Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions head coach Sir Ian McGeechan says he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The former centre and fly-half won 32 Scotland caps, captaining them nine times, and toured with the Lions in 1974, winning the series in South Africa, and in 1977.
He coached Scotland to the Five Nations Grand Slam in 1990 and led the Lions to series victories as coach in 1989 and 1997.
The 78-year-old is currently consultant director of rugby at Championship club Doncaster Knights.
McGeechan told the Telegraph he had just completed a six-week course of radiotherapy.
“I don’t want to make a big thing of it, but it is important to get the message out about urging people to go and get tested,” he said.
“I said that to our players here, to make sure they get themselves tested.
McGeechan triumphed on his first tour as Lions head coach, overseeing the side’s 2-1 series victory in Australia in 1989.
He was at the helm for the 2-1 series defeat in New Zealand four years later, before masterminding an against-the-odds series win over world champions South Africa in 1997.
That tour was later immortalised in the ‘Living with Lions’ film which included footage of stirring pre-match speeches to his players.
Appointed Scotland coach in 1988, McGeechan led his side to their most Grand Slam two years later, courtesy of an iconic 13-7 victory over England.
As a coach at club level, he won the European Cup with Wasps in 2007 and the English Premiership in 2008.
Mirror’s shopping writer Grace has tried her fair share of milky toners, but Beauty of Joseon’s one has taken the top spot after she received compliments from strangers on her glowy skin
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Beauty of Joseon has become a internet-trending skincare brand(Image: Grace Salmon)
Milky toners have become a bit of a skincare trend this year, and I’m personally a huge fan of them. Having already tried out a few formulas, including BYOMA’s Hydrating Milky Toner, £11.99, and Curel’s Moisture Facial Milk, £20, I love the glow they give and how much they hydrate the skin, ready for make-up.
Even Hailey Bieber swears by a drop of her rhode Glazing Milk mixed into foundation for the ultimate lit-from-within look.
So when I discovered the internet’s trendiest K-Beauty skincare brand, Beauty of Joseon’s Glow Replenishing Rice Milk, I couldn’t wait to try it out.
This milky toner is packed full of skin-loving ingredients that hydrate, calm, and nourish in one go. It has a dual-layer formula, which involves a light, essence-like liquid combined with a powdery base that not only provides serious moisture but also helps keep oil and shine in check.
This is especially a lifesaver if, like me, you suffer from oily skin and need to keep it at bay during the summer months without drying your skin out.
READ MORE: ‘My all-time favourite mascara that darkens my light lashes is currently 40% off for one week only’
READ MORE: ‘We got a first look at Next’s new summer collection and these are set to be the pieces to sell out’
The Beauty of Joseon Rice Milk is the perfect make-up base(Image: Grace Salmon)
Beauty of Joseon Glow Replenishing Rice Milk review
As I previously mentioned, I’m already an avid user of milky toners, so it was unsurprising that I enjoyed using Beauty of Joseon’s one so much. However, what cemented this one in particular as my new go-to is how well it works for oily skin.
Other milky toners can sometimes lean on the side of shiny, rather than radiant, but that wasn’t the case with this rice milk.
Not to mention, I got literally stopped in the street and complimented on my “glass skin”, which hasn’t happened to me with the other milky toners I’ve used.
It definitely gives that luminous, “I drink three litres of water a day” glow, and because it’s infused with rice extract and rice amino acids, it actually feeds your skin with a whole load of vitamins and antioxidants.
Article continues below
My only criticism is that I would prefer the consistency were slightly thicker; it is far more watery than other milky toners I’ve used in the past, and that leads me to pouring out a bit too much product every time I use it.
“It was such a beautiful day,” recalls Bradford-born commentator John Helm, who was working for Yorkshire Television that day.
“The sun was shining and everybody in the city was happy.”
A home game at Valley Parade against Lincoln City was due to mark the end of a memorable season which had seen the hosts top the Third Division, their first title since winning the same league in 1929.
“Bradford City had already won promotion and were due to receive the trophy in front of their adoring fans,” Helm adds.
“Lincoln had nothing to play for, so you couldn’t possibly imagine anything wrong.”
For centre-half and club captain Peter Jackson, leading his hometown club to the title was a source of triumph.
“Particularly for me being a local lad and having lived and gone to school locally, it was a proud day,” says Jackson, now 64.
Getty Images
The game started uneventfully enough, but around the 40-minute mark, Helm spotted something unusual in the stand opposite his vantage point.
“My commentary position was almost like in a garden hut on the Midland Road side of the ground looking across to the main stand,” he says.
“I think it was Stuart McCall who had the ball in his hands ready to take a throw-in and I just noticed over his shoulder, about seven or eight rows back, a tiny glow of a fire.
“The most chilling fact for me was that four-and-a-half minutes later the entire stand was gone. Four-and-a-half minutes. That’s how savage that fire was.”
Stood in the Kop, to the side of the affected stand, was 24-year-old fan Linda Norton, with her husband Bob.
“I saw some smoke and my first thought was that it was a smoke bomb,” recalls Linda, who was four months pregnant with her son Lee at the time.
“Then you saw flames and people running out of the back of the stand and others going to the front to climb over the wall and get onto the pitch.
Linda Norton
Meanwhile, Helm was told live pictures of the scene were being picked up by national television as he relayed what was happening.
“(The message) was not to overdramatise,” he says.
“And why would you when you could see the horror that was unfolding before my very eyes?
“All the emergency services still use the footage from that day for training.
“At one point, which was awful in my mind, one or two people were throwing stones at me and shouting, ‘Switch your so-and-so camera off’.
Getty Images
Two hundred miles south and oblivious to the chaos was Valley Parade regular Steve Ding, then 22. He had gone to the Royal Albert Hall with the Boys’ Brigade, but his 59-year-old father Alan and his cousin’s husband, Ken, were at the match.
“It was only when we got back to our hotel at about 17:00 BST that we turned on the telly and saw it on Grandstand,” Steve says.
“I still remember the words, ‘We’re going back to Valley Parade now where there’s been horrific scenes,’ and my first thought, because hooliganism was so common at the time, was, ‘They’ve not been fighting today on a day of celebration have they?'”
After seeing footage of the blaze, Steve and Ken’s son, who was with him on the London trip, raced downstairs to call home from the hotel reception.
Getty Images
“It was just a massive sigh of relief,” Steve says.
“My mum picked up the phone and my dad had literally just got through the front door. He was fine, but he was coughing a lot because of the smoke.”
Back on the pitch, Linda recalls her and Bob feeling a sense of helplessness as the fire spread.
“We wanted to help but the flames were getting more intense and you could feel the heat as well. You just didn’t know what to do.
“We thought everybody had got out. I saw one middle-aged man lying on the pitch who was being seen to, who we thought might have had a heart attack and might be the one person hurt.
“But we got home and put the telly on and they said people had died. And then the numbers of those who’d died were just going up every few minutes. We couldn’t believe it.”
Club captain Jackson had managed to get his wife and daughter out of the stadium unscathed, but in a pre-mobile phone era he had suffered an agonising six-hour wait before discovering his father and two brothers had also escaped without injury.
“I drove past Bradford Royal Infirmary on my way home and I just saw hundreds and hundreds of people sat on the wall outside in Bradford City shirts,” he says.
“I stopped and went into the casualty department.
“There were people with 20% burns waiting to be seen and all they wanted to talk to me about was playing Leeds United and all these big clubs in the second division next season. It was humbling.”
After getting home that night, Jackson remembers doing TV interviews in his garden before “sitting down on the settee, still in my kit”.
Getty Images
The final death toll was later revealed to be 56. Fifty-four were Bradford supporters, while the other two were Lincoln fans Bill Stacey and Jim West. A stand at Lincoln’s Sincil Bank ground is named after them as a lasting tribute.
Helm recalls interviewing supporters later, including one man who was able to escape by clambering over the wall and onto the pitch, but who could only watch as his elderly father was fatally trapped, unable to make the climb himself.
“Those are the sort of chilling stories… it’s sending a shiver up my spine now to be honest just talking about it,” the commentator says, adding that he has never been able to look back at the footage of the day.
“It’s still extremely raw, even 40 years on.”
A common strand between Helm and Jackson’s stories is a workplace approach to trauma and grief that was very much of its time.
Helm asked for the following day – a Sunday – off work but was told he had to go to the Odsal Stadium, also in Bradford, to present speedway coverage as scheduled.
“I did it, but on the understanding that I’d then have a week off because I was traumatised without question,” he explains.
“I probably should have had a little bit of counselling, which I never did have.”
Jackson, meanwhile, says he and his fellow players “never got any help or support” as he began organising squad trips to attend funerals, charity events and to visit the injured in hospital.
Getty Images
Returning from London by train on the Sunday, Steve would discover his dad had been missed by a fireball by “a second” as he fled with Ken, having been stood in a corner of the ground with the stand to his left.
“He was pretty laid back my dad,” Steve says. “He was an engineer by trade. If he was traumatised or if he felt angst or anxiety at all, he wouldn’t have talked about it.”
Picked up from Bradford Interchange on Sunday evening, Alan drove Steve past Valley Parade on the way home.
“It was horrendous,” he says. “You could see how hot it would have been. The metal frames that were left were disjointed and out of shape.
“I’d been really torn between going to London and going to the match, but I just felt I couldn’t let the kids (in the Boys’ Brigade) down in the end.
Getty Images
An inquiry later found the fire was started accidentally, caused by a lit cigarette falling on rubbish gathered underneath the stand.
Decades later, amid scrutiny of that inquiry, theories that the blaze might have been started deliberately were voiced.
However, both Helm and Jackson are unequivocal that there was no foul play.
“It was an accident,” the former captain says, firmly.
“Underneath the stand it was a tinderbox waiting to happen. There were holes in the stand and people just used to shove rubbish through it.
“After that game the whole stand was going to be knocked down so the ground could accommodate Second Division crowds. That’s the sad thing, the diggers were there ready to take it down.”
Helm adds: “The rubbish underneath the stand was the reason.
“It was something that shouldn’t have happened. It will hopefully never happen again anywhere in the world.”
Getty Images
Linda says she seldom spoke about the fire until joining the BBC’s Bantam of the Opera choir earlier this year.
She has exchanged anecdotes about the day with other members, which include Steve.
“Talking about it has helped,” she says. “It’s so absolutely 100% important we remember those 56 people, not just on the anniversary, but every day.”
Jackson feels that while the tragedy is always respected at Bradford and Lincoln, where he also later managed, it has become a “forgotten disaster” beyond the two cities.
It’s official – even fashion models are being replaced by AI and the industry isn’t particularly happy about it. The Mirror finds out what the change means for models and creatives alike
Brands are cloning fashion models and making a ‘digital twin’ for them to utilise in photoshoots, but many aren’t happy (Image: H&M)
The fashion world has long embraced change, but the latest shift, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) models, is causing unease across the industry. What started as an intriguing technological experiment has, for many, become a threat to the very heart of fashion: its humanity.
Earlier this year, H&M released a campaign featuring AI-generated models to promote the brand’s new spring collection. While hailed by some as innovative, the campaign sparked widespread outrage among models, creatives, and industry veterans, who saw it as a troubling glimpse into a future where real faces and real artistry are pushed aside for digital perfection.
But what exactly are AI models? These are hyper-realistic, computer-generated images of people, designed to look indistinguishably human.Using enormous datasets, often scraped without consent, tech companies teach AI systems to create virtual models that can wear clothes, pose for photoshoots, and populate online shops and marketing campaigns.
In March 2025, H&M released a campaign for their spring collection using AI fashion models(Image: H&M)
READ MORE: Naomi Campbell’s savage reason why she’ll never attend the Met Gala again
These ‘models’ don’t require travel fees, hair and makeup teams, or rest between shoots. For brands focused on cost-cutting and scalability, the appeal is obvious. For the real humans whose livelihoods depend on their craft, the threat is existential.
Paul W Fleming, the General Secretary at Equity, the UK trade union for fashion models, warns that unless urgent protections are put in place, models and other creative workers face losing control over their likeness and their incomes. “As we move forward with generative AI, it is vital that models and other creative workers retain full control over their likeness and are paid fairly for its usage,” he said.
Article continues below
“Unfortunately, the current landscape has little to no such protections. Big tech are scraping our model members’ work illegally without their consent for training up AI systems, and too often models are being forced to sign unfair contracts which deny them their rights.”
Fleming stressed that AI innovation must not become a “race to the bottom,” exploiting human creativity for corporate profit. “Artificial intelligence would not be possible without human artistry and labour. Humans should remain at the centre of creative endeavours.”
Many question the ethics of using AI fashion models, and emphasise the importance of regulating this new innovation to protect personal image and branding
Those sentiments are echoed by the working models themselves. One international model, who has graced the covers of many Vogue magazines and modelled for top fashion houses, and who wished to remain anonymous, spoke of the profound sadness she felt at seeing digital faces replace living, breathing ones.
“Fashion is about more than just aesthetics, it’s about emotion, energy, storytelling,” she said. “There’s a magic that happens on set, a spark between the photographer, the model, the stylist, the makeup artist. Seeing that replaced by a digitally rendered face feels like we’re stripping fashion of its soul.”
The debate has also spilt onto social media, where iconic Dutch model Saskia de Brauw posted a heartfelt statement to her followers. Reflecting on her career, which blossomed at the age of 28 after attending art school, de Brauw spoke passionately about the value of collaboration in the fashion industry.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
“Modelling is a human endeavour; it requires skill, practice, collaboration, and emotion to truly exist and should never be replaced by machines,” she wrote. De Brauw criticised colleagues who have sold the rights to their likenesses to AI companies, calling it a betrayal of the collaborative spirit that underpins the fashion industry. “When money or cost efficiency is the sole motivation, nothing good can come from it.”
Yet, amid the warnings, some tech innovators believe AI can be a force for good if approached with caution and ethics. Luca Arrigo, CEO and Co-Founder of BetterGroup, a Shopify app for AI fashion photography, insists that their goal is to empower, not erase, real models and creatives.
“We’re not just creating images for Shopify websites, we’re building an ecosystem that empowers both artificial models and real models to be part of the future of AI-generated photography,” he said. “Technology will enable models and influencers to monetise globally, even during short viral periods, in ways that were never possible before.”
BetterStudio’s founder asserts that AI imagery for fashion brands empowers both artificial and real models in AI-generated photography(Image: H&M)
Arrigo likens the arrival of AI to the introduction of Photoshop decades ago, initially feared, but eventually embraced as a tool to enhance creativity. However, he also acknowledges the critical need for ethical standards. “Models must have control over the images shared and the products they endorse. Collaboration is essential.”
Article continues below
AI’s affordability is undeniable. Where traditional fashion photography can cost up to £150 per image, AI-generated photos can be produced for as little as 75p, opening new doors for small, independent designers. But the industry faces a stark choice: will AI be used to democratise fashion, or to strip it of its soul in the pursuit of profit?
Mirror’s shopping writer Grace has been looking for a new work bag, and was surprised to find a £25 Mango tote that looks just like Longchamp’s iconic shopper bag
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Get the designer look for less with Mango’s £25 shopper bag (Image: Mirror)
I was doing a bit of new season shopping the other day when I spotted a Mango tote bag that made me do a double-take. I had to go take a look at it because it was giving a designer bag without the designer price tag.
Longchamp’s Le Pliage bags are pretty iconic, known for their boxy tote shape, recycled canvas base and brown leather fastening but at £120, it’s not one I can just drop and buy without thinking about it a little. So when I saw the £25 price tag on Mango’s tote, it did make me think twice about my potential splurge.
Mango’s shopper bag with double handle has everything I’d been looking for in a bag: roomy shopper style, practical nylon finish, contrast straps and a zip to keep all my essentials secure.
READ MORE: Molly-Mae’s mint green suitcases with EasyJet-approved cabin bag are ideal for summer holidays
READ MORE: This £15 viral hair oil is actually worth the hype – my hair looks fuller in just a month’
This bag is spacious enough to fit a large laptop(Image: Mango)
Available in two neutral colourways, one beige/brown version and one classic black, both of these colours will effortlessly fit into my current wardrobe and pair with pieces I already own.
And the best part is that the nylon fabric makes it ideal for unpredictable British weather when a downpour can be expected at any minute. With enough room to fit my laptop, water bottle and notepad, this handy shopper makes the perfect work bag. It’s also worth noting that this bag is 18 inches wide, easily spacious enough to fit larger laptops.
The only thing I would be wary of is that the straps are pretty thin, so I could see them breaking quite easily if the tote bag is overloaded with too much stuff.
Article continues below
Alternatively, if you’re looking for a roomy work bag in a lighter colourway for the summer months, I love Topshop’s ruched nylon tote, £32, which has plenty of room, and is in a spring-ready off-white shade.
Popular Strictly professional dancers Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola talk about joining forces for a new tour, their close relationship and how the hit BBC show transformed their lives
Dianne has opened up about her future on the show that ”changed her life’ – and her special relationship with Vito(Image: Abi Wyles)
They’re both members of that exclusive band who have known the thrill of holding aloft the winning Strictly Glitterball Trophy: Italian pro Vito Coppola with Ellie Leach in 2023, and Australian star Dianne Buswell with comedian Chris McCausland last year. But it took them a couple of years to come up with what looks like a no-brainer as this summer – they will perform 40 shows together in new touring production Red Hot And Ready.
Opening in Shrewsbury on 11 June and ending in Eastbourne on 26 July, with rehearsals starting just two days later for the next series of Strictly, they talk exclusively to OK! about how the BBC show has changed their lives, what happened when Dianne changed her hair colour and the dish Vito would rustle up if he invited you to supper.
READ MORE: ‘Gorgeous’ £20 midi dress you ‘wouldn’t think was from Primark’
Vito says he and Dianne have become like ‘brother and sister’(Image: Abi Wyles)
The pair are on UK tour from June together with brand new show Red Hot and Ready(Image: Abi Wyles)
Hi, both! Can you tell us about your Red Hot And Ready show?
Dianne: There’ll be plenty of dancing, of course, and singing. But, more than that, you’ll get to meet Vito and me properly. There’s no time on Strictly for our full personalities to come across. I love comedy, Vito loves cooking, so prepare yourself for a feast, with lots of laughs thrown in.
Article continues below
Who else is in the show?
Dianne: Six other dancers, two vocalists and a percussionist. I’m not exaggerating when I say I find every one inspiring. The choreography is by Strictly’s Jason Gilkison, who is the god of the dance world.
Who decided to put you and Vito together?
Dianne: From the moment we met, Vito and I clicked. He’s Italian, as is my mum’s side of the family. He immediately reminded me of one of my cousins and my crazy uncle. That’s why I get on with him so well. I can be myself with him.
Vito, describe your relationship with Dianne…
Vito: We’re like brother and sister. When I met her the first time, it felt like I’d known her forever. She’s one of the funniest people I know. Two summers ago, I was in her home, baking. We started dancing round the kitchen and that’s when we came up with the idea of putting together a show. We decided we wanted it to be like ‘50 Shades of Dianne and Vito’.
Italian pro Vito says Ellie would ‘cry every day’ in training but eventually learned to believe in herself(Image: PA)
Has Strictly changed your lives?
Dianne: Oh, 100%. It’s through the show I met my life partner Joe [Sugg]. It put my name on the map and taught me so much about dance. Vito: I left home when I was young to dance competitively around the world. I didn’t feel I belonged anywhere until I reached the UK and joined Strictly. It felt as though I’d come home, I’d found my bubble. In my first year, 2022, my celebrity partner was Fleur East and she’s one of my favourite human beings. People think celebs learn from us – they do – but we pros also learn a lot from them.
Did you know that you had picked a winner with Ellie Leach?
Vito: My name for her was Lulu because her second name is Louise. To begin with, she didn’t believe in herself. She thought we would be eliminated on week one. Every week, right up to the final, she’d cry at least one day. But I always reassured her that I would get the best out of her. Once I’d won her trust, she slowly came to believe that she was capable. The week of the paso doble was a turning point. She’d become a strong, independent woman.
Lifting the Glitterball must have been a moment…
Vito: Winning is not everything but it’s very nice when it happens! I felt the same when I won Celebrity MasterChef. The way I approached that was by imagining I was cooking for my family: this producer was my auntie, this production assistant was my cousin, the judges were my parents and so on. As a result, I never felt alone cooking. I gave my winner’s medal to my grandfather – he was the only person I’d told that I’d entered the competition.
What’s the special meal you would cook for Dianne and Joe?
Vito: Seafood pasta and a rum baba sponge, both of which I cooked in the final of Celebrity MasterChef. Dianne, you joined Strictly in 2017 and recently celebrated your 36th birthday. Do you look ahead? Dianne: I take it as it comes. Even if I wasn’t dancing on it, I’d love to be on the judging panel or connected with the show in some way. It’s what brought me to the UK from Australia in the first place. Strictly is my family, it’s given me so much. Look at Karen [Hauer]. She’s 43, our longest-serving professional, and still going strong.
When you were told you’d be paired with blind comedian Chris McCausland, were you concerned?
Dianne: Not concerned, no. But I was curious because I’d never taught anyone who was even visually impaired. To be honest, I didn’t think we’d make it that far, never mind win.
Dianne had to ‘think outside the box’ when it came to dancing with blind comedian Chris(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
How did you tackle the obvious obstacle of him not being able to see?
Dianne: By completely changing my teaching methods. Everything I’d ever learnt and taught was visual. I had to choreograph routines so he’d always know where I was. It meant thinking outside the box. Trust was extremely important. I’m not going to lie, it was a real challenge.
Were you whispering instructions in his ear?
Dianne: In the rehearsal rooms, yes. But then we realised he couldn’t hear what I was saying on the dance floor, the music was so loud. So, we developed a method where I’d press certain parts of his body to communicate what I wanted him to do. It was the hardest but most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
Has it forged a lifelong friendship?
Dianne: Absolutely. We’ve created a weekly podcast, Winning Isn’t Everything. Chris couldn’t come on the Strictly live tour because he was committed to his stand-up tour. I went to one of his shows and he was brilliant. It was nice to see him in his natural habitat.
Will Joe be coming to see you on your new tour?
Dianne: Of course! And he’s a big fan of Vito’s who’s been over to our house on a number of occasions and cooked for us, too.
Your trademark is your flame-coloured hair. Is it true you were once a hairdresser?
Dianne: Oh, hairdressing has been a lifelong passion of mine. I started my apprenticeship aged 15 and went on to have my own salon in Australia. Dancing took over but, wherever I go, I take my scissors with me. Maybe I should suggest a haircut to Vito…
Has your hair always been dyed red?
Dianne: I’ve had so many different colours – blonde, blue black, jet black, brown, you name it – although red has been a staple for quite a while. I did change it to orange a few years back and got all these messages saying it wasn’t right and I should change it back to red immediately. People got quite angry at me!
Article continues below
For Dianne & Vito Red Hot And Ready tour details and to buy tickets, visit dianneandvito.co.uk.
