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Elle Mulvaney celebrates 15 years on Coronation Street and eyes Bill Roache’s record

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EXCLUSIVE: Elle Mulvaney has been on the ITV soap since she was seven years old and has no plans to leave anytime soon as she opens up on her time on the cobbles

Elle is celebrating 15 years in Weatherfield

Coronation Street star Elle Mulvaney is eyeing up her on screen grandad Bill Roach’s world record as she pledges her future to the soap. On the ITV show since she was just seven, 22-year-old Elle recently celebrated 15 years on the cobbles. She’s got a while longer to go to match Bill’s 65 years as her telly grandad Ken Barlow, but she says in it for the long haul.

“It’s quite the challenge to beat,” she laughs. “I am young enough to do it, I guess. It must be incredible for someone to be here 65 years. All the stories he must have done and all the people he must have met. Who knows what the future will bring? But right now I am loving Corrie more than ever and have no plans to leave, so long as they still want me.”

Corrie's Elle Mulvaney
Elle says running gives her more confidence

Playing the bolshy Amy Barlow, daughter to Tracy (Kate Ford) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), Elle has not been short of gritty storylines. Most recently her character was sexually assaulted and joined a cult. “I still can’t believe I have been there for 15 years,” beams Elle.

“It’s hard to describe because in one way it feels that long but in another way it doesn’t. I joined when I was just seven and I’m now 22. I was just a young kid. I am so fortunate though. I still love Corrie, where I work and everyone I work with. I am just really lucky.”

She calls her co-stars her “family”, after spending two thirds of her life with them. “Kate and Simon who play my parents have had an impact in my childhood and in my life,” says Elle. “Bill, we have spent 15 years together. They are more than colleagues, they do become a part of your family.”

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Watching Corrie co-stars like Simon, 50, and Jack P Shepherd, 37, go off to reality shows, Elle says she has got her eye on one – I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.

“I don’t know if I could do Celebrity Big Brother,” Elle admits. “I’m not sure I could cope in the house or with all the big personalities. Jack is so chilled and lovely he took the right approach. He was just himself and was really good in that situation. I would like to do the Jungle at some point though.”

Amy Barlow
Elle plays Amy Barlow on Coronation Street

“Simon, who plays my dad, did it and loved it. Bev Callard, who played my nan, also did it so we have a family tradition. I’m alright with bugs and creepy crawlies and snakes. They don’t bother me. But I think I would really struggle with the food and the drink. I’d struggle eating or cooking the meal in camp, never mind the Bushtucker Trials. I’d have to stick to the rice and beans.”

Today Elle lines up for the Manchester Great Run, after catching the running bug. What started off as an opportunity to catch up with friends amid her busy Corrie schedule has turned into something much more.

“I love the way running makes me feel,” she explains. “I love the social aspect of it. The fact you can catch up with friends while also moving your body. I always feel better after a run. I find it helps my mental health a lot. I feel a lot less stressed and I can think a lot clearer about things.”

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She says running has given her more confidence. “It makes me feel better, it makes me look better,” she said. “The hardest thing is the mental battle. Your mind wants to give up but you know your body is capable of more. That’s the amazing thing about running. You prove to yourself you are capable of more than you realise.”

Sign up to be one of the first to hear about places for Great Manchester Run 2026 at www.greatrun.org

Bulls seal second by hammering depleted Dragons

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United Rugby Championship

Bulls (26) 55

Tries: Kriel, Wiese, de Klerk, van der Merwe 2, Petersen 2, Coetzee, Williams Cons: Johannes 5

Dragons (0) 15

Bulls consolidated second place in the United Rugby Championship (URC) with an emphatic nine-try victory against a depleted Dragons in Pretoria.

Hooker Akker van der Merwe and wing Sergeal Petersen crossed for two tries with further scores from David Kriel, Cobus Wiese, Sebastian de Klerk, Marcell Coetzee and Devon Williams.

Dragons responded with tries from Huw Anderson, Rhodri Williams and Lewis Morgan.

Filo Tiatia’s side equalled the record for the worst URC league season with just nine points as they finished bottom in a nightmare campaign.

The Welsh side have lost 17 successive league games since defeating Ospreys on the opening weekend in September 2024.

It was an emotional afternoon in Pretoria with tributes for ex-Bulls player Cornal Hendricks who died on Wednesday.

The former South Africa wing – who made his Test debut for the Springboks against Wales in 2014 – suffered a heart attack aged 37.

Bulls overpower under-strength Dragons

Dragons were without more than 20 players for this fixture because of an injury crisis.

With Ebbw Vale and Newport competing in the Welsh domestic Super Rygbi Cymru final, Dragons flew out Carmarthen Quins hooker Morgan and Llandovery prop Jamie Hughes on permit for debuts off the bench against a motivated Bulls side at altitude.

Springboks number eight Cameron Hanekom was denied an early try because of a foot in touch following an Angus O’Brien tackle.

The hosts did not have to wait long after, centre Kriel finished off a flowing set-piece move, while three minutes later lock Wiese powered over.

Replacement prop Hughes was forced on the field early after an injury to Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, and Bulls took advantage of his inexperience with scrum dominance.

The incessant pressure told with South Africa full-back Willie le Roux setting up the try for wing De Klerk.

Dragons responded with a flowing move involving scrum-half Williams and O’Brien that was foiled by desperate Bulls defence before the hosts won another scrum penalty to relieve any pressure.

Williams shines but Bulls seal easy victory

Wales scrum-half Williams made a storming start to the second half with a long try-scoring floated pass to Anderson.

Williams followed this up with a superb solo effort after collecting his own chip.

Any hopes of an improbable Dragons revival were halted by a dropped ball from Aaron Wainwright, who blotted his copybook in an otherwise industrious display.

Bulls capitalised with Van der Mewre crashing over for his second score, before wing Petersen took advantage of a tired Dragons defence to sprint over for two tries.

Replacement scrum-half Bernard van der Linde was a catalyst for Bulls’ second-half slick showing and helped create a superb try for replacement flanker Coetzee.

The onslaught continued with replacement back Devon Williams surging over.

Dragons enjoyed some respite with a dream introduction for replacement hooker Morgan, who was driven over.

Bulls: Willie le Roux; Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Sergeal Petersen; Keagan Johannes, Zak Burger; Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Akker van der Merwe, Mornay Smith, Cobus Wiese, JF van Heerden, Kuyenzeka Nama Xaba, Ruan Nortje (capt), Cameron Hanekom.

Replacements: Johan Grobbelaar, Simphiwe Matanzima, Francois Klopper, Jannes Kirsten, Marcell Coetzee, Bernard van der Linde, Stedman Gans, Devon Williams.

Dragons: Angus O’Brien (co-capt); Harry Rees-Weldon, Joe Westwood, Aneurin Owen, Huw Anderson; Lloyd Evans, Rhodri Williams; Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, Brodie Coghlan, Chris Coleman, Joe Davies, Ben Carter (co-capt), Ryan Woodman, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: Lewis Morgan, Jamie Hughes, Paula Latu, Barny Langton-Cryer, Evan Minto, Che Hope, Ewan Rosser, Ashton Hewitt.

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)

Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen & AJ Jacobs (SARU)

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Ex-AGF Malami Urges Supporters To Promote Unity In Kebbi

Abubakar Malami, the former head of justice and the president of the nation, has urged his supporters in Kebbi State to refrain from making political statements that could cause the state’s tensions to rise.

Mohammed Doka, Malami’s Special Adviser on Media, signed a statement informing musicians, political supporters, and other parties that using abusive language, mockery, or direct attacks on others is unacceptable.

I want to urge our teeming supporters to engage with the general public while promoting issue-based discourse. The former AGF was quoted as saying, “Their statements should be constructive, not ones that could undermine our democracy and Nigeria’s unity.”

Also read: PDP and &nbsp in the dilemma of three Kebbi senators.

Doka characterized Malami as a peaceful and diligent citizen who would not back any deeds or remarks that might endanger Kebbi State.

In Kebbi, there has been speculation about Malami’s potential return to active politics, with reports that he might face Nasir Idris, the current governor, in the upcoming election.

The former minister played a key role in the governor’s ascendancy, but they are now seen as political rivals.

Where you’ve seen UK Eurovision entry Remember Monday bandmates before

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Country-pop trio Remember Monday are repping the UK at Eurovision 2025 but fans may recognise them from The Voice UK, West End stages before their big Basel debut

British group Remember Monday representing the United Kingdom with the song “What The Hell Just Happened?” (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

They’re heading to the Eurovision stage to represent the UK but if you think the women of Remember Monday look familiar, you’re not imagining things – and also you have a good memory!

The country-pop trio, made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, have had quite the journey to the international spotlight, and they’re no strangers to a TV appearance. The girls are this year’s UK Eurovision hopefuls, performing their harmony-rich track What The Hell Just Happened, and they’ll be stepping out on stage in Basel, Switzerland, as part of the glittery grand final.

But it turns out this isn’t their first brush with a big singing contest.

Remember Monday will sing What The Hell Just Happened?
Remember Monday will sing What The Hell Just Happened?(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The Voice UK

Way before Eurovision came calling, Remember Monday had their first taste of national fame on The Voice UK back in 2019. At the time, all three women were in their early 20s and auditioned together as a group.

Their rendition of Seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’ wowed the entire panel so much so that all four judges hit their buzzers. Every judge: Jennifer Hudson, Will.I.Am, Tom Jones and Olly Murs all turned around to try and win them over. They eventually joined Team J-Hud, and made it to the knockouts performing their original song Jailbreaker .

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West End

The three-piece, who became friends at sixth form in Farnborough, Hampshire, started writing and rehearsing music on Mondays, hence the name. The group creates a unique mix of modern country, vintage harmonies and pop-rock flair. Think Nashville meets the West End.

Theatre fans of musical stage shows might recognise Lauren and Holly-Anne from London’s top productions. Between them, they’ve starred in Phantom of the Opera and Six: The Musical, adding some West End polish to their country-pop credentials.

Festival appearances

Since their time on The Voice, the group has been steadily making waves in the UK country scene. They’ve played at Country to Country and The Long Road Festival and even embarked on their own UK headline tour, selling out a London show in the process.

They’ve also built a loyal online following, boasting 77,000 followers on Instagram and over half a million TikTok fans. And they’ve caught the attention of a few famous faces along the way.

BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills is already a fan, having played them on his show, and earlier this year the trio made it across the pond to the Jennifer Hudson Show in the US. A clip from the appearance, captioned by the show “Reunited and it feels so good! @remembermonday_ has come such a long way since @iamjhud coached them on @thevoiceuk”, had fans reminiscing about their early days.

One viewer wrote: “I recently found out about this group and now I’ve learned that YOU were their coach! This is incredible.” Another chimed in with: “Going from watching you gals on the West End to now this. Proud as punch!!”

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Eurovision shake-up

Their Eurovision entry marks a significant shift in tone from last year’s act, when Olly Alexander took to the stage with his synth-pop number Dizzy . That entry unfortunately finished near the bottom, with zero points from the public.

This time around, the UK’s Eurovision organisers are clearly betting on a fresh formula. A source told The Sun: “As ever behind the scenes competition has been fierce to represent the UK. This year, bosses have opted to shake things up and send a female trio, Remember Monday.”

Lead Artist wins Newbury thriller for Murphy

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Lead Artist edged out Dancing Gemini in a pulsating Lockinge Stakes at Newbury to give jockey Oisin Murphy his first victory in the race.

The winner, trained by John and Thady Gosden, was backed down from morning odds of 18-1 to finish at 17-2.

Fallen Angel led the field until two furlongs to go before Lead Artist got the better of a sustained battle with 2-1 favourite Dancing Gemini.

Murphy, riding his first top-level Group One winner for owners Juddmonte, edged ahead by a neck in the final strides.

“He has an amazing temperament. The lads were really confident and the market told. He was a joy to ride,” said Murphy.

Last year’s Irish 2000 Guineas winner Rosallion was third, with 2024 Newmarket Guineas victor Notable Speech fourth.

Kieran Shoemark rode Lead Artist on all eight of his previous starts, but he lost his role as number one rider for the Gosdens after his Guineas defeat on the Juddmonte-owned Field Of Gold a fortnight ago.

On his Lockinge winner, John Gosden said: “He was given a peach of the ride. I thought we’d be in the three but I didn’t necessararily think we’d win it.”

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MacKenzie left bloodied by seat thrown by own fans

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Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie was left bloodied after being struck by what seemed to be a seat – thrown by one of his own fans – amid a pitch invasion following his side’s Scottish Premiership defeat at Dundee United.

Unused subtitute MacKenzie was on the pitch while the United supporters invaded the playing surface after their side denied Aberdeen fourth place.

And he was felled by a projectile hurled from the area of the ground that housed a travelling support restricted in number after objects were aimed at United manager Jim Goodwin in the last meeting at Tannadice.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin told BBC Scotland after the match MacKenzie is “ok but it’s quite a bad injury.”

“This is unacceptable and can’t happen,” Thelin added.

Speaking to BBC Scotland after his side sealed a European place on Saturday, Goodwin labelled the incident “a disgrace”.

“I deliberately took myself off the pitch as quickly as I could because we’ve had previous with the Aberdeen supporters in the past,” the former Pittodrie boss said.

“I’m really disappointed to hear young Jack has been hit by an object thrown by his own supporters. He’s inside having stitches now, it’s an absolute disgrace.

“It’s probably taken something as serious as this to happen for the authorities to finally step in and do something about it to identify these idiots who let down a really good club.”

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