Category Entertainment News

Love Island star and activist Sharon Gaffka has opened up about the horrific trolling she experienced after talking about her abortion, including one who likened her to Lucy Letby

View 4 Images

Love Island star Sharon Gaffka has revealed that she was “horrifically” likened to Lucy Letby after speaking publicly about her abortion in June.

The 29-year-old reality TV star and activist fighting to reduce violence against women and girls spoke about her abortion to lessen the stigma for others. But after talking about it, she faced an onslaught of online abuse.

She has now revealed that cruel trolls called her “Lucy Letby 2.0”, referring to the former neonatal nurse and serial killer who is serving 15 whole-life sentences seven babies in her care and attempting to murder seven more.

Sharon spoke about her decision on Instagram in June. Earlier this week, she went on Dr Faye Bate’s Her Discussions podcast to talk about the expereince and the messages she received after she posted about it.

View 4 Images

View 4 Images

She shared: “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. Regardless of whether it was the ‘right’ decision or not, it was 100% the right decision [for me]. I don’t regret it at all. So when people sit there and say ‘You took the easy way out’, trust me, it was not easy.

“I had to live with emotional trauma of going through something so physical, and I had some horrific messages. I had someone call me Lucy Letby 2.0. I had people threaten to dox me all because I had an abortion.”

Faye responded that “one in three women will get an abortion in their lifetime” and that isn’t a “niche thing” but something that’s happened for a long time. “Before it was legal, it’s gone on unsafely behind closed doors.”

Sharon also previously revealed that she suffered a miscarriage shortly after leaving the Love Island villa in January 2021. Last Saturday (11 October) she took to Instagram to talk about both the experience and how both that and her abortion have “shaped me in ways I’m still learning to understand”.

View 4 Images

Sharing the post ahead of Baby Loss Awareness Week, she wrote: “This week is baby loss awareness week, and I wasn’t sure whether to post this, but both my miscarriage and my abortion have shaped me in ways I’m still learning to understand.

“Both were losses. Both changed me. Both deserve compassion. It’s complicated, grief, guilt, relief, and love are all sitting side by side. If you’ve been through any kind of baby loss, please know you’re not alone in it.”

Many fans thanked Sharon for sharing her story. One wrote: “Sharon you are incredible and I am forever in awe of you. Sending you love. Thank you for sharing your story, it will help someone more than you ever realise. You are incredible. This is such an important conversation that will help so many people. Thank you for sharing your story which will help so many women out there.”

If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at the Miscarriage Association. You can call them on 01924 200799 or email info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk

Elen Wyn is known for being a Welsh opera singer and rose to fame as a faithful on the hit BBC show last January but has now opened up about her health battles

View 2 Images

The Traitors star Elen Wyn has shared that she has two wombs and two cervixes, as well as battling endometriosis. The 25-year-old has opened up about what she has gone through in a recent interview.

The Welsh opera singer is best known for starring on hit BBC show The Traitors, where she was a loyal and faithful. She explained that she pushed the doctors for an endometriosis diagnosis, but that was when doctors found something far from what they were expecting.

Elen said she struggled with the healthcare system before finally receiving a diagnosis in 2024, as she said sometimes the pain she experiences is so bad that she can’t walk and feels like she’s being stabbed.

Endometriosis is a condition where endometrial tissue, tissue similar to the uterine lining, grows outside of the uterus, such as on the cervix, bladder, and ovaries, where it collects and thickens over the course of every menstrual cycle.

READ MORE: ‘I’m a wine connoisseur and this wine advent calendar is the best I’ve found’

View 2 Images

READ MORE: Celebrity Traitors’ future confirmed as Jonathan Ross claims he ‘didn’t enjoy’ showREAD MORE: Celebrity Traitors’ Clare Balding says ‘I was lucky’ after devastating health battle

Elen spoke about the condition and what she has been through on the It’s Not JUST a Period! podcast, she said: “She [the doctor] was asking me questions like ‘Oh so you only have one kidney?’ and I was like ‘Are you joking?!’ She just assumed I knew.

“And then I had an internal ultrasound, and she couldn’t locate my cervix, and she got so confused, and she had to ask someone else to come in. I was terrified.” Elen was then referred by doctors to go for an MRI scan.

They found that she only had one kidney but had two wombs and two cervixes. She then went to a gynaecologist, where a doctor created a diagram with a pen and paper so she could visualise her anatomy.

Elen said that despite only having one fallopian tube and one ovary attached to each womb, both of them are functioning and she will be able to carry a child when she chooses. Elen also only has one period despite having two cervixes and two wombs.

The singer is grateful that she found out about her “abnormal anatomy”, as otherwise she wouldn’t have also got her endometriosis diagnosis. Elen first went to the doctors about the pain she was experiencing when she was 14.

However, they didn’t offer much help as the doctor told Elen that what she was going through was “normal” and that she just had a “low pain tolerance” that she needed to work on.

After learning about endometriosis online, Elen moved to Cardiff and, after requesting a female GP, was eventually referred to a specialist. However, Elen is still waiting for her laparoscopy to remove the endometriosis.

She initially waited nine months for a referral before going back to her GP, where she found out she’d never been referred in the first place, which means she is back at the bottom of the waiting list.

After raising eyebrows by admitting she swerved her GCSEs in favour of pursuing a showbiz career, 16-year-old Scarlett has been spending time in the studio where she’s been showcasing her talent

View 5 Images

Teenager Scarlett Thomas has launched her music career after she ditched her GCSEs this summer. The 16-year-old, who is the daughter of former Coronation Street couple Ryan Thomas and Tina O’Brien, Scarlett has controversially swerved school for showbiz.

Having built up an impressive following on social media – with the help of her famous family – Scarlett has been spending time in the studio. Sharing a video of herself showing off her incredible talent, the teenager is hoping to forge a career in the entertainment industry.

She can be seen singing in the studio, where she looks a natural, covering Maybe, by British singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro. Lucy Fallon has commented on her post, writing: “stunning scarlett,” while her uncles, Adam and Scott, sent their own messages of support.

READ MORE: Ryan Thomas’ mum admits she was tricked by ‘silver-haired’ catfish on dating appREAD MORE: Ryan Thomas and Tina O’Brien’s bitter war over ‘nepobaby’ who ‘dropped out of £20k-a-year school’

View 5 Images

View 5 Images

As well as having Corrie royalty for parents, the Waterloo Road star’s uncles are also no strangers to the small screen. Her uncles, Adam and Scott, found fame on Emmerdale and Love Island, respectively. Meanwhile, Ryan’s current wif,e Lucy Mecklenburgh – Scarlett’s stepmum – found fame on reality show The Only Way Is Essex.

Scarlett, who is garnering attention for her performance as Izzy Charles on BBC soap Waterloo Road, caused concern when she admitted she didn’t bother with her GCSEs. On GCSE results day, she shared on social media that she would “forever wonder” what grades she could have got.

Over the footage on Instagram, she wrote to fans: “Watching everyone get there GCSE results today wondering if I could’ve had good results but I will forever wonder.”

Scarlett, who used Phoebe Bridgers’ song Sidelines as the soundtrack to it, congratulated students in the caption. She wrote on the platform: “Well done everyone you all should be beyond proud whatever results you got.”

But despite getting a bit of a leg up from her famous family, proud dad Ryan defended Scarlett amid ‘nepo baby’ claims from critics. His brother Adam appeared on Waterloo Road from 2006 to 2009, but Ryan explained how Scarlett had got the role on merit.

View 5 Images

View 5 Images

He told the Sun: “She worked damn hard to get that job, and people need to recognise that she’s a talented girl – she’s up against other people and she’s not getting a free ride. She has to go through the same process as everyone else – it was between her and somebody else. It wasn’t like, ‘This is a Thomas, she’s going to get this job’.”

Scarlett has also had to defend herself over claims she couldn’t have got where she is on her own. Months before, she shared a video on social media, over which she typed out an apparent comment that she had received.

It read: “You only got these opportunities because of your family.” She then added a message to fans in response over the footage, which showed her riding in a car as Easy by the Commodores played. Scarlett wrote: “God forbid a girl takes the chances she gets.”

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

READ MORE: Cult Beauty fans race to bag £135 worth of ‘viral’ haircare products for £40

YouTube icons Dan and Phil have opened up over the impact of boundary-pushing fan behaviour after finally confirming a longstanding rumour over their relationship

View 2 Images

Iconic YouTube duo Dan and Phil have delighted fans everywhere after confirming they were in a secret 16-year relationship. However, the pair also opened up over how their intense fandom had a detrimental effect on their personal lives – leaving many reckoning with the impact of parasocial behaviour.

Dan (34) and Phil (38) were YouTube sensations, snowballing in popularity throughout the 2010s as they posted vlogs, challenges and gaming videos together. They’ve been a little quieter over recent years, but their latest YouTube video has proved to be a bombshell.

In the 47-minute long YouTube video the pair came online to confirm a long-running rumour: they have been dating each other for the past 16 years. The Internet quickly rejoiced, as comment sections flooded with excited fans and some even claimed they were reaching out to friends they hadn’t spoken to in over a decade to share the news.

READ MORE: Jane Austen has audiobook revival as ‘yearning’ becomes the hottest dating trendREAD MORE: Sims 4 fans concerned over future of LGBTQ+ representation after EA buyout

View 2 Images

However, segments of Dan and Phil’s video struck a darker chord. The pair admitted that the way a more rabid portion of their predominately young fanbase behaved put a strain on their career and relationship – to the point where it affected their mental health.

During the height of the pair’s popularity, the idea that the two were secretly dating became a popular fan theory. Viewers created a “ship name” for the duo known as “Phan” and drew sexualised artwork, penned lurid fanfics and flooded their comments sections with observations about their supposed relationship.

While Dan and Phil emphasised that they weren’t calling out all of their fans, they said that there were some who took the rumours way too far, leaving them feeling completely objectified. “It’s almost as if people are no longer interested in the real you,” Dan said.

Meanwhile, Phil described how “disheartening” it was to put so much effort into a video only for the comments to be speculating over his and Dan’s relationship.

But despite the intensity of the rumours, the pair kept their romance a secret. Dan explained that this was partly because they didn’t want to become known as the “gay couple show”. Nor did he want their relationship to become something they were selling to their audience.

However, it also ran deeper. Dan admitted that he grew up in a homophobic environment, which made it difficult for him to accept his own sexuality. “In my mid-twenties I felt like I had to hide the relationship because I was still hiding who I was to my friends, family and myself,” he said.

For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror’s Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox.

“Which is why all of the digging from people online hit a nerve – because Phil was my safe space,” Dan said. According to Dan, many fans became hostile when he refused to admit to the rumours because he was ruining their “show”.

He said: “Having all of these people try to out us and being so hostile to me when I tried to hide it was so triggering. Honestly, it could have killed me.”

Their transparency over their experience with their crazed fanbase has left many online reflecting over their own parasocial behaviour. Amongst many comments saying “they knew” all along, others have acknowledged that the pair’s relationship really isn’t their business.

“You didn’t ever have to announce this. We aren’t owed anything. But clearly it’s something you’ve done for yourselves and it’s that much more special. Proud of you for taking care of yourselves first and setting a good example of boundaries,” one wrote.

“After all the internet has done to you guys, this was probably really scary to publish. So happy for you. I hope you guys get the peace and love you deserve,” another added.

Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We’d love to hear from you!

Cookery writer and TV star Mary Berry is looking back over career ahead of BBC series around her 90th birthday

View 2 Images

Dame Mary Berry thinks about her late son “every day” but insists she has been very fortunate in life.

The food writer, chef, baker and television presenter has enjoyed an incredible career and will be back on screen later this month in the BBC series Mary at 90: A Lifetime of Cooking. Looking back over her life and career as she promoted the show, the former Bake Off judge was asked about her son William, who was killed aged 19 in a car crash in 1989.

Mary said: “I think of William every day. Of course I do. And if he were to walk through that door over there, I would say, ‘Where the hell have you been?’ I’m still very proud of him. I think of the joy he gave us. He was a lovely child, but you have to step back and think – I had wonderful parents, I’ve got two more children, Annabel and Tom, and my grandchildren. I mean, it would be devastating if you only had one child. I am very fortunate. And I have a husband who is 93.”

Mary has been married to her husband Paul since 1966, and as well as William, they have a son, Thomas, and a daughter, Annabel, whom she remains close to. Annabel works with her mum and is an accomplished chef in her own right. Mary said the secret of her happy marriage was walking away when an argument was on the cards.

View 2 Images

READ MORE: Mary Berry’s 5 favourite cake recipes from a red velvet to a classic spongeREAD MORE: Mary Berry’s unexpected ‘secret’ ingredient will make your bolognese so much tastier

She told Radio Times: “Paul always says that the secret to our long marriage is his saying, ‘Yes, dear’ to everything, and then going his own way. But we don’t argue. If any disagreements come up, I open the back door and just go out and maybe pick some flowers or get some apples. It’s amazing if you can walk away.

“Of course, if I was living in a top-floor flat, that would be difficult. But we respect each other. And I’m very lucky. He has mellowed in his old age and he’s become very appreciative of me.

“So I look after him, and it’s a great pleasure. That’s what I promised to do. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer. And we are very happy in our dotage.”

Mary has been working on screen long enough with food to remember when five spices and fresh ginger were exciting new ingredients to use and tin foil came over to the UK from America for the first time.

She says she has Delia Smith to thank for a pay rise when she was a young writer. “Delia was absolutely brilliant. She came to stay with her husband Michael and we chatted about all sorts of things. I mean, you should never discuss money, sex or religion. But we did discuss money.

“She said, ‘You’re not being paid enough for your writing. I know an agent, Felicity Bryan, and I’ll ring her tonight.’ And the next day I got a postcard from Felicity saying, ‘Can we meet?’ And I’m still with her agency for my books.”

Fast forward a few decades and Mary has more than 70 books and sold more than five million copies. She is also known for her loyalty, staying with the BBC when the Great British Bake Off moved to Channel 4.

She said: “I feel very cherished by the BBC, and it was quite right I stayed with them,”

* Mary at 90: A Lifetime of Cooking will be on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer later this month.

Molly-Mae Hague has been accused of being “too soft” with her two-year-old daughter Bambi after social media parenting experts accuse her of causing her toddler’s tantrums

View 4 Images

Former Love Island winner Molly-Mae Hague has once again drawn criticism from bitter mum-shamers after letting her toddler swap her drink when getting a drive-thru Costa. The 26-year-old Maebe businesswoman and social media influencer can’t do right for doing wrong when it comes to the watchful eyes of the internet’s parenting experts.

Her latest YouTube vlog saw the reality TV star hit the Costa drive-through to get a sweet treat for her and her two-year-old daughter, Bambi. Grabbing herself a Strawberries and Cream drink, she got her daughter a hot chocolate and handed it back to her.

The mum-of-one told her fans: “I really have a sweet tooth right now, I need to fulfil my sweet tooth, so that’s exactly what we’re doing.” She sat in the car, before passing Bambi a “yummy” hot chocolate, telling her: “Bambi, you are gonna love that…Wow, girl. You’re gonna love that.”

READ MORE: Molly-Mae Hague laughs off Bambi’s furious biting admission in hilarious wayREAD MORE: Molly-Mae Hague ‘on edge’ as she prepares for documentary release

View 4 Images

Holding up her own drink, Molly-Mae said: “I got a Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino – I don’t know what came over me, I need something sweet.” But, in true toddler fashion, Bambi instantly wanted what her mum had.

The tot demanded: “I wanna try mummy’s.” Social media star Molly-Mae tried to reason with her daughter, offering: “Try yours first and you can try mine.”

Realising resistance is futile, she told the camera: “She’s seen mine and she’s like, ‘yeah, I think I’ll have a bit of that.’” Picking her battles with the drink situation, Molly-Mae gave in, swapping her “milkshake” for the hot chocolate.

Bambi laughed triumphantly, with Molly-Mae joking: “Girl, you’re gonna be bouncing off the walls after that.” When she asked Bambi for a sip of her own drink, she responded: “No! I want it!”

Elsewhere in the vlog, Molly-Mae admitted to committing a “cardinal sin” as a mum – a crime most parents would admit to after a hard day. She explained: “We’ve had a bath, we’re nice and calm, we’ve had dinner, we’ve got our milk and now we’re watching a little bit of Barbie with a sun hat on.”

View 4 Images

View 4 Images

Predicting what her critics would have to say about it, Molly-Mae jumped in: “Screen time before bed probably seems a cardinal sin. I should be reading her a story.

“I did say to her before bed she could come and sit in my bed, so we’re watching a bit of Barbie on the phone, and then it’s bedtime. We’ve had a really, really long day today.”

As ever, her comments were awash with unsolicited parenting advice from viewers, with some telling her she shouldn’t be Bambi’s “best friend”. One wrote: “Stop spoiling her, that was your drink. She needs to learn she cannot have everything she wants, it’s ok to say no.”

Another added: “Being a parent is so important, stop being her best friend!!” Someone else said: “Everything about this is so so wrong.”

One fan typed: “She’s got her wrapped round her finger big time, no wonder she has tantrums.” Another warned: “You’re making a rod for your back girl.” One woman shared: “Feeding the kids Costa then wonders why the kid is wild.”

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

READ MORE: ‘Best’ Charlotte Tilbury product sells ‘one a minute’ and is ‘brilliant for mature skin’