Ex Corrie star Steven Arnold seen speaking to security at Ricky Hatton’s funeral

Former Coronation Street star Steven Arnold, known for his role as Ashley Peacock, was seen talking to security ahead of the funeral

Former Coronation Street star Steven Arnold, best known for his role as Ashley Peacock on the long-running series, was said to be turned away from Ricky Hatton’s funeral on Friday. The iconic boxer was laid to rest today, with the streets of his home city of Manchester lined up with mourners as his coffin made its way to the cathedral.

Ricky was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, in September, aged 46, sending the nation into mourning. Many big names attended the sombre event to pay their respects, including ex-partner Claire Sweeney, Tyson and Tommy Fury, Liam Gallagher, Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen, comedian Paddy McGuinness and Dean Gaffney.

The star’s entire family gave emotional speeches, including son Campbell Hatton, who fought back tears during his father’s funeral service in Manchester.

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“Never has a father and son had so much in common,” he said. Campbell said he “looked up to my dad in every aspect of life. All of that was fuelled by the love I had and always with have for him.

“I can’t explain how much I’m going to miss you dad. I can’t believe we’re not going to make any new memories together. But the ones I have I will treasure forever.”

While there were many of his nearest and dearest at the service to say goodbye, it is understood some people may have been turned away from the service.

On Sky News’ live stream, fans noticed Steven Arnold – who was on Corrie between 1995–2010 – appeared to have been turned away. He was seen approaching the security staff and pointing behind them.

He was then guided to another woman, who seemed to be holding a clipboard. While she was skimming through the paper on the board, he stood behind her to help. After chatting for a short while, he was seen grabbing his phone to text someone.

The camera then panned towards Tyson Fury, who was chatting away with a number of people. It is unknown whether Steven soon entered the cathedral or not.

The Mirror have contacted Steven’s representatives for comment.

Manchester-born champion Ricky was discovered dead at his home in Hyde with Greater Manchester Police confirming that his passing is not being treated as suspicious. News of his death sent shockwaves across the nation given how much he was adored thanks to his exploits in the ring and his cheerful personality outside it.

The former boxer, who was 46 at the time of his death, would have celebrated his 47th birthday on Monday which was just four days before the funeral.

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Russian strikes in Ukraine leave 20 wounded, thousands more in darkness

Russian drone and missile strikes have wounded at least 20 people in Kyiv, damaged residential buildings and caused blackouts across swaths of Ukraine, authorities have said.

In the latest mass attack targeting the energy system as winter approaches, electricity was interrupted in nine regions, and more than a million households and businesses were temporarily without power across the country on Friday.

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In southeastern Ukraine, a seven-year-old was killed when his home was hit, and at least 20 people were injured. In Kyiv, an apartment block in the city centre was damaged by a projectile, while on the left bank of the Dnipro River that divides the capital, crowds waited at bus stops with the metro out of action, and people filled water bottles at distribution points.

“We didn’t sleep at all,” said Liuba, a pensioner, as she collected water. “From 2:30am, there was so much noise. By 3:30, we had no electricity, no gas, no water. Nothing.”

According to Ukraine’s energy ministry, more than 800,000 customers temporarily lost power in Kyiv.

Moscow’s attack overnight and into Friday fell on the third anniversary of Russia’s first large-scale attack on energy facilities, months after Moscow invaded in February 2022, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia’s latest strikes a “cynical and calculated attack”, and urged allies to respond with concrete measures.

“What’s needed is not window dressing but decisive action – from the United States, Europe, and the G7 – in delivering air defence systems and enforcing sanctions,” he said in a statement on X.

The Kremlin has escalated aerial attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities and rail systems over recent weeks, building on earlier bombing campaigns over the previous three winters that left millions without heating in frigid temperatures. Russia said its forces had hit energy sites supplying power to Ukraine’s defence industry.

The Ukrainian air force said the Russian barrage comprised 465 drones and 32 missiles, adding that 405 drones and 15 missiles were downed.

A source in Ukraine’s energy sector told the AFP news agency that the intensity of attacks was higher compared to last year, and that cloudy weather overnight had allowed drones to evade Ukrainian air defence systems.

Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russian forces had targeted “critical infrastructure”.

“This was one of the largest concentrated strikes against energy facilities,” Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

It was the fourth attack in a week against the facilities of Ukraine’s biggest private electricity provider, DTEK, its CEO Maxim Timchenko said.

Late on Friday DTEK said it had restored power to at least 678,000 households and companies in Kyiv after the massive Russian aerial attack.

“DTEK power engineers continue to intensively restore electricity to Kyiv residents,” the company said on Telegram.

Children ‘rejoined’ with families

The Russian attack came as United States First Lady Melania Trump announced that eight children displaced by the war had been reunited with their families following negotiations between her team and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s.

Trump said that Putin had responded to a letter sent via her husband, President Donald Trump, at a summit in Alaska in August.

“My representative has been working directly with President Putin’s team to ensure the safe reunification of children with their families between Russia and Ukraine. In fact, eight children have been rejoined with their families during the past 24 hours,” she said in a short, six-minute speech from the White House on Friday.

US President Trump’s own efforts to broker an end to Russia’s three-year war in Ukraine have stalled, as a series of direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations this year ended.

Trump said on Thursday that Washington and NATO allies were “stepping up the pressure” to end the war in Ukraine.

Robert Irwin sets record straight on stripper future after performing raunchy dance

Steve Irwin’s son Robert sent fans into a frenzy after ripping his shirt open on Dancing With The Stars, but has now set the record straight on whether stripping is in his future

Robert Irwin, the son of Steve Irwin, has set the record straight on whether he has a future in stripping. The Australian star set the rumour mill ablaze after ripping his shirt off in a strip tease on Dancing With The Stars.

Last week, 21-year-old Robert and his pro dance partner Witney Carson performed a Salsa to Tommy Richman’s Million Dollar Baby. Halfway through the performance, the TV presenter and zookeeper pulled open his shirt and took it off before continuing the rest of the dance without it.

Fans were quick to suggest that Robert strip professionally and rumours spread that he could soon host his own male dance troupe or an event for the Chippendales.

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But Robert has now put those rumours to bed. He told Entertainment Tonight that he was “going to draw the line” with his Dancing With The Stars performance.

When asked by if it was true that he had been approached by the Chippendales, the star said: “That is true. The Aussie boys too – Thunder Down Under also reached out.

“Mate, more power to them. Not for me. Not right now. I will take the shirt off every now and again but I’m going to draw the line there.” He then did a shimmy and added: “Hips don’t lie.”

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba gushed over Robert’s Salsa last week. She told the 21-year-old and his partner that he is “all grown up.” “Robert Irwin is all grown up! Wow, you’re making me feel like a grandmother. Put your shirt back on. Great performance.”

Fellow judge Bruno Tonioli, who used to be a judge on the UK’s show Strictly Come Dancing, agreed with Carrie Ann and likened Robert to Chris Hemsworth.

However, not all the judges like the performance and Derek Hough called it “rigid”. To a round of boos from the audience, he said: “You’re strong, assertive, a great performer – but I wasn’t fooled by them abs.”

In total, Robert and Witney scored 22 out of 30 and ended the show in third place. That week, Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui was eliminated after dancing a Cha Cha Cha to her own song, Work From Home and scoring 18.

In Tuesday’s (7 October) episode, Robert and Witney scored 22 again as they danced a Cha Cha Cha to Try Everything from Zootopia. As it was Disney Week, all dances were too songs from either films owned by the Disney company.

Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko were eliminated, even though their Quickstep to Cantina Band from Star Wars: A New Hope scored higher than Robert and Witney with 23 points.

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TV star wife of pop singer behind iconic Sky Sports football song dies

The reality TV star and wife of the pop singer behind Sky Sports’ iconic Super Sunday theme tune has tragically passed away at the age of 52. Lisa Knapp, a mother-of-two who gained fame on the original version of Survivor, died suddenly on Wednesday (8 October) due to a ruptured aorta.

She was married to Swedish pop-rock singer Andreas Johnson, known for his international hit ‘Glorious’ in 1999, which later became the main theme for Super Sunday during the early 2000s as part of Sky’s Premier League coverage.

Her heartbroken family released a statement saying: “Lisa’s aorta ruptured, and her life could not be saved.






Reality TV wife of popstar behind Sky Sports' Super Sunday theme song dies


Reality TV wife of popstar behind Sky Sports’ Super Sunday theme song dies
(
Jam Press)

“She had an underlying connective tissue disorder that she knew carried a risk, but no one could have foreseen when or how it would affect her.

According to the attending doctor, it was not triggered by any external factors. There was nothing she or we could have done differently.”, reports the Daily Star.

Lisa was diagnosed with the rare condition in 2012 and spoke to local media about her experience: “I wrote my farewell letters then. It was really critical – I was in intensive care over Christmas and New Year.

“It was a tough period, but when I came out and realised that I was still alive and could live a normal life, even if I had to take medication, you start to appreciate things in life in a different way.”






Lisa was diagnosed with the rare condition in 2012


Lisa was diagnosed with the rare condition in 2012
(
Jam Press)

Lisa shot to fame overnight in 1999 after appearing on Swedish reality programme Expedition Robinson – the original version of Survivor, according to NeedToKnow.

She once remembered: “I couldn’t step outside after eight in the evening. My friends had to act as a shield and form a circle around me if we went out to a bar.”

The track Glorious also appeared in commercials for Vauxhall, Volvo and Nutella.

The pair shared daughter Ella and son Tim.

In a heartfelt tribute, the family said: “Our beloved mother, wife and best friend. She always put others before herself, lived intensely, loved deeply and gave more than most.”

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Bol switches to 800m and Hodgkinson ‘can’t wait’

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Two-time 400m hurdles world champion Femke Bol has announced she will switch events and compete in the 800m from next year.

Dutch superstar Bol, 25, who successfully defended her world title in Tokyo in September, has also won bronze medals at the past two Olympics in that discipline.

She has also been a world indoor champion in the flat 400m and is a renowned relay athlete, a gold medallist anchor leg runner with the Netherlands’ 4x400m team at Paris 2024.

In 2026, she will move up in distance to an event in which Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson is the reigning Olympic champion.

Bol said in a post on Instagram: “It’s a big change, it’s uncertain and challenging, but I’m ready to put in the work, surrounded by an amazing team and enjoy this new journey.”

Bol and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone have dominated the women’s 400m hurdles in recent years.

Between them, they have run the nine fastest times in the history of the event.

American McLaughlin-Levrone won Olympic gold ahead of third-placed Bol at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, while Bol has won each of the past five Diamond League annual titles.

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Ronan Keating pays tribute to late Boyzone star Stephen Gately 16 years after death

Boyzone star Stephen Gately died at the age of 33 at his holiday home in Majorca due to an undiagnosed heart condition

Ronan Keating has paid tribute to late Boyzone star Stephen Gately 16 years after his death in a sweet post shared on social media. Stephen died when he was 33 at his holiday home in Majorca.

It was found that the star had an undiagnosed heart condition which caused his death. On the anniversary of his death, Ronan shared a tribute for the singer who he used to perform with alongside fellow bandmates Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham.

Ronan shared a throwback snap with his friend on his Instagram page. In the caption, he wrote: “Years are passing fast. Miss you my friend my brother my Wing man.

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“I’m sure you are laughing at the fact we have decided to approach this next chapter. Kills me to do it alone. But I know you are there. X.”

Keith Duffy also shared his own tribute along with the other stars from the height of the band’s fame in the 1990s. He penned: “16 years an Angel Remembering our brother Steo today, forever in our hearts, voices, and every song we sing. 1976–2009.”

Stephen died of natural causes at the age of 33 on October 10 2009 at his holiday home in Majorca. At an inquest into his death, officials told the court that the singer suffered a pulmonary oedema or a build up of fluid in the lungs, which ultimately results in respiratory failure.

After Stephen died, the group continued as they released a farewell album called Thank You & Goodnight in 2018. It was recently announced by the band that they would be reuniting once again for a UK show.

They will perform One For The Road: Live At Emirates Stadium in London on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 and it will feature a tribute for Stephen.

Boyzone recently released a tell-all documentary called Boyzone: No Matter What on Sky. In a statement, they said: “We’ve been truly blown away and humbled by the response to the documentary this year.

“The love we’ve felt from fans all over the world has inspired us to create the ultimate experience together, headlining our own stadium show. The four of us can’t wait to stand together again and enjoy One For The Road.”

Tickets for the London shows have set fans back £150 for front standing. With booking fees, the price goes up to £168.75. The cheapest comes in at £60, or £67.50 with booking fees, for upper tier seats.

Boyzone first broke up in 2000, as their members went on to pursue solo careers, before reuniting in 2007.

They performed their Thank You And Goodnight farewell tour between 2018 and 2019 and have not returned to the stage since.

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