Vogue Williams revealed that she was “in bits” while filming for the BBC Gladiators celebrity special. The podcast star shared her experience overcoming the gruesome challenges.
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Vogue says she was left ‘in bits’ after taking part in a hit BBC show(Image: Getty)
Vogue Williams was left “in bits” after fulfilling a lifelong dream to appear on a beloved BBC programme. The 40-year-old presenter, who kickstarted her television career more than 15 years ago on Irish reality series Fade Street, has built an impressive portfolio of screen appearances.
She has since had stints on Bear Grylls: Mission Survive, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, and last year’s Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special. This year, the mum-of-three will take on the formidable Gladiators in a celebrity edition of the rebooted show.
She’ll compete alongside Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams, fitness guru Joe Wicks, and reality TV personality Sam Thompson from Made in Chelsea. Speaking on the Shagged, Married, Annoyed podcast, Vogue described Gladiators as a “sick show” to be part of.
She continued, “I always wanted to do it.” Do you recall watching it when you were younger?
“My stepdad used to be like your man [referee John Anderson] because he was from Scotland. He would be like, ‘Amber [Vogue’s sister] you will go on my…’ And he’d be really strict. We’d go, ‘Urgh’.”
The legendary Travelator, among others, was not held back when the presenter spoke about the physically demanding challenges. She acknowledged that this was her first time saying, “I’m 40.” I had a few bits. I had a few bits.
You practice everything the first day, and I was like, “Oh well, not as good as I thought I would be.” And that’s when you can’t oppose the Gladiators.
According to Vogue, participants in the program have the opportunity to attempt each challenge, with one particularly challenging one. She stated, “You try everything on the eliminator, and I got Joe Wicks to film me on the eliminator.”
I immediately fell on my face as I ran up the travelator. Despite doing a lot of it, I’m not a great runner.
She continued, praising the Gladiators for being inspirational figures for young women, by saying that confronting them directly terrified her. She said, “I adore having people like that on television because I admire young girls… I imagined how beautiful my daughter would be when she looked at them and said, “Look how sick they are.”
They are powerful women who will beat you if you trick them into being p******* off. They put a lot of effort into that, and they’re also great characters as well.
The BBC brought back Gladiators in 2024, over 20 years after ITV axed the beloved show. Sky One had previously attempted a comeback, broadcasting two series from 2008 to 2009.
Before the start of the program, Vogue stated in a statement to the BBC: “I have loved this show since I was a child, and I’ll be living out my childhood dream.” However, I’m still in shock about how to face these incredible Gladiators. I’m simply thrilled to be a contender.”
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Vogue will appear on BBC One’s Gladiators Celebrity Special starting at 3:35 PM today (December 25).
More than a million people have gathered in Dhaka to welcome opposition leader Tarique Rahman, who has spent 17 years in exile since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster last year. Tanvir Chowdhury of Al Jazeera explains why his return is significant.
More than 100 suspected ISIL (ISIS) operatives have been arrested in Istanbul, according to officials, preventing planned attacks on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
According to a statement from the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office, authorities raided 115 of the city’s 124 locations on Thursday, apprehending the suspects they were looking for.
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According to the statement, police learned that ISIL members were “planning attacks in Turkiye against non-Muslims in particular” during the holiday season.
During the sweeps, officers seized firearms, ammunition, and what officials described as organizational documents.
The remaining 22 suspects are still being sought, but they still need to be located.
Individuals who had been instrumental in funding the group’s activities and spreading its propaganda were identified as part of that sweep, which was coordinated by intelligence services, police, and military forces.
The prosecutor’s office pointed out the threat’s transnational nature by stating that those detained had spoken with ISIL operatives outside of Turkiye.
The arrests are Turkiye’s most recent move in the fight against the armed group, which officials view as the second-highest threat to the nation as a “terrorism” threat.
Given its geography and population, ISIL activity has made Turkiye its top target. The armed group still maintains presence in Syria on a long border, even though it lost its territorial holdings in 2019.
Since then, the organization has expanded to other parts of Africa and expanded to include new affiliates.
In recent years, there have been many arrests.
After the group’s self-declared caliphate was overthrown in some of Iraq and Syria in 2019, Turkish authorities claim some of the country’s suspected ISIL members reestablished their presence there.
ISIL was officially a terrorist organization in 2013 thanks to Turkiye. Earlier than that, according to figures from the Turkish presidency, more than 19 000 people were detained for alleged affiliations with the group between 2023 and that time.
In that time, it said, over 7,600 foreign nationals who were suspected of engaging in foreign-armed group activity were also deported.
Following a string of arrests in March, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 298 suspected ISIL members had been detained in 47 provinces over the course of two weeks.
The arrests come just five days after US forces launched extensive strikes against ISIL positions in Syria, hitting more than 70 targets.
In response to a Palmyra ambush earlier this month that resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and an interpreter, those attacks were ordered.
After 17 years in exile, Tarique Rahman, the party’s leader and front-runner for the next prime minister in South Asia, was welcomed back to Dhaka on Thursday with a rousing welcome from thousands of supporters.
Rahman, long seen as a prince of Bangladeshi politics, got down at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, alongside his wife Zubaida and daughter Zaima, and stood barefoot on Bangladeshi soil amid heavy security.
Rahman’s symbolic gestures to mark his return to Bangladesh are significant victories for the BNP cadre and leaders. Following the ouster of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a student-led uprising, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been in place since August 2024. The Yunus administration has announced elections on February 12, after which it is to peacefully transfer power to an elected government.
Former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Rahman’s mother, has been in a critical condition since November 23. Rahman may soon be in charge of Bangladesh’s largest political party, the BNP.
So, here’s everything you need to know about him, his life in exile and the significance of his return for the South Asian nation.
On December 25, 2025, Bangladesh’s ruling party’s supporters gathered in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to welcome BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
Rahman, who is he?
Rahman, 60, is the eldest son of former Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, who in 1991 became the country’s first female prime minister.
Rahman has been a member of the BNP since 2008 and has been there since 2018, when his ailing mother Zia was imprisoned under the rule of her political rival and then-prime minister Hasina.
He gained a significant public profile between 2001 and 2006 during his mother’s second term in power. But he also drew allegations of cronyism, corruption and political violence. These allegations were investigated by a military-backed caretaker government that seized power between 2006 and 2009.
He was detained by army units that stormed his upscale Dhaka home in the middle of the night in March 2007. Months later, he was released on bail and flew to the United Kingdom for medical treatment , — not returning until Thursday.
Rahman and the BNP have consistently said that the accusations against him are politically motivated, but his corruption resemblance extends far beyond his political rivals. In leaked diplomatic cables, American diplomat James F. Moriarty referred to Rahman as a “symbol of kleptocratic government and violent politics,” which were released by WikiLeaks in 2011.
Recommending blocking his entry into the United States, the American embassy in Dhaka wrote: “In short, much of what is wrong in Bangladesh can be blamed on Tarique and his cronies”.
Following that, the Awami League government found him guilty of money laundering, fraud, and political violence, including an attack on Hasina’s rally in 2004 that left at least 20 people dead.
However, the charges and convictions against Rahman have largely been dropped or overturned, facilitating his return to Dhaka following the uprising against Hasina in August 2024.
Addressing his supporters at a rally in Dhaka on Thursday, Rahman said, “Just like 1971, people from all walks of life, all together, defended the independence and sovereignty of this country in 2024”, referring to the country’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971, and Hasina’s ouster last year.
He urged everyone to create a welcoming Bangladesh and declared, “It is time for us all to build the country together.” A secure Bangladesh is what we want to create. In Bangladesh, no matter who a woman, man, or child is, they should be able to leave their homes safely and return safely”.
After returning from London to Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 25, 2025, a supporter wave a flag over a footbridge in front of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
Rahman was exiled, but why?
Since 1991, Khaleda and Hasina – two female leaders of opposing political dynasties – have alternated power for more than three decades, barring a few transitional heads.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding president, was killed along with the majority of his family in a military coup in August 1975. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who had led the Awami League, rose to power after the death of her husband, former army chief Ziaur Rahman, who was the leader of a failed coup in May 1981.
The parties have fought political rivals for decades, with the exception of a brief moment when they briefly merged in the late 1980s to retake control of a military leader, General Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
In 2009, after Hasina returned to power in Dhaka after eight years in opposition, Zia’s BNP found itself on the other side of the crackdown during Hasina’s long, uninterrupted years of rule.
Rahman was flown to the UK in September 2008 after being released on bail after nearly 18 months of detention while the 2007-08 emergency rule prevented several BNP leaders and activists from experiencing abuse, jail, and trials.
During a ceremony to commemorate Bangladesh’s annual Armed Forces Day on November 21, 2000, the prime minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia speak.
What is the significance of Rahman’s return?
Hasina faced criticism last year for a popular student-led uprising after years at the helm of Dhaka. The protests started as a campaign against a contentious affirmative-action policy for government jobs, but they turned into more extensive demands for an end to her rule as a result of a brutal crackdown by security forces. The United Nations says up to 1, 400 people were killed.
Over her iron-fisted 15-year leadership, during which thousands of political opponents and critics were detained, murdered, tortured, or forcibly disappeared, anger grew. Hasina won overwhelmingly in 2014, 2018 and 2024 elections that are widely thought to be illegal.
Ultimately, protesters overran her residence after she fled Bangladesh by helicopter on August 5, 2024, to India.
After being found guilty of crimes against humanity for ordering the deadly crackdown against the student-led uprising, Hasina was given the death penalty by hanging last month. Her party’s Awami League is prohibited from participating in the February elections.
Meanwhile, interim leader Yunus met Rahman during a visit to London in June.
Rahman is also returning while Khaleda, Rahman’s mother, is recovering. According to some analysts, the BNP is now attempting to take over the political space created by the Awami League by adopting liberal, centrist, and secular positions. They cite the BNP’s recent breakup with the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist force and a longtime ally of Rahman’s party.
Former US diplomat Jon Danilowicz, who worked in Bangladesh for eight years, called Rahman’s return “the final piece in terms of Bangladesh’s election preparations.”
Rahman would have an opportunity to learn more about the country’s past 17 years, according to Danilowicz, and his fellow Bangladeshis would be able to see how he has changed as a result of leading the BNP campaign.
This handout photograph, taken and released on June 13, 2025, by the Bangladesh interim government’s chief adviser’s office, shows Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, right, and acting Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman, shaking hands during a meeting in London]Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Office of Interim Government/AFP]
What position does the BNP hold in relation to the upcoming election?
In the upcoming elections, which would mark the party’s return to power after nearly 20 years, the BNP is seen as the frontrunner.
A December poll by a United States-based nonprofit, the International Republican Institute (IRI), showed the BNP leading with 30 percent support, followed by the Jamaat-e-Islami with 26 percent. In a multiparty contest, candidates don’t need a majority to prevail in a first-past-the-post system because Bangladesh uses that system.
Due to poor organization and limited resources, the National Citizen Party (NCP), which was founded by a group of student leaders following the uprising, has struggled to gain electoral strength. The party trails far behind the BNP, with just 6 percent support, according to the IRI poll.
Hasina’s Awami League’s participation in the election appears to be in the cards for a favorable electoral climate for Bangladesh after Yunus.
The former US diplomat Danilowicz argued that the upcoming election would be the result of the BNP’s defeat. “The party has shown great resilience over the past 17 years, it has been out of government, and party leaders have to face the full repressive force of the state,” he said.
These five easy tricks will give you a healthier-looking, hydrated complexion on Christmas Day right away, from puffy eyes to squinty spots.
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5 hacks to make your skin look instantly better on Christmas Day(Image: Getty)
Due to the late nights, festive atmosphere, and chilly winter weather, the days leading up to Christmas Day can frequently leave our skin feeling a little worse for wear.
The positive news, then? No complicated routine or lengthy use of the restroom are necessary for glowing skin today. It’s simple to revive tired skin and become party-ready in no time with a few clever, quick-fire hacks.
These easy tricks are quick to work and deliver instant results, from depuffing under-eye bags to calming last-minute breakouts to improving glow and improving makeup.
Whether you’re hosting, heading our or posing for family photos, consider this your foolproof guide to looking refreshed, radiant and well-rested on Christmas Day (even if you’re running on minimal sleep).
This £35 metallic eyeliner that is suitable for adults adds festive sparkle to Fearne Cotton’s collection.
READ MORE: “It’s even cooler because I traded in my £400 North Face puffer coat for half the price.”
De-puffing the undereye area
One of the best ways to instantly de-puff undereyes is with some cooling masks if you had too many on Christmas Eve or stayed up late wrapping some presents. When you have your morning cup of coffee (or Bucks Fizz), pop a pair under your eyes and watch the puffiness subside.
The 111Skin Cryo De-Puffing Eye Mask is a favorite choice of celebrities, including Victoria’s Secret angel Candice Swanepoel. The masks are filled with seaweed extract, peptides, and vitamin E to help reduce puffiness, lighten dark circles, and revitalize the under-eye area.
The skin feels firmer, smoother, and de-puffed in a few minutes as a result of the cooling hydrogel texture.
Try the BeautyPro Retinol Under Eye Patches for a more affordable option. These under-eye patches, which are made with potent yet gentle retinol, are the ideal light-up for tired eyes after long days and early mornings.
Shop our top purchases: 111Skin Cryo De-Puffing Eye Mask, $85 for 8 or $50 for 4, BeautyPro Retinol Under Eye Patches, $19 for 4, and Charlotte Tilbury Immediate Revival Under Eye Patches, $58 for 60 at Charlotte Tilbury.
Hydration is essential
Dehydration is typically the cause of tired or dull skin, especially if you’ve been out the night before. Start with a rich moisturiser and apply a hyaluronic acid serum to instantly smooth lines and help with this on Christmas morning.
The Atobarrier 365 Cream from AESTURA is recommended. The moisturising formula promises 120 hours of hydration for the skin, which is supported by millions of people in Korea and has one selling every 20 seconds. A winning combination can be made by combining this with a serum like L’Oréal Paris’ 1.5% hyaluronic acid Revitalift Filler Serum, which instantly improves skin elasticity.
Don’t forget about the fundamentals either: It really matters to drink water every morning. Skin that is well-hydrated provides the ideal foundation for makeup and looks fresher and smoother.
Shop our top purchases: L’Oréal Paris’ 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid Revitalift Filler Serum, £31.99 at LookFantastic, and AESTURA’s Atobarrier 365 Cream, £26 at Sephora.
Banish those zits.
Although it’s not exactly possible to completely remove a pimple in a matter of minutes, there are a few ways to reduce their appearance, reduce redness, and stop them from disappearing (and we’re not talking about using obscene tools like toothpaste and needles).
Sticking on a pimple patch is the first and most obvious choice. Pimple patches are a popular trend thanks to Gen-Z, who frequently uses them as a fashion statement. They’re vegan, cruelty-free, and dermatologist-tested, so they actually help you get breakouts rather than just concealing them. They’re safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin.
However, you can still wear a star-shaped sticker on your face, which is perfectly acceptable! The Inkey List and Mighty Patch both have fantastic, invisible designs that are barely discernible.
Another option is using a targeted spot treatment, such as Acnecide’s Face Gel Spot Treatment Benzoyl Peroxide. This handy treatment contains benzoyl peroxide, which effectively kills up to 95% of bacteria causing spots and claims to start working immediately after application. Simply pop this on your spots in the morning, and watch them start to vanish by Christmas lunch.
Shop our best buys: Starface Hydro-Star Pink 32 CT, £8.99 at SpaceNK; Hero Mighty Patch Mixed Hydrocolloid Pimple & Acne Patches, £11.99 at Superdrug; The INKEY List Hydrocolloid Invisible Pimple Patches, £9 at SpaceNK; and Acnecide Face Gel Spot Treatment Benzoyl Peroxide, £8.99 at Superdrug.
Enhance the complexion
For a quick skin reset, a brightening mask is a Christmas morning lifesaver. The Beauty Pie Oxygen Instant Facial Refuelling Mask is out top pick. It’s designed to revive dull skin fast, helping to boost radiance and even out tone in minutes. Use it while getting ready or opening presents and wait for the noticeable glow that provides the perfect base for your Christmas Day glam.
Find the best deals on Beauty Pie Oxygen Instant Facial Refuelling Mask for $35.
Instant glow hack
Glow-boosting products are your best chance of getting a brighter complexion in no time when time is tight or you don’t have a bank of skincare essentials to turn to.
Apply liquid highlighter to the cheekbones first. For a weightless, natural finish on the skin, the Gucci Beauty Illuminateur de Beauté Liquid Highlighter is my personal favorite.
For a healthy, sunkissed appearance, you can also add a few bronzing drops, like First Aid Beauty Bronze and Glow Drops With Niacinamide.
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Finally, if you don’t like using make-up or glow-boosting products, apply hydrating facial oil to your face’s highest points to finish it off. Without using a lot of makeup, these easy tips add warmth and a lit-from-within finish for Christmas.
Despite the fact that many people are only just discovering who the voice of the iconic character of Sally is, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a wildly popular holiday movie,
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Ever thought about who voices Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas?(Image: Disney / https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/mediaviewer/rm3793325824/)
When it comes to this time of year, many people like to treat themselves to a festive film. And one that has remained a classic is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The 1993 stop-motion masterpiece follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, as he stumbles upon Christmas Town. Sally, the ragdoll brought to life by local mad scientist Doctor Finkelstein, has a vision that suggests the plan will end in disaster. He is so enchanted by it that he hatches a plan to hijack the holiday season in his own twisted way.
However, she ignores her premonition and supports Jack’s venture because she is secretly smitten with him. Despite Sally adorning our screens for a long time, it seems that hardly anyone can identify the actress who gave the character’s distinctive voice.
Clare Loughran, who uses the name clary_poppins on TikTok, shared this revelation, which shocked social media users. In a revealing video, she claimed that “this humanoid matriarch voiced this humanoid rag doll.”
Sally is first portrayed in the video, followed by Home Alone’s Catherine O’Hara.
Yes, this might be one of the most brilliant yet underappreciated Christmas connections ever.
The talented performer, who played the role of Kevin McCallister’s mother in Home Alone, also managed to sing Sally just three years after appearing in one of the most adored holiday movies ever made.
The revelation has completely ruined the internet. No way,” a surprised fan said. The Crows 3 star says, “She”?
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Another chimed in, “I always believed Helena Bonham Carter would voice her.” A third said, “I needed to know this.
A fourth confessed, “Wait, what?” It’s actually my favorite, which I didn’t even know. I’m ashamed”.
