Latest News

LOVE island All Star fans were left scratching their heads tonight as bombshell Danielle Sellers made her shock entrance alongside Sammy Root – with many admitting they had no idea who she was.

Even Love Island’s voice over star Iain Stirling confessed: “I work on this show and I had to Google her …”

Rex

Danielle Sellers is a bombshell in this year’s All Stars series[/caption]

ITV

Sammy Root and Danielle entered the Love Island All Stars tonight[/caption]

In a series first, the new arrivals were sent straight to the Hideaway and given the power to invite two islanders for a surprise sleepover.

Sammy chose Elma and Danielle set her sights on Curtis, leaving the rest of the villa stunned as they had no clue who had picked them.

Inside the Hideaway Danielle, who originally appeared on the show in 2017, reintroduced herself to Curtis, saying: “I came on it eight years ago, so long time for me.”

But fans were still none the wiser, taking to X to voice their confusion.

One wrote: “who the hell is danielle?”

Another added: “No offence to danielle, i’m sure she’s a lovely girl but all stars is supposed to be memorable islanders & those that made a big impact. I fully don’t remember her and i’ve watched every series.”

A third joked: “Is there any video evidence of danielle in the villa because I genuinely can’t find any.”

Danielle was on Gabby Allen’s season and Gaby told the group: “She’s a really nice girl”.

As the night unfolded, Ekin-Su was left fuming over Curtis being invited to the hideaway, questioning why another girl had picked him when they were “closed off.”

Meanwhile, Curtis himself was left bewildered, repeating how confused and speechless he was.

However, the pair later got to know each other and Curtis appeared to warm up to Danielle.

He admitted about Ekin-Su: “I didn’t even know the girl (before the show)”

He later told the boys: “She felt very comfotable to be around, but I don’t know what that means to tell you the honest truth.”

Eroteme

BACK in the 1990s, you could hardly open a glossy mag without seeing tennis star Anna Kournikova’s athletic figure sprawled over the pages.

Despite never reaching a final of a grand slam singles tournament, the Russian was in such demand she was the highest-earning female player in 2000.

Getty

BackGrid

Anna was spotted at Bal Harbour in Miami being pushed along in a wheelchair by family and friends, with her right foot clad in an orthopaedic boot[/caption]

https://www.instagram.com/annakournikova/

Anna and kids celebrate partner Enrique Iglesias’ birthday[/caption]

One of her endorsements that year saw her in a sports bra on billboards next to the line “only the ball should bounce”.

But since quitting the game in 2003, aged just 21, due to back problems, she has become something of a recluse, living behind 16ft walls at the beach-front mansion in Miami she shares with her pop star partner Enrique Iglesias and their three children.

So it came as a shock to fans this week, to see Anna photographed in public for the first time in nearly three years.

And it seems the 43-year-old has not shaken off the injuries that prevented her career on court reaching its full potential.

Anna was spotted at Bal Harbour in Miami being pushed along in a wheelchair by family and friends, with her right foot clad in an orthopaedic boot.

‘I love being a mum’

Smiling by her side were her two daughters, Lucy, seven, and five-year-old Mary.

The image provided a brief window into the happiness that motherhood has brought the star, who also has Lucy’s twin brother Nicholas, since she turned her back on fame.

It is a world away from her years as a teenage sensation when she once joked that “every country I visit, I have a different boyfriend and I kiss them all”, following rumours she was seeing two Russian ice hockey stars at the same time.

I did feel pressure when people were saying things like, ‘You’re too pretty, you can’t play’, or whatever.

Anna Kournikova

At the peak of her fame, she could not go anywhere without being photographed, and could not chat to a man without being romantically linked to him.

And her reluctance to go out in public is understandable, given that a stalker once tried to get on to her property.

Talking about her previous worldwide fame, she told The Sun in 2019: “It’s really strange, it feels like it happened to me but it didn’t happen to me because it was such a long time ago.”

And she confessed that all the attention she received had made her anxious.

She said: “Being in the spotlight since I was a child was really hard.

“I did feel pressure when people were saying things like, ‘You’re too pretty, you can’t play’, or whatever.

“I would get so nervous and get anxiety on the court, I wouldn’t be able to move.”

Anna was last seen by fans when she shared a photo of her family celebrating Mother’s Day and Enrique’s 47th birthday in their back garden in May 2022.

It was becoming a mum to twins Nicholas and Lucy in December 2017 that truly sealed her move away from public view.

Having seen every part of her life pored over as a teenager, Anna did not announce their birth until a full month later.

Since then there have been the occasional images of her children posted on social media.

They include a cute video of her three children driving a toy red Range Rover around the tennis court at her house.

She said: “I love being a mum.

“I absolutely wanted to have children, whether I had my own or adopted.”

But Anna and Enrique give so little away that they have not even confirmed a rumoured marriage.

She wears a huge sparkly ring on her wedding finger and calls herself Anna Kournikova Iglesias on her Instagram page.

Enrique once referred to Anna as his wife.

I’m like a menu at an expensive restaurant — you can look at me, but you can’t afford me.

Anna Kournikova

He also said in 2022: “We haven’t gotten married in public, but that doesn’t mean we are not married.

“We have been together for such a long time, for half of our lives.”

For many, Kournikova was a poster girl for unfulfilled talent.

Doug Seeburg - The Sun

Berlei

Anna turning heads with a billboard bra advert in 2000[/caption]

She was the first of the Russian women to make it big on the tennis circuit, paving the way for stars such as Maria Sharapova.

When Anna was five, her mum Alla sold her television in order to buy he girl a tennis racket — and within five years she had secured a place at a prestigious academy in Florida.

She turned professional aged 14 and the following year reached the fourth round of the US Open, losing to eventual champion Steffi Graf.

But it was making the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 1997 aged 16 — which would be her best grand slam result in the singles game — that sent her into the sporting stratosphere.

Her 44-inch legs, blonde hair and perfect smile were a godsend for advertisers and in 2001 she earned £7million from sponsorship deals alone.

It was no surprise that FHM magazine named her the sexiest woman on the planet in 2002.

There was a slew of rumoured male admirers, including Brazilian footballer Ronaldo, who she gave a kiss to at the 1998 French Open, and Australian ­tennis star Mark Philippoussis.

She played up to her reputation as a heartbreaker by commenting: “I’m like a menu at an expensive restaurant — you can look at me, but you can’t afford me”.

The most infamous story surrounded a love triangle involving two ­Russian ice hockey stars.

Anna was said to have been in an on-off relationship with Sergei Fedorov after meeting him in 1999 when she was 17.

But his team-mate Pavel Bure also made a move in 2000, with The Sun revealing that diners had seen him propose to her with a pink rose in a Miami restaurant.

In the end, Anna chose Sergei.

A marriage certificate in Moscow appeared to show that the couple tied the knot in 2001.

Anna always denied getting married, but Sergei insisted they had been man and wife.

He said in 2003 after what he said was their divorce: “I loved her but she had her own plans.”

It was meeting Enrique, 49, the son of Spanish crooner Julio, in late 2001 when she played his girlfriend in the video for his song Escape, that changed everything.

In 2002 she announced her retirement from tennis, having struggled with a long-standing injury.

She said: “My back really forced me to stop.

“It got so bad I couldn’t tie my shoes, literally. I would be in excruciating pain.”

While Anna never reached the heights it was believed she would, she was twice the women’s doubles champion at the Australian Open.

Explicit emails

By 2004 she was also at odds with her mum Alla, who had orchestrated much of her early career.

Alla and dad Sergei launched legal action to get their daughter out of the Miami pad which they claimed to own.

The tennis star then counter-sued and a secret settlement was reached.

I’d love to appear in something like Sex And The City or Friends.

Anna Kournikova

A year later homeless man William Lepeska, who had a history of violence, was arrested at a swimming pool near her home, shouting, “Anna, save me”.

He had got the wrong house.

Lepeska, who was ordered by a court to stay away from Anna, had also sent her sexually explicit emails.

Afterwards, Anna bulked up her security, bringing in bodyguards, and her public appearances lessened.

There had been talk of her going into acting or presenting following her retirement from tennis.

She enjoyed a cameo in the 2000 Jim Carrey movie Me, Myself & Irene and said: “I’d love to appear in something like Sex And The City or Friends.”

But apart from stints as a workout coach on reality show The Biggest Loser in 2010 and 2011, Anna did not pursue the numerous opportunities offered to her.

It is clear she values privacy more than fame.

Given the last photo she posted of herself on social media was in 2021, there is little chance she is going to talk publicly about her latest injury.

But with a loving family around her, nowadays she can just block out what the world has to say about her and how she is looking.

Getty Images - Getty

At five, Anna’s mother sold their TV to buy her a tennis racket, leading to a spot at a prestigious Florida academy[/caption]

Getty - Contributor

Anna shares a Miami mansion with her pop star partner Enrique Iglesias and their three children – the couple seen here in 2010[/caption]

BRITISH telecom firm Vodafone has beaten tech billionaire Elon Musk in the mobile phone space race.

The breakthrough will make the UK the first to connect calls to standard handsets via satellites.

Reuters

Vodafone has beaten tech billionaire Elon Musk in the mobile phone space race[/caption]

It means calls can switch between space and normal mast networks automatically.

And users stuck in remote locations such as mountains or out at sea can also use the tech to connect to broadband internet to get a signal.

Unlike current satellite phones, users will not need a special dish, terminal or more expensive handset.

Vodafone boss Margherita Della Valle yesterday revealed she had made a call using the tech to an engineer in a remote mountain region of Wales “which had never had a phone signal”.

The achievement comes 40 years after the UK’s first mobile phone call — made at midnight on January 1, 1985, by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest, the founder of Vodafone.

Vodafone invested in AST SpaceMobile in 2018.

There are five satellites it works with, allowing the firm to test mobile broadband connectivity directly to existing smartphones at peak data transmission speeds.

AST SpaceMobile operates the only mobile broadband network in space that works directly with standard smartphones for multiple users.

And it means Vodafone is ahead of Musk, whose Starlink network has so far only managed text messages in tests connecting regular phones to low Earth orbit satellite constellations.

Ms Della Valle said the breakthrough would mean everyone will “be connected, no matter where they are”.

She went on: “This will help close the digital divide, supporting people to keep in touch with family and friends, or work, as well as ensuring reliable rural connectivity in an emergency.”

After further testing, the service is set to be rolled out by the end of the year before expanding into Europe.

Vodafone said the tech will be available only to its customers. It is yet to determine the pricing of packages but will “aim to make it accessible”.

A spokesman said users would have to be outdoors, rather than underground, to be able to use the service.

Tim Peake, the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station in 2015, welcomed the move.

He said: “I can appreciate the value in being able to communicate with family and friends from remote and isolated locations.”

Normal calls and video messages work by pinging a signal from a phone to a radio on a mast.

The signal then travels via underground cables or fibre networks to the closest tower mast to the recipient, which then pings it to their phone.

The new tech will send the signal to a satellite then back to a gateway before switching to the normal network.

  На головний мозок впливає багато факторів, в тому числі те, що людина їсть і п’є. Деякі напої можуть негативно позначатися на його стані. Детальніше про це розповімо в нашому матеріалі. Солодкі напої Фруктові соки, газована вода, квас – всі ці напої небезпечні для мозку. В першу чергу тим, що в них високий вміст цукру. […]

  Зірки попереджають, що найближчим часом деякі знаки Зодіаку можуть зіткнутися з неприємним відкриттям у стосунках. Хтось із близького оточення може виявитися не таким щирим, як здається. Це не означає, що потрібно підозрювати всіх, але варто бути обережними та довіряти лише перевіреним людям. Більше гороскопів читайте у розділі Астрологія Час-Дій. Овен Овни можуть опинитися в […]

Ніжний домашній кекс із ванільними й шоколадними нотками. Простий рецепт, ідеальний для затишного чаювання чи сімейного десерту! Інгредієнти: 150 г м’якого вершкового масла 200 г цукру щіпка солі 1 ч. л. ванільного цукру (або ваніль) 3 яйця 150 г сметани (або густого йогурту/кефіру) 250 г борошна 10 г розпушувача 2 ст. л. какао-порошку 2 ст. […]

The fire broke out directly in front of Etihad, as thousands of fans were evacuated less than two hours before ...

Read more

MARCUS RASHFORD has been told by Ruben Amorim that he must change – or stay in Old Trafford limbo.

The Manchester United boss insists his stand-off with the unhappy striker is “not personal.”

PA

Marcus Rashord smiles during Wednesday’s training session[/caption]

Getty

Ruben Amorim has again explained his stance on Rashford[/caption]

But he stresses that no matter what he will not back down after putting the 27-year-old in exile six weeks ago.

Rashford, desperate for a move to Barcelona after saying that he wanted “a new challenge” hasn’t played for 11 games and wasn’t even allowed on the plane to Bucharest for Thursday night’s Europa League clash with FCSB.

Amorim even suggested he would rather pick his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital than any player who wasn’t giving everything in a pointed reference to the home-grown star.

The tough-talking Portuguese has said that Rashford has not been training well enough even for inclusion in his squad – and, he vows, the situation will stay the same until the front man proves him otherwise.

But having laid down the law again he also opened the door for Rashford to salvage his United career -but only if he shows he really wants to and toes the line.

He declared : “Look at our team and match the profile of the players.

“Imagine a talent like Rashford, our team should be so much better, but he has to change.

“If he changes, we will use a talent like Rashford, but in this moment we have to set some standards.

SUN BINGO GET £50 BONUS & 50 FREE SPINS TODAY

“We are waiting for Marcus (to see) if he wants it really bad.

“I have nothing against Marcus. It is nothing personal against Marcus.”

Amorim delivered his brutal put-down on Rashford following Sunday’s 1-0 win at Fulham but stressed: “My sentence was about every player who doesn’t give his maximum.

“I didn’t say it was just about Marcus. When I feel it’s the right moment I will put any player to play.

“We are a better team with Marcus Rashford, but until the right moment, I won’t change my mind.

“I already spoke about Marcus. Anything I give you will be a subject.

“It’s the same for every player. Rashford is not selected, that is my choice.

“I will not give you nothing about Marcus Rashford but I’m giving a little bit and I also say we need goals, we need one-on-one players.

Meanwhile Lecce wing back Patrick Dorgu is poised to put pen to paper on a transfer worth £25m plus £4m in add-ons today.

The 20-year-old is scheduled for a medical – and a pay rise that will more than quadruple his £12,700 salary with the Italian club to become Amorim’s first senior signing.

Getty

Patrick Dorgu is set to sign for Man Utd[/caption]

SOLDIERS were tonight transporting new power generators across the country, as they began to arrive from Luxembourg, Poland and Denmark.

It comes as 133,000 still remain without power after Storm Eowyn last week.

REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Ciaran Carty

REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

The Government response to the storm is under scrutiny, with the Cabinet today told it will be the weekend before the majority of people get their power back.

Retired ESB staff have been drafted in to help get power lines back up and running — with work crews also flown in from the UK, ­Austria, Finland, the Netherlands and France.

Ireland has also been forced to borrow 17 power generators to temporarily run water mains and other facilities around the country while repairs continue.

Two large generators arrived from Denmark today, with the Defence Forces transporting the equipment around the country and providing logistical support.

A further 15 generators are expected to arrive here over the coming days from Denmark, Poland and Luxembourg, as they respond to an urgent EU call to help Ireland.

The latest figures show that there remains 133,000 people without power and 7,000 people without water.

Some 143 emergency hubs have been set up across 15 counties to enable people to shower, charge phones and keep warm.

The Cabinet were today told that the vast majority of the 133,000 people without power will be hooked back up by the end of the week.

However, there was a warning some homes and businesses in remote areas may be without power well into next week.

Clean-up crews have been spotted carrying out extensive repair works nationwide in some of the worst affected areas.

IMAGES OF WRECKAGE

In Inverin, Galway, a wind turbine was blown to the ground during the gale-force winds.

Off the coast of Connemara, on Mweenish Island, shocking photos showed the wreckage after a roof was blown off a house.

In Clare, a number of caravans were spotted overturned following the high winds, while a pier at Liscannor that collapsed has yet to be repaired.

Officials said this is by far the worst storm experienced by ESB Networks, both in terms of ­customers losing supply and the scale of damage across the ­network.

POWER BEING RESTORED

ESB Networks said: “We anticipate that the vast majority of customers who lost power during Storm Eowyn will have supply restored by tomorrow night.

“For the remaining customers, they will have power restored over the course of the following week.”

The Department of Education confirmed that a number of schools had suffered “significant damage” during the worst of Storm Eowyn last week.

Tuam Educate Together National School is among a number that have yet to reopen following the record-breaking winds.

‘TERRIBLE PREDICAMENT’

While power has been restored to all other schools in the Galway town, Tuam ETNS remains without electricity.

Acting principal Fiona Feeney told RTE: “It is just a terrible predicament. Across the road from the school the power has come back, but not for us.

“Every day is a waiting game. It is just very frustrating and I’m sure parents are really upset.

“I feel really bad that all of the other schools are back today, but we are not.”

MAJOR DAMAGE

Several schools in Sligo suffered major damage during the storm, including Mercy College, Summerhill College and Curry National School.

Earlier, Gardai spoke out to reassure people who were cut off as a result of storm damage that every effort was being made to get services back up and running.

They also urged members of the public to check in on elderly or vulnerable relatives and neighbours, and to alert emergency services where necessary.

A Garda spokesperson explained: “The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) continues to ­coordinate the national response to the impact of Storm Eowyn across the country.”

HEARTLESS SCAMMERS

Cops also warned that heartless scammers were attempting to dupe people in the aftermath of the storm and urged punters to be vigilant.

They added: “Please be careful with unannounced visitors to your home over the coming days. Legitimate employees of State services will always have appropriate branded clothing and identification, and will always be patient while you satisfy yourself as to a person’s identity.”

Meanwhile, thousands of euro has been raised to support the family of a “bright and loving” man who was killed during Storm Eowyn.

Tragic Kacper Dudek, 20, was killed in Raphoe, Co Donegal, when a tree fell on his car at around 5.30am last Friday morning.

HORROR INCIDENT

The young man was on his way home from his workplace at Zeus in Letterkenny at the time of the horror incident.

The Poland native, who had been raised in Lifford, died at the scene.

His devastated father Artur had spoken to his son on the phone just before his death and had been waiting for him to arrive home.

He told a local priest after the tragic death: “He never came home.”

He is survived by parents Artur and Katarzyna Dudek, younger ­siblings Karol and Weronika, and his girlfriend Molly.

Kacper’s funeral will take place this morning in St Patrick’s Church in Murlog, Lifford, at 10.30am.

This will be followed by a cremation at Lakelands Crematorium.

Press 22

Brian Lawless/PA Wire

THE expanded Champions League has delighted and confused fans in equal abundance so far this season.

More teams and more matches – plus a league table to contend with – have left many fans wondering what exactly is going on.

AP

Liverpool are already into the hat for the Champions League Round of 16 draw – but have will have to wait to find out who their opponents are[/caption]

There is just one round of matches to play after Wednesday’s fixtures, with all remaining games set to take place on January 29.

But then what?

There will be a draw next week – but with some teams already into the knockout phase, it’s not how it was before.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Champions League knockout draw and stages.

When is the Champions League knockout stage draw?

The main draw for the knockout phase takes place on Friday, February 21.

However, there is ALSO a draw taking place for the knockout phase play-offs.

Under the new league table format, which has 36 teams, the top eight teams in the table are automatically put into the Round of 16 and are seeded.

The bottom eight teams are eliminated from European competition, with no move into the Europa League like in previous years.

The next 16 teams – those that finished between 9th and 24th – then head into the knockout phase play-offs.

The teams that finished 9th to 16th will be seeded and drawn against teams that finished 17th to 24th (unseeded).

The draw for that round of games take place on Friday, January 31.

While Liverpool have already guaranteed qualification, fellow English sides Arsenal, Aston Villa and Man City still have it all to play for.

When does the Champions League knockout phase play-offs take place and when is the Round of 16?

Teams that finished in the top eight and automatically reached the Round of 16 have a little bit of a wait on their hands.

After the final league phase game on January 29, the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona will not play their Champions League last 16 games until March.

Those fixtures are scheduled to take place on March 4-5 and 11-12.

For the knockout phase play-offs, there is a slightly shorter wait – those two-legged games take on February 11-12 and 18-19.