mirrors

Tonight millions of viewers will be able to celebrate those honoured at The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises as it airs on ITV. But what were Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo’s best bits?

Millions of people across the UK will be tuning in tonight to the most uplifting show in the TV calendar, as The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises unfolds in a two hour extravaganza.

Seldom is an event this packed with A list celebrities. But, despite the dazzling outfits and wall-to-wall glamour, it is the ordinary people with the extraordinary stories who take centre stage for this truly incredible occasion.

Co-hosts Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo host the event brilliantly – totally engaging with the amazing winners, who win everyone’s hearts … including our Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who describes them as “the very best of our country.”

Here, Carol and Ashley each share their five most magical moments from the unforgettable night..

Carol’s Moments – Maja surprising Sally Becker

Known as The Angel of Mostar, humanitarian aid hero, Sally Becker, who received the Lifetime Achievement award – after evacuating hundreds of children from war zones all across the globe over a 30 year career – was joined on stage by one of the children she had saved.

Carol said: “Sally had referenced Maja when I asked about when she first went into Bosnia, this girl who had lost her leg and was in critical pain and how she brought her out. We got Maja to send a fake message from Florida to thank her, and then, of course, the big surprise was that Maja came out with her award. Sally is one of the most loving people you could ever possibly wish to meet. She’s so brave. I don’t think she realises just how brave she is. She’s quite extraordinary. That really made me cry, to be honest.”

The Rock Surprising Luke

Luke Mortimer, 12, who had all four of his limbs amputated after contracting meningitis and septicemia, was shown being surprised by movie star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who told him he would be receiving the Child of Courage award.

The young fundraiser was stunned into virtual silence when the star of Jumanjii and The Smashing Machine walked into his hotel room with his room service order. Johnson, who stands at a remarkable 6ft 5in, commended Luke on the incredible physical challenges he has completed to raise money for other children with amputations. Carol said: “All of us were going to Luke, ‘How big is The Rock? Is he as big as we think he is?’ That was really funny.”

Margot Robbie surprising Georgie

Georgie Hyslop, 17, received the Good Morning Britain Young Fundraiser award for her incredible efforts to brighten-up the lives of others, despite being treated for an extremely rare form of bone cancer herself. The brave youngster, who has raised over £55,000 for charity through a series of balls and events, was surprised by Margot Robbie, who played Barbie in the movie, and who revealed that she had won a Pride of Britain.

The Hollywood star of blockbusters like Wolf of Wallstreet and I, Tonya, also invited Georgie – an aspiring actor – and her family to attend the premiere of her latest film, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Carol said: “We’d lied to Georgie, obviously. We said we were filming a documentary and that we were going to take the family out for dinner, so they should bring some nice clothes. But actually, of course, they were bringing clothes to go to Margot Robbie’s premiere which was quite remarkable. It was just lovely, absolutely lovely.”

Ruth Jones as Nessa with Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris was handed the ITV Fundraiser award for her mission to provide knitted breast prosthetics for women who have had mastectomies due to breast cancer. Inspired by her own friend’s struggle with the disease, which made her aware of the uncomfortable silicon prosthetics provided by the NHS, Joanne set up Knitted Knockers Northern Ireland which now provides 5,000 soft, breathable knitted breast prosthetics to cancer patients free of charge every year.

On stage, Gavin and Stacey stars Ruth Jones and Joanna Page, presented her award, paying tribute to her tireless charity work. Carol said: “Ruth, never ever does the Nessa impression, you know? But she did it all as Nessa from Gavin and Stacey and it was just wonderful. It was like Nessa was on stage!”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mary Earps surprising Asha

Asha Rage was recognised for starting the Dream Chasers, a football club turned youth centre to help support local children in Birmingham and keep them away from antisocial behaviour. Presented with the Special Recognition award, Asha was surprised on stage by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and former England’s Lionesses’ goal keeper Mary Earps. The PM commended Asha for her tireless work supporting the young people of her community.

Carol said: “I could get over the fact that here is a Muslim woman who doesn’t know anything about football and then decides that she’s going to set up a football club for teenagers. She trained herself and now she’s got three and a half thousand members of the club. It’s quite extraordinary.”

Ashley’s Moments – Westlife on stage with Ups & Downs

The Ups & Downs group, a theatre club for children and young people with Down’s syndrome and their siblings, was awarded the This Morning’s Local Heroes award. The group, formed in 1995 by three music teachers who worked at an additional needs school, provides a safe space for people of all ages with Down’s Syndrome to be themselves and share the joy of theatre.

Thirty of its members took to the Pride of Britain stage to receive the award and at the end of the ceremony, joined the legendary Westlife to celebrate the wonderful evening. Ashley said: “It was such a joy to see the Ups & Downs group so excited to receive their Pride of Britain award – they brought such an unmatched energy to the room and put a smile on everyone’s faces. Seeing them dance with Westlife and the other incredible winners was just the best ending to the ceremony.”

Al Murray helping Marcus inhis fundraising efforts and revealing the total donated

Marcus Skeet, 17, better known as the Hull Boy by his hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, was given the Special Recognition award for his incredible fundraising efforts and tireless advocating for mental health awareness. The campaigner, who earlier this year became the youngest person ever to run the length of the country between Land’s end and John O’Groats, took to running after struggling with his mental health.

Ashley said: “You don’t meet many people like Marcus who are able to bring themselves out of such a dark place in the way he has. But not only that, to go on to help others through their own dark times as well, it’s just incredible and so inspiring. One of my highlights was seeing the room come together to help him reach his fundraising goal to start Marcus Movers clubs all over the country – lead of course by the legendary Al Murray who made the whole thing hilarious.”

Hainault police officers

The three police officers who were the first responders at the scene of the brutal Hainault attack last year, which saw 14-year old Daniel Anjorin murdered by psychotic killer Marcus Arduini-Monzo, received the Outstanding Bravery Award. Despite suffering injuries and having no weapons to hand, their decisive actions helped bring the situation under control and ensured the safety of the community.

Ashley said: “This was one of the most hard hitting moments of the evening. As a father, it just amazes me that there are people out there like these police officers who are willing to put themselves in such danger to protect others. Any of us could be in that position one day but with people like that around to step in, we are all that bit safer. It made me really emotional, yeah, but I am so glad they got the recognition they deserved.”

Javeno receiving his award

For more than two decades, Javeno McClean has used his skills as an exercise and health specialist to improve the lives of the elderly and people with disabilities. Setting up his own free gym in his hometown of Manchester, he has created a friendly environment for everyone to work on their physical and mental health and welcomes people of all abilities through his doors.

He was awarded the brand new P&O Cruises Inspiration award for his tireless work and was joined on stage by boxing champion David Haye. Ashley said: “Javeno is one of the coolest and most positive guys I have ever met. His muscles really put us all to shame but the way he is so dedicated to helping the most vulnerable members of our community is so inspiring.”

Ronnie Wood surprising Harry Byrne

Harry Byrne was awarded the King’s Trust Young Achiever award after overcoming loss, addiction and homelessness to become an inspirational mentor and coach helping to give other young people a brighter future. The 24-year-old was presented his award by Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood.

Ashley said: “Ronnie Wood is a god of rock and roll, isn’t he? The moment he was on stage with Harry was amazing and such a great representation of what the awards are all about. I mean, Harry has completely transformed his life after a pretty rough start and is now helping other young people to do the same. The way the King’s Trust has helped him and others is remarkable and Harry deserved all the glory – and the praise that Ronnie gave him – for his hard work.”

Watch Pride of Britain on Thursday 23rd October, ITV at 8PM.

We’ve read quite a bit about President Trump’s “hot mic” comment, during a meeting with European leaders about the Russian war against Ukraine, that Vladimir Putin “wants to make a deal for me, as crazy as it sounds.”

Pundits debated whether this was an embarrassment for Trump; they wondered why he would say such an important thing in a whisper to French President Emmanuel Macron — as if Trump’s verbal goulash were something new. Headlines were full of the word “deal” for a while, including three days later, when they were reporting that Trump said Putin might not want “to make a deal.” And, of course, there is no deal.

The press coverage of the meeting in Alaska said there were lots of “constructive” conversations. Putin spoke about “neighborly” talks and the “constructive atmosphere of mutual respect” in his conversations with Trump. There were reports about agreements “in principle” on various things under discussion, although there were no details about what they might be.

I covered more than a few superpower summits, first as a reporter for the Associated Press and later for the New York Times. Although that was more than 30 years ago, the smoke and mirrors nonsense usually produced by meetings like these has not changed. Verbal gas is abundant and facts almost nonexistent. Trump’s comments were worth about as much as anything else he has said on the subject, which is almost nothing. And yet, they were reported and parsed endlessly as if they had the same meaning as other presidents’ words had in the past.

I had a powerful sense of deja vu from a five-day trip to Afghanistan in January 1987. The Kremlin had finally agreed to let a group of Western journalists visit Kabul and Jalalabad to witness the “cease-fire” that had been announced a few days before we arrived. The visit was billed as an Afghan government tour, which nobody — especially the Afghan government — believed.

We saw no fighting, although we could see artillery fire in the hills at night. Some of the “specials,” as we wire service correspondents called the major media then, reported that we were fired on. We were not.

Mostly, we shopped for rugs and drank cold Heinekens, which were unavailable in Moscow but mysteriously well stocked at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. We were ushered to various peace and unity events between the Afghan and Russian peoples and toured the huge Soviet military camps just outside Kabul with a U.S. official (allegedly a diplomat from the Embassy, but we knew from experience that this person was from the Central Intelligence Agency).

On Jan. 19, we were taken (each reporter in an individual government car with a minder) to a news conference by Mohammad Najib, the Afghan leader whose name had been Najibullah until he changed it to make it sound less religious for his Bolshevik friends. Najib said that Afghanistan and the Soviet Union had agreed “in principle” on a “timetable for withdrawal” of Soviet occupation forces.

At that point, the Reuters correspondent, who was fairly new to Moscow still, bolted from the room and raced back to our hotel, where there was one Telex machine for us all to send our stories back to Moscow. He filed a bulletin on the announcement. When the rest of us made our leisurely return, we were greeted with messages from our home offices demanding to know about the big deal to end the war in Afghanistan.

We wrote our stories, which were about a business-as-usual press conference that yielded no real news. We each appended a message to explain why the Reuters report was just plain wrong. Talk of Soviet withdrawal was common, and always wrong. The very idea that the puppet government in Kabul had something to say about it or was a party to any serious discussions about ending the war was absurd. The most pithy comment came from the Agence France-Presse reporter, who told her editors that the Reuters story was “merde.” The Soviet military did not withdraw until February 1989, more than two years later, following its own schedule.

Much of the recent coverage about Russia and Ukraine reminds me of that Afghan news flash in 1987. The Kremlin has never been, was not then and is not now interested in negotiation or compromise. Under Soviet communism and under Putin, diplomacy is a zero-sum game whose only goal is to restore Russian hegemony over Eastern Europe. And yet, for some reason, the American media and the country’s diplomats seem as oblivious today as they always were. After the summit, they announced breathlessly that there was no peace deal out of the summit, although they all knew going in that there was no deal on the table and there never was going to be one.

But of course Putin wants a “deal” on Ukraine. It’s the same deal he has wanted since he violated international law (not for the first time) and invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. He wants to redraw the boundaries of Ukraine to give him even more territory than he has already seized, and he wants to be sure Ukraine remains out of NATO and under Moscow’s military thumb as he has done with other former Soviet regions, like Georgia, which he invaded in 2008 as soon as the country dared to suggest it might be interested in NATO membership. His latest nonsense was to demand that Russia be part of any postwar security arrangements. He wants the NATO allies to stop treating him like the war criminal that he is and to be seen as an equal actor on the international stage with NATO and especially the United States.

That he got, in abundance, from Trump in Alaska, starting with the location. Trump invited Putin to the United States during a period of travel bans to and from Russia, immediately giving the Russian dictator a huge PR win. It also, conveniently, put him in the only NATO country where he is not wanted on charges of crimes against humanity.

As for peace talks, check the headlines from Ukraine before, during and after the Alaska summit: The Russians have stepped up their killing and destruction in Ukraine with new ferocity and have been grabbing as much land in eastern Ukraine as they can. Every square inch of that land — and more the Kremlin has not yet occupied — will be part of any “deal” that Putin will accept. Trump himself has been talking about “land swaps” (as he has from the start of the war, by the way) — a nonsensical idea when you consider the land Ukraine holds is its sovereign territory and the land Russian holds was stolen.

The brilliant M. Gessen, perhaps the leading authority on dictatorship, published an essay in the New York Review, “Autocracy: Rules for Survival,” shortly after the 2016 election. “Rule #2: Do not be taken in by small signs of normality,” they wrote.

A U.S. president and a Russian leader sitting down to talk and emerging with bluster about progress seems normal enough, perhaps encouraging when American-Russian relations have been at a historic low. Just remember that coming from these two men, the comments signify nothing — or, worse, make us wonder what Trump has given away to Putin with his talk of land swaps.

Andrew Rosenthal, a former reporter, editor and columnist, was Moscow bureau chief for the Associated Press and Washington editor and later editorial page editor for the New York Times.

There’s a sinister feature that some holidaymakers have claimed they have found in their hotel rooms – and an expert has shared some vital ways to check for yourself

British holidaymakers staying in hotels have been advised to check the mirrors for one ominous reason.

Many travellers prioritise a brief search of the hotel room when checking into their pad to ensure there are no unusual-looking stains or unexpected items lurking. But the hotel mirror is one part of the room we should all be adding to our list, and it’s not for the reason you might think.

Over on social media, many holidaymakers have recounted tales of discovering two-way mirrors in their hotel, B&B, or holiday rental. For those unfortunate travellers, their holiday, which was meant to be a relaxing breakaway, turned into a holiday from hell.

In a bid to avoid the discomfort of knowing your privacy has been ripped away, John Cutts, founder of MeandMyGlass.co.uk and a mirror expert, has offered advice on how to determine if your hotel mirror is two-way.

He shared: “The thought of someone using a mirror to spy on guests is disturbing, to say the least. The good news is there are multiple ways you can check for a two-way mirror when staying in a hotel, motel or B&B.”

John divulged his top five tips for determining whether a mirror is functioning both ways, reports the Express. Here’s everything you need to know.

Fingernail test

Try placing your fingernail onto the mirror, if there’s no gap between your finger and its reflection, it could suggest a two-way mirror. With a standard mirror, there will be a gap between your fingernail and its reflection.

Tap test

Sound can be a significant clue in determining if a mirror is two-way. Tap the glass around all four corners and in the middle. If it emits a hollow sound, there’s a high chance there’s something on the other side.

Use phone torch

Stand facing the mirror and shine a torch on the glass to see if the light reflects back at you. If it doesn’t bounce back, then the light will shine through on a two-way mirror, revealing what’s behind the glass.

Examine installation

If the mirror is hanging, it’s unlikely to be a two-way mirror. Two-way mirrors tend to be integrated into the wall rather than simply hanging on it.

Inspect reflection closely

Press your face against the mirror with your hands beside your head, blocking out any light. If the mirror is two-way, you might be able to see straight through.

In this Wednesday’s Mirror Daily Digest, we’ve pulled together the biggest stories of the day – from Sharon Osbourne’s ‘final days’ plan for Ozzy, to a ‘mystery fish’ forcing a beach to evacuate

Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we pull together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Sport teams and more. This Wednesday we’re featuring everything from a cricket legend’s plea for his wife to ‘help him end his life’, to the unmasking of the gangs exploiting migrants crossing into the UK.

Elsewhere, our Showbiz team have shared the heartbreaking story of Sharon Osbourne’s plan to make Ozzy comfortable in his final days, while our Lifestyle team reported on a brewing feud between neighbours over a garden fence.

Finally, our Travel team reported how a ‘mystery fish’ is attacking tourists and forcing a beach to evacuate.

Unmasked: Faces of migrant small boats criminals revealed for first time

Criminals responsible for hundreds of dangerous small boat crossings are being sanctioned – meaning they face having their assets seized and will be barred from entering the UK.

Today, these gangsters became the first people smugglers in the world to be sanctioned after the first wave of criminals was named. All face having their assets seized, and anyone in the UK caught doing business with them will face hefty sanctions.

Read the full story here.

Cricket legend Graham Thorpe ‘asked wife to help end his life’ before being hit by a train

Graham Thorpe asked his wife Amanda to help him end his suffering before he decided to take his own life, an inquest has heard.

Thorpe was found dead on August 4 after being hit by a train. The England cricket legend had been struggling with anxiety and depression before his death.

The 55-year-old had made an attempt on his life in May 2022 and spent a lengthy period of time in hospital recovering. That came after he had been sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board as a coach of the England Test team following an incident on an Ashes tour of Australia.

Read the full story here.

Sharon Osbourne drew up heartbreaking two-year plan for Ozzy’s final days

Ozzy Osbourne faced a lengthy battle with his Parkinson’s disease before passing away at the age of 76, just days after his last ever gig. But his wife Sharon had long been determined to make his final years as comfortable as possible.

Ozzy and Sharon had previously expressed their desire to relocate back to the UK from Los Angeles. The couple have been living in the US for more than 20 years, but Birmingham-born Ozzy had said he was “desperate to come home”.

Sharon is said to have spent the past two years preparing for her husband’s final moments, renovating the Grade II-listed Buckinghamshire mansion they bought in 1993 to provide him with every comfort.

Plans were approved in 2023 for a ‘rehab wing’ with a health and welfare exercise studio along a flat for an on-site nurse, an art studio, pool house orangery with spa, wet room, and changing area. She was also the brains behind his farewell show after he was forced to cancel a series of concerts in 2023.

Read the full story here.

Beach evacuated in popular holiday hotspot after mystery fish ‘attacks tourist’

A Spanish beach at a popular holiday hotspot was cleared this week after a tourist was attacked by an unidentified marine creature. A red flag was lifted on Tuesday morning (July 22) at Playa de Palma, the main beach in Majorca’s capital, after a woman sustained a “severe bite” to her leg.

The holidaymaker, reportedly an 85-year-old Italian national, emerged from the water with “part of her calf torn off”, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. Lifeguards took the decision to clear the coastline to conduct a hunt for the animal, though the beach reopened roughly an hour later when no creature was discovered.

Read the full story here.

I agreed to move my neighbour’s fence – I was gobsmacked when I saw what they did

A homeowner was left gobsmacked when what they believed was a neighbourly favour resulted in a tradesman rocking up and beginning to lay tarmac across their property.

The resident revealed that their next-door neighbours had requested assistance to access their own driveway – and they’d initially agreed to shift a fence.

This was because houses on the cul-de-sac feature extremely cramped and awkwardly angled driveways, preventing residents from actually getting a motor onto them, ‘even though there is space further back’.

Read the full story here.

In this Friday’s Mirror Daily Digest, we’ve pulled together the biggest stories of the day from jail horror after a prison officer was reportedly stabbed to airport chaos leaving many Brits distressed

Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we’ll be pulling together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Royal teams and more. This Friday, we’re bringing you the biggest stories from the newsroom – from a prison officer who was left with ‘serious injuries’ after reportedly being stabbed to the Tenerife airport chaos which left Brits trapped in sweltering queues.

Meanwhile, our News team has been following the Liverpool parade crash suspect Paul Doyle’s appearance at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today. We’ve also got the latest on Go Compare star Wynne Evans, who has been axed by the BBC following his Strictly Come Dancing scandals.

Horror as ‘prison officer stabbed’ at jail housing notorious inmates

Our News team has reported that a prison officer has been rushed to hospital after he was reportedly stabbed with a flick knife. Emergency services rushed to HMP Long Lartin at around 10 am this morning, following reports that an inmate knifed an officer. It has been reported that the weapon was dropped into the prison via a drone.

A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed the attack and said an investigation is underway. They said: “Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Long Lartin. We will not tolerate assaults on hardworking staff and will always push for the strongest punishments against perpetrators.”

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police added: “We were called to HMP Long Lartin in South Littleton around 10am this morning (Friday, May 30), following a report someone had been assaulted by an inmate. One man was taken to hospital with serious injuries after sustaining a stab wound. The inmate remains within the prison and the investigation is on-going. “

Read the full story here.

Wynne Evans axed by BBC after Strictly scandal

After months of Strictly Come Dancing scandals, Wynne Evans has been axed by the BBC, our Showbiz team reported this afternoon. The Go Compare star revealed that he has not had his contract renewed and will not be back with the BBC for his radio show – and thus has decided to continue to do his radio show away from the BBC.

It comes after the TV personality hit headlines during his time on the dance show, where he was shown grabbing his professional partner Katya’s waist before she pushed his hand away, but he later insisted it was a joke. He then came under fire for using the term ‘spit roast’ to Janette Manrara during a Strictly photocall but he later insisted it was directed at Jamie Borthwick and nothing to do with Janette.

As a result of the comment, he was axed from the Strictly tour – and then a video emerged of him sending a sex toy to his co-star Jamie, which both were heavily criticised for. In an emotional statement, he said: “My beloved Wynners, From the very depths of my heart — thank you. These past few months, your love has been the light in my darkest days. Every message, every word of encouragement, every moment you stood by me has carried me through more than you could ever know.”

“It breaks my heart to say the BBC has decided not to renew my contract so I won’t be returning to my radio show. I’m gutted. That show wasn’t just work — it was home. It was us. We laughed, we cried, we sang like nobody was listening. And somehow, through the airwaves, we became a family.”

Read the full story here.

Brits caught in ‘inhumane’ airport chaos as passengers fight and vomit in crush

Our Travel team has been following the latest updates on the Tenerife South Airport chaos, after British travellers found themselves trapped in two-hour queues and “inhuman” conditions at the start of the school holidays. Last Monday night, more than 500 people found themselves packed into a waiting area at the Canary Islands travel hub.

They waited for hours to pass through the security as a bottleneck formed by two checkpoints, each staffed by two National Police officers. Top Spanish officials will now hold an urgent meeting after the tourists faced “inhuman” conditions at the start of the school holidays.

Many were held on a sweltering plane for 45 minutes, only to disembark and find broken escalators and lengthy queues for passport checks. Becks Gravil was one of those swept up in the chaos. It took her family two hours to leave the airport after landing at 8.30pm. “Never in my life have I ever seen it this bad,” she explained.

“There was fighting, people being sick, people fainting – all crammed in like sardines. What should have been an hour from landing to Adeje turned into four hours. What a day!”

Read the full story here.

Paul Doyle LIVE: Liverpool parade suspect in court

Our News team has been working around the clock to cover Liverpool parade crash suspect Paul Doyle’s appearance at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court this morning. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the 53-year-old is accused of two counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts of causing unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He is also accused of two counts of attempted unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of dangerous driving. Doyle shook his head in the dock as the prosecutor told the judge he drove “deliberately at the crowd” and “used his vehicle as a weapon”.

Police previously said 79 people were injured when a car drove into supporters on Water Street at around 6pm on Monday, with seven people still in hospital when Merseyside Police revealed his charges yesterday. Doyle will appear at court again on August 14 for plea and trial preparation hearing.

Read the full story here.

Prince Harry ‘so disappointed’ by Diana sisters’ blunt take on Meghan

There’s never a quiet day for Prince Harry, and it has emerged that the Duke of Sussex “was so disappointed” when he introduced Meghan Markle to Princess Diana’s two sisters, our Royal team reported. Harry had hoped Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes would have similarities to his mother, who died when Harry was just 12.

However, although Harry believed Diana would have been “over the moon” about his relationship with Meghan, he was upset with her sisters’ reaction. They reportedly did not see the same character traits in the two women and Harry, 40, suffered a further blow as Lady McCorquodale and Lady Fellowes “thought Meghan would not fit in with the Royal Family.”

Regardless, Harry married his partner soon after in 2018 and has gone onto have two children with the former actress. The insights have come about in the book Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors, written by royal biographer Tom Bower. He penned: “Harry assumed that Diana’s family and friends would see a similarity between Diana and his fiancée. Both, he said, shared the same problems. He was so disappointed.”

Read the full story here.

READ MORE: Surprise sale slashes cordless Dyson V11 price with £100 freebie included

The Eurovision Song Content 2025 is finally here, and fans are flooding into Basel, Switzerland for the latest blockbuster TV extravaganza – and now you and your friends can come up with your own live scoreboard during the show

Eurovision is finally here – and you can play along by rating the performances with our very own interactive scoreboard. Play along with your friends and family to compare your final ranking after a winner has officially been crowned!

After two knock-out semi-finals, 20 qualifiers have been chosen to join the Big Five countries and reigning champions, plus hosts Switzerland on what is set to be a spectacular occasion in Basel.

The running order has now been decided, with Norway’s Kyle Alessandro due to open the show with his entry, Lighter.

READ MORE: ‘Life changing’ curl cream that tames frizz in hot weather creates ‘forever fans’

Israel’s Yuval Raphael qualified for the final after a public vote despite continued calls for Israel to be banned amid protests over the war in Gaza. The singer, a survivor of the October 7 Nova music festival massacre, will be the fourth act to take to the stage to perform the ballad New Day Will Rise.

Fans will have to wait until near the end of the evening to see the bookies’ favourite, KAJ of Sweden, who is 23rd in the lineup.

Meanwhile, British hopes rest with the country pop group Remember Monday. Band members Charlotte Steele, Holly-Anne Hull, and Lauren Byrne are sixth in the lineup with their energetic song, What the Hell Just Happened?

After the UK finished 18th last year, and 25th in 2023, Remember Monday will be hoping they can return to the successes of 2022, when Sam Ryder came second.

Now, as you watch the action unfold, you can keep track of your favourite performances by playing along with our interactive widget. Simply rate the artists out of 10 to choose your favourite. Then check back to see how your score tallies with the opinions of other Eurovision fans.

READ MORE: Where UK’s Eurovision entries are now – from fleeing the country to Glastonbury star

Meanwhile, as fans wait for the excitement to start on Saturday, why not take our quiz to test how well you know Europe’s premier song contest?

Can you recall the year Bucks Fizz performed Making Your Mind Up, when Abba met their Waterloo, or even as far back as Sandy Shaw and Puppet on a String? Or perhaps you came late to the Eurovision party and have fond memories of more recent winners Netta, Maneskin, and last year’s champion Nemo?

To help get you in the mood for Eurovision we’ve prepared a quiz testing your knowledge of all the cheesiest Eurovision classics.

All you have to do is guess the year of the song and performer. Use the slider to choose the year. Points are awarded for how close you get to the right answer, with 10 for being spot on, nine for one year out, eight for two, seven for three, and so on until you get to 10 years out.

Eurovision 2025 lineup (in running order)

1. Norway: Kyle Alessandro – Lighter 2. Luxembourg: Laura Thorn – La Poupée Monte Le Son 3. Estonia: Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato 4. Israel: Yuval Raphael – New Day Will Rise 5. Lithuania: Katarsis – Tavo Akys 6. Spain: Melody – ESA DIVA 7. Ukraine : Ziferblat – Bird of Pray 8. United Kingdom : Remember Monday – What The Hell Just Happened? 9. Austria: JJ – Wasted Love 10. Iceland: VÆB – RÓA 11. Latvia: Tautumeitas – Bur Man Laimi 12. Netherlands: Claude – C’est La Vie 13. Finland: Erika Vikman – ICH KOMME 14. Italy: Lucio Corsi: Volevo Essere Un Duro 15. Poland: Justyna Steczkowska – GAJA 16. Germany: Abor & Tynna – Baller 17. Greece : Klavdia – Asteromáta 18. Armenia: PARG – SURVIVOR 19. Switzerland: Zoë Më – Voyage 20. Malta: Miriana Conte – SERVING 21. Portugal: NAPA – Deslocado 22. Denmark: Sissal – Hallucination 23. Sweden: KAJ – Bara Bada Bastu 24. France: Louane – maman 25. San Marino: Gabry Ponte – Tutta L’Italia 26. Albania: Shkodra Elektronike – Zjerm

READ MORE: Gobsmacked Eurovision viewers convinced they’ve spotted ‘major American singer’ on stage