Author: quyen3

Robbie Williams has explained that he is shocked more young music stars haven’t died under tragic circumstances similar to Liam Payne.

The 50-year-old music icon has been in the spotlight since he was a teenager himself and has previously shared the grief he feels over the death of Liam – who died aged 31 after falling from a balcony in Argentina in October. Robbie has had a highly publicised life in the spotlight that has involved struggles with drink and drug addiction as well as mental health battles.

While Liam’s death was a shock to fans as well as across the music industry, Robbie has candidly explained that he fears that many other music stars could be suffering in silence. One Direction star Liam had been open about his own struggles with substances and mental health.

Take That star Robbie is currently promoting his new autobiographical film, titled Better Man, which chronicles his life without shying away from the ups and downs of his career and personal life. While interviews by the Associated Press while promoting the movie, Robbie was asked if he understood what Liam may have been going through before his death.

The Angels singer said: “Here’s the thing: I’m always astonished — may he rest in peace, bless him, beautiful boy — that the entertainment industry isn’t littered with those types of cases, that we can’t point to 30 of them.” He was then asked about his own relationship with fame.

He responded: “It’s different now. I (expletive) love it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m 50 and I’m incredibly grateful for fame. It facilitates everything that I need and want to do with my life. I was just too young to receive it, and I wasn’t surrounded by good people. And I wasn’t good people. But now I can’t speak highly enough of it.”

Robbie also explained that his own struggles might not have been obvious as he had the world at his feet while he was dealing with his demons. He remarked: “My story’s not unusual. There’s a boy band documentary that’s going to be on tele in Britain that I’ve taken part in, and everyone’s story is the same. They’ve got the bends. They experienced this thing that warped them and gave them mental breakdowns.”

He added: “I can’t apologise for the truth, and the truth is there’s something about this matrix-bending, washing-machine fame that’s deeply unhealthy. No matter what job you have or what path you choose in life, you spend the second 20 years of your life sorting out the first 20 years. It just so happens I did it in public and told people exactly what was going as it was going on. And still do.”

Last month, Robbie shared his hope that Liam’s tragic death could lead to changes in the music industry that would see artists recieve more support. Speaking to Newstalk, he said: “I’m sure things will be done in his name to make things better. What they are, I don’t know yet, but I’m in. It’s very difficult [and a] grey area to put things into place, to look after people properly. I know there are talks about what to do and how to facilitate this, but [that] comes with already having money in place.”

Williams, 50, continued: “That negates the young manager and the young band that are doing everything out the back of a Transit van – who don’t have the money in place to facilitate it. So there’s all of these grey areas. It needs addressing and there needs to be a think tank by creative people, like myself and others to get together and figure out what’s the best way to tackle this problem for our entertainment industry.”

Two people have died and up to 10 others including two children are said to be missing after a bridge collapse in Brazil.

Seven vehicles including two motorbikes, three lorries and a car were on the bridge connecting the cities of Estreito and Aguiarnopolis over the Tocantins River when it plunged into the water.

The rescue operation was suspended last night as Civil Defence chiefs confirmed a tanker truck carrying sulphuric acid was among the vehicles that ended up in the river.

An investigation was underway today into the collapse yesterday afternoon of the 1960s-built 1,750ft Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge.

A video shot moments before the collapse by a local councillor showed the moment it began to break up. Elias Junior filmed himself running to safety after honing in on cracks at the side of the road on the bridge structure before it ruptured in front of him as a pick-up 4×4 had to brake before continuing over the disintegrating tarmac.

The politician was recording the video with a friend to ask authorities to fix problems with the bridge which he said could no longer handle the heavy trucks passing over it. The pal could be overheard yelling: “Hey Elias, get out of there” as the first major cracks appeared on the road’s surface.

The politician said after cheating death in the scare: “If it hadn’t been for my friend of mine I maybe wouldn’t be here today. This bridge is over 60 years old and people were always complaining about how precarious it was. We went there to demand all the relevant authorities take action.”

Another local who regularly uses the bridge moaned after the disaster: “I’ve been passing by there every day for years and we all knew this was going to happen, but the governors weren’t concerned. The bridge was opened in 1961 and has never been renovated.”

Authorities in the north-eastern Brazilian state of Maranhao, one of the two the bridge connected, confirmed late last night a 25-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man traveling on separate motorbikes had died.

Military police in Tocantins said eight adults and two children aged three and 11 were still missing although other officials put the total number of people missing at eight.

A man rescued after the drama was taken to hospital with a broken leg. A military police spokesman, describing the number of vehicles that had been carrying sulphuric acid as two, said: “Searches following the bridge collapse were suspended after Fire Brigade divers identified two of the lorries that plunged into the river as vehicles that were transporting a dangerous load. Those two lorries were carrying sulphuric acid.”

Yesterday afternoon’s bridge tragedy came after 41 people died in a bus crash in southeastern Brazil on Saturday. The bus caught fire after colliding with a lorry and a car on the BR-116 road in Lajinha in Minas Gerais state. Initial reports pointed to a block of granite coming off the truck and hitting the bus.

The bus passengers killed included Josinaldo Pereira, his wife Bianca de Jesus Ferreira and their one-year-old daughter Valentina, who were heading to the city of Ipiau in the north-east Brazilian city of Bahia to spend Christmas with Bianca’s family.

Yesterday morning just after 9am, 10 members of the same family were killed after the airplane they were on crashed in the Brazilian mountain resort town of Gramado in the country’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul soon after take-off.

Sao Paulo businessman Luiz Claudio Salgueiro Galeazzi was piloting the private plane. He was travelling with family including his wife, three daughters and his sister.

A British woman claims a stroke left her with an Italian accent and the ability to speak the language, despite never having set foot in Italy. Althia Bryden, 58, was found unresponsive in bed by her husband, Winston, who described the moment as “terrifying” when he discovered his wife “staring and unable to talk”.

He immediately called for an ambulance. The grandmother-of-two spent nine days in hospital where doctors determined she had suffered a stroke caused by a carotid web – a shelf-like structure in the neck that can disrupt blood flow to the brain.

On 30 July 2024, Althia was readmitted to hospital for surgery to remove the carotid web. After three months of being unable to speak, she woke up with an Italian accent and the ability to utter words in the language.

Nurses and doctors flocked to her bedside in amazement as she began to speak ( 
Image:
SWNS)

Due to the rarity of her condition, Althia expressed how isolating recovery can feel ( 
Image:
SWNS)

It is believed Althia has foreign accent syndrome – a rare medical condition that makes a person’s speech sound like they have a foreign accent, even if they haven’t acquired it. Althia, from Highbury, North London, said: “I spent three months after my stroke thinking I’d never be able to talk again.

“I couldn’t talk, read or write – I felt like a shell of the person I once was. I was so alone and isolated and I remember feeling just totally lost. After my carotid web surgery, a nurse came to my hospital bed do a routine check, and completely out of the blue, I just started speaking. She looked as shocked as I did.”

Althia, who was born and raised in London, shared her strange experience after a stroke left her with foreign accent syndrome—a condition so rare that it left the medical staff in awe. She recounted her confusion, saying: “I remember thinking ‘who is that talking? ‘ Firstly, I couldn’t believe it was me talking, but I also didn’t recognise the sound of my voice.”

Nurses and doctors flocked to her bedside in amazement as she began to speak. Althia recalled: “The nurse rushed to get colleagues round to my bed, no one could believe I was talking after so long. But the more I spoke, the more confused we all became. They asked me if I had an Italian accent before my stroke and were telling me I had a strong accent – in the whirlwind of it all, I was so confused.”

In time, it became evident that her accent had changed: “As the days went on, it was clear that I did have a strong Italian accent, and I had no control over the sound I was making when talking.”

Althia, who was born and raised in London didn’t recognise her own voice after her stroke ( 
Image:
SWNS)
Astonishingly, Althia found herself speaking Italian fluently: “To my amazement, I’m also able to speak Italian.” The most baffling part for her was that it was a language she’d never learned: “A language I’ve never learnt or spoke ever before.”

She described the unpredictable moments when Italian words would replace English ones: “Without realising, I will say an Italian word mid-conversation, which is the Italian word for what I’m trying to say in English. I have no idea I’m about to do it, my brain just converts the English word into Italian.”

Due to the rarity of her condition, Althia expressed how isolating recovery can feel: “Doctors and nurses see me as a bit of a medical marvel – none of the nurses, doctors, therapists or surgeons had dealt with foreign accent syndrome in their whole careers. This is when I realised just how rare this condition is.

She is trying her hardest to stay positive and upbeat ( 
Image:
SWNS)

“I’m so grateful to be alive after my stroke, and I’m also very thankful to be able to communicate after living with no speech for three months. But living with foreign accent syndrome is really hard. I feel like a big part of me has gone, my personality, my identity, my roots. I wake up most mornings hoping that my old voice will be back again, I don’t feel like me with this foreign accent. I can even hear the accent in my head when I’m thinking.

“It’s a story I have to often explain to others too – when I meet people, they ask me where I’m from and I find myself retelling the story of how I’ve come to acquire this accent, over and over again. I try my hardest to stay positive and upbeat – I remind myself that I’m still here today and have my husband, two sons and their beautiful families with me – but I do feel a bit like a performer, like a clown in a circus. It’s such a very strange feeling.

“With the support from the Stroke Association, I’ve met many other stroke survivors locally. I attend a Stroke Association group, which brings us all together and it’s so helpful to share our lived experiences.

“But as much as every stroke is different, there is always something that two stroke survivors can bond on – I feel like a bit of an outcast. I’m yet to meet anyone who has foreign accent syndrome, and it’s hard to not have that kind of support when navigating through this.”

The Royal Family is set to host yet another year of Christmas traditions, with a number of staple on-season traditions to take place.

From a good royal kickabout to the time of gift-giving, it seems the traditions of the Royal Family are somewhat similar to that of members of the public. Specific timings for lunch, presents and mass are all present in plans for the festive season. Celebrations start much earlier than expected for the family, who are hosting a number of parties across the month of December. Charity days, attendances at causes members of the family support, and public appearances are just one of 12 traditions the royals must cater to through the Christmas season.

Aside from the public appearances and planned-out parties to celebrate their supported causes, members of the Royal Family invited to the in-house festivities are expected to follow the routines and well-established codes of Christmas. The week leading up to Christmas would see a luncheon, usually held at Buckingham Palace. Extended members of the family are invited to the event and there are a few photos showing the dining set-up inside. It is likely this year will see Prince William, King Charles and other members of the family attend.

Christmas cards are a keen tradition for the family, who send out their annual holiday cards every year. Signings were said to start in the summer months when Queen Elizabeth II was still head of state, though this may have changed following her death in September 2022. Annual holiday cards are still expected, as are warm greetings on social media accounts operated by or on behalf of the Royal Family. For their Christmas holiday proper, the family are believed to head to Sandringham Estate.

Games and extracurricular activities are attached to the usual day of celebrations. A royal kickabout is carried out with the likes of Prince William and at-the-time of his attendance, Prince Harry, heading out for a game of football, townandcountry reported. Whether the traditional game still continues is not currently known, though donations to local charities during the festive period are a staple for the Royal Family. A black-tie Christmas dinner is set in place for the family too, who share gifts with one another on Christmas Eve night.

Prince Harry revealed the gift-giving process the night before Christmas Day, writing in his autobiography, Spare: “We were at Sandringham in a big room with a long table covered with white cloth and white name cards. By custom, at the start of the night, each of us located our place, stood before our mound of presents. Then suddenly, everyone began opening at the same time. A free-for-all, with scores of family members talking at once and pulling at bows and tearing at wrapping paper.” There are also a collection of trees kept in the house. Three fir trees are brought to the Marble Hall in Buckingham Palace every year, though the family are not present at the palace on Christmas Day.

Instead, they head to Sandringham Estate, where a church service is carried out before lunch. It is only after lunch the family can relax from their festive duties and wind down a little. Although the staple annual broadcast, to be delivered by King Charles III, will still be sent out to televisions across the nation, a game of charades and other Christmas-themed fun is believed to follow.

A sullen Prince Andrew has been spotted on his own after ducking out of the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations.

The Duke of York, 64 was snapped heading out for a lone afternoon walk near Windsor Castle on Sunday as he prepares to spend the festive period away from the rest of the royals. His decision to stay home comes after he hit the headlines again over his connections with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, a man now banned from the UK.

The festive celebrations at the King’s private Norfolk estate this year are expected to be one of the biggest in many years, with 45 members of the royal family expected to join on Christmas Day.

Meanwhile, King Charles cut a happy figure today as he was pictured leaving an annual Christmas church service in Sandringham. He waved to well-wishers outside St Mary Magdalene Church wearing a brown tweet coat and holding an umbrella.

King Charles III waved to well wishers at St Mary Magdalene Church ( 
Image:
PA)
Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, will also miss Christmas at Sandringham. The pair are said to be preparing to spend the day together at Royal Lodge, the home they still share in Windsor Great Park despite reported attempts by the King to evict them.

Before Andrew made the decision to avoid the celebrations, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie had reportedly spoken privately of their displeasure at plans for them to share a cottage with him on the Sandringham grounds. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were said to have been “less than pleased” when initially told the plans at being “cheek by jowl with the Yorks”, reported the Sun.

It comes after former Royal correspondent Jennie Bond described Andrew as a “pariah” within the Royal Family. Suggesting he had exhausted the patience shown towards him by his older brother King Charles after numerous scandals, she told OK!: “The King is a kind soul and Andrew is his brother. He would have hated to be put in the position of having to un-invite him or ban him from what promises to be a big family get together.

“It seems quite likely Andrew sat down with Fergie, and possibly his daughters, to discuss the best solution. Thankfully, wise heads have prevailed and he obviously realised his presence at Sandringham would be an embarrassing distraction on a day which – this year of all years – should be all about the King and Catherine.”

Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about his workplace struggles while working to earn a profit over Christmas.

The 64-year-old presenter has won praise for spotlighting the difficulties of farm work via his Amazon Prime reality show, Clarkson’s Farm. And more recently, he has been dabbling into the realms of pub landlord as a new career – having taken control of the Farmer’s Dog pub in Oxfordshire.

But pulling pints to make a living is harder than it looks, and now Jezzer has revealed that “Behind the scenes, then, everything is a total disaster.” The TV star opened his pub back in August and since then has sparked anger from locals over his festive menu options and for giving punters just one hour to get through their dinner before needing to take back the table.

Jeremy has discovered that the cost of running a pub is high and comes with a new set of challenges as he attempts to turn a profit. And he has also discovered that believed “it would all be fine,” before adding “I was wrong.”

Writing about his troubles in his column for The Times, the former Grand Tour host even described “horror” scenes in the pub toilets. He shared: “No amount of festival visits would prepare you for the horror of what had been produced at the Farmer’s Dog. It was everywhere and in such vast quantities that no ordinary plumbing or cleaning equipment would even scratch the surface. So a whole team of chemically trained hazmat engineers had to be employed. That’s a cost I’d never factored into any of my business plans.”

He went on to explain that visitors to his gastro pub have been making off with glassware – leaving him with further unexpected costs. He wrote: “That cost must be added to the £100 a day we spend on fuel for the generator, the £400 a week it costs to provide warmth on the terrace and the £27,000 a month we must spend on parking and traffic marshals to keep the council off our back.

He added: “It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm. It’s worse at the pub. The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.” Ending his column on a positive note, Jeremy revealed that TV chef Marco Pierre White had been a visitor to the pub – and was left impressed by the range of options on the menu.

He added: “And it’s warm and there’s a fire and the staff are friendly and young and happy. It’s a proper, traditional pub. By which I mean you’ll love it, and I’ll lose a fortune and develop a skin disease from the stress of running it.”

A woman who was on her honeymoon in Thailand when the catastrophic Boxing Day tsunami struck in 2004 has opened up about how it changed her life. Lou Harrand, 51, was marking the beginning of a new chapter alongside her husband Greg when the tsunami hit. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the disaster, Lou has opened up to OK! about what happened that day…

“As I tried to fight my way to the surface of the thick, dirty water, I didn’t know which way was up. Just moments ago, I’d been holding onto my new husband, Greg, but now I had no idea where he was – or where I was for that matter. What had started as another beautiful day in Koh Phi Phi had turned into something drastically different. This wasn’t the honeymoon we’d planned.

Greg and I met when we were 14. I had a crush on him – my friends even addressed letters to “Mrs Louise Gregory Harrand” – but it wasn’t until we were 29 that we got together. Just 18 months later we married on a cold, crisp day in York in December 2004. It was everything we wanted it to be. As hoteliers, January is our quietest time, so we decided to go on honeymoon then. The plan was to stay in some resorts in Thailand and then spend five weeks travelling, but Mother Nature tragically changed everything.

After landing in Thailand, we spent our days sunbathing, relaxing and scuba diving, which was a welcome relief from wedding planning. On Christmas Day, we had a barbecue in Maya Bay with some locals and on the morning of Boxing Day we were nursing a bit of a hangover. When we woke up, we noticed our beachfront bungalow was swaying and Greg even commented on the bathroom door moving. Thinking nothing of it, we headed to breakfast, ready for another day in paradise.

Just an hour later, people started running around when we were in the hotel reception. As we stepped outside to see what had happened, we were surrounded by ankle-deep water. The panic heightened and we began running too. Shouts of “get high” filled the air, so we headed to a nearby hotel with roof access. However, as there was only a single staircase, there was a bottleneck of people. Suddenly, a huge wave came from behind, sweeping Greg and me away instantly.

Lou noticed something was wrong when she found herself surrounded by ankle-deep water ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Trapped below water

We’re both strong swimmers but there was nothing we could do – we were instantly separated. As I tumbled through the water, I kept thinking, “This isn’t supposed to happen; this is my honeymoon.” I have no idea how long I was under water, but I couldn’t have lasted another 10 seconds. Both of us have said we contemplated taking a mouthful of water to end our lives because we thought that was going to happen anyway. It was terrifying.

At one point, I got stuck between two pieces of stone and was trapped. Because of the pressure my ribs eventually broke, though luckily that allowed me to then pass through the gap. When I eventually resurfaced, I was at roof level, and my survival instincts kicked in. I thought if I don’t get away before the debris behind reaches me, I’m dead. I pulled myself onto a table that was floating beside me, and to my right there was a group of men on a roof who’d seen me. They made a human chain and, reaching out to them, I clambered on and joined them. We sat on the hot metal, watching the water, wondering whether the whole world was like this or if it was just us.

I can’t recall how long afterwards, but slowly the water went down. In fear of another tsunami, I headed to the hotel staircase for a second time. As I entered, I glimpsed my face in a mirror in the hallway – I didn’t recognise myself due to my injuries. Making my way to the top floor, a German man and his girlfriend, who’d been in their room when everything happened, took me in and looked after me. I told them about my husband and they asked if I was worried about him. I replied that if I was okay, he’d be okay too. That’s how I dealt with it.

Lou was trapped underwater, though was able to climb onto a roof for safety ( 
Image:
Lou Harrand)
Once the chaos had passed, the man asked for Greg’s name and began calling out his name among the debris. As if by magic, he found him. It sounds strange but because I thought Greg would be fine, I simply greeted him with “oh, hi” as if he’d just nipped out to the supermarket. But once we were reunited, I shut down. I couldn’t do anything other than let Greg tell me what to do. People gave us bits of information so we headed to a clearing area where we were assessed and given bottles of antiseptic for our wounds.

That evening, a wooden sailboat took us to a fishing trawler, which then transported us to Phuket, three hours away. Ambulances, pick-up trucks and mopeds were waiting to take us to hospital – finally, we felt safer. An X-ray revealed I’d broken my ribs and I needed my arm stitched up, but the adrenaline meant I hardly felt the pain. The Thai people were amazing. They’d lost their houses and families, but they still wanted to help. A woman gave us a lilo which Greg slept on for the first night, while I took a bench.

The following day we headed to the airport and waited for two seats to become available. Around six of us got on a flight to Bangkok in hospital gowns as we had no other clothes. We stayed in Bangkok for two nights before frantically begging the airport desk to let us on a flight home. All we had was a Polaroid of ourselves in the hospital and a piece of paper that said, “This person is a British national.” Luckily, the airline we were due to fly home with in the New Year allowed us to transfer flights, and relief flooded over me.

On the 13-hour journey home, we felt like royalty. People were moved to give us a row of seats and some of the other passengers came to sit, cry and pray with us. It was just beautiful. When we landed at Heathrow, my parents had driven from York to pick us up. As soon as we saw them, my dad hugged Greg so tightly. My dad hadn’t previously been one to show his emotions, but he changed after that.

The British wife of deposed Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad has filed for divorce, say reports.

Asma al-Assad, 49, is currently exiled in Moscow with the former Damascus dictator but wants to move to London. The former first lady is reportedly dissatisfied with her life under guard of the Putin regime in Russia.

She has applied to a Russian court for permission to leave Russia for Britain, according to The Jerusalem Post, citing Turkish and Arab media reports.

Her application is currently being evaluated by the Russian authorities, according to the accounts. The former ruler and his family are believed to be under “severe restrictions” in Moscow, and he is barred from leaving the city or engaging in political activities.

His assets and money in Russia are reported to be frozen. He is said to have moved to Moscow around 270 kilograms of gold and £1.6 billion. He or his clan are believed to own dozens of apartments in the Russian capital.

The couple are believed to be under “severe restrictions” in Moscow ( 
Image:
AFP/Getty Images)
There has been so far no comment on the divorce reports from the Russian authorities or from al-Assad or his wife. Asma was born in London and was raised in London by Syrian parents. The family was offered a safe haven by Vladimir Putin who spirited the toppled president out of Syria 8 December shortly before his country fell into the hands of rebels.

Asma and the couple’s three children were already in Russia, where reports say she has been undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer. One version is that she would prefer to be treated in the UK.

In Moscow, the Assad clan is linked to luxury properties in both the 990ft City of Capitals complex and the nearby 1,226ft Federation Tower. His extended family own dozens of properties here and elsewhere in Moscow, but it is believed the family now resides in official Russian government accommodation.

One week before al-Assad’s loss of power, the couple’s eldest son Hafez Bashar al-Assad, 23, had been in Russia defending his thesis at Moscow State University. His mother Asma, 49, had celebrated with him in Russia when he was awarded his degree at the same university last year.

Desperate families of detainees stranded in Dubai jail cells have been left without hope they will ever see their loved ones again as they face Christmas alone.

Six people – Albert Douglas, Marcus Fakana, Stuart Quiney, Maurice Kevin O’Rourke, Alma McCabe and Robert Dobbs – will spend the festive period locked away as they continue to fight to return to their home nations. Some of them, like Marcus Fakana, who was arrested following a consensual sexual encounter with a girl of his age during a Dubai holiday, have a rough idea on when their imprisonment might end.

Fakana, 18, from Tottenham, north London, has been unable to leave the country since September, and was sentenced to one year in prison after his relationship with a fellow Londoner – who is now 18 but was 17 at the time – was reported by the girl’s mum. The relationship would have been legal in the UK, but it wasn’t in Dubai, where officials legally restrict any sexual contact outside of marriage. The families of Albert Douglas and Maurice O’Rourke don’t even have potential release dates – and they have lost hope.

Pamela said her family likely won’t be doing anything for Christmas – until her husband returns ( 
Image:
Pamela O’Rourke)
Albert’s son, Wolfgang Douglas, and Maurice’s wife Pamela O’Rourke have told the Daily Mirror about their bids to free their loved ones, and how, in Mrs O’Rourke’s case, Christmas has been totally upended. Both families are receiving support from Detained in Dubai, a pressure group founded by UAE expert witness Radha Stirling.

Ms O’Rourke, 61, said her family’s home would be bare for Christmas this year as they wait for Maurice to return from Dubai, where he is being held for travelling with Cannabis products. Maurice, from Mississauga, Canada, was arrested in July this year after Dubai authorities discovered 100 grams of Cannabis products and 50 to 60 grams of CBD oil in his luggage on a stopover en route to South Africa.

Marcus’ is being held in Dubai
Maurice, who suffers from Addison’s disease – an adrenal gland disorder that makes him more susceptible to infections – was using them for pain management. They are legal in Canada, and his wife said he never had any intention of breaking the law. He was handed a life sentence after the products were found, an appeal hearing for which his family will have to attend on Christmas Day.

As well as having to attend the hearing – which will fall on Christmas Eve in Canada – the O’Rourke family Christmas has been completely upended by having their holiday driving force taken away. Mrs O’Rourke told The Mirror her family will be waiting to celebrate Christmas until Maurice returns.

Albert Douglas was detained in 2021
She said: “Normally our house would be decorated, Maurice would have put up all the lights. This year, truthfully, we’re going to wait and have Christmas when he’s home.” She added: “We haven’t really done anything…it just feels really hard.” Mrs O’Rourke said the family was shocked the appeal was scheduled for December 25, adding it meant they would spend much of the period waiting for updates from their lawyers.

She said Maurice’s loved ones are desperate for something to change regarding Maurice’s sentence on the day, but added that she has “given up hope”. While she continues to hang on some shreds of hope, she added: “I have to temper [my hope] because we have been hopeful so many times and that is almost harder.”

Mrs O’Rourke isn’t alone, as Wolfgang Douglas, the son of Albert Douglas, a business tycoon who once lived a life of luxury on Dubai’s Palm Islands, fears he may never see his father again. Albert, 61, was arrested in 2021 and ordered by the UAE to pay a massive £2.5 million fine due to debts amassed by his son’s company – with which he had no association.

Detained in Dubai states he was held over a bounced cheque he did not write, and claims he is being held in custody on a selection of trumped-up charges without a release date or official sentence. Wolfgang alleges his father was tortured while behind bars, and he was last year strangled with a phone cord by a crazed fellow inmate at the infamous Al Barsha prison.

There’s big trouble ahead for one longterm Coronation Street resident at the end of the year.

The new year could start off rather bleakly for Leanne Battersby, as she makes a decision that could cost her her freedom. Not only that, but her own quest for revenge could be thwarted by her own doing.

As a result, her revenge mission could come tumbling down, and she could be sent to prison as a result. An incriminating mistake could see the character regret her actions, and even push someone else to taking their own vengeance.

It all kicks off as Leanne’s plan against Nick Tilsley and her sister Toyah Battersby spirals. She wants revenge after their betrayal, with Leanne splitting from husband Nick after his affair with their sister.

After the fling, the pair secretly continued their new romance but they have no idea Leanne knows this. Leanne is hurt, and she wants them to suffer. While she initially moved back in with Nick and tried to rekindle their romance, she’s now trying to stop the pair spending time together.

Not only did she ruin their holiday plans, but she then set up a bank account in Toyah’s name before taking action. Upcoming scenes see Leanne continue to set up Toyah, moving money from the business account into the other account

There’s big trouble ahead for one longterm Coronation Street resident at the end of the year. ( 
Image:
ITV)
In looming episodes, Leanne’s full plan becomes clear as Nick and Toyah are accused of fraudulent activity. As both of them protest their innocence, it isn’t long before they suspect Leanne is behind it.

Nick decides the only way to prove this is to find evidence, knowing that otherwise he faces trouble with the law. But will Leanne really let her sister and ex go to prison?

It seems it won’t get that far, as Leanne makes an almighty error that could see her plan come crashing down. Not only that, but she could be sent to prison as her guilt is rumbled.

The big mistake sees her seemingly sending flirty texts to colleague Amy Barlow, pretending to be Nick. Amy is left startled by this and soon confronts her boss for his inappropriate actions.

But when Nick denies this is his doing, he realises Leanne could be framing him once more. He decides to scan CCTV footage and notices that Leanne appears to have two phones.

So Leanne is likely using this second phone to set up Nick. But can he prove this? It seems yes as in the episodes to follow she’s told she could be facing a custodial sentence…

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