INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell each scored 34 points as the the Indiana Fever got past the Connecticut Sun 111-91 on Friday.

The pair scored 30 or more for the fourth game this season, extending their WNBA single-season record for a duo.

Clark added 12 assists, marking the fifth time this year she’s had a double-double with at least 30 and 10.

Mitchell notched her 24th straight 20-point game in the Fever’s final game before a three-week break for the FIBA Women’s World Cup. Indiana has won seven of nine as Clark, Aliyah Boston, and coach Stephanie White head to Berlin for the tournament. Boston scored 14 points.

Diamond Miller finished with 19 points and Nell Angloma had 17 to lead Connecticut, who have lost six of their last eight games.

Indiana went on a 10-0 run to end the first quarter and start the second, nearly erasing all of a 28-14 deficit. Clark and Mitchell then combined for the first 12 points in an 18-2 run to close the first half, giving the Fever 58-43 lead.

After Connecticut cut the deficit to 62-52 midway through the third quarter, Indiana answered with a 14-5 run that extended the margin to 76-57. The Sun never recovered.

During the third quarter, Mitchell dished her 911th assist, moving past current Fever assistant coach Briann January her into second on Indiana’s all-time leaders.

The Fever paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton with a dance routine to the song “9 to 5” between the third and fourth quarters.

Up next

Sun: Make the second stop of a three-game road trip Sunday at Dallas.

Fever: Return to action Sept. 18 at Toronto.

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Dubois will defend her two lightweight world titles against Amelia Moore in Birmingham this weekend having moved to a gym in Los Angeles

Caroline Dubois snubbed the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles in favour of a night in with her guitar.

Dubois, 25, will defend her two lightweight world titles against Amelia Moore in Birmingham this weekend. She recently left trainer Shane McGuigan for a new gym life in California under the watchful eye of Manny Robles. But Dubois has yet to experience the bright lights of the Hollywood capital.

“Everyone has been saying, ‘Caroline, have you gone to the beach? Have you gone to Beverly Hills? Have you seen anything yet?’,” she said. “I have been to the beach one time, but that was to do a beach workout! When I’m in camp, I just like to seriously lock in. I go to the gym, come home, rest, go to the gym again, come home, and sleep.

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“I have been watching boxing on the TV when I come back and I’ve been reading in my spare time, but I have also rented a guitar to keep me active. I’ve been playing guitar for over a year now but my progression has been so slow! I picked up boxing very quickly but this has been very different. It’s hard not being good at something!

“It’s been hard to learn but I like music a lot so I thought, why not learn more about it? But I am starting to understand it now and I know six or seven songs; I can play Shallow by Lady Gaga and Landslide by Fleetwood Mac.

“And more importantly, I genuinely hate being on my phone; it drives me crazy and I feel like I’m wasting my life. So sometimes I just want to do something that gets me off my phone. Either I like to read, write, or play the guitar, so it’s good for me.”

The White House, in Clifton, is set to be home to the Flourish health, fitness and wellness centre.

It is set to open on Monday, September 7, according to a post on the company’s social media pages teasing its arrival.

It comes after the Grade II-listed Georgian building went on the market in December.

The building previously housed the offices of the Places For People housing social enterprise.

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Estate agents Savills and Carter Towler marketed the building on the organisation’s behalf, seeking offers in excess of £1.2 million.

The building had previously been refurbished throughout with offices across three floors, along with an attic and basement.

It featured a mixture of open plan work spaces, private offices, meeting rooms and boardrooms as well as an onsite gym, exercise studio and breakout area.

The building also features onsite parking and lies on one of the main roads linking the centre of York with its outer ring road.

Savills surveyor Hannah Coleman said the building was in a prime location when it was put on the market.

The surveyor said: “The White House offers a rare opportunity to purchase a truly distinctive building in York.

“Its combination of historic character and modern specification makes it stand out in the market, and we expect strong interest from purchasers looking for a unique, high-quality workspace.”

The White House was built in the early 18th Century and was owned by textile merchant William Roberts, according to the British History Online website.

The White House, in Clifton (Image: Harry Archer/Carter Towler)

The merchant added a third storey to the house and it went on to be owned by Edmund Beckett.

Beckett, the first Baron Grimethorpe, was an influential 19th Century politician known for his regulation of Big Ben, according Places For People.

Local cleric and magistrate Reverend DR Currer later bought it and added wings to both sides and an extension to the back.

During the Second World War, surrounding homes were destroyed by Luftwaffe bombing but The White House survived.

It went on to serve as a Post Office Telephone Management centre and late an officer for the Inland Revenue, a precursor to the current HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) tax body.

The White House was listed in 1970 for its Georgian and Victorian features.

It was acquired by Places For People in 2003.

Bathed in the late summer sunshine on the western fringes of the Isle of Lewis, it’s easy to see why Great Bernera, with its white sandy beaches and ancient history, might appear the perfect balm for a troubled soul.

And so it must have seemed for 62-year-old Claire Kellerman, a self-described mystic healer, when she first washed up on the tiny Hebridean outcrop (population 250) two summers ago, following an early life of privilege in Hollywood, shot through with unbearable heartache.

Yet ‘healing’ and ‘peace’ have been in short supply since her arrival.

This week it emerged that Claire – who is the adopted daughter of the late M*A*S*H actress Sally Kellerman, whose portrayal of blonde US Army nurse Major ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan in the original 1970 film beguiled audiences – is embroiled in a bitter dispute with two community groups, who now say they face financial ruin as a result.

The extraordinary saga began almost as soon as Claire arrived on Lewis in 2023, and reached its nadir last summer when she moved to the remote community of Great Bernera and was told her Australian cattle dog Tarkina was not welcome in a local cafe.

Now she is suing the owners of the cafe – a community-run charity – saying Tarkina is an assistance dog and she is being discriminated against as a disabled person. In a move that has further outraged locals she is getting taxpayers to foot her costs through legal aid.

At her modest housing association bungalow, reached at the end of a road amid wide stretches of moorland and heather, Claire insists it is she who is the victim.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail she describes the campaign against her as a ‘witch hunt’, and says: ‘I’m not going anywhere.

‘I live here because I am a songwriter, and have skills in Celtic mystic healing of trauma, and I can help facilitate people’s healing.

‘I have only moved here in peace and to share the joy.’

After a peripatetic early adult life which saw her dabble in opera, train the dogs of Hollywood celebrities including Julie Andrews, and work for a time in land management on the Hawaiian island of Maui, she arrived in the Hebrides convinced she had found her nirvana.

She may have been drawn to Scotland as her father was Scottish, but she says locals were hostile from the outset. ‘I’ve been attacked in church and on the streets. An old lady said, ‘You don’t look disabled’. And then a 93-year-old said, ‘Why would you want to be in a place you’re not welcome?’ And it’s like, I’m brand new here. I really don’t get it. I’m not an a*****e from America, OK, I’m a really caring, loving woman who is being targeted.’

Claire claims she was met with disproportionate anger last summer when she attempted to take Tarkina into the Bernera Community Association cafe in the island’s main settlement of Breaclete. ‘They were screaming at me, ‘Get out! We can’t have dogs in here. It says no dogs allowed on the cafe door’.’

She insists she tried to reason with staff that her dog was an assistance dog and should be allowed in. ‘All I wanted was an apology,’ she says. When none was forthcoming, she raised an action under the Equality Act of 2010.

Her case is now being handled by a small Glasgow-based firm, the Ethnic Minorities Law Centre, which normally deals with ethnic minority and asylum seeker claims, and will be heard at Stornoway Sheriff Court, in Lewis’s capital next year. Locals have a different take on events.

When the Mail approached shopkeepers on Bernera and in Stornoway this week they described a ‘rude’, ‘aggressive and ‘threatening’ woman who has ‘weaponised her dog’ and often reduces staff to tears.

They told us Claire often appears armed with a lawyer’s letter proclaiming her rights, something she doesn’t deny.

One shopkeeper said: ‘I’m just petrified of her, I’m petrified of what she is capable of doing, legally wise. And I think the whole town are. But I don’t want to be bullied like this.’

Claire dismisses her depiction as a bully: ‘The narrative says I’m aggressive, because I am 5ft 10in and I am loud. You know, that feels threatening to someone who’s trying to break the law.’

To further muddy the already murky waters, her lawyers initially sued the wrong company, targeting the similarly named Great Bernera Community Development Trust, which was forced to run up a £7,500 legal bill defending itself from the erroneously issued writ.

Sally Kellerman in pose for Robert Altman’s ‘M*A*S*H’ 1970 as Hot Lips Houlihan

Even though the trust was successful in court, it was unable to recover costs from Claire because she is protected by her legal aid status. Now it, like the Bernera Community Association (BCA), faces ruin. And while it may seem incongruous that someone who grew up in privilege in the Hollywood Hills needs to rely on council housing and legal aid, Claire insists she is not wealthy.

‘My parents were millionaires in the Eighties and Nineties, and then they were poverty stricken for the last 15 years of their lives,’ she claims.

Poverty may also await those she feels have crossed her. Both the community development trust and the BCA have launched appeals for financial help. And while the BCA’s fundraiser has topped £20,000, a source claimed it could need at least £60,000 to meet legal bills if it wins – and double that if it loses.

Local Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament Donald MacKinnon has urged the Scottish Legal Aid Board to review the ‘potentially devastating’ decision to award aid to Claire Kellerman, saying BCA was ‘a small charity doing important work in a rural community in Lewis’. 

He added: ‘This absurd case is putting the survival of their organisation at risk.’

The legal aid board insists the application was handled ‘in line with all legal aid rules and guidance’.

Claire, too, is standing firm, saying: ‘No one should be attacked who’s disabled, and I’m protected by law.’

She complains there is no register for assistance dogs in the UK, so no one can tell them apart from pet dogs. ‘A person doesn’t have to look disabled to be disabled,’ she says.

She adds: ‘I have been targeted. I have not weaponised my dog, my dog is there to support me.’

When the case next comes before the courts in February, her disability will inevitably come under scrutiny. She claims it is born of severe childhood trauma and a past full of ‘everyone’s abuse, neglect, abandonment, death, loss of me’.

She says she’s been ‘permanently disabled’ since October 27, 2015, but declined to go into detail, saying there was no need to unlock her ‘entire private closet full of history’.

That closet is as colourful as any biopic. For a start, her birth mother was actually Sally Kellerman’s older sister, Diana, who gave up her daughter when the child was just five.

Her father was a young Scottish academic named Ian Graham, whom Diana had met when both worked for a non-profit think-tank in Malibu, California. But when Diana later revealed she was in a lesbian relationship with a musician called Gloria, she agreed to leave the marriage and not to contact her daughter until she was 18.

In Sally Kellerman’s 2013 memoir, Read My Lips: Stories Of A Hollywood Life, she says of Diana’s extraordinary decision: ‘She was convinced that Claire’s life would be easier, considering the times and the intolerance, if she herself was out of [it].’ In truth the bold move left Claire profoundly lonely. 

Sally and Claire attend the ‘For the Love of the Game’ Century City Premiere on September 15, 1999

She tells us: ‘I would sing to the empty couch and pretend my mom was there because she had just left. My dad only had Beatles records, so I would just sing Let It Be, or Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds at the top of my lungs.’

Fresh tragedy struck when her father became ill with Parkinson’s disease and couldn’t look after Claire properly, so Sally Kellerman wrote to her sister Diana (who was living in the South of France) and asked if she could adopt Claire. Diana agreed, as did Ian, who died in 1976 shortly before Claire’s 11th birthday.

Sally acknowledges in the book that it was hard for the teenage Claire, who also felt ‘squeezed out’ when the actress met and married a man 14 years her junior.

‘Loss had defined her young life,’ Sally wrote. ‘Then, to top it all off . . . she got me as the consolation prize. It must have been scary to have grown up with a high-strung, singer-actress aunt-mom.’

Claire was at college and Sally was 52 when she and her husband adopted newborn twins Jack and Hannah, something she hoped ‘would give Claire more of a stable, family life’.

When the Mail contacted Claire’s stepbrother, Jack, in California, he confirmed that their parents ‘took good care’ of all three children, flying them by private jet to skiing holidays in Sun Valley, Idaho, and paying for Claire’s then boyfriend to come along. ‘They were there for all of us, no matter what,’ he said.

It was a cosseted life: ‘She got everything she wanted. My parents always took care of her. They bought her a house.’

Growing up, Jack remembered Claire as ‘very spiritual and into nature, and a health nut’, but her relationship with both her adoptive parents was ‘always rocky’.

He said: ‘I don’t really know why. I don’t know if Claire got jealous of my twin sister and me being adopted as well. She could be very sweet, but we are not close. We don’t speak much.’

He said he hadn’t been in contact with her since she moved to the Hebrides but wasn’t surprised by the row: ‘She’s always been the kind of person who likes to make small issues into big ones. I’m glad she loves her dog, but I don’t think what she’s doing is very cool.’

His sentiments were echoed by Kutira Decosterd, the manager of an eco-retreat on Maui, and who knew Claire when she lived there. She put it bluntly: ‘She was always an outspoken woman and I think she probably still is.’

Publicist Alan Eichler, who managed Sally Kellerman’s career until her death four years ago from heart failure, said: ‘Sally had a way of shutting things out that she didn’t want to deal with, but she never lost her love for Claire.

‘I got the impression Claire is a very mixed-up person.’

It’s a conclusion Claire herself would recognise, although she insists therapy has helped her come to terms with her mother’s abandonment and a series of family deaths, including that of her stepsister, Hannah, from a drug overdose at the age of just 27, and that of her adoptive father.

Claire tells the Mail: ‘I was five. Like I was bonded to this woman, and she just left. Never wrote. Never called. Never postcarded. I was angry for 20 years, but now I see her pain and her trauma through my own lens of my healing and I have nothing but compassion for all of them.’

Whether she can extend that same compassion to the good folk of Great Bernera remains to be seen.

Additional reporting by Barbara McMahon in Los Angeles.

The jurors in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial have been sent home for the weekend after failing to reach a verdict in the first two days of deliberations.

The jury of twelve, all non-sequestered, were dismissed on Friday and told not to discuss the case after they failed to unanimously decide if Clancy is guilty of murder in the deaths of her children. 

A total of nine women and three men, selected from 18, are set to decide Clancy’s fate and will return to weigh the charges on Monday.

The former labor and delivery nurse, 36, faces first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. 

While Clancy does not deny using exercise bands to strangle her three children – Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan – at her Duxbury, Massachusetts, home in 2023, she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. 

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington told NewsCenter 5 that his client was ‘nervous’ as they awaited the verdict outside court on Friday.

‘She’s nervous, like I said before. She’s sad, scared. The same she’s been forever since this incident,’ Reddington said. 

On the day of the murders, Clancy sent her then-husband, Patrick Clancy, out of the home to run errands.

Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan were strangled to death on January 24, 2023, inside their family’s Duxbury, Massachusetts home

The former labor and delivery nurse, 36, faces first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Pictured: Defense Attorney Kevin Reddington holding evidence in court

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Patrick went to a local CVS Pharmacy in Kingston – about a 12-minute car ride from Duxbury – on the night of January 24, 2023, after Clancy asked him to get liquid stool softener for one of the children.

During the trial, the prosecution showed surveillance footage of Patrick inside the store and then a restaurant, ThreeV.

According to time stamps presented by the state, he left the home that night at 5.12pm. Patrick arrived at CVS at 5.32pm and picked up the takeout order at 5.54pm.

By 6.09pm he made it back home and found Clancy lying in the snow in their backyard beneath their second-story bedroom window.

He ran upstairs to find their bedroom door locked before using a spare key to enter. When he got inside, he saw his wife on the ground outside the window.

Patrick asked Clancy what happened. In response, she told him that she tried to kill herself, he testified. He then stayed by her side for ten minutes after phoning 911.

When first responders made it to their home, Patrick rushed inside and down to the basement, where he discovered his three children strangled to death.

Massachusetts State Medical Examiner Dr Kimberly Springer testified in court that Callan’s autopsy revealed abrasions on the infant’s neck and hemorrhages on his face and beneath his skin. 

Like his brother and sister, Callan had been strangled with an exercise band.

Clancy had told her husband she tried to end her own life when she cut her wrists and neck before plunging out of a window on the night of the murders.

ADA Jennifer Sprague presented closing arguments on Thursday, and asked the jury to find Clancy guilty. ‘She knew what she did was wrong. She could conform her behavior to the law and chose not to,’ she said

Patrick Clancy, Clancy’s former husband, sits on the stand during his ex-wife’s murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court 

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However, the prosecution has pointed to medical professionals who said she suffered superficial wounds.

Experts who took the stand during the trial stated that they found that she had superficial, or minor, injuries to her skin from the incident. The fall itself has left her paralyzed from the waist down and wheelchair bound for the rest of her life.

Clancy claimed that she is not responsible for her actions after suffering postpartum psychosis and being prescribed a powerful cocktail of drugs to cope with depression.

Both she and her ex-husband have filed separate lawsuits against several of her medical providers alleging that they overmedicated the mom while treating her for postpartum mental health issues.

This overmedication led to her conditions worsening, and ultimately to the deaths of the children, the suits claim.

Many of the providers they are suing took the stand during her murder trial, including Dr Jennifer Tufts and Nurse Rebecca Jollotta.

The civil suits are still making their way through the courts but the defendants have denied the claims put forward.

In Clancy’s case, the prosecution argued the killings were intentional and well planned, not the work of someone who had lost control.

Clancy claimed that she is not responsible for her actions as she was suffering postpartum psychosis and being prescribed a powerful cocktail of drugs to cope with depression

If convicted of murder, she faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty due to a lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility

ADA Jennifer Sprague presented closing arguments on Thursday, and asked the jury to find Clancy guilty.

‘She knew what she did was wrong. She could conform her behavior to the law and chose not to,’ Sprague said.

‘She didn’t expect to have any consequences because she expected to die with her children.

‘You know it was deliberate premeditation because of the way she killed them and the way they died.’

Sprague continued: ‘She didn’t see them in that moment as individual human beings with rights, with dreams, with futures.

‘She didn’t bring them up to their beds; she left them, discarded on the basement floor, like broken toys, like she was done playing the game. You know, to a moral certainty, she is guilty.’

One member of the jury appeared to wipe away tears during the closing argument.

If convicted of murder, she faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty due to a lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.

The clarification comes after a week of tragedy for Cleveland Police and communities across the region.

Seven people, including serving police officers PC Mathew Blades and PC Tom Clough, died in the A66 crash in South Bank last Saturday morning.

A further two people, seven-year-old Valentina Foster and Natalie McDonald, 34, lost their lives in a house fire in Grangetown on Wednesday.

ACC Dave Sutherland, Head of Local Policing, said the force was not currently linking the two incidents.

He said: “Since the tragic incident last Saturday morning in which seven people, including two of our serving police officers, PC Mathew Blades and PC Tom Clough, sadly lost their lives, officers and staff have remained working around the clock to continue to serve the public of Cleveland.

“In the same week, we have also seen a tragic house fire on Wednesday in which two people lost their lives, which is also understandably impacting the force and our local communities. At this time, we are not linking this incident to the fatal collision on the A66.”

The comments come as the level of violence across Cleveland has faced intense national scrutiny.

Police have also been dealing with a number of serious offences across the area.

Police at the scene of the crash on the A66. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

A total of 17 people have been arrested over offences ranging from firearm possession to organised-crime-group activity, linked to the events that led up to the fatal crash.

Two more men, aged 23 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal house fire.

At 11am police officers held a minutes silence for the two officers killed on the A66 while guarding the scene of a house fire on Birchington Avenue where two people were killed. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

But ACC Sutherland stressed that officers remain focused on keeping communities safe despite the pressure on the force.

He said: “Brave officers face significant challenges day in day out, but I want to reassure the public that we will remain unwavering in our efforts to tackle criminals and protect our communities. Despite these challenges, calls for service to the force are being answered effectively, we are deploying to incidents, and investigating crime as we do every day.”

Extra officers have also been drafted in from other forces, alongside support from the National Crime Agency.

More than 200 have been drafted in to help police maintain a visible presence in the area, where locals are concerned.

ACC Sutherland said the additional resources were helping Cleveland Police maintain its service while continuing patrols in areas most affected by violence.

He added: “It’s important to acknowledge the support and additional resource we are receiving from a number of other forces in the northern region and beyond, and also from the National Crime Agency. This support not only means we can maintain our service to the public, but also continue to conduct patrols in the areas most affected and be a visible presence should anyone wish to speak to officers with any concerns.”

He also paid tribute to the public for the support shown to officers, staff and the families of PC Blades and PC Clough following the fatal collision.

He said: “Lastly, I want to thank the general public. Our officers work closely with many corners of our communities on a daily basis to tackle issues in their local neighbourhoods, and whose support these past seven days has been overwhelming and very much appreciated.

“It has provided officers, staff and the families of the officers with great comfort.”

Anna Turley, Redcar MP, said not every incident police attend was linked to the investigation into organised crime.

She said: “I think it’s really important to get across the fact that these incidents are not all linked.

“It could feel that way at the moment because of the national spotlight on us, but unfortunately, we know we’ve had a high level of crime and in this area for a long time now, these are incidents, sadly, that we see all the time.

“It shouldn’t be this way, and it’s up to us to make sure that there isn’t a business as usual which sees that high level of crime and disorder going forward.

“But Cleveland Police have been at pains to say we shouldn’t think that these are all connected, and we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions.”

‘You’re going to see Joey Essex for who I really am,’ says, er, Joey Essex. The reality star who likes to refer to himself in the third person is about to compete in tough new ITV challenge show The Box, hosted by Gary Lineker. 

‘I’d like to say people will see the smart version of Joey Essex for the first time on this show,’ says the boyish 36-year-old, proud of the way he surprises his fellow contestants at times. Then he remembers it also goes the other way, and laughs. ‘But they will also see the not-smart version of Joey Essex, actually.’

The latter is the version who first became famous on The Only Way Is Essex 15 years ago. His name, surprisingly, is real and has nothing at all to do with the county where he lives. Joey Don Essex was born in Southwark, south London, in 1990, and his family moved north of the river to Chigwell, Essex, when he was a child. 

Since breaking through, Joey has appeared on almost every reality and quiz show going. He’s made a living out of being good-looking, cheeky, charming and apparently comically dim. Or, as Joey puts it, ‘My friends think I’m ridiculous. I’m just not that intelligent.’

And yet, this is a man who has launched his own clothing and fragrance ranges, lives in a huge house with a pool in Chigwell, and is reported to be worth more than £8million. Is it all an act? Even his family aren’t sure. ‘My own dad said to me a little while ago, “You do know how to tell the time, don’t you?” I said, “Dad, I genuinely don’t.” I swear on my life, I can’t.’

His campmates on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2013 famously tried to help him do something he’d failed to learn at school by drawing clock hands in the sand, but the problem persists. ‘If I had a watch on I could give it a go, but when the hands are wonky, there’s a bit of confusion.’

Lydia Bright, Lucy Mecklenburgh, Billie Faiers, Joey Essex, Lauren Goodger, Sam Faiers and Jessica Wright in the third series of The Only Way Is Essex

There’s a terrible, tragic reason why some aspects of his development were arrested at a young age, which he will talk about today. But like Jade Goody before him, this Essex boy has flipped the whole thing and turned a reputation for being daft to his advantage. 

Has he been playing a character all this time? ‘Kind of. I’m very different around my friends. I talk very fast. I’ve got a natural funniness. If someone calls action and the cameras are on, I know what people want to see,’ he says. ‘They want to be entertained. 

‘I wouldn’t say I’m a comedian because my jokes are terrible, but I use my innocent side. I play on being Joey Essex, because everyone knows me.’

His nine fellow contestants on The Box are surprised to realise Joey is fitter and sharper than they thought, though, starting with the former footballer and manager Graeme Souness. ‘Love Graeme. Legend,’ says Joey. ‘I think what he was trying to say is that when you meet me for who I really am, you can see that I’m actually quite normal, not the clown that people have seen for 15 years. 

‘I’ve got my strengths and weaknesses, just like everyone else. My strengths are that I can bring energy. I can make everyone feel confident, ready to do whatever we need to do next. I’m always up for a challenge.’

That’s tested to extremes in The Box, the contestants of which also include Dragons’ Den’s Sara Davies and John Bercow, former Speaker of the House of Commons. They are put inside yellow shipping containers, each the size of a telephone box, and taken to an unknown location, where they have to open the door and figure out the nature of the task they are facing. 

Some challenges are silly, like when they find themselves on a race course with an egg and spoon each, but no clue whether to run fast or far. ‘The games are mind-boggling,’ admits Joey. ‘They show how the brain works. Mine clearly wasn’t working the best that day, because I ran off set. I got so far I realised, eventually, that there was no cameraman, so I had to turn back.’

Some challenges are physical, some mental, some test their courage. ‘It’s a mix between SAS: Who Dares Wins, the jungle on I’m A Celebrity… and every reality show possible, I’d say, because I’ve done them all,’ says Joey, who has indeed appeared on everything from Splash! to Love Island – with one huge exception, which we’ll come to. ‘This is the maddest,’ he adds.

The trailer for The Box shows a shocked Joey at the top of a very high tower, hundreds of feet above the ground, yelling, ‘Oh my God, where am I?’ Today he says, ‘I’m getting sweaty talking about it. That was definitely the most fear I felt.’

Joey Essex with his family in Bermondsey when he was growing up. His mum died when she was 37

Joey Essex in the tough new ITV challenge show The Box, hosted by Gary Lineker

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Contestants of The Box are put inside yellow shipping containers, each the size of a telephone box, and taken to an unknown location, where they have to open the door and figure out the nature of the task they are facing

John Bercow, Jenny Ryan, Graeme Souness, Joey Essex, Danny Aarons, Ellie Taylor, Sara Davies, JB Gill, Shakira Khan and Ranvir Singh in The Box

But he was also afraid during a challenge in a classroom, competing to answer questions against real schoolkids, with Gary Lineker as the teacher. ‘That was weird. It didn’t go down well for me. Gary was saying, “OK, it’s not an act.” The kids were all cleverer than me, but I bring warmth. When they got asked afterwards who they liked, they shouted out, “Joey!” All these seven and eight-year-olds. Bless ’em. They were so smart.’ He seems sweetly thrilled they liked him. 

What were the questions? ‘Stuff you would be expected to know. There was history, geography, I’m just not wired up like that.’

So, how is he wired? It’s a question Joey’s parents and teachers asked when he was young. ‘I’m extremely dyslexic. I was the only student in my school to have a lady sitting next to me in all my classes, telling me what to do. I used to cry because I couldn’t do what I was being asked to do.’ 

That was already the case when his mother took him to an open day at his next school, at the age of ten. ‘Sadly, she then passed away. Three months later, I was turning up at school without a mum in my life.’

Tina Essex took her own life at the age of 37 after struggling with depression. ‘Back then, there was not really help you could get,’ Joey says. His teachers did try. ‘They asked, but I went like this…’ He turns his back. ‘I just didn’t want to talk about it. All my family members were men. Dad’s got two brothers. Mum had two brothers. Men don’t talk about their feelings and they don’t want to open up. 

‘Today, it could get touched on, but back then there was no such word as Mum. There was no Mum.’

He associated school with her loss. ‘I remember looking in the mirror and saying to myself, “Doesn’t matter, this school stuff. I’ll be just like my dad. I’ll be tough. I’ll be strong.”’ Joey had therapy while making the BBC documentary Joey Essex: Grief And Me in 2021 and is now an ambassador for Child Bereavement UK.  

‘I must say, West Hatch High School [in Chigwell] did look after me. They did as much as they possibly could back then. But that whole period of my life just was frozen.’

The only lesson he loved was drama, and he’s tried to revive his ambition to be an actor. ‘I went to acting school three years ago. I had to learn a scene from Jumanji and something from Romeo and Juliet… That was hard. They said they’d pass me and take me on… but I never went back. I thought, “It’s too much. I can’t do it.”’

It’s all the more remarkable, then, that he will soon make his acting debut in a short film written and directed by a friend of the family, Geoff Bell, who’s famous for playing hard men, such as in MobLand. The film is yet to be given a title or a release date but Joey’s pleased. ‘I’ve really shocked myself. I can’t believe what I’ve just done, it’s incredible.’

He looks bulked up today, in black shorts and a white T-shirt, his dark hair cut close. He’s been sparring at the gym run by his uncle Tony Sims, where boxers Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn have trained. 

Joey Essex with his ex-girlfriend Grace Jackson in the hideaway on Love Island in 2024

Joey asked for boxing training after seeing social media figures like Jake Paul earning good money from streamed fights

Joey punches Joao Barbosa (known as Numeiro) during a boxing match in Manchester last year

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Joey asked for help after seeing social media figures like Jake Paul earning good money from streamed fights. ‘He looked me in the eye and said, “If you’re gonna take this seriously, I’ll train you. If you don’t take it seriously, don’t bother coming back.”’

He beat Portuguese influencer Numeiro at Manchester’s AO Arena last year. ‘The idea was to have one fight, entertain and win, just to show I can do it. I ticked that box, massively.’ Now he’s got his eyes on more opponents, including – eventually – Tyson Fury’s brother. ‘Tommy Fury said in a recent post he reckons he’d do me easy. I don’t know about that.’

Joey’s fierce competitive spirit came out too much on Love Island in 2024. Some viewers thought he was petulant, even a bully. Joey says it was hard being the first celebrity into the villa, as all the girls wanted a date and all the boys were jealous. He paired up with one girl, ditched her when his ex-girlfriend Grace Jackson arrived, then went off with a third, Jessy Potts. After the show Joey and Jessy appeared together on This Morning and declared, ‘Love is in the air.’ Then they split up.

Does he have any regrets? ‘Not really. I don’t have regrets. I put myself in a difficult position. I’m not blaming anyone. I had a good time, personally. I made big headlines. It was good for them. Their viewing figures went through the roof.’

Is it hard to be in a relationship with Joey Essex? ‘If I met someone who didn’t know me, it would be easier. Most women I date know who I am, what I do and what I’m like.’ Is he ready to settle down? ‘I’d love to. I’d love to have children. That’s what I want next in life. But I don’t want to rush into that unless it’s right.’ Is he single? ‘I’m in a good place.’

The same can’t be said of Joey Essex Management Ltd, his company that reportedly collapsed last year with debts of £1.2million. Joey frowns when I mention it and turns to his manager Dave, who is with us. ‘What happened with that?’ he asks. Dave says: ‘I’m not qualified, it’s above my pay grade, but Joey’s only ever signed the paperwork he’s been advised to sign. One of his companies is being liquidated, isn’t it?’ Joey sighs and says, ‘Yeah.’

His home was on the market for £2.75million earlier this year, supposedly because he had moved to Dubai. ‘I did base myself there for a while, but just to prepare for the fight,’ he says. Is it still for sale? ‘Kind of. I wouldn’t sell it unless I was happy with what I got for it. I love that house. I worked so hard to get where I wanted to be, so even if someone offered me great money it would be a tough decision.’

Joey with Jessy Potts. After Love Island, Joey and Jessy appeared together on This Morning and declared, ‘Love is in the air.’ Then they split up

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Amy Willerton, a fellow campmate on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2013, tried to help Joey Essex tell the time by drawing clock hands in the sand, but he still struggles with this

Nobody can doubt he’s worked hard. Is he the king of reality shows? ‘I’d take the crown if you passed me one.’ Is there a show he wouldn’t do? ‘Strictly. It would take a lot for me to do it.’ Money? ‘That would have to be there, for sure. It’s a lot of work. I can train for three months, get in the ring and have a fight for 12 minutes, or I can do six months of dancing [for the same cash]. I’d rather fight.’

For now, though, his attention is on The Box rather than the boxing. ‘People are gonna fall in love with everything about this show,’ he says.

It remains to be seen whether he’s right, but Joey Essex is smart enough to know he has to stay on message. It’s why they hire him for everything. ‘This is primetime. People are going to be excited to get their Chinese takeaway, sit down and watch it.’

The Box launches on Saturday, September 5, with episode 2 airing on Sunday, September 6, on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player.

Emergency services have responded to a serious incident at Big Church Festival in West Sussex, with multiple people reported injured. The site is said to be on lockdown, with people not allowed to get in or out, as ambulance crews and critical care paramedics attend the scene.

A UK festival was put on “lockdown” as “multiple people” were injured after a sign reportedly fell over. Emergency services were called to Big Church Festival in West Sussex just after 3.30pm today (Friday, August 28).

South East Coast Ambulance Service said six people were being treated by paramedics as the air ambulance was also spotted above the site. A news reporter from Premier Christian News told the outlet people were not allowed to get in the site after the incident, reports the Express.

They said: “We’ve been told that the site is on lockdown, with people not allowed to get in or out.”

A Big Church Festival spokesman said: “Big Church Festival 2026 has been paused following a serious incident on site, and no further programme will take place today. First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been directly impacted by the incident.

“We understand this will be deeply disappointing for the thousands who have joined us at the festival. We are working closely with the emergency services and relevant authorities. Further announcements will be made as more information becomes available.

“We are grateful for the understanding, patience, and prayers of our community at this time.”

South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed it attended the Wiston Park site. A spokesman said: “South East Coast Ambulance Service was called to reports of multiple people in need of medical attention at Wiston Park, Steyning shortly after 15.30hrs today (Friday, 28 August 2026).

“Ambulance crews, critical care paramedics and specialist response teams are currently on scene with six patients confirmed so far. We have no further information to share at this time but will provide updates as soon as possible.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Emergency services are currently responding to an incident at an event near Steyning. It follows reports of a sign having fallen and injured a number of people at the site in Washington Road.

“Police were called at around 3.38pm and remain at the scene, assisting other emergency services, at this time.As a result, there is likely to be some traffic disruption in the local area, and we would urge the public to seek alternative routes if possible.

“We have no further information at this time, but will provide any updates as soon as we are in a position to do so.”

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Kenzie Carmichael, 16, died following an incident on the River Nith in Dumfires.

A teenager has died following an incident at a Scots river. Emergency services were called to the Boathouse on Nith Avenue in Dumfries after a report a boy collapsed near the River Nith.

Kenzie Carmichael, 16, from Dumfries was rescued from the water by emergency crews. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is understood Kenzie, nor anyone else in the area, had been playing within the River Nith.

Police Scotland are now appealing for help to establish the full circumstances of his death but have said they do not believe that the incident was suspicious.

Detective Inspector Scott Wilson said: “Kenzie’s family and friends are devastated and it’s vital we get them answers for how he died. We do not believe the circumstances of this incident are suspicious or that Kenzie, or anyone else present, had been playing within the river.

“I am appealing to anyone who was in the area of the Boathouse on Wednesday evening to contact us, no matter how insignificant you think your information may be, please do pass it on. It could be crucial in helping us establish the full circumstances of Kenzie’s death.”

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Officers are appealing for information following the death of a teenager in Dumfries.

“Around 7.35pm on Wednesday, August 26, police received a report a boy had collapsed near to the Boathouse, Nith Avenue.

“Emergency services attended and a 16-year-old boy was removed from the water and pronounced dead at the scene. He can be named as Kenzie Carmichael from Dumfries.

“A report has been submitted the Procurator Fiscal.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 3297 of Wednesday, August 26.”

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The security sources say six international warships are now in the seas close to the Lutuf – two from Turkey and one each from Spain, Denmark, the US and India, something the BBC has not been able to independently verify.

“There is military equipment on the [hijacked] ship meant for Turkey’s operations in Somalia,” the Somali government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that the cargo included satellite equipment for a space station that Ankara is building north of the capital.

He alleged that Turkey had carried out the second drone strike that killed nine armed men on Sunday.

“The men who were killed were criminals and I don’t have sympathy for them,” he said, “but taking it to that level is escalating the situation even more.”

Turkey’s defence ministry has stated that its forces are providing “necessary support” to Somali authorities regarding the incident involving a hijacked vessel in Somali territorial waters, within the framework of their security agreement. But it stopped short of addressing the accusations that Turkey had carried out deadly drone strikes.

Publicly the government in Mogadishu has said only that it is aware of the operations against pirate groups and will take measures to address them.

Puntland authorities have been more outspoken.

Speaking to the BBC’s Somali Service, Deputy Minister of Security Abdirahman Yusuf said his administration had evidence that Turkey was responsible for the attacks, citing information about Turkish activity around the vessel and along the Puntland coast.

The BBC has not independently verified his allegations.

The security ministry also issued a statement expressing opposition to “bombings by international warships targeting civilians” that “undermined co-operation… in combatting piracy”, and demanded an immediate explanation for why they were carried out.

Puntland is wary of Turkey’s close military relationship with the Somali government, and the incidents risk further complicating a long-standing political dispute between the semi-autonomous region and Mogadishu that hinders a co-ordinated effort to fight piracy, analysts say.

There is not yet a full-blown resurgence. But without an end to the US-Iran war, or increased international efforts at deterrence, Somali piracy stands to continue raising the threat level in a crucial maritime space that is already dangerously squeezed.

Additional reporting by Mohamed Gabobe in Mogadishu and the BBC Somali Service