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Call The Midwife star Jenny Agutter previously described her health issue as “painful and horrible” as she revealed the symptoms she was suffering from

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Call The Midwife’s Sister Julienne star Jenny Agutter has issued an update about her health, ahead of the return of the new series. Just before the BBC drama’s 2020 Christmas special, the actress said she was “perfectly fit” before being struck down with shingles.

While the infection is expected to last up to four weeks, Jenny said she is still suffering from some discomfort five years later.

Speaking to Woman’s Weekly Magazine, she said: “It’s an itchy, bruised feeling around my face on one side. I feel it across my eyebrow and on my forehead.”

Despite this, the Red Dwarf star said she is in fine health, adding: “I am very lucky and thankful that I can enjoy a walk, that my body’s functioning and working properly, that I have an appetite and can enjoy food.

“Of course, things get creakier as you get out of bed in the morning and you find yourself grunting as you get up from a low chair.”

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Previously opening up about her shingles battle, Jenny described it as a “painful and horrible” time.

Asked what caused the issue during an interview with Lorraine Kelly, she shared: “It may be stress, it’s funny as I think the lockdown has affected different people in different ways.

“It attacked the nerves in my neck, so I had a rash and pain in one side of my head and one eye. I also had photophobia [intolerance to light] for a month.”

According to the NHS, the first signs of shingles can be:

• A tingling or painful feeling in an area of skin
• A headache or feeling generally unwell
• A rash will usually appear a few days later. In rare cases shingles can cause pain without a rash

The website adds: “Usually you get the shingles rash on your chest and tummy, but it can appear anywhere on your body including on your face, eyes and genitals.

“The rash appears as blotches on your skin, on one side of your body only. A rash on both the left and right of your body is unlikely to be shingles.”

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If you believe you have shingles, you can get advice from a pharmacist or NHS 111.

Meanwhile, the Call The Midwife star marked her 73rd birthday in December, following the wrap of filming for the latest series.

And while this may seem like the perfect time to take a step back, Jenny said this isn’t on her radar.

“I enjoy the stimulus of work,” she added to the publication. “I love going to work and seeing people.

“There’s something really good about working on projects in a collaborative way and I love being on set and seeing how everything is done.”

BBC presenter Reggie Yates has undergone surgery for a tumour. The broadcaster explained that last year, he endured one of the “hardest moments” of his life and had initially chosen to bury the news.

He went on to say that while he chose not to forget it, he decided to hide it and “heal, move on.” Reggie continued: “I was wearing my own little lump of uncertainty. A Tumour.

“A collection of cells that could be benign or cancerous. Then followed a fun week of waiting to find out which version of lump my body decided to grow. I wasn’t ashamed, I was a willing participant in an uncoupling.” Reggie, known for presenting the likes of Top of the Pops, said that while he was scared, he struggled not to laugh while wearing a hospital gown and compression socks.

During this period, he says that he learnt “a lot” about himself, while also discovering things about his loved ones. Writing on his Substack, he added: “You learn a lot about who you’re becoming when you go from fears of losing the use of your hand in February, to delivering your publisher a novel typed by that same hand in December…”

Sharing the news on Instagram, Reggie penned: “NEW YEAR, OLD TUMOUR… Funny what you can learn from a little lump of cells.” His post was soon flooded with messages of support from fans and celebrity pals. Zawe Ashton said: “Angel, I’ll read, had no idea. Thinking of you – truly hope you’re okay.”

“I hope it’s a year of healing recovery and abundance,” said one fan. A second commented: “Wishing you a very healthy 2026 (and beyond, obviously!)”

Meanwhile, a third typed: “Being humbled by our own mortality isn’t something we’re prepared for. Ever. One day at a time.” “Praying for your swift recovery,” penned a fourth fan.

Reggie, who made his first television appearance aged just eight, went on to become one of the nation’s most well-known broadcasters – appearing on Radio 1 and fronting several BBC documentaries.

Reflecting on his career, he previously told The Guardian: “The first interview I did as a presenter was on Top of the Pops. I spoke to Sting, and for some reason, I had dressed in a brown corduroy suit from Topshop with matching sneakers. I also had a crap tash and braids.

“I was like, ‘Hi Mr Sting’, and asked him the dumbest questions. I remember him looking at me like, ‘Who is this guy? Get me out of here.’ There were lots of those awkward moments growing up on TV, but I can’t feel too embarrassed as I was just a baby.”

But having been on television for over three decades, Reggie admits he now has a “thick skin” and no longer worries about judgment or criticism.

He added: “The best part of my life now as a writer and director is the variety. One day I can be making a documentary about racism, and the next day I’ll be doing the voice of Rastamouse. I can make silly comedy films.”

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Jodie Marsh has been left devastated after a fire at her animal sanctuary killed two animals.

Local fire crews were called to her farm, Fripps Farm in Essex, on Saturday, following reports of a fire. Two marmosets died in the fire, which started on the first floor at around 5pm on Saturday. The blaze is said to have been accidental and started by an electrical item.

A spokesperson for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters were called at 4.56pm to a fire in Lindsell, Dunmow. On arrival, the property was full of smoke and crews discovered a fire in the upstairs bedroom. Crews worked hard to extinguish the fire and stop it from spreading.

“The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental, started by an electrical item.” Nestled in the countryside, Jodie’s animal sanctuary is a five-acre property within striking distance of the historic market town of Saffron Walden. The farm consists of hundreds of animals, most of which the former reality television star says have been rescued.

The animals include emus, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, cows, pigs, and deer. There is also an enclosure full of peacocks and chickens, with geese and ducks roaming around.

Beyond the more common farmyard animals, there is a large cage full of marmosets, a small monkey more usually found in South America. There are also enclosures for foxes, meerkats, skunks, and wolf-dogs, and snakes, Essex Live reports.

Jodie claims she spends £25,000 a month to keep Fripps Farm going, paying for her two full-time staff and five part-time workers and all the costs of looking after her animals. The 47-year-old ex-glamour model also has 15 volunteers helping her keep her small zoo of animals going.

She says she pays for some of this through social media, particularly the somewhat controversial OnlyFans platform. However, the farm has sparked controversy as campaigners have accused Jodie of animal cruelty, mistreatment, and having poor living conditions for the animals.

Critics also claim that Jodie buys most of her animals, alleging that she only says she rescues them as an excuse to keep exotic pets that wouldn’t usually be allowed in the UK. However, she denies these allegations.

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