Latest news with #visibility
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Lucy Spraggan says she became more 'palatable' as a lesbian on TV after weight loss and a boob job - as she details life after X Factor and close bond with Simon Cowell
Lucy Spraggan has called for more LGBTQ + representation on television, revealing she felt a shift in the public's attitude towards her when she changed her appearance. The singer, 33, found fame on The X Factor in 2012, and to date is the only open lesbian contestant. Honey G, who competed four years later, came out as gay after appearing on the show. In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Lucy - who has just realised her new single The Lesson - opened up about being a lesbian in the public eye. She shared: 'I don't feel any pressure to be a representation of the LGBTQIA+ community because it's so vast. But as a lesbian, I do think there's not that much visibility in the UK. 'I feel like if there's a lesbian on TV, they have to be a certain "kind" of lesbian to be palatable.' 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. Lucy explained: 'I noticed a big difference when I had my boobs and teeth done and dyed my hair blonde and I lost 20kg. 'I was much more palatable, I think. I don't know, we've got a way to go, but I think the UK is doing alright at the moment.' While she noticed a shift in attitude towards her after changing her look, she insisted that it had nothing to do with her public perception. Instead, it was Lucy's decision to go sober in 2020 that sparked her transformation. She explained: 'I lost the weight because I stopped drinking, which led to a load of lifestyle changes. 'I started running a lot because I was trying to get high elsewhere, because I didn't have drugs or alcohol anymore, so it kind of happened by accident. 'Then because I lost so much weight, my boobs [sagged]. I mean it was a necessary surgery,' she laughed. 'I don't feel pressured to look a certain way. I think it's cool to be versatile. It's important to just represent doing you doing your thing, which is what I want people to like take from me.' While the showbiz circuit is notoriously hedonistic, Lucy thinks that things have shifted in recent years. 'Maintaining sobriety is individual, it completely independent of everything else that's going on in life, stresses peak and then they go back down again,' she mused. 'But the music industry, I think people within it have become kinder, and I think there's a lot more focus on creativity at the moment and enjoyment and fulfillment and it's nice to be a part of that.' Currently, the music world has been left reeling the shock allegations made against rapper Diddy, who has been accused of drugging and raping women at his parties, known as 'Freak Offs'. Asked about the darker side of the music industry, she said: 'I've had my own sort of experience of that. 'You know in my book I spoke more about all of the things that have happened to me that have been very underground for years... 'But that being said, I've been sober for six years, so I don't really end up in many places I don't want to be in anymore.' In 2023, Lucy revealed that during her time on The X Factor, she was raped by a porter in the hotel room where she was staying after partying with Rylan Clark. At the time, when she quit the show, it was said to be down to illness. Revealing the assault for the first time in her autobiography, Process, she explained the illness was the strong side effects of PEP medication - a drug given to her by doctors which can prevent someone contracting HIV. On why she decided to reveal the truth 11 years on, Lucy confessed: 'It was scary for sure, it was terrifying, but I knew that if I put it out there - everything - there was absolutely nothing I have to hide from. 'People picked up on that and they said "thank you for talking about this thing, or that thing, because it made me feel really full of shame, and I haven't got any shame about anything". 'And I think that's a nice place to be.' While Simon was not a judge on The X Factor when Lucy competed, he later reached out and apologised for how she was treated on the ITV show, with Lucy then admitting: 'His apology healed a part of my being that I didn't know needed healing.' Asked how it felt receiving the apology, she mused: 'I think whether forgiveness is easy or not depends on the person. 'It's a lot easier to forgive somebody when they apologise, and that's something that's really big for me. I do a lot of work on forgiveness in general. 'They say like hating people is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. 'Truly in my life right now, there is nobody that I don't forgive and there's nobody that I don't wish, peace and health for in this world.' Indeed, her friendship with Simon is better than ever, and last year the music mogul walked her down the aisle during her star-studded wedding to girlfriend Emilia Smith. 'It was really strange,' Lucy laughed. 'It's a high stress environment and I looked to the side and saw him, like this is weird! 'But he was here and Lauren [Silverman] was there.' Married life has also inspired her music, with Lucy gearing up to release new album, Other Sides Of The Moon. The title she revealed is inspired by her love story. Discussing her relationship with her wife, she mused: 'We'd been friends for like 10 years. Then at the same time we looked at each other and thought "I'm in love with you." 'Then I wrote the song Other Sides Of The Moon and it's about looking at the same moon. 'We'd been looking at the same moon all the time, but we were just on other sides of it. Now we're on the same side.' Lucy's new single, The Lesson is inspired by losing loved ones. 'They teach you so much while they're alive and the only thing that they don't teach you is how to live without them,' Lucy mused. 'The album is a collection of songs from the past, songs that I wrote years ago, that I wanted to bring into now and make them sound new and more mature. 'I'm at a point now where I feel quite comfortable in myself and my voice has changed a lot and I'm a bit more adventurous. Lucy's single The Lesson, and tickets to her UK tour in November, are out now and her album, Other Sides Of The Moon, is out June 20.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
LGBTQIA+ map 'promotes belonging' at rail stations
An illustrated travel map and exhibition is being launched to highlight local LGBTQIA+ stories and develop a sense of "visibility, belonging, and safety" across a rail network. The project - called Exploring LGBTQIA+ Gloucestershire - was developed by Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership (GCRP) and features 13 original portraits by Brockworth-based illustrator Sherina Steele. The portraits include both historical and contemporary figures like King Edward II and Olly Alexander, who have shaped Gloucestershire's queer history. About 2,000 maps will be distributed throughout June as part of Pride Month, with the exhibition open to the public at Cheltenham Spa Station from 31 May. GCRP executive director, Hannah McDonnell, said: "Through this map and exhibition, we're working to remove barriers, amplify underrepresented voices, and build a more inclusive transport network rooted in the communities it serves." The initiative, funded by Great Western Railway, aims to promote visibility at railway stations across the county and forms part of the national Railway 200 celebrations, by spotlighting underrepresented histories and communities within the rail network. Ms McDonnell said that by sharing the stories of LGBTQIA+ people and places across Gloucestershire they hope to "inspire connection, pride and belonging, both within the community and among those who travel through it". The 13 portraits featured in the exhibition and on the map include singer and actor Olly Alexander, former chief constable of Gloucestershire Police Suzette Davenport, King Edward II and Conservative MP for Cheltenham between 1874 and 1928 Sir James Agg-Gardner. Others included are computer scientist Alan Turing, Bee Bailey - the first openly transgender police woman on Gloucestershire Police, and Stroud-born barman Jody Dobrowski who was killed because of his sexuality in London in 2005. Project manager Piper Holmes said the LGBTQIA+ population in the UK is "steadily increasing by 3.3%" but she said recent spikes in hate crimes had "tripled in recent years". She said that through the project, the team wanted to "encourage queer people to explore their area and know that Gloucestershire can be a place for them". "Making the places listed accessible by public transport is critical as many young people are not driving these days," she added. She also hopes the project will help build "confidence within the community to access rail industry careers". Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Allie X to headline Bristol Pride 2025 UK Pride groups suspend involvement of political parties Crowds gather to celebrate Cheltenham Pride Pride Gloucestershire GWR - Pride
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
LGBTQIA+ map 'promotes belonging' at rail stations
An illustrated travel map and exhibition is being launched to highlight local LGBTQIA+ stories and develop a sense of "visibility, belonging, and safety" across a rail network. The project - called Exploring LGBTQIA+ Gloucestershire - was developed by Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership (GCRP) and features 13 original portraits by Brockworth-based illustrator Sherina Steele. The portraits include both historical and contemporary figures like King Edward II and Olly Alexander, who have shaped Gloucestershire's queer history. About 2,000 maps will be distributed throughout June as part of Pride Month, with the exhibition open to the public at Cheltenham Spa Station from 31 May. GCRP executive director, Hannah McDonnell, said: "Through this map and exhibition, we're working to remove barriers, amplify underrepresented voices, and build a more inclusive transport network rooted in the communities it serves." The initiative, funded by Great Western Railway, aims to promote visibility at railway stations across the county and forms part of the national Railway 200 celebrations, by spotlighting underrepresented histories and communities within the rail network. Ms McDonnell said that by sharing the stories of LGBTQIA+ people and places across Gloucestershire they hope to "inspire connection, pride and belonging, both within the community and among those who travel through it". The 13 portraits featured in the exhibition and on the map include singer and actor Olly Alexander, former chief constable of Gloucestershire Police Suzette Davenport, King Edward II and Conservative MP for Cheltenham between 1874 and 1928 Sir James Agg-Gardner. Others included are computer scientist Alan Turing, Bee Bailey - the first openly transgender police woman on Gloucestershire Police, and Stroud-born barman Jody Dobrowski who was killed because of his sexuality in London in 2005. Project manager Piper Holmes said the LGBTQIA+ population in the UK is "steadily increasing by 3.3%" but she said recent spikes in hate crimes had "tripled in recent years". She said that through the project, the team wanted to "encourage queer people to explore their area and know that Gloucestershire can be a place for them". "Making the places listed accessible by public transport is critical as many young people are not driving these days," she added. She also hopes the project will help build "confidence within the community to access rail industry careers". Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Allie X to headline Bristol Pride 2025 UK Pride groups suspend involvement of political parties Crowds gather to celebrate Cheltenham Pride Pride Gloucestershire GWR - Pride
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
LGBTQIA+ travel map launched at Gloucestershire railway stations
An illustrated travel map and exhibition is being launched to highlight local LGBTQIA+ stories and develop a sense of "visibility, belonging, and safety" across a rail project - called Exploring LGBTQIA+ Gloucestershire - was developed by Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership (GCRP) and features 13 original portraits by Brockworth-based illustrator Sherina portraits include both historical and contemporary figures like King Edward II and Olly Alexander, who have shaped Gloucestershire's queer 2,000 maps will be distributed throughout June as part of Pride Month, with the exhibition open to the public at Cheltenham Spa Station from 31 May. GCRP executive director, Hannah McDonnell, said: "Through this map and exhibition, we're working to remove barriers, amplify underrepresented voices, and build a more inclusive transport network rooted in the communities it serves." The initiative, funded by Great Western Railway, aims to promote visibility at railway stations across the county and forms part of the national Railway 200 celebrations, by spotlighting underrepresented histories and communities within the rail McDonnell said that by sharing the stories of LGBTQIA+ people and places across Gloucestershire they hope to "inspire connection, pride and belonging, both within the community and among those who travel through it". The 13 portraits featured in the exhibition and on the map include singer and actor Olly Alexander, former chief constable of Gloucestershire Police Suzette Davenport, King Edward II and Conservative MP for Cheltenham between 1874 and 1928 Sir James included are computer scientist Alan Turing, Bee Bailey - the first openly transgender police woman on Gloucestershire Police, and Stroud-born barman Jody Dobrowski who was killed because of his sexuality in London in 2005. Project manager Piper Holmes said the LGBTQIA+ population in the UK is "steadily increasing by 3.3%" but she said recent spikes in hate crimes had "tripled in recent years".She said that through the project, the team wanted to "encourage queer people to explore their area and know that Gloucestershire can be a place for them"."Making the places listed accessible by public transport is critical as many young people are not driving these days," she also hopes the project will help build "confidence within the community to access rail industry careers".
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
French Open sexism scheduling row erupts as Ons Jabeur blasts lack of visibility given to women's tennis - as organisers defend men dominating prime-time night slot
The French Open has once again been gripped by a sexist scheduling row as Ons Jabeur hit out at the lack of visibility given to women's tennis at the event. Last year, every match chosen for the prime-time night session slot was a men's match - and the same again every day this year so far. Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo - ironically a former WTA star herself - remain utterly unapologetic about the lopsided scheduling. There is limited outcry among the players themselves, mostly because the night session is generally seen as an inconvenient time to compete. Four-time champion Iga Swiatek likes to play early in the day, so her attitude to the whole thing can be summed up as: I'm alright Jack. But Jabeur is one of the few to see the bigger picture: that women's tennis has to fight for greater visibility. You don't have to agree , just read with an open heart❤️ — Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) May 30, 2025 'I hope whoever is making the decision, I don't think they have daughters, because I don't think they want to treat their daughters like this,' said the Tunisian earlier in the week. 'It's a bit ironic. They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis, and then they say, 'Yeah, but mostly they watch men." 'Of course they watch men more because you show men more. Everything goes together.' And on Friday she posted a long message on X: 'The women's game has been writing its own legacy loudly, brilliantly, and for far too long without full recognition.' In her mid-tournament press conference, Mauresmo was repeatedly taken to task over the lopsided scheduling. To sum up her position: when there is only one match in the night session, we will always go for a men's match because that guarantees the punters a minimum of three sets, rather than two. Why can't you have two matches, a men's and a women's? Because then the night session would finish too late. Why can't you start it earlier? Because people wouldn't be able to get there in time after leaving work, so the stands would be empty for the first match. It is not easy to argue with any of her reasoning, but that does not make the end result any less palatable.
