A pint is raised toward the camera, a cigarette poised between manicured fingers, and beneath a sweep of platinum blonde hair a never-before-seen 19-year-old Maura Higgins fixes the lens with magnificent self-possession.

Standing between her protective older brother Jamie and one of his friends, she wears a tiny black dress with a silver satin panel. Even through the hard flash of a pocket camera, Maura is unmistakably the focus.

The images, taken in 2010 during one of many nights spent with Jamie and his friends around the St Matthew’s estate in Ballymahon, could hardly be further removed from the Maura that America now knows.

Sixteen years on, the peroxide has been swapped for glossy brunette and the local nights out have given way to red carpets.

For this young local girl from County Longford, Ireland, is currently the toast of Los Angeles, having relaunched herself as a glossy television star for a US audience.

Last week 6.7 million viewers tuned in to watch her dance the foxtrot on Dancing With The Stars with professional partner Mark Ballas in a glamorous, gothic routine.

Maura, second from right, stands in towering heels with one leg kicked out behind her in the exclusive pictures obtained by the Daily Mail

Maura wears a black dress with a silver satin panel in never-before-seen pictures from her youth in Ballymahon, Ireland

The reality TV star is the youngest of four children and left school at 16 to train as a hairdresser

Now, exclusive pictures obtained by the Daily Mail – from those who knew her growing up in Ballymahon – lay bare her dramatic transformation and the true extent of Maura’s unbelievable reinvention.

Taken over several years, they capture Maura drinking, smoking and partying with the friends who knew her first.

‘All the lads fancied her and she knew it,’ one local in a Ballymahon vape shop said. ‘Her brother was protective because she always attracted attention wherever they went, even then, but Maura did not need anybody to fight her battles.

‘She was very funny, very flirty and always got what she wanted. She loved being the little sister among Jamie’s friends because she could wind them up and give them cheek.’

The St Matthew’s estate, the resident recalled, was a self-contained little world in which teenagers drifted in and out of one another’s homes, piling into living rooms around box televisions with music playing and cheap drinks from the off-licence.

The pictures came not from a smartphone but a tiny digital camera, its hard flash preserving the checked shirts and side-swept fringes of 2010 in all their glory.

Such house parties were a speciality, locals said, but so too were the weekly discos.

One woman whose cousin grew up alongside her affectionately claimed Maura held ‘the record for the most kissing’ among the group.

‘Maura was at the discos all the time,’ she said. ‘She was wild, mad and great fun even then. They would dance, kiss boys and then head off into a field from the estate afterwards.’

It is the sort of local legend that survives where everybody knows everybody else – and where Maura used to joke there were only three streets and the entire town knew her business.

Officially, Ballymahon has rather more than three streets, but not by much. Set beside the River Inny in County Longford, 12 miles from Athlone, it had a population of just 1,714 at the 2022 census.

On Ballymahon’s rain-slicked main street last week, the Daily Mail retraced Maura’s route from the low, cream-painted bungalow where her mother still lives – set amid clipped hedges, flowering shrubs and an immaculate lawn – to the shops, salons and pubs where she grew up.

The pictures – from those who knew her growing up in Ballymahon – lay bare Maura’s dramatic transformation and the true extent of her unbelievable reinvention

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The pictures came not from a smartphone but a tiny digital camera, its hard flash preserving the checked shirts and side-swept fringes of 2010 in all their glory

An old photo-booth picture shows Maura in a white masquerade mask, crowded into the photo alongside her mother Sharon and sisters Louise and Becki

A raven-haired Maura wears red lipstick as she leans into one of her brother’s friends at a nightclub back in 2014, with one hand resting against his checked shirt

Over several hours, across shop counters and beside salon washbasins, the same portrait emerged: Maura’s success had astonished nobody who knew her before it.

Almost every mention of the town’s most famous daughter brought a smile of recognition, with one local saying: ‘America’s only finding out now what we’ve known for years – she’s a star.’

At Skelly’s, a family-run Main Street pub established in 1850, an open fire, cosy alcoves and hidden nooks preserve the warmth of old Ballymahon. Residents repeatedly called it ‘the heart of Ballymahon’ and remembered it as Maura’s favourite haunt.

‘Sure, this was her favourite place,’ one regular said. ‘She was in here all the time, just all the time. We haven’t seen her for years, but we are all rooting for her. She will absolutely smash America.’

Another added: ‘She always talked about getting out and seeing more of the world, but she never behaved like she was better than anybody here. That is why Ballymahon is so proud of her.’

Maura, 35, the youngest of Sharon and Seamus Higgins’s four children, attended Forgney National School and Ballymahon Vocational School before leaving at 16 to train as a hairdresser, sweeping floors, making coffee and graduating to the occasional blow-dry.

Caithriona Egan, who trained her at Occasions hair salon, remembers an apprentice whose comic timing was as sharp as her scissors.

‘She was a very, very good hairdresser – and so, so funny,’ she said. ‘A total character. You always knew there was something about her. She was never going to stay quiet, that one. She never did stay quiet here.’

Maura later moved across the road to Halo Hair Design, where the hours fitted around her burgeoning modelling career.

An online call for Monster Energy promotional girls opened a world beyond Ballymahon; she won a place and eventually left hairdressing to travel with the brand, sometimes taking nine flights in a week.

Work as a ring girl and motor-racing grid girl followed, along with an appearance in Liam Payne and Zedd’s 2017 video for Get Low. By the time Love Island called in 2019, she had some 40,000 Instagram followers, although she told her mother she expected to be home within a week.

Instead, her arrival detonated the fifth series. Her undiluted Longford vowels, sexual confidence and refusal to be embarrassed made her its breakout star.

Maura wears a hot-pink satin mini dress – as polished as any celebrity at a premiere – as she is sat alongside relatives Cathal, Katie and Kayla, in another of the pictures uncovered by the Daily Mail

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The unearthed images capture Maura drinking, smoking and partying with the friends who knew her first back in Ireland

Maura used to joke there were only three streets in Ballymahon and the entire town knew her business. Ballymahon is set beside the River Inny in County Longford

Caithriona Egan, who trained Maura at Occasions hair salon, said she ‘was a very, very good hairdresser – and so, so funny’

She finished fourth with dancer Curtis Pritchard, 30, but left with 1.5 million new followers and ‘fanny flutters’ lodged permanently in the reality-television lexicon.

The old photographs suggest none of this was invented for television. In another softly lit nightclub frame taken in 2014, the platinum streak is gone and Maura, now raven-haired and immaculate in black lace and berry-red lipstick, leans into another of her brother’s friends, with one hand resting against his checked shirt.

As one local put it: ‘She was not simply the younger sister allowed to tag along, but firmly part of the gang.’

Others capture the evolution of her hometown glamour: friends lined up in fitted black dresses; Maura in towering heels with one leg kicked behind her; and a photo-booth picture in which she peers through a white masquerade mask, crowded into the frame with her mother Sharon and sisters Louise and Becki.

Later, she is pictured in a hot-pink satin mini dress – alongside relatives Cathal, Katie and Kayla – as polished as any celebrity at a premiere but squeezed happily around a pub table beside pints, handbags and phones.

Yet while Maura may arrive home with a famous boyfriend or designer wardrobe, Ballymahon refuses to be impressed by the performance of fame.

That was evident at Christmas 2024, when she brought former Strictly contestant Pete Wicks, 37, to nearby Glasson Lakehouse, a luxury hotel and golf resort on the shores of Lough Ree.

Approached along a sweeping avenue of ancient beech trees, the secluded retreat sits amid manicured grounds overlooking the water. The couple stayed in one of its three Lakeview Suites – complete with a separate sitting room, fireplace and broad balcony – which then cost around €600 (£514) a night.

‘Pete was the loud one,’ a barman at the hotel recalled. ‘You always knew when he was in the room.

‘He seemed very proud to be with her, like he couldn’t quite believe his luck. He was a bit more showy, and Maura isn’t like that.’

Her ascent has nevertheless been formidable. In January, she joined Hollywood’s elite at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills, wearing an off-the-shoulder black gown by Marmar Halim, its sculptural gold-foil sleeves billowing around her as she swept along the red carpet.

She has also walked the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway in Miami and made history as the first contestant from the UK edition to cross into Love Island USA in a hosting role, fronting Aftersun.

Throwback images of the star have previously revealed her dramatic transformation since one of her school photos where she had a long fringe

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The Love Island star’s ascent has been formidable – as last week 6.7 million viewers tuned in to watch her dance the foxtrot on Dancing With The Stars

She and professional partner Mark Ballas scored 21 points for their foxtrot to Alannah Myles’s Black Velvet on Wednesday

Earlier this year, she was runner-up on The Traitors US, where she met Ballas, 40. She will also co-host Peacock’s forthcoming Get Me Out of Here – an American reboot of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! – alongside the programme’s winner, Rob Rausch, 28.

On Wednesday, the former Ballymahon hairdresser scored 21 points for a foxtrot to Alannah Myles’s Black Velvet with Ballas, earning sevens from Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli. It left her joint top and leading the female contestants – an extraordinary US primetime debut for a woman who insists she has never danced before.

Back home, the time difference has proved no obstacle. Egan said the salon staff were following ‘every step,’ even if it meant catching up the following morning.

Sharon, repeatedly described around town as a ‘beaming mammy,’ had travelled to America to watch her youngest daughter in person.

‘She’ll always be Maura from Ballymahon to us,’ said one local in the town’s SuperValu grocery shop. ‘America can have her for now, but we want her back.

‘She could be on American television one night and sitting in here with her mammy the next, and nobody would bat an eyelid.’

Outside Sizzle School of Dance, where the town’s young girls practise their own routines, an elderly resident imagined them watching Maura beneath the lights of a Los Angeles ballroom and daring to picture a larger life.

‘You can see them twirling around in their dresses, dreaming of being on the telly in LA,’ she said.

They could scarcely have a more fitting example. For long before America learnt her name, Ballymahon had already seen Maura command a disco dance floor, charm a room and enjoy a party.

The dresses are more expensive now, the cameras infinitely kinder and the pints have been replaced by a glitterball campaign – but that look into the lens has not altered at all.

Many of us pack this inexpensive travel gadget as a way of getting some additional sleep while we’re on a plane, but a warning has been issued that one bad habit can lead to a nasty infection

Planes can be bright and overstimulating places, which is why taking out an eye mask and blocking it all out can be a sweet relief for holidaymakers.

But frequent travellers are warning that wearing a reusable eye mask against the eyelids for hours can cause a build-up of make-up, skin oils, dirt, and moisture, with this residue potentially leading to infections such as blepharitis.

While clean, correctly fitted masks are generally safe to wear, grubby masks or those that aren’t properly dried could cause irritation, especially if worn on repeated journeys. Tina Patel, a contact lens optician from Feel Good Contacts, previously told Wales Online: “Too often, we pack our sunglasses, glasses, and lenses – but pack bad habits too.”

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She explained: “People think of eye masks as a harmless way to block out light, but on a plane, they can also be a breeding ground for germs. Add contact lens into the mix and you have a greater chance of infection.”

Tina said travelers should look out for certain types of accessories: “If you do choose to wear an eye mask, look for an eye mask with antibacterial properties, like Sterileyes, which can kill 99.9% of bacteria on the fabric. Choose an eye mask which is properly fitted to avoid putting any pressure on your eyes. Also, make sure to remove contact lenses before napping on a flight, and make sure you use a freshly washed mask. It could save you from having a ruined holiday, or worse,” she said.

Planes can be breeding grounds for germs, and in addition to checking any travel accessories, passengers should also make themselves aware of the dirtiest parts of a plane.

A viral TikTok posted by @The_lab_life, who specialises in science content, showed her taking swabs from various parts of a plane, incubating the samples to see which areas had the most bacteria.

The areas tested included the headrest, tray table, and the notch that opens it, and the toilet door handle. All tested areas came back with a variety of bacteria named, such as streptococcus, which can cause infections in the nose, ears, and throat. But the good news is, the results were “much better than expected”, with the scientist concluding the results were consistent with the levels of germs found in many public places.

The NHS names the symptoms of blepharitis as:

• sore eyelids
• itchy eyes
• a gritty feeling in the eyes
• flakes or crusts around the roots of the eyelashes
• eyelids sticking together in the morning when you wake up

It warns that symptoms can come and go, and advises anyone with the condition to clean their eyelids twice a day and see a pharmacist if they need further advice.

While the NHS advises that the condition is “not usually serious”, it warns that you should call 111 or get an urgent GP appointment if you experience pain in your eyes, changes to your vision, such as vision loss or blurred vision, or very red eyes, as these can be signs of a more serious eye conditon.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

It’s killer robots versus super intelligence.

Visions of the future straight out of comic books are playing out at the United Nations as world leaders talk about the threat — or promise — of artificial intelligence.

Once again it was Donald Trump against the U.N, chief and other leaders on a pressing issue involving science and the future, echoing ongoing disputes over the threat of climate change.

Armed with a new U.N. science report that warns of a slight but real potential of catastrophic and irreversible harm, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres kicked off the parade of world leaders speaking at the General Assembly by calling for more oversight of AI, warning in vivid if not ominous terms of what could go wrong.

“Let us resolve that life-and-death decisions must never be surrendered to machines. Killer robots must have no place in our future,” Guterres said in his farewell address to world leaders. He also warned about AI in his first General Assembly address a decade ago.

With Guterres saying the world needs to “advance the conditions for the responsible pacing of AI and the additional safeguards needed to address risks,” the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday will address how to place some kind of controls on the technology and it will feature some of the biggest names in the field.

It’s super, not artificial, Trump says

Less than an hour later, Trump was having none of that. “The United States also totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control for the artificial intelligence being spoken of so much. Now here and after officially called super intelligence, changing the name,” he said.

World leaders speaking after Trump used “artificial intelligence” — not “super.”

“Every major new technology brings challenges, and superintelligence is no exception,” Trump said. “Yet the very same people who said we’ll all be dead in 12 years because of global warming, a name since reborn to climate change, because the planet was cooling, not warming, and nobody was dead. These are the same people that are now saying that AI is going to kill us all, that robots are going to attack us, and that everything is going to be a total disaster.”

Trump was referring to a 2018 UN report that outlined the danger of human-caused climate change for long-term breaching of the internationally agreed-upon threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming since pre-industrial time and said it was 12 years away.

Studies now say that breach is imminent in the next few years. That report — along with other science documents — did not say everyone would die. It said extreme weather would get more dangerous and that reducing pollution could prevent 100 million premature deaths over the next 82 years.

Also, the world has not cooled, but warmed 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit (0.45 degrees Celsius ) in the Past 12 years, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Go slow but cooperate, others say

The problem is both Trump and Guterres reduce the issue to something that’s not useful, says University of Chicago computer science department chairman Henry Hoffmann.

“One turns it into a science-fiction movie; the other turns it into a nonissue,” Hoffmann said in an email. “Both push people to pick a team instead of engaging with the real risks and the possible mitigations. There shouldn’t be ‘sides’ on whether we need adequate control over powerful autonomous systems. The interesting debate is over what mechanisms actually provide that control.”

Other nations want to make sure they are not left behind during an AI race between the U.S. and China, which Trump said America is winning. French President Emmanuel Macron and Guterres also made the issue about protecting children.

“Let’s not wait for the consequences to come raining down on AI,” Macron said. “We must act now to protect our children and our young people.”

Finland President Alexander Stubb, like other leaders, said AI will change the world, potentially for good, but needs strong controls.

“Artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology in the history of mankind. It will impact science, the economy, politics, security and the very essence of our humanity,” Stubb said. “Humans can and should be in the driver’s seat. We have a choice. We can compete, cooperate or slow down. For me, cooperation if the best way forward.”

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told a meeting of business leaders on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly that he wants to see “a single set of global principles and standards” that can unlock AI’s potential while mitigating its risks.

He said forging “AI for good” will be the main focus of the UK’s presidency of the G20 group of nations next year.

Before Monday’s speeches, Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, a political risk advisory firm, said AI has the potential to make the world cleaner, improve technology and improve lives — but can be scary. Trying to deal with AI might be, like climate change, one of the most meaningful roles the United Nations could have, but its power is limited, Bremmer said.

Wednesday’s Security Council AI meeting will include some of the biggest names in AI, including those who have recently sounded the alarm about the need for guardrails. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, followed by Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, and finally Clément Delangue, who is the CEO of and co-founder of Hugging Face, which was hacked by a rogue OpenAI program.

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Edith M. Lederer, Jill Lawless and Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report from the United Nations.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Coleen Rooney looked nothing short of sensational in a glamorous white satin outfit as she joined husband Wayne at their Disney+ premiere in London on Tuesday. 

The couple, both 40, looked happier than ever as they launched their new reality show The Real Rooneys at Picturehouse Central in Piccadilly Circus.

Coleen stunned in the elegant long cowl neck blouse which she layered over matching wide legged trousers. 

The mother-of-four elevated her frame in a pair of white stilettos and accessorised with chunky gold earrings. 

Coleen draped a stylish white coat over her shoulders as she arrived at the premiere alongside former footballer Wayne, who looked dapper in a navy suit.  

The couple were supported by a number of their friends as well as a number of stars who gathered for the launch of The Real Rooneys reality show.

The couple, both 40, looked happier than ever as they launched their new reality show The Real Rooneys at Picturehouse Central in Piccadilly Circus

Coleen stunned in the elegant long cowl neck blouse which she layered over matching wide legged trousers

Meanwhile their pals Darron Gibson and his wife Danielle were all smiles as they showed their support to the couple. 

Danielle put on a very leggy display in black opaque tights which she layered a white shirt with a huge bow and a grey blazer over. 

Phil Bardsley and wife Tanya coordinated in chocolate brown as they posed for photos on the red carpet. 

The Real Housewives of Cheshire star turned heads in a plunging brown blouse which she tucked into a stylish leather skirt. 

Meanwhile ex United defender Phil rocked a dapper brown jacket layered over a white T-shirt and trousers.

This Morning star Sian Welby turned heads in a black leather miniskirt and snake print jacket as she beamed for photos.

The presenter added inches to her frame in a pair of black ankle boots and toted her belongings in a burgundy handbag. 

Love Island couple Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde looked happier than ever as they attended the premiere. 

The mother-of-four elevated her frame in a pair of white stilettos and accessorised with chunky gold earrings

She wore her brunette tresses swept back in a sleek up do

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She cut an elegant figure as she posed up a storm

Her parents Colette and Tony were there to support the couple 

It was a huge night for the couple ahead of the release of the series 

Wayne looked slim as he posed in his suit

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They then took to the stage inside the screening 

Their families were there to support them

Wayne flashed a smile as he arrived for the premiere 

Coleen and Wayne’s appearance was also their first since it was reported that the former Manchester United star is in talks to follow his wife into the I’m A Celebrity jungle, in what would be their biggest ever signing.

According to reports, the former footballer would secure the biggest fee in the show’s 24-year history – more than Coleen, who made a record-breaking £1.5million for her jungle stint two years ago.    

Last year, Wayne spoke about how he wanted to appear on I’m A Celebrity. 

He said: ‘[I’m A Celebrity] is something I would never say no to, of course. I think I said on the aftershow when Coleen was in the jungle, that was the one we’ve always watched and the one we both said if there was anything we’d do it’d be that.

‘So, you never know in the future, but I’ve got other things I’m looking at at the minute.’

Now TV insiders say he is keen to head to the jungle and impress his four sons.

They say there is potential for Coleen and their three youngest sons Klay, 13, Kit, ten, and eight-year-old Cass to all fly to Australia to support him, while Kai, 16, could remain in the UK to focus on training after securing a scholarship with Manchester United. 

He will have tough competition though as Coleen made it to the final in 2024, with the WAG finishing in second place to McFly star Danny Jones. 

She showed off her outfit as she left their hotel earlier in the night  

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Wayne looked dapper in a navy suit for the occasion

She boosted her height with white heels and wore statement earrings 

She looked in great spirits as she headed out 

Coleen draped a stylish white coat over her shoulders as she arrived at the premiere alongside former footballer Wayne

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Wayne looked dapper in a navy suit and white shirt as he arrived at the bash 

Meanwhile their pals Darron Gibson and his wife Danielle were all smiles as they showed their support to the couple

Phil Bardsley and wife Tanya coordinated in chocolate brown as they posed for photos on the red carpet 

This Morning star Sian Welby turned heads in a black leather mini skirt and snake print jacket as she beamed for photos

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Love Island couple Nathan Massey and Cara De La Hoyde looked happier than ever as they attended the premiere

A source told The Sun on Sunday: ‘Wayne is in advanced talks for I’m A Celebrity and if they secure him, he’ll be their biggest signing in the show’s history, Coleen proved to be hugely popular when she took part two years ago and bosses think Wayne is going to match her success.

‘Wayne wants to show their sons what their dad can do and has joked he’ll be giving Coleen a run for her money. He is really competitive and hates losing so will give I’m A Celebrity his all.

‘It’s something Coleen thinks will be great for him too. She’ll be backing him all the way and has been giving him hints and tips about life in the jungle.’ 

The Daily Mail has contacted Wayne’s representatives for comment. An ITV representative told the Daily Mail: ‘Any names suggested for I’m A Celebrity are just speculation’.

Earlier in the day, Coleen was teasing her attendance by taking to Instagram to share an image of her own brand electrolyte sachet with a press pack and the caption: ‘Big day ahead. Starting with my debloat before The Real Rooneys premiere tonight.’ 

The eagerly-anticipated 10-part series goes behind the scenes of one of Britain’s most famous families as Coleen and Wayne, both 40, navigate their busy careers alongside parenting Kai, 16, Klay, 13, Kit, 10, and Cass, eight. 

A synopsis for the show reads: ‘With unprecedented access, we follow the family through the highs and lows of married life, raising four lively boys, and supporting eldest son Kai as he pursues his own footballing dream.

‘Along the way come surprising personal revelations, career-defining moments, lavish celebrations and unforgettable family holidays…

‘From their Cheshire home to Barbados and the snowy Alps, this is Britain’s most famous and private family as never seen before: warm, funny and authentic.’

Teasers for the show have showcased happy moments, their children’s cheeky behaviour and tensions in the couple’s 18-year marriage. 

In between fun-filled clips, there are tender moments in the trailer, as Coleen is seen hitting out at Wayne while on holiday saying: ‘This is supposed to be a family holiday. You can’t keep doing what you’re doing,’ before storming off a sunbed. 

The camera then shoots to Wayne, who jokes: ‘The doghouse manual? I’m on me third book’ – a reference to his various scandals over the years.

Coleen is then seen breaking down to a pal as she states: ‘It’s hard juggling everything, like the house is not happy.’

The Real Rooneys premieres on September 24, exclusively on Disney+

Earlier in the day, Coleen was teasing her attendance by taking to Instagram to share an image of her own brand electrolyte sachet with a press pack and the caption: ‘Big day ahead. Starting with my debloat before The Real Rooneys premiere tonight’

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A synopsis for the show reads: ‘With unprecedented access, we follow the family through the highs and lows of married life, raising four lively boys, and supporting eldest son Kai as he pursues his own footballing dream

Elsewhere, while Coleen is mainly tight-lipped about her Wagatha Christie case, she admitted that a combination of the scandal and her appearance on I’m A Celebrity in 2024 led to great career prospects, including launching her Primark range.

As well as working on her clothing line in the clip, she is seen on set with Danny Dyer to film in a high-profile Paddy Power Games advert alongside Gemma Collins titled ‘Come Out and Play’, which launched in October 2025.

Despite this, when asked about who is more famous between his mum and dad, Klay sheepishly states: ‘My dad. My mum’s only known because of my dad.’

The series will see the family both at their Cheshire home and on holiday in their beloved Barbados, Disneyland Paris and the Alps.

Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass are seen frequently causing havoc both in and out of the house, with Coleen being forced to shout at them in the car.

Despite much discussion over their £20million home dubbed ‘The Morrisons Mansion’, due to the palatial house’s likeness to a supermarket chain, Coleen says: ‘This house is everything I’ve dreamed of – the problem is I have to share it with our four boys’.

Disney+ and Amazon had a bidding war for months to have the rights for the show, with Disney+ winning the race with the massive £10million fee.

Sources close to the project say Coleen will be paid £5million with the remainder going to production company Lorton Entertainment, which made her previous show, Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story.

One insider said: ‘It has taken months of bidding against one another. The money has gone up and up and has got to £10 million, which is way higher than was first imagined, but Coleen is very much in demand.

Teasers for the show have showcased happy moments, their children’s cheeky behaviour and tensions in the couple’s 18 year marriage 

The show follows Wayne and Coleen’s life with their four sons 

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‘Both streamers were aware of the viewing public’s appetite for the inside track on footballers’ home lives.

‘The Beckhams documentary was the most-watched show on Netflix in the UK last year, and has racked up more than 200 million hours of viewing time globally.

‘Coleen is loved by the British public, especially since she played a blinder on I’m A Celeb. It wasn’t surprising that Disney and Amazon wanted it and went head to head.

‘It will make for compulsive viewing. It won’t just feature Coleen but Wayne and their children, too. It might be expensive, but the view is that it will be worth every penny.’

Coleen’s success stands in stark contrast to a similar project involving her arch foe, fellow WAG Rebekah Vardy.

Coleen defeated Rebekah, wife of former Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, in her ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial in 2022, leaving Rebekah with a £3million legal bill.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal Rebekah has been quietly filming a pilot for a reality show with Freeview channel, W. However, industry sources say TV executives ‘were not exactly enthralled’ by the results.

Stream The Real Rooneys on Disney+ from September 24

Both shops suffered damage

Two village shops in a Cambridgeshire village were burgled within 24 hours. The first happened at about 3.50am on Monday (September 21) when a man smashed the front door panel of the Co-op in High Street, Willingham.

A smoke security system was activated and the man, who was reportedly wearing blue jeans, a black top, baseball cap and a snood covering his face, left the store empty-handed running in the direction of Church Street. The force was then called at about 1am today (September 22) with reports of a break in at the One Stop in Church Street.

Two men dressed in black with balaclavas arrived in a black vehicle and smashed the front store window, according to Cambridgeshire Police. They allegedly filled a bag with cigarettes and left in the vehicle towards Green Street.

The force has said that no arrests have been made and investigations remain ongoing. Detective Sergeant Jonathan Lockwood said: “We appreciate these incidents will cause concern within the local community and would like to reassure residents that a thorough investigation is underway.

“I would encourage residents and business owners to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity, no matter how minor it may seem.”

Anyone with information or anyone who has CCTV or dashcam footage which may assist the investigation, is asked to report online www.cambs.police.uk quoting reference 35/73400/26 or call 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

What is REM sleep?

How sleep stages appeared to relate to disease risk

Sleep duration mattered, too

The gameplay trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, one of the most anticipated entertainment releases of the decade, landed at the end of August. For those unfamiliar with it, the satirical video game is famous for allowing players to drive around a fictional US city committing crime and shooting people. But as well as misdemeanours, it has also given them the chance to engage in a form of in-game politics.

The previous instalment of Grand Theft Auto, GTA V, was a huge hit, grossing US$1 billion (£750 million) faster than any other game in history. But it remains controversial – both politicians and academics have examined the franchise’ effects amid concerns it may be harmful to young people.

Despite a petition and an eventual ban in Australia however, even negative UK reviews of the fifth instalment, released in 2013, still found space to praise the game for how enjoyable it could be.

When playing online, gamers around the world can connect to play out their own stories in the fictional city of Los Santos. In these emergent worlds, players use proximity voice chat (meaning they can “hear” other people only when they are close to them in the game) to embody characters and interact. Collectively, they can create an ongoing story that might involve protest or politics.

Working, marrying and voting

My research explores how players engage in politics in online roleplaying spaces.
As part of my ongoing PhD, I lived as my avatar “Alice” for six months in GTA V roleplaying servers. I learned the roleplayers’ rules, came to understand their customs and became part of their community. I worked, attended events, became a reporter and even married a gang leader.

Over time, logging in to a four or five-hour GTA session felt like returning to a familiar city rather than just playing a game. These were spaces where players lived full and immersive lives, working as cleaners, for example, holding Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and attending weekly church services delivered by an in-game minister.

To avoid dating this latest instalment, the game’s developer, Rockstar Games, has not made any references to Donald Trump or COVID. But when it comes to how politics happen in the game, Rockstar’s control ends where the players’ creativity begins. Players in some servers used simple, town hall votes to make decisions about important (and, in the context of GTA, relevant) issues such as increasing police powers. They even borrowed the UK parliament’s division lobby of “ayes” and “noes”.

Others held elections to choose their governor and legislative branch, forming a comprehensive political structure complete with government departments. The legislature could introduce and debate new laws, while the judicial system provided a mechanism for resolving disputes.

I took part in one server’s biannual election, culminating in going to city hall to cast my ballot. The election looked surprisingly familiar. At the debates, candidates made opening statements, answered questions from the host and then faced questions from an audience of players.

One asked how they would write a bill, a test set by a former member of government to see whether candidates understood the job. Another asked where they stood on the death penalty. Voting involved a trip to city hall and ranking my voting preferences on the ballot paper.

In interviews, some players described relatively limited engagement with conventional politics. One participant, a 26-year-old UK man, told me, “No, I don’t vote … I thought about it a couple of times but … I don’t know what actually goes on, I don’t know what they’re doing”. Yet within the server he was enthusiastically participating in decision-making and political discussions.

Across my research, I repeatedly saw players adding political institutions and processes to spaces where they did not already exist. They had found ways to decide who gets what, when and how in the server – perhaps the essence of politics – in an effective and engaging way.

Offline, dissatisfaction with politics is high, trust in politicians is low and turnout at elections is falling. So it is striking that players are taking politics to GTA V online roleplaying servers, beyond Rockstar’s original design.

For some, the online space is more engaging – players encounter forms of political participation that feel meaningful to them. The fictional setting does not make participation fictional: players still spend their time debating candidates, negotiating rules, voting and deciding what should happen in the community they inhabit.

GTA VI will be released in November and will undoubtedly be shaped by Rockstar’s decisions. The company can decide which political subjects to leave out and which to include. But once millions of players enter GTA VI’s online worlds, they will bring their own ideas, communities and forms of organisation with them.

These online communities show that politics can come from players who create elections, governments, debates and decision-making themselves. So perhaps the question isn’t whether the new instalment of GTA will be political. It’s what players will do with the political possibilities it gives them.

While Ms X raised multiple concerns, the watchdog found the council was not at fault for the way it initially handled her homelessness application or for the accommodation it offered her, but for how it responded to her reports of disrepair and failing to keep the suitability of her accommodation under review.

The Mayor of Norton, Cllr Di Keal said she is concerned over the danger to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians at the Welham Road and St Nicholas Street junction at the level crossing today in Norton.

Cllr Keal, said: “Having witnessed “the total chaos” I have contacted Northern Gas Networks (NGN) again to request a sensible option of reversing the diversion they have put in place which makes no sense at all.
“In the meantime please drive carefully in the area – the turn into St Nicholas Street from Welham Road travelling from Church Street – where you have to pull onto the wrong side of the road – is ludicrous and dangerous, especially when others are trying to turn from the BP garage side – whoever has planned this has zero knowledge of the road layout.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Keane Duncan, who represents, Norton, said he continues to liaise with NGN and North Yorkshire Council on behalf of local residents, said: ” Firstly, good news… the site manager is hoping to 𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 as normal from Saturday. This should ease congestion and allow Coastliner buses heading to Scarborough to serve Norton once again.

“The site manager reported that traffic is “flowing well” overall as people become familiar with the closures and diversions. He did not identify any major safety concerns at present.”

Cllr Duncan said he has asked NGN and North Yorkshire Council to consider a clockwise diversion to help traffic flow.

“This has been looked into but the council “do not consider that this would be a safe arrangement at present” and say it “would introduce an additional conflict between opposing traffic flows” at the St Nicholas Street/Welham Road junction.

Cllr Duncan also raised a number of issues relating to the signs, including on Welham Road near the junction with Bazley’s Lane and on St Nicholas Street which have been reviewed today (Tuesday).

“The council’s street works inspector has also attended the site today to check that the traffic management is compliant and operating effectively. His assessment is that it is currently doing so. The council will continue to monitor the arrangement, particularly as the works progress.

“From Friday, NGN will be moving further down Welham Road, which may provide an opportunity to review the traffic flows around the junctions and consider whether any further adjustments could help ease congestion.”

Cllr Duncan has asked residents to contact him with any concerns and he will reply with information if he can and raise issues with NGN/North Yorkshire Council.