Pete Wicks has opened up about his ‘awkward’ return to the Strictly Come Dancing audience after he was seen sharing a passionate kiss with former professional partner Jowita Przystal
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Pete Wicks admitted to feeling ‘awkward’ in the Strictly audience (Image: WireImage)
Pete Wicks confessed he felt “awkward” sitting in the Strictly Come Dancing audience when he turned up to cheer on his mate Vicky Pattison.
The reality telly favourite made it to the semi-finals last year alongside dance partner Jowita Przystal. Pete got everyone talking when he and Jowita shared a steamy snog on stage in front of a packed O2 Arena last month.
Their romance has set tongues wagging, with cameras constantly focused on his face throughout the evening as he settled into his audience seat to back former Geordie Shore favourite Vicky, who’s taking part in the 2025 series.
Chatting on his Staying Relevant podcast, he revealed to co-host Sam Thompson: “I got so awkward. Bear in mind I wasn’t drunk either. I was driving so I was sober. So I was even more awkward.
“I didn’t know what to do. So, I went over the top and I started shouting ‘Yay!’ And then I thought, why am I doing that?” reports Wales Online.
“I’ve seen the clip, and I look f*****g mental… I look possessed.”
Pete made his way back to the BBC’s Elstree Studios as an audience member for this year’s opening live show.
Jowita has been matched with TV and radio host Ross King, and Pete seemed to confirm his relationship with the Polish professional dancer following their passionate kiss at the O2.
Pete has backed his mate Vicky, who’s been partnered with Kai Widdrington, to go far in this year’s series.
He revealed: “I have never seen anyone so f*****g nervous. There were tears. There was all sorts before before she’d even f*****g got there.
“She is scared of her own shadow the f*****g woman. It is mental. But she absolutely smashed it out of the park.”
Pete is confident that Vicky will continue to impress on the dance floor, stating: “I would bet my house that she’s not going anywhere. That’s the first stage completed. You weren’t the first out.”
According to Pete, Vicky has a natural talent for dancing. He revealed: “I know Vic well. And the biggest problem she’s going to have is nerves… I saw her dance before the live show. She’s actually a good dancer.”
Before her performance, Pete encouraged Vicky by saying: “You’ve already f*****g surpassed anything I f*****g did. Imagine how nervous I was. I can’t dance… But you can actually you’ve actually got something to back this up. So you just need to go out and do what you’ve done before.”
Vicky followed his advice and scored an impressive 24 points for her foxtrot to Sam Fender’sRein Me In. However, a less successful salsa to Dizzee Rascal’s Bonkers resulted in former Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner being the first celebrity to be eliminated this year.
YouTube sensation LadBaby – also known as Mark and Roxanne Hoyle – open up as they ready themselves for their first year as roving reporters for the Pride of Britain Awards
Viral sensation LadBaby were “blown away” when they were given an access-all-areas pass to this year’s Pride of Britain Awards. YouTubers Mark and Roxanne Hoyle will be keeping their 13 million followers updated on everything that happens on the red carpet, in the green room and backstage, as roving reporters at the glittering Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, with P&O Cruises.
“It’s a real honour to be asked,” says mum of two Roxanne, 41. “From the first time we ever went to the awards in 2021, to now being part of the Pride of Britain family – we’re over the moon. We always love meeting the winners and their families. It’s just such an incredible night. It makes us genuinely happy being there.”
The pair, who have been spreading joy with their prank videos and string of Christmas No.1s since launching their YouTube channel nine years ago, say they still get starstruck when celebrities approach them.
“Last year Alison Hammond came up and she went, ‘I love you guys, I watch your videos all the time’, which was sweet,” smiles Mark, 38. “I think we’re a bit of a guilty pleasure with some people!”
But for Trussell Trust ambassadors Mark and Roxanne – who were once nominees themselves for raising £200,000 for food banks – meeting the Pride of Britain winners and their families is the ultimate honour.
“When you meet all of the kids who have gone through some real hardships, they’re just wonderful humans,” says Roxanne. “It’s so inspiring.”
“It’s always so sweet though, when you see the people win and they’ve done literally life-changing things or have saved people’s lives, they just stand there and shrug their shoulders and go, ‘oh, anyone would do it’,” adds Mark. “That’s what’s so very humbling and lovely about the people who win.”
LadBaby’s followers are already clamoring to be let in on all the action. “I want to show them Carol Vorderman ’s dressing room, backstage, what the toilets are like,” says Roxanne. “I want to get in that kitchen and see if I can get the chef to put sausage rolls on everyone’s menu,” laughs Mark.
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Mark and Roxanne are the latest in the ever-growing Pride of Britain hosting team. They’ll be joined on the night by red carpet livestream presenters Pete Wicks and Sam Thompson, correspondent and podcaster GK Barry, and adorable 2024 Child of Courage winner Florrie Bark, nine, who will be offering thirsty celebs a cup of tea on the carpet.
And there’ll be more surprise celebrity guests than you can shake a stick at, as the likes of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson put in a special appearance for the extraordinary winners.
You can catch the full Pride of Britain Awards when the show airs at 8pm on October 23 on ITV.
TFI Friday was the chaotic show that tore up the rule book – but what happened to all the stars after the show was axed in 2000? Here, The Mirror takes a look at what came next for the iconic show’s main stars…
TFI Friday was the bonkers programme that ripped up the television handbook.
The mad Channel 4 show, which kicked off in February 1996, became essential viewing thanks to presenter Chris Evans’ mayhem. Dreamt up by comedy genius Danny Baker, TFI Friday epitomised 1990s defiance with its cutting-edge and groundbreaking concepts.
Whether you were having a quiet night in or heading out on Friday evening, it was the essential programme at 6pm.
The crowd gathered around a bar where celebrities had to stroll up for chats in the boozer-style setting – grabbing a beverage from Andrew the Barman. Meanwhile, a string of incredible performers took to the studio stage including Aerosmith, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
However, with the anarchic programme breaking barriers, it frequently found itself embroiled in scandal. Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder cursed during a chat on the second episode of the opening series, then continuously bellowed the F-word during a live broadcast a month afterwards.
Additional legendary scenes featured Kylie Minogue kissing Geri Halliwell, Noel Gallagher quipping about “casing the joint” and Ewan McGregor declaring the Tory government had “f***ed everything up”.
Tragically it all finished in December 2000, though the programme was temporarily brought back for one series in 2015. So what are all the personalities from TFI Friday doing these days?
Chris Evans
Author and broadcaster Chris Evans was the programme’s leading light but following the programme’s decline, he passed on presenting responsibilities for the final series to a roster of celebrity guest hosts including The Spice Girls, Sara Cox and Elton John.
When TFI Friday was cancelled, he carried on hosting Virgin Radio’s breakfast programme but his deal was cut short in June 2001 after he repeatedly failed to show up for work.
Evans launched UMTV in August 2002, his own radio and television production firm, but battled to achieve strong viewing figures.
In September 2005 he permanently joined Radio 2 and enjoyed success with his Saturday afternoon and Drivetime programmes. He took over the Radio 2 Breakfast Show from Terry Wogan in January 2011 then departed once more for Virgin Radio in September 2018.
He became Top Gear presenter in June 2015 on a three-year contract but stood down after just a year following criticism from viewers over his presenting approach.
Back in 2016, Chris was compelled to defend himself against ‘bullying’ allegations dating back to the 90s when he worked on The Big Breakfast. Evans found himself at the heart of claims he ‘bullied’ colleagues and supposedly made one female producer on his Radio 2 programme cry.
Former co-host John Revell alleged Evans was “out of control” and BBC executives were “scared to confront him” as he urged BBC chief Tony Hall to suspend him.
In Evans’s defence, the BBC responded by stating there was nothing to investigate and other accusations regarding his behaviour on Top Gear were “completely untrue”. At the time, they said: “There is nothing to investigate as the accusation that Chris’s behaviour has fallen below the standards required of BBC staff since taking on Top Gear are completely untrue – something we have made clear a number of times.”
Chris’ mates insisted he was the victim of a “spiteful witch hunt” as part of a smear campaign to wreck his career.
Directly addressing the accusations, Chris told The Sunday Mirror: “All these bullying claims and other allegations are just ridiculous. “I’m not a bully. But of course if you sling enough mud, some will stick to the wall.
“Is it hurtful to see your wife – or your children – upset? Of course it is.”
In August 2023, he was diagnosed with skin cancer but given the all-clear just eight weeks later. Chatting on his Virgin Radio show during Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Evans shared that he had been diagnosed with the early stages of skin cancer. He reassured listeners that it was caught swiftly, making it “as treatable as cancer can possibly be”.
“I’m now sporting a proud scar. I’ve got my scar on the back of my calf,” he said. “I love my scar, because the scar led me to a sunnier tomorrow, and I’m still in that tomorrow today, and it’s a wonderful place to be.”
Danny Baker
Danny Baker was the brains behind TFI Friday. The comedy scribe, radio presenter and all-round entertainer went on to host the breakfast radio programme on BBC London 94.9 from 2002 to 2012.
He also penned a three-volume autobiography, which served as the foundation for his BBC sitcom Cradle to Grave in 2015. Close pals with former England striker Gary Lineker, the duo have collaborated on their own podcast, Behind Closed Doors.
In 2010, he was diagnosed with head and neck cancer and underwent months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. “I was very ill. I barely had the energy to heave myself over in bed,” he told the Guardian. “They told me: the good news is the prognosis is optimistic, the bad news is that, other than bone marrow, it’s the most gruelling of times – and that’s how it proved. My head had to have the radiation. If it’s in your body, it’s fine, but if it’s in your mouth, you can’t talk or eat and there are various other disgusting conditions that come with it… You’re not conscious, virtually, for three months.”
Frantic about how he would cover his bills during treatment, he called his old friend Chris Evans, who immediately lent him £30,000. “Chris did it in a heartbeat. I had no savings, so I borrowed money off Chris, and I’ve since been able to pay him back because we’ve remortgaged the house. But that was my overriding concern. It’d be the first thing that anyone who’s self employed thinks – what am I going to do?” He has since been given the All Clear.
Baker was embroiled in a racism row in May 2019 when he posted a picture of a chimpanzee with the caption: “Royal Baby leaves hospital” after the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby.
Following the Twitter furore he was axed by the BBC. Baker admitted it was “one of the worst days of my life” and said he was “paying the price for this crass and regrettable blunder”.
In an apology tweet, he wrote: “But it was a genuine, naive and catastrophic mistake. There is of course little media/twitter traction in such a straight-forward explanation. The picture in context as presented was obviously shamefully racist. It was never intended so – seriously who on earth would ‘go there’?”.
He added: “Anyway I am now paying the price for this crass and regrettable blunder and rightly so. Probably even this final word from me will extend the mania. (‘Dog whistle’ anyone? ) I would like to thank friends on here for their kinder words and once again – I am so, so sorry.”
Will MacDonald
Evans’s television partner Will ‘Wiiiiill’ Macdonald actually doubled up as a producer behind the scenes. The crowd would gesture towards Will and cheer his name whenever he appeared.
Reflecting on his favourite TFI memories in 2015, Will said: “Memory’s quite strange when it comes to TFI Friday. Right now, there are lots of people around the office watching old tapes and there’s a whole bunch of stuff I can’t recall at all.
“Apparently I laid in a bath of hot water for an entire episode but have no recollection of it whatsoever. We were in such a bubble, it all came thick and fast and was fuelled by alcohol, so there’s a startling amount I can’t remember.
“It’s a bit like childbirth – you look back and have fond memories but conveniently forget the pain involved.”
Following the programme, Will became executive producer for ABC’s My Kind of Town, Swinging and more recently Made in Chelsea.
Andrew ‘The Barman’ Carey
Andrew the Barman was a firm favourite amongst countless viewers. He served beverages to celebrity guests whilst positioned behind the studio bar.
In 2012, reports emerged that Andrew had flogged a pub in Belsize Park, north London for an eye-watering £2 million.
During speculation about a comeback, Andrew declared it would be a “great idea” to resurrect TFI Friday and quipped about adding “a few extra noughts” to his wage.
Therefore he felt “shocked, disgusted and disappointed” when Channel 4 chiefs failed to invite him back for the rebooted series.
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“I think it’s disgusting that they did an anniversary show, and ran clips from the original series, but did not see fit to invite me or any of the other regulars from the series,” he told the Irish Post in June 2015.
“They had a bar there on the night but they didn’t invite me and I’ve no idea why.”
Former United States President Joe Biden is undergoing radiation treatment and hormone therapy to fight prostate cancer that was diagnosed in May, his spokesperson said.
“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” Biden aide Kelly Scully said on Saturday.
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The ex-president’s office announced in May that Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that spread to his bones after he experienced urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule was found.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” wrote Biden in a post on X after receiving the diagnosis in May. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, according to the American Cancer Society.
It is particularly common in the elderly – about 80 percent of men more than 80 years of age have some cancerous cells in their prostate gland, research has estimated.
While it is highly treatable if discovered early, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, the organisation said.
Hormone therapy is a common treatment that can shrink tumours and slow cancer growth, but it is not a cure.
Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what is known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively.
Biden’s office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive but that the illness is hormone-sensitive, meaning it is likely to respond to treatment.
The Prison Service has issued a statement after former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins was stabbed to death in jail.
The paedophile rock star, who was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offences, was attacked with a knife on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed. Emergency services were sent to the prison in West Yorkshire but Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Prison Service spokesperson said in a statement: “We are aware of an incident at HMP Wakefield which took place this morning. We are unable to comment further while the police investigate.” Watkins, 48, was jailed for 29 years in December 2013 with a further six years on licence, after admitting a string of sex offences – including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
Lostprophets were a chart topping band that existed from 1997 until 2013 ( Redferns)
The disgraced singer was arrested following the execution of a drugs warrant at his Pontypridd home on September 21, 2012 when a large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized. Analysis of the equipment uncovered Watkins’ depraved behaviour.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “At 9.39am this morning, police were called by staff at HMP Wakefield reporting an assault on a prisoner. Emergency services attended and the man was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
“Detectives from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are investigating and inquiries remain ongoing at the scene.” Watkins suffered severe injuries after being taken hostage in 2023. A source told us at the time: “He was found by officers after being held hostage and battered on Saturday morning. He’s in a life-threatening condition and there are fears he could die. If he survives, he’ll have been very lucky.”
It is understood Watkins was taken hostage by three other inmates. He is said to have suffered stab wounds and beatings before eventually being freed by prison officers around six hours later. Witnesses said paramedics worked to save his life in an ambulance outside the jail.
He has been killed behind bars ( Getty Images)
Watkins found fame and fortune as frontman for the rock band Lostprophets until he was unmasked as a drug-crazed predatory paedophile in 2013. He shocked the rock world after pleading guilty to the attempted rape of a baby and 10 other sex offences after preying on fans, including two who offered up their babies to be abused by their idol. Watkins was described in court as a “determined and committed paedophile”.
The court heard he plotted to abuse two babies with their own mothers in text and internet messages in which he spoke of his desire to “cross the line” and to intoxicate one young victim by blowing crystal meth smoke into the child’s face. And the judge heard details of a sickening 17-minute video shot in a London hotel room which showed Watkins perform a sex act on a child.
In 2013, the Welsh native pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to 13 child sex offences. He also admitted to the rape and sexual assault of a child who was under the age of 13. Watkins also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.
Sentencing Mr Justice Royce said the case broke “new ground” and “plunged into new depths of depravity.” He said Watkins had a “corrupting influence” and had shown a “complete lack of remorse”. He added Watkins posed a significant risk to the public in particular to women with young children.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has praised Lesotho for their spirited performance while reaffirming Nigeria’s determination to finish their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on a strong note.
Speaking during a post-match conference after Nigeria’s hard-fought encounter against Lesotho on Friday, Ekong admitted it was a difficult game and acknowledged the opponents’ effort.
“Lesotho played a great game; it wasn’t easy to come here. I can understand their disappointment and frustration because they put up a very good fight,” he said
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Ahead of the crucial tie against the Benin Republic, the 32-year-old Al-Kholood centre back emphasised the team’s intent to deliver a dominant performance.
”Playing against Benin Republic, we know we have to score a certain number of goals, that’s the mindset we need to go in with. But it has always been the same: we need to win the game, and we have to win it convincingly,” he said.
Despite the mounting expectations, Ekong believes the Super Eagles are mentally and physically prepared for what lies ahead.
“It’s going to be a big test again, but now I think the team is really ready. We’ve been working on handling pressure for a long time, and we know this is the final push. We’ve worked hard to get here.
Ekong revealed that the team has been under immense pressure since the qualifiers began, but remains focused on their goal of securing a World Cup ticket.
“These kinds of games are not easy. The coach, Finidi George, explained that the pressure has been on us since March, or really, since the start of the qualifiers, and we just wanted to focus on ourselves,” he explained.
He also shed light on the team’s emotions after the match, describing the players’ hunger and commitment to success.
