Levi Davis, a rugby union star who appeared on The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 as part of the group Try Star, has been missing since 2022. 

According to his mother, Julie, the athlete, 24 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen in Barcelona on October 29, 2022, at a pub, and she’s fearful his disappearance is related to a previous attack he suffered.

In a new interview with The Mirror, the mum of six opened up about how Levi had been ‘drug raped’ – with photographs and film from the incident being used as blackmail against him – around the time he was on X Factor.

Levi, who eventually posted on social media that he felt his life was in danger, had been chained to a chair with his feet in water, attached to electricity, according to his mum.

Julie said: ‘The blackmail video was a while before he went missing – around the time of X Factor. I think he innocently got drawn into something.’

Julie’s oldest son Nathan revealed the incident to his mother: ‘Levi had confided in Nathan that he had been drug raped and photographs had been taken and he was being blackmailed.

‘They told him, “We’ve got this on camera and we’re gonna do XYZ to your family if you don’t pay.”‘

Julie explained that she last heard from her son when he arrived in the Spanish city and phoned to tell her he had run out of money and needed £30 to spend the night in a hotel. 

She later messaged Levi – who had played as a winger for Bath and appeared on The X Factor: Celebrity with fellow players Thom Evans and Ben Foden three years earlier – asking if he’d found the money for the hotel. She never heard from her son again. 

She was later told that cruise ship workers had helped ‘someone in the water shouting for help in English’ shortly after Levi was last seen.

However, when the area of water was searched, nothing was found – all that was uncovered during the police investigation was Levi’s passport.

Levi was last seen on CCTV leaving The Old Irish Pub on La Rambla at around 10 pm on October 29, and bar staff later told authorities he had only had a couple of drinks. 

He sent a WhatsApp message to a friend shortly after midnight before going dark, the Mirror reports. 

Julie continued to the publication: ‘Levi wanted to travel Europe because of his anterior cruciate ligament tear. He’d been in Ibiza for a couple of weeks to work on music, and he said he planned to stay at a hotel in Barcelona overnight before going to his next destination, which was left open. But he had run out of funding.’

The devastated mother has been left with unanswered questions, including uncertainty as to why her son’s phone last pinged by a port-side underground station. She was left with even more uncertainty when the Spanish police eventually sent her a 250-page report that she had to get translated to English herself.

Julie is now crowdfunding to be able to hire a solicitor to continue to work on her son’s case, saying, ‘As far as the UK police are concerned, we’ve just been totally forgotten.’

West Midlands Police say of Levi’s case: ‘The investigation is being run by the Spanish authorities, and we are supporting it when required. Our thoughts remain with Levi’s family and we will continue to provide them with any updates from the Spanish authorities as their investigation continues.’

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Rachel Zegler is ‘exceptionally beautiful’ but a ‘spoiled, ungrateful and disconnected brat’.

When I woke up to headlines that John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, had said that about Rachel Zegler, I felt a renewed sense of bone deep conviction that we let too many men be famous.

Your dad wrote Imagine so you get to give your unsolicited opinion on the hotness of women you’ve never met? You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one absolutely sick of this s***. 

Lennon’s social media remarks are just the latest in what has been a firestorm of controversy surrounding Disney’s Snow White remake – and nepo babies like Sean have been right in the centre of the action.

To catch everyone up, Zegler, 23, stars as the titular princess in the controversial new film, while Gal Gadot appears as the Evil Queen. But despite high hopes, Snow White had a dismal start at the box office, amassing just $45million (£34.8m) in the US and $100m (£77.3m) worldwide in its opening weekend.

Then, Variety released a piece on that some fans felt unfairly blamed Zegler’s views about President Donald Trump and Palestine for the poor performance.

Not long after, Sean Ono Lennon chimed in with his two cents. In a now-deleted tweet, Lennon, 48, whose bio reads: ‘Mega Nepo Baby’ wrote: ‘Both Gal Gadot AND Rachel Zegler are exceptionally beautiful women. Some of y’all are bugging.’

An X user replied to Lennon defending Zegler, as they said: ‘Both actresses are good performers, yet Zegler does not deserve the vilification that Variety and a lot of Disney “fan boys” are constantly giving her.’

Then Lennon added: ‘I agree the vilification went too far. But she also acts like a spoiled, ungrateful and disconnected brat. So it’s no surprise.’

Not only is there nothing more grating than a man snidely explaining, ‘Sorry, how women look actually does matter!’ but it’s bitterly funny for a man born into the kind of wealth and privilege Lennon was to call someone else ‘disconnected.’ 

He joins another nepo baby – Snow White producer Mark Platt’s son, Jonah – in taking up too much space in a cultural conversation.

After Zegler tweeted ‘always remember, free Palestine’ in August last year, Variety reported that producer of the film, Marc Platt, flew to New York to meet with Zegler in an attempt to get her to take the post down, which she allegedly refused. 

So how did Jonah Platt get involved?

In the aftermath of the report, a social media commenter posted on Platt’s Instagram saying : ‘Your dad flew to NYC to reprimand a young actress about this? Any words on this? Cuz that’s creepy as hell and uncalled for. People have the right to free speech, no? Shame on your father.’

Jonah penned a fiery response, which he later deleted, but according to The Hollywood Reporter it read: ‘Yeah, my dad, the producer of enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for.’

He added: ‘This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office.’

Between Lennon and Platt, one has to wonder why these men are qualified to share their opinions at all. 

Lennon’s X post has hundreds of interactions and is being widely discussed online, while Platt’s statement has been published in nearly every major publication.

And make no mistake, what Platt so condescendingly called shirking ‘adult responsibility’ and Lennon labelled acting like a ‘spoiled brat’ is free speech, plain and simple. 

Platt is correct that ‘free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want’ without ‘repercussions’, but it looks to me like a mega-corporation attempting to shut down an actress’ ability to advocate for causes she believes in.

What Platt implied in his post is that Zegler should take the money she was given to play Snow White and keep her mouth shut to avoid putting Disney’s investment in jeopardy. 

Lennon seems to feel similarly, acting as though it’s somehow ‘ungrateful’ for Zegler to use her platform to express her politics. 

Neither Lennon nor Platt mentioned that Zegler has weathered her share of ugliness, with controversy surrounding the film beginning nearly four years ago when Zegler, who is of Colombian descent, faced racist backlash after she was cast as Disney’s original princess, most famous for having ‘skin as white as snow.’

But this didn’t receive as much of the blame for the film’s failure as Zegler’s refusal to just shut up and look pretty, as it seems men like Platt and Lennon would prefer she do.  

As I prepared to write a piece about this pair of Daddy’s boys and their bad online takes, I couldn’t help but feel hesitant to further platform their opinions. 

They have a right, as much as Zegler, to share their views on anything they see fit. But the only reason we even know about them is their famous and powerful parents.

What makes a culture interesting is diversity: Diversity of lived experience, diversity of opinion, and diversity of intersectional identity. 

If nepo babies like Lennon and Platt think Rachel Zegler – an accomplished artist who has every right to use her platform as she sees fit – doesn’t deserve the influence she has, how can they possibly justify their own loud voices? 

Maybe it’s time we let the nepo babies shout into the void until they can prove they have something valuable to say. Unfortunately, that day is not today.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing James.Besanvalle@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

Kourtney Kardashian is said to be ‘livid’ after son Reign addressed a bizarre conspiracy theory that his biological father is Justin Bieber, not Scott Disick.

Fans have speculated for years about the 10-year-old’s true paternity, but were left shocked when Reign addressed the rumours himself on Instagram.

However, the move reportedly left his famous mum reeling, and fearing how to protect him from social media.

An insider claimed: ‘Kourtney has never talked to Reign about the rumors and she would imagine this was the first time he had ever heard them. 

‘Kourtney was livid. She told him that there are so many silly rumors about the family and that he is not to believe anything. She tries to keep her kids away from this stuff but as they get older she is unable to as easily.’

‘Kourtney doesn’t like when Reign is online and would rather him not talk about anything that happens with the family or answer random rumours,’ they added to the Daily Mail. ‘If he continues to do it, it is only a matter of time before he says something damaging.

‘Kourtney wants to act on this now before it is too late. She has talked to him about her concerns. She knows he doesn’t realize the impact he has and people will be watching his every move. He could get in trouble.

‘Kourtney will ban him from social media if he continues to act up.’

Things kicked off when Reign popped up on an Instagram Live with Scooter Jackson, who is currently dating the youngster’s stepsister, Alabama Barker.

A viewer took the opportunity to ask if Justin, 31, was his dad, which he then roundly denied.

Reign said: ‘No, he’s not. Bro, I swear, Justin Bieber is not my dad. Scotty…Scotty…Scotty is my dad.

‘I don’t know how old my mom was, but I think Justin Bieber was 16 when I got born. I don’t think my mom would do that.’

The pop superstar – who has been married to wife Hailey since 2018 and is the father to Jack Blues Bieber – was briefly romantically linked to Kourtney in 2015, following her split from Scott. 

However, Reign was born December 14, 2014, a full year before the pair were rumoured to be ‘hooking up.’

‘Justin started hanging out with Kourtney alone because she started going out more,’ an insider told Us Weekly, at the time. ‘He’s been showing her a good time.’ 

‘They have hooked up a few times, including recently,’ an additional source told People magazine. ‘It happens in LA.

‘He has met her kids, but they don’t hook up around the kids. It’s on nights when she has help and is able to go out.’

Kourtney, who was 36 at the time, was linked to the 22-year-old Love Yourself singer a few months after her split from Scott, who is the father to her three children: Penelope, Mason, and Reign.

‘I’m being used, man. What can I say?’ Justin joked when asked about their rumoured romance on The Bert Show radio show a few months after the speculation first started to swirl.

He also posted an Instagram embracing a woman against a car, and many fans believed it was Kourtney.

This isn’t the only rumour about Kourtney’s family to be shut down recently, with theories that her 15-year-old son Mason Disick secretly fathered a child swirling online back in March.

Kourtney denied the social media theories that Mason had a daughter named Piper in 2024, writing on social media: ‘I rarely address rumors or conspiracies regarding myself or my family, but this is about my child and it feels wrong to let anyone think for a second that these lies are remotely true. They are not.

‘Mason does not have a child. These accounts that pretend to be him are definitely not. They are FAKE.

‘My son really values his privacy, and I am asking all media to please be respectful: he is a kid with feelings and a beautiful life ahead of him.’

The reality star pleaded with people to ‘please stop spreading false narratives and spinning lies.’

‘And to all the other people making videos about my kids (who, by the way, are minors), please stop and leave them alone,’ she concluded.

The rumours arose when an Instagram account – claiming without evidence to be Mason’s ‘secret’ page – posted photos of a baby girl.

Metro has contacted Kourtney’s reps for a comment.

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Noel Gallagher has finally broken his silence on all the drama surrounding ticket sales for the upcoming Oasis reunion tour.

When it was first revealed back in August that the long-feuding brothers would be returning to the stage after nearly a decade apart, the band stated they would try to curb ticket re-selling by partnering with resale platform Twickets and issuing a statement to say that tickets sold for profit on other sites would be cancelled.

Despite these efforts, reselling abounded after tickets almost instantly sold out following multi-hour long online ques.

Then, fans were infuriated by Ticketmaster cancelling scored of tickets because of ‘bot activity.’

The email many of the fans received even mentioned possible reports to law enforcement, adding to fan concerns.

Liam then posted about fan concerns about tickets on social media, writing: ‘I don’t make the rules. We’re trying to do the right thing. It is what it is, I’m the singer. Get off my case.’

Now, Noel has finally broken his silence on the fiasco.

In a new interview with Kevin Cummins for his new book Oasis: The Masterplan, the musician said he was shocked by how many people wanted to attend the reunion shows.

‘I thought it’d be a big deal, but I was a bit taken aback by just how much of a big deal it was,’ he said.

Fans have also been speculating about which songs the band will play on the tour, and Noel may have provided some hints.

When asked by Cummins about his favourite Oasis songs he replied: ‘Can I have more than one? Supersonic, Some Might Say, Live Forever and Rock’n’Roll Star.’

As fans continue to scramble for tickets, the band has remained firm on their no resale policy, but reports suggest that 4% of tickets (around 50,000) appeared on resale sites after the initial ticket release anyway.

Live Nation and SJM revealed in a statement last year that any tickets sold through secondary sites would be cancelled and resold.

‘Ticket resale is permitted at no more than the price you paid (face value + booking fees),’ the statement read.

‘Please only use the official resale partners Twickets and Ticketmaster. Selling tickets through unauthorised resale platforms will breach these T&Cs and those tickets may be cancelled.’

Oasis also addressed the issue in a social media tweet at the time: ‘We have noticed people attempting to sell tickets on the secondary market since the start of the pre-sale.

‘Please note, tickets can ONLY be resold, at face value, via Ticketmaster and Twickets. Tickets sold in breach of the terms and conditions will be cancelled by the promoters.’

An email sent to fans was posted on social media that revealed measures were now being taken to identify bots who purchased the tickets.

‘Following the messaging on the artist’s social media in the run-up to the Oasis Live ’25 ticket sale, the tour’s promoters have requested the refunding of your order for the below event.

‘It has been identified that bots were used to make this purchase, which violates the tour’s terms and conditions.’

The band will perform 41 shows starting this summer and finishing in November.

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​Rebecca Loos, the former personal assistant to David Beckham, has stood by her claims of a past affair with the football star.

Loos, now 47, maintains that she has always been truthful about the alleged relationship, which she claims took place in 2003, saying: ‘In my opinion, it was a very brave thing to do to go up against them.’

In a recent interview with 60 Minutes Australia, the mother of two opened up about the affair that she claims took place over two decades ago and the fallout that resulted from her decision to make it public.

Loos shared details of how the short-lived romance allegedly began, telling the program that it first began when Victoria was out of town and David ‘kept looking at her’ while out together in a night club.

‘I woke up with the biggest smile on my face,’ she said of the next morning. ‘It was naughty and I did feel that it was wrong, but at the same time I was hooked.’

She emphasised that she still believes her decision to publicise the relationship was brave, adding, ‘Why? Because I’m going up against the strongest, most powerful couple in the media who have all the money in the world for the best PR, the best lawyers. And all I had on my side was the truth.’

Loos first spoke out about the alleged four-month-long affair in April 2004. David,who denied the claims, had been married to Victoria for five years and had two children at the time.

Reflecting on her involvement with Beckham, Loos admitted, ‘I fell hook, line and sinker for every single cliche line he fed me.’

‘And then two weeks later we were at Ronaldo’s birthday party and he’s off with this beautiful model. And I was like, “Uh.” That was a hard night for me. I was like, “Uh, I don’t understand.” And realizations started to hit that I’d been massively played.’

Loos also discussed her decision to go public with the affair allegations, explaining that she preferred to control the narrative amid media speculation, saying, she felt, ‘it’s better that it comes from me and I have some sort of control.’

She also acknowledged the impact on her well being, noting, ‘I think all of that impacted my mental health in a way that it was quite traumatic but I didn’t admit to it being traumatic because I wanted to be brave and strong,’ Loos added.

‘But some of it seeped through and got to me and that has taken time to recover from.’

Beckham has consistently denied Loos’ allegations, labeling them as ‘ludicrous’ in a 2004 statement.

In the 2023 Netflix documentary Beckham, both David and his wife, Victoria,  touched upon the alleged affair without directly referencing Loos. Victoria described it as ‘the hardest period for us.’

David also addressed Rebecca’s claims in the Netflix documentary, saying there were some ‘horrible stories’ that were ‘difficult to deal with.’

‘It was the first time that me and Victoria had been put under that kind of pressure in our marriage,’ he continued.

Following the release of the documentary Loos appeared on Good Morning Britain and said the former England captain has ‘never denied it’ and slammed him for not taking ownership of his ‘mistakes.’

Currently residing in Norway, Loos has transitioned to a career as a yoga and meditation instructor and works part-time as a medical assistant.

She is married to Norwegian doctor Sven Christjar Skaiaa, whom she met on a reality television show, and together they have two children.

Metro has reached out to representatives for David Beckham and Rebecca Loos for comment.

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Van Halen, one of the most iconic rock bands in history, is known for more than their blood-pumping music.

From feuds between bandmates to controversial lineup changes, Van Halen’s history is as much about the drama that shaped the band as it is about their music. 

The original lineup of Van Halen, featuring brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, bassist Michael Anthony, and frontman David Lee Roth, burst onto the music scene in the late 1970s with their self-titled debut album, quickly becoming a bonafide cultural movement and some of the biggest icons of the decade. 

The band became known for their electrifying live performances, with crowds often growing so rowdy that they gained a reputation for being some of the most out-of-control concerts of the decade. 

Behind the scenes, things were also heating up. David’s larger-than-life personality and growing ego often clashed with Eddie’s desire for creative control – leading to one of the most legendary feuds in music history.

Why did David Lee Roth leave Van Halen?

Things got so tense that Eddie infamously threw a bowl of guacamole at David backstage in 1978. He missed the singer entirely and instead hit Steve Perry, who cried, according to Runnin’ With the Devil, a 2017 memoir by Van Halen’s former manager, Noel Monk.

In another instance in the same year, the band destroyed the entire seventh floor of a hotel in Wisconsin. The chaos began when Eddie came back to his room to discover that David had thrown the table and chairs from the room outside into the snow. 

This led to the liner notes of 1979’s Van Halen II in which the band thanks ‘the Sheraton Inn (seventh floor).’

The tension between David and Eddie came to a head in 1985, following the release of the hugely successful album 1984, which featured hits like Jump and Panama. 

Although the album was a commercial triumph, behind the scenes, David and Eddie were barely speaking, with their communication mostly limited to musical disagreements that would turn to shouting matches and even more property destruction.

David, who had embarked on a solo career with the release of his EP Crazy from the Heat, decided to leave the band, citing creative differences and a desire to pursue his own musical vision.

He told Billboard in 1985 that he never truly felt welcome in the band that he helped make famous, saying: ‘Since my very first days in with the band 11 years ago, I have always had the feeling that one day I would wake up in a cold hotel, all the rooms would be empty and I would be stuck by a phone with a busy signal. From the first day. Nothing has changed.’

But Eddie later claimed it was David’s ego that broke the band up, telling Rolling Stone in 1986 that David said: ‘I can’t work with you guys anymore. I want to do my movie. Maybe when I’m done, we’ll get back together.’

David’s departure marked the end of an era for Van Halen, but it was just the beginning of the band’s explosive drama.

Why did Sammy Hagar leave Van Halen?

Left without a lead singer at the height of their popularity, Van Halen recruited Sammy Hagar in 1985 to replace Roth. A successful solo artist and former Montrose frontman, Hagar and his enormous ginger hair injected new energy into the band and for awhile it seemed like things were going to run a lot more smoothly. 

With Sammy, Van Halen entered a new phase often appropriately referred to as the ‘Van Hagar era.’ The band’s sound evolved, with more emphasis on synthesizers and a broader range of musical styles, drawing even more fans and seemingly defying the odds by successfully replacing their iconic front man.

Albums like 5150 and OU812 topped the charts, and the band enjoyed commercial success throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.

But Eddie Van Halen’s desire to remain tightly in control of the group once again became a problem, and Sammy and Eddie frequently butted heads over the band’s musical direction and creative decisions, in many ways echoing the David Lee Roth years. 

The band’s 1995 album Balance was marked by growing tension, with Sammy later describing the recording process as the ‘beginning of the end.’ By 1996, Sammy and Eddie were barely on speaking terms, even reportedly coming close to exchanging blows on more than one occasion.

Sammy later told Rolling Stone that he left the group against his wishes, saying: ‘I was told that I quit by Eddie. The phone rings, and I’m laying there with my brand-new baby. He goes, “You know, you always just wanted to be a solo artist, so go ahead and be one. We’re going to get Dave back in the band.” And when he said that, I flew up out of bed like I’d seen a ghost.’

Why did David Lee Roth leave Van Halen…a second time?

After Sammy’s exit, Van Halen briefly reunited with David Lee Roth in 1996 to record two new songs for the band’s greatest hits album, Best Of – Volume I. However, the reunion was short-lived and brought even more tension.

Roth later wrote in his memoir that he refused to use lyrics written by Bon Jovi and Aerosmith hitmaker Desmond Child. He wrote: ‘Those sanguine, sissified, grew-up-way-too-close-to-mommy lyrics. It sounded awful but even then I tried to sing some of it. Wasn’t right.’

The original line up of the band appeared on MTV in 1996, and Roth’s handling of journalist’s questions after the gig reportedly sent Eddie Van Halen into a rage.

He later told MTV news that David bit back after Eddie told reporters the band wouldn’t consider touring again until after he got hip surgery: ‘He goes, “Well hey, tonight’s about me, not your hip,” I said, “if you ever speak to me like that again you better be wearing a cup.” Either he was high [or] just didn’t hear the truth, but he was never told [he was back in the band], we never alluded to him being back in the band.’

In need of a lead singer once again in 1996, the band turned to Gary Cherone, the former frontman of the band Extreme.

The band’s 1998 album Van Halen III with Cherone was a commercial disappointment, and his tenure with the band was short-lived. By 1999, Cherone had left Van Halen, leaving the band in a state of uncertainty.

In the early 2000s, Van Halen reunited with Sammy Hagar for a highly anticipated tour in 2004, which was marred by backstage tension and Eddie’s bad habits. 

In a recent interview with AZ Central, Sammy looked back on that final tour with regret, recalling: ‘Eddie kind of lost it out there. I mean, he was in bad shape the whole tour. Not trying to bring up a sore subject, but he was not healthy and was very abusive to himself.’

Sammy went so far as to say that after they plated their final date, he sat on the plane home feeling hopeless. ‘I just sat there, shaking my head, going, “God, that was a terrible experience,” he said. 

Although Hagar said he ‘tried as hard as I could to connect us and get him on the good foot and get him healthy,’ he believes that he would’ve been more understanding of his bandmate’s behaviour if he was fully aware of the extent of Eddie’s battle with alcoholism. 

Why did Michael Anthony leave Van Halen?

Before that dramatic tour, Eddie took aim at Michael Anthony, Van Halen’s longtime bassist and a key contributor to the band’s vocal harmonies. 

Michael found himself increasingly marginalized and pushed out of the decision-making for the band. During the 2004 tour, Anthony was forced to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the Van Halen name. 

By 2006, Eddie had replaced Anthony with his teenage son, Wolfgang Van Halen, leading to a bitter rift between Anthony and the rest of the band. Michael maintains that he was forced out of the band and never told about the band’s 2007 reunion tour, while Eddie continues to claim that Michael left of his own accord. 

He told Rolling Stone: ‘The funny thing is that everyone who quits the band always claims they got fired by me. Hey, I’m not the bad guy here.

‘When Hagar left the band, Mike went with him. Then when we get back together with Dave, and all of a sudden, he wants back in. It’s like, “No, dude, you quit the band.” So my son became the bass player. But we didn’t give Mike the boot to have my son play.’

Meanwhile, Anthony told MusicRadar: ‘Why would I have quit Van Halen? It never happened.’

David Lee Roth returns again…

In 2007, Van Halen announced another reunion with David Lee Roth, this time with Wolfgang Van Halen on bass.

The reunion marked a new chapter for the band, resulting in successful tours and the release of the 2012 album A Different Kind of Truth, their first studio album with Roth in nearly three decades – and ultimately the band’s last.

Despite the outward success, the band’s internal dynamics remained fraught with tension.

Eddie’s health issues, including a battle with cancer, further complicated the band’s future, and the iconic heart of the band eventually passed away in 2020, finally sealing their legacy for good.

Was Eddie Van Halen on good terms with Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth when he died?

Despite the years of turmoil, it seems Eddie was able to make amends with both of his band’s iconic frontmen before he died of complications of throat cancer.

Following Eddie’s death, David said on his podcast: ‘My dear departed Ed. Boy, I miss him. I had a ball with Ed. Walt Disney once said, “You know what? My love affair with Mickey Mouse was better than any love affair with a woman I ever had.” I’ve gotta tell ya: playing with Ed, writing songs with Ed, presenting those songs with Ed was better than any love affair I ever had.

‘And some of those songs, I think, might last forever – or until the last syllable of time, like Shakespeare said. They became anthems. Where are they playing Jump right now?’

Sammy Hagar also seems to look back fondly on Eddie’s memory, despite the conflict.

Following Eddie’s death, Sammy told Hagar told Fox News Digital that he and Eddie had been in regular contact in the musician’s last years and had even considered making more music together.

He said: ‘He was saying, you know, “Yeah, I’m working on some [music].” ‘Cause I’d say, “Ed, what are you working on? You know, I want to get in there and work with you. Let’s write together again.” And, you know, he said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Next year, you know, we’ll get together, make some noise and all that stuff.”‘

Today, Van Halen is remembered not only for their contributions to rock and roll but also for the turbulent relationships that defined their journey. The drama within Van Halen may have been as legendary as their music, but it also reveals the red hot passion at the heart of the band’s music.

And after all, there’s no fire without friction.

This article was originally published on October 8, 2024.

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Lily Allen was spotted out and about in London for the first time since new details emerged about her split from Stranger Things star husband, David Harbour.

The Smile hitmaker, 39, dressed in D&G SKIMS cheetah print leggings and boots, was seen in London at a Budget Car Rental hiring a white Mercedes.

The pop star wed David, 49, in 2020 and lived in Brooklyn, New York, with Lily’s two daughters, Marnie and Ethel, from her marriage to ex-husband Sam Cooper.

After initially dispelling rumours that there was trouble in paradise, Lily and David separated for good at the end of last year.

It’s believed they parted ways in December, with Lily subsequently spotted on the celebrity dating app Raya in December 2024. Reports in January claimed that she was only on there to find her husband’s secret profile.

It has now been reported that David was in a secret relationship for most of his marriage to the singer, in the shape of a three-year relationship to a costume designer he met on set.

A source who witnessed Harbour interact with the costume designer on the set of a movie told MailOnline: ‘David cheated on Lily.’

‘They met on a movie they did together,’ they added: ‘They weren’t very secretive about their relationship.’

The source also claimed that Harbour flew the woman to the Stranger Things set in Atlanta to be with him during filming.

Last month, David was spotted on a date with Ellie Fallon, an aspiring model 22 years his junior.

After taking a break from her podcast around the time of the couple’s reported split, Allen has returned to Miss Me? which she hosts with Miquita Oliver.

She treated an audience at London’s Hackney Empire to a recording of Miss Me?—and it didn’t take long for her to bring up the topic of exes.

She reportedly told the venue: ‘I am not over it.’

She added, as per The Sun: ‘I am sort of running away. Maybe I will have a nervous breakdown.’

She proceeded to put both David and builder Sam, to whom her marriage ended in 2018, on blast by mocking their abilities in the bedroom.

‘I don’t think there has been one person that has been remotely interested in my pleasure,’ she declared.

‘I have actual d**k blindness.’

Lily continued: ‘I can’t even picture, not even my ex-husband’s or boyfriend’s. I can’t picture them at all. Apart from one, as I have pictures of it on my phone.’

Lily also spoke about what she’s looking for in her next potential partner, referencing David being 10 years older than her.

‘I have got daddy issues,’ stated the mum-of-two, referring to the term used to describe behavioural patterns that can develop when someone’s father was either absent or unsupportive.

‘A father figure,’ she said of what she usually goes for. ‘But I am trying to stop that now.’

Earlier this week, Lily revealed that she had undergone breast enhancement surgery and was planning to send some nude images now that she’s back in the dating game.

‘I feel like it’s really fun. I’m like buying fancy lingerie that my boobs can actually fit in and taking pictures on my phone. Haven’t sent them to anyone yet, but it will hopefully get there at some point,’ she said.

After their split, the singer had a brief stint in a trauma centre rehab.

It was said she turned to an £8,000-per-week inpatient treatment facility, having felt ‘extremely triggered’ upon returning to Brooklyn.

She said recently: ‘I went into a treatment centre for a few weeks, which was great.

‘I did lots of group therapy and some individual therapy. I needed some time and space away from everything.

‘And I did a lot of shadow work – lots of work about my inner child stuff.

‘It wasn’t easy by any stretch. And it’s a journey, it’s a lifelong journey of healing. It’s not a quick fix.’

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Davina McCall has addressed rumours that she’s headed towards marriage with her partner Michael Douglas.

The TV icon, 57, and her hairdresser boyfriend, 49, have been together since 2019 and recently weathered Davina’s brain tumour diagnosis and subsequent surgery – which she called the ‘hardest’ time in her life – side by side.

The former Big Brother presenter previously underwent surgery to remove a 14mm wide brain tumour as part of treatment for a very rare brain condition.

Despite Michael’s unwavering support sparking rumours of an engagement, their latest podcast episode of Making the Cut saw Davina setting the record straight.

She said: ‘We’re not getting married by the way, anyone who is thinking about this, we are not getting married but, if you are getting married, an amazing thing to have on top of your cake.’

In a video on her Instagram posted back in January, she shared she was one of the three in a million who had been diagnosed with having a ‘very rare’ colloid cyst.

Colloid cysts are benign, meaning they are non-cancerous, small fluid-filled sacs located in or around the lateral and third ventricle of the brain, according to the London Neurosurgery Partnership.

Davina said she consulted with several neurosurgeons and after ‘lots of opinions’ decided to have the tumour removed because it is ‘big for the space’ in her brain and ‘if it grows it will be bad.’

The Masked Singer judge was joined in the video by her partner of five-years, celebrity hairdresser Douglas, who said he would keep fans updated on her health.

It was clear from the way the pair interacted in the video that Michael is a major support system for Davina in this difficult time, leading fans to wonder if the pair are headed for the altar.

Michael and Davina have been together since 2019. Michael was the star’s hairstylist for years before things got romantic, two years after her split from husband Matthew Robertson.

Davina was previously married to Matthew for 17 years, with the former couple sharing three children, Holly, Chester, and Tilly. 

Michael is the founder of hair styling company mdlondon and has been styling hair for more than 35 years.

The pair have kept things very private since becoming a couple, which Davina previously said helps to keep it ‘magic’.

She said: ‘I give so much of myself to the public that I need something just for me,’ she explained, saying ‘keeping my love life private …. keeps the magic.’

She insisted they’re not ‘purposefully trying to hide away from anyone’ but ‘privacy keeps our relationship special to us.’

‘There’s something lovely about it and that’s all it is. It keeps it really magical and I like that.’

Since going public with their relationship, the couple have launched a podcast, Making The Cut, that aims to help people make the tough decisions in their life, whether that’s what to watch on TV that night, or where to go on holiday.

‘I love doing the podcast with him. It’s basically an extension of what we’ve always done as friends, which is to recommend things to each other,’ she revealed.

While the pair don’t seem to be headed down the aisle anytime soon, it’s clear they’re still going strong.

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Gregg Wallace and his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini are seemingly putting on a united front as he posted a photo of her for the first time since the former MasterChef presenter faced misconduct allegations.

Late last year, Wallace, 60, stepped back from the show following a number of complaints and accusations made against him, which he has denied.

Chef Anna Haugh stepped in to finish filming for a new series alongside John Torode.

As the controversy continues to unfold, Wallace shared a post on social media, posting a cheerful picture with his wife.

He wrote alongside the photo: ‘Eat well, live well, look after yourself. Get a little more active. Learn about nutrition. Learn to take care of yourself.’

Wallace later posted a link to his health page that contained tips on how to maintain a healthjy lifestyle, but it was soon removed for unknown reasons.

He then shared another image of his wife, accompanied by a similar caption.

Wallace and his wife Sterpini – who is 20 years his junior – have been married since 2016.

At the time of their wedding, Wallace was 51 and Sterpini was 30.

The couple first met on Twitter in 2013, when she contacted him for recipe advice, asking whether rhubarb was a good choice to go with duck.

Folowing Wallace’s response, they arranged to meet for dinner.

He later told Hello! magazine: ‘I just looked at Anna’s photo and thought, “Wow, she’s pretty”, so yes, rhubarb, which was considered an aphrodisiac in medieval times, brought us together.’

In the past, he has regularly shared insights into his home life on social media, updating his followers on his fitness regime and his home life in the countryside with his wife and son. Since the allegations arose, he has not posted much of his wife, leading many to speculate on their relationship status.

Last year, news of the alleged misconduct from Wallace shocked the country.

It was alleged he made ‘inappropriate sexual jokes’ and lewd comments on set, asked for the phone numbers of female members of production staff, and undressed in front of and standing ‘too close’ to women working on his shows.

He has also been accused of groping three people in different incidents, ‘mimicking sex acts’ and walking around the studio almost ‘completely naked’, with more than 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year-period making complaints.

Wallace and his lawyers have fiercely denied the allegations, saying ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.

Following the initial reports, he sparked outrage when he responded in a video shared on Instagram, saying the accusations came from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’.

After immense backlash, including from the Prime Minister, who blasted the comments as ‘misogynistic’, Wallace apologised in another Instagram video.

He said: ‘I want to apologise for any offence that I caused with my post yesterday and any upset I may have caused to a lot of people. I wasn’t in a good head space when I posted it.

‘I’ve been under a huge amount of stress, a lot of emotion, I felt very alone, under siege when I posted it.

‘It’s obvious to me I need to take some time out now while this investigation is underway. I hope you understand and I do hope that you will accept this apology.’

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AC/DC fans were thrilled to hear that the iconic band will soon embark on a European tour in 2025 – but many still don’t know the story of what the band’s name stands for.

The popular Australian rock band – formed in 1973 and known for iconic hits like Highway to Hell and Thunderstruck – will hit the road for 12 dates across 10 countries this summer kicking off in Prague on June 26.

The tour will run through to August 21 in Edinburgh, marking their first show in Scotland in a decade.

While their tunes are instantly recognisable, the full-length version of their name is not. 

One fan of the band took to Reddit and asked, ‘What does AC/DC actually stand for?’ Earning multiple replies, one user, @psychological_Ad8534, put to bed the rumours that it means ‘anti-christ/devil’s child’ and revealed the true meaning: Alternating current/direct current. 

Founding members Angus Young, 69, and his late brother, Malcolm – who died at age 64 in 2017 – first revealed the meaning behind the name in 1999 during an interview for The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. 

The brothers said while they were developing a name for the band, their sister Margaret pointed to the AC/DC symbol on her sewing machine’s AC adapter and suggested it could be a good name. 

Agreeing, the brothers felt it was a perfect symbol for the raw energy the band projected and their power-driven music performances, and thus, AC/DC was born.

Despite being known as ‘Acca Dacca’ in Australia, the name is pronounced one letter at a time. 

The band first shot to fame in 1975 following the release of their first studio album, High Voltage. By 1979, when disaster struck, AC/DC was experiencing global success with the release of Highway to Hell. Their lead singer, Bon Scott, died of alcohol poisoning.

Despite almost disbanding, at Scott’s parents’ request, the band continued on and recruited Brian Johnson.

They went on to release Back in Black, a memorial album for Scott, in 1980, which became the second best-selling album of all time.

Over the years, AC/DC’s line-up has seen a revolving group of members and consists of Rudd, Angus Young, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson, and Stevie Young – the nephew of Angus and Malcolm.

The rockers have sold over 200 million records worldwide, with their biggest hits including Highway to Hell, which reached number eight in the UK charts and number 17 in the US.

In addition to their top charting status, the band has received multiple accolades, including an induction into Australia’s ARIA Hall of Fame in 1988 and 10 Grammy Award nominations, one of which they won for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2010.

The band also hold two Guinness World Records. The first in 2008 for Most Albums on the US Pop Catalogue Album Chart, and the second they received in 2013 for Best-Selling Album by an Australian Group.

Recently, the band was thrust back into headlines when Dua Lipa covered Highway to Hell on one of her Australian tour dates.

Lipa introduced the cover by saying she plans to pay tribute to a local artist at every stop on her current tour, of which the Melbourne show was the first night.

‘Australia has an abundance of amazing musicians,’ she told the audience. ‘So we just thought we’d go really, really big from the very beginning. If you know it, sing along.’

From May to August 2024, AC/DC were busy performing on their Power Up Tour across Europe, before wrapping up in Dublin on August 17.

However, the band’s original drummer, Chris Slade, previously expressed his upset at not being included on the line-up. Instead, the band were joined by Matt Laug on their most recent tour.

When asked how he felt about not receiving an invitation, Slade, 78, told Clint Switzer of On The Road to Rock: ‘You know what? Would I have done it, is the next question. I would say yes, I would do it, of course.

‘Angus probably wanted a change and thought maybe I couldn’t do it. I’m the same age as Brian [Johnson]. So, you can’t be ageist and say, “Slade’s too old now,” ’cause [Angus is] a spring chicken himself, you see.

‘He’s only about 69, I think. I’m not quite sure how old he is — 66, 69, something like that. But, yeah, so he couldn’t be ageist on me.’

Slade was part of the band from 1989 until 1994 but came to the rescue when they needed a drummer in 2015 when Phil Rudd was placed on house arrest.

A version of this article was first published May 27, 2024.

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Following months of speculation surrounding the nature of their relationship, it seems Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury are finally ready to let the world know they’re back on.

The 2019 Love Island sweethearts announced in August last year that they had broken up after five years together.

Confirming the news on Instagram, Maebe founder Molly-Mae said in part of her crushing statement at the time: ‘Never in a million years did I think I’d ever have to write this.’

The exes share a two-year-old daughter, Bambi, whom they have been co-parenting since parting ways romantically, part of which was explored in Molly-Mae’s Amazon Prime documentary, which dropped in January.

However, after being spotted kissing on New Year’s Eve and on a series of family outings, it looks like things could officially be back on the straight and narrow for Molly-Mae and Tommy, who are holidaying together in Dubai.

Most recently, Molly-Mae, 25, took to her Insta Story to share an image of a stunning view with the caption: ‘I’m usually the biggest homebody body but something about this trip…I never want it to end,’ with several crying face emojis.

She also shared some pictures of Bambi, one of which she’s also in, suggesting Tommy took the snap of the sweet moment.

Tommy also took to Instagram today, posting a candid video of him snuggled up with Bambi, also taken by a third party (most likely Molly-Mae). He captioned it ‘My world.’

Molly-Mae previously shared a series of gorgeous snaps from the couple’s sunny getaway earlier this week.

She captured Bambi looking adorable in an all-pink outfit and carrying her doll around the hotel pool, adding the caption: ‘Happy place’.

The influencer also posted snaps of two cocktails at a bar and a photo someone else had taken of her with ice cream.

While ex-fiance Tommy did not appear in Molly-Mae’s posts to her 8.5million followers, it didn’t take long for him to let his own fans know where he was.

Taking to his Story, the boxer, 25, uploaded pics of himself in the pool with Bambi, floating around on a rubber ring. ‘Dream’, he wrote alongside it.

Tommy also shared a black-and-white snap taken of him from behind as he held Bambi’s hand in the sea.

So, despite neither party explicitly confirming that they are holidaying as a trio again, fans have no reason to believe there’s bad blood between the stars anymore, whose split was initially fuelled by Tommy’s alcohol addiction.

It comes after a fan spotted them at the airport together, heading to the UAE. Onlookers told The Sun that they ‘looked closer than ever’ ahead of the trip.

Reacting to the news that the hot couple look to be back together, X user @_ginax declared: ‘Molly Mae & Tommy Fury being on holiday together in Dubai with Bambi is the best thing to come out of this year so far x’

Just weeks ago, Molly-Mae and Tommy reportedly reunited on a secret five-star trip for Valentine’s Day, staying at Estelle Manor in Oxfordshire, which costs a mega £600 per night.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: ‘Molly and Tommy were seen canoodling over Valentine’s Day, looking very loved up.

‘It confirms what friends have been saying for a while—that they’re officially back together.

‘It’s a place they have visited before and one of Molly’s most loved getaways. They have precious, positive memories there.’

Meanwhile, Molly-Mae is said to be entering their rekindled romance with caution, ‘terrified’ to have any other children with Tommy as they navigate the next chapter.

Reps for Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury have been contacted for comment.

A version of this story was first published on March 16, 2025.

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Danny Jones has caused a stir after being caught ‘kissing’ former I’m A Celebrity campmate Maura Higgins.

The McFly star, 38, who has been married to Georgia Horsley since 2014, appeared to kiss Love Island star Maura, 34, at a Brits afterparty on March 2, and the photos quickly went viral.

After days of speculation, the singer took to social media to issue an apology directed at his wife and family, saying sorry for ‘putting them in this situation.’

As they were pictured together for the first time days after, it was reported that they are working things through, but they are ‘not together’ at the moment.

Miss England beauty Georgia, with whom Danny shares son Cooper, moved in with her best friend Rose Mahon on March 12, according to The Sun.

Looking back at the couple’s history, it seems this isn’t the first time Danny has had to work to earn Georgia’s trust.

After meeting in 2009, it took Danny a year to convince Georgia, who last year admitted she thought he was ‘just a top shagger’, to go on a date.

While Danny has been in the spotlight for two decades now, his private life has largely played out away from the cameras. Here’s everything we know about his relationship as the couple navigates the ongoing scandal.

When did Danny Jones and Georgia Horsley start dating?

Georgia met Danny at an event in 2009, but it took her a year to agree to go on a date with him.

Despite Danny being keen on her, Georgia recently admitted she didn’t like him at all and actually thought he was ‘a bit of a d***’.

However, he was persistent.

‘He tried for a year,’ she revealed during a recent appearance on Never Have I Ever with Joel Dommett and Hannah Cooper.

‘I do like to drop that into conversation every now and again. He wanted me for a year. I said no. I was totally chilled when we went on the date.’

Although Georgia said that she ‘didn’t really want to’ go on their first date but her mum convinced her otherwise.

‘My mum went, “Oh darling, what have you got to lose? Go on, go and enjoy yourself”,’ she recalled.

Explaining her reluctance, Georgia assumed the rock star was only interested in one thing.

‘I said he’s probably going to be a bit of a top shagger, isn’t he. I just assumed,’ she quipped.

‘I treated him mean, kept him keen – without realising. I didn’t know I was doing that.’

On last night’s episode of I’m A Celebrity, Danny spoke about trying to lock in a date with his future wife.

‘It took me a year to get her because I invited her out for a roast. It was just like clubbing, we couldn’t talk,’ he told his campmates.

‘I was like “do you wanna go to the pub tomorrow?” and she was like “Yeah”. I text her in the morning and she was like “Sorry, I can’t make it”.’

‘And then weeks went on and she didn’t make it, couldn’t make it, turning me down. And I gave up in the end.’

However nearly a year later she texted him asking to catch up, leaving him ecstatic.

‘So, I picked her up and took her to the waffle house in St. Albans. That was literally like twelve months later,’ he recalled about the start of their relationship.

In 2007, Georgia was named Miss England and went on to represent the country in Miss World in China.

When Georgia was a child, she became deaf in her right ear after contracting suspected meningitis.

When did they get married?

The couple got engaged in 2013 during a holiday to Cyprus, with Danny previously sharing details of how he pulled the proposal off.

After arranging a five-course meal on a beach, Danny asked Georgia when she wanted to get married.

‘Well, when you bloomin’ propose,’ she replied before he got down on one knee.

They were married a year later in her hometown of Malton.

Earlier this year she spoke about the ‘secret’ to their relationship.

‘Something that’s really important for a successful marriage is time apart, it keeps the relationship fresh. We’ve always said that – as long as we’ve been together, we’ve always enjoyed our separate times because when we’ve reunited it’s even nicer,’ she told OK!

‘Communication is key, as well. It’s something we had to relearn after having a baby – it’s just constant resentment at the other partner for not doing enough, even though they are. But in the end it all comes together if you keep talking to each other.’

Do Danny Jones and Georgia Horsley have children?

The couple share one child – son Cooper – who was born in January 2018.

When announcing his birth on Instagram, Danny wrote: ‘So overwhelmed with love, welcome to earth Cooper Alf Jones born today 1:36am.’

Speaking to Metro in 2019 about his role on The Voice Kids and becoming a father he said: ‘Having Cooper has definitely made me more comfortable around the kids and the way that you talk to them, get down to their level and communicate with them has got easier I suppose. I just feel like I’m talking to Cooper.’

‘It sounds cheesy, but it definitely opens your heart to more feeling and things that you’ve never felt before,’ he said.

Meanwhile his wife recently spoke about the kids of the McFly band members potentially forming their own band one day.

‘Cooper’s at the most gorgeous stage now, he’s six. Such a little personality and very, very into his singing. It’s so interesting when you watch the other McFly children. Kit, Harry’s little boy, is unbelievable on the guitar, as are Tom and Gi’s little lads, so I think there’s definitely a band in the making there,’ she told OK!

She added that her son doesn’t yet understand his Dad’s fame, however clocked on early when Danny was competing on The Masked Singer.

What else do we know about Danny’s family?

Danny was born and raised in Breightmet in Bolton, Greater Manchester, where his mother Karen ran a hairdressing salon.

His sister Vicky took part in the third season of The Voice in 2014 but was eliminated during the battle round.

Their father walked out on the family when Danny was 18, with the siblings then writing the song Don’t Know Why together.

The same year Vicky appeared on The Voice she also supported McBusted during their show at London’s O2 Arena.

A version of this article was originally published on December 3, 2024.

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Award-winning writer Alex Wheatle MBE – whose life inspired a hit BBC series – has died aged 62.

Wheatle, who was known as the Brixton Bard, passed away on March 16 following a prostate cancer diagnosis.

The beloved artist wrote the award-winning Crongton series and inspired a self-titled episode of Steve McQueen’s BBC One anthology series Small Axe.

A 10-part TV adaptation of the Crongton books is scheduled to start airing on BBC Three in 2025.

Wheatle’s family posted the news of his death on Instagram, writing: ‘It is with great sadness we inform you that Alex Wheatle, our “Brixton Bard,” sadly passed away on Sunday 16th March 2025 after his fight with prostate cancer.

‘Alex has 26 years of legacy for you all to continue and enjoy by reading his novels, watch again the self-titled episode Alex Wheatle from the Small Axe TV series and also watch the new upcoming Crongton TV series as he looks over us in spirit.

‘Alex’s family would like to thank you all for your support over the years in his work and we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.’

Born in 1963 in London to Jamaican parents, Wheatle spent much of his childhood in a Shirley Oaks Children’s Home before becoming a DJ at 16 years old.

He told the Guardian in 2016: ‘Writing released all the demons for me … I started to write about Shirley Oaks – just for myself and my own peace of mind.’

By 1980, Wheatle was living in a social services hostel in Brixton and was present for the Brixton Riots in 1981, which led to his incarceration.

While in prison, he read authors such as Chester Himes, Richard Wright, C. L. R. James, and John Steinbeck and was inspired to become a writer.

He features aspects of his life and upbringing in his books, such as East of Acre Lane characters Yardman Irie (inspired by his DJ name) and Jah Nelson.

His early books – adult fiction – are based on his life in South London and his experiences of the culture and social dynamics there. He published his first novel in 1999.

Wheatle was awarded the MBE for services to literature in 2008.

His 2016 book Crongton Knights won the 50th Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and became a beloved fixture in British culture.

The book’s protagonist is chubby 14-year-old McKay, who lives on the fictional estate of Crongton and navigates the ups and downs of adolescence.

S. F. Said, one of the judging panel, said of the book: ‘Wheatle’s writing is poetic, rhythmic and unique, remaking the English language with tremendous verve. Though Crongton is his invention, it resonates with many urban situations, not only in Britain but around the world. Crongton Knights is a major novel from a major voice in British children’s literature.’

The Guardian described Straight Outta Crongton in 2017: ‘In some ways, Straight Outta Crongton feels like an easier read than it is. The richness of the dialogue, the banter between friends, and the vividness of the language distract you from the neglect, abuse and underlying sense of menace.’

Wheatle’s life story became a reference point for the experience of the West Indian community in the UK when the fourth film in Small Axe – a 2020 anthology of five films by Steve McQueen -depicted his experience in the 70s and 80s.

Wheatle is survived by his three children.

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Sia secretly welcomed a baby with her estranged husband, Dan Bernad, a year ago.

The Chandelier singer, 49, quietly had her third child, her first with Dan Bernad, 11 months ago, according to divorce documents.

Sia has filed to divorce Bernad, with whom she has reportedly been separated for some time.

The pair tied the knot in Portofino, Italy, May 2023 in a surprise ceremony at Dolce & Gabbana’s Villa Olivetta, attended by just four guests.

It’s unknown exactly how long the couple had been together prior to the ceremony, but they attended the premiere of Stephen Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story back in December 2021.

The child, given the genuinely jaw-dropping name Somersault Wonder Bernad, was born on 27 March 2024.

The notoriously private hitmaker is seeking legal and physical custody of Somersault in the divorce but is open to visitation rights for Bernad, who she filed for divorce from after two years of marriage on Tuesday, citing irreconcilable differences.

She is also notably asking the court not to grant her Bernad any spousal support.

As the news of the newest addition to Sia’s family circulates, fans are struggling to get their heads around the baby’s unusual name.

@doofinc_ wrote on X: ‘Celebrities have GOT to stop naming their kids weird names.’

@MMONlKA agreed: ‘Why are we naming children after gymnastics moves?’

@cryptcsfangs joked: ‘Are her other kids named backflip and barrel role?’

@cryptmehta wrote: ‘What’s with Celebrities and weird names for they kids?’

Reddit user funkymoses pointed out that the name may be a tribute, writing: ‘Somersaultwas a song sung by Sia on ‘When It Falls’ by the band Zero 7 (2004)’

The new baby has two older brothers, teenage boys Sia adopted in 2019 when both were 18 years old and about to age out of the foster care system.

One of Sia’s sons was featured in the 2016 HBO documentary Foster, which explores the foster care system, leading Sia to seek him out two years later and adopt him.

The boy asked the Grammy-nominated singer if his cousin, Che, could also come to live with them, to which Sia agreed.

‘I had two spare bedrooms, so I said, “Sure!”‘ she recalled in a 2020 interview with InStyle. ‘And even though I’d never met Che before, he also moved in with me that evening.’

The musician later told The Sunday Project, that motherhood was ‘painful and rewarding.’

She continued, saying of her two sons: ‘One’s doing better than the other, and it’s hard.’

Sia also revealed to InStyle that she had struggled with infertility during her first marriage to filmmaker Erik Anders Lang.

‘We did a lot of IVF, but I still had unexplained infertility,’ she said. ‘Eventually, we did get embryos, but then we also got a divorce, so I wasn’t able to use them.’

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If you ever find yourself suffering through a dinner party with some amateur film aficionado – probably wearing tortoiseshell glasses and an air of private education – who is complaining about how ‘no one makes transgressive films anymore,’ you can shut them up by asking if they’ve seen Bruce LaBruce’s The Visitor.

Known for provocative filmmaking that treads the line between pornography and arthouse cinema, the 61-year-old Canadian director has recently unveiled his most shocking offering yet. 

Released late last year but recently making the rounds among cinephiles, The Visitor is about a Black refugee who washes up on the shore of the River Thames and soon begins cohabitating with an upper-class white family. 

While it offers a scathing dissection of regressive immigration policies in the UK, The Visitor isn’t memorable for its politics but rather the high percentage of scenes that feature actors having real, unsimulated sex. 

In fact, the film had a special premiere screening in London recently that culminated in 700 attendees participating in a sex party in a basement.

The project is in conversation with Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini’s sexually provocative 1968 film Teorema. However, LaBruce’s interpretation takes things to a new level mostly via the character of the unnamed naked man (the titular visitor) played by performance artist Bishop Black.

Black’s character ultimately seduces each member of the family he’s staying with, sometimes in one-on-one interactions, other times in incestual threesomes and group sex. 

Essentially every member of the cast – consisting of the Father (Macklin Kowal), the Mother (Amy Kingsmill), the Son (Kurtis Lincoln), the Daughter (Ray Filar) and the Maid (Luca Federici) – has sex on screen at some point in the movie, with a Christ-shaped dildo memorably making more than one appearance.

In fact, there are plenty of sacrosanct elements to the film, which is to be expected given that it opens with the words JOIN THE NEW WORLD SEXUAL ORDER playing across the screen, flanked by two long red banners depicting Jesus on the cross with his torso blending into the image of a hyperrealistic phallus. 

Online users have been as scandalised by the film as you might guess, with Reddit user Odd-Collection-2575 writing: ‘Who thinks of this kinda stuff?’

Meanwhile otherdog25 posted: ‘The stuff that goes on in this movie is absolutely unspeakable.’

BunyipPouch added: ‘No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative, it gets the people goin’.’

As for LaBruce’s creative motivation, the artist genuinely believes sex is a radical tool of transformation. He pointed out in an interview with Document Journal that his art is about: ‘How violence is much more acceptable in the media or pop culture than explicit sex. Ten or 15 years ago, you’d rarely see someone getting murdered on the news. Now, we see it not just on the news, but on Instagram.’

The ending of the film – which we won’t spoil for you here – is, in LaBruce’s own words in an interview with Vulture, a tribute to the ideas of French philosopher and poet Jean Genet.

‘He would find a revolution going on in the world, whether it be the Palestinians or the Black Panthers, and go and support it, but the minute it showed any sign of being co-opted or institutionalized, he would not only abandon it, but turn against it,’ LaBruce said. ‘Once you unleash that, then you just go on to the next revolution somewhere. So, in that way, revolution is perpetual.’

Is real sex on screen the future of revolutionary cinema, or just another shocking gimmick to earn the fleeting attention of desensitised audiences?

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Lola Young has hit back at accusations that she’s a ‘nepo baby.’

Known for her 2024 song Messy, which seemed to explode out of nowhere to top the UK Singles Chart last year, the 24-year-old has been facing suspicion that she’s an industry plant.

But the singer-songwriter was quick to dispel rumours that her sudden fame had anything to do with family connections.

While her aunt is Julia Donaldson, the author of The Gruffalo, Lola took her creative drive in a totally different direction than her aunt when she joined the Brit School and won a national open mic competition at age 13.

What followed was years of hard work and struggle to get her music out there before she finally blew up on TikTok and rose up the charts.

She now works with Island Records and is under the direction of two managers – one who worked with Adele, and Nick Shymanskym, who managed Amy Winehouse – but was quick to deny family connections have anything to do with her success.

She said in an interview with Capital Buzz: ‘People are saying I’m a nepo baby because my great aunt wrote The Gruffalo. I mean what kind of rubbish is that? I have so much to say on that which I can’t even talk about.’

She continued, condemning those who want to dismiss her meteoric rise as a product of nepotism: ‘But I’m not a nepo baby, I’m not an industry plant, there we go I said it. I’ve cleared that up for all those losers that want to comment rubbish on the internet. Just find something better to do, you’re sad, you’re lonely.’

Lola continued: ‘The thing is industry plant is just a term for other artists and other people to use who just don’t know what they’re doing in life and feel upset that someone else is having their moment.

‘And if you are an industry plant, you’re not going to have your moment for that long, unfortunately. And maybe sometimes you will, it just doesn’t matter, none of these things matter. If someone’s got talent, then they’ve got talent,’ she concluded.

The artist refers to online convo, like a comment from one X user in a viral post who wrote: ‘Feel like this woman appeared out of nowhere in the past few months so I had a Google. Her Auntie wrote ‘The Gruffalo’ and she went to the BRIT school. LOL. Same as it ever was.

‘Hello aunty do you know anyone in creative media in which you also work and are very successful in,’ added @Michaelobusi.

An ‘industry plant’ can be loosely defined as any band or musician who is backed by music industry bigwigs in their nascent stages, with that support resulting in an easier road to success.

Examples include any artist who is discovered and signed before they have put out any music independently or gained any kind of following organically. This includes five-time Grammy winner Lorde, who has had a development deal with Universal since the age of 13, providing her with vocal training and songwriting lessons.

Queer pop princess Clairo, who earned her industry plant rep because her father happens to be the co-founder of  Rubber Tracks recording studio, also falls into this category. In these cases, semi-realised talents are taken into the moneyed embrace of a record label to be polished and smoothed (in sometimes minor ways) before they’re presented to the world. 

It’s an amorphous term without a concrete definition, given that almost every major artist has been helped by a record label or management or PR team at some stage of their career. 

More than anything else, it’s an insult to call a musical act a curated product, not a ‘real’ artist with a persona representing genuine self-expression.

Similarly, the term nepo baby refers to anyone who got a leg up in their career due to a famous relative (usually a parent).

A striking example is singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams whose father – Star Wars creator JJ Abrams – is so entrenched in the entertainment industry it was not difficult for him to give his artistic daughter meaningful help in realising her musical dream.

Nepo babies and industry plants are seemingly becoming more and more common, and while the terms don’t necessarily imply a lack of talent, they do tend to imply an artist did not work for their success or ‘pay their dues’ in a famously cut-throat industry. 

Lola is set to perform at Radio 1’s Big Weekend at Sefton Park in Liverpool on Sunday May 25 alongside Mumford & Sons and JADE.

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Intimacy coordinators have been a hot topic in Hollywood recently, even more so in the wake of Gwyneth Paltrow’s comments on having ‘a lot of sex’ with Timothee Chalamet in their new movie Marty Supreme.

After taking a hiatus from acting to focus on growing her wellness brand Goop, Paltrow is set to return to the big screen as the wife of a ping-pong star who becomes romantically involved with a younger man, played by Chalamet. 

The Avengers star has spoken candidly about the many sex scenes in the film, directed by Josh Safdie, earning some backlash from fans who found her take on the topic more than a little bizarre. 

She told Vanity Fair magazine: ‘I mean, we have a lot of sex in this movie. There’s a lot – a lot.’

She went on, seemingly dismissive of the concept of intimacy coordinators: ‘There’s now something called an intimacy coordinator, which I did not know existed … I was like: “Girl, I’m from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera’s on.”’

The actress continued, saying she and Chalamet didn’t feel the need to rely on the coordinator in their love scenes: ‘We said, “I think we’re good. You can step a little bit back.”’

‘I don’t know how it is for kids who are starting out, but…if someone is like, “Okay, and then he’s going to put his hand here,”  I would feel, as an artist, very stifled by that.’

Many people took issue with Paltrow’s comments, with Reddit user hyungwontual writing in a thread about the interview: ‘What’s up with Hollywood stars trying to convince us intimacy coordinators are not necessary?’

User doitforthecocoa agreed: ‘They seem to only be thinking about whether or not they feel comfortable, not considering that things they do could negatively affect their costar. It seems so backward to me sometimes because, above all, an intimacy coordinator is a neutral party that can speak up for either person. To silence them is essentially saying that you don’t want your costar to have an advocate.’

The backlash also comes in the wake of Blake Lively suing her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni for ‘repeated sexual harassment’ and other disturbing behaviour. In response, Baldoni countersued Lively after she submitted the 80-page lawsuit.

In the complaint, Lively alleged she had told producers that she was concerned about Baldoni’s behaviour on set and claimed that he improvised ‘physical intimacy’ scenes without rehearsal or an intimacy coordinator.

While Baldoni denied these accusations, the controversy served to amplify the cultural conversation about intimacy coordinators – and whether they’re truly needed – in a post-#MeToo Hollywood. 

What is the purpose of an intimacy coordinator?

Veteran intimacy coordinator Yarit Dor told Refinery 29 about the situations in which an intimacy coordinator should be used: ‘Each practitioner will have a different explanation, but nudity and simulated sex definitely.

‘I also advocate for any scene that has kissing, making out, or snogging because a kiss is never simulated, it’s the real deal. It’s case to case. If there is penetration of the tongue by mistake, one person can feel like it was harassment for them.’

Yarit goes on to describe that she sees her professional duty to be facilitating conversations surrounding physical intimacy while filming, as well as sometimes literally choreographing the scenes themselves to ensure everyone in the scene knows what to expect. 

‘Choreography is dependent on the actors; some actors will want to fully choreograph it, some of them will just want facilitation,’ she said. 

More than anything, the role of an intimacy coordinator is to protect actors and crew members from feeling uncomfortable, endangered, and exploited – something that has been all too common in the history of show business. 

Why are intimacy coordinators important?

There is no other industry in which a person may feel like their job is threatened by refusing to get naked or simulate sex, and yet there are very few protections in place for actors who are in just this situation. 

Women are most often – though not exclusively – the victims of this kind of predation, with stories of sexual abuse on set dating all the way back to the golden age of Hollywood. 

Marilyn Monroe wrote in Motion Picture Magazine about her experiences filming intimacy scenes: ‘The things a gal has to think up to outwit these predatory males!…Once you’re fairly established as a film actress, it’s open season on you.’

More recently, Lea Seydoux told The Independent of filming Blue is the Warmest Color with director Abdellatif Kechiche, who sometimes made her and co-star Adèle Exarchopoulos film sex scenes for 10 hours at a time: ‘Of course, it was kind of humiliating sometimes, I was feeling like a prostitute. Of course, he uses that sometimes.’

Or there’s the example of Thandiwe Newton, who has stated that she was groomed and sexually abused by director John Duigan on the set of Flirting when she was 16. Duigan allegedly used his power as a director to make up unscripted intimacy scenes and then do things like lie about the framing of her shot and instead take video of her breasts.

Sandra Peabody in The Last House on the Left endured equally vile treatment, with her co-star David Hess allegedly threatening to actually violate her in a rape scene they were about to film. Many people involved in the film later stated how the actress was scared he might actually hurt her and how all her reactions to the ‘simulated’ assault were real.

If Blake Lively’s claims are true, then the lack of an intimacy coordinator on the set of It Ends With Us meant that there was no one to speak up for her when producers allegedly appeared on set when Lively was naked, Baldoni allegedly added a number of unwanted intimate scenes to the script, and was allegedly overly revealing about his sex life and asked about hers.

Regardless of what the court rules about the case, stories like Lively’s are reflective of the experience of too many actors and actresses.

As hyungwontual wrote on Reddit: ‘Intimacy coordinators don’t just [prevent abuse from a person’s] costar but also the other crew around. So many actresses have talked about how when they’d do nude or sex scenes random male crew members, who didn’t even need to be on set, would show up just to see them naked & an intimacy coordinator is also there to prevent this.’

The history of sex scenes in Hollywood is the history of the exploitation of power hierarchies, and performers are made to feel as if keeping their jobs is dependent on staying quiet when things cross a line.

Why is Gwyneth Paltrow against intimacy coordinators?

Paltrow is, tragically, the product of a time in which the path to stardom required keeping quiet about sexual harassment. 

When she was 22 years old, she scored the lead in the Jane Austen adaptation of Emma, produced by Harvey Weinstein.

The now-disgraced Hollywood heavyweight scheduled a meeting with the young actress in a hotel suite, eventually attempting to convince her to get into bed for ‘massages.’  

‘I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,’ she later said of Weinstein’s advances, which she refused. ‘I thought he was going to fire me.’

Eventually, after she confided in her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt about the incident, Weinstein called her in a rage, insisting she tell no one else about the harassment. ‘I was expected to keep the secret,’ she said. 

While one might think Paltrow would be especially supportive of intimacy coordinators and measures to protect young actors from abuse, given her history, it’s also understandable that she’s finding it difficult to adjust to the changing landscape of the industry.

Having endured so many power imbalances early in her career and likely internalizing that these experiences are simply the cost of stardom, she may not realise that risking abuse no longer has to be a compulsory right of passage for young actors.

While Chalamet is a megastar, he’s still a comparative newcomer, arguably more vulnerable to exploitation than Hollywood-royalty Paltrow.

‘I was like, “Okay, great. I’m 109 years old. You’re 14.”‘ the Shakespeare In Love actress said of meeting Chalamet.

She then referred to him as ‘a thinking man’s sex symbol,’ adding to Vanity Fair: ‘He’s just a very polite, properly raised, I was going to say kid. He’s a man who takes his work really seriously and is a fun partner.’

While the pair’s reversed gender dynamic is certainly not irrelevant to the power dynamic at play, it’s hard not to notice how much Paltrow’s language echoes that of older men in Hollywood describing younger women with whom they’re intimate on screen. It’s dismissive, infantalising, and takes for granted Chalamet’s sense of safety and comfort.

If anything is going to change in Hollywood, it is time that everyone. not just men, accept the hard-fought change that the #MeToo movement brought about – and that means normalising intimacy coordinators.

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Paddy McGuinness is selling the palatial home he shares with ex-wife Christine for £6.5million – a price she is reportedly furious about.

The TV presenter, 51, has put the seven-bedroom marital home on the market and Christine, 36, reportedly believes he has inflated the price so it doesn’t sell.

A source has told MailOnline that Paddy and Christine are struggling to get along, and Christine is desperate to move out of their shared home.

The pair announced their split in 2022 and reportedly settled their divorce in October while remaining friends and living together to co-parent their children Leo and Penelope, 10, and Felicity, seven – but it seems the setup is no longer sustainable.

Paddy became the owner of the Cheshire property following the divorce and has now put the mansion on the market.

The home has gone up in value since the couple initially bought it, meaning Paddy is hoping to make an eyewatering £4.4m profit on the sell.

A source told MailOnline: ‘It is so overpriced, Paddy doesn’t want to sell which seems like another tactic by him.

‘It’s insane that Paddy would put the house on the market for that much, they only bought it five years ago and house prices have hardly gone up at all since then,’ said an insider familiar with McGuinnesses.

‘The house is on for two thirds more than what they paid for it, it will never sell. It all feels a bit like Paddy wanting to control the situation and keep Christine living in the house with him for longer.

‘Christine made it clear that she can’t live with him anymore but now it looks like she will have to for a long time yet.’

Previously, another source told MailOnline: ‘Paddy and Christine were content with living together in the house for the sake of their children.

‘They were getting on fine and didn’t feel the need to disrupt their kids’ lives.

‘But in recent months Christine has grown increasingly unhappy which has led to a change to heart.

‘They felt it was best for a new start, for all concerned, which triggered Paddy’s decision to sell up.’

The seven-bedroom, six en-suite bathroom home features a huge array of commodities including its own gym, an orangery, and a kitchen diner.

The couple first met in 2007 before getting married in 2011.

Paddy said a couple of months ago that ‘there’s no toxicity in the house, nor arguments, as he revealed that they have still maintained ‘a really, really lovely family unit at home’.

He also said: ‘We have separate bedrooms because we respect that we aren’t together anymore but, whether we work it through or we don’t, what we do have is a really, really lovely family unit at home.’

Paddy, who started dating Christine in 2009 before getting married in 2011, confessed to ‘forgetting’ the pair are separated sometimes.

He also acknowledged that their arrangement ‘must be strange for people looking at it from the outside in.’

‘We still hug, and we’re still messaging and phoning each other every day, we’re just not jumping into bed together anymore,’ he said.

But it seems the time has finally come for the family to split up, especially as it seems Christine may be ready to look for love again soon.

‘I’m very happily single,’ she told The Mirror. ‘That’s the right thing for me. I know that I deserve love and I know that one day I will find love again.’

She went on to discuss her divorce from the Phoenix Nights star after 11 years of marriage, saying she has a ‘new lease of life.’

‘Something quite magical happens when a woman turns 35. What can I do to make myself happy? As a mum, you’ve always got someone above you.

‘Everything I do is for them. I want to travel more. I want to go to Thailand. I’d love to go to America. I’d love to do a travel show.’

Paddy recently opened up on his role as chef in his marriage, making it clear he’ll have no problem feeding himself as a bachelor.

He said on the podcast Table Manners: ‘I’ve always done the cooking. I was married for about 16 years, and I was the one who did all that, and I enjoy it. I can do roast dinners and stuff, and I can do spag bowls and all the basic stuff, and I can put the chicken nuggets in the oven for the kids.’

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Kansas singer Ronnie Platt revealed he and the band will resume touring after doctors gave him the ‘all clear’ following his recent cancer diagnosis.

Platt, 63, underwent surgery to treat thyroid cancer and is now far enough along in his recovery for his band to resume performing on April 4 in Ivins, Utah.

“’You can return to work without restrictions.” To me? That is music to my ears!’ he wrote.

‘Today was my post surgery follow-up with my surgeon. I have been given the all clear!

‘It’s hard to believe that less than two months ago I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer… It really was just a bump in the road! Thank you so much for your prayers, your positive vibes, and encouraging and hopeful messages.’

The singer originally shared news of his health struggles on social media, telling fans he would soon be ‘back in the saddle.’

He wrote: ‘For all of you asking, Tuesday I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer but before everyone gets all excited, it has a 99 per cent survival rate. It has not spread.

‘It’s contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed. Go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle.’

Platt concluded by referencing one of Kansas’ most famous songs, Carry On Wayward Son: ‘As it has been put to me, this is just a bump in the road and will be behind me very soon! So everyone please CARRY ON!’

As a result of Platt’s diagnosis, the iconic band cancelled two shows in Louisiana on February 21 and March 1.

Fans were quick to share their well wishes for Platt on social media, with X user @The_Rock_Oracle writing on X: ‘Hoping for a quick defeat of cancer.’

@smoothyesfan agreed: ‘Get well soon Ronnie! Can’t wait to see you down the road.’

@PhyllisMorgart wrote: ‘I’ve seen them 4 times with Ronnie Platt, and they are frickin Awsome! God speed, ronnie, I wanna hear you sing again. 🥰’

Platt took over as lead singer of Kansas back in 2014, replacing Steve Walsh.

He featured on the group’s last two albums, 2016’s The Prelude Implicit and 2020’s The Absence of Presence.

Known for massive hits like Dust in the Wind, Carry on Wayward Son, and Play the Game Tonight, Kansas was one of the biggest American rock bands of the 1970s.

The band has produced nine gold albums, three multi-platinum albums, one other platinum studio album (Monolith), one platinum live double album (Two for the Show), and a million-selling single (Dust in the Wind).

Even more impressively, Kansas appeared on the US Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Kansas celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2023 and have managed to continue to tour and draw enormous crowds throughout that time.

And they’ve managed to do so with an almost constantly changing rotation of musicians. The original group (and the one responsible for the biggest hits) was comprised of guitarist Richard Williams, drummer Phil Ehart (who are both still with the band today), guitarist-keyboardist Kerry Livgren, singer-keyboardist Steve Walsh, singer-violinist Robbie Steinhardt, and bassist Dave Hope.

But the group has had nine additional members since 1973, with Platt taking over for Walsh in 2014.

In a Billboard interview, drummer Phil Ehart said that the changes are part of what makes the band great: ‘There’s a small paragraph on the cover of our first album that says, “Kansas is a band.” It’s not Kansas featuring somebody or certain people. When Kansas plays, it sounds like Kansas,’ he explained.

‘If there’s a bit of rotating of members under the moniker of Kansas, then so be it. So this time Kansas is going to be Steve Morse playing guitar — boy, what a great addition he was. Or David Ragsdale on violin. Or Ronnie Platt coming in, or Billy Greer on bass.

‘There has been a lot of different people coming and going, but it’s all under the auspices of the band. We go out and do what we do best, which is write and play Kansas music.’

A version of this story was originally published February 20, 2025.

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If you’re as enthralled by Stephen Graham’s performance in hit new show Adolescence as the rest of the country, you’re probably looking for more of the actor’s work.

Luckily, you don’t have to look any further than Hyena, which is available via the BFI Player with a Prime subscription, or you can buy or rent it.

With a 78% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the 2014 neo-noir thriller is certified fresh.

Gritty and gripping, the movie follows London detective sergeant Michael Logan (Peter Ferdinando), who works as a part of a specialised taskforce alongside his friends and colleagues Chris (Gordon Brown), Martin (Neil Maskell) and Keith (Tony Pitts).

Before long, the corruption within the taskforce leads the officers to find themselves tangled up with European drug syndicates and things just get more heart-pounding from there.

Things only get trickier for the taskforce a new operation run by the vice unit starts sniffing around. The operation is headed up by DI David Knight – played by Graham – a former friend and colleague of Logan’s with whom he now has bad blood.

Graham describes his role in the film as, ‘one of those horrible people where you think they’re your mate, but as soon as they get the opportunity they’ll stab you in the back.

‘He’s one of them people that really want to climb that slippery pole and get to the top. So he’s got that European tan and he’s got an apartment in Puerto Banus and he’s very nouveau riche.’

One of the actor’s grittiest films to date, Graham was initially shocked by the graphicness of the movie, continuing in his interview with Film4: ‘It’s so gritty and so real. One of the scenes I found really uncomfortable, is where this Turkish guy is with this young girl, a prostitute, and you see everything. I was a bit like, “oh, did I really need to see that?”‘

But he quickly answered his own question, concluding: ‘With the story that we’re telling, yes, I absolutely did need to be shocked by it and upset by it, because that’s what she goes through, however many times, every single day. That girl, and a lot of young girls out there.

‘So it’s not just shock for the sake of the shock, it’s to make you feel the emotional impact of their story.’

Critics were largely in agreement at the time of its release that the film had something special to offer.

Film critic C.H. Newell called it: ‘Gritty, hypnotic, drenched in neon lights and shadow, Hyena is a tour-de-force, both as a whole and in terms of Peter Ferdinando’s performance.’

Kitty Knowles for GQ said: ‘Johnson has created a successfully gritty Brit flick in the mould of Sexy Beast with the over-saturated neon visuals of TV’s Red Riding and Drive.’

Martin Tsai of the LA Times wrote: ‘Hyena feels like a throwback to the tough-as-nails British gangster flicks of the 1970s.’

Stream Hyena via the BFI Player with an Amazon Prime subscription.

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Lily Allen has revealed she’s living in a flat that used to be council housing following her split from David Harbour.

The pop star, 39, wed Stranger Things star David, 49, in 2020. They raised Lily’s two daughters, Marnie and Ethel, together, whom she shares with ex-husband Sam Cooper.

It’s believed they parted ways in December, and she was later spotted on the celebrity dating app Raya.

Following a stint in rehab and taking a break from the podcast Miss Me? that she co-hosts with Miquita Oliver, Lily has returned to spill all the tea in the first episode without her wedding ring on.

Speaking in a new episode about the topic of gentrification, Lily revealed she has bought and moved into a new flat in London.

The Smile singer said the flat is an ex-council property in a building that has a mixture of social and privately-owned homes.

However, she explained that she hopes she isn’t contributing to gentrification because she grew up in the local area.

‘This flat that I’ve bought, is in a social housing building, I have kind of given myself a “get out” clause because it is slap bang in the area which I grew up in, so I don’t feel like I am coming from outside and coming into the area and gentrifying it,’ she explained.

Allen added that she’s always had her eye on a flat in the building, so jumped on it when the opportunity arose.

‘I have wanted to live in this building since I was a baby, it’s been a dream of mine forever and finally a flat became available in here and I was in a position to buy it and I did. But I know people have got judgement around it.’

She was quick to clarify that she is not the first private owner of the property, saying: ‘It’s a privately owned flat, so I didn’t buy it from the council, I bought it off another private owner.’

She added: ‘There’s no separate entrance for the privately owned people. Everyone really gets along. We smile and chat with each other in the lifts.’

The comments follow Lily’s first public appearance since a stint in rehab, when she made a triumphant return to the spotlight last week with a live show with Miquita.

Speaking about the breakdown of her four-year marriage, she reportedly told the venue: ‘I am not over it.’

The Smile hitmaker added, as per The Sun: ‘I am sort of running away. Maybe I will have a nervous breakdown.’

She proceeded to criticise both David and builder Sam, to whom her marriage ended in 2018, for their sexual abilities.

‘I don’t think there has been one person that has been remotely interested in my pleasure,’ she declared.

‘I have actual d**k blindness.’

Lily continued: ‘I can’t even picture, not even my ex-husband’s or boyfriend’s. I can’t picture them at all. Apart from one, as I have pictures of it on my phone.’

It’s said that Lily discovering David on a dating app was the catalyst for their marriage ending, with insiders claiming they had been living ‘separate lives’ for a while.

Last month, David was spotted on a date with aspiring model Ellie Fallon, who is 22 years younger than him.

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Speculation has grown that Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott are dating after the pair were spotted enjoying a romantic meal together.

The One Direction star, 33, reportedly planned the date, which saw him take Zara, 28, to a romantic getaway at a hotel in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

In photos obtained by The Sun, the pair held hands and laughed as they ate and drank, seemingly smitten with each other.

The publication reported that the pair have been casually dating for some time.

A source told the Sun: ‘Louis whisked Zara away for a break in Suffolk and he absolutely charmed her, it’s clear he thinks she’s drop-dead gorgeous too.

‘Louis is a proper gentleman so this trip was something he planned and put on for Zara. He was really thoughtful and wanted to make it special.’

The source emphasised that the pair are taking things slow.

This follows previous speculation that Zara, who split from I’m A Celebrity star Sam Thompson in December after a five-year-long relationship, was romantically seeing Louis.

According to The Sun, claims of the romance began on Reddit, after Louis’ fans noticed that the pair had started following each other on Instagram.

They also noticed that Louis’ siblings Lottie and twins Daisy and Phoebe had started following Zara too.

The post on Reddit claimed: ‘I’ve read a lot of rumours that Louis is in a relationship with Zara McDermott. 

‘They recently started to follow each other on Instagram. She follows all of his sisters, and they follow her back.’

They added: ‘Obviously, following a person on instagram doesn’t mean that people are in a relationship, lol, But, I just find it weird, and I am scared that this will be a new stunt. Especially since I’ve read about them many times.

‘Louis is having a concert in London today, and I’m just waiting for Zara to be spotted there or that she post a story from the concert.’

After five years together, Zara and Sam reportedly called it quits in December, which allegedly came as the result of a difficult year as they both focusing on individual projects.

While Zara has been busy working on documentaries, Sam had spent a significant amount of time in Australia for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’s spin-off show, Unpacked.

In January, Sam was chatting to best friend Pete Wicks on their joint Staying Relevant podcast when his pal asked ‘what’s been going on?’

Referencing the split, Sam admitted: ‘It was tough. It’s been a tough month. A real tough month.’

For Louis’ part, his most public previous relationship was with Eleanor Calder, whom he dated on and off from 2011 to 2022.

During a split from Eleanor in 2015, Louis briefly dated Briana Jungwirth, who gave birth to the couple’s child, Freddie, on January 21, 2016.

While neither Zara nor Louis have confirmed the romance rumours, things are certainly looking pretty cosy.

Metro has contacted Zara and Louis’ reps for comment.

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The audio of a recorded phone call between Kanye West and Sean ‘Diddy’ has gone viral amid Kanye’s ongoing battle with Kim Kardashian over their daughter’s involvement in a track that features Diddy.

Their latest row began when the rapper, 47, released a new track titled Lonely Roads Still Go To Sunshine, which he says is a collaboration between Diddy, King Combs, North West, and Jasmine Williams.

TMZ reported that the track was nearly axed because Kim, 44, did not want their 11-year-old daughter to feature in the song.

Kanye has since shared text messages allegedly between the pair discussing North’s involvement with the track.

Now, in the wake of the latest controversy, the Shade Room has released exclusive audio of a conversation between the two disgraced rap icons, earning tons of reactions online.

X user @nintindoe wrote: ‘What an embarrassment!’ while @__smokkahontas agreed: ‘Taking calls from diddy knowing his allegations is crazy!’

At the beginning of the call, Diddy was seemingly trying to comfort and encourage Kanye, saying: ‘When I get out there, man, I want to see you f****g tear down the stadiums. I need to see you back on that stage, f*****g actually rapping and f*****g performing and everything. I be dreaming of that s**t.’

Diddy continued: ‘Tell you real from the front line. This sh**t is wicked, wicked, wicked, so you be careful.’

‘You can’t do nothing for just… I need you out there, you hear me?’

Kanye replied: ‘I hear you, yes, sir.’

Diddy continued to attempt to uplift the controversial rapper, saying: ‘And have some f*****g fun. Get behind the mic, have some fun. Chop up them samples, get back on your hit man vibe. Have some fun, get back to smiling,’ he advised.

‘F**k these other motherf*****s. They are wasting your time. Wasting your motherf*****g time.’

He added, ‘So, put that love in your heart, man, and enjoy yourself.’

Kanye said in response: ‘Yeah, it’s time for me just to grab the mic and get back on. I love, I love music again. It was a time where everything was so frustrating. I can’t explain it.’

Diddy responded: ‘Jump into your bag. We gonna have years and decades to fight these motherf*****s. Right now, enjoy your life.’

‘This is coming from me, from God to you. Enjoy your life. Fall back in love like when you was making the beats in the Chi… just chop them s**t up, bring that SD1200 out.’

‘Have a good time and say “f**k the world and all the bulls**t”, man.’

Diddy continued his monologue: ‘I love you man, I appreciate you. And thanks again. I’m gonna see you soon, man.’

Kanye replied: ‘Yes, sir. That’s how it’s gonna be. You gonna definitely beat this s**t. And that’s it.’

Diddy then discussed his upcoming trial briefly, asking Kanye to support him through positive energy, saying he’ll be ‘touching in to tap into your energy or something. Play me some s**t over the phone. Give me some f*****g life.’

He spoke of his ongoing legal troubles, complaining: ‘This s**t is f*****g sad. I’m Puff Daddy in jail. This s**t is f*****g sad as a motherf****r.’

‘The devil is a liar,’ Diddy added. 

He then told Kanye to ‘keep doing everything you’re doing,’ adding ‘you got that f*****g freedom.’ 

‘When I get out and I get that f*****g freedom, woo. I am not caring about nothing but motherf*****g being happy. And I want you to feel that.’ 

Diddy then thanked Kanye for taking his children under his wing and supporting them as their father awaits trial in jail.

Diddy also issued a warning to Kanye to ‘be careful’ adding ‘they definitely trying to end us.’

‘I’m gonna beat this s**t and get next to you,’ he added.

He then, perhaps most shockingly, said of his time behind bars: ‘It’s like being left for dead. And only one person coming to do anything to get you. That’s the level of appreciation that I have for you.’ 

Kanye then told Diddy he ‘looks up to’ the relationship Diddy has with his kids.

The bombshell recording comes days after Kanye – who has four children with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian – has accused his former partner and her family of limiting his access to the kids.

In a series of posts on X, he wrote: ‘Yes I have beef with people that froze my account, took my kids away and have tried to put me in jail and IT’S STUCK …

‘I don’t want to just ‘see’ my kids. I need to raise them. I need to have say so of where they go to school and who their friends are and whose houses they sleep over whether my daughters wear lipstick and perfume …

‘All these rights have been taken away from my by the Kardashian mob, Hulu and DIsney and the biggest agenda to use the selectively bred Black children to be platforms to influence Black people.’

He added: ‘Just seeing my kids is like visitation. It’s like I’m in prison “seeing” my kids. I don’t care if I live or die or if I’m in jail or free …’

Kim and Kanye were married between 2014 and 2022 and are also parents to Saint, nine, Chicago, six, and Psalm, five.

Kanye’s latest rant came after he threatened to ‘go to war’ with Kim after she seemingly objected to North’s voice being featured on the song.

In the original X post announcing the song, Kanye wrote: ‘LONELY ROADS STILL GO TO SUNSHINE new song by PUFF DADDY feat. His son KING COMBS my daughter NORTH WEST and new Yeezy artist from Chicago Jasmine Williams.’

It is thought that North can be heard on the track saying: ‘When you see me shining, then you see the light,’ along with a select few other lines.

The outlet reported that Kim sent letters demanding a ‘cease and desist,’ and an emergency hearing was held – which Kanye did not join.

Sources added that Kim didn’t want ‘North involved in her dad’s recent behaviour’ or involved in ‘any of the drama surrounding Diddy.’

‘She’s called everyone she could to keep this song from coming out.’

Ahead of releasing the song, Kanye shared images of text exchanges supposedly with Kim on social media which suggest the pair argued about the use of North’s name.

One message which appeared to be from Kim read: ‘I asked u at the time if I can trademark her name and you said yes when she’s 18 it goes to her.

‘So stop. I sent paperwork over so she wouldn’t be in the Diddy song to protect her. One person has to trademark!

‘We agreed when they were born I would get all of our kids’ names and trademarks so no one else would take them.’

To this Kanye appeared to reply: ‘Amend it or I’m going to war.

‘And neither of us with recover from the public fallout.

‘You’re going to have to kill me.’

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York and is going to trial for racketeering and sex trafficking.

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Ariana Grande has announced the titles of six brand new songs – including one called Hampstead, evidently inspired by her time in London.

A new expanded edition of Ariana’s number one 2024 album – called eternal sunshine: brighter days ahead – will be released later this month and include the all-new music.

The original LP, her seventh studio album, spawned two number-one singles yes, and? and we can’t be friends (wait for your love), and the top 20 single the boy is mine.

The new song titles, according to the hitmaker’s Instagram, are intro (end of the world) extended, twilight zone, warm, dandelion, past life, and Hampstead.

Here is what you need to know.

Why does Ariana Grande have a song called Hampstead?

The title has led fans to speculate that the new track must be about the time Ariana spent in London while filming Wicked.

It was an eventful time for her, as she began filming the movie still married to Dalton Gomez, with news of their divorce going live just days before her relationship with co-star Ethan Slater was first heavily rumoured, in July 2023.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s ex-wife Lilly Jay relocated to the UK for Wicked filming with their young son, but he also filed for divorce from her later the same month as Ariana.

Sources previously claimed to TMZ that both Slater and Grande – whose listed date of separation from Gomez was in that February – were single before they began dating, but the pair faced major backlash anyway.

Appearing on the Shut Up Evan podcast last year, Ariana said of Hampstead: ‘It is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.’

Now, fans are furiously speculating about what the topic of the song may be, with X user @jamiemcln writing: ‘I assume this is where the relationship with Dalton Gomez ended 😦 we’re in for a heartbreaker.’

@back2pop agreed: ‘Gonna be so emotional omg!’

@xwordz chimed in: ‘OMG, the dots are connecting! Hampstead must’ve really left a mark on her—now I need to hear this song even more! 😭✨’

‘[The UK] is my favorite, I miss it here so much. I loved it here so much. I loved living here.”I was in Hampstead when I was here, and I loved my walks on the Heath,’ Ariana previously shared with the BBC of her London life.

‘I loved meandering around and visiting different shops and places and pubs.’

She continued: ‘I didn’t know what a Sunday roast was, but I know that that’s a thing now. I didn’t know what that was and now I do and I’m changed for the better.’

She added of London: ‘It’s so delightful and fun, and there are so many dogs and Vizslas in the heath. There were so many Vizslas in Hampstead Heath. I loved seeing them.’

Insiders at the time revealed to The Sun that Ariana had found a ‘palatial’ property to live in in North London while shooting the musical movie, with Liam Gallagher and Ricky Gervais among her neighbours.

The source said: ‘Ariana is renting a stunning house in one of the capital’s most sought-after neighbourhoods.

‘But anyone who thinks they might catch a glimpse of her has no chance, as the place she has found is like a fortress.’

They continued: ‘The home has private grounds and is well out of reach of other people, so she’ll be able to totally switch off after filming.’

brighter days ahead will be the fourth version of the album Ariana has released.

First, she surprised fans by releasing eternal sunshine: slightly deluxe two days after the standard edition of the album dropped.

This version included remixes of yes and? featuring Mariah Carey, supernatural featuring Troye Sivan, and acoustic and a cappella versions of imperfect for you and true story, respectively.

This still wasn’t enough to satisfy fans, as the pop princess than released the slightly deluxe and live version of the album, which included an additional remix of the boy is mine featuring 90s icons Brandy and Monica, plus live versions of seven tracks on the album.

brighter days ahead will include not only the six new songs but also the aforementioned remixes with Carey, Sivan, Brandy, and Monica.

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Justin Theroux has quietly remarried eight years after his divorce from Jennifer Aniston, leaving the Friends actress ‘blindsided’.

Over the weekend, the Beetlejuice 2 star, 53, secretly wed actress Nicole Brydon Bloom, 30, in a private beach ceremony in Tulum, Mexico.

Theroux wore a traditional tuxedo, while Bloom looked every bit the classic bride in a long white gown.

The pair, who have a 23-year age gap, first sparked romance rumours in February 2023.

In March 2024, they made their red carpet debut at Vanity Fair’s annual Oscars party—officially confirming the relationship—and got engaged five months later in Italy.

The ceremony was scaled back and intimate, but MailOnline reports that Theroux’s beloved pit bull mix Kuma, whom he adopted from a high-kill shelter following Hurricane Harvey, was a part of the big day.

After news of their nuptials became public, an insider revealed what Aniston’s reaction was to the occasion, telling the publication: ‘Yes, it took her by surprise, but they have maintained a close friendship, and she is happy for him that he has found true love.’

While Aniston approves of her ex’s new lover, it’s believed to feel bittersweet for her to see him fully moved on.

‘She cannot help but be somewhat reminiscent of what they had together, but she knows what a good man he is, and she thinks that his new wife is wonderful,’ they added.

‘This gives Jennifer hope that her Prince Charming is out there.’

A second source stressed that she is not dwelling on the news, saying: ‘Nobody should feel bad for Jen; she’s fine.

‘She’s loved and lost like the rest of us, but her life is still pretty good.’

They said ‘if she ends up with anyone down the line, that would be beautiful.’ 

Elsewhere, the source claimed Aniston is now ‘on a different path’, just like her former partners are, including her first husband, Brad Pitt, to whom she was married from 2000 to 2005.

She and Pitt have also remained friendly, with a mole insisting the actress only feels ‘joy’ for the successes of her exes.

‘If anything is on her mind about Justin, it would be, let Justin be happy.’

While appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show last year, Theroux revealed how he met his new wife: ‘A friend of ours was having sort of a party at their restaurant, bar,’ Theroux explained.

‘The first impression was wow,’ he continued. ‘And then a friend of mine who was with me, literally the quote, [they] said, “That’s the one.” Like, we hadn’t even met yet. And I was like, “She’s so stunning.” So I went over and started talking and things like that and it progressed.’

Bloom is a New York-based actress, with a degree in acting from Elon University as of 2017, who is perhaps best known for playing Caroline Stuyvesant in season two of The Gilded Age.

Bloom also currently stars in the hit show Paradise opposite Sterling K. Brown.

This is Bloom’s first time at the altar, but Theroux was previously wed to Aniston from 2015 to 2017 in a marriage that was constantly in and out of international headlines.

A joint statement at the time announcing their separation read: ‘We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship.’ 

‘There’s something to, once you’re out of that, where I want all of my relationships to exist within the four walls of whatever room we’re in,’ the actor told Esquire in May 2023 of being in such a high-profile marriage.

‘Having been in a public relationship, it’s much more fun not being in a public relationship,’ he concluded.

Theroux and Aniston finalised their divorce in what he previously described as a ‘gentle separation’ in February 2018.

Ever since they have made it clear that they remain close pals and on amicable terms.

The comedy actress opened up for the first time about her struggles to get pregnant and her issues with IVF in 2022, explaining that the ‘ship has sailed’ on starting a family, earning public support from Theroux.

Taking to Instagram, she shared a selection of photos and a background video from a shoot for an interview with Allure magazine in which she opened up about her struggles with IVF.

In the comments below, Justin offered a subtle message of praise and support.

‘👊 ❤️,’ he wrote, confirming that the ex-couple continues to support each other.

Then, most recently, Theroux said that Aniston was ‘still very dear to [him]’ while speaking to The Times last September.

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Guns N’ Roses have said drummer Frank Ferrer has left the band after 19 years.

Ferrer, 58, joined frontman Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, and bassist Duff McKagan in June 2006.

On Wednesday, the rock band posted a statement on X, saying: ‘Guns N’ Roses announce the amicable exit of Frank Ferrer, the longest-serving drummer in their storied run.

‘Frank first joined (the band) during a show in June 2006 helping anchor the rhythm section during subsequent tours, including their recent outings featuring the reunited trio of Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan.

‘His last show with the band took place November 5, 2023 in Mexico.’

The post also said: ‘The band thanks Frank for his friendship, creativity, and sturdy presence over the past 19 years, and they wish him success in the next chapter of his musical journey.’

This is only the latest chapter in the band’s long history of lineup changes and drama.

While the history of rock and roll is littered with urban legends and true stories of guitar-smashing, dressing-room showdowns, drug-fueled brawls, and lots of hurt feelings, Guns N’ Roses may just be the most contentious band to ever take the stage.

The band’s notoriously volatile frontman Axl Rose has usually been at the center of the drama.

While the band – which was one of the biggest of the 80s – broke up in 1996 when guitarist Slash left the band, followed quickly by bassist Duff McKagan, the beginning of the end came in 1990 when founding drummer Steve Adler was fired.

Rose and Adler locked horns countless times in their decade of stardom, with one famous incident coming when the band lived together in the 80s.

As the story goes, Rose was asleep on a couch in the evening, shortly before the band were set to play an LA show. Adler started passive aggressively cleaning up, making a racket.

Things escalated, and Rose threw a coffee table at his drummer, and soon the pair were locked in a fistfight.

Even more shockingly, Rose recorded himself having sex with Adriana Smith in 1987, who had previously been dating Adler. He then used the audio in the background of the song Rocket Queen as a dig at Adler, further making the battle lines clear.

In 1990, Adler was fired from the band as he struggled with a heroin addiction.

Rose told MTV in 1990: ‘Steven didn’t leave the band. Steven was fired. We gave him every ultimatum, we tried working with other drummers. We had Steven sign a contract saying if he went back to drugs, he was out. He couldn’t leave his drugs. And other things have happened involved with Steven that Steven is basically someone I used to know.’

But the conflict didn’t end there, and Rose became harder and harder to work with as the years passed.

‘After a while, I could barely show up  because the animosity was so crippling,’ Slash later wrote in his autobiography of the band’s eventual breakdown. ‘It was so negative.’

Axl Rose continued performing under the Guns N’ Roses name with a rotating cast of musicians in the years that followed, but the band’s iconic lineup never truly reunited for the long term.

While Guns N’ Roses’ breakup was certainly contentious, they aren’t the only band to have ended explosively. Here are some of the most dramatic band breakups in music history.

Everly Brothers

A true oldies rock act, the Everly Brothers – Phil and Don – had a string of hits including Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, and Cathy’s Clown in the 50s and 60s. 

But the biological brothers never truly managed to get along, and things finally came to an explosive end in 1973. 

Already certain the show was their last, a California gig saw Don taking the stage obviously inebriated, infuriating his brother. 

‘I was half in the bag that evening — the only time I’ve ever been drunk onstage in my life,’ Don later told Rolling Stone. 

‘I knew it was the last night, and on the way out I drank some tequila, drank some champagne — started celebrating the demise. It was really a funeral.’

Don – whose addiction to Ritalin made things even more tense with his brother – was slurring the words and struggling to keep up as the show progressed. Soon, his enraged brother smashed his guitar on the stage, shocking the audience as he stormed off stage, leaving his brother in the lurch. 

While the brothers eventually buried the hatchet, performing together again a decade later, they truly said the tone for dramatic rock band breakups. 

As Phil Everly said in 1970: ‘We only ever had one argument. It’s been lasting for 25 years.’

Oasis

Of course, no list of band breakups would be complete without mention of Noel and Liam Gallagher.

Their dramatic breakup in 2009 was preceded by countless instances of the brothers taking aim at each other both on stage and off, with Noel eventually leaving the band and declaring he simply couldn’t work with his brother anymore. 

In a statement released at the time, Noel wrote: ‘It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.’

He continued by aiming one more creative insult at his brother: ‘He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup.’

Reportedly, an altercation at Paris’ Rock en Seine Festival was the final nail in the coffin for Oasis. 

Liam reportedly smashed one of Noel’s guitars in the midst of the fight, and soon after Noel left for good. Subsequently, Liam sued Noel for statements he made about the breakup. 

Liam resented his brother for leaving him behind, later telling The Guardian that Noel’s claims that Liam’s behaviour led to the end of the band were absurd because, ‘that was my behaviour since day one.’

He continued: ‘That’s what made Oasis what it was. I wasn’t any different, but all of a sudden, he’s turned into Ronan Keating or some soft c***, going: “We can’t have that behaviour.”’

He continued: ‘I was sitting at home with no management, no office, and no one to really speak to, while Noel was still walking into his big management office having everyone running around after him, getting smart and dissing people.

‘Looking back with hindsight, you can go: ‘You’re a big boy’ and all that, but when you’ve had all that stuff for 20 years… I could barely tie my shoelace let alone run my business or my life. All that support was taken away, but little Noely G had it all still there.’

Fleetwood Mac

Mick Fleetwood, co-founder of legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac, has shared his hopes for reconciliation between ex-bandmates Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham in recent months after the band’s infamous decades of drama.

Former guitarist Lindsey, 74, and frontwoman Stevie, 76, have had a turbulent relationship over the past five decades and beyond.

This included a love affair throughout the 1970s that ended around the creation of the band’s renowned 1977 album, Rumours (which featured Lindsey’s iconic break-up song Go Your Own Way).

But as Lindsey and Stevie’s personal and professional relationship deteriorated over the years, everything came to a head in 2018 when Lindsey suddenly ruptured from the band.

The former flames have not toured together since with Mike Campbell and Neil Finn taking Lindsey’s place.

‘It’s no secret, it’s no title-tattle that there is a brick wall there emotionally,’ Mick, 77, said in a recent interview about the feuding duo.

‘Stevie’s able to speak clearly about how she feels and doesn’t feel, as does Lindsey. But I’ll say, personally, I would love to see a healing between them – and that doesn’t have to take the shape of a tour, necessarily,’ he added to Mojo magazine.

Whether they will bury the hatchet remains to be seen but in 2021 Lindsey opened up about his perspective of why he was dumped from the band to the LA Times.

‘It would be like a scenario where Mick Jagger says, “Either Keith [Richards] goes or I go.”

‘No, neither one of you can go. But I guess the singer has to stay. The figurehead has to stay.’

‘I think she saw the possibility of remaking the band more in the Stevie Nicks vein. More mellow and kind of down, giving her more chances to do the kind of talking she does onstage.’

Stevie, however, fiercely hit back against Lindsey’s retelling calling it ‘factually inaccurate’.

She continued: ‘To be exceedingly clear, I did not have him fired, I did not ask for him to be fired, I did not demand he be fired.

‘Frankly, I fired myself. I proactively removed myself from the band and a situation I considered to be toxic to my well-being. I was done. If the band went on without me, so be it.’

Van Halen

The original lineup of Van Halen, featuring brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, bassist Michael Anthony, and front man David Lee Roth, burst onto the music scene in the late 1970s with their self-titled debut album, quickly becoming a bonafide cultural movement and some of the biggest icons of the decade. 

But they were quickly plagued by conflict, with Eddie infamously throwing a bowl of guacamole at David backstage in 1978. He missed the singer entirely and instead hit Steve Perry, who cried, according to Runnin’ With the Devil, a 2017 memoir by Van Halen’s former manager, Noel Monk.

In another instance in the same year, the band destroyed the entire seventh floor of a hotel in Wisconsin. The chaos began when Eddie came back to his room to discover that David had thrown the table and chairs from the room outside into the snow. 

The tension between David and Eddie came to a head in 1985, following the release of the hugely successful album 1984, which featured hits like Jump and Panama. 

Although the album was a commercial triumph, behind the scenes, David and Eddie were barely speaking, with their communication mostly limited to musical disagreements that would turn to shouting matches and even more property destruction.

David decided to leave the band, citing creative differences and a desire to pursue his own music as a solo artist.

He told Billboard in 1985 that he never truly felt welcome in the band that he helped make famous, saying: ‘Since my very first days in with the band 11 years ago, I have always had the feeling that one day I would wake up in a cold hotel, all the rooms would be empty and I would be stuck by a phone with a busy signal. From the first day. Nothing has changed.’

But Eddie later claimed it was David’s ego that broke the band up, telling Rolling Stone in 1986 that David said: ‘I can’t work with you guys anymore. I want to do my movie. Maybe when I’m done, we’ll get back together.’

Sonic Youth

Unlike other groups on this list, the conflict at the heart of Sonic Youth was between a husband and wife.

Formed in New York City in 1981, the iconic rock band was originally comprised of Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals).

Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore were happily married for decades, successfully working together within the band as they churned out hits.

But in 2010, Gordon was left blindsided and heartbroken as she discovered text messages on Moore’s phone from another woman, leading to their divorce after 27 years of marriage.

She detailed the traumatic incident in her memoir Girl in a Band, writing: ‘One morning I got up to do yoga. Thurston was still asleep, and I looked down at his cell[phone]. It was then that I saw her texts about their wonderful weekend together, about how much she loved him, and his writing back the same things.’

Obviously distraught, she eventually went onto his laptop and found more evidence of the affair including a ‘porno-like’ video.

Soon after, the pair divorced, and the band called it quits.

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Iconic 80s band Journey was forced to cut their show in Houston, Texas, short this weekend after just five songs due to an electrical fire.

The dramatic turn of events came as they performed at the RodeoHouston event at NRG Stadium, which can seat around 70,000 people.

In a moment of bizarre timing, the band had just started playing their legendary hit Don’t Stop Believin’ when all sound at the venue suddenly cut out.

Fan-captured video from the event, shared on X, shows lead singer Arnel Pineda reaching the second verse of the beloved track before everything went silent and the projector screens went dark.

Fans thought it was all just a part of the show as the entire stadium took over singing the lyrics.

But it soon became evident that something was wrong as the band left the stage and staff with fire extinguishers rushed to the drum riser.

Shortly after, an announcement informed fans the band would not return that evening as an electrical fire had damaged equipment too severely for the show to carry on.

Drummer Deen Castronovo wrote in a social media post that things were more dire on stage than they appeared.

Castronovo posted: ‘Hey, Houston. An act of God tonight. Fire broke out underneath the stage – right under my drum riser!

‘I was literally on fire for 4 ½ songs, all the power cables melted, and the show was a bust! That doesn’t mean we won’t be back soon, because we love you all – and we will return. God bless you all!’

Fans were left confused and upset by the sudden turn of events, with X user @JakeAsman writing: ‘I lived in Houston for six years and went to over 30 rodeo concerts—but I’ve never seen anything like this. Journey was in the middle of ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ when the stadium speakers blew out. The entire concert is on hold!’

@jmgrand posted: ‘Journey just blew the power out at @HoustonRodeo. Crowd just kept singing…we all thought it was a part of the show!’

Stacy Martin-Daniels commented on Castronovo’s Facebook post: ‘Houston we had a problem! Crowd thought you wanted to hear us sing 🎤 😆 Everyone was so disappointed, including myself! Glad everyone is safe, we can’t wait to see you again! ❤️’

Tracie Cortez Ross agreed, writing: ‘We were devastated when the show got cancelled. I raised my daughter to be a huge Journey fan and this was her 16th birthday gift…to finally see y’all in concert. That being said, so very glad none of you were hurt.’

Joining the band in 1998, Castronovo is the band’s longest-serving drummer to date.

Journey was formed in 1973 with Neal Schon on lead guitar, Gregg Rolie on keyboards and lead vocals, Ross Valory on bass, rhythm guitarist George Tickner, and Prairie Prince as drummer.

After some reshuffling, the band’s most iconic lineup came together in 1978 and was comprised of Aynsley Dunbar, Steve Perry, Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, and Ross Valory.

Perry’s voice became synonymous with the band’s sound, but the rocker left the band in 1987 and rejoined the band in 1996 before departing again in 1998.

Currently, Neal Schon is the only original member still performing with the group, who are now made up of Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Deen Castronovo, Arnel Pineda, Jason Derlatka, and Todd Jensen.

The band’s worldwide sales have reached over 100 million records globally, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time.

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Pete Wicks has been seen out and about with reality star Becca Edwards following his recent split from Maura Higgins.

The Strictly finalist, 36, was all smiles with the 31-year-old, who took part in the MTV show Ex on the Beach in 2017 and is now a social media influencer.

The pair were seen, both dressed in all black, entering the trendy restaurant Mazonico in London.

While its unknown if Pete and Becca were on a date or just out as friends, the outing comes after Pete and Maura called it quits on Valentine’s Day, reportedly due to a series of arguments.

The long-time friends are believed to have started dating in August, having been spotted on a series of romantic outings and locking lips in the months following.

After they split up, it was said they ‘remained close’ and still share a ‘deep connection.’

But Pete seemingly took a jab at Maura following news that she appeared to share a kiss with Danny Jones that shocked everyone when they were filmed looking very cosy at a Brit Awards afterparty.

The Love Island star, 34, and McFly singer, 38, sent social media into a meltdown when the video started making the rounds, given that Danny has been married to Georgia Horsley for over 10 years. They also share a little boy.

It was previously claimed that Pete was ‘relieved’ to be away from all the drama, and he’s now purposefully avoided any mention of the controversy.

Speaking on his Staying Relevant podcast with best friend Sam Thompson, Pete, 36, said: ‘So a lot happened at the Brits, an awful lot happened at the Brits. I am probably going to leave that there because… a lot happened at the Brits but we’re just going to move on from that and we’ll tell you about our Brits experience.’

‘Our Brits was great, we had a lovely Brits experience,’ Sam chimed in with, going on to talk about the antics of their night and the celebrities they met.Later in the podcast, Pete said: ‘Nothing happened there for us, but we had a great time at the Universal afterparty, we stayed there for a little bit, had a few drinks.’

As Sam said ‘We did it right,’ Pete interrupted with: ‘No, no, no, it’s not that other people did it wrong, no, no, no.’

‘What I mean is at these parties, you don’t want to linger for too long, we got there nice and early and left the Brits a little bit early, got there before the crush happens, and then had a few drinks, had a really good time, spoke to loads of people and then left at about one, which is the perfect time before everything gets a little bit messy,’ Sam clarified.

Following the news of Maura and Pete’s original split, source told MailOnline: ‘There have been a few clashes, and it was eventually agreed they were better off as friends.’

‘Those closest to them know it’s been a very on-and-off relationship, which is why they were so resistant to go public in the first place.’

Refusing to rule out a possible reconciliation—before the kick-off involving Danny at the Brits—the source added: ‘You never know with Maura and Pete, the attraction is so strong that you wouldn’t rule out a reunion at some point—even in the short term.’

But given his evening out with Becca, that reunion looks less and less likely.

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The iconic drummer for ZZ Top, Frank Beard, is taking a break from touring with the band to undergo a ‘health procedure.’

The band issued a statement yesterday to say that Beard would not be joining the band on the sting of tour dates they have scheduled, which kicked off on March 5, so he can ‘attend to a health issue requiring his focus in the near term.’

While Beard recovers, ‘fellow Texan and longtime tech member, percussionist and drummer’ John Douglas will step in as drummer for the Sharp Dressed Man hitmakers.

The statement says Douglas has a ‘close relationship’ with the group and previously filled in when Beard underwent an emergency appendectomy in Paris in 2002.

‘He is looking forward to a speedy recovery,’ the statement concluded.

ZZ Top – which was formed in 1969 – was originally comprised of Dan Mitchell on drums,  vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons,and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill who died in 2021.

But the band only recorded one single – Salt Lick – before Frank Beard took over on drums, and he’s now been with the band for over 55 years.

Since then, Beard helmed their debut album in 1971 through to 2012’s La Futura, and has co-written hit songs such as Legs, Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin’, and Tush.

Fans were quick to share their support for Beard in the comments of the post, with user @thewhiskytrainer writing: ‘Ugh this makes me so sad. Wishing Frank the best.’

@Tracygirl703 commented: ‘Prayers for a successful surgery and a full recovery.’

@collinfitz9 chimed in: ‘Get well soon legend!’

Fans are still in mourning for the late Dusty Hill, who died in 2021 at 72-years-old.

In a post on the group’s official page, the other members of the band wrote at the time: ‘We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX. 

‘We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the Top. 

‘We will forever be connected to that “Blues Shuffle in C.” You will be missed greatly, amigo. Frank & Billy.’

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Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot appeared at the world premiere of Disney’s Snow White at El Capitan Theatre in LA yesterday.

The film, which will be in theatres March 21, was also celebrated by attendees like Disney CEO Bob Iger and producer Marc Platt, as well as members of the Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando and Malibu affected by the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year.

Other cast members on the carpet included Martin Klebba, Lorena Andrea, Jason Kravits, Dujonna Gift, and Indriss Kargbo. Other cast members like Tituss Burgess, Andrew Barth Feldman, and Andrew Burnap did not attend the event.

According to a press release, guests at the premiere participated in activities including ‘forest friends grove with rabbits, professional glamour shots, a fairytale glam station, and opportunities to create your own jeweled crown, pocket mirror, and candy salad.’

The premiere comes amid continued controversy surrounding the remake of the iconic Disney classic.

The backlash began nearly four years ago when West Side Story actress Rachel Zegler, who is of Colombian descent, was cast as Disney’s original princess, most famous for having ‘skin as white as snow.’

The racist complaints are reminiscient of those that Halle Bailey faced after being picked to play Ariel in The Little Mermaid, with some fans being left outraged at Disney’s push for more culturally representative storytelling.

Snow White ran into more negative press coverage when Game Of Thrones star Peter Dinklage branded the studio ‘backwards’ for their decision to remake Snow White.

The actor, who has a common form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, said he was ‘a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’

‘Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me,’ he added on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast in January 2022.

Dinklage argued Disney was ‘progressive in one way’ and yet still making a ‘backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together.’

Disney eventually clarified that the film was ‘taking a different approach with these seven characters’ and had been ‘consulting with members of the dwarfism community’ in order to ‘avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film.’

As well as dropping half the film’s original title, director Marc Webb opted to portray the characters using CGI– the depiction of whom was pulled apart when the Seven Dwarfs were first unveiled in the movie’s teaser trailer in August – after reports that Disney would be using diverse ‘magical creatures’ instead.

But even as this controversy unfolded, Zeglre faced more backlash after a series of flippant remarks she made at D23 in 2022, which made it clear she wasn’t a fan of the original story.

The 23-year-old (then 21) criticised the original film – released nearly 88 years ago, and based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm – as ‘dated’.

Zegler characterised the prince in Snow White as a ‘guy who literally stalks her’ in an interview with ExtraTV, calling it ‘weird’ repeatedly, while she also revealed in a separate interview with Variety that Snow White was ‘not going to be dreaming about true love’ anymore and rather ‘about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true.’

The son of one of the 1937 film’s animators and supervising director, David Hand, also reacted poorly to Zegler’s remarks, seemingly horrified to hear of what may be sweeping changes to the original plot, saying Disney and his father would be ‘turning in their graves.’

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