Gemma Collins, the former The Only Way Is Essex star, has shared a health update despite having battled the virus for almost a month. She is adamant about sticking to her work obligations.
Gemma Collins has said that she feels like she’s ‘dying’(Image: Instagram/gemmacollins)
Gemma Collins has said that she feels like she’s ‘dying’ as her vital Pneumonia battle enters its fourth week. The former TOWIE star, 44, was struck down with the debilitating illness almost a month ago and has been struggling to breathe since.
On Wednesday, a bedridden Gemma took to Instagram to share an update about her health, revealing that she had been seriously unwell for a number of weeks. In her post, which included a photo of the reality TV star laying in bed, she wrote: “Hey guys sorry been quiet i have Pneumonia. I’m not as fast or on it as I usually am on the daily. I am still honouring my work commitments which is taking every bit of energy I have but will be back entertaining you all soon.”
Gemma also disclosed a second update to her Instagram Story that claimed she had been seen and being treated via a drip. The much-loved TV star was diagnosed with pneumonia, an infection-like pulmonary inflammation that is typically present in people. Infants, the elderly, and those with heart or lung conditions are at a higher risk of severe illness and may need hospitalization, compared to the majority of recoveries in two to four weeks.
A health update has been shared by Gemma Collins.
Luckily, Gemma has not had to go to hospital, but speaking to The Mirror, she admitted that she feels as though ‘she’s dying’. “Because the Pneumonia is viral, no antibiotic is going to help me. I’ve been really short of breath and obviously I have work commitments that I would never not turn up to. I’m old-school, I would always fulfill my work commitments.
I’ve had it for more than three weeks and my doctor prescribed steroids to me. “It’s shocking. I had to take them to DJ Fat Tony’s wedding to get past that, but now that I’m off, the sickness is returning. I normally have a lot of energy and I’m always enjoying life, but now I’m really tired and feel like I’m dying. “
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Gemma’s doctor, thankfully, has now revealed that she will have her final chest scans this weekend, and that she is now through the worst of it. I’m praying that I’ll soon be back on track as soon as the doctor visits my home.
Gemma had the doctors come to her house(Image: Instagram/gemmacollins)
Gemma has tried her best to slow down and recover from her crippling health battle the past month, but she admits that it’s not in her blood to do so. I have two weeks off before I can get a proper rest because I have one more job this weekend and two more weeks to go. But I’m not comfortable with it. I’m just one of those people who must be working at all hours, and I feel so bad about it.
When Gemma announced her health woes earlier this week, fans and famous friends alike rushed to wish her well in the comment section. “You giving us all so much energy and good vibes! Get your rest! Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you,” X Factor legends Jedward told their close pal. EastEnders and Celebrity Big Brother star also shared her love by leaving Gemma a love-heart emoji under her post.
SlayStation will kick off at King’s Cross Station on 7th June(Image: Instagram/loveofhuns/trainline)
Gemma is putting together an exciting event that she will be hosting alongside Trainline today at King’s Cross station in London despite the fact that her body requires the most of its possible rest. SlayStation, the glam stop of dreams, will be introduced by the GC liaison to help fans get off to a great start on their Big Night Out journey.
SlayStation from Trainline will be available before fans head out on their big nights out, whether it be for a last-minute touch-up, a photo-ready refresh, or just to get you in the mood. Professional hair, makeup, and glam artists will be present, along with accessories to match up your look and selfie opportunities set against an Instagram backdrop.
On June 7th, SlayStation will launch at King’s Cross Station.
Jo Whiley, who is narrating a new National Rail guide about Britain’s biggest musical locations, talks rock and roll nights, her milestone 60th and swapping raves for wild swimming
Jo admits she’s grateful to be making it to 60 – as some friends haven’t (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Kil)
Jo Whiley has been at the centre of popular music for 30 years, interviewing the biggest stars and discovering the hottest new talents. It’s made the Radio 2 favourite an oracle on bands, beats and beyond. As she gets ready to celebrate her 60th birthday this summer, Jo looks back on her exciting career, from partying with U2 to turning to Coldplay’s Chris Martin for advice – and speaking exclusively to OK!, shares what she really thinks about the big Oasis reunion.
“I don’t feel very old at all,” beams a glowing Jo, fresh from a day in the garden and a restorative massage. I still feel like I’m 17 or 27. Sixty – it’s a weird thing to get your head around. I’m alive and that’s the greatest thing. I’m healthy and I’m lucky to be here, because lots of people we’ve grown up with aren’t here any more.”
READ MORE: Nintendo release retro-inspired GameCube controller in time for Switch 2 release
Jo has been a staple in the Beeb’s Glastonbury coverage
Radiating energy and happiness, Jo speaks with as much passion about music now as she did at the start of her career. Rising up through the ranks of radio, she’s become an influential voice in the industry while presenting one of the biggest shows in the country.
“I’m super happy to be still doing my job,” grins the mum-of-four. “I never had a game plan, never had any wild ambition or intention. I’ve just been phenomenally lucky to still be here doing a radio show, doing these gigs and going to festivals. I’m just really grateful people still want me.”
A champion for new music and a celebrator of vintage tunes, Jo says she’s delighted with the resurgence of 90s Britpop bands such as Oasis, Blur and Pulp, who were coming up in the industry at the time she was – and she’s enjoying reuniting with them.
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“All these bands I knew 30 years ago are still being phenomenally creative, and that’s lovely,” she says. “But also, I’m enjoying talking to them as an adult. When we were young and I was doing interviews with them, we were all a bit awkward and kind of didn’t know how to speak to people. But now we can have proper conversations. It’s lovely. We’re genuinely friends because we’ve known each other such a long time. We’ve grown up together.”
Jo and youngest daughter Coco are among the lucky ones who’ve managed to bag tickets to see Oasis live this year – something Jo never thought she’d see. “I said Oasis would never get back together again, so I’m not going to predict anything!” she laughs.
The BBC R adio 2 DJ confesses turning 60 is ‘weird to get your head around’(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Women of the Year)
“Coco’s so excited about seeing them, and it’s kind of given me a renewed love of them too, so I’m really excited about going to see them. It’ll be very emotional for everybody who goes, and it’ll also be interesting to see how the boys are on stage these days.”
Over the decades, Jo has enjoyed incredible access to the world ’s biggest music icons, from George Michael to David Bowie. Looking back at some of her favourite deep dives, she says chatting to the Queen of Pop is among her top experiences.
“Interviewing Madonna at any point is always really enjoyable,” says Jo. “I really like her. She listens very carefully to what you ask her, and then she’ll contemplate her answer. Also, Bono is one of the dream storytellers, so any question you ever ask him will have some amazing anecdotes and will make you laugh at the end of it.”
Jo reveals some of her wildest nights out have come courtesy of Bono and his iconic band, U2. “I’ve never been a massive socialiser, but U2 have been responsible for some of the best nights out I’ve ever had,” she reveals. “They enjoyed showing us what Dublin is like, and they show great hospitality.”
Letting loose at festivals is what Jo enjoys most now, but not in the ways she once did. Night raves are out and lake swimming is in for fitness fanatic Jo. “My idea of fun is getting up dead early and going swimming at Latitude,” she says. “I see people coming in after a great night out, and I’m there in my swimming costume ready to get in the water. I always make my gang get up early and come dipping with me at 8am, which they hate me for but it’s also very fun.”
Madonna is always an entertaining interview, says Jo(Image: Getty Images)
It’s all part of Jo’s fitness routine – something she’s grown passionate about in recent years. She turned to the gym to “save” herself from debilitating menopause symptoms – and earned some impressive abs in the process. “I go to the gym and see a trainer maybe once a week,” she says. “I’ve tried Reformer Pilates. I’m not a naturally stretchy person, but it’s good. As I got older, I was like, ‘I want to be strong and I want to be active.’ Exercise is just a huge part of my life.”
Being in the DJ booth at her 90s anthems gigs across the UK also sounds like a pretty intense workout. “It’s physically gruelling,” she chuckles. “It’s like doing some kind of Jane Fonda workout for an hour and a half on stage, because I don’t just stand there – I get really involved in the songs. You can’t stand still when you’re playing something like Fatboy Slim or Pulp or James. It’s impossible.”
Inspired by lively legends such as Mick Jagger and Sting, Jo too wants to be able to rock out into her eighties. “I saw Sting in concert last year and he was really good and amazingly fit,” she recalls. “When you talk about fitness, being strong and owning your body, he looks just unbelievable.
“How do they do it? Because honestly, an hour and a half on stage and I’m really hurting afterwards. So how someone like Mick Jagger does what he does… it’s unreal! I guess you get to a point when you’re like, OK, right, all this debauchery and all that stuff, it’s got to stop because I’m not going to be here or in a fit state to enjoy the rest of my life.”
The radio host says Bono and the U2 lads have been part of her wildest rock and roll nights out
Surrounded by musical maestros full of words of wisdom, Jo is never short of valuable advice. She counts Coldplay frontman Chris Martin as one of her close friends, and says he’s always on hand when she needs a pep talk. “If ever I’ve had a tough time or something’s going on, I’ve often turned to Chris, and he’s really good at dispensing advice,” she shares. “He tells me to just chill out. He’s wise. I can’t think of any particular piece of advice because they’re often like long poems.
“Bono said the best piece of advice he’d been given was by Chrissie Hynde. She told him the best way to live is to make sure you live a long life and don’t die choking on your own vomit somewhere. So the smart thing to do is to get fit, look after yourself and enjoy a long life.”
That’s certainly what Jo is doing. She’s also enjoying a busy phase at work. Her latest project has involved travelling up and down the country by train with National Rail, narrating a new guide to locations that have inspired huge music acts.
“It’s encouraging people to do pilgrimages to places where artists have been inspired to write songs, and that’s a really lovely thing to do,” she explains. “I can remember taking the train with my friends to the Haçienda in Manchester, going to see New Order or Happy Mondays – bands that were key to my career.
Jo is narrating a new National Rail guide to places that have inspired huge musical acts(Image: Good Relations)
“Antony Szmierek, a new up and coming artist I love, has a song called The Great Pyramid Of Stockport , so I went there. I went to Denmark Street, where Elton John wrote Your Song , and visited the pub in Taylor Swift ’s song, The Black Dog . It’s been a real musical education.”
Looking ahead to her 60th birthday in July, Jo shares her plans for a knees-up at her Northamptonshire home, surrounded by friends and family – including her husband, music executive Steve Morton, and their four children, India, 33, Jude, 26, Cassius, 24, and Coco, 16.
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“I’m having a barn dance,” she reveals. “I did it 10 years ago, so I thought I might as well do it again. We’ll have a big old hoedown – cowboy boots, gingham, the lot. Or maybe I’ll be Calamity Jane. I’m definitely dressing up. We have lots of parties and people always get dressed up. We’ve got the most insane fancy dress emporium above the garage, with many boxes of costumes we’ve worn over the years. I could open a fancy dress shop!”
As she enters her seventh decade, what’s next for Jo? Dreaming of more distant shores, Jo says, “More than anything, I want to do more travelling, because I never have time to go away. Whether it’s climbing Mount Snowdon or going to Japan or Canada… my greatest fear is I won’t get to see those places. I need to make it happen.”
Coleen and Wayne Rooney have had some rollercoaster times in their marriage – but as they prepare to celebrate their 12-year anniversary, a source claims they’ve ‘never been stronger’
Coleen has stood by her man through thick and thin(Image: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
Wayne and Coleen Rooney were photographed looking more down in the dumps than loved-up on a pre-anniversary dinner date last week – but a source tells new they couldn’t be happier. The power couple tied the knot on 12 July 2008, with the priest stating that the future would have its “pleasures and pains, its joys and sorrows”.
Truer words were never spoken as the couple, both 39, have since found themselves embroiled in public cheating scandals, brushes with the law, shock job losses and, of course, the famous Wagatha Christie court battle with Rebekah Vardy. “They’ve had a lot of heartbreak and troubles,” our source said.
READ MORE: Shoppers praise ‘flattering’ and ‘comfortable’ swimsuit loved by This Morning’s Cat Deeley
Coleen and Wayne were childhood sweethearts(Image: Instagram/coleen_rooney)
They’ve had major ups and downs, but their bond remains strong
“Wayne has put his hands up and apologised for his fair share of them but they’ve made it through it all – a lot of people thought they wouldn’t. The Wagatha court case was another drama but it actually brought them closer together. Wayne was so supportive and that really meant a lot to Coleen. At the moment, their marriage has never been better or stronger.”
Over the years, the childhood sweethearts, who met on their local Croxteth estate as young teens, have remained united, if a little bruised at times. Former Manchester United ace Wayne was the trigger for most of the dramas, which started with allegations of him having a threesome behind Coleen’s back when she was pregnant with their firstborn son, Kai, in 2009.
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He was then charged with drink-driving in 2017 after being pulled over by police with fellow party-goer Laura Simpson in the passenger seat beside him. Shortly after the arrest, Coleen took to Facebook to deliver a lengthy statement about her marriage, and declared defiantly she would be “fine on her own” with just her children.
“But I don’t want to live like that,” she continued. “I want to try and continue our marriage and live as a family because that’s what I want to do. I know my own mind and it’s something I want to try and work on… Yes, it has been a s**t time.”
The pair still make the effort for fun date nights
But that wasn’t the last of their so-called s**t times, as the I’m A Celebrity runner-up puts it. They found themselves at the centre of another storm recently when a video published on X led to speculation about Wayne returning to his wayward ways. The heavily-edited clip was filmed in the Devon apartment Wayne lived in during his short-lived tenure as Plymouth Argyle manager, and showed a tracksuit-clad man, believed to be Wayne, letting a woman inside the front door.
However, Wayne wasn’t prepared to ignore the accusations, and released a statement on Instagram defending himself against the rumours and denying any wrongdoing. Over the years, even Coleen, who shares sons Kai, 15, Klay, 12, Kit, nine, and Cass, seven, with Wayne, has admitted there were some who doubted she would – or should – get over her public heartache.
In their bombshell Rooney documentary that aired in 2022, she tackled the topic of their lowest moments head on, and confessed she’d learnt to block out other people’s opinions.
“When you’re making those decisions you’ve got to focus on what you want and not other people because” she said, “you have so many people saying different things to you. ‘Oh, why is she getting back with him?’ “Obviously, I listen to the people that matter to me, my mum and dad; they’ve always given me a positive outlook on things.”
The couple share a brood of four boys together(Image: @coleen_rooney/Instagram)
Last year, Coleen had her own positive moment in the spotlight when she was voted into second place on I’m A Celebrity. She was reportedly one of the series’ highest paid stars, and didn’t disappoint during her three weeks in the jungle. Viewers loved seeing a less polished and often hilarious version of the mum-of-four, who said afterwards she’d had “so many people coming up to me and saying that they understand my life”.
Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast earlier this year, shortly after Wayne left his role as Plymouth manager, Coleen also addressed the doubts about her marriage, saying, “People are so opinionated, but I’ve always thought that it’s my life, so let me get on with it – it’s got nothing to do with anyone else.”
According to our source, the pair remain unshakeable and will continue to weather the storms that come their way. “They’ve honestly been through so many ups and downs but Coleen has loved Wayne since she was 16. It’s a love that can’t be broken and they’re really happy to be celebrating their anniversary in such a great place.
“They’ve got a wonderful family and, despite everything, have managed to remain in love and strong after all these years. Coleen couldn’t be happier they’ve made it through and is now glad she always stuck with it.”
Jo Whiley, who is narrating a new National Rail guide about Britain’s biggest musical locations, discusses rock and roll nights, her 60th birthday, and swapping raves for wild swimming.
Jo admits she’s grateful to be making it to 60 – as some friends haven’t (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Kil)
Jo Whiley has been at the centre of popular music for 30 years, interviewing the biggest stars and discovering the hottest new talents. It’s made the Radio 2 favourite an oracle on bands, beats and beyond. As she gets ready to celebrate her 60th birthday this summer, Jo looks back on her exciting career, from partying with U2 to turning to Coldplay’s Chris Martin for advice – and speaking exclusively to OK!, shares what she really thinks about the big Oasis reunion.
“I don’t feel very old at all,” beams a glowing Jo, fresh from a day in the garden and a restorative massage. I still feel like I’m 17 or 27. Sixty – it’s a weird thing to get your head around. I’m alive and that’s the greatest thing. I’m healthy and I’m lucky to be here, because lots of people we’ve grown up with aren’t here any more.”
READ MORE: Nintendo release retro-inspired GameCube controller in time for Switch 2 release
Jo has been a fixture in the Beeb’s coverage of Glastonbury.
Radiating energy and happiness, Jo speaks with as much passion about music now as she did at the start of her career. She has become a powerful voice in the field while presenting one of the nation’s biggest shows, rising up through the ranks of radio.
“I’m so happy that I’m still working,” grins the mother-of-four. I never had a game plan, never had any wild ambition or intention. I’ve just had the absolute best of all of my opportunities while still running a radio show, playing these gigs, and attending festivals. I’m simply appreciative of how people still want me.
A champion for new music and a celebrator of vintage tunes, Jo says she’s delighted with the resurgence of 90s Britpop bands such as Oasis, Blur and Pulp, who were coming up in the industry at the time she was – and she’s enjoying reuniting with them.
Continue reading the article.
She says, “All these bands I knew 30 years ago are still being incredibly creative, and that’s lovely.” But also, I’m enjoying talking to them as an adult. When we were young, we were all awkward and just plain rude in our interactions. However, we can now engage in respectful conversation. It’s lovely. Because we’ve known each other for so long, we’re genuinely friends. We have a common ground.
Jo and youngest daughter Coco are among the lucky ones who’ve managed to bag tickets to see Oasis live this year – something Jo never thought she’d see. “I said Oasis would never get back together again, so I’m not going to predict anything!” she laughs.
The BBC R adio 2 DJ confesses turning 60 is ‘weird to get your head around’(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Women of the Year)
Coco says, “I’m really excited about seeing them because she’s so excited about seeing them, and it’s kind of given me a renewed love of them too.” Everyone who attends will experience a lot of emotion, and it’ll be interesting to see how the boys are performing these days.
Over the decades, Jo has enjoyed incredible access to the world ’s biggest music icons, from George Michael to David Bowie. Looking back at some of her favourite deep dives, she says chatting to the Queen of Pop is among her top experiences.
“Interviewing Madonna at any point is always really enjoyable,” says Jo. “I really like her. She listens very carefully to what you ask her, and then she’ll contemplate her answer. Also, Bono is one of the dream storytellers, so any question you ever ask him will have some amazing anecdotes and will make you laugh at the end of it.”
Jo reveals some of her wildest nights out have come courtesy of Bono and his iconic band, U2″. She reveals that U2 have provided some of the best nights out I’ve ever had despite never being a huge socialiser. They showed us a lot of Dublin and showed us some great hospitality.
Letting loose at festivals is what Jo enjoys most now, but not in the ways she once did. Night raves are out and lake swimming is in for fitness fanatic Jo. “My idea of fun is getting up dead early and going swimming at Latitude,” she says. “I see people coming in after a great night out, and I’m there in my swimming costume ready to get in the water. I always make my gang get up early and come dipping with me at 8am, which they hate me for but it’s also very fun.”
Madonna is always an entertaining interview, says Jo(Image: Getty Images)
It’s all part of Jo’s fitness routine – something she’s grown passionate about in recent years. She turned to the gym to “save” herself from debilitating menopause symptoms – and earned some impressive abs in the process. “I go to the gym and see a trainer maybe once a week,” she says. “I’ve tried Reformer Pilates. I’m not a naturally stretchy person, but it’s good. As I got older, I was like, ‘I want to be strong and I want to be active.’ Exercise is just a huge part of my life.”
It sounds pretty intense to work in the DJ booth at her 90s anthem gigs all over the UK. She chuckles, “it’s physically grueling.” It’s like doing some kind of Jane Fonda workout for an hour and a half on stage, because I don’t just stand there – I get really involved in the songs. When you’re playing a game like Fatboy Slim, Pulp, or James, you can’t stand still. “It’s impossible.”
Inspired by lively legends such as Mick Jagger and Sting, Jo too wants to be able to rock out into her eighties”. She recalls seeing Sting in concert last year, and he was fantastic and amazingly fit. He looks incredible when you talk about having a body, being strong, and having a body.
“How do they do it? Since I’m only an hour and a half on stage, I’m really hurting afterward. It’s unbelievable how someone like Mick Jagger behaves in this manner! I guess you get to a point when you’re like, OK, right, all this debauchery and all that stuff, it’s got to stop because I’m not going to be here or in a fit state to enjoy the rest of my life”.
The radio host claims Bono and the U2 duo were a part of her wildest rock and roll nights.
Jo is never short of valuable advice, always surrounded by musical wizards who are full of wisdom. She counts Coldplay frontman Chris Martin as one of her close friends, and says he’s always on hand when she needs a pep talk. She says, “Chris is really good at dispensing advice, and he’s really good at handling things when I’ve had a difficult time or something goes on” whenever she needs it. He advises me to “just chill out.” He’s wise. Because they frequently resemble long poems, I can’t come up with any specific advice.
“Bono said the best piece of advice he’d been given was by Chrissie Hynde. She told him the best way to live is to make sure you live a long life and don’t die choking on your own vomit somewhere. So the smart thing to do is to get fit, look after yourself and enjoy a long life.”
Jo is undoubtedly doing that. She’s also enjoying a busy phase at work. Her most recent project involved taking National Rail to locations that have inspired massive music acts by traveling by train across the nation.
She explains that it’s encouraging people to travel to places where writers have found inspiration to write songs. “It’s really lovely things to do,” she says. I can remember taking the train with my friends to the Haçienda in Manchester, going to see New Order or Happy Mondays – bands that were key to my career.
Jo is narrating a new National Rail guide to places that have inspired huge musical acts(Image: Good Relations)
“Antony Szmierek, a new up and coming artist I love, has a song called The Great Pyramid Of Stockport , so I went there. I went to Denmark Street, where Elton John wrote Your Song , and visited the pub in Taylor Swift ’s song, The Black Dog . It’s been a real musical education.”
Jo Jo plans to kneel up at her Northamptonshire home in the summer of 2016 while her husband, music businessman Steve Morton, and their four children, India, 33, Jude, 26, Cassius, 24, and Coco, 16, are present.
Continue reading the article.
“I’m having a barn dance”, she reveals. I did it ten years ago, so I decided to do it again. Cowboy boots, gingham, and the rest will be present for a big old hoedown. Or maybe I’ll be Calamity Jane. I’m definitely wearing a skirt. People always dress up for the parties we have. We’ve got the most insane fancy dress emporium above the garage, with many boxes of costumes we’ve worn over the years. I might start a fancy dress boutique.
What will Jo do as she enters her seventh decade? Dreaming of more distant shores, Jo says, “More than anything, I want to do more travelling, because I never have time to go away. My greatest fear is that I won’t be able to see those locations, whether it’s climbing Mount Snowdon or visiting Japan or Canada. I must take action to bring it about.
In Los Angeles, riot police and demonstrators squared off in the middle of a protest against federal immigration raids, sparking tense exchanges.
During raids throughout Los Angeles city earlier on Friday, immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents detained dozens of people.
As part of the operation, vans of uniformed federal agents and unmarked military-style vans streamed through the city.
According to the Los Angeles City News Service, ICE agents dug up several locations, including a Home Depot in Westlake District, a clothing store in the city’s Fashion District, and a clothing warehouse in South Los Angeles.
Anti-ICE slogans were spray-painted on the walls of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles in response to the raids as protesters gathered outside a jail where some of the detainees were allegedly detained and chanted in protest.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers were called in to halt the unrest, who did not participate in the immigration raids. After the protesters were given a Friday night order to disperse, LAPD officers confronted them with batons and tear gas rifles.
According to the Reuters news agency, some protesters reportedly hurled concrete at LAPD officers. Police reacted by spraying pepper spray and tear gas in volleys.
According to Reuters, LAPD spokesman Drake Madison claimed police on the scene had declared the gathering an unlawful assembly, meaning that those who didn’t leave the area could face arrest.
How many arrests have been made is not immediately known.
preventing fear and tyranny
Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass criticized the federal immigration raids, calling them “terrorists and disruptive of fundamental safety standards in our city.”
Only three lawyers have been granted access to the detention facility where they are being held to provide legal advice, according to National Day Laborer Organizing Network’s Caleb Soto. Between 70 and 80 people have been detained, according to Al Jazeera.
According to Soto, “the chaotic manner of the raids that we witnessed today happening throughout Los Angeles and various day-work places and garment worker work sites was an illustration of the Trump administration’s stated goal, which is to create as much fear as possible,” according to Soto.
He claimed that the ICE agents conducting the raids did not obtain the judicial warrant that was required by US law and that was granted by a judge if there was probable cause to arrest due to alleged criminal activity.
Soto claimed that ICE agents were “showing up at work sites where they know there are many immigrant workers” and “people without documents” and that they had a “reasonable suspicion” that the person had an undocumented status if they started running.
They begin arresting people who live there and nearby, using that as a pretext. That strikes us as being fairly unconstitutional, he said.
As part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the Los Angeles raids are the most recent sweeps to occur in a number of US cities.
After taking office in January, Trump promised to detain and deport undocumented immigrants in record numbers.
Would Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez swap the mariachi music of hometown Guadalajara for a tune from Barnsley’s brass bands?
Or maybe the Mexican superstar would prefer to sip a bitter ale, rather than tequila, while listening to cricketing tales from the town’s legendary umpire Dickie Bird?
For British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Callum Simpson, a fight against undisputed king Alvarez at the home of his beloved Barnsley Football Club isn’t as far-fetched as many might think.
“I’ll show him the town during fight week. Barnsley Town Hall is a beautiful building. For me, it’s the ninth wonder of the world,” the 28-year-old says with a grin.
“But seriously, two years ago, I did an interview saying I want to fight Canelo at Oakwell Stadium and people laughed, saying ‘you’ll never fight at Oakwell let alone Canelo’.
“But on Saturday I’m fighting at Oakwell for the second time in 10 months, having sold thousands of tickets, so why not Canelo at some point?”
Realistically, sharing the ring with Alvarez – who will defend his crown against American icon Terence Crawford in September – is a fair way away. And it is unlikely the 34-year-old has heard of Barnsley, let alone able to point it out on a map.
But Simpson, undefeated in 17 fights, is confident he will land a world-title shot next year.
First, though, he must overcome unbeaten Italian Ivan Zucco – who has 18 stoppages in 21 wins – for the vacant European title on Saturday.
A fanbase built by real-life interactions
Getty Images
Simpson was cheered to domestic honours by 7,000 fans when the hometown hero beat Zak Chelli at a limited-capacity Oakwell last August, but promoters Boxxer expect close to 15,000 on Saturday.
“I’ve done 3,500 tickets on my own – just from family, friends and messages on social media,” he says.
Being a huge ticket seller can take you far in the sport, and Simpson has built his own fortress of fans in south Yorkshire.
The secret is a genuine connection with his local community through personal interactions.
Simpson spends evenings at his local pub, personally handing out tickets.
“None of this is artificial. I’d like to think I’m just naturally a nice, hard-working person with a good heart, and people from Barnsley want to back me,” he adds.
Speaking to BBC Sport via video call while parked up in his car, Simpson is on his way to volunteer for a foodbank at a local supermarket.
“I try to give back to my community and I try to get to every charity event or local football game I can,” he says.
How family tragedy led to new-found perspective
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Simpson has a “new-found perspective” on boxing after his sister, Lily Rae-Simpson, tragically died aged 19 in a car accident in Greece last year.
“I always wanted to make my little sister proud, when she was with us and even now when she’s not,” he says.
“She’s still in the ring with me and I feel her presence there. When I’m training I can hear her voice and I can dig that little bit deeper.”
Simpson says he has watched videos recently from his win over Chelli, with Lily chanting his name and smiling in the Oakwell stands.
“That was the last fight she saw me in and it’s [Saturday] going to be an emotional night for my family,” he reveals.
