Category Entertainment News

The Masked Singer star Natalie Cassidy has spoken out on rumours that her EastEnders co-star Shona McGarty could be unmasked as Pufferfish this evening.

As the Masked Singer reaches a crescendo this evening fans of the popular ITV show are eagerly trying to unpick clues as they attempt to guess the identities of the remaining celebrities. Speaking on her Life With Nat podcast, the former EastEnders actor has given her verdict on whether Pufferfish could be her former co-star Shona.

Chatting to her eldest daughter Eliza while admitting that she has no idea of Pufferfish’s true identity she did admit that there was definitely a possibility that it could be the actress. She said: “It could be Shona, because Shona’s voice is amazing. Why have I not thought of that already?”

Earlier in the podcast the 41-year-old recalled one particular moment from her time on the ITV show, as she admitted that she was left in tears by Pufferfish’s “beautiful voice” during her rendition of Barbra Streisand’s Don’t Rain on My Parade. However, she insisted that she had no inside knowledge of the other contestants identity.

Natalie also addressed rumours online suggesting that it could be Little Mix star Perrie Edwards behind the Pufferfish costume, with daughter Eliza also adding that she would be her guess.

Meanwhile, as the five remaining celebrities battled it out for a place in the final last weekend, Natalie was finally unmasked as Bush after rumours had circulated amongst fans for some time that the former EastEnders star could be behind the costume.

While Natalie has also appeared in the likes of Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother, it was for her role as Sonia Fowler in EastEnders that she became a household name across the country. However, after an impressive 22 year spell on the soap, she announced last month that she would be stepping away, saying: “EastEnders is in my bones so I will never forget where I started my career and I will continue to love the show.”

The Masked Singer returns to our screens this evening at 7pm (Saturday, February 15) on ITV as the judges Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Maya Jama and Danny Jones will crown the champion.

Ella Rae Wise has confirmed her reunion with Dan Edgar, as she shared romantic Valentine’s Day snaps.

Just a few weeks ago, the pair sparked rumours of a reconciliation when Ella, 24, was spotted cheering on Dan, 34, from the Dancing On Ice audience.

The Towie star solidified the whispers yesterday by posting a picture on her Instagram Stories, where she can be seen clutching a massive bouquet of roses. Looking stunning in a black crop top and matching trousers, Ella tagged Dan in her caption and later shared a photo from inside Sheesh Restaurant, along with a shot of her holding Dan’s hand at their table.

During her DOI stint, host Stephen Mulhern cheekily referenced Ella’s on-off relationship with Dan, but she kept mum about their status, responding to Stephen’s playful date proposal with a simple “No.”

Later in the episode, Dan’s grandmother Rose took Ella’s place in the front row, but Ella’s brief appearance had already ignited speculation about a possible rekindling of their romance. Adding fuel to the fire, Ella posted a picture from the DOI studio, encouraging fans to vote for Dan. She captioned it: “@danedgar we are all here ready for you.”

Fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, have been quick to express their hopes for the couple, with one saying, “I hope him and Ella are back together they are my faves on #towie.” Another chimed in: “Can see Ella, Diags and Tom Pearce, cheering on Dan during #dancingonice.”

This comes just days after Dan voiced his worries about a potential lack of support from Dancing On Ice due to his rocky year with the ladies. The aspiring skater found himself in the eye of the storm on Towie following his ill-fated relationship with Amber Turner and subsequent flirtation with Ella.

Speaking to The Sun, he shared: “Joey Essex is a very good friend of mine who has previously done the show and he’s given me a bit of advice. Hopefully he will be able to come down and support me, I know Diags and Lockie will be there for sure. I don’t know about the Towie girls, as I think I may have burnt my bridges with them.”

In a November episode of The Only Way Is Essex, viewers witnessed a heated argument between Dan and Ella that left her in tears. The spat was triggered when she blocked him on social media. However, The Sun revealed that the pair had quietly parted ways off-camera, with Ella already seeing someone new.

Ella is reportedly growing close to Teddy Brunt, a 21 year old wealthy business owner from north London. An insider told us: “She might be dating Dan on-screen but off-screen Ella has moved and she’s secretly dating a very rich 21 year old called Teddy Brunt. She has been in Dubai with him – she’s staying in his apartment out there. He is only 21 but runs his own business and is well known in the Essex circles – and his dad’s a millionaire.”

As the Towie Christmas special rolled around, viewers had already witnessed Dan and Ella’s on-screen split. However, they reconciled during the festive episode, despite Ella’s clandestine new relationship with Teddy off-camera.

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

Jeff Hordley, best known for his role as Cain Dingle in the popular ITV soap Emmerdale, has shared how a simple lifestyle change has helped him manage his chronic Crohn’s disease without medication.

The 54-year-old actor opened up about his health battle on the Another Day Another Collar podcast. Crohn’s disease is a long-term condition that causes inflammation of parts of the digestive system, according to the NHS. It falls under the category of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

When asked by host Steve Mann if he was still an ambassador for Crohn’s disease, Jeff responded: “Crohn’s; no, I’m not anymore, but I was for years because I’ve had Crohn’s since I was 24, 25, and I’ve now managed to keep it under wraps because of diet.”

He went on to explain: “Certainly, like you were saying about, we eat very much seasonally; we eat from our allotment, from definitely June through to now.

“So that’s how I’ve managed to do it and exercise and things like that. I’ve managed to avoid any medication, which not every Crohn’s sufferer manages to do, but that’s the way I’ve managed it.”

Jeff added that people look for “quick fixes” rather than looking at things “holistically”. Instead of taking note of their rest, exercise, and what they are “putting” into their bodies, he said they ask for a tablet, something he described as the “modern way.”

According to the National Health Service, Crohn’s disease is one of the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which affects more than 500,000 people across the UK.

Of this number, around 115,000 individuals are living with Crohn’s, based on data from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Jeff was diagnosed with Crohn’s after he sadly lost his mother, who also had the condition, and he went on to be an advocate who campaigned to raise awareness.

While on an episode of Loose Women, his wife, Zoe, opened up about her husband’s fight with the condition, saying it “changed [their] lives” and that Jeff was concerned it would prevent him from pursuing a career in acting.

As an ambassador for Crohn’s and Colitis UK, Jeff reassured others by saying: “You are not alone if you are suffering from Crohn’s or Colitis… although sometimes you might feel as if you are.”

Crohn’s symptoms can range from diarrhoea and abdominal pain to blood in the stool, fatigue, and unexpected weight loss. The disease can cause flare-ups that are either persistent or sporadic.

The health service says you should visit your doctor if you notice poo in your blood, experience diarrhoea for more than seven days, have constant cramps or aches in your stomach, lose weight for no apparent reason, or your child isn’t growing as you’d expect.

You can learn more about Crohn’s disease via the NHS website here.

Russell Brand has shut down his own addiction and mental health charity.

The under fire comedian was accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse as part of a joint investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, The Times and Sunday Times last year. Brand has strongly denied all accusations alleged to have taken place at the height of his fame between 2006 and 2013.

Last month, the BBC issued a public apology to all staff after their internal investigation. It found that a number of people “felt unable to raise concerns” about his behaviour and believed he would “always get his way and therefore stayed silent.” Now, Brand’s addiction and mental heath charity has been closed.

The Charity Commission was told in September that his Stay Free Foundation “no longer operates”. Last month, the foundation was officially removed from the register of charities. Brand has long been open about his struggles with addiction and rehabilitated from heroin in 2003.

Speaking previously to address the claims made against him, Brand said: “I deny any allegations, that have been advanced. I reject the allegations in the strongest possible terms.” He later went on to tell Carlson Tucker that the crimes he had been accused of committing were “appalling” and a “deliberate profound attempt to shut down any dissent in an astonishingly aggressive way.”

Brand went on to say that his behaviour and being “very, very promiscuous” placed him in a “vulnerable position.” When the claims first came to light in September 2023, he also faced allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, the comedian and actor said: “I’ve received two extremely disturbing letters or a letter and an email.

“One from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff like community festival should be stopped, that I shouldn’t be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel. But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks, often very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.”

He added: “What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations. Also, it’s worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently, in what seems to me to be a coordinated attack.

“Now, I don’t wanna get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations, but I feel like I’m being attacked and plainly they’re working very closely together. We are obviously going to look into this matter ’cause it’s very, very serious. In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free.”

In January, the BBC published findings of an internal review into Brand’s time as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music between 2006 and 2008. They said: “The review considered eight complaints of misconduct about Russell Brand, only two of which were made while he was engaged by the BBC, one formally and one informally. It is of great concern that some of these individuals felt unable to raise concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour at the time, and the BBC has apologised to them as part of this review.

“It is also clear that there were compliance inadequacies on some of Russell Brand’s Radio 2 shows which led to content being aired that would not be broadcast today. Russell Brand left the BBC in 2008 following a high-profile editorial breach. As has been reported, there is an ongoing police investigation into Russell Brand. The BBC has been in contact with the Metropolitan police throughout the review and they have seen the report. The BBC acknowledges that Russell Brand categorically denies all public allegations made against him.”

If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.

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

A Channel 4 couple have been detained in Iran while on a once in a lifetime trip across the world.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman have been travelling around the globe on a motorbike trip, yet were detained by Islamic Republic’s draconian security services last month. Their family have issued a desperate plea for them to be returned home as they expressed concern for their safety.

The couple, who are both in their early 50s, are from East Sussex and moved to southern Spain in 2019. Their move abroad was featured on hit Channel 4 show A New Life in the Sun. Lindsay had acknowledged the risks of travelling to Iran against Foreign Office advice was “slightly scary”.

Craig and Lindsay embarked on a trip of a lifetime as they wanted to travel all the way to Australia. They had planned to pass through a variety of countries on their route and crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30. The couple planned to reach Pakistan by January 4.

The Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Iran, warning of a “significant risk” of arrest, questioning or detention. Iranian state media issued blurred photos of Craig and Lindsay earlier this week as they met with UK ambassador Hugo Shorter. The regime used the tightly controlled press to say the couple had been detained on unspecified “security” offences.

The ministry released a message from their family that read: “We would like to take this opportunity to address the distressing situation concerning Craig and Lindsay Foreman who are currently being detained in Kerman, Iran. This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and well-being during this trying time.

“We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities, working diligently to navigate the complexities of this matter. The family are united in our determination to secure their safe return. We truly appreciate the outpouring of support from friends, family, and the community, which has provided us with strength and encouragement as we face this ordeal.

“In light of the circumstances, we kindly ask for the utmost respect regarding our family’s privacy. The emotional burden of this situation weighs heavily on us, and we request that all media inquiries be directed to the FCDO as we manage this challenging chapter in our lives.”

Just before the arrest, Lindsay had opened up on the risks involved in their trip. She wrote on Instagram: “Yes, we’re aware of the risks. But we also know the rewards of meeting incredible people, hearing their stories, and seeing the breathtaking landscapes of these regions could far outweigh the fear. From the vast deserts of Iran to the towering peaks of Pakistan, we hope to share the beauty, hospitality, and humanity that often go unnoticed.”

They had stayed in hotels in the cities of Tabriz, Tehran and Isfahan, accompanied by a tour guide. The Foremans moved on to Kerman, a provincial capital in the centre of the country, yet they never checked in to their booked hotel. Craig and Lindsay had been documenting their travels on social media and had praised their time in the country.

Lindsay said she was having “an amazing time” while Craig praised the “lovely people” they encountered in “lovely” country. A photo was shared of Lindsay on January 3 meeting a religious leader in the town of Isfahan, as they said: “Travel continues to teach me that humanity’s core is shared: kindness, humility, and respect for one another.”

In a Facebook post shared that same day, Lindsay shared: “Despite differences in culture, language, and traditions, we’ve seen something beautifully universal: kindness, humour, hospitality – and a shared love of good food!” She was reportedly working on a research project while travelling about the secrets to a well-live life and intended to share her findings in Brisbane in July.

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