LuAnn O’Rourke-Boyd’s security pass was recovered from Ground Zero (Picture: Cover Images)
A woman has described the moment her ‘guardian angel’ carried her to safety as she escaped the World Trade Center in the 9/11 attacks.
LuAnn O’Rourke-Boyd, now 58, has never worked out the identity of the man who swept her into his arms on that terrible day, but credits him with saving her life.
The mum-of-three was working on the 30th floor of the North Tower when the first plane struck on September 11, 2001.
‘I was 33 on September 11, 2001, and I thought I was going to die,’ LuAnn, who had got engaged to her now-husband Steve just a month before.
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She had arrived at work early and was sitting at her desk, going through her emails, when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the building.
‘I was thrown from my chair and released a scream by the sheer surprise and force of the moment,’ she said. ‘The building swayed left and right like a pendulum. I literally thought it was going to snap in half.
‘When the building stopped swaying, it started to shudder like an earthquake for several seconds, and then it finally came to a stop.
‘The only thought that went through my mind was, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to die like this. I can’t believe my life is going to end today. I have not accomplished everything I wanted to.’
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LuAnn survived the attack and is now 58 (Picture: Cover Images)
LuAnn had initially been reluctant to move to the World Trade Center because she disliked subways, crowds, and heights.
However, the position with Empire BlueCross BlueShield came with a promotion and an office overlooking the Statue of Liberty and Hudson River.
‘I was starting a new chapter of my life,’ she said. ‘I felt like Melanie Griffith from Working Girl. I got my man, I got a great job with a really cool office, and I was living my dream.’
After the impact, LuAnn scrambled into the cubicle area, where a few colleagues who had arrived early were gathering.
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She briefly returned to her office to collect her handbag and saw sheets of paper filling the air outside.
‘It was snowing paper,’ she said. ‘Hundreds and thousands of pieces of paper were coming down like snow.’
When LuAnn returned to the cubicle area seconds later, everyone had disappeared.
She entered the smoke-filled hallway and believed she was the last person on the floor until another employee emerged through the smoke.
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They reached the stairwell, but the door was locked, forcing them to bang on it until somebody let them inside.
‘There were no emergency announcements,’ LuAnn said. ‘All of those fire drills and announcements, and there was nothing that day.’
Steve and LuAnn were engaged just a month before the September 11 attacks (Picture: Cover Images)
LuAnn’s father, John Thomas ‘Jack’ O’Rourke, had been a New York City firefighter, and his warnings immediately ran through her mind.
‘My father’s words rang through my ears: ‘Never work higher than the 13th floor because the ladders don’t reach that high,’’ she said. ‘I remember thinking, ‘Note to self, listen to Dad next time.’ I also remember him always telling me, ‘Get out and get away.’’
Smoke filled the stairwell and burned LuAnn’s eyes, while water began flowing beneath the evacuees’ feet. She removed her high heels and continued down the stairs barefoot. Despite hundreds of people trying to escape, the crowd did not panic.
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‘We moved methodically and slowly,’ she said.
It took LuAnn around 40 minutes to descend the 30 floors. At the bottom, firefighters and security guards ordered everyone to run. LuAnn stopped to put her heels back on after realising she was running across shattered glass.
As she bent down, she saw that the courtyard between the towers was on fire and ‘looked like Armageddon’. Suddenly, a large man swept LuAnn into his arms and began running with her. Still in shock, she started hitting him with one of her shoes.
‘I yelled, ‘What are you doing? Put me down’. He said, ‘You can’t stay here. Things are falling from the sky.’ What he really meant was people were jumping from the building.’
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LuAnn still does not know who rescued her.
‘I have no idea to this day who that man was,’ she said. ‘He was tall and handsome and maybe worked in construction.’
LuAnn recently read about Secret Service special agent Tom Armas, who reportedly ran into the North Tower to help people after finishing a workout nearby. However, she cannot confirm whether he was the stranger who carried her.
‘Honestly, there were others who performed such courageous acts of heroism that day,’ LuAnn said. ‘I now refer to that man as ‘my guardian angel’.’
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After he put her down, LuAnn headed for the west side of Manhattan. An older colleague, Iris Rodham, grabbed LuAnn’s arm and did not let go for the next hour.
LuAnn’s miraculous survival means she tries to live life to the fullest (Picture: Cover Images)
‘For years, I couldn’t remember her last name, but I recently found it in an article that was published about my story back then,’ LuAnn said. ‘I still can’t find her, even knowing her last name. It’s possible she has passed away.’
Despite widespread disruption to mobile phone service, LuAnn’s phone had rung while she was still in the stairwell. Her sister Eileen had connected Steve to the call.
‘I could hear the panic in my sister Eileen’s voice,’ LuAnn said. ‘Steve was insisting on coming down to get me. I said, ‘No, stay put. You’ll never find me. I’m coming to you.’’
Steve worked in Midtown Manhattan, so reaching his office became LuAnn’s mission. She and Iris walked north as fire engines raced towards the World Trade Center.
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‘Sirens to this day still haunt me,’ she said. At Chelsea Piers, first-aid stations had already been established, but they stood empty. ‘The victims weren’t coming,’ she said.
LuAnn and the other evacuees had been in the stairwell when the second plane struck the South Tower, so they did not yet realise America was under attack. ‘I looked at the towers and said to Iris, ‘I don’t think I can go back to work there tomorrow,’ as if that was even an option,’ she said.
Shortly afterwards, LuAnn watched the South Tower collapse. ‘To watch this tower fall and crumble into a massive dust cloud was truly devastating,’ she said. ‘It was like watching a movie in slow motion. This could not be happening. I was just there 30 minutes ago working.’
LuAnn and Iris walked approximately three miles through Manhattan before reaching Steve’s office. Although she escaped without serious physical injuries, the psychological effects continued long afterwards. ‘My sleep was tortured with nightmares of being in collapsing buildings,’ she said. ‘Sirens bring me right back. They still do.’
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LuAnn also felt that survivors like her were overlooked in the aftermath. ‘I really felt invisible as a survivor and not taken care of by our company’ she said.
‘Today’s generation thinks we were off work for months and received therapy and compensation, but we received none of that.
‘We were put back to work as quickly as possible in offices throughout the tri-state area. I have not received one penny in compensation for what I went through or any counselling.’
LuAnn and Steve with their children Kayla, Ryan and Thomas (Picture: Cover Images)
LuAnn walked away from her corporate career shortly after the attacks, started a family, and ran her own small business. She and Steve went on to have three children, including their daughter, McKayla Faith Boyd, 23, whom they adopted from China.
McKayla, a champion Irish dancer, is now a first-year medical student at Penn State. Their son Ryan Patrick Boyd, 22, hopes to become a firefighter like his grandfather, while their youngest son, Thomas Edward Boyd, 18, is studying mechanical engineering at college.
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LuAnn, who lives in Westchester County, New York, later discovered another unusual connection between her family and the World Trade Center.
‘The first World Trade Center bombing took place on February 26, 1993, and my daughter’s birthday is exactly 10 years later, on February 26, 2003,’ she said. ‘It’s just an odd coincidence.’
She tries to live her live to the full.
‘I’m a mum to three amazing young adults,’ she said. ‘I do what I love for a living, bringing Irish dance and culture to our community. I’m also a make-up artist for Irish dancers at competitions, and I recently became a certified pickleball instructor.’
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A hole had been punched through LuAnn’s forehead in her security pass photo (Picture: Cover Images)
Around 13 months after the attacks, police contacted LuAnn to tell her that her World Trade Center security badge had been recovered from the rubble. A hole had been punched through the forehead of her photograph. There is a hole going through my forehead, which is a very grim reminder of how that day could have ended for me,’ she said. ‘I’m just so grateful to be here.’
LuAnn has returned to the World Trade Center site three times. Her first attempt was just days after the attacks with her colleague Lucille. ‘We tried to get to Ground Zero, but we couldn’t get close,’ she said. ‘We were just so traumatised and felt helpless. We wandered around the city looking at all the missing people flyers. We cried and prayed with strangers.’
LuAnn, Lucille, and Steve returned after Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011, but could not reach Ground Zero because the president was visiting.
Her third visit came during the Covid pandemic when her daughter, who had won the US National Irish Dancing Championships, took part in a photoshoot for Irish Dancing Magazine. The September issue marked the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
LuAnn’s daughter McKayla is an Irish dancing champion (Picture: Cover Images)
‘I was able to briefly get closer to the memorial and reflecting pools,’ LuAnn said. ‘Ironically, the photo that was selected of my daughter was taken at Little Island, and you can see the Freedom Tower in the background. It was pure coincidence.’
LuAnn says she has now been invited to attend the Ground Zero anniversary memorial for the first time and is due to appear on NBC’s streaming coverage with Tom Llamas on September 11, 2026. She first recorded her story for TikTok in September 2024 after several earlier attempts ended in tears.
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‘For many years after 9/11, I couldn’t talk about it,’ she said. ‘We never discussed it with our children, but I wanted them to know what happened, that I was there, and what America went through that day.’
LuAnn’s unrehearsed video received three million views and developed into a series about her experience.
‘I told people I was recording it for my children, and if they wanted to listen, that was fine – they could go chop some vegetables or something,’ she said. It was really off the cuff.’
LuAnn now hopes her story will help younger generations understand the human impact of September 11.
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‘I just really hope that people remember what we went through,’ she said. ‘The patriotism in America after 9/11 was unsurmountable, and now we are so divided. The accounts of 9/11 are not being taught in school as a part of history, and that makes me terribly sad.’
Gakpo was close to leaving Liverpool in the summer but the 27-year-old has started the season in excellent form, assisting all three of Alexander Isak’s goals in the Premier League, including both in the 2-1 win at Ipswich last Friday.
The Netherlands international was ruled out of Wednesday’s Champions League win over Atletico due to “adductor issues”, however, after feeling discomfort on both sides following the win at Portman Road last week.
It meant Barcola made his first start for Liverpool since his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain and the winger impressed with a bright showing before he was removed late in the match due to cramp.
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Liverpool will assess both players following training on Friday and Iraola said: “Barcola was just cramps. We have to evaluate how he is today, but there is no injury. I think he should be available if everything goes normal.
“Cody we will see. We will try today and see if he is ready for tomorrow or if we need to wait until the next one.”
Iraola remains unbeaten in his first four games at Liverpool and the Reds arrive into Saturday afternoon’s meeting with Fulham after back-to-back wins over Ipswich and Atletico, but the Basque also believes there is still lots of improvement.
Iraola’s side have scored two goals in all four of their games so far and he said: “The team has goals in it. In all of the games we have been dangerous and created chances, we have scored two [in the last two] and could have scored more. Now it’s about being more efficient.
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“So not conceding the two goals against Newcastle, not conceding the two goals against Forest. It’s also when the goals come because I don’t think we’re starting games too well. We [started well against] Ipswich and the games look more comfortable when you start like this.
“I would like to score the fist goal to make things easier, but we have to have the right mentality. We didn’t start badly against Atletico but I think the start of games is one of the parts where I think we can be a bit better. I want us to impose ourselves from the beginning.”
The closure will affect a section of the A1237 Outer Ring Road at the approach to the Haxby Road roundabout, including part of Haxby Road itself.
City of York Council said overnight works will begin at 8pm on Monday, September 21, and are scheduled to finish by 6am on Saturday, September 26, weather permitting.
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Each morning the road will re-open at 6am unless there are exceptional circumstances, a council spokesperson confirmed.
Cllr Kate Ravilious, executive member for transport at City of York Council, said: “Haxby roundabout is the latest in a long list of works that have been completed this year, from pothole repair on residential side streets to resurfacing of major roads.
“We do know that these projects can be disruptive so in many cases, like this one, we are working overnight, reopening the road each morning, to reduce the impact on local residents and businesses.”
A full closure will be in place each night between 8pm and 6am, covering both directions of the A1237 between the Wigginton Road and Strensall Road roundabouts.
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Alternative routes will be signposted, with the main diversion using Malton Road, Heworth Green, Lord Mayor’s Walk, Gillygate, Bootham/A19, and the A1237.
A spokesperson for City of York Council said: “Due to the capacity the A1237 holds for large vehicles, the council must offer a diversion able to cope with the size and weight that the road usually carries.”
The off-road cycle route between Wigginton Road and Haxby Road will remain open during the works.
A separate cycle diversion will connect the off-road route to Haxby Road, Hawthorn Terrace, Link Road, Huntington Road, and Strensall Road.
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Letters have been distributed to residents and businesses, and diversion details have been shared with delivery networks and businesses at Clifton Moor, the council said.
The council reminded all drivers to follow the traffic management rules in place for the safety of workers and the public.
Emergency services will have access through the closure at all times.
On-site staff will be available to advise residents and businesses about access restrictions.
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Cyclists and pedestrians will still be able to use the underpass.
Bus services will not be affected, and waste and recycling collections will continue as normal.
Street parking in the working area will be suspended during the closures.
Specific access needs can be discussed with site traffic management operatives, who will work to accommodate residents and businesses where possible.
Though they have not beaten their local rivals at Old Trafford in three years, City will be fancied to win this clash after their impressive start to the campaign.
Conversely, United have won just one of their opening three league games and have had two days less to recover for the derby after playing in the Champions League on Thursday.
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Carrick was appointed manager after a successful stint as interim boss following Ruben Amorim’s departure but some have already questioned how long the former United captain will last in the dugout.
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But speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Maresca had nothing but positive things to say about his rival: ‘I think he is doing a fantastic job since last season.
‘He took over in a complicated, difficult situation. They finish very well.
Maresca says Michael Carrick is doing a ‘fantastic job’ at Man Utd (Photo: Getty)
‘This season, more or less, they’ve started in the same way. He is doing a very good job.’
During the summer transfer window, Carrick focused on rebuilding his midfield, signing Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba.
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Santos is a player well known to Maresca through his time at Chelsea, though he only started the Brazilian nine times, thanks in part to the presence of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
Andrey Santos has started a game since Man Utd’s opening day defeat at Hull (Photo: Getty)
Santos made 24 appearances under Maresca at Chelsea (Photo: Getty)
United paid Chelsea an initial £48million for the 22-year-old but he has had a tricky start to his Red Devils career.
After starting the opening day loss at Hull, he has been limited to cameos off the bench, with Kobbie Mainoo ahead in the pecking order.
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But if Maresca is to be believed, Carrick has a real gem in his squad, with the City manager highlighting Santos’ great attitude on the training ground.
‘Andrey is a very good guy, first of all,’ the Italian said.
‘Polite, humble, hard-working. So, all the best to him. I can only speak very good about Andrey.’
The defending champions claimed an impressive victory over the Clarke’s to set up a quarter-final meeting with Omagh, but are sweating on the fitness of a key player
Two of the Donaghy clan, Cathal and Gareth, scored four points from play each while Ruairi McCullagh chipped in with 0-5, including a two-point free.
The Clarke’s, in stark contrast, failed to score a point from play in the first half with their opening score arriving after 10 minutes via a Leo Hughes goal.
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However, they were unable to match their heroics from the first game when they fought back from being eight points down to claim a draw with four late goals.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the holders.
They are sweating on the fitness of defender Arnoldas Macilduskas ahead of next weekend’s quarter-final clash with Omagh after he was forced off with a knee injury early in the second half.
St Teresa’s manager Marty Boyle is hopeful that the injury isn’t as serious as first feared with Macilduskas able to leave the ground unaided, albeit with his right knee strapped up.
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“Arnie (Macilduskas) picked up a wee injury there so we just have to see what it is. “We’re hopeful enough, so we just have to see – fingers crossed.”
Boyle was reasonably satisfied with his side’s display in tough conditions as rain lashed down during the second half as Loughmacrory kept their foot firmly on the gas, extending their six-point half-time lead to nine by the full-time whistle.
“Job done – that’s what replays, that’s what Championship football is about,” added Boyle.
“But when it goes to a replay, it becomes even more important then. Listen, there was nothing flash or fancy about it. It was just about getting over the line.
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“The players led a lot of the chatting this week. They weren’t happy with a lot of aspects of Saturday and on themselves. It was all about getting the attitude right from the start and I think they definitely brought the attitude from the start.”
While Loughmacrory were impressive in all departments, Dungannon will rue a series of missed opportunities with leading attacker Paul Donaghy having a tough day at the office.
The former Tyrone panelist scored 0-5, but just one from play as he was well marshalled by Loughmacrory skipper Nathan Kelly.
“It sort of goes without saying that Nathan’s always outstanding. That’s the type of player Nathan is,” stated Boyle afterwards.
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“Nathan is outstanding every week, plain and simple. Not only is he outstanding as a player, but outstanding as a person and as a captain. I can’t speak highly enough about him.
“What he does for the group, for the players, for the management, for the community, you know, it’s unbelievable. That’s why he’s the captain of this team.”
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In a recent interview, the Brazil international claimed he was ordered to train away from the Arsenal first-team before his exit and was kept in the dark over his situation.
‘I did all the pre-season with Arsenal [normally],’ Jesus said. ‘Obviously I knew already that probably I would not play there or get some opportunity, but no one told me anything.
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‘I was training with the group, and then, from nothing, they put me to train apart from the group.’
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Those comments came after Arsenal legend Ian Wright questioned the club’s treatment of Gabriel Martinelli, who was sold to Al-Hilal this month. The Brazilian, who joined the club as an 18-year-old seven years ago, was left of matchday squads while his future was being resolved.
‘It really makes me feel uncomfortable,’ Wright said. ‘I think he’s done enough with this team, with this squad, to be treated with a little bit more respect than he’s being treated at the moment.’
Jesus joined Barcelona this summer (Picture: Shutterstock Editorial)
Speaking in a press conference on Friday, Arteta was quizzed on both sets of comments.
He told reporters: ‘Very surprised, to be fair, especially because with Gabi [Jesus] I had an individual talk in the dressing room. I don’t know what words were said, it is fine.
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‘The words we used for each other, it was all about gratitude. I don’t know, it is okay. Sometimes I understand when you have to deliver bad news or news that people don’t expect, those things [you can] react [to].’
Martinelli left Arsenal after seven years (Picture: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
Arteta admitted it was up to him to be ‘bad cop’ but also pointed out Leandro Trossard’s return to the club last weekend to watch the victory over Chelsea, two months on from leaving to join Besiktas.
‘Somebody has to be the bad cop. If I have to be, I have to be and I understand.
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‘What is important is normally what happens three months later, six months later, when Trossard comes in, he is the dressing room with us, the atmosphere and the relationship you have.
‘Things got so far with other players that they left, at some point the relationship has been really good. I hope that is the same case.’
YSL’s Libre Intense is one of the best perfumes for autumn thanks to its ‘rich, warm and long-lasting’ scent, and it just got slashed by 21%, bringing it down from £120 to £95
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As the seasons change, so too do our beauty needs. But it’s not just our skincare or the type of foundation we like to switch up when autumn rolls around; it’s our perfume, too. Whilst summer is all about light, fresh and zesty fragrances, autumn is perfect for bringing in warmer, cosies scents that feel a little richer and deeper and suit the mood of the season perfectly.
One perfume we can’t get enough of each autumn is Yves Saint Laurent’s Libre Intense, which is a great transitional scent. Like most luxury designer perfumes, the YSL fragrance is usually on the pricey side, with a 50ml bottle costing £119. However, Sephora has currently slashed it by 21% bringing it down to just £94.45, whilst the 90ml bottle is now 15% off, reducing it from £165 to £139.45. The 30ml isn’t currently on sale but is priced at £81.45, meaning you can get the 50ml bottle for just £13 more.
Apart from being a great deal, the Libre Intenseperfume is exactly the kind of fragrance that’ll take you from summer into autumn and winter, combining brighter citrus and floral notes with deeper scents. The top notes are tangerine, bergamot and lavender, whilst the heart notes are jasmine sambac, orange blossom and orchid accord. It finishes with base notes of tonka bean, vanilla, amber gris and vetiver, which are what give it that added warmth and richness.
Although you could absolutely wear this as an everyday perfume for autumn if you prefer bolder scents, Libre Intensealso makes a great evening fragrance that you can wear all year round. It has a creamy, smoky trail which is ideal for date nights and formal events, and you can alter how intense it is by spraying it either directly onto your skin for a more powerful aroma, or by spritzing it onto hair accessories and scarves for a lighter scent trail.
A similar powerful scent that’s brand new this autumn is Phlur’s Vanilla Canyon, which is £99 for a 50ml bottle. This combines sweet vanilla and wild honey with more earthy notes like oak wood, plum, patchouli and tonka, giving it a deep woody, amber scent that’s great if you like to make an impact.
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If you’re after something a little lighter and sweeter for everyday wear, the Pumpkin Crème Eau de Parfumfrom Le Monde Gourmand is just £28 for 30ml. It’s cosy and warm without being too heavy, with notes of pumpkin spice, nutmeg, sandalwood musk and frothed milk all combined to create a scent that’s good enough to eat.
However, the Libre Intenseis a classic scent that’s been a proven hit with fragrance fans over the years. It currently has over 2400 five star reviews from Sephora customers, giving it a 4.8 star rating.
One person said: “Love, love, love this one! Libre Eau De Parfum Intense is bold, elegant, and absolutely captivating. It lasts beautifully on my skin and has that perfect statement-making presence. Definitely one I’ll keep coming back to.”
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Another wrote: “YSL Intense is such a beautiful fragrance! It’s rich, warm and long-lasting without being too overpowering. I always get compliments when I wear it, and it lasts for hours. Definitely one I’d recommend if you love a deeper, more intense scent.”
Whilst a third agreed: “Smells amazing. Last long. Can be worn in any occasion. Had this in 10ml bottle and I like it so much so I purchased the 100ml bottle.”
As with any perfume, Libre Intensewasn’t a scent for everyone, with one person saying: “Meh. Smells like rum. I can’t explain it but it just does. It smells bad if you smell it on yourself or your clothes after a day. They say perfume works differently on everyone depending on their body’s heat so it could smell great on you if you like this kind of scent. I didn’t like it at all!”
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And someone else agreed: “Nice smelling perfume. More suited for nights out or special occasion as quite strong.”
But others loved it, saying: “Absolutely obsessed with YSL Libre Intense This is my second time buying it because I love it that much. The scent smells so classy, rich, warm, and long-lasting. I always get compliments whenever I wear it. The vanilla and floral mix is perfect — not too sweet but still very feminine and luxurious. Definitely one of the best perfumes I’ve ever used.”
How NOT to wear a naked dress: Amanda Holden’s skimpy frocks are her trademark…expert reveals which gowns were sexy but sophisticated – and the times she flashed too much flesh
With her age-defying glow and enviable physique, Amanda Holden has never been one to blend into the crowd – least of all when it comes to her wardrobe.
The glamorous Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) judge is known for her colourful co-ords, glittering gowns and figure-hugging mini dresses, but she’s equally fond of plunging necklines, sheer fabrics and figure-hugging latex.
And true to her ‘no holden back’ motto, Amanda isn’t afraid to embrace barely-there dresses that leave little to the imagination.
Some of her most daring looks, however, have caused quite a stir beyond the TV screen.
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The mother-of-three, 55, has racked up hundreds of viewer complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom over the years, thanks to the risqué outfits she’s worn while sitting on the BGT judging panel.
However, Amanda has previously defended her bold fashion choices while encouraging others to also ‘have a little fun and be a little daring’ in an interview with HELLO!
She’s also hit back at the idea of ‘dressing for your age’, revealing that her family, including daughters Lexi, 20, and Hollie, 14, fully support her style.
From a ‘very clingy’ wet-look dress to a seductive cut-out number that offered a cheeky glimpse of her derriere, Amanda has donned multiple ‘naked’ dresses over the years – including the looks that sparked the biggest Ofcom backlash and the outfits one expert thinks should have stayed hung up in the wardrobe.
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True to her ‘no holden back’ motto, Amanda isn’t afraid to embrace barely-there dresses that leave little to the imagination
At the 2026 National Television Awards, Amanda once again went for maximum impact in a daring, shredded Barbie-pink dress, teamed with tiny bows, silver heels and loose curls
During the 2020 semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent, Amanda wore a plum-coloured Suzanne Neville dress featuring a lace corset-style bodice and thigh-high split
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Amanda has ‘gone more risqué over the years, such as when she opted for a side-split dress for an episode of BGT in 2016
Speaking to the Daily Mail, digital PR manager Natasha Cooper said: ‘Amanda Holden is one of the many celebrities that have been sporting the naked dress trend on red carpets to television, and she has smashed it for the most part.
‘A particular hit was the collection worn on BGT – in particular the white dress – as it is definitely on the riskier side. However the colour complemented her as well as the one-shoulder style and really shows how confident she is in her body, which is refreshing to see.’
However, Amanda has ‘gone more risqué over the years and has experimented with sheer, lace fabrics and slits’ as she attended the recent NTAs in a pink slashed dress that raised eyebrows.
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‘In her recent appearance at the NTAs, she was spotted in a pink slashed dress, which is an example of how the trend doesn’t completely have to be everything out, and if the dress was short, I think it would be another discussion.
‘There is also another side to this on how appropriate these outfits are and what blurs the line, especially on national TV,’ Natasha added.
‘The black dress that Amanda wore in 2017 was definitely one of the most risqué of her looks and one that I can see why people thought it was a lot. Not only did it have a lace detail, but it was a huge deep V-neckline, which is definitely an item that could easily have a wardrobe malfunction.’
In what was arguably her most infamous BGT look, Amanda wore an £11,000 Julien Macdonald gown that plunged dramatically to her navel and featured a cut-out panel extending towards her lower back, revealing a cheeky glimpse of her upper buttocks.
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The dress triggered a deluge of Ofcom complaints; while initial reports estimated this at 216, later figures recorded 663 complaints. The dress turned out to be the most complained-about TV moment of 2017 at that point.
During the 2016 season of BGT, judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon drew 90 Ofcom complaints over their revealing outfits
In 2018, Amanda also wore a sheer white gown covered in floral embellishments, with the detailing providing enough coverage while leaving much of the underlying silhouette visible
Another particularly striking look was a sheer, asymmetric Ziad Nakad gown with a dramatic sweeping train
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Amanda also caused a stir at the 2015 BGT final in a dramatic Tony Ward gown inspired by Frozen and Cinderella.
Thanks to its plunging neckline, the dress prompted around 90 complaints to Ofcom, with a further 100 viewers complaining directly to ITV – although the regulator eventually decided the dress was appropriately covering and did not warrant an investigation.
A year later, Amanda was back in the headlines after wearing another low-cut gown during a BGT semi-final.
The outfit, worn before the 9pm watershed, generated 19 complaints to Ofcom but the watchdog once again decided there was no need for a formal investigation.
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During the 2016 season of BGT, judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon drew 90 Ofcom complaints over their revealing outfits, with controversies including Amanda’s keyhole bodysuit and sheer skirt in May that year.
However, Ofcom chose not to launch a formal investigation, concluding that the wardrobe choices met general viewer expectations and did not breach the UK broadcasting code.
At the 2018 Pride of Britain Awards, she wore an elaborate gown by Basil Soda that had a full floral skirt and a purple bodice with full cleavage on display.
In 2018, Amanda also wore a sheer white gown covered in floral embellishments, with the strategically placed detailing providing enough coverage while leaving much of the underlying silhouette visible.
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The following year, Amanda appeared on an episode of BGT wearing a white and multicoloured floral design with a sheer spider-web covering her chest, designed by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran.
In October 2023, Amanda Holden attended The Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards at The Roundhouse sporting a royal blue dress with a cord and net overlay and feathered tail
Amanda has previouly appeared on BGT in an ultra-clingy gold wet-look dress that created the illusion of being almost painted onto her body
Another of Amanda’s looks included a shaped silver corset dress, with the top section formed into a unique, armour-like bodice with a plunging neckline
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The revealing nature of the dress prompted nine complaints to Ofcom, before another dramatic look – this time by designer Saiid Kobeisy – caught viewers’ attention thanks to its extremely low neckline shortly after.
It resulted in 34 complaints to Ofcom, with Amanda reportedly joking that her breasts seemed to become the show’s ‘biggest talking point’ every year.
One of Amanda’s most talked-about looks came in 2020, when she wore an off-the-shoulder Celia Kritharioti gown with a plunging neckline. Some viewers claimed they could see her nipple as Amanda’s outfit resulted in 235 complaints to Ofcom at the time.
Amanda dismissed speculation, explaining that the shape people had mistaken for a nipple was caused by the boned corset underneath, according to Entertainment Daily.
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But the complaints kept coming; during the 2020 semi-final, Amanda wore a plum-coloured Suzanne Neville dress featuring a lace corset-style bodice and thigh-high split.
The episode attracted 896 Ofcom complaints overall, although Amanda later clarified that 136 of those complaints related specifically to her dress.
Amanda later took to Instagram to share she was baffled’ by the outcry as she told her followers: ‘Just to say this dress got a tiny 136 complaints out of the 896 we apparently got that night.
‘Surely there are more terrible and important things to write about…don’t you agree? I’m baffled why it’s still going on.’
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Appearing on BGT in 2023, Amanda went full dominatrix-glam in a vivid yellow latex corset and matching skirt by Atsuko Kudo, complete with a dramatic train. The outfit was so figure-hugging that it became one of the most talked-about looks from that year’s live shows.
In October 2023, Amanda Holden attended The Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards at The Roundhouse, sporting a royal blue dress with a cord and net overlay and feathered tail.
More recently, Amanda appeared on BGT in an ultra-clingy gold wet-look dress that was dubbed her ‘most risqué dress yet’ as it created the illusion of being almost painted onto her body.
On an episode of BGT last year, Amanda wore a plunging white custom gown by Saint Hendrix with a dramatic neckline and midriff detailing, teamed with a matching headpiece structure.
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The dress drew a massive response online and added to the series’ ongoing discussions regarding her bold fashion choices on what viewers deemed a ‘family show’.
During a Heart Breakfast broadcast in 2025, Amanda actually appeared to look naked on camera after wearing a strapless peach-coloured dress that almost disappeared against her skin tone.
Spotting herself on the monitor, she joked that she’d wondered whether she’d forgotten to put her clothes on.
Commenting on Amanda’s love of ‘naked dresses,’ Natasha said there are ways to make them look stylish.
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‘To make the naked dress trend subtle but stylish, I would always say to focus on one area to accentuate and make the focal point.
‘Balance sheer fabrics and details with smart layering (like a blazer) and intentional undergarments, which can make an outfit feel really put together and still stylish.’
Speaking to members of the press, including HuffPost UK, later that night, Amanda admitted that she’d been deliberately avoiding her friend and frequent co-star for days so she didn’t blurt anything out about what was in store.
“I basically got on the red carpet the earliest I’ve ever done it,” she admitted. “I tried not to call Alan for at least a week, and I ran onto the red carpet at about six o’clock, which is unheard of. But I thought, ‘if I see him, I’ll say something’.”
Alan agreed: “We talk all the time – and we’ve had rosé together, and that’s like truth serum! Once we have rosé everything comes out. I know her PIN, I know her blood type…”
He then recalled: “I’m there [in the audience] and I see the silhouette and I think, ‘oh, that looks [like Amanda]’ – because I never saw you here, that’s why [I never suspected anything]. And then I’m like, ‘oh, it’s me, isn’t it?’. And then [Paloma] pops out of the coffin!”
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“I looked out there [in the crowd] and saw people [I had] interviewed, runners and producers who are now getting NTAs themselves,” an emotional Alan later shared backstage. “It all came together in one big thing and I think that’s why I got a bit upset.”
HMRC has issued new letters to the Treasury Committee this month updating it on two major errors
HMRC has issued apology letters this month outlining updates on two significant errors that have affected large numbers of UK taxpayers. The letters, sent in September to Dame Meg Hillier, Chair of the Treasury Committee, detail how the UK’s tax-collecting authority made serious mistakes in two key areas, and address the matter of payments or repayments for those affected.
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John-Paul Marks, First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive at HMRC, sent the letters ahead of a committee hearing this week. In the first letter, he provided an update on errors relating to an HMRC child benefit compliance exercise.
It emerged in March this year that HMRC had relied on flawed Home Office travel records to conclude that thousands of parents who had travelled abroad for holidays or work were fraudsters, resulting in child benefit payments being halted for 23,800 families late last year.
It was subsequently discovered that the Home Office had failed to log their return journeys and, in certain cases, had incorrectly recorded individuals as having left the country despite never having boarded their booked flights, the Guardian reported.
Around 13,800 households were later found to have had their benefits wrongly suspended. The final “success rate” of the scheme — revealed as 40% on 13 March by Mr Marks to the Treasury Committee — laid bare the scale of the blunder.
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In his latest letter updating the committee on the failings of that exercise, which can be viewed here, he said: “HMRC has a responsibility to use data effectively to protect public money and tackle error and fraud in the benefits system. However, that must be done in a way that is fair, carefully controlled and with proper safeguards for customers. I agree with the NAO’s [National Audit Office’s] findings that errors were made in the initial use of the data and intend to implement all of the recommendations they have set out.
“The NAO report recognised that the activity identified significant levels of non-compliance and helped prevent incorrect Child Benefit payments. It also highlighted shortcomings in HMRC’s implementation of the expanded exercise and the impact this had on some of our customers.
“The report acknowledged that HMRC responded within 2-4 weeks to make changes to the intervention process following problems emerging in the first rollout. Where HMRC confirmed customers as still eligible for Child Benefit, we apologised for the disruption caused and reinstated awards, with payments backdated to ensure that they received their full entitlement.”
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He went on to state that HMRC has moved this compliance exercise from ‘hypercare’ – meaning extra attention is paid to it – back into a controlled business-as-usual process.
State pension HMRC errors explained
In the second letter – which can be seen here – he addressed the committee chair on a historical error in the taxable State Pension figures used in certain tax calculations. An incorrect State Pension figure was used in PAYE end-of-year reconciliations and this fed through into Self Assessment pre-population information and Simple Assessment calculations.
HMRC said when admitting the issue in July that this had resulted in a difference between the correct State Pension figure for tax purposes and the figure actually used in the calculation. In his letter this month, he said: “Since my previous letter, HMRC has made progress addressing the issue, firstly fixing forward to ensure these errors do not occur again, and secondly on correcting recent years for customers in future.
“On 25 August, HMRC implemented the change needed to ensure that future annual reconciliations for PAYE and Simple Assessment customers use the correct State Pension figures. These customers account for the substantial majority of those affected. We also expect to correct the pre-populated figures for Self Assessment customers who have not yet submitted their 2025–26 returns during September. We will correct the position for those that have already filed their 2025-26 return soon after.
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“This should resolve the problem for 2025-26 and prevent it recurring in future, and we will monitor this carefully and can provide a further update if helpful. Looking backwards, we will identify affected customers and correct their tax positions for recent years, without requiring them to make a claim.
“This proactive exercise will cover the tax years from 2020–21, the maximum period for which the available data enables us to identify and correct cases reliably and efficiently. As a result, we estimate that approximately 3.2 million customers will receive tax repayments totalling around £19.3 million.
“Repayments will be made through PAYE coding adjustments, credits to Self Assessment accounts or, where necessary, other payment methods such as payable orders. We expect to complete the majority of corrections and repayments during the 2026–27 financial year.
“If customers believe they were affected in earlier years and have the necessary evidence, they can ask HMRC to review their position. These requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. I am sorry that this error occurred and recognise the impact on affected customers. As set out in my earlier letter, we will also conclude an Internal Audit review, ensuring the lessons are identified and applied in future.”
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You can contact HMRC here. The Treasury committee met this week. You can see the full hearing here.
Filmmaker Paul Berriff, now 80, described an “apocalyptic scene” as buildings and vehicles burned around him after two passenger planes were flown into New York’s World Trade Center by Islamist extremists.
The September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington killed 2,977 people, and Northallerton-born Paul considers himself lucky to be alive.
Paul, then 55, was in New York with a UK team filming a TV series about animal-cops in September 2001.
He was at the office at 8.45am on September 11, 2001, when he heard an aeroplane had hit the World Trade Center, initially assuming it was a light aircraft.
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Speaking to The Press ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Paul said his “news instinct kicked in” and he drove to the scene with his camera crew after the first plane hit.
“On the way down, we began to see the two towers,” he said. “Both of them were on fire; the second plane had just gone in — so we knew then it wasn’t a light aircraft.”
Paul started filming as he watched firefighters run into the towers over a period of around 25 minutes.
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“None of us knew it was likely to collapse at all,” he said.
Paul remembered hearing a “loud explosion”. “And I swung my camera around just to see the top of the South Tower beginning to peel away. It was like a massive umbrella just fanning out.
“Firefighters started shouting, ‘Run, run, run’, but I stood there with my sound recordist looking through the small view finder on my camera as half a million tons of concrete was hurdling towards me.
“I stood there for a couple of seconds. That’s quite a long time, but the buildings at the time were some of the highest in the world so it was taking time for all the debris to descend.”
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Read next: ‘Utter dismay’ – ex-York firefighter on arriving at Ground Zero after 9/11 attack
After another two seconds, Paul told his sound recordist to run, and they fled as debris continued to “hurtle down” towards them.
“As I was running I kept the camera running — it was over my shoulder still filming — I couldn’t see what was going on, but I could hear it,” he said. “It was just like an avalanche but not of snow, just concrete and everything else hurtling towards us.”
After 10 seconds of running, “all I remember was my camera leaving my right hand in slow motion. Then everything goes black.”
The Twin Towers in New York after the attack on September 11, 2001 (Image: Paul Berriff)
Paul was knocked unconscious for about 35 minutes when the debris hit him.
“I was lying there when the North Tower came down on top of me as well,” he said. “The next thing I remember — and I thought it was a matter of seconds, obviously it was a lot longer — I gained consciousness and everything was just black — blacker than the blackest night.
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“I couldn’t see a thing. My eyes were full of all this gunge, my mouth, my nose, my ears — it was just like a cement paste.
“I could hardly breathe — I was hot and sweaty. The ground around me was on fire, stuff around me was burning — I could hear things still falling, but I couldn’t see anything.”
Paul Berriff at Ground Zero in September 2001 (Image: Paul Berriff)
Paul crawled until he felt the side of a car, then another.
He followed the parked cars which he believed led to the Hudson River.
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“I suddenly thought, I don’t think I’m going to make this,” he said. “That was the first time in my career that I thought, this is it.
“Because I couldn’t breathe at all — I was gasping and gasping and trying to get this gunge out of my ears, my eyes, nose, mouth — it was everywhere. And everything I touched was burning hot.”
‘I must have been the first alive person right in the epicentre of it all’
Paul continued to crawl — still hearing things crashing and falling around him — until he got to the third car, when the visibility started to clear to around 20 yards away.
He saw an empty ambulance with its red light flashing, then followed the cars down the street.
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After another five seconds of crawling, he stood up and said “everything was just deathly silent”.
“The building to my right was on fire from the ground floor to the top — all 24 stories,” Paul recalled. “All the fire trucks in front of me were on fire, and ambulances and police cars.
“And in the distance, I could see bits of the building embedded in the road.
“… I must have been the first alive person right in the epicentre of it all. I couldn’t see anybody else — it was just me.”
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Paul returned to his apartment near the Twin Towers and reunited with his uninjured crew.
Paul then realised he had a “gash” on his head and was taken by paramedics to hospital on Staten Island.
“All of us that escaped that day thought it was great,” Paul said. “We’d all escaped death as thousands of others and first responders died around us.”
‘Something like that shows how fragile we all are’
Only about six of the 28 firefighters who had been with Paul at the base of the towers survived, as described in an earlier account.
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Paul thought the cut on his head was his only injury. About five years ago, he learned that first responders and others who were in the area had developed coughs and illnesses linked to breathing in Ground Zero dust.
A routine hospital visit about three years ago revealed problems with Paul’s lungs.
Tests revealed he had pulmonary fibrosis — a rare, incurable condition in which the lungs become scarred, making it harder to breathe — which Paul said was caused by inhaling the dust on September 11, 2001.
Doctors gave him five years to live, but Paul said he was “still holding on”. “My consultant sees me on a six-month or yearly basis and says I’m doing alright at the moment. So I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”
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Paul Berriff now (Image: Paul Berriff)
US health officials said illnesses linked to dust and smoke from the towers’ collapse had claimed more lives than the nearly 3,000 killed in the attacks.
“It had taken 20 years for it to manifest itself,” Paul said. “Virtually everybody I know that was there that day — and others living in the area that were first responders — have all got these terminal illnesses.
“… It just shows you — we all escape our day but there’s a big sting in the tail of it all.”
But ultimately, Paul said he was “lucky that day” in September 2001.
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The experience, he said, “brings it home to you that you’ve got to live every day as you find it and enjoy every day and every single minute. Because you just don’t know what’s coming either from above or behind you.”
“It has changed me,” he added. “I enjoy life and appreciate life every day now because I think something like that shows how fragile we all are: we walk a thin tightrope.”
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