Category Entertainment News

Veteran actress Lesley Joseph has broken her silence on former Birds of a Feather co-star Pauline Quirke’s recent dementia diagnosis.

The comic actress, aged 79, was chatting to Good Morning Britain hosts Robert Rinder and Charlotte Hawkins about her dating advice for single women over the age of fifty when Charlotte asked her about Pauline’s diagnosis.

“I have to say what a wonderful actress she is,” replied Lesley. “And what joy she has given. Not just in Birds of A Feather but in The Sculptress where she was really scary, and in Broadchurch and Emmerdale, I take my hat off to Pauline. She’s amazing.”

“I won’t talk about her at the moment with her illness because that’s private,” she added. “I lived through dementia with my mum, who lived to nearly 104 and in her nineties she was still playing tennis and she was so full of life as she got older, she was an amazing character.”

Pauline’s dementia diagnosis was revealed at the end of January. Her husband Steve Sheen released a statement in which he said: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce my wife Pauline’s decision to step back from all professional and commercial duties due to her diagnosis of Dementia in 2021.”

The statement continued: “Pauline has been an inspiration through her work in the film and TV industry, her charity endeavours and as the founder of the very successful Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA). Her talent, dedication, and vision have touched countless lives and will continue to do so through the legacy of her work and through PQA where her vision and guidance has facilitated many young peoples’ progression and interest in the Arts and enhanced their self-confidence.”

Pauline’s family requested privacy, adding: “For the time being we will not be engaging in interviews or making further statements, since Pauline just wants to spend time with her family, children and grandchildren.”

Since the announcement, Pauline’s other Birds of a Feather co-star Linda Robson has opened up about her close friend. In an interview with Express.co.uk, she said: “”I have noticed a real difference with her; she doesn’t remember her grandchildren, so she’s not going to remember who I am even though we’ve been friends 56 years. It really is sad.”

She also shared an Instagram post, saying: “This will be the only time I speak on behalf of my best friend, Pauline. For the past three years, I’ve been in close contact with her husband, Steve, and have spent time with Pauline. It breaks my heart to see her endure such a terrible illness. Out of respect for her family and her privacy, I will not be discussing this matter further.”

Pauline, Linda and Lesley appeared in the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather from 1989 until 1998, and it was then revived by ITV and new episodes were made between 2014 and 2020. Pauline and Linda played sisters who were brought together when their husbands were sent to prison for armed robbery, while Lesley was their next door neighbour Dorien.

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Black Sabbath fans were horrified after queueing up on Ticketmaster to buy tickets for the concert only to discover the hefty price tags.

Rock and roll icon Ozzy Osbourne, 76, is reuniting with his Black Sabbath bandmates one last time to play a fundraising concert in Birmingham on 5 July. The heavy metal legends will headline a one-day festival at Villa Park, featuring dozens of bands they inspired, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira and Anthrax.

There will also be performances from Alice In Chains and Lamb of God as well as a supergroup performance of members from Limp Bizkit, Van Halen, The Smashing Pumpkins and Faith No More.

Fans were over the moon at the announcement and patiently waited for tickets to go on sale. However, when they saw the pre-sale ticket prices, they rushed to social media to share their anger over the whopping price tag. Pre-sale ticket prices ranged between £197.50 to as much as £834 when they went on sale.

“I know it’s for charity but come on now,” one annoyed user wrote as they shared a screenshot of a seated ticket priced at £487.50. Another fan wrote: “I don’t wanna hear s*** when the pop girlies charge £100 for a ticket,” while one commented: “Black Sabbath charging £420 for nosebleeds that aren’t VIP is actually f***ing insane.”

One fan shared a screenshot of the ticket price for the Gold Circle “with an Ultimate Side of Stage Experience”. “I’d expect to be rocking out on stage with Black Sabbath for the price of these tickets,” he wrote as he shared the £2,932.50 price tag on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Man, I knew black sabbath tickets were gonna be expensive but over 800 pounds for tickets is actually a crime wtf,” another complained. Someone else slammed the Ticketmaster website as they wrote: “In the sale for Black Sabbath for the site to say it can’t load tickets, what’s going on.” General onsale tickets go live on Friday morning.

The proceeds from the gig will be split equally across three charities -Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s – a cause that is close to Ozzy’s heart as he has lived with Parkinson’s since 2020.

The all-day event will be the first time that Black Sabbath’s original line-up, including Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – have played together in over 20 years. Ozzy, who previously paused touring due his Parkinson’s battle, is expected to play a short solo set before joining his bandmates.

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The mum of five, Stacey Solomon, has a tradition of dedicating January to a ‘reset’, employing various tips and hacks to ensure her busy home is as tidy as possible in the wake of Christmas. She recently used a plastic bag dispenser to keep her underwear from getting tangled in a drawer. Stacey has shared with fans the innovative hacks she uses around the house this week and the affordable way she’s tidying her desk. The best news is that you can grab the same products on Amazon.

READ MORE: ‘I’ve sworn by this lipstick for over ten years because it won’t budge no matter what’

READ MORE: ‘A £25 celebrity perfume that sold out in minutes is my most complimented scent’

Though it’s not listed as the exact brand Stacey opted for, she showed fans earlier this week a photo of how she’s keeping her desk drawers neat – introducing these affordable plastic organisers. Available in various packs, these clear plastic organisers come in various sizes and shapes to ensure a snug fit inside any drawer, so you can take inspiration from Stacey and get your stationery orderly without breaking the bank.

These clear and versatile drawer divider trays are perfect for any place in your home. They can easily fit in all kinds of drawers, whether it’s your vanity, bathroom, kitchen, or office, like Stacey’s. They’re ideal for organising cosmetics, makeup tools, hair accessories, jewellery, craft supplies, utensils, and office supplies.

Made of durable, clear plastic that ensures your storage spaces still look sleek and well-kept, these dividers are equipped with 200 silicone pads on the bottom to ensure they don’t budge once you’ve popped them in place. Just stick them where you want them in your drawer, and then, thanks to the non-slip design, they won’t slide around every time you open the drawer.

These gems are ideal for those who are trying to optimise space. Whether you have little storage options or just want to get rid of the clutter, these plastic sections enable you to organise all your items. Plus, you can stack these bins into one another to save even more space, which is ideal, especially when you have a narrow drawer.

You can buy this best-selling 37-drawer organiser pack on Amazon for £27.99, or you can buy various other-sized packs, including 28-piece or 72-piece, depending on how many drawers you’re hoping to de-clutter.

One thrilled shopper who purchased this organiser set left a glowing review, writing: “Great study containers in a variety of sizes, useful to get the stick-on discs to add to the base to stop the trays sliding in a drawer. My daughter got two sets of these to use in her new dressing table and they’re perfect for this. Easy to mix and match combos to fit the various drawers. They’re easy to clean and I’ve put a couple into the dishwasher so far after make up spills. Would recommend for dressing tables, tool sheds, kitchen drawers. Style is good as well as they look good plus they stack on each other if necessary.”

Another satisfied customer raved, “Absolutely love these. Purchased the largest pack available to organise my dressing table. I have the IKEA Alex drawers and while these don’t fit absolutely perfectly, they’re great for organising my cosmetics and other bits in the drawers. Even the smallest tubs have a great capacity. The rubber feet you can stick on the bottom definitely help in stopping the drawers sliding around too. I saw in some reviews that they have arrived broken, but mine arrived in excellent condition and have held up well so far. They look sleek and stylish in all the places I’ve used them to keep drawers tidy and organised. I had some left over and so used them to organise my kitchen drawers too, so versatile! They’re excellent value for money and I’d really recommend these to anyone!”

If you prefer to shop elsewhere, you can get similar plastic drawers to those Stacey uses at Debenhams with this 12PCS Clear Drawer Organiser set for £9.99, down from £29.99. Or, head to Argos to pick up this Set of 6 Clear Drawer Organisers for £14.99.

Netflix’s Love Is Blind UK couple Jasmine and Bobby Johnson have candidly revealed their journey with trying to start a family – and how constant speculation form fans has affected them.

The couple met and fell in love on the UK version of the hit Netflix dating series. Fans of the series, which dropped on Netflix in August last year, became in awe of the couple’s adorable connection as love blossomed in front of our eyes. As the couple provided updates after the series, they came back together with their pod squad and hosts Matt and Emma Willis for the show’s reunion.

Following the series, Jasmine revealed: “We’re planning to expand our family,” and added that she hoped to start their family “by next year”. However, in an exclusive chat with the Mirror, the couple have revealed they are still trying to conceive – despite constant speculation from fans online – and admit sharing their journey has been a “double edged sword”.

Now, Jasmine has admitted some regrets over sharing their plans to start a family – as she confessed she feels she was “naive” when it came to getting pregnant and heartbreakingly revealed: “I wish I was pregnant yesterday”.

The reality star candidly told us: “You know what I feel like it was a double edged sword being open an vulnerable on the aspect of trying to conceive because, obviously, the audience knew us and they saw us get married so, evidently we were gonna talk about trying to conceive, which was an exciting prospect at that point in time – and it still is.

“But, I was so naive coming into the trying to conceive journey thinking, ‘oh yeah we’ll just have sex and I’ll get pregnant tomorrow’. That’s not how the female anatomy works – we only have a few days in a month where we’re actually ovulating. So trying to educate myself about that and kind of giving myself grace. I know my time is going to happen. It hasn’t happened yet.”

The TV star candidly added how the speculation has effected her as she explained she second guesses what she posts on her social media channels. She said: “I’m not gonna say it hasn’t effected me, it has. I’ve been quite cautious of my pictures on social media just incase someone is like, ‘Oh you kind of look pregnant’ where in reality I’ve just got a normal body, I love to eat, I’m in a very happy relationship – that’s just what happens you know.

“So it’s been difficult but I’m trying to block that out because at the end of the day I want to be in a positive mind state in order to carry a baby and I think that’s the mind state that you need to be in and, fortunately, I’ve got a great partner who supports me and is in tune with me. But, there is a lot of pressure there because they’re like: ‘Why aren’t you pregnant yet?’ Well, you know, I wish I was pregnant yesterday, last month!,” she heartbreakingly added.

Bobby, has been supporting Jasmine throughout their journey, explained how he thinks fans should be more cautious with what they say about people online – but he said he understands that fans are invested in their romance as they’ve been there from the beginning.

The reality star husband said of fans on social media: “They’re like, ‘when is the baby coming, is the baby here yet?’ ‘We can see the bump’ and I think it’s just, it’s very… I don’t think people mean anything by it, you know, most the time it’s little small comments because I think they see this person online or on TV and maybe sometimes people don’t realise it is a real person behind the screen.

“So we can always be more careful with the things we say, especially with women who are trying to conceive or are in relationships because I think it can be difficult, can’t it?,” he urged. “But, like you said, it is something we’ve spoken about openly and at the end of the day people have followed our journey so I think for the most part they’re really excited to see that next part of the journey.”

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Kendrick Lamar fans are in for a treat as tickets for his much-anticipated Grand National Tour go on sale. The tour, which kicks off in the UK this July, will see Kendrick joined by SZA as they perform in Cardiff, Glasgow, Birmingham and London at some of Britain’s biggest stadiums.

Tickets are on sale at 9am today (Friday, February 14, 2025), but with online queues filling up fast, many fans may have struggled to secure theirs – even during presale. However, there is an easier way to buy tickets, with many offering extra perks such as free drinks, food, premium seating and early access.

How you can get your hands on Kendrick Lamar VIP tickets

Kendrick Lamar tickets for his Grand National tour are available now from specialist website Seat Unique, which offers tickets with VIP and hospitality perks.

These bonuses vary from ticket to ticket and include complimentary catering, beverages, early access, afterparty access, premium seating, private viewing experiences, a DJ and more.

Prices start at £399 and you can read the full list of extras available here.

Alternatively, you can grab tickets using this link:

Tickets are also available from other official online retailers. While these are likely to sell out quickly, your best bet is to check out major retailer Ticketmaster, reports the Express.

Here’s the link you need:

If you’re struggling to find Kendrick Lamar tickets on Ticketmaster or Seat Unique, don’t fret – there are other options.

How to get Kendrick Lamar and SZA resale tickets

Resale websites like viagogo and StubHub offer fans the opportunity to buy and sell tickets at a moment’s notice.

Kendrick Lamar UK Tour Dates for 2025

• Jul 08 – Glasgow, UK – Hampden Park
• Jul 10 – Birmingham, UK – Villa Park
• Jul 19 – Cardiff, UK – Principality Stadium
• Jul 22 – London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
• Jul 23 – London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Florence Pugh made the emotional admission that she ‘wasn’t supposed to live’ after receiving a bleak health diagnosis, and admitted the heartbreaking words her parents received from doctors.

The Oppenheimer and Midsommar actress is the first celebrity to feature in No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski. The upcoming series, executive produced by Gordon Ramsay, combines cooking with genealogy as famous faces learn about their ancestors via the medium of food accompanied by Queer Eye star Antoni.

The series synopsis reads: “From Italy, Germany and the UK to Senegal, South Korea and Borneo, Antoni takes celebs on epic journeys to explore their ancestral and culinary roots.”

In the first episode titled ‘Florence Pugh’s English Odyssey’, the pair traversed the star’s childhood home of Oxford, before journeying to Yorkshire, Whitby and London as they followed in the footsteps of Florence’s ancestors. It was during the London leg of their UK tour that the star made a frank confession about her childhood.

Antoni had previously informed Florence that her great, great, great grandparents on her father Clint’s side had a daughter named Florence Pugh, something that left the star stunned as her family had no idea there had been another in their lineage. However, as they walked through St Pancras Gardens, Antoni informed Florence that the girl had died at a very young age.

“Because of the air quality and the pollution here, quality of life was really tough,” Antoni began. “Little Florence, unfortunately just shy of her fifth birthday, passed away. Most probably from tuberculosis, that was the case with most children in those times.”

“Oh no. Woah,” Florence responded, visibly upset by the revelation. She then admitted a strange coincidence between the pair.

“Ok… so this is also just very strange because I had many struggles growing up with my breathing and constantly being ill and going in and out of hospital,” she explained. “I wasn’t supposed to live. When I was born they told my parents that it wasn’t going to happen and just enjoy your time while you have it.”

Alongside Pugh, other stars featured on the six-part series include actor Henry Golding, musician and actress Awkwafina and the Emmy-nominated Issa Rae. All episodes will be available to stream on Disney+ from February 24, while National Geographic Channel will broadcast episode one on February 26 at 10pm.

Speaking about the series, Antoni shared: “It’s a beautiful adventure to discover our past through the great connector that is food. I’m honoured to go on this journey of self-discovery with new and old friends alongside National Geographic as we learn together about the ways different cultures celebrate food and experience their traditions.”

All episodes of No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski are available to stream on Disney+ from February 24. The first episode will also be broadcast on the National Geographic Channel at 10pm on February 26.