By her own admission, broadcast journalist Charlene White doesn’t often find herself overcome with emotion. Instead describing herself as someone brimming with “fight” and “resilience”, the ITV News and Loose Women anchor says she has long dealt with online abuse in the only way she knows how. “With humour,” says White with a smile. “It’s going to sound awful, but I have been faced with social media racism for so long – oh God longer than a decade now – that I’ve had to build an armour against it. I shouldn’t have to build an armour, but I have done, in order to be able to survive and enjoy the side of social media that I love.” An all too regular occurrence brought to the fore by recent events including the Euro 2020 finals – when a number of England footballers were subjected to a torrent of online racial abuse after losing to Italy on penalties – White describes the need for “broad shoulders” to deal with an increasing number of trolls and negative online …
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Fans react as Georgia Toffolo begs for help after being ‘detained’ at Maldives airport
Georgia Toffolo has begged for help after having been “detained” in the Maldives – and her fans have had mixed reactions, with some expressing sympathy while others have mocked her. The I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here winner spoke about the issue on social media, explaining that she has been detained at Male airport due to a missing page in her passport. “I’ve planned such a lovely Christmas here in the Maldives so I need to get here for Christmas Day,” Toffolo said in an Instagram story. In one video, the 25-year-old cries on camera while explaining that she is not allowed to leave the airport, nor can she board a flight home to the UK. According to the government website , consular assistance to British nationals in Maldives is provided by the High Commission in Columbo, Sri Lanka, but the former Made in Chelsea star said she has been unable to contact anyone for help. I'm A Celebrity 2017 contestants Show all 10 …
Lenny Henry on stopping school bullies with jokes
Being funny is what’s made Sir Lenny Henry’s fame and fortune. But when he was a child, his wit served what was at the time an even more valuable purpose – it stopped the bullies that plagued him. The young Henry realised that making the bullies at his school laugh stopped them attacking him, so he used his wit as a crafty defence. And now the comedian has included bullying in his new children’s book, The Boy With Wings in which the hero is targeted by school bullies – but realises saving the world is a bigger priority than his waste-of-space tormentors. “I was bullied at school – mainly because of racism. At one point in my school career I was bullied every day and it went on for ages,” Henry remembers. “But I discovered if you make jokes about the bully and being bullied, you might get people to be on your side. “It absolutely happened. This one boy kept pushing me around for days and days on end, and eventually I said something like, ’You must really fancy me or …
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Local shopkeepers share solutions that helped their businesses thrive despite Covid
Reading the business stories of successful entrepreneurs can be very motivating, and they might spur you on to have a successful business yourself. We spoke to a group of independent high street shopkeepers who’ve made a success of their independent retail shops. We asked them questions such as what challenges they’ve faced, how they got through it, and what advice they’d give to others. All of the independent shopkeepers are already signed up to Down Your High Street and say it has helped them make their business a success. Down Your High Street is an online platform that supports local high street shops. You have to be a brick and mortar (real life and not only online) shop to join. They help independent retailers sell products to customers via their online platform. If you already have an independent high street shop or are starting one up, then sign up for Down Your High Street . Shops signed up to the …
The urgency to be social post-lockdown has left us at a loss with alone time – here’s how we learn to love it again
The last two years have been strange, to put it lightly – particularly when it comes to our social interactions. First, we were thrust into isolation, which meant either being stuck with the same faces for weeks on end, or being alone for an extended period of time like no other. Slowly things reopened – with various stop and starts – and excitement for Freedom Day left many feeling a mixture of excitement and pressure at the prospect of being sociable again. But the extreme of going from solitude to a packed out social calendar has disturbed our sense of equilibrium. And now, many of us are lost when it comes to enjoying our alone time, after over a year of craving company. Francesca Specter, podcast host and author of Alonement , a book about rethinking and embracing alone time, believes that moderation within our social lives has been amiss for a long while – and this is why some of us feel so out of sorts. ‘The way the easing of lockdown restrictions fell …
Mum who thought rash was eczema discovers it’s rare cancer she’s had for 20 years
Vivian Neil, 43, from Dunfermline, Scotland, first noticed itchy rashes across her body in her early 20s. After recurrent visits to the doctor, she was given a range of skin creams experts believed would help. Most assumed the condition was eczema but in actuality, the rash was a rare cancer Vivian had for 20 years. ‘The doctors always thought it was eczema but now, with the diagnosis, they realised that it was the cancer all along,’ mum-of-two Vivian said. ‘It steadily got worse over the years but it is so hard to diagnose. I lost count of the different creams I have been given over the years.’ Not only was the rash irritating, it hindered her confidence, too. ‘I always wore clothes that covered the patches and if I was wearing skirts or dresses I always wore tights,’ she recalls. ‘I never ever showed my bare legs as they were the worst.’ In February 2018, a patch turned brown in colour and Vivian grew worried. She booked an appointment with her GP, who was …
Hamley’s unveils the most-wanted toys for Christmas 2021
Christmas lists have changed a lot since we’d circle our favourites in the Argos catalogue each year. And it appears so have the tastes of children, as Hamleys’ list of most-wanted toys for 2021 shows. After a ‘year on screens’, the toy retailer has predicted that their most popular presents this Christmas will be educational, with a focus on creativity, role play, and imagination-based games. The top 10 list includes racing cars, traditional family board games, Playmobil and Lego, as well as LOL! Movie Magic Dolls, which allow children to play with friends and create their own storylines. Lego’s Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course – in at number seven on the list – encourages children to team up for real-life social play. Hamleys predicted top 10 toys for this year Playmobil City Action Police Special Operations Police Robot, £20 Shifu Orboot (Earth): The Educational AR Globe, £50 Magic Mixies Cauldron, £70 Mattel – Barbie Dream House, £310 …
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Michelin awards stars to Russian chefs for the first time
The Michelin Guide has awarded nine Moscow restaurants with its stars for the first time. Two restaurants: Twins Garden created by twin brothers Ivan and Sergei Berezutsky, and chef Artest of Artem Estafev were awarded two stars. Seven restaurants were given one star, including restaurants "White Rabbit", "Biologie", and "Grand Cru". "It doesn't matter whether it's New York, London or Moscow: they have the same criteria, the most important is to justify the trust of guests," Ivan Berezutsky told reporters. The international director of the Michelin guide Gwendal Poullennec told the AP that "over the past five years, the Moscow calendar is seen as being really evolving a lot, with high-quality products, many very talented and promising chefs." Denmark's Noma restaurant finally gets 3 stars as Michelin announces 2021 Nordic ratings Michelin under fire over decision to strip Paul Bocuse restaurant of third star However, no participant was awarded …
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Helen Joy: Man guilty of murdering partner in flat
Published 1 hour ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A murderer "went about his daily business" after leaving his partner to die from "horrific injuries" and hypothermia in their flat, police said. Helen Joy, 54, was found dead in a property in Twickenham Drive in Leasowe, Wirral, on 1 February. Her children said they had witnessed her being abused, manipulated and brainwashed by Kevin Ashton for years. Ashton, 45, was convicted of her murder at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday and will be sentenced on 12 November. Merseyside Police said mother-of-three Ms Joy was murdered by Ashton on 31 January and her body was discovered the following day. A post-mortem examination showed she died of multiple injuries with terminal hypothermia. In a statement released by police, Ms Joy's daughter Caisey Hyland, 21, said: "Life before Kevin Ashton was perfect. It was in a …
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Auckland’s street gangs: Social media a breeding ground for ‘wannabe’ gangsters
The gang members call themselves "violent offenders," but some are just 10 years old. In the age of social media, Auckland's street gangs are more visible, able to broadcast their affiliations and curate the image of a gangster lifestyle. The teens, dubbed "wannabe gangsters" by one concerned relative, pay tribute to fellow members who have died or are behind bars, rattling off catchphrases and throwing up hand signs. They share photos of reams of cash and stacks of tobacco. Their online videos insinuate responsibility for various crimes, including dairy robberies and police chases. Sometimes, they include footage of the crime itself. READ MORE: Youth gangs bragging about violent crimes 'an absolute tragedy' - top cop Christchurch's youth criminals starting younger than ever From smiling 5-year-old to axe-wielding teen robber and New Zealand's youngest prisoner On Facebook and YouTube, the youngsters play a game of one-upmanship that, family members say, has led …
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