leg

Wales have reached the play-off stages of qualification for a major tournament for only the third time in the history of the women’s national side.

Their first attempt, in qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, ended in agony.

Gemma Grainger’s team beat Bosnia-Herzgovina at the semi-final stage before – despite taking an early lead – losing out to a goal late in extra time of the final in Switzerland.

Two years later, it was an entirely different story as Wales overcame Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland to reach Euro 2025, the first women’s major tournament in the nation’s history.

Thanks in part to a lengthy injury list, James is one of only five players who began the decisive game in Dublin 22 months ago who are in contention to start against Albania.

The 146-cap Seattle Reign midfielder was also part of the side left heartbroken by that late defeat in Zurich in October 2022.

“[They were] two very different feelings after both games,” James said.

“The feeling that we had out in Switzerland, going so close in extra time and narrowly missing out, it fuelled us for Dublin.

“There’s a big group of us that experienced that and at the start of this camp we made sure the whole group was aware of how it feels to be on both ends of that.”

Céline Dion will go on — even after taking a little tumble onstage.

The 58-year-old singer slipped in front of a live audience while performing “Dans un Autre monde” during her Paris residency on Oct. 7. But the French Canadian singer quickly got back up and signaled to fans that she was A-OK by flashing a thumbs-up, in footage obtained by People.

Despite the slight stumble, it has been a triumphant comeback to the live stage after a six-year hiatus for the “All By Myself” singer, who has shows scheduled for this fall and next spring at the Paris Plenitude Arena (formerly Paris La Défense Arena).

In 2022, Dion was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome (SPS), an autoimmune neurological disorder that affects about one in a million people and has no cure. The illness is characterized by muscle rigidity in the torso, arms and legs. Sensitivity to noise, touch and emotional distress can set off muscle spasms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Following the diagnosis, Dion canceled her North American Courage World Tour in May 2023 (which originally began in 2019 but was interrupted by COVID-19 pandemic) as she continued to deal with severe muscle spasms and was having difficulty controlling her voice.

“I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100%,” she said in a public statement on her website in May 2023. “It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything now until I’m really ready to be back on stage again.”

Her early symptoms began in 2008 during her Taking Chances World Tour, when she experienced difficulty controlling her voice despite doctors saying her vocal cords appeared normal, she shared with Vogue in 2024.

Additional details about her struggles with SPS came to light in a 2024 Prime Video documentary titled “I Am: Celine Dion,” directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, which follows the singer as she navigates the drastic changes to her health.

The “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” singer has experienced broken ribs because of the spasms, she told Hoda Kotb on “Today” in 2024 while promoting the documentary. Her journey back to the spotlight has entailed intense physical therapy, vocal rehabilitation and medication, she said.

“I’m going to go back onstage, even if I have to crawl, even if I have to talk with my hands, I will,” Dion shared. “Not just because I have to, or because I need to, but because I want to. And I miss it.”

NICOLE Scherzinger has revealed more shocking images of her painful leg injury after a horrifying mishap.

Last week, Pussycat Dolls star Nicole revealed how boiling water had spilled over her lower leg shortly before taking to the stage in Germany.

Just over a week since the accident, the band’s lead singer has shared new photos of her bloodied and blistered leg.

Nicole shared a photo of her wearing a black crop top as she showcased her abs.

She captioned the post: “What they see vs. what they don’t see…”

The pop star then followed it up with a series of photos of her leg which had scabbed over and left a deep purple scar.

It comes after The Don’t Cha hitmaker uploaded an image showing her limb looking sore with red raw marks across her inner thigh from the knee down to her ankle.

Sharing snaps of the painful burns on her leg, one fan wrote: “God heal Nicole of any pain”.

In her caption she wrote: “Nothing like boiling water falling on your leg an hour before your set.

“But the show must go on.

“Thanks Dusseldorf for keeping me going. See you soon Amsterdam!”

Nicole has been joined on tour by bandmates Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt.

They played at the PSD Bank Dome in Germany, with a mix of band favourites and solo tracks in their Forever series of gigs.

It isn’t the first mishap which has hit tour proceedings, with Nicole recently “going missing” from top track Buttons in Poland.

We also recently revealed how the American band had been forced to slash ticket prices.

The sizzling girl group are set to perform in a number of venues around the UK starting at the end of this month as part of The Pussycat Dolls: PCD Forever Tour.

Tonight, they take to the stage at the Ziggo Dome in the Netherlands before Nicole, along with bandmates Ashley and Kimberly, will arrive in the UK at the Utilita Arena Birmingham on September 29.

That will be followed by other shows in Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and then they will wrap up at the O2 in London on October 13.

However The Sun exclusively revealed in May that the band had to axe the North American reunion due to poor ticket sales – despite already slashing the prices.

Meanwhile, Nicole’s bandmate Kimberley has hinted this tour could be their last.