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Brian Cox has revealed he turned down an offer to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, saying: “I don’t know if I want to go down that road.”

The 77-year-old actor said he was “getting too old” to be a contestant on the BBC’s dancing competition, but suggested he declined the opportunity because there’s a “joke element” to the show.

Asked about the show while on BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the Succession star said: “I’ve actually been asked to be on it.”

Asked if he said yes to an appearance, he responded: “No, I declined. Well… I mean, I like dancing, don’t get me wrong… I don’t know why but I just, I always see that there’s a sort of joke element in it.

“You know, there’s almost a character that’s going to be getting the elbow… and I just thought, ‘I don’t know if I want to go down that road’.

“I’m getting too old for it anyway.”

The conversation came following Saturday’s final of Strictly Come Dancing 2023, with the glitterball trophy awarded to soap star Ellie Leach and her professional dance partner Vito Coppola.

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The final of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 was watched by an average of 8.8 million viewers, according to ratings.

Average ratings have fallen since last year, when the show’s final drew in 9.2 million viewers.

The peak viewings were the same, however, with the 2022 and 2023 final both drawing in a ratings peak of 9.7 million views.

Despite his comments about his age, Cox’s career has showed no signs of slowing down in recent years.

He’s been nominated for three BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his role as media tycoon Logan Roy in Succession, and most recently hosted a new action gameshow based on the James Bond franchise.

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Rageh Omaar says he was ‘determined to finish presenting programme’ after becoming unwell live on air

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Rageh Omaar says he was 'determined to finish presenting programme' after becoming unwell live on air

ITV News broadcaster Rageh Omaar has said he was “determined to finish presenting the programme” after returning home following hospital treatment.

Viewers expressed concern about the 56-year-old presenter after he appeared to fall “unwell” live on air during News At Ten on Friday night.

In a statement shared by ITV News, Omaar said: “I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes, especially all the medical staff, all my wonderful colleagues at ITV News, and our viewers who expressed concern.

“At the time, I was determined to finish presenting the programme. I am grateful for all the support I’ve been given.”

An ITV News spokesperson said he was recovering at home with his family following medical treatment at a hospital.

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Om Fahad: Iraqi social media influencer shot dead by gunman on motorbike who posed as food delivery rider – report

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Om Fahad: Iraqi social media influencer shot dead by gunman on motorbike who posed as food delivery rider - report

A well-known Iraqi social media influencer has reportedly been shot dead in her car by a gunman on a motorbike.

Om Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was killed outside her home in Baghdad’s Zayouna district on Friday, according to the AFP news agency, citing security officials.

It appears the unidentified attacker pretended to be delivering food to the victim, one security source said.

Om Fahad, who has nearly half a million TikTok followers, became famous for posting light-hearted videos where she dances to Iraqi music.

Six days ago, she shared footage of herself driving in a car and also posing in front of a mirror. They have each been watched hundreds of thousands of times.

The influencer was sentenced to six months in prison in February last year for sharing videos that a court ruled contained “indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality”.

A campaign was launched in 2023 by the Iraqi government to clamp down on social media content which broke the country’s “morals and traditions”.

The interior ministry set up a committee to look for “offensive” clips on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, with several influencers being arrested.

“This type of content is no less dangerous than organised crime,” the ministry declared in a promotional video which asked the public to help by reporting such content.

“It is one of the causes of the destruction of the Iraqi family and society.”

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Speaking last year, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan argued the morality campaign has “nothing to do with freedom of expression”.

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In 2018, gunmen in Baghdad shot dead Tara Fares, who was a model and influencer.

After years of war and sectarian conflict following the 2003 US invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has returned to some semblance of normality despite sporadic violence, political instability and corruption.

But civil liberties, particularly among women and sexual minorities, are still constrained in a conservative and male-dominated society.

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R Kelly loses appeal to overturn 20-year sentence for child sex abuse

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R Kelly loses appeal to overturn 20-year sentence for child sex abuse

R Kelly’s challenge against a 20-year sentence for child sex convictions has been quashed by an appeals court. 

The singer was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison, a Chicago court ruled on Friday.

He was convicted in 2022 on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.

In his appeal, Kelly, 57, argued Illinois’ old statute of limitations – which required prosecution of child sex crime charges within 10 years – should have applied, rather than the current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive.

The appeals court rejected this, labelling it an attempt by Kelly to elude the charges entirely after “employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet”.

He also argued that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from the charges tied to three other accusers due to video evidence that became a focal point of the Chicago trial.

Prosecutors have said the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser, only identified as Jane, testified for the first time that she was 14 when the video was taken.

The three-judge panel from the appeals court noted jurors acquitted Kelly on seven of the 13 counts against him “even after viewing those abhorrent tapes”.

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In a written statement, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said they plan to seek a US Supreme Court review of the decision and “pursue all of his appellate remedies until we free R Kelly”.

“We are disappointed in the ruling, but our fight is far from over,” she said.

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