RYAN Thomas has admitted he almost dumped fiancé Lucy Mecklenburgh after “self sabotaging” during the early stages of their relationship.
The pair are engaged and share two children now but the former Coronation Street star has revealed it all nearly didn’t happen.
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Ryan Thomas has admitted he nearly dumped Lucy MecklenburghCredit: Instagram/@thethomasfamThe pair opened up about their relationship on The Thomas Bros podcastCredit: Instagram/@thethomasfam
The two first met on The Island with Bear Grylls before coming back to the UK and going on proper dates.
On the latest episode of his podcast with his brothers Adam and Scott, The Thomas Bros, the trio were joined by Lucy and Adam’s wife Caroline.
Talk soon turned to Ryan and Lucy’s relationship as they recalled what happened right at the beginning of their blossoming romance.
Love Island star Scott began: “Ryan asked you to be his girlfriend…”
Lucy added: “On our first date yeah,” as Ryan jumped in: “But wait wait we’d been on an island for a month.”
Scott interjected: “No no wait but how did it… this is cringing me out.”
Lucy continued: “Well we’ve known each other for like two months, we’d been on the island for a month together.”
“Did you not say ‘Are we official?’, Scott asked as Ryan said: “I would never say that I’m old school.”
Former TOWIE star Lucy then dropped: “It gets worse. He later on told me he was meeting me, because I was working in Manchester, meeting me to say “No, no I’m not interested.’
Ryan interrupted to say: ‘I was just a bit like… ugh I dunno I just found it a bit unattractive that someone actually liked me and once I got them I was like “No it’s not for me.”‘
“Then when I went to meet her…”, he added, as Lucy said: “It’s mad isn’t it.”
Clarifying what he was intending to do, Scott exclaimed: “So you were going to break it off and then you saw her.”
Ryan divulged: “And she looked incredible. And she was like super cool and we had this kiss in the car, yeah in Adam’s car.
“I don’t know why you had your shoes off… but your foot were on the dashboard. And I went ‘Yeah I’m in.’”
The couple got engaged back in June 2019 while on holiday in Italy together.
They welcomed son Roman into the world in March 2020 before having daughter Lilah Rae two years later.
Ryan is also dad to singer and Waterloo Road star, Scarlett Thomas, who he shares with ex Tina O’Brien.
Speaking on the podcast, he expressed: “We got to the hotel, lovely room, went for dinner in this beautiful new restaurant overlooking the whole of Manchester.
‘It just slowly, I just started to feel it bubbling.
“And every time a conversation come up, it was a debate, right, rather than conversation it was like, you just felt the energy was all off.
“I thought she’s gone to the toilet, 10 minutes has passed, 15 minutes has passed, half an hour passed!
“And I was still sat there. So I text her and said ‘long toilet break’.
“I rang her, and it went boom down, I rang her again, and it went down, and then I was like okay, so she’s not coming back.”
The couple got engaged back in 2019Credit: SplashThey share children Roman and Lilah-Rae togetherCredit: Getty
HELEN Flanagan looked sensational as she stripped to Santa-themed lingerie for a sexy social media post.
The actress’ sizzling snaps, which saw her posing in a plunging lace bodysuit with white fur trim as well as a red camisole with matching thong, came as she teased “Meet the new Santa Clause”.
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Helen Flanagan looked sensational as she posed in Christmas Ann Summers lingerieCredit: Instagram/hjgflanaganThe actress, 35, teasingly pulled at a red ribbon on her sparkly camisoleCredit: Instagram/hjgflanaganThe soap star made sure to pen her Christmas listCredit: Instagram/hjgflanaganShe flashed her black suspender stockings as she put a present under her treeCredit: Instagram/hjgflanagan
She then hopped over to wrap some presents under her tree in a fir-trim one piece.
The screen star, best-known for playing Corrie’s Rosie Webster, then held two jugs of milk while donning her Christmassy bodysuit before pouring one into a mug emblazoned with the words “Santa’s little helper”.
She finished off the clip by teasingly untying her one-piece and flashing a cheeky smile to the camera.
In her caption, Helen wrote: “Meet the new Santa Clause.”
A fan wrote: “You look stunning.”
Another put: “Well hello gorgeous.”
A third put: “Wow Helen your so beautiful merry Christmas.”
HUGE CLASH
Helen split from her ex-fiancé in 2022 after 13 years together and they share three children Matilda, 10, Delilah, seven, and Charlie, four.
Soap operas are staple viewing for many people, but even some of the most famous characters have been played by different actors. Here are some examples from over the years.
Tracy Barlow: Kate Ford took on the role of Corrie legend Tracy Barlow in 2002. Before Kate, three other actresses had played Tracy – most notably Dawn Acton from 1988 to 1999.
Nick Tilsley: Ben Price has been playing Gail’s oldest child in 2009, but the former Footballers’ Wives star is the third actor to take on the part.
Sarah Platt: Although Tina O’Brien debuted as Sarah Platt in 1999, she is the third actress who has played the iconic role of Sarah Platt.
David Platt: Completing the line-up of Gail’s children, David was initially played by Thomas Ormson for a decade before Jack P. Shepherd took over.
Daniel Osbourne: For almost a decade, the role of Ken Barlow’s son Daniel has been portrayed by actor Rob Mallard. Before Rob joined, two other actors had previously played Daniel.
Bethany Platt: Fans know Lucy Fallon as Bethany nowadays but before her, three other actresses had stepped into the character’s shoes.
Kirk Sutherland: Before Andy Whyment took on the role of Kirk, he played by an uncredited actor in his very first appearance.
Todd Grimshaw: Gareth Pierce stepped into the role of Todd back in 2020, becoming the second performer to play this part.
Summer Spellman: Harriet Bibby became the second actress to play Summer, taking over the role from Matilda Freeman in 2020.
Ryan Connor: Ryan Prescott currently plays the long-running character, but Ben Thompson and Sol Heras had earlier portrayed the role.
Martin Fowler: Although Martin was the first baby born on-screen in EastEnders, he hasn’t always been played by the same person. His current portrayer, James Bye, is the third actor to star as the character.
Peter Beale: Seven actors have portrayed Ian Beale’s elder son, with the current actor, Thomas Law, in his second stint as the character.
Ben Mitchell: Ben has been played by a total of six actors – with Max Bowden bowing out of the role in March 2024.
Bobby Beale: Before Clay Milner Russell, Ian’s younger son had been played by four other actors.
Freddie Slater: Bobby’s best mate, Freddie Slater, had been previously played by twins Alex and Tom Kilby before Bobby Brazier took over in 2022.
Chelsea Fox: Former Coronation Street actress Zaraah Abrahams took over the role of Chelsea in 2020. The character had been first played by Tiana Benjamin from 2006 to 2010.
Lauren Branning: Jacqueline Jossa took on the role of Lauren in 2010, succeeding Madeline Duggan who’d played her from 2006 to 2010.
Johnny Carter: Johnny has been played by three actors since debuting in 2013 – most recently, Charlie Suff has taken on the role.
Meanwhile Helen posted a snap of her cuddling their son, writing: “Loved Charlie’s nativity. My star, my heartbeat.”
She recently hinted at trouble “co-parenting” with Scott, telling The Sun: “He lives like Somerset and I live in Lancashire. So we live so far away from each other, which is really difficult when you’ve got three young children.
“I hate calling it co-parenting because I don’t really feel like a co-parent to be honest with you anyway.”
She posed in a one piece with a fur trimCredit: Instagram/hjgflanaganHelen then switched to a lace bodysuit as she held up jugs of milkCredit: Instagram/hjgflanaganIt comes as she is locked in a feud with her ex Scott SinclairCredit: Instagram
WHEN Helen Flanagan and Scott Sinclair split after 13 years, they vowed to keep things amicable for the sake of their young kids.
But it was not long before the dynamic of the celebrity couple’s co-parenting soon began to show signs of strain.
Helen Flanagan raged when she spotted photos of ex Scott Sinclair living the high life at the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, skipping their four-year-old son’s Christmas nativityCredit: GettyHelen lashed out online: ‘You really are a piece of s***,”’ sharing Scott’s Instagram postCredit: instagram/@hjgflanaganThe former couple share daughters Matilda, ten, Delilah, seven and four-year-old CharlieCredit: instagram/hjgflanagan
The former Corrie actress blamed petty squabbles and communication issues, yet still remained tight-lipped about her ex.
But overnight, tensions between the pair appear to have hit DEFCON 1.
Helen, 35, flipped her lid when she spotted photos of Scott, 36, living the high life at the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, skipping their four-year-old son’s Christmas nativity play.
Lashing out online at the retired Bristol Rovers footballer, she raged: “You really are a piece of s**t,” sharing Scott’s Instagram post.
“How dare you not turn up to Charlie’s nativity,” she added.
Standing in front of a huge F1 sign, he posed gleefully, tagging the post “What a weekend — Abu Dhabi F1.” He added: “Happy Days, blurry nights.”
Meanwhile, Helen shared a sweet snap of her cuddling their young son, captioning it: “Loved Charlie’s nativity. My star, my heartbeat.”
But when she spotted Scott’s jet- setting post, her blood boiled.
Now sources have told The Sun that Helen’s ex’s decision to skip Charlie’s school performance was just the tip of the iceberg — a culmination of bad behaviour that has left the telly star fuming.
The former couple share daughters Matilda, ten, Delilah, seven, and four-year-old son Charlie.
Yesterday Helen was spotted looking stony-faced while heading to her latest panto performance in Liverpool, where she is starring as The Wicked Queen in a production of Snow White.
A pal told The Sun: “Helen’s livid with Scott’s behaviour. He’s thinking about himself, not his children.
“She said, ‘I’m done letting him treat his family like this’. At the end of the day Helen is the mother of his kids. He needs to show more respect.”
Another pal said: “Helen is working full-time at the moment in panto so was expecting Scott to cover the nativity and go for her, as she has a lot on her plate and he is retired.
“When he didn’t bother, she wasn’t happy and took to her social media to vent her frustration and make a point.
“Their relationship is difficult at times — co-parenting is hard.”
Boys’ trips
Meanwhile another source close to the couple blames newly single Scott for embracing his “Hot Boy Winter” moment, leaving his family to suffer.
“Ever since Scott became single again things started to go downhill,” the source said.
“It’s been an incredibly testing few months for Helen, who feels like she is busting a gut and Scott doesn’t seem to get it.
A source close to the couple blames newly single Scott for embracing his ‘Hot Boy Winter’ moment, above the retired Bristol Rovers footballer shares a 2024 holiday on InstagramCredit: InstagramHelen and Scott split after 13 years, and had vowed to keep things amicable for their young kidsCredit: Getty
Last year The Sun told how Scott was dating family friend Lauren Davies, 32, who is from his home city of Bath.
Things were going well up until the start of this year, when they are said to have decided they were better off as friends.
The source said: “Helen really liked Lauren and thought she was really good for Scotty.
You really are a piece of s***. How dare you not turn up to Charlie’s nativity
Helen on Instagram
“She has great values and felt it was important that Scott sees his kids and she wanted everyone to get along.
“But since their split, Scott hasn’t been present. He is constantly showing off his wealth online — with his extravagant boys’ trips. It’s a bit of a kick in the teeth.”
According to pals, tensions between Helen and Scott are so bad that the pair have blocked each other on WhatsApp, only communicating through family members.
The Sun also understands Scott wants to sell the £1.5million family home near Bolton and move Helen and the kids into a smaller property.
The eight-bedroom house went on the market in June, but Helen is standing firm. One pal said: “Scott is trying to sell the family home, but Helen has moved six times since Matilda was born.
“And because she is refusing to uproot the children, he’s stopped some of the money he was giving her for the kids. She’s fuming.
Tensions between Helen and Scott are so bad that the pair have blocked each other on WhatsApp and only communicate through family membersCredit: Kenny Ramsay – The Sun GlasgowTo make matters worse he is having the children for Christmas this year, which is another blow, said a sourceCredit: Instagram
“The house is right next to her mum and dad, who take care of the kids while Helen works.
“Scott’s retired so he could have them, but he’s swanning around in Dubai and London and flashing it all over Instagram.
“At the same time he is claiming he can’t afford to give her the money, but he goes and blows £20,000 on the F1.”
Helen’s livid with Scott’s behaviour. He’s thinking about himself, not his children
A pal
The pal said Christmas will be particularly hard for Helen without her kids.
They said: “She is working full-time at the panto and dealing with the kids, with no help from Scott.
“Then he’ll have them at Christmas and post it all over Instagram, claiming to be dad of the year. He’s picking and choosing when he wants to help, but parenting doesn’t work like that.
“Helen has supported him for his whole football career and moved all over the country, but she’s adamant that she doesn’t want to uproot the kids and cause more disruption in their lives.”
Last month we revealed she was abroad filming scenes — and will not be holding back when it comes to getting what she wants.
Number blocked
It is not the first time the couple’s co-parenting relation- ship has been tested, with Helen previously saying Scott had her number blocked on his phone.
In October 2024 she told a podcast: “I’m on block at the moment on Scott’s phone. I really am. I’m on block.” However, she later said that the couple were on speaking terms so that they could co-parent their brood.
To make matters worse he is having the children for Christmas this year, which is another blow
Source
But in recent months things appear to have taken a turn again, as Helen hinted at trouble.
Earlier this month she told The Sun: “He lives in Somerset and I live in Lancashire. So we live so far away from each other, which is really difficult when you’ve got three young children.
“I hate calling it co-parenting because I don’t really feel like a co-parent, to be honest with you.”
Reflecting on their split in 2024, Helen told The Sun: “It was a mutual decision and personally, I felt as a mum that this was the best thing for my children.
“I want them to see healthy relationships and to be in healthy environments. I think if you’re unhappy then that projects on to them.”
She added: “I love Scott and I know that he loves me, but I suppose we just don’t like each other very much at the moment.
“We don’t really speak and there’s no point in pretending that we’re the best of friends when we’re not.”
Both Helen and Scott were approached for comment.
Helen during a panto performance in Liverpool, where she is starring as The Wicked Queen in a production of Snow WhiteCredit: Splash
HOME And Away star Rachael Carpani shared a tragic post detailing her health struggles before her sudden death.
The Australian actress, 45, died after “a long battle with a chronic illness”, according to her heartbroken parents.
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Home And Away star Rachael Carpani shared a tragic post detailing her health struggles before her sudden deathCredit: GettyIn a now heartbreaking post from last year, Carpani shared images of herself posing for a photoshoot following a bout of surgeryCredit: Instagram/rachcarpaniCarpani was also known for her role in hit Aussie TV show McLeod’s DaughtersCredit: Getty
In 2021, she was rushed to hospital in Sydney after suffering from acute abdominal pain.
The issues caused Carpani, also known for her role in hit Aussie TV show McLeod’s Daughters, to even spend a few days in an intensive care unit before she was taken in for surgery.
She wrote at the time: “I was admitted to emergency with acute abdominal pain just over a week ago and spent a few days in the ICU.
Carpani said the pain had existed for some time before her issues severely worsened all of a sudden.
She added: “Basically it was a case of me not listening to my body and the pain [I tend to work through pain!] and allowing myself to get quite ill.”
She urged all her followers to always take note of any health woes and to get them checked out as soon as possible.
In a now heartbreaking post from last year, Carpani shared images of herself posing for a photoshoot following a bout of surgery.
Alongside the smiling images, Carpani explained: “My first time back in front of a camera for a photoshoot two days ago.
“No hospital gown, no awesome surgery socks ….[have to admit I miss the comfort].”
It is unclear what surgery the actress was recovering from at the time.
In June 2023, Carpani also underwent surgery on her eyes.
She wrote on Instagram: “After a life with horrific short-sightedness, wearing glasses from the age of 5, I bit the bullet and got ‘eyeball’ surgery.”
She later confirmed it was phakic intraocular lense replacement which is a vision correction surgery where a permanent artificial lens is implanted in the eye.
In an emotional statement, the star’s parents announced her shock passing.
They said: “It is with great sadness that Tony and Gael Carpani announce that their beautiful daughter, beloved Australian actress Rachael Carpani, unexpectedly but peacefully passed away after a long battle with chronic illness.”
She passed away on December 7 in the early hours of the morning.
Her cause of death is yet to be confirmed with her heartbroken parents saying in a statement she had ‘a long battle with a chronic illness’Credit: GettyShe was nominated for numerous Logies for her role on McLeod’s DaughtersCredit: Getty
Her family has said the funeral will be a “private event”.
Carpani was best known for her role as Jodi Fountain in the hit early 2000s series, McLeod’s Daughters.
She appeared on the show between 2001 and 2009 and earned two Logie nominations for her on-screen performance.
The Logies are Australia’s annual awards for television, celebrating Australian TV shows and personalities.
In 2007, Rachael was nominated for a Silver Logie for most popular actress, as well as the biggest award of the night, the Gold Logie.
She had also appeared in a number of films, including The Very Excellent Mr Dundee, Hating Alison Ashley and The Way Back.
More recently, she had a recurring role in hitAussie soap Home and Away, playing Claudia Salini, an on-screen villain.
Her parents revealed the star died in early DecemberCredit: Instagram/@rachcarpani
