A banner attached to the campervan towed through Lauder said it offered “eye tests” while another joked the vehicle had been “parked round the side”.

Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell have been mocked by a campervan float at an historic Scots festival.

A motorhome was towed through Lauder last week as part of the Borders town’s annual Common Riding, complete with two locals dressed as the former first minister and her estranged husband.

A banner attached to the vehicle joked: “New campervan eye test here – approved alternative to the Barnard Castle eye test“, while another sign quipped the vehicle had previously been “parked round the side”.

The local dressed as Murrell was pictured showing off watches on his wrist, while two other participants on the float posed as police officers.

But despite the cheeky float grabbing attention from the gathered crowds and pictures being shared widely on social media, it only claimed third prize in the vehicle category of the festival’s annual fancy dress competition.

One of the organisers told the Record the float was “just a bit of fun to make people laugh” and insisted it was not meant as a political statement.

A campervan purchased by Murrell was one of the central pieces of evidence against the disgraced former SNP chief executive, who was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to embezzlement in May.

It followed a lengthy police investigation – Operation Branchform – into SNP finances.

The luxury motorhome was was bought by Murrell using £124,000 of cash he stole from the Nationalists.

Murrell, 61, pled guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh to embezzling more than £400,000 from his employers. He used the ill-gotten cash to buy a string of luxury goods, including cars, cosmetics, jewellery, gardening equipment and fountain pens.

The best-known of Murrell’s many purchases was the Niesmann and Bischoff motorhome in October 2020. It was bought in Dunfermline and later sat outside Murrell’s mother’s home in the Fife town.

The Record first reported how the campervan was supposedly earmarked for the SNP Holyrood election campaign in 2021 but was never deployed after Covid restrictions were lifted.

But the prosecution cast doubt on that explanation and said there was no evidence the vehicle was ever intended for political purposes.

Sturgeon has repeatedly denied all knowledge of her estranged husband’s offending. She claimed she was first made aware of the motorhome’s existence in 2023 after the home she shared with Murrell was searched by police.

Officers also searched the Fife home of Sturgeon’s mother-in-law and impounded the campervan on the same day.

The former SNP leader previously claimed in an interview she had never “consciously” saw the campervan as it was parked “round the side” of her mother-in-law’s house.

The fancy dress competition is one of several events that take place in a week of festivities in Lauderdale each year, the climax being a band of horse riders making a circuit of the boundaries of the Borders town.

NEW YORK (AP) — General manager Brian Cashman said the New York Yankees had conversations with the Detroit Tigers about Tarik Skubal and the Baltimore Orioles about Adley Rutschman but could not work out a deal before Monday’s trade deadline.

Instead, the Yankees found other ways to bolster their roster. They added outfielder Heliot Ramos from the last-place San Francisco Giants in a three-player swap, a day after acquiring left-handed-hitting Luis García Jr. from the Washington Nationals for four pitchers.

Skubal went to the Dodgers on Sunday in a blockbuster trade for three prospects and Rutschman was sent to the Red Sox for a package that included three of Boston’s top prospects earlier Monday.

“We had many conversation with Baltimore but were unable to obviously meet the price,” Cashman said in a video conference after the trade deadline passed. “So they did their business elsewhere and we kept grinding through it, but ultimately in the end of the day, there was no opportunity that existed that we felt good enough about to be able to push through on.”

The Yankees had less of a need for Skubal because their rotation began Monday with a 3.46 ERA, but their catchers entered the series opener against the Cardinals hitting .188 with eight homers and 27 RBIs, which ranked 28th among the 30 big league teams.

“We talked to Detroit,” Cashman said. “They set a high price and to be honest that was not something we were unable to get them off of what they said might work, but at the same time they were communicating that it also might not even win the day and then they kind of went silent, I think after they got what they were looking for.”

García was in the lineup at first base and batting third after hitting a career-high .283 in his first season as a full-time first baseman with Washington. He hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning of a 13-7 loss.

García’s average is the highest on the Yankees, who began Monday with a .232 average and hitting .219 in 53 games since losing captain Aaron Judge to an injury two months ago.

“I think it has been one of the keys to how the season has played out so far,” García said Monday through a translator. “Before I used to hit the ball very well, but a lot of the times it was on the ground. So I think one of the focuses was to get the ball in the air and keep hitting it with the same intensity, but lift it up, and better results have come.”

Besides the batting average, Garcia also joined the Yankees after hitting a career-high 23 homers and producing a career-best 78 RBIs. He was third in the big leagues with a .560 slugging percentage behind new teammate Ben Rice and Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez while also hitting .330 with runners in scoring position.

“As good a year as he’s having, leading the league in slugging percentage over there, we think there’s more in there potentially in our ballpark,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So it’s exciting. We needed to inject a presence in our order, and we think we’ve done that in a big way.”

García appeared in 93 games at first base with the Nationals and will share time with Rice and Paul Goldschmidt at first and as the designated hitter. García struggled defensively as a second baseman at times before moving over to first base full-time.

The 26-year-old García was born in New York and said his favorite Yankees growing up were Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. His father, Luis García Sr., appeared in eight games with the Tigers in 1999 and spent 10 seasons in the minor leagues from 1993 to 2002.

The Yankees needed another outfielder after losing Cody Bellinger to a strained left hamstring July 25, and Ramos batted .264 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 74 games for the Giants. He also had an .835 OPS against left-handed pitching and slugged 43 homers in the previous two seasons.

Ramos will likely join the Yankees on Tuesday, and touted shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Following their loss Monday night, the Yankees optioned outfielder Jasson Domínguez, shortstop Anthony Volpe and reliever Angel Chivilli to Triple-A.

The Yankees sent starting pitcher Henry LaLane and infielder Kaeden Kent to the Giants for Ramos, who is not eligible for free agency until 2030.

“They have a lot of history,” Ramos said. “It’s obviously going to have a big place in my heart, but at the end of the day, I’m very happy to be a New York Yankee.”

LaLane was recently promoted to Class A Hudson Valley and was New York’s fifth-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Kent, the son of recently inducted Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, was batting .302 this season at Hudson Valley.

New York is 27-27 since Judge last played May 31. The slugger is still awaiting another scan to determine when he can start baseball activities.

“It’s always possible that things don’t go the way you want, but we currently are still very optimistic he’s going to return,” Cashman said.

The Yankees have been without Giancarlo Stanton since April 24 due to a strained right calf and lost Bellinger for four to six weeks when he was injured in Philadelphia.

“One of the first areas of need was to try and upgrade the offense in any way, shape or form in any way we can while waiting for important players to come back at the same time off the IL,” Cashman said.

To make room for García, the Yankees optioned Max Schuemann to Triple-A. New York also recalled reliever Kervin Castro to take the spot of Yovanny Cruz, who was sent to Washington for García.

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AP Freelance Reporter Jeff Miller contributed to this report

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Megan McKenna has revealed she made the decision to move to Germany full time after her UK home was broken into by machete-wielding intruders.

The former TOWIE star, 33, split her time between the UK and Germany after she started dating her footballer husband Olivier Burke in 2023. Oliver previously played for German team Werder Bremen before signing with Union Berlin last year.

Megan, who shares son Landon, 22 months, with Oliver, has now revealed she decided to relocate permanently to Germany after a traumatic burglary at her UK home two years ago.  

Speaking on the Great Company With Jamie Laing podcast, she said: ‘I don’t talk about this with a lot of people because I was worried and scared at the time because people were in prison for it, and when there was a trial going on, so I wasn’t able to talk about it.’

‘I was robbed really badly in my own home. It scared me so much to be in the UK and to live in the UK on my own, because obviously Ollie’s in Germany.’

She explained how after a holiday together Oliver had to return to Germany, leaving Megan alone in her UK home with her dog. She fell asleep around 11pm and then woke to find the house ‘shaking’.

The former TOWIE star split her time between the UK and Germany after she started dating her footballer husband Olivier Burke in 2023, with whom she shares son Landon

She said: ‘I was such a disorientated mess. I was like, “What?” And then I just knew that it was happening to me, and I was like, “Oh my God”.’

‘I get goose pimples now thinking about it. They were inside my house, but I lock my bedroom door every night because I always worry about something happening to me when I’m on my own.’

‘The next thing I know, my mirror has come off my wall, and they’re hacking a hole through my wall with a baseball bat. They’re three masked men with machetes and baseball bats, and they managed to hack a hole in my wall because it was a fake wall going onto my dressing room, linked to my bedroom.’

Megan explained how she called the police and they arrived at her house within minutes. ‘It was the longest seven minutes I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, and the police were saying to me “Don’t speak to them.”‘

‘I said, “I can hear they’ve got weapons. They’re hacking my wall down,” and they were like, “We’re on our way.”  And I was like, “No, they’re hacking my wall down.” And they were like, “Please don’t talk to them.”

Megan defied the police and said she told them ‘if I don’t go and talk to them and ask them what they want, they’re going to come in and kill my dog.’ 

Adding that she was naked at the time and had cut her foot so there was ‘blood everywhere’, she then approached the men and he took her jewellery.

She told the podcast that her home was ‘obviously targeted’.

‘I was robbed really badly in my own home. It scared me so much to be in the UK and to live in the UK on my own, because Ollie’s in Germany,’ she said. The family currently live in Berlin

She added: ‘I was like, “I’m not safe in my own home.” The police were amazing at the time, but I was then going through IVF to have [her son] Landon, and they wanted me to go on trial.

‘And I just said to them, like, I actually can’t physically do that. Go through it. They got caught, and then they went on trial, and and then a year later, they just got let out. They’re just roaming the roads.’

Back in 2017 whilst she was starring on TOWIE Megan was left ‘totally traumatised’ after having her first home burgled. 

She returned from a night out at popular Essex venue Faces to find her flat ransacked by thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of jewellery, designer handbags and sunglasses as well as sentimental items. 

It was said at the time that Megan feared thieves found out where she lived after watching TOWIE, where she often filmed scenes at home.

Megan has now quit reality TV and is pursuing a music career as well as working as a content creator from her Berlin home.  

The broadcaster duo will run the half marathon on September 13 in support of Prostate Cancer UK.

Chris Kamara’s son Jack will also take part.

Why are Chris Kamara and Ben Shephard taking on the Great North Run?

Chris Kamara, former Sky Sports presenter and long-time ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK, said: “I’ve been working with Prostate Cancer UK for more than a decade now and have met so many men and their loved ones affected by this disease.

“Walking side by side with them was heartbreaking and inspirational, but an education too.

“I’m still stunned by the stats. “Prostate cancer affects 1 in 8 men, but if you are black, like me, its double the risk.

“But this disease is treatable if you catch it early.”

He said he was “getting the band together” for the run, teaming up once again with his “old mucker” Ben Shephard, who co-hosted Goals on Sunday with him.

Mr Kamara said: “I think the couch we used to sit on was far more comfortable than a 13.1 mile Sunday morning run in the North East, but I know we will keep each other going – and if that fails my son will drag us both along.”

The broadcaster last completed the Great North Run 26 years ago.

He said: “That time round, the great Sir Brendan Foster applauded me for getting home in just under one hour 30 minutes.”

Mr Kamara now lives with apraxia of speech and dyspraxia.

He joked: “I’ve got a few problems with my balance these days so I hope it might be double that this time. But whatever happens I’ll get round.”

He said: “As a North East native, I have always wanted to take on the Great North Run again after I was lucky enough to run it 26 years ago.”

He said: “What I do know is that it’s an incredible event with passionate fans packing the streets.

“I look forward to seeing you all in September and look forward to some ‘unbelievable’ support.”

Ben Shephard, known for presenting This Morning and Tipping Point, said he “jumped at the chance” to join Mr Kamara for the run.

Mr Shephard said: “He’s such a brilliant guy, and we’ve been mates for many years now.

“It’s going to be a real thrill to run alongside him and Jack at such an iconic event.”

The cause is close to his heart, as his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He said: “I know all too well about the dangers of prostate cancer.

“It’s a disease that’s affected my family, and so many others too.”

The group will take on the AJ Bell Great North Run as “Team Kammy” to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK.

Mr Kamara has previously supported Prostate Cancer UK by joining Jeff Stelling’s Football Marches.

Prostate Cancer UK says one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The risk increases if you are over 50, black, or have a family history of the disease.

Have you ever taken part in the Great North Run? Let us know in the comments. 

A drone strike on an industrial zone outside the Russian capital killed five people and wounded six others, the region’s governor said as Moscow and Kyiv traded attacks.

Ukraine has conducted long-range strikes targeting civilian infrastructure in Russia, and in recent weeks stepped up attacks on warehouses belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries.

Ukraine often fires hundreds of drones into Russia each night, in retaliation for Russia launching hundreds of its own drones and dozens of missiles at Ukrainian towns and cities.

Moscow’s regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said early Tuesday that several fires broke out following a drone strike in the Novoselki industrial zone outside the Russian capital.

‘According to preliminary information, five people were killed and a further six wounded,’ he said on Telegram.

Drones also damaged a warehouse near Krasny Bor in northwestern Russia, wounding one person, according to Leningrad regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko.

Wildberries said that a fire broke out at its Krasny Bor logistics facility as a result of the attack. 

Footage from the attack showed at least one drone careering into the site, before exploding. 

The building was later seen engulfed in flames as smoke poured out of the top. Footage taken from further away from the logistics facility showed a huge tower of smoke rising into the air. 

Wildberries said this morning that no casualties were reported, and that fire crews are at the site. 

Ukraine struck a Wildberries warehouse near Krasny Bor

A huge pillar of smoke was seen rising from the site

In the Tver region, to the north-west of Moscow, another Wildberries facility was damaged by drones, Vitaly Korolyov, the acting regional governor said. Nobody was hurt in that attack. 

Kyiv has sought to disrupt the operations of Wildberries, which has become a linchpin of the Russian economy. 

Its CEO and founder Tatyana Kim has called the Ukrainian attacks – which have targeted more than a dozen Wildberries sites since July 18 – ‘acts of terrorism’.

On Sunday night, Russia was forced to shoot down nearly 1,200 drones sent by Ukraine. 

One of these drones struck a beach near Vladimir Putin’s £1billion palace bolthole.

Russia claimed that 11 people were killed in the alleged attack on the town of Arkhipo-Osipovka, near the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik. 

Among those allegedly killed were three children. A further 40 people were injured, with 21 needing to go to hospital.

Ukraine also attacked a Russian cargo ship overnight off the coast of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea. 

Footage from the attack showed several shipping containers on fire as the ship, named ‘Nadezhda’, stood still. Local media reported that Ukraine sent up to seven drones. 

Footage from the attack showed several shipping containers on fire as the ship, named ‘Nadezhda’, stood still

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Crew members on the Nadezhda were injured in the attack 

Smoke could be seen billowing out of its bow. Additional footage, taken from the deck of the ship, showed bloodied members of crew recovering from the attack. 

It also showed damage across the full length of the ship, though the attack appears to have been concentrated at the front.  

TASS, Russia’s state news agency, said last night that the crew had been evacuated following last night’s attack on the Nadezhda. 

TASS also said that damage to the ‘ship’s living premises and bow’ was suffered, adding that there were 22 crew members onboard, including 13 Turkish nationals. 

They have all since been evacuated, though three are said to be in a critical condition. 

For its part, Russian attacks killed two children and an elderly woman in Sumy in Ukraine’s north-east overnight.  

‘Two children and an elderly woman were killed in Russian [guided aerial bomb] strikes on Sumy tonight,’ Oleg Grygorov, the head of the regional military administration, said this morning. 

‘The girls were 5 and 10 years old. The children’s bodies were recovered from under the rubble of their house.’

Smoke could be seen billowing out of the ship’s bow

Damage was seen across the full length of the ship

Shocked swimmers at the resort watch in horror as the drone explodes on the beach at Arkhipo-Osipovka

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Footage of an alleged attack on the Black Sea resort Arkhipo-Osipovka shows a drone (circled) crashing into a beach packed with sunbathers and then exploding 

Six guided aerial bombs struck civilian infrastructure in the city, including residential and non-residential buildings, Mr Grygorov said.

Another attack on the port city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine killed an 89-year-old woman. 

Russia said this morning that its forces hit four cargo vessels used by Ukraine’s military and a vehicle parts plant at the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said that two dry cargo ships had been hit in the Ukrainian ports of Mykolaiv and Pivdennyi on Monday evening and that two more vessels carrying weapons and military equipment to Ukrainian ports had been struck south of Odesa.

‘As a result of the strikes… the following targets were hit: in the port of Chornomorsk – the Chornomorsk Automotive Components Plant and a port terminal where the Ukrainian Armed Forces were repairing military vehicles and storing ammunition and fuel,’ the ministry said.

Russia launched its full-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, and has regularly struck its neighbour, including from the Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine’s front lines were little changed in July as its forces largely stalled Russia’s momentum. 

It’s a big day for fans of middle-aged men in stone-washed jeans because Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are returning to The Grand Tour.

The former Top Gear trio are reportedly set to make a surprise comeback two years after their final adventure.

While the exact details of Clarkson, Hammond, and May’s return aren’t known at the moment, it’s thought they’ll help introduce the viewers to the new Grand Tour crew.

Earlier this year, Amazon annouced that trainspotter Francis Bourgeois and motoring YouTubers Thomas Holland (no, not the historian or actor) and James Engelsman would be hosting a revived version of the popular show.

‘We’ve got three guys coming soon with a new Grand Tour, and we’ve got behind them,’ Andy Wilman, co-creator and executive producer of Clarkson’s Farm, told 3Bs radio at the Buckingham Literary Festival.

‘We’re really supporting them. Our guys are in the shows doing cameos, so we’re wishing them well because we do want to pass that baton on.’

Wilman also explained how The Grand Tour needs more than just silly hosts.

‘When those three (Clarkson and co) go away, you can’t parachute in three new, good presenters who are funny,’ he said.

‘That’s like describing the show over the phone to an alien — “you just need three funny blokes, and they muck about”. It’s not going to work.’

Clarkson has already given the new trio his seal of approval.

“’I’ve seen the guys being chosen in the early days, and I’ve seen some of the stuff they’ve been doing. And it’s very, very good,’ he told the Radio Times.

‘It’s different because they’re three completely different people to us. But they’re bl**dy funny. You shall see. You shall see.

‘But no, I’m pretty confident it will work. I mean, touch wood, from everybody’s point of view. We all want it to work, and I’d love the idea that the Grand Tour carries on.’

The new boys have admitted, meanwhile, they know they’ve got a lot to live up to taking over The Grand Tour in a press release.

‘The saying “big shoes to fill” springs to mind,’ said Bourgeois.

‘The Well, in this case it’ll be like Mo Farah running in Size 14 wellies — it’ll be a little awkward at first, perhaps blister-inducing but will overall be an interesting watch.’

Engelsman meanwhile joked that he’s worked with Holland for almost a decade making car films and never realised that ‘the one ingredient that was missing was a Francis Bourgeois’.

Thomas Holland added: ‘When I first heard they were rebooting The Grand Tour and replacing Clarkson, Hammond and May, I said, “only a moron would take that job.”’

Wilman issure, however, that the new presenters will do agreat job because ‘they are doing it right.’ ‘

‘Not only do they have passion and knowledge, but more importantly, they are in no way cardboard cutouts of the old three,’ he continued. ‘They have a delightful chemistry that’s all of their own making.’

The Grand Tour returns to Prime Video on 4 September

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Jennifer Aniston stepped off a private jet with her best pals Courteney Cox and Jason Bateman on Monday afternoon. 

The actress, 57, joined her Friends co-star Courteney, 62, and fellow Horrible Bosses actor Jason, 57, for a vacation in Spain before flying back to LA. 

She looked chic in a tight black vest and low-key jeans showcasing her svelte figure. 

Courteney went more basic in a loose-fitting shirt paired with wide-leg cream jeans and a wide-brimmed sun hat which she held in her hand. 

Jason was showing off longer locks in a trendy style change and paired his look with stylish glasses.  

The actress, 57, joined her Friends co-star Courteney, 62, and her fellow Horrible Bosses actor Jason, 57, for a vacation in Spain before flying back to LA

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She was assisted off the jet by an aide following the swanky break 

Following their fun-filled getaway, the group gave each other fond hugs with Jennifer cupping Jason’s face and then hugging Courteney closely. 

Also in tow for the holiday was Jennifer’s boyfriend Jim Curtis, Amy Schumer, male model Christian Hogue and stylist Jamie Mizrahi. 

The trip marks a bit of a full-circle moment for Jennifer and Jim, who were first linked while on vacation with friends in Majorca last year. They started dating in early 2025 and were  first spotted together in public in July, on vacation with friends.

They made their first official public appearance at the ELLE Women in Hollywood event in Beverly Hills on November 17, 2025.

The couple celebrated their one-year dating anniversary in May, with a source revealing exclusively to the Daily Mail what the couple did to mark the milestone.

The insider shared at the time that Aniston and Curtis planned to vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico after she finished filming season five of The Morning Show.

She looked laid-back and stylish in the ensemble 

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Jason and Courteney also shared a hug as they bid farewell 

Courteney kept things paired back as she hit the ground

Jennifer recently celebrated her one year anniversary with boyfriend Jim Curtis

Amy Schumer shared a sweet snap showing her on a boat with the two friends stars

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‘They want to have some fun in the sun and toast a year of bliss in her favorite place in the world, Cabo,’ the source revealed.

‘She is head over heels for this guy and wants him to be her forever person, so it’s fitting they take a romantic break to appreciate one another.’

The Daily Mail’s insider also provided insight on how Jim has fit into Jennifer’s A-list friend group, which includes Jason, Sandra Bullock, Adam Sandler and Sean Hayes.

‘Jim fits right in with the crowd, they think he is a cool guy, which is very relaxing for Jen. She doesn’t have to sell Jim, everyone is sold on him!

‘Dinner parties, movie nights, premieres, they are easy breezy for Jen when Jim is by her side because he is so likable.’

Jennifer is also reportedly so fond of her boyfriend because there is no competition between them – unlike exes Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, John Mayer and Justin Theroux.

Courteney was sure t

Jason and Jennifer have starred together in a number of films

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Courteney and Jason have bonded through their friendship with Jennifer 

‘It is all about her and how she feels and what she needs,’ said the source. ‘He never talks about his career or tries to network with her contacts, he has no interest in being an actor or being famous.

‘She has said with him she can exhale, she can let herself go and breathe because there is no pressure.’

Being that Jim is a life coach, he has reportedly been a healer for Aniston as well as her friend group. ‘Very often Jim gets people to take deep breaths, to focus on the here and now, to appreciate the good things in life, he is like a human peace sign.

‘He is the dude everyone gravitates toward at a party,’ the insider shared.

Bolton-born actress Emma Matthews will be making a return to the cobbles, nearly a decade after her last appearance on the long-running programme.

Matthews previously played social worker Fiona Crowley, who featured in two episodes in 2017 and was responsible for taking Abi Webster’s twins into care following a relapse.

Prior to that, she appeared as a nurse at Weatherfield General Hospital in episodes aired between 2012 and 2015.

While details of her new role remain under wraps, Matthews is expected to appear on-screen later in the year, according to The Sun.

This return comes as she balances her acting career with academic pursuits, as she is studying a Master’s qualification in Theatre Directing.

She directed a production of Beautiful Thing as part of her final coursework.

In addition to her work on Coronation Street, Ms Matthews currently stars in the West End production of Billionaire Boy at the Garrick Theatre and has directed theatre in Manchester.

She has also appeared in a wide range of television shows, including Emmerdale, Casualty, The Bay, Prisoners’ Wives, and Until I Kill You.

Newsquest has contacted ITV for comment.

Coronation Street star set to leave after 3 years on ITV soap

While Emma Matthews is set to join the cast of Coronation Street, Claire Sweeney has left the show.

The actress plays Cassie Plummer, who decided to leave Weatherfield after having a confrontation with Ross Wilkes (played by Ian Burfield).

Claire recently revealed that she was “in total denial” about leaving the soap after “having such a wonderful time”.

Discussing he exit, she said: “It’s funny because my very last scene—the one where I’m driving away—was actually filmed two or three weeks before I finished.

“Because of that, it didn’t feel like a true ending.

“For me, the final scene in the Dobbs house felt like the real goodbye because that’s where I started with Alan, Jenny, and the kids.

“I missed Maureen Lipman so much; I would have loved for her to have been there for that.”

Claire is set to take on the role of Miss Hannigan in the UK tour of the musical Annie as her next project.

Are you curious to see who Emma Matthews will play on Coronation Street? Let us know in the comments.

After meeting on Tinder, Kathryn White’s abusive behaviour led to the death of her girlfriend, Claire Alex

A possessive and controlling woman subjected her girlfriend to a relentless campaign of abuse, driving the “vulnerable” mum to suicide just days after she finally found the strength to report her tormentor, a court has been told.

Victim Claire Alex told police she had “completely lost herself” and felt “broken” after 11 months of torment from her partner, Kathryn White. Four days later, she killed herself.

At Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Gary Woodhall said White’s prolonged abuse of Ms Alex had significantly contributed to the mum’s decision to end her own life in July 2022.

The “cold, collected” abuser showed “absolutely no remorse, shame or empathy” for her actions, as the court heard how she terrorised Ms Alex physically and emotionally, cutting her off from her family and friends.

Click here to hear the latest from Manchester’s courts in our newsletter

White, 41, of Mayfield Mews in Crewe, Cheshire, denied controlling and coercive behaviour, but was found guilty following a trial. She appeared back in court on Friday July 31, for sentence, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Prosecutor Ember Jade Wong said White and Ms Alex had met on dating app Tinder in August 2021, and that “the relationship to begin with was a positive one.”

She said: “Claire Alex was in love. That remained a constant throughout the relationship and was one of the reasons Ms Alex remained in what emerged to be an abusive and controlling relationship, where she was reluctant to report to the police and was scared to leave. Even as that relationship became more volatile and abusive, and she became more isolated from those around her.

“She would control what she did, who she spoke to, and would monitor her in various different ways. Perhaps the most significant form of isolation in this case was from friends and family, including her own children.”

The troubled relationship finally came to an end in July 2022, when an argument resulted in White grabbing Ms Alex by the neck and pinning her to a wall. She threatened to kill herself, took the victim’s phone so she could not call for help, and threw her to the floor.

Judge Woodhall said: “I have no doubt that your behaviour on that day demonstrates the way you manipulated your partner to ensure your control, and more importantly, your complete inability to cope with any challenge by her to your authority in the home.

“Your controlling behaviour appears to have been motivated by sexual jealousy, a sense of ownership and desire to isolate the victim for you to gain control.”

The incident “spilled out onto the street” and neighbours called the police, which led to Ms Alex making a statement.

The judge continued: “She described how she had completely lost herself, and that she was broken. I have no doubt that she took her own life, at least in part, because she felt her own life had been completely ruined by you, because you left her feeling like she had no choice.”

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Rosemary Proctor, defending White, said the former army officer had depression, anxiety and ADHD, and had suffered sexual trauma in the past.

Asking the judge to pass a suspended sentence, she said: “I ask your honour to take into account sexual trauma and the impact of imprisonment on her. While there are mental health services in prison and while treatment is available, people with mental health issues can find the overwhelming nature of a prison environment more oppressive than those without mental health disorders.

“During this trial the court saw the worst version of Kathryn White. That’s not the only version. It’s clear from the character references she can be compassionate, she can be generous, she can be a good friend, a good sister, a good daughter, even a good girlfriend. There are many who can say she had made a positive impact on their lives.”

Judge Woodhall said Ms Alex had been “besotted” by White, and was “very much in love”. In return, White “controlled her and was abusive towards her.”

He said: “You belittled her, controlled her access to social media, checked her calls and messages and interactions with others. This included putting distance between her and her family and ultimately isolating her from her family until she felt completely dependent on you and unable to tell her family what was happening.

“You were abusive and threatening to anyone you perceived showed a sexual interest in her. You sought to control who she had contact with, including at work.”

The isolation worsened when Ms Alex moved from Rhyl in Wales to live with White in Crewe, and she was scared to visit her daughter on her wedding day.

The judge said: “Your behaviour amounted to a prolonged and persistent campaign of psychological and physical abuse.”

When Ms Alex had tried to take her own life on a previous occasion, White showed “no real concern for her health” as she dropped her off at the hospital, telling her to “get the f*** out of the car”. She later told Ms Alex she had “not done a good enough job in trying to take her own life”.

On one occasion she threatened to stab Ms Alex. On another occasion, she slapped her outside her workplace after a colleague hugged her.

The judge concluded: “I have watched your behaviour throughout the trial. I’m satisfied, even allowing for your mental health difficulties, you demonstrated a cold, collected attitude with absolutely no remorse, shame or empathy.

“Your behaviour demonstrated attempts by you to control the way evidence was given. You made flippant and jokey remarks which could not have been more inappropriate, which shows a complete lack of understanding of the impact of your offending.”

He sentenced White to three years and six months in prison.