Author: bang5

EXCLUSIVE: Amy Dowden talks about returning to Strictly, menopause, IVF and marriage to Ben as she discusses life after chemotherapy and finding her new normal

Amy Dowden thought her life would return to normal after completing cancer treatment(Image: Instagram)

When she rang the bell to mark the end of her breast cancer treatment, Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden thought her nightmare would end. Instead she found herself at an “all time low” as she came to terms with her new reality – she was bald, menopausal and too weak to dance.

Amy told The Mirror: “I thought my life was going to get back to normal. I was deluded. I honestly thought that I’d be back dancing on Strictly in no time and that my hair was going to grow back far quicker than it did. I thought that I’d be back to the old Amy, and it hit me really hard. I was scared and petrified. It was a very daunting, difficult time as well as being put into menopause.”

Amy said: “I started IVF treatment two weeks after the mastectomy. I was still recovering from surgery and then that was another journey. And then two weeks after I started chemo.”

Amy reflects on her journey after ringing the bell(Image: PinPep)

After eight rounds of chemotherapy, Amy completed her treatment and rang the bell. Sadly it didn’t herald an instant change in fortune and just a few days later Amy broke her foot, compounding her fears she’d never dance again. Amy said: “A few days later I broke my foot. I felt more of a cancer patient than ever. I felt isolated and lonely. And I didn’t know what my life ahead was going to be.”

Menopause is a notoriously difficult time for any woman, but coming after chemotherapy, it left Amy exhausted, emotional and suffering debilitating hot flushes. She said: “When I finished treatment, I actually hit an all time low. I went from this super fit young lady used to the spotlight and hair and make up to not liking to look in the mirror. But also there was a voice in my head saying, ‘Cancer can’t take away your dancing.’”

Amy has always dreamed of being a mother and thanks to the IVF wedged in between her mastectomy and chemotherapy, she has five frozen embryos that could hold the key to her future happiness.

Amy Dowden shared her cancer journey in her BBC documentary(Image: BBC/Wildflame Productions)

However, doctors have warned Amy that even though she’s cancer free, she cannot yet risk undergoing IVF as the hormones she would have to take could raise her risk of the cancer returning.

Amy said: “I always wanted the honour of being a mother. My oncologist said he won’t speak to me about it yet. It’s too soon. We were lucky enough to get five embryos, but right now, it’s still too soon. I only finished active treatment just over a year ago. My body has just got to recover first, hopefully.”

Amy is sharing her recovery story after making a short film called Beyond the Bell, which is part of the Keep Ahead campaign from Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK, to shed light on life post-breast cancer.

While ringing the bell might appear as a moment of joy for people outside of cancer treatment, Amy wants to prepare people going through treatment for the reality.

Last year (2024), Amy triumphantly re-joined Strictly Come Dancing and was partnered with singer JB Gill. However, she was forced to withdraw in November with a stress fracture, and was replaced by Lauren Oakley, who made it to the finals with JB.

Amy on Strictly Come Dancing(Image: BBC/Ray Burmiston)

In hindsight, Amy realises her return to Strictly was too soon for her physically – though she believes dancing on the show was vital to her mental and emotional recovery.

Amy said: “I went back to Strictly far too early last year because I just wanted to get what I thought was my normal back. I needed it mentally to go back, otherwise I don’t think I would have ever gone back. I needed that normality. I couldn’t have watched another series from the sofa. It was killing me. Physically I wasn’t ready, but I thought I was. The BBC put so much in place to ease me back in gradually and I’m so grateful for them and they constantly had my best interests at heart.”

With the 2025 series of Strictly looming, Amy believes she’s fitter than ever and is grateful that her body has adjusted to the menopause.

She said: “I still get the occasional hot flush. This time last year it was really tough but now I really feel my body’s adjusted to it.”

Amy and Ben have just celebrated their third wedding anniversary and despite the traumatic start to their marriage, their love is deeper than ever before. Amy said: “We’re even closer than ever now, especially this past year getting our life back together, enjoying holidays and doing our house renovation. My husband said to me earlier this year, ‘I love my life and I’m really happy.’ It makes you realise how precious life and your loved ones are after a cancer diagnosis. We just enjoy every little bit of time we get together.”

Part of Amy’s new normal is saying ‘no’ more often and prioritising her recovery. She said: “I would always work myself into the ground. I wouldn’t take a day off. I’d run Dance Academy, I’d be saying yes to absolutely everything and I’ve learned that now, actually, I need time off to recover. I need a day off or I need to go and see my family. That’s what I learnt most about cancer – life is precious.”

Another unexpected side effect of cancer is that Amy has lost close friends who never reached out to her after her diagnosis, leaving her hurt and confused. Amy said: “There were people sat at my wedding six months before and I still haven’t heard from them today. Everyone deals with it differently, but it’s still very tough. So much has changed for me.”

Amy and her husband Ben are closer than ever(Image: Amy Dowden Instagram)

However, cancer has brought new people into her life and her true friendships and relationships have strengthened. Amy said: “I learned who my true friends and family were and I only surround myself with them, that’s the new normal for me.”

Amy has shared her early breast cancer journey from the beginning, hoping her story helps others who are also affected by the disease. She said: “If a lady’s diagnosed with cancer she can say it, ‘Well, Amy got back on the dance floor or she can say to her little girl, ‘Look, Mum’s got what Amy’s got and she’s back on Strictly, she’s got a smile on her face.’”

While her recovery has been gruelling, Amy believes that she’s now fitter than she’s ever been. She said: “Everyone is different but actually I feel stronger and fitter than I did now before my cancer treatment. I’ve done that hard work in the gym and I’ve really loved seeing the differences made and doing one up on cancer.”

So it’s with an unflinching smile that Amy heads into this year’s Strictly.

While she dreams of being victorious and lifting the glitterball trophy with her celebrity partner, Amy admits just completing the competition would mean the world to her.

She said: “Watching your celebrity fall in love with dancing, that for me is a win. It would just be wonderful to be able to complete the whole Strictly series. I just can’t wait to just soak myself in all the Strictly magic.”

Emmerdale has signed up EastEnders and Slow Horses actor Chris Coghill who will play new character Kev, who has a secret link to another villager paving the way for huge scenes

A new Emmerdale character has been confirmed, with a former EastEnders star signing up for the role(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

A new Emmerdale character has been confirmed, with a former EastEnders star signing up for the role.

New mystery character Kev will debut on the ITV soap in September, and it’s soon revealed he is linked to another villager. Not only that, but more than one character will feature in big scenes as Kev’s arrival has “major repercussions”.

Actor Chris Coghill, who played EastEnders villain Tony King, has confirmed he will be playing Kev as he teased what was on the cards. Soap producer Laura Shaw also promised big scenes ahead, as the character first appears to be someone who is lost.

He’ll be shown looking for directions, and soon enough we learn who he is looking for and why he wants to see them. The character, yet to be revealed, is said to have “a strong connection” to Kev in a storyline yet to be detailed.

There’s clearly a past between them, but fans will just have to wait and see who it is and what Kev wants. Fans can expect “shockwaves” to hit the village in another big plot for the ITV soap.

Emmerdale has signed up EastEnders and Slow Horses actor Chris Coghill who will play new character Kev(Image: ITV)

Speaking about joining the show, actor Chris teased his mysterious character would “shake things up”. He said: “I am really happy to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. Kev is definitely going to shake things up a bit and I’m looking forward to getting cracking!”

Soap producer Laura spilled: “We are delighted that someone of Chris’ calibre has joined our cast. I think the viewers will be intrigued to see how the character of Kev will cause shockwaves this autumn.

“Kev has a strong connection to one of our characters and it’s safe to say his arrival is going to be a massive surprise that will have major repercussions for some of our villagers.” More will be revealed closer to the time.

As well as his well known stint in EastEnders, actor Chris has also had other big roles in shows including Slow Horses, The Bay and Shameless. He’s now heading to the Dales, and fans can see his debut at the end of September.

Actor Chris Coghill played EastEnders villain Tony King(Image: BBC)

He isn’t the only new face in the village, with recent arrivals including new villain Ray played by actor Joe Absolom, and new farmer Celia played by actress Jaye Griffiths. Both characters have brought trouble to the village, and this is set to continue over the next few months.

There’s also a big episode on the way featuring characters Aaron Dingle and Mackenzie Boyd this September. A huge plot will air across a big week of episodes, with it said a special set has been built for filming.

This Morning’s Alison Hammond was on the verge of tears as she revealed she was invited to go to Ozzy Osbourne’s last Black Sabbath gig, days before his death, but didn’t go

Alison Hammond became emotional as she revealed a major Ozzy Osbourne regret live on television. The presenter, 50, was in her usual hosting duties as she presented This Morning on Wednesday following the news that the Black Sabbath rocker had died at the age of 76, and revealed that the music legend’s son Jack had invited her to what turned out to be his final ever gig in their shared hometown of Birmingham at Villa Park – but she missed the text message.

She said: “It’s so so sad. Do you wanna know something? I had a message from Jack saying ‘Come to the concert.’ I didn’t see the message. He said ‘My mum wants to extend the invitation.’ I didn’t see the message, and literally, I looked at it today and I missed it.” The Big Brother legend was on the verge of tears as she admitted: “I feel so, so bad because I could’ve gone to see him. I’m so sad. But I did watch the concert and I thought it was unbelievable.”

Alison was joined by Dermot O’Leary, Camilla Tominey, and Tom Swarbrick to discuss the sad news

Alison was joined by Dermot O’Leary, Camilla Tominey, and Tom Swarbrick to discuss the sad news of the rock icon’s death, but when the topic turned to the reality show Ozzy and his famous family spearheaded in the early 2000s, things took an even more emotional turn. Remembering her fondness for the groundbreaking series, Alison took a deep breath to stop the tears and said: “It was so good.”

Meanwhile, prior to landing This Morning, Dermot was best known as presenter of The X Factor during its heyday and when Ozzy’s wife Sharon served as a judge, which meant he got to meet the late music star when he made guest appearances on the competition.

He said: “Behind it, they were just lovely, normal people. I met him a few times, I was really lucky. We did judges’ houses a few times. Quite often, you’d go to a nice hotel and say it was judges’ houses. But Simon’s house, and Sharon’s house, you literally went to their house. Sharon’s house was amazing.”

Dermot noted that the house was just ‘full of love’ and whilst Ozzy appeared to be ‘bemused’ by the ITV format that found stars such as One Direction, Little Mix and Leona Lewis, he was always ‘so lovely’ when they filmed in his house.

He recalled: “They moved a lot of the time, so you’d often go do a different… You’d be brought into this scene of brilliant domesticity, they were like lovebirds. It was so sweet to see. As soon as you walked in, you walked into a family full of love. There would be dogs everywhere, cats climbing up the wall. Loads of staff, but not staff, they were all family.

“You could be filming Sharon and Ozzy was just shuffling in the background. He was so bemused by The X Factor, but was always lovely. Once I went to the toilet, I tried to find it, ended up in his study and I was like ‘Oh God, I shouldn’t be here!’ And he crept out and we bumped into each other and he said ‘Let me show you!’”

It comes just weeks after the frontman performed on stage for the final time for his Back to the Beginning show at the home of of Aston Villa, Villa Park. The family statement announcing his death read: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.

“We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.” The family message was preceded by a location stamp, that read: “Birmingham, England July 22, 2025” – revealing that Ozzy made it back home for one last time.

Emmerdale fans were recently treated to the announcement of a new villager Kev, who will be played by Chris Coghill – who many soap and TV fans may recognise from previous roles

Emmerdale has signed up Chris Coghill who will pay new character Kev(Image: ITV)

Emmerdale are set to welcome yet another villager to the soap – as Chris Coghill joins the soap as mysterious new character Kev.

Announcing the new arrival, the soap teased that Kev was a mysterious character arriving in the village looking for directions, but who is he looking for and why? Despite Kev being mysterious, Chris definitely isn’t as soap fans will recognise him from another major role…

Speaking on his new role, Chris said: “I am really happy to be joining the cast of Emmerdale. Kev is definitely going to shake things up a bit and I’m looking forward to getting cracking!”

Chris played Tony King in EastEnders(Image: BBC)

But where do fans know Chris from? Soap fans will know the star for his role as Tony King in EastEnders. Tony was the ex-fiancée of Bianca Jackson and appeared in the Square for one year, from 2008-2009.

After his release from prison, for assaulting a teenage boy who propositioned Whitney Dean, it was revealed Tony had sexually abused Bianca’s stepdaughter Whitney since she was 12.

He then began to groom Lauren Branning, before being arrested when his heinous actions were exposed.

Over three years after his arrest, Whitney received a note through a former cellmate of Tony’s saying that he always loved her. She then decided to confront him in prison, only to learn he had taken his own life.

Tony was the ex-fiancé of Bianca Jackson(Image: BBC)

EastEnders were praised for covering such a difficult topic – as the NSPCC who they worked alongside said: “The way this issue has been presented in the story so far has, we believe, been a true reflection of many aspects of the way single mums and their children can be targeted and groomed, and of the ways abusers try to control and manipulate their victims.”

Tony King isn’t Chris’ only huge role. The Mancunian recently starred as Hobbs in British Spy Thriller Slow Horses and starred as Craig in Channel 4’s Shameless from 2005-2006.

New mystery character Kev will debut on the ITV soap in September, where it will soon be revealed he is linked to another villager. Not only that, but more than one character will feature in big scenes as Kev’s arrival has “major repercussions”.

Emmerdale Producer, Laura Shaw, said: “We are delighted that someone of Chris’ calibre has joined our cast. I think the viewers will be intrigued to see how the character of Kev will cause shockwaves this autumn.

“Kev has a strong connection to one of our characters and it’s safe to say his arrival is going to be a massive surprise that will have major repercussions for some of our villagers.”

Ant McPartlin has had his say on Alan Halsall’s clash with Dean McCullough, which is the first sign of tension in the camp after a week

TV star Ant McPartlin has accused Alan Halsall of being ‘passive aggressive’ in his clash with Dean McCullough in I’m a Celeb.

BBC Radio 1 presenter Dean had a heated exchange with the Coronation Street star in the programme over how the actor had handled waking him up.

But Ant added of Dean’s outburst: “I wouldn’t stand for any of that… I would be like ‘shut-up’.”

Ant McPartlin has accused Alan Halsall of being passive aggressive

Dean had taken a nap but was later awoken by camp leader Alan as he needed to do his chore of collecting firewood alongside Loose Women panellist Jane Moore.

After a sleepy Dean hardly stirred, soap star Alan asked him: “You don’t fancy it? No?” Alan then went to help out Jane himself as camp rules state she was not allowed to do it by herself.

Rumble in the Jungle: Alan and Dean

Northern Irish presenter Dean followed afterwards and told him Alan could “go back now”.

The actor told him: “I was trying to wake you up as soft as I could,” to which Dean replied: “Listen to me. If you’re going to wake me up, you need to give me a minute, alright?

“It takes me a couple of minutes for my contact lenses to get back working again, all right?

“So you don’t need to turn around to me and say: ‘Do you not fancy it?’ OK? And then turn around and walk away.”

Dean then repeatedly asked Alan to “listen” to him, with the later explaining: “I didn’t say it how you think I meant it, but if you took it that way, then I apologise.”

The actor confirmed he was not trying to have a dig at the radio DJ, to which Dean said he understood but that he felt he “didn’t get a chance to respond”

Dean and Alan before the row kicked off(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Dean later said in the Bush Telegraph: “I opened my eyes and wee Tyrone from Coronation Street is like: ‘Come on, mate, you need to go down to the bottom of the creek.’

“He didn’t even give me a chance to say yes or no because he went: ‘You don’t fancy it? No?’ and ran. He was being a real camp leader.

“I was like: ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa don’t dig me out like that.’ And I had to say to him: ‘If you’re going to say: ‘Don’t fancy it?’ – give me a chance’.

“Because, of course, I fancy it. I want to help Jane. I went straight down and helped her.” Dean was later seen apologising to Jane before joining her in carrying the wood for the campfire.

In his own Bush Telegraph moment, Alan said: “It was a flippant comment, I’m sorry if you took it in the wrong way. Wasn’t actually meant like that, it was just a bit of a joke.

“If I was asleep and you woke me up, I won’t fancy it either.”

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! fans – and star contestants – are growing tired of seeing Dean take on all the trials, but seem to be realising why it keeps happening

I’m A Celeb fans think the stars of the show have realised Dean McCullough is getting the most airtime(Image: ITV)

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! fans think the contestants are starting to turn on Dean McCullough.

The 33-year-old radio host may be rubbing some of his fellow campmates the wrong way – for a variety of reasons. While the radio host has admitted he is an early riser and knows to be chipper first thing – as his early morning radio show job demands it of him – he may be antagonising fellow campmates.

In recent episodes of the ITV reality show, N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos has made it clear she does not appreciate him singing loudly first thing in the morning when she is still trying to sleep. Despite her politely sharing this news, he continued to loudly sing at her in scenes that aired on Monday.

While others are getting frustrated by the fact he keeps getting nominated by the public to take on all of the challenges. Loose Women star Jane Moore particularly objected to Dean being nominated for a sixth trial when she is desperate to undertake one herself. She turned to Dean – who is also sick of being nominated – and suggest he stay silent in order to avoid being nominated.

Jane Moore suggested Dean ‘zip it’ in the hope others might get the chance to do a trial(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Her remark suggests she’s noticed his behaviour could be considered attention seeking and leading to him getting the most airtime. Viewers watching along have suggested the campmates are beginning to get wise to Dean’s behaviour and how it might be portrayed in the show.

One fan wrote on X: “Everyone clocking Dean and him always being chosen for the trials #ImACeleb.” Another wrote: “Love how they are all seeing through Dean’s act #ImACeleb.” And another wrote: “Not once has dean asked ‘but why do they keep picking me, what am I doing wrong’ for these trials like most usually do at this point. Because he knows why. He knows what he’s doing and he wants the air time. Stop voting for this loser! #ImACeleb.”

Another typed: “Sounds like all the camp mates are onto Dean and have had enough #ImACeleb.” And other berated the radio host for the way he sang at Tulisa after she asked him not to. One wrote: “Can’t Dean just respect anyone’s wishes please like just don’t sing while Tulisa is asleep? #ImACeleb.” And another typed: “Dean is really annoying. As the president of the Tulisa fan club I would like him to apologise to her #ImACeleb.”

On Monday, Dean undertook a trial called Jack and the Scream Stalk. He had to scale a huge construction while safely attached to a safety line and dip his hand into various boxes – filled with critters such as spiders and scorpions – to retrieve stars. It was his most successful trial to date – as he retrieved 10 stars out of a possible 12 before falling from the structure. Dean’s valiant efforts won him a round of applause from hosts Ant and Dec – and an ostrich egg dinner for the camp.

Loose Women panelist Carol McGiffin has hit out at Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan for posting a video of the huge and lavish Christmas lights on their Essex mansion

Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright showed off their Christmas decorations

As December kicks off, many are considering decking their halls with Christmas lights. Rylan Clark has already showcased his impressive outdoor display, and celeb couple Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright weren’t far behind, sharing a video of their dazzling Essex mansion.

However, Loose Women star Carol McGiffin isn’t impressed. She admits that while a flashy set of Christmas lights might seem “magical” to kids, it appears to be “the preference of people with more money than sense.”

In her column for Best magazine, she notes that some even hire professional lighting companies, with celebs often getting discounted or free services in return for an Instagram plug.

Mark showed off the couple’s elaborate Christmas decorations(Image: (Image: Instagram/Mark Wright))

“Last week,” Carol points out, “Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright posted their perfectly lit-up Essex mansion – as if any of their followers would think, ‘oh that’s a great idea, let’s spend next month’s mortgage payment on this company to decorate our house! ‘”

The tradition of exterior Christmas lights started in the USA in the early 20th century, but even after a hundred years, there’s still resistance. In Jane Austen’s former home village of Chawton in Hampshire, a Christmas lights controversy is currently brewing.

Carol revealed that a local resident had written to the parish magazine, objecting to some houses in Chawton being decorated with brightly-coloured festive lights. They suggested that only white lights should be permitted, reports the Express.

Carol McGiffin said that external lights were a bit ‘OTT’(Image: (Image: ITV))

However, Carol says this complaint “backfired brilliantly when a entire close covered their houses in multi-coloured flashing lights.”

The tradition of outdoor Christmas lights began in the US, where celebrities have taken the illumination craze to new heights. Hollywood star Jamie Foxx is infamous for his extravagant Christmas lights.

The Django Unchained actor didn’t hold back on his lavish decorations, which included strings of lights leading down into the garden – where it seemed much of the ground had been replaced with a red carpet. If his flashy display wasn’t bright enough already, the pillars of his front door were transformed into giant candy canes, and snowflakes adorned the top of the property.

It comes after Mark was rushed to hospital in Las Vegas after suffering a head wound.

Insisting that he “wasn’t drunk” and that he’s “absolutely fine”, the TOWIE star, 37, told fans about the bad fall while on the trip. Updating his Instagram followers from his first class seat on the flight home to London, Mark recalled what happened.

In a video posted to his Stories, he said: “Another year done. F1 in Vegas. What an experience. I’m coming home with a little scar. For those that are asking on my Instagram, I fell in the bathroom. I wasn’t drunk. It was in the middle of the night, half asleep. Needed a few stitches but I’m all good, absolutely fine.”

Mark, who was enjoying the racing in America, had large scar across his forehead. He went on to share his excitement about reuniting with his wife and thanked his friends in Vegas for their hospitality.

Loose Women host Christine Lampard stopped the ITV show moments in to announce breaking news about I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here

Christine Lampard paused the show

Christine Lampard paused Loose Women today to announce “breaking jungle news”.

At the top of today’s show, Christine admitted they had some breaking news to share about I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. Christine was on the show with Janet Street-Porter, Coleen Nolan and Brenda Edwards when she interrupted the top of the show to announce she had some breaking news about their own panellist Jane Moore.

Speaking on today’s show, she said: “We’ve got some breaking jungle news for you at 12.35pm,” before she later revealed that Jane would be competing in tonight’s trial alongside Love Island star Maura Higgins.

The show was briefly halted

Speaking on the show today, Christine revealed: “Competing in the trial tonight is Maura and Jane everybody. Jane – her first trial,” as Coleen added: “I’ve been desperate for her to do a trial. I’ve used my five votes every night for her. She’s desperate to do one. She’s that way inclined – if she’s going to go that far, she wants to do it.

“Every night where they’ve announced it, she looks genuinely disappointed that she doesn’t get picked. But last night in the WhatsApp group, Kaye was saying I hope she doesn’t get it tonight because she hates water and this one is underwater. But I know Jane and I’ve seen a clip of it today, and I’ve seen her swimming under the water. She will give it 100 per cent. She’s so strong.”

Jane takes on tonight’s trial(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Co-star Janet Street Porter then added: “I think it’s really tough to sit round the campfire and be someone who hasn’t done a trial. You feel like a second division. You feel like the producers are looking at you.”

Maura and Jane will take part in new trial called Fright at the End of the Tunnel, which will see them navigate through water and creepy crawlies to try and win stars for meals for camp.

In a preview of the trial, Maura faces spiders as she admits: “Jane, I don’t know if I can do it. There’s an awful amount of spiders,” as Ant and Dec explain that she has to go through to the next chamber to allow Jane to do the same. Will she do it?

Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks opened up about the recent backlash he’s received after being saved in the BBC show.

On Thursday’s instalment of Lorraine, the ITV star was joined by Strictly Come Dancing contestant Pete Wicks and his professional partner Jowita Przystał. Despite finding himself at the bottom of the leaderboard for the past few weeks, he’s avoided landing in the dance-off.

Sadly, this has resulted in a wave of backlash from viewers, as he detailed on his Staying Relevant podcast. The 36-year-old revealed there’s been a few people who have sent him death threats.

Addressing this while speaking to Lorraine, the Scottish star was disgusted as she reeled: “For goodness sake, Pete, it’s ridiculous!”

He replied, “It’s mad because it’s a light entertainment show. Some people take it very, very seriously, but I’m used to it. I’ve had it for years doing all sorts of different television.”

Strictly’s Pete Wicks addresses show exit as he’s bombarded with death threats

Lorraine interrupted the BBC contestant, telling him that despite being on TV, getting that level of backlash is not right. Addressing Jowita, she asked: “I bet you get angry on his behalf?”

The Strictly pro added: “Yeah because all we want to do is have fun and give people something on a Saturday night. We want to entertain people. Dancing is the thing, you might like it or not it’s fine.

“Everyone has their own opinion and it’s absolutely fine but I think we need to be more kind to each other, the world is already quite a difficult place to be.”

Pete and Jowita have avoided being in the dance-off in the competition

Over the weekend, Pete and Jowita were told they’d be taking to the dancefloor once again for Musicals Week. Although Pete confessed he didn’t think he’d make it this far in the competition.

He said: “I thought I’d go week one and every week I say to her, ‘this is going to be the last week, this will be the last week’. We’re now, what 11 weeks in?”

Sadly on Sunday night, viewers had to say goodbye to one star as Montell Douglas and Jamie Borthwick found themselves in the dance-off. After performing their routines for the judges for a second time, it was time for them to learn their fate. Ultimately, it was a unanimous decision as each judge opted to save Montell, sending Jamie home.

However, that wasn’t Montell’s first time at the bottom, as the Olympian has found herself in the dance-off multiple times. Speaking about dancing to stay in the competition on Loose Women this week, Johannes Radede made a candid confession.

Johannes and Montell were in the dance-off over the weekend as the judges chose to save them

He said: “I’m going to be honest, I have been a blubbering mess for the past three dance-offs ,and this woman here has been like, ‘It’s not over!’”

When asked if he feels he’s failed Montell as her trainer, he admitted that was true as he continued: You’ve let her down, yeah. This is not my first rodeo I’ve never pushed somebody like I’ve pushed Montell. But it’s not that, it’s how she’s pushed me as a trainer.”

Paying tribute to his celebrity partner, Johannes believes he’s dancing with a champion, as Montell touched on being in the dance-off once again.

She confessed: “It never gets easier. I don’t think it’s easier but I definitely think mindset for sure comes in straight away. He (Johannes) always jokes that I’m coaching him on the dance-off! I’m like, ‘We’ve got this’.

Coleen Nolan had big news to share during the latest installment of Loose Women.

The Loose Women were joined by Fleur East during Thursday’s episode (November 28), but her interview was halted by Coleen Nolan who made an an exciting announcement.

Former Strictly star Fleur kicked of the conversation confirming that she is hosting The National Lottery’s Big Bash alongside Vernon Kay with the show broadcasting on New Year’s Eve.

Coleen the chipped in to announce to her fellow panelists Kaye Adams, Myleene Klass, Judi Love, that she will also be performing at the show alongside her Loose Women co-stars.

“Can I just say, it’s the 25th anniversary of Mamma Mia, and it’s the 25th anniversary of Loose Women,” Coleen explained.

Coleen Nolan confirmed she was ‘scared’ as she announced exciting news

“So us three Loose Women, me, Linda Robson and Penny Lancaster – we’re joining with the Mamma Mia team to do a big performance with all of the costumes on.”

After the audience cheered, Coleen added: “We only have 24 hours to rehearse it. I mean, I’m scared to death.”

The former pop star continued: “I wake up in the morning and think ‘why did I say yes to this’ but it’s going to be an amazing night. The fact that it’s New Years’ Eve, and I have no idea what song we are singing though.”

Fleur East confirmed to Coleen Nolan which song she will be singing at the Big Bash (Image: ITV)

Fleur confirmed the three Loose Women will be singing Waterloo by Abba to mark the songs 50th anniversary. “I can’t wait,” Coleen excitedly added.

The Big Bash takes place at OVO Arena Wembley and will see star-studded performances from Craig David, Olly Alexander, House Gospel Choir, and more.

There will also be an emotional tribute to honour the 80th Anniversary of D-Day with the event also shining light on extraordinary people who made a difference to others in 2024 with the help of National Lottery funding.