Shameless James Argent parties at Megan McKenna’s wedding after girlfriend’s abuse post

James ‘Arg’ Argent was seen celebrating his former The Only Way Is Essex co-star Megan McKenna’s wedding over the weekend, just hours after his ex put out a heartbreaking statement

James ‘Arg’ Argent shared a video of him dancing the night away with his The Only Way Is Essex co-star(Image: @real_arg/Instagram)

James ‘Arg’ Argent danced the night away with his The Only Way Is Essex co-stars, just hours after his ex issued a heartbreaking statement. Nicoline Artursson broke her silence on Friday evening for the first time since her ex admitted to domestic violence.

The former Only Way Is Essex star admitted his crime at a court in Spain where he received a six-month suspended prison sentence and a two-year restraining order. Argent pushed his now ex-girlfriend down a flight of stairs, causing the injuries.

As Nicoline spoke of how the “fractures on my body have finally healed but I’m wounded inside”, just hours later, on the Saturday, Arg was at Megan’s wedding, where she tied the knot with her husband Oliver.

Arg danced with Megan at her wedding
Arg danced with Megan at her wedding(Image: @real_arg/Instagram)

Taking to Instagram, Arg posted a video of him and Megan dancing at the nuptials. He wrote: “Congratulations to the beautiful Bride, My dear friend @meganmckenna who got married to the lovely @oliverjburke yesterday.

“I can’t tell you how much it meant to me, That you wanted me there on your special Wedding day. We danced together just like old times in Nu Bar Loughton when we were kids.

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He added: “We always supported each other in those TOWIE days & remained friends ever since. You’ve blossomed into an amazing woman. You’re a fantastic mum & you’re going to make a great wife! And you’re a much better singer than me haha. Love ya.”

Arg and Nicoline met outside a supermarket
Arg and Nicoline met outside a supermarket(Image: real_arg/Instagram)

In her heartbreaking statement, Nicoline explained more about that night. She wrote: “I was brutally thrown out of our new home in the middle of the night wearing only my pyjamas. I opened the door to let him in and only minutes after I found myself laying down on the stairs outside our house. My clothes and belongings were being thrown out from the balcony down on me. I was injured.”

She also added: “A gentleman does not abuse you and end up in jail and call you the love of his life. A gentleman does not blame you for his actions. A gentleman will confide in his partner, family and close circle of friends, keeping them close and safe. A gentleman chooses you always and leaves the past in the past – including exes.

“Life is to be lived together and not to please people who want to take advantage of you. At the end of the day, fame can only do so much – it’s all about being strong and growing together. Life is simply not a reality TV show, life is real. I have tried to understand why. I have cried so many tears thinking about the way he chose to hurt me. He said he loved me and I believed him and here we are.”

*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

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‘International football gives belief you belong in Premier League’

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Former Northern Ireland and Leeds United wide man Stuart Dallas is part of BBC Sport NI’s coverage of Tuesday’s friendly with Iceland.

Reaching the Premier League is a dream for any player.

I know how Trai Hume and Daniel Ballard feel after they won promotion with Sunderland, it’s an incredible feeling and achieving it with Leeds was one of the highlights of my career.

It’s a big step up from the Championship, not only on the pitch but with everything that comes with it.

There’s more spotlight and every game you play is a big event that is shown all over the world. It’s literally a different ball game.

That’s always what gave me the belief I could perform well in the Premier League.

I wasn’t playing all the time with my club, but with Northern Ireland I was playing against some of the best players in the world and I always felt I held my own.

Taking on some of the best players from Germany or the Netherlands, it only added to the belief that I belonged at that level, and I’m sure Trai and Daniel will feel the same.

You could say the same for Conor Bradley at Liverpool and Justin Devenny at Crystal Palace too, as they were both playing international football before playing week in, week out for their clubs.

Stuart Dallas scores against Manchester CityGetty Images

I can relate a lot to Trai’s journey to the Premier League. Like me, he started off in the Irish League and had a lot of senior games under his belt before he moved across to England.

I had played between 150 and 200 games of senior football for Coagh United and Crusaders, and I can’t speak enough about how much that prepares you to step up to professional football in England. I still had a lot of developing to do when I moved to Brentford, but it set me up so well.

You can be in an academy in England from the age of eight, and in a pre-academy even younger. I look at some players who haven’t played a senior game by the age of 20 or 21 because they are stuck in youth football, and when they get their chance they struggle to adapt because it’s hard to bridge that gap.

‘It’s a new era for Northern Ireland’

While the result in Denmark was disappointing, there are still positives to take from the game. Denmark deserved to win, and they are a level above where Northern Ireland currently are.

But it is where Michael O’Neill wants his team to be, and it was another good learning experience for his young squad.

Defensively, particularly in the first half, they were very good against a strong and creative attack but they will want to improve going forward. They needed to be more brave on the ball. They made a great start with the goal but didn’t really threaten after scoring, and I’m sure that will have disappointed Michael.

In that regard, I think Iceland in the perfect game to follow it up on Tuesday. As the home team, the onus is on you to take it to the opposition and play with the energy and desire to win the game. The crowd will play a role in that too, and we know how important Windsor Park can be.

I know Michael likes to play with a back three, but I think he will set the team up a little bit different to get his key players on the ball to try and make something happen.

Trai Hume applauds Northern Ireland supportersPress Eye

It’s a new era for Northern Ireland, and that is highlighted by the fact that George Saville was the only player in the 26-strong squad over the age of 30.

Paddy McNair would have been in there too if he wasn’t injured, but it just shows how young this team are.

The Iceland game is the final chance to prepare for World Cup qualifying in September, and it’s hard because these players are effectively learning on the job. The only way to prepare for big games is to keep playing strong teams and learn from any mistakes.

There aren’t any shortcuts in international football, and that is why Michael is keen to take on higher-level friendlies.

The leadership group in the squad is young, but I’m seeing good qualities on the pitch.

Stuart Dallas was speaking to BBC Sport NI’s Andy Gray.

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  • Northern Ireland Men’s Football Team
  • Northern Ireland Sport
  • Football
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The no-win game that’s become must-win for Clarke

SNS

International friendly: Liechtenstein v Scotland

Venue: Rheinpark Stadium, Vaduz Date: Monday, 9 June Kick-off: 17:00 BST

A friendly game against one of international football’s smallest nations and worst teams is always a bit of a no-win.

But after Scotland’s painful defeat by Iceland, the friendly away to Liechtenstein is not just a must-win, but must win well for Steve Clarke before September’s World Cup qualifiers.

The Scotland head coach has come under fire since Friday’s 3-1 loss after fielding a strong side – presumably to build some much-needed confidence – only for things to unravel dramatically with goalkeeper Angus Gunn limping off just a few minutes in.

Cieran Slicker’s unfortunate debut as Gunn’s replacement took the headlines, but as Clarke himself has said, there was much more to the disheartening defeat than that.

Losing a home friendly after a long season against a decent Iceland side was not in itself the issue, but rather the grim nature of the performance from a squad that has shown it can be much better.

The wider picture – Scotland have won just six games since the amazing Oslo comeback in June 2023 – also came into sharper focus after another home humbling.

It leaves Clarke and Scotland needing to build positivity, momentum and confidence on the back of one game against the world’s 205th- ranked side.

Lowly Liechtenstein struggling

For context, only five sides are ranked lower than Liechtenstein in the world.

One of those is San Marino, who beat them home and away in the recent Nations League.

The tiny nation, with a population similar to Greenock, only have a handful of professional players.

They played away to Wales on Friday night in World Cup qualification and lost 3-0, failing to fire a shot, or even get a touch in the Welsh box.

After that defeat in Cardiff, the Liechtenstein players were not afforded a chartered plane, but flew home via Amsterdam to Zurich, mixing and mingling with the Tartan Army in the departure gates and stingy economy class seats.

‘Honestly lads, just shoot from anywhere,’ was the gist of some of the patter, a gallows nod to Scotland’s injury crisis in the goalkeeping department.

The Liechtenstein squad were even hauling massive boxes of kit and luggage from the belts themselves and on to trolleys, wheeling it all out of Zurich airport.

A far cry from the elite end of the game.

Fresh faces? Or experienced heads?

The excitement from a Scotland point of view has to mean goals – and perhaps some meaningful minutes for some fresh faces.

At his pre-match media conference, Clarke said he would freshen things up.

With winger Ben Doak absent through injury, Scotland’s attacking spark and width was gone against Iceland as they toiled in a back three formation.

Could Clarke go to a back four again? Play with two strikers?

It is a year since a striker last scored for Scotland, so could Middlesbrough’s Tommy Conway, the joint fourth top scorer in the Championship, get a start?

Although Scotland are well stocked in midfield, Motherwell’s Lennon Miller did not look out of place when he came off the bench in the second half.

More impressive minutes from him or Conway, or Kieron Bowie in a good victory might just bring some positive vibes back.

Regardless, it feels like Scotland need their holidays and Clarke might just want to get a much required win and forget about this window, hitting the reset button for the trip to Copenhagen in September.

This head coach and group of players have recovered from poor summers before to reach major finals. The competitive games are what matter.

Related topics

  • Scottish Football
  • Football
  • Scotland Men’s Football Team

Peter Andre addresses age-gap relationship with wife Emily after huge mistake

Peter Andre has spoken out on his near-two decade age gap with wife Emily MacDonagh, recalling one particular mistake which made their difference in age very noticeable.

Peter Andre has spoken out on his near-two decade age gap with wife Emily MacDonagh

Peter Andre has addressed his age gap relationship with wife Emily MacDonagh, who is 16 years younger than him. The couple have been married since 2015 and share three children; Amelia, Theo and Arabella.

Writing in his weekly New! Magazine column, the Mysterious Girl singer said that the dynamic ‘works’ for them and quipped that age is just a number, but did recall one incident where the gap was more prominent.

Taking to his column, Peter began by addressing 67-year-old Stephen Fry’s marriage to Elliott Spencer, who is three decades his junior at age 38. Admitting that he’s not one to judge, Peter wrote: “Actor Stephen Fry has talked about the 30-year age gap in his relationship with his partner, Elliott Spencer.

“It all depends on the relationship, how the partners are with each other and how they view things, I think. There’s a 16-year gap between me and Emily, and it really works for us,” he explained.

Stephen Fry and Elliott Spencer
Sir Stephen Fry’s husband Elliott Spencer is 30 years younger than him(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)

That’s not to say the age gap goes unnoticed, as Peter continued: “There’s one thing we do laugh about, though… We were at the Pride of Britain awards one year and Jon Bon Jovi came over to chat. I’ve met him many times over the years and he’s a lovely person.

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He introduced himself to Emily and after he walked away, she turned to me and said, “Who was that?” I was like, “Are you serious? It’s Bon Jovi.” In the most confused but innocent voice, she said, “What’s a Bon Jovi?”

“We laughed about that a lot afterwards! It’s in those moments we may realise the age gap –usually with music and films – but in general, we love the same things. I think it’s what works for you in a relationship. Who are we to judge?”

Peter Andre and Emily MacDonagh
Peter and Emily met when the latter was a medical student in her early twenties

The couple first met when the latter was 20 and Peter 36, but didn’t begin dating for two years. They were introduced through Emily’s dad, Dr Ruaraidh MacDonagh, a consultant urologist.

Peter was undergoing kidney stone removal surgery in 2010 performed by Ruaraidh, and he later met Emily – at the time a medical student – through the doctor.

The couple started dating in 2012 went on to marry three years later in a beautiful ceremony at Mamhead House and Castle in Devon.

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Now parents to their three children and Emily a stepmum to Peter’s kids Junior and Princess, the family keep their three youngest kids’ faces away from social media and are relatively private online.

Kerry Katona’s nine-word statement in fresh plea to ex Brian McFadden

Kerry Katona has made a fresh plea to her ex husband Brian McFadden, admitting she ‘wishes’ the pair could have remained friends following their 2004 split.

Kerry Katona has made a fresh plea to her ex husband Brian McFadden, admitting she ‘wishes’ the pair could have remained friends(Image: Channel 4)

Kerry Katona has admitted how she ‘wishes’ she could have remained friends with ex-husband Brian McFadden following their 2004 break up. The couple dated from 1999 and wed in a stunning Ireland ceremony three years later, before splitting after two years of marriage.

She shares daughters Molly and Lilly-Sue with the Westlife singer, with whom she has famously had a jaded relationship since splitting. Writing in her weekly New! Magazine column, Kerry spoke about Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s recent split from Dakota Johnson and his co-parenting relationship with ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow, comparing it to her own experiences with Brian.

“I was sad to read about Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson’s split, I thought they made a nice couple. It’s amazing how Chris and his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow have managed to co-parent their kids and stay friends. I take my hat off to anyone who can do that,” began Kerry.

She continued: “I wish Brian and I could have stayed friends. Molly went to watch him at a festival last week and I would have loved to have gone with her. Brian’s fiancée is lovely and they’ve got a gorgeous little one. It would be great to have a better relationship.”

Kerry Katona and Brian McFadden
Kerry split from Brian in 2004 after five years together, during which they wed in an Irish ceremony(Image: Getty Images)

Kerry is also a mum to Heidi, 18, and Max, 17, who she shares with second husband Mark Croft, and youngest daughter DJ, ten, who she welcomed with late husband George Kay.

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Previously, Kerry has referred to Brian as the ‘only man she’d ever loved’, while Brian – who is now engaged to Danielle Parkinson- told the Independent in 2007 that early on in the relationship he hadn’t thought about whether he wanted a long-term future with Kerry.

He said that life “ran away” with him, saying: “So then, when we had the first baby, bought a house, spent time together and Westlife became the same thing over and over, I woke up one morning and realised, ‘This is not what I want to do with my life, I don’t see myself being with this woman in 20 years, she’s not who I’m meant to be with, we don’t have anything in common’.”

Kerry said in 2019 that the split left her ‘shattered’, writing in her column: “I remember feeling shattered when my first marriage broke down and I was left with two baby daughters. It’s one thing being heartbroken by the loss of a relationship, but add to that the guilt of being a mum and it’s so hard.”

Kerry Katona and Brian McFadden at daughter Molly's 21st birthday
Kerry and Brian share daughters Molly and Lilly-Sue, reuniting for Molly’s 21st birthday two years ago

She added: “[I’ll] never forget the sadness of feeling like I couldn’t make Brian love me enough to keep our family together.” Kerry went on to share in the magazine column at the time that it took her a “long time” to “get over that”.

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Olivia and Alex Bowen’s baby name bombshell amid nerves over birth

Former Love Island star Alex Bowen opens up about feeling ‘nervous’ about welcoming baby number two with wife Olivia – and why her second pregnancy has had its share of heartache

Alex and OIivia are preparing to become parents for a second time(Image: Instagram)

One of the many dads across the country who’ll be celebrating Father’s Day this Sunday is Alex Bowen – and with another baby on the way, this one is bound to be extra special. The reality star, 33, and his wife Olivia are one of Love Island ’s biggest success stories, meeting on the ITV2 show in 2016 and remaining strong ever since. The couple are already parents to son Abel, who turned three this week, and are now getting ready to welcome a baby girl.

But it’s not been an easy journey as Olivia, 31, originally fell pregnant with twins before the couple were told that they’d tragically lost one of their babies at eight weeks, something Alex admits was “really difficult”. Here, speaking exclusively to OK!, he shares his nerves at becoming a dad for the second time, reveals the family’s Father’s Day plans – and, as another series of Love Island begins, he shares the real secret to finding lasting love on TV…

READ MORE: Kate Garraway’s ‘beautiful’ Karen Millen suit is the ultimate occasionwear outfit

Alex Bowen
This will be Alex’s last Father’s Day as a dad of one(Image: Mario Mitsis/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)

Hi, Alex! You and Olivia are expecting a baby girl soon, how are you feeling?

I’m excited! To be honest, I was a little wary about the possibility of another boy, because I love my son more than anything. But now that I know we’re having a girl, I think it will be like two completely different loves. It wouldn’t have mattered what gender we had, but having a boy and a girl is the dream, so, I can’t wait. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little bit nervous because I held one of my friends’ babies recently and I forgot how small they are, it scared me! But I think it’s different when it’s your child, you get into the swing of things when they’re here. I’m excited to have two little ones running around.

Olivia sadly lost one of the babies, how did you navigate that?

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Yeah, it has been tough. It’s a shock to find out that you’re having twins, so we were really scared when we found out. I remember being on the way home from a scan, thinking I couldn’t wait to see our three kids in the back of the car – imagining the twins there. I built it up in my head thinking it was 100% happening, so, when we found out that we had lost one, it was really difficult. It’s hard to navigate because you’ve got one healthy baby in there, which you have to focus on, but you’ve also lost one. It was a really weird time, but now we have to focus on the little girl that’s coming. That’s the main thing.

Olivia had a difficult labour with Abel, does that make you nervous for this one?

Yeah, it does, but I was nervous the first time. We’ve spoken to a lot of people that have been through similar things and they say that if you’re really stressed about it, it can make the birth worse. So you’ve got to try and be positive and relaxed – it helps it go smoothly, I guess. I am nervous, but we’ve just got to take every day as it comes. Not that I’m an expert on births!

Olivia Bowen and son Abel
Alex says Abel will be a brilliant big brother(Image: Instagram)

Is Abel looking forward to being a big brother?

He loves it already. Every morning he gives Liv’s belly a kiss and says, “There’s baby sister in there.” He’s really, really good with babies anyway – when we see friends and family with babies he’ll stroke the baby’s cheek with the back of his hand and is really gentle. He’s such a sweet boy.

Do you think you’ll be protective of your little girl?

Oh, yeah. I’m completely protective of Abel, so God knows what I’ll be like when I have a girl. She’ll be my little princess. So, I feel like I’m going to be extra protective. But also not too much because when she gets older she’s not going to want a protective dad all the time!

Have you decided on a name yet?

Oh, God, no, it’s such a struggle for a girl! I’ve got my favourite, but then it changes and we’ll be like, “I’m not too sure now.” I keep going on different websites and looking through thousands of names, but you don’t want a name that you associate with someone else or that’s going to get them bullied at school, either. We’ve got three names we’re quite stuck on, but I think when we see her, we’ll know straight away, hopefully.

Olivia and Alex Bowen on Love Island
The couple are one of Love Island’s biggest success stories(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)

How will you be spending Father’s Day?

It will be quite chilled. Me and Liv have always planned quite extravagant things for each other, but, as we’ve got older, I think just being at home or going for a nice meal as a family, taking the kids to the park or whatever, that’s the best thing. Liv actually bought me a mug for Valentine’s Day, which said ‘Daddy’s special mug’, but it didn’t come for around two or three weeks. So I assumed it was for Father’s Day, I thought it had already been and gone!

Love Island is now back on our screens – is there a secret to finding love on the show like you did?

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I was on that show. I’m nearly 34 now and I was on it when I was 24, I feel old! When you see people come out of it and then split up, everyone tarnishes it saying, “Oh, no one lasts from Love Island .” Truth is, people split up all the time in day-to-day life, whether they met on TV or not. You can just get sick of people.

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I’m just lucky that me and Liv really got on and she’s put up with most of my rubbish for all of these years! We were meant to be together. We do argue, but it never really gets any worse than that – I feel like there’s no point throwing anything away. In today’s society, it’s so easy to jump on a dating website or think the grass is greener when it’s not. Liv and I aren’t quitters – we work on our relationship all the time.