Showbiz

To celebrate National Dog Day on Tuesday, four members of the Emmerdale cast are sharing heartwarming stories of the pooches that have touched their lives – including ones that they’ve lost22:37, 25 Aug 2025Updated 22:40, 25 Aug 2025Natalie J Robb has opened up about losing her dog Bronson, and finding joy again with new pooch Buddy(Image: Supplied)In honour of National Dog Day on Tuesday, four Emmerdale stars are sharing touching tales about the dogs that have made a paw print on their hearts.”It was love at first sight when I saw a picture of my rescue dog,” shares Jonny McPherson, who portrays Dr Liam Cavanagh, speaking about his lurcher, Molly.Jonny, 43 – one of an estimated 13 million UK dog owners as per The Dogs Trust – began his search for a rescue dog during the pandemic. He was seeking a furry friend to keep him company on his canal boat home in Yorkshire at the time.In January 2021, the RSPCA in Doncaster sent him some snaps of lurchers in need of a new home , reports the Mirror.”I approached five different rescues before I got Molly,” he revealed. “It was lockdown and they all kept telling me I hadn’t made the shortlist.””But when Doncaster RSPCA sent me Molly’s picture, it was love at first sight. She is a cross between a whippet and a bearded collie and was four-and-a-half when I adopted her.”(Image: Supplied)READ MORE: More

Cheryl Fergison played Heather Trott in EastEnders, and her life has been as wild as some of the storylines in the hit BBC One soap, as she details in her new autobiographySue Lee, Alison Graves Lifestyle and Features Editor and Carly Hacon Showbiz Reporter21:32, 25 Aug 2025Cheryl Fergison with husband Yassine El Jamouni(Image: Tim Merry/Mirror Express)Rising to prominence portraying bumbling Heather Trott in EastEnders, Cheryl Fergison’s love life rivals any Albert Square storyline.Now, nearing her 60th birthday, her explosive memoir, Behind The Scenes, offers a frank glimpse into some of her most unforgettable experiences.Cheryl discloses how she encountered her Moroccan spouse Yassine el Jamouni, 39 – who is 21 years her junior – initially, after developing feelings whilst conversing online.And, according to her dear friend and EastEnders veteran, Steve McFadden, who penned the foreword to her book: “When Cheryl tells a story, people listen. She is engaging and holds court like no one else.Her new memoir is out (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)”Yassine, or Yas, as I came to call him, was warm, funny and endlessly curious,” Cheryl writes.”I was a 45-year-old single mum, divorced and juggling work with caring for my kid. He was 24 and living in a suburb in Agadir, Morocco, he fixed computers in hotels, spoke Arabic, French and German and was teaching himself English from tourists, telly, music and now… me. I was basically his human Duolingo, and we started typing to each other late into the night,” reports the Mirror.Their digital friendship gradually developed, with him sharing photographs of himself alongside his family.”Of course I was struck by his handsome brooding looks with caramel skin and artful stubble, but the chat also felt innocent.”During her EastEnders stint at the time, Cheryl recalls: “Soon, we were messaging every single day. I would race home from the set after a long day filming, eager to see if Yas had written and there it would be: a little flurry of messages like modern-day love letters, all waiting to be opened.”Cheryl played Heather on the BBC soap(Image: BBC)Being careful not to disclose too much about herself, her reserve only intensified Yas’s intrigue.Cheryl recounts: “His next message popped up a second later: ‘I don’t understand. Are you in MI5?’ I howled. The thought of me sneaking about in a trench coat with a handgun, drinking matinis and defusing bombs between takes on Albert Square was so ridiculous.”After finally admitting to being a “larger lady,” burdened with trust issues, she started opening up to the attractive Moroccan, and they moved on to nightly Skype audio conversations. Cheryl was genuinely falling head over heels for Yas.She recalls: “He started signing off each call with: ‘Goodnight beautiful.'””And one night, just before hanging up, he said it, ‘I think I love you.'””I whispered it back, heart thudding, ‘I think I love you too.'”Her emotions kept intensifying until, closing her laptop one evening some time afterwards, she resolved: “I’m going to meet this man.”That’s how she ended up at Gatwick Airport, being spotted by EastEnders admirers, whilst awaiting a flight to Casablanca, Morocco, where she’d catch a 35-minute connection to Yas’s home city of Agadir.Upon arrival, the anxiety began to kick in. She penned: “My heart started to pound. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. What am I doing here?”.”You’ve flown to a country you’ve never been to before, to meet a man you’ve never seen in person and you don’t even speak the language. Are you completely mad?”.”I looked around for Yas, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. I fumbled for my bottle of water in my bag, hands shaking, when my trusty battered black case with the purple ribbon tied to the handle toppled over with a thud.Cheryl is sharing her story with fans”I bent to grab it, another hand reached down at the same time. It was his hand, Yas’s hand. And there he was.”Fast forward a few months, she remembers Yas confessing: “‘I knew the second I saw you, Cheryl. That you were my future wife and that I was going to marry you.'”.When she finally said yes to his proposal and shared the news with her EastEnders co-star Steve McFadden, she recalls: “Steve gave a low chuckle and stood up to pull me into one of his trademark bear hugs. ‘Blimey,’ he said, giving me a squeeze, ‘it only took you going halfway across the world to find a bloke….You’d better tell the scriptwriters then. Heather Trott getting a Moroccan husband might be the best storyline they’ve had in years!'”.However, their wedding on 2 May, 2011, was far from a fairy tale.She described: “It was the worst wedding I’ve ever been to. It was just me and Yas in a register office in Agadir. It was a small, tiled room that honestly felt about the size of a public toilet. The bloke marrying us looked like the spitting image of Mr Bean.”Married in a tiled toilet by a Moroccan version of Mr Bean. Only my life, honestly!”.In 2015, Cheryl received a cancer diagnosis affecting her womb and was informed she required a hysterectomy.Cheryl is married to Yassine El Jamouni who is 21 years younger than her(Image: Tim Merry/Mirror Express)She recalls: “The doctor came in, closed the door gently behind him and gave me that look. ‘Cheryl,’ he said softly, ‘I’m really sorry. It’s not good news. You have cancer. Stage II womb cancer.'”.”It felt like a soap storyline, like I was watching myself on an episode of EastEnders.”My first thought was, am I going to die?’ My second, how do I tell Alex? Then Yas popped into my head. He was in Morocco. What would he say? Would he want me when he knew kids were totally off the table?”.”I wanted to scream, ‘Why me?'”.”I wanted the director to yell ‘cut’ and for the scene to be over and for me to be able to walk off set.”But somewhere underneath all the shock and sadness, something flickered deep inside. I’d been knocked down before and every single time I’d stood back up. I could do it again.”Thrust into premature menopause following her hysterectomy, she endured some darkly amusing episodes that many menopausal women will recognise.Following a frantic hunt for her keys one evening, she recounts: “The next morning, I go to heat up some milk and there they are. My keys are in the bloody microwave. Brilliant, Cheryl. Top marks. Why on earth are they in the microwave? Was I planning to defrost them?Article continues below”It turns out that having no womb means hormonal doom. We’re talking mood swings, brain fog, hot flushes that make you feel like you’re slow roasting in an oven, night sweats and tears over nothing. Isn’t it just marvellous being a woman?”.Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter. More

Naomi Campbell, 55, stuns in sizzling bikinis during an Ibiza shoot, proving she’s still the ultimate supermodel while celebrating a pal’s new swimwear collection21:11, 25 Aug 2025Updated 00:50, 26 Aug 2025Naomi wowed in her bikini(Image: INSTAGRAM)Fashion icon Naomi Campbell lives it up on a photoshoot in Ibiza.The 55-year-old supermodel was on the sunshine isle to show off a series of bikinis and some impressive fingernails.She posed by the pool in swimwear from Nounou London. Naomi told her 15.7million Insta followers: “Rocking @‌nou.noulondon stunning new bikini collection under the Ibiza sun.“Beyond proud to celebrate my chosen family #Anoushka Houser. What an honour to wear your designs. Congratulations on this incredible collection, love you always.”The glossy snaps had fans flooding her comments with praise, with many stunned by how youthful the catwalk queen looks more than three decades after first rising to fame.The model stunned in style(Image: INSTAGRAM)But behind the glamour, Naomi has admitted she doesn’t rely on a traditional gym routine to maintain her physique. She once revealed she actually feels “nervous” around gym machines and instead sticks to a more bespoke approach with the help of trainer Joe Holder.Holder, who has worked with the star for years, often features in her YouTube series #BeingNaomi . Together, they mix up her sessions with a blend of conditioning, cardio, and bodyweight moves. Naomi confessed: “I don’t like everything he makes me do, but it’s not about liking it. It’s about attacking the body in different parts and conditioning.”According to Holder, a lot of emphasis goes on leg workouts, which he jokingly dubs Naomi’s “money makers.” He says this focus helps boost circulation and flush out cellular waste, giving her the kind of definition that still leaves younger models trailing in her wake.She oozed sophistication(Image: INSTAGRAM)The Streatham-born beauty, who was discovered in Covent Garden at just 15, also turns to Pilates and stretching to keep her muscles long and lean. A former ballet student, Naomi insists those practices are just as important as any high-energy circuit training. “It elongates and tones,” she explained, adding that regular stretching prevents injury and aids recovery between sessions.Her dedication clearly pays off, with the Ibiza shoot showing she’s every bit as runway-ready as she was in the 1990s. Whether dazzling on catwalks for Versace or soaking up the Balearic sunshine, Campbell continues to set the standard for supermodels worldwide.Article continues belowAnd if the reaction to her latest bikini shots is anything to go by, Naomi’s reign as the queen of cool is far from over.Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter. More

Helen Flanagan has opened up about her struggles with her mental health in an emotional video on social media as she broke down about her hardships with co-parenting20:34, 25 Aug 2025Helen updated fans onlineHelen Flanagan revealed to followers that she ‘f****** hates co-parenting’ as she broke down emotionally during a candid outburst posted on her Instagram Stories on Monday.The 35-year-old actress wept on camera whilst dressed in grey pyjamas with her blonde locks pulled back in an untidy bun.Following her appearance at Manchester Pride on Sunday, she handed over her children, Matilda, nine, Delilah, six, and Charlie, three, to former partner Scott Sinclair. Due to their co-parenting arrangement, the youngsters spend portions of their school holidays with the footballer, though Helen finds the situation challenging.Helen confessed: “I really, really struggle. I really struggle when they go away and I only like them going away if I’m doing something… I’m suffering really badly with anxiety at the moment.”Helen is a mum to three(Image: Helen Flanagan/Instagram)The Coronation Street actress acknowledged her reluctance to let her children leave before stating: “I just f****** hate co-parenting. I really really struggle..”I really struggle when they go away because it’s like. I don’t like them going away. I only like them going away if I’m doing something. It’s just really hard. It’s just really hard especially when you’re not getting on and it’s just really hard.”, reports the Mirror.She continued: “‘It’s your babies, you can’t speak the same when they go away… Some time might do me good because I had really bad anxiety recently because I haven’t had a minute because I’m always with the kids. It’s a double-edged sword…”When they go I want them back and when I’m with them all the time I get really overwhelmed but then f******… I can’t drink, it makes me [shakes hands]… I didn’t drink that much yesterday.Helen Flanagan sobs while professing she ‘hates co-parenting’ and suffers with ‘bad anxiety'”I always stick to tequilas, I never drink a lot. I’m going to stop crying now but I do think it’s good to cry just to get it out.”She confessed: “I’ve just had bad anxiety recently and I think if I go and exercise and spend some time with my friends and get some sleep and do things I can’t normally do when I’m with the kids… [I have to] get myself organised with the kids going back to school, mum’s helped me get organised with uniform and stuff and all the things to remember.”The celebrity revealed she’s been experiencing a “build up of anxiety”, which hasn’t been “easy”. Helen added: “I’m fine. I really struggle being on my own, not just in a relationship but I’m always with one of my friends.”I’ve always got my friends with me, and I think this is why I love social media so much because I’m always connecting with people.”I’m really bad at being on my own like I honestly can’t think of anything worse. I really don’t know how to do it. I’m always with my friends, I don’t like my own company. That’s enough of my breakdown. I’m going to write a list and be productive.”Article continues belowWant all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter. More

Coronation Street legend and former Celebrity Big Brother winner Ryan Thomas got heat for letting his daughter skip GCSEs, but now the star is hitting back at the hate18:59, 25 Aug 2025Ryan and Scarlett Thomas(Image: youtube)A former Coronation Street icon has clapped back at hate he received for letting his kid skip her GCSEs. Instead, they are now focusing on their career on-screen, bidding their academic life goodbye.Ryan Thomas won the hearts of the nation on the likes of ITV drama Corrie, playing the role of Jason Grimshaw. He also was crowned as the winner of the 2018 season of Celebrity Big Brother, after being embroiled in a scandal together with fellow soapstar Roxanne Pallett.However, the love and appreciation for the star has since changed to shock and confusion after it was revealed that he let his daughter Scarlett skip taking her GCSEs. Taking to her social media, Scarlett, 16, confirmed she did not sit her exams, according to the Daily Mail.The teenage actress, who has already launched her career on BBC’s Waterloo Road, uploaded a video to TikTok on the day millions of children sitting the state exams got their results. Writing in the caption, she penned: “I’m watching everyone get their GCSE results today wondering if I could’ve had good results but I will forever wonder.”Scarlett Thomas received a huge wave of backlash(Image: scarlettjthomas26/tiktok)After the video was uploaded, it soon went viral – garnering huge backlash from confused accounts, adding that it was “unacceptable” for anyone to allow their child to drop out of school before getting any qualifications. However, doting dad Ryan has started to clap back at the claims she is becoming a “nepo baby” following in her parents’ footsteps.A clearly annoyed Ryan took to the comments section to hit back at the decision not to take the exams. Weighing in on the drama, the soapstar fumed: “Is it even anyone’s business or concern though?”Scarlett has been vocal in the fact she wants to land herself a career in acting, much like her parents Ryan and Tina O’Brien, both of whom were huge stars on Coronation Street. She also admitted she has her eyes set on singing as well, with vocal chops to match.Currently, it is not a legal requirement for children to undertake the GCSEs, according to the Education Act from 1996. However, despite this – most young people do sit the exams, but they can leave formal education at the age of 16 if they so choose.Teenage star Scarlett landed her first role on BBC drama Waterloo Road back in 2023. Scarlett’s family already knows the show well, as uncle Adam Thomas, 37, was able to launch his own acting career from the show.Scarlett made one thing clear(Image: Ryan Thomas/Instagram)Article continues belowBut throughout her acting career, she has faced waves of criticism from people arguing that she is using her famous parents as a way to achieve her life goals. In response, the star clapped back using a TikTok where she appeared to sing the 1977 song “Easy” by Commodores.Donning a pair of huge oversized glasses, as well as some hoop earrings and a large brown jumper, Scarlett did not mince her words as she shot back at the haters. “God forbid a girl takes the chances she gets,” she wrote.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters. More

Britney Spears has sent fans into a frenzy this week with a series of social media posts that have sparked concern over her well-being, as well as her appearance17:47, 25 Aug 2025 More

Actress Verónica Echegui tragically passed away on Sunday, 24 August, following a battle with cancer. She was just 42. The news of her illness had been kept private and she was hospitalised in the days leading up to her death. The Madrid-born star, who trained at RADA, was known for her roles in the film […] More

EXCLUSIVE: Fairgame’s new City branch is London’s fresh go-to for date nights or mate nights, mixing fun games, big vibes, killer cocktails and tasty food in a buzzing playground setting15:42, 25 Aug 2025Updated 15:45, 25 Aug 2025This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreThe games were thrilling but competitive(Image: Carly Hacon)If you’re hunting for a new night out in London — whether with a date or a group of mates — Fairgame’s new City branch might just be the answer.Forget choosing between a bar, an arcade or a street food spot, because here you get all three rolled into one high-energy package. It’s essentially an adult playground, and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most fun nights out in town.From the moment you step inside, the atmosphere hits you. Neon lights, buzzing crowds and music you can’t help but move to create the perfect backdrop for a night of friendly competition.The playlist is packed with catchy, feel-good tracks that keep the energy high without drowning out conversation, which makes it equally good for a first date or a reunion with old friends.You get to play any of the games within your 90 minute slot(Image: Carly Hacon)Then there are the games, think fairground classics with a competitive twist which are easy to pick up but before you know it, you’re breaking a sweat while throwing yourself into the action.The best part? You can actually win prizes! Whilst walking out with a bucket hat or a rubber duck might not sound glamorous, when you’ve battled your friends to get it, it suddenly feels like treasure.We loved the cocktail menu(Image: Carly Hacon)Drinks are another big win here, the cocktail menu is genuinely impressive, with colourful, creative options that taste as good as they look. Standouts include the Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri and the Double Dipper.It’s the right balance of fun and premium, no watered-down sugary mixers in sight, making it easy to keep the drinks flowing while you plot your next game strategy.We had a tasty meal from Burger and Beyond(Image: Carly Hacon)Food at Fairgame is just as exciting as the drinks and games and we sampled Burger and Beyond’s Bacon Butter Burger, rich and indulgent with layers of smoky bacon and creamy butter, as well as the Krispie Fried Chicken, perfectly crispy on the outside while juicy inside, and the Dirty Tots, loaded with toppings and bursting with flavour.The interiors were decked out with plenty of ducks and neon lights (Image: Carly Hacon)Article continues belowThe new City branch is social, competitive, and just the right amount of silly which makes it perfect for a date if you want to break the ice or a night out with mates when you’re tired of the usual pub routine. By the end of the evening, you’ll be buzzing after a few victories (or defeats) and making memories worth more than any prize duck.Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter. More