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MAFS bride Connie Crayden SPLITS from her boyfriend following a ‘humiliating betrayal’

More Heartbreak for Married At First Sight bride Connie Crayden as she SPLITS from her boyfriend following a ‘humiliating betrayal’ after her harrowing time on the show

Married At First Sight bride Connie Crayden has been left heartbroken after ending her relationship with music producer Daniel Caswell.

The unlucky-in-love reality star, 29, shared the news via Instagram on Sunday night, claiming she’d been left ‘humiliated’ following ‘betrayal’.

She began: ‘I understand I’ve been quiet again this past month. I haven’t posted since being sick which is when my relationship ended.’

Married At First Sight bride Connie Crayden, 29, (right) has been left heartbroken after ending her relationship with music producer Daniel Caswell (left)

Married At First Sight bride Connie Crayden, 29, (right) has been left heartbroken after ending her relationship with music producer Daniel Caswell (left)

‘As you can imagine I’m extremely heartbroken and experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. There’s been a lot to grasp and to get my head around,’ Connie continued.

Connie, who debuted her relationship with Melbourne-based Muso Daniel in March last year, said she is now in the process of ‘readjusting’ her ‘whole life’ following a breach of trust.

‘Those who have been betrayed by a partner can understand just how humiliating it is,’ the retail worker wrote.

The unlucky-in-love reality star, 29, shared the news via Instagram on Sunday night, claiming she'd been left 'humiliated' following 'betrayal'

The unlucky-in-love reality star, 29, shared the news via Instagram on Sunday night, claiming she’d been left ‘humiliated’ following ‘betrayal’

'As you can imagine I'm extremely heartbroken and experiencing a whirlwind of emotions.  There's been a lot to grasp and to get my head around,' Connie wrote

‘As you can imagine I’m extremely heartbroken and experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. There’s been a lot to grasp and to get my head around,’ Connie wrote

'I've come to see just how much emotional stress I was subjected to this past year.  I'm taking time out again.  My only focus now is therapy, learning to put myself first again and self care,' she concluded

‘I’ve come to see just how much emotional stress I was subjected to this past year. I’m taking time out again. My only focus now is therapy, learning to put myself first again and self care,’ she concluded

Connie debuted her romance with Daniel on his birthday last year, sharing a gallery of amorous photos alongside a romantic caption that read: 'Happy Birthday To My Greatest Love'

Connie debuted her romance with Daniel on his birthday last year, sharing a gallery of amorous photos alongside a romantic caption that read: ‘Happy Birthday To My Greatest Love’

‘I’ve come to see just how much emotional stress I was subjected to this past year. I’m taking time out again. My only focus now is therapy, learning to put myself first again and self care,’ she concluded.

Connie debuted her romance with Daniel on his birthday last year, sharing a gallery of amorous photos alongside a romantic caption that read: ‘Happy Birthday To My Greatest Love.’

She had previously been linked to airline worker David Holder, former Bachelor Matt Agnew and even Bryce Ruthven, who appeared on last year’s season of MAFS.

Connie's latest heartbreak comes two years after she called it quits with her TV 'husband' Jonethen Musulin (right) during their final vows ceremony on Married At First Sight season seven

Connie’s latest heartbreak comes two years after she called it quits with her TV ‘husband’ Jonethen Musulin (right) during their final vows ceremony on Married At First Sight season seven

Connie’s latest heartbreak comes two years after she called it quits with her TV ‘husband’ Jonethen Musulin during their final vows ceremony on Married At First Sight season seven.

She delivered an empowering speech about self-love, and thanked her ‘husband’ for helping her to become a strong, confident woman.

During a March 2020 appearance on Today Extra, Connie confessed she had ‘called it quits on the friendship’ a few months after filming.

She delivered an empowering speech about self-love, and thanked her 'husband' for helping her to become a strong, confident woman

She delivered an empowering speech about self-love, and thanked her ‘husband’ for helping her to become a strong, confident woman

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Wife’s decision to make Facebook account exposes husband’s 17-year affair

A woman has shared her heartbreak after discovering that her husband of 25 years and the father of her children has a whole other life.

The devastated lady, who shares three children with the man she thought was the love of her life, said she’d been left “broken” by his deceit and lies.

Taking to Reddit in an anonymous post, she opened up about his betrayal and how she has coped since being delivered the blow, The Sun reports.

She explained: “My husband has a second family. The ultimate cliche has happened in my life and I’m absolutely broken.

“My husband, my rock, has been having an affair for over 17 years. We have been married for 25 years.

“We have three beautiful children, two in college and one who still lives at home – but turns out he’s had another set this whole time.”

The woman then shared further details, as she revealed that her other half is an insurance broker and therefore often travels with work, spending one week on and one week off at home.

However, now it has emerged that on his “week off”, he’s been playing happy families with his fiancee and their two teenage children.

She then shared how social media helped her to discover his infidelity after she decided to set up a Facebook account.

She explained: “When I searched my husband’s first name, another profile with another last name popped up, through that profile were the links to his fiancee and other kids.

“My husband is currently with said family and I know it’s him because his most recent post is a photo of him and that other family eating dinner.

“Among those photos were photos of him kissing the girl and him being fatherly with the kids who look nearly identical to my husband.”

The anonymous woman then said she is unsure how she will confront him, but “almost every part” of her “wants to scream in his face and reprimand him for ruining” her life.

Yet, she also admitted that as “her heart is in shambles” and that a different part of her wants to pretend she never saw so as not to disturb their “peaceful” family life.

She concluded: “I don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t be in the home where we’ve raised our kids, where we’ve spent every Christmas for the last 26 years.“ And where I’ve been alone on New Years’, taking care of our babies while he “ works”. I just can’t.

“I want to leave a note for him too, to hurt him like he’s hurt me, but I don’t think that’s possible. I don’t know how I’ll ever face him again.”

This article originally appeared on the US Sun and was reproduced with permission

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McLeod’s Daughters actor Marshall Napier dead aged 70

McLeod’s Daughters actor Marshall Napier has died aged 70, after a short battle with brain cancer.

The New Zealand-born thespian, who has starred in a string of Australian TV shows and films over the years, passed away on Sunday surrounded by family.

His daughter, fellow McLeod’s Daughters star Jessica Napier, announced the sad news on social media.

“It is with great sadness that I share the passing of my beautiful dad Marshall Napier. After a short and intense battle with brain cancer he left us this morning. He was peaceful and surrounded by family,” Jessica wrote on Instagram.

“Dad you are one of a kind and I can’t even understand what the world will be like without you in it. Your charisma and charm was second to none. Your creativity and intellect was my inspiration. I love you so much and feel completely lost without you. I’m glad that you can dream free of the pain and confusion.”

Napier played Harry Ryan on the beloved Australian TV drama from for five years from 2001.

Prior to that, Napier had roles in All Saints, Water Rats and Police Rescue. Napier also had a sprawling film resume, having starred in Babe Down Under and Little Monsters.

Fellow Australian showbiz stars have paid tribute to the actor.

Napier’s McLeod’s co-star Rodger Corser wrote on Jessica’s post, “What a commanding presence he was on a screen and stage. He always loved working with your Dad, a drier wit you could not find. ”

Another co-star from the hit TV drama, Charlie Clausen, said he was “so sorry”. “I loved working your dad. He was so generous with his time when I was just starting out in my career. He also had such a great sense of humour.”

Packed to the Rafters actress Rebecca Gibney said, “So sorry for your loss Jess. Marshall was such a beautiful man and a wonderful actor”, while fellow rafters star Erik Thomson added, “What a man. This is big. He was such an inspiration to so many.”

Director Nash Edgerton added, “So sorry to hear. Much love.” While Patrick Brammall wrote, “I’m so sad to hear it. He was such a beautiful man.”

Over on Twitter, more figures from the entertainment industry have also expressed their sadness over the news:

Napier, a father of three, was born in New Zealand before moving to Australia with his wife and children in the late ’80s.

He initially worked as a worker, before successfully transitioning to acting after moving to Australia.

While he is most recognizable from his TV work, Napier was a regular figure in local theater productions, and in 2017 starred alongside Cate Blanchett for The Sydney Theater Company’s production of The Present.

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The Block 2022 Episode 5 recap: Shaynna Blaze blasts one couple in first Room Reveal of 2022 while Omar and Oz make a stunning comeback

It’s been a massive first week on The Block with teams racing to finish their main bathroom in time for the first Room Reveal of the season.

And the stakes are higher than ever, with the biggest prize in block history up for grabs for the winning team.

Stream the latest episodes of The Block for free on 9Now.

The ‘tools down’ deadline is looming, and with 15 hours to go drama unfolds in House 3 after Foremen Keith and Dan call Ankur and Sharon’s tiling a disgrace.

“The tile quality’s a bit off and we feel the design’s not quite right either,” Dan says, before Keith calls it “disgusting.”

After hearing that Sharon feels defeated and admits she doesn’t think they have a winning bathroom.

Over in House 1 Tom and Sarah-Jane are frantically trying to get a plasterer on-site after Keith and Dan tell the couple they should re-do the plaster and painting in the room during a routine defect inspection.

With defects addressed and finishing the touches on the main bathroom complete, the teams head to the block headquarters to hear host Scott Cam deliver the judges’ feedback.

Tom and Sarah-Jane

“Wow” is the first thing Neale says when he walks into Tom and Sarah-Jane’s main bathroom.

“This is quite a debut. This is a pretty stunning welcome to The Block,” he adds.

Darren is blown away by the ceiling rose and height, and is particularly impressed with their nod to the home’s history by restoring a chandelier they found in the house.

Tom and Sarah-Jane praised for their use of a refurbished chandelier on The Block 2022.
Tom and Sarah-Jane are praised for their use of a refurbished chandelier. (Nine)

Shaynna points out their use of bold color statements, which she’s a fan of.

“In this environment I want to see bold colors, because there’s a lot to work with, there’s a lot of natural light and it can take it,” she says.

While she calls it a functional and well-thought-out bathroom, Darren points out the lack of storage.

Overall, the judges are impressed by the look and feel of the room with Neale calling it “contemporary” but “appropriate” for the location.

See their full room and judges’ comments in the gallery below:

In Pictures

The Block 2022 - Week 0 - Tom and Sarah Jane

Tom and Sarah-Jane’s Main Bathroom

“Stunning debut” with bold pops of colour.

ViewGallery

Rachel and Ryan

The judges first notice how “massive” the bathroom is and they appreciate how Rachel and Ryan turned their bathroom around in a few days. But Shaynna and Neale think it’s not appropriate for the country setting.

“To me it doesn’t speak to country at all, it feels like a very urban bathroom. But that’s not a major problem to me at this early stage,” Neale points out.

However Darren disagrees and says it “fits the brief” in his opinion.

See their full room and judges’ comments in the gallery below:

In Pictures

The Block 2022 Rachel and Ryan Main Bathroom Week 1 Season 18

Rachel and Ryan’s Main Bathroom

Judges praise room but voice two concerns.

ViewGallery

Ankur and Sharon

There’s mixed feelings from the judges as they step into Ankur and Sharon’s bathroom.

The room is a complete surprise to Shaynna, who seems rather annoyed by its lack of heritage.

The Block 2022 - Week 0 - Ankur and Sharon
There’s mixed feelings coming from the judges in Ankur and Sharon’s Bathroom. (Nine)

“I’ve come into a blue-stone bathroom that we’ve seen many times in a contemporary environment,” she says.

“Just because you add that type of tap and bath, it doesn’t make it feel heritage at all. If any house could get me angry, it’s doing this to that beautiful house we’ve walked through.”

Shaynna Blaze smokes at one pair on The Block 2022.
Shaynna is left fuming after seeing Ankur and Sharon’s Main Bathroom. (Nine)
New nine.com.au homepage
(Nine)

As she makes her way around the room, she only gets more frustrated as she notices elements that don’t match the traditional home.

“Are you going to treat her like this? Because if you’re going to treat her like this, you’re going to have to deal with me,” she smokes.

Neale finds the space to be very theatrical, while Darren is a fan of the “moody, sultry feeling” in there.

However Darren has two substantial issues with the room – the wall tiles and nib wall – which he describes as “too expensive” to change.

Despite some negative feedback, the judges have high praise for the quality of the finishes, the overall cleanliness of the room and the execution.

See their full room and judges’ comments in the gallery below:

In Pictures

The Block 2022 - Week 0 - Ankur and Sharon

Ankur and Sharon’s Main Bathroom

“I don’t feel good in here.”

ViewGallery

Dylan and Jenny

The judges instantly fall in love with Dylan and Jenny’s main bathroom. They all agree that it feels and looks very fresh, vast, and welcoming.

“It still feels contemporary but it feels respectful to the heritage of the house,” Neale says.

The Block 2022 - Week 0 - Dylan and Jenny
The judges are blown away by Dylan and Jenny’s Main Bathroom. (Nine)

Darren is particularly impressed by the arches and the cornices in the room.

“It’s really lovely repetition, they give you a sense of rhythm. It’s really important to be fundamental and they’ve just nailed that,” he says.

Shaynna calls the attention to detail and execution “almost perfect”.

The only thing the judges didn’t like was the length of the shower screen because it is shorter than the tile line.

See their full room and judges’ comments in the gallery below:

In Pictures

The Block - Week 1 - Dylan and Jenny

Dylan and Jenny’s Main Bathroom

One detail leaves Shaynna Blaze unimpressed.

ViewGallery

Omar and Oz

The judges are instantly surprised when they walk into Omar and Oz’s bathroom.

“You beauty,” Neale says.

Shaynna can’t believe that this room is Omar and Oz’s after what they saw from their Challenge Room.

“This is all neutral, all textures… traditional, contemporary. This is that palette done exactly how it should be done,” she says.

The Block 2022 - Week 0 - Omar and Oz
The judges are shocked by Omar and Oz’s beautiful space. (Nine)

Neale also loves the room.

“What’s blowing me away is that these are all elements that shouldn’t work together but they do,” he says.

“The way they’ve used these tiles to create this stunning 90-degree herringbone effect and put it with this decorative tile on the floor, it’s beautiful and it works.”

Darren agrees and loves the scale and layout of the wall and how everything flows so well.

The judges believe the boys have run with their advice and presented something “quite exquisite”.

Shaynna, Darren and Neale feel like they are standing in a “pretty perfect” bathroom until they notice product stickers still left on some of the windows and the toilet. But overall, they are “very impressed” with the quality of the room Omar and Oz present.

See their full room and judges’ comments in the gallery below:

In Pictures

The Block 2022 Week 1 Omar and Oz Main Bathroom House 5

Omar and Oz’s Main Bathroom

Judges wowed by the “beautiful” room’s features.

ViewGallery

Main Bathroom scores

Back at HQ, Scotty tallies up the judges’ scores, revealing a surprise result.

Tom and Sarah-Jane: 25.5

Rachel and Ryan: 23.5

Ankur and Sharon: 20.5

Dylan and Jenny: 25.5

Omar and Oz: 26

Omar and Oz are the winners, which is quite the turnaround after coming last in the House Decider challenge. They took home $10,000 from Ford and a $250,000 kitchen upgrade from Winning Appliances.

While Omar and Oz are celebrating their victory, the judges’ feedback has Sharon in tears.

“It just feels like I got it completely wrong, again. I’m over it and it’s week one,” she says.

Sharon feels deflated after hearing the judges' feedback on The Block 2022.
Sharon feels deflated after hearing the judges’ feedback. (Nine)

Ankur and Sharon have the chance to turn things around, with the Guest Bedroom the next space to complete.

The Block airs Sunday at 7.00pm and Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on Nine. Catch up on all the latest episodes on 9Now.

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Wife’s decision to make Facebook account exposes husband’s 17-year affair

A woman has shared her heartbreak after discovering that her husband of 25 years and the father of her children has a whole other life.

The devastated lady, who shares three children with the man she thought was the love of her life, said she’d been left “broken” by his deceit and lies.

Taking to Reddit in an anonymous post, she opened up about his betrayal and how she has coped since being delivered the blow, The Sun reports.

She explained: “My husband has a second family. The ultimate cliche has happened in my life and I’m absolutely broken.

“My husband, my rock, has been having an affair for over 17 years. We have been married for 25 years.

“We have three beautiful children, two in college and one who still lives at home – but turns out he’s had another set this whole time.”

The woman then shared further details, as she revealed that her other half is an insurance broker and therefore often travels with work, spending one week on and one week off at home.

However, now it has emerged that on his “week off”, he’s been playing happy families with his fiancee and their two teenage children.

She then shared how social media helped her to discover his infidelity after she decided to set up a Facebook account.

She explained: “When I searched my husband’s first name, another profile with another last name popped up, through that profile were the links to his fiancee and other kids.

“My husband is currently with said family and I know it’s him because his most recent post is a photo of him and that other family eating dinner.

“Among those photos were photos of him kissing the girl and him being fatherly with the kids who look nearly identical to my husband.”

The anonymous woman then said she is unsure how she will confront him, but “almost every part” of her “wants to scream in his face and reprimand him for ruining” her life.

Yet, she also admitted that as “her heart is in shambles” and that a different part of her wants to pretend she never saw so as not to disturb their “peaceful” family life.

She concluded: “I don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t be in the home where we’ve raised our kids, where we’ve spent every Christmas for the last 26 years.“ And where I’ve been alone on New Years’, taking care of our babies while he “ works”. I just can’t.

“I want to leave a note for him too, to hurt him like he’s hurt me, but I don’t think that’s possible. I don’t know how I’ll ever face him again.”

This article originally appeared on the US Sun and was reproduced with permission

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Tinder for booklovers: the new app matching like-minded readers | Books

When Tania O’Donnell was dating, she met a man online and went back to his place … where he proudly showed off his book collection.

“It was about 20 books on Nazi Germany and 10 Andy McNab novels,” says O’Donnell, an author. “I could feel my vulva constructing its own chastity belt.”

A more edifying tale: Hannah Love, senior publicity manager at the children’s book publishers Scholastic, met a man online. He asked her about her de ella favorite book de ella (The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle) and read it before their first real-life date, to which he brought his favorite book to lend to her (from the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce), thus securing at least a second date for her to return the book.

Reader, she married him.

Reading taste can make or break a relationship for the bookish-minded, and literary preferences are highly subjective. But a new app in development is aiming to remove the uncertainty about literary tastes when meeting new people. Klerb has already been dubbed Tinder for bookworms because it matches you with people in your area according to your shared interests in books.

For those looking for love, a prospect’s bookshelves can be a minefield. What if they just read the wrong books? “I generally don’t care, but I did once go back to a guy’s house post-date, and the only book I could see was Fifty Shades of Gray,” says Alice Furse, publicity manager at a publisher.

“To be clear, I was more concerned about his taste than the possibility of kinks.”

Or even worse, what if they don’t have any books at all? The film-maker John Waters famously said: “If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck ’em.”

With Klerb, you don’t even have to date them. You can just meet up with people who like the same books as you, or form a book club.

“It’s not a hook-up app,” insists Abe Winter, the New Yorker who is developing Klerb, which is still being tested. “Or a dating app of any kind. But Tinder, which is not without its problems, delivers real value to communities by connecting strangers in geographical proximity. I’m trying to bring that model to reading.

“Readers are hungry for discussion, and introverts are hungry for social outlets. It’s easy to socialize if you like partying or sports; it’s harder if you have academic interests.

“From an informal survey, around 10% of age 30-plus dating app profiles talk about books or reading. This is a neglected category for socialisation. Goodreads is great at the book side of this, but it is not a geo-radius social tool, and I’m guessing doesn’t want to be.”

Winter says he’s a solo founder with “low expenses and no investment”, and is trying to make this work without the criticisms leveled at advertising-based apps that harvest users’ data.

He has a waiting list, and plans to roll out the app when he reaches enough interested users in enough geographical locations to make the algorithms work.

For people like Abbey Heffer, a PhD candidate in Germany with a penchant for dystopian fiction, Klerb could be a godsend. “I wouldn’t use the app to look for a romantic relationship – I’m happily married! – but I love the idea of ​​vetting potential friends based on their taste in books,” she says.

“It would make the hunt for literary friends so much easier for people like me: immigrants who read in other languages, mums looking to talk about something other than babies, or just introverts who want to socialize… but gently.”

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‘I avoid them whenever possible’: the children’s authors who don’t like kids | kids

Children’s authors disliking children has become a thing. It’s been said of Enid Blyton, AA Milne, Dr Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein … and now we hear that the late, dear Raymond Briggs, the sweet grumpy writer and illustrator who became National Grandpa to millions of us who never met him, was another. Interviews with Briggs, who died last week aged 88, could be heard on the radio, saying for all to hear: “I’ve no interest in children. Didn’t want to have any.”

It’s dismaying. How could they?

As a writer, and daughter, partner and mother of writers, I can tell you: no writers like children – if said children are wanting things from the writer when the writer wants to be writing. This isn’t exclusive to any particular kind of writer, nor even to creative people. It’s true of everyone, as we know now after lockdowns requiring people to simultaneously work and school at home. (I avoided this with my child by making her a writer too, via the noble tradition of child labour. We wrote five books together, which were published in 36 languages ​​and optioned by Spielberg, twice. Boom!)

But I don’t believe in this so-called dislike. First, of all the possible reasons for liking or disliking an individual, was there ever a dafter one of her age? And second, having no interest in children per seor not wanting kids yourself, isn’t dislike.

In 2015, in a Guardian interview with Sarah Hughes, Briggs points to a photo of the grandchildren of his late partner, Liz. “This one used to want to sit on my head,” he told her. “’I want to sit on his head,’ he’d say and climb up. It was lovely.” Then, she wrote, “I have stared into space for a moment.” Is this someone who dislikes children?

When Briggs was suggested as Children’s Laureate, the answer was “no, thank you… all that running all over the country, all the bookings and bed and breakfasts and railways. I don’t want to go to schools and give talks on children’s books. I don’t actually know anything much about children. I try to avoid them whenever possible.”

I suspect that individual or known children can be OK, but a mass of tiny maniacs and fuss is alarming to people who work in quiet. So is it really children that these writers aren’t keen on? Perhaps AA Milne just disliked that the success of his children’s books outshone the reputation he really desired, as a playwright. His son wasn’t happy with being Christopher Robin, writing of “toe-curling, fist-clenching, lip-biting embarrassment” and how “it seemed to me almost that my father had … filched from me my good name and had left me with the empty fame of being his son”. But there’s no suggestion Milne senior did that on purpose.

On the day of Sendak’s barmitzvah in 1942 in New York, his father learned of the destruction of the family in Europe. This was only part of the trauma that made his parents of him, in Maurice’s word, “crazy”. His dark topics about him were sometimes taken as an aggression to a young readership, an indication that he did not care for them. He said himself that if he’d come from a happy home he wouldn’t have become an artist. “I refuse to lie to children,” he said, apropos “the great 19th-century fantasy that paints childhood as an eternally innocent paradise”, and described his job as “the idiot role of being a kiddie book person”. He and his partner of him Eugene did not build a family because he was certain, from his family history of him, that he would mess it up. Again, I’m not convinced it’s children that he didn’t like.

Children's author Raymond Briggs
Raymond Briggs, who created and illustrated the Snowman, said he tried to avoid children. Photograph: Richard Saker/The Guardian

Shel Silverstein, author and illustrator of The Giving Tree, didn’t like dull children’s books and was not initially keen to write for children. Plus he was a satirical Sixties guy with an eminently misunderstandable sense of humour, and a very sad story with his own daughter, who died young in the care of her relatives after the death of her mother. Heaven forbid that a children’s author be complex! (To some people he’ll always be the guy who wrote Sylvia’s Mother.)

The myth that Dr Seuss (Theodor Guisel) disliked children seems based on childlessness, which in the 1950s was pretty much held as evidence of disliking them – when in fact his wife, Helen Palmer, also a children’s writer, couldn’t conceive. During their lives they did have an imaginary daughter, Chrysanthemum-Pearl, who appeared on the Seuss Christmas cards.

Enid Blyton, we’re told – by her own daughter – was “without a trace of maternal instinct”. But we’re also told – by her other daughter of her – that she was a wonderful companion who could “communicate with children in a quite remarkable way, and not just on the page”.

But it doesn’t matter if writers can handle children’s more riotous aspects or not. They just need to have a handle on a child’s point of view – as they do on any character’s.

Humbug and sentimentality are greater enemies; books written to appeal to adults. I don’t mean books that naturally appeal to people of all ages: those are magic.

Briggs said: “People are always saying, ‘Well, who did you aim this at?’ and I keep replying, ‘Books are not missiles, you don’t aim them at anybody’.”

In wise words from US writer Edward Eager’s novel half-magic: “The four children divided all grownups into classes. Last and best and rarest of all were the ones who seemed to feel that children were children and grownups were grownups and that was that, and yet there wasn’t any reason why they couldn’t get along perfectly well and naturally together, and even occasionally communicate.”

This article was amended on 14 August 2022. Briggs was referring to a photo of the grandchildren of his late partner, Liz; not of his “late wife’s offspring” as stated in an earlier version.

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Neighbors star Ben Turland teases new role after soap exit

form neighbors star Ben Turland has teased more details about his upcoming role in new psychological thriller series Riptide.

“It’s going well and everyone’s nice – there are a lot of the same crew from neighbors working on it,” revealed Turland in an interview with Inside Soap.

According to the soap star, his new character is not dissimilar to the role he played on neighbors.

benny turland as hendrix greyson in neighbors

FremantleChannel 5

Related: form EastEnders star Jo Joyner signs up for new Channel 5 drama

“My character is quite misunderstood, he’s had it pretty tough, but he loves his family. He’s not too far away from Hendrix!”

Riptidea new prime-time Channel 5 drama set in Australia, is being made by neighbors‘production company Fremantle Australia.

Two more familiar soap faces will star in the show – former EastEnders star Jo Joyner and Turland’s neighbors co-star Peter O’Brien.

O’Brien, who recently reprized his role as Shane Ramsay for the Aussie soap’s final weeks, will play a main character in the drama.

jo joyner on lorraine

ITV

Related: neighbors star Candice Leask on scrapped Rodwell stories and show ending

Joyner will play Alison, whose life is disrupted when her Australian husband vanishes after a morning surf.

It’s unclear whether he was caught up in a dangerous riptide, or whether there’s more to his disappearance than meets the eye as this intriguing mystery plays out.

Turland also addressed his final performance as Hendrix Grayson, who tragically died on the soap after battling with pulmonary fibrosis.

The actor revealed the positive response he had to his emotional exit from the soap and said “It was so beautiful.”

“I’ve had a lot of messages from people – I had a family member who was recently diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, and I have other relatives who’ve had friends pass away from it. They said it was a pretty accurate story of someone with that condition. Just hearing that was enough.”

neighbors has now come to an end, but catch-up episodes are available via My 5 (UK) and 10 Play (Australia).

Read more neighbors coverage on our dedicated homepage

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Comedian Blake Pavey pokes fun at his terminal illness during his stand-up comedy shows

A young Australian stand-up comedian has shared a series of videos online poking fun at his terminal respiratory illness while performing in front of live audiences.

Blake Pavey, who has more than 870,000 followers on TikTok, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) when he was just six weeks old.

The 20-year-old, from Melbourne, needs to self-manage himself by taking between 30 to 50 tablets a day, often feels out of breath after exercising and is unable to have children.

Cystic fibrosis is a terminal condition that causes severe damage to the respiratory and digestive system, resulting in thick mucus sticking to the lungs – and patients typically live into their 30s or mid-40s.

Blake told FEMAIL he copes with his condition through humor during his live shows while also raising awareness.

Melbourne comedian Blake Pavey (pictured) was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) when he was just six weeks old.  Cystic fibrosis is a terminal condition that causes severe damage to the respiratory and digestive systems, resulting in thick mucus sticking to the lungs

Melbourne comedian Blake Pavey (pictured) was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) when he was just six weeks old. Cystic fibrosis is a terminal condition that causes severe damage to the respiratory and digestive systems, resulting in thick mucus sticking to the lungs

The 20-year-old (pictured left on stage) turns to humor and pokes fun at himself during his comedy shows

The 20-year-old (pictured left on stage) turns to humor and pokes fun at himself during his comedy shows

In one video shared on Instagram, Blake asks the audience: ‘Are there any other dying people in the room?’ and woman puts her hand up explaining how she has a ‘hereditary family disease’.

The pair banter back and forth before Blake jokingly calls the woman a ‘loser’ because she didn’t receive a ‘Make A Wish’ despite having a terminal disease.

In another clip at a separate show, Blake explains what CF is and the life expectancy is – but then someone can be heard cheering.

Blake laughs and seems shocked, then makes fun of the woman.

‘He’s going to die, let’s go! That was the most positive way to tell me to kill myself,’ he joked.

In one video shared on Instagram, Blake asks the audience: 'Are there any other dying people in the room?'  and woman puts her hand up explaining how she has a 'hereditary family disease'

In one video shared on Instagram, Blake asks the audience: ‘Are there any other dying people in the room?’ and woman puts her hand up explaining how she has a ‘hereditary family disease’

Blake told FEMAIL he copes with his condition through humor during his live shows while also raising awareness

Blake told FEMAIL he copes with his condition through humor during his live shows while also raising awareness

Blake said living with CF feels like 'breathing through a straw on a daily basis' because the mucus in the lungs is thicker and becomes 'trapped'

Blake said living with CF feels like ‘breathing through a straw on a daily basis’ because the mucus in the lungs is thicker and becomes ‘trapped’

Blake said living with CF feels like ‘breathing through a straw on a daily basis’ because the mucus in the lungs is thicker and becomes ‘trapped’.

This build-up increases the risk of bacteria and infection in the body, which requires close maintenance and medication.

Blake doesn’t recall the first time he was told he had CF but remembers the ‘toughest moment’ when his parents had to discuss the life expectancy with him.

‘It’s always been something I’ve just had to deal with throughout my life,’ he said.

‘The life expectancy is always in the back of my mind but I try not to focus on it too much. I don’t want to let it control me.’

Blake doesn't recall the first time he was told he had CF but remembers the 'toughest moment' when his parents had to discuss the life expectancy with him.  'It's always been something I've just had to deal with throughout my life,' he said

Blake doesn’t recall the first time he was told he had CF but remembers the ‘toughest moment’ when his parents had to discuss the life expectancy with him. ‘It’s always been something I’ve just had to deal with throughout my life,’ he said

'My mum and dad weren't aware they both had the CF gene which was passed on to me.  It would've been pretty scary for them because they weren't sure what was wrong with me at first,' he said

But he doesn't let the condition stop him from enjoying life

‘My mum and dad weren’t aware they both had the CF gene which was passed on to me. It would’ve been pretty scary for them because they weren’t sure what was wrong with me at first,’ he said

‘My mum and dad weren’t aware they both had the CF gene which was passed on to me. It would’ve been pretty scary for them because they weren’t sure what was wrong with me at first,’ he said.

‘The first six or seven weeks when I was struggling to get to sleep and was in a lot of pain would’ve been the toughest.’

Not only has Blake been hit with the reality that he will likely die young, he may also require a lung transplant in the future to survive.

‘A lot of people with CF tend to need a lung transplant at some point depending on how severe it gets, which is something that is always on the cards,’ he said.

Not only has Blake been hit with the reality that he will likely die young, he may also require a lung transplant in the future to survive

Not only has Blake been hit with the reality that he will likely die young, he may also require a lung transplant in the future to survive

What is cystic fibrosis (CF)?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a serious genetic condition that causes severe damage to the respiratory and digestive systems

This damage often results from a buildup of thick, sticky mucus in the organs

The most commonly affected organs include the lungs pancreas liver intestines

If you have CF, a genetic mutation increases the thickness of mucus and other body fluids.

When this happens, the thicker fluids can interrupt the function of organs – like the movement of air through your lungs. This can trap bacteria and lead to infections

Source: Healthline

Blake has been able to self-manage the degenerate condition and says it can worsen over time.

He is diligent with health checks and usually visits the doctor every three months.

Blake moved to Melbourne last year to pursue comedy and is now planning a national tour.

On TikTok he’s known for sharing comedic skits and relatable videos – including mimicking what ‘every’ host on different radio stations sounds like and hilarious takes on real-life events.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under 2022 Exclusive: Eliminated star Pomara Fifth breaks silence on secret ‘feud’ after Minnie Cooper’s claims on launch night | Season 2

During the third installation of Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Underwe had to say goodbye to iconic queen Pomara Fifth.

While Pomara’s epic runway style was without a doubt a showstopper in Episode 3, her on-stage brunch roast alongside fellow queen Beverly Kills didn’t impress the judges as much as she had hoped.

Following a fierce Lip Sync For Your Life against each other, Pomara was sadly sent packing while Beverly was told to join the other queens.

All seasons of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise are available to stream now on Stan.

In an exclusive interview with 9Entertainment, Pomara discussed her exit and how it felt to be one of 10 queens flying the flag Down Under – before offering a cryptic response when asked about the rumored rift that’s been whispered about since launch night…

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Pomara Fifth
Pomara Fifth was eliminated from the show during Episode 3. (Stan)

How does it feel to have been eliminated?

Not great, but at the same time I went into the show with two my goals; to get on the show, and to not go home first. I completed all my goals. I said to the girls when I was in there that I’m just going along and doing my thing and taking in the experience, rather than worrying about the competition and stressing about that.

READMORE: Here’s everything you need to know about the fierce and fabulous queens on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 2

When week three came along, I was starting to get a bit homeick. I had never really seen drag racing before, I had only seen, like, two seasons of it. So I think I was feeling a little bit behind… there was that moment, but at the same time I’m eternally grateful that I was one out of 10 picked out of all of Australia and New Zealand.

It doesn’t matter where you get, I got on the bloody show!

Do you think being partnered with Beverly Kills in the challenge hindered your chance in the competition?

Umm…yeah! I have a very unique comedic style, and I think being partnered with someone who I could really, truly bounce off would have obviously been great. Beverly was not really known for her comedy style, and she’s not really a comedy queen so I think there were those issues. At the same time, it is what it is. It’s not going to be a competition if it’s not hard. We just worked together as best we could, but safe to say… she’s not funny!

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Pomara Fifth
Pomara was partnered with Beverly Kills in the challenge. (stan)

What do you think let you down in the end?

You could not tell me s–t on that runway! I felt so good, I felt so f–king pretty and if I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out in one of my favorite outfits and still look like a million bucks on that runway. It was definitely the roast that let me down, and I think I got too much in my head about it. I was just trying to enjoy my experience, to be honest.

I’ve said previously, if this was my brunch, an actual brunch in Australia, this is probably not how it would go.

Is there anything you would do differently?

I’d probably go back and reword my skit. I know there was this whole [thing of] Beverly blaming me for trying to take over the whole skit. Which, I mean…yeah! I definitely would try and take over a little bit more.

I know that sounds bad, but I gave up I think, and just said, “We’ll keep your bits in.” I think rather than doing that, I would have really gone in hard and stuck to my strengths and been like, “This is what I know will work.” At the end of the day, no hard feelings. I love all my girls, I love Beverly. I went as far as what RuPaul would allow me.

Is there a queen group chat?

And it is! It’s definitely salacious. We talk about anything and everything every week. If we encounter problems through the day, whatever ticks us off, if someone needs help. Everything we see on the internet about us, we just send a picture to the whole group and have a giggle about it. It’s really fun. We all keep each other really grounded, and really try to enjoy this experience together.

Is there anyone you think this week that should have gone home instead of you?

That is a shady question! Shady. Look… yes. I think by saying, I have more to give… my aim to get on the show was to get a positive message out. I really was like, how do I share my experience and what I’ve been through in my life with other people and let them know it’s going to be OK, and that life is worth living. What better show than drag racing?

I hope I got as much of a positive message out there that I possibly could. I don’t think I should have gone home, but you just deal with the cards you’re dealing with, I guess. I’ll leave it up to the fans to decide who should have gone home!

On launch night, Minnie Cooper said live on-stage that there was a rift between some of the queens. Are you part of that?

[After a brief silence] …Let’s just say, that all nine of us get along like a house on fire.

READMORE: Faúx Fúr claims she was ‘sabotaged’ by her fellow queens amid ‘black panty gate

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Minnie Cooper
Minnie Cooper hinted there was a rift between some of the queens during the launch party. (stan)

What was it like to meet Drag Race royalty, Michelle Visage, RuPaul and Rhys Nicholson?

I almost wet my pants. You get to meet RuPaul, and that was like holy f–k. My first thought was, holy c–p you are that tall! Just stunning up close, beautiful. Then as you do your runway, and you don’t get to see anyone until the moment you step out on that runway and walk towards them. Or as I did, gallop towards them. Even watching myself I was like, “Slow down! Why are you walking so fast!” You get so excited, and the music is playing so loud that you’re just like – charge.

You just see the beautiful people sitting in front of you… and I can confirm, that there are no filters. I was thinking, surely not – surely not, that they’re not that pretty! But I was right up close to them, right up front and they’re beautiful. All of them.

All seasons of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise are available to stream now on Stan.

In Pictures

The stars of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Season 2 premiere

Queens hit the blue carpet at the Drag Race Down Under Season 2 premiere

Big hair, bold looks and plenty of glamour.

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