The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be televised live for more than 450 hours on the BBC.
The Games are the most accessible to UK audiences in 20 years, running from Friday 6 through Thursday 22 February.
BBB Sport will show two streams of live daytime action from Italy, alongside the best clips, highlights and live text updates across the BBB Sport website, app and social channels.
From the BBC’s Cortina studio, where Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine, and Jeanette Kwakye will provide the show’s programming on BBC One and BBC Two from 9am to 10pm each day.
The second live stream, Olympics Extra, will be available via BBC iPlayer and the BBB Sport website and app from 8am to 11pm to show additional Winter Olympic Games.
The Olympic team’s former Olympians Lizzy Yarnold, Vicky Wright, and Montell Douglas are included in the analysis team.
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBB Sport said: “The Winter Olympics spotlight the world’s most elite winter athletes as they push the boundaries of speed, precision and excellence across snow and ice, and BBB Sport can’t wait to bring audiences all the very best action and medal moments straight from Milan‑Cortina.
The Italy 2026 Olympic Winter Games will take pride of place in what promises to be an unforgettable year of sport thanks to our expert line-up of international winter sport stars, combined with our unmissable coverage.
How to follow the Olympics
BBC iPlayer and TV
BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC iPlayer will broadcast live coverage and highlights of all significant events.
Hazel Irvine and Jeanette Kwakye on BBC One from 9am to 12pm, and Jeanette Kwakye from 2pm to 5pm.
Jeanette Kwakye and Clare Balding on BBC Two from 1pm to 2pm, and Clare Balding from 5pm to 10pm.
Social and Digital
Olympic Extra: daily 8am to 11pm live online.
BBB Sport website and app: day‑by‑day guides, sport explainers, medal tables, live text, features and on‑demand clips
BBB Sport social channels: the best moments of the Games as they happen
According to a royal expert, King Charles and Prince William might have a lot of trouble with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s rumored summer visit to the UK.
Mitya Underwood Senior Celebrity and Royal Writer
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According to an expert, Harry and Meghan’s rumored visit to the UK has given them a conundrum.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s trip to the UK this summer could see King Charles reunited with his youngest grandchildren for the first time in four years, while also creating a major “dilemma” for the royal family. The couple are rumoured to be visiting Harry’s homeland in July to kick off the countdown to the Invictus Games in 2027, and royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams predicts that by bringing Archie, six, and Lilibet, four, they could pave the way for better royal relations.
A reunion with the grandchildren would be an obvious way to end Charles’ hostility toward the Sussexes, according to Richard. The King may not be involved in anything related to the Games this summer, but I do believe there is a chance he will see Harry and his grandchildren, and that likely includes Meghan.
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A reunion with Archie and Lilibet was long overdue when they last traveled to London for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. Meghan hasn’t visited the UK since attending Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September that year, but Richard thinks she’ll be a part of Harry’s passion project.
He says, “It would be unthinkable for Meghan not to appear at Invictus because it would look like she was hiding away, and she will stand by Harry no matter what.” Harry founded the Invictus Games, which honours wounded military personnel and veterans, in 2014, and they have since become his main focus on the world stage. In summer 2024, the organisation revealed that Birmingham would host the 2027 Games – its first time back on UK soil in 13 years.
There is now increasing speculation about whether the Sussexes might reunite with the King – and the Prince and Princess of Wales – this summer, and also whether the King will publicly support next year’s event in his role as Head of the Armed Forces. While he and Harry met briefly last September at Clarence House, William and his brother have reportedly not spoken to one another in more than three years.
Just a few weeks before the Sussexes were set to resign as working royals, Richard recalls them “looking daggers at each other” during the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in 2020. And while William and Kate gathered with Harry and Meghan to view the Queen Elizabeth’s floral arrangements in Windsor following her funeral, royal observers observed a palpable gloom between the two couples.
Because Westminster Abbey was a catastrophic mess, a PR disaster, and the royal family will make sure nothing like that ever happens again, he claims, “The Sussexes have created endless cracks, but we will never see a public showdown.” However, if Harry and Meghan met Catherine and William while they were in the UK, it would be very tense behind closed doors.
Richard asserts that Charles and William may have a “divergence” regarding Harry’s future and how to support his Invictus cause, but that Harry will be “banking on the Windsors putting duty before their personal feelings.”
The Sussexes have created themselves a major dilemma, according to Richard, and the Royals face both. It’s up to Harry to decide what happens with the Invictus Games because he founded them, though perhaps not officially.
“The end of the event clashes with Queen Camilla ’s 80th birthday, but that isn’t a reason for Charles not to open the Games if he intends to, and there is a very good case for him doing so because he is Head of the Armed Forces and it’s a major military charity event.
“At the moment though, it’s completely unclear how the royal family are going to respond, given the Sussexes put three nuclear bombs under Buckingham Palace with Spare, the Oprah Winfrey interview and their Netflix series.”
William was alleged to be angry with his brother because he wrote about Kate following Harry’s release of his memoir Spare in 2023. Harry included details of private text messages between the future sisters-in-law and said he “found Meg on the floor, sobbing” in the “bridesmaid dress drama” where Meghan and Kate allegedly allegedly got into a fight over Princess Charlotte’s gown shortly before his wedding. Kate later apologized, Meghan claimed.
Who would or could be the King’s representative should he choose to open the Games with? It’s very unlikely, in Richard’s opinion, to be the Prince of Wales.
Continue reading the article.
“The Sussexes are probably hoping to change public opinion,” he says, but he doesn’t believe William’s opinion of them and what they have done can change. The King may have a different perspective on Harry than William, but he won’t ever place him in a awkward situation in front of the public.
A new Netflix documentary focusing on Take That explains how and why Jason Orange left the iconic boyband, and it wasn’t when first planned
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Take That members managed to stop Jason Orange leaving the band thanks to one final trick. The trio who are still in the band – Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen – speak in their new Netflix documentary about the fact they knew Jason was happy with a Take That comeback but not for very long.
The band began in the Nineties and had huge success as a boyband with fifth member Robbie Williams then split up in February 1996, a year after Robbie had quit..
But they were offered a lifeline in 2005 when Sony made a documentary about the band called Take That: For The Record. There was a premiere for the show launched at the end of the year, and the four members posed outside for the first time in around 10 years together to help create a buzz.
Despite the documentary being quite staged and awkward in places, it was a ratings hit on TV and led to the foursome being offered the chance to reform and go back on stage.
“We didn’t really know what reception it would have, whether anybody even cared,” Mark admits. After a night drinking together, and even performing the dance to Pray whilst tipsy to see if they could still do it, they agreed to say yes to the concert promoter and arena dates sold out in one morning.
Gary recalls: “I wanted to walk out on stage again. I wanted to sing again. I wanted that audience again. I was desperate for it all, but wanted it to be right for us all. I wanted it to be, to feel good for everyone. And I suppose that was new, because I didn’t really care about anybody else in the 90s, I just wanted to be all right for me.”
The Ultimate Tour was the first time that Take That had performed together since they split in 1996. It ran for a total of 33 shows and the four members – minus Robbie – reportedly banked over a million pounds each after tax, although their windfall is not discussed in the new documentary.
After the comeback tour, the band made new music, including the single Patience, which was a huge hit. Jason insisted the band got split royalties for tracks, which was not the case before when Gary got all the songwriting cash. He says previously Gary had refused to contemplate it.
Gary says: “When we came back…everyone wanted to write, and I realised this takes pressure off me. Now everybody’s sharing the burden of being a creative in a band.”
This was followed up by a Beautiful World Tour in 2007 and then Circus in 2009. Circus was a huge hit with fans and the band and featured stunts and animals. But by then Jason was weary of being on the road again and his appetite to continue was waning. The one thing that would actually keep him onside and on stage – was Robbie Williams.
Gary said: “I knew this was enough for him. I knew Jason was leaving. I think he’d found it hard coming back. I feel like he’d enjoyed the success, but he didn’t want it forever. I felt like to keep Jason, we’ve got to get Rob.”
Howard adds: “Oh, Jason promoted it quite heavy. The fact that he wanted to do this thing with Robbie. He worked together, five of us back together, make everything hunky dory.”
The band met Robbie in America and after a few false starts work on some music together and he joins them on the Progress tour of 2011. It was another huge success and it did stop Jason leaving – but only temporarily.
At the end of this tour, Jason quit – Robbie went back to being solo – and the band become a three piece, going back out on tour a few years later. Gary says Jason told them “I just don’t want to do this,” and he was walking away.
Howard recalls: “After that last(Progress) show, Jason sat us all down and said, Listen, I don’t want to be the band anymore. And I think I’m done. But it was really sad, because Jason felt like one of my best friends. I felt like we had so much in common. We’re from council houses and big families down to earth people. I’d had many laughs with and made me laugh so many times, but it was a scary time, because I almost felt like I was Going back to 96 again. It just was a very uncomfortable feeling. I didn’t really know where to turn.”
Mark adds: “It was a big, a big moment that for us, because now we’ve gone from five on stage to three of us. We’ve lost two members.”
The trio did eventually decide to continue to enjoy touring, albeit without Jason who they had alongside them for so long. Howard said: “We’re not young whipper snappers anymore, but we’re still out there selling tickets, and we’re hungry.”
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* Take That is released by Netflix on Tuesday January 27.
Friends are concerned that the star’s fans are worried that she will continue posting racy images on the adults-only website OnlyFans in order to pay the bills.
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Due to her reality TV success, Lauren Goodger overcame one of the first TOWIE millionaires by being flooded with photo opportunities, nightclub appearances, and brand deals. The star, however, revealed last week that she had no choice but to continue posting racy images on the adults-only website OnlyFans to pay the bills.
Lauren, 39, confessed that one subscriber even offered her £150,000 to spend the night with her – and admitted the proposition was “hard to turn down”. Speaking on Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich, the mum-of-one said, “I’ve been offered 150 grand for the night, that’s another whole world. Never. Not being wrong, it’s hard to turn down but I couldn’t. I can’t even sleep with a guy in real life.”
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However, friends worry that if Lauren doesn’t leave OnlyFans soon, she could turn her fans into a “dark place” and spend £6,500 on custom content.
Given the difficult circumstances surrounding the last few years, friends really don’t believe Lauren should take this course. They worry that Lauren may return to a dark place with just a few negative comments because she already has low self-esteem. However, she currently believes that this is her only financial means of support. She feels like she has reached a new level and has a chance to make some money because of it.
Since finding fame on TOWIE back in 2010, Lauren, 39, has endured several personal tragedies, which she believes left her with PTSD. In July 2022, her newborn daughter, Lorena, passed away shortly after birth. She’d broken up from her partner, Charles Drury, at the time amid cheating allegations, which he denied, and in 2024 the builder was cleared in court of assaulting Lauren on the day of their daughter’s funeral. Days before Lorena’s death, Lauren discovered her ex-partner of five years, Jake McLean, had died in a car crash.
Lauren claimed she “survived because I had no choice,” and then discussed how she felt “abandoned” and how her life “getting worse and worse” on Paul C. Brunson’s podcast, We Need to Talk. Lauren told Olivia in explaining her decision to join OnlyFans that she felt “backed into a corner” after the 2020 work stoppage.
She said, “I was like, I’m never doing OnlyFans, that’s not me,” when I was doing more TV work. “We entered Covid lockdown a few years later.” No filming or photo shoots are conducted. When these large bills arrived, I thought, “I have to pay this off.” I almost fell into a corner as a result. I thought, “I’m just going to have to do it.”
Lauren’s friends pleaded with her to leave OnlyFans, but Lauren claims she couldn’t support herself and her four-year-old daughter Larose, who she shares with Charles.
One of my friends asked, “Laura, please delete, you’re not required to do it; you’re so much better than this,” she continued. I wouldn’t be able to pay all of my bills without OnlyFans. Don’t judge me because I have my house, car, and child. To purchase a Chanel handbag, I’m not doing it. I require the funds. I only do it to support myself. I must continue to live.
The former Celebrity Big Brother contestant previously revealed she was making £30,000 a month when she first started the account, but her earnings dwindled after she became a mother.
Lauren acknowledged that making a living is not how she wants to live, saying, “I wouldn’t want to sit here and be like, “I absolutely love it. Do these men really want these pictures taken? How long will it take for everyone to learn about it? And I’m like, “Gosh, she’s a successful, lovely girl why she’s doing that?” However, that’s the negative perception. I can’t justify my position.
Lauren has been relentlessly targeted for her fluctuating weight over the years in addition to dealing with grief. She claimed she quit TOWIE in 2012 because she found it difficult to picture herself next to her slimmer co-stars.
In 2024, Lauren claimed she would have to keep her bra on if she had sex, saying, “I don’t want anyone to see me like this,” and that she would be criticized for it. She revealed plans to replace her breast implants with a more “natural” appearance last year.
Continue reading the article.
According to our source, Lauren, who turns 40 in September, continues to read offensive comments about herself. She “takes it all seriously,” according to our source, who will then wonder if they have a point.
“She’s very insecure about her weight and about getting older. But when she gets a bit of adoration it makes her feel better about herself, even if it’s from a stranger. Lauren looks at Kerry Katona and how she’s used OnlyFans to turn her life around, and she thinks she can do the same. It’s sad, but she feels like there’s no way out.”
The Princess of Wales made the announcement of her life’s work with her Shaping Us campaign exactly three years ago because she wanted to support the youngest members of society.
It has long been described as her life’s work – and when it comes to highlighting just how important early childhood can be, the Princess of Wales is set to mark a special anniversary.
It is exactly three years since Kate launched her five-year Shaping Us campaign, which aims to improve society’s understanding of the importance of early childhood in shaping adulthood and society as a whole. Ever since the campaign began back in 2023 with one of the most important speeches of her royal career, the princess has continued to highlight how children’s earliest experiences before the age of five can directly affect their later lives.
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The project has attracted support from countless celebrities, from the likes of podcaster Giovanna Fletcher and TV host Roman Kemp to even former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate.
Of course, Kate had to go through chemotherapy treatment a year into the special campaign after being diagnosed with cancer, which meant that her work had to be put on hold.
But with it now a year since she revealed the news she is now in remission – and those at the Centre for Early Childhood working hard to keep the campaign going in her absence – royal expert Jennie Bond tells the Mirror that it seems Kate’s cancer journey has reinforced her determination in helping the youngest in society.
The former BBC royal correspondent said: “It’s three years since the princess launched the Shaping Up campaign. At the time she was in good health with, as far as we know, no inkling of the difficult cancer journey that lay ahead.
She was laying the groundwork for her as a princess and, inevitably, as the queen. Catherine, the mother of three young children, made the decision to share her experience and opinions on how society can and must protect young minds and souls.
“The shock of being diagnosed with cancer has only served to reinforce her values and her belief in the importance of nurturing our youngsters, encouraging children to explore and live in harmony with nature and of finding joy in the simple things in life. Catherine now holds a deep belief in the power of nature, the need for us all to feel the connection with this world we live in and the fundamental importance of helping children explore that connection.”
Engagements highlighting the early years have been at the top of Kate’s agenda over the past 12 months, as she has gradually begun to return to her royal duties. There was a fun visit to Home Start Oxford, where she played with little ones, as well as a poignant engagement at the Anna Freud Centre in London, where she discussed the vital role of relationships and connection in shaping babies, children and young people’s future life outcomes.
Kate wrote a powerful essay in one of her boldest campaigns in October that outlines the dangers of screen time and how it can affect a child’s development.
Kate set out the biggest insight into her work yet when she aired her concerns about the problems posed by modern technology at the expense of family life in an essay written in collaboration with Professor Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development.
The princess, who took the lead in the article, claimed that focusing on maintaining healthy and happy relationships with family and friends was essential to maintaining positive relationships for generations. She added that teaching children to develop “strong social and emotional skills” would enable them to maintain positive relationships for decades.
And just weeks later, she delivered her first public address since returning to her job after receiving a personal plea to business leaders to prioritize “time and tenderness” over “productivity.”
Kate told how “love is the first and most essential bond” in a child’s life as she called on firms to invest in the development of children in the early years in order to create a healthier and happier society.
Through her work, she brought together business leaders and experts who recognized the value of family life throughout the nation. The princess addressed business leaders with a direct message to convince them to support her groundbreaking project.
Her taskforce released a report last year that suggested a range of interventions, including creating a culture that prioritizes children’s development inside and outside of businesses and providing parents with more resources and flexibility at work. It also stated that the country could invest an estimated £45.5 billion in early childhood investment.
Kate is said to have set herself a new goal to promote “the power of creativity” in order to unite families and communities in a new goal for 2026.
Mum-of-three Kate is working with royal aides to create a new programme of public engagements, as well as specific projects for the coming year, which will centre on highlighting the importance of connection and quality human relationships.
The princess was addressing her own experience, according to a royal source, and she will undoubtedly look into this further in the future. She firmly believes that soaking herself in nature, focusing on the joy of creativity, and being surrounded by loved ones, contributed to her recovery. The healing power of creativity is definitely something that has resonated throughout her work and will be explored further in the future”.
Jennie continued, “It all sounds a little airy fairy, but I think it makes perfect sense. Too frequently, when things go wrong, there is a pattern. Habits can be handed down through the generations. Addicts can breed addicts, and the abused can all too easily turn into addicts. Both good and bad behavior can be learned.
Thus, as Catherine claims, having it right in the first year of life is essential to a healthy, happy adult life. When she says these are the preventative years, I believe she is correct. They are the years and experiences that ‘ shape us ‘ and will shape future society. Catherine has a lifelong passion for this subject and has gained a reputation for it.
Of course, Kate will have had the opportunity to put into practice some of what she has learned during her work with the early years with her own children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and seven-year-old Prince Louis.
Both she and husband Prince William have made it known that none of their children have smartphones at home and that they encourage their young ones to talk about their feelings and fears – especially in the wake of Kate’s health journey.
Kate, who was raised by herself, was blessed with loving parents, close relationships with her siblings, Pippa and James, who she appears determined to emulate with her own family unit.
And Jennie thinks that Kate’s formative years have served as the catalyst for making sure that every child receives the care and support she cherished as a child and that they are supporting her in raising the monarchy’s future.
She said:” Catherine knows how fortunate she was to have a solid, loving upbringing. She is teaching her children the same lesson. She is making an effort to make this a commonplace in society as a whole.
“I think as her own children grow older, she will (hopefully) look on them with a measure of pride that she has given them the very best of her, and encouraged them to play and explore and understand nature in a way that will have made them confident, compassionate young human beings and and rounded adults”.
Madison Keys’ unfamiliar opponent only made things more intense if she didn’t feel sufficiently anxious before defending her Australian Open title.
The 30-year-old American won her first Grand Slam title in Melbourne 12 months prior to a magical run there.
However, she made a gimmick of her own on Tuesday, losing to Grand Slam debutant Oleksandra Oliynykova for the first four games.
Afterward, Keys claimed that she had had trouble finding footage of her opponent to help her prepare because Oliynykova’s defensive play style didn’t mesh well with her big-hitting game.
However, the Ukrainian won 7-6 (8-6) 6-1, the ninth seed eventually settled down.
Keys said, “I’ve been considering this situation for essentially a year.
You are struck in a way that I don’t think you can ever fully explain when they say, “Read, play.”
As anxious and stressful as that can be, I keep thinking about how few people actually get to be there.
17 hours ago
22 hours ago
19 hours ago
Keys started this season with quarter-final defeats to Brisbane and Adelaide, but she lost no one to her major success in 2025.
Keys, who is currently competing in her 50th Grand Slam game, took much longer to unwind than Oliynykova, who was ranked 92nd overall, and suffered three double blunders in the loss of her opening service match.
Keys, however, rallied from a 4-0 deficit to end the tie-break and rallied from that deficit to win the opener.
The second set was set up with compatriot Ashlyn Krueger, but Keys and her teammate Ashlyn Krueger clashed after the second set in 28 minutes.
Keys remarked, “I initially felt like I was playing a little timid and not really trusting my first instinct.”
Oliynykova honors the soldier father
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As she faced the first time against a top-50 player, Oliynykova’s face was covered in tiny flowers.
The 25-year-old described it as “the best experience in my career” and “something I’ll remember up until the end of my life” after scaring the reigning champion in the biggest match of her career to date.
She claims that her father, who is a member of Ukraine’s military, is inspired to make him proud.
She said, “I am aware that he wanted to see me on this court.”
I’ll do everything to honor him even more. I fulfilled his dream.
Since Russia’s invasion of her country began in February 2022, Oliynykova has been training there throughout her lifetime.
Prior to departing for Australia, Oliynykova mentioned an incident where a drone struck a home just across the road.
