The Sun Newspaper

MELANIE C is in fine shape after raking in £1million last year from her solo work and Spice Girls royalties.

New accounts for Mel’s touring company, Red Girl Media Ltd, show Sporty Spice raked in £550,000 from solo shows in the year to 31 August 2025.

During that time Mel embarked on a DJ tour of the UK, Ibiza and Australia.

Latest paperwork for her publishing firm, Red Girl Productions Ltd, shows she took home a further £300,000 last year from solo royalties.

She also earned her share of Spice Girls royalties worth £600,000.

The money is set to keep rolling in for the recently married singer, as the accounts don’t cover the release of her latest album Sweat earlier this year.

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The 52-year-old, is also set to start a solo world tour, including gigs in London, Birmingham and Glasgow in October.

Last week Mel shared her new tattoo tribute to her summer nuptials and wild honeymoon.

The Spice Girl married partner of three years Chris Dingwall in a stunning ceremony in the grounds of The Country House Cumbria in July.

The happy couple were surrounded by their loved ones and a host of celeb guests, including her bandmates – bar Victoria Beckham who was away supporting husband David at the World Cup.

Shortly after saying I Do, Mel and Aussie model Chris were seen snogging in the sea during their Ibiza honeymoon – and her latest body art marks their first trip as husband as wife as well as her work on the White Isle.

In a new video posted to TikTok, Mel was seen having a cherry icon tattooed onto her forearm.

The cute design, which featured the striking red fruit on its stalks, also commemorated her fifth year DJing at Ibiza club Pacha, which has the twin cherry as its emblem.

DOLLY Parton has been laid to rest in a private funeral attended by her family.

The country music great was buried next to husband Carl Dean on Friday at the Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

Their shared memorial bears both names, an image of two interlocking wedding rings, and the inscription “Married May 30, 1966”.

The send-off was “very simple” and what “Dolly would have wanted”, sources said.

The Sun last week revealed that the country music star wanted to have her dad’s favourite song If We Never Meet Again (This Side of Heaven) played at the service.

Dolly’s great-niece, Lainey Mae Parton, gave an emotional tribute confirming the burial had taken place.

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The superstar’s family have not yet released an official statement.

Lainey, 20, wrote on Saturday: “I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words.”

She said she knew the star as “Aunt Granny”, a name that captured the central role Dolly played within her enormous family.

Lainey explained that although Dolly and Carl never had children, she made the younger members of the family feel like they belonged to her.

She added: “She loved us that way and I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

Lainey also said Dolly — who died last Tuesday aged 80 after a brief battle with cancer — helped pay for her beauty school education and encouraged her musical ambitions.

Full funeral details have not been publicly released.

Dolly’s husband of nearly 59 years, Carl, 82, died last year.

An obituary posted by Woodlawn Memorial Park remembered “her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family”.

DUST off those cowboy boots and grab your glitter as fans across the globe wave goodbye to country music sensation Dolly Parton.

The star passed away last week, aged 80, but her legend lives on in the US.

Sophie Swietochowski shares her top Dolly holidays in Nashville, the Great Smoky Mountains and beyond.

SEE WHAT’S NEW IN NASHVILLE

DOLLY got busy in her 80th year and Nashville was her focus, with the star launching a host of new attractions.

The 245-room SongTeller Hotel opens a week on|Monday.

Fans can raise a glass to the country hero in one of two live music venues, Parton’s Live and Jolene’s – try a Dirt Road Martini – Dolly’s favourite.

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On the third floor of the hotel, Dolly’s Life Of Many Colors Museum opens on September 29, with exhibits that explore her writing career and bold fashion choices.

Swing by Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, south of Nashville.

The roadside venue has classic Tennessee barbecue, trucker facilities and a live music venue.

GO: Bon Voyage has a five-night stay at SongTeller Hotel from £1,995pp with flights on September 14. See bon-voyage.co.uk or call 0800 316 0194.

TENNESSEE CHILDHOOD

THIS ticks off two of Dolly’s biggest loves – the great open road and Tennessee.

Start in Nashville, where she made a name for herself as a high school grad, before heading to Jackson and Memphis.

After a stop in Chattanooga, there’s the Great Smoky Mountains and Dolly’s hometown of Sevierville, which has the Pines Theatre where she performed aged ten.

A must is her theme park Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, which has a replica of her childhood home.

GO: A 14-night Tennessee Music Pathway trip costs from £1,995pp including flights and car hire. See americaasyoulikeit.com.

TEXAS MOVIE AND RODEO TRAIL

TENNESSEE may be the legend’s home state, but Texas is where Parton made her big early film hit.

Dolly was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes for her performance as Mona Stangley in The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, above – shot in various locations throughout the Lone Star state.

Start in Austin, where the film premiered, then head to Hallettsville, a quaint Texan town that was used as a backdrop, and end in La Grange, which inspired the movie’s story.

She also performed some of her biggest gigs here, including the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – a must-visit while you’re in town.

GO: A five-night holiday with BA flights to Austin, returning from Dallas plus car hire; three nights at the Hilton Garden Inn Austin and two nights at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Dallas is from £1,875pp. See americaasyoulikeit.com.

COUNTRY MUSIC AND MEMPHIS

THOSE keen to delve into the full musical story of America’s South should set their sights on this bucket-list Tennessee tour.

Alongside the must-visit Dolly destinations of Nashville and Pigeon Forge, you will explore Memphis, home to Elvis’s Graceland and Sun Studio, which has welcomed some of the most famous faces in American musical history.

Chattanooga and the equally legendary recording studio, Muscle Shoals, is also on the list, as is a stay at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa, a proper country-themed hotel with roaring fireplaces and guitars hanging from the wall.

GO: The 14-night trip costs from £3,409pp including flights in November, accommodation and intermediate car hire with insurance.

Free airport lounge pass also included. See northamericatravelservice.com or call 0333 323 9033.

WHERE SINGER USED TO HOLIDAY

WANT to add some sunshine and guaranteed R&R to your break?

Head to Panama City Beach in Florida, a place Dolly said she “always loved” for its white sand and emerald water.

When you’re not kicking back on a sun lounger, try the Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show – founded by Parton herself.

There are sister sites in Pigeon Forge and Myrtle Beach.

The show was co-written by Dolly, too, and it’s a laugh.

The arena has a lagoon and two pirate ships, as well as acrobats performing aerial stunts.

During the show, you gorge on four courses of classic Southern grub.

GO: Seven nights’ room-only at the Holiday Inn Resort Panama City Beach is from £1,089pp, based on four sharing.

Price includes Heathrow return flights, car hire and tickets for Pirates Voyage dinner show. See purelytravel.co.uk or call 0844 80 444 80.

HARPER Beckham shows she has her mother’s expensive taste in fashion.

Her outfit while watching brother Cruz perform at Reading Festival at the weekend was worth about £2,750.

The youngest of the Beckham children, 15, wore a £2,500 Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra necklace underneath her £130 jacket from mum Victoria’s collaboration with Gap.

She finished her look with a pair of £120 Hunter wellies.

Harper is also following in her mother’s footsteps with her own beauty business.

In July, The Sun revealed the teen’s skincare brand, Harlo By Harper, is due to launch next year.

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A trademark application included facial scrubs and body washes, as well as acne treatments, including medicated facial cleansers.

Harper changed her Instagram bio from “Your fav blonde,” to “entrepreneur” last week as she gears up to launch her products.

Victoria said of her daughter: “She came to me with two PowerPoint presentations.

“One about this brand that she wanted to create because she was struggling with her skin.

“She loves products, she loves formulas.

“You know, she’s, she’s even helped me select colours sometimes and I’ve been working on colour palettes.

“I mean, she’s been sitting on my lap taking part in beauty development meetings ever since she was little.

KYLIE Minogue shares some unseen throwback snaps to celebrate Can’t Get You Out Of My Head becoming her first billion-streaming hit.

The pop icon, 58, also told of her pride as the hit surpassed the Spotify milestone 25 years after its release on September 8, 2001.

The video, showing her in outfits including a deeply-plunging white number slashed to both thighs, was a fan favourite.

She wrote: “Thank you to everyone all around the world who has streamed and sang and danced and loved!

“Way before streaming, here I am doing wardrobe and glam tests in preparation for the video.

“Someone tell her she’s hit a billion.”

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The song is currently streamed around 850,000 times per day.

It was the lead single from her acclaimed album, Fever.

The single topped the charts in more than 40 countries with over five million sales globally.

The Aussie may be popping champagne corks but, in an interview with Vogue Australia this week, she said she had reigned in her drinking since her wildest days.

She joins the billion stream club alongside stars including The Weeknd, who tops the chart with 5.5billion streams for hit Blinding Lights.

Ed Sheeran comes a close second with Shape Of You, with 5.1billion.

Earlier this month she said: “I do believe that it has its place in that realm..

“Sonically and visually and at that point in my life, I think, what was I? What, 32? I was settling into myself.”’

It was part of her 21st century comeback after establishing herself with early hits from Stock, Aitken and Waterman and then dance label Deconstruction.

But Can’t Get You . . . was, says Kylie: “Like riding a spaceship.”

IT has been branded “offensive” and its host was once pelted with rotten fruit, but the Miss World contest will be watched by two billion when the 75th anniversary final takes place this week.

And representing England at the 2026 showpiece in Vietnam will be Grace Richardson, who has already won the contest’s talent round and has sailed through to the final event.

One woman who knows what it takes to triumph at the Miss World is former title holder Ann Sidney, who won the 1964 contest representing the United Kingdom.

Now 82, and one of only five Brits to have held the title, she defends the contest against the usual criticisms that it is sexist and out of date.

Ann, who was a 20-year-old hairdresser from Poole in Dorset before entering the competition, tells The Sun: “Miss World was a soft target for protesters. I think people working in TV are more anti-Miss World than the general public.

“When I won, I was in the swimsuit. Now there is an evening gown.

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“I didn’t think twice about wearing a swimsuit. I never felt embarrassed by being in a swimsuit.”

When Ann was named Miss World in 1964, the show’s British TV audience was an extraordinary 27million, which was around half the population at the time.

It catapulted Ann on to the international stage, and she starred in a movie with Mick Jagger, appeared in TV secret agent series The Avengers, entertained US troops in Vietnam with Bob Hope, auditioned for a James Bond film, had a lead role in The Sound Of Music stage show in the West End and met Elvis Presley in Las Vegas.

Miss World, which began as a bikini contest at the Festival of Britain in 1951, provided a jet-set life of five-star hotels, limousines and having the likes of Frank Sinatra fix Ann a drink.

But holding on to that crown required sacrifices and hard work.

The Miss World organisation signed a lucrative deal with a trade body for the wool industry, which meant Ann would be the Ambassadress for Wool for a year.

Her contract had a “morality clause”, which meant she could not have boyfriends and had to be Miss Perfect in terms of her behaviour.

And that was a strain for Ann, as she was in an on-off relationship with a married Bruce Forsyth.

The presenter, who died in 2017 aged 89, was a household name, compering the Sunday Night At The London Palladium variety show, decades before he became known for hosting Strictly Come Dancing.

Ann says: “The situation with Bruce kind of broke my heart. I couldn’t get any bad publicity, I would lose the contract basically and certainly lose any money. They paid me very well.

“It was a very difficult thing for me because I had this man in the background that was wanting to go out with me and to see me, and I knew I had to focus on what I was doing.

“You have to be that perfect woman. I had to be completely single and above and beyond suspicion. No dating whatsoever.”

And that is tricky when lots of men want to boast they have slept with Miss World. Once a footballer even pretended to be from room service just so he could tell his team-mates he had been in Ann’s bedroom.

When other men were too persistent, Ann put them firmly in their place.

She says: “I’m not knocking men, but you’re always going to be a trophy, something a man can boast about.

“You can’t take it seriously. Back then, if somebody got naughty, you said, ‘Stop it, you dirty old man’, you know, ‘Give me a break’. Usually men will go, ‘I’m sorry’. You dealt with those things yourself. I think today we’ve become very offended.”

There were other potential pitfalls. Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner offered Ann $10,000 — around £140,000 in today’s money — to pose naked in his magazine.

Even though he plied her with drink, she turned him down, knowing she would be stripped of her Miss World title if she accepted his offer.

Once her year was up, Ann pursued an acting career, going into repertory theatre to learn the trade in the traditional manner.

She recalls having to overcome the widespread idea that beauty contest winners were “bubble-headed”, with people asking questions about her such as, “Can she learn lines?”.

But she went on to secure a broad range of roles, from the cult 1970 crime film Performance, starring Mick Jagger, to the cosy Seventies sitcom Are You Being Served?.

Since the death in 2019 of her fifth husband, theatre producer Duncan Weldon, she has continued living and working in California.

For other queens over the years, the price of fame was too much.

Britain’s first Miss World, Rosemarie Frankland, had a tragic end. An 18-year-old Marks & Spencer shop worker when she won in 1961, Rosemarie died aged just 57 from a drug overdose in 2000 in a shabby Los Angeles flat.

A 20-year affair with Bob Hope, two broken marriages and a short-lived acting career, which included appearing in The Beatles’ 1964 movie A Hard Day’s Night, is said to have left her depressed.

Our third winner, Leslie Langley in 1965, appeared in Bond film Goldfinger and Doctor Who, then quit showbusiness to be a dental nurse.

Welsh beauty queen Helen Morgan held the title for just four days in 1974, stepping down when it was revealed she was an unmarried mother with an 18-month-old son — somewhat more scandalous in the 1970s — and that a woman intended to name her in a divorce case.

The previous year’s winner, American Marjorie Wallace, was stripped of her title after a fling with singer Tom Jones.

In 1980, German Gabriella Brum quit after 18 hours when adult images emerged.

The last Brit to win was Sarah-Jane Hutt in 1983. Since then attitudes have softened over the years. Miss UK Nicola Willoughby was allowed to stay in the competition in 1999, even though topless photos were published.

Last year Miss England, Milla Magee, quit the show because she felt it treated her “like a prostitute”.

Now this year’s Miss England, 21-year-old Grace — a performing arts graduate from Leicestershire — is in a strong position to take the crown and sash in Vietnam.

The first openly gay Miss England, who has revealed that she was cruelly bullied over her appearance at school, was set to perform a ballet dance in the talent round, but broke her foot just a week after entering the event.

Luckily she had a back-up talent and secured her place among the Top 40 quarter-finalists by wowing judges with her rendition of the song Never Enough, from the 2017 film The Greatest Showman.

These days, it seems, talent and brains are as important as looks in the Miss World contest, and you will find biochemists and world-class dancers among the women strutting their stuff at the finals.

Since contest founder Eric Morley died in 2000 it has been run by his widow Julia, 86, who has introduced the concept of Beauty With A Purpose — an ideal which means the pageant has raised more than a billion pounds for charity.

It could be seen as a response to critics, who have blasted the pageant on feminist grounds.

One such protest against it came in 1970 when Women’s Liberation activists threw flour bombs at host Bob Hope. BBC One controller Michael Grade removed Miss World from the channel in 1984, claiming it was “verging on the offensive”. It is now available on YouTube.

But former winner Ann thinks it is time to bring back the show, which is still broadcast in more than 180 countries, to British terrestrial television.

Ann, who is still working in Hollywood, says: “Miss World has its critics, but I would do it again tomorrow.

“It was a great stepping stone for me. I travelled the world five times in a year. I met incredible people.”

WINNING WAS JUST THE BEST

By Jamie Pyatt, The Sun’s former Miss World Correspondent

FROM judges storming out of press conferences to the countries who have won it back-to-back, here are ten facts about Miss World . . . 

• Soccer legend George Best was said to have bedded seven Miss World winners, including the US’s Marjorie Wallace in 1973 and Swede Mary Stavin in 1977. But he said in his autobiography: “It was only four. I didn’t turn up for the other three!”
• More than a million women apply every year to take part in the hope of becoming one of the 108 contestants and winning the $1million first prize.
• Miss World is the most watched annual TV event, with more than two billion viewers in 180 countries. In the UK it fell out of favour in the 1980s as feminists claimed it degraded women. Indeed, guests arriving for the 2002 event at London’s Alexandra Palace, including this correspondent, were pelted with human poo.
• The 11 Miss World finalists who have appeared in James Bond movies include the US’s Halle Berry (Die Another Day), Malaysia’s Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies) and the UK’s Carolyn Seaward (Octopussy).
• The UK is one of only three countries to have won Miss World back-to-back – with Sweden in 1951 and 1952, English roses Ann Sidney and Lesley Langley in 1964 and 1965 and India in 1999 and 2000. The last UK contestant to win was Sarah-Jane Hutt in 1983.
• Judges for Miss World have included Sir Bruce Forsyth, Sir Richard Branson, Shirley Bassey, Piers Morgan and Jerry Hall, who famously stormed out of a press conference at Sun City resort in South Africa in 1992. It happened when I asked if she had any comment on her then husband Mick Jagger allegedly being caught cheating on her, after she had warned such a question was “out of bounds”. But it gave me a front-page story and Miss World a great publicity boost!
•  The Miss World crown is the fourth since the contest began and is worth £100,000. It belongs to the Miss World Organisation but each winner gets a replica when she passes her crown to the following year’s winner.
• In 2002 The Sun helped to evacuate more than 80 beauty queens from Nigeria to the UK as riots over the “offensive” contest led to more than 250 deaths. The contest was rescheduled for London.
• The current Miss World is Miss Thailand, Suchata Chuangsri, 22, who is the first Thai to win the contest.
• Final word to George Best, who famously said: “If you’d given me the choice of beating four men and smashing a goal in from 30 yards or going to bed with Miss World, it would have been a difficult choice. Luckily, I had both!”

FIVE fantastic Spanish holiday resorts have topped a list of our favourite holiday destinations this summer.

Online travel giant LoveHolidays studied the reviews from thousands of customers who have travelled since the schools broke up.

Families were asked to rate their hotels out of five across seven key criteria: holiday experience, location, service, value for money, cleanliness, facilities and food and drink.

The Costa Dorada resort of Cambrils took the top spot with a score of 4.55 out of five, followed by Santa Ponsa in Majorca; Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote; Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria and Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.

“Families have a shortlist of destinations they know and trust,” says Al Murray from loveholidays.

“But our ranking shows some of the strongest hotel experiences are happening in resort towns people might be less familiar with.

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“That’s why the customer reviews we’re now sharing on our hotel listings are so useful. They give people access to real-time feedback from other LoveHolidays travellers, making the all-important decisions of where to go and which hotel to pick that bit easier.”

Here, we’ve dug into the details as to why each destination scored so highly – and there’s a great deal for each one so you can try yourself this autumn.

Cambrils, Costa Dorada

This former fishing village has a strong reputation for seafood and Catalan cuisine so it’s no surprise it scored well for food and drink, earning an average of 4.53 from guests.

Families were also impressed with the location of hotels in the area, with a score of 4.76, and service, at 4.63.

Seven nights’ B&B at the 3* H10 Cambrils Playa is from £279pp including flights from Luton on October 17.

Santa Ponsa, Majorca

Families gave hotels in the town 4.51 and scored the destination high for holiday experience (4.61) and location (4.78) thanks to its sheltered bay, walkable seafront and easy access to Palma.

Seven nights’ self-catering at the 3* Residence Mallorca Portofino by Pierre et Vacances is from £179pp including Stansted flights on October 15.

Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote

The resort’s mix of beaches, marina and seafront restaurants scored highly at 4.41 with hotels in the town rated well on location (4.56), holiday experience (4.53) and service (4.51).

Seven nights’ self-catering at the 3* Hyde Park Lane is from £219pp including flights from Southend on December 2.

Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria

With an overall score of 4.40, hotels here stood out for food and drink, earning the highest score at 4.75, reflecting its growing reputation for quality dining.

Seven nights’ self-catering at the 3* Holiday Club Puerto Calma is from £189pp including Stansted flights on September 16.

Fuengirola, Costa del Sol

Fuengirola scored 4.34 and hotels were rated well across the board, with strong numbers for holiday experience (4.34), cleanliness (4.60) and location (4.46).

Seven nights’ room-only at the 3* Ilunion Miramar is from £179p including flights from Luton on October 27.

Prices may not include luggage or transfers. See loveholidays.com.

I’M walking down the M1 in my flip flops, the trilling of birdsong above me as a cheeky monkey throws fruit skins from the trees.

The only motors on this brick-lined path winding through the jungle of the Rayavadee Resort in Krabi are those powering the sunset chorus.

And while the bright lights of Thailand’s big cities may mean chaotic tuk tuks, the only traffic jam I see is a family of spectacled langur monkeys running from one tree to another before scampering across the beachfront.

“It’s 5pm, it’s their home time,” a staff member tells me. In the slow lane is the water monitor lizard, lazily crossing the path before slinking into the pond to cool down.

This beautiful resort in the heart of Krabi’s Phra Nang Peninsula on the border of the marine national park delivers laid-back luxury with not one but three stunning beaches lapped by the warm waters of the Andaman Sea.

My home off the M1 pathway was a circular, two-storey, dome-roofed wooden pavilion designed to echo the unique rounded cliff rock formations that pepper the surrounding landscapes.

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Downstairs, there’s a living room with plush seating and garden views.

Up an open, spiral staircase is the spacious bedroom, with the pavilion’s curved glass windows welcoming the jungle indoors.

Those naughty monkeys are just as keen on the luxury digs — make sure to keep your terrace doors locked otherwise you might have a visitor raiding your minibar.

And as tempting as it would be to simply pull up a lounger on one of the three stunning beaches it sits on — Railay West, Phra Nang and Nam Mao — part of the hotel’s ethos is to get you out there and interacting with the local community.

We set off bright and early in a truly unique transfer — a giant sea tractor to counteract the challenges of the low tide.

I hung on for dear life in the metal carriage contraption the tractor pulls along, before swapping to a longboat for part two of the journey as the savvy captain manoeuvred along narrow channels.

I’d survived, jelly-legged, but not for long.

A short drive away were the waterfalls of Khao Phanom Bencha National Park, a primary filming location for Jurassic World: Rebirth featuring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey.

Our guide warned us it was a “bit of a challenge” to get there.

And, just like Thai people have a different definition of “spicy” compared to us Brits, what they call a slight challenge is an understatement.

I clambered up what felt like sheer rock faces, stretching my knees almost to my ears as I attempted to reach the summit. But it was worth it.

The steep path cleared and ahead was a beautiful, crashing waterfall and lagoon surrounded by trees.

I threw off my sweat-soaked T-shirt and slid into the pool (water monitor lizard style) to cool off in the 30C heat.

My only disappointment was the lack of Jonathan Bailey in it. No matter.

My afternoon took me to Klong Root, a haven for kayakers.

Paddling through mirror waters, the shade of the mangrove trees was welcome, with the splashing of my oars being the only sound.

This was followed by a local cooking class in the rural community Baan Nong Talay, the pounding of the chilli plant making my eyes water from the heat.

But the delights of the Rayavadee Resort were calling and I made it back in time to grab a table at the most sought-after spot to watch the sunset, The Grotto, nestled on the edge of Phra Nang Beach.

As a riot of bright pink and orange burst across the skyline, my lychee martini went down just as easily as the sun before a meal of freshly grilled steak and Andaman lobster straight off the coals.

After the luxe lifestyle at Rayavadee I was not ready to take on the buzzing streets of Bangkok after our flight there.

Bang Kachao is just 45 minutes from the centre but couldn’t be a bigger contrast.

This lush green oasis where the Chao Phraya River bends in a sharp U-turn is known as Bangkok’s “Green Lung”.

For just £1 you can rent a bike to cycle along the forest paths — the perfect pause before a whirlwind 24 hours in the most happening city neighbourhoods.

I braved the crowds of Song Wat — named one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods — for copious amounts of coffee, photobooth snaps and funky souvenirs.

I mooched over to the historical Talat Noi, where honking scooters screeched past while I browsed local street art, devoured tiny coconut pancakes for 20p and Chang beers for £1.80.

I filled my bag with local Thai designer clothes in Siam before a late-night massage for a quarter of the price of in the UK.

My days of relaxation threatening to be forgotten about, the beautiful Park Hyatt welcomed me with air-conditioned arms.

It came in the form of rooftop infinity pools, rooms with just-as-amazing views from the floor-to-ceiling windows, and one of the best breakfast buffets I’ve ever had.

Fresh pork congee, mango sticky rice and Thai tea waffles — I’d be coming back with more weight than just my suitcase.

But after some of the best food, people and sunsets of my life? Who could be Krabi about that . . . 

IT’S half nine at night on the summer solstice.

The light is doing the golden hour thing it only does in June, and my four-year-old is scattering dragonflies as she launches herself into the cold water.

“Can we go in the ‘cold pool’ again?” she asks the next morning. Again. She has asked roughly 200 times this week.

The pool in question is the natural swim pond at Tanylan Farm, on the coast road between Ferryside and Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire.

We stayed in Ty Llo (Calf House), one of a handful of holiday barns on site — and the pool was the single best thing that has ever happened to my daughter.

Rain or shine, morning or night, she was in it.

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There was a sauna next to it for the grown-ups, a private hot tub outside our holiday cottage, and the beach was 400 yards down the lane.

My wife and I, our daughter and baby son had travelled by train to Swansea then picked up a hire car and made our way to Carmarthenshire — that bit of Wales everyone drives past on the way to Pembrokeshire. Their loss.

On day one, the sun was out so we visited Pembrey Country Park — 500 acres of woodland backing on to Cefn Sidan, an eight-mile stretch of sand that was the first beach in Wales to win a Blue Flag.

The sand is absurdly fine and the water so shallow that by mid- afternoon it had warmed up like a paddling pool.

For small children, it is close to perfect.

The park itself is the showstopper, though.

There’s a dry ski slope, a toboggan run, crazy golf, a pirate adventure playground and miles of flat, traffic-free cycling on rental bikes.

We arrived planning to stay two hours and left after seven.

Next day, the National Botanic Garden of Wales, just over half an hour’s drive from the farm, was one of the most relaxing family days out we’ve ever done.

Monty Python fame

Think Eden Project but at a size you can easily get round with a buggy and a pre-schooler.

The Great Glasshouse, packed with plants of six Mediterranean climates, sits in the landscape like a dropped raindrop.

We ate our picnic sandwiches in the “Canary Islands”, with the smell of cedar and lavender.

Outside is 568 acres of restored Regency parkland, lakes, waterfalls — and a Gruffalo trail themed on the kids’ book character.

Kidwelly Castle, of Monty Python movie fame, is a 20-minute drive away.

“Let’s climb to the top, Daddy,” my daughter begged. So we did — and the views over the Gwendraeth estuary are worth the effort.

From on high, I told my princess-obsessed daughter about a real one, Gwenllian, who rode out from this castle to lead an army into battle against the Normans.

I left out how it ended (head lopped off) and she was suitably impressed.

Our final stop was the British Bird of Prey Centre which recently moved to a purpose-built site at Idole, near Carmarthen, after years at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

It flies golden eagles, red kites, owls and peregrines, with three shows a day and an indoor arena for when the Welsh rain sets in.

We did get four days of rain but it barely affected our week’s getaway.

There was always a glasshouse, a castle, an indoor flying arena — or that cold pool.

We’ll be going back for more — she’s already asked.

SWIMMING through the pleasingly warm water, my bright-pink tow float streaming behind me and a family of ducks paddling in front of me, I glance up at the sky as two herons fly over in perfectly synchronised formation. This is my kind of wild swimming.

I’m taking a dip in the 11-acre lake at Watersedge, a wellness retreat in the countryside near Pershore, 25 minutes south-east of Worcester.

My swim session, £10.50, is really friendly and well-organised – with swimmers wearing ID wristbands, bright hats and tow floats, and three lifeguards on boards and canoes in the water with us as we swim one of the 750m, 300m and 150m loops.

Groups breaststroke and chat their way round, while others front-crawl impressively quickly, but there’s a sense of community among everyone.

Hut stuff

Later, I wander across to the Wild Spa, where there are three different temperatures of wood-fired sauna, plus two small hot tubs.

To cool down, there’s an ice cabin, cold-water bucket and, of course, the lake itself. One-hour sessions cost £18.

We’re staying in The Den, Watersedge’s largest lakeside lodge.

The light, airy space has three double bedrooms, two with French doors overlooking the water, two bathrooms, and an outside space with a hot tub, barbecue and fire pit.

Once the final swimmers have left for the evening, it’s a haven of calm, and is equipped with everything you need for a cosy night in – a large, squishy corner sofa, huge TV, a stack of board games and a wood-burner for cooler evenings.

The swish kitchen comes with a L’Or coffee machine, induction hob and cute banquette eating area.

But, as it’s a lovely evening, my partner Steve and I make the 20-minute walk into the village of Bishampton to Ounce at The Dolphin for its Thursday-night Chateau Club, which offers a 16oz fillet chateaubriand for just £20 a person.

Steve declares the perfectly cooked steak to be in the top three he’s ever eaten, and we wash it down with blackberry-rich malbec, £8.40 a glass (Ouncebar.co.uk).

What’s sup?

Come morning, there are plenty of farm shops close by, but we’ve booked a breakfast hamper, £50 for six people, full of refreshing juices, juicy sausages and bacon to save heading out.

After our fry-up, we try standup paddleboarding (SUP), £20 per person.

The lake is shallow around its edges, so getting back on the board if you fall off (which I do, with a huge splash!) is fairly straightforward.

Soon we’re paddling around like pros, though our arms definitely get a workout when the breeze picks up and we have to navigate our way back to the jetty.

Keen to stretch out our achy muscles, we join a packed Pilates class, £12.50, in the beautiful studio that juts out over the lake.

Instructor Alex puts us through our paces and we promise ourselves we’ll try the fun-looking bungee fitness class next time.

But for now, I’ve earned a treat – and that’s exactly what I get, thanks to wellness therapist Jen’s blissful 45-minute full-body, hot-stone massage, from £50.

Rested and restored, we gaze across the water one last time from our sunloungers on the lake’s small beach area.

Spotting one of the herons, we find ourselves wishing we too could make our home close to this special place.

HOW does quad-biking through the wild Sahara desert sound, or dolphin-spotting at sunset?

Or perhaps you are more of a lavish spa dweller, who dreams of whiling away your holiday hours on a massage bed being gently pummelled by hot stones?

In the millionaire’s playground of El Gouna, you can do all this and more.

And best of all, here you can live the champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget.

El Gouna, around 25 miles from Egypt’s Hurghada airport, literally translates as The Lagoon — and it’s not hard to see why.

The luxury town is made up of 36 islands with more than six miles of scenic coastline and lagoons interwoven throughout.

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SHELL YEAH

Inside the Norfolk hotel famous for oyster festival and GIANT seafood platter

There’s so much water surrounding the gorgeous hotels that some visitors have even compared it to the Maldives.

But it’s much more vast and far less isolated.

With four marinas, over 100 shops and restaurants, two championship golf courses and 18 international hotel resorts and chains, it’s impossible to get bored here.

And the town is still expanding at a rapid rate.

El Gouna only came into existence in the 1980s when billionaire entrepreneur Samih Sawiris decided to transform what was then just a vast area of desert into an area his family and friends could enjoy.

Fast-forward to today and the peaceful spot is the perfect winter sun escape for Brits.

It’s just a short five-hour or so flight from the UK and even in January, temperatures hit 23C.

El Gouna, just a 30-minute drive from Hurghada and with security checks at the town’s few entrances, is also one of the safest destinations in Egypt for tourists.

Entry is only granted for hotel guests, staff and visitors with dinner reservations, so you can stroll back to your hotel in safety.

You can take your pick of luxury hotels within the gates — although the highlight for me was The Chedi.

This 5* luxury resort has its own private beach, luxurious spa and multiple restaurants — including Japanese eatery, Nihon — among its 82 suites and rooms.

A short walk from the lobby will take you to various idyllic sunbathing spots, with the beach just steps away from the pools.

And if you get restless on a sunbed, The Chedi has paddleboards and kayaks for guests to take into the Red Sea, as well as fun beach games like volleyball.

The luxurious rooms come with an affordable price tag compared to similar 5* hotels in Europe, if you’d rather save those pennies to splurge on excursions, check in to the 4* Cook’s Club instead.

While it doesn’t quite match The Chedi in terms of room size, it certainly has the monopoly on water space with a huge pool and beach area offering direct access to its own private lagoon.

Regular live music poolside caters for the younger crowd of 18 to 30-somethings, but if you prefer an even livelier atmosphere, El Gouna’s town centre is right on your doorstep.

The hotel’s hearty breakfast buffet — which includes an omelette station — has enough grub to soak up any hangover, plus the baristas here can whip up an excellent brew.

But it’s well worth pottering into town when you get the chance.

The newest restaurant, La Botanica, has a farm-to-table concept serving elegant dishes of beef carpaccio and lobster.

If it’s the wow factor you’re after though, head to The Steigenberger Tower where you can soak up 360-degree views of the resort.

Everything looks especially gorgeous at sunset.

And when you’re not indulging in fancy food or a five-star massage, the list of action-packed activities are endless.

Alex Safaris does an incredible quad-biking excursion that will send you hurtling over dunes to a traditional Bedouin camp.

Here, visitors can dabble in shisha and other traditional experiences.

And if you’ve always dreamed of spotting wild dolphins, they’re in abundance here and you’ll be spoilt for choice with boat tours.

Apparently, El Gouna’s unofficial motto is: “You’ll never want to leave.”

And with such affordable prices and so much to see and do, I can’t help but agree.

DURING the school holidays I am a fan of making life as easy as possible.

So teaching my children to cook seems a major win, especially when it doubles as a fun day out.

I took my sons Henry and Nicholas, to a brilliant kids’ pasta making class at the Jamie Oliver Cookery School.

There are two London locations offering lessons for all ages and abilities, including joint parent-kid sessions – perfect for the summer break or weekends.

Our class was inside John Lewis’ flagship department store on Oxford Street, in a big, bright teaching kitchen.

Our instructor was Holly, who studied at culinary school, has written cookbooks and worked as a private chef.

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Holly explained what was on the menu and took us through the first part of the process – making our pasta dough.

It’s a great one for kids as the mixing and kneading allows them to get stuck in.

Standing in the flash kitchen with our ingredients laid out before us made us feel like we were on a cookery show.

The task does involve some skill, but no real prior expertise or fiddly equipment or techniques.

Holly and her assistant chef Robin circled the room and helped when needed, but gave the young cooks plenty of space to learn and explore for themselves.

Then, as our glistening, golden balls of dough ‘rested’ on our work benches, Holly brought everyone back together to explain how to whip up a quick tomato, basil and garlic sauce.

It was a new one on me, too, as I didn’t know you could make a delicious pasta dressing with just raw tomatoes and a grater – no cooking or chopping needed.

Then, while our sauce marinated, it was on to the rolling.

The kids loved it, and got the hang of the technique instantly, using the machine to gradually fashion a thinner and thinner dough.

Holly then showed the class how to use cutting tools to fashion tagliatelle, angel hair and farfalle (or ‘bow-tie pasta’, as we call them in our house).

The kids worked with care and precision to get their shapes spot-on and were delighted to see their tagliatelle appear like magic from the machine.

It was almost like grown-up Play-Doh!

The final step was to boil the pasta before stirring it into the pre-prepared sauce.

Clutching their steaming bowls of lovingly made pasta, the class wandered to the trestle tables in the cookery school’s dining room to enjoy lunch with lashings of grated parmesan.

Verdict from all the children: Delicious.

And for parents, what better way to spend a school holiday morning?

The only drawback for me has been that I am now being nagged to buy a pasta machine!

If you’re not a big fan of pasta, there are also classes in meatball-making,

Mexican street food, sushi, ravioli, Thai green curry and bread.

At this rate, I won’t have to worry about cooking in the holidays ever again.

That seems like money well spent to me.

WHAT if there were a destination as beautiful as Santorini or Mykonos without the crowds and sky-high prices?

Whisper it, but the tiny butterfly-shaped Aegean island of Astypalea could be Greece’s best-kept secret.

It has white-walled, blue-domed churches, idyllic beaches with turquoise coves and spectacular sunsets that paint the sky in shades of gold, pink and orange.

Chora, the capital, is perched on a conical hilltop overlooking the bay.

At the top sits a Venetian castle, surrounded by sugar cube houses which cascade down the hillside.

Its eight red-roofed windmills evoke the vibe of Mykonos.

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SANDS GREAT

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Yet, unlike its more popular neighbours, you’ll find yourself admiring the views in blissful peace.

And you can enjoy a trip around the historic citadel and a seafood dinner on the coast for less than the price of a cocktail on the more popular islands.

We took a British Airways flight to Kos before catching a ferry, which whisked us to Astypalea in under two hours.

The best way to arrive on any Greek island is by sea and our first close-up glimpse of this one left us spellbound.

As it emerged from the shimmering sea, it instantly rekindled awe-inspiring memories of our first visit to Santorini on our honeymoon, more than four decades ago — before the crowds arrived.

Which is probably why you shouldn’t leave it too long before you visit Astypalea.

It’s cheap and easy to get around, and with no giant cruise ship crowds pouring on to the streets, sometimes it feels like you have the place to yourself.

We stayed at the Arhitektoniki studios, which cling to the side of a cliff a short drive from Chora.

The well-equipped rooms combine traditional island charm and simplicity with a luxurious modern touch.

There’s a kidney-shaped swimming pool and a sun terrace overlooking the bay with spectacular views of the citadel.

It’s a pleasant ten-minute walk from here to Livadi beach, with a row of lively beach restaurants, bars and shops.

Astypalea has become a model for sustainability after the municipality and the Greek government teamed up with Volkswagen to develop a unique climate-neutral transport system.

All the hire cars are electric and there are charging points everywhere. All power comes from solar and wind generation.

If you don’t want to drive, just use the Astymove app to book an Astybus — an on-demand electric minibus service which will pick you up within 15 minutes and take you to your destination for just three euros.

It’s not just the transport that’s eco-Greco, the restaurants are, too.

We were served a delicious meal at Ducato di Astypalea, which ensures all its ingredients are sustainably sourced and prices remain refreshingly reasonable.

Be sure to try the delicious Asty pasta. At Aiolos Pizza we enjoyed the thick, homemade spaghetti, incorporated into the island’s cuisine when it was part of Mussolini’s Mediterranean empire. It’s best eaten with rosto — slow-cooked pork or lamb.

There’s no better way to work off lunch than meandering through Chora’s narrow, stone-stepped streets towards the castle to enjoy the view from the top.

Close by is the blue-domed church of Panagia Portaitissa, built in 1762 and the spiritual centre of the island.

Maltezana, named after the Maltese pirates who once wreaked havoc here, is just five miles from Chora — ideal for a day trip.

It features a beautiful sandy beach, some fine fish tavernas and some recently excavated Roman baths.

It’s also worth a trip to Vathi on the northeastern side of the island.

Close by is the Cave of Drakos, which is adorned with stalactites and stalagmites of many colours and was once used by marauding pirates to hide their treasure.

If two weeks of peace and quiet are too much, you can easily hop to a more lively island for a contrast.

We opted for Naxos, the largest island of the Cyclades, four hours away by ferry.

The first thing you see as you dock is the Portara — a colossal marble doorway which is all that is left of the Temple to Apollo, built in 530BC.

The seafront bustles with restaurants and shops and has a vibrant nightlife.

The best place to stay is on the south side of Naxos town.

Princess Mare Hotel is less than a two-minute walk from sandy St George’s beach and barely ten minutes to the seafront restaurants and ferry terminal.

Naxos is famed for its marble and many famous artworks and buildings — including parts of the Acropolis in Athens — are made from it.

Try exploring one or two picture-postcard mountain villages.

Aperathos and Chalki have pretty shops to explore and tavernas with spectacular views.

Naxos Bus Transfer does a full-day island highlights tour, which includes a stop for lunch.

It also takes in the statue of Apollo — though modern historians argue it is Dionysus — at Kouros.

It is 35ft long, weighs 80 tons and hasn’t moved in 2,000 years, either because it was too heavy or somebody didn’t pay the bill.

It’s only a two-minute drive from here to Apollonas beach, ideal for a swim or to relax in one of the shaded beach tavernas.

Before you leave Naxos town, be sure to explore the streets leading up to the 13th-century castle.

It’s a beautiful, labyrinth-like maze of historic, cobblestone and marble-paved alleys originally designed to confuse invading pirates.

As well as blooming bougainvillea, stray cats, art galleries, boutiques and tiny, centuries-old stone chapels, there’s a little museum at the top with a lovely rooftop bar.

After cramming so much into our three days in Naxos, it was good to return to the slower pace of life in our newfound hideaway, Astypalea

But secrets such as this rarely stay hidden forever. So whatever you do, don’t tell too many people . . . 

EUROPEAN city breaks can easily break the bank.

One museum, two cups of coffee and a short taxi ride in Paris or Rome can have your banking app in the red before you have even considered lunch.

But, in Bulgaria’s capital, the grandest sight has a golden dome and a whole day on public transport costs a startlingly low £1.70.

Say “dobŭr den” (good day in the local lingo) to Sofia, a leafy, lively city, which is a brilliant value getaway still slipping under too many Brits’ radar.

I have been all over Europe, the US and the Gulf states and yet when it comes to the deal of the century, there is one country that stands head and shoulders above the rest — and that’s budget-friendly Bulgaria.

For proof, the latest Eurostat data showed Bulgaria has the lowest overall consumer prices in the EU, with hotels and restaurants around 48 per cent below the average.

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In short, Sofia is a city where your holiday money can stretch almost as far as the eye can see.

Do not mistake the price tag for a lack of star power, though.

The mighty Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, all green copper and glittering gold, has that wow factor.

From there, you can stroll past grand old buildings, pavement cafes and Vitosha Boulevard, which stretches toward the mountain of the same name, rising in the distance like a blockbuster backdrop.

I checked into the magnificent Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia — a luxurious 5* retreat with 400 rooms and apartments, plus an amazing spa centre, gym and four themed restaurants and a one-of-a-kind Sky Bar, overlooking the city.

All that luxury would set you back upwards of £300 in one of Europe’s big-hitting capitals like Paris. But this was less than half that cost.

As part of the hotel complex, there is also a casino, the Palms Royale, which offers classic games such as roulette, poker, blackjack and modern slot machines as well as its own 24-hour restaurant and an upmarket Asian eatery.

Casino owner Milo Borissov, who is keen to welcome more British visitors, tells me: “We attract customers from Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

“Over half are weekend tourists who come specifically for the high-class service and games that the casino offers, combined with the restaurants, and the modern hotel accommodation.”

If you are out of luck at the casino, all is not lost, for Bulgaria also has some of the lowest prices in Europe for public transport, clothing, food, alcohol (you can still find a beer for about £1.50) and tobacco.

So where should you head first? St Petka of the Saddlers is a tiny, single-nave church partly sunk into the ground beside the bigger city sights.

It is so modest you could almost miss it, but make sure you don’t.

Standing on the site of an earlier Roman religious building, it preserves murals from several centuries. Duck inside and you can swap traffic noise for candlelit calm in seconds.

After this, head towards the former Central Mineral Baths.

Bring a reusable bottle: a restored marble fountain by the baths delivers warm mineral water from the city’s historic springs.

It is the sort of pleasingly simple freebie that makes you feel you have joined the locals, not just ticked off a landmark.

For another bit of time travel, go down to the Serdika area and take a lingering look around.

Roman-era Sofia is not sealed behind a museum door here — archaeological remains including excavated streets and ancient basilicas are right in the heart of town.

The cleverest hidden stop, though, is the Eighties-style Red Flat, on Ivan Denkoglu Street.

This is not a dusty museum. It is an interactive, four-room apartment that lets visitors touch, poke about and listen their way through the everyday life of a Bulgarian family in the Communist era. It’s an educational eye-opener.

For lunch, skip the obvious international chains and go on a mini food crawl.

Browse the Women’s Market for colourful stalls of fruit and veg plus ceramics and souvenirs, then seek out a Bulgarian cafe for home-cooked delicacies, such as banistra (cheese pastry) and kyufte (spiced, grilled minced meat rolls).

Then finish off your day with a glass of local wine or coffee in one of the side streets.

In fact, why not stretch to two? With prices this low, you’d be mad not to.

MODEL Kaia Gerber serves up a fashion treat at the US Open in New York.

The beauty, 24, looked fab in shades and a black dress at a Roger Federer exhibition tennis match.

Kaia, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford, watched with Homer Gere, 26, above, her co-star in TV thriller The Shards.

His actor dad Richard Gere dated Kaia’s mum in the 1990s.

Now that’s two great matches.

Kaia, who stars in the new FX series The Shards recently claimed she was possessed as a child before undergoing an exorcism.

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She told The Mitch Churi Chat Show podcast: “I do feel as though I attract beings from the other dimension, in a very casual and chill way.”

The star then revealed the bizarre way in which the ancient ritual was performed.

“They played a didgeridoo all over me.

“That’s how they did the exorcism,” Kaia revealed.

“I’ve never talked about it, but it actually did happen.

“I’m all healed.”

JAY-Z and Beyonce have returned to the Cotswolds just months after calling off a permanent move to the celebrity hotspot.

I’m told the power couple are back in the idylic region ahead of his two huge concerts at the Tottenham Stadium next week.

And while they will be staying in the Cotswolds during their short stay in the UK, my music insiders have told me Jay-Z has locked down a huge music space in East London for his rehearsals.

No expense is being spared, with Jay chartering a helicopter to fly him to and fro every day.

A source said: “It’s like the circus has come to town now Jay-Z and Beyonce have arrived.

“They’re staying on an estate in the Cotswolds but Jay is rehearsing in London.

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“The set-up is massive.

“They’ve taken over a whole unit and have blocked off a car park so Jay’s helicopter can land on the site.

“Yesterday morning there were almost 30 box vans with his crew and dancers arriving on the site.

“Loads of precautions have been put in place to make sure he has total privacy.

“The walk from the helicopter landing site to the entrance Jay is using is only about 30 yards, but there is a van on standby to drive him.

“He likes to have his sets totally locked down and this one is no exception.

“The shows at Tottenham are going to be a real spectacle and Jay will be in rehearsals with his team for the next ten days to make sure everything is perfect.”

Jay-Z will take to the stage on September 4 and 5, his only dates in the UK this year.

He is celebrating two major milestones with the performances — the 30th anniversary of his debut album Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of his critically acclaimed sixth record, The Blueprint.

Beyonce will be marking her birthday at the first show next Friday, along with the 20th anniversary of her album B’Day.

So I won’t be surprised if she pops up on stage too.

Adela’s Sombr moment

Sombr was joined by special guest Adela to make his grand entrance at Belgium’s Pukkelpop Festival.

They posed for this snap before cameras captured them driving backstage and then making their way to the main stage.

It has become a staple of the American singer’s festival shows to be joined by a “walk-up girl”, with Zara Larsson accompanying him earlier this month.

They are both having huge years, with Sombr still riding high on the success of his hits including Homewrecker, 12 To 12 and Back To Friends.

Meanwhile, pink-haired Adela has just scored a Top 40 hit with Ain’t In LA and will release her debut album Prima on September 4.

Kooks warm up Cruz

Cruz Beckham slotted in a cheeky warm-up ahead of his debut at Reading and Leeds, where he will perform with band The Breakers this weekend.

He joined The Kooks at Rock N Roll Circus Norwich on Saturday as the group marked the 20th anniversary of their killer debut album, Inside In/Inside Out.

Cruz, whose new EP Wear & Tear came out on Friday, surprised fans by coming on stage for a rendition of one of my favourite Kooks tracks, Jackie Big T*ts.

Pussyhat Doll

Nicole Scherzinger enjoyed her last days of peace by taking it easy in Hawaii.

She chilled out ahead of a 16-hour flight to the UK this week, where she will get cracking on Pussycat Dolls rehearsals.

Nicole posed in a lei po’o – the traditional term for a flower crown – as she relaxed at a hotel on the island.

She’s about to do a hell of a lot of dancing when the group’s European tour kicks off in Copenhagen in a fortnight.

Confirming preparations, Ashley Roberts, who is in the current line-up with Nicole and Kimberly Wyatt, wrote on Instagram: “Back to rehearsals with my dolls this week.”

Louis a soprano wise guy

Louis Walsh steered some of the world’s biggest pop acts – but now has his sights set on opera.

The former Boyzone and Westlife manager has jumped on board to guide the career of vocal powerhouse Claudia Boyle.

The Irish soprano was shocked that the one-time X Factor judge came knocking and she said: “I never really watched The X Factor, but of course I knew who Louis was. Who doesn’t? This is a new thing for me.”

With Louis’ showbiz connections, I am sure Claudia will break into the mainstream in no time.

Jordan help for Jade split

Jordan Stephens is getting a helping hand after splitting from Jade Thirlwall – by doing a one-day workshop on “healing through relationships”.

The Rizzle Kicks singer revealed he went on a £175 course with therapist Donna Lancaster, which is aimed at stopping people “repeating the same old negative cycles”.

A blurb on the website says it helps people “understand why you might struggle with certain relationships and offer resources as to how to heal and connect in new healthier ways”.

And it sounds like it’s done wonders.

In a testimonial on the website, Jordan, who has split with the former Little Mix singer after six years, said: “Within 20 minutes of Donna’s relationship workshop, I was spun into awareness seemingly without a choice.

“I left with a sense of understanding and promise.

“I would recommend it to literally everyone.”

Good for him.

Ozzy gig film for Crimbo

A documentary film on Ozzy Osbourne’s last live performance will finally be released in December, nearly 18 months after it happened.

The project centred around the Back To The Beginning show at Villa Park in Birmingham had been slated for release at the beginning of this year.

But the late rocker’s wife Sharon pushed it back as she was finding the editing process difficult.

I am now told the documentary is finished and will be on screens by Christmas.

“It’s going to be a great Christmas gift for fans of Ozzy and Black Sabbath,” my mole explained.

“The film is looking really good and features so many moving moments of Ozzy interacting with his friends and performers.

“It moves around from footage of the gig to artists backstage. It is very powerful because it captures Ozzy’s final moments in the limelight.”

Following the release of the film, Sharon will be looking ahead to Ozzfest next summer.

The rock festival, started by Sharon and Ozzy in 1996, will return to Villa Park.

Charli lake break

Charli XCX looks ready to soak up the sunshine in this bikini during her first holiday for years.

She’s jetted off to Lake Como in Italy with husband George Daniel, drummer with The 1975.

Also there are pals including filmmaker Aidan Zamiri, who she has jokingly referred to as her second husband after they bonded while making mockumentary film The Moment. Charli said on X: “I feel like I haven’t stopped for three years.”

She shared pics of the group on a speedboat, with the caption: “A girl on a lake with her friends and her husbands!”

Charli is back on stage this weekend at Reading and Leeds festivals, and is then set to announce the UK leg of her Music, Fashion, Film tour.

Gotta get a move Ron

Ronnie Wood was forced to rush through his set after the venue threatened to pull the plug.

The Rolling Stones guitarist spent too long on stage at North London’s Kentish Town Forum on Friday, so organisers warned they’d shut him down if he didn’t hurry up.

Ronnie, who was performing songs from throughout his career with the help of Irish singer Imelda May, moaned: “We’ve got to move on or they’re gonna cut the power.”

He then steamed through a series of tracks, including Faces hit Stay With Me and Stones rarity Country Honk, so he could finish the set in time.

Despite the faff, Ronnie was beaming as he headed off stage. He got a hug from his wife Sally, who was watching from the side of the stage with their ten-year-old twins Gracie and Alice.

Dani ads to workload

The countdown to endless celebrity Christmas adverts is on.

Dani Dyer is one of the first out of the blocks to film a new festive campaign.

I’m told the Strictly Come Dancing contestant and ex-Love Islander has landed a bumper pay-day for renewing her deal with high street clothing chain Peacocks.

She’s filmed a telly ad alongside former England footballer Michael Owen and singer Louise Redknapp.

A source said: “The Christmas ads are all being filmed now and Dani’s one for Peacocks is already in the can.

“Louise and Michael are seen getting a bit flirty in a lift, while Dani stays true to form and just snaps loads of selfies.

“It’s the easiest money she’s ever earned.”

I’d say. Peacocks is preparing to roll out the campaign just in time for Strictly, meaning Dani is going to be on the box non-stop this year.

I revealed earlier this year she re-signed for the BBC dancing show after being forced to pull out of last year’s series.

She had been paired with pro dancer Nikita Kuzmin but fractured her ankle during rehearsals, meaning she never got a chance to have a whirl on the dancefloor.

But this time around, I’m told Dani is absolutely nailing her training and is pushing herself to try to lift the Glitterball trophy.

WANT to get the best value out of your cruise – and explore gems on both sides of the pond?

Transatlantic repositioning cruises offer just that.

As cruise companies relocate their ships from Europe to the Caribbean and beyond for winter warmth, you can get some amazing deals.

Combining a few ports of call on each side of the Atlantic, as well as some extended sea days, these one-way sailings offer the best of both worlds, with port days and plenty of time to relax at sea.

And cruise lines often offer really competitive prices – or throw in extras such as free drinks or tips – to tempt holidaymakers on board.

Lisa Minot has the lowdown on six great transatlantic sailings.

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DEFINITELY KNOT YOUR AVERAGE CROSSING

You’ll get a free all-in package, with alcoholic drinks, wifi and tips, worth more than £1,000pp on Windstar Cruises’ Knot Your Average Crossing from Lisbon to Barbados.

Departing Portugal on November 10, 2026, on this 14-night non-stop voyage on the 148-guest sailing ship Wind Star, guests can step up to the flying bridge to take the helm, and learn age-old seamanship skills.

There are talks on legendary explorers and pirates and you can learn to read charts, tie sailor’s knots and even navigate the vessel alongside the ship’s officers.

Prices start from £2,682pp, including all meals, drinks and activities.

See windstarcruises.com.

MIAMI SPICE

You can save 50 per cent off the original fare sailing on Oceania Marina’s transatlantic sailing from Barcelona to Miami.

Departing November 25, 2026, the 15-day sailing offers the chance to enjoy port days in Spain and the Caribbean.

You will enjoy calls at Valencia, Alicante, Malaga and Funchal in Madeira before crossing the Atlantic and calling at San Juan in Puerto Rico and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

Oceania cruise fares include speciality dining, tips, free wifi plus a choice of wine and beer by the glass or shore excursion credits.

This sailing is now on sale from £1,415, down from £3,629.

Book by September 8 at oceaniacruises.com.

GOING SOUTH

Transatlantic sailings don’t have to end in North America.

With Celebrity Cruises’ sailing onboard Celebrity Equinox you’ll enjoy calls in Brazil and Argentina after your ocean adventures.

Departing Barcelona on November 19, 2026, you’ll explore Tangier in Morocco before your South American odyssey, calling at Salvador de Bahia and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

You’ll visit Montevideo, Uruguay before arriving in Buenos Aires.

Popular excursions include a Moroccan Tea and Bread experience in Tangier, Carnival Behind the Scenes with Dance Lesson in Rio and a birdwatching trip in the Wetlands west of Montevideo.

Prices start from £699pp, including full-board and entertainment.

See celebritycruises.com.

FIT FOR A QUEEN

This cracking transatlantic deal on Cunard’s Queen Anne includes a stay in Miami and return flights.

Departing Southampton on January 10, 2027, this 15-night trip includes 12 nights onboard as well as a two-night hotel stay in Miami.

It includes calls at Hamilton, Bermuda, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale before you dock in Miami for your 4H hotel stay.

Onboard, all meals, afternoon tea, theatre shows and gym are included.

It’s from £1,159pp.

See seascanner.co.uk.

THE MIGHTY QUINN

Enjoy shows by actor, singer and dancer Ray Quinn, on P&O Cruises’ flagship Arvia as it sails from Southampton to the Caribbean.

The X Factor finalist and Dancing On Ice winner will be performing in The Limelight Club throughout the sailing, which departs October 23.

The 15-night sailing includes calls at Santa Cruz, Tenerife, before the delights of Philipsburg in St Maarten, St Kitts, Castries in St Lucia and finally Barbados.

The fare, from £945pp, includes return flights. See iglucruise.com.

HOMEWARD BOUND

With Holland America, you can sail to Blighty from Florida.

The 12-night sailing departs Fort Lauderdale April 4, 2027 and calls at Kings Wharf, Bermuda, before a relaxing seven days sailing.

There’s plenty to do on the Nieuw Statendam, with its Music Walk district featuring sophisticated live venues including BB King’s Blues Club and Rolling Stone Rock Room.

The ship will call at Portland for Weymouth before arriving in Dover.

Prices are from just £819pp.

With their Have It All package, from £1,599pp, you also get a drinks package, wifi, tips, speciality dining and two shore excursions.

See hollandamerica.com for details.

TAKING it easy is a way of life for Croatians.

In fact, slow living is so ingrained in their philosophy that they even have a word for it — “Pomalo”.

I watch the sun set over 23 miles of unblemished coastline from the balcony of my hotel room in Porec on the Istrian peninsula. It’s not exactly difficult to relax in a place like this.

With its pristine pine-fringed beaches, ancient cobblestone streets and tranquil lagoons, this 2,000-year-old town has become a big hit with holidaymakers seeking a laid-back getaway.

And its newest 5* hotel — Pical Resort by Valamar Collection — takes relaxation to a whole new level. From the moment I walk into the lobby, it’s clear I won’t have to lift a finger during my trip.

The friendly, attentive staff are quick to grab my bags and carry them up to my room, while a brief wave of the hand from a sunlounger sends someone rushing over to take my order poolside.

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Set in more than ten hectares of Mediterranean greenery and with 514 rooms across three distinct wings, this mega-complex can cater for around 2,000 guests at full capacity.

But if I had any concerns about Pical’s size impacting the quality of its service, these quickly vanish when I learn it employs more than 800 staff members — one for every 2.5 patrons.

Making every guest’s experience personal is clearly something this resort prides itself on.

As I enter my spacious, modern room, one of the first things I notice is a “holiday scent” selection next to the bed.

I’m encouraged to pick a fragrance from a scratch-and-sniff card and tick off my favourite so that housekeeping can deliver a reed diffuser during their turn-down service. I enthusiastically opt for Floral Essence with notes of jasmine and violet.

My room is in the hotel’s main building, which is designed for couples and solo travellers.

But it also has a family building with an all-day childcare service and 8,000 square metres of indoor and outdoor play facilities, including ball pits, water slides and a giant gaming room.

For those with more cash to splash, the hotel boasts 113 premium “V-Level” suites which offer dedicated concierge services and special dining perks.

As soon as I am unpacked, my first move is to check out one of the resort’s 11 swimming pools.

There is no risk of sun-lounger wars breaking out here — with hundreds of beds to choose from.

It takes all my strength not to drift off to sleep as I sink into the cushions under the warmth of the sun, the distant noise of the bubbling jacuzzi lulling me into a zen state.

If you prefer a livelier sunbathing setting, however, the Puro Beach club is where to head.

Before I can even put my bag down, the staff have already laid a towel out on my reserved sunbed and are ready and waiting to take my drink order.

It’s easy to see how this resort has earned its five stars. My elegant sushi platter was top-notch and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon than sipping on a hand-crafted mojito while listening to the club’s resident DJ.

That evening I swap my chopsticks for silverware as I head to the hotel’s culinary pièce de résistance — its new Michelin-star restaurant Harry’s Piccolo.

Created under the direction of chefs Matteo Metullio and Davide De Pra, this gastronomic haven is heavily inspired by Porec’s unique geography, close to the borders of Slovenia and Italy.

Its seven-course tasting menu travels the tracks of the famous Parenzana railway which once connected the three nations by blending Italy’s fine-dining flair with Slovenian alpine herbs and world-class Croatian seafood and olive oils.

The result is sensational dishes like L-Astice: Adriatic lobster with pea liquor Bearnaise, asparagus, black truffle and green peppercorn.

The whole affair is rather pricey, at €190, but worth it if you’re celebrating or are really into your food.

And if fine dining isn’t your cup of tea, there are seven more restaurants on site.

The hotel’s main diner, More, offers buffet breakfasts and live cooking stations at dinner, while Quattro Terre focuses on local and Mediterranean cuisine, using locally sourced ingredients.

As my five-day trip nears an end, I save Pical’s crowning glory — its ESPA wellness spa — until last.

I begin my relaxation journey in one of its six Istrian-inspired saunas, infused with local herbs that release a heady scent, before moving into the Mediterranean steam bath, where I’m handed a home-made body scrub.

When the heat becomes too much to bear, I retreat into the aqua sensory room to cool off on one of the many floating water beds, before rinsing off in a sensory shower, which mimics a tropical rainstorm with red LED lighting and aromatherapy smells.

I’m also booked in for a 60-minute massage treatment with one of ESPA’s expert therapists, Sanda. After a lengthy consultation to tailor the treatment to my needs — including picking a scent from a selection of aromatherapy oils — she starts to work her magic on my achy shoulders.

And as I fight the urge to fall asleep yet again, I realise I may have taken “Pomalo” a bit too seriously.

THERE aren’t many places where you can watch the Grand Prix then have a round of golf before relaxing in a spa.

But at the Whittlebury Park Hotel — just a stone’s throw from Silverstone — you can do all that and much more.

The privately owned 4* hotel in Nottinghamshire boasts one of the UK’s largest spas, while its championship golf course has played host to some of the world’s top golfers.

And better still, it is just a ten-minute drive from the mecca of motorsport and its brilliant museum.

In fact, it’s so close to Silverstone you can hear the cars bombing round the track while you enjoy a clotted cream tea overlooking the 300-acre estate.

The central courtyard is a great spot in the summer, thanks to the buckets of games for kids — including a pickleball court I struggled to tear my seven-year-old away from.

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It also has two fantastic games rooms stuffed with table tennis, air hockey, darts, a giant KerPlunk set, PlayStation 5, and loads more.

And next-door, a movie room is set up with dozens of films, bean bags and complimentary popcorn.

You could easily spend a day just chilling there.

But my kids don’t chill and they are up at daybreak — which is when the early opening time (6.30am) at the swimming pool came in handy.

We left the kids splashing about to indulge in some much-needed quiet time in the sauna and steam room.

Budding golfers, on the other hand, will want to get themselves out on the championship course to practise their swing.

And if that’s not enough, the hotel is also home to a driving range, simulators, PGA professional coaches and an award-winning clubhouse.

If you’re a mega fan, make sure to book a room overlooking the course.

Our lovely family room had great views of the green so I could watch people putt while the kids tucked in to the welcome hamper full of sweeties and biscuits.

Aside from the golf and kid-friendly fun, one of the best things about Whittlebury is its location.

Silverstone Museum is just five minutes away in the car, with tonnes of interactive stuff.

This includes a state-of-the-art immersive VR experience called Black Cats and Chequered Flags where visitors can try out life in the pit lane before taking to the track alongside F1 legend Alberto Ascari.

There is also an incredible collection of classic racing cars and bikes.

And most days there is real-life action taking place on the circuit.

Guests can wander down to stand next to the Wellington straight and Luffield corner as the cars scream by.

When the kids tire of the car gimmicks, Warwick Castle is around an hour’s drive away.

The place tends to be heaving on Fridays in the school summer holidays (we learned the hard way) but the scale of the old fortress is certainly breathtaking — literally, that is, if you want to climb to the top of the tower and along the ramparts.

Its main hall is bursting with a staggering collection of weapons and chivalric suits of armour.

But the star attraction is the medieval jousting contest, set in a brilliant historical recreation of the War of the Roses.

There’s also a falconry show, archery and a terrifying dungeon experience (for kids aged ten and over).

Little ones don’t need to miss out, either, with Zog’s play area and a Horrible History maze.

At the end of our two-night stay, our very active children had barely had a moment’s downtime — racing round the attractions like the cars at the Silverstone race track.

So start your engines. You’re in for a great ride at Whittlebury.

Reading and Leeds PRIZE DRAW PROMOTION RULES:

1. By entering this promotion (the Promotion), you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions (the Terms and Conditions).  Completion and submission of an entry form or e-mail will also be deemed acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.  Promotional materials relating to the Promotion, including all information on how to enter the Promotion published in publications of the Promoter (including social media if applicable) or on the Promoter’s websites, also form part of these Terms and Conditions. In the event of any conflict between any terms referred to in such promotional materials and these Terms and Conditions, these Terms and Conditions take precedence.
2. The promoter of this Promotion is News Group Newspapers Ltd (publishers of The Sun and The Sun on Sunday) of 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF (the Promoter).

Eligibility

3. The Promotion is only open to residents of the United Kingdom.
4. You must be aged 18 years or older to enter the Promotion. 
5. The following individuals are not eligible to enter the Promotion:
   1. employees and agents of the Promoter, News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (or any group companies of the Promoter or News Corp UK & Ireland Limited);

2. employees and agents of (i) any organisation directly connected with the operation or fulfilment of the Promotion (including third party promotional partners); and (ii) any associated, affiliated or subsidiary companies of such organisations or partners; and

3. the immediate families and household members of all such employees and agents referred to in (a) and (b).

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6. By entering the Promotion, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and are eligible to claim the Prize you may win. The Promoter may require you to provide proof of your age, residency, and eligibility to enter the Promotion. If a Winner is found to be ineligible, the Promoter reserves the right to award the Prize to another participant and to require the return of the Prize (or any portion of the Prize) if already awarded. The Promoter’s decision as to whether an entrant is eligible for this promotion is final and the Promoter is not obliged to provide any reasons for disqualification.
7. You must comply with the laws that apply to you in the jurisdiction that you access the Promotion from. If any laws applicable to you restrict or prohibit you from entering the Promotion, you must comply with those laws and, if applicable, refrain from entering the Promotion.

Timing

8. The Promotion starts at 01.00am (UK time) on Sunday 23rd August 2026 and closes at 11.59pm (UK time) on Monday 24 August 2026 (the Promotion Period). Any entries received outside the Promotion Period are automatically disqualified. 

How to Enter

9. How to enter:

10. Participants may make a maximum of one entry per person during the Promotion Period. Bulk, automatically generated or third party entries are void.

11. The Promoter reserves the right to remove or temporarily suspend any entries submitted from the Promotion if it reasonably suspects any breach of these Terms and Conditions or if it receives any complaint from any third party relating to such entry.

12. Any entries received other than via the official entry methods will not be accepted. Use of script, macro or any automated system to enter the Promotion is prohibited. Entries made (or which appear to have been made) using any such system may be treated as void.  Any illegible, incomplete or fraudulent entries will be rejected. No purchase of any product or service is required to enter into this Promotion. 

13. Incomplete or illegible entries will be void.  

Winners and Prizes 

14. There will be 2 (two) winners of the Promotion (the Winners), who will receive a Prize (as defined below). One Winner will be selected at random from all valid entries for “Reading”, and one Winner will be selected at random from all valid entries for “Leeds”, received during the Promotion Period by a computer process that produces verifiably random results. There will be no prizes for any other participants.

15. The Prizes are:
16. One pair of general admission tickets to Reading Festival (awarded to the Reading draw Winner). Tickets are valid for 5 days between 26 August 2026 and 30 August 2026 only. Winner must be 18 or over (valid photo ID may be required). If the Winner’s guest is a minor, the minor must be accompanied by his or her parent or legal guardian (at their own expense). Venue reserves the right to refuse entry. Winner and guest are responsible for travel to and from the show, at their own expense. Winner and guest must use tickets on the same date[s].

2. One pair of general admission tickets to Leeds Festival (awarded to the Leeds draw Winner). Tickets are valid for 5 days between 26 August 2026 and 30 August 2026 only. Winner must be 18 or over (valid photo ID may be required). If the Winner’s guest is a minor, the minor must be accompanied by his or her parent or legal guardian (at their own expense). Venue reserves the right to refuse entry. Winner and guest are responsible for travel to and from the show, at their own expense. Winner and guest must use tickets on the same date[s].

16. The Prize is non-exchangeable and non-transferable.  The Winners have no right to request or receive an alternative to the Prize, and the Prize cannot be redeemed for cash or its monetary value, in whole or in part. 

17. Notwithstanding paragraph 16 above, in the event that, for any reason beyond the Promoter’s reasonable control, the Promoter is unable to award the Prize as described in these Terms and Conditions, the Promoter reserves the right to award a prize of a similar nature and an equivalent value, or at its sole discretion, the cash value of the Prize.  The Promoter also reserves the right to award a prize of a similar nature and an equivalent value, or at its sole discretion, the cash value of the Prize if in its reasonable discretion it is appropriate to do so.

18. The Winners are responsible for paying all costs and expenses that are not included within the Prize, but are incidental to the Winners redeeming the Prize, including (for example) transport, accommodation, meal costs, spending money, insurance and any other incidentals.  The Winners is also personally responsible for any personal expenses and any VAT, national and/or local tax liabilities (if any) incurred in claiming or using the Prize.  

19. By participating in the Promotion, participants agree that the Prize is awarded on an “as is” basis and that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, neither the Promoter nor any of its subsidiary or affiliated companies, make any guarantees, representations or warranties of any nature with respect to the Prize. 

20. The Promoter may amend or withdraw any element of a competition, prize draw, vote or poll for reasons beyond their reasonable control, including but not limited to the unavailability of the vote, poll, competition or prize draw entry platform before the closing date, or for strike, lock-out, labour dispute, illness, act of God, natural disaster, adverse weather conditions, war, riot, civil commotion, accident, public health concern in relation to potential infection, epidemic or pandemic, malicious damage, fire, flood and/or storm, compliance with law or governmental order, rule, regulation or direction, breakdown of plant, machinery or transportation.  The Promoter is not responsible for any loss or damage caused to you as a result of any of these occurrences.  

Winners Notification and Claiming Prize 

21. The Promoter will use its reasonable endeavours to notify the Winners by phone or using the other contact details provided to the Promoter on Tuesday 25 August.  The Winners need to confirm acceptance of the Prize within 24 hours of being notified they have won. Winners may be required to submit valid identification before receiving their prize.   

22. If a Winner cannot be contacted within this 24 hour window or (ii) refuses or is unable to confirm acceptance of the Prize, the Promoter reserves the right to re-draw a new Winner at random, using a computer process that produces verifiably random results), from the remaining valid entries that were received during the Promotion Period.   
23. The Prize will be delivered, or details with instructions on how to book or obtain the Prize will be communicated, to the Winner within 12 HOURS after the Prize has been accepted.  

Publicity and Data Protection 

24. The Promoter will collect and process participants’ personal information in accordance with the privacy policy at http://www.newsprivacy.co.uk/. 
25. The Promoter is required to either publish or make available information that indicates a valid award took place. As such, (and subject to any objections of the Winner) the Promoter will send the surname and county of the Winners and, if applicable copies of their winning entries, to anyone that contacts the Promoter at the address given above by no later than 28 (twenty eight) days after the end of the Promotion Period. 

26. The Winners of this Promotion may be asked to participate in publicity.

27. If Winners objects to their information being published and/or made available, or participating in publicity as described above, they should inform the Promoter at the earliest opportunity by emailing help@thesun.co.uk.  The Winners acknowledge that the Promoter may still be required to share their details with the Advertising Standards Authority or other regulators.

Liability 

28. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall in any way limit or exclude the Promoter’s liability for fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by its negligence or for any other matter where liability may not be limited as a matter of law. 

29. The Promoter will not be responsible for any damage, loss or injury resulting from participants’ entry into the Promotion or their acceptance and/or use of the Prize, or for technical, hardware or software failures, lost, faulty or unavailable network connections or difficulties of any kind that may limit or prohibit participant’s ability to participate in the Promotion.  Your statutory rights are not affected.

30. The Promoter will not be responsible for any lost, damaged, defaced, incomplete, illegible or otherwise unreadable entries. Proof of sending an entry (whether by post, email, SMS or other method) is not proof of receipt by the Promoter of any entries.

31. Without prejudice to a participant’s statutory rights and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Promoter, its agents or distributors will not be responsible or liable to compensate the Winners or accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by or any personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up a Prize.

32. The title in the Prize and any risk of loss or damage to the Prize will pass to the Winners upon delivery of the Prize to such Winner. The Promoter is not liable for or obliged to replace any defective, lost, damaged or stolen Prize where such defect, loss or damage is not due to the fault and/or negligence of the Promoter.

General 

33. The Promoter’s decision as to the Winners of the Prize is final and binding on the participants. The Promoter will not enter into correspondence with participants in relation to this decision.

34. Participants agree to keep confidential any information of any nature regarding the Promoter and its businesses, personnel, agents, sponsors and event promoters received by participants as a result of winning or participating in any Promotion.

35. The provision of the Prize does not imply endorsement by Festival Republic or any third parties concerned in any way with the Promotion.

36. Unless otherwise stated in the promotional materials, this Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, the manufacturer or service provider of the relevant Prize. Participants are providing their information to the Promoter and not to the manufacturer or service provider of the relevant Prize (although, if a participant wins, their details may be disclosed to the Prize provider in order to provide them with the Prize).

37. Participants must not do anything illegal and/or dangerous and/or that would put themselves or others at any risk with the Prize or in connection with the Promotion in any way.  

38. Any participant who enters or attempts to enter the Promotion in a manner, which in the Promoter’s reasonable opinion is contrary to these Terms and Conditions or by its nature is unjust to other participants (including tampering with the operation of the Promotion, cheating, hacking, deception or any other unfair playing practices such as intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other participants or the Promoter and/or any of its agents or representatives) may be rejected from the Promotion at the Promoter’s sole discretion. Furthermore, where such actions have significantly impaired the Promotion, the Promoter may, at its sole discretion, add further stages to the Promotion as it deems reasonably necessary in order to resolve any problems arising from such actions.

39. The Promoter reserves the right, at any time, to cancel, modify or amend any element of the Promotion and/or these Terms and Conditions. Any such cancellation or any material amendment will be notified by posting the updated Terms and Conditions on the Promoter’s website. The Promoter is not responsible for any loss or damage caused to you as a result of any event outside the Promoter’s control.

40. These Terms and Conditions are governed by English law. The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear any dispute or claim arising in association with the Promotion or these Terms and Conditions.

41. The Promoter may transfer all or part of its rights under these Terms and Conditions to someone else without obtaining your consent; provided such transfer does not significantly disadvantage you.

42. Any provision of these Terms and Conditions which is deemed illegal and/or prohibited or unenforceable under any applicable law will be ineffective to the extent of such illegality, prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions.

43. If you have any difficulty accessing or entering this Promotion, please contact the Promoter at help@thesun.co.uk. If you would like these terms and conditions in another format (for example: audio, large print, braille), please get in contact and the Promoter will endeavour to provide it.

In-paper T&Cs 

Your terms and conditions to be included in the paper are set out below.  If space is particularly limited, please discuss with legal to ascertain if it is possible to shorten these further.  

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Promotion closes at 23.59pm on Monday 24 August. Open to residents of the United Kingdom who are aged 18 years or older, excluding employees and agents of the Promoter and its group companies, or third parties directly connected with the operation or fulfilment of the Promotion and their affiliates, and their immediate families and household members. One entry per person. Winners will be selected at random from all valid entries and notified by phone/email on Tuesday 25 August 2026. Winners must claim their prize by 23.59 on Tuesday 25 August 2026. No cash alternative and prize is non-transferable. Your information will be used to administer this Promotion and otherwise in accordance with our privacy policy at newsprivacy.co.uk Promoter is News Group Newspapers Limited. Full T&Cs apply – see [insert hyperlink].

Social Media T&Cs

Your terms and conditions to be included in the social media post are set out below.  If space is particularly limited, please discuss with legal to ascertain if it is possible to shorten these further.  

How to participate: Enter via Sun Club hub or email sundayfeatures@the-sun.co.uk with name, address and contact number.   UK residents 18+ only. Ends 23.59GMT 24/08/2026.  Promoter: News Group Newspapers Ltd

ACTRESS Rebecca Ferguson shimmers in silver — before smooching her co-star during filming for her upcoming movie.

Rebecca, 42, and Greta Lee, 43, were seen locking lips for the untitled flick in London.

Greta revealed earlier this month she is starring in a romance featuring two women.

She said: “I haven’t done that before.

“Full on, baby.

“I’m doing my stretches.”

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It comes after Rebecca dazzled in a silver dress at the Birmingham premiere of the Peaky Blinders film.

We revealed last year how Peaky Blinders fans were treated to a first look teaser of the upcoming The Immortal Man film which sees Cillian Murphy return as Tommy Shelby.

Rebecca joined the cast of hit series The Peaky Blinders for its return in movie format.

The actress played a a magical, palm-reading gypsy who visits reclusive Tommy Shelby at his home.

The film was met with mixed reviews, and featured Barry Keoghan taking over the reins from Cillian Murphy’s Shelby.

Rebecca is set to feature in the third instalment of the Dune trilogy.

THREE fab theme parks, three unique experiences – which one will you pick?

From magical fairy-tale worlds to high-octane thrills and waterpark adventures, there’s something for every family.

Efteling, The Netherlands

Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley and her family fell for fairy-tale fun in Kaatsheuvel.

As we whizz past trolls swinging from trees and down to the sparkling rainforest floor, the kids are completely spellbound.

From this ride, Droomvlucht, we head back into daylight to find fairies twirling around the lawn, bubbles filling the air.

Efteling is the very definition of enchanting. From musical toadstools to talking bins that suck up litter through their mouths, we find ourselves staring in awe at all the quaint details.

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The Fairytale Forest brings much-loved stories to life through animatronics, and Poppy, seven, and Raffy, five, are delighted by a donkey that poos out gold coins when you pop in 50 cents.

But there are plenty of wilder attractions, too – wooden coaster Joris En De Draak feels way faster than 47mph as it swerves around corners, and Baron 1898 drops you into freefall for almost 40 metres.

Baby Switch cards mean husband Andy and I don’t need to queue twice for rides the kids are too short for, either.

Our best foodie finds in the park are the soft-serve ice creams, which cost less than £2, and hotdogs drenched in truffle mayo with parmesan and rocket, £5.50.

But it’s the Polles Keuken eatery that is unmissable, with its musical stove and huge pancakes – my favourite is stuffed with apple slices and topped with whipped goat’s cheese, candied walnuts and rocket, £15.

Opened last year, Efteling Grand Hotel is home to gorgeous art-deco interiors and luxurious bedrooms that are the antithesis of the bright and brash themed rooms at some parks.

Chocolate coins are hidden in the coffee drawer, superb Zenology toiletries are in the bathroom and there’s a sweet elf night light built into the wardrobe.

We also get early access to some rides and use of the sauna, steam room and pretty pool with its blue and white checkerboard tiles and impressive water chandelier – although it’s not a place for swimming lengths!

Brasserie 7, with its cascading faux-flower displays, serves up quality breakfasts with fizz, as well as a delicious, albeit pricey, dinner.

The greatest thing, however, are the miming piccolos, bell boys and girls dressed in cute purple uniforms, who have us giggling through mealtimes with their comedy antics.

As the rain hits on our last day, we drop by the on-site theatre to catch illusion show Magicaluna, which is packed with stunning tricks.

It sums up the Efteling experience in its final line: “You’re never too old to wonder.” Yep, this park is magic.

Stays for up to six at Efteling Grand Hotel cost from £496 B&B, including two-day park access (Efteling.com).

Futuroscope, France

Acting Senior Designer Sasha Cunningham and her son enjoyed robot rides, tech storytelling and making a splash in Poitiers.

Strapped into the hand of a giant robotic arm with my eight-year-old son, we are thrust into the air, twisting, flipping and turning.

The robot’s movements synchronise with the pumping music and flashing lights on this Dance With Robots ride.

And as soon as we’re released, a beaming Oscar announces we have to do it again!

Made up of Futuroscope Xperiences and Aquascope water park, the resort is home to more than 40 attractions housed in geometric buildings.

We hop on a rollercoaster to Mars and even get swept into the eye of a tornado on a 5D adventure.

Brightly coloured playgrounds and beanbag chill-out zones line the paths, while the Futuropolis zone lets smaller ones operate their own rides.

After a morning of adrenalin rushes, we kick back in Europe’s largest 360-degree circular theatre for nature documentary Antarctica, listening to Benedict Cumberbatch’s narration on our headphones.

But it’s the Key To Dreams show that closes the park that’s our favourite, with its spectacular projections, lasers and 3D water effects.

Oscar’s mouth drops open once again as his bright-blue burger, £14, spirals down the rollercoaster tracks covering the ceiling and lands at our table.

We’re dining at Space Loop restaurant – advance booking is essential – where my pork mignon, £14.50, also arrives amazingly intact and we dive into meringue tart, £7, and candy-floss-topped sorbet, £3.50, for pud.

Just over the road is Hôtel Ecolodgee and our lakeside lodge.

Come morning, a basket with pastries, yoghurts, breads and juice is delivered to our door, and we arrive at neighbouring Aquascope for 9am to beat the crowds.

Each of the eight large indoor slides has its own theme – from sudden drops and light shows to the mega-twisty Spiral.

One of the most fun is Alien, where we’re flushed down a chute in a double ring, racing against another pair.

We also meet octopus Kraki, the star of Europe’s first aquatic cinema, before floating down a glowing lazy river.

Looking for a theme park that’s out of this world? This is it.

Stays for four at Hôtel Ecolodgee with two-day access to Futuroscope plus Aquascope tickets cost from £431 (Futuroscope.com).

Paultons Park, England

Our pick on home soil gets better each year, says Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley.

This place is consistently voted the UK’s fave theme park for good reason, and fun new zone Valgard: Realm Of The Vikings opened in May.

Climbing vertically up 75ft to then plunge down a 95-degree drop and be whizzed upside down makes Drakon the standout.

And while smart people pack budget-friendly picnics, the Feasting Hall does serve scrumptious chicken burgers, £11.95.

The best thing about Paultons is that an average-height seven year old can go on all the rides, and only a couple rule five year olds out.

We adore flying through the air on Flight Of The Pterosaur, hurtling backwards on Velociraptor and racing down Buffalo Falls in inflatable boats.

There’s also Peppa Pig World and a mini zoo with lemurs and flamingoes.

Close by is thatched gastropub The Potter’s Heron. Recently given a serious glow-up, it’s deceivingly huge and has a lively bar.

Bedrooms are decked out in rich colours and prints, bathrooms have rainfall showers and Bramley toiletries, and a Roberts Radio, coffee machine and home-made treats complete the package.

At dinner, highlights are a prawn and crayfish cocktail with paprika and lime mayo, £9.95, and signature pistachio soufflé, £8.95.

The kids’ chicken roulade stuffed with ham and gruyère, £7, is also a hit.

The next day, the Full English sets us up nicely for exploring the New Forest before our easy drive home.

Paultons Park day tickets cost from £43 per person over a metre tall (Paultonspark.co.uk). Family rooms at The Potter’s Heron cost from £199 per night (Pottersheronampfield.com).