MAURA Higgins and Pete Wicks were “all over each other” at a boozy celeb party last night, just weeks after they were spotted “straddling” each other.

Love Island star Maura and Towie legend Pete first set tongues after they were pictured snogging in public in the summer.

The Mega Agency

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Maura looked stunning at last night’s Pride of Britain Awards[/caption]

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It’s reported she was spotted ‘kissing’ Pete at the after show party[/caption]

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The pair are very close and have fuelled romance rumours[/caption]

The pair have always maintained they are “just friends”,

However, according to the Mail the pair were seen getting VERY close at the afterparty for the Pride of Britain Awards.

The outlet said a fan saw Maura “planting a kiss on Pete’s nose before the pair kissed on the lips”. 

This latest news, comes weeks after they were seen “all over each other” in a pub, when Maura joined Pete and his Strictly co-stars in the pub.

An onlooker told The Sun: “They were chatting to Pete’s co-star Wynne Evans and it was very clear they were more than just friends.

“Things have clearly turned romantic as they were all over each other.

“At one point she ran her hands through his hair under his hat, and they were cuddling loads too.

“They looked really cosy and comfortable with each other.”

The pair first got fans all hot under the collar when they were pictured kissing in a posh bar in London.

An onlooker told The Sun Pete came to join Maura at the posh five star hotel where she had been having lunch with friends.

They said: “Maura had been sitting on the terrace with friends for an hour before Pete arrived.

“After they’d sat there for a while Maura went in for a long kiss with Pete. It wasn’t the kind of kiss you’d give a friend, it was very passionate.

“Maura and Pete seemed to be really into each other and kept looking into each other’s eyes before kissing again a number of times.

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“When it got dark they moved into the hotel’s Flute bar and Pete sat with his arm around Maura all evening.

“They were all over each other. They looked totally in love and weren’t trying to hide it from anyone.”

Pete and Maura, who appeared on Love Island in 2019, were also spotted together in public at the TV Bafta awards in May.

Chivalrous Pete was photographed helping Maura into a taxi following the party at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

The Strictly has star recently addressed the ongoing romance rumours.

It came when the former Towie star appeared on Olivia Attwood‘s podcast.

Getting straight to the point she said to him: “Your dating life. Maura Higgins…”

To which Pete replied: “Me and Maura have known each other for a long time.”

Olivia was keen on hearing more, and said: “You’ve had a kiss, we’ve seen it!”

But Pete denied there was anything more than friendship between the duo, replying: “No, you haven’t seen it.”

However, Olivia seemed insistent on getting to the bottom of the story as she continued to press her pal.

Doubling down, she stated: “We’ve seen a picture of it,” as Pete continued to deny the existence of such an image.

KLARNA, Britain’s biggest “buy now, pay later” firm, says it has saved customers nearly half a billion pounds in interest since its UK launch in 2014.

Around 10million — more than a third of households — have used Klarna to buy goods in the past year.

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Roughly 10million shoppers have used Klarna to buy goods in the past year[/caption]

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Tulip Siddiq, economic secretary to the Treasury, confirmed rules would come in next year to legislate the ‘buy now, pay later’ sector[/caption]

And the boom in “buy now, pay later” has prompted the Government to say it will legislate the sector to protect shoppers.

Last week Tulip Siddiq, economic secretary to the Treasury, confirmed rules would come in next year.

And Klarna co-founder and CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski welcomed the move.

He said: “We are in favour of regulation — I’m not an anarchist that doesn’t believe in rules.

“The main thing I’m worried about is if it will reduce competition against the banks who are raking in profits from customers.”

Klarna said that during its decade in the UK, the banks and traditional credit card firms such as American Express have made £160billion from customer interest charges.

The Swedish firm, co-founded by Mr Siemiatkowski in 2005, lets customers buy goods and split payments over three months without interest.

It made almost £1billion in revenues in the first half of this year from ads and charging retailers commission.

Klarna charges people who miss a payment a maximum £5 late fee.

However, it says its default rates are 30 per cent lower than traditional lenders’.

Mr Siemiatkowski, who started his working life flipping burgers at Burger King, told Sun Business: “We’ve saved consumers nearly half a billion pounds in interest — that’s real money in their pockets, not lining the banks’ coffers.

“We’ve proven that paying for everything — from flights to garden tools and getting your boiler fixed — doesn’t have to mean being gouged by high interest rates.”

Debt charities have argued that Klarna encourages people to buy things they can’t afford.

But Mr Siemiatkowski said: “Having fixed payment instalments without interest is a lot better than racking up credit card debt.”

HSBC to be split in two

HSBC has announced a big shake-up that will split its UK and Hong Kong business into separate divisions.

The overhaul comes six weeks after Georges Elhedery, the bank’s former finance chief, was promoted to the top job.

HSBC also named Pam Kaur as its first female finance chief as part of its restructuring.

The bank said the overhaul is along geographic lines of “Eastern” markets and “Western”, which will include UK high street branches.

HSBC, founded in Hong Kong in 1865, has been in the middle of rising geopolitical and trade tensions between Beijing and the US and UK.

Its biggest investor, Chinese insurer Ping An, had tried unsuccessfully to agitate for a break-up of the company last year.

Mr Elhedery, who replaced Noel Quinn, said the revamp will result in “a simpler, more dynamic and agile organisation”.

Don’t let red tape ruin AI

ARTIFICIAL intelligence is not some sci-fi fantasy — it is here already.

In San Francisco today you can take a ride with a Waymo self-driving car.

At KLARNA, we have seen how our AI customer service agents help to resolve problems in just two minutes, compared to 12 minutes before.

Our lives and the way we work are already changing and it will affect jobs at an ­accelerating pace.

Governments need to stop dragging their feet.

While we need smart regulations to keep AI in check, we can’t afford to strangle it with red tape.

The looming threat is that if our governments dither too much we will fall behind less democratic countries who do not share our values.

The answer has to be to promote progress while also offering an answer to those people impacted by the changes.

AI is already shaking up the job market — and we’ve already paused hiring more staff because of AI efficiencies.

Some jobs will change, new roles will emerge and some will disappear. Some firms talk about retraining and upskilling ­but can we really expect a 55-year-old translator to magically become a TikTok star or influencer?

That’s why governments need to wake up and step up.

While AI is driving progress, they must ensure that it benefits society as a whole, not just a select few.

Failure of duty

THE VIRGIN WINES boss has attacked government plans to hike alcohol duty as “ill-thought through and amateurishly executed policies”.

Jay Wright, chief exec of the online wine seller, said the drinks industry had been “battered beyond belief” in recent years by people with “no understanding of the effects”.

Another duty hike is feared in next week’s Budget.

Mr Wright still toasted £1.7million of profits, after a loss of £700,000 in the year to the end of June.

A cost-cutting drive saved £1.4million.

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THE new Minister for Investment, Poppy Gustafsson, is launching a scheme to attract more funding into women’s sport.

She will say today that women’s sport, including football, rugby, tennis and netball, could be worth over £1billion this year alone.

A MAN has been charged with murder after the death of a woman who was walking her dog.

Mum-of-six Anita Rose, 57, suffered injuries to her head and face while walking her springer spaniel in the Suffolk village of Brantham on July 24.

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Anita, 57, was found unconscious at around 6.25am on July 24[/caption]

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A map shows the mum’s final movements[/caption]

Roy Barclay, 55, of no fixed address, has been charged with murder.

He is due to appear before Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

A cyclist found Anita lying “critically injured” and unconscious on a track near the local sewage works and railway line at around 6.25am.

Anita was found wearing only her bra on her top half, as well as leggings and trainers on her lower half – with her jacket taken.

The “much-loved” gran’s black phone case and Samsung earbuds had also been taken.

Springer spaniel Bruce’s lead was wrapped around Anita’s leg but the dog was not harmed.

Anita was raced to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where she died four days later on July 28.

Suffolk Police said: “On Monday 21 October officers arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of murder.

“He was taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

“Roy Barclay, 55, of no fixed abode, was charged tonight (Tuesday 22 October), with murder.

“He is due to appear before Ipswich Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (Wednesday 23 October).”

A BROKE student looking to switch up her food shop to save money has revealed her verdict on which supermarket is the best.

Nicole, a university student from the UK, took to social media, revealing she was ditching her usual Aldi food shop for Marks & Spencer.

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Nicole ditched Aldi to try M&S for her weekly food shop[/caption]

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She was left seriously impressed by one key detail[/caption]

She said: “(I’m) Doing my weekly food shop in M&S might sound really bizarre to you, but if I’m being honest, I’ve been spending £35 to £40 in Aldi and I was like I might as well shift this money to M&S since the food quality is apparently better.”

Nicole explained that she was feeling bad about how expensive her shop was until she realised many students had parents paying for most of their food.

As she headed to the store she revealed that M&S was just £5 more expensive then her Aldi one and was well worth it for a simple reason.

She revealed that the fresh produce in M&S seemed to be much better quality and last way longer when she got it home.

Her haul included satsumas, plums, apples, limes, lemons, green beans and spinach.

Nicole added: “My fruit and my veg has lasted so much longer from M&S compared to Aldi.

“Usually I give my veg like a good 2 to 3 days and then it already starts going off.”

“But my M&S fruit and veg has been good.”

She was also pleasantly surprised that the meat wasn’t more pricey than Aldi as she showed a pack of chicken legs for just £1.50.

Nicole said it just showed how bad the cost of living crisis was that M&S and Aldi were basically the same price.

The clip went viral on her TikTok account @nikiolo1 with over 315k views and 27k likes.

People were quick to take to the comments admitting M&S was their go-to shop.

One person wrote: “People thought I was bougie for doing my uni shops in M&S.”

“Honestly but it’s acc giving same price point as Aldi,” said Nicole.

Another commented: “M&S is top tier. Thank youuuuuu.”

“I do most of my shop at M&S. It’s so much worth it for the quality you get,” penned a third.

Meanwhile a fourth said: “Nah genuinely cause I spent £50 in Aldi the other day and I was being STRICT.”

“I’ve been saying M&S fruit and veg is better quality and stays fresh way longer! And a lot of their essential items are the same price as Aldi/Asda,” claimed a fifth.

Someone else added: “The quality is unmatched.”

Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.

POP star Myleene Klass hits the right notes in a Barbie-pink gown as she presents ­Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall.

The former Hear’Say singer, 46, wore the plunging dress with gold platform heels to host the London event.

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Myleene Klass hits the right notes in a Barbie-pink gown as she presents ­Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall[/caption]

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Myleene wore this plunging dress with gold platform heels to host the London event[/caption]

Afterwards she posted online: “Classical music, OG (original gangster).

“Thank you to everyone that came to @classicfm Live.”

Recently she broke down in tears on Loose Women as she discussed her best friend Lauren Laverne’s cancer diagnosis.

Myleene struggled to speak as the panel reflected on her longtime friend’s brave announcement on social media.

She said: “She’s my bestie, godmother to my kids.

“She’s just amazing.

“She’s incredible, she’s only 46.

“You get to see what an incredible woman she is.

“I’ve known her 20 years and to see her powering through at this time, she’s incredible.”

Myleene then said Lauren would “kill me” for growing emotional on television.

She added: “The fact that you get to see what an incredible woman she is using this platform to say get tested.

“If you’ve got any niggling feeling or worry just go and get checked. And your loved ones as well.”

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Afterwards Myleene posted online: ‘Classical music, OG (original gangster)’[/caption]

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Myleene shows off her curves in this white bikini[/caption]

MARRIED At First Sight star Holly Ditchfield decided to quit the show tonight after struggling with her husband Alex Henry’s behaviour.

Upset Holly begged producers to ‘get her out of here’ and headed home to be with her family following a huge row.

Alex erupted during the last commitment ceremony and lashed out at a number of the girls – leaving Holly furious.

And when she tried to talk to Alex about what had happened, he rejected how she was feeling.

Speaking to Lacey about what had gone on, Holly said: “After the commitment ceremony we had a major argument because I just didn’t’ like the way you were spoken to.

“What upset the most is after, he said ‘what’s wrong with you?’ and I said ‘I’m really missing my children’ and he just said ‘f*** this, I can’t be ar*** with this’ and he just walked off.”

She continued: “I am going home today. I need to have some time to think and then I will be coming back. It’s just got really bad now. I am not myself.”

Speaking on camera, Holly added: “Me and Alex are just not getting on. I need some space, get me out of here.”

Alex’s relationship with Holly has been very up and down throughout the series but the pair were on track.

Those watching at home are pleased that Holly decided to take a break from the process.

One person commented: “You just know that even though Holly isn’t saying it – Alex has been horrid with her because if he can speak to the girls like that, imagine what it’s like behind closed doors.”

While a second said: “Holly has matured during this process – It’s a shame that Alex hasn’t.”

And a third added: “Alex should’ve been taken off the show by now, you can tell he sees any woman as below him – the disrespect is INSANE and im glad the girls are sticking up for themselves.”

Alex has been a highly controversial contestant throughout the series,  after he was been pelted with allegations from women when he first joined, with one user branding him a “dangerous individual”.

And Women’s Aid condemned his involvement in a lengthy statement, saying the decision to feature him is both “disappointing and concerning.

TWO credit card companies have been exposed after quietly charging $1.99 for a normal request – but there’s a trick to avoid it.

A new push to move credit card users to a digital statement will now incur a penalty for those who don’t want to comply.

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A new push to move credit card users to a digital statement will now incur a penalty[/caption]

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But a fee of $1.99 has been rolled out if you have opted for receiving paper statements.

One big name doing so is Synchrony Bank who have co-branded and store-affiliated credit cards with over a shocking 100 cards.

These include Sam’s Club Credit Card, the Lowe’s Store Card and Amazon Store Card.

Towards the end of last year, Citibank released new guidance to customers saying that going paperless was “required” in order to “access your account on Citi.com and the Citi Mobile App”.

While there isn’t a law banning paper statements, permission is required to begin paperless billing.

Alicia Galowitsch told NBC that the charge began to add up for her and her family.

She said: “It’s very tight. It’s very tight to where we had to start going to a food bank.

“It’s going to be $11.94.”

The pair have a few credit cards and receive statements in order to keep organized.

Ms Galowitsch added: “If I’m not here, the payments are going to be late because Mark’s not going to know what to do.

“With paper statements, everything is written down for him.”

Other concerns among furious customers include not being tech-savvy enough to use online banking, and also that keeping things paperless can pose security threats.

Credit card users have taken to social media Reddit to express their anger about the fee.

One user warned: “I have the Paypal mastercard and got a letter in the mail today. Beginning in April they will start charging if you are not using electronic statements.

“It is a small fee of $2.50 but still just a heads up if anyone has any cards by them may want to check.”

Another said they were “closing [their] account” over the fee.

It comes after Visa and AmEx made subtle changes to the way you redeem rewards – and your points are losing value.

Americans have amassed millions of credit card points to be used on airplane tickets, hotels or converted to cash.

But the value of credit card points has fallen in the past few years due to inflation.

A credit card point gained through online banking was previously worth about one cent, according to the card issuers.

However, one cent has lost about 20% of its purchasing power since 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

TARGET has promised to slash prices on merchandise a second time this holiday season.

With Halloween only days away and Black Friday not long after, shoppers nationwide are searching for the best deals.

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Target shoppers can expect more deals before Black Friday[/caption]

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Thousands of items are getting price reductions (stock image)[/caption]

The retail giant is answering that desire with continued reductions on more than 2,000 items, “including food and beverages, everyday essentials, holiday gifts and items to prep the home for the holidays,” per a Tuesday press release.

Customers can expect significant savings on everything they need for holiday preparations, especially Christmas.

There are also sales on everyday items needed as it gets cooler during the winter months.

Target noted that bath towels, beauty products, beverages, board games, cookies, cold medicine, cough medicine, frozen vegetables, ice cream, snacks, toilet paper, and more could feature cost reductions.

It also emphasized that the reductions are on top of its “everyday low prices,” which it routinely makes changes to depending on the market.

Discounts on over 5,000 items were previously announced in May for summer, which Target said saved shoppers “millions of dollars” this year already.

That mark was surpassed soon afterward for a total of 8,000 price cuts on merchandise in 2024.

With the additional 2,000, that brings the total to a whopping 10,000 items at Target with price reductions.

FUNDS FOR FAMILY

Rick Gomez, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Target, emphasized that the retailer’s discounts are part of its mission to help families celebrate “without compromise.”

“We know families are excited to celebrate the holidays, so Target is committed to helping them find joy without compromise — with great products across our assortment at even lower prices,” Gomez said in Tuesday’s release.

“From meal prep and gifting to everyday needs, Target’s offering the kind of exceptional value that’ll make it even easier for everyone to save money as they embrace the magic of the season.”

Parents looking to get their children some popular toys can also do so with what Target calls its “largest holiday assortment ever” this year.

Over half of the selection is under $20, with $5 and $10 options from top brands that can fit most shoppers’ budgets.

Most stores and the Target website and mobile application already have deals going on right now for toys.

BUY IT NOW

The LEGO Technic 2022 Ford GT Model Car Set is only $95.99 after an original listing of $119.99.

That’s a 20% discount with savings of $24.

A Bluey Fire Truck is also $19.99, down from $24.99.

Kitchen items, pet essentials, and cold and flu relief also feature similar discounts.

While the reductions on thousands of products will likely appeal to many Americans, an ex-Target executive has warned that consumers are “running out of money” this year.

“They’re increasingly stressed by inflation and the exhaustion of their pandemic-era savings,” Gerald Storch, former Vice Chairman at Target, told Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo in a recent conversation.

Storch added that the current economic conditions could make it a “weak Christmas” for retailers like Target.

THE Cleveland Browns have signed a new quarterback after Deshaun Watson’s feared season-ending injury.

The AFC North team are having a disastrous season, and are bottom of their division with a 1-6 record.

Their woes continued in Week 7 when they were beaten by the Cincinnati Bengals, 21-14.

Their controversial QB Watson was injured towards the end of the first half of the game.

He was carted off the field, and booed by both sets of fans at his home Huntington Bank Field.

The 29-year-old ruptured his right Achilles, and will miss the rest of the 2024-25 NFL season.

This is despite him being on a mega $230 million contract.

The Browns have now signed up a new quarterback as cover for him.

They have taken Bailey Zappe off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad to bolster their options.

It is not known where he will be in the starting order ahead of their Week 8 clash against the Baltimore Ravens.

But Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jameis Winston are the two leading options.

However, Thompson-Robinson is suffering from a finger injury.

If he does not play on Sunday against the Ravens, Winston will start.

Zappe is then expected to be his back-up.

The 25-year-old was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round in 2022.

He started in eight games in two seasons under head coach Bill Belichick.

However, he threw 12 interceptions, which was more than his eleven touchdowns.

Zappe showed brief flashes of success at the Patriots, but could never secure his starting spot.

The Pats drafted Drake Maye in the quarterback position in the 2024 NFL Draft.

And new head coach Jerod Mayo decided to release Zappe over the summer.

He ended up at the Chiefs, fighting for a space on their practice squad.

Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz were both the active quarterbacks on the roster.

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Zappe was released by the Patriots over the summer after Drake Maye was drafted[/caption]

At Uber's Go-Get Zero event in London, the 'Big Little Lies' actress shared one of her favorite places to shop online, her latest eco-conscious routine and why she no longer has "so much anger" at the slow-moving pace of change.