Generally, I’m not a fan of any “self-optimisation” project that involves an excess of suffering.

For instance, I’m still not convinced the benefits of ice baths are worth the pain (science seems to be with me on that one). I’m profoundly at peace with my choice to avoid the Berkeley Marathon, too – especially considering that the health benefits of running seem to be about the same at 10km a week as at longer distances.

So, I hope you’ll forgive me for being sceptical about the benefits of cold showers. For a while, it felt like unnecessary discomfort, be it from fasting or freezing plunges, was being pushed as the only way to boost our mood, health, and lifespan. And frankly, I have enough friction in my life already.

But recently, our boiler broke down, meaning I had no choice but to endure cold showers for several mornings in a row while waiting for it to be fixed. To my surprise, I have actually noticed a better mood and slightly less post-run pain.

Was that in my heatwave-addled head, or did I judge cold showers too quickly?

Here, we spoke to Dr Donald Grant, GP and senior clinical advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, to sort the fact from the fiction.

“Cold water showers have attracted a lot of attention in recent years, and while some of the claims surrounding them are certainly exaggerated, there is some science to suggest they can offer genuine benefits for certain people,” Dr Grant said.

“The sudden exposure to cold water triggers the body’s stress response, increasing alertness and releasing hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, which can leave people feeling more energised” and in a better mood, he added.

One paper suggested exposure to cold water could make you feel less anxious, though it said we’re not exactly sure how.

As for my muscle recovery, Dr Grant said: “There is evidence that cold exposure can help reduce inflammation and temporarily ease discomfort by narrowing blood vessels and limiting swelling,” though he stressed it’s no substitiute for science-backed staples like “adequate sleep, good nutrition and staying hydrated”.

Overall, the doctor told us, “Many of the broader claims that cold showers dramatically boost immunity, accelerate weight loss or significantly improve overall health are currently supported by limited or mixed evidence.

“While regular cold exposure may have some positive effects, the benefits are unlikely to be as dramatic as they’re often portrayed online.”

Good news, because I’m still very much looking forward to the return of hot water.

Not always, and not for everyone.

“Cold showers may be worth considering for generally healthy adults who enjoy them, particularly those looking for a natural way to feel more alert in the morning or support recovery after exercise.

“However, they aren’t essential for good health, and there’s no need for people to force themselves to endure them if they find the experience unpleasant,” Dr Grant stated.

And for people with cardiovascular conditions, uncontrolled high blood pressure or certain respiratory conditions, sudden freezing water can “temporarily raise blood pressure and place additional strain on the heart”.

Older adults and people who experience dizziness or feeling faint should also speak to a medical professional before making cold showers a habit, the GP added.

If you want to give it a go, the key is to start slowly.

“If you’re interested in trying cold showers, it’s best to ease into them gradually rather than jumping straight into freezing water,” Dr Grant ended.

“Finishing a warm shower with 30 to 60 seconds of cool water and slowly increasing the duration over time is often a more comfortable and sustainable approach, while still allowing you to experience any potential benefits.”

Rumours that Taylor Swift and fiancé Travis Kelce are going to marry this weekend have been hitting headlines all week.

Some think they’re going to get hitched on either Friday 3 July or Saturday 4 July, at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden arena.

In fact, it’s even been speculated that the celebrations are already underway.

But if you clock all those uncertain terms – “rumour”, “speculation” – you might get an idea of how secretive the whole affair has been so far.

As of the time of writing, there has been no official confirmation as to when and where the highly anticipated knot will be tied.

Which means Swifties have resorted to some, er, unorthodox techniques in order to find out more details.

Their most recent source? BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James sure has been getting a lot of prying questions recently.

In a reposted clip of a months-old interview, Greg asked Taylor: “Where’s [the wedding] gonna be? Do we know?”

In response, Taylor, who confirmed she was getting married in 2025, said: “I will let you kn– I’m gonna let you know at a different time”.

The singer then appeared to reference Greg’s appearance at the wedding. The radio host said he’d love to “play catch” with professional athlete Travis Kelce, to which Taylor responded: “The way that [Travis] is going to do that as soon as he sees you at our wedding”.

“Woah – am I coming?” Greg responded.

“Obviously,” Taylor smiled.

Though the moment uploaded onto BBC Radio 1′s Instagram yesterday – just as speculation about the stars’ nuptials hit fever pitch – was actually filmed on October 3, 2025, its resurfacing has led some fans to what they see as a potential source of precious info.

″@greg_james are you in Sheffield or NY?” one commenter asked.

The presenter’s most recent Instagram stories included pictures taken in the South Yorkshire town.

Another comment showed just how closely some Swifties are watching the presenter’s every move this week: “Greg being off so many breakfast shows this week has really messed with my head. Tuesday I was convinced it was a sign, but [it] turned out he was at Wimbledon… can’t handle this suspense”.

On Tuesday, Greg was seen in the iconic tennis championships’ Royal Box.

However, other fans pointed out that the presenter’s father has been unwell recently.

Greg’s dad, who suffered a stroke before the presenter’s Comic Relief challenge earlier this year, has since undergone surgery.

In June, Greg shared: “Real talk, surgery went ok but he’s far from out of the woods so I’m gonna take it easy tomorrow and hopefully back on Friday. Plus, I’m in no fit state to be on the radio. I mean, look at me, I’m posting photos from intensive care ffs. Thanks for your lovely messages” in his Instagram story.

Donald Trump has repeated his false claim that Nato was “not there” for America in a new attack on the country’s allies.

In a social media post shared less than one week before a highly-anticipated Nato summit in Ankara, the US president claimed it was “ridiculous” for America to continue with its “one-sided” relationship with the western military alliance.

“Ridiculous for the U.S.A. to continue along this one sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us!!! President DJT,” he wrote on Truth Social.

He attached a graphic which suggested the US spent $999 billion on Nato, while the UK spent $90.5bn, France £66.5bn, Italy $48.8bn and Poland $44.3bn.

He did not say where the graphic came from or explain how those numbers matched up to the Nato target of spending at least 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2035.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Nato allies for not supporting the US, particularly with his offensive in Iran earlier this year.

Multiple countries refused to let American troops use their military bases to launch strikes on Tehran.

He also overlooks how the defence alliance’s mutual defence clause has only ever been invoked once – in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks against the US.

Trump claimed back in January that Nato ought to give him Greenland having “never” been there fore the US.

When Nato chief Mark Rutte pointed out that member states flocked to support the US in Afghanistan after 9/11, Trump falsely claimed the coalition troops “stayed a little back, little off the frontlines” in the war.

Keir Starmer’s spokesperson then slapped the president down, telling reporters: “The president was wrong to diminish the role of Nato troops, including British forces, in Afghanistan.

“Following the 9/11 attacks on the US, Article 5 of the Nato treaty was invoked for the first time and British forces served alongside American and other allied troops in sustained combat operations – 457 British service personnel lost their lives in Afghanistan and many more were wounded.

“Many hundreds suffered life-changing injuries from their service, alongside the US and our allies in Afghanistan.

“Their sacrifice and that of other Nato forces was made in the service of collective security and in response to an attack on our ally.

“We are incredibly proud of our armed forces and their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

Trump has also been pressuring Nato to increase its defence spending so that it is less reliant on the US.

Member states agreed to boost defence-related spending last year – including civil preparedness and resilience – to 5% of GDP by 2035.

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.

In a recent episode of The A24 Podcast, Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde discussed the 2007 comedy Knocked Up, in which Seth co-starred. Olivia said she auditioned to take the female lead role that Katherine Heigl landed in the movie, but was rejected.

They also discussed Anne Hathaway, who Seth claimed was going to co-star alongside him but “quit”.

“It was Anne Hathaway who quit the movie,” he said, to which Olivia replied: “Because of the crowning right? Is that real?”.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin star replied, “Yeah, I mean… it could have been a hundred million things. That was what I remember being told.

He added that he understood the graphic birthing scene in the movie to have been a dealbreaker because it wasn’t Anne’s “brand”.

“Crowning is a tough one. She didn’t want the crowning of the baby to be visually representative. Even though it wasn’t going to be hers… It’s obviously not real,” he stated.

“But… she felt that it was not her brand. Part of me also… we had started rehearsing the movie… maybe she was just like, ‘I don’t know if this is for me.’ I don’t know. I will take what she said at face value, which was the crowning.”

He continued, “She had a sense, and she knew it was not for her… and history will tell….

“She has been right about a lot more things than I have over the years. So I think she was probably right. [Katherine Heigl] knew what was right for her, yes. And then Heigl was great. Katie Heigl was great.”

HuffPost UK has reached out to Anne Hathaway’s representatives for a response. You can watch the entire The A24 Podcast here.

Andy Burnham has been tipped to bring back another senior figure from the New Labour era in his new-look government.

The former mayor of Manchester – who served as a minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown – will officially take over as prime minister from Keir Starmer on July 20.

It has already emerged that his close friend James Purnell, who also served in cabinet during Labour’s last time in power, will be the new No.10 chief of staff.

David Miliband, another New Labour figure, could also be given a seat in the House of Lords in order to become foreign secretary.

Meanwhile, the i newspaper reported that Ed Balls could also be handed a peerage and given a role in Burnham’s government.

HuffPost UK has learned that another New Labour big beast who could make a dramatic comeback is Alan Milburn.

The former health secretary has held talks with Burnham about his review into record levels of unemployment among 18 to 24-year-olds.

In a speech last week, the PM-in-waiting said he wanted to introduce major education reforms which would place greater emphasis on technical qualifications rather than forcing pupils to study at university.

One minister said: “I can see Alan being brought into Andy’s government. He seems to like what Milburn has been saying about getting young people into work.”

Another source said: “Andy keeps referencing Milburn in his speeches, and Alan is clearly up for it.

“It would make sense to allow Alan to drive through his own reforms on youth unemployment as a minister.”

Asked whether Milburn could be handed a role once Burnham becomes prime minister, a source close to the new Makerfield MP insisted he had offered “no jobs and no deals”.

Milburn, who was the MP for Darlington from 1992 until 2010, was seen as an arch-Blairite during his time in government.

As well as being health secretary, he also serves as chief secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster under the former prime minister.

After leaving Westminster, he was chair of the Social Mobility Commission between 2012 and 2017.

Like David MIliband, he would need to be made a peer in order to re-enter government.

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.

Usually, The Great British Bake-Off is filmed between April and June.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that fans have been wondering whether the most recent batch of bakers would be subjected to multiple record-breaking heatwaves.

The show (partly) addressed the problem directly on its Instagram page on May 27, soon after we saw the hottest May day on record.

“Us filming chocolate week,” they wrote over a clip of the iconic GBBO tent. The video was overlaid with the sound of comedian Peter Kay’s famous bit: “I like it warm, but I don’t like it this warm!”

“It’s always chocolate week when we have a heatwave,” a commenter wrote.

The Mirror reported that the show’s filming is still “underway”, and that its cameras were rolling during the June heatwave, too.

That meant amateur bakers had to continue to work their culinary magic while schools had closed due to the heat, and travellers had been advised to avoid “non-essential” journeys.

Though some fans worried filming would have to stop, the publication confirmed the show went on.

A source from the show told The Mirror, “Every measure that could be taken has been, to make the bakers comfortable. The lighting gaffer from the crew who’s in first every morning, opens up the tent, takes down the sides and gets airflow moving before everyone arrives.

“Earlier in the run, when temperatures were the opposite and it was freezing, he was doing the same thing in reverse, arriving early to put the heaters on and warm the tent up before the bakers and crew got in.

“Production runners have also kept everyone going in the heat by handing out ice lollies to bakers and crew throughout the day.”

Another source reportedly told The Mirror that the tent’s location near a cooling river, and a “welcome” breeze in the final weekend of May, made filming possible.

In 2018, then-hosts Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith shared how heatwaves affect bakers’ creations.

Prue told Rolling Stone conditions were “Worse for the bakers than for us, because we just come in briefly and go out. They’re in there all the time,” while Paul added: “Yeah, chocolate week suffered a little bit. Caramel sugarwork suffered a little bit”.

Ironically, he added, bread week – when warm conditions would have made loaves rise faster – was a little cooler that year.

New host Nigella Lawson has previously said she is “allergic to the sun”, so time will only tell how she handled the hotter temps.

HuffPost UK has reached out to Channel 4 for more details.

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You know the drill. You make a little tweak in your home, and suddenly it reveals a world of possibility. That countertop that needs sanding, or (god forbid) a new floor.

Often the most tricky aspect of a renovation to nail down – choosing the right colour and material is a ball ache – flooring can get expensive extremely fast.

But good news if you’re about to embark on a new underfoot experience: Floor Street has made the entire experience much more economical with its 60% off summer sale.

From engineered wood to carpet runners, Floor Street has huge savings on its entire range from now until the end of July.

To save you even more hassle than you need, we’ve rounded up the best flooring options from the sale that are durable, easy to install and, most importantly, look stylish.

As well as offering premium flooring for less (what’s not to love?) Floor Street also prioritises the customer experience.

On top of next working day delivery, all of its flooring options are easy to install, and are durable enough to outlast the mess of every day life.

Each option comes with its own warranty, from 25 years to life, and Floor Street sources its wood from FSC certified forests, so it’s kind to your home and the planet.

With travel becoming a logistical nightmare, we’re all after a taste of hotel life in our own homes with boutique-inspired herringbone and chevron flooring.

While real wood comes with a hefty price tag attached to it, engineered wood is rising the ranks because it’s easy to install, is compatible with under floor heating, and it can withstand a room with changing temperatures.

If you’re on DIY TikTok you will have noticed stair runners are having a moment, because there’s no reason your eye for design can’t extend upwards.

You probably already know that walking is really, really good for us, but you might not be aware just how little you have to stroll to see some benefits.

As few as 2,337 steps a day can lower your risk of dying from heart-related health conditions, including heart attack and stroke. Even a quarter of an hour’s stroll a day works wonders for our health.

No wonder the NHS previously called the activity “overlooked”.

And starting in 2027, NHS England will begin offering rewards for those who manage to go for a roughly half-hour-long stroll once a day for a month.

The program, called “marathon a month” or Movement 26.2, will give those who log 42.195 km a month incentives.

It’s the result of the government’s 10-year health plan for England.

The marathon a month scheme has been developed with Sir Brendan Foster, a former Olympic medallist.

Sir Foster said: “I’m known for running, but the ambition here is far simpler. We just want people to walk. Simple,” the BBC reported.

He also stated, “The WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. We realised that adds up to roughly the distance of a marathon every month.”

The 10-year health plan claims physical inactivity costs the NHS £10.5 billion a year.

It’s hoped that the walking scheme will attract 100,000 users in a single month in 2027.

It’s expected to begin early next year.

So far, it looks like Movement 26.2 is about your overall monthly walking distance. You likely won’t have to keep up a streak every single day, though Sir Forster said the program will tap into the mentality behind e.g. Snapchat streaks.

“If someone walks 30 minutes five times a week, they could gain up to four extra years of healthy life,” he said.

You will need to log your miles via a smartphone or smartwatch. It’ll be officiated by the NHS Points Scheme.

Sir Foster said that the rewards will start off digital, but will eventually become more material.

“Initially there’ll be digital rewards, like keeping a streak going for three months. Over time, there’ll be other kinds of rewards – medals, T-shirts, but also discounts and rewards,” he claimed.