Category Entertainment News

The pair – who have both dated the same reality star – will be on the England team at Soccer Aid at Old Trafford tomorrow

Sam Thompson is relishing his new role as Soccer Aid coach and bossing the team around after he was forced to pull out of playing in the charity match. The I’m A Celebrity favourite helped raise over £1million by completing a gruelling 261-mile five-day challenge for Unicef but injured his calf in the process.

It means he’ll be on the sidelines for tomorrow’s game. “I’ll putting my two pence in,” vowed Sam. “I might be shouting ‘I think we might need to change it to a 4-2-3-1.’ But we’ll have to wait and see. If Tom Grennan’s looking a little bit leggy, I might have to hook him off. Obviously that will have to go via Tyson Fury. I’m quite small, he’s quite tall, so getting into his ear is gonna be a bit tough, but I’m gonna give it a go. I might get power drunk and then just be like, ‘Tyson, take a back seat.’ And he’s gonna be like, ‘Sam, sit down.’”

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Sam was told he could no longer play in the match after being assessed by a medic. He was lined up to play for England – alongside Louis Tomlinson. All eyes have been on the pair and their awkward interactions after Louis started dating Sam’s ex Zara McDermott. Sam has insisted there are “no hard feelings” between the guys.

Sam, 32, and former Love Islander Zara, 28, called time on their five-year relationship shortly before Christmas. Zara is said to have moved on with One Direction singer Louis, 33, in March.

Ahead of the charity match, Sam took part in a gruelling challenge, running and cycling 260 miles, delivering the match ball from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford. His journey was documented for ITV One’s Sam Thompson’s Match Ball Mission for Soccer Aid.

Sam said his challenge has changed his outlook on life, likening it to therapy and say it’s made him more grateful for everything he’s got. “It’s the most important thing I’ve done in my 32 years of life,” he said. “Getting to go to Guatemala, getting to see what UNICEF do on the ground, it’s just life changing. The past four months have been a whirlwind. There’s so much that’s happened in that space of time. While their lives have remained the exact same.

“I left a lot out on that road. I remember at the end of Thursday, I went silent for an hour and a half on the bike. And that’s weird for me. I was really struggling. I just cried on the bike as I was cycling. You really realise why we were all there and what we were doing. It’s the quietest I’ve ever been.”

Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2025 will take place tomorrow at Old Trafford, Manchester and will be shown live exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. Donate to UNICEF ahead of the match at socceraid.org.uk/donate. This year, thanks to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, every donation you make to Soccer Aid for UNICEF will be doubled – up to £5 million.

Love Island: All Stars contestant Curtis Pritchard has given an update on his outlook for the future following her abrupt split from his co-star Ekin-Su Culculoglu

Curtis Pritchard has revealed all about his romantic status after his shock split from fellow Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu. Reality TV fans watched Curtis, 29, and Ekin-Su, 30, fall for each other earlier this year as they starred on Love Island: All Stars together.

After falling for each other in the villa, the couple made it all the way to the final but ended in third place behind runners up Grace Jackson and Luca Bish and winners Casey O’Gorman and Gabby Allen. After leaving the villa in the middle of February and returning to the UK, Curtis and Ekin-Su seemed to be heading for a happy romance.

But the love did not last – and the couple revealed they had decided to call it a day just three months after they were crowned third in the second season of Love Island: All Stars. Now Curtis has shone light on his romantic status – and his hopes for the future.

The reality star, who is a professional on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars and has been retraining as a boxer since February this year, has revealed he is focusing on his sport for now.

He told the Daily Mail: “I mean, as of now, I am single.” And when asked if he would be interested in a serious romance, he replied: “You know what I’ve just come out of, just come off doing Love Island, so I haven’t even thought about it.

“Boxing is my my thought process at the moment. I am not going to lie, I want kids and I do want to get married. So yeah, I am looking for that if anyone’s out there.”

Ekin-Su announced she had split from Curtis via a blunt social media post that she released at the end of May. She wrote: “I wanted to share that Curtis and I have decided to go our separate ways.

“It’s been a really tough decision, but one made with a lot of love and respect for one another. He’s an incredible person and I’ll always cherish the memories we made both in an out of the villa.”

She continued: “Thank you all so much for the love and support over the past few months. We’re both focusing on navigating this transition and would really appreciate privacy during this time. Love always, EkinSu.”

Curtis later confirmed the news with a short statement of his own. He wrote at the time: “Just a quick note to say thank you so much for all the kind messages, it really does mean the world. It’s true, Ekin and I have decided to go our separate ways. Breakups are never easy, but i’ll always be grateful for the laughs, the adventures, and the memories (especially the dance routines).”

And he concluded: “I’ll be keeping busy with work, boxing, dancing, and working with the team on FINT. Lots of love, Curtis.”

During his first stint on Love Island back in season five in 2019, Curtis fell into a romance with Irish beauty Maura Higgins – however the relationship collapsed a few months after they left the villa.

While Ekin-Su found love with Davide Sanclimenti during season eight of the show in 2022 and the pair even won the show. But the split months later amid rumours of unfaithfulness.

Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa has set the record straight on her sexuality after being hit with a brutal dig by Miley Cyrus as her romance with Chris Hughes heats up

JoJo Siwa has addressed speculation about her sexuality after Miley Cyrus’ comments about her romance with Chris Hughes. The Dance Moms star, 22, decided to speak out after Miley made a snarky joke at her relationship.

Singer Miley appeared in a clip to mark World Pride as she spoke from inside a closet and said: “Oh, my God, I haven’t been in here since sixth grade! Enjoy coming out of the closet if this Pride is the time for you. It shouldn’t be a month – it should be a year; it should be infinite.”

However, her positive message took a turn as she quipped: “I’m going back inside to get more pretzels and find JoJo Siwa and bring her back out.” JoJo was far from impressed by the remark and fired back that it wasn’t “what the world, or myself needs to hear any day of the week”.

The Karma hitmaker told her fans she was part of the LGTBQ+ community back in 2021. She initially identified as pansexual before revealing she was a lesbian.

However, in the Celebrity Big Brother house, where she met now-boyfriend Chris, JoJo expressed she thought she is now queer. In an update, JoJo has decided to share that she identifies as queer.

She told E! News: “I think the most beautiful term now is queer. I think queer is an umbrella of, ‘Look, I’m just me’. And I think the most beautiful thing about the LGBTQIA community is love. And that goes both ways.”

JoJo added: “There’s loads of beautiful, different sexualities. Sexuality and queerness is a lovely rainbow that has all different places, and it also has places on this rainbow that we don’t even know exist yet.”

The dancer took time to speak about her romance with Chris and how it plays a role with her sexuality. She admitted she has “never second guessed” how she feels for Chris and insisted “you really help who you fall in love with.”

JoJo explained: “Therefore, I’ve never second guessed my happiness, I’ve never second guessed what I’m feeling. And I think that’s the most beautiful thing. When I think about him, I’m full of pure joy. When I speak about him, I’m full of pure joy.”

She has been spending time with Chris at his home in the Cotswolds as they continue to get to know each other romantically. Speaking to Capital Breakfast presenter Jordan North earlier this week how tight their bond has become, JoJo compared their bond to a house.

She said: “As hectic as life is, and as much as that noise goes on, I feel like Christopher and I discovered this beautiful house together. And this house is earthquake proof, and it’s fireproof, and bulletproof. We discovered this house and found the keys, and we took the keys and locked ourselves in. I feel like that with myself, I feel like that with him.”

Following Miley’s dig at her sexuality, JoJo took to Instagram to share a lengthy post about her admiration for the pop star, showing snaps from her Miley-themed fifth birthday party. She also uploaded images of herself with her idol, as well as a picture of her in a jumper printed with the singer’s face on.

JoJo confessed she “wasn’t sure how I felt about things for a couple of days,” after hearing the comments. However, she has said she doesn’t think the quip was ill intended – simply calling it a not very good joke.

She added: “I messaged Miley light heartedly about it and she replied and said “All love. Always.” Honestly the most beautiful thing I’ve learned in the last 5 years is that love is a gorgeous rainbow. Don’t question yourself, don’t second guess yourself, just love. Love love love love love.”

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TV personality Gemma Collins revealed she would love to become a Dame in a video shared online. It comes as David Beckham was knighted in the King’s Birthday Honours List

Reality star icon Gemma Collins revealed her wish to become a Dame as she joked the title had “a ring to it”. The TV personality’s wish comes as David Beckham became a Sir, and his wife Victoria a Lady, when he was announced as part of the King’s Birthday Honours List this weekend.

Gemma is mostly known as being a reality TV icon who provided fans with unforgettable moments on TV. However, she has now set her sights on bigger and better things as she talked about becoming a Dame while getting her makeup done on the set of the Paddy Power Ascot Ladies’ Day advert from last month.

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“I ain’t being funny, but Dame Gemma has got a ring to it,” she said in a clip shared online. “And this year at Ascot I’m going to find King Charles because it’s what his mother would have wanted.”

Meanwhile, football star Sir David’s knighthood was finally confirmed last night as the King’s Birthday Honours list was released.

It comes after the news was leaked a week before the official announcement made – a move which could have jeopardised the 50 year old’s much longed for title, the Mirror exclusively revealed last week.

Luckily for Sir David, the leak hasn’t prevented him from getting the title he has wished for for a number of years as the news was confirmed in the King’s Birthday Honours List, which was released last night.

Sir Beckham is receiving the knighthood for his services to sport and charity, it has been announced.

After the news of his knighthood was released, his wife Victoria took to her Instagram page to pay tribute to the football icon with a sweet photo of her planting a sweet kiss on his cheek.

In the caption, she penned: “You’ve always been my knight in shining armour, but now it’s official. Sir @davidbeckham!!!

“What an honour, I couldn’t be prouder of you. Your dedication to the things that matter most — your country, your work, your passion, and most of all, your family — has never wavered.

“The way you’ve touched so many lives over the years with kindness and humility speaks volumes about the man you are and continues to inspire us everyday. But above all else, I’m so, so proud to call you mine.I love you so much xxxx”.

His sons Cruz and Romeo also shared their pride in their own posts, with Romeo writing: “So so proud of you,” and Cruz adding: “I’m so proud of you dad I love you. Sir David Beckham has a nice ring to it.”

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Love Island husband and wife couple Camilla Thurlow and Jamie Jewitt are caring for their children after their household fell to the common infection of chickenpox

Camilla Thurlow has given an update on the health of her children after members of her household were struck down by chickenpox. The 35-year-old former Love Island contestant is a proud mother-of-three and has been married to model Jamie Jewitt since 2011.

Camilla and Jamie, 35, are parents to daughters Nell, four, and Nora, three, and young son Brodie, one, who arrived in May last year. But this weekend, Camilla has revealed her children are fighting chickenpox.

The highly contagious condition is common in children – but can be caught be adults too. Symptoms involve the appearance of itchy spots which can form anywhere on the body and in the mouth.

The condition clears after one to two weeks with the body then forming resistance to the disease. Symptoms can be soother with cooling creams, antihistamines and paracetamol – and it seems Camilla has been trying to help one of her children that has been worst affected.

Taking to Instagram Stories on Friday, Camilla shared a photo of a pot of home made soup. She wrote alongside the image: “Always some kind of chicken soup when the kids are ill (partly because Nora finds it so hard to eat when she’s ill so I strain some broth to go in a bottle to try and get something in).”

She gave another update on Saturday, sharing a snap of herself with her daughter, Nora, who is covered in chickenpox blisters. She wrote: “Poor love is having such a tough time with chicken pox. She did drink some soup, thankfully.”

She continued: “It’s difficult when she’s ill because she always seems to get things the worst.

“And it’s so hard for her that she can’t tell us how she feels, and that we can’t explain to her that the medicine will make her feel better, so every dose is just a horrible and upsetting experience for her.”

The reality star added: “Nell fortunately so far has been v minimal.” Camilla has previously explained that Nora is autistic and has been slower to learn language and walking.

Marking her 3rd birthday last month, Camilla shared an string of photos of herself and Jamie posing alongside their daughter. She wrote at the time: “On the eve of Nora’s 3rd birthday, there is so much to say, and here she is doing it on her own terms.”

She continued: “While she may not speak I hope you can hear exactly what she is saying here. That you understand her the way we do, through those eyes that tell every part of the story of the gentlest soul and the strongest heart.”

She continued: “Thank you for meeting her here with understanding, encouragement and most of all, joy. For her love, our love, needs no words at all – it just needs us.”

Proud dad Jamie also paid tribute to their daughter. The Love Island star wrote: “Happy birthday little explore.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made a fortune since leaving The Royal Family. However, a new Channel 5 documentary reveals the money could run out

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will see their income dwindle and costs soar as their multi-million pound deals dry up, according to experts. After striking their ‘Megxit’ deal in 2020, King Charles removed all financial support from the couple, with Harry moaning to Oprah that his dad “literally cut me off financially”.

Now a new Channel 5 show called Meghan and Harry: Where Did The Money Go? shines a light on their finances revealing Harry’s surprising inheritances, Meghan’s millions and their staggering Montecito mortgage. The documentary counts the multi-million pound deals the pair have cut to sell their story since leaving The Firm – but it also details their astronomical outgoings.

Royal expert Norman Baker tells the show: “There’s no doubt in my mind that Meghan and Harry’s income is going to decline in the future. It’s declining now. They’ve done the big hits that they could do. They’ve done the big Spotify event, they’ve done the big book, there is nothing else to come, nothing else to sell apart from themselves.”

Upon moving to America the pair splashed out on a family home costing $14.65 million (£11m). However, they also took out a mortgage of $9.5m (£7m), with repayments in the region of $50,000-100,000 (£73,000 – £37,000) a month. Until now, it’s been unheard of for a senior Royal to require a mortgage.

On top of that, Prince Harry has been forced to fund his own security, and he rarely travels anywhere public without a four-car convoy.

Former royal protection officer Simon Morgan explains the costs of specialist protection, saying: “It’s always very difficult to identify the cost in relation to specialist protection, purely because there’s a lot of other factors that go into it. You are looking at somewhere in the region of about £3 million a year to protect somebody who stays at home. As soon as they leave the residence, even if they go down to the shops, that could see that cost double or triple and go from £3m to £6m or £9m or £10m, conservatively. Security is not a fashion accessory, it’s a need. You’ve got to address your needs versus your wants.”

To pay for it, the pair famously signed a £100 million five year deal with Netflix in 2020 and a £15 million deal with Spotify. The Spotify deal has already ended with a top exec at the firm dubbing the pair “grifters”, while the Netflix deal is due to end this year, with no renewal in sight.

Before Megxit, the Sussexes were earning £2.3m a year as working Royals, receiving money from the then Prince Charles’s Duchy of Cornwall. But when the pair left The Firm that all stopped, leaving Harry forced to live on the inheritance his mum Diana, Princess of Wales left him in her will. When she died in 1997 Diana left £6.5m to the boys each, which had grown to around £10m when Harry received it upon turning 30. Talking to Oprah, Harry said “Without that, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” referring to the family’s move to California. Meghan, meanwhile, was thought to be worth around £5million when she met Harry – money built up from her time as an actress on Suits and from her lifestyle brand.

His tell all book Spare earned Harry a $20m (£15m) advance and sold an incredible 3.2 million copies in its first week. He’s expected to have received a further £7m from the hardback sales.

Now PR expert Nick Ede is backing Meghan to become the family’s breadwinner. He says, “Meghan is the best way of making money for the two of them. She is the breadwinner.”

Nick believes that having to build her own fortune before she met Harry means she’s more savvy with deals than her Royal husband.

Nick continues: “Megan from an early age knew it was very important to be secure. If you’re a jobbing actress that means you don’t know literally where the next pay cheque will come from and I think that will have added to her drive.”

Broadcaster and critic Bidisha Mamat agrees with Nick and admits she fears that Harry has a lot to prove. She says: They are going to run out of ideas before they run out of money. Meghan is going to do fine, Meghan is going to make her money, Harry has the bigger financial, personal and emotional challenge. Harry has to prove he really can have a career.”

Following the collapse of the Spotify deal, Meghan did indeed land another podcast deal. This time, however, her deal was with smaller company Lemonada and expected to be worth just $40,000 (£30,000).

Meghan is also still coining it in from Suits, from which repeats are thought to have recently added another $200,000 to the Sussex bottom line.

Indeed, Meghan might be more savvy with money but Harry has just come into another inheritance – this time from his great-grandmother, Elizabeth, Queen Mother. In 1994 the Queen Mother set up a Trust Fund to benefit her great-grand children and this is expected to have paid out £8m to Harry.

It’s a tidy sum but royal journalist Emily Andrews reckons Harry doesn’t contribute much else to his household. She tells the documentary: “Meghan gets up at half six, half an hour before the children, then the children gets up and she gets them dressed, gets their breakfast, and then she makes their packed lunch and takes them to kindy (nursery), then at 9 o’clock she sits down and is a girl boss… Where is Harry in all of this? He’s not making money, he’s not looking after the kids, what is Harry doing?”

Emily accompanied Harry and Meghan on their tour of Australia in 2018. She recalls how Meghan moaned to Harry that they weren’t being paid for their work.

Emily says, “It has just been announced that Meghan was pregnant. I’m inside the Sydney Royal Opera House with Harry and Meghan and they come out. Meghan turns to Harry and looks at the screaming crowds who are waiting for them and says, ‘I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this.’ I think that speaks to how she viewed her role in the Royal Family.”

Since they left the Royal family, the pair have become more famous than ever and commentator Afua Hagan believes the pair will go on to achieve more and more.

She says: “What is clear about Harry and Meghan is that they are very savvy with their money. America is a good spot for them at the moment because it definitely fits in with their idea of entrepreneurship. Harry and Meghan have proven time and time again that they can stand on their own two feet that they can provide for themselves and their family. Definitely we can never count them out.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been contacted for comment.