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Belfast Telegraph
21 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
TV Review: With star turns from Hinds and Elordi, hats off to the casting director of The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Ciarán Hinds, a passionate love story, a prisoner-of-war camp, explosions and a bookshop pick-up… welcome to the world of a new five-part drama. The Narrow Road to the Deep North, based on Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel, plays out over three timelines. It starts with a bang in Syria, 1941, and although it's quite hard to make out a lot of the action (it's beautifully shot but I questioned the strength of my glasses at how dark it was), this is a series to welcome you in from the start.
Daily Record
10 hours ago
- Daily Record
Gail Porter: 'I've been at rock bottom, slept on a bench, it's proof we get through'
Presenter Gail Porter shared how she has overcome depression, alopecia and homelessness to find new purpose and joy in life At 54, Gail Porter is reflecting on a life that has taken her from the heights of TV fame to the depths of homelessness and back again. Now, she says, she is finally in a good place. 'I'm 100% happy,' she tells the Mirror. 'I've got my cat. My daughter's doing brilliantly, she's 22 now, finished uni and is working. I'm working, too, mostly charity stuff, and often for free, but I still worry about the next paid job. After being sectioned and homeless, I feel very lucky. I have great friends.' The presenter and mental health advocate has never shied away from speaking about her struggles, including the moment in 2011 when she was sectioned under a 28-day order at a psychiatric unit in North London. 'It was terrifying,' she recalls. 'I was drugged up to my eyeballs, sharing a ward with men convinced they were Jesus, and violent patients. It felt like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.' In 2014, she hit rock bottom. With nowhere to go, she sofa-surfed for months before sleeping rough on a bench in Hampstead Heath. 'I'd applied for library jobs and charity shop shifts. People said, 'You can't do that, you're Gail Porter!' I just wanted someone to give me a chance. Instead, I ended up on a bench thinking I'd had enough.' It was a concerned boyfriend who contacted the police, fearing for her safety. 'Four officers walked up and said, 'Someone's very concerned for your safety. We're taking you to the hospital.' I kicked off. I was furious, but I was desperate,' she says. Long before those dark days, Porter was a staple of late 90s television, hosting Top of the Pops, The Big Breakfast, and gracing the covers of magazines. But her life began to unravel after she developed alopecia in 2005, losing her hair in clumps. 'Friends said, 'You're beautiful bald,' and for a while, I felt invincible, but work dried up. I got asked to do interviews about being bald, unpaid, because you're talking about an 'illness'. I thought, 'This is going to be a bit s***.'' The alopecia came alongside depression and anorexia. 'I lost everything, my house, my career, my confidence,' she admits. Today, she is in recovery, both financially and emotionally. After being declared bankrupt in 2017, she found stability through her Bafta-winning 2020 documentary Being Gail Porter, and continues to rent a place in North London. She also campaigns for causes close to her heart. 'It's awful out there,' she says. 'I work with Fair For You to help people pay back loans without crippling interest, and with the Samaritans over the winter, because I know that darkness. Everyone's one missed payday from disaster.' Despite past romances, including her marriage to Toploader's Dan Hipgrave and a brief fling with The Prodigy's Keith Flint, she has no interest in dating now. 'I don't date. Now, it's all apps and swipes, I can't be bothered. I go to Soho, meet friends, maybe sneak off to a gig, and that's enough.' She remains firm in her belief in self-acceptance. 'I've had dodgy comments, 'Where's your hair? Why no wig?' Sometimes I reply, 'Why didn't you wear better deodorant?' But 95% of people are kind. I love hugs, I get so many lovely hugs.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Now, she's embracing a new chapter with the launch of her own wig, 'The Gail', part of Amber Jean Rowan's ethical collection. 'People say, 'Gail, you said you'd never wear a wig,' and I went 20 years without one, but now there's a choice. The first time I put on The Gail, my custom wig, I fell in love. It's not about covering anything up, it's self-expression.' With stand-up gigs, cruise ship Q&As, a new memoir in the works, and backing Prince William's Homewards homelessness campaign, Porter's life is full once again. 'I've been at rock bottom, from sleeping on a bench to standing on a cruise stage, it's proof we get through,' she says. 'You don't need therapy if you find your therapy. Mine is a spin class. When I was at my worst, I paid £100 for unlimited classes for two weeks and did two rides a day. My friends say I look so fit and happy. It's my lifeline.' She adds simply: 'I'm not brave. I wake up, put one foot in front of the other, and here I am. That's all anyone can do.'
Metro
12 hours ago
- Metro
Dame Cleo Laine, first lady of British jazz, dies aged 97
Dame Cleo Laine, the Grammy-winning jazz singer renowned for her astonishing vocal range, scat singing mastery, and pioneering influence on British jazz, has died at the age of 97. Dame Cleo passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, according to a statement from her children, Jacqui and Alec Dankworth. 'It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of our beloved mother Cleo's passing,' they said. 'She brought so much music and light into the world and into our lives. We ask for privacy as we remember her with love and gratitude.' Over a career spanning eight decades, she became a defining voice of British jazz, admired for her rich contralto tone, adventurous improvisation, and theatrical flair. She shared stages and studios with legends including Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, and Frank Sinatra. She was celebrated not only for her musical brilliance but also for blazing a trail for women and artists of colour in a genre then dominated by American men. Born Clementina Dinah Campbell in 1927 in Southall, west London, to a Jamaican father and English mother, Laine grew up in a musical household and began her working life as a hairdresser and part-time singer. Her breakthrough came in 1951 when she successfully auditioned for saxophonist Johnny Dankworth's band. Their professional collaboration soon blossomed into a lifelong partnership – the couple married in 1958 and remained together until Dankworth's death in 2010. Laine's career highlights included her historic 1973 performance at Carnegie Hall, which cemented her international reputation, and her Grammy win in 1986 for Cleo at Carnegie: The 10th Anniversary Concert. She also made history as the only female performer to be nominated for a Grammy in jazz, classical, and popular music categories. In 1997, she became the first British jazz singer to be made a dame, an honour that reflected her unique contribution to the nation's cultural life. Her accolades included honorary degrees, lifetime achievement awards, and a devoted fanbase that stretched from Soho jazz clubs to the world's grandest concert halls. Beyond the stage, Dame Cleo was deeply committed to music education. With her husband, she founded The Stables music venue and charity in Wavendon in 1970, transforming a converted stable block into a nationally recognised centre for performance and learning. More Trending David Meadowcroft, chairman of The Stables Trust, paid tribute to her legacy: 'Cleo and John's vision was to create a place where music could thrive for all. Her loss is profound, but her passion continues through the lives she inspired.' Artistic director Monica Ferguson added: 'Dame Cleo was a once-in-a-generation talent, but also a warm, generous mentor. Her voice and spirit will echo through these walls for years to come.' Cleo Laine is survived by her two children, both musicians in their own right. Her son Alec is an acclaimed jazz bassist and composer; daughter Jacqui, a singer and former Eurovision entrant. A private funeral will be held, with a public memorial concert planned for later this year to honour a voice – and a woman – that reshaped British jazz forever. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Hulk Hogan 'lost a lot of weight in final weeks before death' MORE: 70s jazz musician Chuck Mangione dies aged 84 MORE: Hulk Hogan leaves behind legacy as controversial but undeniable WWE icon
