Avengers star Jeremy Renner has opened up on his relationship with ex-wife Sonni Pacheco, who accused him of biting their daughter and threatening to kill them both
Simon Hamalienko Senior Content Editor (Live), Zara Woodcock Showbiz Reporter and Bang Showbiz
Jeremy Renner speaks out on relationship with ex-wife who accused him of biting(Image: BANG Showbiz)
Marvel actor Jeremy Renner has opened up about his amicable relationship with his ex-wife, Sonni Pacheco. The Hawkeye actor, who split from the ‘Wingman’ star Pacheco in 2014 after just 10 months of marriage, faced a tumultuous period in 2019 when Sonni sought full custody of their daughter Ava, now 12.
She made serious allegations against Jeremy, including threats of violence and harm to both himself and her, as well as an incident involving biting their child. Despite the bitter past, Jeremy, who has always denied the allegations made by Sonni, shared that they have found a way to co-parent effectively, maintaining a friendly rapport and sharing custody of Ava.
Jeremey opened up about the custody battle he faced for his daughter(Image: Savion Washington, WireImagevia Getty Images)
Speaking to the Guardian’s Saturday magazine, he remarked: “[We] get along very well, and we’re in each other’s lives. It’s lovely..”
He added with a touch of warmth, “It’s great. She’s got a new baby and she sends me beautiful pictures.”, reports the Daily Star.
The 54-year-old Hollywood star also discussed how the public scrutiny over the accusations affected him. He expressed: “Whatever stress I’ve had in life I’ve tried to find a way of laughing through it.
“And that’s where sometimes cynicism comes out – you think, ‘I’m just going to have a laugh at this stuff.'”.
He and his ex-wife were only married for 10 months(Image: Ricky Vigil M / Justin E Palmer, GC Imagesvia Getty Images)
Delving deeper into what he meant by “stuff”, Jeremy clarified: “Being accused of things you’ve not done, right? That doesn’t feel good to anybody. It certainly doesn’t feel good when you’re a celebrity and it’s known to everybody.”
Jeremy admitted that he was alluding to the claims raised during their divorce battle and kept maintaining his innocence.
He disclosed: “No, and they happen all the time. It’s all the salaciousness that happens out there. It’s clickbait, and it hurts my feelings and it dehumanises people… It doesn’t matter to me what people say.
“They’re saying it for their own reasons and not for the right reasons or the truth. And I’m used to that, because I’m a public figure. I don’t read people’s reviews, I don’t read people’s comments. I don’t care. That’s not part of my life.”
Despite ex Sonni, 37, originally seeking full custody, the Hurt Locker star insisted he wasn’t worried about potentially missing out on quality time with his daughter.
He said: “That’s just lawyers talking. That’s lawyers arguing. The custody was easy.”
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Fiona Phillips’ husband Martin Frizell shares what it’s really like when your spouse gets Alzheimer’s – as friends have all but shunned them and Fiona’s convinced he’s a criminal mastermind
Fiona Phillips is convinced she has been kidnapped, but her husband has found a very unique way to help her(Image: BBC)
Fiona Phillips has become convinced she’s been kidnapped and is being held against her own will, according to her husband Martin Frizell.
The former GMTV host and Daily Mirror columnist has been deteriorating since being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in early 2022. And now as she prepares to release her emotional memoir of the past three years, her husband-of-28-years Martin, 66, reveals things are even worse than many may have realised.
For, he says Fiona, 64, is now existing only “in the present” and even struggles to hold a conversation – a skill which was the core of dazzling TV career. He reveals Fiona will struggle to remember “30 seconds or five minutes” ago and has recently become convinced he is holding her hostage while her late parents – who also had Alzheimer’s – are desperately searching for her.
Martin, the former editor of This Morning, explains says the best thing he can do is play along, because anything else causes her additional distress.
In her new book Remember When…. he writes: “I’d like to tell you Fiona is content in the situation into which she has been forced. But that wouldn’t be the truth. She isn’t – she is frustrated every single day. And depressed.”
He adds: “She constantly says she wants to work, but she knows deep down that she can’t. She knows she cannot hold a conversation and she forgets what she wants to tell people. She will give up and crumple. She tries to fight it, but it’s too hard.”
Fiona pictured in 2023 when she first went public in the Daily Mirror with her 2022 diagnosis(Image: Daily Mirror)
Martin describes her kidnap fears as the “latest fixation, coming from her clogged-up brain”. They have to go to extreme lengths to help her feel better – and sometimes their youngest son Mackenzie, 23, even gets Fiona her favourite coat and Martin pretends he’s walking her back to her parents, presumably in return for a ransom. Her mother, Amy, actually passed away in 2006, and her father, Neville, was diagnosed shortly after and died in 2012.
“Fiona and I leave the house as if I am taking her home,” explains Martin. “We walk around the block as she loudly proclaims, ‘I’ll never forgive you for tricking me,’ and passers-by stare; then we are back home again, where she goes in and greets Mackenzie as if she hasn’t seen him for days. She has forgotten about her mum and dad and is happy to sit down.”
There’s one thing that does make Fiona her former happy self – listening to The Stylistics – her favourite band from when she was a teenager. “Every day, several times a day, she’ll say, ‘Hey Google, play The Stylistics,’,” recalls Martin in the new book. “She begins to sing, word perfect and I stroke her hair as she says, ‘Please don’t leave me.’”
Martin is adamant he will not sugarcoat what is happening and pretend there is any relief. He’s found fewer and fewer friends have kept in touch and says the invites have all but stopped. He knows Fiona can’t go to a dinner party or one of the swanky events they used to attend as a TV power couple, yet says: “But sometimes it would be nice to be asked.”
It’s a disease which is affecting the whole family. The pair, who married in 1997, have Mackenzie, an aspiring fashion designer, and Nathaniel, 26, who is training to be the Armed Forces. Martin has also told of his agony the first time Fiona failed to recognise their eldest son.
He adds: “Alzheimer’s is the most awful disease. The boys and I are being punished by it. But Fiona is the one having to live it every single day. And it’s relentless.”
Fiona and husband Martin at a 2013 film premiere shortly before she became concerned about her ‘low moods’(Image: Getty Images)
Fiona and Martin shortly after her diagnosis in 2022
Fiona was just 61 when she was diagnosed in early 2022, but had been fearing she would become the latest victim of the disease for years. Both Fiona’s parents and several close family members had all been diagnosed with it. Her parents were affected in very different, but equally disturbing ways.
Doctors explained Fiona hadn’t inherited it from her parents as such, but they had passed down other genetic traits made her ‘predisposed’, or rather more susceptible, to get it. Because of this,Fiona and Martin initially waited to tell her boys after being diagnosed until they were confident they were not also predisposed to the disease.
That doesn’t mean it’s been any easier for them to watch what they mum, the one-time vibrant and confident GMTV star, was going through. ‘It’s tough for them. They see their mum like this and it’s very upsetting,” says Martin. “But what choice do we have but to keep on going?’
Former Mirror columnist Fiona isn’t doing any interviews around her book and Martin is keen to let her words speak for themselves. In an early chapter, she poignantly reveals her fear that she’ll forget the little everyday moments she shares with her sons.
Speaking of her desire to be her former self, she wrote: “I want to watch Chelsea beat Arsenal 3–0 at home. I want our son Nat to come home on leave from the Army and give me one of his bear-like hugs. I want our youngest son Mackenzie to bring me a cup of tea and a biscuit when we sit watching TV together. I want to be me.”
Sadly – as Fiona knew while penning those words – those moments are only going to become harder and harder to have. She bravely chose to share the news of her debilitating and devastating illness in a series of exclusive interviews for The Mirror in July 2023.
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In the three-day series, she admitted she had spent years trying to convince herself her low mood and brain fog was caused by something else. – first, long covid and then the menopause.
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STYLPRO’s Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer is popular with Amazon customers
Washing your makeup brushes is a necessity but it can feel like a real chore, however Amazon shoppers think they’ve found a ‘genuis’ solution. The STYLPRO Electric Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer costs just £24 but according to customers it’s ‘very easy to use.’
The brush cleaner not only cleans and dries makeup brushes in 30 seconds, but it also has eight silicone collars designed to fit most brushes without damage. You can simply dunk your makeup brushes in liquid soap for water-soluble makeup, or the specially designed makeup brush cleanser (two are included with the set), and turn on the cleaner for ten seconds.
Afterwards, you can simply spin the brushes in the air to dry them and you’re good to go. One happy shopper who titled their review ‘excellent’ said: “Bought this single brush cleaner after wanting but not finding a multiple brush cleaning device.
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“I’ve really enjoyed using it. It’s very efficient. The brushes are extremely clean and nearly dry, and it’s very easy to use.
“A very satisfying device for brushes of all sizes. Four brushes done with one sachet of conditioner. Highly recommend! I love that Tom Pellereau designed these too.”
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The makeup brush cleaner was invented by Tom Pellereau, who was Lord Sugar’s first business partner after winning The Apprentice. The handy device has gained over 4,000 reviews with 73% of them giving the product the full five star rating.
Other products available to help you clean your makeup brushes include Boots’ £8 Brush Cleaning Hanging Basket, which you can use to manually clean your brushes and then hang them upside down to dry. For £5.99, shoppers can get the Brushworks Silicone Makeup Brush Cleaning Bowl at LOOK FANTASTIC, which features a textured surface to help remove stubborn makeup.
If you’re in the market for a new makeup brush cleanser, then look no further than the Spectrum Collections KJH Spotless Brush Soap for £19.99. Created with makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, this brush soap helps to clean your makeup brushes. One customer said: “Works so well. So quick and easy too!”
If you’re thinking of purchasing the handy STYLPRO Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer then one reviewer noted that whilst the tool worked, it was a little fiddly. They said: “This tool does a good job of cleaning brushes but still leaves some makeup, particularly lower down the bristles.
“The actual cleaning part is very quick and easy, but it’s still a bit of a faff to empty and rinse the bowl (you have to dismantle to do this) for each brush, as well as mess around with the different size brush holders. As other reviews have said, it doesn’t work particularly well with double-ended brushes.
“A good product but still time-consuming and a bit fiddly.” Others really enjoyed using the product, with one writing: “This product is amazing! It cleans dirty brushes in seconds, and the best thing is that they are dry in no time at all.”
Another said: “This is the best purchase I have made in ages, it works amazingly at cleaning my makeup brushes. I wish I could give it six stars.”
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One reviewer, who left a five star rating, wrote as part of their review: “With this brush cleaner, they are ready to go in a few seconds thanks to its dryer function, so no worries if you only have a handful of brushes like me and don’t have spares when it’s wash day. I’ll say it works well with the detergent.
GbaramatuVoice, a media platform in the Niger Delta, plans to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a landmark two-day event scheduled to take place on Wednesday, August 27, and Thursday, August 28, 2025, at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
According to the organisers, the event will feature a high-level Public Lecture on the first day, followed by the Niger Delta Night of Honour on the second. These two key programmes are designed to commemorate a decade of fearless journalism, cultural advocacy, and developmental engagement by GbaramatuVoice across the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large.
The 10th Anniversary Public Lecture is scheduled to hold on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, beginning at 10:30 am. It will be centred on the theme, “Gaps and Silences in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Economy: Appraisal of Resource Control, Security and Media Dynamics.” The lecture is expected to bring together national leaders, government officials, oil and gas stakeholders, international oil companies (IOCs), security experts, diplomats, academics, media professionals, youth leaders, and concerned citizens. The aim of the session is to foster critical dialogue on the unresolved issues surrounding resource control, national integration, environmental justice, and the strategic role of the media in the Niger Delta and beyond.
“Ten years of reporting from the creeks and communities of the Niger Delta has taught us that the real stories of oil, conflict, justice and survival are often buried beneath national headlines,” the organizers said in a pre-event statement. “This lecture is a chance to bring those silences to the fore.”
On Thursday, August 28, 2025, attention will shift to the Niger Delta Night of Honour, a glamorous evening event that will begin with a red carpet reception at 4:00 pm and proceed with the main ceremony at 5:00 pm. The night is designed to celebrate individuals, institutions, and cultural champions whose work and sacrifices have contributed to the advancement, peace, and identity of the Niger Delta region. Awards, cultural performances, and special recognitions will highlight the night’s proceedings.
Speaking on the significance of the anniversary, the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of GbaramatuVoice, Mr. Jacob Abai, described the celebration as more than a media milestone. He said it marks a journey of purpose — one that has involved amplifying marginalised voices, documenting heritage, and shaping national conversations on equity, justice, and development in the Niger Delta.
“This 10th anniversary is a celebration of truth, courage, and culture. It reflects ten solid years of reporting stories from the creeks to the capital, stories of resilience and hope, stories that challenge power and inspire progress,” Mr. Abai stated. “GbaramatuVoice stands as a voice for the voiceless and a platform of possibilities for the next generation.”
In the coming weeks, a full list of guest speakers, panelists, awardees, and entertainers will be unveiled by the organising committee. Dignitaries expected at the event include traditional rulers, governors, senators, leaders of oil-producing communities, as well as partners in diplomacy, civil society, and media development.
The organisers are inviting stakeholders, sponsors, and well-wishers to be part of this historic celebration. Enquiries about participation, sponsorships, or media partnership can be directed to 0803 089 1146 or 0814 345 9986. Alternatively, interested individuals and organisations can email [email protected].
Fans usually want their team to do as well as possible, but many England supporters were hoping results on Sunday night would prevent them from finishing top their group.
When the Netherlands took the lead just before half-time in their match with France to put the Lionesses top of Group D, some England fans had an anxious half hour before the French overturned the deficit with a storming second-half display.
Avoiding Germany & Spain ‘definitely better’
The Lionesses face Sweden instead of old rivals Germany in the quarter-finals on Thursday (20:00 BST) and will play either Norway or Italy in the last four should they progress.
They are also, perhaps crucially, in the opposite side of the draw to 2023 World Cup winners Spain, so are unable to meet the favourites until the final.
While Sweden have performed well in past tournaments finishing in third at the World Cup in 2019 and 2023, they have not lifted a major trophy since winning the inaugural 1984 Euros.
They were in worse form than eight-time European champions Germany heading into these Euros, having drawn two games against Wales in the Uefa Nations League. Germany, meanwhile won their last five Nations League games and scored at least four goals in each match.
Opta’s pre-tournament predictions gave Sweden a 6% chance of winning Euro 2025, compared to the 14% for Germany.
Should England beat the Swedes on Thursday, they will then play a side ranked outside the top 10 in the world for a spot in the final.
Had the Netherlands beaten France, then England would have had to play world number three side Germany in the last eight and Spain, ranked second, in the semis.
“It is most definitely better, the team finishing second,” former England forward Toni Duggan said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Avoiding Spain and Germany, but Sweden also look strong, so it is going to be an interesting game.”
France manager Laurent Bonadei agreed, saying they had “absolutely” been handed the difficult section of the draw.
He added: “All of our opponents will want to knock us out, we remain as a challenger with much ambition.
“To be favourites you must win a trophy. We will play against Germany who won eight times…. because Germany are favourites.”
Spain defeated England in the World Cup final in 2023 and look strong in their pursuit of a first Euros title.
‘I’m a bit terrified’ – Sweden will be difficult test
It is in the semi-finals where England’s draw is more favourable as their last-eight opponent will prove difficult.
Sweden thrashed Germany 4-1 in the group stage and won all three games, conceding just once, to top Group C.
Former England international Fran Kirby told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Sweden have such an experienced squad now. We played them in the semi-final in Euro 2022 and they are a team that have started the tournament very brightly. That will be something England need to look into.
“When the groups were drawn, everyone was talking about Germany but Sweden have just blown it all away in the group stage, so I think it’s going to be a really interesting game.”
England have faced Sweden three times in the past three years, with one of those fixtures being incredibly memorable for their fans.
They won 4-0 in the semi-finals of Euro 2022, the night where Alessia Russo scored her memorable backheeled effort.
England’s record goalscorer, Ellen White, played in that fixture and said she is “a bit terrified” about the Lionesses having to face Sweden in the quarter-finals.
“Whoever we were going to face was going to be a tough opposition,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We’ve faced Sweden a number of times, everyone will remember that semi-final from 2022 where we beat them 4-0 and we’ve drawn with them recently as well.
“Sweden look very good, they beat Germany convincingly in their last game. I’m a bit terrified, I feel like there’s going to be a lot of goals, hopefully for England.”
The two teams are also the only European nations to reach the semi-final stage in each of the past three major tournaments.
The Scandinavian side have only twice, in 2009 and 2017, failed to make it to the last four in their previous 11 Euros.
Since their meeting at the last Euros, the sides have played out 1-1 and 0-0 draws in the Nations League.
Before that, England lost 2-1 to Sweden in the bronze medal match at the 2019 World Cup.
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The actress – and now mum to one of the biggest popstars of her generation – appeared in an old episode of Friends, performing alongside Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
The actress played a casting director on Friends(Image: NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Long before her daughter was selling out arenas around the world, Maggie Baird was an in-demand actress with roles on shows including The X Files, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Charmed and Friends.
Now 66, Maggie is also known as mum to What Was I Made For? singer Billie Eilish, 23, and her singer-songwriter brother Finneas, 27.
Colorado-born Maggie made her TV debut in 1981 in American soap opera Another World, before stepping onto the Broadway stage and becoming a member and teacher of an improv comedy troupe in Los Angeles, working alongside stars such as Will Ferrell and Melissa McCarthy.
In 1999 she appeared in Friends, playing casting director number two in an episode called The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance.
Maggie appeared in a Friends episode called The One Where Joey Loses His Health Insurance(Image: Warner Bros. Television)
The season six episode features Joey auditioning for a dog food advert while trying to hide his pain caused by an untreated hernia.
When a clip featuring Maggie and Matt LeBlanc resurfaced on social media recently, some people accused Billie of being a ‘nepo baby’ – and it didn’t go down well with Billie’s brother Finneas.
Following comments such as “Another celebrity helped by Hollywood’s roots lol” and “She’s been part of Hollywood since her youth”, Finneas addressed the topic from his own official Instagram account.
A parent’s cameo in Friends doesn’t make a nepo baby, Finneas said(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He wrote: “Ah yes, the classic, 1 day of work on 1 episode of friends to make someone rich and famous- the whole gag of this video is none of you had any idea at all who she was.”
As well as releasing her own country music album and having larger roles in Bones and Six Feet Under, Maggie has also worked as a voice actress in computer games such as the EverQuest II series, Final Fantasy XIII, and the Saints Row series.
Billie and Finneas’ dad Patrick O’Connell, 67, was also an actor, with credits on Broadway as well as on TV series The West Wing and NYPD Blue.
Billie saw her parents struggle to make it in the acting industry(Image: WireImage)
Addressing what it was like witnessing her parents try to succeed in such a fiercely competitive industry, Birds of a Feather singer Billie once said : “For years, I saw my parents beat up over the fact that they didn’t have it better.”
She continued: “My dad is the best actor I’ve ever seen. And my mom can do all these voices and characters – she’s incredible. So I wish they’d had more recognition.”
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As well as working, Maggie and Patrick also homeschooled Billie and Finneas, and Billie has since said how beneficial it was to her growing up. “I learned how to do math by cooking with my mom,” she said. “I learned, like, how to build sh*t from my dad.”
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