The professional dancer recently announced his plans to leave the hit BBC One dance show after 10 years

Gorka Marquez has shared the reason he turned down getting a chance to say his own goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing while on a UK tour linked to the popular programme.

The professional dancer recently announced his plans to leave the hit BBC One dance show after 10 years. He made the announcement on Instagram at the end of April, saying he will “forever be thankful” for his time on the dancing competition, but it is time to “hang up my dance shoes”.

The news came after Gorka stepped back from competing in Strictly’s 2025 series with a celebrity dance partner and instead returned to a judging role on the Spanish version of Strictly, Bailando con las Estrellas, a position he first took on in 2024.

But before his official exit, Gorka joined fellow pro Luba Mushtuk, who is also leaving the beloved show after 10 years, and a number of their fellow Strictly stars on the Strictly The Professionals tour, which headed to Salford’s Lowry last month, before finishing in Blackpool on May 30.

During their last show, tears flowed as Gorka and Luba shared an emotional embrace on stage, marking the end of their time on Strictly. Fans shared clips on social media from the final performance, which saw the pair being supported by their co-stars as they shed tears.

But Gorka has now been asked why he didn’t get his own moment in the live show to say goodbye, while Luba gave a tear-jerking speech. Speaking on their podcast, Lost in Translation, Gorka’s fiancée Gemma Atkinson read out a message from a listener which said: “Great show! I’m gutted they didn’t allow you to say goodbye like Luba, but I want to wish you all the best for the future.”

Gemma then commented: “That’s funny you’ve said that because you [Gorka] said to me before the tour started, ‘They’ve asked me if I want to do a goodbye thing…’” Gorka then interjected: “I said no!” Gemma continued: “He said no. He said, ‘I’m not dying! I’m just not coming back.’ You chose not to do that.”

Gorka then explained: “I’m not saying goodbye because I don’t want to say goodbye, I just want to celebrate. For me, I put it this way, Strictly doesn’t start until August, I’m still in Strictly. I’m still part of the team so I just want to celebrate and dance like one of the team. I don’t want to make it about me and be like, ‘Oh, I’m leaving… be sad!’”

Gemma commented: “Goodbye for me solidifies it. It’s just see you soon.” Gorka then cheekily teased: “Who knows, you might be getting sat in that chair in a couple of years!”

Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long said some people had ignored calls for calm.

“They are intent on wreaking destruction on the very communities they claim they are trying to protect,” Long said.

“They are weaponising the genuine hurt, concern and anger that people are feeling for their own misguided purposes.”

“There is no place for masked thugs to take to the streets and threaten, intimidate, disrupt and cause wanton damage – it is simply disingenuous to claim this is being carried out for the good of Northern Ireland.”

Long said she would again appeal to communities “not to allow themselves to be used and abused in this manner.”

“Disorder on the streets, such as we are seeing tonight, is diverting valuable police resources away from those who genuinely need them,” she said.

“These are not the actions of people who genuinely care about their communities.”

“While I recognise and understand the concerns following on from the attack in north Belfast, hate cannot be allowed to win.”

Connor Reilly, 32, of Dundyvan Road, Coatbridge, was handed a 28-month stretch at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

A second thug has been jailed after a man was attacked with a bottle and a machete outside a Motherwell tower block

Connor Reilly, 32, of Dundyvan Road, Coatbridge, was handed a 28-month stretch at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

He will be under supervision for a year after his release from prison

Reilly admitted assaulting the victim to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement at Merryton Tower on May 27 last year.

Earlier this year Dean Markson, 27, was jailed for 32 months when he admitted taking part in the attack.

Reilly failed to attend court on that occasion.

The victim was walking home from the shops about 3.25pm when he was attacked.

Markson ran towards him and struck him on the head with an Eldorado wine bottle, knocking him to the ground.

He continued to inflict blows until the bottle slipped out of his hand and smashed.

Reilly then ran towards the victim, who was still on the ground, and struck him repeatedly on the head and back with a machete.

The pair left the scene in a car but police officers identified them from CCTV images.

The victim’s partner returned home to find him injured. Worried about the amount of blood he had lost, she called an ambulance.

He had a number of cuts, the most serious of which was a 5cm wound to his back that was closed with stitches.

Reilly admitted previous convictions and solicitor Rowan Myles said the fear of going back to prison had prompted him to miss the court hearing in February.

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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has admitted a series of legal challenges threatens to delay its planned compensation scheme, which could see motorists receive an average payout of £829.

The watchdog estimates around 12.1 million car finance agreements could be eligible for compensation under the proposals.

Why payouts are being delayed

The compensation scheme centres on controversial “hidden commission” arrangements, formally known as discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs).

The FCA believes many drivers were not given a fair deal because dealers and brokers could earn more commission by increasing the interest rate charged on finance agreements.

The regulator had hoped to begin compensation payments much sooner, but court action from several firms has thrown the timetable into doubt.

Sarah Pritchard, the FCA’s deputy chief executive, told MPs that legal challenges would increase costs and significantly delay payouts.

“I want to be straightforward that the legal challenge will add delay and extra costs to the scheme as a whole,” she said.

“If the scheme goes ahead, the delay, we believe, will result in payments not before 2027.”

Who is challenging the compensation scheme?

Four separate legal challenges have been launched against the FCA’s plans.

Among those seeking to block or alter the scheme are finance businesses linked to major car manufacturers including Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, as well as a consumer group.

The firms argue that aspects of the FCA’s proposed redress scheme are unlawful.

The compensation programme is expected to cost the motor finance industry around £9.1 billion.

Could drivers face even longer waits?

The FCA has also warned there is a possibility that parts of the compensation scheme could be struck down by the courts.

If that happens, the regulator may be forced to abandon its planned mass compensation approach and instead deal with complaints individually.

That could create a huge administrative burden.

According to FCA estimates, up to 19 million complaints could need to be handled separately if no redress scheme is available.

The watchdog believes that approach would add around £6 billion in costs for lenders and could take another three years to complete.

Hope for some drivers

Despite the delays, the FCA says it is exploring whether some consumers could receive compensation earlier.

Ms Pritchard told MPs the regulator is considering options for people who would prefer to receive money sooner rather than wait for the full scheme to be finalised.

“Consumers have been waiting a very long time to be compensated and, one way or the other, they need to be compensated,” she said.

The FCA has already spent more than £20 million developing the compensation programme and expects legal costs to continue rising as the court challenges progress.

For now, motorists who believe they were affected by hidden commission arrangements may have to wait until the outcome of the legal battles becomes clearer before finding out when compensation will arrive.

Members of the health centre steering committee met with the head of the Salford Integrated Care Board on Friday to discuss the future of the plans.

The steering committee attended the event with Salford Mayor Paul Dennett, as well as the campaign’s new ambassador, MP Yasmin Qureshi.

Paul Whitelegg with residents at a previous discussion group for the plans (Image: Dan Dougherty)

Campaign leader Paul Whitelegg said: “On Friday, your 24/7 Walk-In Medical Centre Steering Group came together armed with raw data, facts, figures, your experiences, and your ideas.

“We presented our case directly to the stakeholders who have the power to make real change happen.

“A special thank you to our fantastic ambassador Yasmin Qureshi MP, Mayor Paul Dennett, and all local councillors who attended, including our newly elected councillors for Walkden North, Walkden South and Little Hulton.

“Our case is now heading straight to Westminster and will be put before the Secretary of State for Health! Thanks to Yasmin Qureshi, letters are already being drafted as we speak.

“We will be arranging a follow-up meeting with stakeholders to discuss the possibility of launching a pilot scheme for a Walk-In Centre right here in our area!”

“A special thank you also goes to James Jordan-Tkocz, whose research uncovered valuable information about successful Walk-In Centres operating in Scotland. His work has provided a potential model that stakeholders are now willing to explore.”

Paul began work on the scheme in late 2025 after speaking with residents, many of whom were unhappy with medical provision in the area.

One resident – Sandra Mazutaviciene – told of an incident involving her six-year-old son Theo, who’s hand became infected due to eczema.

Paul Whitelegg (right) with Walkden residents (Image: Paul Whitelegg)

She had to get a £20 taxi to Leigh in the middle of the night due to a lack of nearby health provision.

She also spoke of the difficulties of registering with a dentist in the area.

Several ideas have been proposed for the new health centre, including GP access, dentistry, opticians, and an ambulance bay.

A pilot-scheme will now allow the team to get real-world data on how the proposed walk-in centre would impact the Walkden and Little Hulton community.

YORK store Boyes was renowned for its Christmas displays.

In the 1920s and 30s, children went on rides through the store with themes such as ‘A trip to the Moon’ or’ A journey below the sea’.

And today, we share precious memories of working at this iconic shop, Boyes in Bridge Street.

After the Second World War, children walked rather than rode, passing a series of tableaux, before meeting Father Christmas in his grotto.

The grotto was quite a remarkable affair – a series of scenes depicting Santa Claus’ journey from the Arctic to the home of an English boy and girl.

With his reindeer and a train of other faithful friends, Santa Claus travelled from one little scene to another and eventually descended a chimney.

Boyes by Ouse Bridge in York in the 1960s or 1970s

The mechanism behind this panorama was a complicated arrangement, consisting of a bicycle chain driven by an electric motor, and was constructed from ‘odds and ends’ by the store’s engineer.

Similarly, the shop windows were always dressed for Christmas with impressive displays, including model railways, waterfalls and Alpine scenes.

Dougie Weake has vivid memories of working at Boyes in Micklegate. He started in the tools department on the first floor in 1965 at the age of 15.

“We had everything that you would expect – wallpaper, paint, brushes, screwdrivers, screws, you name it – on these old, rickety, wooden counters, that must have been there since the store opened in 1912. The staff were amazing. It became a very, very close-knit family. Boyes was a family department store and we were all part of this family.

Shoppers queue outside Wright’s pork butchers and pie shop in Bridge Street next to Boyes.

“The Bargain Basement was probably the busiest of all the departments in the store. People would go down for the bits of cloth, which they made into a fancy dress or curtains or whatever. It was a rummage and there were people fighting over the same cloth. On the top floor, we had the staff canteen, segregated, with girls at one side, boys the other. You could see each other through the serving hatches.”

Boyes always went big at sales. They had, for example, the ‘red-hot sale’, when they hired a fire engine and drove around the streets of York with big signs.

Read more:

Or the ‘monster sale’ with a flatbed truck and a big papier mâché monster on the back, with staff throwing sweets to passers-by and attracting people to come to the sales.

Dougie continued: “Christmas was massive. Before I started in the display department, Bob [Gibson] built a cowboy village in the new part of the store – saloon bar, jail, etc. George Boyes said: ‘We need an actor to play a cowboy’. So of course muggins here got the job!

“I was tall and thin as a bean pole. They hired a costume – six guns, hat, boots, the whole thing – and I walked around the store inviting people with children to go up and see Father Christmas in the jail and have an orange juice or sarsaparilla in the saloon bar.

“They also hired a horse which I rode around town as Hank Beanpole, to attract people to come and see Father Christmas. I’m still called ‘Hank Beanpole’ by people who knew me then.”

Susan Major is part of the Clements Hall Local History Group’ in York.

For more stories and photos of this area of York, the Clements Hall Local History Group’s latest book Micklegate, The Great Street of York, is out now. It costs £15, and is available at Waterstones in the city centre and at Monks Cross; the Amnesty bookshop on Micklegate; Pextons Hardware, and Frankie & Johnny’s Cookshop on Bishopthorpe Road.

The announcement came after a number of clues that sparked rumours, including a series of “TS” billboards – a play on Toy Story and Swift’s shared initials – appearing in various cities including London, Mexico City and Los Angeles, featuring the same blue and white cloud imagery that is synonymous with the film.

Have you ever stayed in the bath or swimming pool for ages and noticed that your fingers and toes went all wrinkly? Well, 11-year-old Maya from London wanted to know why that happens.

She joins our host Eloise to get the answer from biologist Tom Smulders on the first episode of season two of The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast.

In each episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids, a curious kid joins host Eloise to ask a top researcher their burning question. There’s an experiment in this episode which you can try out too while you listen. If you want to join in, prepare a bowl of warm water.

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

Tom Smulders does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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. Sounds of Marlin and Dory getting eaten by, and being inside a whale from Finding Nemo.

As Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury settle into life as a family of four, fans remain curious as to what their newborn son will be called.

The reality royalty couple, who first met on Love Island in 2019, welcomed their second baby last week, after three-year-old daughter Bambi’s birth in January 2023.

Molly-Mae kept her new son’s gender private throughout her pregnancy, only revealing it after the initial post announcing his birth.

Speculation has since been rife about his name, following the stir that Bambi’s caused last time – and the fact that Molly-Mae has already warned everyone is going to ‘hate’ their choice.

And now it’s being reported that their new baby’s name will be revealed for the first time on Tommy’s shorts this weekend when he boxes Eddie Hall in their pay-per-view match on Saturday.

A source told The Sun: ‘The little man’s name will be on Tommy’s shorts at his fight along with Bambi’s. That’s how they are going to announce it to the world.

‘The shorts will be two-toned colour. It was Tommy’s idea and Molly was very open to it.’

The insider continued: ‘Now the little fella is here it’s a no-brainer — what better way to announce his name than on his dad’s boxing shorts.’

They also said that Molly-Mae was ‘now obsessed with it’ and hoping to be there at the match, with plans for Tommy’s walk out to include music and blue fireworks.

After the new mum returned home from the Portland Hospital, she shared a black and white photo of her family all cuddled up on the sofa.

‘I can’t believe I have two children,’ she wrote on Instagram stories alongside the picture, which showed Bambi sat on her dad’s lap while Molly-Mae held their newborn in her arms, covering his face with a small heart emoji.

Her cosy updates from home have continued, with the influencer and entrepreneur also getting candid about how different her experience as a mother had been this time around.

‘Thank you for healing so many of my newborn fears little one,’ she wrote on a photo of her new son resting asleep on a blue blanket.

‘The peace and happiness I feel this time around is something I wished for but didn’t know would come.

‘The difference compared to this stage with Bambi is indescribable.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE: Molly-Mae Hague celebrates being a ‘boy mum’ with fresh snaps of newborn baby

MORE: Tommy Fury in frantic dash to be with Molly-Mae Hague as she gave birth

MORE: Molly-Mae Hague admits she ‘spiralled’ over harsh comments after Venezuela Fury’s wedding

Marston’s has launched 50,000 commemorative glasses across its pubs nationwide, with several venues in Bolton and Greater Manchester taking part from June 11.

The glasses feature a St George’s flag-inspired design and come in a keepsake presentation box.

Neil Campbell, Chief Operating Officer at Marston’s, said: “The World Cup is one of those moments in the calendar that brings the whole country together, with pubs right at the heart of the action.

The glasses are limited edition (Image: Marston’s)

“We’re incredibly proud of the role our pubs play in bringing communities together to share these memorable moments, whether that’s celebrating a big victory or tensely watching another nail-biting penalty shoot-out.”

Participating venues in and around Bolton include the York on Newport Street, the Poacher in Blackrod and the Jolly Crofters in Horwich.

The Sparking Clog in Radcliffe, the Talbot in Atherton and the Bridge Tavern in Radcliffe will also stock the glasses while supplies last.

Fans can buy the commemorative glass for £5, or purchase one for £2 when buying a qualifying round of drinks.

The glasses will be available at more than 700 Marston’s pubs across the country.

Only 50,000 have been produced nationwide and they will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis while stocks last.

Mr Campbell added: “We wanted to create something special for England fans – a keepsake that captures those shared good times and gives our guests something to take home with them.”