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Adam Thomas has admitted that he’s “struggling” and in “pain” after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis ahead of his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. The Waterloo Road star is one of the 15 celebrities preparing to put themselves to the test as they compete on the 21st series of dance competition series Strictly. Just days after it was announced that he had joined the cast, Thomas shared on his 35th birthday that he had recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. An autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. It usually affects the hands, feet and wrists and can cause flare-up periods where symptoms become worse for a period of time. On Sunday (3 September), the former Coronation Street star posted a shirtless selfie to Instagram following a swimming session. Writing in the caption, Thomas said that he was posting the image “to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable”. “Am not in the best shape of my life, but I could be worse,” he wrote. “This year has been tough there’s no doubt about that… but I’ve just got to stay focused now! I’m still struggling and the pain is still there but I’m putting on a brave face I’ve got to stay strong [sic]!” Thomas continued: “Swimming helps me so much with my arthritis, I mean as much as it kills me getting my top off and going for a swim, I know it’s helping me and I know it’s also helping me deal with the issues I’ve got with me and my body. Which is a good thing!” “Got a feeling am going to get a lot more out of the next few months than I bargained for [sic]! Let’s go!” Thomas announced that he had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis last month, explaining that he had “been in a lot of pain since January”. “It started with my knees and then travelled to my wrists, fingers and now ankles and toes,” he wrote. “I never knew what was happening and finally after several blood tests and back and forth to doctors and hospitals, I’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid Arthritis!” The actor had originally said that he signed up for Strictly – which begins later this month – in order “to be able to move again, get fit and do it, all with a smile on my face”. Strictly Come Dancing returns in September on BBC One. Read More Kanye West and ‘wife’ Bianca Censori banned from Venice boat company after ‘obscenities’ on board Yellowstone season 5: Kevin Costner finally explains why he quit the show Fyre Fest 2.0? Chris Rock and Diplo escape Burning Man festival as 70,000 stranded in desert How to look after your joints, as women experience ‘significantly higher’ pain than men How can parents and children battle back-to-school anxiety? Khloe Kardashian officially changes son Tatum’s last name

The world’s biggest global climate fund has approved a $189 million commitment to &Green facility to support agriculture

President Vladimir Putin said he wouldn’t revive a UN-backed deal that had eased global food prices by allowing

Talk of the "invaders" started in the early spring. Along Italy's northern Adriatic coast and in Tuscan fish farms workers were pulling up their nets and finding them chewed to threads.

Joint pain can have a “significantly higher” physical and emotional impact on women compared to men, according to new data. Almost half (44%) of women in the survey who reported joint pain said it affected their emotional wellbeing, compared to 34% of men; while 47% of women said it impacted their sleep, and 37% of men. Nuffield Health surveyed 8,000 people over the age of 16 as part of its Healthier Nation Index. In general, Nuffield Health found 80% of women have suffered from past or current joint pain, whilst 77% of men have experienced the same. Marc Holl, head of primary care at Nuffield Health, said: “Joint pain has been ignored for far too long, and our data shows the shocking extent to which it is impacting the nation. “It affects everything: working, sleeping, walking, exercising and even resting. When we look at the worrying numbers of people, and particularly women, such things are only going to get worse.” Here’s what you need to know about looking after your joints… What misconceptions do people have about their joints? People often think that if they have a bad back or bad knees, they should avoid exercise. “This then leads people to do less over time, so the only stimulation their muscles get is an ever-decreasing level of daily activity,” said Michael Fatica, consultant osteopath from interactive online rehabilitation programme, Back In Shape. “So the joints become more vulnerable and painful. But joints are strong and, although there might well be an injury or degeneration which requires short-term modification, there should always be a pathway to medium to long-term strengthening.” How should you look after your joints? “Participate in regular strength or resistance training with a full range of motion,” Fatica suggested. “This helps you rebuild the lost strength in the muscles that protect and move the joint. Additional flexibility work can be done to ensure normal joint mobility too.” Modern life doesn’t always allow for a full range of motion movements, particularly in the knees, hips, and ankles. Unfortunately, this might allow weakness and degeneration to take place. “It is a lack of full movement and stimulation of these joints that leads to damage,” Fatica said. “People make the mistake of thinking regular walking or running should keep them healthy, but these movements for example do not involve full range of motion in the hips knees and ankles.” What exercises can people do? It can be difficult to know what type of exercise actually helps with joint pain, rather than aggravating it. Fatica said: “The squat is the simplest and most easily accessible exercise and can be scaled with resistance – you must develop good form otherwise you will injure yourself. Three to five rounds of 10 reps is a great starting point.” Why might women experience “significantly higher” pain than men? In addition to the findings Nuffield Health has already made, Fatica added: “I think that particularly in the load-bearing joints, women are less likely to partake in the type of exercises mentioned above, although this is changing in younger generations.” He suggested women might be “a little more cautious about partaking in such activities” and have a “fear of becoming ‘bulky'”, which could lead to “inadequate muscle health and strength”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Can you grow a lemon tree from a pip? The beginner gardening questions we all want to ask Fraser Franks undergoing heart surgery – four years after ‘hidden’ condition cut short football career 4 viral TikTok make-up trends you’ll actually want to try

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 4, 2023--

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Alex Albon has a habit of leaving no stone unturned. Another victim of Red Bull’s brutal driver merry-go-round in 2021, dropped as Max Verstappen’s team-mate for Sergio Perez, the British-Thai driver was desperate for a race seat for 2022. Aware of George Russell’s impending move to Mercedes, Albon approached then-Williams CEO Jost Capito with a list of resources: a CV and an Excel spreadsheet, comparing his superior lap times to his rivals. Suitably impressed by both his determination and statistics, a deal was agreed. “Albono” was back on the grid. So to now, and the rebirth of the 27-year-old at a team rejuvenated. Albon has carved out 21 points in the first 14 races of this season at a team who managed only 39 points from 2018-2022. A five-year period where they were bottom of the pile, the wooden spoon holders, in four of those five years. Sunday’s seventh-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix was Albon’s best performance yet for Williams, more impressive than an identical result in Montreal in June. A display of crisp driving to qualify sixth on Saturday was coupled with dogged defensive work lap after lap on Sunday, even with his tyres dropping off in the final stages in Monza. Though the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull of Sergio Perez had too much pace, Albon had the McLarens on his gearbox for most of the afternoon. But using exquisite car placement and intimate driver nous, that’s exactly where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stayed. First to acknowledge Albon’s display was Williams team principal James Vowles, whose influence on this team in his first six months cannot be overstated. Arriving after years of success and experience as Mercedes’ chief strategist, the highly astute 44-year-old was ready to step out of Toto Wolff’s shadow. Tasked with rebuilding a team whose level and morale was rock bottom – the years of title triumphs under Sir Frank Williams in the 1990s a very distant memory now – Vowles was under no illusions to the scale of the challenge. “The main thing is this: what I want to see is positive progress and it won’t be weeks or months, it will be more than that – it’s on a years [long] timescale,” Vowles said, back in March. “There are no short-term solutions, everything is long-term.” Yet if this is what short-term progress looks like, how far can Vowles take this sleeping giant of the sport in the long-term? Williams are currently seventh in the constructors’ standings and a clear seventh at that, leapfrogging Alfa Romeo, Haas and AlphaTauri this season. In Albon, they have a driver who is flourishing as a clear No 1 in the garage. And in Vowles they have an experienced head whose obsession with F1 means, much like his driver, every ounce of effort and second of lap-time will be eked out to the maximum. For example, he was attuned to McLaren’s “dummy” pit-stop late in the day at Monza, with the papaya even shuffling out their mechanics in an attempt to trigger Williams to pit Albon instead. Vowles, who has seen such moves numerous times in his 12 years at Mercedes, could not help but laugh about it afterwards. He also stole a march on Alpine – next up the road, sixth in the standings – by poaching Pat Fry in July to be Williams’ new Chief Technical Officer. The straight-line speed of the FW45 has contributed to top-10 finishes in Bahrain, Silverstone and Zandvoort this year. Even Lewis Hamilton was bemoaning Williams’ pace in qualifying on Saturday – who could have predicted that a few years back? There are still issues to solve, the most prescient their second seat currently occupied by Logan Sargeant. Albon’s sturdy points-tally is in stark contrast to the American rookie, languishing at the bottom of the standings. Point-less after 14 races, another glimpse of a top-10 finish went astray for Sargeant on Sunday. Speculation is rife that Mercedes reserve Mick Schumacher could be thrust into the seat for 2024. Sargeant has eight races left, including two in the US, to prove his worth to Vowles and keep a seat which will be highly sought after if Williams continue in the same direction. Race wins and championships are still some way off. The tally of nine constructors’ crowns and seven drivers’ titles will not change anytime soon. But the gradual renaissance of one of Formula 1’s staple teams – who celebrated their 800th grand prix earlier this year – is one of 2023’s feel-good sub-plots in a season dominated by Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Albon has committed until at least the end of 2024 and is likely to extend further should the top-dogs not come calling. Vowles is, quite clearly, in it for the long-haul. How quick the ascension can arrive remains unclear in the unrelenting arms race that is F1, but both driver and team principal have reinvigorated all personnel in the famed dark blue kit both in the pit-lane and back at base in Oxfordshire. What’s more, neither want to seal the sole limelight. There is no room for overinflated ego. Is this an Alex Albon story? Is it a James Vowles story? What is abundantly clear is that it is a bit of both. Read More The moment McLaren failed with a ‘dummy’ pit-stop over shrewd Williams Max Verstappen breaks new ground with record victory at Italian Grand Prix ‘It was totally my fault’: Lewis Hamilton admits mistake in Italian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz chases down thieves and recovers £500,000 watch in scary Milan incident ‘Box to overtake’: The moment McLaren failed with a ‘dummy’ pit-stop over Williams ‘It was totally my fault’: Lewis Hamilton admits mistake in Italian Grand Prix

Damon Hill has described Toto Wolff’s dismissal of Max Verstappen’s record winning streak as “churlish” and “ungracious”. Red Bull’s Verstappen became the first driver in Formula One’s 73-year history to win 10 consecutive races following his triumph at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. But moments after Verstappen drove into the record books, Mercedes team principal Wolff called the Dutchman’s unprecedented run of victories “completely irrelevant”. He added that the record was only “for Wikipedia, and nobody reads that anyway”. Responding to Wolff’s unflattering appraisal, 1996 world champion Hill said: “It sounded a bit churlish and not very gracious. “It’s unlike Toto because he’s usually very sporting. But he is hurting a bit now. They know what it is like to be dominant and they didn’t even get on the podium in Monza. “They seem to be a bit stymied and can’t seem to work out what to do. But who can? It seems like everywhere we go, Red Bull has got the upper hand.” George Russell and Lewis Hamilton crossed the line a distant fifth and sixth respectively for Mercedes at Monza’s Cathedral of Speed. Hamilton, who was hit with a five-second penalty for colliding with Australian rookie Oscar Piastri, finished 42 sec behind Verstappen. The seven-time world champion, who last week committed to a new two-year deal with Mercedes, worth £100million, has now gone 37 races without a victory. For Verstappen, now a victor at 12 of the 14 rounds so far, he has not lost a race since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30, 127 days ago. There is an outside chance he could wrap up a hat-trick of titles in Japan on September 24 with six rounds still to race. Verstappen’s Red Bull team also remain on course to make history by going the year unbeaten. Speaking on Sky Sports News, Hill, 62, continued: “Max has achieved something no-one else has ever done. “Red Bull have won 14 races this year and it is an incredible record, but you can’t just put it down to the car. “This guy is special. Throughout Max’s career, from the moment he arrived in F1, he has done things no-one has done before and he continues to polish off this season.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz’s pace in practice gives Ferrari fans hope for Italian Grand Prix How Max Verstappen equalled Sebastien Vettel’s record for consecutive race wins

Carlos Sainz chased down thieves and retrieved his watch worth £500,000 in a scary robbery incident in Milan just hours after Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. Ferrari star Sainz, still in his team kit, was targeted near the Armani hotel in central Milan at around 8:30pm on Sunday evening, reports in Italy detail. Sainz, alongside members of his entourage and the public, then chased the thieves and successfully recovered his Richard Mille watch worth in the region of £500,000. Local police have arrested two suspects. The unsavoury incident is a sour end to a largely encouraging weekend for Sainz – who was on pole after a storming performance in qualifying on Saturday – as the Spaniard was on the podium for the first time this season. Spaniard driver Sainz, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Friday, finished Sunday’s race on the podium in third place, with Max Verstappen victorious at Monza. It is not the first occasion an F1 driver has been targeted by thieves: Lando Norris had a £144,000 watch stolen outside Wembley following the Euro 2020 final between Italy and England in July 2021. Norris was also robbed whilst with friends in Marbella earlier this year. Sainz’s team-mate Charles Leclerc has also had a Richard Mille watch stolen, in the Italian resort of Viareggio last year. Read More Max Verstappen breaks new ground with record victory at Italian Grand Prix The moment McLaren failed with a ‘dummy’ pit-stop over shrewd Williams Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz gets goosebumps after landing pole for Italian Grand Prix

The ‘big four’ international fashion weeks are set to debut their spring/summer 2024 womenswear catwalk shows starting on September 8. Designers will be showing off their latest collections beginning in New York, followed by London, Milan and Paris. Heritage brands and up-and-coming names alike will be hoping to make headlines, generate online buzz and secure the hottest celebrities on the front row. Here’s what we’ve got to look forward to from the four fashion capitals for SS24… New York When: September 8 to 13. What’s the vibe? “New York’s a bit more established, it’s a bit calmer for me,” says celebrity fashion stylist Miranda Holder, who usually attends shows on both sides of the Atlantic. “It feels more corporate at times. You can spot the industry professionals like Anna Wintour on the front row and you’ve got the Hollywood polish.” Who will be showing? Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren (returning after a four-year hiatus) are among the New York Fashion Week stalwarts, while celeb favourites Brandon Maxwell and Christian Siriano are always big draws. While not technically part of the official schedule, supermodel Naomi Campbell will be jumping on the Big Apple bandwagon, presenting her collaboration with fast fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing on September 5. The catwalk show is billed by the brand as an “electrifying fashion experience, echoing the British fashion icon’s ethos of innovation, glamour and empowerment”. London When: September 15 to 19. What’s the vibe? “I always see London as the launch platform for a lot of people,” says John Bruce, director of PRM model agency. “It’s pretty exciting because sometimes we need to support the new ones in order to see them grow.” Holder adds: “The East End has become very trendy and now a lot of designers, particularly emerging ones, are over in the East End, plus the venues are trendier there.” Who will be showing? Highlighting the city’s commitment to supporting fledgling designers, this season marks 30 years of the British Fashion Council’s NewGen scheme, with 20 catwalk shows slated including hotly-tipped names S.S.Daley, Yuhan Wang and Labrum London. Several major exhibitions are timed to coincide with fashion week. Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion at the Design Museum is curated by the BFC’s Sarah Mower; Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto opens at the V&A; and The Missing Thread: Untold Stories of Black British Fashion will be held at Somerset House. Major labels on the London schedule include Burberry (it’s Daniel Lee’s second season at the helm of the heritage brand), plus royal favourites Erdem and Emilia Wickstead. Milan When: September 20 to 26. What’s the vibe? “Milan has super cool brands,” says Bruce. “It’s an absolutely amazing city, but their market is a little bit more conservative. The show du jour is the Prada show – that normally sets a lot of tone for the season.” Who will be showing? Following two noteworthy departures, all eyes are on Gucci, where Sabato De Sarno presents his debut collection after Alessandro Michele’s exit, and Tom Ford, where Peter Hawkings has taken over from the eponymous founder as creative director. London Fashion Week transplant Karoline Vitto will debut on the Milan schedule, and it’s business as usual for a slew of Italian fashion houses, including Giorgio Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi, Moschino, Prada and Versace. The Camera della Moda Sustainable Fashion Awards will take place at La Scala Theatre on September 24, honouring designers who combine creativity and eco-friendly production. Paris When: September 25 to October 3. What’s the vibe? “The shows are just spectacular,” says Holder. “They often take place in wonderful historic ballrooms or palaces or something like that, so you’ve just got a whole new element of romance about Paris.” Bruce agrees: “I would say Paris is probably the most glamorous. You feel the elegance, you feel the richness.” Who will be showing? The longest of the big four weeks, spanning eight days, Paris is home to French fashion behemoths Chanel, Saint Laurent, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and Balmain. British brands Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Victoria Beckham take their usual slots on the City of Light schedule, while Mugler, Maison Margiela and Carven are the most highly anticipated returns. Former Celine creative director Phoebe Philo (worshipped among fashion obsessives) is also set to unveil the first collection from her eponymous label in September, but it’s unclear whether this will be during Paris Fashion Week. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How can parents and children battle back-to-school anxiety? Can you grow a lemon tree from a pip? The beginner gardening questions we all want to ask Fraser Franks undergoing heart surgery – four years after ‘hidden’ condition cut short football career