Britain’s Got Talent has been accused of a ‘fix’ after one if it’s contestant has been revealed as a West End star who appeared in the musical Lion King
20:25, 05 Apr 2026Updated 21:28, 05 Apr 2026
Nic Vani was revealed as a West End star(Image: ITV)
A Britain’s Got Talent star’s West End past has been revealed. But now, Nic Vani has shared his dreams of finally being centre stage in a production, rather than in the background.
During his audition, Nic impressed all four judges with his impressive rendition of Circle of Life, taken from the hit musical, The Lion King.
But one explanation for his outstanding performance is the fact that he starred in the production as a performer. And according to reports, he played the iconic role of Simba.
Nic received a standing ovation from the judges, Stacey Solomon, who is standing in for Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, KSI and Alesha Dixon. And he received four yesses.
Nic, a father of three, described himself as a singer, without mentioning his professional past. And the reason for appearing on the show was that he finally felt ready to take his career to the next level. During his audition, Nic said: “In my current music career, I’ve always been at the back – so now I think that it’s time for me to be on the spotlight.”
However, after his performance, viewers started to do a bit of digging and found out he was a professional singer. A source said of Nic: “Nic loves performing and has been grafting in musical theatre for decades, but he has always been the swing player waiting in the wings and never the headline West End star. BGT has opened doors for all kinds of stage talent and Nic stepping out of the shadows to show his singing to the world could be the moment to change.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson said: “Anyone can apply for Britain’s Got Talent whether they are professional or amateur, irrespective of their experience. All contestants are auditioned on merit and judged on their performance on the day. Some of the acts appearing on the show may have tasted a level of success in their craft, but are not household names. All enter the contest with the hope of elevating their career to the highest level.”
As well as starring in The Lion King, he also landed a role in The Book of Mormon and has toured with former Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse. Fans were not happy about the revelation as they believed the show should be about discovering untapped talent. Taking to X, one person wrote: “Nic vani.. the guy who literally played Simba in The Lion King.. why are they letting people like this on #bgt ??”
And his celebrity links were also on full display as Oti took to Instagram and wrote: “I love you so much and I hope this is the start of a beautiful journey for you.”
Although many were unhappy about his inclusion, others celebrated his talent as they felt he should have been given the coveted golden buzzer.
Another viewer said: “This man was phenomenal!!!! And should have had the golden buzzer!!! His performance made the hairs on my neck and spine stand on end!! Amazing!!!!”‘
Another act that was given Stacey’s golden buzzer was a primary school group who performed a unique version of All Things Bright And Beautiful. But within the song they then paused and performed a comedy skit.
Nic may be wanting to follow in the footsteps of BGT legend Susan Boyle, who shot to fame back in 2009 with her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream.
Following her performance, she made it to the final but lost out on winning the competition to dance group Diversity. Susan is now worth an estimated £22 million and has finally moved out of her childhood home.
Susan, who recently celebrated her 65th birthday, showed off her transformation. And fans were so taken aback by her news look, they said that the TV personality was ageing “backwards.”
Sharing a snap of her in a football shirt, showing off her blonde hair she captioned the post saying: “I’m so proud to support the wonderful charity, Street Soccer Scotland. I’ve absolutely loved getting my hands on this beautiful limited edition Street Soccer Scotland x Timorous Beasties football shirt.”
Beverley Callard has addressed the apparent confusion that some fans have had ahead of her appearance on I’m A Celebrity…South Africa amid her breast cancer battle
Beverley Callard will appear on this year’s edition of I’m A Celebrity…South Africa (Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
The soap star, who initially appeared on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2020, will be seen again on-screen from Easter Monday, where she joins a whole host of other former campmates from the ITV survival series as they battle it out to become the next Jungle Legend.
She will be seen facing challenges alongside the likes of Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, who was crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2016, and TOWIE legend Gemma Collins, who infamously quit the show after just three days in 2014, but some fans have been left wondering how this is possible when she is going through major health issues.
The former Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps star has been open and honest about her health woes since the start, and took to Instagram late on Sunday night to remind fans that the show is pre-recorded, and doesn’t go out live like the main series.
She said: “Well, I’ve just got to, first of all, I’ve got to say Happy Easter – even though it’s a bit late – to everybody. Not a bad day today, but I didn’t eat chocolate because I just didn’t fancy it. And also, I want to remind everyone that tomorrow at 9pm, Easter Monday, I’m A Celebrity…South Africa begins.
“And I know everybody thinks I’m suddenly going away to South Africa. I’m not. We did film it a little while ago. So please watch it because it’s frightening, wonderful, horrifying, funny – it was terrifying, exhilarating, everything. But believe me, it’s great television, honestly, so I hope you enjoy it.”
The update comes after Beverley, who underwent her first operation at the beginning of March and was due to receive her results at the start of April, revealed she had received some by bad news just before the onset of the long Easter weekend.
Speaking to her followers again, she heartbreakingly admitted she couldn’t pretend any longer that everything was all right as she headed to a photoshoot to promote her new role on Irish soap Fair City.
She said: “Well, I had to do a photoshoot yesterday and on the way there – it was for a magazine about Fair City – and on the way there, Jon [my husband] was driving, and I was in the passenger seat. My phone rang, and it said the caller ID. Usually, it’s the hospital or one of the consultants from the hospital and I thought ‘Okay, this is it, my results.’ It was one of the amazing cancer care nurses from Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, they are fantastic.
“She wanted to know how I was doing. I told her that I’ve got quite a lot of soreness, which I’ve not had for ages but it came on a few days ago. She said I could be overdoing things, hopefully I’m not, I’ve had a lazy day today. But then she said ‘No results yet because there is a backlog,’ so hopefully I will get them next week.
“You know when your heart is in your mouth? You think ‘This is it. It’s coming now, any minute,’ and then, no, nothing. Obviously, we were still moving in the car, and I just thought ‘I can’t do this now, I cannot paint a smile on my face again.’
At the beginning of March, Beverley told fans that she had around four weeks of waiting to find out if the operation had been a success, and at the time, seemed optimistic about the situation.
She said: “So, the next stage, is, in about four weeks, we will find out if she managed to get all the cancer out and we’ll also get the results of whether it was in the lymph nodes or not.
“If I’m cancer-free, then, a few weeks after that, I will begin radiotherapy. If I’m not cancer-free, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But I have a feeling I will be. I don’t why I have that feeling but I just have.”
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support.
The Luxembourg entry for the Eurovision Song Contest is under investigation after their song held similarities to the singer Birdy’s song Keeping Your Head Up
22:11, 05 Apr 2026Updated 22:14, 05 Apr 2026
BBC stars Sara Cox and Rylan Clark are tipped to replace Scott Mills at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest
Luxembourg has been thrown into chaos regarding its participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest after its entry’s song is facing a copyright investigation.
Mother Nature by Eva Marija has been accused of being almost identical to the 2016 hit song “Keeping Your Head Up” by singer Birdy. It emerged that the chorus of the song is similar to Birdy’s, prompting her team to launch an investigation.
Now, a spokesperson for the singer has said that they are aware of the situation. In a statement, they said: “The Birdy camp is now aware, and they are reviewing. And the Luxembourg broadcaster RTL confirmed that it was exploring the suggestion of copyright infringement.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Luxembourg broadcaster RTL told The Sun: “We, the Eurovision team, take the discussions about possible copyright infringements seriously and want to deal with them transparently.”
But this is not the first time the legendary song contest has had its fair share of disruption. Back in 2024, the final aired from Malmö in Sweden. However, the run-up to the show was blighted by boycotts and even arrests.’
The Dutch actor Joost Klein was told that were not allowed to perform after an alleged heated argument, which reportedly turned physical.
But it wasn’t just that; the contest was thrown into further chaos as people gathered to protest against Israel’s inclusion despite the country’s war with Palestine. Activist Greta Thunberg was also seen supporting the pro-Palestine protesters. The protests occurred outside the Swedish arena.
In the wave of Joost Klein’s disqualification, the Dutch radio Avrotos found the punishment “disproportionate” and “very heavy.” A petition was even generated in support of the act to perform in the final.
And this year is now facing its own drama after would-be UK host Scott Mills was sacked by the BBC over issues with his personal conduct. The Mirror also understands that the allegation concerns a relationship from three decades ago. The BBC’s decision to axe Scott relates to a 2016 police investigation into “serious sexual offences” against a boy in his teenage years.
At the time, Scott was questioned by police under caution, but the case was not pursued due to insufficient evidence. But the Mirror believes that the sacking relates to the individual.
At the time, Director General Tony Hall was not aware of the “full picture”, including the accuser’s age, although it’s unclear if other managers did. However, after learning about the age in the last week, the newer management took swift action.
The TV and radio presenter had been a regular face when it came to the international competition, but now speculation over who is to replace him has hit fever pitch.
This year, the event is set to be hosted in Austria with LookMumNoComputer representing the United Kingdom. According to The Sun, Sara Cox and Rylan Clark, who have been regulars at the broadcaster for many years, are likely candidates to replace Scott Mills.
Last year, the sacked presenter was open about his eagerness to return to hosting the contest. He said at the time: “Eurovision is like a melting pot and we’re all there for the same reason and everyone can chat and talk about what songs they like and what they don’t like.”
He added: “We absolutely adore it, it’s our World Cup. I look forward to it so much, and that’s what’s magical about it. Everyone’s there for the same reason.”
The Mirror has contacted a rep for the Luxembourg Eurovision entry.
SOPHIE Kasaei was feeling emotional as she got to spend Easter Sunday at home with boyfriend Jordan Brook after he has spent the last three weeks in hospital.
Sophie Kasaei was feeling emotional as she celebrated Easter with boyfriend Jordan Brook as he was finally discharged from hospitalCredit: Instagram/Sophiekasaei_Jordan showed he was getting back to his best as he beamed whilst they enjoyed a family Sunday roastCredit: Instagram/Sophiekasaei_It’s a far cry from Jordan’s image over recent weeks, with the reality star spending 22 days in hospital amid his scary meningitis battleCredit: Instagram
After a scary few weeks, pregnant Sophie finally got to enjoy Easter with Jordan, 31, as the couple enjoyed a Sunday roast at home.
Sharing a slew of pictures from the day, Sophie could be seen planting a kiss on Jordan as they cradled her growing baby bump.
She captioned the post: “Watching you walk out of those hospital doors felt like getting my whole world back.
“These past weeks have been the hardest I’ve ever known. But you never stopped fighting, not just for yourself, but for us for your family, for our little boy growing inside me.
“The goal was to be home for Easter, and you did it!”
Thankful that things are finally getting back to normal, she continued: “Having JB home, hand on my bump, smiling again means more than words will ever be able to say.
“We are blessed, grateful, and whole again.
“Happy Easter from us. Enjoy it with loved ones, sit back soak it up. Life is a precious gift.”
Also taking to her Instagram Stories, Sophie admitted she had been “praying” Jordan would return home in time for Easter.
The harrowing ordeal left Jordan unable to walk, with the Towie star using a wheelchair, and with “acute memory loss” amid a host of other symptoms.
As he revealed he was finally getting to return home earlier this week, Jordan also revealed just how awful his health battle has been.
He told fans: “The top 1% percent of the worst case of viral meningitis and encephilitis that my Dr has ever seen.
“Brain swelling, inflammation. Acute memory loss, the only memories I have are ones I would like to forget forever.”
Jordan went on to thank his family for their unwavering support throughout the illness, and the NHS workers for “saving my life”.
Sophie is set to give birth to hers and Jordan’s baby boy around mid June and the pair are hoping Jordan will make a full recovery before then.
They are welcoming their first child following an emotional two-year fertility battle.
Jordan and Sophie have been together since 2022 and have documented their quest to become parents on Towie and Geordie Shore.
Sharing pictures with Jordan on Instagram, Sophie said she was feeling so grateful to be back with her other halfCredit: Instagram/Sophiekasaei_It comes just a week after Jordan was unable to walk on his own and using a wheelchair in hospitalCredit: InstagramThe pair are expecting their first child this summerCredit: Instagram
Series 2 of I’m A Celeb All Stars launches tonight and a sneak peek into the first episode shows TV comic Seann Walsh face his fear of heights in a grueling trial with Sinitta
Seann Walsh was not impressed with the height(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Seann Walsh’s face is a petrified picture as he takes on the first challenge of the 2026 I’m A Celeb All Stars
The TV comic, who was a campmate on the 2023 show, has returned to the jungle for an All Stars stint – and made an unlikely pairing with 80s pop sensation Sinitta in a terrifying new trial. In a clip Sean can be seen screaming as he was forced to race the So Macho hitmaker across a bridge – but in true I’m a Celeb style it was 150ft in the air.
The two have to jump across a series of wooden platforms to cross a ravine. At one point, Seann is seen strapped into a wooden barrel as he takes on the trial. Butbefore his height-defying bridge cross with Sinitta, Seann is seen in a helicopter looking a little on the green side. Speaking about the trial Seann told The Sun: “It was terrifying. But the first time I went in with Matt Hancock, so it wasn’t as scary as that.”
The 2026 edition of I’m A Celeb All Stars was filmed in September 2025 at Kruger National Park in South Africa. The cast features:
David Haye
Gemma Collins
Seann Walsh
Harry Redknapp:
Scarlett Moffatt
Adam Thomas
Sir Mo Farah
Ashley Roberts
Sinitta
Craig Charles
Jimmy Bullard
Beverley Callard
ITV has said that viewers can expect a “fresh group” of returning campmates from previous series of I’m A Celebrity and “spectacular” locations in South Africa. The broadcaster has also teased that it will include “some of the most epic and extreme trials” in the franchise’s history.
The new series will also see a change to the format of I’m A Celebrity … South Africa. It’s been revealed that, after the first series didn’t feature a public vote, viewers will have the power to decide who wins the second series.
ITV has shared that the public will get to vote in a live final broadcast from the UK. It said: “After weeks of shocks, showdown and survival, viewers will be able to have their say and cast the final vote in a live grand final broadcast direct from London.”
The show’s hosts have expressed excitement over its return. Ant said: “The campmates really brought their A-game to the first series so we can’t wait to be back for more trials, challenges and surprises amongst the beautiful South African landscape.”Whilst co-host Dec described the format change as “exciting”. He said: “Having a live final is an exciting addition to the new series with the viewers choosing their IAC Legend and we’ve heard some of the new trials are truly epic, even by I’m A Celeb… standards!”
Series 2 of I’m A Celeb All Stars launches tonight, at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. It will air every weeknight for three weeks, with the live grand final falling on Friday, April 24.
EXCLUSIVE: Midsomer Murders star Neil Dudgeon has nothing but praise for his co-stars
22:34, 05 Apr 2026Updated 22:40, 05 Apr 2026
TM: Neil Dudgeon says he isn’t leaving Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders star Neil Dudgeon has paid tribute to his “absolute treasure” co-star while discussing his return as DCI Barnaby in the popular ITV series.
However, in an exclusive chat with Reach PLC, Neil revealed what it was like collaborating with his cherished co-stars.
When questioned about working with Nick and Annette “so closely”, Neil responded, “It is great. Annette has played Fleur for years and years and is still there.
“Whenever we meet her, she’s saying, ‘Oh, you know, I’ve just come back from such and such, where I’ve been filming this, and I’m going to Manchester next week,” reports the Express.
“She’s in three or four days, and episodes in between, she’s going off doing all sorts of things, but she’s in great demand, because she’s such an absolute treasure.”
He added, “And Nick is fantastic, and I feel very blessed. I’ve always felt very blessed because when I started, I had Jason Hughes, who was the Sergeant.
“And then when Jason left, I thought ‘Oh, it won’t be the same’, and then Gwilym Lee came along, and it changed him because Barnaby and Jason’s characters were more similar in age, they had a different kind of relationship, and me and Jason had a different kind of relationship, which was hilarious.” Recalling an amusing behind-the-scenes incident, the DCI Barnaby star added, “And we behaved terribly.
“I remember one day we were both so overcome with the hysterics that the director said to us, ‘You can’t carry on until you calm down…alright, both of you out’.
“And he sent us out of the location, and to the car park to calm down, which just made us worse.”
Heaping further praise on his co-stars, the actor continued, “And then Gwilym came along, who was just wonderful and lovely and fantastic.
“And then when he left, I thought, ‘Oh no, I can’t be lucky a third time’. And then Nick came along, and he’s just fantastic. He’s great to work with, and I think we get along pretty well, and it’s so important, because for the five months or so that we’re filming, you meet up at seven o’clock in the morning, and you’re standing next to each other, working with each other until seven o’clock at night.”
Emphasising the significance of their working relationship, he explained, “You know, it’s like 12 hours a day, five days a week for five months. During that period, I’m seeing much more of him than I am of my own family. I think if you’re doing that with somebody you didn’t get on with, that would be really, really hard.”
The Great British Bake Off left fans in a state of panic as the show suffered technical issues which disrupted the viewing of fans across the UK who vented their fury on social media
Sam Thompson on Great British Bake Off but the episode was interrupted by technical issues(Image: Channel 4)
Viewers of The Great British Bake Off were left unimpressed during Sunday night’s episode for Stand Up To Cancer, as the show was interrupted by technical issues.
As fans of the Channel 4 show sat down to settle in to watching the baking show, they were met with flickering screens. The stars on this year’s show include Sam Thompson, Vicky Pattison and Molly Mae Hague.
And to make matters worse, the show was interrupted multiple time, leaving viewers taking to X to vent their frustration. One person said: “What’s going on? @Channel4 how can we watch #Bakeoff with it breaking up all the time.”
Another person asked: “Anyone else have signal issues while watching Bake Off this evening? We’ve had several shaky screeners tonight. #bakeoff.” Meanwhile, a third person questioned: “Anyone else getting a stuttering broadcast and the occasional pixel madness of an 80s top of the pops episode??”
In response to the tweets coming through, a fourth person agreed with the general sentiment: “Me on Sky. I’ve recorded it and only just started watching it.” They added: “I’ve stopped and started it again, thinking it might have been weather-related, so I’m glad it’s not just me ! #GBBO”.
And this sparked a flurry of people coming forward complaining of the same issue. The technical glitch appears to have affected viewers to the point where they had “given up” watching the show.
Other celebrities who took part in that episode also included Alex Brooker, Ambika Mod and Rose Ayling-Ellis, who were all competing against one another to be awarded the Star Baker apron.
They were given three challenges. One of which was to make mini rolls, another was to bake a syrup sponge pudding and a choux pastry.
And it was EastEnders star Rose who impressed the judges the most, and she was crowned winner of their round. Last week, Molly-Mae won her episode.
Judge Paul Hollywood was most impressed with Molly-Mae. One hearing that she had won her segment, she screamed with joy and said: “That has made my life, you don’t understand! Thank you so much!”
And after leaving the show, the mum of one, who is pregnant with her second child with fiancé Tommy Fury, took to her Instagram.
She wrote: “Still trying to process that this even happened! Taking part in Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer was honestly one of the most insane experiences of my life.”
She added: “Just so grateful to have been part of something so special for such an incredible cause… I’ll truly never get over it @su2cuk @britishbakeoff.”
For the remaining episodes, the stars taking part include JLS singer Aston Merrygold, Rag’N’Bone and Celebrity Traitors’ Joe Wilkinson.
Celebrity Bake Off judge Celebrity Bake Off judge Cherish Finden made her debut on the Channel 4 show. And when asked by Noel Fielding how she found her time on the show, she replied: ” ‘I’ve had a great time. He is a master-baker.”
This comes after it was announced that Prue Leith was stepping down from her judging role after nine series. Replacing her, will be TV chef Nigella Lawson.
The UK version of Saturday Night Live has come under fire for appearing to tell Mark Zuckerberg to take his own life and caused outrage amongst viewers on social media
Comedian Hasan Al-Habib made a heartbreaking admission about being ashamed of his religion
Hasan said he grew up being ashamed (Image: BBC)
Award-winning stand-up comedian Hasan Al-Habib has made a heart-wrenching confession about once feeling embarrassed by his religion during his younger years.
Hasan is one of seven celebrities embarking on Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island, which returns for its eighth series.
However, in one segment, Hasan candidly discussed his experience growing up as a Muslim and how he once felt shame about his heritage.
He shared, “I was aware of faith from a pretty early age. I was lucky that I was definitely aware of my religion before I was aware that people don’t like it necessarily, or there are some people that are prejudiced against it,” reports the Express.
“I was growing up post 911 during the Iraq War, and that’s why, for a long time, I was kind of ashamed of being Iraqi because I didn’t like being associated with this war.
“I didn’t like being seen as the face of this conflict, so I tried to be as white British as I possibly could, and I realised that if you were funny, people liked you, and that was an invaluable currency for me at the time, because people didn’t like me.”
He continued, “Being Iraqi now, career-wise, it has been a really good thing. It’s definitely something I lean into now, maybe even too much for someone who doesn’t speak Arabic fluently and has only been to Iraq once in their life.”
Discussing his aspirations for featuring on the programme, the comedian added, “I’m really looking forward to the big questions and the searching questions that come as a part of doing this process. If you’re a rational human being, you’ve got to wonder, what happens at the end of all this, or where did we come from?”
He reflected: “People spend their whole lives answering those questions. So to have this opportunity to do it with other people, I think is really, I’m gonna say it’s a blessing.”
Hasan also accompanied Ashley and Tasha to a mosque, which proved to be a touching yet emotional experience for the duo. Tasha confessed to feeling quite moved, revealing to her co-star Hermione Norris that it was a revelation for her.
She said, “I am never going to forget it, and I felt quite emotional just seeing them two just really embracing their religion and just doing their prayer, but it was when they were doing it together, and that’s what made me go like, ‘Wow’.”
She added: “It was just powerful, and it made me realise we need to be more open-minded about religion and just not judge what people believe in, just because they believe in something different from what we may believe in.”
At another moment, Tasha became tearful as she remembered experiencing online abuse when she featured on Love Island. As she attempted to hold back tears, Tasha stated, “I suffered with ableism while I was on a reality TV show. People use your disability as their point to hate somebody. When people go on TikTok, making videos, literally taking the mick at how I spoke, it still gets to me now.”
She remarked through tears, “I don’t like crying,” before continuing, “It’s literally three years ago, but it still gets to me. I think it’s because I saw the impact it had on my family, my dad and mum had to see so many horrible comments about my disability, my and that’s why now I have a stronger shield within me, really.”
Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island is available to stream on BBCiPlayer.
Coronation Street has finally revealed what Maggie Driscoll saw on Ken Barlow’s sideboard several months ago as a major twist, and apparent retcon, took place on the ITV soap
Maggie revealed that Jim McDonald is Ben’s biological dad (Image: ITV)
Coronation Street has finally revealed what Maggie Driscoll saw in Ken Barlow’s cupboard – six moths ago. The Irish matriarch made her debut on the world’s longest-running soap towards the end of last year when she arrived to take over the famed Rovers Return pub, along with son Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker), daughter-in-law Eva Price (Catherine Tydlesley) and her grandchildren.
Since then, the family have not been short of drama, and they are currently in the middle of a controversial storyline which has seen teenager Will having an illicit affair with his teacher Megan Walsh, and it has been heavily implied that it has all been going on since he was underage. What’s more, viewers were subjected to a flashback episode, which was all set in Maggie’s native Ireland, where it was revealed that she had accidentally killed her husband Alan when he fell down the stairs during a row.
Fans will remember that around Halloween, she had called round to Ken Barlow’s house to borrow a bowl, and when Amy Barlow went into the cupboard to get it, she spotted something odd. Despite much speculation on social media about what Maggie had seen, viewers were left in the dark until now.
Earlier this week, Maggie was having a row with Ben about Will’s situation when she let slip that Alan was not his biological father, and in the Easter Sunday episode, she finally revealed the truth to Ben. Initially, she claimed she “couldn’t remember” the name of his actual father, but when she heard that Ben’s son Ollie was spending some alone time with Amy Barlow, she couldn’t hold the truth back any longer.
Back at number one, things had been heating up between Amy and Ollie when she banged on the door. Maggie explained that Ben’s real father was none other than Jim McDonald (Charlie Lawson), who was recently killed off off-screen. This makes Ben Steve McDonald’s brother, and it makes Amy the cousin of Ollie. Famously married to fellow soap icon Liz, it transpired that Jim had been unfaithful to Liz almost 50 years ago.
Maggie said to Steve: “As soon as I saw that picture of your dad on the sideboard. At Halloween. You couldn’t make it up, could you?” Ben raged: “You let me go to my own da’s funeral without telling me?” but Steve was still convinced that she was lying.
Maggie said: “His name was Jim. Yes, I knew. Of course I did. He was 22, from Belfast. He had a moustache. He liked a drink. I knew he had family, but he was away from home, and he was lonely. I’m not trying to justify this. I know I can’t.”
Disgusted, Amy said: “I was snogging my own cousin! It’s not good enough just being part of one messed-up family, now I’ve got to be part of two,” and Maggie apologised profusely but Steve sent them all away, as he tore up the order of service from his father’s funeral.
Reacting to the twists, one fan said: “The mother of all bombshells from Maggie. Can’t wait for the fallout from this!” Another wrote: “Poor Steve. Finding out your new friend is actually your half-brother but to find out your father had cheated then hid it your entire life is another especially when said father is dead. “
A third wrote: “No you couldn’t make it up but someone did,” and another said: “That Maggie reveal and the reactions were very underwhelming. Her just seeing something in the cupboard on Halloween was more suspenseful!”
The event could be considered a major rewrite of Coronation Street history as for much of his time on the programme, Jim was famously married to Rovers landlady Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard), and, while the marriage survived numerous infidelities on her side, it collapsed for the first time when she admitted to having had an affair with his army colleague.
Jim also endured numerous spells in prison, and a second attempt at marriage with Liz came to an end in 2005, but, as far as viewers were aware, Jim had never been unfaithful to his wife, whom he referred to as Elizabeth.
In the weeks leading up to the death of Jim, actor Charlie Lawson criticised his final storyline, which saw Jim uncharacteristically decide to con Liz out money by pretending that his girlfriend was the daughter they had lost several years earlier.
Charlie, who has also appeared in The Bill, Bread and Doctors throughout his lengthy television career and also worked extensively in theatre, recently hit out at the “weak” storyline, which was brought in when Kate Oates, who later went on to work on EastEnders, was in charge of the soap.
Charlie said: “The storyline was weak. So many people contacted me to say they hated it. I agreed to it before I even saw the script. The work was lucrative — you can’t really turn it down. Now he can’t be ruined any more. He’s out of his misery.
“I know I will watch that last scene and be able to say, ‘Well, what a load of s***e that was’. I will raise a glass to the old Jim, the one I loved and was proud of, who spoke his mind, with cracking, strong storylines in the Nineties.”
Speaking to The Sun, he added: “There are some bits I will miss about Corrie and some I won’t. But I have no regrets. That’s just life, so it is.”
CONTROVERSIAL rapper Kanye West asked to perform at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium — but was turned down due to the club’s historical connection to London’s Jewish community.
Rapper Kanye West asked to perform at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadiumCredit: GettyKanye’s team chose Tottenham’s stadium as their ‘venue of choice’Credit: Getty
SCREEN star Sydney Sweeney is backed for the next 007 film — not as a Bond girl, but a girl Bond.
Hollywood director Paul Feig believes she would be perfect as the British spy.
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Film star Sydney Sweeney has been backed for the next 007 filmCredit: GettyA Hollywood director believes Sydney would be perfect for the role of BondCredit: Getty
Asked about a glamour role for her in the next movie, he insisted: “I’d rather Sydney be the next Bond.
“There have been some cool Bond girls, but come on, let her be the super-spy, she’s great.”
Paul, who was behind the camera for Sydney’s latest hit The Housemaid, added: “She’s one of the hardest-working people I know, so professional, so smart, so savvy. I think she’d be a good spy.”
American Sydney, 28 — who posted a selfie in an ivory dress on Instagram at the weekend — last year told of her interest in Bond after the franchise was bought by Amazon MGM.
Dune’s Denis Villeneuve will direct the next 007 film, written by Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight.
Daniel Craig as James Bond in 2008’s Quantum Of Solace with Olga KurylenkoCredit: Kobal Collection – ShutterstockSydney with Hollywood director Paul FeigCredit: GettySydney posted this snap of her in an ivory dress on InstaCredit: Instagram/Sydney Sweeney
However, a new series will rewind the clock back to World War II and feature younger versions of beloved characters Sisters Julienne, Monica Joan, and Evangelina, originally portrayed by Jenny Agutter, Judy Parfitt, and Pam Ferris, during the London Blitz.
The three-part mini-series, called Sisters In Arms, is expected to take pride of place during the forthcoming Christmas period.
Fans will no doubt hope Dr. Turner’s character is explored in the prequel, given his previous hints of a troubled past.
The much-loved family man has been a staple of the drama since its launch, and viewers have been gripped by his professional and personal life.
Fans will remember the touching moment when Dr. Turner (Stephen McGann) found love with former nun, Shelagh Mannion (Laura Main), with the couple now raising four children together in their cosy home.
However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Dr. Turner, as it was revealed that he suffered a severe mental breakdown in 1945. The horrors of World War II became too much to bear for the doctor, requiring a five-month stay in a psychiatric hospital.
During series three of the BBC show, Dr. Turner and Shelagh attended an in-depth adoption meeting where he was asked about his career break from April to December 1945.
“I was injured”, Dr. Turner protests before declining to comment further on the reason why he was discharged from the army.
He sternly added, “You must understand. It was the end of the war. I was medical Corps, trying to save lives at the front.”
It was then confirmed that Dr. Turner had been an inpatient at Northfield Military Psychiatric Hospital for five months, where he was treated for war neurosis, now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), leaving Shelagh shocked.
“I was worn out. There was too much death. I recovered. I’m recovered”, he bravely confirmed as heartache wiped across his face.
As he failed to tell the finer details of his agonising experience, the Call the Midwife prequel should explore the trials and tribulations of Dr’Turner’s life during World War II.
The former armyman has an extraordinary medical knowledge, but how did he cope with the war? What was Dr. Turner’s experience of a psychiatric ward during the 1940s, at a time when treatment consisted of electroconvulsive shock therapy?
We are so invested in the character that we need to see how his historic experience during the conflict shaped his commitment to being a doctor, serving the gritty community in Poplar and becoming a much-loved character.
Call the Midwife is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
Saturday Night Live has come under fire after airing a joke about an assassination on Donald Trump, almost two years after the Republican leader was subjected to an attempt on his life
SHAMED TOWIE star James Argent left his model girlfriend with cuts and bruises to her neck, arms, and leg during the horror beachfront attack – and a year on he’s reunited with his best pal Mark Wright.
The list of appalling injuries he inflicted on formerMiss SwedenNicoline Arturrson, 33, were contained in a shocking court file after he threw her down the steps of their Spanish villa.
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James Argent said ‘some things never change’ as he joked with his close pal Mark Wright in a local boozerCredit: InstagramThe shamed TOWIE star has reunited with ‘the boys’ a year after attacking his ex-girlfriendCredit: InstagramNicoline was left with horrifying injuries according to court documentsCredit: Instagram
Prosecutors were reportedly so appalled by her injuries they wanted to charge Argent with wounding and were pushing for a nine-month jail sentence.
But as part of a plea deal he agreed to admit the lesser offence of ‘mistreatment’.
James’ jail let-off saw him handed a six month suspended sentence and a two-year restraining order banning him from contacting Nicoline.
He has largely stayed out of the spotlight since the scandal, but now, he has reunited with his reality TV pals in a local boozer.
They were both central cast members, often appearing in scenes together.
The singer is thought to have moved to Spain following the attack on his ex-girlfriend.
The court report of the incident reads: “During the argument, and with the intention of harming her physical integrity, he grabbed hold of her tightly by her arm and pushed her causing her to fall down the stairs.
“The injured woman suffered several bruises to her neck, a bruise to her right forearm, several abrasions to her right arm, and abrasions to her right hand and on her right leg.
“The injuries she suffered healed in seven days on skin and soft tissue.”
At the time pals close to the couple slammed James – saying: “The plea deal was the easy way out.”
James avoided a jail sentence by agreeing to admit to the lesser offence of ‘mistreatment’Credit: Splash
Domestic abuse – how to get help
DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone – including men – and does not always involve physical violence.
Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship:
Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you wear and who you speak to
Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you
Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten.
Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent.
If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers:
Remember, you are not alone.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime.
Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.
This Morning presenter Alison Hammond has addressed the 22-year age gap between her and her boyfriend David Putman, as she issued an update on their relationship
Alison has spoken about her relationship with a man 22 years her junior(Image: Instagram)
Birmingham-born telly star Alison Hammond has addressed the 22-year age gap between herself and her partner, Russian model and massage therapist David Putman, telling the Daily Mail: “I completely understand why people are interested when there’s a 22-year gap,” before questioning: “But what I find interesting is that it’s not as interesting when it’s the man who is older. Why is that? I just want people to be happy for us. We are absolutely in love.”
The presenter first encountered the towering 6ft 10in model after booking him for a £150 massage. Sparks flew instantly between them. According to Alison, they complement each other perfectly, with David being “mature and sensible”, while she admits she’s “so not”.
Gushing about her beau, Alison said: “He just has the most beautiful energy and everyone feels it when they’re in his presence. It’s very rare. I am so grateful that he chooses to spend his life with me.”
Wedding bells aren’t ringing quite yet for the loved-up couple, though Alison playfully teasedThis Morning audiences about a possible engagement during a celebrity gossip segment last summer.
While discussing the day’s headlines alongside co-presenter Dermot O’Leary, Alison spotted articles about herself: “Oh my God! Apparently I am engaged?” she gasped, before joking, “Let me swap it over to stop these rumours,” as she shifted her eye-catching diamond ring to another finger.
Alison revealed in December that neither she nor her partner feels any urgency to tie the knot: “We live together, and we’re happy the way it is. I don’t need a ring to show my love to somebody. What I will say is, if he asked me tomorrow to marry him, it wouldn’t be a ‘no’. That’s all I’m going to say to you.”
The mother-of-one, whose wealth is estimated at around £4 million, has previously stated she prefers to keep details of her personal life private. She said: “I don’t like to go into detail about him, because it’s my private life, and I want to respect his life as well.”
Nevertheless, she noted that those close to her are fully aware she is completely “loved-up.”
The Bake Off and Love of Dogs presenter shared that being in a relationship makes her “more patient” and “kinder”, adding that she cherishes having someone to “care for”.
The sole difficulty in their romance appears to be David’s mother, Olga, who is said to disapprove of the age-gap relationship. A source close to the pair told The Sun that Olga, 64, believes Alison is too mature for David and is uncomfortable with how Alison’s fame has thrust him into the public eye.
“She’s uncomfortable that her son is with someone who has so much more financial power than him,” the insider revealed. “Olga’s traditional values don’t sit well with their relationship. She’s told him in no uncertain terms that he must end it.”
Another source added: “Olga raised her children in the Orthodox Church. This kind of relationship doesn’t fit her beliefs.” She has reportedly made several calls to David from her home in Sochi, on the Black Sea coast, urging him to rethink his decisions.
Despite his mother’s misgivings, David remains content with how his romance with Alison is progressing, and it seems unlikely that her concerns will have any bearing on his choices.
BEVERLY Hills star Tori Spelling and seven children have been rushed to hospital after a driver allegedly blew through a red light and plowed into their SUV.
The 52-year-old actress was behind the wheel with four of her children and three of their friends when the other vehicle slammed into her at high speed — sending all eight occupants to the emergency room.
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Tori Spelling and seven children, four of her own and three friends, were hospitalized after an accidentCredit: GettySpelling had been transporting four of her own kids along with three of their friends when the other driver allegedly ran the red light at speedCredit: GettyAll eight were taken to hospital across three separate ambulancesCredit: Instagram
The crash unfolded in Temecula, California, around 85 miles east of Los Angeles, just before 6pm on Thursday.
Officers responding to reports of a collision arrived to find two heavily damaged vehicles at the scene.
Unconfirmed photos circulating online show a car with its entire front end destroyed and an SUV missing chunks of its bumper, lights and undercarriage.
Spelling had been transporting four of her own kids along with three of their friends when the other driver allegedly ran the red light at speed.
All eight were taken to hospital across three separate ambulances.
They were treated for cuts, contusions and concussions, with no arrests made at the scene.
Eyewitness video obtained by TMZ showed Spelling speaking animatedly with officers, gesturing as she appeared to recount the collision.
An investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
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It is not the first time the star has been caught up in road drama, back in 2011, she was involved in an accident while fleeing paparazzi with two of her children.
“Paparazzi chased me w/the kids 2school,” she posted at the time.
“I was trying to get away from him and had a pretty big accident. Took down whole wall of school.”
Spelling, who was pregnant during that 2011 incident said other mothers stepped in and helped by “chasing him away.”
She shares children Liam, 19, Stella, 17, Hattie, 14, Finn, 13, and Beau, nine, with ex-husband Dean McDermott, whom she married in 2006.
The former couple announced their split in 2023, with their divorce finalized in November 2025.
“I am officially divorced. It’s been quite a journey,” Spelling said on her misSPELLING podcast, calling it “one of the easiest divorces in Hollywood.”
Despite the chapter closing on her marriage, Spelling told People last month she has no plans to date, saying she is firmly in her “power era.”
“I have so many businesses that I want to build, [and build] my empire and I can date later,” she said. “That can always come.”
Just last week, the TV personality was spotted at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles alongside the likes of Taylor Swift.
IT was like a scene straight out of a rom com when Ryan Thomas popped the question to Lucy Mecklenburgh in Positano, Italy, back in June 2019, less than two years after they started dating – and it seemed like the pair would waste no time throwing a huge celeb wedding.
But almost seven years later, the pair haven’t got anywhere close to an altar, and insiders are now telling The Sun they claim to know the real reason their plans to tie the knot appear to be permanently on ice.
Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas got engaged back in June 2019 less than two years after they started datingCredit: InstagramTelly stars Ryan and Lucy fell in love as they took on Channel 4’s Celebrity Island with Bear GryllsCredit: Channel 4The loved up couple threw a huge engagement party with their family, friends and celeb pals in attendanceCredit: InstagramCorrie star Ryan and TOWIE legend Lucy share two children – Lilah, four and Roman, sixCredit: Instagram
Initially, the official line from the couple- who fell in love in 2017 while filming Channel 4 show Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls – was that their nuptials were delayed due to life getting in the way.
After all, the year after they got engaged, the world shut down due to the Covid pandemic, forcing millions across the globe to shelve their weddings.
The pair also went on to have two kids in quick succession – Roman was born in March 2020, and Lilah arrived in the world in May 2022 – so it was understandable that planning their big day took a backseat.
In 2021, Lucy admitted to OK! Magazine that her wedding plans were “on the backburner”, while she also told fans via her instagram stories that she was “still in the engagement bubble but I can’t wait to start planning.”
However, with Roman now six and Lilah turning four next month, any talk of becoming man and wife appears to have gone silent.
In fact, sources tell us the couple are perfectly happy being ‘perma-engaged’ and raising their little family rather than being legally bound to each other.
And the reason the nuptials are now unlikely to happen? Well, one insider alleges the delay is down to Lucy’s desire to remain financially independent after Ryan’s previous struggles with money.
In 2013, before the pair met, Ryan was declared bankrupt – despite earning £100,000 a year on Coronation Street at the time.
He spiralled into debt over an unpaid £40,000 tax bill, and while his bankruptcy is now over, it still casts a shadow in his life.
Just last year, The Sun revealed his company R James Thomas Ltd, which takes in cash from his TV and endorsement work, had just £1 in its accounts.
Last year revealed Ryan’s company R James Thomas Ltd had just £1 in its accountsCredit: ArchiveLucy owns a wellness business, RWL, which is UK’s leading at home health and fitness appCredit: Instagram
Annual accounts filed to Companies House show just a solitary quid in the company account for the 12 months to the end of January 2025.
At the time, the books also revealed he owed more than £30,000 of a Covid Bounce Back Loan.
Our source explains: “Lucy comes from money – her dad Paul is very wealthy and has an extensive property portfolio, so she and her two sisters will inherit a lot from him one day. Lucy listens to everything her father says, and she has always been very financially literate.
“She was raised to understand money and be very careful with it, and as soon as she started making money from Towie, her dad taught her to make careful investments.
“Ryan, on the other hand, has admitted to making a lot of mistakes with money and not being financially savvy in the past. As much as Lucy loves him, it wouldn’t be entirely sensible for her to legally bind her finances in with Ryan’s, which would be the case if they were man and wife.
“Of course they share some money, and they have property together, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Lucy has been advised to protect her interests – especially her wellness business RWL, which she has worked her backside off to make the UK’s leading at home health and fitness app.
“Ryan has worked to claw himself back from his previous money woes, and she is really proud of him, but if he ever got into difficulties again, it could affect her credit rating and have big implications for her own finances if they were married.”
In the UK, while bankruptcy is generally wiped from your credit reports after six years, certain bankruptcy restrictions can last up to 15 years.
Furthermore, if an application asks for your full financial history, the bankruptcy must be disclosed, regardless of how long ago it happened.
Despite Ryan’s previous woes, however, another source close to the situation insists the reason Lucy hasn’t wed Ryan has nothing to do with safeguarding her own assets.
Ryan also has a daughter (first on the right) – singer Scarlett, 17, who he shares with his ex-girlfriend Tina O’BrienCredit: Instagram
Counters a pal: “It’s not true that Lucy doesn’t want to legally merge her finances with Ryan. The reasons they haven’t got married are because they are both parents of two young kids, have busy careers and also weddings are extortionate. It just hasn’t been a priority for them, they are happy as they are.”
Indeed, a Mecklenburgh- Thomas wedding certainly wouldn’t come cheap. The pair have large families, an array of celebrity friends and aren’t the types to do a no-frills affair in a register office followed by drinks down the local boozer.
“To do something on the scale they want would take a lot of cash, and Lucy and Ryan want to pay for a lot of it themselves. Yes, Lucy’s dad’s very wealthy but Ryan is also a proud man and doesn’t want handouts. He’s worked hard to turn his financial situation around, but he wants to give Lucy the wedding of her dreams and that takes years of hard graft to save for.
“Ultmately, there is no rush either. Neither of them feel the pressure to get hitched. They’re fully committed to each other and really happy – a big fancy wedding is nice but it’s not the priority right now. It will happen one day, and when it does it will be incredible and a day they will never forget.”
And even though Ryan is no longer in the red, other high profile members of his family have also experienced financial difficulties
Scott’s health and fitness company Food 4 Thoughts collapsed in 2024, which saw Scott lose £75k of his own money while brother Adam lost his £125k investment.
Aside from this, Adam’s own Manchester restaurant The Spinn went into liquidation that same year, owing £300,000.
Our insider explains: “The Thomas boys have all made mistakes in business which have cost them a lot of money. They have big dreams and have invested in each other’s brands, but this has come with financial ramifications.
Our insider continues: “Ultimately, Ryan and Lucy are strong and don’t need money issues coming between them, it’s a stress their relationship doesn’t need.
“Ryan is totally happy too. He is a proud man, so wouldn’t push the issue, but he knows Lucy is fully committed to him and they are happy as they are. As time has gone on, they have realised that being committed to each other is about sharing a home and a family, not a big wedding.
“Like a lot of men, Ryan isn’t overly fussed about a big day anyway. To him, what’s important is having a strong relationship, and that’s what he and Lucy have. He doesn’t care about blowing a load of money on a big wedding either, that seems like a waste of cash to him.”
A source told The Sun they ‘wouldn’t be surprised if Lucy was advised to protect her interests’ after Ryan’s money woesCredit: RexLucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan are said to be happy where they are in their relationship and don’t need to get married right awayCredit: InstagramRyan and his brother’s Adam and Scott have all felt the sting of their businesses going belly upCredit: ITV
It is just one of the many upcoming projects the reality star has in the works
Kim Kardashian is working on the ‘new Dance Moms’(Image: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The makers behind hit dating show Love Island have teamed up with Kim Kardashian for their next reality series project which aims to be the ‘next Dance Moms’.
Having received a green light, the new show is expected to be streaming on Paramount Plus at some point later this year. Reality star Kim Kardashian will serve as executive producer for the new show
The title is a joint production between companies ITV America, which also produces Love Island USA, along with Kim Kardashian Productions and Paramount Sports Entertainment. Executive producers for ITV America are Mioshi Hill, Jordana Hochman, Jeremiah Smith and Tom Ciaccio. Natalie Ento also serves as an executive producer.
Named Team Moms, the series will launch viewers into the world of nationally competition youth baseball in the US. To do this, they will be granted exclusive access to the Legendary Prep Academy in Scottsdale.
Viewers will be immersed in what is Arizona’s first and only baseball prep school. The series follows the coaches, founders and a group of dynamic families.
Their respective teen sons who comprise the starting line-up for one of the most competitive youth baseball programs in the world. It is a feeder to Division 1 college scholarships, NIL deals and ultimately, fame and fortune in the MLB.
Willing to do whatever it takes for their children to excel at America’s favourite pastime, the intensity of the program is only paralleled by the fervour of its athlete’s parents, who will stop at nothing to ensure their kids make it to the big leagues.
It’s clear from the premise that the show hopes to be recreate the magic of Dance Moms which created such stars like Maddie Ziegler and JoJo Siwa.
This isn’t the only television project being produced by All’s Fair star Kim Kardashian. According to her IMDB page, she is also set to produce and star in the series Group Chat.
That is an upcoming drama about five glamorous LA women in their 40s who appear to live flawless lives, but their private group chat reveals the raw, messy reality beneath their polished facades..
She will also star in the series as well as Netflix comedy film The Fifth Wheel. She also has a Kardashians spin-off in the works called Calabasas Behind the Gates, which will focus on the exclusive, gated lives of the extended Kardashian-Jenner circle, including friends and neighbours.
Paramount hope that Team Moms will become another hit in its list of ongoing reality shows which also include Survivor, Big Brother, The Challenge and Making Love.
Emma reportedly went to extreme lengths to avoid being papped with married celebrity life coach Jay ShettyCredit: GettyJay Shetty was seen looking after Emma’s dog, Sofia, according to The Mail’s sourceCredit: Getty
Just last month they were spotted passionately snogging at the airport after having jetted off on a romantic break.
But now, Emma was seen going to extreme lengths to avoid being papped with Jay Shetty, 38, according to The Mail‘s source.
Emma reportedly had dinner with the former monk and now lifestyle guru at a lavish LA restaurant last week.
The 35-year-old made her swift departure using a different exit to podcast host Jay, the source said.
Taking their seemingly well-thought-out exit a step further, The Mail’s eagle-eyed onlooker told how the pair even “swapped cars,” in a bid to baffle the paps.
In September last year, Emma, who is a PHD student at Oxford, appeared on Jay’s podcast, On Purpose With Jay Shetty.
The pair got into a deep conversation on Emma’s love life and she told how marriage is “a miracle,” and while she hopes it may one day happen to her, she doesn’t feel “entitled to it.”
Since the podcast aired, it seems Jay and Emma have struck up a close friendship – so why make a great escape?
It’s not the first time they have been spotted out on the town together, according to The Mail.
Stunning actress Emma appeared on Jay’s podcast last September and it seems the pair have since struck up a friendshipCredit: Getty
Jay and his wife influencer Radhi Devlukia married in a traditional Hindu ceremony back in 2016.
Celebrating his wedding anniversary back in 2020, he said: “Your laugh is infectious, your dances are hilarious and your heart is so so deep.
“You’re my spiritual inspiration and guide in SO many ways! Thank you for being my wife and loving me!”
Meanwhile, actress Emma is thought to be loved up with her boyfriend Gonzalo.
They didn’t appear to care who saw them last month as she embraced the businessman as they walked through Mexico City airport.
Gonzalo, who is one of Mexico’s most eligible bachelors, is said to be taking his relationship with Emma very seriously – having already introduced her to his parents, a source told The Daily Mail.
Jay Shetty married his wife, Radhi Devlukia, in a traditional Hindu ceremony back in 2016Credit: Getty
Early in “The Drama,” things are still good between Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson). The young happy couple, about a week away from getting married, have enjoyed a whirlwind romance. As this dark comedy’s opening credits roll, they’re blissfully practicing their first dance, laughing and stumbling as they try to get their twirls and steps right.
But the scene’s highlight is the song that plays in the background, airy, gentle and simple. Spare guitar chords give way to a female voice that sounds unpolished but beautiful: “I want to lay with you/ In an open field/ Where yellow flowers are suns of Earth.”
For many viewers, this will be the first time they’ve ever heard “I Want to Lay With You,” one of the most gorgeous love songs of the 1970s. It’s also likely they’ll have no idea who the singer is. Her name is Shira Small, and in 1974, she recorded an incredible album, “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now,” when she was 17. She never recorded another — at least, not yet. Now nearly 70, Small may finally be getting her moment in the spotlight.
“I’m cracking up,” says Small over Zoom from her Cooperstown, N.Y., home, “because I had no idea whatsoever that that movie was coming out until my dear sister informed me via you.” Flashing a relaxed smile and sporting long gray hair, Small knows little about the controversial “The Drama,” an A24 film with a heavily guarded twist.
Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in the movie “The Drama.”
(A24)
But it’s becoming a delightfully frequent occurrence that Small learns after the fact that her music is featured prominently in a movie or television show. “The record company does what they do and then they send me royalties and I get it in a statement,” she explains. “I had a song that HBO bought for ‘Pause With Sam Jay.’ They sent me an email that was not even to me — it was this interdepartmental thing. At the bottom, it said, ‘Oh, by the way, it airs tonight.’”
Jemma Burns, music supervisor for “The Drama,” had been a fan of Small’s album, thinking “I Want to Lay With You” would be perfect for this idyllic scene, right before Emma and Charlie’s relationship implodes over a disturbing revelation that turns their dream wedding into a nightmare.
“He was trying to set up the rom-com tone,” says Burns of the movie’s writer-director Kristoffer Borgli, “one that would contrast with the modernity of the setting and where the film goes. He wanted something that was from a bygone era, but also something that felt disarmingly charming. The two lead characters are very switched-on, fashionable, arty. So it felt like something they would’ve had in their record collection.”
The youngest of five siblings, Small always loved singing. But even as an adolescent growing up in Harlem, she felt like an old soul, her thoughts running deeper than the average kid’s.
“My focus was on not understanding war and hatred and bigotry,” she says. “I was seriously into trying to make love happen everywhere.”
Against the backdrop of the war in Vietnam and the Black Power movement, Small was well on her way to becoming a hippie, a transformation amplified by her enrollment in a private Quaker boarding academy, George School, in Newtown, Penn., on a full scholarship. When she arrived at George School, Small recalls, laughing, it was “very rich and very white. But I’ve always been a flotation device. I can walk around like I don’t have a clue about things.”
Shira Small, photographed in 1971 at George School in Newtown, Penn.
(Courtesy of Shira Small)
At George School, Small sported an Afro and smoked weed. She was drawn to theater and music, impressing music teacher and classical pianist Lars Clutterham, who saw she had talent. They worked on songs together, with Small coming up with the lyrics and vocal melodies. Every student had to complete a senior project, so Small proposed that hers be an album. Not long after, she and Clutterham drove to a Philadelphia studio for a one-day session.
The 10 songs on “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now” — each recorded in only one take — mix folk, soul and jazz, radiating innocence. The arrangements, awash in old-school analog warmth, are straightforward: guitar or piano supplemented with drums, leaving plenty of space for Small’s lilting voice, which contains both idealism and, even as a teen, traces of real-life sorrow.
Her mother died while she was at George School, inspiring “My Life’s All Right,” a ballad about surviving tough times, which later appeared on the Sam Jay show. “Eternal Life” sprang out of her in one burst, celebrating the power of love to transcend life’s harsh realities. As for the movie’s “I Want to Lay With You,” it was about a boy Small liked. She just can’t remember who anymore.
“It was somebody who was just as much a friend as a person that I had a crush on,” she recalls. “I honestly felt that we could have a life together.”
Small laughs at her adolescent self. “Like I knew what it would be like to have a freaking life together! To be able to wake up with somebody and have a beautiful day and always make them smile.”
According to Small, George School’s parents and students raised money to pay for the album and 300 copies were produced. “It was a joyous time,” she recalls. “I was on my way — to somewhere!” After graduation, though, she struggled to find her footing, eventually graduating summa cum laude from the City University of New York with a theater degree. But then she chose pre-med, becoming a physician assistant.
“When I became pre-med, it was so hard for me that I was just tunnel-visioned,” explains Small about why she said goodbye to music. “I had to devote my whole self to it. It was so all-encompassing that I could think of nothing else.”
But there was another reason she walked away from music. From an early age, Small suffered debilitating stage fright. “It was so bad that it would twist my stomach into a knot,” she recalls. She gutted it out to do plays at George School and, later, record her album. After a while, though, “It just got to be too much.”
Still, didn’t she miss singing? “Constantly,” replies Small, who retired about five years ago from the medical profession. “I sang unconsciously a lot. My patients always picked up on it — they’d be like, ‘Every time you come in, you’re singing.’”
But although Small abandoned music, “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now” never went away. In 2006, the Numero Group, an archival record label, put together a compilation, “Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies From the Canyon,” devoted to under-the-radar female singers from the 1970s. Numero Group co-founder Ken Shipley made sure “Eternal Life” was included.
“I was the first person to ever reach out to Shira,” he says proudly in a separate phone interview. Shipley heard “Eternal Life” on a burned CD of femme-folk artists that was making the industry rounds at the turn of the millennium while he was putting together his “Wayfaring Strangers” lineup. “Shira was a top want for me.”
The Numero Group put “Eternal Life” on Spotify in 2013. But when the label released the full album digitally in 2022, “I don’t know that anybody really cared,” Shipley says. Undeterred, he reissued it on vinyl the following year. Maybe listeners just needed time.
“Music finds a way,” Shipley says. “Music’s like water. It’s going to get down the creek into the river into the ocean. It’s going to find its audience.”
Sure enough, strange serendipitous moments started happening for Small. A future bandmate’s ex had one of her songs on a playlist, having no idea it was Small. She recently started working part-time at a local opera house and one of the opera singers adored “Eternal Life,” unaware that Small was an employee.
And now, royalty checks arrive for the usage of her songs in films like “The Drama.” It still feels unreal to Small that her album generates revenue. “It was never for commercial purposes,” she says. “I can’t believe that I am collecting any royalties on that music and that it just keeps going and going.”
Small’s husband died in 2019 after 34 years of marriage. It sent her spiraling, but then something remarkable happened. “The day I came out of it, the music was gushing out of me so fast that I couldn’t keep up with it,” she says. “I had to walk around with a voice memo. I hadn’t spoken to Lars in more than a decade. I sent him all of these voice memos and he sent me a note: ‘Shira, you still got it.’”
In 2024, she released her first song in 50 years, “Why,” which lays out her fears for the world. Her voice is different, deeper, possessing a lifetime of experience that her teenage self couldn’t have possibly imagined. Small is now plotting out an album and has some shows lined up. Even better, she’s worked through her stage fright.
Eventually, she’ll perform her old songs, but she’s figuring out how to hit that higher register from her youth. “I’ve gone through decades of hormones and cigarettes and all the other things that I did that I’m happy I lived through,” she says, wryly.
“I still have a thing about yellow flowers in open fields,” she admits. “We have these huge sunflower fields here. The whole idea of being in such a beautiful place with yellow flowers that light up a great day is what popped into my head when I wrote that lyric.”
I ask her what she makes of that young woman she hears on “The Line of Time and the Plane of Now” today.
“I know her so well,” replies Small. “You know why? Because she’s still here. I am, at this point, everybody I’ve ever been ever, leading up to this moment.
“I still feel the same way about many things,” she continues. “I’m probably angrier now than I was when I was a child, but I still have this underlying thing about looking at a bigger picture to help me keep my lid on. When I think back on ‘Eternal Life’ and ‘My Life’s All Right,’ that music was born from my core. And my core does not have an age.”
Tzruya “Suki” Lahav, a violinist and poet who played with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in the mid 1970’s on some of the band’s most beloved LPs, has died. She was 74.
Yonatan Albalak, her son, posted on Facebook April 2 that his mother had been “gathered into infinity after a short and hard battle with the cursed disease” of cancer.
“She wrote songs that touched people’s hearts,” he wrote, describing her as “a special woman, smart, pure in heart and loving life. She was the best mom I could ever ask for.”
Lahav’s tenure with the group lasted only between 1974 and 1975, yet she contributed several standout moments to Springsteen’s catalog. She performed on “The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle” and its follow-up, the smash “Born to Run.” She played the famed violin intro to the classic single “Jungleland,” and performed the multi-tracked choir on “4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” after a church vocal group failed to turn up for the session. She also played on a fan-favorite, widely-bootlegged cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Want You.”
She entered Springsteen’s camp after her husband, Louis Lahav, engineered on Springsteen’s 1972 debut album, “Greetings From Asbury Park.” Lahav told the Jerusalem Post in 2007 that she joined the group as “a young girl in a flowing white dress from Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar in the Upper Galilee, barely out of the army, barely married … I went from kibbutz harvest music to rocking with Bruce.”
She remained a major artist in Israel for decades after her tenure with Springsteen. She recorded with the Israeli rock band Tamuz, and wrote songs for prominent Israeli artists like Rita, including “Yemei Hatom” and “Shara Barkhovot.” She won the ACUM Lifetime Achievement Award and the Arik Einstein Prize there. In 1990, “Shara Barkhovot” was Israel’s submission to the Eurovision Song Contest.
