Category Entertainment News

BBC’s Wimbledon host Clare Balding has shared an update on her and wife Alice Arnold’s plans to welcome a new addition into their home, following their heartbreaking loss

Clare Balding, who is fronting this year’s Wimbledon coverage for the BBC, has opened up about the current setback in her life with her spouse Alice Arnold. After losing their beloved Tibetan terrier Archie in 2020, the pair have been on the hunt for a new dog, though Clare says the decision isn’t one that can rushed.

While a guest on the Alright, Pet? podcast at the Good Woof festival, the 54-year-old broadcaster said last summer: “Here’s the thing about responsible dog ownership, I’m going to be away all this summer doing the Olympics and Paralympics, this is not the time to bring a dog into my life, our life.

“And, we are also doing a big sort of house building project, so that we can move somewhere where we’ve got a bit more space, we’re not close to a road, and we can have doors open all the time. “

Clare went on to insist that once their housing project is finished, she and Alice will consider getting another dog.

“It’s killing me not to have a dog right now, but I know it’s the right thing to wait,” she confessed.

During an episode of her show Channel 5 programme Lost Dog, Found Dog, Clare spoke to a pet loss specialist, who offered advice on the appropriate steps to take following the death of a pet.

When asked if a grieving owner should get a new pet shortly after their loss, she advised: “It’s different for everyone, but the most important thing is, it’s what’s best for the animal you do get.

“If you’re in a unit that’s made up of more than one person, you involve everybody in that decision because it’s so so important.

“And what we often hear is that people try and replace [the dog] with the same breed, the same name, please don’t because every dog is unique and has it’s own character. “

She also emphasised the importance of being mentally prepared to care for a new dog, after experiencing such a loss.

More recently, while appearing on Good Morning Britain, Clare insisted that she and Alice were one step closer to becoming dog parents again, though stressed that they were taking their time with the decision.

For now, Clare is busy presenting live BBC coverage from Wimbledon, and come September, she will be touring to promote her latest book.

Alongside Isa Guha, she leads the daily Wimbledon coverage on TV, which is broadcast on BBC One, BBC Two, and available on BBC iPlayer.

Discussing her involvement, she commented: “I love being part of such a good team and learning from them about the new players who stepping into the void left by Federer, Nadal and Murray.

“I’m excited to see how Jack Draper can progress and of course see the latest instalment of the Alcaraz/Sinner rivalry. Coco Gauff burst into our consciousness at only 15 when she beat Venus Williams on her Wimbledon debut.

Mel B was seen on the phone just hours before walking down the aisle to partner Rory McPhee as it has been claimed three Spice Girls decided to not attend the nuptials

With just hours left until Spice Girl Melanie Brown walks down the aisle to marry Rory McPhee, she could be forgiven for wanting to hide away to calm her nerves. However, the singer, 50, famed for her big hair and trademark leopard print outfits, appeared calm and collected as she was pictured on the phone surround by her team.

The star, who is globally known as Scary Spice, was pictured wearing a baseball cap, dark sunglasses and a white sleeveless top, showing off her toned midriff. And without fail, the star opted for a pair of leopard print trousers with a draw string waist, as she stood outside her London hotel.

The couple are set to tie the knot at St Paul’s Cathedral following a three year engagement. The pair had known each other for many years but their once platonic relationship turned romantic in 2022.

Leaving no stone unturned, Mel appears to have ticked off every luxury box as guests will also enjoy the wedding reception at the elite Shangri-La at The Shard in London.

This comes after The Mirror revealed that three Spice Girls won’t be attending her big day. While Emma Bunton with be attendance with her husband, Mel C, Victoria Beckham and Geri Horner won’t be able to make it.

An insider said: “Victoria loves Mel but sadly she will be out of the country, and wishes she could be there. Mel C too would have been there but she is on tour in Sweden. They have a great deal of affection for Melanie. “

While Victoria will not make it in person, she was quick to take to social media to share her love for her former bandmate.

Victoria, who was known as Posh Spice took to Instagram and a shared a picture of them looking red carpet ready. And the caption read: “Sending love to you @officialmelb!” she added: “@rorymcphee is a very lucky man! xx.”

Geri has not revealed the reason behind her absence, but she is said to have a more strained relationship with Mel after Scary Spice claimed on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2019 that she was intimate with Geri while they were in the Spice Girls.

Mel recently showed off her wedding preparations as she posted a picture of herself doing a sound bath.

Mel was seen sat on the ground dressed in eye catching colourful pyjama’s and a gold sequin hat. She also squeezed in a back drop of her beach while holidaying in Tunisia.

She captioned the post saying: “cant wait to marry the luv of my life. ” She accompanied her heartfelt post with two heart emojis.

READ MORE: Vicky Pattison’s Wimbledon midi dress is £400 but we found one that’s 75% cheaper

Black Sabbath will perform for the final time at Villa Park today – and it could well be the last time we see frontman Ozzy Osbourne on stage after his health has rapidly declined

Sharon Osbourne has given a concerning update on her husband Ozzy’s health as Black Sabbath gears up for their final performance at Villa Park today.

The band, widely recognised as the pioneers of heavy metal music, could be performing for the last time due to 76 year old Ozzy’s deteriorating health.

Sharon, who also manages Ozzy, had previously told him that his 2019 tour would be his swansong.

This was particularly pertinent as he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease midway through the tour.

Ozzy attributed an intermittent numbness in his leg to years of drug abuse and excessive drinking, reports Birmingham Live.

The European leg of the tour was postponed to allow Ozzy to recuperate at home. However, disaster struck when Ozzy “stupidly” decided to try “diving into bed”.

The rockstar hadn’t turned his light on and mistakenly thought he knew where his bed was, resulting in him crashing onto the floor.

According to Sharon, this accident exacerbated an old quadbike injury that Ozzy sustained in 2003.

He was rushed to intensive care and informed that he would need surgery or risk becoming paraplegic.

Ozzy described it as the “worst f***ing surgery you can imagine” and now regrets not seeking a second opinion on his injuries.

The operation involved placing two metal plates on either side of Ozzy’s spine, but the screws soon became loose, causing lesions and bone fragments.

“They still haven’t found out the damage, it’s so intricate,” Sharon Osbourne revealed about her husband Ozzy’s health struggles. She shared that they found another surgeon who worked to remove all of the metal from Ozzy’s spine.

She continued: “Five operations later, it just f***ed his body. It was torturous for him: Parkinson’s and damage to his spine. It’s just been horrendous. “

Despite his health issues, Ozzy has remained active in his career. He released the critically-acclaimed album Ordinary Man in 2020 and followed it up with Patient Number 9 in 2022.

In 2022, he performed at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham alongside his Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi. However, the legendary frontman had to have a bracket supporting his back throughout the performance.

Known for his wild on-stage antics, including biting the head off a bat, Ozzy admitted he was at his lowest, “praying to die in his sleep” when Sharon suggested reuniting the original Sabbath line-up for a final gig. She also wanted to bring together bands that had been inspired by them.

Ozzy and Tony formed Black Sabbath along with drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler in 1968. Some of the biggest names in rock, including Guns ‘n’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, Alice in Chains, and Van Halen, signed up to play the gig, having been inspired by Sabbath.

With Metallica, Rage Against the Machine and members of Judas Priest joining the billing, the all-day show has been hailed by some as the greatest ever heavy metal line-up of all time.

When discussing their upcoming performance, Sabbath members had mixed expectations. Tony Iommi joked that Ozzy Osbourne will probably be “sitting on a throne,” while Ozzy himself predicted it might just be a “couple of songs” from both the band and his solo ventures.

Lewis Capaldi made a surprise appearance at Noah Kahan’s gig at BST Hyde Park on Friday after wowing fans at Glastonbury last week following his break from the spotlight

Lewis Capaldi sent a tear-jerking message to fans at Noah Kahan’s gig in Hyde Park last night. The Scottish star, 28, who brought the house down singing Northern Attitude with Kahan – who has been vocal about his own mental health journey – is now back where he belongs after taking a break from the spotlight following a difficult few years.

Following his glittering return to Glastonbury last week after taking time out to focus on his mental health and ‘adjust’ to his Tourette’s diagnosis after he was left unable to finish his set back at Worthy Farm in 2023, Lewis told fans – who had no idea he would be performing at BST – he was glad to be back.

READ MORE: Noel Gallagher’s daughter gives 5-word verdict on Oasis gig after mum walks out

The singer, who ran onto the stage in darkness before joining Kahan in the second verse of their song, told fans of his new track, Survive: “Survive is this week’s UK Number One, and I want to say a massive thank you to everybody who’s been streaming it, downloading it – it really means the world.”

Thanking the audience for their “outpouring of love”, he continued: “I’ve been away for a little while and to come back to this outpouring of love and support has been absolutely incredible.

“I can’t thank everybody enough for all the kind words since Glastonbury – and now this! It’s been the best week of my life. I hope you continue to enjoy the song, it means a lot to me. “

After bringing fans to tears at Glastonbury last week, Lewis has shifted a whopping 68,500 Survive records in its first week, including more than four million streams, surpassing the much-loved singer’s previous best of 56,000 with the 2022 song Forget Me.

The musician, who has spoken openly about having been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, heartbreakingly had to pull out of Glastonbury two years ago as he told fans: “I’m still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette’s and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order.”

Lewis issued an update later that year in which he said: “I’m currently taking some time off to focus on my health and wellbeing and it’s been going great! “

Following his epic comeback last week, it has now been announced that Lewis will embark on a UK and Ireland tour later this year.

The news was shared on June 30 and it’s been revealed that the star will perform ten shows in cities including Manchester and Glasgow.

The new tour, which will be Lewis’ first headline tour in more than two years, will kick off in Sheffield on September 7 and is scheduled to conclude in Dublin on September 29.

The Hold Me While You Wait star will visit a host of other cities in between those two dates, including two nights at the O2 in London. He will also visit venues in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Cardiff.

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After the first triumphant show in Cardif you can read the set list in full and see the songs missing from live tour

The Oasis Live tour setlist is an epic collection of their biggest hits – but there are some great tracks missing too.

Fans who weren’t at Cardiff but are heading to see the band in Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin were also looking to see which songs had made the cut.

They will see that the band, including frontman Liam Gallagher, played only songs from the Nineties, with nothing from their later albums.

Amongst those missing which are popular amongst fans are Columbia, Lyla, Go Let It Out, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, The Importance Of Being Idle and the Beatles classic I Am The Walrus, which the band sometimes play as an encore.

Commenting on the set list, Paul Johnson said on X: “There’s absolute bangers they left out. ”

Mick Went 57 said: “Good but no Colombia? Def in their top 5 imo.”

The actual set list was 23 songs long with many fan favourites including Slide Away, Supersonic, Whatever, Don’t Look Back In Anger and Stand By Me.

It was estimated more than 100,000 people travelled to Cardiff on Friday, with some hoping to get a last minute ticket or just to be there to celebrate in the pubs and bars as they parties late into the night with Oasis songs played on loop.

READ MORE: Oasis have released new tickets for UK tour – how to buy yours if you missed out

Fans Lachlan Weekes and Jayden Helm, who spent more than a day travelling from Sydney, Australia, to attend the concert in the Welsh capital, were among fans gathering ahead of the gig.

Mr Weekes said: “We’ve been planning it forever. We always said that if they got back together, we’d be at that first show. “

Mr Helm said: “We’ve been lifelong fans – we’re 22 and 21, so haven’t really had a chance to see them before.

“We always said it was worth it to come, we wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he added.

“To take time off work to come over here, it’s more than worth it. “

The pair also visited Manchester, where the band formed in 1991, stopping off at Heaton Park as part of their personal Oasis tour.

The brothers announced the Oasis Live ’25 tour last August, starting with two dates in Cardiff on Friday and Saturday, before heading across the UK and Ireland.

In the tour programme Noel reflected on playing with Oasis and his brother, saying: “People will never forget the way you made them feel. ”

He also mused about why so many people of all ages tried to get tickets for the Oasis Live 25 tour.

Noel said: “A new generation recognises how Oasis wasn’t manufactured. It was chaotic, and flawed, and not technically brilliant. We were rough and ready guys from a rehearsal room, and people recognised it. ”

The full set list from the opening show in Cardiff on Friday night was:

Hello

Acquiesce

Morning Glory

Some Might Say

Bring It on Down

Cigarettes & Alcohol

Fade Away

Supersonic

Roll With It

Talk Tonight (sung by Noel)

Half the World Away (sung by Noel)

Little By Little (sung by Noel)

D’You Know What I Mean?

Stand By Me

Cast No Shadow

Slide Away

Whatever

Live Forever

Rock ’n’ Roll Star

Encore

The Masterplan (sung by Noel)

Don’t Look Back in Anger (sung by Noel)

Wonderwall

Oasis are back after kicking off their Live 25 tour in Cardiff – all eyes were on the Gallagher brothers to see if their 16 year feud really is over

The moment Liam Gallagher seized brother Noel’s hand and held it in the air as the brothers walked on stage in Cardiff was a sight Oasis fans have been waiting years to see and won’t easily forget.

Reuniting alongside best mate Bonehead, the brothers played a blistering set to an adoring crowd – as 90s nostalgia packed every inch of the Principality Stadium.

After the initial burst of brotherly love put a very public end to their 16 year feud – it was suddenly back to business for Liam and Noel. The pair barely glanced at each other on stage as they ripped through the hits of their back catalogue from Hello to Supersonic.

For second song Acquiesce, Noel and Liam sang together but it was the only time they interacted at all during the two hour set. Fans hoping for banter between the tempestuous Manc brothers might have been disappointed.

READ MORE: Oasis Live Cardiff Tour Review – Liam and Noel war finally over with rare display of emotion

Noel in particular maintained his signature stoic look on stage, focusing on his guitar and the crowd in front. That was until one moment in the second half gave away how he was really feeling to be back with Liam.

He infamously broke up the band in 2009 after one bust-up too many saying he ‘simply could not go on a day longer’ working with his younger brother.

While Liam had made no secret of the fact he was willing to put it all in the past, Noel continuously shot down any suggestion they could be on the same stage again.

But on Friday night they were back – but was it for the eye-watering pay packets or the perfect way to celebrate the thawing of their feud.

Somethings had not changed. While Noel maintained a concentrated focus, Liam kept up his reputation as the natural comedian of the group.

“I see you’re all still on the glue down there,” he told the standing fans. Later when asking the crowd to turn and around and hold each other for Rock ‘n’ Roll star, he quipped: “C’mon now you don’t need GCSE’s for this one. “

When frontman Liam left the stage, it was Noel’s time to shine as he slowed things down with mass singalongs of Talk Tonight and Don’t Look Back in Anger – the latter causing swathes of the crowd to grab hold of their mates and some to even shed a tear or two.

But it was during Half the World Away that Noel finally cracked himself.

Watching the euphoric reaction as the lyrics to his 1998 track were roared back at him, a misty-eyed Noel finally broke and stopped singing as he stepped back from the microphone and took in the emotion of the occasion.

As a close-up of his face was beamed across the big stage, fans were stunned to see the famously grumpy brains behind Oasis even appear to have tears in eyes for a brief moment.

It was the one giveaway that confirmed Noel was truly glad to be back. While Liam has been tweeting daily since the news of the comeback was confirmed last August, little has been heard from Noel.