Latest news with #XFactorUK
7NEWS
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
X Factor legend Tony Adkins, known as Big Tony, dead at 64
An X Factor UK legend has passed away with the death of Simon Cowell's bodyguard Tony Adkins, also known as Big Tony, who worked closely on the show for eight years with the famed judge. X Factor viewers will remember Adkins being forced to remove contestants from the audition room, often when their performances didn't go to plan on the hit reality show. Adkins also played a giant in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two in 2011. Adkins' family made the announcement on social media, saying he passed away on Easter Sunday during a rugby tour. He was just 64, at the time of his death. 'It is with great sadness my family would like to announce that my Cousin Big Tony, Simon Cowell's ex bodyguard, passed away on Easter Sunday while on a Rugby Tour,' Tony's family wrote. 'He was a loveable Rogue and will be missed very much, RIP Big T.' Hammersmith and Fulham RFC also shared a tribute to its website. 'It is with immense sadness that the club pays tribute to a true gent and great Hammer, Tony Adkins, who passed away whilst on tour with the Club in Poland on Easter Sunday,' the club wrote. 'Tony was at heart a touring Hammer, and he liked nothing more than taking the Hammers brand of Rugby beyond the boundaries of London. 'He represented the club all over Britain and Europe, his first tour being Brixham, before going on to earn touring badges in places as far afield as Barcelona, Prague and Amsterdam.' Following his time on the show, Adkins spoke to The Mirror about Cowell. 'Simon was so laid-back and a very nice guy,' he said. 'He was generous, too. Whenever the show finished — and at Christmas — you'd get an envelope as a thank you. The last one I got had £700 (A$1,451) stuffed in it. 'He's a very private person. He doesn't give much away. You never see him drunk or out of control.'
New York Post
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How much did Simon Cowell get offered to judge a couple having sex?
Forget judging 'America's Got Talent.' Simon Cowell once got offered $150K to judge a random couple having sex — but the outspoken TV personality turned it down. Cowell, 65, reminisced about the bizarre ordeal on Wednesday's episode of the 'How to Fail' podcast while addressing other odd offers he's been presented with over the years. Advertisement 'People used to ask me to be rude to them,' the competition judge said, admitting he'd shut those requests down — but his refusals didn't stop there. 9 Simon Cowell revealed the bizarre offer he was presented with from a random couple. YouTube/@HowToFailPodcast 9 The 'America's Got Talent' judge claimed the husband and wife promised to pay him $150K if he judged them having sex. YouTube/@HowToFailPodcast Advertisement 'Then, one time, I was in a restaurant and this guy comes up to me and he said, 'I love your show. Would you take a picture?' [I say], 'Sure,'' Cowell explained, revealing the stranger then introduced his wife and asked the 'American Idol' alum if he'd 'judge [them] having sex.' He thought the couple was joking, but he quickly found out they were serious. 'I'm, like, 'Are you winding me up?' They went, 'No, we'll pay you,'' the star recalled. 9 Simon Cowell said he mulled over the proposal. GC Images Advertisement 9 The TV judge shared he ultimately turned the couple down. AP 9 That's not the only odd request he's received from fans. Getty Images Cowell confessed that he marinated on the idea, especially when the couple told him how much they were willing to pay. '[I said], 'Well, how much?' It was actually a lot of money. I thought, 'Do I? No, I just can't do it,'' he said of the moral dilemma before revealing they offered him a whopping $150K to watch them get down in the bedroom. Advertisement 'It was just so bizarre,' he shared of their proposal. 9 He also spoke about his despise for small talk, revealing his fiancée is the queen of that subject. FOX via Getty Images 9 Simon Cowell shares one son, Eric, 11, with Lauren Silverman. Getty Images Cowell explained that despite his mean TV persona, he actually enjoys random conversation with strangers — but only sometimes. 'That's something I really have enjoyed, though, weirdly. I am very shy, like, I can't go to a pre-party. It's my worst thing in the world, making small talk with someone I don't know. If we have a common subject, I'm pretty good, but years ago, if I had to go to a party … and had to talk to people, it [was] torture,' he stated on the podcast. His fiancée, Lauren Silverman, however, is the professional of small talk, according to Cowell. 9 The 'X Factor UK' judge made headlines late last year when he reunited with One Direction at Liam Payne's funeral. Getty Images 'Now, Lauren [Silverman, my fiancée] is brilliant in these positions. I'm hopeless. Joan Collins had a birthday party and I said to Lauren, 'I'll go, but we have to time it 'cause there will be a horrible stand-up, pre-drinks [that] I can't do,' he continued. Advertisement Cowell popped the question to Silverman in December 2021 after eight years of dating. The couple shares one child, son Eric, who turned 11 in February on Valentine's Day. 9 Cowell said he was 'devastated,' 'heartbroken,' and 'empty' after Payne's death. Getty Images Cowell made headlines months ago when he broke his silence on Liam Payne's death after the One Direction alum's fatal fall off his hotel balcony in October. Advertisement 'The X Factor UK' judge reunited with the boy group he created — including members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik — at Payne's funeral. Following Payne's shocking death, Cowell released an emotional statement. 'You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,' he wrote on Instagram. 'Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.'
News.com.au
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Sam Burgess' wife Lucy reveals they are expecting their second child in cryptic social media post
The wife of rugby league legend Sam Burgess has revealed they are expecting their second child in a post to social media on Tuesday (AEDT). Burgess, 35, has three children: Poppy and Billy with his ex-wife Phoebe, and Robbie with his current wife, Lucy, but will soon become a father of four later this year. The 33-year-old WAG shared a carousel of her and Sam from a recent weekend getaway on the Italian island of Capri on Instagram on Tuesday, with the lead photo a casual picture of her showing off a baby bump. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. The couple were spending some time alone on the picturesque island after what has been a busy last couple of years for the couple. In one photo, Lucy is pictured in a figure-hugging lace dress as she cradled her baby bump with the backdrop of the pristine Gulf of Naples. After leaving the Rabbitohs coaching staff in 2023 Burgess moved his young family to the UK after accepting a job with Warrington in the English Super League just weeks after he and Lucy welcomed their first child Robbie in September. The following year the couple tied the knot at Villa Aurelia, a 17th-century Baroque property set on the highest point within the walls of Rome, Italy. And they have once again left fans speechless dropping the bombshell that they are expecting their second child together. 'The bump is bumping gorgeous Lucy Loo,' one friend commented on the Instagram post. Another commented: 'Ahhh congratulations gorgeous'. While UK influencer Frankie Falkingham wrote: 'You're glowing! Congratulations!!!!!' Lucy, a hair dresser turned influencer, co-founded the sustainable fashion label Sentenced, which launched in September 2019. She also used to be a member of British girl group The Ultra Girls, who most notably appeared on the X Factor UK in 2009. Sam proposed to Lucy in June 2023, just nine months after they went public with their relationship. The footy legend hard launched his now-wife after taking her to the premiere of Russell Crowe's film Poker Face in Rome. They are now married and expecting their second child later this year.
