Lewis Cope, the actor who has been dating his actress girlfriend for eight years, talks about how she supports him and Katya Jones in secret in this exclusive conversation.
After being drafted into the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom as a replacement for DJ Kristian Nairn, former Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope has been showing off his moves with long-time pro Katya Jones. The 30-year-old achieved the highest score – 37 – in Week 3’s Movie Night, impressing even Craig Revel Horwood with his Paso doble performed to The Plaza of Execution from The Mask of Zorro.
The Hartlepool-born actor reveals how his actress girlfriend, Rachel Maya Lopez, has been making sure he’s fighting well for his strenuous rehearsals when he and Katya pose for an exclusive new photoshoot with Notebook. The couple started dating about eight years ago, but they don’t make regular red carpet appearances. Instead, they spend their free time exploring and traveling.
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Lewis told OK! about how his other half felt about being drafted into Strictly at the eleventh hour. She continued, “Rachel is a super supporter, she’s making my dinners and sending me off with a packed lunch for my rehearsals,” adding, “She’s over the moon.”
“We managed to squeeze in a little holiday in Naxos, Greece, before the show and she booked us a studio over there, and she was getting me moving and doing Pilates and things!”
Rachel posted a video to her Instagram page on the night of the Strictly launch show, revealing that Lewis’s friends and family – including some of his 14 siblings – were joined by his dance partner Katya, 36, for the watch party.
Our Sweet Lew, we are right behind you, she wrote in the video. You are a very impressive person.
After posting some of the highest scores in Weeks 1 and 2 and topping the leaderboard in Week 3, Lewis and Katya are already being considered the favorites to win the series.
After appearing in Billy Elliot The Musical two decades ago, Lewis has however received criticism for having a dance background. Lewis said, “It’s strange to hear that I’m some sort of “professional dancer,” explaining why he believes the criticism is unfair and insults the profession. I’ve never danced professionally and it’s been so long since.
He continued, “When I was 11 years old, Billy Elliot The Musical was not for me, so I played Michael and did some tap dancing.” I then joined a hip-hop dance team in Hartlepool, where I performed hip-hop with a group of six other people and competed in amateur events. Then, I began acting school, and I haven’t appeared in any acting since.
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I’ve been a dancer for 12 years for the first time. And now that I’m working with people who are pro dancers like Katya, I feel a little insult to those guys. They have sacrificed their lives for this, which is incredible.
BBC One continues to broadcast Strictly Come Dancing.
Tess Daly, the host of Strictly Come Dancing, has revealed details of her family life and how she and husband Vernon Kay have been trying to ensure that their daughters are raised in a certain manner.
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Tess Daly has made an honest family admission as she admitted ‘I don’t want spoilt brats’(Image: Mike Marsland, Mike Marsland/WireImagevia Getty Images)
Tess Daly, the star of Strictly Come Dancing, has revealed how she and husband Vernon Kay are trying to instill values in their daughters.
Recently returning to our screens alongside co-host Claudia Winkleman for another series of Strictly, Tess took time out from the glitz and glamour to chat with Giovanna Fletcher on her Happy mum Happy Baby podcast.
Tess stated during the heart-to-heart that finding your own way is one of the most important lessons we can teach them as parents. Find the source of happiness. Discover what makes you unique.
She continued, citing the value of perseverance and humility, and stated, “I wouldn’t dream of spoiling my children.” I don’t want brats who have been spoilt. I want kind, modest girls who are grateful and kind. My worst nightmare would be having entitled children, you know what I mean. It’s bad for you, not good for them, and bad for you.
Tess and Vernon’s love story began over two decades ago when they were challenged to choreograph their own dance routine to Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time at a BBC Christmas party.
As the couple exchanged vows and soon welcomed Phoebe, their first child, together, in the years that followed, their relationship blossomed. Amber, one of their younger children, arrived in 2009.
Tess has been a constant presence on television for decades, aside from raising her two daughters with Vernon.
Although she initially started her career as a model, she is most recognised for her stint on Strictly Come Dancing, having co-hosted the BBC show since its inception in 2004 while she was expecting her first daughter.
She co-hosted the dance show for Sir Bruce Forsyth at the beginning, but after Sir Bruce made a decision to leave the program, Claudia Winkleman joined her.
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She recently returned to the show as Strictly celebrates its 23rd season since it first aired in 2004.
Last weekend’s show saw Scottish presenter Ross King eliminated from the competition alongside professional dancer Jowita Przytal. Their time in the competition came to an end after they finished second best in the dance-off, as they went up against Balvinder Sopal and her partner Julian Caillon.
The young talents of EastEnders during the 1990s were the equivalent of bands, with posters of the adored soap stars adorning teenage bedroom walls across the country
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Where are the 90s heartthrobs of EastEnders today?(Image: BBC)
Back in the nineties, the young stars of EastEnders were as adored as the boy and girl bands of the era. Take Michael Greco, once crowned the sexiest man on TV, or Paul Nicholls, who was practically a national object of desire.
But what have our favourite EastEnders actors and actresses been doing since they left the show all those years ago? From near-death experiences and battles with drug addiction to peculiar ‘feuds with local clowns’, here’s an update on your favourite stars…
Michael Greco (Beppe di Marco)
From 1998 to 2002, Michael Greco, with his designer goatee, had fans swooning as Italian restaurant worker Beppe. The star spent most of his time shirtless before being axed by executive producer John Yorke in 2002 as part of a revamp.
However, his life after EastEnders has taken an unusual turn. According to his Wikipedia page, he retreated to his hometown of Dunbar, Scotland, where he clashed with local clown Gladys Chucklebutty. The feud reportedly started at a children’s party when Gladys made unkind comments about the 5ft 9 actor’s height while he was trying to win his height in pizzas.
However, it’s highly probable that some crafty individual concocted that tale, given Michael hails from Sutton, south London, and now resides in Los Angeles after achieving considerable success as a professional poker player. Following his reputation as a fixture on London’s party circuit, apart from a fleeting stint in Casualty in 2017, he turned his back on fame and has maintained a largely private existence away from the cameras.
“I kind of gave up acting a while ago, a couple of years after I left EastEnders and just thought this celeb style isn’t really for me,” he told the Express in 2019, following his split from Hollyoaks star Stephanie Waring. “I just wanted to shun the limelight… I was very private and didn’t really do interviews, I wanted to keep myself… then I just lost my way. I just lost my love for the acting game, really.”
In recent years, however, it would appear that Michael has found his love for acting once more. He played Pothinus in the 2023 Netflix miniseries Cleopatra and Strabo Plinth in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
In another update, his Wikipedia page mentions that he lovingly became a first-time father at the age of 51 with his girlfriend, Helen Harris.
Paul Nicholls (Joe Wicks)
Thanks to his children’s TV work, Paul was already a teen pin-up when he joined EastEnders in 1995 as schizophrenic Joe. The teenage heartthrob proved enormously popular, scooping TV’s sexiest actor accolade twice, and graced magazine covers including Smash Hits, Heat, Just Seventeen and Sugar.
He also enjoyed romantic flings with two of the soap’s leading ladies, Martine McCutcheon and Daniella Westbrook. However, the pressures of teen stardom became overwhelming, and he departed Albert Square after merely two years.
Subsequently, Paul candidly revealed his battles with depression while developing dependencies on alcohol and drugs. He reportedly avoided rehab, instead achieving sobriety independently by 2008 before securing roles in Holby City, Waterloo Road, Law and Order: UK and Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason.
However, in 2015, footage surfaced allegedly showing Paul smoking from a questionable implement. Previously, he held EastEnders responsible for his substance abuse struggles.
“People said I had too much too soon when I was playing Joe Wicks, and maybe they were right. I didn’t want to be a heartthrob, and I could not handle the attention,” he previously said. Paul added, “I was well on my way to a total breakdown. I was drinking a lot and taking drugs.
“I had lost control of my life. The more I partied, the more I was telling myself, ‘Wow, this is what acting is all about.'”.
In 2017, he faced a cancer scare when a benign throat tumour left him unable to speak for months, and later that year, he nearly died after spending three days trapped in a Thai rock pool with a shattered leg following a selfie attempt gone wrong.
Tragedy hit again when Paul suffered a stroke just a year later in 2018. After this, he experienced depression and became addicted to drugs in 2020, but later shared that he was seeking help and was glad to be in recovery.
However, he also reappeared on our screens from 2017 to 2018 as Steve Bell in Ackley Bridge, and more recently starred in Phoenix Rise as Carl Hopkins from 2023 to 2024.
Martine McCutcheon (Tiffany Mitchell)
When Martine arrived on the show in 1994, Tiffany’s character was initially meant to be a minor role. However, she swiftly won over countless admirers, and an incredible 22 million viewers watched her tragic demise on New Year’s Eve 1998.
Following years of torment at the hands of violent spouse Grant Mitchell, Tiffany was poised to escape and begin afresh in Spain with their daughter Courtney. Yet her scheme collapsed like a Greek tragedy when she arrived at the Queen Vic to fetch Courtney, only to discover Grant had been freed on bail.
In a shocking turn of events, he snatched Courtney and stormed out of the pub, leaving a distraught Tiffany in his wake. Suddenly, Frank Butcher’s car came speeding around the corner, hitting Tiff, who tragically died in the middle of the street.
A single tear rolled down her cheek as she took one last look at her daughter – it was a heart-wrenching scene. But this wasn’t how Martine had envisioned her exit.
When she decided to leave the show to pursue a music career, she didn’t anticipate being killed off. She accused the showrunners of spite, but they hit back, claiming she just wanted a ‘safety net’.
Her 1999 single ‘Perfect Moment’ topped the charts, followed by roles in Love Actually and My Fair Lady on London’s West End. However, things began to unravel when her health deteriorated due to a streptococcal infection, thrombosis in her leg and skull, and depression.
Martine was later diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome ME and Lyme’s disease, and suffered recurrent miscarriages because her immune system ‘was shot’. At her lowest point, she was declared bankrupt, confined to a wheelchair and told her husband Jack McManus to find someone else.
“You’re pushed to your limits too much. You feel like you’re really hungover, like you’ve been beaten up by Mike Tyson. I was getting lots of infections and my immune system was down,” she confessed on Loose Women in 2016.
“I did say to him at one point, ‘If you want to go on and meet someone else, go.” She added, “I don’t want you to lose out because of me.”
The couple welcomed their longed-for son, Rafferty, in 2015, but in 2024 announced their split. Her most recent TV stints saw her appear on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2020 and The Masked Singer UK in 2021.
Sean Maguire (Aidan Brosnan)
When Sean’s character Aiden first joined the programme in 1993, he appeared to have a bright future ahead as a trainee footballer for Walford Town FC. However, a string of injuries destroyed his sporting dreams, and a stormy relationship with troubled teenager Mandy Salter left him without a home and dependent on drugs.
Over 23 million viewers watched as he tragically attempted to take his own life on Christmas Day that year. Fortunately, Mandy managed to rescue him, but the following day, he departed for Ireland, leaving Albert Square behind forever.
Pursuing life beyond TV, Sean launched three albums, with his most successful single, ‘Good Day’, climbing to number 12 in May 1996. When his music career declined, he moved to Los Angeles, where he appeared in TV shows, Eve, The Class, CSI: NY and Once Upon A Time as Robin Hood.
He also went on to star in shows such as The Red Dress, The 100, The Magicians, Electric Easy, Action Royale and S.W.A.T. In his personal life, he married police detective Tanya Flynn in October 2012, and together they have three children, two boys and a girl.
In 2020, he and his wife became US citizens, and the family is thought to reside there today.
Lucy Speed (Natalie Evans)
Lucy’s character made her debut as an addition in 1994 when the soap initially expanded to three episodes weekly. Envious of her schoolmate, Bianca Jackson’s bond with Tiffany Mitchell, she began a fling with her man, Ricky Butcher and revealed the secret by shoving her knickers in his work clothes.
She departed just a year later in 1995 after being chased out by an enraged Bianca, but made a comeback in 1999 as a thriving entrepreneur running a matchmaking business. Through this venture, she encountered and fell for motor trader Barry Evans, having a son, Jack, together, before Natalie schemed to flee with Ricky – only to discover he’d been romping with Sam Mitchell.
Lucy eventually left the soap permanently after Janine Butcher killed Barry in 2004, believing her character had reached a dead end. She explained at the time: “I’d been back for five years and had very little to do the year before. I quite like being busy, and I could see the scriptwriters were struggling with Natalie and where to place her, so it seemed like the right time to go.
“It’s nice that they’ve left it open. I’d hate to think the door was shut behind me. Absolutely, I’d like to go back; never say never. Maybe I’ll track Janine down.”
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After leaving Walford, she featured in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love, Men Behaving Badly, Dangerfield, Holby City and Jericho before portraying the mum of a vanished lad in series two of Marcella. She’s also starred in After Life, Unforgotten, Casualty, Becoming Elizabeth and The Hack.
She wed model and actor Spencer Hayler in September 2009, and welcomed their daughter Kitty in 2012, followed by son Sullivan in 2018. Residing in Fulham, London, she maintains a close friendship with Charlie Brooks, who portrayed her on-screen adversary Janine.
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Larry Lamb, a favorite of Gavin and Stacey, has opened up about his personal life and acknowledged that he is “done” with some of his career’s facets as he discussed how older he is.
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Larry Lamb has been talking about what he likes to do on Saturdays(Image: ITV)
Actor Larry Lamb has admitted that advancing years are taking their toll on his professional commitments as he discusses the challenges of managing back-to-back early morning calls.
The 78-year-old Gavin and Stacey legend, who divides his time between Britain and France, has opened up about his typical Saturday routine.
Speaking candidly to the Telegraph about his weekend habits, he revealed how he enjoys his midday meal before settling down for an afternoon nap.
Larry emphasized how important rest has become for him, saying, “It’s not unusual for me to spend the entire day reading. I frequently write to occupy my time.
“As I age, acting takes up so much energy,” I said. I’m done when I work at 5 a.m. on three days, which reduces the amount I can sign up for. “
There is no way there will be more Gavin and Stacey, he claimed regarding the beloved comedy series. That beautiful story was told by James [Corden] and Ruth [Jones] and they are now on their way. “
Larry also offered insight into his romantic life, describing his joyous single status and deep love for his children.
Further reflecting, he said, “I’m undoubtedly a happily single man these days.” Just an old bachelor boy, I am. The ladies are enjoying themselves now that it is too late. “
Larry has three children and is the father of four, including his son George, who successfully presents in television and has been married three times.
Last year, Larry candidly discussed his experiences with love in an interview with The Times, reflecting on the profound impact of his mother leaving the family home when he was just nine years old, which also affected his younger brother Wes.
He described his search for love in the revealing conversation as “distant from my mother’s desire to be in love,” adding, “I was obviously trying to be in love when I went deeper.” “
He continued, explaining how this early abandonment heightened a sense of loss, saying that there was always a risk that could never occur again. How exactly do you do that? You retaliate; you may be a contributing factor in the relationship’s demise. “
Prior to his more optimistic outlook this year, Larry said that he envisioned himself living alone for the rest of his life.
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He said, “I’m much happier having my own life than I’m almost certainly going to disappoint,” while speaking optimistically about his current situation. “
Molly-Mae Hague, the star of Love Island, has apologized for her comments on the Diary Of A CEO podcast about “having the same 24 hours in a day.”
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Death threats were made as a result of Molly’s comments.
Reality TV star Molly-Mae Hague has said a remark she made about everyone having “the same 24 hours in a day” led to “hateful comments” and “death threats”.
In the second series of her show, Molly-Mae: Behind It All, the influencer and businesswoman, 26, who found fame on ITV dating show Love Island, discusses the backlash that followed her appearance in a 2022 episode of the Diary Of A CEO podcast.
She also speaks about the furore after she said in a YouTube video that she had not “done one social fun thing” in the summer, with fans pointing out she had been to Dubai and Wimbledon. In episode two of the Prime Video series, she says: “I was so frustrated with myself when I saw the comments about me saying, ‘I’m going to get to the end of this summer and not have had any fun.’
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“And I fully understand why some people disagreed with what I said. The days are not the best when the world turns against you.
She continued, “I get really upset with myself when I say something that I think I should have said differently. I detest deceitful behavior. I try my best to put on a brave face, look good, and act professionally because it’s really embarrassing.
Reflecting on her comments in 2022, Hague said she has “accepted and realised” that what she said “was wrong”. “I have never spoken about that 24-hour scandal. I was so disappointed in myself that I’d made that mistake,” she said.” Twitter was huge at that time, and I was trending for weeks.”
In that statement, I genuinely meant nothing about malice. Because I had accepted and realized that that was wrong, I felt like I needed to hold my hands up so that I could upset so many people. Who has that level of anger inside of them to leave such hateful comments and make such hateful comments? Some of the things I’ve received in my inbox are just completely crazy. You would be completely shocked to see it.
After a short clip from the interview went viral on Twitter, now X, Hague was described by some on the social media platform as “tone deaf” and “Thatcherite”.
At the time Hague’s representatives addressed the controversy in a statement that said: “This part of the interview was discussing time efficiency relating to success. “Molly refers to a quote which says, ‘We all have the same 24 hours in a day as Beyonce ’. She was discussing her own experience and how she can resonate with this specific quote.
She keeps working hard to achieve more in her own life by saying, “If you want something enough, you can work hard for it.” Nobody else’s life or circumstance is being weighed by Molly’s commentary. She is limited to describing her own experiences.
In the documentary, Molly also revealed why she won’t wear her Tommy Fury engagement ring and what will need to be done to get it back. In 2019, the pair first met on Love Island. They become the ITV series’ most well-known and well-known romance. However, they split in August of that year after getting engaged to their daughter, Bambi. They are now living in separate homes in Manchester, but they are back together.
Speaking in the new series of Prime Video’s Behind It All, Molly-Mae says: “We’re back together, like we are, back together. But I don’t know what we are.
“I’m not wearing my ring yet because I’m not ready,” she said. Additionally, I kind of like that he gesture a little bit, yeah. Not to ask me again. That’s just like a lot, but it’s just a nice dinner or something to allow me to say, “OK, I’ll wear my ring once more.”
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On October 18, Prime Video will exclusively stream Molly-Mae: Behind It All episodes one through three. The final three episodes will be available in early 2026.
The family’s Cotswolds home, which David and Victoria Beckham purchased in December 2016 for approximately £6.1 million, has become a secluded haven.
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David Beckham has shown off his incredible garden(Image: David Beckham/Instagram)
He may have grown up kicking a ball around a modest patch of grass in East London, but David Beckham has now transformed his countryside retreat into the garden he always dreamed of.
The former England captain, 50, has spent years cultivating a tranquil escape at the Cotswolds estate he shares with wife Victoria. Since buying the property nine years ago, Sir David has spared no expense turning the grounds into a lush haven – complete with vegetable patches, chickens, bees, and a selection of roses planted especially for Victoria and their youngest daughter, Harper, 14.
The garden’s current abundance of kale and onions, carrots and radishes, and other vegetables, is a far cry from Beckham’s childhood in Chingford. Although Ted and Sandra, his parents, Ted and Sandra, do not have a green thumb, Sir David claims that his grandfather’s love of gardening was born.
Every Sunday, Granddad Joe would tend the rosebushes at our house, and when he left, everything would look brand-new. Then he went back on Sunday, only to discover that all the football players’ heads had been kicked off the rosebushes.
I believe that his love for me sparked his rage. I showed interest in him and he guided me through everything he was doing, which is where my love of gardening came from, even if I hadn’t realized it at the time.
In December 2016, David and Victoria paid approximately £6.15 million for the Cotswolds home. Great Tew, Oxfordshire, is the location of the converted farmhouse.
The Beckhams have ruffled some feathers among their neighbors by requesting planning permission for an “agricultural storage barn for hay/straw and agricultural equipment.”
West Oxfordshire District Council has received a letter of objection from angry villager Harriet Jones, stating that this is just the latest in a long line of proposals to construct new structures on this land, as well as a large lake. Why do famous people leave their homes and build ridiculous structures before dumping their land in the country with endless buildings and making obscene improvements? It is illogical.
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At their rural retreat, which includes a spa, swimming pool, and tennis court, Becks already raises bees and chickens. The lavish country home has floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed wooden beams, a stylish yet cozy lounge, and a large kitchen.
The duo also paid the £55 million in cash for a new nine-bedroom mansion in Miami last year. In Florida City, where they currently reside, are they already renting an 18-million apartment. The couple’s impressive property portfolio includes a £31 million townhouse in West London’s Holland Park.
