STRICTLY is facing a new row over ‘sexism’ on the show – as Shirley Ballas is accused of favouring the male contestants.

The head judge is under fire from fans following Dr Punam Krishan‘s axe last night.

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The TV doctor went head to head with Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu to fight for their place in the competition.

After Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood all voted to save Shayne, Shirley agreed she would have done the same.

“Both couples danced remarkably well, but I would also have saved Shayne and Nancy,” she said on last night’s results show.

Viewers unfairly claimed Shirley would always have favoured hunky actor Shayne in the dance-off.

One said: “The thing is that Shirley would have voted to keep Shayne even if he’d played musical statues.

“She’s all about the men and always has been. She shouldn’t be head judge. It’s a disgrace.”

Another added: “Shirley always has a bias towards the male contestants and she definitely has a soft spot for Shayne and Pete. Having said that, Punam was in trouble for a couple of weeks.”

Someone else mentioned the late judge Len Goodman, saying: “Len never favoured anyone and Anton just agrees with her on everything she’s got a lot of power, Darcy is missed she left very quickly after her! I think the judges need a shake up and given walnuts and goodbye.”

It’s not the first time Shirley has been accused of sexism while on Strictly Come Dancing.

In fact she’s been the subject of many cruel social media attacks.

Strictly 2024 pairings

Here’s who is matched with who this series…

However, defending herself against claims of bias, Shirley previously told The Sun: “I’m not the one who puts them there [in the dance off].

“People have to understand that every week somebody has to go home.”

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Phil McGraw, better known as popular television personality Dr Phil, has officially endorsed Donald Trump for president.

McGraw, who rose to fame in the 1990s thanks to his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, interviewed the former president earlier this year on his own show and promised to “ask [Trump] some hard questions and get some clear answers.”

The 74-year-old, who lost his licence to practice psychology in 2006, appeared on stage at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City and backed the Republican just days before the historic election.

Speaking to the crowd of Trump supporters, McGraw said that he was “not here just to stand up for Donald J Trump. Lord knows he doesn’t need me to stand up for him. He’s tough as an old army boot. He’s got lots of enemies, different groups that are scared, and between them, they have impeached him, indicted him, raided him, railroaded him, shot him and sued him. And where is he? He is still standing.”

McGraw said that he doesn’t “ like or agree with everything that Donald J. Trump does or says” but that “no human is perfect” and that rather than striving for “perfection,” we strive for “excellence”.

He used much of his speech to defend Trump supporters who he claimed are being “cancelled, intimidated, marginalised, excluded or even fired or boycotted” and then used his professional opinion to declare that Trump isn’t a “bully”.

He said that Trump couldn’t be a bully because “there has to be an imbalance of power, and when there’s not, it’s just called a debate, and he’s just better at it than anybody else”.

McGraw also attacked the likes of Beyonce, George Clooney, Robert De Niro and Lizzo, who he claimed hadn’t received any backlash from the media for endorsing Kamala Harris but said “watch what happens tomorrow morning when people find out I came here to talk to you”.

He also spread a conspiracy theory that CBS News show 60 Minutes edited their interview with Harris, which Trump had previously spread.

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Responding to the accusations, CBS News said that the claims were “false” and that: “60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer.”

The statement continued: “But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment.”

CORONATION Street fans have been left stunned as the show’s iconic theme tune was halted – after Gail Platt’s fate was revealed.

The soap icon – who is leaving the cobbles after 50 years in Weatherfield – was left fighting for her life earlier this week.

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Her children David and Sarah kept sniping at her and boyfriend Jesse before she demanded they leave.

Gail then gripped her chest as she suffered a heart attack and was rushed to hospital as the episode ended.

But in tonight’s episode doctors told the Platt’s Gail had awoken as they gathered around her.

In a heart-to-heart with David, she told him: “You’re a good boy, man. We’ve had our ups and downs, you and me.

He replied: “I don’t think I’ve been anything but trouble.”

Gail added: “Not true. When I look at how you’ve turned out, a good dad, husband, I’m so proud of you.”

The episode came to an end as Jesse agreed to marry Gail after she proposed to him.

“I love you, and I would be thrilled if I could spend the rest of my life calling you my husband,” she said.

However, as the iconic theme tune and credits rolled fans were left shocked as they abruptly stopped.

They were replaced with heartbeat cardiogram lines on screen as a life support monitor could be heard flatlining in the background.

The move appears to support the British Heart Foundation, who Corrie consulted for Gail’s heart attack plot.

However, it’s left fans fearful Gail will be killed, with one writing: “The heart beat almost gave me a heart attack then, I thought Gail had been killed off through the credits.”

A second wrote: “I thought Gail flatlined and that was them telling us she won’t be in it again.”

Coronation Street continues on ITV1 and ITVX.

Coronation Street’s 2024 shock exits

Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let’s break down who’s left the famous soap:

Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.

The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza’s grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.

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Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.

After being diagnosed last year, the fan favourite was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.

Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.

Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.

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Though she struggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.

Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.

The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.

Simon’s been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.

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Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.

It looks likely she’ll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.

Show stalwart Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.

Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.

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Journalism is the lifeblood of democracy. Journalists are guardians of democratic values. These simple facts are so woven into the fabric of our society that we often take them for granted. This year, I fought tooth and nail for the honour of serving our country as prime minister. And at every step of the way, I was robustly held to account by determined, incisive and irrepressible members of the fourth estate. Neither myself nor the now leader of the opposition complained about this. Neither of us turned our partisan supporters against the media. We went about our business, just as all our predecessors have, accepting that this is democracy in action. It was ordinary and unremarkable.

And yet this is not a given. All around the world, journalists put themselves at risk in defence of those values. Journalists such as the Ukrainian Victoria Roshchyna, who brought us the horrific story of Mariupol – now dead in Russian custody. Or the more than a hundred journalists killed reporting the unimaginable suffering in Gaza. Or the BBC’s Gary O’Donoghue taking cover during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, still broadcasting while lying face down on the ground behind his car. An extraordinary image that brought home the risks and the purpose of journalism: that, through the bravery of journalists, the world sees what it needs to see.

There are more than 900 local and national news titles in the UK. For all the prophecies of doom about the future of news, that represents an extraordinary strength. The British news industry reaches more than 80% of the population.

However, this vitality should not blind us to the challenges. And while thankfully there is no direct threat to press freedoms in our country, we must remain vigilant so that the growing power of digital technology does not begin to chip away at them. Particularly as artificial intelligence begins to transform our economy and way of life.

Both artificial intelligence and the creative industries – which include news media – are central to this government’s driving mission on economic growth. To strike balance in our industrial policy, we are working closely with these sectors. We recognise the basic principle that publishers should have control over and seek payment for their work, including when thinking about the role of AI. Not only is it essential for a vibrant media landscape, in which the sector’s provision of trustworthy information is more vital than ever, it is also relevant to our ongoing work to roll out the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act as swiftly as possible. This landmark legislation will help rebalance the relationship between online platforms and those, such as publishers, who rely on them.

We also stand with journalists who endure threats merely for doing their jobs. Just because journalists are brave does not mean they should ever suffer intimidation. This goes for intimidation on social media – the Online Safety Act will introduce new protections from abuse, as well respecting recognised news publisher content. It goes for journalists around the world, where we will continue to use British soft power and diplomacy to argue for journalistic freedoms. But it also goes for powerful people using strategic litigation against public participation, known as Slapps, to intimidate journalists away from their pursuit of the public interest. Such behaviour is intolerable and we will tackle the use of Slapps to protect investigative journalism, alongside access to justice.

Because this is a government that will always champion press freedoms. We believe in being held to account. I am determined to show that traditional democratic British values are the only way to deliver the change that working people need – that is my political project in a nutshell. And there can be nothing more traditional, democratic or British than a robust free press, fearlessly holding the powerful to account.

A LEGENDARY BBC presenter has bid an emotional farewell in his final radio show, leaving listeners in tears.

DJ Johnnie Walker concluded his final radio show with the heartfelt message, “may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts”.

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The broadcast included special messages from Sir Rod Stewart and his wife, Tiggy.

The 79-year-old veteran presenter signed off his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday afternoon.

He had hosted his last episode of The Rock Show on Friday, during which he played some of his “favourite rock anthems”.

Walker announced earlier this month that he was retiring from radio after 58 years due to ill health, having previously been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

After playing Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now, he closed the show by saying: “Here we are at the end of a 15-year run on Sunday afternoon’s Sounds Of The 70s and 58 years on British radio.

“It’s going to be very strange not to be on the wireless anymore. But also, by the same token, life will be slightly less of a strain, really, trying to find the breath to do programmes.

“So thank you for being with me all these years and take good care of yourself and those you love, and may we walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts.

“God bless you. And I’ll end with this.”

For his final song, he played Judy Collins’ version of Amazing Grace.

Earlier this year the BBC Radio 2 legend spoke about his terminal illness, sharing that doctors warned he could “die at any moment”.

The music show host has worked for the Beeb since 1969, and currently heads up both Sounds of the 70s and The Radio 2 Rock Show.

He sadly suffered from a heart attack in 2019 and had to undergo a triple heart bypass.

Just one year later he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which is a condition where inflation of the lungs means breathing becomes difficult.

TIGGY

As his health deteriorated Johnnie had to start presenting his radio shows from his home in Dorset, where he receives round-the-clock care from his wife Tiggy.

During Carers Week the couple opened up about what it has been like for them living with the possibility of Johnnie passing at any moment hanging over their heads.

In a heartbreaking segment on their BBC Sounds podcast Tiggy admitted: “I’m so tired. Sometimes I find it hard to go on.”

She also shared that for the first six weeks after his diagnosis, she was heartbroken and already grieving the life they had together.

Medical consultants told the couple that Johnnie should “prepare to go at any moment”.

Tiggy added: “It was only by going to the doctors and going on antidepressants that I have kept going, because I was crying every single day and I was overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of everything I had to do.”

Johnnie was contemplative when he spoke about grappling with death, referring to having “only a finite amount of time left here in the physical before I pass over”.

The radio veteran showed a huge amount of empathy for his wife, putting himself in her shoes during their nightly routine by acknowledging she “very lovingly helps me get into bed and gives me a nice kiss good night, and then she has to wonder whether I’m still going to be alive in the morning, which must be pretty hard for her”.

He went on to say that she saved his life when he had cancer in 2006, adding: “Your love was just so sustaining, it gave me so much to look forward to. And your caring for me now makes my life so much better.”