Latest news with #JJChalmers
The Sun
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Full line-up for new series of Celebrity Hunted revealed after Strictly Come Dancing stars complete cast
The team at Celebrity Hunted seem to love dipping into the Strictly Come Dancing talent pool for contestants. Channel 4's latest selection is JJ Chalmers, who did a turn on the BBC One dance contest in 2020 when he was partnered with pro Amy Dowden. 9 9 9 But on this show he is competing against Welsh wonder Amy, as she is also taking part alongside her Strictly pal, Carlos Xu. It comes after the last series featured Kai Widdrington and Giovanni Pernice going on the run — and eventually getting caught. Former Royal Marine and Paralympian JJ will be partnered with Sophie Morgan, which will be a Celebrity Hunted first as the presenter is a wheelchair user. A TV insider said: 'JJ and Sophie will prove an interesting pairing because when they're forced to move around the country using various forms of transport it's going to highlight lots of accessibility issues.' Comedians Laura Smyth and Jen Brister complete this year's line-up. I exclusively revealed yesterday how Amy and Carlos were taking part in the upcoming series, which is set to air early next year. They are up against former EastEnders star Brian Conley and his daughter Lucy as well as Love Island hunks Chris Taylor and Toby Aromolaran. At the weekend Scarlette Douglas and her brother Stuart — hosts of Channel 4's Worst House On The Street — were also announced as contestants via Channel 4's Sunday Brunch. There is no hiding the fact that filming is already underway. Chris and Toby have been snapped on the run by a fan, who took a selfie and posted it on Instagram. Shock moment Christine McGuinness makes racy confession as she jokes about gagged and tied up on Celebrity Hunted But as anyone who watches the show will know, it is probably a red herring to throw the hunters off their scent… David makes mums Swet 9 9 The CBeebies Bedtime Story sofa has hosted some great guest stars over the years – but this week it gets its very first Superman. Hollywood hunk David Corenswet, the latest actor to wear the iconic blue-and-red-caped suit for the big screen, will deliver a tale to help us all get off to sleep this week. He will be delivering words from the book What Does Daddy Do? by Rachel Bright, which sees little girl Daisy wonder what her father does all day while she is at nursery. Of course, David, who makes his debut as Superman in cinemas on Friday, isn't the first superhero actor to deliver a bedtime story. Others have included Chris Hemsworth who is famous for playing Thor, as well as Chris Evans who was Captain America and Jason Momoa who has portrayed Aquaman. CBeebies Bedtime Story is on weekdays at 6.50pm on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer. David's story airs on Friday at 6.50pm. But I've a feeling this will be another one of those where more mummies tune in than kids… Big trio in team Gareth 9 The BBC has revealed three more big names for its adaptation of the stage play Dear England, which chronicles the career of Gareth Southgate. Former Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, The Crown actor Jason Watkins and Passenger's Daniel Ryan have been added to the cast of the four-part drama. They join Shakespeare In Love's Joseph Fiennes who has already been announced as playing the former England manager. Filming has started and it will air next year on BBC One. Jodie plays the England men's team psychologist, Jason is FA chairman Greg Dyke and Daniel is former assistant manager for the team, Steve Holland. Writer and exec producer James Graham said: 'I'm so grateful to the world-class cast and creative team we've assembled.' Madge ignores Sir Bob 9 If you caught the first two episodes of Live Aid At 40 on Sunday, you'll know the documentary is a fantastic celebration of this landmark event. There's a third and final episode to come on Sunday night on BBC Two – or you can watch them all on iPlayer now. But the one thing you won't see on there is an interview with Madonna, even though she appeared at both Live Aid in 1985 and Live 8 in 2005. Other megastars who took part did agree to interviews and they include the likes of Bono and Sting. But even Sir Bob Geldof, who organised the original extravaganza four decades ago, couldn't get the veteran singer to come on the documentary. Producer Tanya Shaw told Broadcast magazine this week: 'His email to 'Madge' sadly went unanswered.' Perhaps he made the mistake of calling her Madge in the request? Jared's Lunar lapse 9 He's very much a child of the 20th century space age, yet Jared Harris says he can't remember much about the landmark moment man first landed on the moon in 1969. The actor, who is about to hit screens in the third outing of sci-fi epic Foundation, told the Radio Times: 'My older brother had discovered a bottle of cider and persuaded eight-year-old me to drink some. 'Only it wasn't cider, it was paraffin. 'So we were having our stomachs pumped when Neil Armstrong was walking on the Moon.' I think he can be reasonably excused from missing the historic feat. Jared, son of the late hellraising actor Richard Harris, resumes his role as mathematician Dr Hari Seldon in the latest instalment of Foundation, which drops on Apple TV+ on Friday. The show, which first aired in 2021, is based on Isaac Asimov's novels. GREAT British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant has revealed the BBC One show, which is back next Tuesday at 9pm, has a celebrity fan in the form artist Grayson Perry. Patrick said: 'I know he's watched it – I've spoken to him about it and Philippa, his wife, certainly is a fan.' Rachel adds up plunge 9 Rachel Riley admitted she questioned her decision to take part in Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters. The Countdown maths whizz said: 'These creatures can swallow suits of armour… and a whole chicken coop complete with chickens. 'They're the queens of the ocean, so do what they want. On one of my dives, I did think, 'My God, what am I doing?' but I knew it was a chance of a lifetime, so I made the most of it. In the back of my mind, I knew my husband and kids would be screaming at me to get out of the water.' The ITV show starts on July 14 and also stars Helen George, Sir Lenny Henry, Lucy Punch, Ade Adepitan, Dougie Poynter and Ross Noble.
Scotsman
02-06-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
From Edinburgh to Invictus: JJ Chalmers on resilience, recovery & life after the Marines
JJ Chalmers' remarkable journey began right here in Edinburgh. Born and raised in the Scottish capital, the former Royal Marine Commando has become a symbol of resilience, determination and transformation. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Since his military service, JJ has competed in the Invictus Games, become a popular BBC broadcaster, and shared powerful stories of recovery, service and identity with audiences around the world. His journey from the battlefield to the television screen has made him one of the UK's most compelling voices on perseverance and mental strength. In this exclusive interview with Champions Speakers Agency, JJ opens up about the personal challenges behind his recovery, the lasting impact of the Invictus Games, and why open conversations around mental health and purpose are more important than ever. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Q: Mental health is an ongoing conversation in society. How did you personally manage your emotional and psychological wellbeing through recovery? JJ Chalmers - Champions Speakers Agency JJ Chalmers: 'Amazingly, with my mental health, I just happened, I think, to do the right things. 'When I look at the points in my recovery where things could have gone terribly wrong with my mental health, I think by accident I did the right things — and that was mainly through my openness and my honesty. 'My ability to vocalise what I was seeing, how I was struggling — not even necessarily ask for help, but just say it to people in a manner where they could offer help or they could at least just listen. And that burden was taken off of me. 'Again, no one really told me to do that. And it wasn't even that I was doing it necessarily with a trained professional. It was more that — just not letting things build up within myself, being open, being honest with others and therefore being honest with myself. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad JJ Chalmers - The Mental Health Speakers Agency 'That, when I look back at it, was what has steered me away from some of the catastrophic outcomes that, sadly, some of my friends have suffered from — are suffering with. 'But it's not to say that I always get it right, and it's not to say that it was easy. But I do count myself lucky. Not that it didn't happen to me, but rather that I just managed to avert it — through unintentional means, essentially.' Q: The Invictus Games have become a powerful platform for veterans. How did taking part influence your journey and future direction? JJ Chalmers: 'The Invictus Games were the most sort of critical catalyst point in my recovery. JJ Chalmers - The Motivational Speakers Agency 'In some ways, it was where all began to — I think — make sense or come good. And suddenly it was being able to gauge the fact that in the last — God, it had been three or four years up to that point — I had made tremendous progress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But because I was starting from so low, and more crucially, I was starting from a place that was well below what I was used to experiencing, it was always sort of 'I want to get back to normal, I want to get back to feeling like myself, I want to get back to having the ability that I had before.' 'But time had passed. Actually, what you want is to progress within that time. And so the Invictus Games is the first moment where I actually felt like I had begun to surpass my expectations of myself. 'And that was actually more like what it used to be — I used to go out and challenge myself and really push myself. That's what the Marines was. And so the opportunity to pull in a uniform and represent my country, win medals — that was me suddenly achieving something which I never really thought possible, even before my injuries. So that was an amazing thing. 'But I suppose the other part of it was it gave me a real understanding and an appreciation of the world I was living in — the veteran recovery space — and just how powerful it was. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I'd taken for granted this incredible inspiration I had around me. Invictus was branding that up. It was trying its best to basically bottle that so that you could give it to others. 'And of course, that was the thing that really excited me and drew me to wanting to be a broadcaster and work in TV and radio — because that was the opportunity to tell people stories who were otherwise overlooked, but I knew had an amazing story to tell and an amazing purpose. 'I used to be a teacher once upon a time, and in some ways as a TV presenter, I still see myself as a teacher. 'Because you're imparting knowledge and information on people, you're telling stories — so that's what I'm doing with a much bigger platform. But none of that would have been possible without the Invictus Games, because it just supercharged my recovery and, I suppose, my ambition with it. It really motivated me to think that something extraordinary could be possible.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Q: Your military service with the Royal Marines began in 2005. How did that experience influence the values you live by today? JJ Chalmers: 'It's funny because it's kind of chicken and egg in the sense that it absolutely shaped so many of my values and standards, but the ones I already had. So I went to the Marines because I had those things. I had that sense of service and I was quietly determined. I looked for positivity and cheerfulness in the face of adversity. Those are the things that drew me to the Marines. 'But then what the Marines do is put you in situations where you really develop that, and that's getting thrown in puddles, being cold, wet and miserable, and all the way to Afghanistan facing the hardest circumstances you can imagine. 'And obviously, my injuries in amongst that — those were situations where I had been drawn to because of the values that I had, but they aligned with the Marines. And then, what I guess what I'm saying is, those things have stayed with me well beyond that and that heightened amount of it. 'So yeah, my day-to-day life now — it is that sense of looking for the positive, looking for the silver lining in any situation, having that sort of positive drive, that relentless pursuit of excellence, determination, never giving up — because you know it's worth it in the end.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Q: In facing life-changing injuries, what proved to be the most significant challenge during your recovery? JJ Chalmers: 'It is hard to tell because there were a lot of hurdles and you had to clear some of them more than once. But the biggest thing is wrapping your head around the enormity of what you're facing, I suppose. 'The doctors told me my recovery would take a year and a half to two years. The reality is it took more like five to six years — and actually, ten years later, you realise you're never recovered. I will never have the physical ability that I used to. It's not to say that I can't be fit, it's not to say that I can't challenge myself, but I will never do things in the way that I used to. 'And so you'll never be fully recovered. And that is both a physical challenge but also a mental challenge to be able to adjust and accept that. And accepting things like going from being fiercely independent in the Marines to now being quite dependent on others. 'And that's not a bad thing. There's a positive to be learned about appreciating the support networks you have and having people to rely on. But it was — losing your independence is a terrifying thing and it's a really hard thing to adjust to. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'So I think the biggest thing was just trying to adjust to the enormity of the challenge and the fact that the repercussions of what I sustained will live with me forever.' This exclusive interview with JJ Chalmers was conducted by Sophia Hayes.
