Category Entertainment News

Shirley Ballas says there is Strictly no surgery involved with her £4,675 course of treatement to look her best for BBC series

Shirley Ballas has unveiled her incredible latest non-surgical facelift results, which she says have restored her confidence.

The Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas turned 65 this month but insisted feels 20 years younger following seven months of high-tech aesthetic procedures from a top Harley Street doctor.

She says the only downside to having the £4,675 course of NeoGen nitrogen plasma treatments with Dr Johanna Ward, is she’s frequently accused of having a surgical face-lift because she looks so much younger.

Shirley said: “I was on Instagram posting pictures of myself celebrating my 65th birthday with my mum a week ago and several women made rude comments saying, ‘your mum looks amazing but of course you’ve had so much work done Shirley, facelifts and all’. Well, I need to set the record straight here – I haven’t had any surgical facelifts of any kind, at any time. I mean, you can tell I’ve got no stitches or scars.”

Speculation about Shirley having cosmetic surgery has grown online recently as fans have noticed her youthful new look, but she insists her amazing transformation is only due to a pioneering non-surgical treatment.

She had treatments last year with the same company ahead of the 2024 series of Strictly to look her best on screen.

Since the start of this year, Shirley has undergone a course of six NeoGen nitrogen plasma treatments with top aesthetic practitioner Dr Johanna Ward at the W1 Skin Clinic, near Harley Street in central London. The procedure is completely non-invasive and works by tricking the body into producing high levels of collagen and elastin, key proteins that create youthful and radiant skin.

It’s not the first time she has used these treatments, but this year Shirley says the results have been life-changing.

She added “I never thought at 65 I would feel the way I feel about myself. When I hit 60, I was dreading the inevitable decline of my appearance, I had dark blotches on my skin, my skin looked tired, jowls were starting to fall, and I started to panic so I started to research all the different treatments that one can do.”

Looking at her before and after treatment pictures Shirley said: “Now when I look in the mirror, I see this fresh face. It’s not a little difference. It’s a huge difference. I find my jawline is more defined. I don’t have all those spots all over my face. My skin looks brighter. There’s not a mark on my forehead. And my neck looks so much better. I mean, I think that’s impressive.” Treatment package like the one that Shirley has – the Triple Collagen Reset – start at £2,750 for three treatments. Other extras can include twice daily bespoke Zenii collagen drinks which cost an additional £400

Shirley opted for low energy NeoGen treatments that did not get in the way of her busy work schedule, which would be the case if she went under the knife.

Shirley said: “I’m constantly working so I can’t have any period of downtime but with these low energy treatments I might have a slight bit of redness the next day but it’s nothing you can’t cover up with some makeup and it doesn’t last. As regards the pain, it’s not totally pain-free but it’s bearable.” The NeoGen treatment emits a plume of super charged nitrogen gas into the deep layers of the skin creating a controlled trauma which triggers the body to heal itself with high levels of collagen and elastin, key proteins which promote youthful and radiant skin.

Dr Johanna Ward explained: “NeoGen is unique because it doesn’t just treat the surface of the skin – it penetrates deeper layers, triggering natural regeneration. With Shirley we used a lower energy setting to allow her to continue with her busy work schedule, meaning minimal downtime but steady improvement after each session. Over time, the cumulative effects can be extraordinary.”

Dr Ward added: “The beauty of NeoGen is that it works on all skin types and tones, unlike some traditional lasers or peels. That makes it a safe and effective option for a wide range of patients. Most patients will see a major difference after three low energy treatments, but we can also do higher energy treatments for women who can manage to have a week or more downtime, and they will see the rejuvenation results much quicker.”

Christine McGuinness has candidly opened up on her health woes as she admits her condition had left her feeling frustrated and upset as it affected her everyday life

Christine McGuinness has opened up on the health issue that is challenging her everyday life. She has candidly revealed how the situation left her hands seizing up with no warning earlier this year while trying to get her daughter ready for school.

She admits that at first she thought nothing of the issue and put it down to being clumsy. However, the Real Housewives of Cheshire star soon realised it was more than that as it kept on happening.

Christine, 37, began to notice that any stressful scenario or last-minute change of plan could trigger the ailment which saw her fingers turn white and numb. She was also unable to move them.

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And she admits the situation is “frustrating and upsetting” add that she often has no choice but to stop and wait for the uncomfortable moment to pass. Sometimes, she admits, this isn’t that easy due to her busy lifestyle in work and as a mother of three.

As the issue continued, Christine decided to get medical advice in May and was diagnosed with Raynaud’s syndrome. According to the NHS, Raynaud’s affects your blood circulation and coldness, stress or anxiety can see your fingers and toes change colour.

It can also affect tiny arteries in the nose, ears and tongue. Other symptoms include pain, numbness and pins and needles and it’s said flare ups can last from a few minutes to an hour.

Christine says she sometimes feels embarrassed or disappointed when she has a flare up. Speaking to Femail, she said she feels “as if I’ve caused it by not managing my stress or self-care well enough”.

“The hardest part is that they can stop me in my tracks until the symptoms settle, which leaves me feeling like I’ve let myself down.”

She explained how her symptoms seem to show up at times she is most stressed. And she admitted she was shocked to discover stress and possibly PTSD can be a cause of the ailment.

“It was as if all the strain my nervous system had been carrying finally spilled over into something I couldn’t ignore,” she continued. “I do feel that I may have elements of PTSD, though I can’t attribute it to just one cause.”

She then candidly opened up on her past traumas growing up, saying at times in childhood she “didn’t want to wake up in the morning”. The model also said she was bullied at school and developed anorexia as a teenager.

Later in life she met and married comedian Paddy McGuinness. The pair divorced in 2022.

Speaking on how her past could have affected her Raynaud’s, she added: “For anyone who has lived through a difficult childhood, an eating disorder, sexual abuse, the breakdown of a marriage and a heartbreaking divorce, alongside the daily challenges that come with being a neurodivergent mum juggling work life and other personal traumas that may never be spoken about – it inevitably takes its toll. My body is showing me that.”

Many fans have been shocked to discover the dark past to one of their favourite songs

Music is a universal language, but despite billions listening to their favourite tunes each day, many do not know the hidden stories behind them — and some are darker than others.

The Rolling Stones have amassed a legion of fans over several decades and are slated to tour next year, led by octogenarians Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the sprightly Ronnie Wood, 78.

One of the more obvious testaments to the band’s enormous talents is their modern-day relevance and popularity, becoming a British cultural staple and even clocking close to 30million monthly listeners on Spotify 61 years after their debut album.

Their 1969 effort, Let It Bleed, is considered by many to feature their best work, though there is ample selection to choose from.

The aforementioned album includes classics such as You Can’t Always Get What You Want, title-track Let It Bleed and its famed opener, Gimme Shelter, amongst others.

And it’s the latter track which has a haunting legacy centred around one of its more prominent attributes — the quite possibly greatest backing vocals of all time performed by Merry Clayton.

Merry’s powerful performance, which springs out from behind the song’s hypnotic groove, delivered largely via the superb guitar work of Keith Richards, captures the sentiment of the band at that time, dark and seemingly full of despair, as she repeats her lines, “Rape, murder, it’s just a shot away, just one shot away”.

So emphatic is Clayton’s howling that, at around the three-minute mark of the song, you can faintly hear Mick Jagger cheer in the recording studio as her vocal cracks from the intense screams.

However, as celebrated as this song is, racking up more than 730million plays on Spotify today and being recognised as one of the Stones’ finest works, it would result in tragedy for 20-year-old Merry Clayton.

In November 1969, weeks before the Let It Bleed release, a very pregnant Clayton received a call, telling in previous interviews how “I’m at home at almost 12 o’clock at night. And I’m hunkered down in my bed with my husband, very pregnant, and we got a call from a dear friend of mine and producer named Jack Nitzsche.

“Jack Nitzsche called and said… ‘Merry, are you busy?’ I said No, I’m in bed. He says, ‘Well, you know, there are some guys in town from England. And they need someone to come and sing a duet with them, but I can’t get anybody to do it. Could you come?’”

She added: “At that point, my husband took the phone out of my hand and got angry: ‘This time of night you’re calling Merry to do a session? You know she’s pregnant!’

“But Nitzsche succeded to bring my husband on his side. In the end, he managed to convince me: ‘Honey, you know, you really should go and do this date.’”

As previously mentioned, the recording session was intense, with Merry forcing every emotion she had into her vocals, but she would later claim it came at a costly price.

Shortly after returning home, she suffered a miscarriage, with many pointing to the session as a leading reason for the loss of her baby due to the emotional stress and intensity of the process.

Merry could not listen to the song, which is so highly commemorated, due to the link it had with her miscarriage and it took time to recover from this anguish.

“That was a dark, dark period for me, but God gave me the strength to overcome it,” she said during an interview in 1986, 17 years after recording the song.

Thomas Skinner, who is a contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, admitted he has made “big mistakes,” including cheating on his wife Sinead just weeks after their wedding

Thomas Skinner’s mistress has claimed the salesman told her she “was the love of his life” during their fling.

But Amy-Lucy O’Rourke, 35, has also insisted she was the one who told his wife about his affair – and not the former The Apprentice star himself as he has alleged. Thomas, who is a contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, confessed to cheating on his wife Sinead just weeks after their wedding.

And Amy-Lucy has today again stressed the three-month fling was far more meaningful than Thomas, 34, had made out in his interview with reporters. Amy-Lucy, who lives near Brentwood, Essex, said: “Thomas told me I was the love of his life and sold me an absolute dream. He told me that he was in a loveless relationship of convenience.”

Thomas, who was on series 15 of The Apprentice in 2019, has claimed his wife has forgiven him, and the salesman said he and Sinead, who share three children, have “moved forward together”.

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Amy-Lucy, though, has spoken out this week, claiming Thomas’ account of thing hasn’t quite been accurate. The beauty clinic boss told the Daily Mail she and Thomas were often out in public together and acted like a couple besotted with one another.

She added: “It makes me really angry that his narrative is that he told her. He did not tell her. I can’t believe he’s trying to make out that he did the honest thing. He did not, he tried to keep the lie up for weeks and was torturing me emotionally. He was playing me and Sinead off against each other. Telling me one thing, telling her another.”

The fling is understood to have lasted several months, beginning just six weeks after Thomas married Sinead in May 2022. Now, the timing of the revelations are awkward for Thomas as he is set to make his Strictly Come Dancing debut on Saturday.

And the dad of three has said he has become a “target”, and is “being portrayed a public enemy number 1” following the affair bombshells. In a lengthy statement on X, he wrote: “My life ain’t perfect…..far from it. I’ve made big mistakes, I’ve let people down, and done things I’ll always regret in my past.

“The worst was what I did to my wife three and a half years ago…..one stupid moment I’ll carry forever. It was nothing more and nothing less despite what is being said. I told her straight away. She had every right to leave me back then, but she forgave me…….and that forgiveness changed my life.

“Since then, we’ve built a new home, had two more beautiful children, and moved forward together. We are stronger. Family is everything to me. It’s what I do everything for.

Owen Cooper became the youngest male winner of an acting Emmy award on Sunday night when the young Brit was recognised for his role in Netflix drama Adolescence

Adolescence star Owen Cooper won’t take his Emmy to school – because he fears it will get pinched.

The teenager, who became the youngest male winner of an acting Emmy award on Sunday night, proudly held the gong at a press conference yesterday. When asked by a reporter if he would be showing the award off to his classmates, Owen said: “This will get robbed in my school. No chance. I am definitely not taking it to school.”

Yet fans chuckled on social media, with some pointing out it reminds them Owen is just 15 – and like any other British teenager – despite the resounding praise he and Adolescence has received. One internet user posted: “He seems like a nice grounded boy. I hope he does well in life, whether or not that includes acting.” Another shared: “This young man is super special and humble.”

And Owen is due back at school in Cheshire this week after flying back from Los Angeles with his parents. He posed with IT worker Andy and Noreen, a carer, following his triumph at the Peacock Theatre’s glitzy ceremony on Sunday night.

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Andy, 45, and 52-year-old Noreen live in the terraced home in Warrington, Cheshire, which they raised their family over the past two decades. Owen’s brother Ollie, 21, and 31-year-old half-brother Connor – both electricians – also joined the actor at the event.

Neighbours, meanwhile, stayed up late to watch the glittering ceremony. June Shingler, 77, said she let out a cheer when Owen’s name was announced. She said: “We watched it on TV… I was like ‘Oh my God, he only lives next door but one.'”

Speaking to the Daily Mail yesterday, she added: “I’m really pleased he has won. I don’t think success will change him but I’m hoping he goes on to do other things. Owen is really nice but it is not just him, all the family are nice. His mum and dad have both worked hard.

“They are a lovely family, they really deserve it. At the end of the day all you want is the best for your children. It is marvellous. Everyone is pleased for them. His mum is absolutely wonderful. I am so happy for them. They have brought up a lovely young man. He is very lucky.”

Another neighbour Madeline, 79, said: “I’m delighted for him. He is such a lovely boy. I have known him since he was born. He used to call me ‘Nan Mad’ when his mum brought him over. They are a beautiful family. They are brilliant and he is so well grounded.”