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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Countdown's Rachel Riley felt threatened by stalker who accused her of being ‘ringleader of a cult of celebrities'
In another bizarre post, Felicity Lowde accused Rachel of having a 'sexual obsession with toilets' RACHEL'S ORDEAL Countdown's Rachel Riley felt threatened by stalker who accused her of being 'ringleader of a cult of celebrities' COUNTDOWN star Rachel Riley felt threatened by a convicted stalker who accused her of being the 'ringleader of a cult of celebrities', a court heard. She was mentioned more than 200 times in 855 blog posts published by Felicity Lowde. Advertisement 2 Rachel Riley's stalker felt threatened by a convicted stalker who accused her of being the 'ringleader of a cult' Credit: BackGrid 2 Felicity Lowde was banned from contacting Rachel for life Credit: Peter Jordan During the campaign of harassment, Rachel was accused by Lowde, 59, of heading an 'international conspiracy' involving JK Rowling, Stephen Fry and Katie Hopkins. She claimed they communicated via a secret code on social media. In another bizarre post, Lowde accused Rachel of having a 'sexual obsession with toilets'. She also referred to the Israel-Gaza conflict and said 39-year-old Rachel, who is Jewish, was 'complicit in genocide', City of London magistrates heard. Advertisement The comments came to light when Lowde tried to sue Rachel last year. She accused the TV presenter, whom she had never met, of 'trying to defraud her creative work and family history' and trying to 'hijack her identity'. Lowde is said to have lodged at least 64 legal cases in the past year. TV presenter Piers Morgan compared her to Netflix's Baby Reindeer stalker after she made wild claims against him. Rachel reported Lowde, who has four convictions for stalking and harassment, and she was arrested. Advertisement The Met Police applied for a stalking protection order on Rachel's behalf. Magistrates chair Dr Ian Cole told Lowde: 'Ms Riley said she fears for her safety.' Rachel Riley pleads for safe return of one-year-old Israeli hostage Kfir Bibas Lowde, of Chelsea, West London, was banned from contacting Rachel for life and from referring to her on social media. She could go to jail if she breaches the order.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Countdown's Rachel Riley felt threatened by stalker who accused her of being ‘ringleader of a cult of celebrities'
In another bizarre post, Felicity Lowde accused Rachel of having a 'sexual obsession with toilets' RACHEL'S ORDEAL Countdown's Rachel Riley felt threatened by stalker who accused her of being 'ringleader of a cult of celebrities' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) COUNTDOWN star Rachel Riley felt threatened by a convicted stalker who accused her of being the 'ringleader of a cult of celebrities', a court heard. She was mentioned more than 200 times in 855 blog posts published by Felicity Lowde. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Rachel Riley's stalker felt threatened by a convicted stalker who accused her of being the 'ringleader of a cult' Credit: BackGrid 2 Felicity Lowde was banned from contacting Rachel for life Credit: Peter Jordan During the campaign of harassment, Rachel was accused by Lowde, 59, of heading an 'international conspiracy' involving JK Rowling, Stephen Fry and Katie Hopkins. She claimed they communicated via a secret code on social media. In another bizarre post, Lowde accused Rachel of having a 'sexual obsession with toilets'. She also referred to the Israel-Gaza conflict and said 39-year-old Rachel, who is Jewish, was 'complicit in genocide', City of London magistrates heard. The comments came to light when Lowde tried to sue Rachel last year. She accused the TV presenter, whom she had never met, of 'trying to defraud her creative work and family history' and trying to 'hijack her identity'. Lowde is said to have lodged at least 64 legal cases in the past year. TV presenter Piers Morgan compared her to Netflix's Baby Reindeer stalker after she made wild claims against him. Rachel reported Lowde, who has four convictions for stalking and harassment, and she was arrested. The Met Police applied for a stalking protection order on Rachel's behalf. Magistrates chair Dr Ian Cole told Lowde: 'Ms Riley said she fears for her safety.' Rachel Riley pleads for safe return of one-year-old Israeli hostage Kfir Bibas Lowde, of Chelsea, West London, was banned from contacting Rachel for life and from referring to her on social media. She could go to jail if she breaches the order.
Scottish Sun
03-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Expert reveals the careers that will be SAFE from AI amid fears of workplace takeover & job losses
Read on to discover the careers best places to protect yourself from an AI replacement BEAT THE BOTS Expert reveals the careers that will be SAFE from AI amid fears of workplace takeover & job losses Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) COUNTDOWN star Susie Dent says she may be doing herself out of a job by helping to educate AI. The show's Dictionary Corner expert tells the bots what they get wrong, helping them to improve. 5 Susie Dent is helping AI bots improve - but might be doing herself out of a job Credit: Channel 4 5 Jobs expert Claire Sheerin explains the careers best used to avoid being replaced by AI Credit: Reuters Meanwhile, firms across the UK are slashing starter jobs as AI takes a firmer foothold, a recruitment report has warned. It said the number of entry-level positions is down almost a third since ChatGPT was launched three years ago. Chief Features Writer MATT BENDORIS speaks to a job expert to discover the careers Scots should choose to protect themselves against being replaced by artificial intelligence. SCOTS need to train for highly skilled trades if they want to guarantee a long-running career that will be untouched by artificial intelligence That's according to Claire Sheerin, the operational director for Scots-based recruitment specialists Lusona, who has nearly a quarter of a century experience in the jobs market. But she believes that there is already a major skillset shortage in Scotland, with demand for new recruits at an all-time high. 5 Scots need to train for highly skilled trades Credit: Getty 5 There's a major skillset shortage in Scotland - with demand at all-time high Credit: Getty She said: 'There's definitely huge skill shortages in Scotland for a lot of industries. 'We also have an ageing population that is actually ageing at a higher rate than the rest of the UK. 'Covid also meant that many people left their careers or retired. 'So highly skilled trades jobs are always important but even more so as the UK tries to hit its carbon emission targets. 'So as we try to retrofit our buildings, skills like heating and ventilation, air conditioning, electricity are going to continue to drive forward and can be quite lucrative. 'From a Scottish perceptive the Scottish Government knows there is a skills shortage and needs the education system to get a bigger volume of candidates that are required for the industry as we continue to decarbonise. 'It's definitely a buoyant place and will be so for the foreseeable future.' Hospitality is another area that should be shielded for the most part by advancing technology. Total automation Claire adds: 'It's possible a robot is going to bring your drink and food, and many restaurants are already using automated ordering systems. 'But again you are still going to need people to cook the food and pour the drinks even if they aren't taking your orders any more.' Warehouse work is one area that has been hit by AI and robotics, however Claire reckons that increased costs to employers are preventing a mass rush to total automation. 5 Hospitality jobs should also be shielded by advanced tech Credit: Alamy She explains: 'Fully automated warehouses is a big upfront investment. Major organisations can afford it, but smaller businesses are still scoping that out. 'They will be asking themselves if they have got the money right now? Because money is tight with the National Insurance increases so cash flows are down. 'It's not that organisations won't eventually go down that route, but for now they will only have partial automated production lines.' Many jobs in copywriting and proofreading have already been replaced by AI, but despite workers' fears that they are heading for the scrapheap, Claire maintains it won't be 'Armageddon.' She says: 'Many industries will be affected by AI, but I don't think it's quite to the extent that people fear. 'Proofreaders and copywriters will be feeling the pain now, but that should leave sales teams more time to spend with customers and on more complex tasks. 'All our clients feel they should be using AI more as they believe it will probably make life a bit easier. 'That's certainly true where we've already seen big changes in the use of chatbots and virtual assistants for banking and call centres, but that's been the trend for a while now. 'But you still need a person as those chatbots will only take a customer so far. 'Previously you would have had an office manager taking minutes and notes for meetings, but now they use AI tools for those types of things. 'That office manager is still required to be there, but now they can get involved in other tasks and deployed elsewhere.' Ultimately Claire believes that if the workforce and employers embrace AI technology it will lead to better, higher paid jobs. She says: 'We need a balanced outlook as a lot of people are scared of AI and they're not sure how their company plans to use it. 'So employers need to use training and support to get their current staff comfortable with using it, so they can see the benefits. 'Ultimately all employers do not want to lose their best talents because they know the challenges of replacing good people. 'So it's actually quite exciting from that angle as AI will free up staff to take on more challenging tasks, leading to better paid, more skilled jobs.'
Scottish Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Countdown star Rachel Riley hits back at Anne Robinson's latest jibe as feud escalates
COUNTDOWN queen Rachel Riley has hit back at Anne Robinson's latest jibe accusing the former host of USING her name for attention. Opening up for the first time about the rumoured feud maths whizz Rachel, 39, said: 'If Anne needs to mention me for publicity then good luck to her. I have the same opinion of her as most people do.' 3 Countdown's Rachel Riley has hit back at Anne Robinson's latest jibe Credit: Splash 3 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 Anne, 80, reignited her spat with her ex-co star in a scathing interview. 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". 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.
The Irish Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Countdown star Rachel Riley hits back at Anne Robinson's latest jibe as feud escalates
COUNTDOWN queen Rachel Riley has hit back at Anne Robinson's latest jibe accusing the former host of USING her name for attention. 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 3 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 3 The duo famously worked together on the Channel 4 show when Anne hosted it in 2021 Credit: PA
