Category Entertainment News

EXCLUSIVE: Reality TV star and boxer Joey Essex has over £1million in debts and an outstanding loan of £780,000, with liquidators uncertain over whether he can pay them back

Joey Essex has racked up eye-watering debts of £1.3million through his performing arts company. The Love Island star turned boxer is on the ropes after it was revealed he has failed to repay a £780,000 loan he took from the firm, Joey Essex Management Ltd.

Documents obtained by the Mirror reveal liquidators are uncertain whether he will pay back the overdrawn director’s loan. That is despite Joey signing a Declaration of Solvency document in August last year stating: “I have formed the opinion that this company will be able to pay its debts in full together with interest at the official rate within 12 months.”

Towie star Essex also has further debts worth £497,246. The 35-year-old owes a staggering £442,303 to HMRC in outstanding VAT, PAYE, corporation tax and court costs.The firm was taken to the High Court by HMRC last year over the debts and served with a winding up petition.

The TV personality’s debts also include £39,942 to celebrity bank Coutts and £15,000 to Companies House. The staggering debts are worse than previously thought – earlier reports suggested he owed £300,000 in tax.

Joey is the company’s only director and shareholder. He set it up in 2011, the year he joined TOWIE. The TV star has banked millions from a string of other shows, including presenting his own programme Educating Joey Essex, plus appearances on Celebs Go Dating, Dancing on Ice and Love Island. We approached Joey for a comment via his agent but he has yet to respond.

In 2023, the firm had assets of £890,000, including £780,000 cash in the bank. His other companies are JDE Property Limited – worth £100 – and Fusey Productions Limited, which are both dormant.

He closed down another firm, The Top TT Limited, in March. He set it up in 2023 and it never filed accounts. Essex recently made a big money move to boxing, which may help to settle his debts.

He landed a reported £500,000 pay day for his maiden fight. However his dream boxing debut could be under threat after his opponent announced plans to appeal the result.

He stepped into the ring for the first time last month for the latest Misfits event.

The TV personality earned a points victory over Numeiro, a Portuguese influencer, in Manchester on August 30. Essex even overcame a standing count in both the fourth and final rounds before being awarded the hard-fought win.

In a fresh twist weeks after the fight, Numeiro has revealed that he’s planning to appeal the result. The 27-year-old, real name Joao Barbosa, told IFL TV: “I really don’t want to cause any trouble, or to sound rude or do something bad.

“But every time I rewatch the fight, every time I speak to someone professional, coaches, referees, pro athletes, everyone I always get the same feedback. It was like, ‘That could have never happened (Essex winning)’.

“If they had given us a draw I don’t think we would even be arguing about it. It’s still not fair from my perspective, but It’s definitely not a loss.”

A rematch has been mooted but Barbosa insists that he’s ‘more interested in getting a fair result’ for their first fight. Should a rematch happen, he’d want it to take place outside of the UK.

Former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona’s friend Lewis Nicholls paid tribute to their new relationship in a sweet Instagram post, describing the couple as “the real deal”

Kerry Katona’s pal, Lewis Nicholls, claimed the former Atomic Kitten singer’s relationship with her new boyfriend is ‘the real deal’ in a sweet post. The TV star met her boyfriend, Paolo Margaglione, on Celebs Go Dating following her split from partner of six years, Ryan Mahoney, last November.

Fans watched the former Atomic Kitten star, 45, date Paolo on the E4 show, and recently said she “couldn’t be happier” in her new relationship. “I feel so lucky and like I completely won,” she told fans. And now, her pal Lewis paid tribute to the couple with a wholesome post shared on Instagram.

Along with a selfie taken with Paolo, Lewis wrote: “The tour has been full of highlights so far but one has been meeting Paolo, Kerry’s partner who she met on Celebs go Dating.

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“We have had lots of laughs, playing ping pong backstage using our hands [laughing emoji] and lots of laughs. Kerry and Paolo are the real deal that’s for sure and has been nice to see Kerry smiling and being happy.”

Paolo commented on the photo: “What a guy, it’s been a pleasure mate.”

Fans were in agreement with Lewis and quickly complimented Kerry and Paolo as a couple. One user said: “Always thought they should be a couple after watching Celeb Go Dating.”

“Happy you two got together. Was [100%] rooting for you!!! You have the kindest gentle eyes,” another happy user commented.

In her recent New! Magazine column, Kerry opened up about her time on Celebs Go Dating. She thanked her fans for their support and said: ” As you can see from the show, I met someone really amazing during filming and I honestly couldn’t be happier.

“I feel so lucky and like I completely won. It’s also been amazing watching everyone else’s stories, we all went on such a journey during the show and the experts did an amazing job.

The mum-of-five shares children Molly and Lilly with her first husband Brian McFadden, Heidi and Max with second husband Mark Croft and youngest DJ with her late husband George Kay.

While her new partner Paolo is a dad of two daughters from his previous relationship. She previously dated Ryan Mahoney for six years before their split in November.

The two met on dating app Bumble and Kerry described the Personal Trainer as a father figure to her daughter DJ.

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Nina Dobrev and Shaun White have split and ended their engagement after five years together, a source close to the couple has confirmed

Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev and Olympic snowboarder Shaun White have called off their engagement and parted ways after a five-year relationship.

The last public sighting of White, 39, and Dobrev, 36, was on 31 August 2025 in Los Angeles, where they were seen hand-in-hand running errands. However, Dobrev was seen without her 5 carat diamond engagement ring at the Eternity premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September.

Dobrev, known for her role as Elena Gilbert on the popular CW vampire drama for six seasons, has also removed her pinned engagement post from her Instagram, which had been at the top since White’s romantic proposal in October 2024.

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In her now-deleted announcement, the star penned, “RIP boyfriend, hello fiancé,” reports the Mirror US. White shared the same photos and wrote, “She said YES.”

A source close to the pair has since told PEOPLE of the split: “It was a mutual decision, and wasn’t an easy one, but it was made with love and a deep respect for one another.”

According to Vogue, White had “a few different plans to propose” to Dobrev. He initially planned to pop the question during their summer holiday, but changed his mind after Dobrev injured her knee in a dirt-biking accident.

He then considered proposing when they were in Cape Town for The Earthshot Prize Ceremony.

After White sensed that Dobrev might have anticipated a proposal during their South Africa trip, he opted to pop the question during an ordinary week in late October, orchestrating every detail: the date, venue (The Golden Swan restaurant in New York City), blooms, and a photographer.

For weeks, he secretly relocated Dobrev’s five-carat Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring throughout their house to prevent discovery. Initially stored in the safe, it was then moved to his sock drawer, and finally hidden deep in the tool shed.

He arranged for his publicist to send Dobrev a fabricated invitation to an exclusive CFDA/Vogue supper with Anna Wintour at the Golden Swan in New York City, which she readily accepted. “He made the invite look so legitimate,” Dobrev revealed at the time.

Upon entering the private dining room, she discovered only a photographer and White waiting inside. “I went into shock. I just froze and stared at him,” she explained.

Her initial reaction was, “No.” Followed by, “No, no, no!”.

“I knew she was nervous because when she’s nervous she’ll make jokes. She’s like, ‘So, wait, Anna’s not here?'” White recalled. Dobrev admitted she can’t recall precisely what unfolded next, having somewhat blacked out, though she does remember that “he said all the right things.”

The couple waited several days before revealing their engagement online.

The duo initially crossed paths briefly at an awards ceremony in 2012, but didn’t properly connect until 2019 when both were enlisted as speakers at an event organised by motivational guru Tony Robbins. Reminiscing about their meal together after the event, White revealed to PEOPLE in January 2022 that he “actually didn’t know anything about [Dobrev]” at the time.

Nevertheless, he was puzzled when numerous staff members requested photographs with her. “And I was like, ‘What’s happening? What’s going on?’ It was actually really funny,” he remembered.

The pair began their romance in 2019 and quickly moved in together when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. White and Dobrev made their relationship Instagram official in May 2020 when White posted a collection of photos showing Dobrev cutting his hair during lockdown.

During their five-year relationship, the duo were frequently spotted on red carpets and championing each other’s careers. In 2022, Dobrev was there to cheer on White as he took part in his fifth and final Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Comedian and actor Jason Manford has hit out at a story claiming he ‘quit’ his role as head teacher Steve Savage in Waterloo Road after making his exit after one series

Jason Manford has hit out at rumours that he ‘quit’ his role as Steve Savage in Waterloo Road after only one series. A news report shared a tweet on X claiming the star ‘quit’ the show, but the comedian was quick to clarify the real reason he departed with a hilarious tweet.

Slamming the media reports, the 8 Out of 10 Cats star said: “I mean, I didn’t ‘quit’ but really tough to carry as headteacher once you’ve chucked a pupil’s dead body in the canal! It doesn’t look good on the old Ofsted report! @WaterlooRoad,” along with a laughing face emoji.

The tweet gained several hundred likes and fans of the show rushed to the comment section to share their love for his character.

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“Wasn’t it just a one series contract? Mind you I’ll miss seeing you in a suit,” one fan comment and another added: “Awww you were brilliant as Steve Savage.”

One fan posted: “Shame you can’t have some prison visits on it. One of my favourite headmasters,” and another quipped: “I think you’d be fine as long as all paperwork was filed correctly.”

The Salford-born comedian previously revealed he asked for his storyline to be changed on the show after his daughters said it was ‘weird’. His character had a romantic interest in canteen worker Nicky Walter (played by Kym Marsh).

Speaking on Good Morning Britain in November, he said: “It’s very of its time I suppose so one of the storylines they mentioned was that my teacher, he’s a widower, and he was going to have this romance with this teacher.

“They mentioned the teacher who it was, and I mentioned it to my girls, who loved the show, and they were like, ‘You can’t do that, you weirdo, she’s about 24 and you’re 43, that’s weird’.

“I didn’t know the character, so I rang the producer and I said, look, I’d love to be in it, what a privilege to be the headteacher, but I said, I can’t have this storyline, it’s just weird, it’s just not right in today’s society’, and certainly my daughters were not happy with it.”

He added: “So, I said, is there another more age-appropriate member of staff who maybe he could have this romance with? They said, What about Kym Marsh? And I said, I’ll see you Monday.”

In Jason’s final episode as the headteacher, he was placed in prison for perverting the course of justice.

The next series will see his character replaced by new headteacher, Dame Stella Drake, played by Lindsey Coulson.

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EXCLUSIVE: Sources close to actress Olivia Wilde have revealed her thoughts on her ex man, former One Direction star Harry Styles, and pal Zoe Kravitz are dating

Olivia Wilde’s reaction to her good friend Zoe Kravitz dating her ex Harry Styles has been confirmed. Harry and Zoe have been spotted holding hands and enjoying some intimate time together recently.

It comes following Olivia and Harry’s short-lived romance three years ago. The duo dated between 2021 and November 2022 following growing closer on the set of her movie Don’t Worry Darling.

Now, it appears as though the One Direction man, 31, has moved on with a good pal of his ex’s. And a source has told us that Olivia “doesn’t care”.

The insider said: “She’s moved on which is very clear over the past three years.”

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The comment is in contrast to other claims. Another source had told Daily Mail: “It always feels weird to her when Harry starts dating a new celebrity. It’s like, why her? Why does he have to date people she knows? It’s super awkward for her.”

Olivia has moved on from her time with Harry. The actress was most recently linked with Ellie Goulding’s ex Caspar Jopling. The pair were spotted kissing during a cosy night out in London’s Notting Hill earlier this month.

During a dinner in London last week, the actress and director, 41, and 33-year-old Caspar shared a smooth. The pair had initially spent over three hours together before leaving in a taxi.

Friends claimed Olivia and Caspar have been quietly seeing each other since early July. It’s thought their dates have mostly taken place in Notting Hill, where Caspar has investments in two well-known spots – The Pelican and The Fat Badger.

It’s said, meanwhile, that Harry has been introduced to Zoe’s famous dad, Lenny Kravitz. Harry and Zoe aren’t playing down their romance rumours and were recently spotted as they stepped out in Brooklyn together arm in arm.

It came after they were first spotted on what looked like a date in Soho, London where they were “snogging like teenagers”. Batman actress Zoe is said to be “whisked off her feet” by charming Harry and is said to be keen to hear her dad’s opinion.

The trio headed for lunch together and a source said of Harry and Zoe: “They both like each other and friends don’t know who likes each other more but it is turning into something more than just a casual situation.

Speaking to Daily Mail, the source added: “They might not want to think it is, but surprise surprise, it is getting interesting.”

The insider went on: “Even with the lack of labels, or labels that aren’t official boyfriend and girlfriend status, they are just kidding themselves, their friends see this could be something special and if they want to make it into that, they should.”