We have some pumpkin decorating tips for the whole family
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Grainne Seoige usually keeps her son and husband out of the limelight, but with her political campaign ramping up the broadcaster has revealed that the two most important men in her life are her biggest supporters. In September Gráinne was selected as a General Election candidate for Fianna Fáil after six other potential candidates pulled out of […]
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ANT and Dec star in the first teaser trailer for new I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Fans are excitedly counting down the days until the new series, which will feature Coleen Rooney after The Sun exclusively revealed yesterday that she has signed the biggest deal in the ITV show’s history.
The anticipation ramped up a notch after the release of the short clip that sees hosts Ant and Dec looking mischievous wearing white lab coats inside a ‘test facility’.
As an alarm blares, Dec dramatically hits a button sending the screen black with the words “coming soon” appearing in a large yellow font.
Viewers explained how the show’s arrival always puts them in the Christmas spirit.
One commented: “One of the top 5 things I look forward to every year, this show puts me in my happy place.”
Another said: “Ahhhhh hellll yeahhhhh I’m so excited!! Can’t wait, favourite tv show is coming back.”
A third posted: “Wooohooooo it’s nearly time.”
Meanwhile wag Coleen, 38, is understood to be getting paid more than Reform leader Nigel Farage’s £1.5million last year.
ITV bosses hope Coleen will spill the beans on life with hubby Wayne and her epic fallout with Rebekah Vardy, who starred in the show back in 2017.
A source said: “I’m A Celeb bosses have pulled off a huge coup.”
Coleen and her four boys – Kai, 14, Klay, 11, Kit, eight, and Cass, six – are huge fans of the show.
She will fly out next month to compete in the Bushtucker Trials.
An insider told The Sun on Sunday: “I’m A Celeb bosses have pulled off a huge coup getting Coleen for the jungle this year and the team are thrilled to have her on board.
“She’s always been a massive fan of the show and loves watching it with her boys. ITV are over the moon that the stars have aligned this year and she can fit it in. The series is set to be one of the best yet.
“Coleen has a huge fanbase and she won massive plaudits for her classy handling of the Wagatha Christie case. She’s excited to show fans a different side to her and prove she can survive without her creature comforts.”
Rebekah, 42, was the third campmate to be eliminated in 2017.
Less than two years later, she was at the centre of a huge storm when Coleen accused the wag of leaking stories about her.
Coleen has also had her share of ups and down with ex-Man United star Wayne, 38, who is now back in the UK managing Champiobship side Plymouth Argyle after spells playing and coaching in the US.
The source went on: “The campfire chats are set to be bombshells as there is so much she could lift the lid on, from all the drama of the Wagatha trial to her turbulent marriage to Wayne and his football career.
“She is expected to be very popular with viewers and she could triumph over Becky again if she goes further in the competition than her.”
PEP GUARDIOLA has given fans hope he will become England’s next manager after responding to links with the Three Lions hot seat.
The six-time Premier League winner is out of contract at Manchester City next summer.
Guardiola has so far refused to commit his future to the champions.
And there are already changes behind the scenes at the Etihad, with key ally Txiki Begiristain stepping down from his role as director of football after the Club World Cup.
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is reportedly in talks with the FA about replacing interim England gaffer Lee Carsley.
While the likes of Graham Potter and Eddie Howe are also thought to be strong candidates.
But it’s reckoned big-wigs dream of luring Guardiola to Wembley at the end of the season.
And the Spaniard has now appeared to open the door by claiming “anything is possible.”
He said: “(Leaving City?) That’s not true, in the sense that I have to think about it.
“(England?) No, that’s not true. If I had decided something, I would say so. Anything is possible.”
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Guardiola certainly has plenty of backing for the England role, with a recent Sun poll showing 90 per cent of Three Lions fans want him at the helm.
Star names including Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes have also declared their support for Pep.
And Manchester United legend Roy Keane became the latest football icon to back Guardiola for the job.
Speaking after the Three Lions’ 3-1 win over Finland on Sunday, he declared: “(Small pond of options?) It is but the most important thing is to get the right man, they (Tuchel, Potter, Howe) all have a chance.
“The FA have to go after the right guy, whoever that is. Whether finances play a part in it, if Carsley rules himself out and isn’t interested…
“That seems to be the noises coming out. The FA have to get busy and find the right man.
“Go for Pep. Go for the best. Pep’s contract is up in the summer.”
The FA could yet decide to stick with Carsley, who once again dismissed his chances of becoming Gareth Southgate’s permanent replacement before producing a U-turn moments later.
Speaking yesterday, he said: “People are always going to try and put their chips on one side.
“I’m in the middle. My bosses have made it clear what they need from me.
By Dave Kidd
After three months of uncertainty, it is now absolutely as clear as mud.
Does Lee Carsley want to be England’s permanent manager or not?
And why is he so reluctant to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to such a simple question?
Following a team selection which brought a welcome return to common sense — and an England victory which restored a certain amount of pride — came another chaotic round of post-match interviews in which Carsley contradicted himself several times.
And given that communication is such an important part of the England job, it does not help his cause when you feel as if you are disappearing down a rabbit hole every time you speak to Carsley.
He is a likeable man and a gifted coach — but he simply doesn’t sound like an England manager.
There simply isn’t enough authority or clarity about him.
At the age of 50, Carsley has never been the full-time manager of any senior football team and it shows.
That is irrespective of the tactical car crash of Thursday’s 2-1 home defeat by Greece.
“This job deserves a world-class coach who has won trophies and I am still on the path to that.”
But Carsley then added: “(Role too soon?) Definitely not. I tried to make it as clear as I could.
“My remit was for three camps. I’m not part of the process but it deserves a top coach.
“The players we have available, we’ve got a real chance of winning. That was the point I was making.”
Carsley will need to start putting his case forward clearly if he does want the role as clamour grows for Guardiola.
Backing the Spaniard to take charge of England, Three Lions hero Rooney said: “I’d like Pep to be honest. I think England have to strive for the best managers and Pep would be great; the way he gets his team’s playing.”
He’s not the only England ace to support Guardiola, with Scholes saying: “I think somebody like, I don’t like to say it but Pep [Guardiola] with this group of players, I think he would get them over the line.
“Look if that’s possible I don’t know but I think he’d be the ideal man to take this team forward.”
Afterwards, Shearer said: “There are a couple of people who have actually said that [Guardiola being on the FA’s wishlist] to me, but maybe that’s just rumour. You never know…”
And Sheringham added: “I think the FA should be breaking the bank and going out and getting the best. And for me, that man is Pep Guardiola.”
OVER three million struggling households will start receiving letters from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) detailing £150 worth of energy bill help.
The Warm Home Discount is a one-off tax-free discount on your electricity bill.
If you are eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill. The money is not paid to you.
To qualify you usually need to be claiming one of a number of means-tested benefits during the qualifying week, which is usually in August,
The DWP said it will start sending letters to those who qualified for the scheme from today, October 14.
But do not panic if it does not arrive on your doorstep today, as it may take up until mid-December for it to be posted out.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, minister for Energy Consumers, told The Sun, that today is important for “worried about energy costs”.
She explained: “If you don’t receive [a letter] but think you might be eligible then you can visit gov.uk for an eligibility checker.
“Today we are also launching a helpline, open until February, which you can call to find out whether you meet the criteria.”
Meanwhile, the Post Office is urging families who receive the discount in voucher form to act urgently.
Those who use pre-payment meters often receive the £150 boost in a voucher which can be redeemed at their local Post Office or PayPoint shop.
However, data from the firm showed that last year up to £3million worth of vouchers went unclaimed at their sites.
If this applies to you, it is important to redeem the voucher soon after receiving it as they do expire, some in as little as 30 days.
However, if the voucher is lost or expired, households can contact their supplier to have it reissued.
News of the cash boost comes as Brits remain worried about their energy bills this winter.
Energy regulator Ofgem has raised its price cap, meaning energy bills are set to rise by around £149 a year.
Elsewhere, cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment mean 10million pensioners are set to miss out on £300 worth of fuel support.
You will get the discount automatically if you’re eligible and claim one of the following benefits:
You could also qualify if your household income falls below a certain threshold and you get either:
Applications for the scheme opened in October, however, you may not get the help until next March.
To get the cash you’ll usually need to be actively claiming one of a the means-tested benefits listed above in the qualifying week – which is usually in August.
However, if you later launch a successful claim for backdated benefits, you may still be able to qualify after this date and once it’s confirmed.
If you qualify for the WHD, you should receive a letter telling you.
The Warm Home Discount Helpline number is 0800 030 9322 to provide assistance and help customers who have received a letter regarding their eligibility.
You can also use the government’s free online eligibility checker to see if you are missing out on the help.
This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-eligible-for-warm-home-discount.
If you are worried about your energy bills, check out The Sun’s article on the full list of support worth over £5,000 here.
THERE'S a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have grant schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria varies depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill, and some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
A HUGE motorway that’s used by 140,000 vehicles every day is set for a series of closures throughout the next couple of weeks – starting from tomorrow.
The essential works will happen over a number of days and promises to “benefit both communities living near to the motorway and those traveling on it for many years to come.”
Sections of the M27 are due to be closed from October 15, with works running until October 27.
National Highways revealed that the road works will begin between junctions 5 and 8.
That includes the eastbound exit slip road at junction 7, which will be closed between 9pm on October 15 and 6am on October 19.
What’s more, the eastbound entry and exit slip roads at junctions 5 and 7, as well as the eastbound exit slip road at junction 8, will be closed between 9pm and 6am from October 15 to 18.
A National Highways spokesperson said: “The main focus of work will involve the closure of junction 7 of the M27 eastbound exit for an extended period.
“This is to allow us to install new low noise asphalt and raise the gradient of the slip road by 180mm to ensure it matches the new motorway surface.”
Following this work, the eastbound entry and exit slip roads at junction 5, the eastbound exit slip road at junction 7, and the eastbound exit slip road at junction 8 will then be closed from 9pm to 6am between October 19 to 27.
Drivers travelling on the eastbound carriageway have been warned they will not be able to exit at junctions 5, 7 or 8 if travelling in the contraflow lane while these road closures are in place.
Locals must also note that barriers being moved along the road can create noise, which may cause inconvenience or disruption.
The resurfacing work on the M27 is part of a two-year, £83m upgrade of the motorway that has caused numerous delays for drivers.
The much-used motorway, which is nearly 28 miles long and runs between Cadnam and Portsmouth, is known to drivers for its section of concrete around the Southampton area.
The noisy surface was chosen after the oil crisis in 1973, when bitumen used for roads was in short supply.
Now, the surface is being upgraded to lower the noise caused by the thousands of motors that take the route each day.
Derek MacMillan, senior works manager for the contractor, Morgan Sindall, explained to the BBC: “We’re overlaying the tarmac onto a binder that’s going on top of the existing concrete.
“Up to 150 people are working in shifts, night and day.
“The job’s going to go on until spring next year.”
Programme manager for National Highways Richard Scrase believes the finished work will greatly improve the area.
He said: “We will end up with a quieter drive and less impact to the motorway’s neighbours.
“This will be good for the next 40 years.”
The M27 isn’t the only major motorway set for closures this week, as the M4 will also be closed in both directions between junction 18 and 19 for a number of days.
Fortunately, a diversion route will be in place, but drivers are warned to expect major congestion.
Elsewhere, the DVLA has revealed its full list of banned 2025 number plates, with more than 250 deemed “too rude” for the road.
Full closure (day and night):
October 15 at 9pm to October 19 at 6am:
M27 Junction 7 eastbound exit slip road
Weeknight closures:
October 15 to October 18 between 9pm to 6am:
M27 junction 5 eastbound entry and exit slip roads
M27 junction 7 eastbound entry and exit slip roads
M27 junction 8 eastbound exit slip road
October 19 to October 27 between 9pm to 6am:
M27 junction 5 eastbound entry and exit slip roads
M27 junction 7 eastbound exit slip road
M27 junction 8 eastbound exit slip road
WAYNE BRIDGE showed off the stunning results of his hair transplant at the star-studded screening of ‘The Wild Robot’ on Sunday.
Bridge, 44, was supporting wife Frankie, 35, who voiced the part of Snowdown the Goose in the upcoming Dreamworks film.
The former footballer revealed that he had a hair transplant at a top Harley Street Clinic to boost his confidence at the start of October.
It involved removing 4,085 hair follicles individually and then replanting them in the balder areas with a special pen – without the need to shave the whole head.
Bridge explained how Frankie encouraged his decision.
And now Bridge has returned the favour by supporting his wife on the red carpet during the 68th BFI London Film Festival.
The impressive results have come through quickly as Bridge’s hair looked full and no patterned baldness could be detected.
The couple were joined by their two sons Parker, 10, and Carter, eight.
Wayne previously said:”I have been suffering from hair loss since my mid-30s and I just felt it would give me a bit of a boost to get it sorted.
“So many men are getting help with their hair and it is really no big deal. I told Frankie what I was doing and she was really supportive.
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“She said, ‘Go for it,’ and supports anything that makes me feel better about myself.”
Bridge was inspired to get the treatment after a celebrity friend recommended the London specialists, whose treatments start from £3,000 and where cricketer Phil Tufnell went for his new look.
Hair experts at Philip Kingsley shared the four stages of the hair growtn cycle are: Anagen, Catagen, Telogen and Exogen.
Anagen Phase: Also known as the ‘Growth Phase’ or ‘Active Phase’, is when the cells in the root of your hair are most rapidly dividing so more new hair is formed.
During the Anagen Phase, hair grows around half an inch a month [about six inches a year], and faster in the summer than in winter.
This phase of the hair growth cycle lasts an average of three to five years.
Catagen Phase: Following the Anagen Phase, your hair cycle enters a short transitional phase known as the Catagen Phase, which signals the end of active hair growth and cuts individual hairs off from the blood supply and from the cells that produce new hair.
Approximately three percent of all hairs are in this stage at any time and it lasts for around 10 days.
Telogen Phase: The third stage of your natural hair growth cycle is the Telogen Phase, a resting period when strands remain in their follicles but are not actively growing.
An estimate of 10-15 percent of your hairs are in the Telogen Phase at any given moment.
The Telogen Phase lasts around three months or 100 days.
Exogen Phase: The final stage of the Hair Growth Cycle, when individual hair strands are released from their follicles and fall out.
Now the whole process begins again.
He explained: “I bumped into him at a wedding and his hair looked great.
“He explained that he had gone to DHI because the treatment is so discreet and no one knows you have had it done until all the hair has grown back.”
Bridge made his name and fortune after breaking through at Southampton to earn his transfer to Chelsea in 2003.
After six years at Stamford Bridge, he joined Manchester City then finished his club career with Reading in 2014.
Bridge famously fell out with John Terry over allegations that his England team-mate had an affair with Bridge’s former girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel in 2009.
Bridge tied the knot with glamorous Frankie in July 2014 – nine months after Parker was born.
THE Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board will bring shame on its own body if it suspends Shark Hanlon from training.
That’s my view on ‘tarpaulingate’, which faces crunch time, or ‘le crunch’, as my old man used to say.
Today, Hanlon appeals against the severity of a ten-month suspension for bringing racing into disrepute – something many feel IHRB will do to themselves if they ban the trainer – after he transported a dead horse in an open (although it didn’t begin that way) trailer attached to one of his branded lorries.
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Unless the IHRB have something on Hanlon that none of us know, this seems an outrageously unnecessary punishment for any governing body to give to one of its participants.
Indeed, if looked at sensibly you could argue some readers would believe Hanlon deserves a medal for transporting a dead horse away from open land as soon as he could.
Of course, Hanlon himself would not see it like that, because as a man who deals with animals on a daily basis he would just consider it the right thing to do.
This case, though, is not just about that.
For those of you who don’t know how the chaos has evolved, it all became public in June when footage from a mobile phone was widely shared on social media of a dead horse carcass visible to the public in Hanlon’s trailer.
The King George-winning handler explained the unfortunate event by telling everyone that a tarpaulin covering the carcass had blown off during transportation to a knackery in Co Carlow.
It was impossible to see that while driving.
There are numerous witnesses to the fact a tarpaulin was in place, and Hanlon himself re-tracked his journey and picked it up later on the day concerned.
An IHRB panel decided Hanlon had been “grossly negligent” in the transportation of the carcass and had caused “significant prejudice to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of the sport of horse-racing.”
What utter nonsense.
It also concluded that Hanlon’s appreciation of the matter should have been sharpened by the fact that the events occurred in the context of an RTÉ Prime Time Investigates programme relating to serious equine welfare issues being broadcast earlier that week.
Again. Totally irrelevant.
It’s nothing to do with Hanlon that RTE had a show on equine welfare.
But more importantly than that, he had taken every step to cover the horse. The cover came loose. These things happen.
Yes, it didn’t look good. But to take someone’s career way for that is ridiculous in the extreme.
Do the right thing IHRB and free the Shark.
It’s worth remembering, people, that this is an organisation that still hasn’t fully explained the “bombshell” €350,000 transferred between the Jockeys’ Emergency Fund (JEF) to the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) and back again in early 2022.
It would be nice to get answers there. If anything untoward has happened then presumably all the IHRB hierarchy will be resigning immediately. Or at least suspended!
OH God. How could racing around the world have got the whip so wrong?
I don’t just blame the UK here, although I feel the BHA has been at the front of this mayhem, mainly because those who pop in and leave the game as quick as they have arrived see it as something they can put on their CVs.
How they left their mark and saved the Sport of Kings. As if.
The BHA is used to messing things up. You can also throw in Premier Racedays which have clearly failed.
No surprise the same leaders have quit, leaving others to sort out the mess they have created.
I’ve tried so many times to debate the whip with those in charge at BHA and every time they have refused to do so.
They aren’t even confident enough in their own rules to have a debate! Well, that is other than with their chosen ones.
This all blew up again on Saturday, when following the Cesarewitch winning rider Jamie Powell was deemed by the stewards to have used his whip ten times before scoring by a nose, four more than the permitted level on the Flat.
That is the trigger point for disqualification if the BHA’s whip review committee, which meets tomorrow, agrees that all ten uses made contact and none were clearly used for safety purpose.
It’s sad that people have become so bored by the non-sensical whip rules that the general attitude on social media is – they (the jockeys) know the rules just ride within them. Pathetic.
There are very obvious reasons why the rules make no sense.
The first, of course, is that the whip is no welfare issue. That in itself should be enough.
But there is more.
Secondly, every jockey uses the whip differently. Six strokes by an apprentice having their first ride will be very different than six strokes from the recently retired Tony McCoy!
So clearly one rule for all just doesn’t work straight away.
Added to that, the distance of a race should be taken into account as well. It’s not.
And who decided that a horse needs time to reply between strikes?
I’ve not seen one piece of scientific evidence that suggests this is true.
I have, however, seen many races where a horse has been hit with a whip quickly and responded very nicely!
You only have to look back at Lester Piggott in the Derby, or more recently what Vincent Ho did on the Hong Kong legend Golden Sixty.
The latter loved every moment of being struck with the whip quickly and responded every time.
Indeed, some top jockeys I have spoken to have told me two quick slaps is much more useful to them than allowing time between strikes.
It’s all a nonsense. All pointless. And all achieving nothing other than trying to pretend a foam-padded whip is not crucial for racing.
Most significantly, allowing the majority of horses who need encouragement to do their best, and proving a crucial tool for integrity purposes.
That latter point is important as the whip it not a welfare issue.
Jamie Powell’s horse was responding in the Cesarewitch and wasn’t hurt in any way.
That is all that should matter to everyone and anyone who enjoys horse racing and animals.
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