Category Entertainment News

Radio 2 star Zoe Ball could be fronting a brand-new factual series with a few of her family members in the near future

BBC Radio 2 star Zoe Ball has been eyeing up a new role with a few of her family members for a brand-new ‘fascinating and revealing’ programme. Broadcaster and presenter Zoe, 54, has previously appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox with her DJ son Woody Cook, so working with family isn’t new to her.

And now, it has been announced that Zoe and her son Woody will hopefully be joining her presenter father, Johnny Ball, on his new factual series about mathematics. The new show will be exploring the “history of maths” and will be based on the first six chapters of his book, Wonders Beyond Numbers.

READ MORE: Apple iOS 26 could convince users to upgrade – this iPhone 16 deal stands out

Speaking to The Sun, Johnny – who is hoping to convince TV bosses to commission the series – explained: “The material can be honed down to the essentials, so that anyone could present it in a light and transparent way.

“This is why I believe myself, Zoe and my grandson Woody could add all what each age group requires to make it a fascinating and revealing series.”

Meanwhile, in early May, Zoe returned to radio just five months after quitting her beloved show.

The radio DJ left her much-loved breakfast show last year, with her pal Scott Mills taking over, leaving her fans devastated by the shock departure.

She had fronted her show for six years, but admitted it was time to “start a new chapter”. Her decision came just months after her extended absence from the BBC during the summer following her mother’s death.

After bursting into tears on her final show, she made a comeback in the first week of May. Zoe returned with a bang on her new afternoon show as she played a few of her favourite songs and talked to the listeners.

Introducing her new segment, she said: “Hello it’s me, oh it’s lovely to be back on a Saturday.

“This is where it all began for me back when I used to sweep up and make the teas.” One viewer was delighted with her return an wrote to her: “Great to have you back, Saturday afternoon is much better than having to wake up early.”

The radio presenter read a few messages from fans and said: “It is lovely to be here, thanks for all your messages.”

The BBC previously teased on their website that Zoe’s new show will feature “the best songs and chat for a Saturday”.

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

READ MORE: ‘It fixed my very dry skin overnight!’ Big tub of Weleda body butter hits £10 sale for 24 hours

Love Island fans have reacted to Harry Cooksley running off to the Hideaway with Helena Ford whilst coupled up with Shakira Khan, with many highlighting a particularly detail

Viewers have criticised Harry Cooksley after his antics on tonight’s episode of Love Island. Fans pointed out one particular detail as they reacted to him sneaking out of bed to spend the night in the villa’s Hideaway with Helena Ford.

The latest episode of the ITV2 show saw Harry and Helena head off to the private room whilst their respective partners Shakira Khan and Conor Phillips stayed in the main bedroom. Their departure together didn’t go unnoticed though, with the other islanders realising that they had gone off.

Harry had been growing close to Helena in the villa in Majorca, whilst coupled-up to Shakira. He had however seemed to be continuing to develop a romance with Shakira too.

She had shared a kiss with Blu Chegini though recently. Whilst Harry and Helena had previously teased that they could spend the night in the Hideaway together away from the rest of the islanders.

They enacted the plan in tonight’s episode. Viewers saw Helena sneak out of bed and tap Harry’s foot, with him them getting up as they tiptoed off to the Hideaway together. The rest of the islanders noticed though, including Shakira.

Some viewers pointed out that Harry had been cuddling Shakira just moments before he got out of bed for Helena. Fans weren’t impressed by the situation and criticised Harry, including over him having been cuddling Shakira.

One person wrote on X: “Cuddling her knowing ur about to run away to the hideaway with another girl is SICK.” Another said: “Taking your arm off the girl you are cuddling and coupled up with to sneak off in front of everyone to run to the hideaway with another girl is crazy work!”

A third wrote on the platform: “Getting out of bed MID CUDDLING YOUR GIRL to go to the hideaway with ANOTHER GIRL is absolutely absurd.” Sharing their thoughts, someone else wrote: “Cuddling her then leaving her…that’s dirty.”

Another viewer commented as the situation played out on the reality TV show tonight: “Harry cuddling Shakira after he told Helena to come and get him??? And then running off to the hideaway together?? Oh he’s a SNAKE.”

Whilst one fan said in their reaction to the scenes: “Harry cuddling Shakira in bed then sneaking off to sleep with someone else is wild, love island is love islanding.” Similarly, another said: “Cuddling Shakira before he sneaks off is acc wild.”

One viewer wrote: “Cuddling Shakira just to sneak out of the room w Helena 10 mins later??? How f***ing disgusting and embarrassing for both Harry and Helena.” Another said: “He was literally cuddling Shakira then when and got into bed with Helena, whattt.”

Love Island continues tomorrow night from 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

READ MORE: ‘Summer in a bottle’ Estée Lauder perfume now has 20% off and ‘smells expensive’

AS Bjorn Ulvaues turns 80 and celebrates the third anniversary of smash hit ABBA Voyage, he reveals new surprise

Not many people are seen as innovators when they hit 80. Fewer still can claim the title of musical genius – at any age.

But, after helping his band sell more than 400 million records, as he celebrates the third anniversary of the groundbreaking ABBA Voyage avatar show, 80-year-old Bjorn Ulvaeus is still seen as both.

For this irrepressible man, becoming an octogenarian simply means gathering more wisdom and experience.

Excitedly hinting at a new, secret ABBA project, Bjorn tells The Mirror: “There will be something. It is just not crystalised yet exactly what that is. Something new. Yes, I am 80 – but I wake up curious every morning.”

Bjorn spoke frankly about his life in music as two of his bandmates, Benny Andersson, 78, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 79, joined him in the UK to toast the continued success of ABBA Voyage, which has contributed more than £1billion to the UK economy since opening in May, 2022.

READ MORE: ABBA stars perform together again at incredible encore for ABBA Voyage anniversary

More than two million fans have enjoyed the 90-minute shows at the immersive ABBA Arena, which features the group – including Agnetha Faltskog, 75 – as lifelike holographic images, churning out hits including Waterloo, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Take A Chance on Me.

And, like their 1976 smash hit Money, Money, Money, it is an absolute goldmine.

More thrilled by its creative success, Bjorn says: “When I first went to Voyage I saw myself as a young man on stage. But the strangest thing is how emotional it is.

“It is amazing how people so quickly forget that they are looking at screens. I was amazed and we had no idea that it would happen. It is almost a spiritual feeling. There is something strange in the room which is amazing.”

The digital avatar show is produced by Pophouse Entertainment, a music investment firm and production company founded by Bjorn and Swedish billionaire businessman Conni Jonsson.

The company is currently looking to use the same cutting edge Voyage technology to bring other avatar shows to life, including the work of US singer Cyndi Lauper and the flamboyant American rockers Kiss.

And Bjorn, who is close friends with Sir Elton John, says other musical avatar extravaganzas are on the horizon.

He says: “I like to work. Working is fun. Our company Pophouse Entertainment has happened out of curiosity and wanting to try new things.

“I like to create new things like the avatars. The ABBA-tars. It was like a playground and to be able to help other people. I see Pophouse as a creative hub with fun attached to it, so you can do fun things.

“We are working with Cyndi Lauper, she has a very diverse catalogue. We are also working with Kiss. We believe it could be a very interesting avatar experience in the trans Marvel universe.

“They wanted cartoons and now they have ascended into the digital world. So that is very exciting for what they stand for. Cyndi is something completely different.

“There are lots of things we could do, too. We could work on documentaries, but there is so much else to do like the gaming world – and who knows what happens around the corner? We are at the forefront. I am so grateful.”

Rumours are already circulating that David Bowie could be brought back to life as an avatar and that The Rolling Stones could soon be launching their own avatar shows.

But Bjorn won’t name any more names.

He says: “It is very exciting. We are looking for a story to tell. We have not seen anything yet…but it is coming. Our show Mamma Mia at the O2 in London took four or five years and Voyage the same, to opening night. These things take time. I want to help people’s legacies.”

Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with their breakout hit Waterloo, ABBA have won countless awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2010.

Bjorn says the secret to the Swedish sensations’ success is having great songs.

“What advice can I give younger artists other than to write better songs?” he says. “It is still true. This industry starts with a song.

“Whatever it is, it is a song that does it. I say just write a song and record it. If it is good enough then it will work. But you have to be prepared to have people say no to you 10 times, then one will say yes. You have to be prepared to wait and not lose hope. I remember rejection.”

Growing up in Gothenburg, Sweden, Bjorn says it was The Beatles who inspired him to write, but admits he was always jealous of natural storytellers like The Bee Gees.

He says: “I used to listen to The Beatles and that is the reason why Benny and I started writing. Before then, the song writing had been very anonymous, like the people behind Elvis Presley.

“The Beatles were a big inspiration and The Beach Boys as well. But during the 1970s I used to envy people who could write commercial pop lyrics like The Bee Gees. I could not write commercial lyrics. Whatever you are doing you have to tell the story.”

Today, Bjorn says not enough emphasis is put on crafting a song which can go on and help sustain a career for generations.

He says: “Once we won Eurovision we could say no to things. During that process we learned. We only wrote like 14 songs a year.

“People now say they have written 200 songs a year, but I don’t think they have. I would keep 10%. We could go for weeks writing full time and had very little to show for it.

“We would spend a long time in the studio and there is a very special satisfaction when you can listen to something and you think ‘Yeah, this is just how it should be’ It happened many times with ABBA. That is very special. A lot of people walk away thinking it is good enough but it is not. You have to add a few more inches.”

Bjorn’s current project is a secret musical he is writing with the help of AI, which he says helps him to come up with ideas when he gets stuck.

And although working with the International Confederation of Songwriters and Composers, which seeks to protect songwriters from having their works copied by AI technology, Bjorn says AI is a tool that should be embraced for the future.

He says: “Pop music has always been very tech driven. I remember when Benny and I started writing together, we always wanted the latest thing. You would hear a sound and ask how that was done.

“Benny had the first Mini Moog, which was the first synth. When we built our own studio we had digital machines. Tech and music go hand in hand and that is how it continues.”

Laughing at how working with AI is faster than writing with human beings like his co-writer Benny, he adds: “It is quicker writing with a machine, as you get an instant reply and it does exactly what you tell it.

“AI is fantastic and such a great tool. It can give you ideas to go in various different directions.

“There are songwriters using it all around the world as we speak.

“The music industry will come to some sort of agreement with the tech industry to work together, as these AI bots would not exist without the song that we wrote.”

But Bjorn believes AI should not be feared, as when it comes to writing ABBA hits, he says: “When you prompt AI with ABBA it says ‘No, it can’t do that.’ There is a misconception that AI can write a whole song. It is lousy at that. Thank God it is very bad at lyrics as well, but it can give you ideas.”

So, ABBA looks set to be made-up of human members, merely enhanced by innovative technology, for the foreseeable future.

Looking back on his extensive back catalogue, he merely smiles and says: “What is the key to longevity? You have to have that curiosity that I talked about and something that drives you.

“Once you are a songwriter and have an experience of what it is like and see how people react to something you have written, that never goes away.

Mark Wright has apologised after sharing a post about a flight home from a holiday with Michelle Keegan on the same day as the news of the Air India plane crash

Mark Wright has apologised after sharing a post that was deemed insensitive in the wake of the Air India plane crash. He’s since deleted the post and said in a statement on his Instagram Stories that it had been a “horrendous coincidence”.

Mark, 38, and Michelle Keegan, also 38, have been sharing content on Instagram from a holiday to Spain lately. The couple, who were joined by some of his family on the trip, took their three-month-old baby Palma abroad for the first time. They are understood to have already returned to the UK and earlier today Mark is said to have shared a photo of the trio in front of a private jet at an airport. He reportedly teased over having limited leg room on standard flights in the post.

The Heart radio host is said to have been met with a backlash over the post amid the news of the Air India flight, which went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. It had been bound for Gatwick Airport in London.

Mark has since apologised for the “mistake,” telling fans that he had scheduled the post, which has now been deleted, in advance. He shared a statement on his Instagram Story, in which he said it had been a “horrendous coincidence”.

He wrote: “I apologise for a post I just put up on my page after today’s heartbreaking events. I have posts from a holiday that are on the scheduled setting, which go out on future days I have set them for which was done last week.”

Mark continued the statement by saying that it was a “coincidence” that it had gone out on the same day as the Air India crash. He told fans that as soon as he realised what had happened, he “immediately” deleted the post.

He added in the message to his followers this evening: “It’s a horrendous coincidence that today’s post was on such a devastating day. Once I logged in to my Instagram and realised the post had gone out, I immediately deleted [it].”

The former TOWIE star concluded by expressing sympathy with anyone affected by the plane crash. He wrote: “My heart goes out to everyone who has been effected from today. I’m sorry for this mistake and any offence caused.”

According to the Sun, Mark had teased over not having extra leg room on the flight home from his holiday with Michelle and their daughter in the post. Seemingly teasing over them not travelling on a private plane, he’s said to have written: “1 day babe, for now we’ll take row 26 with no extra leg room.”

The outlet reports that some of his followers were quick to question the post given the news of the Air India flight. One person is said to have responded to him: “Not really appropriate to put this up after today’s plane crash.”

Another is quoted as having said: “Prob not the best day to post this when so many people lost their lives on a plane.” Whilst a third person reportedly responded to Mark’s now-deleted post at the time: “Poor taste given today’s event.”

A Japanese great-grandmother with 400,000 Instagram followers who shot to fame for her goofy self-portraits after taking up photography aged 72 has died, her son said on Thursday.

Kimiko Nishimoto, who died this week at the age of 97, told AFP in a 2018 interview that “you can take photos no matter how old you get”.

“Wherever it is, in your house, outside, or in your bed, you can do it. That is the nice thing about a camera,” she said.

Dubbed the “selfie queen” by Japanese media, Nishimoto’s posts showed her in various candid poses — from riding a broom like Harry Potter to imitating an off-duty sumo wrestler on their fifth beer of the night.

READ ALSO: Two BTS Megastars Released From South Korea Military

“Our mother always created her work with a smile,” a post from her son Kazutami Nishimoto said on her Instagram account.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who visited her photography exhibitions held across the country, to those who shared warm words of encouragement through Instagram… and to all who supported her warmly throughout her journey.”

Nishimoto’s son teaches photography classes, which his mother started taking in retirement.

“Though she began photography at the age of 72, she was blessed with countless encounters, which enriched this third chapter of her life tremendously,” he said.

Nishimoto appeared on national television as her online following grew and was interviewed by major news outlets.

But her more out-there visual scenarios were also the cause of some confusion over the years.

One snap — showing her wrapped in a garbage bag, as if she had been discarded — drew criticism from people who didn’t know she was involved in its set-up.

The judge in the Harvey Weinstein sex crimes retrial declared a mistrial on the outstanding rape charge against the movie producer Thursday, after the jury foreperson refused to return to deliberate the case amid a jury room feud.

In front of packed press and public benches in the 13th-floor New York courtroom, Judge Curtis Farber dismissed jurors who had been unable to reach a verdict on the charge that Weinstein raped Jessica Mann.

“Deliberations became heated to such a degree I am obligated to declare a mistrial on the one count on which you didn’t reach a verdict,” Farber declared from the wood-paneled bench, wearing a robe and reading glasses.

READ ALSO: Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty Of Sexual Assault After Retrial

Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala had forcefully argued that a crime had been committed against one of the jurors, but the judge dismissed the claim.

On Wednesday, the jury convicted Weinstein for sexual assault on Miriam Haley, and acquitted the fallen movie mogul for allegedly sexually assaulting Kaja Sokola. The defense vowed to appeal.

The prosecutor brushed off the defense’s claim that a retrial on the charge of raping Mann would exert unfair pressure on the alleged victim. “We will proceed to trial and that is what justice would be in this case,” Nicole Blumberg said.

Outside court, Aidala alleged that two jurors had indicated to his team that the panel had considered the cases of rapper Sean “P Diddy” Combs and convicted child sex abuser R. Kelly in their discussions.

“(If) they say, ‘Well, look at R Kelly. Look what’s going on across the street with P Diddy’… That’s not what you can do, and that’s what we just heard happen,” said the sharp-suited attorney.

Combs is on trial at a nearby courthouse for alleged racketeering and other crimes, and the publicity of that case has largely eclipsed Weinstein’s retrial.

Weinstein, 73 and wheelchair-bound by ill-health, is already in jail for a 16-year term after he was convicted in a separate California case of raping a European actress more than a decade ago.

Proceedings in New York have been dogged by personal issues between jurors, two of whom have privately complained to the judge about fellow panelists.

The foreman had told judge Farber he could not continue after facing threats.

“One other juror made comments to the effect ‘I’ll meet you outside one day’,” the judge said Wednesday quoting the foreman, adding there was yelling between jurors.

After Weinstein’s lawyer demanded a mistrial over the jury rupture, Weinstein himself addressed the court Wednesday, deploying a commanding voice reminiscent of his Hollywood heyday.

‘Threats, violence, intimidation’

“We’ve heard threats, violence, intimidation — this is not right for me… the person who is on trial here,” he said.

The Oscar-winner’s conviction on the Haley charge is a vindication for Haley whose complaint in part led to the initial guilty verdict in 2020.

That landmark case helped spur the “MeToo” movement that saw an outpouring of allegations from prominent women who were abused by men.

Weinstein underwent a spectacular fall from his position at the top of the world of Hollywood and show business in 2017 when allegations against him exploded into public.

The movement upended the film industry, exposing systemic exploitation of young women seeking to work in entertainment, and provoking a reckoning on how to end the toxic culture.

More than 80 women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct in the wake of the global backlash against men abusing positions of power.