
‘We'll pretend that didn't happen' – Laura Woods ‘pied' by Premier League cult hero, 51, after Champions League final
LAURA WOODS joked she was "pied" by former Paris Saint-Germain star Jay-Jay Okocha during the Champions League final coverage.
Presenter Woods, 37, was joined by the former Bolton star after PSG smashed Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich live on TNT Sports.
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Okocha initially came over to take a picture with Woods' co-stars, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Owen Hargreaves.
And Woods - who has returned to presenting duties after having a baby with former Love Island star Adam Collard - invited the Premier League cult hero to chat with the panellists, who he used to play against.
He revealed he was "amazed" by the scoreline and happy for his former club, who won their first ever Champions League trophy in style.
After two minutes of talking, Okocha shook the three ex-footballers hands, before missing Woods out.
The former talkSPORT host even stretched her arm out for handshake after thanking the 51-year-old for his impromptu interview.
But Okocha seemingly missed it, instead passing Woods' hand while saying goodbye to Ferdinand, before turning to the rest of the lads.
But the ever-professional host saw the funny side of Okocha's mishap and said, while laughing: "Why do I always get pied.
"And it's not even meant. Anyway brilliant."
Since then, Woods replied to TNT's post on X with: " Why always me 🤣."
The new mum also released pre-show footage where she dropped an F-bomb at Ferdinand for ruining her practice intro.
PSG fans tear gassed in violent clashes with cops as 400 arrested and two dead after Champions League win
Woods later issued a heartfelt farewell to Ferdinand on his final TNT Sports appearance.
The Manchester United legend is stepping away from the broadcaster after 10 years as a pundit.
Meanwhile, Kate Abdo was substituted off during CBS Sports' coverage of the Champions League final.
The popular presenter, 43, was replaced by colleague Anita Nneka Jones during the build-up to the match.
Two goals by Desire Doue in addition to strikes by Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Senny Mayulu sealed a dominant win for PSG,
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The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Katie Price shows off results of ‘painful botched' BBL surgery in barely-there polka dot bikini on boozy Ibiza holiday
KATIE Price has given her fans yet another glimpse of her botched BBL surgery. Stripping off to a teeny tiny polka dot bikini in Ibiza, the former glamour model, 47, looked sensational as she frolicked in the ocean. 8 8 8 8 Katie, who recently opened up about her botched BBL before recently having some filler added to adjust the look of it, gave fans a closer look at her bikini body this week. On June 18, the stunning star was spotted soaking up the sun. Looking relaxed, Katie looked sensational as she strolled along the water's edge. She could be seen wearing a red polka dot bikini, which looked as though it was held together by flimsy string. Katie wore her raven-coloured hair tied up into a high ponytail. She wore some brown sunglasses covering her eyes, and had a straw bag with her. Her nails were painted bright yellow and she rocked two designer necklaces around her neck. Katie's signature curves were on full display as she sunned herself and topped up her tan. Her famous breasts were in full view as they almost busted out of her tiny bra top. And her freshly injected bottom was also on display thanks to the skimpy thong-style bikini bottoms she donned. Katie Price fans concerned as star looks unsteady on her feet in Ibiza This comes as she continues to enjoy her very boozy vacation in Spain. She recently popped up in a snap shared on EastEnders star Dean Gaffney 's Instagram page. In the snap, which was shared last weekend, Katie could be seen partying with the former soap actor as she stood between Dean and pal Jamie O'Hara. She was then snapped alongside Wayne Linekar in a photo, with the pair looking friendly while she donned a bikini. Katie Price's Surgery: A Timeline 1998 - Katie underwent her first breast augmentation taking her from a natural B cup to a C cup. She also had her first liposuction 1999 - Katie had two more boob jobs in the same year, one taking her from a C cup to a D cup, and then up to an F cup 2006 - Katie went under the knife to take her breasts up to a G cup 2007 - Katie had a rhinoplasty and veneers on her teeth 2008 - Katie stunned fans by reducing her breasts from an F cup to a C cup 2011 - Going back to an F cup, Katie also underwent body-contouring treatment and cheek and lip fillers 2014/5 - Following a nasty infection, Katie had her breast implants removed 2016 - Opting for bigger breasts yet again, Katie had another set of implants, along with implants, Botox and lip fillers 2017 - After a disastrous 'threading' facelift, Katie also had her veneers replaced. She also had her eighth boob job taking her to a GG cup 2018 - Katie went under the knife yet again for a facelift 2019 - After jetting to Turkey, Katie had a face, eye and eyelid lift, Brazilian bum lift and a tummy tuck 2020 - Katie has her 12th boob job in Belgium to correct botched surgery and a new set of veneers 2021 - In a complete body overhaul, she opts for eye and lip lifts, liposuction under her chin, fat injected into her bum and full body liposuction 2022 - Katie undergoes another brow and eye lift-and undergoes 'biggest ever' boob job in Belgium, her 16th in total 2023 - Opting for a second rhinoplasty, Katie also gets a lip lift at the same time as well as new lip filler throughout the year 2024 - Katie has her 17th boob job in Brussels after revealing she wanted to downsize. She performed at Dublin Pride just days later and surgeons warned the lack of recovery posed a risk of infection This comes after Katie admitted that her botched Brazilian butt lift left her in agony. The Page 3 icon even swore off having surgery in the UK for good. Speaking on Katherine Ryan: Telling Everybody Everything recently, Katie was asked whether there was a procedure she regretted. "The bum," she replied, adding, "I tried that BBL abroad where they take your own fat and put it in your bum. "It was so painful. And it just did not look right on me." When asked where she had it done, Katie revealed it was in Turkey – and despite the bad experience, she's still a big fan of going overseas for ops. She said: "I would never have surgery in England again. Ever, ever. I'd always have it abroad." Recently, Katie took to Instagram to share a video where she revealed that she was back at a clinic and about to have another procedure. She told fans she was having another cosmetic procedure, which was some fresh filler added to her bottom after the botched BBL. Katie said: "So the bum is done! Here's a little sneaky, beaky, boopky," as she showed off the results of the injections. 8 8 8 8


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Romantasy: Why it's happily ever after for romance books
Inside London's first romance-only bookshop, Sarah Maxwell stands in the "smut hut" – a section dedicated to her store's more erotic by shelves stacked with brightly coloured paperbacks – with titles including Just For the Summer, Swept Away and The Friendship Fling – young women are milling around, chatting and flicking through says she wants to challenge the critics of romance fiction - often men - who diminish what she describes as "really high-quality writing" by saying "it's just smut"."A lot of these books have really strong world-building, amazing character development and really a good plot," Sarah says.A surge in romance and fantasy sales last year pushed UK fiction revenue above £1bn for the first time, according to a report released last its popularity grows, some readers and industry experts say attitudes towards romance are changing for the better, but others believe sexism keeps the genre from the mainstream. Romance fiction spans a dizzying range of sub-genres and moods, all centred around heady love stories with a guaranteed happily ever after – or HEA to fans – lending the books a comforting, cosy – a blend of romance and fantasy – has become a reliable fixture on best-seller lists, largely due to the cult-like following it has gained among TikTok's reading community, series like Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses see female protagonists enter high-stakes relationships set against magical, fantastic readers pick what to read based on tropes such as "enemies to lovers" and "second-chance romance", with books marketed under these banners.A book's "spice level" – or how much sex can be found between the covers – is also a major factor, often focused on female pleasure, power and emotional connection. 'Some people turn their nose up' "I'm into cowboys at the moment," says Sky, 23 from London – a reference to "cowboy romances", a growing sub-genre whose books take place in a western setting - often the American and another fan, Chantelle, 24 describe themselves as "very proud romance readers". They trace their love of the genre to reading fanfiction under their desks at school, and now get their recommendations through BookTok. But Sky and Chantelle admit not everyone reacts positively when they talk about their favourite books."Some people do turn their nose up, roll their eyes sometimes," says Chantelle, "but I just don't really care".Caroline, 29, admits she "sneered a bit" at romance in her early twenties."I used to read romances when I was a teenager," she recalls, "but I got away from it and started reading stuff I thought was really smart."Then last year, Caroline picked up Emily Henry's bestseller Book Lovers - an "enemies to lovers" story about a literary agent and a book editor, set in a picturesque small town. "I realised I hadn't consumed something guilt-free in my reading for a really long time," Caroline says, "and it was just really fun".She's since devoured the entire series of A Court of Thorns and Roses, a stalwart of bestseller lists and many readers' first taste of romantasy."It's nice to feel all the feelings with something that's just going to really entertain you," Caroline 31, has long read both romance and fantasy for much-needed escapism: "Sometimes I think we all need a little bit of a happily ever after in life."She says "chick-lit" stigma is still strong, but thinks attitudes are starting to change as people speak openly about their love of the genre online."We're talking about it in a different way," Victoria says. "Guilty pleasures? Do I need to feel guilty for loving something?" 'These are the Swifties' Both romance and fantasy saw record sales last year, according to data gathered from more than 7,000 UK & Sagas, as they are officially categorised, increased from £62m in 2023 to £69m in 2024, while Science Fiction & Fantasy saw an even bigger bump - from £59m to £ categories have seen these numbers skyrocket since the pandemic, growing year-on-year - back in 2019, romance's sales sat at £24m, and fantasy at £ under 35 years old make up more than half of romantasy purchases, figures agent Rebeka Finch, 28, says the "voracious" appetite among this demographic, largely driven by BookTok, reflects broader consumer likens romance readers to Swifties - Taylor Swift fans - known for owning multiple copies of the same album and wanting to feel a tangible connection to their favourite artist."They are the people that are so obsessive about books that they will buy a Kindle edition, they will have a hard back edition, they will have a paperback edition."They will have so many different volumes of the same book because they love it so much." Bookshop owner Sarah Maxwell says the demographic gave her the confidence to open Saucy Books in the middle of a high street downturn that has seen many independent bookshops suffer."People have this perception that's it's not good business," Sarah says, but the community is "strong" and the authors prolific, providing plenty of stock."Millennial women have the most disposable income," she adds. "Romance is serious business."Despite this commercial growth, Rebeka says broader attitudes remain derisive - particularly when it comes to "spicy" titles."'That's fairy porn' - the amount of times that I have heard that!" Rebeka exclaims."Part of me wants to be like, 'So what?' This industry has been made for the male gaze for so long."It's such a small percentage of the book and actually… it's largely portraying fairly healthy sexual relationships." 'It boils down to money' Within the publishing industry, attitudes are changing but mainly for commercial reasons, according to Katie Fraser, who writes for publishing magazine, The has been a "maligned genre" within the industry that "some people just didn't want to be associated with," she says. But as romance readers become an "economic force," publishers have had to take it more seriously and invest."Publishing is an industry, so that's what it ultimately boils down to," Katie says. Author Bea Fitzgerald, 28, says she benefitted from this commercial shift, selling her young adult fantasy rom-com Girl Goddess Queen at the peak of the romance boom."That sort of space opening up is what allowed me to move into the market," she previously worked in publishing, and recalls seeing "a lot of books that could have been published as romance [instead] published in other literary genres because they think that it will not appeal to a certain type of audience".The genre is nothing new, she quips, having long been "championed" by publishers such as Mills & Boon. The difference now is that young people "like things really unapologetically"."They won't just read a romance, they'll go shout about it online, and then they'll go to a romance convention, and they'll talk to their friends about it."While the community has grown, Bea thinks critical appraisal of the genre is still lacking."Do we see broadsheets reviewing romance books? No. And they are just as important, literary books."Bea believes this is both because "the good majority" of the readers are women, and simply because the stories are happy."It goes in line with this sort of academic elitism that for something to be serious, it has to be a Shakespearean tragedy," she says. "Whereas if it's happy, it's not serious, it hasn't got literary merit. It obviously does - of course it does." Photos by Emma lynch

Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Greece cracks down on violent sports fans entangled in crime
When police officer George Lyngeridis was fatally injured by a flare during clashes outside a volleyball match in Athens in 2023, authorities vowed to end the violence and criminality that has plagued Greek sports for decades. Two years on, the country undertakes its biggest ever crackdown on sports-related violence. Emma Jehle reports.