THE Chase’s newly-single star Mark Labbett has set tongues wagging after enjoying a lunch date with a stunning brunette.

Mark, 59, joined pretty Lianne Wellings for a slap-up roast on the weekend at the fancy Seasons Restaurant in Rotherham.

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The pair enjoyed roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, followed by chocolate cake and ice-cream.

Mark, who split from his girlfriend Hayley Palmer in May, even made a joke about Lianne “flashing her knickers” on social media.

‘The Beast’ took to Instagram and shared a picture of himself with his arm around Lianne.

“At least you’re not flashing your knickers this week!” he captioned it, alongside a ‘crying with laughter’ emoji.

Lianne also shared the photo to her Stories, saying: “Bit different to last Saturday… Best night with ma best buddy.”

Mark and blonde bombshell Hayley shocked fans when they announced their break-up five months ago.

The Chase star had been dating the 42-year-old Sky entertainment journalist for a year.

Hayley confirmed the news on her Instagram Stories with a post that read: “It is with regret I announce that myself and Mark have gone our separate ways.

“We had the best year together and I truly wish him all the best for the future.”

She ended the messaged: “Off I go to listen to Taylor Swift.”

Just weeks before their split, the couple had appeared more loved up than ever after celebrating their anniversary at a Beefeater in Southsea, Hants.

In the lead up, Mark had told The Sun how he’d hoped to whisk her to the family-friendly eatery once they had visited the bench they were sitting on when they first became a couple.

He said: “We found a bench in a peaceful spot by the beach and spent hours talking and getting to know each other, so we’ve decided to go back to celebrate our anniversary.

“As luck would have it, there’s a rather nice Beefeater near to where her parents live. They already know Hayley’s order — nachos and chips.”

Mark and Hayley had also appeared on Loose Women just 11 days before making their split public.

During the chat, however, Hayley admitted to struggling with their long distance relationship.

Mark lives in Rotherham in Sheffield, and Hayley in London, meaning they had to consult their diaries in order to see each other.

“Because we live quite a bit apart, I live up in Sheffield and she’s a Chelsea girl, we tend to look at our diaries and see when we can sync up together,” Mark told the Loose Women panel.

“The good news is we see each other every few weeks and we make the most of it when we are together.”

Hayley added: “We get excited when we see each other, which is really nice. We don’t see each other and then we really look forward to coming together and no sharing our chips.”

Last month, however, Hayley confirmed she had moved on with someone new.

When asked in a Q&A with fans on social media if she was dating, Hayley responded: “There is a certain someone… but I’m not revealing all!”

A week later, she teased a snap while enjoying a meal out with a mystery man who was wearing a light blue shirt.

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Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden won’t feature on Saturday night’s show after falling ill backstage during filming on the weekend.

Fellow pro dancer Lauren Oakley will instead partner JB Gill, star from boy band JLS and television presenter, for the “couple’s choice” dance in Saturday’s instalment of Strictly.

An ambulance was summoned to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood on Saturday after Dowden, 34, fell ill backstage during the show and was taken to hospital. A spokesperson for the dancer later said that the ambulance was “just a precaution”.

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A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing added: “Amy Dowden MBE is doing much better and the Strictly family send her love and wish her well.

“She is delighted that fellow professional dancer, Lauren Oakley, is able to step in for rehearsals and to perform in Saturday’s show for JB Gill’s couple’s choice dance. We are all hopeful that Amy will be back to dance with JB next week.”

Strictly bosses previously announced that Oakley would train with Gill on Monday, but have now confirmed that the pair will stay together for the rest of the week, including for the performance on Saturday and the results show on Sunday.

After passing through Sunday night’s results show, Gill wrote on Instagram: “On behalf of both Amy Dowden and I, I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for voting for us and wishing us well.

“We absolutely loved our performance on Saturday night and are so grateful to be through to another week on Strictly. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support.”

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Oakley, who came eighth when partnered with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the show’s previous season, did not have a partner this year. She joined the show in 2022.

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Gill and Dowden performed a foxtrot to ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ by Toploader on Saturday, scoring 32 before the professional dancer fell ill backstage. She did not attend the results show on Sunday.

Dowden had returned to the line-up this year after missing the 2023 series when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May 2023 aged just 32, after finding a lump on her breast the day before going on her honeymoon.

She began chemotherapy later that year when she was diagnosed with another type of cancer. Despite medical concerns following a check-up early this year, Dowden was given the all-clear by doctors.

Dowden also has Crohn’s disease, a lifelong gut disease which causes chronic bowel inflammation.

MARRIED At First Sight fans have hit out at Sacha for “manipulating” her husband Ross following her fallout with Alex.

Sacha and Alex butted heads during the last commitment ceremony after she slammed his disrespectful comments to the women.

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They got into another explosive row on the spa trip and were quick to take cheap shots at each other.

On tonight’s episode, Sacha was still fuming at Alex for his comments about her wearing “fake jewellery” and driving past her in his Range Rover.

At the apartment, she told Ross: “I really appreciated you having my back yesterday, my dad will be a happy man.”

Ross then reassured her that he would always have her back, adding: “No one speaks to my wife like that.”

At the commitment ceremony, Ross told the experts he was still angry and just wanted Alex to apologise.

Paul C Brunson asked: “Do you want him to apologise?”

Ross raged: “He can f*** off, he took it too far.”

Alex proceeded to apologise but a frustrated Sacha said she could not accept it.

Sacha said: “I’m not going to tolerate what I’ve witnessed towards the women, towards me that day and let him come off as the good guy.”

Paul insisted there was “no room for fighting”, but Alex was left smiling like a Cheshire cat, leaving his wife Holly raging.

But some fans thought Sacha’s behaviour was a big red flag.

One wrote: “Babes like Sacha get their men in trouble. She’s flared up. Expected him to flare up. He does it. She comes down, but now he’s carrying the beef because she didn’t mention how she too was cussing back.”

A second posted: “Not a massive Alex fan, but Sacha blew this all up into something it wasn’t and manipulated Ross…

“She is that girl who would cause a fight in the club but be screaming for people to stop fighting.”

A third commented: “Sasha is loving Ross still being angry. She is all kinds of manipulative?”

Things took a dramatic turn on last week’s show.

During the separate days, Sacha asked Alex: “How bad would it have got if Ross wasn’t there?”

Alex fumed: “I don’t want to hear nothing from your mouth.”

“F**k you,” Sacha screamed back.

Earlier this week Alex branded Lacey a “snake” after told the rest of the group that Hannah and Orson had kissed on the last day of the retreat.

He also told Richelle that she was “talking s***” after she said that Orson and Hannah had a double date with Alex and Holly.

Sacha wasn’t impressed with what he was saying and told him: “Don’t do that to me Alex, I don’t think you need to turn to Richelle and say ‘you’re talking f****** s***’ and turn to Lacey and say ‘you’re a snake’, there’s certain ways of addressing things calmly.

“You don’t need to attack, attack, attack.

“I’ve sat here and watched you attack the women either end and it’s f***** me off because I didn’t like it Alex.”

Holly then told her husband to “not take it out on her”, with him responding: “Who’s taking it out on you?”

Mel Schilling added: “Please respect the forum.”

Alex later told the camera: “Holly’s annoyed, I’ve told Lacey that I think she’s a snake and now you’ve got Sasha coming at me, just be quiet, your voice is going straight through me.

“If I was Ross, I would be telling my wife to pipe down, not everything needs your two pence.”

Holly added: “Alex has embarrassed me, I can’t be with a man who treats my friends like that.”

Elsewhere in the episode, Emma and Caspar decided to both write leave and exit the process.

Emma broke down in tears as she said her goodbye to the rest of her co-stars.

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The View co-host Sunny Hostin has delivered a passionate response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist comments about Puerto Rico at Donald Trump’s recent Madison Square Garden rally.

At the campaign event in Manhattan on Sunday, Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” and made other offensive comments about Jewish and Black Americans.

Speaking on The View today (October 28), Hostin directly addressed the camera and said: “This Puerto Rican has something to say about the island I love, where my family is from.

“Puerto Rico is trash? We are Americans, Donald Trump. Americans. We voluntarily serve disproportionately high in the military, while you have bone spurs.

“And we vote. Pennsylvania is home to almost half a million Puerto Ricans. North Carolina, 115,000. Georgia, 100,000. Arizona, 64,000. Wisconsin, 61,000. Michigan, 43,000. Nevada, 27,000. We vote, Donald Trump. Trash?

“And by the way, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny, Luis Fonsi and Marc Anthony have over 345 million followers on Instagram. I think you only have 26 million, since you care so much about size.

“And we don’t like what was said about Ruerto Rico. And we know how to take the trash out, Donald Trump. Trash that has been collecting since 2016, and that’s you, Donald Trump. And finally, my fellow Puerto Ricans, trash collection day is November 5, 2024. Don’t forget it!”

Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz was also among those criticizing Hinchcliffe, branding the comedian a “jackwad” and recalling Trump’s response when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017.

“Does anybody remember how [Trump] responded to [Hurricane] Maria in Puerto Rico? It was absolutely horrific,” Walz said during a Twitch livestream on Sunday. “Down there, insulting people. People in Puerto Rico are citizens, they pay taxes, they’re in the military.”

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Hinchcliffe has since defended himself on X and hit back at Walz.

“These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist,” the co-host of the Kill Tony podcast said in a Sunday X post.

“I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone… watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim… might be time to change your tampon.”

The tampon comment refers to a name Republicans have given Walz – “Tampon Tim” – because as Minnesota governor, he signed legislation mandating public schools in the state provide menstrual products in all bathrooms.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez swiftly responded to Hinchliffe’s latest remarks: “Can’t get over this dude telling someone else to change tampons when he’s the one s****ing bricks in his Depends after realizing opening for a Trump rally and feeding red-meat racism alongside a throng of other bigots to a frothing crowd does, unironically, make you one of them.”

The New York Democrat added, speaking to Hinchcliffe directly via X: “You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico.’ You like drinking piña coladas. There’s a difference.”

Hinchcliffe has faced significant backlash in the wake of his performance and even the Trump campaign has distanced itself from his comments.

Here’s how their romance played out…

1997 – The couple first meet after being introduced by mutual friends, two years after Eamonn splits from his first wife, Gabrielle, with whom he has three children.

1997-2002 – To be respectful to Gabrielle, the couple kept their relationship out of the limelight. Ruth told Daily Mail: “I thought it spoke volumes about the sort of man he was, the sort of father he was and the integrity he had. It made me love him more, not less.”

2002 – Ruth and Eamonn welcome their son, Jack, to the family.

2005 – Eamonn finalises his divorce with Gabrielle.

2006 – The pair begin to host Friday episodes of This Morning together.

2010 – Eamonn proposes to Ruth while at the Cheltenham Races, after asking Ruth’s mother for her hand.

June 2010 – Eamonn and Ruth marry at Elvetham Hall, Hampshire.

2016 – Eamonn undergoes a double hip replacement in the first of many health battles.

June 2019 – On This Morning, Ruth and Eamonn say the secret to their happy marriage. Eamonn credits “compromise, consideration and lots of conjugal,” while Ruth said it was “laughter and an equal marriage”.

November 2020 – Ruth and Eamonn are replaced on their regular Friday slot by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in a ‘show shake-up’.

December 2021 – After a year of being moved to the bank holiday presenting slot, both Eamonn and Ruth left This Morning.

January 2022 – Eamonn debuted on GB News, while Ruth stayed with ITV in her long-standing role on Loose Women.

September 2022 – Eamonn undergoes spinal surgery after years of back issues including a trapped sciatic nerve.

November 2022 – Eamonn falls down the stairs of his Surrey home with Ruth and breaks his shoulder, requiring a new operation.

September 2023 – Eamonn has a spine and neck stretching procedure as part of his year-long recovery.

May 2024 – Ruth and Eamonn announce they have split after 14 years of marriage and a 27-year relationship.

September 2024 – Eamonn was spotted on a luxury holiday in Barcelona with his new girlfriend Katie Alexander. Ruth calls in a ‘fierce’ divorce lawyer.

STRICTLY dancer Amy Dowden has been forced to bow out of the contest after a blue light dash to hospital following her collapse during Saturday night’s show.

The Welsh pro, who has Crohn’s Disease and has been battling cancer for almost 18 months, was last night said to be “doing much better” but will be unable to return this week. 

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Lauren Oakley, 33, will step in to partner JB Gill, 37, during training and Saturday’s show.

Bosses will then take a view on Amy’s condition. 

A Strictly Come Dancing spokesperson said: “Amy Dowden MBE is doing much better and the Strictly family send her love and wish her well. 

“She is delighted that fellow professional dancer, Lauren Oakley, is able to step in for rehearsals and to perform in Saturday’s show for JB Gill’s Couple’s Choice dance. 

“We are all hopeful that Amy will be back to dance with JB next week.”

Amy’s condition was so serious that the fire service were called to Elstree Studios and specialist equipment used to help her to an ambulance while keeping her completely flat.

She was unable to appear in the recording of the second half of the show, which aired last night.

JB was seen standing alone on the staircase. When it was announced he was going through to next week, he smiled and said “Thank you” to cheers.

This weekend JB and Lauren will perform a dance to a medley of Bruno Mars’ hits for the special themed week around Icons. 

Lauren partnered Krishnan Guru-Murthy last year but failed to appear on the main show partnerships for 2024.

She stood by under fire dancer Giovanni Pernice, 33, during the probe into his behaviour on the show, performing on his solo theatre tour. 

For the Halloween Special, Amy and JB dressed as scarecrows and performed to Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader at 7.18pm.

It’s understood Amy started to feel ill minutes after she and JB received a 32 out of 40 score from the judges at 7.25pm.

Amy cheered and jumped up and down when Motsi gave them a 9, and screamed when she got an 8 from Anton.

Strictly Amy’s cancer ‘nightmare’

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The Sun’s Jamie Downham takes a look at the beloved Strictly star’s ups and downs…

AS Strictly Come Dancing viewers know, you’ll struggle to catch Amy Dowden without a huge smile on her face.

But recently the Welsh star – one the best-rated Ballroom and Latin American professional dancers the UK has ever produced – has suffered a string of “nightmare” blows to her health.

She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May last year and underwent a full mastectomy, before having chemotherapy towards the end of 2023.

However, she later reported docs had found a clot on her lung, telling fans sadly: “Unfortunately I’ve had another nightmare this week.”

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Nonetheless, brave Amy, seen here dancing with James Bye, made an epic return to Strictly the following month with an appearance that left many viewers in floods tears.

As 2024 dawned, she admitted: “I feel I was robbed of the year I had planned and reflecting for me makes me upset and angry.”

However, she was soon smiling again. Amy, her hair starting to grow back after her cancer treatment, was seen messing around with her co-stars Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola on the Strictly tour earlier this month.

And despite another spell in hospital in February, she still mustered a cheeriness many would struggle for, telling fans: “The sun is shining – and I certainly can’t wait for Spring.”

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And we certainly can’t wait to see you dancing again, Amy…

Amy was still seen standing and smiling with JB in the final line-up at around 8.10pm.

By 9pm an ambulance had been called and at 9.50pm the fire service were also contacted to assist.

No pro dancer has ever dropped out of Strictly in its 20 years.

Amy,  from Caerphilly in South Wales, has talked at length about the excruciating pain she suffers as a result of her Crohn’s, an inflammatory disease of the digestive system often brought on by stress, which she has battled since she was a teenager.

Following a mastectomy, she was told the tumours had spread and was diagnosed with cancer for the second time that July.

But she was given the all-clear to return to Strictly for this series.