reveals

HE may be growing old very, very gracefully, but George Clooney is worried about ageing too fast – and forgetting his lines.

The Hollywood heartthrob, 64, was taken on a surprise walk down memory lane after shooting his latest film Jay Kelly, in which he plays a fictional famous actor.

Unknown to him, director Noah Baumbach had added snippets of George’s previous movies at the end of the Netflix release.

And watching the years roll by on screen was an eye-opener for the silver fox, not least when he was met with milestones he would rather forget.

His dodgy Eighties haircut in sitcom The Facts Of Life was one, as well as just how young he was when he starred in hospital drama ER in the Nineties.

George, whose hits include Ocean’s Eleven and Gravity, says: “It was really fascinating, because you go through all the things we all go through, which is you watch yourself age, which you have to make peace with.

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“You also look at some f***ing horrible mullets. And you have to kind of get through all that.

“And you do get this thing of, ‘God, that was just yesterday, wasn’t it?’. That I was on ER or something. It really does go by fast. And the older you get, the faster it seems to go.”

It is hard to imagine now, but there was a time when George was a struggling actor.

Having dropped out of university, where he was studying journalism, he sold insurance and shoes while also trying his luck as an extra on TV.

Sequels cancelled George recalls: “I came from Augusta, Kentucky, where I was a tobacco farmer. And you go on all these auditions and you go, ‘Well, I took a shot’. And if it doesn’t work out, it’s easy when you get older to go, ‘Yeah, I gave it a shot. It didn’t work out’, which happens.

“But you can’t do it when you’re old and you didn’t try. That’s regret.”

Back when opportunities were thin on the ground, George did take some roles he now recalls ruefully.

That includes the first movie he was cast in, called Grizzly II: Revenge, which suffered financial problems.

Backers pulled out of the 1983 low-budget horror flick, which also featured Charlie Sheen and Laura Dern, so the cast were stuck in Hungary for weeks while the funding was sorted out.

George reveals: “It was funded by these Hungarians. And then they lost the money.

“And so we got stuck there for, like, two months. And it was Laura, Charlie Sheen and me. It was all our first films.

“And we’re stuck there for two months. And we can’t get home. We don’t know what to do.

In Grizzly II, we get eaten by a bear in the first scene. It never comes out, thank Christ. Then some schmuck finds it. Now it’s ‘starring George Clooney’ and I get worst reviews of my life

George Clooney

“And literally, we get eaten by a bear in the first scene and so it never comes out. Thank Christ.”

Although the movie was not completed at the time, it was finally finished and released in 2020, with George given a top billing, even though he only appeared briefly.

He continues: “Some schmuck finds it and he gets a bunch of old footage of s**. And he puts it together.

“And now it’s like, ‘Starring George Clooney’. And it comes out. And after 40 years, I’m getting the worst reviews of my life.”

George’s screen breakthrough came in 1994 when he began playing paediatric doctor Doug Ross in ER, which was a global success.

It led to major movies including From Dusk Till Dawn two years later, and Batman & Robin in 1997.

The star is able to laugh off his much-panned version of the caped crusader, which was such a flop that the sequels were cancelled.

And he jokes that his eight-year-old twins Alexander and Ella will be left traumatised by the Batman outfit he wore.

The actor says: “We know they’re going to be in therapy no matter what, just from Batman & Robin. ‘My dad had rubber f***ing nipples’. Disaster.”

George, who was married to actress Talia Balsam, 66, for four years until 1993, dated a string of beautiful women, including Renee Zellweger and British TV presenter Lisa Snowdon, before settling down with lawyer Amal Alamuddin.

She is the mother of his children and the couple have been married for 11 years.

They have homes near Reading, Berks and in Kentucky, US.

It is clear that George is very content, unlike his latest character.

He says of the fictional Jay Kelly: “He regrets his relationship with his father. He regrets the relationship with his kids. “He regrets the relationship with the women in his life and not spending enough time with people you love. I don’t have much of that. I mean, I have kids that still like me.”

Even so, fans might have some difficulty separating fiction from reality when they see George in his latest role.

He is, after all, playing a Hollywood star who has experienced plenty of ups and downs.

When Noah Baumbach, who is married to Barbie director Greta Gerwig, wrote the script, he thought George was the natural choice for the lead role.

But the actor hopes he did not see any of Kelly’s nasty streak in him.

People will be like, ‘Oh, you’re just playing yourself in this’. And I go, ‘Well, I hope not, because the guy’s a d***’

George Clooney

He jokes: “People will be like, ‘Oh, you’re just playing yourself in this’. And I go, ‘Well, I hope not, because the guy’s a d***’.

‘I was scared’

“But, you know, maybe they’re telling me something. When he said, ‘I wrote this with you in mind,’ I was like, ‘F*** you’.”

This will only be George’s seventh movie in the past ten years. He has not received many scripts that interested him — and some of the roles he did take failed to “challenge” him.

That includes the 2024 Apple+ action comedy Wolfs that he made with Brad Pitt and the romcom Ticket To Paradise with Julia Roberts in 2022.

George says: “For the last ten years or so, for the most part, I was directing because I was more interested in telling stories and I wanted to continue to be a storyteller. But the parts I was getting offered weren’t all that interesting.

“And so I hadn’t really been in a film. I did a couple of movies. I did a movie with Julia Roberts and I did a movie with Brad, which were fun and they’re fun to work with and people that I know. But it’s not challenging yourself.

“We know what the audience wants delivered for those films.”

Neither of those movies were well received by reviewers and George hasn’t had a critically-acclaimed film since 2016’s Hail, Caesar!

Out of the nine movies he has directed, Good Night, And Good Luck was the biggest success, picking up Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nominations at the 2006 awards.

And while 2014’s The Monuments Men was a box-office hit, other offerings such as Leatherheads in 2008 lost money.

George is sanguine about any setbacks he has faced. “I was friends with Gregory Peck and I was friends with Paul Newman. Even those guys, and they were the biggest movie stars in the world, even their careers don’t just go like that,” he explains pointing upwards.

Making a rollercoaster motion, he continues: “Their careers do this, that’s how they ride. And my career has had many of those, many failures and many things that I wish I’d done better.”

I was friends with Gregory Peck and Paul Newman. Even those guys, and they were the biggest movie stars in the world, even their careers don’t just go upwards. My career has had many failures

George has taken risks by getting up on stage on Broadway, recreating Good Night, And Good Luck as a play earlier this year.

It received five Tony nominations, including best actor for the star himself.

Not bad for a man who struggled to remember the script.

He admits: “I hadn’t done a play in 40 years. And so I was nervous. And every night, you know, I was worried because as you get older, it’s hard to remember your lines.

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“And it’s hard to remember s***. And so I was scared. And it’s good to be 64 years old and not sure you can pull it off.”

• Jay Kelly is in cinemas now and will be on Netflix from December 5.

BELOVED actor Dick Van Dyke has issued a concerning health update as he shares his secrets to a long and happy life ahead of his 100th birthday.

The award-winning star revealed on Sunday that he feels “diminished” and is becoming increasingly housebound as a result of his frailty.

The father-of-four is set to celebrate his 100th birthday on December 13.

Ahead of the celebrations, he penned an essay for The Times, issuing an update on his health and opening up about the secrets to a long and happy life.

Reflecting on some of his most iconic roles as aged men, the TV icon accepted, “I’m not playing a super-old any more. I am a super-old”.

“I am now a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer. I have feet problems and I go supine as often as is politely possible,” he wrote.

“I have trouble following group conversations and complain frequently about my hearing aids.

“At mealtime I spill stuff, and when my wife, Arlene, asks me to put on an unstained shirt before we go out, I get impatient.”

The TV icon revealed that he is becoming increasingly housebound as a result of “physical decay”.

“It’s frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially,” he said.

“I get invites to events or offers for gigs in New York or Chicago, but that kind of travel takes so much out of me that I have to say no.

“Almost all of my visiting with folks has to happen at my house.”

Despite his physical ailments, the Mary Poppins star is relentlessly positive about life, praising his wife for keeping him young as well as seeing the world and his experiences of it like a “giant playground”.

“Boiled down, the things that have kept my life joyful and fulfilling are pretty simple: romance, doing what I love and a whole lot of laughing,” he wrote.

As well as still going to the gym three times a week, being part of a singing group, and always dancing, Dick has a number of rules to staying young at heart while making it to 100.

Trying not to let negativity take over is one of the key tenants of his life.

While he admitted that he can “spiral into anguish over the mayhem and cruelty” of the world, and turn into a stereotypical grumpy old man, “that’s not the essence of me,” he says.

Instead, he recommends embracing all life throws at you – the good, the bad, and the ugly – without giving into it.

Dance, sing, and be able to laugh at yourself, he said, if you can’t do the latter, “you’ve got big problems”.

Two other rules he lives by are to always be playful and to refuse to live in the past.

Even on rare outings, the actor makes sure his playful side is on full display.

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Last year he even joked that he “hopes he makes it to 99th birthday” as he was seen running errands in Malibu.

Now, as he prepares to reach a century, he is showing no signs of slowing down with his new book ‘100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life’ being released on November 18.

Alan Carr has shared a huge update on replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as the presenter of Strictly Come Dancing following his victory on Celebrity Traitors

The job offers haven’t stopped rolling in for Alan Carr since his momentous Celebrity Traitors win, with the comedian even tipped to take over hosting duties on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing.

While he’s back with a new series of his hit comedy Changing Ends, the 49-year-old admits he’s unsure whether he could handle the challenge of stepping into Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s sparkly shoes.

“My name is in the hat,” he says. “What an honour. It’s a bit like when my name got bandied about for Britain’s Got Talent and The Great British Bake Off – I’m always on the periphery.

“I don’t know how serious it is. No one has approached me. People are so passionate about it and you saw me sweating in the castle when I was a Traitor, imagine me doing live telly with how many million people watching!”

Although after a star turn on The Celebrity Traitors, he knows how to convincingly lie – and that could come in handy on Strictly. If someone’s cha-cha-cha is a bit s**t, I’ve got the poker face!” he jokes.

“So many things have come from The Celebrity Traitors – so many job offers coming in – I’d be flattered, but I don’t know if I could do it [Strictly] justice. I just don’t want to ruin it for people.”

Alan is back on more familiar ground with Changing Ends – the semi-autobiographical sitcom about his childhood in 1980s Northampton.

Series three follows teenage Alan (played by Bafta nominee Oliver Savell) as he navigates obstacles such as stressful swimming lessons, and, more importantly, his first big crush – young Alan is smitten with Jake, the Saturday boy at the charity shop.

“I really got into charity shopping,” Alan smiles. “I used to go in there every Saturday and flick through the posters to catch his eye. I must have stunk like an old woman because I would get flares, I wore my dad’s sheepskin and we didn’t have dry cleaning like we do these days.

“I just wanted to be in love really. It still hasn’t happened!” With Alan now single after divorcing ex-husband Paul Drayton back in 2022, is he hoping his teenage crush will reach the real-life inspiration behind Jake?

“The boy knew then because I was just as unsubtle as I am now,” he laughs. “When I went back to Northampton, I saw him queuing up at a cash point. My knees went to jelly and I thought, ‘Oh my God, there he is.’ But I didn’t want to say hi.

“There’s still something there, but I don’t want a Surprise Surprise moment. He had his chance and he missed it! He could be dating a national treasure now.”

Fans will already know that Alan’s father Graham was famous himself – having been a professional footballer in the 1960s who went on to manage Northampton Town among other clubs. However, the new series also sees Alan’s mother Christine embracing life as a local WAG.

“We would drop my brother [Gary] off at Beavers and me and mum would sit in the Tesco café for an hour with a cup of tea and a Chelsea bun,” he says. “I remember this woman coming over in the canteen to ask for an autograph – I mean, it was funny.

“It sounds weird, but in Northampton, my dad was famous – people would stop him. My mum didn’t get the same standard as my dad, but it was funny. She was stopped a few times and people whispered, ‘That’s Graham Carr’s wife.’ Now she gets, ‘That’s Alan Carr’s mum – that’s the Traitor’s mum!’”

Christine isn’t always pleased with how Alan portrays his childhood, with Nancy Sullivan and Shaun Dooley playing his long-suffering parents.

“My mum goes, ‘Oh Alan, it wasn’t that obvious you were gay when you were a child.’ My mum, bless her – she’s still that she-wolf who goes up the school. ‘Don’t you pick on my Alan, he does fancy girls!’ I don’t think she realises how camp I am, she just loves me.”

Both his parents visited the show’s “surreal” set in Enfield, north London, which completely recreates his childhood home. “My poor dad walked up the stairs and nearly fell to his death because he thought the bedroom was upstairs,” he says. “How weird is that? It’s identical to the house. To have it decompartmentalised in a warehouse is so strange.”

As for whether we can expect more episodes of Changing Ends in the future, Alan says that it’s up to the fans.

“I like the stage it’s at – that weird puberty stage,” he says. “If people are watching and they want it to come back, I’ll think about writing some more.

“But when it gets to the call centre years at 18 and when I started packing shampoo and dog food, I think I’m going to run out of stories because that was a really bleak time. It could be like The Office and be called The Warehouse!”

Although, after managing to make it all the way to the very end of The Celebrity Traitors without being found out as a Traitor, Alan is concerned that viewers won’t trust him any more.

“I want it to be really authentic, but I worry now after doing The Celebrity Traitors people aren’t going to believe a word of Changing Ends!” he laughs.

Changing Ends, Sunday 23 November, 10.05pm, ITV1 and ITVX

LIAM Gallagher isn’t a fan of sharing his food – just ask Paul Gascoigne.

The Tottenham and England legend told FourFourTwo about snaffling a steak from the Oasis rocker – and it didn’t end well.

Recalling a run-in during the Nineties, Paul said: “I was in a restaurant and a guy said, ‘Liam Gallagher’s over there’.

“I went up to him, he was sitting on his own having a steak.

“He said, ‘F***ing hell sit down mate, how are you doing? Do you want something to eat?’

“I said, ‘No I’m not hungry, I’ll have a drink though’. He went for the drink and I ate his f***ing steak. He went f***ing off at me, going ‘Where’s my f***ing steak, man?’ I went, ‘I’ve ate the c***t.

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“He said, ‘You c***t, I’ll go and get another one’. But he didn’t.

“He came back around the corner with a fire extinguisher, set it off and absolutely slaughtered us with it.”

Tonight, Liam and his brother Noel will kick off the final leg of their Oasis tour in Buenos Aires.

They will play a second show in Argentina’s capital tomorrow before a concert in Santiago, Chile, on November 19 and their final two shows in Sao Paolo in Brazil on November 22 and 23.

Tay note To 1D idol for sale

A handwritten letter from Taylor Swift to Liam Payne supporting his solo career is going up for auction.

She gave the late One Direction singer the note ahead of his performance at Capital’s 2017 Jingle Bell Ball.

Taylor headlined the annual bash at London’s O2 Arena. Liam, who died in October last year, was also on the bill.

The letter reads: “Liam, long time no see.

“I’m so excited for you, you’re crushing it out there.

“I’m obsessed with Bedroom Floor.

“It’s so cool to see you from afar.

“I’m always cheering you on.

“Good luck tonight!”

Speaking on the red carpet at the event eight years ago, Liam revealed Taylor also sent him a “lovely little hamper of new Reputation gear”.

He added: “She’s got very good handwriting if she did write it.”

British auction house Omega Auctions will sell the letter on December 2.

It is expected to fetch between £5,000 and £10,000.

Gabriella Cilmi is back, 12 years after her last album.

She had a string of hits in the late Noughties with Sweet About Me, Warm This Winter and On A Mission.

The Aussie singer, who is name-checked by Ed Sheeran on his 2011 song You Need Me, I Don’t Need You revealed she has been living in the English countryside and is returning to music.

She said on TikTok: “I’m super-excited to announce I’ve recorded a new record.

“We recorded it under the full Harvest Moon and it was a magical experience, going back to basics, playing live.”

Ellie: My break-up torment

Ellie Goulding has opened up about the breakdown of her marriage to Caspar Jopling.

Speaking about her new song Destiny, Ellie said: “I first heard this track when I had recently separated from my husband.

“This was at a really turbulent time for me because I was trying to navigate what felt like a separation of all separations.”

The singer added to NME: “It was a marriage, not just a relationship.

“I didn’t know what else to do other than make music.”

Ellie and Caspar tied the knot in 2019.

They had their son Arthur in 2021, but sadly separated in 2023.

Emeli Sande was joined by acts including Boy George and Ali Campbell of UB40 at a charity gig for victims of Hurricane Melissa.

They played A Concert For Jamaica, at Koko in Camden, London.

DJ Robbo Ranx praised Jamaicans for standing strong after being battered by the storm.

Much of the island is still without water or electricity.

Aussie accused of Ari scare

I was pleased to learn the brain-dead idiot who almost knocked Ariana Grande flying – when he stormed the Wicked: For Good red carpet premiere in Singapore – has been charged by police.

Australian-born Johnson Wen boasted about meeting the pop star at the event, when in actual fact he scared the living daylights out of Ariana.

Ariana was thankfully protected by the one-woman muscle machine that is Cynthia Erivo.

Wen has been charged with being a public nuisance, which is the understatement of the year.

He is known for his d**kish antics and has previously disrupted a Katy Perry concert and the men’s 100m final at the Paris Olympics last year.

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The jail term for being such a deluded berk is anything up to three months.

Sadly, I doubt being locked up would stop him being less of an idiot in future.

THE CHARTS

Taylor Swift bounces back to the top on both the singles and album charts.

It comes five weeks after the release of The Life Of A Showgirl, and following signed copies of the record going on sale online.

Rosalia has the highest new entry on the album chart, going to No4 with Lux.

Singles

1. The Fate Of Ophelia – Taylor Swift
2. Golden – Huntr/x, Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami & Kpop Demon Hunters Cast
3. Where Is My Husband! – Raye
4. Man I Need – Olivia Dean
5. So Easy (To Fall In Love) – Olivia Dean
6. Opalite – Taylor Swift
7. Raindance – Dave & Tems
8. Rein Me In – Sam Fender & Olivia Dean
9. Elizabeth Taylor – Taylor Swift
10. How It’s Done – Golden – Huntr/x, Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami & Kpop Demon Hunters Cast

Albums

1. The Life Of A Showgirl – Taylor Swift
2. The Art Of Loving – Olivia Dean
3. West End Girl – Lily Allen
4. Lux – Rosalia
5. Man’s Best Friend – Sabrina Carpenter
6. The Highlights – The Weeknd
7. +-=÷x Tour Collection – Ed Sheeran
8. The Essential – Michael Jackson
9. 50 Years: Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
10. Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party – Hayley Williams

Vicky Pattison has confessed hilariously in her podcast with Angela Scanlon that there’s one element of their relationship that husband Ercan Ramadan finds a total turn off…

Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison has admitted there’s one part of her that husband Ercan Ramadan finds a major turn-off: her nostril hair. Speaking on an episode of Get a Grip, her podcast with former Strictly star Angela Scanlon, Vicky, 37, said, “Do you know what really p**ses off Erc? My nostril hair.”

Despite saying Ercan, 32, was “a hairy man” with “strong Cypriot roots,” Vicky said he was adamant that she took action from the moment they began dating more than six years ago. “He’s really anal about hair – when we first got started going out he was like, ‘I need to do your nostril hair,’ and I was like, ‘No, because they’re fair babe, so just leave it.’”

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Undeterred, Vicky revealed that Ercan took an electric trimmer to her nose, saying he “got up there with his weed-whacker thing” to remove the offending hairs. However, his solution failed to solve the problem. “Now they have grown back thicker and more determined,” she confessed.

Vicky, who’s dancing with pro Kai Widdrington on the hit BBC series, also told of her joy at coming top of the Leaderboard for the first time last weekend. She and Kai bagged the highest score with 39 points for their Tango to Taylor Swift’s The Fate of Ophelia, overtaking Amber Davies’ and Nikita Kuzmin’s Samba. “It just felt like it all came together,” Vicky told Angela, 41. “Even if that is the first and only time I get to be top of the Leaderboard I’m just so happy I got to do it once.”

She added, “It’s such a nice feeling – and it’s one I never thought I’d experience. I was in absolute shock, and I still am. I am dead proud of myself. I’m dead happy, I’m a bit emotional about it all, because I didn’t expect it.”

But Vicky also used this week’s podcast to again deny persistent rumours that she has slapped Ercan with a so-called ‘sex ban’ at home. “I’m not doing a sex ban,” she insisted, “but after doing the Samba all day, I’ve not got energy for the mattress mambo at home. I’m absolutely done in.”

Although the outspoken former Geordie Shore star loved being top of the Strictly pile last weekend, she still finds the elimination process nerve-shredding. “I have been unlucky enough to be in that final four and honestly it’s just the most awful feeling,” she said. “I know at some point I’ll have to be in the dance off, and it’ll be terrifying. It will just be awful.

“As we all know, I don’t deal with nerves very well or pressure, so I’m not looking forward to it. The relief when the light goes off you, and you’re squeezing hands – it’s very intense.”

She also told how she and Kai, 30, have been speaking about their plan to stay in touch after the show – although Vicky warned him, “Don’t think I’m going to be ringing you for a dance. When I’m f***ing done, I’m done. Everything’s going in the bin.”

But when their number is finally up, she’s looking forward to putting her feet up for a well-earned rest. “It’s obviously the most incredible experience ever, but it’s exhausting,” she told Angela. “I’m looking forward to having a nice Christmas.”

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ZARA McDermott has taken the next major step in her relationship with Louis Tomlinson.

The Love Island alum went Instagram-official with the One Direction hitmaker, 33, back in May and since then, their relationship has been going from strength to strength.

The Sun first revealed in March that the Strictly star, 28, and boyband singer, 33, were an item after being spotted on dates and holidaying together.

The pair have kept a relatively low profile, though last month Louis couldn’t help but gush about his stunning girl on Steven Bartlett‘s The Diary of a CEO podcast, hinting at how much she’s inspired his new music.

This week, Zara, 28, captured her “date night” look on Instagram for her social media followers as the pair spend time in Los Angeles.

Now the BBC documentary-maker has been confirmed as a firm member of the family after it was revealed she’d met Louis’ niece.

SIMPLY STUNNING

Zara McDermott stuns in outfit for ‘date night’ with Louis Tomlinson in LA

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Louis Tomlinson breaks silence on Zara romance saying he’s ‘so in love’

One fan asked blogger and actress Phoebe Tomlinson, 21: “Has Zara met Olive yet?” referring to her little girl, Olive Varley, aged one.

She swiftly replied with a previously unseen image and the words: “She has! Girlies!”

Louis’ other sister, make-up artist Lottie, 27, has also revealed her bond with the TV star.

Alongside a recent Instagram post showing Zara in a red dress, she wrote: “Beauty in red.”

SIBLING APPROVAL

Lottie has previously broken her silence on her sibling’s romance – and the potential for baby-sitting.

Speaking to The Mirror at the launch of her beauty line, Lottie said: “Yeah, she is amazing and they are really happy. I’m really happy for him.”

Lottie was also said to have laughed when it was suggested Louis and Zara could babysit for her children Lucky, two, and five-month-old Flossie.

“Hopefully, yeah,” she told the publication.

LOUIS’ LOVE

Back in August, Louis told Zara “I love you” in a rare public comment.

He then told how she was inspiring his new music.

The X Factor star said: “

“I’m a deeply, deeply romantic person.

“It’s also easy to be romantic when you are a creative… I really struggle to write in a fictional sense, I really struggle.

“For me, I have to have been living it, it has to be real to me. So, if I wasn’t feeling so good, like right now, I wasn’t feeling so in love… the record probably would have a slightly different feel to it.”

He added: “One thing I was thinking about with this record, my intention is just to maybe feel good.

“I know that’s a really cliché and obvious thing to say, but I’m not sure some of my other music did that. It made you feel, it was honest, it was painful at times, but it didn’t feel good.

“So, I think now I’ve got this almost new sense of life, a new sense of happiness, and purpose, and fulfilment, all those things.”

END GAME

Before sparking up romance with Louis, Zara dated Made in Chelsea star, Sam Thompson.

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The former flames were an item for five tumultuous years before calling it quits in 2024.

Whereas Louis last girlfriend was Danish model Sofie Nyvang who he dated for a couple of months at the beginning of 2023.

KING Charles had a letter hand-delivered to the Osbourne family after heavy metal legend Ozzy’s death.

Widow Sharon revealed she was left touched after the “amazing” monarch wrote to them.

Speaking on The Osbournes podcast with her children, 73-year-old Sharon said: “If he did it for us, you know he does it for many, many, many people.

“Now here’s a man that does know what’s going on in the street with people. Not just politics, not just . . . here’s a man that cares about the environment, animals. He’s got a good heart.

“In the past — Ozzy’s birthday, when Ozzy was sick in hospital with the motorbike accident, he reached out.

“He’s a good, caring man with a good heart, and Ozzy’s, as me, we’re royalists and that’s it.

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“And again, took the time out of his day to write us, have it hand-delivered to us, a note from the King for Ozzy’s passing with his condolences, that says so much.”

Sharon also revealed that she had received a message from US President Donald Trump, adding: “He knows what’s going on in the streets . . . and I can’t say that for our Prime Minister.”

Black Sabbath star Ozzy died of a heart attack on July 22 at the age of 76. A week later, thousands of fans joined a huge parade in tribute to the Prince of Darkness in his home town Birmingham.

Sharon joined mourners along with kids Aimée, Kelly and Jack. They had a private funeral the following day.

Kelly, 41, said she had not seen “an outpouring like that since Princess Diana died”, adding: “It wasn’t just the heavy metal community. It was the entire world.”

LA28 released the detailed daily competition schedule for the biggest Olympics in history on Wednesday, laying out every event for the 19 days of competition that will feature more than 11,000 athletes across 51 sports.

Along with being the largest in Games history, the 2028 Summer Olympics will be the first to include more female athletes than men. The schedule honors the historic moment for women in sports by showcasing the women’s 100-meter final at the Coliseum as the primetime, marquee event on the first official day of competition on July 15, 2028.

“The reason we’re throwing out the women’s 100 meters on the first day is because we want to come on these Games with a bang,” Shana Ferguson, LA28’s chief of sport and head of Games delivery, said on a conference call. “And likely that race will be among the most watched of all the races in the Games. We just want to start that Day 1 with a massive, massive showcase of the fastest females in the world.”

The women’s 100-meter final will punctuate Day 1 competition that will feature eight women’s finals, the most for a single day at the Olympics. The men’s 100-meter final will follow on Day 2.

Scheduling the women’s final on Day 1 will require the top athletes to run up to three, 100-meter races in one day as opposed to putting qualifying on a separate day as the semifinals and finals. Olympic organizers presented the idea to athlete commissions within LA28 and through World Athletics. While some preferred to keep the status quo for the women’s 100 meter, Janet Evans, LA28’s chief athlete officer, said the majority of competitors simply wanted to know when their races would be so they could plan their training accordingly.

“I think a lot of athletes will be looking immediately at the schedule and planning their training around it,” said Evans, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming. “That was certainly top of mind as we made this decision.”

Making the schedule came with extensive consultation with athletes and international sport federations. Organizers considered the sun position for diving, which will be held outdoors at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. They wanted to ensure that fans waiting to enter arenas wouldn’t be left in the sun during a mid-day competition. Weary of heat affecting horses in Santa Anita, they took care to schedule equestrian events for either early morning or evening sessions.

With track and field setting the stage in the first week, swimming competitions traditionally take place first were shifted to the second week to allow organizers to build an indoor swimming pool in SoFi Stadium after the venue helps host the opening ceremony on July 14.

But keeping with Olympic tradition, the marathon will still take place on the final weekend of the Games, with the women running at Venice Beach on Day 15 (July 29), and the men competing on Day 16 (July 30). As one of the final Olympic events, marathon medalists typically receive their medals during the closing ceremony, which will take place at the Coliseum on July 30, beginning at 6 p.m.

The 2028 Games are approaching major checkpoints with less than three years until the opening ceremony. The Paralympic competition schedule will be released later this year. The volunteer program has already opened for community opportunities while applications for Games time volunteers will open in summer of 2026. Olympics ticket registration will open in January 2026.

Fans can begin registering for the ticket lottery in January and purchasing windows for those who are selected in the lottery will begin in spring 2026. Prices start at $28. With concerns about sky-high ticket prices for sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup or the World Series, Ferguson said LA28 will not use dynamic pricing, but didn’t state any specifics about the prices.

Ferguson said the organizing committee has 14 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, which would break the ticket record set by Paris 2024. The biggest Olympics, and the most jam-packed schedule, would warrant that kind of attendance.

“What a great responsibility that is for us,” Ferguson said of hosting the biggest Olympics in history. “The care and concern that went into building this competition schedule — I will tell you that the folks on the team who did it really, truly, had a lot of sleepless nights because they wanted to get this right for every single athlete, regardless of sport.”

LA28 competition dates

Opening Ceremony: July 14
3×3 Basketball: July 17-22,
Archery: July 21-28
Artistic Gymnastics: July 15-25
Artistic Swimming: July 25-29
Athletics: July 15-30
Badminton: July 15-24
Baseball: July 13-19
Basketball: July 12-30
Beach Volleyball: July 15-29
BMX Freestyle: July 28-29
BMX Racing: July 15-16
Boxing: July 15-30
Canoe Slalom: July 14-22
Canoe Sprint: July 25-29
Cricket: July 12-29
Cycling Road: July 19-23
Cycling Track: July 25-30
Diving: July 25-30
Equestrian: July 15-29
Fencing: July 15-23
Flag Football: July 15-22
Football (Soccer): July 12-29
Golf: July 19-29
Handball: July 12-28
Hockey (Field): July 12-29
Judo: July 15-22
Lacrosse: July 24-29
Modern Pentathlon: July 15-18
Mountain Bike: July 15-18
Open Water Swimming: July 17-18
Rhythmic Gymnastics: July 27-29
Rowing: July 15-22
Rowing Coastal Beach Sprints: July 24-25
Rugby Sevens: July 12-18
Sailing: July 16-28
Shooting: July 15-25
Skateboarding: July 18-27
Softball: July 23-29
Sport Climbing: July 24-29
Squash: July 15-24
Surfing: July 15-23
Swimming: July 22-30
Table Tennis: July 22-30
Taekwondo: July 26-29
Tennis: July 19-28
Trampoline Gymnastics: July 21
Triathlon: July 15-20
Volleyball: July 15-30
Water Polo: July 12-23
Weightlifting: July 25-29
Wrestling: July 24-30
Closing Ceremony: July 30

ZOE Ball has moved a new man into her home – a mystery “lodger” who has “won more awards” than she has.

The Radio 2 presenter hinted at a new romance on her Dig It podcast, two years after her split from construction worker Michael Reed.

Zoe, 53, revealed her new living arrangements to co-host Jo Whiley when discussing Christmas gifts.

She said: “I’ve got this thing that I bought online, which is sort of like you hold the handle and it’s loads and loads of different bits of wood and you whack your legs and your underarms with it.

“It really helps circulation. I think it’s quite good for lymphatic drainage.

“I bought loads of them for people for Christmas …”

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Zoe continued: “I remember the first time the lodger walked in and saw me doing it, and just sort of turned on his heels.”

When Jo asked if the lodger was “still around,” Zoe replied: “He’s still here at the moment. He’s still lodging.”

Zoe did not reveal the man’s identity, but said he has “won loads of awards.”

Speaking about her own accolades, she said: “I did get a Sony and it was given to me by Marianne Faithfull. I was well chuffed.

“And I think Caner of the Year for something I can’t remember. 

“We won a BAFTA for the last ever Live and Kicking, which was amazing. But I don’t even have a copy of it …

“Yeah, the lodger has won loads of awards…”

The Sun has reached out to Zoe’s reps for clarification on whether the relationship is romantic or platonic.

Zoe’s ex-husband, DJ Norman Cook – better known as Fatboy Slim – recently spoke about their continued close friendship. 

The pair were married for 18 years before splitting in 2016 and share two children, Woody, 24, and Nelly, 15.

The DJ, 62, recently described Zoe as his “soulmate” while promoting his new photo book reflecting on his music career. 

“Zoe is a very kind, thoughtful person and she just had this way of checking my ego, like ‘We are still human beings. 

“We are still nice to people,’” he told The Sun.

He said Zoe helped him navigate fame in the 1990s: “In the 90s, I was having too much fun to think about the next day. 

“It became a whirlwind, but Zoe helped me through it as she knew that level of fame before. 

“It was nice to have a soulmate in there with you.”

Zoe’s last public relationship was with construction worker Michael Reed. 

The pair dated for five years before splitting in 2023. 

At the time, The Sun reported she had asked him to move out of her £2 million Sussex home after the relationship began to break down.

A source said: “Zoe is gutted but she’s better off without Michael. This is a relief to many of her friends, who think she has done the right thing.”

Before Michael, Zoe dated cameraman Billy Yates, who tragically died by suicide in 2017 after a battle with depression.

BALLSY MOVE

Zoe sold her countryside pile and moved closer to her ex Fatboy Slim last year.

The fan-favourite broadcaster previously lived there with her ex Michael yet it appeared she was eager for a fresh start.

Zoe called time on her relationship with the model in May 2023 after five and a half years together – with pals at the time saying they had “run their course”.

A source revealed she then traded in life in her rural Sussex home – complete with a swimming pool and tennis courts – for the more “lively” surroundings of Brighton and Hove.

Zoe sold up after the sad death of her beloved mum.

Also in her podcast with fellow BBC Radio 2 anchor Jo, Zoe revealed the heartbreaking impact of her loss.

She told her pal on the podcast last month: “I couldn’t work.

“I was on the floor in the kitchen. I couldn’t, I couldn’t move

“I had a proper emotional breakdown, you know, I haven’t really talked about it actually.

“But it was, yeah, it was brutal.

“I had an amazing doctor who turned up at my door with coffee and bagels and said, ‘so, we need to get you some help’, and he was wonderful.”

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She admitted the process of grief was ongoing.

Zoe told how she struggled particularly on the anniversary of her mum’s death and said there was “a lot of crying and pain” that “still has to come out.”

TWO holiday parks are getting a multi-million pound upgrade with some very exciting new additions.

Parkdean currently has 65 resorts across the UK, and is one of the most popular holiday parks in the country.

And new plans have revealed a massive £50million upgrade across two of them.

Both Vauxhall Holiday Park in Great Yarmouth and Highfield Grange Holiday Park in Essex.

This includes a new sports bar concept called Hat-Tricks.

Not only will there be sports such as shuffleboard and darts, but it will also serve classic food and drink options.

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Indoor adventure golf and Bear Grylls escape rooms are also new additions to the parks.

Other upgrades include an expanded Tots Zones, to both the indoor and outdoor play zones, as well as the high rope courses.

The upgrades will be ready for the new season in spring 2026.

Parkdean’s chief executive Steve Richards said: “In 2026 we will be investing approximately £50m in our holiday parks to improve facilities, elevate guest experience, and keep families coming back to these fantastic locations throughout the UK.

“Next year guests will see Highfield Grange and Vauxhall transformed with major investments to upgrade and diversify the on-park activities.

“We are excited to welcome guests to see all that these parks have to offer next year.”

More than three million people stayed at a Parkdean resort in the UK last year.

And earlier this year, nine of the Parkdean resorts launched a brand new all-inclusive deal.

It’s not the only holiday park getting a major expansion.

The Sun’s Digital Features Editor went to Parkdean’s Trecco Bay site.

She said: “We’d started our long weekend on a high — literally — when my four-year-old son Adam gave us his best impression of Buzz Lightyear as he bounced and flew into the sky on a bungee trampoline.

“Our daughter, Anna, excitedly made a beeline for the Arts And Crafts activity den — which turned out to be the perfect antidote to a busy and andreline-fuelled morning.

“What’s really impressive about Parkdean is the sheer choice of things to do, and those who know exactly what activities they wish to try can book and manage them online, six weeks in advance of their stay.

“But you don’t need to panic if you’re not up for plotting out an itinerary as so much is still available for last-minute visits.

“And if you are on a budget, you won’t be short of freebie attractions either including an adventure playground, pirate-themed crazy golf and an outdoor splash park.”

Lyons Robin Hood Holiday Park in Rhyl is getting a £1million boost with

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Haven’s Kent Coast Holiday Park near Rochester is getting a new £10million swimming pool and water flume.

And Haven recently welcomed new Wetherspoons pubs at a number of their resorts, the first holiday park in the UK to do so.

KELLY Brook touched down in Australia this morning ahead of her I’m A Celebrity appearance.

The model, 46, looked in good spirits as she arrived at Brisbane Airport on Sunday after her 24 hour flight.

Despite the long journey, Kelly looked fresh-faced and raring to go with a full face of makeup and rocking a stunning yellow dress.

However, the star kept tight-lipped about her I’m A Celeb appearance.

Kelly joked as she arrived at Brisbane Airport: “I haven’t seen my auntie Sheila for a long time so I can’t wait to see her, and I’m so excited that you’re all so excited for me.”

Asked about how she is with creepy-crawlies, Kelly quipped there might be some in her “relative’s” garden and added: “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m visiting a distant cousin.

“I’m looking forward to surfing. Like I said, I’m looking forward to seeing my distant cousin that I’ve not seen for a long, long time… the koalas and the kangaroos.

“So much to look forward to.”

Asked about sleeping under the stars, she replied: “I’m hoping that I’ve got a spare room. I’m not sure about that.”

She said she is an “Australian sunset” in her yellow and orange dress – before being covered by an umbrella from light rain.

She joked: “Is it raining? Wherever I go I take the weather with me.”

Yesterday Kelly appeared in good spirits as she was spotted at Heathrow Airport just days ahead of her I’m A Celebrity stint.

The model tried to keep a low profile with dark sunglasses covering her face.

Kelly is finally set for I’m A Celebrity — years after insisting she would never do it.

She has been wooed with a big-money ITV deal to head into the jungle.

A source said: “Show bosses have been after Kelly as a campmate for years and think she could possibly be their sexiest contestant ever.

“She’s glamorous, witty and a familiar face to ITV audiences, having appeared as a panellist for Loose Women and other shows.

“She’s guaranteed to make perfect TV viewing.”

The insider added of the Heart FM DJ: “Many viewers will be excited to see her strip off for the famous jungle waterfall show too.”

In 2018 Kelly insisted she would never take part in the series.

KELLY’S FEARS

It comes after Kelly revealed the secret fear that could see her struggle in the I’m A Celebrity camp.

Kelly, told Loose Women that she struggled to go anywhere without her husband Jeremy Parisi, 40 – and would even turn down trips if he could not attend. 

She said: “I’m very co-dependent. Jeremy and I just want to be together all the time.

“Well I definitely want to be with him all the time. Not sure if he would say the same!

“We schedule things to make sure we are together.”

Kelly will be facing the challenges of the jungle alone without Jeremy. 

During the programme, Loose Women panelist Jane Moore asked Kelly: “But if you were, say, going abroad for the night or whatever, on a job, would he come with you?”

Kelly replied: “Yeah he would either come with me or I just wouldn’t go.”

In response, Mariella Frostrup joked: “I’m feeling quite suffocated just listening to you!”

The Sun revealed that THREE soap legends, a chat show icon and a TV pin up will be among the twelve stars heading into the camp.

Over the last few months, The Sun has announced a string of names heading down under, and now we can exclusively reveal Celebs Go Dating star Tom Read Wilson will complete the line-up.

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A TV insider said: “I’m a celeb producers are delighted to have Tom complete the line-up, he’s going to bring a lot of fun and energy to the camp.”

EastEnders’ Shona McGarty,  Spandau Ballet‘s Martin Kemp, Football Focus host Alex Scott and Chat show icon Ruby Wax are among the incredible line-up.

HER face is her fortune, but Sydney Sweeney told co-stars not to hold back from punching it during her new boxing biopic.

The scenes for her role as US fighter Christy Martin may have been carefully choreographed, but they were so ferocious she suffered a bloodied nose and concussion.

The 28-year-old actress said: “The girls and all the fights you see are real. When I walked in and I met with everyone, I said, ‘I want you to hit me. And I want you to hit me hard. And can I hit you?’.

“So when you watch all those fights, we’re actually hitting each other. We were knocking each other out, we were getting bloody noses. I got concussion. We were actually fighting.”

Sydney added of co-star Katy O’Brian, who plays ring rival Lisa Holewyne: “Katy is a badass. I mean, she is strong.

“Katy’s only request was, ‘Please don’t break my nose’.”

Sydney’s childhood in Idaho saw her “kickboxing and grappling” from the age of nine to 19, which helped with the fight scenes.

But her astonishing physical transformation — putting on more than 2st of muscle over three months — was hard-earned, with up to five hours of training a day and countless protein shakes chugged.

She said: “I built my own ‘Rocky’ gym in my grandma’s shed and I trained back home in Idaho.

“I worked with my weight trainer in the morning and night, and then I had a boxing coach I worked with every day for two to three hours.

“I put on 35 pounds during that time.”

The movie, called Christy, which opens in cinemas on November 28, tells the story of WBC female super welterweight champion Christy, now 57, who was a trailblazer in the 1990s and put women’s boxing on the map.

But her biggest battle was behind closed doors, as her marriage to her older manager Jim Martin descended into violence.

When she tried to leave him in 2010, he shot and stabbed her. He was found guilty of attempted murder and died in prison last year.

But for Sydney, it was the strained scenes between Christy and her mum that she found the hardest to film.

She said: “Everything that happens within the house towards the end of the story of her life in the film weighed on me emotionally. But the one I had the hardest time doing and just ­processing was when she asked for her mum’s help.

“I have such amazing parents and I can go to them for anything. And I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for Christy and for others that deal with that as well.

“And it broke my heart while I was making that scene.”

As soon as Sydney heard Christy’s story, she told her team she had to have a part.

She said: “When I first read the script, I was completely blown away that I didn’t know who this woman was. She is one of the most inspiring women I’ve met in my life.”

For her part, Sydney’s grit and ­determination to succeed began at the age of ten, when she made a “five-year business plan presentation” to persuade her parents to let her try to become a movie star.

When they realised she was serious at 13, they made 38-hour round trips for auditions before relocating to Los Angeles to give her a ­better shot at stardom.

Sydney said: “It’s not easy. I didn’t get a project that helped open more doors until I was, like, 19, 20. And you get told ‘no’ endlessly by everyone.”

Sadly, her parents’ decision to relocate was a catalyst for them going bankrupt and they divorced in 2016.

But that setback only served to fuel Sydney’s drive.

She worked as a cleaner and babysitter before her break came in 2018, with roles in three big TV shows — The Handmaid’s Tale, Sharp Objects and Everything Sucks!.

A year later, she was cast as Cassie Howard in global hit Euphoria, and The White Lotus followed in 2021.

‘Really scary’

Movie hits also came with 2019’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, 2023’s Anyone But You and last year’s Madame Web and Immaculate.

In her love life, she has been linked to 44-year-old US record executive Scooter Braun, who she met at Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ wedding to Lauren Sanchez in the summer.

But she has insisted: “I’m single.”

She was previously engaged to movie producer Jonathan Davino, but they split in March.

For now, she’s firmly focused on her career as it goes stratospheric.

Speculation has also been rife that, with Amazon now owning the James Bond franchise, Bezos wanted her to be a Bond Girl in the next movie.

She responded that it would depend on the script and that she would have “more fun” playing 007.

She said of her upcoming roles: “Of course I have projects that I’m working on and I’m developing and I can’t wait to do. It’s kind of like this crazy rollercoaster.

“You’re never sure if it’s going to go up or down or upside down.”

Her path to success, Sydney admits, has been a battle at times.

I was so nervous. It’s so weird when you’re playing somebody and then you meet them.

Sydney Sweeney

She said: “I know what it feels like to be underestimated, to have people define you before you have a chance to define yourself.

“I know what it feels like to have to prove that you deserve to be here, to be seen, to be taken seriously.”

During filming of the boxing biopic, Christy herself turned up every day on set with her Pomeranian emotional support dog Champ.

And Sydney has since formed a friendship with her, with the pair going to a Nascar event in Phoenix together last week.

It is a leap forward from their first meeting.

Sydney recalled: “I was so nervous. It’s so weird when you’re playing somebody and then you meet them.

“You’re like, ‘Do you like me? Are you going to like what I do?’. It’s really scary.”

And the star admits the role has made her see life differently.

She said: “I think Christy has changed me. I’m a huge believer in separating yourself as much as possible from your character.

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“So that the moment they call ‘action’ and ‘cut’, you’re in and you’re out. And I go home and I’m Syd.

“But with Christy, I felt like I became the most free and powerful version of myself afterwards.”

MOLLY-MAE Hague has revealed that she is struggling to sell her home as she admits ‘it’s an end of an era’.

The 26-year-old former Love Island icon’s gated mansion, which was bought for £3.8m in April 2022, is proving to be tricky for the mum-of-one to flog.

Speaking on her latest vlog, Molly-Mae said: “Like I still don’t know what I’m doing in terms of this house.”

She added how it has got to the point where “a lot of big decisions need to be made in terms of what I’m going to do with this house and I’ve mentioned it [but] I don’t want to sell it”.

The influencer went on: “I don’t particularly want to rent it out but then equally, what am I keeping it for? I don’t know.

“I just don’t I really really don’t know.”

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She later added: “Like there’s some things, that I know in my mind like I’m ready to do, and I want to do, but like in terms of this house…

“This house will always be so incredibly sentimental to me.”

Molly-Mae said how the house “is everything to me” and “represents so much more than just a house”.

“I don’t know. I think just like need to figure out like what the next few months is going to look like in terms of where I basically go from here and with this house.”

She then said how she would ideally like her mum to move up from down south, but she cannot as her mum’s husband has an amazing job down south.

Molly-Mae continued chatting about her situation before saying how she felt “emotional and a bit weird, just like it’s kind of the end of an era”.

Elsewhere in the video, Molly-Mae revealed how she had been given sky-high quotes by landscape gardeners for the £5m love nest in Cheshire that she bought with Tommy Fury earlier this year.

She explained in her most recent vlog, while she was driving, that she “had to go to the new house to basically meet a gardener”.

Molly-Mae went on: “I’ve had like three quotes now for some landscaping outside of the new house.

“Literally some potted plants and a bit of soil, like literally nothing major just outside the house.

“And the quotes I’ve been getting like for this landscaping is absolutely mental,” she explained.

The former Love Island bombshell went on: “So I just went and got my fourth quote.”

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She added: “I told him the quotes I had from the other companies and he was like, ‘Yeah, like they’re basically charging you about basically triple what it should be.’

“I didn’t think I was going crazy.”

DAVINA McCall has hailed Lorraine Kelly for encouraging people to “check their breasts” – after she bravely revealed her own cancer struggle.

Davina, 58, told fans she discovered a lump while “sitting on the loo” – after being urged to by posters put up by Lorraine.

The Masked Singer star shared her shock diagnosis at a Dine with Davina event yesterday, before posting an emotional video on Instagram today.

The crowd at the charity do – hosted at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton, Hampshire – gasped as she opened up on her quiet struggle.

Davina explained she made the discovery a few weeks ago, but has since had the lump removed and been given the all clear.

She will not undergo chemotherapy, but will be required to have five days of radiotherapy as a “insurance policy”.

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Davina had spotted signs in the ITV Studios encouraging people to “check their boobs”, which had been put up by Lorraine.

In the video on social media, she said: “I was working on The Masked Singer and Lorraine, the TV show.

“Lorraine Kelly had put signs on the backs of all the doors saying ‘check your breasts’ and every time I went for a wee I did that.

“It was still there, and then one morning I saw myself in the mirror and thought ‘I’m going to get that looked at’.”

Speaking on stage, she said: “I went and I got it checked. She (the doctor) was like, ‘You’re fine. You had a mammogram in August. It’ll be fine’.

“And I thought, oh, I’ll be fine. That’s great. But then she said, ‘Oh, well, if it is anything, we’ll do a little biopsy’.

“‘But if it is anything, it’s so small, you’ve got it early’. Anyway, I got the result back a few days ago. It was four millimetres, which is minute.

“I had a biopsy. I found out it was indeed breast cancer and I had it taken out in a lumpectomy nearly three weeks ago.”

She said her fiance and hairdresser Michael Douglas, 52, encouraged her to open up about how she was feeling.

Davina continued: “Because when I got it I just started feeling much better – you and me got into a really good place.

“I got really f*****g angry. And you know me, I’m a pacifist – I don’t really get angry – I’m like Tigger. I’m just always happy.

“I was like: ‘Are you f******g joking? What the f**k! Are you serious?”

“I was keeping it all in and Michael one day looked at me and he said: ‘Stop. I can see what you’re doing.

“‘You’re not going there. He said: ‘Let’s talk about it – I said: ‘I’m fine.

“He said: ‘You’re not fine’. I was like: ‘No, no, I’m fine. Honestly. ‘I’m not f*****g fine, that’s why I’m f*****g mad.

“He just sat and he came and watched me and I was f*****g stamping my feet. And it felt so good.”

It comes almost a year after the mum-of-three underwent emergency surgery to remove a “very rare” brain tumour.

The Long Lost Family host initially broke the news to her followers in a heartwrenching video on Instagram.

Davina had asked for prayers before having the operation to get the 14mm benign tumour – called a colloid cyst – removed.

Davina previously said her operation to remove the benign tumour was “the best thing to ever happen to me”.

She admitted spiralling into denial after it was discovered by chance last year, but was spurred into action by surgeons.

Breaking down in tears at Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival, Davina revealed doctors told her she would die if she didn’t act quickly.

She said: “I needed someone to tell me what to do, and my American doctor told me I should undergo surgery to have the tumour cut out.

“When I got the phone call, although it was a hard one to hear, I needed it.

“But after the operation, I was aware of a noise in my head, and they were thoughts. I realised I did not have that before.

“I am not afraid of dying anymore. It was the biggest journey of my life. It was an amazing time.”

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I lost 13st on Mounjaro and needed a new passport – you must check your ‘TDEE’

Davina has since started her Begin Again podcast in an attempt to help others on their deathbed.

The show is dedicated to empowering people to embrace midlife as their most transformative era yet.

HAILEY Bieber revealed her bare bum in a tiny thong bikini before making out with husband Justin in steamy pictures.

The couple are holidaying on a private island but Hailey, 28, gave fans a glimpse of what they had been up to in a new Instagram post.

Hailey posted a montage of pictures and simply captioned them: “Hell yeah!”

The first picture saw the model posing in a green thong bikini with a lilac headscarf around her hair.

Turned to the side, Hailey showed off her peachy derriere as she stood close to the beach.

Another picture in the montage offered an even closer up view of her bum as she posed in a black thong bikini.

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With her back to the camera, she glanced over her shoulder with her wet hair hanging around her shoulders.

Husband Justin, 31, clearly couldn’t get enough of his hot wife, and in one black and white snap, the couple were seen kissing.

Justin had his back to the camera and had hold of his wife’s waist, while Hailey cupped his face with one hand, and placed the other around the back of his head.

The singer showed his appreciation for his wife’s pictures by commenting: “Oh my f***in god”.

Hailey was also seen posing with her friend Kendall Jenner – who was celebrating her 30th birthday on the island – and looked stunning in a backless animal print mini dress.

Hailey and Justin have been married since 2018 and share son Jack, one, together.

Their trip for Kendall’s birthday comes just a few days after The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed how the couple were taunted by fans at a baseball game.

The stars were in the stands watching the LA Dodgers play the Toronto Blue Jays in Los Angeles.

Canadian Justin proudly rocked a Blue Jays jersey for his favorite team as he and Hailey, watched the game – which was not well received by the die-hard Dodgers fans in their home city.

Justin first irked Dodgers fans by loudly booing player Shohei Ohtani after he hit a home run, giving the home team a 2-0 lead.

Soon, Justin started being “heckled by fans,” an onlooker exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

“He was really heavily taunted for wearing a Blue Jays jersey,” the eyewitness said, adding that his vocal disapproval of the home run didn’t help matters.

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Amber Davies has revealed how she is blocking out the noise as she continues to face harsh backlash over her past dance experience

Amber Davies has hit back at her critics as she opened up on struggling to win over the public on Strictly Come Dancing. The Love Island star, 29, has been heaped with praise for her dance skills on the BBC show alongside pro Nikita Kuzmin after being drafted in at the last minute.

Strictly’s judges have backed her throughout the competition as she has consistently placed high on the leaderboard since stepping in after Dani Dyer’s exit. However, in a shock twist of fate, Amber ended up in the bottom two last month alongside footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink following the public vote.

She has faced strong criticism over her previous dance experience, with some viewers declaring she has an unfair advantage. Since Love Island, Amber has gone on to make a name for herself on the West End having appeared in Legally Blonde and 9 to 5.

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Her past has appeared to haunt her experience on Strictly as she faces harsh comments from fans of the show. However, Amber has now admitted that it has been that way for a while in the competition.

She is pals with 2023 runner-up Layton Williams, who was also paired with Nikita and faced backlash over his dance past. “It comes up every single year — there’s someone who is a performer or in that realm,” Amber said.

“So I am doing my very best not to look and listen to anything,” she told the Sun. “I’m blocking out that noise and just being present in the moment.”

To help battle the outside noise, Amber said she is putting her and Nikita “in a bubble”. She revealed her motto has been to “just zone in and be present”.

Layton has also thrown his support behind her as he urged his fans to back Amber. She said her pages have now been flooded with much more positive comments, which she says is the “nicest thing”.

Amber ended up in the dance off last month, but judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke all decided to keep her in the competition. After Jimmy’s shock exit, Amber took to social media, where she said she felt like “absolute garbage”.

The reality TV star held onto a photo of her and Nikita performing while standing in her pyjamas. She lip synched a clip that admitted: “I woke up this morning and I felt like absolute garbage, for anyone who wants to know what garbage is, that is French for trash.”

Amber added: “A gut-wrenching evening in the dance off, especially dancing against two of the most amazing people I’ve met on this experience, @official_jfhasselbaink & @laurenmayoakley.

“I feel extremely lucky & thankful to be able to experience Halloween week on Strictly, but there will be two very special people missed.

“If you voted for us, really really thank you, I guess this week we aim for a comeback week?! @nikita_kuzmin Thank you for holding my extremely shaky hands extra tight.”

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

A SEASIDE town in the UK is set to undergo a massive regeneration project to its waterfront area, after closing a popular theme park after 107 years.

Proposals for the waterfront area in Porthcawl include a new outdoor lido and a number of funfair rides.

The lido would be located at Salt Lake which is opposite the marina, and it would also have a gym, a restaurant, a cafe and other facilities.

As for the funfair rides, they would be located on a new site at the opposite end of Salt Lake.

The area, which spans 38 hectares, is set to also have new shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and kiosks.

In addition there will be a new coastal park, as well as buildings and pavilions to use for community groups.

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There will be a site for motorhomes and touring caravans as well and plenty of open space for seasonal fairs, markets, festivals and events.

There is even space for a new hotel.

Plans suggest there could be a splash pad, mini golf, a pump track, a skate park, a multi-use games area, a basketball court, pocket parks, fitness trails, climbing walls, community gardens and various play areas too.

All of these elements would all be linked by a network of paths for pedestrians and cyclists.

Bridgend County Borough Council, which is behind the project, also revealed that there has been a lot of interest in setting up activities ranging from surf schools and saunas, to beach-based fitness training, outdoor yoga classes and so on.

The nearby sand dune habitats at Rhych Point are set to be carefully managed and restored as well, so that they can be used for educational and leisure purposes.

Griffin Park will treble in size under the plan and will feature a new ‘green corridor’.

The ‘green corridor’ will loop back to the seafront, which will feature stepped coastal defences as part of a new promenade creating better access to Coney Beach and Sandy Bay.

For local residents, there will be 980 new homes and these structures will be no more than four stories high.

The project aims to make 50 per cent of the housing affordable.

There will be additional car parking as well.

John Spanswick, council leader said: “The final Porthcawl Waterfront Regeneration masterplan represents a hugely significant piece of work which has been many years in the making.

“While complementing other local developments such as the ongoing multi-million refurbishment of the Grand Pavilion, it reflects our determination to strike the right balance between housing and community facilities, tourism and leisure, opportunities for enabling new businesses to thrive and more.”

Cabinet secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, said: “This masterplan marks a bold and exciting step forward for Porthcawl, reimagining the seafront to deliver over 900 homes and new attractions that celebrate the town’s heritage.

“By placing local people at the heart of regeneration, we are not only protecting the town’s unique character but also unlocking its full potential as a vibrant and welcoming place to live, work and visit.”

The regeneration project plans follows the closure of the popular attraction, Coney Beach Pleasure Park.

The amusement park officially closed in October, following 107 years in operation.

However, the Welsh government purchased the site back in 2023 to make sure the land could be used for the council’s waterfront regeneration plans.

The waterfront regeneration also includes other projects in Porthcawl such as the £20million Grand Pavilion redevelopment, £9 million on sea defenses, the £3million Cosy Corner transformation – a play area with a large blue whale, climbing nets, slides and ladders.

The Grand Pavilion – an art deco theatre – will be extended, with a new glazed rooftop pavilion with views of the Bristol channel.

Inside, there will be a new studio theatre and bar.

Another £11million is being spent on other projects in the area.

Next, the regeneration project will undergo a pre-planning application consultation on the final proposals due to conclude in January 2026.

JUNGLE READY

I’m A Celeb full line-up revealed with soap legends and TV pin up

JAB TRICK

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In other UK seaside town news, there is one resort where its only Christmas market is getting axed.

Plus, the little-known seaside resort town with one of the cleanest beaches in the world.

IRON Maiden rocker Bruce Dickinson says he took up fencing to help him fend off sex-hungry groupies. 

The heavy metal star, 67, turned to the sword-fighting sport to keep a clear mind — but ended up as one of Britain’s best competitors. 

Run to the Hills singer Bruce — worth about £100million – was at one point ranked No7 in the UK and an outside contender for the Olympics. 

He tried fencing as a teenager and then took it up as a hobby in 1983 to distract himself from the temptations of sex, booze and drugs after finding fame. 

He spent months training with Team GB and represented a semi-pro club.  

Asked why he picked up the blade, he told Classic Rock mag: “I was busy sh*****g everything that moved and none of it was healthy.  

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“I remember something that (The Who guitarist) Pete Townshend once said about groupies — ‘The moment you realise you can click your finger and manipulate people into having sex with you, that’s the moment you’re going down the slippery slope’. 

“You can’t believe women are throwing themselves at you. You think, ‘Well this is nice’. And it is. It’s f*****g great. But there’s a dark side to this.  

“Where do you stop? When does it become a prop, like alcohol or cocaine?

“So that’s when I started doing extracurricular activities like fencing.  

“I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to do something to keep my brain clean’.”  

Bruce, also a qualified pilot who flies Iron Maiden’s private 747 on tour, still takes part in fencing competitions for his age group.  

The band has sold more than 130million albums since forming in London in 1975. 

JUDI Dench has revealed a heartbreaking health update and admitted she struggles every day.

The legendary actress, 90, first opened up about her age-related  macular degeneration (AMD) in 2012.

Earlier this year, Dame Judi told how she “can’t leave home alone” due to the worrying condition.

And now she has admitted she’s lost her vision completely.

The Oscar-winner, who scooped the accolade for her role as supporting actress in Shakespeare in Love, has said: “I can’t see any more.”

She told the crowds at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, where she is a patron: “When I go to the theatre, I can’t see.

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“Hopeless.”

Yet she revealed she had been catching up on the Celebrity Traitors “dirt” – and how pal Celia Imrie was getting on – through word of mouth.

It comes after the star of screen and stage told how it was “impossible” to read scripts.

CONDITION REVEAL

Macular degeneration is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people.

AMD is an eye disease that can blur an individual’s central vision.

According to the National Eye Institute, age-related macular degeneration “happens when aging causes damage to the macula – the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision.”

The disease does not cause total blindness, but it can make everyday activities difficult.

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Judi has been candid in addressing her worsening health battle.

During an interview on Trinny Woodall’s Fearless podcast, Dame Judi says “somebody will always be with me” when she leaves the house.

She continued: “I have to [have someone] now because I can’t see.

What is age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?

DAME Judi Dench has spoken openly about her diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Yet what is it?

Macular degeneration is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people.

It first affects people in their 50s.

AMD is an eye disease that can blur an individual’s central vision.

According to the National Eye Institute, age-related macular degeneration “happens when aging causes damage to the macula – the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision.”

The disease does not cause total blindness, but it can make everyday activities difficult.

Recently, we reported on research which suggested a person’s choice of morning brew could impact their eyesight.

In a study of more than 500,000 people, scientists from the Hubei University of Medicine in China found a link between instant coffee intake and the risk of dry AMD – one of the forms of the sight-robbing disease.

In contrast, ground coffee and decaffeinated brews bore no links to AMD.

“And I will walk into something or fall over.

“I’m always nervous before going to something.

“I have no idea why. I’m not good at that at all.

“Not at all. Nor would I be now.

“And fortunately, I don’t have to be now because I pretend to have no eyesight.”

The Oscar winner, famed for playing M on nine James Bond movies, added she was “no good at that at all” when she used to attend events alone.

SCREEN QUEEN

Dame Judi made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company and is now referred to as one of Britain’s best actresses.

After landing roles on TV and in movies from the late 50s, she has starred in a plethora of big titles, with IMDB crediting her for 120 on-screen productions.

Some of her notable roles include Chocolat, Notes on a Scandal, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Philomena and Iris and also her role as “M” in several James Bond films.

She’s a ten-time Bafta winner including winning Best Actress in A Fine Romance (1981) in which she appeared with her late husband, Michael Williams.

Judi has also been nominated for six Oscars and won one of these as Best Supporting Actress for Shakespeare in Love in 1998.

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She has also won seven Laurence Olivier Awards and has a further eight nominations under her belt for her professional theatre work.

She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1970, and a Dame of Order of the British Empire in 1988.

A new report has revealed the large sum of money owed to the unpaid Manchester Pride artists and venues.

Back in October, the charity behind the long-running LGBTQIA+ festival made headlines after various performers revealed that they hadn’t been paid for this year’s event, including Drag Race UK star Saki Yew.

“It’s gone too far. As performers, we’re used to waiting for money, but there’s no communication and no answer. A lot of performers are starting to give up hope of being paid,” Saki told BBC Newsbeat in October.

Drag Race UK star Zahirah Zapanta and Adam Ali echoed similar sentiments, with the latter publishing a letter on behalf of other acts who were awaiting payment.

Following immense backlash, Manchester Pride’s Board of Trustees released a statement on 16 October, revealing that they were in “the process of determining the best way forward” with their legal and financial advisers.

A week later, the event’s board of trustees confirmed that Manchester Pride had started the “legal process of voluntary liquidation.”

“A combination of rising costs, which are affecting the entire events and hospitality industries, declining ticket sales and an ambitious refresh of the format aimed to challenge these issues, along with an unsuccessful bid to host Euro Pride, has led to the organisation no longer being financially viable,” they wrote in a statement released on 22 October.

“The Manchester Pride team have now handed over the details of suppliers and artists who are owed money to the liquidators who will be handling the affairs of the Charity and contacting everyone,” the board concluded.

Now, a new financial report from KR8 Advisory has revealed the staggering debt Manchester Pride had accumlated before they went into voluntary liquidation.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the charity owes £1.3m to performers, venues and suppliers.

Included in the extensive list are 182 companies and individuals who are reportedly owed between £30 and £330,329.

Manchester Pride was also unable to pay the £47,330.40 bill for first aid charity St John Ambulance, the £330,329 fee for Mayfield Depot, nor the £167,892 price tag for security firm Practical Event Solutions.

The event’s headliners, Nelly Furtado and Olly Alexander, were also left unpaid, with the former owed £145,775.75 and the latter £48,000.

In addition to their debt, the report gave further insight into the events leading up to the charity going bust.

Following lower-than-expected ticket sales, Manchester Pride directors allegedly sought out legal advice at the start of September.

They also attempted to dig themselves out of their financial hole by exploring “rescue proposals” such as the Mardi Gras event at Mayfield Depot.

“But as delivery of the festival drew closer, the pace of ticket sales did not accelerate as expected,” the document revealed.

The charity, which reportedly entered 2025 with “challenging circumstances,” also sought help from Manchester City Council, but after weeks of deliberation, the authority declared that they were unable to assist.

Amid their attempts to save the charity, organisers were also waiting to see if they had been selected to host EuroPride 2028, which would have garnered “significant grant funding and sponsorship support.”

When Ireland was selected over Manchester, the board called an emergency meeting to discuss additional solutions before agreeing to put the organisation into liquidation.

While Manchester Pride has been embroiled in financial issues, it’s not the end of the long-running festival.

In a statement, the Manchester City Council confirmed that “a new chapter” for the festival will take place in August 2026.

“The council will play a full and active role in bringing together the LGBTQ community to help shape how the city moves forward to ensure a bright and thriving future for Manchester Pride,” the council added.