Latest news with #emotionalturmoil
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I was devastated to discover I wasn't on a secret WhatsApp group. Here's the controversial method I used to work out who my REAL friends are: FLORA GILL
If you're Lily Allen 's friend and haven't heard from her in a while, you may be wondering where you rank on the pop star's list of friends. This isn't a theoretical ranking; it turns out the singer has a list of friends 'in order of how much I like them', so her assistant can use the data to appropriately organise catch-ups. God forbid she organise a one-to-one with a 12th-place mate. Ranking your friends may sound cut-throat, but the truth is it's something we're all encouraged to do from that first moment your primary school teacher calls out 'Everyone get into pairs!' and true allegiances are revealed. There was always that devastating moment when a tripod friendship was forced to fracture and someone found out they were the spare part. Girls in particular are repeatedly told we need a 'best friend'. But not everyone can be your best friend, so the potential for emotional turmoil and toxicity is high. As a child, I was given one of those ubiquitous best friend necklaces by my parents for Christmas. The idea was that I would wear one half and give the other to my best friend. The only issue was that I didn't have a best friend. So I wore the half-heart necklace that read 'BE FRI' and hid the other in a drawer, telling everyone at school they just didn't know my secret bestie who lived in another country, proudly sporting her 'ST END' necklace. I looked at the other girls in my class wearing their matching jewellery and felt jealous, sad and lonely. Why was I not good enough to be anyone's number one? Yet one of the most scarring friendship rites of passage for my generation came in the brutal form of the MySpace 'Top 8'. For anyone lucky enough to have missed this horror show, MySpace is the social media website that predated Facebook. As well as collecting online 'friends', you had to publicly rank your top eight friends on your profile. Who you picked was a diplomatic minefield capable of shattering friendships – and fragile teen hearts – as your social standing was brought into harsh focus. Nothing was more humiliating than putting someone into your top friends, only to realise they hadn't reciprocated. A reshuffle – something that happened constantly as fickle teen friendships shifted from day to day – would often involve a sudden phone call from a friend incredulous at having been usurped from their spot, followed by a negotiation for their reinstatement. We'd like to pretend that such behaviour stops when we leave school, but we all know that's not the case. If anything, friendship slights hurt more in adulthood when 'groups' become weaker without the glue of everyday classes, and making new connections becomes harder. Now, there's the secret side chats of WhatsApp groups (I once found out some friends of mine had one I was excluded from and made them immediately delete it). Or discovering someone has a 'close friend' list on their Instagram stories . . . and you're not in it. Nothing makes the ranking of your 'best friends' clearer than a wedding. The process of deciding who gets to be among your bridesmaids or groomsmen is the adult equivalent of MySpace Top 8. Many a friendship has ended over who was, or wasn't, granted this honour. I've been to a wedding where there were 15 bridesmaids in matching outfits so that the bride wasn't forced to choose between her friends. At my own wedding last summer I just had a maid of honour (I did eventually find a best friend) but forwent bridesmaids to avoid any drama. But, most of the time, we rank our friends in secret. Which is how, like Lily Allen, a few years ago I came to compile a spreadsheet where I scored my own friends. I too found it quite helpful to ensure I met up with the friends I valued most, and realised who I'd grown distant from. Points were awarded for their level of fun and uniqueness but docked for consistently turning up late or not reciprocating invitations. But the thing about friendships is they're constantly in flux – and the friendships that last the longest aren't necessarily the ones you'll need in a given moment. On that original list I had a brutal one point deduction for new parents, as our priorities weren't aligned. But now, as a new mother myself, if I were to resurrect my spreadsheet a fellow new parent would earn an extra point - I need people who won't be bored to death by conversation of wake windows and weaning techniques. So while I applaud Lily's list, I just hope she realises it needs to be constantly reshuffled. Maybe MySpace, emotionally fraught as it was, was on to something after all.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Straw Tyler Perry movie wey dey draw emotions from Nigerians
Straw, one new psychological crime thriller movie wey ogbonge American filmmaker Tyler Perry just release on Netflix currently dey totori feem lovers all ova di world. Di feem wey dey rank number one on Netflix globally na movie wey get plenty emotional turmoil and e full of suspense. Di Netflix thriller, wey dem release on 6 June, star Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah Wiltkinson, one single mother wey dey struggle to provide for her sick daughter, Aria (Gabby Jackson). As di movie hit number one for di world on Netflix, Madam Henson for one post on Instagram tok say, "Dis one take me on a journey—deep, raw, real—and I dey so grateful say e dey land wit you, di way e land wit me." "To everibody wey cry, reflect, and feel sometin… I see you. I feel you. Dat na why we do dis," Henson add. Many pipo hail and relate to di feem as e capture di struggles of ordinary pipo we trap for these kind of situations. Wetin Straw dey all about? Di official synopsis for Straw show how one single mother world turn upside down one day, as her day bin go from bad to worse to catastrophic as she struggle to care for her sick daughter. As di situation push am to di edge by di world wey no care about her existence, she dey forced to confront impossible choices for inside society wey no guarantee safety net. As her day bin go out of control, na so she no fit do wetin dey right, wetin dey legal, and wetin even dey real. Di tori wey start from woman wey dey try to hold evritin togeda quickly take unexpected turns and leave pipo wey dey watch to kwesion evritin. Oga Perry tear di tori down to raw moments of desperation, e explore wetin fit happun wen dem push pesin beyond dia limits. Why Janaiyah hold bank hostage? Wetin be di real tori behind her daughter? And wetin e mean wen pesin finally reach dia last straw. Straw, na very heart-breaking, emotional story wey reveal di harsh reality of di world. As e dey tok to Entertainment Weekly, di Oscar nominee say wetin draw her to di tori na how Straw highlight "how easy e dey for pipo wey dey for vulnerable position to dey disregarded or disenfranchised by di system wey suppose protect dem." Straw focus on di financial struggles of single mother Janiyah, wey come across multiple setbacks throughout her day. Di movie also feature two strong women Nicole (Sherri Shepherd) di bank manager and Detective Raymond (Teyana Taylor), wey show di lead character real support for di first time. Dem listen to her struggles and try to de-escalate di situation. Di feem also get one shocking twist for di end, as e dey normal wit Tyler Perry feems, wey go leave fans wit plenty confusions and questions. Casts of Straw Oga Perry feature plenty ogbonge actors for dis movie and dem deliver dia role well. Part of dem na three women wey carry di movie, give di feem life and essence. Taraji P Henson as Janiyah Janiyah Wilkinson na di lead cast member of di movie. She be di helpless mother wey struggle to take care of her sick daughter, Aria. To provide for her basic needs, Janiyah bin work for one grocery store under one unsympathetic boss wey no dey miss opportunity to ridicule her. One day, wen authorities take her daughter, she make one decision wey make her life even more difficult. Taraji P. Henson play di role of Janiyah Witkinson for Straw. She be famous American actress and she don feature for ogbonge movie like Hustle & Flow, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Karate Kid, and Streetwise, among odas. She also don win plenty awards. Sherri Shepherd as Nicole Afta dem fire her from work, Janiyah bin try to cash her cheque for bank, but di cashier tell her say she must provide official ID and she no get. As she no get oda option, Janiyah take out gun to threaten di cashier. Nicole, na di bank manager, wey call di police and alert dem say Janiyah get gun and she carry bomb, she later become support system to Janiyah. Afta Janiyah allow all di hostages to leave di bank, Nicole bin stay back to ensure say she safely surrender herself to di police. Sherri Shepherd na award-winning actress wey don feature for many movies like 30 Rock, The Sex Life of College Girls, and more. Teyana Taylor as Detective Kay Raymond Det. Key Raymond na one former negotiator for di army. She bin work as a detective for di main storyline. Even though she hear say Janiyah allegedly rob bank, Raymond still dey sympathetic towards her and also punish di officer threaten Janiyah earlier. Kay Raymond play incredible role for di feem, and her acting dey highly impactful Teyana Taylor na multitalented public figure. She be actor, dancer, singer, and music video editor wey don show for plenty music videos.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fern Britton candidly admits 'I've had a catalogue of difficult things to face' as she reflects on turbulent past few years following stalker ordeal and divorce - amid five stone weight loss
Fern Britton has candidly reflected on a experiencing a 'catalogue of difficulty' in the past few years - amid her jaw-dropping five stone weight loss. The TV presenter, 67, has faced emotional turmoil throughout her life, from her divorce from Phil Vickery and a terrifying stalker ordeal. Sharing her favourite home comforts - being with her cats Dr Iain Mackerel and Barbar in Cornwall - Fern emotionally touched on her past difficulties. She told The Sunday Times: 'When I'm not feeling well, one of my cats will always sit on my bed with me. They take it in turns, like a shift pattern. 'This has been particularly comforting in recent years because I've had a catalogue of difficult things to face, from getting my home together here in Cornwall to discovering that I had a stalker.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Fern shares twin sons Harry and Jack, 31, and daughter Grace, 27, from her first marriage, to Clive Jones, and daughter Winnie, 23, with ex Phil. She has kept her private life out of the spotlight since calling it a off with TV chef, Phil, 63, in 2020, after 20 years. She recently admitted that while she does get 'lonely', she is still not looking for love five years on from her split. The couple's 20-year marriage came to an end in 2020 following the deaths of Fern's parents, which reportedly caused the pair to realise that they had to 'follow their own paths'. She told Woman & Home: 'I'm not looking for love - I'm still a bit too wary of losing my liberty. 'There's nobody to run something past but, on the other hand, I think back to running things past people and it never really worked out, so why don't I just make my own decision? Then I'm the only person who can go, 'I f***ed up there.' Last year, Fern's stalker was handed a ten-year restraining order and 150 hours of unpaid work after he admitted harassing the TV presenter. James Haviland, 63, of Great Oaks Chase, Chineham, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to stalking the former This Morning presenter without causing fear, alarm or distress in a two year crusade. The court heard Haviland began his 'prolonged campaign' in 2021 when started sending the mother-of-four, 66, cards and flowers. On three occasions the married father made the four-hour drive from his Hampshire home to the village of Padstow more than 200 miles away where the former This Morning presenter has gone on holiday as a child. As part of his oppressive behaviour, he even rented the holiday cottage which the star owns. In 2020, the Celebrity Big Brother star moved 270 miles from her home in Buckinghamshire to the Southwest coast of England after she split with Phil. The presenter said it had helped her heal after they split following 20 years of marriage, and her parents passing away. In recent months, Fern has continued to showcase her incredible five stone weight loss. In a recent Instagram post, the presenter looked effortlessly chic in a plaid blazer and trousers while resting her hand on her slender waist. Fern recently revealed the turning point behind her dramatic weight loss in an interview with Woman&Home magazine. Speaking about her transformation she said: 'I started the Couch to 5k, took about 80 per cent of the sugar out of my life and started to think about what I was eating, which I had never done' The presenter reflected on the powerful moment she decided to take back control of her health. She told the publication: 'People often wonder when you lose lots of weight whether you've done it naturally. 'And I can look at you and say, "Yes, I have".' 'I had my shoulder replacement 18 months ago, and two-and-a-half years ago, when I saw the surgeon, he said, "I'm going to totally replace your shoulder, I'll see you in a year." 'I thought, "I need to get my life back on track. I need to stop smoking, stop drinking, get eating under control and stop lying in bed feeling sorry for myself". 'So I started the Couch to 5k, took about 80 per cent of the sugar out of my life and started to think about what I was eating, which I had never done before.' Fern became a household name alongside Philip Schofield from 1999 to 2009, when she was replaced by Holly. She reportedly blames Phil for her This Morning exit and isn't afraid to speak out in the CBB house. It was claimed at the time of Fern's This Morning exit she felt 'undervalued by ITV' and that she was 'living in Phil's shadow'. It was also reported she was being paid £250,000 a year less than Phil and that he was earning three times her salary when they were fronting Mr and Mrs together from 2008 to 2010. Phil is said to have banked £45,000 an hour while Fern earned just £15,000. However, Fern denied she left ITV because of her salary and upon her departure she mentioned the whole This Morning team rather than just Phillip. Four years after her departure, Phillip admitted he and Fern no longer spoke.
