Stormzy has opened up about his split from Maya Jama, admitting it was his “catalyst for growth as a man”.
The former couple split after four years together in 2019 with various headlines subsequently surrounding their break-up.
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In a new interview with Louis Theroux (via The Sun), Stormzy said the split came after he made a “mistake”.
“My break-up, that was probably the biggest catalyst for growth as a man,” he said. “It was like, OK, you made a mistake and you lose someone you loved, someone you cared for, someone who is special to you.
“That’s probably the biggest loss a man can have, isn’t it? Away from someone passing away, that’s the biggest loss you can have.
“The whole f****** palaver that surrounded that situation, do you know what I mean? There were other things in terms of mistakes I’d made.
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“I didn’t do what a man should do to fully appreciate love, and care for his woman,” added Stormzy, who has always denied any infidelity.
The former couple split in 2019
David M. Benett via Getty Images
Stormzy continued: “Long story short, I learned that if I don’t want to feel like that again, and if I believe that God will bless me again with an amazing woman and a family and marriage and all of that kind of thing, I have to do all the necessary work to never be in that situation again.
“I do want a family of my own and I want to get married and I want to settle.”
The grime star added that he has found it difficult to find love again due to interest in his dates.
“Any time I’ve had a date we’ve got to go through a back door at the restaurant, otherwise people are going to blow up the poor girl’s life,” he said.
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“I’m still trying to work out the solution. I’ll just wait for God to present me with my situation with my woman. I’m all out of ideas.”
Stormzy and Maya started dating in January 2015 after first meeting in October 2014.
The Draco Malfoy actor has said he always have a close bond with Daniel and praised him for “always being collaborative” on the set of the film franchise, which they first joined as children.
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Speaking on US TV’s CBS Mornings, Tom gushed: “I love the man dearly.
“I don’t see him as much as I’d like to — that’s the same for all of us, really. But I consider him a brother, definitely. Huge amounts of respect for him.”
Tom went on to praise the way Daniel “brings a certain energy to any room that he’s in”.
He continued: “But it was important to me, looking back, how important his enthusiasm and his eventual professionalism runs down the ranks, if you will.
“He could’ve very much easily, I think, coasted a lot of those years. And it seemed to me, on set with him, that he was always up for bringing as much as he can to the table, always being collaborative.
“And I think he learned that the same way that I did: from the other chaps around us.”
Tom also admitted he agrees with fans who have theorised that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy “could be” two sides of the same coin.
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He said: “You have one boy who has no parents, no money, no status, but he has everything that is good with the world: He has love and compassion and friends and truth and honesty.“And the other side is the slightly darker one, very powerful parents, lots of money, big house, all the toys, but also a bully and someone that can’t find a way of expressing his light, because he hasn’t been shown any his entire life.
“These are broad sweeps of the brush, but I think it’s fairly true.”
The pair pictured in 2006
Gareth Davies via Getty Images
Fellow Harry Potter star Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, recently hailed Tom as her “soulmate” and admitted she struggles to explain their relationship to people.
Writing the foreword for Tom’s new book, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, Emma said: “Like Tom, I always struggle to explain to people the nature of our connection and relationship.
“For more than 20 years now we’ve loved each other in a special way, and I’ve lost count of the times that people have said to me, ‘You must have drunkenly made out, just once!’ ‘You must have kissed!’ ‘There must be something!’
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“But what we have is far deeper than that. It’s one of the purest loves I can think of. We’re soulmates, and we’ve always had each other’s backs. I know we always will.”
Actor Josephine Melville has died backstage at a theatre after appearing in a play.
The performer, whose TV credits include EastEnders and Prime Suspect 2, passed away on Thursday night at the Nottingham Playhouse after acting in a production of Nine Night.
In a statement, the theatre said: “We are deeply saddened to announce that last night the actor Josephine Melville, passed away backstage at Nottingham Playhouse following the performance of the play Nine Night, in which she was performing. Josephine’s family have been informed, and our thoughts and deep condolences are with them.
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“Josephine received immediate assistance from Nottingham Playhouse first aiders and a medically qualified member of the Nine Night audience. The subsequent very swift arrival of paramedics meant she was quickly and expertly treated but sadly she passed away at the scene.”
We are deeply saddened that last night (20 Oct) the actor Josephine Melville, passed away following the performance of Nine Night, our co-production with Leeds Playhouse. Our thoughts and deep condolences are with her family and loved ones. https://t.co/O9qnBGXqkRpic.twitter.com/h1pCfchXPh
The statement continued: “The entire company, and staff at both theatres are in a state of shock. Josephine was a truly wonderful and well-loved person, a revered and deeply respected performer, director, producer, archivist and writer, and a tremendous Auntie Maggie in Nine Night.
“We are offering our full support to her family, our onstage and production crew and all staff at this awful time.”
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Josephine appeared in eight episodes of EastEnders in 1986 as Tessa Parker, the girlfriend of Kelvin Carpenter. She then appeared in an episode in 2005 as a different character.
She had guest roles in shows including Casualty, Hold The Sunset and The Bill, and also made an appearance in Ella Henderson’s video for her 2019 hit Brave.
Helen Skelton has admitted she was in two minds about signing up for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing after splitting from her husband of nine years.
Back in April, the former Blue Peter presenter announced that she and rugby star Richie Myler – with whom she shares three children – had parted ways, telling her Instagram followers at the time: “Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children.”
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Just four months later, Helen was announced as one of 15 celebrities taking part in this year’s series of Strictly, which she revealed during a new interview with The Telegraph was not an easy decision.
“I was talking to my best friend about it and I was like, ‘I’m not sure, there’s the kids and the press and it will be full-on’,” she recalled.
“And she just went, ‘What a t*t! You’re going to get paid to dance around with a fit guy, people are going to put make-up on you, and you’ve got to work. It’s not real life, is it? Why wouldn’t you do it?’.”
Helen in her official Strictly press photo
Ray Burmiston via PA Media
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Helen ultimately decided it would be “disrespectful” to turn the BBC show down, and said yes in the hope it would allow her family to see her “have a great time”.
The Countryfile host said: “When you’ve got kids, if they’re happy, you’re happy. My kid scored a hat-trick this week, and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’. And then I thought, ‘Oh, I do that to my mum and dad’.
“You don’t get it until you’ve got your own kids, do you? It gives you a different perspective.”
Prior to this year’s Strictly launch, Helen told HuffPost UK of her decision to sign up: “I just wanted to do something fun! It was a good chance for my family to see me smiling. And it’s a fun adventure.
“Anybody who’s had anything to do with Strictly will say, the make-up people are the best, the costume people are the best, the set designers are the best, the dancers are the best. So why wouldn’t you want to do something where everyone is literally at the top of their game and loving what they do?”
Helen has been partnered with professional dancer Gorka Marquez on the current series of Strictly, and while the pair have consistently received pretty good scores, she was told by the judges last week to work on her confidence and self-belief.
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Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez on the Strictly dance floor
Guy Levy/BBC via PA Media
After they received their critiques on Saturday night, Gorka took a moment to give his celebrity dance partner a pep talk on air, telling her: “I know you’ve been made to feel like you’re not beautiful or good enough or anything, but if you don’t believe in yourself, I believe in you. Everybody here believes in you, your family believes in you.
“It doesn’t matter how many times I say it or the judges say it, you are the one who needs to make the change and believe in you, because you are a very inspirational woman and amazing mum and a brilliant dancer.”
What came as more of a shock was that they were joined in the bottom two by Kym Marsh, whose Samba routine had her at joint fifth place on the leaderboard with 32 points of a possible 40.
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After both celebrities performed their dances again, the judges unanimously voted to save Kym and her professional partner Graziano Di Prima.
Matt Goss and Nadiya Bychkova
Guy Levy/BBC via PA Media
Craig Revel Horwood told the couples: “I think both couples went up a major notch, I mean Matt you went fantastically mad in that, I loved it, and Kym you were really great in that. But the couple I would like to save is Kym and Graziano.”
Motsi Mabuse agreed to save Kym and Graziano, while Anton Du Beke added: “I would just like to say you should both be thrilled with the way you performed in the dance-off, it’s the most high-pressured of situations.
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“Matt – that’s your best performance of the whole series, you should be really proud of yourself. But the couple with the higher technical ability, I think for me, going through is Kym and Graziano.”
Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima on the Strictly dance floor
BBC/Guy Levy
Although her vote ultimately didn’t count, Head Judge Shirley Ballas revealed she would have chosen the same pair as her colleagues.
Following his elimination, Matt said of his partner Nadiya: “This lovely lady beside me, a world champion with all the patience. I am very honoured to have danced with you.
“And to everyone who is still in, I love you guys, go smash it.”
Nadiya responded: “First I’m so grateful that I got to teach and dance with a music icon.
“But, more important than this, I got the privilege to get to know Matt, for who you really are. Not many people know you and you’re a beautiful soul, very kind human and a real gentleman.”
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Matt and Nadiya in their official Strictly portrait
In fact, the former X Factor finalist has revealed that her husband Marcel is so supportive of her Strictly journey that he’s encouraging her to turn up the heat when she performs her Argentine Tango at the weekend.
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Speaking on her Hits Radio breakfast show, Fleur revealed: “[The Argentine Tango is] very hot and steamy and obviously it’s really hard to get into the mode of that!
“It’s quite awkward when you’re in rehearsals. It’s like ‘this is weird’. But we both said we need to do one where we fully go for it, and we commit to that passion and that emotion.
“So we went for it – and it was quite intense – and my husband Marcel was there watching and at the end of the dance he went ‘hmmm… More!’. I was like ‘What? Are you sure?!’. He said, ‘you need to commit to this and you need to give it 100%’.”
Fleur East and Vito Coppola performing together earlier in the series
In Spike Jonze’s 2013 sci-fi romance, Scarlett plays Samantha, an Alexa-like virtual assistant.
Although Scarlett doesn’t actually appear on camera in the movie, her voice is omnipresent throughout, while Joaquin portrays Theodore, who eventually falls in love with the artificially intelligent assistant.
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The two characters share an intimate scene in which Scarlett makes sex and orgasm noises.
She explained to Dax Shepard and Monica Padman on their Armchair Expertpodcast this week that the offbeat sex scene was pretty awkward to put together.
The Black Widow star explained that Joaquin had already filmed his end of the scene, but because the film only features Scarlett’s voice, he needed to join her in a recording studio to work with her on her part.
“Joaquin comes in, we try to get through one take, and he was, like, losing it,” Scarlett recalled.
“He was like, angry … He had already done [the scene], he had done it in person, and now he was with me, in this weird theatre, I’m in this box and [Joaquin] is staring at me, the lights are low, and like, Spike is there. It was so bizarre.”
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“Joaquin was so upset about it, he left the studio,” she added. “He needed a break.”
Scarlett said that thinking back on the scene today gives her “panic” and that she totally understood where Joaquin was coming from.
“You don’t want to hear your voice, ever,” Scarlett said about 46 minutes in. “You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having an orgasm. You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having a fake orgasm — ew. It’s so gross.”
The Scottish star, who also starred as criminal psychologist Dr Eddie ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald in ITV’s crime drama Cracker, passed away on Friday, according to his agent Belinda Wright.
His agent of 40 years thanked the medical staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, near Falkirk in Scotland for their “care and diplomacy”.
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In a statement, she said: “My client and friend Robbie Coltrane OBE passed away on Friday October 14. Robbie was a unique talent, sharing the Guinness Book of Records’ Award for winning three consecutive Best Actor Baftas for his portrayal of Fitz in Granada TV’s series Cracker in 1994, 1995 and 1996 with Sir Michael Gambon.
“He will probably be best remembered for decades to come as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, a role which brought joy to children and adults alike all over the world, prompting a stream of fan letters every week for over 20 years.
“James Bond fans write too to applaud his role in GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough.
“For me personally I shall remember him as an abidingly loyal client. As well as being a wonderful actor, he was forensically intelligent, brilliantly witty and after 40 years of being proud to be called his agent, I shall miss him.
“He is survived by his sister Annie Rae, his children Spencer and Alice and their mother Rhona Gemmell. They would like to thank the medical staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert for their care and diplomacy.
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“Please respect Robbie’s family’s privacy at this distressing time.”
Coltrane was a larger-than-life character whose presence was immediately evident whenever he graced the screen.
The stars of film and TV have paid tribute to the actor, who starred in a number of classic British franchises and shows during his career including 007 and Blackadder as well as Harry Potter.
Hugh Laurie, who acted alongside Coltrane in the period sitcom Blackadder and in the sketch series Alfresco, recalled fond memories of his time with the actor.
“I hope it’s OK to spout memories: I used to ride with Robbie Coltrane between Manchester and London in his sort-of-restored MGA,” Laurie tweeted.
“I’d roll him cigarettes while he discoursed on the ways of the world, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed or learned so much in my life.”
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The Bond franchise’s long-term producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, described the actor’s death as a “tragic loss to the world”.
In a joint post to Twitter, they added: “He was an exceptional actor whose talent knew no bounds.
“He was beloved to Bond audiences as Valentin Zukovsky in GOLDENEYE and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH as well as to millions who saw him in his multitude of roles.
“We shall miss him as a dear friend. Rest in peace Robbie.”
Harry Potter stars were also among those who remembered their time with Coltrane fondly.
Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films alongside Coltrane, has paid tribute to the actor who “made it a joy to be Hermione”.
“Robbie was like the most fun uncle I’ve ever had but most of all he was deeply caring, and compassionate towards me as a child and an adult,” Watson wrote on her Instagram story with a picture of the two of them.
“His talent was so immense it made sense he played a giant – he could fill ANY space with his brilliance.
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“Robbie, if I ever get to be so kind as you were to me on a film set I promise I’ll do it in your name and memory.
“Know how much I adore and admire you. I’ll really miss your sweetness, your nicknames, your warmth, your laughs and your hugs. You made us a family. Know you were that to us.
“There was no better Hagrid. You made it a joy to be Hermione.”
I hope it’s OK to spout memories: I used to ride with Robbie Coltrane between Manchester and London in his sort-of-restored MGA. I’d roll him cigarettes while he discoursed on the ways of the world, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed or learned so much in my life.
Born Anthony Robert McMillan in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, on March 30 1950, Coltrane took his the stage name in a tribute to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.
After working in theatre and comedy, he secured a role in BBC comedy series A Kick Up The Eighties, which brought him further roles in The Comic Strip Presents movies The Supergrass (1985) and The Pope Must Die (1991), and a series of comedy sketch shows.
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He also memorably appeared as dictionary creator Samuel Johnson in Blackadder The Third in 1987 before reuniting with the cast for the 1988 special Blackadder’s Christmas Carol.
Coltrane also appeared in eight films with a former member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Eric Idle was his opposite number in Nuns On The Run (1990) and National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985).
He also played Big Jazza in the TV mini series Tutti Frutti, where he appeared in six episodes.
One of his highest-profile TV roles was in the 1990s playing Dr Eddie “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a forensic psychologist in the TV series Cracker (1993).
<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Robbie Coltrane with his OBE after receiving it from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.” width=”720″ height=”363″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/robbie-coltrane-harry-potter-and-cracker-actor-dies-aged-72-2.jpg”>
Robbie Coltrane with his OBE after receiving it from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Andrew Parsons via PA Wire/PA Images
It was not until his performance as KGB man Valentin Zukovsky in Bond film Goldeneye (1995) that he became internationally-known, revisiting the same character in The World Is Not Enough.
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It led to him securing a role in the lucrative Harry Potter franchise for which he was personally selected by author JK Rowling, which led to appearances as Rubeus Hagrid in all the eight films.
Coltrane’s collection of accolades culminated with an OBE award from the Queen in 2006 for services to drama.
In an interview with The Scotsman in April 2014, Coltrane revealed he was writing his own memoirs after reaching a reflective stage in his life.
He said: “I’m writing my biography at the moment.
“I just think I’ve lived such an interesting life. I’ve written three books, I’ve made more than 700 hours of television, I’ve made 78 movies, I’ve made a lot.
“I’ve lived in New York, I was in Britain when alternative comedy happened, I was in Tutti Frutti, I was in Cracker, I’ve been fortunate enough to be connected with a lot of really important moments in drama, and then there is Harry Potter, obviously.”
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Coltrane won three Baftas for his work in Cracker and also won an outstanding achievement award from Bafta Scotland in 2011.
Apart from acting and comedy, his talents also extended to voicing characters for animated films such as Brave in 2012 where his voice was used to bring colour to the character Lord Dingwall. He was also the voice of the Gruffalo in the 2009 TV film.
After a break from television, he returned to the small screen in 2016 for the Channel 4 drama National Treasure, where he played a comedian accused of raping a 15-year-old girl several years earlier.
Based on Operation Yewtree, Coltrane worked alongside Dame Julie Walters in the topical series which was broadcast in autumn 2016.
In his later years, he appeared less frequently in film and television, but returned to be interviewed for HBO’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts – where he spoke of how his legacy as Hagrid would live long beyond him.
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Speaking on the special, he said: “The legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show it to their children, so you could be watching it in 50 years’ time easy.
The 90s TV personality appeared on stage at the ceremony alongside her Challenge Anneka co-star, Dave the sound man, to present the prize for Best Quiz Game Show.
A video package showing clips from nominated shows Beat the Chasers, In for a Penny, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and The 1% Club was played, but things went awry when it came to announcing who had one.
As the camera then cut back to Anneka, she proclaimed: “The 1% Club!”
The audience then began cheering, but as no music played, Anneka quickly realised her mistake.
“No!” she said, before then reading out the list of nominations again.
As she then declared Beat The Chasers as the winner, the show’s host Bradley Walsh appeared to not have realised he’d actually won.
However, as his co-stars headed to collect the prize, he then joined them on stage.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy brought Wednesday’s edition of Channel 4 News to a hilarious end after a guest used some choice language during the broadcast.
As part of the live show, Krishnan interviewed journalist Gillian Tett about cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg after he claimed that the recently-announced mini-budget was not responsible for the market turmoil in the UK.
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She responded: “To use a non-technical term, that is pretty much bollocks.”
“I think for the most part it really was the budget and the way it was delivered and the message inside, which sparked the beginning of the crisis,” Gillian added.
As the show drew to a close, Krishnan responded to Gillian’s use of the term “bollocks”, revealing he’d done some quick Googling to decipher whether or not it was inappropriate.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the Channel 4 News studio
“Before we go, I’ve had time to clarify whether that word Gillian Tett used to describe Jacob Rees Mogg’s explanation was within the rules,” he told viewers, smart-phone in hand.
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“And on the Ofcom regulator website, it describes [the word] as ‘medium language, potentially unacceptable, less problematic when used to mean nonsense’.”
However, Krishnan then added that Channel 4 did technically have cause to apologise for a somewhat unexpected reason.
“I should, however, apologise to people who are relying on subtitles, for whom it was spelled ‘bullocks’,” he added, before concluding: “That’s all for tonight.”
Krishnan’s comments certainly raised a smile among viewers, as the clip quickly began doing the rounds on social media:
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What a sign off from Krishnan. Excellent programme as usual.
Award winning TV. The government’s excuses are “b*llocks”. Even better, at the end of the programme Krishnan Guru-Murphy apologises to viewers for the automatic subtitles misspelling the word as “bullocks”. Superb! pic.twitter.com/qfbTZ26Jl3
