Latest news with #Blackpool-born
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Christine McGuinness makes huge sexuality admission as she addresses divorce
Christine McGuinness has opened up about her sexuality, admitting she has dated both men and women since she was a teenager, and has never shied away from this Christine McGuinness has admitted to dating both men and women. The former model turned reality star has dated women since she was a teenager and admits her sexuality has never been a secret. The Blackpool-born star admitted that her now ex-husband, Top Gear star Paddy, and her family had all known about her sexuality throughout her marriage. Christine and Paddy, 51, announced in 2022 that they had decided to separate after 11 years of marriage. Despite their separation, they continued to live together at their Cheshire home for the sake of their children, twins Leo and Penelope, and Felicity. Prior to dating Paddy, Christine revealed she had a "two-year situationship" – but while she's openly looking for love, she's not looking for somebody to be a step-parent for her children. Instead, she wants a connection on a more personal level for herself. "It shouldn't matter somebody's gender," she said. She went on to add: "It never mattered to me, which was why once me and my ex-husband were separated and I met people, I didn't properly date. "It was more like blurred the lines of friendships for me, that was normal. It felt comfortable because I'd done that as a teenager and I, as a teenager, I dated both men and women. My ex-husband knew, my family knew, it was never a secret for me." Speaking on the How To Fail podcast, Christine, who also appeared as a guest on The Real Housewives of Cheshire, was asked if she would label her sexuality. Despite hesitating, she insisted that she is a "free spirit." "No, and again, I've thought about it," she commented. Christine added: "A lot of people always ask me, are you a lesbian? Are you bisexual? Are you what? Is this a phase? I've always been quite a free spirit. I think that's the only word I would put on it. When I was a teenager, I'd dated boys and girls. 14/15 was probably when I had my first kisses with, with both, and I never felt it was anything different or a big deal." The TV star went on to say, "Then I think where I grew up, everyone was kind of just there for a good time." But while she's had "situationships," she and her partners have never put labels on their relationship status. "My experiences with women have been lovely, and it's not like women are better or worse," she told broadcaster Elizabeth Day. Speaking about the differences, she said: "It's simply that the connection for me is different. I need a connection now. I need something different. I really, really, honestly, I love my family, and Patrick is part of my family, and he always, always will be. But now for my next relationship, I know what I want, and I want someone for me. "I want someone that I like spending time with, we can do stuff together that we both enjoy. I want that emotional connection where I can be open and I can talk and I can be vulnerable and I can ask for help, but I can also have a laugh and just have a good time. It's not like I'm trying to find a new family unit or someone to come in and be a stepparent. I want my next relationship to be for me." But while she and Paddy still live together, she admits that they can both enjoy dating others due to the fact they are divorced. However, one thing that isn't up for discussion – neither of them overshare about their dating experiences. "We are still exes and we are still living in the same house," she said of the decision. Christine had initially signed up for Celebs Go Dating as part of her quest to find love and a connection again. However, she dramatically quit the series after explaining that the platform and attention from the show was "too soon" for her. But bosses behind the show had said that the door would always be open for Christine to return.
Daily Record
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
ITV Coronation Street Bethany Platt's soap future 'confirmed' as actress Lucy flaunts makeover
Actress Lucy Fallon, famed for her role as Bethany Platt, hasn't been seen in the ITV soap for some time, after taking time off on maternity leave. Coronation Street star Lucy Fallon, famed for her role as Bethany Platt, has flaunted a gorgeous hair transformation. In an exciting update for fans, her future on the Cobbles has also been confirmed. The actress has been taking a break from the ITV soap as she's currently on maternity leave. Lucy, 29, welcomed her second child back in January with footballer boyfriend Ryan Ledson. The couple were overjoyed to share the arrival of their daughter Nancy, with their new bundle of joy coming after they welcomed their son, Sonny, back in 2023. The new mum-of-two has since shared a number of sweet updates on social media as she basks in her baby bubble as well as enjoying her time away from the Street. In delightful news to fans, it has been confirmed she will be back, reports the Manchester Evening News. When it was revealed Lucy has signed with the talent agency Off Limits, there were reports she had decided to quit the soap altogether. However, a Coronation Street spokesperson has since confirmed to the Metro that "Lucy will be returning to filming in the summer after maternity leave, as always planned", and that "Bethany will be back on screen in October". Meanwhile, Lucy is making the most of her maternity leave with her two little ones and has been sharing what else she's been up to while she's not playing her Weatherfield alter-ego. In one of her latest posts, the Blackpool-born star shared a picture of her gorgeous hair transformation as she headed to the salon amid the current spring heatwave. Her hairdresser, Megan Whittaker, also shared a number of snaps in which Lucy posed to showcase her new do. Captioning the post, she revealed Lucy's hair secret by saying: "Beauty Works X Molly Mae. New summer shades 'Glacier Blonde' 18inch slimline tapes Colour @lorealpro #studio9 & #dialight 10.12 & 9.01." And the compliments quickly came flooding in as one fan said: "Unreal colour." Another commented: "Obsessing over this colour & blend wow." Someone else wrote: "Gorgeous." @xjeankellyx added: "Stunning." It comes after Lucy was seen showing her support for her footballer partner as he made a huge decision on his playing career. She took to social media earlier this month to reshare his news. The Preston North End midfielder confirmed that he is set to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of June. The 27-year-old joined the Championship side from Oxford in May 2018 and scored seven goals in 215 games. "I've had the best seven years that I could have asked for. "This club means so much to me," he told the club website. "I'm glad my last game for the club went as well as it did and I could have that moment with the fans at the end." Alongside the post Lucy reshared with her own following, Ryan said: "Thank you for everything @pnefcofficial To all the staff, fans and the lads, I wish all of you nothing but the best for the future. Up the Lilywhites." The soap star then went on to share a video of Ryan playing in the garden with their two-year-old son, giving a sweet glimpse into their happy family life together.
Scottish Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Emmerdale's Joe Warren Plant shares rare snaps with stunning new girlfriend months after split with model
moving on Emmerdale's Joe Warren Plant shares rare snaps with stunning new girlfriend months after split with model Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EMMERDALE soap star Joe Warren Plant has let fans have a glimpse into his new relationship following the split with his model ex. Former Dancing On Ice star Joe, 23, has delighted followers by sharing holiday snaps with his new love, Isabella. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Joe Warren Plant with his new brunette beauty partner Credit: Instagram 5 The soap star and his new girlfriend posed for pics in Barcelona Credit: Instagram The actor, who is best-known for playing Jacob Gallagher in the rural soap, posted the sweet pictures on social media. He can be seen letting his hair down with his stunning new brunette girlfriend in a series of pictures in Barcelona. The loved-up pair enjoyed a well-need break and look happier than ever. Posing for snaps together, the star looked content with the blue-eyed brunette beauty. Tanned and toned, the pair can be seen drinking Sangria and doing some sightseeing. Fans commented: "Gorgeous couple!" A second added: "Lovely couple Joe. Hope you both have a great time." A third penned: "Beautiful photos and you're both gorgeous!" Plant previously dated Anna Norton for over two years and bought a house together and welcomed their 'first child' – a cat called Wolfie. After moving in together in Blackpool in 2022, it seemed to be going from strength to strength. Emmerdale's Joe Warren Plant Splits with Girlfriend: Sad News But insiders told The Sun previously that the romance hit the rocks, despite a trip to America together last year. The Blackpool-born lad, who plays Jacob Gallagher in the ITV soap, and Anna previously fell out after claims she was unfaithful. Joe's character was first introduced to the village in 2010 and since then has faced testing situations. The star has been a familiar face on the ITV soap since the tender age of eight. Joe moved in with his late mum in 2021 during his stint in Dancing On Ice following his split from his then-girlfriend. The actor took a break from Emmerdale to star on the reality show before returning six months later. The actor competed alongside professional partner Vanessa Bauer. Unfortunately, Vanessa and Joe were booted out of the contest after testing positive for Covid-19. The soap actor suffered his own personal grief after the death of his beloved mum following liver complications aged just 47 in 2022. 5 The Emmerdale star soaked up the sights in Spain Credit: Instagram 5 The actor with his ex girlfriend Anna Credit: Instagram
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bolton boxer and Christine McGuinness recognised at ceremony this evening
A Bolton boxer along with Christine McGuinness has been recognised at this year's British Diversity Awards. Christine won media champion of the year at the British Diversity Awards, for her advocacy for autism and ADHD. And Bolton Boxer Cindy Ngamba was recognised for bringing about positive change. Cindy (Image: University of Bolton/Bolton College) Author and presenter Christine, who was diagnosed with autism later in life, is an ambassador for Caudwell Children, a charity that provides autism support and services for disabilities, and fronted a BBC documentary titled Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism. READ MORE: Christine McGuinness issues Instagram update to fans after split from Paddy McGuinness Christine McGuinness diagnosed with autism after Paddy's suspicions Bolton boxer Cindy makes history with guaranteed medal Blackpool-born Christine , 36, beat nominees such as the first blind Strictly Come Dancing winner, comedian Chris McCausland, and TV presenter and campaigner Katie Piper, who founded a charity to help others who had been scarred from traumatic incidents, and had herself survived burns. She has three children, Felicity and twins Leo and Penelope, who have all been diagnosed with autism, with her former husband, Bolton-born Paddy McGuinness. On Wednesday, Christine and Cindy attended the ceremony, hosted by Loose Women star Charlene White, and Dr Ranj Singh, for the fourth annual diversity prize at Grosvenor House London. The event, founded by LGBT+ campaigner Linda Riley, celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion by recognising and bringing together individuals and organisations. Guests included presenters Angellica Bell and JJ Chalmers, and former New Tricks actress Tamzin Outhwaite, along with disco group Boney M, who performed their hits Daddy Cool, Rasputin and Sunny. Linda said: 'I'm so proud of what the British Diversity Awards represents, diversity and inclusion are the foundations of a stronger, more successful society. 'The British Diversity Awards celebrate those organisations and individuals leading the way in creating a more equal and representative world for everyone. It's been a truly inspirational night.' Bolton Boxer Cindy Ngamba, the first member of the Refugee Olympic Team to win a medal at the games, taking bronze at Paris 2024 for the women's 75kg event, was given the athlete powering positive change award. The Cameroonian, 26, was granted refugee status in the UK because it would be unsafe for her to return home because of her sexuality – homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon. The winner of the company of the year award went to bankers Monzo, and the Nationwide Building Society's Enable Network won the outstanding ability network of the year award. Gemma Webb, from property development company Barratt Redrow, won the head of diversity of the year award, and Kat Parsons, from energy and services company Centrica, took home the inspirational role model of the year award. Sky UK were awarded diversity team of the year, EDF Energy's Women's Network won outstanding women's network of the year, and energy company LGBT+ and Friends won outstanding LGBTQIA network of the year.
The Guardian
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘We joke about who's getting their knees done': the rock veterans still touring into their late 70s
I always said I'd retire when I got to 50,' chuckles Rick Wakeman, who didn't do any such thing. Instead – after realising that far from being left adrift by pop's ever-changing styles, people were still interested in what he had to offer – he recorded another 37 albums (taking his total to more than 100), penned two bestselling autobiographies and a film score and carried on performing shows. Then last year he announced that he'd stop touring when he reaches 77, but he'll be 76 this May and his packed live schedule doesn't suggest a performer saying his last goodbyes. 'There was a time when I thought, maybe it's time to gracefully bow out,' the prog keyboard caped crusader explains, before his latest gig in Bradford. 'But unfortunately I can't. Music is the world to me. It's just become blatantly obvious that I'm going to keep doing it until they put an epitaph on my gravestone reading: 'It's not fair. I'm not finished yet.'' Elkie Brooks knows exactly how he feels. The 'Queen of British blues' (whose hits include Pearl's a Singer and Lilac Wine) has had 13 Top 75 albums in total and is on the road again at 80, having performed a 'farewell tour' when she was 40. 'The promoter thought it might be a nice idea,' she chuckles. 'I've been saying 'farewell' ever since.' The pair are not alone in rocking way past pensionable age. When rock'n'roll was considered a young person's game, the young Mick Jagger once said: 'I don't wanna be singing Satisfaction when I'm 30,' but he still tours with the Rolling Stones at 81, while other venerable rockers treading the boards include Bob Dylan (83), Paul McCartney (82), Bruce Springsteen (75) and Mavis Staples (85). Folk legend Peggy Seeger is even touring this year aged 89. 'It's like a drug,' Wakeman explains. 'Once it's inside you, you can't do without it.' The top stars don't need the money but perform because it is rooted in their psyche and the demand is there. For Graham Nash, the Blackpool-born co-founder of the Hollies and supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash, it's about 'the passion of music, and the energy I get from performing a new song to an audience. And when it's a song I've sung a million times, I'm going to sing it with the same passion I had when I wrote it.' Seventy-five-year-old, California-born roots singer Bonnie Raitt has spent 54 years on the road and says she can't think of anything more fun. 'When I started out, my heroes were the jazz, blues and classical people who played well into their 70s and 80s. But touring is like a travelling summer camp. Then every night I get to have a party with the audience.' Stars get hooked young. Wakeman first performed in childhood and Salford-born Brooks got the bug through singing in her uncle's wedding band. Raitt watched audiences going 'nuts' when her father sang in musicals such as Oklahoma! 'None of us could believe this was his job,' she remembers. 'So once I took to it and got to open for James Taylor and Muddy Waters there was no turning back.' Nash was a teenager when he entered a talent contest at Manchester Hippodrome with his pal Allan Clarke. 'On that show were myself and Allan, who later formed the Hollies, Freddie Garrity, who became Freddie and the Dreamers, Ron Wycherley, who became Billy Fury, and Johnny and the Moondogs, who became the Beatles.' John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison had dashed for the last bus back to Liverpool by the time Nash and Clarke were declared the winners, but Nash says '2,000 people going crazy was the moment I knew I loved singing for people'. In the Hollies, he experienced the archetypal touring life: 'Five of us in the back of a Transit, trying to get to sleep on the amps and drum cases. One night the doors flew open and I fell out of the van.' Aged 20, Wakeman lived similarly during his time in the Strawbs. He chuckles. 'You couldn't get my keyboard rig in a Transit now.' Joining prog rock giants Yes in 1971 took his touring experiences to a very different level. 'Staying on Sunset Strip with a whole bathroom and a shag pile carpet. I thought: 'Bloody hell. I could move in here.'' But for older artists comfort is essential, rather than a luxury. 'I wouldn't want to be running around in a van trying to break into the business, loading the equipment and not getting decent hotels or food,' Raitt says. 'The trick is to pace yourself.' She's been touring for the last four years, and she does five months on the road out of every 12. 'Enough to keep my band and crew working with me and to keep it fun.' In her youth, Brooks hated touring. 'Just me in my little Mini with a little suitcase, driving everywhere, finding my own bed and breakfasts. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.' Now she tours the country with long gaps between gigs, pointing out that her vocal warmup, soundcheck and show still add up to more than three hours of exertion. 'You wouldn't ask Mo Farah to run the marathon again the next day, would you?' On show days, she avoids speaking to rest her voice. Raitt concurs: 'One of the great gifts has been texting and email to save your voice during the day.' It also helps to stay fit. Brooks became a black belt in aikido when she was 50. Raitt does yoga and weights, hikes and takes a bike on tour. Wakeman merely walks his dogs. 'We recently sold a house and in one of the outbuildings I came across this strange equipment,' he chuckles. 'My wife said: 'That's the gym you built four years ago.'' As a member of Yes, he enjoyed excesses such as mocking a studio up like a farmyard, after which his keyboard had to go for repair because it was full of woodlice. 'We'd come up with mad suggestions,' he chuckles. ''Why don't we travel by camel?!' It was ridiculous, but it was the 70s.' His own excess stopped at drugs – 'I've never popped a pill or smoked a joint' – but, he says, too much booze and cigarettes gave him a series of heart attacks by the age of 25, so he quit both. 'I try not to think about all that,' he admits, more seriously, 'because you ask yourself: 'Should I still be here?'' 'Honestly, to go on at the Newcastle Fiesta in 1964 or 65 you needed half a bottle of brandy,' argues Brooks, who admits that in Vinegar Joe, the band she formed with Robert Palmer in the 1970s, taking cocaine was like having a cup of coffee. 'The thing was, we'd go on in Sheffield at 10pm, then we'd be doing a gig in the London Roundhouse at 3am. Two shows a night. I often wondered why the record company were taking cocaine but we were taking it just to stay bloody awake.' She stopped after meeting Trevor, her sound engineer husband of 47 years, who didn't touch the stuff. 'I wanted him to like me,' she says. She last drank alcohol before a show in 1979, when 'a stomach upset meant I couldn't keep anything down'. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion 'By your 30s, staying up drinking and doing drugs and not sleeping aren't wearing so well,' considers Raitt, who had also got 'sucked in' to the rock'n'roll lifestyle. 'The next thing you know your liver is shot or you're not recovering from colds or you lose your voice, say stuff you don't mean or you're sloppy on stage.' After a 1987 skiing accident, she had to take two months off after surgery so took the opportunity to get sober, go on a diet and lose weight, in preparation for a video shoot with Prince. 'The biggest change was not partying all night after the show but it proved serendipitous: I got famous at the same time I got sober. Then I saw other people who'd got sober and they were singing and playing better than ever, so my last excuse was gone.' In Nash's autobiography Wild Tales, he describes mind-boggling 70s tours involving helicopters, limousines, coke dealers and five-hour shows that went on past midnight, but life is different now. 'I was never really an addict,' he insists, 'but I stopped taking cocaine 40 years ago after I went to an aftershow party and saw everybody smiling, but the smiles never reached their eyes. I realised they must be looking at me and seeing the same thing.' He still uses marijuana before shows, but says, 'I'm about to turn 83. I don't have a vocal coach, I do 22 songs a night, 25 shows a tour. Songs such as Military Madness or Immigration Man are still relevant and I'm singing as well as ever.' Some older stars carry scars from a lifetime on the road. Along with those heart attacks, Wakeman has had 'double pleurisy, double pneumonia, arthritis, diabetes' and has to plunge his throbbing arthritic hands into an ice bath after every show. 'I had some health problems in America this year and if it wasn't for the show I'd have been in bed or calling the medics,' he reveals. 'But when you go on stage, something takes over – adrenaline or whatever – and you feel great, until you're back in the dressing room and you feel dreadful.' Raitt has had to postpone shows in recent years because of laryngitis or 'wear and tear' and says her older musician pals joke about 'who's getting their knees done or who's got tendonitis and so on. But in every city there are parks I love to go to, friends I love to see. And there are people who saw me in the 1970s who still come and see me now.' Younger fans discover veteran artists through parents, radio, magazines or streaming. It amazes Nash that he can pack a hall at his age and Wakeman appreciates every second in ways he could never have done when he was younger. What would make him stop performing? 'If I couldn't play like I want to. I never want to hear people walk out of a concert and go: 'He used to be really good.'' Raitt wants to prove that she's as 'badass' as ever, but insists: 'I'm not slowing down and I'm not going to stop until I can't do it any more.' Brooks jokes that when she can no longer hit the high notes, 'they'll find a place for me in Tesco on the tills'. Nash saw Spanish guitar giant Andrés Segovia play when he was 92. 'And he knocked me on my ass with the energy and brilliance of his performance. So I think: 'Why not me?'' Perhaps there's a life lesson here for all of us. As Raitt puts it: 'If you find something you love doing, keep doing it.' Elkie Brooks plays the Lowry, Salford, 16 March, and is touring until 2026; Bonnie Raitt tours the UK from 1 to 17 June, starting at the Usher Hall, Belfast; Graham Nash is touring from 4 to 19 October, starting at the Glasshouse, Gateshead; Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble tour the UK from 12 to 29 October.
