As speculation mounts over who will be taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as hosts of Strictly Come Dancing, two big names may have just revealed themselves as the show’s new presenters.

Earlier this week, Strictly confirmed its line-up of professionals and judges for 2026, following the departure of five pro dancers from the show in recent history.

Under a post on Strictly’s official page announcing the full cast of returning stars, fans on the show’s Reddit thread noticed something notable in the comments.

According to screenshots shared by one fan, both Zoe Ball and Angela Scanlon had posted comments, sparking rumours that they will be teaming up to present Strictly when it returns to our screens later this year.

Fuelling this speculation even further, both Zoe and Angela’s comments were replied to by resident judge Motsi Mabuse, who will be back on the panel on the new season of Strictly.

Both Zoe and Angela’s names were featured on a shortlist of stars shared in the tabloid press last month, believed to have made it through to the final rounds of screen tests for the coveted gig.

Zoe did little to dispel the rumours about her taking over as the new host of Strictly during a recent conversation on her podcast, while Angela found herself at the centre of even more speculation about Strictly when she was recently unveiled as a new addition to the BBC’s Eurovision Song Contest presenting team.

A BBC spokesperson told HuffPost UK on Friday morning: “Plans for Strictly Come Dancing 2026 will be confirmed in due course.”

Having competed on Strictly herself more than 20 years ago, where she made it to the final of its third season, Zoe took over from Claudia as the host of companion series It Takes Two in 2011, presenting it for 10 years.

She also briefly co-hosted the main show with Tess back in 2014, when Claudia Winkleman was unavailable due to a family emergency.

Like Zoe, Angela is also a former Strictly contestant, finishing in fifth place back in 2023.

Broadcasting legend and all-round national treasure Sir David Attenborough is now 100 years old, as of Friday.

Ahead of the big day, the BBC unveiled big plans to mark the centenary birthday of one of its most beloved stars, with Sir David admitting he was “overwhelmed” by the love that he’d been shown in the lead-up to his birthday.

“I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas,” Sir David quipped in a recorded message shared by the BBC on Thursday.

He continued: “I have been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings, from pre-school groups to care home residents, and countless individuals and families of all ages.

Sir David noted that while he “can’t reply to each of you separately”, he wanted to “thank you all most sincerely for your kind messages, and wish those of you who have planned your own local events”:

“Have a very happy day,” he added.

Initially known for his work behind the scenes at the BBC, implementing changes that are still commonplace today, Sir David is now renowned for his on-camera appearances in nature shows like Planet Earth and Blue Planet.

He’s also outspoken on issues like climate change and the environment, which have informed his work in his later years.

Over the years, Sir David has won multiple Baftas and Emmys for his on-screen work, and is one of only a few public figures to have received a second knighthood, being appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael And St George by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 for his services to television and conservation.

Sir David’s most recent on-screen work has included the BBC series Secret Garden, which came to an end last week, and Wild London, exploring the natural world in the UK capital, in addition to collaborations with both Netflix and Apple TV+.

Bonnie Tyler is in an induced coma after undergoing intestinal surgery.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that the chart-topping musician had been rushed to a hospital near her home in Faro, Portugal, to undergo an emergency procedure.

At the time, Bonnie’s spokesperson said the operation had gone “well” and that she was “now recuperating” in hospital.

The following day, the Holding Out For A Hero singer’s representatives issued a fresh statement, which read: “Bonnie has been put into an induced coma by her doctors to aid her recovery.

“We know that you all wish her well and ask for privacy at this difficult time please. We will issue a further statement when we are able to.”

Bonnie – whose legal name is Gaynor Hopkins – first rose to prominence in the late 1970s with the singles Lost In France and It’s A Heartache.

In the years that followed, the Welsh performer became synonymous with her hits like Holding Out For A Hero, the number one single Total Eclipse Of The Heart and a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain?.

Over the course of her music career, Bonnie has released 18 studio albums, most recently in 2021, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards.

She also received an MBE from the late Queen Elizabeth II for services to music in 2022.

In 2013, she was chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest with her song Believe In Me.

Her song finished in 19th place at Eurovision, which was held in Malmö, Sweden that year.

The 74-year-old is currently scheduled to play a spring of European festival shows this summer, before embarking on an anniversary tour to mark a half-century since the release of her breakthrough hit Lost In France later this year.

When you think of conditions like depression, you might think of periods of intense sadness.

That can certainly be a part of it. But depression can manifest in other ways, too, including anhedonia, where you feel numb and devoid of many feelings at all.

Anhedonia “has been recognised as a critical feature of major depressive disorder,” affecting as many as 90% of those with depression, recent research published in JAMA Network Open found.

Treatment for depression has typically focused on reducing negative emotions, but hasn’t really addressed anhedonia.

Some people with mental illnesses like depression have said they were more interested in feeling positive emotions than they were in stopping the negative ones completely.

So, to help test that theory, researchers looked into positive affect treatment (also known as PAT).

PAT is designed to activate the brain’s reward system. It can involve activities which train the mind to focus on gratitude, joy, connection, and “loving kindness”, and encourage rewarding activities.

“Reward learning is promoted by strengthening the association between positive behaviours and enhanced mood and by encouraging self-attribution for positive outcomes,” the paper reads.

It’s not so much about discussing negative emotions directly, also known as “negative affect”.

This randomised controlled trial included 98 people with severe anhedonia, depression and anxiety. PAT lasted 15 sessions.

Compared to the same amount of more traditional “negative affect” treatments (NAT), participants who’d had PAT saw a greater reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms.

They also appeared to experience more positive emotions and fewer negative ones, which study co-author and psychologist Dr Alicia E. Meuret told The Washington Post surprised her.

“We expected that PAT would be better for improving positive affect, anhedonia, and NAT would be better for decreasing negative affect. But in all cases, PAT was superior. That was a really important finding,” she said – and it’s something she and her team have been able to replicate thrice.

Benefits seemed to last, too. “Clinical status improved more rapidly with PAT than NAT, with superior outcomes [one month later],” the paper said.

We can’t say for sure, and it’s important to note that many research-backed approaches use elements of NAT.

Additionally, both NAT and PAT gave participants benefits in this study.

But study co-author and psychologist Dr Meuret said: “There’s a difference between feeling helpless and feeling hopeless.

“When you feel helpless, you still have the drive and the will to want to change things. When people feel hopeless, they don’t believe anything will change. That’s what anhedonia can look like, and taking away negative emotions doesn’t fix it.”

She added that “it’s not enough to take away the bad” and ended: “Treatment needs to ask: Is this activity meaningful to you? Will it give you joy or a sense of accomplishment? Does it foster connection?”

• Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
• Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
• CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
• The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
• Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.

I stopped in my tracks today when I read that almost half (45%) of mothers are deliberately dehydrating themselves before doing an activity or going out post-birth because of the risk of bladder leaks.

The finding is from a survey of 2,000 birthing parents by ethical period and bladder care brand Grace & Green, which also found that almost 40% of respondents avoid wearing certain colours or clothing because of fears over leaks, and one-quarter of mums stopped having sex in the fourth trimester because of it.

Just over one in 10 (13%) said they stopped exercising or doing hobbies, and a further 13% felt unable to play with their children.

These stats are certainly something I can relate to – and I’m sure many reading this will, too. After having my first baby, I swiftly realised my pelvic floor was not working as it should. A simple sneeze could result in disaster.

Yet, other than being told to do pelvic floor exercises (which was pretty vague – and I had no idea if I was doing them correctly until I went for a Mummy MOT years later), there was very little support in getting that part of my body back up to speed. Much of the focus was on how my baby was doing.

Hydration is crucial in those first three months after giving birth – not only does drinking plenty of water help to support breast milk production, but it helps with healing, and supports digestive health (post-birth constipation is no joke).

Tiffany Sequeira, a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist, noted that “avoiding hydration and activity can actually worsen bladder symptoms and delay healing”.

“Incontinence after birth is common, but shouldn’t be a source of suffering, and women should be supported to access the help and treatment they deserve,” she added.

Roughly one in three women experience urinary incontinence three months after pregnancy, around one in seven experience anal incontinence six months after birth, and one in 12 women report symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse (where the pelvic organs sag into the vagina).

Grace & Green’s survey revealed for 43% of respondents, bladder leaks remain an ongoing problem, with a significant impact on their quality of life.

Despite this, many push their needs to the side. Only around two in five (39%) of those affected have spoken to their GP or a medical professional about it, while even fewer (36%) have discussed it with their partner.

Almost one in five (18%) haven’t told a soul.

If you’re struggling with leaks, pelvic floor exercises can (and do) help strengthen your muscles after birth (there’s a run-down of how to do them on the NHS website). You can also try investing in a pelvic floor trainer.

However, if you’re finding you’re still struggling with leaks, speak to your GP and ask for a referral to a physiotherapist.

If the wait list is long, it might be worth seeing which private services are available near you (find a professional here), or booking in for a Mummy MOT.

Keir Starmer is facing fresh calls to quit as a surge in support for Reform UK left Labour facing local election humiliation.

Early results in England showed Nigel Farage’s party making major gains at the expense of both Labour and the Conservatives.

With around one-fifth of council results declared by 5am, Labour had already lost nearly 200 councillors, with Reform gaining nearly 300.

Labour had so far lost control of five councils, including Tameside in former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s constituency.

In Wigan, the seat held by culture secretary Lisa Nandy, Labour lost all 22 of the seats it was defending, and Reform gaining 24 of the 25 seats up for grabs.

Even in those councils where Labour have held on to overall control, support for the party has collapsed while Reform have surged.

The early results confirmed Labour’s worst fears that they could suffer close to 2,000 losses in England overall.

Labour MP Jonathan Brash, whose wife was among the party’s councillors to lose her seat on Hartlepool Council, said: “It’s been a terrible night for the Labour Party.

“What I’ve seen here is extraordinarily good, hardworking Hartlepool people lose their seats. I’ve seen canvassers working night and day in this election and it’s all been for nought, and the reason has nothing to do with them.

“The reality is that we need change at the top of the Labour Party. I think the very best thing the prime minister could do now is to address the nation tomorrow to set out a timetable for his departure.

“We can then have an orderly transition, one that ensures that the full breadth of talent of the Labour Party is able to stand should it want to.”

But justice minister Sarah Sackman dismissed Brash’s suggestion.

She told Sky News: “You’ve got to go with the plan, not with the mood. We won a landslide victory [at the last general election] on the promise of change. We have to embody that change, we need to embody the need to modernise our public services, to be on people’s side, to change the status quo.”

With the Tories also on course for major losses, Farage said “what you’re witnessing is an historic change in British politics”.

He said: “Forget left-right, there is no more left-right, it’s gone, it’s out of the window, it’s finished. As you can see we are scoring stunning percentages in traditional old Labour areas.

“We’re way exceeding anything that I thought, this is happening right across the north. What you’ll see tomorrow is the same pattern repeated across the south … It is the most huge change in British politics.”

The early results confirmed that it is going to be a good night for the Green Party, whose leader Zack Polanski also called on the prime minister to go.

He said: “I’ve made it clear that we are here not just to be disappointed by Labour, but to replace them. These early results indicate that voters want to see that change too. That is why Keir Starmer has to listen to the people and go.”

With dozens of English councils still to declare, and counting not even having begun yet in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd elections, things could still get far worse for Labour.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice told the BBC that both Labour and the Tories “are losing seats at a scale that is towards the higher end of what they feared”.

Labour peer and skills minister Jacqui Smith told the BBC: “We understand the frustration that people feel, and the challenge for us is to keep delivering on that change, building on the things that have already happened … but talk about the future of this country with more optimism than we’ve managed to do up to this point.”

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We’ve all been there: you’re getting a bus or train home after a long day at work, and someone’s blaring their music out of their phone speaker, or taking an obnoxiously loud phone call that you can hear every word of.

It’s annoying, and quite frankly, rude.

Speaking exclusively to HuffPost UK, former Royal butler Grant Harrold, said: “There are many basic rules we’re meant to follow on [systems like] the Tube, including giving up our seat to someone more in need and moving right down the carriage.”

However, there are some extra things you should avoid doing if you really want to be the perfect traveller when it comes to riding public transport.

“Don’t play your music without headphones; the other passengers won’t necessarily care for your Taylor Swift or Spice Girls playlist,” Harrold warned.

“You spent a lot of money on those fancy headphones – use them.”

“Avoid eating or drinking anything smelly or with a strong odour, wait until you’re out of the train, [and] keep your tinned fish closed! Otherwise, fellow passengers may think they’ve entered a fish market,” the ex-butler told us.

Harrold thinks dress codes should be maintained, even on public transport.

“Wearing pyjamas or a onesie is not an option unless you plan on spending the night” on the train or bus, he said.

“Also, we all know certain lines get unbearably hot during the summer – but gentlemen, please resist the urge to take your top off.”

This is not your private space, the etiquette expert stressed. “When travelling with friends, please keep conversation appropriate, as you don’t know who is around you,” he said.

“The elderly couple next to you don’t want to hear about your cheeky weekend antics.”

“Apart from the fact that it will cut you off – which is bad etiquette towards whoever you’re chatting with – nobody else needs to hear about your life stories or the cream you just bought for your bottom,” Harrold ended.

If it’s urgent, “keep it as short as you can and use your headphones”.