Category Entertainment News

Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Michelle Tsiakkas has defended her former dance partner Jamie Borthwick after he faced a backlash and was suspended by the BBC

Strictly Come Dancing pro Michelle Tsiakkas has spoken out in defence of shamed former dance partner Jamie Borthwick.

EastEnders star Jamie faced controversy following his stint on the hit dance competition as he was suspended by the BBC after making an ableist slur. Michelle, 29, finished seventh on Strictly with Jamie last year, and has now confirmed that they have remained “really close” after working together on the show.

Michelle has confirmed that the pair are still in regular contact – and even went as far as to refer to Jamie, 31, as being like a “brother” to her. She said, “Whatever you saw on screen of our relationships together is what our relationship is like. We’re like brother and sister, we’re really close. He still actually messages me saying that he misses it.”

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Speaking to The Sun on Sunday she appeared to confirm the pair have even met up as she continued, “I saw him the other day, he remembered all of his routines, he was doing them again. I was actually so surprised.”

Speaking at the National Reality TV Awards, Michelle added, “For me, that counts more than any trophy because I feel like I had a positive impact on your life and changed it for the better – in terms of him finding this new found love for dancing. He’s honestly so passionate about dancing. I can’t believe it. He is trying to dance with everybody and do his routines with everyone.”

When quizzed about whether she and Jamie speak via a Strictly WhatsApp group, she confirmed that most of their chats are private saying, “We mostly talk just me and him so that is really nice that we still have a good relationship.”

Michelle then opened up about the pressure of starring on the high-profile BBC series and how “special” it is to be involved. She said, “The show is about joy and dancing. It always needs to come back to that because it is such a special show.

“It’s about having fun and not taking anything too personal and creating memories that last a lifetime, which they truly do.” Jamie famously faced a backlash and was suspended by the BBC in June after 19 years playing Albert Square fan favourite character Jay Brown on EastEnders when he was accused of using a slur targeted at disabled people while on the set of Strictly Come Dancing.

A video obtained by The Sun saw Jamie captured describing the residents of Blackpool, where the show was filming at the time, as “m********s.” Co-star Wynne Evans was reportedly backstage with Borthwick at rehearsals and heard saying “Oh my God” when he made the comment.

Borthwick has since apologised for using the term and admitted that he had not fully understood the derogatory nature of what he said and is now “deeply embarrassed.” The soap actor said in a statement, which read: “I want to apologise sincerely and wholeheartedly for the words I used in the video showing my reaction to making it through Blackpool week on Strictly.

“I am deeply sorry for any offence and upset my words and actions have caused. It is no excuse, but I did not fully understand the derogatory term I used and its meaning. That is on me completely.

“Now I am aware, I am deeply embarrassed to have used the term and directed it in the way I did. It was wrong.” He went on to issue an apology to the people of Blackpool and reiterate his regret over his words. He has since reportedly been reinstated by BBC bosses after three months away from the iconic soap.

YouTube influencer Stacey Tourout was still alive when her vehicle fell 650ft off a rocky Canadian mountain which killed her fiance Matthew Yeomans on impact

YouTube influencer Stacey Tourout was still alive after her car crashed and plunged 650ft off a Canadian mountain, it has been revealed. According to rescuers, the star of Toyota World Runners had sustained “severe” head injuries on impact following the crash which occurred near Trout Lake, in British Columbia.

According to the first responders, the vehicle crashed in the mountains and also claimed the life of her fiancé Matthew Yeomans. When rescuers arrived at the harrowing incident, Stacey appeared to still be alive. The couple had been driving along a “blackcountry trail” which is known to be a “pretty rough” terrain.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Kaslo Search and Rescue Communication Manager Mark Jennings-Bates said the couple “lost control” of their car and “rolled many, many times” downhill and she suffered “severe” head trauma.

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He added: “She didn’t realize quite how injured she was.”

Stacey was taken from the crash by helicopter and placed in an ambulance that rushed her to a nearby hospital.

But despite the best efforts from medics, she died following the serious nature of her injuries.

Meanwhile, Matthew was propelled from the vehicle at the time of the crash and was found with “no vital signs”, according to Mark Jennings-Bates.

As yet, the official cause of death has not been confirmed but it has been alleged that the couple lost control of their car and fell down the mountain to their death.

The rescue communications manager estimated that the engaged couple fell 656ft downhill.

When speaking about the rescue mission, Mark Jennings-Bates continued that it was “challenging” due to an “uphill journey to get to them.”

He went on to say: “From what I understand, it’s one of the few patches of the road that doesn’t have a forest on the side. “

He added: “So anywhere else, they would’ve been caught by the trees — they would’ve maybe gotten a bit hurt. But this is the one area where they were gonna go for a big ride if they did go off the side road.”

In a devastating social media post, Stacey’s mother Colleen Tourout confirmed the couple’s death.

She penned that they died together “in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia that they loved so much.”

She went on to say: “Please keep us and them in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this devastating end to an amazing Love Story.”

Princess Andre appears to have resolved any conflict with her mum Katie Price after the pair were snuggled up together in a cosy new snap as they enjoyed a night in watching TV

Princess Andre has been snapped enjoying her mum Katie Price’s company for the first time since their “rift” was made public.

The pair cuddled up for a selfie posted by Princess on Snapchat as they posed in pyjamas, enjoying a night in together to watch the boxing alongside Katie’s boyfriend, JJ Slater. Princess captioned the snap, writing, “Mumzy,” appearing to put any talk of a feud with her mother behind them.

The mum and daughter duo were said to be at loggerheads after Katie was banned from appearing in Princess’ reality TV show, The Princess Diaries. Katie claimed that her daughter’s management team, who she shares with dad Peter Andre, had told her it was advisable not to be seen with her mother in public.

Katie was reportedly also excluded from attending Princess’ 18th birthday party as it was being filmed for the show. The row sparked further friction as Katie and ex-husband Peter have since taken swipes at each other online in the past few days.

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The pair also appeared to be poking fun at their rift in a previous upload as Princess showed her fans that Katie’s only liked song on Spotify was I Hate U by SZA. She captioned the screenshot, writing, “Mum cracks me up.”

Princess has shared other posts during the week that appeared to indicate the feud was over as she posted two video clips of what appeared to be Katie’s hairless cats. One video showed a newborn kitten after Katie confirmed on her podcast earlier this week that her cat was due to give birth and then shared her own pictures of the kittens on Snapchat.

Earlier this week princess’ dad Peter shared a shock statement where he spoke about Katie and her recent comments. He wrote, “For sixteen years I have stayed silent in the face of repeated lies from my ex-wife and her family, out of respect for my children and loved ones, but staying silence has been incredibly frustrating.”

He continued: “That ends today. The latest comments about my children’s welfare and living arrangements compel me to set the record straight. For well-documented reasons, and for their safety, Junior and Princess came into my care in 2018 and remained with me until they reached adulthood.

“In 2019, the family courts issued a legally binding order to enforce this arrangement. I have never made this public before out of respect for my children. In 2011 and 2015, publicly documented court cases found my ex wife had made false claims. She was ordered to pay substantial damages and legal costs, and to apologise, to me and my management.

He concluded, “The same falsehoods are being repeated today. Unfortunately, there are many more lies and baseless accusations that I have yet to address. Those will be dealt with in the coming months.”

However, in her latest podcast Katie claimed that Princess lives with her, she said, “I’ve missed out so much with Princess. I haven’t watched the show, but, people have told me how proud I should be of the kids and how they Princess does talk highly of me all the way through it so although I’m not in the show she speaks about me all the time which is really sweet.

“But why wouldn’t she, because she lives with me. And this is another thing I need to clear up, the kids have never lived just with Pete, we’ve shared the kids.”

After bagging a job in the cooking slot on the BBC’s hit children’s series Going Live!, Emma Forbes had secured her place on the nation’s TV screens and in its heart.

Finding fame on the popular show, presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene, she then went on to co-host the replacement Saturday morning kids’ programme Live & Kicking for three years with John Barrowman and TV stalwart Andi Peters, who has just floored This Morning fans by revealing his real age. It was a huge hit thanks to its entertainment sections, big-name celebrity interviews and games the presenters joined in on.

As well as her hosting talent, fresh-faced Emma was known for her beauty. She was represented by Storm Models – the agency which discovered supermodels Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. It comes after one huge TV star looks completely unrecognisable as she reveals latest facelift

In 1996 she was voted number 64 in FHM mag’s 100 Sexiest Women poll. Famed for being well-groomed with lusciously thick locks, Emma became the face of shampoo brand Head & Shoulders.

She followed in her mother – actress Nannette Newman’s – footsteps when she hosted a revival of panel show What’s My Line. Nannette had been a regular panelist on the 70s version. Emma also voiced Mummy Hippo in animated infant favourite, Peppa Pig.

As well as her TV credits, Emma has worked extensively on radio. She co-hosted the Heart Breakfast Show alongside Jonathan Coleman and presented BBC Radio 2 shows with Mark Radcliffe and Alan Carr as well as having her own Sunday morning show.

In 2018 the broadcaster and her banker husband Graham Clempson sold their £25 million home in Chelsea, London, and moved to New York. The couple, who married in 1987, have two children together, which is why Emma stepped away from her TV career. They are now grown up and have moved out of their parents’ house in East Hampton.

Emma previously spoke about the family’s move to the US and said she’d always loved America. “We’ve always had a connection with it,” she told Hello!. “I find it an exciting place to live, it ignites my feeling of anything is possible, and it felt right for part two of life with my two children, one on each coast, to be nearer them. So with my own family here that makes it feel like home, and we’ve created a life that works for us all here.”

These days Emma works alongside her fashion designer daughter Lily Clempson and is obsessed with improving her own lifestyle as well as that of others. On her Instagram page she describes herself as a, “trained holistic wellness & nutrition coach with a passion for cooking & healthy lifestyle”.

It’s something she became personally invested in around 2011 as she noticed her body change and wanted to lose stubborn belly, back and bottom fat. She spent the next 18 months turning herself around with an exercise and diet programme.

In 2013 when she was snapped looking incredible in a swimsuit on the beach in Barbados, she spoke about her new regime. Emma revealed she was following the ‘clean and lean’ advice of celebrity trainer James Duigan, whose clients included Elle Macpherson.

“I’ve always been a healthy eater – I used to start the morning with a big bowl of muesli, and snack on bananas and crackers,” she told the Mail. “I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, or why I was flabby.

“James explained that my diet was actually too healthy. I was eating so much fruit and so many vegetables that I got hungry easily – and was tempted to reach for a muffin or some biscuits to stave off the hunger pangs.”

James told her to cut back on the sugary fruit and carbohydrates and eat more protein. Emma believes it reshaped her body and changed the way she ate forever.

She also introduced an exercise programme, despite loathing it. “With the help of a personal trainer, I started a regime. My aim was to work my core muscles and tone my legs and arms. I’m very disciplined. I have three, one-hour sessions a week when I do everything from stomach crunches to weight lifting,” she said.

Speaking on the Lorraine show in 2019, she assured the public she hadn’t ever had any tweakments or work done to maintain her youthful appearance: “There’s no plastic surgery going on here! I’m not judgmental of people that do it, but I am that person that it would go horribly wrong on, so I’m too frightened and I just don’t do it,” she said.

During the interview she also discussed how the menopause had affected her, saying it had made her worry irrationally. “It’s caused terrible anxiety and a loss of confidence. And anxiety over ridiculous things,” she said. She revealed that she was on body identical hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help with her symptoms.

Just after Covid, in 2021, Emma launched a lifestyle podcast, Life and Soul, in which she spoke to celebrities and professionals about how they coped with the pandemic and what they did to make themselves feel good. Guests included people she admired, such as cooking legend Prue Leith, former Loose Women host Andrea McClean and This Morning’s Dr Zoe Williams.

EXCLUSIVE: TOWIE icon Gemma Collins has made a rare confession about being a stepmum as she gave a look into her life with fiance Rami Hawash and his son Tristan

Gemma Collins has revealed how she has adjusted to mum life as she insisted she “wouldn’t have it any other way”. The TOWIE icon, 44, is a proud step mum to her fiancé Rami Hawash’s son Tristan.

She first met Rami in 2011 and got engaged in 2013. They broke up shortly afterwards but eventually rekindled things during the coronavirus lockdown.

The pair are now engaged again and busy wedding planning, yet things have been put on hold as Gemma enjoys the summer holidays with her stepson. It comes after one TV star admitted she sleeps in separate bed to partner as she fumes over pregnancy.

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Gemma has been vocal about urging parents to embrace the school holidays and appreciate time with their little ones. Speaking to the Mirror, the reality TV star said: “I’ve been busy being a step mum, because obviously I’ve got Tristan now.

“I don’t overshare him too much on socials, because I respect his privacy but we’ve had him, so that’s been lovely. We’ve been just doing family, normal, kiddy, friendly [things].”

She confessed: “I spent more time in [children’s trampoline park] Jump Street than I’ve had hot dinners. I’ve been on the PlayStation, you name it, I been doing it.

“Parks, doggy walks, I just been being a step mum to be honest. I wish I could say to you, I’m sat in Mykonos drinking a Pina Colada, but I’m not. I have been being stepmother duties but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve loved it.”

When asked if she has been enjoying the six week holidays, Gemma added: “I really do and time is so precious. Tristan’s been in my life since he was three, he’s nearly eight-years-old now.

“These summer moments are so precious they come and go so quick. It’s all about just stop rushing around so much and take a little bit of time in the summer.”

Last year, Gemma urged mums to “embrace their children” as she opened up on her own fertility struggles. She has previously been candid about her wishes to have children as she’s heartbreakingly had several miscarriages and was once advised to terminate a pregnancy of an intersex baby.

Gemma told her followers at the time: “I’m loving this faze of my life having time to be the best version of me embrace your children this half term don’t moan enjoy it remember there’s always someone who doesn’t have what you got let children be children.”

She still stand by her message as she told us: “I think it’s a liberty really, if you’ve got that attitude, don’t have kids. They’re special humans and I get the daily stresses and life, we’ve all got it.

“Even me sometimes, I think ‘oh god how am I gonna make it till nine o’clock tonight’, when you’re busy with the kids. But you just do, you find the way, you dig deep.

“They give you so much pleasure, so I’ve had lots of fun.” Gemma added: “It is a lot for the parents, there is a lots to do and to keep the kids entertained. But go back to basics, put a picnic on, go to the park, get some games and just embrace the nature and the outdoors. They don’t need to be going to all these fancy days out.”

Gemma has partnered with Sky as she takes on the task of oversharing. She teased her fans by revealing she was going to get married on ice, in a nod to her viral time on Dancing On Ice.

She admitted: “I’ve always been an oversharer. I love to spill the coffee. I just think everyone’s just not been saying much and keeping it in.

“Everyone loved it. It was like they were getting the tea, they were just getting the scoop. It’s gonna be so much of fun when people finally realise that I’m not getting married on ice.”

Sky Mobile Oversharing Ambassador Gemma Collins encourages the nation to share more as Sky Mobile lets you share unused data with friends and family on your plan

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From runway to high street, polka dots have taken over this summer and we’ve found the best spotty style buys from River Island, Nobody’s Child and more

Polka dots are reigning supreme this summer, especially when it comes to occasionwear. The high street is full of spotty pieces right now, and we’re not complaining.

The Royal-approved polka dot print has been spotted on countless members of the family, including Princess Kate, the late Princess Diana, Zara Tindall and Princess Beatrice. And it’s not just the royals who love it, this trending print has been taking over 2025, with celebs like Amanda Holden and Rochelle Humes also sporting it.

If you want to hop on the trend yourself, we’ve found the very best polka dot fashion buys on the high street. From event-ready maxi dresses to versatile tops and tailored sets, check out our top picks from £19.

FRIENDS LIKE THESE

If you’ve been looking for the perfect top to complete your ‘jeans and a nice top’ oufit formula, this draped one from Friends Like These is just the one. Whether you’re keeping things casual with some denim jeans or dresssing it up with a silky black midi skirt, this is the kind of top you’ll be reaching for again and again, summer and autumn.

SHOP THE LOOK: Black Spot Draped Off The Shoulder Top, £35 here

FOREVER NEW

Although it is probably best to avoid a prominetly white dress if you’re attending a wedding, polka dot dresses are great occasionwear pieces for other events like the races, garden parties or even fancy dinners. This strapless one from Forever New looks so chic and even more expensive than the price tag. Simply chuck on a pair of strappy heels and some chunky earrings, and you’re good to go.

SHOP THE LOOK: Kimora Strapless Midi Dress, £120 here

RIVER ISLAND

If you’re a big fan of the print, why not go for a matching set or head-to-toe look? River Island always release the cutest tailored co-ord, adn this polka print one is no exception. Team it with monochromatic white and black accessories for a chic but fun look.

SHOP THE LOOK: Black Polka Frill Linen Tailored Top, £39 here, and Black Linen Blend Polka Dot Tailored Shorts, currently £19 here

NOBODY’S CHILD

One of the most viral dresses of the summer can from Nobody’s Child with this gorgeous ruched bandeau spotted midi. This versatile dress works for any occasion from sailing through the Amalfi coast to walking through the street of London or out for an evening with friends. An after selling out earlier this summer, it’s officially back in stock in all sizes.