Category Entertainment News

Reality star Sophie Kasaei and her partner Jordan Brook say they won’t give up on their dream of having “a little bump,” urging other couples to talk openly and challenge the stigma around fertility struggles

Reality TV favourite Sophie Kasaei and her partner Jordan Brook have spoken candidly about their ongoing fertility journey, vowing they will not give up hope of starting a family despite the challenges they have faced.

The former Geordie Shore star, 35, has been praised for her openness in discussing her struggles, including the heartbreak of a chemical pregnancy last year. “I’m not going to give up my dreams of having a little bump,” Sophie insisted, as she and Jordan, 30, continue to fight for their dream of becoming parents.

A chemical pregnancy is described as “an early pregnancy loss that occurs shortly after implantation,” and the experience left the couple devastated.

Since then, they have embarked on a new stage of treatment, beginning Lymphocyte Immunisation Therapy (LIT) – a process which, according to The Fertility and Gynaecology Academy, “involves analysing a patient’s immune system and administering appropriate immune therapy.”

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Speaking exclusively to The Mirror at this year’s National Television Awards, Sophie and Jordan revealed how their hopes for the months ahead are shaping their lives, including their plans to spend Christmas abroad.

“This Christmas is all about family and we’re actually going to be spending it abroad for the first time in a long time,” Jordan said. Sophie added tenderly: “Our dream is just to wake up on Christmas Day and just have a little bump. That is all I really, really want in life. So I’m praying it happens this year. And it will, it will.”

Jordan echoed her words with emotion: “I don’t care where we are in the world or what we’re doing, just as long as that happens.”

Despite the joy of looking ahead, with Sophie also joking that she’s ‘just waiting on a ring’ from Jordan, both acknowledge the difficult journey they have endured. Sophie has been determined to use her platform to support others in similar situations.

“I would just say that no matter who your partner is, you’ve got to open up and you’ve got to converse and talk to one another. It’s so important to explain how you’re feeling. You’ve got to remember that your partner is also there for support and they’re going through the exact same thing as you,” she explained.

“I know it’s really hard but you’ve got to be able to talk to your friends as well and be open – and I get how hard that is – but I would always say communicate and get your testing done if you are struggling.” Jordan, too, wants to encourage men to speak out about the often silent burden of fertility struggles.

“This goes out to men as well. I have always tried my hardest to be that advocate for blokes because they don’t like speaking. And since I’ve opened up and spoken about what me and Sophie have been going through from a man’s point of view, I’ve found that there are so many men that are in the same position,” he shared.

He added: “A lot of blokes feel like they don’t feel man enough. They’re trying for a baby and they don’t feel like they’re a man because they can’t give their partner and woman what she deserves.

“All of that goes through your mind, so to men I would just say speak to your mates and speak to your Mrs – just talk to everyone.”

The couple first shared details of their fertility battles last September, when Jordan revealed Sophie was undergoing medical tests following her decision to have endometriosis surgery.

Since then, their willingness to document the ups and downs of their journey has inspired thousands of others, cementing them as one of reality TV’s most relatable couples.

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In Netflix series Love Con Revenge , Norwegian-born Cecilie sets out on a quest to ‘unmask other scammers’. In an exclusive interview she gives her top ways to spot a love scammer

Cecilie Fjellhoy was 29 when she was swooned by Simon Liviev (real name Shimon Hayut) but her world came crumbling down when she realised she was a victim of a cruel scam.

The relationship left her in thousands of pounds worth of debt. Disclosing the first stages of her relationship with the infamous Tinder Swindler, she said: “He was very handsome and very charismatic. I felt so well taken care of and truly loved. I felt really lucky to be around him.”

In their short relationship of 54 days, Cecilie lost more than $200,000 (£150,000) to ‘Simon’ who was posing as the heir to a diamond empire and often needed Cecilie’s finances to evade his ‘enemies’.

In Neflix’s new show Love Con Revenge, Norwegian-born Cecilie sets out on a quest to ‘unmask other scammers’.

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The fraudsters here are not claiming to be billionaire diamond dealers escaping thugs as in Cecilie’s case – but have similarly extraordinary covers in a bid to defraud victims.

These include an ‘army veteran’ who says he needs money to give to the family of his war comrade who died taking a bullet for him, ultimately defrauding his girlfriend of $50,000 (£36,883). Meanwhile, another woman pretends she had MS so her boyfriend will fund her lifestyle.

In an interview with The Mirror, Cecilie said of the fraudsters she exposes on the new show: “There is nugget of truth in every single one – so you believe them. In my case, Shimon Hayut was playing a character called Simon. He was not a diamond dealer, but I went on a private jet with him. That’s why it seemed real.”

She adds that all the people she investigated in the new series: “They are straight out of the romance con artist playbook.”

Jessica Hampson, CEO of fraud specialists CEL Solicitors added: “Cecilie has done fantastic work in raising awareness of romance fraud. More than any other type of scam, romance fraudsters manipulate the emotions of their victims, playing with their feelings and their trust.

“It can be difficult for people to come forward after this type of scam but the more the crime is reported, the better it can be prevented. It is possible to recover the money lost but you must first report the crime to the police and your bank.”

In 2019, Cecilie’s ex was convicted of four charges of fraud – unrelated to her allegations – and sentenced to 15 months in prison, but he was released after serving five months.

The conviction followed the two-year sentence he received in Finland in 2015 over the defrauding of three women in that country.

Here are Cecelie’s seven ways to spot a lover scammer:

Super successful careers or trustworthy jobs

Love Con Revenge features a doctor and an army veteran. The doctor turned out not to be a medical one and the army vet only served briefly before being thrown out for drug taking.

“What impresses people is occupations that we can trust. We see time and time again that fraudsters will try to pretend that they’re doctors or successful businessmen,” says Cecilie.

It’s difficult not to take someone at face value, but it’s important to be alert to anything that sounds too good to be true.

Borrowing small amounts of money and paying it straight back

Online dating should be about getting to know each other, not talking about finances. But some love con artist can attempt to use this to build trust initially.

“This builds trust with your fraudster – because they have paid you back before you don’t worry or are concerned you won’t get the money back,” says Cecile.

They pay it back quickly and sometimes even add interest. This is shown by one love conman on the Netflix series who lures his victim into a false sense of security that her money will always be returned.

Push and pull relationship

Fraudsters will abruptly end the relationship, Cecile says, withdrawing their affection before starting things back up again. This leaves the victim deeply insecure and feeling like they’re walking on eggshells – desperate not to do anything that might upset the relationship again.

“They reel you in with love and attention. Once you’re hooked, they will unexpectedly pull away,” warns Cecilie. “Suddenly, you’re the one chasing their love and affection, and that’s the power shift that they want. You’re not thinking straight. That’s when they can get even more money from you!”

Love bombing

Fraudsters will often move in at lightening speed, making the target feel like are being swept off their feet. They want move to into a relationship very quickly – for example moving in with you, within a few months of dating.

Cecilie was treated to 100 red roses on her birthday, taken on fancy dates and the scammer proclaimed his love to her very early in the relationship.

“This is called ‘love bombing’. They love you, they shower you with compliments, they want to move in, you’re their dream woman. Everything is happening very quickly – watch out for that,” Cecilie explained.

Sending several romantic messages in a short space of time is also a way of “lovebombing” a way into a relationship. Scammers will often shower you with affection to draw you in and make you feel special.

Cecile says she wishes people shouldn’t have to be on their guard for this of behaviour. “I’ve always loved very fast. You hear those stories – ‘we went on a date and we’ve been married for 30 years’ – It’s sad (to feel that can’t happen).”

Sunk cost fallacy

Cecilie said: “Sunk Cost Fallacy is what you put into a relationship, and the further in you get, the more difficult it is to admit that something’s wrong because you already spent so much time, and so much money, that you go deeper and deeper into it instead of retracting.”

By the end victims have invested so much that they don’t want to listen to their inner doubts and abandon a course of action they have invested so heavily in. “You don’t want to confront your nightmare,” the campaigner says.

Never wanting to meet in person

In Cecilie’s case, she did meet her scammer in person often, but he was faking his identity. In most cases of romance fraud, scammers have a reluctance to take the relationship beyond the realm of online.

Cecilie said: “If they always have an excuse, like that they’re travelling, if they can never meet up or they’re always busy – be very wary. Meet up with them in person to make sure that the person you’re talking to online is the real one.”

Future faking

Future faking is manipulation based on an elaborate lie. It is when false promises are made about a shared future, such as a romantic relationship, business partnership, or investment.

This tactic involves feigning a deep connection and using elaborate, long-term plans to keep the victim invested.

Piers Morgan has paid a touching tribute to a sporting icon three years after his death as Australian fans praise the former Good Morning Britain presenter

Piers Morgan took to social media to post an emotional tribute to the late sports star Shane Warne. The Australian icon died in March 2022, and Piers took time to remember his pal on what would have been his 56th birthday.

Taking to Instagram, the former Good Morning Britain presenter shared a snap of the duo smiling and laughing. He captioned the image: “Shane Warne would have been 56 today. One of the funniest people I’ve ever known. Happy birthday mate – we all miss you terribly.”

And his comments were well received by his followers, with many praising his actions to remember the cricketing great. Among those replying in the comments section was Australian television presenter Karl Stefanovic.

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He wrote: “That’s a lovely thing to remember Piers. He meant an awful lot to us. “

Shane’s son and internet personality, Jackson Warne, also responded in appreciation. He simply shared a love heart emoji.

And another user penned: “Lucky to meet This Gentleman 3 times !!! Amazing person with amazing personality and Amazing Positivity! May His Soul Rest In Eternal Peace.”

Shane died from a heart attack at the age of 52 while on holiday in Thailand. A post-mortem carried out in Thailand concluded that the star died of natural causes, ruling out foul play.

Son Jackson recently opened up on what he described as the worst phone call of his life. More than three years on since that shocking day, the 26-year-old said he is now finally ready to reflect on the moments when time stood still.

He said sadly: “I found out at the same time as the rest of the world. Worst phone call of my life.”

He went on: “It was James Erskine, dad’s manager. It was in two separate phone calls — the first phone call was he’s had a heart attack, it was a massive heart attack and we’re trying to see what we can do.

“Then it was an hour and a half and the worst hour and a half of all time. I was with my partner, my mum, my older sister Brooke and her partner.

“It was just the worst hour and a half — we were like what the f.*** – what’s just happened.” He explained how everyone just burst out in tears after the news. While he admits it still doesn’t feel real, Jackson admitted he initially hoped it wasn’t true as people were asking him what to believe.

“I thought surely that’s not what’s going to get him,” Jackson went on before describing his dad as being like Superman. “There was not a single part of me that thought Dad wouldn’t make it.”

JJ SLater first found fame when he took part in Married at First Sight UK where things didn’t work out romantically but now he is in a long term relationship with Katie Price

JJ Slater has delivered an update on his “full-on” romance with Katie Price amid split rumours. The Married at First Sight star found fame on the show back in 2023 and has been in the spotlight ever since.

He is now in a relationship with former glamour model Katie despite split allegations surfacing recently. However, despite their romance being “full-on”, the pair are stronger than ever according to JJ.

JJ has found himself trying to balance his personal and professional life but he said all is going smoothly so far. He even pointed out that being with the mum-of-five is the best thing to come out of finding fame.

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Speaking to the Daily Star, JJ said: “For me, the show was back in 2023, and a lot has happened since then. The biggest thing, obviously, is that I’ve found someone – meeting Kate has been the best thing to come out of all of this. We’re just focused on building something together and growing as a couple, which has been amazing.”

As well as his TV career, JJ has said that his career spans more than just this. He said he is in charge of a clothing brand as well as becoming a partner in a car showroom and car leasing company.

He added: “So between my relationship, my businesses, my friends, and my family, life’s been pretty full-on but in a really good way.”

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Split rumours have plagued Katie and JJ over recent months but the pair have denied this. Katie recently revealed why she doesn’t live with boyfriend JJ almost two years into their relationship.

Despite the 16-year age gap between Katie and JJ, the pair have appear to have gone from strength to strength throughout the duration of their relationship.

In one of her podcast episodes of The Katie Price Show Katie finally explained why she and JJ do not currently live together. She revealed listeners that she would be moving into her own new house but said that JJ was not involved in the move in any way.

She told her fans: “People have to realise JJ owns his own house and he owns his flat. He rents his flat out and his house is like a new build, like a show home. I can’t remember the last time I went there. He actually has got a good eye.”

Katie didn’t say whether the pair would eventually move in together or if that was off the cards for the foreseeable. Katie and JJ started dating in February 2024 and have been an item ever since.

However, they have has their ups and downs in their relationship already. Katie seemed to delete all traces of her boyfriend from her Instagram page back in May but it seems they worked things out and are now loved up again.

The frontman from Motley Crue suffered from a stroke ahead of his band’s scheduled 11-show residency in Las Vegas, which they cancelled as Vince Neil needed serious medical intervention

Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil has opened up about a terrifying health scare that forced the band to cancel their Las Vegas residency earlier this year.

The legendary rock group had been set to perform 11 shows at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, but in March, they announced the performances were postponed due to Vince needing a “medical procedure”. Now, the 64-year-old singer has revealed he suffered a stroke on Christmas, leaving him unable to walk.

“I had to learn to walk again, and that was tough,” Vince told fans during a recent Mötley Crüe performance. The vocalist explained that the stroke affected his entire left side, and the path to recovery was difficult.

Vince shared medical professionals’ concerns about his career in music with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, admitting: “The doctors said they didn’t think I’d be able to go back on stage again. I go, ‘No, no, I’m gonna do it. Watch and see.’”

Despite his determination, the recovery process was slow and physically demanding. Vince described needing assistance even to cover short distances, saying: “I went from people carrying me to the bathroom, because I couldn’t walk myself, finally to a wheelchair.”

With time, he progressed to using a cane, and eventually regained his independence. “Now I don’t need anything. But it’s like a full-time job getting back to where you feel good again,” he said, adding that he has returned to “90-, 95-percent to where I was before.”

A lot of his rehabilitation took place at his home in Nashville, where he focused on regaining his strength and becoming mobile again.

Vince has expressed gratitude to his bandmates Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and John 5, who supported him throughout his recovery and agreed to postpone their Las Vegas shows.

When the performances were first canceled, he addressed fans in a heartfelt statement, which read: “To all the Cruëheads who were looking forward to see us this Spring, I’m truly sorry. My health is my top priority so I can bring you the awesome shows you deserve.”

He also thanked fans for their ongoing support: “Thank you for all the well wishes that keep reaching me. Your support means more than you know.”

His bandmates also publicly encouraged fans to send their good wishes, writing: “Please join us in wishing Vince a speedy recovery. We are looking forward for him to get well again and take over Vegas together in September.”

The postponed residency has now been rescheduled, and the performances are set to run from September 12 to October 3. Fans who had previously purchased tickets will be able to use them for the new dates.

This comes after Neil also narrowly escaped dying in a plane crash this February. His girlfriend Rain Andreani and her friend were both on board the plane, as well as the singer’s long-time pilot Joie Vitosky, who died in the crash.

Rain, 43, had five broken ribs after the horrific incident and her friend Ashley sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital. Vince was not on the plane as he decided to celebrate a close friend’s birthday in Florida at the time.

Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has made the decision to permanently move to America in a desperate bid to not be a victim of the cancelled culture in Britain

Comedy writer Graham Linehan has fled the UK for a life in America, amid his controversial views on the transgender community. Graham – best known for his shows including Father Ted, IT Crowd and Motherland – claimed that his once privileged life became “unbearable” as he felt Britain denounced the culture of freedom of speech.

This comes after the 57-year-old star appeared in court earlier this month after being accused of harassing transgender woman Sophia Brooks and damaging her phone.

The writer claimed that he lost most of his friends, colleagues and his 16 year marriage to writer Helen Serafinowicz after reportedly tweeting “Men aren’t women tho” after the Women’s Institute sent a Happy Pride message to its transgender members. He also claimed his career had been ruined due to his views.

According to The Mail, Linehan now resides in Scottsdale Arizona, where he feels he can rebuild his career as a comedy writer. in court, he listed a luxury apartment complex in central Scottsdale as his residence.

During his interview with well-known podcast host Joe Rogan, he revealed that he had been granted a three year visa, which he hopes may turn into a permanent green card.

He explained: “[Comedy actor and writer] Rob Schneider has shown me incredible kindness and brought me over to work on a few projects… My visa’s three years and my aim is to make myself so useful to the Americans that they won’t let me go!”

Graham appeared on the show with cuts and bruises which he claimed was caused by a scooter accident.

He added: “I was riding round Scottsdale and feeling great and free, because I’d never ridden a scooter before, but I immediately fell flat on my face!”

When he arrived on UK soil at Heathrow Airport earlier this month, Linehan was arrested by police on a completely separate allegation. He allegedly posted controversial comments while living in America.

He shared the lengthy recording of the moment he was arrested by five police officers over his ‘joke’ tweets made about transgender people earlier this year.

Graham has wasted not time in cornering the comedy market as he has teamed up with former Saturday Night Live star Rob Schneider and playwright Andrew Doyle.

They are also set to start filming their new comedy titled Tenure. Andrew Doyle recently said: “There can no longer be any doubt that free speech is on life-support in Britain, and to keep ignoring the sheer weight of evidence is a labour of perversely Herculean proportions. Many commentators are claiming that the arrest of Graham Linehan could be a tipping point, but this will only be true if the public’s rising frustration can be directed into action.”

He went on to say: “It has been grotesque to witness the state’s ongoing harassment of an acclaimed comedy writer, but perhaps one consolation is that it might finally jolt Westminster out of its complacency.”

The Mirror has contacted Graham’s representatives for a comment.

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