Category Entertainment News

Comedy legend Ronni Ancona is making her EastEnders debut as mysterious new character Bea, set to arrive in the New Year with a dramatic school reunion storyline involving a major character

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EastEnders’ Linda Carter is set for a reunion with an old school-friend as a new character is set to move into Walford.

In a move that’s about to send EastEnders fans into a frenzy, comedy icon and acting powerhouse Ronni Ancona is gearing up to make her explosive debut on the BBC soap as brand-new character Bea – and she’s about to shake up Walford in a way nobody sees coming.

Ronni, whose glittering career has spanned more than three decades with standout turns in Last Tango in Halifax, Penelope, Skins and The Trip, might be new to Albert Square… but she’s certainly no stranger to it. Long-time viewers will remember her uncanny – and utterly hilarious – impressions of legends like Peggy Mitchell, Sharon Watts and Kat Slater on the BAFTA-winning Big Impression. Now, though, she’s stepping into Walford for real – and things are about to get deliciously messy.

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Bea’s arrival is set to explode onto screens in the New Year, when she comes face-to-face with Linda Carter at a high-school reunion that starts innocent enough… before it all goes sideways. It doesn’t take long for tensions to bubble as Linda and Bea quickly realise they remember their school days very differently. And if there’s one thing Walford thrives on, it’s a clash with history lurking beneath the surface.

Once Bea makes her way into Albert Square, insiders say she wastes no time getting pulled straight into the thick of the drama. Her backstory is being kept tightly under wraps – classic EastEnders secrecy – but early whispers hint that she’s a woman with layers, secrets, and more bite than anyone expects.

Speaking about her arrival, Ronni says: “I am honoured to have been invited to join the iconic institution that is EastEnders, and to go on this whirlwind of a journey with such an unpredictable, nuanced and complex character as Bea. I hope audiences have as much fun watching her as I have had bringing her to life.”

Executive Producer Ben Wadey couldn’t be happier either, calling Ronni “immensely talented” and hinting that Bea’s mysterious presence will make her one to watch. “Bea’s character is mysterious, and we’re thrilled to have an esteemed actress and comedian like Ronni playing her.”

This comes after a legend of EastEnders history has made a shock return to Walford, and her sinister lurking has some convinced she’s back for revenge. Though the character has yet to speak, fans are sure she wants to “get back” at another Albert Square resident for a crime they helped commit 20 years ago.

In a cliffhanger airing on Thursday (4 December), Zoe Slater was chatting with Lauren Branning as she walked through the Square. Despite her increasing panic and vigilance about her stalker, she failed to notice that she was indeed being watched – by Sam Mitchell.

The Mitchell sister was seen watching Zoe from the shadows just before the duff duffs sounded. Fans were delighted and surprised to see Sam return, with one saying, “Sam is back! I’ve missed her,” and another adding that while they knew she was returning, they weren’t “expecting to see her today”.

But some thought the creepy way she was watching Zoe was a sure sign that she wants revenge on the Slater. 20 years ago, the two women were involved in the murder of Dirty Den Watts.

As Sam watched, Zoe, who had been sleeping with him, hit Den with a metal doorstop when he attacked his wife Chrissie. Zoe and Sam both ran out of the Vic and didn’t see him get back up and try to attack Chrissie again, nor did Zoe see Chrissie deliver the fatal blow.

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Sam did, and struggled to keep it to herself. She eventually told a distraught Zoe that she was not actually the murderer. Too hurt by what has happened, Zoe left Walford. After she did, Chrissie was arrested for the murder and Sam had to go on the run from the police after helping to cover it up.

Though Sam has now got her life back together, fans are sure she wants revenge on Zoe, the only one of the three not to lose elements of her life after the Dirty Den ordeal.

One said they thought the way Sam lurked in the shadows was a sign she had been stalking Zoe: “I’m convinced it is [her] now after tonight’s Duff Duff! Also Sam has motive to get back at Zoe after all the Dirty Den stuff.” Another added: “Wow the Return of Sam Mitchell to get revenge on Zoe 20 years since Den’s death.”

Strictly Come Dancing star Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin earned a perfect score of 40 for their Jive last week and this week’s Charleston but the actress refuses to look ahead to the final following Vicky Pattison’s surprise exit

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Amber Davies says she refuses to let her mind wander to dreams of the Strictly final – because this year’s competition has proved far too unpredictable to take anything for granted.

Speaking ahead of Musicals Week alongside her dance partner Nikita Kuzmin, the 29 year old West End star admitted she’s keeping her feet firmly on the ground, especially after seeing fellow contestant Vicky Pattison go “from the top of the leaderboard to leaving” in the space of a week. “You just never know,” Amber says. “The competition is so unpredictable.”

Despite fans insisting Musicals Week is “her moment,” Amber insists she genuinely hasn’t allowed herself to plan that far ahead. “When I said I was taking it one week at a time, I meant it,” she explains. “I came into the competition in such a peculiar way, I was on the back foot and catching up from day one. I didn’t dare dream ahead.”

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She admits the only time she even thought about what might be coming was around Blackpool week, when pro partner Nikita, 27, mentioned musical numbers were on the horizon. “If you have no expectations, you can’t be disappointed,” she says. “That’s why I take everything week by week.”

Amber and Nikita’s recent scores left them on a high. The pair received a perfect score of 40 for their performance last week dancing the Jive to Proud Mary by Tina Turner. This week they danced the Charleston to Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat from Guys and Dolls, which she also received a perfect 40 for.

“It was so under-marked again — honestly, what is happening?” Amber laughs sarcastically. “But the reaction was overwhelming in the best way. We weren’t expecting those comments at all. I’ve been buzzing all week.” Still, she says it doesn’t take pressure off. “Every dance is a reset. The jive is nothing like the Charleston. New week, new mindset.”

And as for the final? She won’t entertain the idea. “If you set yourself up for disappointment, that’s on you,” she says firmly. “The competition is so high this year. Lewis is seen as the frontrunner, Karen’s the dark horse, Vicky leaving showed how quickly things change… You absolutely cannot get ahead of yourself.”

Her Strictly journey started in spectacular fashion after she received what she calls “the greatest phone call of my life” — being asked to replace injured contestant Dani Dyer who had to drop out due to an injury. “My agent told me to sit down. It was all fifty-fifty until that final call on Thursday night saying, ‘You’re in.’ Then suddenly I was meeting Nikita Friday morning and doing a camera block that night. It was the most wonderful, bizarre, terrifying 48 hours.”

Thrown into the deep end, Amber says she and Nikita had to “bond immediately.” Somehow, it worked. “I’ll never forget the tremble in my legs that weekend,” she says. “But I believe everything happens for a reason. I’ve learnt so much — not just technically but about myself.”

One of those lessons? Blocking out “the outside noise.” Amber explains: “In the past I’d let comments get into my head, but this time I put me and Nikita in a bubble. No social media, no negativity. I think I’m stronger than I realised,” to which Nikita agreed: “Amber was so ready to go go go. She asks over 900 questions a day I am sure.”

She has stayed close to Dani Dyer throughout, calling her after her first dance and dedicating the routine to her. “She was so complimentary. She’s such a lovely girl.”

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Comparing Strictly to her normal theatre career, Amber says the two worlds couldn’t be more different. “On stage you do the same show eight times a week. Here, you’re learning brand new choreography under huge pressure, with millions watching. It’s so much harder than I expected.”

While she has received support from from Love Island pals to Strictly winners like Ore Oduba, Louise Redknapp, Ellie Leech and Layton Williams, it is her boyfriend Ben who has been her anchor throughout. “His life flipped upside down as quickly as mine did. He’s been my rock. I couldn’t have done this without him.”

For now, though, she’s keeping her head down, her notepad open in rehearsals, and her expectations firmly in check. As she says: “You just never know on Strictly — and that’s why I’m taking it one week at a time.”

EXCLUSIVE: Former Sugababes star Mutya Buena opens up about partying, anxiety, depression and choosing her daughter over her career in revealing new book Real Girl

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Performing songs from the age of seven at weddings and birthdays, Mutya Buena and her dad Roberto would be rewarded with a big glass filled with coins and notes from grateful guests.

Just six years later, in 1998, she would be a Sugababe, part of one of Britain’s biggest girl bands and able to buy her parents a house with the proceeds of her first contract. But fame came at a price and she now realises that at one point she had only one day off in an entire year.

In her new book Real Girl, 40-year-old Mutya says: “Some of the adults we dealt with cared more about our worth than our wellbeing. As long as we were making money for them, they couldn’t give two sh*ts about what was going on in our heads or our hearts as children.”

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Things had started off so well when Mutya sang at those parties for the London Filipino community. Aged nine, she appeared on Michael Barrymore’s TV show My Kind Of People, singing Whitney Houston’s The Greatest Love of All.

Fast forward a couple of years and Mutya had met Keisha Buchanan and was still singing – but also smoking cigarettes stolen from her mum on the way to school.

Her career may never have begun had her dad not been working in an Asian food shop in Acton, West London. A regular customer, Ron Tom, had managed the girl band All Saints and Roberto told him his own daughter was a great singer.

It was a pivotal moment for Mutya. Within days, Ron and producer friend Don-E had Mutya singing in the studio with another 13-year-old girl, Siobhan Donaghy. The session went well and later, when Keisha came to the studios to watch her pal Mutya, Ron asked if she could sing.

Mutya writes: “Before long, Ron had all three of us singing together, and when he heard the result – the special tight blend that we had straight away – he announced gleefully, ‘My sugar babies!’ And so that’s how we began. We started out as the Sugarbabies but soon found out the name had already been taken by an American gospel group, so had to change it. Cue: Sugababes.”

The band spent the next months perfecting their sound. But Mutya admits she also “got quite nifty at stealing other people’s spliffs and sneaking out to puff on them”.

Mutya and her bandmates were handed a cheque “for the kind of money you dreamed of” and it bought a new home for her parents. But it also meant she had cash to spend on partying, and she recalls some doormen were happy to let a pop star into their clubs even if they were underage.

“Instead of pacing myself, I went all out, chasing as much fun as I could find, trying to make up for the youth I was missing out on,” Mutya writes.

Her partying got out of hand, leading to a £15,000 taxi bill as cars ferried friends into London for a night out on the town. She would sometimes go straight from parties to promoting a record with the band on TV shows such as GMTV or CD:UK. She says: “I couldn’t do it now; I love my sleep too much! Back then I barely knew what sleep was.”

With the Sugababes, Mutya had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-platinum albums. But not everything was perfect. Paperwork Mutya found when writing the book shows she had only one day off in her schedule for a whole year.

It took its toll. She suffered from anxiety and depression, survived an attempted rape attack and after becoming a mum, aged 20, left the band when Tahlia was born in 2005. She says: “I chose my daughter over my career. …I don’t regret it.”

Later solo work included working with George Michael and supporting Prince at London’s O2. But issues remained and she spent her 27th birthday in a therapeutic hospital.

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Mutya had some more problems including being made bankrupt in 2014 when she sold off assets to pay her debts. Several abusive relationships left their mark as well, but Mutya returned to perform with Keisha and Siobhan in 2012, reforming as MKS.

The girls won back their name and began to perform again as the Sugababes in 2019. Since then they’ve toured and played Glastonbury twice but take things at a less hectic pace.

Now wiser than in her teen years, Mutya says she only drinks on special occasions. She adds: “It still amazes me that people want to turn up and see us after all this time.”

Real Girl by Mutya Buena, published by Bantam, is out now.

Emmerdale star Lisa Riley has opened up about losing 20 pounds during her I’m A Celebrity jungle stint, sharing the surprising factors behind her transformation

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Lisa Riley has disclosed she shed nearly a stone and a half during her stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle. The Emmerdale actress, 49, became the eighth campmate to depart on Friday evening when she and Jack Osbourne were both eliminated in a double eviction. Lisa appeared glowing following her Australian adventure, looking stunning in photographs captured after leaving the camp.

The actress revealed it wasn’t solely the rice and beans diet responsible for dropping the pounds, but rather the controlled portions and demanding daily routine. She said: “Do you know what it is? It’s portion control. Everyone says, ‘Oh, it’s beans and rice.’ Yes, it is beans and rice, but it’s actually what you consume. When you’re in there, people don’t have an idea of the lifestyle, the geography of the camp. It’s the do-ability, the activeness.”

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“Like, when you go up to the [Bush] Telegraph to talk, it’s step after step. When you go to a challenge, you never stop moving,” she told The Daily Mail. “It’s endless. It’s not just sat around a campfire having loads of giggles. The activeness… by the time you’ve consumed the beans at night, you’ve probably burned it off.”

Though Lisa confirmed she never experienced genuine starvation, she added: “I’ve never ever been in Ethiopia; I was not starving. Yes, there were times I was really hungry, but by the time you’ve come back from the challenge, then the food basket’s coming down, and everything starts to cook.”

“For me, because I’m vegetarian, my veggie meal was always padded out with more rice. Anyway, do I fancy seeing rice again? No thanks. Rice and I are done.”

While her fellow campmates were feasting on crocodile or eel, Lisa was provided with a Quorn substitute. “I’m so fortunate. I had things like Quorn chicken strips, Quorn mince, tempeh, never again, and tofu. At the start, when I was cooking, I used to boil it. Now I realise you’ve got to pan-fry it. So when Martin took over my tofu preparation, it was scrumptious. When I was doing it, it was rubbish”.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Lisa also spoke about her experience of the show, saying it was “everything I wanted it to be and so much more.” Not only did she enjoy the experience more than Strictly, Lisa even managed to shed 20lbs in camp, which she says was a combination of “portion control” and exercise.

“When you’re in there, people don’t have an idea of the lifestyle, the geography of the camp. It’s the do-ability, the activeness,” she says. “Like, when you go up to the Telegraph to talk, it’s step after step. When you go to a challenge, you never stop moving. It’s endless. It’s not just sat around a campfire having loads of giggles.” She also opened up about her admission in camp that she thought Ant McPartlin was “juicy”.

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Lisa laughed: “Any red-blooded woman would say Ant is juicy, and he looks really well. But I’m in a very, very, very happy relationship, I could not be happier. But you know, as I always say, you can go to Waitrose, you don’t have to buy anything.”

Asked if there were any blushes when she saw Ant in camp, she added: “I wouldn’t say blushes. Listen, I’m a flirt. I flirt with everybody. That’s who I am. I’m not going to stop. I’m a flirt, and I’m so secure in my relationship I can flirt with everybody, but I know who I go home to every night and who loves me and who I love.”

That man is long-term fiance Al, who she has been with for 12-years. “We know where our bread’s buttered with each other,” she adds. “Al knows fully well what he’s got in me. I’m not shy. I’m very forward-coming. I love a laugh, and I’m a flirt, why not?”

I’m A Celebrity’s Seann Walsh was forced to cancel comedy shows after being sick on a ferry journey, with the comedian sharing an honest health update with fans

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Comedy favourite Seann Walsh has been forced to pull out of his show tonight after falling ill on the road – and he’s delivered the news to fans with the kind of brutal honesty only he could muster. The comic, who won over a whole new army of supporters during his stint on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, took to Instagram with a grim but strangely relatable update about the state of his health.

“I’m sorry to report I am ill again and therefore will not be appearing in Torquay tonight & Exmouth tomorrow,” he wrote, explaining that things had taken a sudden turn for the worse while travelling. “I threw up on the ferry last night and was parked up at Fleet services today unable to drive home. Not ideal to be honest with you.”

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He added: “I think I’m probably going to have to go a bit easier next year. Sorry to anyone coming to see me but the line-up is great and you will still have a fantastic time. It’s a very odd line of work when you have to essentially call in sick to the public.”

This comes after Seann and Michelle Tsiakkas have both spoken out about separate frightening incidents they recently experienced in London.

Comedian Seann , who appeared on Strictly in 2018 , described a disturbing moment when a stranger attempted to get into his car while he was stopped at a red light.

Sharing the experience on Instagram , he wrote: “New in the adventures of living in London: today whilst waiting at the lights in my car, a guy walked up to my car, opened the passenger side door and went to get in.” It comes after Seann, 39, had his phone stolen in london before it travelled across the globe .

Of the latest terrifying ordeal, Seann said: “Luckily, the traffic lights had changed and I could drive off. It’s beginning to feel like I’m living in Grand Theft Auto.”

This happened just weeks after Walsh was mugged. At the time, he posted: “My phone was stolen (yes out of my hand and yes, I live in London) a week or so ago and it is now in China if anyone happens to be passing by,” alongside a screenshot showing his phone’s new location.

Meanwhile, professional dancer Michelle Tsiakkas, who joined the Strictly cast in 2022, also shared a troubling experience of being mugged in the capital.

In a video posted to Instagram, she said: “Hi guys, so I wanted to just make this video to let you know something that happened to me the other day in London.

“Now this was a couple of days ago and I’ve just about mentally recovered from that. It was quite traumatising on the day. It wasted my whole day and made me feel awful, scared, helpless and I don’t want the same to happen to you.”

Tsiakkas explained she had been heading to a dentist appointment near Covent Garden when the incident occurred.

She continued: “It was early morning… I whipped out my phone to check the directions. A man on an electric bike came up from behind, swept past me and grabbed my phone.”

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“My heart just sank. I tried to reach for it, which made me fall and graze my knee. I screamed, ‘Give me back my phone,’ but he just rode off. He was wearing a mask and moving too fast to identify or follow.”

Tsiakkas said two women nearby helped her afterward, and she thanked them for their kindness during the distressing moment. Meanwhile, Seann competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 where he was partnered with professional dancer Katya Jones.

The comedian’s time on the show was overshadowed by controversy after he was photographed kissing Katya, who was married at the time, during a night out. Despite the drama, the pair continued in the competition for several more weeks before being eliminated. The scandal remains one of the most talked-about moments in the show’s history.

The nation’s favourite competition has been back lighting up our screens since September, but now it’s all drawing to a close once again, who should lift the Glitterball Trophy?

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Strictly Come Dancing is coming to an end once again, but sometimes it feels as if it’s almost too close to call when it comes to choosing a winner.

Having whittled down a star-studded line-up that initially included the likes of Geordie Shore legend Vicky Pattison, rugby player Chris Robshaw, and Lorraine’s resident showbiz guru Ross King amongst a whole host of others. As always, the series has not been without its drama, and both Neighbours star Stefan Dennis, as well as drag queen La Voix in more recent weeks, have had to quit after suffering nasty injuries.

Perhaps the biggest shock of all came when Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they would be stepping down at the end of this series. Rumours are rife about who will replace them, and fans became emotional when it dawned on them that the recent Blackpool special would be their last.

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The quarter final is now upon is and as EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal, who has set a new record after making it through five dance offs, West End actress Amber Davies, Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope, Lioness Karen Carney and YouTuber George Clarke have all shown their stuff once again for Musicals Week, who really deserves to lift the Glitterball Trophy? If you can’t see the poll click here.

Amber and Nikita: The Love Island star, who served as a last-minute replacement for fellow reality queen Dani Dyer, has built an impressive career as a West End actress since she won the ITV2 dating show in 2017, and as such, has faced criticism for having a wealth of prior experience but has constantly reassured fans that it is all a completely different discipline. Naturally, she was right at home during Musicals Week right at home doing the Charleston to Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat from Guys And Dolls but has Amber, who will be heading up a national tour of Legally Blonde next year, done enough to win over the public?

Balvinder and Julian: The EastEnders actress has broken a record once held by pop star Jamelia having survived five dance offs during her rocky time on the show so far. On Saturday, the soap star and her professional dancer did the Viennese Waltz to Never Enough from The Greatest Showman and it remains to be seen whether she will be in the dance off yet again.

George and Alexis: This week, the TikTok star and his professional partner did Argentine Tango, all set to The Point Of No Return from Andrew Lloyd Webber classic The Phantom Of The Opera. It’s been quite the ride for the social media influencer so far, but was tonight’s performance enough to get him one dance step closer to victory?

Karen and Carlos: The Lioness did the Rumba to The Rhythm Of Life from Sweet Charity with her professional partner, and won praise from the judges. If the sports star, who recently revealed her secret connection to a previous Strictly champion, does manage to lift the Glitterball Trophy, she will become the first footballer in the history of the show to do so.

Lewis and Katya: Prior to finding wider fame on Emmerdale, Lewis actually started his career as a child in the West End production of Billy Elliot: The Musical, starring as the titular character’s best friend Michael. This week, he and Katya, who were awarded the first 40 of the series in what was called the ‘best routine in the history of the show, performed the Salsa to Dance At The Gym from Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story with the hopes of making it through.