Lou Sanders took part in Prime Video smash hit Last One Laughing after her debut on Dancing On Ice back in 2024, where she was the fifth celebrity to be eliminated
Lou Sanders has opened up about drinking(Image: Getty Images)
Last One Laughing star Lou Sanders has admitted that she “had to choose” between alcohol and her career amid her addiction troubles. The comedienne has explained that she decided to choose her career when one moment in particular gave her a wake up call.
She said she realised that she “can’t have a career and be an alcoholic” which is what led her to give up drinking. The Dancing On Ice star noticed that during one gig in particular that it would be better for her to not drink and has now noticed that there’s “quite a bit of distance” between her now and who she was when she drank.
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Lou no longer drinks(Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Lou said: “I was too obstreperous when I drank and I had to choose my career or drinking.I chose my career.” However, she then revealed what her hangover dish was when she did drink, adding: “But when I did drink, and was veggie, eggy bread covered in salt was my hangover dish.”
Lou has opened up about the moment she decided to give up drinking. She explained that it was during a gig that she realised she couldn’t carry on anymore.
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Lou wrote about her journey in her memoir What’s That Lady Doing? False Starts And Happy Endings where she said she had a heavy drinking habit in her teens. She carried on binge drinking for decades before giving up altogether.
Lou took part in this year’s Dancing On Ice(Image: ITV)
The 45-year-old wrote: “I threw an empty bottle of wine at the audience and called Ed Gamble some horrible stuff that is so far from the truth. He’s the nicest, nicest guy ever. And then I pulled Arthur Smith’s trousers down. When I threw that bottle, I could have seriously damaged someone.
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“The last [gig where I drank] was a snowboarding trip and I was with loads of people that love a drink, yet I was the biggest problem. I got so drunk and started heckling the other acts – the worst thing you could do ever. I don’t understand how that’s even in me to do that when I’m drunk. So then I did stop drinking because I thought, ‘I can’t have a career and be an alcoholic.’ Some people manage, but it’s increasingly going out of fashion.”
Despite this, Lou has said she has now moved on from who she was back then, adding: “I’ve got quite a bit of distance between me now and me when I was drinking. So it’s good to draw a line under all of that and just think, ‘Oh, I’m not that person now.'”
Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has called on the Nigerian diaspora to actively engage in the country’s ongoing reform efforts.
In a recent video message, Dabiri-Erewa highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s introduction of a new executive directive known as the ‘Nigeria First Policy’.
The NiDCOM Boss stressed that the policy is designed to prioritise Nigeria-centric matters, promote locally made products, and provide home-grown solutions to government procurement.
She emphasised that the Nigeria First Policy comes at a critical time and will need Nigerians, home and abroad, working collaboratively with the current administration to build a more sustainable and forward-looking nation.
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“My brothers and sisters in the diaspora, this is an opportunity to key into this Initiative. This is an opportunity to bring your expertise, knowledge, and talents back home to Nigeria”, she said.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is being held in Basel and Miriana Conte – who is representing Malta with the song Serving, once known as Kant – is among the acts taking part
Miriana Conte, who’s representing Malta at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest next week, spoke to the Mirror recently
Miriana Conte has revealed how she now feels about the lyric change to her Eurovision Song Contest entry. The singer spoke about the decision in an exclusive interview with the Mirror ahead of representing Malta next week.
There was controversy earlier this year after Miriana, 24, was chosen to represent her country with the song Kant – which shared its title with a Maltese word for ‘singing’. The track attracted much attention after she won Malta’s national final in February, which included a jury and a public vote.
The majority of the song – now called Serving – is performed in English, but the original chorus included the title. Miriana’s pronounciation drew comparisons to the word “c***” and the lyric “serving kant” was perceived to be a reference to the phrase “serving c***,” which can be used to represent someone expressing themselves in a bold or powerful way.
She sang: “Why should we let other people decide when we could be having the time of our lives? Let down your walls come and dance to my vibe. I do it all the time, yeah, I do it all the time. Serving kant. Do, re, mi, fa, s-s-serving kant.”
Although fans embraced the song, other listeners weren’t impressed by the lyrics, which proved controversial. As reported at the time, Scott Mills suggested that he couldn’t air the entry on his BBC Radio 2 show. He said at the time: “We definitely can’t play a clip of it … ever, on the BBC.”
Amid the controversy over Kant, Miriana told fans in March that she had been notified that the European Broadcasting Union – which organises Eurovision – had “decided against” the use of ‘kant’ in the song. The news came just days before the deadline for acts to formally submit their entries.
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Miriana later unveiled the new version of the song, Serving, which no longer features ‘kant’ in the chorus. And despite speculation that she would replace the word with another, she instead opted to leave a space where it had once been.
Ahead of competing in the second semi-final next Thursday, Miriana recently opened up to us about the situation and preparations for this year’s Eurovision. She also teased what to expect from her upcoming performance in the contest.
Miriana Conte will represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Switzerland next week after being selected in her country’s national final(Image: Instagram/@mirianaconte)
During the interview, it was mentioned that she’s now had time to process the lyric change and the controversy surrounding the song. Asked how she feels about it now and the end product of the change, Miriana told us: “Honestly, I quite love it! So I love both the versions [of the song].”
Miriana – who was a co-writer on the song – added: “If you had to tell me like to choose one from the other, I wouldn’t because I love them both so much.” She teased: “I mean, one leaves space for people to shout whatever they want to shout. The other, people are serving kant, they’re singing.”
She told us last week: “I didn’t have time to process back then when I found out, however then when I actually sat down, like even during the tours and everything, and I saw people singing out loud to it, they know word by word which is crazy, I was like ‘it had to happen’. And thank God it did!”
Explaining why she feels that way, she said: “It got much more popularity and got much more people watching it. People were on the tips of their toes to find out what the word change was, when there wasn’t [one].”
Miriana continued: “It was all very exciting.” And then sharing that she wouldn’t change how everything has unfolded, she said: “So if I had like relive the process and choose what to happen, I would still choose for this to happen.”
Asked if she had considered replacing ‘kant’ in the chorus, she revealed: “I never wanted to replace the word because that is what made the song gain its popularity. It is what means so much to me, so the only way that the word could be replaced is without it being replaced basically.”
The singer-songwriter, pictured at a Eurovision party in London last month, will perform her song Serving, which was originally called Kant(Image: Getty Images)
The singer-songwriter went on to share that she was not concerned about the message of the song being lost in the controversy. She said in our interview: “When it boils down to people listening to it, everyone got the gist that it is about being bold and unapologetically yourself. With or without the word, it will still be what it is. That is why it really does not affect me. I love both versions so much.”
Miriana – who had competed four times before to represent Malta at Eurovision – also gave us an insight into the inspiration for the song. She said: “I’m such a bubbly ball of energy. I’m all over the place. I’m the clown of the group. I’m the loudest person in the room and I wanted to write exactly about that. How growing up I always felt like I needed to wind myself down to match other people’s energies.”
In the interview – which was prior to Miriana arriving in Basel, Switzerland, for the contest – she said that rehearsals were in “full swing”. She said: “Vocal lessons. We’re trying it out in a big space. Trying out the outfits to see how everything is going to work. So yeah, preparations are at full swing.”
And teasing what to expect from her performance, she told us last week: “It’s gonna be shocking!” After some laughter, she went on to share: “It’s gonna be exactly what I am like bold and loud and fun and beautiful. I love absolutely everything that’s gonna be happening on stage.”
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel opens with its first semi-final on Tuesday from 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The second semi-final will be on Thursday before the grand final is broadcast next Satuday.
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Hear’Say were the original reality TV pop band who shot to fame when they won the reality show Popstars in 2001 with hit single Pure and Simple, but where are they now?
Where are the stars of Hear’Say are today
Hear’Say catapulted to stardom in 2001 after clinching victory in the popular singing contest Popstars, but have since gone their separate ways.
Back in 2000, thousands of aspiring singers flocked to auditions for ITV’s talent show, Popstars. The hopefuls were evaluated by Nigel Lythgoe, Paul Adam and Nicki Chapman, who had previously worked with the Spice Girls.
The five selected vocalists formed Hear’Say, while the five runners-up went on to create the band Liberty X. The pop group’s achievements set the stage for success for its members – Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan.
During their time together, they dominated the charts with their hit single Pure and Simple and their album titled Popstars – both the single and the album secured the number one spots at the time.
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Hear’Say (from left to right) Noel Sullivan, Suzanne Shaw, Kym Marsh, Myleene Klass and Danny Foster in 2001(Image: PA)
2001 saw the band achieve so much, going from strength to strength and garnering an impressive fan base. Due to Kym’s unwavering popularity, she fast became the most famous member – which was partly down to the fact that she was dating EastEnders’ actor Jack Ryder at the time.
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Everything fell apart for the band when Kym announced she was leaving in 2002 – but what have the Hear’Say members been up to since they went their separate ways?
Kym Marsh
Kym Marsh in March 2022(Image: Getty Images)
As we discovered earlier on, Kym left the band in 2002 to ‘pursue solo ventures’ – but she later revealed that not all was what it seemed. Rumours have often swirled around whether or not there were feuds among the bandmates, and apparently, this was the case.
Kym apparently clashed with Myleene Klass and Noel Sullivan – which is part of the reason the band split. Jumping ship from music to acting, Kym moved to the cobbled streets and joined the cast of Coronation Street in 2006.
Kym and Myleene in 2006
Fans will remember the brunette beauty joining the soap as Michelle Connor, where she was a part of some huge storylines. She ended up staying in the soap for 13 years and announced her departure in 2019.
Myleene Klass
Myleene’s career has been full of highlights
Mylene is another successful former member of Hear’Say and has gone on to have a glowing career since the band broke up. One year after the band split, she signed a five-album deal with Universal Classics and Jazz, with a classical music album being released a year later in 2003.
She’s had number ones and number twos in the UK chart – going from strength-to-strength as a classical music artist. Myleene has also had a glowing career on TV and has often popped up on our screens.
Mylenne is the reason we have iconic shower scenes in I’m A Celeb
Most will remember the stunning brunette star for appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2006 – yes, she was responsible for the slew of iconic shower scenes! In 2010, she also hosted Popstar to Operastar – keeping her work within the realm of her classical music expertise. And you may recognise her dulcet tones from presenting her own radio show on Smooth Radio.
Suzanne Shaw
Suzanne ended up winning Dancing On Ice
Suzanne Shaw was just 21 when Hear’Say split, but this didn’t prevent her from making a name for herself and hitting the big time. She went on to perform on the West End and was the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in 2005.
After that, she starred as Janet in The Rocky Horror Show national tour. A couple of years after her theatre stin,t she went on to star in The Bill in 2007.
Fans of the band or those who love the soaps might recognise her from her role of Eve Birch in Emmerdale, or from when she won Dancing on Ice in 2008. More recently,y she’s dipped her toe into panto and in 2021 she played Belle in Beauty and the Beast at Chesterfield’s Pomegranate Theatre.
Danny Foster
Danny Foster looks unrecognisable from his days in the band(Image: Instagram/@mrdannyfoster)
Danny Foster hasn’t really stayed in the public eye since the breakdown of the super band, but he’s doing pretty well. He’s thought to still be singing, while in the band, Danny Foster & The Big Soul Corporation, which has a focus on performing Motown songs.
His dream of making it big has never gone away though and in 2013 he auditioned for The Voice but sadly didn’t make it through. Danny’s social media presence is very low-key, and he has just under 4K followers on Instagram.
Posting snippets of his life with wife Victoria Goddard, Danny appears to be incredibly spiritual and his bio says he’s, “on a mission – creating life of well-being” along with “spreading love”.
Noel Sullivan
Noel is the Hear’Say singer turned West End star
Noel Sullivan is a Welsh singer and actor who has gone on to have a brilliant career since his stint in the band and its subsequent downfall. Like Suzanne, he has gone on to star in many stage productions, including Fame and as Danny in Grease on the West End.
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In 2010, he appeared in the hit rom-com TV series Gavin and Stacey. Noel announced he got hitched in 2017 to his husband James.
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That’s how president Gianni Infantino described his organisation’s decision to expand the Women’s World Cup from 16 teams to 32 for the 2023 tournament.
Less than two years later Fifa has announced plans for further expansion.
The women’s tournament will follow the lead of the men’s World Cup and become a 48-team competition from 2031.
Was expansion a success in 2023?
The 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which featured eight new teams, threw up plenty of surprises.
It was a successful tournament for African nations, with underdogs Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria – ranked 72, 54 and 40 in the world respectively – reaching the last 16.
Morocco’s progression came at the expense of two-time champions Germany, who went out at the group stages a year after reaching the Euro 2022 final.
Zambia, ranked 81st, were the lowest-ranked team to qualify.
While they suffered 5-0 losses to Japan and Spain, they finished third in their group thanks to a 3-1 win over Costa Rica, who were ranked 44 places higher.
Nigeria, 40th in the rankings, lost to eventual runners-up England in a penalty shootout in the last 16.
Of the 32 teams, only three failed to earn a single point – Costa Rica, Haiti and Vietnam – and only Vietnam failed to score.
What are the benefits?
Only 44 nations have played in a Women’s World Cup.
With the tournament expanding by 16 teams, there will be more qualifying places allocated to each of the six Fifa continental zones.
That could provide an extra incentive for governments and national football associations – particularly from smaller nations who have not competed on the world stage – to invest in the women’s game.
US Soccer chief executive JT Batson said the expansion of the 2031 tournament – set to be held in the US – would be “incredible for growing the women’s game”.
“One of the things we hear from folks who lead federations around the world is they view the Women’s World Cup as an opportunity for them to, one, make a World Cup and, two, really go compete in a way that conceivably they wouldn’t be able to on the men’s side,” Batson said.
England manager Sarina Wiegman said she had reservations about expanding from 24 teams to 32 for the 2023 edition.
However, she changed her mind after the tournament, saying more teams “made it more competitive”.
“It will grow the game again in different countries because they have other opportunities to come and still have challenges to overcome,” Wiegman said.
“Some countries are at different stages of their development, so it will empower women in sport, women in football and women in society.”
From a UK perspective, more qualifying places would give the home nations a better chance of reaching a tournament on home soil in 2035.
While England have established themselves as one of the world’s best teams, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland have played in only one World Cup, and Wales and Northern Ireland have never qualified.
Getty Images
What are the downsides?
When it was announced that the men’s World Cup would expand to 48 teams, the immediate concerns were that the competition would be diluted.
The same questions have been asked of an expanded Women’s World Cup and there are worries that one-sided scorelines and a gulf in quality would devalue the women’s game and turn off television audiences.
“There is the fear it might dilute some of the competition,” said former England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley.
She also highlighted player welfare and adding to an already busy football calendar as possible downsides to an expanded tournament.
“There’s probably also an element of will the tournament be longer? You’re going to see a massive increase in games,” she said.
“Will there be an increase in rest periods? How is that going to affect the domestic calendar? How is that going to affect the player loading and recovery?”
What is Fifa doing to help growing nations?
Bardsley said there must be a “real emphasis on developing the game” if the tournament expands to 48 teams.
“There is time but it’s going to have to really be prioritised and accelerated,” she said.
Fifa launched its Women’s Football Strategy in 2018 and set a goal of having 60 million girls and women playing football across the globe by 2027.
Within its objectives, Fifa aims to ensure all 211 of its members have comprehensive women’s football strategies.
Through its Women’s Development Programme, Fifa also offers its members the opportunity to apply for and access additional resources and specialist expertise to develop women’s football.
“It’s going to be a tall order, but if Fifa serious about this investing in the women’s game now, you’ll see a massive benefit by 2035,” Bardsley said.
How would a 48-team tournament work?
The first time we will see a 48-team tournament is next year’s men’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the US.
At first, Fifa suggested a group-stage format that included 16 groups of three teams, with the top two from each group going through.
But that caused controversy because the sides playing in the final group game could play out a result that enabled both to go through at the expense of the other team.
After widespread criticism and a thrilling four-team group stage in Qatar at the 2022 men’s World Cup, Fifa revised its plans.
The 48 teams will be drawn into 12 groups of four with the top two from each – along with the eight best third-placed nations – advancing to a 32-team knockout stage.
There has been no indication yet as to whether a women’s tournament would follow the same format.
The number of games will rise from 64 in a 32-team competition to 104 with 48 teams, which is likely to mean a longer tournament.
The 2026 men’s World Cup is set to last 10 days longer than in 2022.
Taylor Swift has issued a scathing reply to Justin Baldoni’s legal team after she was subpoenaed to appear as a witness in his trial with her friend Blake Lively
Taylor Swift and Blake Lively are close friends(Image: Getty Images)
Taylor Swift has issued a scathing reply after she was officially subpoenaed to appear as a witness in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle. Taylor, 35, was delivered a legal notice on Friday by Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman – a move which has been slammed by her team as a tactic to create clickbait.
A representative for the superstar said: “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.”
Taylor’s team gave a damning response(Image: GC Images)
They added that Taylor’s sole involvement in the movie was her track My Tears Ricochet from her 2020 album folklore being used. They then gave a damning verdict on why they believed Justin’s team had really subpoenaed Taylor dragging her into the legal row.
Her rep continued to DailyMail.com: “Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
Blake then shared her own response to Taylor being subpoenaed as her legal team also slammed Justin’s lawyers for their tactics. A statement said: “Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Sarowitz, and team continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids…
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“Going as far as suggesting that they sell tickets to a concert venue – Madison Square Garden – to witness Ms. Lively’s deposition, to subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions all over the world. This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus.”
They added: “The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women’s rights and reputations. Including in the past month seeking to strike down for all, a powerful California victims’ rights law, calling it ‘unconstitutional’.
“The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as ‘female allies’ and their team continue to show their true colours.” The development comes after Blake’s attorney Mike Gottlieb confirmed that she is expected to “be a witness at her trial.”
Blake Lively is set to battle it out in court with Justin Baldoni(Image: AP)
He told People: “The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here. Of course she’s going to testify.”
Gottlieb also addressed rumours that stars such as Hugh Jackman may also be subpoenaed in the case. He said: “It’s completely unclear what claims or defences in the case any of these celebrities… have any relevance to at all.
“This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on the set. It’s not a case about how songs were chosen for the movie. It’s not a case about fictional Marvel characters in Deadpool movies,.
“You have to ask the question, then, why are these people being subpoenaed? Do they have any actual relevance to the case at hand? You can’t just go around subpoenaing people because they’re famous and you think it will generate a bunch of headlines. And the federal courts don’t tolerate that kind of behaviour.”
The Mirror has contacted Justin Baldoni’s representative for comment.
