Archive July 2, 2025

American singer Monica Martin was left stuck in the UK after experiencing issues with her sight recently, with her supported by actor Jameela Jamil and musician James Blake

Singer-songwriter Monica Martin has described her experience with sight loss as “disorienting and scary”. She opened up about her health just days ago and revealed at the time that she was stuck the UK as a result of the situation.

Monica, who is based in the US, shared that she had ended up in hospital after an “ocular migraine slowly turned into” her left eye “going blind”. She’s said to have been supported by actor Jameela Jamil, 39, and musician James Blake, 36, in A&E whilst in London ahead of a concert last month.

She said on Instagram last week that it had “been one of the scariest times”. Monica announced in the same post that she wouldn’t be able to open for the band Lake Street Dive at the Troubadour back in Los Angeles on June 25.

Monica, who has collaborated on music with the likes of Ben Barnes in recent years, shared a series of photos in the post, including of her sporting an eye patch. One showed her beside couple Jameela and James in a waiting room.

She wrote in her post last Wednesday: “UPDATE: NOT OPENING FOR LAKE STREET DIVE TONIGHT! What I thought was just an intense and painful ocular migraine slowly turned into my left eye going blind, I was advised to not fly home. So alas, I can’t open for the best people/ friends/musicians tonight for a sold out benefit at troubadour which blows a**.

” It’s now been 15 days both colorblind and a black hazy cellophane type feel on the left side and ANYWAY it’s been very disorienting and scary. Most of my little health woes are from me being clumsy as hell and snapping something: an ankle in softball, an ankle from dumb shoes, an ankle from giving a piggyback ride to a much larger person as a display of strength. My ankles are toast btw. This is why I don’t like writing captions omg long ting brev, thank you for letting me be myself. “

Monica continued in her post:” Been one of the scariest times but my best friends are taking care of me and also are hilarious and also after MUCH ADO have met an angel ophthalmologist, Dr. Shaman Dolly, god forbid you ever need to find him, London, I must let you know his name. “

The singer, who performed with James at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on June 20, added:” London show, you were all so sweet and caring to me when and I lost it and wept on stage smdh,]Jameela] came to the stage and literally turned herself into a weighted blanket and held me and told me it’s gonna be ok. No thanks to lexapro btw. “

She added: “I’m on the way to get an MRI in an uber and unsure why no one likes using their car fan in uk/eu. and I’ve gotten ct scans and bloodwork and yada yada literally 7 trips to hospitals now. Anyway. I’m incredibly lucky.

“My heart is heavy waiting on a prognosis, but my a** is heavier, and my resilience is alarming actually, and the lore disrespectfully deepens, and I’m getting the sense more people want to smash when I’m wearing my eyepatch- or, I’m pulling it off. Thank you, London”.

She then thanked pals Jameela and James for getting her “sweets and savouries”. Monica also expressed gratitude to Lake Street Dive for “being the best cuties”, adding that she was being replaced by the band Dawes. She said: “So I’m double p***ed bc I want to see this show real fuggin bad ok bye pulling up to get SCANNED”.

Jameela was among those who reacted to the post last week. Teasing over their experience, the Good Place star wrote in the comments section of her pal Monica’s post: “What a glamorous day in A and E. Snacks were 10/10 tho”.

Monica has yet to post an update on her health on her Instagram grid. Just four days ago though, she was seen sporting an eye patch whilst singing alongside Citizen Papes in a video shared on the platform by the latter artist.

American singer Monica Martin was left stuck in the UK after experiencing issues with her sight recently, with her supported by actor Jameela Jamil and musician James Blake

Singer-songwriter Monica Martin has described her experience with sight loss as “disorienting and scary”. She opened up about her health just days ago and revealed at the time that she was stuck the UK as a result of the situation.

Monica, who is based in the US, shared that she had ended up in hospital after an “ocular migraine slowly turned into” her left eye “going blind”. She’s said to have been supported by actor Jameela Jamil, 39, and musician James Blake, 36, in A&E whilst in London ahead of a concert last month.

She said on Instagram last week that it had “been one of the scariest times”. Monica announced in the same post that she wouldn’t be able to open for the band Lake Street Dive at the Troubadour back in Los Angeles on June 25.

Monica, who has collaborated on music with the likes of Ben Barnes in recent years, shared a series of photos in the post, including of her sporting an eye patch. One showed her beside couple Jameela and James in a waiting room.

She wrote in her post last Wednesday: “UPDATE: NOT OPENING FOR LAKE STREET DIVE TONIGHT! What I thought was just an intense and painful ocular migraine slowly turned into my left eye going blind, I was advised to not fly home. So alas, I can’t open for the best people/ friends/musicians tonight for a sold out benefit at troubadour which blows a**.

“It’s now been 15 days both colorblind and a black hazy cellophane type feel on the left side and ANYWAY it’s been very disorienting and scary. Most of my little health woes are from me being clumsy as hell and snapping something: an ankle in softball, an ankle from dumb shoes, an ankle from giving a piggyback ride to a much larger person as a display of strength. My ankles are toast btw. This is why I don’t like writing captions omg long ting brev; thank you for letting me be myself.”

Monica continued in her post: “Been one of the scariest times but my best friends are taking care of me and also are hilarious and also after MUCH ADO have met an angel ophthalmologist, Dr.Shaman Dolly, god forbid you ever need to find him, London, I must let you know his name.”

The singer, who performed with James at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on June 20, added: “London show; you were all so sweet and caring to me when and I lost it and wept on stage smdh, [Jameela] came to the stage and literally turned herself into a weighted blanket and held me and told me it’s gonna be ok. No thanks to lexapro btw.”

She added: “I’m on the way to get an MRI in an uber and unsure why no one likes using their car fan in uk/eu. and I’ve gotten ct scans and bloodwork and yada yada literally 7 trips to hospitals now. Anyway. I’m incredibly lucky.

“My heart is heavy waiting on a prognosis, but my a** is heavier, and my resilience is alarming actually, and the lore disrespectfully deepens, and I’m getting the sense more people want to smash when I’m wearing my eyepatch- or, I’m pulling it off. Thank you, London.”

She then thanked pals Jameela and James for getting her “sweets and savouries”. Monica also expressed gratitude to Lake Street Dive for “being the best cuties,” adding that she was being replaced by the band Dawes. She said: “So I’m double p***ed bc I want to see this show real fuggin bad ok bye pulling up to get SCANNED.”

Jameela was among those who reacted to the post last week. Teasing over their experience, the Good Place star wrote in the comments section of her pal Monica’s post: “What a glamorous day in A and E. Snacks were 10/10 tho.”

Monica has yet to post an update on her health on her Instagram grid. Just four days ago though, she was seen sporting an eye patch whilst singing alongside Citizen Papes in a video shared on the platform by the latter artist.

In this Wednesday’s Mirror Daily Digest, we’ve rounded up the day’s top stories you might have missed – from an opinion piece on the Wimbledon heat to Princess Kate’s first public appearance since she pulled out of Royal Ascot

Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we’ll be pulling together all the best stories of the day from our News, Royal, Sport teams and more. This Wednesday, we’re featuring everything from an opinion piece on Wimbledon’s sweltering temperatures through to the Princess of Wales’ appearance at a cancer wellbeing centre.

We’ve also got the results of the Mirror’s Brexit survey, which came on the ninth anniversary of the day the UK voted to leave the EU, and the ‘leaked’ Oasis setlist ahead of their first live show on Friday.

‘ I’ve covered Wimbledon for 10 years but never experienced anything like this ‘

It’s officially Wimbledon season, and the Mirror’s Matthew Young braved the soaring temperatures to see the action in SW19. It comes as crowds struggle to cope in the swelting conditions, with one person fainting on the famous grounds.

Matthew checked out just how uncomfortable it was to watch a match under the sun, as he wrote: “Walking from the shadows and up the steps into Court Two felt like entering a sauna, as I settled down to attempt to follow Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti and Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili battle it out under the scorching sun.

” Along with the smell of suncream, hundreds of hats, wafting fans and lines of umbrellas were the only repellants as crowds watched the pair somehow run around in the baking sunshine. “

“I have covered Wimbledon for the past 10 years and can barely recall it being this hot. Its hottest day in history was 35.7C on July 1 2015. The Met Office said at 2.10pm that Kew Gardens recorded a temperature of 34.2C degrees,” Matthew added.

Read the full story here.

Oasis reunion setlist ‘ leaked ‘ in full as band leave out one major hit

Liam and Noel Gallagher will finally reunite on stage at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday – and the highly-anticipated setlist has reportedly been ‘leaked’. The legendary brothers will take to the stage for the first time in over a decade, marking the start of their sell-out tour.

Oasis have already arrived in Cardiff to put together the finishing touches and fans close by say they have heard the setlist in full. Earlier in the week, those close to the stadium heard Cigarettes and Alcohol blasting out of the stadium.

They were also treated to hits Some Might Say and F****n’ In The Bushes. According to one fan on Reddit, Oasis are set to play a lengthy 24 song setlist.

The user revealed the rehearsal setlist, which can give fans a clue as to what may appear at the live shows. They claimed the setlist kicks off with an intro of F****n ‘ in the Bushes then Hello, Acquiesce, Morning Glory followed by Some Might Say.

Read the full story here.

‘ I gambled my student loan on video games – it didn’t turn out how I expected ‘

In other news, a 23-year-old university student has opened up about their harrowing journey with an online gambling addiction, which began with playing video games as a 12-year-old.

Niks Kolosnicins was thousands of pounds in debt, severely isolated and trapped in a vicious addictive cycle of online gambling. He said it started off with something many kids and teens engage in every day. “I got into gambling through playing video games.

“Basically you have things called loot boxes”, he continues, “which are quite integrated within the game. So I opened a few loot boxes, which is very normal for kids who play that game, everybody does it”.

He was then able to use those items that he bought in blind boxes to sell on an online market and gamble on unregulated websites that “don’t have any age verification”. He explains: “Even though it’s not real money, technically, it’s like an in game currency that you’re basically gambling, but it’s very easy to convert those items back into real money”.

Read the full story here.

Brexit a ‘ disaster ‘ that ‘ ruined the country ‘ – referendum ‘ should be repeated ‘

Mirror readers have slammed Brexit as a ‘complete disaster’ that ‘ruined most of the country’ in a poll marking nine years since the UK voted to leave the EU. The vote – which signalled the UK’s intention to leave the European Union – ultimately ended a 47-year relationship with the political and economic bloc.

We asked readers to give their opinions on Brexit, with over 25, 000 people voting in the poll. In response to the question ‘ do you think Brexit has failed? ‘, an overwhelming 71% (18, 565) voted yes, slamming the referendum as a ‘ disaster’, while just 29% (7, 520) voted no.

Similarly, in response to the question ‘ do you feel better off since Brexit? ‘, 78% (20, 072) said no, while just 22% (20, 072) said yes. We also asked ‘ should there be a second Brexit referendum? ‘ and ‘ would you like to rejoin the EU? ‘ – responses in both sections backed yes, with 66% (17, 129) and 68% (17, 572) respectively.

Read the full story here.

Kate admits ‘ everyone expects you to be better ‘ in brave cancer admission

The Princess of Wales has made her first public appearance since she pulled out of Royal Ascot, where she opened up about finishing cancer treatment. Kate met fellow patients at a cancer wellbeing centre at Colchester Hospital, helping to plant roses in a garden designed to help visitors find peace.

She talked about the expectation that when treatment has finished that patients “crack on, get back to normal”. Speaking to patients and volunteers inside the centre, she said: “There is a whole phase when you finish your treatment, everybody expects you to be better – go! But that’s not the case at all”.

She said: “You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like ‘ I can crack on, get back to normal ‘ but actually the phase afterwards is really difficult. You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to”.

Read the full story here.

READ MORE: Wimbledon’s best dressed celebrities including Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘picnic print’ midi dress

Fans of the BBC soap EastEnders were left doing a double take after spotting one particular Walford favourite making an unexpected TV appearance in another drama

EastEnders fans have been left stunned after iconic character Elaine Peacock was spotted appearing in rival ITV drama.

Fans were left doing a double take after spotting a Walford favourite in an unexpected TV appearance. Harriet Thorpe, 68 best known as feisty landlady Elaine Peacock, surprised viewers when she popped up in a repeat episode of Midsomer Murders.

The 2021 cameo didn’t go unnoticed, with one eagle-eyed fan writing on Reddit: “Elaine in Midsomer Murders,” alongside a snap of the actress rocking a floral kaftan and colourful necklace, in a similar flamboyant style as the Queen Vic’s landlady Elaine. Another joked: “It seems she has a consistent costume department.”

While Thorpe only joined EastEnders in 2023, she’s no stranger to screens, having starred in Absolutely Fabulous, Calendar Girls, The Brittas Empire and twice in Midsomer Murders. She first appeared in 2006 episode titled Dance with the Dead before returning for 2021’s The Stitcher Society.

And Harriet’s not the only EastEnders favourite have overlapped from Albert Square for another televised drama.

Lacey Turner, aka Stacey Slater, also made a chilling appearance in Bedlam, while Shaun Dooley – who popped up in EastEnders back in the day as Tom Stuart – has since been spotted in everything from Silent Witness to Broadchurch.

Even Jake Wood, best known as scheming Max Branning, has dabbled in dark dramas, once appearing in an episode of The Bill before his soap days took off. While the actor who plays Max’s brother Jack Branning, Scott Maslen, had a long stint in The Bill before heading over to Walford.

But, back in the square Elaine is centre of the programme after breaking off with her ex, George last week after she admitted to sleeping with another man after spotting George with his ex-wife Cindy Beale – which sent her into a downward spiral.

In the wake of her divorce, which is quickly turning bitter, Elaine collapsed twice on the show which later followed to her spending time in the hospital when she found out she had suffered a heart attack – which left her agreeing to sell the pub with Linda. Elaine’s passionate marriage to George only lasted a year.

Just last year, Elaine and George had made headlines when exclusive snaps of the couple’s nuptials were released. The lavish wedding scene saw a large chunk of the EastEnders cast descend on a church in Bushey, near the studios, to film what was dubbed the soap wedding of the year.

Elaine dazzled in a gold gown while George wore a sand-coloured suit to match his best man Johnny Carter. Anna and Gina Knight, played by Francesca Henry and Molly Rainford, were spotted in dark green bridesmaid dresses and their on-screen mum Cindy Beale, aka Michelle Collins, also turned up in full funeral black alongside Ian Beale legend Adam Woodyatt.

A source at the time said: “The BBC have clearly pushed the boat out for the wedding. These days it’s unheard of for even the big soap weddings to have large amounts of the cast filming on location but bosses have made it work.”