Author: bang1

Robin Windsor died in unexplained circumstances in February, and his Strictly Come Dancing partners and friends shared their moving memories of him during a BBC special

Beloved Strictly Come Dancing star Robin Windsor passed away at the age of just 44, found on February 19 this year, and emotions were high during a beautiful tribute in his name.

The BBC celebrated the 20th anniversary of Strictly in a special episode today, and took a moment to remember those involved – hosts, contestants, and pro dancers – who we’ve lost over the years. Robin was honoured by his colleagues and dancers, all of whom highlighted how special he was to them and felt comfortable to let their grief show.

Emmerdale star Lisa Riley – who danced with Robin in 2012 – began the touching homage. “Whoever’s idea it was to put me and Robin Windsor together needs the biggest trophy, bigger than the Glitterball,” she said.

It Takes Two host Janette Manrara lovingly added: “He honestly was Mr. Strictly. He was as camp as Christmas. More tanned than anyone I’ve ever seen before in my life. Didn’t mind wearing sequins on any part of his body.”

Actress Lisa Riley teared up as she shared some of the words she said during her eulogy at Robin’s funeral ( 
Image:
BBC)

Dragons’ Den judge Deborah Meaden followed, saying: “I did Strictly because I wanted to enjoy myself, and Robin understood that. And he was just the best partner.”

“The best part of me and Robin was just at my house, two cups of tea, gossiping like two besties on the couch together, you know?” Lisa described in the moving montage, before pro dancer Aljaž Škorjanec praised: “What a beautiful, beautiful friend, dancer, and just a kind man.”

Karen Hauer explained: “He always took care of us…” with her words tailing off as she struggled to continue. Lisa returned and closed the tribute: “I know full well he’s up there now. He’s dancing a foxtrot. I said it in the eulogy when I read it at his funeral. I said, ‘One day, we’ll dance that foxtrot again together.’” the actress started tearing up as she finished, “And… I truly believe that.”

The late Robin was described as kind, caring and ‘the best partner’ by those who knew him best on Strictly ( 
Image:
Liverpool Echo)The cause or exact date of Robin’s tragic death isn’t yet known, but it has been reported that his body was found inside a London hotel. Robin’s family shared a heartbreaking following his death. A statement shared with The Mirror read: “We would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and celebration of our beloved Robin. While we understand that there is a huge public and media interest around his passing, we as a family need time to process our shock and grief. We ask for the needs of our family and friends to be taken into consideration and for our privacy to be respected at this difficult time.”

Prior to his sudden passing, he reportedly confided in a friend about a “troubling incident” that took place over the New Year. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the friend of the late star recalled: “He kept saying that something had happened over New Year but he wouldn’t say what it was. He sounded absolutely traumatised – whatever had happened must have been truly awful.” Before his death, Robin spent his final days working on a luxury cruise ship and exploring Africa.

Former This Morning presenter Fern Britton enterted a ‘new chapter’ of her life after separating from chef Phil Vickery, with her having moved to Cornwall for a fresh start

Presenter Fern Britton opened up about entering a “new chapter” of her life without a partner this weekend after previously saying that she doesn’t want to get married again.

It was announced in 2020 that Fern, now 67, had separated from her husband, chef Phil Vickery, now 63. Following the end of their marriage, the former This Morning host, who has a daughter with her ex, decided to move to Cornwall.

She spoke about the relocation and her life now whilst on the latest episode of James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV. She was interviewed by host James Martin, 52, on the show and said about the move: “It was a brand new chapter, absolutely. I found myself single, children off my hands.”

James later said: “I get the feeling that you’ve gone through so many things in your life – highs and the lows … you’re at a happy place now.” Fern responded to the chef: “I am, actually! I am very happy and this is life for loads of people.”

The host then questioned: “Is that because you don’t have to prove it to anybody anymore?” Fern appeared to take a swipe at her ex-husband, saying that she can now watch whatever she wants on TV and is her “own boss” in life.

Sharing an update on her life at the moment, Fern told James: “I think it’s good because I can sit down in the morning and watch all the daytime television I like. No one is going to judge me for it. I don’t have to get dressed up and made up. This is especially for you, you understand that? Life is good. I’m my own boss now, which is great – in every sense. My life, my work, everything. I’m my own boss and I’m enjoying that.”

Fern Britton spoke about her life whilst a guest on James Martin’s Saturday Morning this weekend ( 
Image:
ITV)
Fern and Phil, who got married in 2000, announced their separation in 2020. The former couple are parents to daughter Winnie Vickery, 23, together. Fern also has three kids from her first marriage to Clive Jones. They are parents to twins Harry Jones and Jack Jones, 30, as well as Grace Jones, 27.

She has spoken about her marriage to Phil on occasion since their split, including once telling Woman & Home magazine: “We simply needed to follow our own paths. Over time we realised we weren’t necessarily having the kind of life we once did. It seemed right to say ‘thank you’ and move on.” She added at the time that she has a “good friendship” with Phil.

Fern, pictured in 2022, teased that she found herself single and with her kids ‘off her hands’ as part of the latest chapter of her life ( 
Image:
Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Good Housekeeping Live)

The presenter was previously married to chef Phil Vickery, though their separation was announced in 2020 ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Speaking to Good Housekeeping, she said last year: “My children are grown-up and I’m no longer married, and it’s as if this whole other world has opened up. I never thought this would happen; I didn’t expect to be 65 and single and really relaxed.”

Whilst earlier this year, Fern revealed in an interview with the Daily Mail in March that she doesn’t want to “live with anyone” or “get married again”. She said: “I’m a very independent person and the older I get the more I realise I like freedom.”

Fern however shared that she was open to romance, though described the prospect as the “icing on the cake”. She added: “But I don’t want to have to be cooking and cleaning and taking care of anybody. Separate houses would do me nicely.”

Singer and TV star Tulisa Contostavlos tells of secret problems in I’m A Celebrity camp which almost led her to quit ITV show

Tulisa Contostavlos has told how she suffered a secret anxiety attack in the I’m A Celebrity camp – and headed to the UK because she felt like she was “having a breakdown” if she stayed in Australia.

The 36-year-old singer and former X Factor judge speaks bravely and honestly in an emotional podcast interview this weekend.

And fans listening will get the full story of her life including the latest chapter spent in the jungle and what really happened during the aftermath, when she headed home with ITV’s full support. Tulisa had gone into I’m A Celebrity telling the Mirror she hoped it would be part of her “healing journey” and “like therapy”, But the show was harder than she realised and Tulisa admits she even considered quitting the show.

Tulisa said: “Some of the things you didn’t see, I had night terrors for the first four days. I was waking up out of my sleep, and I was having anxiety attacks. Those parts, not everyone knows, so it wasn’t completely smooth sailing for me at all, but I have a great poker face.

“I really can turn it on and especially when I’m faced with adversity. The last thing I wanted to do was go in there and be the hot mess. So if anything, I’m going to be the biggest soldier there is. So as soon as I’m set with a task and I’m going in and jumping out of a plane, I’m going to look like a warrior, because that is what I do. I might sit and cry under the sleeping bag, that’s also a part of who I am.”

Referring to the problems she faced, she added: “I mean, I did cry on the VT at one point, but I definitely had an anxiety attack off-camera, because I went to the smoking area to do it and even then, I didn’t want them to know that I was having an anxiety attack, so I was trying to bring down my heart rate, literally through my nose.

“I was like, ‘Okay, get the heart rate down. Get the heart rate down’. I wanted to leave that day. I was like, ‘I can’t do this but it’s not what I came here for. I came here to stick it out and do whatever I have to do’. And there were lots of amazing moments, really joyful moments, thanks to the people. The people made those moments.”

Tulisa speaks at length to Paul C Brunson on his We Need To Talk podcast
Tulisa lives in the countryside in Greater Manchester and tends to stay out of the spotlight now when she is not on tour with N Dubz. Speaking to podcaster Paul C Brunson she explained how she recently spent several years “dependent” on prescription sleeping tablets, only managing to stop taking them in January of this year.

The memories of getting herself off drugs like diazepam and a battle with anxiety was still fresh in her memory when she took part in the ITV reality series. Tulisa added: “I am a massive introvert. I was really getting a little bit overwhelmed in there, so I was probably the least around in camp.

“I would go and remove myself and go for walks or go and hide in the dunny. I spent 90% of my time alone. The agoraphobia and being alone for so long, I got super overwhelmed being around so many people. They could see that, and they were really understanding about that. They had jokes like, ‘She’s gone to the Airbnb. She’ll be back.’

“You know, they’re like, What are you doing? I’m like, ‘Bro, I’ve just been staring at a palm tree. I just needed a minute’.

“When I came out, I think actually the biggest thing that tipped me over the edge was introvert overload. I had pushed myself into doing this and I was ready to overcome all the fears and being in the spotlight, but being watched consistently, [for] so many hours a day, nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, feeling so exposed. Everyone can see me, and also this underlying fear – probably irrational – of being watched.”

She says the feeling of being watched reminded her of when she was secretly filmed and “under surveillance” by disgraced journalist Mazher Mahmood, aka the Fake Sheikh, whose claims about Tulisa being a drug dealer were thrown out of court in 2014 and dismissed as lies. Tulisa says when she came out of I’m A Celebrity and went into the hotel on the Gold Coast she was emotional and whilst other contestants were “happy campers” the experience weighed heavily on her.

Tulisa Contostavlos during her time in the I’m A Celebrity camp ( 
Image:
ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
She deleted references to the show from her social media and then left the country to go back to the UK instead of staying on for the final as contestants normally do.

Explaining for the first time what really happened next, Tulisa said: “I did what I signed up for, but I came out, I processed, I was feeling the way I was feeling. There’s 11 other really happy campers there that are really happy to be there, happy to have the holiday and do it all with energy, with smiles, and you have someone that’s sat crying in their hotel room. In this current age that we live in, it’s like, ‘You want me to be there out of principle? When I’m having a breakdown right now? I need to go home and process this. If other people are not having the same experience as me, they haven’t had the same experiences in the past and they’re all current people that are doing radios or they’re on television. This is very much the norm for them’. This, for me, was a psychological experiment, for myself.

“ITV were brilliant and supported me knowing what I needed to do for myself.” Tulisa then found comfort being at home and detoxing from social media. Whilst attention remained high around her she was sat at home watching her favourite films with her phone off.

She said: “I stared at the wall, I think, for the first 24 hours in the bed covers, just thinking, processing, phone off. And then I put the Lord of the Rings trilogy on because I’m a nerd and escapism is my thing when I’m feeling overwhelmed. I just sat in bed for four days, phone detox, social media detox, and the people that know me really well know what I’m like, and they were like, ‘It’s okay, just just leave her’ and they were having to speak to other people, because everyone’s like, ‘We can’t get hold of her. She’s gone off the radar. Is she okay?’ My friends that are closest to me, my inner circle, were like ‘She’s good, she’s recharging. She’s on the recharge’.”

Tulisa also uses the in-depth interview with Paul C Brunson to describe how she has faced up to a battle with prescription drugs in recent years during the covid lockdown. She wants to tell fans everything that has happened to her in life so there are “not any more misconceptions of my character”.

During lockdown she became depressed when her dog got cancer and began self medicating with sleeping pills to numb the pain. But she felt like “she was going to die” when she then tried to kick the habit.

She explained: “I was dependent without realising… I just went cold turkey for five days and I ended up in hospital because I didn’t know, but my body had become dependent on it. I felt like I was having a heart attack. I had pains in my chest…. I just literally felt like I was going to die.”

Tulisa used sleeping pills like zopiclone and diazepam in the covid lockdown to help with anxiety and feelings of depression but then found it very difficult to stop, eventually taking months to taper off her dependency on them.

She adds: “Once I overcame that in January, I didn’t realise how much I had been affected by it and I started to feel alive again. I started to feel me, as a human. I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is reality’. I couldn’t determine anymore what was real and what wasn’t in terms of my anxiety, my depression. I didn’t know what was what. Then it takes so long for your body to get back to normal again and for your nervous system to recover.”

Over the years Tulisa has been threatened with prison over untrue media allegations, had to deal with a leaked sex tape and been sexually assaulted when young, But Tulisa says the dependence on prescription drugs was “one of the toughest experiences actually in my life”.

In some ways she says coming through this period in her life gave her the confidence to then take part in I’m A Celebrity. But once in the Australian camp she did suffer with some feelings she had encountered when coming off the pills. Looking ahead to a positive future, Tulisa also says in her new podcast interview she will continue with her music and has also written a novel which she hopes could one day be turned into a film. She said: “I’m in that peaceful era of just, ‘Do I feel passionate about it? All right, I’ll do it. Do I not? I’m staying at home and I won’t do it’.

Linda Nolan has incurable cancer and her family have been with her every step of the way – and her sister and Loose Women star Coleen has issued a lovely gesture to the star

Linda Nolan is heartbreakingly living with incurable cancer but one thing’s for sure, she still strives to see the positives in her life. And her sister and Loose Women star Coleen Nolan is helping her every step of the way. In fact, during OK!’s exclusive photoshoot, Linda revealed her New Year’s Eve plans with her sisters. She aid: “There’s a big New Year’s Eve party at Coleen’s. She’s booked us all into a hotel up the road, so it should be great fun.”

Linda – who has moved in with her sister Denise and her husband Tom – she continues to live with the disease that also took the life of her beloved sister Bernie in 2013 at the age of 52. “I try to stay positive,” she insisted. “I’ll use jokes and humour as a way to cope, but of course it’s scary. And I have my days where I’m terribly down.” It’s been 50 years since Linda first rose to fame in The Nolans, selling 30 million records with hits such as Attention To Me, Gotta Pull Myself Together and I’m In The Mood For Dancing. It’s clear the support of her siblings has been a huge help to Linda, who lost her husband Brian to liver cancer in 2007.

Linda has incurable cancer ( 
Image:
OK!/David Cummings)

Coleen is hosting a festive party for the family ( 
Image:
OK! Magazine / David Cummings)
Now, with the help of Denise and their surviving sisters Maureen, Anne and Coleen, as well as brothers Tommy and Brian, Linda has managed to find positives in her situation – though she acknowledges not everyone is able to stay as upbeat as she does about her diagnosis. “I’ve got an amazing family and great friends, some I’ve known since primary school,” she explains. “And I try to get out to walk with them at least twice a week, which is key in keeping me active and staying positive. It gets the endorphins flowing.”

She continued: “But a lot of people just don’t know what to say to me. I don’t sit and talk about cancer all the time. But people don’t realise that. I’ve had people I know cross the road to avoid me. If you don’t know what to say to me, tell me that. It’s OK to say, ‘I don’t know what to say, but I’m here for you.’” One thing Linda’s not keen on hearing, however, is talk of wills and finances, giving a strong insight into her thought process around death.

“When people start talking about putting things in order – I don’t want to talk about that,” she says, sighing. “I don’t want to think about my affairs. It’s so final. Every birthday, I want to make it to the next one. I have to be like that, I can’t be a grey cloud of doom. There are days when I do need to stay in bed, I just can’t ‘do’ the day, but on the whole, I try to stay as strong as possible.”

Coronation Street is lining up an unmissable Christmas Day episode this year, with one icon bowing out of the ITV soap for good, while there’s drama, danger, bombshells and a proposal

Fans can expect festive fun and some full-on drama on Coronation Street this Christmas Day.

Spoilers for the big episode have revealed sad scenes will air, as Gail Platt will bow out of the ITV soap for good. After 50 years in the role, actress Helen Worth is stepping away from the show and Christmas Day will be her final episode.

With some details about the episodes being kept under wraps, it remains to be seen whether she will get a happy ending. Elsewhere this Christmas Day, two residents find themselves in trouble with the law, as one character takes a brutal revenge.

This results in quite the catfight. There’s also a proposal amid a secret betrayal, and an affair prediction lands one character in danger. Here’s all you need to know about Christmas Day in Weatherfield…

Gail Platt leaves Coronation Street this Christmas ( 
Image:
ITV)

There’s drama, danger, bom

Gail’s final episode

Gail Platt makes her exit from the ITV soap in this episode. it’s said to focus around the Platts and Gail, as she questions whether she can go through with her wedding to Jesse Chadwick.

Falling out with her family who do not approve of Jesse, Gail is unsure about her plans to move to France with him. But will she make it down the aisle, and will she and Jesse head off into the sunset?

It’ll be tears all round as we see Gail, and actress Helen, bid farewell to the street and her loved ones after five decades on the show. While we can’t reveal how she leaves and whether it’s a happy ending, we can confirm there’s a lot going on as the Platts gather for the wedding that may or may not go ahead.

Danger teased and bombshells

Adam Barlow could be left injured, as David Platt’s determination to uncover a truth leads to chaos. David suspects wife Shona Platt of cheating on him, and he believes Adam is the man in question.

Adam knocks back whisky, unaware David is drinking water. Soon Adam realises what’s gone on and there’s a row, with Adam tumbling down some steps, but will he be okay? Shona could be forced to reveal that she has cheated on David with Kit Green, with it teased bombshells go off all across the episode.

Spoilers for the big episode have revealed sad scenes will air ( 
Image:
ITV)

A proposal

Amidst the chaos, love seems to be in the air as Daniel Osbourne pops the question to girlfriend Bethany Platt. Of course she has no idea that he’s cheated on her with his ex Daisy Midgeley.

When Bethany senses Daniel is not himself and she fears he is no longer interested in her, Daniel declares his love for her and proposes on Christmas Day. But will she say yes, and how will Daisy react to the big news?

Violent showdown

There’s a catfight on the way as sisters Leanne and Toyah Battersby go to war over Nick Tilsley. Leanne has secretly been plotting revenge against ex Nick and sister Toyah after they continued their secret romance.

Leanne had just about gotten over their affair months ago, only to find out they had reunited in secret. Leanne has tried setting the pair up, framing Toyah for fraud and intending on dragging Nick into it too.

On the day of Nick’s mum Gail’s wedding, there’s chaos when the police show up and tell Nick and Toyah that they need to ask them some questions on a fraud allegation. As Kit shows Nick the account in question, Nick assures Kit he’s never seen it before – but is he in big trouble?

At the police station a row breaks out between Toyah and Leanne, and it soon escalates into a huge fight. Will the sisters be able to come back from this?

In the trailer for Molly-Mae Hague’s brand-new Prime Video docuseries, the former Love Island star is seen slamming down the phone to ex-fiancé Tommy Fury after their split

Emotional Molly-Mae Hague hits out about ex-Tommy Fury in her new documentary and declares: “I am angry at him and I am very hurt – sometimes it really hits you that I’m in this alone.”

The first trailer from her Prime documentary series Molly-Mae: Behind It all which is released on January 17 shows there will be lots of revelations about the breakdown of Molly’s relationship with Tommy.

In another scene the mother-of-one says: “We were utterly obsessed with one another. All I ever wanted was to get married. Suddenly, overnight, every part of my life changed.” She is then shown on the phone in her car, presumably with Tommy as the call ends with her saying: “I actually am not having this conversation with you.”

Another scene, where she looks to be backstage at a clothes event she sobs: “It is not going how I planned.” The trailer ends with Molly declaring: “I don’t know what the future holds. This is a good opportunity to say how I actually feel.”

Molly-Mae slams down phone to Tommy Fury in brand new trailer for her tell-all docuseries ( 
Image:
Amazon Prime)

Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury split earlier this year ( 
Image:
Molly-Mae Hague/ Instagram)

The six-part series previously promises to give viewers “an unprecedented access into Molly-Mae’s life behind the vlog camera”. Molly has 21-month-old daughter Bambi with her former Love Island co-star Tommy. Bambi is shown being cuddled by Molly and saying the word ‘daddy’ in the trailer.

She had stayed relatively tight-lipped about the split until she spoke to Vogue this month. “I didn’t want what happened to happen,” she confessed, reiterating that she “wanted to get married to Tommy, one hundred percent, and that didn’t change”. She said the breakup was “a bit of a shock” due to the difficult “circumstance”.

Boxer Tommy recently admitted he was “heartbroken” by the news and has slammed rumours he had been unfaithful to the mother of his 20-month-old daughter Bambi.

He wrote on Instagram: “These last few weeks have been heartbreaking. The false allegations about me have been horrendous, thank you to everybody who has stood by me through this.”

The first three parts are out in January with the latter three episodes will drop in Spring 2025. The first image from the doc which was released in November showed Molly in a white shirt on a sofa preparing to be interviewed.

Prime says the documentary will take viewers “beyond the headlines to uncover the real Molly-Mae, following her journey after her highly publicised break-up”.

It said viewers will see Molly-Mae adapt to the challenges of motherhood, all while preparing to launch her biggest business venture to date: ‘Maebe’. It also promised an intimate look at the “powerhouse entrepreneur she is today” where she has to balance motherhood with brand success.

A Prime statement added: “This is Molly-Mae as we’ve never seen her before – raw, real and redefining what it means to thrive under intense public scrutiny.”

Eamonn Holmes turned down a lucrative offer from ITV Celebrity Big Brother bosses, admitting he feared being away from his girlfriend Katie Alexander and a possible lack of support in the house

Eamonn Holmes refused offers from Celebrity Big Brother bosses.

The GB News anchor, 65, had been at the top of the list of who producers wanted in the upcoming series which will air next year. Following his divorce from Loose Women’s Ruth Langsford after 14 years of marriage, they believed Eamonn would have been the ideal housemate.

But Eamonn had feared that due to his mobility issues, he wouldn’t have the right support in the house and also worried about missing his new girlfriend, Katie Alexander. It comes amidst reports that the former This Morning legend could be planning to pop the question to his lover.

Now, a source have said that while Eamonn was “flattered” by the offer – it’s not something he’s willing to take on at the moment. Speaking to the Mirror, our source said: “Eamonn was approached to do Celebrity Big Brother. He was flattered by the offer and it was a huge six-figure sum.

Eamonn didn’t think being in the house would work for him given his mobility issues ( 
Image:
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Bosses believed he would be the ideal housemate following his split from Ruth Langsford ( 
Image:
Mike Marsland/WireImage)

“After giving it some serious thought, he ultimately turned it down. The logistics of navigating the house and needing a wheelchair really concerned him and he didn’t feel confident that the support he’d need would be there.” Eamonn has, in recent months, been using mobility aids such as a walking stick and most recently, an electric wheelchair following major surgery on his back.

However, the outspoken broadcaster has opened up about being able to use a walker for shorter distances after enduring an “epidemic of pain”. Our source went on to add: “Eamonn also values his time at home with his partner Katie, and being locked away from her for such a long period wasn’t something he could come to terms with.

“The producers were really keen to have Eamonn on the show, they saw him as a huge draw for viewers and were willing to pull out all the stops. With his controversial opinions he would made the perfect housemate. But Eamonn knows his limits, and the idea of being in such an unpredictable environment, without Katie and the support he relies on, made it a no-go.”

They went on to say that Katie had been a “huge support” for Eamonn after his bombshell split from Ruth, having dated the star since 1996. “It was a tough decision for Eamonn because the financial offer was incredibly tempting, but he has to prioritize his health and mobility,” our insider added.

But Eamonn is said to have believed that “with all the challenges” of the Celebrity Big Brother house, it didn’t feel “realistic” for him to enter, given his use of aids such as a wheelchair when it came to manoeuvring it around the property. Despite thinking “long and hard about it,” the “practical” star failed to see how it would work.

The source commented: “Producers were desperate to have Eamonn involved and even tried to address some of his concerns. The money was astronomical, but for him, it’s not just about the pay cheque. The thought of being away from his partner and his home comforts didn’t feel worth the stress.”

A spokesperson for Eamonn declined to comment.

Pickle Cottage has been decked out for weeks, with Stacey Solomon preparing the house for her and Joe Swash’s blended family’s Christmas – but there are significant changes to their festive plans this year

Joe Swash has revealed that he and wife Stacey Solomon have made a major change to their Christmas plans, just weeks after they were allegedly seen rowing in the street.

The couple have been preparing for Christmas at their £1.2 million Pickle Cottage with their children, with Loose Women star Stacey, 35, starting her decorating back at the start of November. She shared a video on social media showing a section of their home covered in multi-coloured lights and Christmas decorations swinging from the ceiling.

Between them, Stacey and Joe have six children, sharing their youngest three, Rex, five, Rose, three and one-year-old Belle. Stacey has two boys, Zachary, 16, and Leighton, 12, from a previous relationship, while Joe’s eldest Harry, 16, is from his relationship with Emma Sophocleous.

Their blended family shared last Christmas together, with Stacey going all out. She even has her own BBC show Stacey Solomon’s Crafty Christmas, in which she shows viewers how to make homemade gifts and decorations.

Joe Swash and Stacy Solomon make major change to their Christmas plans ( 
Image:
@staceysolomon/Instagram)

But this year’s festive celebration will be a significantly smaller affair than last year, with the couple toning down the occasion compared to last year. Joe, 42, told Metro : “Last year, we had about 28 people at our house for Christmas dinner. This year is a bit more quiet: just me, Stacey, the kids and three or four other people coming.”

Fans will be hoping their pared back Christmas is nothing to do with their argument, which saw Stacey appearing to be consoled by a film crew in the street after the pair had fell out. The couple ended up leaving separately, according to a source, with Stacey appearing to be hugging a production member.

Joe and Stacey will have a pared back Christmas ( 
Image:
BBC/Optomen TV/Mark Dolman)
The onlooker said that Joe left a building alone and “stormed off down the street” while vaping. He was then taken to one side while someone else went to check on him, it was claimed.

They added that 15 minutes after their “tense” exchange, Stacey shouted at Joe, with the pair leaving separately. The Sun shared footage and photos of the incident, with a witness claiming: “Joe came out of a building on his own and stormed off down the street, he looked upset and was sitting on some steps for a while. Stacey came out of the building in tears and she looked really emotional, she was hugging someone.”

They added: “About 15 minutes later Joe was having an animated talk with the man. Eventually Stacey walked towards Joe in the car and shouted something. They ended up leaving separately. It all looked very tense.”

Model Vogue Williams has opened up about her upcoming appearance on the BBC Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special and admits her family had mixed reactions

Vogue Williams shares the name of a dance style but the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special star says the similarities end there, with ­sceptics in her own family.

The radio presenter, 39, who has three children with husband Spencer Matthews, 36, said the former Made in Chelsea star found it bizarre that she had signed up for the BBC show. She said: “Spenny finds it entertaining that I’m going to be dancing. I showed my daughter a video the other day and she asked to see someone else who was dancing because she didn’t want to watch me. So that was nice.”

The former model, who will dance with Gorka Marquez, said: “I’ve always tried to dance, I’m just not natural at dancing. I wanted to be in a band when I was younger and I can’t sing either. I used to try street dance. I once did jazz. And I was always at the back, hiding.”

Vogue admits Spencer found it ‘hilarious’ she was taking part in the show ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Vogue will dance with Gorka Marquez ( 
Image:
BBC Studios/Guy Levy)
But Vogue added: “I said yes because it’s just so fun. It’s such a fun, ­brilliant show. If you’re asked to do ­something where you’re able to learn a skill, it’s really cool. You get a professional dancer teaching you how to dance and you’re getting to go out in an amazing costume.

“Every single part of it, it’s just so exciting to me. I love the idea of learning how to dance, ­especially because I’m not really a good dancer at all. I do like ­challenging myself and this is a very big challenge.” Vogue added: “I think the problem is that people think I look like I can dance.

“I don’t know why they get that idea but I actually can’t. It’s a really fun thing to be able to try and learn.” The rest of the Christmas cast includes ­Strictly’s first drag queen Tayce, ­stand up comedian Josh Widdicombe, Gladiators athlete Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and ­ EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite.

Vogue, mum to Theodore, five, Gigi, four, and Otto, three, said: “Unfortunately I did catch a glimpse of some of the others and it brought me back down to earth. I’m just in it for the ­experience. I’m now saying that after seeing someone dance. I’m so competitive.” She added: “I know that I’ve trained as much as I possibly could. I really want to go out and enjoy it and not get anything wrong.”

The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Christmas Day from 3.55pm.

A documentary on the BBC dancing series called Strictly Come Dancing: 20 Fabulous Years, airs tonight at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

Gavin and Stacey duo Ruth Jones and James Corden have announced that the beloved characters from the show will be making a comeback in a new form next year

Gavin and Stacey creators Ruth Jones and James Corden have revealed the sitcoms much-loved characters will return in a new form next year.

Gavin And Stacey: The Finale will air on Christmas Day on the BBC and it will be the show’s final episode following 2019’s festive special which ended on a cliff-hanger when Vanessa ‘Nessa’ Jenkins, played by Ruth, proposed to James’ character Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith.

But the story doesn’t end there! Ruth and James have announced that they are writing a new book together, titled When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between: A Story Of Love And Friendship. The pair’s literary offering with hit book shops in Autumn 2025 and will detail their journey to creating a comedy that touched the hearts of a nations.

Speaking in the wake of the book deal being announced, Ruth, 48, and James, 46, told fans: “We’re so excited to be sharing the story behind the story of Gavin and Stacey. The show has played a huge part in our twenty-five-year friendship and we hope this book will give readers a fresh insight into how it all came about.”

A teaser image of the final episode ahead of it airing next week ( 
Image:
PA)

“Gavin and Stacey is a TV series like no other. Now, for the first time, its creators James Corden and Ruth Jones tell the full extraordinary story of how they turned their little show into a full-on cultural phenomenon,” the book’s publisher Penguin added in its description of the upcoming book.

“As they recount the rejection, obstacles and challenges they faced on the way to giving birth to their beloved comedy creation, James and Ruth also explore the flourishing of their own real-life friendship. While their now legendary on- screen characters Nessa and Smithy had a profound awkwardness to negotiate, culminating in that marriage proposal in the 2019 Christmas special, Ruth and James forged a magical relationship of mutual support based also on a deep, shared sense of subversive fun.

“Here, from their tentative initial pitch to the emotionally overwhelming final day of filming, the duo detail what’s occurred every step of the way, bouncing off each other in inimitable style. Full of revelations and never-before-heard stories, this is a one-of-a-kind book about a show that’s already gone down in history.”

The book announcement comes in the wake of James admitting he “never ever thought” Gavin and Stacey would be a long-running show and that its success had been “a dream come true”. The 46-year-old added that just having a show that is “worthy of a Christmas special” was enough for him and that he thought ending at three series was the right decision.

Speaking at a screening in London earlier this week ahead of the Christmas Day episode airing, the Smithy actor said: “We’ve honestly never ever thought past what we’ve been commissioned to do, when we were writing the scripts for the first series, we didn’t know if the show would get green lit.

The final episode of Gavin and Stacey airs on Christmas Day ( 
Image:
PA)
“Then it gets green lit, then you shoot it, and then you’re hoping that someone finds it, then you get to do another series. And then suddenly, as that one starts coming out, it feels like lots of people are watching it. And then we did the first Christmas special, which was just a dream come true for us, like an absolute dream come true, to have a show that was considered worthy of a Christmas special, that was enough for us is the truth.

“And then we really felt like we probably told enough of the story, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we were finding it hard to construct ways for the families to keep meeting up… And so I think when we ended the third series, it was definite that was it.”

He explained that a finale episode was not certain and there was a chance that he and co-writer Ruth would leave the show at its cliff-hanger ending. James added: “We had a week in September, where we were like let’s get together then, and if there’s nothing there, if the characters don’t show us what the story is, it doesn’t matter.

“We haven’t told anybody, we haven’t told the cast, we haven’t spoken to the BBC, and it’s kind of lovely hearing Charlotte (Moore, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer) talk about those moments. We didn’t contact Charlotte till we’ve written, I think 70 pages of this special, because by then we felt like, ‘oh, we’ve got something that we feel that we’re ready to share’. Because it may sound like a complete nonsense but it doesn’t really feel like we’re in charge of writing, I feel like we just have to be together, and we sort of open a portal and the characters arrive, and they tell us what they want everybody to know.”

*Gavin And Stacey: The Finale will air on BBC One from 9pm on Christmas Day and will also be available on BBC iPlayer. The documentary Gavin And Stacey: A Fond Farewell will be shown at 7pm on New Year’s Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.