Latest news with #RuPaul
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
RuPaul's Drag Race star rushed to hospital after 'homophobic' attack at Tesco
A RuPaul's Drag Race UK star has reportedly been assaulted at a supermarket after receiving 'homophobic abuse'. Pixie Polite, whose real name is Mark Wickens, said they were punched by a man inside a Tesco store in London on Monday night. The 32-year-old took to Instagram to explain that the alleged incident 'evolved from general comments and mocking, into verbal homophobic abuse, then into violence'. Pixie, who finished fifth in the series in 2022, was said to have suffered a suspected concussion, but doctors found their symptoms were 'conducive with a general head injury'. Last night, Pixie posted on Instagram saying: 'Majorly appreciate everyone's concern and blown away by the amount of messages I have received. 'Feeling a little groggy today, and have taken the day off to rest and process what happened. 'Overall I'm pretty much fine but I am feeling the same sense of righteous indignation I felt last night. So please enjoy this picture of me looking like a bad ass, while I daydream about justice today.' Responding beneath, one fan @carlycheers22 wrote: 'I'm absolutely heartbroken that this happened to you. Sending you so much love and the biggest hugs.' Meanwhile, @ramonart added: 'Sending you all my love.' The incident is now under investigation with the Metropolitan Police and it is said that the alleged attack is being treated as a 'hate crime', according to the Mirror. Pixie claimed that they took a picture of the alleged assaulter and there was CCTV footage showing the attack. The drag artist also said they are being supported by police officers who have been 'surprisingly great'. More Trending A Met Police spokesperson said: 'At 18:10hrs on Monday, 28 July officers responded to reports of assault and verbal abuse inside a shop on High Street Colliers Wood, Merton. 'Police spoke with one victim, a person in their 30s. An investigation has been launched and the incident is being treated as a hate crime. Enquiries are ongoing. At this stage no arrests have been made.' View More » They added: 'The victim is being supported by officers. We understand the impact this will have had on the LGBTQ+ community. If you have any concerns please speak to a local police officer.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Gregg Wallace announces autism charity role after claim he 'used autism as an excuse' MORE: BBC legend claims government banned 'shocking' TV show for 20 years MORE: Lisa Faulkner makes first public statement since John Torode's MasterChef firing
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Pixie Polite is 'punched' in 'homophobic assault' at Tesco as police launch hate crime probe
A star of RuPaul 's Drag Race UK was reportedly assaulted in a homophobic attack at a Tesco store in London. Drag performer Pixie Polite, who came fifth in the fourth series of the show in 2022, claimed they were punched in the back to the head and neck by a man inside the supermarket on Monday evening. What began as 'general comments and mocking' descended into 'verbal homophobic abuse, then into violence', the 32-year-old wrote on Instagram. The star was taken to hospital with a suspected concussion and was examined by doctors, who found their symptoms were 'conducive with a general head injury'. Pixie, whose given name is Mark James Dudley Wickens, told followers they were 'pretty much fine', but still felt a 'little groggy' in a post this morning. The Metropolitan Police has since launched a probe into the attack, which is being treated as a 'hate crime '. No arrests have yet been made, although Pixie claimed to have taken a photo of their alleged assaulter, with the incident also being caught on CCTV. Pixie now being supported by officers and said that police had been 'surprisingly great' in dealing with the attack. A Met Police spokesperson said: 'At 18:10hrs on Monday, 28 July officers responded to reports of assault and verbal abuse inside a shop on High Street Colliers Wood, Merton. 'Police spoke with one victim, a person in their 30s. An investigation has been launched and the incident is being treated as a hate crime. 'Enquiries are ongoing. At this stage no arrests have been made. 'The victim is being supported by officers. We understand the impact this will have had on the LGBTQ+ community. 'If you have any concerns please speak to a local police officer.' The force appealed for anyone with information about the incident that might help police with this investigation to call 101 referencing CAD 5855/28JUL. To remain completely anonymous you can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Laurence Fox ‘paedophile' posts would not have been taken seriously, appeal told
Social media posts by Laurence Fox referring to two people as paedophiles likely would not have been taken 'seriously' by many people, the Court of Appeal has heard. The actor-turned-activist was successfully sued by now-Stonewall CEO Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal over a row on Twitter, now known as X. Advertisement Mr Fox called Mr Blake and the former RuPaul's Drag Race contestant, whose real name is Colin Seymour, 'paedophiles' in an exchange about a decision by Sainsbury's to mark Black History Month in October 2020. Mr Fox called for a boycott of the supermarket and was called 'a racist' by the pair, as well as broadcaster Nicola Thorp, before he responded with the 'paedophile' tweets which led to the libel claims. In two judgments in 2024, Mrs Justice Collins Rice ruled in favour of Mr Blake and Mr Seymour and said Mr Fox should pay the pair £90,000 each in damages. The judge dismissed Mr Fox's counter claims against the pair and Ms Thorp over tweets accusing him of racism. Advertisement The 47-year-old is now challenging the rulings at the Court of Appeal in London, attending the first day of the hearing on Monday. Laurence Fox and his partner Elizabeth Barker attended Monday's hearing. Photo: Ben Whitley/PA. Patrick Green KC, for Mr Fox, said in written submissions that the judgment which found Mr Fox had libelled the pair should be quashed due to 'errors of approach' by the judge, including over whether Mr Blake and Mr Seymour were caused serious harm. Mr Green said: 'Her conclusions were in any event, plainly wrong, on any fair consideration of the evidence.' The barrister added that Mrs Justice Collins Rice had wrongly decided damages for the two men, who, along with Ms Thorp, are opposing the appeal. Advertisement Mr Green said that the decision on damages did not consider the actual words Mr Fox used 'and the likelihood that many or the vast majority of readers would have not have taken them seriously, particularly in their context'. The barrister said that in one of her rulings, the judge 'ignores the actual words used, or their all important context'. He also said the judge 'failed to account adequately or at all' for an apology Mr Fox made, or alleged misconduct by Mr Blake and Mr Seymour in 'exaggerating' the harm and distress caused. Mr Fox told the original trial in November 2023 that his use of the term was 'rhetorical', and 'there was no inference at any point that I thought they were a paedophile'. Advertisement 'I was diminishing the ridiculousness of calling me a racist,' he said. And on Monday, Mr Green said it was clear Mr Fox was being rhetorical. The barrister told appeal judges: 'He's not saying 'I am a racist and they are paedophiles' and everyone understood it in that way.' Adrienne Page KC, for Mr Blake, Mr Seymour and Ms Thorp, said in written submissions that Mr Fox's appeal was 'lacking in merit'. Advertisement Simon Blake (left), Nicola Thorp and Colin Seymour (right) attended the trial in November 2023 (Lucy North/PA) She continued: 'The 'paedophile' tweets did not embody the appellant's opinions about Mr Blake and Mr Seymour. 'They conveyed factual imputations of the most serious defamatory character.' The barrister added there was 'no meaningful retraction or apology' by Mr Fox. She later said: 'Whichever way one looks at it, the judge was fully entitled to reach the factual conclusions that she did on the serious, real-world, reputational impact of the appellant's tweets, for the reasons which she gave. 'There was nothing wrong with her analysis in fact or law.' Ms Page added that Mr Fox's case at trial had been 'largely devoted to hypothesising, as already noted, a series of different scenarios as to the various ways or settings in which his tweets may have appeared to different readers'. 'After very careful and conscientious evaluation, the judge was, unsurprisingly, not persuaded of this on the facts,' she continued. Ms Page continued that the sums of £90,000 in damages awarded to the pair were 'unexceptionable'. The hearing before Lord Justice Dingemans, Lady Justice Elisabeth Laing and Lord Justice Warby is expected to conclude on Tuesday.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Zendaya and Tom Holland haven't begun wedding planning, according to Law Roach
Zendaya and Tom Holland are yet to start planning their wedding, according to the actress' stylist Law Roach. The couple, both 28, met on the set of Marvel's Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, and news of their engagement was confirmed after Zendaya flashed a diamond ring on her left ring finger at the Golden Globes in January this year. However, due to Zendaya's hectic schedule, they haven't started the "process" of organising their nuptials yet. Her longtime stylist told E! News: "The process hasn't even started yet." He continued: "Zendaya is working on so many movies. She's now filming the next iteration of Dune, so she's away doing that. It's so many movies, so we have time. We have a lot of time." Roach avoided a question about Zendaya's bridal style by quipping that she will be a "secret bride". The RuPaul's Drag Race judge - whose clients also include Céline Dion and Anya Taylor-Joy - added: "I'm really excited because I know that they really love each other and they have for a really long time. "The fact that the world has been able to share in that love story, I think it's really beautiful." Meanwhile, Benson Boone recently said he would gladly sing at the pair's wedding. A date for the smitten couple's special day has not been confirmed, but Benson, 22, has said he is willing to perform at their ceremony when the time comes. The Beautiful Things hitmaker told E! News at the American Music Awards in May when asked if he'd be up for being their wedding singer: "Immediate yes. Of course! I'm not going to pass that up!" His comments came after he and Tom were recently spotted having lunch together, and Benson was full of praise for the star. Asked how Benson developed a relationship with the Onward actor, he said: "Just word of mouth, and it got around. Yeah, he's a great human being." Tom and Zendaya went public with their romance in 2021, and she has previously admitted that she feels "extra safe" whenever she works with him. She told Vanity Fair's 2025 Hollywood Issue: "It's actually strangely comfortable. It's like second nature, if anything. You feel extra safe with the person you're acting beside. I love working with him. "He's so talented, and so passionate about what he does. He always gives things 1,000 per cent, even if he's absolutely worn down. I really appreciate that about him. "It feels pretty normal. That's how we met. Literally, at a chemistry read." And Tom Googles Zendaya's name to "check" if she is OK. Appearing on the On the Menu podcast, he confessed: "The last thing I Googled was actually Zendaya. "I'm not on [social media], and I delete it when I'm not using it. So, sometimes, like, it's more of a bit of an anxiety thing, but I'll check to see if everything's good and to make sure we're all cool. "So I just give her a little Google and look [through] the news, and I'm like, 'She's good.'"
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Laurence Fox ‘paedophile' posts would not have been taken seriously, appeal told
Mr Fox called Mr Blake and the former RuPaul's Drag Race contestant, whose real name is Colin Seymour, 'paedophiles' in an exchange about a decision by Sainsbury's to mark Black History Month in October 2020. Mr Fox called for a boycott of the supermarket and was called 'a racist' by the pair, as well as broadcaster Nicola Thorp, before he responded with the 'paedophile' tweets which led to the libel claims. In two judgments in 2024, Mrs Justice Collins Rice ruled in favour of Mr Blake and Mr Seymour and said Mr Fox should pay the pair £90,000 each in damages. The judge dismissed Mr Fox's counter claims against the pair and Ms Thorp over tweets accusing him of racism. The 47-year-old is now challenging the rulings at the Court of Appeal in London, attending the first day of the hearing on Monday. Patrick Green KC, for Mr Fox, said in written submissions that the judgment which found Mr Fox had libelled the pair should be quashed due to 'errors of approach' by the judge, including over whether Mr Blake and Mr Seymour were caused serious harm. Mr Green said: 'Her conclusions were in any event, plainly wrong, on any fair consideration of the evidence.' The barrister added that Mrs Justice Collins Rice had wrongly decided damages for the two men, who, along with Ms Thorp, are opposing the appeal. Mr Green said that the decision on damages did not consider the actual words Mr Fox used 'and the likelihood that many or the vast majority of readers would have not have taken them seriously, particularly in their context'. The barrister said that in one of her rulings, the judge 'ignores the actual words used, or their all important context'. He also said the judge 'failed to account adequately or at all' for an apology Mr Fox made, or alleged misconduct by Mr Blake and Mr Seymour in 'exaggerating' the harm and distress caused. Mr Fox told the original trial in November 2023 that his use of the term was 'rhetorical', and 'there was no inference at any point that I thought they were a paedophile'. 'I was diminishing the ridiculousness of calling me a racist,' he said. And on Monday, Mr Green said it was clear Mr Fox was being rhetorical. The barrister told appeal judges: 'He's not saying 'I am a racist and they are paedophiles' and everyone understood it in that way.' Adrienne Page KC, for Mr Blake, Mr Seymour and Ms Thorp, said in written submissions that Mr Fox's appeal was 'lacking in merit'. She continued: 'The 'paedophile' tweets did not embody the appellant's opinions about Mr Blake and Mr Seymour. 'They conveyed factual imputations of the most serious defamatory character.' The barrister added there was 'no meaningful retraction or apology' by Mr Fox. She later said: 'Whichever way one looks at it, the judge was fully entitled to reach the factual conclusions that she did on the serious, real-world, reputational impact of the appellant's tweets, for the reasons which she gave. 'There was nothing wrong with her analysis in fact or law.' Ms Page added that Mr Fox's case at trial had been 'largely devoted to hypothesising, as already noted, a series of different scenarios as to the various ways or settings in which his tweets may have appeared to different readers'. 'After very careful and conscientious evaluation, the judge was, unsurprisingly, not persuaded of this on the facts,' she continued. Ms Page continued that the sums of £90,000 in damages awarded to the pair were 'unexceptionable'. The hearing before Lord Justice Dingemans, Lady Justice Elisabeth Laing and Lord Justice Warby is expected to conclude on Tuesday.
