Megan Nicholls will be front and centre for ITV racing at the Cheltenham Festival having transitioned from jockey to pundit

Megan Nicholls will provide analysis for ITV Racing once again at the Cheltenham Festival this week. The 27-year-old is the daughter of perennial champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

The action from Prestbury Park will soon get underway as punters flock to the high point of the National Hunt season. Over 200,000 were in attendance across all four days of the Festival last year.

For those who won’t be heading to the Cotswolds, ITV will provide its usual coverage on every day of the meeting. Former Flat jockey Nicholls will be one of the broadcaster’s brightest stars.

She retired from a career in the saddle at just 25 to focus on media and has since become an ITV staple. We take a look at her iconic racing family and her former and current flame.

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Nicholls’ father, Paul, is an iconic figure in the National Hunt sphere. He has been crowned Champion Trainer a staggering 14 times, operating out of Ditcheat in Somerset. He has trained over 3500 winners and has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on four occasions, training some of the game’s greatest horses, including Kauto Star, Denman and Big Buck’s.

Nicholls followed in her father’s footsteps to some degree and became a jockey, but she rode on the Flat, tallying 110 winners. Her sister, Olive, is an amateur National Hunt rider.

In 2022, at the age of 25, Nicholls decided to leave her riding career behind to focus full-time on bloodstock and the media. She made her ITV Racing debut in 2021 and hasn’t looked back.

Explaining her decision, she told the Racing Post: “I felt my riding career had hit a point where I was going back down. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with natural talent and you can work as hard as you want, but when you have people ahead of you it’s hard.”

Since her first appearance, Nicholls has often starred alongside the likes of Ed Chamberlin, Mick Fitzgerald and AP McCoy for ITV. She also features on Racing TV.

While she has left the riding behind, Nicholls did continue with a high-profile relationship after her retirement. She dated Group 1-winning jockey Kevin Stott.

The pair met while riding out in Dubai and they began seeing one another in late 2019/early 2020. Stott had previously had a trial with Premier League side Tottenham but reverted to riding after this footballing ambition fell apart.

Nicholls and Stott dated for two years before their relationship ended. Now, if social media posts are anything to go by, she may be seeing up-and-coming jockey, Tristan Durrell.

Durrell landed one of the biggest winners of his young career earlier this season when he steered the Dan Skelton-trained Panic Attack to Coral Gold Cup glory. Pictures of Durrell and Nicholls on dinner dates are commonplace on the ITV star’s Instagram.

Wireless earbuds have taken over the world, offering excellent sound and dramatic noise cancelling effectiveness all in a convenient package.

There are multiple things to consider, especially with the wide range of ‘true wireless’ earbuds on the market. Having overtaken all the best headphones (the over-ear sort) in 2020, wireless stereo earbuds now account for 72.6 per cent of the smart personal audio market in 2024, according to analyst Canalys, with 77 million units shipped.

However, despite Apple’s AirPods earning $18 billion in 2023, more than companies such as Nintendo and Spotify, AirPods aren’t necessarily the best wireless earbuds in terms of price, noise cancelling abilities or sound. I tried some of the best models, including Beats, Samsung and Sony, picking out my top 10, including one pair that costs less than £50.

If you are after more detail, the full, in-depth reviews for each style are further down. You can also find the answers to frequently asked questions for more information.

The best wireless earbuds: At a glance

JUMP TO THE REVIEWS

How to choose the best wireless earbuds for you

If you’re in the market for some new wireless earbuds, you need to figure out what you need them for.

James Roth, Head of Consumer Electronics at technology platform TG0, says: “True wireless earbuds offer a compact and lightweight option, making them great for on-the-go sports and travel. You’ll want earbuds that offer great sound quality, good battery life and ease of use, but it’s also worth looking out for waterproofing.“You probably won’t wear them in the bath, but proper waterproofing can prevent headphones from going ‘phut’ in heavy rain,” James says.

“Active noise cancelling (ANC) models – where the design reduces unwanted ambient sound – are a terrific choice for those listening on planes, trains and automobiles,” he adds. “Today’s best Bluetooth earphones can actually give the best noise cancelling headphones a run for their money on sound quality,” he says.

It’s worth doing a bit of research to get the best sound out of your earbuds. There are various different “codecs” – software which transmits data from your phone to your headphones – and these make a huge difference to sound quality, with Apt-X and LDAC codecs offering near CD quality sound for users of Android smartphones.

You’ll also want to weigh up your budget and how the buds fit in your ear, plus make sure the style you choose is compatible with your mobile phone.

How we test wireless earbuds

Artists revealed today (March 10) also include Dermot Kennedy, CMAT and Myles Smith on the Radio 1 Main Stage, with Alessi Rose, Ezra Collective, FLO, Holly Humberstone, Jorja Smith (Party Set), Maisie Peters and Odeal performing on the Radio 1 New Music Stage.

They join acts already announced across the weekend, including Fatboy Slim and Sonny Fodera, who headline on Friday, May 22, alongside a packed Saturday line-up featuring Zara Larsson, Louis Tomlinson, Lola Young and Nothing But Thieves.

Radio 1’s flagship live music festival will take place in Herrington Country Park, Sunderland from Friday, May 22, until Sunday, May 24, 2026, with more than 100,000 music fans expected to attend across the weekend.

The line-up for Sunday, May 24

Radio 1 Main Stage

• Charlie Hedges
• CMAT
• Dean McCullough
• Dermot Kennedy
• Jeremiah Asiamah
• Kehlani
• Maia Beth
• Melvin Odoom
• Myles Smith
• Nat O’Leary
• Niall Horan
• Olivia Dean
• Rickie Haywood-Williams
• Vicky Hawkesworth

Radio 1 New Music Stage

• Alessi Rose
• Ezra Collective
• FLO
• Holly Humberstone
• Jack Saunders
• Jorja Smith (Party Set)
• Maisie Peters
• Odeal

Tickets for Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24, will be available from 5pm on Wednesday, March 11 and general admission tickets will cost £44.50 (£40.00 + £4.50 booking fee).

As with previous Big Weekends, tickets will be geographically weighted with an element of preference given to residents.

BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend (Image: PA MEDIA)

Thirty per cent of tickets will be reserved for those living in Sunderland; 60 per cent will be reserved for those living in the surrounding NECA region, while the remaining ten per cent of tickets will be available for the rest of the UK.

The booking process will be handled by Ticketmaster.

The station has also announced its outreach plans, with Radio 1’s Life Hacks hosting a series of live panels across the North East from Tuesday, March 24 to Friday, March 27, bringing honest conversations, practical advice and inspiring local voices directly to young people.

Taking place at East Durham College, Sunderland College, South Tyneside College and Red House Academy, the panels will explore topics such as building a future, navigating life after education, managing mental health and understanding modern relationships.

Olivia Dean (Image: Doug Peters/PA WIRE)

The sessions will feature local organisations, charities and entrepreneurs, connecting young people with support, opportunities and real-life experiences from across the area.

BBC Radio 1 will broadcast live from the festival site across the weekend, with performances and highlights available live and on demand across Radio 1’s iPlayer channel and BBC Sounds.

When is BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend?

Radio 1’s Big Weekend will take place over three days – May 22, 23 and 24.

Where is it being held?

The Big Weekend is being held at Herrington Park, in Sunderland this year. If you aren’t familiar of where that is, the park can be found opposite iconic landmark Penshaw Monument.

The last time it was held in the region was in 2019, in Middlesbrough, and it was held in Herrington Park in 2005.

Headliners back then included the Foo Fighters and The Black Eyed Peas.

How much are tickets?

Ticket prices have this week been confirmed – here’s how much you’ll need to pay to get in.

Friday

General admission – £34.50

VIP admission – £86.00

Saturday

General admission – £44.50

VIP admission – £106.00

Sunday

General admission – £44.50

VIP admission – £106.00

Where can I buy tickets?

The tickets will be available to buy via Ticketmaster, and you can find the ticket link by going on the BBC website.

When do they go on sale?

The ticket sale dates are staggered.

Tickets for Saturday and Sunday (May 23 and 24) will go on sale on March 11.

Are tickets allocated by region?

Yes – the BBC say they have been put into three ‘pots’.

The first pot, which is 30 per cent of tickets, are allocated to Sunderland residents.

A further 60 per cent are for the wider North East including County Durham, Newcastle, Gateshead and Northumberland.

Then, the final 10 per cent will be available to the rest of the UK.

Can I go to all three days?

No. It has been confirmed that you can’t buy tickets for all three days.

You can buy a maximum of two tickets per person per day.

You are allowed to go on Friday and either Saturday or Sunday, but not both.

Are there age restrictions?

Yes, there are age restrictions.

You can only attend on Friday if you are 18 or over.

No restrictions are placed on Saturday or Sunday, but anyone aged 15 or under must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Three ambulances, an ambulance officer vehicle and the Magpas air ambulance were sent to the scene

Two people have been taken to hospital following a crash on a major Cambridgeshire city road. Police were called to a collision between a car and a lorry this morning on Boongate, Peterborough.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “Police were called shortly after 11am to a collision between a car and an HGV on the northbound slip road of the A1139 to Boongate.”

Three ambulances, an ambulance officer vehicle and the Magpas air ambulance were sent to the scene. Two people have been transported to Peterborough City Hospital by road for further care.

Firefighters also attended the scene and two casualties were trapped inside the car.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Firefighters used specialist equipment to release the casualties from their vehicle, before they were left in the care of the ambulance service. Crews returned to their stations by 12.30pm.”

The road was completely closed from the Carr Road exit and drivers were advised to avoid the area and seek alternative routes. The roads have since been reopened.

A spokesperson for East of England Ambulance Service said: “We were called to reports of a road traffic collision on Boongate, Peterborough, at 11.19am.”

The spokesperson continued: “We sent three ambulances, an ambulance officer vehicle and the Magpas air ambulance to the scene. Two patients were transported to Peterborough City Hospital by road for further care.”

A study has been launched to investigate possible transport options for Cambridge

Tram and light rail are among the transport options to be considered for Cambridge. A study has been launched to examine potential mass rapid transit options to support future growth in the city.

Cambridge Growth Company (CGC) and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), have launched the preparation of a Project level Strategic Outline Business Case for a potential Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system in the city.

The study is to investigate creating fast, and reliable public transport like trams to reduce traffic congestion and connect key areas.

This has been commissioned by the Department for Transport, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the HM Treasure.

The new commission will include identifying and appraising a longlist of transport options, from lower scale interventions to full MRT model possibilities, including tram, light rail, bus rapid transit, and automated systems.

It also includes developing a transparent shortlist of viable options, assessed for their ability to support the long term growth of the city, feasibility, deliverability, value for money, and environmental impact.

Philip Harker, Technical Director at Cambridge Growth Company, said: “Congestion in Cambridge is already holding back our communities and our economy.

“This Strategic Outline Business Case is a crucial first step in making the case for the investment needed to help people move efficiently and sustainably into and across the city.”

Judith Barker, Executive Director, at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority said: “Greater Cambridge is one of the UK’s economic engines, and it needs transport that matches that ambition.

“This study helps us understand what it will take to deliver the Mayor’s vision for a Mass Rapid Transit system that supports long‑term growth and improves how people move around the area.”

This early phase MRT study will be factored into preparations for the Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy which is due for approval in November 2026.

The ‘GC’ is back for the show’s spin-off after she quit I’m A Celebrity after 72 hours in 2014

Gemma Collins has already defended herself for crying ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here‘ as she claimed a ‘dirty prank’ by one of her co-stars forced her into it as she returned to the hit show.

The reality star, who shot to fame on The Only Way is Essex, is among the former campmates who will all return to the jungle for the new series of spin-off, I’m A Celebrity…South Africa.

The ITV programme, which is returning for a second run and will be fronted by Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, sees former jungle stars from the Australian version of the show take on even more challenges in another country and while they have all already proved they can survive the gruelling bushtucker trials of the jungle, in South Africa, the trials are even tougher.

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Gemma, who quit I’m A Celebrity after 72 hours in 2014, will be giving the challenge show, which has been pre-recorded, another go, will be joined by Olympian Sir Mo Farah, former Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt, champion boxer David Haye and actor Adam Thomas.

They’ve also recorded the show alongside football manager Harry Redknapp and soap actress Beverley Callard well as former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, comedian Seann Walsh, pop star Sinitta, Red Dwarf star Craig Charles and ex-footballer Jimmy Bullard.

And following her short-lived stint in the Australian jungle, Gemma has already defended herself for shouting the show’s famous title as she almost quit again. “Harry played a dirty prank on me and I actually fell for it,” Gemma said at the show’s launch.

“He’s a fraudster, he’s so funny. I’m not going to say exactly what happened but I did get him back!” Sitting next to him at the event, she added: “This guy deserves an Oscar because I fully believed him… It led me to say, ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ He scared me so much, I was like, ‘Nah, I’m outta here! I’m out, that’s it!’”

The 45-year-old also revealed that after the show was announced by ITV today, she nearly pulled out of it but was put in her place by her make-up artist. “It didn’t work out for me the first time around in there and ever since it’s been like this black cloud hanging over my head,” she told The Sun.

“Obviously I’m older now and I just thought, I have to do this. It was one regret that I had that I left. I was absolutely bricking it. I was petrified. My makeup artist slapped me at Heathrow Airport because I actually said I don’t think I can actually go through with this.

“But do you know what? I took a deep breath. I went in strong. And to be honest, I think I shut it down. It’s not the GC in there. It’s Gemma Collins as you’ve never seen her before. You’ll see me vulnerable in there. I was so stripped bare going in there. And because I knew it was so disastrous the time before, I had no chance to back out of any of it.”

COVID vaccines saved millions of lives, but months into the rollout, a small number of people began developing dangerous blood clots in unusual parts of the body. These only happened after vaccines that used a modified adenovirus to deliver its payload – such as the AstraZeneca vaccine. Why these blood clots formed was a mystery – until now.

The condition was named vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis, or VITT. It happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks one of the body’s own proteins, called platelet factor 4.

Antibodies that recognise platelet factor 4 are actually part of normal immune responses, but in VITT the antibodies that develop are unusually sticky. They cling on to platelet factor 4, pulling together many molecules and forming large clusters of proteins called “immune complexes”, leading to dangerous blood clots.

Over the last few years, we have been working on the biology of VITT, primarily focusing on how these antibodies activate platelets. However, the way that vaccination triggers these antibodies to form was one of the main mysteries in this disease.

Now an international team of scientists in Australia, Canada and Germany has provided an answer. In an elegant set of experiments, they showed that virtually all patients with VITT share a distinctive pattern in their antibodies.

They studied 100 patients with VITT from around the world. By chance, two of these patients had donated blood in the past, meaning samples were taken before vaccination and stored in German blood service freezers. These samples turned out to be the key that unlocked the mystery.

The team were able to show that the antibodies involved in VITT begin as antibodies that recognise an adenoviral protein called protein VII. These antibodies probably came from the immune system’s memory of earlier adenovirus infections – which are common in childhood and cause mild cold-like symptoms.

During normal immune responses to infection and vaccination, tiny random genetic changes occur in cells that produce antibodies. This is normal and these changes help the immune system refine antibodies so they fight infections more effectively.

In all the patients with VITT, the researchers found the same change. By changing just one small part of the antibody, it suddenly gained the ability to bind platelet factor 4 very strongly.

Previous research by the same team had already shown that most patients with VITT carry a particular immune gene variant that shapes the structure of the antibodies they produce.

The new study helps explain why this matters. The mutation identified by the researchers only occurs in antibodies built on this genetic background, allowing them to grab onto platelet factor 4 extremely tightly.

This discovery helps explain why VITT is so rare. Two unlikely events must occur at the same time. First, a person must inherit the particular immune gene variant. Second, a rare mutation must occur in one of the antibody-producing cells responding to the adenovirus. Only when both events happen together does the immune system begin targeting platelet factor 4.

Why do we need to understand VITT?

You might wonder why this is still important. The pandemic is over and surely VITT is no longer seen?

But adenovirus-based vaccines remain an important tool. They are versatile, inexpensive and easy to deploy worldwide. When the next pandemic arrives, vaccines made using this approach could once again save millions of lives.

We also occasionally see patients with syndromes that look exactly like VITT but without any link to vaccination. These cases can sometimes be triggered by viral infections, including adenovirus and cytomegalovirus.

A similar process has also been implicated in people with recurring blood clots over many years, repeated miscarriages and stroke in a newborn baby caused by antibodies from the mother that target platelet factor 4.

Understanding exactly how VITT happens means scientists may now be able to modify future vaccines to avoid triggering this rare immune reaction.

The Strictly Come Dancing bloodbath appears to continue with reports that two more long-standing professional dancers’ futures are in question.

It’s now being claimed that both Katya Jones and Karen Hauer are at risk of being dropped from the show’s line-up ahead of its return in the autumn.

Despite both being long-standing stars of the shows, and a former two-time winner and two-time finalist respectively, it’s being suggested that no-one is safe from murder on the dancefloor.

This comes after The Sun reported over the weekend that four other popular pros would not be returning for Strictly’s 24th series.

Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Nadiya Bychkova have all been dropped, according to TV insiders.

Meanwhile, co-stars Neil Jones and Nancy Xu will reportedly remain part of the programme but will not be assigned celebrity partners. They may still feature in group routines.

The Sun has suggested that a full list of ‘who’s in and who’s out’ won’t be published until next month but that ‘difficult conversations’ are already happening with pros.

And now Karen, 43, and Katya, 36, are also waiting in anxious limbo to learn their fates.

A show insider told the outlet that while it had been ‘some time’ since there was a ‘churn’ in the pro line-up ‘they do happen every few years and there hasn’t been a big one in some time’.

They added: ‘The way producers look at it is a little like running a football team: even after Man City win the league they still change their team around and bring in fresh blood constantly, to stay at the top of their game.’

‘A lot of the people going are now established names and stars in their own right but you have to remember that to be on the show, they also had to replace someone else at one point.’

Metro has contacted the BBC and reps for Karen Hauer and Katya Jones for comment.

More to follow.

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Kirstin Baker, chairwoman of the independent group appointed by the CMA, said: “We’ve rejected most of the bill increases water companies asked for but allowed limited extra funding where that’s genuinely needed, balancing concerns about affordability with the need to secure our water supplies and cut pollution.

Eberechi Eze is confident Arsenal have unearthed a ‘special’ talent in Max Dowman and has backed the teenager to thrive in the Gunners’ first team.

The Hale End Academy graduate became the youngest player in Arsenal’s history back in August when he made his Premier League debut against Leeds United when he was still just 15 years old.

An ankle injury had curtailed his progress, but Dowman was promoted to the starting XI on Saturday as Mikel Arteta’s side progressed to the quarter finals of the FA Cup.

While the majority of his senior teammates struggled to cope with the treacherous conditions, Dowman displayed a maturity beyond his tender years and produced a stunning man of the match display.

‘Max Dowman is very different to a lot of players, but he is someone that is confident.

‘He believes in his ability a lot. He is a special player, but also a special person. You can see that he is maturing well and he’s a good guy. It’s fun to be around.

‘To be fair, that is the same with a lot of the players coming through the academy these days.

‘Once they come to train with the first-team, they believe in themselves. It is a positive energy to be around.’

While it was Dowman who attracted most of the post game plaudits, it was Eze who turned out to be the matchwinner.

With the League One side pressing for an unlikely winner, Arteta summoned the England international from the bench and it didn’t take Eze long to produce the moment of magic that ultimately separated the two sides.

The former Crystal Palace star has a habit of coming alive at the business end of the season and the 27-year-old hopes it is a case of history repeating itself after Eze inspired the Eagles to an unlikely FA Cup triumph last season.

Eze said: ‘I am trying every single game to perform, to score goals and to win.

‘It just seems to fall more so at this time of the year. I hope it is the same this year.

‘This is where it matters. These are the end points that you want to arrive in.

‘For sure, I will be working as hard as I can – like the team – to push for it.

‘I just pray that we continue to build the team, to keep working and winning games.’

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