The UK heritage shoemaker Russell & Bromley has been bought by high-street clothing giant Next. Despite the brand’s rescue from administration, dozens of jobs will be lost in initial redundancies, and there are rumours that more than 30 shops could close. As one of the few independently owned footwear brands left in the UK, the sale spells another loss to the industrial heritage of the British footwear industry.

The closure of fashion stores is nothing new, and the gradual demise of the British high street has been well documented. In fact, research in 2021 revealed that the fastest-declining sector on the UK high street was fashion retail. Shifts in consumer behaviour driven by online shopping, alongside fast fashion, placed inevitable pressure on independent, mid- to high-end stores like Russell & Bromley.

With so much competition (particularly in the context of footwear, where many clothing retailers and supermarkets have added shoe lines), staying relevant has become even more challenging.

What set Russell & Bromley apart was its long history. It was founded in 1880 in Sussex and continued under the leadership of five generations of the same family. It has a strongly defined heritage as a British independent brand, with a focus on craftsmanship and understated luxury.

It has also been a favourite of the Princess of Wales, which guaranteed the brand further endorsement. More recently, another brand linked to the princess, LK Bennett, was sold to the owner of Poundland. LK Bennett was founded in 1990, also as a high-end shoe retailer, later branching out into clothing as well.

The Russell & Bromley sale followed the announcement that heritage sports shoe brand Gola had been acquired by Japanese conglomerate Marubeni – a response to booming sales in retro trainers. Gola, too, has a long history. It was founded in Leicester, once a centre for British shoemaking in 1905, making it one of Britain’s oldest sportswear brands.

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Its origins were in making football boots, but in the 1960s the brand took off with its Harrier style being favoured by football fans, and its later endorsement by celebrities including Liam Gallagher and Paul Weller. But in recent years, Gola struggled to compete with the powerhouses of Nike and Adidas.

The cases of Russell & Bromley and Gola exemplify the challenges of maintaining independence in the complex global footwear industry where conglomerates are taking a dominant stance. The brands’ change in ownership highlights the transformation of what was once a flourishing footwear manufacturing and retail industry.

Dominance and decline

The 1960s was the heyday of fashion retail on the British high street with the emergence of boutiques like Mary Quant’s Bazaar and the advent of Topshop in 1964, which brought a new, younger consumer.

Footwear retailers were always a staple on the high street, with brands like Dolcis, and Lilley and Skinner. Both were part of the Leicester-based conglomerate the British Shoe Corporation, and alongside Clarks and Russell & Bromley they captured the footwear retail market.

But the UK’s fashion footwear retail industry started to decline in the 1990s with the closure of the British Shoe Corporation and its huge portfolio of stores.

This decline in shoe retail followed a significant change in the UK’s footwear manufacturing industry. While Northampton remains a centre of excellence for men’s footwear manufacturing, shoe factories in Leicester started to close from the 1980s. They could no longer compete with the prices and volumes of manufacturers in Brazil, India and China.

Recently, China has taken the lead in global shoe manufacturing, adapting the traditional skills and craftsmanship with technical advances and the ability to produce high volumes.

So where does Next fit into this picture? In 1982, the Midlands-based clothing company opened its first womenswear store and by 1988 had launched the Next Directory, which introduced home delivery. Consumers no longer had to go to separate shops to find shoes to match their outfits – suddenly it was all available in one place.

It was not just Leicester that suffered the decline of its footwear industry. London also had a long history in shoemaking, but failed to weather the competitive landscape. The 1990s saw an increase in international brands and retailers entering the UK retail space, placing further competition on domestic brands.

Despite this uncertainty and change in UK footwear and retail, Russell & Bromley continued to thrive well into the 21st century. This is testament to its position as a high-end retailer that sold its own well-crafted shoes and bags with the desirable Made in Italy label. Investments in a refresh in 2025 may have proved too costly, as the market became increasingly difficult.

While there is plenty of choice for consumers at the lower and designer ends of the footwear market, the mid to high-price points where Russell & Bromley sits could perhaps be at risk of becoming squeezed out.

Italy, Spain and Portugal have maintained their rich shoemaking heritage. While this has much to do with legacy, it may also be the result of these countries’ continued endorsement by luxury brands, where the allure of artisanal shoes resonates with higher price points.

Despite the sales, the Russell & Bromley and Gola brands are not being lost. Under their new owners, they will be able to go on representing the legacy of the British footwear industry, which has been defined by heritage, fashion and craftsmanship.

it might not be on many people’s must-visit lists but people love it here.

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It might not be on many tourists’ must-visit lists but locals in this town say they can’t think of anywhere they’d rather live. Just half an hour from Sheffield, and around 90 minutes from Manchester, it’s home to a thriving community, a stunning market and a huge range of independent shops.

Meeting with residents and shop owners on a grey day, life in the town bustles on despite the gloomy weather. Chesterfield is known for its historic crooked church spire which dominates its skyline. In recent years, the town has begun to grow, with plenty more on the horizon.

Alec Chapman-Taylor, 32, works at the Cheese Factor. The business has become a core part of the town with people travelling into Chesterfield to purchase its cheese. There’s a constant flow of customers despite the dull weather.

He says: “There’s a new market square, that’s going to be like the new event square. It’s fantastic. It looks a lot better. I think it’s hard to be an independent business these days. I really do think it’s hard. Luckily for us, Simon, who owns the place, has been here since the 60s with his dad.

“I’ve worked in the town now for probably the last maybe 10 or 15 years. Chesterfield has this kind of unique position where we have the heritage here. So the town hall is quite old. Again, I’d say the market’s quite old and traditional. It’s been going on for a long time. A lot of people have family connections to the market too which makes it really special.”

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He says one of the town’s strengths is its quirky independent shops and he estimates there are around 80 in Chesterfield.

He adds: “The Davidson family have been running a cheese store since the early 60s, I’ve only been working here for two years but I’ve lived in Chesterfield since the mid-90s and I love it. I really love it. I’ve lived in quite a few places including Manchester, but I always came back to Chesterfield. It’s the perfect size and it’s got anything you want. I just really enjoy it, the people are really nice. It’s got some fantastic bars. I’m bringing up a family here. All my brothers and sisters all live here too – we’ve moved our family from elsewhere to Chesterfield.”

In terms of improvements, he says he has always wanted to see more events – and those have started to be put on now too. He explains: “We had an animatronic dinosaurs day which was great for the kids and we had a 1940s market which people loved too.”

Out on the high street, plenty of shoppers are milling around, dipping in and out of shops. Janice Wallhead, 72, is out shopping for the day. She says: “I’ve lived here for 40 years and I like it here. I can walk into town and I do think the high street is good but I would like to see a bit more variation. We have lost a few things over the years – a few of the fashion shops. There’s been some money spent on improving the market but I still think there’s other things that need to be improved in town other than just the market.”

Bringing new life to a well-known pub, The Royal Oak, Patrick Hopman, 30 and Meg Hopman, 29, say they think Chesterfield has a lot to offer. The couple have become known among local business owners for defying the odds and making a success of the pub despite the current economic climate.

The two former school teachers say the pub has been a great success – and stepping inside, it’s not hard to see why. Walking through a small door on a side street, the building opens up once you’re inside. Bright orange walls are adorned with memorabilia which the pair have collected. From decorative plates to signs and posters, it’s a feast for the eyes.

At the other side of the bar is a church-like setting, not too dissimilar from the set of a film. There’s stained glass windows, high ceilings and dried flowers.

The couple have clearly established the pub as a place to visit and a destination in the town. Pat says: “We took a bit of a punt by buying this pub but we’ve been really pleasantly surprised. We’ve had it for a year but we reopened it in April last year.

“Chesterfield has a few really unique buildings, the Spire is the main one. But after that, our pub is on the list for sure – school trips actually come and sit outside on our benches.”

Pat grew up in London and Meg grew up in Devon but they say they now feel at home in Chesterfield. They both agree that, at first, they wanted to live in Sheffield but due to Chesterfield being cheaper, they opted for the town instead – with the thought that Sheffield is just a short drive away.

But after living in Chesterfield, they say that everything they need is there, and they find themselves visiting Sheffield less and less. Pat says: “We’re about five minutes’ drive from the Peak District. We’re perfectly situated for Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham. It’s less than two hours into London. We even went to Newcastle last weekend which is only two hours away as well. Location wise, it’s great.”

Pat adds: “There’s quite a lot of negativity around, especially when I’ve been to loads of meetings where everyone says the town centre’s dead. I think it’s complete rubbish – certainly from what we’ve seen.”

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Locals say the town is one filled with creativity and life. Emily Bowman, 44, managing director at Junction Arts, which is a community based arts charity based in the town, is keen to have an array of artists paint murals on some of the town’s buildings to add colour and vibrancy.

Arriving at its new home, there’s paintings and sculptures dotted around as we head to the conference room to talk about Chesterfield’s future. On February 1, a total of 11 local creatives took up a spot in the building.

Emily says she has high hopes for the town. She told the Express: “All of our work is grassroots and up so we work really closely with our community and there’s a real sense of pride in where people are from, what our communities have been through.

“We’re an ex-mining community and ex-industrial so there’s been quite a lot of change but there is a real sense of history in our town. It echoes across our business and across the community.”

Emily says that in May, she is looking forward to the Chesterfield Make-Off which will see around 40 artists “making and creating”. She adds that it’s an opportunity for locals to get involved and “see what we’ve got on our doorstep and how brilliant it is”.

She adds: “It’s really important to recognise the huge ambition for the future of Chesterfield.” Chesterfield might not be your first thought for a day out, but it’s a place that is definitely putting itself on the map. With affordable homes and great transport connections to larger cities nearby, it’s no surprise that so many people don’t want to leave.

American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn crashed hard in the Winter Olympics downhill event, nine days on from rupturing her ACL.

The 41-year-old was the 13th of 36 racers to take to the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she has won a record 12 World Cups.

But she crashed hard in the top section of the course after catching her shoulder on a gate, with her injured left leg – which has no functioning ACL – giving way.

Medics attended to her quickly and she was put on a stretcher and airlifted to hospital while the competition was paused.

BBC Sport commentator and former Alpine skier Chemmy Alcott said: “I feel guilty that I am this emotional. I just never believed it would end in a clump at the side of the piece not moving. What we saw that the top of the piece is really hard for a fit athlete, she just had her right knee. It is brutal, think about her family, her team and herself.

“We have to be realistic the risk was really high, the risk she takes when she falls will double that, her body will not be able to take that. There is clapping and there is hope that she would be okay but they have put up some background music because it is uncomfortable.”

Double Olympic champion Tina Maze, speaking on Eurosport and TNT Sports coverage, said: “We all know the difficulties Lindsey was going through in the last days, and I think in the end she risked too much.

“This kind of crash can happen of course, if you are not healthy the consequences are even worse, but Lindsey wanted to do this no matter what. It’s really tough for everyone here to see this especially for her family and teammates and everyone working with her. It’s just terrible. A tough day.”

Teammate and reigning downhill world champion Breezy Johnson set the fastest time of the early starters, 1.36:10.

There have been multiple stories about how the Dog in a Doublet lock got its name

All across Cambs, there are places and pubs with hilarious names, leaving people to question how that name came to be. One such spot is the Dog in a Doublet Lock.

Dog-in-a-Doublet Lock No 38 is a major waterways place at the junction of the River Nene (main river) with the River Nene (tidal section). The tidal section of the River Nene downstream of Peterborough was an important trade route, with improvements for both navigation and drainage being made from at least the 15th century.

This section of the river gradually fell into poor condition and repairs were eventually made as a result of the 1930 Land Drainage Act. A new lock and sluice was then constructed by the Dog in a Doublet pub – and the lock seems to have been named after the pub.

Opened in 1937, this maintained water levels to Peterborough and prevented tidal waters from entering the city. Commercial traffic returned to the lower river and the port of Wisbech was improved to allow access to larger sea-going vessels.

Today, the Dog in a Doublet pub is no longer open, and is set to become a private home. There have been reports that the initial name of the pub was inspired by a former Dutch landlady, who knitted a doublet for her dog when he lost all his fur.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Winning the headlines during free agency in March doesn’t typically lead to success in January and February in the NFL.

This season, that hasn’t been the case.

Two of the most aggressive teams during the free agency period last offseason ended up in the Super Bowl, with the big-spending New England Patriots taking on the Seattle Seahawks.

“We felt like we needed a total culture shift,” New England general manager Eliot Wolf said. “We spent a lot of time doing work on the type of people that we brought in, and it’s crazy to say, but I don’t know that we missed on a person. Not every player has been the greatest free agent signing ever, but all the people that brought in during free agency have been phenomenal.”

The Patriots handed out the most money on the unrestricted free agent market, with more than $364 million in contracts — nearly $100 million more than the next-highest team — handed out to 19 free agents, according to Spotrac. New England also led in guaranteed money spent, with nearly $175 million of those deals fully guaranteed.

The Patriots won a bidding war for star defensive tackle Milton Williams with a four-year, $104 million contract and added several other key defensive players like cornerback Carlton Davis, edge rushers Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson, and linebacker Robert Spillane.

New England also got No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs on a three-year, $63.5 million deal, along starting offensive linemen Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury and receiver Mack Hollins.

“I think you just have to be very intentional with the people that you’re bringing in,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “I think sometimes free agency, you have to be able to use it. People use it in different ways. It’s a part of our business. It’s another way to acquire players and player acquisition. Understand that you have to be convicted on the person that you’re bringing in as a player, and also the impact that they’re going to make in the locker room, around the building and in the community.”

The Seahawks came in fourth in free agency spending at more than $205 million, led by a three-year, $100.5 million deal for quarterback Sam Darnold as well as smaller contracts to edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence and receiver Cooper Kupp. General manager John Schneider also hit on several budget deals for players, with tight end Eric Saubert and tackle Josh Jones helping Seattle reach the Super Bowl.

While the free agent moves were important, none of this would have been possible without the draft. Schneider has been on a recent draft heater helped by the acquisition of extra picks thanks to the trade of quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022.

The recent run comes after years of poor picks eroded the roster strength as the Seahawks added players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Devon Witherspoon, Kenneth Walker, Charles Cross, Byron Murphy, Riq Woolen and A.J. Barner in recent years before using their top two picks in April on immediate impact players Grey Zabel on the offensive line and versatile defender Nick Emmanwori.

“It was a master class by John and our personnel folks,” coach Mike Macdonald said of his balance of draft and free agency. “A lot of coaches have a lot of input, especially through free agency. … When you have a shared alignment about what type of team you want to have, what type of people you want in your building. I think that streamlines that process.”

Shrewd moves in free agency helped fuel Philadelphia’s title run last season, when the Eagles signed AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37.5 million deal and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a three-tear $27 million contract, and got All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun and key offensive linemen Mekhi Becton on one-year deals.

Philadelphia also handed out a big-money contract to edge rusher Bryce Huff, who made almost no impact, but the Eagles likely wouldn’t have won it all without an aggressive March.

The Patriots needed to be aggressive because of some poor drafting at the end of coach Bill Belichick’s tenure following the 2023 season, but Wolf doesn’t plan to follow this path too often.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a rule for us,” Wolf said. “I don’t want to say it’s unique, but in some ways it is. It’s been really rewarding and I’m just really happy for these guys. They’ve kind of come together and bought into Coach Vrabel’s culture and here we are.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Ingrid Tomlinson and her husband Sean were astonished when the beast from the deep breached the surface in the tidal inlet.

A Scots couple were left in shock after a humpback whale surfaced next to them in a small sea loch. Ingrid Tomlinson and her husband Sean were astonished when the huge animal breached the surface in the tidal inlet.

The nature-loving duo had paddled out into the water in their kayak when the whale popped up to say hello. The breathtaking encounter took place in Loch Ainort on the Isle of Skye.

It’s understood the whale had been feeding in the 1km-wide loch for two weeks in January and had since returned. Ingrid, 58, spent a few days watching from the shoreline with her 59-year-old partner.

On February 1, the pair from the Northwest Highlands decided to get up close and personal with the magnificent animal. The amazing images show the whale crashing out of the sea and spraying water in the air.

The huge humpback was surrounded by a flock of seagulls, who rested on the animal. “The whale surfaced right next to us on a number of occasions, which was an amazing experience,” Ingrid, who is a tree planter, told NeedToKnow.

“We had been seeing reports and photos on Facebook of a juvenile humpback whale in Loch Ainort on the Isle of Skye. It had been feeding in there for over a fortnight in January.

“It’s unusual for a humpback whale to come so close to shore, especially for such a long time. Loch Ainort is a small sea loch, only 1 km wide and the whale was easily visible from the road, so there has been quite a lot of excitement about it and lots of people have been visiting the loch.

“We spent four days last week watching the whale surfacing and occasionally breaching, often followed by gulls, white-tailed eagles and dolphins. Last Sunday, the sea was calm ` my husband Sean and I decided to paddle out into the middle of the loch and hang out there all day.”

Kerie says her condition is ‘invisible’ and she is desperate for help

A mother says she is living with an “invisible” cancer that cannot be treated – because it isn’t developing rapidly enough. Kerie Ivory has small bowel neuroendocrine tumours that have spread to her lymph nodes, liver, spine and rib.

However, the 52 year old Brit mum has been informed she must wait for the tumours to become larger before additional treatment can commence. Neuroendocrine tumours are frequently described as slow-growing and challenging to detect, meaning patients can live with them for years before diagnosis, reports the Mirror.

“It’s hard living with a slow-growing, creeping cancer,” Kerie, from Buckinghamshire, said. “I am constantly waiting for the tumours to grow big enough to get treatment that is appropriate for me.

“It’s devastating knowing I have cancer and we are not treating it. A lot of other cancers have the kitchen sink of treatments thrown at their cancer. I’m forced to live with this disease rather than eradicate it.

“My children have found it hard to accept. They understand it’s never going away and that at times it will grow and need treatment.”

Medical professionals believe Kerie may have been living with the cancer for four to four and a half years before it was eventually discovered in 2012. Kerie’s initial symptom was a persistent cough, which was repeatedly misdiagnosed as rhinitis, asthma, reflux and post-nasal drip.

Despite repeatedly visiting her GP, she was reassured that she did not have cancer. Subsequent blood tests revealed she was anaemic.

As her health deteriorated, Kerie experienced severe bowel symptoms and was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.

She was eventually referred for a colonoscopy. She said: “I kept going back and forth to my GP, who dismissed my symptoms.

“By then I was so fatigued I was on my knees. I had to choose whether to eat or have a shower.”

‘I am a healthy young woman’.

“When they found I was anaemic, I wasn’t convinced this was the only thing wrong with me. I thought, ‘I am a healthy young woman, this cannot be it.’”.

“And then my bowel symptoms got worse. My stomach would be flat in the morning, then over the day it would balloon. I looked five months pregnant by the evening”.

“Finally, I was referred for a colonoscopy, during which the scope couldn’t get through – there was a tumour on the ileocecal valve which caused bowel obstruction. It was a relief to know that something had finally been found.

“The subsequent MRI found enlarged lymph nodes.”

Following her diagnosis, Kerie has endured multiple major operations, including removal of lymph nodes, portions of her small and large intestine, her ileocecal valve and appendix, part of her liver and her gall bladder.

However, recent scans have revealed new lesions appearing in her liver, spine and rib. For the time being, she must undergo regular scans and hope the cancer doesn’t suddenly progress.

In 2022, Kerie was “devastated” to have to leave her job due to the debilitating fatigue brought on by cancer. She said: “I have to prepare myself for more scans and wait to see if these lesions grow.

“I cannot relax knowing there are new tumours forming. I also have to limit what I do every day. Sometimes it may only be one thing in a day. It can catch me unawares, too.

“I went to a spa recently with a group of girlfriends and we all went to the swimming pool but I didn’t put my head under water, because if I get my hair wet it means having to wash my hair which will be exhausting for me. It’s these little things people take for granted.”

Sir David Beckham has posted a tribute to his children, including Brooklyn Beckham, following his eldest son’s explosive tell-all statement.

Last month, the budding chef and former photographer, 26, made a string of shocking claims about his parents, Sir David and Victoria Beckham.

Taking to Instagram with several Stories of text, Brooklyn accused them of ‘controlling’ him and repeatedly ‘disrespecting’ his wife of four years, Nicola Peltz, 31.

What’s more, Brooklyn said his mum pulled out of designing the actress’ wedding dress ‘at the eleventh hour’ before dancing on him ‘inappropriately’, while his footie legend father ‘refused’ to see him unless Nicola was uninvited around the time of his 50th birthday bash.

Vowing to ‘tell the truth’ and ‘stick up for [himself]’ at long last, Brooklyn declared defiantly that he ‘does not wish to reconcile’ with his family, only increasing the distance between them after months of feud rumours.

But now it seems David is reaching out to his son online, posting a picture of his huge collection of football boots.

He shared snaps of his archive with fans, who noted Brooklyn and his siblings’ names, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper, were embroidered onto the boots.

The images seemed particularly poignant, given the recent news that a tattoo of an anchor on Brooklyn’s arm that previously read ‘DAD’ has been covered up by unknown symbols.

Previously, a source told Metro that David is ‘obviously heartbroken’ at this latest snub from his oldest child.

‘David is obviously heartbroken over Brooklyn’s decision to cover up his tribute to him,’ our source shared.

‘It feels like a deep cut, even after everything that was said in his statement.

In his memoir, Sir David said his tattoos were an ‘expression of how he feels about Victoria and the kids,’ and it’s been clear over the years that Brooklyn has used tattoos to express similar sentiments about the people in his life.

A source told The Sun about Brooklyn’s anchor tattoo: ‘Brooklyn’s had laser treatment on the writing. He wanted it gone.

‘There is so much hurt and pain on his side, it would not be genuine to keep such a tribute on his body.’

The timing of David’s sharing of images of the football boots has left many wondering whether he’s trying to make a statement about his ongoing love and support for his son.

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A bit of advice. When highlighting how few footballers are in contention to play for Tottenham, try not to add to the list of absentees. Last Monday, Cristian Romero’s critique of the Spurs board came on Instagram and was liked by a host of his teammates. “We had only 11 players available – unbelievable but true and disgraceful,” he wrote.

And so, as virtually everyone should have predicted, the next Tottenham player to be ruled out was the Premier League‘s serial miscreant. Romero’s straight red card for scything down Casemiro meant he missed two-thirds of their defeat to Manchester United. He incurred his third suspension of the season – he is two bookings away from a fourth – and will miss four games. He cannot play in the Premier League again until Spurs visit Anfield on 15 March; after his utterly needless red card when Tottenham met Liverpool in December, it may be a risky fixture for a return.

So if Tottenham’s powerbrokers have let the team down, so has their captain. Thomas Frank insisted he did not regret making the Argentinian skipper and will not strip him of the armband; there is the possibility, though, that by the time Romero is able to reclaim the armband, there will be a different face in the dugout.

Frank’s explanation for naming Romero captain was unconvincing. “He is one of the most important players,” he said. Which is not a qualification in itself. Arguably Romero is simultaneously Tottenham’s best and worst player; a high-class defender with a penchant for line-breaking passes, a better finisher than some of the forwards and a man with the sense of timing to score two injury-time equalisers this season.

Not that he is much use when sent off or suspended; captain, leader, liability? In the last year, he has been man of the match in the Europa League final against United, as Tottenham won their first silverware in 17 years, and sent off for a dangerous challenge against them. Romero was apologetic in the dressing room, Frank and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario reported; perhaps his next social-media post will not be broadside at the board.

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He has courted popularity with the fanbase with his regular jibes at the powerbrokers. He may want to be more self-critical. The rebel captain may have cult-hero status but, oddly enough, the chorus of “Romero’s right, the board are s***e” was only heard in the first half-hour at Old Trafford.

He isn’t the first captain to sometimes lead by the wrong kind of example – Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Wise had more than their share of early exits – but his disciplinary record borders on the disastrous. “If you look at how many red cards he had, it is not like that he had that many,” claimed Frank. It was a ridiculous assertion from a usually rational man.

In four-and-a-half years since joining Tottenham, Romero has six red cards: it came as news to Frank that is more than any other Premier League player in that time. The centre-back can scarcely complain if he has a reputation as the worst-behaved player in the division.

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His rap sheet could be longer. He might have been sent off in each of the games against Brentford this season. As it is, he also saw red for kicking out at Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate. In 2023, he was dismissed for sliding in on Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez when he perhaps ought to have gone earlier in the same game for kicking Levi Colwill off the ball.

Earlier that year, he got a second yellow card in the Champions League exit to AC Milan for clattering into Theo Hernandez. A month before that, he was on a caution, committed a similarly obvious bookable offence for halting Jack Grealish and saw red against Manchester City.

Romero’s maiden Tottenham red, against Vitesse Arnhem in Antonio Conte’s managerial bow, came for a rugby tackle on Lois Openda when he was already booked. Once again, subtlety was not his forte.

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There is a pattern: of recklessness, of sliding in on opponents, of studs-up challenges, of committing fouls in parts of the pitch where he does not need to, of involving himself in incidents that need not concern him. There is scant evidence Romero is learning his lesson. His tackling technique could be better; so, too, his judgment.

They might be reasons why he is still at Tottenham. They are probably also grounds to strip him from the captaincy, even if that makes him still more outspoken. But a time in the stands ought to offer Romero some time for reflection; whatever the failings of Tottenham’s various imperfect decision-makers, they are not alone in leaving Frank short-staffed. Spurs’ absentees already included defenders Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Kevin Danso and Ben Davies even before Destiny Udogie went off hurt at Old Trafford. Now Romero is banned. Again.

Olivia Colman has revealed for the first time that she has always felt ‘nonbinary’ in a new interview to promote her latest film Jimpa

Oscar award wining actress Olivia Colman has revealed that she has always “felt sort of nonbinary” in an interview to promote her latest film, Jimpa. The film follows the life of Hannah played by Olivia and her nonbinary daughter Frances, played by Aud Mason-Hyde, who travel to Amsterdam to visit her gay grandfather, known by the family name of Jimpa.

During an interview to promote her latest project Olivia, 52, candidly explained that she had never felt comfortable with “rigid gender roles”, which she is equally open about in her marriage to Ed Sinclair.

In the interview, she said: “Throughout my whole life, I’ve had arguments with people where I’ve always sort of felt nonbinary.” She added: “I’ve never felt massive feminine in my being female. I’ve always described myself to my husband as a gay man. And he goes ‘yeah I get that’. And so I do feel at home and at ease.”

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The star of The Roses continued to tell the publication Them: “I don’t really spend a whole lot of time with people who are very staunchly heterosexual… The men I know and love are very in touch with all sides of themselves. I think with my husband and I, we take turns to be the ‘strong one,’ or the one who needs a little bit of gentleness. I believe everyone has all of it in them. I’ve always felt like that.”

She then went on to add: “I’m not alone in saying, ‘I don’t feel like it’s binary.’ And I loved that. I came away from making this film with, Yeah, I knew I wasn’t alone.”

Olivia and Ed tied the knot in 2001 and the pair share three children together, Finn, 20, Hall, 18 and a ten year old daughter. The couple first met during rehearsals for the production of Table Manners.

Ed, who is currently a screenwriter and film producer, was a budding actor at the time they first met. His most recent film, The Roses, was produced by himself and starred his wife alongside Benedict Cumberbatch.

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Casting her mind back to the first time she saw Ed, Olivia told the publication: “I’d gone to two of the rehearsals and there was no one particularly fanciable there. Then I walked in and I saw his left-hand profile. “

“At the time he was smoking a ciggie, his feet were crossed, and he’s got this lovely bump in his nose and I saw his side profile and just went, oh my God, I’m going to marry him. ‘I had proper thunderbolts: that’s him, that’s him! Poor thing, he didn’t know.”

Speaking about her marriage back in 2013, the actress told The Daily Mail: “My husband and I were very lucky. We met when we had nothing and we loved each other then. So we were all right.We were 20 and he was also an actor. If you meet at that age then you’re fine.”

Explaining the secret to her decades long marriage she told the Good Hang podcast: “We’re not big fighters, which apparently isn’t very healthy. We have learned over the years – but really late on actually – to sometimes [think], if that was annoying, just wait.”

She added: “And it doesn’t work for everyone, I know that, but I think it’s much better to wait until the calmer moments to go, ‘Can we talk about that moment? I did find that a little weird and is that OK that I’m saying this and yes I was a bit cross that day’…”

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