Almost all the talk about Rory McIlroy in the build-up to this year’s Masters related to the pomp.

In comparison, discussion about his game felt somewhat neglected.

When last year’s winner was finally able to focus on his golf on Thursday, McIlroy reminded everyone he is not in Augusta this week simply to serve up the Champions’ Dinner.

He is here to play. And he is here to win.

The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland shares the first-round lead with American Sam Burns after carding a five-under par 67, ensuring anybody who was sleeping on his chances of going back-to-back had been stirred.

McIlroy was among only 16 players in the 91-man field to finish under par, with conditions expected to get even firmer and faster over the next three days.

England’s Justin Rose, who was agonisingly denied his first Green Jacket by McIlroy in a nerve-jangling play-off last year, is three shots behind the leaders and alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler on two under par.

“I think winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one,” said McIlroy, who is aiming to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only men to retain the Masters.

“It’s hard to say because there are still shots out there that you feel a little bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making a good swing and not worry about where it goes.

“But it’s easier for me to make those swings and not worry about where it goes when I know that I can go to the champions’ locker room and put on my Green Jacket.”

Regan King approached the vehicle, which was parked in Southwick, Sunderland, on Tuesday March 17 and opened the door, before speaking to the driver, claiming to be homeless.

When the driver refused to interact with him, King insinuated he had a weapon concealed in his waistband, before demanding that they got out of the vehicle.

The driver did exit the vehicle but had the presence of mind to take the car keys with them.

Regan King, literally ran into the arms of the law, after his carjacking bid was thwarted (Image: Northumbria Police)

Realising he was unable to drive the car without the ignition keys, King attempted to drag the driver back to the vehicle.

The disturbance caught the attention of two people in the vicinity in Thompson Street, and they courageously came to the driver’s aid, chasing King from the scene.

It put a stop to the assault, although the driver was left shaken but unharmed following the incident.

In a panic, King thought it wise to seek refuge at nearby Southwick Police Station, dropping a hammer while en-route.

When the full picture of events emerged and the officers discovered exactly what had happened, King was arrested.

The 22-year-old, of no fixed abode, was subsequently charged with assault.

Appearing before South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court last week the defendant admitted the charge and was swiftly sentenced to a 10-week stint behind bars. 

Detective Sergeant Julia Williams, of Sunderland’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said: “We take pride in our stations being a place of refuge for those in need of help, however in this instance, it was straight back to custody for King.

“Incidents of this nature are very rare and are not something we take lightly.

“Thanks to his naivety, King ran straight into the arms of the law, and we were able to take swift and robust action against him.”

She thanked the passers-by who stepped in to help the car driver.

Read next … more court stories from The Northern Echo, by clicking here

“Without their help, this incident could have had a very different outcome.”

Anyone with information on suspected criminality in their area can contact Northumbria Police by sending a direct message on social media, or by using the ‘live chat’ or ‘report’ form function on the force website.

Alternatively, members of the public can simply ring 101 or, in an emergency, when a crime is taking place by ringing 999.

The TOWIE star discussed her experience with weight loss jabs on I’m A Celebrity… South Africa and left viewers in stitches with an air fryer rant

ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… South Africa star Gemma Collins has revealed details about her ‘unusual’ experience with ‘transformative’ weight loss injections.

The TOWIE favourite is presently participating in the Ant and Dec programme for the second occasion. Gemma notably departed the standard version of the show after 72 hours in 2014 in one of the series’ most astonishing moments.

With the current series of the pre-recorded All Stars edition of the programme launching at the start of the week, Gemma has proved popular with audiences.

So far she’s participated in a food challenge against Coronation Street legend Craig Charles and offered a glimpse into her romantic life with her fiancé Rami Hawash.

The 45-year-old had previously disclosed that she utilised Mounjaro injections to assist her in her weight loss endeavour, but discontinued them after suffering a gall bladder attack. In a previous interview with OK! Magazine, Gemma revealed she shed 8kg from the injections, reports the Manchester Evening News.

On Thursday night’s (April 9) instalment of I’m A Celebrity, Gemma and her fellow campmates at Savannah Scrub explored the recent surge in ordinary people using injections to aid with weight reduction.

This prompted Gemma to discuss her personal experience. “It is life changing, you can’t believe how amazing it is. You don’t think about food. When I was first doing it, me and Rami went for a Turkish meal. In my whole life if a bread basket came out [mimics eating it].

“Do you know how weird it was for me to sit there, have the bread in front of me. Do you know how bizarre that is? It was great, it was liberating,” she said.

Gemma went on: “That was in the very beginning. I ended up going to 15mg. That is when I got the pain…. I’m big anyway, I could lose 3st and not look different… I’ve done everything. It depends on your body. What works for you and you doesn’t work for me.”

Discussing Rami, Gemma revealed he adores her for ‘exactly who she is’. The pair are engaged for the third time and will ultimately tie the knot in 2026 after being forced to delay their nuptials in 2023 to concentrate on other commitments.

Later on, Gemma had her campmates in hysterics when she launched into a tirade about air fryers. According to Gemma, the kitchen appliance left her gasping for breath.

“The minute it went on, I felt like it sucked all the air from my kitchen. I couldn’t get any oxygen. From that day I gave it away,” she said.

I’m A Celebrity… South Africa is on ITV1 and ITVX

Former MAGA supporters including Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly and Alex Jones have attacked President Trump over the war in Iran, prompting the president to call them ‘troublemakers’ with ‘low IQs’

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Donald Trump has launched yet another social media outburst, this time turning his fire on former MAGA allies.

The president branded the likes of Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly and Alex Jones “nut jobs” after they all rounded on him over the conflict in Iran, reports the Mirror.

Trump’s polling has slumped amongst his core support base, who helped secure his re-election on a platform of putting ‘America first’. A number of prominent right-leaning media personalities have publicly attacked Trump over Iran, with Carlson and Kelly, both formerly of Fox News, amongst those leading the charge.

Kelly told him to “f***ing shut up about that sh*t” after he threatened to obliterate Iranian civilisation, while Carlson described Trump’s Easter message as “vile on every level”.

Trump has claimed that Carlson ‘couldn’t even finish college’ and labelled him a ‘broken man’ following his departure from Fox News. He has also taken aim at Candace Owens for alleging that the First Lady of France ‘may be a man, when she is not’.

The President branded Carlson, Kelly, Owens and Jones ‘troublemakers’ with ‘low IQs’. His outburst comes as Melania Trump issued a statement to the press, insisting that “lies” linking her to Jeffrey Epstein must cease.

Melania has insisted the “stories are completely false”, adding: “They 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.” Delivering a statement at the White House, she said: “My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success.” She maintained that she had “never been friends with Epstein”.

Donald Trump’s post in full

I know why Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones have all been fighting me for years, especially by the fact that they think it is wonderful for Iran, the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, to have a Nuclear Weapon — Because they have one thing in common, Low IQs. They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too! Look at their past, look at their record. They don’t have what it takes, and they never did!

They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some “free” and cheap publicity. Now they think they get some “clicks” because they have Third Rate Podcasts, but nobody’s talking about them, and their views are the opposite of MAGA — Or I wouldn’t have won the Presidential Election in a LANDSLIDE.

MAGA agrees with me, and just gave CNN a 100% Approval Rating of “TRUMP,” not Hand Flailing Fools like Tucker Carlson, who couldn’t even finish College, he was a broken man when he got fired from Fox, and he’s never been the same — Perhaps he should see a good psychiatrist!

Or Megyn Kelly, who nastily asked me the now famous, “Only Rosie O’Donnell,” question, or “Crazy” Candace Owens, who accuses the Highly Respected First Lady of France of being a man, when she is not, and will hopefully win lots of money in the ongoing lawsuit. Actually, to me, the First Lady of France is a far more beautiful woman than Candace, in fact, it’s not even close! Or Bankrupt Alex Jones, who says some of the dumbest things, and lost his entire fortune, as he should have, for his horrendous attack on the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, ridiculously claiming it was a hoax.

These so-called “pundits” are LOSERS, and they always will be! Now Fake News CNN, The Failing New York Times, and all of the other Radical Left “News” Organizations, are “hailing” them, and giving them “positive” press for the first time in their lives. They’re not “MAGA,” they’re losers, just trying to latch on to MAGA. As President, I could get them on my side anytime I want to, but when they call, I don’t return their calls because I’m too busy on World and Country Affairs and, after a few times, they go “nasty,” just like Marjorie “Traitor” Brown, but I no longer care about that stuff, I only care about doing right for our Country.

MAGA is about WINNING and STRENGTH in not allowing Iran to have Nuclear Weapons. MAGA is about MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and these people have no idea how to do that, BUT I DO, because THE UNITED STATES IS NOW THE “HOTTEST” COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! President DONALD J. TRUMP

“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.