Fans think they’ve seen the first contestant set to take to the dancefloor during the 2026 series after the new hosts were announced
Strictly Come Dancing fans think they have spotted the first contestant set to take to the dancefloor during the 2026 series after the new hosts were officially announced.
Advertisement
After months of speculation, it was confirmed on Tuesday (May 19) that Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe are the new Strictly hosts of the hit BBC One dance show.
The news was shared on the show’s Instagram page with the caption: “It’s official…September 2026.” It marks the first time a trio has presented the popular programme in its 22-year history, following the exits of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman at the end of the 2025 series.
As the announcement was made, Emma, 50, said she cannot “quite comprehend” that she has landed the prestigious co-presenting job, while Josh, 43, who took part in the 2024 Strictly Christmas special, said he feels “overawed” to now be fronting the programme.
Johannes, 39, who has been a pro on Strictly Come Dancing since 2018, said he feels “deeply honoured” to have a new job on the programme. And speaking about the trio for the first time, Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, said that their “chemistry is undeniable”.
Advertisement
But it was following the news being shared on social media that Strictly fans wondered if they had spotted a possible contestant being lined up for the 2026 series, which will get underway in just a few months’ time.
The Traitors 2026 winner Stephen Libby was seen reacting to the news, simply commenting underneath Strictly’s Instagram post: “Da da da da da da da, da da da da da [dancing person emoji].” And it didn’t take long for the comment to be flooded with replies.
@claire_belle11 questioned: “Strictly class of ‘26?” @denise_proctor78 replied: “I’ve a funny feeling you’re going to be on the show this year.” @robjeffries shared: “1000000% you are going to be on this show and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.” @creativemetalhead added: “Out of the castle and onto the dance floor.”
Advertisement
Stephen and his fellow Traitor Rachel Duffy found themselves in the final of the BBC One gameshow, which aired earlier this year, along with two faithfuls Jack and Faraaz. As they gathered arounf the firepit, Faraaz was the first player to be banished. The remaining players decided to banish again, and Jack was devastated that Stephen voted against him after believing he was a faithful this whole time.
It was then announced that Rachel and Stephen had won together, making history as the BBC series’ first-ever “double traitor win”. The pair couldn’t believe it as they tearfully embraced after claiming just under £48,000 each.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese has agreed to pay $395 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by church officials, plaintiffs’ attorneys said Monday.
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will have to write an apology letter to each survivor as part of the settlement.
The settlement also requires the archdiocese to implement a series of child protection and transparency reforms, including creating a list of clergy accused of abuse, said Jeff Anderson, an attorney representing dozens of child sexual abuse victims.
The settlement comes three years after the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy and will cover approximately 530 survivors of child sexual abuse, Anderson said. It is the latest agreement over clergy sexual abuse claims. In 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to a record $880 million settlement.
Advertisement
Several archdioceses in California filed for bankruptcy after facing hundreds of lawsuits brought under a California law approved in 2019 that allowed decades-old claims to be filed by Dec. 31, 2022.
Cordileone, the archbishop, said in a statement that he believes the settlement provides “a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime.”
“The hope is that this proposal will allow us collectively to move forward,” he said.
“We accept full responsibility for what happened, and I sincerely apologize to all those who have been harmed,” Cordileone added.
Advertisement
Margie O’Driscoll sued the archdiocese alleging she was sexually abused almost 50 years ago by a priest while she was a student at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, a community north of the Golden Gate Bridge. She said the settlement was hard-fought and puts the responsibility on church officials, not survivors.
“I, like every survivor, have carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time,” O’Driscoll said during a news conference. “Ashamed and confused about what happened, scorned by the archdiocese, and sometimes not even believed by family and friends, and I think today shame is gonna change sides.”
The San Francisco Archdiocese serves about 440,000 Catholics in the counties of San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo.
Anderson said a committee of survivors who spent thousands of hours over the last three years negotiating with Cordileone is empowered with establishing protocols on how to distribute the funds. He said every survivor will be given an opportunity to submit their story of abuse to an allocator hired by the committee to receive what Anderson said would be “an equitable distribution based on the unique circumstances of that survival.”
Advertisement
Besides the funds, the archdiocese will be required to follow 14 child protection and transparency demands that include maintaining and making public a comprehensive, up-to-date list of all accused clergy that details allegations and the outcomes of investigations. The archdiocese will also be banned from imposing confidentiality agreements that silence survivors.
“I’ve been working with survivors for decades and I’ve never heard of anything quite as significant, as rigorous, as robust as what is being required of the Archdiocese of San Francisco,” Anderson said.
Celebrity Big Brother is reportedly set to be axed for good amid ITV’s budget cuts after it was previously announced that the format would be rested until at least 2027
Celebrity Big Brother is reportedly set to be axed for good amid ITV’s budget cuts. The hit reality show, which was initially hosted by Davina McCall on Channel 4 in the early 2000s, was revived in 2024 with AJ Odudu and Will Best at the helm.
Advertisement
Whilst the civilian programme is set to continue this year, the celebrity edition, which has so far been won by reality star David Potts and Coronation Street actor Jack P Shepherd, will not return to screens for a third outing. Apparently, this is due to pressures from famous faces to land a part on one of its biggest rivals over on the BBC.
A source said: “Bosses face a huge challenge trying to sign up celebrities because so many of them are now pressing their agents to get them on The Celebrity Traitors.”
It’s thought that ITV are finding it difficult to sign such well-known names when there is competition from other big reality shows, and whilst it was initially thought that the format had been rested until at least 2027, it would appear that the programme may not be back at all.
Speaking to The Sun, the source added: “That is already causing problems for other big shows, like Strictly and I’m A Celebrity, which rely of star contestants because they now find themselves as second in the pecking order.
“So that is an even greater issues for a show like Celebrity Big Brother because Now it’s on ITV, it needs a certain calibre of contestant which are very hard to sign up now.”
The civilian version of Big Brother, which has so far been won by Jordan Sangha, Ali Bromley and Richard Storry, is set to return later this year. But there could be a major clash on the cards with ITV’s new I’m A Celebrity spin-off The Wild Frontier, which, according to insiders, was set to air “exactly the same time” as Celebrity Big Brother.
Advertisement
An ITV spokesperson said: “Big Brother returns to ITVX and ITV2 later this year. No decisions have been made for 2027 as yet.”
Insiders previously explained that the civilian version is “far cheaper to produce than celebrity so the return on investment is worth the while.”
ITV boss Kevin Lygo explained the issue at the Edinburgh TV festival last year. He said: “Celebrity Big Brother, we’re looking at. We’re thinking not on the main channel, that’s the answer. “It’s so difficult now to book big celebrities, famous people, which is what we need on the main channel. Whereas you can go more interesting and niche on ITV2.
“We’re in a battle with [production company] Banijay about the price. It does really well for us on ITVX. It’s a really important, crucial show. I love it and it does a tremendous job for us so, yes, it’s coming back.”
The Late And Live spin-off, which AJ and Will hosted, was also axed.
Yoga can be seen as an accessible way to exercise and improve wellbeing. You don’t always need a gym membership, specialist machinery or other people to do it.
But in practice, yoga in the UK is easier for some people to access than others. It is increasingly being linked to NHS social prescribing, where people may be connected with health-promoting, non-clinical activities delivered by community and voluntary services. Yet what is available, accessible or affordable can differ from place to place. My research suggests that some of the people who could benefit most from yoga face barriers to taking part.
Available evidence suggests that yoga participation in the UK is strongly skewed towards a narrow demographic. Respondents to a 2020 survey of UK yoga students and teachers were 91% white, 71% university educated and 87% female. These figures sit uneasily beside yoga’s reputation as open to all.
Many of the people least represented in yoga also experience poorer health outcomes and face health inequalities: avoidable and unfair differences in health between different groups of people. If yoga is being used as part of public health and wellbeing services, we need to ask who can realistically afford it, reach it and feel welcome once they arrive.
Advertisement
Mind and body
Yoga is a mind-body activity with roots in ancient south Asia. It can include breathing exercises (pranayama), philosophy, mindfulness, meditation and movement. Research suggests that it may help some people manage aspects of physical and mental health, including chronic lower-back pain, stress, symptoms of anxiety or depression, and quality of life and fatigue among some cancer survivors. The strength of the evidence is variable and covers a wide range of conditions, but yoga is widely understood to support health.
I am a researcher and yoga teacher with a focus on inclusion and marginalised groups. I teach yoga in northern city neighbourhoods with high levels of deprivation. These subsidised classes are more diverse than many other yoga spaces, and I wanted to find out why yoga is so often lacking in diversity.
In my forthcoming book, The Diversity Gap in UK Yoga: Outsider Perspectives, I examined the yoga access experiences of people from a range of backgrounds under-represented in yoga, including those on low incomes, disabled people, people with a high body-mass index and minority ethnic groups.
When analysing the interviews, I looked not only at the barriers people described directly, but also at underlying issues of power and inequality that shaped how bodies, backgrounds and needs were viewed in yoga spaces. This helped me identify cultural barriers that might otherwise be overlooked.
Advertisement
Identifying barriers
Some of the barriers I found were practical. Classes could be difficult to attend because of where and when they were held, how easy they were to reach, how much they cost and whether people were expected to buy particular clothing or equipment.
Other barriers were linked to how people imagined yoga before they tried it. Some worried that yoga would be too physically demanding, or not active enough. Some thought it might be “uncool”. Others felt that yoga was only for people who were slim, flexible, athletic or already confident in exercise spaces.
Some were also put off by elements that felt unfamiliar or alien, such as chanting, especially when these were not clearly explained.
Other barriers were cultural: they related to yoga spaces and the assumptions within them. Some participants felt excluded by the tendency for people within yoga to overlook access barriers, or to assume they could be overcome through luck, confidence, persistence or the right attitude, rather than recognising that the barriers themselves needed addressing.
Advertisement
Representation also affected whether people felt they belonged. Not seeing anyone like themselves could be alienating for some people.
For some people from south Asian national or faith backgrounds, it was also alienating when yoga’s south Asian origins were ignored, simplified or used in ways they felt were inappropriate. A strong belief that yoga is inherently welcoming could also make it harder to raise concerns. If criticism is discouraged, access problems are less likely to be acknowledged or addressed.
My research helps explain why yoga in the UK is often so white and middle class, and why this has consequences when yoga is used to support health and wellbeing. It found that people with marginalised identities experienced practical, perceptual and cultural barriers when they tried to get involved in yoga. Many of these groups already face poorer health outcomes and greater barriers to care.
These findings offer yoga teachers, studios and community providers an opportunity to examine their practices and make yoga more accessible to people who have too often been excluded.
France take on Sweden in the World Cup round of 32 tonight. Here’s the kick-off time, TV channel, live stream details and who awaits the winners
France and Sweden go head-to-head tonight for a place in the last 16 of the World Cup.
Advertisement
Didier Deschamps’ side have been one of the standout teams of the tournament so far, winning all three of their group matches in style against Senegal, Iraq and Norway, scoring at least three goals in each outing.
Kylian Mbappe has already netted four times in the competition and will be hoping to continue his fine goalscoring form as France bid to keep their World Cup challenge on track.
Sweden, managed by former Swansea City and Chelsea boss Graham Potter, squeezed through to the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams and face a huge task against one of the pre-tournament favourites.
Deschamps will also be back on the touchline after briefly returning to France following the death of his mother.
Advertisement
Here is everything you need to know about tonight’s match.
What time is France v Sweden?
France v Sweden kicks off at 10pm BST tonight on Tuesday, June 30.
The match takes place at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.
What channel is the game on?
The game will be shown live and free on ITV1 across the UK. Viewers in Scotland can also watch on STV.
Advertisement
What about live streaming?
The match can be streamed live via ITVX or STV Player.
Who will the winners face?
The winners will take on Paraguay in the last 16 after the South Americans stunned Germany in a penalty shootout.
That match will be played on Saturday, July 4, in Philadelphia.
France v Sweden team news
William Saliba is expected to return to France’s starting line-up after being rested for the group-stage win over Norway because of a minor back issue.
Advertisement
Sweden’s main concern is Isak Hien, with Victor Lindelof expected to move back into central defence if Hien is unable to feature.
A petition signed by 5,000 people calling for the school to remain open was submitted to the Education Minister
St Malachy’s PS Kilclief at Stormont
The community surrounding a rural Co Down school have taken their battle to remain open to Stormont by handing in a petition signed by thousands to the Education Minister.
St Malachy’s Primary School has been at the heart of the Kilclief community for 159 years. The school is known for its peaceful rural setting, strong pastoral ethos, child-centred teaching, and dedicated staff. The school is also known for its inclusive approach to education, particularly for children with Special Educational Needs.
Last year, the primary school received the news it was facing closure due to low enrollment numbers. The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools said the proposed closure would be effective in September 2027, alongside an expansion of St Joseph’s PS Strangford, which includes two external classrooms.
A petition calling for the school to remain open received more than 5,000 signatures from the local community and beyond. On June 30, parents, teachers, and pupils from St Malachy’s PS took this petition to Stormont, to be handed over to the Education Minister.
Advertisement
Speaking to Belfast Live, acting principal of the school, Ashlene McMullan, said they have been blown away by the response to their petition.
She said: “St Malachy’s is a rural school that is the heart of the community. It’s so much more than just an education, the children make memories and friends, as well as the school hosting so many cornerstone events. It would be a big loss if the school were to close.
Advertisement
“We had an online petition and a written petition, which has had thousands of responses. People locally and from further afield have been supporting us, which has been great to see.
“We need to save our rural school. Our school is so much more important than people realise, and without it, it would be a big loss to the community.”
Claire Cultra’s son, five-year-old Daniel, has just finished Primary One at St Malachy’s PS. She said the school has given so much support to her young son, who has Down’s syndrome, and Claire said her three-year-old daughter Susie is excited to start at the school in September 2027.
“Daniel goes in every morning the happiest child, he is loved by all the children and teachers, he has an amazing classroom assistant,” Claire said.
Advertisement
“We had a process of introducing Daniel into the school just because of his Down’s syndrome, he’s very much into routine. He has just blended into the school so well. Susie is super excited to go to the school, but she has another year to wait.
“Generations of our family, on both sides, have attended this school. It would be devastating if it ever closed.”
Claire said the closure of the school would have a knock-on effect to the surrounding community. She added: “It’s so part of the community – everything centres around the school.
“We’re a small parish in Kilclief, but when we come together, we hold events at the school throughout the year. We have people coming from far and wide for the Pumpkin Patch, we have Santa visits.
“The school is loved by everybody, it would be devastating to see it close. That site would just be vacant and the only thing left in the parish would be the church.
“Yes our numbers are low, but our community is growing. There are houses being developed. We are just calling for our school to be saved.”
Conor McCarthy, regional officer for Unison, said they “disagree completely” with the decision to earmark the school for closure.
Advertisement
He said: “We fully back the community and the staff. It does need to stay open, these children have amazing opportunities, and it’s a beautiful school surrounded by a beautiful environment. For it to be earmarked for closure is absolutely scandalous.
“There’s no way the Department of Education and this current minister can say they’re for the promotion of good educational outcomes, and fostering good mental health in our schools, while at the same time closing schools like St Malachy’s. It just does not add up.
“The school needs to remain open, not only for these current kids, but for future generations. There are kids waiting to go into that school, so the numbers can be obtained, but this managed decline – not only of St Malachy’s, but rural schools right across the country – needs to stop.”
Chris Hazzard, MP for South Down, said the focus needs to be on local children receiving a world class education, no matter what decision is ultimately made.
He said: “Like so many of our small rural schools across the North, there’s real pressures when it comes to sustainability and the quality of the education the child is receiving.
“We as a community, parents, grandparents, we can all have an attachment to the bricks and mortar of local schools, but we must ensure the education the child is receiving is world class. My ask here is whatever process is in place, whatever the decision that is come to, that the education of the children is world class.
“Like many rural isolated communities, this is a small coastal area. You have stunning scenery, a strong GAA club, and you have a small local school in that community.
Advertisement
“Once you start to lose those different elements, the sense of community cohesion can lose out, which we’ve seen in other areas as well. We’ve dealt with a school amalgamation process in the Mourne area over the years, and much of these fears came to the surface in that process as well. Fundamentally, the most important thing is the education of the children.”
St Malachy’s Primary School said they have submitted a detailed and evidence-based case and is urging CCMS and the Department of Education to give full consideration to the unique role the school plays, particularly in supporting children with SEN.
In a previous statement, a CCMS spokesperson said: “Operational Plan 2 of the Strategic Area Plan 2022 – 2027, was published on 16 January 2025.
“This included a work stream for the Strangford and Kilclief area in which the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) proposed to review maintained primary school provision in the area.
Advertisement
“CCMS plans carry out a pre-publication consultation with parents, staff and governors from St Malachy’s Primary School and St Joseph’s Primary School on the future of primary provision in the area.
“The consultation is due to commence later this year. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the proposal being consulted on.”
Danny Vettrino was shot dead on the luxury island of Canouan last week, with multiple people ‘assisting police’ in their investigations.
Police are considering “all lines of enquiry” in their investigation into the death of a Scottish man gunned down on a Caribbean island.Danny Vettrino was shot and killed at a car park in the Gym Hill area of Canouan in St. Vincent and the Grenadines at around 11.30pm on Wednesday, June 24, after returning from a day out.
Advertisement
The Record revealed yesterday that local media had linked the 36-year-old’s death to a plane that vanished on the luxury island earlier this month. However, the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) was unable to confirm Danny’s death was linked to this incident.
A spokesperson for the force told the BBC that a probe was ongoing and would be following “all available lines of enquiry”, with multiple people “assisting police” in their investigations.
It had been reported the RSVGPF detained two men in connection with the death but they have not verified if this is true at this stage. The light aircraft left Argyle International Airport for Tobago on June 12 but was missing for three days.
However, Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Clair Leacock, announced it had been traced three days later. Leacock refused to go into detail on the matter and said the situation was a “very delicate security matter”
Advertisement
He said the intelligence and security agencies are closely monitoring the situation and would focus on the two Colombian pilots.
The Record revealed on Sunday how Vettrino moved to Colombia for a year in 2023 after working in Egypt for eight years with an international peacekeeping organisation. He left South America in 2024 and moved to the Grenadines where he worked as a Technical Service Manager at the Canouan Estate Resort and Villas.
Confirming his passing online, his brother Robson Vettrino Kolberg said Daniel, known as Danny, was “loved by everyone, a pure soul who only wanted success and happiness for all of those around him”. He said: “He has touched the lives of so many people, from his hometown in Fife to all corners of this world.”
Daniel’s aunt also paid a heartfelt tribute to her “one in a million” nephew on Sunday. She said: “Daniel lived a life shaped by courage, independence, and a determination to follow his own path.
“He was one of five, a brother, son, nephew, cousin, and friend — loved deeply in every role he held. His journey was uniquely his: brave, stubborn, gentle, and unforgettable. He did it his way.
Advertisement
“Daniel was violently taken, robbed of the years he deserved, and the loss has shaken every part of the family. But his story, his spirit, and his love remain. Rest in the peace you deserve.”
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who died in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and we are in contact with the local authorities.”
Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.
On Truth Social, Trump said that the court’s decision was “too bad” and vowed to continue to fight to end birthright citizenship through legislation.
“No long and unwieldy constitutional amendment is necessary,” he said. “Congress should today start work on ending expensive, and unfair to our country, birthright citizenship.”
The US has granted citizenship to everyone born in the country since 1868, with the right enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, and bolstered by later US Supreme Court rulings.
“Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights – to freely participate in our political community,” Justice Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. “The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land’,” he wrote.
Advertisement
“We keep that promise today,” the chief justice said.
Three of the court’s nine justices dissented from the decision: Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito.
Justice Thomas, for his part, argued that the 14th amendment was being “repurposed for political projects” and that the freed slaves it was originally intended for “were Americans” with no allegiance to other countries.
Another of the dissenting Justices, Samuel Alito, described the ruling as a “serious mistake” that “confers citizenship on virtually anyone who happens to be born in this country”, including those who come to the US with the explicit purpose of giving birth to a child and then returning to their country of origin.
Advertisement
The case was of enormous significance to President Donald Trump, who made a brief but historic appearance at the court to watch oral arguments in April.
On X, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller – a vocal proponent of stricter immigration rules – called it “one of the most destructive and outrageous decisions” in the Supreme Court’s history.
“American citizenship is not the birthright of the world,” he said. “No provision of the Constitution can be read to require our national self-obliteration.”
But immigration advocates and detractors of the administration celebrated the ruling.
Advertisement
Dariely Rodriguez, chief counsel at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that the ruling “solidifies what we have known to be true for over a hundred years”.
“Anyone born on American soil, regardless of the legal status of their parents, is born an American citizen,” she added. We have endured an incredible test of our collective will as a nation and have prevailed.”
It’s taken the place of another play centre which closed down earlier this year
A new soft play centre has opened in Trafford with light up slides, role play sections and an interactive projector screen.
Advertisement
Epicland UK will officially launch on Saturday on the upper floor of Partington Shopping Centre and is already grabbing the attention of families.
The attraction is replacing The Hideaway family play centre, part of The Hidden Treasure Trust Christian-led charity, which closed at the beginning of this year.
Click here to keep up to date with the latest Family news in our newsletter
The new brightly coloured centre, which is mostly pink and yellow, features two soft play sections – one for twos and under and another for children aged three to nine years.
Advertisement
Its main features include a light up racing slide and a light up warp slide. There’s also an interactive projector screen and role play sections.
Wendy Leung has opened the business with her sisters Winnie, Winhola and Wanda and with 10 young children between them, they say they know only too well what families are looking for.
“We have 10 kids between us aged two to nine, so it’s been a busy few years and hadn’t been the right timing for us to open the soft play,” she said.
Advertisement
“This opportunity arose at the beginning of the year when we saw that The Hideaway was for sale.
“We have always dreamed of opening a soft play since having kids. We have been to many over the years, so we have put together things that we have liked from other soft plays and things we thought were missing, and would make the experience more enjoyable for parents too.
“Location wise we thought this was easy to travel to from Stockport, where we are from, and from all other Trafford surrounding areas.”
Advertisement
She said the free car park was ‘a big plus for us’ and being able to create jobs locally.
“Most of our staff are within walking distance from here,” she added. “Some are students, some are mums themselves. We think this would bring more footfall to nearby businesses too.”
Epicland UK also features a cafe, from where parents can keep an eye on their kids, and has its own party packages available.
Advertisement
“We will have good quality food menu and barista quality coffee as we want parents to enjoy it as well as children,” said Wendy.
“We have party packages available with over 20 themes to choose from.”
During peak times (weekends and school holidays) sessions last two and a half hours, but off peak it’s unlimited play.
For one child, aged one to nine with an adult included, it costs £16.95 peak or £12.95 off peak. Extra children are £13.95 peak and £9.95 off peak. Babies under one go free. Parties cost £21.95 per child off peak and £24.95 a child at peak times.
Advertisement
It’s open 9am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday, and 8.30am to 6pm at weekends and bank holidays.
With Portsmouth hitting record high temperatures during June’s heatwave, many may have had minimal or significantly disrupted sleep due to the heat through the evenings. Not only does this result in feeling tired for the days following, but it can also affect sleep schedules for several days afterwards.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login