Many people will be sad already that we’re coming to the final season of Game of Thrones.
Although that will be a devestating blow to our TV-watching schedules, it’s not the death knell.
Game of Thrones lovers will be happy to know that there’s a new spin-off coming from the show’s creators, and it’s going to tell us everything we need to know about how the Westeros we’ve seen came to be.
It doesn’t actually have a name yet, and is in the very early stages of development, but there are a few things we can reveal.
Plot
Although we don’t know exact specifics, we do know that it’s set in Westeros around 5,000 years before the original GoT.
It’s during a time known by those in the current drama as the Age of Heroes, which George R. R. Martin calls ‘a very different place’ to the Westeros we know.
In a statement, HBO stated this will look at ‘the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour.’
They continued: ‘From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend… it’s not the story we think we know.’
Don’t expect a King’s Landing, don’t expect an Iron Throne, and don’t expect Targaryens. There will be plenty of drama, though.
Cast
There have been rumours of a few different actors set to star in the prequel. They include:
John Simm
Jamie Campbell-Bower
Miranda Richardson
Naomi Watts
Marquis Rodriguez
Richard McCabe
John Heffernan
Josh Whitehouse
Naomi Ackie
Dixie Egerickx
Ivanno Jeremiah
Denise Gough
Sheila Atim
Georgie Henley
Alex Sharp
Toby Regbo
In terms of characters, Martin stated: ‘None of the characters or actors from Game of Thrones will appear in the new show’. So, expect a fresh new crop of odd olde-English names to remember.
Release date
Don’t set your TV recorder just yet, as it’s likely due to be a few years before we get to watch this.
The show is currently in the pilot stages, and given the fact we haven’t actually had a final GoT series yet, prequels will take their time behind.
It’s the first of a number of GoT spin-offs however, so at least there’s that to look forward to.
The Bay actress Chanel Cresswell opens up on family’s own trauma (Picture: ITV)
The Bay actress Chanel Cresswell has revealed she drew on her own real-life tragedy to play grieving mother Jess in the harrowing ITV drama.
The six-part series follows DS Lisa Armstrong (played by Morven Christie) on the hunt for a killer after a young boy, Dylan, was found dead on Morecambe Bay while his twin sister Holly is currently still missing.
Chanel stars as Dylan’s mother, who’s both in shock at her son’s murder and also desperate to find her daughter. And the 29-year-old actress explained that she spoke to her mother about her auntie and uncle’s own trauma, after they lost their nine-year-old daughter.
‘When I got this role I already had some experience to draw on because my cousin died when she was only around nine years old,’ Chanel told Daily Star.
‘Obviously it wasn’t my child in that situation, but I was able to ask my mum about it.
‘I asked about how my uncle and aunt dealt with losing a child at quite a significant age.
‘It must have been awful. It’s a very personal thing.’
Chanel stars as Jess in ITV’s The Bay (Picture: ITV)
Her family’s anguish, she said, helped her get into ‘the mind-set’ of Jess’ pain, while she also watched a pile of true crime documentaries and court cases to help with her performance.
‘A lot of people have gone through this, so you can’t take on a role like this lightly,’ she added.
Right now, viewers currently think Dylan’s sister Holly may be behind the child’s death and that she fled Morecambe out of panic. But after two episodes, it’s anyone’s guess.
Can we trust Jess? How about her husband Sean Meredith (Jonas Armstrong)?
Speaking to Metro.co.uk at an exclusive press event, Daniel Ryan and Taheen Modak, who play DCI Tony Manning and DC Med Kharim respectively, insisted that all our hunches at this stage are probably way off.
‘I was so far from the truth,’ admitted Taheen.
Daniel added: ‘If you think you know who it is, you’re completely wrong.’
The Bay continues tonight at 9pm on ITV.
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Vikings star Alicia Agneson has confirmed that Alex Høgh Andersen really did strangle her during Freydis’ death scene in season five.
Speaking on Swedish radio show Sverige Radio, the actress revealed that she wanted her death scene to look as realistic as possible so requested that it was acted out true to form.
According to a Reddit user who translated the interview, Alicia was denied at first but she persisted and eventually was allowed to carry out the dangerous stunt with a paramedic on standby in case anything went wrong.
Freydis was strangled to death by Ivar in 2019 finale episode Ragnarok for treason after he found out that she’d let Bjorn and his army into Kattegat.
Freydis was strangled to death by Ivar in season 5B (Picture: History)
In the disturbing scenes, Freydis turned red in the face as she gasped for air before passing away shortly afterwards – and it was all real.
In the short clip, the deceased character was seen sporting dark hair and a fur hat, suggesting that the Vikings head on out to Russia.
So far, it remains unknown as to why Alicia made an appearance in the trailer, but some fans suspect that Freydis might have a new love in the form of the Russian prince.
Vikings is rumoured to return to the History Channel later this year.
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Game of Thrones has been filmed all over the world (Picture: Getty/HBO)
Brace yourselves – the release date of the first episode of Game of Thrones season eight is inching closer and closer.
There’s no reason to think that the eighth and final season of GOT won’t be at least as brutal as any of the ones that have gone before it.
If events like The Red Wedding are anything to go by, GOT is going to be coming for our emotional stability, especially as the events from all previous seasons are finally due to come to a head.
Soon it’ll all be over and we may well find ourselves missing the GOT shocks and feels that we’ve come to expect from the show.
While we wait with excitement – tinged with a healthy dose of fear – for the drop date of Monday 15 April, here’s everything you need to know about the stunning locations in which the show’s seven seasons so far have been filmed.
If you’re into travel, some of these would make great additions to your sight-seeing bucket list.
Game of Thrones filming locations
Game of Thrones has been filmed all over the world, so there are plenty of destinations that you might recognise.
During season one, Northern Ireland featured heavily, with filming locations in Castle Ward (used for Winterfell), Saintfield Estates (used for the Winterfell godswood), and the Magheramorne quarry (used for Castle Black).
Sadly, the famous Azure Window, which was used as the setting for the wedding of Daenerys and Khal Drogo, has since collapsed.
The Azure Window as it formerly stood (Picture: Mateusz Wlodarczyk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
One of the other most easily recognisable GOT filming locations is that of Dubrovnik in Croatia, which from season two through to season eight has been used as King’s Landing, replacing the city of Mdina in Malta which was used in season one.
Many of the show’s southern set scenes moved from filming in Malta to Croatia after season one, including the Dubac quarry (used for scenes set in Qarth) Fort Lovrijenac, (used as the basis for the CGI Red Keep), and the surrounding bay (used for the Battle of Blackwater).
Do the walls around Dubrovnik look familiar? (Picture: Greg Marinovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Filming has also occurred all over Spain. Seville was used to represent Dorne in season five, and in season six the crew also branched out to Navarra, Almeria, Guadalajara, Girona and Peniscola. The crew returned to Spain for season seven, including places like Seville, Santiponce, Almodovar del Rio, Zumaia, Cáceres, and Bermeo.
In stark contrast, scenes set north of the Wall have been filmed in Iceland on the Vatnajökull glacier near Smyrlabjörg, the Mýrdalsjökull glacier near Vik on Höfðabrekkuheiði and the Svínafellsjökull glacier near Skaftafell.
Scenes have also been carried out at Hverfjall volcano near Lake Myvatin, and Thingvellir National Park, which was used for the epic fight between Brienne and the Hound.
The Fort Lovrijenac in Dubrovnik, Croatia. (Picture: Laszlo Szirtesi/Getty Images)
As for interior scenes, for Season 8 they were shot at the usual location of Paint Hall Studios in Titanic Quarter in Belfast, as well as Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge.
A dedicated Twitter account snapped some pics of what looked very much like a green screen and ship sets back in 2018 at Linen Mill Studios when they were still filming season eight. Does that mean we can expect even more sea battles this time around?
There are plenty of ship sets, so we will much likely see lots of scenes on water. Unfortunately no details of the ships visible from public ground. pic.twitter.com/68CAeOqDj2
The cities like Dubrovnik and Seville are naturally open to the public.
In Dubrovnik, you can walk along the walls where many key scenes were filmed throughout the show. Tickets cost around €29, and it takes roughly two hours to walk the whole way around.
Hverfjall volcano near Lake Myvatin in Iceland, where they filmed scenes which took place beyond the Wall, can be accessed via a guided tour of the Vatnajokull National Park, which costs roughly £83.20 – not including flights and accommodation of course.
Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park is popular with tourists too, and has a visitors centre where people can get information as to the history of the park. There are also hiking trails, and scuba diving in the Silfra Lake for the braver of heart.
Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge are due to open a Game of Thrones tour – date tbc – giving attendees the chance take a deep dive into Westeros.
Joe Lycett jokingly promised to school Queen’s Brian May on his hit song Bohemian Rhapsody on Wednesday’s The One Show.
The comedian and rock star sat on the sofa alongside hosts Ore Oduba and Alex Jones when they got talking about karaoke songs of choice, prompting Brian to pretend to forget the classic hit.
Alex asked Joe: ‘Do you do any Queen?’
‘Um, no,’ replied Joe. ‘My go to karakoe is…’
Quickly realising his snub, Joe retracted his comment saying: ‘I do, I do. I did a few weeks ago. I did Bohemian Rhapsody actually.’
‘What’s that?’ joked Brian, with Joe confirming that he’d educate him after the show.
Brian confessed he was nervous ahead of his Oscars performance (Picture: BBC)
Elsewhere on tonight’s installment, Brian reflected on his opening performance at this year’s Academy Awards, admitting he got pretty starstruck.
‘It was pretty unusual,’ Brian recalled. ‘It was one of those things where you think, “How did this happen? Who would have thought it would happen?”
‘The amazing thing was coming out to play to all those kinds of people, like Glenn Close and Christian Bale and Amy Adams and they were all up on their feet, it was great.’
Brian added: ‘I actually find talking harder than playing I have to say, in terms of nerves. Like this, this is a harder thing to do for me than picking up a guitar.’
The One Show airs weekdays at 7pm on BBC One.
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Mrs Hinch has had a reality star makeover (Picture: Rex Features)
Mrs Hinch could actually double as Ferne McCann and/or Olivia Attwood, after the Instagram sensation underwent a Love Island makeover today.
Catching up with This Morning, er, this morning, the cleaning juggernaut Sophie Hinchliffe, who has achieved some solid fame through her social media account @mrshinchhome (which boasts 2.2million followers), got all gussied up by Mikey Phillips and hairstylist Carl Bembridge.
And she came out the other side pretty much looking like a cross between the two reality stars who are clients of Hinch’s new glam squad. And viewers immediately noticed the resemblance Mrs Hinch had to the the ladies.
Frankly, it’s uncanny!
Sitting on the This Morning couch in a black and white polka-dot top and a black skirt the cleaning wonderwoman had her hair up in a tight high ponytail reminiscent of how we’ve seen Liv and Ferne rocking their own tresses.
And it honestly suited her as punters took to social media to have a goose and a gander as their idol and her whole vibe.
One was doing a double take as they wrote: ‘Blimey is Mrs Hinch related to Ferne McCann by any chance?’
The popular influencer appeared on This Morning (Picture: Rex Features)
She has enlisted the help of Olivia’s glam squad (Picture: BACKGRID)
While another couldn’t believe their eyes as they added: ‘I thought it was Ferne McCann when I glanced up.’
It’s not much of a coincidence, seeing as Love Islander Liv uses the same make up artist, while Ferne is also a fan of Mikey’s work.
Many also drew conclusions to her likeness to Ferne (Picture: BACKGRID)
It comes not long after Hinch took to social media to share her own ’10 year challenge’ when everyone else was getting on the trend.
Clearly looking remarkably different, she wrote alongside an older shot of herself with brown hair: ‘The #10YearChallenge pics I’ve seen across social media must have taken a lot for some people to post.
‘It’s not something I would EVER usually do, or have done. But I’ve realised there’s a really strong message behind them all.’
She looked quite different 10 years ago (Picture: @mrshinchhome)
She added: ‘Whatever perception you may have of how perfect someone’s life may appear… we never really know what people are going through inside… so please never judge a book by its cover and always be kind. Love Soph xx.’
Anyway, today while many were floored by her likeness to the reality stars, we’re just ruddy relieved after Mrs Hinch herself, the cleaning and organising goddess, admitted sometimes she doesn’t even clean at all.
‘I don’t even clean every day. I think people think I’m at home constantly cleaning, I don’t,’ she said to the collective sigh of relief from people around the nation.
‘I like to do my Hinch half hours and my little freshen up Fridays, and there might be some days where I go “I’m not even gonna touch a cloth today”. I’m so laid back about it, my bed’s not laid this morning and I’m not worried about it.’
Mrs Hinch clearly was feeling the good vibes as she left the ITV studios after her appearance, where she spoke about her latest book Hinch Yourself Happy.
Showing off one massive grin, she wrote on Instagram: ‘Hello my Hinchers, I’m not sure if I’ve just walked out from my first day at school with a new book or just left ITV studios 😂 but either way I’m sure you can see the pure relief on on my face/
‘We did it guys 💪 Thank you @thismorning for having me on the show today! This Hinch journey is one that I can’t even begin to describe. But without my Hinchers it wouldn’t be happening. I’m so so proud of you all, and cannot thank you all enough.
‘And honestly guys if I can do this … anyone can! We are all in this together 💜 My family , friends, Hinchers , Jamie , Henry and baby Hinch to be … you all mean the world to me. All the best.’
Is it just us, or are we feeling a bit inspired to get dusting? No? Okay then.
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To celebrate the good news, the streaming platform shared a two-minute long clip chocked full of bloopers.
And honestly, it’s the best thing we’ve seen today.
Sharing the video on Twitter, the official Netflix account told followers: ‘To celebrate the news of season 2 here’s @rickygervais and the cast of After Life p***ing about aka the season 1 bloopers.’
Spoiler alert: it’s basically two minutes of Ricky and co swearing, laughing, getting his lines wrong, and swearing some more.
And, right on cue, viewers rushed to praise the hilarious clip, begging for more.
‘Thank you Netflix and Ricky for this… brightened my day up no end. Season 2 get in there,’ a viewer replied.
After Life season 2 is expected to drop in 2020 (Picture: Netflix)
While another said: ‘Bloody fantastic can’t wait for season 2 xoxo.’
‘Face is genuinely aching after watching this! No better feeling than uncontrollable laughter,’ a Twitter user posted.
‘Loving these,’ one added. ‘Please say more bloopers and bts are coming.’
After Life season two is expected to land on Netflix at some point next year.
The six-part series follows Tony (Ricky), who contemplates taking his own life after his wife Lisa passes away from cancer.
Ricky Gervais has been blown away by the reaction to After Life so far (Picture: Getty)
Instead, he decides to live long enough to punish the world by saying or doing whatever he likes, while his friends rally round to try and save the nice guy they once knew.
‘I have never had a reaction like this before. It’s been insane. And heartwarming,’ he said.
‘But now I have to make sure the second season is even better so I’ll probably have to work much harder than usual. Annoying really.’
Bring on season two.
After Life season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.
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The BBC are developing a drama on the last six months of Marilyn Monroe‘s life (Picture: Rex)
Marilyn Monroe is set to get her life retold in a brand new BBC drama.
The series, which is currently under the working title The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, will focus on the last six months of the icon’s life, exploring her relationship with Hollywood studio bosses and US President John F Kennedy.
According to the broadcaster, it will be set ‘where the harsh glamour of 1960s Hollywood and the hard-edged politics of Washington intersect.’
The Good Karma Hospital and Trust Me writer Dan Sefton is working on the show alongside producer Simon Lupton, with BBC Studios aiding its development.
Marilyn passed away in August 1962 aged 36.
Her death, which was caused by sleeping pills, has been the subject of much speculation over the years.
Marilyn passed away aged 36 (Picture: Rex)
BBC Studios’ Anne Pivcevic said the ‘ambitious’ drama series would tackle ‘big themes such as power, love, loyalty and politics.’
Meanwhile, Dan added: ‘Marilyn’s desire to be taken seriously as an actress and her battle with the powerful men who control the studio system is sadly as relevant today as it ever was.’
This isn’t the first time Marilyn’s life has been adapted for a television drama.
American series The Secret Life Of Marilyn Monroe hit the small-screen back in 2015, with Kelli Garner playing Marilyn, Susan Sarandon as her mum Gladys and Emily Watson playing Marilyn’s foster mum Grace McKee.
The show received a number of accolades including nominations for awards from the Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
A release date for The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is yet to be confirmed.
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DI Manning dropped a bombshell in the murder investigation case (Picture: ITV)
The Bay returned for episode three on Wednesday night with Holly and Dylan’s case taking yet another turn with new developments coming to light.
A brand new piece of evidence right at the end of the instalment provoked new theories, pointing fingers at the Meredith family over Dylan’s passing.
Here are all our burning questions from the scenes at hand.
Did Holly kill her own twin brother Dylan?
DI Manning confirmed that the forensics revealed the DNA on the blood under Dylan’s fingernails belong to Holly.
Yep, it was the biggest plot twist of the whole episode and it’s now got us all questioning whether she killed her own twin.
Holly’s DNA has been found on her twin Dylan (Picture: ITV)
Is Nick dead for real this time?
At the end of episode two we thought Sean might have killed Nick, but it turned out that he’d just kidnapped him and taken him to a mysterious location for questioning.
By the end of tonight’s instalment, Sean and his band of merry men had bundled Nick back into a van and dumped him on the pavement outside a hospital covered in blood and bruises.
His body lay motionless on the ground as stunned spectators watched the scene unfold from afar. Is Nick really dead this time?
What’s Holly’s relationship with Ryan?
It was revealed that Ryan bailed the Meredith family out of debt by giving them £8,000, but it’s not entirely sure what he got in exchange.
Later on in the episode, Ryan was seen accompanying Holly to the train station as she bought two tickets to Manchester.
Why was Ryan with Holly and besides being family, how are they linked?
Who is Rob being coerced by? (Picture: ITV)
What is The Gryd 79?
We’ve seen Lisa’s son Rob be coaxed into doing random stunts and filming the evidence for the past three episodes now.
So far he’s stolen a bottle of vodka, had a worrying conversation with someone called Bantasaurex, robbed a food bank and smashed up a CCTV camera in the city centre.
After stealing a load of tinned goods and binning them on the promenade, Dylan texted his coercer: ‘That’s it. I’m out.’
Will we ever come close to finding out what the message board, named The Gryd 79, is and who’s behind it?
Why did Jess ask Dylan to leave?
Jess confessed to Lisa that she had a row with Dylan on the night that he disappeared.
The grieving mum said that in a fit of rage she told the twin to leave the house and never come back, with her wish being granted.
Is there more to this passing comment? What were the mum and son arguing about?
What does the botched drug deal mean for Abbie’s safety? (Picture: ITV)
Is Abbie in danger?
Abbie delivered a brown paper package full of drugs to her school pal Sam in tonight’s episode, ordering him to pass it on to Wilco.
Much to Abbie’s annoyance, Sam didn’t comply with her demands and flushed the goods down the toilet after having a showdown at her house.
Is Abbie in danger now her drug deal has turned sour?
The Bay airs Wednesdays at 9pm on ITV.
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The Game Of Thrones cast are known to be tight but none more so than Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams, who were visibly thrilled to see each other at the season eight premiere on Wednesday.
With the season eight release date less than two weeks away, Sophie wasn’t able to hold back as she grabbed Maisie for a big bear hug before lifting her up and off the floor.
Sophie wasn’t able to hold back(Picture: Splash)
Pulling Maisie in for a big bear hug (Picture: Splash)
Then lifting her up for a cuddle (Picture: Splash)
The two famously met during filming of the first season of the smash hit HBO show and became firm friends; they now have matching tattoos and are known for sharing candid pictures of each other on their social media accounts.
On screen however, they play sisters who haven’t always seen eye to eye, but Maisie admitted that this season, fans will ‘see Arya teaming with Sansa and sometimes calling out Jon’.
‘It felt nice and powerful to stand next to Sophie. Sophie and I are the tightest of friends when sitting across from anyone, so no acting required,’ she told EW.com.
It’s less than two weeks until Game Of Thrones makes its big return to the small screen and it’s not as if show bosses needed to get fans any more hyped up again, but seeing the cast come together in New York for the season eight premiere has certainly done the trick.
There was a Khaleesi and Khal Drogo reunion and we’ve always got time for that, with Emilia Clarke (aka Khaleesi, aka Daenerys Targaryen) looking every inch the queen that she is as she arrived in a sheer tulle dress that she teamed with a very vampy and cool dark purple lipstick.
Sophie’s fiance Joe Jonas joined her on the red carpet (Picture: Rex)
Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo) was also back among the cast and rocked up for the premiere of its final season with his wife Lisa Bonet.
And don’t get us wrong we love seeing old faces, but we’re slightly sobbing at the constant reminders that the world of Westeros is leaving us once and for all.
And the season hasn’t even started yet…
Game Of Thrones series eight returns 15 April. Seasons one to seven are currently available on NOW TV.
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Jason Momoa calls Game Of Thrones’ cast member Emilia Clarke ‘brave’ (Picture: FilmMagic/Getty)
Jason Momoa has called his Game Of Thrones cast member Emilia Clarke ‘so brave’ after she opened up about battling two brain aneurysms.
‘I’ve kind of been a part of that whole situation for a very long time, so we’ve had so many scares and trying to find the right way to come out and help. I just think it’s beautiful that… she’s so brave in helping the world and trying to raise awareness,’ Jason revealed at the season eight premiere on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old actress revealed in March that she had battled two life-threatening aneurysms in 2011 after the end of the first season of HBO fantasy drama.
Jason and Emilia in 2012 (Picture: Getty Images)
At the time she was working opposite Jason, 39 who played her husband, Khal Drogo, and he admitted that he was ‘very sad, because we almost lost her the first time’.
‘I love her to bits and she’s here and she’s going to do great things with it and teach the world,’ he told ET.
Game Of Thrones’ final season is now less than two weeks away and the stars of the show (including some old favourites) were out in force to attend the premiere of series eight.
There was a Khaleesi and Khal Drogo reunion and we’ve always got time for that, with Emilia (aka Khaleesi, aka Daenerys Targaryen) looking every inch the queen that she is as she arrived in a sheer tulle dress that she teamed with a very vampy and cool dark purple lipstick.
Emilia revealed her devastating health problems for the first time in a powerful essay for The New Yorker in March, recalling how the issues started when she felt unwell during a training session not long after wrapping up filming for season one of Game Of Thrones in 2011.
Emilia was immediately rushed to hospital where she underwent a three-hour ‘minimally invasive surgery’ and four days in an intensive care unit.
However, the surgery wasn’t entirely successful and Emilia even struggled to remember her name; she eventually resumed work on Game Of Thrones but was often ‘so woozy, so weak’ that she thought she would lose her life and at one point, the pain was so bad that Emilia had to take morphine between interviews for pain relief.
Unfortunately, Emilia’s ordeal wasn’t over as a brain scan in 2013 revealed that her second aneurysm had doubled in size and required another operation.
The pain was often so bad that Emilia had to take morphine between interviews for pain relief (Picture; Getty)
The procedure failed and Emilia suffered a ‘massive bleed’ forcing doctors to operate again, this time accessing her brain through her skull.
Emilia revealed that her health has improved in the years since ‘beyond [her] most unreasonable hopes’ and it is now at ‘a hundred per cent’.
Following her ordeal, Emilia has now launched a charity, SameYou, which aims to raise money for those recovering from brain surgeries and strokes.
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Michael Willson aka Cobra is now in hospital (Picture: Rex; BBC)
Gladiators star Michael ‘Cobra’ Willson has revealed he is battling pneumonia and and has been placed in isolation.
Willson has told how ended up in hospital three weeks ago after battling pneumonia in both lungs, and that he is also suffering from a shoulder injury.
The 55-year-old has blamed it on years of punishing workouts for the ITV show.
He blamed his illnesses on his grueling workout regimes (Picture: Rex)
He said: ‘I’m only half a Gladiator now. It’s been touch and go. I don’t feel like I’m kicking the bucket at the minute, but it will only take another cold or cough and I’m in trouble.’
Speaking to The Sun, he added: ‘I’m isolated in my own ward. It goes to show – you never know what’s around the corner.’
Willson made his name on the popular ITV game show, starring alongside the likes of Wolf, Warrior and Rhino; he appeared in eight series of Gladiators, from its inception in 1992 to its end in 2000.
The programme saw four contestants – two men and two women – taking on the gladiators in a number of physical tests with the aim of making it to the grand final and being named champion of the series.
Cobra (left) with Jet, Saracen, Scorpio, and Hunter (Picture: Rex)Willson said he feared years of putting his body through tough workouts had taken their toll on his health.
He explained: ‘I pushed the limit and listened to silly Arnold Schwarzenegger saying you’ve got to take more pain than your competitors.
‘But pain is your body saying: “Oi, pack it in.” You need to pull back, not push through. But for 20-plus years I was: push, push, push.
‘I would run 10 miles before I’d start my workouts.’
‘I need new hips. I’ve bolts in this shoulder, bolts in that shoulder. I’ve torn my bicep. I’ve torn the bicep on this side. I’ve got arthritis up and down the spine,’ he said.
‘But it’s just like a car, if you do too much. You do too many miles and your parts wear out.’
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‘I reckon everyone’s going to be massacred in a horrible, horrible way.’
The premiere was attended by the old cast and the new to say goodbye to the hit HBO fantasy.
Kristian was joined by fellow ex-cast members Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon), Natalie Dormer, (Margaery Tyrell), Sean Bean (Ned Stark) and Rose Leslie (Ygritte).
They joined the stars whose characters are still alive on the show, including Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark).
Kristian Nairn joined his former co-stars at the premiere for the final season (Picture: Getty)
Hodor had one of the most heartbreaking deaths on the show (Picture: HBO)
Kristian, who is also a DJ, might have a point about the grisly end to Game Of Thrones.
The latest poster released by HBO killed off the remaining characters, showing their bodies spread out in the snow in the shape of the Iron Throne.
Star Issac Hempstead Wright, who plays Bran, teased that fans can expect something big in all six episodes of the final season.
‘Every single episode in Season 8 has got a big key moment or a really shocking thing. That’s not just me hyping it up,’ he said.
Game Of Thrones returns 14 April on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
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But one notable name was missing from proceedings.
Lena Headey was one of the few primary cast members to miss out on all the fun at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, as the Cersei Lannister actress was forced to skip the premiere through illness.
Taking to Instagram, Headey explained her absence to concerned fans as she said she was ‘gutted’, ‘heartbroken and f***ed off’ – a heady mix of emotions, if you ask us.
‘[That] still doesn’t cover my disappointment at not being able to travel to NYC for our final prem tonight,’ she wrote.
‘I f***ing hate being sick and the timing of this is a s*** bag’. Fair enough, Lena.
Still, that didn’t stop Lena from bigging up the forthcoming set of new episodes like she would’ve done on the red carpet, as she described the new season as ‘the t**s’.
‘And so are all my cast mates and crew mates and creators… so RIDE FORTH INTO THE NIGHT AND CREATE MAYHEM.’
Consider it done, my liege.
Game Of Thrones season eight will kick off on Sky Atlantic on April 14.
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Gwendoline Christie’s premiere look was actually dazzling (Picture: Rex)
If there was any doubt that Game Of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie is an absolute boss, then you need to take a look at her killing it at the season 8 premiere.
The actress, who plays Brienne of Tarth over in the Westeros fantasy epic, hit the red carpet and slayed us all.
Wearing a flowing Iris van Harpen gown, the Brit star couldn’t help but show off its wind-catching level of stunning by waving her arms to make sure we got the outfit in its full glory.
We don’t think we’ve ever wanted a dress as badly as this one – with its spring colour scheme definitely proving Winter isn’t forever.
The final battle is soon to commence with just 10 days to go before thestart of season eight and the beginning of the end for the battle of the Seven Kingdoms.
Today’s power move is brought to you by Gwendoline Christie’s dress (Picture: Backgrid)
The Brienne of Tarth star took on new levels of glam with her stunning flowing dress (Picture: Backgrid)
Unflinchingly ready for battle and unwavering in her loyalty, Brienne’s close devotion to Jaime Lannister has finally come into question during the seventh season.
Add that to her kinship with the young Arya Stark, and it’s clear that the female warrior will be in for a testing time in the final eight episodes.
‘I think just the show ending is going to send all of the world into professional help,’ she told E! News.
Brienne has her work cut out for her in the final battle for Westeros (Picture: HBO)
‘We’re all emotional about the fact that this is the end, and this is the end of something incredibly significant for all of us, and it’s been a truly incredible thing to be a part of.’
Proving their bond goes way beyond the walls of Winterfell, the Stark sisters have become firm BFFs, and celebrated the special moment together by looking as glam as possible.
Game Of Thrones returns 14 April on HBO and Sky Atlantic.
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Isaac Hempstead Wright has promised a shocking moment in every episode of season eight (Picture: HBO)
Game Of Thrones season eight might be the shortest one yet, but it won’t pull any punches for the final season.
Star Isaac Hempstead Wright says all six episodes has one major OMG moment that will blow fans away.
Hempstead Wright, who plays Bran Stark, explained: ‘Every single episode in Season 8 has got a big key moment or a really shocking thing. That’s not me just hyping it up.’
The actor joined his co-stars old and new at the premiere for the final season in New York.
He walked the red carpet with the likes of Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark).
Also at the premiere were stars who played dearly (not so dearly) departed characters like Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon), Natalie Dormer, (Margaery Tyrell), Sean Bean (Ned Stark) and Rose Leslie (Ygritte).
Former star Kristian Nairn, who played Hodor and had one of the most heartbreaking exits on the show, teased that the Game Of Thrones saga won’t end well for anybody.
Issac at the Game Of Thrones premiere in New York (Picture: REX)
Game Of Thrones returns 14 April on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
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A woman discovered she was actually white at the age of 70 – after believing her whole life she was black.
Verda Byrd, 75, appeared on GMB and reveals she found out she had an entire family she was unaware of, including siblings, after being adopted by a black family.
The Texas native grew up in Missouri to two loving parents, but only found out she wasn’t their biological child when she was 70 years old.
Verda Byrd appeared on Good Morning Britain to talk about her past (Picture: ITV)
Born Jeanette, Varda was renamed and raised by a black family after being adopted (Picture: ITV)
Her birth parents, Daisy and Earl Beagle, had their family collapse after Earl left his wife and their five children, before Daisy was injured in a severe accident when Verda was just five months old.
Originally born Jeanette, Verda was renamed by her adoptive family, and her past was never mentioned until she discovered the documents once her parents passed away.
But rather than be stunned by it, Verda has embraced the whole thing, and has now written a book about what happened, titled 70 Years of Blackness.
Speaking to Susanna Reid, she said: ‘It’s a mental thing – how do I except what these words on this paper is saying. Mentally, it’s an acceptance of what you are and what you didn’t know you were. But it hasn’t changed me because I still love me!
‘I identify basically as whatever you want me to be. It doesn’t matter.’
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
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Game of Thrones fans are jumping to conclusions after the season eight premiere (Picture: Getty)
Game of Thrones fans are convinced Jason Momoa is returning as Khal Drogo after he was reunited with Emilia Clarke at the cast-packed season eight premiere.
The stars from past and present were all reunited last night after Game of Thrones’ final chapter has its very first screening in New York’s Radio City Hall – except for Lena Headey, who was ’gutted’ to miss the big bash.
Among them was Jason, who has since gone on to become one of the most bankable movie stars in the world after Khal died back in season two.
And now fans think he’s going to be popping up in Westeros when the journey continues next week, even though pretty much everyone who’s graced the Game of Thrones set was there too.
The Game of Thrones official Instagram had all the stars making some questionable videos from inside the set of a cave, uniting Emilia and Jason in the same clip as Kit Harington and his wife Rose Leslie while Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen continue with their incestuous romance. Make of that what you will…
In turn, fans have gone wild with one gasping: ‘Jason momoa!!? He is back?’’
‘So maybe khal drogo is coming back.? Hmm..,’ another pondered which was followed by this particularly excitable post: ‘DOOOOOOOOOOONT IS HE COMING BACK?’
Another wrote: ‘Soooo is khal drogo coming back????????’
‘I’ve kind of been a part of that whole situation for a very long time, so we’ve had so many scares and trying to find the right way to come out and help,’ he told Entertainment Tonight. ‘I just think it’s beautiful that… she’s so brave in helping the world and trying to raise awareness.
‘I love her to bits and she’s here and she’s going to do great things with it and teach the world.’
Game of Thrones returns to HBO and Sky Atlantic on April 14 while seasons one to seven are available to stream on NOW TV.
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Betty, Archie and Jughead are juggling all sorts of plot (Picture: The CW)
Like the changing of seasons and Archie posing topless, it’s now become customary for Riverdale to take inexplicable breaks at random intervals.
After last week’s episode introduced The Farm leader Edgar Evernever (Chad Michael Murray), The CW show is now on a break until mid-April when it’ll return for episode 18.
The show will air episode 18, titled Jawbreaker, on Wednesday 17 April on The CW in the US, and will release on Netflix for UK viewers the following day on 18 April.
A synopsis for the episode reads: ‘A tainted batch of fizzle rocks makes its way through Riverdale. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and FP (Skeet Ulrich) set out to find who’s responsible.
Chad Michael Murray entered Riverdale (Picture: The CW)
‘Betty (Lili Reinhart) makes one last attempt to rescue Alice (Madchen Amick) from The Farm’s grip.’
So why are we telling you this? It’s so you’re not in this emotional car crash.
And someone needs to tell this guy.
Tragic.
No reason has been given for the show’s delay by The CW.
Production on Riverdale, however, was temporarily halted for two days last month following star Luke Perry’s death aged 52, who plays Fred Andrews on the show.
It’s believed however the halt in production hasn’t affected the release of Riverdale season three, with five more episodes left to air.
Riverdale returns on Wednesday 17 April on The CW in the US, with the episode releasing on Netflix in the UK a day later.
Leslie Jones seized one hell of an opportunity in SNL rehearsals and kidnapped Kit Harington in order to recreate her favourite Game Of Thrones scenes.
The comedian and the Jon Snow star recreated some of the GOT’s most iconic scenes ever, whether Kit wanted to or not.
Hey, there’s got to be some sacrifices when living out your fantasies sometimes.
From Holding the Door to Leslie’s Daernerys demanding Jon Snow take a knee, nothing was overlooked – and the low-budget recreations didn’t look half bad.
Granted, they didn’t exactly look great either.
Actor Kit later dares to call her motivations behind the sequences into question, donning a rug and some oven gloves to become Jon Snow once more.
Kit is kidnapped by Leslie Jones to recreate her favourite Game Of Thrones scenes (Picture: NBC)
But when Leslie reveals this was all for her own amusement, Kit threw a strop and walked off – and then paid the price.
Next thing he knows he’s been shoved into a skin-coloured leotard and blonde cropped wig, as Leslie makes him shame walk through the set.
Some handy people of screen also pelted him with donuts, which is as embarrassing as it is delicious.
Leslie Jones took her shot and we can’t say we blame her (Picture: NBC)
Low budget Jon Snow does not look pleased (Picture: NBC)
Kit will be appearing this Saturday on the long-running US satire, hosting the show as Sara Barielles performs.
So we’re sure this isn’t the last we see of the weird recreations.
After a day at the studio, Kit returned to a slightly more glam life by joining his Game Of Thrones castmates on the red carpet for the season 8 premiere.
With 10 days to go before the start of the final season commences, what will happen is really being kept under wraps – even if they do troll us at every opportunity.
Game Of Thrones returns 14 April on HBO and Sky Atlantic.
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![Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by ITV/REX/Shutterstock (9009064eq) Cobra [Michael Wilson], Jet [Diane Youdale], Saracen [Mike Lewis], Scorpio [Nikki Diamond], Hunter [James Crossley] Season 3 1994 "Gladiators" TV Series - 1990s Gladiators is a British television sports entertainment game show, an adaptation of the American programme and its format, American Gladiators, and was produced by LWT for ITV from 10 October 1992 to 1 January 2000. The programme's format sees four contestants, two male and two female, compete in a series of physical events against the show's "Gladiators", eventually competing in one final event, with contestants aiming to secure a place in the grand final and be crowned champion for their respective series.](http://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/sei_32237435-f1c3.jpg?quality=90&strip=all)
