Wales boss Wilkinson expects ‘tough’ game v Poland – live on BBC

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Wales vs. Poland: friendly international

Newport, Rodney Parade Date: Tuesday, October Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Rhian Wilkinson, Wales’ manager, anticipates a “tough, tough game” on Tuesday night against Poland in Newport.

Poland qualified for its first major tournament, joining Wales in December of last year, with victories over Austria at home and away qualifying them for Euro 2025.

After falling to Germany and Sweden in their final group game in Switzerland, Nina Patalon’s team defeated Denmark 3-2.

Following a goalless draw away to the Netherlands on Friday at home, they advance to Tuesday’s friendly.

They are a really good test for us, said Wilkinson. They are both an aggressive and strong attacking force.

In areas of the game where we have our strengths and they have ours, “I believe it will be equally matched.”

It’s going to be a bit of a chess game, in my opinion, because they work together really well as a team.

Wales have faced the lowest ranking opposition since their famous night in Dublin, when they are ranked 26th in the world.

I’m anticipating a tough, tough game because we saw them defeat Denmark, and we know that they’re going to really push us,” said Wilkinson.

We’re going to go out there to win, as they do, like every game.

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Wales’ final ten games:

“Hard and painful lessons,”

Despite encouraging home and away victories for Sweden and the third-place team, Wales endured some troubling days in 2025.

We know that learning lessons like that is difficult because we talked about it last year.

However, “We do it together,” and I believe it depends on how we support them as staff rather than just the players.

“We need to work hard to get there now that Wales has seen what top teams can deliver,” said the statement.

I don’t believe we can lose perspective because some of the games have been really painful, and others are getting so close and knocking on the door.

Wilkinson is confident that her team can fulfill their potential by playing to their full potential.

We want to raise standards, Wilkinson added.

We leave every game, discuss the performance, and I discuss the outcome.

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After Australia’s late winner at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday, which marked the retirement of national icon Jess Fishlock, the Wales manager was “frustrated.”

We are aware that, in contrast to Australia, we can live there for a while, he said.

“We have to be more ruthless and make sure our chances count more,” he said.

I really liked the game, but I find it frustrating because I want the media to hold me accountable.

Why did the tie not occur? Why did we not receive the victory? The next step will be that.

We were proud of our performance, but I don’t want to be a team of “we almost did it.”

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  • Welsh Football
  • Women’s Football Team from Wales
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Tess Daly says ‘I might not be very good’ as she teases career plans after Strictly exit

When Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced their breakup from Strictly Come Dancing, the current season of the pair’s career.

The British public where shocked last week when Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they would both be leaving the iconic BBC programme.

Tess, 56, and Claudia, 53, have been co-hosting the program since 2004, with the former serving as the show’s presenter since 2004.

The pair addressed the news on Strictly last week, marking their first public appearance since their announcement.

We want to thank you for your lovely messages, Claudia, who hosts The Traitors and Celebrity Traitors, said.

“This incredible show will continue for eight more weeks and have a Strictly champion to be the best.” We’re looking forward to spending the series with you the rest of the way.

However, there has been rumors about what both presenters might do next and whether or not they will look for new businesses following their announcement.

Speaking to Hello! about whether she might join Claudia on The Celebrity Traitors, Tess joked that she didn’t think it would suit her.

She said: “I might not be very good at it because I do the world’s worst poker face. And with Claudia there, I would be looking at her to give me a secret signal.”

Tess, who received an MBE for her services to broadcasting earlier this year, also stated in the interview that despite her professional success, her main responsibilities have been being the mother of daughters Phoebe and Amber, both of whom she shares with Vernon Kay.

She continued, “I love being a mother, and it’s what has defined me for the past 20 years. I also love my job and I’m proud of my career.”

Because I value it so highly, I’ve never wanted to miss out on my children’s lives as they grow, and I’ve never wanted to hand that role to anyone else.

In fact, it is Tess’ MBE that one TV source suggested to the Mirror may have played a role in her and Claudia’s decision to leave the show.

The message was that Tess and Claudia wanted to rise to the top, despite the fact that the show is still huge and shortly after receiving MBEs, they said last week.

Continue reading the article.

The announcement mid-season also gives them a little swan-song and doesn’t distract the winner from the story.

Tess Daly says ‘I might not be very good’ as she teases career plans after Strictly exit

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stunned TV fans when they announced their departure from Strictly Come Dancing, with the current series being their last

The British public where shocked last week when Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they would both be leaving the iconic BBC programme.

Tess, 56, and Claudia, 53, have hosted the programme together since 2014, with the former being a part of the show’s presenting line up since 2004.

Last week, the pair appeared on Strictly for the first time since their announcement and addressed the news.

Claudia, who also hosts The Traitors and Celebrity Traitors, said: “We want to thank you for your beautiful messages.

“We’ve got another eight weeks on this incredible show and a Strictly champion to crown. We can’t wait to spend the rest of the series with you.”

However, following their announcement, there has been speculation about what both presenters might do next, and whether they will seek new ventures.

Speaking to Hello! about whether she might join Claudia on The Celebrity Traitors, Tess joked that she didn’t think it would suit her.

She said: “I might not be very good at it because I do the world’s worst poker face. And with Claudia there, I would be looking at her to give me a secret signal.”

Also during the interview, Tess, who was awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting earlier this year, said that despite her professional success, her biggest role has been as a mother to daughters Phoebe and Amber, who she shares with Vernon Kay.

She explained: “I love being a mum, and it’s what’s defined me for the past 20 years, but I also love my work and I’m proud of the career that I’ve achieved.

“I’ve never wanted to miss out on my children’s lives as they grow, and I’ve never wanted to hand over that role to anyone else because I treasure it too much.”

In fact, it is Tess’ MBE that one TV source suggested to the Mirror may have played a role in her and Claudia’s decision to leave the show.

Last week, they said: “The feeling is Tess and Claudia wanted to go out at the top and whilst the show is still huge and shortly after they received MBEs.

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“Announcing it mid series also gives them a bit of a swan-song and doesn’t take the spotlight away from the winner.

GMTV’s Anthea Turner opens up about symptoms after ‘best wake-up call’ ever

Now in her 60s, the GMTV star is busier than ever and incredibly optimistic about the future

Anthea Turner has opened up about her experience of perimenopause, which coincided with one of the most turbulent periods of her life. Back in 2012, the former GMTV star began experiencing symptoms she struggled to describe and decided to visit a GP.

“The most difficult thing for me at the time was actually explaining myself,” she said. “When I started out on my journey, there just wasn’t the conversation. You could, if you really looked, find something – but nobody really wanted to talk about menopause, because it was this horrible admission as a woman that you’re getting old – and God forbid we want to admit that.”

Sitting in her local surgery ‘snivelling’ through her symptoms, the broadcaster, now 65, left with a prescription for tranquilisers. She continued: “He said, ‘I’m going to prescribe you tranquilisers.’ Before I even took one, I thought: no, no, this has got to be wrong – and obviously I went on my own journey.”

That journey was far from straightforward. Turner also began having problems within her marriage to her then-husband Grant Bovey, CEO of Imagine Homes, who had just declared bankruptcy in 2010.

“My ex-husband’s business was going down. I rolled up my sleeves and did what all women do, ‘I’ll work my way out of this’,” she said. “…I was literally commuting back and forth to Canada and filming and coming home then somewhere in all this melee I was going through the menopause as well.”

Turner even wrote her husband a letter to explain what she was going through. She continued: “I tried to put into words what was happening to me, but then of course I later found out he was having an affair and wasn’t interested in his sweaty wife.

“Your confidence takes the hit – and confidence is the key to life. When you start to lose it, it’s a downward spiral.” Nonetheless, Turner described how acknowledging her loss of confidence was a crucial factor that made menopause a transformative experience for her.

“It’s probably the best wake-up call you’ll ever have to take control,” she said. “Up until then, we’ve partied, we’ve eaten whatever we wanted, we haven’t really thought about our health because we didn’t need to. Then there comes a point where you have a big night out and it takes three days to get over it.”

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You might find it surprising that her approach was centred on vanity. She continued: “How was I going to get my confidence back? I was going to use vanity and self-preservation.

“Sometimes that’s what you need. You look in the mirror and say, OK then, my skin, my hair, my waistline – they don’t look the same. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of vanity to get that confidence back.”

Turner’s reset began with her diet. “I cut out processed foods and sugar,” she said. “[Now] I do the 80:20 rule – 80 per cent of things are good and 20 per cent I can have that croissant. I apply it to food, clothes, exercise, everything.”

She later added: “The cleaner you eat, the less complicated it becomes. If you have to put your glasses on to read the ingredients on the back of a packet, it’s probably not good.”

The catalyst that kick-started her diet change was the visible difference she began to see in her hair. Once her trademark, it had started to break off. It’s a familiar story for many women going through hormonal changes, as falling oestrogen can make hair thinner, drier and more brittle.

“When I cut sugar, slowly that tanker started to turn around,” she added. “I didn’t change my haircare routine – it was beauty from within.”

Like many women in midlife rediscovering their confidence, Turner observed increased dialogue about hair and lash loss—once a taboo subject that’s now openly discussed on social media. She finds that using serums and scalp oils, especially brands like UKLash, has been transformative.

The same logic applies to skincare. In the first five years after menopause, collagen production decreases by 30 per cent. She claimed that post-menopause skin ‘needs more moisture and fewer harsh products’, stating that ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, peptides and niacinamide really help.

Turner also admitted that she’s not above making a few aesthetic adjustments. “I haven’t frowned since I was 40 – frankly, I’ve needed to on many occasions,” she laughed, referring to Botox injectables, “But I cannot always look as angry as I feel.

“I do have a tiny bit of filler just in the apples [of my cheeks]. Then I do all the facial exercises and I have got the [LED] mask and I love it but I don’t know how much it works. I’m just always trying to keep things in balance.”

For Turner, menopause was therefore less an ending than a recalibration. And now in her 60s, she’s busier than ever and incredibly optimistic. “First off, you have to admit things are changing,” she said.

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