Latest news with #Newcastle-born
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Emmerdale star opens up about Joe Tate's cliffhanger as he's pushed from window
ITV Emmerdale star Laura Norton has opened up about Joe Tate's harrowing scene as he was pushed from a bedroom window in Thursday night's cliffhanger ending - but who did it? As soap cliffhangers go, it was quite the jawdropper. Tonight (Thursday, 8 May), Emmerdale fans watched as villainous Joe Tate was pushed from a bedroom window and landed face down on the concrete below. It was a grisly comeuppance that many in the Dales may have felt he deserved after his part in the recent limo crash, which killed off three huge names. But which one of Emmerdale's grieving characters gave him the potentially fatal shove? Ever since Who Shot JR and Who Killed Dirty Den, soaps have loved a good old-fashioned revenge whodunnit. And the one thing more fun than watching it all play out is getting to be one of the suspects - as actress Laura Norton, aka Kerry Wyatt, can attest. Her character lost her daughter Amy (played by Natalie Ann Jamieson) after Joe (played by Ned Porteus) drugged Noah Dingle, causing him to stumble onto the road and send the limo plunging into a frozen lake in the soap's biggest stunt for years. 'Kerry definitely has good reason to kill Joe and get revenge,' Laura teases. 'We know she's a loose cannon and unpredictable. Her daughter was all Kerry had.' Emmerdale is keeping tight-lipped on whether Joe makes a recovery. But Laura's character is one of a handful of suspects that will come under the microscope in the coming days and weeks. Could she be the one who gave him the push? It turns out Laura was pretty miffed with Joe's storyline in real life too, as the other victims were Suzy Merton (played by Martelle Edinborough) and Leyla Harding (played by Roxy Shahidi). That's the same Roxy who is her real life best friend and who she no longer gets to hang out with every day on set. 'Roxy is one of my best mates, you know, it was hard dragging her across the ice in those scenes after the crash!' says Laura, 43. 'It was just genuinely emotional. We sobbed when we found out Roxy was going and Natalie - my on-screen daughter. 'There was one scene where Natalie was supposed to be completely out of it in a hospital bed and I had to come in and hold her and cuddle her - and she was crying her eyes out. 'The crew were saying you're not going to be able to do that on a take, you're supposed to be dead! 'But we were just so emotional because you play mother and daughter. Even weirdly, she feels like my little girl, even though there's not that massive age gap in real life.' But the ITV soap, which Laura first joined back in 2012, hasn't just given Laura good friends, it's given her a family too - she met her actor fiancé of seven years, Mark Jordon, 60, on set and they now have two beautiful children, Jesse, four, and two-year-old Ronnie. 'A huge chunk of my life has been Emmerdale,' she says. 'A lot has happened to me.' The Newcastle-born actress and Mark got engaged in 2018 but have yet to set a date. 'Things just kept getting in the way. And then we had children. It will happen when the time is right,' says Laura. The delay in tying the knot has been due to having far more important priorities. Both children have a rare genetic condition called Usher Syndrome that is currently incurable. Jesse and Ronnie were born deaf, which is a symptom of Usher Syndrome, and wear hearing aids. It also causes retinitis pigmentosa or RP, a disease of the retina cells leading to night blindness, tunnel vision and, eventually, a total loss of vision. 'It tends to be teenage years, around 14 and 15, when they could be affected,' says Laura. 'So we've got this ticking time bomb. And that's why Mark and I are just doing as much fundraising and awareness as we can. That's our focus. The challenges we'll meet is when the vision starts to be affected but we're a good hopefully ten years away from that now.' For now, the couple are focused on finding a cure for their children's condition. As patrons of the charity Cure Usher, they have placed their faith in genetic eye diseases expert Mariya Moosajee, Professor of Molecular Ophthalmology at UCL and the Francis Crick Institute in London. Laura says: 'The science is there, the talent is there. The funding isn't because it's a rare condition and no one's heard of it. She's not getting the funding, but she thinks she's about 10 years away from finding it.' The children's condition was down to unlucky genetics. 'I've been a carrier and never known about it,' explains Laura. 'Mark was a carrier and never knew. [So] we met each other. We had a baby. 'We were both told there was a 75% chance our children wouldn't inherit it.' The odds may have been in their favour, but the outcome was not. But Laura was already pregnant with Ronnie when Jesse was diagnosed. 'They asked me if I wanted to find out about the risks of Ronnie having the condition - while I was pregnant,' she recalls. 'And I was like, no, because it wouldn't make any difference. I knew in my heart that she did have Usher syndrome just like Jesse. 'Even though the nurses were saying, 'Don't worry, the odds are on your side' - [but] I just knew. I don't know whether that is my female intuition....' Laura had her best friend on set - until recently - to help her through the long, gruelling hours, but the actress takes some comfort in knowing her children both have a friend at their side for life. 'There is that small consolation that they have each other. They will never feel alone, and I am so grateful for that', she says. 'I think it was all meant to be. I know have these two beautiful they're going to [always] have somebody to go through it with.' Every few weeks the children have their ear mold replaced. 'Jesse goes for colours to match whatever superhero he is into at the time. At the moment they are green for the hulk,' reveals Laura. 'Ronnie got pink ones. And when we were at the audiologist the other day, Jesse picked Ronnie's hearing aids up and went, 'these are her Barbie ears'." While Laura has long days filming her current Emmerdale storylines, Mark is holding the fort at home. 'Mark is at home with the kids but he's got something coming up workwise next month which is exciting,' she says. 'He's an amazing dad, I came home the other day and the kids were so happy - knackered though and filthy because he takes them out all day. I've learnt a lot from him as a parent. I mean he's been there and done it once before.' Mark was previously married to Happy Valley actress Siobhan Finneran, with whom he has two children, Poppy, 24, and Joseph, 26. 'The young Jordan siblings are very close to the older ones," says Laura. 'They are very close to their half-brother and half sister. They absolutely love Poppy and Jo. It was weird. Even when they were tiny, they knew they were related. 'We had friends coming round all the time, some a similar age to Poppy and Joseph, but they just knew they were family.' Laura first met Mark when he joined Emmerdale as Daz Spencer, the brother of Kerry's boyfriend Dan. 'Mark was only on set three or four weeks,' she recalls. 'Then we didn't see each other for a really long time. And then he came back to Emmerdale for a bit, and we became friends - we were on the phone a lot - but not in a million years did I think we'd end up together. I couldn't imagine my life without him now. He is phenomenal.' It was her best friend Roxy who also helped Laura get in the 'best shape of her life.' Viewers will have noticed Laura is noticeably slimmer than when she first appeared as 'trashy tart with a heart' Kerry. Laura explains, 'One day after a long day filming she took me to a Hot Yoga class. Roxy is a yoga teacher herself and Yoga fanatic. 'It was hilarious - we ended up holding hands at the end of it. Afterwards, said 'I'm not going back. I'll just do it myself' because she's a control freak. I got addicted to it and went back and was going any time I could for a year!' Mark meanwhile is planning his exercise fix of sorts, by doing a wing walk in July - strapping himself to a wing of a plane - with a few of the Emmerdale lads to raise money for a charity helping fight Usher Syndrome. It's going to be terrifying - but at least he's not taking the plunge, like poor old Joe.
BBC News
03-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hull KR hammer Salford to extend lead at top
Betfred Super LeagueHull KR (24) 54Tries: Hadley, Luckley, Hiku, Litten 2, Batchelor, Booth, Mourgue 2 Goals: Mourgue 9Salford (0) 0 Super League leaders Hull KR coasted to a Magic Weekend victory over beleaguered Salford Red Devils to extend their cushion at the top of the Hadley twisted over for Hull KR's first try while Newcastle-born Sam Luckley scored in front of his hometown crowd at St James' Park to put them further Hiku went in to extend the Robins' lead soon after while Jez Litten ran in from distance to send them out of sight before the Batchelor went in for KR's fifth try while Noah Booth scored on his debut before Litten's second and Arthur Mourgue's late double sealed the win in for Willie Peters' side means they extend their lead at the summit back to three points over second-placed Leigh, who beat Catalans in the first fixture of Magic Weekend earlier on slip to a ninth Super League defeat from 10 matches this term and, after February's 42-0 drubbing at Craven Park, the Robins have now scored a whopping 96 unanswered points against them in just two games in 2025. Hull KR thought they had taken an early lead through Batchelor but Salford successfully issued a captain's challenge having spotted that he knocked on in the process of being tackled shortly before he crossed the Robins lost centre Oliver Gildart to a knee injury moments later but despite his absence, they kept up the pressure and eventually edged ahead courtesy of Hadley's score after eight score came as he crashed through Joe Shorrocks to batter his way to the whitewash and Hiku showed great strength to go in for his 98th career try soon best was still to come for Hull KR, however, as Mikey Lewis sent Hiku through to race in from 40 response, Nathan Connell almost touched down for Salford's first try after the break but spilled the ball in the process of going moments later, Hull KR rubbed salt into the wounds as a slick set of passes sent Lewis through and just as he was being tackled close to the line, he sent a deflected offload into the path of Batchelor who ran in with try, which came via a fantastic no-look pass from Hiku, was followed by Bill Leyland's sensational offload to send Litten through for his who was fantastic with the boot all evening, added two tries to his first came in the aftermath of Tyrone May carving a hole in a Salford defence which looked hugely deflated as time ticked down towards the hooter, and his second came in similar fashion as he weaved through a hapless Red Devils line to register a personal 26-point haul. Hull KR: Mourgue; Booth, Hiku, Gildart, Broadbent; Lewis, May; Sue, Litten, Whitbread, Hadley, Batchelor, Luckley, Brown, Doro, Nikorima; Ryan, Marsters, Vaughan, Connell; Shorrocks, Morgan; Ormondroyd, Davis, Chan, Hellewell, Foster, Warren, Sangare, Wilson, Liam Rush.
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Mega' Newcastle set for eighth Magic Weekend
Super League's Magic Weekend makes its return this early May bank holiday weekend as all 12 sides feature in a feast of rugby league on Saturday and event also returns to Newcastle United's St James' Park after a year's absence when Leeds' Elland Road played host in will be the eighth time the venue has held the event but what is it that keeps the sport coming back?BBC Sport spoke to those familiar with the Magic Weekend to find out. 'If the Aussies are nicking something off us it's decent' St James' Park first held the event in 2015 and ever since it has been a favourite on the calendar for fans and players hosted the Magic Weekend another six times until 2023 - missing out only in 2019 when Liverpool's Anfield played host and 2020 when the event was cancelled because of the Covid is the success of the format, Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) adopted it from 2019 under the Magic Round moniker - and have held it at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium ever the NRL's Magic Round also takes place this weekend."If the Aussies are nicking something off us, it's a decent event isn't it?" Wakefield head coach Daryl Powell told BBC Radio Leeds."I've always enjoyed it. It's kind of a party atmosphere for the fans which is great."St James' Park is really good as a venue, it feels great when you play there. It's great for fans and I think the teams see it as something special."Powell's comments were echoed by Castleford boss Danny McGuire, who praised the decision to return to a tried and tested venue."I'm glad it's back at Newcastle, I think it's a really good venue for it - I think the fans probably take to it more than Leeds last year," he added."I went to the Saturday games last year and I don't think there was the same atmosphere." 2025 Magic Weekend fixtures Saturday, 3 MayLeigh Leopards v Catalans Dragons (15:00 BST)Hull KR v Salford Red Devils (17:15)St Helens v Leeds Rhinos (19:30)Sunday, 4 MayHuddersfield Giants v Hull FC (13:00)Wigan Warriors v Warrington Wolves (15:15)Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity (17:30) Luckley's 'childhood dream' return The event is more than just a return to a well-loved ground for Hull KR forward Sam Luckley - it is literally a Newcastle-born prop made his Magic Weekend debut at the ground in 2021 with Salford and appeared there again for the Red Devils off the bench the following featured again at St James' Park for Hull KR in 2023 and would be delighted to make a fourth appearance there and seal another victory for the league leaders."It's my childhood dream," he told BBC Sport. "It means so much to me. I've played here a few times now and it just gets better and better."I felt a bit lost last year at Leeds but it's nice to come back."With Newcastle United winning the Carabao Cup recently, there is a sporting buzz about the city. Will that be reflected in the level of support this weekend?"With the football, everyone's buzzing so I think Newcastle's the best place to be at the minute," Luckley of the perks of St James' Park is the fact it is centrally located in Newcastle, meaning, unlike some venues used in the past, fans can drift in and out of the stadium and enjoy what the city has to offer."It's probably my favourite - all the family come down for it, it's just a mega occasion," Warrington centre Toby King told BBC Sport."The city has a proper vibrant party lifestyle in it and there's a lot of places to enjoy yourself in Newcastle." 'To have a team in Newcastle would be a dream' It is almost 20 years since the first Magic Weekend event was held in 2007 at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and it has been a staple on the Super League calendar ever now the event has settled on Newcastle as its most logical and loved home, can that inspire the game to break out of its heartlands?Wigan hooker Kruise Leeming thinks so."I'm all for anything that is filling stadiums and getting a load of fans together," Leeming told BBC Sport."Our sport is so unique in that aspect that you can have all different sets of fans together with no trouble. It's a family event."We've seen what happened in Vegas [with March's rugby league festival which included a Super League game between Wigan and Warrington] and how much of a success that was."To have it [Magic Weekend] in Newcastle, it's a great venue and a great hotbed for rugby league."The more teams we can have in different areas of England the better. To have a team in Newcastle filling out this stadium every week, it would be a dream."So, what does the event mean to someone relatively new to Magic Weekend?Hull FC forward Herman Ese'ese believes a stadium with the stature of St James' Park is befitting the event."I'm a big fan, I got my first taste last year in Leeds - it's great for the fans and the game and I'm really excited about it," he told BBC Sport."My first thought was how big the stadium is compared to some we play at during the season. "It's exciting for all the teams to come here and spend some time together and play at a nice stadium."
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Vicky Pattison wears mint green strapless dress as she and husband Ercan Ramadan attend black tie charity dinner
Vicky Pattison and Ercan Ramadan wowed as they attended a black tie event in London on Thursday evening. The I'm A Celeb star, 37, and her spouse, 41, were pictured looking smitten leaving a swanky Hilton hotel on their way to an event for The Brompton Fountain. Walking hand-in-hand with the former The Only Way Is Essex man, Vicky looked sensational in a mint green, off-the-shoulder dress with golden heels, earrings and a bag to match. While Ercan, who she married last summer, cut a dashing figure in a white buttoned-up shirt, a black tux and a bow-tie. The pair were in the capital to attend the 'Have A Heart Gala' at The Savoy Hotel, where they were joined by a number of other TV stars including TOWIE star James Argent. Walking hand-in-hand with the former The Only Way Is Essex man, Vicky looked sensational in a mint green , off-the-shoulder dress with golden heels, earrings and a bag to match In a suave photo shared on Ercan's Instagram on Thursday evening, he and James cut cool figures as they smiled for the camera in their dashing tuxes. Vicky and Ercan enjoyed the 'wedding reception of dreams' last August when they tied the knot after five years together. The couple said 'I do' in front of 150 of their friends and family at Marylebone Town Hall after Ercan popped the question while on holiday in Dubai in February 2022. And just a matter of days ago, Vicky, who shot to fame on Geordie Shore, said she is 'grateful' to finally be married after years of 'toxic' relationships. Reflecting on past romances, the Newcastle-born star told The Sun that she has 'paid her dues' when it comes to making romantic mistakes, citing several instances of alleged 'bad behaviour', though she did not say who she was referring to. 'It would be easy to say I would've never gone out with those boys, met those types of men or been that type of person had I not been on TV,' she added. 'In reality that's a lie. I was absolutely on that trajectory, regardless of whether there was a camera crew around. 'I don't feel any shame about it. I've grown through everything and I am a woman now who deserves Ercan. Back then, I wouldn't have. 'So, I don't feel smug to be married - I feel grateful.' Before meeting 'the one' in 2019, Vicky had a string of high-profile relationships including with Ricci Guarnaccio, which came to an end alongside a failed engagement in 2013. While appearing on Ex On The Beach in 2015, Vicky struck up a romance with Steven Bear that lasted just four months. Vicky was also previously engaged to John Noble, who she dated for two years from 2016 and 2018, but the relationship fell apart before she had a chance to walk down the aisle. She has also dated TOWIE stars Kirk Norcross and Mario Falcone while she has also been linked to ice hockey player James Morgan. She had a brief tryst with Spencer Matthews following their stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! together, though their romance failed to progress.
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Irish Sun
I escaped the miserable UK rental market to spend just £650-a-month living in a converted Ford Transit van with my dog
FED up with sky-high rents and an endless game of house hopscotch, a young Brit has embraced van life, living off just £650 a month with her dog. Fashion photographer Nicole Keefe, 27, had lived in 18 homes by 2023, leaving her feeling 'trapped' and 'miserable', and losing hope that she would ever get on the property ladder. Advertisement 7 The fashion photographer perched a top of her signature leopard print blanket Credit: Collect/PA Real Life 7 Nicole and her pooch, Linda McCartney, are both happier loving van life Credit: Collect/PA Real Life Having been frequently moved as a child, this trend continued into her adulthood due to 'things not going right' with partners. But she has now Having joined a Newcastle-born Nicole now lives off less than £650 a month- less than she has ever spent on rent, and can even afford a gym membership, having before felt she couldn't even 'afford a social life.' Advertisement Read More According to Following the writing off of her old car and following others on social media who had embraced the nomadic van life, she She She told PA Real Life: 'It was all very minimalist …. I kept the base the same. There's a kitchen area, sink, bed, solar panels, and I added in a fridge, gas camping hob and air fryer and got a new mattress. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Review 'I made it a bit more me, adding in some leopard print and just decorating it over time.' For the first nine months, she continued her 9-5 7 One of the beautiful views from Nicole's van Credit: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved 7 Wandering through a picturesque British town Credit: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved Advertisement 7 Nicole used the cleaning job to explore the South Coast Credit: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved 7 Perched in her mobile home Credit: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved 7 Nicole perched atop her signature leopard print decor Credit: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved The turning point came when she landed a cleaning gig at a Dorset campsite via a nomad Facebook Group, and from there, she built her freelance social media career, snapping pics and managing social media for businesses, gaining thousands of followers. She was offered the cleaning gig, an hour after a virtual interview and immediately quit her 9-5 job and sped off to Dorset. Advertisement Nicole spent three months working there with her pooch, exploring the South Coast on her days off. While she found the freedom 'really lovely', at first she struggled with limited human interaction, as she 'hated her own company.' But gradually she got used to going to coffee shops on her own, and 'enjoying being alone.' The companionship of her furry friend, Linda, is key, and she makes a point of FaceTiming her family, friends and long-distance partner. She said: 'When I was moving home, I used to all the time, and it would always take McCartney a month or two to get settled. Advertisement 'He would cry and bark if he were left alone in the house, but he got used to the van in two days, and I think he loves his routine.' Having swapped the cleaning job for a barista job in Winchester, she has now managed to become a full-time content creator for businesses. Her social media presence is ballooning with her This has allowed her complete nomadic freedom and so far, she has travelled up and down the country, ping ponging from Snowdonia to Cornwall, popping by Warwickshire, exploring Scotland and travelling throughout the North East. Advertisement She said: 'Since then I've gone wherever I want to go – it's quite a weird thing to adjust to because I don't have anywhere I need to be unless I've got a photography job.'Long-term, she plans to continue her motoring adventure for four years, and even if she eventually buys a house, will continue to whizz around the country on the weekends.
