20 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on Historic moment female Beefeater locks Tower of London for first time in 700 years in ‘fabulous honour’
A FEMALE Beefeater has led the Ceremony of the Keys, the locking of the Tower of London, for the first time in the ritual’s 700-year history.
AJ Clark, 50, can perform the task after becoming the first female yeoman warder promoted to sergeant.
AJ Clark has become the first female Beefeater to lead the Ceremony of the Keys in 700 yearsPeter JordanThe ritual dates to 1340 after King Edward III arrived unannounced and was furious he could enter unchallengedAlamyAJ Clark was recently promoted to yeoman sergeant, allowing her to carry the keysAlamy
Other women have played a role in past ceremonies. But only sergeants carry the King’s Keys.
AJ told The Sun: “I still pinch myself.
“It’s just fabulous.
“There is so much history and it is such an honour to be part of it.”
The ritual dates to 1340 after King Edward III arrived unannounced and was furious he could enter unchallenged.
The ceremony lasts from 9.53pm to 10pm.
We watched as AJ emerged from the Byward Tower — where Anne Boleyn lived before her 1536 execution — with a lantern and the keys.
She walked alone to the Bloody Tower to meet her escort of four Irish Guards.
They marched to the Middle Gate then the Byward Gate, where AJ closed and locked the huge wooden doors.
Back at the Bloody Tower — where King Edward V, 12, and brother Richard, nine, were murdered — a sentry challenged AJ: “Halt! Who goes there?”
AJ replied she had “King Charles’ keys” and her group was allowed to pass.
She gave the keys to the King’s representative, before the playing of the Last Post.
AJ, of Burnley, spent 24 years in the Army before becoming a Beefeater in 2017.
She added: “It is the shortest military ceremony in history, but for us the most important.
“Being a yeoman warder is magical.”
AJ spent 24 years in the Army before becoming a Beefeater in 2017Peter JordanShe lives in the Tower of London with her husband and three dogs.Ian Whittaker - The Sun
20 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on Civil unrest could sweep through Britain because of failure to control immigration, Nigel Farage warns
CIVIL unrest could sweep through Britain because of a decades-long failure to control immigration, Nigel Farage has warned.
The Reform chief said he is “deeply worried” that riots like those in Northern Ireland and Southport will spread after successive governments opened the floodgates to foreigners who refuse to integrate.
Mr Farage claimed communities feel “completely ignored” when raising concerns about the arrivals’ impact on crime and public services.
He said that years of brushing off complaints as “you’re a bad person” has turned the country into a pressure cooker — “and in the end it explodes”.
What began as a peaceful protest responding to the arrest of two Romanian teenagers accused of attempted rape turned into nights of hate-filled riots.
Mr Farage said: “Nobody condones setting fire to houses and hunting down foreigners.
“But there was a population of people, the Roma people, that were put into Ballymena who cannot possibly integrate with the locals and have a completely different set of standards of life beliefs.”
He added: “The truth of it is that immigration only works if you have integration with it. If you don’t, you have a divide.
“And where human beings are divided, history teaches us, you get conflict.
“I am very, very deeply worried about what’s happening.”
Responding to the Ballymena rioting, which began on Tuesday, a spokesman for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he “utterly condemns the ongoing violence”.
Downing Street said the local police have the PM’s “full support” in “continuing to restore order to keep peace and to keep people safe”.
GettyNigel Farage has warned that civil unrest could sweep through Britain because of a decades-long failure to control immigration[/caption]
20 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on Iran’s Islamic regime is a dangerous wounded predator & they could see Israel’s allies as soft targets – including UK
THE Israeli air force and Mossad spy agency have left Iran’s Islamist leadership on the ropes.
Yesterday’s extraordinary mix of targeted assassinations of Iran’s military and nuclear masterminds and heavy blows to the country’s air defences will be a textbook case for study in military academies for decades to come.
GettyBuildings in Tehran were razed to the ground after Israel’s attack[/caption]
AFPAyatollah Ali Khamenei and his surviving henchmen — provided they keep control of Iran — will remain a threat to Israel[/caption]
ReutersIsraeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has made it clear that he is determined to neuter Iran’s nuclear project to stop it from getting an atomic bomb[/caption]
The operation grew out of how it knocked out Iran’s proxy allies, Hezbollah, in nearby Lebanon last autumn.
Back then, an astonishing mix of exploding pagers and precision bombing strikes paralysed Iran’s main proxy terrorist ally, other than Hamas in Gaza.
Israel has a long record as the master of the surprise attack.
The current crisis echoes how it initiated the Six-Day War in June, 1967.
Then, Israeli bombers destroyed Egypt’s air force on the ground at dawn on the first day. Five days later, the Israeli Army stood along Egypt’s Suez Canal and on Syria’s Golan Heights and captured Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan.
Dramatic seizure
But that’s also where today’s conflict is very different from the one 58 years ago.
Israel’s soldiers already have their hands full fighting Hamas in Gaza and keeping control of the Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli tanks are not going to roll east to Tehran.
That means that the Ayatollah and his surviving henchmen — provided they keep control of Iran — will remain a threat to Israel.
Optimists hope that situation could return if the brutal regime of the Ayatollahs collapses in humiliation because it could not deter the Israeli strikes.
Syria’s new government since the fall of Iran’s ally, President Assad, last December, has been reaching out to the West and turned a blind eye to Israeli overflights to attack Iran yesterday.
It’s possible a revolution against the Islamic Republic in Iran could lead the country back to a pro-Western and pro-Israeli position.
But that is not guaranteed.
So long as the Islamist regime remains in place in Iran, strikes by Israel and counterattacks by Iran can be expected.
Friday’s dramatic developments should not delude us that this war is virtually over.
Iran might have spent yesterday waiting for nightfall before trying to hit back with its missiles under the cover of darkness, so it would be harder for Israeli bombers to locate their movement to launch sites.
Now Iran’s drone supplies to Russia will dry up as the Ayatollah keeps them for his war with Israel.
But the plus side for Putin is that oil prices are soaring, helping him to pay for his war on Ukraine while American and European attention is distracted in the Middle East.
Even if Russia does not get involved, its vast territory could be a useful route for Iran to get help from an actual nuclear-armed rogue state, North Korea.
Will North Korea now supply Tehran with weapons, even a ready-made atomic bomb from its own stockpile?
Israel’s nuclear nightmare is not over just yet.
Wounded predator
The Israeli surprise attack has also killed off any American or European ability to act as Middle East mediators.
President Trump had originally tried to keep nuclear talks going with Iran but now he has come all-in behind Israel.
He has posted on his Truth social media platform about America’s willingness to supply even more powerful weapons to Israel as it pursues an air campaign to degrade Iran’s military power.
Israel’s other Western friends, including Britain could also be seen as “soft targets” by Iranian agents.
Iran’s Islamic regime is a dangerous wounded predator.
It cannot defeat Israel, but it could go mad and unleash terrorism, even using chemical weapons which its industries can make much more easily than nuclear weapons.
The world faces a much bigger crisis since the latest explosive conflict between Israel and Iran. And no one knows how to handle the shock waves.
APIsrael’s Iron Dome air defence system intercepts missiles over Tel Aviv on Friday[/caption]
APSmoke rises over Tel Aviv after Iran launched a retaliatory attack[/caption]
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20 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on Jack Grealish has gone from eye-catching showman and heartthrob to miserable bench warmer – and I know who’s to blame
WHAT has Pep Guardiola ever done for Jack Grealish?
Jack Grealish helped Manchester City triumph in the Champions League in 2023 – but all has gone wrong ever sinceGettyPep Guardiola’s playing style has left Jack out in the coldAFPParty boy Jack downs a beer on the parade to celebrate City’s League title win last seasonAlamy
Well, the Manchester City manager has also shackled one of English football’s greatest showmen and sucked the joy out of its most likeable bloke, reducing an effervescent eye-catcher to a miserable bench-warmer.
Grealish is looking for a new club this summer, while City have already signed eight players for a total of £282MILLION in 2025.
And it is a wonder why City boss Guardiola ever agreed to lavishing what was then a British record transfer fee on a player who was never likely to fit in.
Guardiola is a tactical genius but he likes his players to be as obsessive about football as he is.
He demands workaholics.
And while Grealish is not a playboy waster, he lives by the old adage “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.
City have usually played in a delicious eye-candy style under Pep, but his philosophy is all about teamwork, about pass-and-move, rather than the type of individual flair for which Grealish was renowned.
Topless in the rain
It is a testimony to Grealish’s lovable personality that when Scotland’s Stephen O’Donnell successfully marked him during a 0-0 draw with England at Wembley in the Euros of 2021, he killed him with kindness rather than kicking or insulting the Three Lions man.
O’Donnell had taken advice from teammate John McGinn — a Villa colleague of Grealish — on how best to keep him quiet.
“John had given me some tips,” revealed O’Donnell.
“He told me that if Jack comes on I need to get nibbling in his ear but don’t be critical, be complimentary.
“So the second he came on I was telling him how good-looking he was, that I loved his calves, and I was asking him how he got his hair to look like that.
“I was told if I kick him or get him really hard, he gets back up and at you.”
That was during Gareth Southgate’s reign as England manager, when his reluctance to select Grealish in his starting line-up became a lightning rod.
It was seen as proof that the most successful Three Lions boss of the past 60 years was a negative, cautious stick-in-the-mud — the majority of Grealish’s 39 caps having come as a substitute.
I love Jack. I love everything about him. I love his personality, I love his quality. The guy has courage.
Thomas Tuchel, England manager
Terrace songs imploring Southgate to bring on “Super Jackie Grealish” were the soundtrack to many an England match — yet Southgate surprisingly omitted him from his squad for last summer’s Euros.
Southgate believed, correctly, that Grealish is a player who thrives on being the main man in any team — a playmaker, who demands a lot of the ball, a risk-taker at his best when he can showcase his devilment.
That was never going to be the case with England, who are blessed with so much talent in wide and attacking midfield positions — nor at Guardiola’s City.
England’s new manager Thomas Tuchel has said: “I love Jack.
“I love everything about him.
“I love his personality, I love his quality.
“The guy has courage.”
And yet Tuchel hasn’t picked Grealish in either of the two squads he has named because of his severe lack of game time at City.
Last season, Grealish started just seven Premier League games — and only one after Tuchel started the England job in January.
He managed just one goal and one assist in the entire league campaign.
Grealish has told Tuchel he is “not a stop-start player”, that he craves rhythm — and Guardiola simply hasn’t allowed that to happen during the past two seasons.
In January, Guardiola said he wanted to see “the Jack Grealish that won the Treble”.
Grealish played a major role when City swept the board by winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in 2023 — even though his wings had been clipped with less emphasis on dribbling and taking on opponents.
But since the iconic image of the boozed-up Brummie standing topless in the piddling rain during City’s celebratory bus parade two years ago, Grealish’s fortunes have plummeted.
Seasons of torment
He turns 30 in December but retains his boyish looks and a child-like love of life.
His interviews, while on England duty, are great theatre — he is funny, engaging and honest.
But despite his charismatic nature, there is also a vulnerability.
During one interview, when Grealish’s lifestyle had been under the spotlight, the player told the assembled media: “I just want youse all to like me.”
In truth, it is difficult to spend any time in Grealish’s company and not like him.
Having been assaulted on the pitch by a Birmingham City fan — who was jailed for the incident — during a derby match against Villa, Grealish would have more reason than most to keep his distance from supporters.
Yet in an era of roped-off, VIP, multi-millionaire footballers, he is one of the most accessible of big-name players.
His down-to-earth qualities were recently displayed when he visited a social club in Wearside in March and stuck £500 behind the bar for fellow drinkers.
Whoever does sign Grealish will be recruiting a gem of a player, desperate to express himself after two seasons of torment under Guardiola.
Grealish is not a one-dimensional character.
He’s Jack the Lad and he’s Gentleman Jack, too.
He is a keen amateur DJ and a Gucci model — which is one of several lucrative commercial deals, ranging from Bose audio equipment to Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
And he is also an ambassador for Special Olympics GB.
His partner Sasha Attwood is a model — like many a Premier League Wag — but the couple are childhood sweethearts who met at school in Solihull. Their first child, Mila, was born in September.
Indeed, over the past year or two you would have been more likely to hear about Grealish carrying out a commercial or charitable appearance than playing a game of football.
Hopefully that will change this summer.
Despite Grealish having two years left on his City contract, Guardiola is happy for him to leave, either on a permanent deal for around £30million to £40million, or on a loan.
Whoever does sign Grealish will be recruiting a gem of a player, desperate to express himself after two seasons of torment under Guardiola.
Any lover of football — any lover of life — will enjoy seeing him play with a smile on his face again.
Jack is held up and steadied by teammate Kyle Walker in Ibiza, after a three-day benderSplashJack’s partner, Sasha Attwood, is a model — like many a Premier League Wag — but the couple are childhood sweethearts who met at school in SolihullRefer to CaptionJack and Sasha welcomed their first child, Mila, in September
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20 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on Nobody who enters UK illegally should EVER be allowed to stay – it’s totally unfair on law-abiding, taxpaying Brits
IT is barely gone 11.30am and Nigel Farage is already clutching a pint.
Not an unusual sight for the man once forced to clarify that he is “a boozer, not an alcoholic”.
Peter PowellNigel Farage enjoys a pint at the Talbot pub in Blackpool[/caption]
Peter PowellFarage drawing a crowd as he arrives at the boozer[/caption]
Peter PowellFans gather round to listen to his opinions during an interview with The Sun[/caption]
But today’s glass of “Remainer tears” — the name plastered on the tap from which the beer was poured — will taste particularly sweet, for he is drinking it in Britain’s very first “Reform pub”.
The Talbot in Blackpool used to be associated with the Conservative Party, but, like so many people in the country the landlord and his punters have switched allegiances.
Now it is Farage to whom they give a hero’s welcome as he and his entourage sweep into the seaside town on an overcast Thursday morning.
Dozens of mostly middle-to-older-aged men, many sporting Reform’s turquoise ties, have gathered to see the closest thing they have to a political rock star.
A beaming Farage enters the venue to a wall of cheers, then the usual scrum for handshakes and selfies begins.
So does he regard himself to be the ultimate man of the people?
“Politicians invent myths of who they are to try to sell themselves to the public,” he tells me.
‘I am deeply worried’
“I never do any of that. I’m just as I am.
“Quite frankly, I don’t care whether people like me or don’t like me, but I think I’m able to go out and talk to everybody in a way that perhaps Sir Keir is not.”
Farage is certainly true to his word to be straight-talking as we tackle some of the UK’s most pressing problems.
I also appear to have a live audience for my interview, for the punters show no signs of going back to their drinks, instead cheering on their man as he gives his answers.
Our discussion comes in the shadow of the ugly riots in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
What began as a peaceful protest against two Roma teenagers accused of attempted rape has spiralled into nights of hate-fuelled violence.
Mr Farage confesses he is “deeply worried” that similar unrest could erupt across Britain, blaming decades of failure to control the nation’s borders and manage integration.
He claims communities feel “ignored” when voicing concerns about the strain mass arrivals place on crime rates and public services.
To raucous applause from the Talbot faithful, he declares that years of dismissing such grievances as “you’re a bad person” have turned the country into a pressure cooker.
X/Nigel_FarageNigel pours a pint of ‘Remainer Tears’ at the Talbot pub in Blackpool[/caption]
“In the end, it explodes,” he warns.
“Nobody condones setting fire to houses and hunting down foreigners.
“But there was a population of people, the Roma people, that were put into Ballymena who cannot possibly integrate with the locals and have a completely different set of standards of life beliefs.
“Immigration only works if you have integration with it.
“If you don’t, you have a divide. And where human beings are divided, history teaches us, you get conflict.
“I am very, very deeply worried about what’s happening.”
Our conversation turns to comments made last year by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who sparked outrage by suggesting that “not all cultures are equally valid” in determining who should be allowed into the country.
While Mr Farage makes a catty joke that he has “never heard of” Ms Badenoch — a recent strategy to push her into irrelevance — he dismisses the notion of comparing cultures as a waste of time.
“Our culture is our culture. Whether it’s superior or inferior to Far Eastern culture or wherever else is irrelevant.
“It’s our culture. It’s what we know. It’s what we love. And we don’t want anybody from anywhere challenging it and threatening it.”
I ask about reports that white British children have now become a minority in some schools.
“It’s not about colour — it’s about do you fit in with the community,” he says.
‘Totally unfair’
He continues: “One of the reasons Reform is doing so well is because this party is framed around values: Family, community, country.
“If you get huge numbers of people coming in who have totally different value systems, it doesn’t matter whether they are white or black or Asian. That’s irrelevant. They’re not going to fit in.”
The topic shifts to illegal migration — comfortable terrain for the Reform leader, who launches into a devastating attack on Sir Keir’s approach to “smashing the gangs” and ridiculing Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ promise to end the use of costly hotels, albeit not for another four years.
Farage reminds me he first warned of an “invasion” in 2020, recalling the backlash he faced for taking to the Channel in a boat to highlight the surge of dinghies arriving in Kent.
“I was vilified. But 150,000 men later, I think I’m about right.”
Home Office statistics reveal a record 14,812 illegals arrived in small boats during the first five months of this year alone.
By comparison, in 2024, that figure wasn’t reached until July.
On Saturday, May 31, 1,194 migrants landed in England on dinghies — the highest number in a single day, obliterating the previous record of 825 set earlier in the month.
Immigration only works if you have integration with it. If you don’t, you have a divide. And where human beings are divided, history teaches us, you get conflict
Nigel Farage
Reform has pledged to deport “every illegal immigrant” in Britain, but the party has yet to convince the public it has a credible plan for achieving this.
When pressed on how Reform would succeed where both the Tories and Labour have failed, Farage replies: “Understand it’s not an easy thing to do. We’re giving it real, real thought.
“But be clear, no one who comes into Britain illegally should ever be given permanent leave to remain, should ever be going to the benefit system.
“It’s totally unfair to law-abiding taxpayers in this country. It’s also totally unfair to immigrants who come to Britain legally and spend a lot of money and time doing it.”
The answer seems good enough for the gathered voters who cheer their man as we wrap up our interview.
The moment the interview ends, Leah Pettinger, a 49-year-old service veteran from Barnsley, who is one of the attendees, presents her political hero with a portrait she did in her new life as an artist.
‘Common sense’
In the painting Mr Farage’s eyes are bulging out of their sockets because he has his “Eyes On The Prize” — the title of the artwork.
“I think he’s a man of the people,” she tells me. “He has spoken to a lot of ordinary people here today. He has pulled himself a lovely pint of lefty tears from the bar, which is fantastic.”
She is echoed by 76-year-old Jim Redgewell, a former Labour voter who has become a Reform fan.
“I was brought up to be a Labour voter, but life has taught me it’s not quite right,” he says.
I don’t mind where people come from, because I’m associated with all sorts of people. We want a safe country to live in, where we can trust the police
Jim Redgewell
“I don’t mind where people come from, because I’m associated with all sorts of people.
“You know, gay people, black people, Chinese. I don’t care where they come from, as long as they don’t harm the people that I know.
“We want a safe country to live in, where we can trust the police.”
John Ormston, the 55-year-old owner of Kodak Express Blackpool, experienced a similar political awakening — but in his case swapped sides from the Tories.
He says: “The Conservatives were given a massive mandate, Boris didn’t deliver, so like a lot of other Conservatives, we just fell out.
“It wasn’t conservatism — there’s not been conservatism for a long, long time, and I believe Nigel brings back not only the conservative side, but he also brings back common sense.”
As Mr Farage drains the last of his pint, the Reform faithful around him buzz with a sense of renewed purpose.
For many in that pub, he has not just aired their frustrations — he has voiced a worldview they felt had long been ignored.
Whether Reform can turn that raw energy into a Westminster government remains to be seen — but in the Talbot in Blackpool, the revolution was already on tap.
Peter PowellThe Sun’s Noa Hoffman with Farage outside the boozer[/caption]
20 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on The REAL Fern Britton is nothing like bubbly TV persona, says ex agent who reveals all on toxic split with Phil Vickery
WHEN Fern Britton announced the end of her seemingly perfect 20-year marriage, she pledged to “always share a great friendship” with Phil Vickery.
Five years on, and relations have never been worse.
PAFern Britton suggested ex Phil Vickery had coldly cut her off following the death of her mother[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialThe TV couple split after a 20-year marriage but today Phil’s friends have decided to hit back at Fern’s repeated digs[/caption]
MJ-Pictures.comChef Phil pictured kissing Fern’s best pal Lorraine Stanton in 2022[/caption]
In the week the presenter suggested Phil, 64, had coldly cut her off following the death of her mother, his friends — for the first time — have decided to hit back.
So furious are they by Fern’s repeated digs at daytime TV staple This Morning’s resident chef — a show on which the estranged pair worked together — they want to redress the balance.
Fern’s long-standing former power agent Jon Roseman, who has worked with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Rod Stewart, insists the star’s “warm, bubbly, lovely TV persona is not what it seems; she is not the person everybody loves”.
He believes Phil was “mildly terrified” of her volatile nature, describing the accomplished broadcaster, 67, as “always the boss”.
Jon, who was at one time so close to the pair that they made him godfather to their now 23-year-old daughter Winnie, tells me: “I never really got why Phil married Fern.
“But a memory that stands out was back in the early 2000s, when the then-network boss, Simon Shaps, summoned me to ITV and said he was worried about Fern’s weight.
“It was made clear that she needed to do something about it if she was to keep her job — imagine that being said nowadays! — and it was my job to tell her.
‘Amazing chemistry’
“Well, obviously I didn’t really fancy that task, so I arranged to meet Phil at a cafe in Marylebone station and asked him to break the news.
“I felt that as her husband, and someone with whom she worked — and, obviously, as a brilliant chef — he would be best placed to do it.
“He refused.
“He said he just couldn’t do it.
“He was worried how she would take it.
“So, a few days later, as Fern and I were driving to collect a Chinese takeaway to have at their house, I told her — I did it as best I could.
“She pulled over and just sobbed.
“But when we got home and she told Phil, he pretended he had no idea — I can understand why.
“It was just easier for him.”
To be sure, there will be thousands of men reading this, nodding in sympathy.
After all, no man wants to — or, indeed, should — broach the subject of a woman’s weight.
And how utterly devastating, and unacceptable, for poor Fern, being ordered to lose the pounds by bosses.
It is not unfair to say weight has always been a thorny subject for the presenter.
I never really got why Phil married Fern. It felt a very unequal relationship
Agent Jon Roseman
The former face of Ryvita’s low-fat snacks was unceremoniously dropped by the company after she was forced to admit she had secretly had a gastric band fitted two years previously.
The brand initially stood by her before ultimately parting ways.
It was, then, an operation which helped her drop several dress sizes: not a few wholegrain Ryvita minis, and “healthy eating and exercise”, as she had once proudly claimed.
Defending herself on This Morning after the news broke, Fern vowed she had not lied about her surgery and that she had, in fact, been careful in the preceding two years to say, “I eat less and exercise more”, which she insisted was “absolutely true”.
Fern’s weight once again cropped up in an interview she did last week, in which she discussed another weight loss success, this time crediting a love of “running”.
She told Woman And Home magazine how she had cut a lot of sugar from her diet and taken on the Couch To 5k jogging programme, dropping down to a size 12 “naturally”.
But a pal of Phil’s recalled his ex had “dodgy knees”, meaning she could no longer run.
“Whatever the reality, she looks and feels great so good for her,” they added.
On the subject of interviews, it was in another chat with Yours magazine, to promote her new novel, that Fern admitted the pair no longer had any contact.
Fern was said to be ‘shocked and devastated’ by the snatched paparazzi shots of Phil and her best friendFern’s long-standing former power agent Jon Roseman insists her ‘warm, bubbly, lovely TV persona is not what it seems; she is not the person everybody loves’Shutterstock Editorial
She said: “He hasn’t spoken to me for six years now.
“As soon as my mum died, he stopped talking to me.”
Fans immediately took to social media to accuse Phil of being cold and callous.
The truth is, the pair no longer have any communication whatsoever.
Certainly there is no “great friendship”.
A friend says: “They both love and adore Winnie, but she is stuck in the middle of two warring parents.
“It must be said, though, they are both wonderful parents.”
All this toxicity is a far cry from the happy, domesticated image the pair portrayed first on Ready, Steady, Cook — where they met in 1996 — and then on This Morning, the show that made them both household names.
They both love and adore Winnie, but she is stuck in the middle of two warring parents
A friend
The pair, who I’m told had “amazing chemistry” from the off, married in 2000 following her split from first husband, TV exec Clive Jones.
Although she came a respectable fifth, she did not endear herself particularly to the public, regularly bursting into tears.
In her 2008 autobiography, the star opened up about her troubled relationship with her famous actor dad, Tony Britton, who left her mother.
She told movingly of her heartbreak.
One acquaintance says: “While it is easy to be critical of some of her behaviour, and the way she was so dismissive of poor Phil at times, we must be empathetic of some of the things she has been through.
“She also has real moments of kindness.”
The estranged pair worked together on This Morning, where Phil is the resident chefRexFern was the face of Ryvita’s low fat snacks before she was dropped by the company after she was forced to admit she had a gastric band fitted
‘Enough is enough’
I saw first-hand such kindness in 2015 when I interviewed her ahead of a charity cycle around India. I liked her.
“In real life, she is the funny, vivacious woman you want. And she is happy,” I wrote gushingly.
“You got the full Fern charm attack”, says Jon.
Lorraine and Phil only became proper mates once the divorce went through
A friend
“Just as she can turn it on brilliantly for the cameras — and, really, she is a first-class journalist and interviewer — she can also be engaging and charismatic off camera.
“Unfortunately it’s when she snaps and the mask slips that it’s hard for those around her.”
While Fern has publicly said she has no interest in romance again, going on both This Morning and James Martin’s Saturday Morning to say she would never re-marry, pals say Phil similarly has “no intention of having any relationship again”.
“Lorraine and Phil only became proper mates once the divorce went through,” says a friend.
“I don’t think there was anything more to it, although they remain close.”
Fern, though, was said to be “shocked and devastated” by the snatched paparazzi shots.
This, perhaps, is because she has struggled to let go of her handsome ex.
So why are Phil’s inner circle speaking out now?
Her hypocrisy, they allege.
When the couple split, they pledged to put their daughter first, acknowledging that having two parents in the public eye isn’t easy.
However, last week Fern fuelled the flames when she claimed in the Yours mag interview that she struggled not to “bad-mouth Winnie’s dad” in front of her.
Says one friend: “That was the final straw.
“Phil is fine, he’s a big boy and he isn’t too upset.
“But yes, his mates are seething on his behalf.
“Enough is enough; it is time for everyone to move on and live in peace.
“That’s all Phil wants.”
Last night spokesmen for Fern and Phil declined to comment.
Fern came a respectable fifth on Celebrity Big Brother last yearErotemeErotemeBut she did not endear herself particularly to the public during her stint, regularly bursting into tears[/caption]
20 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on Weight-loss Lizzo owes fans an apology for hypocrisy after building career on ‘body positivity’ – they’ve been betrayed
USUALLY when one of showbusiness’s more corpulent constituents is pictured “showcasing their incredible weight loss” you need a laser measure to verify it.
Like when Gemma Collins “flaunts her new figure” in some social media photobomb, she always looks the same size as she ever is, if not bigger.
GettyLizzo dropped jaws at the BET Awards in LA this week when she showed off her new silhouette, but it definitely was not thanks to fashionable weight-loss jabs[/caption]
GettyWhy did the star who was perfectly happy with her dramatic dimensions choose to loose weight in the first place?[/caption]
So when I saw a headline about plus-sized popstar Lizzo’s “transformation” I eye-rolled so hard I could see my neck.
Then bam! There she was, a whole 1,000st lighter, looking more like that 200-year-old glass flute she famously played than the double bass of old.
Squeezed into a basque at the BET Awards in LA this week, she dropped jaws with a silhouette that wouldn’t look out of place from Kim K. Where the hell had the rest of her gone? Blame it on the juice diet?
Maybe. Because according to Lizzo, it wasn’t fashionable weight-loss jabs like Ozempic that cut 16 per cent of her body fat so quickly,
Nope. Definitely not. Instead, she claims, she’s been dipping into the tuck box less, getting her steps in and pumping iron on Instagram for what she calls her “weight release”.
OK. But the real mystery is why she’s lost the weight in the first place.
After all, this once spherical superstar was perfectly happy with her dramatic dimensions. We know this because she never stopped telling us.
Her whole vibe was about being a “body icon” for the bigger-boned, once declaring: “I know I’m fat. It doesn’t bother me. I like being fat, and I’m beautiful and I’m healthy.”
So happy was she with her curves she styled herself as a big bouncy beacon of hope for all the plus-sized girls out there.
A put-upon demographic she described as: “Girls with back fat, girls with bellies that hang, girls with thighs that aren’t separated, that overlap. Girls with stretch marks . . . girls who are in the 18-plus club.”
And with her Big Grrrls schtick and “thick b****” chat, Lizzo wasn’t just promoting “body positivity”. It went further.
Being fat was reframed as having a superpower and by extension more “real” than other body shapes, especially all those “skinny hos” (her words) who decorate the pop world.
She even launched her own Amazon Prime reality TV series, Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, which hunted for plus-sized backing dancers.
As she put it: “What I’m doing is stepping into my confidence and my power to create my own beauty standard. And one day that will just be the standard.”
So what are her devotees to think now? Is she finally admitting that perhaps her exuberant promotion of obesity was a bit, you know, irresponsible?
Phoney narcissist
Perhaps she’s subconsciously pointing fans to recent research that suggested people her age, 37, who are obese, have a 52 per cent higher chance of a premature death?
Or the huge rise in obesity-related cancers affecting the breast, uterus and — apologies for spoiling your breakfast — rectum.
Is that what you’re telling us, Lizzo?
Because so far, all we’ve heard is a load of claptrap about “new perspectives”.
It’s no surprise that the star’s fans have blasted her outrageous hypocrisy. They feel betrayed, sold a pup by someone who they admired and who they felt spoke for them but seems to have turned out to be another phoney narcissist.
One summed it up, saying: “She’s becoming exactly what she spent the past decade saying she would never be.”
Such is her Damascene conversion, she has even been accused of fat-shaming her own dancers, something she denies.
The new Small Grrrl Lizzo probably doesn’t care about any backlash.
A quadruple Grammy-winning star worth $40million, she is certainly not stupid and knows that while you can probably carry off being a 28st superstar when you’re 28, as you approach your forties you may soon find yourself dancing with death.
She does not want to sacrifice her lucrative career on the altar of her cynical virtual signalling. So hang the fans.
But what a con. Building a world for her followers that she has no intention of living in herself and refusing to be honest about why that is.
She owes her fans a proper explanation — and an apology.
It’s about damn time.
SHOW SENSE, SHEIKH
Detained In DubaiBritish teenager Marcus Fakana was arrested in Dubai for sleeping with a girl a few months younger than him during a trip there[/caption]
I’VE never been to Dubai and have very little interest in doing so.
Visiting a scorching hot sand pit packed with moronic Towie types is not a holiday, it’s a prison sentence.
And for British teenager Marcus Fakana, it literally is.
The 19-year-old lad was caught sleeping with a girl a few months younger than him during a trip there last year.
He was 18 at the time but the girl was only 17, so cops arrested him for breaching Dubai’s age of consent, which is 18, and sentenced him to a year in some godforsaken jail.
I hope he gets it. What possible good does his incarceration do for anyone?
Our craven politicians – and royals (he was mates with the Queen) – roll out the red carpet when the oil-drenched Sheikh comes over here.
It’s time for him to return that goodwill and let poor Marcus come home.
ORLANDO BLOOMIN’ BONKERS
XposureFamous picture of Orlando Bloom, who has spent £10,000 trying to remove all the microplastics from his blood, paddle-boarding naked with Katy Perry[/caption]
THE lesser-spotted actor Orlando Bloom has spent £10,000 trying to remove all the microplastics from his blood.
Wow, they saw him coming, didn’t they?
Doctors were quick to question the bizarre practice, with one sniping: “I am not sure that it removes anything from the patient other than a lot of cash.”
We all assumed he was naked but perhaps he was just proudly wearing The Emperor’s New Wetsuit?
OLIA’S MOVING MEMOIR
GettyChef and food writer Olia Hercules has written about the harrowing experience of her parents being displaced in the barbaric Russia – Ukraine war[/caption]
RUSSIA’S barbaric war with Ukraine has so far displaced more than ten million citizens.
Two of those forced to flee were the parents of my very dear friend, the chef and food writer Olia Hercules.
They lost their cherished home in Kakhovka, southern Ukraine, after Russian troops stormed in in April 2022, seizing everything in their path.
Olia, who lives in London with her British husband and two kids, has written about the harrowing experience and how it reshaped her family, in her new memoir Strong Roots: A Ukrainian Family Story of War, Exile And Hope.
It is an important book you can’t put down, spanning several generations that brings to life what war and oppression does to proud people.
But it is also a beautifully written and inspiring story about the enduring power of the human spirit.
It’s released on Thursday and I cannot recommend it enough.
Finally, something you can get from them that does only cost a quid.
BEYONCE’S GONE A BIT ‘SPURSY’
GettyBeyonce has been forced to find seat fillers for her UK stadium shows after Brits refused to pay up to £620[/caption]
POOR old Beyonce has been forced to find seat fillers for her UK stadium shows, after punters refused to pay up to £620 to watch her pretend to be a cowboy.
She’s booked in for six gigs at Tottenham Hotspur’s 62,850-capacity stadium but hasn’t sold out a single night.
Yikes!
Still, at least Mrs Carter can take some comfort from knowing that she’s not the only one to experience great disappointment at the home of the Premier League’s 17th best team.
WHAT’S THE COVER STORY SABRINA?
instagramSabrina Carpenter is on all fours as some bloke lifts up her hair on her crass new album cover[/caption]
Maybe that random bloke is Robin Thicke, who sleazed all over those naked models in his creepy Blurred Lines video
How else to explain her crass new album cover, which sees her on all fours as some random bloke lifts up her hair while presumably demanding she Please Please Please him?
You can’t see his face but maybe it’s that Robin Thicke dude, who sleazed all over those naked models in his creepy Blurred Lines video.
After proudly loading up the image on Instagram and hitting “share”, Sabrina’s timeline exploded, with fans branding it “disgusting”, “misogynistic” and an insult to domestic abuse survivors.
I’m sure the increasingly sexualised Sabrina, desperate to shed her Disney puppet past, thinks it’s all on-brand and hey, it’s done the job – everyone is talking about it.
But what message does this lame cover send to her young fans, who presumably make up the bulk of her fanbase? Like my daughter, 11, who thinks she’s amazing.
What am I supposed to say when she asks: “Daddy, why is Sabrina on her knees like that?”
20 hours agoNew York StateComments Off on I want to watch my girl flirt with another man as it really turns me on but I worry she’s too shy
DEAR DEIDRE: The idea of watching my girlfriend flirt with another man really turns me on – but I think she’s too shy to do it.
She has promised she’ll give it a go for me.
But it’s been months since I asked, and it still hasn’t happened. She says she hasn’t had the opportunity yet.
We’ve been in a relationship for a year. We’re both in our late 20s.
She didn’t have many relationships before me, and is a very quiet, sweet person. To begin with, she was into vanilla sex and wasn’t very experienced.
That didn’t bother me as it made me feel special.
And over the course of our relationship, she’s really become much more adventurous. We play sex games and have enjoyed role playing.
She will dress up in school uniform, and I’ll pretend to be the teacher. I find her incredibly sexy, and I know lots of other men must envy me for being with such a gorgeous girl.
What I’d really like is to see other guys chat her up and watch her flirt back, knowing that it’s me she’s coming home to bed with.
Then, as we have sex, she’d tell me every detail of the encounter. She’d describe what it would be like to have sex with them too.
I can’t stop myself from fantasising about this.
When I asked her to do it, she seemed surprised, and yet she agreed.
But we go out and she won’t leave my side. And when she’s out with her friends she comes back and says nobody chatted her up — which I find hard to believe.
Is she telling the truth or does she not want to do it? Am I wrong to ask?
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page.
THANK YOU FOR… HELPING DAUGHTER STOP SELF-HARMING
DEAR DEIDRE: WHEN I discovered my 11-year-old daughter was self-harming, I was so anxious.
I already knew she was neurodiverse and had problems expressing her emotions, but realising she was cutting herself – and at such a young age – was terrifying.
I was scared she didn’t understand the seriousness of what she was doing, and that she could really hurt herself.
And I realised I had no idea how to help her – and that made me feel like a failure as a mother.
Desperate, I reached out to you. You were so understanding, explaining that often people self-harm as a way of relieving internal pain they cannot communicate.
I appreciated your advice to give her lots of reassurance and hugs, so she knew she was safe and loved.
We’ve since been in contact with the mental healthcharity for children, Young Minds (youngminds.org.uk), who are also talking to her school. She seems happier and has not self-harmed recently.
Thank you, Deidre, for your kindness and for taking the time to listen and advise.
DEIDRE SAYS: Young Minds is a great charity, which can help you access trained therapists and psychiatrists.
I really hope things continue to improve for your daughter.
TEENAGE TROUBLES
DEAR DEIDRE: I AM heartbroken because my ex-boyfriend didn’t even care when I was in hospital.
I thought he loved me but it seems what he said was a lie, and I feel like I’ve wasted years on him for nothing.
We’re both 18 and met at school. We were together for two years.
He wouldn’t let me be friends with other boys, and when I did well in my exams, he wasn’t happy for me.
I had a car accident and he didn’t even come to see me.
I’ve now broken up with him, but I can’t get over him.
DEIDRE SAYS: First love is so intense, but I promise in time you will feel happier.
This guy sounds controlling and selfish, and you deserve so much better.
Be kind to yourself and try not to contact him, so you have time to heal.
My support pack, Mending A Broken Heart, will help.
CONTROLLING HUSBAND WON’T LET ME LEAVE HIM
DEAR DEIDRE: AFTER years in an unhappy marriage, I’ve realised my husband is a narcissist and our relationship is toxic.
I’ve asked him for a divorce and he can’t accept it. He is love bombing me like he did at the start – sending apologetic messages and saying how good we are together.
But I know none of it is true.
We’ve been together for 20 years and have two children. I’m 46 and he’s 48.
Over the years, he’s become increasingly nasty when he doesn’t get his way. He’s controlling and puts me down.
He made me believe my friends and family didn’t care about me, and one by one I’ve lost nearly all of them.
I believe he likes seeing me lonely and depressed.
My eyes have been opened. I can see our marriage wasn’t built on love, but on fear, and I’ve had to change myself so much that I now feel completely empty.
He’s made me so dependent on him that I was afraid he’d leave me. So if I stood up to him, he’d threaten divorce. Last time he did it, I called his bluff and said divorce was what I wanted.
Now he says he can’t live without me, and it’s not fair to the kids if we break up.
Can you help?
DEIDRE SAYS: It’s natural to feel scared and sad. You’re grieving the marriage you wished you’d had, and your husband has destroyed your self-esteem to the point that you no longer believe you can manage without him.
But you can build yourself back up.
Talking to a counsellor or a trusted loved one will help you maintain the confidence to consider and even move forward with leaving him.
Getting away from this toxicity would certainly help you and your children thrive.
You need support. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your estranged friends and family who probably miss you and worry.
My support pack, Abusive Partner, has details of organisations who can help you.
MEDS DESTROYED MY LIBIDO
DEAR DEIDRE: PRESCRIPTION medication has really helped my mental health, but it has destroyed my libido.
As a result, I haven’t had a sex life for several years, and I don’t even masturbate any more.
I’m a 30-year-old guy. My last relationship was when I was 24.
I’ve suffered from depression on and off since I was a teenager.
Luckily, I found a really good doctor who put me on antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs that allowed me to function normally again.
I’ve got a good job and social life, and feel pretty stable.
The only thing missing is a relationship. I’d really like to meet someone again, but I don’t know how I could.
What woman would be interested in me, if I have no desire to have sex with her?
Should I stop taking the drugs for a while and see what happens?
DEIDRE SAYS: Some antidepressants, such as SSRIs, are known to affect libido and sexual function.
But it’s never a good idea to stop taking your medication without a doctor’s advice, as you might have unpleasant or dangerous side effects.
See your GP – there may be a different medication that won’t affect your sex drive. Or you could be ready to be weaned off altogether.
In the meantime, when it comes to meeting someone, remember the best relationships develop from friendships.
Take time getting to know women as friends so that when you’re ready for sex, you’re with someone understanding, who likes you for yourself.
It’s understood that Williams would be open to joining Bayern, although his salary demands of €380,000 (£322,000) a week could prove to be an obstacle.
Bayern, as well as Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea, would need to meet the €58 million (£48.1m) release clause in his deal with Bilbao.
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Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona are also in the running to sign Williams and the player’s agent, Felix Tainta, met with Barca’s sporting director, Deco, on Friday.
Nico Williams has a €58 million (£48.1m) release clause (NurPhoto via Getty)
The report claims that the message during the meeting was clear that Williams would be ‘eager’ to join Barca this summer.
Manchester United are keen to sell Rashford this summer and are demanding a £40m fee. Barca, meanwhile, would prefer to sign the 27-year-old on loan with the option to buy next year.
