Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson was handcuffed by police after a brawl at a Greenville, South Carolina bar Saturday night.

Hickerson, 37, started yelling at cops for leaking details about Panettiere’s death as he sat cuffed on the curb, according to footage obtained by TMZ.

The one-time actor had been ‘drinking for hours’ with his brother Zach at a back table at the Wild Wing Cafe when he got up and went to the bar, according to the outlet.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Brian and Zach Hickerson’s attorney for comment but has not yet received a response. 

Hickerson, who was wearing a green hoodie and light-colored jeans, had been talking to some people when things got heated and he picked up a bar stool and flung it backwards.

The video showed Hickerson being lifted up and carried out of the saloon by a heavy-set male in a red baseball cap as a bartender shouted, ‘Let him go!’

Brian Hickerson had been seen seated on a curb speaking with officers outside of a Greenville, South Carolina bar on Saturday 

He and his brother were brawling with some other people outside the restaurant when police arrived on the scene. 

A source told TMZ that Hickerson was handcuffed by police and started shouting at them: ‘GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died,’ an obvious reference to Panettiere’s death.

Hickerson managed to avoid arrest and was released. However, Zach was reportedly heavily intoxicated and ‘yelling profanities,’ leading to his arrest for disorderly conduct.

Hickerson and Zach were both present at the Greenville, South Carolina condo where Panettiere was pronounced dead at age 36.

According to the Greenville Police Department’s incident report, Zach told police that Hickerson was sleeping in a separate room of the Airbnb when he arrived and found the actress unresponsive in a chair.

Zach stated that Hickerson administered Narcan – a medication that reverses opioid overdoses – and that they performed CPR while communicating with 911 dispatchers.

Hickerson has since met with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) amid their investigation into the actress’ suspected overdose death, TMZ previously reported.

Local and federal investigators reportedly believe the actress was sold drugs that may have caused her death, and authorities are now focused on identifying the suspected dealer.

Hickerson started yelling at cops for leaking details about Panettiere’s death as he sat cuffed on the curb, sources said

The one-time actor had been ‘drinking for hours’ with his brother Zach at the Wild Wing Cafe when he got into a heated argument with some other people and flung a bar stool behind him

Panettiere wrote about her volatile and often abusive relationship with Hickerson in her memoir that was published on May 19, just three months before she died of a suspected drug overdose

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Hickerson was arrested and charged for domestic violence involving Panettiere multiple times. Above, Hickerson in a 2020 mug shot

Panettiere’s toxicology reports and official cause of death have not yet been released. 

The Nashville star had a volatile and tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Hickerson beginning in 2018.

Hickerson was arrested and charged for domestic violence involving Panettiere multiple times.

In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, resulting in jail time, probation, domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution, and a five-year protective order, per People.

Hickerson, 37, started yelling at cops for leaking details about Panettiere’s death as he sat cuffed on the curb, according to footage obtained by TMZ. Above, Panettiere in 2022 at LA premiere of Blonde

Zach previously told TMZ: ‘There are a lot of assumptions, speculations and accusations currently swirling.

‘The truth will come out as the authorities complete and release additional details from the investigation. And that is important because the people who loved and adored Hayden deserve the truth.’

Zach described Panettiere as ‘one of the most precious individuals on this earth.’

He also argued that the star’s friends and family should be allowed to mourn her passing without any ‘additional noise.’

He added: ‘At this time, I want to clarify my involvement in effort to keep the focus on the fact that we lost one of the most precious individuals on this earth and to allow those that cared about her to mourn without additional noise, chaos, and misinformation being created and propagated by the media as well as the public.’

Manchester City’s controversial derby winner against Manchester United on Sunday should not have stood, refereeing body Pro Ref has confirmed.

Erling Haaland’s goal on the hour-mark earned the 10-man visitors a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford after Phil Foden was sent off early in the first half of the Premier League clash.

Haaland was initially ruled to be offside when he tucked in Josko Gvardiol’s deflected cross from the left wing to put City ahead, before VAR intervened after a lengthy check to allow the goal to stand, deeming Haaland in line with Patrick Dorgu’s foot.

The angle of the initial TV replays appeared to show that Haaland was in an offside position at the back post, but the Premier League’s semi-automated offside technology proved that Haaland was in fact behind Dorgu.

Enzo Fernandez, however, was in an offside position and appeared to interfere with play by making an lunge to latch onto the ball. The Premier League Match Centre said the fact Fernandez did not get a touch on the ball meant the goal was allowed to stand, something which challenging defender Lisandro Martinez branded as an “injustice”.

Mere hours after the conclusion of the game, though, Pro Ref has admitted an “error of judgement” in awarding the goal.

A Pro Ref spokesperson said: “Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal.

“The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position.

“In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”

VAR failed to recognise Enzo Fernandez could have been interfering

The rules of the game state that a player standing in an offside position will be penalised if they are:

There was a strong argument that Fernandez put off Martinez, who was between Fernandez and Haaland at the back post. If Fernandez was not in the box, Martinez would have been expected to mark Haaland and clear the cross, or goalkeeper Senne Lammens could have come to collect it.

This is something that Martinez complained about after the match, telling Sky Sports: “He was offside. I went to [Fernandez] because he was there in front of me, and that’s why Haaland was free [to score]. I want to be calm, I want to control myself but it’s so hard. Every season they come to our club, they explain the rules for an hour and a half, and they look so confident.

“And then you have five or six people making this mistake. It’s unacceptable because this is the best league in the world. And now we have to go home with this injustice.”

Manager Michael Carrick was similarly left fuming at what he described as a “staggering” decision to give the goal.

He said: “I’m confused. We put things in place in the game now. We have people in offices with all the screens for this decision. It’s more worrying about if that’s the interpretation of football now. If that’s the interpretation of not interfering in the game now, that’s really worrying for me. It’s a staggering explanation.

“The decision isn’t going to change the season, but it’s had a major impact on the game. That decision wasn’t on us today. It’s up to us to create and score after that. We had moments. Of course it’s up to us to do that, but big moments in games like that have a big impact.”

City were down to 10 men in the Manchester derby following Foden’s first-half red card for kicking out at United captain Fernandes. Haaland’s ninth league goal against United means the striker is now top scorer in the Manchester derbies in the Premier League.

The Prime Minister has said Britain needs a ‘culture shift’ to unlock the economy’s ‘full potential’

Andy Burnham is set to call for a “culture shift” as he brings together business leaders at Downing Street on Monday to pledge support for entrepreneurs.

The Prime Minister is expected to host a series of events at No 10 aimed at positioning his Government as a “partner for growth” that can provide a stable foundation for investment in the UK.

Ahead of the gathering, Mr Burnham said Britain has “everything it needs to succeed” but requires “a culture shift” in how it conducts business if it is to “unlock its full potential”.

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He added: “That means putting Government firmly on the side of the people who take risks, start companies, create jobs and bring new ideas to life.

“It means ensuring ambition is rewarded, making it easier to start and grow a business, and giving people the confidence that if they have a great idea, they’ll get all the support they need to bring it to life.”

Monday will see Mr Burnham chair a roundtable with entrepreneurs including the founders of Octopus Energy, Revolut and Starling Bank, before welcoming chief executives from some of Britain’s biggest companies to a reception at No 10 alongside regional mayors.

Those expected to attend include the bosses of HSBC, Rolls-Royce, Morrisons, BAE and Shell.

Monday’s round of meetings comes as Mr Burnham and Chancellor John Healey weigh up options ahead of their first Budget on October 28.

The Prime Minister has pledged to deliver growth throughout the country, devolving power and resources away from Westminster in order to achieve this.

Yet Mr Healey faces a challenging backdrop, delivering his Budget against a climate of rising borrowing costs, stubbornly low growth and the economic fallout from the Iran war on the global economy.

Despite receiving some welcome news last week when official figures revealed an unexpected upturn in economic growth in July, economists have cautioned that rising energy costs could have dampened momentum in August and September.

Suren Thiru, chief economist for the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales, warned that Mr Healey could be left with a “Budget headache” if economic growth begins to falter, “as more muted growth and surging borrowing costs erode his fiscal headroom, raising the prospect of further tax rises”.

Both Mr Burnham and Mr Healey have underlined their commitment to the fiscal rules established by former chancellor Rachel Reeves, which stipulate that day-to-day spending must be covered by taxation and overall government debt must fall as a proportion of the economy by 2029/30.

They also remain bound by Labour’s manifesto pledge not to increase income tax, national insurance or VAT.

The 56-year-old, who was educated at Ripon Grammar School and Harrogate College of Art and Technology, confirmed he is in a relationship with therapist Kiki Glen, who is a governor at Headington Rye School in Oxford.

The couple were first linked earlier this year and have since been photographed together, including during a trip to Waitrose.

Speaking to The Times, the former Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter described his new relationship as “the best thing” currently happening in his life and said it had encouraged him to embrace several new hobbies.

Richard Hammond with his new girlfriend, 53-year-old Kiki Glen. (Image: Submitted)

He said: “It’s the best thing that’s going on for me. I played golf three times this week. I’ve taken up more serious running, and I’m going to have a go at a small triathlon next year. Which means I’ve had to take up wild swimming.

“My partner took one look at the lake, clapped her hands and said, ‘Oh, darling, doesn’t it just make you want to get in?’ No, I spent 40 years avoiding it.”

The romance comes around eight months after Hammond and his wife, Mindy, announced they were ending their marriage.

According to reports, Mr Hammond initially moved out of the family’s home near Ross-on-Wye after the split and spent time living in rented accommodation before beginning a new chapter of his life in Wales.

Ms Glen is a divorcee and mother of two daughters, aged 26 and 24. Hammond’s daughters, Izzy and Willow, are aged 26 and 23 respectively.

The television presenter has previously spoken about the challenges he faced in recent years, including the death of his father in 2024 and the breakdown of his marriage.

Despite their separation, Hammond and Mindy appeared together at daughter Willow’s graduation from Hartpury University in Gloucestershire.

When announcing their divorce in January 2025, the pair stressed they would remain a family.

Mr Hammond said at the time: “A little update from us; this Christmas we were together as a family, and this year we will still be a family but just structured a bit differently.

“Our marriage is coming to an end, but we’ve had an amazing 28 years together and two incredible daughters.

“We will always be in each other’s lives and are proud of the family we created. With Love, Richard and Mindy.”

Mr Hammond’s marriage difficulties were reported to have been compounded by the aftermath of two serious motoring accidents, including a high-speed crash while filming Top Gear in 2006 and another crash during the filming of The Grand Tour in Switzerland in 2017, from which he later recovered.

He lived in an ordinary-looking housing estate

Richard Osman is possibly one of the UK’s most recognisable personalities. The popular TV presenter is best known for hosting Pointless as well as Richard Osman’s House of Games.

He’s an immensely talented TV host and author – and he has close ties to Cambridge that locals might not know about. He was born in Billericay in Essex, growing up in a cul-de-sac housing estate in the residential area.

Mr Osman spent some of his younger years in Essex before moving away to Sussex. But he then came to Cambridge where he studied sociology and politics.

He recently appeared on an episode of JaackMaate’s Happy Hour podcast – hosted by comedian Jack Dean and Stevie White – where he was asked about his background. The hosts asked him ‘what would we do’ if they visited their guest’s birthplace.

He replied: “I left when I was quite young. Every five years or so – because I love darts and snooker – I always pitch something to Barry Hearn. I’m always asking if he’s thought about something. He’s always very nice and invites me up. So I went up to Brentwood to see him and nothing came of it, as absolutely always.

“On my way back I went back to Billericay and went to the road I grew up in and was born. I’d forgotten that it is called The Chase. That’s obviously the big rival to Pointless.”

Comedian Jack Dean jokingly said: “So you petrol bombed it?”

Osman comically responded that “I think it had already been petrol bombed” before saying he doesn’t know Billericay “very well” but it “looked like they had some nice pubs”.

The Chase is a small cul-de-sac to the east of the town centre where homes sell for around £400,000 according to Rightmove. They are mostly semi-detached homes with a small terrace of three houses.

Later in the podcast episode Mr Osman, who is a co-host of The Rest is Entertainment podcast, briefly discussed his connection to Cambridge and first steps into the TV industry.

He said: “I’ve always loved TV and would always look at the credits to see what jobs there were. But weirdly it never occurred to me that that should be my job. When I left university I saw a thing in a paper saying researchers were wanted for a computer games TV programme. I thought that I’d played games, so I would go for it.

“I went to a comprehensive school and I’m proud I went to Cambridge. The woman interviewing me said ‘how can a person who went to Cambridge make a TV programme for someone in a housing estate in Basildon’. I said I’d grown up in a housing estate a few miles away in Billericay so thought I’d be alright.”

Mr Osman has also featured on Have I Got News For You and in 2017 began hosting his own show Richard Osman’s House of Games. He’s an accomplished author with his Thursday Murder Club series.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer appointed the former prime minister as Steward and Bailiff of the Three Chiltern Hundreds on September 1.

This meant ​he would not be appointed Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead in Scarborough.

Despite its grand title, the unpaid position carries no responsibilities.

READ MORE: Decision on Keir Starmer’s appointment to job in North Yorkshire

This appointment serves as a ‘legal fiction’ allowing MPs to sidestep the rule prohibiting them from resigning directly.

Under a House of Commons resolution from March 2, 1624, MPs can only vacate their seats through death, disqualification, or expulsion.

This means Sir Keir joins a list of MPs who have used a similar method to resign.

In July, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was appointed Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, Scarborough, after deciding to resign and fight to reclaim his seat.

Sir Keir had announced his intention to resign as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras.

The position of Steward and Bailiff of the Three Chiltern Hundreds has traditionally been used by MPs wishing to resign from the House of Commons.

The prospect of Sir Keir being linked to a role in Scarborough led to a mixed reaction from readers of The Press. 

Tony Fisher noted: “It’s not a job. It’s a title given to a ceremonial position.”

Levi Tyso commented: “Not a shining political career, but good luck to him.”

Nicholas Hodgson added: “Looking at his CV there must be hundreds of people better qualified than him and cheaper. But some jobs do not need ability, just words like his last job.”

Gary Neville says it was ‘obvious’ that Manchester United’s game-plan ‘wasn’t quite working’ against ten-man Manchester City and Michael Carrick should have sent Benjamin Sesko on at half-time.

Erling Haaland silenced Old Trafford with a controversial opener in the 60th minute and the strike proved decisive as City won 1-0 to continue their 100 per cent start in the Premier League.

City had earlier gone a man down after Phil Foden was given his marching orders for a petulant kick on Bruno Fernandes, which will see the midfielder suspended for three matches.

But the visitors dug deep and came away with surely their most satisfying win since Enzo Maresca took over the reins from Pep Guardiola, a result that moved the club level on points with champions Arsenal at the summit.

Haaland and Co lock horns with Norwich in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Thursday night before returning to top-flight action at home to Sunderland in a week’s time.

United, meanwhile, who have since received an official apology for Haaland’s goal from Pro Ref, will look to get back to winning ways versus Brighton in the cup ahead of their trip to Fulham next weekend.

‘I’d like to think that they’re not concentrating and focussing on the refereeing decisions and they’re focussing on the work they need to do on improving their performance,’ Neville said on Sky Sports when asked what his former club should take away from their latest setback.

‘What you don’t want to do is give football players or anybody excuses. That’s it.

‘So they’ve got to go out there tomorrow, or whenever it is that they start training again, and begin to think about what happens when they go down to ten men again.’

‘We can’t just run out of ideas, be complacent and not shift the ball quickly.’

For a fourth league game on the spin, Matheus Cunha was given the nod up front by Carrick – and Sesko will no doubt have been disappointed given he had come on and scored United’s second in their 2-2 draw with Everton previously.

The Slovenia striker was sent on in place of Youri Tielemans in the 67th minute against City, but was unable to have the same sort of impact in the contest as he had done a week earlier.

‘I think Michael Carrick maybe will reflect upon the fact that he could have made changes earlier,’ Neville added.

‘When you know for 20 minutes before half-time that it’s not going your way with 11 men, I think then Sesko should have come on straightaway to be a bit more of a battering ram up top.

‘It was obvious it wasn’t quite working.

‘He made the substitution eventually after 67 minutes which only left Sesko with 25 minutes so things like that will be reflected on and analysed I’m sure. That’s what they’ve got to concentrate on.’

In his post-match analysis, Neville’s long-time team-mate and captain Roy Keane urged Carrick and his squad not to ‘panic’ despite their shaky start to the new campaign.

‘It’s been a poor start, no doubt about it. Today was a setback but I still think the players will react,’ the iconic former United captain said.

‘They’ve got a cup game during the week then they’ve got Fulham and those games are winnable on paper.

‘No, there’s certainly no need to panic but obviously the real challenge for Carrick and his staff, when he got the job permanently, people wanted a good start and he’s not had that.

‘No doubt there will be pressure after today’s game but I would say just keep your heads.’

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The diplomate was accused of possessing indecent images of children

Government officials have been urged to act after an American diplomat was smuggled out of the UK by US authorities after he was accused of possessing indecent images of children.

According to reports, the diplomat’s London flat was raided by US officials last month and he was taken to an American airbase for transportation.

The British police were not informed of this first, it is being reported. American personnel have no powers of arrest in Britain and there was no formal request for the man to be extradited.

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UK ministers are understood to be in contact with the US embassy over the incident, which could further strain relations between London and Washington.

In a letter to Justice Secretary Alex Norris, his Conservative counterpart Nick Timothy said he was concerned that the US actions represented “a cover-up” and the diplomat may have committed offences in the UK.

He said: “If this is the case, the diplomat should face trial in an English court.”

A Government spokesperson declined to comment due to the ongoing US investigation, but said Britain expects all foreign diplomats to obey the law while in the UK “in the same way we expect all UK diplomats to do so when posted overseas”.

A spokesperson for the US embassy said it was “aware of allegations” about one of their staff, and expected “all personnel to adhere to the highest standards of conduct”.

Saying they could not comment on the specifics of the case, the spokesperson added: “We quickly informed UK law enforcement and took swift action, and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners regarding these allegations.

“The individual in question has been reassigned to the United States in conjunction with an ongoing investigation. The embassy has informed British authorities of the case.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “On Tuesday August 25, US authorities made us aware of an investigation they are conducting into suspected offences in London relating to indecent images of children.

“We continue to liaise with them regarding this matter.”

In his letter, Mr Timothy added that the incident was part of a “concerning pattern” in which US authorities prosecuted cases against American servicemen accused of offences against British civilians while based in the UK.

He referenced the case of an American fighter pilot who avoided a trial under English law for strangling a woman in Cambridge while off-duty.

Captain Jacob Wulfson was tried at a court martial on a US airbase and was jailed for six months after being convicted of strangulation.

He was acquitted of charges of sexual assault and aggravated sexual contact.

Mr Timothy said he had received reports of other offences that had been dealt with in the same way, writing: “These cases should have been investigated by the English police, and prosecuted in our courts.

“I ask you to urgently explain what action you are taking to address this, and what will be done to ensure the accused diplomat faces a proper investigation in this country.”

The diplomat’s case has also been likened to that of US State Department employee Anne Sacoolas who caused the death of teenager Harry Dunn in a car crash in 2019.

Sacoolas was able to leave the country shortly after causing the fatal collision after the US asserted diplomatic immunity on her behalf.

She eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving at a virtual High Court hearing in December 2022 and was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for a year.

Picture the scene: a terrace somewhere far-flung and warm, the sun going down, a bottle of rosé in an ice bucket and nothing to do the next morning.

Or a garden party at home, where the jug of Pimm’s gets topped up without asking and nobody’s glass stays empty.

Or simply a run of hot evenings when the cold beer in the garden at 6pm became a cold beer in the garden at 5pm, and then a couple more because it was far too nice to go inside.

I’m not about to tell you off for any of this. I love a drink too. Summer is meant to be enjoyed, and for many people a drink in the sunshine is one of life’s small pleasures.

But it’s now September, the children are back at school, the evenings are drawing in, and every year in my clinic I see plenty of people who noticed that the holiday habits weren’t shelved with the suitcases.

This isn’t just my impression. Drinkaware published its annual survey of the nation’s drinking at the end of last month and the findings make for sobering (excuse the pun) reading.

Half of drinkers say they drink more on holiday. One in five drink more when the weather’s nice, and nearly as many drink more when there’s nothing on the following day.

Put those three together and you’ve described significant chunks of June, July and August for many people.

The same survey found weekly binge-drinking has risen from 11 per cent to 13 per cent of drinkers in a single year – that means about six million people are binge-drinking every week.

The trouble with alcohol is that it’s easy for the goal posts to move without you realising. It’s sneaky and insidious. Tolerance builds within a few weeks of drinking more, so the two glasses that used to be enough no longer have the same effect, and you find yourself pouring a third without a second thought.

At the same time, cues around alcohol get rewired. Sunshine, the end of the working day, cooking supper, a phone call to a friend: each one becomes linked to reaching for the bottle, and by September that link is well and truly bedded in.

The good news is that all of this is reversible, and you don’t have to go teetotal to do it. What you need is to bring your drinking back inside the guidelines, which is no more than 14 units a week, spread over at least three days, with several days off.

So here are the steps I suggest to patients who want to reset rather than stop:

Count before you cut

Most people have no real idea what they drink, so for one week write down every drink and its units. A standard bottle of wine is about ten units, a large 250ml glass is over three units, a pint of ordinary strength lager is nearly three and a double gin is about two. A pint of ale (4 per cent strength) is 2.3 units.

People are usually startled by the total, and that jolt is helpful, because you can’t change something until you understand what needs to change and by how much.

Have drink-free days

This is the single most effective thing you can do and, according to Drinkaware, it’s the moderation technique British drinkers use most.

Aim for at least three, and ideally have them run consecutively rather than dotted through the week, because a stretch of clear days lets your tolerance fall back to where it was, which in turn means less alcohol will satisfy you when you do drink.

Pick your drink-free days in advance and treat them as fixed appointments.

Shrink your glass

Over the summer, measures creep up. The 125ml glass gives way to the 175ml, and then to the 250ml, or a third of a bottle.

Go back to the small glass at home. In the pub ask for small glasses of wine, half pints and single measures of spirits. You’ll drink less without feeling you’ve gone without.

A recent survey found weekly binge-drinking has risen from 11 per cent to 13 per cent of drinkers in a single year

Start later at night

If the holiday routine had you opening something at 5pm, make it 7pm for a fortnight, then 8pm.

Eating first helps too, since alcohol on an empty stomach is absorbed faster, making you more relaxed faster and more likely to reach for a second drink.

The aim is to break the link between the end of the afternoon and the start of drinking.

Take the soft option

Begin with one drink, then have a glass of water or a non-alcohol version, then another drink.

It halves your intake over an evening, keeps your hand busy and nobody will notice. The low and no-alcohol options are now good enough that Drinkaware says half of young adults are using them, and I have patients who swear by them for the first drink of the evening.

Set a review date

Give yourself four weeks, then tot up the units again and see where you got to. If you’re back under 14 and it felt manageable, well done.

If you found the drink-free days hard, or the numbers didn’t move, or you told yourself you’d cut back and somehow didn’t, then please don’t shrug it off as a summer hangover.

That is precisely the thing to talk to your GP about, and the earlier you have that conversation, the simpler it tends to be.

Those who drink their tea and coffee very hot have about three times the risk of a type of oesophageal cancer compared with those who have it warm. It may be due to repeated heat damage to the gullet lining. Add milk or let it sit.

A shocking 44 per cent of the time adults spend on social media or other video sources is now spent alone. That’s up 10 per cent on a decade ago. To make it worse, adults now spend 11 per cent less time talking to each other face to face, figures from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising show. Normal interactions are essential for mental health so if we’re no longer getting together around the TV, get together round the table. I’m obsessed with the family evening meal and the 30 minutes of attention and conversation it brings. Adolescents who regularly eat with their families have lower rates of depression, substance misuse and disordered eating.

Maryam’s crucial blood tests

BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri has spoken about living with polycythaemia vera, a rare blood cancer she was diagnosed with in November 2024

BBC presenter Maryam Moshiri has spoken about living with polycythaemia vera, a rare blood cancer she was diagnosed with in November 2024. Maryam, 49, said she had few symptoms and was diagnosed from routine blood tests, that her doctor happened to be thorough about, rather than from anything she’d gone in to complain of.

That is how polycythaemia vera is usually caught. The bone marrow churns out too many red blood cells, the blood thickens, and the danger is clots, which means stroke, heart attack and deep vein thrombosis. 

Yet for years it may cause nothing more than tiredness, headaches or itchy skin, if that, and a great many cases only surface when a full blood count done for some other reason comes back with haemoglobin that’s too high. 

I’ve had several patients over the years for whom an abnormal result was the first they knew of anything being wrong, and it’s a reminder that routine bloods aren’t a box-ticking exercise. It’s incredibly important to actually go when a GP orders them.

As instability in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts shipping, public discussion tends to focus on fuel prices and supplies. Less attention is paid to the people working on the ships.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) says more than 20,000 seafarers in the region have been affected, including people stranded on vessels unable to leave.

Their work supports much of everyday life. The global merchant fleet, meaning ships carrying commercial cargo, is staffed by nearly 1.9 million seafarers, while around 80% of international trade in goods travels by sea. Supply chains therefore depend partly on the wellbeing of this international workforce.

The danger has immediate human consequences. The IMO prepared a plan to evacuate about 6,000 seafarers and reported that an estimated 2,900 had left before it was paused. Its updated incident list records seafarers killed, injured or missing.

These figures document exposure and physical harm, but not the mental health effects on crews caught in the disruption. Existing research shows why prolonged danger and uncertainty are concerning. A systematic review of 63 studies associated poorer mental health among maritime workers with feeling unsafe, long or irregular hours, poor sleep, weak support, uncertain schedules and extended periods at sea.

Crew members may spend months living at their workplace, separated from family and sharing confined spaces. Ships operate around the clock, and rotating watches can disrupt sleep and the circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock.

Research has linked these conditions to stress, depressive symptoms and burnout. The World Health Organization describes burnout as a work-related condition involving exhaustion, growing detachment or cynicism, and reduced effectiveness.

Conflict can intensify several pressures at once. In a survey of 319 seafarers who had sailed in the Black Sea conflict zone during the war in Ukraine, more than 70% reported that their safety had been at risk, 95% experienced increased stress or anxiety at least once, and almost 80% felt their mental health had been compromised. The study also identified sleep loss and reduced contact with family. More broadly, limited control over work, uncertain schedules and long periods at sea have been associated with poorer mental health and wellbeing.

Seafarers’ ability to refuse a hazardous route can depend on the specific agreement covering their vessel. On March 5, 2026, the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group designated the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman a “Warlike Operations Area”. Seafarers on covered vessels gained enhanced pay, doubled compensation for death or disability, and the right to refuse to enter the area and return home at the company’s expense, with compensation equal to two-month’s basic wage.

The seafarers’ union Nautilus, meanwhile, secured double pay for seafarers on Dutch-flagged vessels. But such protections reach only those the agreement covers.

Pay belongs in this wider discussion of wellbeing. A review of 24 studies linked an imbalance between workers’ effort and rewards to burnout. Higher pay, family benefits and training opportunities were associated with greater job satisfaction. Because the studies examined workers at only one point in time, they cannot show that low or unequal pay directly causes mental illness.

International labour rules offer minimum protections. The Maritime Labour Convention, in force since 2013, covers employment terms, accommodation, healthcare and social protection. Its binding wage standard requires wages to be paid at least monthly, with an account of what is owed and paid. A separate, non-binding guideline supports equal pay for work of equal value on the same ship without discrimination, but this is not a universally enforceable rule.

Large differences within the same crew remain possible. Research aboard merchant ships found that some seafarers had permanent contracts, higher monthly pay and shorter tours, while colleagues doing the same tasks earned less on temporary contracts and stayed at sea longer. Nationality and residence can determine which labour market and agreement applies.

In two linked decisions in August 2025, the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights found that two shipowners had unlawfully discriminated against Filipino and Indonesian seafarers by paying them substantially less than European colleagues doing comparable work. One European night cook earned at least twice as much as an Indonesian colleague. In the Filipino case, the Institute accepted that the difference contributed to a sense of class division on board.

The Institute is an official equality body rather than a court, and its decisions are non-binding. Even so, the cases show how unequal pay can reinforce status divisions among people living and working together under the same conditions.

Protecting seafarers’ mental health requires action throughout their working lives. Employers should provide safe staffing and adequate rest, reliable contact with home, access to medical and psychological care, supportive management and a genuine right to leave dangerous areas. Clear wage bands and independent ways to challenge discriminatory pay would strengthen these protections. Overtime and hazard pay should reflect the work and risk involved, regardless of nationality or residence.

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is an immediate test of seafarer welfare. Longer-term preparedness will depend on whether governments and the shipping industry treat mental health, physical safety and fair employment as connected responsibilities before workers reach a crisis point.