The green-eyed monster rears its ugly head in Coronation Street when vile bully Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) catches Todd Grimshaw (James Pierce) growing close to another man and unleashes his jealous rage…
It’s hard to imagine Todd’s toxic relationship with his abuser becoming any more of a prison than it already was, but that’s exactly what happened after the tragic death of his ex-boyfriend and close confidante, Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank).
Unbeknownst to Todd, Theo left Billy to die in the burning wreckage of the Corriedale crash. Grief-stricken, Todd has sunk into deep depression which has made Theo even more insecure and paranoid about the prospect of losing him than usual.
For months, Theo has kept a terrified Todd in line with a mixture of emotional and physical abuse. Now the controlling narcissist has added financial abuse to his repertoire, as he forced his long-suffering fiancée to cut up his credit cards and agree to be given daily allowances.
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With Theo’s hands on the purse strings, poor Todd is forced to come crawling to his poisonous partner every time he needs money to buy anything. He’s living on a pittance with barely enough to get by, and his friends like Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) and George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) are starting to notice.
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Everything comes to a head on Theo’s birthday. When Todd’s present-on-a-budget fails to impress his bullying boyfriend, it triggers a furious argument between the pair which might just be their most serious yet. In the aftermath, Todd’s left with a broken heart as Theo skulks in the shadows.
Are things over between them? Is Todd finally free of Theo’s clutches?
Todd has been mentally and physically abused by Theo for months (Picture: ITV)
No such luck. Upcoming episodes will see Todd try to find comfort in someone else, prompting a seething Theo to lash out with deadly consequences.
In a bid to lift Todd’s spirits, Sarah takes him out for a spot of lunch. But Todd’s face falls when he spots Theo at a nearby table with a good-looking bloke. Is this just an unfortunate coincidence… or another one of Theo’s messed up head-games?
After Theo’s lunchtime date stunt, Glenda Shuttleworth (Jodie Prenger) urges Todd to beat the bully at own game and find a hunky bloke of his own to take to lunch.
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James tries to take a drunk Todd home (Picture: ITV)
In the Rovers Theo makes a point of chatting up Sean Tully (Anthony Cotton) right under Todd’s nose. Fighting back, Todd reveals that Glenda’s fixed him up with a date. How will Theo react?
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Later, Todd meets up with his blind date, whilst Theo joins Gary Windass (Mikey North) for his birthday celebrations, trying to mask his fury. Theo makes a point of laughing loudly at Gary’s jokes, determined to give Todd a bad case of FOMO.
But when Theo finds James Bailey (Jason Callender) giving Todd a pre-marathon pep talk, Theo waits until he’s distracted by a phone call…before slipping some drugs into Todd’s drink.
Donald Trump has said he thinks the war is ‘complete’, but has warned to unleash ‘fire and fury’ upon Iran if they block the Strait of Hormuz.
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Speaking to CBS News, Trump said: ‘I think the war is very complete, pretty much… very far ahead of schedule.’
Although oil prices have fallen back below $90 per gallon, Trump seems to think the conflict is almost over, even if his own Defence Department thinks it may linger for a while longer.
Despite thinking the war might end soon, Trump took to social media and said that if Iran stops the flow of oil in the Strait of Hormuz, the US would make it ‘make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back.’
On Truth Social, he wrote: ‘If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.
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‘Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again – Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them – But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!
Hundreds of ships have come to a halt in the Strait of Hormuz (Picture: Marine Traffic)
‘This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated.’
The back-and-forth dialogue from Trump sent oil prices and stock markets see-sawing.
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The war has choked off major supplies of oil and gas to world markets and sent fuel prices rising across the US.
The fighting has also led foreigners to flee from business hubs and prompted millions to seek shelter as bombs hit sites including military bases, government buildings, oil and water installations, hotels and at least one school.
The selection of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his late father as Iran’s supreme leader sent oil prices surging and markets sliding.
Investors saw it as a signal that Iran was digging in, 10 days into the war launched by the United States and Israel.
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Oil prices later fell, and the US stock market closed higher after Trump told a group of politicians at his golf club: ‘We took a little excursion to get rid of some evil. And, I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion.’
Trump told reporters he thinks the war is near ending (Picture: AP)
Still, oil prices topped $100 per barrel yesterday, a price not seen since the summer of 2022 when Russia began its illegal war in Ukraine.
Though China and Russia face risks of energy supply loss after the attacks in Iran, there are ‘greater risks’ for the UK and Europe than for America.
The UK has just 1.5 days of demand, according to new data published by National Gas, and is now paying the highest wholesale gas prices in Europe as supplies from the Middle East dry up.
Draper claimed the first set inside 32 minutes before Cerundolo provided a sterner test in the second, breaking Draper’s serve in the opening game.
A further break meant Cerundolo had the chance to serve for the set at 5-4 up, but Draper resisted and took the next three games to clinch victory on his first match point.
Draper’s win means he will face 38-year-old Djokovic for the first time since he took the first set off the defending champion on his Wimbledon debut in 2021.
“I’ve been watching him since I was a young boy and in my opinion he’s the greatest player of all time,” said Draper.
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“When you come up against him you know he’s going to be there mentally, you know he’s going to make it an incredibly tough match and play some crazy tennis. I’m going to have to be ready for that.”
The victories for Norrie and Draper came a day on from fellow Briton Emma Raducanu being well beaten by American Amanda Anisimova, winning only two games and being ousted in 52 minutes.
Norrie is the 27th seed in the men’s draw but played above that status as he earned three breaks en route to victory over De Minaur.
His next opponent will be Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, who beat Kazakhstan’s 10th seed Alexander Bublik in three sets.
In the 50 years since Panenka brought the dinked penalty to prominence, it has gradually become more common.
A number of top players, including Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Francesco Totti, have successfully used the technique from the spot.
France legend Zinedine Zidane has a claim for taking the most high-pressure Panenka, in the 2006 World Cup final with his penalty hitting the underside of the crossbar and just crossing the line.
England have suffered at the hands of the Panenka a couple of times in shootouts, most famously when Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo nonchalantly beat Joe Hart to change the momentum of the shootout in the Euro 2012 quarter-final.
“For me, Hart seemed to be very confident in himself,” Pirlo said. “I needed to do something to beat him.
“Penalties are a very personal thing but, when I saw him move, I decided to do that. It seemed to be a psychological blow for us.”
Similarly in the 2022 EFL Cup final, with Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga making a show of trying to distract the Liverpool players, Fabinho responded by calmly dinking his kick down the middle, much to the delight of the Reds fans behind the goal.
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A psychological blow? Well, every Liverpool player proceeded to score as they won 11-10 on penalties.
But for all the notable successes, Ouattara is not the first high-profile miss.
In 1992, Gary Lineker had the chance to match Sir Bobby Charlton’s 49 goals for England in a friendly against Brazil but fluffed his attempted Panenka and ended up one shy of the then-record.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero was usually pretty reliable from the spot but was made to look foolish when he attempted a Panenka in May 2021 as Chelsea went on to win 2-1 after the penalty save from Edouard Mendy.
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In January, Brahim Diaz attempted a Panenka to win the Africa Cup of Nations in stoppage time for Morocco. His effort was saved and Senegal emerged champions.
The co-ord can be mixed with the matching shirt or bralette
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You are most likely starting to pack away your winter wardrobe as the season comes to an end. If you are looking to refresh your wardrobe for the springtime, you might be heading out on a shopping trip soon.
If you are looking for something you could wear more in the summer, the skirt could also be paired with the F&F Edit Pure Cotton Poplin Stripe Co-ord Bralette in Multi Blue, which costs £12.50. The skirt is currently being sold for £22.50 and the shirt costs £18 and can easily be mixed and matched with items you already have in your wardrobe.
The co-ord was posted in a video to the Tesco F&F Instagram page, which currently has 886K followers. The post was captioned: “Own the moment on a day that celebrates women.”
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If you want to get your hands on any of the pieces from the co-ord, you can go to the Tesco website to browse all of its clothes. You can also go in-person to a Tesco store with a clothing department.
If this set is not quite what you are looking for, Boden has some choices for the springtime. There is this Verity Maxi Skirt that can be worn with the matching Occasion Shell Top or this Elodie Jersey Maxi Dress, which reviews say is “absolutely beautiful”.
The freight train was approaching the crossing at 75mph when the signaller raised the traffic barriers
A train signaller at a level crossing who ‘forgot’ a 75mph freight train was approaching and raised the barriers caused a ‘near miss’, a report has found. The incident occurred at 8.16am on October 21, 2025, at the manually controlled barrier in Helpston, near Peterborough.
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A report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found the on-duty train signaller had ‘forgotten’ a freight train was approaching the crossing. They used the ‘raise barriers’ control, which fully raised the barriers and extinguished the road lights while the freight train was still on the crossing.
A waiting motorist started to drive their car towards the crossing after the barriers started to rise, according to the RAIB. The report said: “There is conflicting witness evidence about how far the car moved. The train driver did not report seeing any road vehicles enter the crossing as the train approached and no road vehicles were struck by the passing train.”
The incident happened after two passenger trains passed on the fast line. The signaller looked out of the crossing windows to check both directions of the fast line but failed to check the Stamford line for approaching trains.
As a result, the crossing barriers were not lowered in time for the approaching freight service. Signalling data later showed that the signaller attempted to raise the barriers after the two passenger trains had passed.
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The system prevented this after detecting the approaching freight train. The signaller assumed the system had detected a fault, partly due to recent barrier failures, and responded using the sealed release plunger to manually raise the barriers.
Signalling data shows the sealed release was used as the freight train approached the crossing. After looking to their left and noticing the approaching train, the signaller immediately activated the control to lower the barriers.
A local operations manager, who was present, reported the incident and took over the signal box’s operations. The RAIB report said: “Helpston signal box is normally staffed by a single signaller. Witness evidence indicated that, at the time of the incident, it was possible that the signaller was distracted by the presence of the LOM in the signal box.”
‘This isn’t a new idea, or a new motion, in fact it has been campaigned for in the Ards Peninsula since the 1950s’
21:48, 09 Mar 2026Updated 21:51, 09 Mar 2026
A call has been made by Ards and North Down councillors for a “feasibility study” into the construction of a bridge from Portaferry to Strangford.
During a meeting of a committee at Ards and North Down Borough Council, a DUP motion calling for a feasibility study into finally realising the dream of a bridge across the pinch point of Strangfor Lough, was passed by the chamber.
The motion states: “The council recognises the huge benefits, to the Ards Peninsula and wider borough, of greater connectivity in terms of tackling isolation, boosting local business and enhancing tourism.
“Furthermore, the council is concerned about the increased traffic travelling along Ards Peninsula roads, which would be better served by a fixed crossing between Portaferry and Strangford village. (This) may help in addressing congestion in other parts of the borough and assist in improving road safety in roads within the peninsula.”
The committee agreed to write to the Stormont Minister Department for Infrastructure, Sinn Féin MLA Liz Kimmins, to request that she “prioritises funding for a feasibility study” into a bridge across Strangford Lough from Portaferry to Strangford village.
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Minister Kimmins has previously said there could be a feasibility study into the project “if there was political will.” The committee decision will go to the full council meeting later this month for ratification, where it is expected to pass.
Alderman Robert Adair, who proposed the motion, said at the meeting there was “overwhelming support” for the bridge in the local areas.
He said: “This isn’t a new idea, or a new motion, in fact it has been campaigned for in the Ards Peninsula since the 1950’s.”
He said: “The Ards Peninsula is one of the most socially cut-off areas in Northern Ireland. A lot of services that people take for granted, we are cut-off from, and we have a long journey.
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“We want to boost business, we want to boost tourism, and we want to enhance connectivity. What facilities people in Newtownards and Bangor have access to, we want access to also.
“Hospital waiting times, ambulance waiting times, could all be enhanced through a fixed crossing between Portaferry and Strangford. It would also open business opportunities and business growth.
“Our main link to Belfast is the Portaferry Road, which is not a safe road, and there are a lot of congestion issues with it. You only have to travel along it any morning to see it is not working.”
He referred to the new Narrow Water Bridge, which will increase connectivity between Northern Ireland and the Republic, saying “If they can do it why can’t we?”
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Alliance Councillor Patricia Morgan said at the meeting: “I have no particular problem with the council writing to the Minister, but I don’t think it will take her very long to reply, and I think we already know the answer.
“A significant cost has been suggested. I think the figure is in and around £300 million, but I don’t know what date that was (made) and presumably it will move with inflation, and potentially more.
“When we look at the likes of the Narrow Water we see that not all such things remain a pipe dream if there is good support and a strong economic case for it, then why not?”
“All the gang stuff, the points systems, the AI posters, all of it is totally native and completely legible to the generation it emerged from, and easy to completely misread if you’re outside. That’s how internet culture works. These things develop their own internal logic, their own mythology, and they’re not designed to be understood by parents or police or journalists, they’re a community talking to itself in its own language.”
Strictly Come Dancingappears to be undergoing a major overhaul in 2026, with another fan-favourite pro having reportedly being axed by BBC bosses.
The last series also saw Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman step down from their long-term presenting roles. While speculation rages on about who will replace the hosting duo, Strictly fans received a shock over the weekend with reports that four professional dancers have been given the cut ahead of the 2026 series.
Following initial reports claiming that Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas have all departed the show, a separate story from The Sunalleged that Nadiya Bychkova was the latest to receive news that she would not be making a return.
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(BBC)
The Ukrainian dancer, 36, is said to have received the news in a meeting with BBC bosses on Friday (6 March) that allegedly left her “distraught”.
An insider told the publication: “The news came as such a huge shock as Nadiya’s life was Strictly and to find out she’s not been invited back as full time pro has really broken her heart. No one was expecting producers to chop so many professionals.
“Especially someone like Nadiya, who’s shown so much dedication to the show over the years. There’s a super weird feeling among the rest of the pros now, they’re all wondering if they’re safe and everyone’s nervous.”
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Bychkova competed with Chris Robshaw on the 2025 series (BBC/Guy Levy)
The Independent has contacted Bychkova’s representatives, while a BBC representative said that plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 would be confirmed in due course.
Bychkova joined the cast of Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, where she competed with the likes of Davood Khadami and Dan Walker. Her height – Bychkova is 5ft 8 – has meant that she has normally been paired with the tallest male contestants, and has never reached the final.
Despite the reported bad news, Bychkova put on a brave face on social media over the weekend, as she posted a video of herself dancing by a swimming pool to celebrate International Women’s Day.
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Strictly’s pro dancers are beloved by fans (BBC/Guy Levy)
“Celebrating women today and every day,” she wrote. “The strength, the joy, the resilience and the beautiful way we lift each other up. And sometimes… a little dance along the way. Happy International Women’s Day.”
The other dancers reportedly getting the cut from Strictly 2026 have also been by fans. Spanish dancer Márquez joined the show in 2016, and reached the final twice with Alexandra Burke and Helen Skelton. He met his fiancée, influencer and presenter Gemma Atkinson, on the show in 2017.
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Russian pro Mushtuk became a Strictly dancer in 2018 and has competed on four series, while Cypriot dancer Tsiakkas joined in 2022 and has competed on just one series.
While none of the three dancers had a celebrity partner in 2025, they are all due to appear in the Strictly: The Professionals tour that kicks off in late April.
Bychkova, meanwhile, competed last year with Chris Robshaw, when the pair were the third to be eliminated.
I hadn’t really come across the term ‘matrescence’ before becoming a mother.
Then one day, in the throes of trying to look after a small child – desperately sleep-deprived to the point of hallucinating, trying to fight the intrusive thoughts and anxiety every time they got a sniffle, and hearing the sound of her crying from the shower (when she was, in fact, fast asleep) – my Instagram algorithm pointed me to a post where a parenting influencer described what it was.
And suddenly, I felt seen.
For the uninitiated, matrescence describes the process of becoming a mother – it’s all the physical, psychological and emotional changes you go through after the birth of a child (of which, spoiler, there are a lot.)
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I’m four years in and while there are still glimmers of who I was before having kids, I am fundamentally changed. My body is different. My brain certainly is. My personality is even different (I certainly feel more serious than I used to be).
It is the different that comes from the responsibility of a) keeping someone alive but b) trying not to mess them up. It’s the years of disrupted sleep, navigating relationship and friendship changes, hormone shifts, mental health challenges, physical health changes (hello mastitis and pelvic floor issues), your new work-life-parenting balance.
It is also the different that comes from holding their tiny hands while they sleep and feeling like you could explode with love. Or the pride that makes your eyes water and takes your breath away when they do something even seemingly insignificant (like sing you a song, or draw a picture that actually resembles a person and not a genital).
In February, the brands shared a full-page ad in the New York Times, urging lexicographers, including those at Oxford English and Merriam-Webster, to add the term to their dictionaries. (Big shout out to Cambridge Dictionary which is leading the way.)
Not only that, but they want digital platforms to stop flagging matrescence as a misspelling – yes, that infuriating red wiggly line is repeatedly showing up even as I write this.
Matrescence isn’t in the dictionary.
Matrescence is backed by science
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Research has confirmed that motherhood fundamentally reshapes the brain, body, and identity. I have felt this, deeply – as I’m sure many other mothers will have.
But 67% of British mothers have never even heard the term matrescence, leaving them to navigate one of the most significant transitions of their lives without the language to describe it.
“Your phone treats matrescence like it’s a typo,” said Michelle Kennedy, founder and CEO of Peanut.
“The dictionary knows ‘ghosting’. It knows ‘selfie’. It knows ‘delulu’. But the word for what happens when a woman’s brain physically rewires, when her identity shatters and rebuilds, when she goes through one of the most seismic shifts in human biology? Not there. That’s erasure.”
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For many mothers, however, this word can help explain a lot. It can also help them feel seen. Dr Sarah McKay, neuroscientist and author, explained: “This one word would have changed my world when my boys were babies. The grace I’d have given myself if I’d known that becoming a mother was a process.
“For what it’s worth, I still consider myself deep in matrescence 18 years later – learning to mother my firstborn while he’s away at uni.”
Experts are concerned that when an experience has no name, it gets minimised. Mothers have their struggles dismissed as baby blues, hormones, or simply just ‘part of the job’.
“Most women go through the biggest transformation of their lives thinking something is wrong with them,” said Michelle Battersby, president of Peanut.
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“Getting this word into the dictionary is the first step toward the research, funding, and support that mothers have been denied for generations.”
I’ve contacted Merriam-Webster and Oxford English to see if they’ll consider adding matrescence to their dictionaries and will update the article when I hear back.
If teens get ‘adolescence’ to describe the period when they’re developing into adults, surely we can make room for an equivalent that describes the seismic shift for mothers? I don’t think a word is too much to ask.
Cars are banned from this picturesque village which is surrounded by miles of stunning countryside
A village in Cumbria has been crowned the UK’s ‘most fairytale-like destination’, according to a new study. Hawkshead in the Lake District beat locations from across the country, including the South Coast and the Inner Hebrides to bag the top spot.
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The list was published by Betway Casino which analysed towns and villages across the UK based on a range of key ‘fairytale’ indicators. Each metric was chosen to reflect the elements that make a destination feel enchanting, from historic character to picturesque scenery.
It’s easy to see why Hawkshead ranked in first place. Located a stone’s throw away from Windermere, this quaint village features whitewashed cottages and narrow cobbled lanes. The fact it has 69 listed buildings ensures that its historic character is preserved.
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To add to the magic the village is traffic-free so you won’t see queues of cars snaking through its streets – afterall you don’t get traffic jams in fairytales. There’s miles upon miles of gorgeous scenery on its doorstep too and the impressive Wray Castle is just a short drive away (although it is temporarily closed at the moment).
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The village isn’t the only Cumbrian location to make the list. The town of Keswick came in third place. Surrounded by mountains, including England’s fourth-highest Skiddaw, Keswick has breathtaking scenery which could give any fairytale setting a run for its money.
Meanwhile another location within easy reach of Greater Manchester ranked in second place: Beddgelert in Gwynedd. Nestled in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, the village is just over a mile away sits Dinas Emrys, a fortress ruin woven into legend as the site where the red dragon triumphed, giving Beddgelert an extra sense of mysticism.
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