Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, Eve Lepage, a reproductive health specialist at Clue, said she’d noticed more women receiving ADHD diagnoses during menopause and perimenopause.

“Oestrogen plays an important role in brain function, particularly in regulating dopamine, which is key for attention, motivation, and executive function,” she explained, adding that “hormonal changes can intensify symptoms”.

And now, King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London are working on a project called the Measuring Adult ADHD and Menstruation (MAAM) study.

They pointed out that while more boys receive ADHD diagnoses than girls, by the time women reach adulthood, the figures roughly even out.

But studies still underrepresent women with ADHD, so they wanted to look at “overlooked” topics, “including whether menstrual cycle hormonal changes make symptoms worse for women with ADHD”.

This first-of-its-kind research will ask women who take medication for ADHD to fill in questionnaires about their symptoms throughout their cycles for three months.

They’ll also use a smart ring, which participants will wear on their fingers, to “sense sleep patterns and physical activity”, which might make any links between ADHD symptoms and hormonal changes clearer.

“Many women with ADHD report their ADHD gets worse, or their medication doesn’t work as well, at certain times of their menstrual cycle. However, this has not been investigated in a research study,” King’s College London’s site reads.

They added that their findings could suggest women with ADHD need a different medication dosage depending on the stage of their cycle, that they might benefit from cycle tracking, and/or could benefit from sleep or exercise interventions.

A 2025 systematic review of 11 studies found “largely suggestive” evidence that hormone changes in women, e.g., during their menstrual cycle or menopause, may be linked to changes in ADHD symptoms.

There’s even evidence that perimenopause may begin earlier in people with ADHD.

But the authors of that 2025 review pointed out that “further research is needed to understand the relationship between sex hormones and ADHD symptoms and requires investigation of a wider range of hormonal milestones in females, including menopause.”

Here’s hoping research like MAAM can help to fill in existing blanks.

Andy Burnham should call a general election by early next year “at the latest” so Labour can defeat Nigel Farage and all-but kill off the Tories, according to a Theresa May’s former pollster.

James Johnson of JL Partners said the prime minister will never have a better opportunity to capitalise on the deep splits on the right of British politics.

He said even Lib Dem and Green “would rally around” Burnham if it was a straight fight for No.10 between him and Farage, which could hand Labour a Commons majority of more than 90 seats.

Writing in The Times, Johnson, who was former Tory PM May’s senior opinion research and strategy adviser, said: “The prime minister has ruled out calling an ‘early election’.

“But I believe a combination of factors mean Andy Burnham should go for a general election this year or, at the latest, early next.”

He said Labour “could quite easily win a sizeable majority” on just 30% of the vote, which would be even less than the 34% the party received at the last general election.

“It is the left uniting behind Burnham that would get him there,” he said. “He has far higher approval ratings than Starmer did among Green and Liberal Democrat voters.

“And there is one man wavering voters on the left fear more than any Tory: Farage.”

Johnson added: “A recent YouGov poll found that while Burnham has a 12-point advantage over Badenoch for who would make the best PM, Burnham is seen as a better PM than Farage by a 26-point margin.

“Among Green voters, Burnham has a 70-point advantage, among Liberal Democrats a 72-point advantage. They would rally around Burnham come a contest for the future of the country.”

Amid speculation that Farage may stand down as Reform leader before 2029, the latest point at which an election must be held, Johnson said Burnham should go to the country now.

He said: “Farage remains Reform’s best asset and if Farage goes, Reform goes with him.

“Rather than fight a resurgent Badenoch with a more united right in such a situation in 2029, Burnham would do better to use his Goldilocks moment.

“Farage is not too strong nor too weak — he is strong enough for Burnham to engineer a two-horse race but can be beaten.”

The pollster said that in such a scenario, Reform would win more than 100 seats – way up on the five MPs they returned in 2024 – but the Tories would slump from 121 seats to fewer than 100.

“Given the circumstances, it would also be a stonking result for Labour and could lead to a majority of more than 90 seats,” he said.

“If he throws the dice nationally, there are good odds he will win a large majority of his own, escape the manifesto trap he faces and scatter his opponents.

“Given the split on the right, he faces a unique set of circumstances. He would have not only his best shot at power but could relegate the Conservatives to a state of near-extinction.

“For a man built on Labour traditions, is there any stronger temptation than that?”

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.

Anne Hathaway is shrugging off the internet’s latest wild rumour about her.

The Devil Wears Prada star is having an absolutely massive 2026, with no fewer than five films hitting cinemas in the space of a year.

If that wasn’t exciting enough, the Oscar winner also recently confirmed that she and her husband Adam Shulman are expecting another baby.

Unfortunately, social media being the way it is in 2026, the US actor has recently found herself at the centre of speculation, mostly from bored TikTok users, suggesting that she’s actually faking her pregnancy.

It seems that Anne herself may have caught wind of this conversation, which she appeared to effortlessly shut down in a new Instagram post.

Sharing behind-the-scenes footage of herself at the premiere of her new film The End Of Oak Street, she joked in the caption: “Fake hair, real bump.”

“Enjoy the [End Of Oak Street] Block Party chaos with me as my outfit literally melts in the heat!!” she quipped.

So far this year, Anne has already received praise for her work in Mother Mary and The Devil Wears Prada 2, and she can currently be seen in action in one of the year’s biggest movie events, The Odyssey, in which she stars as Penelope, opposite Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Mia Goth.

During an interview with Extra while promoting her latest project, she said with a laugh that “two of the movies have done unbelievably well”, while the other was “very well-respected”.

Before the end of the year, Anne is also due to appear in Verity, a dark thriller based on the book of the same name by Colleen Hoover.

Even then, she’s not done, as next year she’s set to star alongside Adam Driver in the military drama Alone At Dawn, which is already in the post-production phase.

As the south of England enters the fifth (!!) heatwave of the year, you might be looking at your garden wondering whether some major changes are due in the years to come.

British summers are only going to get hotter and drier if Met Office data is anything to go by. The national weather and climate service noted the top five warmest summers on record have all happened since 2003.

Bone-dry lawns, withered shrubs and unbearably sunny spots are likely to become the norm in some gardens – especially in the south of England, which is currently facing hosepipe bans amid a persistent period of drought.

If you’re thinking about making a few changes to your yard so you can enjoy the outdoors come rain or extreme shine, three gardening experts have shared their top tips to heatwave-proof your outdoor space.

“Providing shade in gardens is going to be vital in hot summers to come to reduce temperatures and provide environments for other plants to grow at their bases,” Kate Gould, a landscape designer, told HuffPost UK.

Small trees are great for creating shade, she said, recommending: Malus sylvestris (European Crab Apple), Lagerstroemia indica (Crepe Myrtle) and Hibiscus syriacus, which can grow up to 4m tall.

Garden designer Agata Henderson recommends Japanese maples and ornamental cherries, too.

Parasols, pergolas and retractable awnings can also help offer much-needed shade.

If you’re looking to keep your back yard cool, Henderson recommends steering clear of artificial grass and composite decking or fencing which “retain a huge amount of heat”.

“Where possible, choose natural materials such as natural lawn, stone, gravel, bark mulch and timber fencing,” she said. “Not only do they stay noticeably cooler, but they also create a far more natural and wildlife-friendly garden.”

Similarly, if you’re planning a patio, steer clear of dark-coloured slabs. “Dark porcelain, black slate and other very dark materials absorb significant amounts of solar heat. During hot weather they can become so warm that walking barefoot becomes uncomfortable and, in extreme cases, may even cause minor burns,” she said.

“Lighter shades of natural limestone, sandstone or porcelain in soft beige and grey tones remain considerably cooler while creating a brighter, more inviting outdoor space.”

Kate Gould noted soil preparation is “the key ingredient to a flourishing garden”.

As summers warm up (and winters potentially get wetter), “adding structure in the form of organic matter [manure, compost, etc] to the soil will help retain moisture as well as the nutrients required for strong plant growth,” she added.

Rebecca Bevan, a garden researcher, shared with the National Trust that adding a 5cm deep layer of organic mulch to the surface of your soil when it’s moist in spring “will help conserve water in summer”.

In addition to using mulch to keep soil moist, Andy Simms, of MyBuilder.com, recommends investing in a water butt – especially as hosepipe bans become more common.

“They collect water during rainy periods, which you can use for your plants during periods of a potential hosepipe ban,” he explained.

Here’s our pick of some of the best water butts on the market.

Simms also suggested planting drought-resistant plants which “typically need much less water to survive than regular plants, and instead rely on special deep-root features to keep themselves going”.

“Lavender and rosemary are two common drought-resistant plants which are readily available, and should be planted around early spring, for full growth by summer,” he added.

Similarly, he advises considering drought tolerant grass. “It’s also worth remembering that most traditional garden lawns are quite thirsty, and may take up a lot of your attention during hot weather,” he added.

“Drought-tolerant grass, however, is available. Festuca arundinacea – or tall fescue – is particularly effective during dry periods due to its long roots, which can stretch to water sources beyond the reach of other grasses.

“Try to replace your grass before the hot season, though. While the job itself should only take a few days, you’ll need to water it every day for two weeks afterwards to help it establish new roots.”

As a garden designer, Henderson said one of the biggest mistakes she sees is “placing the main seating area in the sunniest part of the garden”.

If you’re thinking about landscaping in the coming months, observe where the sun and shade fall throughout the day – and think about when you’re most likely to use the garden.

“For many families, the garden is used most after work, making an evening sun terrace far more practical than a patio that bakes in full sun all afternoon,” she said. “As we get older, many of us also become less tolerant of prolonged heat, making shaded seating areas increasingly valuable.”

Make sure your garden has a mix of both sunny and shades places to sit. If you’re planning on getting a new lawn laid, the expert suggests doing it in spring – or “a month of two before the heatwave destroys it” – so that it stands a chance of growing back when the rain hits come autumn.

Listen, before we get started… we’re about to get into some major spoilers. Proper big ones.

So, if you still haven’t watched the House Of The Dragon finale yet, what we’d recommend is popping a little bookmark on this page, and coming back once you have. See you in a bit!

OK, for everyone else, let’s get into it.

As you’ll now know, the most recent instalment of House Of The Dragon, which brought an end to the third season, was a particularly action-packed one, setting the scene nicely for the fourth and final run, which we can probbaly expect to hit our screens in 2028.

One such example would be the death of Phia Saban’s character Helaena Targaryen, who jumped to her own death after being imprisoned by Rhaenyra (and, in a particularly gruesome touch, died after being impaled by spikes at the bottom of her fall).

During a subsequent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Phia revealed that she got a call from the Game Of Thrones prequel’s showrunner Ryan Condal to warn her about her character’s fate.

“I sort of saw it coming, really,” she admitted. “And also, I think I was having less formal conversations with the people who make the show and was being like, ‘Come on, I know when I’m gonna die’. And they were like, ‘Yeah’.”

She continued: “But Ryan did give me the official call, which is quite exhilarating and exciting, really, because you know that you’re building towards something.

“And also, I feel quite honoured to die on TV in this universe. So it’s a bit of a bucket list.”

Variety reported that Ryan Condal recently told the press that he’d been “taking time off” from the fantasy world of Westeros while season three was airing, as he “needed to step away from all of this”.

However, he noted that he’s already handed a first draft of the season four opener to HBO, insisting: “We have an incredible season coming. As crazy and big as season three was, I think season four is going to be even bigger.”

Sir Rod Stewart has pulled out of two live shows in the space of a week on medical grounds.

The 81-year-old crooner had been booked to perform in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday night, but postponed the show that morning “due to an unforeseen but minor medical procedure that required prompt attention”.

In a statement posted by the venue, it was said that “rescheduling is currently underway”, and that Sir Rod is “expected to make a quick recovery and looks forward to returning to Cincinnati”.

Following this, the Maggie May star also cancelled a show that was scheduled in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday night.

“Following a period of monitoring, doctors have advised Rod Stewart to rest for at least 48 hours,” Cleveland’s Rocket Arena said on their website, adding: “Rod is disappointed to miss the show and appreciates everyone’s understanding. He looks forward to returning to the stage soon.”

HuffPost UK has contacted Sir Rod Stewart’s team for comment.

Sir Rod is currently in the middle of his One Last Time tour, which has taken him across Europe and the US.

In 2024, he maintained that he has “no desire to retire” but told fans this would probably mark the end of him performing “large-scale world tours”.

He wrote on social media: “I love what I do, and I do what I love. I’m fit, have a full head of hair, and can run 100 meters in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79.

“I’d like to move onto a Great American Songbook, Swing Fever tour the year after next-smaller venues and more intimacy…”

“But then again, I may not,” he added, signing off his message: “The ambiguous Sir Rod Stewart.”

The Grammy winner previously teased to TalkSport that he’d be taking part in a UK tour in 2027, including a date at London’s iconic O2 Arena, “and that’ll probably be it, I think”.

Back in June, Sir Rod was forced to briefly pause a live performance in West Valley City, Utah so he could be administered with an oxygen mask.

Andy Burnham has ordered one of his top ministers to find a way to keep the killers of PC Andrew Harper in prison.

The prime minister wants justice secretary Alex Norris to “work through further options” to prevent the early release of Jessie Cole and Albert Bower.

They were sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2000, but are due to be freed in January under controversial measures to stop prisons running out of spaces.

Burnham has been hit with a furious backlash since it emerged that Norris and Cole would benefit from the early release scheme.

On Monday, Downing Street said it was “not possible” to exempt “one or two offenders” convicted of manslaughter from the scheme.

However, Norris will now look at ways to keep “a greater number of the the most serious offenders” behind bars.

A government spokesperson said: “The prime minister has asked the justice secretary to work through further options to keep a greater number of the most serious offenders in prison, including the killers of PC Harper.”

PC Harper was fatally injured when he got caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and was dragged down a country road as the killers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.

Burnham announced he was pausing the early release scheme two weeks ago following public anger.

It was then announced that those convicted of rape, serious child sex offences and grooming offences would not be included in the scheme – but that meant that Cole and Bower would still be released.

Last week, the PM said he had “pushed to the very limits of what is possible to do without risking the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing”.

However, more than 880,000 people have signed a petition calling for PN Harper’s killers to remain in jail.

A government source told The Times: “[Burnham] has never accepted that he would be forced to choose between perpetrators of rape, grooming and the killers of police officers.

“The public wasn’t satisfied with that answer and neither was he.

“He has never accepted the line that it is impossible to prevent the release of the most serious offenders and has continued to push the system on a daily basis.

“He is now increasingly confident that a solution can be found to prevent the release of the killers of PC Harper.

“He has asked the justice secretary to present a plan to parliament that keeps a greater number of the most serious offenders in prison, including the killers of PC Harper.”

The early release changes were part of the Sentencing Act passed earlier this year that cut the minimum amount of time many offenders would have to spend in prison.

Those freed will face tougher probation conditions, including electronic monitoring, random drug testing and possible bans from driving, pubs and events such as football matches.

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.