Latest news with #TheUKTonight
Sky News
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Sky News
Rory McIlroy's psychologist reveals what golfer had to 'accept' before winning Masters - as star friend reacts to victory
Friends and colleagues of Rory McIlroy have hailed his career Grand Slam as "one of the greatest days in sport" - as the golfer's psychologist revealed how he overcame an 11-year wait for another major. The Northern Irishman, 35, secured victory at the Masters to become only the sixth man to have won all four of golf's major championships. McIlroy had not won a major since the 2014 US PGA Championship - and his victory at Augusta sparked emotional and jubilant scenes. Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley spoke to The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee about McIlroy's historic victory, saying: "I think the human element is what brought people into it." He added: "They all know the trials and tribulations Rory's had in the last couple of years, the near misses and the opportunities he's let slip through his fingers. "Like a Hollywood movie, everyone loves a redemption story. "It was quite extraordinary... it was sport at its best." McGinley said McIlroy's win "had everything" and was "up there with one of the greatest days in sport I've ever seen". 'I was weeping' Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt also reflected on the triumph, speaking to Mark Austin on Sky News's The News Hour. Nesbitt said: "I couldn't be happier for anyone... I felt personally just overjoyed, I was weeping." 7:09 He told Sky News he received a text from actor Jamie Dornan "saying he's never woken up happier, and he's got three daughters". Nesbitt described how important McIlroy's win was for their shared home country, saying: "Rory was always a beacon of hope, even though he was a young boy, because we looked for those things if Northern Ireland was to evolve. "He seemed kind of emblematic of change, you know, and someone that put a smile on the faces of everyone here, everyone in Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland today would have woken up happy and proud." How McIlroy developed 'resilience' "You never win the way you dream it," renowned sports psychologist Bob Rotella told Sky News, speaking about McIlroy's victory. Rotella was McIlroy's psychologist and they spoke throughout the tournament. "Everyone's talking about his resilience, that's something he's worked really hard to develop," Rotella said. 8:06 McIlroy suffered an 11-year drought in major tournaments, coming close but falling at the last hurdle a number of times before his Masters victory. Rotella said: "He's had to really accept that no matter how good you get at golf, no matter how talented you are, you're going to miss a lot of shots. "We talk a lot about if you love golf, you've got to love that it's a game of mistakes." Ahead of the tournament, Rotella said he sent McIlroy a "long text" that they would sit down and discuss after each day in the tournament. Rotella added: "The bottom line is we knew this was going to be a challenging week, and that he was going to be nervous. "It's about: 'Okay, most of the great stories in sports histories have been comeback stories, so you've set yourself up for a comeback story, and this is just a chapter in your story.' "I wasn't worried at all, my last words to him before he went to the course, we had a nice embrace, and I said: 'Go do what you know how to do'."
Sky News
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Sky News
Rory McIlroy's psychologist reveals what golfer had to 'accept' before winning Masters - as star friend and ex-teammate react to victory
Friends and colleagues of Rory McIlroy have hailed his career Grand Slam as "one of the greatest days in sport" - as the golfer's psychologist revealed how he overcame an 11-year wait for another major. The Northern Irishman, 35, secured victory at the Masters to become only the sixth man to have won all four of golf's major championships. McIlroy had not won a major since the 2014 US PGA Championship - and his victory at Augusta sparked emotional and jubilant scenes. Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley spoke to The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee about McIlroy's historic victory, saying: "I think the human element is what brought people into it." He added: "They all know the trials and tribulations Rory's had in the last couple of years, the near misses and the opportunities he's let slip through his fingers. "Like a Hollywood movie, everyone loves a redemption story. "It was quite extraordinary... it was sport at its best." McGinley said McIlroy's win "had everything" and was "up there with one of the greatest days in sport I've ever seen". 'I was weeping' Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt also reflected on the triumph, speaking to Mark Austin on Sky News's The News Hour. Nesbitt said: "I couldn't be happier for anyone... I felt personally just overjoyed, I was weeping." 7:09 He told Sky News he received a text from actor Jamie Dornan "saying he's never woken up happier, and he's got three daughters". Nesbitt described how important McIlroy's win was for their shared home country, saying: "Rory was always a beacon of hope, even though he was a young boy, because we looked for those things if Northern Ireland was to evolve. "He seemed kind of emblematic of change, you know, and someone that put a smile on the faces of everyone here, everyone in Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland today would have woken up happy and proud." How McIlroy developed 'resilience' "You never win the way you dream it," renowned sports psychologist Bob Rotella told Sky News, speaking about McIlroy's victory. Rotella was McIlroy's psychologist and they spoke throughout the tournament. "Everyone's talking about his resilience, that's something he's worked really hard to develop," Rotella said. 8:06 McIlroy suffered an 11-year drought in major tournaments, coming close but falling at the last hurdle a number of times before his Masters victory. Rotella said: "He's had to really accept that no matter how good you get at golf, no matter how talented you are, you're going to miss a lot of shots. "We talk a lot about if you love golf, you've got to love that it's a game of mistakes." Ahead of the tournament, Rotella said he sent McIlroy a "long text" that they would sit down and discuss after each day in the tournament. Rotella added: "The bottom line is we knew this was going to be a challenging week, and that he was going to be nervous. "It's about: 'Okay, most of the great stories in sports histories have been comeback stories, so you've set yourself up for a comeback story, and this is just a chapter in your story.' "I wasn't worried at all, my last words to him before he went to the course, we had a nice embrace, and I said: 'Go do what you know how to do'."
Sky News
08-04-2025
- Sky News
Graduated driving licences for young people 'could have saved my daughter', says bereaved mother
A mother whose daughter was killed in a car crash has said tougher laws for new drivers could have saved the teenager's life. Speaking on The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee, Sharon Huddleston called on the government to bring in new laws to "help save young lives [and] give teenagers a future". Caitlin Huddleston, 18, was a passenger in a vehicle which collided with a van in July 2017. The crash killed both Caitlin and the driver, her friend Skye Mitchell, also 18. A backseat passenger and the van driver were left with severe injuries. Skye had passed her test just four months before the crash, which occurred after she "entered a bend slightly too fast for her experience and lost control", Ms Huddleston said. The car then spun on to the opposite carriageway and in front of a van travelling in the opposite direction. Ms Huddleston later "found out about a law called a graduated driving licence which could have saved my daughter's life". In 2023, around a fifth of people killed or seriously injured in Great Britain in car collisions involved a young driver. Graduated Driving Licences (GDLs) have been introduced in a number of other countries including Canada, where it takes at least 20 months for a new driver to gain a full driving licence by earning in stages. Young drivers working towards their full licence face extra rules such as not being allowed on the roads between midnight and 5am, and a limit on the number of under 19-year-old passengers. 2:18 As reported by Sky News' Dan Whitehead, evidence shows deaths among 16 to 19-year-old drivers in Canada have fallen by 83%. But the government has previously stated it has no plans to introduce GDLs, saying they could "unfairly" penalise young drivers. "Our children have been penalised from living their lives," Ms Huddleston said in response. "We want this implemented to help save young lives, to give teenagers a future. Our children's futures were taken from them. "These children who are killed on the roads, they're being penalised from living their lives, we shouldn't have to bury our children," she continued. Ms Huddleston was joined on The UK Tonight by Dr Ian Greenwood, whose daughter Alice died at the age of 12 after a speeding, young driver crashed into a car she was travelling in with her mother and sister. Dr Greenwood said: "They were speeding, they were distracted, it's a rural road. "It's almost like doing a bingo for the risk factors of a graduated driving licence - other than alcohol, they were all present in that crash." The driver of the car and his passenger also died, he said. 1:57 A Department for Transport spokesperson told Sky News: "Every death on our roads is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way. "Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driving Licences, we absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this without unfairly penalising young drivers."
Sky News
12-03-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Non-verbal teenager who wrote a book with his eyes says he's 'voice of the voiceless'
A teenager with severe cerebral palsy who wrote a book using his eyes has urged teachers not to underestimate their pupils. When Jonathan Bryan started school he was given the label PMLD, which stands for profound and multiple learning disabilities. It meant he was placed on a sensory curriculum - essentially early years education - but his mother took him out of school and taught him to read and write using an alphabet board. Mr Bryan told The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee he has become a "voice of the voiceless" over 10 years of campaigning to prevent people with complex needs and who are non-verbal from being overlooked. The 19-year-old is now a published author and is studying creative writing at the University of Bath. Asked if the school system was underestimating children with PMLD, he said the mistake was in thinking "it's something that's diagnosed" when it is "just an educational label given to children who look like me - usually in a wheelchair, with little or no means of communication". "Our cognition isn't tested before we get the label, but we are treated like we all have a profound intellectual disability," he said. "We're not taught to read or write because it's assumed we'll never learn. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. We don't learn because we aren't taught." He said "people look at us and make assumptions about our capacity to learn". "When you don't speak out loud, people assume your intellect is the same as a pre-verbal toddler. Because we don't speak, it's easier to ignore us. It's why I speak up about this as a voice for the voiceless." After a decade of campaigning, Mr Bryan said there is "still a long way to go". "Until the government expects this cohort to be taught literacy, it's down to individuals and schools to raise their expectations," he said. ' Please don't underestimate your pupils' Asked what his life would have been like if his mother had not taught him to read and write using an alphabet board, he said: "I'd rather not think about it. I'd be left to my own thoughts and unable to communicate everything I can now. It's difficult imagining how lonely and boring that would be." Mr Bryan had a message for those who might underestimate people with similar needs. "If you are a teacher watching this, please don't underestimate your pupils," he said. "Anyone else, please remember, non-speaking is not the same as non-thinking." He encouraged people who are non-speaking and "have a story of how you learnt to read and write" to contact the charity he founded, Teach Us Too. A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We are determined to break down the barriers to opportunity to ensure all young people with SEND, like Jonathan, can achieve and thrive. This includes making sure every child has a strong foundation in reading and writing as part of our Plan for Change. "The system we've inherited has been failing to meet the needs of children and families for far too long and we are determined to improve inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools, making sure special schools cater to children with the most complex needs."
Sky News
10-02-2025
- General
- Sky News
Dozens of unexploded Second World War bombs discovered at playpark
Workers constructing a playpark in Northumberland have uncovered close to 200 unexploded Second World War bombs. It's thought the area in Wooler was used as a Home Guard training ground and the munitions, which still contain a charge, were buried there at the end of the war. Councillor Mark Mather from Northumberland County Council, who also sits on Wooler Parish Council, told Sky News' Sarah-Jane Mee about the discovery on The UK Tonight. He said they got a call on 14 January from the contractors saying "they thought they'd discovered a bomb". "We had to put a 50-metre cordon around the site," he said. "The army bomb disposal team came out to the first one on the first day, and then the second bomb, the next day." After that, they were told they would need to hire a private contractor - who found 65 bombs on their first day of work and another 90 the next. "We're up to 176 of these [bombs], between nine and 11 and a half pound training devices." He said as they still carry a charge they have to be treated as "potentially hazardous" live devices. Work is continuing to make the site safe and the council plans to complete the playpark. "We're going to make sure that once the team leave that we have a certificate to say that park's 100% safe," Mr Mather said. The cost of hiring contractors to remove the devices is not cheap and brought extra concerns for the parish council, which Mr Mather sits on. He said that the project to safely remove the munitions is estimated between £30,000 and 40,000, and Northumberland County Council have stepped in to fund the work. And Mr Mather warned there is the potential for more finds of Second World War bombs and artefacts. "We just don't know," he said, adding there was concern "different types of explosives or... World War Two memorabilia" could be found as the works continued.
