Hip dips are having a moment. The perfectly normal indentations that sit below your hips on the outer thigh have become the latest body feature to be scrutinised, fixed and agonised over on social media. But what are they? Can you actually get rid of them? And should you even try?

Formally known as the trochanteric depression, hip dips exist in both men and women and are simply the visible result of the space between two bones – part of the pelvis called the iliac crest and a bony bulge on the upper thigh bone called the greater trochanter. How pronounced they look depends on your bone structure, muscle size and how much fat sits in the area. In other words, they are largely the result of genetics.

Research suggests that some people feel hip dips disrupt the natural contours of the body, though what counts as an attractive figure varies widely from person to person.

The exercises most commonly recommended to reduce hip dips target the gluteus medius, the medium-sized buttock muscle that sits directly over the depression. These include side-lying hip abduction, the side-lying hip clam, standing hip abduction with or without resistance, and weight-bearing exercises such as squats, lunges, step exercises and supine bridges.

Because the gluteus medius comprises three groups of fibres, a mix of exercises is likely to work better than sticking to one. But here is the catch: as you build muscle and reduce fat in that area, the underlying bones and muscles can actually become more prominent, making the dip more visible, not less. A layer of connective tissue called the fascia keeps the muscles separate and ensures some depression will always remain where they meet the bone.

There is also a longer-term risk worth knowing about. Overloading the gluteus medius through repetitive exercise is a leading cause of microtrauma to the muscle and its tendons, which can trigger a condition called greater trochanteric pain syndrome. It affects the same area as hip dips, is up to four times more common in women than men, and will affect up to a quarter of the population at some point in their lives.

Symptoms include hip, thigh and buttock pain and tenderness. The body’s repair process involves replacing damaged tendon tissue with a weaker form of collagen, gradually reducing the strength and integrity of the tendons over time.

Cosmetic procedures

For those wanting faster or more dramatic results, cosmetic procedures are an option, though none come without drawbacks. Surgical fat transfer involves taking fat from elsewhere on the body – the thighs or breasts, for example – and injecting it into the hip dip area.

The risks include bruising, infection, fat loss, tissue death and, in rare cases, fat embolism.

A newer and less invasive option is hyaluronic acid injections, which draw water into the tissue and temporarily increase its volume. Because the injections are given in an area with only small blood vessels, the risks are lower. However, the results are not permanent, since the body breaks hyaluronic acid down over time, meaning repeat treatments are needed.

Although hip dips appear in both sexes, it is almost exclusively women who seek to change them, reflecting broader differences in how men and women are socialised to think about the shape of their bodies.

The honest answer is that short of surgery, hip dips cannot be eliminated. They are a feature of your skeleton, and no amount of gym work will move your bones. Exercise can change the shape of the surrounding muscles to some degree, but may do little to the depression itself and carries its own risks if taken too far. For most people, the most straightforward option remains the least fashionable one: leaving them alone.

The case involving the former DUP Leader has now entered its third week at Newry Crown Court

The trial of Jeffrey Donaldson has now entered its third week where the court heard from the former DUP leader.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson faces 18 historical sexual offences, including one count of rape, alongside allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges which involve two alleged victims and span a 23-year period between 1985 and 2008.

His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson was declared medically unfit to stand a standard criminal trial and will instead undergo a “trial of the facts”.

She is facing a trial of the facts on mental health grounds.

Day 10, June 8

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The court heard evidence regarding the police interview that took place following Donaldson’s arrest in March, 2024. He was interviewed for four and a half hours, with three hours of this being played to the jury.

The court has previously heard about an allegation that Donaldson had “perched” over the top of Complainant A when she was a child, using a light to look at her “private parts”.

In his police interview, Donaldson raised the incident, telling detectives he believed he had “startled” the girl.

He said: “It obviously frightened her. She thought that I was shining a light at her.”

“You know, I didn’t have a light. You know, I wasn’t doing anything untoward.”

He added: “She clearly still has a concern about that.” He said “at no stage” had Complainant A ever claimed “I touched her or did anything inappropriate on that occasion”.

Donaldson also said he had “good times and difficult times” in his marriage to Eleanor Donaldson, blaming his work as a politician for this as it was “all-consuming”.

when the circumstances of an allegation of rape were put to the ex-MP by a detective, he responded: “I’m sorry, but I can’t get my head around this notion.”

Donaldson accepted he had apologised to one of the alleged victims at a meeting, but stated that this was because she had felt “uncomfortable”.

He also said he did “not accept the picture that is being painted” during the interviews. When asked if he had put his hands down the pants of Complainant B, he responded “No”.

The detective said: “Has anything remotely like that ever happened before with her?” Donaldson said: “No.”

When the rape allegation was put to him, he responded: “That did not happen. The answer to that is absolutely no.”

He added: “I’m sorry but I can’t get my head around this notion.

READ MORE HERE: Donaldson told police he ‘can’t get head round’ allegations of sexual abuse

Day 11, June 9

The court heard the police interview that Eleanor Donaldson gave following her arrest in March 2024. She told police she was met with a “blank wall” when she repeatedly asked him about an incident where he had been alone in a room with an alleged victim of sexual abuse.

Eleanor Donaldson, 60, from Dublinhill Road, Dromore, Co Down, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending.

She is facing a trial of the facts and is not participating in the proceedings. Donaldson sat in the dock at the back of the court while the recordings were played.

In her first interview with police, Eleanor Donaldson was asked if she was guilty of the offences for which she had been arrested. She replied no.

She then told police about an incident where she had gone to find her husband and he was in a room with Complainant B, who was a teenager at the time.

Eleanor Donaldson said: “I just sort of remember just looking at him and saying what are you doing.”

She said when she asked her husband about it, he said it “was nothing” and that he was “just talking”.

She added: “In the years that came after that I never had any cause for concern ever, I never felt that apart from thinking that that was strange and what was that about and I asked Jeffrey about it and he just dismissed it.

“I never had any other feeling that anything was wrong.”

She said: “I asked Jeffrey many times but he had never given me a reason for why he was there or what he was doing.

“I asked him many times and it never came to anything and he never gave me any answers.”

When asked by the detective, if she had a “clear view” of what had happened, she said: “I could just see that there were both standing there, but that was it.”

The detective asked her if she believed “something more” had been going on.

She said: “Yes, because I was uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable.”

She added: “Every time I did ask I was met with a blank wall, it was not coming out.

READ MORE HERE: Eleanor Donaldson hit ‘blank wall’ asking husband about alleged victim

Day 12, Jun 10,

No court sessions took place in the presence of the jury.

Day 13, June 11

Jeffrey Donaldson was called as a witness in the trial at Newry Crown Court shortly after 10.30am on Thursday.

Wearing a blue suit and red tie, he was sworn in after entering the witness box and confirmed his identity. He told the jury about his career in politics before being asked about the allegations.

Mr Vaughan asked him if he accepted any of the allegations made by Complainant B, the older of the two alleged victims.

Donaldson said: “No.”

The barrister asked the same question about allegations made by Complainant A, and Donaldson again said “no”.

The court has previously heard evidence about a letter Donaldson wrote to Complainant A in June 2020, where he had told of his “regret” over the “hurt, pain and distress I have caused”.

Mr Vaughan asked him if the letter referred to incidents of abuse. Donaldson said “Absolutely not.”

He added: “This is not the reason why this letter was written.”

The barrister turned to the allegations made by Complainant B, who claims she was raped by Donaldson. Donaldson told the court: “It just didn’t happen, I am absolutely crystal clear about that.”

“It is not something I would ever have done, it is just simply not true.”

Asked about another incident where A had claimed he had nodded after she had confronted him about alleged abuse, he said it “did not happen”.

Donaldson told the court of the moment he and his wife had been arrested by police over the allegations in 2024.

He said they had been at home sleeping when police called at six in the morning.

He said: “It was totally unexpected, we just had no idea.”

He added: “It was just a complete shock, we had no idea this was coming.”

Asked by the barrister if he had thought about the allegations subsequently, he said: “Every waking moment.”

Donaldson added: “My head was in a spin, I was thinking ‘what is this about?’

“You do your best to answer questions.”

Donaldson also told the trial that his work as an MP had been “all-encompassing” and his wife had been “devastated” when he had had an affair in 2008.

He said he confessed the affair to Eleanor Donaldson and had “regretted it”.

He said there was another occasion during the Covid-19 pandemic when a bugging device had been placed in his car after his wife had discovered he was exchanging “flirtatious” texts with a woman.

Day 14, June 12

Donaldson claimed in the Friday session that a letter he wrote to his alleged victim did not refer to allegations of sexual abuse but instead he was apologising for other behaviour.

Prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh KC cross-examined the ex Lagan Valley MP at his historical sexual offences trial at Newry Crown Court.

In the afternoon session Ms Walsh turned to a letter Donaldson wrote to Complainant A in June 2020 in which he expressed “regret” for the “hurt, pain and distress” he had caused.

Donaldson has said the letter did not refer to allegations of sexual abuse but instead he was apologising for other behaviour.

Ms Walsh referred to the phrase “lift a sinner out of the deep pit of sin” within the letter.

She asked: “Are you a deceitful person Mr Donaldson.”

He said: “Not by nature.”

He added: “At its heart Christianity starts from the starting point we are all sinful in nature.

“That is what I was referring to.”

She said: “But we are not all in a deep pit of sin.”

He said: “I am simply explaining to you the basis on which I wrote these words.”

She read another part of the letter which stated: “I know how deep the wounds are caused by my sinful and selfish actions.”

She suggested part of the letter is “about sexually abusing a child”.

He said: “That is not the case.”

Ms Walsh said: “That is what the deep wounds are.”

He said: “That is not the case.”

Donaldson added: “I was not writing to seek forgiveness for sexual abuse.”

READ MORE HERE: Donaldson trial told letter of ‘regret’ not referring to sex abuse claims

The trial continues today.

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A little older still and he went up to Cambridge university. The photographing of his hometown stopped, even though it is clear that he had a real eye for it, in terms of composition, subject matter and human interest.

You may remember from Memories 437 in 2019 that after university, Richard rarely returned. He worked for British Steel and then for Cardiff City Council, rising to become head of corporate services.

AND: EMOTIONAL PICTURE OF A LITTLE GIRL IN RISE CARR

But in his youth he had amassed a remarkable collection of black and white images of a town on the cusp of real change. In the 1960s, the inner ring road was blasted through the centre, cutting a swathe through scores of terraces and causing the demolition of hundreds of houses.

Darlington power station from Freeman’s Place, where Halford’s is today, showing the dereliction of the town centre in the late 1960s as it waits for the ring road to come through

It was a 20 year project, which was never completed: in 1990, a public inquiry decided that the final stage of the ring road was too environmentally damaging to be allowed to go ahead. So Darlington has a ring road that doesn’t form a circle – although it still forms a noose around much of the town centre, cutting it off from the residential areas, forcing people to sprint across four lanes of traffic to reach it.

A train coming into the north end of Bank Top station with the power station in the background

Richard’s pictures capture the town beginning to undergo that immense change, but they also gave a glimpse of the town as it was, when it was still dominated by railways and industry, when the skyline was filled with the three enormous cooling towers and the three slender cricket stump chimneys of the Haughton Road power station, and when every street corner really did have a shop on it.

A stylish late 1960s lady marches into the corner shop on Park Place with the Victoria Road New Connexion Methodist Church in the background. The shop has been replaced by modern housing but the steps are still there, and the church is now a bathroom

Darlington library has accepted more than 300 of Richard’s images and a selection of them form this month’s exhibition in the Centre for Local Studies, which runs until June 30. His pictures are a remarkable record of a town as it once was.

Bowman’s grocers and off licence on the corner of Backhouse Street, which ran from Victoria Road northwards along the bank of the River Skerne, opposite St Cuthbert’s Church. The riverside was largely lined with industrial premises, including, opposite the town hall, Backhouses’ linen mill. With all its windows broken, Bowman’s looks ripe for demolition as preparations are made for the inner ring road

We think this is Model Place looking towards the Haughton Road power station

A slushy day on a back lane off Victoria Road, so perhaps the corner shop selling coats had a good day. Can anyone tell us which corner this was on?

We think this is Darlington Forge, on Albert Hill, with the East Coast Main Line train crossing Five Arch Bridge – is that correct?

Darlington Forge in the late 1960s, beside the East Coast Main Line on Albert Hill, by Richard Gaunt

Looking over the railway lines at the north end of Bank Top station with Pensbury Street on the left and the Haughton Road power station to the right. You can still see the outlines of the camouflage shapes that were painted onto the towers during the Second World War, in the hope that these vast hulks were disappear from the Luftwaffe’s view

The Freemasons Arms, now the Old English Gentleman, in Bondgate with the Odeon cinema (formerly the Majestic) in the top left. Perhaps most interesting is Darlington’s first Wimpey bar, the town’s first burger joint, which opened in May 1961 next to the pub. Are these old cars of any interest? We have done this for a while, but can anyone identify the car nearest the camera, the car turning into Commercial Street or the car going out of the picture on the right? Email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk if you can

The blaze can be seen tearing through the structure in West Lothian this afternoon.

A huge fire has engulfed an industrial estate in West Lothian. The alarm was raised around 3.20pm when fire crews received reports of a blaze at Deans Industrial Estate on Caputhall Road in Livingston on Sunday, June 14.

Emergency services, including Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, raced to the scene and four appliances, as well as one height appliance, was deployed to tackle the raging inferno.

It is understood firefighters remain on site while efforts to bring the fire under control continue. It is not yet known whether anyone has been injured, or whether Police Scotland or Scottish Ambulance Service are in attendance.

Photos and videos taken at the scene, and shared with the Record, show bright, angry, orange flames bursting through the roof of a building. The fire rips through the structure as thick, black smoke billows into the sky.

Locals have been sharing their concern at what’s unfolding this afternoon on social media as they pass by. Some are reporting seeing the blaze from places including Culross and on the road to Burntisland.

The area is also taped off to the public and one fire engine can be seen parked up.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We received a call at 3.20pm on Sunday, June 14 to attend a fire on Caputhall Road in Livingston. Four appliances and one height appliance were deployed.”

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BBC Death in Paradise spin-off Beyond Paradise has wrapped up its fourth series, and Anne Lloyd star Barbara Flynn has paid tribute to co-star Vincent Franklin, describing the actor as ‘funny’

Beyond Paradise star Barbara Flynn, who portrays Anne Lloyd, has praised a guest performer following their departure from the BBC programme.

The fourth series of Beyond Paradise concluded earlier this year and featured Anne Lloyd stepping in to prevent Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) from being dismissed from his position.

The instalment also witnessed Zoe Williams departing Shipton Abbott to embark on her travels. Newcomer Mr James Smith (Vincent Franklin) was additionally exposed by Anne for conducting an affair with a DI from Heston Morley station.

Anne, who featured on a repeat of Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh today, also said she feared she’d lose her job after a week of filming.

During the repeat instalment, Anne spoke with Alan about the series and how she considers it “a joy” to go to work.

“It is lovely,” Barbara remarked before commending the programme’s writers, “Tony Jordan and Tim Key are an amazing pair. Death in Paradise has such a huge following around the world, and I think it is just something pleasant.

“I said to Sally (Bretton) once, because most of my scenes are with her, who I absolutely adore, I said, ‘Look, Sal, here we are sitting on a bench on a beach’.

“We are at work, and we were doing yoga on a beach, and it was a complete delight.”

She continued by revealing that she fractured her ankle following a week of shooting, which made filming scenes difficult. She added, “The rest of it was filmed of me from wheelchairs and crutches. I thought I’d lost a job after the first week, but they said, ‘No, no Barbara, we will wheel you up and down’.”

Anne also previously discussed what it was like to film alongside newcomer Vincent in series four, characterising the performer as “funny”.

She told Reach PLC, “We got on incredibly well. He’s a funny man, and we had enormous fun off-screen as well as on. He was a lovely addition and a bit of a mystery, and that it’s going to all end in…not tears, but chaos or something.

“And, of course, because Anne decides to get much more involved than that, then there’s a real, there’s a real kind of shift,” reports the Express.

When addressing what collaborating with Kris Marshall’s character more closely was like, Barbara continued, “Well, they all find it difficult having Anne in the station.

“I mean, Humphrey is as polite as he could be. He was never rude, but he’s so in his head, and so Anne is constantly bemused by him, but at the same time, very fond.”

Kris also expressed his enjoyment working with Vincent, who portrayed his adversary, describing him as a “genius actor”.

Beyond Paradise is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Desperate holidaymakers have been queuing outside Gatwick Airport for hours after sinkholes near a railway bridge cancelled all trains to London.

Network Rail engineers discovered a ‘number of sinkholes’ close to a bridge during planned engineering work outside Purley.

Claiming it was ‘for the safety of passengers’, all lines between Purley and East Croydon were closed leaving holidaymakers scrambling for alternative ways to get to and from the major airport.

Some reported taxis charging as much as £250 to get to East Croydon as others queued for hours for replacement buses.

After taking first place at a professional competition in Spain this month, Nikki Beattie has qualified for the Masters Olympia 2027

A Co Antrim mum is in “absolute disbelief” after becoming the first woman from Northern Ireland to qualify for a top bodybuilding competition.

Nikki Beattie, from Larne, fell into the world of bodybuilding after having her first child and fell in love with training and pushing herself in a new sport.

Earlier this month, she travelled to Madrid to take part in her second professional show and came away with the top prize for Women’s Physique in the 40+ age group.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Nikki shared her excitement at qualifying for the Masters Olympia next August – considered the pinnacle competition for bodybuilding.

She said: “After I had my first son, I was like stuck in the house as a mum just like a robot doing the do. I just thought I need to do something for myself as I just didn’t like how I felt within myself.

“So I started the gym Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, that’s when I worked out and I just never stopped.

“From there, I just progressed and my coach at the time asked did I want to do a competition and I was like yeah we’ll do it for the craic, not knowing what I was going into.”

Nikki threw herself into working to compete at local shows over across three federations, coming away with the top prize at most she attended.

“When Covid hit, I just tried to do what I could but in the meantime, I’d had another baby and I was able to train up until three days before I had him,” she explained.

She didn’t let a global pandemic stop her passion, returning to competing when restrictions were lifted and winning once again before qualifying for her pro card and making her professional debut 16 months ago.

After placing 15th, a score she was “delighted” with, she took over a year off before going to compete in her second professional show this month in Spain.

Remembering the moment she won, she added: “I couldn’t believe it, because when you’re backstage seeing those girls who are far bigger than you and the girls that you see on Instagram, you’re looking up to them, you’re like ‘wow, I’m actually here’.

“I was literally just happy to be there with them because I really admire these girls.

“There was a lot of hype about the girl who came second as she was the favourite to win, so I was like that’s alright, I’ll take a loss compared to her because she’s amazing.

“When they called her out and I was left standing there in first place, I was like wow, I literally couldn’t believe it.

“Just in absolute disbelief – very, very grateful, very grateful for the opportunity to do it as well.”

Taking part in the Masters Olympia 2027 will put Nikki on the world stage, competing with the best of the best in bodybuilding.

She said she in honoured to be able to represent Northern Ireland and highlight “our wee country on the map of bodybuilding” as the first woman in the country to qualify for the Masters Olympia.

Nikki continued: “There are no days off – our off-season is literally building muscle.

“Everything’s so structured, but as a mum of two boys, they’re my priority so it doesn’t eat into our family time and things like that.

“My boys are seven and one’s coming 13 here – they’re very, very proud of me and I do believe that every parent should do some sort of exercise to lead by example with their kids – nutrition as well because it’s very important too.”

Nikki hopes that people can be inspired by her passion and determination and showcase that bodybuilding is not the “lone sport” it is made out to be, thanking the team around her for helping her take her first professional win.

VIDEO BY JUSTIN KERNOGHAN

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Ninety teams hurtled across a gruelling 2.4-mile course in the 60th Great Knaresborough Bed Race on Saturday (June 13).  

The event featured a “Swinging Sixties” theme to commemorate the first-ever bed race event, which took place in 1966.

Recommended reading:

Before setting off from the grassy banks through Conyngham parkland, the teams showed off their dressed beds, inspired by this year’s theme, at Knaresborough Castle.

Ninety teams participated in the day’s parade before undressing the beds for the big race (Image: Lisa Young)

The winners, Bed Number 44 – The Rocket Men – were selected by a voting panel and led the beds in the town’s parade from 1pm.

Decorations came off for the second instalment of the day, the big race, at 3pm.

The course led the teams from Conyngham across Bond End and onto Waterside before the ascent to Castle Ings.

The parade through Knaresborough delighted thousands of people who lined the streets (Image: Lisa Young)

The teams turned off in High Street, looping back to Bond End through to Mackintosh Park before the arduous 50-yard swim across the River Nidd back to Conyngham.

Joining those taking part was a group of NHS mental health clinicians, raising money for charity Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

Speaking about this, team member Anna Kilsby, a consultant psychiatrist who works in the Harrogate and Knaresborough perinatal mental health service, said: “1 in 4 women have a mental health problem associated with having a baby.

“And 1 in 10 women and birthing people are considered at a level to need specialist perinatal mental health support.

“This means that struggling with your mental health after a baby is as common as everyday things, such as having curly hair.”

“My motivation to run is that hopefully people who might need us will hear how common this is, learn that we exist and want to support them” (Image: TEWV Bed Race team)

She added: “Despite this, people fear stigma and judgement if they ask for help.

“Too many people wait longer than they should – which impacts the woman or birthing person, baby and family.

“My motivation to run is that hopefully people who might need us will hear how common this is, learn that we exist and want to support them.

“Most importantly, they might also realise we are normal people who struggle doing things we aren’t used to – like running – and they don’t feel so anxious about meeting us.”

Teams have been preparing for the event for months (Image: Lisa Young)

Jazz Richardson-Forster, who works as a Peer Lead for North Yorkshire York and Selby Community Services, said that training for the bed race was a “real team effort”.

Knaresborough Striders Men were crowned this year’s winners of the bed race, with an impressive time of 12:33.

They were followed by Gh Brooks Mens (12:34) and The Half Moon (14:12).

The teams gathered at Knaresborough Castle for the judging of the Best Dressed Beds (Image: Lisa Young)

The event is organised by volunteers from the Knaresborough Lions charity, who are assisted by 300 others.

Each year, thousands of pounds are raised through entry fees, sponsorship and sales of the programme – money which goes back into the organisation of the next Bed Race, with any excess donated to worthy causes.

For more on this and the full results from the day, please see here.

Russell conceded afterwards that he would have, adding that he felt his former teammate was now in this title fight. “The pace today was insane from Lewis, so yeah, they [Ferrari] are coming, I think,” he said.

It does look as if Hamilton might be at least. This was his first win in 686 days (since the 2024 Belgian GP), his first time crossing the line in first place in 707 days (since the 2024 British GP), and it leaves him 41 points behind Antonelli in second place in the championship, with Russell a further nine points behind.

Hamilton appeared to be choking up over the radio as he returned his car to the pits.

“Grazie tutti to everyone at Maranello,”  Hamilton told his team as he returned his car to the pits. “I can’t thank you enough. I’m so proud of you. And to my family, I love you. And to my fans, thank you for reminding me who I am. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

More to follow…