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Judge Shirley Ballas suspects there is already a budding romance on Strictly.

The judge, 64, was asked about whether the Strictly curse could strike this year – and her answer suggests she knows of one couple who are already getting close.

Shirley teased: “I think you’ll guess who’s got the chemistry going on. And that’s what makes their performance kind of special. We won’t mention any names, but there’s always some chemistry going on, you know. It makes the world go around.”

She may not be not naming names but her racy comments about reality star Pete Wicks, 35, and Jowita Przystał, 30, the previous week could be a bit of a giveaway. The pair have lit up the dancefloor with their sizzling chemistry. Last week Shirley described their connection as “too hot to handle”.

 

Strictly kicked off its 20th series last month with Shirley back in the hot seat on Saturdays alongside Craig Revel Horwood, 59, Motsi Mabuse, 43, and Anton Du Beke, 58, judging the new celebs.

She also spoke out about the Strictly bullying review coming back.

The BBC investigation was sparked by claims from actress Amanda Abbington that dance partner Giovanni Pernice had been “abusive and cruel”. It upheld six of her 16 claims, mainly relating to the former pro’s swearing. Head judge Shirley – who has known Giovanni for a decade – was asked about the findings during a book talk on Tuesday night. In an apparent show of sympathy for Amanda, she says: “I don’t condone bullying – I’ve been through it myself.

“So if things aren’t right or need addressing, I feel for the person that wants them addressed. And I think that’s a big, important part – that everybody gets to say their thing. But now the investigation is over and everybody can move on.”

Shirley Ballas also opens up about the bullying review

Shirley is back on judging duties
Shirley says any extra safeguarding for celebrities joining the show could only be a good thing, as she heaped praise on the show for caring for her. “The eight years I’ve been on the show, it’s been great safeguarding,” she says. “I’ve always felt taken care of when the bullying got really bad.

“I was getting hand-delivered letters and one person was drawing a coffin saying ‘Die, you b****’. Strictly were 100% supportive, so my experience on the show has been fantastic. I’m not from a TV world but I can only say that I’ve received much better care from Strictly than I ever received in my own industry.”

The BBC has apologised to Amanda, 50. Complaints of bullying and harassment were upheld by the report, but claims of physical aggression and threatening behaviour were not. Amanda called it a “vindication of [my] complaint”, while Giovanni, 34, said he was “happy” the more serious allegations had been thrown out.

Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice on Strictly Come Dancing ( 
Image:
PA)Don’t Miss
At the weekend we saw the show lose its first couple, Olympic swimmer Tom Dean, 24, and Nadiya Bychkova, 35. And not only does Shirley face flack from fans for sending their favourites home – her mum, Audrey, 87, also ticks her off if she doesn’t like her decisions.

“You have no idea,” laughed Shirley as she promoted her book, Dance to the Death, at Henley Literature Festival. “You send the person home and she doesn’t think they should go. She said, ‘Well that dress doesn’t suit her’ and ‘What have you done to her hair?’

“So she’s very honest with what she likes and she doesn’t. I wouldn’t have it any other way with her.”

Phillip Schofield was accused of “lying again” tonight – after claiming on his new TV show he was sacked by ITV over his brother’s sexual assault conviction. In an extraordinary final episode of his new Channel 5 series, Phillip insists that despite saying in a statement at the time he had resigned from ITV, he was actually forced out by bosses.

He says: “What people don’t realise is I wasn’t fired from This Morning when I admitted lying. It was before, because of someone I used to call brother. “I was fired for the bad publicity, for someone else’s crime.”

In May 2023, Timothy Schofield was jailed for 12 years for sexually abusing a boy. TV host Phillip took time off-screen during the court case and left This Morning soon after amidst front-page stories saying he had fallen out with co-host and former best friend Holly Willoughby. There were also revelations about an affair he had with a younger male colleague which then led to him resigning completely from ITV.

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An ITV source exclusively told the Mirror: “Phillip’s new comments are simply untrue, he is lying again. “We stood by him through his brother’s court case and he then stepped away when things became too much. There was a lot going on and some relationships on the programme had become untenable as was reported at the time.

“He then admitted himself he had been lying about an affair and he resigned from ITV altogether. We didn’t sack him, he lied to us and then he resigned, there is not much else to say.”

Phillip Schofield’s wife speaks out about his ‘unwise affair’ and concerns over his comeback

Phillip Schofield and his brother Timothy in a photo taken years before Tim was charged. ( 
Image:
Instagram Phillip Schofield)
But Phillip is still clearly wounded by what happened which has almost put an end to a career lasting more than four decades on screen. In Phillip Schofield’s Cast Away, he says he has been “cancelled” but has returned to the screen in this new Channel 5 format spending ten days on a desert island. He believes his brother’s horrific crimes have a large part to play in his situation now.

He says: “When I look back, the media turning sour on me stems from one event. There is a member of my family who I refused to name and refused to acknowledge, who committed a heinous crime. I had absolutely no qualms whatsoever in shopping him. We were praised by the police, and we got justice done. But still, even though they knew all of the facts, the papers painted me out to be some sort of complicit agent.

“That’s where my world started to collapse. My poor mum, I had to tell her about that member of the family. To break that to your mother, is tough, and I had to go through everything with hierarchy at ITV, the full entire story, so that they knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. The full story.”

He added: “Everything came to a head the day before he was sentenced, when my agent called. My phone rang and I picked it up…I’m afraid you’ve been let go from This Morning…yeah, that’s it, it’s done. You’re not going back on Monday.” When he asked his agent the reason why he claims he was told ‘because of the publicity’ and he replied “That’s nothing to do with me”.

Phillip added: “Why would I be sacked for something that someone else did? I’ve just been fired because of him. Because I was becoming more of a story than the programme. It’s better for the show, better for the channel. And I agreed to say that I resigned because it would be neater for everybody.

“I was always open and honest with everyone at work about what was happening with my brother. I was fired for the bad publicity, for someone else’s crime. And the thing is, about a week later, I blew my own wheels off with everything else, because I thought the only way to even begin to put this right for everybody, is to do a full Mia culpa.

“I came clean about my affair. What people don’t realise is, I wasn’t fired from This Morning when I admitted lying. It was before, because of someone I used to call brother. That is my last story looking back.” Phillip’s new comments are in contrast to what he and others said at the time.

In April last year his brother Timothy was found guilty of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019. Phillip Schofield said at the time: “My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family.

“As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.” On May 19, 2023, Tim Schofield was then jailed for 12 years. Following this and reports of a fall out with Holly, Schofield was not presenting on daytime TV and he then left This Morning without saying goodbye on screen. Reports at the time suggested he had been edged out after relationships behind the scenes broke down, as opposed to anything regarding his brother.

Phillip said on May 20 last year: “Throughout my career in TV – including in the very difficult last few days – I have always done my best to be honourable and kind. I understand that ITV has decided the current situation can’t go on, and I want to do what I can to protect the show that I love. So I have agreed to step down from This Morning with immediate effect, in the hope that the show can move forward to a bright future.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me – especially This Morning’s amazing viewers – and I’ll see you all for the Soap Awards next month.” At that point Phillip would continue working with the broadcaster, ITV said, including fronting The British Soap Awards in June and a “brand new peak time series to come”.

Kevin Lygo, ITV’s managing director, media and entertainment, called Schofield “one of the best broadcasters of his generation” and thanked him for “two decades worth of absolutely terrific television”. But a week later things got worse for Phillip as he lost his agent and quit his remaining ITV commitments when his affair became public knowledge.

On May 26 he apologised to the Daily Mail for lying to them about allegations put to him and he added: “I did have a consensual on-off relationship with a younger male colleague at This Morning. Contrary to speculation, whilst I met the man when he was a teenager and was asked to help him to get into television, it was only after he started to work on the show that it became more than just a friendship. That relationship was unwise, but not illegal. It is now over.

“When I chose to come out I did so entirely for my own wellbeing. Nobody ‘forced’ me out. Neither I nor anyone else, to my knowledge, has ever issued an injunction, super or otherwise, about my relationship with this colleague, he was never moved on or sacked by or because of me.

“In an effort to protect my ex-colleague I haven’t been truthful about the relationship. But my recent, unrelated, departure from This Morning fuelled speculation and raised questions which have been impacting him, so for his sake it is important for me to be honest now.”

In a further admission of the huge mistakes he has made, which looks to put any future TV career in doubt, he added in the statement: “I am painfully conscious that I have lied to my employers at ITV, to my colleagues and friends, to my agents, to the media and therefore the public and most importantly of all to my family. I am so very, very sorry, as I am for having been unfaithful to my wife.

“I have therefore decided to step down from the British Soap Awards, my last public commitment, and am resigning from ITV with immediate effect expressing my immense gratitude to them for all the amazing opportunities that they have given me. I will reflect on my very bad judgement in both participating in the relationship and then lying about it.

“To protect his privacy, I am not naming this individual and my deepest wish is that both he and his family can now move on with their lives free from further intrusion, and that this statement will enable them to do so. I ask the media now to respect their privacy. They have done nothing wrong, and I ask that their privacy should be respected.”

On the same day, Phillip’s long term agents also ended their relationship with him. Mary Bekhait, the Group CEO of YMU Group, said: “Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU’s whole business, defining everything we do. Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust.

“This week, we have learned important new information about our client Phillip Schofield. These facts contradicted what Phillip had previously told YMU, as well as the external advisors we had brought in to support him. As a result, on Thursday we agreed to part company with Phillip, with immediate effect.”

In response Schofield said: “It is with the most profound regret that after 35 years of being faultlessly managed by YMU I have agreed to step down from their representation with immediate effect.” Schofield, who also is seen running naked into the see in the final episode of his Channel 5 series, ends the project seemingly unclear about what the future holds, in part because it may depend on how the series is received by viewers.

After leaving the island to return home he says: “I’m not saying I’m done, but you know, never in a million years will I go back to daytime telly. I’ve lived a hundred TV lives. I think the most important thing I’d like anyone to take away would be to say, okay, that’s the guy he is. That’s what he’s like. This is the person that my family sees. This is who I am.”

He had spoken earlier in the series about how his daughters Ruby and Molly had saved him from suicidal thoughts at his lowest point last year. Molly ends the series saying: “Seeing him recover, we never thought that would happen. We never thought that would happen. So now he is where he is. It is the best thing ever, seeing how far he’s come. I am so incredibly proud to say he’s my dad, and I always will be, no matter what.”

BBC viewers are united in their belief TikTok users and podcast hosts that peddled theories and rumours about Nicola Bulley’s disappearance shouldn’t have been included in this evening’s moving documentary.

The Search for Nicola Bulley aired on BBC One at 9pm this evening and ventured into the depths of social media speculation and the impact of armchair sleuths flooding the internet with theories amid the search for the late mum.

Nicola, a mortgage advisor from Lancashire, vanished on 27th January 2023 after she went out for a walk with her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre, post dropping her two daughters at school earlier that day. Tragically, her body was discovered in the river on 19th February, and an inquest later concluded in June that her death was a tragic accidental drowning.

Still to this day, vile theories about Nicola’s tragic death circulate online – with some of the TikTok creators and podcast hosts that played armchair detective appearing in the BBC documentary this evening. As the programme aired, many took to Twitter (X) to slam the decision to give them airtime.

“How is that silly mare a ‘Tick Toker’ spreading bulls**t? Does she have any remorse? Nope #NicolaBulley,” one raged, with another adding: “What a tragedy and what a bunch of tik to**ers trying to grift it. scumbags. #NicolaBulley.” A third penned: “These TikTokwers are nothing more than ghouls. What has the Nicola Bulley tragedy got to do with them ??”

“The search for Nicola Bulley is a brilliant fusion of police procedural with a very relevant exploration of the dangers of the growing armchair detective community on social media,” another wrote, with a fifth asking: “Why are the bbc giving credence to these Tik tokkers and other social media idiots regarding the Nicola Bulley case? They were part of the problem.”

Grieving partner Paul Ansell recalled the impact online trolls had on his mental health ( 
Image:
Rogan Productions)
Speaking last month ahead of the documentary airing, The Search for Nicola Bulley director Rachel Lob-levyt shared insights on BBC Breakfast about why the feature spotlights social media’s intense engagement with the case. Amidst her chat with hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt, Rachel pointed out: “Whether we like it or not, it was a huge part of this case.”

She opened up to Radio Times before hitting the BBC Breakfast studio last week, revealing how the family found the viewing: “We had a viewing with the family. It was difficult obviously emotional for them. They feel the documentary really honours their experience, and honours Nikki,” she said. “At the time she went missing, Paul was subject to a really difficult level of scrutiny.”

Nicola’s partner Paul Ansell speaks out about the impact of the severe online trolling he endured after her disappearance and revealed what Nicola might say about people’s response to her passing. In his first public address since Nicola’s body died, Paul described the internet’s role as “a huge monster” amidst the hunt for her.

“Awful things started to be said,” he remarked. “I was getting direct messages from people I’ve never met and you can’t do anything about it. On top of the trauma of the nightmare that we’re in, to then think that all these horrendous things are being said about me towards Nikki – everyone has a limit.”

Nicola’s body was found weeks on from her disappearance ( 
Image:
Family Handout/PA Wire)
In the documentary Paul paints a picture of the day she vanished as just another “normal” Friday morning. Nicola had set off around 08:30am to drop their kids off at school, bringing their dog Willow for the walk. Paul shared that initial concern didn’t hit him when Nicola failed to show up as expected; it only turned to real fear when he got a call from the children’s school informing him that someone had discovered Willow and Nicola’s phone abandoned by a bench.

The programme also revealed the distress the family faced due to speculation on social media amid Nicola’s absence. Paul recounted the severe stress caused by online sleuths who wrongfully cast him as a suspect, pushing him to abandon his social media accounts. On the documentary, he recsalled:, “I was getting direct messages from people that I’ve never met. They don’t know me, they don’t know us, they don’t know Nikki.”

“They know nothing about us. Just messages like ‘you b******’. ‘We know what you did’. ‘You know you can’t hide Paul’, that kind of stuff. “There was some that I felt like replying to, but then if you reply to that, they’ll just screenshot your reply, if that’ll end up on social media. And so you’re literally silenced, and you can’t do anything about it.

Last year, a coroner ruled Nicola’s death as accidental, stating she had fallen into the river and experienced “cold water shock”, with “no evidence” suggesting suicide.

Giovanni Pernice has told pals he hopes to return to Strictly Come Dancing next year in spite of the findings of this week’s BBC report, sources say.

The long-awaited BBC report cleared the former star of violence, but issued an apology to Amanda Abbington after upholding a series of her bullying claims. Amanda is now expected to sue over her treatment.

But sources close to the pro dancer said he has not given up hope of returning to the Strictly stage next year despite signing up for the Italian version of the BBC show. Giovanni, 34, told friends he has only signed for one series of Ballando Con Le Stelle, and has “unfinished business” on the UK version.

One source said: “Giovanni has not given up on appearing on the Strictly stage. As far as he is concerned, he has been cleared and there is no reason why he couldn’t return. He has told his pals he is hoping to be back next year and is keen to speak to the BBC about it. He still feels very much part of the fold, and has a massive fan base who would no doubt welcome him back. But of course the final decision will be made by BBC bosses.” A spokesperson for Giovanni last night declined to comment.

Speaking in a bombshell interview on Newnight on Wednesday night, Amanda said she has “no regrets” about lodging complaints against Giovanni, despite receiving “hundreds” of death and rape threats. “It’s been one of the worst years of my life,” she shared on the BBC show. “I’ve been through a lot, women go through a lot, but it has been a very unpleasant, turbulent, relentless time in my life. I’ve had to deal with a myriad of horrible things.”

The actress didn’t enjoy her Strictly Come Dancing experience
The 50-year-old said that, in the last eight months, the number of threats she has received had “gone into the hundreds”. In August, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they were investigating after they were called to the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park to an alleged death threat sent to Amanda, who was starring in When It Happens To You.

“I had a credible death threat sent to my place of work, a theatre that I was working at, which was credible and the police had to be called,” the Sherlock actress told host Victoria Derbyshire. “I had a bomb threat sent to my place of work, threatening to blow the building up because I was pursuing this.I’ve had death threats sent to me, my family.

“I’ve had rape threats sent to my 15-year-old daughter, saying ‘I’m just laughing at the moment thinking about you having to watch your daughter get raped for what you’ve done to Giovanni Pernice’ They were every day I’d be getting those and I have screenshots that have been handed over to the Met Police.”

Amanda also revealed she is seeking daily legal advice amid the fallout from the Strictly Come Dancing bullying investigation. In her first public remarks since the investigation concluded, Amanda indicated she’s contemplating legal action. Discussing her current stance, Amanda told Newsnight host Victoria that she’s “taking guidance from my lawyer on a day to day basis”. Amanda shed light on the complexity of the situation: “There’s a 30-page report that me and my lawyers are still digesting. There are still things in there that are unresolved.”

A spokesman for Giovanni said: “It’s disappointing that Ms Abbington would knowingly mislead the outcome of the report in order to further attempt to damage Giovanni’s reputation. While Ms Abbington may not like the outcome of the six-month investigation, she should not seek to spread false and defamatory claims.” Giovanni has denied the allegations against him.

Amanda Abbington has made claims about Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour during their lone Strictly rehearsals in her first interview since a report was published into her complaints to the BBC.

The actress, 50, made a shocking claim in a new bombshell BBC interview. She opened up on her torment on Newsnight and said she hadn’t responded well to Giovanni’s way of teaching. After Victoria Derbyshire asked the Sherlock star about the behaviour, Amanda detailed a complaint with a shaky voice: “Um, yeah. It was one of the allegations that was upheld. There were two allegations,” she said before apologising for checking her 30-page probe report. “There were two allegations of inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature. They were upheld and one of them was physical and one was verbal.”

A visibly shaken Amanda then said the other allegation was verbal before saying: “And they weren’t isolated one-off incidents. They were over a period of seven weeks.” The latest claims come after six of her 17 allegations against the Italian dancer were upheld following an internal investigation at the BBC.

Victoria read out Giovanni’s past statement at one point, adding that the Italian dancer told Newnight: “We are unable to comment any further and the BBC has asked both parties to respect confidentially.” Giovanni has previously strongly denied all of Amanda’s past allegations.

Amanda Abbington opened up on Newsnight ( 
Image:
BBC)

“It’s been one of the worst years of my life,” Abbington told BBC Newsnight. “I’ve been through a lot, women go through a lot, but it has been a very unpleasant, turbulent, relentless time in my life. I’ve had to deal with a myriad of horrible things.”

The 50-year-old said that, in the last eight months, the number of threats she has received had “gone into the hundreds”.

In August, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they were investigating after they were called to the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park to an alleged death threat sent to Abbington, who was starring in When It Happens To You.

“I had a credible death threat sent to my place of work, a theatre that I was working at, which was credible and the police had to be called,” Abbington said.

“I had a bomb threat sent to my place of work, threatening to blow the building up because I was pursuing this. I’ve had death threats sent to me, my family.

“I’ve had rape threats sent to my 15-year-old daughter, saying ‘I’m just laughing at the moment thinking about you having to watch your daughter get raped for what you’ve done to Giovanni Pernice’.

“They were every day I’d be getting those and I have screenshots that have been handed over to the Met Police.”

Amanda said the threats had “started up again” since the publication of the BBC review on Monday. She said she has been receiving threats including “I hope you die of cancer” and “I knew you’d get proven wrong you lying c***”.

Despite the threats, Abbington said “I’ve got no regrets” about lodging complaints against Pernice. “The death threats and the rape threats and the abuse I get are horrible and soul-destroying and heart-breaking,” she said.

“But I do get women coming up to me in the street saying ‘You’re paving the way for my daughter to work in a safe environment and not feel threatened or in any way feel that they can’t speak out’.”

During the interview, Abbington also claimed she was not the only person to have complained about working with Pernice on the BBC flagship show.

She said she invited the former Strictly contestants to her home because “we wanted to make sure we weren’t on our own thinking this had just happened to us”.

Amanda said when they first they “all burst into tears”.

Amanda Abbington spoke of terrifying death threats ( 
Image:
BBC)
In a post shared on Instagram on Monday, after the results of the BBC investigation were made public, Giovanni said: “It’s over, it’s finished, six months, seven months of all of this.Seven months of reading things every day in the newspaper and not being able to respond because I wanted to keep the confidentiality and privacy of the review, (it) was a difficult time.

“It was difficult because, you know, reading stuff that (was) untrue, wasn’t the nicest time of my life lets be honest. But today I’m happy because, at the beginning there were very, very serious allegations thrown out at me but today, none of the serious allegations have been upheld.

“All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have not been upheld. Today is a day when we can all reflect because, I appreciate that dancing is a very difficult thing to do. It’s a sport, it’s something that is difficult in every possible way and sometimes you get frustrated, as a teacher, as a dancer, as a performer. But the only reason why you get frustrated is because you care about what you do.

“You know as a professional, as a teacher, I want to get the best out of my partner, and sometimes I do get frustrated. I think everybody around the world does the same thing, it’s called being professional and I love doing that. You know even now with Bianca (Guaccero, his partner on the Italian equivalent of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle), I get frustrated, I think it’s a normal thing, but then you get out the best and the results come forward.”

The probe uncovered moments of “inappropriate behaviour of sexual banter in the workplace” including an incident where Pernice made an improper signal clear violation of the BBC codes. In reflecting on the BBCs proclamation, Amanda emphasised that coming forward “was not an easy thing to do”.

Amanda made a number of new claims during her bombshell interview ( 
Image:
BBC)
Meanwhile, the BBC asserted: “Strictly Come Dancing is a family show and we rightly expect very high standards. While competition can be tough, rigorous and demanding, we want the show to ultimately be a joyous and transformative experience. It is a great shame if this hasn’t been the case for everyone who has appeared on the show. We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all. We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do.”

A source reportedly close to Amanda said earlier this week: “Amanda is delighted and relieved, and feels her decision to speak out and complain has been rewarded. She hopes other celebrities might come forward now, safe in the knowledge they, too, will be listened to.”

The source told The Sun that Amanda “has been through hell” and “lost work” as a result of going public with her claims and “is “considering taking further” action against the BBC for damages and loss of earnings. The source said that Amanda “suffered enormously” and was diagnosed with PTSD, adding that she feels the BBC “breached its duty of care guidelines by not protecting her sooner”.

The source said it’s hard to “put a figure on how much she could expect” if things went her way, but it was speculated that it could be up to £300,000. The source described the prospect as the the BBC’s “worst nightmare” after a “costly investigation” and potential reputational damange for Strictly.

A representative for Giovanni said: “We are pleased this six-month review has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour. Giovanni is relieved that the overwhelming majority of allegations put to the BBC have not been upheld and looks forward to continuing his work on Dancing With The Stars in Italy this season.”

Giovanni also shared a statement on his Instagram page saying he was pleased the situation and probe was over. The upload was liked by his former Strictly co-star, Lauren Oakley.

The final text message sent by the late Nicola Bulley was read out during an inquest into her death last year.

The 45-year-old had been last seen walking her dog Willow along the River Wyre in Lancashire on January 27 last year. After going missing, the subsequent search to locate Nicola captured national attention. Police and emergency services searched for the missing mum until they found her body a few weeks later, concluding that she had fallen into the water and died.

At the inquest into her death last year, Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, recorded her death as accidental after hearing two days of evidence. The case now features in the new BBC documentary the Search For Nicola Bulley, set to air on Thursday night.

On the first day of the inquest last year, the court heard from specialists, law enforcement and a Home Office pathologist, who pieced together how she lost her life. It included a timeline of the hours before she vanished, as reported by the Mirror at the time.

A poignant segment centred on the exchange of text messages between Nicola and her friend Lucy, around planning a playdate for their daughters. It included the last text she received, and sent, from and to the other parent.

The night prior to her disappearance, Nicola reached out to Lucy, whose response came the next morning when she saw the text, the court heard. Lucy responded at 8.13am and told the court: “I said my daughter would love to come and play.”

Nicola Bulley went missing in January last year and, after her body was located weeks later, an inquest found her death as accidental and due to drowning ( 
Image:
Family Handout/PA Wire)
At 8.59am, Nicola responded confirming a time alongside a smiley face emoji. Additionally, there were plans for both to meet up the following day, as Lucy added: “We were going to be meeting up, a group of mums, on the Saturday night for a few drinks.”

Home Office pathologist Alison Armour, who conducted the post-mortem on Ms Bulley, stated that the presence of water in her lungs and stomachled her to conclude the cause of death was drowning. During the inquiry, the coroner prompted Ms Armour to summarise her findings, to which she responded: “I conclude the cause of death as drowning. The lungs themselves showed classical features we see in drownings. In my opinion Nicola Bulley was alive when she entered the water.”

Ms Armour explained that water in the lungs indicated swallowing, an “active process”, signalling that Ms Bulley was alive when she entered the river. She also noted there were no brain bleeds or natural diseases detected, and only typical therapeutic levels of medication in Ms Bulley’s system. Additionally, a low level of alcohol was consistent with the natural process of body decomposition, the inquest heard.

Supporting this conclusion, Professor Michael Tipton, described as a world expert on drowning, agreed with the pathologist’s findings. And a specialist from the police’s underwater search team speculated that Ms Bulley likely fell into the River Wyre before drifting downstream.

The court was shown footage by PC Matthew Thackray in St Michaels on Wyre in Lancashire, suspected to be where Ms Bulley plunged into the water. In the video, he indicated: “There is a large vertical slope from the bench and into the water. “On the day there was a steady flow downstream.”

He explained: “The river was 4C, so almost freezing, and if she fell in the muscles would probably seize making it difficult to swim properly.” He estimated that she’d have been swept away at a rate of a “metre a second” downstream.

Loose Women panellist Katie Piper has revealed how surgeons reconstructed her face after she was the victim of a horrific acid attack in 2008, aged just 24

Katie Piper OBE explained that her “face is made out of a cow” as she opened up about her NHS surgeons’ pioneering work.

The Loose Women panelist, 38, had to have her face rebuilt after she was attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend, which caused major damage to her face and blindness in one eye.

After her eye operation, Katie’s daughter told her she found her ‘scary’, which broke her heart.

Explaining the moment, Katie said to The Sun : “It was quite sad when I was having some eye surgery and my eldest was like, ‘I don’t really want you to kiss me goodnight, I think you’re scary.’

“And of course, I had a little cry in the bathroom because I was like ‘oh god, this is where we are at.’”

Her eldest said she was ‘scary’ ( 
Image:
Instagram)

She had reconstructive eye surgery ( 
Image:
katiepiper_/Instagram)
In April last year, Katie updated fans after undergoing a successful operation for a skin graft over her right eye.

“Thank you to everyone for all of your lovely messages of support!” she captioned her hospital selfies.

“They’ve helped me keep smiling throughout my surgery, and a big thanks to the incredible team at the hospital Here’s to a lazy recovery weekend!”

At that point, Katie has already undergone 400 surgeries as a result of the horrific 2008 attacks.

Meanwhile, the activist received a huge honour over the New Year’s.

She was among many stars that were appointed as an Officer of Order of the British Empire in the 2022 New Year Honours for her services to charity and burn victims.

Her injuries are a result of an acid attack ( 
Image:
katiepiper_/Instagram)

She received an OBEKatie – who set up the Katie Piper Foundation in 2009 – was speechless after receiving the new title and explained how she felt on an episode of Loose Women.

She explained: “It was a real surreal feeling. It didn’t actually feel real when I first heard and it’s amazing to have it but it really is such a group effort.

“I know my name is on the charity, but it’s a group of trustees, volunteers, staff, all the burns survivors as well, and over those 11 years people have come and gone – they’ve helped the charity and then they’ve moved on.

Katie Piper recalls moment daughter rejected goodnight kiss following eye surgery ( 
Image:
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“You can’t make change with just one person.”

During an older episode of the ITV talk show, Katie even called for tougher sentences on acid attacks.

“It’s becoming the weapon of choice for a lot of people because it carries a lesser charge. I do think the law needs to be updated with a reclassification so the sentencing can be increased,” she said.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Gary Lineker and Emma Thompson are among the high profile stars who have offered to welcome refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme

With the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme attracting over one hundred thousand volunteers within a day of launching last week, some refugees fleeing the war-torn country could find themselves being housed by celebs.

A number of high profile stars have announced that they are doing what they can to help those fleeing the conflict – which was sparked on 24 February when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an illegal invasion of the democratic country.

Scenes of destruction of Ukrainian cities and millions of refugees fleeing the country have shocked the world – with reports suggesting as many as 3.25 million women and children have fled in search of safety.

Here are some of the stars that have said they will help those in need by throwing open their doors to families to give them a safe place to live in the UK.

Benedict Cumberbatch has vowed to open his doors to Ukrainian refugees ( 
Image:
FILE)

Benedict Cumberbatch

Hollywood star Benedict Cumberbatch has been one of the most vocal celebrities to declare his intention to welcome Ukranian refugees into his home.

The 45-year-old father-of-three – who is married to theatre director Sophie Hunter – opened up about his plans at the recent BAFTAs in London.

He told Sky News: “We have brothers and sisters who are suffering.

“It is a really shocking time to be a European, two-and-a-half hours’ flight away from Ukraine. It’s something that hangs over us.

“Everyone needs to do as much as they can. I think already today the news has broken that there’s been a record number of people volunteering to take people into their homes, and I hope to be part of that myself.”

Gary Lineker has vowed to help as many refugees as he can ( 
Image:
WireImage)

Gary Lineker

Football pundit Gary Lineker has the unfortunate misfortune of being a regular target for online trolls who accuse him of virtue signalling and failing to practice what he preaches.

However, the 61-year-old hit back at an online troll who accused him of not opening his home to a Ukrainian refugee.

Gaz snapped back when a Twitter user wrote: “When @BorisJohnson @GaryLineker and @YvetteCooperMP take in a refugee, the rest of us can follow.”

The Match of the Day star wrote: “You should probably have plucked out another name.

“I went first…and second…..and will continue to host. If any of you would like do the same, Refugees at Home are amazing.”

Nadia Sawalha has contemplated taking in refugees but fears she won’t be a good match ( 
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ITV)

Nadia Sawalha

Loose Women is known for tackling hard hitting topics as well as more superficial fluff – but the panel were keen to discuss the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme last week.

Show panelist Nadia Sawalha said she was considering taking in a refugee – but admitted she was unsure if she would be a good match for candidates.

The 57-year-old said on the show: “I absolutely would [house a Ukrainian refugee] and my first thought is how many people can I take in?

“Second thought is I know myself very well and I think I’m a great starter, but a terrible finisher. I can just see that I would get completely overwhelmed, my parents are elderly, I work full time. Would I be the right person?

“I don’t know if I would be available enough. I think we need to know what our limitations are. I’m looking at other ways to help. There’s websites where you can buy goods directly from Ukrainian people and then not take the food but you’re giving them the money.”

Linda Robson would like to house some refugees now her kids have flown the nest ( 
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ITV)

Linda Robson

Fellow Loose Women star Linda Robson said she and her husband Mark Dunford were considering taking in refugees as their home is much quieter now that their children have flown the coop.

Linda admitted that she gets lonely when she is at home alone and would welcome the distraction of having refugees in her house.

The 64-year-old grandmother said: “I have been thinking about it. Because I’m quite lonely.

“My kids have moved out, my son’s moved out and my daughter’s moved out. Sometimes I’m in the home alone and I feel quite lonely.

“My initial reaction is yeah I’d like to open the door and welcome a family… but it’s for six months and who knows what’s going to happen in that time.”

Sandi Toksvig has signed up to home Ukrainian refugees and she’s campaigning for the process to be streamlined ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Sandi Toksvig

Sandi Toksvig has utilised social media to drive the message that British people can now volunteer to take in refugees from Ukraine – and is campaigning for the process to be streamlined.

Sharing a video on Twitter after the Homes for Ukraine campaign was launched by the government, Sandi said: “Thank you so much to everyone who helped spread the word by retweeting our last video and sending the message that the British people welcome refugees with open arms.

Over 100,000 people have signed up in one day offering to host refugees. I’m one of them.

But here’s the hitch. At the moment there is no process for connecting the people who want to help with the people who need our help. We need to move faster so that we can welcome refugees now.

While Sandi’s video hinted a host of other stars including Jo Brand, Bill Bailey, David Baddiel and Emma Thompson will also be opening their doors to welcome refugees from Ukraine.

Loose Women were discussing forgetfulness when panelist Christine Lampard admitted that her husband Frank is not impressed with her constantly misplacing her mobile phone

Christine Lampard has revealed that she has a particularly annoying habit that drives her husband Frank “insane”.

The 43-year-old star was hosting Tuesday’s episode of Loose Women on ITV when she spoke about her forgetfulness.

Sitting on the panel alongside Coleen Nolan, Janet Street-Porter and Beverley Knight, Christine opened up the discussion about being forgetful.

The topic came up after it was revealed that a mystery person had left their teeth at a restaurant.

Coleen admitted that there’s several times when she’s had her daughter drop her off at the train station – only to realise that she’s forgotten her suitcase.

Christine Lampard has revealed that she has a particularly annoying habit that drives her husband Frank ‘insane’ ( 
Image:
ITV)
“I think it’s when you’ve clearly got so much else going on in your brain at those times,” Christine commented.

“I mean, phones and keys are my killer… it is the one thing that drives Frank completely insane, where I’ll go, ‘where’s my phone?’ constantly.

“I don’t know what it is, I have this thing about phones, everything else is fine though…. not a suitcase though, I’m not that bad!” she added, having a dig at her co-star Coleen.

Christine has been married to former footballer Frank Lampard since 2015 ( 
Image:
Getty Images Europe)
Christine has been married to former footballer Frank since 2015, and the couple have two children together.

However, last year it was revealed that Christine didn’t actually warm to Frank during their first encounter.

The Northern Irish star first met Frank back in October 2009 when they both attended the Mirror’s Pride Of Britain Awards.

Speaking on Loose Women, Christine said: “Frank came over to me and said, ‘I watch you on The One Show’.”

Christine said Frank doesn’t like it when she constantly forgets where her phone and keys are ( 
Image:
PA)“I said, ‘No you don’t! Who was my guest last night?’ And he was able to tell me!”

“There was an awkward introduction at the party afterwards,” she added.

“I just laughed and we both giggled about it. Then that was it. He somehow got my number, and I had a withheld number call my phone on the way home. I picked up and it was him,” she continued.

“I said ‘Wow, you’re keen!’ as a bit of a joke, and we chatted, and he said he enjoyed meeting me and would like to stay in touch.

“It was very relaxed. And then he went away with England the next day so I didn’t see him for a couple of weeks. But we spoke on the phone every single night while he was away and one night we spoke for four hours,” Christine added.

“So by the time we met again which was a couple of weeks later, we’d done all the awkward chats.

“I knew straight away it could be serious because I knew we could be mates and he made me laugh and we laughed a lot on the phone,” she gushed.

Loose Women’s Jane Moore took a tongue-in-cheek swipe at fellow panellist Coleen Nolan after she ‘shoved’ her at the start of the ITV show

Loose Women panellist Jane Moore called Coleen Nolan “ghastly” at the start of Wednesday’s ITV daytime show.

As the show kicked off for its mid-week instalment, host Jane, 59, took a tongue-in-cheek swipe at Coleen, as she revealed the 57-year-old shoved her moments before the show.

Jane opened the show saying: “Hello and welcome to your mid-week helping of Loose Women.

“Joining me for lots of laughs and lunchtime chat, it’s the ghastly Coleen Nolan – you just shoved me on air.”

Coleen was open-mouthed in shock for a moment before the pair laughed off the incident and sat down at the Loose Women panel, which has returned to its pre-Covid size with the seats closer together after social distancing restrictions were scrapped.

Jane, 59, took a tongue-in-cheek swipe at Coleen ( 
Image:
ITV)
The pair were joined on the panel by Linda Robson, 64, and activist Shani Dhanda, 35, as they launched into a discussion of lockdown loneliness.

The catty remark came after a similarly heated exchange during Tuesday’s show, as Janet Street-Porter and Coleen exchanged tense words.

Janet offered to dunk her face in a large bowl of ice cold water in a nod to the latest TikTok trend, which can reportedly help improve skin circulation and wellbeing.

“Joining me for lots of laughs and lunchtime chat, it’s the ghastly Coleen Nolan” ( 
Image:
ITV)
As panellist Christine Lampard suggested that Janet and guest Greg Wise do so for as long as they can, Coleen quickly asked: “Can we make it five minutes?”

Janet pointed out that she can’t actually hold her breath for that long, to which Coleen said: “I know, that’s the point!”

“Do you want me to die live on air?” she asked Christine, Coleen and fellow panellist Beverley Knight, as Coleen quickly fired back: “A little bit!”

Coleen was open-mouthed in shock for a moment before the pair laughed off the incident ( 
Image:
ITV)Meanwhile, former panellist Andrea McLean has insisted she has no regrets over her exit from Loose Women.

The presenter made her return to the ITV studios for the first time, and she admits it was weird to be back – although she said she stands by her decision to quit her role on the ITV lunchtime show.

Andrea quit Loose Women in November 2020 after over a decade at the helm of the programme, explaining her decision at the time as she admitted it was a “really big decision” for her.

And making her return to ITV to discuss her new book, Andrea has admitted she felt very scared at the time.

Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV