
Countdown star Rachel Riley hits back at Anne Robinson's latest jibe as feud escalates
Opening up for the first time about the rumoured feud maths whizz
opinion
of her as most people do.'
3
Countdown's Rachel Riley has hit back at Anne Robinson's latest jibe
Credit: Splash
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Anne reignited her spat with her ex-co star in a scathing interview last weekend
Credit: Channel 4
Speaking at the Women's
Football
Awards on Thursday night at
London
's InterContinental Park Lane Hotel in London she added: "I don't pay any attention to what she says."
It comes after
Speaking to the Telegraph last weekend Anne dismissed the notion of a rift but revealed tensions did exist on set and accused the blonde of being too chatty saying: "It's just a story. Rachel was a bit talkative when I was interviewing the contestants but once we shut her up it was fine."
The duo famously worked together on the Channel 4 show when Anne hosted it in 2021, but were left flooded by reports that they did not get on and were embroiled in a huge backstage feud with Anne insisting that Rachel's mic was turned off after she reportedly found her chatting to contestants "hugely distracting".
READ MORE ON RACHEL RILEY
Anne, who suffers from tinnitus, eventually quit after just a year in the role.
Rachel, who has two children with former Strictly pro husband Pasha Kovalev, 45, said admitted she couldn't believe how long she'd been on the Channel 4 quiz show.
She said: "I've been doing Countdown for almost 16 years, I never even thought I'd be cast on the show so to still be doing it now is amazing. I love the job."
Rachel replaced Carol Vordman in 2009 when she was just 22.
Most read in News TV
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The duo famously worked together on the Channel 4 show when Anne hosted it in 2021
Credit: PA
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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Fat jabs helped me lose 7st – I'd tried every diet under the sun and it's not lazy way out, says Gogglebox's Amy Tapper
AFTER years of fad diets and sweat-soaked gym sessions, ex-Gogglebox favourite Amy Tapper has undergone a major body transformation. But the secret behind her dramatic 7st weight loss isn't what you might think – and Amy herself warns that it's not for everyone. 6 Ex-Gogglebox star Amy Tapper has dropped from a size 26 to a size 18 in just 12 months after her incredible weight loss Credit: Lorna Roach 6 Amy, pictured before her weight loss, says she had tried every diet known to man Credit: Do The Unthinkable The 25-year-old TV star, who won the nation's hearts alongside her family on the Channel 4 sofa hit, has dropped from a size 26 to a size 18 in just 12 months. And after keeping schtum about exactly how she's shed the pounds, she today reveals it is all thanks to the weight loss drug Mounjaro. In an exclusive photoshoot with Fabulous, Amy shows off her incredible new look and opens up for the first time about her journey, telling us: 'I've gone to doctors all my life and they can never tell me the problem – because there's actually nothing wrong with me. 'My bloods are always amazing, I haven't got polycystic ovaries, I haven't got a thyroid problem and I haven't got anything that usually makes you put on weight. It is just genetics.' Dad Jonathan, 58, has slimmed down from his 21st 3lb weight to 18st 8lbs since he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2019. She spoke to her doctor whether her weight was inherited from her dad - but was told it could be from distant relative but it's impossible to know. For single Amy, who starred on E4 matchmaking show Celebs Go Dating in 2018, trying to slim down has been a lifelong battle. 'I have done every single diet under the sun,' says Amy, who, like 56 per cent of UK adults, has followed fad diets in a desperate bid to lose weight, including one which only let her eat chicken and sweet potatoes. Gogglebox's Amy Tapper shows off incredible 5st weight loss in amazing before and after pics 'The same thing happens over and over again. I get three stone lighter and I don't lose any more.' For years Amy, from Edgware, north London, was trapped in a vicious cycle of losing some weight, only to put it all back on again. 'Trying to lose weight became my full-time job,' says Amy, who managed to shed just over 3st back in 2021 by healthy eating and regular boxing. 'I found that pressurising as well, because I knew the way my body worked. 'Once I got over that 3st mark, it would take me a month to lose another pound. 'I would be really good all week, I would work out, and I would lose nothing. So then it was just like: 'What's the point?'' Although she has always eaten healthily, Amy says she struggled with her portion sizes. She said: 'I don't think I've ever even tried a full-fat coke in my life. 'It was more the portions of it. I'd be able to have a three-course meal. I'd be able to eat things on a bigger scale.' Amy says that last year she finally reached breaking point. 'I felt there was nothing else I could do,' she admits. 6 Amy with dad Jonathan, mum Nikki and brother Josh Credit: Damien McFadden 'I actually went to a doctor about surgery, because it got past the point of caring about how I look." Although her doctors told her she was physically healthy, Amy struggled with the secondary effects of being overweight. She said: 'I'd get really sweaty and really out of breath quickly.' 'If my friend lived on the top floor somewhere I'd dread to go there because I'd know by the time I'd get to the top I'd be out of breath.' In June last year, her doctor introduced her to weight loss drug Mounjaro. 500,000 people in the UK are currently taking either Mounjaro or Wegovy, according to Simple Online Pharmacy, with a staggering 1.5 million Brits currently using some kind of weight loss drug. I actually went to a doctor about surgery, because it got past the point of caring about how I look. That's up 24.6 per cent since October 2024, according to market intelligence company IQVIA. Typically, patients can expect to lose 15 to 20 per cent of their total body weight in a matter of months. It proved to be a huge turning point for 5ft 3 Amy, who has lost a third of her body weight since 2021. 'I've been on these injections for a year now and I've lost 7st,' she says. 'I'm not sure what my BMI was exactly but I was definitely considered morbidly obese.' She has been taking a 15mg weekly dose since February which she worked her way up to from 2.5mg. 'I'm fitting into size 18 clothes for the first time since I was 15 or 16 – it's hard for me to believe. 'It's changed my life. I went to the theatre the other night and when I sat down, my thighs weren't touching the person next to me, or the sides of the chairs. I had room. 'I was like: 'Oh my God, Mum, this is what it feels like to just fit.'' That feeling of not fitting has dogged Amy ever since she was a child. 'Even growing up as a kid and going to Disney at a young age, I wasn't able to go on certain rides,' she says. 'You don't choose that life at that age.' But while weight loss medication has been life-changing for Amy, she believes that it shouldn't be dished out to those who see it as a quick fix. 'It frustrates me on a daily basis knowing that certain people are on it,' she says. 'It's too available for your normal person. If you've only got 3st or less to lose, you should not be on it. 'And unfortunately, it ruins it for people like me who it's absolutely life-changing for. 6 I've been on these injections for a year now and I've lost 7st, reveals Amy Credit: Lorna Roach 'I also get annoyed that some people call it the 'lazy way out'. 'I don't want people to think that I've sat around for the last 17 years of my life not trying to lose weight. 'I want people to know that this has been my only option to get this far.' Amy strongly believes that Mounjaro is a drug designed for those who, like her, have bodies that don't respond to traditional dieting or exercise. And despite the benefits, she even fears for those who use it when they don't need to. 'It goes for your muscles,' she says. NO QUICK FIX 'That's why there's the whole 'Ozempic face' and 'Ozempic arms' and all of that stuff. 'It's also really damaging for people with eating disorders.' She has worked with personal trainer Tash since the end of 2021 doing regular workouts to help her tone up and maintain muscle mass. She said: 'Exercising alongside Mounjaro is so important - it's very hard to work out if you are at that point of needing Mounjaro.' Amy says she has only experienced side effects when going up a dose - and minimises them by drinking plenty of water and taking electrolytes. For Amy, this is no quick fix and she believes she will need to take weight loss medication 'for life'. Now, she makes sure she follows doctor's orders by listening to what her body needs and makes sure her small meals are nutritionally dense. She said: 'If I'm not hungry I'm not going to force myself to eat. 'I do have to make sure I get protein in and that is my number one priority so I eat a lot of chicken and tuna.' I'm fitting into size 18 clothes for the first time since I was 15 or 16 – it's hard for me to believe. Although she was open about taking the medication with friends and family, she said she didn't want to open up until she felt she was educated enough to answer her followers' questions. She is keen for fans to understand the commitment of taking Mounjaro. She says: 'What people don't realise is that it does so much more than just suppress your appetite. 'It also curbs cravings and slows down your digestive system to keep you fuller for longer. 'There's no such thing as an easy way out. Even surgery is not an easy way out. 'Coming off the injections will mean my body goes back to its old ways. 'I don't want people to think that they can just go on it, lose a couple of stone, come off of it, and be chilling. 'The minute they come off, their bodies will go back to doing exactly what they did before and they're going to store fat.' 6 I get annoyed that some people call weight loss injections the 'lazy way out', says Amy Credit: Lorna Roach 6 The star now laughs at the trolls who once attacked her over her size Credit: Lorna Roach Amy's family – brother Josh, 27, who works for a think-tank, nursery manager mum Nikki, 52, and dad Jonathan, 58, a chauffeur – are thrilled at her weight loss success. 'They're so proud and so happy about it,' she says. 'They were always supportive of me their whole lives - and now they are happy to see me so happy.' The star, who has been sharing her weight loss journey with her 76,000 Instagram followers, now laughs at the trolls who once attacked her over her size. BODY BATTLE 'I used to scroll through my phone looking at negative comments calling me 'the fat girl in the corner', but now I see them arguing in the comments section about if I am on Mounjaro or not. It makes me laugh.' Despite dropping an incredible 7st, Amy's body battle is far from over. Having lost weight at such speed, she eventually hopes to have skin removal surgery once she has reached a stable weight in the next couple years. 'It's a long way down the line, but I've lost the weight sooner than I would have ever imagined in my life,' she says. 'I'm definitely having a party after I have reached my goal weight and had my loose skin removed. 'You need to celebrate these things. Otherwise, what's the point?'


The Irish Sun
19 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Harry Clark breaks silence on Celeb SAS axe after shock brawl at Brits revealed
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Irish Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Bonnie Blue Instagram mystery as star vanishes after Ibiza Final Boss video
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In a cringe-inducing video from their Ibiza meet-up, Jack is seen with his arm casually slung around Bonnie, facing away from her. Another clip shows the pair engaging in awkward chit-chat, standing noticeably distant from each other. Following their encounter, Bonnie revealed in a now-removed clip: "It was my shortest video yet. I was shocked how nervous he was." Bonnie has gained infamy for participating in extreme sexual stunts, including sleeping with 1,057 men within just 12 hours. Recently, her controversial career aspirations escalated to such an extent that OnlyFans, the platform where she made her mark, decided she was no longer suitable. The last straw came in June, when the 26 year old unveiled her plans to host a human "petting zoo challenge". The stunt would have involved Bonnie being locked in a glass cage while strangers were invited to do "whatever they wanted" to her. In Channel 4's programme '1,000 Men And Me: The Bonnie Blue Story' - which triggered hundreds of Ofcom complaints - Nottinghamshire-born Bonnie bragged: "I am going to be completely helpless, tied down, gagged, choked". OnlyFans has expressed concerns about this stunt, stating it violated their Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service, resulting in a permanent ban. Campaigners and fellow sex workers have long urged the website to take action against Bonnie's stunts, but she continued to be platformed until recently. In a statement confirming the permanent ban, an OnlyFans spokesperson previously stated: "Extreme challenge content is not available on OnlyFans and is not permitted under our Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service. "Any breach of our Terms of Service results in content or account deactivation... This is why it has been necessary to take this action. We always act when users breach our terms of service." For Bonnie, who alleges to have made millions through the site, this was a significant setback. Shortly after the ban, she accused OnlyFans of acting inconsistently and succumbing to peer pressure. She alleged: "OnlyFans took unprecedented action by banning me for making content, while multiple other creators are mimicking my entire marketing techniques and events." Adding that she ensures all safety checks are in place at her events, Bonnie went on to say: "If I didn't have the platform I have for the hard work I've done, I don't think they would have battered an eyelid, as proven with all of these other creators." Bonnie Blue. (Image: bonnie_blue_xox/Instagram) Bonnie Blue met the Ibiza Final Boss for a surprise visit (Image: Supplied) This isn't the first occasion Bonnie has faced a stringent prohibition. Earlier this year, Bonnie revealed to the Daily Star that she'd been escorted from Nottingham Forest Football Stadium premises last October and given a lifetime ban. She claimed: "I didn't understand why, because I'd not actually done anything. Even in my TikToks leading up to the game, I never said I wanted to have sex, do any half-time bonking, nothing. I just said: 'Hey, I'm going to be at the Nottingham game'. "When you go to football, you've got football hooligans, people fighting, drinking, you've got so much bigger things to be concerned about, and they were just like - no, you're banned." Bonnie is also barred from Australia following her intentions to sleep with 18 year old lads for content during 'Schoolies Week', which enraged Australian parents. A 20,000-signature petition followed, resulting in her visa being cancelled. Whether Bonnie has been suspended from Instagram remains to be confirmed. The Mirror has contacted Instagram and Bonnie Blue's representatives for comment. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.