lunch

GEMMA Collins’ had a damper put on her bank holiday fun as she received a parking ticket in Essex this weekend.

The former Towie star looked horrified as she returned to her flashy Range Rover after lunch to see that it had been slapped with a hefty fine.

Dressed in a vibrant two-piece for the hottest day of the year so far, Gemma was snapped outside of Italian pizzeria Bel-Sit in Woodford.

However, it seems as though the parking ticket didn’t get her too down as Gemma was seen beaming upon ripping it off of her windscreen.

She appeared to be enjoying the British sunshine, too, as temperatures reached 28 degrees Celsius on what was the hottest day of 2026 so far.

The reality star’s outing comes just days after she was involved in a campaign that was branded “tone deaf” by the public.

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Gemma appeared in videos in collaboration with the Department for Education.

The clips, released earlier this week, show Gemma marching into an office to discuss learning with the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.

In one instalment, she prattles on about King Richard III and states “not many youngsters would know who he is today”.

The “GC”, who left school at 16 with a single GCSE — a G in maths — goes on: “Whatever you’re learning, make sure you concentrate because you’re going to be taking it into your future career.”

The videos have been ridiculed by mums and dads, with one joking: “I hadn’t thought of just saying ‘concentrate’. All will now be well.”

A second wrote: “What’s next? Joey Essex visits the Ministry of Defence?”

“It’s tone-deaf,” said a third.

Another said: “Many of us have had to fight every step of the way for our children to stay in school, for EHCPs, for specialist placements, and simply for our children’s needs to be recognised and understood.

“The SEND system is exhausting, adversarial, and often leaves families feeling unheard and unsupported.

“So to see the Department for Education use a celebrity with no lived experience of navigating this system feels disconnected from the reality SEN families face every day.”

May 8 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Friday delivered a Mother’s Day address as he hosted Gold Star Mothers and Angel Mothers in the White House Rose Garden.

Starting with his own mother, Trump thanked mothers across the country in a 20-minute speech that included specific thanks for mothers in the audience and those who work for his administration.

“I want to thank every single mother here this afternoon and all across our nation for your work,” Trump said.

“Every single day, America’s moms are raising — really — raising the future of our country … You have the most important job there is in America or any place else, and you’re doing an incredible job,” he said.

During the speech, Trump honored the mothers of children who died in crimes linked to illegal immigrants, whom he has dubbed Angel Mothers, noting that he hoped to prevent their ranks from growing due to “open borders” and what his administration has in pursuit of that goal.

The president honored Gold Star Mothers — the mothers of members of the military who have been killed in action — some of whom in attendance lost children during the war in Afghanistan.

Questioning whether “time heals all wounds,” Trump said that “our hearts are out to you on Mother’s Day.”

He also spoke about legislative and executive actions his administration has meant to benefit mothers and families.

“We’re honored to be joined by many strong and truly heroic moms who have stood up for their children,” he said, wishing them a Mother’s Day “filled with love and gratitude and joy.”

HOLLY Willoughby giggled the afternoon away on a boozy lunch with her star-studded girl squad after it was revealed she’s plotting a major career rebrand.

Former darling of ITV, Holly, 45, took centre stage in a fun video clip from a lunch date with pals Nicole Appleton, Emma Bunton, Christine Lampard and Vice President of Artist Relations at Universal Music, Shiarra Bell.

Mojitos looked to be the favoured drink for most of the girl gang, who appeared in playful mood as they looked into the camera.

Holly chose the Sex and the City theme to soundtrack the clip on Instagram and continued the US drama theme in the caption which referenced lead character Carrie Bradshaw [Sarah Jessica Parker].

She wrote: “As Carrie Bradshaw said… They say nothing lasts forever; dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style. Love my girls…”

The post went down a treat.

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CBB legend Kate Lawler wrote: “Love the energy of this girl gang.”

EastEnders icon Sam Womack said: “Jealous!!!! Love you lot.”

One fan added: “Love that they’ve grown up in the industry together and remained friends. Bet their WhatsApp chats are juicy!”

Holly has been lying low since her time on Netflix‘s Celebrity Bear Hunt early last year.

She’s been absent from TV screens for the longest period in her career, having previously been an ever present on This Morning, Celebrity Juice and Dancing on Ice.

But the mum-of-three, who is married to TV producer Dan Baldwin, is now branching out from traditional TV and is preparing a comeback on YouTube.

Her channel will start with a magazine show similar to This Morning – effectively marking the dawn of “Holly TV”.

Our insider explained: “Holly has been slowly shedding her This Morning self for a few years now and has been gradually letting the fans see the real her more and more.

“Once rarely posting on social media, Holly will now happily share her outfits, favourite tipples and days out with her very cool group of pals.

“When she was on This Morning her friendship with the likes of the Appleton sisters was kept on the down-low but now there’s no need for her to live up to a certain image.

“She has always been a party girl at heart, but kept it very well hidden while on the daytime TV show.”

Since stepping back from the box, Holly has posted edgier content on social media, including an out of character F-bomb.

When American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa announced they would be performing in the UK, a delighted Holly squealed online: “Excuse my language but f**k, I’ve waited my whole life for this.”

The insider continued: “Holly would never have sworn online while she was on This Morning but is deliberately showing a different side to herself. She wants to be seen as cool and edgy.

“She was definitely keeping up appearances while on the show and can now finally be herself fully.”

Though the former kids TV presenter has maintained a clean cut image, her party girl image has long been talked about in media circles.

In 2019 she partied until the early hours at The Streets’ comeback gig afterparty at Brixton Academy with Nicole Appleton, wearing a T-shirt that read: “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go backstage”.

Her legendary drinking stamina has led to her being labelled a “robot” by pal Keith Lemon.

“Holly is a party animal. I’m a drinker, but I can’t keep up with her,” he told The Sun.

While Piers Morgan said: “Piers Morgan backed up his comments, admitting: “If I go to a party and Holly Willoughby is there, you know your liver is in for a caning, and you could end up in a career-ending situation. She’s a very dangerous lady. Very dangerous.”