Blog

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has taken over from one of her co-stars this week and it seems she’s enjoying every moment in her new job

BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden has been showcasing her talents off the dance floor, taking over the airwaves on BBC Radio Wales. The Welsh star is filling in for Wynne Evans on his daytime radio show while he’s away.

Amy couldn’t contain her excitement about her new gig as she took to Instagram to share a snap from the Cardiff-based station’s desk. The 34-year-old dancer wrote: “Loved covering the lovely @wynneevans radio show today. I’m back covering again tomorrow morning 9am-12! Get in touch, have loved hearing from you all this morning.”

Her followers were quick to shower her with praise, with one fan commenting: “Was lovely to listen this morning – can’t wait for tomorrow morning too.”

Amy Dowden stepping in for Wynne Evans on BBC Radio Wales ( 
Image:
Instagram/Amy Dowden)
Another chimed in: “You did SO good! loved listening to you.” A third admirer posted: “Love you Amy! Happy New Year you beautiful queen,” reports Wales Online.

One listener who had the chance to call in shared their excitement: “I absolutely loved talking to you even if I was very star struck.”

Meanwhile, another fan expressed anticipation for more: “Yay- always look forward to hearing more Amy on the radio.”

Amy is no novice when it comes to broadcasting; she’s graced the airwaves of BBC Radio Wales before, led her own BBC Wales dance series, Amy Dowden’s Dare To Dance, and is a regular face on ITV1’s Lorraine.

In 2024, Amy made a triumphant return to Strictly Come Dancing after her breast cancer treatment, but a foot injury sadly curtailed her stint on the dance floor. Her celebrity partner, JB Gill, subsequently partnered up with fellow pro Lauren Oakley and danced their way into the final.

Amy danced with JB Gill on Strictly ( 
Image:
PA)
Speaking about her future, Amy has revealed her aspirations to start a family with her husband after preserving five embryos prior to her breast cancer treatment.

Experiencing early menopause due to chemotherapy, Amy shared her deep desire to have children and remains optimistic about her chances alongside her husband Ben.

She opened her heart on the What If podcast: “I’m just saying yes to as many opportunities and living life to the full, spending time with loved ones as well and obviously, we would love a family.

“And we’ve got embryos because obviously I’ve got a hormone fed cancer, so I had to go to menopause, which happened the day I started chemo.

“So in a couple of years, when they feel it’s safe to, hopefully we’ll have the opportunity. “And if not, there’s still lots of other opportunities, which we have spoken about. “”.

The artist has said he will now be playing the Glastonbury Festival, blaming ‘an error in the information I received’

Neil Young has said he will now be playing the Glastonbury Festival, blaming “an error in the information I received” for him initially turning down the offer because it was “under corporate control” of the BBC.

The 79-year-old Old Man sniger and his live band, The Chrome Hearts, were previously said to be performing at the 2025 festival held on Worthy Farm in Somerset, with rumours circulating about who will be headlining the popular fest. He originally performed on the Pyramid Stage 16 years ago. However, on New Year’s Day, he revealed he decided not to return to the Glasto stage and explained his reasoning on his website.

In a statement on Neil Young Archives, he wrote: “We were told the BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot for things we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.

“Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.” The Harvest Moon musician signed off the statement with his name and added, “Be well”. It was unclear what the BBC wanted them to do. A few days later, Neil returned to his website to confirm he actually will be playing at Glastonbury and clarified there was ‘an error in the information received’.

Neil Young will be playing at Glastonbury this year ( 
Image:
Matt Cardy)
A statement was Neil Young’s website posted on Friday, which said: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved. Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there.”

Before the Glastonbury drama with Neil, sources already claimed he was “firming up plans” for European tour dates as well as Glastonbury Festival. Eagled-eyed fans also pointed out that his website was updated to include a picture of a ticket from 2009 Glastonbury, which he performed.

Sharing a screenshot of Neil’s website update on Twitter (X) last month, The Glasto Thing account wrote: “There’s a bit of a (for me) too good to be true rumour floating about. Just to throw a little petrol on the flames, Neil Young has put his Glastonbury 2009 set up on his website. Add that to him saying he’s doing dates in Europe next year, plus a few other little bits and…”

Nish Panesar star Navin Chowdhry has opened up about his time on EastEnders as he exited the BBC soap this week in dramatic scenes

Navin Chowdhry has revealed what he took from the EastEnders set after his final day on set.

As part of a huge exit storyline, Nish Panesar fell to his death in shocking scenes on New Year’s Day. He tried to poison Suki Panesar’s new wife Eve Unwin in huge scenes, before insisting they both had to die too.

After a confrontation, Suki ran onto the balcony and cried for help, with Nish following her and unknowingly tangling himself up in her wedding dress so that when he goaded his son Ravi to push him, it meant Suki fell off the balcony too.

Nish died when he fell off the balcony, pulling Suki with him ( 
Image:
BBC)
Luckily for Suki, Nish falling first saved her life whilst Eve was also saved by the paramedics and hospital staff, meaning that Eve and Suki can recover and now live their lives without the interference of evil villain Nish.

As he departs the soap, Navin has revealed what he was given when he left the soap. He confessed: “I’ve got my Albert Square board, and Chris Clenshaw gave me some cufflinks. Obviously cufflinks were a big part of the Sixmas story, and a big part of Nish’s journey. He gave me the most beautiful set of cufflinks with the EastEnders Thames logo, and I will wear them with huge pride. I will now always have a little bit of Walford with me whenever I wear my suit.”

Navin played Nish for over two years on the BBC soap ( 
Image:
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)

Asked about his favourite memories from his time on the show, Nish revealed being part of the Christmas Six story was something he would never forget. He said: “My favourite would have to be the Sixmas story. That was a flagship event for the whole show.

“There was so much hype and speculation beforehand in the press, but also between us as actors as none of knew what was going on for a large part of it. So, to be a part of that storyline, but to be the body on The Vic floor; a moment that had been publicised for the best part of a year is something that I think will always make me smile. That was just a wonderful gift, and to work with all of The Six was incredible. I’ve got a real love and affection for all of them. We were all looking at each other thinking, this is massive.”

The Traitors aired a shock twist this evening – as one of the three female Traitors was voted off in the roundtable, the Faithful’s first catch of the series

The Traitors aired a shock twist this evening – as one more unexpected person went home.

Tonight, the BBC show – hosted by Claudia Winkleman – aired a huge twist this evening at the roundtable. Suspicions had been growing about who the Traitors might be, but tonight one of them was finally voted out – as Armani was sent home.

In last night’s episode, Armani decided that she needed to give some advice to her fellow Traitors, leaving Linda and Minah seething by her comments. Tonight, Minah left Armani fuming when she voted for her in the roundtable.

The Faithfuls were stunned by who left
Fans were convinced that Armani would be leaving, as one wrote: “I admire Armani’s confidence (even if I don’t think it’s necessarily great gameplay) but I am here for Minah taking her down,” and a second added: “Armani giving strong Paul vibes I cannot #TheTraitors.” A third penned: “Honestly, I can’t wait until Armani gets banished. She’s just too full of herself #TheTraitors.”

Armani previously revealed she thought she would be a great Traitor.

Asked at the start of the game how she would feel if she was a Traitor, she said: “Fantastic. I’m not really stressed either way, but I just feel like as a Traitor it’s a completely different game.

Armani was booted off the show tonight
“There’s the sense of security that you’re not going to get killed off at night-time, but then there’s the fact that you’ve got to lie for the whole game, essentially to the people that you start to build relationships with. I’m not going to take it to heart if someone betrays me, I’d do the same. If I got killed off as a Faithful, for example, I would just be like, what a shame, but it is what it is.”

Armani insisted she was a “very honest person” and thus a “very good liar”.

“I’m a very honest person which is why I’m a very good liar. I don’t see the point of lying but It’s very easy for me to lie, because I rarely do. When I have lied I’ve gotten away with it because you wouldn’t even think to think that I’m lying. My poker face is a ten out of ten,” she said – but the contestants clearly didn’t agree and sent her home.

Stacey Solomon has been replaced as the host of Channel 4 show Renovation Rescue after announcing she and husband Joe Swash will star in a Kardashians-style series for the BBC

TV favourite Stacey Solomon recently announced she is to star in her own Kardashian-style reality TV show.

While fans are excited at the prospect of the former X Factor star and Joe Swash airing their family life on screen, it means she has had to take a step back from other roles. One project that has fallen by the wayside is her presenting job on Renovation Rescue.

The Channel 4 series is set to return for a second outing, but will do so without Stacey at the forefront. The show, which first aired in April 2025, saw Stacey, 35, help those who are in the middle of trying to do up their homes – but have run out of money. The reality TV star offered her tips and tricks to those in need on how to save some cash in a bid to get their project over the line.

While she won’t appear in the upcoming series, viewers will watch on as model Vogue Williams and Love Island’s Luke Mabbott take over presenting duties. Vogue, who is married to Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews, revealed her excitement at taking on the role.

Luke Mabbott of Love Island fame will be a new host ( 
Image:
ITV)

He will feature alongside Vogue Williams ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

She said: “‘I’ve done a lot of exciting projects in my career, but I am so delighted to be given the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and get stuck into the second series of this truly brilliant show. Home renovation is a huge passion of mine, and I am excited to put my degrees in Construction and Quantity Surveying to the test! I’m very happy to be joining forces with Luke – we get on like a house on fire and I think I’m gonna learn a lot of DIY skills from him.”

Luke, who placed third on the 2020 series of Love Island has been busy renovating a chapel in Cornwall. Speaking ahead of his new role, he said: “The fact that Channel 4 are putting their trust in me to be part of this series is just mind blowing to me, but I am so excited. I can’t wait to work with Vogue and help change the lives of people who need just a little bit of encouragement and some simple tips and tricks to make their dream project a reality.”

And Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor, Clemency Green, also praised the appointment, saying: “We are thrilled that Renovation Rescue is returning to Channel 4. We’re really excited to bring Vogue Williams into the fold and it’s going to give viewers a chance to see her phenomenal talents and skills in a completely new light. Renovation Rescue is also providing us with an opportunity to nurture exciting new talent such as Luke. I know for a fact that they will both bring their unique, warm and most importantly, authentic flare to the format and I can’t wait to see how the pair shine on screen.”

Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway turned away from Health Secretary Wes Streeting during a discussion about healthcare workers and their wages

An upset Kate Garraway turned away from Health Secretary Wes Streeting after questioning him about a pay rise for healthcare workers.

During a fiery debate between the MP, Garraway and Adil Ray, the politician was asked whether £12 an hour is a liveable wage for healthcare workers as they pushed for an increase to £15. However, Streeting said it wasn’t as simple as raising wages as he dodged Ray’s question of whether he would be okay working for £12 an hour.

At one point during the interview, Garraway turned her chair and body away from the camera as Streeting said: “It does take time. I’ll just say, the government has only been in for six months, give us a chance but we know this is a problem.”

Garraway also used her late husband Derek Draper in the discussion about healthcare. Derek sadly died on 3rd January 2024, at the age of 56. Over the past four years there had been many ups and downs for Kate and her family after Derek on many occasions was found to be fighting for his life – at one point he was even placed into an induced a coma after he’d developed holes in major organs.

Kate turned away from the camera during the fiery discussion ( 
Image:
ITV)
Kate, who recently celebrated her first Christmas without Derek, and her two children Billy and Darcey have struggled as a family after their beloved husband and father was tragically struck down by Covid-19, with the Labour lobbyist battling the long-term effects of the illness for almost four years.

“I’m going to be honest,” Garraway told Streeting on the one-year anniversary of his death. “In my mind, I’m thinking about the situation with Derek. It actually happens to be the anniversary of his death, one-year anniversary of his death, today, which is a day only relevant to me, but over the last few weeks, the family and I have been talking about the challenges we faced this time last year.

Derek died in January last year ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

Kate’s discussion with the Labour MP happened on the one-year anniversary of his death ( 
Image:
Kate Garraway Instagram)
“And one of the overriding ones until he went back into intensive care before he passed away, was dealing with the funding of care. At the time of his death, there were two appeals that hadn’t been heard for funding. It kept on getting pushed back and pushed back. In the meantime, and I’m lucky I’ve got an incredible job which is well paid, I was having to fund the situation. Now I’ve got excessive unpayable debt because of it, and if I’m in that position, what else are people going to be? People can’t afford four more years of this?”

Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver has shown her support to co-star Simon Gregson after he bravely opened up on his mental health battle during a candid appearance on ITV’s Loose Women

Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver has expressed her support for fellow cast member Simon Gregson after he courageously shared his experiences with anxiety attacks.

Simon, 50, graced the Loose Women panel on ITV’s chat show on Thursday, January 1 to open up about his personal battle with mental health challenges, shedding light on the issue in an effort to help others going through similar troubles.

The following day, Sue joined Coleen Nolan, Nadia Sawalha, and Kelly Holmes on the daytime show, praising Simon with affectionate words: “I’m really proud of him for talking out because I think it sounds like a classic example of somebody who was very good at hiding it.”

Sue Cleaver shared a sweet message her co-star and admitted that she is ‘proud’ of Simon ( 
Image:
ITV)
She continued to express her admiration: “So you wouldn’t have been with Simon and thought ‘oh’ because he was really good at hiding it and he felt like he had to hide it. Now we know – I’m really really proud of him.”

Veteran soap character Steve McDonald, played by Simon since the tender age of 15, recalled his own ordeal, admitting: “Yeah, with me it all came to a head in about 2015,” reports the Liverpool Echo.

Delving further into his condition, he shared: “I kept having anxiety attacks, panic attacks. Which is so bizarre because I’ve been having them all day today. I was like there’s no way I can go on. It just hits you like a ton of bricks and it just makes you completely incapacitated.”

Opening up about the onset of his health troubles, he candidly shared: “I’ve been having them since about 1990, but I just kind of got on with it.”

Simon has suffered from anxiety disorder for over a decade
He revealed a turning point came when his condition became noticeable to his children, admitting: “But then when I had children, and they were noticing it and they started talking that they’re getting anxious, I thought ‘Oh I’ve passed it on, it’s like a cold I’ve given them.’”

The actor has previously confessed that his rapid rise to stardom brought about its own set of challenges which included alcohol dependency, subsequently causing an anxiety disorder. Simon’s battles with the bottle nearly wrecked his marriage with Emma Gleave until she presented him with a stark choice.

Ultimately, he chose to stop drinking, yet this decision plunged him into intense anxiety, compelling him to take an extended six-month break from his work.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The book announcement comes in the wake of James admitting he “never ever thought” Gavin and Stacey would be a long-running show and that its success had been “a dream come true”. The 46-year-old added that just having a show that is “worthy of a Christmas special” was enough for him and that he thought ending at three series was the right decision.
Speaking at a screening in London earlier this week ahead of the Christmas Day episode airing, the Smithy actor said: “We’ve honestly never ever thought past what we’ve been commissioned to do, when we were writing the scripts for the first series, we didn’t know if the show would get green lit.

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

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

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

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

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

-Credit:ITV

Gino D’Acampo opened up on why ITV bosses get nervous when he’s in charge of a show, despite his relaxed attitude surrounding criticism.

The chef, who has been a part of This Morning since 2009, is familiar with the broadcaster and has hosted several programs, including Family Fortunes, Gino’s Italian Escape, and Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip.

He is known for his bold and unfiltered style on TV, and the star recently admitted that he doesn’t hold back, reports the Express.

He told Heat: “What line? I have no interest in drawing lines! ITV freak out when they give me a show, but they know that I mean well and whatever I say, it comes from a good place. I don’t do anything I wouldn’t do in everyday life.”

Gino also expressed his indifference to critics, telling the outlet: “Without sounding like an a**hole, I don’t care what people have to say about me. On social media, for example, why would I even bother reading comments and replying?”

Additionally, he acknowledged the mixed opinions that celebrities frequently face: “Of course there are some people who are going to love what you do and some people who are going to hate it.”

In a new eco-focused project, Gino will team up with fellow TV personality and First Dates host Fred Sirieix for an upcoming ITV series called Emission Impossible.

Gino and Fred Sirieix are joining forces for a new ITV series called Emission Impossible -Credit:ITV
The show will highlight the issue of global warming as the pair travels through Austria and Croatia.

However, It appears that Gordon Ramsay has been excluded from the latest series. The popular show featuring the trio ended after Gino chose to leave.

Gino made headlines in March last year when he revealed he would “not film any more Gordon, Gino and Fred Road Trips,” claiming contract disputes and behind-the-scenes troubles as his reasons for stepping down.

But fans have since pointed out that ‘Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip’ is produced by Gordon Ramsay’s own company, Studio Ramsay, which was founded in 2018.

Join the Daily Record’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.

Gino was quick to dismiss rumours of a riff, as he hinted at another chapter of their hit series, stating: “Gordon text me yesterday saying ‘How are you buddy?’ And I just spent five days with Fred on holiday in Sardinia. We love doing it and it’s very much on the cards. We want to do Australia next.”

As he claimed the main challenge as: “But the main issue is two very busy individuals – Fred and Gordon – and one guy who only works six months of the year. Right now Gordon is the busiest so Fred and I have filmed something together instead.”

Optomen/Bater & Street

Stacey and Joe follows the daily lives of the TV celebrities, their family and pets at their cottage in Essex

A new fly-on-the-wall series will follow the lives of former X Factor contestant Stacey Solomon and actor Joe Swash.

Stacey And Joe features the couple, their children and pets – including four ducks and two dogs – during their day-to-day life at their Pickle Cottage home in Essex.

The BBC One series aims to show how the pair balance family life with their work schedules and passion projects, such as building a two-acre fishing lake.

TV presenter Solomon, 35, said: “2024 was the year me and Joe pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones – we’ve loved showing a different side to our family’s fun and chaos.”

Their youngest children – Rex, Rose and Belle – all appear in the series, as well as Zach (Solomon’s first son with ex-boyfriend Dean Cox) and Leighton (Solomon’s son with ex-fiance Aaron Barnham).

Optomen TV

Pictured on Stacey Solomon’s Crafty Christmas, Joe and Stacey met in 2010 on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!”

Filmed during the summer and autumn of 2024, the programme shows the couple as they celebrate their second wedding anniversary, revealing how they met and fell in love.

It also documents 16-year-old Zach as he waits for his GCSE results and Solomon winning at the National Television Awards.

Swash, 42, added: “We’ve been doing our best to keep this under wraps but we’re so glad we can finally tell all of you about Stacey And Joe.

“There will be the normal madness of a family with lots of kids, plenty of animals and two busy parents. “

Former EastEnders actor Swash and Solomon have been together since 2016 after they met while appearing on the 10th series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2010. They have been married since 2022.

Along with the children he shares with the Loose Women presenter, Swash also has a son, Harry, with ex-fiancee Emma Sophocleous.

Stacey And Joe will air as a six-part series of hour-long episodes, with a launch date yet to be announced by the BBC.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.