Category Entertainment News

Rebecca Adlington shot to fame at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning two gold medals before going on to have a successful punditry career with the BBC

It’s been 17 years since Rebecca Adlington became a household name after her stunning performance at the Beijing Olympics. At just 19, the Mansfield-born swimmer clinched gold in both the 400-metre and 800-metre freestyles, smashing the world record in the latter.

She made history as the first woman to bag swimming gold for Team GB in nearly half a century and the first British swimmer to secure more than one gold medal at a single Olympics in 100 years. Adlington’s star continued to rise as she added Commonwealth, European and World Championship golds to her collection, along with two bronze medals at the London Olympics in 2012.

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However, at the tender age of 23, she decided to retire from competitive swimming in 2013. Since then, she has carved out a successful career as a BBC pundit and dabbled in reality TV, featuring on shows like I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Celebrity MasterChef and The Jump, reports Wales Online.

Despite her professional success, Adlington has faced personal challenges in recent years, including a divorce, two heartbreaking miscarriages, and a life-altering diagnosis. Here’s what you need to know.

Adlington tied the knot with her first husband Harry Needs in 2014, five years after they first crossed paths as budding professional swimmers.

In less than a year, the couple welcomed their daughter, Summer, but their marriage ended 18 months later in an “amicable” separation.

In a statement on her website, Adlington announced, “It’s after much thought and sadness that we confirm our separation. It is on amicable terms and we still remain close friends”.

The couple prioritised co-parenting their daughter, stating, “We move forward with respect for one another and our focus and commitment is on parenting our gorgeous daughter Summer”.

Four years later, Needs publicly revealed his bisexuality, explaining that he hadn’t explored his sexuality before marrying Adlington. This secrecy led to anxiety and depression, and he shared with GuysForYou, “I didn’t say a thing. For me personally, my journey with Rebecca was a destination to love”.

Needs found it difficult to acknowledge his bisexuality, especially with no same-sex experience. He committed to his relationship with Adlington, saying, “I think as an unconfident bisexual man it was extremely difficult back then to admit it even to myself, especially considering I had zero experience with the same sex. Once I knew I loved Rebecca, I was committed to that relationship and its journey for the rest of my life”.

After coming out to Adlington a year post-separation, Needs said she was very supportive. He clarified, “I never felt I deceived her, because I loved her and like I already said, I never had the time to discover my full sexuality”.

Adlington eventually found love again with facilities manager Andy Parsons, whom she met on the dating site Bumble. During a stint on Loose Women, Adlington opened up about the beginnings of their romance, admitting: “I was like Oh God, I don’t want to do online dating. I was just terrified by all my friends’ stories.”

She added: “I just got to the point where I thought that’s how you meet people nowadays, it’s very rare that you just bump into somebody and meet them”.

“So, I decided ‘ Oh I’ll give it a try to see how it goes ‘ and literally I was on the app two weeks, matched with Andy, my partner, and we just clicked”, she said. “After another two weeks of chatting, we met up for a date and the rest is history”.

The couple enjoyed three years of dating before tying the knot in 2021, and they welcomed their son Albie in the same year.

Despite being blessed with two children, Adlington has also endured the heartbreak of two miscarriages, the first of which happened in 2022.

The miscarriage was detected during a routine 12-week scan at the hospital, leading to emergency surgery and sepsis treatment for the former swimmer.

“It’s such a devastating time but important in times like these we remember we aren’t alone and have so much support,” she shared with her Instagram followers. “After a day of treating sepsis, a kidney infection and a fever, I’m slowly on the mend. Long way to go but I’m in the right place,”.

However, a year later, Adlington and her husband were dealt another devastating blow when she suffered a miscarriage at 20 weeks. Their daughter Harper was stillborn in October 2023, leaving the couple “truly heartbroken”.

They released a statement expressing their eternal love for their lost child.

Adlington shared the heartbreaking news, writing: “I don’t really have the words right now but unfortunately we went for our 20-week scan this week and they found no heartbeat”, She continued, “I gave birth to our angel, Harper, on Friday at 7pm. We held her, and had time with her. We will forever love her and remember her always”.

She admitted her struggle to share the tragic news, saying: “I don’t have the strength or words right now and don’t feel ready to share this news. However, I can’t pretend to be ok or fake a smile. I can’t have people ask me how pregnancy is or when I am due as I still look pregnant. I don’t have the strength to tell this news individually.

” We are so truly heartbroken, “she added”. Our beautiful girl. Rest in peace. “Following the tragedy, Adlington confessed to the Times that she” hated]her] body “and couldn’t help but blame herself, admitting:” It was very hard for me to accept.

“I’m very logical so I wanted to find out why this had happened. But the post-mortem showed there was no reason, sometimes things just happen. I have to come to terms with that somehow and stop obsessing about it”.

In other recent news, Adlington has been lauded for her bravery after disclosing her diagnosis with coeliac disease.

The beloved Team GB legend has shared candid details about her recent health struggles in a heartfelt video on Coeliac UK’s Instagram page, prompting her legion of fans to rally for the cause of maintaining gluten-free prescriptions.

Anyone with this auto-immune disorder experiences their immune system mistakenly targeting their own body when ingesting gluten, resulting in damage to the small intestine accompanied by stomach pains, bloating, indigestion, constipation, fatigue, and diarrhoea. For these individuals, steering clear of gluten is a must, making access to gluten-free prescriptions an essential element of managing their health.

Faced with the potential loss of this critical support, Adlington made a powerful plea: “Hello everyone. As someone newly diagnosed with coeliac disease, I have definitely quickly learnt how vital gluten-free prescriptions are for managing this condition.

” But in some areas, these prescriptions are totally being cut. Coeliac UK is handing a petition to Number 10 to make sure we’re heard, so please sign and share the petition today. “

The advocacy efforts bore fruit as the petition secured a stunning 22, 826 supporters, successfully being presented at Downing Street earlier this month.

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Love Island icon Maura Higgins appears to have moved on from the Danny Jones kiss drama, which took place earlier this month, as she focused on her endless work projects

Love Island icon Maura Higgins looked out of this world as she rocked a classy outfit for an event with L’Oreal. The reality star took to her Instagram page to share behind-the-scenes clips from the shoot, which had her posing on the step of a train as a waiter walked behind her carrying a tray of Prosecco.

The star took a ride on the British Pullman – private luxury train offering a unique travel experience for passengers. She was treated to drinks and a full meal on the journey and the TV personality made sure to take some time to show off her modelling skills as she posed for a number of gorgeous photos.

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Maura rocked a button-up short black dress with a white collar, black tights, black heels, a tiny bag and a hat for the occasion. She added a Louis Armstrong audio to the clip and shared it with her 4.1million followers.

Fans immediately took to the comment section to compliment the star. One user said: “Different class..different gravy! Love this Maura.”

Another added: “You look stunning and I love the Pullmans.. so special!” and one commented: “You really was made to shine, stunning photos.” One said: “Giving off luxurious vibes – having a luxurious ride – enjoyed by a top end Queen.”

Maura captioned her post: “And she was what mother called “New Money”. Thankyou for the most special day @lorealparis.”

Her recent work events come after she was caught locking lips with married Danny Jones while at a late night BRIT Awards afterparty.

They have been wrapped up in scandal since video footage emerged as the kiss put strain on Danny’s marriage to former Miss England Georgia Horsley. Danny and Maura, who met on the latest series of I’m A Celebrity, were seen looking close at a glitzy party before heading onto the five-star Nobu Hotel in London for more drinks.

Danny recently apologised for what happened in a grovelling apology shared on social media while his wife moved out of the family home temporarily to spend time with her friends and “get away” from all that is going on.

Meanwhile, Maura has been lying low and focusing on work and opted to flee the UK and fly out to Los Angeles and Texas for work.

She took part in a huge shoot for fashion brand Oh Polly and shared snaps from her getaway on social media. Despite painting a picture she has brushed off the scandal, sources have told The Mirror it has been a tough few weeks for the star.

Maura recently gave her own insight into her thoughts on being involved in the scandal as she ‘liked’ a fan comment on her recent post. A follower supported Maura and wrote: “You are unreal. Don’t listen to the haters. U are a diamond.”

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Love Island icon Maura Higgins appears to have moved on from the Danny Jones kiss drama, which took place earlier this month, as she focused on her endless work projects

Love Island icon Maura Higgins looked out of this world as she rocked a classy outfit for an event with L’Oreal. The reality star took to her Instagram page to share behind-the-scenes clips from the shoot, which had her posing on the step of a train as a waiter walked behind her carrying a tray of Prosecco.

The star took a ride on the British Pullman – private luxury train offering a unique travel experience for passengers. She was treated to drinks and a full meal on the journey and the TV personality made sure to take some time to show off her modelling skills as she posed for a number of gorgeous photos.

READ MORE: Feel’s ‘Pro-Metabolic’ supplement helps ‘improve digestion’ and ‘keeps cravings at bay’

Maura rocked a button-up short black dress with a white collar, black tights, black heels, a tiny bag and a hat for the occasion. She added a Louis Armstrong audio to the clip and shared it with her 4.1million followers.

Fans immediately took to the comment section to compliment the star. One user said: “Different class..different gravy! Love this Maura.”

Another added: “You look stunning and I love the Pullmans.. so special!” and one commented: “You really was made to shine, stunning photos.” One said: “Giving off luxurious vibes – having a luxurious ride – enjoyed by a top end Queen.”

Maura captioned her post: “And she was what mother called “New Money”. Thankyou for the most special day @lorealparis.”

Her recent work events come after she was caught locking lips with married Danny Jones while at a late night BRIT Awards afterparty.

They have been wrapped up in scandal since video footage emerged as the kiss put strain on Danny’s marriage to former Miss England Georgia Horsley. Danny and Maura, who met on the latest series of I’m A Celebrity, were seen looking close at a glitzy party before heading onto the five-star Nobu Hotel in London for more drinks.

Danny recently apologised for what happened in a grovelling apology shared on social media while his wife moved out of the family home temporarily to spend time with her friends and “get away” from all that is going on.

Meanwhile, Maura has been lying low and focusing on work and opted to flee the UK and fly out to Los Angeles and Texas for work.

She took part in a huge shoot for fashion brand Oh Polly and shared snaps from her getaway on social media. Despite painting a picture she has brushed off the scandal, sources have told The Mirror it has been a tough few weeks for the star.

Maura recently gave her own insight into her thoughts on being involved in the scandal as she ‘liked’ a fan comment on her recent post. A follower supported Maura and wrote: “You are unreal. Don’t listen to the haters. U are a diamond.”

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

READ MORE: Best 11 Apple, Google, Samsung deals from Amazon’s Spring Sale picked by a tech expert

Adolescence co-writer Jack Thorne has revealed a big secret behind the scenes of the chilling Channel 4 drama, that left fans utterly shocked and gripped

Netflix star Stephen Graham’s “manipulative” Adolescence director secretly plotted with the actor’s wife to shock him with photos of his real life children to ramp up his harrowing tears while filming the closing scene in the hit series.

The show’s co-writer Jack Thorne said when Graham’s character Eddie goes into the bedroom of son Jamie – who’s been accused of murdering a female classmate – feeling he’s let him down, the actor was confronted with the surprise pictures of his teenage kids.

Director Philip Barantini had put up photos of Graham’s two real-life children Alfie and Grace – visible to Graham but off camera, so they were not seen by viewers – with the blessing of Graham’s real wife Hannah.

Graham is then seen breaking down sobbing and burying his head in his son’s teddy bear before saying “I’m sorry son. I should’ve done better”.

Thorne told how the teddy also was not in the script but was another added idea of Barantini’s, although that was included in conjunction with Graham. On Graham’s tearful final words, which encapsulated the show, Thorne said: “I think those were Steve’s words. And you know what, that teddy bear wasn’t me. That wasn’t in the script. That was Phil and Stephen put it in there.

“And Phil did something that was quite manipulative and quite brilliant, which is he put Stephen’s own family inside the wardrobe.”

Photos of Graham’s family were pinned on the wardrobe, along with a note from them saying “We love you – we’re so proud of you”.

Speaking to the RadioTimes, Thorne continued: “So when Stephen breaks down like that it’s because he has been triggered by a director that has sent him on this hour-long journey and then put something at the end that takes him somewhere.

“Now what he says in that moment, it terms of I wish I’d done better, I wish I’d been a better father for you, that’s what the show is all about.”

Asked if Graham really had no idea he’d be confronted by photos of his own children when he walked in filming that final scene, Thorne said: “Yeah, I know.

“But Stephen and Philip have known each other for many, many years. They’re incredibly good friends, so Stephen will have known Phil’s made a decision here, and I’m going to go with it.

“There wouldn’t have been any sort of like ‘Why have you done that?’ It would have been like ‘Oh, that was interesting, that did something else to my brain chemistry’. And he stayed in the moment because that’s what Stephen does. And it took him to an even more interesting place than he went to on his own.”

Thorne then joked: “I’m now really worried that I’ve called Phil manipulative. Phil is a very kind and generous and lovely man.” He added that Graham did other takes where he didn’t have the photo, before that was introduced to add even more intensity.

Thorne said: “This was just ‘Ok, let’s add a little more ingredient’. Hannah Walters is our exec producer, who’s Stephen’s wife, and Hannah’s the sort of matriarch – their production company is called Matriarch Productions, she is the matriarch of Matriarch (one of Adolescence’s production companies).

“She is in control of us all and so Hannah was very much part of that discussion too with Phil I think in terms of what they placed in there. He saw Alfie and Grace, his kids in there.”

The four-part crime drama was created and written by Thorne and Graham and is being highly acclaimed.

It has won praise for its content but has also sparked debate about the upbringing of children in society and their exposure to social media and smartphones.

Adolescence co-writer Jack Thorne has revealed a big secret behind the scenes of the chilling Channel 4 drama, that left fans utterly shocked and gripped

Netflix star Stephen Graham’s “manipulative” Adolescence director secretly plotted with the actor’s wife to shock him with photos of his real life children to ramp up his harrowing tears while filming the closing scene in the hit series.

The show’s co-writer Jack Thorne said when Graham’s character Eddie goes into the bedroom of son Jamie – who’s been accused of murdering a female classmate – feeling he’s let him down, the actor was confronted with the surprise pictures of his teenage kids.

Director Philip Barantini had put up photos of Graham’s two real-life children Alfie and Grace – visible to Graham but off camera, so they were not seen by viewers – with the blessing of Graham’s real wife Hannah.

Graham is then seen breaking down sobbing and burying his head in his son’s teddy bear before saying “I’m sorry son. I should’ve done better”.

Thorne told how the teddy also was not in the script but was another added idea of Barantini’s, although that was included in conjunction with Graham. On Graham’s tearful final words, which encapsulated the show, Thorne said: “I think those were Steve’s words. And you know what, that teddy bear wasn’t me. That wasn’t in the script. That was Phil and Stephen put it in there.

“And Phil did something that was quite manipulative and quite brilliant, which is he put Stephen’s own family inside the wardrobe.”

Photos of Graham’s family were pinned on the wardrobe, along with a note from them saying “We love you – we’re so proud of you”.

Speaking to the RadioTimes, Thorne continued: “So when Stephen breaks down like that it’s because he has been triggered by a director that has sent him on this hour-long journey and then put something at the end that takes him somewhere.

“Now what he says in that moment, it terms of I wish I’d done better, I wish I’d been a better father for you, that’s what the show is all about.”

Asked if Graham really had no idea he’d be confronted by photos of his own children when he walked in filming that final scene, Thorne said: “Yeah, I know.

“But Stephen and Philip have known each other for many, many years. They’re incredibly good friends, so Stephen will have known Phil’s made a decision here, and I’m going to go with it.

“There wouldn’t have been any sort of like ‘Why have you done that?’ It would have been like ‘Oh, that was interesting, that did something else to my brain chemistry’. And he stayed in the moment because that’s what Stephen does. And it took him to an even more interesting place than he went to on his own.”

Thorne then joked: “I’m now really worried that I’ve called Phil manipulative. Phil is a very kind and generous and lovely man.” He added that Graham did other takes where he didn’t have the photo, before that was introduced to add even more intensity.

Thorne said: “This was just ‘Ok, let’s add a little more ingredient’. Hannah Walters is our exec producer, who’s Stephen’s wife, and Hannah’s the sort of matriarch – their production company is called Matriarch Productions, she is the matriarch of Matriarch (one of Adolescence’s production companies).

“She is in control of us all and so Hannah was very much part of that discussion too with Phil I think in terms of what they placed in there. He saw Alfie and Grace, his kids in there.”

The four-part crime drama was created and written by Thorne and Graham and is being highly acclaimed.

It has won praise for its content but has also sparked debate about the upbringing of children in society and their exposure to social media and smartphones.

Prince Harry has faced a major blow after his show, Polo, was ridiculed by critics for being ‘unrelatable’ and ‘pompous’ – and it puts his Netflix career in jeopardy

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary, Polo, found itself at the centre of a wave of criticism after it ‘flopped’ following its release. The couple were spotted filming in Wellington, Florida as they attended the Sentebale Polo Classic to record scenes for their fourth Netflix docuseries.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were listed as executive producers on the five-part series that launched on December 10, but was dogged by a number of negative reviews from viewers and critics. It also failed to make the top ten in Britain, America or any of Netflix other huge regional markets. Now, it means this could be the end of Harry’s partnership with Netflix.

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The show centres on a group of professional players as they progress through the 2024 season, but people pointed out that while Harry and Meghan co-produced the show, it appears to be more of the duke’s project as Harry, 40, has been associated with polo for a long time. Royal fans who were hoping to see Harry and Meghan in the show were also left disappointed as they only appeared in the opening sequence and the final episode of the show.

Critics believe the show didn’t invest in a poster campaign, releasing only a trailer on YouTube. Prince Harry, 40, who has played polo all his life, wrote a two-line statement on Netflix’s website. “This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour,” the prince said. “We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport – and the intensity of its high-stakes moments.”

Meanwhile, a source told Closer that neither Harry nor Meghan, 43, had much control over the direction of the program. “Truth is, it was pretty much out of their control. The bosses wanted the series to appeal to the masses and pushed this reality TV slant so it’s not entirely their fault.”

‘Polo’ followed the lives of competitors in the US Open Polo Championship, focusing on dramatic events like an on-field injury and a rivalry between and father and son. But critics say it was “unrelatable” to audiences and Eric Schiffer, chair of Reputation Management Consultants, told Newsweek: ‘It’s a pompous portrayal of privilege posing as a documentary. It feels fake. You could almost see an ad, ‘polo the new cure for insomnia, brought to you by royalty.'”

He continued: “They’ve made it the new frontier of unrelatability. This ensures polo becomes even less popular for regular people. It just reeks of entitled and is disconnected, unrelatable.”

A two-star review from The Guardian’s Stuart Heritage described the show as Prince Harry’s “unintentionally hilarious profile of the world’s stupidest sport” and said: “Fixtures are chosen by popping confetti-filled balloons, obnoxiously privileged players weep in darkened rooms when they lose … this documentary about the royal’s hobby is like a spoof.”

While The Times said Prince Harry “made a TV show only he would watch,” calling it ‘tedious’ and ‘utterly unrelatable,’ audiences also brutally scored it 27 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

This marks the latest in a series of streaming projects pursued by Harry and Meghan that have flopped or failed to find a consistent audience, despite Netflix inking a contract with them said to be worth $100 million in September 2020.

According to The Sun, it is understood that there are no plans for any more Netflix shows, with Harry either in front of or behind the camera, as the deal runs out.

Their second documentary ‘Live to Lead’ was released in December 2022, which featured interviews with prominent world leaders and activists including late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and climate warrior Greta Thunberg. It currently has a 15 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In summer 2023, the ‘Heart of Invictus’ came out the following summer and followed a group of competitors in the Invictus Games, a global sporting event for wounded service members founded by Prince Harry, but wasn’t able to break into Netflix top 10, and was also dogged by bad reviews.

‘Harry & Meghan,’ documentary released in 2022 gave an insight into the couple’s personal life, where they revisited their decision to step down as working British royals, and this finally gave the pair some success. With 81.6 million hours of viewing time in just four days, it became one of Netflix’s biggest documentary debuts ever.

But since, there has been uncertainty over whether Harry and Meghan’s deal with Netflix will be renewed, especially since their multi-million dollar Spotify contract fell through in 2023.

The Mirror has reached out to Harry’s representatives and Netflix for a comment.

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