Olly Murs made the admission while talking to Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch on The Therapy Crouch podcast, confessing that he’d been reflecting on his childhood after falling out with his twin brother
View 3 Images
Olly Murs (right) with his twin brother Ben Murs. (Image: No credit)
Olly Murs has made a rare admission about his estranged twin brother, confessing that it was “quite special growing up”. The ‘Troublemaker’ singer made the confession on The Therapy Crouch podcast with Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch in August. He discussed his brother, Ben, with whom he reportedly fell out after missing his wedding to compete in The X Factor in 2009.
The pop star, who welcomed a son named Albert in September (his second child with wife Amelia), chatted about his new arrival. The conversation led to the topic of “Irish twins”, a term for siblings born less than 12 months apart.
This prompted Olly to reveal that he’s a twin himself, but he emphasised that he and his brother haven’t “spoken for a long time”.
He said: “Well, I’m a twin, I’m a twin. Yeah, no one ever…I mean, yeah, me and my brother. Yeah, we haven’t spoken for a long time, but yeah, we were twins growing up, yeah.”
Realising his mistake, Olly humorously clarified their relationship: “I say, ‘We were twins’; we’re still twins, but no, we…”, before Abbey asked if they were identical.
He responded: “No, different eggs, yeah. Amazing, yeah. So, very special; twins are amazing. Like, when I look back at it, it was quite special growing up.”
Olly rarely discusses the falling out with his brother, which reportedly saw Ben branding him a “self-obsessed sell out” after Olly missed his wedding, where he was set to be best man.
Speaking to the Sunday People in 2009, Ben said: “Our family was torn apart because of X Factor. It was clear that people like Simon Cowell were more important to him than me.”
Meanwhile, Olly addressed his absence from the wedding on The Voice, emotionally telling fellow coach Will.i.am (of Black Eyed Peas fame): “I was on X Factor and I couldn’t make his wedding because I was on the show.”
In other news, Olly recently admitted that the “honeymoon period’s definitely gone” in his marriage, “but in a fun way”. The 41-year-old, who tied the knot with Amelia Tank in 2022, noted a change in tone with his new album.
Article continues below
He shared: “I wrote an album three years ago, and it was the Marry Me album. It was when we had no children, so it was like a honeymoon period. So it was like: ‘Oh, I love you. You’re amazing. You’re incredible’.
“This album, I was able to be a little bit more cheekier with it. So when people hear it, the honeymoon period’s definitely gone, but in a fun way. We’re talking about other things in the music, but still celebrating my love for her.”
As Adam Peaty returns from his lads weekend in Budapest, the Mirror takes a look at the Olympic swimmer’s stag do from hell which descended into threats and chaos
View 4 Images
Adam Peaty’s Budapest stag do quickly descendeed into chaos(Image: Instagram/ @adam_peaty)
Jetting off on his stag do to Budapest, Adam Peaty no doubt hoped for a carefree boys’ weekend – but things quickly descended into chaos.
The Olympic swimmer is due to marry celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s daughter Holly, 25, next month in a grand Christmas Day ceremony at Bath Abbey. However, the elegant nuptials have been overshadowed by an ongoing row, which has seen mum Caroline banned from the wedding altogether.
And things have taken yet another turn on the stag do, which descended into threats as the groom-to-be was met by an officer at the airport after a brotherly feud got out of hand. But what really went on during Adam’s stag do from hell?
READ MORE: Adam Peaty’s mum’s direct message to son amid family feud – ‘You can come home’READ MORE: Adam Peaty’s mum admits ‘I didn’t want to live’ in sad admission amid family feud
Brother’s arrest
During the celebrations in the Hungarian city, Adam was reportedly became alarmed after allegedly receiving “increasingly abusive and threatening” text messages, which became so concerning that Holly alerted the police. Adam’s older brother, James, 34, was later arrested at his home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire and has since been bailed.
Shaken Adam, 30, was met by police officers as he landed at Manchester Airport, over fears he could be assaulted. A pal told The Sun: “The issues that have been reported don’t stem from hen do or wedding invitations; it goes so much deeper. Things escalated over the weekend when someone became increasingly abusive and threatening over text. Adam was trying to enjoy his stag do and was getting freaked out by it all.
“He then received a threat that he’d be met off the plane. He told Holly, who called the cops after consulting with her family.”
Meanwhile, a source told the publication that Adam believes their mother, Caroline, has been enabling Jamie’s alleged behaviour. A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police stated: “We arrested a 34-year-old man, from the Uttoxeter area, on November 11, 2025, on suspicion of harassment. The man was released on conditional bail while our enquiries continue.”
Adam and Jamie previously fell out in 2021 following the release of the athlete’s autobiography, in which he discussed his siblings’ “demons”, including previous drug usage. James was reportedly “upset” about these candid passages, which he felt portrayed him as a “bum”
They quickly moved past this, however, and it’s said that Jamie was chosen to be a groomsman at the upcoming wedding. Unfortunately, in June of this year, their bond became strained once again while James was working on a building project for Adam.
Now their relationship is said to be at an all-time low, and it’s understood that Adam’s sister Bethany will be the only family member from his side who will be making it to the wedding.
Dad’s snub
A source has told the Mail Online that Adam’s dad, Mark, wasn’t in attendance at his son’s stag party after it emerged mum Carolne had been
Mark has now also spoken out about the row between his sons,, saying things have gotten out of hand. Mark told The Sun: “They’re brothers, they’ve always been close, but like any normal family, brothers fight, argue, fall out, make up and start all over again. But it’s got out of hand, there’s been very little empathy towards Jamie’s genuine mental health difficulties.”
Gordon Ramsay taking centre stage
Although Adam’s father Mark, was absent from the stag do, future father-in-law Gordon Ramsay was very much a part of the boys’ weekend, and it’s understood the TV chef won’t “take any nonsense” from the Peaty family, the Mail Online reports, with an insider revealing he will be engaging his “top PR machine” to ensure that nothing will “ruin his beloved daughter’s wedding”.
It’s understood that Gordon being present on the stag may very well have rubbed salt in the wound for Adam’s mum, Caroline, who wasn’t invited to Holly’s glamorous hen do at Soho Farmhouse.
Detailing her sister’s hurt in a social media message directed at Holly, Adam’s aunt Louise Williams wrote: “@hollyramsayy I’m so glad that you had a great hen do. As a bride, you deserve that. However, as a person you were divisive and hurtful towards a woman, who I have loved and continue to love deeply.
Article continues below
“A woman who opened her home and heart to you. You decided, for whatever reason, not to invite her, your prospective mother-in-law, to your hen night, yet Adam invited his father-in-law, your dad, to his stag night. You invited your mum (quite rightly) and even your mum’s assistant, your sisters, your friends, my niece, but not my sister, your future mother-in-law.”
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com.For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.
READ MORE: ‘I tried the £65 beauty advent calendar worth £583 and it felt like a five-star spa’
Who would ever have thought Northern Ireland would be so thankful for the Nations League?
Infamously, it took them four years to register a first victory in the competition, their 2-1 win over Kosovo at Windsor Park in September 2022 coming at their 15th attempt.
Yet now, thanks to their table-topping showing in the most recent iteration in 2024, Michael O’Neill’s side are two games from a first World Cup appearance for the country in 40 years.
That their spot in March’s play-offs was determined by their own performances over a year ago, and then by Croatia’s 3-1 win over the Faroe Islands almost 500 miles away in Rijeka on Friday evening, left an odd feeling at the end of the 1-0 loss to Slovakia in Kosice.
9 hours ago
11 hours ago
When the clock struck 90 minutes in Slovakia, the visitors were on course for a point that would have left them in pole position for second spot and qualifying from Group A’s own spot in the play-offs without the need to rely on their Nations League success.
Had they held on, or had referee Istvan Kovacs ruled out Tomas Bobcek’s stoppage-time winner for a push on Daniel Ballard, it would not have changed the reality that this was their worst performance of what has been an otherwise encouraging campaign.
Such an outcome always felt a distinct possibility given their notable absentees for the game.
In Kosice, Shea Charles was a massive loss but nobody who has watched Northern Ireland during O’Neill’s second tenure would have expected anything less.
Brad Lyons and George Saville performed determinedly in the middle of the park throughout but arguably, outside of Conor Bradley, there is no player more important to the cause than classy Southampton midfielder Charles.
Not to say that Northern Ireland have not tested the theory through the campaign.
They have been without Bradley and Ethan Galbraith for a game apiece because of suspensions while, when all is said and done, Sunderland centre-back Daniel Ballard will have played in only three of the six fixtures.
Throw in Ali McCann’s absence for this window, and the fact that first-choice goalkeeper Pierce Charles has missed the entire campaign, and you get a sense of how O’Neill’s depth has been tested.
It is surely no coincidence that their strongest performance – the 2-0 home win over Slovakia last month – was produced by their strongest team on paper.
“The one thing we’ve learnt during this campaign is that you can lose a player at a moment’s notice,” said O’Neill.
Getty Images
Regardless of the personnel and any gripes over refereeing decisions, O’Neill will be disappointed by the nature of the goals his side have conceded.
Three of the five goals shipped across their defeats through the campaign have been from set-pieces, including both in the past two, a pair of 1-0 losses.
On Friday, even after the contentious moment with Ballard, goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell could not deal with the ball into the box, leaving Slovakia substitute Bobcek needing only to tap into an empty net to secure a crucial three points for his country.
It was not the first time Northern Ireland had struggled with crosses from set-plays during the game with Slovakia, seeing two goals chalked off for infringements in the box following wide deliveries.
“It is an absolute shocker of a goal to concede,” said former Northern Ireland midfielder Jim Magilton on BBC Radio Ulster.
‘The away form has been poor’
If there remains a box to be ticked for this young team, it is a competitive result away from home against a notionally better side.
Since O’Neill’s return, there has been a friendly win over Scotland at Hampden Park, but in terms of qualifying victories away from Windsor Park, it is just the 2-0 triumph over San Marino in March 2023 and September’s 3-1 result in Luxembourg.
“Slovakia away from home is always difficult, given their record,” Magilton added.
“The away form has been poor and it stands out. You do not lose that game. Even when you are not playing well, you do not lose the game.”
Knowing their play-off will now be away from home against a top-seeded team, a group that is likely to include the likes of Italy, Poland and Turkey come Thursday’s draw, O’Neill believes his side can draw on their experiences of travels across recent years, even the negative ones.
“Every time you step onto the pitch as an international player, you learn and that’s valuable,” he said.
“The more international football we can get into these boys, the better they’ll become.
“We’re probably well ahead of where we thought we’d be at this point of time.”
Republic of Ireland winger Chiedozie Ogbene accepts Sunday’s final World Cup qualifying game against Hungary in Budapest (14:00 GMT) is “all or nothing”.
Ogbene played a starring role in his side’s 2-0 win over Portugal in Dublin on Thursday which kept their qualification hopes alive.
Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side sit third in Group F, one point behind Hungary and three behind the Portuguese who conclude their fixtures at home to Armenia at the same time on Sunday.
Anything less than victory would end the Republic of Ireland’s dreams of qualification, and Ogbene insists they must park their victory over Portugal and focus on another huge test.
“This result hasn’t defined us yet,” the 28-year-old told BBC Sport NI.
“We have to go to Hungary with a level head and we must win. It’s all or nothing, really. We can’t go there and try to get a draw as it won’t do us any good, so we need to win this game.
“We know it’s going to be difficult and they will know we have to win, so will be doing everything in their power to frustrate us. We just have to take this momentum and this feel-good factor and take it into Sunday.”
While Troy Parrott’s double fired the Republic of Ireland to victory on Thursday, a major talking point was the red card shown to Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half for throwing an elbow into Dara O’Shea.
Ogbene felt the 40-year-old’s reaction was a result of getting no change out of the home defence.
“Frustration can kick in and happen to the best of us,” he added.
This time last season, Tottenham sat in the middle of the Women’s Super League table with two wins from their opening eight matches.
They had conceded 21 goals and suffered five defeats, with only four points separating them from the relegation zone.
And that represented one of Spurs’ better periods as they went on to win just one more match all season and finished second from bottom with 20 points, 10 more than relegated Crystal Palace.
This season they are fifth after eight games, level on points with north London rivals Arsenal, and two behind Manchester United in third.
Their five wins from eight games mean they have already matched last season’s number of wins and emerged as serious but surprise contenders for a Champions League place.
But captain Bethany England says conversations about a future in Europe are not happening within the club yet.
“Depending if we’re close to the top then we’ll most likely be thinking about it but then that would be another question about how we manage the pressures of that,” she told the BBC’s Women’s Football Weekly podcast.
“It’s a position the club has not been in before and having people remain calm in those pressure moments. Right now, it’s not a conversation, but it’s not to say we don’t think we can get there.”
Ho’s arrival gamechanger for ‘too comfortable’ Spurs
Reuters
That ambition and belief felt a long way off last season.
Under previous manager Robert Vilahamn, Spurs reached the 2023-24 FA Cup final – where they lost to Manchester United – but progress thereafter ground to a halt and ultimately led to the Swede leaving the club at the end of last season.
“I think we had to be honest with where we were at and I think we were struggling to get that cohesion on the pitch as well as off the pitch,” said England.
The arrival of former Manchester United and Everton assistant manager Martin Ho has provided the players with a much-needed boost.
The Englishman has not made wholesale changes – keeping hold of the bulk of last year’s squad – but England says the mentality around the club has improved significantly.
“Martin coming in has changed a lot. Our intensity has got higher, the demands have got more and testing us more as players as well as people,” she said.
“Having that leadership is what we needed in the sense that we were probably getting a bit too comfortable and not being where we wanted to be.
Defeating Arsenal ‘not impossible’
Tottenham may be feeling more confident this season under Ho, but their WSL record against Arsenal offers little cause for optimism.
Of the 11 north London derbies, Spurs have won only once.
Yet that lone victory – a 1-0 win in December 2023 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – is enough to serve as a source of belief.
“We’ve got a big opportunity in a north London derby to do what we’ve done previously. I know we’ve only beaten them once before, but it’s not impossible,” England said.
Ho says that his players do not need him to “tell them how big that game is”.
“They know that. It’s my first one, ” he added. “I know how important it is to the fans, to the club and we want to make sure we go into that with the right attitude and the right mentality but it’s a really big opportunity for us to showcase what we can do.”
However, Sunday’s match will not be Ho’s first taste of the rivalry, having seen Tottenham beat the Gunners 4-3 in pre-season, in his second game in charge.
Asked about that pre-season game by BBC London, Ho replied: “I wish they counted for something but they don’t. We can take some confidence and belief from that, that we belong at that level and we can compete at that level.”
A rare derby victory for Spurs could prove damaging to Arsenal’s title aspirations as it would leave them at least six points behind leaders Manchester City, who could extend their advantage with a win against Manchester United on Saturday.
And Arsenal will be keen to bounce back after letting a two-goal lead slip in their 3-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday.
“That was really disappointing and we’ve acknowledged that as a collective,” Gunners boss Renee Slegers said.
There’s nothing like getting stuck into some Christmas crafts, and Stacey Solomon has found the perfect under-£7 way to make personalised Christmas crackers for the family
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
View 3 Images
Stacey Solomon is the queen of DIY crafts(Image: Instagram @staceysolomon)
This time of year we love nothing more than a cosy afternoon inside, avoiding the rain and spending time with family. It’s also the perfect time to try out a new craft – especially one that helps you get ahead of your Christmas to-do list.
The undeniable queen of DIY Stacey Solomon has shared her latest rainy day activity, which involves putting together some personalised Christmas crackers for her whole family. The TV star shared on Instagram that they’d become part of her yearly festive traditions, and they’re easy to do yourself at home for under £7.
READ MORE: Showstopper beauty box packed with £448 of luxury beauty for £90 is back but not for long
READ MORE: ‘Perfect in every way’ pre-lit 6ft Christmas tree with colour changing lights is now £30 off
In her Instagram stories, Stacey shared that every year she takes a DIY cracker kit – this year she used the £6.50 Make and Fill Your Own Christmas Party Cracker Kit from Amazon– and uses them as the base for her one of a kind crackers. The set includes everything you need, including the crackers, snaps and ribbon ties to assemble them.
You also get the obligatory joke and paper party hat to include inside your crackers. However, the kit doesn’t come with an item to ‘win’ inside, which is where Stacey takes the opportunity to personalise them. Rather than the usual plastic toys or countless nail clippers you usually get, she fills them with things she knows her family or guests will love.
In her how-to video, Stacey included things like Charlotte Tilbury lip glosses inside the set she was making “for her girls” and wrote the names of each recipient on the outside of the crackers. This makes them perfect for doubling as place settings around the table, or placing as decorations on your Christmas tree as extra presents to open on Christmas morning.
Although Stacey opted for the Amazon Make and Fill Your Own Christmas Party Cracker Kit which has 12 different designs, you can also pick up other versions elsewhere. Dunelm has a Set of 6 Make Your Own Gingerbread Man Christmas Crackers for just £4, which feature cute illustrations of gingerbread men.
You could also head over to & Keep, where the DIY Cracker Kraft Boards are £3.25 for a pack of six, although they come without any of the extras like hats, jokes or snaps inside. They do however have a more minimalist design, which lets you leave them as they are or decorate them yourself for an extra bit of fun crafting.
Article continues below
However, the Make and Fill Your Own Christmas Party Cracker Kit from Amazon that Stacey used are perfect for making sure you have everything you need for a fun, simple and straightforward Christmas craft that the whole family can get stuck into. Now all you need to do is decide what to put inside them!
