Category News

The 65-year-old TV presenter had nothing but positive things to say about the team of medical professionals – but she gave a special mention to one doctor who helped her through the last few days

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has shared a sweet message to the doctors involved in her emergency surgery and recovery.

The star has been recovering after having her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in a “purely preventative” surgery, leaving her followers sending their good wishes.

According to the NHS, the bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) operation is a common surgery that takes 40-60 minutes. It can help women with ovarian cysts in the perimenopausal age group manage pain or prevent the onset of ovarian cancer. Almost two weeks after her surgery, Lorraine took to Instagram to confirm her return to work.

READ MORE: Bookies share odds of UK winning song contest ahead of grand final

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, May 15 Lorraine shared an image of her alongside her grandaughter Billie and Gynaecologist Ahmed Raafat. She captioned the post: “I had my check up l today and the fabulous @ahmed_raafat_gynaecologist_ says I can go back to work on Monday – as long as I take it easy. Billie obviously loved him. Huge thanks to Mr Rafaat and his top team who’ve chosen to work here and help us – from countries like Croatia, Nepal and all over Europe, Africa and the Caribbean – what on earth would we do without you.

One of her followers wrote: “So glad to hear you are better, and you are right our NHS and care system owe a debt of gratitude to overseas workers,” while another said: “Billie makes everything better! Good to hear you’re back on your feet.” TV presenter Katie Piper also commented: ” Lovely to see you smiling.”

Earlier this month, Lorraine took to her social media to a personal update with fans. She told followers: “Just wanted to let you know I’m having a wee procedure today. I’ve not been feeling all that well for a little while, so I had some scans and tests, and I have to have my ovaries and my tubes taken out.

“It’s purely preventative. It’s going to be with keyhole surgery, which is incredible. I’m being very well looked after, and I’ll obviously see you really soon, and I’m gonna be totally fine.” After a few days, the star told fans she was “recovering well,” as she celebrated a huge milestone for her ITV show.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the star penned: “Thanx for all your lovely messages I’m recovering well. So proud of my top team – punching above our weight and bucking the trend. Just heard our ratings are up – we had the highest March for four years. Thanks @vixkennedy and the gang! Always know how to cheer me up.”

P Diddy, who has won three Grammy Awards, faces a number of charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex ­trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution

P Diddy’s comment to his lawyer was caught on a hot mic in court during his trial yesterday.

The 55-year-old rapper told Anna Estevao he was “proud” of her work, a remark he appeared to understand would go unnoticed in the courtroom in New York City. However, it became public in the hushed environment as it was caught on one of the room’s hot mics. It is thought the device was on when it seemed Diddy believed it to be off.

The moment happened after Ms Estevao had launched her cross-examination of former partner Cassie Ventura, confronting her with intimate messages from her 11-year relationship with Diddy, real name Sean Combs.

The questioning, it is understood, aimed to establish a mutual emotional bond between the pair, with Ms Estevao suggesting Ms Ventura “knew the real Sean — a version he won’t let the rest of the world see.”

At one point, Ms Estevao read from a 2017 message Ms Ventura sent to Combs: “Please don’t play victim. That’s all you wanted and that’s why I was upset. I love our FOs when we both want it.” The defence appeared focused on casting their sexual encounters as consensual.

One heated exchange in the courtroom on Thursday sawthe lawyer state: “You and Mr Combs were in love for 11 years, right?”

“Yeah,” the woman replied. She was asked: “You loved him,” to which she said: “I did.” When asked if she believed the musician loved her, Ms Ventura said: “Yes.”

It was after this exchange when Diddy, who has won three Grammy Awards, told his lawyer he was “proud” of her interrogation. He stands trial accused of a number of charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex ­trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.

During Thursday’s proceedings, Ms Ventura also told the court Combs noticed the negative effects her drug use was having on her and encouraged her to see a doctor. She said there were moments when he expressed concern for her mental health.

In a striking revelation, Ms Ventura confirmed Combs himself suffered an overdose on opiate painkillers while at the Playboy Mansion in 2012. At the time, the incident was widely reported, with TMZ citing an “extreme migraine” as the reason for his hospitalisation. Following this testimony, Judge Arun Subramanian called a brief recess in the New York City courtroom.

When it resumed, Ms Ventura said she and Diddy had taken MDMA or ecstasy together previously. When Ms Estevao asked whether she had ever experienced “bad” MDMA before, Ms Ventura acknowledged, “Yes, you get sick.” Ms Estevao then questioned whether the drugs taken that day may have been a “bad batch” of MDMA — a line of questioning that drew an objection from the prosecution.

Broadway superstar Charles Strouse – who composed music for Annie and Applause – has died at 96.

The composer’s career spanned more than five decades and he became a leading player in classic musical theatre. He won three Tony Awards, including the 1970 gong for Best Musical for Applause.

His publicist announced the musician died at his home in New York City on Thursday. He was born in the city in 1928 and had a huge influence on the theatre since there, writing more than a dozen Broadway musicals, including Bye Bye Birdie and its sequel Bring Back Birdie 21 years later.

His scores, including pieces for films and TV shows, were catchy and popular. The optimistic anthem for Annie won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Original Score. Mr Strouse’s upbeat numbers helped drive his zest to forge a long career in the industry, writing scores until 2011 at the age of 83.

During an interview on the eve of his 80th birthday in 2008, Mr Strouse said: “When you enjoy doing what you’re doing, which I do very much, I have something to get up for. I work every day. Activity — it’s a life force.”

The composer, who is survived by his four children, visited tours of his shows and met casts in the 1990s. Jenn Thompson, who appeared in the first Annie as Pepper and directed a touring version in 2024, recalls Mr Strouse coming to auditions and shedding a tear when a young girl sang Tomorrow.

She recalled: “He was tearing up and he put his hand on mine. And he leaned in to me and very quietly said, ‘That was you. That used to be you.’ And I thought I would die. I thought my heart would drop out of my shoes… He’s so gorgeously generous and kind. He has always been that way.”

Some of the composer’s later pieces were praised too. The music for Nick & Nora was nominated for a Tony in 1992 after impressing audiences in Broadway. The play told the story about a high society couple attempting to solve the murder of a bookkeeper on a film production in Hollywood.

It was a steel reflected in Mr Strouse, who throughout his career remained determined and optimistic. He saw Annie become of the most popular musicals Broadway has seen. There has been more than 2,300 performances of the musical, based on the book by Thomas Meehan. It has toured frequently in the UK, including in 2023. Jay-Z was even a fan, and he used shards of the work for his 1998 Grammy-winning album Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life.

Even Ms Strouse’s flops contained impressive music, particularly Rags in 1986, with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and I and Albert in 1972, a musical about Queen Victoria which had a three-month run in London and was one of Mr Strouse’s personal favorites. All-American also had a memorable ballad Once Upon a Time.

Among Mr Strouse’s film scores were the music for Bonnie and Clyde in 1967 and 1968’s The Night They Raided Minsky’s. One of his last musicals was Minsky’s. A love story set against the backdrop of the fabled burlesque empire, it was the brainchild of English director Mike Ockrent, who died of leukemia in 1999 before the project was completed. By then, Strouse and lyricist Susan Birkenhead had written some dozen songs.

The composer’s wife, Barbara, died in 2023. They had been married for more than 60 years and had four children; Ben, Nick, Victoria and William, together.

This is a breaking news story. Follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook or visit The Mirror homepage.

A former the Only Way is Essex cast member has given an insight into their latest relationship this week, with Kirk Norcross posting about going on holiday with his partner

A former the Only Way is Essex cast member paid tribute to their partner earlier this week after getting into a new relationship. The reality TV star has given an insight into the romance following a recent holiday abroad as a couple.

Kirk Norcross, 37, who appeared on the ITV show between 2010 and 2013, has been posting about his apparent new relationship on Instagram in recent months. He however hasn’t disclosed his partner’s identity, instead covering her face with a red heart emoji in photos shared with fans.

The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate shared an update with his followers on Wednesday. Kirk posted photos from a holiday to Egypt on the platform. He revealed in the post that he visited the city of Hurghada with his partner.

Alongside a series of photos from the trip, Kirk described his mystery partner as the “right person” in the caption of the post. He wrote in the post uploaded this week: “Egypt dump! When you find the right person everything feels right.”

READ MORE: Jacqueline Jossa’s cryptic message as Dan Osborne says he’s ‘close to dropping everything’READ MORE: James Argent lines up first public appearance after assault shame

As with previous posts on his account, his companion’s face was covered by a heart emoji in the photos. One photo included in the post showed the couple sat waiting at an airport, with Kirk smiling beside his partner in the selfie.

Another showed the couple at a bar, with Kirk shirtless and his partner modelling a bikini, amid them soaking up the sun on their holiday together. The pair were seen sporting headscarves in another selfie of them from the recent trip.

Other photos appeared to show them ready for evenings out together whilst away from home. Kirk was seen wearing various shirts and trousers in those few photos, whilst his partner’s wardrobe included a dress and a bodysuit.

It isn’t the first time that Kirk has posted about his latest relationship. Shortly after Valentine’s Day in February, he told his followers in a post on the platform that his partner has been building him up to be “the best version” of himself.

Alongside a photo of them, he wrote at the time: “It’s not about looking for someone to fill in the blanks in your life and it’s not about acting like someone else just to find someone, it’s about finding someone that wants you for you and builds you up to be the best version you are, and that’s what I have found in this one! Thank you for being you!”

Like with his other posts, Kirk didn’t tag or identity his partner at the time. He instead covered her face with a heart emoji in the photo, which showed the pair posing together for a selfie in a mirror whilst in each other’s company.

His partner seems to have first appeared on his Instagram page in November last year. Kirk shared a photo of himself beside an individual, thought to be his current partner, and wrote in the caption: “Everything happens for a reason.”

Kirk, who has two children from previous relationships, was met with support from his followers on Instagram over his latest post. The post has amassed almost 10,000 likes since it was first uploaded to the platform earlier this week.

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: Amanda Holden buys ‘magic’ Elizabeth Arden cream on repeat and it’s half price