Category Entertainment News

Following a heartbreaking update, former X Factor contestants Jedward and Gemma Collins announced their plans to spend Christmas Day together. &nbsp,

In an interview with The Mirror at Tulleys&nbsp, Christmas&nbsp, Light Festival last Friday, the twins revealed why Christmas has been particularly difficult for them.

The majority of their family members have unfortunately passed away, leaving them with only their Christmas, according to John and Edward Grimes. Gemma Collins, their close friend, has been a huge help to them, though.

The pop stars explained to us that Gemma and the majority of our family members have sadly passed away this year. Christmas is very sad. Gemma’s a real one, you know, having someone like Gemma in our lives has definitely been hugely uplifting. Last year, we celebrated Christmas with Gemma.

They continued, “I think Christmas is sad because we don’t have our grandparents, but we do have all of our memories, so you feel those feelings when you think about it during the holidays.”

Jedward then spoke about how tough the festive season is for them, saying: “It’s very hard. We can experience low moments, as some people believe we can bring the energy. They continued: “It’s a hard time, our mum’s not around, our granny and grandad and people that meant a lot to us aren’t around, so that alone hits you hard during the holidays when everyone is complaining about their family members or whoever, at least they have them around”.

The pair also made a point about how difficult Christmas can be for many people, especially in the midst of dreary and chilly winters. Offering advice to their fans, they said: “You’ve got to keep living until the sunlight gets back”.

As for their Christmas Day plans with Gemma, Jedward shared: “We’re going to be spending it with Gemma, she’s already invited us. She gave our tree Christmas decorations. During the festive season, she’ll literally be staying at ours. She got us customised stockings. It’s really sweet, it’s nice that Gemma’s able to rise to the occasion and be such a great friend”.

Jedward have created their own Christmas song, LOVEmas, set to be released on December 6th. The twins revealed they’d love to perform it at anyone’s wedding or engagement. When asked whose wedding they’d like to perform at, they jokingly mentioned Kerry Katona, saying: “Maybe Kerry Katona is the next one, maybe we’ll be there”.

Gemma and Jedward have been close friends for many years, and the twins frequently visit her in Essex and Ireland. According to reports, the trio has shared three Christmases. Gemma shared with her children that they would be visiting her over the holiday season last year and posted a video of them singing Feliz Navidad on Instagram with a sincere caption. She wrote: “It’s OFFICIALLY CHRISTMAS when @jepicpics (the twins ‘ Instagram page) come to stay for the whole time. The kindest people to me and real friends”.

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As he reveals plans for his big television comeback, Jeremy Kyle declares that he wants to move on from his “five years of hell.”

Two months ago the presenter was “exonerated” over the death of Steve Dymond, who took his life after appearing on his ITV daytime programme.

It’s taken Jeremy, 59, five years to clear his name. He was unable to leave the house or get out of bed at the time he was at his lowest ebb.

But now the dad-of-six is keen to focus on his family and career.

It has been established that a man died, but that is unrelated to me, insists Jeremy, adding that we must never forget. “It’s been five years of hell. But with the strength of this woman, I’m on the other side”.

Okay, speaking to our sister title! magazine with wife Vicky, 40, by his side, he continued: “For two years it was horrific, and I had a complete breakdown”, he says. Vicky dragged me out of bed, she claimed. She saved me”.

Vicky said: “It was so hard to see my husband go through that, but I always knew it wasn’t his fault. We all had a terrible time. I had to force him to leave the bed and go to work. No one thought he’d be like that. Only his family, friends and children knew — and we kept him going.

“Jeremy is not the frightening character portrayed on screen. He’s gentle and kind and he wants the best for everyone. “

The Jeremy Kyle Show hosted the eventful moment in 2019, when Steve appeared on the show to prove he hadn’t had an affair with his partner. During filming, Jeremy encouraged him to tell the truth and” grow a pair of balls”.

Seven days later Steve committed suicide.

However, an inquest found there was no “certain and reliable causal connection” between Steve’s appearance on the show and his death in September.

Jeremy claims that the show’s axing occurred at the exact same time as the family received some other significant news by going back five years and recalling that moment.

” I was sitting on the loo when I got a call from ITV, simply saying, ‘ The show’s gone’, “recalled Jeremy”. And at that exact moment, my wife-to-be walked into the bathroom and said, ‘ I’m pregnant, ‘ “he says”. Vic was the one who pulled me out of this state for two or three days while I was there. She told me it didn’t matter what happened, we’d live with her parents if need be. She remained calm. In the moments I’ve really needed her, she’s been incredible. “

Vicky was nanny to Jeremy’s three children from his second marriage. The couple have two children – Oliver, five, and Iris, 10 months. He also has Harriet, 34, from his first marriage and Alice, 20, Ava, 19, and Henry, 15, from his second

And Jeremy continued, “Overnight, I went from being the king of the castle to not even being permitted to walk the castle grounds.” I completely and utterly get it when people say, ‘ Oh but Jeremy Kyle’s a gobs***e, ‘ I get it. It was part of the show. But it was a terrible time for those who knew me, though.

Due to the stress he was undergoing, Jeremy lost more than a stone weight in the days leading up to the inquest and was prescribed antidepressants.

My fiancée was expecting, I had lost my job, and I still had to pick up the kids from school at 3 o’clock because I was worried about the team that worked with me. It was the most popular daytime show in ITV’s history. But the world changes. I get that. I’ve learnt from it. Now that I know when it was different, I can see how. The program was largely a product of its time.

After removing his name, Jeremy wants to return to what he loves to do best: being a television host.

He says he has a lot of exciting opportunities ahead of him and will be working on Kate Garraway’s Life Stories at the beginning of the year.

” I’m 60 next year and life feels like it’s starting again, “he says”. Now we need to look ahead. I don’t want this to be my legacy; I want to be my great-grandparent’s legacy.

Read the entire interview in OK! magazine, out Tuesday.

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Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody is still as well-known as it was 50 years ago.

The timeless song, which was first released in 1973, returns each year for the holidays with Noddy Holder’s instantly recognisable vocals, which starts with the line “Are you hanging up your stockings on your wall”?

The song, which is once again being played in pubs up and down the country, is estimated to earn the band up to £500, 000 per year in royalties. However, some estimates suggest the track could make up to £1 million annually. Noddy, who wrote the song, has referred to Merry Xmas Everbody as his “pension plan” and shares the royalties with bassist, Jim Lea.

The song actually started out as a “hippy-trippy thing,” which was a step backwards from the holiday-themed single. Noddy claimed to have written the song in just a few hours while drinking in his childhood bedroom when he was talking to the Mirror.

He stated that 1967 was the year the song became Merry Xmas Everybody. It was a hippy-trippy thing and the chorus went: ‘ So won’t you buy me a rocking chair to watch the world go by / Buy me a looking glass to look me in the eye-eye-eye. ‘”

He continued, claiming that he used the same music for the chorus but changed the words and added the verses to the earlier song in two hours after getting the whiskey out.

Noddy revealed that Jim Lea, who had been assigned a Christmas song-writing task by his mother-in-law the year before, was struggling to write the song. He’d written a song called “Buy Me A Rocking Chair” about six years prior, but it “went straight in the garbage.”

While he was staying at his mum and dad’s in Walsall, Noddy rewrote the song in his childhood bedroom, revealing to officialcharts.com: “I got it done in two or three hours, I just thought about everything that was to do with Christmas, a family Christmas. That erased every memory I had as a child. All the lyrics were done in that one night, the middle eight and everything”!

Merry Xmas Everbody, which was released by Polydor at number one in the charts on December 15 and remained there for five weeks, was meant to invoke images of a true “working class Christmas.” It has re-entered the top 100 yearly since 2006.

Released at the peak of the band’s popularity, the song sold over a million copies upon its first release. It is Slade’s last number-one and by far their best-selling single.

The song was voted third in The Nation’s Favourite Christmas Song in a December 2012 UK television special on data-content-type=”section-topic” data-link-tracking=”InArticle|Link” href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/itv”>ITV (behind Fairytale of New York and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday).

Holder and Lea left the band in 1992, but Dave Hill and Don Powell, the two other members, kept playing as Slade with other band members.

However, Powell claimed Hill, his former friend from 1963, sacked him via email in 2020 after recovering from sustaining knee injuries. Although Gill refutes the allegations, a statement on Powell’s website states that Dave has “cold email” him to inform him that his services are no longer needed after working together and being friends since 1963.

The great news is that Don is now back to playing drums fully. He is coming back with his band who will be called Don Powell’s Slade. “

In 2015, Holder told the Daily Mail, “It saddens me that the four guys who were in Slade can’t get together and sit round the dinner table. Five years ago I got the four of us together to air our grievances, but it was too painful. “

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Mark Withers, 77, the star of TheStranger Things, passed away.

The actor, also known for his roles in Dynasty and Magnum, P. I., passed away after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, his daughter Jessie Withers announced.

“He confronted his illness with the same strength and dignity he brought to his craft, creating a legacy of warmth, humor, and dedication, along with his remarkable ability to make every role unforgettable, ‘ she said in a statement to Variety on Friday”. Mark’s enduring talent and commitment to the industry will be fondly remembered by colleagues, friends, and fans alike. “

In the first season of Netflix’s beloved series Stranger Things, Mark played Coroner Gary.

His first significant role was in the 1981 film Dynasty, where he played Ted Dinard, who was Steve Carrington’s boyfriend.

Mark also had small roles on shows including Wonder Woman, The Dukes Of Hazzard, Dallas and Matlock.

He also appeared as Coach Locke on eight Days of Our Lives episodes between 1986 and 1987.

In more recent years, he continued his television career with roles in True Blood, Criminal Minds, Drop Dead Diva, Reckless and Stranger Things.

Withers was a star athlete who received a football scholarship to Penn State before carving out a career in Hollywood, according to Variety.

Withers is survived by his wife, Haiyan Liu Withers, and his daughter, Jessie Withers.

Coleen Nolan of Loose Women has experienced multiple very public breakups, so she is equipped to handle the heartache she may experience. And she’s determined to come out stronger and happier after revealing the depressing news that she’s now a single woman after splitting from Michael Jones, a woman she started dating in 2021.

Speaking to OK! Coleen revealed what transpired between the two during her first exclusive conversation since the breakup and what she hopes will happen next. “We’ve decided that we would rather just stay friends, take it as a friendship”, she said. After connecting on Tinder three years ago, Coleen and Michael first met and Coleen said he was right at the right moment for her.

She continued, “I’m not going to say it wasn’t sad, because of course it was. But I sincerely hope that we can remain friends once the sadness passes. I don’t regret any of it, it was fabulous. I think over the past three and a half years, we’ve helped each other grow, and Michael came along at the ideal time for me.

Although the pair have broken up before once in a row during their relationship, it seems unlikely to be a reconciliation. Coleen, 59, has just moved into her new Staffordshire farmhouse, which she was originally planned to, and it’s a new home, new start.

When she isn’t traveling to and from London’s Television Centre to film Loose Women, she has turned into a real-life working farmer, caring for no less than 30 animals. With all her new responsibilities, she also said she found it a struggle to fit a relationship into her already busy schedule.

“And, you know, it’s nothing to do with anyone else, it’s nobody’s fault”, she shared. However, I’m extremely busy, and I spend a lot of time on the farm when I’m not so busy with work. Who knows, but we still get along great and hope to keep getting friends?

She says she believes that her ex-boyfriend, musician Ray Fensome, who was once married to EastEnders star Shane Richie (who also has two sons with him), gives her hope for Michael and her daughter Ciara.

“I think that comes from age and experience”, she said. “With it being my 60th next year I think, ‘ I haven’t got time, life’s too short. ‘ I mean, I hope I have lots of time but I’m not 20 any more, I don’t want to wait for two years and see what happens”.

On why she’s able to stay so strong, Coleen added: “I always choose to focus on the times that were great, not the sad ending. The last two years of both my marriages were probably horrendous, but equally, the 10 years before were fantastic, so I’d rather focus on that”.

Reverend Richard Coles, who recently lost his beloved husband, resides in a rural cottage far from the jungle Down Under.

During his time on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Richard has won over viewers’ hearts by overcoming exhausting eating challenges with fellow campers GK Barry and Maura Higgins. He has such a strong cult following on the well-known ITV show that campmates even predicted that he might become the next King of the Jungle. The 62-year-old lives in his charming rural cottage, which extends beyond the jungle antics. After his dearly beloved husband David passed away three years earlier, Richard sought a new life in beautiful East Sussex with his adorable dachshunds.

Richard gave an inside look at his home life, saying, “I’ve had it done up since I moved in. It’s now got its own dressing room and bathroom. I enjoy taking a nap there in the afternoon while watching the dogs play music with the dogs nearby. That’s how exciting my life is”. His dwelling is as delightful as you’d expect, replete with log burners, bay windows, a piano, and an exquisite garden, mirroring the Reverend’s amiable character and wit. As the I’m A Celeb finale draws near, let’s delve into his serene home…

The Reverend has found solace in East Sussex’s countryside, where his two adorable dachshunds frequently take naps on the Reverend himself. From his quaint rocking chair, his cottage has stunning bay windows that take in breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. On chillier days, he can keep warm with his cosy log burner.

If he feels musically inspired, there’s a grand piano at the heart of his home, which also serves as another snooze spot for his dogs. The room is joined together by a large woven rug hidden beneath the piano. In his kitchen, tulips adorn the grand wooden table, while books and exposed brick walls decorate the sides. His dachshunds can be found lounging on his beige sofa, which has plush cushions, when Richard is not napping.

His home also showcases vintage furniture, wooden floors, and tall lamps – something his dog seems to find intriguing. A greenhouse tucked away in the corner and a peaceful garden with steps lined with plant pots are where Richard can relax and enjoy a few summer cocktails.