You probably already know that dementia is linked to signs like memory loss and trouble planning ahead. But lesser-known symptoms such as changes in walking style, increasing nightmares, and even shifts in your sense of smell have been linked to the condition too.

And now, researchers think voice changes might herald a higher risk of developing dementia; it could even “represent a stronger early biomarker than hearing loss alone”.

This comes after a 2020 Lancet Commission into dementia deemed hearing loss the biggest modifiable dementia risk worldwide.

Researchers followed the health data of 833,417 people with voice disorders and/or hearing loss at least a year after they first presented with the issue.

Patients were split into four groups:

• Those with both a voice disorder and hearing loss,
• Those with a voice disorder but no hearing loss,
• Those with hearing loss but no voice disorder,
• A control, with neither condition.

The paper, published in the Journal of Voice, found that people with a voice disorder and no hearing loss seemed to be 58% more likely to develop dementia than those without one.

This risk was higher than that seen among those with hearing loss but no voice disorder.

Speaking to Drexel News, the University of Drexels’ Dr Robert Sataloff, who was the lead author of this study, said: “Our work shows that voice disorders may be an earlier and stronger sign of cognitive decline than hearing loss alone”.

Meanwhile, “We found the strongest link with dementia among patients experiencing a voice disorder and hearing loss; but importantly, we found that those with a voice disorder and no hearing loss were at greater risk than patients who experience hearing loss only.

“It may be valuable for many of these patients to talk with an otolaryngologist who can arrange a cognitive assessment to help patients develop an appropriate care plan,” he continued.

Voice issues can manifest as “worsening voice quality – in pitch, clarity, volume, reduced vocal range or other voice disorders”.

These are sometimes called “dysphonia” and are believed to affect about 7.5% of the UK population.

Dr Sataloff said that “If you have a voice disorder that impacts how your voice sounds or if it’s painful when you attempt to talk or sing, it’s only natural to participate less often in brain-supporting social or other engaging activities”.

We know that maintaining an active social life has been linked to lower dementia risk.

He added, “We already see this in patients with Parkinson’s disease, in which voice disorders often precede other physical signs of the disease”.

More research is needed to work out the kinds of voice disorders that might be especially highly-linked to dementia.

Netflix has announced that it is shelving a new true crime documentary about the disgraced musician Gary Glitter.

A three-part series titled Hunting Gary Glitter was originally supposed to premiere on the platform on 14 October, in which “survivors, journalists and legal experts” would “recount how pop star Gary Glitter used his money, fame and influence to carry out decades of child sexual abuse”.

However, just three weeks before its release, Netflix has confirmed that the project’s release has been delayed indefinitely after “new legal information” came to light.

“We have made the decision to pause the release of Hunting Gary Glitter (originally due to launch 14 October),” a spokesperson told Digital Spy. “This follows new legal information we recently became aware of.”

They added: “We’re not able to share further detail at this time, but we’ll provide an update as soon as we’re in a position to do so.”

Hunting Gary Glitter is directed by Sebastian Smith, whose credits include the crime docs Hear No Evil and Girl On The Run: The Hunt For America’s Most Wanted Woman.

Gary Glitter – whose legal name is Paul Gadd – was first convicted with possession of child pornography in the late 1990s, and sentenced to four months in prison.

In 2015, he was found guilty of one count of attempted rape, one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13 and four counts of indecent assault.

He is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for these historical crimes, and is awaiting trial after being charged with four more historical sexual offences earlier this year, for which he has pleaded not guilty.

The former pop singer was briefly released from prison on license in 2023, but was recalled to prison the following month after breaking the terms of his release.

An application for parole was denied in June 2025.

• Rape Crisis services for women and girls who have been raped or have experienced sexual violence – 0808 802 9999
• Survivors UK offers support for men and boys – 0203 598 3898

We’ve got some good news for anyone who missed out on the chance to see Toy Story 5 in cinemas over the summer.

On Wednesday, the fifth instalment in the award-winning animated film series began streaming exclusively on Disney+, following its huge box office success earlier in the year.

Toy Story 5 first hit cinemas in June, earning mostly positive reviews from critics, with HuffPost UK’s take calling it “not just a return to form for the beloved animated series, but for Pixar in general”.

Compared to the first four films in the franchise, heroes Woody and Buzz Lightyear take something of a back seat in Toy Story 5, allowing Joan Cusack’s character Jessie to step into the foreground.

Thematically, the movie explores the various pitfalls of modern technology, particularly in the family home and among young people, thanks to the introduction of LilyPad, a learning tablet who poses a threat to the toys we know and love.

At the box office, Toy Story 5 was a hit for Disney and Pixar, grossing more than a billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing animated movie of 2026 so far, as well as the year’s third-highest-grossing film overall (behind only Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey).

It also featured a new song from Taylor Swift written just for the movie, titled I Knew It, I Knew You, which reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic upon its release.

While a sixth Toy Story movie is yet to be officially announced, writer-director Andrew Stanton did suggest that it could happen at the latest film’s premiere. He claimed that while the first three films in the series represented “the Andy years”, a new “trilogy” had been set in motion with the introduction of Bonnie.

Other forthcoming films currently in the works at Pixar include new sequels to The Incredibles and Coco.

British musician Michael Kiwanuka has disclosed that he suffered a stroke earlier this year.

On Wednesday, the singer-songwriter shared a letter with fans, explaining that “a few months ago” he had a “quite severe” stroke that was triggered “by a bleed in my brain brought on by high blood pressure”.

He wrote: “It’s a long journey recovering from a stroke, which is why I missed some gigs recently out in the US, but I look forward to seeing you all soon.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be able to be back out on the road or what that will look like, the brain injury I suffered was quite severe so there’s a lot of rehab to be done, it’s a long, tough journey ahead but I’m fighting to get better. It has been a difficult few months I must say but it feels like I’m on my way there now.”

Michael’s news came as he teased the upcoming release of his fifth album Fudge, claiming he was “especially happy” to be making the announcement in light of the “health problems which would heavily hinder and get in the way of me making music for the foreseeable future”.

The 39-year-old added: “I want to say a special thank you to all the incredible NHS staff and every single medical professional who has helped care for me and continue to help and encourage me in my recovery.

“And thank you to my friends and family for their continued support and to my team who will keep you updated with all things Fudge-related.”

“This has definitely been one of the toughest challenges I’ve faced and I’ll be happy to be on the other side of it when the time comes,” Michael concluded. “Until then I wish you all well and look forward to seeing you further down the line.”

Michael has been a critical favourite on the music scene since his debut in the early 2010s, around the time of which he was nominated for the BBC Sound Of 2012 title.

He’s been shortlisted for the Mercury Prize three times, including a win in 2020, and is also a Grammy and five-time Brit Award nominee.

A pledge to rejoin the EU could ensure Labour win the next general election, according to a major new survey.

An MRP poll by YouGov for the pro-Europe group, Best for Britain, has predicted Andy Burnham would likely win 321 seats in the Commons if he promised to reverse Vrexit.

That’s five seats short of the 326 needed for an absolute majority, but it’s the best outcome for Labour out of the multiple scenarios tested by the pollsters.

Almost 14,000 respondents, surveyed between May and June shortly before Burnham became prime minister, were asked how hypothetical EU policies might change their voting intentions.

The poll suggested Labour would drop from its current 403 seats to just 136 if there had been an election in June and it had not changed its EU policies.

The party is currently committed to its EU red lines ruling out rejoining customs union, the single market or bringing back freedom of movement.

Meanwhile, if Labour pledged to rejoin just the single market, the survey found the party would win 257 seats.

And, if the party promised only to join the customs union, it would secure 256 seats.

Chief executive of Best for Britain, Naomi Smith, said: “These numbers are a wake-up call for both the prime minister and Labour backbenchers in previously Leave-voting constituencies.

“EU membership is the only policy lever that Labour close to a majority at the next election and keeps the architects of Brexit out of power.”

The findings come after Tony Blair urged Burnham to make rejoining the EU a core part of his plan for the next decade.

The former Labour prime minister said: “Britain should signal an intention if the terms are right to enter into a structured formal relationship with Europe and initiate a process of negotiation where everything is on the table but nothing agreed until everything is agreed.”

He suggested reforming the EU would be part of the negotiation process and controversially suggested not holding a second referendum on membership.

Burnham was in favour of rejoining the bloc “within my lifetime” prior to getting the keys to No.10.

But he was much cooler towards the topic this week, telling reporters it was a question “for another day”.

YouGov has found Labour has enjoyed a Burnham “bounce” since his premiership began two months ago, without making any major announcements on the UK-EU relationship.

Labour would be the largest party in a hung parliament if there were an election tomorrow, winning 241 seats compared to the Tories’ 130 and Reform UK’s 123, according to YouGov’s predictions.

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.

Liz Truss was given a brutal reminder of the impact of her policies after insisting she is “proud” of her disastrous mini-Budget.

The former Tory PM was told by LBC’s Nick Ferrari that her plan for £45 billion of unfunded tax cuts had “tanked the economy”.

Truss lasted just 49 days in Downing Street after mortgage rates soared, inflation went up and the value of the pound collapsed.

But despite the economic carnage she and her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng caused, Truss – who also lost her seat at the 2024 general election – remained unrepentant on Ferrari’s breakfast show.

After predicting that chancellor John Healey will put up taxes in next month’s Budget, Truss said the UK economy is in “a doom loop”.

Ferrari told her: “Many of my listeners will think it’s a bit rich you criticising other people’s Budgets – I know it wasn’t your Budget, but it was done under your watch.”

Truss replied: “It was my Budget and I was proud of what was in it.”

Ferrari then told her: “It tanked the economy, Liz Truss.”

She hit back: “No it didn’t. It didn’t, Nick Ferrari.”

She went on to blame the Bank of England for the economic crisis which hit her fledgling government.

Truss said: “The day before the mini-Budget, the Bank of England, which had been printing money for 10 years, announced quantitative tightening. What does that mean? They were deliberately making government debt more extensive.”

Asked if the Bank of England was “conspiring” against her, she said: “I believe they were ideologically against what I was trying to do, and they did not co-ordinate with what we were doing with our Budget.”

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.

Ryan Murphy is looking to make a return to the halls of McKinley High.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly at the premiere of American Horror Story’s 13th season, the writer and director was asked about the prospect of revisiting Glee, which he’d recently been teasing.

“Funny you ask, I just finished the script an hour ago,” he claimed. “So, we have a script. Brad [Falchuk] and Ian [Brennan] and I, who wrote all the first two seasons, we have written something.”

But will Rachel, Sue Sylvester and Will Schuester be back?

“I’ve been in touch with around 10 of the original cast members. And it’s very sweet, you know? They all had a lot of questions, but they all were very enthusiastic about the idea,” The Shards creator said, although he added: “Nobody’s read it, so I don’t know. We’ll see.”

He explained that he’d “vowed” to himself to try and write a couple of episodes of Glee just “to see what people think”, particularly the original cast because “we were very close when we were making it.”

Ryan was inspired to revisit Glee after making the new season of American Horror Story, which brings back many of the audience’s favourite characters for what he has billed as a “greatest hits” cross-over event.

“It was like getting the fam back together, and the original group of people who loved it,” he enthused. “Brad and I have kind of just done that, so it was like, ‘OK, there’s a way to do it’.”

The news comes just a week after Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry for all six seasons of Glee, said that she’d love to return for a reboot.

Speaking with E! News at New York Fashion Week, she declared: “I love Glee. I will always love Glee. I love Ryan Murphy. It just holds such a special place in my heart for me… I will follow Ryan wherever he goes.”

Ryan had previously hinted to People in July that he was up for returning to the all-singing, all-dancing world of Glee, because so many new viewers had discovered the series since it came to an end in 2015.

“That show is interesting because it’s come back around. So many young people now watch it. And I’m like, ‘Maybe we should revisit that show,’ ” the man behind Netflix’s Monster said.

Ryan’s key reason for returning to Glee is his own sentimentality towards it.

“My nostalgia and love for that show is enough that I’m like, ‘Well, maybe people would like to see a new incarnation of that in some capacity’,” he added at the time.

There are many reasons to start running in autumn – the cooler temperatures and lower humidity are ideal conditions, for starters.

But if you need a bit more motivation, this might help: new research suggests that decades of aerobic activity could keep us more resilient in our old age.

The study, published in GeroScience, took a look at what happened to people’s bodies after years of cycling, swimming, and jogging.

As it turns out, these activities seemed to boost their “vitality capacity” as they aged.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes intrinsic capacity as “the composite of all the physical and mental capacities that an individual can draw on at any point in time”.

Vitality capacity, meanwhile, is the “body’s physiological reserve”, which determines how much intrinsic capability a person has.

In short, the higher your vitality capacity is in your later years, the more functional and resilient you may be.

Vitality capacity measures three broad functions – energy and metabolism, neuromuscular function, and immune and stress response functions. In this research, scientists assessed vitality capacity across 12 biomarkers.

Researchers compared people who had done some form of aerobic activity at least three times a week for 30 years with those who were mostly sedentary.

Data suggested that those who were more active had a stronger vitality capacity, especially in their immune and stress responses.

More active adults also had better resting blood oxygen levels and a higher heart rate variability.

Heart rate variability (HRV), which has been linked to “exceptional longevity”, refers to the variation of time your heart takes between beats. It is usually measured in milliseconds and requires special equipment to be tracked.

And while experts still have questions about the “accuracy, reliability and overall usefulness of tracking HRV”, this paper is just one of many to link more active lifestyles to a happier, healthier older age.

Some aerobic exercises to consider include:

• Jogging or fast walking,
• Swimming,
• Cycling,
• Dancing,
• Skipping,
• Rowing,
• Sports like football, tennis, or basketball,
• Walking up the stairs,
• Rollerblading,
• Water aerobics.