This Morning presenter Cat Deeley branded a particular moment from her early career as “awful” as she returns to the popular ITV show alongside Ben Shephard following the summer break

Cat Deeley has reflected on an early stage of her career as she returns to This Morning today, September 7. Many may remember the presenter as a familiar face, alongside Ant and Dec, on SMTV Live, which ran from 1998 to 2003.

The programme featured a mix of sketches, competitions and challenges, alongside a line-up of children’s programmes and cartoons.

One of its most popular regular sketches was Chums, the trio’s spoof of the sitcom Friends. Reflecting on that period of her career, Cat believes they were “awful” and claimed the “ratings were so bad”.

She told The Times: “We should have probably been pulled off air. Our ratings were so bad.” According to the publication, however, the show attracted 2.5 million viewers at its peak, overtaking the established Saturday-morning programme Live & Kicking in 1999.

“We were awful,” she added. “But it’s only by being awful when you start off that you learn.”

Cat, Ant and Dec appeared in a reunion show for SMTV Live back in 2020, when the trio returned to the original studio where the programme was filmed and producers rebuilt the old set.

Previously discussing the reunion on Chris Moyles‘ Radio X show, she admitted there were tears all round.

“We all cried,” she shared. “I walked in and they were doing their interview and Dec was crying and I was like, ‘Ok you’re crying!’ and then at the end of my interview I was like [sobbing noise].”

The trio have reunited several times over the years, including when Ant and Dec pranked Cat for a segment on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

In 2006, Cat moved to America, relocating to Los Angeles after landing the hosting role on the US version of So You Think You Can Dance.

She went on to spend around 15 years living in LA before returning to the UK in 2020. Four years later, she landed the role as one of This Morning’s presenters alongside Ben Shephard.

Advertisement

Reports at the time claimed viewing figures had plummeted since the pair took over. However, an ITV spokesperson said the show still reached around four million viewers a week across all platforms, including catch-up viewing.

This year, the channel also said that videos shared on This Morning’s Instagram account in 2026 had collected 399 million views so far.

“Everyone can see that the volume of people watching terrestrial telly is shrinking,” Ben told the aforementioned publication. “But the show has a life way beyond when we’re actually on air.”

“I’ve got mates in LA that see it all the time,” Cat added.

The pair said feedback from viewers is what they value most, with the show’s 2025 National Television Award win offering a major vote of confidence.

The victory came after the programme missed out on the gong for two years in a row, bringing its 13-year winning streak to an end.

The win “was a stamp of approval that we were doing OK”, Cat admitted.

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV and ITVX

By CIARAN FOREMAN, HEALTH REPORTER

Published: 08:52 BST, 7 September 2026 | Updated: 09:41 BST, 7 September 2026

The rumours were true – The Inbetweeners is officially returning.

Netflix has confirmed that a third film is in the works following weeks of speculation, dropping a surprise announcement video this morning and offering a look at the cast.

The 40-second teaser clip showed the four main characters we all know and love climbing into their old, banged-up car and struggling to get it started… Let’s hope the film itself has better luck.

Cameras then cut to the number ‘3’ smeared into the car’s dirty back window, as the streamer reveals it is ‘now in production’.

Fans will be thrilled to learn that James Buckley, 39, Blake Harrison, 41, Simon Bird, 42, and Joe Thomas, 42, will reprise their roles as Jay Cartwright, Neil Sutherland, Will McKenzie, and Simon Cooper, respectively, after a hugely popular sitcom run and two record-breaking movies.

And the comedy’s comeback is in safe hands, as The Inbetweeners creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris will also return to write and direct the film.

It’ll be produced by Claire Jones alongside Banijay’s Patrick Holland and Fudge Park Production’s Mark Lesbirel.

Executive producers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris said: ‘It’s been super-fun hanging out with our friends again, and we’re going to work hard every week to ensure there are no problemos making this new film for humans.’

Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, but it’s been 12 years since the chaotic foursome was last on our screens in The Inbetweeners 2, so it’s fair to assume there’ll be plenty to catch up on.

The Inbetweeners originally ran from 2008 to 2010 for three seasons on E4 before its subsequent films in 2011 and the 2014 sequel.

Ever since, viewers have been desperately hoping for news of a revival, especially after feeling disappointed by the 2019 Fwends Reunited special, which was a Jimmy Carr-fronted talk show, not an actual episode of the beloved programme itself.

Following today’s announcement, fans flooded social media with excited reactions, declaring ‘IT FINALLY HAPPENED’.

Still, naturally, people have reservations, with @Popcorn_For_One on X predicting: ‘This is either gonna be the best thing ever, or so cringe’.

@Davii0_ also quipped that the characters, who were in high school when the show was on air, are ‘gonna be old af 😂’ now, which will likely make the task of perfecting the jokes and storylines all the more challenging.

But for the most part, fans are well and truly seated and eager for that nostalgia hit.

‘They really brought them back 😭 I need this movie to still have that same chaotic energy’, wrote @Maximumolusegun.

‘I will be there DAY ONE’, stated @chill_pervert.

‘The Inbetweeners is coming back?! 😭🔥 This could either be absolute cinema or pure chaos… and honestly, I’m here for both. 😂’, added @DansonPhil222.

Echoing what many others are thinking, @noxyDog said: ‘been waiting years for this, hope it doesn’t ruin the original 🫣’,

Guess only time will tell…

MORE: Emily Atack is brilliant – but she shouldn’t be in the Inbetweeners reboot

MORE: Emily Atack ‘holding up The Inbetweeners reboot due to James Buckley feud’

MORE: The Inbetweeners star James Buckley, 38, ‘at high risk of heart attack or stroke’

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) is seeking permission for a new cycling and walking route connecting Sawston to Cambridge via Great Shelford and Stapleford

Advertisement

Cambridgeshire Live readers have been discussing a proposed new greenway, which would be the 12th in and around Cambridge. The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) is applying for permission to create a new route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, connecting Sawston to Cambridge.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Opinion request has been lodged with the planning authority to establish whether the major scheme necessitates a comprehensive environmental assessment. The scheme would create a non-motorised shared use path linking Sawston and Cambridge via Great Shelford and Stapleton villages, to be named Sawston Greenway.

Running from north to south, the greenway would commence in Cambridge at the junction of Long Road (A1134) and Robinson Way on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC), continuing along Robinson Way before following Francis Crick Avenue southwards to meet the Genome Path.

The route would then trace the Genome Path until connecting with Great Shelford at Charston Road and running behind Shelford train station. Departing Great Shelford, the route heads south-east through Stapleford village linking to London Road (A1301). The proposed route would span approximately 7km.

One reader jokingly says: “It’s clear that Cambridge needs some more stables for the horses. I would suggest replacing some of the car parks with stables and maybe turning them into an attraction for the tourists, along with our bike racks.”

Alydavid says: “Not even squirrels would bother. Cambridge has appalling roads for all motor vehicles for the majority of road users. Bikes are not important.”

Wachoooo writes: “We didn’t vote for the GCP. Why do they get to dictate what happens?”

Noone Knows adds: “With the GCP involvement, wait for the costs and construction timeline.”

Calumen Nomen says: “Given the complete failure of the existing ‘greenways’ to achieve their objective, how many more public pounds are to be squandered before the GCP admits their mistake? The GCP’s own modelling shows that most car journeys into Cambridge originate far beyond the Greenways catchment, meaning the scheme targets the wrong problem. This is common knowledge, so why not act upon it?”

On our Facebook page, Martin M says: “Oh, good, concreting over more of the countryside to satisfy the ideology of those in the cities. Do any of you actually go near any of these ‘greenways’? There’s never anybody on them!”

James B writes: “Hmmmm, take a ride along the busway now! Absolutely shocking! Cracking up and ‘splitting’ apart, and that is just the recent repairs. It’s a total mess!”

Roy S believes: “All the other roads and pathways are becoming green ways with all the weeds and brambles growing over them. Have never seen the pathways looking so bad. Why build more if you can’t maintain the existing ones?”

Tracy H feels: “Better to spend all that money on repairing the existing ROADS in and around Cambridge.”

Do you welcome more Greenways in Cambridgeshire? Comment below or HERE to have your say.

Elon Musk and Europe’s hard-right figures today celebrated the historic state election victory of the Alternative für Deutschland party in Germany.

The tech billionaire wrote ‘Well done!’ after the party won a decisive victory in Germany’s eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, far ahead of mainstream rivals.

In an interview following the results, AfD co-founder Alice Weidel said she expected the current German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to be ‘replaced before Christmas‘.

But preliminary results show the party fell short of the outright majority needed to govern alone, with 43.8 per cent of the vote to the conservative Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) 17.2 per cent.

The AfD was pursuing an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern alone and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with the group. 

Now, tricky negotiations on who will run the state lie ahead, with final results showing the AfD falling three seats short, with 39 lawmakers in an 83-member parliament.

‘We have received a very clear mandate to govern here,’ Weidel told reporters.

‘We ran on a clear platform of representing the interests of our country, not those of Ukraine or any other country,’ she added.

The AfD was seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern alone and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with the party

‘If we receive the mandate to govern at the federal level and assume governmental responsibility, we will cut all unnecessary spending. We will control our borders. We will deport all those required to leave the country and all criminals. We will close the borders.

‘I also expect early federal elections, and I expect the current chancellor to be replaced before Christmas.’

The AfD more than doubled its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin. 

Meanwhile, the CDU, the party of Germany’s unpopular leader, Chancellor Merz, slumped to a disastrous result, winning only 15 seats. 

The centre-left Social Democrats got 9.3 per cent, the Greens 8.9 per cent and the Left Party 8.6 per cent, all winning eight seats apiece. 

The results put a hard-right ⁠party within reach of power at the ​state level for the first time since World ​War Two. 

But because the AfD fell just short of an outright majority, it may not end up governing Saxony-Anhalt.

Rival parties have vowed that they would not form a coalition government with the AfD, whose leaders have previously used Nazi slogans and minimised the Holocaust. 

German intelligence has designated the party as a ‘suspected’ extremist group.

Now, tricky negotiations on who will run the state lie ahead, with final results showing the AfD falling three seats short, with 39 lawmakers in an 83-member parliament

Advertisement

French government ministers expressed their worries on Monday over ​the impact of the victory.

‘It clearly sends out a very, very worrying signal,’ French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told RTL ​radio. 

‘This shows that we face a ​major challenge in the face of a populist wave ‌which ⁠is spreading around the world today and which we must resist,’ added Lescure.

Lescure’s views echoed similar comments made late on Sunday by ​France’s European ​Affairs Minister ⁠Benjamin Haddad.

‘To see the far-right prevail in the German regional election ​marks a very grave moment for ​Europe,’ ⁠he wrote on X.

‘We must listen with humility to the anger, fears and worries ⁠and ​duly respond to these concerns. ​But nationalism and xenophobia will never be the answer,’ added Haddad.

Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s lead candidate, rejoiced at the results, saying ‘we have written history’.   

The anti-migration, Russia-friendly politician told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a signal that ‘things cannot carry on like this’.

He added that ‘a very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz’.

Turnout was very high, at 77.8 per cent, with the AfD appearing to have won over many people who did not vote at all five years ago. 

Italian Deputy Prime Minister and leader of hard-right League party Matteo Salvini hailed the victory, declaring that ‘another Europe is possible’.

Spain’s Vox leader Santiago Abascal called the result ‘a great hope for Germany and for Europe,’ while Portugal’s André Ventura celebrated AfD’s ‘historic’ victory, linking it to public anger over immigration.

Geert Wilders, leader of the hard-right Freedom Party in The Netherlands, wrote ‘congratulations’ to Siegmund and Weidel on X.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Every morning, Mary Kavutha prepares breakfast for her two young children using an induction cooker in her Nairobi home. Two years ago, the businesswoman relied on a charcoal stove that filled her kitchen with smoke and cost about $1.15 in fuel each day.

Today, she says, for 80 cents in electricity tokens she can cook several meals.

“It cooks much faster, and is much safer because I have young children,” Kavutha said. “With charcoal there was always smoke in the house. Now I can cook indoors comfortably, and I spend much less.”

Nearly 1 billion Africans still rely on charcoal or firewood for everyday cooking. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that household air pollution from these fuels contributes to about 850,000 deaths annually on the continent.

Like millions of other Africans, Kavutha switched not out of climate concerns but because the stoves are affordable since they are underwritten by carbon credit financing, which allows clean cooking companies to raise capital against future revenues from emission reductions.

Clean cooking companies are betting that carbon finance, long criticized over concerns about the credibility of some projects, could become Africa’s most important tool for expanding cleaner household energy and reducing pressure on forests.

Africa is moving faster to adopt clean cookstoves

In June, the IEA announced Africa had secured $900 million in new financial commitments towards clean cooking technologies.

More than 30 governments in countries accounting for about 80% of Africans who still lack access to clean cooking have introduced 121 new clean cooking policies since the Paris climate summit in 2015, the energy agency said.

Clean cooking is not a luxury, but an everyday necessity affecting every household, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu said after co-hosting an IEA conference on clean cooking in Dar es Salaam earlier this year. That followed the African Union’s Dar es Salaam Declaration on Clean Cooking, adopted by 30 governments last year.

Carbon financing is making clean cooking affordable

Carbon finance has transformed what was once an expensive clean-energy product into one that millions of low-income households can afford, said Peter Scott, founder and CEO of BURN, which makes eco-friendly cookstoves.

“The only way clean cooking is going to scale on the continent is through carbon project finance,” Scott said. “Governments earn revenue and customers get a product they would never have been able to afford without that subsidy.”

The Nairobi-based firm said it has distributed more than 7.3 million cookstoves in 11 African countries.

“Our biggest innovation is not the stove itself, but the financing behind it,” Scott said. “Without that financing, many families cannot afford to switch.”

An efficient biomass stove that would normally retail for about $40 can cost customers as little as $5 after carbon subsidies. More expensive induction cookers are financed through carbon credits and short-term pay-as-you-go plans that spread payments over several months.

“Investors provide upfront capital that subsidizes the retail price of our stoves. In return, they receive revenue from carbon credits generated as households reduce their use of charcoal, wood and other polluting fuels,” he said.

Credit markets are still under scrutiny

The industry has adopted strict standards and more sophisticated measuring of emissions, including Bluetooth monitoring, digital verification and real-time usage data to address criticism of carbon credits.

Critics of the approach say relying too heavily on carbon credits to finance clean cooking is still risky.

In one setback, the Kenyan clean cooking firm Koko Networks, hailed as a poster child of Africa’s green transition, closed in February after failing to win a government letter of authorization to sell carbon credits.

Carbon money can help but should not be the foundation of the transition, said George Mwaniki, WRI Kenya representative and head of Air Quality for WRI Africa.

The problem, he said, is that carbon finance generally comes after the investment required to put cleaner cooking equipment into households.

“Carbon financing is more of a second financing source,” Mwaniki said. “That creates a problem for clean-cooking companies as they need money to manufacture and distribute equipment before they can generate the emissions reductions that ultimately produce carbon credits.”

“If we depend wholly on carbon credits to support the transition, it will be extremely slow and will not happen at the pace that we need it to,” he said.

Clean cooking is expanding despite the shortcomings

Companies are adapting their approach to suit local conditions. BURN, for example, says its electric cooking is more viable in Kenya and Tanzania, while biomass stoves are preferred in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar.

Eco Safi, which operates in Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi, offers forced-draft pellet stoves and clean, renewable fuel made from agricultural waste. In Rwanda, BioMassters produces smokeless, locally manufactured, solar-powered pellet stoves and biomass-residue fuel, while ENEDOM manufactures agricultural-residue briquettes in Kigali.

For households like Kavutha’s, what matters is that a cleaner stove now costs less to own and operate than the charcoal she once depended on.

“My kitchen is cleaner, my children are safer, and I spend less,” Kavutha said. “That is all that matters.”

———–

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The Chase has been on air for more than 17 years, premiering on ITV back in June 2009.

The programme is hosted by Bradley Walsh and features the likes of Anne Hegerty (“The Governess”), Mark Labbett (“The Beast”), and Paul Sinha (“The Sinnerman”) as the Chasers.

ITV finished recording series 19 of The Chase in April before confirming it would not be recording any new episodes until 2027.

In its place, ITV launched a new spin-off called The Chase Around The World.

The show featured contestants working in pairs to solve clues and track down Walsh and the Chasers for a chance to win £100,000.

The first episode aired on July 19, with the series concluding after six episodes on August 20.

All episodes are available to watch now on ITVX.

ITV to ‘axe’ The Chase Around The World

The show is not expected to return, with reports from the Daily Mail suggesting ITV has axed The Chase Around The World after one series.

A source said: “The Chase is a simple quiz format that has worked incredibly well for nearly 18 years.

“Its spin-off Beat The Chasers also worked because it gave contestants the chance to compete against all six chasers at once, with more banter between the contestants, the chasers and of course Bradley Walsh.

“The Chase Around The World has been one big flop.

“Bradley has pretty much been reduced to a voiceover man, and The Chasers, who are all adored by the viewers, hardly featured at all.

“God knows what they were thinking when this spin-off was dreamt up.

“It’s like they decided to do a Chase version of Race Across The World, and sadly for everyone involved, it has not worked.

“There’s been quite a lot of embarrassment behind the scenes, and it has already been decided that there won’t be another series.”

The source added: “The Chase just needs to stick to what it is, a simple studio-based quiz show that everyone loves.”

ITV has not officially confirmed the cancellation.

A spokesperson said: “With The Chase Around The World only having finished its linear broadcast just over two weeks ago, discussions are naturally still ongoing about a recommission at this time.”

Did you watch series one of The Chase Around the World? What did you think? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.

By CONNIE RUSK, ASSOCIATE SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR and LAURA FOX, ASSOCIATE SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 08:00 BST, 7 September 2026 | Updated: 08:48 BST, 7 September 2026

Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks put on a very affectionate display in new sizzling pictures after they enjoyed a date together.

Last week the Love Island star, 35, ‘hard launched’ her relationship with the former TOWIE personality, 37, two weeks after he first shared photographs of her on his own social media.

And Olivia sent fans wild as she shared another series of photographs on Instagram on Sunday night – just days after admitting she was trying to get better at ‘not oversharing’. 

The reality stars packed on the PDA, with Olivia seductively leaning over Pete’s knees in one snap, while in another he wrapped his arms around her.

Advertisement

She captioned the post: ‘Went on a date with Pete Wicks from Towie can’t believe it he’s so hot in real life too xxxx.’ 

A number of the couple’s showbiz pals took to the comment section to gush over the romance. 

Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks put on a very affectionate display in new sizzling pictures after they enjoyed a date together

Advertisement

Late last month the Love Island star, 35, ‘hard launched’ her relationship with the former TOWIE star, 37, weeks after he first shared photographs of her on his own social media

She captioned the post: ‘Went on a date with Pete Wicks from Towie can’t believe it he’s so hot in real life too xxxx.’

Chloe Lewis, who is dating TOWIE’s Dan Edgar, said: ‘They’re not bad those ones from TOWIE.’ Lisa Snowdon added: ‘So here for this’.

Love Island’s Kaz Crossley added: ‘Are you guys looking for a third x,’ while Georgia Harrison said: ‘Now that’s the hard launch.’  

Advertisement

The couple first met in 2017 and became firm friends, but things turned romantic this year following the breakdown of Olivia’s marriage to Bradley Dack.

After months of fan speculation and candid moments caught on camera, Olivia finally confirmed the romance with a series of loved-up Instagram snaps, joking in the caption that fans ‘bullied me into hard launching’. 

Now Olivia has confessed she genuinely has been struggling with how much to share about their romance, exclusively telling the Daily Mail: ‘We’re in the infancy of navigating it. So I guess we’re kind of working as it goes.

‘I understand the interest. For a lot of people it’s a crossover of two people that they’ve followed in different ways for a long time. So I understand and I have a very open dialogue with my audience. 

Advertisement

‘Now that people know we’re together we’re working out not shutting people out who have been so lovely and happy for us and excited to watch our relationship grow, but also making sure that we keep enough back like that’s just for us.’

Olivia sent fans wild as she shared a series of photographs on Instagram on Sunday night – just days after admitting she was trying to get better at ‘not oversharing’

The reality stars packed on the PDA in the photographs, with Olivia seductively leaning over Pete’s knees in one snap

Olivia looked stylish in a black minidress, tights and heels for her date night with Pete 

Advertisement

She styled her blonde hair up in a high bun and cut a glamorous figure 

The couple packed on the PDA 

Advertisement

A number of the couple’s showbiz pals took to the comment section to gush over the romance

Olivia, known for her straight-talking, no-nonsense attitude, added she’s trying to work on scaling back what she shares with fans, to ensure she keeps some semblance of privacy.  

The TV presenter mused: ‘I never feel like I’ve said something I shouldn’t. It’s always the opposite. 

Advertisement

‘I come from a reality background and I’ve had cameras in my home and I think that when I don’t share everything, I get a guilt complex!

‘I am reminded by people around me I don’t have to explain everything, but I guess I’m still trying to tell myself that.

‘I sometimes put too much pressure on myself to share more than I need to, which is weird because I think everyone else in this industry is the opposite.’ 

Greenbox Darlington, a three-unit industrial and logistics scheme off Tornado Way near the A66, has become the latest member of the Darlington Employers Environmental Partnership (DEEP).

The development, created through a joint venture between Citivale and Partners Group, has already welcomed plumbing, heating and infrastructure merchant Wolseley as its first occupier.

Two further units remain available. Unit 1 measures 215,362 sq ft, while Unit 3 provides 84,947 sq ft of space.

DEEP was launched in 2023 and brings together businesses, education providers and public-sector organisations to share ideas and support efforts to reduce carbon emissions across the town.

Its members include Amazon, Cummins, Darlington College, Teesside International Airport, Teesside University and Darlington Borough Council, alongside smaller local firms.

Greenbox Darlington was built to net zero carbon standards, according to its developers.

Features include steel frames made from 99 per cent recycled material, low-carbon concrete, air source heat pumps and roofs designed to accommodate solar panels.

The scheme was constructed by Winvic, which is also a DEEP member.

James Appleton-Metcalfe, chief executive of Citivale, said joining the partnership would allow the development’s team to share what it had learned during the build while learning from other Darlington organisations.

He said: “We set out to prove that a net zero carbon business park could be commercially credible as well as genuinely sustainable.

“DEEP gives us a platform to share what we’ve learned with other businesses while continuing to learn from their achievements.

“Sustainability only takes big steps forward when it’s a collective effort, and we’re very pleased to be part of that conversation in Darlington.”

Seth Pearson, director of Darlington Cares, which oversees DEEP, said Greenbox Darlington was an “important addition” to the partnership.

He added: “We continue to be delighted by the growth in DEEP’s membership, and welcome Greenbox Darlington as an important addition to the partnership.”

The group holds networking and knowledge-sharing events, publishes updates on members’ sustainability work and has recently launched a podcast series featuring environmental projects across Darlington.

Mr Appleton-Metcalfe said new commercial developments needed to anticipate future environmental requirements rather than only meeting current minimum standards.

He said: “The regulations that commercial buildings will be judged against in the future are already being written.

“A building specified to today’s minimum standards is a building that starts falling behind the moment it’s occupied.

“Greenbox Darlington was built to a specification for where the market is heading, not where it currently sits.”

The alerts are also disrupting the start of the new academic year and forcing school children to leave their classrooms throughout the day.

When another air raid began, some students at the Drahomanov Ukrainian State University in central Kyiv headed underground; others stayed chatting on the street, such is the normality of these alerts.

Diana, a student teacher, said she did not sleep well at night and her schedule was disrupted during the day. “Sometimes it is hard because most of the day I need to go to safe places, like the metro or somewhere underground,” she said. “It’s a terrible time, but thank God we are alive. We go day by day.”

Ihor, studying to become a chemistry teacher, said he was used to the alerts after many years of war but life was still hard. “We are annoyed by the sirens because they are constant,” he said. “It destroys the quality of our education… We cannot study normally.”

After a drone attack in a residential part of central Kyiv, students from a nearby school were evacuated for fear of explosions or a secondary, so-called “double-tap” attack.

Sophia, 17, told us it was very sad but this is what life was like now. “It’s a little bit scary to live here in Kyiv,” she said. “It’s very difficult.” The interview was then interrupted by another siren. “We need to go,” she said. “It is very dangerous for you to stand in the streets. Maybe we can have a second detonation.”