Category Entertainment News

Radio and TV presenter Clara Amfo opens up about what she thinks about boyfriends who ’embarrass’ their girlfriends, and why being curious has lead her to be involved with a campaign for Google AI

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It’s midday on a Tuesday and Clara Amfo is eating an easy peeler orange. The TV and radio broadcaster, dressed in an oversized American Football jersey, looks effortlessly cool as she pulls the skin away from the juicy segments. “I’m too impatient to peel an orange,” she tells us. “That’s why I go for easy peelers.”

“Impatient” is necessarily a term most people would associate with Clara. Her interviewing style is warm and engaging, closer to natural conversations than a Q&A, and she never seems to lose that easy way of being. But while she’ll patiently wait for a celebrity to answer a question, she won’t sit around twiddling her thumbs if her partner is “embarrassing” her.

At the end of October, a trending topic online was whether or not having a boyfriend was embarrassing. It all stemmed from an article written by Clara’s friend, Chante Joseph, which said being in a relationship “is no longer considered an achievement” and looked into why women don’t want to talk about the men they’re dating.

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“Chante tells no lies,” Clara says. The article received some backlash, as some people saw it as encouraging women to be single and calling love itself ‘uncool’. But Clara defended it. “Like, love is wonderful. But it shouldn’t define your whole personality, that’s all.”

When asked if she related to the article, Clara laughs and looks coyly at the camera before adding: “Listen, let me say, I don’t let myself be embarrassed, single or otherwise. And that’s what I would say to my partner. The most interesting thing about me, should be me, and not who my man is,” she continues.

Over the years, Clara has become one of the best celebrities at keeping her love life under wraps. Little is known about who she is dating and or if she is dating at all. And there is a good reason for that – Clara does not want to be known for who she’s in a relationship with, and doesn’t like the fact that women’s success is often defined by if they have a partner or not.

“Look, I think it’s just really reductive and just really dull how women are pressured and expected to define their success by if they’re in a relationship or if they’ve got a kid. I think it’s really boring. Like, I would be really annoyed if the most interesting thing about me was who my partner was. No, thank you.”

The most interesting thing about Clara is how curious she is about the world. That’s how she got involved with Google AI’s latest campaign to get people going to that for specific answers to specific questions. “People know I’m a curious person. I’m constantly asking questions,” she laughs.

“But we’re in a time of overwhelming information and you want to be able to identify what you need from that. It’s that specificity that we need help with.” She whips out her phone and shows how easy it is to get the answers you need from Google AI. “Where can I go in London for christmas-dinner>Christmas dinner that’s celiac, vegan and lactose-intolerant friendly?” she asks her phone. It barely takes a second before it’s suggesting a variety of restaurants, and offering PDFs of their Christmas menus, with the allergen information attached.

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Some people fear artificial intelligence. Not Clara. “Because it’s not about erasing human experience,” she explains. “I think for me personally, I think it’s actually about enhancing it. I don’t believe it’s us versus the machines.”

One thing she’s particularly curious about is music. As well as hosting radio shows, Clara has presented from the BRIT Awards, and she has a series on ITV called Studio Sessions, where she talks to musicians about their craft before they perform a cover of a song. The show has featured the likes of Celebrity Traitors star Cat Burns and to Hold My Hand singer Jess Glynne.

For the next series she’d love to host Megan Thee Stallion, Jade Thirlwall and Olivia Dean. “Those would be my top three,” she says. “For Jade, I would love to hear her cover What You Waiting For by Gwen Stefani, because I know she loved that song. And it’s all about breaking out of a group and going solo for the first time, which Jade has already touched on with Angel Of My Dreams.”

Jade Thirlwall was part of the girl band Little Mix. After winning X Factor, the group went on to become one of the most successful British girl groups, alongside the likes of the Sugababes and Girls Aloud. With the popularity of her debut solo album, That’s Showbiz, Baby! Jade has become the most successful member of the group.

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As a friend of Jade, Clara knows how much the singer loves that song. “Because she’s my mate, I know she loves it. I know she loves What You Waiting For, and I think she’d do a great cover of that. I would love, love, love to see her do that.”

The rise of singers like Jade, Olivia Dean and Megan Thee Stallion, as well as Cat Burns, and Irish singer CMAT, has led Clara to predict that music in 2026 will be all about songwriters who come up in the industry via non-traditional routesput the “girlies on top”. And she’s very excited by that. She’s excited by music full stop.

“It’s the conversations we have there,” she explains. “Someone’s always going to have an opinion about music, and it’s just an easy conversation starter. And just the literal music is transforming. It’s magical. It’s healing. It’s life-affirming. I think music is the only true form of magic that we have.”

Clara Amfo has partnered with Google to show how AI Mode in Google is reenergising Search to empower Brits in a new era of trend discovery.

He recorded 14 studio albums and his songs included Alright Guy and Talking Reality Television Blues, covered by Sir Tom Jones.

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A much-loved music star has died aged 59. Tributes were paid today to American singer-songwriter Todd Snider, days after he was forced to cancel tour dates having sustained serious injuries following what was described as “a violent assault” outside his hotel.

His Instagram page reported yesterday that he had been admitted to hospital after returning home to recover, and a further update today informed his devastated fans that the star had sadly “departed this world”. It said he had been suffering from an undiagnosed case of pneumonia.

Todd’s music incorporated folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk. He recorded 14 studio albums and his songs included Alright Guy and Talking Reality Television Blues, which was covered by Sir Tom Jones. In 2021, he was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in his hometown of Portland.

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A statement announcing Todd’s death on his Instagram page read: “Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases?

“Always creating rhyme and meter that immediately felt like an old friend or a favourite blanket. Someone who could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.”

It continued: “He relayed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs, and showed many of us how to look at the world through a different lens.

“He got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves, those same giants who let him into their lives and took him under their wings, who he studied relentlessly. Guy Clark, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker.

“How do we move forward without the one who gave us countless 90-minute distractions from our impending doom? The one who always had 18 minutes to share a story. We’ll do it by carrying his stories and songs that contain messages of love, compassion, and peace with us.

“Today, put on one of your favourite Todd Snider records and ‘play it loud enough to wake up all of your neighbours or at least loud enough to always wake yourself up’. We love you Todd, sail on old friend, we’ll see you again out there on the road somewhere down the line. You will always be a force of nature.”

An update on November 3 informed fans that Todd’s High, Lonesome and Then Some 2025 tour dates were having to be cancelled. It read: “Ahead of Todd Snider’s show in Salt Lake City, Todd sustained serious injuries as the victim of a violent assault outside of his hotel.

Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley says criticism early in his career felt ‘painful’ but now believes it’s ‘fair comment’ if someone has a negative comment about him

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Richard Madeley confessed “I hate them” as he made a blunt admission about fellow TV presenters. The Good Morning Britain presenter says he realised he was “bulletproof” from negative publicity early in his career.

He told Busted star Matt Willis that he believes presenters “shouldn’t take themselves seriously”. Although Richard, who began his television career at Granada Reports in the 1980s, admits criticism was “painful” when he started out.

Richard though says he now believes it’s “fair comment” when someone says something negative about him. It comes as he admits there are some presenters he “hates” for no reason.

Speaking on the On The Mend podcast, Richard said: “And you know, if there is a negative [comment], at first it’s quite painful. It takes a little while to get used to, but after a while, if somebody wants to say, I think Richard Madeley is a p***k, well, that’s called free speech and fair comment.

“I mean, there are presenters on television who I don’t know personally, but I see, and we’ve all got our sort of our hate figures that I see when they pop up, sitting at home, and I hate them. There’s no logical reason for it at all, but I think, ‘I can’t stand that so and so’ so I’ll turn over.

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“If I’m allowed to think like that about a TV presenter, well then anyone’s allowed to think that way about me. So you mustn’t take yourself seriously.”

Richard recently made a personal confession on GMB when talking with commentators Kwasi Kwarteng and Ayesha Hazarika. The trio were discussing the news that 10 million points were added to driving licences last year.

Richard said: “I’m going to make a confession now, it’s not a big deal, but whatever.”

The presenter then revealed that he had six points on his driving licence, adding: “Both because of speed cameras. One for doing 34 mph on a dual carriageway at four thirty in the morning when it was a 30 mph [zone], I didn’t realise that.

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“And one for doing 24 mph in a 20 mph zone at four thirty in the morning. And I have to say, I don’t mind being fined because, yes, I have broken the limit inadvertently, but to get three points on a licence, as well, seemed a bit harsh.

“I only say this because Co-op Insurance has done a survey and they’ve announced the results this morning. A surge in drivers has been caught by speed cameras, a huge, huge rise.”

The conversation left Richard wondering if we’re “over-penalising” drivers who commit “minor infractions”. Kwasi added: “My view on this is that those 20 mph speed limits are almost impossible. You’ve got to be very, very careful.”

Sports star James Haskell is known for his professional rugby union career before splitting from Chloe Madeley two years ago

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Former rugby union ace James Haskell admits he has a “mad body transformation” since splitting from Chloe Madeley, dubbing it a “midlife glow-up”. He reveals he has lost weight to get ripped and had a hair and teeth makeover too.

James, 40, says: “People have used the words ‘midlife crisis’ or ‘a cry for help’ – I say ‘midlife glow-up’. “And it’s gone down extremely well ‘across the board’. I have never had more heat in my life, if you get my drift. It’s harder to go home on my own at the moment!

“I joke, of course. I am not that kind of guy – but if I was then it would almost be unfair.” James lifts the lid on single life, two years on from his marriage breakdown, in new book Reloaded – The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, a spin-off from the podcast he hosts with Mike Tindall and Alex Payne.

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The ex-England flanker, who won 77 caps for his country, says: “A lot has gone on since the last book we wrote, including me turning 40. I celebrated with a mad week in Ibiza, which was like a cross between The Hangover and the last days of Rome.

“Some people broke so hard that they felt the need to leave early. I’d wake up and see a note next to my bed – ‘Sorry can’t do this any more’.

“Turning 40 wasn’t at all depressing, it was non-stop laughter, exactly what I wanted. “Physically, I’m a strange mismatch between outwardly looking half-decent and crumbling underneath.

“I’ve had a bit of a mid-life glow-up … and I reckon I might even be a six out of 10.” He shed nearly three stone, going from 19st 5lb to 16st 12lb, after linking up with Roar Fitness, run by former British speed skater Sarah Lindsay.

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James says: “I loved the torture of doing it, and it was the best shape I’d ever been in. I was absolutely shredded and looked almost like a bodybuilder, minus the severe bronze lacquer. I mean, I did get tanned – just not that insane tan they all get.” When he is not working – and not enjoying time with his and Chloe’s daughter, Bodhi, three – he ends “up wasting an enormous amount of time and money dating”.

He says: “I’ve never really been a fan of dating apps. I much prefer meeting people in person. There’s an art to chatting someone up, that mix of charm, nerves and risk.

“I actually enjoy the jeopardy of it: that little thrill of not knowing whether they’ll say yes, no, or completely shut you down.” Women, he says, “don’t quite realise just how nerve-racking it is”.

He goes on: “Most women never hit on men, so they’ll never know the feeling of walking up to a group, heart pounding, trying to deliver a line that isn’t terrible. Sometimes it lands, sometimes it crashes and burns and either way, it takes guts.”

James says he did try to get on to the so-called “celebrity” dating app Raya – but failed. He reveals: “After 97 referrals, I still couldn’t get in. I’ve no idea what I did wrong, but perhaps they’re simply excellent judges of character. It’s probably for the best that they’ve kept me out.

“The problem is, most of the time I date just to have something to do, and it can be quite soul-destroying.” Although the star says he has no intention of settling down with anybody any time soon.

He says: “I’ve pretty much conceded that my life needs to be slightly chaotic. But what that chaos will look like over the next few years is difficult to say.”

In 2023, he and Chloe – daughter of TV stars Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan – announced their separation in a joint statement. They wed in 2018.

In his new book, James confesses crushing rugby injuries make it hard to keep up with his little girl. He says: “I struggle just to walk properly. I used to have good days and bad days, but now it’s just bad days. I’m due to have an operation… I can’t pick Bodhi up sometimes.”

And he has said of the new book: “It’s a rollercoaster of emotion, fun, stories you have never heard. “Me, my world ’s falling apart but I am still smiling.”

Strictly Come Dancing front-runner Vicky Pattison isn’t keen on a recent rule-change but, she says, BBC bosses are ‘really behind it as a format and it ‘isn’t going anywhere’

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Bosses on Strictly Come Dancing have produced a change to the format this year. But Vicky Pattison, who has been going from strength to strength in the competition isn’t too happy about the most recent change.

In earlier series of Strictly, the couples were divided into two groups, with each one containing a pair who were in the dance off.

But this year, there’s an announcement on the Sunday episode for all the couples who are safe, while the “final four” wait to hear their fate in the second announcement.

On her Get a Grip podcast, Vicky and pal Angela Scanlon had a very mixed view of the rule change, saying felt “vicious” and “awful”, but also accepting that it might help to “level the playing field” for contestants.

Vicky added that she had gone to Strictly bosses with her objections: “I’ve sort of expressed how spicy I think it is. They’re really behind it as a format. It isn’t going anywhere.”

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Angela replied that she did understand the reasoning behind the rule change:

“With the dance off, what you end up having is the first cohort that are through and the one person who gets potentially an hour, depending on the run of the show, to get their head around being in the dance off, to have a little run through, to like get themselves in the game.

“And then you have the second cohort. So the second person revealed in the dance off is literally like a slap in the face and then get out there and do it.

“It’s very difficult. So this evens the playing field a little bit for the people who are in the dance off.”

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Vicky, alongside her professional dance partner Kai Widdrington, was nowhere near the danger zone last week, but says it’s inevitable that she’ll have to face the “awful” ordeal at some point: “I know at some point, you know, I’ll have to be in a dance off or whatever it is. I think it’ll be it’ll be terrifying.

“It will just be awful, she added. “As we all know, I don’t, deal with nerves very well or pressure. So I’m not looking forward to it.”

Naga Munchetty is reportedly facing a formal investigation following allegations of ‘bullying’ behind the scenes on BBC Breakfast, as her future on the programme remains in doubt

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Naga Munchetty is facing a formal investigation by the BBC, according to reports. The presenter has been accused of bullying behind the scenes on BBC B and will now be fully investigated.

In recent months, the programme has been surrounded by allegations of being a toxic workplace, with a string of claims made against Naga, who also presents on BBC Radio 5 Live. The allegations surrounding the 50-year-old were previously “under review,” but last week, this was escalated.

Sources claim that Naga’s position on the programme may now be in doubt following the departure of Deborah Turness, who was Head of News until she stepped down amidst the Donald Trump speech furore. Deborah had allegedly “protected” members of the talent team, including Naga.

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“The Naga situation has been an albatross around Breakfast’s neck since June, when the endemic bullying at MediaCity was first exposed by The Sun,” a source told The Sun. They added: “Whilst others have been cleared, the review on Naga has done the opposite — with further complaints against her.

“They had no choice but to take things from the slightly softer ‘under review’ to formal investigation.” BBC News claims that an HR adviser from PwC is helping the corporation, looking into the culture of the show.

Tim Davie, who has since resigned as BBC director-general, and BBC board chairman Samir Shah vowed in April to “draw a line in the sand” after an independent review found some “well-known names” were “not being held to account for poor behaviour”.

The workplace culture review, led by management consultant Grahame Russell from Change Associates, was launched in the wake of the furore over disgraced former newsreader Huw Edwards.

Allegations relating to Naga vary from allegedly hitting out at an intern for spreading Marmite on her toast incorrectly, and making an unwanted sexual remark to a female colleague.

Naga also allegedly hit out, claiming her porridge was “too hot” and she wasn’t a fan of blueberries, which had been used as a topping. BBC Breakfast boss Richard Frediani had also faced accusations of bullying before Naga and her co-anchor, Charlie Stayt, faced claims. The complaints about Frediani were not upheld. Stayt is said to remain “under review”.

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Sources have claimed that Deborah and former Director General Tim Davie had “pandered” to some talent. The source went on to claim that people had allegedly been “protected” by Davie and Turness but may now be “fearful” for their future at the license-fee-funded corporation.

Naga earns between £355,000 and £359,000 for her role on the early morning news programme. Her pay band has increased over the last year, as she previously earned between £345,000 to £355,000.

However, her co-anchor, Charlie, who has been on the show since 2014, is paid within the £190,000 salary bracket, half of what Naga earns for the show.

But her team are said to be approaching competitors for a new role. These are said to include LBC and Sky News, with Naga open to new opportunities.

Complaints against Naga were sent via the BBC’s Call It Out Scheme, which was launched after the scandal surrounding former MasterChef stars Gregg Wallace and John Torode.

On Friday, a BBC spokesperson told the Mirror: “We do not comment on individual HR matters.”

The Mirror has approached representatives for Naga Munchetty.