OLIVIA Bowen has revealed her four-year-old son came within millimetres of losing his eye after a freak accident at nursery.
An ambulance was called to rush little Abel to hospital after he impaled his eye with a stick while playing outside last year as part of forest school.
Olivia Bowen revealed son Abel had a horror eye injury last year that nearly cost him his sightCredit: ITV 2Olivia pictured with husband Alex BowenCredit: Splash
Olivia, 32, described the phone call informing her as the “scariest” of her life and she immediately made her way to the school to be by her son’s side.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Olivia said: “It was probably his first big accident, and when we got there, he just had a patch over his eye, there was blood everywhere.
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“We didn’t know whether it had gone right into his eye and touched his eyeball, if it had missed it, if it was stuck, we had no clue, because he wouldn’t let us open it.”
Abel needed surgery to fix the wound, which included a sliced tearduct, and had a stent fitted to help with drainage during recovery.
Love Island runner-up Olivia, who is also mum to Siena, one, said it was a “pure miracle” that Abel could still see and a follow-up eye test found he had 20-20 vision.
“I’ve never really thought about how important eyesight is, it’s something we take for granted every single day, especially with the kids, starting school, learning to read, it’s something I’ve never particularly thought about until that moment,” said Olivia.
The terrifying ordeal was the motivation for the mum-of-two to back a new campaign with The College of Optometrists that encourages parents to take their young children for free eye tests before they start school.
New research has found that just five percent of under-fives had an eye test last year.
Now, in a new drive to diagnose conditions early and achieve the best possible outcomes, The College wants parents to book appointments for their little ones.
In the UK all children under 16 are entitled to free eye tests, and this rises up to 19 for those still in full-time education.
And the research shows under-16s fare better than the preschoolers, with close to half having tested their eyes in 2025.
“The opticians, they’re just so kind,” said Olivia. “This is their job, this is what they do, and they want us to be going, because catching things in kids’ eye health early is so important, especially at that stage, before they start school.
“It’s daunting enough starting school, imagine if your child has got an issue with their eyesight? It’s going to make it even harder, so catching it at that point is probably the biggest piece of advice that they want to get through to everyone, and then follow up appointments, every one to two years.”
The first dance off took place tonight and for one celebrity it was the last dance on the BBC competition as famous faces have begun leaving the 2026 competition.
19:56, 04 Oct 2026Updated 21:20, 04 Oct 2026
First celebrity is sent home from Strictly Come Dancing after dance off(Image: BBC)
Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton was emotional after he was cut from the Strictly Come Dancing competition after losing in a dance off against Jaime Winstone.
The 43-year-old who has worked with with Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, was near the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 33 after two weeks of dancing. Both he and his pro partner Amy Dowden were tearful after getting the boot.
In the dance off Chris and pro partner Amy performed their Cha Cha to I’ll Be Ready from Baywatch, before Jaime and Carlos Gu performed their Cha Cha to Oh, Pretty Woman from Pretty Woman.
The judges voted unanimously to save Jaime meaning she will be back next weekend. Chris had said earlier in the weekend he didn’t want to let his partner Amy down. He said: “I am really trying but also really enjoying it.”
But his cha cha managed just 17 points from the judges and in week one he got just 15, amongst the lowest scores in the competition.
After his elimination, Appleton said: “I think it’s been such a whirlwind of emotion. I’m 43 and I got good at doing what I did – which is hair. To come and do something like this, I felt so out of my comfort zone and saw myself in a way I never saw myself, and it challenged me in ways I never knew I could be challenged.
“I am very grateful for everyone who has been involved. It’s been so amazing to be part of something that I grew up watching and got to be a part of it.
“The most important thing I think I will take from this show is having a friend in Amy because I genuinely love her and I am so grateful I met someone who has so much heart and passion.
“I only wish I could have done better for her because she deserves to go further in the competition, but we did put everything into it.”
The news means a second year of bad luck for pro Amy Dowden on the show. Dowden was also eliminated first last season after being paired with The Apprentice contestant and businessman Thomas Skinner. She said she was “heartbroken” to leave the competition. Chris said he felt bad he hadn’t made it further in the competition but had a “friend for life” in Amy.
On Saturday night, Strictly Come Dancing’s movie week episode saw a peak of 5.6 million viewers. Over the course of the two-and-a-half hour programme, the 15 celebrities and their professional partners took to the dancefloor to perform routines inspired by movies including Titanic, Risky Business, Mary Poppins and Saturday Night Fever.
Delta Goodrem was called a “force to be reckoned with” after she topped the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard with 59 points from the first two weeks of dancing.
A Strictly spokesperson said: “Strictly’s movie week was the most watched programme of the night, with a peak of 5.6 million viewers. As ever, overnight ratings do not give the full picture of all those who watch in an on-demand world.”
This week’s episode aired at the same time as the Croatia v England match on ITV. It also had an average of 5.1 million viewers with a 44.3% share, a rise on last week’s overnight figures.
The first Strictly live show of the season – which aired last Saturday – attracted a peak of five million, with an average of 4.8 million tuning in as the stars performed with their professional partners live for the first time. That episode has now also been watched by more than six million viewers.
SAN JOSÉ — Igor Chernyshov scored his second goal of the game with 1:42 remaining in overtime and the San José Sharks beat the Kings 5-4 on Saturday night for their second straight win to open the season.
The Kings rallied from two goals down in the third to tie the game and controlled play for most of the overtime. But San José came out on top when Chernyshov beat Anton Forsberg on a one-timer off a pass from Macklin Celebrini, who has five assists in two games.
After not getting a win in the first five games the past four seasons, the Sharks have back-to-back overtime wins to begin this season after beating Florida 4-3 in the opener Thursday night.
Tyler Toffoli, Kiefer Sherwood and Nolan Allan also scored for San José. Yaroslav Askarov made 31 saves.
Chernyshov gave San José a 4-2 lead early in the third when he scored on a breakaway but the Kings responded. Haula scored to make it a one-goal game and Panarin got the equalizer with 5:01 remaining after a poor clearing attempt by Allan.
The Kings struck first when Kempe scored on a one-timer off a pass from Panarin on the power play in the first. The Sharks took control with three goals in the second starting when Toffoli tapped in a perfect feed from rookie Ivar Stenberg on the power play. It was the first career point for the 19-year-old Stenberg.
The Kings got one back with 1.3 seconds left in the period when Byfield scored on the power play.
Up next for Kings: vs. Florida at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
Heading into the Birmingham-Cleveland high school football game on Friday night, something had to give in the West Valley League opener. The host Patriots hadn’t lost a league game since 2017 and had beaten Cleveland 13 consecutive times, by an average score of 40-8.
Cleveland, however, was undefeated and looking for its first 6-0 start since 2004.
It wasn’t pretty, but a superlative defensive effort and two impressive first-half drives gave the Cavaliers just enough to defeat the Patriots 14-9. Birmingham fell to 1-5.
Neither team’s most potent offensive weapon was able to take over the game.
Cleveland running back Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi did most of his damage early, rushing for 40 yards on the Cavaliers’ opening drive, which ended with quarterback Julio Avalos’ one-yard touchdown run.
Odebunmi again carried much of the load on Cleveland’s second drive, contributing 39 yards and scoring on a two-yard run to give the Cavaliers a 14-0 lead.
While Odebunmi was producing for Cleveland, the Cavaliers largely stifled Birmingham’s top offensive threat, wide receiver Paul Turner.
Turner’s biggest play was a 45-yard punt return that set up the Patriots’ lone touchdown, a six-yard pass from quarterback Daniel Kakooza to Aidin Irizary late in the third quarter that cut Cleveland’s lead to 14-9.
“We knew that was one of the keys to getting the win, containing him,” Cleveland coach Mario Guzman said of Turner. “We knew he’d get his catches. That’s inevitable — the kid’s a baller. But we knew if we could contain him, rally and tackle, we’d be in a good position.”
The fourth quarter turned into a comedy of errors. Birmingham blocked a punt to take over at the Cleveland 11, only to have Cleveland block the ensuing field-goal attempt. The Patriots later got another opportunity when Chris Barrera recovered a fumble.
Kakooza then rediscovered Turner, connecting with him six times on the drive as Birmingham drove to the Cleveland three-yard line. But the Patriots again came away empty.
As Iran and the United States work with mediators to end seven months of hostilities, the reality in the Strait of Hormuz is shifting in ways that could prove to be a game-changer in ongoing negotiations.
According to the latest data from tanker-tracker websites, traffic through the key waterway has been steadily increasing, with some estimates putting oil and petroleum flow through the Strait of Hormuz at nearly 80 percent of what it was before the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28.
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This could dent Iran’s leverage in reaching a favourable deal for itself in its attempts to end the fighting, which has seriously hampered its already heavily sanctioned economy, amid the US blockade of Iranian ships and ports.
Despite that, experts believe it would be a mistake to think normality in the Strait of Hormuz is imminent, or that Iran will fold easily despite growing economic hardship.
“The fact that oil is getting through the Strait of Hormuz is encouraging, but flows are not yet regarded as completely secure or guaranteed, particularly while the wider conflict remains unresolved,” Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club, told Al Jazeera.
Moreover, oil prices remain high globally, including in the US, where President Donald Trump faces a crucial midterm election that could see his party swept away in both houses of Congress.
Tanker insurance costs also remain elevated and energy flows through Hormuz are still far from secure, suggesting Iran’s leverage may be weakening rather than disappearing.
Oil flows through Hormuz recovering
The latest data from commodity analytics firm Kpler points to a significant recovery in oil exports from the Middle East.
Crude exports reached an estimated 16.328 million barrels per day (bpd) in September – their highest level since the war began in late February, the firm reported this week.
Flows through the Strait of Hormuz itself were expected to reach about 9.719 million bpd during the month. Saudi Arabia has driven much of the increase, with its exports rebounding from 2.446 million bpd in August to about 5.4 million bpd in September.
Kpler said Middle East crude exports have recovered to just under 80 percent of their pre-war level. But the figures remain about 3.2 million bpd below the 19.513 million bpd exported in February.
The data also does not include ships crossing Hormuz with their tracking systems switched off, meaning actual traffic could be higher.
Prior to the war, an estimated 120-140 vessels crossed through the waterway daily, roughly half of them oil tankers moving approximately 20 million barrels per day. At the height of the fighting, traffic through the waterway collapsed to as few as two tankers a day after Iran in effect closed the strait in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks.
Is Iran losing leverage?
The rebound in oil flow presents a challenge for Tehran. Iran has sought to use its ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints – as leverage against Washington’s military and economic pressure.
But if large volumes of oil can continue moving through the strait while Iran itself remains under a US naval blockade, Tehran’s bargaining power could diminish.
Iran, however, rejects any assessment that its control over the strait is slipping.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi on Tuesday said the ability of vessels to transit the waterway with US assistance did not mean Hormuz had returned to normal.
Oil prices are another indication that Iran has not lost all of its leverage.
Villagers stand near plastic containers at a fuel station to fill their water pumps, as India faces rising oil prices, in Halvad, Gujarat, India [File: Amit Dave/Reuters]
Brent crude fell 2.6 percent to $102.59 a barrel on Tuesday as traders focused on recovering Middle East exports. But it was still heading for a roughly 13 percent gain in September.
Chris Beauchamp, an analyst at IG, said markets were beginning to incorporate evidence of recovering flows but remained wary about how durable that recovery would be.
“It takes time for evidence to filter through to markets,” Beauchamp said. “Oil prices came off yesterday as the narrative began to take hold, and should continue to fall.”
But he said concerns persisted over whether the US protection system could withstand a renewed barrage of Iranian missiles and drones.
Streeter of Wealth Club said the market still had a geopolitical risk premium built into crude prices, despite the improving flows.
“Insurance costs for tankers also remain elevated because of the perceived risks of operating in the region, adding to the cost of transporting crude even as more ships make it through the waterway,” she said.
Moreover, Streeter warned that crude figures tell only part of the story. Flows of refined fuels, particularly diesel and gasoline, remain constrained, while damage to infrastructure has placed additional pressure on energy supply chains, she added.
There is another vulnerability, the investment strategist pointed out. Countries including the US have relied heavily on strategic oil reserves to cushion the impact of the disruption and help contain prices.
“With those stockpiles now significantly depleted, there is a thinner buffer if there is another disruption, which is helping to keep a floor under crude prices,” Streeter added.
‘Economic war’ on Iran
There is little doubt that economic pressure on Iran is intensifying, potentially increasing Tehran’s incentive to reach an agreement.
Official data from the Statistical Center of Iran earlier this month showed gross domestic product (GDP) contracting 10.1 percent year on year between March 21 and June 20, while the crucial oil and gas sector shrank 26.4 percent.
Iran has also been battling high inflation and a plunging currency as the US blockade constrains oil exports and foreign currency earnings.
Twelve-month average inflation reached 69.9 percent earlier in September, while the rial had fallen beyond 2.2 million to the US dollar in early September.
People shop at Tajrish Bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran [File: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA]
In August, the US announced a fresh economic pressure campaign against Iran, promising to target Tehran’s financial interests across the world.
Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow at the University of Tehran, told Al Jazeera that Iran was facing an “economic war” alongside the military conflict.
“There is a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which affects Iran’s revenues from oil exports and other products such as petrochemicals, which are important to Iran’s economy,” Eslami said. “As a result, Iran’s dollar revenues have been affected by the blockade.”
But he cautioned against judging Iran’s economy solely through the value of its currency.
“The exchange rate is a very important indicator, but it is not the only measure for explaining what is happening or the difficulties and challenges facing Iran’s economy,” Eslami said, adding that Iran has faced US economic pressure for “five decades”.
Can a deal be reached?
Despite the military and economic pressure, negotiations have not collapsed.
At the United Nations General Assembly last week, Tehran and Washington engaged in three hours of indirect talks, as US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
President Trump later described the encounter as “very good” and “very productive.”
Iran also proposed a seven-day roadmap under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and normal maritime traffic restored if Washington meets Tehran’s conditions, a plan Trump categorically rejected.
Those conditions included ending the naval blockade on Iran, easing sanctions and releasing frozen Iranian funds.
However, on Wednesday, Reuters news agency reported that Araghchi had received US feedback on the proposal through Qatari mediators.
An official briefed on the talks said the main disagreement now centred on the sequencing of measures rather than the components of the plan.
