2 weeks agoBlogsComments Off on Christine McGuinness makes shock return to Celebs Go Dating after quitting dates with men and women
CHRISTINE McGuinness made a shock return to Celebs Go Dating last night, just weeks after quitting the show.
The cast got glammed up to reunite for the series’ finale in London last night.
Christine McGuinness surprised her co-stars as she returned to Celebs Go DatingInstagram / annawilliamsonofficialInstagram / annawilliamsonofficialChristine looked in good spirits as she returned to the ,[/caption]
Channel 4The model quit the show after becoming ‘overwhelmed’ with the attention[/caption]
Model and TV personality Christine, 37, delighted her former co-stars when she made an surprise return.
A insider told The Sun: “Christine’s return was kept top secret from everyone, so they were all so excited to see her come back.
“The cast were really sad when she quit the show, even though they totally supported and understood her reasons, so it was great to see her come back.
“She started the journey with them all, so it was the perfect end that she got to finish the series with them too.
“Christine may not have found love on the show, but she seemed really happy and in a great place.
“Leaving the show was the right decision for her but she loved being back in the mix without the pressure of having to actually date on camera.”
The Sun has contacted a rep for the show for comment.
The celebrities looked in good spirits as they partied the night away.
Christine – who was married to comedianPaddy, 51, until theirsplit in 2022– looked stunning in a purple low cut asymmetric dress and silver heels.
A pal told The Sun: “Dan and Christine have known each other for years.
“Their friendship goes as far back as 2019, when Jac was heading Down Under to the I’m A Celeb jungle, when they had a brilliant night out at a fund-raising gala in London.
“They stayed in touch sporadically and would bump into each other at events and their messages got pretty flirty.
“Some were seen by mutual friends.
“She would call him ‘D’ in texts and it became an open secret among their circles.
“There is no suggestion anything sexual happened, but it’s fair to say there was a spark between them.”
Former Towie star Dan is adamant nothing happened romantically between the pair, even suggesting that the text messages between them were “deep fakes or AI” when asked.
A pal said: “Dan is devoted to Jacqueline and would hate for any suggestion of impropriety.
“Of course, it’s possible for a man and woman to be mates.”
The Sun revealed that modelChristineleft theE4show after becoming “overwhelmed” with the attention onher love lifeand missing her family.
In a statement, Christine said: “I joinedCelebs Go Datingwith great intentions but have realised that dating on a public platform and the attention that brings is just too soon for me.
“They’ve said the door is always open for me, which I’m so grateful for, but for now I’m returning home to my family.”
Christine and her ex, comedian Paddy McGuiness announced they had separated in 2022 after 15 years together.
The couple first met through a mutual friend in 2007, when she was 19 and he was 33.
Two years later, he popped the question and they married in 2011 at Merseyside’s Thornton Manor Estate.
It comes after her close connection with married TV star Dan Osborneinstagram/@jacjossaChristine and Paddy McGuiness announced they had separated in 2022Getty
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2 weeks agoBlogsComments Off on I was plied with drugs & raped by a gang from age 11 – I was so brainwashed I scratched my abuser’s initials into my arm
STANDING alone in the dark an 11-year-old Josie Clark had no idea how she was going to get back to her care home.
She didn’t even know where she was having been abandoned in the middle of nowhere by a group of men because she had refused to have sex with them.
Josie Clark was sexually abused by a grooming gang from the age of 11Claire WoodShe was plied with drugs and alcohol in exchange for the abuseSuppliedLancs PoliceTwo of her abusers were jailed for five years and eight months, with a judge condemning Zulfar Hussain, 46, (pictured)[/caption]
Handout pic - refer to Picture DeskQaiser Naveed, 32, was jailed for “exploiting” vulnerable children[/caption]
And when she eventually did make her way back to the children’s home in Blackburn, she would find her door locked as a punishment.
While the men had put her in a dangerous situation Josie, now 33, continued to hang out with them as they finally gave her the attention she was so starved of.
But as Josie later found out, they were not her friends but a paedophile ring who groomed and sexually abused her from the age of 11 in exchange for alcohol, drugs and gifts.
She admits feeling like a ‘child prostitute’ and feeling so brainwashed that even after some gang members were convicted, she continued to feel a loyalty towards them.
And so hearing the news that the government will hold a national inquiry into the grooming scandal, Josie Clark feels a wave of relief.
Josie says: “The inquiry should have been ordered many years ago. There are children being groomed and abused today, just like I was, and this decision is long overdue.
“I have done my best to move on with my life but it’s impossible.
“I am mistrustful of everyone; I can’t share my life, or my home, with other adults. I have trauma and anxiety. I don’t sleep properly.
“For many years, I blamed myself. I thought I was a child prostitute; I thought I had made the wrong decisions.
“Aged 11, I was plied with drugs and booze and I was raped and sexually assaulted on a daily basis, sometimes by several men. And yet I was brainwashed into thinking they loved me.”
Josie’s turning point came aged 29, when she underwent therapy and adopted her pet dogs. She credits them with saving her life but says the damage and the stigma from grooming will haunt her forever.
“It took me until I was 29 to understand exactly what happened,” she says.
“I got my first dog, and the love I have from him is just incredible.
“I look forward to seeing how a national inquiry deals with the social workers, the police officers and the other agencies who so far have not been held to account.
“The system needs to change so that children are supported and this is the first step.”
Josie was taken into care as a small child at the age of four. Aged six, she found herself in a children’s home with teenagers, and she was sexually assaulted by another resident.
She says: “During these years, I was bouncing back and forth between different foster homes, children’s homes and my family home.
It wasn’t always the same men, and sometimes, we’d get out of one car and straight into another.
Josie Clark
“I had no stability and no love.”
Aged 11, living in a children’s home, she fell into the clutches of a grooming gang.
She says: “I went out with my friend one night and she introduced me to them.
“We got into a car, the men drove us round, gave us cannabis, and then dropped us off again. It became a pattern, every night, and we skipped school to see them.
Josie (seen as a young girl, centre) was in a vulnerable positions as she was in and out of care homesSupplied by Josie ClarkeClaire WoodWith the help of therapy, Josie is learning to deal with her trauma[/caption]
SuppliedShe says that her dogs have really helped her on her journey to recovery[/caption]
“They bought us food and items of clothing and gave us Jack Daniels, cocaine and ecstasy.”
‘Aged 11, I was raped’
But the men quickly demanded something in return, and Josie lost count of the times she was sexually assaulted.
She says: “It wasn’t always the same men, and sometimes, we’d get out of one car and straight into another.
“Sometimes, I was so drugged up I hardly knew what I was doing. They’d take us to dingy flats and houses, sometimes overnight.
“Aged 11, I was raped by a man who told me he loved me, and he was going to marry me. I was so confused and troubled that I scratched his initial onto my arm.
“I hated the sexual assaults, but I had become dependent on the men. I owed them, and by now I was addicted to drugs and cigarettes.”
Josie says that if she refused their advances then the consequences were dire.
“If I refused to have sex, I’d get a smack,” she says.
“Once, they drove to a remote village and just left us there in the dead of night. They had a knife which they waved about. I was wary of them.
“And yet, I had a loyalty to them. They were the only people who showed me any care or love – that was how I saw it, as a child.
“The children’s home staff seemed keen to punish me, but not as keen to find out why I kept going missing or where I was.
“Their punishment was either to stop my pocket money, or lock me out of my bedroom, which just pushed me back to my abusers.”
‘I thought it was my fault’
Aged 15, Josie and another friend were victims of a serious physical assault, when two of the men attacked them with an iron bar. Shaken, they went to the police.
Josie says: “Even then, I was conflicted.
“I didn’t want to get the men into trouble. I reported the physical assault, but I honestly didn’t think sexual assaults were criminal. I thought they were my fault.”
In August 2007, two of her abusers were jailed for five years and eight months, with a judge condemning Zulfar Hussain, 46, and Qaiser Naveed, 32, for “exploiting” vulnerable children.
What is grooming and where to get help?
What is grooming?
According to the Metropolitan Police, “Grooming is when a person builds a relationship with a child, young person or an adult who’s at risk so they can abuse them and manipulate them into doing things.
“The abuse is usually sexual or financial, but it can also include other illegal acts.”
Types of grooming
Grooming can take place online or in person and it can happen over a short or long period of time – from days to years.
Online and through social media
In person
Signs of grooming
Are they being secretive about how they’re spending their time?
Do they have an older boyfriend or girlfriend?
Do they have money or new things like clothes and mobile phones that they can’t or won’t explain?
Are they drinking or taking drugs?
Are they spending more or less time than usual online or on their devices?
Do they seem upset or withdrawn?
Are they using sexual language you wouldn’t expect them to know?
Are they spending more time away from home or going missing for periods of time?
A person won’t know they’re being groomed, they will trust their abuser who is giving them lots of attention and gifts. Also, their groomer may have warned them not to talk to anyone about it.
How to get help and support
Grooming is an offence. If you suspect a person is being groomed, even if you’re not sure, please tell someone.
Is someone about to be attacked or hurt? Is a crime taking place right now? If yes,call999 and ask for the police.
If it isn’t an emergency you can report grooming to the police on 101.
Hussain admitted abducting a child, sexual activity with the same child and supplying the youngster with ecstasy. Naveed pleaded guilty to the same offences.
Following Josie’s report, Operation Engage was launched, and it became the first major investigation into child sexual exploitation and grooming gangs.
Josie says: “Even after the trial, I continued to blame myself and it ruined all my relationships going forwards.
“When the sexual abuse ended, it felt like a break-up. I went from one type of trauma to another. I felt so angry all the time and my mind was constantly on the go.
“From my social services records I discovered I’d been sexually abused as a child. On the second occasion it took three days for the offence to be logged and that really breaks my heart.
“It feels like nobody cared about me at all.”
Aged 29, Josie began therapy and was found to be suffering with severe trauma.
She says: “The therapy really helped, and I started to understand myself. I have my dogs, Bestie and Kyra and they are a big comfort to me.
My message to other survivors is not to keep quiet – you should shout it from the rooftops
Josie Clark
“My message to other survivors is not to keep quiet – you should shout it from the rooftops. This is nothing to be ashamed of and it’s only by speaking out that we will be able to expose the abusers.
“I’d appeal to anyone who is being groomed or abused to please speak out and get help. Your voice is your most powerful weapon.
“I hope the inquiry exposes not only the abusers but the agencies who have failed the children along the way.”
It comes as devastating report found that grooming gang victims were failed by cops and public officials more bothered about dodging claims of racism.
Baroness Louise Casey found perpetrators got away with it because of fears about inflaming community tensions.
Josie took legal action against Blackburn with Darwen council, claiming they failed her as a child. She accepted an out of court settlement and the council did not admit liability in relation to her claim.
Councillor Julie Gunn, executive member for children, young people and education at Blackburn with Darwen Council said after the case: “It’s always brave to speak out about abuse.
“This is a historical case and it’s important to acknowledge the long-term impact of abuse. There are strict legal rules around sharing information about individual cases however we can speak direct to people involved and this will happen.
“Safeguarding is taken very seriously, and we have prioritised tackling child sexual exploitation to protect young people at risk of harm.
“Tough action is taken to deal with offenders and lots of support is available for those who are vulnerable or have been affected.”
SuppliedShe wants to encourage other survivors of sexual abuse to seek help immediately[/caption]
Keir Starmer has launched a national inquiry into grooming gangsAlamy
2 weeks agoBlogsComments Off on Hundreds gather & demand ‘free Mo Chara’ as Kneecap member Liam arrives at London court on terror charge
HUNDREDS of people have gathered outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London in support of a member of Kneecap who is appearing on a terror charge.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, charged under the name Liam O’Hanna, is accused of allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a gig in London last year.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh arriving at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London this morningAFP via Getty ImagesBandmate Naoise O Caireallain at Westminster Magistrates’ CourtJordan Peck/Getty Image
The 27-year-old, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged last month under the Terrorism Act.
The act states that it is a criminal offence to display an article in a way which arouses reasonable suspicion that someone is a supporter of a proscribed organisation.
Fans of the Irish rap group this morning stood outside the court in support of O hAnnaidh.
Some held placards demanding “Free Mo Chara” whilst other signs read “Defend Kneecap”.
Large green flags saying “Free Speech, Free Palestine” were also on display alongside placards saying “Liam’s too pretty for prison”.
Kneecap said it had “plastered” London with messages of support for its band member.
The band described the prosecution as a “witch hunt” in a post on X on Tuesday evening.
The post included a short video which appeared to show a billboard that had been displayed in London with the words “more blacks, more dogs, more Irish, Mo Chara”.
Supporters of Kneecap gather outside Westminster Magistrates’ CourtEPA/TOLGA AKMENHundreds of people turned up outside the court this morning REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe
2 weeks agoBlogsComments Off on How to get a warm paddling pool instantly WITHOUT lugging buckets from the kitchen OR using the kettle
PUTTING a paddling pool up over the summer is all fun and games until people are complaining that the water is too cold.
Thankfully there is an easy hack to get your pool full of warm water in minutes.
Tiktok/@healthandlovingmyselfA woman shared how to heat up a paddling pool using hot water from your indoor tap – and all you need is a watering can[/caption]
Tiktok/@healthandlovingmyselfGet water going straight from your hot tap into your pool in seconds[/caption]
While many people rely on an outdoor tap with cold water to add the water, you should go directly from the warm tap inside.
If your hose doesn’t attach to your inside tap, a mum shared how she gets around this issue.
TikTok user @healthandlovingmyself shared how you simply need to fill up a watering can with warm water, and put the hose inside the nozzle.
The water will then travel down the pipe and fill up your pool with the hot water.
The best part of the hack is you don’t need to spend hours lugging buckets of warm water outside – and don’t need to constantly refill the kettle.
Many people were very impressed with the hack and wondered why they hadn’t thought of it before.
One person wrote: “I was 40 years old.. Thnx.”
Another added: “Smart.”
However, one user commented: “The water bill.”
And a second said: “More fun when its cold.”
BIN BAG HACK
We previously shared how a woman has come up with the ultimate hack to heating up the water in her chilly paddling pool – and it just requires a bin bag.
She told Tyla how she was fed up of going back and forth with kettles to keep the water warm outside.
Lainey Thomson decided to instead place a bin bag on the top to attract the heat from the sun.
Lainey ThomsonLainey Thomson showed how she uses bin bags to heat up her cold paddling pool[/caption]
She revealed: “I did this because I only have a cold outside tap and I was using buckets and the kettle to warm up the pool.
“By putting black bin bags on top it attracts the sun and it warms it up very quickly. Within about 45 minutes the water is warm and stays warm all day in the sun.”
The idea was first floated on the Mrs Hinch Made Me Do It Facebook group, when one woman asked for advice to heat her 8ft freezing cold paddling pool.
One person advised: “Fill with cold from outside tap then cover with black bin bags. Leave for an hour!”
“The sun is drawn to the black bags and heats it up. Works a treat every time,” one person commented.
GettyThe hack could be great for people who hate cold water[/caption]
Keep bugs out of your pool this summer
One of the easiest ways to keep bugs out of your pool is to cover it with a dark sheet (like bin bags) when it’s not in use.
This can also help keep the water warm for kids as well.
Bug traps around the pool can also be useful.
To naturally stop bugs from coming around you can plant such as lavender, basil or mint as they hate the smell.
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2 weeks agoBlogsComments Off on Trick to clean your house even faster with ’30cm rule’ as top Dyson whiz reveals common vacuum fail we’re all guilty of
A TOP Dyson designer has revealed exactly how fast to move your vacuum cleaner – and going slower can actually save you time.
It turns out that racing around your house isn’t necessarily the best way to get the cleaning out of the way quickly.
DysonYou may have been vacuuming wrong your entire life[/caption]
GettyYou’ll want to visualise one of these during your next vacuum cleaning session[/caption]
Sean KeachThe Sun’s tech editor Sean Keach took a trip to Dyson’s Oxfordshire HQ[/caption]
Vacuuming an entire house can be a bit of a nightmare, especially if you’ve got loads of furniture, carpets, and a dog or cat.
I took a trip to Dyson’s Oxfordshire campus where I heard from Dyson designer Jonny Gray, who revealed the exact speed you’ll want to be moving your vacuum cleaner.
“To be exact, about 0.3 metres a second is probably where you want to be in terms of speed,” Jonny explained.
That’s a 30cm ruler, so if you imagine moving across one of those every second, you’re getting it right.
“I’m sorry to say that the slower you go, the cleaner your floors will be,” Jonny said.
Of course, he warned that you can also end up going too slow.
The Dyson design whiz said you’ll get “diminishing returns the more you go over it”.
So it’s important to not go too slow or fast – and stick to the 30cm rule.
“The IEC standards that we get are 0.5 metres a second,” Jonny, Senior Design Manager at Dyson, told us.
“But we have demonstrated that you get around 100% pick-up over the course of three passes with 0.3 metres a second speed.”
If you rush around, your vacuum cleaner will end up missing bits.
And if you go too slow, you’re simply wasting time – and it won’t be worth the wait.
FOOD FOR FLOORS
Jonny, who works on vacuum cleaners at Dyson’s gigantic Malmesbury campus, spends time trying to pick up all manner of difficult debris.
Sean KeachDyson’s senior design manager Jonathan Gray revealed the secret to vacuuming[/caption]
Sean KeachThe Sun was given a peek inside Dyson’s debris cupboard, filled with commonly spilled items[/caption]
And he also told The Sun that Cheerios are one of the trickiest things for a vacuum cleaner to collect due to their size.
But he warned that US-style Froot Loops are even trickier to collect.
Dog biscuits are also difficult for vacuum cleaners to pick up, Jonny revealed.
But the brainy Dyson designer explained that if you follow the 30cm rule, you should be able to get a “100% pick-up” rate – even during a nightmare Cheerio spillage.
WHAT'S IN DYSON'S SECRET FOOD CUPBOARD?
Here’s what The Sun’s tech editor Sean Keach found inside the Dyson cupboard…
Porridge oats
Rice
Pasta
Long-grain rice
Nylon pieces
Japanese sushi rice
Japanese tea leaves
Sugar
Bread crumbs
Finishing plaster
Cotton wool balls
Cheerios
Popping corn
Cat food
Hair
Tapioca pearls
Froot Loops
Dog biscuits
Bicarbonate of soda
Cat litter
Picture Credit: Sean Keach
Dyson’s Lab includes a cupboard filled with different materials for testing with its vacuum cleaners.
That includes porridge oats, British and even American rice, sugar, cotton wool, and cat litter.
And they even have Japanese sushi rice and tea leaves, to make sure that the vacuum cleaners they flog to Japan are up to snuff.
Read iconic British inventor Sir James Dyson’s exclusive comment piece for The Sun here.
Sean KeachHow many of these items have you spilled at home?[/caption]