When Catherine Zeta-Jones first strutted onto the small screen in her jodhpurs, thick black hair tumbling around her shoulders in ITV’s The Darling Buds Of May, it was immediately clear a movie star had been born.

The Welsh actress possessed a rich, luminous beauty worthy of silver-screen legends such as Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner – a quality rarely seen on British television in the 1990s and even today.

Fast-forward 35 years and Zeta-Jones is back, starring as a female mob boss in Kill Jackie. And, perhaps most excitingly for fans, the Oscar-winning actress has returned to her roots, delivering her performance in her native Welsh lilt after decades of using her transatlantic accent for Hollywood roles.

In the trailer for the new crime drama, she wields a gun, swears like a trooper and tears along the highway on a moped. Yet one of the most striking things is not her action-hero antics but her timeless beauty.

At 57, Zeta-Jones is surely a poster girl for ageing gracefully in an industry where some stars can become almost unrecognisable after too many tweakments.

She has retained her signature look, including her stunning eyes and long, dark Celtic locks, despite the familiar advice that women over 40 should cut their hair short. 

The Welsh actress has always possessed a rich, luminous beauty worthy of silver-screen legends such as Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner – a quality rarely seen on British television in the 1990s and even today

And while she inevitably looks older than in her movie-star heyday, when she conquered Hollywood in The Mask Of Zorro before winning an Oscar for her high-kicking performance as Velma Kelly in Chicago, she remains instantly recognisable as the striking young Welsh actress who first captured the public’s imagination.

Even her Hollywood romance has proved unusually enduring. While so many showbusiness marriages buckle under the glare of publicity, Zeta-Jones has been married to legendary actor Michael Douglas for 26 years. They have two grown-up children, Carys, 23 and Dylan, 26.

Perhaps that settled home life, away from the cameras, has helped provide some contentment amid the fickle world of showbusiness, something that can shine from within.

So, as audiences prepare to admire her beauty once more, what exactly is behind Zeta-Jones’s remarkably consistent appearance?

Dr Maryam Zamani, oculoplastic surgeon and founder of MZ Skin, believes restraint may be key.

‘Catherine Zeta-Jones is a wonderful example of ageing gracefully. At 57 she looks absolutely fantastic, but importantly, she still looks like herself,’ she says.

‘My feeling is that she may use very light neuromodulators, enough to soften lines while retaining movement and expression. That is very different from having a completely frozen face.’

Dr Zamani stresses that she has no knowledge of Zeta-Jones’s private treatment history and says photographs can never establish exactly what someone has, or has not, had done.

The actress (pictured with husband Michael Douglas in 1999) has retained her signature look, including her flashing green eyes and long, dark Celtic locks, despite the familiar advice that women over 40 should cut their hair short

‘What I particularly like about Catherine is that, from what I can see, there is no obvious sense of over-treatment. I don’t see a face that has been excessively filled or surgically altered,’ she says. ‘Personally, I don’t see obvious signs of major facial surgery. The key is restraint.’

Long before Hollywood came calling, Zeta-Jones began her showbusiness career as a singer and dancer, landing a lead role in the West End musical 42nd Street at just 17.

Her extraordinary dance talent would later serve her well in Chicago, where her performance as Velma Kelly earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2003.

And the discipline of her dancing days appears to have stayed with her. Her willowy physique, energetic movement and polished red-carpet style suggest an actress who has remained active throughout her life, while making shrewd, age-appropriate fashion choices.

Dr Arti Singh, an advanced aesthetics expert, says lifestyle factors may also contribute to her appearance.

‘I’d say her timeless beauty is down to many factors, such as keeping hydrated, following an anti-inflammatory diet and staying active, as well as a considered and consistent skincare regime.’ over-treatment

Zeta-Jones herself has spoken about her approach to food. In a 2021 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she revealed that she is a ‘three meals a day kind of girl’, rather than someone who survives on restrictive diets.

The actress’ willowy physique, energetic movement and polished red-carpet style suggest an actress who has remained active throughout her life, while making shrewd, age-appropriate fashion choices

Her typical day included porridge with brown sugar, bananas and blueberries for breakfast, a blue-cheese and spinach salad for lunch, grilled cod and, later, steak with mushroom sauce.

Beauty expert Laura Kay, founder of Laura Kay London, says: ‘Catherine Zeta-Jones looks remarkable for her age.   

‘She evidently takes a more invested approach to her health and beauty, and one of the key things she says is that she keeps her body inflammation-free inside and out, from no alcohol and balancing pH levels to exercise and general lifestyle factors.’

And perhaps that is the secret to Zeta-Jones’s enduring appeal.

When you tune into Kill Jackie, you are not simply watching a modern British showbusiness icon. You are watching a woman who, after more than three decades in the spotlight, appears remarkably loyal to her own idea of beauty.

Unbothered by every passing trend, fad or miracle diet, Catherine Zeta-Jones has remained unmistakably herself.

Perhaps being ageless is less about trying to look younger and more about knowing what suits you, then sticking with it, come what may.

Donald Trump taunted Iran as he labelled the Strait of Hormuz “Trump Strait” after Tehran proposed a deal to open the key waterway within a week if the US meets certain conditions.

In a post on his Truth Social platform in the early hours of Saturday, the US president shared a picture of a map, with the shipping route labelled with his own name.

It comes after Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi presented a seven-day plan involving a ceasefire to American negotiators on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week. The conditions for Washington largely echo the ones agreed to in the June deal that fell apart.

They stated that Tehran would reopen the key waterway and resume talks on its nuclear programme but only if the US lifts its naval blockade, waives oil sanctions and observes a ceasefire that includes Lebanon.

Lifting the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, as well as waiving sanctions on oil sales, would allow Tehran to ship out more of its crude and help its economy as its currency hits record lows and inflation soars.

Araqchi told reporters at the United Nations on Friday that the deal would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in regional fighting.

“If there is seriousness on the US side to come to a deal and ⁠reopen the Strait of Hormuz, everything is now prepared,” he said.

The White House said it was engaged in “constructive discussions” via mediators, but a Wall St Journal report cited US officials as saying Trump was sceptical that Iran would meet his demands.

Trump’s Saturday Truth Social post is the latest example of him coming up with his own names for locations to attempt to make a political point.

He posted a map on Truth Social of New Mexico earlier this month, but the word Mexico was crossed out and replaced with America.

‘Naming’ the southwestern state on the US-Mexico border as New America was reminiscent of an executive order he signed early in his second term, in which he changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

In that January 2025 executive order titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” Trump also changed the name of North America’s tallest peak, Denali in Alaska, back to Mount McKinley.

Trump’s controversial naming of America’s geography didn’t stop there. The president signed an executive order late last month changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America amid an escalating trade war with Canada.

Despite Trump repeatedly suggesting Canada become the nation’s 51st state, he recently told Fox News, “They think they’re a state, but they’re not a state. Why should we be subsidizing Canada?”

Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ family and friends have called for his care to be urgently probed following reports he is being ‘illegally’ held in care homes.

The explorer, 82, has not been seen in public for two years and is believed to have been moved between care homes under false names.

His family are now demanding the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to investigate the role of his wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, as his legal guardian.

One care home in Wales sounded the alarm that Sir Ranulph was being ‘unlawfully deprived of his liberty’ and that protocols were not being followed.

Alexander Millington-Cotes, who is estranged from his mother, said he had called the agency’s safeguarding team to pass on more information about his stepfather’s care, but had heard nothing in response.

‘Of course the OPG should investigate – we would love them to investigate’, he told the Telegraph.

Veteran BBC correspondent John Simpson, a friend of Sir Ranulph’s, said it must be known ‘what’s happening to him’, adding the explorer was the ‘world’s bravest man’ but also vulnerable.

He wrote on X: ‘Horrified to hear what’s happened to my good friend Ran Fiennes.

‘I’d like to tell the relevant authorities everything I know about the way he’s been treated. He’s the world’s bravest man, and he’s vulnerable. We must know what’s happening to him.’

Concerns have been raised over several instructions given by Mrs Millington-Cotes, including a ‘do not resuscitate’ document and medicines proscribed in her name.

Arabella McIntyre-Brown, the sister of Sir Ranulph’s first wife Ginny Fiennes, said reports of his physical state were ‘very worrying’ and added her name to those calling for the OPG to open an inquiry.

Both friends and family members have been kept in the dark about Sir Ranulph’s whereabouts.

He is believed to have been moved between care homes in Cheshire and Wales, with only his wife and daughter in knowledge of his exact location.

Mrs Millington-Cotes reportedly went to extreme lengths to conceal Sir Ranulph’s identity, including insisting his wearing of a hat, sunglasses and gloves to prevent anyone recognising his face or frostbite-damaged fingers when out for walks.

The explorer married the former horse trainer, 23 years his junior, in 2005 after a failed attempt to climb Mount Everest.

Mrs Millington-Cotes has yet to comment on the allegations.

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

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There have been so many photographs of Cindy Crawford, a woman who defined the supermodel era.

Whether on the catwalk or the cover of Vogue, she has always had an effortless way of commanding the spotlight.

There was, therefore, something hauntingly striking about the advertising campaign she took part in last spring, alongside her husband Rande Gerber and their children Kaia and Presley.

Promoting an activewear brand in the US, the sun-kissed, smiling, almost impossibly beautiful family laughed and frolicked on the sands.

It was striking because here was Cindy Crawford not as supermodel but proud mother, elegantly serving as the support act to perhaps her greatest achievements – her children.

An accompanying YouTube film captures Cindy embracing her lookalike model daughter Kaia against the shimmering backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. 

It also depicts her resting her head against that of her son Presley, her chisel-faced firstborn.

But that video, of a tight-knit family not afraid to show their affection for each other, now stands as an achingly sad reminder of a gilded life cut short.

Presley Gerber, 27, who followed in his mother’s modelling footsteps but in more recent years had spoken openly about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse, died on Sunday in Los Angeles.

He had checked into a rehabilitation centre just hours earlier. His cause of death is still being established, but it’s strongly suspected to have been a drugs overdose.

What agonies his mother, father and younger sister, 25, whose name was inked on his left arm, must be going through now.

For Cindy, who celebrated her milestone 60th birthday this year, the loss of a son echoes that suffered by her own mother Jennifer, 50 years earlier. 

Growing up in Illinois, Cindy, the middle of three sisters, was just ten years old when her little brother Jeffrey died of leukaemia. He was four and had been sick for two years.

As a family friend tells the Daily Mail this week: ‘Cindy has never fully got over her only brother’s death. She talks about it and it still haunts her.’

The model spoke about her loss on a podcast in 2024. She reflected on survivor’s guilt – particularly because she and her sisters knew how much their father John longed for a son. 

Growing up in Illinois, Cindy, the middle of three sisters, was just ten years old when her little brother Jeffrey died of leukaemia. He was four and had been sick for two years.

Presley, who followed in his mother’s modelling footsteps but in more recent years had spoken openly about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse died on Sunday

The model spoke about her loss, and said she had survivor’s guilt because she knew how much their father John longed for a son (pictured with husband Rande Gerber and Presley)

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Poignantly, she also spoke of how the birth of her own children had shaped her perspective of that loss (Kaia and Presley are pictured during their childhood)

Now Cindy faces the enormity of a loss she never wanted to imagine but must, surely, have feared during the turbulent journey her adored son had endured in recent years

Poignantly, she also spoke of how the birth of her own children had shaped her perspective of that loss.

‘When I had my first kid [Presley], I called my mom, and I was like: ”How did you survive?” she said. ‘Because you can’t imagine losing a child until you have a child, and even then, you don’t want to imagine it.

‘I remember her saying: ‘Well, I had three other kids looking at me to lead them through this.’

‘I think that because of us, she got out of bed and just did what she had to do.’

Now Cindy faces the enormity of a loss she never wanted to imagine but must, surely, have feared during the turbulent journey her adored son – the little boy who would cry when hair and make-up artists arrived at home ‘because he knew it meant mommy was leaving for work’ – had endured in recent years.

She also faces comforting her daughter in a grief so familiar.

They are all broken, but Kaia is, we are told, her pressing concern.

‘Suddenly she’s an only child,’ says the family friend. ‘She’s lost her brother who she loved so much. 

‘While Kaia has lots of friends and a boyfriend who is there for her, Cindy is deeply worried how Presley’s death will affect her in the long run. 

‘She believes from her own experience that it will stay with her for life. How could it not?’

Presley, or Prez as he was known, was born in 1999, a year after Cindy’s marriage to Rande, 64, who along with family friend George Clooney is the co-founder of tequila brand Casamigos.

Presley was a young athlete, spending hours in the water – school surf team, water polo, swim squad. ‘The strongest addiction I ever had was surfing and being in the ocean,’ he once said

But the seeds of a lifelong battle with his mental health were sown early. By the time he was signed, aged 15, by IMG models, he was already taking the antidepressant Prozac

In March, he shared the news that he had been in Mexico, undergoing experimental treatment with Ibogaine, a psychedelic drug used to treat substance dependence

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As Cindy wrote in her autobiography Becoming: ‘There was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to have children.

‘It didn’t happen right away though. Finally, after several months, I got the smiley face on the stick. We were overjoyed.’

She had Presley at home.

‘I woke up at 2am on the morning of July 2 and 17 hours later I was in bed with my husband and my new baby boy. Pure bliss.

‘Presley Walker Gerber entered our world that day and I became a mother. It was the hardest, most challenging thing I’ve done. It was also the most rewarding.’

Two years later Kaia arrived.

‘Becoming a parent and learning to love a child are probably the most selfless things a person can do,’ Cindy added. ‘I hope that I can for ever be a source of unconditional love to my children – just like my mom was for me.’

There were, she admitted, times she missed events, but she strove to be a present mum.

Presley was a young athlete, spending hours in the water – school surf team, water polo, swim squad. ‘The strongest addiction I ever had was surfing and being in the ocean,’ he once said.

But the seeds of a lifelong battle with his mental health were sown early. By the time he was signed, aged 15, by IMG models (his sister, then 13, was signed at the same time), he was already taking the antidepressant Prozac.

Diagnosed at the time with both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder – Presley would later say diagnoses were thrown around ‘like candy’ – the progression into drug dependence began.

Drugs to suppress, drugs to stimulate, drugs to help him sleep, for anxiety, for depression. On and on it went.

There was a whirl of global travel. He walked the catwalk for Italian label Moschino aged 16, appeared in a Calvin Klein campaign with Kaia, graced the cover of GQ. It was glossy and exciting.

‘I remember within the first week of signing, I’m like in New York, people are taking pictures of me, shirt off. My whole life changed within a month,’ he later reflected. ‘I had to grow up quickly.’

But there was another side to it all.

In 2019 he was charged with driving under the influence and sentenced to three years’ probation. The following year he had the word ‘Misunderstood’ tattooed across his face.

‘It says misunderstood because that’s how I felt my entire life,’ he said in an interview. He later had it removed.

In the last three years, Presley had begun to share his experiences on Instagram, creating a series of video diaries entitled Mental Health Mondays in which he documented the drugs, the depression, rehabilitation and the more alternative and holistic therapies. 

The videos are articulate, earnest and painfully frank. His Instagram profile reads ‘Be Kind’. Kaia reflected on her brother’s struggles and his confessional approach in an interview with Vogue, published just a month before his death.

‘When something like that happens in a family, it kind of levels everyone,’ she said. ‘I think that’s also why I started to self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help. Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing.’

She reflected, too, on her brother’s willingness to share his experiences. ‘There’s only so much you can hide from the world,’ she said. ‘And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you’re ashamed of them.’

Presley’s posts, however, stopped late last year.

‘I had to step back and take care of my own mental health for a bit. But I’m coming back soon — stronger, clearer, more intentional than ever,’ he wrote in November.

And then, in March, he shared the news that he had been in Mexico, undergoing experimental treatment with Ibogaine, a psychedelic drug used to treat substance dependence, which is illegal in the US but legal in Mexico.

This week, the Daily Mail spoke exclusively to holistic healing coach Jessica Salter, from Long Island, who was at the Beyond clinic in Cancun at the same time as Presley, having also signed up for Ibogaine treatment.

Jessica says: ‘I went to the clinic because I wanted to work through some pain that I was carrying and Ibogaine piqued my interest.’

She doesn’t want to reveal too much of what she shared with Presley but says: ‘He was a very sweet person. He was very open about why he was there. Everybody liked him.’

They were part of a group of 15 to 20 guests who shared workshops, talked and ate together in the communal dining area. ¬Presley didn’t hide his identity.

Jessica said: ‘One of the most profound moments I had was to be with someone like Presley, with all his resources, and to be with someone else from a tiny little town, who had never travelled anywhere before and never really done anything.

‘They were both in the same place and both had things they needed help with.

‘It was just such a true illustration of the fact that there is no rhyme or reason to it [addiction]. Everybody deserves the same level of compassion and empathy. Everybody just wants to be free from pain.’

Jessica’s seven-hour experience with the psychedelic drug was ‘very intense’ but, she says, it helped her with the emotional issues she had been having.

She left the day Presley was due to have his ‘flood dose’ – the maximum amount of pure Ibogaine Hydrochloride (HCl) administered to a patient seeking to eliminate or interrupt addiction and stop withdrawal symptoms.

The knowledge of Presley’s death weighs heavy. ‘It’s just very, very sad,’ says Jessica. ‘Especially when you read about how much he struggled and how long he tried [to beat his addictions]. 

‘But he took some of the shame and stigma away from it by being so upfront and putting it out into the open. That was brave of him.’

As is often the way when a life lived under the spotlight is cut short, speculation has been rife this last week.

Presley was reportedly being prescribed ketamine by a doctor, despite his ongoing struggles.

Ketamine is the same drug that was listed as a contributing cause of Matthew Perry’s death in 2023.

What drugs may or may not have been in Presley’s system will become clearer as police and medical examiners complete their investigations.

How tragic that just a few months ago, in June, Presley glowed as he stood, arms around both parents, at a fundraiser in which he was participating in a candid panel discussion about mental health. 

‘The most free I felt was when I was finally honest with myself,’ he told the audience.

That his parents were there, supportive as ever, was no surprise.

Celebrity photographer Katie Levine, who photographed Presley several times, tells the Daily Mail: ‘I’ve been sober for ten years and I was always cheering him on.

‘I felt like his parents and his sister were always there for him, giving him a lot of support. He was very proud of his roots.’

She remembers a young man full of promise.

What drugs may or may not have been in Presley’s system will become clearer as police and medical examiners complete their investigations

‘He was outspoken and fun and not at all serious. I think he was the boy version of Cindy, super-handsome and the camera loved him.’

Will Beck, a financial planner from Utah, met Presley through business in 2021.

He remembers the pride Presley had in his sister, his admiration for his father (whose business success he was so keen to replicate), and the love of his family.

‘His mom was one of the greatest supermodels, but he grew up with fame and wasn’t impressed by it,’ he says, talking exclusively to the Daily Mail. 

‘He just thought of her as his mom. I think they were a genuine, loving family.

‘There’d been multiple times I could see he was struggling, and I’d reach out to him and tell him a lot of people had his back.

‘It sucks that he had so many demons, but he said addiction was part of his life. He’d fall back into it, and his parents would try to help him. I know he wanted to beat it and just couldn’t.’

Back in LA, for the Gerbers there is heartache.

‘From the outside people thought Cindy had been living the perfect life,’ says the family friend. ‘It looked like she had it all. Money, fame, beauty and a solid marriage. But sadly there was a great deal of heartache behind it.

‘Like the loss of Cindy’s brother, the one consolation the family has is that Presley is no longer suffering. However, what he’s left behind is a heartbroken family who will never be able to fully heal. There will always be that one missing piece.’

Each year the Post Office Travel Money Winter Sun Report reveals the best-value destinations for winter sun.

This year has seen Africa top the charts – but with a surprising Asian capital sneaking into the top three, and many intriguing European picks.

Based on eight holiday costs including coffee, beer, cola, wine, water, sunscreen, insect repellent and a three-course dinner, but excluding flights and accommodation, here’s the Post Office’s top five spots for sunshine on a budget – plus some affordable spots in Europe for those wanting to stay closer to home.

Escape to the Cape

For the second year running, Cape Town takes top prize. With its dramatic landscapes, fine wineries and top-tier attractions, the city promises a varied break buoyed by temperate weather.

Prices have fallen 9.7 per cent since March with a three-course meal for two with wine costing £39.26. Our tips? Try pizza joint Borruso’s on Kenilworth Main Road for a ‘Dillon Special’ of bacon, ham and chicken for £7.84, or head to trendy suburb Woodstock for fish sliders and ceviche tacos at Pot Luck Club from £7.55.

Coffees average £1.76, or enjoy a bottle of beer from £1.86. Butter All Day, a buzzy joint in the city centre, is great for both.

Book it: British Airways Holidays offers seven nights’ B&B at The President Hotel, Sea Point, from £1,776pp including flights (britishairways.com).

Cheap in Kenya

Another spot for sun without splurging is Mombasa, Kenya’s oldest city. A glass of wine in this relaxed seaside resort costs £3.17, and a meal for two £42.78, including wine. Buzzy beach bar Char-Choma, on Mombasa beach, has visitors raving about its seafood and upbeat atmosphere.

Book it: Spend seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Voyager Beach Resort from £1,505pp, including flights (tui.co.uk).

Tokyo for less

Despite its reputation as expensive, Tokyo has muscled into third place. While not a traditional ‘winter sun’ destination, the city gets 520 hours of sunshine in the colder months, making sampling the city’s myriad delights all the more pleasant.

A three-course meal for two here totals £48.50, with Michelin-starred joints such as Nakiryu, in Otsuka, even included in this category, where steaming bowls of shoryu ramen are priced from £6.72.

Whether you’re into matcha or coffee, sampling Tokyo’s caffeinated offerings is also an affordable venture, with prices from £2.33. Make like Tokyoites and head for Onibus Coffee in chichi neighbourhood Nakameguro, or Fuglen in Shibuya.

Book it: Spend four nights in Tokyo at the Shiba Park Hotel from £1,132.50pp, including flights (britishairways.com).

A bottle of beer in Sri Lanka costs £2.27 according to the latest report

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Sri Lankan bargains

For those after a more traditional dose of beach bliss, Colombo in Sri Lanka offers an affordable break, with a barometer cost of £74.79 a day. A bottle of beer costs £2.27, while a bottle of water is 66p.

Book it: Stay in Colombo’s five-star Mandarina Hotel from £63 a night in January (mandarinacolombo.com). Return flights to Colombo from £741 (britishairways.com). 

Tempting Thailand

Thailand’s lively island Phuket similarly fits the bill – start the party with a bottle of beer for an average of £2.09. A three-course evening meal for two with house wine comes to £51.30.

Book it: Doubles at the Blu Monkey Boutique in Phuket start at £37 (blumonkeyboutiquephukettown.com).

What about the rest?

Portugal’s Algarve was sixth cheapest in this year, with a barometer cost of £82.35 a day. Putting in a similarly strong performance were Spain’s popular Costa del Sol, where a cup of coffee is just £1.75, and Tenerife in the Canary Islands, with a barometer cost of £87.62. Penang, Malaysia and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic rounded out the top ten.

Pierce Charles saved a penalty and his brother Shea Charles scored the winner as Northern Ireland beat Georgia 1-0 in their Nations League clash in Tbilisi

Brothers Pierce and Shea Charles shared a memorable post-match celebration after playing pivotal roles in Northern Ireland’s historic first Nations League away victory.

Pierce saved Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s 65th-minute penalty before Shea dramatically sealed a 1-0 win over Georgia with virtually the final kick of the match, nine minutes into added time in Tbilisi.

Pierce produced a series of outstanding stops throughout the game, including a superb reflex save to deny Georges Mikautadze at close range early in the second half. Meanwhile, Shea commanded the midfield and, by his own admission, should have broken the deadlock earlier than he did in the Group B2 encounter.

While the brothers have shared plenty of special international moments before, this one surpassed them all.

“We’re just proud to make the family back home so happy,” Pierce said. “I’m happy for Shea as well but it was never in doubt, he performs like that in every game.”

Shea echoed his brother’s sentiments. When asked what it was like watching Pierce face Paris St Germain’s Ballon d’Or contender Kvaratskhelia, he said: “I always back Pierce.

“Patrick Kelly came up and said to me, ‘He’s going to save this’. Yeah, he’s done really well to save it and made a few other really good saves. It’s a credit to him for the win.”

For his part, Pierce brushed off the notion that facing a player of Kvaratskhelia’s calibre brought any added pressure. “There’s no pressure on me, so I back myself all day to save it,” the 21-year-old declared, currently on loan at QPR following his return to Manchester City.

“You do your research before the game and it has paid off.

“At the end of the day, it’s a penalty, all of them are from 12 yards. He’s a great player. I just focus on myself and I saved it.”

Pierce, still just 21, has established himself as first choice goalkeeper, but this represented his finest performance yet at international level as he helped Northern Ireland secure their first competitive away clean sheet since October 2024 – which coincidentally came on his debut against Belarus.

“It just shows far the team has come,” he reflected. “It’s a team achievement keeping a clean sheet, like scoring a goal. The team can be so happy.”

While Pierce earned the player of the match award, Shea could equally have claimed the accolade after dominating proceedings in the centre of the park, clearly brimming with confidence following his summer transfer to Fulham.

“The two boys were brilliant,” Michael O’Neill commented. “I thought Pierce played extremely well, not just his distribution but he makes a big save in the second half as well.

“But he gives you a great range of control because of his passing and everything around that. He gives the back three a lot of security because they know they can go back there.

“And I thought Shea and Ethan (Galbraith) were both brilliant in midfield. Shea was colossal. Not just on the ball, but I felt physically, his ability to step past people, the amount of times he was fouled and the referee for some reason didn’t want to produce a card despite the number of fouls on him.

“But I thought he was fabulous.”

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The landmark is much-loved among locals and visitors

A historic landmark in a beautiful city has been named among a list of buildings that people “must see” in their lifetime. The Telegraph has revealed its list of 20 buildings across the world that you must visit in your lifetime and Ely’s historic cathedral is one of them.

Describing Ely Cathedral, The Telegraph said: “Rising above the frigid East Anglian fens, Ely’s greatest glory grew from catastrophe. In 1322 its Norman crossing tower collapsed.

“It was replaced with an oak octagon, lead-covered from above, luminous from below, which is unparalleled in any church in any nation. Unusually we know the names of the architect and carpenter who conceived and shaped this miracle: Alan of Walsingham and William Hurley.”

Ely is the second smallest city in England and its most famous attribute is the gorgeous cathedral. It is the third longest medieval cathedral in England, at 161m. It has several notable features that draw in visitors including the West Tower, its 14th-century Octagon Tower and its unique wooden lantern.

The West Tower was completed in 1189. It reaches 66m high and there are 288 steps up to the top. The 14th-century Octagon tower and its unique wooden lantern is considered one of the wonders of the medieval world, according to the cathedral’s website. It took 20 years to build and cost £2,406.

Thecathedral has raving reviews on Google, with 4.7 stars out of five among more than 7,000 reviews. One person said: “I’ve seen some of the finest cathedrals in the world and Ely is up there with the best of them. What a wonderful experience we had.”

Another visitor said it “fulfilled a lifelong ambition to visit this elephantine-looking place of worship”, adding that the cathedral “surpassed all my expectations”.

Meanwhile, someone else said: “Ely Cathedral is absolutely stunning. The architecture is breath-taking, especially the unique Octagon Tower and the spacious Lady Chapel. Inside, every detail feels majestic yet peaceful.”

Three services are held at the cathedral each day of the year for anyone to join. Visitors can tour the architecture, learn about its history and enjoy panoramic views by booking visitor tickets for £14. Children under the age of 16 can enter for free.

There are also options for tours of the Octagon Tower, Ground Floor or a West Tower experience.

By LEWIS BROWNING, SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 09:18 BST, 26 September 2026 | Updated: 09:49 BST, 26 September 2026

Manchester City have been found guilty of the vast majority of their rule-break charges concerning the Premier League’s financial regulations.

The competition accused the club of widespread financial cheating over an era of sustained success – with an independent panel hearing concluding in 2024.

The long-awaited verdict has now been reached with the belief it is a victory for the Premier League, despite Man City having strenuously denied the charges. 

The verdict could lead to a variety of punishments including huge points deductions, financial penalties, and even relegation.

Daily Mail Sport’s Mike Keegan provides answers to the key questions, including the next steps, Man City’s expected appeal and how serious the punishment could be.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

This cannot be viewed as anything other than an overwhelming victory for the Premier League. 

To see Manchester City found guilty of the ‘vast majority’ of the 115 charges is an outcome that Richard Masters will no doubt see as vindication for what has been a costly, long-running legal battle in which the stakes were incredibly high. 

It is safe to assume that had the tables turned the other way, the chief executive would have been in P45 territory. 

More important than that, those who City feel were the key protagonists, the so-called ‘Red Cartel’, will also feel vindication. 

To put it simply, Manchester City have been found guilty of cheating their way to success between 2009 and 2018, a period when they dominated English football.

The verdict cannot be viewed as anything other than an overwhelming victory for the Premier League and its chief executive Richard Masters

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

There has been no statement from the Premier League, while City’s only says that the process remains ongoing and is subject to strict confidentiality. 

What is clear is that City will appeal. What is not clear is whether the sanction will drop before any appeal.

WHAT ARE THE PUNISHMENTS?

Take your pick. Hefty points deductions, potential relegation and transfer bans are all on the table. Rule W51 in the Premier League handbook states ambiguously that ‘such other penalty as it shall think fit’ is an option.

There is, however, a scepticism among some, based on a lack of noise from many of the other clubs and the lenient punishment recently handed to Chelsea that whatever penalty lands will not see City stripped of titles or relegated. ‘They’ll get a slap on the wrist and ordered to pay legal costs and not much else,’ one exec predicted.

The verdict could lead to a variety of punishments including huge points deductions, financial penalties, and even relegation

HOW DOES AN APPEAL WORK?

In all likelihood City will appeal and recent cases tell us that they tend to be dealt with expeditiously. 

An appeal board would be set up, appointed by the chair of the panel and, again, featuring three people. Some feel that this would be an exercise in the Premier League marking its own homework. 

At this early stage, it is worth an assumption that City could argue the panel was not impartial. The bad news for them, however, is that this is a high bar to clear.

Unlike City’s case with UEFA, it cannot go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (who overturned UEFA’s findings).

WHAT ABOUT COMPENSATION?

Last year, in a move believed to have been instigated by former Arsenal chief executive Tim Lewis, the Gunners, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United served legal notices reserving their right to take action. 

Should the verdict stand, they will then seek damages for a wide variety of issues. The most costly claims are likely to come from those who say they missed out on Champions League qualification during the period in question thanks to City’s law breaking. But the scope would not end there. 

Clubs could also, for example, argue that as a result of the breaches they were unable to sign a calibre of player that would have allowed them to be more successful on the field. Some believe £200m would not be out of the question, but that remains to be seen.

Ex-Arsenal chief executive is understood to have instigated a move last year that saw the Gunners, Tottenham, Liverpool and Man United served legal notices reserving their right to take action

WHAT ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT FOOTBALL REGULATOR?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Regulator declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Sport. However, David Kogan will be well aware of the situation. 

The IFR was brought in for a variety of reasons, not least to ensure that those owning the nation’s football clubs were fit and proper to do so. The IFR would have the power to force City’s owners to sell, but such a scenario is viewed as unlikely.

DIDN’T CITY TRIUMPH OVER THE PREMIER LEAGUE RECENTLY ON SPONSORSHIP RULES?

They did, with three senior judges deeming the rules unlawful. As a result, a series of amendments were made. City again launched a legal challenge, but surprisingly came to an agreement with the Premier League in September. Those cases, however, were always separate to the 115, as it became known.

The Uprising, a medieval drama directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Andrew Garfield, is set to hit cinemas this autumn. The film draws its inspiration from the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 in England.

The studio’s synopsis presents the uprising as a “rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II”, with Garfield leading “an army of the people to face the king’s might in a fight for justice and survival”. Yet medieval accounts of the uprising describe the rebels as loyal to Richard.

The Anonimalle Chronicle, an anonymous 14th-century account written at St Mary’s Abbey in York by a probable eyewitness of the revolt, reported that the rebels had a watchword among themselves. The challenge was “with whom haldes [holds] yow?” – to which the appropriate reply was said to be: “Wyth kynge Richarde and wyth the trew communes [commoners].” Anyone who provided the wrong answer was said to have been put to death.

What, then, were the aims of the rebels portrayed in the film, and why were they seemingly so loyal to the king?

À lire aussi :
Who were the ‘peasants’ of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt? New database has answers

The aims of the rebels

The uprising of 1381 was in part caused by widespread discontent at government corruption. Richard succeeded to the throne in 1377 at just ten years old. His young reign was largely overseen by his uncle, John of Gaunt, and royal councillors.

The hundred years war (1337-1453) between England and France was going badly for the English cause, and the crown needed to raise money. It turned to a new form of taxation. The deeply unpopular “poll taxes” were raised three times in five years (1377, 1379 and 1381) – the last of which triggered the uprising.

Medieval chroniclers had little sympathy for the rebels. Yet even the Anonimalle Chronicle reported that it seemed the taxation “had not been properly or honestly collected, but had been raised from the poor people and not the rich to the great profit and advantage of the collectors”.

The rebels did not blame the king himself, but rather those around him who had misspent this money. This was a common political tactic in medieval England, whereby critics of the government blamed the king’s corrupt advisers.

During the parliament of Edward III’s reign in 1376, it had been claimed that various people “have in their hands without the king’s knowledge his wealth and treasure”.

Similar complaints were made in 1381. The Anonimalle Chronicle reported that the rebels said they had risen to save the king, “and to destroy traitors to him and the kingdom”.

The rebels had very specific targets in mind. They destroyed the Savoy Palace in London belonging to John of Gaunt, along with his household possessions. In his contemporary chronicle, Henry Knighton described how one rebel stole a fine piece of silver there – only to be thrown into the fire by other rebels who said “they were lovers of truth and justice, not robbers and thieves”.

The rebels besieged the Tower of London and managed to enter it. Among others, they seized and beheaded the archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury, who was also the chancellor of England, and Sir Robert Hales, the treasurer of England. Both men were held directly responsible for the poll taxes by the rebels.

Thomas Walsingham, a 14th-century monk of St Albans Abbey, questioned how the rebels managed to extract them from the tower. He claimed there were 600 men at arms and 600 archers garrisoned there – and accused them of cowardice, saying they were “inclined to appear more like the dead than the living” in allowing the rebels to take the officials.

When the king finally met the rebels at Mile End, the Anonimalle Chronicle reported that the rebels were said to have knelt before him, saying: “Welcome our lord king Richard, if it pleases you, and we will not have any other king but you.”

An end to serfdom

The rebels’ complaints went far beyond government corruption. They also wanted an end to all serfdom.

Serfs were forced to work the land for their lords and had many legal restrictions on their lives. Serfdom was seen as degrading and heavily resented by the peasantry.

Some of the demands of the rebels included that there should be no outlawry – a harsh legal penalty which meant anyone was technically allowed to kill an outlawed criminal. They also demanded that there should be no lords except the king himself; that the goods of the church be divided among the people of the parish; and that there should be no serfdom but that all men should be free.

They also targeted written records. The Anonimalle Chronicle reported that they “burnt all the register books and chancery remembrancers’ rolls” they found at Lambeth Palace. And they destroyed Temple Bar, including the “many muniments which the lawyers were keeping in custody”.

The young king Richard acceded to many of the rebels’ demands. Knighton described how the king granted a charter under his great seal “declaring that all men in the realm of England should be free”. After the suppression of the uprising, however, the charter was “quashed, annulled and adjudged worthless”.

The uprising was unsuccessful in many of the rebels’ aims. It was harshly suppressed and many of its leaders were tried and executed. Wat Tyler, a key leader of the revolt, was killed by William Walworth, the mayor of London, at Smithfield.

Yet the rebels had found their voice, one which resonated across England. The poll taxes were, after all, discontinued – and would not to be resurrected for centuries. Serfdom, already in decline, withered and died.