Category Entertainment News

BBC staff members want action to be taken against Match of the Day host Gary Lineker after he shared a pro-Palestine video on social media accompanied by a rat emoji

Gary Lineker has apologised after leaving staff at the BBC furious over his “repeated offensiveness to Jewish people” after he shared a pro-Palestine video.

Lineker, 64, left colleagues at the corporation upset after sharing a a pro-Palestine video featuring an ‘anti-Semitic’ rat emoji from the campaign group, Palestine Lobby, on Monday.

Apologising for the post, Lineker said: “On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references.

“I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.” The Match of the Day presenter said he deleted the post “as soon as I became aware of the issue”.

The former England striker has since deleted the post but has been the subject of a backlash from staff and others on social media. As outlined by The Telegraph, the BBC’s response – or lack of – to Lineker’s actions has left some members of staff far from happy.

READ MORE: Gary Lineker faces sack calls after BBC host sparks outrage by sharing pro-Palestine videoREAD MORE: Gary Lineker’s awkward exchange with ex-Premier League boss on Match of the Day

One anonymous staff member condemned Lineker and claimed his actions have ‘brought the organisation into disrepute’.

“It is quite simply disgusting that the BBC has not kicked Lineker out,” they said. “His repeated offensiveness to Jewish people has clearly brought the BBC into disrepute. The interpretation of Zionism he has shared is anti-Semitic and the fact that the BBC thinks it’s acceptable is deeply upsetting to its Jewish staff, myself included.”

Another source argued that the BBC had missed the “perfect opportunity” to get rid of Lineker when he was suspended for comments about the previous Government. They added: “He’s the perfect example of someone who doesn’t think the rules apply to them and abuses them at every turn – the type highlighted in the culture review, published no more than a fortnight ago.”

A spokesperson for Lineker told the publication: “Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post,” he added. “Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism group called for the BBC to sack Lineker following his decision to share the post. “Nothing to see here,” they wrote on X. “Just Gary Lineker’s Instagram account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji.

“Not only does this video deliberately misrepresent Zionism – the belief that Jews have the same right to self-determination as everyone else – but it adds a rat emoji in doing so. Why is it that Gary Lineker keeps sharing content on social media that seems to cater to Jew-haters?”

“The BBC’s reputation is held by everyone and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us. And I think we absolutely need people to be the exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies, simple as that,” Davie said.

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Lineker is poised to stand down from his long running role as host of Match of the Day at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. He is, however, contracted to remain with the BBC until next year to front their coverage of both the FA Cup and the World Cup.

Tom Cruise’s film crew on his latest “Mission: Impossible” epic feared the actor was about to die after he appeared to pass out on the wing of a stunt plane over Africa.

The 62-year-old, who does his own stunts and was flying the biplane alone, was laid out flat on the wing after spending 22 minutes out of the cockpit — 10 more than safety guidelines allowed, his director Christopher McQuarrie told a masterclass at the Cannes film festival, where “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is premiering Wednesday.

“When you leave the cockpit of the plane, it’s like stepping onto the surface of another planet,” McQuarrie said.

“The wind is hitting you in excess of 140 miles an hour (225 kph) coming off the propeller. You’re breathing, but only physically. You’re not actually getting oxygen.

“Tom had pushed himself to the point that he was so physically exhausted, he couldn’t get back up off the wing. He was laying on the wing of the plane, his arms were hanging over the front of the wing. We could not tell if he was conscious or not,” said the American filmmaker, who has shot the four last movies of the franchise.

READ ALSO: Sean Combs’s Ex Cassie Says He Forced Her Into ‘Disgusting’ Sex Ordeals

Cruise, a trained acrobatics pilot, was alone on the biplane and had agreed a hand signal to show if he was in trouble, McQuarrie said.

“You can’t do this when you’re unconscious,” the director told an audience at Cannes, with Cruise sitting beside him nodding sheepishly.

To make matter worse, the plane had only six minutes of fuel left. But the star finally stirred.

“We watched Tom as he pulled himself up and stuck his head in the cockpit so that he could replenish the oxygen in his body and then climb up into the cockpit and bring the plane safely down to land.

“No one on Earth can do that but Tom Cruise,” he said to rapturous applause.

Asked about how he dealt with the fear, Cruise pointed to the years of preparation that went into his movies. But in the end, “I like the feeling. It’s just an emotion for me. It’s something that is not paralysing.

“I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s exciting’… I don’t mind kind of encountering the unknown.”

It was far from the only scare the pair had on the $400 million epic, the eighth in the franchise known for its dizzying set pieces and heart-stopping action scenes.

 ‘No way to test that thing’

With fans fearing that the “The Final Reckoning” title meant it might be the last in the series, McQuarrie said the plane scene was not the only one that could have ended everything.

One of the new movie’s most dramatic moments involves Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt diving inside a sunk Russian nuclear submarine in the Bering Sea.

McQuarrie said it took two and a half years to build the set in London.

“Remember that when you’re watching Tom inside this semi-submerged rotating room inside the submarine, that is housed inside a 60-foot diameter, 1,000-ton, 360-degree rotating, fully submersible steel gimbal in a 8.5-million-litre tanker. And he’s inside it,” he said.

“And what you’re watching is us testing it. Because there is no way to test that thing.

“We built a model, and we put a little plastic figure and a bunch of torpedoes in it, and rotated it once, and they smashed the little plastic figure.”

Neither Cruise nor McQuarrie would confirm or deny if the new movie was the final “Mission: Impossible”, with Cruise calling it the “culmination of three decades of work”.

The film is being released in India, Australia and South Korea this weekend, with audiences in Europe and the Middle East having to wait until May 21 and those in North America until May 23.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’s former partner Casandra Ventura is expected to be grilled by the fallen music mogul’s defense lawyers Wednesday as she returns to court for a second day of testimony.

Singer and model Ventura, better known as Cassie, is also likely to face questions about allegations Combs raped her in 2018, as well as her graphic accounts of elaborate sex parties organised by the hip-hop icon.

In an emotional first day of testimony, Ventura, who is heavily pregnant, also detailed beatings and abuse at the hands of Combs whom she painted as controlling and willing to wield his wealth and influence to get his way.

READ ALSO: Sean Combs’s Ex Cassie Says He Forced Her Into ‘Disgusting’ Sex Ordeals

She gave vivid accounts that will underpin much of the prosecution’s case against the music industry figure who is alleged to have used violence and blackmail to manipulate women over many years.

Ventura recounted so-called “freak-off” sex parties saying she participated because she was “just in love and wanted to make (Combs) happy — to a point I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice.”

Ventura, who is 17 years younger than Combs and first met him when she was 19, described how the mogul would sometimes urinate on her, or he would instruct one of the numerous sex workers he engaged to do so.

‘It was disgusting’

The escorts, almost always men, were paid thousands of dollars in cash after encounters.

“It was disgusting. It was too much. It was overwhelming,” she said, adding that the hotel rooms used for the marathon sex sessions were often trashed, with establishments charging sizable cleaning and repair bills including for sheets stained with blood and urine.

Combs’s defence team indicated that during cross-examination, which is expected as early as Wednesday afternoon, they would seek to emphasise that Ventura took drugs of her own free will, and behaved erratically.

Ventura said that during the encounters she took drugs including ecstasy, ketamine and cocaine, and that the “drugs honestly helped” her meet Combs’s demands to stay awake for days on end.

The drugs also had a “dissociative and numbing” effect, she said, “a way to not feel it for what it really was.”

In a hotel surveillance clip from March 2016 shown to jurors Monday and again Tuesday, Combs is seen brutally beating and dragging Ventura down a hallway.

The prosecution played portions of the footage while Ventura was on the stand.

When asked why she didn’t fight back or get up, Ventura answered simply that curled up on the ground “felt like the safest place to be.”

Combs’s defense team insists while some of his behavior was questionable it did not constitute racketeering and sex trafficking. He denies all counts and proceedings are expected to last eight to 10 weeks.

Perfecting for whipping your garden into shape this spring, there’s a cordless strimmer causing a stir among shoppers as it makes it easier than ever to ‘tackle awkward areas’ – and its on sale

Looking for a new gardening gadget to help tackle overgrown lawns, weeds or shrubbery? Amazon may have just the ticket. This Einhell Power X-Charge Cordless Strimmer has been praised by plenty of shoppers for its convenience and practicality, and it won’t break the bank as it’s currently up for grabs with a nifty 35% discount, making it a great choice for tidying your outdoor space without breaking the bank. But you’ll need to act fast, this deal won’t hang around forever.

READ MORE: Oodie’s new range of cooling blankets in fresh colours and patterns is ideal for mini-heatwave

READ MORE: Electric handheld pressure washer that ‘easily cleans gardens’ gets axed by £70 in sale

This Einhell Power X-Charge Cordless Strimmer is said to make quick work of tidying up your garden, including those hard-to-reach corners and edges that may need cleaning before your next garden party.

This cordless strimmer is a high-performance member of the Power X-Change series. Its completely cordless design ensures you can wave goodbye to the hassle of not-long-enough wires and extension leads. With a rechargeable battery that shoppers have praised for being long-lasting, this strimmer is a convenient option for those looking to step up their grass trimming game with more ease and power than before.

This flexible and useful grass trimmer comes armed with a flower guard from Einhell, ensuring effective protection against damage that keeps your flowers and ornamental plants intact while you trim the grass and foliage around them. The strimmer comes with a cutting width of 24 centimetres and a blade speed of 8500 rpm. The cordless grass trimmer is a powerful helper for keeping vegetation on lawns, grounds and hard-to-reach areas in the garden neat and tidy without hours upon hours of labour and awkward manoeuvring.

Plus, this strimmer is infinitely adjustable, with a telescopic long handle that’s adjustable to the exact requirements of the gardener, thus contributing to its easy running. For a user-friendly two-hand operation, there is an additional handle that promises comfortable handling and extra stability while it’s running.

Boasting an incredible 3.6k reviews on Amazon, well over 60% bestowing it with a perfect 5-star rating. Customers have been raving about this cordless strimmer, with one raving: “I love this great little strimmer and I’ve certainly had my money’s worth out of it already! I’ve used it on far tougher jobs than grass trimming while clearing a large area of ditch and rough grassland recently cleared of brambles and weeds. I like the blade system, and when a blade needs changing or replacing, it’s fairly easy, although you do need strong fingers. I bought a second battery so I always have a spare charged up and ready to use. Battery life seems long, and they charge up quite quickly. I’m pushing 70 but find this strimmer lightweight and very easy to use. I’d certainly buy another.”

Another happy shopper shares: “What a fantastic garden tool this has turned out to be – and sensibly priced too! If, like me, you’ve been trawling through Amazon trying to find a good, ‘not too expensive’ strimmer, then look no further! I researched MANY of the rechargeable garden strimmers available on Amazon before concluding that this one from Einhell offered the best bang for my buck.”

A third chimes in: “I recently purchased the Einhell Power X-Change 18/24 Cordless, and it is a very capable and versatile grass trimmer! This trimmer is incredibly lightweight and easy to use, making it perfect for tackling those awkward areas around my garden. It is easily adjustable and very comfortable to handle due to its lightweight construction and size. One of its standout features is its ability to rotate for edging, adding to its versatility. The trimmer also comes with replacement blades that are simple to install, which is a great bonus. It operates on a lithium battery that charges quickly and lasts a long time, allowing me to complete my lawn tasks without interruptions.” They also add: “Overall, I highly recommend this cordless trimmer for anyone looking for a reliable and efficient gardening tool! Only used for one season, but I have had no problems with it so far.”

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. Cassie Ventura has made allegations about the days-long ‘Freak Offs’ that she claims she was forced to participate in by her former partner, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

As the trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs continues, the hip-hop mogul’s former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, has testified about the “disgusting” Freak Offs she was allegedly forced to take part in, and the effect this had on her.

Diddy, who was arrested in September 2024, stands accused of various charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex ­trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. The 55-year-old, who is currently being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC), denies all allegations he faces and has had several bail pleas rejected.

Among those giving evidence at the Federal District Courthouse in Lower Manhattan, New York City, was 38-year-old Cassie, who shed tears as she described being “humiliated” during Freak Offs, which she claimed took place in hotels and their homes, in the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Ibiza.

Facing the 12 jurors, Cassie, who was involved in an 11-year-long on-and-off relationship with Diddy between the years 2007 and 2018, claimed the Freak Offs would leave hotel rooms “trashed”, and said that Diddy was “controlling” and “directing” the sessions.

READ MORE: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial: All we know from day in court as Cassie Ventura took to stand

Baby oil requirement

While giving testimony, Cassie told the court how Diddy’s staff would provide items such as baby oil, lubricant, and condoms. According to Cassie, they would allegedly use “quite a bit” of baby oil as Diddy liked them to be “glistening.” If he believed Cassie hadn’t used enough, Diddy would instruct her to apply more, the court heard.

The model, dancer and singer also alleged that the Freak Off sessions followed a similar pattern, telling the court: “It was established pretty early on in doing the Freak Offs that Sean [Diddy] enjoyed a lot of conversation and describing”. These sessions would allegedly begin with “oil and touching” before participants engaged in oral sex, then sexual intercourse, in what Cassie described as a gradual process.

Cassie alleged that while she had wanted to move on to the next process to speed things along, Diddy was “controlling” the situation. She told the court: “He was directing it.”

Humiliating act

She told the court how Diddy would urinate on her or ask an escort to urinate on her. But Cassie said she didn’t want anybody urinating on her and felt “humiliated”. She added: “It was disgusting. It was too much. It was overwhelming.”

When prosecutors asked her whether there was anything she enjoyed about the Freak Offs, Cassie burst into tears, alleging that “the time spent with him” was the only time she felt she could spend with Diddy. Cassie shared: “I felt disgusting. I was humiliated. I didn’t have the words to put together at the time how horrible I really felt, and I couldn’t talk to anybody about it.”

She then went on to allege that she’d tried to “gently” approach Diddy about not wanting to partake in Freak Offs. She told the court: “I didn’t want to upset him or make him angry with me for even sharing it. But I would just tread it lightly when I brought it up. Sometimes I would email him about it. I didn’t want anything bad to happen.”

Four-day Freak Off

According to Cassie, the longest Freak Off went on for four or more days, with some breaks. She went on to share how she spent “a big chunk of her life” recovering from drug use and dehydration after partaking in the Freak Offs.

The singer recalled: “The ‘Freak Offs’ became a job, where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again.” When asked how she was able to stay awake for such long durations, Cassie explained: “The drugs honestly helped.” She then went on to testify how Diddy gave her ecstasy or cocaine, which she then took.

As detailed by Cassie, Diddy was the one who would allegedly decide when it was time for the Freak Offs to end. She told the court how, during one “session”, she believed it would be the last one, sharing how she’d thought that “hopefully that would be the last one.”

Teny Geragos, defending, acknowledged Combs’ violent past, including a 2016 hotel assault on Cassie, which was caught on camera. She told the court: “What Combs did to Cassie on this videotape is indefensible. It is not evidence of sex trafficking. It is evidence of domestic violence.”

Ms Geragos asserted that the musician is “a very flawed individual but still not a racketeer, trafficker or somebody transporting for prostitution”. The trial continues.

For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk

If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com. Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

READ MORE: Cassie Ventura’s P Diddy ‘nightmare’ – ‘brutal beatings, escort blackmail and depraved act’

Singer Olly Murs shares a heartbreaking revelation while researching his family history as the told the reason behind his great-grandmother leaving her family during World War Two

Olly Murs has shared the poignant tale of his family’s past, revealing why his great-grandmother chose to leave her family during World War Two.

The father-of-one recently journeyed to Latvia to delve into his ancestry for BBC One’s popular genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are?

During his exploration, Olly discovered that his great-grandmother Veronika was a trapeze artist in a travelling circus and is believed to have had an affair with Eduard Murs Sr, Olly’s great-grandfather.

Eddie, Olly’s grandfather, was born in 1932 before Veronika made the heart-wrenching choice to give him up to his father and his wife Katrine.

In 1944, they travelled to a refugee camp in Germany before finally settling down in Essex in 1948. Meanwhile, Veronika remained in Latvia and never saw her son again, reports OK!.

Speaking last year to TV Times, Olly revealed: “My grandad’s relationship with his mum wasn’t great. Dad told me that Eddie felt she’d abandoned him.

“But her decision to say goodbye to her son changed everything for our family. Without her bravery, my grandad would never have had the life he did in the UK and the wonderful family he created.”

The singer, who hails from Essex, found out that Veronika attempted to reconnect with her son through letters in the 1960s and 1970s. However, Eddie decided not to respond, a choice he reportedly regretted later on.

Veronika died in 1988 and was buried in an unmarked grave by the state. “She cared about Eddie. And it saddens me that she had a son, grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the time of her death, but there was no family around her,” he said.

Olly Murs, who celebrates his 41st birthday today (Wednesday, May 14), has joyfully revealed he’s expecting baby number two with his wife Amelia Tank. The singing sensation, who first found fame on The X Factor, shares a daughter named Madison with his wife, born last April.

The announcement came via an Instagram post on Good Friday, where Olly gushed: “We’re so egg-cited to share this, another baby Murs on the way.”

Their social media update showcased a video clip of the family strolling, with Murs hoisting little Madison – donning a ‘big sis’ tee – onto his shoulders while Tank displayed ultrasound pictures.

Last month on Heart radio, the Troublemaker singer confessed to co-host Mark Wright that leaving his infant child for a tour with Take That brought him to tears. He said: “It was really hard for me because I actually had to leave.”

Olly added: “So, two days after the baby was born, I had to leave and go on tour with Take That, and I didn’t really process it at the time.