“Nobody has been able to pronounce my name properly … but everybody knows what it means,” Elsa Schiaparelli once said, with typical self-assuredness.

A protagonist of surrealism, the Italian-born fashion designer was an extraordinary couturier who pushed the bounds of creativity, leaving her mark on Paris fashion and beyond. Dazzling, theatrical, witty and avant garde, her creative genius is the subject of the V&A’s latest blockbuster exhibition Fashion becomes Art in London.

More than 400 objects have been brought together by a fashion, art and photography curatorial team for the first exhibition of its kind in the UK to showcase her unique contribution.

It is Schiaparelli’s connection to the Surrealist movement that she is most renowned for, through her creative collaborations with the artists Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau.

One of the most iconic designs is Schiaparelli’s lobster dress, created in 1937 in collaboration with Dali, which demonstrates how her work blurred the lines between fashion and art – a theme articulated throughout the show. The lobster dress is on display in the room titled Creative Constellations, next to Dali’s famous lobster telephone which was created a year after the dress.

Schiaparelli was a designer who transformed what fashion could be, and who saw dress designing not as a profession but as art. Her autobiography, Shocking Life, highlights her innovative approach. She was the first to use shoulder pads and animal print, and will forever be known as the woman who created the colour of shocking pink. The exhibition showcases these themes including her strength as a colourist, beautifully illustrated by the Harlequin-style coat from her 1939 Modern Comedy Collection.

Schiaparelli transformed herself from an untrained designer to become the most discussed designer in Paris during the interwar period. The silhouettes, materials, embellishments, use of colour and accessories are curated beautifully against a mesmerising soundtrack, making this a fitting exhibition to showcase Schiaparelli’s extraordinary life.

From Rome to Paris

Elsa Luisa Maria Schiaparelli was born in a Roman palazzo to a family of aristocrats and intellectuals on September 10 1890. She left Italy for Paris at the age of 23, where she began to embrace a less conventional life.

Her first collection was launched there in 1927 – the same year she opened her atelier, where the more daring woman could buy knitwear featuring geometric black-and-white trompe l’oeil designs. These pieces remind us that in her early career, Schiaparelli was known for designing clothes for sport and leisure as a response to modern society’s growing interest in these pursuits.

As her creative style flourished, she transformed the everyday wardrobe through suits embellished with the most extraordinary buttons and unusual pocket placement. This is wonderfully illustrated in a coat designed for British socialite and star of the stage Pamela Carme, with buttons in the shape of Greek comedy/tragedy masks.

From extraordinary daywear to exquisite evening gowns, the exhibition delights with an array of creations that narrate Schiaparelli’s creative journey and radicalisation of the ordinary to the extraordinary.

The evening wear collections (Pour le Soir) embody her use of innovative materials such as cellophane, and her love of striking silhouettes. These drew the attention of socialites and celebrities, and established her as a leading designer of the 1930s who transformed the traditions of haute couture fashion.

Blurring the lines of fashion and art

The exhibition’s senior curator, Sonnet Stanfill, defines the 1930s as the era when Schiaparelli started to experiment with the boundaries between art and fashion.

Examples include the wonderful Circus Collection from summer 1938, which features the bone dress with its unique padded construction and visible zips. It stands as perfect example of Schiaparelli’s affinity with surrealist ideals and an innovative approach to materials and construction.

The surrealistic philosophy is further encapsulated through the display of lavish Schiaparelli jackets, where a shifting spotlight draws attention to embellishments and embroidery by the renowned Parisian embroidery house Maison Lesage.

There is a spectacular array of accessories on display, most notably Schiaparelli’s upside-down shoe hat – showcased in a circular glass bubble through which is framed, in the background, the lobster dress. Glimpsing further into the distance, the glass bubble reveals the 1937 evening coat designed with Cocteau with mirrored kissing faces beneath a cascade of pink roses. The display technique is a surrealistic spectacle in itself.

Beyond Paris

Other highlights include Schiaparelli’s creations for stage and screen. Featured work includes a trouser suit for Hollywood star Marlene Dietrich, who herself challenged the conventional ideals of femininity and female style.

Schiaparelli had a great passion for British textiles and in 1933 opened her London salon in Mayfair. According to her autobiography, London was the most masculine city in the world, and of the English she said: “They are profoundly honest, but mad, mad, mad.” Although her time in London was short-lived with the salon closing in 1939, she came to the attention of some notable clients including Lady Alexandra Haig, whose plum jacket is on display.

Schiaparelli retired and closed her fashion house in 1954. It lay dormant until its resurrection in 2019 under the creative direction of Daniel Roseberry. Many garments on display illustrate how Roseberry maintains the Italian designer’s vision by combining innovation with unpredictability.

Schiaparelli’s creative legacy continues, her aesthetic enthusiastically embraced by high-profile celebrities. The show includes Roseberry’s 2025 red Oscars gown, created for Ariana Grande who was nominated for best supporting actress in Wicked. Stanfill describes this as one of the exhibition’s highlight pieces.

Fashion Becomes Art takes visitors on a deliciously decadent journey through the world of Schiaparelli, where nothing was ever ordinary. While the correct pronunciation of her name may continue to confound (it’s Skaparelli), this exhibition ensures her creative genius is never in question.

Emergency services were called to Powlett Road at 5.30pm today (April 9), after a crash involving a person and a car.

The road is cordoned off at the junction between May Street and Millbank Road.

Officers remain at the scene and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

A spokesperson from Cleveland Police said: “Officers are currently at the scene of a collision that took place at 5.30pm on Powlett Road in Hartlepool involving a pedestrian and a car.

“Please avoid the area and use alternative routes.

“If you have information, dash cam or doorbell footage please get in touch either by calling 101 or visiting our website quoting reference number 066364.

“Thank you for your patience.”

The Northern Echo has contacted the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) for more information.

The 2024 All-Ireland winning skipper is hoping to play a part in Sunday’s Ulster Championship opener against Tyrone after working his way back to fitness after ankle surgery

Ulster SFC preliminary round: Armagh v Tyrone (Sunday, 4.15pm, Box-It Athletic Grounds)

Aidan Forker hopes to play some part in Sunday’s Ulster SFC clash with rivals Tyrone after being “pain free” for the first time in over a year.

The 2024 All-Ireland winning skipper was given the briefest of cameos against Dublin in Croke Park last month, but has spent the majority of the season working his way back after ankle surgery last autumn.

The Maghery clubman also says he never contemplated retirement, insisting there is more silverware to be won with his Armagh team.

“I’m finally pain free after many, many months, I’d say over a year at this stage,” said Forker.

“It’s been a long road for me in terms of the surgery and my back and stuff.

“It was just debilitating, like chronic pain. I was waking up every morning, struggling to move.

“With regards to the ankle, I couldn’t really run to my left, couldn’t sprint because of the back issue and again, chronic low-level pain all the time, but maybe waking up in the morning thinking you’re back to square one after a rehab session or whatever.”

In his quest to regain full fitness Forker, ironically, turned to a Tyrone native for help, albeit one based in Chile. Derrylaughan man Paddy Corey is now Forker’s Pilates instructor with the duo working online three or four times a week for the last six months.

It has been a difficult journey for Forker, but he never felt like calling time on his county career.

“I worked very hard, we worked very hard, I suppose, as a core group for many years to get Armagh to this level,” said Forker.

“I know the quality that we have, and I feel like there’s something there for us in terms of medals again.

“So, the appetite is there from the group, and I think, to be honest with you, the set-up is just second to none. I always remind the boys, especially the older lads, that we’re living our best days, and we probably don’t know it really.

“It’s not an easy thing to walk away from, but from a very practical point of view, we’re in the first division.

“We’re at the top table, and we’re right there with the top teams. I feel like, personally, I can add to it, and we can maybe do something, and it’s going to be hard for sure, but it’s hard every year.

“I feel we’re right up there with the top teams, that’s where you want to be as an athlete, so we’re trying to squeeze as much out of that as possible.”

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was in Greater Manchester on Thursday ahead of next month’s local elections

A suburban golf club is, you might think, a fairly unusual place to hold a political rally.

Plonked at the end of a single-track road, which has wound its way through a new-building housing estate before coming to an end of the golf club car park, Westhoughton Golf Club feels a bit like the middle of nowhere – and it sort of is.

With just a lonely railway line for company, beyond the undulating golfing green, you could walk for miles before ever reaching the relative civilisation of New Springs and Aspull, north-east of Wigan.

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But it welcomed a high-profile visitor today (April 9) as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage paid a visit to speak to prospective Reform candidates ahead of next month’s local council elections. Apart from one other, the Manchester Evening News was the only news outlet there.

This secluded idyll is a far cry from a similar event held just two months ago, when the nation’s media descended on an industrial unit in Denton teeming with people at the launch of the party’s official campaign for the Gorton and Denton by-election.

It’s been a slightly uneven start to the year for Reform in the region. They lost that election, with candidate Matt Goodwin coming second to the Green Party’s Hannah Spencer, although increasing their share of the vote in the process.

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Their candidate went on to win in the Tottington by-election, and now the party have councillors sitting on seven out of the ten Greater Manchester councils, a momentum they must now be hoping to build on.

The golf club building looked like any other in the country. Dusty trophies and 70s shots of golfers looked down from the stippled walls onto the shiny wood bar, around which several men were sat drinking pints.

Through the open doors into the function room, around 20 or 30 people could be seen at large round tables. Smartly dressed in suits and rosettes, they could have been at a company sales conference or their niece’s christening, chatting amongst themselves as they waited for their leader.

And soon he did, materialising as if from nowhere to exclaim at a bottle full of wine bottles he was due to sign for prizes in a raffle.

Fresh from other appearances in Sefton and Southport earlier in the day, Farage had arrived in a tank-like black Volvo, which remained parked right outside for the duration of his visit like a hovering crow, a tall man in a flat cap and tweed jacket standing just inside the door.

Another tall man in a suit and ear piece sat a foot away from Farage throughout his interview with the Manchester Evening News, looking down at his hands but listening to every word.

Farage was smartly dressed as usual in another tweed jacket, checked shirt and jolly red tie adorned with tiny Arabic numerals. “A gift from a friend in Dubai,” he said, oblivious to – or perhaps just unphased by – the slight tension in the air.

He was his usual bullish self throughout, touching on everything from Andy Burnham being blocked from standing in February’s by-election – ‘fascinating, the way that played out’ – to his view that the North West had become a ‘dumping ground’ for ‘young men crossing the Channel’.

‘Lord no’, Reform wouldn’t be changing their approach in the wake of February’s loss. “We did incredibly well, it was the best by-election campaign we’ve ever fought,” was the reply.

“The big lessons we’ve learned from it are ones that Manchester police have decided to ignore,” he claimed, in reference to the allegations of family voting, of which GMP said they found ‘no evidence’.

After just under ten minutes, it was time to wrap up. Farage was due to speak to the room full of what he called ‘political virgins’ next door, with many of Reform’s candidates this year never having campaigned or been members of a party.

“Get out and work,” Farage told us he’d be saying to them. “A lot of them are political virgins – they have never been members of a party, have never campaigned before, and some are a bit nervous about going out and knocking on doors.”

Could we sit in on his speech to candidates? “It’s no video,” was the reply. Could we at least listen? Again, a no – “he doesn’t really get to speak one-on-one to candidates much.”

The welcome, such that there had been one, was clearly at an end, and the party members trickling out of the clubhouse later on were equally tight-lipped. “I’m not going to talk about that,” said one, not unkindly, when asked about Farage’s address.

“Not a chance,” was the half-jovial, half-dismissive reply, as the men in flat caps walked to their cars. “You won’t print what we say anyway.”

Around half an hour after arriving, the fleet of Volvos was on the move again, Farage and his security just visible in the back through tinted glass. The clubhouse windows opened and raised voices and glasses clinking floated out onto the spring evening, and the car park was practically empty again.

Bullish, confident, garrulous – it was pretty much everything you’d expect of a Farage appearance. Standoffish at best towards the press: ditto.

But whether their message will travel from this quiet corner of a leafy suburb to the public, with which they are so keen to increase their foothold? That remains to be seen.

The appeal is running throughout April in support of National Pet Month and aims to help families struggling with the rising cost of pet care.

Customers can drop off donations at Aldi’s community collection points, with items distributed to nearby charities and groups through the supermarket’s partnership with Neighbourly.

Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, said: “Pets are part of the family, but the cost-of-living conversation rarely acknowledges them, when in reality, increasing costs are putting extra pressure on the whole household budget, including everyday essentials – like pet food.

“By making it simple for customers to donate in-store, via our existing partnership with Neighbourly, we hope to support local communities and help ensure families can continue to care for their much-loved pets.”

Aldi has worked with Neighbourly since 2019, donating the equivalent of more than 50 million meals to good causes across the UK.

This initiative helps reduce food waste while ensuring surplus food reaches those who need it most.

Steve Butterworth, CEO at Neighbourly, said: “Demand for support remains high for all daily household essentials.

“Aldi’s continued commitment – alongside the generosity of its customers – plays a vital role in supporting local charities and the communities they serve.”

Pet food and other necessities can be left at Aldi’s in-store donation points, which are available year-round for customer contributions.

Recent findings show that 86 per cent of pet owners have noticed a rise in the cost of caring for their animals.

This has led to increased demand for basic pet supplies from charities.

World-leading Great Ormond Street Hospital finds that children CAN take pills and often prefer them – and it could save the NHS millions

The NHS could start giving children tablets instead of liquid medicine and save millions of pounds, research suggests.

Pills cost a fraction of the cost and switching to them could save the health service sometimes tens of thousands of pounds a year just for one patient. A trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London found that patients as young as seven were successfully able to switch to pills, and in many cases preferred them to having to take unpleasant tasting liquid medicines.

The world-renowned children’s hospital is now planning to assess whether patients as young as four can successfully switch to cheaper tablets.

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Project co-lead Dr Antonia Dastamani, consultant paediatrician at GOSH, said: “It is common practice to ask patients how they’re finding treatment, or how they feel when they have injections, but we never thought to ask patients about the taste of medicines and whether they like them.”

The initial trial looked at 19 children aged seven to 13 with a condition called congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) which leads to high levels of insulin in the body. Sufferers have to take a medicine called diazoxide multiple times a day depending on their insulin and glucose levels to keep their blood sugar levels stable.

Until now children were given the medicine as a liquid – costing £15.50 per 50mg. In comparison diazoxide in tablet form costs just £1.15 per 50mg. Children were monitored to ensure their blood glucose levels remained stable and asked which form of medicine they preferred.

Researchers found that switching from liquid to tablets could save the NHS £40,000 per patient per year. CHI affects one in every 30,000-40,000 children.

Kate Morgan, Gosh clinical nurse specialist who co-led the project, said: “We knew the potential this trial had for savings, but the scale of the quality-of-life improvements for children and their families we are seeing is something we didn’t anticipate.”

What the kids thought

Jess Manktelow was one of the children who took part in the project and was switched to diazoxide tablets in April 2025. The 11-year-old from Kent explained: “It has made a big difference taking medicine that doesn’t taste horrible.

“There were times where I didn’t want to take it because of the taste. It makes things very easy for me now, I’m able to do it myself and it doesn’t take up as much time at school. When I’m doing things I like, like climbing, it doesn’t have as much impact and that makes me happy.”

Before the switch Jess’s school and family life had been organised around taking liquid diazoxide multiple times a day, which needs to be stored at room temperature in a glass bottle and drawn up with a syringe.

Jess added: “I would always get a lot of questions about the medication when I would go away camping or at airport for holidays. It would always be hard to explain why I need it so much, but it isn’t always an easy condition to explain.”

Mum Steph Manktelow added: “We were so excited when the team told us we could switch to the diazoxide tablets. We’d been hoping for some time, we knew it was a better solution and would allow Jess to have control over her condition and that is very important.”

There is emerging evidence to show that children are capable of swallowing tablets and capsules, particularly if they are taught how to do it from a young age. Previous research has looked at the possibility of establishing a ‘Pill School’ within the NHS to provide swallowing training sessions to children.

The new GOSH trial looking at tablets for kids as young as four could spark a change in the NHS as liquid medicines are more problematic as well as being more expensive. They generally have shorter expiry dates, require measuring the right volume to take and be more inconvenient to store and carry.

Project co-lead Dr Dastamani said: “This has shed a light on key questions we now want to ask children and young people about their care and treatment so they can be more involved and have more independence in their lives.”

Nurse Kate Morgan added: “Children are so much more than their diagnoses – they have full lives and families and their illnesses affect everyone, so it is very important we do all we can to make simple, positive changes that impact everyone for the better.”

The cost differences can be huge with common blood thinning drug warfarin costing £100 for a liquid bottle compared to £2 for 28 tablets.

Older people on PIP with lower rate mobility may be able to ask DWP to review their claim following a tribunal ruling on regulation 27

Certain groups of older people on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) with an award for the lower rate of mobility element may be able to request the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to review their claim following a recent change in legislation. Those over State Pension age may also be entitled to an increased award for the mobility component of PIP, even if they have stopped receiving the benefit.

It is important to note, however, that the change in law solely relates to claimants over State Pension age and their entitlement to the enhanced mobility award. DWP guidance confirms it only applies to PIP claims that were reviewed between April 8, 2013, and November 20, 2020.

This legislative change follows a tribunal ruling on May 22, 2020, which identified an unintentional gap in regulation 27 of the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013.

The guidance states: “DWP did not have the legal powers to restrict the mobility award for claimants who were in receipt of the standard rate of the mobility award and over State Pension age, on the grounds of new medical evidence. New medical evidence is a report from a health professional requested by DWP which recommended the enhanced rate of the mobility award.

“DWP were only able to restrict the mobility award for claimants if a relevant change in circumstances was identified after they reached State Pension age,” reports the Daily Record.

Amendments to PIP regulations came into force on November 30, 2020, to address this unintentional oversight. The DWP is urging anyone who believes they may have been affected to request a review of their claim.

Who may be eligible for PIP enhanced mobility rate?

The DWP previously relied upon a health professional’s report when reassessing claims, and if you had not flagged any change in your mobility requirements, you could be entitled to an uplift in your mobility award.

This is because the DWP should not have informed you that it could not be increased on the grounds that you had reached State Pension age — meaning you may have been entitled to additional funds.

The enhanced mobility rate is worth £80 each week during the current financial year, some £320 every four-week pay period. An award for the enhanced mobility rate could also enable someone to join the Motability Scheme, to assist them with getting around.

Eligibility

You may be entitled to an increased award for the mobility component of your PIP, even if you have ceased receiving PIP, if all of the following apply:

• You had your PIP claim reviewed between April 8, 2013 and November 20, 2020
• Youwere over State Pension age
• Youreceived the standard rate of the mobility award
• Youdid not report a change in your circumstances that affected your mobility needs
• Youhad a health professional assessment
• Youcontinued to receive the standard rate of the mobility award
• Your decision letter told you we could not increase your mobility award because you were over State Pension age

The DWP has also previously confirmed that if you are currently receiving PIP, your award will not be reduced as a result of this change. However, it noted that it is unable to revisit any decisions made by a tribunal.

How to apply

Contact the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 6579 and say you are enquiring about the ‘Regulation 27 administrative exercise review’.

You will need your National Insurance number.

You can also contact them by post, full details are on the GOV.UK website here.

Full details can be found on the GOV.UK website here.

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying Thursday that the “stories are completely false” and calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me.”

Reading an extraordinary statement at the White House, Melania Trump said she and her attorneys were fighting back against “unfound and baseless lies” in regards to her connections to the late financier, a convicted sex offender who leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

The seemingly out-of-the-blue message came as her husband, President Donald Trump, and his administration had finally seemed to move past more than a year of controversy surrounding Epstein, especially as the Iran war had become all-consuming in Washington. The first lady’s comments almost assuredly served to push the story back into the political spotlight even as the president urged the public and media to move on from the case.

The White House used its X account to reshare a video posted by the first lady’s office of Melania Trump reading her statement. White House officials did not respond to requests for comment on whether the president had prior knowledge of the first lady’s comments.

First lady calls for a congressional hearing for Epstein victims

The first lady spoke for about five minutes, reading her statement in the Grand Foyer, then walked away without taking questions. She did not go into detail on the accusations against her but said they came from “individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name.” She added that they were financially and politically motivated.

Melania Trump also called on Congress to hold a public hearing centered on survivors of Epstein’s crimes, with a chance to testify before lawmakers and have their stories entered into the congressional record.

“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” she said. “Then, and only then, we will have the truth.”

Two of Epstein’s accusers, Maria and Annie Farmer, reacted to the first lady’s comments by saying, “What we want is accountability, transparency, and justice.”

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and onetime fierce Trump supporter who resigned from Congress after a public falling out with the president, posted on X, “I am grateful to the First Lady for her brave statement today about Epstein and his victims.”

In that case, book publisher HarperCollins UK apologized to the first lady and retracted passages from a book suggesting Epstein played a role in introducing her and Donald Trump.

Melania Trump mentioned her husband several times in her comments. She said Epstein did not introduce her to Trump and that she met her future husband at a New York City party in 1998.

The first lady brought Epstein back to the forefront months after federal authorities released millions of pages of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted after months of public and political pressure that requires the government to open its files on the late financier and his confidant and onetime girlfriend, Maxwell.

Lawmakers complained when the Justice Department made only a limited release last month, but officials said more time was needed to review additional documents that were discovered and to ensure no sensitive information about victims was released.

Melania Trump said in her statement that she was not friends with Epstein or his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, but was in overlapping social circles in New York and Florida. She described an email reply she sent to Maxwell as “casual correspondence” without elaborating.

“My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,” she said.

Among the documents released by the Justice Department was a brief email from 2002 with the sender and recipient blacked out. It begins, “Dear G!” and ends “Love, Melania,” and compliments the recipient on a magazine article about “JE.”

“I know you are very busy flying all over the world,” it says. “How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY.”

That email was sent the same month that a New York Magazine article was published about Epstein in which Trump called the financier a “terrific guy.”

Among other documents released was an image from Epstein’s home showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Maxwell.

Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

___

This story has been corrected to show Melania Trump called her correspondence with Maxwell “trivial,” not a “trifle.”

___

Associated Press writers Stephen Groves in Washington and Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.

The liberated Rory McIlroy that his competitors dreaded following his Masters victory 12 months ago has emerged. And the five-time major winner exuded confidence after an impressive opening round.

With his Green Jacket securely stored in the champions’ locker room at Augusta National’s clubhouse, nothing could unsettle him as he battled through some wayward shots to produce a five-under-par 67, sharing the early lead with Sam Burns.

For over a decade, McIlroy carried the burden of Augusta National’s prestige and the weight of completing the career Grand Slam, but having conquered those challenges with his 2025 victory, he played brilliantly to navigate his way to the summit of the leaderboard.

“I’ve been saying all week that there is a certain freedom. If I hit it in the trees, it’s okay, I’ll go figure it out,” he said. “Wherever I hit it on this golf course, I feel like I’ve seen it all over the past 18 years, and I always feel like I can figure it out and get it to the front of a green, make a par, and move on, and I did that quite a bit on the front line today.

“Then I started find my game a bit on the back nine. I swung freely even when I was missing tee shots on the front nine. I still kept swinging. I didn’t start to get tentative; I kept swinging away, just hoping that sooner or later I’d find it, and I did.”

He added: “It’s a great start. There’s a long way to go, but yeah, I’m right in the tournament, and it’s a lot better than starting from seven behind going into the second round like last year. A great start, but I can’t get ahead of myself.”

McIlroy demonstrated he’s prepared to defend his Masters title successfully. The defending champion posted a five-under-par 67 to share the early lead alongside American Sam Burns at Augusta National.

Last year, 17 years of frustration at Augusta were finally laid to rest, and following months of searching for his next major challenge, the 36 year old is determined to add to his collection of five Major championships this week, reports the Express.

The fact he was some distance from his finest form for much of his opening round will only strengthen his conviction that he can join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods in successfully defending at the Masters.

Several rivals felt helpless watching his name surge up the leaderboard during the back nine; close mate Shane Lowry admitted feeling completely outclassed and joked McIlroy could win four consecutive titles.

The world No. 2 thoroughly embraced his role as defending champion this week before competition commenced, enjoying his time at Augusta National and wishing the experience could last forever.

That relaxed approach was evident in his early play. He began untidily, sending drives wayward in both directions, but his short game kept him in contention and prevented significant setbacks. His drive at the par-five second cleared the bunker but veered into the pine straw. A wayward second shot sailed beyond the gallery rope, yet he recovered brilliantly with an exceptional pitch to register his first birdie.

The Northern Irishman surrendered that gain at the third, but returned to red figures at the eighth courtesy of a penetrating 3-wood into the uphill par five, leaving him a simple birdie putt.

Further progress came at the ninth, where a powerful drive was followed by an accurate approach shot, and he converted the downhill putt to reach two under. Amen Corner loomed, and he negotiated the treacherous 12th and 13th holes safely before a 13th that perfectly summarised his round.

His tee shot failed to shape left, and his ball came to rest deep amongst the pines. Compelled to play out sideways, he created a mid-range birdie chance and successfully converted it.

For someone celebrated for spectacular play, this display prioritised grit over glamour – precisely the type of round he would have desperately craved during his previous Masters struggles.

A flash of classic McIlroy magic emerged at the 14th, finding the fairway and wedging close to move to four-under. His rhythm was building.

At the 15th, he grabbed a share of the lead, draining a lengthy downhill putt and celebrating with an emphatic fist pump. The 16th and 17th passed without incident, although he felt disappointed not to capitalise on promising birdie opportunities. Then came the scene of his career-defining moment. The pinnacle of his life’s ambition unfolded on Augusta National’s 18th green a year ago. This time, his drive missed the fairway, but he recovered smartly from the bunker with a measured second shot to the centre of the green.

A two-putt par capped off a threatening opening round for his competitors, showcasing the pragmatism and composure that only comes from a mind unburdened by pressure.

His preparation had been less than perfect, having nursed a back problem last month, but there’s no doubt that Rory McIlroy isn’t here simply to reminisce about past achievements.

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