Karen Hauer, a professional dancer for Strictly Come Dancing, openly and openly about her sobering accomplishments in a heartfelt Instagram post.
Digital Reporter Jessica Clarke
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The star candidly revealed that the ‘bravest thing’ she has done was to ‘stop running from’ herself as she celebrated one year of being alcohol free(Image: Instagram/karenhauer)
Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer Karen Hauer shared an emotional post as she entered 2026 and detailed her journey with sobriety. The star candidly revealed that the ‘bravest thing’ she has done was to ‘stop running from’ herself as she celebrated one year of being alcohol free.
As she shared a black and white picture of herself sat against a wall, the dancer appeared radiant. One year without alcohol, she wrote in the caption. For the first time, I confronted my raw self: terrified, depressed, and angry. also clearer. a break “Progressing”
“I hid behind” just having fun, Karen said, “but deep down I was closing my eyes tightly, gritting my teeth, hoping the pain would stop.” Turns out, I must have stopped running from myself, which is the bravest thing I have ever done.
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She continued, “I’m getting better at allowing myself to feel what I do and reasoning with myself.” Even when my mind overthinks and my heart rate rises. I’m okay with that because that’s how I go about healing.
“Here’s to many more positive days ahead, with love, support and my little family – Simon and my four gorgeous dogs. Take care of yourselves in 2026”.
Karen was flooded with support by friends and fans as one person wrote: “Always proud of you 2026 here we come!”, while another added: “Proud Karen Happy New Year to you all bring on 2026”.
It comes as Karen, who is currently dating ex-rug player Simon Davidson, recently broke up on Paul C. Brunson’s We Need to Talk podcast after giving an account of her toxic relationship with Jordan Wyn-Jones.
Karen claimed that her ex-boyfriend had left her in “panic mode” and that she had been emotionally battered. She stated to the Celebs Go Dating expert, “…
“Love shouldn’t be in panic mode; I was just in panic mode,” he said. The dancer said, “I almost feel like he made up things for me to scare me,” adding, “I don’t want to go anywhere.”
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“But it’s okay and I get on with it, I get on with it, and smile because I don’t want to make things up,” she says, “but that’s the state I’ve lived in.” Because that was the only way I could survive the day, that kept the peace, I was lying to my family and friends as well, which they were also seeing.
Karen expressed her concern over autoimmune disease alopecia, which has caused her to lose hair. She thinks the stress at the time was what it was putting her body through.
Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway, ITV favorites, were seen holding back tears as GMB and This Morning’s sets were torn down amid cuts.
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GMB co-hosts Kate Garraway and Susanna were feeling all the emotions as they prepared to move studios(Image: ITV)
As massive recycling bins were seen packed full at Television Centre as the two shows made their move to a new location, popular Good morning Britain hosts Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway could barely contain their emotions.
On Thursday morning, the audience and the behind-the-scenes crew gathered for an emotional debrief, and many tears were shed as they marked the end of a long run on British television.
It’s believed that a sad Kate was sitting on the studio floor as a colleague spoke, while Susanna and weather presenter Laura Tobin stood behind the famous GMB desk, all looking overcome with emotion, with some staff raising a glass of bubbly to toast to the team, as everything is set to change.
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Workmen could be seen removing all the Christmas decorations from the studios, leaving them bare before handing the keys over to a host of new shows. GMB will now be filmed at ITN headquarters in Central London while the other daytime shows will be filmed at The H Club in Covent Garden.
It comes as a raft of changes at ITV following drastic budget cuts come into effect on Monday, with a whole new schedule which will see GMB run for half an hour longer, and morning talkshow Lorraine, hosted by Scottish presenter Lorraine Kelly, chopped by 30 minutes.
This Morning and Loose Women will run as usual, but Loose Women will now only run for 30 weeks of the year. The changes saw 220 jobs lost in a bid to save money.
According to a source quoted in the Sun, it’s a “devastating time” for the entire team, and to see the sets come apart was “devastating.”
They said, “There are staff who have worked for ITV Daytime for years – from GMTV to Daybreak to GMB – also on Lorraine, Loose Women and This Morning.
“A new era has been reached because the teams have been relocated and divided.” Many people are saying goodbye forever even though they weren’t ready to leave.
Television Centre, which was used by ITV Daytime since 2018, will not gather dust amid the new changes, however with a host of popular shows, such as Limitless Win, Strictly and the National Lottery draw and Saturday Night Live UK to be filmed there.
The huge changes were announced last August by ITV boss Kevin Lygo, who said at the time: “Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well as generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres.
“These changes also help us consolidate our news operations, expand our national, international, and regional news output, and strengthen our long-standing reputation for reliable journalism at a time when our viewers are more and more in need of accurate, objective news coverage.
But it’s believed the shock changes ruffled a lot of feathers behind closed doors, including some of the stars of the soon to be drastically-reduced daytime chat show Loose Women – who are paid on an episode by episode basis.
Others, however, were philosophical about the shake-up, including the famously outspoken Janet Street Porter, who told the Mirror last November, “I’ve had to make cuts myself. I’ve been made redundant,” she explains. “For those concerned it’s very traumatic and I empathise. I’ve been kicked off shows, told to my face they don’t want me any more. It’s really wounding.
However, she continued, “Sometimes change, especially in your career, can be for the better and give you resilience because there is another job out there.” I’m not talking about the Loose staff right now, but what worries me is that some young people don’t have the ability to look at something that isn’t working their way and get past it without collapsing or breaking down.
Adam Peaty reportedly fell out with a former Olympic swimmer friend, who is said to have been left ‘broken’ after being uninvited to Adam’s wedding to Holly Ramsay
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Adam Peaty has reportedly ‘betrayed’ friend Michael Gunning(Image: Instagram/michaelgunning1)
Adam Peaty’s fallout with his family appears to have spilled over into his friendship group, too.
The Olympic swimmer’s sad feud with his mum Caroline was highly publicised in the lead-up to his nuptials to Holly Ramsay – and much of his family were noticeably missing from his big day at Bath Abbey on Saturday, December 27, which saw him tie the knot with Gordon Ramsay’s daughter.
While Adam’s mum Caroline was disinvited from the wedding and his dad Mark was reportedly told to come to the wedding but ‘sit at the back’, a friend of Adam’s was reportedly also uninvited from the big day, too.
Adam’s fellow swimmer friend Michael Gunning, who trained alongside Adam in Team GB, was reportedly also uninvited from the nuptials. After the claims were reported, Michael shared a post in which he claimed he had been “dropped by friends and left broken by them” as he reflected on his year.
It has been claimed the move came after Michael stayed close with Adam’s mum Caroline amid the wedding drama. A source claimed to The Sun Michael “never would have seen this coming”, with the source adding that Adam has “broken us all by acting this way” and his recent apparent move of snubbing Michael “says it all” and shows “how much Adam has changed”.
However, this is the first time Michael has been left hurt by Adam as the publication also claimed Michael felt “betrayed” when Adam’s swim academy AP Race, which was founded by Adam and his training partner Ed Baxter, expanded to Saudi Arabia in 2024.
Michael, who came out as gay in 2018, is known for being the first openly gay and mixed-race swimmer in the UK. Same sex relations are illegal in Saudi Arabia, with some being sentenced to death. A source claimed to the publication: “Michael fights so hard for LGBT rights, so the Saudi Arabia move was a dagger to the heart.
“It left him feeling devastated and betrayed,” they said. “Many of those within the swimming community were so upset to not have Michael part of the AP Race team anymore.”
Since August last year, which saw AP Race’s acquisition of the Wave Swimming Academy in Saudi Arabia, Michael has stopped being an outspoken ambassador for AP Race.
The reports come after Adam’s mum Caroline shared a cryptic message on New Year’s Eve in which she said she was “praying for peace”. Adam’s mum shared two cryptic posts on New Year’s Eve – which appear to reference her fallout with her son. The first was a sketch of a robin and a ladybird sat together on a twig with the words written below: “Just a little reminder that you don’t have to make resolutions, or huge decisions, or big proclamations. You can just set some sweet intentions and take each day as it comes.”
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The second quote read: “I won’t end this year pretending everything was fine. I lost a piece of myself this year that I will never get back, and I’m not forcing a smile like it didn’t change me. So no… I won’t be saying ‘2026 is going to be my year’. I’ll be praying that I recover next year, that my heart never has to break like this again, that I never have to survive something like this again. I’ll be praying for peace… real peace, the kind that lets me breathe without fighting for it. I deserve a year that doesn’t hurt.”
Adam and Holly exchanged vows at Bath Abbey on Saturday, December 27 with a string of Adam’s family members missing from the service. On the eve of the big day, Caroline spoke out about her true feelings on the wedding snub. Speaking to MailOnline Caroline said: “I don’t think they understand how much they have hurt me; it’s as if they have cut my heart out.”
Royal experts claim that Kate, who has three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, is a normal mother with “flat pumps and no make-up,” behind closed doors.
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Kate experiences adorably sweet moments and typical mum struggles in her life hidden behind closed doors.
Any royal occasion is brightened by Kate and William’s adorable brood, whether they are waving from the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Colour, dancing to Lionel Richie at the Coronation Concert, or cheering on England’s sporting heroes. However, Kate is a hands-on mother who excels at shielding her family from the demands of royal life, and their cheerful faces, zest for life, and impeccable manners are not an accident.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, Kate is a very loving mother, and she and William are wonderful parents. She “juggles school drop-off, pick-up, homework, play dates, clubs, and even tears,” she said in a manner similar to everyone else. People who see her wandering in clubs claim that she is “like any working parent, dressed down jeans and flat pumps without make-up.”
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In their Windsor home, Kate and William don’t employ live-in staff, which means George, Charlotte, and Louis can have a refreshingly simple life. In an episode of Eugene Levy’s television series The Reluctant Traveler, William revealed that “we sit and chat; none of the kids have phones.” The trio enjoys baking sweet treats, and Kate memorably recorded a video of them holding cupcakes to celebrate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Charlotte grinned confidently as she helped her mother decorate the cupcakes with sprinkles and sifted through the flour while Louis was rifling the flour.
Kate is a skilled cook as well, and she is always looking forward to rolling up her sleeves when it comes to celebrating her family’s birthday. On A Berry Royal Christmas, she revealed that she “loves making the cake.” I make far too much cake mix and icing and stay up until midnight, which has become a bit of a custom. But I adore it.
She has also revealed that George and Charlotte are a firm favorite because they “can get their hands messy” when it comes to making pizza dough. And they don’t stop there: Kate revealed that the family has even tried home pressing apples during a recent trip to Northern Ireland. “The kids had a lot of fun,” said one participant. She laughed and said, “It was very messy.”
Both Kate and William are known for their competitive spirit, so it’s perhaps no surprise that sport is a passion in the Wales household. While George has often been snapped cheering at international rugby matches, he is also a firm football fan and has regularly been spotted cheering on Aston Villa alongside his dad. The family also watch Aston Villa matches at home, and William has revealed, “If we’re not doing very well, I start moving round the house quite quickly and I put the children in different positions hoping that’s going to change our luck.”
As a youngster, Kate enjoyed playing tennis, hockey, and sailing, and she encourages her children to get active whenever they can. On occasion, the princess has been seen supporting George on the side of the rugby field, even once ripping off her shoes to compete in the parents’ basketball game. Charlotte is a huge gymnastics fan, and George and Louis play soccer. She reportedly learned the splits when she was just a kid, which her mother might have done at a later age. Charlotte revealed that she enjoys cartwheels, handstands, and other forms of gymnastics. It’s very beneficial for their fundamental balance and coordination skills.
Both William and Kate have a lot of family time, and they are equally privileged to share outdoor adventures. The children are protected from cameras during their private time during the school holidays, and family photos frequently show them enjoying country walks or playing on the Norfolk coast.
Kate is also joint president of Scouts, a movement that develops skills for life through outdoor adventure and volunteering, and she’s revealed that she hopes her children join the association. “For young people, access to nature is so important for helping to build confidence, self-belief, life skills, and a sense of perspective,” she said, in an Instagram post to support the movement.
Young minds are also very dependent on creativity and craft, and Kate actively encourages her brood to do so at home. She revealed that George, Charlotte, and Louis had been “crafting in every room of the house” for the summer of 2025, and she once shared portraits of them on social media. She urged parents to “get creative with their kids,” saying that having a child’s portrait can help you have a moment of connection while being creative and focused on one another, being creative, and having a lot of fun together.
Since she launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021, Kate has spent more than ten years researching early childhood development. She has stated, “It’s a real passion of mine.” “Learning about the brains of babies, the development of our adult brains, and how our early development shapes the adults we turn into.”
And Katie Nicholl tells us that George, Charlotte, and Louis’ discussion of her recent illness will have been influenced by her knowledge.
Katie explains that William and Kate are well-known for their open communication with their children about her cancer diagnosis. Kate would have been well-equipped for these challenging conversations because she was very well-educated in her early years.
I believe they told them what they could, in a way that children could understand without completely terrifying them. They have tried to protect their children from any media intrusion throughout all of this.
Kate’s cancer treatment was ending, and the family’s emotional video that was released in September 2024 revealed a heartfelt glimpse into the positive activities the family had been engaging in while away from the cameras.
In one scene, Kate and William played cards outside with their children, while another, Carole and Michael Middleton, Kate’s parents, Carole, and Michael Middleton, played cards with their children.
According to Katie Nicholl, “Catherine has always had a very close relationship with her mother, which I believe has been her life’s backbone.” Her mother has always been her greatest support and champion.
Carole must have had to deal with Kate’s diagnosis, but she held her hand and kept everything together. That was Kate’s main source of inspiration for raising her own children. They are a loving, close family that is close and close, and they really enjoy each other’s company.
Amanda Holden and many other celebrities who donned up for the occasion’s New Years Eve parties shocked while others had a more low-key evening.
Amanda Holden stunned in a plunging navy dress as she posed for sweet snaps alongside her lookalike daughters on New Years Eve.
Amanda, 54, and her friend Alan Carr shared a glimpse of her celebrations online as they celebrated the new year. Amanda and her husband Chris Hughes and their two daughters, Lexi and Hollie, 13, posed in a photo in front of them.
In a floor-length blue dress with plunging details, Amanda looked elegant. Her daughters looked ready for NYE in sparkly mini dresses, while she styled the look with gold jewelry. Chris, a devoted father, cut a smart figure in a black suit while standing in the middle of his family for the photos.
Happy New Year, the Britain’s Got Talent judge wrote in the caption. From our family to yours,” which was followed by a flurry of warm wishes from HR supporters and followers.
Some other celebs chose to get sucked into a duvet for the opulent occasion, while Amanda was just one of the celebs who donned their best outfits for the occasion.
As the New Year’s and birthday honours lists have officially been released released, we take a look at some of the famous faces and others who have turned down the chance to be made a Sir or Dame
The New Year’s and birthday honours lists are seen by many as the ultimate recognition of a life dedicated to public service.
These lists, which include thousands of names from across the UK, both civilian and celebrity, honour their achievements and service with awards such as knighthoods, damehoods, or MBEs. However, not everyone who is offered an honour accepts it.
While it’s unusual to publicly disclose a refusal, there have been notable instances where those who have declined the monarch’s offer have made their decision public. There have also been leaks from official sources at times. There are also instances where someone accepts an honour only to return it later. Potential recipients are contacted about six weeks before any public announcement to confirm in writing that they wish to be nominated for an honour, in an effort to avoid any awkward situations.
By 2012, official numbers showed 277 folks had snubbed New Year or Birthday Honours from 1951 to 1999. It used to be hush-hush, but now celebs are more vocal after the list drops. So, who’s said a polite ‘no’?
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Michael Sheen
He bagged an OBE in 2009 for his acting chops but gave it back in 2017. Diving deep into England-Wales history changed his mind. “By the time I had finished writing that lecture…I remember sitting there going: ‘Well, I have a choice – I either don’t give this lecture and hold on to my OBE or I give this lecture and I have to give my OBE back,'” he bared his soul to Owen Jones in The Guardian in 2020.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
The comedic duo turned their backs on OBEs “for services to comedy drama” back in 2001, only publicly disclosing their reasons for the snub later on. Saunders spoke candidly with Source magazine: “If I felt I deserved a damehood I’d accept it. At the time we felt that we were being paid very well to have a lot of fun. It didn’t seem right somehow. We didn’t deserve a pat on the back. It felt a bit fake to stand alongside people who devoted their lives to truly worthy causes.”
David Bowie
The music legend made it clear why he shunned the opportunity to be knighted, stating: “I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that. I seriously don’t know what it’s for. It’s not what I spent my life working for.” On Sir Mick Jagger’s acceptance, Bowie maintained a diplomatic stance, saying: “It’s not my place to make a judgment on Jagger – it’s his decision. But it’s just not for me.”
Roald Dahl
The renowned children’s author, famous for enchanting tales such as ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and ‘James and the Giant Peach’, declined a knighthood offered in the 1986 New Year’s honours. The revelation came through a Telegraph freedom of information request, but the justification for his refusal wasn’t disclosed.
Nigella Lawson
The culinary star has openly admitted she rejected an OBE offer in 2001 explaining: “I’m not saving lives and I’m not doing anything other than something I absolutely love.”
Stephen Hawking
In 2008, he revealed that in the late 1990s he had been offered a knighthood but turned it down. It was later suggested that his decision was influenced by the government’s policies on science funding and cuts, despite already holding a CBE title.
Paul Weller
The music legend politely declined a CBE in 2006. His representative noted in a statement: “Paul was surprised and flattered but it wasn’t really for him.”
John Lennon
The Beatles icon initially accepted an MBE, but in 1969 he chose to return it in a stand against Britain’s foreign policy engagements, penning the memorable line: “Your Majesty, I am returning this in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts. With Love, John Lennon of Bag.”
John Cleese
The Monty Python stalwart was considered for a CBE in 1996, but famously deemed them “silly”. A peerage was also on the table in 1999 from Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown; however, Cleese felt the obligation to stay in chilly England during winter as a working peer would be “too much of a price to pay”.
George Harrison
The former Beatle snubbed an OBE in 2000 – shortly after Paul McCartney took a step up with a knightly honour. While all the Beatles were MBE recipients in 1965, it’s no secret John Lennon famously sent his back. Rumour has it Harrison wasn’t just offered glorification for his tunes but was miffed because Macca bagged his knighthood a whole three years earlier.
“Whoever it was who decided to offer him the OBE and not the knighthood was extraordinarily insensitive,” Harrison’s mate Roy Connolly dished to the Independent. “George would have felt insulted – and with very good reason.”
Ken Loach
The film director said ta-ta to an OBE back in ’77. The man behind the camera makes flicks on gritty topics like poverty and not having a roof over your head. Fast forward to 2001, he spilled to Radio Times: “It’s all the things I think are despicable: patronage, deferring to the monarchy, and the name of the British Empire, which is a monument of exploitation and conquest. I turned down the OBE because it’s not a club you want to join when you look at the villains who’ve got it.”
Jon Snow
The face that used to front Channel 4 News, not the Game of Thrones bloke. He gave a polite ‘no thanks’ to an OBE in 2000 and went full snoop two years later with a doc called Secrets of the Honours System. Snow said: “I tried to find out why I’d been given it and was unable to get a clear answer or, indeed, to find out who had proposed me,”.
Danny Boyle
Film director Danny has revealed he declined an honour for his role in the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, stating it “was wrong” to take individual credit for a collective effort. “It’s just not me,” he remarked, emphasizing that the success of the ceremony was down to the contributions of thousands.
“You can make these speeches about: ‘This is everybody’s work, blah blah blah’. And you’ve got to mean it, and I did mean it, and it is true, and it’s the only way you can carry on something like that: through the efforts of all the people. I don’t know whether I’ll ever get invited back to the palace.”
Bernie Ecclestone
The ex-chief of Formula One Group, who admitted to fraud over undeclared assets worth £400m, also refused an honour in the early 2000s. In a 2019 interview, he explained that while he was pleased to have done some good, his primary motivation in business wasn’t to earn accolades, so he didn’t believe he deserved the honour.
LS Lowry
The renowned painter is said to have rejected more honours than anyone else, including a knighthood, a CBE, and an OBE. His friend Harold Riley disclosed that Lowry was a private man who didn’t want the attention or to change his name, which played a part in his decision to turn down the honours.
Huw T Edwards
The Welsh trade unionist and Welsh Labour politician was uncomfortable with honours and refused a knighthood on at least two occasions in subsequent years. He had previously accepted an MBE before later renouncing it.
Rudyard Kipling
The writer and poet declined a knighthood in 1899 and again in 1903. His wife said that Kipling felt he could “do his work better without it”. Kipling also declined the Order of Merit in 1921 and again in 1924. Kipling expressed his own view on the importance of titles and poetry in his poem The Last Rhyme of True Thomas.
Honor Blackman
Before her death in 2020 the Bond actress was a vocal supporter of Republic, the campaign for an elected head of state in the UK – so it’s hardly surprising that she turned down a CBE in 2002. Blackman also publicly criticised fellow Bond star Sir Sean Connery for his tax-evading habits. “I don’t think you should accept a title from a country and then pay absolutely no tax towards it,” she said in 2012. “I don’t think his principles are very high.”
Benjamin Zephaniah
The poet, who died in December 2023 aged just 65, publicly rejected an OBE in 2003 in protest at British government policies and the British Empire. Writing in the Guardian he said the word ’empire’ “reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised”. The writer described himself as “profoundly anti-empire”.
Jim Broadbent
The national treasure snubbed an OBE in 2002, explaining that he couldn’t reconcile with actors receiving Royal accolades. “I think [honours] ought to go to those who really help others,” he mentioned in a chat with the Telegraph. “Besides I like the idea of actors not being part of the Establishment. We’re vagabonds and rogues.”
Broadbent also expressed his unease with the honours’ undercurrents, revealing: “I don’t think the British Empire is something that I particularly want to celebrate.”
Albert Finney
He shunned both a CBE in 1980 and a knighthood two decades later. The Bourne actor lambasted the honours system, terming knighthoods as a symptom of sickness that “perpetuates snobbery”.
Andrew Davies
The Welsh scriptwriter famed for House of Cards and his version of Pride and Prejudice, reportedly refused an honour, though his motives remain undisclosed.
Alan Rickman
The cherished actor is believed to have declined a CBE during his lifetime. He never disclosed why, and after his death, there has been a movement seeking to award him a knighthood posthumously, but no progress on this has emerged.
John Lydon
Known for his renegade spirit, he was offered an MBE. Being a former member of the Sex Pistols, whose track God Save the Queen hit the charts during Her Majesty’s silver jubilee, it comes as little surprise that he rejected the honour.
