Emily Atack enjoyed a sweet moment with her new husband Alistair Garner as she shared more sweet snaps from their intimate family wedding on Sunday.

The Inbetweeners star, 36, tied the knot with the scientist in a UK ceremony over the weekend, ahead of their lavish Spanish nuptials next month.

Emily shared snaps of her plunging £2,325 Josephine Scott dress and floor-length veil as she and Alistair walked down the aisle after being declared husband and wife.

The Rivals star reposted a sweet snap shared by one of their pals that showed them embracing at their wedding reception.

She wrote in her Instagram post announcing the wedding: ‘Yesterday we officially got married among close family and friends. It was absolutely perfect. 

‘I can’t believe we get to do all that again in a few weeks time. Christ, we have fun don’t we @dralistairgarner.’

Her famous pals were quick to offer their congratulations in the comments as author Elizabeth Day wrote: ‘Stunning. So so happy for you both! Congratulations’, and Will Manning said: ‘go on!!! congratulations.’ 

Earlier this year, Emily shared details of her second wedding as she revealed her special day abroad will be a ‘fat, f*** off party’.

She added: ‘I think I’ve nailed it. We’re getting married in September. I’ve very much enjoyed the planning process.’

She went on to tell Luxury London Magazine: ‘Choosing napkins and stuff. I’m like, “My God, my life is here!”‘

The Rivals star, who has been inspired by the 1980s fashion on the show, is pushing the boat out in all areas and will also be opting for a ‘big’ wedding dress.

Discussing her plans for a show-stopping gown, she told Grazia magazine: ‘Since Rivals, in terms of fashion, I tend to go quite big now generally.’

After much speculation about the location of their September nuptials, Emily revealed she would be marrying Alistair ‘abroad’, which is thought to be somewhere in Spain.

Emily shared her delight over marrying Alistair, 40, telling the publication: ‘Life is good. It doesn’t get much better than where I am now.’

The Inbetweeners star tied the knot with the scientist in a UK ceremony over the weekend, ahead of their lavish Spanish nuptials next month

Emily shared snaps of her plunging £2,325 Josephine Scott dress and floor-length veil after she and Alistair were declared husband and wife

The mother of one, who has a two-year-old son, Barney, with Alistair, got engaged to the scientist in July 2025, having welcomed their son the year before.

Emily’s mum previously let slip that the star would tie the knot this year, after joking that Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala look would be her dream ‘mother-of-the-bride’ outfit.

Last year, it was reported that Emily and Alistair had been considering wedding venues in Spain.

An insider told The Sun On Sunday: ‘Emily has been going to Spain with her family on holiday ever since she was a child and loves the idea of getting married there.

‘She and Alistair adore the stunning countryside there, and guaranteed sun is a bonus.’

She previously said: ‘I loved my family holidays there when I was growing up. 

‘We had a property there and my dad sold it a couple of years ago, but it’s our favourite place and we still go every year, and stay in a hotel.’

Back in June, Emily joked that she’d had ‘enough rosé to last a lifetime’ as she posed in a white bikini and cover-up by Agent Provocateur, with a novelty veil, in fun-filled snaps from her Cannes hen weekend. While her group of friends tucked into countless bottles of Lady A rosé and enjoyed an incredible spread of food.

The mother of one also looked incredible in a black two-piece as she posed in front of a mirror before topping up her tan in the sunshine.  

She wrote: ‘The most insanely perfect few days. Pure joy from start to finish and enough @drinkladya to last us a lifetime.

‘I thoroughly recommend having a hen do, even if you aren’t getting married btw. It’s the most fun you’ll ever have losing all of your belongings.’

It came after Emily revealed she’s banned children from attending her second wedding to Alistair, despite being a mother herself.

The actress has laid down strict rules for the three-day celebrations in Andalusia, Spain.

She has admitted that she’s told her guests that no children will be allowed, adding she’s been surprised by how accepting they’ve been of the idea.

She said: ‘We’re being kind to our friends and making sure that people don’t have to worry too much about paying for lots of things, but we have said no kids at the wedding, no children.’

Speaking on The Romesh Ranganathan Show podcast, Emily added: ‘I’m surprised by how many people are happy about that. I thought I’d get a lot of people kicking off, but they’re like no, “f*** those kids.”‘

Hollyoaks spoilers follow for Monday’s (August 24) episode that is now available to view on Channel 4 streaming. The episode in question will air on E4 on at 7pm.

The twists just keep coming down Hollyoaks way, with another pretty big one served up courtesy of Jenson Cole (Ryan Clayton), who stumbled upon something that Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) has been looking for for weeks.

Warren, as viewers know, got his hands on a bunch of crypto wallets owned by Gemma Johnson (Tisha Merry), which he and Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) reckon are the key to their fresh start in Miami.

There was just one pretty big snag – they didn’t know the seed phrases needed to access the digital money.

Warren and Mercedes’ problems went from bad to worse earlier in the month when someone – aka Jenson – broke into their flat to get his hands on the crypto wallets.

Jenson later confirmed to Warren that, despite the attempt he made on his life, he is still alive – and he wants to get to know him properly as a big brother.

But a huge twist followed, with subsequent scenes confirming that Jenson was an undercover cop hellbent on taking down both Warren and Gemma.

After Jenson outed her as the ringleader of the gang operation who possess the crypto wallets, Gemma headed back to the flat where Rex Gallagher (Jonny Labey) and grandad Froggy Black (John Middleton) resided previously to shred documents containing information she didn’t want to slip into the wrong hands.

Later, she gifted Donny Clarke (Louis Emerick) with a painting to celebrate his success at the force. The painting was a particularly odd one – one that Donny and Misbah Maalik (Harvey Virdi) didn’t quite know what to make of – but they accepted the present and popped it up on the wall.

Gemma, meanwhile, slept with Jenson in subsequent scenes and things took yet another unexpected turn when Jenson glared at the new painting on the wall – which led to him making quite the discovery.

The painting in question contains a series of smaller images inside the larger one – and Jneson came to realise that the images in question represent the seed phrases needed to access the crypto wallets.

‘Gotcha!’, he said with a smile.

The question is: just what does Jenson intend on doing with the seed phrases? Will he use the information to ensure Gemma is taken down? Or does he want the fortune for himself?

Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 6am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.

President Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed on Sunday that the US would take the ‘single greatest financial offensive’ against Iran.

Bessent hinted at what the ‘offensive’ may look like in his op-ed for the Financial Times on Sunday as he directly threatened any country that does business with the Islamic Republic.

‘At dawn begins an economic D-Day – the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary,’ Bessent wrote, ahead of a scheduled news conference on Monday afternoon.

‘President Trump has decimated Iran’s economy to a point where the rial has never been weaker and inflation has rarely been higher,’ he said. ‘The regime’s final refuge now lies in the self-deception of fearful nations that still believe accommodating aggression can secure a durable peace.’  

Bessent then went on to hit out at Iran’s ‘enablers’ who are buying petroleum from the country and ‘turn a blind eye to seaborne fuel transfers and the illicit use of their banks, all while concealing the extent of their complicity.’

‘In short, these countries calculate appeasement of the regime to be the safer course. But they would do well to consider the consequences of sustaining it,’ the Treasury Secretary continued.

He then vowed that any country that severs ties with Iran will ‘deepen their access to global capital, reinforce confidence in their markets and attain the standing they seek in the world economy.

‘The alternative for those who tether themselves to Tehran is the foreclosure of any path to lasting prosperity,’ Bessent warned, noting: ‘To become a sanctuary for terror is to become, in the eyes of the United States, a global pariah.’ 

Bessent threatened any country that continues to get its petroleum through Tehran

If officials in Tehran now respond militarily to the US’s economic actions, Bessent said President Donald Trump would ‘respond swiftly and decisively.’

His comments echo those of the commander-in-chief, who has also threatened an ‘economic D-Day against Iran’ and vowed to impose ‘tremendous economic consequences’ on countries that do business with Tehran.

The goal is to ratchet up economic pressure on the Islamic Republic to get officials there to return to the negotiating table to end the war.

But Iran’s powerful security chief Mohsen Rezaei threatened retaliation against any nearby nation that joins the US crackdown and warned Tehran could stop oil from flowing through the Persian Gulf.

‘If countries neighboring Iran cooperate with the Americans in the economic war, we will target their interests,’ Rezaei declared.

‘The world has realized that Trump’s bluster is nothing but empty talk,’ Rezaei said in an interview with Iranian state media on Saturday.

He then turned his fire on countries surrounding Iran, warning that Tehran could dramatically widen its economic confrontation if they side with Washington.

Iran does not want to expand the war across the Middle East, Rezaei insisted, but he delivered a threat to his neighbors.

‘If they start such an action, we will not allow a single drop of oil to pass through the Persian Gulf,’ Rezaei added.

Iran’s powerful security chief Mohsen Rezaei has warned neighboring countries that helping Washington’s economic crackdown could see Tehran target their interests

Tehran is now threatening to stop oil traffic through the Persian Gulf if neighboring countries help Washington enforce its escalating economic campaign

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have spent years developing and expanding alternative export routes that reduce their reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, allowing oil to reach ports on the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman.

But Rezaei indicated those routes may not necessarily be beyond Tehran’s reach either, threatening alternative pathways used to move Gulf oil to international markets.

His comments amount to one of the clearest warnings yet that Iran’s hardline security establishment could increasingly regard cooperation with Washington’s economic campaign as participation in the wider conflict.

Yet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a dramatically different tone on Sunday, declaring that his country ‘cannot continue with war forever.’

Pezeshkian openly defended the memorandum of understanding Iran reached with the United States in June, despite reported reservations from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

That agreement ultimately collapsed last month.

Still, the Iranian president argued that Tehran cannot remain indefinitely trapped between outright conflict and an elusive peace.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has struck a markedly different tone from Tehran’s hardliners, arguing that Iran cannot remain at war indefinitely

‘One day, a decision must be made to save the country from the state of “neither war nor peace,”‘ Pezeshkian said.

He maintained that officials directly involved in negotiations believed the agreement with Washington had offered Iran its best available path forward.

‘By implementing this memorandum, we can resolve the problems with logic and dignity,’ Pezeshkian said, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

Pezeshkian made clear Sunday that military strength alone could not protect the Islamic Republic if its people lost faith in their government.

‘We must stand with the people,’ he said. ‘If we cannot serve them and convince them that we all belong to the same land and country, then even if we possess the greatest military power, we will be defeated.’

The president said his government was fighting to improve the lives of Iranians battered by the country’s economic difficulties.

It was trying with all its strength, he said, to ‘steer inflation, public problems, people’s livelihoods, people’s jobs, people’s future, and people’s lives towards dignity and pride.’

By CLAIRE ELLICOTT

Published: 00:02 BST, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 07:11 BST, 24 August 2026

Andy Burnham will today visit Kyiv to show support for Ukraine after Russia threatened Britain following raids using UK drones.

The Prime Minister will take part in independence day celebrations and accept an award recognising the UK’s support.

It follows the Kremlin warning of ‘consequences’ over UK drones being used by Ukraine to strike far into Russia. 

Moscow said the deeper Britain became involved, ‘the higher price it will pay’.

Advertisement

Mr Burnham said: ‘On Ukraine’s 35th anniversary of independence, its people should be in no doubt: The UK is behind you.

‘In the fight and the rebuilding to come, we stand with Ukraine. Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down till there is a lasting peace.’ 

But Russia said relations with Britain are at ‘an unprecedentedly low level’ as it ordered its ambassador Andrey Kelin back to Moscow after seven years in post.

Mr Kelin has accused the UK of choosing ‘a path of confrontation’ with Russia. 

Advertisement

Andy Burnham will jet off to Kyiv on his first foreign trip to mark Ukraine’s independence day. Pictured: The PM shares a laugh with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky

Burnham arriving in Kyiv and meeting with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister on Monday morning

The Kremlin has not yet put forward a replacement candidate, raising questions about whether Russia is seeking to downgrade its diplomatic relations with the UK. 

Advertisement

Moscow added that Britain seeks to escalate the crisis ‘while hypocritically professing a desire for peace’.

The use of British drones crossed a diplomatic red line for the Kremlin and Russian interests in the UK will be the responsibility of its charge d’affaires, Vasily Tsyganov. 

Russia maintains an embassy in London’s Kensington. 

On Monday, Mr Burnham will chair his first meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, set up by the UK and France to support Ukraine under his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer. 

Advertisement

The Government has agreed to allow defence firm MBDA to release classified information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile – the French-produced version of the UK’s Storm Shadow.

Both missiles use shared French and British technology, and Ukraine and France are looking to set up local assembly lines for Scalp missiles in Ukraine.

Mr Burnham said: ‘The friendship between our two countries will long outlast Russia’s illegal war. In both the fight and in the rebuilding to come, we will stand with Ukraine and deliver opportunities for people across both our countries.

‘Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace.’

Advertisement

Mr Burnham welcomed President Volodymyr Zelensky to the UK during his first weeks in office.

At Independence Day events, he will accept an award on behalf of the British people recognising the UK’s support. 

For train-obsessed kids or those who just want an adventure, taking a ride on a heritage railway can be a fun day out.

As East Yorkshire’s only heritage railway, the Yorkshire Wolds Railway is very popular with families.

The railway is found on the old Malton to Driffield line and will take you on a short but sweet journey through the countryside.

What is the Yorkshire Wolds Railway like?

The train will take you along a part of the old Malton to Driffield line from Fimber Halt, with hopes to expand the railway in the future.

Train rides cost £7.50 for adults and £3.75 for children aged between four and 17 years, with family tickets available.

The Visitor Centre, which can be found in an MK1 coach, explores the history of the old train line.

After enjoying a trip on the train line, you can head to the shop with railway gifts available to remember your trip by and tea and coffee to sip while sitting in an old BR MK2 carriage.

The railway also has lots of events on throughout the year, including Halloween and Christmas-themed train rides.

The site is only open on certain days so you might want to check the Yorkshire Wolds Railway website before planning a trip.

What do visitors of the Yorkshire Wolds Railway think?

The Yorkshire Wolds Railway has a score of 4.7 out of 5 with 31 reviews on Tripadvisor.

One reviewer wrote: “We found this little gem coming back from Wharram Percy.

“The Yorkshire Wolds Railway is run by volunteers and boasts a delightful cafe, with friendly staff and reasonable prices.

“We booked a steam train ride which was great.

“If you like trains and quirky places then this is the place for you – highly recommend!!”

Another reviewer wrote: “This is a fun little railway, where you get to ride in a brakevan behind a little industrial diesel.

“There is a small shop where you can get railway souvenirs and hot drinks, and an interesting little museum in an old coach.

“The ride is short but priced accordingly, and there are great plans afoot to expand both the track and the visitor facilities.

“The enthusiastic volunteers who run the YWR are really welcoming and will tell you anything you’d like to know.

“Well worth a look if you’re in the area.”

Have you ever been to the Yorkshire Wolds Railway? Let us know in the comments.

It’s not unusual for the soaps to switch around to allow for the broadcaster’s football coverage, and this week, it’s a cup match that has caused the disruption.

Here is the episode you’ll be missing and when you can watch it instead.

Emmerdale and Coronation Street fans can’t watch a new episode on Tuesday

On Tuesday, August 25, Emmerdale and Corrie fans won’t be able to watch a new episode on ITV1 as the channel will air the EFL Carabao Cup game instead.

Nottingham Forest will take on Leeds United in the cup clash with coverage starting at 7.30pm and kick-off at 8pm.

Since the match covers the usual soap slots, Tuesday’s episodes will be moved to Sunday, August 30, with Emmerdale starting at its usual time of 8pm followed by Corrie at 8.30pm.

Emmerdale legend returns to screens six months after disappearing from soap

The news comes as Rodney Blackstock, who is played by Patrick Mower, has returned to the village.

He was last seen in Emmerdale in February this year.

Patrick, who joined the show in 2000, returned in the episode that aired on Tuesday, August 18.

His character Rodney was seen talking to his step-grandson, Elliot, who is played by Luca Hoyle, after he received his A-Level results.

Rodney shared some advice on what he should do with his future.

He said: “I think a proper education’s a complete waste of time.

“I mean, look at me.

“I hardly went to school.

“I started working when I was eight, on the fairgrounds.”

His daughter Nicola, played by Nicola Wheeler, said Elliot should go to university.

Rodney was first introduced to the ITV soap as the father of Bernice Blackstock, who was portrayed by Samantha Giles.

Nicola was brought onto the show a year later and went on to marry Jimmy King, played by Nick Miles, in 2010.

Will you be watching football on Tuesday night? Let us know in the comments below.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat which was travelling the wrong way down the dual carriageway near Middlesbrough collided with their marked armed response vehicle that was going in the right direction.

The families of the five people who were travelling in the Volkswagen are being supported by officers, Cleveland Police said on Saturday, although they have not yet been named.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash at 3.39am in South Bank after a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police.

Officers from the force spotted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began before the car travelled onto the A66 and collided with the police car, the watchdog said.

A police cordon at the scene of a fatal crash involving a police car and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough. (Image: PA)

In a statement to reporters on Saturday afternoon, Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: “These were brave officers protecting our communities and serving our residents who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was “devastated” to hear about the crash, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said her thoughts were with all those affected.

Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the accident happened, said of the two police officers who died: “They went to work to keep people safe and they should have come home to their families.

“Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.”

David Taylor and Stephen Martin, councillors for the Eston ward, said they were “deeply saddened” by the “unimaginable tragedy”.

Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said in a statement on Facebook: “A horrible and tragic incident in Southbank this morning and my thoughts are with those affected, their families and the emergency services who attended the scene.

“Our police officers are heroes who put everything on the line to protect us, and I know all of Teesside will want to pay tribute to the officers and other emergency service workers involved for the bravery they have shown in responding to this incident.”

Cleveland Police Federation chairwoman Lauren Somerville said: “Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family are feeling today.

“Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not.

“And that is just unfathomable.”

The tragedy prompted other police forces to send their condolences, with Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, saying: “The loss of two dedicated officers in the line of duty is felt profoundly across the entire policing family and I have personally reached out to Chief Constable Victoria Fuller today to extend our sincere sympathies.

“Our thoughts are firmly with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, as well as colleagues in Cleveland Police, at this incredibly difficult time.”

Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller speaking to the media at the force’s Headquarters in Middlesbrough after seven people, including two police officers, Pc Matthew Blades and Pc Tom Clough, died in a crash following a pursuit in the early (Image: PA)

Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner said “the impact of this tragedy will be felt by many across the country”, while the Metropolitan Police said the loss of PC Blades and PC Clough would be “acutely felt across the policing family, particularly by those who had the privilege of serving alongside both officers”.

Neil Hutchinson told the Mail on Sunday: “There were police cars tearing down the street at 3.30am with lights flashing and their sirens going, it woke me up.”

Ring doorbell footage published by several websites, which appears to have been taken on Lime Road, Middlesbrough, minutes before the crash, shows a car being driven at speed down a residential road and being followed by police cars.

Ellie Westerman told The Sun: “The noise woke me and I shot out of bed.

“You could feel the vibration in the house as the car went past and the police vehicles followed with their lights and sirens going.

“It was frightening that cars were being driven at that speed through a residential area.”

The A66 is closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane in Eston.

The closed section of the carriageway is bordered by large industrial units to the north and is close to the major Teesworks site.

A Section 60 order – which gives officers additional stop and search powers – is in place near the site of the crash until 7.15pm on Sunday.

It covers an area around Cargo Fleet Lane east, up to Normanby Road, along Longlands Road and the Trunk Road south to Ormesby Road.

This is a national news story; check your traffic and travel updates before journeys.

The shelters were previously used for a nearby RAF base

Former air raid shelters used during the war will be transformed into new holiday lets. Applicants Mr and Mrs Wisson sought permission to convert the air raid shelters in Graveley Road, Offord D’Arcy, into six short-term holiday lets.

The shelters, which were used for nearby RAF Graveley, were built in the Second World War. The shelters were located away from the airfield and covered by bunds to conceal their location and add further protection from bombing.

The applicants said: “Their current ‘unconcealed’ nature means they are both considerably more visually prominent than when first built and lacking in the more original character that would be recreated by the bunding and planting proposed.”

Currently, the air raid shelters are based on a farm. The now approved holiday lets will “not impinge upon the operation of the established agricultural activities at the farm”, planning documents said.

It was also proposed to landscape over the air raid shelters to “reduce the perception of a built development in the countryside”, and “return the structures to their original form of being ‘grassed over’”.

There will also be room for parking. Former military structure conversions are reportedly “very popular” and are “often booked across the entire year”, according to the plans. The applicants said there has been “significant growth in interest in staying in such former military structures both in this country and across Europe”.

A planning document reads: “Holiday accommodation represents the best alternative use for buildings and structures whose original purpose is fortunately no longer required.”

RAF Graveley was first built in 1941 and in use between 1942 and 1968. Originally, the base was going to be used for special operations alongside RAF Tempsford and RAF Garnsden Lodge.

It later became a pathfinder unit, forming part of No. 8 Group. In 1943, RAF Graveley was one of the first operational stations to use the fog dispersal system (FIDO). Post-war, the airfield was used as a relief landing ground for No. 206 Advanced Flying School which was based at RAF Oakington.

Ahead of its closing in late 1968, the base was used as a filming location in 1967. The airfield featured in Robbery, a film based on the Great Train Robbery. It is mostly now used for agriculture and a wind farm was built on the site in the 2010s.

“The shame has to change sides; we can’t carry the shame any longer.”

Meghan O’Neill’s interest in psychology began with her brother Kevin, whose struggle with heroin addiction and tragic death following a knife attack left her determined to understand what drives people towards addiction in the first place. That search for the “why” has since developed into a wider interest in trauma, mental health and the systems Northern Ireland uses to deal with people at their most vulnerable.

After studying psychology and philosophy, Meghan believes that too much emphasis is placed on treating behaviour rather than understanding what happened to the person behind it. And her views are rooted in her own experience of trauma, including childhood sexual abuse and three separate rapes she says she suffered as a young adult.

Waiving her right to anonymity, Meghan recalled the moment she realised that she had been the victim of a sexual assault.

“I didn’t actually remember it until I was 16 and I was watching Jeremy Kyle and just this random image just popped back like that into my head and I was like, oh wait, you know, it wasn’t even anything about that on Jeremy Kyle, I just remember I was sick that day off school and I was watching Jeremy Kyle as we all used to, and just this memory come back into my head, and I was just like, oh my God, did that actually happen?

“So, it confused me, you know, I would say that it definitely confused me, but I went to therapy, you know, obviously people that have come from a past of sexual abuse or whatever, it does sort of sexualise you in a way where you do start to look at sex.

“I went to a Catholic school taught by nuns, I believe that if I had been educated properly about sex, I wouldn’t have looked for it so young, but because I wasn’t, I wanted to know what it was and sort of what happened to me,” she told Belfast Live.

For Meghan, the consequences of that childhood experience did not simply disappear. She says she began to question her own relationship with sex and whether her eventual decision to enter the adult industry was connected to what had happened to her. It was a question she had to confront before she could be comfortable that her career was genuinely a choice.

By her late twenties, she had turned to intensive therapy and EMDR to process what she had experienced.

“I was sexualised from early on, and you know, then I did have to look at before I went into the industry, am I getting into the industry because this has happened to me, and I am sexualising myself.

“I was more of a no, I actually am going to, this is because I want to control this.

“So I want to control what happens to me.”

But Meghan says the childhood abuse was only part of the trauma she would eventually have to confront.

She says she was raped three times as an adult, which forced her to confront difficult questions about sex, trauma and self-worth and whether her public sexuality was rooted in empowerment or something more destructive.

“Not only was I a victim of sexual abuse as a child, but I was also raped 3 times.

“I was 24 the first time, and the other two times were in my mid-twenties, to late twenties, so I had to really sit through that and go through intense therapy to make sure that this was happening from a place of love and not from a place of self-loathing or hate.

“Thankfully for me, it was. I overcame everything that happened to me and have a very healthy mindset now.”

Her therapy included EMDR, a form of trauma-focused therapy, which Meghan says helped her process the experiences she had previously struggled to understand.

But she does not see her own recovery as the end of the story. Instead, it has strengthened her belief that trauma needs to be talked about openly and treated properly, rather than becoming something people carry silently for decades.

“I went to really intense therapy, and I did EMDR therapy to sort of overcome that because it does confuse you.

“What’s right and what’s wrong, you know, why did that happen, why did they do that, you know, is this gonna happen, does this happen to everybody? Is this normal?”

She also believes the shame surrounding childhood sexual abuse prevents people from speaking openly about what happened to them.

“Unfortunately, I have my own gym, and it’s quite common. Even the men that I’m friendly with, I don’t really know of many people that has not been sexually abused as a child.

“That in itself is mind-blowing, but it’s so taboo, people don’t want to talk about it, people don’t wanna come out and say this is what happened to me because there’s a lot of shame around it.

“The shame has to change sides; we can’t carry the shame any longer.”

Her brother Kevin’s addiction made her want to understand why someone becomes trapped in heroin use rather than simply judging the consequences. Her own experiences have left her similarly sceptical of a system which, she believes, can be too quick to label behaviour without properly examining the trauma underneath it.

That is particularly relevant to her views on Northern Ireland. Meghan believes the legacy of the Troubles, poverty, addiction and generational trauma continues to affect families long after the original events have passed. Her argument is that the consequences can appear in mental illness, substance misuse, crime and dysfunctional relationships, but that treating those symptoms alone will not necessarily break the cycle.

“My brother Kevin was a heroin addict. Every drug under the sun, God love him, he tried [to overcome his addiction], and then he was killed.

“He was in and out of jail all the time. He eventually got away from drugs and was killed quickly after that. That was in 2013. I didn’t speak to him for six years before he died because of the drugs. Our lives were completely torn apart by drugs. Even talking about it now, it seems like a lifetime away. My teenage years were ruined because of drugs in the house with Kevin. My mum and dad were put through hell, absolute hell; it completely tore our lives apart, and I thought this was a choice.

“I thought Kevin was making this choice, and how could you do this to our family. So I didn’t speak to him for 6 years; we made up, thankfully, just before he died. It was a very emotional sort of comeback to each other; it was lovely. Then, unfortunately, he died about 3 months later.

“So it was a godsend in that way, but it was after that that I decided I wanted to understand addiction.”

Meghan began studying the works of Gabor Maté, which led her to study psychology.

“I love psychology, I love to know why people do the things that they do, and addiction is fascinating because it’s so complex, you know, and trauma is a massive cause. I used to look at my brother Kevin and go like we were brought up with the same parents, you know, what happened?

“Kevin was a candidate for ADHD, and obviously, back then, it was really unknown and unheard of. It was the first time I knew about it because obviously Kevin and I have now been diagnosed with it, but whenever you have an ADHD brain, you’re predisposed to addiction.

“You’re predisposed to trying to regulate your emotions with something, and I just didn’t understand it when Kevin was alive, and obviously I wish I had known what I know now, but that’s the way life goes, and unfortunately I didn’t know that, but I do now and obviously I’m educated in it now.”

Meghan strongly believes that society needs to do more to help people suffering from addiction issues.

“All you have to look at is the terminology that people use to talk about human beings that are suffering from addiction, no matter what it is, you know, you’re druggie, you’re junkie. I’m very against those terminologies because they’re human beings.

“It is a disease. Northern Ireland as a whole doesn’t do enough for mental health services at all. The fallout of the Troubles here has caused mass trauma, and what happens when people are traumatised? They go into crime, they go into substance abuse, they go into gambling.

“Addiction is rife because people are trying to regulate themselves, and they can’t. Mental health here is completely on the floor.

“There are zero mental health services for people here.”

Meghan argues that to tackle our mental health crisis, we need to begin by offering parents proper support before and after pregnancy and that there needs to be changes in the education system so that society is more trauma-informed.

Meghan has spent years trying to understand her brother’s addiction, confronting her own trauma and learning how to live with experiences that could easily have defined her.

Instead, she says therapy helped her reach a point where her sexuality could become something she chose to express rather than something dictated by what had happened to her.

“I chose to do [OnlyFans] because I wanted to, because I look at my industry like art and expression, I don’t look at it seedy and horrible the way most people do.

“But I had to make sure that I was doing it for the right reasons, so therapy massively helped.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter her

His superior, Abdul Samad, shows us an unmarked graveyard, saying his father is buried here, killed fighting for the Taliban.

The area is one of the most deprived in a country where the UN says three in four people cannot provide for their basic needs. Samad says the local population desperately need water, roads and clinics.

“Emirate [Taliban] officials have not forgotten us,” says Samad. He says the leaders may be busy with other priorities. “We are hopeful, they will look after us sometime.”

Five years since the Taliban began their second stint in power, poverty, unemployment and economic instability remain pressing concerns.

Taliban figures we spoke to said they were working to tackle them, but we met other people who believe the group itself is the country’s main problem.

“I’m speechless about how a group that has no understanding about life is suddenly in power,” says Hoda – not her real name – a woman who protested on the streets when the Taliban first returned to power.

“Women can’t accept this situation,” she tells the BBC. “They might advance restrictions but it won’t stay like this forever.”

“I think the Taliban are scared of educated women,” she adds. “That’s why they restrict women. They want uneducated women so they can’t raise wise men. Because that would end the Taliban.”

Additional reporting by Hafizullah Maroof