The terminal illness sufferer: Carrie Jade Williams 

Carrie Jade Williams is an English woman in her 30s who claimed to have Huntington’s disease, a rare and terminal neurological condition.

She arrived in Cahersiveen, County Kerry, in 2019 rather out of the blue and soon befriended a woman whose daughter had died. 

She first made headlines when she won the Bodley Head Financial Times literary award in 2020 – a prestigious essay competition with a £1,000 prize. 

Her compelling and emotional essay called: ‘My brain is in a battle it will lose’ told the story of her diagnosis with Huntington’s and how she could no longer write or hold a pen. The essay was said to have been written using assistive technology.

After winning the prize and having the essay published in a national newspaper, Carrie garnered a huge platform and everyone wanted to interview the terminally ill chemical engineer-turned star writer. 

She began hosting virtual writing workshops during the pandemic and told those who had joined that she would help them get bursaries of up to £10,000 to kick-start their literary careers. Carrie claimed the money was coming from a literary app she was set to launch.

But as time went on, the app never launched and the group attendees never saw any money. Growing suspicious of Carrie, people began to question her and after months of stringing them along, Carrie said she was going to the US for life-saving surgery and soon ghosted the group completely. 

Yet she continued to build on her platform following the win, and made YouTube videos detailing her horror diagnosis. Her story captured the public’s heart.

But in 2022, high on her success as an online disability activist, Carrie told a lie that would eventually unravel her lies. She posted a TikTok calling out Airbnb for allegedly siding with guests who had complained about having to use her accessible doorbell.

‘I know able-ism exists, and I’ve experienced it,’ she said in a teary video.  

Carrie claimed the guests, who had stayed at her home, were so ‘traumatised by being around her as a disabled person’ they had complained to Airbnb – and that Airbnb had instructed her to refund them as a result.

The video went viral as people were horrified by the overt display of able-ism and Carrie soon posted a follow-up video – where she claimed the guests were now suing her for 450,000 euros for the trauma caused. They also allegedly slapped her with a list of 13 bizarre demands to cope with the trauma, including an emotional support animal and 25 adult colouring books a year for the remainder of their lives.

However on October 5, 2022, someone on Reddit posted links to articles about a convicted fraudster – who they claimed was Carrie. 

Carrie issued a statement saying this was in fact her sister who had struggled with mental health problems and that it was defamatory for anyone to link the pair. 

This led journalist Kat to investigate the story and over the course of two months, she uncovered the truth. Carrie Jade did not exist. 

The autism expert: Rebecca Fitzgerald 

In 2017, 29-year-old au pair and ‘autism therapist’ Rebecca Fitzgerald moved to Fermoy, a town near Cork, Ireland.

She lived and worked with a local family and formed relationships with parents in the community, advertising herself as a qualified autism therapist who could ‘teach non-speaking autistic kids to talk in just two months’. 

Parents in the local area described her as kind, empathetic and the ‘perfect person’ and she was soon invited into their homes to help their children. Rebecca began working at Fermoy’s kids community centre and school.

It is not possible to reverse non-speaking autism in two months, Rebecca had no qualifications and she was not a child therapist. 

Julie Lee, a mother in her 50s originally from Johannesburg and a taxi driver who often drove Rebecca from house to house, clocked that she was a fraud. 

Rebecca would have no money when arriving at the houses of these families, Julie said, and yet when she picked her up she would have hundreds of pounds. ‘That’s how I knew what she was doing.’

During the drives, Rebecca told Julie she was opening a clinic for children and families and tried to recruit Julie to work there, before asking for a copy of her passport and money. Having recruited other people in the area, one woman even quit her job as an au pair to work for Rebecca.

‘That’s when I realised it was a scam,’ Julie said. ‘An unqualified person doing that, then looking for passport copies, then money.’ 

People at the school started to ask questions about the qualifications of their child’s new therapist. The school headteacher contacted the Garda [police] but they never followed up. 

Julie also reported Rebecca, and the Garda told her they had a thick folder on Rebecca, and had been keeping track of her.

Officers were sent to Rebecca’s home and shortly after, she disappeared.

The speech therapist: Lucy Fitzwilliam

A year earlier, in 2016, bright and bushy tailed Lucy Fitzwilliam, 28, moved to County Geery, Ireland. 

She introduced herself to the locals as a speech and language therapist who also ran a domestic violence refuge and quickly became a beloved member of the community.

Lucy met Lynn, not her real name for anonymity, a single parent and domestic abuse survivor whose youngest daughter has Rett syndrome, a genetic neurological disorder that affects the way the brain develops. Lucy offered to be her carer.

Lynn declined the offer but Lucy was persistent and instead said she could do art therapy with Lynn’s oldest daughter Sofia, eight, who had witnessed her father’s abuse.

The family became close with Lucy, and after months of ‘therapy’ she offered them a trip to Lapland. This was apparently being organised by the church who were covering half the cost. 

Lucy said she needed a £500 deposit to secure the trip – which would be raising money for the domestic abuse refuge she claimed to run. The community rallied and Lynn’s mother made up 400-500 euros worth of food packages for the refuge.

As the Lapland trip drew nearer, Lynn said she had been trying to find a specialist nurse to care for her youngest daughter. It was at this point Lucy said she would take Sofia to Lapland alone and Lynn and her youngest could join them later once care was organised.

All Lucy needed was Sofia’s passport and birth certificate, Lynn said.

‘She had zoned in on my Sofia and I still to this day believe she looked for a signature from me so she could bring Sofia herself to Lapland.’ 

Suspicions in the community escalated when one of Lynn’s friends, a woman called Pauline whose son is autistic, said Lucy had also tried to convince her to hand over her son’s passport. 

Lucy was reported to the Garda for trying to scam families in the community out of money and passports, but she was let go without charge. She packed up and left County Geery that same night. 

The au pair: Lucy Hart

Two years before there was Lucy Fitzwilliam, there was a 26-year-old woman called Lucy Hart.

Bonnie, not her real name for anonymity, a woman in her 40s from Tullamore, had been looking an au pair to help look after her children.

She came across Lucy on an au pair website in 2014. Lucy said she was experienced in childcare and following a quick video call, Bonnie hired her.   

‘She was so convincing, and really lovely in the interview we had,’ said Bonnie. 

Bonnie and her children ‘loved’ Lucy and she quickly became part of the family – regaling them with her interesting stories about her previous au pair jobs and her own family. Lucy said she was adopted and that her mother Jane Hart lived in the United States. She said her mother was the ‘main supplier for sandpaper for B&Q’.

In a video for the ALS ice bucket challenge, Lucy nominated her mother ‘Jane’ and Bonnie’s children poured the water over her head. 

Lucy soon opened up to Bonnie about her love life, saying she was dating a man in the UK who had two children from a previous relationship. 

Bonnie also received an insight into Lucy’s tragic past, as she told her that her previous fiance Liam had had motor neuron disease and killed himself by hanging. Lucy said she had found him.

The pair’s friendship grew but things changed during Christmas in 2014 – when Lucy accused Bonnie’s children of stealing her money and engagement ring. Bonnie did not believe her children would do such a thing and the relationship began to break down. 

Bonnie went back over many of Lucy’s elaborate stories and found they did not add up, so one day challenged her au pair as she launched into yet another tale. Kind and smiley Lucy was quickly replaced with an angry woman who accused Bonnie of attacking her and stormed out of the room. 

Things remained tense until one day in January when Lucy said she was going on a writing retreat and disappeared. 

After a few weeks, Bonnie accepted Lucy was not coming back and went into the room she had been staying in. In the wardrobe she found piles of documents and one truly chilling letter that made her ‘blood run cold’.

Among shopping lists and legal documents was a statement about visitation rights for Lucy’s child – a child whose name matched the one she claimed was her boyfriend’s from another relationship. More chilling still, Bonnie came across a statement.

The statement read: ‘I stand shoulder to shoulder with the coroner and I did not murder my daughter. I pray she is at peace.’

Her real identity: Samantha Cookes

Behind all of the aliases is a real woman – Samantha Cookes. 

Born in 1988, Samantha grew up in Gloucestershire, before moving to Shropshire with her mother and her new husband after her parents divorced. 

Samantha had a reputation for being a liar, her friend from school said. Her lies included her mother having cancer and her being pregnant and miscarrying.

Aged 18, Samantha was dating a boy called Liam. She went as far as to set up a website to plan their ‘wedding’. There was no wedding. 

The pair split up some time later and aged 20, Samantha started a degree in Occupational Therapy at York University.

However, Samantha later discovered she was pregnant and left university in her first year, returning home to Shropshire. She gave birth to a daughter called Martha in 2008.

Tragically, just four months later, Martha died. 

A five-month inquest found Martha had died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) – a result which appeared to vindicate Samantha, who seemed to have taken the inquest as an accusation.

It was at this point Samantha made the statement later found by Bonnie in Tullamore six years later. 

‘I stand shoulder to shoulder with the coroner, and I did not murder my daughter,’ it read. ‘I pray she is at peace.’ 

Samantha did not return to university as she chose not to fill out criminal records check forms. 

Two years later in 2010, Samantha started a relationship with a man, whose identity is not being revealed to protect him and his family. The pair had a child. 

The same year, 23-year-old Samantha offered her services as a surrogate on Facebook. 

After making contact with a couple about being their surrogate, Samantha passed on the contact of a woman called Claudia, who had previously used her as a surrogate. Claudia gave the excited couple a glowing review of Samantha.

Having never met her face to face, the couple gave Samantha £1,200 out of their savings to cover the cost of the insemination kit, legal fees and other expenses. 

Sadly the baby never came, and as both Samantha and Claudia avoided the couple’s messages, they realised they had been duped. The police were contacted and a 23-year-old woman was arrested at her home in Shropshire.

The case came to trial in 2011 and Samantha pleaded guilty to fraud. She received a suspended sentence of 9 months’ imprisonment and a fine of £1890 to be paid to the couple.

But what the trial also revealed was that Samantha and Claudia were the same person. Claudia did not exist.

A year later, Samantha gave birth to a second child with the man she had been dating but due to mental health problems, the father was given sole custody. In 2013 she became pregnant with her third child with the same man. 

Determined not to lose custody of this unborn child, Samantha fled to Ireland in the winter of 2013. She gave birth in January 2014.

However, a neighbour reported her to Irish social services and the child was taken into care. After appearing at Irish family court, the father was again given custody and the baby was transported back to the UK. 

Samantha had permanently lost custody of her third child by August 2014. 

A month later she had changed her name to Lucy Hart and was working for Bonnie as an au pair. In January 2015, she left Bonnie’s home. 

In 2016, Samantha moved to County Geery and became Lucy Fitzwilliam and in 2017, Rebecca Fitzgerald arrived in Fermoy. 

When Samantha arrived in Cahersiveen, County Kerry, in 2019, she became someone else – Carrie Jade Williams.

The private hospital at the centre of a scandal around alleged attempts to access the Princess of Wales’s medical records did not report the suspected breach to the authorities for more than seven days after she was discharged, it is claimed.

Three members of staff at The London Clinic are under investigation over claims of a data breach at the clinic, with the trio believed to have been suspended and facing professional sanctions if proven to have accessed her private medical information.

The alleged breach took place at the clinic after the future Queen was admitted for planned abdominal surgery on January 16, with Kate being discharged 14 days later. She has rarely been seen in public since then, leading to cruel conspiracy theories on social media about her wellbeing and health.

It was claimed one member of staff attempted to view her medical records while she was a patient there.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating the incident, with reports claiming that part of the probe will look into whether there was a delay in the clinic flagging it them amid claims it took more than a week for a ‘breach report’ to be filed.

Official rules state that any personal data breaches must be reported within 72 hours of their discovery, while data protection rules mean the private hospital could be fined up to £17million if found to have committed wrongdoing, one expert has claimed.

King Charles has also used the clinic in recent months, first for treatment for an enlarged prostate and then after he was diagnosed with cancer. However, his private medical information was not affected by the breach.

The ICO says it is investigating the incident as the clinic itself says it will take ‘all appropriate steps’ to investigate the alleged breach. 

It is believed the police could probe the allegations, with one government minister claiming the Metropolitan Police have been ‘asked to look at it’, although the force says it is not aware of any referral as of yet. 

The CEO of The London Clinic vowed on Wednesday that ‘all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken’ as it investigates the data breach claims.

Al Russell, broke his silence yesterday, saying in a statement: ‘Everyone at the London Clinic is acutely aware of our individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality.

‘We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day.

‘We have systems in place to monitor management of patient information and, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken.

‘There is no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues.’

Executives have remained tight-lipped over the nature and extent of the embarrassing breach of private records.

In addition to the alleged breach itself, the ICO is also said to be investigating whether the clinic delayed notifying the watchdog.

Official rules state that any personal data breaches must be reported within 72 hours from their discovery if a risk is posed to a person’s rights or freedoms.

However, reports suggest the ICO did not receive a ‘breach report’ for more than a week after Kate was discharged from the hospital on January 29. 

One source told The Guardian that ‘timeliness of reporting’ was part of its ‘ongoing’ probe into the hospital.

A spokesperson for the clinic told ITV News that they would not comment further other than to say ‘all our patients, no matter what their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their personal medical information.

The Princess is said to be aware of the allegations, while a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: ‘This is a matter for the London Clinic.’

The ICO said on Wednesday: ‘We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.’

ONe data protection expert claimed that the Waleses could even sue The London Clinic if the breach is proven to have taken place. 

Iain Wilson, from Brett Wilson LLP, told The Sun: ‘They’ve obviously got obligations to keep medical records secure through the Data Protection Act.

If it is found they didn’t have sufficient systems in place, for instance, they hadn’t trained staff properly, then they could be fined by the information commission officer.

‘A very large sum, I think up to £17.5million or 4 per cent of an organisation’s annual worldwide turnover and potentially sued by the individuals in question.’

He added that the hospital might have had ‘all the training and systems in place’ and the incident took place through a ‘rotten egg’ which is difficult to guard against.

According to the 2018 Data Protection Act, it is an offence to obtain or disclose personal data ‘without the consent of the controller’.

A spokesperson for the General Medical Council, which is the watchdog for doctors, told the Telegraph: ‘Patients must have confidence that their personal information is protected at all times.

‘Our guidance is clear: we expect doctors to make sure any personal information about patients is effectively protected at all times against improper access, disclosure or loss, and they must not access a patient’s personal information unless they have a legitimate reason to view it.’

Jon Baines, a data protection specialist from the law firm Mishcon de Reya, told ITV News: ‘Any investigation by the ICO is likely to consider whether a criminal offence might have been committed by an individual or individuals.’

‘Section 170 of the Data Protection Act 2018 says that a person commits an offence if they obtain or disclose personal data ‘without the consent of the controller’.

‘Here, the ‘controller’ will be the clinic itself.’

While the allegations are being probed by the ICO, it is also claimed that the police could investigated the situation alongside the watchdog.

A source told The Mirror: ‘The IOC will deal with anything as a criminal matter which could end up in a Magistrate’s Court, but if there were further claims of wrongdoing such as a conspiracy to distribute illegally accessed information, then that could be a matter for the police.’

The Metropolitan Police has said it is not aware of any referral to the force regarding the incident at this time.

However, Health Minister Maria Caulfield said she understood ‘police have been asked to look at it’.

Speaking to Sky News, she said the allegations were ‘pretty serious stuff’.

She said: ‘I say this as someone who’s still on the nursing register, that the rules are very, very clear for all patients. That unless you’re looking after that patient, or they’ve given you their consent, you should not be looking at patients’ notes.

‘So there are rules in place and the Information Commissioner can levy fines, that can be prosecutions, your regulator, so as a nurse my regulator would be the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council), can take enforcement action… and can strike you off the register if the breach is serious enough.

‘So there are particularly hefty implications if you are looking at notes for medical records that you should not be looking at.’

When asked if the Met Police should also be looking into the matter, she said: ‘My understanding is that police have been asked to look at it – whether they take action is a matter for them.’

Royal experts say Kate has likely been left shocked by the news of the alleged data breach – but will be too busy focusing on her own recovery to let it get to her.

Ingrid Seward, royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told the Mirror the news will have come as ‘a shock to the palace, a shock to the Princess and a shock to her husband and (to her) father-in-law, the King’.

‘For the London Clinic, it is an embarrassment of the worst kind and they will do their best to appease everyone concerned,’ she continued.

But Ms Seward added: ‘As for Catherine it is another emotional upset; she is going to have to put behind her. She is far stronger than she looks. She will not allow her battered emotions to get the better of her.’

Quizzed by reporters on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman has urged Brits to ‘get behind the Princess of Wales’.

Asked about the alleged breach at the London Clinic, the spokesman said: ‘Clearly there are strict rules on patient data that must be followed.’

And on whether people should give Kate a break, he added: ‘I think we all want to get behind the Princess of Wales, and indeed the Prince of Wales, and we obviously wish her the speediest of recoveries.’

The Princess of Wales has been the subject of a series of cruel conspiracy theories in recent weeks while continuing to recover from surgery she underwent in January.

Online trolls have suggested she is recovering from ‘Brazilian butt lift surgery’ or that she has even been replaced by a body double.

The toxic discourse has been fuelled further by the Mother’s Day photo shared from the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts earlier this month – after it emerged the picture had been digitally manipulated at source before release.

Global picture agencies including AP, Getty and PA issued a rare ‘kill order’ on the photograph after ruling that it had been manipulated beyond what they considered acceptable journalistic standards.

It had been hoped that footage of Kate walking happily with William outside a farm shop in Windsor at the weekend might have silenced those sharing theories online.

Instead, conspiracy cranks have pored over the footage trying to give weight to their completely unsupported suggestions that she has been replaced by a lookalike, or that the footage itself is old.

Even professional Kate lookalikes have made it clear that they believe it is the Princess herself in the footage – calling for the conspiracy wonks to leave her alone.

Palace sources have fumed at the ‘madness of social media’ as cruel trolls claim to have found ‘proof’ that the princess is more unwell than claimed, or has been replaced with a double.

Kensington Palace has stated since the start of the year that the Princess will not return to public duties until sometime after Easter.

It has not denied that the video of the Princess captured at the weekend is genuine.

Former President Donald Trump blamed his successor, President Joe Biden, for some awkward moments with his teleprompter as he spoke at a rally in Ohio on Saturday afternoon.

Trump spoke Saturday at a windswept airport outside Dayton in support of his presidential rematch with Biden and his favored Senate candidate Bernie Moreno.

The presumptive Republican nominee, 77, repeatedly noted that he was having trouble reading his teleprompters, which were visibly flapping in 35-mph winds.

As the prompters rolled around and Trump became increasingly visibly frustrated – at one point saying, “Don’t pay these suckers!” to those who set it up – about the inability to understand his speech, he joked: “I think Joe Biden put them in there!”

Although he bragged about how nice it was to have “a president who doesn’t need a teleprompter,” he made some obvious speaking errors during the meeting without being able to use them.

Notably, he claimed that President Biden once defeated former President Barack Obama in an election, after saying Trump would beat Biden by “the largest margins ever.”

‘You know what’s interesting? Joe Biden defeated Barack Hussein Obama, has anyone ever heard of him? Biden defeated Obama in every swing state, but he was assassinated in every other state.”

He was also recorded struggling to pronounce the name of the band The Rolling Stones, whose music Trump’s team uses at rallies, calling them “The Rolling Storns.”

Trump also mispronounced the word “bite” while retelling his infamous “The Snake” story.

Progressive media also claimed that Trump made a mistake in pronouncing candidate Moreno’s name, pronouncing it more like “Marino.”

Moreno, a former Trump critic who is a wealthy Cleveland businessman, supported Marco Rubio for president during the 2016 Republican primaries, once tweeting that listening to Trump was “like watching a car crash that makes you sick, but you can stop looking’. ‘

In 2021, NBC News reported on an email exchange around the time of Trump’s first presidential run in which Moreno called Trump a “crazy” and a “maniac.”

On Saturday, however, Moreno praised Trump as a “great American” and railed against those in his party who criticized the former president, who this week became his party’s presumptive nominee for a third straight election.

“I’m so sick of Republicans saying, ‘I support President Trump’s policies, but I don’t like the man,’” he said as he stood on stage with Trump.

Trump also dismissed the recent allegations against Moreno, comparing them to attacks he has faced over the years, including his criminal charges.

The former president has been charged in four separate cases involving his handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

“He’s getting very harsh bogus treatment from the Democrats right now,” Trump said. ‘And we will not support that.’

Trump also accused Biden of posing a threat to Social Security in his comments as he continued to clean up comments from an interview earlier this week in which he appeared open to cuts.

“Your Social Security will be gone,” he warned of a second Biden term, even as Biden has pledged to protect and strengthen Social Security as it faces a projected budget deficit.

“With this man in office, you cannot get social security because he is destroying our country’s economy. And that also applies to Medicare, by the way, and American seniors are going to be in big trouble.”

“I have promised that I will always adhere to Social Security and Medicare. We will always keep it. We’ll never make it,” he said.

Trump is scrambling to catch up on President Joe Biden’s huge fundraising advantage with just eight months until the election.

The Republican National Committee has just $40 million in the bank, compared to the $130 million the Democratic operations had last month.

The massive funding gap is steadily widening as Democrats open their wallets to support Biden’s campaign to retain the White House.

Democrats raised more than $10 million in the 24 hours after last Thursday’s State of the Union, far more than Trump’s biggest day, where he raised $4.2 million after his mugshot in the Georgia election fraud case was released .

A winning smile can get you far in life, so it’s not surprising that people are willing to pay thousands of dollars just to get a Hollywood smile.

However, one influencer has called Brits flying there Turkey to get cheap veneers – despite getting a free rhinoplasty.

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Carla Bellucci isn’t opposed to the occasional nip and tuck, as she’s had several adjustments over the year, including breast implants, Botox and lip fillers.

The model also famously got a nose job on the NHS worth a whopping £7,000 and claims to have had ‘fake’ depression to get her ‘slight bump’ corrected.

The ex-model previously told the Daily Star: “I went to my GPflirted with him and he told me exactly what to do.

“The funny thing is that I have never had depression, never been given medication for it or had therapy. They didn’t check anything.”

Despite being accused of ‘milking the system’, Carla argued she was ‘just smart’ and said people who complained were ‘just jealous’.

This earned her the unenviable title of ‘Britain’s most hated woman’.

While the Hertfordshire mum may be no stranger to going under the knife, she has taken a swipe at Brits heading for cheap cosmetic surgery.

The model called them ‘stupid’ and ‘fat’ and addressed people who wanted to undergo cheap surgery after hearing ‘horror stories’.

“I’ve seen so many stories about cosmetic surgeries in Turkey and I can’t believe how cheaply people risk their lives to go to Turkey for surgery – are you fat?” she argued in an article with the Daily star.

The outspoken influencer added: “You expect it more from young people, but grown women are going out for mommy makeovers. Is your life worth so little?

“So many people I know have had turkey teeth and lose a layer of veneer every time they eat, and they still want more. I’m actually shocked.

“Mothers do it when they have kids at home… and I get called a bad mother?”

Instead, Carla suggests that those who want surgery should have it done in Britain, as she did.

Speaking about her own operations, the mother-of-two said: “I had all those procedures done here in the UK. Some were gifted and some were paid.”

“I am offered free surgery every month from clinics in Turkey and I wouldn’t be stupid enough to have it after my examination.”

“I can’t believe the stupidity of some women and men. Come on, if something is that cheap, there’s a reason. Wake up because people are losing their lives.”

However, this does not stop countless Britons from seeking out cheap surgeries in Turkey and other holiday destinations.

According to Turkish healthcare provider USHAS, around 1.3 million tourists received ‘health services’ in the country alone last year.

If you are considering an adjustment abroad, we recommend that you research as many clinics as possible, check reviews, and learn about possible side effects well before you leave.

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A dreamy image of a polar bear falling asleep on a 'bed' carved into an iceberg has been declared the winner of the Nature Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award (WPY).

The photo was taken by a British amateur photographer Nima Sarihani as you explore Norway's Spitsbergen archipelago on an expedition ship. She defeated four critically acclaimed finalists to claim the crown.

The 25 photos competing for this year's People's Choice Award received a record number of votes, with more than 75,000 wildlife photography and wildlife enthusiasts from around the world voting to name Nima this year's winner.

Nima took her remarkable photo, called 'Ice Bed', after three days of searching for polar bears in dense fog. The expedition ship she was on decided to change course and headed towards an area of ​​sea ice. Here they encountered two polar bears.

Just before midnight, the young male climbed onto a small iceberg and clawed at it with his strong paws to carve out a bed for himself. Nima captured the dreamy moment the young bear fell asleep.

Director of the Natural History Museum, Dr Douglas Gurr, said: 'Nima's breathtaking and moving image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet. His thought-provoking image is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat and serves as a visual representation of the damaging effects of climate warming and habitat loss.”

Nima says, “I am so honored to have won this year's People's Choice Award for WPY, the most prestigious wildlife photography competition. This photo has evoked strong emotions in many of those who saw it.

“While climate change is the greatest challenge we face, I hope this photo also provides hope: there is still time to fix the mess we have created.”

The work of the four other finalists spanned the globe to depict nature at its most wondrous.

Mark Boyd, from Kenya, submitted 'Shared Parenting'. It shows a pair of lionesses devotedly caring for one of the pride's five cubs in Kenya's Maasai Mara.

For 'Aurora Jellies', finalist Audun Rikardsen from Norway photographed two moon jellyfish in the cool autumn waters of a fjord outside Tromsø in Northern Norway, illuminated by the aurora borealis. It is common for this species to gather in the hundreds under the Northern Lights.

“The Happy Turtle,” by finalist Tzahi Finkelstein of Israel, features a Balkan pond turtle sharing a moment of fascinating peaceful coexistence with a northern banded ground dragonfly in Israel's Jezreel Valley.

Daniel Dencescu's 'Starling Murmuration', meanwhile, depicts a mesmerizing mass of starlings swirling in the shape of a giant bird on their way to communal roosts above Rome, Italy.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year was developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. The images participating in the 60th competition are currently being judged by an international panel of experts.

The winners will be announced at the next annual awards ceremony, which will take place in South Kensington in October 2024.

Visitors can view the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural history museum.

A whopping £61 million EuroMillions jackpot has been claimed, making one lucky Brit richer than Stormzy and Dua Lipa.

National Lottery operator Allwyn today confirmed it has received a claim for the eye-watering sum.

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The jackpot prize worth £61,708,231 was won by a UK ticket holder during the draw on Tuesday 30 January 2024.

Stormzy, one of the biggest names in the British music scene, reportedly has £26 million in the bank.

Meanwhile, Dua Lipa has seen her wealth more than double in the past three years, taking her fortune to an estimated £60million.

But both fortunes are blown out of the water by the EuroMillions' landslide victory.

Andy Carter, senior winners advisor at the National Lottery, said: “This is absolutely incredible news and we are pleased to have received a claim.

“This is the first UK EuroMillions jackpot win of 2024, following an incredible 2023 that saw six UK EuroMillions jackpots won, including a £111.7 million win by an anonymous ticket holder in June.

“Our focus now is on supporting this last lucky ticket holder through the process and helping him enjoy his truly life-changing win.”

As with all major prizes, the claim will now go through the validation process, including checks to ensure that the Terms and Conditions of the Rules of the Game are adhered to and that the integrity of The National Lottery is protected.

Subject to validation, the prize will then be paid out during an appointment with one of the National Lottery winners advisors.

Once the ticket has been validated and paid for, the ticket holder decides whether or not to go public and share their news.

No information will be provided as to whether they are an individual or syndicate winner, or where the ticket was purchased, unless the ticket holder chooses to disclose.

By playing a National Lottery game, players generate £30 million every week for National Lottery-funded projects.

This money is used to finance projects throughout the country. To date, over 685,000 grants have been awarded across the UK – supporting projects large and small – and over £48 billion has been raised for good causes.

The first EuroMillions draw took place on 7 February 2004 by three organisations: the French Française des Jeux, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado in Spain and the Camelot in the UK.

On December 4, 2020, one of Britain's biggest prizes was up for grabs with a whopping £175 million EuroMillions jackpot, which would make a winner richer than Adele.

Another previous British winner whose entire life was changed by his jackpot was a player who wished to remain anonymous on October 8, 2019. They walked away with a cool £170,221,000.

Kanye West launched another tirade on social media on Thursday after his new sock shoes were made fun of.

The Yeezy Pod Socks, which have been widely mocked for looking like the wearer stepped out without shoes, have just been made available for pre-order for $200.

It marks Ye's first release independent of Adidas after the company cut ties with the rapper and fashion designer in 2022 over his anti-Semitic comments.

Hours after deleting all messages on his Instagram account, the 46-year-old rapper took to his Stories to share a screenshot of a DM he sent designer Brittany Pierone after he claimed she appeared to be mocking its new product.

Brittany, who previously worked for Nike and is the founder of design studio Proof Of Concept, had days earlier shared a photo of herself wearing the wrong size Yeezy Pod Socks, making them appear to be clownishly oversized in nature.

The photo quickly appeared on several Kanye fan pages, and despite Brittany revealing to a follower that there was no fit issue and that it was just “humor,” Kanye soon caught wind of the images.

Kanye quickly messaged the designer, sharing a photo of his message with the caption, “What the fuck is wrong with you. Don't play with me like that. What Adidas paid you to post that photo.

“I put so much work into every product and when I'm independent, this is what you want to post.”

Referring to a reporter who recently asked him if he was “checking out” his wife Bianca Censori, he added, “You're worse than the TMZ lady.”

Giving fit advice, he continued: “Take size one. Don't play with me like that. It's not funny. I worked on them for a year and released them myself.'

He then launched a series of unsubstantiated claims, adding: 'Jordan wanted to start his own brand and Nike threatened Footlocker to pull all his shoes from stores'

'Adidas copied all my stuff and treated me like shit. Adidas is suing me for 4 billion dollars and selling my shoes without paying me and they said I misused the marketing fund when I was the marketing

“That's why they sent me the money in the first place. You have no idea how much work. I have given everything we do.”

MailOnline has contacted Adidas for comment.

Bianca then responded to Kanye, explaining that her post had been reshared with a different caption, urging the rapper that she “liked” the product.

Pleased with her response, Kanye thanked her for her support, explaining, “I risked everything and we're building everything from scratch. Your support is greatly appreciated.”

In 2022, Adidas ended a major partnership with Kanye over his statements, discontinued the rapper's Yeezy shoe line and pushed back the CEO's planned departure.

In a statement at the time, the company said it “does not tolerate anti-Semitism or any other form of hate speech.”

It added that his “recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and are inconsistent with the company's values ​​of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

Days after Adidas parted ways with the rapper, court documents revealed that Yeezy demanded the return of $75 million that was allegedly deposited into his accounts.

Yeezy refused and after a week of litigation, Adidas dropped a federal lawsuit aimed at freezing Yeezy's funds, announcing that they would pursue the money exclusively through private arbitration. Billboard reports.

Kanye's shoe collaboration with Adidas generated $1.7 billion in sales [£1.37 billion] in 2021 and was predicted to break the $2 billion mark [£1.61 billion] mark in 2022. This made it responsible for almost 10 percent of the company's total turnover.

Adidas has now said it plans to sell its remaining Yeezy shares for “at least” production value.

Martin Bashir blamed his 'non-white' status at the BBC for the scandal over his interview with Diana, documents revealed last night.

The former star reporter claimed racism led to the “professional jealousy” he said was behind the row over the Panorama scoop in which the princess famously declared “there are three of us in this marriage.”

Bashir claimed in a 2020 email released yesterday that there was “irritation” at the BBC that “a second-generation immigrant with non-white working-class roots should have the audacity to enter a royal palace.”

He said “it would have been so much easier” if one of the “dynastic” Dimbleby brothers had conducted the 1995 interview with the troubled princess.

The BBC was plunged into a cover-up crisis last night when it finally published a dossier of internal Bashir emails covered in black censor ink.

Campaigners, including Diana's brother Earl Spencer, believe the redacted passages mean the broadcaster is hiding potentially explosive revelations. The organization is accused of concealing what executives knew about Bashir's scandalous behavior in obtaining his famous interview.

The BBC has spent more than £200,000 on a legal battle to keep the dossier secret – fighting a freedom of information request from journalist and filmmaker Andy Webb for two and a half years.

The company urged Judge Brian Kennedy QC that the emails were simply 'irrelevant'. But after that excuse was rejected by the judge – who ordered the documents made public and blasted the BBC's “inconsistent, erroneous and unreliable” handling of Mr Webb's request – the broadcaster handed over the files yesterday too late. Yet key passages have been blotted out in black ink, while dozens of other pages have been left completely blank save for the words “completely withheld.” The BBC argued that it had a duty to protect what it called 'personal information'.

But Mr Webb said: 'I am surprised that the BBC assured Judge Kennedy that all this material is 'irrelevant'. A simple glance will tell you that this is not true.

'With literally thousands of editors, it is currently impossible to determine who said what to whom. But I'm sure that will become apparent in the long run.

'And the release of the material by the BBC was completely chaotic. Whether that's a fabrication or a conspiracy, who knows.'

Judge Kennedy ruled that the BBC had until 5pm yesterday to hand over the cache of documents.

But as the deadline passed, only some parts of the file became available. Confusion ensued behind the scenes as BBC executives were unable to say why the tribunal's order had not been followed and whether the corporation was at risk of being found in contempt of court. Ultimately, all files were released.

They included a note sent by Bashir to a BBC historian in July 2020, discussing the situation. Bashir said he believed his 'non-white' status had led to jealousy within the BBC.

The series of internal emails dates back to a three-month period in autumn 2020, when the BBC was tackling the Bashir crisis under director general Tim Davie.

In October that year, the Mail revealed shocking details of how Bashir had lied and conned his way into landing his 1995 Panorama interview with the princess. Watched by 23 million people, it was hailed as the first of a generation. But Bashir had spun a web of deceit to deceive Diana and her brother with ridiculous smears about senior royals in order to gain her trust.

He used forged bank statements and lied that MI6 had recorded that Prince Charles was planning the 'end game', and that Prince William's watch had been tapped, all aimed at gaining the vulnerable princess's trust.

The full extent of Bashir's deception only came to light when the BBC was forced to release a 67-page dossier of memos and minutes from 1995 and 1996 at Mr Webb's request. But Mr Webb believed the BBC had still not released all its incriminating evidence and made more requests for files.

At the time of the BBC's Bashir crisis in 2020, the BBC insisted it could not question its journalist about the scandal due to his ill health, but emails later revealed executives were in daily contact with him.

Last night the BBC said: 'Throughout this process we have taken our responsibilities to follow the tribunal's directions very seriously.

'That is why today we have released approximately 3,000 documents – approximately 10,000 pages – to Mr Webb. This latest revelation includes many hundreds of pages of duplicates and material unrelated to the 1995 Panorama, yet discovered by the electronic searches.

“We have made redactions where necessary, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. There is nothing to support allegations that the BBC acted in bad faith in 2020 and we continue to maintain that this suggestion is simply wrong.

'We have worked to provide relevant material throughout this lengthy process, which has involved extensive archival and archival research spanning almost thirty years. We have also apologized if errors were made and have taken extensive steps to correct these errors.

'The BBC commissioned Lord Dyson to conduct an independent investigation so that he could gain a full picture of what happened in 1995 – including by obtaining any additional material that people other than the BBC might have in their possession.'

'The BBC has provided all relevant documentation held by the BBC to the Lord Dyson inquiry. Other individuals involved in these events also provided written material to Lord Dyson, which is detailed in the report. This was published in 2021 and the findings were fully accepted by the BBC.”

On the issue of the deadline, a spokesperson said: 'The process to transfer this material began well in advance of the deadline and the files were transferred as quickly as possible.'

Additional reporting: VANESSA ALLEN and INDERDEEP BAINS

The chance to pitch your business to potential investors in Dragons’ Den sounds like a dream to many entrepreneurs and you might imagine battling thousands of other hopefuls for a change to appear on the show.

But this week it emerged that producers actively recruit business owners to appear on the programme, as well as discovering people via casting call outs.

It comes after entrepreneur Giselle Boxer accused of ‘selling snake oil’ by claiming her ear seeds helped ‘cure’ her ME said she was recruited by a researcher for the show, while a second businesswoman, Zoe Young, 47, from Checkendon, has also since claimed she was approached by the BBC to appear on the series.

Meanwhile, an heir to the Cadbury dynasty, who ultimately turned his back on a £75,000 Dragons’ Den deal, said that he too was approached to appear on the show with his ethical chocolate brand Love Cocoa in 2018.

He said a researcher had tried one of his chocolate bars and ‘loved the story and ethos’ and that after a ‘quick 1-minute audition’ he was on the show within three to four weeks. 

Speaking to FEMAIL, the BBC confirmed that Dragons’ Den does ‘approach businesses’ to appear on the show. 

A spokesperson said that Dragons’ Den ‘has always encouraged entrepreneurs to apply to appear on the show. Whether we approach businesses or find people via casting call outs every applicant goes through the same rigorous processes before they make it on to the show.’

Those looking for a slot on Dragons’ Den need to apply online and the BBC’s website explains that as ‘part of the normal selection process we may approach entrepreneurs, or they may apply direct’.

It continues: ‘To be considered, all candidates need to submit an application form and these are then subject to the same casting criteria.

‘Once shortlisted for consideration applicants will enter due diligence, but ultimately the final selection for participation will be decided on a number of factors and the producers’ decision is final.’

However, James’ account of his experience of going into the den sounds less than ‘rigorous’ after he was initially approached. 

‘The first stage was to do a quick 1-minute audition in London which was speaking into a camera,’ he wrote. ‘I had a few attempts at it before finally producing a good one which our researcher liked. This was sent to the production executive to give the thumbs up.

‘With filming having already started for the season, the turn around was very quick between the audition and the actual pitch with it being only 3-4 weeks.’

In 2022, an alternative brewery Neitiv, based in Swindon, published a blog post detailing their own Dragons’ Den experience in which the founders claimed they were ‘convinced’ to pitch to the dragons by the show’s producers. 

In the post, the brand’s founder Vaani Vetriko claims the business was ‘approached by the show producers’ just one month after their Coconut Flower Beer had been launched.

‘Our initial reaction was pure disbelief, as we [had] not done any marketing at that point,’ she wrote.

‘Our response was ‘ ‘we are not sure if this is the right time’. We felt it was too early because our business did not have any financial track record to present to the Dragons as that is always the most important factor in seeking investment.

‘However, the producers convinced us to participate.’

Another entrepreneur who appeared on the show revealed he was also approached ‘out of the blue’ by producers, who contacted him via email.

Jacob Thundil, founder of Cocofina, appeared on the show in 2016 and received a £75,000 cash injection from Nick Jenkins and Sarah Wallingham. Unfortunately the deal later fell through because Jacob could not provide essential documents relating to the company’s accounts.

He told The Sun: ‘When I opened the email I thought it must have been a scam and nearly ignored it. I was waiting for them to ask me for money.

‘I was so cynical that I called up the BBC to find out if it was real. ‘I didn’t believe it because I considered myself normal and thought, ‘Why would they contact someone like me?’

 

The accounts come as the BBC is embroiled in rows over the application process for the show, after an entrepreneur came under fire for her supposed ‘cure’ for chronic illness ME. 

Giselle Boxer, who appeared on last week’s episode, told the Dragons that she sells £30 gold plated ear seeds, while on maternity leave, after she used a similar product to ‘cure herself from ME’, a long-term condition that causes extreme fatigue, sleeping difficulties and brain fog.

She secured an investment from Steven Bartlett, who has not commented on the backlash. His brother Joshua Bartlett is listed as a director for Acu Seeds on Companies House. Steven has also shared pictures of meetings with Ms Boxer in recent days. 

But now various doctors and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) sufferers have hit out at the BBC and the business for promoting an alternative medicine with no scientific evidence it can help ME or fatigue.

A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Dragons’ Den features products from entrepreneurs and is not an endorsement of them. Dragons’ Den shows real businesses pitching to investors to lift the lid on what happens in the business world.’

Referring to Giselle Boxer, they added: ‘This episode features an entrepreneur sharing their own, personal experience that led to a business creation,’ while noting that the entrepreneur’s website features disclaimers to always seek medical advice.

However, the broadcaster was put under further scrutiny after Ms Boxer claimed she was asked to apply for the show.

She told The Mirror: ‘Funnily enough they contacted me and I received an email from a researcher there and I initially thought it was a spam email. 

‘We went through the different stages of the application process and there was so much due diligence and they really looked into every part of my business before I went in to pitch to the Dragons.’

Businesswoman Zoe Young said she was also approached by the BBC to appear on the show, and told producers of her main competitor – Acu Seeds.

She warned them that Giselle was not a qualified acupuncturist and that ear seeds are not a cure for M.E, adding: ‘She had come along into the market as a social media expert, no background in traditional Chinese medicine.’

Speaking to FEMAIL Zoe said: ‘They encouraged me to apply. The questions they asked in the process were so lengthy and strict.  They asked me what every placement on every ear map meant, really in depth questions.

‘They asked me if I have any rivals and I told them about Acu Seeds. I told them that she didn’t have any background in Traditional Chinese Medicine and that we were in litigation with them’.

Zoe, who is a practising acupuncturist, added that she started selling ear seeds and  trademarked her name ‘Acupips’ during the Covid-19 lockdown as she was unable to see patients and it meant they could treat themselves at home.

She added that there are legitimate benefits of ear seeds, but their portrayal on the show and the backlash has been ‘very damaging’ for acupuncturists. 

Although this case has raised questions about due diligence in assessing potential entrepreneurs to appear on the show, some previous hopefuls have insisted they were made to follow strict application rules.

After agreeing to take part in the show, Vaani of the Neitiv brand revealed there was a ‘rigorous’ due diligence process to complete before they actually won a spot to pitch to the businessmen and women. 

‘Everything we presented and said on the final show had to be backed up with fact checks and proof of authenticity,’ she wrote in her post. 

Jacob, too, revealed the application process was ‘painful’ despite the fact he had been approached by producers. He explained he underwent a rigorous fact-checking process to ensure all claims made by the entrepreneurs were true.

Meanwhile, the ME association has reported Acu Seeds to the Advertising Standards Agency and written to the BBC and chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport committee and chairman of the health and social care committee.

‘People who have ME/CFS are often on very low incomes and in the absence of any effective medical treatment are very vulnerable to these sort of unsubstantiated therapeutic claims.

‘They are fed up with the way in which unproven and expensive treatments are regularly being promoted to them.

‘This programme has therefore caused a great deal of upset and anger in the ME/CFS [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome] patient community,’ the letter reads.

It adds that during Dragons’ Den none of the panel asked any questions about ‘validity Acu Seeds in ME/CFS and whether there was any scientific evidence of safety and efficacy for this product’.  

Dr Charles Shepard, Hon Medical Advisor for The ME Association, said: ‘The way in which Dragons’ Den has been used to promote an unproven treatment for ME/CFS has, not surprisingly, caused a great deal of upset and concern in the ME patient community.

‘People with ME/CFS are fed up with the way in which products like this are regularly being promoted when there is no sound evidence from proper placebo-controlled clinical trials to confirm that they are safe and effective.

‘These sort of expensive commercial products and devices should not be promoted to very vulnerable sick people until they have been properly assessed for safety and efficacy in clinical trials – in exactly the same way that drug treatments are.’

And he’s not the only doctor pushing back against the product. Dr. Edzard Ernst, an MD and PhD who specialising in research around alternative medicines said there is ‘no good evidence’ to support any of her claims.

‘There is no sound evidence that these acupressure devices are effective for ME or other conditions.

‘To give severely suffering patients false hope is unethical; to take money from it is despicable, in my view. 

‘I am disappointed that the BBC uses a light entertainment programme for misleading gullible consumers and desperate patients. I hope in future the BBC might do a minimum of research before broadcasting overt medical nonsense,’ he told FEMAIL.

Other people who suffer from ME and chronic fatigue syndrome have taken to social media to complain.

One TikToker, called Rebecca, who shares videos about her ME  said: ‘As if it’s not bad enough she’s bragging about buying them for £3 and selling them for £30, with her gigantic gross and net margins, well it turns out she’s also selling people in her club snake oil’.

In the episode, Giselle said she went form being an advertising executive with a busy social life to unable to leave the house.

She says she was diagnosed with ME and told by doctors she would never recover or be able to have children.   

Giselle then became pregnant. There is no evidence that ME reduces fertility rates but some related ailments — such as irregular periods and endometriosis — can make it harder to conceive.

She gave up her career in advertising to become a stay-at-home mother. While on maternity leave, she decided to launch her own ear seed business.

She spent 18 months building her business using just £5,000 of her own savings and managed to make a healthy profit her first year.

The mother of a three-year-old daughter then made Dragons’ Den history as she became the first contestant to get an offer from all six judges.

In her pitch, she said: ‘My business is the ideal mix of beauty and wellness. Today, I am asking for £50,000 investment for 10 per cent of my business. 

‘Four years ago I was diagnosed with ME. I went from working in a top advertising agency with a busy social life and exercising regularly to being mostly housebound and being unable to walk more than five minutes without having to get back into bed.

‘I was told by doctors that I would never recover, work again or have children. I went on a personal healing journey using diet, acupuncture, Chinese herbs and ear seeds. 

‘Using this combination, I believe, helped me recover in less than 12 months. 

‘Soon after, I felt pregnant and it was while on maternity leave that I setup Acu Seeds after realising there was a gap in the market for ear seed kits for people to use at home’.

Ear seeds were invented by Dr. Paul Nogier in the 1950s and are similar to an ancient Chinese medicine tool, which uses the principles of acuprssure but without the needles. 

Giselle said: ‘They are tiny beads that stick onto the ear applying pressure on to nerve endings. 

‘They send signals to the brain and body to relax the nervous system, release endorphins and naturally relieve pain. 

‘I work on this business for three days a week and spend the rest of my time working with my three-year-old daughter.’

Giselle told the dragons that the ear seeds she was using in her battle with chronic illness were not ‘very beautiful’ and were ’embarrassing’ to have on your ear. This inspired her to design her own more discreet ear seeds.

She has been running the business for 18 months and generated £92,000 in revenue in her first year and a healthy £64,000 net profit – which the dragons found very impressive. 

She spent £5,000 of her own savings to get the business off the ground and took a £31,000 salary – and still managed a healthy net profit.

Sara Davies said: ‘Honestly, I have nothing to fault you on. That is all shaping up really well so far.’

Asked about her vision for the brand, Giselle said she wants it to be ‘as big as it can possibly be’. 

She said: ‘When I got pregnant, I thought I wanted to be a stay-at-home mum because I had been working in marketing which I didn’t have much passion with.’

But she has found she is very passionate about her business.

Gary Neville said he couldn’t go home if he didn’t invest as his mother, sister, wife and two girls would ‘never forgive’ him. He offered her all the money – £50,000 for 10 per cent of the company.

Deborah Meaden said she ‘it would almost be rude’ not to offer her all the money for 10 per cent of the business.

All the other judges offered Giselle what she was asking for – apart from Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett who offered her £50,000 for 15 per cent. 

He said she was ‘un-uninvestable’ and made the case that he was ‘the dragon to take on the business’.  He offered her the money she wanted for a bigger stake in the business – 15 per cent.

To which, Peter Jones quipped, ‘oh, you don’t want it then’ while Gary Neville said: ‘He’s not a dragon, he’s a snake’.

Steven calmly responded: ‘You can see from the reaction of these two… it says something doesn’t it. I’ll leave it at that because I know what I can do for this business.’

It is the first time in Dragons’ Den history that all the judges made an offer to invest.

‘I don’t know if you believe in spirituality and all this stuff but I was told I was going to meet a man called Steven and that he was going to be really important.   This was before any of this happened. So, I would really like to work with you [Steven].

She asked if he would be ‘flexible’ on his 15 per cent offer and asked if he could do 12.5 per cent — which he accepted. 

The new business partners embraced before Giselle said partnering with Steven was a ‘complete dream come true’. Giselle said: ‘I feel like I want to cry. I just want to make my daughter proud’.