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Archive May 16, 2025

Catherine Marks reveals secret cancer battle after ‘debilitating’ pain

Catherine Marks, who has worked with artists like The Killers and Alanis Morissette, shared a candid health update on social media recently and was met with support

Catherine Marks shared an update on her health with fans this week(Image: cjmarks/instagram)

An award-winning music producer made an announcement about her health earlier this week. She opened up about her diagnosis alongside a photo of herself in a hospital bed after seeking treatment for “debilitating pain”.

Catherine Marks, who has worked with acts including The Killers, has shared that doctors identified “early-stage” cancer after enduring pain for three years. As reported by the Express, Catherine, who said a fibroid the size of her uterus was discovered prior, reflected on her initial symptoms, saying her back pain was mistaken for a herniated disc and a consequence of ageing.

The Australian-born producer, who lives in the UK, took to Instagram on Wednesday to open up about her health to her followers. Catherine received a flood of support after sharing that she had a full abdominal hysterectomy.

She started by saying: “This isn’t an easy one to share, but after speaking with so many other women, and the doctors along this journey, I’ve realised how important it is to talk openly; especially about the things we’re often taught to endure in silence. Since late 2022, I’d been living with persistent, often debilitating pain.

“It was first dismissed as a herniated disc and ‘just age,’ but deep down, I knew something wasn’t right. After months of pushing for answers, an ultrasound finally revealed a fibroid the size of my uterus. What followed were 18 exhausting months: intense pain, excessive blood loss, tests, operations, transfusions and just enough energy to get through work…barely anything else.”

Catherine Marks, in a grey dressing gown and blue trousers, lying on a bed smiling.
Music producer Catherine Marks has been met with support after sharing an update on her health this week(Image: cjmarks/instagram)
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Catherine revealed: “Eventually, last December, doctors found early-stage cancer and as a result, I recently underwent a full abdominal hysterectomy. Recovery will be slow but steady, and I’m deeply grateful to the brilliant oncology and gynae team at Queen Charlotte and all the incredible NHS nurses and doctors who have taken care of me.”

Highlighting what she’d learnt, she shared: “This journey has taught me something vital: trust your instincts. As women, we often downplay our pain or dismiss our needs. But listening to your body and advocating for yourself can be life-saving.”

Reflecting on her experience, she confessed: “There has been space in this healing to reflect; on the toll it’s taken, and the quiet grief of what might have been. I have given a lot to my career, believing there would always be time… Life has had other plans… but no regrets. Still, I feel enormous gratitude; for catching it early, for the support I’ve received, and for the kindness and understanding of everyone I’ve been working with throughout this process.”

Signing off, Catherine stated: “Now, I’m taking the time I need to heal, rebuild, and prepare for what comes next. with clarity, strength, and renewed purpose. I look forward to returning with energy, creativity, and a deeper understanding of what matters most. What comes next feels precious.”

The outpouring of support was immediate, with Clara Amfo commenting: “Salute for trusting yourself above everything, sending so much love x.” Girls Aloud member Nadine Coyle also showed her support, posting: “Sending so much love to you!!!”.

Catherine’s career began under the guidance of Grammy-winning producer Flood. Since then, she’s won various awards, including Music Producers Guild Awards for Breakthrough Producer of the Year in 2016 and for Producer of the Year in 2018, as well as Producer of the Year at the A&R Awards in 2023.

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She’s worked on songs like Wolf Alice’s Moaning Lisa Smile, as well as albums for Boygenius and Foals. Additionally, she’s also said to have collaborated with the likes of the Big Moon and Alanis Morissette in her career to date.

The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.

Presidential System Of Govt Can’t Work In Nigeria – Tonye Cole

The 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has stated that Nigeria must reconsider its current presidential system of government, insisting that the system is not suitable for the country.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Cole stated that most people in Africa are uncomfortable with the political systems practiced in their respective countries.

“This American system that we call Presidential system in Nigeria, we need to go and readdress it,” Cole said. “We cannot import the parliamentary system of the UK and it will work here, we cannot import a presidential system, it will not work here.

“Every African in their country, are they satisfied with the political system they have and the democracy they have, they will tell you no. Why? Because it is contrary to who we are, absolutely contrary.”

He noted that every successful country has developed a system of government tailored to its unique context, citing Arab nations and China as examples of countries that rejected Western political models.

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Cole emphasized that Nigeria’s system of government should be rooted in its own culture, noting that the country had an indigenous political structure before colonization and should consider returning to it.

“Let us build an African, Nigerian focused political system and we have had it. We had a political system before the Europeans came, we had a political system even when the slave trade was going on. So, what are we running away from? We know what to do,” he said.

The politician explained that part of the reasons the presidential system cannot work in Nigeria is because it can be exploited by a few people, adding that it has not built institutions that can hold people to account.

Liverpool face Spanish fight for Wharton – Saturday’s gossip

Liverpool are competing with Spanish giants for Adam Wharton, but could lose Harvey Elliott to Wolves, while Real Madrid forward Rodrygo’s agents have held talks with a trio of Premier League clubs…

Liverpool are set to rival Real Madrid and Barcelona for £60m-rated Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton, 21. (Daily Mail – subscription required)

A move for Chelsea’s French striker Christopher Nkunku, 27, could also be part of Liverpool’s summer plans. (Footmercato – in French)

Wolves are stepping up their efforts to sign Liverpool’s English midfielder Harvey Elliott, 22. (GiveMesport)

Premier League trio Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal have already held talks with the agents of Real Madrid’s 24-year-old Brazilian forward Rodrygo, who has fallen down the pecking order at the Bernabeu. (Fichajes – in Spanish)

Aston Villa are hoping to turn Axel Disasi’s loan move from Chelsea permanent in the summer, with the club already starting negotiations with the 27-year-old French defender. (Footmercato – in French)

Chelsea, meanwhile, have a shortlist of potential centre-back signings, including 22-year-old Englishman Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton, and England international Marc Guehi, 24, at Crystal Palace. (Sky Sports)

Aston Villa could bring Barcelona’s 25-year-old Spanish striker Ferran Torres back to the Premier League for a fee in the region of £42m during the summer transfer window. (Birmingham Mail)

Southampton are interested in Sturm Graz right-back Max Johnston, 21, with the Scotland international reportedly available for £3m. (Sky Sports)

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Five key takeaways from US President Donald Trump’s Middle East trip

Washington, DC – Three days, three countries, hundreds of billions of dollars in investments and a geopolitical shift in the United States’s approach to the region: Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East has been eventful.

This week, the United States president visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in the first planned trip of his second presidency, after attending Pope Francis’s funeral last month.

Trump was visibly gleeful throughout the trip as he secured investments, criticised domestic political rivals and heaped praise on Gulf leaders. The word “historic” was used more than a few times by US officials to describe the visits.

With Trump returning to the White House, here are five key takeaways from his trip:

A rebuke of interventionism

Addressing an investment summit in Riyadh, Trump promoted a realist approach to the Middle East — one in which the US does not intervene in the affairs of other countries.

He took a swipe at neoconservatives who oversaw the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as he lauded Gulf leaders for developing the region.

“This great transformation has not come from Western intervention or flying people in beautiful planes, giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs,” he said.

“The gleaming marbles of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons or liberal nonprofits like those who spent trillions and trillions of dollars failing to develop Kabul, Baghdad, so many other cities.”

Trump built his political brand with his “America First” slogan, calling for the US to focus on its own issues instead of helping — or bombing — foreign countries.

But his words at the investment summit marked a stern rebuke of the neo-cons who dominated Trump’s Republican Party a decade ago.

“In the end, the so-called nation-builders wrecked far more nations than they built, and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves,” Trump said.

Israel sidelined, but no Gaza solution

It is rare for US presidents to travel to the Middle East and not visit Israel, but Trump omitted the US ally from his itinerary as he toured the region.

Skipping Israel was seen as a reflection of the deteriorating ties between the US administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This week’s trip also came in the context of several moves perceived as evidence of the US marginalising Israel. The US has continued to hold talks with Israel’s rival Iran, announced a ceasefire with the Houthis in Yemen, and conducted unilateral negotiations to release Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a US citizen, from Hamas captivity.

Moreover, while touring the Gulf, Trump did not use his remarks to prioritise the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which had been a top goal during his first term.

It remains unclear how Trump’s decisions will affect the “special relationship” between the two allies, but experts say it is becoming increasingly apparent that the US no longer views the Middle East solely through the lens of Israel.

“Is it a tactical problem for Netanyahu and the entire pro-Israel lobby? I think it is,” Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University, said of Trump’s shift.

“It does throw a wrench in the machinery because it is a president who is showing openly daylight with Israeli decision-making, and not just in rhetoric, but acting on it — leaving Israel out of the process.”

With that chasm emerging, some Palestinian rights advocates had hoped that the US president’s trip to the region would see Washington pursue a deal to end Israel’s war on Gaza.

But as Trump marvelled at the luxurious buildings in the Gulf, Israel intensified its bombardment to destroy what’s left of the Palestinian territory.

No ceasefire was announced, despite reports of continuing talks in Doha. And Israel appears to be pushing forward with its plan to expand its assault on Gaza as it continues to block aid for the nearly two million people in the enclave, leading to fears of famine.

United Nations experts and rights groups have described the situation as a genocide.

But despite preaching “peace and prosperity” for both Israelis and Palestinians, Trump made no strong push to end the war during this week’s trip.

On Thursday, Trump suggested that he has not given up on the idea of depopulating Gaza and turning it over to the US — a proposal that legal experts say amounts to ethnic cleansing.

“I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good. Make it a freedom zone,” he said. “Let the United States get involved, and make it just a freedom zone.”

Lifting Syria sanctions

In a move that surprised many observers, Trump announced from Riyadh that he will offer sanction relief to Syria, as the country emerges from a decade-plus civil war.

Trump also met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and described him as a “young, attractive guy”.

A wholesale lifting of sanctions was not expected, in part because of Israel’s hostility to the new authorities in Syria. Israeli officials often describe al-Sharaa, who led al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria before severing ties with the group, as a “terrorist”.

But Trump said he made the decision to lift the economic penalties against Syria at the request of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” the US president said.

The White House said on Wednesday that Trump had a list of requests for al-Sharaa, including establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and deporting “Palestinian terrorists”.

Removing US sanctions, which had been imposed on the government of former President Bashar al-Assad, is likely to be a boost for the new Syrian authorities, who are grappling with an ailing economy after years of conflict.

“Lifting sanctions on Syria represents a fundamental turning point,” Ibrahim Nafi Qushji, an economist, told Al Jazeera.

“The Syrian economy will transition from interacting with developing economies to integrating with more developed ones, potentially significantly reshaping trade and investment relations.”

A carrot and a stick for Iran

In Saudi Arabia, Trump declared that he wants a deal with Iran — and he wants it done quickly.

“We really want them to be a successful country,” the US president said of Iran.

“We want them to be a wonderful, safe, great country, but they cannot have a nuclear weapon. This is an offer that will not last forever. The time is right now for them to choose.”

Trump warned Iran that, if it rejects his “olive branch”, he would impose a “massive maximum pressure” against Tehran and choke off its oil exports.

Notably, Trump did not threaten explicit military action against Iran, a departure from his previous rhetoric. In late March, for instance, he told NBC News, “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”

Iran says it is not seeking nuclear weapons and would welcome a stringent monitoring programme of its nuclear facilities.

But Israel and some hawks want the Iranian nuclear programme completely dismantled, not just scaled back.

US and Iranian officials have held multiple rounds of talks this year, but Tehran says it has not received an official offer from Washington. And Trump officials have not explicitly indicated what the endgame of the talks is.

US envoy Steve Witkoff said last month that Iran “must stop and eliminate” uranium enrichment, but days earlier, he had suggested that enrichment should be brought down to civilian energy levels.

Several Gulf countries, including the three that Trump visited this week, have welcomed the nuclear negotiations, as relations between Iran and its Arab neighbours have grown more stable in recent years.

Investments, investments and more investments

Before entering politics, Trump was a real estate mogul who played up his celebrity persona as a mega-rich dealmaker. He appears to have brought that business mindset to the White House.

While in the wealthy Gulf region, Trump was in his element. He announced deals that would see Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE buy US arms and invest in American firms. According to the White House, Trump secured a total of $2 trillion in investments from the Middle East during the trip.

And his administration is framing the deals as a major political and economic victory for Trump.

“While it took President Biden nearly four years to secure $1 trillion in investments, President Trump achieved this in his first month, with additional investment commitments continuing to roll in,” the White House said.

“President Trump is accelerating investment in America and securing fair trade deals around the world, paving the way for a new Golden Age of lasting prosperity for generations to come.”

Forest crush Cardiff to go fourth in Super League

Getty Images

Nottingham Forest moved into the Netball Super League top four and boosted their play-off hopes with an emphatic 77-53 victory over bottom side Cardiff Dragons.

Forest racked up the points at House of Sport in the Welsh capital, including 20 in the final quarter to boost their goal difference.

Victory takes Chelsea Pitman’s side up to fourth in the table, ahead of the weekend’s other Super League fixtures on Sunday.

Forest goal shooter Rolene Streutker enjoyed a fruitful night as she extended her lead at the top of the super shot scoreboard. The South African has now recorded 110 in this campaign.

And the result provides a boost as Pitman’s team prepare to face London Mavericks – who they moved above in the table – next weekend in a potentially pivotal match for deciding play-off places.

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Chrissy Teigen says ‘I’ve let people down’ as she shares alcohol relapse struggle

Former model Chrissy Teigen has revealed she has relapsed after being sober for four years, admitting ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’ in a candid social media post

Chrissy Teigen had been sober for four years(Image: Billboard via Getty Images)

Chrissy Teigen has bravely opened up on her relapse after being sober for four years, telling fans she is sorry to “let a lot of you down”. The model, who is married to singer John Legend, gave up alcohol in December 2020, but admitted she has let the “f***ing beast” back into her life.

She admitted her initial decision to quit booze came after a doctor pal gifted her a sobriety book for her birthday. She gave it up in the immediate aftermath of a cyberbullying scandal in which she was accused of having told the then-teenage Courtney Stodden over private message to die by suicide.

However, despite being four years sober, the Lip Sync Battle star has candidly revealed “I don’t know what I’m doing” as she opened up on the feelings she is having.

Chrissy took to Instagram to share the honest message, while also promoting her latest podcast with Holly Whittaker, the author of the book that she reveals helped change her life. Taking to her profile, Chrissy wrote: “Oh man. I’ve been dreading today’s podcast release since the moment we shot it. And that has nothing to do with my incredible guest – @holly.

Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend
Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend(Image: Billboard via Getty Images)

“Holly Whitaker changed my life, changed my perspective and changed how I view the f***ing beast that is alcohol. But to have to admit to all of you: I let it back into my life. to let a lot of you down, oh I feel it deeply.”

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She continued: “I was so proud every time one of you told me on the street that Holly and I made you want to rethink drinking, reframe drinking. I still am. The truth is, I don’t know what I’m doing. I one hundred per cent know I like myself better sober.

“I one hundred percent know I get more done, I absolutely feel better in my body without it. And I am one hundred per cent p***ed that I can’t be normal and have a cocktail with my husband on vacay without it turning into 8 and feeling like s***.”

The mum-of-four admitted she no longer wants to feel she needs to drink and confessed she hates that the thought of maybe having a drink “can consume me some days”. However, she admits her road to recovery is a process and believes she has already changed for the better.

“I am deeply aware of where this can go if I let it,” she wrote. “I guess my plan right now is to continue to be mindful with it. I can go to a concert sober and have the greatest time ever. I can avoid absinthe at the Ren Faire and be so abbbbsolutely full of joy”

“Photos of my kid’s birthday parties are no longer me with bleary, sleepy drinking eyes. And I am proud of that. But I still know my relationship with alcohol just isn’t normal and never will be.”

She finished by thanking her fans for letting her discuss her sobriety journey so publicly before she told the sober community, “I am still so, so proud of you.”

Back in 2021, Chrissy praised Holly Whitaker’s book titled Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol for helping her quit. And in 2017, she explained her battle with the booze in an interview with Cosmopolitan.

She told the publication: “I was, point blank, just drinking too much. I got used to being in hair and makeup and having a glass of wine. Then that glass of wine would carry over into me having one before the awards show. And then a bunch at the awards show.

“And then I felt bad for making kind of an a** of myself to people that I really respected.”

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If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or addiction, advice and support can be found at alcoholchange.org.uk

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