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Violet Grohl steps out of her famous father’s shadow with a haunted, alt-rock debut

The title of Violet Grohl’s debut album, “Be Sweet to Me,” started as an inside joke.

“‘Be Sweet to Me’ is a phrase that my best friend and I say to each other when we’re play-fighting,” says the rising singer. “It’s what we do to put an end to it. Like, ‘Oh, be sweet to me!’”

The phrase might also carry a double meaning, one Grohl is still parsing. At some point in the naming process, someone in her circle asked Grohl if she was making a plea. Remembering that moment, Grohl pauses to consider.

“I guess it can be seen as a pretext for the album. Just … be sweet,” she says. “But at the same time, it’s literally just what my best friend and I say to each other when we’re calling each other idiots.”

Intentional or not, no one could blame the 20-year-old for inserting an earnest request for audiences to proceed with kindness as she readies her debut album, which finally landed Friday.

The reasons are pretty self-explanatory: Grohl is the eldest child of modern rock icon Dave Grohl, the highly decorated founder and centerpiece of Foo Fighters and onetime drummer of Nirvana, and his wife, former model and TV producer Jordyn Blum. In an age of “nepo” accusations and internet dogpiles, it would be completely understandable for Grohl to feel anxious about her album’s reception.

But if she is, it doesn’t show. On a warm day in mid-May, Grohl appears relaxed and self-assured — but not arrogant — as she idles on a sofa in a cozy Studio City ADU owned by her publicist. Encased in a long, black sleeveless dress, she’s giving a mixture of off-duty rock star and summer goth. Her arms host an array of intricate tattoos; I spot a raven, a skull and a vintage lace fan. Next to her is a bulging Balenciaga mini bag, and a pair of oversized sunglasses on her head are perched atop a mop of jet black curls. The high contrast of her pale, makeup-less skin and swept back hair makes her round, gray-blue eyes appear even more pronounced.

Young woman in a pink and white dress.

“Everyone wants you to be an idealized version of … not even yourself, but of what they want you to be,” she says. “Sorry, that’s just not gonna happen with me.”

(Bella Newman)

Any time spent with her reveals that Grohl is the sort of person who is ultra-sensitive to the energy of places, people and even the long-deceased. In her free time, Grohl is an avid lover of anything paranormal. “The same time I got into horror movies, I started watching ‘Ghost Adventures’ on Travel Channel,” she says. “It totally sent me down this rabbit hole of the supernatural.”

When I ask if she’d ever made contact with any ghosts, Grohl nods emphatically before describing a trip to a hunting estate near the Scottish Highlands. “It is the most haunted place I’ve ever been in my whole life,” she says. “I walked into the house, and it was like a blast of cold air, chills everywhere. It’s this instinctual feeling of, I’m not alone here … I heard footsteps and disembodied voices, I saw shadows, I had crazy f–ing dreams. It’s so eye-opening, but it’s not evil or negative.”

Chilling films and Lynchian surrealism pervade the tracklist of “Be Sweet to Me,” which relies on symbolic lyricism to illustrate coming-of-age stories. From a sonic perspective, listeners will be thrilled to know that her debut does not just make for an entertaining listen — it’s a dedicated towpath to the very squealing heart of alternative rock, built by an artist who understands her music history on a granular level. Across a tight 11 tracks, “Be Sweet to Me” careens across late-’80s and ‘90s experimental genres, from ripping alt-rock on “Bug in the Cake” to hazy dream pop on “Mobile Star” to aggro Clinton-era alt metal on “Often Others,” and even a bit of chugging hardcore on “Cool Buzz.”

As many references as she brought to the recording process, led by producer Justin Raisen (a known collaborator of Charli XCX and Kim Gordon, who made the introduction), Grohl is not attempting to cosplay the grunge era. Instead of simply mirroring influences, she deftly puts her own spin on each arrangement with inventive, grabby arrangements, razor-sharp production and her versatile vocals, which can bellow like Courtney Love, murmur like PJ Harvey or turn ethereal like Elizabeth Fraser.

“Justin has a crew of musicians that he works with, and they’re all close friends of his,” Grohl explains of the album’s backing band, which Raisen assembled to mimic the Wrecking Crew, a loose collective of session players who appeared on some of the most beloved albums of the 1960s and ‘70s. “They’re the coolest, most talented, genuine music lovers, and seriously talented musicians … I’d never been in that kind of recording environment before. Everyone would throw out ideas or I would share a reference, and whatever it was about the song, [we’d ask] how we can build and make it a completely new, different thing.”

Growing up in Tarzana/Woodland Hills, Grohl says she’s been singing ever since she could speak. In a baby book, her mother wrote how Grohl, at 8 or 9 months, was “babbling and singing.” She took piano lessons with a teacher who taught her any Beatles song she wanted to learn. She later picked up the ukulele, and then a guitar. Now, it’s any piece of gear, from bass to drums to a lap dulcimer. “I just love messing around with different instruments and seeing all the different sounds I can make,” she says.

Grohl also had an ideal music-taste mentor in her father, who told his eldest all about Björk and acquiesced to playing Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” on repeat. “I think I was 4 or 5, and I remember sitting in front of his computer, and he was talking about how she was from Iceland,” Grohl says of those days. “And I was like, ‘Oh, she’s the princess of Iceland. That was my idea of Björk from a young age. Björk’s ‘Hunter’ music video was a turning point for me.”

By adolescence, while on the road with the Foo Fighters, Grohl would make herself useful by assisting the band’s tour manager. She remembers: “I had a walkie-talkie, I would hand per diems out to people, I would run the envelopes around, and bring my dad a towel after the show, stuff like that.” The live-music atmosphere may have also sparked Grohl’s curiosity in songwriting, which she says began as a way of journaling. “I have cassette demos that I made with a tiny one-track recorder,” she remembers. “Then I started learning how to use Logic right before I turned 13, and that opened up this whole new world.”

One night in May 2018, on a break from the East Coast leg of the Foos’ Concrete and Gold tour, the elder Grohl headlined a benefit concert for the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, where he encouraged his daughter, then only 12, to join him onstage to sing Adele’s “When We Were Young.” A few weeks later, back on tour, Grohl jumped onstage to help sing backup on a few tracks. “It wasn’t my first time singing on a stage, but it was my first time singing on a stage with that many people in [the audience],” she says of the second experience. “I was really scared, but once it was happening, and once it was over, I was like, ‘Oh, this is what I want to do. This is my purpose.’”

Woman with black hair in back dress

Chilling films and Lynchian surrealism pervade the tracklist of “Be Sweet to Me,” which relies on symbolic lyricism to illustrate coming-of-age stories.

(Bella Newman)

From there, Grohl became something of a live fixture — a beloved Foos adjunct performer. But clearly one with her own trajectory. In pre-pandemic 2020, Grohl joined the surviving members of Nirvana at the Art of Elysium Gala, where she sang “Heart-Shaped Box.” The next year, father and daughter recorded a duet of “Nausea” by L.A. classic punk favorites X. In 2022, Grohl opened the second tribute to late Foos drummer, Taylor Hawkins, with an aching rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

It should definitely be said that Grohl is hardly pulling a Jakob Dylan as it relates to her parentage — a detail that actually makes her appear that much more self-actualized and approachable, simply because she isn’t trying to circumvent reality or engage in a furious round of name-dropping. She freely discusses the long evening car rides around Los Angeles she’d take with her dad and two younger sisters during the pandemic, the car becoming a music-recommendation feedback loop, with older and younger generations trading off DJ duties. “My sister and I introduced him to Jockstrap,” Grohl chuckles when I ask what bands she introduced her dad to during those rides. “I’d play him old jazz standards, hip-hop. It was a constant thing.”

During those evening rides, Grohl also drank up the city’s otherworldly, vaguely haunted visage. “There’s something special about L.A. that I can’t fully describe,” she says. “There’s inspiration everywhere, so many beautiful people and historic buildings. I love art about L.A. — when people reference L.A. in their music, movies, or books. I grew up here, and I’ve lived here my whole life. I just feel that deep connection to it all.”

Like any great artist, Grohl is a product of her surroundings, and that can’t help but include a very specific, unlikely upbringing. In her own matter-of-fact way, Grohl shrugs as she acknowledges the inescapable pressure of her last name. “Everyone wants you to be an idealized version of … not even yourself, but of what they want you to be,” she says. “Sorry, that’s just not gonna happen with me. You’re not gonna convince me to change. I’m doing this because I love music, and that’s all I’ve ever known. Everyone’s gonna want me to be something, and I’m not the person that will give in to that.”

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Treasury Secretary Bessent confirms steps for a Donald Trump $250 bill

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that his department has prepared the design for a $250 bill featuring President Trump, anticipating the passage of stalled legislation in Congress to put the president on a new denomination of legal tender.

Bessent said at the White House that authorizing the currency will be up to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but that “we’ve created the bill” because “we have to be prepared.”

The secretary downplayed the idea that the administration is pushing the matter, despite Trump’s penchant for infusing his name and likeness across the nation’s capital and into the observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Bessent also insisted there is nothing inappropriate about Trump’s visage being part of the seminal national celebration.

“The president doesn’t do it; the House and the Senate have to do it,” Bessent said at the White House, referring to legislation, introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), that would direct the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to put Trump’s face on the new bill to mark the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

A Treasury Department spokeswoman said the agency carried out “appropriate planning and due diligence” to implement a potential congressional mandate “to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250th Anniversary of our great nation.” The spokeswoman did not mention Trump.

If passed and signed into law by Trump, Wilson’s bill would mark an extraordinary recognition for a sitting U.S. leader and comes as Trump has sought to place himself at the center of Independence Day commemorations. The Department’s preparation for the languishing legislation suggests some enthusiasm for the idea on the part of the Trump administration.

Report: Trump ally has pushed to expedite new currency

The agency’s explanation follows a Washington Post report stating that U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, a Trump appointee, has been pushing the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to expedite the process for a new currency note. The paper also reported that the former BEP chief, Patricia Solimene, was reassigned after pushing back.

The Treasury spokesperson declined to comment on Solimene’s status but confirmed that Michael Brown, a top Beach aide, became acting director of engraving and printing May 18.

Beach did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

Wilson’s legislation, which so far has languished in Congress, is intended to create an exception to existing law that bars any living person from appearing on U.S. currency; the bill would allow current and former presidents to be featured.

Bessent confirmed the measure is designed for one person.

“Donald J. Trump,” he said emphatically, repeating the full name that the president himself often uses in the third person.

According to the Post report, Beach last fall provided the Bureau of Engraving and Printing with the design for the new bill. It featured Trump’s portrait — the same one that adorns banners hanging on some federal buildings in Washington — and a 250th anniversary logo. Trump’s signature also was included, a design element that would differ from other paper money.

British artist Iain Alexander told the Post he designed the bill and said he’d discussed it with the president. Alexander did not respond to an AP request for comment.

The newspaper also reported that Solimene resisted pressure from Beach and Brown and stressed to them the lengthy legal and procedural process required to issue new currency. Solimene was reassigned against her will, the Post reported, paving the way for Brown to oversee the bureau.

Trump has aggressively spread his name and likeness

A new currency note would be the latest example of Trump expanding his personal brand in his official capacity since returning to the White House last year.

Beach and Bessent already streamlined approval of a commemorative 250th anniversary coin featuring Trump. The Treasury Department has asserted that those special coins fall outside the prohibition on living presidents appearing on money. In 1926, the nation’s 150th anniversary, then-President Calvin Coolidge appeared on a commemorative half-dollar coin that was official legal tender.

The Trump administration has had banners featuring his portrait hung on the Department of Justice and other federal buildings. And his slate of appointees to the Kennedy Center governing board added his name to the national performing arts facility that Congress originally designated as a memorial to assassinated President John F. Kennedy. That renaming is being challenged in court because of the federal law establishing the center as the official memorial to the 35th president.

Bessent noted that unless Wilson’s exception passes, current law sets just two conditions for him to consider on currency: that “In God We Trust” is printed somewhere on it, and that only deceased individuals be depicted, with their names described below their portraits.

“It’s all up to Capitol Hill,” Bessent said. “We will stick to the law.”

Barrow writes for the Associated Press.

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Joy Behar steps back from ‘The View,’ as she takes her play to London

Joy Behar is trading her usual spot at “The View’s” roundtable for the spotlight in one of London’s West End theaters.

The comedian, who is one of the talk show’s longest-running hosts, is taking a temporary leave from the daytime program to take her play, “My First Ex-Husband,” overseas for the first time. The 83-year-old TV personality announced her break on Tuesday, on the podcast, “Behind the Table,” a companion program of “The View.”

“I fly to Paris this week, and then I go take the Chunnel to London after a week, and I’ll be in London a second week doing my play, ‘My First Ex-Husband,’ at the Boulevard Theatre in the West End,” Behar said on the podcast.

Behar confirmed she has already pre-taped several installments of “The Weekend View,” ahead of her absence. She will miss the next two weeks of tapings. Her last appearance on the weekday edition of the show is Thursday.

In Behar’s absence, several “View” regulars will step in. Brian Teta, the show’s producer, said on the podcast that Sheryl Underwood, Kara Swisher and Ana Navarro will make appearances in the coming weeks. Whoopi Goldberg, another one of the talk show’s staple personalities, will also be coming in on Fridays, which is her usual day off.

“I don’t think she knows yet, but I’ll let her know that she’s going to be here,” Teta joked of Goldberg’s new responsibility.

Behar’s play, “My First Ex-Husband,” first debuted off-Broadway in New York in 2025. The comedian wrote the show over the span of 12 years. The story follows a rotating cast who tell chaotic stories about past relationships. The play is set to debut in the coming weeks, according to Behar. She and Jackie Hoffman will be two American narrators for the show, while two British actresses perform the scenes.

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Miami Grand Prix: Kimi Antonelli steps up his level this season in dramatic fashion

For Russell, this cannot be an easy moment in his career. A Mercedes protege himself, he has waited eight years for this moment – the best car, with Mercedes.

Last year, he was comfortably the better driver of the two; only rarely did Antonelli get the better of him. So he earned his status as pre-season championship favourite.

The Briton, 28, lived up to that when he won the first race of the season in Australia from pole position, but since then things have gone against him.

A technical problem almost certainly robbed him of pole in China and handed it to Antonelli, who converted it into a maiden win. A safety car intervened to hand the victory in Japan to Antonelli, when without it most likely either McLaren’s Oscar Piastri or Russell would have won.

But there was no doubt about the Miami win. Antonelli put it on pole. Russell was fifth on the grid, behind upgraded cars from the Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari teams.

Antonelli made a sixth bad start in a row and lost ground. But he stayed calm, fought back, and grabbed the win from McLaren’s Lando Norris over the pit stop period.

Norris initially thought that was all about McLaren making a mistake by letting Mercedes pit first, not wanting to go too early with rain threatening.

But McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team still had the margin to stay ahead of Antonelli when they did stop three laps after him, but that a series of events conspired against them.

First, there was the time gained by what Stella called a “huge” first lap out of the pits by Antonelli after his stop. That risked overheating his tyres, which he would have to deal with later, but ensured he was still within striking range of the McLaren.

Then Norris made a couple of errors on his in-lap and had a slow stop. Combine all that, and it was enough to put Antonelli right on Norris’ tail when the McLaren came out of the pits. The Mercedes quickly swept past, and Antonelli held Norris off for the rest of the race.

Russell is keeping things in perspective, recognising there are still 18 races to go, and a lot can happen.

“Clearly he’s in a very good place at the moment and momentum is with him,” Russell said. “But, having got enough experience myself in championships I’ve won and how momentum swings throughout the year, and looking at the championship last year, to be honest, I’m not even considering it.

“It’s just that I want to get back on to the top step of the podium. The first three races, I had the performance to do that, but this weekend I absolutely did not have the performance to do that.

“So, I could be standing here now with three very different results in previous races, with this one being a bit of a one-off, but obviously things worked out differently in Japan and China, but that’s Formula 1 sometimes.”

Russell admitted that the “pace was really, really poor on my side”, and that he has never gelled with the Miami circuit and its low-grip surface and slow corners.

But Hill said: “You can’t have that, you can’t have a track that you don’t gel with. You’ve got to be good across everything. George now has to regroup, has to look at where he is at and what the new paradigm is.”

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‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ steps out to $77 million at the box office

Everyone wants to be “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” as the 20-year sequel strutted to an estimated $77 million in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend, highlighting the spending power of women moviegoers at the box office.

The film, which returned stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, nudged out Lionsgate’s “Michael” for the domestic top spot at theaters this weekend. In its second outing, the Michael Jackson biopic brought in $54 million, upping its overall North American total to $183.8 million and its cumulative global haul to $423.9 million.

Worldwide, Walt Disney Co.-owned 20th Century Studios’ “The Devil Wears Prada 2” brought in $233.6 million, according to studio estimates. The theatrical revenue, both domestic and worldwide, edged studio expectations. Already, the film has brought in 72% of the total revenue that the original movie made ($326 million).

The 2006 original has become a cult classic, with lines like Streep’s infamous “that’s all” and Tucci’s “gird your loins” now millennial catchphrases. The popularity of that film has continued over time with repeat viewings on cable television and the Disney+ streaming service.

“Nostalgia is a big driving factor for movies like this,” Andrew Cripps, head of theatrical distribution for Walt Disney Studios, said. “It’s just one of those movies that got into the zeitgeist.”

The fashion-forward sequel had a production budget of about $100 million. The film notched a 77% approval rating on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Women comprised the majority of the audience for “The Devil Wears Prada 2” this weekend, representing 71% of moviegoers, according to data from EntTelligence.

The strong showing for “The Devil Wears Prada 2” highlights the spending potential of female moviegoers, who have had few big movies aimed at them in the last few years.

Despite the billion-dollar blockbuster that was “Barbie” in 2023, Hollywood has largely failed to consistently deliver big films targeted to women. That’s led multiple box office analysts and studio executives to note that the industry is leaving money on the table.

In the past, comparable titles to “The Devil Wears Prada 2” would have been 2008’s “Mamma Mia” or the “Sex in the City” film, but those kinds of movies are now few and far between.

More recent female-focused fare includes last year’s “Wicked: For Good” and Taylor Swift’s “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” though “Wicked” has the benefit of also having a longtime Broadway fanbase.

“There haven’t been enough movies for females,” Cripps said. “When you can give them a good movie, as long as the movie plays well and I think this one plays brilliantly, there’s a big audience out there.”

Universal Pictures, Nintendo and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” continued its run with a third place finish of $12.1 million at the box office this weekend, followed by Amazon MGM Studios’ “Project Hail Mary” in fourth and Neon’s horror flick “Hokum” in fifth, according to Comscore data.

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Jorgen Strand Larsen: Norway striker steps up after difficult start at Crystal Palace

On their impressive European run, Palace have shown they are not just about individuals, but a team stepping up when it matters.

Japan midfielder Kamada had not scored since October 2024 before his composed finish on Thursday restored Palace’s lead just as Shakhtar looked to be taking control following their equaliser at 1-1.

Palace fans were in great spirits before the match in Krakow, and there’s a feeling that all connected with the club are pulling in the same direction.

There could be an air of sadness for the remainder of the campaign with boss Glasner, who led Palace to a fairytale FA Cup victory last season, just two games away from European glory before he departs this summer.

But spirits instead seem high as the club work together to achieve the goal of winning more silverware.

“It’s an amazing group of people, of men, of characters,” said Glasner, who won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022.

“There is such a big spirit and great togetherness and we always believe in ourselves.

“There is no button we can press to switch it on. It is something we have created over months and years – that we know we can always come back and score a goal.”

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How Wynne Evans is having last laugh after Strictly row & BBC axing destroyed his life… as he steps back into limelight

TURN back the clock 12 months, and Wynne Evans’ life was falling apart.

Being axed by the BBC from his radio show last May appeared to be the final nail in the Welsh tenor’s career coffin after he was sacked from the Strictly Live Tour over accusations of an inappropriate sexual comment.

Wynne Evans was axed from the Strictly Come Dancing live tour following his crude remark to Janette Manrara Credit: PA
Wynne was then dropped by the BBC following a four-month investigation Credit: Facebook

Devastated, Wynne, 54, told this newspaper of his anguish and despair at being made a “scapegoat” for yet another BBC scandal – confirming what was pushed as a “vile sexual remark” was actually a joke amongst his one-time friend Jamie Borthwick.

The apology issued at the time for the comment was, Wynne explained, written by the BBC and ultimately ended up being the metaphorical sword he would die on.

Friends furiously rushed to defend Wynne to The Sun, and today still pour scorn on soap actor Jamie for failing to defend Wynne when he knew the truth behind the comment.

Jamie, 31, was later sacked by EastEnders four months after Wynne was given the boot.

Wynne spoke to The Sun after the Strictly chaos Credit: Dan Charity / Newsgroup Newspapers Ltd
Wynne Evans’s latest company accounts show reserves of more than £670,000 Credit: PA
Wynne and Jamie, back left, before the chaos of the Strictly Tour Credit: Rex
Friends say Wynne Evans is focusing on work, family and a fresh start Credit: Instagram

“It felt like karma,” one friend tells The Sun.

“Wynne was hung out to dry, and Jamie, who was at the centre of it all, said absolutely nothing. They both ended up losing everything.”

Suicidal, Wynne was kept afloat by his long-time fiancée, Liz Cooke, his two grown-up daughters, and a legion of friends – including Gavin And Stacey star Joanna Page and Strictly’s Aljaz Škorjanec and Janette Manrara – who kept tabs on him at his home in Carmarthen.

Broken but not beaten, friends explain Wynne has quietly rebuilt his life – and is slowly carving out a life away from the constrictions of his old BBC paymasters.

His property business, Wildvine Properties, friends say, is starting to take off – allowing Wynne to return to what he loves: performing.

“Wynne is made for radio, and his daily show, broadcast from a studio he built in his home, is doing really well.

“He started working on Radio Dragon last month, too, and his Sunday morning show has been really successful.

“His devoted following, who loved his BBC Radio Wales show, have all followed him there, and the audience research has shown Wynne is beyond loved.

“Last month, he was invited to sing at Wrexham FC too, and the reception was so warm, it was a massive boost for him.

“Quietly, Wynne has built up a property business, which includes a three-bed house in Llansteffan, which is hugely popular on Airbnb.





Wynne could have allowed the BBC to cancel him, but he refused to be cowed.


Insider

“It’s given him a quiet income so he can focus on rebuilding and moving on with his life.

“Wynne was virtually destroyed by the BBC and hung out to dry. But he is proof that once the chips are down, you can turn things around.”

In a heart-wrenching interview with this newspaper in May last year, Wynne admitted that his jokes on Strictly, made between people he believed at the time were friends, were clumsy.

But there is no question that his actions were nothing more than ill-judged.

Wynne said: I realise now you cannot make jokes like that in the workplace – it’s deeply unprofessional.

“I’d be happy to go on any language and behavioural course that the BBC wants to send me on. I’d be thrilled to go on a course that could save me from situations like this.

“Society’s changing so quickly, and I’d be the first to say perhaps I’ve got it wrong on occasion. Unfortunately, I wasn’t offered a course like that.

“All I want now is to focus on performing and get back to my radio show – I can’t quite believe I’ve ended up here, and I just hope everyone can read this and know I’m not a bad guy.”

‘Wynne is a good man’

As he started to move forward with his life, friends explained that the support from his loyal fans, affectionately known as “Wynners”, is the people Wynne feels most grateful for.

“Wynne is a good man who has been through hell,” a pal says.

“The fans who have always supported him stood by him, and that means the world to him.”

Wynne’s personal company finances certainly show things are not as dark as they were this time last year.

The latest report for the firm shows Wynne is sitting on reserves of just over £670,000.





He has taken his time and slowly rebuilt his life. He was totally broken this time last year.His whole world had imploded, and at times he felt like he had nothing to live for.


Insider

And pals explain Wynne is keen to continue carving out a new position for himself in the public domain – starting next with a series of four live shows.

The performances are billed as a mix of stand-up comedy and opera, and Wynne is looking forward to taking another step back into the limelight.

“Wynne could have allowed the BBC to cancel him, but he refused to be cowed,” a friend explains.

“He has taken his time and slowly rebuilt his life. He was totally broken this time last year.

“His whole world had imploded, and at times he felt like he had nothing to live for.

“Wynne took baby steps and got himself back on his feet. Now things are really moving in a positive direction, and the future is looking bright again.

“What happened last year is something that Wynne will never be able to forget, and really, he is still processing that.

“But he wants to show people that no matter how bad things get, no matter how many times your name is dragged through the mud, no matter how many people you thought were friends turn on you, with the love of your family and your friends, you can make it through.

“Wynne’s story is one of salvation, and he will be telling it with brutal honesty and humour.”

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Rihanna, 38, is all smiles as she steps out in mustard look in India to promote new beauty range

SUPERSTAR Rihanna looks as keen as mustard to promote her beauty brand.

The Barbadian singer, 38, wore a flowing yellow top and ankle-length leather skirt.

Rihanna wore a flowing yellow top and ankle-length leather skirt on an overseas trip to India Credit: Getty
Rihanna was in Mumbai to promote her brand Fenty Beauty, wearing jewellery from a local designer Credit: AFP

She also wore gems from local designer Manish Malhotra, at the Indian launch in Mumbai of Fenty Beauty

The mum of three’s earnings from her Fenty cosmetics and fashion lines have given her a net worth of £1 billion.

Fenty Beauty is a makeup brand that in late 2020 branched out into skincare, and Savage X Fenty is a luxury underwear brand for women and men.

She recently posed for revealing photographs in red satin lingerie, sprawled sexily across a sofa.

BOOM & BUSTS

Top earning celeb lingerie lines revealed as stars could boost market by $50BN


BIG HEART

Love Islander becomes first to land gig with Rhianna’s Savage – for a good cause

Rihanna has also revealed that she is actively working on brand new music for the first time in years.

She has largely stayed out of the music industry since her acclaimed 2016 release Anti and has focused on business endeavours instead.

Her only solo lead song since 2016 was in 2022 with the track, Lift Me Up, to accompany the film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Last year she gave birth to her third child with partner A$AP Rocky.

Rihanna is also set to make a sensational return to music, working on new tracks Credit: Getty

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Peru’s election chief steps down amid frustration over long vote count | Elections News

Ballot delivery delays and other missteps on election day have contributed to frustration with electoral authorities.

The head of Peru’s election authority has resigned from his role amid widespread anger over the country’s chaotic general election earlier this month, with vote counting still under way.

Piero Corvetto said in a social media post on Tuesday that he was stepping down as head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), a government body tasked with organising elections in Peru.

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In a letter to the National Board of Justice (JNJ), Corvetto denied that irregularities had taken place, as some politicians have alleged.

But he explained that he was leaving in a bid to increase public confidence, ahead of an anticipated second round of voting in the presidential race on June 7.

The first round of the election, held on April 12, was marred by logistical issues that led to the extension of voting hours around the capital Lima and elsewhere.

Election observers have acknowledged missteps with the electoral process but cautioned that there is no firm evidence of fraud.

Peru’s National Jury of Elections (JNE) said the voting results will be finalised no later than May 15, with the top two presidential candidates advancing to the final round.

Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori leads with about 17 percent of the vote and is likely to advance to the run-off.

But who will face her remains a mystery. Left-wing Congressman Roberto Sanchez and Lima’s former far-right mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga remain virtually tied, with 12 percent and 11.9 percent respectively.

The hectic first round of voting could deepen dissatisfaction with the country’s political system at a time of protracted instability and sloping trust in government institutions.

Even before the April election, about 68 percent of Peruvians said that they had little to no trust in the country’s election authorities, according to a poll conducted by the Institute for Peruvian Studies (IEP) and the Institute Bartolome de las Casas (IBC).

Some presidential candidates, including Lopez Aliaga, have pushed unconfirmed claims of fraud and have called for the first round of voting to be nullified.

Election authorities have begun to review thousands of contested ballots that were challenged due to inconsistencies, missing details or tally sheet errors.

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