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Little Elliot was diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) on July 11, 2024, at the age of two.

A Scots toddler was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer after constantly picking up bugs and sickness.

Little Elliot was diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) on July 11, 2024, at the age of two. His mum Jenny and dad Dave, from Clarkston in Glasgow, have told how his bouts of sickness prior to his diagnosis were “ten times worse” than other kids his age.

They were taking Elliot to the doctors every two weeks, with him experiencing a lack of appetite, a constant cough and hives over his body which no medication seemed to treat. Jenny, left unhappy with the doctors’ assessments, did her own research and came across one condition that it could be.

Jenny told Glasgow Live: “I said the word in my head a couple of times before I remember phoning the doctor. A few weeks later, we were sent to the hospital’s respiratory department, and I insisted on the blood test. I told them I’m not leaving until I get one.”

Following a series of tests, Elliot was diagnosed with the rare blood cancer, which affects one in around a million kids. JMML is caused when bone marrow produces too many abnormal white blood cells. It mainly affects young children and can cause symptoms such as infection and swelling.

Jenny said: “It was surreal. Our whole life stopped. We had to stop working straight away. It was made clear that he didn’t have time. He needed to have a stem cell transplant now. The normal treatments for cancer wouldn’t work on him.”

In September, a donor was found, and Elliot began intense chemotherapy. However, the treatment made him critically ill. Just ten days after his transplant, Elliot stopped breathing in Jenny’s arms. A crash team was called while nurses performed CPR as his parents watched in terror.

Jenny said: “It was horrendous. The treatment almost killed him. He stopped breathing in my arms.”

Jenny, who is originally from Ireland, feared the youngster wouldn’t survive, as her family flew over to see the family for what they thought would be their last Christmas. However, the brave little man battled through and his cancer went into remission. But it was only the start of challenges for Elliot and his parents after they received the news that he had developed graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

The systemic disorder occurs when immune cells from transplanted tissue recognise the recipient’s body as foreign and attack its cells. The condition left Elliot with complete gut failure and meant that he was in constant pain, with blood being found in his nappies.

“He was just haemorrhaging and in incredible pain, said Jenny. “It’s so aggressive that they thought he wouldn’t survive.”

The condition has left his bowel so damaged that nothing can pass through it, and he is only able to get nutrients through an IV. In January, he underwent his first major bowel surgery to remove the scar tissue, where half a metre of bowel was removed and new joints made. Elliot, now four, spent a week in intensive care in what Jenny describes as a “horrendous time”. Fortunately, the surgery relieved much of the youngster’s pain.

Earlier this week, he underwent a second bowel surgery. And just days after the surgery, he was already out of bed singing and dancing. Jenny says that despite all he has faced – including a near 19-month stay in hospital and the multiple times medics feared that he wouldn’t make it – he has kept everyone going with positivity, joy and his love of animals.

She said: “All he does is sing and play. He’s animal mad. If you look at him up and about and see his happy, smiley face, you’d think there is nothing wrong with him. He’s so inspirational. It’s impossible to be sad when you’re in the room with him. We went for a walk with him today to feed the ducks, and he found a ladybird.

“We had to convince him that it wouldn’t survive well in the hospital environment. He wasn’t convinced.”

Both Jenny and Dave have had to give up their jobs to be with Elliot, who has stayed at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Glasgow for nearly two years. The couple have rarely been home, instead swapping between staying in the hospital or sleeping across the road in a room provided by a local charity. And while Elliot has improved, there is still a long road ahead before he can even go home to spend the night.

Doctors hope that one day his gut will heal. But in the meantime, the family – who have been forced to witness countless anaesthetics, procedures, transfusions, surgeries, compression fractures in his spine, loss of mobility and severe pain – are now facing the reality of supporting themselves while the brave youngster battles on.

To allow them to do so, a GoFundMe has been set up by their loved ones. It reads: “Jenny and Dave have been by Elliot’s side every day and have been unable to work for nearly two years. We have watched them break over and over again and somehow reach to depths no one should ever know exists for the strength to keep going.

“We have seen them step out of Elliot’s hospital room and weep like they might never stop only to return with a smile, a game, a cuddle, or a distraction for their boy. Their entire focus has been keeping their son alive.

“Although they’ve had support from family, the financial strain is ongoing – and Elliot’s recovery will take a long time, with no clear discharge date from hospital. We are raising funds to give Jenny and Dave the financial breathing space to focus fully on Elliot’s care and recovery.”

Anyone wishing to donate can do so here.

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Bronywn, 27, from Cambridge is having to explain cancer to her children

A mum who was eventually diagnosed with colon cancer says doctors dismissed the red flag symptoms as piles and is warning of the symptoms that everyone should know. Bronwyn Tagg first noticed something was wrong shortly after giving birth to her son, Austin, now two.

The 27-year-old began experiencing bleeding when going to the toilet which she says she reported to her GP. “They didn’t examine me but said it was most probably piles after having a vaginal birth,” said Bronwyn, from Cambridge. “I feel like if the doctor had taken the time then I would have been diagnosed earlier. I think the NHS is so pressed that GPs don’t have time to explore all of the possibilities of the symptoms.

“I’m angry but I can’t dwell on it. After that, I started to have quite frequent diarrhoea so I had a gluten tolerance test, which came back negative. In the beginning of 2024, I started to get pretty horrendous tummy aches leaving me barrelled over, unable to move kind of tummy aches.

“So I went back to the GP. I’d previously had ovarian cysts so assumed that’s what it was. The GP arranged an ultrasound which did show a cyst on my left ovary so I had a test for ovarian cancers but the results were normal.

“I was referred to gynaecology for the pain. In February 2025, I saw a gynaecologist and explained my symptoms who said it could be endometriosis so arranged an MRI.”

The MRI showed a 40mm lesion in her rectum. Bronwyn was urgently referred on a two-week cancer pathway and underwent a colonoscopy in May 2025, where doctors removed the entire polyp. The mum said: “Two weeks later, I had a phone call whilst doing my shopping. They asked me to come in the following day for my results and to bring someone for support.

“I instantly knew it was bad news. I felt so numb doing the rest of the shopping, my 18 month old sat in the trolley just thinking ‘what am I going to do?’.

“We were called into the room and it was really quiet and sombre and that’s when the consultant said ‘I’m really sorry to have to tell you that the polyp we removed was cancer’. The rest of the appointment is a complete blur, I didn’t take anything in.

“I had no questions at that time, my husband was next to me in tears but I just felt nothing.” Bronwyn, who is also mum to Josie, five, opted to have surgery to remove part of her rectum and have a stoma fitted.

The dental nurse said: “A consultant put it very bluntly and said that this will have already knocked a few years off my life.”

Six weeks later came more devastating news for Bronwyn and husband Glen, 27. Three out of 12 lymph nodes removed during surgery tested positive, meaning her cancer was now classified as Stage three.

She required chemotherapy. Bronwyn battled exhaustion, nausea, nerve pain and emotional strain all while continuing to care for her young children. Bronwyn said: “Chemotherapy was a lot more challenging mentally than it was physically. Don’t get me wrong it had been incredibly tough physically too.

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“I struggled with exhaustion, nausea, and peripheral neuropathy and pain. And I found it so hard hyping myself up to go in for treatment that was going to make me feel rubbish. Chemo made being a mum quite hard.

“Josie started school in September and I started chemotherapy the week after. Whilst my husband is amazing at supporting where he can, he has had to continue working hard earning money so I still had to do the majority of childcare.

“Friends and family have helped with schools runs, dinners and play dates.”

One of the hardest parts, she says, was explaining her illness to her daughter Josie, five. She said: “We tried not to convey that we were scared. We started off my telling her I needed an operation to remove something that wasn’t very nice from mummy’s belly.

“When I woke up with a stoma, I really wasn’t sure how she was going to take it. Thankfully the stoma nurses at the hospital are beyond amazing and supportive. They provided me with a teddy and a story book which helped explain mummy’s new body.

“She was very unsure at first, asked all sorts of curious questions as any five-year-old would like ‘does it hurt? Why do you have a bag? why does it look like that?’

“And I was just really honest with her. I change and empty my bag in front of her and will shower with her in the room. I think it’s good for her to realise not all body’s look the same and that’s ok.

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“Even now, nine months post surgery, she still asks questions about how it works. When I started chemotherapy, I explained to her that I was going to have some very important medicine at the hospital. I said I would have to go every two weeks for one day and that the medicine would make me tired and feel a bit sick.

“But I explained it was important for me to have it so that the bad stuff in mummy’s tummy hopefully doesn’t come back. She’s been amazing throughout all of this. So helpful and brave.

“I only recently told her that I had cancer. I think I really wanted to protect her to begin with but really it’s about being open and honest with your children. She asked me if I was going to die and Glen found that quite tricky.”

Bronwyn has now completed chemotherapy and is awaiting results from a recent scan to determine whether she is in remission. She said: “I’m really hopeful that we’re done but I know that we won’t ever go back to how life was before. It’s a new normal.

“A normal where we now understand just how fragile life is. I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore.”

After the sad death of Married At First Sight star Mel Schilling last month, Bronwyn is sharing her story to raise awareness. She said: “With the recent passing of Mel Schilling, I know that being in remission doesn’t always mean it’s done and finished.

“I think this whole crazy year has taught me to value my own time, to be a bit more selfish, say no to things I don’t want to waste my energy with and to say yes to everything that excites me. I plan on making some incredible memories with my children over the next new years.”

Bronwyn is urging others to persist if something doesn’t feel right. She added: “For anyone noticing any symptoms, I would say go and get them checked with the GP. If they are disregarded because of their age, they need to persist. Early diagnosis saves lives.”

Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have addressed the I’m a Celebrity all-stars finale furore after McPartlin had a live run-in with contestant Jimmy Bullard – with the host revealing what he said to the contestant in the car park outside.

The hosts – popularly known as Ant and Dec – were forced to step in and, in a rare move, take sides after repeatedly being interrupted by former footballer Bullard and boxer David Haye, who questioned the show’s decision to edit down a row Bullard had with actor Adam Thomas.

Bullard and Thomas locked horns after the former decided to quit the ITV show despite the fact his decision would have sent Thomas home as well. In scenes shot eight months ago, Thomas was infuriated by the move and angrily confronted his campmate, with the fallout spilling into the live final last Friday (24 April).

When Bullard outright asked the presenters if Thomas had been intimidating during their argument, the always impartial McPartlin shocked viewers by telling him: “I didn’t think it was intimidating. I was there. I was there, Jim.”

The presenters have now spoken out on the chaotic finale, which saw them struggle to retain control of the bickering stars – as well as a photo showing an awkward interaction between McPartlin and Bullard after the show had finished recording.

“If you didn’t see the finale on Friday, I bet you read about it,” McPartlin said on the latest episode of their podcast Hanging Out. “The first question was to Jimmy about why did you call ‘I’m a celebrity… get me out of here’ on the night. I said I disagreed with it.”

The pair said they knew tensions were frayed as they had heard that Thomas and fellow contestant, TV personality Gemma Collins, had left a WhatsApp group set up after the show was filmed last year.

McPartlin said he encountered both Bullard and Haye in the car park outside, quipping: “I thought, ‘Oh God, how’s your luck?’

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“I went over to David Haye, and he was like, ‘How brilliant was that? Wasn’t that great?’ And I was like, ‘Well, it was certainly talk-about-TV. I wouldn’t call it great,’ but anyway, we had a laugh and we were cool. And then I walked off and saw Jimmy Bullard, and I just shook his hand and I was like, ‘Look after yourself’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, cheers.’’

He said “there was no confrontation”, adding: “He wasn’t shouting at me, I wasn’t shouting at him.”

Donnelly added that Haye told him: “Hope you get some good ratings for that one.”

It’s been reported that Bullard and Haye are contemplating taking legal action against ITV.

According to The Sun, Bullard wants to sue for unfair representation of his row with Thomas, claiming the actor’s behaviour was “abusive, aggressive and intimidating”. It’s been confirmed that the channel edited out several c-words Thomas used, with McPartlin calling the footage “unbroadcastable” after Bullard to him: “You didn’t show any of the c-bombs, it’s a liberty.”

One person corroborating Bullard’s version of events is former singer Sinitta, who walked off stage at the live final after the crowd started chanting Thomas’s name in support. “It was abusive – you weren’t there,” she told the audience. Thomas eventually won the show.

The Independent has contacted Haye and Bullard for comment.

In September last year, The Wellbeing Farm received an unexpected call from a Channel 5 producer about a new show called Rich Wedding Poor Wedding.

Airing at 10pm this Sunday (May 5), it follows two couples from contrasting financial backgrounds as they plan their dream weddings.

The Wellbeing Farm in Edgworth is one of a select few featured in the hour-and-a-half-long episode.

The Wellbeing Farm (Image: Creative Camera)

Liv Chase, 26, head of sales and marketing at The Wellbeing Farm, shared what’s in store for viewers.

“One of the brides-to-be told the producers that she loved our venue and wanted to view it,” Liv explained.

The couples looked at three venues each, with starkly contrasting budgets.

Describing itself as “a wedding venue like no other”, The Wellbeing Farm is an option for the “rich wedding” couple.

When Channel 5 arrived, Liv said the team was introduced to couple Janet and Gary.

Together, founder of The Wellbeing Farm, Celia Gaze, and Liv led the tour, “doing what they always do”.

“We showed them round, offered a nice coffee and brownie, and discussed what they were looking for.”

The Wellbeing Farm (Image: Creative Camera Photography)

Liv said the experience was “completely different” from anything they had done before, but it was “still the natural reaction of anyone getting married and looking at a venue”.

“It was just like a normal viewing, but with a camera in your face,” she joked.

Liv added that the on-site llamas and alpacas stole the show, as always.

The Wellbeing Farm staff taking the llamas out around Edgworth

To find out which venue Janet and Gary chose, tune in to Channel 5 on Sunday night at 10pm.

The Wellbeing Farm offers bespoke and fun experiences, with capacity for up to 300 standing and 200 seated guests.

There is a small barn for those wanting an intimate ceremony and even a licensed outdoor pavilion.

“We’re known for taking the stress out of wedding planning,” said Liv.

A wedding at The Wellbeing Farm (Image: TWO FOR JOY PHOTOGRAPHY LTD)

As a B Corp-accredited venue, as much as possible is upcycled.

“There’s so much waste involved in weddings, so we really try to counteract that.”

With a prop shed full of décor that couples are welcome to use for free, locally sourced food, and partnerships with One Woman At A Time and Be One G1, the venue emphasises sustainability.

“In everything that we do, we try and give back whatever way we can.”

Janet and Gary also got engaged on the Channel 5 show Rich Holiday Poor Holiday, so viewers can get to know them ahead of Sunday’s episode.

To find out more about The Wellbeing Farm, visit: thewellbeingfarm.co.uk

A manhunt remains underway for 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis

Australian police have said they have found a body in their search for a missing girl. Police say the tragic discovery is believed to be the body of a five-year-old who vanished from her home on the outskirts of Alice Springs, in the Australian outback.

The girl, who the family has asked be referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby in the wake of her death, went missing on Saturday night (April 25). Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples often avoid naming the deceased as a mark of respect and a cultural protocol, believing it disturbs the person’s spirit and prevents them from moving on to the afterlife, The Mirror reports.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole gave the tragic update at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, calling the shock find “an incredibly distressing development”.

“Just before midday today, police members of the search party located the body of a young Aboriginal girl we believe to be [the five-year-old]” he said.

“[Her]family have been formally notified and our thoughts are firmly with them at this devastating time.”

A manhunt remains underway for 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, a man released from jail only six days prior to the girl’s disappearance and the person police believe abducted her.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley told gathered media that NT Police’s “focus right now is to locate Jefferson Lewis”.

“It is our sole job in this investigation right now,” he said.

“I say to the family of Jefferson Lewis that we believe he’s murdered this child. Do not assist him; get him to the police station and we’ll look after him.

“And I say to Jefferson Lewis, we’re coming for you.”

The devastating update comes after five days of searching by police and volunteers in the Northern Territory near the home at Old Timers Camp where the five-year-old was last seen.

NT Police assistant commissioner Peter Malley said earlier in the week there was a “bit of a party” happening in the camp at the time of the girl’s disappearance. She was at home in bed while her mother was doing washing nearby.

It seems that was when her alleged abductor struck, with an eyewitness revealing to police they spotted something stomach-churning at the time the five-year-old vanished.

As per police, Lewis was last seen “holding hands” with the little girl at about 11pm on Saturday, with police confirming they believe he then led her away from her home. This was the last time the little girl would be seen alive.

An NT Police spokesman told News Corp’s NewsWire service earlier this week that 60 or so people were taking part in the ground search on Tuesday, as well as using helicopters, drones, the dog unit, horses, motorcycle and ATVs as resources to help find the child in any terrain.

Police, emergency crews, and volunteers have so far searched about 46 square kilometres – that’s just more than 17 square miles – so far by helicopter, while officers and volunteers have scoured a further 20 square kilometres (7.7 square miles) on foot.

Indigenous trackers have also been deployed to assist with the search, NT Police executive director of cultural reform Leanne Liddle told news.com.au. “We also have the assistance of the volunteers, we’ve also got the assistance of the land councils,” she said.

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Running a successful football club in a country at war is no easy feat, never mind one with the history and prestige of Shakhtar.

Over the past 20 years the club’s model has been to buy promising young Brazilian talents, develop them and then sell them to Europe’s top clubs for profit.

Fernandinho, Douglas Costa, Willian and Fred are just a few who used Shakhtar as a stepping stone to Europe’s elite.

Shakhtar have always blended South American flair with homegrown talents from their academy – the £89 million sale of Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea in 2023 showed that can be a profitable avenue as well.

However, Fifa’s decision in 2022 to allow both foreign and homegrown players to leave Ukrainian clubs for free because of the war left Shakhtar in a difficult position.

“It was a big problem because we lost top talents. We lost 14 players and coaching staff,” said Palkin. “So we started to build a new Ukrainian team.”

Thanks to the relationship they had built up with clubs and players in Brazil, Shakhtar have gradually returned to their model.

Turan has 12 Brazilians in his squad, with more expected to arrive in the summer. Even with the uncertainty of war, Brazilians jump at the chance to join them.

“We are not selling them comfort, because everybody understands the war, it’s not comfort. We are selling them their career pathway,” Palkin said.

“We lost our home, but we didn’t lose our identity. We follow our procedures, we follow our model, what we are building.”

The presenters have spoken out after the I’m A Celebrity South Africa final when Ant appeared to be confronted by Jimmy Bullard

Ant McPartlin has revealed what really happened with Jimmy Bullard in the car park after the dramatic I’m A Celebrity… South Africa final, in which the presenter seemingly backed Adam Thomas in his row with the former footballer.

Ant and his long-standing friend and co-host Dec Donelly have said they had “quite the night” as they broke their silence on the chaos that unfolded out during the live final of the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here spin-off show last Friday (April 24).

Waterloo Road star Adam won the ITV reality show, in which former campmates compete in trials and challenges to be crowned the show’s ultimate ‘legend’. But the win was overshadowed by the drama which unfolded, as he was accused of being “abusive, aggressive and intimidating” by Jimmy following their spat while in the South African savanna.

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Days before the final, viewers saw explosive scenes in the last week of the pre-recorded series as Adam almost lost his place in camp after the former footballer Jimmy quit a trial, Adam forfeiting his time on the show, where he was a late arrival alongside former football manager Harry Redknapp.

As they worked in pairs, it meant that Adam would also lose his place on the show, leading to Adam hitting out at Jimmy. The former Emmerdale star stormed over to the sportsman and, during a heated exchange, said: “Taking the f****** piss, are you taking the f****** piss?” He added: “I’m in there getting covered in f****** ants!” Jimmy responded by telling him to “calm down” and described his outburst as “pathetic”.

Adam ended up making it to the final of the series, alongside Harry, Sir Mo Farah, and Craig Charles. But as all the campmates reunited for the first time during the final, Jimmy discussed their explosive row on the show, claiming Adam dropped “c-bombs” which were not aired, and asked hosts Ant and Dec for their opinion as they had “front row seats”. But Ant disagreed that the exchange was intimidating and said: “No, it wasn’t, I was there!”

Following the final, pictures emerged of Ant appearing to be confronted by Jimmy as he left the studio. But the presenter has now set the record straight. The pair said they didn’t find out until “quite late on” that Jimmy would be attending the final, but he had a “bee in his bonnet” and wanted to tell his side of the story.

But as viewers of the live final saw, things became chaotic after David Haye joined in the conversation to accuse the ITV show of editing footage to make Manchester-born Adam look like a “victim” and, after defending the actor, Gemma Collins, who followed Sinitta, who shouted to the audience that they “weren’t there” and it “was abusive and aggressive”, walked off set.

After what unfolded on live TV, Ant said on the new episode of the podcast, Hanging Out with Ant and Dec: “I went up to David Haye and he went, ‘How brilliant was that? Wasn’t that great?’ I went, ‘Well… It was certainly talk about TV, I wouldn’t call it great’, but anyway we had a laugh and we were cool.

“Then I’ve walked off and seen Jimmy Bullard and I just shook his hand and I was like, ‘Look after yourself’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, yeah cheers, cheers, cheers!’ So there was no confrontation. He was shouting at me, I wasn’t shouting at him. I wasn’t flanked by two security guards as it said in the paper. One of them was carrying my bag to the car in Beyoncé style.

Ant then clarified once again there was no argument in the car park. Dec then said: “I saw David Haye and he said ‘What about that then, hope you get some good ratings for that one!’ and I was like, ‘Thanks for that David!’” Ant added: “See, he doesn’t care! That’s what he does, he’s a boxer!”

It comes after Dec said: “It was quite the night!” Ant replied: “Oh my God… it had a flashback of Jimmy Springer over it… There were walk-outs, there were people goading each other. It was a weird night of TV!”

Ant later said of Adam’s winning moment: “I just thought it was a shame that the crowning moment of I’m A Celebrity.. South Africa couldn’t have been more celebratory!