Firefighters remain at the scene of a fire that started at a nature reserve nine days ago

Villagers have said a large fire at a nature reserve is a “huge loss” to the area – as they praised “hero” firefighters who continue to battle the blaze nine days on. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service were first called to the fire at Holme Fen Nature Reserve on August 8.

Since then, firefighters have faced “unprecedented pressure” as they continue to deal with the fire, including the fifth heatwave of the summer last week. Residents in Holme described the fire as “terrible” and said it has had a severe impact on the nature reserve. Villagers have also experienced smoke blowing over into the village.

Janice Osborn said the fire has “destroyed” some of the nature reserve, adding that the fire has caused a “huge loss” to Holme. Janice added: “We have had a lot of smoke blow over, but it’s not as bad as compared to the people that live closer.

“We find it worse in the evening, around 9 to 10pm. It wasn’t fun when it was 36C, but that’s a small fry compared to what the firefighters are facing.”

One mum, who asked not to be named, also said the smell and smoke has been “worse at night”. She said: “The last two nights we have had to keep everything closed. It’s not a constant though. When my kids went to a holiday club in Peterborough recently, it smelt more over there.”

The woman said it’s “reassuring” to have the firefighters on scene. She added: “In that heat, I don’t know how they do it. I feel bad complaining about the heat.” She said she also finds it “really sad” that Holme Fen has been affected.

She said: “I have seen the drone footage and there is like a big gaping hole in the middle of it. It’s going to take a long time to recover.”

One woman who lives in Vicarage Road, and asked to remain anonymous, said the smoke has stopped her and her husband going for their usual walks. She said: “It’s like having a bonfire next to you. We’ve had to close our windows from time to time. It’s impacting our walking as we walk a lot.

“In the village, we can’t go out as it gets onto your chest, and then it’s going on in the nature reserve so we can’t go there. It’s terrible for the little creatures. [The firefighters] are working their socks off, but whether they win the battle is another thing.”

A spokesperson for Holme Fen said: “Visitors are asked to stay away to keep the roads clear for emergency services and because the site is unsafe. Peat fires can spread underground and are notoriously difficult to extinguish.”

Long-term resident Robert S, who asked not to include his full surname, said it is “very sad” as a lot of the nature reserve has been “destroyed”. He added: “Whatever the cause it, it’s not good at all. The firefighters have had a lot to deal with.

“The smoke has fanned over here, it’s caused a bit of a stink at night. We were trying not to keep the windows open, but it was hard in the 30 degree plus heat.”

Another man, who did not want to be named, described the smell of smoke as “horrendous”. He added: “We have to give enormous gratitude to the firefighters, especially in the weather we’ve had. If they didn’t have the resources they’ve had, it could have been a lot worse.”

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue remained at the scene on Monday (August 17). Area commander Wayne Swales said firefighters are continuing to “battle the conditions” at Holme Fen.

He added: “Although temperatures have reduced from during the week, it has still been hot on the fire ground, but crews have stood up to the challenge exceptionally. Thanks to the fantastic teamwork from all crews across the county and the incredible support from our National Resilience colleagues from all over the country, we look to be a better position.

“Steady progress has been made and we are discussing our tactics regularly to try and hopefully start to scale back our firefighting. We will know more over the next day or so.”

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday that oil drilling in northern and northeastern coastal regions could be “a passport to the country’s future” after visiting a Petrobras offshore drilling vessel following a find announced last week near the mouth of the Amazon River.

Petrobras, Brazil‘s majority state-owned corporation, said on Friday that it had detected hydrocarbons during exploratory drilling about 180 kilometers (112 miles) off the coast of Amapa state. The country’s coastal regions near the mouth of the Amazon are known as the Equatorial Margin.

The exploratory drilling began in October. Environmental and Indigenous groups have since sued the Brazilian government and Petrobras to halt exploration, arguing the licensing process failed to properly consult traditional communities, underestimated spill risks and did not adequately assess climate impacts. The company has long argued it has never caused spills in its drillings.

“When I say ‘passport,’” Lula said, “I’m not denying my commitment to the fight for a day when we no longer need fossil fuels, because Brazil will continue to be the king of biofuel innovation and will remain a major player in renewable energy.”

Lula, who faces what is expected to be a tight election in October for a fourth term as president, spoke at an official event in the municipality of Oiapoque in Amapa after visiting the vessel.

Lula has pushed both for drilling and alternative energy

Under Lula, Brazil has backed the need to transition away from fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas that heat the planet and impact its climate.

The position was touted at the U.N. climate summit Brazil hosted last year, and also in other forums, such as an April meeting in Colombia that focused on shifting away from fossil fuels. At the same time, the country is ramping up new drilling investments.

The Equatorial Margin is believed to hold significant oil and natural gas reserves, and preliminary estimates suggest the basin could contain up to 10 billion barrels of oil, with a potential value of about 3.8 trillion reais ($720 billion).

“All of our studies indicate substantial potential. This discovery confirms our findings, and we will continue exploring,” the Petrobras president, Magda Chambriard, said Monday about the latest find. The company still needs to conduct further research to determine how much oil the area contains, she added.

Still, according to Shigueo Watanabe Jr., an energy expert with the Brazilian nonprofit ClimaInfo, commercial drilling remains a distant prospect at this stage. Determining whether extraction would be commercially viable would require further research that could take up to a decade.

Lula’s announcement appears to follow a political calendar

Lula spoke in Oiapoque a day after kicking off his election campaign at the Vila Euclides Stadium outside Sao Paulo — a city where he rose to political fame 47 years ago as a metalworkers union leader during the country’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship.

The leftist leader, who is running against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro — the lawmaker son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro — said Chambriard, the head of Petrobras, has told him the new-found oil is of high quality.

Lula, wearing the orange uniform of oil workers, held up a small bottle of black crude oil that he described as “blessed,” and said that he would like to keep it in a safe.

At stake, he said, are both “the interests of the country and the interests of the company,” referring to Petrobras.

“And Amapa’s right not to end up as merely an exporter of acai and tucunare,” he said, referring to the region’s top products, the coveted berries and the freshwater fish.

Displayed behind him was a huge photo of Lula from his visit to the drilling vessel earlier Monday, showing the president holding up both hands stained with black crude — a gesture he famously made in 2008, when he announced the discovery of vast offshore oil reserves in southeastern Brazil.

Back then, Lula was at the height of his popularity. Now, he has become a polarizing figure, with opinion polls showing that nearly half of Brazilians approve of his administration, while a similarly large share disapprove of it.

Breno Rodrigues de Messias Leite, a political scientist and professor at the Federal University of Amazonas, said Lula’s Monday trip sends an important message to voters, especially in northern Brazil and its state capitals, where he has faced criticism.

“For the Amazon, the possibility of gaining access to some of the world’s largest oil reserves changes the equation,” Leite said.

“Lula wants to be reelected, and he wants the states in the northern region, especially Amapa, to have an electorate that is favorable to him,” he added.

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A report to Darlington Borough Council’s Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee says the number of children requiring more complex care arrangements is increasing, particularly those needing residential homes with high staffing ratios or specialist solo placements.

Such placements are in short supply nationally and are significantly more expensive because smaller homes cannot benefit from economies of scale, the report says. The sharp increase in external residential care costs is not unique to Darlington and reflects a wider North East and national trend.

Nick Wallis, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “The complexity of children’s needs has become very marked and something that we are fighting all the time.” 

Despite the pressures, the council said the overall quality of residential and foster care available in the borough remained high.

Thirteen of Darlington’s 16 children’s homes are currently rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, while the other three are rated Requires Improvement.

All Darlington children placed with independent fostering agencies are also with providers rated Good or Outstanding.

The report says the council has reduced its reliance on independent fostering agencies by increasing the number of children placed with its own foster carers – a move which was praised as “really positive” by committee members during Monday’s meeting. 

In June 2026, 79 children were living with Darlington foster carers, compared with 63 in independent fostering agency placements. No children aged five or under were placed through an independent agency.

The number of independent fostering placements has fallen from 98 to 67 over the period examined by the council, while external residential placements have increased from 28 to 36.

The council said the increase in complexity was happening despite the number of children in care continuing to fall.

It said children requiring high staffing ratios increasingly needed smaller dual-occupancy homes or solo placements, with limited availability nationally.

Darlington’s relatively small population also makes it difficult to develop specialist solo placements at scale because there are comparatively few children requiring this type of care, the report said.

The council is working with providers to develop more small-scale residential provision locally, with two new dual homes expected to open over the coming year.

A further two council-operated children’s homes are also being developed and are awaiting Ofsted registration.

Food additives used to boost flavour in apple juice, yoghurts and red wine could hold the secret to treating lymphoedema – severe swelling in the arms and legs.

Research published in the journal Nature found that the compounds, called cyclodextrins, may be able to reverse the swelling.

The findings, based on animal studies, could potentially improve the lives of up to 450,000 people in the UK who live with the condition, many as a result of treatment for cancer.

For example, about one in five people will develop lymphoedema in their arm following breast cancer treatment, such as surgery to remove lymph nodes or radiotherapy to clear cancer cells. 

Lymph nodes are bean-shaped structures located all around the body that filter waste from lymph fluid, which is formed of liquid and waste produced by tissues.

The nodes clean the fluid carried in the lymphatic vessels before it joins the bloodstream.

But the nodes are also often the first place cancer cells migrate to when they develop in nearby tissues such as those in the breast, head or neck, before travelling on to other vital organs such as the lungs. 

Surgically removing the nodes – to reduce the risk of cancer spreading – or treating them with radiotherapy can damage and cause blockages in the lymph system, leading to a chronic build-up of lymph fluid, causing swelling – sometimes so severe it can make simple tasks such as getting dressed or finding clothes to fit extremely difficult.

Research suggests the impact on quality of life can be considerable.

Treatment options are limited. Patients are initially told to try compression sleeves or stockings on their swollen limbs.

But these must be worn daily and can cause skin irritation and itching which may be uncomfortable and also restrict movement.

Another option is a type of massage, manual lymphatic drainage, which patients can do themselves. This needs to be done regularly to have good results.

Surgery to ‘replumb’ lymphatic vessels so fluid does not build up is available on the NHS, although at around £15,000 the procedure is used sparingly. Likewise, liposuction – where excess fluid and fat is broken up using lasers or high-frequency sound waves, before being sucked out by a machine – may help but is not widely available on the NHS.

The latest study, by scientists at the National University of Singapore, suggests there is a cheaper and more practical solution.

The researchers focused on cyclodextrin, which forms from starch, which for years has been used throughout the food and drink industries to improve the smell and taste of numerous products.

This is because it has a unique cellular structure which means it can ‘trap’ unwanted odours in foods and drinks that might sour the overall flavour and experience.

Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at the London Breast Institute, said the findings open a ‘new therapeutic avenue’

Crucially, cyclodextrin is also widely used to remove cholesterol from dairy products such as cheese and butter to produce low-fat versions. It does this by encapsulating cholesterol crystals inside its hollow interior and then attracting water to flush them away.

This is significant because when the Singapore team analysed skin tissue from women with lymphoedema who were having treatment for breast cancer, they found that reduced lymphatic flow was associated with large amounts of cholesterol accumulating in surrounding tissue.

Lymphatic vessels transport cholesterol from the tissues back to the bloodstream. But this study showed a build-up of cholesterol in the surrounding tissues plays an active part in causing lymphoedema. This cholesterol was found to be causing inflammation and scarring to the vessels which also blocked the normal flow of lymph.

The next step was to see if cyclodextrin’s cholesterol-lowering powers could alleviate this swelling.

The researchers treated mice that had lymphoedema by injecting cyclodextrin into the affected area regularly over eight weeks.

The results showed it significantly reduced the swelling and inflammation – but as a bonus, researchers also found that cyclodextrin appeared to help regenerate the damaged lymphatic vessels, leading to a gradual reversal of the symptoms.

Babak Mehrara, chief of the plastic and reconstructive surgery service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, who wrote a review of the recent study for Nature, said: ‘Lymphoedema is a fluid retention problem but fluid accumulation causes inflammation, which inhibits the function of existing lymphatics.

‘That leads to more fluid accumulation and more inflammation. Fat deposits and cholesterol build-up then occurs as a result of the inflammatory changes.’

Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at the London Breast Institute, said the findings open a ‘genuinely new therapeutic avenue’.

He added: ‘This is potentially groundbreaking because lymphoedema remains a chronic condition with no cure.

‘The study identifies excessive cholesterol deposition in affected tissues as a potential target for treatments. But we need carefully designed human trials to establish safety and efficacy.’

He added that cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins would be unlikely to work as they target cholesterol in the bloodstream, rather than specifically in the lymph nodes.

Many will remember the building as the location where they took their driving theory test

Plans to convert a prominent Peterborough office building once used as a driving theory test centre into flats have taken a step forward.

MJS Construction based in March submitted an application for prior approval in July for plans which would see the five-storey Churchgate building on New Road converted into 90 self-contained apartments.

This was granted by Peterborough City Council in August, meaning the development can begin within the next three years.

The proposal included 48 one-bedroom one-person units, 16 one-bedroom two-person units and 26 two-bedroom three-person units.

“The scheme does not increase the building footprint and represents an efficient re-use of existing built floorspace,” MJS Construction’s planning statement reads.

There are already 95 car parking spaces and the development would provide 58 secure cycle spaces within a dedicated cycle store inside the building.

Granting the application, the council case officer’s report concluded: “Upon assessment of the proposed development and following consultation with relevant bodies, it is considered that the proposed development will not result in unacceptable impact upon the safety of the public highway, contaminated land, increased flood risk elsewhere or be at risk of flooding itself.”

It also stated that the proposal would not result in unacceptable noise disturbance to neighbouring occupants and would provide adequate provision of natural light in all habitable rooms.

The Churchgate office building was reportedly sold to a private investor in 2024 in a deal completed by property agents Eddisons.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Discord, the popular platform for gamers to communicate online, said on Monday it suspended its livestreams in Brazil after criticism that it failed to protect children and adolescents. The move takes place in the wake of a suicide case.

Brazil’s government under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the country’s Supreme Court have tried to regulate the use of the internet by minors, with mixed results so far, at a moment when countries, including Australia, Canada and Indonesia, are undertaking similar efforts.

The decision comes after Brazil’s national agency of data protection ordered the suspension last week. The U.S.-based company added it is in conversations “to seek a solution that allows us to reestablish those resources for our users in Brazil.”

“We remain committed to working with public policymakers in Brazil to help create an online experience that is safer for all, on Discord and across the internet,” said the platform.

A suicide draws attention to digital protections for minors

In July, an underage girl in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul was allegedly coerced by other users into committing suicide during a livestream on the platform, putting the company under increased scrutiny.

Brazil’s first lady Rosângela Lula da Silva, known as Janja, said on Aug. 6 that the platform should be taken offline, citing the case.

“I can’t accept seeing a 13-year-old girl self-harming live on the internet, on Discord, hanging herself and dying,” said Janja at a ceremony in the capital, Brasilia, during which Lula signed a law that increases the punishment for those who commit sexual violence against children and adolescents.

Five teenagers were arrested in connection with the death, according to an Aug. 4 statement by Brazil’s justice ministry.

“Livestreams have been repeatedly used to facilitate violence, harassment and the incitement of self-harm and suicide,” the country’s data protection agency said in a statement Wednesday.

The agency cited robust evidence that the company had not sufficiently prevented risks of exposure to content that “represent serious violations of the rights of children and adolescents within its service, especially inducement, incitement, instigation, or assistance to violence, self-harm, and suicide,” it said.

Discord has more than 90 million active daily users worldwide, according to its website.

Brazil rolled out a law seeking to boost protection of minors online earlier this year. The law requires that minors under 16 link their social media accounts to a legal guardian to ensure supervision.

Digital services must also implement an effective age verification mechanism that goes beyond self-declaration that the user is over 18 to protect them from accessing inappropriate or prohibited material.

In February, Discord postponed its controversial age verification policy after receiving backlash from users with concerns about their privacy. It later said in a statement that it was nonetheless rolling out age assurance measures to comply with Brazilian law.

The Trump administration has accused Brazil of targeting American social-media companies, and cited the issue among the reasons for imposing tariffs on Brazilian imports.

In 2024, Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the shutdown of X until the network owned by Elon Musk complied with orders to remove accounts spreading disinformation.

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Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.

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

Plans to swap four signs at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet for ones featuring the branding of its new owners Fraser Group PLC have been approved by City of York Council.

The outlet’s application stated the changes came as part of a rebranding exercise taking place after the sale of the site was announced earlier this year.

Council planning officers stated the new signs would not have a negative impact on public amenity or safety.

Submission of the plans in June follows the announcement that the site had been bought by Fraser Group PLC from previous owners Aviva Investors in April.

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The move also saw retail mogul Mike Ashley’s group, which also owns Sports Direct, take over the East Midlands Designer Outlet near Derby and Nottingham.

Plans for the York site, in St Nicholas Avenue, include installing four illuminated signs at the site’s north, south, east and west entrances along with two on totems.

They would bear the outlet’s new owner’s Frasers Plus name and logo.

Council planning officers stated the new signs were based on simple designs and fitted with the scale and position of existing ones.

Plans for new signs at the West Entrance of York’s McArthurGlen Designer Outlet (Image: Fraser Group)

Officers stated: “The proposed totem advertisement will not be any more visually prominent than the existing which in turn will ensure that the visual appearance of the surrounding area is not eroded by additional advertisements.

“This proposal seeks to maintain a consistent signage design across the site.

“The fascia signs are to be located 1.6m above each entrance which accords with the scale of the existing ones and ensures they are positioned appropriately and do not dominate the shopfront.”

Frasers Group chief executive Michael Murray said the strategic acquisitions supported their vision for the group which owns more than one fifths of the UK outlet market.

Paul Tyler, McArthurGlen’s centre manager for York, told The Press in April he did not expect the take over to affect day-to-day operations.

York’s Designer Outlet is home to more than 100 stores along with a number of food and drink outlets.

It covers an area of about 23,000 square metres, or almost 250,000 square feet, and first opened in 1998.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — O.J. Brigance, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens before waging an unyielding battle against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, has died. He was 56.

The Ravens announced Brigance’s death on Monday.

“We are devastated by the awful news that we have lost O.J. Brigance,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement. “O.J. was a beloved legend, mentor and man to everyone who was fortunate enough to know him. He was a vibrant person who became one of the first Ravens heroes with his passionate play, including the first tackle in the 2000 Super Bowl.”

Brigance was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2007. Not long after that, he and his wife, Chanda, formed the Brigance Brigade Foundation, an organization whose mission is to “equip, encourage and empower” those afflicted with ALS.

Despite using a wheelchair and a communication device that translated his messages, Brigance served as senior adviser for player engagement with the Ravens, a job he started in 2004. In addition to assisting players in each phase of their career, Brigance proved a source of motivation within the organization.

“Every day I walk by, not just to tell him how much I love him, but to tell him that he is the one thing that lets me not complain about anything,” Ravens Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis said in 2012, his final pro season. “I played with that guy. His spirit is just awesome.”

Brigance is the only player to win a Canadian Football League title and a Super Bowl championship for a team in the same city, Baltimore.

“While winning CFL and NFL championships are great personal remembrances, I wouldn’t say any of these events define me,” he said. “Rather, they are part of an accumulation of life events which catapulted me to do what God wanted me to accomplish. If you were to remove any of those events, I wouldn’t be the same person or have the position of influence. With that being said, I consider the Brigance Brigade to be the most significant achievement of my life because of my ability to touch the lives of others.”

Brigance said his career as a professional football player — he played linebacker and on special teams — helped prepare him for the fight against ALS.

“Many people think football is all about strength and physical ability,” Brigance said in a 2012 interview with The Associated Press. “While these are integral parts of one’s success, the fortitude, discipline and the desire necessary to play the sport are characteristics that are readily transferrable to everyday life.”

Brigance didn’t set out to be an example of how to live under difficult circumstances, but he had no intention of letting ALS get him down. He and Chanda collaborated to help and encourage others with the disease.

“I have found that when adversity strikes, there is a decision to be made. We chose to respond and continue to live, and also help others living with ALS to respond also,” he said. “We have found that we have been a great encouragement not only to those within the ALS community, but to people in all walks of life.”

Orenthial James Brigance was born Sept. 29, 1969 and played in college at Rice in his hometown of Houston. He began his professional career in 1991 as a linebacker for the British Columbia Lions. He played three seasons with BC, making 20 sacks in 1993, before joining the Baltimore Stallions. In his second season in Baltimore, the team won the 1995 Grey Cup.

In 1996, Brigance was signed by the Miami Dolphins as a free agent. He was twice voted a team captain during his four seasons there and was the Ed Block Courage Award recipient in 1999. He was honored with the NFL Players Association’s “Unsung Hero Award” that same season.

Brigance’s lone season with Baltimore was 2000. He had a team-high 10 tackles on special teams during Baltimore’s playoff run, which ended with a 34-7 win over the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Brigance played for the St. Louis Rams in 2001 and 2002, and his final game was with New England in 2002.

“I am devastated and at a loss for words. O.J. was one of the most genuine, sincere people I have ever known,” Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome said. “From the moment he arrived in Baltimore, you could feel his energy. His amazing smile, welcoming nature and infectious personality made everyone around him feel like family.”

And his tenacity would serve him well long after his playing days ended.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

A statement from Greenville police department said: “On August 16, 2026, at approximately 1.51pm, officers from the Greenville police department, accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female at Judson Mill Lofts, located at 701 Easley Bridge Road.

It was the summer of 2018 and Hayden Panettiere was newly single, recently out of rehab, and hoping to make a fresh start.

Her ex-fiance, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, had obtained in 2018 full custody of their three-year-old daughter Kaya – Panettiere’s postnatal depression and alcoholism made motherhood an impossible struggle.

So Panettiere’s brother Jansen, five years her junior, suggested they go out in West Hollywood and have a good time.

It was then, in the wildly popular gay bar The Abbey, that Panettiere met a man who would change the course of her life – Brian Hickerson.

Hickerson, an aspiring actor and real estate agent from South Carolina, swept Panettiere off her feet ‘at lightning speed’, she writes in her memoir, which was published in May.

Within weeks they were living together at her Los Angeles home – dancing in her living room, redecorating, playing board games and watching ‘practically every Netflix series ever made’.

‘I finally began to feel beautiful again,’ she wrote, praising his smile and sense of humor. ‘I also started to feel safe, loved and cherished. It was like Brian and I were two best friends living together under one roof.’

But for all its blissful beginnings, the relationship was ultimately violent and tempestuous.

Hickerson is seen in his Wyoming mugshot, after his arrest in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 2020

He was arrested and charged with domestic violence in 2019 and in 2020 – the final incident saw him sentenced to 45 days in jail.

The troubles did not end there: in May 2022 the pair had a wild fight inside the bar of the Sunset Marquis hotel in LA, and Hickerson was photographed being restrained by a bystander, seemingly missing a shoe. Panettiere was reportedly overheard yelling: ‘Brian, jail!’ – a reminder that he was still on probation.

They split, seemingly for good, in July 2022.

She recalled in excruciating detail the beatings in her memoir, and he, on publication, owned his past behavior, calling the book an essential read.

Then they appeared to reconcile.

On Saturday, Panettiere and Hickerson flew from LA to South Carolina.

On Sunday, she was found dead at an apartment in Greenville, after ‘an unidentified acquaintance’ called 911 to report ‘a potential overdose’, according to audio of the call obtained by People.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has completed the star’s autopsy, with the coroner telling Page Six that ‘no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.’

The cause and exact manner of her death remain under investigation.

It’s not known whether he was in the apartment at the time. Hickerson, approached by the Daily Mail, is yet to comment.

It’s also not known how the pair resumed their relationship, and indeed whether it was romantic or just friendship. TMZ reported Monday that, per a source, Panettiere and Hickerson were together while she promoted her memoir, only keeping their relationship a secret to protect her career.

But perhaps the airing of all the dirty laundry, in horrific detail, had allowed them to move on. And certainly the book paints an uncomfortable picture.

It’s not clear when exactly the abuse began, between the summer of 2018 and spring of 2019: Panettiere does not give a date.

Instead she describes a horrific scene when, after a bottle of wine each and several vodkas, their evening becomes hellish.

‘I say something I regret,’ she wrote. ‘A chair scrapes against the floor, and Brian stands up, all six feet of him. He leans toward my face and screams: “What is wrong with you?”

‘I flinch, and he keeps screaming.’

She described a terrifying tussle with a paring knife, before a wine glass crashes to the floor and Hickerson hits her for the first time.

‘I hear it before I feel it,’ she wrote. ‘The unmistakable sound of an open-hand slap. Then there’s burning on my cheek, like I’m on fire. There’s ringing in my head. There’s silence.’

Panettiere and Hickerson were both registered as living in this Los Angeles building

Panettiere on one of her last public outings on June 2026. She was in New York City to promote her memoir 

Nothing was ever said about that first slap. But, soon, she wrote, the slaps became punches. She also punched him too, she admitted – joking, with gallows humor, that time spent watching boxing with her ex came in useful.

‘One night he busts up my face so badly I don’t leave the house for weeks,’ she wrote.

‘Another day he screams at me to run as far as I can in five seconds because I’ll need a head start before he throws the remote control at me. This is a man who doesn’t miss, I think.

‘And he doesn’t. The remote control hits my face like it’s been thrown by a minor league pitcher.’

She fought back: ‘All that boxing I watched paid off,’ she wrote.

But she is no match for him.

‘Punches rain down, hard,’ she wrote of a May 2019 incident.

‘My head hits the wall, and he’s straddling me, pinning me down using all his weight.

‘Why did you hit yourself?’ he screams as I struggle under him. ‘You’re all bruised, why did you do that to yourself?’

Terrified, she escapes and runs to the car – where she keeps a bottle of water in the glove compartment ‘for times like this.’

Neighbors called 911 and Hickerson was charged with domestic assault, but pleads not guilty.

Panettiere and Hickerson in happier times in a photo he shared on Instagram before turning his social media dark 

Panettiere and Hickerson are seen in January 2019 in Los Angeles

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Hayden Panettiere seen with bruises on her arms in 2022. She and Hickerson had been involved in a scuffle outside a hotel 

Despite 

‘He argues that I was the one hitting myself – not him – and he’d in fact recorded himself saying: ‘Why did you hit yourself?’ as I fully lost control.’

He was initially ordered to stay 100 yards away from her, but Panettiere accepted his apologies – he claimed to have no memory of the fight – and the charges were dropped in September 2019.

In November 2019, a Hickerson family source told Us Weekly that his family were troubled by their relationship.

‘Brian’s family is extremely concerned for his safety when he is with Hayden,’ the source said. ‘They are terrified that Brian will once again find himself accused of domestic violence. Hayden and Brian are very toxic for each other.’

And so it proved.

The following year, in February 2020, the pair traveled to Jackson, Wyoming, for Valentine’s Day.

After another night of drinking, she wrote that, once more, their ‘playful banter’ turned toxic, and, she claimed, Hickerson pushed her up against a wall.

‘I felt my head snap back and smash into the wall, and a sharp pain shot down into my back. I braced my body to absorb the shock, then I closed my eyes.

‘Clap. Brian slapped me hard, and a familiar sting radiated out from my cheek and across my entire body.’

Again, neighbors called the police and Hickerson was arrested.

She wrote that, in the days immediately following their fight, she was determined to end the relationship, and the ‘toxic waste dump we’d found ourselves swimming in.’

A Wyoming police report from the time noted ‘a fresh scrape and swelling on the top of her left hand which she believed came from Hickerson’s watch during the altercation.’

She tried once more to stay away from him and added, in the memoir: ‘I knew that if Brian laid his hands on me one more time, and I caught him off guard, I might kill him in self-defense… that was a chance I just couldn’t take.’

In July of that year she obtained a restraining order against him, writing on July 17, 2020 that she hoped others would be inspired by her to walk away from abusive partners.

‘I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve,’ she wrote on Instagram.

‘I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again. I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life.’

Panettiere in her memoir, years later, wrote that she still loved Hickerson, and the man he was, when he wasn’t ‘raging.’

Hickerson was charged in July 2020 with four domestic assault felonies, one misdemeanor count of battery, two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one felony count of dissuading a witness from prosecuting a crime.

The charges covered the period from May 2019 to July 2020.

Panettiere, a child star, is pictured in September 2012

In April 2021 he accepted a plea deal, pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.

The remaining six counts were dismissed.

He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and four years’ probation, plus $500 in fines and mandatory domestic violence classes. In May 2021 he surrendered to serve his sentence, spending 19 days behind bars.

Panettiere insisted she only wanted him to be in jail long enough to get scared.

‘I didn’t want to traumatize him in an irreversible way,’ she wrote. ‘So I decided to do what I wish others would do for me. I decided to let go of my resentment and try to forgive Brian.’

Yet time behind bars did not have the desired effect, and soon they were back to their old ways.

By May 2022 they were evidently back together, drinking at the Sunset Marquis when yet another violent altercation ensued – which saw Panettiere warn Hickerson that he was still on probation.

She separated from him once more in July 2022.

Hickerson, in May this year, when the book was published, heaped praise on her and said her account was true.

He even told TMZ he still hoped to marry her.

‘I hope so, [but] she probably doesn’t think the same way,’ the 37-year-old said. ‘I think Hayden is one of most talented people I’ve ever met in my life, and I would be an idiot not to walk away from her and let her flourish in her career.’

Panettiere, asked by TMZ about his wish to marry her, laughed as she walked through an airport and replied: ‘I don’t think that’s going to happen.’

Yet Hickerson was effusive in his praise of her memoir.

‘Hayden’s book’s incredible. I think it’s great,’ he said. ‘I think everyone should read it. I mean, the domestic violence stuff – my chapter – everybody should read it.’

He added: ‘You got to be vulnerable and, you know, I did it. I did it.’