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Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock has revealed her bandmates went to therapy after Jesy Nelson’s “traumatic” exit.

In an extract of her memoir, published in The Sun newspaper, she said: “The whole thing was abrupt and sad and then it was messy.”

Nelson left the Brit Award-winning group in 2020, saying that life in the band had negatively affected her mental health.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock attending the Brit Awards 2023 at the O2 Arena, London. Picture date: Saturday February 11, 2023.
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Leigh Anne Pinnock at the 2023 Brit Awards

In the book, titled Believe, 32-year-old Pinnock wrote: “We were a family, the four of us were like sisters, and we had been that way since we were teenagers, so it’s not an over-exaggeration to say that losing a member was a traumatic experience.

“When you have felt so much love and support with another person over such a long time and then that suddenly disappears you never fully get to understand why it hurts.”

Along with Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall, both 30, the trio turned to therapy after Nelson’s departure, adding: “We have moved forwards into something even brighter and stronger.

“Therapy helped me, helped all of us, process what had happened and manage the emotions that came with it. All of that messiness is now so far behind me that it’s not even worth commenting on.”

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Little Mix at the Brit Awards. Pic: Richard Young/Shutterstock
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Little Mix at the Brit Awards in 2021. Pic: Richard Young/Shutterstock


Pinnock also said the experience of Nelson leaving “pulled the three of us even closer together”.

“We clung to each other in those last months. Jade and Perrie were the only people who really knew what it felt like, who knew what we had been through. They just got it.”

Little Mix was formed on The X Factor in 2011 and has earned five UK number-one singles.

Little Mix and former band member Jesy Nelson (left) - Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock - pictured at the Brit Awards when they were a foursome in 2019. Pic: AP
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Little Mix in 2019. Pic: AP

The group continued as a trio after Nelson’s departure in December 2020 before going on hiatus in 2022.

Nelson announced her exit in an Instagram post, saying it was time to “embark on a new chapter” – with her bandmates wishing her well.

But tensions rose in the following months with Pinnock allegedly criticising Nelson over “blackfishing”.

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In her memoir, Pinnock referenced getting caught in a “horrific online row” after giving birth to twins, which she described as one of the most difficult moments in her career.

“In the moment it felt truly awful. As much as I tried to avoid Instagram and Twitter I kept seeing the comments and the debates that were taking place on every platform.

“I was a new mum dealing with the mental and physical aftermath of pregnancy and birth, flooded with hormones and emotion, and severely sleep deprived, and on top of all that I also had to deal with this.”

Pinnock’s memoir is set for release on Thursday.

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Police investigating historical sex offence allegations against Russell Brand understood to have handed file to CPS

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Police investigating historical sex offence allegations against Russell Brand understood to have handed file to CPS

Police investigating historical sex offence allegations against Russell Brand have handed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), it is understood.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “Following an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times in September 2023, the Met received a number of reports of sexual offences from women in London and elsewhere in the country.

“A file of evidence has now been passed to the CPS for their consideration.

“As part of the investigation, a man in his 40s has been interviewed by officers under caution on three separate occasions.

“These interviews related to a number of non-recent sexual offences which are alleged to have taken place both in and outside of London.

“Officers continue to support the CPS as part of their investigation.”

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, whose team is leading the investigation, said: “We have a team of dedicated officers providing specialist support to the women who have come forward.

“We are committed to investigating sexual offences, no matter how long ago they are alleged to have taken place.”

Brand has denied the allegations against him and said his relationships were “always consensual”.

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Queen Elizabeth II will appear in Paddington 3

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Queen Elizabeth II will appear in Paddington 3

The late Queen Elizabeth II will make a brief appearance in the new film Paddington in Peru.

It follows her skit alongside the world-famous bear in a short film for her 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations, just months before her death.

Now, a photo of Queen Elizabeth II and the marmalade-loving bear will appear in the third instalment of the Paddington movie franchise.

After the late Queen died aged 96 on 8 September 2022, many tributes left outside her residences featured nods to the bear and her skit with him.

 Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear have cream tea at Buckingham Palace, in London, taken from a film that was shown at the BBC Platinum Party at the Palace  Heyday Films via AP)
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Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear had tea in 2022. Pic: BBC Platinum Party at the Palace / Heyday Films via AP

Her latest Paddington appearance via photo came “with the consent and agreement of the royal household,” Ron Halpern, head of global productions at France’s Studiocanal, told Variety.

Rosie Alison, a producer on the film, also told the publication: “[The royal family] were actually very happy for it to happen.

“But we don’t like to make a big deal of it, because Paddington’s obviously a very modest fellow.”

In the original video for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the pair had afternoon tea together in Buckingham Palace, during which the late Queen whipped a marmalade sandwich out of her bag, telling Paddington: “I keep mine in here – for later.”

An apparent fan of film and TV, she also appeared with Daniel Craig in a James Bond-inspired sketch to mark the start of the London Olympics in 2012.

Read more:
Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies
Combative past of new Tory leader

Pic: Studiocanal
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Olivia Colman will play The Reverend Mother. Pic: Studiocanal

The latest Paddington movie takes the Brown family to Peru, as he visits his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears.

Getting into unexpected adventures in the Amazon rainforest and on mountain peaks, they also encounter a joyful nun, played by Olivia Colman, and a daring riverboat captain, played by Antonio Banderas.

The returning cast includes Ben Whishaw voicing Paddington, alongside stars including Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton (voicing Aunt Lucy), Hugh Bonneville and Emily Mortimer.

Paddington Bear was created by author Michael Bond in 1958 after he was inspired by the plight of refugee children arriving in the UK.

The beloved bear went on to star in more than 100 books, inspiring multiple TV adaptations and a film franchise.

Paddington In Peru will be in cinemas on Friday 8 November.

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Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63

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Scottish comedian Janey Godley dies aged 63

Scottish comedian Janey Godley has died a month after she moved to a hospice for end-of-life care, her agent has said.

The 63-year-old, who found viral fame with her dubbed imitations of Nicola Sturgeon’s COVID-19 news briefings during the pandemic, had announced last month that she was receiving end-of-life care for terminal cancer.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our client Doctor Janey Godley on 2nd November,” her agent said on Saturday.

“Janey died peacefully in the wonderful Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow surrounded by her loved ones. She will be hugely missed by her family, friends and her many fans.

“She will be remembered for her legendary voice overs of Nicola Sturgeon during the pandemic, her hilarious and outspoken comedy, but most of all for just being ‘Janey’.”

Handout photo issued by Bafta of Janey Godley at the Bafta Scotland awards. Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwar and actress Glenda Jackson are among those to be honoured at a special socially-distanced Bafta Scotland night.
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Pic: BAFTA/PA

‘We got her longer because of all the support’

Her daughter comedian Ashley Storrie announced the news on social media, writing: “We got her longer because of all of the support and the love in the world.”

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She said in a short video: “I believe in my heart of hearts that she felt every bit of love you sent to her. And I think it kept her going.

“I think genuinely we got her longer because of all of the support and the love in the world. But that’s it over now. So, thank you once again and bye.”

She also revealed Godley had been awarded an honorary degree from the University Of Glasgow.

Ms Sturgeon, the former first minister, wrote on X: “Janey Godley truly was a force of nature, and one of the funniest people I have ever known.

“I was able to visit her in the hospice a couple of weeks ago and though she was fragile, she still had me in stitches.”

She added: “A bond was forged between us in the darkest days of COVID when her famous voiceovers of my daily briefings went viral. In the toughest of times, she made people laugh – and that was precious.

She did more that (sic) that though. In managing to project the serious public health messages of my briefings to a much wider audience than I would have managed alone, she helped save lives.”

Godley and Nicola Sturgeon pictured in 2023. Pic: PA
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Godley and Nicola Sturgeon pictured in 2023. Pic: PA

Paying tribute, Scottish First Minister John Swinney wrote on X: “Very sorry to hear of the death of Janey Godley.

“She brought joy and laughter on many occasions when we needed it most. My condolences to her family. May she Rest in Peace.”

That infamous Trump sign

In September, Godley cancelled her autumn tour titled Why Is She Still Here? due to her stage four ovarian cancer, which had been treated over the last few years, but had returned with added complications.

At the time, Godley said it was “devastating” to be facing the end of her life, adding “but we all come to an end sometime”.

She also joked: “I don’t know how long I’ve got left before anybody asks. I’m not a TikTok.”

In 2016, Godley went viral after protesting at Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort with her infamous “unwelcome” sign (Godley’s sign used slightly spicier language).

She then went on to gain attention during COVID times, voicing videos of Ms Sturgeon’s health briefings and became friends with the former first minister.

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

Overcoming adversity

Born into poverty in the East End of Glasgow in 1961 to alcoholic parents, Godley left school aged 16 with no qualifications.

She revealed both she and her sister had been abused by an uncle as a child, for which he served a two-year sentence.

After 15 years running a pub with her husband during the 1980s and 1990s, she began her stand-up career in 1994, going on to co-present BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends, as well as fronting BBC Radio 4 series The C Bomb.

She also appeared on shows including Have I Got News For You, the Scottish soap opera River City, and crime drama Traces.

Godley with her daughter, comedian Ashley Storrie. Pic: PA
Image:
Godley with her daughter, comedian Ashley Storrie. Pic: PA

Never shying away from joking about the darker side of life, in 2023, she won the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Godley wrote her debut novel in 2022, a murder mystery titled Nothing Left Unsaid set in 1970s Glasgow. Warmly received, celebrity fans included TV chef Nigella Lawson who said it was so good, she read it in two sittings.

A fierce supporter of Scottish independence, Godley was also a vocal advocate of transgender rights, she continued campaigning on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community up until her death.

She leaves behind her husband of 44 years, Sean Storrie, and her daughter.

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