For many the process of finding the perfect bed can feel surprisingly complex. With so many options available, it is easy to feel unsure of where to begin. This is where Prestige Beds delivers. As a third generation family run business there is a deep understanding that purchasing a bed should reflect the individual needs of their customers. Whilst also understanding that purchasing a bed should feel considered, calm, and ultimately enjoyable.

The showroom experience reflects this philosophy. Customers are welcomed into a thoughtfully curated space where they are encouraged to take their time. There is no sense of pressure, only the opportunity to explore a carefully selected collection of high-quality beds and mattresses. From traditional craftsmanship to cutting edge sleep technology, each piece has been chosen for its ability to combine the utmost comfort, and tailored support.

(Image: Prestige Beds)

Guidance is always close at hand. The team at Prestige Beds offer knowledgeable, award-winning advice, helping to translate individual preferences into the right choice. Whether it is understanding materials, selecting the ideal level of support, or finding a style that complements the room, the focus remains on creating a solution that feels entirely personal.

This attention to detail extends well beyond the point of purchase. The service has been designed to remove the practical stresses that can often accompany larger furniture decisions. Delivery is arranged with convenient time slots, assembly is taken care of, and existing beds can be thoughtfully removed at no extra cost. Each step is handled with care, allowing customers to focus on enjoying their new space rather than managing logistics.

(Image: Prestige Beds)

It is this combination of considered products and attentive service that has earned Prestige Beds a loyal following among discerning homeowners. More than simply a place to buy a bed, it is a destination for those looking to enhance their home with comfort that lasts.

Because ultimately, a home is not defined by what fills it, but by how it supports the life within it. And it all begins with a good night’s sleep.

Contact info:

Tel: 01254 265555

Web: www.prestigebeds.co.uk

Addresses:

Alma Mill, Hart Street, Blackburn, BB1 1HW

Whitebirk, Burnley Road Blackburn, BB1 3HW

Bold Street, Preston, PR1 7NX

(Image: Prestige Beds)

⁠Russia ⁠pounded Kyiv with ballistic missiles this morning, killing at least nine people and wounding 28 others, including four children.

The Ukrainian Air Force raised the alarm over the missiles at around 1.30am local time.

Kyiv military officials asked civilians to duck into their nearest shelter only a minute later, with Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reporting ‘explosions’.

Images posted by photographer Yan Dobronosov show wounded people lying on the streets, with cars gutted by the explosions and fires.

‘Some residents of Kyiv did not even have time to reach the shelter,’ Dobronosov said.

One of the blasts caused a fire in a six-story building in the Solomyanskyi district, Volodymyr Zelensky said on the social media network X.

‘There were many fires in the city – seven districts were affected. And, as usual, the Russians hit ordinary residential buildings,’ he added.

‘Eighteen houses, a school, the Lithuanian embassy and infrastructure facilities were damaged.’

Two people died in the Solomianskyi blaze that also injured eight, including two children.

People were also trapped in a burning building in Shevchenko and debris flattened non-residential buildings in Holosiivske and Darnytske.

Some five years since Russia’s war against Ukraine began, Zelensky warned the country’s air defence system is dwindling.

And Moscow knows this, the president added, with Russia launching dozens of aerial assaults this summer.

Zelensky said that as the country has only a few Patriot interceptors – the only kind that can deal with Kremlin-built missiles – it is ‘encouraging Russia to launch attacks that take human lives’.

‘It is critical that partners hear that these capabilities are needed not somewhere in stockpiles for hypothetical scenarios, but here and now, to contain and stop the Russian war in Ukraine.’

‘Every package of ballistic missile interceptors saves the lives of our people. And every night without them results in more casualties. I thank everyone who is working to strengthen our defences.’

This is the second major attack on Kyiv this week after missiles killed nine people, including six members of one family, on ​Thursday.

During the attack, a Russian cruise missile also entered the airspace of Nato member Poland.

Polish officials described it as an ‘unidentified object’ that caused a 9-metre-wide crater in a field in the country’s southeast.

Only the US can make Patriot interceptor missiles, so Ukraine has asked Washington to grant it a licence to make its own.

US President Donald Trump, who vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war ‘on day one’ of his re-election, said talks for this are still ‘ongoing’ on Friday.

Washington, he cautioned, had to be ‘very careful about letting somebody build them’.

He added: ‘ We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology. And I don’t think this would ever happen, but, you know, there’s people that you give that technology, they can someday turn on you.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Actor Ralph Fiennes is among the anxious homeowners waiting to see if their homes have been destroyed in the Suffolk wildfires. 

The National Trust launched a public appeal on Friday to try and raise emergency funds after the wildfire caused ‘total devastation’ and left the landscape ‘unrecognisable’. 

The fire started on Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, on Wednesday evening, when temperatures in England soared to 35C in some parts. 

The blaze, which took hold near to Britain’s biggest nuclear power station Sizewell B, spread to the size of 371 acres – equivalent to 210 football pitches. Experts believe the heath could take 25 years to recover. 

Mr Fiennes, 63, who was born in Ipswich, owns a country home in Suffolk close to the blaze on Dunwich Heath. 

The British actor’s property remained inside an exclusion zone on Friday, with access roads shut off by police road blocks. 

Hundreds of people who live there have been evacuated and do not know if their homes have been damaged by the wildfire. 

The flames came as close as one field away from Mr Fiennes’ property at one point, with a source saying that his home was ‘one of the closest to the fire’. 

Firefighters remain at the scene on Saturday and told people to continue to avoid the area 

Ralph Fiennes, 63, was born in Ipswich and owns a country house near to the heath 

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The Harry Potter star is being given updates by the fire brigade, who are still at the heath battling the wildfire in reduced numbers for the fourth day. 

The source told the Sun: ‘We don’t know if Ralph was at the house on Wednesday as he has a place in London, but it must have been an anxious time for him. 

‘He’s lived here for years and we see him out jogging from time to time.’ 

The National Trust announced a public appeal last night to restore the reserve, launching an emergency fundraising drive to help recover the damage. 

National Trust director-general Hilary McGrady described the loss of the important habitat, which was home to rare species, as ‘heartbreaking’. 

The charity said the heath was a significant area for wildlife including nightjars, skylarks and the rare Dartford warbler, as well as adders, lizards and slow worms, and butterflies including the rare silver-studded blue. 

The lowland heath habitat is one of the UK’s rarest and an estimated 92 per cent of it has been lost in England over the last 120 years, it added.

In a statement on Friday, Ms McGrady said: ‘We are looking at total devastation of a beloved and important landscape.

The National Trust launched an emergency fundraising appeal on Friday night after the fire left the landscape ‘devastated’ 

Fire engines seen near the front line in the fight against the Dunwich wildfire on Wednesday 

The fire was declared a ‘major incident’ earlier this week due to its size and intensity 

‘We’ve lost precious habitats, wildlife, trees, and a place where people have made memories over generations. It’s heartbreaking.

‘But together we can and will restore Dunwich and, crucially, make it more resilient and better adapted for the climate we’re facing now, and the climate we’ll be facing in future.

‘We’re working hard to tackle climate change and prepare for more of it, but there’s more hard work to be done.

‘We can’t do it alone. We’re a charity that relies on public support in so many ways. If you can donate, however much, please don’t hesitate.

‘Your money will go directly to the restoration of Dunwich, to regrow habitats and homes for wildlife, build more resilience into the landscape, and return this iconic place to the nation.’ 

Firefighters were able to reduce the number of appliances tackling the blaze in Suffolk to fourteen on Saturday. It was reduced further to eight for overnight operations after ‘positive firefighting action…and the creation of further firebreaks’ on Friday. 

In an update on Saturday morning, Suffolk Fire and Rescue said: ‘With the weekend here, we continue to ask members of the public to avoid the area and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. Local roads and footpaths remain closed.’ 

In southwestern France, wildfires have been raging for over a fortnight 

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in the region. Pictured: flames spread on the hills behind a home in Montfort-sur-Argens on Friday

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Aerial footage of the scene shows the once grassy, coastal area known for its carpet of purple heather reduced to a charred, barren landscape, which is still smouldering. 

Crews continued to battle the blaze on Friday, and evacuated residents and holidaymakers were given a short window of opportunity to collect essential belongings under police escort. 

Firefighters across the country have been tackling similar but smaller fires. 

More than 20 fire services have been responding to fires amid hot and dry conditions which have left half of England and all of Wales in drought. 

Crews in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire, London, North Wales, Yorkshire, Co Durham and Darlington, Berkshire, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Humberside, Dorset and Wiltshire, Devon and Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Merseyside, West Sussex, Surrey, and Norfolk have all reported dealing with fires in the open. 

On Tuesday, the National Fire Chiefs Council said more than 200 wildfires had been reported in England and Wales in less than two weeks, and wildfire risk remained ‘elevated’. 

In Europe, wildfires in France, Italy and Spain are still raging and have forced a mass exodus of locals out of their homes. 

Wildfires tore through southwestern France this week and became so intense that they triggered a rare fire-generated thunderstorm – a phenomenon never before recorded in the country. 

Experts said it was another sign that Europe is entering a new era of extreme wildfires. 

While wildfires have long been a part of Europe’s landscape, rising temperatures are making them larger, more unpredictable, and harder to control. 

At the start of this week, the D106 highway, a 41-mile route which links the Cap Ferret peninsula with the city of Bordeaux in south-western France, was the epicentre of the unprecedented wildfire. 

The blaze ravaged an area four times the size of Paris and forced more than 260,000 people to be evacuated from their homes. 

More than 240 properties were completely destroyed – many thought to be holiday homes owned by millionaire Parisiennes and celebrity second homes. 

George Clooney and his wife Amal were among those evacuated from their luxury French estate after a fast-moving wildfire raced towards their home.  

The Hollywood actor, 65, and human rights lawyer Amal, 48, fled their sprawling property near Brignoles as flames swept through the area on Wednesday evening.

The couple, who have nine-year-old twins, said they feared for the future of their home as France continues to battle some of the worst wildfires in its history.

In a letter to the mayor of Brignoles, Clooney wrote: ‘At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment.’

‘Amal and I are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we’ll be part of making it whole,’ he added.

The mayor of Brignoles, Didier Bremond, said the Clooneys were not ordered to leave but chose to evacuate as a precaution.

The wildfire burning near Brignoles, in south-eastern France, scorched 321 acres and forced more than 600 residents to flee their homes, local officials said.  

Not sure if you heard, but Spain won the World Cup.

Too soon?

As if we hadn’t seen enough fancy footwork on the field, Spain’s talents also extend to the bar. Yup, they’ve gone and invented a coffee-based drink that’s fast becoming the new espresso martini.

But do we need the Spanish version of our beloved coffee cocktail? It turns out, we most certainly do.

What’s the Spanish Version?

It’s called the carajillo, (pronounced caah-raah-hee-yo), and it’s a two-ingredient cocktail you can whip up in seconds; made from equal parts Licor 43 and chilled (or hot, or warm) espresso, shaken over ice and garnished with a ribbon of orange zest.

More accurately, it’s Spain’s answer to the Irish Coffee, Norwegian Karsk or the Italian Caffe Corretto (I love the idea of a corrected coffee).

It’s simple, yet potent. In fact, it’s the simplicity (and potency, probably) that Joe Harper, head of food & beverage operations at The Zetter hotel, believes is the drink’s superpower.

‘The carajillo is definitely a lot easier to put together than a good espresso martini,’ Joe tells Metro. ‘So I can totally understand the appeal.’

The PG version is that the name comes from the Spanish word ‘coraje’, meaning courage. Legend has it that Spanish soldiers stationed in Cuba would lace their coffee with spirits to give themselves liquid bravery before battle.

The less wholesome theory is that the drink originated in Andalucia, where morning drinking was the norm. It could be a diminutive of the curse word, ‘Carajo!’, which means ‘s***’ or ‘f*** it’. It wouldn’t have been out of place to hear half-cut Andalusians shouting, ‘a carajillo!’ over their morning coffee. Allegedly…

Either way, through Spanish trade and migration, the boozy coffee digestif made its way over to Mexico. Nowadays, other than tequila and mezcal, the carajillo is now one of Mexico’s most widely-ordered drinks, especially as a post-meal digestif. Incidentally, the Spanish word for that is ‘sobremesa’, or ‘over the table’.

The younger generation has even taken to ordering the carajillo on a night-out, as a pick-me-up. You could also say that it’s the new and vastly improved vodka redbull.

How’s it different to the espresso martini?

First of all, the carajillo is served in a tumbler, not a martini glass. So, it immediately looks cooler; not unlike a frothy old fashioned. And because Licor 43 is named after the botanicals it contains, including vanilla, orange peel and cocoa, it’s delicately spiced, rich and vanilla-forward.

When paired with espresso, the result is something light and delicately sweet with notes of orange, vanilla and chocolate.

Where can you order a carajillo in London?

Currently, your best bets are tapas venues, including Camino and Las Iguanas.

At the posher end, there’s Viajante87 in Notting Hill, who use cooled espresso and 15ml cold brew coffee liqueur (Mr Black) as well as Licor 43.

Santo Remedio also does a carajillo; theirs even comes with a sugar rim and a dinky (for London) £10 price tag.

If you’re not in the capital, don’t panic, as you should expect to see the drink taking over bar menus across the UK soon, as Joe predicts it’s going to have its own viral moment.

‘I can totally see it appealing for the same reasons as the espresso martini. When that’s the case, a takeover is always possible.’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk

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Emergency services were called to Crowther Industrial Estate on Friday afternoon, where flames and large plumes of smoke could be seen from miles away.

Five fire engines and an aerial ladder platform were sent to the scene as crews worked to bring the blaze under control.

Firefighters extinguishing the flames (Image: Ryan Atkinson/CAMERA CLUB)

Pictures taken by Northern Echo Camera Club member Ryan Atkinson show smoke filling the sky above the industrial estate as firefighters tackled the incident.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said it received a high volume of calls because the smoke could be seen from the A1, A194(M) and Sunderland Highway.

Residents and motorists were urged to avoid the area, while people living nearby were advised to keep their doors and windows closed.

Emergency services at the scene of yesterday’s fire (Image: Ryan Atkinson/CAMERA CLUB)

The smoke was reportedly visible from as far away as Sacriston.

One resident said she felt her home “shake” when the fire broke out.

Writing on social media, she said: “Actually felt the house shake when it happened.”

Another person living nearby said they had been forced to close their windows, while one witness said the smoke could be seen from Durham.

A firefighter and police officer (Image: Ryan Atkinson/CAMERA CLUB)

Northumbria Police officers also attended the scene to support the fire service, with a cordon put in place around the affected area.

A spokesperson for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said at the time: “We have five appliances and an aerial ladder platform in attendance at a factory fire in Crowther Industrial Estate, Washington, Tyne and Wear.”

Fire engines at the scene in Washington (Image: Ryan Atkinson/CAMERA CLUB)

The North East Ambulance Service confirmed it had not treated any patients as a result of the fire, and it is understood there were no serious injuries.

The Northern Echo has contacted Northumbria Police, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and the North East Ambulance Service for an update.

A Gwynedd family struggling to remain in their home village claim residents are at risk of being priced out by the planning system. Father-of-two Marc Evans worries Llanberis will become “the next Abersoch” unless local residents receive greater backing from the local authority.

Last week his application to construct a modest family dwelling in his garden was turned down for a second time. Planning officers determined the two-storey property would “not respect the traditional character” of neighbouring homes, predominantly stone-built quarrymen’s terraced houses, reports North Wales Live.

Arguing that Llanberis features a variety of housing styles, Marc, 43, emphasised his argument by photographing the 21 new properties erected in the village since 2011. “Many are large buildings with masses of glazing and features such as wood cladding and overhanging roofs,” he said.

“Several were built by the council itself.

“In contrast, our proposed family home is much more traditional with a pitched slate roof and local stone cladding. It’s not a multi-storey in glass, and no one locally has objected to the scheme.

“The rules seem to be different for local people and those coming here from outside the area with deeper pockets. It’s a scandal and it’s very frustrating.”

In recent years, Llanberis has been fighting to preserve its cultural identity. Nestled at the base of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) beside Llyn Padarn, one of Wales’ largest natural lakes, the village’s rising profile as a tourist hotspot has proved to be a double-edged sword.

Challenges surrounding over-tourism have emerged, while properties have been bought up as second homes and, notably, holiday lets, reducing availability and driving up prices. At one stage, a sticker campaign was launched throughout the village in protest at the surge in Airbnb properties established since the Covid pandemic.

According to AirROI, a data analytics platform, there are currently 99 active Airbnb listings in the village. With average nightly rates of £190, annual earnings sit at approximately £25,700.

AirROI added: “Supply has held steady year over year while revenue and nightly rates climbed – a mature market where existing hosts capture more value per listing.”

Marc, a former teacher now working as a project manager at Anglesey Solar, resides in a row of terraced houses originally built to house families employed at the nearby former Dinorwic slate quarries. He shares his home with his wife Kellie, also a former teacher originally from Deiniolen, and their two children, Leo, aged 11, and Isla, aged eight.

They’re hoping to construct a more appropriate dwelling in their garden alongside their existing property.

“Our house is fine but it’s too small for a growing family and it lacks modern amenities,” Marc explained.

“We’re looking to complement what’s here, not knock it down.

“Children have a simpler perspective on life and Isla can’t understand why this is happening – why we can’t have a new house when there are so many other properties in the village with more modern designs.”

He argued that planning regulations needed to be recalibrated to support local families wishing to remain in their communities. Without this, he warned, cultural decline would persist across Gwynedd’s towns and villages, draining their vitality.

“Houses here are affordable for people outside the area who earn three to four more times than local residents do,” Marc stated.

“A lot of the new homes built here are owned by people with addresses in London.

“I realise we can’t keep Llanberis secret forever but the planning system must do more to slow the trend. If it doesn’t, Llanberis will be like Abersoch in 10 years time – less Welsh language spoken and the primary school closed.

“We need tourism here but there has to be a balance. Currently, not enough is being done – it seems like local people are being left to fail. Councillors need to show more conviction on planning matters.”

According to the latest Cyngor Gwynedd data from October 2025, Llanberis still has some way to match Abersoch’s lack of local housing availability, where 57.8% of homes are holiday lets, second homes or empty. In Llanberis, the corresponding figure stands at 9.8% – yet Marc contends there is a noticeable upward trend.

The Evans family are hoping to construct a three-bedroom home with an inverted layout – positioning its kitchen and living space on the first floor. Owing to the shape of the garden, a new-build can only be accommodated with its gable end facing the road, meaning the roofline would slope in a contrasting direction to the neighbouring terraced properties.

Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning officers argue this is significant because Llanberis sits at the heart of the Dinorwig Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest, a designation recognising its distinguished quarrying heritage.

Marc’s architect has redesigned the proposed dwelling so that it features no windows on one side, ensuring it won’t overlook the family’s existing home. A proposed raised platform area, accessed from the front floor, has been reduced in size – yet this continues to concern planning officers, who fear it will overlook an adjacent property at the rear and create a “noise nuisance”.

This neighbouring property is Capel Preswylfa, a former Presbyterian chapel constructed in 1882 that closed a century later. It now operates as a residential flat, topped by an Airbnb with its own raised decking.

“The lower storey is subterranean with no windows at the back,” said Marc.

“The first-floor apartment for 12 people is an Airbnb owned by someone in the Peak District – but the planners seem to want to protect these Airbnb owners over the needs of local people.”

A planning report deemed the proposed design to be at odds with the neighbouring terraced properties and concluded it would not “blend in”.

Given the plot’s hillside location, officers warned it would also “stand out in the landscape”, with its positioning likely to have a detrimental impact on the adjoining property where the family currently reside.

Despite this, the application received backing from Cllr Gwilym Evans, who represents Llanberis on Cyngor Gwynedd.

The planning report noted: “The local member emphasises that granting a dwelling house for a local family will assist to reduce the real shortage of housing for local residents that already exists in the village – and has an impact on the number of pupils in the local school.”

In the meantime, Marc’s architect has produced a second redesign, with hopes that a fresh application will be lodged shortly. Cyngor Gwynedd was approached for a response.

No one minds contributing to a sick child’s life-saving medical treatment, but how about a crowdfunder for a celebrity couple’s wedding? Marriage licence, venue, reception, meal, flowers, photography. Any offers?

No, I didn’t think so. And when the couple seeking donations from their guests are former England and premiership rugby player Danny Cipriani and his bride-to-be, Hollywood actress AnnaLynne McCord, it’s even less likely that the proposition will pull on anyone’s heartstrings.

But Danny and AnnaLynne – apparently down on their luck financially despite their lavish lifestyles – are hoping to raise around £10,000 by asking guests to pay towards their big day.

Understandably, Danny’s ex-wife Victoria is among their most vociferous critics.

‘It’s just plain tacky of them to hand round the begging bowl. If it was my neighbours, maybe. But for them? The very idea!

‘They’re even asking for money for the marriage licence. Donations for the honeymoon are just about acceptable, but they’ve both got the capacity to earn. Why don’t they go on OnlyFans? They’re selling every other aspect of their lives. Sell your bodies!’ She’s joking, but I take her point.

‘Scale down the reception. What’s wrong with a barbecue in the back garden? A beautiful, intimate, private moment. No need to be extravagant. They’re silly to want a big do when they’re claiming to have no money.’

Donations, should anyone wish to make them, may be lodged through the happy couple’s website, via the crowdfunding site Honeyfund. There, invitees are encouraged to stump up anything from £75 to £450 to help pay for specific aspects of the wedding. Should they prefer, they may just give money.

Understandably, Danny’s ex-wife Victoria is among their most vociferous critics

Donations, should anyone wish to make them, may be lodged through the happy couple’s website, via the crowdfunding site Honeyfund

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‘I wouldn’t have had the gall to say: “Here’s the wedding invite. Now give us £150 for drinks”,’ continues Victoria, 45, warming to her theme. ‘They’re so emotionally and spiritually involved with each other they’re clearly not affected by humiliation.’ A hint of sarcasm is creeping in now.

‘I’m all for love, light, peace and finding yourself,’ she says, referring to Danny and AnnaLynne’s fondness for therapeutic retreats. ‘But Danny’s found himself in a bloody hole if he’s begging for money for their wedding.’

Victoria, a neuroscience practitioner – sparky, petite, raven-haired – was with Cipriani for four tumultuous years, having met in 2020 via social media.

They were married in 2021 and separated three years later, when Danny walked out without explanation. Victoria was awarded a relatively modest lump sum of £275,000 in their divorce.

When I last met her 18 months ago – then in the throes of their complicated and increasingly rancorous divorce – she told me how Danny had an inveterate drug problem. His excesses – and they were eyewateringly epic – were described in full by Danny himself in his raw 2023 autobiography, Who Am I?

It revealed a shocking juxtaposition: how one of the fittest and most gifted sportsmen in the country was in fact in thrall to hallucinogens and cannabis while playing rugby for his country.

He also confessed, at the height of his celebrity status, to sleeping with three women a day.

But contradictions are key to Cipriani. Once heralded as the successor to the great England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, Cipriani was a maverick on the pitch. Precociously brilliant – aside from representing England he played for Gloucester, Wasps, Sale Sharks and Bath – he was fatally flawed, taking to the pitch just 16 times for his country.

Victoria, a neuroscience practitioner – sparky, petite, raven-haired – was with Cipriani for four tumultuous years, after they met in 2020 on social media (pictured in 2023)

Had Danny been judicious with his finances, he might today be a wealthy man. But Victoria believes he is now penniless.

Reflecting on their marriage today, she says: ‘He was the most beautiful, invested, gorgeous human being – but he could also be completely psychotic, delusional and in a high state of paranoia when he’d eaten a lot of magic mushrooms.’

She described how parcels, masquerading as chocolate bars but in fact containing the hallucinogen psilocybin – commonly known as magic mushrooms – would be couriered to the elegant townhouse in Cheltenham where they lived when Danny was contracted to play rugby for Gloucester.

He also regularly took delivery of marijuana in brown parcels, ‘the size of pillowcases’.

Knowing him as she does, Victoria recognises he spends profligately – he routinely frittered away £600 a time on drugs – but is also recklessly generous.

‘He proposed to me three times and bought me three engagement rings,’ she says.

He is also, she says, hopelessly inept at keeping track of money.

‘He had no idea what his monthly household outgoings were when we met. He’s hopeless with paperwork, whereas I account for every penny.’

That said, she emphatically does not believe he is a cheapskate. ‘Actually, he has a lot of pride and I don’t think the crowdfunding idea will have come from him.

‘When my sister died of a heart attack at 44 her family, who didn’t have much money, set up a crowdfunding page to pay for her funeral. He said, “Absolutely not. We’ll cover the costs.” And he did. The Danny I knew would sell his last pair of socks for a fiver rather than ask anyone for money. I think the crowdfunding must have been AnnaLynne’s idea.’

Victoria, mum to two grown-up children and a grandmother of four, has an alternative money-raising tip for her successor.

AnnaLynne, 39, who made her name in the US TV dramas Nip/Tuck and 90210 in the Noughties, and who met Danny on the exclusive dating website Raya, has been sporting a gigantic sparkler of an engagement ring.

According to one report, it’s a 15-carat, emerald-cut diamond with seven round accent diamonds set on each side of a band of yellow gold.

‘Apparently Danny spent £250,000 on that engagement ring. I don’t actually believe it cost that. Danny’s skint. Maybe it’s costume. But if it’s real, why doesn’t she sell it to pay for their wedding?’ she asks.

Victoria puts forward another idea to supplement their fund. When Danny, 38, left her, without explanation or notice, in January 2024 before moving to the US to start a new life, he took ‘just a couple of pairs of tracksuit bottoms’.

He abandoned, not only his two boisterous giant labradoodles – who still live with Victoria in her modest rented house in Ebbsfleet, Kent – but also a lifetime’s worth of rugby memorabilia, designer clothes, heirlooms and jewellery, which still remain in her care.

‘He even left the cuddly toys he had as a baby and his milk teeth, plus all his rugby kit. It’s his legacy, his love, his passion. How could he not want it?’ she asks, incredulous.

But Danny has never returned to claim this cache, or expressed any intention of doing so when it was discussed during their divorce. ‘He has this ability to walk out of the door and not look back,’ she says.

And as Victoria contends that she paid £900 a month to keep his possessions in storage for two-and-a-half years, she’s felt justified in selling some of them herself on Vinted. ‘I’ve sold the boots he wore for his debut England match and some shirts, but I’ve still got 80 per cent of his rugby kit.’

She adds: ‘There are club shirts, trophies, medals and all his designer stuff – Loake shoes, Dior trainers, Italian suits; a Rolex watch. Everything that he has owned between the ages of zero and 37.

‘I have got two bedrooms full of it. So why doesn’t he come and grab it, and sell it to pay for his wedding?’ she asks.

She looks back on the day she married Danny in the middle of the Covid lockdown on April 27, 2021. Their wedding was a very modest affair, at Stroud Register Office: ‘We weren’t allowed to invite anyone. Even the witnesses had to look through the windows.’

Danny wore casual trousers, his white shirt untucked, and trainers. Victoria chose a knitted dress from High Street store Ted Baker.

‘Danny had planned the most magical wedding in Tobago, where his dad, Jay, is from. He

had said: “I want barefoot on the sand and dolphins.” He had extravagant plans.’

The pandemic, of course, put paid to those plans and in the end they hired a Michelin-starred chef who cooked an intimate dinner for them and ten guests at home.

‘I think AnnaLynne is going to get the wedding I was meant to have,’ says Victoria, who has already noted striking similarities in the way Danny has romanced both her and his current fiancée.

‘On her birthday he chose our wedding song – Spirit Bird by Xavier Rudd – for his social media post. He gave our wedding song away!’ She is indignant.

‘And he proposed to her as he did to me, covering the room with rose petals.’ She doesn’t quite know whether to be outraged or amused by his lack of originality.

When she reflects on their lives together she describes a mix of utter bliss and almost Gothic horror. On one occasion, she told me last time we met, after Danny had overdosed on magic mushrooms, he was admitted to the Priory where, such was his paranoia and psychosis, he thought Victoria was the Devil.

At the time she was 23 weeks pregnant, and a few days later she lost their baby. ‘I went into labour. I was on my own and miscarried our little boy. It was the middle of Covid and I had no medical help.’

Advised not to tell Danny – ‘He would not even have understood’ – she hid the loss until his condition had improved.

‘And when I told him he was on antipsychotic medication. He was heartbroken. He just broke down in floods of tears and in that moment said he would stop taking drugs. He said, “I’ll change.” And for a while he did and our lives were beautiful.’

I wonder if she imagines he has kicked his drug habit now.

‘The Danny I know can’t not take drugs,’ she says. ‘You wouldn’t know when he’s smoking weed. He’s fully functioning. When he was playing rugby he still trained hard. I hope he’s managed to stop – but I can’t imagine he has.’

She says that Danny – who first met AnnaLynne ten years ago, reviving their on-off relationship after he split from Victoria – spent money with wild abandon in the 18 months between their separation and divorce in October 2025, burning through a giddying £450,000.

Victoria believes that within one month in 2024 alone, he spent £30,205 on trips to Egypt where AnnaLynne hosts ‘spiritual and consciousness retreats’.

He also notched up a £10,989 bill for a ‘spiritual vacation’ and more than £10,000 on yoga classes and ‘therapeutic retreats’.

Both he and AnnaLynne say they have tried the powerful psychedelic hallucinogen ayahuasca on journeys to the Amazon to ‘process personal trauma’.

Victoria, who is briskly no-nonsense, dismisses all this as ‘crackers’, showing me a video in which AnnaLynne speaks the fantasy language ‘dragon’ which to the uninitiated sounds like mumbo jumbo. Victoria refers to it all as ‘complete woo-woo’.

Meanwhile, on a more prosaic plane, she describes how their bitter divorce reached its lowest point when Victoria was accused of stealing £70,000 from her then mother-in-law, Anne, whom she was caring for after a stroke.

Victoria had to prove her innocence to the divorce court in a nerve-shredding, nine-month investigation, which ended in her complete exoneration.

‘I cared for Anne as if she was my own mother and handled her finances. Then I had to defend myself against ludicrous accusations of gross financial misconduct and employ forensic accountants to do so.

‘It was a huge shock to be accused – and it wasn’t cheap to clear my name either,’ she says.

Victoria still talks to Danny’s affable dad, Jay, who has confessed to her that he won’t be attending his son’s wedding in Los Angeles on August 22.

‘He says he can’t get a visa in time.’ Victoria wonders out loud if this is a convenient excuse for not going.

She is a resourceful woman who, although resolutely single, is not averse to offers from men who are ‘sane and not on drugs’.

She’s also planning a fresh start, somewhere new. Where is she off to? It is quite a surprise when she says Los Angeles.

‘I might get invited to the wedding,’ she laughs, adding mischievously, ‘but I certainly won’t be paying to go.’

The King of the North has departed for Westminster and a fresh face now claims the throne.

In the wake of Andy Burnham’s swift elevation to Number 10, Greenisland-born Bev Craig has emerged victorious in the contest to replace him as Greater Manchester mayor following what represents the largest by-election in British political history.

The ex-Manchester council leader defeated Reform UK’s Sian Astley to become only the second person and the first female to occupy the region’s top political position. While she may not have replicated Burnham’s overwhelming dominance, the final winning margin proved comfortable nonetheless.

Operating under the supplementary vote system employed for mayoral elections, Ms Craig fell marginally short of securing the 50 per cent threshold of first preference votes needed for an outright victory, reports the Manchester Evening News.

However, once second preference votes were factored in, Ms Craig cruised to triumph with over two thirds of the total vote.

Delivering her victory address on the Co-op Live platform that has previously hosted luminaries including Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish and Bruce Springsteen, Ms Craig pledged to ‘fight for a better life for all of us’.

“My promise to you is that I will make this city region better and I will work for everyone,” she continued. “I will be a mayor for everyone.

“We have to heal, we have to move away from divisive politics that pit neighbour against neighbour.

“We will work together, we will deliver it together and we will build a Greater Manchester that works for all of us, where everyone feels welcome and everyone has the chance to succeed.”

Speaking afterwards to the Manchester Evening News, she said: “Look, I’m ecstatic, but it’s also incredibly humbling to have people place their trust in you because they believe in this city region, they believe that Greater Manchester can be even better, so I’m excited to get stuck in.”

So what does this mean for Reform?

While the party enjoyed a remarkably strong showing in May’s local elections, securing over 100 council seats across Greater Manchester – sweeping all but one of the 25 seats in Wigan and claiming 18 of 19 in Tameside – this marks their third consecutive by-election loss in the conurbation.

Suggesting that backing for Nigel Farage’s movement in the area might be levelling off, Ms Astley secured 20% on first preference votes – a lower proportion than her colleagues Rob Kenyon and Matt Goodwin achieved in Makerfield and Gorton and Denton respectively.

The Green Party’s Geraldine Coggins finished in third place with 12% of the ballot, while Restore Britain’s Marlon West garnered 8.5%, the Tories’ Phil Eckersley took 7.6%, the Liberal Democrats’ Richard Kilpatrick claimed 2.7% and independent candidate Marcus Farmer received 0.5%. Sian Astley described the second-place finish as worthy of ‘congratulations’ rather than ‘commiserations’, saying: “We’ve just come second with a stonking result for Reform, far better than we did in 2024, I think we did really, really well. I am happy. Of course everybody wants to win. I haven’t been in politics for long. I think that there’s a bit of a bounce going on at the minute.

“I think people are hopeful about what the Labour Party are going to deliver, with Mr Burnham, and I think Bev’s kind of attached to that. So I think second is a really good result for us, and I think they probably should have done a lot better, or expected to do a lot better on the first round.”

The Greens’ Geraldine Coggins maintained that voters were ‘backing’ her party in ‘far bigger numbers than ever before’.

“We’re in very volatile times and what we’ve seen with Labour’s vote, you know, really going down, you know, it’s quite a bad result for them that we’re even going to a second round,” she stated. “We’ve never been anywhere near this, and this is in the honeymoon period of a new prime minister, you know, this is when they should be at their absolute peak.

“And so yeah… I’d be very interested to see what happens to their support as time goes by.”

Hannah Spencer, Green MP for Gorton and Denton, noted the party had grown its vote share in 2026 compared to her campaign for the position in 2024. She posted on X: “We’ve come such a long way, and that hasn’t happened by accident. It has happened by all of us stepping up and being part of this campaign, and doing whatever it is that we could do to help.”

The by-election came about following Mr Burnham’s choice to head back to Westminster. He won June’s Makerfield parliamentary by-election in a landslide.

And having succeeded Sir Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader last month, he became the UK’s seventh Prime Minister in a decade.

However, his move faced criticism in certain circles due to the expense – thought to be around £5m – of staging the Mayoral by-election merely two years after his overwhelming re-election for a third term. Over 2.1m people were entitled to vote in yesterday’s poll.

Only one in four turned out for a contest which, having been eclipsed by Mr Burnham’s ascent to Downing Street and the Clacton by-election sparked by Nigel Farage’s resignation, had been labelled the ‘election hardly anyone is talking about’.

Turnout stood at 25.14pc, with 538,659 votes recorded from an electorate of 2,142,779. That marks the lowest figure on record for the mayoral position in the region.

In the 2024 election, turnout reached 32.05pc. It was 28.9pc in 2017 and 34.7pc in 2021.

The evening was Ms Craig’s triumph, and her success marks an extraordinary journey for the 41 year old Northern Ireland native. A decade and a half ago, she had never been elected to any position, yet now she occupies one of the most powerful roles in politics, overseeing a £3bn budget with authority spanning housing, health, policing and transport.

During her manifesto presentation a fortnight earlier, set to music from Oasis, the Charlatans and Happy Mondays, she pledged to build more affordable homes, freeze Metrolink fares and provide free bus travel for all youngsters aged 11 to 18.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News throughout the election period, Ms Craig recounted arriving in the city as an ‘unconfident’ 18 year old to attend Manchester University with ‘no money, no friends, no connections’.

“I moved here and found a place that’s friendly, that gave me opportunities,” she said. “This has always been about giving back and standing up for people who didn’t have a voice.”

She now has the opportunity to fulfil precisely that promise.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Coronation Street actress Vicky Myers has confirmed that she is planning to get married just months after she got hitched in stunning scenes on the iconic soap

Coronation Street actress Vicky Myers has announced her secret engagement, just three months after her character got married on screen. Vicky, 50, plays DS Lisa Connor-Swain on the hit ITV soap, and fans saw her tie the knot with Carla Connor (Alison King) back in April in scenes for the soap’s first ever female same-sex wedding.

With Vicky’s on-screen persona happily settled in her relationship, it seems her private life is also thriving as she has her own romantic story to tell. She confirmed that she is making plans to get married on social media sending a tweet with the news in after she was accused by a troll of keeping her boyfriend a secret.

Posting on X Vicky shared the news as she wrote: “He’s actually my fiancé.” The original message sent to her by the social media user has since been deleted after she clarified her romantic situation to them.

After reading her happy news, fans of the soap star rushed to reply to her and share their congratulations. One delighted fan wrote: “That’s really lovely. I wish you all the happiness in the world.”

A second said: “This is adorable, congratulations, ignore the hate hope we get to see you in your dress,” adding heart eye emojis. A third added: “Never feel you have to explain yourself to anyone but this is the best news so excited for you.”

Fans will be hoping to see Vicky’s big day go more smoothly than Lisa and Carla’s did as they were plagued by issues before finally exchanging vows. The couple almost couldn’t get married at all when their venue cancelled on them at the last minute.

They eventually got hitched in the factory Underworld. Vicky previously spoke about her on-screen wedding and how they decided to tie the knot in the unusual venue to save the day. She told Digital Spy: “It’s something that Ryan says, that Carla had said to him.

“It’s basically about how Carla just wants to marry Lisa. Any hour, any venue will do! And that sets something off in Lisa. She realises, well, we don’t need all of this big fuss, which Carla didn’t particularly want anyway.

“It was more about the intimacy between the two of them.”

Vicky has also appeared in several other TV shows over the years including Ackley Bridge, Casualty and Unforgotten.

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Cricket, by some metrics the world’s second most popular sport, has a penchant for producing rather peculiar scandals. UK-Australian relations were put under significant strain over the way that Harold Larwood, a coal miner from Nottinghamshire who could hurl cricket balls at batters very quickly, bowled at Don Bradman and the rest of his team in the 1932-33 “Bodyline” series. The tactic even resulted in a severe fractured skull for wicket-keeper Bert Oldfield. Nearly a century has passed, but cricketing aficionados still argue over it today.

Then there were the three Pakistani cricketers who were convicted for arranging to bowl no-balls in a 2010 match between England and Pakistan. The overall effect on the outcome of the match itself was minimal, but the scandal received a significant amount of global press coverage.

Plus, and in no particular order, we have had “sandpapergate”, a ball-tampering scandal ending with Australia’s then-captain, Steve Smith, tearfully apologising on television; the 1979 Dennis Lillee-inspired furore of whether it was right to use an aluminium cricket bat rather than a traditional wooden one; and the then-England captain Mike Atherton’s 1994 “dirt in the pocket” scandal concerning alleged attempts to make a cricket ball swing. That’s not even touching on the many other betting scandals that cricket has suffered.

But the recent “Clicky Ponting” affair, set in the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League, seems to be something else entirely. In July 2026, video footage emerged of Brian Devine, standing at first slip, apparently clicking his fingers to mimic the sound a cricket ball makes when hitting the edge of the bat.

Devine, it would appear, has allegedly been pulling off this trick (and duping umpires along the way) for quite some time. And Saltburn CC have been merrily getting batsmen out as a result. Devine has now been suspended by the club for the “foreseeable future”. Other punishments may follow.

No one has openly argued that the Saltburn players – you’d wonder whether at least some of Devine’s teammates must have been aware of this particular act – weren’t crossing a line. But it’s what this does (or doesn’t) say about cricket more broadly that’s the interesting part.

The spirit of cricket (in theory)

Cricket makes a real play of espousing something called the “spirit of cricket”. In the 1990s, two former international players, Ted Dexter and Colin Cowdrey, pushed for cricket to recognise that the game is always played within the correct “spirit”.

By 2000, a preamble to the laws (cricket is far too serious for there just to be rules) of the game argued that cricket should be played “not only within its Laws, but also within the Spirit of the Game”.

Cricket, in other words, sees itself as having a unique appeal. And that appeal rests firmly on the basis that the sport is somehow different to (read, better than) other sports. But the reality of how the game is actually played often doesn’t seem to mirror this.

Devine’s alleged behaviour is clearly not within the “spirit of the game”. But similar forms of cheating – punching the ball over a goalkeeper in a World Cup quarter-final, say, or pretending that you’ve been bloodied in a rugby union game to facilitate the use of a substitution you wouldn’t otherwise have been allowed to make – exist across all sports. I analyse these types of things in much more detail in my own work on the (lack of) integrity in modern football.

Yet those other sports don’t begin from the self-righteous starting position that their game is somehow different. The fact that cricketing umpires have no way of disciplining individuals on the field of play speaks to this. Umpires have neither yellow nor red cards (or any variant thereof) at their disposal. In a game where playing within the “spirit” is taken as a given, they just aren’t deemed necessary.

The spirit of cricket (in practice)

The one thing that debates around the spirit of cricket consistently reveal is a lack of consensus around what the “spirit” actually is. The principles are no doubt honourable, but legitimate practice on the field is shaped by the 42 laws of the game, which are interpreted by the umpires. They exercise judgement based on how they think the laws should apply in a given situation.

The only logical way of invoking something as nebulous as the spirit of cricket is to work out whether an act is taking place within the laws. If you don’t like the act in question, even though it’s deemed legal, you need to find a way of convincing those who oversee such things to change the laws. That doesn’t mean that there is no such thing as a spirit of cricket. But it cannot (and does not) exist independently of the laws of the game.

The thing that arguably irks most is that many within the cricketing community assume that cricket is unique in that regard. Sport is not played in a moral vacuum. Respect for your opponents and respect for the game is clearly evident across all sports. Take the badminton or tennis player who raises a hand in apology when a net cord goes their way. Or a rugby player who knocks their opponent flying, then offers a hand in getting them back on their feet. The playing of any sport requires – or should require – the combatants to treat each other with a bit of respect. That’s the basis of a better society all round.

Brian Devine’s alleged behaviour in Clickgate will be frowned upon by more or less everyone who follows sport. And rightly so. It also one more example of cricket players at all levels indulging in sharp practice and inappropriate behaviour. Yet cricket still seems to think it’s unique in being played differently. It isn’t. And it’s time cricket woke up and realised that.