Category Entertainment News

EXCLUSIVE: TV and film and stage actress Alex Kingston says she’s long hankered to take part in Strictly, but was held back by fears it would damage her theatre career

Alex Kingston has revealed she’s been desperate to appear on Strictly Come Dancing ever since her role alongside George Clooney in ER came to an end in 2004 – but was banned by her agent.

Now the actress, who played Dr Elizabeth Corday in the hit US medical drama, says she believes the “silly” snobbery around serious stage actors taking part in reality TV is finally breaking down.

And Alex, also known for her role as Doctor Who’s iconic recurring character River Song, was delighted when she finally got the go-ahead to sign up for the BBC ballroom show.

“It’s funny because I’ve been asked in the past and my agent always sort of said, ‘No, you can’t do it’, she explained. “Now I think it’s just that I’ve got to a certain stage in my life where he’s like, ‘If you want to do it, Alex…’ because I’ve been wanting to do it for 20 years.

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“For a long time I think there’s been a sort of stigma around Strictly and popular television. And if you’re a theatre actor, theatre actors don’t participate – which is silly. And it’s not true. I think it’s changing now, I really do. I think people are more generous in terms of their opinions about Strictly.”

Asked why that might be, she mused: “Maybe because it’s been going for so long? Or that you’re seeing more actors just going, ‘sod it, I want to do it’. I mean I really don’t know!”

And she added that being a theatre star shouldn’t mean she only performs for a certain elite group of people. “Just because I do Shakespeare, Shakespeare wrote populist plays, you know?” she points out. “He didn’t write for a certain level of society. So it’s a way of connecting with your audience.”

Seeing her close pal and fellow actor Sarah Hadland take part last year – and reach the final – only made Alex want to do it more. “My friends have all said, ‘you’ve been banging on about it – thank God you’re finally doing it.’

But the Surrey-born star, who wed third husband Jonathan Stamp in 2015, says she did pause for thought at the last moment – especially when Sarah told her how demanding the whole experience could be. “I know that it’s going to be really challenging, and we’re all going to be pushed really to the edge, and beyond, of our comfort zone. But that’s what life’s for, isn’t it? Just jumping in, going for it. Doing things you’ll never regret.”

Sarah, 54, has helped Alex to prepare, at least mentally, for what lies ahead. “She didn’t pull any punches and she sort of said how wonderful it is, but she also did say how hard it is and that it can be absolutely overwhelming at times. It was really good advice, because it was incredibly measured.

“It’s sort of like you’re jumping off this plane that is about to take off, and you’re running alongside it, and hoping that you can cling on and carry on flying with it. But it is a lot, and that’s what she was preparing me for. So I did think quite hard about saying yes, but then at the end of the day I couldn’t say no. Not when I’ve always wanted to do it.”

Alex says she is a keen groover and is excited to explore what she can bring to the audience using movement rather than her usual dialogue. “I love dancing. I mean, I used to dance in the 90s, just clubbing. But at home now, when I’m doing the ironing, I have music on and I’m dancing with my ironing board in the kitchen. I love expressing myself.

“As an actor, it’s just all about the word – but you can also speak with your body. I’m in awe of ballet dancers and modern dancers, and how they can affect somebody in the audience without a single word, just from how they convey the emotion through their bodies. Even though what we’re doing is slightly different, you are telling a story, you’re conveying an emotion. And I’m so excited about having a go.”

Alex may well seek tips from her 24-year-old daughter, Salome, whose father is her German second husband Florian Haertel. Alex’s first marriage, to actor Ralph Fiennes lasted just four years after it emerged he was having an affair with fellow actor Francesca Annis.

Despite her wealth of life experience, Alex admits she realised too late that she could have upped her fitness levels ahead of the competition. “I’m a bit achy today,” she confessed. “I have to say, when I saw that quite a lot of guys are athletes, and they were all posting what they were doing – Harry was at the gym and all this sort of thing – I actually started to think, ‘maybe I shouldn’t have done a bit of training myself’.

Strictly Come Dancing launches on BBC1, September 20, 6.40pm.

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Former glamour model Katie Price took to social media to update fans on her hospital trip after requiring stitches due to an injury while making a curry

Katie Price has shown her wound after injuring herself while making a curry. The former glamour model, 47, revealed on Saturday that she had spent Friday night in Accident and Emergency.

She told her Snapchat followers that she “didn’t plan on ending up” in hospital and has now revealed the damage done after she stabbed herself prepping her meal. At the time, she hadn’t told fans why she was in A&E, leaving them concerned.

However, now she has admitted exactly what happened and shared snaps of her gruesome injury. She later shared snaps of her cut all stitched up.

The image showed her bloodied arm with a slit on the side of her wrist. It’s said the injury had left half of her left hand numb.

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Katie revealed the injury had torn through her ligaments and nerves, which had caused potential damage. She said: “Last night I accidentally stabbed myself with a knife.

“You can see on the injury how deep it was. And I had to have stitches.”

Katie has been keeping her fans in the loop whenever it comes to her health. She often shares updates about any surgery or procedures she has done And she also recently took followers behind the scenes in her house move.

She and her sister have been sharing an insight onto their social media accounts as they’ve been homeware shopping. And her cat has also recently given birth.

Doris, her Sphynx cat, had a litter, but sadly one of them died shortly afterwards and became the eighth animal to die in Katie’s care. The other kittens have also struggled since and have been bottle fed by Katie and boyfriend JJ Salter.

Doris contracted an infection shortly after giving birth which meant she was unable to feed her kittens as she was placed on antibiotics. Now, with Katie currently on her UK tour with pal Kerry Katona, she has brought the four kittens travelling the country with her.

Earlier in the week, Katie became distressed when JJ found the little cats limp and unwell. Speaking on Snapchat, she said: “All of them now have declined so bad even though we took them to the vets earlier. JJ had to rush them to the emergency vets.

“We’re on our way back to the vets, it’s not looking good. Fingers crossed, they are like our babies. We’re doing everything we can. We’re just gutted at the minute. And we’ll be gutted if they can’t do anything for them.”

Katie later updated her followers to tell them the pets had been kept in overnight. She also explained that Doris’ condition had improved.

She told her followers: “Good morning, didn’t have a very good sleep last night at all. The vets ringing us three times in the night.

“I’ll give you an update on the kittens again just not in the right frame of mind. But Doris is alright.”

The TV star later confirmed Doris had returned home but didn’t update on how the kittens were doing. A spokesperson for Katie told the Mirror: “Kate has been taking advice from the vets and has been following everything the vets have told her to do in regards to the kittens.”

Love Island star Tommy Fury took to social media on Sunday to share his surprise and grief over the sudden death of fellow boxing star Ricky Hatton – who died at the age of 46

Tommy Fury has added his voice to those offering condolences and memories following the shock death of boxing icon Ricky Hatton. The sport and entertainment industries were rocked on Sunday when police confirmed the former Light-welterweight and Welterweight champion had been found dead at home at the age of 46.

Love Island star Tommy, 26 – himself a boxing athlete – took to social media to share his shock and heartbreak over the death of Ricky. He shared a pair of photographs of himself alongside the late Stockport-born sportsman.

And in a touching message, he revealed that he was “shocked and gutted” to learn of the star’s passing after police confirmed Ricky had been found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on Sunday. The death is not being treated as suspicious.

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Tommy wrote: “Heartbroken doesn’t even come close. I turned pro with you by my side Ricky and you’ll always be a massive part of my journey in boxing and in life.”

He added: “I am so shocked and gutted. Rest in peace champ.” Fiancée Molly-Mae Hague also offered a short message of condolence, writing in the comments of Tommy’s post: “Rest in peace Ricky” alongside a dove and broken heart emojis.

A string of stars have taken to social media to share their sadness over Ricky’s death. Among them is Olympic boxing icon Amir Kahn, 38, who shared: “Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton.

“As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong – we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up. But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind. Mental health isn’t weakness. It’s part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other.

“Ricky, thank you for everything. For your fights, your moments of glory, your grit. Thank you for pushing us, showing us what’s possible. To everyone reading this: if you’re hurting or struggling, you are not alone.

“Talk. Reach out. Because we need more light, more compassion, more understanding. Rest well, Ricky. You’ll always have your place in the ring of our memories.”

And Olympian Greg Rutherford, who co-starred on Dancing On Ice in 2024 with Rick, posted a photo of them together and wrote: “Utterly heart breaking news. I was so star struck when I met Ricky for the first time and asked for this photo.

“I told him how big a fan I was and through the entire chat he couldn’t have been kinder and more engaged. Getting to know him the little bit I did that kindness always shined through.

“We had a couple of chats about mental health and the battles he’d faced and I told him some things that I hadn’t told anyone else about my own battles.

“He had some amazing words of support and I will always be thankful for that. A great human first and one of the greatest boxers we’ve seen. He’s going to be so missed. Love to his family.”

Ricky leaves behind 24-year-old son Campbell and daughters Millie, 13, and Fearne, 12.

22 Kids and Counting star Sue Radford has shared an update with her followers on social media and it comes after she admitted to considering having baby number 23

Sue Radford, the matriarch of Britain’s biggest family, has flaunted her impressive two-stone weight loss following a recent holiday to Florida. The mum-of-22 took to social media to share her transformation with her 537,000 followers.

The 50-year-old revealed that a pair of size 12 trousers she purchased earlier this year are now too loose after shedding the pounds. She captioned her post: “Bought these a little while ago in a size 12. Think I may need to size down now.” Sue expressed her delight at losing two stone over the summer and being able to fit into her old clothes again. Impressively, she managed to keep the weight off even during a family holiday to Florida in August.

The reality TV star admitted she had piled on the pounds by eating “rubbish food” but now feels “much more healthy and confident”.

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Posting on Facebook, she wrote: “I never thought I’d ever wear anything like this again but I feel so much more healthier and confident for losing nearly 2 stone.”, reports the Daily Star.

“I had put on so much just eating rubbish food and felt awful. I’m now back in the 8 stone bracket, which is where I wanted to be, so I’m really chuffed.”

Sue posed in a pink Mickey Mouse dress that she confessed she never thought she’d fit into again. This comes as Sue recently reflected on her health while celebrating her milestone 50th birthday this year.

While she’s unsure if her body is ready to stop having children, Sue opened up about her feelings in a frank conversation with her friend Rebecca, reports the Mirror.

As she approaches her 50th birthday, she confessed: “So my 50th is coming up, isn’t it? As it gets closer, I’m thinking ‘Oh my God.'”.

Sue admitted: “I feel like my hormones are just crazy. [I’m] kind of thinking, is it the pill that’s making me feel a bit bleh? Do I just stop it?'”.

“And have another one,” Rebecca cheekily suggested. However, Sue was quick to dismiss the idea of baby number 23, stating: “Definitely not. Oh my gosh, I couldn’t even. I could not even think about getting pregnant at 50. Like, who wants that? So maybe we should just go for the no sex life.”

Rebecca then proposed the idea that Sue’s numerous pregnancies might be delaying the onset of menopause. Supporting this theory, voiceover Sally Lindsay noted: “If you do the science, more babies equals fewer periods, equals fewer eggs released.”

Sue also shared her plans for an alternative contraceptive method. She explained her intention to abandon the pill and try the rhythm method, which involves monitoring your temperature, tracking your cycles and abstaining from sex at certain times of the month.

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TOWIE icon Lauren Goodger is fighting to get her mental health back on track after suffering “terrifying” anxiety attacks – but a source says she’s determined to get out of her ‘rut’

Reality star Lauren Goodger is fighting to get her mental health back on an even keel after suffering a bout of severe anxiety while on holiday.

The OG TOWIE star, who was enjoying a sunshine break with her four-year-old daughter, Larose, was forced to return to the UK prematurely after what she described as a series of “terrifying” attacks.

Taking to Instagram, she apologised for her absence from social media, explaining, “Sorry I’ve been MIA. My holiday was cut short due to severe anxiety – it was overwhelming.”

Lauren, who turns 39 this week, is now said to be doing everything she possibly can to get herself back on course, as OK! reports – above all for little Larose. “Hiding it all from my daughter was draining,” Lauren admitted, once back on UK soil.

“But I’m proud I pushed through, even when it got tough. Now that I’m home, I’ve got a lot of work to do on myself. Those two days of anxiety attacks were terrifying.”

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The star said she is now focusing on “self-care and healing” as she tries to find balance again. A source close to Lauren told new,

“Lauren has been struggling with anxiety for years and it’s a real battle for her. She doesn’t like to talk about it too often because she doesn’t like people worrying about her. She would hate for her daughter to see her upset so unfortunately she finds herself hiding, which she knows isn’t good for either of them.”

They added, “Lauren really wants to focus on self-care and how to manage her anxiety, she doesn’t want to feel like this any more. She’s had a really tough few years and is a kind, sensitive soul – everything hits her and sometimes she just can’t cope. Now is the time for her to really focus on herself and get out of this rut. She’s hoping it’s going to be the start of feeling good.”

Despite her joy at returning to TOWIE last year, Lauren has faced a hugely challenging few years. In July 2024, she revealed she was still suffering from PTSD following the heartbreaking loss of her daughter Lorena two years earlier.

The newborn tragically passed away shortly after her birth after her umbilical cord became wrapped around her neck – something Lauren has described as “the most traumatic experience of my life”.

Speaking about the long-term toll Lorena’s death took on her mental health, the star said, “I’ve 100% got PTSD bad and it will be with me for a long time. I’ve never suffered with depression, but I have therapy for health anxiety. I worry the worst is going to happen because I’ve already experienced a loss.”

Her agony was further compounded after Lorena and Larose’s father, Charles Drury, was arrested after reportedly attacking her on the day of Lorena’s funeral. But the charges were dropped in February 2024 after Lauren withdrew her support for the case. Over the past 12 months, Lauren is said to have grown closer to her ex, who recently revealed he has moved to Essex to be nearer their daughter.

“I recently relocated from living three hours away from my daughter (I still saw her a lot) to now living 10 minutes away,” he posted last month. “As much as I miss my family I did what was right for not just my little girl but me too.”

The update came just weeks after he accompanied Lauren and Larose on another getaway – taken to be a sign that the pair have rekindled their romance. In the days following her recent holiday crisis, Lauren appeared to be putting herself first, treating herself to some much-needed pampering as she worked to boost her mental health.

“Blow-dry always helps the soul,” she captioned a snapof herself looking glam in Loughton’s Elem hair salon. She later treated Larose to a wash, cut and blow-dry at children’s hairdressers Little Fidgets.

Lauren first joined TOWIE in 2010, while engaged to TV and radio host Mark Wright. She returned as a permanent cast member in 2024 and earlier this year announced that she would be heading to Portugal with her co-stars, adding that it would be her first trip abroad in five years.

She described the jaunt as “a huge deal”, adding, “I’ve not been away on holiday abroad in five years, due to my severe trauma and anxiety. However, the TOWIE bosses are who I feel most comfortable with to be going abroad to help with this.”

Let’s hope that the future for Lauren involves plenty of peace, happiness and serenity – and a little more of putting herself first…

Reality star Helena Ford worked as part of the cabin crew of an airline before shse found fame on ITV’s Love Island – but now fears she’ll never get her old job back

Love Island star Helena Ford is convinced she’s ruined any chance she ever had to make a return to the world of air travel hospitality. The reality star had a career as a member of cabin crew before she joined the 2025 cast of ITV’s dating show.

And while some former Love Island contestants have returned to the careers they once had before fame, Helena, 29, is convinced she won’t be able to make her way back to her former job. But the star only has herself to blame.

While appearing in the twelfth season of the long-running reality show, Helena raised eyebrows when she mouthed off about some of the passengers she had dealt with in the past. And now she thinks her indiscretion will have cost her any hope of returning to the job.

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She told the Daily Star: “I don’t think they will take me back after that roast I did. Plus all the passengers will think, ‘Oh no, I’m going to get roasted now.’”

She continued: “Never say never but I’m not looking to go back at the moment, definitely not. I think I need take a break and to do some therapy first – I watched a lot of things back that I didn’t like in myself, so there’s that to work on first.”

Earlier this week, 2023 season 10 contestant Mitchel Taylor – who also appeared on Love Island: All Stars in 2024 – revealed he had given up on his Influencer lifestyle to return to the world of work.

The 27-year-old took to Instagram to reveal how his showbiz lifestyle was over and he was back in the swing of a regular nine-to-five job. Insisting the influencer lifestyle was no longer paying the bills, Mitch – who was best known for his chaotic ways in the lavish villa – has returned to his role as a gas engineer.

He said on social media: “Guys, if you’re not nearly 30 like gorgeous Messy Mitch, and you’re still trying to survive off Love Island money, not locking into other ventures, then yes, you’re stupid.

“You gotta do Love Island and you gotta do your day job, because money keeps sexy girlfriends and buys houses.”

His jokey confession came after his had updated his Snapchat fans on his latest move. “Yes guys listen giving you an update on my life and to be honest with you, I’ve just not posted on Snapchat at all since,” he said.

“I didn’t have a 9-5 for two years because I was, like, old rock star famous cool guy. Now I’m poor, so I’ve got to work.”

But he said that having a job “isn’t a bad thing” as he jovially spoke to followers. And he also ruled out a return to the cast of Love Island, revealing he is in a relationship.

Mitch confessed he is currently dating TikTok’s Hayley Griffin. He went on: “And I can’t go on a dating show because I’m in love with a girl. But it’s not that, guys, it’s just like I’ve been working loads.”