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Boxer and musician KSI is being handed a golden buzzer on Britain’s Got Talent – even through he is only set to appear in one episode as a guest judge.

The 30-year-old social media star – whose new single, Thick of It ft Trippie Low, is out now – is set to fill in for Bruno Tonioli in the forthcoming 18th season of ITV’s long-running talent show. The upcoming season is filming at a different time to usual as ITV is expected to fill the gaping Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway shaped hole in their February-April schedule with the variety show instead.

As a result, audition rounds for the series are filming at an earlier time – and will clash with dates that Bruno, 68, is in the USA filming on Dancing With The Stars. Despite only filling in for a couple of days, KSI will be granted the right to bash the golden buzzer – which sends audition hopefuls straight through to the live finals.

It is suggested KSI may then return for the live episodes to check in on his contestants – and that ITV are desperate to tap into his huge social media following which includes more than 80 million fans. Bruno will get to bash the golden buzzer himself when he is present for auditions – while regular judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and hosts Ant and Dec will be able to press it once each too.

Bruno Tonioli will be able to tap the golden buzzer himself ( 
Image:
ITV)

A source told The Sun: “Bosses were keen for KSI to appear much like a full-time judge would, given he’s due to stand in for a number of days. It means there will be one more Golden Buzzer act this year, with the remaining judges and hosts Ant and Dec also given an opportunity to press it. It will no doubt make the finals more exciting, to see which judge is best at picking a winner.”

The Mirror has contacted ITV for comment. Meanwhile, applications for Britain’s Got Talent 2025 have been open since May this year. Fans have been encouraged to submit applications in person, by video, by WhatsApp, or by nominating someone you know via the official application website.

Earlier this year, Simon shared his joy over the fact the show continues to be renewed by ITV. He told the Daily Mail: “I always thought, if we could get three or four years out of this it would be amazing and then you reach 10 years and go that’s a milestone…

“People come from all over the world to compete and it’s not just winning the show it’s having that viral moment that can literally change your life overnight… that’s why people are going to come back year after year after year and hopefully keep competing and get better… I think it’s going to be here for a long, long time.”

Viewers tuning into Emmerdale this week were left a little baffled over Tom King, after noticing something in recent episodes.

Days on from him being attacked in the back with an axe, which left him with life-threatening injuries, Tom was back to trying to cover up his abuse towards Belle Dingle. On Thursday he was released from the police station after being questioned, hours after being released from the hospital.

He was fitted with a chest drain after sustaining injuries to his back and his lung, with him suffering from internal bleeding. The police revisited him later in the episode to grill him on his missing iPad, which Belle claimed would confirm he was recording her without her knowledge, amid her abuse accusations.

But amid Tom trying to conceal his actions from his family and the detectives, the villain left fans a bit confused. There were two scenes where his injuries were addressed, including one where he struggled to climb into the car.

It was clear he was feigning the pain in front of Belle to make her look worse, and earlier on Tom detailed he was having his chest drain removed that day. He’d also screamed out in pain as his uncle Jimmy King hugged him, touching his back.

Viewers tuning into Emmerdale this week were left a little baffled over Tom King ( 
Image:
ITV)
Jimmy apologised, referencing “his wound”. Tom reminded him of his injury and said he was in pain, before he was shown struggling into his seat. But some fans were a bit puzzled over how, asides these scenes, he seemed fine.

Given just a day or so ago he had an axe wedged into his back with him apparently suffering lacerations, huge blood loss and serious injuries, fans were unsure how he was up and about. Tom was seen sitting down easily most of the time, including Wednesday’s episode, and on Thursday he was walking around and not resting.

Viewers watching the scenes admitted they didn’t understand how he was able to do this given the weapon used and the injuries sustained. Taking to social media, fans pointed out this bizarre detail – just as Tom told an incriminating like to the police about the iPad that was missing.

One fan posted: “He’s sitting in the police station like nothings happened!” as another said: “It was only yesterday the docs were saying they’d just got on top of his pain. Now Tom’s walking, sitting upright, & leaning forward?!”

A third fan posted: “Last week Tom was axed in the back now the b*****d is sitting in a chair not even wincing in pain,” as a fourth said: “How is Tom up & about, after having an AXE in his back a few days ago??” Tom had just lied to the police about not recording Belle – so might this finally be caught out if the iPad is located?

Sarah Platt has been focused on getting her daughter Bethany back to Weatherfield – but next week, she gets a bombshell from Adam Barlow and Damon Hay is involved.

The Underworld factory employee played by Tina O’Brien embarked on an affair with the criminal when she was still married to Adam and, after a miscarriage, the Coronation Street veteran left her husband to explore her romantic potential with Damon.

Unfortunately for the pair, Damon (portrayed by Ciaran Griffiths) struggled to get away from his life of crime and he eventually wound up in prison, leaving Sarah alone. In more recent scenes of the ITV soap, however, after Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) contracted sepsis from a dodgy liposuction in Turkey, Adam (Sam Robertson) has agreed to help Sarah, while bills pile up.

In doing so, Adam found out that Damon heard about Bethany’s ordeal from behind bars and arranged for Sarah to receive some of his dodgy money through a voice message and the solicitor has kept the secret. But he finally speaks out next week, as confirmed by spoilers.

Damon Hay was thrown in prison after being blackmailed into taking part in a robbery by his brother Harvey

Coming up next week, the Platts are first baffled by Jesse Chadwick’s return to the cobbles with Gail, as Helen Worth’s exit storyline looms on the horizon. And when Adam discusses Damon’s hidden money with his uncle Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), Jesse makes a huge faux pas by stating he recognises him from Sarah’s wedding pictures.

Later on in the week, Adam opts to do the right thing by confessing to Sarah that Damon offered to pay Bethany’s staggering medical bills, as viewers recently discovered that the Turkish hospital Bethany was staying at during her recovery was charging them £2k a day.

After lifting the lid on Damon’s plans, Adam confesses that he deleted the message from her phone, leaving her with a decision to make. In other scenes, Sarah calls Damon in prison – but will she really accept his help after insisting she wanted no involvement with his life of crime, particularly for the safety of her family?

Regular viewers of the Manchester-based programme will remember that Damon was last seen been thrown behind bars after being blackmailed into taking part in a botched robbery by his villainous brother Harvey (Will Mellor). But will he return to Weatherfield?

While this remains to be seen, Daniel Osbourne recently launched a crowdfunding appeal to help pay off Bethany’s whopping fees but on Monday, September 30, news that she’d been hospitalised after a dodgy liposuction filtered through the cobbles, leaving some residents angry, particularly after Paul Foreman’s death from motor neurone disease. Could Damon be the answer to Sarah’s problems?

Emmerdale fans saw Moira Dingle come very close to exposing Tom King on Thursday night, and now spoilers have confirmed what happens next.

As Belle Dingle urged the police to find Tom’s missing iPad, claiming it would contain evidence of him stalking her, one resident found the device in question. Tom has been abusing his wife for months and after she ended their marriage, he began targeting her.

After Belle found the courage to expose Tom’s abuse and even reported him to the police, she’s faced accusations she’s lying from some villagers. Things worsened when he attacked her and tried to kill her last week, resulting in her attacking him with an axe in self-defence.

Tom has since been questioned over the abuse with Belle finding evidence cameras had been set up in her home. With Tom suggesting it was for her safety, Belle needs to get her hands on the tablet to find any footage he has recorded of her.

That very iPad found its way into the hands of Belle’s sister-in-law Moira on Thursday, with her finding the footage of Belle needed to expose Tom. But just as Moira went to reveal all she became unwell and suffered a seizure, amid her brain tumour diagnosis.

Tom’s iPad holds key information ( 
Image:
ITV)
When Belle eventually found Moira, Moira had forgotten she’d needed to see Belle. She’d forgotten about the iPad and what she’d seen, not even aware of the iPad or its importance.

With Belle’s hopes dashed that Moira had evidence she needed to catch out Tom, viewers were left frustrated. Now, new spoilers have revealed what happens next as the iPad remains at the farm.

Next week Tom realises Moira’s son Isaac has the device, and asks for it back. Isaac tells him where it is and tells him where the spare key is, leading to Tom heading there.

It seems he gets his hands on it after nearly being caught out, as soon he’s trying to destroy it. Belle is startled to see Tom who brags about his assured victory in court, leaving Belle full of dread.

When Tom thinks he is home alone later on, he begins to smash his tablet to get rid of his evidence. But what he is completely unaware of though is that his young cousin Carl is watching on unseen, and he sees him trying to destroy the iPad – so will he grass him up?

There’s a huge EastEnders plot on the way for fan favourite Zack Hudson, actor James Farrar has exclusively told The Mirror.

The actor confirmed his Walford alter ego will take centre stage next year as part of a big storyline, which “no one knows about”. Filming is already underway it seems or will kick off soon, with James telling us he’s “buzzing” about it.

James said it’s “starting around now” meaning filming for the “exciting” plot is underway or will be soon, and perhaps we might get some scenes very soon that hint at the storyline. Speaking to The Mirror at the Inside Soap Awards, James could barely contain his excitement as he remained coy over the details of the mystery plot.

He told us: “There is something really exciting coming up next year that nobody really knows about yet. It keeps me going into work every day going…. I’m buzzing for it to start. It is just starting around now.”

It follows a dramatic year for the character who split from his fiancée and baby mama Whitney Dean a few months ago. Whitney left Walford after more than 15 years, moving away with her and Zack’s newborn baby.

There’s a huge EastEnders plot on the way for fan favourite Zack Hudson ( 
Image:
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
On the scenes and the impact the plot has had on Zack, when asked if viewers would see Zack finding himself and starting again, he revealed: “There’s trauma there and I think finding himself probably isn’t the way to put it.

“He’s a good bloke, he just makes bad decisions. It’s been heartbreaking trying to tackle stuff without Whitney. All he wants is time with his child.” Zack joined the soap as Sharon Watts’ secret brother in 2021, with him struggling after a troubled upbringing.

Last year viewers saw the character left reeling as he was diagnosed with HIV. The character went public with the news and faced some difficult reactions, while viewers praised the character and actor James for the storyline.

James also praised EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw in his chat with The Mirror, with Chris set to bow out early next year. He said: “Even though we didn’t win the award at the NTAs recently, the unity on the set is just the same as before. I feel that’s down to Chris. Chris’ reign has meant that we have created something and he’s facilitated really good energy.

“He’s South East London born and raised and I think we probably see our currency as people rather than our accomplishments. So it’s coming and bringing what we have, and I think that what Chris did from day one… the likes of Tish (Letitia Dean) and Steve (McFadden) and Di (Diane Parish) and Scott (Maslen) who have been there forever.

“They see him and realise he’s a human being, he understands this show, he’s told me about him and his family watching this since the ground up, as I have. Where we’re from it’s just what you do. He knew the DNA of this show.

“What I think we’re actually doing and what he did was he created an energy on the set that means he’s left that legacy, and Ben [Wadey] who’s coming in, I think he’s gonna smash it too. It’s set, you’ve got that team of people on the floor and off the floor, the energy is incredible.”

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.

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 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.”

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.”

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.

With the rise of online scams and deepfakes circulating on social media, Dr Punam Krishan once admitted she was “deeply concerned.”

Known for her appearances on the BBC One’s Morning Live, the GP made her Strictly Come Dancing debut back in September, 2024, and has even managed to avoid the competition’s first elimination last week.

This Saturday, the Glasgow-born TV star will be back on the dancefloor once more with professional partner Gorka Marquez. But with fame sometimes comes danger as Punam, 41, once admitted she’d fallen victim to online scammers, which has since led her to warn other about the harmful potential of social media.

Dr Punam Krishan has been partnered up with Gorka Marquez for Strictly’s 20th anniversary season ( 
Image:
BBC/Guy Levy)

Punam once warned her fans about the dangers of social media as online scammers have taken pictures of her and her family to prey on them ( 
Image:
@drpunamkrishan/Instagram)
Taking to her column with the iPaper, Dr Punam Krishan penned: “Barely a day goes by before I receive a message from a follower on social media informing me of a fake account using my images to spam them.”

She then shared her “worry” over the prominence of “deepfakes” online as she disclosed that scammers often steal pictures from her social media account, which sometimes include members of her family, to spread misinformation online. Punam opened up about the “distress” scams trigger: “‘It is distressing to hear from followers who have received messages from fake accounts pretending to be me.”

“I worry about the implications of this a lot. I immediately block and report these accounts, and I also advise my followers to do the same, but I still feel anxious about how far and wide they have travelled.” She continued: “What if someone has fallen for it, has transferred money or worse – taken the ill-informed advice and become unwell as a result?”

In more recent news, Dr Punam Krishan revealed that the Strictly chaos and pressure were nothing she couldn’t overcome as she spoke about the reality of juggling her job with her family life – and raising her children.

“I often feel like a character in Motherland,” she said. “When I turn up at work I feel in utter control, but there is so much childcare chaos behind the scenes, the before-and-after work rush of making sure you get to your kids on time, that you’re present for them when you go and meet them and they don’t see how stressful it’s been – that in itself is an art”, she once said.

This Saturday, Dr Punam Krishan will deliver a Bollywood performance with her dancing partner Gorka Marquez for the first time in Strictly Come Dancing history as part of Movie Week. The pair will dance to the tune of ‘Bole Chudiyan’, from the movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.