollywood, Lee discussed the season’s Montecito setting, the financial anxiety that drives the story and the four-legged breakout star of the show. These are edited excerpts from the conversation, which includes many spoilers.
Why did you want to set this season in Montecito?
Just writing what I know. My goddaughters — their parents are my best friends. They live in Montecito. The dad is my oldest friend in LA. He has a membership to Montecito Club, which is where we shot the exterior of our show. I was house-sitting for him during the writing of all this. He let me use his membership. I remember when he told me about the membership, I was like, “You pay how much? That’s insane, dude.” But then you start using the membership. This idea of hedonic adaptation — how humans so quickly adapt to this new comfort, this new stimulus — it felt like an interesting thing. I was observing how all the members seemed to be mostly boomers and Silent Gen; then all the workers were Gen Z and millennial. I thought: What a perfect metaphor for society right now. No matter how hard the Gen Z and millennials work, they’re never going to get to be members of this club because, as Austin says, “everyone grabbed the bag before they could.” That’s what made me want to set it at a Montecito country club.
Oscar Isaac as Josh Martin and Carey Mulligan as Lindsay Crane-Martin. Cailee Spaeny as Ashley Miller and Charles Melton as Austin Davis. The second season of “Beef,” follows the two California couples from different socioeconomic backgrounds — though both are struggling — as they spiral into a high-stakes feud.(Netflix)
That feeling of survival and resentment and entitlement really looms over this season. There’s speeches about love, but also capitalism. The anxiety about finances is so prevalent right now.
We certainly didn’t set out to make a season about capitalism. But if you’re constantly trying to chase truth as writers, I don’t know how you say anything in the modern era, in 2026, and not have capitalism be a huge variable because it permeates every aspect of life. It’s like going to get gas. Gas is almost $7 right now. You have to fill your tank and there goes $140? That’s crazy. And relationships face so much stress — everyone is being hit by all these curveballs and trying to keep your head above water — how can you enjoy each other?
It became very obvious to us that if you’re going to write a season about marriage and love to these two couples, financial implications have to be a big factor. There’s a lot of talk about the disappearance of the American dream right now. Birth rates are declining. No one’s owning homes anymore. But then you also see headlines about everyone’s scamming. CVS has everything locked down. You’re like, “Yeah, no wonder.” Everything’s connected. We wanted to really show how that survival instinct, the desperation, is starting to come for everyone. I don’t think it’s going to get easier, especially with AI moving on the horizon, and with leaders who refuse to put checks and balances in place.
Part of Ashley’s story is using the video of the fight between Josh and Lindsay as blackmail to get health insurance so she can afford treatment for her endometriosis. And that moment where she’s waiting in the ER for hours and it’s not until she collapses that they realize she needs emergency surgery — her big concern is whether she has to pay the deductible.
I wrote that episode in a literal day because it was based on an experience I had in an ER with my daughter’s mother. She had this illness fall upon her. We spent 12 hours at the ER and, the whole time, I had my Notes app out and was just writing down everything I saw. Almost everything in that scene is stuff that happened in real life. Our healthcare system is absolutely insane. It’s, again, unhinged capitalism and … felt like it really unlocked so much of the season.
There’s a moment where Josh has to sell some of his prized possessions to pay a gambling debt. Have you been there, needing to sell things to cover your financial obligations?
I’ve been there multiple times. I obviously struggled to find my way for a long time, even after becoming a writer. If you’re in a writing partnership, in a staff job on a show — first of all, this is what the guild has been fighting, trying to get these longer-term employment windows because these jobs sometimes are only … maybe eight to 12 weeks. You’re splitting a staff salary in two [if you’re in a partnership], and you probably haven’t qualified for health insurance by the end of that run. Sure, you’re a working writer, but I remember [by the time I landed at] “Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” my first real writing job, I had amassed so much debt, half of which were from parking tickets. I just didn’t have the money to pay these tickets, and so I just let them run rampant. So, yeah, I’ve been there. There’s this one guitar that I loved; it was the first guitar I bought with my own money after college — it was a Fender Telecaster. I think I bought it for $1,200. I ended up selling it for $300. I’ve sold collectibles. I’ve sold anything that had gold in it. I’ve scrapped to just find anything because you’re desperate.
Song Kang-ho as Dr. Kim, Youn Yuh-jung as Chairwoman Park in “Beef.” Recalling the opportunity to direct the pair, Lee says: “It just makes me feel like a little kid again. It stops feeling like work and starts feeling like play.”
(Netflix)
You directed this season. Is there a moment that stands out with this cast?
A peak of my career that I think about daily is the moment in Korea where we were shooting at Amorepacific. It’s one of the most beautiful buildings in Seoul. I’m shooting the scene between the great Youn Yuh-jung and the great Song Kang-ho — two of not only my favorite Korean actors, but favorite actors period. They have never been in a scene together in any Korean film ever. They’ve been in a movie together, but never acted together. And here we are making Korean history by having them shoot that breakfast scene and, while I’m in the middle of shooting that scene, director Bong Joon Ho surprises us on set. He comes over laughing, pulls up to me, looks at my monitor, gives me stage fright, then elbows me and says, “You sure you want to frame it like that?” He was teasing. Then we started shooting the scene, it’s all in Korean, and I look back at video village and Bong’s just doubled over in laughter. He is just cracking up. Younger me, and present me, is looking around like: Here I am in Korea, in this building I’ve always wanted to shoot in, two of the greatest living actors and the greatest living director — what is happening? What a crazy sentence to say. It just makes me feel like a little kid again. It stops feeling like work and starts feeling like play.
How did you want race and identity to figure into this season, particularly through Austin?
Charles was the first piece of the whole thing. After Season 1, I got to go to Korea multiple times. I shot a music video for one of the members of BTS. I was experiencing Austin’s journey of being courted by this level of Korea that I’d never been exposed to before and feeling warm and allured by it — I’m having dinners with K-pop idols, like what is happening? So, I knew I wanted to have that element of elite Korea involved. The writers and I discussed a lot whether it should be a Korean American that’s being pulled. We had covered a lot of Korean American ground in Season 1, [but] one of the things we didn’t get to cover is the half-Korean experience. Several of the writers on staff are either half-Asian or half-Korean. We don’t want to repeat things, but let’s do explore a half-Korean character who is about to have a child suddenly get this pull toward Korea.
Carey Mulligan as Lindsay acting alongside Jones, the dog who plays Burberry, in “Beef.” “Jones is the best dog actor I’ve ever worked with,” Lee says. “A24 is making Burberry merch. There’s going to be a Burberry shirt.”
(Netflix)
There are some pretty gross, petty and violent acts of revenge. One is Ashley swirling her period blood in Josh and Lindsay’s pitcher of orange juice. The other takes place during a flight — Lindsay wiping gunk from the toilet seat and transferring it to the rim of the cup Ashley drinks from. Please explain how you arrived at these acts. Were there any left on the cutting room floor?
Episode 4 was pouring out of me. And I remember I got to the point where Ashley snooping through the house [where Lindsay and Josh live]. Initially, I had her scratching up the trophy. She opened Josh’s pomade and blew a snot booger into it. I was thinking of juvenile things. But I had the thought of her going to the kitchen and having the thing that happened to her being the expression of her revenge. I remember I was so nervous to show the [writers’] room. The way I wrote it, I had her crouching over the pitcher and Anna Moench, as the main female writer on the show, was like, “Sonny, I don’t think you know this works.” So, we revised it. That’s how the OJ one happened. With Episode 7 [and the toilet seat], we wanted to have a bodily episode on a plane, and there’s just such limited ways to get revenge on a plane. But given the OJ drink — there’s so many mirrors between the two couples, we thought it’d be fun to mirror that with a drink from Lindsay to Ashley. The only place to do that on a plane is bathroom. We shot it on stage with a fake toilet and Carey was almost vomiting. She came to me after that scene, and she goes, “Sonny, in all my years in this business, that is the most vile, disgusting thing I’ve ever had to do.”
The final moments of the finale jumps eight years. Did you always know you wanted a time jump? And did you always know Ashley and Austin were going to repeat the cycle?
The Ashley and Austin side, I knew the inverse graph for both characters would be very satisfying — to me, at least. I didn’t know whether that happened in a time jump or not. That’s something we discovered later. There was great debate in the room. I had a couple writers plead with me, “Why aren’t you ending with the kiss? It’s so sweet. It’s so good. I feel so good at the kiss. Can we just end it at the kiss?” I took it very seriously, but then it felt very similar to Season 1’s ending. Taking two people who start apart and they finally discover that connection but too late. I didn’t want to leave with the same feeling. How we can make it different is the “what happens next?” Life comes at you fast. He’s [Josh] still in prison. She’s [Lindsay] got to move on. Once I started heading down that thought experiment, I’m like, “Whoa, you could do a whole coda showing the literal theme of the show, the cycles, that’s where we can show Ashley and Austin becoming Josh and Lindsay.” That’s where we show, even though they found a connection, it’s lost between Josh and Lindsay — even if they’re still hanging on to the past a little bit. You show Troy and Ava still together [laughs] — they have it all figured out. Then you show the billionaire who, even with all the money in the world, is crying at the graveside of her first love, filled with regret.
We didn’t see where Eunice (Seoyeon Jang)ends up.
I wanted to leave it open. I’m very curious what people think. She really put her neck out there. Austin burned her bad. I don’t know where Eunice is at but it’s probably not good.
Charles Melton as Austin Davis in “Beef.”
(Netflix)
We can’t talk about “Beef” without discussing the needle drops. When you have Austin listening to Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” it was over for me.
The needle drops are usually pre-picked even before we shoot. The source music that’s playing diegetically, usually we discover in the edit. Before, as scripted, it had him scrolling Instagram and it was [the song playing on] his Instagram feed — you know how those Reels have music overlayed on a POV? It just wasn’t that funny to me in the edit. He’s so down and out and I wanted to find different source music in there. One day, I told my editor, “Can you rip ‘What Was I Made For?’ And can you just temporarily do it where, as she opens the door, he’s like, pressing the volume up, being like ‘sh— … sh— …’ [intending to make the volume go down]?” Our AE [assistant editor] did the ADR temporarily of the “sh—, sh—,” filmed it on my phone and I texted it to Finneas [O’Connell, the show’s composer, who is Eilish’s brother and collaborator] being like, “Hey, is it cool if we do this?” And he was dying laughing. [O’Connell also makes a cameo in the season.]
Ahead of Season 1, you gifted the writers “The Sopranos Sessions” and also assembled a Letterboxd list of films that served as reference points. What guidance did you provide for Season 2?
I sent another Letterboxd playlist. For inspo, we got “Handmaiden,” “Phantom Thread,” “Force Majeure,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “The Informant.” For some reason, I have “Margaret” on there, the [Kenneth] Lonergan film. I also had “Michael Clayton,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” “Burn After Reading,” and lastly, it’s a deep cut, there’s this movie called “Like Crazy,” starring Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin.
Also, can we take a moment for Burberry’s acting?
Oh my god, Jones! Jones is the best dog actor I’ve ever worked with. He would hit his mark. He would listen. He would look at people when he’s supposed to be looking. It was his first time acting. Crushed it. A24 is making Burberry merch. There’s going to be a Burberry shirt.
President Lee Jae Myung, seen here at the Blue House on Friday, shared a news report that a South Korean oil tanker exited the Red Sea for the country’s first shipment since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday shared a news report that a South Korean oil tanker exited the Red Sea, marking the first shipment of crude oil to the nation since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier in the day, the nation’s fisheries ministry reported that the tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia exited the Red Sea, as the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed amid the prolonged war in the Middle East.
“It is good news that our vessel is transporting crude oil via the Red Sea for the first time since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz,” Lee wrote in his social media post.
He described the safe passage as a “valuable achievement” made possible through close coordination among relevant ministries and the dedication of seafarers under difficult circumstances.
“The government is mobilizing all available resources to address the crisis stemming from the war in the Middle East,” Lee said, pledging to safeguard people’s livelihoods and national interests.
South Korea has been exploring ways to ship crude oil via the Red Sea, an alternative route, as the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint, has been effectively closed amid the Middle East conflict.
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