BBC star John Hunt has been described by pals as “the very best of men” who “lived for his family” before his wife and daughters were killed in a crossbow attack.
Carol Hunt, 61, Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28, were found dead at the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July last year.
Louise’s ex Kyle Clifford was arrested following a manhunt but was unable to be interviewed while he was treated for an injury in hospital.
Crossbow killer Clifford appeared at Cambridge Crown Court earlier this week where he dramatically changed his plea on three counts of murder to guilty.
Following the deaths, Mr Hunt said the devastation he and his surviving daughter Amy feel “cannot be put into words”.
But the brave racing commentator returned to work just 60 days after the horrific deaths of his family.
Mr Hunt, who was not in court on Wednesday, had been commentating on the big race at Ascot on Saturday.
He is expected to be working again for BBC Radio 5 Live this weekend.
A colleague told MailOnline: “Perhaps returning to work so soon was his way of dealing with the trauma.
“All of us in racing were heartbroken. He is a fine broadcaster but the thing that struck us was how devoted he was as a family man.
“He talked of them all a great deal.”
Another friend said that John has clearly found some comfort in working again.
However, he is said to now keep to himself more following the tragedy.
“I saw him walking across the course alone recently. I fully understand why,” a colleague said.
Clifford also admitted false imprisonment after tying Louise up and two counts of possession of offensive weapons.
But the murderer denied raping Louise on July 9 – the same day the family were killed – and will stand trial for that count on March 3.
Clifford dropped out of the Army after two years, according to a former colleague.
They claimed the killer never fitted in at the Queen’s Dragoons after joining in 2019.
It was also claimed Clifford had failed phase one training at ATC Pirbright in Brookwood, Surrey.
His former colleague said: “Kyle didn’t change throughout service. People got so frustrated with him.
“Everyone had to pick up the slack. He wasn’t a good soldier.”
One of three children, Clifford’s older brother Bradley, 30, is serving a life sentence for the murder of a young moped rider who smashed a bottle against his car during a row in 2017.
He was given a minimum 23-year tariff after ramming his 18-year-old victim at 60mph with his Ford Mustang before beating him as he lay fatally injured.
THE Strictly Come Dancing tour is on the cusp of chaos after one of the celebrity dancers suffered a painful injury and was forced to PULL OUT.
Wynne Evans has placed the show’s much-loved tour in jeopardy after enduring a painful injury, which has in turn caused him to pull out of tonight’s tour show.
The Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour is currently in Glasgow, with two performances due to take place today – one at 2:30pm and another at 7:30pm – with Wynne having pulled out from both last minute.
Not only is Wynne’s injury placing the show in jeopardy, but because of the current weather warnings in place up and down the country, one show was even cancelled.
Taking to his Instagram stories on Friday, Wynne, 52, shared a snap of his foot and wrote: “Turned my ankle last night in the show but I’m being a brave soldier.”
He then offered an update earlier today (January 25), sharing a snap of his bruised ankle and writing a short caption.
“Ankle update,” Wynne announced, adding, “It just turned on stage in Newcastle.
“Sore but swelling is coming out so feeling positive.”
But despite him feeling positive, Wynne’s dance partner Katya Jones had to issue a statement revealing that they would not be dancing today.
“So sorry we can’t dance for you today. But we need a bit of time to heal that ankle,” she penned.
“Hopefully he’s dancing again by Nottingham, it’s still over a week away so there’s time,” said one person on X, reacting to the news.
While another said: “Glasgow got lucky.”
This follows on from the cancellation of Friday’s show in Glasgow due to severe weather and the current red weather warning in place across the country.
Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood informed fans that Friday night’s show would be rescheduled for Sunday due to the adverse weather conditions.
Taking to social media, he wrote: “Sadly, due to the red weather warning in place tomorrow, the Friday evening performance of Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour will be rescheduled to Sunday evening, 26 January.
“Doors will open at 17.30 and the performance will start at 18.30.”
Strictly first kicked off back in 2004, and over the years has crowned 21 winners.
Here is a full list of who has been lucky enough to win the famous Glitterball Trophy:
He went on: “Original tickets remain valid for this show. If guests are unable to attend, they should contact their point of purchase for a refund.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Wynne was partnered with Katya when he competed in the most recent series of the hit dancing show.
It was during the Blackpool episode that the Welsh opera singer lost his place on the show.
Wynne and Katya were up against former X Factor winner Shayne Ward and his pro dancer Nancy Xu.
When the pair were eliminated from the show, fans were quick to react.
At the time, one person said: “Right decision but I’m sad to see Wynne and Katya go. Katya’s my fave pro and Wynne seems like a lovely man.
“I wish people wouldn’t say ‘thank god for that’ and ‘it’s about time’, Wynne’s deserved his place in the competition as much as everyone else. I’ll miss him.”
Під час виконання бойового завдання на Донеччині український спеціалізований бронеавтомобіль «Новатор» наїхав на протитанкову міну та зберіг життя екіпажу. Світлини машини опублікували на Фейсбук-сторінці «Українська Бронетехніка», інформує MMR. Зазначається, що машина поверталась після доставки бійців на позиції та потрапила під щільний обстріл. «Ми їхали на досить високій швидкості коли наїхали на «теемку» (протитанкова міна – […]
MYSTERY hills have been found on Mars sparking hopes scientists can solve the planet’s biggest mystery from billions of years ago.
The Red Planet is dotted with thousands of mounds containing billions of years worth of history including if Mars ever had water.
Over 15,000 of these mounds point outwards across an area the size of Texas on the planet’s Chryse Planitia, located north of the equator.
Scientists discovered the hills in images taken by NASA and the European Space Agency.
Analysis published in the Nature Geoscience Journal on January 20 reveals how these mounds could solve one of the biggest mysteries about the planet.
It is likely that the thousands of mounds were created by water once being on Mars, the research explains.
The team has found that the mounds are what remains of ancient highlands that were once on the planet billions of years ago, which eventually eroded away to what is there now.
This explanation that there was once water on Mars could further explain why the northern and southern hemispheres of the planet are so different.
Scientists believe this could be attributed to erosion caused by water between 3.8 and 4 billion years ago.
Planetary scientist and postdoctoral researcher at London’s Natural History Museum Dr. Joe McNeil is the lead study author.
He told CNN: “Our findings reveal that water was present both at the surface and in the subsurface of this region over geological timescales, between 4.0 (billion) and 3.8 billion years ago.
“The mounds were originally part of the highlands, composed of hundreds of metres of clay-rich rock that formed in the presence of liquid water.
“Their erosion over hundreds of kilometers shows that the highlands extended much (farther) north than they do today, providing new insights into the ancient geography and hydrology of Mars.”
It is hoped that in the near future, scientists can get closer to these mounds and conduct further examination to get more answers.
The mounds are located near the landing site of the ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover which is scheduled to land on the planet in 2028 where it could investigate the hills.
McNeil said: “Each mound is made up of a series of layers, each of which is a record of a past event.
“The oldest are at the bottom and are made up of rock that is around four billion years old.
“For a geologist, looking at these layers is like looking for pages of a book – each one tells a story!”
There is “incredible variety in their structure,” the scientist added noting that some are 1,800 feet tall.
He compared them to the buttes and measas found in the red-sand desert of Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border.
However, these Martian mounds are not only 800 feet taller, they also cover an area 2,000 times larger than the 145 square miles of Monument Valley.
McNeil explained that there is evidence that the planet once had rivers and lakes, but he hopes that further research will help scientists discover if there ever was an ocean on Mars or any life within it.
“They are a prime location for future missions aimed at uncovering whether Mars ever had an ocean and whether life could have existed there,” he told Phys.Org.
