Simon Webbe doesn’t buy into the idea of the Strictly Come Dancing ‘curse’.

Webbe, who took part in 2014 with dancer Kristina Rihanoff, said Strictly is ‘portrayed’ as though everyone is ‘sleeping together’ behind-the-scenes.

However he admitted that it can happen as couples have formed as a result, including the latest rumoured pairing Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton.

‘I just think that they set it up like that last year,’ he told Metro.co.uk.

Referring to the scandal involving married dancer Katya Jones and comedian Seann Walsh, the Blue star went on: ‘Walking out of a club and you’re a married woman and you’re kissing someone, that’s gonna take the attention away from the dancing.

‘The one thing that Strictly is renowned for is the dancing. It’s a show about dancing and watching these people’s dance journey. I just think it’s been overshadowed with the “Strictly curse” as they like to say.’

The singer added that couples who were together prior to Strictly wouldn’t split ‘if there’s nothing wrong with your relationship’ and ‘it’s not gonna take a dance partner to break you up’.

He added: ‘I’ve done the show. I’ve seen what goes on behind the scenes. They like to say everyone sleeps with everybody and they don’t.

‘It’s not like that at all but it’s portrayed like that. It can be, don’t get me wrong. But in my experience it’s not always like that.’

The Lay Your Hands singer has teamed up with PlayOJO to search for Britain’s worst snorers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxNe4NdAMwz/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=796tj3awk0mg

Simon admits there’s a competition between him and his wife about who is the worst snorer, but doesn’t agree with the 24% of men and 10% of women who have split up with their partners over it.

‘The solution is go sleep in a separate bed. You’re married for better or worse’, Simon told us.

‘I don’t think people realise how much of a pet hate snoring is. Once I’m asleep I don’t care. I doubt people split just for snoring.’

So who is the worst snorer out of his boyband Blue?

Asked which member has the most earth-rattling snores, he answered: ‘Anthony. But bless him, he’s got sinus problems. I kind of look at him and go, “there’s my little brother”.

‘Especially when you’re sharing a car. You land in Germany, and it’s like “Hello, you have three hours before we get there”. Then you’ve got him putting his chair back and I’m thinking “Ah here we go! Headphones on!”‘

Simon Webbe is fronting a search for Britain’s worst snorers with PlayOJO, the fair online casino. Find out more about being part of the #Snorechestra here.

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Johnny Galecki has given fans a look at the return of Leonard’s mother in the final season of The Big Bang Theory.

Christine Baranski is back as Beverly Hofstadter who has a frosty relationship with her son at the best of times.

But a new teaser, shared by Leonard actor Galecki, hints at a change in their relationship when Beverly asks to spend time with her genius son.

Sharing the teaser with fans, Galecki said: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever posted a promo for a specific episode before but I am quite proud of tonight’s. Hope you guys enjoy. ❤ you, #christinebaranski’

Sitting around Leonard’s apartment with him and Penny of an evening drinking wine, Beverly asks if she can see Leonard labs, remarking that she would ‘enjoy’ it.

Leonard tells her to come round the next day before Beverly goes to bed.

Penny comments on her being ‘really nice’, to which Leonard quips: ‘Clearly one of us is dying. Come on, her!’

‘Or you accomplished something great and she’s genuinely proud,’ Penny tells him.

Leonard jokes that she’s had too much to drink and takes her wine glass away from her.

He’s not convinced that his mum wants to reach out to him and actually show some affection, but is there a chance that Beverly has turned a corner?

Fans might not be satisfied with the answer though, as the executive producers have already said that their relationship won’t come to neat conclusion in the final season.

Steve Holland explained to TV Insider: ‘In life, these types of things rarely tend to resolve themselves and just be “over”.

‘They always continue in some ways, but we’re aware that this will be the last time they’ll be together.’

Adding that they are ‘ruling nothing out’ for the finale, Holland revealed it ‘will focus on our [main] characters’.

Meanwhile the actor shared a poignant video of the Big Bang Theory set being torn down now filming has come to an end.

The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays on CBS in the US and E4 in the UK. The finale airs on 16 May in the US.

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50 Cent is said to have made a decision to end his hit TV show Power after the sixth season, in order to go out on a high.

It is thought that there is no on-set drama but the rapper wants his award-winning show to end at the top of its success.

Sources close to production have alleged that 50 has ‘seen too many other series run themselves into the ground’ and is ready to move on to new projects, including spin-offs of the Starz show which are already in development.

50 also appeared in the show which follows New York City nightclub owner James ‘Ghost’ St. Patrick (played by Omari Hardwick), who is attempting to reform his life and get out of the city’s criminal underbelly where he is a major player.

50 chose to kill off his character Kanan Stark last season.

There had been drama on set between 50, real name Curtis Jackson, and his former co-producer Randall Emmett, with the In Da Club rapper claiming Randall owed him $1 million which he’d lent over the course of six years. but in late April

He took to social media to air his dirty laundry but later revealed that Randall had paid back $250,000 of the so-called debt.

Power fans will get to watch the sixth and final season when it airs on 25 August but it’s been a long time coming, as the show’s divisive fifth season saw the fate of one major character up in the air.

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Freddie Starr will be remembered for his comedy career spanning five decades, his musical performances and his appearances on shows like Opportunity Knocks and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

But the comedian, who has died at the age of 76, will also be remembered for one of the most famous newspaper headlines in history.

On 13 March 1986, The Sun published a front page bearing the headline ‘Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster’, which followed Freddie around for his entire career – so much so, that he was forced to address the ridiculous tale on I’m A Celeb.

After entering the jungle in 2011, Freddie was asked about the incident by model Jessica Jane Clement, with Dougie Poynter joking: ‘I was too nervous to ask.’

Freddie said: ‘No, I’m a vegetarian. Some fella phoned up Max Clifford and said, “my girlfriend said Freddie Starr ate her hamster”.

‘He said “f*** that” and put the phone down. Then he said, “oh, there’s a story in that”, so he phoned his mate up at The Sun and said “someone’s been on the phone, this girl, and she’s a beauty queen’, so they went down and interviewed her, and she said I put it on two pieces of bread and ate it”.’

Dougie asked whether he would eat a hamster, with the comedian quipping: ‘No, I couldn’t crack its skull’; Jessica then asked: ‘Do you know anyone who has eaten a hamster?’, with Freddie replying: ‘No. If you were to eat a hamster, you’d choke.’

Starr was forced to leave the jungle shortly afterwards after suffering an allergic reaction while eating a meal of fermented egg and a camel toe in a Bushtucker Trial.

The hamster story alleged that while Starr was staying with Vince McCaffrey at his home in Cheshire, McCaffrey’s girlfriend Lea La Salle was asked to make the comedian a sandwich.

When she refused, La Salle alleged that he put her hamster Supersonic between two slices of bread and ate it.

In his 2001 autobiography, Starr wrote: ‘I have never eaten or even nibbled a live hamster, gerbil, guinea pig, mouse, shrew, vole or any other small mammal.’

He later said in an interview: ‘I’m fed up of people shouting out “Did you eat that hamster, Freddie?” Now I say, give me £1 and I’ll tell you. Then if they give me £1, I say “No” and walk away.’

Publicist Max Clifford, who died in 2017 while in prison for eight counts of indecent assault on four girls and women between the ages of 15 and 19, admitted at the Leveson Inquiry in 2012 that he allowed the hamster story to run because it would drum up publicity for Starr’s tour.

Freddie’s death was confirmed last night by his manager on Facebook, with a post reading: ‘This is Freddie’s manager. Just to confirm Freddie has passed away. RIP to our greatest comedian of all time.’

He was reportedly found dead by a carer at his home in Costa Del Sol.

Police said: ‘We responded to a call this afternoon from the carer of a 76-year-old man in the Mijas area of the Costa del Sol.

‘The woman said she had found the man and she was looking after him because he had been ill and said she thought he could be dead.’

An autopsy is expected to take place in Malaga to rule out any criminal possibilities.

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I’m A Celebrity bosses are said to turn away potential campmates if they admit to being a fan of creepie crawlies such as cockroaches and spiders.

Stan Boardman, a comedian from the 1970s and 1980s, admitted that he had an interview with show bosses in 2011 about appearing on the show but that he believed he ruined his chances when asked about his greatest fears.

The ITV show famously calls on campers to eat a host of disgusting foods and take part in games that often include snakes and bugs crawling over their body.

‘The girl who interviewed me for the job said, “right, are you frightened of cockroaches or spiders?” and I said the wrong thing,’ said Stan.

‘I said, “I used to live in a council house in Liverpool, we had cockroaches and spiders and I thought they were my pets!” and so I didn’t get the job.’

Stan, 81, was talking on Good Morning Britain on Friday, after the tragic death of his pal Freddie Starr.

The pair worked together in the past decades and he said he would have loved to have taken part in I’m A Celebrity with Freddie.

The comedian, 76, as found dead at his home in Spain; his manager appeared to confirm the sad news in a post thought to be his official Facebook page.

‘This is Freddie’s manager. Just to confirm Freddie has passed away. RIP to our greatest comedian of all time,’ it read.

He was perhaps most well known for being the subject of one of the most famous newspaper headlines in history.

On 13 March 1986, The Sun published a front page bearing the headline ‘Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster’, which followed Freddie around for his entire career.

During his time in the jungle, he was asked about the incident and he denied it ever happened.

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Imagine coming home from a school trip to discover that the town you have been raised in since birth is suddenly completely deserted, and it’s now only you and your peers left? Welcome to The Society.

The Society is like Lord of The Flies, meets Lost, by way of the Vampire Diaries, – sexy, weird and just a teensy bit messed up. As such, it’s really easy to get hooked into the mysterious series where a bunch of 18-year-olds are suddenly left in charge of their white picket fence town, and what becomes of them as they do.

With no instructions as to what’s going on or how long it will last for, naturally a party atmosphere begins to reign supreme – but after days of drinking and dancing, even that gets boring, so the group are forced to reconfigure and decide what to do next. When things start going wrong and lives start getting put in the balance, and they’ve got to do it all themselves, the party is over really quickly.

Strong personalities rise to the top, particularly Cassandra (Rachel Keller), who assumes a leadership role naturally as people gravitate towards her, and Harry (Alex Fitzalan), who is so entitled and privileged he thinks he just deserves it without question.Thinking they can create their new utopia, it turns out that’s easier said than done (who knew?).

A white collar area, most of the kids are in fact rich and entitled, so when left to fend for themselves, either scrap with demands or fall at the first hurdle. Most angry that their Ivy League education that would’ve got them out of there for good is now impossibly out of reach as the city limits are barricaded and there’s nothing beyond them.

While some look for answers, others wait for the presumed experiment to be over, and others begin to think long-term. What if their parents aren’t coming back? Why, of all times, did it happen when you were meant to be free of these people for good? Are you really stuck with them forever?

Relationships are formed, power struggles come into play, and then there’s twisted teens who are pulling more strings than you realise behind those supposedly in power.

Creating a new and fair life comes with its own price and no-one is quite sure how to play it. So in turn they copy what they’re used to – they couple up, set up homes and play happy families – though every single one has a ‘behind closed doors’ issue.

MVPs of this narrative thread in particular are Campbell (Toby Wallace), a kid so hellbent on anarchy he could bring the entire town to its knees, and his relationship with Elle (Olivia deJonge) who is so used to being ignored that having any kind of attention, no matter what kind, is hard to resist.

The dynamic between these two shifts between sweet and loving and dangerous all in one go, like a Sid and Nancy ‘we go down together’ toxicity that can only end in disaster.

Then there’s Allie (Kathryn Newton), who is simultaneously great in a leadership role like her sister Cassandra, but doesn’t even want one, and is kind of sick of living in her sisters shadow.

But in the ten hours, out of nearly 200 kids, it was still difficult to name more than five. It made it a little difficult to connect with what was going on, but not enough for us to stop watching.

There were certain scenes in this series that genuinely left me unable to look away and not wanting to watch at the same time. Blends of horror movie tropes lie in wait, and tough decisions and genuinely great acting makes this show really easy to enjoy, and those WTF are the things that keep you in from one episode to the next.

As great as the show is (and it is great), you can’t help but feel they have glossed over certain things that probably (read: definitely) will happen in this kind of situation. No spoilers, but violence is barely a thing besides one or two moments.

But then there’s the stomach-churning, life-or-death situations they are forced to figure out themselves and drastic decisions that can’t just be left down to the ideals of one person. Who has the right to become judge, jury and executioner in matters of the law, and how do they enforce that right?

Let’s just hope season two ramps up that energy if we get one.

The Society is available on Netflix now.

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The Big Bang Theory sent Anu off on her way last night as Raj decided to call it quits with his London-bound girlfriend.

After calling off an arranged marriage and awkward encounters with exes, it seemed the couple were back on for good, planning to start afresh right here in the UK.

But The Big Bang Theory finale wouldn’t be The Big Bang Theory finale without Raj (played by Kunar Nayyar), who decided his home was across the pond and not with Anu (Rati Gupta).

‘The Anu-Raj relationship was a fun part of the season and, as close as it was, she wasn’t quite the perfect one for him — and we want Raj to end up with the perfect woman,’ showrunner Steve Holland told TV Line.

‘As great as Anu was, and as great as the actress Rati [Gupta] was, she was such a different person. It started to feel like it wasn’t who you wanted to see Raj end up with. You want for Raj to have that sort of fairytale romance that he’s dreamed about all these years.

‘And maybe someday in the future he still does have [the fairytale], but we didn’t feel like we needed to tie all of these characters up in a relationship bow.’

Of course we’d love to see Raj on a fairytale romance. But we won’t. So thanks, Steve.

Actress Rati said her goodbyes on Instagram with a shot of a plane door, with the caption: ‘Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again. Oh babe, I hate to go…’

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxQ-eqZgT0g/

And her followers weren’t just upset – they were mad.

‘I’m so angry,’ wrote one fan. ‘Anu was an amazing character who deserved way better than what she got. Thank you for bringing what was probably my favorite part of this last season.’

Another equally riled Big Bang Theory boffin agreed: ‘I was disappointed on the way they left your character. I really loved your character. I think you could have done a spin off show with you and Raj.’

The countdown is officially on for The Big Bang Theory’s end game with less than a week to go. We nothing other than Penny bows out with a ‘new beginning’ and it’s so emotional that the cast couldn’t record the episode in front of a live studio audience because it was so emotional.

The Big Bang Theory ends next Thursday with a double bill on CBS.

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Britain’s Got Talent finalist Henry Hall has died, two years after wowing the judges by singing alongside friend Malcolm Sykes as old-time crooning duo The Pensionalities.

The pair sang Frank Sinatra’s You Make Me Feel So Young and were given a standing ovation by the judges, including Simon Cowell, and they made it through to the final before finishing fifth.

Henry died on 28 April at the age of 86 in Doncaster.

An obituary read: ‘In both life and death, Henry definitely did it “his way!”

‘He died peacefully at home, as he wished, with his family.

‘He lived an extraordinary life and was known to a great many people as H from Cusworth’s Motorcycles and latterly half of The Penisonalities from Britain’s Got Talent. ‘

‘He was loved by many, forgotten by none and will be greatly missed by all,’ it concluded.

Mourners who wish to attend his funeral service have been asked to wear light and bright colours for the service on 20 May at Rose Hill Crematorium, Doncaster.

A BGT spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘We are saddened to hear of the passing of Henry Hall.

‘The Pensionalities were a much loved part of Britain’s Got Talent and we send our deepest sympathies to Malcolm and all of Henry’s friends and family.’

Yorkshire duo Henry and Malcolm had a combined age of 159 when they hit the BGT stage in 2017 as The Pensionaires, but they were later forced to change their name to The Pensionalities.

During their semi-final they were the main winners of the night with the most number of votes.

‘I have no words,’ said Malcolm and Henry, who charmed the entire viewing public with their Frank Sinatra duet during the auditions and a cover of One Direction’s History during the semi-final.

The pair had been singing for five years before their appearance on the show; they lost out to pianist Tokio Myers.

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The Big Bang Theory is set to have an epic crossover with a young Leonard, Penny, Howard, Raj, Amy and Bernadette all set to make an appearance in spin-off show Young Sheldon.

Their appearances will happen in the season finale which will air directly after the series’ finale for the long-running comedy show.

The episode will also reportedly act as a tribute to the actors who play them – Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch.

Young Sheldon is set in 1989 with nine-year-old Sheldon Cooper, who has skipped four grades to start high school along with his less-intellectual older brother.

The Big Bang Theory’s finale episode is set to air on 16 May and the cast have been busy reminiscing about their time on the show.

Jim Parsons revealed that filming the finale episode was like a ‘miniature death’ with the actor, who plays Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom, admitted that posing for a cast and crew picture ahead of taping the season 12 installment was incredibly sad and the moment will be forever etched in his memory.

Recalling the final huddle with his co-stars to TVLine, Jim said: ‘We’d taken 11 cast and crew pictures at the end of the season and yet, somehow on the 12th, the final one, I was like, “I think we’re done”.’

He continued: ‘The first one that we always do, right before we come out for the introductions, we always take that.

‘That was tough, that was the first miniature death where it was like everything’s “the last” suddenly. That was the first of the evening of “the lasts” and the first take of the last scene was rough.’

The Big Bang Theory ends Thursday 16 May with a double bill on CBS.

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Britain’s Got Talent has without a doubt raised the bar with the most dangerous acts they’ve ever had this series and tomorrow night Declan Donnelly will feel the repercussions.

The 43-year-old has seen it all through the years – performers setting themselves on fire, others barely escaping with their live after being pelted by knives, and Susan Boyle becoming the biggest star on the planet in less than 24 hours.

That’s all lovely when he’s watching on the side lines with best pal Ant McPartlin, also 43, but when the new dad was called out by The Brotherhood he’s genuinely terrified.

And it’s no wonder. Just look at that mask!

‘Welcome to our game of mystery with this sword,’ bellowed the disguised artist.

After slicing through a melon like it’s a knob of butter, The Brotherhood’s frontman stood beside a row of cardboard boxes with a special request for a clearly panicked Dec.

The elusive voice began: ‘Dec, take this sword and place it under one of the boxes. Our life is in your hands….’

Thankfully, we know at the very least Dec lived to see another day as he was filmed running up the Rocky Balboa steps in Philadelphia while filming a new show this week.

Last weekend’s BGT was a particularly emotional affair as Mark McMullen dedicated his performance of Les Miserables’ Bring Him Home to his brother, who died for a few seconds before he was revived paralysed, only able to move his eyes.

It was a monumental moment on the show, and subsequently fans were baffled to see Mark sail through to the next round without a golden buzzer.

Mark spoke exclusively to Metro.co.uk about his brother Declan’s locked-in syndrome, comparing it to being ‘buried alive’.

‘He can’t see, he can’t speak he can’t eat, he can’t drink, he can’t move any part of his body. The only parts that he can move are his eyelids and some slight facial movements and that’s it,’ Mark told us.

Britain’s Got Talent continues tomorrow night at 8pm on ITV.

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Lisa Armstrong is all about helping others to get their confidence back in her new online show The Updaters.

Her confident, inspirational take on makeovers comes after her split from Ant McPartlin in January last year.

In the new clip of her show, which will be airing on JetTV and online on www.updatersmakeover.com, she is using her skills to show other people how to use their tools and bring back their sparkle whether they’ve gone through a divorce or just feeling flat.

Talking about the show, the 42-year-old make-up artist attacked social media for its ‘unrealistic beauty standards’ and added that nobody is safe from insecurities – not even herself.

She said: ‘The celebrity version of perfection that bombards us every day is not real. Nobody is immune to insecurities, nobody!’

‘We all have issues that chip away at our confidence on a daily basis. Social media makes us hold ourselves to unrealistic standards,’ Lisa told The Sun.

‘There is no such thing as perfection and uniqueness is what makes us all so very special.’

The former Britain’s Got Talent makeup artist spoke proudly of the power of makeup, adding that it has the power to ‘bring out your best features.’

Lisa, who has been nominated for a Bafta for her skills in the makeup chair, will be joined by celebrity stylist Erica Matthews, photographer Abby Cohen, writer Matt Chartlon, PR expert Kolarele Sonaike and her friend and celeb hairdresser Richard Ward.

It’s set to be a makeover show jam-packed with emotion and transformation.

The show will launch on 14 May at 8pm on Jet TV and a ten-minute episode will appear online every day thereafter.

Lisa has been an integral part of BGT’s make-up department for more than a decade, but just weeks after her divorce from McPartlin, who is a host of the show, she confirmed she won’t be returning next year.

In April, Lisa jetted off to Oman for a much needed holiday along with her friend Bryony, and if her smiling social media posts about her getaway are anything to go by, she appears to have put her divorce firmly in the past.

The Updaters will air later this year via Jet TV.

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Party Of Five star Scott Wolf has replaced Freddie Prinze Jr in the upcoming adaptation of Nancy Drew.

The 43-year-old actor had been set to star as the father of the famous detective, opposite newcomer Kennedy McMann in the TV adaptation of the classic book series.

However sources close to the show have now confirmed that Scott will take over the role due to show runners deciding to change the direction the show would take.

It is thought the split was amicable, and Scott will now come on board to film the first season.

The show was picked up by The CW and given a full series order earlier in May.

Scott was last on TV screen in 2017 with ER drama The Night Shift.

The series will follow 18-year-old Nancy in the summer after she has graduated from high school.

As she prepares to leave for college, a family tragedy strikes and keeps her in her hometown for another year.

But soon she finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation which will see her uncover secrets about loved ones – including her father, Carson Drew, a ‘dynamic attorney who has become estranged from Nancy following the recent death of his beloved wife’.

Nancy Drew was first created as a female counterpart to Edward Stratemeyer’s Hardy Boys series.

The character first appeared in 1930 however the books were were ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene.

The TV series is being produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the team behind The OC.

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Hell hath no fury like a Chase viewer scorned.

Another day, another scandalous incident on The Chase: and this time, plenty of fingers were being pointed at poor old Bradley Walsh.

Which deeply intellectual topic sparked this, we hear you ask? Well, the age-old hoover/vacuum debate, of course.

The conclusion to yesterday’s episode of The Chase (9 May) had plenty of viewers scratching their heads and reaching for their smartphones after the climax to the game was hit with controversy.

Shaun Wallace was the Chaser in question, and he was building a nice bit of untroubled quizzing momentum when he was asked: ‘What type of domestic appliance is a Dyson V8 Absolute?’

Without hesitation, Shaun replied: ‘Hoover.’

Hmm.

Our host, however, caused a bit of an uproar as he accepted the answer and swiftly moved on to the next question, with Shaun ultimately triumphing in the game.

Cue Chase consternation.

Hoover, it’s long been argued by anyone with a certain passion on the subject, shouldn’t be a synonym for a vacuum cleaner, as it’s technically a brand name.

How can a Dyson be a Hoover? The only answer is vacuum cleaner #thechase

— Paul P (@Peno_007) May 9, 2019

@BradleyWalsh I watched The Chase last night. I have a question. In the final chase there was a question on what is a dyson V something. The chaser said hoover. This is incorrect as Hoover is a make. Answer should of been vacuum cleaner 😁😜 love the show by the way.

— Paul Robinson (@PaulRobinsonBH) May 10, 2019

Hoover? Vacuum cleaner.. 🤔#TheChase

— Woody (@Woody59058061) May 9, 2019

Glad to see so many agree. I was horrified when Hoover was given as correct! Vacuum cleaner should have been the only correct answer to the Dyson V8 Animal question #thechase #vacuum

— Darryl Barlow (@Sparky_Darryl) May 9, 2019

Should not have got hoover question correct. Answer is vacuum cleaner #thechase

— Gary (@fatlad1969) May 9, 2019

Isn’t Hoover a brand name? – surely Vacuum Cleaner would be correct 🤔 #TheChase

— Jason Cooey (@JasJas71) May 9, 2019

So, were yesterday’s contestants robbed?

Well, the majority of tweeting viewers thought so – although at least one viewer had a little bit of sympathy for Bradley’s quick acceptance of ‘hoover’.

I've always referred to any kind of vacuum as a hoover, as have my parents. It's just one of those things that has been assimilated into British slang I think, so it was probably accepted as a slang answer. I'm sure it'd have been the same if the contestants got it. #TheChase

— Dominic G. Martin (@DominicJGM) May 9, 2019

That doesn’t give Jo, Jimmy and Vee back their £30,000 though, does it?

Although, to be fair, even if Bradley had ruled ‘hoover’ out as an acceptable answer, it’s likely that Shaun still would’ve been victorious, given that he beat the team’s score with more than 30 seconds on the clock.

Maybe it just wasn’t to be, folks.

You can catch The Chase weekdays on ITV at 5pm.

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Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langford admitted Freddie Starr was one of the more ‘difficult’ guests to interview, during This Morning today.

Freddie was found dead at his Costa Del Sol home yesterday, aged 76, discovered by his carer.

But Eamonn revealed the last time he bumped into the comic they actually had the most ‘normal’ conversation they’d ever had.

‘The last time I saw him was the Oxford services station on the M40,’ the host began.

‘We pulled out and I was putting petrol in my car and he was at the other side of the pump putting petrol into his… Jeep, I think he was driving and we had a bit of a conversation there.

‘It was probably the only sensible, normal conversation I’ve ever had with him.’

Ruth chipped in: ‘He was quite hard to interview, wasn’t he?’

Decades ago the comic was at the centre of one of the most iconic headlines in history.

Way back on March 13 1986, ‘Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster’ was splashed across The Sun after Lea Le Salle accused the star of gobbling up her pet, which subsequently stuck with Fred for the rest of his career.

Freddie later denied the story during his controversial appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, and now the photographer behind that iconic front page has given the inside story.

Appearing on This Morning, Steve Lewis recalled shooting Freddie for the follow up, collecting an actual hamster which was rumoured to have been killed when the comedian flew the photographer to Wapping in his helicopter. It’s already pretty wild.

‘We’d already gone off to pet shop and got our hamster,’ explained Steve. ‘Off we went to his home in Maidenhead.

‘There were lots of stories following our story that the hamster didn’t survive the journey in the helicopter, but I can say with clear conscious hamster was delivered to pet shop,’ he assured.

However, Steve is pretty sure that no hamster ever passed through Freddie’s lips.

‘It’s such a good headline it would be a shame to spoil the story,’ he chuckled. ‘I don’t think he did. I think it was a publicity stunt which made a good headline.’

Freddie’s publicist Max Clifford previously claimed he allowed the story to run because it would bring a colossal amount of publicity for Freddie’s upcoming tour.

Bobby Davro and Lord Alan Sugar lead tributes to Freddie following the news of his death last night, while it’s since been reported he died owing ‘thousands in unpaid water bills’.

This Morning airs weekdays at 10.30am on ITV.

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If you were wondering what Bran Stark was doing during the seismic Battle of Winterfell, well, you’re not alone.

As we all know, Game of Thrones delivered plenty of drama throughout episode three, The Long Night – but Bran wasn’t exactly an active participant in the fight.

Seemingly tuning out of it all by utilising his Three-Eyed Raven powers, he eventually snapped back into reality towards the end to reveal… well, not an awful lot.

We want answers – and thankfully Bran actor Isaac Hempstead Wright has been happy to provide us with some.

Speaking to the New York Times, Hempstead Wright opined that ‘there’s not a lot Bran can contribute on the battle side’ of things.

Pressed on what exactly he was up to in his raven mind state, the actor said that his character was ‘just keeping tabs on the battle’.

‘But having lots of shots of ravens flying around wouldn’t be much of interest!’ he laughed about how his role in the episode was portrayed.

‘And it would be pretty impractical for him to be like, “Hey, Theon, can you go run over there and tell this guy to get out of the way of that guy?”

‘Bran recognises that all he can do is sit there and let whatever happens, happen. We saw how quickly all their plans disintegrated!

‘There would have been no chance of an efficient communication system,’ the actor continued.

A good explanation? Or is there more to Bran’s wider intentions than meets the Raven-filled eye? We’d better stay tuned and find out…

Game of Thrones season 8, episode 5 airs on HBO, Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on Sunday and Monday.

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Amanda Holden was left nearly in tears after laughing hard at a Keith Lemon game involving an éclair, a bannister and her bum.

The Britain’s Got Talent judge was in stitches after a Celebrity Juice game had her sliding onto the pastry, bottom-first, backwards and whilst blindfolded.

The gross game, invented by Lemon (because of course) had the comedian stick the dessert onto the railing, whilst Holden positioned herself on the top with her back to it.

She then had to slide onto the éclair, and guess what it was she was wearing (squashed as it was) on her backside.

Amanda said: ‘I’m smelling like a blue cheese or a Camembert.’

Comedian Jimmy Carr dryly interjected: ‘I think you may have a yeast infection,’ which prompted ear-splitting laughter from the crowd.

It was all rather bizarre, but Amanda took it in her stride and soldiered on with her guesses. ‘A stinky Bishop’s finger?’ she tried again.

Keith graciously put her out of her misery, picked a bit of éclair off the railing, took her blindfold off and showed her: ‘It was a chocolate éclair.’

What followed was Amanda’s famous cackle, and the crowd joined her in laughter.

During the show, Amanda also engaged in a game of Snog, Marry, Avoid, in which she said: ‘I’d shag Simon [Cowell], marry David Walliams and kill Piers [Morgan].’

In a wide variety of weird games debuted in the show, Keith also gave a hat-tip to the 90s show Gladiators, called ‘radiators.’

He had his contestants take up arms in a variety of ways against…radiators.

Chris Ramsey duelled with an actual radiator. Keith helpfully informed him: ‘All you have to do is knock it off the platform with you pugil stick.’

Celebrity Juice airs on Thursdays at 10pm on ITV2.

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Bodyguard’s Richard Madden thinks his character David Budd deserves a break after the tumultuous events of season one.

The BBC political series swept across the world and smashed records, and though a season two has yet to be confirmed, the 32-year-old actor reckons there should be a time jump to give his character a much needed respite from body-guarding.

Speaking at an event in Los Angeles organised by Netflix, he said: ‘We’ve been talking about it and I spoke to Jed about a month after the show had finished airing over in the UK and we sat and decided let’s give it at least a year while we work out how to do something better.

‘A couple of things. A, you cannot jump into it. David Budd definitely needs a vacation after that. He’s not going to go back to work, is he?

‘And also he’s the most famous man in London because of what happens at the end of episode six. He couldn’t just go straight back into work.’

He added: ‘And me and Jed both agree that there’s something much more interesting in “let’s catch up with him 18 months later, two years later after this has happened and say where is he now? What’s happened to him?”’

‘And we don’t want to do a disservice to what the first season was, which was new and different, and great and not fall into a formula, so I await the Jed genius to come in with what’s going to be exciting.’

Madden plays an Afghanistan war veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and finds work as a police sergeant. He is assigned to protect the home secretary, the Rt Hon. Julia Montague MP (played by Keeley Hawes).

Creator of the series Jed Mercurio recently revealed to the Telegraph that there is still no guarantee that a second season will happen. He told the paper he couldn’t tell fans anything about a second season.

Mercurio continued: ‘We’re still in talks. We’re just looking at the logistics of doing a second one. We haven’t reached the end point of those discussions.’

Later on at the Netflix event, Madden, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Budd, revealed he was ‘absolutely’ excited about playing the character again.

He said: ‘Absolutely, I am fascinated by this character and have been since I first picked up that script.

‘I’d love to get back into his head. If he didn’t have enough going on in his head already, after all this experience, throwing that on top of everything, where does that put this man in terms of his morals?

‘I think there’s a really exciting story in there and I’d be keen to see what Jed comes up with.’

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Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren stuns in beautiful dresses and military breaches in the first trailer for the upcoming four-part epic drama Catherine The Great.

The actress, who won an Oscar for Best Actress in her portrayal of Elizabeth II in The Queen is returning once more to play another passionate female leader for HBO and Sky Atlantic.

Mirren is playing 18^th century Russian Empress Catherine, who ruled from 1762-1796, the country’s longest-ruling female leader. Known for the affairs of the state as well as the affairs of the heart, the show will present the famous empress’ politics, her wars, and her love life.

‘Something needs to change,’ Helen announced, dressed in the fineries of empire and channeling Catherine in the beginning of the trailer.

‘I believe in reason, I believe in progress; and when the indomitable Russian people fight for these things, then Russia – your Russia, my Russia, our Russia, will be truly, and eternally great.’

Reading parts of her speech in tandem is award-winning actor Jason Clarke, who plays Catherine’s love interest, military commander Grigory Potemkin.

The trailer goes on to show Helen in a vast array of circumstances, including engaging in trysts with much younger men, dressed in military clothing, delivering speeches and quiet threats to her foes.

A plot summary of the program reads: ‘Set against the politically tumultuous and sexually charged court of Russian empress Catherine the Great, who wielded supreme power throughout Russia for nearly half of the 18th century, the limited series follows Catherine towards the end of her reign during her passionate affair with Grigory Potemkin.

‘Amid scandal, intrigue and immense conflict, they develop a unique and devoted relationship, overcoming their adversaries and together serving as the architects of modern-day Russia.’

Mirren has expressed eagerness over playing the role of Catherine, and told Variety: ‘I am very excited by the possibility of embodying a woman from history who grabbed and then wielded great power.

‘She rewrote the rules of governance by a woman, and succeeded to the extent of having the word Great attached to her name, Catherine the Great.’

The deep-dive into Russian political history is sure to be interesting for Helen personally, as her father, Vasily Petrovich Mironoff was originally from Russia.

Her paternal grandfather Colonel Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov, was colonel in the Imperial Russian Army, later became a diplomat and had been in the process of negotiating an arms deal before he and his family became stranded in Britain after the country was thrust into the Russian Revolution.

It’s set to be a compelling story with a star-studded cast that includes Joseph Quinn (Les Miserables) and Gina McKee (Bodyguard), as well as Jason Clarke (The Great Gatsby).

The show is written by Nigel Williams (Elizabeth I) and Philip Martin, who has directed episodes of The Crown, is director. Mirren herself is executive producer.

The series will air exclusively on Sky Atlantic and TV streaming service NOW TV this autumn.

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Gloria Hunniford has defended Danny Baker, insisting that she does not believe his is ‘deep down a racist’ while acknowledging that his ‘excuses were pathetic’.

The 61-year-old broadcaster was fired from BBC Radio 5 Live after a tweet he sent, comparing Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor to a chimpanzee.

Following his firing, Danny was pictured on the doorstep of his London home speaking to journalists, and looked rather animated as he discussed his ‘ill-advised, stupid’ tweet.

Thirty-six hours later, he issued a string of tweets, apologising for the tweet and saying he is paying the price for the ‘crass blunder’.

But speaking on Loose Women on Friday, Gloria – who has been pals with Danny for decades – said she was ‘completely shocked and quite disgusted’.

‘But I want to say I have known Danny for 30 years and deep down I don’t think he is racist but I think it’s a shocking case of bad judgment’.

Admitting she thought it was right for him to be sacked, she said: ‘I thought his excuses were pathetic.

‘He actually said he didn’t know about the baby and Meghan [being mixed-race]… as a broadcaster, we watch the news and have to know it for our job so when he tried to make it right even the apology was weak.’

Brenda Edwards went on to suggest there was ‘no out of context’ and that if he was sat on the panel she would leave.

‘An apology is not good enough,’ she said.

His tweet came after Meghan Markle – whose mother Doria Ragland is African American – and Prince Harry introduced son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor to the world.

Danny was sacked from his Saturday radio show at BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday, with the BBC saying: ‘This was a serious error of judgment and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody.

‘Danny’s a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us.’

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Sally Wainwright has announced a new series of Last Tango In Halifax and the third Happy Valley are on their way, which arguably trumps the excitement surrounding the Royal Baby.

It’s been three years since we last caught up with Police sergeant Catherine Cawoord (played by Sarah Lancashire) and Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) but after total radio silence surrounding the BBC drama there’s no doubt we’ll meet them again.

Sally, 56, confirmed a third cycle of the gripping Yorkshire thriller will happen, but we have to be patient.

Speaking at the premiere of Gentleman Jack this week, the seductive new period drama starring Suranne Jones, the acclaimed screenwriter was met with cheers when she gave audiences a quick update.

‘There will be a third Happy Valley, I don’t know when, but it’s always been the plan that there’s a third one,’ she promised. We’ll take that, Sal.

But right now she’s currently hammering at a laptop penning the next Last Tango In Halifax, which means there’s plenty of Sarah Lancashire on the way.

She teased: ‘It’s not been officially announced that we’re doing any more Last Tango – but I’m writing the third episode at the moment.’

Sally’s Gentleman Jack has already proven to be a smash over in the US and follows the true story of Anne Lister (Suranne Jones), the owner of Shibden Hall in Halifax in 1832, and her relationship with heiress Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle).

Gentleman Jack will fill the Sally Wainwright shaped hole in UK viewers’ lives from Sunday May 19 on BBC One. Amen.

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