When I say I’m terrible at my new hobby (chess), I don’t mean I’m unfamiliar with classic openings or sometimes make a basic error.

I mean that I’ve done stuff even the most incompetent minds have never dreamed of. In a move I call the “Bechdel blunder,” I have mistakenly tried to checkmate my opponent’s queen instead of their king multiple times (the crowns confuse me!).

I have other hobbies: knitting, crochet, baking, drawing, reading, and sewing, to name a few. But I have never been this catastrophically bad at anything I’ve tried to pick up before, and I’ve never felt more stupid.

So why do I find the hobby uniquely relaxing? And why do I feel more confident, fulfilled, and engaged after being beaten at chess than I am after hobbies I’m way better at?

I spoke to BACP-approved therapists Nicola Vanlint and Janey Morrissey about why being truly terrible at a new hobby might be great for our brains.

Vanlint told us that for a lot of adults, being a true beginner at something can leave you feeling vulnerable.

But “engaging in low-stakes, novel activities may foster psychological flexibility… and build resilience through repeated exposure to manageable discomfort,” she explained.

“When we allow ourselves to be imperfect in low-stakes environments, we teach the brain that mistakes are tolerable, discomfort is survivable, and self-worth does not need to depend on performance.”

Psychological flexibility was described in a 2010 paper as being a “fundamental aspect of health”, helping to improve our “potential to better tolerate and effectively use emotions, thoughts, and behaviour to extract the best possible outcomes in varying situations”.

For her part, Morrissey added, “Hobbies, leisure activities and learning new skills can act as a recovery from the stress of other areas of life.

“Doing something purely for joy and not for results can activate the parasympathetic system, which helps us to put the brain in a mode of play and rest, rather than obligation. This can really soothe the nervous system and support mental health.”

2024 research linked perfectionism to worse mental well-being, while cognitive rigidity (not being psychologically flexible) appeared to be associated with an increased risk of mental distress.

So, while “For many adults, particularly high achievers, occupying the role of a beginner can evoke vulnerability due to perfectionistic standards and fear of evaluation,” Vanlint said, overcoming that discomfort can be really good for us.

Learning to cope with it can “reduce perfectionistic thinking” and “help individuals tolerate ‘good enough’ rather than striving for immediate mastery”.

Ultimately, she ended, “Being bad at something can be good for your mental health because it teaches you that enjoyment and self-worth do not have to be earned through achievement.

“When adults engage in activities purely for enjoyment rather than performance, it can reduce the psychological habit of tying self-worth to success and reinforce a more stable, compassionate sense of self.”

President Donald Trump quipped he was “honoured” by assassination attempts against him following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.

During a press conference at the White House shortly after the shooting, Fox News’ senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy brought up a New York Post report that said that the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, assembled a “long” weapon at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

“Why do you think this keeps happening to you?” Doocy directly asked the president about the shooting.

“Well, you know, I’ve studied assassinations and I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most, you take a look at the people — Abraham Lincoln — I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this where they got ’em. But the people that do the most [and] the people that make the biggest impact are the ones that they go after,” Trump replied.

The president has faced at least five major security breaches and assassination attempts since 2024, according to LiveNOW from FOX.

“They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way,” Trump continued. “And when you look at the people – whether it was an attempt or a successful attempt, they were very impactful people. Just take a look at the names here. The big names, and I hate to say I’m honoured by that, but I’ve done a lot.”

Trump went on to say that there are many people who are “not happy” that his administration has “changed this country.”

“We’ve done a lot. We have taken this country and we were a laughingstock for years and now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world,” he added. “We’ve changed this country, and there are a lot of people that are not happy about that. So I think that’s the answer, Peter.”

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C, said the suspect was being charged with two counts: use of a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.

Pirro said that Allen would be arraigned on Monday in federal court at 1 pm local time.

Watch Trump’s response below. Skip to the 14:10 mark to hear the president’s remarks.

ITV has responded to accusations of favouritism following the chaotic I’m A Celebrity: South Africa finale.

On Friday night, the cast of the all-star I’m A Celebrity came together for a special live reunion, during which contestants Jimmy Bullard and David Haye claimed that the show – which was pre-recorded last year, and aired on ITV over the last month – was edited to make Adam Thomas appear, in the former boxer’s words, “look like a victim”.

Jimmy specifically took issue with the coverage of a blazing row he and Adam had towards the end of their time in camp, during which the soap star repeatedly called him a “cunt”, which did not make it into the final edit.

When the former footballer raised this at the reunion, hosts Ant and Dec pointed out that Adam’s language had been “unbroadcastable”, with ITV insisting at the time: “We show an accurate and fair representation of events.”

Since the final, a representative for the broadcaster told The Mirror: “Suggesting ITV favours anyone is an incorrect and harmful accusation. All campmates were invited to the live finale to celebrate the series and to share their thoughts, individually and collectively.

“Once all campmates were invited on stage, Ant and Dec spoke to Jimmy first; he arguably received the most airtime during this part of the show.”

During the final, viewers chose Adam as the winner of the show, ahead of runner-up Sir Mo Farah, meaning the soap star is the second former contestant to be crowned an I’m A Celebrity “Legend” after Myleene Klass in 2023.

Following the broadcast, both Jimmy and David claimed they’d been ejected from the I’m A Celebrity studio.

A show source told HuffPost UK: “Some campmates were uncomfortable being on stage with David and Jimmy, so we sent them home during Unpacked.”

I’m A Celebrity will return to our screens for its regular series, filmed in Australia, later this year.

Euphoria star Chloe Cherry has shared her take on some of season three’s most divisive scenes.

Chloe previously worked as a pornographic performer and OnlyFans model, at one point even appearing in a porn parody of the Emmy-winning series, before being cast as Faye Valentine in the second season of Euphoria.

During a recent interview with Refinery29, the actor was asked for her thoughts on the recent season three storyline in which Sydney Sweeney’s character turning to OnlyFans to pay for her wedding, posing in a series of increasingly provocative photo-shoots, which has raised eyebrows among many viewers, with some critics suggesting that these scenes cross a “degrading” line.

She responded that people today have the “weirdest ideas” and “fantasies of sex work being so empowering” based on news stories about OnlyFans making huge amounts of money.

“I don’t even really understand what it means to be on OnlyFans. Honestly, I don’t even really know what people are doing on there,” she explained. “It’s really hard to say if it would give [Cassie, Sydney Sweeney’s character] any power.

“Obviously, Cassie is extremely attractive, so it probably would lead to her making a lot of money. But it just feels crazy as fuck to see somebody living like Cassie turn to sex work. It’s like, ‘holy shit, that’s where we’re at in society?’.”

She added: “I really think that OnlyFans is a crazy, weird phenomenon of the 2020s that we will look back on and be very confused by.”

Euphoria creator Sam Levison previously weighed in on Cassie’s OnlyFans storyline before the new season began airing.

“What we wanted to always find is the other layer of absurdity that we’re able to tie into it so that we’re not too inside of her fantasy or illusion,” he insisted, pointing out the use of lighting and the inclusion of her housekeeper as a makeshift photographer was intended to provide a “gnarly and jarring” contrast.

He added: “We wanted to capture what she’s trying to show the audience and be inside of it, but then also pull back wider and see how depressing it is.”

New episodes of Euphoria are coming to Sky and HBO Max every Monday in the UK.

Recently, airline Ryanair announced that they’ll be making changes to their boarding passes from 12 November, 2026.

From that date, they explained, they’ll be getting rid of paper passes completely to “reduce costs, improve service, streamline rebooking, and save 300 tonnes of paper annually”.

Here’s how that’ll work, as well as the latest boarding pass rules from various airlines:

From 12 November 2026, they’ll only offer digital boarding passes.

Before arriving at the airport, check in on Ryanair’s site or app. You can do this from 60 days to two hours before your flight departs.

“After check-in your DBP [digital boarding pass] will appear automatically in your Ryanair App,” the airline’s site reads.

You will need to present this at security and at the boarding gate. You’ll get reminders to check in online both at 48 and 24 hours before departure.

“If any passenger arrives at [the] airport but hasn’t checked in online (having ignored these reminders), they will still be required to pay the airport check-in fee,” Ryanair’s site reads. This is usually £55.

If you’ve already checked in online or on the app and you lose your phone or tablet or its battery dies, Ryanair says “you will receive a free of charge boarding pass at the airport”.

Additionally, from 10 November 2026, check-in and bag drop will close 60 minutes before departure rather than Ryanair’s current 40 minutes.

You can check in digitally via Manage My Booking online or through their app from 24 hours before departure. Once you’ve done that, you can either download or print your boarding pass.

Alternatively, you can check in at the airport at British Airway’s kiosks and they’ll print a paper boarding pass.

“All you need is your booking reference (PNR) or passport,” their site explained.

If you lose your digital boarding pass for any reason, you can “print it again at a check-in kiosk at the airport”.

You can check in online between 30 days and two hours before your flight departs via Manage Bookings on their site or through the app.

Then, you’ll be able to see and download your boarding passes. “The best way to store your boarding passes is to use the free easyJet mobile app or you can choose to print them out,” they explained, adding, ” You cannot use a PDF scan of your boarding pass on your mobile device as the airport security team will be unable to scan them”.

If you lose your boarding pass but have checked in, they will be able to print them again, they added.

You can make changes to your flight up to two hours before departure online and 90 minutes to an hour before departure in the airport, but you’ll need new boarding passes.

Kids under two who will sit on their parents’ laps don’t need a boarding pass, but if they have their own seat, they do. In that case, “You may not be able to check in online so if you have any difficulty please check in at the airport at least two hours before your flight.”

They also add that the following airports in their network don’t currently accept mobile boarding passes, and you will need to print yours out from easyJet’s site instead:

• ADB – Izmir
• AGA – Agadir
• AYT – Antalya
• AQJ – Aqaba
• BEG – Belgrade-Beograd
• DJE – Djerba
• ESU – Essaouira
• EVE- Harstad
• HRG – Hurghada
• JSH – Sitia
• LXR – Luxor
• NBE – Enfidha-Hammamet
• RAK – Marrakech
• RBA – Rabat Sale
• RMF – Marsa Alam
• SCR- Scandinavian Mountains
• SPX – Cairo Sphinx
• SSH – Sharm El Sheikh.

You can check in online using “Manage My Booking” from their site or via the Jet 2 app from 28 days to six hours before departure to access your boarding pass. Then, you can download it to your phone or print it off.

Alternatively, you can use their kiosks in the airport from three hours to 40 minutes before departure for a paper boarding pass.

“At the airports, our check-in desks generally open at least 2 hours 30 minutes before your scheduled departure time – see the check-in opening times at your airport,” their site reads.

“Please arrive at the airport in good time, as our check-in desks will close 40 minutes before your scheduled departure time. By this point, you must have completed the check-in process.”

You can check in online via My Booking on the site or through the app from 48 hours to two hours before departure (except for Mexico and Jamaica; these are only available from 24 hours before departure). Then, your boarding passes should be available for download or printing.

If you don’t want to do that or if it’s not possible in the airport you’re travelling from, you can go to their kiosks for printed boarding passes. And if you pay for certain features, including Premium flights or Extra Legroom, your online check-in will be available 14 days before departure.

Some of TUI’s partner airlines will charge for airport check-ins, their site added, so check beforehand. And “you’ll need to check in for your outbound and inbound flights separately”.

For children under two years old, they will be issued a boarding pass but not a seat.

And if you’re flying with TUI Airways but lose or damage your boarding pass, you can “reprint your boarding pass up to six hours before your flight departure”.

The London Marathon’s 2026 runners broke plenty of records. We had not one, but two, sub-two-hour finish times from winner Sebastian Sawe and runner-up Yomif Kejelcha, respectively – a feat not recorded under normal marathon conditions before.

Runner Tigst Assefa smashed her then-world-beating 2025 time with a new women’s world record of 2:15:41, too.

Remarkably, that meant Assefa finished an entire marathon before the last wave of non-elite runners had even started the race.

But people don’t just tune into the 26.2 mile race for the displays of athleticism. The London Marathon is also associated with star power, too, and this year was no different: Cynthia Erivo, Tilly Ramsay, and even Daddy Pig made an appearance.

Which begs the question: how did they get on?

The Wicked star finished the marathon with a remarkably fast time of 3:21:40.

For context, the average woman’s marathon finish time in the UK is just over five hours.

It’s a new personal best for the actor, who announced the achievement on Instagram to praise from stars like Gigi Hadid and Gordon Ramsay.

Tilly Ramsay, whose family members, including dad Gordon, have previously taken part in triathlons, ran her first-ever marathon this year.

She finished in a great time of 4:01:26. Her father shared a post after the event which read, “Such a proud dad today watching my little girl @tillyramsay run her first ever marathon!”

She ran with Flora for Feeding Britain.

Fitness influencer Joe Wicks’ finish time was 5:51:54, a second after Daddy Pig’s (yes, he of Peppa Pig fame).

That’s because the pair were running together, with Daddy Pig raising money for the National Deaf Children’s Society.

Wicks also ran with his brothers.

Alexandra Burke, who finished the race in 4:25:03, said on Instagram, “I never take it for granted that I’m able to move my body and do things that challenge me!”

She raised money for the Melissa Bell Foundation and Parkinsons UK.

Fern Brady, who was running her first-ever marathon and finished in 5:49:12, joked on Instagram: “That was piss easy and at no point did I lose my grip on reality or believe I was crying hysterically and making a holy show of myself when in fact there was no tears coming out my eyes.”

She raised money for Autistica UK.

Drag Race UK star Kitty Scott Claus, meanwhile, finished at 4:25:35 – running for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“This one’s for you Grandma,” she titled her post-run Instagram post.

• Cynthia Erivo – 03:21:40
• Tilly Ramsay – 04:01:26
• Daddy Pig – 05:51:53 (he beat fitness influencer Joe Wicks by a second; the pair ran together)
• Joe Wicks – 05:51:54
• Alexandra Burke – 04:25:03
• Kitty Scott Claus – 04:25:35
• Sebastian Vettel – 02:59:08
• Tony Adams – 06:21:17
• Aaron Ramsey – 03:00:30
• Sir Alastair Cook – 03:05:15
• James Norton – 04:29:04
• Jack O’Connell – 04:41:00
• AJ Pritchard – 05:15:27
• Sir Ben Ainslie – 04:13:44
• Dame Laura Kenny – 03:45:05
• Nikita Kuzmin – 04:19:17
• Ore Oduba – 05:17:08
• Harry Judd – 03:05:25
• Shane McGuigan – 02:44:51
• Sir Anthony (AP) McCoy – 04:50:47
• Fern Brady – 05:49:12
• Aimee Fuller – 03:36:48
• Lee Grant – 03:00:33
• Darren Randolph – 07:36:27
• Bryony Gordon – 05:56:36
• Helen Thorn – 04:55:01
• Rob Deering – 03:47:22
• George Rainsford – 03:15:57
• Christopher Harper – 04:24:28
• Laura Doddington – 04:58:53
• Lucas Aurelio – 04:49:38
• Evie Pickerill – 06:20:25
• Dan Hudson – 03:35:51
• Dani King – 03:07:43
• Aaron Howlett – 06:55:55
• Sean Fletcher – 04:48:09
• Samantha Spiro – 05:00:42
• Harry Clark – 04:38:34.