A patient of mine started bleeding after sex. Worried, she asked ChatGPT about it before she asked me. 

The chatbot reassured her it could simply be down to her contraceptive coil, so she didn’t come in to see me until the bleeding got worse and she developed abdominal pain. 

By then, scans showed worrying changes on her cervix. Had she come to me first, I could have told her that this kind of bleeding can be a sign of cervical cancer.

Then there was the patient who asked an AI chatbot about her bloating. She was told it was probably her diet – possibly irritable bowel syndrome. It wasn’t. 

Her bloating never went away, had nothing to do with what she ate, and turned out to be a symptom of ovarian cancer.

I have been a GP for more than 20 years, and patients have always brought me all sorts – pages ripped from newspapers, printouts from the internet, something a friend’s cousin’s brother once said. I don’t mind – people taking an interest in their own health means we’re on the same team.

But there is a new doctor on the scene now who really does worry me: Dr AI – be that Dr ChatGPT, Dr Gemini or another.

None of them are actually doctors and, while I can see real promise for AI in parts of medicine (they are turning out to be amazing at spotting cancer on scans, for instance), right now these tools are making mistakes and handing out misinformation that risks lives.

AI is unable to give humans better health advice than they can find using more traditional methods, researchers found

Millions of people now turn to chatbots before they consult a GP. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, says roughly a quarter of its 800million weekly users send it a health question every week, and around 40million do so daily.

I am not the only one worried. The Eve Appeal, the UK’s leading gynaecological cancer charity, recently put ChatGPT to the test, feeding it the classic warning signs of the five gynaecological cancers – womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal.

The results were troubling. Asked about persistent bloating, one of the leading symptoms of ovarian cancer, the chatbot didn’t mention ovarian cancer as a possible cause at all. 

Asked about a persistent vulval itch – a well-recognised red flag – it failed to mention vulval cancer too.

The failings of AI health advice are having a very tangible and dangerous effect on countless patients.

A YouGov survey of more than 2,000 UK women found almost one in ten with gynaecological symptoms had already turned to AI platforms such as ChatGPT for advice.

A quarter of them said the chatbot’s answer left them feeling reassured they didn’t need to worry, and fewer than a third came away encouraged to see a doctor. These are all patients who could potentially have cancer, who have been advised away from seeing a doctor by AI.

This matters because most people don’t know enough about gynaecological cancers to begin with – the Eve Appeal’s own research found only two in every hundred can name all five. 

Time matters hugely when it comes to cancer. Early diagnosis usually means less brutal treatment and a real improvement in survival odds. A chatbot that fails to even mention cancer can delay diagnosis – and put lives at risk.

Part of the problem is that AI wants to please you. It is, after all, a consumer product: it wants you to keep coming back. If its outlook was overly negative, then you might turn to a more positive chatbot. 

Moreover, the answer you receive will depend on how you frame the question. If you ask the AI for reassurance (‘should I be worried about bleeding after sex?’), then it will give you reassurance. 

It’s possible to reframe the question to get a more realistic response (‘Give me the worst case scenario’), but even then AI is prone to mistakes.

At the bottom of each response, the popular chatbot Claude adds a disclaimer that says ‘Claude is AI and can make mistakes. Please double-check responses’. 

Would you trust the advice of your GP if they caveated everything by urging you to double-check their advice in case it was wrong?

I do understand why people are increasingly turning to AI for health advice. Getting a GP appointment isn’t always easy, and that frustrates me as much as anyone – there aren’t enough of us, and the system is stretched thin. Into that gap slips AI, with all its potential for getting things wrong.

GP, author and broadcaster Dr Philippa Kaye

Here is what your GP knows that a chatbot never will: your full medical history, your allergies, your family history. 

AI can’t examine you, can’t order a blood test or a scan, and can’t ask follow-up questions that turn a vague symptom into an accurate assessment. 

Your GP is appraised every year and revalidated every five, and if we get something wrong you can complain to the practice, the ombudsman or the safety regulator, the General Medical Council. 

None of that applies to a chatbot. We are not perfect. But neither is AI – and unlike us, it has no idea when it’s wrong.

Many people also do not realise that it is easier to reach a real NHS doctor than it was a few years ago. 

The NHS app now lets you order repeat prescriptions, view your health record, message your practice and, in a growing number of areas, book GP appointments directly – often faster than sitting on hold.

Yet huge numbers of patients still haven’t downloaded it, or haven’t opened it since they last needed a Covid vaccine pass (remember those?).

So next time it’s 2am and you’re anxiously searching for whatever symptom is worrying you, don’t rely on Dr GPT. Try contacting your real doctor instead.

By NEIL SEARS

Published: 00:00 BST, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 00:43 BST, 12 August 2026

She became the fastest woman in Europe on Monday night, when she won a gold medal for sprinting 100m in 11 seconds.

Yet that’s not the only honour Amy Hunt, 24, has earned – with a degree in English Literature from the University of Cambridge under her belt too.

And although she is a fellow old girl of the same grammar school as fellow high-achiever Margaret Thatcher, she has also retained the ability to very much let her hair down.

For despite reaching the pinnacles of success on the track and the classroom, her social media accounts are full of pictures of her enjoying more than the odd glass of wine.

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Miss Hunt said after winning the women’s 100m final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Monday: ‘I want it all, and I think I’m someone who doesn’t shy away from what she knows she can do.

‘I knew I could come away with a gold coming into the day.

‘I had such a big premonition, and I just love my job. This is what makes it the best.

‘My first gold. I think it was definitely time for an upgrade.’

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Miss Hunt, who evidently enjoys a night out, poses while watching a Taylor Swift concert

She then studied at Corpus Christi college, Cambridge – financing her studies with earnings from track events and sponsors

Glasses of wine are a regular fixture on Miss Hunt’s social media feeds

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She also finds the time between training sessions to carefully curate her warbrobe

Miss Hunt poses with a bottle of wine during her Cambridge years

It was Miss Hunt’s first gold after winning the women’s 100m final at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham

Miss Hunt, 5ft10ins, had previously won English Schools races at the Birmingham track, but her gold is her first major victory. It makes her a big hope for 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. She is actually considered better at 200m.

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Raised in Newark, she attended Mrs Thatcher’s grammar, Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School, like the former Premier studying chemistry at A Level. She played cello too.

Miss Hunt then studied at Corpus Christi college, Cambridge – financing her studies with earnings from track events and sponsors.

Upon graduating two years ago she joked: ‘I just got one degree hotter.’

She had herself into student social events too, posing in a party dress and with a bottle of wine for one picture.

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Miss Hunt has also repeatedly posed with glasses of wine and other drinks in sun-baked squares and in a bikini in an infinity pool.

She currently lives and trains a 20-minute train ride from Venice – and is feasting her eyes on Italian art.

The Renaissance woman said last year her current motto is ‘Medals before men’, but was not down about it, adding: ‘My two little legs have left me living the life of my dreams.’

The cards allow customers to point to information, pictures, questions or requests when speaking may be difficult, helping them get the support they need when accessing services such as savings, payments, reporting a lost or stolen card, or raising concerns about a suspected fraud or scam.

Whether it’s the Green Jacket, an Olympic medal or the riches that follow a Championship play-off win, there’s always a prize to symbolise a historic victory. Telegraph Fantasy Football is no different – not only are you playing for pride competing against your peers but there is also more than a £5,000 prize pool given out to champions across the season.

Here is a breakdown of all the prizes that can be won.

 

The Overall League

At the end of the long Premier League season there is a tendency for the cream to rise to the top and duly the highest-scoring Telegraph Fantasy Football managers over the season are handsomely rewarded, with the champion receiving £3,000, the runner-up £1,000, third place £500, fourth £300 and fifth £200.

Managers can only win one of the top three prizes.

Other Leagues prizes

Unfortunately, there are currently no prizes available for winners of the other leagues that used to feature in Telegraph Fantasy Football.

Private leagues

The final prize that you could win is simply priceless. You can set up a private league and compete against your friends, family and colleagues for the ultimate honour of bragging rights for a whole year.

Visit Telegraph Fantasy Football to start your private league and invite your friends to join.

 

You can follow the latest Telegraph Fantasy Football news and discussions throughout the year on Facebook, Twitter and Fantasy Football Content Hub.

Police are investigating the death of a woman who was found dead in her tent at a popular techno festival in Norfolk over the weekend.

The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was found unconscious in a tent on a campsite on the last day of Houghton festival at Houghton Hall in north Norfolk.

The hall is home to David Cholmondeley, the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, and his wife Rose Hanbury, friends of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene on Sunday, despite efforts by an on-site medical team to save her.

Police are treating her death as unexplained while they await the results of a post-mortem examination, but they say they do not believe there were any suspicious circumstances.

A spokesman for the festival said: “We are deeply saddened to confirm that a person has passed away at Houghton 2026.

“Our thoughts are entirely with their family and loved ones at this difficult time.

“We are grateful to our onsite medical team, event response team and to Norfolk Constabulary, who all responded immediately.

“We continue to work closely with the relevant authorities to support in any way we can with their investigations.”

A police spokeswoman said they were investigating and that the woman’s next of kin had been informed.

Houghton festival, which draws 10,000-strong crowds, is known for its house and techno music, played around the clock in the 1,000-acre grounds.

The festival, which has been running at the estate every year since 2017, is the UK’s only 24-hour music festival. Tickets cost between £280 and £330.

Houghton Hall, built in the 1720s for Britain’s first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, is set in extensive parkland near William and Kate’s country retreat at Sandringham.

In 2023 the Princess of Wales attended the festival, accompanied by security guards and a group of friends.

“They do not have the new modern personal protective equipment, the lightweight fire kit that we wear, the right helmets, lightweight helmets, breathable uniforms to make sure they’re better protected, their health is protected when they’re out dealing with these incidents for hours and hours on end.”

How many points for a Goal?

A regular source of goals is often the first thing a manager looks for in a fantasy football team. The highly-priced Erling Haaland is a go-to signing for many, but last season saw the continuation of mid-priced forwards getting in on the action too with the likes of Igor Thiago racking up 22 goals in Telegraph Fantasy Football.

Players get five points per goal scored which, added to starting appearance points (two), mean a regularly starting goal scorer can be a huge asset. 

 

How many points for an Assist?

It won’t take a master tactician to work out that players who rank highly in the goalscoring charts often also feature in the upper echelons of the Assists table. 

Bruno Fernandes was head and shoulders above the rest with regard to assist points last season with 21 in total (nine clear of his closest rival).

An assist will earn three points.

What counts as an Assist?

An Assist is the final touch (pass, pass-cum-shot or any other touch) leading to the recipient of the ball scoring a goal. 

Outside of fantasy football, if the final touch is deflected by an opposition player, the initiator is only given a goal assist if the receiving player was likely to receive the ball without the deflection having taken place. Own goals, directly taken free kicks, direct corner goals and penalties do not get an assist awarded.

In a change to previous years, Fantasy Assists are not being used.

 

How many points for a Tackle?

A slightly more nuanced aspect of scoring is the points a player earns for a successful tackle. Managers will need to cast their nets wide to capitalise on tackling points as the highest scorers tend to come from mid-table and even lower-table teams.  

Everton’s James Garner was a key beneficiary of tackle bonus points last season with 120 tackles in total. His closest rivals have been very popular this summer with Wolves’ Joao Gomes, now at Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, now at Manchester City. It’s clear from this that deeper lying midfielders are more likely to amass points here.

Players earn a point for every two tackles made during a match and only midfielders are eligible.

 

What counts as a Tackle?

A tackle is defined as a player connecting with the ball in a ground challenge and successfully taking the ball away from the player in possession. The tackled player must have clearly been in possession of the ball before the tackle was made.

The final destination of the ball (to the tackler, to a teammate, to an opposition player or out of play) is not considered. A tackle will only be deemed unsuccessful if the player tackled retains possession of the ball.

A player cutting out a pass does not count as a tackle.

Players earn a point for every two tackles made.

 

How many points for a Clean Sheet?

Attainable by goalkeepers and defenders, the top-scorers in the clean sheet category last season mostly came from Arsenal.

There are five clean sheet points on offer for a player who has played at least 60 minutes of a match and two points if the player has played less than an hour where the game has finished with their team conceding zero goals. 

 

How many points for a Save?

In addition to clean sheet points, goalkeepers can earn one point for every two saves made in a match. Much like points for tackling, save points introduce a new angle to team selection with keepers from teams further down the table likely to face more shots than those who generally dominate games. Last season Mark Flekken came out on top with 153 saves for Brentford, so it will be interesting to see how Caoimhin Kelleher gets on this season.

 

What counts as a Save?

 

A save is a goalkeeper preventing the ball from entering the goal with any part of his body when facing an intentional attempt to score by an opposition player.

Saves have the following attributes:

• Body part: Hands/Feet/Body
• Save type: Caught/Collected/Parried Safe/Parried Danger area/Fingertip
• Goalkeeper position: Diving/Standing/Reaching/Stooping

For an exhaustive list of how to score Telegraph Fantasy Football points, take a look at our Game Guidelines.

 

You can follow the latest Telegraph Fantasy Football news and discussions on Facebook and Twitter.

The fire was spotted at around 8pm on the border with Ainsworth Village and Lowercroft and was near land used to graze farm animals.

Locals said that young people were seen near to where the fire broke out and residents called the fire service.

One local said: “At first we thought it may be controlled burning, but there was no one nearby so I would think it was started deliberately.

Fire in Ainsworth (Image: NQ)

“Apparently were seen in the area. If it was started deliberately, it was an incredibly stupid thing to do given everything is bone dry at the moment and there are farm animals and wildlife in the area.

“The smoke was incredibly thick and the flames would flare up, however it did not seem to be spreading, probably due to the quick actions of locals.”

Only today fire chiefs nationally warned of sustained fire risk in the hot, dry conditions, with July the busiest on record for wildfires and firefighters responding to 185 wildfires in the first 10 days of August.

Firefighters have responded to 966 wildfires across England and Wales this year, including 185 in the first 10 days of August alone, while July was the busiest month on record for wildfires with 458 incidents, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said.

The NFCC said prolonged periods of hot dry weather can increase the risk of wildfires and put pressure on fire and rescue services, as it urged people to take steps such as avoiding the use of disposable barbecues, taking litter home and disposing of cigarettes safely to reduce fire risk.

Birmingham-born Davis played receptionist Dawn, who was also the love interest of Tim Canterbury, played by Martin Freeman in Ricky Gervais’s classic TV sitcom – which last month celebrated its 25th anniversary.

After The Office, Davis went on to feature as Dianne in 2004 comedy-horror film Shaun of the Dead and Etta Candy in 2017’s Wonder Woman, as well as Hilda Spellman in Netflix series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

More recently, she played Eva in the Disney Channel’s action-comedy series The Villains of Valley View.

In her Instagram post – which was accompanied by a video of her reading a poem while ringing a bell in hospital – she went on to say she intended to keep up her work supporting animal rights, which is “so important to me”.

She went on: “I still would like to keep working. I’m perfectly able to do so, and acting is one of the biggest joys in my life.

“For those of you on a similar journey to mine, I do wish you well. Cancer asks a lot from us, physically and mentally. And we all get to do it however we choose.”

“Over the past few weeks, and particularly the past few days, various reports have appeared regarding the vacancy at the Dutch national team, suggesting that I had withdrawn from the process after lengthy negotiations, including regarding salary and contract duration,” he said in an interview with Voetbal International.