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

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

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

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

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

There’s drama, danger, bombshells and a proposal on Corrie this Christmas ( 
Image:
ITV)

Gail’s final episode

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

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

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

Danger teased and bombshells

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

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

A proposal

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

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

Violent showdown

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

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

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

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

There’s big scenes on the way on EastEnders this Christmas Day, with more than one family facing drama.

The Christmas Day episode of the BBC soap is often chaotic and unmissable, and this year is no different. One big secret explodes, leaving two families in pieces.

Elsewhere, one character’s struggles become apparent, while there’s a love triangle teased – possibly two. A recent returnee causes trouble for one resident too, while the events of Christmas Day will span across two 30-minute episodes.

Kicking off at 7:30pm, the second part will air at the much later time of 10:35pm. So what can viewers expect? The answer is mayhem as Cindy Beale’s affair is exposed to Walford.

Cindy has been cheating on Ian Beale with Junior Knight, the son of her ex-husband George Knight. When the Beales and the Knights sit down for Christmas dinner on the 25th, all hell breaks loose as the truth is revealed in chaotic fashion.

The spoiler line reads: “Secrets and lies are set to throw a wrecking ball into the Beale family festivities this year as the shocking truth about Cindy is revealed in spectacular fashion.” As the families reel over events, they end up turning on each other.

There’s big scenes on the way on EastEnders this Christmas Day ( 
Image:
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Elsewhere, and there’s concern for Phil Mitchell as he continues to isolate himself from his loved ones. With a loneliness and depression storyline reported for the soap icon, we’ll see him struggling this festive period.

As his ex and close friend Sharon Watts heads to his home on Christmas Day, she realises he’s not himself. She wants to give him a present from their son Albie, and soon she is left worried for him.

When Phil joins his extended family for a meal for Christmas Day, he quickly leaves after spotting Sharon getting cosy with Teddy Mitchell. Also in Walford this Christmas, Stacey Slater is annoyed when Ruby Allen arrives at the house to join in with the Slaters’ Christmas meal.

Also this Christmas we will see a love triangle seemingly forming, with Denise Fox torn between two men. After splitting from her husband Jack Branning, she will realise she still has feelings for him this festive period.

But after a moment with former flame Ravi Gulati, Denise clearly has feelings for him too, and Ravi shares those feelings. So who will Denise choose, and which Walford man will be left heartbroken?

Loose Women’s Ruth Langsford left This Morning host Alison Hammond stunned on Monday with a new look during the ITV chat show crossover

Loose Women’s Ruth Langsford debuted a new look on Monday’s show, leaving her ITV co-stars stunned.

During Monday’s episode of This Morning, hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary went over to the Loose Women studio to see what was coming up.

After sharing the day’s line-up, which included former Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, Alison, 49, was quick to mention: “I love your hair as well, I feel like you’ve taken a leaf out of my book today!” as she complimented Ruth’s seemingly longer and wavy locks, which was similar to her own hairdo.

To which a flattered Ruth, 64, replied: “Well, Alison, I did see you this morning and thought: ‘I need a bit of that, I need a bit of Alison in my life!’” It comes as Ruth recently revealed she was left struggling with her smart television last month.

Loose Women’s Ruth Langsford debuted a new look on Monday’s show, leaving her ITV co-stars stunned

As the panel reflected nostalgically on Ceefax’s would-be 50th anniversary, they turned to the topic of modern televisions and their own experiences with smart technology.

This discussion led Ruth to share her own frustrations as she revealed: “Mine actually went off, horror, went to turn on to watch Strictly and it said: ‘You are currently not connected to something box.’”

She recounted the hassle of having to call her son Jack, 22, for help, saying: “I ended up having to phone Jack, who was out and not best pleased as you can imagine – had to get him to talk me through to go up to the other box by our loft.

“Turn it on and off, wait five minutes, wait for green light, I was like: ‘Good Lord! Can’t I just have this!’” she added, holding up a traditional TV remote to her fellow co-stars and the live audience.

Ruth and Eamonn, who tied the knot in 2010, announced their split earlier this year ( 
Image:
Mike Marsland/WireImage)
It comes as Ruth has kept a graceful silence since the news broke that she and GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes, her partner since 1996, were going their separate ways.

Ruth and Eamonn, who tied the knot in 2010 and share son Jack, 22, were thought to have one of the safest marriages in showbiz, and the couple stunned fans when they confirmed they would be divorcing back in May.

While Ruth has chosen not to publicly discuss the breakdown of her marriage, Eamonn has been open about his feelings during their separation. At the TRIC Awards in June, he expressed his heartache to The Mirror, saying: “I’m not okay. This is not a good time at all,” and added, “It’s too early to say, but I hope we can still be friends.”