By NATALIA PENZA

Published: 21:24 BST, 7 August 2026 | Updated: 22:13 BST, 7 August 2026

Former Strictly stars Ola and James Jordan have announced the end of their 22-year marriage. 

The pair were the show’s longest-standing couple after they started dating in 1999 and married in 2003. 

But Ola, 43, and James, 48, have now fallen victim to the infamous Strictly curse as they said they have decided to end their marriage after a trial separation ‘some time ago’. 

They remain committed to co-parenting their daughter, Ella, six.   

James and Ola’s representative said in a statement: ‘It is with great sadness that I can confirm that James and Ola began a trial separation some time ago.

‘Their shared priority remains co-parenting their daughter, Ella, and they are committed to putting her wellbeing first.

The pair were the show’s longest-standing couple after they started dating in 1999 and married in 2003 (pictured 2012) 

‘They would greatly appreciate your understanding as they navigate this difficult time.’

A source said the news has come as a ‘huge shock’ to family and friends. 

They told The Sun: ‘It’s been a huge shock to their friends and family because they always seemed like such a solid couple.

‘But they know in the long run it is the right decision. They have been together for almost 30 years and while they love and care for each other, things have changed.

‘James hasn’t been in a good place for quite a while now and things came to a head recently. They’ve had some open and honest discussions about their future over the past few months and have now decided that the best option is for them to separate.’

The insider added Ola has taken her wedding and engagement ring off. The last social media post with James dates back to April last year.  

The Daily Mail has contacted their representative for comment.  

They welcomed their daughter Ella in February 2020 via IVF following a three-year fertility battle.

The couple have long been open about the ups and downs in their decades-long romance, often opening up to fans about everything from disagreements to their sex life.

Back in 2017, when they’d been together for 18 years at the time, James said ‘life isn’t all smooth sailing’ as he admitted to troubles in the relationship.

During an appearance on Lorraine, he said life with Ola has not always been easy as he revealed: ‘Life isn’t all smooth sailing – we have had ups and downs’.

Back in 2017 when they’d been together for 18 years at the time, James said ‘life isn’t all smooth sailing’ as he admitted to troubles in his relationship (pictured together in 2024)

The couple spoke in the past about their love woes, with Ola saying: ‘It’s not all beautiful and sometimes you can look at people’s posts on Instagram and Facebook and you think, oh they’ve got perfect lives, but it’s not like that…

‘Marriage is not like that, no one’s got a perfect marriage. It’s a work in progress and I think if two people want to be together, they’ll make it happen.

‘Sometimes you have dark times and you need your other half’s support, and it’s not all pretty and perfect that people seem to think.’

Meanwhile, in July 2023, the pair revealed that their sex life was back on track after previously confessing sex is ‘definitely not better with mum and dad bods’.

The former Strictly Come Dancing professionals admitted that their bedroom activities had hit an all-time low after the couple become ‘obese’.

Ola said their ‘bellies got in their way’ of their romance the previous year before they shredded the pounds with their own fitness plan, Dance Shred.

She cheekily gushed that her partner’s slimmed down figure has boosted the appearance of what he’s packing in his underwear.

She told The Sun: ‘Well, let’s face it. It’s much more pleasant nowadays, isn’t it? The bellies don’t jiggle as much as they used to.’

The split comes just three years after they revealed their plans to renew their vows at Elvis chapel during 20th anniversary trip to Las Vegas.

Speaking to The Sun in 2023, the pair enthused over their upcoming getaway to mark the special occasion and admitted that they just might end up getting hitched again.

James said, ‘You never know where you’re gonna end up after a few drinks. We used to go there loads before Ella was born and we like letting our hair down every now and again.

‘We might end up somewhere saying, “I do,” he confessed while Ola chimed in, ‘At the Elvis chapel!’

James and Polish-born beauty Ola first met at a dance competition in Blackpool in 1999 and married four years later.

They were initially dance partners before their professional relationship developed into romance, James proposed two years later and the couple tied the knot in October 2003.

The pair shot to fame as professionals on BBC One celebrity competition Strictly Come Dancing, which they both joined in series four back in 2006.

James bowed out of the show after season 11 in 2013, while Ola left at the end of series 13 in 2015.

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Keiko Fujimori, a business-friendly conservative politician who campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform, on Friday was declared the winner of Peru’s presidential runoff election, making the South American nation the latest in Latin America to elect a right-wing leader.

Fujimori, 51, the daughter of late former President Alberto Fujimori, whose government defeated the Shining Path violent extremist group in the 1990s but also took an authoritarian turn, has pledged an aggressive crackdown on crime.

She has promised to build four new prisons, including a mega-prison modeled after El Salvador’s CECOT facility, militarize Peru’s borders to curb drug trafficking and deport migrants working in the country without legal residency.

Conservatives have won seven major presidential elections in Latin American in the past few years, most of the them since the January 2025 inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, in a winning streak propelled by concerns over crime, immigration and slow economic growth

Here is a look at the Latin American countries that have elected conservative presidents recently:

Colombia elects a ‘tiger’ to take on rebels and drug gangs

Trump-endorsed outsider Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia’s presidential election in June by a narrow margin, defeating progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda.

De la Espriella, who is nicknamed “The Tiger,” campaigned on a tough-on-crime approach, which includes proposals like canceling peace talks with Colombian rebel groups and building mega-prisons, like those in El Salvador. De la Espriella’s election marks a pivotal moment for Colombia, which was governed for the past four years by a former member of a rebel group, who was critical of the Trump administration’s immigration and anti-drug policies.

“The tiger” has promised to tackle extortion and drug trafficking. He was endorsed by Trump, who described the lawyer and business owner as the candidate who could restore law and order in Colombia.

Argentina chooses libertarian to tackle inflation

Javier Milei, an economist and television commentator nicknamed “The Lion,” won Argentina’s presidential election in November 2023 by promising to slash government spending and tackle the South American nation’s decades-long inflation problem. The libertarian defeated the ruling Peronist movement.

During his tenure, Milei has stopped the nation’s central bank from printing money to finance the government deficit and has cut government spending by firing civil servants and halting investment in public infrastructure programs, while reducing subsidies for public utility bills.

Argentina’s inflation has fallen from 211% in 2023 to 32% in 2025. However, some have blamed Milei’s austerity policies for decreasing the living standards of many Argentines, including public sector workers.

Ecuador reelects leader that favors military

Daniel Noboa, a member of one of Ecuador’s wealthiest families, was reelected to a four-year term in April 2025, winning the election with 56% of the vote. The conservative leader has given the military a more prominent role in providing security in coastal cities overrun by drug gangs fighting over the control of ports and drug trafficking routes.

But the strategy has not substantially reduced homicide rates. The government also has been criticized for human rights abuses, such as extrajudicial executions.

Under Noboa’s watch, Ecuador’s military has started to conduct joint operations against drug traffickers with the U.S. Noboa also pushed for the reopening of a U.S. military base in Ecuador, but the proposal was struck down in a referendum last year.

Asfura, who belongs to the same party as former President Juan Orlando Hernández who was pardoned by Trump for a drug trafficking conviction, was endorsed by the U.S. president, who threatened to cut off aid to the small Central American country if Asfura was not elected. Under Asfura’s administration, Honduras has received dozens of deportees from third countries through an agreement that was signed with the U.S. in early 2025, most of them Guatemalan nationals.

Chile’s Kast defeats the progressive movement

In December, José Antonio Kast, a conservative and a devout Catholic, won Chile’s presidential election with 58% of the vote, defeating a progressive government that had been in power for the previous four years.

In his campaigns, Kast capitalized on fears over increasing crime rates in Chile and said he would expel migrants from countries like Venezuela and Haiti that had been working in Chile without residency permits. One of his first moves after taking office has been to expand a trench along Chile’s borders with Peru and Bolivia in a bid, his government says, to stop drug trafficking and migration.

Kast’s government has recently faced protests over increasing unemployment and budget cuts that have affected public servants.

Costa Rica proposes tough-on-crime approach

Laura Fernández, an economy minister under conservative ex-President Rodrigo Chaves, won Costa Rica’s election in February with 48% of the vote, defeating her closest rival by 15 percentage points and surpassing the 40% of votes needed to avoid a runoff election.

During her campaign, Fernández proposed tough-on-crime measures, including a state of exception that would enable police to arrest suspects without warrants, and said she would build a mega prison modeled after El Salvador’s notorious CECOT penitentiary.

Fernández’s government has received several flights with migrants from third countries deported by the U.S. as she complies with an agreement that was signed by her predecessor last year. In June, one of these flights had migrants from China, Vietnam, Colombia and Azerbaijan.

___

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Counter-terror police investigating the death of Ann Widdecombe have re-opened an old probe into an attempted burglary last year.

The incident at an address in Greater London was reported in April 2025.

The Metropolitan Police and Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London investigated but no arrests were made and the case was closed pending any new lines of inquiry.

Since it was re-opened, CTP London has identified a line of inquiry ‘which may have been relevant’ but was ‘not identified and pursued by them at the time’.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is now investigating the ‘conduct’ of a CTP London staff member, following an allegation that the employee ‘failed to identify and pursue a line of inquiry’ related to the attempted burglary.

Reform UK spokeswoman and former Tory minister Miss Widdecombe was having lunch at her home when Joshua Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, allegedly burst into her bungalow, the Old Bailey heard previously.

Kerry was arrested on suspicion of murder on July 11, two days after Miss Widdecombe, 78, was found dead at her property in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon.

He was also arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism – but he has not been charged with this offence.

Senior national co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Vicki Evans, said: ‘As part of the ongoing investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing South East into the murder of Ann Widdecombe, officers have re-opened an investigation into an incident reported to police last year.’

She added: ‘Given the nature of this matter and the significant public interest in the investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death, it was of critical importance for us to provide this update. ‘

CTP London made a ‘mandatory conduct referral’ to the IOPC on Friday.

Joshua Kerry, 28, who has been charged over the death of Ann Widdecombe. He is pictured taking part in a charity fundraiser to guess the number of Easter eggs in a jar

An IOPC spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that the IOPC has decided to independently investigate the conduct of a Counter Terrorism Policing London staff member following a referral received earlier today.

‘The conduct relates to an allegation the individual failed to identify and pursue a line of enquiry relating to an attempted burglary reported in April 2025.

‘Counter Terrorism Policing London has been notified of our decision, and no further information is available at this early stage.’

Last month a court heard how Miss Widdecombe was bludgeoned 21 times over the head with a hammer in a ‘ferocious’ two-minute attack captured on camera.

The 78-year-old former minister was ambushed in her own kitchen by a hammer-wielding intruder while she was having her lunch, it was said.

Disturbing details of her brutal murder emerged today as her alleged killer Joshua Kerry appeared in court for the first time.

The 28-year-old is alleged to have walked into the former MP’s kitchen through an unlocked front door asking, ‘Don’t suppose you have bank cards and ID?’ as he held a hammer out of sight.

Prosecutors described the violence used as ‘ferocious’, saying Kerry struck the victim 21 times before shoving her body to the floor, rifling through her handbag for a wallet and fleeing the scene.

On July 21 it emerged for the first time that the pensioner died from a ‘blunt force injury to the head’.

But, just hours earlier a coroner had insisted the cause of death was unascertained.

Philip Spinney, senior coroner for the county of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, opened an inquest into her death at 10am, declaring: ‘She was found to be unresponsive with visible injuries.

Counter-terror police have re-opened a probe into an attempted burglary at the London home of Ann Widdecombe last year

A cordon around Ms Widdecombe’s bungalow in Haytor on Dartmoor

‘A postmortem examination has taken place and at this stage the precise medical cause of death has yet to be established.’

But at a subsequent Westminster Magistrates Court hearing at 2pm, Prosecutor Kashir Malik said: ‘A provisional cause of death from the pathologist was given as a blunt force injury to the head.’

He told the court that the attack was caught on a kitchen camera installed in Ms Widdecombe’s home which recorded the defendant’s movements and sounds from the victim.

The defendant was seen parking on Ms Widdecombe’s drive on another camera and entering the property in Dartmoor around 12.01pm on July 8, the court was told.

Mr Malik said: ‘He is wearing black gloves and holding a hammer in his right hand, held by his side, hidden from Miss Widdecombe view.

‘The defendant hits her on the top of the head with the hammer 21 times. He then tips her out of the chair where she falls on to the floor.

‘The defendant then reaches for her handbag and takes her wallet out.

‘The defendant leaves the property and gets back into his vehicle.

‘From entering and leaving the property, he was in the property for two minutes.’

Her body was not found until the next day after the Reform immigration spokeswoman did not attend a Channel 5 interview.

The production team attempted to contact Ms Widdecombe through her personal assistant resulting in a gardener being sent to check up on her.

The prosecutor added: ‘The gardener entered the house; the front door was open and held back with the doorstop. The gardener discovered Miss Widdecombe was lying face down on the kitchen floor with a serious head injury.

‘The ambulance service was called and paramedics confirmed the death.’

This is a breaking news story, more to follow. 

An eyewitness described it as “a really bad accident” saying a car is on its side and a boat appears to have come off a trailer.

“Really bad accident on the M4 westbound in Cardiff. Car on its side and a boat has come flying off its trailer,” she said.

“All lanes blocked. Traffic at a standstill. Police and ambulance on scene.”

Ann Widdecombe was found dead in her Devon home earlier this year

Counter-terror police investigating the death of Ann Widdecombe have re-opened an old probe into an attempted burglary last year.

The incident at an address in Greater London was reported in April 2025.

The Metropolitan Police and Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London investigated but no arrests were made and the case was closed pending any new lines of inquiry.

Since it was re-opened, CTP London has identified a line of inquiry “which may have been relevant” but was “not identified and pursued by them at the time.”

Senior national co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Vicki Evans, said: “As part of the ongoing investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing South East into the murder of Ann Widdecombe, officers have re-opened an investigation into an incident reported to police last year.”

CTP London made a “mandatory conduct referral” to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on Friday.

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New Mexico’s attorney general hopes a state court ruling ordering Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million and take steps to protect people under 18 is the impetus for addressing how Big Tech can harm children.

Thursday’s decision ended the second phase of a landmark trial. Jurors earlier this year determined Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

The first phase of the case saw a $375 million judgment against Meta, meaning the social media giant is responsible for $942 million.

Along with the additional penalties, Judge Bryan Biedscheid also ordered Meta on Thursday to make fundamental changes to its platforms to reduce addictive features, improve age verification and prevent child sexual exploitation.

“They have not shown any willingness to either accept responsibility for their conduct or concede they have a role to play in fixing and addressing the harms that they created,” New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said.

Here’s what the ruling means for New Mexico, Meta and the future of social media.

Judge orders Meta to make key changes to its platforms

For Torrez, the most important aspects of the ruling were requiring Meta to improve how it reviews and responds to reports of child sexual abuse, limiting how chatbots can interact with children and capping the number of hours people under 17 can spend on Meta’s platforms.

The judge ordered Facebook and Instagram to build banner and informational screens to clearly explain protection features, best practices and tools to address inappropriate comments and display them regularly. Those changes and an educational campaign in New Mexico would be subject to review by the state.

Meta must also work to improve its age verification tools in New Mexico, which include using artificial intelligence to determine people’s age based on signals such as who their friends are and what types of content they post and consume.

“It’s only the beginning of a conversation nationally that we need to have around all of these issues to make this a safer space for all our kids and families,” Torrez said.

Where will the $942 million go?

The judge required $420 million to be used for treatment services for young people. The rest will go toward awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years.

How that money is doled out will be up to lawmakers in New Mexico.

When the state gets the money is also up in the air. Meta can appeal the ruling and request it not have to pay until its appeal is heard. If the company loses, it would have to pay interest.

What Meta will do next

The company said it will appeal and issued a statement after Thursday’s ruling.

“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content,” Meta said. “We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.”

Meta posted a profit in 2025 of about $60 billion and investors seemed to shrug off the $942 million judgments. The stock was down about a half-percent to $586.78 a share when markets opened Friday but regained most of its value as the day wore on.

Torrez expects Meta to keep fighting both in court and for new laws and protections in legislatures in New Mexico and other states and the U.S. Congress.

“I have no doubt that Meta’s army of lawyers and lobbyists will be out in force in Santa Fe and Washington,” Torrez said at a news conference on Friday.

Later this month in federal court in California, Meta faces the first four of 29 states that sued it in a federal lawsuit filed in 2023 for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that get children addicted to its platforms.

Eight states, including Tennessee, where a trial is currently ongoing, filed lawsuits in their own state courts.

And late last month, Meta, along with TikTok, Snap and Google’s YouTube, were sued by the families of four teenagers who died by suicide over what they describe as “years of escalating harms” from using their platforms.

New Mexico hopes ruling will lead to changed laws

New Mexico used a 1970 consumer protection law to sue Meta. One penalty calculated under the parameters of that old law was $375 million — considered astronomical five decades ago but far less than what it would be if adjusted for today’s dollars: $3 billion.

The law “was built for a totally different economy and it didn’t conceive of or understand or anticipate companies of this size and scale or the business practices that they engage in,” Torrez said.

This is a good time to have broad discussions on changing older federal laws like the one from 30 years ago that protects social media from liability on what is posted on their sites, Torrez said.

Titled Sisters In Arms, it will serve as a three-part prequel to the hit BBC drama.

Set in Poplar in September 1939 during the outbreak of the Second World War, the special introduces a new cast including Julie Hesmondhalgh, Helena Wilson, Ellie McKay, Liv Andrusier, and Lizzie Back.

The BBC has shared the first look of Call the Midwife’s Christmas special for 2026 (Image: Neal Street/BBC/PA Wire)

Heidi Thomas, writer and showrunner, said: “Call The Midwife has a long and noble history of filming Christmas specials during heatwaves, and this year we welcomed the snow-machine back to the Nonnatus House set like an old friend.

“But I was surprised how many new emotions Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms sparked.

“In particular, the evacuation of Poplar’s children, and the fear that they may not make it home for Christmas had us all in tears.”

The series, which has aired since January 2012, follows nurse midwives in east London.

Each of its 15 series has featured a Christmas special and this year is no different.

What to expect from Call the Midwife Christmas special 2026

A synopsis for the special from the BBC reads: “Sister Monica Joan is in her prime, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina are young and zealous, and Nonnatus House is the beating heart of Poplar.

“Together with Sister Alice, and local GP Dr Kit, the nuns dedicate their lives to mothers, babies and those in need.

“But there is no gas and air, no penicillin, no cure for TB, and no welfare state.

Top 10 Best British TV series

“Then war is declared – and life gets even harder.

“The three young secular midwives who complete the team – Sybil, Olive and Marianne – receive a baptism of fire as the blackout and the Blitz take hold.

“While bombs rain from the sky, women give birth underground, families are shattered, children run wild, and whole streets are reduced to rubble.

“But courage, compassion and resilience triumph as the community unites in its efforts to survive.”

An exact broadcast date for the special has not yet been confirmed, but it will air during the festive season this year.

If you’ve not watched the series or want to rewatch episodes, BBC iPlayer currently hosts previous series of Call The Midwife.

Who is your favourite Call the Midwife character? Tell us in the comments below.

Bradley Dack‘s new girlfriend Emily Moloney has showed off a huge bunch of red roses, presumably from the footballer amid their recently rekindled romance.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the stylist included the image of the flowers amongst a carousel of snaps documenting her summer. 

And while she didn’t specifically name Bradley as the sender, the timing of the post is coincidental as it comes just weeks after his ex Olivia Attwood received a strikingly similar bunch from her new boyfriend Pete Wicks.

In June, the Love Island beauty revealed she was sent a large bouquet of red roses to nurse her nasty hangover after partying in Ibiza, days after Pete spoke about their romance for the first time.

Meanwhile, Bradley and Emily are said to have quietly reunited following his shock split from Olivia in January, amid her secret romance with Pete. 

And while Olivia is loved up with the ex TOWIE hunk, with their romance hard launched on social media last month, she didn’t react well when new photos of Bradley and Emily emerged recently.

The timing of the post is coincidental as it comes just weeks after his ex Olivia Attwood received a strikingly similar bunch from her new boyfriend Pete Wicks

In a series of scathing posts, Olivia branded Emily Bradley’s ‘bit on the side’ and called her a ‘professional benchwarmer’ after the couple were seen together. 

The photographs enraged Olivia who suggested they came as confirmation of what she has believed all along, that Bradley had been seeing Emily.

Emily denied four months ago that she was in a relationship with the Gillingham midfielder, but the photographs appeared to tell a different story.

Last week, Olivia went on a seven-hour bender after teasing she would share screenshots about Brad.

The TV star said that she was going to share ‘messy’ screenshots as she made a dig at Emily amid the photos.

After her manager told her to be the ‘bigger person’, Olivia went on a spontaneous boozy day – and night – out where she sipped champagne in Selfridges, purchased Christian Louboutin heels and ended up at Freedom Bar in Soho.

She said after fans begged her to post the ‘messy’ screenshots: ‘So the screenshots are on pause because my manager wanted me to be the bigger person.

‘So I’m going to have a spontaneous night out but I’m wearing vans so obviously we’re going to go and buy some shoes.’ 

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the stylist included the image of the flowers amongst a carousel of snaps documenting her summer

Earlier this week Olivia went on a seven-hour bender after teasing she would share screenshots about Brad (pictured together in 2021)

While Olivia is loved up with Pete, with their romance hard launched on social media last month [pictured], she didn’t react well when new photos of Bradley and Emily emerged recently

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On Thursday, Olivia admitted she had a ‘mini nervous breakdown’ this week, before she drunkenly promised to share screenshots about her cheating ex Bradley.

The former Love Island star reflected on her ‘frantic’ week with her fans on Instagram, after teasing ‘no one knows what I’m going to do next, especially not me!’

In just the past week, Olivia has partied in Ibiza and St Tropez, enjoyed a spontaneous seven-hour bender in London, purchased designer gifts for herself and launched a magazine cover where she spilled all about her split from Brad.

The presenter jokingly asked fans on Instagram ‘What shall I do next… marriage, shave my head or get a neck tattoo’, to complete her hectic week. 

She said: ‘I was just reading my diary… [I] landed back from 24 hours in Ibiza. [Then] had a mini nervous breakdown, threatened to release everything from my receipts and screenshots folder.

‘Go to [Christian] Louboutin to calm my nervous system with new shoes, didn’t calm me enough so I went dancing in a gay bar until 5am.

‘Got up the next morning, I thought f*** this. Got on a plane to St Tropez and partied in St Tropez for three days.

‘Land in the UK, appeared on breakfast television to promote my new show. Said new show Price Of Perfection goes to number one on ITVX, the most watched show on the platform.

‘Drives to Wales to collect my two dogs from doggy residential and back. Had a meeting to find out four major supermarket chains want to stock Savano.

‘My Cosmopolitan magazine cover has launched… it’s not even been a week.’

Olivia teased: ‘There’s actually 10 more hours left until it’s one week, what shall I do? Neck tattoo, shave my head, get married, come on!’

Robert F Kennedy Jr revealed that his niece’s tragic death in 2019 was caused by a fentanyl overdose as he paid tribute to her on the anniversary of her passing. 

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary shared a touching tribute to his late niece Saoirse Kennedy Hill on Friday – but revealed never-before-reported details of how she passed away in 2019 aged 22. 

Kennedy wrote: ‘Remembering my beloved niece Saorsie (sic) Kennedy Hill, a luminous soul who died 7 years ago this week of an accidental fentanyl overdose.’

The post featured several photographs of Saoirse from her childhood, including beaming family photos and lavish yachting vacations. 

Kennedy promptly deleted the Instagram post soon after sharing it to his millions of followers, however it is unclear if he was aware of revealing her cause of death. 

The Daily Mail has contacted the HHS for comment. 

At the time of Saoirse’s passing in August 2019, toxicology reports found methadone, fluoxetine, norfluoxetine, diazepam, nordiazepam and alcohol in her system.

Fluoxetine is an anti-depressant, and diazepam is medication to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol withdrawals. 

Kennedy shared a touching tribute, but released never-before-reported details of how she passed away in 2019 aged 22

Kennedy wrote on Friday that his late niece was ‘a luminous soul who died 7 years ago this week of an accidental fentanyl overdose’

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Saoirse – the granddaughter of assassinated presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy – was found unresponsive at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts on the night of August 2, 2019. 

She was the daughter of Courtney Kennedy Hill and Paul Michael Hill, who was imprisoned in Ireland for 15 years after being falsely accused of involvement in Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombings. 

Aged just 22, the heir to the Kennedy dynasty was at home with many of her family members, including grandmother Ethel Kennedy, when she overdosed. 

She was raced to Cape Cod Hospital, and she was pronounced dead soon after. 

Ethel Kennedy, then-91, shared a heartbreaking statement following Saoirse’s death, saying that ‘the world is a little less beautiful today.’

Saoirse had been open about her struggles with mental illness, depression and anxiety, including sharing an op-ed in her student newspaper at the prestigious Deerfield Academy in 2016. 

She wrote at the time that her depression ‘took root in the beginning of my middle school years and will be with me for the rest of my life.’

The political scion indicated that the weight of her family name wore on her, as she said she suffered from ‘deep bouts of sadness that felt like a heavy boulder on my chest.’ 

Saoirse’s sudden death seven years ago marked one of the most heartbreaking chapter’s in the Kennedy family’s long list of tragedies, which have become commonly known as the ‘Kennedy curse.’

Saoirse’s uncle RFK Jr. shared several photographs of his late niece from her childhood, including beaming family photos and lavish yachting vacations

Kennedy family members at Saoirse Kennedy Hill’s funeral on August 5, 2019 in Massachusetts

The so-called ‘Kennedy curse’ began with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, when he was gunned down in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald. 

Just months before the assassination, the president’s son Patrick – who was born prematurely – died at just 40-hours-old in August 1963. 

In the decades since, the family has suffered numerous tragedies and unexpected deaths, including another assassination, four fatal plane crashes, and several overdoses. 

Five years after JFK’s shock assassination, his brother and then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was also assassinated in 1968 in California. 

The next year in July 1969, the presumed heir to the Kennedy throne, brother Ted Kennedy, was involved in a controversial car wreck on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. 

While Ted Kennedy survived the crash, his friend Mary Jo Kopechne died inside the car when it crashed into a pond, and his political reputation never fully recovered.  

In 1994, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis passed away aged just 64, following a battle with lymphoma. 

In 1997, JFK’s son Michael, a lawyer and activist, was killed in a skiing accident after smashing in to a tree while playing football on skis without any protective equipment on. He died aged just 39. 

The family’s troubles hit the headlines yet again in 1999, when JFK’s son, John F Kennedy Jr., died alongside his wife Carolyn Bassette and her sister Lauren in a plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. 

Saoirse Kennedy Hill is also not the only family member to die by drug overdose, as Robert F Kennedy’s son David, then-28, passed away in a Palm Beach hotel in 1984. 

The most famous death in the Kennedy family was that of President John F Kennedy who was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas on November 22, 1963

Robert F Kennedy was killed on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles shortly after he won the California Democratic presidential primary (pictured in March 1968)

JFK Jr crashed his small plane into the ocean around seven miles from Martha’s Vineyard in 1999, killing his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren Bessette

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Robert F Kennedy’s son David, 28, was found dead of an overdose in a Palm Beach hotel in 1984 (pictured in New York in 1984). Right: Saoirse Kennedy Hill, the granddaughter of RFK died following an accidental overdose in 2019 at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts

Tatiana Schlossberg, 35, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer, in May 2024, and she died last year 

In 2020, Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, the granddaughter of RFK, and her son Gideon, 8, drowned. 

The pair disappeared as they were canoeing in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, when they climbed into the canoe to retrieve a lost ball from a waterfront home, but failed to return to shore.

In 2011, Ted’s daughter Kara died from a sudden unexpected heart attack while working out at a health club in Washington DC. 

It’s believed that the heart attack may have been brought on by the aggressive cancer treatment she was undergoing at the time. 

Last year, the family was struck by its latest heartbreak as Tatiana Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy’s granddaughter – died from cancer aged just 35.