Author: The Guardian

Born in London, Michelle Collins, 61, was a backing singer for Mari Wilson in the early 80s. From 1988-98, she played Cindy in EastEnders, and last year she returned to the soap. She also had a role in Coronation Street from 2011 to 2014. Her latest project, Stephen, which is about addiction, is in cinemas now and is also a touring installation, launching at the Exchange in Penzance on 4 May. She is married, has a daughter, and lives in London.What is your greatest fear?Being murdered – I listen to too many true-crime podcasts.What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?I lose bank…

IIt’s been a week since the New York Times and German TV channel ARD broke the news that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for trace amounts of the banned drug TMZ on the eve of the last Olympics, and the public has taken notice. The ripples seen are just the visible tip of the emotional wave that runs through the sport.A larger part is beneath the surface, where there is widespread anger, irritation and disillusionment with the way the 23 athletes were allowed to compete in the Games, after an investigation by national doping agency Chinaada found the results…

Put the time inThere is no getting around it, you have to make time to be a good friend. According to Robin Dunbar, professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford and author of Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships, we need to spend the equivalent of nine minutes a day to maintain a healthy relationship with our closest network of friends, which he admits is “barely time to raise your coffee cup to each other”, so one meet-up a week is more realistic. If you fail to do that, “the friendship starts to decay”, says…

Trisha on NeilWhat were you hoping for? Konstantin meets Villanelle.First impressions? Tall, handsome, closet ginger Glaswegian, a tad nervous, but it would have been odd not to be.What did you talk about? Zen and neuroscience. Men’s Sheds and what an awesome organisation it is. Theatre. Music. Our children. DNA and secret siblings. Liverpool v Glasgow (no brainer). Whether or not the waiter had taken a shine to Neil. The perils of silent retreats. Women’s football. Changing careers. People wearing blankets … We talked a lot!Most awkward moment?I couldn’t connect to Uber, so Neil sorted my lift, which meant he had…

Officials in Washington are sounding alarms after a baby died, and two others apparently also overdosed, in the past week in separate instances in which fentanyl was left unsecured inside residences.A 911 caller on Wednesday afternoon reported that a 13-month-old baby was not breathing in an apartment in Everett, a city near Seattle, the Daily Herald reported. The baby died later at a hospital, according to authorities. The Snohomish county medical examiner’s office will determine the baby’s official cause and manner of death, officials said.Last Saturday, firefighters were called to a residence after an 11-month-old was found unresponsive by the…

Mark Allen is convinced the party still has a place as he continues his quest for a maiden world snooker title at the Crucible on Saturday.The 38-year-old from Antrim has launched a dramatic fitness campaign that has seen him lose more than six stone in the past two years, win a number of ranking titles and soar up the world rankings to third place – and possibly first place by the end of this competition.But ahead of his second-round clash with John Higgins, which begins on Saturday afternoon, night owl Allen stressed the need to continue to maintain balance as…

Arne Slot is set to become Liverpool’s next manager after the terms of his move from Feyenoord were agreed in principle between the two clubs on Friday.Liverpool and Feyenoord have been negotiating a compensation package since the Anfield club made an official move for the 45-year-old earlier this week. The two parties have now reached a verbal ­agreement over the deal, which will see ­Feyenoord receive €9m (£7.7m) plus €2m in add-ons for a coach who has two years remaining on his contract.Slot publicly declared his desire to replace Jurgen Klopp before Feyenoord’s victory at Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday.…

An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted on Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September. Authorities also alleged that Estes Carter Thompson III had four separate videos which showed girls using lavatories on an aircraft where he worked.The 36-year-old Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, was indicted on one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor.Thompson was charged and arrested in January 2024 in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has been in federal custody since.…

Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureSimon Burnton’s on-the-whistle report has dropped in, which signals my departure. I send my love to the QPR fans in my life (all two of them).Share“Michael Hann’s email about his son’s performance tonight is a good chance to put in a link to this article from eleven years ago,” writes Hal Johnson. Amazing!ShareHere’s a full look at the Championship table.ShareWho’s joining them?ShareIlias Chair was the standout outfield player tonight. He got things going with his goal, cutting in from the left before launching a low strike past Meslier. Two…

For much of the season, these games have been long, hard-fought battles as Jack Draper faced off against elite opposition. Even when the 22-year-old loses, he usually puts his talents on full display.However, Draper’s run at this year’s Madrid Open came to an uncharacteristically hasty end on Friday, when his poor serve was punished by eighth seed Hubert Hulkac, who won 6-1, 7- 5 advanced to the third round.”My serve wasn’t good, and that’s really the biggest thing,” Draper said. “If I play him 10 times and my serve rate is 43% [first serves in], you will probably lose every…