reveals

During a holiday in the Dominican Republic in 2022, Freddie Bentley suffered liver failure – his health scare led to him being diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)

TOWIE star Freddie Bentley has opened up on a horrifying health ordeal that left him fearing for his life.

The TV personality, who left the ITV reality show in February, was hospitalised after suffering liver failure during a boozy holiday in the Dominican Republic in 2022. Freddie, who was 24 at the time, experienced critical symptoms, including severe vomiting and his skin and eyes turning yellow from jaundice.

The health ordeal left him in hospital for six weeks. Sharing details of the incident on the official TOWIE podcast, You Alright, Hun?, Freddie said: “When I was 24, my liver failed. My bile ducts and my liver stopped working properly.

“I got jaundice, so I was in hospital for six weeks. A normal liver function level is meant to be, like, 125. Mine was 980. So, wow, I was critical, I was in a really, really bad… wow.”

Freddie’s condition meant he was “so poorly” and “couldn’t hold anything down, both ways” during the holiday. He explained: “The doctors were worried. They were like, ‘You’re 24 years of age, your liver shouldn’t be failing.'”

The reality sar, who has also appeared on The Circle, said the ordeal led to the discovery that he suffers from a rare liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a condition causing chronic inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts.

Although his medical team clarified that PSC is a genetic condition completely unrelated to alcohol abuse, Freddie acknowledged that heavy drinking aggravated his symptoms.

As explained by the Mayo Clinic, PSC, which affects up to one in 10,000 people, is a rare, long-term disease of the liver caused by inflammation of tubes in the liver called bile ducts. “Scarring and narrowing of bile ducts leads to liver damage,” the website explains. “Over time, the liver loses its ability to filter blood and support digestion.”

Freddie decided to completely change his lifestyle after his health scare – and he decided to quit drinking completely. “So I have to look after my liver now obviously,” he said. “So I don’t drink.” He added: “I’m actually a nicer person without a drink. I don’t need to have a drink to have a good time.”

Last year, the TV star celebrated three years of sobriety on TOWIE, which he said made him feel “honoured”. Speaking to OK!, he said: “It was amazing to be able to speak my truth about my sobriety journey on TOWIE. I think a lot of people don’t know about me being sober.

“It’s something I’ve really worked on and had my own personal journey with. It was a surreal moment to watch myself back, talking about it on the show. I feel honoured that they dedicated that segment to it.”

Opening up on the process of giving up alcohol, he explained: “The first year was the hardest. You grieve your old life – the nights out, the social side, especially in this industry where you’re handed a glass of prosecco the minute you arrive at an event. I barely went out at first, I didn’t feel ready. But over time, I became comfortable in my own skin and now I enjoy everything even more.”

He added: “Also, in hospital, I felt judged for being a gay man. The doctors immediately jumped to assumptions about unprotected sex and it was the first time I felt truly belittled for my sexuality. That was difficult, but it also pushed me to become stronger.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

MORE cheap flights to the US could soon be launching from the UK.

The airline has revealed it could be adding even more flights to some very popular cities after rise in demand after the World Cup.

Norse Atlantic Airways revealed that as a result of cutting back capacity by almost a third in July due to rising fuel prices, it could actually add more flights to its roster.

Chief executive Eivind Roald said in a statement that the airline was considering adding more flights to New York and Orlando due to a rise in demand.

It comes after the low-cost airline ran special flights to the World Cup in the US for Norway and England supporters.

New York City is famous across the globe but it is popular with Brits as it can be reached in seven hours.

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In October, a round-trip to New York City from London Gatwick starts from £327pp.

Visitors can see New York City on a budget too with its $1 pizza slices, buying a CityPass to avoiding cabs.

For more tips, Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski has lots on how to save in one of the most iconic cities in the world.

Orlando is of course home to major theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.

For more tips on how to do the theme parks on a budget – one reporter who has been over 40 times reveals their insider secrets.

There are also lots of other places to explore including its many neighbourhoods like Mills 50 which has Asian American and Pacific Islands influences.

Streets are cobbled and there are lots of historic houses and moss-draped oak trees.

Then there’s the Milk District with plenty of street murals and lakeside neighbourhood Winter Garden, with its clutch of museums on Plant Street.

When it comes to eating in Orlando, the city has more than 50 Michelin Guide restaurants.

Round-trips to Orlando from London Gatwick starts from £343pp.

Chief executive Eivind Roald of Norse said: “Our airline on demand strategy enables us to respond quickly to market changes.

“With fuel prices slowly trending downward and demand remaining strong, we see an opportunity to increase capacity on our own network in the coming months, which may include adding more US flights to New York and Orlando.”

What’s it like to fly with Norse Atlantic Airways?

Head of Sun Travel (Digital), Caroline McGuire, flew with Norse and revealed exactly what she thought…

“On a recent trip to Cape Town I flew with Norse – it allowed me to do the 11-hour overnight stint in Premium Economy for the same price as a rival company in Economy seats.

“To give you an idea of price, return fares for two adults and one child in premium economy cost £3,583 to Cape Town next March, while return fares in Premium Economy on a rival airline cost £5,000.

“Keen to test it out, we flew to the South African city in their posh Premium seats and returned in Basic Economy. So what do those Premium Economy seats get you on an 11-hour Norse flight? Well it starts with a priority lane at check-in.

“Norse doesn’t do online check-in – everyone checks in at the airport. And Premium passengers are given their own lane, so we waited about five minutes before dropping off our bags and getting our tickets.

“You get a small handbag, a cabin bag and a checked suitcase included in the price of a Premium ticket.

“You also get priority boarding, which I’m not normally a fan of given I have a young child who needs to let off steam before a flight, but given our seats were massive, it was worth it. 

“he chairs are very roomy. With a very decent recline that allowed my whole family to get a decent night’s sleep. My son pretty much slept uninterrupted from 10pm to 7am, while I snatched a manageable 5ish hours, which is far more than I’ve ever done before in Economy on a long haul flight. 

“Crew hand over ear plugs, eye masks, pillows and blankets at the start of the flight, as well as headphones for the TVs (you have to pay £5 for these in Economy). 

“Two meals are also included – I had a decent tortellini, side salad and cheesecake-type evening meal with complimentary wine, and a hot cooked breakfast, plus a croissant, yogurt and mini fruit salad.

“All in all, we disembarked from the flight at 8.30am feeling so well-rested that we managed a whole day at the beach in Cape Town, followed by an evening meal.”

A MAJOR American-style attraction, with 13 venues across the globe, is moving to the UK for its first ‘flagship’ site.

The venue is set to span over 26,000 sq ft, and is based at the heart of a renowned tourist destination.

London is getting its very first Time Out Market, as the acclaimed city guides brand expands to the UK.

Based in the heart of London’s West End, the market is set to take over 55 Regent Street, a three-floor building overlooking Piccadilly Circus.

Inside, the market will span over 26,000 sq ft, featuring a curated selection of London’s best food and drinks.

Time Out has previously found success with its markets across the globe, with its 13 destinations welcoming over 12million annual visitors.

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First opening in Lisbon in 2014, the concept now features in New York, Dubai, Cape Town, Osaka, Budapest and more.

The London site is expected to have approximately 15 restaurants, bars, and food businesses, paired with a live entertainment programme.

Development of 55 Regent Street is part of a wider regeneration scheme of 10 Piccadilly, overseen by the Crown Estate.

The Grade II listed building, based in the heart of Piccadilly for over a century, is being modernised into a 65,000 sq ft contemporary workspace.

Time Out was founded as a print magazine in London back in 1968, moving to be entirely digital in 2022.

This is not the first time Time Out has looked for a market location in its origin location, initially proposing a site in Waterloo in 2021 and Spitalfields that were both later scrapped.

Chris Ohlund, chief of Time Out Group plc, said: “Securing this partnership with The Crown Estate to create our global flagship in the heart of Piccadilly Circus is one of the most significant milestones in Time Out’s nearly 60-year history.

“Bringing the globally recognised Time Out Market concept home to London is both a celebration of where we began and a statement of where we are going.

“London is one of the world’s greatest cities for food and culture, and there is no better location than Piccadilly Circus to showcase everything that makes it extraordinary.”

Time Out Market in Piccadilly is set to open in 2028, with the company also planning new venues in Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Sao Paulo, Prague, and Riyadh.

PEREZ Hilton is “able to communicate”, his family shared – in a health update one day after the celebrity blogger’s distressing TikTok video.

Hilton, 48, was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after a disturbing livestream appeared to show him self-harming at his Miami home.

Police received multiple 911 calls from concerned fans who reported that the TV star was naked, covered in blood, with several marks on his body.

Hilton’s family have now provided an update on the blogger’s condition, while thanking well-wishers for their “compassionate humanity during this heartbreaking time”.

Their statement continued: “This has been incredibly difficult and emotional for us, made even harder because very little information has been made available to our family.

“While we continue to wait for further updates, we remain hopeful.

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“We have also been able to confirm that Perez is able to communicate, which has given our family hope.

“We respectfully ask for your continued prayers, understanding, and grace as Perez continues to recover.”

Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., sparked alarm after going through a mental health crisis in front of thousands of viewers.

Emergency dispatch audio revealed the tense hours leading up to his rescue as police tried to negotiate with him.

In one dispatch recording, two men are heard discussing a “man down call” involving a “live streamer” who was broadcasting himself while in severe distress, which left viewers “upset.”

Police are believed to have arrived at Hilton’s rental home at around 7.10 pm and spent several hours trying to make contact with him while also speaking with concerned family members.

A second dispatch recording, obtained by The U.S. Sun and timestamped at around 10.41 pm, shows operators later classifying the incident as a reported “suicide attempt” as they requested additional assistance.

The audio captures the urgency of the response, with dispatchers sending multiple police units to the property and warning responding officers that it was an “active police scene.”

Other units were placed on standby as officers worked to safely resolve the crisis before Hilton was ultimately transported to hospital.

At around 11 pm, officers revealed they were entering the home and minutes later Hilton was transported to hospital.

A source close told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Hilton was injured and was placed under a psychiatric hold under the Baker Act.

Officially known as the Florida Mental Health Act of 1971, it allows a person to be taken to a receiving facility for an evaluation of up to 72 hours.

It does not mean the person has been arrested or charged with a crime.

Earlier this year, Hilton spent three weeks in hospital as he battled sepsis, one of a series of health problems – including an ulcer and blood clot – apparently triggered by taking flu medication on an empty stomach.

Following his medical drama in March he said: “My stupidity landed me in hospital for 21 days.

“It was the worst and best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

But the star found religion while he was recovering, and even claimed God told him to sell his $4 million mansion in Las Vegas and move to Miami.

He started urging his army of social media followers to pray for him. 

In one bizarre post he wrote: “I feel like I should be scared right now, but I’m not. I definitely am worried though. God, show me the way!

“Perez Hilton is GOING THROUGH IT right now. He asks for prayers and for Christ to intervene – sooner rather than later. Working on patience!”

Hilton found global fame in the early 2000s for his blog where he spoke about celebrity gossip and commented on the latest viral showbiz stories.

He was known for his big, often controversial, opinions on the stars of the era.

This led to him rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood’s top names such as the Kardashians as well as starring in several TV shows.

In 2007, he featured in several episodes of The View and created his own TV show over in the UK called Perez Hilton Superfan in 2012.

His success with the show in Britain also saw him land a spot as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015.

Despite being the seventh celebrity evicted from the reality TV show, Hilton had several major moments throughout the season and is known as one of the show’s most memorable cast members.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Murder 24/7 returns tonight with another harrowing episode as detectives race against the clock for justice

Chilling video footage recovered from a killer’s phone has been exposed, showing a violent spree across “two days of torture”.

Murder 24/7 has returned this week with a harrowing two-part special titled Natural Born Killer. Returning for its third series earlier this month, the true crime documentary takes viewers right into the heart of murder investigations across the UK.

Following West Mercia Police, the show, which sees detectives racing against the clock to ensure justice is done, has been dubbed better than Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody.

Last night (August 4), viewers were horrified after a harrowing episode delved into the murder of 54-year-old Jamie Gawler who was brutally killed and found by officers dead in an armchair with a towel thrown over his head.

Tonight (August 5), the second episode will air at 9pm on BBC One, as detectives continue their investigation into suspect Matthew Jonathan. A synopsis reads: “In Hereford, detectives continue to build their case against Matthew Jonathan for the murder of 54-year-old Jamie Gawler.

“The suspect maintains a ‘no comment’ stance in interviews, so the team is relying on digital and physical forensics to piece together the final days of Jamie’s life.”

It adds: “A critical forensic breakthrough comes when analysts match an incomplete, bloody footprint from the scene to Jonathan’s rare boots via a national database. Soon after, investigators recover a series of phone videos that reveal the true extent of the assault.”

In the episode, officers can be seen analysing a mobile phone recovered, believed to be Matthew’s, before discovering harrowing video footage on it which appears to show him assaulting Jamie.

The clips were played out as detectives watched on in horror. In the video footage, Matthew can be heard laughing and saying: “Don’t give me that broken face b******.”

He later instructs his victim: “Lift your head up,” before levelling abuse at him. He then adds: “I’ll do 30 years for this, I don’t care.”

The episode then sees officers showing Matthew the footage as one detective can be heard saying: “This is now two days into what I would describe as torture.”

Matthew Jonathan was eventually charged with murder as the episode explains three months later, he pleaded guilty to the charge. At sentencing, Matthew received a life sentence with a minimum of 32 years.

With all episodes available to stream on BBC iPlayer, viewers were horrified after watching the latest instalments this week. Taking to TikTok, one true crime fan admitted their “jaw was on the floor watching this show.”

In the video, they added: “Wow. Absolutely brutal…. I couldn’t believe them episodes, they were brutal.” Another replied: “I love watching this programme but those two were brutal.”

Murder 24/7 can be streamed on BBC iPlayer

A FAMOUS UK train could soon be travelling from the UK to mainland Europe.

The Caledonian Sleeper, known for its overnight routes between London and Scotland, could soon head from Scotland to destinations in Europe.

Following a meeting, the train operator is now looking into opportunities for the sleeper to head abroad.

Stephen Flynn, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport said of the project: “We are committed to exploring the potential for a direct Caledonian Sleeper service to mainland Europe, and I am pleased that this work is now underway.

“This is an early-stage exercise and the study will focus on understanding the practical, technical and commercial considerations involved. The findings will provide an evidence base to inform any future decisions.”

Findings of the study are expected to be published later this year.

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The Caledonian Sleeper currently runs services between London Euston, Birmingham International and major destinations across Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William.

Routes include the Lowlander Route and the Highlander Route.

The Caledonian Sleeper operates six nights a week, with Saturday being the only day there isn’t a service.

Currently the only trains between the UK and mainland Europe are via the Eurostar and Channel Tunnel.

Eurostar’s destinations include Paris, Brussels and Rotterdam.

However, Virgin Trains is set to launch by the end of the decade, promising services to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam.

The company is also hoping to launch routes to Disneyland Paris, other parts of France and into Germany and Switzerland in the future.

Phil Collins faced death two years ago, and has lived to tell the tale.

The Grammy-winning singer recalled to the Times of London how his “kidneys were packing up, my organs were just seizing” when he was was hospitalized in Switzerland in April 2024 because of alcohol abuse. At the time, Collins’ five children — including “Emily in Paris” star Lily Collins — were called to his bedside for what they thought could be his final moments.

“There were some decisions to be made about ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’” he recalled for the profile, published Monday. He added: “People were coming to say goodbye. But I don’t remember them coming, I didn’t have no idea this was going on. They were all worried that they wouldn’t see me again. It could all have gone so terribly wrong.”

Collins reflected on his brush with death to the news outlet months before he is set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November. His fellow inductees include Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.

The profile about the “In the Air Tonight” and “You’ll Be in My Heart” singer recalled the extent of his struggles with alcohol, including after his divorce from Orianne Cevey. Collins, 75, said when he was drinking, “the calendar [went] out the window” and that he opted for wine for breakfast. The Times of London reported that Collins was hospitalized in November 2023 and swiftly discharged, only to return to the intensive care unit and stay hospitalized for seven months.

“I was very lucky to have come out of that. Needless to say, I haven’t had a drink since,” he said. According to the outlet, Collins has permanent scarring on his pancreas, and his kidneys “barely” function.

Collins spoke about his alcohol abuse earlier this year in a five-episode podcast series with Zoe Ball. He revealed in April that he has a live-in nurse and that it’s an “ongoing” effort to manage his health. He said “everything that could go wrong with me did go wrong.”

“I got COVID in hospital, my kidneys started to back up, you know, everything that could, all seemed to sort of converge at the same time,” he said, adding that he had undergone five operations on his knee.

Collins also admitted in April he’d “probably been drinking too much” and that he recently celebrated two years of sobriety.

Collins spoke in his most recent interview about his desire “to be in love again,” revisited his controversial love life and spoke about mending his relationships with Piers Morgan, Paul McCartney and daughter Lily Collins after various rifts that played out in the media.

“I don’t like people going around thinking I hate them,” he said.

MO Gilligan revealed the shock moment he was hunted by SIX police cars and a helicopter – before officers recognised him.

The comedian, 38, recalled the time police mistook him for someone else and tailed him after initially believing the car he was driving was “stolen”.

Luckily for Mo, some of the officers were fans of his and recognised him from off the telly, quickly realising they had made a mistake.

Appearing on the latest episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast, Mo said: “One time I got pulled over by the police and there were six cars, and this was when I was doing TV and stuff. I’ll never forget that one.

“At that point you have to kind of make a joke out of it.

“It was me and a mate of mine, who’s my stylist. They followed us for ages and then they were in an unmarked car and pulled me over and there were probably about six cars and a helicopter.”

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A stunned Louis was left shocked and asked: “A helicopter?”

Mo continued: “Swear on my life… I got the video as well,” to which Louis asked again: “You were being tailed by a helicopter?”

The TV presenter went on: ” Yeah. When the helicopter came, it was weird because obviously I hadn’t done anything, but I was like, ‘Ooh, wow, this is a little bit exciting’.

“But also knowing, I’m like, ‘You’re really wasting your time’.

“Then some of the officers, I could tell they was a bit like, ‘Oh, I think I recognise that guy’.”

Mo then explained that the cops thought he was driving a stolen car but failed to give him more information when quizzed.

He shared: “They said that the car that I had was previously stolen. And I was like, ‘Is it the same car, colour, or is it the same number plate?’ I said, ‘They’re two different things’. But they never really gave me an answer.

“In the end, it was like, ‘Oh, it’s just not the same car’. And once they knew, everyone just scattered.

“Every, every car was just like, ‘Oh, well, it’s not him then’. Helicopter gone.”

Documentary-maker and podcast host Louis was keen to know if the police recognised him.

Mo said: “Yeah. I think the officers then started recognising me.

“Things changed massively once they realised it wasn’t me.

“They were like, ‘Okay, cool, yeah, it’s fine’.

“But part of me was thinking, ‘This is a lot. I don’t need six cars and a helicopter’.

“At the same time, it did feel a bit like GTA when you get five or six stars.”

Last September, The Sun revealed that Mo had welcomed a baby with his model fiancee Taia Tulher.

Pals said at the time that his partner gave birth over the summer.

A source said: “Mo and Taia have their baby and are in a bubble of bliss.

“She gave birth quite a few weeks ago now and she has been getting back to normal life.

“They are keeping their baby’s gender and name for just close friends and family but they’ve been sharing the news of the baby’s arrival with people now.

“Mo and Taia couldn’t be happier.”

It is Mo’s second child — he had a son named Rudy with model Selina Christoforou in January last year.

He had previously dated Hollyoaks actress Sophie Wise for four years and then signed up for celeb dating app Raya.

He met Taia in 2023 and he proposed last year while she was pregnant.

BROOKLYN Beckham’s wife Nicola Peltz has revealed her latest tattoo on her leg.

The star could be seen sporting a new inking on her ankle which featured the name “Elijah” emblazoned on her foot.

Nicola is currently enjoying a holiday break away in St. Tropez with her husband Brooklyn after being invited aboard Sir Elton John‘s yacht.

During a break to get some ice cream, Nicola was snapped by photographers in which her brand new inking was on full display.

Nicola has inked the name Elijah onto her foot – which means “The Lord is my God”.

The Hebrew name is featured in the Book of Kings which describes Elijah as a “bold prophet who famously defended his faith”.

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Elijah is also the name of one of Sir Elton’s kids – with the legendary singer having invited Brooklyn and Nicola to join him on board.

The bold new inking comes following Brooklyn’s decision to cover up many of his tats.

Brooklyn had previously sported tributes to his dad David with the word ‘dad’ tattooed as well as the message: “Love you Bust.”

Snaps from earlier this year however show that he had these inkings covered up.

Nicola showed off her ankle on her outing which came as Brooklyn’s estranged parents David and Victoria were spotted just mere minutes away.

The couples are both currently in St. Tropez but on separate trips amid the ongoing Beckham family feud.

Photographers in France captured the estranged family just minutes apart visiting locations that were just five minutes in walking distance from one another.

David and Victoria were spotted walking past an eatery known as The Pirates Candies.

They then made their way into the nearby Cherry Restaurant for something to eat.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn was spotted in-store at a Jacquemus shop and later picked up an ice cream at Barbarac.

The distance between Brooklyn’s whereabouts and that of his parents is a simple five-minute walk.

They were just moments away from one another in what could have been a VERY awkward and unexpected run-in amid the vicious ongoing family feud.

MOLLY-MAE Hague has told fans daughter Bambi is back in “her aggressive era” following a shock incident at Pizza Express. 

Last year the 27-year-old Love Island star’s followers were left stunned when Bambi, three – who she shares with boxer Tommy Fury – was seen listing which of her little friends she wanted to bite. 

Now Molly-Mae, also mum to son Midas, two months, had confessed she was “very wrong” to think her eldest child had grown out of such behaviour. 

Speaking in her latest YouTube vlog, she said: “I went to Pizza Express with Bambi and Midas and some friends and I can’t even disclose what happened. 

“All I’m going to say is, I thought Bambi was out of her aggressive era. I was very wrong. 

“Headlocks were put in place. Not by me, by her. It should have been by me. It was bad. 

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“We’re in the depths of it right now and I’m really just trying to keep my head above water.”

Fans tried to make Molly-Mae feel better, with one commenting: “Bambi 100% is feeling her newborn brother is taking her mummy’s attention away. It happened with my daughter when her brother arrived.”

Another said: “Her world has changed and she will be happy but change is massive for children and their emotions are all over the place.”

And a third added: “Never give up and never give in. She will learn. You’re doing a good job.”

It comes after Molly made it clear that she and Tommy will not be trying for a third child anytime soon.

She told fans: “So I had the coil fitted, I had one called the Kyleena. It’s not the copper coil. It’s a different one. It’s one that’s going to last 5 years.

“I really wanted to get on some form of contraception because the last thing we need right now is another pregnancy.”

EXCLUSIVE: Sadie King’s return to Emmerdale is almost here, and now actress Patsy Kensit has told the Mirror her ‘terror’ over her ITV soap comeback after 20 years

There’s not long to wait until Sadie King returns to Emmerdale, after 20 years away.

But while fans are excited, actress Patsy Kensit, 58, confessed she was utterly terrified reprising her iconic role. “I was shaking like a leaf,” she told the Mirror. “It’s been a long time. I’ve done so much work in between, but this… I phoned up Mark Charnock actually, who plays Marlon Dingle.

“I told him, ‘I’m really scared,’ and he said it would be weird if I wasn’t, and that it’s only because I care. But I’m in the swing of things now, and I’m definitely settling in.”

Emmerdale are keeping quiet, for now, on what triggers Sadie’s shocking return, and when the scenes will air. What we can reveal is that she brings trouble to the village in classic Sadie fashion, and there’s some big secrets waiting to be discovered too.

She shared: “We will find out what’s happened to her and it’s interesting. It’s not just a one-note portrayal. Things have happened to her over the last 20 years, and we get older, but I can’t say too much.”

Patsy revealed her role isn’t a full-time return to the Dales. She’s only there for six months, with her set to wrap up filming in December. There’s plenty of drama on the way though before she leaves again, with village residents left reeling over her out-of-the-blue return.

It’s hardly surprising, after her devious antics during her two-year stint on the show between 2004 and 2006. From teaming up with Cain Dingle to con her own family, to her involvement in the deadly show home collapse that left three characters dead, she’s earned her status as one of the soap’s most ruthless characters ever.

But the big question is, has Sadie King changed? “Well, obviously it’s been 20 years,” Patsy told us. “We would hope she’s evolved slightly.

“It was quite easy to slip back into Sadie’s shoes, and it’s really interesting the way that it’s been written. She sort of comes in and causes trouble. People will be unsure if she’s a different person now.”

Patsy was thrilled to be asked back by bosses, first confiding the news in her two sons, James, 32, whose father is Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr, and Lennon, 26, who she shares with ex-husband, Oasis star, Liam Gallagher.

Patsy beamed: “They were really happy. They thought it would be a really great thing for me to do, and they have been really supportive.”

While Sadie isn’t expected to get a warm welcome when she steps back into the village, the same cannot be said for Patsy who was welcomed back with open arms.

“It’s been exceptionally nice,” she told us. “It’s a wonderful place to work. The pastoral care here is incredible, the cast, crew, everyone, every department. They really, really put their arms around me and looked after me.”

Patsy loves playing Sadie, so she jumped at the chance to be her again. But she admitted Sadie isn’t someone she’d be keen to know in the real world.

“Oh gosh, no, she’s awful,” laughed Patsy. “But, no, I do love her. You can’t play a character, really, that you hate.

“I think you’ve got to find something in there. Her sheer capability… I’m pathologically polite, and she will say and do things that I would never do in a million years, and get away with, so I can kind of live vicariously through her at times.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

ROCK veteran Phil Collins has admitted he was days from death after secretly relapsing into alcoholism.

The 75-year-old Genesis legend was placed on a life support machine as vital organs, including his kidneys, started to shut down.

Collins said his five children — including Emily In Paris actress Lily, 37 — were even summoned to a hospital in Switzerland to say goodbye during the drama two years ago.

Now sober again, the eight-time Grammy award winner said: “There were some decisions to be made about, ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’

“My kidneys were packing up, my organs were seizing up. People were coming to say goodbye.

“They were all worried that they wouldn’t see me again.”

Collins — whose 13 solo hits include You Can’t Hurry Love, Easy Lover and Groovy Kind Of Love — first opened up about his struggle with alcohol in his 2016 book Not Dead Yet.

He said he started drinking while having too much time on his hands and stopped only after being hospitalised with acute pancreatitis in 2012.

Now he has told how he went on the drug Antabuse, which triggers severe sickness if used while drinking alcohol.

Yet, despite this, in November 2023 he was back in hospital because he had hit the bottle again.

He was discharged almost a month later, then readmitted in early 2024, spending seven months in hospital. In January he blamed the stay on contracting Covid.

But, speaking to The Sunday Times’ Decca Aitkenhead, he admitted that it was down to years of alcohol abuse.

He explained: “Something happened and I stopped taking the Antabuse. I resented the fact that I couldn’t drink.

“I’d have wine when I woke up. That was what I’d want for breakfast — a glass of wine. But I didn’t drink into the night.

“I wasn’t really aware of having a problem, to be honest.”

Then an 18-hour bender saw him admitted to intensive care in Switzerland, where he lives. A doctor asked his loved ones: “Is Monsieur Collins’ will in order?”

Looking back, Collins continued: “There were times I would just collapse. One time, I remember getting up to give the kids a cuddle and I lost my balance.

“I left two teeth marks in the tiles in the living room.

“Another time, I was walking upstairs too quickly and I fell down. There was a pool of blood around my head.

“There were various low moments that I’m not proud of.”

He said he had not touched a drop since leaving hospital, but confessed that the effects of boozing have permanently damaged his body.

Over the past decade he has had multiple operations on his knees and his spine, and he has Type 2 diabetes.

Single Collins now needs a 24-hour nurse who ensures he takes the medication he needs and helps him walk six laps daily around his home.

A physiotherapist visits three times a week.

He passes the time watching TV, including Sky News and re-runs of comedy panel show Shooting Stars. He also watches documentaries about serial killers on YouTube, along with Piers Morgan’s show.

In the wide-ranging interview, which he carried out with nothing to promote, he said: “I’ve had my run-ins with Piers, but I watch his show every Saturday morning. I really look forward to it, because I find I agree with him.”

Recalling the past year, which saw him reuniting with his children at Christmas to celebrate his ­recovery, Collins said: “I was very lucky.”

He said his illness had brought him closer to Lily, saying she “was sitting beside me in tears telling me, ‘I never thought I’d get these moments’.

“We had an incredible time. I can’t overemphasise how fantastic it was.” Collins also used his Sunday Times Magazine interview to address the end of his marriage to his third wife, Orianne Cevey.

He was previously married to Andrea Bertorelli and Jill Tavelman and met Orianne in 1994 when she was working as a translator.

They wed five years later.

Orianne, 52 — mum of two of Collins’ three sons, Nicholas and pro footballer Mathew — divorced him in 2008 and Collins had to pay a £25million settlement, the largest in celebrity history at the time.

The pair reunited in 2016 but in the autumn of 2020 it was revealed she had secretly married 36-year-old jobbing guitarist Thomas Bates in Las Vegas.

She moved him into Collins’ £30million mansion in Miami, and he even flew to the UK to work with Genesis.

Collins later took Orianne to court to evict her from the house, a move that saw Bates branding him “petty and vindictive” in an interview with The Sun.

Speaking publicly about the marriage bust-up for the first time, Collins said he found out about the couple’s wedding only when Orianne introduced Bates to him.

The singer and drummer said: “She’s not in my best books.

“I’d love to go into detail, but I can just see this coming back to bite me.

“And she’s admitted that she f***ed up big time. She’s aware of what she did wrong, and how wrong it was, and how it must have affected me. But I can’t quite forgive yet.”

Collins said he was still in touch with Orianne but admitted he tried to limit contact, explaining: “I don’t think it’s a good idea right now.

“Just because I know what I’m like. I would probably fall again, maybe. I mean, we were very much in love.”

Collins will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time this November.

In 2010 he was recognised for his work with Genesis and this time will be honoured for his solo work.

The Sun understands he will try to attend the ceremony if his health permits it.

He is also working with Lily’s mother Jill, 70, on a Los Angeles charity auction due the same month. It will feature items from his archive between 1980 and 1995.

All proceeds from the sale will go directly to The King’s Trust, with whom Collins has worked for 44 years after becoming its first celebrity ambassador

Opening up about why he had decided to speak up now, Collins said he wanted to set the record straight on his life and career. And he said he was keen to find someone to settle down with again.

He added: “I’d love to be in love again. I would love a relationship. I think it’s probably too late for that. I’m not a very social person. I don’t go out.”

• Interview by Decca Aitkenhead for The Sunday Times

DAUGHTER RIFT IS NOW HEALED

By Ellie Henman

PHIL Collins has addressed falling out with his actress daughter Lily.

The Emily in Paris star, 37, wrote an open letter to him in 2017, where she credited previous eating disorders to the pair’s troubled relationship.

She wrote at the time, in her autobiography Unfiltered: “I forgive you for not always being there when I needed, and for not being the dad I expected.

“I forgive the mistakes you made. And although it may seem like it’s too late, it’s not. There’s still so much time to move forward.”

She continued: “I’m learning how to accept your actions and vocalise how they made me feel. I accept and honour the sadness and anger I felt toward the things you did or didn’t do, did or didn’t give me.”

Addressing the words in his Sunday Times Magazine interview, Phil said: “I was quite shocked and a little bit sad.

“But she’s told me why now, and she takes it all back.

“She wished she’d never done it. I have a wonderful relationship with Lily now. So everything has a happy ending, most of the time.”

The Genesis rocker also said he has a close relationship with adopted daughter Joely, 53, and his 49-year-old son Simon from his marriage to first wife Andrea.

His youngest children, footballer Mathew, 21, and drummer Nicholas, 25, are also in close contact with him.

Phil added: “There’s been a lot thrown at them over the years, and I dread to think what that’s been like.

“But all of us are good now and have been for a while.”

RITA ORA’s fourth studio album is almost complete – but no one is quite sure what to expect from it.

Aside from her husband, Hollywood director Taika Waititi, that is.

Speaking to Bizarre’s Jack at a London screening to mark the 10th anniversary of his hit film, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Taika said Rita’s long-awaited album was “amazing”.

He added: “This new record is incredible. I’ve heard a lot of it.

“It was such a departure from stuff that she’s probably known mostly for. It’s a different sound.”

Taika directed the sultry video for Rita’s latest ­single, All Natural, and also directed and starred in the video for 2023’s Don’t Think Twice.

HEART RIGHT NOW

Rita Ora wows in red gown as she reunites with Taika Waititi on red carpet

RAGING RITA

Rita Ora fuming as gig is cancelled at last minute due to thunderstorm

Getting Oscar-winner Taika to work on your project can’t come cheap, but Taika assured us with a wink that he and Rita had come to an arrangement.

He chuckled: “There is a very mates’ rates deal going on. I think it’s been free each time. It’s just fun to get to work together.

“It’s great because we’re kind of in similar ­industries, but they’re very different disciplines – and when you’re with someone, you want to be able to do some work together.

“I’m really amazed and surprised at what she does, but also super- confused all the time.”

Taika masterminded two of Marvel’s biggest hits – Thor: Ragnarok in 2017 and Thor: Love And Thunder in 2022.

He also plays the alien Korg in the films.

Taika admits that he’d love Marvel book bosses to sign up Rita for a role alongside him one day.

He said: “Younger me would like to see a Bond Girl Rita, but I think I’d find it more fun to see her doing a Marvel film.

“It would be great to see her as a villain.” Watch this space . . . 

RAYE’S GLOWING WITH PRIDE

CHRISTMAS came early for Raye fans as she took to the stage in a sparkly red dress.

The Where Is My Husband! singer wouldn’t have looked out of place at a festive party as she headlined Brighton Pride on Saturday.

Her bill-topping set followed epic performances from Jessie J and Leigh-Anne ­Pinnock.

The Little Mix singer kept cool in a yellow bikini top and combat trousers – putting her growing baby bump on display.

She is expecting her third child with footballer husband Andre Gray. They had twin girls in 2021.

Brighton hosts the UK’s biggest Pride festival, but it is dwarfed by WorldPride, which took place in Amsterdam over the weekend.

Going all out to impress, organisers in the Netherlands somehow managed to land Madonna to perform.

She owned the Dutch stage in a bright purple corset and matching boots.

Taking camp to the next level, Madge was joined for her epic set by Kylie Minogue, who sang with Nick Cave at his Brighton gig on Friday.

Rumours are rife that the duo have a song together on a remix edition of Madonna’s latest album, Confessions II.

We should be so lucky . . . 

ARIANA’S IN FULL BLOOM

ARIANA GRANDE is dominating this week’s Official Chart First Look.

The One Last Time singer is on track to land three songs from her new album, Petal, inside the UK Top 20.

The album’s title track and second single, Petal, is currently at No3, while Kiss Me is at No6 and Stay sits at No11.

The album was streamed 62million times on its first day of release on Spotify, making it the platform’s 16th biggest first-day album debut by a female artist.

Ariana’s 2019 album, Thank U, Next, remains her biggest first-day debut, with 70million streams in its first 24 hours.

MUSIC guru Chris Herbert is the man who discovered the Spice Girls more than 30 years ago, and now he’s backing another feisty young act, Allegra.

She is gearing up to drop a new project called Unreleased EP on August 21 and has her sights set on collabs with top stars.

Allegra, right, said: “I’d love to work with someone like Rita Ora. We’d have so much fun. She’s got such cool style and I think we’d just have fun.”

Opening up about how she ­performs best, she added: “I like it when I’m feeling a bit sexy.

“I think I’m a bit angry at, like, a situationship or an ex- boyfriend, I’m looking hot in the music video and I’m like, ‘OK, I’ve got this’.”

1D GOING IN RIGHT DIRECTION

DURING their heyday, One Direction were a money-making machine.

And even though the That’s What Makes You Beautiful singers split up back in 2016, the cash keeps rolling in.

New accounts for the band, made up of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and the late Liam Payne, have revealed they each made £2,636 a week last year.

And to top it off, they had to do absolutely no work for it.

Their two firms, 1D Media Ltd and PPM Music Ltd, are now worth a combined £3,814,044 – up more than £687,000 from the previous year.

It’s not a bad life, eh?

SIX months after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi has undergone a radical hysterectomy.

The reality star, 38, documented her emotional journey to the operating theatre in a tearful video shared with fans on social media.

Snooki, who previously admitted she was too terrified to schedule the operation, said before: “I’m so scared, I just don’t know what is going to happen.”

Surgeons went on to remove her uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and part of her vagina to ensure all the cancerous tissue was taken away.

Her ovaries were preserved to prevent her from going through early menopause.

Snooki hopes the operation has left her cancer-free and previously said doctors believed she would not require chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

‘I’M SCARED’

Jersey Shore’s Snooki admits she’s putting off major surgery in cancer battle

SCARY NEWS

Jersey Shore’s Snooki reveals cervical cancer diagnosis and issues plea to fans

The mum-of-three also filmed herself preparing for surgery, joking: “Got the gown, got the cap. I feel like an alien serving this look.”

Speaking from her hospital bed afterwards, the MTV star admitted she was struggling with the painful recovery.

She said: “So the first couple of days is hell, and then it’s gonna get better.

“I’m trying to stay in good spirits, and the nurses and doctors and everybody was so great.”

Snooki also revealed surgeons repaired her diastasis recti, a separation of the stomach muscles which can occur during pregnancy, while carrying out the procedure.

She signed off the video by telling fans: “I love you. Thanks for being here. And get your Pap smears, okay?”

Snooki shares sons Lorenzo, 13, and Angelo, seven, and daughter Giovanna, 11, with husband Jionni LaValle.

Although she said their family was complete, the star has said that losing her ability to carry another baby had been difficult to process.

She previously said: “That’s a part of being a woman, and even though I’m done having kids, the thought of not being able to really upset me.

“It messes with you a little bit.”

Snooki revealed in February that a biopsy had confirmed she had stage-one cervical adenocarcinoma, a cancer which begins in the glandular cells of the cervical canal.

She had received abnormal smear-test results for four years but admitted putting off follow-up appointments because she found the examinations painful and frightening.

The biopsy removed the visible tumour, while subsequent scans found no evidence that the cancer had spread elsewhere in her body.

Snooki rose to fame on MTV reality hit Jersey Shore, which followed a group of young housemates spending their summers together on the New Jersey coast.

A HUGE US influencer has revealed her husband’s face “caught on fire” during a BBQ, and has left him with “second-degree burns”.

Rebecca Zamolo, 41, left her followers concerned after she shared the horror accident that left Matthew Yoakum, 46, badly injured.

The social media star shared a slew of photos which included how her husband’s face looked after it had been burned.

Posting the pics on Instagram, the mum-of-two penned: “For those who don’t know, Matt’s face caught on fire at our BBQ and it gave him ‘2nd degree superficial burns’.

“It was hours before our flight to Hawaii to celebrate his birthday so he has been healing here. (He still wanted to go).

“It was a scary incident for all of us, and a reminder how precious life is.

ABSOLUTELY PAR-FECT

Golf stunner Katie Sigmond puts on eye-popping display in black dress

‘INSENSITIVE’

Influencer slammed as she posts glam hols snaps days after kitten died

“Thank you to everyone that has reached out and friends that are in the medical field and put him on a good path to heal.

“He’s extremely lucky as it could have been a lot worse, but we are taking it day by day. We love you Matt.”

Rebecca’s followers immediately rushed to share their concern, with one writing: “Omg. That is horrible. So happy he’s okay.”

While another added: “Sending love & prayers.”

A third worried fan wrote: “This is awful! Get well soon Matt!”

Rebecca is a huge influencer, with 3.3million followers on Instagram and over 30million on YouTube.

The star is known for her family orientated content, which often includes Matt and their two kids, Zadie and Xander.

Washington, DC – A Senate committee hearing this week has once again shone a spotlight on the political divisions over the United States government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wednesday’s hearing, held by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, continued years of criticism, mainly from Republicans, against immunologist Anthony Fauci, who led the government’s response to the pandemic.

Spearheaded by committee chair Rand Paul, several Republicans rehashed claims that the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, emerged from an infectious disease lab in Wuhan, China, and did not naturally transfer from animals to humans.

Stephen Morrison, the director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the hearing was a reflection of the deep, enduring partisan divides over the issue.

But he added that the meeting with Fauci did little to shed new light on the pandemic after years of investigation, hearings and political posturing.

“There’s no space for any civil discussion around any of these issues. There’s no desire really,” Morrison told Al Jazeera.

“So, what’s the lasting impact of this? I mean, it continues to impose unconscionable pain and suffering on [Fauci] and his family. It doesn’t advance the debate one inch on the whole question of COVID origins and what was past US policy and what should US policy be going forward.”

Wuhan lab leak theory

Wednesday’s hearing was based largely on a previous 520-page report from 2024, created by the Republican-led Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

That report claimed it was likely that SARS-CoV-2 emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a Chinese research facility. Senator Paul has embraced this viewpoint, as has President Donald Trump.

In April of last year, shortly after Trump took office for his second term, the White House launched a webpage purporting to reveal “the true origins of COVID-19”, largely based on the report.

The site highlighted several claims that experts say pave over the nuanced scientific debate about the origins of the virus.

Drawing on the 2024 report, the White House asserts that SARS-CoV-2 “possesses a biological characteristic that is not found in nature” and that “data shows that all COVID-19 cases stem from a single introduction into humans”, setting it apart from previous natural pandemics.

Joel Wertheim, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego, told Factcheck.org that both claims were false.

While COVID does contain a characteristic to enter cells that is not found in its closest coronavirus relatives, that quality does exist in other coronaviruses more broadly. As Wertheim put it, “It is most certainly found in nature.”

Meanwhile, a pair of studies released in 2022 found at least two unique paths through which initial human infection occurred, contradicting the White House’s claim that the pandemic arose from a “single introduction into humans”.

The White House webpage also focuses on Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) until 2022 and served as the chief medical adviser to former US President Joe Biden, Trump’s election rival.

Biden pre-emptively pardoned him in January 2025, fearing the physician might be arrested under the second Trump administration.

Ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, Trump took the opportunity to renew his derision of Fauci, writing on Truth Social that the medical expert’s “ideas were CRAZY”.

Trump also accused Fauci, without evidence, of orchestrating a cover-up for China, where COVID was first documented. The Republican leader was serving his first term as president when the pandemic began.

Ongoing debate

To be sure, there has been criticism from within the international scientific community that the lab leak theory was discounted too swiftly in the early days of the pandemic, as it became seen as political.

Trump and other world leaders had been quick to use anti-China rhetoric when discussing the virus.

There currently remains no conclusive evidence proving either the lab leak theory or that the virus had a natural origin. The vast majority of infectious disease scientists, including Fauci, have said neither possibility can be ruled out.

Still, a preponderance of experts say evidence indicates that the virus was most likely transferred from an animal, likely a bat, to humans, in a process called zoonotic spillover.

A 2024 survey of virologists and other scientists, conducted by the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute (GCRI), found most respondents believed natural transmission was considerably more likely than a lab leak, although most acknowledged it was impossible to definitively dismiss the theory.

Following three years of research, a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory board released a report in 2025 that also concluded “the weight of available evidence … suggests zoonotic spillover”.

Still, WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned, “As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak.”

Inside Fauci’s diary

Fauci has long argued the scientific evidence indicates that the virus emerged from natural animal transmission, but he has repeatedly rejected the notion that he has outright dismissed the lab leak theory.

In a 2024 letter to the House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, his lawyers maintained (PDF) it was “completely wrong” to say that Fauci had ever called the possibility a “conspiracy theory”.

Instead, they said Fauci and his allies rejected an array of conspiracy theories that have been tied to the lab leak theory, including the idea that he had “sneaked unnoticed into the CIA headquarters to try to convince CIA officials to debunk the lab leak theory”.

Wednesday’s hearing was preceded by the release of entries from Fauci’s private diary, stored on a government computer drive.

They were obtained through Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic and Fauci critic, who passed them along to Senator Paul.

In one entry, Fauci described a claim that he “deliberately” worked with the Chinese to create the virus as a “way-out conspiracy theory”.

He and his legal team have also repeatedly rejected Republican claims that he leveraged millions in grant money to compel scientists to change their views about COVID’s origins.

The White House website, for instance, asserts that Fauci “prompted” an early study on COVID origins to downplay the lab leak theory. No evidence has been presented to support those claims, which have also been rejected by the scientists involved.

Did Fauci mislead?

On Wednesday, several Senate Republicans charged that Fauci’s diary entries showed he had intentionally misled the public by downplaying the possibility the virus had emerged from the Wuhan lab.

Fauci’s supporters, however, have said the diary fails to prove any deliberate attempt to mislead. They argue his public and private statements were consistent in the early days of the pandemic, when scientists’ understanding of the virus was shifting daily.

Fauci’s diary entries indicated he met with a group of experts in February 2020, noting “there was not total agreement” on the likelihood the virus had been created via human manipulation. Senator Paul and others said Fauci did not adequately reflect that view in his public statements.

Republicans also seized on a January 26, 2020, entry in which Fauci wrote that initial data suggests “the first infection was in early December and was not connected” to the wet market in Wuhan.

“Now we know the market was not the source but the amplifier,” he wrote.

During the hearing, Senator Paul said the diary revealed that Fauci was “repeatedly saying in public something different than what he believes in private”.

Fauci’s defenders have pointed to a USA Today interview he gave shortly after the diary entry, floating the idea that the market could have been an “amplifier”. Others have argued the diary entries do not contradict the view that the virus was of natural origins.

Public restrictions

Republicans on Wednesday also focused heavily on Fauci’s role in issuing public guidance about how to slow the spread of the COVID virus.

Several states saw schools close and businesses shutter amid social-distancing recommendations.

But those closures became a political lightning rod and featured prominently in the 2020 presidential elections and 2022 midterm races.

Indeed, new studies have cast doubt on the effectiveness of social distancing rules. Others indicate mask mandates may have been less effective than previously presented, although research still generally supports that masks may slow the spread of the disease.

As NIAID director, Fauci had no direct authority to impose public health mandates, which were typically introduced by state and local officials. While he had a role in issuing federal guidance, his work was part of a wider government effort involving other agencies and officials.

Speaking on Wednesday, Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate panel, accused Republicans of “relitigating history” and seeking to “turn one person into a scapegoat for a crisis that hundreds of officials across the Biden and Trump administrations were responsible for handling”.

Still, Fauci’s diary does contain uncomfortable revelations about how he wielded his high-profile position. In one instance, he recounted how he offered then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio encouragement to close city schools. He did the same with an aide to California Governor Gavin Newsom.

“I advised De Blasio to go ahead and do it,” he recounted. “I went on to tell him he should close the bars and restaurants in NYC… He said that he would base this on my recommendation.”

Why now?

During the Wednesday hearing, Fauci invoked his constitutional right to remain silent roughly 100 times, drawing significant public scrutiny.

The 85-year-old Fauci, who enjoyed bipartisan support as NIAID director throughout much of his 38 years in the role, decried the hearing as an attempt to entrap him with perjury.

Critics, including several Democrats on the committee, have also questioned the timing of Wednesday’s hearing, which comes just three months before November’s midterm elections.

Republicans are expected to face an uphill battle in maintaining control of the House of Representatives, and they also risk losing their slim control of the Senate in the vote. A defeat in either chamber would serve as a major setback to Trump in his final two years in office.

The party has struggled to find a defining issue to campaign on, amid affordability woes fuelled by the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran.

The hearing also comes at a time when polls have shown public trust in federal health agencies has plummeted since Trump took office.

For instance, a June poll conducted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation’s Public Health Listening Lab suggests that just 50 percent of respondents said they trusted recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

That marks a decline from 77 percent in the spring of 2025.

About 69 percent also felt that federal health agencies’ recommendations were too influenced by their leaders’ public opinions.

But Morrison, the health policy expert, saw the hearing as a personal attack on Fauci, with Senator Paul and Secretary Kennedy pursuing an ideological “vendetta”.

Fauci, he said, has come to represent for some Republicans the “iconic embodiment of everything that they have come to believe is craven and corrupt in the US government response” to COVID.

He warned that their approach, though, could chill any desire for top scientists to wade into government.

“People will say Tony Fauci could have done things a little differently, he made a few mistakes, and he could have admitted those,” Morrison said.

“But the ‘big but’ is certainly none of that warrants what’s happening here.”

KATIE Price has revealed son Harvey is getting his first tattoo aged 24 – leaving sister Sophie horrified. 

The former glamour model, 48, was discussing her plans for more ink during the latest episode of her podcast when she told how her eldest son has been asking for his own tattoo. 

Speaking on The Katie Price Show, she said: “Harvey keeps asking… he wants a little frog done [on his hand]. A tiny little frog.”

Sophie, 36, made her feelings on the subject instantly clear, saying: “No. Don’t let Harv have a tattoo.”

Mum-of-five Katie replied: “But he really wants one.” 

Shaking her head, Sophie said: “No. Don’t do that to him, Kate.”

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After a pause, Katie explained how she and children Junior, 21, and Princess, 19 – who she shares with ex-husband Peter Andre – were planning to also have frogs, famously Harvey’s favourite animal, inked on them. 

Harvey lives with ADHD, autism, genetic condition Prader-Willi Syndrome, and septo-optic dysplasia, which causes blindness.

Defending her decision to allow Harvey to have the tattoo, Katie said: “He is 24, he is a man. I know he’s got complex needs. 

“Harvey knows what a tattoo is because he sees them on me and has seen me get them done.

“Where do we stand on this? Because if he wants it, why can’t he?”

Sophie argued: “But Harv’s mental age isn’t 24, is it? It’s a lot younger. So I would think of it in that respect. He can’t make a decision without you or someone else there.”

Katie confessed that she is struggling with where to draw the line when it comes to Harvey’s capability to make certain decisions. 

She said: “This is a good conversation. If it was him signing a form, then no.”

Katie then explained how Harvey is very aware of his popularity on social media, where he has 348,000 followers, and revealed he asks for his artwork to be posted on the platform for his fans. 

Clearly wanting to allow Harvey to live as normal a life as possible, Katie also shared plans to take him to Ibiza after he expressed a desire to go to a nightclub. 

Harvey’s father is ex-footballer Dwight Yorke, who Katie has called out repeatedly through the years for lack of involvement in their son’s life.

BLACK Sabbath’s Tony Iommi last released a solo album more than two decades ago.

And now, as he finally announces a new record, From The Dark, he reckons it might take just as long to get presented with his MBE.

The legendary axeman was in the Actress & Bishop boozer in his native Birmingham to celebrate the album’s release when asked when he’d be going to Buckingham Palace.

Tony was made an MBE in the King’s birthday honours last month, for his services to music and charity. But he joked: “I’d forgotten about that. They have probably changed their minds now.”

From The Dark, out on October 23, is Tony’s first album since 2005’s Fused, when he teamed with former Deep Purple, Sabbath and Trapeze singer and bassist Glenn Hughes.

Queen’s Brian May plays a guest solo on Death Wake, and the blistering lead single, the upbeat but punchy World Alone, confirms why he earned the nickname The Master Of The Riffs.

‘ALARMS GOING OFF’

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SHEER DELIGHT

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That moniker’s all the more impressive when Tony reminds us that he lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his fret hand as a teen, while working in a sheet metal factory in the city.

He recalled: “I went to different doctors and they said, ‘You might as well give up and find another profession’.”

So he made replacement fingertips. He said: “I got a Fairy Liquid bottle, melted it down into a ball and then got a soldering iron and made a hole in it, so it fit on my finger.

“I tried to play and it slipped off. I had to find a material that would grip the strings like skin, so I cut one of my old rocker leather jackets up, and it worked.”

Iommi fans are in for a treat with From The Dark — which has eight tracks, with two additional songs, Scent Of Dark and Deified on the deluxe version.

It was two years in the making, with Tony enlisting Jorn Lande on vocals, bassist Becky Baldwin and Robbie Williams’ longtime drummer Karl Brazil.

The process was slowed by the loss of Tony’s Black Sabbath bandmate Ozzy Osbourne last July, with Tony stepping back from recording for a while.

The pair exchanged text messages the night before Ozzy died. He said: “I didn’t expect him to go overnight. It was a hell of a shock.”

On returning to work on the record, Tony added: “We’ve done it casually really, because there was no pressure.

The album is steeped in his home city’s history. He said: “The whole record is designed around Birmingham. The T-shirts have been made in Birmingham, the merchandise has been made in Birmingham.”

In front of a small group of guests, with Frank Skinner taking on the interviewing duties, Tony unveiled the dystopian video for World Alone, which was filmed in Cornwall.

“I hate doing videos, I’ve never liked them,” he said.

“This one is more like a film and I am in it but not wanting to be.”

Despite his reticence at getting in front of the cameras, it sounds likely Tony will return to the stage.

Asked whether fans will hear him play the record live, he smiled and said: “You may do.

“Anything’s a possibility.”

Tate shapes up for comeback

TATE McRAE gets fighting fit for her comeback as she prepares to release new music.

The Canadian pulled on her skintight workout clobber and pumped iron for an Adidas Originals Sport campaign.

It comes ahead of a return to the stage this weekend, almost nine months after her last concert.

Tate will headline the Osheaga Festival in Montreal on Saturday, and Lollapalooza in Chicago the following night, as teasers on social media suggest she might debut new songs.

Previous album So Close To What became her most successful yet when it peaked at No2 in the charts last year.

But with her star power continuing to rise, I’m sure she’s got her sights set on turning the next record into a chart-topper.

It’s Olivia RodLego

OLIVIA RODRIGO has recreated her latest album cover in Lego form – and will hide versions of the record around the world.

She posed in this plaid mini-dress at a pop-up event in Los Angeles, where it was revealed 333 toy-brick vinyl versions of You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love will be available.

The album is in the UK Top Three for a sixth week.

Olivia and Lego will drop clues on social media, hinting at record shops where fans might be able to get the special versions.

I expect to see them popping up on eBay for astronomical sums any day now.

Ruben’s hol alone

RUBEN Dias has made sure everyone knows he’s one of football’s most eligible bachelors, following his split from Maya Jama.

The Manchester City defender broke up with the Love Island host at the end of April.

Three months on, and following his appearance at this summer’s World Cup with Portugal, he has jetted off on a lads’ holiday to Ibiza.

Judging by the photos of his rippling six-pack he shared on Instagram, Ruben got his mates to take thirst trap pictures for him while they were there.

But hinting that he’s still not totally over the split with Maya, he captioned the post: “Feelings on silent.”

With pictures like this, there will be plenty of people offering him a shoulder to cry on.

lMILEY CYRUS’ rocker fiancé Maxx Morando popped the question on holiday in Japan last autumn.

He told Wonderland mag it happened in “this little outer garden”.

Maxx added: “She was taking videos, and was turned away. I got on one knee and tapped her on the shoulder.”

KATIE Price and Peter Andre could be set to come face-to-face for the first time in 16 years.

The warring exes have not been in the same room since their divorce in 2009 but there is now a plan to reunite them for the very first time.

And it could all be down to daughter Princess Andre.

The budding star confirmed on her reality show, The Princess Diaries, that she has a plan for them to come face-to-face later this year.

Princess is planning a huge launch event for her cosmetics company and is planning to invite both her parents to attend the bash.

Confirming her plan on her show, Princess told Katie of what she was planning to do.

worth the price

Katie Price still has Peter’s clothes stashed in her overflowing garage

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Princess said to her: “For my official launch, I will probably just invite close family and friends.”

Katie went quiet as she replied: “Yeah… I mean, I still haven’t met up with your dad face-to-face yet.

“It is weird, isn’t it?”

Princess agreed before adding: “But everything happens for a reason1”

Katie then appeared to take a swipe at Peter and their split as she added: “Does it?

“I think some things could have been avoided but it is what it is and you just move on.”

Princess nevously smiled after her mum’s comments before the conversation drew to a quick close.

Later on, Princess told brother Junior of her latest plan.

Before their chat, Princess told the camera: “It is so important for me that for my official launch, I have as many friends and family there as possible.”

She then said to Junior and his girlfriend: “Mum and Dad are in a truce now so I am just gonna invite Mum and Dad and whoever wants to come, comes.

“It might be quite awkward though.”

Junior appeared unconvinced by the plan as he replied: “Yeah, their first time in a room?

“When I used to perform, I never invited mum and dad to one show so it could be good and they’ve got a truce.

“And it is about you and supporting you so yeah, I love that.”

CARLY Simon has announced her Parkinson’s disease and cancer diagnoses after her years-long absence from the public eye.

The 83-year-old singer opened up about her health battles in a statement on Monday.

“So many people have written to me, kindly wondering about my relative silence, asking how I am and what I have been doing. The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease,” the You’re So Vain hitmaker told People.

“It has taken me some time to understand the diagnosis, to adjust to it, and to decide how much I wanted to say about it publicly. Parkinson’s is different for everyone, and it can be unpredictable,” she continued.

“Some days I’m so tired I can’t get the day moving at all. On others, it gives me a little more room to move, think, work, and feel like myself.”

Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time, with tremors, stiffness, and balance issues being common symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Carly recalled when she first began experiencing symptoms after undergoing multiple surgeries.

“The problems began with arthritis in both knees and one hip. I eventually had all three joints replaced, out with the old and in with delicate bouquets of metal and plastic.

“After three replacement surgeries, I assumed my difficulty walking was simply an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process,” she said.

“But my mobility continued to worsen. I had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm. Overstuffed furniture became my enemy.

“Once seated, I could feel as though I had been swallowed by the chair and might remain there permanently, like a guest who had badly overstayed her welcome.”

Carly added, “Eventually, there were periods when I could not walk without considerable help. My family and I knew that something more was going on. After an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”

She said she began treatment shortly after and has been managing the symptoms with medication.

Carly went on to share that at the same time, she was also battling basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, on her face.

“The cancer was removed, but the surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public,” the music icon, who survived breast cancer after her diagnosis in 1997, admitted.

“I have always been more critical of my appearance than anyone else could possibly imagine (check out the irony of having written “You’re So Vain.”), and this gave my inner critic quite a lot of new material.

“Between my mobility issues, the Parkinson’s diagnosis, the surgery, and the emotional effects of it all, withdrawing from public view was the most palatable reaction.

“If a person is allowed to hibernate during both winter and summer, then I have become an all-season bear.”

Despite the everyday challenges of both illnesses, Carly vows to keep moving forward and focus on her music.

The Nobody Does It Better singer even has a new album on the way, which will be her first original full-length album since 2008.

“But I have not stopped living, and I have not stopped working.

“In the middle of all this, I began recording a new album, Comes in Waves. That still feels mysterious to me.”

She continued, “Music has always known when to arrive. It has rescued me more times that I can count. It is like a cat or dog that quietly appears beside you when it senses you are not quite yourself.”

“The album includes songs and fragments of songs that had been waiting for me, some for years.

“There were melodies, verses, and ideas written down and tucked away for some unknown future when I would have the time and attention to finish them.

“Apparently, that future is now,” Carly revealed.

She added that since her Parkinson’s diagnosis, she’s been “learning how to live with” the disease and is leaning on her family and friends for their support.

Carly also shared her gratitude for her fans, who influenced her decision to reveal her health issues after expressing concerns about her distance from the spotlight.

The musician has maintained her privacy in recent years, and hasn’t been seen in public since October 2019, when she visited SiriusXM Studios in New York City to promote her memoir, Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie.

She even skipped the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles in November 2022 after receiving the exclusive honor.

Sara Bareilles and Olivia Rodrigo honored the legendary songwriter with performances of her hits Nobody Does It Better and You’re So Vain at the ceremony.

JENNIFER Lopez’s first husband squared up to Sean “Diddy” Combs in a blazing row after the rapper had an affair with his wife, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.

In a world-exclusive interview, Ojani Noa — the original Mr J-Lo — claims he confronted the disgraced star in a terrifying Hollywood bust-up.

A defiant Ojani reveals: “She cheated on me with Diddy.

“I confronted him and told him I wasn’t scared of him.”

Ojani also tells for the first time how Diddy threatened superstar Jennifer — now 57 — and verbally abused the singer at her own home, leaving her “in fear for her life”.

Cuban-born Ojani married J-Lo in 1997, a little over a year after a passionate whirlwind meeting but they split 11 months later as Jennifer’s hunger for global fame took over.

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Jennifer then started officially dating Diddy, now 56, in 1999 but the toxic couple finished their tumultuous relationship in 2001.

Now her relationship with Diddy has come into the spotlight again after he was accused of running a sex-trafficking ring and convicted last year of engaging in two counts of transportation of prostitution.

Ojani, a 52-year-old personal trainer living in Florida, today discloses for the first time the explosive moment he stepped in to protect his ex-wife from the Bad Boy Records founder.

He recalls: “It was the year she dumped him.

“We were still friends and we had decided to start over again.

“Everyone makes mistakes and deserves to be forgiven once.

“She had tried to dump Diddy before and he had threatened her and her family.

“He turned up to her assistant’s birthday party in Los Angeles — which Jennifer had thrown for her — and everyone was shocked.

“I went over to him and told him to leave and he told me to back off. He asked me who I was, to which I replied, ‘F*** you’. I told him he had slept with my wife.

“Jennifer got in between us. She said he would leave but he didn’t.

“I got upset with her and at the end of the night she got in his car and left.”

The dramatic showdown at the party was only the beginning of a terrifying campaign of intimidation.

Ojani says that a few weeks later Jennifer — who has always remained notoriously tight-lipped in public about her dark history with Diddy — called him, “terrified” after the rapper turned up at her Los Angeles home and began screaming her name.

He reveals: “She said she was scared and afraid so I instantly left work and came over.

“When I got there it was pitch black and I couldn’t see anyone, so he must have been hiding. As I drove in he started shouting and telling her he knew I was inside.

“That’s when I fronted him up. Jennifer was on the balcony and told me not to as she was worried.

“She told me he had guns but I told him that I would f* him up.

“She said she was going to call the cops but a neighbour must have called them as they turned up and Diddy ran away.

“She had said to me before that he could do bad things. But I told him to his face that he was a coward.

“That’s why he was always with bodyguards with guns because anyone could take him one on one.”

Ojani arrived in the US illegally aged 15, after making the perilous 90-mile trip from his home in Cuba to Florida with six friends on a homemade raft.

Washing dishes at Latin pop singer Gloria Estefan’s Miami restaurant, Larios On The Beach, the ambitious 22-year-old worked his way up to become head waiter.

It was there that he first locked eyes with Jennifer, then 27. The pair hit it off immediately and Ojani packed up his life to move to Los Angeles to be with her.

He famously asked her to marry him with a diamond ring during the crowded wrap party for her breakout film Selena.

Lucrative offers came flooding in from every corner of the entertainment industry, including a multi-million-dollar record deal from Sony music mogul Tommy Mottola.

But that meteoric rise to the top was the moment things started to unravel between the newlyweds.

Ojani says: “Everything was great and we were so in love.

“I was in charge of launching a nightclub in LA called The Conga Room which was part-owned by Jen, while she went off to make her debut album — On The 6 — in New York and Miami. That was when Diddy was drafted in to help produce several tracks.

“They knew each other way before the media reported they did.

“She started hanging out with Diddy more and more, and I started seeing her less and less.

“Then the rumours started. I still had a lot of friends working in Miami hotels who would call to say they had seen them hanging out and leaving together.

“She would tell me it was just work. But then a picture appeared in the US magazines of her sitting on Diddy’s lap at the pool of Miami Beach Hotel. We started to fight really badly as I knew she was cheating on me.”

Desperate for answers, Ojani took a six-hour flight from Los Angeles to Miami to sneak past security into Jennifer’s luxury hotel suite.

He waited for hours to challenge her face-to-face.

“She was on her own,” he said.

“But she was shocked I was there.

“I told her again she was cheating and we got into a massive fight.

“The next morning she went to the studio and I went back to Los Angeles. She rang me and said I couldn’t do that again.”

As the marriage crumbled, Jennifer’s public relations machine was working overtime to present a picture of domestic bliss to the world.

Ojani says an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, where a beaming J-Lo told millions of viewers that she was “happily married”, was the final straw.

“We went to the Oscars and she was using me so she could pretend to everyone that everything was OK. It wasn’t. So we got divorced.”

It was the first of her four divorces. She went on to marry dancer Cris Judd, music icon Marc Anthony, and actor Ben Affleck.

• Tomorrow: Read the truth about her marriage to Ben Affleck.

Additional copy: Graeme Culliford.

SHE may be pushing 30 with a husband and three kids of her own, but Dani Dyer’s famous dad still foots her phone bill.

The former Love Island star, 29, posted a tribute to her actor dad Danny on his 49th birthday, cheekily making the revelation.

Next to a snap of Danny, she wrote: “Happy birthday to you. Thank you for everything you do.

“So lucky to have you and all the laughs we have together. Love you loads.

“Also thank you for still paying my phone bill!”

The Dyer family went out for a lavish meal to mark Danny’s birthday.

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In more snaps shared by Dani, Danny was treated to a swanky dinner, topped off with his favourite pudding with a candle on top.

The family sang to the Rivals star as he thanked them for their well-wishes.

Danny was joined by his wife Joanne and two of their three children, Dani and 19-year-old Sunnie.

Their youngest, Arty, wasn’t present, but Dani’s husband – footballer Jarrod Bowen – and Sunnie’s boyfriend – record label owner Will Wood – joined the celebrations.

Dani is about to embark on a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, which kicks off at the end of the summer.

It was revealed this week that another “nepo baby” will join her in the 2026 line-up, in the form of Ray Winstone’s actress daughter Jaime.

Ray and Danny both starred in 2006’s football drama All In The Game, suggesting the celebrity offspring have crossed paths in the past.

This comes after it was revealed Danny has further connections to Love Island, beyond his daughter Dani finding fame on the show.

A link has been unearthed between current contestant Lorenzo and Danny – as well as ties to EastEnders, Ne-Yo, and former show winner Ekin-Su.

Lorenzo’s dad Oz helps train MMA fighters at his thriving business Wolf Self Defence, but he worked as a close protection officer for celebrities prior to this.

Oz is also the head doorman at celebrity hotspot Sheesh, where many of the Love Island cast and British celebrities hang out.

Snaps from social media show Oz with Danny, as well as other stars.