Robbie Williams says phones are a ‘drug' as he bans them for his children
He described mobile devices as "a drug" and a form of "abuse" during an interview with ITV.
Williams stated his intention to keep his children phone-free for as long as humanely possible.
He expressed concern about the internet's "corrosive" effect, questioning how he could give such a "drug" to a 7-year-old or 12-year-old.
Watch the video in full above.
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The Independent
a few seconds ago
- The Independent
Foxy Knoxy no more: How Monica Lewinsky and Amanda Knox teamed up to reclaim Knox's narrative
Monica Lewinsky is keenly aware of what it feels like when your name is no longer your own and becomes attached to a character conjured by others. An affair that she had with President Clinton nearly 30 years ago as a White House intern made her an international headline. So, when Lewinsky read that Amanda Knox, another woman whose image precedes her, wanted to adapt her memoir for the screen, she felt she was in a unique position to help. Knox was on a study abroad program in Italy in 2007 when one of her housemates, Meredith Kercher, was killed. She and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito quickly became the prime suspects. The story was a tabloid sensation and Knox was branded Foxy Knoxy. After a lengthy trial, she and Sollecito were convicted of Kercher's murder and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison; they were later acquitted and exonerated. Knox has already told her story in two memoirs and it's been dramatized by others. There was a Lifetime movie about the case and she believes the 2021 movie "Stillwater" starring Matt Damon was unfairly familiar. 'I have a story to tell because I have a mission, and my mission is to help people appreciate what really is going on when justice goes awry," Knox said about why she entrusted Lewinsky to help tell her story through 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox." 'This woman, who has gone through her own version of hell where the world had diminished her to a punchline inspired me to feel like maybe there was a path forward in my life," Knox said. The limited series is now streaming on Hulu. Grace Van Patten ("Tell Me Lies") stars and both Knox and Lewinsky are among its executive producers. Shared but different trauma Lewinsky was not always in a place to help others reclaim their narrative because her own was too much to bear. She remembers vaguely hearing about Knox's case but didn't have the energy to give it attention. 'I was allergic to cases like this,' Lewinsky said. 'I had just come out of graduate school at the end of 2006. And 2007 was a very challenging year for me.' She believed graduate school would lead to a new beginning and desired to 'have a new identity and go get a job like a normal person.' She said the realization that wasn't going to happen 'was a pretty devastating moment." In 2014, Lewinsky wrote a personal essay for Vanity Fair and became one of its contributors. She went on to produce a documentary and give a TedTalk called 'The Price of Shame,' addressing cyber-bullying and public-shaming. Educating others provided Lewinsky with a purpose she had been looking for. 'With most everything I do, it feels really important to me that it moves a conversation forward somehow," said Lewinsky. She now hosts a podcast called 'Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky.' By the time they officially began working on 'Twisted Tale,' Lewinsky was in protective mode. The 52-year-old Lewinsky, 14 years older than Knox, wanted to shield her from painful moments. She recalled being particularly worried that Knox would be traumatized by reading the first script. 'It's someone else's interpretation. There's dramatic license,' explained Lewinsky, who said she can still 'have sensitivities' to reading something written about her. Instead, Knox was OK and Lewinsky learned they're 'triggered by different things.' She laughs about it now: 'Amanda's a lot more agreeable than me.' The interrogation was key Knox said a part of her story that she wanted to make sure the TV series got right was the interrogation scene. She still describes it as 'the worst experience of my life and a really defining moment in how this whole case went off the rails. 'I was interrogated for 53 hours over five days. We don't see that on screen," she said. Now an advocate for criminal justice reform, Knox hopes viewers are moved by the condensed version and recognize 'the emotional truth and the psychological truth of that scenario.' Knox said she was coerced into signing a confession that she did not understand because of the language barrier. She was not fluent in Italian and did not have a lawyer with her at the time. In that document, Knox wrongly accused a local bar owner of the murder, and she still has a slander conviction because of it. Knox's lawyers recently filed paperwork to appeal that decision. She believes interrogations should have more transparency 'because what happens behind closed doors results in coerced confessions from innocent people to this day. I really wanted to shed a light on that.' No villains in Knox's version Knox has returned to Italy three times since her release from prison. One of those times was to meet with the prosecutor of her case after years of correspondence. Showrunner-creator KJ Stenberg said she had to condense more than 400 pages of their writing back-and-forth for their reunion scene. That meeting ultimately became the framework for the series. 'The scope of this story isn't, 'Here's the bad thing that happened to Amanda, the end.' The scope of the story is Amanda's going back to Italy and to appreciate why she made that choice, we need to go back and revisit everything that leads up to it," said Knox. Viewers will also see others' perspectives, including Sollecito's, a prison chaplain and confidante, and Knox's mother. It also shows how the investigators and prosecutor reached the conclusion at the time that Knox and Sollecito were guilty. 'We did not want mustache-twirling villains," said Knox. "We wanted the audience to come away from the story thinking, 'I can relate to every single person in this perfect storm.' That, to me, was so, so important because I did not want to do the harm that had been done to me in the past.' 'It's showing all of these people who are going through the same situation and all truly believing they were doing the right thing," added Van Patten. Knox isn't presented as perfect either in the series. 'I wasn't interested in doing a hagiography of Amanda Knox, nor was Amanda,' said Steinberg. Knox's harsh return to life after prison Knox had a hard time adjusting to so-called 'real life' after she was acquitted and returned home to the United States. This is shown in 'Twisted Tale.' 'I couldn't interact like a normal person with other people," said Knox. 'I went back to school and there were students who were taking pictures of me in class and posting them to social media with really unkind commentary.' She said the stigma has become "a huge, like, life-defining problem for me to solve.' 'People don't think about the adjustments she had to go through to reinsert herself into normal life, which is still not normal,' said Van Patten. Knox said she's learned that there are positives and negatives to her unique situation. 'There are exoneree friends of mine who have been able to move on with a life and be around people who don't know about the worst experience of their life. That's kind of a blessing and a curse. You don't have to explain yourself all the time but it's a curse because then this thing that was so defining of who you are as a person is something that you maybe feel like you don't know if you should share." "In my case, I never had that choice." Knox is now a married mother of two and grateful that her life did not turn out the way that she feared it would while in prison, particularly that she would never have children. "I was 22 years old when I was given a 26-year prison sentence. I could do the math,' she said. 'So every single day when I am with my children, I am reminded that this might not have happened. I don't care if I'm exhausted and I'm overwhelmed, this is what life is all about.'
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
BBC confirms Celebrity Traitors will air in October
The first series of the Celebrity Traitors is set to air in October, the BBC has 19 famous faces will compete in the game of deception and betrayal in the Scottish Highlands to win up to £100,000 for a charity of their celebrity edition will see stars including actor and broadcaster Sir Stephen Fry, Olympian Tom Daley, singer Charlotte Church and TV presenter Kate show, set in Ardross Castle, will also feature actress Celia Imrie, comedian Alan Carr, presenter Jonathan Ross, broadcaster Clare Balding and singer Paloma Faith. A handful of contestants, known as traitors, pick off their castmates, known as the faithful, with nightly "murders".Meanwhile the faithful try to work out their identity. If any traitors remain at the end, they win the cash third series of The Traitors, which aired in January, attracted more than 10 million viewers. 'Worth the wait' The BBC said the long-awaited spin-off of the hit show would be "extraordinary".Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the BBC's unscripted director Syeda Irtizaali said: "It was a real pleasure to cast this series. "We wanted to have a really broad range of people, but we also wanted people that were real fans of the show, that really understood it."I'm not going to say it was easy. Roz, who put the cast together, did an amazing job - but we were pushing on a bit of an open door with most of them."The director said she was initially worried about how the celebrities would play the game compared to members of the public who featured in the first three added: "But we have nothing to worry about. "They really play the game and some of the things that you'll see them doing is extraordinary, that's all I'm going to say."It's well worth the wait."Ms Irtizaali said that a lot of the celebrities had said they were "changed" by appearing on the stars joining the group at the castle are former England rugby player and podcaster Joe Marler and singer Cat Claudia Winkleman previously said: "We're incredibly lucky these brilliant people have said yes."I'd love to say we'll take it easy on them and they'll just wander round the castle and eat toast for a couple of weeks but that would be a lie."
Daily Mail
a minute ago
- Daily Mail
Strictly Come Dancing reveals Emmerdale star Lewis Cope will replace Kristian Nairn after the Game Of Thrones star was forced to quit the show over medical reasons
Strictly Come Dancing bosses have announced that Emmerdale star Lewis Cope will replace Kristian Nair in the lineup, after the Game Of Thrones star was forced to quit the show. The actor, 30, is best known for his performance in ITV 's Emmerdale as series regular Nicky Milligan, who in an explosive storyline was revealed to be a member of the series' iconic Tate and Dingle families. Lewis was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the 2023 National Television Awards for the role. Away from the Dales, Lewis' other television work includes roles in Vera, Mrs Sidhu Investigates, and Hetty Feather and he previously worked with David Beckham on an advertising campaign. On stage, Lewis has played the lead role of Leonard Vole in the Olivier-nominated Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution, has toured the UK in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and, at the age of 11, he made his stage debut playing Michael in the West End smash Billy Elliot: The Musical. On joining Strictly Come Dancing, Lewis said: 'I'm so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor and joining this year's Strictly Come Dancing. 'I've always been a fan of the show and cannot wait to get started!' Lewis was a drafted in as a last-minute replacement after Kristian was forced to withdraw from the lineup, and he revealed on The One Show he learned he'd landed a spot on the show while strolling down London's Oxford Street with a friend. The news was revealed during Thursday's episode of The One Show, just hours after Kristian announced that he had been forced to quit the new series of Strictly over medical reasons. In an official statement, the actor and DJ, 49, said: 'With a heavy heart, I have to step back from this season of Strictly Come Dancing due to unexpected medical reasons. 'I was truly looking forward to the journey, and I'm deeply sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to seeing me on the dance floor. 'Thank you all for your support, and I will be back on my feet very soon, in every sense. Love to all, Kristian.' Kristian, best known for playing Hodor in Game Of Thrones, is 6ft10 and worried about how his height would impact him on the dancefloor. He explained: 'This will be a huge challenge for me physically, but I'm ready to rise to it! It's a surreal and wonderful opportunity to shed one of my left feet!' Sarah James, Executive Producer at BBC Studios said: 'We've absolutely loved getting to know Kristian in this short time, and he has all the makings of a brilliant Strictly Come Dancing contestant. We're incredibly sorry to lose him from this year's series and we all wish him a speedy recovery.' Sharing the reason for his exit in his own words in an Instagram video, he said: 'Hey guys, I hope you're doing well. 'Firstly, sorry to be reading this, it's a bit like a wedding speech I guess. So anybody who's just followed me in the last couple of weeks, hello I hope you're well! 'So I'm not going to beat around the bush with this, this is real talk. I'm not doing the PR thing, I hate that. I always try and be pretty honest and real with you guys and hopefully anybody who's been around here for a while will attest to that. 'I've been given a wonderful opportunity to become part of the the Strictly Come Dancing family as you may know. But sadly I'm having to withdraw from this year's show. There's been such a response and I definitely want to share why. 'Like so many people at the minute I've been dealing with a high level of stress and yeah a little bit of grief if I'm going to be really real. I've always been my mother's son and I've always powered through things like this in the past and any other time in my life. Honestly I think I've got a pretty healthy attitude to stuff like this - I thought I did at least. But for the first time it's manifested physically and it's caused a spike in my vitals, and it's sort of ended in an area of concern. 'I'm a big guy, I always have been ever since I set foot on this Earth, so I take my health very seriously and I do see my doctor all the time. I was checked for the show like two weeks before and everything was fine, so he was happy for me to take part. 'Please know I am okay, I'm under treatment already and my doctor isn't concerned. After two, maybe three weeks I'll be pretty much back to normal. 'But sadly I don't have time for the show now, I mean it's not going to be in time for all the training and everything like that. And I also don't want to leave them, you and the other contestants hanging, it's not really fair. 'And I'm gutted to say the least, I was really looking forward to taking part in this. The guys in the show, I'm not going to lie, have been completely understanding and I've honestly felt 100 per cent supported so I'm really grateful for that. 'So let's see what happens when I get sorted. I'm going to be taking it easy for now. I'll be able to return to work very shortly. 'I was so excited for this, but not only for myself but also for the amazing people from my home of Northern Ireland. It has always been my honour in my weird way just to show that I'm from Northern Ireland and I'm very proud. And I'm sorry if I've let you down in any way, but I'll continue to do my best. 'We live in strange crazy times at the minute so without being preachy, please look after yourself. Don't ignore what's going on inside your head. This is something i haven't dealt with before, so this has really come as a surprise for me, I always thought I had this. 'To my fellow contestants, although it was brief I really enjoyed meeting all of you. It's a really great bunch of people and I'm looking forward to watching and seeing how well you all do. 'Who knows what the future holds. I'm totally still here and creating in my own haphazard way and just trying to be better than ever. And don't worry guys, I've totally got this. I love you all truly, I really do and thank you for being part of my journey. Thank you for all the support you've always shown me and the new people as well, I really appreciate it. And lastly just enjoy the show and thank you for all the support it's been really great.' The long-running BBC series has truly lost its sparkle after Wynne Evans was accused of inappropriate behaviour and forced to apologise for making an unacceptable sexual remark (pictured 2025) Strictly Come Dancing was once the jewel in the crown of Saturday night TV with millions of viewers tuning into see their favourite celebrities compete in glamorous costumes for the glitter ball trophy. But now, ahead of the show's upcoming series, bookies are offering odds as low as 8-1 the programme with be the last ever following multiple controversies, a lacklustre line-up of Z-list stars and less women than men agreeing to take part and with good reason. The long-running BBC series has truly lost its sparkle after former contestant Wynne Evans, 53, was accused of inappropriate behaviour and forced to apologise for making an unacceptable sexual remark on stage at a press event, which led to him resigning from the Strictly tour. In 2023, actress Amanda Abbington, 51, complained about professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, 34, being 'unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean' during their rehearsals which she said caused her to quit midway through the season. And in the same year, former Love Island contestant Zara McDermott, 28, was left 'incredibly distressed' following her experience in the training room with Graziano Di Prima, 31, who admitted to kicking the documentary maker, resulting in his axing. Now, it appears that female celebrities are too terrified to sign up, with six women appearing on the cast this year compared to nine males, and bosses have certainly lowered the previously high bar with who they allow to take part. The cast this year includes several former reality stars such as Love Island winner Dani Dyer, ex-Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison, Apprentice candidate Tom Skinner, RuPaul's Drag Race runner-up La Voix, and Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. Strictly bosses previously banned influencers and reality stars from taking part with now the likes of former Apprentice contestant Tom, who was fired by Lord Sugar in 2019, deemed famous enough to compete, with one Daily Mail reader saying: 'More than half are not celebrities'. And the disappointing line-up hasn't gone unnoticed as thousands of Strictly fans took to platform X to voice their criticisms, with one writing: 'The bottom of the barrel has been well and truly scraped'. Another said: 'The Strictly line-up is complete and it's truly abysmal' as another person wrote: 'This is without a doubt the worst starting line-up. Wondering if the past two years has caused so much damage to its reputation. Is this the beginning of the end?' 'Safe to say this is the worst Strictly line-up of all time,' another user posted. John Hughes commented: 'One of the weakest, most uninspiring 'celebrity' line-ups in years. The show is still having difficulty signing up female contestants, it seems, following previous scandals with male pros. 'Time for Strictly to be rested as a result series and have three or four specials per year?' Commenting on the mundaneness of the cast this year, another user on X said: 'They should do some kind of study to see if the Strictly line-up really does get less glamorous every time because like?' A TV source added: 'Strictly isn't the show it used to be. It has been hit by scandal after scandal and now it's impossible for it to recover. 'Bosses used to be very particular about the lineup but now celebrities who have previously been on a host of shows, even winning I'm A Celeb in Vicky's case, have been recruited. 'The lack of women in the cast this year says it all, females are afraid to take part due to the controversies of recent years while few changes have been made to ensure safety in the training rooms. 'It's sad because the show was once so loved by viewers of all ages but there's an unavoidable darkness now and insiders even believe this could be the last ever series.' It comes after Strictly was hit with drug allegations after two of the show's stars were allegedly caught taking cocaine and it was widely talked about among the cast. The BBC has launched an investigation this month into the alleged drug taking while last week the Sun on Sunday reported that a 10-year show veteran was previously offered cocaine by one of its stars at a wild party. It's the second successive year where less female contestants have signed up to Strictly after fewer women joined the line-up in 2024. There were nine male celebrities and only six women after Amanda spoke on her experiences having competed on the show. Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison has signed up to the upcoming Strictly series after previously winning ITV's I'm A Celeb During an interview on Channel 4 News in July last year, Amanda described the aftermath of her time on Strictly as 'brutal' and 'unforgiving' after she and her family received death threats from Giovanni fans. She said: 'There were five or six people previous to me that had the same experience. 'It was unnecessary and when it was getting thrown at me I would shut down. I have been in abusive situations before so I recognised the red flags so I would shut down and I wouldn't be able to do the job because I felt attacked... It was not conducive to a happy environment'. TV presenter Laura Whitmore, who was partnered with Giovanni in 2016, said she felt 'broken' and 'cried everyday' during her time on the show as she supported Amanda with her claim against the Italian pro dancer last year. Following a BBC investigation, six of Amanda's allegations towards Giovanni were upheld and he was cleared on 11 out of 17, and has since gone onto win the Italian version of the competition with his now girlfriend Bianca Guaccero. This year's cast also includes EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal, Lioness Karen Carney, Lorraine Showbiz correspondent Ross King and influencer Ellie Goldstein, who made history when she became the first model with Down syndrome to cover British Vogue magazine. Rugby player Chris Robshaw, Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis, YouTuber George Clarke, Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston, and sportsman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will also be taking to the Strictly ballroom next month.
