Latest news with #Despair
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Celebrity Big Brother star hit with massive blow as her huge Netflix TV show is axed just weeks after she left the house
Donna Preston has been hit with a huge blow after her TV show The Sandman was axed just weeks after she left Celebrity Big Brother. The actress, 38, had enjoyed a role playing Despair, one of the seven Endless, in the Netflix fantasy series. But the popular drama has been cancelled after two seasons amid allegations of sexual assault made against its creator Neil Gaiman. The writer, 64, denies all claims and has asked a federal court in Wisconsin to dismiss Scarlett Pavlovich's $7million (£5.6million) lawsuit against him, alleging that his accuser has 'fabricated a tale of abuse'. The second series of The Sandman began filming last year and is expected to be released on the streamer next year, after receiving praise from both fans and critics alike. The highly-anticipated adaptation stars Tom Sturridge as Morpheus aka Dream, the king of dreams who was captured and held captive for 106 years before escaping to reset order to his realm. The actress came fourth in the latest series of CBB and was cheered out of the house to cries of her name in the live final The original comic, penned by Gaiman from 1989 to 1996, was among the first graphic novels to appear on the New York Times bestseller list and is often regarded as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time. Attempts to bring his beloved story to film were held up for years until Netflix signed a deal to produce the show in 2019. It finally premiered in 2022 and featured some well known names including Charles Dance, Stephen Fry, Jenna Coleman and Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer. Mark Hamill was also in the first series, voicing Mervyn Pumpkinhead, a chain-smoking janitor with a jack o'lantern for a head. In March, Gaiman branded Scarlett, 26, a 'fantasist' and claims he has WhatsApp messages proving their relationship was 'consensual'. The lawsuits - filed in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New York - claim the couple violated laws on federal human trafficking, with complaints of assault, battery and inflicting emotional distress against Gaiman and negligence against Palmer. The author, who called Pavlovich's allegations 'outrageous', has now urged the court to dismiss her lawsuit on the grounds that it was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. The 'alleged conduct claimed and described in the complaint, all supposedly occurred in New Zealand', where he was living with his wife prior to Palmer and Gaiman announcing their divorce in 2022. Gaiman's motion to dismiss - which was reviewed by - states that US courts have 'no legal authority' over the suit and argued 'requisite discovery' in the case would be 'severely burdened' if proceedings took place outside New Zealand. Nine women have made allegations against Gaiman, but he denies any wrongdoing and says that all sexual encounters were consensual. Donna came fourth in the latest series of CBB and was cheered out of the house to cries of her name in the live final. She was told she received the fewest amount of nominations out of all of the housemates - just two throughout the series. When asked about her odd nomination reasons, the star admitted: 'I think I was a bit naughty wasn't I. I honestly didn't have anything bad to say about anyone.' And opening up on her close friendship with Danny Beard, she sweetly quipped: 'As soon as I saw Danny I knew he was my comfort blanket and I knew I was going to be amazing friends with him.'
Scottish Sun
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Huge blow for CBB star as TV show is AXED just weeks after leaving the house
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CELEBRITY Big Brother star Donna Preston is facing a huge blow after her TV show, The Sandman, was axed. Donna, 38, who left the house just under two weeks ago, had enjoyed a role in the Netflix fantasy drama as Despair, one of the seven Endless. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Donna Preston is facing a huge blow after her TV show, The Sandman, was axed Credit: Getty But, since the streaming hit has been canned beyond its second season, she'll have a gaping gap in her calendar. The decision coincides with allegations of sexual misconduct against creator Neil Gaiman. While he vehemently denies them, they have led to the suspension or cancellation of several of his other projects. The Sandman follows the story of Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) who is the personification of dreams and nightmares. He is part of the Endless family of cosmic beings and was initially captured in 1916 in occult ritual. But after being held captive for 106 years, he escapes back into the world and he wants to restore order back in his realm. Donna's portrayal of Despair was well-received, and she was set to reprise her role in the third season alongside returning cast members Tom (Dream), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death), and Mason Alexander Park (Desire). The blow comes just weeks after she reached the Celebrity Big Brother final, finishing in fourth place behind JoJo Siwa, Danny Beard and eventual winner Jack P. Shepherd. Neil, 64, has responded to the shock claims from eight women by saying he has "never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever." The popular English writer is also known for American Gods and the children's book Coraline, as well as co-writing Good Omens alongside Terry Pratchett in 1990. Why JoJo Siwa DOESN'T have the CBB crown in the bag – and could Donna Preston be the series breakout star? The show went on to become a hit BBC and Amazon TV series with Neil acting as the writer and executive producer. But after a bombshell report released in New York Magazine detailed a number of shock claims against the Brit which span back to 1986 production on the third season of the show was axed. One allegation included a woman who accused Neil of raping her in a bathtub outside. In a blog post in January, the popular author said he has read the allegations and felt "horror and dismay". He wrote: "I've stayed quiet until now, both out of respect for the people who were sharing their stories and out of a desire not to draw even more attention to a lot of misinformation. "I've always tried to be a private person, and felt increasingly that social media was the wrong place to talk about important personal matters. "I've now reached the point where I feel that I should say something. "As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise and moments I don't, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen. "I'm far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever." Neil said he had read back text messages from the time of one of the assaults and felt they were "of two people enjoying entirely consensual sexual relationships". He added that he "could have and should have done so much better" and realised he hadn't been as "thoughtful" as he would have liked looking back. He continued: "I was obviously careless with people's hearts and feelings, and that's something that I really, deeply regret. "It was selfish of me. I was caught up in my own story and I ignored other people's. "Like most of us, I'm learning, and I'm trying to do the work needed, and I know that that's not an overnight process." The author said he understood that "not everyone will believe me". Neil vehemently denies several of the allegations claiming they "simply never happened". Others had been "distorted" from reality, he added. Neil did not go into detail into which accusations he was referring to. The New York Magazine report released on Monday detailed the allegations which ranged from rape to hitting one accuser with a belt. All eight of the accusers said they had been willing to engage with many of Neil's requests - one of which often included calling him "master", according to the report. But the women allege that during some acts they had removed their consent before or during. Some also said they had not discussed or agreed on the acts and scenarios Neil wanted before they happened, claims the report. Several of these allegations were first revealed on the Tortoise podcast which is hosted by journalist and broadcaster Rachel Johnson. Neil's representatives had previously told Tortoise Media that "sexual degradation, bondage, domination, sadism and masochism may not be to everyone's taste, but between consenting adults, BDSM is lawful". A police report accusing Neil of sexual assault was made in January 2023, but the investigation was eventually dropped. The Sun contacted Neil's representatives for comment at the time. 4 She had enjoyed a role as Despair, one of the seven Endless Credit: Netflix 4 Donna came fourth in the ITV reality show Credit: Rex
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Huge blow for CBB star as TV show is AXED just weeks after leaving the house
CELEBRITY Big Brother star Donna Preston is facing a huge blow after her TV show, The Sandman, was axed. Donna, 38, who left the house just under two weeks ago, had enjoyed a role in the Netflix fantasy drama as Despair, one of the seven Endless. 4 But, since the streaming hit has been canned beyond its second season, she'll have a gaping gap in her calendar. The decision coincides with allegations of sexual misconduct against creator Neil Gaiman. While he vehemently denies them, they have led to the suspension or cancellation of several of his other projects. The Sandman follows the story of Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) who is the personification of dreams and nightmares. He is part of the Endless family of cosmic beings and was initially captured in 1916 in occult ritual. But after being held captive for 106 years, he escapes back into the world and he wants to restore order back in his realm. Donna's portrayal of Despair was well-received, and she was set to reprise her role in the third season alongside returning cast members Tom (Dream), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death), and Mason Alexander Park (Desire). The blow comes just weeks after she reached the Celebrity Big Brother final, finishing in fourth place behind JoJo Siwa, Danny Beard and eventual winner Jack P. Shepherd. Neil, 64, has responded to the shock claims from eight women by saying he has "never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever." The popular English writer is also known for American Gods and the children's book Coraline, as well as co-writing Good Omens alongside Terry Pratchett in 1990. Why JoJo Siwa DOESN'T have the CBB crown in the bag – and could Donna Preston be the series breakout star? The show went on to become a hit BBC and Amazon TV series with Neil acting as the writer and executive producer. But after a bombshell report released in New York Magazine detailed a number of shock claims against the Brit which span back to 1986 production on the third season of the show was axed. One allegation included a woman who accused Neil of raping her in a bathtub outside. In a blog post in January, the popular author said he has read the allegations and felt "horror and dismay". He wrote: "I've stayed quiet until now, both out of respect for the people who were sharing their stories and out of a desire not to draw even more attention to a lot of misinformation. "I've always tried to be a private person, and felt increasingly that social media was the wrong place to talk about important personal matters. "I've now reached the point where I feel that I should say something. "As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise and moments I don't, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen. "I'm far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever." Neil said he had read back text messages from the time of one of the assaults and felt they were "of two people enjoying entirely consensual sexual relationships". He added that he "could have and should have done so much better" and realised he hadn't been as "thoughtful" as he would have liked looking back. He continued: "I was obviously careless with people's hearts and feelings, and that's something that I really, deeply regret. "It was selfish of me. I was caught up in my own story and I ignored other people's. "Like most of us, I'm learning, and I'm trying to do the work needed, and I know that that's not an overnight process." The author said he understood that "not everyone will believe me". Neil vehemently denies several of the allegations claiming they "simply never happened". Others had been "distorted" from reality, he added. Neil did not go into detail into which accusations he was referring to. The New York Magazine report released on Monday detailed the allegations which ranged from rape to hitting one accuser with a belt. All eight of the accusers said they had been willing to engage with many of Neil's requests - one of which often included calling him "master", according to the report. But the women allege that during some acts they had removed their consent before or during. Some also said they had not discussed or agreed on the acts and scenarios Neil wanted before they happened, claims the report. Several of these allegations were first revealed on the Tortoise podcast which is hosted by journalist and broadcaster Rachel Johnson. Neil's representatives had previously told Tortoise Media that "sexual degradation, bondage, domination, sadism and masochism may not be to everyone's taste, but between consenting adults, BDSM is lawful". A police report accusing Neil of sexual assault was made in January 2023, but the investigation was eventually dropped. The Sun contacted Neil's representatives for comment at the time. 4 4 4
BBC News
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Ceramic cats purchased by The Higgins Bedford 'huge mews'
One of the artists who created a pair of cats inspired by John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress said she was left "overwhelmed" after they were purchased by a museum for £6,000. Ceramic artists Vicky Lindo and Bill Brookes made the works Despair and Promise for the Bawden and Me exhibition at The Higgins Bedford. Miss Lindo said: "It's the ultimate for any artists to have your work in public collections, as when we die it will still be there."Victoria Partridge, The Higgins' keeper of fine and ceramic arts, said: "I'm thrilled that we get to keep them in Bedford forever - it really is huge mews." Miss Lindo said: "It's incredible - when we made the work we didn't expect that this would be the outcome. "You make it and hope someone might want to buy it but it's never really the goal. "It's overwhelming. It's really special because it belongs to everyone and anyone can go and look at it." The cats were purchased with £4,800 from The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and £1,200 from The Trustees of The Cecil Higgins Art were made for the Bawden and Me exhibition, which featured work by 40 artists and creators who were able to access Bawden's extensive archive to create new pieces inspired by his was one of The Higgins's most successful exhibitions and attracted 36,000 visitors, Mrs Partridge said. Miss Lindo said she was immediately drawn to Bawden's tapestry of The Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan's Dream. She said she did not know the story, but listened to the audiobook as they worked, which became "immersive research".Cats were chosen as the main inspiration as they are her "DNA" and Bawden "was cat mad", she added. Ms Partridge said: "When the cats were on display they were universally admired, especially by children, because it's a lovely way of talking about John Bunyan's story through the medium of cats."As soon as I saw them, when I opened the box, I knew we had to have them for the collection, because they have such amazing links with Bedford, through the work of nationally acclaimed artists." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
