Former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is keen to be reunited with Leny Yoro at his new club AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.

Yoro has struggled to live up to expectations since joining United from Lille in a £52million deal as a teenager two years ago.

In that time, the 20-year-old defender has made 67 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils, chipping in with one goal and three assists.

A serious ankle injury badly hampered Yoro’s progress in his debut season at Old Trafford and the Frenchman has been in and out of United’s starting XI ever since.

Yoro was an unused substitute in United’s shock 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City last weekend and he started on the bench again versus Ipswich – before coming on for Diogo Dalot at right-back in the 73rd minute.

Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez appear to have nailed down their places as United’s first-choice centre-back partnership in Michael Carrick’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, raising questions over Yoro’s future at the Theatre of Dreams.

According to Italian publication Tuttosport, AC Milan are monitoring the situation and could make a surprise move before the summer transfer window slams shut on Tuesday.

Milan have turned their attentions to strengthening their defence after wrapping up an agreement with Nottingham Forest for England Under-21 attacker Omari Hutchinson.

The Rossoneri have also captured Goncalo Ramos, Mario Gila, Sankhoun Diawara and Diego Moreira in a €150million (£128m) spending spree this summer.

It’s claimed Amorim sat down in a hotel to discuss transfer targets with with Milan directors Hendrik Almstadt and Bobby Gardiner for nearly five hours on Saturday, where he was assured that further signings were being explored.

The Serie A giants remain in the hunt for an attacking midfielder, a central defender and a left-back, and the report claims super-agent Jorge Mendes could ‘play a role’ in any negotiations.

Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde has been identified as a target at full-back, while United centre-half Yoro is mentioned as another player ‘in the mix’ and attracting strong interest.

Signed when Erik ten Haag was at the helm at Old Trafford, Yoro still has three years remaining on his current contract in the north west.

Yoro has given no indication of wanting to depart United and it would likely require an astronomical fee to convince the Red Devils to part with the young centre-back before the transfer deadline.

Before the season got underway, Yoro spoke of his excitement about playing in the Champions League and testing himself against the finest attacking players in Europe.

‘All the players in the world want to play in this competition,’ he told the club’s official website.

‘I did the Conference League, Europa League, and now I’m going to play in the Champions League. So yeah, I think the step is very good.

‘It’s a competition with the best players in the world.

‘You play different types of strikers, different types of opponents, and it’s never easy. So you have to be ready, and yeah, I can’t wait to play against these types of players.’

He added: ‘The other lads have spoken about when you train with the Champions League ball and hear the music of the Champions League, it’s just a different atmosphere from the league,” Yoro said.

‘We play against different clubs from all over the world, so [they have spoken to me] about the atmosphere and the magic of this competition.

‘Most of them have played in this competition, and everyone says it’s just magic to play.’

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NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered near New York City’s popular Washington Square Park Sunday to judge a Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest.

The winner, Amadeo Fusca, was the crowd favorite, wearing a jersey for the NBA champion New York Knicks underneath a suit. Fusca also had a haircut and facial hair similar to Mamdani, taking home a $100 prize.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist who took office in January, has amassed a large following on social media and among younger residents. The event was sponsored by the social media app, Sonder.

Mamdani’s agenda as mayor is centered on refocusing the power of government toward helping the city’s struggling working class.

Nine participants, many with facial hair similar to Mamdani’s, came dressed in myriad Mamdani style, including the brown suit Mamdani wore while campaigning in 2025, red and black patterned ties, dress shoes, dark blue and black suits, and silver rings. One of the participants showed up shirtless but wearing an apron — a reference to a rap music video Mamdani made in 2019.

The men were asked one question in the competition — name their favorite pizza — and the winner was decided by who got the most applause.

Attendees initially gathered in the park, but police told them they had to leave because they hadn’t obtained a permit. So they moved just outside the park for the competition.

It wasn’t the first time Mamdani look-alikes gathered. A similar contest was held in Brooklyn in 2025 when Mamdani was campaigning for mayor.

___

Wilder reported from Austin, Texas, and is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Trump administration plans to impose sanctions on another bank this week in an effort to clamp down on Iran transactions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday.

Bessent spoke with The Associated Press ahead of Group of 20 meetings in Asheville, North Carolina, where he will meet individually with his counterparts from the world’s major and developing economies to encourage participation in the economic isolation of Iran.

“This is going to be financial violence if we have to,” Bessent said in the interview. “We are showing people that we know who you are, you know who you are, and this has got to stop.”

Bessent had recently announced a new campaign to push countries that still do business with the already heavily sanctioned Islamic Republic to sever their financial ties or face retaliation from the United States.

Treasury’s first official action in this campaign was a proposed rulemaking on Friday, which would, if finalized, sever the Emirati branches of Banque Misr, Egypt’s second-largest bank, from access to the U.S. financial system.

In stopping short of imposing sanctions on the Egyptian bank, the Republican administration appeared to be signaling its reluctance to penalize major trading partners that do business with Iran, including China and India, whose officials Bessent will have meetings with this week.

Bessent told the AP he would speak to his Chinese counterparts at the G-20 meeting and “all options are on the table” in terms of sanctioning Beijing for its continued purchases. But he downplayed this reluctance in the interview, calling it “a completely false narrative that the media picked up on” and insisting that China and the U.S. agree on the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

During their announcement of what they called a “landmark partnership”, Chelsea explained: “The partnership comes at a pivotal moment for the world. Stablecoins are moving from early adoption toward the mainstream, creating an unprecedented opportunity to make money as open, accessible, and useful as the internet itself.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, of Cleveland Police, were killed in a crash on the A66 in South Bank, Teesside, in the early hours of Saturday morning

The two lads of a police officer tragically killed in the A66 collision led out Manchester United as mascots on Sunday. PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, from Cleveland Police, perished when a Volkswagen Passat smashed into the marked police armed response vehicle they were in.

The Passat was fleeing from officers and travelling the wrong way on the A66 in South Bank when the collision occurred at 3.39am on Saturday, August 22. The five occupants of the Passat were also declared dead at the scene.

They were Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23 year olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak. Cleveland Police confirmed its officers have been probing alleged organised crime and 24 individuals have been arrested.

Manchester United included a tribute to PC Matthew Blades in their matchday programme prior to their Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town on Sunday. They portrayed him as a proud Red, a dedicated family man and a police officer who committed his life to serving others.

His wife Sarah and their two boys were invited to Old Trafford for the match. The youngsters led the squad onto the pitch as mascots, walking alongside captain Bruno Fernandes and goalkeeper Senne Lammens, reports Teesside Live.

A photograph of PC Blades with his two lads at Old Trafford appeared in the programme. There was also a tribute from an unnamed close friend and colleague which stated: “For Matthew, United was a lifelong love, a passion he shared with his family.

“Since Matt’s tragic death there has been an extraordinary outpouring of grief and support. That love has been seen in countless tributes and acts of kindness. Today, we remember a fellow Red. A husband. A father. A son. A brother. A friend. A police officer. A man who gave his life in the service of others. Forever our superhero.”

On Saturday, Middlesbrough honoured the two officers at the Riverside Stadium, where Boro fans applauded PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough ahead of the 12.30pm home fixture against West Bromwich Albion.

Players from both sides lined up to clap as images of the fallen officers were displayed on the stadium screen. Supporters from both clubs were seen on their feet, applauding in a powerful display of solidarity over their heartbreaking deaths.

At Hartlepool United’s match against Eastleigh FC on Friday, two police helmets were placed on the pitch to honour each officer, as a two-minute silence was observed. It also came to light on Friday that King Charles had personally written to the officers’ families, acknowledging that they had made the ‘ultimate sacrifice’.

A fundraiser established in memory of the two officers is fast approaching £1.2 million, with a remarkable 42,000 people having contributed to the appeal, which stood at £1,168,000 at the time of publication.

The GoFundMe page was set up by the Cleveland Police Federation, with the proceeds to be divided between the families of both officers. To view the fundraising page click here.

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The third series sees DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones), who hails from Greater Manchester, and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) return for a new case that takes them to a remote Arctic research station, where a member of a covert British special forces mission has been murdered.

Amy and Kirsten need to catch the killer and defuse a potential international confrontation, as different nations compete for control of the Arctic and its resources in the changing polar climate, with both their careers and relationship on the line.

This is what the two main characters have to say about the new BBC drama.

:DI Kirsten Longacre (ROSE LESLIE), Amy Silva (SURANNE JONES) (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

Suranne Jones (Amy Silva)

(Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

For those coming to Vigil for the first time, who is Amy Silva and what challenges does she face in series three?

Amy Silva is a detective. She is feisty, she’s a maverick, she’s straight talking, she has a really good heart and a strong belief for the need for the world to be good.

All of the Vigil series are about fighting for truth, coming up against the bigger picture and wanting the world to be a better place, so that really attracted me. Each series also brings new challenges with Amy not knowing her surroundings – she’s constantly put into these new worlds, with new rules and new characters and so she’s always trying to figure out where her authority is in that. I also think Amy and Kirsten are kept in the dark with what they’re being told and it’s their job to find the gaps and piece it together.

We’ve seen Amy underwater, we’ve seen her fighting drones, and now series three is set in the Arctic. We had the opportunity to go to Svalbard, which was such an experience. It was so beautiful and we filmed those scenes at the beginning of the shoot, which allowed us to get a real feel of the world that we were inhabiting, so when we came back to Scotland to continue filming, it was easier to imagine all of that.

Tell us more about what it was it like filming in Svalbard?

Svalbard was amazing. Rose and I felt like we were just on top of the world because we went to places that tourists don’t normally visit since we were filming in such remote locations. There were reindeer outside the breakfast room every morning, we got to drive the snow buggies, and we really had to layer up – the problem was when we got back to Glasgow we were too hot because we still had to film with all our layers on!

The people and the crew in Svalbard were incredible and we tried some moose and reindeer, which is part of the local cuisine – I had moose stew! Overall, it was such an incredible experience and a great start to the shoot.

Did you get to explore much of Svalbard outside of filming?

We were shooting pretty much the whole time we were there. I had one day to acclimatise. I went to a husky café where you get to have a coffee and meet retired husky dogs!

Do you have any highlights or standout memories from filming?

Rose is always my standout of filming Vigil because it’s always gorgeous to see her and work with her. We didn’t stop talking the whole time. We got to spend a lot more time together this series in comparison to the previous ones, because Amy joins Kirsten in Svalbard midway through and they work on the case together.

What’s also lovely is having a new cast for every series of Vigil because we’re in a different world every series, so the entire cast changes except for a few of us. The new characters for this series are brilliant and such fun. Eric Godon (plays Mayor Korotayev) used to bring his own coffee onto set and he’s from Belgium, so he’d sometimes bring Belgian chocolates in.

We’re just like a band of brothers and we’re all in it together so we’re a real team – that involves the crew too. I loved going into make-up first thing in the morning, it’s my favourite place as they’re so great and they really get you going at the start of the day.

What item(s) could you not live without on the shoot in Svalbard/in-between takes?

When we were filming in Svalbard, our gloves were swapped out for heated gloves and we also had heated gilets, which was amazing. At the end of the day, Rose and I would have the soup from the hotel we were staying in, and it was everything you would hope somewhere like Svalbard would have – a warm open fires and throws – it was just gorgeous to warm up at the end of the day.

Did you do any research before filming?

I love research, I’m quite geeky about that, so with my other roles like Gentleman Jack I had the diaries or with Doctor Foster I went to see a GP, but with Vigil I didn’t have to. James Strong, one of the directors for the first series, was quite adamant to keep the submarine crew and cast to their job and then I would just fly in knowing nothing and so we’ve kept to that across all of the series, which I love because then I find it out as I go along.

Why do you think fans can relate to Amy and Kirsten?

In the first series you see Amy and Kirsten meet, and they start this relationship. In the second series, Kirsten is pregnant and in this series, you see them as a real family. We’re proudly representing two women that are now together, they’re married, they have two children.

Rose and I have always taken the personal scenes and made sure that there is some weight to them so that we can really play, even if it’s one or two scenes, we try and make those count because it’s about our connection and always has been.

I think fans can relate to Amy and Kirsten because they hope for the best in every situation and they try to see the good in everything. They keep fighting, which is hard these days, but they feel quite hopeful as a duo to change the world. It is the systems around them that let them down.

What are the key themes for series three?

Amy and Kirsten are always fighting a bigger monster, and each time we’ve seen Amy go into these worlds and realise how fruitless it is in a way, and how she has to compromise. At the end of this series in fact there are quite big compromises, but you’ll have to wait to see what I mean by that!

In this series in particular, I think Amy is a bit more ruthless and reckless once her eyes are open to what’s going on, as there are lots of different countries at play and no-one can truly be trusted. I like it that she has a bit of fight back because she’s just not going to play by the rules herself anymore, because no-one else is.

Vigil is an entertainment programme, but Tom Edge has always chosen subjects that open your eyes to things, so I think it can help to start a conversation. But ultimately I do think anyone can enjoy Vigil, it’s a really good and entertaining watch.

Do you think you’d make a good detective?

I would make a terrible detective! I’m nosy which is good, but the paperwork and the knowledge you need to have isn’t for me – it’s not for the faint hearted!

Rose Leslie (Kirsten Longacre)

(Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

You’ve of course been part of Vigil right from the beginning. What was it that initially attracted you to the project?

DI Kirsten Longacre is a strong-willed, tenacious police officer who is loyal but also very passionate about her job and is married to DCI Silva. The initial attraction was knowing that we were going to be airing on the BBC and, despite the fact that my character was never in the submarine, I loved the premise of the first series being set on board a submarine and the claustrophobia of what that then brings – and now we’re on the third series!

The joy of this particular role is playing opposite Suranne and also being a part of a thriller, and the plots and the twists and the turns that brings.

:DI Kirsten Longacre (ROSE LESLIE), (Image: BBC / World Productions / Mark Mainz)

In series three, what new challenges does Kirsten face?

Kirsten has been asked to spearhead the murder investigation of a British soldier in demilitarised Svalbard. This is the first time that she has ever headed up an investigation on an international scale like this, so she’s stepping into new shoes, and she feels ready for it.

At the same time, it comes with trying to figure out the balance of leaving home and putting your job first. I also think for Kirsten, returning to work post maternity leave is emotional, sometimes exhausting, but certainly an identity shifting experience.

You shot in both Glasgow and Svalbard, with new cast members joining you too. Tell us how that was?

It was so lovely to be back in Glasgow and, having grown up there, I have such a deep fondness for Scotland.

It was also very thrilling to be so far north for filming in Svalbard. The landscape was luna, or what I imagine the moon would look like. I felt so fortunate to experience almost complete isolation on the mountain tops. We had really bulky snowsuits which kept us nice and warm, along with the feet warmers and woolly hats.

On our first day we really were on a boat – it was me, Jeppe (Henrik) and Tornike (Fyodor), sailing for two hours towards a glacier. Then we went into the cabin all feeling seasick – but that’s one way to bond! We were in the cabin, chatting away and asking lots of questions and getting to know and understand each other. Jeppe and Tornike have a similar sense of humour, so they were quite the double act, and it was a joy to observe it all when the three of us were on set together.

What would you say the main themes or concerns that Kirsten has to work through?

I think for Kirsten, in this series, she has a drip feed realisation that countries would go to nefarious depths to make sure that the current order remains and is as prevalent as possible. I think she feels defiant, betrayed and certainly has loyalty to her country, but she has a very good barometer for what she knows to be right.

Do you think you would make a good detective?

I wouldn’t say I have particularly acute observational skills, and I would find the relentless persistence required to be a good detective quite challenging…!

By CLAUDIA AORAHA, DEPUTY HEAD OF NEWS

Published: 21:22 BST, 30 August 2026 | Updated: 22:15 BST, 30 August 2026

More than 20 hikers and backpackers who were making their way through Arizona‘s Grand Canyon have been declared missing after flash floods.

Parts of the scenic canyon were hit by significant flash flooding on Saturday around 2:30pm, and authorities are searching for at least 20 unaccounted people.

The missing hikers are believed to have been trekking on routes near the Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area of the national park.

Authorities also are asking for the public to help identify people who were traveling near the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch.

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This includes anyone that was staying at Bright Angel Campground, or traveling or staying in the area known as ‘the Box’ north of Phantom Ranch. 

Over 62 people were evacuated from the spot yesterday amid the flooding. 

All footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed in the freak weather event, meaning that pedestrians cannot get across the creek, which has flooded. 

The National Park Service said in a statement: ‘Grand Canyon National Park staff, in coordination with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected area.’ 

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The missing hikers are believed to have been treking on routes near the Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area of the national park

All footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed in the freak weather event, meaning that pedestrians cannot get across the creek, which has flooded

Debris is seen being taken down stream during the flash flooding

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Horrific videos from the scene in the Grand Canyon showed mudslides tearing through the landscape, as hikers filmed from a suspended bridge above. 

Large mounds of debris were seen floating on the brown water, with Grand Canyon historian Tom Martin writing in a Facebook post that the debris flow out of Bright Angel Creek – including sediment, trees, bridges and structures – had formed a dam that raised the effective height of the Colorado River by approximately eight feet.

The Black and Silver bridges, and traffic to the Colorado River in the area, are now closed ‘until further notice,’ due to debris in the water, authorities said. 

It is unclear who the 20 missing people are, or where they are from. 

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‘There is currently no estimated reopening date for these areas and other inner canyon closures may be necessary,’ a press release said as additional storms are forecasted.

A flood watch remains in effect for parts of northern Arizona, amid a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms on Sunday and a 60 percent chance on Monday.

Over 62 people were evacuated from the spot yesterday amid the flooding – but there are at least 20 people unaccounted for

The National Park Service said on Sunday that it is seeking information about more than 20 people who may be missing or unaccounted for in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area

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Phantom Ranch is a popular lodge among visitors and hikers. It is located near the Grand Canyon by Bright Angel Creek. 

This is a breaking news story. 

The Conquest Man was discovered 50 years ago in Lincolnshire, while living during one of England’s most pivotal moments and has had his face revealed for the first time

Scientists have finally unveiled a facial reconstruction of a mystery man who lived through England’s nation-defining Norman Conquest following ground-breaking research on his 1,000-year-old skeleton.

The remains of “Conquest Man” were discovered about 50 years ago at St Peter’s Church in Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire. English Heritage and Historic England spent half a century working to gain a better understanding of the unknown man’s background, including undertaking DNA analysis.

They said the results finally shed new light on experts’ understanding of a tumultuous period which changed the course of English history. Experts say the facial reconstruction of the man brings us face-to-face with an everyday person who survived the Norman Conquest for the very first time.

The man was of mixed heritage, just over five feet tall, stocky, muscular, aged between 50-60 and had several healed fractures. He was given a privileged burial – steeped in Scandinavian ritual – in the Norman-owned church of one of William the Conqueror’s knights.

He was laid to rest in a coffin made from an oak tree felled around 1079 with his arms folded, head supported on a grass pillow and kept from falling sideways by two lumps of local chalk. Three apple wood staffs – which are known to be grave goods in the Scandinavian tradition – were also found by his side.

Kevin Booth, English Heritage’s head curator of collections, who coordinated the study, said: “I’ve been fascinated by this individual – this man of the Conquest – for 20 years. Who was he, what did he experience, could he have been at the Battle of Hastings, what sort of person might he have been?

“With this new analysis, it feels like we can really get close to him. To be able to now look at his face is to feel we can almost speak to him. More than that, it makes us think of his role at the time of the Conquest – his loyalties and anxieties.

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“The classic way of understanding the Battle of Hastings is binary; ‘them and us’. But what Conquest Man illustrates is so much richer than that. We don’t know if he was ‘Saxon’ or ‘Norman’.

“He may have been neither – a man of continental, Scandinavian influences – but then, what many of us don’t realise, is that this was true for both ‘sides’ at the Battle. By the 11th century, we were an Anglo-Scandinavian nation, and there was a similarly strong Scandinavian influence in Normandy.

“Anglo, Scandinavian and Norman interests were closely connected. He’s a fascinating survivor of a cataclysmic period in history, born in the reign of Viking King Cnut, he survived the Norman Conquest to be buried with honour next to a pre-Conquest church, part of the new Norman world.

“It seems to me his legacy is of survival, resilience and adaptation. I hope that by sharing his story in this way, when people go to our Battle of Hastings re-enactment or visit the Bayeux Tapestry – of course they can cheer on who they like – but maybe he can help us not to pigeonhole those who fought and died there, but to understand them as human above all.”

English Heritage worked alongside researchers from Historic England, the Crick Institute, the British Geological Survey, University of Southampton, muVIS and FaceLab. The research process involved a series of tests on his skeleton including osteological analysis, Ancient DNA, Isotope analysis and the digital facial reconstruction.

The DNA results suggests substantial ancestry from continental Europe, while his burial included objects and practices associated with Scandinavian traditions. Boffins say the oxygen levels in one of his teeth are consistent with time spent in a cold climate as an adolescent, while the strontium levels are more compatible with the area closer to Barton on Humber.

Human skeletal biologist at Historic England, Dr. Sarah Stark said: “The science does not point to one simple homeland for this individual. Instead, his skeleton, burial, ancient DNA and isotope results suggest a man connected to the wider continental world.

“He may have travelled to Barton, or he may have been born locally into a community already shaped by those connections. In either case, his burial suggests that the traditions associated with him were meaningful and recognisable within the Barton community, reminding us that identity in 11th-century England was far more complex than simple categories like Saxon or Norman.”

Members of the public will be able to see the remains of Conquest Man at St Peter’s Church on September 20.

By CODIE BULLEN, SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 21:14 BST, 30 August 2026 | Updated: 22:03 BST, 30 August 2026

They were once rivals on the pitch, and in recent years found themselves clashing over opinions.

But Graeme Souness and Gary Lineker were forced to put their differences aside while working together on ITV’s new celebrity gameshow The Box, three years after he called out the Match Of The Day host for refusing to apologise for tweets criticising the Government’s migrant bill.

Lineker made headlines in March 2023 after being suspended by the BBC for refusing to apologise over criticism of the Government’s bill on illegal migrants. After days of dramatic fallout, which saw his colleagues Ian Wright and Alan Shearer show support by boycotting the programme, Lineker was reinstated to his role.

But at the time, Souness claimed that Lineker, Shearer and Wright should keep their opinions to themselves because freedom of speech ‘doesn’t apply’ for BBC employees.

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‘It wasn’t Gary Lineker’s first time upsetting people, and I don’t think he should’ve said what he did because when you take the BBC’s money you have to be very careful with what you say politically. Freedom of speech is something that doesn’t apply when you work for the BBC, I think you have to be very careful,’ Souness said on William Hill’s Up Front with Simon Jordan podcast.

And during The Box’s launch event in London ahead of the series debut on September 5, Souness couldn’t help but take a playful jibe at Lineker.

Graeme Souness (pictured) and Gary Lineker were forced to put their differences aside while working together on ITV ’s new celebrity gameshow The Box

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The ex-Liverpool midfielder admitted he wanted to ‘smash Lineker a few times’ during filming.

Lineker watched the 10 celebrity contestants compete in unpredictable physical, mental, and logical challenges with little to no instruction.

‘It was revenge for that tackle at Anfield in 1981,’ Lineker responded to the dig, to which Souness responded: ‘Is it a bit too late to apologise?’

Elsewhere, several other contestants revealed what Lineker was really like as host of the new gameshow.

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Love Island’s Shakira Khan revealed: ‘They had to keep Gary away from us because of his poker face.

‘He would watch the challenges before, when they tested them, and he would be like, “Oh, so and so did this earlier so you did better than them!” He was really encouraging.’

JLS star JB Gill added that Lineker wasn’t allowed to socialise with them off camera due to his knowledge of the show.

Lineker made headlines in March 2023 after being suspended by the BBC for refusing to apologise over criticism of the Government’s bill on illegal migrants

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Ellie Taylor also said: ‘We saw him around challenges. He was great, he was lovely and supportive. He really enjoyed the process and was invested in the show. And I think having that sort of energy at the top of the show sort of trickled down to the rest of us. He was fab.’

Touted as a replacement for Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, each episode of The Box concludes with ‘The Duel’, an elimination showdown where two players face off.

Asked about this being the first time hosting a big entertainment show, Lineker said: ‘It’s different – it’s something I’ve never done before, which appealed to me, alongside the unique nature of the concept.’

Lineker signed the huge deal with ITV after leaving the BBC last year following an anti-semitism row.

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The former Match of the Day presenter was axed after sharing a pro-Palestine Instagram video which featured an emoji of a rat, with critics accusing him of promoting a familiar anti-Semitic slur.

He later ‘apologised unreservedly’ for his actions, saying he was unaware of the meaning of the symbol and added: ‘I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for.’

He said that stepping down from his role with the BBC – where he was once the highest paid star – was ‘the responsible course of action’.

The Box begins Saturday September 5 on ITV1 and ITVX. 

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