Category Entertainment News

Countryfile presenter Adam Henson, who has been fronting the BBC show since 2001, has opened up about a ‘very challenging’ year for the farming and tourism sectors

Countryfile’s Adam Henson has described 2024 as a “very challenging” year for the tourism and farming industries, primarily due to the extreme weather conditions.

The past year recorded the sixth wettest spring in history, followed by an underwhelming summer that only saw a brief heatwave in August. In fact, the 2023-24 season witnessed the highest number of named storms since the naming system began a decade ago.

The persistent rain carried on into September and autumn, wreaking havoc on the harvest, according to Adam.

He said: “Yeah, it’s been very challenging for, well, tourist enterprises, outdoor tourist enterprises and farms right across the UK, just because it’s been horrible.

“We’ve certainly got some fields with quite a lot of crops in them that we haven’t actually harvested and we never will. “

In a conversation with Minerva magazine, Adam mentioned that nowadays, over 60 per cent of farmers take on a second job as a safeguard against poor seasons. “Duncan, my business partner, over the last 30 years, continued developing the farm park, and then to grow and expand on the types of diversification we’ve got,” he elaborated.

At 59-year-old, Adam reflected on the wisdom he gained from his father Joe Henson, who hosted a TV programme called In The Country. He remembers his dad emphasising that adaptability is crucial for enduring tough times.

Adam shared how witnessing his father’s career flourish through television work and the popularity of the Farm Park taught him the importance of having diverse sources of income at the farm.

Adam took a hands-on approach to the family venture in his teens. “I love the Farm Park – the camping and glamping element too as well as the farming. We have a beautiful spot here and I love to share that. “

But he warns that farming comes with its shares of highs and lows. I believe you must be incredibly committed to farming. Many of my friends, who were farmers when I was a kid, never knew whether or not they would have a good year.

Adam’s family farm’s survival was threatened by the Foot and Mouth Crisis, which put him in a dire position.

Adam described that time in The Countrywoman’s Guide as “a really difficult time for us.” We had a lot of money borrowed, on top of our significant overdraft, to help the business advance, and we were both farm tenants. We were also heavily invested in Cotswold Farm Park. “

Soon after he and his business associate Duncan had taken out loans to expand their business, the outbreak began.

The UK was in shock as more than 2,000 cases were recorded nationwide and more than 6 million sheep and cattle were killed to stop the spread.

Adam claims that the epidemic left his company stranded forever. He acknowledged that “it was horrible and we were in trouble.” “Our landlord and the bank were closing in on us, and the farm closed.”

Sam and his adopted mum Jo delighted fans with their unbreakable bond as they competed in season two of BBC’s Race Across The World, in which they ventured across South America together

The family of Race Across The World contestant Sam Gardiner have given a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for the outpouring of love and support they received, after his tragic death last month. As they grieve for their son, his parents have told fans how grateful they are, after more than £10,000 was donated to a fundraising campaign set up in his memory.

The 24-year-old, who competed in the BBC One series alongside his mother Jo, died in a horror car crash last month. A JustGiving page launched by his family, in aid of National FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), has so far raised more than £10,000.

His devastated mum Jo said: “We have been overwhelmed by the tens of thousands of messages of love and support on social media and in comments to press reporting. We would like to thank the BBC, Studio Lambert and everyone at Race Across The World production, fellow contestants and fans of the show for all their support at this terrible time.

“It has been very comforting to know that Sam touched so many people. I have been particularly moved by all the messages that Sam was an inspiration to many who have been impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

“We adopted Sam and he was diagnosed with FASD. As viewers of season two will recall, this was a big challenge both for Sam and for us as his parents.

“National FASD helped us on that journey. If some good comes of this tragedy, it will be that FASD is better understood.”

Sam was involved in the devastating road accident last week when his vehicle dramatically careered off the A34 on Monday, 26 May, rolling and ending up on its side, confirmed Greater Manchester Police. He sadly died on May 29 from his injuries.

Broadcast in March 2020, Sam and Jo ventured across Mexico and Argentina as part of the second series of the BBC show. Mr Gardiner’s father Andrew described Sam as a “beloved son, a cherished brother, and a truly unforgettable soul”.

He said: “When the news broke last week, friends asked how they could help. After some thought, I decided to set up a JustGiving page to raise money for National FASD in memory of Sam. The page is called Sam Gardiner; Super Human.

“I set the target at £500 thinking a few friends might be generous enough to make a donation. So far it’s raised 20 times that. It’s very humbling to see the RATW family rally to this worthy cause.”

The National Organisation for FASD says on its official website that it “provides support to people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, their families and communities, campaigns to raise public awareness, and promotes relevant policies and practices”.

The website also describes FASD as resulting “when prenatal alcohol exposure affects the developing brain and body.” It says: “FASD is a spectrum. Each person with FASD is affected differently.

“While more than 400 conditions can co-occur, FASD is at its core a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. All people with FASD have many strengths. Early diagnosis and appropriate support are essential, especially for executive functioning.”

A message on the official National FASD Instagram account said: “Sam lived his life full of love, exuberance and adventure as seen on BBC’s Race Across the World. ⁠National FASD is both humbled and honoured to help carry on his legacy via donations coming from hundreds.” A private funeral will be held later this month.

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Dakota Johnson was seen with her on-screen love interest and co-star Chris Evans’ arm around her waist at the New York City premiere of her upcoming romantic comedy, Materialists

Dakota Johnson ‘kissed’ her Materialists co-star at the New York City premiere of her new movie on Saturday night, after her ex Chris Martin supported her upcoming movie. While she attended the event and posed for photos, the 35-year-old had Chris Evans’ arm tightly wrapped around her waist.

The stunning actress looked in high spirits as she stood in front of the cameras with Marvel star Evans, but it wasn’t him she locked lips with. In Pedro Pascal’s absence, she held up a cardboard cut-out of her on-screen love interest and kissed Pascal’s photo, who plays her ‘perfect match’ in the film.

Materialists is Dakota’s upcoming rom-com, set for release in August. In it, she plays protagonist Lucy, a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker, who finds herself unable to choose between her ‘perfect match’ and her imperfect ex.

The love triangle her character finds herself embroiled in is between The Last of Us actor Pascal’s charming billionaire Harry, and Marvel star Chris Evans, who plays her college sweetheart. Acclaimed filmmaker Celine Song is at the helm, with much-hyped movie hoping to revive the genre at the box office.

Dakota’s light-hearted display comes as her rumoured ex Chris Martin showed public support for her new movie, urging a sold-out stadium of Coldplay fans to go and see it. The 48-year-old singer was reported to have split from his partner of eight years this week.

Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota has been reported to be “devastated” by the break-up, but sources have also suggested it was a long-time coming. Amiable Chris still showed his support to Dakota, who has reportedly been just as upset about losing contact with his children, after growing close to them.

Chris was closing his Allegiant Stadium gig in Las Vegas, addressing the audience to say: “Thank you so much everybody.” He added: “Be kind to yourself, be kind to each other. Don’t forget to see Materialists! We love you!”

But off the big screen, Dakota’s love life has been just as challenging, with the actress’ rep forced to deny break-up rumours back in August 2024. On Monday June 2, Dakota was seen out in New York without her engagement ring.

Neither Dakota nor Chris has confirmed or spoken on the reports yet, but a source has claimed that the rumoured split has been “painful” for Dakota. Speaking to the Sun, a they revealed: “Dakota wanted this relationship to work.

“She not only loves Chris, but his two kids, and that loss feels incredibly painful. The decision to end things was amicable, but Dakota is finding it hard. Over the past year, it became clear that their relationship had stalled and wasn’t moving forwards.”

As Coldplay’s world tour continues, Dakota has been working on promoting Materialists, as well as her other upcoming film Verity. The latter is set for release in 2026, and is an adaptation of It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name.

Although they have had to shut down split rumours before, the Mail reports that this time, it’s final. An insider told the paper: “Dakota held a flame for them to be together because she loved him so much and loved his kids so much.

“Breakups aren’t instant and they continued to breakup and makeup and sometimes things would work when they were away from each other, while they were working because absence makes the heart grow fonder, but then they’d get back together and little things just kept adding up to where they weren’t right for each other anymore… Dakota is devastated that she isn’t going to be around his kids as much anymore, but wants them to know that she is always there for them.”

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Some fans have been concerned over singer Justin Bieber’s behaviour on social media recently which has included posting several mirror selfies

Justin Bieber fans have pleaded for him to “get help” over some concerning new photos. The star took to his Instagram page and shared a collection of selfies which included close up face shots and blurry images.

He went on to caption the post: “U could point at my flaws. Or u could recognize ur own lil b****,” before adding a red droplet emoji. However, this sparked concern by fans as they took to the comments of several posts to leave their own messages to see if Justin is doing well.

One person said: “Awh good love him seriously struggling it’s looking like Liam Payne and Britney [Spears] someone needs to help him before it’s to late.” As a second wrote: “So hard and sad to watch. Why are the people around him not helping him when he’s clearly struggling. He’s not clear at all and hurting.”

“Babe. Please go get help,” another chimed in, as a fourth commented: “Omg men u need therapy ur case is serious.”

“Bro you’re 31, get some therapy for your sons’ sake. Or divorce Hailey then get therapy idk man but you need to get yourself together for Jack,” one added, with another writing: “I love you and I’m praying for you. You’re so many peoples idols. You have an amazing voice. You’re a father, whatever you’re going through I hope you can heal.”

This comes soon after some were also concerned about Justin last week when he seemed to have a potential injury. He was seen walking in the street while he wore an oversized red hoodie and checked green shorts.

However, the musician was also seen with a knee brace. It indicated that he had hurt his left knee but hasn’t revealed what happened.

After the images were obtained by the Mail, Justin appeared to have removed the knee support for his next social media update. He was seen smiling while wearing a pair of blue leggings.

Fans joked he should: “Stop playing and give hailey her leggings back.” Another joked: “This is what i wear to Pilates Justin.”

Fans begged Justin to take a break for himself after an outburst on social media. The dad-of-one, who is married to Hailey Bieber, took to Instagram to voice how he was feeling.

In the post, which he wrote over a pink background, he shared with his followers: “Telling other humans they deserve something is like raising someone else’s kids. Who are you to tell someone what someone should or shouldn’t have. The audacity. That’s not your place. God decides what we deserve.”

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Chris Martin ended Coldplay’s sold out Las Vegas show with a shout-out to his former partner, Fifty Shades of Grey actress Dakota Johnson, with fans left scratching their heads amid split reports

Chris Martin appeared to give a shout-out to his ex Dakota Johnson on Friday night, as he closed Coldplay’s Las Vegas show. The 48-year-old singer has reportedly split with his partner of eight years, actress Dakota Johnson, 35.

Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota is said to be “devastated” by the split, although sources have suggested it was a long-time coming. But ever the amiable ex, Chris made sure he showed support for his supposed former partner’s new movie.

He was closing the Allegiant Stadium gig, addressing the audience to say: “Thank you so much everybody.” He added: “Be kind to yourself, be kind to each other. Don’t forget to see Materialists! We love you!”

Materialists is Dakota’s upcoming rom-com, set for release in August. She plays protagonist Lucy, a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker, who finds herself unable to choose between her ‘perfect match’ and her imperfect ex.

But off the big screen, Dakota’s love life has been just as challenging, with the actress’ rep forced to deny break-up rumours back in August 2024. On Monday June 2, Dakota was seen out in New York without her engagement ring.

But fans have been getting mixed messages, with Dakota and Chris last photographed out together on May 16, in Malibu, California. Before that, when Coldplay were on tour in India, they were spotted holding hands.

Neither Dakota nor Chris has confirmed or spoken on the reports yet. But a source has claimed that the rumoured split has hit Dakota hard. Speaking to the Sun, a source revealed: “Dakota wanted this relationship to work.

“She not only loves Chris, but his two kids, and that loss feels incredibly painful. The decision to end things was amicable, but Dakota is finding it hard. Over the past year, it became clear that their relationship had stalled and wasn’t moving forwards.”

As Coldplay continue their world tour, Dakota has been working on shoots for Materialists, as well as her other film Verity. The latter is set for release in 2026, and is an adaptation of It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name.

The source added: “Settling down, as in Chris properly taking his foot off the pedal, isn’t going to happen. And, ultimately, it was one of the many straws that broke the back of them.”

Although they have had to shut down split rumours before, the Mail reports that this time, it’s the end. An insider told the paper: “They just haven’t been able to figure out to make it official. Dakota held a flame for them to be together because she loved him so much and loved his kids so much.

“Breakups aren’t instant and they continued to breakup and makeup and sometimes things would work when they were away from each other, while they were working because absence makes the heart grow fonder, but then they’d get back together and little things just kept adding up to where they weren’t right for each other anymore… Dakota is devastated that she isn’t going to be around his kids as much anymore, but wants them to know that she is always there for them.”

Chris shares those two children with ex Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he married in December 2003. They divorced in 2016, a split Gwyneth described as “conscious uncoupling”. Gwyneth, 52, has since gone on to marry writer and producer Brad Falchuk, who she met on the set of Glee when she had a recurring guest role in the musical.

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Chris Martin ended Coldplay’s sold out Las Vegas show with a shout-out to his former partner, Fifty Shades of Grey actress Dakota Johnson, with fans left scratching their heads amid split reports

Chris Martin appeared to give a shout-out to his ex Dakota Johnson on Friday night, as he closed Coldplay’s Las Vegas show. The 48-year-old singer has reportedly split with his partner of eight years, actress Dakota Johnson, 35.

Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota is said to be “devastated” by the split, although sources have suggested it was a long-time coming. But ever the amiable ex, Chris made sure he showed support for his supposed former partner’s new movie.

He was closing the Allegiant Stadium gig, addressing the audience to say: “Thank you so much everybody.” He added: “Be kind to yourself, be kind to each other. Don’t forget to see Materialists! We love you!”

Materialists is Dakota’s upcoming rom-com, set for release in August. She plays protagonist Lucy, a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker, who finds herself unable to choose between her ‘perfect match’ and her imperfect ex.

But off the big screen, Dakota’s love life has been just as challenging, with the actress’ rep forced to deny break-up rumours back in August 2024. On Monday June 2, Dakota was seen out in New York without her engagement ring.

But fans have been getting mixed messages, with Dakota and Chris last photographed out together on May 16, in Malibu, California. Before that, when Coldplay were on tour in India, they were spotted holding hands.

Neither Dakota nor Chris has confirmed or spoken on the reports yet. But a source has claimed that the rumoured split has hit Dakota hard. Speaking to the Sun, a source revealed: “Dakota wanted this relationship to work.

“She not only loves Chris, but his two kids, and that loss feels incredibly painful. The decision to end things was amicable, but Dakota is finding it hard. Over the past year, it became clear that their relationship had stalled and wasn’t moving forwards.”

As Coldplay continue their world tour, Dakota has been working on shoots for Materialists, as well as her other film Verity. The latter is set for release in 2026, and is an adaptation of It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name.

The source added: “Settling down, as in Chris properly taking his foot off the pedal, isn’t going to happen. And, ultimately, it was one of the many straws that broke the back of them.”

Although they have had to shut down split rumours before, the Mail reports that this time, it’s the end. An insider told the paper: “They just haven’t been able to figure out to make it official. Dakota held a flame for them to be together because she loved him so much and loved his kids so much.

“Breakups aren’t instant and they continued to breakup and makeup and sometimes things would work when they were away from each other, while they were working because absence makes the heart grow fonder, but then they’d get back together and little things just kept adding up to where they weren’t right for each other anymore… Dakota is devastated that she isn’t going to be around his kids as much anymore, but wants them to know that she is always there for them.”

Chris shares those two children with ex Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he married in December 2003. They divorced in 2016, a split Gwyneth described as “conscious uncoupling”. Gwyneth, 52, has since gone on to marry writer and producer Brad Falchuk, who she met on the set of Glee when she had a recurring guest role in the musical.

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READ MORE: Meghan Markle-loved glow-boosting serum that leaves ‘fine lines invisible’ gets a 20% saving