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Nick Knowles’ fiancée Katie enjoys wild hen party in ‘last fling before the ring’

By in Entertainment News, News

BBC DIY SOS star, Nick Knowles’ fiancée, Katie Dadzie, pulled out all the stops for her hen party as she celebrated with pals, who were all wearing masks with Nick’s face on

Nick Knowles’ fiancée looked like she had the time of her life at her hen party(Image: Instagram)

Nick Knowles’ fiancée looked like she had the time of her life at her hen party in what she described was the “last fling before the ring”. The couple are getting ready to waltz down the aisle after Nick proposed in New Orleans two years ago.

Katie Dadzie, 34, who is 28 years younger than Nick, 62, met the BBC DIY SOS star in 2021 and shared a selection of snaps from her hen do ahead of the couple’s nuptials, in which her friends all donned masks with Nick’s face on. Captioning the carousel, the “last fling before the ring”, Katie posed up a storm in the photos wearing a white strapless mini dress and pearl earrings, with her brown locks styled into loose curls.

BBC DIY SOS star, Nick Knowles' fiancée, Katie Dadzie
BBC DIY SOS star, Nick Knowles’ fiancée, Katie Dadzie, pulled out all the stops for her hen party (Image: Instagram)

Dancing alongside her friends at the Karma Sanctum Hotel in London, the mum-of-two could be seen in fits of laughter as her pals all posed with paper masks with Nick’s face on, recreating the hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil emojis.

In another shot, Katie holds up her hand to show a jelly ring nestled above her engagement ring as she poses in front of a screen, which displays loved-up photos of her and Nick.

Speaking to the Mirror about the Katie’s hen party, Ellie Silk, Head of Events at GoHen.com, said: “Katie absolutely nailed the hen party brief – fun, glam and just the right amount of wild!”

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“And the Nick Knowles face masks? Iconic. DIY hen party accessory S.O.Yes!”

The lingerie and sex toy business owner, who also owns another company, Boobbix which sells ‘lactation products for breastfeeding mums’, met Nick at his youngest son’s playgroup.

Katie has two daughters from a previous relationship – while Strictly Come Dancing star, Nick, has four.

Nick Knowles’ fiancee’s wild hen do
Her pals donned masks with Nick’s face on them, recreating this hilarious pose(Image: Instagram)

The presenter’s youngest son, Eddie, inadvertently served as the couple’s matchmaker – after dad Nick put him in the same playgroup as Katie’s little ones, when filming in the United States, according to reports.

Katie recently opened up about how she found the courage to pose for her lingerie brand, Boa Boa.

Admitting that she wasn’t initially keen to model her pieces, the mum-of-two owner thanked Nick for encouraging her to ‘represent her business proudly’.

Katie explained: “Nick said to me he thought that I should do it to represent the brand and the ethos that we have of being comfortable with yourself and loving the skin you’re in.” The mother of two added that she “doesn’t love the skin she’s in,” but explained to the Daily Mail that Nick reminded her to set an example of self acceptance.

Nick Knowles and fiancee
Nick popped the question two years ago(Image: Instagram)

“For me to be in front of the camera the first time was absolutely hideous. I was cacking my pants, I was terrified,” Katie admitted, and revealed how it took a larger model encouraging her to be brave and take her dressing gown off during her first lingerie shoot.

While Katie is focusing on her own company, Nick has been busy in physio and rehab after undergoing gruelling surgery before Christmas.

Nick was on Strictly Come Dancing last year, and had to pull out of one of the live shows in October after injuring his knee during rehearsals. He became the third celebrity to leave the show, but admitted he “played down” his injuries before being voted out.

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The man who saved Wembley Stadium

By in News, Sports News
Getty Images
Paul Hayes
BBC Radio Norfolk

When tens of thousands of fans fill Wembley Stadium for the two FA Cup finals this weekend, some may glance at a memorial bust on display in its lobby.

It is labelled ‘Arthur Elvin’, but few will likely recognise that name.

Yet had it not been for that enterprising young man, who went from running a tobacco kiosk on the site in 1924 to buying the stadium three years later, Wembley may never have become England’s national stadium.

“He saved it,” architectural historian Simon Inglis told a new BBC Sounds series about Elvin’s life. “It is entirely possible that it would have gone without him.”

A natural entrepreneur

Elvin’s work earned him a knighthood, but he came from humble beginnings.

Born and raised in a small terraced house in Norwich, on leaving school at 14 he started a series of odd jobs. After the jam factory they included in a boot factory, at a grocer’s and with a wine merchant.

He then moved to London to work for a soft-soap company.

But then World War One started and by the spring of 1918 he was in the Royal Air Force, flying as the observer in a two-man plane on reconnaissance missions.

In late June, 10 days before Elvin’s 19th birthday, the plane was shot down and he spent the rest of the war as a prisoner.

After the war he had a job running demolition work clearing up some of the military infrastructure left in France. By 1924, though, he was unemployed – but things were about to change quite dramatically for him.

An ex-officers’ association found him a job at the British Empire Exhibition.

This was a huge two-year propaganda extravaganza – designed to promote the idea of the British Empire to the public – and had led to new buildings, pavilions and even a stadium built on what had been parkland at Wembley, in north-west London.

Elvin’s job there was in a tobacco kiosk, but one shop was never going to be enough for this natural entrepreneur.

He gradually took over more kiosks – once telling a newspaper that he kept his shops open later than others and so “the money rolled in”.

Arthur Elvin in his military uniformRick Doe

Elvin’s ‘wily’ move

The exhibition’s organisers needed to sell off the buildings quickly.

With the profits from his tobacco kiosks and demolition experience from his previous job, Elvin soon set himself up to win contracts to dispose of some of the buildings.

“Elvin takes advantage of an economic reality,” cultural historian Dr Katy Layton-Jones said. “They have to flog some of this stuff off, to recoup some of the losses that they’ve made. And he’s quite wily in recognising that.”

The stadium itself might have gone at this stage, demolished and forgotten.

“It fell into the hands of [financial] speculators,” Inglis explained. “And even they really struggled to make sense of it, until Arthur Elvin came along with a vision.”

Elvin borrowed the £122,500 needed to purchase the stadium – which would be worth more than £6m in 2025 terms – from a financier named Jimmy White, who agreed to take repayments in instalments.

But White was heavily in debt and killed himself, and his creditors demanded full payment from Elvin of the entire sum.

So Elvin performed what Inglis describes as “a wonderful switch”.

Later claiming in an interview that it was “often easier to borrow £10,000 than £50”, Elvin persuaded a group of city investors to put up the money to create a company, with him in charge, to buy the stadium from him – not only paying off his debt, but also making himself a tidy profit in the process.

Olympic dreams

A view of the opening ceremony of the 1948 Olympics at Wembley Stadium

To make the stadium pay, Elvin could not rely solely on annual events like the FA Cup final. So he added regular sports such as greyhound racing and motorcycle speedway, which could be held several times a week.

These became Wembley’s bread-and-butter events, with Elvin describing in a BBC programme how even after the FA Cup final the goalposts would be taken down “before the last football fan had got off the ground” so the evening’s dog racing could be set up.

But that did not mean he did not also want other big national events – and international ones, too.

In 1939, after much lobbying from Elvin, the stadium was granted the 1944 Olympic Games. World War Two meant that never happened, but instead Elvin helped to get the Olympic movement back on track in 1948.

“He was performing at Wembley a role that in most other countries was performed by state institutions – of running the national stadium,” Inglis said. “And he was doing it as the boss of a private company.

“In 1948 Elvin effectively rescues the International Olympic Committee, and the British government to a certain extent, by saying ‘I’ll give you Wembley for free’.”

The 1948 Olympics were perhaps Elvin’s finest hour. He died within nine years, aged only 57.

Today he is mostly forgotten – apart from that one spot in the lobby at the modern stadium, where his memorial bust still stands watch.

Dr Layton-Jones, though, has a simple reason why Elvin’s is a life that has resonance even in the 21st century.

Bust of Arthur ElvinPhilip Barker

Related topics

  • FA Cup
  • Football

Windsor Park unlikely to host Crocker-Donovan rematch

By in News, Sports News
Inpho

The rematch between Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan now looks unlikely to take place at Belfast’s Windsor Park with the city’s SSE Arena set to be the venue, promoter Eddie Hearn has said.

Limerick fighter Donovan was ahead on the judges’ scorecards in the IBF world welterweight title eliminator in March when he was disqualified for hitting Belfastman Crocker after the bell sounded for the end of the eighth round.

Donovan’s joint-managers Andy Lee and Keith Sullivan officially appealed for their fighter to be granted a rematch and the IBF upheld the request.

Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn made clear his desire that the rematch would take place at the home of Northern Ireland’s football team, which was officially renamed the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park earlier this month following the agreement of an eight-year sponsorship deal.

However Hearn now accepts that the prospects of the contest taking place at the outdoor venue are fading, with the fighters set to duel once more at SSE Arena.

“There’s now a very good chance it won’t be at Windsor. We will probably now do it at SSE Arena,” he told The Ring.

The promoter added that the return bout is likely to take place in “late August or maybe early September”.

‘20,000 a huge amount of tickets’

Hearn said the fight would have to generate ticket sales in excess of 20,000 to make the outdoor option viable.

“The issue with going outside is, with the costs and everything, you’ve got to be doing more than 20,000 tickets to make the delta positive of doing it in an arena with 9,000. That’s a huge amount of tickets.

“Would it do 15 or 16,000? Probably. And don’t get me wrong, I love an outdoor show. But there’s also a lot to be said about going into an absolutely packed out arena.”

Related topics

  • Northern Ireland Sport
  • Boxing

Brazil’s Lula urges Russia’s Putin to ‘go to Istanbul and negotiate’

By in News, World News

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged to press his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to attend negotiations with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkiye, adding to calls on Moscow to enter talks and end its three-year war.

Lula is expected to stop in the Russian capital on the way back from attending a regional forum in China.

“I’ll try to talk to Putin,” Lula said at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday before his departure.

“It costs me nothing to say, ‘hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate, dammit,’” he said.

The negotiations, expected to take place on Thursday in Turkiye’s commercial hub, Istanbul, would be the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.

Lula’s comments come after the Ukrainian foreign minister urged Brazil to use its influence with Russia to secure a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.

Brazil and China issued a joint statement on Tuesday calling for direct negotiations as the “only way to end the conflict”.

Zelenskyy earlier dared Putin to meet him in Turkiye, saying if he does not show up, it would show that Moscow is not interested in peace.

He also urged United States President Donald Trump, currently on a tour of Middle Eastern countries, to also visit Turkiye and participate in the talks.

Trump had announced that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would participate in the talks in Istanbul.

A State Department official said Rubio was expected to be in Istanbul on Friday.

The Kremlin has not yet specified whether Putin will attend in person, stating only that the “Russian delegation will be present”.

Katie Price ‘strangled and spat on’ by ex and devastating reason she couldn’t leave

By in Entertainment News, News

Former glamour model Katie Price has opened up on the horrific mental and physical abuse she suffered in past relationships as she reveals why she didn’t leave them

Katie Price has detailed horrific abuse from past relationships(Image: We Need To Talk/YouTube)

Katie Price has heartbreakingly opened up on abuse she suffered in past relationships. The former glamour model, 46, is known for having a very rocky love life, yet behind closed doors it seems she was subject to horrific mental and physical abuse.

She is now happily loved up with Married At First Sight UK star JJ Slater, but it wasn’t always that way. Katie, who has only been single for three years in her adult life, has had eight engagements and three marriages – all of which have ended in divorce.

In a very candid confession, Katie looked back at her romantic relationships and how she was treated. “There was domestic abuse, gaslighting, narcissists and that’s all I was used to,” she shared.

Opening up on the impact it had on her life, she said: “When you are in them kind of relationships and they isolate you, even from your family. If you want to see your family, they have to be there, won’t let you see your friends, put you down or ‘how long are you going to be’ and ‘where are you’.

JJ Slater and Katie Price
Katie is now in a relationship with JJ(Image: PA)

“‘Why are you doing that job, you’re a s**g if you want to do that’. I have only ever been used to that. If I was working, they would have to come to work with me and you never get a break. It ends up being 24/7 on my case. It is exhausting.”

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While on Paul C Brunson’s We Need to Talk podcast, he asked Katie if there was a relationship moment that she’s not yet unpacked in therapy.

She devastatingly replied: “Being strangled, spat on, my computer being completely smashed, holes being punched in the wall, the name calling, things like that.”

Katie was asked if she ever feared for her life, as she explained: “Yes, but I couldn’t leave because [the partners say] ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll never do it again. I love you, and it’s always ‘you will never find anyone as good as me.

“You will never find anyone who loves you like me. No one would accept you, and who would want you an old has-been like you with five kids? You are lucky I want you.’

“It is very easy to say to someone who is a victim of mental or physical abuse because you won’t see it. It is behind closed doors. It is the worst situation to be in.”

Katie added: “It is so easy done and it happens very quick. You fall for it but really you fall into the red flags of them isolating you. It all starts, the comments.”

Katie Price
Katie candidly opened up about her past romances(Image: We Need To Talk/YouTube)

Paul explained his two signs of a good relationship; feeling better with your partner and feeling free. Despite her romance with JJ, Katie admitted: “I’ve never had that in any relationship. Never had any of them.

“And JJ, he’s the most kindest, genuine, easygoing, chilled person. But do I feel my most happiest and do I feel free? No. It’s not a reflection on him, maybe that’s what I need to change for myself.”

Just last week, JJ and Katie were hit by split rumours. Some fans noticed Katie hadn’t featured JJ on her Instagram in a while and JJ has also not posted Katie on his own account in 23 weeks. They also spent Christmas apart.

Amid the speculation, Katie’s representative settled the rumours once and for all. They told the Mirror that the rumours are “not true” and that “nothing has been removed, they’re continuing as normal.”

For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk

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Brooklyn Beckham passionately kisses Nicola Peltz as he makes clear stand despite family feud

By in Entertainment News, News

Brooklyn Beckham kissed his wife, Nicola Peltz, as they put on a united front at a party amid their reported family feud. The duo, who matched in all-black outfits as they attended an AirBnb party this week, looked hopelessly in love as they embraced and kissed while posing for photos.

“Big thanks to @airbnb for having me at their Summer Release,” Nicola captioned her post. “They’re rolling out some amazing new experiences and you can book mine on May 15th! We’ll be mixing cocktails, plating perfection, and experiencing the heat of my @cloud23 hot sauce.”






Brooklyn and Nicola


The two looked loved-up at a lavish party
(
Getty Images for Airbnb)

She shared a slew of loving snaps, including one of her sitting on Brooklyn’s lap as he wrapped his hands around her waist. There was also a picture of aspiring chef Brooklyn planting a kiss on her forehead as she beamed for the camera.

Brooklyn also took to his Instagram page to share a carousel of similar photos as he used the caption to promote Airbnb.

The former aspiring photographer, 26, and billionaire heiress Nicola, 30, have kept their distance from the Beckham clan both online and in the real world over recent works, with the pair even snubbing David Beckham’s 50th birthday earlier this month.





Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham


Nicola sat on his lap for one sweet snap

The family issues with Brooklyn and Nicola reportedly started from Romeo Beckham, 22, finding love with Kim Turnbull, 24, who is thought to be one of Brooklyn’s exes. Things got so bad in the family that Brooklyn had been ignoring his parents attempts to chat.

It comes after the married couple, who are locked in a bitter feud with Brooklyn’s parents and siblings, recently enjoyed a star-studded night out with Nicola’s brother and pals.

Amid the family rift, David seemingly tried to make things better by reaching out as he shared a united post on American Mother’s Day – which is almost two months after the annual holiday was observed in the UK.

Despite being British, David took advantage of the symbolic day to post a photo of wife Victoria with all four of their offspring.

The iconic footballer posted a throwback snap of his wife Victoria, cradling their daughter Harper Seven as a baby on her chest, sided by their sons Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz hugging the singer-turned-fashion designer.

With the sweet photo, he penned: “Happy Mother’s Day to the best mommy. To all our friends in the U.S. Happy Mother’s Day.”

Intriguingly, he made it a point to tag his sons, including Brooklyn. Fans are speculating whether this could be the footballer’s way of reaching out to his son through the Mother’s Day tribute.

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