Mark Labbett, best known to The Chase fans as quizmaster “The Beast”, was reportedly spotted committing the faux pas during a date with a mystery woman while filming Celebs Go Dating
“The Beast” from The Chase, real name Mark Labbett, found himself in an amusing pickle on Celebs Go Dating after reportedly dozing off during a date.
Labbett, 58, well-known for his sharp intellect and straight-talking on the hit ITV quiz show, seemingly succumbed to sleepiness while the cameras captured the moment mid-date.
The latest series of Celebs Go Dating, which was filmed last month, saw an insider reveal that there wasn’t much spark between the quizzing legend and his suitor.
An anonymous tipster dished:
“Mark was yawning a lot and drifted off briefly. It was a bit of an awkward moment. It’s safe to say there wasn’t much of a spark between them.”
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Previously weighing as much as 29 stone, Mark Labbett tied the knot with second cousin Katie in 2014 but called it quits after six years.
He then dated TV host Hayley Palmer in 2023; however, the couple split after just one year together, reports the Express.
A source said: “Mark was yawning a lot and drifted off briefly. It was a bit of an awkward moment. It’s safe to say there wasn’t much of a spark between them.”(Image: IG)
Discussing his break up with Hayley, 43, Labbett confided in The Sun:
“She’s a lovely lady and I was very lucky to date her for a year, and as I said: it’s me, I got old.”
He continued: “There’s been no one since Hayley. I’m not saying there won’t be another one. But I’m certainly not looking.”
Delving into his love life, Labbett reminisced:
“I was single, not coincidentally, for a long, long time when I was a 29st maths teacher who knew it was quite hard to attract a partner then. So I’m quite comfortable without a partner.”
Mark’s representative quipped a witty retort when questioned about the drowsy date:
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“If his date was as boring as you have suggested, I’m surprised he didn’t take a pillow with him!”.
Mark Morrison, whose song Return of the Mack topped the UK charts in 1996, was taken into custody on Saturday but denied that any battery occurred at Le Bar à Vin in Palm Beach, Florida
Mark Morrison’s battery charge has been dismissed
A battery charge against British singer Mark Morrison – best known for his 1996 hit Return of the Mack – has been dropped.
The musician, 51, was taken into custody on Saturday after an alleged altercation at Le Bar à Vin in Palm Beach, Florida. However, the star’s lawyers have today confirmed he was at the restaurant to talk to the manager and attempt to collect payment on behalf of a local singer who had performed at the venue.
Although the “conversation escalated”, Mr Morrison’s lawyers said no physical altercation happened and now police have been able to dismiss the battery charge. In a statement, King Legal Group said: “The decision to nolle prosse (formally decline prosecution) ends what should never have been a criminal matter in the first place.
“Mr Morrison has consistently and unequivocally denied that any battery occurred. There was no physical altercation—only a demand for fairness and accountability. The evidence never supported criminal intent or conduct.”
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The musician, who grew up in Leicester, had attempted to help a singer collect money they were owed for a performance
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The legal team explained how Mr Morrison, whose track Return of the Mack spent two weeks as UK number one in April 1996, values standing up for what he believes in. However, they suggested race may have played a role in how the singer was treated.
“While we are relieved the State has dismissed the charge, the underlying context cannot be ignored. The refusal to pay — coupled with how quickly the situation was criminalised — raises legitimate concerns about whether race played a role in how Mr Morrison was treated. It’s not lost on us that advocating for fair pay, especially as a Black man in a position of leadership, can be met with suspicion instead of dialogue,” the statement added.
“Mr Morrison has spent years supporting local artists and standing up for what’s right. That won’t change. He is grateful for those who stood by him, and he remains committed to uplifting the artistic community in Palm Beach County and beyond. Towards that end, and in furtherance of Mr Morrison’s commitment to his community, he is donating the $1000.00 (£730) bond used to secure his appearance, to Little Smiles, a local children’s charity.”
A US judge on Monday rejected a $400 million lawsuit that actor Justin Baldoni filed against former co-star Blake Lively and The New York Times after she accused him of sexual harassment and other misbehaviour.
Back in December the Times reported that Lively had filed a complaint against Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath for allegedly inappropriate behavior and comments during the shooting of the movie “It Ends with Us.”
The complaint said Baldoni — who also directed the film — had spoken inappropriately about his sex life and sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to.
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It also said Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away. It further said Baldoni waged a PR campaign to wreck Lively’s reputation.
A lawyer for Wayfarer, the studio behind the film, said in a statement released to the New York Times at the time that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively.
“These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,” lawyer Bryan Freedman wrote in December.
Baldoni filed suit in January against the actress, her husband Ryan Reynolds and the Times, arguing that an article the paper ran in December defamed him.
On Monday, Judge Lewis Liman of the US District Court in Manhattan dismissed the lawsuit filed by Baldoni.
The judge said the Times had simply reported on Lively’s original legal filing alleging harassment on set and a retaliatory smear campaign, and that it had taken the trouble to seek a reaction from Baldoni to the actress’s allegations.
The judge also rejected allegations by Baldoni that Lively, whose Instagram account has more than 43 million followers, had tried to seize control of the film and its promotion. Baldoni accused her husband, Reynolds, of wrongly describing him as a sexual predator.
In a statement carried by US media, Lively’s lawyers celebrated what they called a “total victory” over Baldoni’s “retaliatory lawsuit.”
Baldoni’s lawyer did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Scooter Braun has reflected on his dispute with Taylor Swift over master recordings, with his comments coming after the singer announced recently that she now owns all of her music
Hannah Roberts, PA Entertainment Reporter and Joel Leaver Showbiz Reporter
Scooter Braun has reflected on his dispute with Taylor Swift(Image: Getty Images)
Former talent manager Scooter Braun has reflected on buying Taylor Swift’s former record label six years ago. He’s also discussed the aftermath of the purchase after being publicly criticised by the singer-songwriter.
His new comments come after Taylor, 35, announced last month that she now owns “all of the music” that she’s ever made. She had been releasing re-recorded versions of albums from earlier in her career following a dispute over her back catalogue.
Scooter got the rights to Taylor’s first six albums in 2019 when his company, Ithaca Holdings, bought Big Machine Label Group. Taylor had moved away from the record label, which reportedly owned the rights to her first six albums, the previous year, and it was later announced in 2020 that her master recordings had been sold to investment firm Shamrock Holdings.
When Scooter’s holding company, Ithaca Holdings, purchased Big Machine Label Group, Taylor said in a Tumblr post that she was “sad” and “grossed out”. She also accused the now 43-year-old of being behind “incessant, manipulative bullying”. As reported at the time, Scooter later said: “I don’t do anything with malicious intent. […] I try to do the right thing.”
Now reflecting on the situation, Scooter said on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, in an episode released on Monday: “When I bought Big Machine, I thought I was going to work with all the artists on Big Machine. I thought it was gonna be like an exciting thing.”
Scooter Braun has reflected on his dispute with Taylor Swift(Image: Getty Images for Amazon Studios)
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He continued: “[Taylor] and I had only met three times, I think, in my life, three or four times. And one of the times, it was years earlier, it was really a great engagement […] we respected each other, we had a great engagement. In between that time, since I’d seen her last, I started managing Kanye West. I managed Justin Bieber. I knew she didn’t get along with them.
“I had a feeling – this is where my arrogance came in – I had a feeling she probably didn’t like me because I managed them. But I thought that once this announcement happened, she would talk to me, see who I am, and we would work together.
“And the announcement came out and I’m calling Scott Borchetta [chief executive of Big Machine Records] and saying, ‘Hey, send me her number […] and I just talked to this person and they’re excited’ […] and then this Tumblr (post) comes out and says all this stuff. And I was just like, shocked.”
Taylor, pictured, had publicly criticised Scooter several years ago amid a dispute over her music(Image: Getty Images)
Scooter added: “It’s been five, six years, I don’t need to go back into it, but what I can tell you is everything in life is a gift. Having that experience allows me to have empathy for the people I worked with who I’d always say ‘yeah I understand’ but I never knew what it was like to be on the global stage like that.
“I never knew what criticism like that felt like. And like I told you, the biggest gift that I got from that was understanding that all the praise I had received up until that moment was not deserved, and all the hate I got after that moment was not deserved, because none of these people knew me. She didn’t know me. This person didn’t know me.”
In 2019, Taylor announced she would re-record several of her albums in a bid to regain ownership of the masters. A master recording is the original recording of a song, and whoever owns it earns revenue through avenues including streaming and use in TV, film and adverts.
To date, Taylor has released new versions of her previous albums Fearless (2008), Red (2012), Speak Now (2010) and 1989 (2014). Reputation and her self-titled debut, released in 2017 and 2006, are yet to be re-released as Taylor’s Versions.
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Love Island 2025 kicks off tonight, with Megan Forte Clarke and Dejon Noel Williams already tipped to win – but a bombshell arrival has already thrown a spanner in the works
Maya Jama tasks the girls with deciding who to couple up with based solely on their dating profiles.(Image: ITV)
Love Island 2025 is set to kick off tonight, and anticipation for this year’s villa hopefuls is already at fever pitch, with Megan Forte Clarke and Dejon Noel Williams tipped as early favourites to secure the much-coveted top spots.
The latest odds from betting gurus at OLBG suggest that Megan and Dejon are leading the pack as favourites for Top Female and Top Male of the season.
But with unexpected arrivals and last-minute line-up alterations, the villa is already brimming with surprises.
Megan Forte Clarke currently leads the board at 7/2, boasting a 22.2% chance of emerging as this year’s queen bee. However, her reign could be brief.
A significant twist has already hit before the first coupling, with 24 year old American Toni Laites unveiled as the season’s first bombshell. Her entrance could potentially shake up the market, reports the Express.
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Love Island 2025: Top Female Odds
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Dejon Noel Williams and Harry Cooksley are now neck and neck for the top male spot, both standing at 4/1 odds. Meanwhile, rugby player Conor Phillips has unexpectedly joined the competition following a dramatic reshuffle.
Maya Jama tasks the girls with deciding who to couple up with based solely on their dating profiles.(Image: Love Island)
Love Island 2025: Top Male Odds
Just hours ahead of the season’s launch, ITV confirmed that original contestant Kyle Ashman had been dropped after revelations surfaced about his previous arrest on suspicion of a machete attack.
He has now been replaced by Phillips, whose late entry could upset the balance.
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Jake Ashton, Entertainment Betting Editor at OLBG, remarked:
“Every year we see bombshells disrupt the odds, and Toni could do just that. Once she’s in the villa and viewers see her impact, expect her price to shorten quickly.”
Personalised jewellery is a major jewellery trend this year, and Love Island’s Megan Forte Clarke has just taken inspiraton from Michelle Keegan with her personalised gold chain
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Love Island’s Megan Forte Clarke follows the personalised necklace trend(Image: ITV)
Nameplate and initial necklaces have been one of the biggest jewellery trends of the past year. Thanks to major celebs like Michelle Keegan’s Palma necklace, Carrie Bradshaw’s iconic nameplate chain and even Princess Kate’s initial necklace dedicated to her children, it’s clear to see personalised jewellery is in.
Of course, this isn’t exactly new, but it seems to be more popular than ever, with royals and celebs donning necklaces, bracelets, or rings with family members’ initials on them
And Love Island’s Megan Forte Clarke has joined in on the trend. For the first evening of the first episode, Megan can be seen sporting a gold nameplate necklace while getting to know her new partner.
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Nameplate jewellery is a huge trend this year (Image: ITV)
The Love Islander teamed the simple italic nameplate necklace with a pair of statement gold floral earrings and a slick back half up, half down hairstyle, which really let her jewellery do all the talking. We’re unsure of where Megan’s exact one is from, but if you want to take some inspiration we’ve found a few of our favourite alternatives from brands including Abbott Lyon and PRYA.
Shop personalised jewellery
PRYA Custom Name Necklace
Available currently for £42
PRYA Custom Name Necklace(Image: PRYA)
Similar to Michelle Keegan’s Palma necklace and Megan’s nameplate chain, we love how simple and subtle this personalised name necklace is. And if gold isn’t your style, you can shop it in silver as well.
The great thing about this piece being so minimalist is that yuo can layer it up with other necklaces for a more statement look.
Not on the High Street’s Sterling Silver Name Necklace
Available currently for £33.60
Not on the High Street’s name necklace(Image: Not on the High Street)
If you want to switch up the font style, this name necklace from Potiega on Not on the High Street gives you plenty of creative freedom. You can choose from six different fonts including scripts and old English, and there’s sterling silver, 18k gold and rose gold plated finishes to choose from. There’s also different chain lengths, and you can use up to 10 characters for your personalisation.
If you don’t want to opt for the full name like Megan, this initial necklace is a great alternative. Made out of solid 9ct gold, this chain makes the perfect gift for a friend or loved one.
Abbott Lyon’s Carrie Name Necklace
Available for £85 here
Abbott Lyon’s Carrie necklace(Image: Abbott Lyon)
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The Carrie necklace from Abbott Lyon features a classic italic script-style writing that looks so chic. It also comes in 18k gold, silver and rose gold plated options with a choice of three different chain lengths to pick from. Y
