Michelle Collins, who plays the iconic Cindy Beale on EastEnders, was rushed to hospital after suffering a nasty knee injury that left her unable to walk

Iconic EastEnders actress Michelle Collins was left struggling to walk after suffering a horrific knee injury. The star shared that she spent her Easter Weekend at hospital after “bashing” her knee.

The star, who plays Cindy Beale on EastEnders, took to Instagram on 7 April with images from the weekend before. In her photo dump, she showed the waiting area of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, herself on crutches with a medical brace around her knee, as well as a close up of her leg in the brace and a pic where she was sat in a wheelchair.

Michelle captioned the post with information about how the injury happened. She explained that she was trying to stop her dog from getting out of the house: “Fell over trying to stop Peggy bolting out the door while staying with friends in Norfolk bashed my knee, cuts and bruises.”

READ MORE: EastEnders fans convinced Clare Bates is set for permanent comeback after cryptic clueREAD MORE: EastEnders star’s shock death after double family tragedy – as tributes paid

She added that she loved the care she got and was disheartened to learn that the hospital was not rated well on the league table. “Staff were great, efficient, kind despite apparently very low on hospital league table. I would never have known from the service I got.

“Seems so unfair to label a hospital like this. Not great for morale as one of the lovely nurses said. Also went to my local hospital @Finchleymemorialhospital who were great too! So lucky to have them so near me. Happy Easter xx Sitting down scenes this week ! @bbceastenders.”

Fans jumped in the comments to send Michelle support. “Omg darling, so sorry. Sending all love,” said one. Another wrote: “Omg get better soon lovely.”

A third said: “Oh no… take care Michelle and I hope the healing process is as quick as it can be.” Likewise, her costar Balvinder Sopal, who plays Suki Panesar, said: “Oh love!” She added a heart emoji.

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Michelle’s EastEnders character Cindy has been in hospital a couple times since returning to the show. Two Christmases ago, she almost died after being hit over the head with a shovel. In February 2025, it was revealed that her former mother-in-law Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) who whacked her over the head because she hated the woman for how she treated Kathy’s son Ian (Adam Woodyatt).

Cindy found herself in hospital again in late 2025, when Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) pushed her down the stairs of the Prince Albert. Cindy had realised Jasmine wasn’t being honest about her past and confronted her, leading a desperate Jasmine to push her as she tried to get away. Cindy was left bleeding on the floor.

Cindy is an iconic EastEnders villain. She has been in the show on and off since 1988 and has had many dramatic storylines, including hiring a hitman to kill Ian, faking her death in prison, having a secret family under the alias of Rose Knight and causing the Queen Vic to explode.

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Following today’s racing tips? In need of some guidance? Or just fancy a flutter?

Each day Marlborough brings you the best bets from every race at every racecourse around the country.

From the bright lights of the Cheltenham Festival and Glorious Goodwood to a low-key evening meeting at Chelmsford City, we have all your racing tips and best bets covered.

Meanwhile, you can get the latest betting offers and free bets from the top bookmakers here.

Looking for a daily racing nap? Marlborough will indicate his top tip for the day in traditional style, with his other notable selection highlighted with “NB”. Whistler, The Sunday Telegraph’s tipster will also name his daily Nap.

So come back every morning for Marlborough’s daily selection. Note, tomorrow’s tips will appear towards the bottom of the page. Good luck!

Tuesday, April 7

Pontefract

1.57 Spaceman
2.27 Arabian Desert
2.57 Alpha Capture
3.27 Salaria
3.57 Arklow Lad Nap
4.27 Ashdown Forest
5.00 Liquid Cooled
5.35 Wrestling Revenue

Exeter

2.10 Dawn’s Desire
2.40 Madame de Labrunie
3.10 Arnie Moon NB
3.40 Bannerdown
4.10 Prairie Queen
4.40 Dyno Dave
5.10 Mackin

Southwell

4.55 Galileo Charm
5.30 Brazilian Belle
6.00 Captain Fox
6.30 Fanjove
7.00 Lexington Jet
7.30 Analogical
8.00 Gesayed
8.30 Raft Up

• Whistler Nap: Macklin, 5.10 Exeter
• Marlborough Nap: Arklow Lad, 3.57 Pontefract

Wednesday, April 8

Fontwell

2.30 Jetaway Holiday
3.05 Bridge
3.40 Mumford’s Magic NB
4.15 Ferret Jeeter
4.47 Rap Soul
5.17 Tyson

Nottingham

1.17 Infraad
1.47 Tornado Tower
2.22 Final Appeal
2.57 Spendmore Lane
3.32 Any Which Way
4.07 Rosemary’s Rose
4.40 Bird of War
5.10 Love Beach Nap

Catterick

1.38 Sir Benedict
2.13 Contorno
2.48 Dream Star
3.23 Vince Le Prince
3.58 Tupero
4.33 Eagles Whistle
5.05 Aberama Gold
5.38 Fizzy Crystal

Kempton

5.00 Romantic Symphony
5.30 Go Rimbaud
6.00 Domenico Contarini
6.30 Atmosphere
7.00 Restnet
7.30 Arry Up
8.00 Hint of The Jungle
8.30 Dotties Star

• Whistler Nap: Any Which Way, 3.32 Nottingham
• Marlborough Nap: Love Beach, 5.10 Nottingham

Founder Marjorie Hayward, 79, launched the community project in July 2021, and there are now more than 100 tables across the country.

Talkin’ Tables hosts weekly, free, hour-long sessions where members of the community can come together and talk.

The Bolton News has been documenting the growth of the initiative over the last few months, as it “combats loneliness one table at a time”.

Five new tables have been set up across the town in under six months, bringing the total to 25 in Bolton alone.

On March 20, the latest table was launched at Bolton Sea Cadets on Castle Street.

The Mayor of Bolton, Cllr David Chadwick, often attends launches across the borough, along with the Mayoress.

Each launch is informal and relaxed, creating a welcoming atmosphere for attendees, with no airs or graces.

The co-ordinator for Talkin’ Tables across Bolton, Lynne Croston, is determined to establish tables in every corner of the town.

“There are still plenty of areas in Bolton where we’d like to set up tables,” she told The Bolton News.

“We haven’t got anything in Breightmet or Little Lever yet, and we’d like to have somewhere that everybody can go.”

Lynne highlighted the importance of setting up more tables at the weekend, noting that this can be a particularly lonely time for people.

Currently, there are no tables in Bolton on a Saturday, and Lynne said she is sure people would welcome a place for a “coffee and chat”.

(Image: NQ)

To find your nearest Talkin’ Table, visit www.talkintables.co.uk.

If you would like to be a Table Leader in Bolton, email Lynne Croston at lynneccroston@gmail.com.

Here is the full list of Bolton’s Talkin’ Tables:

Sundays

Horwich Leisure Centre, Victoria Road, from 2pm to 3pm

Mondays

Bolton Garden Centre Café, Wigan Road, from 10am to 11am

Beechvile Care Home, 653 Chorley New Road, from 10am to 11am

Chill at the Cow Shed, 46 Winter Hey Lane, from 10.30am to 11.30am

Pikes Lane Health Centre, Deane Road, from 10.30am to 11.30am

Moss Bank Park Café, Moss Lane, from 11am 12pm

The Coffee House, 2 Newport Street, from 1.30pm to 2.30pm

Tuesdays

Capri Café, 19 Market Street, from 10am 11am 

Bolton Central Library, Le Mans Crescent, from 11am to 12pm

Blanco Lounge, 81 The Linkway, from 10.30am to 11.30am

High Street Library, 74 High Street, from 1.30pm to 2.30pm

Farnworth Library, Market Street, from 1.30pm to 2.30pm

Wednesdays

St. John’s church café, Chorley Road, from 10.30am to 11.30am

Morgan’s Coffee Bar, 24 Black Horse Street, from 10.30 to 11.30am

Morrisons Cafe Bolton town centre, Black Horse Street, from 11am to 12pm

Living Room at 1 Point, Silverwell House, from 1.30 to 2.30 pm

Morrisons Café, Lea Gate, from 3pm to 4pm

Thursdays 

Tesco Cafe Middlebrook, Mansell Way, from 10.30am to 12pm

Retreat Restaurant, Old Village Hall, from 11am to 12pm

Brewed Coffee Company, 49 Lee Lane, from 11am to 12pm

Bank Top Church, Ashworth Lane, from 1.30pm to 2.30pm

Fridays

The Haulgh Hub, 101 Castle Street, from 10.30am to 11.30am

Octagon Theatre Café, Octagon Theatre, from 11am to 12pm

Walmsley Parish Community Hall, Blackburn Road, from 1.30pm to 2.30pm

Westhoughton Library, Library Street, from 2.15pm to 3.15pm

The works hum with the sensation of half-remembered childhood — a walk in the park suffused with wonder rather than dread, though Brown, being Brown, ensures the two are never entirely separable. What strikes one is how often Brown conveys no sense of a predetermined destination— and the work is so unforced, that the results feel less like acts of composition than of discovery. Her professed love for painting is not rhetorical. It is there in the work, embedded in every layer, and it rewards the viewer accordingly: come back a second time, look again more slowly, and the paintings yield things you simply did not see before. That quality of inexhaustible return is rarer than it sounds.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Three assailants opened fire at police outside a building housing the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, sparking a gunfight that left one attacker dead, Turkish officials said. The two other assailants were wounded and captured.

Two police officers sustained slight injuries in the clash, Istanbul Gov. Davut Gul told reporters. The assailants were carrying long-barreled weapons.

Interior Minister Mustafa Cifti wrote on X that the attackers had traveled from the city of Izmit, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Istanbul, in a rented car. One of the assailants was linked to a group he described as “exploiting religion,” without naming the organization.

The Islamic State group has carried out deadly attacks in Turkey in the past.

Here’s a roundup of a 24 hour period which started with Trump partying with the Easter Bunny and ended with him making a semi-credible threat of Genocide against another country

Donald Trump is threatening to commit genocide, and even if he backs down, it’s probably time we finally started taking him seriously.

There will somehow still be those who dismiss his latest outbursts as just ‘Trump being Trump’. Or as him trying to pressure Iran into a deal they are obviously never going to agree to. There will probably still be a few commentators who simply can’t compute the situation the world finds itself in, and can only lean into the nearest historical comparison, comparing him to Bush Jr or Reagan, or maybe Andrew Jackson if they’re feeling confident – as if they’re better analogues than Gaddafi or Berlusconi or Kim Jong Un.

But it seems increasingly naive to ignore Trump’s casual disregard – or at worst active contempt – for any human life that doesn’t add to his glorification when assessing how seriously we should take him in times of crisis.

Anyone who at this point in history still holds the public opinion that the US President is anything but mentally unstable, or at the very least callous to he point of psychopathy, is either huffing some high quality copium or is in on the grift.

So for what it’s worth, here’s a roundup of the remarkable events of the last 24 hours that led to the unthinkable moment where a modern President of the United States threatened genocide against a nation state.

1. Wait, Genocide? Seriously?

Sure.

The UN’s definition of ‘Genocide’ refers to acts committed with the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

Donald Trump this morning posted on Truth Social with regard to Iran: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

The rest of his post sounds better if you read it out in a deep American voice, as if you’re doing a promo voice over for the series finale of Survivor.

“However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?

“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end.”

Tune in tonight to find out…

2. Yeah, but Trump doesn’t care about war crimes, he said so…

True. In his wild press conference last night, Trump declared he was “not at all” bothered about violating the Geneva Conventions and amount to war crimes.

“No, not at all, no,” he said, asked about his threats to bomb civilian infrastructure like bridges and power plants. “Hopefully I won’t have to do it.”

So there’s two reasons he’s not at all bothered about committing war crimes. First of all, they reckon they’ve found an excuse. A White House Official yesterday told the Wall Street Journal that power plants are “legitimate military targets because destroying them could foment civil unrest, complicating their path towards a nuclear device.”

Second of all, the US isn’t a signatory to the International Criminal Court, so the likelihood of Trump being hauled up at The Hague for common or garden war crimes is next to none.

That said, the US is a signatory to the 1948 Genocide Convention, which could land the country – though not necessarily Trump himself – in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is a different building in The Hague, were he to pass the test for Genocide.

3. ‘Militarily, it’s been one of the best’ Easters

Before we carry on, can we take a moment for this genuinely funny moment of bleakness?

Opening his wild presser last night, Trump declared: “Militarily, it’s been one of the best Easters.”

It has stiff competition from the Easter Rising (1916) and the Battle of Okinawa (1945). But worth it for the excellent turn of phrase.

4. Speaking of Easter

A few hours before Trump’s insane and lengthy press conference, he was standing on the White House’s Truman Balcony discussing in broad terms the heroic rescue of a missing airman from Iran. Standing between Melania Trump (left) and the Easter Bunny (right).

With children waiting nearby and soft, cheerful music in the background, the president also defended his sweary online threats to Tehran.

“Open the F***in_’ Strait, you crazy b******s,” he wrote on Sunday. “Or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!”

He bafflingly added: “Praise be to Allah.”

While we’re here, please enjoy this moment where the President, who is completely composed mentis you understand, momentarily got his wife and the Easter Bunny confused.

5. American voters who oppose the war are “foolish”

Just in time for Democrats pulling together campaign ads for November’s midterms, Trump was asked what he would say to Americans who are not fans of the war.

“They’re foolish,” he said.

He later went on: “If I had my choice, I’d like to take the oil. Because it’s there for the taking. There’s not a thing they can do about it.

“Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me I’d take the oil, I’d keep the oil, and would make plenty of money.”

6. Trump keeps getting mad about leaks, then leaking things

Trump got all mad in the presser about whoever revealed to the media that one airman had been rescued but the other had not – threatening to go from news outlet to news outlet and jail people who were involved in the story.

(Turns out the information came from an Israeli news source, which makes the likely source of the “leak” a little more complicated).

In any case, he later recounted the details of the rescue in a little more detail than the head of the Armed Forces would have liked.

Turning to General Dan “Raizin” Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Trump asked how many men had been sent in as part of the rescue. General Caine, sensibly said he’d like to keep that under wraps.

So obviously Trump blurted out that it was “hundreds”.

7. And now they’re bombing Kharg Island

The US hit military targets on Kharg island this morning, hours ahead of the deadline Trump set for Iran to capitulate to his demands or face a major attack.

Trump has threatened to deploy ground troops to seize critical oil infrastructure on the island, but experts warn such an operation would cost the lives of many US military members and would not be a decisive move to ending the war.

The US had earlier in the war struck several targets on the island, including air defences, a radar site, an airport and a hovercraft base, according to satellite analysis by the Institute for the Study of War and American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project.

8. Tune in at 1am for more

And now I guess we’re up to date. Trump suggested he genuinely doesn’t know whether he’s going to wipe Iran off the face of the Earth tonight.

“We are dealing with them,” Trump said. “Essentially they have until 8 o’clock tomorrow night eastern time.” Which is 1am our time.

And at that point one of three things will happen. Either Iran will take the off-ramp, agree to a deal to end the war – or at least a ceasefire to discuss terms, or Trump will authorise a series of strikes that will almost certainly be considered war crimes.

The third option, which many consider the most likely, is that he’ll chicken out. But even if he does, we now live in a time where the Leader of the Free World is making threats of Genocide. And that will have consequences.

Anyone on the moors this afternoon is being urged to evacuate the area, and all members of the public to remain away from Marsden Moor. Two fires have broken out near Deer Hill and Five Mile Post.

A spokesperson for the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said:

Police and ambulance crews were called to Geneva Road, at the junction with Fenby Avenue, around 12.25pm on Tuesday (April 7).

Two ambulances, two police vans and two police cars blocked either end of Geneva Road with traffic being turned around.

The road remains closed on Geneva Road, Darlington. (Image: THE NORTHEN ECHO)

The road remains closed on Geneva Road, Darlington. (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHOl)

The road remains closed on Geneva Road, Darlington. (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHOl)

One resident said they “heard a loud bang” from inside their house.

They said: “I heard a loud bang outside of my house and I went to look and saw two cars had gone into each other. I hope everyone’s okay.”

An elderly resident said he had seen crashes like this at the same junction before.

The road remains closed on Geneva Road, Darlington. (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHOl)

The road remains closed on Geneva Road, Darlington. (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHOl)

He said: “It happens all the time here. The crash doesn’t look good, but I hope everyone’s safe.”

A spokesperson for Durham Police said: “Police were called just before 12.25pm today to a two-vehicle collision on Geneva Road, in Darlington.

The road remains closed on Geneva Road, Darlington. (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHOl)

“Paramedics were also called to the incident to assess those involved.

“The vehicles will be recovered.”

The Northern Echo has contacted The North East Ambulance Service for more information.

In mad times, there is comfort in literature – particularly so this year, perhaps. 

On Tuesday, the International Booker prize announced its shortlist, claiming the featured works brimmed with “hope, insight and burning humanity”. 

Authors Daniel Kehlmann, Marie NDiaye, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, Rene Karabash, Shida Bazyar and Ana Paula Maia will compete for the £50,000 prize, to be shared equally with their translators. 

Their works tell the stories of a suburban witch, a morally compromised filmmaker, a bloodthirsty prison warden, a sworn virgin, a novelist and interpreter, and a multigenerational family of Iranian emigrants.

“With narratives that capture moments from across the past century, these books reverberate with history,” said Natasha Brown, chair of the judging panel. “While there’s heartbreak, brutality and isolation among these stories, their lasting effect is energising.” 

The winner will be announced on 19 May.

Image: India Hobson for Booker Prize Foundation
Main image: Angelica Zander

The TV star was presenting his GB News breakfast show when he appeared to ‘fall asleep’.

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Eamonn Holmes’ future on TV has been revealed after he sparked concern by ‘falling asleep’ on air. The TV star was presenting his GB News breakfast show when he appeared to ‘fall asleep’.

He later insisted he had been examining faulty equipment. He said: “I was just looking down at my mic pack to see why it was not working, as we don’t have floor managers or camera operators. Apparently I was sleeping? Whatever!”

However, since that time, he has been off air, and is believed to be taking extended leave. Fans had become concerned on Twitter, wondering when he’d be back on the show given all that’s going on.

READ MORE: Eamonn Holmes opens up on first job he almost kept over concerns about TV breakREAD MORE: Eamonn Holmes hits out at health rumours saying girlfriend Katie, 44, is ‘the perfect tonic’

“There have been lots of whispers about Eamonn being off. It’s unlike him. He lives and breathes presenting on television,” a source told The Sun. However, he is expected back on air soon.

A GB News spokesman confirmed that Eamonn is due back on Monday, April 13. During his one man show, Eamonn opened up about how life has changed since he began using a wheelchair after a string of health setbacks.

“Experiencing the world differently as a wheelchair user, Eamonn wants to see better access for disabled people. He said: “If you are in a wheelchair you are either at the front of the cinema or the back,” he said.

“Why can’t you be in the middle? The thing that makes me laugh is rooms that are classed as accessible in hotels. They are not at all. Everything is wrong, the bathrooms and the showers. I would love to advise hotel people as they are no use to anybody.”

He also used his show to criticise TV standards, and said that TV budgets were affecting programme output. He explained: “It is a great pity. If you can’t justify the audience then it’s over. ITV will be the next one down the tubes. It will be sold to an American company and they will make it a streaming company.”

Eamonn has been in a wheelchair after suffering with chronic pain since 2021. He suffered a dislocated pelvis, which caused him to have three slipped discs. He fell down the stairs and broke his shoulder whilst recovering and underwent further operations in 2023.

“I’m sick. I’m in a wheelchair. That’s been horrendous to deal with for two years. Certainly I don’t think TV wants to know you when, I mean there’s nothing you and I are talking and no one can there’s anything wrong but I can’t get up,” he said.

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