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Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I lost 14st in a year - my local takeaway called to ask if I was still alive'
Jordan Bateman, 31, weighed 28st in July 2024, standing at 5ft 9in tall, when he found himself "breathless" while performing as his drag alter ego, Ruby Slippers A drag artist's favourite Chinese takeaway was so shocked by his incredible 14 stone weight loss that they rang to check if he was "still alive". Jordan Bateman, 31 and from Swansea, tipped the scales at 28st (177.8kg) in July 2024, and at 5ft 9in tall, he found himself gasping for air during performances as his drag persona, Ruby Slippers. Thanks to the weight loss jab Mounjaro, which Jordan obtained privately through digital healthcare provider Numan before it was announced for NHS availability, he now boasts a svelte 14st (88.9kg). The transformation has seen him wave goodbye to motorway food binges, collaborate with a personal trainer, and he reckons he's tacked on an extra "20 years" to his lifespan. Jordan admits splurging more than £3,000 on the treatment since last August, but said he was now economising on food and no longer requires costly custom-made outfits after shrinking from a size 4XL to a medium. Doubling as an entertainment manager for a holiday park chain and performing across Britain as a stand-in, as well as his gigs in drag, Jordan is embracing the prospect of romance for the first time as an adult. He confesses to feeling more "confident", yet his drastic health kick raised eyebrows at his local Chinese eatery. "This is so embarrassing, my local Chinese actually phoned my house to see if I was still alive," Jordan said. "Before my weight loss journey, I would be on the M4 after gigging all weekend and, on the drive home, I'd ring my local Chinese and say, 'Can I have my order? "I wouldn't even need to say what I wanted, it would already be there. I'd typically go for lemon chicken, seaweed, egg fried rice, chips, prawn crackers and duck spring rolls." He went on: "I could never eat any of that to that extent and that amount any more – in fact, I haven't had a Chinese for a whole year now!". Raised in Swansea, Jordan was an "highly active" youngster, constantly singing, dancing or performing. However, after breaking into the entertainment world at 18, following studies in performance and childcare at college, the pressures of touring life began to bite. "There's no kitchen when you're on the road, so my diet became all about what I could get at service stations – Greggs, McDonald's, that sort of thing," he explained. "After a show, you'd go to the pub, then grab a pizza or a takeaway back at your digs. Everyone did it, so I didn't really notice how much weight I was gaining." However, in July 2024, whilst belting out This Is The Moment from the musical Jekyll and Hyde during a show as Ruby Slippers, everything shifted. "I couldn't get through the song, I couldn't breathe, and I thought 'This isn't normal'," recalled Jordan. He revealed he saw his GP in July 2024 and discovered he tipped the scales at 28st, which left him "shocked", despite already knowing he carried excess weight. "I'd done fad diets before, I'd even been on Channel 4's How To Lose Weight Well, but nothing stuck – this time I knew it had to be different," he revealed. Jordan revealed he initially toyed with the idea of a gastric sleeve but decided against it as he didn't want to be limited in his food choices. Following his GP's guidance, he chose Mounjaro instead. The NHS describes Tirzepatide, known commercially as Mounjaro, as a self-administered weekly injection that helps patients feel satiated for longer, curbing their appetite. Patients are encouraged to pair the injection with a balanced, calorie-reduced diet and regular exercise. Jordan began upping his injection dosage each month from August 2024 but had to reduce it due to nausea, acting on advice from Numan. Having spent upwards of £3,000 on the treatment, Jordan asserts it has been "worth every penny". However, he warns others not to view weight loss injections as an easy fix. "It's a commitment – you mentally and physically have to change what you do for it to work," he said. Jordan explained a complete overhaul in his grocery shopping, swapping out "chocolate, crisps, lots of heavy carbs" with "no colour" for a rainbow of fresh produce. Working with a personal trainer and adhering to a nutrition plan, he is determined to maintain his healthier lifestyle beyond the medication, which he plans to discontinue once he hits his target weight of 12st (76.2kg). To avoid the temptation of service station fare while on tour, he preps his meals ahead of time. While he acknowledges that Ruby's character has always been "confident" and "larger than life" regardless of his size, Jordan now finds performing as her less tiring, needing fewer breaks between sets and even feeling comfortable "having (his) arms out" on stage. He's also more energetic when entertaining children at the holiday park, noticing a change in how they depict him in drawings – no longer as a "circle" but now as a typical "stick figure". Jordan, who is gay, said he'd been single throughout his adult life due to work commitments, but now feels "empowered" to start dating, thanks to newfound body confidence. His transformation has drawn compliments from friends, family, and colleagues, though he confesses his mind is still catching up. The positive changes are numerous, from not requiring a plane seatbelt extender on a recent trip to Tenerife to enjoying extra space between his stomach and the steering wheel while driving. Jordan admits: "I've still got a belly, however it's not as rounded and not as ghastly to look at. "It was actually quite a relief to be able to walk around with confidence with my top off on holiday. Now I feel confident that I can walk into a theme park and go on to a rollercoaster and enjoy those weight-restricted activities without any kind of embarrassment." Jordan is thankful for the wake-up call he received when he struggled to perform, which led him to re-evaluate his lifestyle choices. He advises others to consult their GP if they're considering weight-loss medication. "If I'd continued without a care in the world, I dread to think how heavy I would be now," he reflected. "I reckon in a year I'd have probably put another two stone or more on. "I've probably added about 20 years on to my life expectancy – at 28 stone I was probably moments away from a heart attack or a stroke, and that for me is a massive life turnaround."
Irish Independent
05-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Masked man attempted to hijack taxi at knifepoint in Louth appears for sentencing
Aaron Reilly (23), living at the time at The Crescent, Tredagh View, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge of producing a knife during the incident which occurred close to his then home on September 30, 2020. He used his mother's phone to notify the taxi driver and after he ran off having failed to get the victim to hand over his vehicle, Gardaí who arrived on the scene saw him looking out a window of his house. It was stated that the defendant was a 'Jekyll and Hyde character' who had a drug and alcohol addiction and required residential treatment. Det Gda Kelly Finnegan gave evidence that the taxi driver received a notification to attend an address at Beechwood Avenue, Drogheda at 7am. When he drove into Rowan Heights, Marley's Lane, he saw a masked man approach on the driver's side. This person opened the door and produced a knife, saying, 'I need your taxi. Get out of the taxi'. The victim refused and offered his attacker money. Mr Reilly said, 'It's insured. You can just give me the keys'. He held the knife against the driver's chest. The driver said 'no' and got out of the Toyota Prius which had a camera system. His assailant made threats to kill him. The taxi man kept the keys in his pocket and made it clear he was not willing to hand over his car. The defendant ran off. Det Gda Finnegan continued that a large black handled knife was found in grass and Mr Reilly was seen looking out the kitchen window of his house. During the course of an investigation which ultimately led to the accused, it was discovered that his mother recognised the knife as similar to one from a knife block in her kitchen. ADVERTISEMENT DNA recovered from the handle of a bread knife with a sharp edge was linked to the accused, who had used his mother's phone to book the taxi. He was arrested and interviewed on August 5, 2022. There were 29 previous convictions, including one for possession of a knife and two for assault. In a Victim Impact Statement the man said he had been working as a taxi driver for five years at the time. The incident had a severe impact on him. He now tried to avoid Marley's Lane and working at night. This affected his earnings. He had a big family to support. He couldn't sleep and would wake up in fear and as a result be tired all day. Cross-examined by barrister Donough McDonough, instructed by solicitor Paul Moore, Det Gda Finnegan agreed that the defendant was a Jekyll and Hyde character who was in the throes of an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. He did this 'when out of his head'. His mother who was present at the hearing had given him a lot of chances before throwing him out of the house. Mr McDonough added that Aaron Reilly had little memory of what occurred. He regretted his actions and had instructed to apologise. He was currently out of the house and 'couch surfing' between family and friends. His mother continued to support him. He had no father in his life. The defendant did a Junior Cert equivalent and obtained a Safe Pass. He needed to address his addiction issues. Drug use had escalated after the death of a friend. He accepted that he required residential care. The Probation Service assessed him at high risk of reoffending in the next 12 months and noted he was motivated to address risk factors. The defendant had done four weeks of a 10-week course and Judge Dara Hayes gave him an opportunity to complete it, adjourning sentence to July 30. He said the matter will require some degree of custodial sentence.
Irish Independent
05-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Louth man carrying knife attempted early morning hijack of taxi he called
Aaron Reilly (23), living at the time at The Crescent, Tredagh View, Drogheda, pleaded guilty to a charge of producing a knife during the incident which occurred close to his then home on September 30, 2020. He used his mother's phone to notify the taxi driver and after he ran off having failed to get the victim to hand over his vehicle, Gardaí who arrived on the scene saw him looking out a window of his house. It was stated that the defendant was a 'Jekyll and Hyde character' who had a drug and alcohol addiction and required residential treatment. Det Gda Kelly Finnegan gave evidence that the taxi driver received a notification to attend an address at Beechwood Avenue, Drogheda at 7am. When he drove into Rowan Heights, Marley's Lane, he saw a masked man approach on the driver's side. This person opened the door and produced a knife, saying, 'I need your taxi. Get out of the taxi'. The victim refused and offered his attacker money. Mr Reilly said, 'It's insured. You can just give me the keys'. He held the knife against the driver's chest. The driver said 'no' and got out of the Toyota Prius which had a camera system. His assailant made threats to kill him. The taxi man kept the keys in his pocket and made it clear he was not willing to hand over his car. The defendant ran off. Det Gda Finnegan continued that a large black handled knife was found in grass and Mr Reilly was seen looking out the kitchen window of his house. During the course of an investigation which ultimately led to the accused, it was discovered that his mother recognised the knife as similar to one from a knife block in her kitchen. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more DNA recovered from the handle of a bread knife with a sharp edge was linked to the accused, who had used his mother's phone to book the taxi. He was arrested and interviewed on August 5, 2022. There were 29 previous convictions, including one for possession of a knife and two for assault. In a Victim Impact Statement the man said he had been working as a taxi driver for five years at the time. The incident had a severe impact on him. He now tried to avoid Marley's Lane and working at night. This affected his earnings. He had a big family to support. He couldn't sleep and would wake up in fear and as a result be tired all day. Cross-examined by barrister Donough McDonough, instructed by solicitor Paul Moore, Det Gda Finnegan agreed that the defendant was a Jekyll and Hyde character who was in the throes of an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. He did this 'when out of his head'. His mother who was present at the hearing had given him a lot of chances before throwing him out of the house. Mr McDonough added that Aaron Reilly had little memory of what occurred. He regretted his actions and had instructed to apologise. He was currently out of the house and 'couch surfing' between family and friends. His mother continued to support him. He had no father in his life. The defendant did a Junior Cert equivalent and obtained a Safe Pass. He needed to address his addiction issues. Drug use had escalated after the death of a friend. He accepted that he required residential care. The Probation Service assessed him at high risk of reoffending in the next 12 months and noted he was motivated to address risk factors. The defendant had done four weeks of a 10-week course and Judge Dara Hayes gave him an opportunity to complete it, adjourning sentence to July 30. He said the matter will require some degree of custodial sentence. Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Steelers Player Blasts Shedeur Sanders: 'He's Gonna Be an Epic Failure'
From Steelers Now: To say the least, former Steelers running back Merril Hoge is not a fan of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Hoge, who correctly predicted that Johnny Manziel was going to be a bust, thinks Sanders is going to be an epic failure in the NFL. Advertisement 'He can't handle the expectations that are coming his way. He's gonna be an epic failure and he's gonna get set your organization back another two or three years,' Hoge said on 102.5 WDVE's Morning Show with Randy Baumann. Sanders did not have an elite offensive line at Colorado, but he still had the most quarterback-faulted pressures and sacks in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Pocket awareness is something that many talent evaluators are concerned about with him. 'The best way to sum it up is his a really good college quarterback,' Hoge said. 'His accuracy is good. His processing is good. And when I say good, I use a scale of 1 to 10. So good is around five. So if you're a five in college, okay? Those are the two most important aspects of transitioning to the National Football League and then you build from there. Anticipation, pocket awareness and then we start building. But those two things, if you're a five, you're not a first rounder. You're not a franchise guy.' Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Athletics Hoge is not the only one that thinks Sanders will be a bust. NFL insider Albert Breer examined this year's quarterback class with the help of nine QB-adjacent offensive coaches from nine different NFL teams, and the overall consensus on Sanders was pretty negative. Advertisement 'This guy—if his last name was Breer,' the NFC quarterbacks coach joked with Breer, 'and he was coming out of Minnesota, he'd be a sixth-round pick. He doesn't play with good feet, he's late on stuff, he has an average arm. His accuracy is O.K., but he has no timing, no anticipation. He flashes some throws, but he's an average player, not a great athlete. Even if you watch his pro day, there's no timing or rhythm. He takes extra hitches.' One NFC quarterbacks coach absolutely ripped Sanders. 'This guy—if his last name was Breer,' the NFC quarterbacks coach joked with Breer, 'and he was coming out of Minnesota, he'd be a sixth-round pick. He doesn't play with good feet, he's late on stuff, he has an average arm. His accuracy is O.K., but he has no timing, no anticipation. He flashes some throws, but he's an average player, not a great athlete. Even if you watch his pro day, there's no timing or rhythm. He takes extra hitches.' An unnamed AFC coordinator wasn't as harsh, but he noted that there's some big question marks with the highly-touted Colorado quarterback. Advertisement 'The physical tools, when you see it in rhythm, it looks good,' the AFC coordinator said. 'The stuff you ding him on, holding the ball, dropping too deep, waiting for things to happen instead of anticipating, that's the Jekyll and Hyde. … The things I'll give him credit for, he makes plays in big moments, I do think he's got plenty of arm. And I'll be interested to see him out of his comfort zone, when he's just playing football. His dad's been around wherever he's played. There's some positive to that, of course. There'll be some stuff that'll be new for him, too.' With just two days until the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers are now the favorites to land Sanders, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The New Orleans Saints had been the favorites to land Sanders for several weeks, but there seems to be growing belief that he could fall on Day 1 of the draft. The Steelers hosted Sanders for a pre-draft visit earlier this month, and it's safe to say head coach Mike Tomlin came away from it impressed with the young signal caller. The Steelers reportedly met with Sanders for five hours, but Tomlin revealed they didn't spend much time talking about Sanders' father, NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Advertisement 'I've obviously known his father for a long time. My first time meeting him. And to be quite honest with you, we didn't talk a whole lot about my relationship with his father,' Tomlin said. 'It was a normal pre-draft visit to spend time with a young man, to talk ball, to get to know him as an individual, to get to see how he processes and sees the game and how he articulates his football experience. From that standpoint, it was very normal and it was a very productive one.' Alan Saunders and Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story. This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers Player Blasts Shedeur Sanders: 'He's Gonna Be an Epic Failure'
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Could WH Smith be one of the FTSE 250's greatest growth shares?
WH Smith's (LSE:SMWH) one of the UK's great 'Jekyll and Hyde' stocks. While growth at its Travel division remains strong, trouble at its High Steet unit remains a drag on its shares. But with its beleaguered traditional business being offloaded, things could be looking up as WH Smith ramps up expansion across the world's airports, rail stations and other travel hubs. Could it now be one of the FTSE 250's best growth stocks to consider buying? Let's take a look. WH Smith's tired, cluttered high street stores have long lagged in the cut-throat retail market. With consumer spending also on the ropes, it's no surprise the division again disappointed in Wednesday's (16 April) half-year update. Sales across the company's 480 stores dropped 7% in the six months to 28 February, while trading profit slumped 32%. So once again, it was left to its Travel unit to come to the rescue. Revenues and trading profit rose 6% and 12% respectively in the period, reducing the decline in group trading profit to just 1%. Sales in Travel UK rose 7% in the first half, while the North America and the Rest of World sub-segments grew 5% and 9% respectively. Around three-quarters of group turnover came from Travel stores in the period. The good news is that the headwinds from Smith's High Street operation will soon be consigned to history. Modella Capital has purchased its traditional business for £76m in a deal due to complete by the autumn. In my view, WH Smith's transition to a pureplay travel retailer provides substantial growth potential, supercharged by the firm's commitment to rapid expansion. In particular, it plans to raise its exposure to more lucrative international markets, and especially in North America. It's described the territory as 'our most exciting growth opportunity'. The company opened 30 new stores in the first half (or 13 excluding closures of existing outlets). It has a store pipeline of around 90 stores for the next three years too, which will add another 70 units to its portfolio. Unsurprisingly, WH Smith will focus new openings on the US, the world's biggest travel market Its Travel-based growth strategy leaves Smith well placed to capitalise on an expected boom in air travel. According to analysts at ACI World, the number of passengers worldwide will almost double between now and 2053, to 22.3bn. Rising investment in airport infrastructure also bodes well, as does the company's plans to accelerate rollout of its highly-scalable one-stop-shop travel essentials format. I'm not suggesting it will be plain sailing for WH Smith from this point onwards. Competition is high across its markets, while passenger numbers are sensitive to economic conditions. The company's pan-global presence also leaves it vulnerable to currency movements. Adverse changes knocked 2% off sales growth in the first half. But on balance, I think it could become one of the FTSE 250's standout growth shares. And in the nearer term, City analysts expect earnings to grow 8% and 10% in the next two financials years (to August 2025 and 2026 respectively). With the stock currently trading on a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 10 times, I think it's worth serious consideration right now. The post Could WH Smith be one of the FTSE 250's greatest growth shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Royston Wild has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended WH Smith. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
