Author: SKYNEWS

Famous fitness instructor Richard Simmons has spoken out against a biopic being made about him.On Wednesday, comedian and actor Pauly Shore announced that he would be starring in the unnamed film as Simmons, who was an instructor and motivator for over 40 years before leaving the public eye. Simmons, 75, made a rare statement on social media saying he had “never given my permission” for the film that’s being developed.He wrote on social media: “Hi Everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore.” Image: Simmons leads an aerobics class at an American…

Train drivers on the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) line will strike for five days next month, their union, ASLEF, has said.The drivers on the East Coast Main Line, which runs between London King’s Cross and Scotland via Newcastle, will walk out from 5 to 9 February. Staff will also refuse to work any non-contractual overtime between 7 and 10 February.It’s the latest move in the drivers’ long-running pay dispute and coincides with a series of strikes against train operators across England previously announced by ASLEF.The union’s members will refuse to work overtime for nine days from 29 February and…

An 11-year-old boy, who is now free of blood cancer after undergoing a new type of treatment, has told Sky News the drug gave him a “burst of energy”.Arthur D’Hulst had leukaemia but traditional chemotherapy failed to clear it, leaving him very weak, and the side effects were rough. He was offered a new drug to try called blinatumomab, or blina, which is an immunotherapy that is “kinder” and more targeted and far less toxic than chemo.Arthur was one of the first children to take part in the trial at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). Image: Arthur is now…

From the secret couple to the mic-drop “parting gift” of the final, The Traitors became a sleeper hit when the first series launched just over a year ago.It’s back and even bigger this time round, with millions following the game of cat and mouse as each permanently paranoid contestant tries to convince the others they are indeed 100% faithful. The Traitors is the perfect reality game show for 2024 – savage but not cruel, a social experiment with pantomime villains but also genuine emotion, and full of memeable moments and cliffhanger endings courtesy of fatal kisses and poisoned chalices.Plus, it…

The private equity backer of Audiotonix, a manufacturer of professional audio consoles, is preparing to kick off a sale process which could value it at more than £1.5bn.Sky News has learnt that Ardian, a French buyout firm, is to hire advisers in the coming weeks to oversee an auction of the Chessington-based company. Audiotonix, whose equipment has been used by bands such as Coldplay and U2 during global tours, is estimated to have a 30% market share across roughly 90 countries.Its brands include DiGiCo, Allen & Heath and Solid State Logic.Calrec, another Audiotonix brand, mixed sound that was broadcast to…

Apple has said it will remove a central feature from two of its flagship watch models in the US, while the iPhone maker fights a legal battle over a patent dispute on the technology behind it.The company said Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models would go on sale on its website and stores from Thursday without the blood oxygen tracking feature. The tech giant was banned from importing and selling the two models in October by a government commission.It followed a complaint from medical-monitoring technology company Masimo that it had infringed patents.Masimo accused Apple of hoovering up its…

Barbie might have won the battle of the box office, but Oppenheimer leads the BAFTAs race – picking up 13 nods for this year’s awards.British filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s epic, which explores the true story of the first atomic bomb, is shortlisted for gongs including best film and best director, as well as acting awards for stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. It is followed by the critically acclaimed Poor Things, which has 11 BAFTA nominations. Star Emma Stone, who plays a young woman resurrected from the dead with the mind of an infant, is nominated for best…

The BBC is selling its Elstree Centre – including the famous EastEnders set – as it continues to find ways to make millions in savings.The BBC has exchanged contracts with Axa Investment Managers for the 16-acre site in Hertfordshire, which includes seven stages as well as workshop, office and post-production facilities. However, the corporation has agreed to lease part of the studio campus for 25 years – meaning EastEnders will still be filmed on site. BBC Elstree Centre was the first of several similar complexes in the area, which are collectively known as Elstree Studios.The value of the sale has…

Astronomers have created the most sensitive radio image ever of an ancient star cluster – and discovered a radio signal at the centre of it.The image, which can be seen above, is of the second brightest globular cluster in the night sky, known as 47 Tucanae. Star clusters are an ancient relic of the early universe and “very old, giant balls of stars that we see around the Milky Way”, astronomer Dr Arash Bahramian explained.Dr Bahramian, from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) in Australia, said: “They’re incredibly dense, with tens of thousands to millions of stars packed…

Modern Family star Ed O’Neill has revealed he almost became a member of an organised crime gang – after failing to earn a place on the American football team the Pittsburgh Steelers.The 77-year-old actor, who played Jay Pritchett on the sitcom, said he was tempted to join a gang when he was “broke” in his 20s. He said he grew up around “gangsters” in Youngstown, Ohio, and was approached by a friend after he was signed but ultimately cut from the Steelers in 1969. Image: Ed O’Neill with the Modern Family cast in 2009. Pic: ABC Inc/Everett/Shutterstock “I had friends…