Amanda Holden makes on-air plea to husband Chris as she hints at family regret

Heart Radio presenter Amanda Holden joked it will be “very difficult” for her husband to turn her suggestion down, as she spoke out about their family life

Amanda Holden has opened up about her desire to expand her family with husband Chris Hughes. The 53-year-old star has been married to her second spouse since 2008, after the pair first met in Los Angeles.

Two years before tying the knot, they welcomed their first daughter together, Lexi, now 19.

The couple tragically lost their second child, Theo, in 2011 after he was stillborn, before going on to welcome their second daughter, Hollie, the following year.

Speaking on Heart Breakfast on Wednesday, Amanda admitted she wished she had been able to have more children with her spouse.

During a discussion with Jamie Theakston and Ashley Roberts, she said: “Oh I would’ve had loads if I had met Chris earlier, I would’ve had loads.

“I would’ve gone for four I think, but yeah I’m going to say we had three, we ended up with two if you know what I mean.”

She went on to add: “[We’ve got] lots of furry babies, I’m going to have to talk to Chris because I really want to rescue another puppy and if he’s listening and it goes out on air, it’ll be very difficult for him to turn me down.”

In a bid to twist his arm further, she added: “Darling, I love you.”

The couple are already proud owners of rescue dog Rudie and Muffy the cat from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Last year, Amanda brought home another cat named Bolt, after falling in love with him during a holiday in Greece.

However, introducing her new furry friend into the household did not come without its challenges.

Speaking on the show in October, Amanda said an incident between her cats left her injured.

Opening the episode, Jamie said: “We’ve had a little bit of an emergency overnight,” before inviting Amanda to explain what had happened.

She then recounted: “Oh my gosh, well, I’ve been attacked by my own cat, not my rescue [cat], who is very sweet and is trying to be subservient with our Princess who is 15, [but] she is absolutely not having it.

“And yesterday they came across each other, we’ve been keeping them very separate. And I put my hand in, because they started fighting, and I had to try and separate them.

“I’ve never seen anything like it and my own cat got hold of my wrist with her teeth, and I literally lifted my arm in the air and she was still on it.”

After suffering symptoms following the incident, Amanda told listeners she had been prescribed medication by a doctor.

Towards the end of the show, she added: “I’ve just had a text from my husband saying I’ve really milked my cat bite this morning. He didn’t even realise that he’s done a little bit of a pun there. I haven’t milked it, it’s serious!”

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‘I have a starring role in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and I had to be carried off set’

MMA fighter Chi Lewis-Parry plays the terrifying 6ft 8in alpha zombie Samson in Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later – and one intense train scene left him so exhausted he couldn’t walk

MMA fighter Chi Lewis-Parry portrays a chilling “alpha zombie” in Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later films – but every inch of the 6ft 8in, 110kg actor is genuine, requiring only a movement coach to nail his chilling performance.

In the first 2025 instalment continuing the 28 Days Later franchise featuring Cillian Murphy, Lewis-Parry was instructed to “terrify” Boyle during his audition – and he evidently succeeded. The same nerve-shredding terror was inflicted upon audiences when the film hit cinemas. His character, dubbed the “king of the Alphas” or Samson, is frequently filmed lurking menacingly on the skyline, poised to hunt down the “un-infected” and rip out their spines in a process known as “de-spinning”.

Samson exists within a post-apocalyptic Britain devastated by the blood-borne Rage Virus that transforms people into zombies. Yet, as multiple new variants emerge over time, the unconventional Dr Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) attempts to restore humanity to the infected through gradual sedation – a key storyline in the 2026 sequel, 28 Years Later – The Bone Temple.

Lewis-Parry offers his own interpretation of what these variants represent. Speaking to The Metro, he explained: “I saw it as you became what you are in your society. So if you are an alpha in your everyday life, then you are an Alpha as the infected. The traits and characteristics of the Infected didn’t necessarily change from when they were human, but they are fuelled by rage, so control is lost”, reports the Daily Star.

In one scene, Samson is depicted as being conscious of his surroundings after tearing the skulls off a patrol of NATO soldiers. He said: “I remember when we shot that, it wasn’t on the page. That was something we came up with. Danny just said, ‘I want to include something here that shows he is conscious, what do you think?'”.

“That’s his creative genius is he lets you talk about things because we all inspire each other. There’s no ego involved – and he literally just made it up on the day, based off our conversation.” However, the train scene in The Bone Temple sees Samson’s appearance not as one of gentle compassion – but of chaotic violence.

The scene demanded such physical exertion from Lewis-Parry that he had to be literally carried off set at the end of the day – which is no small feat for an MMA fighter. The brutal fight to the death with an infected on the train took all of the 42-year-old’s energy. Lewis-Parry told Dextero: “We shot that whole train scene in a day, it was from morning all the way to the ‘hero’ shot at nighttime. It was the whole day.

“I’d said, ‘OK, if we’re going to fit this into one day, I’ll let you know that I’m going to give you everything I’ve got. If you change your mind and say we’re doing stuff tomorrow, you cannot expect me tomorrow. I had to be carried out of there, I couldn’t walk. I was busted, man, like I was really battered and was limping my way out of that train.”

In the first flm, there was considerable discussion about a specific feature of the Alpha Zombie – but Lewis-Parry reassured fans that the infected characters wear prosthetic genitals for both modesty and legal compliance, given that the production involved working with then 12 year old lead Alfie Williams, who plays Spike.

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Lewis-Parry explained: “I never at any point thought I was going to be walking around in the nip.” The 42-year-old Hitchin native also collaborated with a movement coach to fully realise his portrayal of Samson. Toby Sedgwick created the distinctive, jerky yet unique sprint of the infected – a departure from the sluggish shuffle of zombies in other franchises. Lewis-Parry interpreted Samson as having “more control over the state that the infection puts him in, so that actually makes him more dangerous.

“I felt like it looked like he was trying too hard, and I didn’t want him to be trying anything – everything he did was just incidental. So I started to look at legendary movement, people like Andy Serkis, who is, in my opinion, the greatest all time. I looked at how he moved.”

Photos: Power outages leave people in freezing conditions in Kyiv

Emergency repair crews are working tirelessly to restore power in Ukraine’s Kyiv region, after relentless Russian attacks on energy infrastructure left residents exposed during the coldest winter in years.

In Boryspil, a town of approximately 60,000 people, workers are dismantling and rebuilding damaged electrical systems in harsh conditions. They labour in -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures from early morning until midnight, according to Yurii Bryzh, who leads the Boryspil regional department at power company DTEK.

Although they have managed to restore power for four hours per day, Bryzh explained the recurring challenge: “When the power comes back on, people turn on all the electrical equipment that is available in the house” to quickly wash, cook, or recharge devices, causing the system to collapse again.

Civilians face acute hardship amid what Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described as the longest and most widespread outages since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, with some homes without electricity for days.

Apartments throughout the capital are freezing. Residents venture outside in multiple layers against the bone-chilling cold. Snow blankets the city, and at night, streets remain dark with apartment buildings showing no signs of light.

Scientists Mykhailo, 39, and Hanna, 43, report that the temperature in their 5-year-old daughter Maria’s bedroom has plummeted to -15C (5F). While they can cook on their gas stove, nights require the family to huddle together under multiple blankets. “We have to use all the blankets we have in the house,” Hanna said.

The couple takes Maria to work with them during the day, since their workplace has a generator, while her kindergarten lacks heating. Their apartment’s Christmas decorations remain visible only when illuminated by torches.

Zinaida Hlyha, 76, heats water on her gas stove and places bottles in her bed for warmth. She refuses to complain, noting that Ukrainian soldiers on the approximately 1,000km (620-mile) front line face worse conditions.

Helen Flanagan ‘forced out of home by ex Scott Sinclair’ as feud reaches new low

Helen Flanagan is reportedly being forced out of her family home, which her ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair has been funding for her and their children since they split

Helen Flanagan’s ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair is reportedly forcing her out of her home. Helen, who found fame playing Rosie Webster on ITV’s Coronation Street, currently lives in a lavish six-bedroom home with her and Scott’s three children.

Helen and ex-Bristol Rovers ace Scott, 36, decided to split in 2022 after 13 years together. However, although the former couple never walked down the aisle together, Helen’s home near Bolton is in Scott’s name.

The lavish property was last year put on the market for a staggering £1.5million, but it was later reduced to £995,000. However, Scott is said to be keen for Helen to downsize and live in a smaller property, but sources claim that the 35-year-old actress will not be going quietly.

It’s said that the actress is a fan of the area where she currently lives, and she doesn’t want to disrupt her children and their education. Helen also lives in close proximity to her parents.

“Scott pays for the house and all the bills, and he’s decided a six-bedroom place is way too big for Helen on her own with the kids,” a source said. They went on to tell The Sun: “Helen doesn’t want to move and is digging her heels in. She loves the place, the kids are settled at the local school, and her mum and dad live around the corner.”

And reports claim that Scott has even offered to buy Helen a new home. They added: “Scott wants to buy Helen a four-bedroom home. He’s even offered to put it in her name, but wants to stop the maintenance payments.” However, the source went on to say that Helen added value to the property.

They claimed that Scott wanted to sell the home to “take the money out,” before adding that he was “not being reasonable.” But while the couple share three children, Matilda, ten, Delilah, seven, and son Charlie, four, their relationship is non-existent, and they’re reportedly no longer on talking terms. Instead, any communication is reportedly going through their relatives.

Over the Christmas period, Helen took aim at her ex-fiancé for failing to show up for their son’s nativity. Instead, Scott was at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. She fumed on social media: “You really are a piece of sh*t. How dare you not turn up to Charlie’s nativity.”

Scott had posted snaps of his weekend in the United Arab Emirates, where he saw British driver Lando Norris win the title. “What a weekend – Abu Dhabi F1,” he wrote. “Happy Days, blurry nights.”

However, Helen is said to be keen to put Scott firmly in the past as she moves on with her life and is setting her sights on finding love once again. “Helen is definitely ready for love,” a source told us. They added: “She loves being with someone and wants to meet a new partner that she can really trust and depend on. She likes feeling like part of a team with someone, and she’s determined that whoever she ends up with will be a guy who adores her three kids too, because they are her top priority.”

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The Mirror has approached representatives for both Scott and Helen.

‘Mental strength therapy’ – Joshua returns to gym

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British heavyweight Anthony Joshua has returned to the gym following the recent car crash which killed two of his close friends and team members.

The former world heavyweight champion, 36, sustained minor injuries in the incident in Nigeria on 29 December.

Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele died when their vehicle, in which Joshua was also a passenger, collided with a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos.

Nineteen days after the crash, Joshua has posted a video on Snapchat showing him hitting pads and working out, with the message “mental strength therapy” at the bottom of one clip.

He beat Jake Paul in Miami on 19 December, 10 days before the crash occurred while he was on holiday in Nigeria.

Last week he posted a tribute to his strength and conditioning coach Ghami and trainer Ayodele on Instagram.

“I didn’t even realise how special they are,” he wrote. “I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men.

    • 8 January
Still image from Anthony Joshua video showing him back in the gym with caption 'mental strength therapy'Anthony Joshua

Promoter Eddie Hearn believes that Joshua will return to boxing “when the time is right”.

On Wednesday, Hearn told Sky Sports: “He will need his time physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually before he makes a decision on his future.

“I do think he will want to return to boxing, but that will be his decision when the time is right.

“It is certainly not a conversation I’ll be having with him any time soon.

“The only conversation is ‘are you OK?’ and sometimes we find people will give that facade of being OK, but what happened to him is not normal and heartbreaking for all involved.

“When the time is right, I believe he will make his decision and you will hear it from him.

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