A contributor to a controversial Channel 4 documentary about ADHD has accused the filmmakers behind it of “misrepresenting” her views.

Earlier this week, the British broadcaster aired The Great ADHD Myth?, which claimed that it sought to “determine whether ADHD is a genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct”.

Immediately after it aired, the doc prompted a wave of impassioned responses, perhaps most notably from the UK’s leading ADHD charity ADHD UK, which suggested the show could contribute to further stigmatising the condition.

ADHD UK co-founder Henry Shelford told HuffPost UK: “We are shocked by this programme. The fact it got commissioned at all speaks to the stigma around ADHD – a stigma that is now likely to get worse because of this show.”

Since then, Katya Rubia, a professor of cognitive neuroscience who was interviewed as part of the Channel 4 doc, has also spoken out against it.

“I agreed to take part in this documentary because I knew it was aiming to show ADHD was a myth and I wanted to provide an alternative view,” she said, as reported by The Guardian.

“But they cherrypicked, largely misrepresented, truncated and presented my comments out of context to make them fit into their narrative.”

She added: “Biased programmes like this one that push their view of ADHD as a mythical entity are irresponsible and will have detrimental effects, in particular at a time in our society where mental health conditions are escalating and where there is an urgent need for early diagnosis and early treatment to prevent further damage down the line.”

A Channel 4 spokesperson responded: “We are satisfied that Katya Rubia’s contribution has been edited fairly, is an accurate representation of the interview she gave and that her consent was informed.”

Following the doc, a survey by the charity ADHD UK revealed that, of 1,566 people who watched the show, 92% believed it had increased stigma surrounding ADHD, while 93% did not believe the show was fair in its representation of the condition.

“It is undeniable that there is considerable public debate on various aspects of ADHD, including in relation to the prescribing of medication and diagnostic procedures, and it is not misleading to suggest that these views exist,” Channel 4’s rep said.

“Channel 4 has a remit which includes offering a platform for alternative views, stimulating public debate and challenging the status quo.”

I was diagnosed a few months ago with a “fat disease”. Writing that sentence brings me shame, as much as I tell myself it shouldn’t.

For years, I had negotiated a fragile peace with my body. Not love. Love is too shiny a word for my feelings toward a body that has been praised, punished, starved, swollen, cut open, medicated and kept alive by devices and drugs. But I thought I had achieved a fragile peace, that I had silenced the sorority of cruel voices within me.

Those voices started up when I was a young, national-class cyclist spending months at the Olympic Training Center. Every morning, we had to record our weight on a form in the hallway. The coaches scrutinised the numbers. If I was up a pound, one of them would call across the cafeteria at mealtime: “Seriously, Stanfel? Dessert today?”

I was 17 years old, trying to get to 14% body fat. I lived with constant, gnawing hunger. Even on an 80-mile ride, I would deny myself a bite of banana. I thought this was discipline.

Almost 40 years later, my legs became so swollen and painful that I could barely walk more than a few steps. I cut the sides of my socks so they would stop digging into my skin. Then I stopped being able to wear shoes. By the end of the workday, my clothes were tourniquets. I felt like I was living inside skin three sizes too small.

I spent nearly two years trying to get help. Doctors looked at me and asked if I had thought of trying to lose weight.

A few months ago, I was finally diagnosed with lipoedema, a chronic disease that causes abnormal, painful fat accumulation, usually in the legs and lower body, although it is sometimes in the arms, abdomen and other parts.

It is not the same as ordinary weight gain. It is not caused by caloric intake. It cannot be fixed by dieting harder or exercising more. There is no cure for lipoedema, only treatment to manage its symptoms and try to prevent its progression.

Still, even when a doctor at a renowned medical centre finally recognised lipoedema, his advice was “try losing weight”. Then he suggested I find a recumbent bike I could ride with my legs above my heart. I am fairly sure no such bike exists, at least not outside of a Dr. Seuss book.

By then, I had heard some version of those three words – “try losing weight” – from multiple doctors. Others told me to wear over-the-counter compression socks, which I now know were making things worse by cutting into my swollen legs. Some gave me high doses of diuretics, which can be harmful in lipoedema. They all seemed to believe that if I would just try harder, my body would comply.

I am no stranger to living with a rare disease. For more than two decades, I have lived with sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that has affected my heart, nervous system, liver, bones, skin and other parts of my body. I have been through chemotherapy, high-dose steroids, immune suppression, implanted cardiac hardware and long hospitalisations. I know what it is like to have a body that does strange and frightening things.

But this was different. This was a disease that made my body look like a failure. That is the part I have been most ashamed to say. That I sometimes succumb to this thinking.

Back in my athletic heyday, I would not have said I had an eating disorder. I was an elite athlete, doing what elite athletes did. Later, I was fortunate to find an excellent therapist. I was even more fortunate to fall in love with my husband, Jay.

Jay has never treated my body as a problem I need to fix. He loved me in the slim body I had when we met. He kept loving me when I gained 100 pounds during the sarcoidosis years. When my sarcoidosis went into remission in 2018, and I was able to taper down on prednisone, stop chemotherapy and start hiking, riding my bike and speed skating again, I lost all the weight I had gained.

Jay did not praise me for becoming smaller. He has never even commented on my weight. He has loved every body I have been in.

I thought I had learned something from all of that. I thought I had learned to respect my body, no matter what the numbers on the scale said. My body had carried me close to the Olympics. It had brought a child into the world. It had trudged up mountains on backpacking trips. It had survived a disease doctors told me could kill me.

Then lipoedema brought the old arguments back.

As I was gaining weight and becoming increasingly immobilised, I told myself I could lose it. I had done it before, after all. All I needed was for the doctors to figure out what was wrong. Then I could get back to exercising, after which I assumed my body would return to some version of itself I recognised.

But lipoedema fat does not work that way. I could starve myself, and the lipoedema fat would remain. The best conservative treatment is not weight loss but management: manual lymphatic drainage, specialised compression, careful movement, skin care and in some cases surgery.

I now spend about 22 hours a day wrapped in foam and short-stretch compression bandages. I changed my diet, restarted an exercise program in water, and found a care team that understands the disease. I now see a lipoedema specialist who tells me I am doing everything I can. It is still not enough.

The disease is not only changing how I look. It is threatening basic movement. I now need surgery to try to free my lymphatic system and my Achilles tendons, which have become entombed by diseased fat and fibrosis.

A few days after my diagnosis, I was back at work when I started sobbing and could not stop. I had seen photos of lipoedema’s progression. I knew what the disease could do. The words that came into my mind were ugly, deformed, horrible.

I hate writing that. I hate that those words live in me. I hate that after all these years – after therapy, marriage, motherhood, illness, remission, relapse, survival – the cruelest part of my mind still knows exactly where to go.

Fat? Lazy. Fat? Lazy. That voice, which began in 1986 on my bike, had just been waiting for an opening.

I am back in therapy, but I am exhausted by the lipoedema protocol I am following. I am more exhausted by living in a body that is out of my control. I do not want to look at pictures of myself. I do not want to be touched. I want to hide.

But I still have some of my old athlete’s heart. When my new care team told me that exercising in water could help, I went to the pool.

The first day I limped out, my belly stretched my swimsuit and my legs felt enormous. As I slid into the water, my eyes were leaking tears, but I kept my face in the water. And I moved. Not beautifully. Not fast. Not like the athlete I used to be. But I moved.

I wish I had a tidy lesson to offer. I am not going to pretend I have made peace with this. I have not.

I am angry at the doctors who told me to “lose weight” when what I needed was diagnosis and treatment. I am angry at the wellness influencers who insist every illness can be cured with enough willpower or their expensive supplements. I am angry at strangers who offer unsolicited advice about my body.

But anger is easier than grief. The harder work is listening to the vicious critics in my mind and refusing to let them have the final word. I do not know if I can fully exorcise them. For now, I argue with them. I get in the pool.

I am writing this because I am tired. I am tired of living in a culture that treats fatness as an external manifestation of an internal weakness. I am tired of doctors who see a body like mine and mistake its complexity for failure. I am tired of making the same mistake myself.

Lipoedema has changed my body. It will change it more. I am trying to learn how to live with that, without shame. My body is fat in a way I cannot discipline away, if that’s even a thing. My body is swollen, painful and complicated. It still deserves grace.

I am trying to believe that.

Rebecca Stanfel is a freelance writer who lives in Helena, Montana. You can follow her writing on Substack.

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Andy Burnham has joined his allies in slamming Israel’s “unacceptable” settlement plan for the West Bank.

The prime minister and his counterparts in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Canada accused Israel of trying to “undermine the prospect of a two-state solution”.

Israel has opened up bids for the construction of 1,200 settlement homes in a strategically significant part of the occupied West Bank in an attempt to end any future hopes of a Palestinian state.

This plan to build on “E1”, an area east of Jerusalem, has been highly controversial for years and seen as a breach of international law.

The idea would split the West Bank into two and isolate East Jerusalem.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday night, allied leaders said: “The international community has long opposed this settlement expansion and has voiced their grave concerns privately and publicly.”

It added: “International law is clear that Israel settlements in the West Bank are illegal. This is the position of the international community reaffirmed by the United Nations Security Council.

“At a time of grave instability in the West Bank with unprecedented levels of violence by settlers against civilians, and serious restrictions on the Palestinian economy, this decision is even more concerning.”

The leaders urged Israel to drop the plans and end its expansion of West Bank settlements, warning: “Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel’s international standing.”

They also discouraged any businesses to bid for settlements because of the legal and reputational risks.

Foreign secretary Ed Miliband had already criticised the publication of a tender as an “unacceptable and destructive act” on Thursday, calling on Israel to halt plans immediately.

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said he rejected “outright the statement of the UK foreign secretary and the patronising tone of his words”.

He claimed: “The UK government’s systematic policy of blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism has already contributed to a massive wave of antisemitic hatred and attacks against the British Jewish community.”

He added: “The UK government’s decision to damage the relationship between our countries is deeply unfortunate. But Israel will not be a passive victim of this policy. Israel will defend its rights, its interests and its people.”

Israel has built approximately 160 settlements for 700,000 Jewish people since it first occupied two areas reserved for a future Palestinian state – the West Bank and East Jerusalem – in 1967.

Keir Starmer’s government formally recognised the Palestinian state last September.

Miliband said in his statement that the UK will set out a “comprehensive set of measures” in coming weeks to respond to Israeli government policies to protect the viability of the Palestinian state.

The chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Emily Thornberry also Sky News that she had spoken to the prime minister, along with Miliband, about the calls to ban trade with Israel, saying the government “must take action.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Ariana Grande had some choice words for Donald Trump after the US leader’s team used her music in a post taking aim at the transgender community.

Earlier this week, the Grammy winner spoke out after her song We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love) was featured in a TikTok shared by the verified account @TeamTrump.

“Me and my truth we sit in silence… men can’t have babies and should never compete in women’s sports,” the post read alongside the caption: “This shouldn’t be controversial!”

Before long, Ariana popped up in the comments to tell the Trump administration “Never use my music again.”

“Also, your truth is false,” she added, speaking in defence of transgender people.

Earlier in the summer, Ariana was similarly perturbed to see her Eternal Sunshine cut Bye had been featured in a video depicting arrests being carried out by ICE agents.

“Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. [Fuck] ICE,” she wrote at the time, before the song clip was removed.

@TeamTrump’s post now no longer features We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love), either.

Ariana is currently in the middle of her final stretch of her dates on her Eternal Sunshine world tour, with six dates left of her 10-night run at London’s iconic O2 Arena.

While she’s in the UK, Ariana’s charity fund the Brighter Days Ahead Foundation will be supporting a number of smaller British organisations.

These include, Save The Children UK, Micro Rainbow, The Proud Trust, Choose Love, LGBT Consortium and Trans+ Solidarity Alliance.

The Hate That I Made You Love Me singer has long been a vocal ally to the trans people.

She notably voiced her support for the transgender community in January 2025, after comments made by Trump during his second inauguration speech.

• The Gender Trust supports anyone affected by gender identity | 01527 894 838
• Mermaids offers information, support, friendship and shared experiences for young people with gender identity issues | 0208 1234819
• LGBT Youth Scotland is the largest youth and community-based organisation for LGBT people in Scotland. Text 07786 202 370
• Gires provides information for trans people, their families and professionals who care for them | 01372 801554
• Depend provides support, advice and information for anyone who knows, or is related to, a transsexual person in the UK

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sparked a wave of reaction online Wednesday night after it was revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are returning to the UK.

Harry and Meghan are set to move imminently with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, according to The Telegraph and People magazine, who were the first to report the news.

Here’s what we know so far:

The Sussexes announced they were stepping back from the royal family on January 8, 2020, in a shocking post on their now-defunct Instagram account, Sussex Royal.

At the time, the two said they were “working to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” while also splitting their time between the UK and North America.

The family of four are settling across the pond quickly, as Archie, 7, and Lili, 5, will start school in the UK in September.

Sources close to the royal couple are keeping the royal’s whereabouts private, as they have repeatedly faced concerns about their safety over the years, though it’s thought that the family will settle outside of London.

One thing is clear, and that is that the couple are not moving into a royal residence. Harry and Meghan were asked to vacate their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, in 2023 following the publication of Harry’s memoir called Spare.

The couple currently have residences in Montecito, California, and a vacation home in Portugal.

Harry and Meghan haven’t yet directly addressed why they’re heading back to the UK.

One line of thinking is the move is for Harry and his family to be closer to King Charles III, 77, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2024. Harry made a remarkable disclosure to the BBC last year, in which he said, “I don’t know how much longer my father has. He won’t speak to me because of this security stuff.”

Though Harry and Charles weren’t speaking at the time, the two have since reconciled – though the status of the monarch’s health remains in question.

Charles’ health aside, Harry has also spoken fondly of his love for the UK, and wanting to show his children his home more, something he once said he hasn’t been able to do because of security concerns.

“I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point,” he told BBC last year. “The things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything. I love my country … despite what some people in that country have done … and I think that it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”

Harry and Meghan ended up bringing their children to the UK in July, where the family met privately with King Charles and Queen Camilla.

According to a YouGov poll conducted and published on Thursday, 44% of Britons say they don’t know if the couple should move back, while 33% of those surveyed think the royals should not return ― leaving 21% in favor of the move.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Anna Faris has opened up about parenting a “religious” child when she isn’t religious herself, on the latest episode of Chelsea Handler’s podcast.

The Scary Movie actor shares a son, 14-year-old Jack, with her ex-husband, Chris Pratt.

During Thursday’s episode of Dear Chelsea, the topic of Anna and Chris’ teenage son came up, when Chelsea was asking her guest about her family life.

Anna began by describing her son as “solid as a tugboat, emotionally”.

“He just doesn’t get easily jarred — he handles situations really well,” she said. “He is … religious.”

Chelsea then asked Anna whether she identifies as “religious”, to which she responded: “No, I didn’t grow up with religion. He’s asked me to accept Jesus Christ…”

“…As your saviour?” Chelsea interjected.

“Uh huh,” the House Bunny star confirmed. “And I told him I would do anything for him, including this, but it’s gonna take a whole lot of long conversations.”

She went on to explain that by “long conversations”, she meant discussions in which she challenged the right-wing politics typically associated with some factions of Christianity.

Anna offered a prelude to some of her examples by saying her son is “impressive” with his responses.

“I try to challenge him. I’m like, ‘Do you think it’s a luxury that you get to be pro-life?’ [and] he’s like, ‘Maybe’,” Anna said. “Or I’ll say, ‘So, what do you think of this mega pastor that’s kind of a grifter?’ [And] he’s like, ‘Oh, mega pastors are the worst’.”

“So it’s like, OK… we’re getting there,” Anna said, sounding a touch exasperated.

Anna said that ultimately she’s “appreciative that he’s examining religion the way he is in terms of recognising hypocrisy”.

“I’m appreciative we can have these long conversations,” she added, before Chelsea leaped at the opportunity to change the subject.

After Anna and Chris split in 2017, the Marvel star moved on and married Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019.

Ever since, the Parks & Recreation alum has become more vocal about his religious and right-wing views.

Meanwhile, Anna has been married to the cinematographer Michael Barrett since 2021.

I don’t know about you, but as I’ve gotten older my tolerance for alcohol has gone right out of the window. Hangovers nowadays are nightmarish – to the point where I’ve practically stopped drinking altogether.

According to Lauren Booker, author of Try Dry: The Official Guide to a Month Off Booze, hangovers do get worse as we age because everything in our bodies tends to slow down, including our livers, which find it harder to process alcohol into harmless waste products.

“This means there are more toxins in our bodies for longer as they’re broken down more slowly into carbon dioxide and water,” she previously told HuffPost UK.

Before it turns to that, alcohol is broken down by the liver into a number of different substances, including the compound acetaldehyde. And guess what? As we age, our ability to metabolise acetaldehyde is also reduced.

To add insult to injury, many of us are just not fit as we once were. “More body fat and less muscle make the alcohol we consume more concentrated in the body,” said Booker, “leading to dehydration and worsening the dreaded hangover.”

In a bid to try and steer clear of horrific hangovers, people are unsurprisingly turning to ‘zebra striping’ when out on the town. In fact, you’ve probably done it yourself.

It’s a tactic where you opt for an alcoholic beverage and follow up with a non-alcoholic drink before flitting back to booze for your next drink.

The idea is that you’re drinking less overall and staying hydrated.

In theory, yes. But a pharmacist has warned the drinking trend could actually make hangovers worse if you’re not properly considering the drinks you alternate with.

Karen Hutchinson, prescribing pharmacist at online pharmacy Chemist4U, said: “Zebra striping is a smart way to reduce your alcohol intake and stay more hydrated, but not all drink choices are equal.

“Many people focus on alternating drinks but overlook what’s actually in the glass.”

She noted that dark spirits such as whisky, rum and brandy contain higher levels of compounds called congeners, “which are linked to more severe hangover symptoms”.

And sugary soft drinks can contribute to dehydration and blood sugar spikes, potentially making symptoms like fatigue, nausea and headaches feel worse the next day.

The pharmacist said some of the best non-alcoholic choices to go for are water and electrolyte drinks, including some sports beverages, coconut water or infused water, or 100% fruit juices (with a pinch of salt added). These may contain useful minerals like sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and more.

As for alcoholic options, clear spirits like gin and vodka are “generally associated with fewer hangover-related compounds”.

She advises against ordering doubles or stronger alcoholic drinks, as “alternating only works if your alcohol intake actually drops”.

“If you’re replacing the single vodka with a double vodka every round, you’re unlikely to feel better the next day,” said Hutchinson.

Start hydrating before your first drink, so you’re not starting the night off dehydrated. “Having a pint of water before you start drinking and regularly topping up throughout the night is often more effective than trying to play catch-up at the end,” she added.

And don’t forget to eat beforehand, too.

“One of the biggest mistakes people make is relying on a takeaway at the end of the night. A balanced meal before drinking helps slow alcohol absorption and gives your body more time to process alcohol gradually,” said Hutchinson.

“While a late-night burger might feel helpful, it’s unlikely to undo the effects of drinking on an empty stomach.”

Once the night is over, don’t forget to have one last water before you hit the hay. “The easiest hangover-reduction habit is one of the [most] overlooked,” she said.

“Finishing the night with a large glass of water or electrolyte drink can help replace some of the fluids lost through alcohol and may reduce the severity of dehydration-related symptoms the next morning.”

Here’s to fewer head-banging hangovers!