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Gary Lineker’s nephew Jonty Parkinson has died after being crushed by a falling tree, aged 18.

The Match of the Day presenter’s teenage relative was involved in the fatal injury, which crushed his abdomen, while working as a tree surgeon on 6 September. His funeral took place on Friday (27 September).

An inquest into his death was opened last week, with the Oxford Coroner’s Court hearing the incident occurred in Eaton Hastings. A date for the full inquest is yet to be announced.

Jonty is the nephew of Michelle Cockayne, Lineker’s first wife, with whom he has four children. His mum is Michelle’s sister, Ali. Lineker’s sons Tobias and George each posted a tribute on social media, with the latter calling him “one of the nicest boys you’ll ever meet”.

George added: “Taken far too soon. Fly high cousin, you’ll be missed by all.”

The Instagram page of the family business posted a photo of Jonty, alongside the words: “We are devastated to have to share the news that Jonty Parkinson – Bob & Ali’s son, Sue & John’s grandson and Sally’s nephew – passed away on Friday 6 September.

“As a family we wanted to share our gratitude for the huge outpouring of love we’ve received at such a difficult time. The fact that our staff and customers are continuing to support our family business while we deal with this heartbreaking loss means so much to us, so thank you.”

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Family friend Allison Murray has set up a GoFundMe page in Jonty’s honour, aiming to help “create a beautiful memorial or event to celebrate” his life.

The fundraiser’s description reads: “I realise money can’t fill the great chasm of loss they are feeling, but I hope it can be used to ease the burden of funeral expenses or go towards a fitting memorial for Jonty.”

At the time of writing, £32,000 has been raised.

MARRIED At First Sight UK in set for a huge twist as THREE new couples get married this week.

The E4 series is set to welcome six new singletons, who prepare to walk down the aisle to meet their spouse.

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The three new couples will be joining the experiment and the other newlyweds.

Whilst for some, it looks like a smooth flight, for others there is turbulence before they even jet off on their honeymoon.

The E4 series has had viewers hooked since the series returned last month.

From glamourous weddings, some rocky honeymoons and a first dinner party & commitment ceremony getting everyone talking – the series is certainly off to a strong start.

The first episode of the series totalled 75m minutes streamed and is the most streamed ever episode of MAFS UK.

The Sun revealed earlier today a first look at the intruders as a wild ‘wrecking ball’ and a wedding planner join the cast.

The show format often sees intruder couples brought in around this mark, to amp up the drama.

Last year, it saw viewers introduced to the likes of Erica and Jordan, and JJ and Bianca.

And now, viewers can get ready to welcome health and fitness business owner Hannah, 33, from Cheshire, and Blackburn-based wedding planner Amy, 27.

A source told The Sun: “Hannah is wild – she comes in like a wrecking ball and will shake up the show. And Amy’s a real character – she’s not shy about looking for love so has high hopes the experts will work their magic and find her a match for life.”

Hannah is described as “fun, fabulous, with big opinions but no filter.”

The bio of the new bride continues: “Hannah is quite the extrovert, who doesn’t stick to the norm.

“Straying away from how the rest of her family live, Hannah hasn’t gone down the route of settling down early and has focused on growing her business instead.

“Beneath the tough and ambitious exterior, Hannah admits she’s put up walls but does have a softer side that she lets people see every now and again.

“Single for two years, she believes she’s only ever met boys and not men. She wants someone who is strong, keen and ready to keep up with her energy and give her the time and effort she deserves.”

Wedding planner Amy will already be familiar to weddings due to the nature of her job.

She’s described as someone who is “Happy to relinquish control and leave her love life in the hands of experts who can do the hard work for her,” and she’s hoping they’ll “help her find someone who she can truly fall in love with.”

Amy’s bride bio goes on: “Northern girl Amy has spent the last few years planning weddings at an events management company, where she’s been helping brides and grooms create the dream day she’s always wanted.

“Looking at wedding dresses and venues, and tasting cake samples every day, Amy is constantly reminded of just how single she is.”

The hopeful bride has had three serious relationships that “never felt right.”

Amy’s wedding is set to air on Thursday this week, while Hannah’s will be early next week.

It comes as one of the show couples didn’t get the happy ending they were hoping for as one of the brides was spotted kissing her new partner in Ibiza over the weekend.

Married at First Sight UK continues Monday – Thursday at 9pm on E4 with the series so far available to stream on Channel 4.

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Strictly Come Dancing is meant to be enjoying its 20th anniversary victory lap, but there’s a dark shadow hanging over the latest edition of the competition.

Over the weekend, the judging panel dished out their verdicts on each famous contestant’s carefully choreographed routine, wielding their glittering scoring paddles to award points out of 10. Then on Monday, the BBC issued a Strictly judgement of a very different kind – one that may have lasting ramifications for the sparkling jewel in the broadcaster’s light entertainment crown. After weeks of heightened speculation, the corporation published the results of its probe into complaints levelled at professional dancer Giovanni Pernice by former contestant Amanda Abbington. 

The Sherlock actor, who left last year’s competition after just a few weeks, had accused Pernice of bullying behaviour. Following months of investigation, which reportedly involved sifting through thousands of hours of behind-the-scenes footage, the BBC confirmed that they had upheld complaints relating to verbal bullying and harassment, but concluded that Pernice had not been physically aggressive. They also issued an apology to Abbington, and acknowledged that coming forward “would not have been an easy thing to do”; the actor said that she felt the verdict was a “vindication”, while Pernice’s spokesperson said he is “pleased” that the report “has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour” by him.

BBC bosses will surely be hoping that the release of the investigation’s results marks a natural conclusion to what has been a tumultuous chapter in the dance show’s history, a period that also saw another popular pro, Graziano Di Prima, depart under a cloud after separate allegations surfaced (he later admitted to having kicked his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during a rehearsal). But that seems like wishful thinking. For all the cheerful smiles and dazzling routines, Strictly’s summer of scandal is refusing to fade.

Although Pernice has been cleared of the most serious complaints against him, the acknowledgment of verbal bullying is an undeniable stain on Strictly’s reputation as the nicest show on TV. That image was never entirely spotless, what with all the chatter about the so-called “Strictly curse” that has claimed more than a few relationships, but compared to scandal-beset shows like Love Island, it felt like a show you could enjoy without getting too mired in the ethics of reality television. It was uplifting and big-hearted rather than cynical and potentially exploitative. Abbington’s allegations, and the subsequent investigation, have reminded us that the “reality” we see on screen isn’t always, well, real. 

For a show that always felt authentic underneath all the larger-than-life sparkles, in a Dolly Parton “I may look fake but I’m real where it counts” sort of way, that fissure between appearance and actuality could prove damaging. Fans want to believe that the Strictly “journey” is as positive and life-affirming as we’d previously thought; perhaps some will be left feeling alienated by this acknowledgement that all was not well backstage. Indeed, the first live show of the season was reportedly watched by almost one million fewer viewers than last year, with 6.4 million tuning in, down from 7.3 million in 2023 (the BBC’s chief content officer Charlotte Moore suggested those figures didn’t tell the whole story, as “a lot of people watch Strictly over the course of a week, so it’s absolutely in line with the ratings of last year”). 

So far, the show has not addressed any of behind-the-scenes turmoil while on air. That may have made sense during the opening episodes, before the investigation results were confirmed, but it’s no longer possible to distract from the (diamanté-embellished) elephant in the ballroom. Even if a to-camera speech feels a bit too reminiscent of Holly Willoughby’s “firstly, are you OK?” performance in the wake of This Morning’s scandal last year, there are other ways that Strictly could allude to what’s happened and prove that things are changing for the better. 

In order to demonstrate that this is a new era of Strictly 2.0, perhaps they could show viewers some of the new safety protocols in place or let the much-discussed chaperones appear on camera during rehearsal footage. Whatever they decide, acknowledging the scandal feels imperative. Because they might find that, like the professional-grade fake tan beloved by Strictly participants, this particular mess will almost certainly leave a mark that can’t easily be scrubbed off.