stars

This period drama is a compelling watch

If you’re on the hunt for a new period drama to lose yourself in, this relatively recent series from Channel 4 with a star from Netflix‘s Thursday Murder Club is worth checking out. It follows hot on the heels of another costume drama that’s been hailed as “first class” and a top-notch Shakespeare adaptation, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The series has been showered with praise from viewers on IMDB. One viewer gave it a perfect 10/10 review, saying: “Each episode builds on the one before it. It is stunning. I’m not going to give any spoilers away, but this is the most visually astounding thing I’ve ever seen come out of UK, and that includes Downton Abbey.

“The acting is amazing, there are so many strong performances that it’s impossible to pick out just one; the storyline riveting, the costumes are pitch-perfect, and there’s more than a little sex, drinking, and romance.”

Another 10/10 reviewer chimed in: “Some months ago, I binge watched all of S1 over a weekend. Real life was effectively cancelled until the closing credits of the final episode. It was a glorious, immersive experience. This is a genuine ‘Jewel’ of a show.”

A third fan gushed: “Fabulous show. The acting is superb, the characters and the writing top notch, the attention to detail and historical accuracy amazing.”

READ MORE: ‘Best period drama’ hailed ‘alternative Austen’ leaves fan vowing to ‘watch series always’READ MORE: ‘Unbelievable’ period drama based on ‘scandalous’ real-life court case is unmissable

Another viewer added: “The setting is beautiful and the audio and visuals and costumes really bring you into the series. I can almost smell the air of the mountains.

“There are several themes running through the series and you can see things starting to come together into a more coherent whole by the 3rd episode. I would rate this series as one of the best i’ve seen – along the lines of Downton Abbey or The Wire.”

Another viewer gushed: “It’s a really lovely show. I had tried to watch it when it was first broadcast on PBS, but somehow it was not compelling enough and I somehow got the sense that the story would be insubstantial. I’m so happy I went back to the show and starting watching again.

“I didn’t give the show enough of a try or sometimes it just happens this way. I remember my first attempt at seeing “The Wire” didn’t work, but then a year later I went back to see what the rest of the American viewers and critics were raving about.”

Indian Summers debuted in 2015 boasting a brilliant cast featuring Dame Julie Walters, Nikesh Patel and Henry Lloyd-Hughes, with the Channel 4 series hailed as the successor to Downton Abbey.

Taking place in 1932, the programme chronicled the final chapter of British Colonial Rule in India during escalating political upheaval as the country fought for freedom from its imperial overlords.

The programme brimmed with political scheming and cunning characters, leaving numerous individuals in dangerous circumstances.

The star-studded cast also includes Madeleine Mathers, Game of Thrones actor Patrick Malahide, Jemima West, Gandhi star Roshan Seth, Fiona Glascott, Lillete Dubey, Line of Duty’s Craig Parkinson, Amber Rose Revah from Netflix’s The Punisher, Art Malik, and Rachel Griffiths, among others.

Indian Summers is streaming on Channel 4 now

While northern Spain may not attract as many tourists as it’s resort-packed neighbours in the south, one city is attracting a whole new set of visitors looking to try some of the best food the country has to offer

For many people, the best bit about going abroad is eating and drinking your way through a new place, trying all the local dishes and bringing home your favourite recipes.

While millions of foodies may head to tourist hot spots of Rome, Barcelona or Paris to eat their weight in pasta, tapas or pastries, one hidden gem has actually gained the title of Europe’s culinary paradise.

Nestled on the coast of Northern Spain, and just a few miles from the French border, is the small port and fishing city of San Sebastian. Lining the turquoise ocean of the Bay of Biscay, it made its living from catching fish, and is now making its fortune cooking it.

The Basque city has the highest proportion of Michelin Star restaurants of anywhere else in the world. Despite a population of just 180,000, the city is home to 12 Michelin-starred restaurants, including three highly coveted three-star restaurants and three two-star restaurants.

While getting a table at the prestigious Arzak, Akelare, and Martin Berasategui may be easier said than done – and out of many of our budgets – the foodie culture is something that has seeped down to the streets.

The city’s picturesque Iberian streets are lined with pintxos bars (pronounced pEEn-chos), delightful little watering holes filled with locals that serve you bite-sized pieces of bread served with local meats, cheeses, fish and anything else the chef fancies, perfect when paired with a cold beer or glass of sangria.

An evening can easily be spent hopping from bar to bar, tucking into the delicious bites, with the odd slice of tortilla or other tapas classics, before finishing it off with a famed slice of Basque cheesecake.

But for those wanting something much more filling, the region is home to what has been described as the “best steak in the world”.

On a trip to the city, Isaac Rodgers from the Steak Society went on a hunt around the city to try to find the best Txuleton steak around.

The Txuleton steak is a regional delicacy that is served from much older cows than you’d normally find – usually about 18 years old – from the specific Rubio Gallegia breed.

Having eaten so much steak, he gained 4.5 pounds on his trip, Isaac concluded his favourite came from Gandarias Jatetxea.

He wrote: “This wasn’t my first visit to Gandarias. I discovered Gandarias after searching for Steakhouses back in 2014 and was thrilled by a very reasonably priced and delicious melt-in-the-mouth steak. I’ve been wanting to go back ever since.

“We ordered Octopus and a 1.1kg ‘Old aged T-Bone steak’, a delicious new take on surf and turf, I suppose.

“The steak was unexpectedly tender as well as being quite beefy (but not as much as expected). The steak closest to the bone was also the most tasty. Given the cut of steak and the breed of cow, there were copious amounts of fat. Combining some of the chunks of fat with the beef created an insanely pleasurable taste.”

Flights from the UK to San Sebastian are relatively expensive and infrequent, but budget flights from the UK to nearby Bilbao can cost as little as £21, with similar costing flights available to Biarritz in France, requiring just a short hop over the border.

A BELOVED American fast food chain that is popular among celebrities is opening in the UK for the first time.

Not only does it have over five million followers on socials, but also fans such as Snoop Dogg, Post Malone, Cardi B, Cynthia Erivo and Travis Kelce.

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Raising Cane’s has been a favourite fast food joint in the US, particularly known for its chicken fingers.

Its first flagship will open in a UK hot spot next year, to mark the brand’s European debut.

The new Raising Cane’s will take over the former Angus Steakhouse site in London’s Piccadilly Circus.

It is set to open its doors late in 2026, as the first of several restaurants planned to come to London.

Expected to be a site with bold signage and high visibility in the centre of Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, the new branch will fit right into its vibrant West End location.

Opening at 21-22 Coventry St, it will be right amidst the nightlife, entertainment, theatre and shopping district.

Raising Cane’s loyal fanbase in the States have loved its “Craveable Chicken Finger Meals” and five core menu products.

These include its iconic Crispy Chicken Fingers, that are said to be have been marinated for more than 24 hours, and hand-breaded.

There is also Buttery Cane’s toast, which is an American classic of thick-sliced white bread that is spread with butter and then grilled until golden or crispy “to perfection”.

Another staple is the Crunchy Coleslaw which is described to be hand-mixed and made fresh.

And finally, their Crispy crinkle-cut fries that are served hot and salted.

There is also Cane’s Sauce that is iconic to the restaurant, and has been awarded the number one “most craveable sauce” in the restaurant industry, along with its chicken.

The addition of Raising Cane’s to London’s Piccadilly Circus will mean it joins some other globally iconic locations that the restaurant chain can be found, including Times Square and the Las Vegas Strip.

As is tradition with the fast food restaurant, it will also feature curated memorabilia and decor to pay homage to the location’s community, history and icons in London.

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Raising Cane’s co-CEO and COO AJ Kumaran said: “Bringing Raising Cane’s to the UK has been a dream of ours for many years and we’re excited to officially open the doors to our UK flagship late next year.

“We love the vibrant and eclectic atmosphere of Piccadilly Circus and are looking forward to marking this milestone with a flagship in the heart of London.

“With more than 950 restaurants across the US and Middle East, Europe presents an excellent expansion opportunity as we embark on this next phase of growth, and we’re excited to begin that growth with the UK.”

Raising Cane’s was founded in 1996 in Louisiana by Todd Graves, who wanted to present a Chicken Finger-focused concept.

“The Mothership” first restaurant opened in Baton Rouge in Louisiana, which Graves built by hand and it still stands today.

He said: “When I started Raising Cane’s 29 years ago, I never imagined we’d grow to where we are today as we announce our expansion into the UK with the opening of our UK flagship in iconic Piccadilly Circus.

“The demand from our customers and fans in the UK has been incredible and I can’t wait to show London what we’re all about.”

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EXCLUSIVE: Four members of the Love Is Blind UK season 2 cast have opened up about the ‘trauma’ of reliving their wedding days.

*Warning – this article contains spoilers for Love Is Blind UK season 2.*

Season 2 of Love Is Blind UK has now come to an end, with the explosive reunion episode on Sunday night revealing which marriages have lasted months on from when the cameras stopped rolling.

In the Netflix show’s season 2 finale, we saw three couples tie the knot: Kieran and Megan, Billy and Ashleigh and Kal and Sarover.

Meanwhile, Bardha made the difficult decision to turn down Jed at the altar, and Katisha chose to walk away from her relationship with Javen ahead of their wedding day.

In the reunion, it was revealed that just one couple – Kieran and Megan – have stayed together, while the other two pairs called it quits months after filming had wrapped.

In an exclusive interview, four stars from Love Is Blind UK season 2 sat down to speak about their experience on the Netflix show, including the emotional ordeal of watching their wedding episodes back after their relationships had ended.

Admitting it felt like they were ‘living double the trauma’, Ashleigh began: Can we just talk about when we watched the weddings together? Because that was like…”

“That was horrible,” Katisha confirmed, as Ashleigh continued: “We were all curled up on one bed sobbing. Fetal [position], intertwined, all four of us just sobbing.”

Bardha then expanded: “It was really hard to watch, I think. And we didn’t realise how we were going to react.”

However, she went on to highlight the bond they had formed with one another, adding: “It was just so nice to have each other and support each other through that. Like, I don’t think I could have watched that alone.”

“We cried for each other,” Sarover reflected sadly, adding that they were “holding each other so tight”.

Looking back at their time on the show, Ashleigh elaborated: “This is real lives, this is real human beings.

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“We really got married, we really went through break ups and it’s been difficult, you know, with comments as well.

“You have to cancel that outside noise because we’ve been on a journey for a year where we’ve not been able to talk about it. So, we’re actually living double the trauma now.”

Sarover concluded: “It’s really bittersweet to watch it back because I really feel like we were all so in love during the filming and it’s bittersweet memories because of what happens later. It’s a tough watch.”

Meanwhile, Kieran and Megan were all smiles as they confirmed their marriage was still “all smooth sailing”.

They are the third lasting marriage to come out of Love Is Blind UK, as season 1 also saw Nicole and Benaiah and Bobby and Jasmine tie the knot, while former married pair Steven and Sabrina have also sadly parted ways.

Love Is Blind UK season 2 is available to stream now, exclusively on Netflix.

DEONTAY WILDER has welcomed a fight with Jake Paul – in a bid to dish out a “reality check”.

Wilder has become the latest champion of the past linked with a bout against YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul.

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And while it so far remains just another possibility on the table – Wilder is ready to come to the table for that lucrative conversation.

He told Brian Mazique: “Nothing has been presented to us, at the moment it’s not real, but if it came my way of course I’m 100 per cent taking it.

“He’s been doing his thing in the business although it’s not the traditional way, it’s not the logic way of how a fighter comes up or how he gains stardom and fame and fortune.

“Unfortunately, it’s a more brutal road than that. Some of these guys never, ever in their lifetime see $50,000, let alone $100,000 or $1million or $2million.

“It just doesn’t go like that. That module of how it is, it’s not like that. But it’s the wave of what young people are looking to or what they like.

“Unfortunately, people try and go off the vote of popularity. What’s going on, what’s popular, what can make them money.

“Money makes the world go round and everybody is trying to make that dollar – no matter what skill you’ve got if you can generate a crowd that generates to asses in seats that generates money.

“So all of this is a cycle that’s used and here it is you’ve got a guy that’s been doing good in generating money and putting asses in seats although he’s selective in how he fights and who he fights, I would say.”

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Paul moved up to heavyweight in November when Mike Tyson controversially made a comeback aged 58.

And despite the scrutiny surrounding the showdown – over 100 MILLION tuned in on Netflix to watch Tyson lose over eight shorter rounds of two minutes.

Paul, 28, then returned in June to beat ex-middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, over ten rounds to earn himself a No14 cruiserweight rank in the WBA.

The American – whose only loss in 13 fights came to Tommy Fury in 2023 – soon after entered shock talks to fight Anthony Joshua.

And two-time heavyweight champ AJ looked to be nearing a deal to face Paul next year.

But talks have since stalled after Paul announced a November 14 exhibition against lightweight champ Gervonta Davis, 30, who is FIVE STONE lighter.

Paul’s camp claim they still intend to fight Joshua, 35, in 2026 with the Brit legend  sidelined since his September 2024 loss to Daniel Dubois, 27.

But Wilder, 39, has now thrown his name into the mix to fight Paul in an attempt to teach the prankster-gone-prizefighter a lesson.

He added: “That’s exactly how I would approach it. It would be a big reality check.

“That would be the title of the show ‘Reality Check’. At least for me.”

Wilder suffered consecutive losses – to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang – before returning to victory against little-known Tyrrell Herndon in June.

And he is now in talks to fight ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou – who lost his two boxing bouts to Tyson Fury and AJ.

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JOAO PEDRO continued the brilliant start to his Chelsea career as he sent them on their way against Fulham.

Enzo Maresca‘s men went top of the Premier League table as they made it back-to-back wins.

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Summer signing Pedro gave the hosts the lead with a header in the dying seconds of the first half.

The Blues‘ afternoon was made more comfortable as Enzo Fernandez converted from the spot in the 56th minute.

Fulham did have chances as defender Trevoh Chalobah seemed like a weak spot in the backline.

Here’s how SunSport reporter Jack Rosser rated the Chelsea players…

Robert Sanchez – 6

Sanchez will have been relieved that Josh King’s opening goal was ruled out, given he was made to look rather silly with the near post finish.

Other than that, however, the Spaniard had a very, very quiet afternoon with little to do after the first half scare.

Malo Gusto – 6

A couple of fine, flying challenges to stop Fulham on the counter while also supporting the winger in flying forwards whenever he can.

Given how good he can be, it feels like Reece James may take the right-back spot from Gusto soon but the Frenchman is putting forwards a good case at the moment.

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Trevoh Chalobah – 5

A very difficult first half for the Blues defender.

Chalobah was lucky that VAR intervened in the build-up to Fulham’s disallowed goal after he was easily rolled by Rodrigo Muniz.

He was also easily beaten by Josh King not too long after that. Picked up in the second half.

Tosin Adarabioyo – 6

A tough battle with former Fulham teammates Muniz and Raul Jimenez a times but led the Blues back four well.

Came close to opening the scoring but could not react to get an effort on target after a corner deflected his way off of Kenny Tete.

Marc Cucurella – 6

The Spaniard was fairly untroubled throughout, keeping the danger down his side to a minimum – especially impressive after Adama Traore was thrown on to try and get Fulham back in.

As always, a ball of energy looking to cause trouble going forwards, but little joy on that front this weekend. 

Moises Caicedo – 8

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Despite having trained just once this week since the West Ham game, Caicedo put in another stellar display.

Dominant against a hefty Fulham midfield, the Ecuador international held everything together for the Blues.

And even when the control slipped, Caicedo was there to save the day – making a superb last-ditch challenge to deny Timothy Castange what looked a certain goal minutes before the Blues opened the scoring.

Enzo Fernandez – 6

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A bizarre afternoon for the Chelsea captain, who shushed his own fans and raged at the fitness coach at halftime.

Some sloppy play first half but stepped up and helped Chelsea gain a little more control after the break, before pulling rank and keeping his cool to convert the penalty and double the lead.

Estevao – 6

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Another encouraging afternoon for the teenage winger.

Estevao showed his strength and power with a barge on Ryan Sessengnon in the first half, winning the ball before skipping away and past Calvin Bassey.

End product could do with some work still but plenty to be excited about.

Joao Pedro – 7

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Another week and another goal for Pedro.

The Brazilian found space well and confidently nodded home his second Premier League goal of the season to get things rolling.

Pedro even kept his mouth shut when Enzo Fernandez wanted to claim the penalty and open his account for the campaign, giving his captain a hug for support before the spot kick.

Pedro Neto – 5

A lot of hard work for little reward.

With Alejandro Garnacho watching on and Jamie Gittens already providing competition from the bench – Neto will have to show more if he is to keep his place in the side.

Liam Delap – n/a

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The striker suffered a huge blow as he went off injured early in the first half.

Substitutes

Tyrique George (Delap, 13′) – 5

Thrown in much earlier than expected after Delap’s early injury and asked to lead the line – not his usual position.

It was a surprise George was even turned to given talks progressing over a move to Roma.

his was not a performance that will add any more to the transfer fee as George struggled to make an impact.

Jamie Gittens (Estevao, 67′) – 6

Offered precious little from the bench, although Chelsea were more seeing out the game rather than pushing desperately for a third goal once Gittens was sent on.

Andrey Santos (George, 81′) – n/a

Reece James (Neto, 81′) – n/a

Chelsea’s transfer deals

IN

• Joao Pedro – from Brighton – £60m
• Jamie Gittens – from Dortmund – £52m
• Jorell Hato – from Ajax – £37m
• Liam Delap – from Ipswich – £30m
• Estevao – from Palmeiras – £54m
• Dario Essugo – from Sporting Lisbon – £18.5m
• Kendry Paez – from Independiente – £17.25m
• Mamadou Sarr – from Strasbourg – £12m

TOTAL – £280.75m

OUT

• Noni Madueke – to Arsenal – £52m
• Joao Felix – to Al-Nassr – £43.7m
• Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – to Everton – £30m
• Renato Veiga – to Villarreal – £26m
• Djordje Petrovic – to Bournemouth – £25m
• Lesley Ugochukwu – to Burnley – £23m
• Carney Chukwuemeka – to Dortmund £24m
• Armando Broja – to Burnley – £15m
• Bashir Humphreys – to Burnley – £10m
• Mathis Amougou – to Strasbourg – £12.5m
• Kepa Arrizabalaga – to Arsenal – £5m
• Marcus Bettinelli – to Man City – £2m

TOTAL – £268.2m

TRANSFER NEWS LIVE

JOEY ESSEX returns to the big screens once again TONIGHT… but not for a reality TV show!

The TOWIE legend will be making his highly anticipated boxing debut on the Misfits 22 card against Portuguese influencer Numeiro.

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Joey, 35, was in line to feature on Misfits Boxing’s ‘super card’ in Qatar last November against KSI’s brother Deji.

But it fell through with Joey featuring on season 11 of Love Island instead.

Fast forward a year later, Essex is set to face Numeiro who has a little bit of experience in the ring.

However, the Portuguese star lost his only career fight – a 2023 sixth round stoppage by Kalin Simeonov.

And despite it being Joey’s first-ever boxing bout, he’ll feel confident with his uncle and legendary coach Tony Simms in his corner who is known for his incredible work with British icon Conor Benn.

SunSport can provide fans with all the details ahead of this intriguing clash.

When is Joey Essex vs Numeiro?

• Joey Essex vs Numeiro will take place TONIGHT – Saturday, August 30.
• Ring-walk times for this huge fight are yet to be confirmed but reports suggest that the fight could start around 9pm BST.
• The main card will get underway at 7pm BST, while the main event between Darren Till and Luke Rockhold is expected at 11pm BST.
• Manchester’s AO Arena is the chosen venue and it can host approximately 21,000 fans.

Misfits 22 – All the info

MISFITS boxing is back for an absolutely massive card this weekend.

The a huge event comes from the AO Arena in Manchester, with the night starring a mix of UFC legends, Misfits icons – and two TOWIE stars!

Ring of Thrones, as the night has been dubbed, is headlined by a meeting of two former UFC stars in Darren Till and Luke Rockhold.

Former UFC champ Tony Ferguson is also making his debut for the promotion and puts his legacy on the line against Salt Papi, who has impressed in the ring and won his last three fights by TKO.

A packed night sees reality TV star cousins Joey Essex and Demi Sims make their boxing debuts.

Demi’s dad Tony has trained the likes of Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn and is Matchroom Sport’s head coach.

MMA upstart Dillon Danis is also back on the card, as well as Misfits regulars such as Ty Mitchell, Chase DeMoor and Amir Anderson.

Here’s everything you need to know about the night…

FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION FROM MISFITS 22 LIVE ON DAZN

Info

Latest news

What TV channel is Joey Essex vs Numeiro on and can it be live streamed?

Joey Essex vs Numeiro will be available to watch exclusively on DAZN.

There are three options for a DAZN subscription, Annual – either paying a one-off fee or monthly – and a monthly option. 

An annual pass can be purchased for £119.99 in the United Kingdom. That’s just £2.30 per week or 65p per fight (based on 185 fight nights per year).

A monthly flexible pass is priced at £24.99 per month, which can be cancelled at any time.

A subscription allows you to watch every live event and all on-demand programming on DAZN

A DAZN subscription costs:

• Annual Super Saver: £119.99 annually
• Monthly Saver (12-month deal): £14.99 per month
• Monthly Flexible pass (cancel any time): £24.99 per month

Alternatively, SunSport will live blog all the action as it happens.

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Who else is on the card?

Darren Till and Luke Rockhold headline Misfits 22 for a huge MFB bridgerweight title fight.

And fans will get to see Salt Papi in action once again when he takes on Tony Ferguson.

What has been said?

Numeiro has not been impressed with Joey Essex’s sparring videos.

The Portuguese influencer said: “I saw a couple of videos of him boxing and sparring and I do not know if he was trying to look bad on purpose to like not scare me away.

“That was genuinely a question in my head because I do not know the guy. I do not know if he fought as a kid. I saw a couple of videos and they looked really bad.

“Hopefully, he was not playing me. If that was the real him, I am confident I will beat him up.”

Sparks continued to fly between Kerry Katona and Paolo Margaglione during tonight’s Celebs Go Dating as she revealed her new boyfriends sweet gesture days after meeting

Despite joking, she had returned to Celebs Go Dating for free therapy, Kerry Katona seems to have come away with much more than that—meeting her now-boyfriend, Paolo Margaglione.

We’re on week three at the agency, and viewers are watching the couples love story unfold – and tonight, Kerry revealed exactly how she knew her boyfriend was the one.

During Wednesday night’s episode, Kerry told the agents she wanted to carry on dating Paolo, as she revealed that sparks had continued to fly off-camera after their date.

Spilling all to the agents and the fellow celebrities on the date at brunch, father of two Paolo said: “It was lovely. Kerry is a beautiful person. She’s got a great energy about her. As a person, she’s incredible.”

READ MORE: Donna Preston fumes ‘I’m out’ after Celebs Go Dating star’s vile commentsREAD MORE: Kerry Katona takes ‘savage swipe’ at exes days after meeting new boyfriend

Kerry couldn’t help but blush as she revealed that their relationship had been growing outside of the agency. “In fact, we’ve actually kept in touch,” she said, as Celebrity Big Brother star Donna Preston let out a huge gasp.

“We have actually spoken everyday and he actually sent me a care package,” which the celebs and agents cheering in delight, and Paul screaming, “what!” with a great big smile on his face.

Later catching up with Paul and Anna in the agency privately, Kerry continued to gush over her date, who is know her boyfriend. Continuing to gush, Kerry revealed she was ‘excited’ about what was to come in the future with the fitness instructor – who DM’d her on Instagram after their first date.

The pair then went on their second date, and the sparks continued to fly, with Kerry saying he was “saying all the right things.” Despite still being concerned about the 11 year age gap, Kerry told the cameras she didn’t want to date anyone else – and it looked like her wish continued.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the couple had moved in together, although Kerry was wary about going public with her new beau.

“Kerry is being very cautious with this romance,” a source told the Mirror. “She has been very wary about going public with Paolo and it impacting their relationship.

“She’s been down the route of high-profile, public relationships before and she doesn’t want anything to ruin things this time.”

The source added: “Kerry’s worries have caused some tense moments as she doesn’t want any exterior drama getting in the way.

“But Paolo isn’t overthinking it – he’s just really happy to be with her. He doesn’t see the problem and is telling her not to worry, they’re great together and should just enjoy what they’ve got.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

There’s less than a week to go before the ‘mother of all reunions’ on EastEnders, as Kat and Zoe come face to face for the first time in two years – as they tease what’s to come

With just a week to go until the ‘mother of all reunions’, Jessie Wallace and Michelle Ryan joined The One Show live from Albert Square on Wednesday night, to give EastEnders fans a teaser of what they can expect.

Spoilers have revealed that Kat and Zoe will finally come face-to-face next week for the first time in two decades, months after Zoe made her brief return to Albert Square.

At the time, Alfie and Stacey were the only ones who had been in contact with her and had tried to do all that they could to keep the secret from Kat. However, the two couldn’t keep the secret for long as news got to both Tommy and Jean this week. Tonight, the guilt got too much for Alfie, as he confessed all…

READ MORE: EastEnders fans ‘convinced’ Cindy and Anthony will have scandalous affair after ‘clue’READ MORE: EastEnders horror as resident ‘fights for life’ after shock shooting on the Square

Kat was left stunned as the episode came to an end, and now the secret’s out, EastEnders fans only have to wait a few days until the highly anticipated reunion next week. The BBC soap aren’t giving too much away, but JB Gill managed to get some details out of Michelle and Jessie during his trip to Albert Square…

Revealing what viewers can expect from her major return next week, Michelle said: “Zoe is at the lowest point that we’ve ever known her to be. Disappeared 20 years ago, and we’re seeing that she’s struggled a lot. So, she’s desperate, she comes back, and even despite herself, she knows that she needs her family.

“And I think that’s where Kat is such a huge part. The mother-daughter dynamic is the best thing that you can play,” Michelle continued.

“But we still play it in a way as sisters, because we grew up as sisters,” Jessie added. “Well, the characters grew up as sisters, but there are elements of, ‘I am your mother!'” she laughed. “But that’s there, that’s sort of underlying.”

Digging for even more details, the JLS star asked the duo whether the reunion would be explosive, or pain sailing – but of course, we knew the answer.

“Oh come on! It’s EastEnders, what do you think?!” Jessie laughed. “Carnage. Complete carnage,” Michelle added.

As Jessie mentioned, Kat and Zoe grew up as ‘sisters’ until October 2001, where Kat accidentally revealed the truth during an argument, creating the iconic – “You’re not my mother!” line.

The pair have had a tumultuous relationship ever since – but with Zoe now heading back to Albert Square, can Kat have the mother daughter relationship with Zoe that she’s always wanted?

It’s not the only dramatic moment happening next week in the BBC soap, as one residents life is set to hang in the balance after a shock shooting. But who is it?

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Vivian Ayers Allen, a Pulitzer-nominated poet who foreshadowed the country’s journeys into space and was mother to Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad, has died, the family announced on Allen’s social media. She was 102.

“Mommie you have transformed into that cosmic bird Hawk that lives and breathes Freedom,” said the message, posted Wednesday. “We will follow your trail of golden dust and continue to climb higher. We promise ‘to be true … be beautiful … be Free.’”

It was signed with much love — literally five “loves” and dozens of red hearts — by “Norman, Debbie, Lish, Tex, Hugh, Vivi, Thump, Condola, Billy, Oliver, Gel, Tracey, Carmen, Shiloh, Aviah, Eillie, Gia, and all the Turks in our family.” A carousel’s worth of family photos was shared, set to Stevie Wonder’s song “Golden Lady.”

The family celebrated Ayers’ 102nd birthday just over three weeks ago, at the end of July. The festivities, attended by four generations of family, included a jazz concert put together by Andrew “Tex” Allen Jr., a jazz musician and the eldest of Ayers’ four children with dentist Andrew Allen. Ayers and Allen, who died in 1984, got divorced in 1954 after nine years of marriage that also yielded children Debbie, Hugh and Phylicia. All but Hugh would go into the performing arts.

Debbie Allen, 75, spoke about her mother in 2018 at an event honoring the “Grey’s Anatomy” star and her sister, Rashad, 77.

“We grew up with not a lot of money. We grew up with racial segregation. We grew up not being able to go to ballet class or downtown to a restaurant or to a movie,” Allen said. “And so my mother, Vivian Ayers, always made us believe that we were part of a universe that welcomed us and wanted our creativity and was waiting for us to do something good. And so we’ve been doing that forever.”

Ayers told Rashad that acting made her one of the “magic” people.

“I said, ‘What do you mean, Mama?’” the star of “The Cosby Show” told The Times in 2015. “She said, ‘You create so much out of nothing.’”

Born in 1923 in Chester, S.C., Ayers graduated in 1939 from the Brainerd Institute high school, established in 1866 for the children of freed slaves in her hometown. It was the final year the school was in operation. She then went on to study at Barber-Scotia College in Concord, N.C., and Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., eventually getting an honorary doctorate from the latter of the two HBCUs.

Ayers flourished at a time ripe with talent. “Spice of Dawns,” her 1952 book of poetry, earned her a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1953, the year Ernest Hemingway won the fiction prize for “The Old Man and the Sea” and William Inge won the drama prize for “Picnic.” Archibald MacLeish won the poetry award that year, one of his three Pulitzers, while two North Carolina weekly newspapers brought home the public service journalism prize for their campaign against the Ku Klux Klan, which resulted in the arrests of more than 100 Klansmen.

“Hawk,” a book-length poem set in a century in the future, was self-published by Ayers in 1957 and linked the freedom of flight with the possibility of space travel. It foreshadowed what was to come: 11 weeks later, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth. Clemson University officially published “Hawk” in 2023.

NASA in 2024 celebrated Ayers’ work — she had been an editor and typist at the space agency — as it dedicated the Dorothy Vaughan Center in Honor of the Women of Apollo, some of whom were immortalized in the movie “Hidden Figures.” Rashad read “Hawk” at the July 19 ceremony, which honored all the women who worked, unheralded, to make the Apollo mission to the moon possible.

Ayers worked as a librarian at Rice University and in 1965 became the school’s first full-time Black faculty member. While there, she started the Adept Quarterly literary magazine in 1971. She was a playwright, with works including “Bow Boly” and “The Marriage Ceremony.”

She nurtured the artistic talents of her children — and did it for other children through Workshops in Open Fields, a program teaching literacy through the arts that Ayers founded in Houston and later brought to Brainerd Institute. She also founded a museum, the Adept New American Folk Center, focusing on arts of the American Southwest.

“Don’t wait for them to ask for something, just playfully take them into something they have never thought about and charm them into taking the disciplines,” Ayers told the Rock Hill Herald in 2018 about teaching children. “You have to do that. It takes a little urging when they are young to make them stay with the disciplines. They will bless you forever.”

Ayers moved with her children to Mexico for a time, where they learned Spanish and she studied Greek literature and the Mayan culture.

Rashad recalled her childhood in a conversation with The Times in 2012.

“There were a lot of books, and artists frequented our home. And as children we were privy to great intellectual and artistic debates,” she said. “My mother included us in everything that she did, and I mean everything. I remember as a child collating pages for her second book. It was wonderful.”

Ayers was there for dancer-actor Debbie Allen as well.

“My mother took the handrail off the staircase and put it on the wall in what should have been the dining room to create a ballet studio for Debbie to study with a dance instructor privately when she could not be admitted to the best schools that were on the other side of town in Houston,” Rashad explained. “And eventually Debbie was admitted to the Houston Ballet Foundation, but that was because of the private training she received in our home.

“My mother would do things like that. … She was always teaching us.”

MILLWALL were given a rude awakening ahead of their Championship clash with Sheffield United as their hotel was evacuated in the middle of the night.

The Lions’ squad piled onto the streets of Sheffield at 3:55am on Saturday morning when the siren started blaring out.

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It is not clear what set the alarm off, though players were left huddled outside both entrances to the Radisson Blu hotel for approximately 20 minutes while fire crew investigated the cause of the alarm.

A few players appeared bleary-eyed and fed up, while one player was overheard describing the situation as a ‘farce’.

Another FaceTimed his partner to show her his discontent at being sat on the pavement in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Millwall had made the 144-mile from south London by coach on Friday ahead of their trip to Bramall Lane.

The Lions started the season with a victory over Norwich City before being hammered by Middlesbrough 3-0 last time out.

Between those results, they did progress in the League Cup by beating Newport County 1-0 at Rodney Parade.

They will face a Sheffield United side who have endured a nightmare start to their Championship campaign, propping up the bottom of the table with bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

Manager Ruben Selles confessed last week that he is already fearing for his future just three games into the job.

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His team have started the campaign with three successive defeats – including a 4-1 thrashing at home to Bristol City.

Selles said: “We know when you work and you play for Sheffield United, you know that you need to win every match.

“Then if not, and especially if it’s consecutive, then you’re going to be under massive pressure.”

Meanwhile, Millwall captain Jake Cooper is eyeing up promotion to the Premier League.

The defender has been at The Den since his move from Reading in 2017.

He said: “It would be a dream to be a Premier League player with Millwall and everything at the club is geared to get there.

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“There’s more expectation on us now because we finished well last season and the recruitment we’ve done.

“So you can see why people are getting excited.

“It’s important to have lads like Massimo (Luongo) and Alfie (Doughty), who have experience of securing promotion to the Premier League and understand what a winning culture feels like.

“Our new lads have integrated well.

“Alfie knew a few of the guys already while Massimo is very experienced and has been around the Championship for a long time.”

Scoring three minutes after coming on is a dream impact for any substitute, which is what the rangy Polvara did.

But it was not just the fact he scored but the quality of the goal itself which was so impressive. A cross was guided behind him by Adil Aouchiche, and he reacted brilliantly to get to the ball first.

His awareness and agility to swivel and hit it first time off his left foot was even better, with the ball kissing the inside of the post on its way in.

But Polvara did not stop there. Four minutes later, his pinpoint cross teed up Ester Sokler, whose header went narrowly wide.

At the death, Polvara’s sheer presence caused havoc in the box and, but for a good save, he might have won it for Aberdeen.

Overall, the American managed two shots, both on target, and created three chances, the joint most of any player.

According to Opta, he completed all 19 of his passes and won six of his eight duels, the joint most among Aberdeen players. He was everywhere.

“Polvara down that left-hand side was such an out ball,” Aberdeen legend Willie Miller said on BBC Scotland.

“He’s a big strong unit. And the goal – he shouldn’t be scoring from that position. Facing away from goal and he’s able to manoeuvre himself to strike it.

“That fired the crowd up and gave them the hope and optimism they could get something out of it.

“He made a huge difference. The aerial threat, the energy, the quality. He must be in the manager’s thoughts to start next week.”

Strictly Come Dancing star Kristian Nairn has quit the BBC show just a week into training – as sources now reveal to us why he decided to leave the programme

Kristian Nairn’s real reason for quitting Strictly Come Dancing has been revealed after it was announced today that the actor and DJ had quit due to “unexpected medical reasons”.

The Game of Thrones actor and DJ was confirmed today to not be taking on the Latin and ballroom competition for an undisclosed health complaint. Kristian will be replaced by another celebrity, due to be announced later today.

He said in a statement: “With a heavy heart, I have to step back from this season of Strictly Come Dancing due to unexpected medical reasons. I was truly looking forward to the journey, and I’m deeply sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to seeing me on the dance floor. Thank you all for your support, and I will be back on my feet very soon, in every sense. Love to all, Kristian.”

Sarah James, Executive Producer, BBC Studios, added in a statement: “We’ve absolutely loved getting to know Kristian in this short time, and he has all the makings of a brilliant Strictly Come Dancing contestant. We’re incredibly sorry to lose him from this year’s series and we all wish him a speedy recovery.”

Now, a source has revealed to The Mirror just why Kristian had quit the competition so early into training. A BBC source told us: “Kristian sadly just wasn’t up to competing on Strictly and so he had to pull out.

“The celebrities have not been paired up yet but he had a couple sessions doing the group number and they were a real shock to the system. I think by his own admission he found them a struggle and may have been surprised how much of a challenge it was physically for him. He wasn’t feeling great and the best option for everyone was for him to leave the show at this stage. It has been a bit of a scramble but we have got a replacement.”

When he was announced for the show, Kristian said he was excited for the physical challenge. He said: This will be a huge challenge for me physically, but I’m ready to rise to it! It’s a surreal and wonderful opportunity to shed one of my left feet!”

The new celebrity joining Strictly Come Dancing will be announced on Thursday’s (21.08.25) episode of The One Show. Strictly will return in just a few weeks time – with the celebrities and their professional dance partners being announced in a special launch show.

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