Sinéad Moriarty: ‘My cat Luna gets excited when she sees me – she can't bear being on her own'
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Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Concern as measles cases almost treble in Ireland over last seven years
IRELAND has witnessed a near trebling in the number of measles cases over the past seven years - despite the Covid-19 lockdown having resulted in no measles detections in 2021.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Cruel bullies branded me a 16st ‘whale' – now I'm a ripped size 6 thanks to 6 simple weight loss rules
AT 16 stone at just 15, Jessica Turner faced relentless bullying at school and was cruelly called a 'whale' by classmates. Five years on, the student from Surrey has lost half her 9 At 5ft 3inches, Jessica Turner weight 16 Credit: Kennedy News and Media 9 After shedding the weight the 20-year-old became a fitness influencer Credit: Kennedy News and Media 9 Jessica wants to help others adopt healthy habits Credit: Kennedy News and Media 'I never really got any male attention before uni... but now I get doors held open for me all the time,' Jessica, now a fitness influencer, said. After years of comfort eating and zero exercise, the now University of Exeter student ballooned to 16st 5lbs at just 5ft 3in tall. 'I looked at food as a source of comfort. I had very low self-esteem, so I didn't like going out very much,' Jessica recalled. While at school, people would often make comments. "Someone said I was walking up the stairs 'too slowly', and another actually called me a whale,' she explained. 'They would laugh at me. I never felt like anybody found me attractive." The turning point came during the 2020 Covid lockdown when Jessica, then 15, decided to take control. 'Covid hit and everything shut down and I thought 'I've got an opportunity to better myself and I have a lot of time on my hands'.' Most read in Wellness Starting with YouTube home workouts, inspired by Joe Wicks and Chloe Ting, she slowly fell in love with fitness and nutrition. 'Once you start seeing results, it gets easier,' she said. GP-approved tips to really lose weight safely - and keep it off Jessica, now a successful fitness influencer, credits a protein-rich diet and regular exercise for her dramatic transformation, losing an incredible 8st 3lbs since 2019. 'I was 105kg [16st 5lbs], so my health was on the line,' she said. 'I was bigger than my mum and most people in my family. "I felt so miserable in myself that I didn't really care what I was eating.' Her diet used to revolve around calorie-laden junk food. 'I used to eat lots of cakes and chocolate because it would give me short-time gratification,' Jessica explained. 9 Jessica now credits a protein-packed diet and fierce workout routine for sculpting her size 6 figure. Credit: Kennedy News and Media 9 Before the transformation she lived on junk food Credit: Kennedy News and Media 9 Her journey hasn't just changed her body, it's changed her confidence and life trajectory. Credit: Kennedy News and Media 'After school, I'd do a little Tesco shop and get a bag of sweets and chocolates.' Now her typical day looks very different. Breakfast might be protein pancakes topped with Greek yogurt, berries, and honey. Lunch could be an omelette with cheese and ham, plus a side salad. And dinner is typically something like a Mexican chicken rice bowl, packed with peppers, onions, and avocado. 'I make sure I eat at least five fruits and veg every day, and I hit my protein goals, eating over the government-recommended amount of 2,000 calories a day," the health fanatic said. "You don't have to be scared of eating; you can achieve your goals without starving yourself.' 'If I can do it, so can you' Alongside the diet overhaul, Jessica took up weightlifting to tone up. 'I had loose skin on my arms and legs, my inner thighs in particular. "Only when I started weightlifting did I start to build muscle. I haven't looked back since.' Her journey hasn't just changed her body, it's changed her confidence and life trajectory. 'If I hadn't gone through my weight-loss journey, I wouldn't be at a Russell group uni and I wouldn't be studying law,' Jessica explained. She said her social life has transformed too. "People 100 per cent treat me differently, even on the street. "When you're a bigger girl people don't respect you as much. I never had someone hold the door open for me, but as a girl now I get that all the time.' Many of Jessica's bully's now follow her on Instagram, but Jessica hasn't forgetten how they made her feel. 'Then you have guys trying to speak to me [on Instagram] and I'm like 'no, I still remember what you did'.' Jessica hasn't had any long-term relationships yet. 'I'm very career oriented so I'm prioritising that," she said. 'I want to share my journey not just to celebrate how far I've come, but to inspire others," she said. Read more on the Irish Sun "I want to show that no matter where you start, it's possible to rise, grow, and achieve what once felt out of reach. "If I can do it, so can you.' 9 Jessica used food at a source of comfort Credit: Kennedy News and Media 9 'If I hadn't gone through my weight-loss journey, I wouldn't be at a Russell group uni and I wouldn't be studying law,' Jessica says Credit: Kennedy News and Media 9 She said her social life has transformed too Credit: Kennedy News and Media
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
US ends case against doctor over alleged Covid vaccine scheme
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has said she had ordered charges to be dropped against a doctor accused of destroying Covid-19 jabs and issuing fake vaccination certificates. The abrupt halt to proceedings comes just days after the trial commenced, and is the latest boost to the vaccine-sceptic movement from President Donald Trump's administration. Michael Kirk Moore, a plastic surgeon in the western state of Utah, was charged by the Department of Justice in 2023 alongside his clinic and three others for "running a scheme" to defraud the government. He was accused of destroying or disposing of over $28,000 worth of government-provided Covid vaccines and handing out at least 1,937 false vaccine record cards in exchange for payment. Dr Moore, who faced decades behind bars, was also accused of administering a saline solution to children - at the behest of their parents - so that they would think they had been vaccinated against Covid. His trial began this week at a federal court in Salt Lake City. But on Tuesday, Republican politician Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Mr Trump's most vocal hard-right supporters, said she had written to Ms Bondi calling for charges against Dr Moore to be dropped. "Dr Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so. He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today," Ms Bondi wrote on X yesterday. Ms Bondi's decision also notably comes as she faces fire from right-wing activists over her handling of a probe into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Covid-19 pandemic sparked fierce political division in the US between those who supported lockdowns and vaccination drives, and those who considered the measures as restrictions on freedom. Mr Trump, himself vaccinated against Covid-19, has appointed as his Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., who has initiated an overhaul of US vaccine policy. Mr Kennedy said Dr Moore "deserves a medal for his courage and commitment to healing," in an X post in April. At the end of May, Mr Kennedy announced that federal authorities would no longer recommend Covid-19 jabs for children and pregnant women, prompting accusations from medical groups that he was taking away parents' ability to opt for vaccinations. Mr Kennedy has been accused of spreading vaccine misinformation, including about the measles vaccine, even as the US grapples with its worst measles epidemic in 30 years.
