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Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s mother and Grammy winner, dies at age 91

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Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston's mother and Grammy winner, dies at age 91

Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, has died, CBS News confirmed. She was 91.

Houston died Monday morning in her New Jersey home while under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston said in a statement. The acclaimed gospel singer was surrounded by her family.

“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness,” Pat Houston said in the statement, calling her mother-in-law “the matriarch of our family.” She said Cissy Houston’s contributions to popular music and culture are “unparalleled.”

“Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives. A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry, and community. Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”

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Houston was in the well-known vocal group the Sweet Inspirations with Doris Troy and her niece Dee Dee Warrick. The group sang backup for a variety of soul singers including Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, The Drifters and Dionne Warwick.

The Sweet Inspirations appeared on Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and sang background vocals for The Jimi Hendrix Experience on the song “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” in 1967. In the same year, Houston worked on Franklin’s classic “Ain’t No Way.”

Houston’s last performance with the Sweet Inspirations came after the group hit the stage with Presley in a Las Vegas show in 1969. Her final recording session with the group turned into their biggest R&B hit “(Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover,” a composition by the production team of Gamble & Huff, who appeared on the group’s fifth album, “Sweet Sweet Soul.”

During that time, the group occasionally performed live concert dates with Franklin. After the group’s success and four albums together, Houston left The Sweet Inspirations to pursue a solo career where she flourished.

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Houston became an in-demand session singer and recorded more than 600 songs in multiple genres throughout her career. Her vocals can heard on tracks alongside a wide range of artists including Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, Luther Vandross, Beyoncé, Paul Simon, Roberta Flack and her daughter.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

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Watch as former I’m A Celebrity contestant ‘confirms’ Strictly star has signed up for show live on breakfast radio show

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Watch as former I’m A Celebrity contestant ‘confirms’ Strictly star has signed up for show live on breakfast radio show


I’M A Celeb fans are buzzing after former contestant Jordan North seemingly ‘confirmed’ live on air that a former Strictly Come Dancing star has signed up for the hit jungle show.

Jordan dropped the bomb during an appearance on Capital Breakfast today while discussing his predictions for the upcoming series.

Jordan North has revealed some of his predictions for the next season of I'm A Celeb

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Jordan North has revealed some of his predictions for the next season of I’m A CelebCredit: Rex
The radio presenter appeared on the reality show himself in 2020

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The radio presenter appeared on the reality show himself in 2020Credit: PA

During a candid moment on the radio show, Jordan was asked who he thought would be heading into the jungle this year.

Without hesitation, he confidently listed his top picks, causing quite a stir among fans.

Jordan shared: “I don’t have any official intel, but I’ve just looked at the list, and I reckon there’s a good few names on there that I can guarantee are going in.

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Oti Mabuse I’m pretty sure of because I haven’t seen her for over a year but I just…

“I was working with her on Big Brother last year and I’m pretty sure.”

Jordan’s radio co-star Sian Welby chipped in: “Oti was originally one of the professional dancers on Strictly, wasn’t she?

“So she’s not busy this year – so potentially she could do it.”

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Oti Mabuse won Strictly twice, and later became a judge for Dancing on Ice.

Jordan North himself is no stranger to the jungle experience, as he actually finished as a runner up on I’m A Celeb in 2020.

He shared an emotional video days after his time on the reality show ended, sounding tearful as he said he missed his campmates.

Strictly’s Oti Mabuse shows off her incredible weight loss transformation after dropping FOUR dress sizes

The radio presenter later admitted he threatened to quit the series after he had a panic attack before his first trial.

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He told The Sun on Sunday: “I’ve not talked about this to anyone, I just had a complete meltdown. And I know what people mean now by sheer panic.

“I delayed it by loads. None of this got shown on TV.

“I just said, ‘I cannot do this. And I’m not going to do this. And in fact, I am gonna go. I don’t need to do this’.

“I nearly said, ‘I’m just not going to do the trial’. I nearly walked.”

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SNL stars attempt Manchester accents in Oasis reunion spoof | Culture

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SNL enrages UK viewers with ‘cringe’ Oasis sketch that’s ‘agony to watch’



Saturday Night Live (SNL) stars attempted Manchester accents as part of a sketch parodying the Oasis reunion.

In the episode on 12 October, James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman starred in the Weekend Update section as Liam and Noel Gallagher.

During the sketch, the Britpop brothers reassured host Colin Jost that the band won’t split up again before their 2025 reunion tour.

However, the comedians’ accents prompted British viewers to compare their voices to Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins.

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Liam responded by asking: “Are they meant to be comedians?”



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Watch as Celeb SAS: Who Dares Wins star Bianca Gascoigne WITHDRAWS from show at the very end of the series

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Watch as Celeb SAS: Who Dares Wins star Bianca Gascoigne WITHDRAWS from show at the very end of the series


A CELEB SAS Who Dares Wins contestant withdrew right at the final hurdle in Monday night’s gruelling finale.

Bianca Gascoigne, 37, may have made it to tonight’s final but it was buckets of water being thrown over her, that ended up tipping her over the edge.

A Celeb SAS Who Dares Wins contestant withdrew right at the final hurdle in Monday night’s gruelling finale.

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A Celeb SAS Who Dares Wins contestant withdrew right at the final hurdle in Monday night’s gruelling finale.Credit: Channel 4
Bianca Gascoigne couldn't take anymore

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Bianca Gascoigne couldn’t take anymoreCredit: Channel 4
The contestant was showered in cold water

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The contestant was showered in cold waterCredit: Channel 4
Bianca said she'd voluntarily withdraw

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Bianca said she’d voluntarily withdrawCredit: Channel 4

The 37-year-old could be seen having cold water poured over her head from a bucket above her.

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Initially she said she wanted to take part in the challenge but as the water was poured over her head, Bianca looked uncomfortable and tried to dodge it.

“No, no, you can’t move, get f****** back,” said one of the instructors.

But Bianca was adamant that she couldn’t do it o she said: “VW, I can’t, I can’t, VW.”

VW, which stands for voluntarily withdrawn, shook her head as she went through with her decision to withdraw.

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The instructors had their heads in their hands as they said: “No, no, no, not a VW now, that shouldn’t have got rid of her.”

Two celebrities triumphantly passed the tough course in the concluding episode, after Bianca’s exit.

Monday night’s series final saw Georgia Harrison, Lani Daniels, Anthony Ogogo and Bianca attempt to prove their mettle one last time and pass the course.

And doing just that was former Love Island star Georgia Harrison, 29, and pro boxer Lani Daniels, 25, who both passed.

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Celeb SAS Who Dares Wins winners revealed

The two women looked delighted as it was revealed that they’d passed.

The instructors gathered together, and told the girls the good news, after they were led out to stand in front of them and removed their hoods.

Meanwhile, Bianca has revealed just how tough she found the show in an exclusive chat with The Sun.

Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins winners

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Many celebrities have attempted the infamous Channel 4 quasi military training course – but only a select few have successfully passed.

Series 1 (2019) – Wayne Bridge

Series 2 (2020) – Locksmith and Lauren Steadman

Series 3 (2021) – Alexandra Burke, Aled Davies and Wes Nelson

Series 4 (2022) – AJ Pritchard, Calum Best, Ferne McCann and Maisie Smith

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Series 5 (2023) – Gareth Gates

She had only recently given birth to her daughter, Blake Sunshine, and was battling physical and emotional challenges in the gruelling competition.

Bianca said: “I had just had a C-Section, I had antenatal depression, was the most unfit I had ever been and my hormones were all over the place but I am proud of myself because I still did it.

“I had such a bad pregnancy. My hormones were horrific. I was missing my daughter so much because she was only four-months old.

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“At the time it was one of the worst experiences of my life but looking back now it was one of the best experiences of my life apart from having my baby daughter. 

“I would love to do it all again now I don’t have all the pregnancy hormones rushing through my body.

“I am a big tomboy so it’s something I’ve always wanted to do it.”

It’s been a difficult time for Gazza‘s daughter as, only last month, it was revealed she had split from her fiancé of three years.

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The Celebrity Big Brother alum moved out of the family home she shared with Arron Wright and Blake, who she had started dating in 2021.

The former couple welcomed their daughter into the world in February last year and got engaged in December 2023.

Bianca posted a video to Instagram of her and little Sunshine arriving at their new home, adding in the caption that the pair had spent the last 12 weeks “squashed in” at her mum Sheryl’s.

She wrote: “To finally have our own space is the best feeling in the world! I wanted to say a huge thank you to my amazing Mum.

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“Here’s to our new chapter baby girl.”

The buckets of water tipped Bianca over the edge

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The buckets of water tipped Bianca over the edgeCredit: Channel 4
Bianca admitted to finding the show tough

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Bianca admitted to finding the show toughCredit: Pete Dadds



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Mr Loverman review: A moving testament to the enduring power of self-acceptance

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Mr Loverman review: A moving testament to the enduring power of self-acceptance


“Love is not love, which alters when it alteration finds,” wrote William Shakespeare, in the schoolboy favourite Sonnet 116. These lines, quoted in interminable derivative wedding speeches, refer to a common desire (if not a common reality): that love should be immutable and accepting. But for the Bard-loving hero of BBC One’s new eight-part series Mr Loverman, love is an altogether more vexing thing that will take him to “the edge of doom” and back again.

Barrington “Barry” Walker (Lennie James) has done well in Britain since arriving from Antigua, many decades earlier. A self-described “man of property, man of style”, he has been successful in business and now lives in a big house with his pious wife Carmel (Sharon D Clarke). He is still providing for his grown-up daughters, feckless Maxine (Tamara Lawrance) and Donna (Sharlene Whyte), whose teenage son is being put through expensive private school by his grandpa. There’s just one problem: Barry has been in a secret homosexual relationship, since adolescence, with his best friend Morris (Ariyon Bakare). But as time begins to run out for these star-crossed lovers, their moments together become more precious. “C’mon Barry,” he implores himself, “you know the truth will set you free.”

But the truth is complex. Standing in the way of Barry and Morris’s happiness is the – justifiable – unhappiness of his fire and brimstone wife. “I’ll have plenty of time to sleep when the good Lord comes for me,” she tells her husband when he comes stumbling in, drunk, in the wee hours. “And that won’t be long now.” And then there’s the wider attitudes of the community: both men have experienced first and second-hand homophobic violence. And, finally, there are the precarious family dynamics: Morris has already lost his, Barry’s is hanging by a thread. The opportunity to “have it all” has already passed, but both men know that the point of “now or never” is rapidly approaching.

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Based on the novel by Bernardine Evaristo, winner of the Booker Prize for Girl, Woman, Other, this is not a story with simple answers. Unfolding over eight short episodes (refreshingly sized at just 30 minutes), the show’s writer, Nathaniel Price, embraces the complexity of the premise. Barry is not let off lightly for his deceptions, though neither is the misery of his living conditions understated. And, while this is a tale of accepting yourself, whatever your age, it also reinforces a message so true in real life but so absent from fiction: you are only the protagonist of your own story.

Embracing this nuance allows James the opportunity to shine. A reliable presence in British and international TV, he is as good as he’s ever been as the dapper, mercurial Barry. Bakare, too, is entirely convincing as his quieter, more dependable foil. At times, their scenes together have an almost theatrical quality, as the cascading lines of quasi-Shakespearean, dialect-infused speech fill kitchens and cafes. It’s a relationship that works better on screen than the intergenerational ones, where the show takes a gearshift. “Watch out folks,” Barry’s internal monologue muses, “soap opera just come to Dalston!” Plotlines involving Barry’s daughter Maxine and grandson Daniel (Tahj Miles) feel more BBC Three, where the rest of the show is pure BBC One.

But when so many depictions of repressed homosexuality – especially within ethnic minority communities – are marked by relentless suffering, it is refreshing to see a show embrace its characters’ own autonomy. Autonomy to make decisions – good and bad – and forge their own path. Mr Loverman is a slim but moving testament to the enduring power of self-acceptance.



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‘She’s doing it for the cameras’ rages MAFS UK groom after leaving bride in tears

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'She's doing it for the cameras' rages MAFS UK groom after leaving bride in tears


THE LATEST episode of Married at First Sight saw tensions flare yet again between one of the most combative couples on the show.

In a heated confrontation aired tonight, a groom accused his wife of playing up to the cameras when an argument between them left her in tears.

Holly has been left in tears multiple times after rows with her partner

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Holly has been left in tears multiple times after rows with her partnerCredit: Eroteme
Alex has accused her of playing up her emotions for the camera

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Alex has accused her of playing up her emotions for the cameraCredit: Channel 4
Their latest row took part at a dinner party

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Their latest row took part at a dinner partyCredit: Channel 4

Alex and Holly have had a rocky relationship ever since they were paired up by the reality show’s experts.

In previous episodes of MAFS UK, Holly burst into tears after Alex told her in the real world he would have ghosted her.

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Another dinner party saw her storming out after she tried to ask him about a comment he made to other grooms at the stag do.

When she asked why he said he would swap brides if he didn’t like his, Alex refused to respond on camera.

At the most recent dinner party, another row erupted between Holly and Alex when he spoke more to the new bride sitting beside him than to his wife.

Holly left the room in a huff and complained about the situation to one of her friends, but Alex got riled up about it and complained that she was overreacting.

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When she tried to pull him aside to a private room for a conversation, he again said he would not discuss their problems on camera, insisting on doing it behind closed doors.

Ahead of tonight’s commitment ceremony, Alex complained that he feels Holly only brings up issues between them when they are being filmed.

As she cried over their most recent conflict, he groaned: “She’s doing it for the cameras”.

However, audience members have rushed to her defence, pointing out that Alex was inundated with abuse allegations when he signed up for the E4 show.

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MAFS viewers brand groom ‘heartless’ as he slams bride for ‘acting up to cameras’ and to ‘stop speaking’

One person boldly stated: “I totally understand Holly not wanting to confront Alex without cameras there. He is intimidating. He is abusive.”

Another added: “‘Doing for the cameras’ or Holly is too intimidated to confront you privately Alex. He is dangerous.”

A third raged: “BRB Googling how to file an Ofcom complaint against Alex on MAFS.”

Someone else suggested the couple should have been split up by the production team.

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Apprentice star and ex-Trump aide Omarosa backs Harris for president

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Apprentice star and ex-Trump aide Omarosa backs Harris for president


Omarosa Manigault Newman, who rose to fame as a candidate on the Donald Trump-fronted reality show The Apprentice and later held a staff position in his administration, has endorsed his rival Kamala Harris for president.

Manigault Newman appeared in the first season of The Apprentice in 2004 and was well-liked by Trump. She had previously worked in the office of Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration in the 1990s, and in 2017 took the position of director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison under President Trump.

Speaking to Variety, she said: “I have no reservation in — I guess I’m saying this for the first time — completely, 100 percent endorsing Kamala Harris for President.”

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Manigault Newman’s 2018 memoir Unhinged drew on her experiences in the Trump White House to paint a picture of the former president as racist and cognitively impaired.

In the new interview, she told Variety that she believes Trump will be particularly concerned about losing to Harris in November’s presidential election.

“Donald Trump has been defeated before, and I think what’s grating on his nerves the most is that this [next] defeat may come at the hands of a woman of color,” she said.

Kamala Harris (left), Omarosa Manigault Newman and Donald Trump

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Kamala Harris (left), Omarosa Manigault Newman and Donald Trump (Getty)

“He reserves his most vitriolic attacks for women of color. To lose to a woman of color would be devastating to his ego.”

She went on to outline her fears that a second Trump administration would be less constrained and more “extreme” than the first.

“One of the reasons that Mike Pence was selected [as Trump’s 2016 running mate] is that there was a belief that Pence would be a calming factor,” she said.

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“I remember a lot of the discussion was that the establishment would be able to get Donald Trump in line, have him embrace the theology of conservatives.

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“Instead, Donald Trump hijacked the party and pushed out individuals who would be able to modulate his behavior. He has made it explicit that if he wins again, he would empower the most extreme individuals in his circle.”

In 2022, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign was ordered to pay Manigault Newman nearly $1.3m in legal fees.

The former president’s campaign had sued Manigault Newman over the publication of Unhinged, which the campaign said violated a non-disclosure agreement.

Trump lost the case in September 2021, but in the aftermath, both sides disputed the size of the settlement.

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