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Wales Online
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
TV presenter says Strictly was 'worse than childbirth'
TV presenter says Strictly was 'worse than childbirth' Angela Scanlon has insisted that she would rather give birth without pain relief "ten times over" than experience the pain of the "raw, bleeding blisters" she suffered on Strictly Come Dancing (Image: PA ) TV presenter Angela Scanlon has frankly admitted that her stint on Strictly Come Dancing was a tougher experience than going through childbirth. The 41-year-old presenter, who is a mother to daughters Ruby, seven, and Marnie, three, with entrepreneur Roy Horgan, would opt to go through giving birth without pain relief "ten times over" instead of enduring the "raw, bleeding blisters" that plagued her during her time on the popular BBC Saturday evening dance show in 2023. In conversation with reality TV personality Vicky Pattison, 37, on their 'Get a Grip' podcast, Angela, host of shows like Your Home Made Perfect, revealed: "I've had two children without pain relief and would do that ten times over in a day than have raw, bleeding blisters. "You have to put the goddamn shoes on and do a Viennese waltz - my heels have never had so much action. "You put a plaster on and, because you're sweating like a donkey, it falls off. You put socks on with your ballroom shoe, and you're still rub-a-dubbing. "You're raw." On the radio and on the dance floor, Angela, embraced by listeners on Virgin Radio UK, faced tough competition alongside professional dance partner, Carlos Gu, as they landed in sixth place on Strictly Come Dancing. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . Angela Scanlon took part in the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing (Image: BANG Showbiz ) Their Cha-cha-cha to Gloria Gaynor's hit 'I Will Survive' didn't charm judges Craig Revel Horwood, 60, Motsi Mabuse, 44, Shirley Ballas, 64, and Anton Du Beke, 58. The duo found themselves battling it out in a dance-off against Layton Williams, 30, known for his role in the BBC series Bad Education, and his professional partner Nikita Kuzmin, 27. Reflecting on the tense moments under the red lights during Strictly Come Dancing, Angela Scanlon described the experience as "hell on Earth" while speaking to Caroline Hirons on the 'Glad We Had This Chat' podcast in 2024. She expressed her disbelief at the practice, saying: "Under the lights? "Hell on Earth. I don't know how they're still allowed to do it. Honestly, it's absolute torture." Angela went on to discuss their leaderboard position: "And the thing about it is, we were never, or we were very rarely, like up there on the leaderboard - twice maybe. "So you can sometimes have like a little bit of a breather because I think.." She also touched upon the uncertainty of the voting system: "I don't fully understand how the marking works but you know, if you're right up there, it's very unlikely that the public voted, no matter how bad it is, is enough to get you out." Finally, she highlighted the precariousness of not being at the top: "If you're skirting around the middle, it's a danger zone. "The level of competition was insane so it was never comfortable." Article continues below
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Ryan Tubridy shares glimpse of scenic trip home as he vanishes from airwaves for ‘well-deserved' break
RYAN Tubridy has shared a sunny snap from his trip home to Ireland as he takes a "well-deserved" break. The decided to take a short break from his UK show . Advertisement 2 Ryan has taken a short break from his Virgin Radio UK show Credit: Handout image 2 The host jetted home to Ireland Credit: Instagram Ryan jetted back to Ireland for a holiday and shared an update with fans on The The 52-year-old looked happy as ever as he posed for a snaps in front of the sea in Connemara, Co He captioned his post: "Off on holidays for a couple of weeks. Normal service will resume then!" Advertisement READ MORE ON RYAN TUBRIDY Ryan's fans and friends flocked to the comment section to share their love for his post. Marie said: "Enjoy your much-deserved holiday Ryan." Mary wrote: "Have a brilliant holiday. There's nowhere like the west of Ireland." Tina commented: "Enjoy your well-deserved break." Advertisement Most read in Celebrity Lisa gushed: "Will miss you off the airwaves but enjoy your holiday." Another added: "You sounded so excited yesterday. It's a place you've wanted to go to for years I think. I hope it's all you expected and more. Have a great holiday." Donncha O'Callaghan has Ryan Tubridy in stitches Ex-RTE star Donncha O'Callaghan recently left Ryan Tubridy in stitches after he shared his The star sat down with on his new podcast, The Bookshelf, to discuss his kids' book, Disaster Dad. Advertisement The former Irish DAD DUTIES The Irish host told Tubridy that even though he is well used to being a hands-on dad, it wasn't always so easy. The 46-year-old confessed: "I remember when we brought Sophie home for the first time and I'll never forget the door closing. Advertisement "I just looked over at Jenny and was like, 'Oh my God, here we go'." Ryan humorously jumped in and remarked: "Where's the manual?" Donncha hysterically replied: "Exactly, I'm like we got something with the air fryer but we have nothing with Sophie." Tubridy burst into a fit of laughter at the star's honest remark. Advertisement
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Ryan Tubridy has not returned €150,000 he received from RTÉ for two promotional events that did not happen
Ryan Tubridy , the former Late Late Show presenter, has not repaid RTÉ a sum of €150,000 he received as part of a controversial payment deal in 2020 that was not disclosed publicly, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst has confirmed. Ryan Tubridy was to be paid a total of €225,000 over three years by RTÉ as part of a deal brokered by him, his agent Noel Kelly and the station in 2020. He agreed to participate in three corporate events for Late Late Show sponsor Renault in return for the payments. The payments to Mr Tubridy were not disclosed publicly by the broadcaster until 2023. The payments formed the centre of the scandal, which resulted in Mr Tubridy, RTÉ's highest-paid presenter, leaving the station that year. At the Oireachtas Media Committee, Mr Bakhurst was questioned about the payment by Pádraig O'Sullivan of Fianna Fáil and confirmed that Mr Tubridy, who now works as a London-based broadcaster for Virgin Radio UK and Q102, has never made the repayments. READ MORE The sums were processed through a barter account, which shielded the payments from public view. Mr Tubridy did participate in one promotional event for Renault, but the second and third events did not place. Asked in 2023 should Mr Tubridy repay the €150,000 fee for those events, the director general said that on a legal basis, it might not be available to recuperate. Mr Bakhurst has also said there was a 'moral case' for Mr Tubridy to make the repayment. At the height of the controversy over the 'secret payments' in 2023, Mr Tubridy indicated that he would be willing to repay the money should he return to RTÉ. The payments were nominally made by Renault but RTÉ underwrote all three, totalling €225,000, and effectively paid Mr Tubridy. The sums were not classified in the broadcaster's annual accounts as salary payments. The broadcaster's head of news, Deirdre McCarthy, told the committee that the cost of a TV advertisement promoting the work of RTÉ's newsroom amounted to €77,000 plus VAT – a total of €94,000. The advert has been the subject of recent media reports following the leaking of information that actors had been employed to pose as journalists, and that props had been used. [ Dismay among RTÉ staffers as broadcaster hires actors to play journalists in 'make-believe' ad campaign Opens in new window ] Mr Bakhurst and Ms McCarthy were highly critical of media coverage of the TV adverts. Ms McCarthy said there had been 'factual inaccuracies and misinformation, and a lack of context' in media reports. She told the committee, chaired by Labour TD Alan Kelly, that the adverts featured the daily working lives of three prominent RTÉ journalists, one of whom is Europe editor Tony Connelly . A request had been made to the management of the news division to allow some journalists to feature in the advert, as background 'extras'. Ms McCarthy said it was decided that journalists would not be taken away from their daily duties. Therefore, extras had been hired but they had been shot out of focus and appeared blurred. 'A lot of the misinformation has come from a leak to the media of an internal editorial meeting last [week],' she said. Earlier, Mr Bakhurst told the committee that reports of props being brought into the newsroom were incorrect. He said that other than two plants having been taken from another part of the building into the newsroom, there were no props. Mr Kelly told Mr Bakhurst that the public think the advert is 'bananas' and it has 'annoyed a lot of people'. [ RTÉ confirms €3.6m write down on partly abandoned IT project Opens in new window ] RTÉ executives were criticised by several committee members, including Joanne Byrne, Sen Alison Comyn, Sen Garret Ahearn, and Malcolm Byrne, for only disclosing in March this year that there was a €3.6 million impairment on a new ICT system that was partially abandoned in 2020. Mr Bakhurst confirmed he had only become aware of the impairment more than a year into his term. Asked why he was not told earlier about the impairment, Mr Bakhurst said RTÉ was a big organisation. 'We are trying to clear the stables,' he added, saying that he had disclosed a number of other issues for the broadcaster that had come to light in recent times, including its admission that it repaid €2.7 million in total (including fines) to Revenue for payments made under the Covid-era Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme to those who were not eligible.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Simon Pegg shows off his edgy new look as he poses with a diamond gun necklace at Mission Impossible photocall during Cannes Film Festival
Simon Pegg showed off his new look at Mission Impossible photocall during the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. The actor, 55, posed for some fun photos wearing a diamond gun necklace while walking the red carpet at Palais des Festivals. He went shirtless underneath a cream waistcoat, which he teamed with a matching blazer and smart trousers. Simon completed his edgy outfit with a pair of quirky, clear framed sunglasses and black patent loafers. Striking a series of poses he stuck out his tongue an readjusted his glasses in front of photographers. He has reprised his role as field agent and Ethan Hunt's (Tom Cruise) close friend, Benji Dunn for the Mission Impossible franchise's final instalment. The actor, 55, posed for some fun photos wearing a diamond gun necklace while walking the red carpet at Palais des Festivals Earlier this week, Simon got emotional as he spoke about his co-star Tom Cruise and revealed what made him 'shed a tear.' Speaking on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery on Virgin Radio UK, Simon admitted it was 'incredibly emotional' leaving behind 20 years of his life. He said: 'Obviously everyone always talks about the stunts, but at the heart of the movie, it's incredibly sort of emotional. 'For all the characters everybody gets an arc, everybody gets a really sort of powerful emotional beat and it's moving. 'I shed a tear and I think partly because it's been 20 years of my life and partly because it genuinely gets to you, there's some real moments in it.' Host Chris replied: 'You're tearing up just talking about it. I can see you glazing over.' Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, will screen this week at Cannes Film Festival on May 14, bringing an end to the film franchise which began in 1996. This year's Cannes Film Festival is taking place in the wake of Trump´s vow to enact tariffs on international films. Striking a series of poses he stuck out his tongue an readjusted his glasses in front of photographers Cannes, where filmmakers, sales agents and journalists gather from around the world, is the Olympics of the big screen, with its own golden prize, the Palme d´Or, to give out at the end. Filmmakers come from nearly every corner of the globe to showcase their films while dealmakers work through the night to sell finished films or packaged productions to various territories. 'You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation,' says Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, who´s returning to Cannes with 'The Secret Agent, a thriller set during Brazil ´s dictatorship. 'You´ve got to really prepare for the whole experience because it´s quite intense - not very far from the feeling of approaching a roller coaster as you go up the steps at the Palais.' Trump sent shock waves through Hollywood and the international film community when he announced on May 4 that all movies "produced in Foreign Lands" will face 100% tariffs. The White House has said no final decisions have been made. Options being explored include federal incentives for U.S.-based productions, rather than tariffs. But the announcement was a reminder of how international tensions can destabilize even the oldest cultural institutions. The Cannes Film Festival originally emerged in the World War II years, when the rise of fascism in Italy led to the founding of an alternative to the then-government controlled Venice Film Festival. In the time since, Cannes´ resolute commitment to cinema has made it a beacon to filmmakers. Countless directors have come to make their name.
Sunday World
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Ryan Tubridy reveals ‘touching' letter late Saoirse Ruane sent him after he left RTÉ
The 12-year-old died from cancer last year Ryan Tubridy has revealed the touching letter that the late Saoirse Ruane sent him after he left RTÉ. Saoirse died from cancer last year at 12 years old. She appeared on the Toy Show in 2020 and inspired the creation of the annual Toy Show Appeal, which has raised millions of euros for charity in the years since. Speaking to her mother Roseanna on the latest episode of his podcast The Bookshelf, the presenter shared the words Saoirse wrote to him before her death in 2024. 'To Ryan, you're going to be really missed but we will keep up our friendship and our door will always be open to you,' the letter reads. Ryan Tubridy with Saoirse Ruane News in 90 Seconds - May 13th 'Thank you for everything Toy Show related, and the unconditional love you have always shown me and my family. 'We would love you to pop in for some Black Forest Gateau on route home from your holidays in the West of Ireland. 'Lots of Love and Hugs, Saoirse Ruane.' Tubridy left the national broadcaster in July 2023 when he stepped down from his role presenting The Late Late Show. His departure came in the wake of a payments scandal, which saw RTÉ face huge public scrutiny after it was revealed that they had underdeclared payments to him. The presenter, his agent Noel Kelly and several senior RTÉ executives and board members were called before an Oireachtas committee. Following his departure from the broadcaster, Tubridy joined Virgin Radio UK, where he hosts The Ryan Tubridy Show from London on weekdays and Sundays. The show is also syndicated, broadcasting on Dublin's Q102 at the same time. He also hosts his podcast, The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy. He recently threw his support behind fellow veteran broadcaster Joe Duffy who revealed he is set to leave RTÉ at the end of June. Working at the broadcaster for 37 years, Duffy presented the flagship lunchtime show 'Liveline' for 27. Tubridy reacted to the news on Instagram, sharing a black and white photo of them posing together with the caption: "I love to talk to Joe.' 'Good man! One of our greatest broadcasters and thoughtful with it,' he continued. 'There's a whole other world waiting for Joe Duffy, here's to the next chapter.' Duffy announced the news on his show last week. Joe Duffy "After 37 wonderful years here in RTÉ, and 27 years presenting Liveline, it has been an incredible honour and privilege to be part of a programme that relied entirely on trust: the trust of our listeners,' he said. "People felt they could pick up the phone, ring Liveline, and share their lives, problems, stories sad, bad, sometimes mad and funny, their struggles, and their victories. "I never took that for granted, not for a single minute. RTÉ has been a great place to work. Public service has always been at its heart,' he continued. "And now, after many happy years, I've decided the time has come to move on. I would like to thank you the listener for tuning in each and every day, it has been an honour to sit in this seat and hear your stories.'
