Max

TIKTOK star Max Balegde broke down in tears as he confirmed he has split from his boyfriend of five years.

The Sun revealed this week that the influencer, 27, and his boyfriend Andrew Spann have now called time on their relationship.

And things appeared to have not ended amicably as they both unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Max has now broken his silence on the shock split and admitted he’s “losing the plot” and feels “devastated”.

An emotional Max took to social media with a new video as he explained his side of the story.

With tears in his eyes, the content creator started: “Hello everyone, I’m just making this video to let you know that sadly it is true that me and Andrew have broken up after five and a half years of being together.

it’s over

Tiktok star Max Balegde splits from boyfriend after five years together

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“We broke up around two weeks ago and obviously it’s been a really sad and tough time.

“There’s been so much love between the two of us, between our family and friends over those years.

“When you’re with someone for that long, your life becomes so intrinsically bonded together and you can’t imagine not having them in your life to be honest with you. That’s kind of how it gets.

“So I’ve been struggling a lot. I am in Ibiza right now, I’ve been here for a week.

“But the narrative online that I’m just partying and don’t give one and he’s all sad, could not be further from the truth.”

Max explained that he had this holiday booked months ago and when the break-up happened, he decided to go to Ibiza with his friends instead of “sobbing alone in his room”.

He shared that he’s been looking after himself and going to the gym and has avoided going out and boozing much.

“I’ve just been spending time with lovely supportive friends who have just been a godsend,” he continued.

Max then addressed the reason behind the split and admitted it was him who decided to end it.

“I know everyone will want an explanation because we shared so much of our relationship with you lot,” he said.

“All I’ll say is I chose to end the relationship for personal reasons that I don’t really want to discuss on the internet and out of respect for Andrew.

“There is so much love there, it’s not hate. It’s just you can’t get everything you need from someone, you have to sometimes face reality and it’s sad and devastating.”

Max admitted he was “losing the plot” as he copes with the new adjustment.

“I’ve never had a break-up like this before, I’ve never experienced anything like this, I don’t know how to navigate it, all I know is I’ve spent a lot of time focusing and looking after a lot of people but now it’s time to focus and look after myself.

“As scary as this is, I’m excited for the future, even though I can’t feel that excitement right now.

“I just feel sad, scared, anxious and depressed.

“But I have a lot of exciting work stuff I want to delve into, time with my friends and family and value the time with myself. I’ve been around people for five and a half years non-stop, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be by myself.

“That’s terrifying, I’m genuinely terrified.”

Max said he was going to focus on his career and himself going forward.

He added: “If it looks like I’m losing the plot, then it’s because I am, I f***ing am.

“I’m terrified to go home tomorrow but I have to face reality at some point.

“I’ve got to find out where I’m going to end up living, what’s going to happen to our dog.

He then hid his face and said: “I’m going to cry again.”

The media star then thanked his fans for their support and said he was heartbroken as he felt he had “failed” his fans, especially those in the LGBT community.

Max captioned the post: “Please respect both of us, I still have so much love for Andrew and this is a really hard time for us both. thank you for the love.”

His followers raced to show their support for the star.

One wrote: “Sending you so much love… the end of a relationship when you still care for the person is so hard however put all that love into yourself now and everything will fall into place.”

A second said: “This is a very mature way to handle it. You should hold your head up & remember you are so loved.”

Earlier this week, The Sun announced news of the split.

A source told The Sun: “Max and Andrew broke up a few weeks ago and it’s been incredibly tough for both given how long they were together.

“Max is enjoying some time in Ibiza and will be ploughing ahead with work as he navigates the situation.”

Max, who has been on Gogglebox alongside his podcast co-host George Clarke, has been sharing what he’s been up to in Ibiza on his Instagram.

He shared a video of him miming to Ingrid Michaelson’s song Be OK while standing out on his balcony with a huge bottle of water.

The star can be seen wearing a T-shirt with the words ‘Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go to Ibiza’.

The two started dating back in 2021 after they matched on dating app Hinge.

Max and Andrew celebrated their five year anniversary back in April.

Andrew shared a selection of snaps from throughout their relationship with the caption: “Half a decade of us, no biggie.”

Don’t ever doubt the toughness of Max Eldridge from Corona Santiago High.

During football season, he’s a 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive lineman who loves to make quarterbacks feel uncomfortable. He recorded four sacks in the season opener last week against Yucaipa and another on Friday against Temescal Canyon.

As an outfielder-pitcher for the baseball team, he showed off power with his bat and arm. He had eight home runs last season. He’s committed to UC San Diego for baseball.

For him to keep playing football even though baseball will be his sport in college shows that he wants to make his senior year memorable and enjoy his final months playing with his best friends.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Almost three decades ago, Joe Timko and Randy Neece were wandering through Disneyland, saw Goofy trailing around the gardens and made the connection.

This, but for dogs?

A Disneyland-inspired wonderland for their canine counterparts is what they were thinking. Timko, who Neece describes as “the most impulsive person in the world,” had no hesitation.

“That’s what we should do!” he says.

Dogs run around at the Wonderland yard.

That offhand vision has since expanded into Canyon View Ranch, a five-acre luxury retreat tucked into the hills of Topanga that its clients refer to as Disneyland for canines. Designed by married couple Timko and Neece, who worked as a trainer and TV game show director, respectively, this dog boarding retreat is like no other. Think multiple bone-shaped pools, a chauffeured shuttle service, behavioral and weight loss programs, 35 feet of underground tunnels and dedicated lands à la Disneyland, including Adventureland for the bigger hounds and Munchkinland for the little ones and older sports.

Dogs here wake promptly at 5 a.m. for morning exercise, eat breakfast at 6, take scheduled naps at 8, enjoy a “biscuit break” at 5:30 p.m. and are finally tucked in for “lights out” at 8. Ranch activities include hurtling through agility courses, swimming beneath a massive artificial waterfall and roaming sprawling fantasy playgrounds built expressly for their entertainment.

A map of the ranch drawn by Nina Rae Vaughn, the same artist who illustrates Disneyland’s official park maps.

(Canyon View Ranch)

Dog owners say that as soon as they pull into the driveway, their pups realize exactly where they’re headed and “start going bonkers,” says Neece. When they’re let loose, they enter Canyon View Ranch with the abandon of children running down Main Street, U.S.A.

Getting to the ranch requires a journey up winding hills, past signs that read “Please Be Kind,” on roads flanked by cacti, chaparral and coastal sage scrub. It looks nothing like the city.

Today, Canyon View Ranch boards around 60 dogs at once, often with a waiting list stretching six months or longer. There is no limitation on how long they can stay, and many of the dogs I meet today have been here for several weeks, totaling thousands with the ranch’s $100 nightly rate. Dogs travel from all over to get here, from Las Vegas to Dubai. Their owners include schoolteachers and secretaries alongside some of Los Angeles’ wealthiest families.

“We could be watching over all the jewelry in their safe,” Neece says, “and it wouldn’t matter as much as their dog.”

On this Wednesday morning, Neece and Timko lead the way through the property. Neece is calmly and casually kind, like a faithful bloodhound without jowls. Timko is sprightly, a live-wire Chihuahua. The two of them live on-site in what looks like a family home straight out of a 1990s Disney film, a white colonial home with blue shutters. There are 20 staff on-site. For Neece and Timko, the job is 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Munchinkland is for smaller and less energetic dogs at Canyon View Ranch.

Dogs follow animal care specialist John Highland.

“I have the best job in the world,” says John Highland, former veterinary technician and now one of the ranch’s animal care specialists, as the dogs stream into Adventureland.

A great many dogs run up to me, tails wagging, tongues lolling. Neece and Timko lead me eastward of Adventureland toward the dandelion-headed alpacas, Stumbelina and Sparkle. Other animals on-site include a stable full of horses and Cowboy the tortoise, who is about the size of a lawnmower and whose head protrudes from what looks like a Venus flytrap made of bone.

“They help bring the flavor of fun, and that’s exactly what we want to do here,” Neece says. “We want it to be an escape, just like Disneyland.”

Neece was raised 15 minutes away from Disneyland and developed an obsession with it early on. “I’ve read every book imaginable,” he says. “I have this really deep appreciation for Walt Disney’s vision.”

Every detail of Canyon View Ranch evokes the legendary Anaheim theme park. The property has its own illustrated map, drawn by Nina Rae Vaughn, the same artist who illustrates Disneyland’s official park maps. The dogs’ sleeping quarters are modeled after the park’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride, with its fort-like corridors made of sun-dried brick, the walls strewn with overgrown jungle vines. At Christmas, snow machines cover the grounds while lights are strung through the trees and holiday music plays all day.

The Disney vision has now come full circle. Several members of the Disney family are clients: Roy P. Disney and his wife, Sheri. His sister, Susan Disney Lord, is also a client, along with her children.

Canyon View Ranch even has what Neece describes as its own “Mickey Mouse”: Max the Tibetan terrier. A statue of him sits out front, honoring the first dog Timko and Neece owned together. “Usually, Tibetan terriers come in black and white, but we wanted Max, who came in earth tones, because he matched the furniture,” says Neece. The terrier, it turned out, was a champion, and the owner wouldn’t sell him unless the couple promised to show him. They agreed, and in 1997, Max won best of breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. “All of this started because we made the decision to buy that dog,” says Timko.

Randy Neece, left, and Joe Timko spent years creating a “doggie Disneyland.”

Neece and Timko gaze over the canyon view from which inspired the ranch’s name. After 26 years, they’ve watched three generations of dogs come and go. “One of the things we didn’t count on when we started this was the emotional toll,” says Neece. “Yeah,” Timko adds, “every loss hurts.”

“When Max died, Joe struggled for weeks,” says Neece. “I later realized that a lot of it translated into him worrying about losing me next.”

In the late 1980s, while still working on TV sets, Neece learned he was HIV positive. “It was a death sentence then,” he says.

Larger dogs play in the Wonderland yard.

He survived, one of a comparatively small number of his generation who did. He returned to television briefly, working on two more game shows, one of which included one of his biggest paychecks. (“‘Match Game’ built Canyon View Ranch,” he laughs.)

But something had shifted. “When you go through something like that,” he says, “you really start taking inventory of your life. There’s something about that that frees you up to take a risk. I was ready to reinvent myself.”

The couple sold their house in Laurel Canyon and bought the Topanga property in the late ’90s from Melissa Sue Anderson, who had played Mary Ingalls on “Little House on the Prairie.” Slowly, year after year, they planted every tree alongside ranch foreman David Barrios, dug every tunnel, built every waterfall and themed land, until the place began to resemble the idea they’d first imagined while watching children crowd around Goofy.

Now, late in this hot August afternoon, dogs of every size race through underground tunnels and emerge from the other side even more manically happy than when they entered. The Pomeranian munchkins in Munchkinland skitter around, sniffing wagging butts. A Labrador sprays his friends with water soaked into his fur from the bone-shaped pool. If there is such a thing as the Rainbow Bridge, Canyon View Ranch must be what it looks like on the other side.

Dogs dip in a pool and follow John Highland at Canyon View Ranch.

Three races into this season, after the Japanese Grand Prix, the frustrations of driving the new hybrid engines of this year boiled over in Verstappen.

The need to constantly recover energy to power the batteries, the impossibility of doing so to the extent that they are fully charged at all times, and the artificiality that had been introduced into the racing as a consequence, were too much for the Dutchman after a race at Suzuka, arguably the greatest circuit on the calendar.

“Is it worth it?” Verstappen pondered out loud. “Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”

By 2028, the split between internal combustion and electrical power will be 60:40 in favour of the internal combustion engine, when it is more like 53:47 now.

That will reduce – but not eliminate – the energy starvation suffered by the engines, and as a consequence make driving the cars feel more enjoyable.

Verstappen is the purist’s purist. He wants to drive on the limit all the time.

So it was total anathema to him having the engines run out of battery power, robbing them of 470bhp, before the end of long straights, needing to recover energy through the fastest corners, and having power off-sets between one car and another decide overtakes.

In May, he had an experience that underlined to him what F1 had lost, to his mind.

He raced a Red Bull-branded Mercedes AMG GT at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, and he was nothing less than sensational, particularly in a first stint that took the car he shared with two other drivers from 10th to first. Only a late driveshaft failure robbed him of victory.

This, to him, was what racing was all about.

Since Japan, the complaints of the drivers – Verstappen was far from the only driver to express his discontent – have been heard by the sport’s bosses.

Tweaks to the rules are being introduced over the next two years, to increase the proportion of the total power output of the engine coming from the internal combustion side.

At the last couple of races before the summer break, which is brought to an end by this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, a softening of Verstappen’s tone in F1 was discernible. And on Thursday he confirmed it.

“After the first few races, I said to Laurent [Mekies, the Red Bull team principal], ‘Don’t come to me with any kind of questions about the future’. Because I didn’t even know if I wanted to stay,” Verstappen said.

“I love racing. I had a lot of very good discussions with F1, but also with the FIA. And I think we are slowly working towards something that becomes better and better.

“Also from my side, of course, I adapted. I accept the situation that we’re all in and just trying to make the best of that.

“Also with the year that I signed to, it again opens up the door maybe, you know, when potentially the V8s come in to look at that again as well.”

That is a reference to ongoing discussions about the next engine regulations, due to come in by 2031 at the latest.

It says something about the mess the sport has got itself into with the latest engine rules that discussions about the next ones, due in five years’ time, started even before the first race of the new power-units.

The FIA, the sport’s governing body, was primarily responsible for the issues with energy starvation that have caused so much angst this season.

They were warned by teams and drivers for the last two years or more that this energy starvation situation would become an issue. But they did not listen, instead focusing on adding ever-more complexities to the rules to try to address some of the consequences of it.

Four-time F1 World Drivers’ Champion’s new deal puts to rest rumours that he would exit the team at the end of 2028 season.

Multiple Formula One world champion Max Verstappen has signed a new contract with Red Bull Racing until the end of 2030, the team announced, ending speculation over his future in the sport.

“Four more years of full send. We are delighted to announce that Max has signed a contract extension with the team until the end of 2030,” Red Bull said on X on Thursday.

The news came with preparations in full swing for Verstappen’s home race this Sunday, the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, and will delight his thousands of orange-clad fans.

Verstappen is one of the most successful Formula One drivers of all time, dominating the sport with four consecutive world championships from 2021.

But results have been harder to come by this season, with the 28-year-old failing to see a chequered flag in the first half of the year and sitting sixth in the drivers’ championship.

“This commitment is about more than continuing an already extraordinary alliance,” the team said in its statement.

“It is a powerful statement of mutual trust and ambition – and a shared decision to shape the future together.”

The uncompetitive nature of the Red Bull car this year has led many to speculate that the mercurial Dutchman could switch to another team or even leave Formula One entirely.

But Verstappen said he was keen to get the team back to winning ways.

“We have the best people and I’m excited to keep working together with everyone to get back to the top again,” he was quoted as saying.

Dutch courage needed this weekend

The news adds even more spice to the last-ever edition of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Verstappen was unbeatable on his home track, winning the first three editions since it was reintroduced to the circuit in 2021.

But he has since been chasing McLaren in his own back yard, with Papaya drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri claiming the last two races.

Verstappen is expected to don a special helmet for the occasion, inspired by the famous blue Delft pottery.

The promoters decided not to continue racing at Zandvoort, partly due to uncertainty over Verstappen’s future given his importance for the popularity of the event.

“I have always said it: The team is like a second family for me and I feel very at home,” said Verstappen.

“I came to the team hoping to be able to win races. What we went on to achieve together has been simply lovely,” added Verstappen, using his trademark phrase.

When the Oakland Athletics released Max Muncy before the 2017 season, the then-26-year-old didn’t know if a baseball career was for him anymore, let alone a future at third base.

“Man, there’s a lot with that,” Muncy told The Times. “It’s just a lot.”

Then, the Dodgers came calling, signing Muncy to a minor-league contract in late April 2017.

And now — nine seasons, three All-Star nods and three World Series championships later — Muncy just eclipsed 10 years of service time on Sunday against the Brewers, eight days before his 36th birthday.

“It’s special. It’s a rare accomplishment in baseball,” Muncy said of the feat that fewer than 10% of all MLB players reach. “It’s something that I’m extremely proud of. There’s not many things that I take personal pride in when it comes to, you know, personal accomplishments. For me, it’s always about winning rings and doing things as a team.

“But this is one of the few that I’m really, really proud of, and I’ll definitely cherish.”

No one could’ve foreseen the unobtrusively great career that Muncy has carved out for himself, specifically over the last nine seasons in Los Angeles since getting called up in 2018.

Entering this week’s three-game series in Colorado against the Rockies, Muncy is the Dodgers’ all-time playoff home run leader with 16 and is fifth on the franchise’s all-time home runs list with 233. He has slashed .234/.357/.486 over 1,039 regular-season games with the club, anchoring lineups alongside countless big-name teammates while evolving into a trustworthy defender.

Even someone who’s seen Muncy’s journey up close like Dodgers reliever Brock Stewart, who was also vying for a big-league opportunity in Triple-A Oklahoma City during that forever-ago 2017 season, is still moved by his ascent.

“He’s always been a good teammate [and] always been a good human,” Stewart said. “I don’t know if he always believed in himself, and I can relate to that, because I didn’t believe in myself all the time … But to see him and how he persevered through that feeling [or] that self-doubt and became what he is now [is] super special.

“And, man, to know that he’s now the Dodger [Stadium] all-time home run leader? Whatever it is … after being an older guy in Triple-A with me and then getting called up … special.”

In retrospect, though, this was always Muncy’s destiny.

He’s long been a manager’s dream, a status that is timeless and priceless.

“I remember a guy that just got DFA’d that was sort of kicked to the curb by an organization that didn’t believe in him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Muncy. “He was close to being out of baseball … He’s one of the leaders on our ballclub, the longest-tenured Dodger currently. So I just have nothing but praise.

“The ability to kind of adapt, start, come off the bench and still [do] whatever it takes to help the team win — he’s all in. … He does everything you want as a manager — everything. He’s cut from the same Freddie Freeman cloth.”

Muncy is as team-first as it gets.

Although some stats might occasionally catch his eye, Muncy doesn’t put much thought into individual accomplishments. Recently passing Eric Karros, for example, for first in career homers at Dodger Stadium — Muncy currently has 132 to Karros’ 130 — doesn’t light up Muncy as one might think.

“There’s not much when it comes to me, personally, that I care about,” Muncy said. “But three rings is definitely what I [cherish] most.”

That selfless approach is what MLB’s premier organization and latest dynasty loves most about Muncy.

“He’s a guy that is always going to show up for the team and do whatever it takes to put the team in a good position,” said Miguel Rojas, Dodgers infielder and veteran leader. “That’s what I believe is a sign of a leader without talking much. … Every time he goes out there and he breaks a record, you feel good for the guy because he’s been working really hard toward the things he has right now in his power.

“I’m so happy and proud that I can say I was a teammate with him because he was one of the first guys that kind of opened his arms to me when I got back here in 2023. … He’s a guy you always can root for, especially in this organization full of stars. He always gets [overlooked] a little bit, but I feel like he’s one of the leaders of this club, and he will be until he retires.”

L.A. has borne witness to nothing but stars over the years.

Since Muncy has called L.A. home, he’s suited up alongside several future Hall of Famers, from Clayton Kershaw to Shohei Ohtani, mainly at the hot corner, where the bar is high after the trails blazed by Justin Turner, Ron Cey and others.

But if Muncy’s 10 years of service represent anything, it’s that he has become a Dodgers great, too — even if he hasn’t fully embraced the label yet.

“Surreal. It’s crazy. I definitely don’t see myself as that,” Muncy said of his growing place in Dodgers history. “But maybe one day, when I’m done, I’ll be able to sit back and kind of reflect on that. But for me, it’s just all surreal.”