Taylor Swift’s friend Gracie Abrahams has come under fire after sharing a snap of the singer’s ex-boyfriend, while also revealing the outfit she wore for her wedding

Gracie Abrams has been branded “weird” after sharing a snap of Taylor Swift’s ex – while also discussing her wedding. On Friday, the singer, 26, was one of around 1,000 guests who flocked to Madison Square Garden in New York to watch Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce get married.

But while Gracie happily showed off her outfit on social media, many Instagram users were left far from impressed. In the same carousel of images, Gracie also included a picture of Taylor’s ex, Joe Alwyn, from the 2018 movie, The Favourite.

The image in question showed Joe and Emma Stone together, but Gracie didn’t explain why she included the picture. Joe, who dated Taylor for six years between 2016 and 2023, also liked the pictures.

For the wedding, Gracie, who is dating Irish actor Paul Mescal, looked sensational in a plunging red Chanel dress adorned with thousands of sequins, while her signature black hair was swept off her face. But as thousands rushed to compliment Gracie on her behind-the-scenes upload, many were left baffled.

“Not congratulating Taylor – but posting her ex?” said one fan. A second added: “The screen capture of Joe Alwyn from The Favourite in the same carousel as the outfit you wore to Taylor Swift’s wedding is crazy.”

“Why would you include a photo of Joe?” commented a third. Meanwhile, a fourth went on to type: “Joe liking this post knowing that the first pic was Gracie’s outfit was from Taylor’s wedding… the lore.” “Babes I love you but this is weird asf to do,” commented another.

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Gracie and Taylor have been friends for several years, with the singer opening up for Swift on her mammoth Eras Tour, and they also joined forces on the hit song Us.

While some of the biggest names in entertainment headed to New York for the wedding of the decade, some have branded Taylor and Travis’ nuptials “ghastly and tacky”.

A source said the day was “chaotic” after the champagne reportedly ran dry, and, with a buffet for food, the guest clearly wasn’t impressed by what was dished up. They admitted it felt like a “tacky” move by the billionaire and her American footballer husband.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a source said that the famous guests had to “stand in line” for the food carts, which were “chaotic”. They added: “It wasn’t quite what I expected.”

And reports also claim that guests were separated throughout the day and night, with the likes of Cara Delevingne and other guests arriving at the arena three hours before the ceremony kicked off.

As the day continued, it’s claimed “more important guests” were allowed to arrive later on in the day, with some arriving close to the start time of the wedding, 5.30pm local time.

A source went on to tell the publication: “It was surprisingly chaotic inside. Arrivals were staggered, with people having to wait for hours with nothing to do. The cocktails only started at 4pm. People literally were twiddling their thumbs for hours.

“If you were in the 2.30 pm time slot, you couldn’t even amuse yourself by checking your phone. You were just standing around like a lemon, wondering why the hell you were forced to arrive so early.”

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Declan Winkless also posted the footage on Snapchat

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A burglar has had his time behind bars increased by another five years after he was found to have filmed himself having sex with a teenage prison guard and uploading it on Snapchat.

Court of Appeal judges found Declan Winkless’s initial sentence for prison smuggling and misconduct in a public office was unduly lenient. He was initially handed a three-year and four-month sentence relating to seven offences in January this year at Northampton Crown Court that he pleaded guilty to.

The 31-year-old, formerly of Kirkdale Road, South Wigston, is already serving an 11-year sentence for aggravated burglary.

However, his additional sentence was quashed on Tuesday (June 30) following a submission to the Court of Appeal on behalf of the Solicitor General. His sentence has now been replaced with an increased term of five years’ imprisonment, reports Leicestershire Live.

The three-year sentence handed to former prison officer Alicia Novas, 20, of Holdenby Drive, Raunds, remains unchanged.

Novas, who was 18 and had only just started her career as aprison officer, began an inappropriate relationship with Winkless in November 2024, going on to smuggle cannabis, tobacco and two mobile phones into HMP Five Wells and HMP Peterborough for him, and to pass him confidential prison intelligence, including the identity of a prison informant.

Detective Inspector Richard Cornell, from the East Midlands Regional Prisons Intelligence Unit, said: “These sentences reflect the gravity of the multitude of offences committed. Novas had only just begun her career as a prison officer, having taken up her position on July 1, 2024.”

He added: “Unfortunately Novas used her position to form an inappropriate relationship with Winkless and to breach public trust and confidence further by illegally passing on information and smuggling drugs and mobile phones to him.

“Winkless undoubtedly encouraged this relationship and the unprofessional and illegal conduct carried out by Novas, and this is reflected in the charges he also faced and the sentence he has now received.”

Officers say the offences took place between August 1, 2024, and March 21, 2025. The investigation, carried out by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, found that Novas was arrested in December 2024 after a mobile phone was found during a search of Winkless’s cell, though contact between the pair continued despite her bail conditions.

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A Frenchman convicted of the murder of his wife who disappeared nearly six years ago but whose body was never found has confessed from his jail cell to killing her.

Cedric Jubillar, 38, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in October for murdering Delphine Jubillar, 33, following a trial that gripped France but in which he had always maintained his innocence.

Delphine, a nurse, went missing in rural southern France in December 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic but her body was never found.

But in a dramatic twist, just over two months before his appeal was due to be heard, Jubillar has written a ‘confession’ for the first time admitting his involvement, his lawyer Pierre Debuisson told a news conference.

The plasterer is ready to ‘cooperate fully with the judicial authorities’ and tell investigators where the body is located after hiding the corpse on the night of December 15 to 16, 2020, he said.

He expressed hope that Jubillar’s move will allow their two young children to ‘grieve and give Delphine a proper burial’, adding his client ‘clearly regrets’ his actions.

‘It was the worst thing he did in his life,’ the lawyer added. It remains unclear how Delphine Jubillar was killed.

His legal team now believe it is impossible that the appeal trial can take place as scheduled in September, as their client will need to be re-interrogated and searches for the body take place.

Pierre Debuisson, one of the new lawyer representing Cedric Jubillar, told the media that after five years of denying his involvement in the crime, Jubillar has admitted to the murder of his wife

Delphine went missing in rural southern France in December 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic but her body was never found 

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Debuisson said Jubillar would give further details when interrogated.

In his confession letter, he mentions a dispute between the couple but does not give further details.

He had been convicted on the basis of a string of corroborating evidence, despite the lack of a body or any DNA evidence linking him to the crime, making the case one of the most puzzling in modern French legal history.

Jurors came to the conclusion that Jubillar murdered Delphine in a fit of rage after she asked for a divorce while having an affair with another man, despite some earlier claims made in court that he was the victim of overenthusiastic investigators.

‘We are relieved for the children,’ said Malika Chmani, lawyer for the two young children.

‘Now it is important that he tell us where the body is. I believe that is what will happen – at any rate, that is what we hope for,’ she added.

On the morning of her disappearance, Jubillar called the police at 4am claiming she had gone out to walk their dogs and had never returned. But nobody saw her leave, and no evidence ever supported that claim.

A massive manhunt ensued with over 1000 people searching the vast countryside while divers checked nearby rivers for any evidence of what might have happened to Delphine.

A team of divers of the French Gendarmerie inspect the L’Endrevie body of water in Blaye-les-Mines, southern France on December 22, 2020, as they search for Delphine Jubillar

Chief Prosecutor Pierre Aurignac said in his closing plea at the trial: ‘To defend the idea of Mr Jubillar’s innocence requires dismissing four experts, silencing 19 witnesses and killing the sniffer dog.’

The jury were told by prosecutors that although there was ‘no body and no blood’, there was ‘no plausible alternative either’.

‘No matter how you look at this case, you come to the same conclusion – guilt,’ said Mr Aurignac.

Emmanuelle Franck, Jubillar’s lawyer, told jurors, per the Daily Telegraph: ‘We have created a criminal to explain a crime. This is a castle of sand. When you cannot prove, you imagine. When you cannot find, you invent.’

The most damning evidence of Jubillar’s crime came from the testimony from his relatives, including his mother Nadine who told the court she regretted not taking her son seriously when he said: ‘I’m fed up, she annoys me, I’m going to kill her, I’m going to bury her, no one will find her.’ 

A letter written by the couple’s son read aloud to the court accused Jubillar of mistreating both his mother and himself.

He described being beaten, humiliated and belittled, and said he believed his father ‘did something bad’ to his mother. 

The child also revealed that he had witnessed the couple arguing the night of her disappearance and they discussed their separation.

In his final sentence in the court he simply said: ‘I have done absolutely nothing to Delphine.’  

It can be difficult to know which to take

If you find yourself feeling under the weather, or with aches or pains, it’s common practice to reach for some painkillers. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are used most often, but which you should take can depend on a few factors.

It can be difficult to know which to take. Thankfully, though, an expert spoke exclusively to The Mirror about painkillers – settling the argument once and for all about which one you should be reaching for. Abbas Kanani, superintendent pharmacist at Chemist Click, clarified which is more beneficial when choosing between paracetamol and ibuprofen, and put paid to a widespread misconception surrounding the two.

He said: “Paracetamol is probably more effective at bringing down temperature, so it’s almost like a double-whammy, you get rid of your headache and bring your temperature down. But if you feel that you have more body aches, that’s your main symptom, then ibuprofen is probably slightly better as it’s an anti-inflammatory.”

The pharmacist also cautions that people should be mindful when taking ibuprofen, as many individuals are allergic to the class of drug it belongs to. You can find out more about who should not take ibuprofen on the NHS website here.

Nevertheless, he reveals that what most folk don’t realise is that both medicines can actually be taken together when you’re feeling particularly under the weather. “If you feel that one isn’t enough you can take ibuprofen as well as paracetamol, you can take them together. A lot of people don’t know that it’s not one or the other, you can put them together as they work in different ways.”

While these two medications will assist with aches, pains and high temperatures, along with mild cold and flu symptoms, Abbas points out that they’ll offer little relief for those struggling with coughs and nasal congestion.

To tackle these particular symptoms, cold and flu remedies would be more appropriate. For example, medicines containing a decongestant would be most effective for a blocked nose, while an expectorant would be needed for mucus-producing coughs and a cough suppressant for a dry, tickly cough.

However, when taking cold and flu medications, it’s vital to always read the packet and accompanying leaflet to establish which other products can be safely combined, as while paracetamol and ibuprofen can be taken together, other medicines may not be suitable to mix with them.

Nearly 50million Brits – including minimum wage workers – could end up in the higher rate of tax unless the Government gets spending under control.

The stark scenario has been raised by the Treasury’s OBR watchdog, in an assessment of the long-term ‘fiscal risks’ facing the country.

The report pointed to ‘challenging’ spending pressures – largely from demographic change – on areas such as health and social care, state pensions, defence and Net Zero.

Primary government spending is projected to rise from 40 per cent of GDP in 2030-2031 to 49 per cent by 2075-2076, according to the independent body’s baseline scenario. 

That would drive the public sector’s debt mountain to three times the size of the economy by the end of the period. 

The OBR said that if the country was hit by shocks over the coming decades similar to those of recent years, the debt levels ‘very quickly become unsustainable’ – potentially topping 1,000 per cent of GDP. 

But it cautioned that trying to bridge the gap in the finances with tax would mean ‘increasing risks and worsening trade-offs’. 

Public sector net debt could soar towards 300 per cent of GDP over the coming decades

The OBR said that if the country was hit by shocks over the coming decades similar to those of recent years, the debt levels ‘very quickly become unsustainable’ – potentially topping 1,000 per cent of GDP

The report said that factors such as dwindling fuel duty revenues and the ban on the next generation buying tobacco would in theory keep revenues roughly stable at 41 per cent over the next 50 years.

But that assumes the revenues are not replaced by other levies such as on electric cars, and also that income tax thresholds rise in line with earnings.

The OBR highlighted that in fact, personal tax thresholds have been frozen for eight years, dragging millions of people deeper into tax. 

An alternative scenario of thresholds being uprated in line with CPI inflation would give a radically different outcome.

The watchdog suggested two-thirds of earners – roughly 47million of an anticipated population of around 71million – could end up in the higher rate of tax, resulting in a ‘large impact on work incentives’. 

‘It would imply that by the end of the 50-year projection period, around two-thirds of the income distribution might expect to pay income tax at the higher rate of 40 per cent or above,’ the report said.

‘Indeed, in this scenario, a full-time worker on the National Living Wage would become a higher-rate taxpayer at some point in the late 2060s. 

‘We would expect this sustained and substantial rise in average and marginal tax rates to induce a large negative labour supply effect, which would significantly dent the static estimates of revenue increases set out above. 

‘The long-term increases to average and marginal tax rates implied by this assumption would be additional to the significant increases in taxation in the period since the pandemic. 

‘The UK’s overall tax-to-GDP ratio is forecast to rise to 43 per cent of GDP in 2030-31, from 37 per cent of GDP in 2019-20. This would take it from around 4 per cent of GDP below the average of advanced economies to slightly above, though still below the G7 average. 

‘OECD comparisons suggest that UK average and marginal labour tax rates across a range of household types are currently broadly in line with the advanced-economy and G7 averages, so additional long-term increases in labour taxation would likely take the UK above them. 

‘Moreover, there are many points in the UK income distribution where marginal tax rates are much higher than presented in these stylised comparisons, where further increases in tax rates could have particularly sharp impacts on labour supply. 

‘The message is not that there is no scope to raise taxes, but that raising revenues consistently over the long term as a means of putting the public finances on a more sustainable path would entail increasing risks and worsening trade-offs.’

Even with tax thresholds only rising annually in line with CPI inflation, public sector debt is seen as increasing to 150 per cent of GDP by 2075.

The OBR said the ‘degree of tightening required to prevent debt from following an unsustainable path increases if it is delayed to future years’

The OBR stressed that its scenarios should not be seen as forecasts because it was ‘almost certain’ that future governments would have to take action to prevent them from happening.

But it stressed it was ‘today’s challenge, not tomorrow’s’ to address debt levels.

‘The degree of tightening required to prevent debt from following an unsustainable path increases if it is delayed to future years,’ the report warned.

‘This would make it more costly and place more of a burden on future generations.’

A spokesman for HM Treasury said: ‘We have the right economic plan to deal with economic shocks.

‘Our plan to reduce the deficit has been endorsed by the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the OBR forecast that it will fall every year this parliament, meaning we will be borrowing less than the G7 average.

‘This Government has remained committed to protecting households and businesses through providing economic stability via our non-negotiable fiscal rules while protecting over a £120 billion increase in capital spending.’

Footage shared on Saturday shows the vehicle near Cramond, travelling towards South Queensferry into oncoming traffic.

This is the shocking moment a motorcyclist is seen carrying a passenger up the wrong way of a busy A-road at high speed.

Footage shared by Fife Jammer Locations on Saturday, July 4, showed the bike “flying up the wrong side of the A90 heading to the bridge” near Cramond.

In the clip, the rider and a passenger can both be seen wearing helmets as they travel towards South Queensferry into oncoming traffic.

Edinburgh Live reports the video is believed to have been filmed on the day it surfaced on social media.

One person commented: “See it’s happening again the day, driving is scary because of others”. Another said: “All for people enjoying themselves on bikes but this takes the mick”.

A third wrote: “This is very dangerous, this could cause an accident, it is not funny”. While another remarked: “Recipe for disaster and loss of life, hope [they] get stopped quickly and removed from the road. Hopefully police [are] aware of this situation.”

Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.

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It comes as the famous girl group mark 30 years since the release of the iconic debut single Wannabe this month

Mel C has told how she risked losing her place in the Spice Girls after a moment with Victoria Beckham, despite thinking she had done “nothing wrong”.

Singer ‘Sporty Spice’ – real name Melanie Jayne Chisholm – and her bandmates Victoria, Geri Halliwell, Melanie ‘Mel B’ Brown and Emma Bunton mark 30 years since the release of the iconic debut single Wannabe this month (July), which remains a pop culture classic to this day.

Released on July 8 1996, the legendary track spent seven consecutive weeks at the top of the UK charts and four weeks at number one in the US, paving the way for a string of unforgettable hits, including Who Do You Think You Are, Stop, and Viva Forever.

But now, Mel has recalled a major moment back in 1996 when she became embroiled in a bust-up with Victoria at the BRIT Awards and thought she was going to “lose everything” when the group’s manager, Simon Fuller, threatened to have her removed from the girl group.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast, Mel explained: “I went into terror because I thought I was going to lose everything. You know, those dreams as a child, which now were a possibility, I might have f***** it all up.

“And I thought it was very trivial as well because, to put some more meat on the bones of that evening, it was the BRIT Awards in 1996, which fall around February time. So, we hadn’t released anything. Nobody in the public knew us.

“But in the industry, people had started talking, and we were there, signed to Virgin Records, and we were sitting on a table with Lenny Kravitz, obviously, we were these young girls so this was an amazing night for us. We had a great night.

“We had a few Champagnes … We were going to find our car and whatever the, the situation was where I just turned around and said to Victoria: ‘Oh, f*** off’.”

She continued to explain: “Unbeknownst to me, go home, go to bed, wake up the next morning, and I was in a lot of trouble. I was living with Mel B at the time. We were living in Watford, and Geri [Horner] also lived in Watford, and they were both there when I got up. And yeah, they were just disgusted with my behaviour.

“You know when you’ve had a night out, and you wake up in the morning, and you’ve got beer fear, right?. You think: ‘Oh, f***, I know what I did last night’. I didn’t even have that. I just woke up going: ‘Oh, last, last night was fun’, where I had completely brushed off that situation. But obviously, it had really affected people in a way I hadn’t realised. So I was in trouble.”

Mel C ended up in a meeting, where she was told she would lose her place in the band if she every acted out like that again. She explained: “Simon wanted to speak to me, and I was told in no uncertain terms if anything ever happened like that again, I would be gone.

“So that completely freaked me out, one, because I didn’t realise I’d done anything that terribly bad, and two, because my actions may have led to me losing everything I’d ever wanted, you know?”

Kung Fu Chinese Food & Tea Bar in Wigan responded to the woman’s post

Takeaway staff have been praised for their kind gesture towards a pregnant customer with a prawn cracker craving. The woman had asked for some of the crackers with her home delivery order from Kung Fu Chinese Food & Tea Bar in Wigan town centre.

When they were accidentally missed off the order, she called the business asking if they could drop them off.

Not only did they swiftly return with the missing crackers, they added an extra bag, along with a tub of sauce, a large KitKat, a bottle of Oasis and ‘a sweet note’.

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The note said: “Hope this keeps the cravings at bay for a little while! I was the same with my little girl. Congrats from all at Kung Fu.”

The woman was so pleased with the gesture, she took to social media to praise the takeaway for going ‘above and beyond’ during the heatwave at the end of June.

“I’m not one to make [a] public post, but if any business deserves the praise it’s these guys,” she said.

“I’ve always had amazing customer service from them anyways, but today they really did go above and beyond. I’m pregnant and craving prawn crackers like they are going out of fashion.

“My order came and they forgot to add them in so I called up asking if they could drop them off, which I was told absolutely and they will give me an extra bag of them for the mess up only to receive this (while my food is still nice and warm! Bonus)

• ×3 bags of crackers…I will most definitely inhale
• A bottle of oasis
• A tub of sauce
• And a large kit kat with this sweet note

“These are the type of business i dont ever feel guilty pigging out at. Thank you guys. Definitely go give them a go if you haven’t already, gorgeous food.”

Hundreds of people reacted to the post, with many praising the takeaway staff for the ‘heart-warming’ gesture.

“We love a Kung Fu Chinese,” said one customer. “It’s our go-to takeaway, I honestly can’t fault them.”

“Would definitely order from a business with customer service standards like that,” said another.

The staff behind the note were Lesley Ann Wallace and Abby Ball. Thanking the lady for her review, mum-of-one Lesley Ann said: “People don’t understand the impact positive reviews have on us as people!

“The long hours, especially with the weather, they are greatly appreciated!! My craving was chicken sweetcorn soup with prawn crackers so I can definitely relate.”

Zoe Hunt, who also works at the Standishgate business, told the Manchester Evening News: “I think I can vouch for all our staff when I say that our bosses treat us very well and we like to pass on that kindness to our customers.

“In this case we missed prawn crackers off the delivery, so we sent them ASAP with some extras to make up for our mistake. Some of us who work here are mums and understand what pregnancy cravings are like! So we doubled the prawn crackers in case the craving hit again.

“We just enjoy giving a little bit extra to make our customers happy! Even if it’s extras for birthdays or little notes in orders, we just want to give people tasty food, bubble teas and smiles.”

Have you noticed that something you find absolutely delicious might taste disgusting to someone else? Well nine-year-old Leo from Wigan in the UK wanted to know why that is – and why our taste for certain foods changes?

Leo joined our host Eloise to put his question to taste researcher Linda Bartoshuk on The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast.

In each episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids, a child joins host Eloise to ask a top researcher their burning question. If you’d like to join in with the experiment in this episode, make sure you have packet of jelly beans or jelly babies to hand!

To listen to season two, follow us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen on the Yoto Player via the Discover section on the Yoto interactive audio platform for kids.

You can also listen back to season one and read lots of answers to questions sent in by children around the world in our Curious Kids series.

Got a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to curiouskids@theconversation.com.

This season of The Conversation’s Curious Kids is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Disclosure statement

Linda Bartoshuk has received funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Credits

This episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids was hosted and mixed by Eloise Stevens. The producer was Katie Flood and the executive producer was Gemma Ware.