EASTENDERS legend Natalie Cassidy looks worlds away from Sonia Jackson days after stunning makeover.

Soap favourite Natalie Cassidy has left fans doing a double take after showing off a seriously glam new look.

Instagram/@natcass1

Natalie ditched her usual casual style for a glam new appearance[/caption]

Instagram/@natcass1

She also switched up her signature brunette locks for a fresh blonde style[/caption]

The actress, 42, ditched her usual casual style for a sleek new appearance, complete with flawless makeup, glossy hair and a chic outfit, while promoting her new book Happy Days with publisher Harper Collins.

Known for playing trumpet-blowing nurse Sonia on the BBC soap since she was a teen, Natalie turned heads with her polished transformation.

Taking to her Instagram stories, Natalie wowed in a black polka dot dress with a mesh hem, showing off her fun and feminine side.

She’s also switched up her signature brunette locks for a fresh blonde style, complete with voluminous, bouncy waves.

Finishing off the look with bronzed cheeks, fluttery lashes and a nude lip, the soap star looked every inch the glam queen.

This comes after the popular soap star took to her Instagram Stories for a fiery rant over the “terrible and made up” allegations.

She screen-grabbed the article image and concerning headline, which read: “Natalie Cassidy Breaks Down as She Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis.”

It then allegedly featured a quote from the TV star which read: “I Didn’t Want Anyone to Know…”

She furiously wrote in her caption: “THIS IS DISGUSTING AND DISGRACEFUL.

“So many people are going through this and I have had messages asking if I’m ok.

“It is completely made up and a terrible story.

“Take this down whoever you are.”

Meanwhile, Natalie and her co-host Joanna Page have been dealt a huge blow after the BBC failed to re-commission their podcast.

The pair had teamed up for the audio show discussing all things on and off the box.

Natalie had addressed Masked Singer theories suggesting she was Bush – which proved to be correct – on the pod, as well as opening up on her nerves for EastEnders’ 40th anniversary episode.

Yet the episodes, which generally clock in at under an hour long, will now come to an end.

Welsh screen star Joanna took to her Instagram Stories to post an image of the pair promoting their show and the words: “Our lovely pod is ending and we want to hear from you about your favourite Off The Telly moments.

“Send us a voicenote,” before stating the contact number.

The Sun has reached out to the BBC for comment and a spokesperson told us: “What started as a six month project turned into more than a year of joyous TV chatter, and over 80 heart-warming episodes.

“Though they both loved making the series, Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page have very busy schedules and on the 21st May, the final episode of Off the Telly will be released on BBC Sounds.

“Thank you to Nat and Jo for their warm recommendations and insider analysis, and to the whole team for keeping listeners in the loop with what to watch.

“We look forward to working with Nat and Jo again soon!”

Natalie, who quit her EastEnders role as Sonia Fowler earlier this year, still has her own podcast, Life With Nat.

Instagram

The mum of two took to her Instagram Stories to rage about a ‘disgraceful’ story suggesting she has breast cancer[/caption]

Off the telly

Natalie and Joanna Page’s Off The Telly podcast is coming to an end[/caption]

MORECAMBE are facing administration following their relegation from the EFL after the club’s board was sacked as takeover talks hit a massive roadblock.

Tyson Fury’s beloved Shrimps were left stranded on the financial rocks following the row between owner Jason Whittingham and his directors over the proposed sale.

Rex

Morecambe’s owner has sacked the entire board as the club face administration[/caption]

EFL bosses gave the green light to the Panjab Warriors consortium headed by London-based businessman Kuljeet Singh Momi at the start of June.

Despite the proposed new owners posing for pictures with Morecambe scarves, the deal has yet to be completed, with club directors suggesting Whittingham and his Bond Group Investments “appear to be considering reneging on the deal”.

They set Whittingham a deadline of 4pm on Tuesday, accusing him of not having the funds to meet the club’s salary bill and threatening to call in the receivers.

But Whittingham has now responded by booting the board – insisting it is the only way for Morecambe to find a solution to keep the club going and denying he is “stalling” on the sale.

In a statement explaining the move to fans, Whittingham said: “There is no doubt that the Club is in a precarious position and is at a crisis point.

“We also appreciate the stress this is causing for all connected with Morecambe FC.

“As majority shareholder we are making every effort to resolve any issues that have arisen and are working to protect the best interests of the club.”

He added: “Bond Group Investments has started the process to dismiss the board in order that we can take control over the situation giving us the required additional time to ensure that the club has the best chance to avoid Administration.

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“We hope the board put the interest of the club before any personal grievances and during this delicate time of negotiation to save the club, refrain from their propensity of issuing negative statements.

“The notion that Bond Group Investments is stalling is not true. We are deeply sorry for the distress and uncertainty this is causing.

“Bond Group Investments need to ensure that any transfer of shares, in a sale, is done in a way that holds no recourse for either the Club or Bond Group.

“The safety of the club’s future is paramount and our focus is to work to find solutions to resolve the matter of staff salary and the sale of the club to avoid administration at all costs.”

Whittingham promised a final outcome in the next 24 hours but 10 weeks after their 18-year EFL story came to a crashing end, the entire future of the club is under huge doubt.

CHELSEA’S second game of the season away at West Ham has been moved to a Friday night following a request from Sky Sports.

The London rivals were due to meet in the Premier League on Saturday, August 23 at with the Hammers hosting.

AFP

Chelsea’s second game of the season has been moved to a Friday night[/caption]

But according to the Daily Mail, Sky want to screen the eagerly-anticipated early-season game a day earlier at 8pm.

That will come with the threat of fans spending longer in pubs with a later kick-off time.

But police in the capital believe they can handle the switch, which is set to be rubber-stamped following the expected backing of other stakeholders. 

The reschedule does need the green light from the Safety Advisory Group, which is made up of officials from clubs, the local council and emergency services.

And backing from the Met means the agreement should be a formality.

Both West Ham and Chelsea and Sky declined to comment to the Mail.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “The Met works closely with partners and clubs to ensure the safety and security of those attending football matches in London, and those in the wider community.

“We want everyone to come and enjoy themselves and will act decisively to deal with anyone intent on causing trouble.”

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RYANAIR is set to reduce the size of their hand luggage allowance.

The budget carrier currently allows a free bag the size of 40cm x 25cm x 20cm into the cabin, which fits underneath the seat in front and is around 20 litres.

Alamy

Ryanair is set to make hand luggage even smaller[/caption]

However, new rules will reduce this to just 40cm x 30cm x 15cm, the Independent reports which is just 18 litres.

Anyone with a bag that fits the new rules, will no longer be able to use it.

Not only that, but all airports would need to change the size of their baggage sizers to be able to check them.

The new rules are expected to be rolled out by the end of October this year.

Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E) of which Ryanair is included, said: “This will align A4E members with the decision of member states made last month and bring more clarity to passengers across Europe.

“From city-hoppers to family travellers, everyone will benefit from the same clear rule across our members’ networks.”

The size reduction comes amid the new EU rules set to be introduced which will ban airlines from charging for small carry on bags.

This means passengers would be allowed a small cabin bag weighing up to 7kg, and no more than 100cm.

The rules hope to simplify the travel process, with a common standard across the board for carry-on luggage.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “We want to make sure passengers can travel with ease, which is why we landed a deal with the EU to allow millions more British nationals to use e-gates at airports in time for the summer holidays.”

Yet those opposing it have warned it will race plane ticket prices.

Not only that, but most airlines do not have the overhead locker capacity to allow all passengers a cabin bag.

Airlines for Europe Managing Director Ourania Georgoutsakou told Politico: “The European Parliament should let travellers decide what services they want, what services they pay for and, importantly, what services they don’t.”

Other budget airlines that don’t allow free cabin bags offer a much larger underseat bag size allowance.

EasyJet allows bags that are 45cm x 36cm x 20cm, and have confirmed they won’t reduce their sizes.

While Wizz Air allow bags up to 40cm x 30cm x 20cm.

British Airways and Jet2 have the same smaller size as Ryanair, but also allow a free cabin bag, measuring 56cm x 45cm x 15cm.

Earlier this year, Ryanair were forced to refund a customer £124 after it was ruled they shouldn’t have charged them for their hand luggage.

The Spanish court claimed that the hand luggage was an “essential part of air travel”.

And last October Ryanair was also fined and after two customers complained how much they had been charged for hand luggage in Spain.

Getty

The new rules will be rolled out by October[/caption]

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IN the shadow of an imposing ten-storey tower block, a young mum emerges pushing a pram, nervously checking the paths either side of her before making a hurried beeline for the park.

This is Penhill in Swindon, a notorious estate which has long been tarnished by its high crime rates, drug raids and a growing gangland culture that the Wiltshire town has become infamous for.

Adrian Sherratt

Penhill in Swindon is a notorious estate which has long been tarnished by its high crime rates, drug raids and a growing gangland culture[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

Penhill is one of 25 ‘trailblazer neighbourhoods’ set to receive up to £20million over the next decade to improve its community, libraries, facilities and general infrastructure[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

Penhill is one of the most deprived areas in the region in terms of household income, quality of health, life expectancy, child poverty and level of education[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

Locals say there is nothing for teenagers to do in the area, which often sees them become embroiled in crime[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

Life-long resident Fiona Woodward told The Sun: ‘You know what they say about avoiding anywhere that begins with a P in Swindon?’[/caption]

It’s one of the 25 “trailblazer neighbourhoods” identified across the country by Chancellor Rachel Reeves which is set to receive up to £20million over the next decade to improve its community, libraries, facilities and general infrastructure.

But many of its residents feel no amount of cash will fix its problems.

One mum, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s good that the Government want to improve Penhill, but we’re living in mouldy homes surrounded by drug dealers on every street, and that’s probably never going to change.”

Life-long resident Fiona Woodward, 68, adds: “You know what they say about avoiding anywhere that begins with a ‘P’ in Swindon?”

It was a local anecdote oft repeated when The Sun visited the estate this week, referring to Penhill and nearby council estates Pinehurst and Parks.

Aaron Jacobs was visiting his mum, who moved to the estate almost 20 years ago. 

“Penhill’s rep for having gangs is because there’ll always be angst between Penhill and Pinehurst,” he explained.

“You do see kids hanging around in gangs, but there’s not a lot else for them to do here.”

Alarmingly, some residents say this lack of purpose is causing children as young as 10 to be groomed as drug dealers.

Another man, who gave his name as John Craig, said: “The biggest issue on the estate is the amount of drug-dealing.

Adrian Sherratt

Aaron Jacobs says Penhill’s rep for having gangs is because ‘there’ll always be angst between Penhill and Pinehurst’[/caption]

“The youth club was cut, and the football pitch rents for £80 per game, which most people can’t afford.

“This leaves the kids with nothing to do, and as a result they are groomed as drug dealers.

“It sounds great getting a grant from the Government, but this is the real problem.”

Escalating violence

The 1950s estate is a mile square, housing 11,000 residents, with three ten-storey tower blocks, and is one of the most deprived areas in the region in terms of household income, quality of health, life expectancy, child poverty and level of education.

Violent crime is also an escalating issue. In April 2023 two men were arrested after a 17-year-old boy was shot in the head in Penhill, leaving him with life-changing injuries.

SWNS

Police on the scene in Penhill in April 2023 when a teenager suffered life-changing injuries after being shot[/caption]

SWNS

A 17-year-old boy sustained potentially life-changing injuries thought to have been caused by a firearm[/caption]

SWNS

A gun seized when cops took part in three simultaneous raids in Penhill, North Star and Old Town in Swindon in July 2022[/caption]

Wiltshire Police

Last year Marlon Barnes of Penhill was jailed for six years and six months after admitting being in possession of a firearm and running a local class A drugs operation[/caption]

And last year Marlon Barnes, 20, of Ramsbury Avenue, Penhill was jailed for six years and six months after admitting being in possession of a firearm and running a local class A drugs operation.

Most recent crime statistics for Penhill show that in April alone there were 95 crimes reported, with 50 of those being of a violent or sexual nature.

There were 11 reports of anti-social behaviour, seven public order offences and 27 ‘other’, including drugs offences.

The estate has two primary schools, two churches, a Morrisons Local, a charity shop, a fish and chip shop and a pub, the Deer’s Leap, serving a small handful of customers the lunchtime we visited.

It is also adjacent to a 100-acre nature reserve, Seven Fields, where just last month police and firefighters were called to a blazing car, thought to be stolen and then set alight by joyriders next to the wooden frame of a zip line.

Despite the deprivation of the area a number of houses look well-maintained, while others have overgrown grass and furniture left to rot in their gardens.

Penhill’s rep for having gangs is because there’ll always be angst between Penhill and Pinehurst

Aaron Jacobs

Pensioner Fiona says more needs to be done for young people in Penhill who have “nothing to do” so find “other ways to entertain themselves”, often resulting in turning to crime.

“We do have problems with crime, we’ve had a lot of problems with gangs in the past,” she says.

“There’s some anti-social behaviour, some people who cause trouble, but the problem is some parents weren’t brought up well, and they don’t know how to look after their kids properly or know what they’re up to.

“There’s a lot of space, but the council don’t look after it. There’s even one resident who started cutting the grass himself because the council didn’t bother.

“I’ve lived here all my life, and it has changed compared to what it used to be like.

“But we do have a sense of community and if anything happens, like the house fires, we all come together.”

In January the community rallied to raise thousands of pounds for terminal cancer patient Lisa Lansdown and her partner Gary Parsons, after their home in Penhill was ruined by a fire, leaving them and their two children homeless, with only the clothes on their backs.

Lack of opportunity

DWFRS

Last month a vehicle was found alight outside garages in Penhill after residents reported hearing loud bangs[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

In June a BMW was set on fire in the children’s play park in Seven Fields, a nature reserve in Penhill, after being driven dangerously nearby[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

Locals say money should be invested in improving the security around the estate and providing more opportunities for the kids[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

Shopkeeper Richard Styles agrees young people are suffering from a lack of opportunity[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

Other residents called for the return of a ‘bobby on the beat’[/caption]

Local shopkeeper Richard Sayles works in the local Premier newsagents, and agrees young people are suffering from a lack of opportunity.

He says: “The money should be invested in improving the security around the estate and providing more opportunities for the kids.

“There are parks for the little kids but not much for older kids to do. 

“The Community Centre has gone downhill, it used to run a youth club, but it only opens on Fridays now to run the food bank. 

“They also closed one of the parks. With nothing to do there’s a lot of anti-social behaviour and vandalism, so if some of the money was invested in CCTV I think that would help. 

One of the reasons people struggle in Penhill is because there’s a reputation associated with being in one of the areas beginning with P

David Childs-Clarke

“Crime is a problem here, the kids are bored, so most importantly the grant needs to be reinvested into the community centre.”

Penhill Community Church pastor David Childs-Clarke previously told the BBC: “One of the reasons people struggle in Penhill is because there’s a reputation associated with being in one of the areas beginning with P.

“People in Penhill often think of themselves as being considered less than other parts of Swindon – as a church we do try and counter that message.

“Anything that the government can do to help the reputation of an area will do something positive, to help people with their sense of identity.”

Other residents called for the return of a ‘bobby on the beat’ local police officer to tackle the growing issue of county lines in Swindon.

Jim Grant, the leader of Swindon council’s Labour group, previously expressed concern over the “gang warfare” and increasingly common “life-threatening stabbings, large-scale public disorder and ongoing damage to property” in Penhill and Pinehurst, branding it a “tragedy for the town”. 

Wiltshire Police carried out a number of raids on properties on the estate in a major drugs crackdown last year after reports of suspicious behaviour from worried locals.

In November Lewis Morton, 23, of Fairford Crescent, Penhill, was jailed for a string of serious offences, including requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and supplying Class A drugs including heroin and crack cocaine.

But there is hope Reeves’ cash injection, expected to start in April 2026, will “boost growth” and “deliver real change people can see on their doorstep”.

A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said communities like Penhill had “been starved of investment and left behind” for too long.

The Sun has reached out to Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Police for comment.

Adrian Sherratt

There is hope Reeves’ cash injection, expected to start in April 2026, will ‘boost growth’ and ‘deliver real change people can see on their doorstep’[/caption]

Adrian Sherratt

Wiltshire Police carried out a number of raids on properties on the estate in a major drugs crackdown last year after reports of suspicious behaviour from worried locals[/caption]

SWNS

A police drugs raid in Penhill in July 2022[/caption]

MANILA, Philippines — Confidential funds (CFs) should not be judged negatively just because there were reports of officials abusing the secrecy of these allocations, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said on Wednesday. During a press briefing at the Batasang Pambansa complex, Acidre was asked about former vice president and now Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo’s

THE thrills and spills of the summer transfer window are well underway with some huge deals in the pipeline over the next few weeks!

Chelsea have now CONFIRMED the signing of Joao Pedro from Brighton, with a social media post captioned ‘The boy from Brazil’ – he moves for £50million plus £5m in add-ons.

Liverpool have reportedly rejected an approach from Bayern Munich for Luiz Diaz.

Elsewhere, Juventus have joined the race for Victor Osimhen, according to reports and we can also exclusively reveal that Richarlison is ready to leave Tottenham and reset his career abroad.

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