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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Strictly announces two new professional dancers
Two new professional dancers are joining the Strictly Come Dancing line-up when it returns to screens in the autumn, the BBC has announced. American-born Alexis Warr and Australian-born Julian Caillon will feature in the BBC One show alongside 18 returning professional dancers. Warr won US dance series So You Think You Can Dance in 2022 and has performed as a guest professional dancer and in the dance troupe of Dancing With The Stars, the US version of Strictly. Caillon has appeared as a professional dancer on three seasons of Australia's Dancing With The Stars. A former personal trainer, he has also completed two triathlons this year. "I've admired Strictly for years, so joining this incredible family is such an honour," Warr said in a statement. "I've watched it for years, especially cheering on all the amazing dancers I know and work with who've been part of it," Caillon added. Warr and Caillon are being interviewed about their new roles on BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show on Monday morning. Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas will be returning as judges, with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as hosts. The celebrity line-up for the series will be revealed later in the year, the BBC added. The show, which has been airing since 2004, has faced multiple controversies over the past year relating to the behaviour of some of its professional dancers and celebrity guests. Professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima left the show last year following allegations about their behaviour towards their dance partners. The BBC announced new welfare measures for Strictly last July. These include having chaperones in all rehearsal rooms, adding two new welfare producers and providing additional training for the professional dancers, production team and crew. In January, Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans, who had been a celebrity dancer in last year's series, made what he described as an "inappropriate and unacceptable" comment during the Strictly live tour launch. He took time off from his BBC Radio Wales daytime show after the incident, and the BBC said in May that he will not be returning to it. EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick was suspended by the BBC last month after The Sun reported that he used a slur against people with disabilities while backstage during Strictly rehearsals in November. Borthwick apologised and the BBC said his language was "entirely unacceptable".
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Inside the Lions celebrations after securing series victory against Australia
The sanctity of the sporting dressing room is one now fiercely, and understandably, protected in an age of full professionalism, the inner circle tight and private. There are times, however, where a spot of favourable architecture and organisation can grant a glimpse inside the four thick walls – and at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, it was hard to avoid the celebrations of the British and Irish Lions. Partly, this was because they began in the great open expanse of pasture ringed by the 100,000 seats. As the victorious Lions made their way around the oval, several leapt up over the hoardings into the embrace of friends, family and the wider fraternity to lap up the waves of red. 'I jumped in a few times!' Hugo Keenan admitted. 'It was unbelievable walking around the stadium. My parents were there, my brother, my uncle and aunt, my girlfriend. I've about 10 friends over from Ireland who have spent a bomb to be here but they are all saying it is absolutely worth it.' Once dragged back to the dressing room, the more raucous celebrations could really start. The cubby hole of a press conference room at the MCG sits directly between the two changing rooms, and the emergence of Andy Farrell and Maro Itoje from stage left came with full-throated accompaniment; the roar of the Lions contrasting with the stony silence from the Wallabies next door. One would like to say that decorum was maintained while Farrell and Itoje took their questions but that would be an untruth. 'See what you guys are making me miss out on!' the captain remarked as his teammates worked through an array of celebratory standards, Robbie Williams, Neil Diamond and The Pogues given the karaoke treatment. The Lions Male Voice Choir, here in Australia to support the tourists, probably need to look elsewhere for new members. The successful 1997 tour to South Africa saw 'Wonderwall' emerge as a Lions standard, Matt Dawson, Mike Catt and Austin Healey leading the side in a rendition in the same second Test circumstances as the current crop could enjoy. This time around, the squad's anthem appears to be an adapted version of 'Rockin' All Over the World', made famous by Status Quo. The exact words, supposedly, are changing through the tour, though the hailing of Farrell and Itoje has been constant. Fly half Fin Smith, it is said, has been chief lyricist, altering a tune first penned by John Fogerty – the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman, that is, rather than Lions scrum coach John Fogarty, a near namesake. Once Itoje and Farrell had been freed from their duties, the entire squad grabbed chairs from the dressing room and hauled them out through the bowels and up the ramp back on to the playing surface. With the fans away into the Melbourne night – and the Lions soon to follow – there was a serene scene as the players gathered in a celebratory circle, soaking it all up with a moment of reflection - once Keenan had been forced to re-enact his try. Since coming together, the squad has been unified in their next-game focus, never letting themselves get too high or too low; now, with a series win secure, thoughts of a possible whitewash in Sydney were temporarily far away. 'I think everyone wants to play in that game,' Finn Russell did admit. 'We're going back up to Sydney tomorrow, but it's not really on our minds just now. I think we need to enjoy this and celebrate tonight. 'When we come back Monday, we'll be ready to go again. I think if we can make it a 3-0 series, that's amazing. Everyone's going to be gunning for that.' The Scottish fly half was one of several players sporting confectionary leis, a ring of chocolate draped around his neck to the delight of his eldest daughter. 'Sione [Tuipulotu] gave me it,' Russell said by way of explanation. 'I think it's from Tonga. My daughter's been eating them. 'There are a few boys inside that have got the chocolate around their necks. I don't fully understand it, to be honest. They gave me it in Perth, I got it as well. I'm obviously not from the islands, so I don't fully understand it, but I'm enjoying it.' There will be a desire within the group not to let an opportunity to complete a first Lions clean sweep in 98 years pass them by, particularly after making it clear from the outset their desire to finish this tour unbeaten on Australian soil. Changes are likely for the third Test with the side looking in need of freshening up in places at the end of a long tour. The squad are set to have a more relaxed scheduled over the next two days at least to recover, recuperate and absorb the Sydney sunshine – before going again in search of a 3-0 whitewash.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
18-Year-Old Dancer Found Dead in Her Home Remembered as the 'Most Vibrant Girl': 'Her Time with Us Was Far Too Short'
Layla-Maria Grubb's loved ones said she "brought so much joy, light, and love into the lives of everyone who knew her" An 18-year-old dancer is being remembered by her loved ones following her tragic death. Layla-Maria Grubb was found dead in her home in Australia on Saturday, July 19, according to the Daily Telegraph. Her family told the outlet that the teenager died just hours after she was sent home from a hospital following a suspected seizure. "We all want to know what happened. We are searching for answers," Grubb's mother, Beth Ashton, told the Daily Telegraph. Grubb studied at the dance company Village Nation. The company's director, Briden Starr, described her as a "healthy, positive, focused girl," per the Daily Mail. In a heartfelt social media post shared after her daughter's death, Ashton wrote, "Our baby girl left us far too soon." "Layla-Maria brought so much joy, light, and love into the lives of everyone who knew her. A gorgeous dancer, who moved through life with the same beauty and passion she brought to the stage," she continued. "Her laughter, kindness, and beautiful spirit will be deeply missed and forever remembered." "Though her time with us was far too short, her impact will remain in our hearts, forever 18. ❤️," the grieving mother concluded. "We kindly ask for your thoughts and prayers for our family during this incredibly difficult time." The JLC Dance Company — which Grubb belonged to in Western Australia — also shared a tribute. The organization said the teen left for Sydney in 2023 to pursue a professional career in dance. "Layla was on a trajectory to stardom and had immense potential," the JLC Dance Company wrote on Facebook. "Layla was an amazing student, and friend, with a great personality and huge smile that lit up any room." The group continued: "Layla was an amazing friend to a lot of our staff and students and this devastating news has affected the entire JLC family and everyone that knew Layla for no matter how long, or short. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In a GoFundMe page, Grubb's friends said they wanted to "give Layla the send-off she truly deserves" and celebrate her life in a way "that reflects the incredible love and joy she brought into our lives." "Layla was pure light — an amazing dancer with an infectious laugh!" the friends continued, also remembering Grubb as "the funniest, goofiest, most vibrant girl you could ever meet, lighting up every room with her laughter and fun." A funeral service for the dancer will be held in Sydney on Friday, Aug. 1. Grubb's death investigation has been referred to the New South Wales coroner, local police told PEOPLE. "Due to the early stage of the matter, we cannot provide further detail at this time," a spokesperson said. Read the original article on People
