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Strictly Come Dancing 'in early talks' to sign up Sir Mo Farah for 2025 series

Strictly Come Dancing 'in early talks' to sign up Sir Mo Farah for 2025 series

Wales Online5 days ago

Strictly Come Dancing 'in early talks' to sign up Sir Mo Farah for 2025 series
Strictly Come Dancing is reportedly in talks with an Olympic legend to appear on the next series of the show to help move on from the series of scandals
Sir Mo Farah is said to be in discussions to join the cast of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing
(Image:)
Sir Mo Farah is said to be in discussions to join the cast of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing aiming to revitalise the show after a spate of controversies.
The dance contest has been marred by a number of scandals, including Amanda Abbington's allegations of bullying against her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice in 2023.

Amanda levelled several accusations regarding bullying behaviour, leading Giovanni to step back from the limelight following the uproar.

Nevertheless, he triumphed in the Italian version of Strictly and has since returned to the UK to embark on various dance endeavours.
Concurrently, Graziano Di Prima found himself dropped from the programme. Over the summer, there were reports that the Italian dancer had physically assaulted Zara, aged 27, which he vehemently refutes.
Bosses "would love" to sign up Mo but the talks are at a "very early stage"
(Image: Ben Gurr -)
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He conceded that his "intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime."
In another recent development, Wynne Evans was removed from the Strictly live tour due to his conduct, reports the Mirror.
Wynne recently appeared on This Morning to discuss the string of scandals he faced while participating in the BBC series, confessing that the relentless negative media coverage had a profound impact on his mental well-being.

"It took me into the darkest spot of my life. When the headlines keep coming and coming and coming, when something gets picked up and it just doesn't stop," he shared.
"I was at my lowest ebb, I wanted to end my life. I would have if I hadn't been surrounded by people.
Wynne Evans was removed from the Strictly live tour due to his conduct

"At one point, one the newspapers was so relentless, I remember saying to my girlfriend, 'I have to kill myself. I have to because this is what they want,'" he recounted, visibly emotional.
"You're full of these thoughts the entire time and it takes over your life," he shared with the presenters.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that Strictly Come Dancing producers are keen to sign Sir Mo Farah for the show as he's considered a "genuine national treasure".
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An insider told The Sun: "His personality would provide the perfect tonic to the toxicity that's overshadowed Strictly. Bosses would love to sign him up but the talks are at a very early stage."
The BBC has been approached for a comment.
Strictly Come Dancing is due to return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year

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Smells like Jane Austen
Smells like Jane Austen

New Statesman​

timean hour ago

  • New Statesman​

Smells like Jane Austen

Jane Austen was a woman who liked to shop. 'I am getting very extravagant & spending all my Money,' she wrote to her sister Cassandra during an 1811 London sejour. 'What is worse for you,' she added, 'I have been spending yours too.' Muslin, trimmings, and silk were her chosen indulgences, but there were limits to her taste for luxury. Opulence, in her fiction, signals artifice. Sir Walter Elliot's reckless spending in Persuasion or Augusta Elton's glittering pearls in Emma mark vanity and pretension. Jane adorns the £10 note, not the £20, and certainly not the £50. What, then, would she have made of a new fragrance 'inspired' by her novels now on the market at £295 a bottle? It was in the dark, ornate and inevitably fragrant breakfast room of a swanky Kensington hotel on Tuesday that French-Italian parfumier D'Ootto launched its new 'Romantic Collection' of extrait de parfums inspired by 19th-century novels. The tender intrigue of Pride and Prejudice is evoked by cashmere and white musk, while Emma Woodhouse's 'elegance and intelligence' are summoned with nutmeg, violet leaf and Sicilian mandarin. Unobjectionable choices, to my untrained nose anyway, though I can imagine some dissent from the claim that Austen's artistry 'finds its most poetic expression' in the medium of eau de toilette. The event was more Instagram brunch than Georgian tea party. Soft electronic music played as lifestyle journalists milled around in exchange for a free poached egg. Bare surfaces were piled with antique hardbacks, pink flowers and perfume boxes wrapped in branded silk scarves. Two company founders, wafting about in pristine outfits, told us they had been inspired by Austen's 'strength' and 'bravery'… when they studied her in school. But this latest collection only cashes in on a known truth: reading is a status symbol now. The brand Minor Canon ignited an online firestorm by selling baseball caps bearing the names of women writers like 'Sheila Heti', 'Rachel Cusk' and 'Joyce Carol Oates'. Dua Lipa has a book club. Italian fashion darling Miu Miu hosted a literary club during Milan Design Week, with panellists discussing topics like 'The Power of Girlhood'. Zadie Smith, meanwhile, can be found posing in a leather suit jacket in Bottega Veneta's latest ad campaign, and Dior's upcoming autumn winter collection takes inspiration – always 'inspiration' – from Virginia Woolf's Orlando. The cool girls read now, and by a marketer's logic, that means that you can use books to sell things to girls who want to be cool. As far as cultural power goes, though, Jane is not like other girls. Joan Didion might be the avatar du jour of impending Substackers, but she doesn't have a bobble-head Funko Pop doll made in her honour. Charlotte and Emily Brontë (alas, poor Anne) also got fragrances from D'Otto, but Greta Gerwig's Barbie did not show 'depression Barbie' bingeing the 1995 BBC adaptation of their novels. And what is smash hit Bridgerton, if not Jane Austen fan fiction? Many female writers are products. Austen alone is an industry. Her books have sold over 200 million copies; Colin Firth's Mr Darcy shirt sold for £25,000 at auction. And this year, with the 250th anniversary of her birth scheduled for December, Austen-mania is running especially wild. This week the 'Brick Fanatics' forum was set alight by rumours, then confirmation, of an Austen LEGO set. Yesterday, Ruth Jones and Richard E Grant were named for the cast of The Other Bennet Sister. 2025 also sees French romcom Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, a BBC drama Miss Austen, and a West End play, Austentatious. Now more than ever, we are witnessing the Jane Austen-ification of everything. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe With which, sadly, there also comes an everything-ification of Jane Austen. She is certainly many things to many people. Her characters have joined Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes in the line-up of 'Britain as theme park for Americans'. Interpretations of her as a feminist icon can be equally shallow; the D'Otto founders lauded her, basically, as a girlboss. Descriptions of an ''activist' whose 'rule breaking' helped a 'silent revolution' would have been ripe stuff for Austen's satirical pen. Austen did not write to inspire a revolution, silent or scented. Gimmicks that simplify her miss the whole point: she wrote to cast light on complication. Her sweetest, swooniest scenes exist in works that challenge your ideas of love. Her English twee sits beside fierce and precise observations about class dynamics. Her so-called Strong Female Characters flounder, at times shrewd but at times oblivious, hurting people and getting things wrong. I first encountered Austen, like many, in the classroom, and my adolescent annotations – 'sucks to be Charlotte' – have followed me through every rereading. I opened those pages wanting to pass a test, but I closed them with a better sense of how to move through the world. Whatever you seek in Austen – romance, family, escapism – she'll always give you more than you asked for. That's why it's hard to be too upset by her ubiquity. Gimmicks bring readers, and anyone who reads her will feel her. And however much we try to cheapen her, she will always enrich us. The Romantic Collection is only available at Harrods, but the six novels can be found in any bookshop. If a new perfume is of dubious value, they are not. So when we see the next Austen innovation – whether it be a LizzieGPT girlfriend simulator or a Bonnet Girl Summer – we should feel as Anne Elliot feels on reading Captain Wentworth's letter in Persuasion: 'half agony, half hope'. [See also: How 4chan became the home of the elite reader] Related

Sir Chris Hoy to be honoured at tonight's Pride of Scotland awards
Sir Chris Hoy to be honoured at tonight's Pride of Scotland awards

Daily Record

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Record

Sir Chris Hoy to be honoured at tonight's Pride of Scotland awards

Sports legend is one of 12 inspirational winners at our 2025 People's Oscars The countdown to the Daily Record Pride of Scotland Awards is over - and today we reveal the unsung heroes to be honoured at tonight's red carpet spectacular. Our glittering People's Oscars will see awe-inspiring Scots recognised for their acts of courage and kindness as well as a special award for Sir Chris Hoy. ‌ The six-time Olympic gold medallist, whose courage and dignity in the face of terminal cancer have inspired the nation, will be honoured with the first ever Scotland's Champion award. ‌ The sporting hero, who was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2023 which has now spread to his bones, cannot be at tonight's ceremony but is delighted with the recognition and has dedicated his award to everyone who is battling cancer right now. Speaking from his home in Cheshire Chris, 49, said: 'Thank you so much for this beautiful trophy as it really does mean a lot to me. It's been a tough couple of years but we are getting through. 'Knowing that we have this type of support from people across Scotland really lifts us up so I would like to dedicate this award to anybody who is going through a similar challenge right now. 'If you would like to support us go to the Tour de 4 website and find out the details of a mass participation cycle ride starting and finishing in Glasgow on the September 7 from which we aim to raise more than £1m for cancer charities across the country. 'It's also my aim to change perceptions of what a stage four cancer diagnosis might look like.' ‌ The inspirational dad-of-two, who after his diagnosis, said: 'You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process. You remind yourself, aren't I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible." Tonight guests at the Glasgow Hilton will hear a tribute to Edinburgh-born Chris, who started riding BMXs at the age of six, from the queen of daytime TV Lorraine Kelly. ‌ Lorraine, who is one of the 11-time cycling world champion's biggest fans, said: 'Sir Chris Hoy is one of our greatest ever sporting heroes, a leading light from British cycling's golden age and a giant of a man both in and out of the saddle. 'From an early age it was clear he had not just talent but the drive and determination to make it to the very top. 'When he retired from competition he was our greatest ever Olympian winning six gold medals across three Olympic Games but as we know a greater challenge than sporting glory lay ahead.' ‌ The ITV morning show host added: 'Despite his devastating diagnosis Sir Chris was determined to make a difference and him speaking out has already had a huge impact with charities reporting a surge of enquiries for tests. It's called the Chris Hoy effect and it's saved lives. 'He is also planning a charity bike ride not just to raise money but to send a positive message about living with cancer. I'm so proud to say that he is truly Scotland's Champion.' ‌ As well as the cycling legend the Daily Record Pride of Scotland Awards with P&O Cruises will be honouring 11 unsung heroes. This year's Teenager of Courage is Georgie Hyslop, 16, who has channelled her energy into helping others and raised an incredible £51,000 despite her cancer diagnosis. Theo Hardie, seven, will pick up the Young Fundraiser award after running 100 miles to raise funds to buy his little brother Jude, three, a wheelchair. ‌ Plumber Stewart Miller, who risked his life during a killer storm to save a woman from drowning in the River Tay will receive an Outstanding Bravery award as will shop workers Bob Bell, Cheryl Gourlay, Aisha David and Osman David who tackled an armed robber during a raid on their store. Our Emergency Services award will go to Coastguard winch paramedic Norman Macleod, who braved storms to drop solo onto a ship where two sailors had suffered horrifying injuries. There will be Special Recognition awards for the Speirs Family, who run inspirational charity Calum's Cabin, 'Vape Crusader' Laura Young and shopkeepers Asiyah and Jawad Javed who have done so much for their local community. ‌ We will also be celebrating two King's Trust Young Achievers - Ashleigh Lancaster, 28, who started a business delivering mental health training to frontline workers and Shane Lee, 26, who has autism and has landed his dream job with M&S. There is a new category this year - the P&O Cruises Inspiration Award - which will go to the Ups and Downs Theatre group for children and young people with Down's syndrome and their siblings. Big names coming to celebrate at the show hosted by Elaine C Smith and Sanjeev Kohl include Succession legend Brian Cox, who is getting ready to take the stage at the Dundee Rep in new play Make It Happen, and BGT legend Susan Boyle. ‌ Other stars attending include Sheli McCoy aka Sabre, Star Wars actor Denis Lawson, singers Nathan Evans, Calum Bowie and Cammy Barnes and Strictly's JJ Chalmers and Dr Punam Krishan. Love Island's Paige Turley and Saint Phnx's Stevie Jukes will be going live from the red carpet and presenter Laura Anderson will be manning the Pride of Scotland bar. ‌ First Minister John Swinney will also be there to celebrate the best of Scotland and there will be a performance from Britain's Got Talent finalist Vinnie McKee. It is gearing up to be the most spectacular night of the year. - Catch all the red carpet drama in tomorrow's Daily Record

Fern Britton on time with Phillip Schofield on This Morning
Fern Britton on time with Phillip Schofield on This Morning

The Herald Scotland

time3 hours ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Fern Britton on time with Phillip Schofield on This Morning

Schofield resigned from ITV in 2023 after admitting to an 'unwise but not illegal' affair with a much younger male colleague on This Morning. In an interview with Saga Magazine, Britton, spoke about Schofield stepping down from show. The 67-year-old said: 'It brought up a lot of mixed emotions. Fern and Phillip presented This Morning together in the noughties. (Image: ITV) 'The years we worked together were mostly great fun and we were a very good partnership, which I can remember with fondness. 'I knew how much he loved his job and cared deeply for his public perception. It must have been a terribly difficult time for him and his family.' Britton also spoke about learning not to let others take advantage of her easy-going nature. 'I think I understand myself a bit better now and can look back and see that I foolishly handed power to partners, bosses and colleagues, because I'm very easy-going and I never used to see around the corner and think, 'Oh hang on, they're actually manipulating me',' she said. Fern Britton books While Britton may be best known for her years on daytime television, she has also built a career as a novelist. She has lived in Cornwall since splitting from TV chef Phil Vickery in 2020 after two decades of marriage. In her latest book, A Cornish Legacy, she draws on her life to explore themes of divorce, inheritance and the emotional weight of old houses. Recommended reading: Talking about whether she would be open to finding new love, she told the magazine: 'I'm not averse to it but they'd have to be bloody spectacular. They have to make me laugh, they must be kind, and they must be honest.' Britton said she is now a regular at church, and talked about it giving her the 'nicest feeling'. She said: 'It's so important to feel useful. I've started regularly going to church, and honestly just helping make the coffees and the sandwiches in the church hall gives me the nicest feeling I've had for a long time.'

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