plots

Chris Robshaw’s wife Camilla Kerslake has made a drastic move to head off speculation about Strictly Come Dancing’s infamous curse just days before he takes to the dancefloor

Strictly Come Dancing is set to return this weekend, and former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw will be among the new celebrity contestants.

However, while he prepares to take to the dancefloor, his wife Camilla Kerslake has reportedly already taken steps to make sure the infamous and dreaded ‘Strictly curse’ doesn’t enter their marriage.

Camilla, 37, who tied the knot with Chris, 39, in 2018, is said to be keen to shut down speculation before it starts and has even invited his professional partner over for dinner.

“Camilla is a woman’s woman. She knows it’s inevitable that women will be compared and pitted against each other, but she won’t stand for that. She’s always been very vocal about women supporting each other and has already invited Chris’ partner over for dinner.

“She wants to build a friendship outside of the show in a bid to stop any gossiping around the curse,” a source revealed.

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According to insiders, Chris’ dance partner has been receptive to Camilla’s efforts, with both women finding common ground and planning to spend time together before the series begins.

“Chris thinks they’ll hit it off as mates,” the source added, “and he’s joked to friends that he’ll end up being the third wheel,” they told The Sun.

The ‘Strictly curse’ has become a well-worn talking point since the show first began in 2004, with several celebrity contestants leaving long-term partners for their professional dancers.

Notable cases of the dreaded curse include Countdown star Rachel Riley splitting from her husband before marrying professional dancer Pasha Kovalev in 2019.

Stacey Dooley also left her partner Sam Tucknott and later had a child with professional dancer Kevin Clifton. Elsewhere, comedian Seann Walsh was brutally dumped after being caught kissing his professional dance partner, Katya Jones.

Camilla is determined not to let history repeat itself in their household as friends say she wants to ensure there is unity between her and Chris’ dance partner rather than any sense of rivalry.

Away from the dancefloor, Chris and Camilla have also been dealing with a personal and terrifying challenge. Earlier this year it was revealed that the couple had been targeted by a stalker.

Addressing the situation at the time, Camilla said: “Chris and I are so grateful to the press for handling a very difficult situation with such sensitivity. It’s meant we can focus on keeping our little family safe.

“We’ve truly been overwhelmed by the kindness shown. From here, we’re choosing to move forward. This won’t define us and instead, we’ll be focusing on our family and the exciting journey ahead with Strictly.”

Chris joins a cast that includes former Love Island star Dani Dyer, TV personality Vicky Pattison, and YouTube sensation George Clarke.

The series will officially launch this weekend with the pairing-up episode, before the celebrities and their professional dancers kick off the live competition.

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Emmerdale fans saw Ruby Miligan looking ready to take revenge on Manpreet Sharma and Ross Barton over their rekindled fling following a sad exit on the ITV soap

One character looked ready to seek revenge in Emmerdale on Friday night after a betrayal. Just a day after a sad exit on the ITV soap following a discovery, those involved were sparking further outrage.

Ross Barton’s night of passion with Manpreet Sharma was exposed to his on/off girlfriend Steph Miligan this week. While it happened after Steph had cooled things between them, the fact he lied about it left her unable to trust him.

It comes amid Steph actress Georgia Jay taking time away from the show after announcing her pregnancy. Steph left the village on Thursday, with Ross seemingly devastated to have broken her heart.

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He can’t have been that cut up though as on Friday he got steamy with Manpreet yet again on the sofa. This time they were caught though, as the pair were shown locking lips on Manpreet’s doorstep.

As Moira Dingle looked awkwardly towards her nephew Ross, having just been telling Ruby how upset he was for breaking Steph’s heart, Ruby’s face was very telling. She looked furious, but also as if she was plotting something as she silently fumed at Manpreet and Ross.

She then made her intentions clear, while Emmerdale teased she had a “murderous” look on her face in the awkward moment. Moira asked her what she was gonna do, as Ruby declared she wished she hadn’t believed Ross and Manpreet were sorry about Steph.

She simply told her, clearly wanting payback: “Only what they deserve.” So with ruthless Ruby now seemingly targeting both of them, what does she have planned and will Manpreet and Ross regret their latest moment of passion?

Spoilers have teased what Ruby has in store for Manpreet, but it backfires. She ends up snapping and attacks Manpreet after a war of words, with a showdown at the depot.

It seems Ruby targets Manpreet before this and leaves her humiliated in scenes that air next week. So when Manpreet heads to the depot to confront her new enemy, things escalate and it’s not long before the police are called.

Photos show Ruby shoving Manpreet and it seems a fight commences. They end up both being arrested and left in a police cell over night, facing charges of ABH. Left alone to process events, can the pair come to an understanding and put their drama to bed? Or might we be seeing a new village feud forming? Then there’s Ross – might Ruby target him too?

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

UK and 13 allies have accused Iran of plotting killings and kidnappings on Western soil.

The United Kingdom and 13 allied nations have publicly accused Iran’s intelligence services of orchestrating a wave of assassination attempts, abductions and intimidation campaigns against individuals residing in Europe and North America.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday, governments including the United States, France, Germany and Canada denounced Tehran’s alleged extraterritorial operations as a flagrant breach of national sovereignty.

“We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty,” the group said.

The signatories – which also included Albania, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK – urged Iranian authorities to halt these activities, which they claimed were increasingly carried out in partnership with international criminal groups.

A UK parliamentary committee recently attributed at least 15 plots targeting individuals in the UK since 2022 to Iranian intelligence operatives.

British officials have responded with tighter measures. In March, the UK government said Iran would be required to register any political influence activity inside the country, citing “escalating aggression” from its intelligence services.

In May, UK police arrested seven Iranians over alleged threats to national security, which Iran’s  Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced as “suspicious and unwarranted”.

Similar concerns have emerged elsewhere in Europe. Dutch security services said Tehran was behind a foiled 2024 attempt to assassinate an Iranian dissident in the Netherlands – charges Iran denied.

Authorities arrested two suspects, one of whom is also linked to the shooting of Spanish politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a vocal supporter of the Iranian opposition.

Across the Atlantic, the US Department of Justice charged three European-based gang members and later a senior Iranian official with plotting to kill an Iranian-American journalist. Two were convicted earlier this year, while the third pleaded guilty. Prosecutors claimed the men acted at the behest of the Iranian state. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called such statements “baseless”.

The allegations come at a time of renewed tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme. Talks between Iran and Western powers remain frozen. Last week, Iranian officials held “frank” discussions in Istanbul with diplomats from the UK, Germany and France.

The meeting marked the first engagement since Israel’s mid-June air strikes on Iran, which triggered a 12-day flare-up involving US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

While Israel insists Iran is covertly pursuing nuclear weapons, a claim it has not substantiated, Tehran maintains its nuclear activities are for civilian use only.

US intelligence agencies, meanwhile, assessed in March that Iran was not actively developing a bomb, contradicting former President Donald Trump’s claim that it was “close” to doing so