EUROVISION legend Mike Nolan has made a bid for Strictly 2025 after quitting the legendary Eurovision group of 43 years.

The 70-year-old was the lead singer of Bucks Fizz, who won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest – but now he has hung up his mic after “making up his mind” to leave the group.

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Mike Nolan, Jay Aston, Cheryl Baker, and Bobby G celebrate their Eurovision Song Contest win in 1981[/caption]

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The Fizz performing Bucks Fizz’s Eurovision Song Contest winning song Making Your Mind Up.[/caption]

The dance routine to the winning song Making Your Mind Up involved the girls whipping off their skirts to reveal shorter ones underneath.

After 43 years, Mike still has all the moves and speaking exclusively to The Sun Online, he said: “I would like to Strictly Come Dancing because we’re a dance vocal group that does routines, but they’re just routines.

“Proper (ballroom) dancing now is real hard work that requires practice to make perfect.

“I have spoken with my agent and watch this space.”

December is a thoughtful time for Mike as he celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this month.

But in less happier thoughts, it was also the 40th anniversary of the horrific crash on in which he and the band were involved.

He slipped into a coma and woke up with brain damage and reduced vision, but he survived.

After much deliberation, 2024 was the year that he decided the time was right to finally quit the group The Fizz – which consisted of original members Jay Aston and Cheryl Baker, playing his last ever gig last month.

He told the Sun Online that he had ‘”served his time in the band” and that many would get less for murder.

He is putting up his feet for the festive break and will spend time with friends and family.

But when the new year comes, he plans to take a holiday before looking for new projects.

He said: “I want to go to the Maldives, where there’s constant sunshine for three weeks.

“I’m looking forward to putting my feet up and doing absolutely nothing. It will be just heaven.

“When I get back, my diary will be clear, and I am so excited because it’s the first time in 43 years that’s been the case.”

I think I would starve as I would hate to eat all that rubbish.

Mike Nolan

However, he has some ideas about what he may like to do with his free time including more TV work.

“The world is still my oyster. I will give anything a try,” he said.

After the Maldives, he may have reason to visit another warm continent – Australia, admitting: “I would love to be on I’m A Celeb.

“But If I had to do a trial, I would panic. I think I would starve as I would hate to eat all that rubbish. But I would have to do it for the team.”

ALLY McCOIST left fans in stitches after a hilarious slip-up during the Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Manchester City.

McCoist, 62, was put on punditry duty by Sky Sports during the early kick-off between the two Prem sides at Villa Park.

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And Villa opened the scoring after just 16 minutes when Morgan Rogers broke through City’s defence and set up Jhon Duran inside the area where he beat Stefan Ortega.

And McCoist left viewers baffled when he described Duran‘s strike as “one of the goals of the day”.

The audience were left laughing their socks off as that was literally the first and only goal of the day.

One fan tweeted: “Christmas cracker from McCoist there, that’s goal of the day right now.

“Yeah 1st goal of the early kick off, I make you right Ally.”

Another commented: “Ally Mccoist catching himself mid “that’s one of the goals of the day” before realising it’s the early kick-off.”

A third wrote: “Ally McCoist has just said that’s one of the goals of the day, at the first goal in the 12:30 kick off…”

This fan said: “Ally McCoist on Villa’s goal vs. Man City: ‘That’s one of the goals of the day!’

“It’s literally the only Premier League goal of the day.”

And that one stated: “Ally McCoist with a bold claim for goal of the day so far…”

Duran added to Man City’s troubles which has seen the reigning Premier League champions lose eight of their last 11 games across all competitions before visiting Villa.

MATCHWEEK 17 is here and there are some blockbuster Premier League ties taking place this weekend.

In today’s early kick off, Manchester City will be looking to bounce back from their derby day defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola‘s side face a tricky test against Aston Villa as they look to claim just their second win from their last 12 matches.

The standout 3pm clash is West Ham‘s meeting with Brighton as Julen Lopetegui looks to ease pressure on his managerial situation.

SunSport will also bring you all the goals from the remaining three matches taking place on Saturday.

• Kick off times: 12.30pm/3pm/5.30pm

FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS

Follow our live blog below…

THE US government has managed to dodge a crippling Christmas shutdown for over 800,000 workers with a last-minute spending deal.

Congress narrowly avoided the major public service nightmare as they passed a bill to fund federal agencies through till March.

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Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer celebrates at the Capitol after the deal was passed in the final moments[/caption]

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US House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media following the government shutdown being narrowly avoided[/caption]

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Without the agreement the government would have plunged into chaos on Saturday for the festive period with workers risking not getting paid.

All non-essential operations would have been postponed with up to 875,000 workers being put on furlough.

Up to 1.4 million staff would have also been made to work without any pay.

Many parks, monuments and national sites would have been forced to close due to payment woes.

The deadline for granting a spending package had actually passed by the time politicians decided to act but they managed to fast-track it just minutes later.

It was approved after senators agreed to bypass the normal procedure in order to find a solution.

Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made a celebratory speech on the Senate floor following the bill.

He said: “It’s good news that the bipartisan approach in the end prevailed.

“It’s a good outcome for America and the American people.”

The Democrats hold a majority in the Senate so they are often in control of the big decisions.

The party was also crucial in helping the Republican majority in the House get the bill through earlier in the day.

It was supported by 336 votes to 34 in the House before also earning 85 votes in favour compared to 11 against in the Senate.

Plans to approve the new budget were thrown into chaos just days ago when billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk hit out at a bill.

Musk has quickly become one of the constant faces of US politics after aligning with president-elect Donald Trump for his election clean sweep.

Trump has even gifted the Tesla chief a role in his team as “efficiency czar”.

Musk pressured the Republicans into going back on a funding bill they had spent weeks trying to finalise and clear with Democrats.

His feelings were soon backed by Trump who wanted to increase the debt ceiling and help cap the amount the government can borrow.

Lawmakers finally agreed on the festive-time spending boost as they pledged a $110billion package to be carried out until March 14.

It will also include money for disaster aid and financial relief for farmers.

It is essentially the same as a previous failed bill that was rejected but now excludes a two-year suspension of the country’s self-imposed borrowing limit demanded by Trump.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said following the bill: “This is a good outcome for the country.”

He added he has spoken with Trump who was “certainly happy about this outcome”.

The bill will now be sent to the White House where President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law later on Saturday.

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Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump was ‘happy about the outcome’[/caption]

SHAWSHANK Redemption star William Sadler has announced the death of his wife Marni Joan Bakst after 46 years of marriage.

Sadler, 74, shared the news to his Facebook, alongside a heartwarming photo of him and Bakst on the morning of their wedding in 1978.

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Actor William Sadler and wife Marni Joan Bakst[/caption]

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The Shawshank Redemption star William Sadler is mourning the death of his beloved wife[/caption]

In the image, the couple are pictured in their bathrobes at a breakfast table before getting married later that day.

In the message accompanied with the photo, Sadler said Bakst tragically died on Wednesday after a two year battle with cancer.

Sadler added on Facebook: “Early yesterday morning, my wife, Marni Bakst, finally lost her two year battle with cancer.

“After what has been an amazing forty five years of marriage I don’t think I can fathom or put into words much of this yet.

“Maybe with time and a little distance I’ll find it easier to describe this extraordinary artist, feminist, wife, and mother, but for now I want to thank you all for your patience and kind words.”

Sadler and Bakst welcomed a daughter together during their marriage called Sadler Colley Bakst, 38.

Sadler previously posted the same picture in a heartwarming tribute to his wife on their anniversary last year.

He wrote alongside the photo last May: “This picture was taken the morning of our wedding, exactly forty five years ago today.

“The extraordinary looking young woman with the huge eyes is Ms. Marni Bakst. The lucky young man is me.

“All these years later I still bring her coffee, she still has those beautiful eyes, and I’m still the luckiest man on this, or any other planet. Happy Anniversary Marni!”

Bakst was with Sadler throughout his acting career – before he made his Broadway debut in Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues in 1985.

Sadler’s most famous role is playing the character Heywood in the acclaimed 1994 drama The Shawshank Redemption.

Based on the Stephen King novel, the movie starred Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and is labelled as one of the best motion pictures ever made.

Sadler is also in movies like the 1990 Die Hard 2 and the 2013 Marvel movie Iron Man 3.

This year he could be seen in the Max horror movie dubbed ‘Salem’s Lot’ – another Stephen King adaptation.

This is to refer back to The Shawshank Redemption.

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The Shawshank Redemption star William Sadler with his late wife Marni Joan Bakst[/caption]

RESIDENTS in a major city are facing an increase in parking fines in the New Year – for the first time since 2011.

Drivers in Seattle will now need to be extra careful where they leave their vehicle, or face fines that are going to be as high as $73.

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Seattle is set to raise fines for nearly all of its parking violations for the first time since 2011[/caption]

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Currently, the smallest fine is just $29, but now it could be as high as $73[/caption]

According to Komo News, the Seattle Municipal Court is introducing a rise in fines for most parking violations across the city, starting from January 1.

Currently, most parking fines range from $29 to $53, depending on the violation.

But these will be increased to $43 through to $73.

Most violations currently cost drivers an amount of $47, but this will go up to $69 from New Year’s day.

It appears the largest fine currently is $250, which can be given for violations such as illegally parking in a marked disabled bay or with an invalid placard.

Indeed, the $250 fine is the only amount that won’t be increasing in 2025.

Seattle isn’t the only city that’s introducing a hefty change to parking laws.

The police department in Washington, Iowa, are to get more serious on residents breaking local parking laws  – with officers to seek out offenders instead of issuing parking tickets in response to complaints.

Police on patrol routes across the city will spend the next several weeks issuing written warnings to cars that are caught violating commonly broken parking laws.

City Police Chief Jim Lester said: “We just felt that, you know, maybe it’s time we spend a little more time addressing these issues while we’re on patrol.

“Rather than being a little more complaint-based, being a little more proactive in our approach.”

To this end, officers will likely ramp up their efforts by the start of 2025, with $25 fines to be handed out that can rise to $50 during snow emergencies.

Elsewhere, a driver has revealed his shock to find a $92 fine on his car after parking on a regular-looking street.

Jason McLaren thought he’d simply found a great parking spot outside an Italian restaurant in Cherry Creek, a neighborhood in Denver, Colorado.

As his wife uses a disabled parking placard, McLaren assumed the spot would be free – so he decided against paying the meter.

But when he returned to his vehicle, he found a $92 ticket from LAZ Parking – a private company that manages the area.

Thinking they simply made a mistake, McLaren contacted LAZ but, to his shock, was told he’d parked in a private lot and owed the fine.

McLaren told 9 News: “I reached out to LAZ and said you must be mistaken.

“And they said, no, you parked in one of our lots and you owe us money.”

The meters, located on Clayton Street, where he’d parked, between 1st and 2nd Avenue, are placed on private property.

However, to the untrained eye, they resemble public city meters.

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Most violations currently cost drivers an amount of $47[/caption]

POWERBALL players have been urged to double-check their tickets as a $200,000 prize has not yet been claimed.

Illinois Lottery revealed the winning slip was bought at Dolton Express Citgo, Illinois, 60419.

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A Powerball prize worth $200,000 remains up for grabs[/caption]

The ticket was bought before the November 30 draw.

The lucky gambler will be able to take home a whopping $200,000 ticket – if they claim it in time.

The clock has started to tick as they have until November 30 2025 to come forward and claim their winnings.

POWERBALL POWERS ON

Powerball is hugely popular across the country and is played in 48 US lottery jurisdictions.

How long players have to claim prizes varies by state, from 90 days up to a full year – as is the case in Michigan.

Tickets cost $2 and can be entered into draws held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Players choose five numbers on the white balls between 1 and 69, then one number for the red Powerball, between 1 and 26.

In Powerball, the jackpot increases until it’s won, so some winners win more money than others, depending on how long the prize pot has been growing.

The biggest jackpot to date is $2.04 billion won in California in 2022, according to the Powerball website.

Winners of the top prize can choose to receive their money as a lump sum or as an annuity over 29 years.

This latest Illinois lottery winner isn’t alone in not claiming their prize.

Another $1 million is currently unclaimed in Missouri from a Mega Millions draw in November.

While in Florida a Mega Millions winner is set to become $5 million richer when they claim their prize from the December 10 draw.

Responsible gambling 

Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
• National Council on Problem Gambling – https://www.ncpgambling.org/
• Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 1-800-522-4700 or go to ncpgambling.org/chat

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