Laura Woods has hit out at Eni Aluko after her ‘damaging’ comments on who should and shouldn’t cover women’s football on television.

The presenter also suggested there are many reasons why pundits are selected for big games, including how ‘likeable’ a person is.

Former England forward Aluko slammed the BBC and ITV for including male pundits in the coverage of the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 final with Spain.

The 38-year-old had previously made a similar point, hitting out at Ian Wright for ‘blocking’ opportunities for female broadcasters by appearing regularly on women’s football.

She subsequently issued an apology to Wright which he did not accept and had reignited the feud, also criticising Nedum Onuoha’s involvement in the showpiece game last year.

Speaking on the 90s Baby Show podcast, she said: ‘In the women’s game the opportunities are even more limited, so the main characters of the show should be the women.

‘Men should be part of that. I’m not saying anybody should be excluded, I believe in diversity wholeheartedly, but the same way we’ve played a role in the men’s game that’s a supporting role, you’re part of the ensemble, you’re never going to get the premium final games, it should be the same way for women’s football.

‘I think we need to gatekeep the women’s game in a way that the men’s game is gatekept. What I mean by that is, and you’ve heard me talk about the journey of women’s football, it’s taken a while, it’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get the women’s game to where it is now. There’s a lot of people, including me, who have planted a lot of seeds to be reaping what we’re reaping now… TV, money coming into the game, investment, and it’s still growing.

‘From my perspective, we didn’t go through all of that – blood, sweat and tears – for women to be second place in our own sport. What are we doing?

‘That’s my point, the women’s game should be by women for women. Male allies should absolutely support that but when it gets to the point where you’re the main character of the show, we’re just repeating the patriarchal stuff that we’ve been fighting against.

‘Now whoever that upsets, that upsets, but that’s the reality. I’ve always been protective about women’s football because I’ve done a lot, I’ve invested a lot, I was doing women’s football when it didn’t pay to do women’s football. Now we’re reaping the rewards I’m like women should be winning right now.

‘My point is, I’ve never done a major final in men’s football for eleven years, I’ve done three World Cups, men’s Euros, Champions League, I’ve never had that opportunity, and maybe rightly so, I’d probably say rightly so because again, I think the guys should always be ahead of me, the main guys.

‘Last year, at the Women’s Lionesses final, I’m sat in the stands, I wasn’t on ITV for the final, Fara Williams was sat next to me, Fara Williams has 170 caps [172 caps] for England, something ridiculous, I think she’s the most-capped player, she’s sat in the stands.

‘The two broadcasters that had the rights for the game – ITV and BBC – on BBC you’ve got Ellen White, Steph Houghton and Nedum Onuoha, no offence to Nedum Onuoha, nothing against him, I don’t know whether he played for England or not, but you’re on the main panel for the final for England Women.

‘Let’s go over to ITV, I’m in the stands with 105 caps, so you’ve got two women, between us we’ve got 290 caps, something ridiculous, you turn over to ITV and it’s Ian Wright, Emma Hayes and Kaz Carney.

‘So out of six punditry spots, two have gone to men. Meanwhile you’ve got 290 caps, whatever it is, sitting in the stands.

‘I’ve just told you I’ve never done a final. I’m probably going to struggle to think of any women, a female pundit, who has done a men’s major final as a pundit. I’m not talking about presenters, people like to conflate the two, it’s a different role, it’s like comparing a forward and a defender, it’s different jobs, I’m talking about as a pundit, it doesn’t happen, so something is not right there because I’m saying this is still quite new where you’re watching women’s finals on TV, why are people like me and Fara not there?

‘It’s nothing against Ian, it’s nothing against them, I’m just saying broadly speaking we need to be aware of that because if we’re building a game where the limited opportunities are now being taken by men, where we can’t go into the men’s game and get the same opportunities, we’re stuck.’

Laura Woods slams ‘damaging’ comments

Woods, who has worked alongside Aluko in covering women’s football is not on board with her claims at all and made pointed comments on who has been given the roles of working on the biggest Lionesses matches.

‘Caps don’t win automatic work and they don’t make a brilliant pundit either,’ Woods wrote on X. ‘The way you communicate, articulate yourself, do your research, inform your audience, how likeable you are and the chemistry you have with your panel are what makes a brilliant pundit.

‘”The women’s game should be by women for women,” is one of the most damaging phrases I’ve heard. It will not only drag women’s sport backwards, it will drag women’s punditry in all forms of the game backwards.

‘If you want to grow something, you don’t gate keep it. We want to encourage little boys and men to watch women’s football too, not just little girls and women. And when they see someone like Ian Wright taking it as seriously as he does – they follow suit. That’s how you grow a sport.

‘Here’s a picture of our team at ITV. We won best production at the Broadcast Sport Awards 2025 for our coverage of the women’s euros. Seb Hutchinson won best commentator too. So I think ITV got it just right.’

Aluko was asked if the solution is to bring in more female pundits for high-profile matches in the men’s game, she replied: ‘I think that would make it more fair.

‘If I’m not doing the women’s final but I’m getting a job doing the men’s final then it is what it is, but I can never do the men’s final so the only way I have an opportunity is to do the women’s final but now I can’t do the women’s final, and I can’t bring all of that experience and insight.

‘And let’s be honest, what I represent for young girls who want to be footballers, who want to be broadcasters, is way more than what Ian Wright represents.

‘Again, I’m not knocking Ian Wright, it’s not even about him, it could be any man, it’s really important we keep an eye on the premium opportunities. It’s hard, I don’t want to go into it because people might write headlines, but the issue I have with Ian is that I think in his position he needs to clock what I’m saying.’

MORE: Ian Wright refuses to give up on Arsenal star after Carabao Cup win over Chelsea

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As more than 127,000,000 people tuned in from around the world to watch the Super Bowl last night, they were greeted with a sobering message during advertisements.

An emotional advertisement released by World Without Exploitation featured various survivors of paedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, pleading with Americans to stand with them.

‘3 million files still have not been released,’ the advert read, as faces of victims flashed behind it.

Fittingly, the words were then blacked out – a nod to the heavy redactions seen in the millions of files already released by the US Department of Justice.

The black redaction bar was then placed on the mouths of Epstein’s survivors in the commercial, before finishing with a desperate plea to Americans.

‘We all deserve the truth. Stand with us. Tell Attorney General Pam Bondi: it’s time for the truth.’

The sobering message came during one of the most-well-viewed television events of the year.

Pressure is still mounting for Bondi to release more of the files – the current release is just around half of what the DOJ has in its possession.

Initial estimates believe it could take eight years to review and disclose the remaining files, even with hundreds of attorneys working on the release.

‘While the commitment of Department personnel to this effort has been substantial in breadth and impressive in effort, substantial work remains to be done,’ the department said.

If that timeline proves to be true, the final files won’t be released until well after Donald Trump’s second term in office is over.

The recent batch of files contained shocking evidence of sex trafficking of underage girls and other crimes.

Yesterday, Epstein’s death statement, dated one day before he was found dead, was found in the files.

The statement from the Manhattan US Attorney’s office is dated August 9 2019, while the standard account says the paedophile was found hanged in his cell at 6.30am on August 10.

Two versions of the US Attorney’s statement dated August 9 appear in the files, both with subtle differences from the one dated August 10.

Neither contains the detail that Epstein was found dead ‘of an apparent suicide’, as the officially released statement does.

Instead, both say he was ‘found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead shortly thereafter’.

Like the publicly released statement, both versions with the earlier date pay tribute to the ‘brave young women’ who either have or have not yet previously come forward, though the wording differs slightly.

According to the official account of Epstein’s death, a corrections officer found him unresponsive on the morning of Saturday, August 10. Medical personnel tried to revive him, but he was later pronounced dead.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Andrew Windsor ‘shared sensitive UK trade secrets with Jeffrey Epstein’

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Isabel, who has played Victoria Sugden in Emmerdale for nearly 20 years, is set to become a first-time mum.

The soap star filmed her final scenes in December and revealed how she was releived to be getting a break.

Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins on taking break from ITV soap

Speaking to The Sun , she said: “I thought I would be really emotional when I filmed my final scenes.

“Emmerdale is all I have ever known. But pregnancy does funny things to you and the truth is I felt ready not to have to film on Emmerdale!

“I live in Manchester and I’ve been driving over to Leeds to film. By the end, I felt exhausted and I knew it was time to have a rest before the baby arrives.”

Isabel discovered she was pregnant shortly after getting married to her partner, Adam, in April 2025, and is expecting sometime soon.

She said: “It suddenly feels very real now. I am so excited about becoming a mum for the first time and this will be, by far and away, my biggest role I’ve ever had.

“Adam is going to be a great dad. He pours his heart into everything he does and we both feel so lucky to be having a child.”

The couple chose not to find out whether they are having a boy or a girl, with Isabel also saying how co-stars Ryan Hawley, who plays half-brother Robert, and Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Dingle, have helped her on set.

“You don’t have to go through this alone.”

If you have been affected by issues raised in tonight’s programme you can visit: https://t.co/axMr5zTNdw#Emmerdale pic.twitter.com/2iSFNYMtkH

— Emmerdale (@emmerdale) February 4, 2026

She said: “Ryan is a father, so is Danny, and they have been so sweet.

“They have really spoilt me, making sure I have somewhere to sit down in between scenes.

“I remember once I’d missed breakfast and Danny went to the canteen to get me toast. They are always getting me snacks and both have been really caring.

“They are like my two naughty brothers as they also have a great sense of humour.”

Despite her break, Isabel has confirmed she will return to Emmerdale in the future.

She said: “They told me it was up to me when I come back to the soap, which is lovely.

“I’ve been in Emmerdale for 19 years and it’s been a huge part of my life. Everyone has been so nice.”

She added: “I am in my own baby bubble now.

“I will be back in time but now it’s time to be with my baby and Adam. We can’t wait to be parents.”

Which actors have been on Emmerdale the longest?

Despite Isabel having been on Emmerdale for nearly two decades, there are characters who have been on the show even longer.

Chris Chittell, who plays Eric Pollard in the ITV soap, first began in 1986, having now been on the show for 40 years, making him the longest-serving cast member in the soap’s history.

Sheila Mercier was another long-standing Emmerdale star, having played Annie Sugden in the soap from the programme’s first episode in 1972 until 1994, with a guest return in 2009.

Annie died off-screen in August 2020, aged 100.

Other long-serving characters include Steve Halliwell, who played Zak Dingle from 1994 until his death in 2023, as well as James Hooton (Sam Dingle), Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle) and Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk), each playing their role since 1995, 1996 and 1997 respectively.

Several characters may have appeared longer, such as Robert Sugden since 1986, but have been played by more than one actor.

Emmerdale airs every weekday at 8pm on ITV1 and STV1, with episodes available at 7am on ITVX.

Who is your favourite character on Emmerdale? Let us know in the comments.

The Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Aden Durde says “there’s no better feeling” as his side beat the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

READ MORE:

Seahawks dominate Patriots to win Super Bowl

Revenge, redemption & representation – the story of Super Bowl 60

“The referee’s call of a free-kick and yellow card to Guehi for the challenge on Salah was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the challenge outside of the area and deemed not to be denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) as there was a covering defender,” they said in a statement.

Manchester United are likely to bring in a new head coach at the end of the season despite Michael Carrick automatically placing his name in the hat

Gary Neville has claimed that Manchester United have told him that they have already started looking for a permanent head coach for the 2026/27 season.

United appointed Michael Carrick on an interim basis last month after Ruben Amorim was sacked. The former United midfielder has got off to the perfect start with four wins from four games, beating Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham.

Carrick’s contract runs until the end of the season, with United expected to bring in a permanent head coach for next season. However, speculation has already started linking the 44-year-old with the job on a full-time basis after his impressive start.

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Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique is one of the favourites to come to the club, with Mauricio Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel all linked with the vacancy.

According to Neville, the process to bring in the new manager has already begun. Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast on Sunday after the weekend’s Premier League action, the former defender revealed insight into the decision-making process.

“I asked the club ‘what is the official position of the football club in terms of what you’re saying publicly to everybody else?’ They said ‘we’ve actually begun our process now of starting to look for another manager,’” he said.

“What they’ve said is they’re not going to be bounced into, irrespective of wins or draws or losses on the pitch in this next couple of months, making an appointment. They’re going to wait towards the end of the season… if Michael Carrick says ‘I want to put my name in the hat’, Carrick would go into a process.”

Carrick has avoided any talk about his long-term future at Old Trafford, but prior to the win over Tottenham, he dropped his first hint that he would stay if the opportunity was presented. “Nothing’s changed, to be honest,” he said.

“I’m fully aware of the role I’m doing here and the responsibility I’ve got. We want to be successful, and I want the club to be successful beyond the end of the season – if that’s me, if that’ somebody else.

“At this stage, I can’t control that and we’ll see what happens, but it’s certainly about trying to improve the team and making Manchester United stronger. Results over a short period of time don’t change that.

“If they have changed there is something wrong. It can’t be so knee-jerk whether it’s really good or whether there’s a few issues we need to solve.”

Martin and Tomas Rosinski, co-founders of OnlyCat, will appear on the BBC One show on Thursday, February 12, to present their smart pet product to Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Steven Bartlett and Susie Ma.

Their product is designed to use AI to detect and prevent cats from bringing prey into the home.

Martin and Tomas Rosinski, co-founders of OnlyCat (Image: OnlyCat)

Martin Rosinski, co-founder of OnlyCat, said: “Jinx is brilliant – but like many cats, she had a habit of proudly bringing home things we didn’t want brought in.

“That was the spark.

“We wanted to solve a real, everyday problem for cat owners in a way that was smart, practical, and genuinely life-improving.”

The OnlyCat flap includes an AI camera that scans each time a cat tries to enter.

If prey is detected, the flap remains locked and the owner can receive a video alert.

It also features microchip-based access control, allowing users to decide which cats can come and go.

Tom Rosinski, co-founder of OnlyCat, said: “Our goal was simple: keep the freedom cats love, while giving owners back control at the front door.

“OnlyCat is already the fastest-growing startup we’ve ever built.

“We wanted to solve a real, everyday problem for cat owners” (Image: OnlyCat)

“We’re building an incredible team, we’re seeing phenomenal feedback from customers, and demand is growing rapidly.”

The business launched through crowdfunding and has since generated more than £2 million in revenue.

The company now manufactures in the UK and ships its products worldwide.

Martin and Tomas are now supported by a senior management team, as well as engineers, designers, and software specialists.

Customer reviews have described OnlyCat as “life-changing” and “worth every penny.”

On Dragons’ Den, the brothers say they will seek investment to boost manufacturing, grow international sales, and take the business to its next stage.

The outcome of their pitch remains under wraps until the episode airs.

Dragons’ Den viewers can tune in to BBC One or BBC iPlayer at 8:00pm on Thursday, February 12 to see whether the Rosinski brothers secure investment.

The parents, whose son was diagnosed with leukaemia at just 17 months old, shared their story on the BBC show on Monday (February 9)

A dad was emotional on BBC Breakfast as he told how his toddler was diagnosed with leukaemia and almost died. Andy Hines spoke out as part of a report into the former Corby steel works in Northamptonshire, which many people believe caused birth defects and childhood cancers in the area. Its story was told in the Netflix show Toxic Town last year.

He appeared on the BBC programme on Monday (February 9) alongside his son Fraser’s mum, Alison Gaffney, who said: “Never found anger through any of this. Just hurt.”

Speaking on the show, which was hosted by Sally Nugent and Jon Kay, she said: “Our consultant just said, ‘We’re dealing with something we’ve never dealt with before. We’ve done testing, and it’s showing a really rare form of this cancer with gene rearrangements.”

“To hear your consultant say that about your son, you just break,” said Andy.

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Fraser was diagnosed at 17 months, and he is now nine, but the report said he “nearly died”.

“His life expectancy is shortened because he’s had a transplant and he’s at high risk of a secondary cancer,” said Alison.

“The amount of people we know personally that have kids with cancer, this is not normal,” said Andy.

The BBC Breakfast report said: “In its heyday, Corby steel works was the biggest in Europe. Following its closure in 1980, a huge dismantling operation got underway, which sent polluting clouds into the atmosphere… A number of babies in the area were born with abnormalities.”

It continued: “In 2009, the High Court agreed with claims that Corby Borough Council had been negligent with the clean-up of the steelworks and that there could be a link with birth defects in the area. It was a landmark case.”

The 2009 High Court case focused on limb deformities in babies potentially caused by hazardous airborne dust. Alison, Andy, and other families’ concerns are focused on where the waste was buried and whether there is a link to childhood cancer.

Corby Borough Council was abolished in 2021 and replaced by North Northamptonshire Council. Last month, they published two sets of findings on childhood cancer rates following requests by families.

They found that childhood cancer rates in Corby were no higher than elsewhere in England. The council said: “We approached this analysis with seriousness and sensitivity, ensuring the most robust methods were used and that the work was independently reviewed. The findings provide reassurance that childhood cancer rates in Corby are not higher than expected.”

Families have asked to see the raw data used to come to this conclusion. But the council has not released it, citing strict and important data protection rules.

Lawyer Des Collins, who represented families at the High Court in 2009, said: “The only way to address it, in my view, is for there to be a full statutory public employment to determine precisely what happened to this waste. Where it is, whether it can be located at the moment, whether it should be dug up at the moment. And finally, is it causing any health problems?”

BBC Breakfast’s reporter explained: “Public inquiries can only be initiated by the government. In a statement, North Northamptonshire Council said: “Our records, originally held by Corby Borough Council, do not show the movement of waste to sites other than Deene Quarry. We were made aware of a document last week that indicates some waste may have been moved to another location. And we are currently considering that information.

“At this point in time, this council does not consider that the threshold has been met to call upon the government for a public inquiry.”

BBC Breakfast airs on BBC One from 6am.

The former glamour model tied the knot with businessman Lee Andrews in Dubai last month

Katie Price has defended her decision to marry her new husband, Lee Andrews, as she told her fans she’s ‘not stupid’. The former glamour model tied the knot with the businessman in Dubai last month after a whirlwind romance.

Katie has tied the knot just months after she split from her former partner JJ Slater. She confirmed that she and Lee had married on January 25, only days after flying out to Dubai to meet him for the first time.

But now, Katie has spoken out amid concerns about her new spouse’s background. Packing her bags to visit Lee in the Middle East, the 47-year-old said in her latest YouTube video: “I’m going back to Dubai, obviously going back to see Lee. I’ve made no comments about anything, I don’t feel I need to comment about anything.

“I’m fully aware like everyone else, I see stuff, I get sent stuff. What I want everyone to know is, I’m a grown a*** woman. I’m 48 this year, I’m not a young kid. I’ve learned a lot in the past few years, through therapy and learning to love myself. So I’m not stupid, I know what I’m doing and if I’m happy that’s all that matters.”

The star continued: “At the end of the day, no one knows what I know. It’s only been speculated by the press. I am very happy and that’s all that matters. That happy I’m going back to Dubai for the weekend. So I can’t wait.”

Katie implored her fans not to be concerned about her decision to marry for the fourth time. She said: “If there’s anything to update you on, I would always update you all. But I just want people to not worry.

“I’m not worried, so you don’t need to worry about anything. Like I say, I will do what I want to do. But I want everyone to know you don’t need to worry, I’m really happy, there’s nothing to worry about. That’s all I need to address on that.”

Katie explained how she married Lee “at first sight”, with the couple exchanging vows just days after meeting in Dubai. She told The Sun newspaper: “How I met Lee was esoteric; we connected [by] both checking each others’ socials and quickly realised: ‘Wow, this is for me’.

“In the old-fashioned way, first by words which captured us both. That evolved deeper as we connected further within days [getting] matching tattoos, and then both deciding to buy rings for the other. All this without even meeting, we let fate, but you could say destiny, decide.”

She added: “I’m just so happy with my person that is just as happy as I am. What we have, they haven’t even invented the words. He has now the best version of me which can only grow more, knowing we are each others’. On the wedding, all I can say is ‘fatale’, and this was a wedding at First Sight.”