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Former health secretary Matt Hancock has had the whip suspended after a source close to him said he will be going on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.

Mr Hancock will be jetting off to the jungle in Australia, reportedly as a latecomer to the reality TV show.

Chief Whip Simon Hart MP said: “Following a conversation with Matt Hancock, I have considered the situation and believe this is a matter serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect.”

Mr Hancock was health secretary during the COVID pandemic, but stepped down after breaching lockdown rules by conducting an affair in his ministerial office with aide Gina Coladangelo.

The source said: “I’m A Celeb is the most watched show on TV.

“Matt doesn’t expect to serve in government again, so it’s an incredible opportunity for him to engage with the 12m Brits who tune in every single night.

“Matt has told the whips in parliament and he will use his time in the jungle to promote his dyslexia campaign.”

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The news has raised eyebrows in Westminster, but the source insisted “there are many ways to do the job of being an MP”.

“Whether he’s in camp for one-day or three weeks, there are very few places people will be able to see a politician as they really are,” they said.

“Where better to show the human side of those who make these decisions than with the most-watched programme on TV?”.

‘I’m looking forward to him eating a kangaroo’s penis’

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! starts on ITV on 6 November.

Members of Mr Hancock’s local Tory Party are less than pleased about his decision to fly to Australia to appear on the show.

Andy Drummond, the deputy chairman of West Suffolk Conservative Association, told the PA news agency: “I’m looking forward to him eating a kangaroo’s penis.

“Quote me. You can quote me [on] that.”

SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “It speaks volumes that Matt Hancock would rather be stranded in a remote jungle eating kangaroo testicles than spend a moment longer on the Tory benches at Westminster, as Rishi Sunak’s government lurches from one crisis to another.”

Shadow health minister Andrew Gwynne also took a pop at Mr Hancock, saying: “To be fair to Matt Hancock, I’d sooner eat wallaby anus than be a Tory MP too.”

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union which represents senior civil servants, said: “Oh to have a job where you can decide for yourself you’re taking a month off, abandon your work and responsibilities, get paid shedloads and face little consequence.

“I’m sure he’ll be an inspiration to other public servants.”

However, Andrew Smith, a Conservative councillor on West Suffolk Council, said he could see why Mr Hancock might want to appear on the show “given what’s happened to him and his personal life and his career”.

He added: “It’s not a show I would watch or indeed I would personally do – I don’t like eating things that I don’t know where they’ve come from, if you get my drift.”

Mr Hancock was among supporters of Rishi Sunak who welcomed the new leader to Conservative headquarters last week, but was overlooked for a ministerial job under the new prime minister.

He had also reportedly been considering a run to be chair of the Treasury Select Committee, but pulled out of the race on Monday.

The source close to Mr Hancock claimed he initially turned down the opportunity to appear on the reality TV show – despite being “flattered and curious”, because of the “instability” the government was facing at the time.

However, he now believes the administration is “stable” under Mr Sunak and views his stint on the show as an opportunity to talk about issues he cares about.

Mr Hancock will not be the first politician to enter the jungle.

Conservative MP Nadine Dorries took part in the twelfth season of I’m a Celebrity in 2012, coming 11th place.

Responding to Mr Hancock’s news she joked that at least “he doesn’t have to worry about George Osborne in No10 waiting to remove his whip when he gets back”.

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Adele bids tearful farewell to Las Vegas residency as star admits she doesn’t know when she’ll perform next

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Adele bids tearful farewell to Las Vegas residency as star admits she doesn't know when she'll perform next

Adele has bid a tearful farewell to her Las Vegas residency show, as the Someone Like You star admitted she doesn’t know when she’ll perform again next.

The British singer-songwriter, 36, launched Weekends with Adele at Caesars Palace in November 2022 and performed her 100th show there on Saturday.

Her mammoth run of sell-out shows at the venue, which seats around 4,000 people, has been a success but has taken its toll.

In July, Adele said she would be taking a “big break” from music after her current run of shows.

Videos posted online from her concert on Saturday show the singer getting tearful as she bid Vegas goodbye.

“It’s been wonderful and I will miss it terribly and I will miss you terribly,” she said.

She added: “I don’t know when I next want to perform again.”

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Adele has performed every Friday and Saturday across the residency, with plenty of memorable moments.

One included when she burst into tears after spotting Celine Dion at a performance.

Adele is known to idolise the Canadian singer.

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Speaking at the beginning of September, during a show in Germany, Adele told fans she wouldn’t see them “for an incredibly long time”.

“I just need a rest and I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself, and I want to live it now,” she added.

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Denzel Washington’s sons talk about family, secrets, identity, and The Piano Lesson

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Denzel Washington's sons talk about family, secrets, identity, and The Piano Lesson

John David Washington says he felt like he had to conceal his desire to act because of the external expectations of him being the child of Denzel and Pauletta Washington.

He tells Sky News it took some time for him to pursue an acting career, choosing football instead to assert his “independence” and create his own “identity” separate from his famous family.

“I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life… but I was hiding it,” he said.

“I had to conceal that passion based on my relationship to the world and more specifically, my folks being in the industry, so I chose ball.

“I loved ball, but I was sort of hiding my love for the arts under a helmet – literally an American football helmet – and so when I wanted to become an actor, when I decided to pursue it, that was a big shock to some people.”

The 40-year-old actor says when he decided to pursue an acting career, he kept the decision quiet.

“Some people didn’t know I was even pursuing it professionally until I got a job,” he said.

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Danielle Deadwyler as Berniece and John David Washington as Boy Willie in The Piano Lesson. Pic: David Lee/ Netflix 2024
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John David with fellow actor Danielle Deadwyler. Pic: David Lee/ Netflix

Since switching to acting, John David has starred in a number of notable roles including the protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, Ron Stallworth in BlacKkKlansman and Joshua in The Creator.

He also led the stage revival of the 2022 Tony-nominated play The Piano Lesson on Broadway alongside Samuel L Jackson.

“He [Jackson] originated the role [I play] in 1987 at Yale with Lloyd Richards and August Wilson,” John David said.

“So it was of great importance for us to learn from both he and Michael Potts about August Wilson. It was a great blessing for me, I think, for all of us to have him present on set.”

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The Piano Lesson is the third August Wilson play to be adapted for the screen by Denzel Washington’s production company Mundy Lane Entertainment.

It is part of a pledge made by the Gladiator II actor to make all 10 of the playwright’s works into films.

The Netflix project is directed by another Washington family member, Malcolm, and stars most of the cast from the Broadway revival.

The Piano Lesson (L-R): Actor Ray Fisher, writer-director Malcolm Washington, and his brother and star John David Washington on set. Pic: Katia Washington/ Netflix 2024
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The Piano Lesson is Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut. Pic: Katia Washington/ Netflix

Set in 1936 Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the film centres on a family heirloom, a piano, that is etched with the carvings of their family history made by their enslaved ancestor.

Malcolm says he started reading the play for the first time during the pandemic and immediately wanted to be involved in the film adaptation.

“I think with this movie, reclamation of story and identity is so central to the theme and it’s something that’s central to my life where I both acknowledge the fertile ground that I was raised on and who I am today.

“That’s what Wining Boy [played by Michael Potts] really is trying to do, he’s trying to build on that legacy, so that’s a story that really resonated with me.”

The filmmaker added: “I take all the gifts that my ancestors laid in front of me, and I’m trying to build something for the next generation to pass down – all of their gifts, plus mine to the next generation and let them build on it.”

John David Washington in The Piano Lesson. Pic: David Lee/Netflix
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Malcolm has dedicated his directorial debut to his mother, Pauletta Washington. Pic: David Lee/Netflix

Malcolm says his goal was to put family at the forefront of the production. By dedicating his feature debut to “Mama”, he is acknowledging the dedication and sacrifices that mothers make for the growth of their families.

“There’s so much pointing to my mother in particular, who inspired this adaptation so much. I see so much of her life in Berniece’s character [played by Danielle Deadwyler] – and that became a guiding light for me in this adaptation,” he said.

“As we made this thing and started reconnecting with our ancestors, my mum became like a kind of representative of them.

“She’s the matriarch of our family. She tells me about my grandparents and great-grandparents and the line that I come from, and I see them in her.

“And when the movie ends, I want people to kind of have that moment of reflection for their own lives. So in dedicating it to her, I was trying to dedicate it to all mums everywhere.”

The Piano Lesson is now available on Netflix.

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Blockbuster Wicked lands largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue

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Blockbuster Wicked lands largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue

Blockbuster Wicked has landed the largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue International.

The film, starring Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo and Grammy-winning pop star Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, surpassed both Gladiator II and Paddington In Peru.

It has also had the largest opening weekend for a stage musical adaptation in the cinema chain’s history.

A boss for Vue International said it had seen a “sea of pink and green” over the weekend.

Ariana Grande (left) as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the film.
Pic: PA
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Ariana Grande (left) as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the film. Pic: PA

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Cinemagoers in London's Leicester Square Vue on the opening night of Wicked. 
Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Released on Friday, Wicked is up 60% on Les Miserables’ opening weekend in 2012 and three times larger than the 2022 film adaptation of Matilda.

Founder and chief executive of Vue International Tim Richards said: “Vue has seen a sea of pink and green over the opening weekend of Wicked, which has shown continued high demand for the big screen experience.

“We saw record-breaking pre-sales for Wicked, followed by a chart-topping opening weekend – the biggest for 2024.”

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The film is the first of two parts, with the second expected in November next year.

Wicked and Gladiator II – known together as Glicked – have reportedly failed to beat out Barbenheimer, Barbie and Oppenheimer, in its own opening weekend last summer.

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Glicked brought in £215m in worldwide ticket sales – with Wicked making the majority of that.

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