Reality star and presenter Vicky Pattison has certainly been making her mark on Celebrity MasterChef, nabbing herself a spot in the semi-finals for her efforts.

The former Geordie Shore star was visibly emotional following a challenge in which she and Kellie Maloney were tasked with whipping up lunch for Metropolitan Police trainees – later saying: ‘That was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.’

It’s been a pretty busy 2019 for Vicky, who also recently moved in with her boyfriend, Towie star Ercan Ramadan.

No doubt she’ll have a lot to talk about when she appears on This Morning on Wednesday – and here’s what you need to know about her.

How old is Vicky Pattison and where is she from?

Vicky is 31 years old, and was born on 16 November 1987.

She’s from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where she also worked in telesales and local nightclubs before reality TV came beckoning.

When was Vicky Pattison on Geordie Shore?

Vicky found fame after appearing in the first nine series of the MTV show from 2011-2014.

During her time on the show she had a short relationship with co-star Jay Gardner before her on-off relationship with fellow cast member Ricci Guarnaccio.

Although the pair became engaged after he proposed to her during filming of the third series, she later called it off during series five.

Vicky also appeared on the MTV show Ex On The Beach in 2014 and 2015.

What else has Vicky Pattison been in?

Vicky’s made numerous TV appearances since her time on Geordie Shore, most notably winning the 2015 series of I’m A Celebrity after she entered the jungle as a late arrival.

She went on to co-host spin-off show I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here Now!, and has also been on the likes of Loose Women, Big Brother’s Bit On The Side, Through The Keyhole, Virtually Famous and Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – as well as trying to solve family feuds in her own MTV show Judge Geordie.

Who is Vicky Pattison’s boyfriend and how long have they been dating?

Vicky began dating Ercan Ramadan earlier this year, revealing in August  that they had moved in together.

They first got together after she liked one of his pictures on social media and they began talking, leading to their first date.

I was super-nervous but from the second we met, I didn’t stop laughing all night,’ she told The Sun.”I’ve not stopped smiling since. I am the best version of myself around him.’

‘I know it probably sounds really sickly, but he’s just so nice. I’ve never gone out with someone really nice before. I didn’t know fellas like this existed.’

She was previously in a relationship with John Noble, her ex-fiance, but the pair split after he was caught cuddling up to another women on a night out in Dubai.

Vicky opened up about the relationship to Heat magazine recently, saying: ‘I always wish he had the decency to talk to us and say he wasn’t happy. Looking back, I was probably really unhappy too, and just masking it, because this year I have learnt what true happiness is.

‘So as cruel as it is, John did us a favour. He wasn’t for me.’

Catch Vicky on This Morning on ITV from 10.30am.

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John Humphrys has said he would axe the Thought for the Day segment of his former BBC Radio 4 show Today.

On Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, the broadcaster told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that Thought for the Day – which addresses issues and people in the news from a faith-based perspective – is ‘discriminatory’.

After finding out that Piers is Catholic, John explained: ‘Here we have a situation where Piers would be allowed to do Thought for the Day because he can approach it from a Christian perspective, and say as a Christian I believe XYZ. I could not do it because I do not believe in any [faith].’

Piers asked: ‘So it’s anachronistic to you then and it should go?’

John replied: ‘Totally. I would go further. I would say it’s discriminatory.

‘Why shouldn’t I…I think of myself as being a fairly middle of the road sort of bloke, but I feel quite strongly about certain things and I would love to express my opinion about certain things.

‘Not allowed to because I cannot approach it from a religious perspective.’

The 76-year-old left the Today programme on 19 September after 32 years at the helm.

He used his last appearance to slam Prime Minister Boris Johnson for refusing to be interviewed.

He also took a swipe at Jeremy Corbyn who has not appeared on the show for an interview for nearly three years.

Reflecting on his time on the show, John said: ‘I should have gone years ago, obviously I should have gone years ago, but I love doing the programme.

‘When you do this programme it dominates your life, not just because you have to get up in the morning so many days a week, but all the time.

‘You have to be obsessed, I think that is the right word, with what’s going on out there.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.

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Queer Eye’s Skyler Jay has just gone and made history by winning a battle for trans-inclusive healthcare.

The star of season two underwent top surgery, and was forced to fork out the price after his insurance policy denied him coverage.

However, after filing a law suit against the University Systems of Georgia, the state has officially removed transgender healthcare exclusions from all 26 of their higher education systems.

‘A piece of historical oppression has been overturned today,’ Skyler wrote to his 60.6million Instagram followers.

‘The war is far from over in the way of change that must be made in this country for the Trans community.

‘But this is a huge battle won for Trans folks at large and specifically in the state of Georgia.’

The catering manager added: ‘I’m beyond pleased to close this incredibly difficult chapter of my life and see where the next one takes me.

‘I can confidently say that despite the emotional battle wounds I picked up along the way, that this is the greatest reward I’ve been able to receive and share in my life.

‘It was challenging but so worth it!’

Skyler went onto thank his Queer Eye family, before adding: ‘Share your truth, rally your resources and community, because change like this isn’t carried on the back of one sole individual, or one sole action.

‘It’s carried on the back of community.’

Sharing a string of heart emojis, he closed his powerful message off with: ‘We did it!!!’

And it seems the Fab Five are more and proud of their new found friend, as they were quick to comment all the celebratory posts.

‘Proud papa,’ Bobby Berk wrote surrounded by hearts, while Antoni Porowski added: ‘CONGRATS SKYSKY.’

Even Mama Tammye, who is another hero of the much loved season, got in on the celebrations and wrote: ‘Yes!!!! Sky!!’

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Worlds collided last night for NCIS fans as Ziva David (played by Cole de Pablo) met Bishop (Emily Wickersham) and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) for the first time.

Ziva’s comeback to NCIS was long-suspected by viewers – despite the character’s presumed death – and she returned dramatically during the end of the 16th season.

Fans were bombarded with unforgettable content in the episode – from Ziva and Bishop’s stand-off, to Torres calling her a ‘badass’.

This long-heralded meeting of three NCIS icons was too much for some fans to handle.

Many watching wished that the former Special Agent’s appearance – trying to clear her name after being named a terrorist threat – was a sure-fire way to finally get Bishop and Torres together.

Fans compared the relationship to that of Ziva and her lover Tony, and many fans appreciated Torres getting a few home truths from the returning cast member.

‘Ziva literally just told Torres to tell Bishop he likes her,’ one fan raved.

‘She recognizes the similarities between them and her relationship with Tony,’ another added. ‘I simply cannot.’

The episode, however, ended on a cliffhanger as Ziva left, determined to clear her name, reunited with Tony and her family. De Pablo has confirmed that she will be returning this season, but only for a short while.

NCIS is broadcast on Fox UK and is also available to stream on NOW TV.

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Strictly Come Dancing stars AJ Pritchard and his celebrity partner Saffron Barker looked pretty uncomfortable as they were forced to address romance rumours once more.

Appearing Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan cut to the chase and asked if they had fallen victim to the so-called Strictly curse.

He said: ‘Are you two at it yet like all the Strictly couples or not? You all end up with the curse right? Don’t tell me you haven’t tried. Have you or not?’

After initially laughing awkwardly they both gave him a firm ‘no’ in unison before AJ told Piers he has a girlfriend.

‘How does she feel about you dancing with a hot blonde?’ the presenter asked.

‘She is a hot blonde also so I’m very happy when I to dance with her,’ AJ replied smoothly.

‘Is she not worried about you guys nestling into each other for hours on end every day?’ Piers asked. ‘We all know what happens.’

AJ told him: ‘It’s the profession, Piers. Obviously if you wanna make it work, you obviously do 12 hours a day in the studio.

‘You wanna do fantastic for 12 million people live on Saturday night. You work hard.’

The professional dancer also teased their routine for Movie Week on Saturday, revealing their paso doble will have a Hunger Games theme.

Earlier on in the segment he bluntly asked YouTube star Saffron who she was.

Saffron explained that she makes videos which included comedy sketches, after which Piers demanded that she make him laugh.

He said: ‘You’re a comedian and you don’t do jokes? Is it a talent do you think or not?’

Saffron explained: ‘I think you have to have a personality and I do work very hard, I do work seven days a week, I produce all my own content.

‘It’s something that did start as a hobby but now it’s a full time job.’

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.

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Spencer Matthews is faced with an impossible choice on tonight’s Your Face or Mine tonight as he’s forced to rate the looks of his wife Vogue Williams against sister-in-law Pippa Middleton.

A clip, which is basically every husband’s worse nightmare, sees the I’m A Celebrity star’s relationship tested by comic hosts Jimmy Carr and Katherine Ryan.

Vogue and Spencer do try to wriggle out of it – saying that Pippa and her husband (Spencer’s brother James Matthews) are notoriously private.

‘I think we should skip this one,’ the Irish model says. ‘They’re really, really private. They won’t like us talking about them.’

She is talking to Jimmy, however, so her efforts are in vain.

‘We’ll skip this one,’ the 8 out of 10 Cats host jokes. ‘Just tell us who’s better looking and we’ll move on.’

‘We’d happily swap houses,’ Spencer quips. ‘But not wives,’ going with his wife Vogue, which is probably a wise choice.

The couple – who recently held a second wedding and got married by Jamie Laing – are in for some further shocks as the night goes on too.

As well as being joined by TOWIE star Ricky Rayment, the Spencer, Vogue and Wedding Two stars also have to pick the hottest between pop star Ariana Grande and Peaky Blinders actor Tom Hardy.

Rather them than us!

Your Face or Mine airs tonight at 8pm on Comedy Central UK. 

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Vicky Pattison would come home crying after a day of filming Celebrity MasterChef.

The 31-year-old is currently one of the few A-listers left on the programme, after DJ Judge Jules was booted out of the competition last week.

But despite doing so well, it seems the star has been overwhelmed by the project, as she called the show ‘scary’.

When chatting to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning, the reality star opened up on her time during the cooking show.

She confessed: ‘It’s scary, I spent the first couple of weeks coming home crying and drinking wine.

‘It’s so stressful, it’s the only set I’ve gone on where it’s bigger than how it looks on telly.’

Just last week, we saw the Geordie Shore star break down after the contestants carried out a mass catering challenge at The Metropolitan Police Training Academy in Hendon, North London.

The TV personality looked in her element as she chatted to the trainees who wanted to sample what she’d cooked up for lunch.

But even though she got off to a flying start, Vicky was left a bit overwhelmed by what was such a rewarding day.

Speaking about her time in the canteen, she said: ‘That was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.’

Beginning to tear up, she went on: ‘I feel really emotional and I don’t know why.’

The I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! winner had to briefly turn away from the camera to keep her sobbing in check.

This Morning continues weekdays at 10.30am while Celebrity MasterChef continues tonight on BBC One at 9pm. 

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Strictly Come Dancing contestant Michelle Visage has insisted that the feared ‘Strictly Curse’ is real – and she finds her dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, ‘hot.’

Visage, who scored 32 points last week for her Viennese Waltz with Pernice, does say though that even if the curse is real, it will not be affecting her or her husband of 23 years, David Case.

‘I can see how it does happen,’ the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge admitted. ‘If you are missing that physicality and contact in your life then maybe.’

‘My husband knows me and loves me,’ the former singer explained. ‘When I told him I was with Gio, I said to him “look how hot he is” and he was like “wow, he is hot, go Giovanni!”’

The Strcitly Curse has become the scandal of the show since it begans, as previously happily married or taken celebs have broken up their romantic relationships for their professional dancing partner.

We’ve compiled a handy guide to the Curse for those not in the know.

Although, let’s not even get started on Seann Walsh and Katya Jones.

Visage isn’t the only Strictly contestant to bring up the curse today – Saffron Baker and AJ Pritchard got a right grilling from Piers Morgan over whether they’re going ‘at it.’ 

Strictly Come Dancing continues this Saturday at 7.10pm on BBC One.

MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s AJ Pritchard and Saffron Barker squirm as Piers Morgan asks if they’re ‘at it’

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The Big Bang Theory may have ended earlier this year, but that hasn’t stopped avid fans picking apart every single episode, looking for Easter eggs and plot holes galore.

And an eagle-eyed reddit user has spotted another in the description of Howard Wolowitz’ mum – who is never fully seen on camera.

Regular viewers will have heard all the jokes the gang have made about Debbie Wolowitz’s obesity and weight over the years.

But, if you cast your minds back to season 6, episode 15 – the Spoiler Alert Segmentation, just FYI – we actually got to see a glimpse of the elusive character with our own eyes.

In one scene, Raj popped around to casa Wolowitz to join her for dinner, as Howard and Bernadette were away for the night.

After asking if he’s ready to have dessert, she can be seen fussing in the kitchen behind him, leaving some of the audience to gasp at the sight of her.

But, after reddit user Vodkaredbullpapi shared a clip of the rare moment, fans pointing out Debbie – voiced by the late Carol Ann Susi – isn’t ‘even close’ to being as big as how the characters made out.

‘Yeah it didn’t make any sense since she isn’t even close to as obese as they talk about,’ one replied.

While another commented: ‘Yeah I always thought it was way better to just allow us to imagine her being impossibly large even if we knew that’d never really be the case if we saw her.’

A fan added: ‘Howard exaggerated? How dare he!’

But, to be fair to the engineer turned astronaut, he wasn’t the only one who ‘exaggerated’ about his mum’s weight, with the rest of the Big Bang gang chipping in.

And we’re not impressed with any of them.

This isn’t the only issue with the plot fans have picked up on recently, and with season 12 dropping onto Netflix UK at the beginning of this month, it’s safe to say there will probably be others.

But Young Sheldon executive producer Steve Molaro was recently forced to step in and clear one ‘gaffe’ up, after Sheldon failed to thank Dr Sturgis in his Nobel Prize speech in the final
ever episode.

During the scene, the scientist gave all the key players in his life a shout-out, but appeared to snub the man who encouraged his love of physics.

Steve attempted to quell fans’ confusion, explaining: ‘Sheldon’s speech was intended to honour the history of Big Bang.

‘It didn’t seem like the right time to invoke specific characters from Young Sheldon. He mentions “all the men in his life,” which would include Dr. Sturgis.’

A specific shout-out still may have been nice…

The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Netflix and airs on E4.

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George RR Martin was basically laughing at us all as we frantically scrambled for clues pointing to the ending of Game of Thrones. Bran Stark’s name literally spelled out the finale this entire time.

Game of Thrones’ divisive ending famously saw Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) take his seat on the Iron Throne, which proved to be a sore point for fans who felt the youngest Stark should have used his foresight as the Three-Eyed Raven to prevent Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) massacre of King’s Landing.

Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was always favourite to rule the Seven Kingdoms, but it was his youngest brother’s fate all along.

And with the help of Google translate, we could have all worked that out for ourselves from the very beginning.

A Reddit user made the most of their valuable time and ‘stumbled’ upon the definition of Bran in Celtic.

‘The meaning of the name is literally ‘Raven’. I must say I was amazed at this discovery and once more it shows how the great mind that is behind all this (George R. R. Martin for anyone new :P) gave us so many little hints since the beginning,’ they wrote.

And that’s not all as the Celtic god Bran was also a king. Yup.

As for the creator of Westeros, George, the author has finally admitted that he, like the two million critics who signed a petition demanding Game of Thrones season 8 was rewritten, wasn’t a fan of the finale, accusing HBO of being ‘unfaithful’.

Regardless, despite the backlash and thumbs down from George, Game of Thrones added a further 32 Emmy Awards to its collection, breaking its own record for the most wins for any show in the history of television.

Game of Thrones seasons one to eight are available to stream on NOW TV.

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Zoe Ball has pulled out of hosting Strictly Come Dancing sister show It Takes Two.

The presenter has been ‘struck down by a nasty bout of flu’ and will be missing Wednesday’s episode.

Instead Gethin Jones will front the early evening show.

Taking to Twitter, the 48-year-old shared: ‘Gutted to say I’ve been taken down by a nasty bout of flu. Huge apologies for missing the R2 Breakfast Show & It Takes Two.

‘Thanks to @Nicki_Chapman & @GethincJones for stepping in. Promise to be back ASAP. Sending love ❤️ to anyone else illin with this flu, it’s such a stinker [sic].’

Strictly: It Takes two speaks to the current celebrity contestants and their professional partners about how they are getting on in the competition.

This year she is joined by Rylan Clark-Neal, who will be in the hotseat on Mondays and Tuesdays with Zoe at the helm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Gutted to say I’ve been taken down by a nasty bout of flu. Huge apologies for missing the R2 Breakfast Show & It Takes Two. Thanks to @Nicki_Chapman & @GethincJones for stepping in. Promise to be back ASAP. Sending love ❤️ to anyone else illin with this flu, it’s such a stinker

— Zoe Ball (@ZoeTheBall) October 1, 2019

Our HERO of the hour and 'Roving Reporter' @GethincJones will be hosting #ItTakesTwo tonight in place of the lovely @ZoeTheBall … Get better soon Zoe! 🤒 pic.twitter.com/MpsidWxsdD

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) October 2, 2019

The Big Brother’s Bit On The Side host previously admitted that he nearly turned the gig down.

He said: ‘It came completely out of the blue! Originally I thought they were asking me to be a contestant – I thought “no, I’m not doing it. I can’t go back into a competition!”.

‘When they said it was presenting I had to ring Zoe to make sure I wasn’t taking her job! She said “no, I’m cutting my time back a bit – I want you to do it!”’

Strictly: It Takes Two airs tonight at 5.15pm on BBC One.

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Rufus Sewell has opened up on the sexual abuse allegations made by Judy Garland’s ex-husband Sid Luft.

The star is playing the now late producer in the biopic Judy, and has called Hollywood a ‘hotbed of abuse’ when talking about its golden age.

During his appearance on This Morning, Phillip Schofield spoke to the 51-year-old about The Wizard Of Oz star’s life.

The host stated: ‘Her life was extraordinary you look in the old days of Hollywood… She was so so young, it’s 80 years this year of The Wizard Of Oz.

‘And there’s a film where there are sexual allegations on set for such a young girl.’

Looking disheartened, Rufus agreed, adding: ‘The stories on set, the crazy thing about it is we think of the golden age particularly presented by that film being the most innocent… There is no sin, you know?

‘But underneath all of that there was this kid of hotbed of abuse.’

He said: ‘One likes to think that the fact these things are out in the open, it means there’s a chance of things getting better because it was worse when it was all covered up.’

In Sid’s memoir, written before he passed in 2005, he claimed Judy’s life was made ‘miserable’ on set by the munchkins.

In an extract published by The Sun, Luft says: ‘They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small.

‘They would make Judy’s life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress. The men were 40 or more years old.’

The memoir, titled Judy and I: My Life With Judy Garland, was written in 1965 after the couple were divorced.

Rufus stars alongside Renee Zellweger, who plays Judy herself.

Talking about the first time he met the actress, he laughed: ‘I had never met Renee before, she was done up as Judy, she wasn’t in character – but there she was with the teeth, the hair and makeup and she was halfway through filming the scene.

‘I was meeting a mixture of the two of them,’ he smirked.

‘I got to know Judy and Renee at the same time, it was only a couple of nights ago that I met Renee without any of the Judy…’

This Morning continues weekdays at 10.30am on ITV. 

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He’s on Strictly: It Takes Two, he’s brought back Supermarket Sweep, he’s a universal favourite on This Morning, and he’s even conquered the airwaves on Radio 2.

With a new Channel 4 project lined up for later in the year, telly bosses truly can’t get enough of Rylan Clark-Neal.

But why so much nastiness? Recently there has been an onslaught of media coverage about him hitting back at trolls, or about viewers complaining that he’s ‘ruining’ their favourite shows.

And judging by the sheer hysteria in the replies to the Strictly Twitter account after his first It Takes Two episode, you’d think he’d set fire to the stage and locked Zoe Ball in a sequinned dungeon.

Well I’m sorry, but if liking Rylan is wrong, then frankly I don’t want to be right.

It hasn’t always been this way, though. Initially I was far from a Rylan stan.

Flash your minds back to 7 October 2012. Almost exactly seven years ago.

It’s the first live results show of The X Factor’s ninth season. Christopher Maloney, Ella Henderson, James Arthur, Union J and Jahmene Douglas are all through to next week. Rylan is in the bottom two with Carolynne Poole.

Then it gets to Louis Walsh. Oh boy. It’s one of the most iconic results show controversies in X Factor history (Lucie Jones vs Jedward? Forget it!) as he flaps around for what feels like eight and a half years and even appears to change his mind once or twice before finally sending home Carolynne. It’s a tie. Two votes each. We’re in deadlock.

Gary’s on his feet; he’s going to pass out from the rage. Poor Carolynne just wants to be put out of her misery. The crowd are absolutely beside themselves. And finally Dermot O’Leary reveals it was Carolynne who polled the fewest votes from the viewers. Rylan stays – and becomes public enemy number one.

Like a lot of viewers at the time, I was fuming. Fuming! See, I took that show very seriously back then: Once my brother put up a wall chart for the football World Cup in the family kitchen and I incredulously asked what would happen if I put up a wall chart for The X Factor live shows. He laughed. I wasn’t joking.

Because I took it so seriously, I was never a fan of the contestants who were (arguably) there more for the sake of creating an entertaining TV show than finding a viable pop star. And though Rylan certainly wasn’t in the same ballpark as Wagner and Honey G, it also didn’t feel like he was on the cusp of international music superstardom.

But despite all the controversy, he was consistently voted for by the public. His popularity was growing. There was a self-awareness about him; the sense that he was taking his performances seriously – but he wasn’t taking himself seriously at the same time. He also realised that the best way to overcome Gary Barlow was to (lightly) rib him back; and in an otherwise very serious year (James Arthur and Christopher Maloney hardly scream ‘club night’, do they), he was the only one who brought the fun.

I, like millions of others, really warmed to him. He made it to the final five, was on Celebrity Big Brother within weeks, landed a co-hosting gig on Big Brother’s Bit On The Side, and the rest is history.

His initial forays into TV presenting weren’t perfect, and given the amount of reality stars who land those sorts of jobs on a short term basis, it was tough to take him too seriously at first.

But as time went on, it became obvious that he wasn’t going anywhere. His natural warmth and humour made him a skilled host, and slowly more projects began to stack up. Now, it seems, he is inescapable; and along the way, he’s become one of the best (and most in-demand) TV personalities in the country.

However, despite all the love (and make no mistake, he is very popular), not everyone is happy about his recent domination.

‘He’s annoying!’ cry some people. ‘He makes me feel sick!’ tweet others. He’s a ‘talentless waste of space trying to be the centre of attention,’ moaned one Twitter user who perhaps hasn’t had a nice cuddle in a good few years.

I don’t get it – Rylan’s a natural. If Olly Murs fronting The X Factor in 2015 taught us anything, it’s that hosting is way harder than it looks – especially when it’s live.

That the likes of Emma Willis, Ant and Dec, Ore Oduba and Phil and Holly are able to make it look easy is a testament to their skill, and Rylan is similarly effortless. He always seems in control, he has a sincerity that never boils over into forced earnestness… Heck, he has a sense of humour!

I worry that some of the pushback he gets is rooted in veiled classism and homophobia. When certain snobby people hear a strong Essex accent, they immediately think ‘annoying’; and when they see a gay man showing exuberance and passion, femme-shaming is sure to follow (remember when Jonathan Van Ness had to call out a BuzzFeed quiz for suggesting his personality ‘might not be for everyone’?). I saw one tweet saying ‘ditch the diva’ which is… well, it’s certainly telling.

It’s been seven years since Rylan became a household name. And – like fellow telly-contestant-turned-host Alison Hammond – he wouldn’t have stayed the course if he didn’t deserve it.

Through hard work, kindness and sheer determination, he has become one of the best people on British television.

Long may his reign continue.

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Motsi Mabuse admits she finds it ‘hard’ to ignore criticism she’s faced since joining Strictly Come Dancing.

The professional dancer joins Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli on the panel, replacing Darcey Bussell who quit earlier this year.

As ever when a much-loved show makes a change, there was push back from loyal viewers when Motsi was announced, particularly because she is the sister of current pro Oti.

And while Motsi is used to hearing criticism because of her career, it’s difficult for her to shake it off.

She told Good Housekeeping: ‘Once you’ve been in the public eye, you are always going to be criticised.

‘Strictly is the master of all dance programmes. It’s so big! I’ve been watching the German show grow, but in the UK, I’m coming in when it’s already huge!….You learn not to take things personally, but it can be hard.’

She added that she has no problem scoring her sister, as they have worked together in the past and are totally professional, obvs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwGmImBgb6a/

Motsi explained: ‘I’m not nervous about working with Oti because we’ve done it before. I’ve been teaching her since she could walk, and we have a big sense of trust as sisters. We’re professional at what we do and we want to get that professionalism across..we want to go into this with fresh energy and have fun.’

The 38-year-old’s comments come as Strictly has reportedly upped their security after Motsi became the target of a racial hate group.

‘Strictly rightly take the safety of their stars very seriously, and felt that the move was warranted. And they would rather be over than under cautious,’ a source told The Sun.

The reports come a week after it was revealed that previous attacks and threats on the pros have caused bosses to rethink their security measures for this year’s Blackpool special.

A Strictly rep told Metro.co.uk: ‘We have extensive security measures in place to protect cast, crew and audience, and arrangements are reviewed on a regular basis.’

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday at 7.10pm on BBC One.

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Harsh comments maybe, but I think the lack of last week’s booze (or perhaps too much of it) has resigned the judges to being grumpy. Thank goodness for the presenters, eh!

For instance, we now know how much Prue hates mauve, thanks to Priya’s ‘nasty mauve’ blueberry cream – and Prue’s assessment came across somewhat cruel.

Then again, it is week six and time to get down to serious business. After saying goodbye to both Helena and Michelle last week, it’s beginning to feel like there’s no more room to mess up. The playoffs are over and we should be getting into a more intense and gripping tent from now on.

Having said that, there was a distinct lack of sharpness this week, and it was almost an anticlimactic episode after the roaring 20s. This week’s challenges were a bit dull and unoriginal and, in my opinion, should have been set much earlier on in the competition.

We started off with a ‘simple’ meringue, as the bakers put it, and were back to the recurring theme of substance before style. Henry cracked out a french twist, and nearly all of them were nutty, which was a slightly surprising angle. Most original idea from this round came from Michael inspiring himself with a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

The presentation of the meringues was stunning, and I often think the artwork department don’t get enough credit for the beautiful illustrations showcasing how the final bake should look.

The problem is it can end up a bit like a Pinterest challenge with the reality looking nothing like the fantasy. Fortunately for our tent bakers, most were presentable, although Priya’s aforementioned mauve and David’s flavours weren’t to the judges’ taste.

Alice, Michael and Rosie all suffered with chocolate overwhelm, so this is my takeaway from this week: meringue and chocolate is a tricky combo and a simple meringue needs to be just that – simple.

As a side note, bonus points must go to Henry (my forever most stylish tent resident this season) who successfully matched his shirt and tie with his meringue decoration – I love red.

I’m a bit surprised that the bakers found the technical challenge to make a verrine tricky – it is quite an enjoyable and visually satisfying dessert to make although with Prue’s vague instructions, I’m sure it was a bit more stressful.

Panna cotta is a pretty common dessert to have in a baker’s repertoire, a bit like a Victorian sponge. Sable biscuits are similar to tackling shortbread and it was a bit disappointing that the hardest challenge was finding out if your biscuit fit the glass or not.

I suppose from a judging perspective, a verrine means you can’t hide behind anything. It’s a 360 degree view of your work, and while it looks simple and should be simple in its execution, if you complicate the preparation it leaves room for lots of very visible mistakes.

Unfortunately by this point in the proceedings, Birthday Boy Michael had already resigned himself to the fact that he was going. I’m not sure what’s happened to everyone’s energy but the bakers definitely seem to be hitting a mid-season wall.

The Celebratory Bomb showpiece confirmed that this episode was focused on… the presentation of layers. Maybe chocolate too, but that’s it.

I liked that Stylish Henry was devising new ways of prepping his mousse layers, as aside from horse syringes, we’ve been lacking some homemade innovative designs. Unfortunately it wasn’t perfectly executed, but the bigger picture shows it was a compliment to his skills as a baker to find out-of-the-box ways of tackling challenges.

Meanwhile, the remaining boys were having their version of a water cooler chat by a fridge: ‘The least laddy lad’s club discussing gelatine setting temperatures’. I think I’d qualify for that club – where can I join?

The most gripping part of this episode was when the bakers turned their bombs out of their moulds – like children emptying out their buckets of sand on the beach and hoping for a perfectly four-turreted sandcastle.

This held a certain amount of hypnotic power while we as a nation willed them to succeed – and succeed they did. I was surprised – and perhaps it’s a little mean to say – almost disappointed there wasn’t one disaster after such a build up. It’s Bake Off after all.

I’m not quite sure why Steph had stuck Doritos around her celebratory bomb, but that glaze was on point and ‘one of the best things I’ve had to eat for a long time,’ according to Paul. I didn’t think it was possible but that might be even better than a handshake?

I rarely comment on production, but when Paul called Michael’s bomb gaudy, and the camera panned to Priya glancing at her showpiece, felt more than a little like shady, and clunky foreshadowing from the producers.

Priya’s exit was swiftly confirmed as Steph nabbed ‘Star Baker’ for a third week running, and I was unfortunately not surprised to see Priya go this week, (especially after the editing tip-off) – and certainly less surprised than Henry.

Smartest move for the week: I like that Henry had prepped his goodbye and ‘what to nick from the tent’ list! Apron, bowl and wooden spoon… he must be hoping to not get caught as I would have been trying to wheel a fridge freezer out of there!

Next week is looking more promising, with the promise of Carnival and all things brightly coloured. Let’s hope it’ll bring some cheer to those grumpy judges.

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Karren Brady appeared today on Loose Women to spill the beans on the newest series of The Apprentice and revealed she often has to walk out of tasks with frustration.

Lord Alan Sugar’s right-hand lady has seen pretty much every barmy business scheme there’s to be had, but she says that she gets so disgruntled by the bad ideas some candidates come up with that she has to leave the room.

‘You never know when they’re filming you,’ the Baroness shared. ‘But there’s just hours of “ugh” when you get bad decisions made over and over again. You can’t help it.’

In fact, she and fellow Lord Sugar helper Claude Littner get so annoyed she just has to remove herself from situation altogether.

‘We’re often biting our tongues,’ she added. ‘Sometimes I have to walk out. I know if they take one look at my face it will give the game away that it’s the wrong decision so I have to walk out.’

During her visit to the Loose Women panel – which also included former Apprentice contestant Saira Khan – the football executive also dished on why she’s called this year’s series of The Apprentice the best one yet.

‘This series we go to some amazing places,’ Brady said. ‘We go to Finland, we design electric bike toys, we even go into music management.’

Ahead of The Apprentice’s return tonight, Metro.co.uk caught up with Karren who told us there’s a lot of action going in in the boardroom that can go one for four hours.

Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV. The Apprentice starts tonight at 9pm on BBC One.

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The Apprentice star Jemelin Artigas has slammed claims that she once had a fling with Shaggy.

Ahead of the launch show tonight, it was reported that the new contestant had once hooked up with the reggae star during her former career as a model.

However, this is just not the case, as the 34-year-old has denied the rumours to Metro.co.uk.

She said: ‘I’ve not had a romantic relationship or fling with Shaggy in the past – this just isn’t true at all.’

Speculation started to circulate when a source told the Mail Online that the network marketing consultant had spoken about her past relationship to her fellow contestants.

The insider said: ‘Jemelin laughed and joked about having a romantic relationship with Shaggy to her rival candidates.

‘Every person she told was completely amazed and it sparked a Shaggy singalong among the contestants in their cinema room.’

They continued to tell the publication: ‘It happened years ago at the height of Shaggy’s fame while he was in town filming a music video and she worked as a model.

‘She’s not at all embarrassed about it now and can see the funny side.’

Jemelin will be battling it out on the BBC show alongside 15 other candidates all prepared to face Lord Sugar in his boardroom.

But despite this year’s series not even hitting out screens yet, it’s been claimed that the final two contestants have been leaked.

According to The Sun, one of the 16 hopefuls is said to have breached their contract by revealing to their friends that they made it into the final two.

‘This is a worst nightmare for bosses as they try and build suspense before the first show airs on Wednesday,’ a source told the publication.

‘The contestant has seriously annoyed a lot of people by not keeping this to themselves.’

They added: ‘You would have thought this will be weighing heavily on Lord Sugar’s mind when he ultimately decides who’s hired in the final.’

The Apprentice begins Wednesday 2 October on BBC One at 9pm. Metro.co.uk have contacted the BBC and Shaggy’s reps for further comment. 

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The candidates have been chosen, the boardroom is looming – and the 15th season of The Apprentice is about to kick off.

Lord Sugar’s in the hotseat once again as he chooses which of the 16 new candidates will be his business partner – with this year’s hopefuls including a librarian, a baker, a luxury womanswear consultant and a pillow salesman.

They’re set to be thrown in at the deep end as the show kicks off with a task which takes them all the way to South Africa – but what time does it all kick off on BBC One?

Here’s what you need to know…

What time is The Apprentice on BBC One?

The Apprentice kicks off on BBC One on Wednesday night at 9pm.

The show runs for one hour and five minutes ahead of the news at 10.05pm.

It’ll be followed by the new series of The Apprentice: You’re Fired on BBC Two at 10.05pm, with its new host Tom Allen talking to the first of this year’s fired candidates.

Who joins Lord Sugar on The Apprentice?

Once again Lord Sugar will be joined by Claude Littner and Karren Brady, who’ll be following the boys and girls teams as they embark on their tasks and reporting back to Lord Sugar.

Claude recently left metro.co.uk in no doubt as to what he really thought of this year’s candidates.

‘Normally, I’m completely dispassionate. I watch the candidates day in day out and I don’t really care,’ he said at an exclusive press screening.

‘However, this year I found them incredibly irritating and as you go through, you’ll find them irritating as well, I guarantee it.’

Meanwhile, Lord Sugar has hinted at when he might quit the boardroom for good – saying that although his contract expires next year he’d like to keep it going for a bit longer.

‘We’ve got one more series that I’m contracted, it will be the 16th series,’ he said at the exclusive press screening for the new series. Lord Sugar continued: ‘The format director is sat over there and he’ll be eagerly chasing us after the end of the 16th series.

‘I might do it to 20, 20 sounds a round figure.’

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Game Of Thrones star Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson takes on Freddie Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp in a grueling physical challenge.

On an upcoming episode of A League Of Their Own, Hafþór – who played The Mountain on Game Of Thrones – takes on the team captains, Romesh Ranganathan and Olympian Max Whitlock in the Right Guard Challenge.

If you thought that the 6ft 9 strongman and actor would make light work of his opponents – you’d be absolutely right.

The game is relatively simple. Freddie, James, Romesh and Max are split into the blue team and the red team, and have to push on a wooden pole while Hafþór pushes back on the other side of it to knock them into a pit.

To add to the atmosphere everyone is dressed up in Game Of Thrones style gladiator attire to take on the huge specimen of a man. We were reminded of that shocking duel between The Mountain and Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal).

At one point Freddie, Jamie, Max and Romesh join forces to try and push the actor over, and for a moment it seems like they have him beat.

But despite giving it their best shot Hafþór easily topples the lot of them.

While that macho display is going on, guest Helen Skelton answers quick fire questions from host David Walliams.

David says: ‘Name the three least talented Britain’s Got Talent judges’.

Helen answers Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David himself. Burn.

A League Of Their Own airs tomorrow at 9pm on Sky One.

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Alexander Ludwig stole our hearts when he took on the role of Bjorn in the much loved History Channel hit, Vikings.

But with the fantasy saga set to come to a natural end following the upcoming season, we can’t help but wonder where we’ll next see the 26-year-old.

And it seems he won’t be away from our screens for too long.

Since leaving the show the popular actor has taken on a number of jobs with his next project dropping later this year.

Yes, in November we’ll see the star join the likes of Mandy Moore, Woody Harrelson and Luke Evans in the movie Midway.

The film is set in 1942, and as the title suggest, will take us through the stories from the Battle of Midway – which have been told by the leaders and sailors themselves.

As well as this, Alexander has been getting cosy with Riverdale’s Charles Melton as well as Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Vanessa Hudgens in the upcoming Bad Boys For Life movie.

So far, we know that the story of the film sees Lawrence’s character Marcus Burnett now a police inspector and Smith’s character Mike Lowrey in the midst of a mid-life crisis.

The pair of them are set to retire, but agree to take on one last job before going their separate ways – and it’s a big one as they head to Atlanta to try and crack a drugs ring.

And if that wasn’t enough Ludwig to be looking forward too, he’s also recently announced that he’s bagged a role in a brand new Starz drama.

 

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Joined by Arrow’s Stephen Amell, the pair will play rival brothers and pro wrestlers named Ace and Jack, respectively.

Although Alexander’s character Ace is the hero and star, he’s secretly dealing with a load of issues outside of the ring.

‘Things are more difficult in the real world, where he struggles to reconcile his town idol status with his insecurities and demons,’ teases a description shared with Deadline.

It adds that Ace is ‘brash, cocky, and self-destructive – yet so damn charming and good-looking that you can almost forgive him.’

But until all of this, we have the final season of Vikings to watch, where Bjorn will battle it out with his brother Ivar The Boneless (Alex Høgh Andersen) for the throne.

While no date has been set for its release, the show will return to Amazon Prime and the History Channel in autumn this year.

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