This Morning

Shaun Wright-Phillips has revealed that he has been speaking to Strictly winner Karen Carney for advice ahead of his own debut on the BBC competition later this month

Shaun Wright-Phillips has played for Manchester City, Chelsea and earned 36 caps for England – but swapping the pitch for the ballroom could prove to be his biggest challenge yet.

Luckily, he’s got the perfect person in his phonebook to offer advice before he takes to the dancefloor later this month.

Fellow footballer Karen Carney knows a thing or two about making the switch, having gone all the way and lifted the Glitterball last year. She’s been on hand to give her pal a few pointers. “She said to just dive straight into it and don’t hold back,” Shaun, 44, explains. “So I’ll take that advice. I’m going to go for it and do the best I can.”

For Shaun, who scored six international goals between 2004 and 2010 and played club football under the watch of titans such as Kevin Keegan and José Mourinho, Strictly is proving to be a whole different ball game.

“It’s something that’s definitely out of my comfort zone,” he says. “I don’t get overly nervous in general, but this is obviously something that’s really new to me.”

Shaun’s family and friends, including his famous footballer dad, Ian Wright, are used to him busting a move on the dancefloor, but usually after a few beers. He is now bracing himself for their reaction when he takes to the floor every weekend.

“I’m sure they’ll be giving me as much feedback as the Strictly judges,” he laughs. “They’re used to seeing me dance at parties, but this will be the first time they’ve seen me dance while sober.

“Everyone was crazy excited when they found out I was taking part. And then all of a sudden my inbox was filled with friends and family trying to get their live show ticket orders in! I’ve received a really nice amount of support so far.”

Over the course of his career, Shaun played for play for Manchester City, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers and England. He retired from the pitch in 2019, and since then, has carved out a career as a football pundit, appearing across BBC, ITV and Sky Sports.

Last year, he competed on Cooking With The Stars alongside comedian and Outnumbered star Hugh Dennis, former Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu and This Morning’s Kelly Hoppen.

Shaun became the tenth name announced to compete and the BBC Saturday night favourite will return to screens in just a matter of weeks.

When it was confirmed that he had signed up, he said:: “Dancing is in my blood—but mainly at family events! Strictly is definitely outside my comfort zone, but I’m super excited to get started and really looking forward to the challenge!”

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ITV bosses have wiped “uncomfortable” footage of Miriam Margolyes from the edition of This Morning that appears on its ITVX service.

Miriam Margolyes has been met with a wave of fury after using a highly offensive term to describe Andi Peters’ skin colour during an ‘uncomfortable’ appearance on This Morning.

Viewers have branded the 85-year-old ‘disgraceful’ following her interview on the ITV show and bosses have scrubbed the remarks from the ITVX footage.

In the interview to promote her book, which aired on Thursday’s episode, she began dissecting Christine Lampard’s Northern Irish accent before turning her attention to her co-host.

“What accent would be normal for you? What are you?,” she asked the 56-year-old, leaving him baffled. The presenter responded: ”This is normal. What am I? I’m me!”

“You’re a mix, aren’t you? You’ve got a Black daddy and a white mummy,” she said. He explained that both of his parents are Black, jokingly questioning whether his make-up artist had used a “lighter shade than normal”.

“I think you’re high yella. That’s what they call it in America when someone isn’t deeply black,” she continued, with Andi quipping that he “didn’t even know there were shades”.

The presenter then pointed to his earpiece and revealed that bosses were intervening, explaining that they were “getting nervous”.

“There are shades and this is what we have to incorporate,” the Harry Potter actress added. “Don’t be nervous, we welcome everybody. That’s what I want to write about in my book, it’s about inclusion.”

The Merriam-Webster US dictionary defines the term – sometimes spelt high yaller – as a dated and often offensive piece of slang used to describe a black person with a light complexion.

ITV bosses have yet to issue a statement over the segment but the offensive footage has been removed from the episode on ITVX. However, the rest of her interview still remains.

Viewers were left reeling over the segment and quickly rushed to social media with one saying the term was “super racist” and many calling for further action to be taken.

One person wrote on social media: “That Miriam Margoyles clip is just about the cringiest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s like a scene out of The Office.” Another agreed: “I do not accept that it’s just her age or character. She uses words and phrases that are totally unacceptable. I hope #thismorning never brings her back on the show.”

One posted: “That Miriam Margolyes interview is the most uncomfortable thing to sit through what the hell was she thinking.”

Another said: “Just watched @thismorning interview from this morning Miriam Margolyes is disgrace what she said about Andi Peters is way out of line she should be banned from @ITV @SkyNews @BBCTheOneShow she was way out of order.” They added: “@andipeters i am standing with you [sic].”

The Mirror has approached ITV, This Morning, Andi and Miriam for a comment.

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She also explained which products people can get better deals on at supermarkets

An ITV consumer expert has highlighted six things everyone should buy in Poundland – including one food staple which is 44 per cent less. Grace Forell, who regularly appears on ITV’s This Morning, explained how people should not do their weekly shop in the high street discount store – but take advantage of some bargains.

She said the best value categories tend to be big brand toiletries and cleaning products. If you’re loyal to brands like Nivea, Head & Shoulders, Colgate, Flash, Astonish, Elbow Grease and added ‘you’ll often find Poundland is the best place to buy. ‘

However, she added: “It’s less impressive when it comes to snacks and store cupboard items, as you’ll often get a better deal at the supermarket on multi-buys. “

Six Poundland staples:

• She said Flash cleaning spray is £2 in Poundland – and between £2.44 – £3.35 elsewhere – a potential saving of 40%
• Astonish Sprays – white vinegar and mould and mildew stain remover are cheap there – average saving of around 30%
• Big brand toiletries are good value – Grace highlighted a Nivea day cream for £2 – with it being £5,50 to £6 elsewhere – saving 65%.
• Colgate toothpaste is normally cheaper at Poundland. Grace highlighted Max White Sparkle Diamonds toothpased currently “£2 – elsewhere it’s £2.33 – £3.75 – a saving of up to 47%.
• Sure deodorant and Head and Shoulders shampoo usually a bargain
• Heiz Baked Beans – single tin £1 – normally £.138 – £1.80 e;sewhere -a potential saving of 44%/ She added: “A single tin of Hienz beans for £1 is hard to come by and it’s one of Poundland’s standout bargains – but if you’re buying multipack, supermarkets are often better value.”

She explained: “Remember, Poundland is less a place to do a full weekly show and more of a specialist bargain stop. It’s particularly good for branded toiletries with high supermarket mark-ups, cult cleaning products and specialist stain removers, a handful of pantry staples, and emergency top-ups that would cost more in a convenience store.”

Her golden rules:

• Always check the unit price. A lower shelf price doesn’t mean better value if the pack is smaller (you sometimes see this at Poundland).
• Don’t assume everything is cheaper. Chocolate, crisps and soft drinks are often better bought on supermarket loyalty offers.

• Be wary of multipacks. Poundland sometimes wins on individual items, but supermarkets usually come out ahead on family-sized packs.
• Stock up on genuine bargains. If you find a branded product you use regularly and it’s substantially cheaper, buying a spare makes sense.
• You can pick up single tins of Heinz baked beans for £1 though – which is consistently the best price (per unit) around.
• One thing is for sure: while it isn’t the place to do a full weekly shop, it offers much better value than most convenience stores.

For more articles, read Grace Forell on Substack for free here.