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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 ( 
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“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.

“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 ( 
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“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.

Zoe Ball, 53, announced on her Radio 2 Breakfast Show that she is stepping down from the role after six years, with her final show set to air on December 20.

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Ball said she will miss her listeners and colleagues but not getting up early

Ball heaped praise on her successor: “Scott and I go way back to our Radio 1 days, when he was doing early mornings before me. He’s been a close friend for years, and I’m beyond thrilled it’s him taking over the Breakfast Show.

“Breakfast has always been his dream. He’s not only a blooming brilliant producer but one of the best in radio. I can’t wait to tune in on the school run!”

Mills recently stood in for Ball when she took a few weeks off from her show.

Trevor Nelson, who currently presents in the evenings Monday to Thursday, will replace Mills as the presenter of the 2pm to 4pm weekday afternoon show from January.

Nelson said: “I’m looking to have lots of fun and will be bringing a bit of soul to the new show.”

Meanwhile, DJ Spoony will extend his weekly edition of The Good Grove (Friday nights – 9-11pm) to four weekly shows on Monday – Thursday nights and Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco will be extended from one to two hours, kicking off on Friday nights at 9pm.

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Ball hosted the BBC One Saturday morning children’s show Live and Kicking in 1997

Ball first joined BBC Radio in October 1997 as the co-host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with co-presenter Kevin Greening. From October 1998 to March 2000, Zoe hosted the programme solo, the first woman to do so.

Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “Zoe has woken up the nation on Radio 2 with incredible warmth, wit and so much joy since January 2019.

“I’d like to thank her for approaching each show with as much vim and vigour as if it were her first. I’m thrilled that that she’ll remain an important part of the Radio 2 family.”

She was the BBC’s highest-paid on-air female presenter in 2023/24.

Her salary of between £950,000 and £954,999 ranked her second on the list of top-earning talent behind Gary Lineker, according to the corporation’s annual report published in July.

Many more stars don’t make the list, with several of them almost certainly earning more than Ball and Lineker but they are not named because the BBC does not have to disclose the salaries of stars who are paid through production companies.

The latest figures from radio industry body Rajar state that Ball’s programme is the most listened to breakfast show in the UK.

But it dipped by 146,000 listeners to 6.28 million in the most recent quarter, according to industry figures from Rajar.

BBC Radio 2 is the UK’s most listened to radio station, with a weekly audience of 13.3 million, the figures show.

At the 2024 Audio and Radio Industry Awards, also known as the Arias, Scott Mills won gold for the best music entertainment show, while Ball won bronze for the best music breakfast show.

Ruth Langsford, 64, was pictured leaving swanky restaurant ’34 Mayfair’ in London with her friend Lizzie Cundy before being flown to Australia for I’m a Celebrity

Ruth Langsford showed off her glowing look as she left a swanky restaurant with her close friend ahead of her surprise I’m a Celebrity stint.

The 64-year-old presenter is heading Down Under to be a surprise addition to the I’m A Celeb camp following her shock split from her husband, Eamonn Holmes. But she won’t be taking part in trials on the reality show, as Ruth will simply be there in a supporting role.

Before being flown to Australia, Ruth was all smiles as she left swanky restaurant “34 Mayfair” in London with her close friend, Lizzie Cundy. The Loose Women star wore an elegant all-black outfit with trousers, a top and a jacket.

Ruth wore an all-black outfit for the outing ( 
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She was seen leaving the restaurant with Lizzie Cundy ( 
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She paired it with a silver bag and silver heels. Her friend Lizzie was seen walking behind her, wearing a red short paired with red knee-high boots. While in Australia, Ruth will be cheering on her Loose Women co-star Jane Moore, 62, who is one of the 2024 contestants.

Ruth and Jane have both been starts on the ITV lunchtime talk show since 1999 – a fact Jane has hoped will give her an advantage in the jungle. After being confirmed as one of the contestants, she said in a pre-show interview: “I will fill the hours with good chat. I find people really interesting and I want to have organic conversations. I won’t be like, ‘Tell me about the time…’ but I will be asking questions just because I am interested. I hope they (my fellow campmates) don’t get offended!”

The presenter is tipped to appear on the new I’m A Celeb companion series, I’m A Celebrity…Unpacked which will be hosted by Joel Dommett, Kemi Rodgers and Sam Thompson. And she will be in the wings to support Jane during her time in the jungle – which she is said to be hoping will be a welcome distraction from her marriage meltdown.

A source told The Sun: “It’s been a tough year for Ruth and she’s been putting her best foot forward, she’s thrilled to have been asked to appear on this the spin off show and fly to Australia ahead of Christmas. She’s rooting for Jane and can’t wait to give her opinion on how she is getting on.” The source added: “The production team are particularly excited they have landed Ruth to join them as they think she’ll be amazing and give the new format a boost.”

Fans of Ruth were shocked earlier this year when it was announced her marriage to Eamonn, 64, had come to an abrupt end after 14 years – while their romance stretched back to 1996. They confirmed their split through a representative, who said back in May: “Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing.”

Before entering the jungle, Jane said her “mum” skills will also come into play after as well as her interviewing skills. She declared: “I have been on this planet a long time and I will be the person who will try to help them out. My two daughters are really up for me doing it and my youngest one keeps telling me: ‘Mum, it is going to be amazing’. If there is someone young in there struggling, I know it will appeal to my maternal side. But cooking you will not find me putting myself forward for. I am not a good cook, I am rubbish. I know the food is going to taste pretty insipid too.”

Linda Robson has revealed her children are worried about her as she waits to receive test results after undergoing scans on her pancreas

Linda Robson fears she will have to have her pancreas removed in a heartbreaking health admission.

The Loose Women star opened up on her health scare to Ruth Langsford, Brenda Edwards and Janet Street-Porter on Tuesday. The Birds of a Feather star shared her health woes as the panel discussed how illness can affect your family following Kate Middleton’s brave video announcing she has completed cancer treatment.

Linda shares her son Louis and daughter Roberta with ex-husband Mark Dunford and has an older daughter, Lauren, from a previous relationship. She said: “I have had a bit of health scare – quite a few years ago I had gall stones and they damaged my pancreas and they’ve been keeping an eye on me for a while now.” Linda explained she had undergone scans in recent weeks and is expected to receive the results of her latest scan next week.

She continued: “I had a cyst on my pancreas and it went from one to two cm so the kids have been really worried about me,” before adding that she’s waiting to find out whether the cyst has grown in size. A shocked Ruth remarked: “This is happening right now to you?”

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Linda with her two daughters Lauren and Roberta ( 
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Linda with her son Louis ( 
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“Yes,” Linda replied. “If it is [bigger] then they’ll have to remove my pancreas which means I’d then be a diabetic but fingers crossed that won’t happen and the cysts won’t have grown. I feel quite positive about it but the kids are obviously worried about it.”

Ruth asked: “How do you deal with that as a family? Are you talking?” To which Linda replied: “I make jokes about it all the time because I try to diffuse them worrying about me. When I did go to the hospital they came with me and taped everything the doctors said because I would have forgotten everything that they said.”

Earlier this year, Linda revealed her children became her carers during her battle with OCD, alcoholism and depression. She explained: “My children were my carers when I was mentally ill. There was a point when I got so low I couldn’t be left alone. I wasn’t allowed to see my grandchildren until I was better. It was four years ago now and they still say, ‘Mum I’m so glad you are better, we never thought we’d get you back.’”

Recalling the difficult time in her life during a Loose Women episode, Linda explained: “I went through a really tough time, I was depressed and I turned to alcohol and had cleaning OCD. I used to always have a glass of wine or spritzers in the evening, come 10 o’clock at night, but never in the daytime. And then I got put on medication that sent me a bit mad.

“I got put on a certain drug which was supposed to help the depression but it didn’t it just heightened it, so I had to go into three different establishments and it was the worst time in my life, I completely ruined my family’s lives.”

Gino D’Acampo was ‘sexualised’ by TV bosses according to another shamed star

John Barrowman thinks there is no way back for Gino D’Acampo when it comes to TV work – but says some producers in the past encouraged some of his antics by “sexualising” the way he worked.

Gino, 48, once cooked naked on This Morning in 2011 except for an apron and shamed actor Barrowman says things like this which would have been cleared by production likely gave Gino the green light for other behaviour which has now been deemed inappropriate.

Barrowman, who has barely worked on British TV after allegations of his behaviour on the Doctor Who set emerged, was asked by fans in a Q&A where he saw himself when it came to TV this year.

He replied: “At the moment, no. You won’t see me. Nothing lies ahead for me on television because at the moment…. because of all the c**p that was said about me which is not true … they kind of turned their back on me.

“It’s the same thing to do with Gino D’Acampo at the moment which is unfortunate because they’re the ones who…. the TV shows…. and I use this as an example.. like the one where he’s on the TV show and he’s standing there cooking in an apron but he’s naked.

“Now he didn’t decide to do that. Production asked him to do it. So they’re sexualizing him in the same way as when I was on camera and they would do something like ‘You gotta be naked. You’ve got to do this.’ So we then feel that there’s an atmosphere of ‘Let’s have a laugh and let’s have fun’. So then when it comes out that we’ve had a laugh, they all go ‘Oh my God. We’re not on with this!’ This is hypocrisy basically. It’s kind of the same thing that I went through.”

John Barrowman is currently on a theatre tour performing for fans ( 
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Barrowman added: “Once that all dies out maybe (I will be back on TV) but I figured I’m going to tour more.”

Barrowman comments follow on from former Coronation Street star Vicky Entwistle who has come to his defence and slammed her former employers.

She said: “I don’t know this man personally, therefore have no reason to stick my neck out in his defence. BUT!!! ITV played that man for all he was worth… cheeky, naughty, foreign, hilarious!!! It all fitted in 10 years ago… now with a new WOKE agenda they crucify him?!?!”

An ITV investigation found accusations of “distressing” and “sexually inappropriate” behaviour by Gino over 12 years. This also included comments some staff said were “disgusting”.

ITV News said on Friday they had now spoken to “more than 40 people” who claimed they had “witnessed or experienced” inappropriate behaviour. They also said they had spoken to people who had had positive experiences with him within the TV industry.

In a statement via his legal team, D’Acampo “firmly denied” the “deeply upsetting” allegations. A statement continued: “I am a father, husband and have worked with well over 1,500 people on around 80 productions in my career, which I have been so proud of. I take such matters extremely seriously,” he said, adding that the suggestion that he acted in an improper way was “deeply upsetting”.

D’Acampo, 48, has been a regular on UK television since the early 2000s. He has primarily worked for ITV, including on a number of cooking and travel shows, as well as making appearances on other entertainment programmes.

Barrowman faced a backlash over historic accusations that he exposed himself on the Doctor Who set.

He made a brief appearance on Channel 4’s Celeb SAS but is no longer on the Dancing On Ice judging panel or involved in Doctor Who.

Robert Rinder appeared on Wednesday’s episode of Loose Women to discuss his impressive book series

Robert Rinder left the Loose Women panel and studio stunned on Wednesday with his ‘real voice’.

The criminal barrister and TV star, 46, appeared in the ITV studio to talk about his impressive best-selling book series, which include The Trial, The Suspect and he also has a third book being released later this year.

However, chat got onto his personal life and the upcoming second series of Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour. Rob said of the second season: “We’ve been in India together, just to be clear, I’m in platonic love with him, I love you Rylan!

“It’s all about authenticity, he’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met!” He added, speaking directly to panellist Janet Street-Porter: “One of the things you’ve talked about is that when you first came into the room, years ago, because you sounded a certain way…”

Robert Rinder left the Loose Women panel and studio stunned on Wednesday with his ‘real voice’ ( 
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To which Janet, 78, reflected: “People were horrible, they’d make assumptions!” to which Robert reflected on changing his own accent.

He said of his voice: “This is total artifice!”, adding: “When I was three-years-old, I lived round the corner from Amy Winehouse, nobody sounded like me!”

Asking Robert to share a glimpse of his ‘real voice’ and how he used to sound, the presenter said: “You alright everybody, welcome to Loose Women!” to which the panellists and studio started laughing.

It comes as Robert previously revealed the reason he went to great lengths to change his accent before finding fame.

I grew up in Southgate, around the corner from Amy Winehouse…[people there] don’t sound like me. This was a cultivated choice.”

However, chat got onto his personal life and the upcoming second series of Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour ( 
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He added on the Great Company with Jamie Laing podcast: “This is not real, my voice is an artifice it’s a complete fiction.

“I grew up, you know, around the corner from Amy Winehouse and my dad was a taxi driver.”

“‘Alright boy, Alright foxy,’” he added in a cockney accent. Robert continued: “That’s how I grew up and then at the age of three – no offence to them, although it sounds like a deliberate one – I sort of rather felt that I’d spiritually, intellectually and culturally outgrown them and had enough.”

“So I invented this,” he added, gesturing to himself. “Being authentic about my early, very early childhood I sort of remember being surrounded by people who I thought ‘I clearly had nothing in common with any of you. I’m not even sure I’m related.’”

Loose Women continues on weekdays at 12:30pm on ITV and ITV X.

Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon is back for season five with the titular star returning to help families turn their home lives around

Stacey Solomon has been a household name for 16 years after she was catapulted to stardom thanks to her stint on The X Factor.

Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon will be returning this evening, Tuesday, February 11, at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer with another family in need of decluttering their three-bedroom home in the hope of a more organised future.

As the hit reality series makes a comeback, fans are curious to know more in depth about the presenter’s personal life.

Anxiety

Born in October 1989, in Dageham, Essex, Stacey is the daughter of David Solomon and Fiona Nash who worked as a photographer and a nurse respectively, along with siblings Matthew and Jemma.

Sadly when Stacey was little, she suffered from terrible anxiety where she would spend up to six hours a day worrying about death.

Writing in her column for The Sun, she shared: “I remember being scared of dying at a very young age, maybe even five or six. I had no traumatic childhood experiences.

Stacey Solomon shot to fame when she auditioned for The X Factor in 2009. ( 
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“There’s not a point in my childhood where my mortality was questioned, but the fear was always there.”

Thankfully after seeing a therapist and her GP, Stacey was able to start managing her anxiety, recognising her triggers and what to do to stop the intrusive thoughts.

“Before bed I try and read the most brain-hurty, intelligent book I can,” she explained.

“One that’s so hard to read no other thoughts can creep into my mind. After 10 pages I’m usually exhausted and fall asleep.”

Teen pregnancy

Stacey became pregnant when she was just 17-years-old with her first son Zachary, who she had with her ex-partner Dean Cox, breaking up before he was born.

Four years ago, the star opened up on the “shame” that she felt at the time, sharing that she felt “totally out of control”.

Speaking on Loose Women, she said: “I just remember feeling so ashamed.

“I know that sounds awful but when I was pregnant with Zach, all I felt the whole way through was shame.

“I looked like a baby as well. I looked about six. I think people just looked and were like, ‘Ugh, why is she pregnant?’ Maybe it’s a bit of trauma I just haven’t addressed.”

The X Factor

Stacey became famous overnight in 2009 when she auditioned for The X Factor in front of the likes of Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh and came in third place.

However, her audition nearly didn’t happen as the 35-year-old explained: “I don’t know if it was one in the morning or whenever it was, it was really late at night, I was the last person to be seen and the judges were so tired, they had seen thousands of people all day.

“I think what they were saying was that they wanted to end the night, that was it and go home and London was done.

“But one of the producers really pushed for them to see me and just wait to see me which changed my life.”

Stacey Solomon has been married to actor and presenter Joe Swash since 2022. ( 
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Joe Swash

Stacey went on to have another son, Leighton, with her ex-fiancé Aaron Barham but their relationship came to an end in 2014.

She then went on to date former EastEnders star Joe Swash who she initially met while working on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, with Stacey winning the show in 2010.

Stacey and Joe tied the knot in 2022 and now have three children together, Rex, Rose and Belle but the initial proposal didn’t exactly go as planned.

Opening up on BBC’s Would I Lie To You, Stacey laughed: “I nearly broke up with my husband while he was trying to propose to me.”

Explaining that it was during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020, she continued: “It was that special time of year, but we were all confined to our homes due to the restrictions.

“Every day, we would take a long walk through the nearby woods to escape the daily grind and find a bit of normalcy.

“This one Christmas Eve day while I was in the thick of being really busy. He wanted to go for a wood walk, and I asked if this could wait. it’s Christmas Eve, but anyway, we went on a walk, and all these flowers were laid out.

“So I said, ‘I think someone has passed’. He said, ‘Let’s go and have a look’.

“I said, ‘What the hell is wrong with you? I’m not walking through that’. I said, ‘I don’t know if I can be with a person like you who gets off on someone else’s misfortune.

“I was expecting a shrine, but Joe had put the flowers out to propose to me.”

Sort Your Life Out With Stacey Solomon season five premieres on Tuesday, February 11, at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Judge Rinder star Rob Rinder has declared his love for Rylan Clark during an appearance on Loose Women as the pair continue to be asked about their friendship.

TV personality Rob Rinder has clarified his ‘love’ for fellow star Rylan Clark as fans continue to adore their on-screen partnership.

In November, the duo returned from their latest joint adventure, a trip to India in October to film their upcoming BBC Two show. This follows their initial collaboration earlier this year on Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, which led to fans demanding more.

The first three-part series took viewers on a journey through some of Italy’s most significant art treasures in locations such as Venice, Florence, and Rome, following in the footsteps of 19th-century romantic poet Lord Byron and other Grand Tourists.

Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder often share their friendship online with fans ( 
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Rylan Clark Instagram)
However, during their first series, Rob decided to play a prank on his co-star by announcing on Twitter that they were engaged. TV star turned criminal barrister Rob posted a beautiful photo of the two standing in what seemed to be the Italian countryside.

The image showed Rylan and Rob facing each other under the bright sun, both dressed in crisp white shirts and trousers. “Elton’s set at Glastonbury has inspired us to tie the knot. I [heart] @Rylan,” Rob wrote alongside the photo on Twitter.

The Manchester Evening News reports this resulted in fans rushing to congratulate them, with some believing the wedding news was real.

The duo have travelled together for this TV show ( 
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Rob Rinder X/Twitter)
Fans hoping for a romantic update were left deflated when Rylan, 34, took to social media to debunk the rumours, stating: “Fake news he’s had a wine.”

The TV personality later recounted an amusing incident where he had to explain to an enthusiastic stranger that he and Rob weren’t getting hitched, despite being congratulated on the street. Despite this, the duo’s chemistry continues to win hearts, with fans expressing their admiration for their partnership.

Rob Rinder says ‘just to be clear’ as he sets record straight on Rylan ‘romance’During interviews, both Rylan and Rob often face questions about each other. On Wednesday (February 12), while on Loose Women, Rob couldn’t resist expressing his fondness for Rylan to host Christine Lampard and the panel.

He said: “We’ve been in India together, just to be clear, I’m in platonic love with him, I love you Rylan!”

He also praised the BBC Radio 2 presenter, adding: “It’s all about authenticity, he’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met!”

Kensington Palace has taken the rare step of issuing a fresh statement clarifying one of its policies regarding Princess Kate after facing a backlash from her fans

Kensington Palace issued a statement clarifying the official policy for sharing information about Princess Kate after a backlash over new guidance.

At the start of the month, the Sunday Times published an article titled “Princess of Wales: Focus on my work, not my wardrobe,” which quoted a royal source as saying that Kate “wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting”.

The report further stated she found it “frustrating and difficult” when the spotlight is instead on what she looks like rather than her work. On Tuesday, a Kensington Palace spokesperson responded with a rare statement where they insisted there was “no change in our approach to sharing information”.

They told the Mirror: “Over the last week, I have received numerous questions about a story regarding The Princess of Wales’s clothing and how Kensington Palace shares information about her outfits.

“To clarify, the comments that appeared in the article were from me, not The Princess of Wales. The comments that were reported should not be directly attributed to The Princess of Wales. To be clear, there has been no change in our approach to sharing information about Her Royal Highness’s clothing.”

Royal fans had been left disappointed by the possibility that the Palace would no longer share details of Kate’s clothing, with one expert admitting that his heart ‘sank’ when he heard the news. The Princess is considered a global style icon, with fashionistas rushing to buy whatever the Princess wears in record time.

As such, fans argued that Kate plays a key role in shining a spotlight on British designers and boosting the British fashion industry. Her endorsement was recently estimated to be worth £1bn annually to the fashion industry, according to Newsweek.

Kate has undergone a style shift in recent years. When she first embarked on royal life, the Princess relied heavily on floral dresses that were fitted and flared. But she now has a new fashion formula, and it’s boosted her style credentials even further.

The mum-of-three’s go-to outfit now typically consists of a beautiful tailored trouser suit, a T-shirt or blouse and pointed court shoes. It’s seen as an ideal choice for a modern-day Princess; polished and formal but also relaxed and understated with the addition of a more casual top.

According to a number of experts, the change in Kate’s style sends a clear message. “I think it marks a new era in her royal life,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at the Daily Telegraph told People magazine. “It shows her confidence is growing and that she’s willing to take more risks and do something that might not have come naturally to her.”

Bethan continued: “She’s transforming before our eyes. She might not be able to say to us, ‘Look, my life is now completely different, me and my husband are one step closer to the biggest job of his life,’ but she is saying that through her fashion choices.”

Her comments have been echoed by royal style expert Miranda Holder. ” Princess Kate ‘s image has definitely taken on a more business-like feel ever since she became the Princess of Wales; her more serious wardrobe reflecting the gravitas of her heavyweight role within the Firm,” she told HELLO! . “She has literally been rebranded in line with her new level of authority as the Princess of Wales and her position as our future Queen.”

Notably, Princess Kate is not the only royal to undergo a major style shift at a pivotal time in her life — so too did her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. “Diana had her own trouser suit moment in the late 1980s at a time when she wanted to be taken more seriously,” Holt further added. “She said to designers, ‘I’m sick of the frothy ball gowns — I want to wear menswear.’ And she had these fabulous power suit moments!”

The Sussexes raised eyebrows with their very tactile displays during the Invictus Games, so fans were surprised to discover they will be spending the most romantic day of the year apart

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines with their highly tactile and loved-up appearances at the Invictus Games.

So, it has come as a surprise to their fans to learn that the couple will be spending Valentine’s Day apart this year – and it’s a date in the calendar that the Duchess of Sussex previously said is ‘special’ to her. After packing on the PDA and gushing about each other at the tournament, Meghan left her husband in Canada on Tuesday in order to fly home to get back to their children, Archie and Lilbet.

Meghan, 43, spent five days at the competition after arriving in Vancouver alongside Harry, 40, on Friday afternoon. Aides kept her travel plans under wraps for security reasons, but it is understood she had always planned to leave the event early.

Harry and Meghan have been incredibly tactile during their stay in Canada ( 
Image:
Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Meghan cut her trip short as the Games continue ( 
Image:
Humphrey Nemar/staff Photographer.)
Before Meghan’s departure, the couple made a point of putting on an affectionate display with Meghan expressing her overwhelming pride in her husband. They enjoyed the show from the stands, danced away to pop hits and cosied up with champagne.

A passionate on-stage kiss was shared by the affectionate duo, and they also made rare comments about their young children. While returning to Archie and Lilibet is clearly at the centre of Meghan’s decision to leave, she will be disappointed not to be spending Valentine’s Day with her husband.

Meghan previously spoke of her love for the celebration on her blog The Tig, writing: “Hook, line and sinker, I am such a sucker for Valentine’s Day. Without fail, every February 14th, I wake up feeling like I’m immersed in a Robert Doisneau photo, waiting with bated breath to be dipped into a kiss.

“This is all happening in black and white, of course. And in Paris, if I had my way. But delusions of francophile grandeur aside, Valentine’s Day is special wherever you happen to find yourself.”

Harry and Meghan’s loved-up display in Canada was a marked difference from their tour of Colombia in September 2024, when experts suggested Harry seemed “distant” and “hesitant” in contrast to his wife, who seemed to be “running the show”.

Following their return from South America, the Duke and Duchess then embarked on a series of solo engagements and outings – perceived as a ‘professional split’ by some experts – and as a result, were plagued by divorce rumours, something Harry later addressed.

Body language expert Judi James has examined the change in Harry and Meghan’s dynamic, and told the Mirror that the public have been presented with a “state of eternal honeymoon re-boot through a deluge of romantic statements, both verbal and non-verbal, from Meghan”.

Judi said: “Meghan’s romance signals with her husband on this trip look like deliberate and emphatic ‘statement’ displays. They don’t veer from their normal signals of love but they do appear to suggest something of a re-brand, as though they’ve left both fans and critics to wait for too long and that she now wants to show that the Harry and Meghan romance narrative is still firmly on track.”

The expert continued: “Her introduction of Harry on stage in Canada involved the kind of coy, eye-rolling, knowing asides to the audience of your average newlywed. Meghan’s coyness over a marriage of six years suggests she is still in a state of blushing swoon over her wonderful ‘husband and father to my two children’.”

She further noted that Meghan’s ‘touch rituals’ have only intensified during their time in Canada. “The couple have tended to retain their signature hand clasp over the past couple of years but now Meghan is using ‘limpet’ behaviours, clinging to Harry’s arm with one hand and holding his free hand with her other.

“She has been resting her head on his shoulder as though on a date night and her ‘seal clapping’ at him and even her filming or photographing him suggests a born-again adoration of the man she’s already made it pretty clear that she loves.

“There is now facial touch and back of the neck strokes. When Harry stood to take his turn onstage during the opening ceremony, Meghan cupped his face in her hands to bestow a kiss on him, making him look like her own hero in a stadium full of actual war heroes.”