For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Howard Stern has revealed he had concerns going into the recent US presidential election that the country would not vote for Kamala Harris to become the first female president because of “how men talk behind closed doors.”

The influential radio host, 70, was speaking on his SiriusXM show on Wednesday (November 6), the day after the election.

“I think Kamala was a fine candidate,” said Stern. “She’s a fine woman. The problem I had is that I thought [President] Biden was doing a really good job, actually. But I understand why people said they had to switch.”

He added that he shared widespread concerns that the Democratic party did not spend enough time choosing a successor to President Biden, saying: “If I could go back in time and turn the time machine on, I think what would have been a better process would have been if Joe Biden said, ‘Hey, I did a good job and I’m ready to hand over the baton.’

“And then let people in the Democratic Party nominate someone through the process of voting, through the primaries — that would’ve been ideal.”

Instead, Biden’s decision to drop out in July, relatively late in the race, meant that Harris became the de-facto candidate.

“At the time when Kamala was chosen by Joe Biden, I said, sadly — I hate to say this, because I was a big Hillary Clinton supporter — I don’t think America can vote for a woman,” Stern told co-host Robin Quivers.

“I say this because I know men. I know how men talk behind closed doors,” Stern continued, adding: “I don’t even want to say what I heard when she was selected.”

He went on to say that he hoped to cheer up listeners saddened by Trump’s victory, explaining: “I’m not someone who believes in sour grapes. I love America. I hope America can thrive.”

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

Advertisement

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

During a phone call with someone identifying as a Trump voter, Stern said, “I hope Donald Trump is successful. He is now going to be my next president.”

Harris had been a guest on Stern’s show in October, and had mocked Trump as a “sore loser” during her appearances.

Stern blasted Trump’s “delusional” framing of the then-upcoming election, saying: “‘If I win, it’s a fair election. If I lose, Kamala Harris and her buddies fixed it.’ That’s delusional.”

“In America, we call that a sore loser,” Harris replied.

DANCING On Ice star Ferne McCann sparked a behind-the-scenes “rink rivalry” over her skating skills.

The Towie legend, 34, is already a frontrunner in the ITV competition after she revealed her unexpectedly dazzling moves.

5

Advertisement

5

5

A fresh wave of competition has stirred up show tensions among the new line-up of celebs, with Ferne‘s impressive early strides raising some eyebrows in the cast.

The mum-of-two has been paired with pro skater Brendyn Hatfield ahead of the show’s return.

He spoke to The Sun at the launch of festive ice rink Glide at Battersea Power Station where he performed for the crowds alongside fellow pro Tippy Packard.

Brendyn said that it is still early days, but Ferne has simply been committed to the competition and wants to do her best.

He said: “Has she skated before? Well, what the celebrities do before we come in as pros, is they train with a coach, at whatever rink they’re based in.

“Then we come in after they’ve had roughly about 30 hours of basics.

“Has she EVER skated before? I don’t think so, no formal training, whatever, for sure.

“But she’s got a good mindset, and focus for it. So I’m really excited.”

As the competition heats up, Brendyn and Tippy will be hoping to teach their celebrities bigger and bolder moves.

Tippy, who is paired with comedian Josh Jones, said: “Right now they’re just learning the basics, so to skate forwards and skate backwards.

“Once we get more of the feel of what their style is, we can come up with good ideas.”

Brendyn added: “And that is the fun part. We take those basics and they morph into choreography, things like crossovers and turns, start to become the choreography when you start adding hands and face, and costume and audience.”

The headbanger is one of the most daring moves which sees one partner held by the legs and spun around, with their head dangerously close to the ice, hence the name.

He said: “It’s so interesting because it’s such an optical illusion.

“The only thing that would touch the ice is a shoulder, and that would be a graze or something.”

Other celebrity pairings for the popular show, which will hit screens in January 2025, include her Towie co-star Dan Edgar.

Vanessa has been paired with Love Island star Chris Taylor, with Hollyoaks star Chelsee Healy and Andy Buchanan put together.

Model Mollie Pearce and Colin Grafton will also skate together.

And last but not least, TV star Michaela Strachan, who presents The Really Wild Show and Springwatch, will team up with Mark Hanretty.

Dame Sarah Storey is another sporting hero who will take to the Ice along with Sir Steve Redgrave and former footballer Anton Ferdinand.

Soap stars will also appear on the show, including EastEnders star Charlie Brooks and Sam Aston, who plays Chesney Brown in Coronation Street.

5

Advertisement

5

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden won’t feature in the remainder of the dancing competition due to injury.

The 34-year-old dancer was rushed to hospital as a “precaution” on 26 October, but it was later revealed she had sustained a stress fracture in her shin, which requires several weeks of rest.

Her replacement is professional dancer Lauren Oakley, who has stepped in to dance with Dowden’s celebrity partner, the JLS singer JB Gill.

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.

“I’m absolutely gutted, I need to rest for a couple of weeks,” Dowden said on It Takes Two. “Hopefully I will be back dancing, hopefully in a group number by the end of the series. Fingers crossed.”

She and Gill had formed a strong friendship in their weeks working together, performing a number of routines including a Foxtrot to “Dancing In The Moonlight” and a Jive to Outkast’s “Hey Ya!”.

After getting through his first results show without Dowden on 3 November, 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.”

open image in gallery

Dowden had returned to the series this year after undergoing treatment for breast cancer in 2023, which meant she was too ill to compete in last year’s series.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

Advertisement

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

In May 2023, Dowden was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of stage three breast cancer finding a lump in her breast the day before her Maldives honeymoon with fellow professional dancer Ben Jones.

She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy and fertility treatment in those nine months and experienced a series of major setbacks in that time, including doctors finding a blood clot in her lung, getting sepsis and undergoing fertility treatment.

open image in gallery

On 9 November 2023, Dowden celebrated after she had completed all eight rounds of chemotherapy. She was told she had “no evidence of disease” in February 2024. At the time, she told fans she couldn’t wait to get back on the dancefloor.

Reflecting on missing out on the rest of the 2024 series, Dowden told Lorraine Kelly it would be “tough” to watch Gill perform without her.

Dowden said: “I am going to do my best not to cry,” as tears filled her eyes. “I am gutted it’s had to end this way,” she added. “I feel I have let JB down.”

open image in gallery

Gill’s performance on Saturday, 9 November, will coincide with the one year anniversary of Dowden finishing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, which kept her from the Strictly stage for a year.

“Saturday is going to be tough because I really wanted to be dancing on that floor to show myself how far I’ve come in one year,” she said. The professional dancer explained she had wanted to dance the samba with her celebrity partner because she felt the “joyful carnival happy dance” was perfect to mark the occasion.

THE BBC have given a first look at Rebecca Hall in their brand new drama The Listeners.

Bosses previously revealed the show will kick off on November 19th and now they’ve dropped a trailer.

2

Advertisement

2

It gives a flavour of what fans can expect as Rebecca’s character Claire, a school teacher, begins to hear a low humming in her ears.

Nobody else can hear the noise, which starts becoming disruptive to her professional and private life.

The Beeb tease: “This seemingly innocuous noise gradually upsets the balance of her life, increasing tension between herself and her husband, Paul, and daughter, Ashley – and despite multiple doctors, no obvious source or medical cause can be found.

“When a student of hers, Kyle, claims he can also hear the sound, the two strike up an unlikely and intimate friendship.”

The series – which was filmed in Greater Manchester – also stars The Crown‘s Prasanna Puwanarajah and Coronation Street‘s Karen Henthorn.

Amr Waked, Gayle Rankin, Mia Tharia, Ollie West, Franc Ashman, Samuel Edward Cook and Ian Mercer complete the lineup.

Meanwhile, The Listeners isn’t the only new drama launching on the BBC this month.

The broadcaster previously unveiled Moonflower Murders – a new gripping drama starring The Crown’s Lesley Manville and Tim McMullan.

The sequel to Magpie Murders will kick off on Saturday, November 16th on BBC One and iPlayer.

Meanwhile, on Friday November 22nd the highly anticipated launch of Return to Paradise air. The new Australian series is a spin-off to the smash hit Death in Paradise and set in the idyllic beachside hamlet of Dolphin Cove.

Top Channel 5 dramas

Channel 5 has become a hub for gripping drama, these are some of the best My5 has to offer.

• All Creatures Great and Small – Based on the best-selling novels by real-life vet Alf Wright, the show revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. Eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) hires James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) for his veterinary practice at Skeldale House alongside himself and his younger brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse). There James settles into his new life and even finds love with local farmer’s daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton).

• The Ex-Wife – New parents Tasha (Céline Buckens) and Jack (Tom Misson) seem to have the perfect life, but the constant presence of Jack’s overly friendly but suspicious ex-wife Jen (Janet Montgomery) puts pressure on the couple. But as the series progresses it becomes less clear who the bad guy really is and how far everyone will go to get the life they think they deserve.

• Heat – EastEnders alum Danny Dyer leads this four-part action thriller, set in Australia, which sees two families holidaying together during bushfire season. But instead of rest and relaxation, secrets and lies start to unravel — and not everyone will make it out alive…

• Lie With Me – Another soap legend jets off to Australia, this time its EastEnders alum Charlie Brooks who takes as a married woman trying to saving her marriage by moving halfway around the world after her husband had an affair. However it’s far from plain sailing, as a young and attractive live-in nanny comes to work with the Fallmont family, and tensions soon build and eventually, someone ends up dead.

• The Drowning – Jill Halfpenny plays Jodie, a woman whose life is shattered following the disappearance of her beloved four-year-old son, Daniel. However, ten years later, the grieving mother thinks she’s finally found her missing child, and embarks on a journey to discover the truth about him. But has she really just found the son she has been missing for so long?