Kelly Clarkson said goodbye for good from “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Monday – and she made the moment count. (Watch the video below.)

As she closed out her seven-year run, the daytime host welcomed her son, Remington, 10, and daughter, River, 12, onstage one last time and gave helpful advice to her audience.

It came therapist-approved – from the singer’s own mental health professional, apparently.

“For seven years, I’ve ended each episode by saying, ‘Have a great day. And if it’s not, change it,’” Clarkson began. “I say that because, while we have to accept that life is totally out of our control, each moment, though, truly depends on how we choose to respond and react to it. ‘You don’t have to attend the negative party you were invited to,’ I’ve been told by a therapist. So there ya go.”

Clarkson reinforced her point as she savored the waning moments of her show.

“If you remind yourself once a day that you have that choice to respond [with] how you really want to be and who you really are inside, I promise that habit is gonna become a part of you, and your life will respond to you in return.”

Then it was truly time to say goodbye.

“I loved being in your homes each day,” Clarkson said, eventually pivoting to her signature ending one last time.

“Have a great day, and if it’s not – change it!” she said as audience members joined in.

Thanks for the rec, Kelly.

Clarkson announced the end of her show in February after a tumultuous 2025 in which Brandon Blackstock, her ex-husband and the father of River and Remington, died of cancer at 48.

The former “American Idol” champ can still be seen on TV as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice” starting Sept. 21.

Once your parents, grandparents or other older adults in your life reach a certain age, it’s natural to become hypervigilant about their changing health, wanting to catch any potential issues as soon as possible. (Not to mention, it makes you more self-aware about your own signs of aging.) Certainly, that includes being aware of the early signs of dementia.

Though there is no cure for dementia (which is an umbrella term describing multiple forms of cognitive impairment, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common type), there are treatments that can slow progression so those who have it can have a better quality of life for longer. While memory problems are the hallmark symptom of dementia that many people focus on, it’s not the only early sign of dementia. Certain changes in eating habits and mealtime can also be signs of dementia.

“As a neurologist who has spent decades studying brain health and memory, one of the most common questions I get from families is this: ‘My mother has started eating strangely. Does that mean she has Alzheimer’s?’” Dr. Majid Fotuhi, a neurologist, adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Mind/Brain Institute, and author of “The Invincible Brain,” told HuffPost.

Fotuhi explained that the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes-or-no, but there are specific changes that often serve as a tell. Below are five changes in eating habits that can be signs of dementia, according to neurologists.

Futuhi emphasised that if someone you love develops new and unusual eating habits but their memory, judgment and daily functioning otherwise seem fine, that alone should not make you worry about Alzheimer’s. He explained that the changes could be an indication of something else, such as depression, anxiety, a side effect from medication or dental problems.

“This is exactly why a distinct and lasting change in eating behaviour deserves a proper medical evaluation rather than a guess,” Fotuhi said, adding that any changes in eating habits should be evaluated by a medical professional. With that in mind, below are five changes in eating habits to be on the lookout for.

“One of the earliest changes families might describe is that their loved one who cooked elaborate meals for decades starts making simpler dishes, then stops cooking altogether,” said Dr. Joel Salinas, a clinical associate professor of neurology at New York University Langone Health and chief medical officer at Isaac Health. Salinas pointed out that complex meals require planning and sequencing, skills that dementia affects. Dr. Adam Mednick, a neurologist and the author of “Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: From Diagnosis to Treatment,” added that having trouble planning, shopping for and preparing meals can be early signs of dementia.

Just because someone stops cooking elaborate meals doesn’t mean they have dementia. But when accompanied by the other signs shared here, it’s something to be mindful of.

All three neurologists shared that losing interest in food is a common symptom of dementia, and there are several reasons why it happens. Fotuhi told HuffPost that changes in the brain can lead to loss of smell, which reduces the pleasure of eating, since much of what we experience as taste actually comes from smell. Salinas said this too, explaining, “Reduced smell strips much of the pleasure from food. Someone with dementia may describe meals as bland or flat.”

People with dementia are also at higher risk of experiencing depression, which Fotuhi said can blunt interest in activities, including mealtime. On top of that, all three experts point out that mealtime requires using utensils and maintaining conversations at the same time, which can feel stressful to someone with dementia. “A noisy, overstimulating, or unappealing setting makes this worse by making it harder to focus and engage,” Mednick added.

Since dementia impacts memory, all three neurologists say that it can lead to forgetting to eat or forgetting that they’ve already eaten. Part of what makes this even more likely is that dementia impacts the body’s hunger and fullness cues.

“Dementia makes it difficult to interpret the body’s internal signals for hunger and fullness and to connect them to external cues, such as the time of day or the sight of food,” Mednick said. He explained that damage to the brain regions that regulate appetite can blunt the drive to eat, while memory loss can cause someone to forget to eat, forget they just ate, or no longer recognise or communicate that they are hungry. “The result can go either way, leading to eating too little or, in some cases, overeating,” he said.

Even for someone without dementia, answering the whole “what’s for dinner?” question can be challenging. As the doctors explained earlier, mealtime requires planning, shopping and preparation. This, they shared, is why it’s common for people with dementia to eat the same meals or foods repeatedly.

“When thinking becomes effortful, every decision has a cost, and eating the same meal removes one decision from the day. Familiar foods are also predictable, which can feel safer when so much else feels uncertain,” Salinas said.

Fotuhi agreed, explaining that the same rigidity often shows up in other areas of life at the same time, such as insisting on the same daily schedule or the same clothing.

“A shift toward sweets is by far the most consistently reported change,” Mednick said, explaining that this change likely stems from damage to the brain’s reward and impulse-control circuits.

Fotuhi said that a newly developed sweet tooth is most common in those with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which is a distinct group of brain disorders that damage the frontal and temporal lobes. “The frontal lobe normally helps us regulate impulses and food choices. When it is damaged, that regulation weakens, and a strong pull toward sweet and starchy foods often emerges, sometimes dramatically,” he explained.

If you are a caregiver or loved one to someone with dementia who is experiencing these changes in eating habits, confronting these new hurdles can feel overwhelming. But there are ways you can make mealtime less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone.

Instead of pressuring your loved one to eat, Alison Neov, a registered dietitian specialising in geriatric nutrition, told HuffPost that it’s more effective to focus on creating a positive mealtime environment. You can do this by keeping meals on a consistent schedule and serving foods you know they like.

Neov said she finds it helpful to offer smaller meals and avoid overcrowding the plate with food. “A large meal can be overwhelming when your appetite is low,” she said. If using utensils is a struggle, Neov and Salinas both said that serving finger foods, like sliced chicken with a dipping sauce or a sandwich cut into fours, can be helpful.

If possible, Neov recommends eating meals together. “Sometimes a person with dementia may struggle with a familiar task like eating, and seeing someone else pick up a fork and start eating can remind them to do the same,” she said.

A set table indicates that it’s time to eat. To avoid confusion, Neov told HuffPost that it’s best to keep the table set only at mealtime, something she said is especially helpful if someone is eating too frequently. Between mealtimes, keep the table cleared to signal that it’s not time to eat.

When it is time to eat, Neov recommends eliminating other distractions, such as having the TV on.

As the neurologists explained earlier, one of the eating changes that often happens with dementia is a craving for sweet, carb-dense foods. “It’s also OK if your loved one is not eating perfectly. The emphasis at this time is on making sure that they are eating enough calories and maintaining their weight. If they are only willing to eat a few different foods, I would rather see them eating enough than worry about whether every food choice is perfectly nutritious,” Neov said.

Instead of taking away the foods they seem to be interested in Neov shared that it can be more effective to find ways to enhance them. “For example, you can make a delicious smoothie with nutrient-dense ingredients that tastes like a milkshake. My favourite combination is yogurt, frozen fruit, banana, nut butter, and a splash of milk or water,” she said.

Neov shared that pairing not-so-healthy foods with healthier options (like fruit, vegetables, and nuts) is another way to add nutritional value to snacks that are nutritionally lacking.

Navigating changes in eating habits can be challenging, so don’t be afraid to reach out for help, either to your loved one’s healthcare provider or a registered dietitian specialising in geriatrics. “They can provide you with strategies to help keep mealtimes stress-free and also as nourishing as possible,” Neov said.

Changes in eating habits don’t mean that someone definitely has dementia, but they do deserve a medical evaluation. Before jumping to conclusions, the first step is making an appointment with a healthcare provider. That way, you’ll truly know how you can offer your support.

Vladimir Putin is trying to “get Britain stressing” over the possibility Russia could target the UK, according to a BBC expert.

It comes after Germany confirmed Russia was responsible for last month’s drone attack at Leipzig airport in a worrying sign that Putin’s war in Ukraine was reaching into other countries.

The BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg suggested the Kremlin leader was now deliberately using “psychological pressure” to intimidate the UK over its support for Kyiv, too.

When asked by a journalist if military industrial facilities in the UK could become Russian targets – as Putin’s ally Andrei Fedorov said last week – Putin told the media on Tuesday: “That is classified. A military secret.”

Rosenberg told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he could not say with “100%” accuracy what the Russian autocrat meant by those words.

But he added: “My impression is the aim of that short sentence was psychological pressure, to keep Britain guessing, to get Britain stressing, stressing out about Russia’s intentions, and maybe to encourage Britain to think twice before being such a staunch supporter of Ukraine.”

He pointed out that a Russian newspaper recently claimed Andy Burnham should see Putin not in his dreams but “in his nightmares”.

“It doesn’t mean that Russian missiles are about to come raining down on UK defence facilities,” Rosenberg said. “But having said that, yesterday we did hear Germany’s interior minister talking about the well-established pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe.

“There may well be concern in the UK that Russia could step up hybrid activity in Britain [like] hybrid attacks, sabotage, or covert operations.”

However, he noted: “Over the last four and a half years we have heard from Moscow to the west many warnings, many threats.

“We’ve witnessed much saber-rattling here.”

He added that Putin was even issuing threats to foreign nations on the day he invaded Ukraine, warning they would face intense consequences if they supported Kyiv.

So far, UK prime minister Burnham has shrugged off the heightened rhetoric coming from the Kremlin.

Moscow accused Burnham of adding “fuel to the fire” of the Ukraine war last week over the PM’s decision to give Kyiv key missile blueprints.

The PM replied: “Who started the fire? That’s the question, isn’t it.”

Putin has also deflected any blame over the drone attack at Germany’s Leipzig airport, claiming Berlin had planted evidence to blame Moscow.

He had no proof to back up his claim.

Rosenberg said: “Russia’s reaction is as you might expect: denial, and prolific finger-pointing the other way. In other words, Russia accusing the accuser.”

“We’ve seen this kind of reaction many times before whenever Russia is accused by something by western governments,” the specialist noted, pointing to Moscow’s reaction when accused over the Salisbury poisonings.

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Zack Polanksi has dropped his heaviest hint yet that he will stand for the Greens in the crunch Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

The party’s leader said the contest – triggered by Keir Starmer’s resignation yesterday – would be “a referendum on ending rip-off Britain” as he launched a bitter attack on the former prime minister.

A Green Party spokesman on Tuesday refused to rule out Polanski would be a candidate, pointing out “he has always made it clear he would like to be a London MP”.

Speaking as he marked his first anniversary as Green leader, Polanksi said: “The Holborn and St Pancras by-election will be a referendum on ending rip-off Britain. Only the Greens have a real plan for real hope and change.

“We will announce our candidate in due course and they will set out an exciting agenda for the deep change our country needs.

“I am proud of what I have achieved in the first year of my leadership of the Green Party but it is just the start.

“I am very excited for the next chapter for myself, for the Greens and for people across the country.”

Taking aim at Starmer, Polanski attacked his decision to remove winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners, initially keeping the two-child benefit cap and trying to cut the welfare bill.

“He wanted people to honour him for being an international statesman but his pick for US ambassador was Peter Mandelson, friend and confidant to the world’s most notorious paedophile,” the Green leader said.

“He allowed Donald Trump to use air bases in the UK to wage his war on Iran, while cutting international aid to low-income countries.

“Worst of all, he said Israel had the right to cut off water and power to Gaza as part of his government’s ongoing support for the genocide of the Palestinian people.

“And back in the UK he made it a crime to oppose this genocide, locking up scores of peaceful protesters.

“This is not a legacy to be proud of, it is a legacy of shame. One that only the Greens can draw a line under and offer a real alternative.”

No date has been set yet for the by-election, although it is likely to take place at some point in the autumn.

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Fewer than a fifth of Brits think Nigel Farage looks like a prime minister-in-waiting, according to a new poll.

YouGov has found that just 19% believe the Reform UK leader is ready for No.10, a drop of seven points from just June.

In a further blow to Farage, two-thirds of the public – including more than a quarter of Reform voters – think he is not capable of doing the top job at all.

Farage’s net favourability has fallen down to -44 as well, having peaked at -27 last summer.

Support for his performance as Reform leader has also plummeted by a staggering 51 points from +18 this time last year to -33.

When YouGov asked the public to describe the Reform leader in three of their own words, the pollsters found the words “racist” (15%) and liar” (12%) came up most often.

A further 8% described him as dishonest, corrupt or crooked, untrustworthy or unreliable (7%), self-serving (6%) or sleazy or dodgy (5%).

Approximately 60% of Brits told YouGov they see the wider Reform party as untrustworthy, serving their own interests, prejudiced and extreme.

The findings came the Reform leader was sworn back into the Commons after winning the Clacton by-election against comedy candidate Count Binface.

Farage triggered the contest earlier in the summer by choosing to stand down as an MP amid heightened scrutiny over his finances.

His return means the parliamentary probe into the undeclared £5 million donation he received from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne before the 2024 general election will now resume.

The More in Common think tank also confirmed on Tuesday that Reform had slumped to third place behind Labour and the Tories.

The survey put Labour in the lead on 26%, three points ahead of the Conservatives, with Reform a point behind on 22%.

It is Reform’s lowest vote share since January 2025, and the first time they have been behind the Tories in 18 months – a bleak result for the right-wing party shortly before their annual conference in Birmingham this weekend.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.