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R Kelly’s former tour manager bribed a government official to get the then-15-year-old singer Aaliyah a fake ID card so Kelly could secretly marry her “to protect him and Aaliyah”, a court has heard.

Demetrius Smith told a jury at Kelly‘s sex-trafficking trial that he went into a welfare office in Chicago in 1994 and asked an employee who was taking ID photos if they “want to make some money” before handing over $500.

He said he was confident the bribe would work because “everybody needs some money”, he added.

R&B singer and actress Aaliyah pictured in 2001. Pic: AP
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R&B singer Aaliyah worked with Kelly in the 1990s but the pair split after allegations he married her, aged 15. Pic: AP

The welfare card was one of two fake IDs used to allow the R&B artist to marry Aaliyah after he began a sexual relationship with her and believed she was pregnant.

A marriage licence listed Aaliyah as 18, while Kelly was 27 at the time.

Prosecutors say that Kelly wanted to use the marriage – later annulled by Aaliyah’s parents – to protect himself from criminal charges relating to having sex with a minor and prevent the singer from testifying against him.

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Aaliyah and Kelly worked together at the start of her career and Kelly produced and wrote her debut single, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, in 1994.

She later died in a plane crash aged 22 in 2001.

A court sketch of Demetrius Smith, who said he bribed government officials to create fake IDs for Aaliyah so R Kelly could marry her
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Demetrius Smith was forced to testify against his will after being given immunity from future charges

Kelly, 54, is charged in the bribery scheme as part of a racketeering case accusing him of sexually abusing several women, girls and boys during the course of his 30-year career.

He has continued to deny the charges, saying that his accusers were groupies who wanted to take advantage of his fame and fortune achieved through hits like I Believe I Can Fly.

Mr Smith, who was forced to testify against his will after being given immunity from future charges, repeatedly told the judge he was uneasy about taking the stand, but did not give a specific reason.

R Kelly pictured in a courtroom sketch attending Brooklyn's Federal District Court during the start of his trial in New York
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R Kelly has always denied the charges against him

However, after further questioning from the judge, he revealed how Kelly came to him during a 1994 tour and told him Aaliyah was “in trouble” and that he needed to get home.

Mr Smith said they rushed back to Chicago after a concert in another city so they could arrange the marriage meant “to protect him and Aaliyah”.

He said he told Kelly: “‘I know how to get her an ID’, and that’s what I did.”

Court sketch of witness Anthony Navarro testifying at R Kelly's trial
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Anthony Navarro, a trained audio engineer, said he spent most of his time driving visitors to and from Kelly’s home

Earlier on Friday, Anthony Navarro, another former Kelly employee, was called by the government to describe the inner workings of the Chicago-area mansion where Kelly had a recording studio and regular female visitors.

Mr Navarro said being at the mansion “was almost like the Twilight Zone“, adding that “it’s just a strange place”.

His testimony appeared to bolster the government’s claims that Kelly created an environment where women and girls faced strict rules that gave them little choice but to submit to the singer’s sexual desires.

Mr Navarro told the jury that he never witnessed Kelly sexually abuse his alleged victims but there were “girls” who would stay at his home for long stretches and could not eat or leave without the singer’s permission.

He said there were times when they wanted to leave but “couldn’t because they couldn’t get a ride or we couldn’t get ahold of Rob” to get approval.

Mr Navarro, a trained audio engineer, said he spent most of his time driving visitors to and from Kelly’s home.

He said: “Mainly it was girls who were coming to the studio.”

The trial continues.

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Ed Sheeran apologises to Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim after interrupting Sky interview

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Ed Sheeran apologises to Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim after interrupting Sky interview

Ed Sheeran has apologised to Manchester United’s new manager for interrupting him during a live Sky Sports interview.

Ruben Amorim was speaking after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when the singer walked up to hug analyst Jamie Redknapp.

His intervention brought the interview to a halt before Redknapp told Sheeran to “come and say hello in a minute”.

Some people on social media said Sheeran had been “rude” and called for him to apologise.

Pic: AP
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Sheeran celebrates during the match. Pic: AP

“Apologies if I offended Amorim yesterday, didn’t actually realise he was being interviewed at the time, was popping to say hi and bye to Jamie,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram.

“Obvz feel a bit of a bellend but life goes on. Great game though, congrats on all involved.”

The game at Portman Road was Amorim’s first since he left Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon to take over at United.

Marcus Rashford scored after two minutes before Omari Hutchinson equalised for the home side.

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Sheeran, a lifelong Ipswich fan, holds a minority stake in the club.

He was pictured celebrating after Hutchinson’s goal.

Last week Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton said Sheeran helped the club sign a new player in the off-season by taking a Zoom call with him just before he went on stage with Taylor Swift.

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Kate Nash says selling photos of her bum on OnlyFans paid for an extra tour crew member

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Kate Nash says selling photos of her bum on OnlyFans paid for an extra tour crew member

Kate Nash says selling photos of her bottom on the X-rated site OnlyFans has allowed her to add an extra crew member to her tour staff.

The 37-year-old singer says the fact she is having to subsidise her shows in this way shows that the music industry is “completely broken”.

She announced she was launching her OnlyFans account last week as she began the UK leg of her tour, and has previously said on Instagram that, “touring makes losses not profits”.

Speaking about her new venture to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she said it was “very funny” and “fun to do,” adding, “My industry is completely broken, I don’t think it’s sustainable, and I think it’s a complete failure, I think it will collapse as well”.

Going on to talk about “people finding solutions to fund their art,” she said: “I think it’s quite empowering, and I’m also creating jobs with my bum now.

“For example, I couldn’t bring a crew member that’s on tour with me in the UK to Europe, but now I can, because of my OnlyFans website.”

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She has previously described the career move as a “punk protest,” containing “lots of comedy”.

Speaking to LBC last week, she said: “The cost of touring has gone up. Just like the cost of living crisis, there’s a cost-of-touring crisis – where the cost of travel, accommodation, crew wages, bus rental, all the things that you need to pay for when you go on tour, everything’s gone up.

“But a lot of bands’ and artists’ fees for gigs have not gone up, whereas ticket prices have gone up.”

Nash also said music was an “exploitative industry,” adding, “I have had lots of experience of being exploited”.

She said it could “learn a lot from the sex industry”.

Beginning her career in 2005, Nash has had one UK top 10 single – 2007’s Foundations – and two UK top 10 albums.

She has just finished a three-week US tour and is now touring the UK before moving on to Europe. Her London gig later this week is sold out.

And Nash isn’t the only one branching out to bring in cash. Lily Allen said earlier this year that she had joined OnlyFans to sell photographs of her feet.

The 39-year-old Smile singer, who moved to the US in 2020, says she has “very strict guidelines” and is charging subscribers $10 (£8) a month to view images of her feet on the platform.

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Davina McCall says she has short-term memory problems after brain tumour surgery

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Davina McCall says she has short-term memory problems after brain tumour surgery

Davina McCall has said her short-term memory is “a bit remiss” as she recovers from brain tumour surgery.

Speaking from her bed, the visibly emotional TV presenter posted a short video updating her Instagram followers on her condition, saying it had been a “mad” time.

She expressed an “enormous heartfelt thank you” to people who had messaged her after she revealed this month she had a benign brain tumour, a colloid cyst, which she described as “very rare”.

Looking bright, but with a visibly bruised left eye, McCall said: “My short-term memory is a bit remiss.

“But that is something I can work on, so I’m really happy about that. I’m writing everything down, to keep myself feeling safe.”

She added: “It’s been mad, and it’s just really nice to be back home, I’m on the other side.”

In a message posted with the video, she reiterated her thanks for all the support she has received, adding: “Had a great night’s sleep in my own bed. Have a couple of sleeps during the day which keeps my brain clear… Slowly, slowly…”

When she first shared her diagnosis, she said chances of having it were “three in a million” and that she had discovered it several months previously after a company offered her a health scan in return for giving a menopause talk.

The 57-year-old star said support from her fans had “meant the world”.

She said she was being “brilliantly looked after” by her partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas, and her stepmother, Gabby, who she calls mum.

Becoming tearful, the presenter said: “I’d quickly like to say big up the stepmums. I don’t really say thank you to Gabby enough. She’s been an amazing rock my whole life.”

McCall was estranged from her birth mother, Florence McCall, who died in 2008.

Kate coming out of the Big Brother house in 2002
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McCall with 2002 Big Brother winner Kate Lawler. Pic: Rex Features

With a catch in her voice, McCall went on: “I’ve got a massive dose of vitamin G – I’m just really grateful. I’ve always been really lucky in my life, but I feel unbelievably grateful right now. So, thanks for everything, all of you.

“I’m on the mend, I’m resting and sleeping loads and I feel really good. I’m just very lucky.”

Stars including presenter Alison Hammond, singer Craig David and radio host Zoe Ball quickly shared their delight at the positive update.

McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.

Davina McCall  with her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Pic: PA
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McCall with her MBE, alongside her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson. Pic: PA

She’s gone on to present programmes across the networks, the most recent being ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad.

Last year, McCall was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.

Married twice, McCall has three children, two daughters and a son, with her second husband, presenter Matthew Robertson.

She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and they present a weekly lifestyle podcast together, Making The Cut.

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