A friend's bullying comment in school haunted my whole life. Then decades later I confronted him on Facebook - and his perverse reaction utterly changed me: MICHELLE BRASIER
I was only 12. Levi and I had been friends for three years; we used to ride our bikes together, sharing jokes and exchanging burned CDs full of Britney Spears hits.
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The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
Kelsey Parker shares family holiday photo and says it's ‘just what we needed' after she tragically lost baby at 9 months
KELSEY Parker has shared a photo from her family holiday and said it's 'just what we needed' after tragically losing her baby at 9 months. The podcast host's third child, Phoenix Parker-Lindsay, was stillborn shortly before his due date. 4 Today, Kelsey, 34, shared a photo of herself with boyfriend Will, while holding her children Aurelia and Bodhi. The family were pictured looking out towards a harbour, with a mountain in the background, while dressed in summer attire. And Kelsey simply penned to fans: 'Exactly what we needed 💛 Thank you @jet2pics for making it so easy. X.' Fans flooded the comments to tell Kelsey it was 'nice to see her' on social media, with others sending the star love following the tragic loss of Phoenix. Since his death, she and partner Will Lindsay have taken time away to grieve privately as a family. Kelsey had Aurelia, as well as four-year-old Bodhi, with her late husband Tom Parker, who died of glioblastoma, a form of brain tumour, in 2022. At the end of last month, the star wanted to make sure her little girl knew how special she was, and posted a heartbreaking video montage of Aurelia growing up – starting in the arms of The Wanted star Tom as a tiny baby. Kelsey wrote alongside the video: "Aurelia means 'The Golden One' and that's what you are 🤍 you've been through so much my darling daughter, but you're the most precious little girl any mummy could wish for. "I'm so happy we got to spend this weekend celebrating your birthday and turning another year older. Devastated Kelsey Parker announces tragic death of baby who was 'born sleeping' just a week before due date "I'm beyond proud of you and the amazing young woman you're growing up to be." Kelsey shared the devastating news that her son, Phoenix, was still born by posting a poem to fans, "For Phoenix. Born sleeping, forever loved." The phoenix bird symbolises immortality, resurrection and life after death. She added next to the poem: "Before I receive an influx of lovely messages and heartfelt well wishes, I want to just say that I truly appreciate everything you are all going to say and share. "But with the news being so raw, I would really like to ensure that we as a family are given space and time to process this devastating and earth-shattering news. "I love you all and thank you for your understanding and space." Phoenix was her first child with boyfriend Will, whom she started dating last September. At the time, Kelsey said she knew late husband Tom would 'send the right man for her.' They announced they were expecting in January. 4
Times
4 hours ago
- Times
Latitude review — a sophisticated, sedate shindig
'It's good to see so many softies here,' said Billy Bragg, gazing out across a Suffolk field with more than the average density of camping chairs and picnic blankets. With its lakeside stages and literary discussions, its gourmet food courts and art-dappled forest, Latitude has a well-earned reputation as one of the summer's most sophisticated weekends, and rarely has a festival line-up offered itself so politely to the lover of the gentler three-day camp-out. Some Mika with your Snow Patrol? An easy Sunday amble from Elbow to Air? This was a shindig right up your bridle path. • Read more music reviews, interviews and guides on what to listen to next Bragg had read the vale and delivered an hour of lilting country folk balladry, albeit 'still annoyingly political'. A stripped-down Sexuality was repurposed as a trans-solidarity anthem and Levi Stubbs Tears as a condemnation of the identity war's common enemy, 'male violence'. Later, Maribou State laid out a continental breakfast of sonic pleasantries: tropical pop, graceful strings, hypnagogic grooves and bongotronic freak-outs held together by the almost operatic R&B vocals of Talulah Ruby. So sedate was the occasion, in fact, that the comedy tent headliner Greg Davies detailing his distressing prostate issues was among the most punk parts of day one; even in the Second Stage tent, where the Dublin band Sprints howled through visceral post-punk rampages and one chap wandered about in a jacket made from dolls' heads, Feeder tipped their arena grunge cap to the night's headliner with a faithful sliver of Walking On the Moon. • The 20 best UK music festivals for summer 2025 Basement Jaxx stole the day by hosting an intergalactic disco-rave party from a spaceship bridge in a hole in their stage ramp, surrounded by space Valkyries, green-goggled soul queens and gigantic alien triffids. From the sci-fi funk larks of Romeo to a final gorilla invasion resembling a rave up on the Planet of the Apes — this was a blanket-trampling hoot. Sting's headline set, meanwhile, had the feel of a pop-reggae Ted Talk. Miked up so that he could roam the stage, his increasingly theatrical vocals had a flat, undynamic feel, sucking the sparkle from Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and the air from Walking On the Moon. That said, he didn't scrimp on hits. Message In a Bottle, If I Ever Lose My Faith In You, An Englishman In New York and Fields of Gold ('about my house … well, more of a castle really') were early arrivals, often loosened up with extraneous reggae workouts or mecha-drum interludes. And plenty of Police tracks kept the night buoyant: a shoegazey Can't Stand Losing You, a field-lifting So Lonely and a restrained Wrapped Around Your Finger recast as a stalkerish sister-piece to Every Breath You Take, which was still received — bafflingly — as a smoochy lover's anthem. By a fun, if funkily distended Roxanne Sting had done enough to be crowned king of the softies.★★★★☆ Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
David Beckham is every inch the doting dad as he joins daughter Harper and chic wife Victoria for their annual summer break on £16M yacht in St Tropez - with son Brooklyn noticeably absent amid family feud
David Beckham and his wife Victoria have brushed off the furore surrounding their feud with son Brooklyn, as they enjoyed their annual summer yacht getaway. The family has been thrown into turmoil in recent months, amid claims Brooklyn has become increasingly estranged from his famous parents after failing to attend any of his father David's 50th birthday celebrations in May. Soaking up the sunshine on their £16 million vessel, David and Victoria were seen making the most of the picturesque French weather off the coast of St Tropez. Every the doting dad, David embraced his daughter Harper, 14, as they boarded a speedboat to take them to the shore. While her second son Romeo enjoyed jet ski ride in the sunshine, Victoria opted for a spot of downtime on the yacht, before changing into a chic yellow satin dress and a matching hat for the outing. The couple traded in their £5million yacht for the much bigger vessel last year, and had been pictured on it sailing around Miami. The impressive looking vessel, understood to be worth £16million, was a significant upgrade on the comparatively modest 100-foot yacht reportedly purchased by Beckham in 2022. The football legend was said to have 'treated himself' to his original vessel in 2022 after being inspired by his maritime jaunts with close friends Sir Elton John and David Furnish - who often holiday at sea. A source told The Sun at the time: 'David had a look around some yachts in the summer, and decided to treat himself. He helped design the boat himself, and has been incredibly hands-on with everything. 'It's not an oligarch-style super-yacht, but it's still pretty plush by anyone's standards. He was inspired after holidaying with Elton and David on their boat - and loves life on the water. 'There will be an area for the kids to snorkel, and the boat will be a brilliant base for the whole Beckham clan to have magical holidays abroad.' And while his famous parents were little more than a few hours flight away, Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz shared loved-up Instagram snaps back in the UK. The husband and wife have jetted into the country for the weekend and appear to be enjoying downtime away from the city. David and Victoria have reportedly become resigned to the fact that they have become estranged from their beloved son after he failed to attend any of the football ace's 50th birthday celebrations last month. Every the doting dad, David embraced his daughter Harper, 14, as they boarded a speedboat to take them to the shore David put on a sweet display with his eldest daughter Harper, who toted her belongings in a Goyard Saint Louis bag The couple traded in their £5million yacht for the much bigger vessel last year, and had been pictured on it sailing around Miami The football legend was said to have 'treated himself' to his original vessel in 2022 after being inspired by his maritime jaunts with close friends Sir Elton John and David Furnish He also didn't wish either his mum Victoria or dad David a happy birthday on social media - an unusual move for the Beckhams, who are known for their loving posts. This is in stark contrast to a post Brooklyn shared last week for his father-in-law and wrote on a picture of himself and Nicola with the billionaire: 'Happy birthday Nelson x We love you.' It was previously revealed that Brooklyn and Nicola's Instagram accounts no longer follow his younger brothers Cruz and Romeo in the latest family drama. However, Brooklyn's friends told MailOnline on Friday that Cruz and Romeo have actually blocked them on the social media platform. This would make sense given that Brooklyn and Nicola are still following Victoria and David. Cruz and Romeo were still following Brooklyn and Nicola earlier this month but appeared to take action after Brooklyn posted a birthday tribute to sister Harper, sharing a family photo without them in it – which Nicola reposted. There was much speculation whether Brooklyn would reach out to Harper on her 14th birthday, but despite him doing so, it seems all is not well in the camp. Brooklyn's birthday tribute to Harper marked his first public interaction with his family since he paid tribute to his grandmother Sandra on June 26, despite remaining silent and shunning his father's 50th birthday earlier that same month. Sources close to the family have told MailOnline of their fears that Brooklyn and his wife Nicola have also distanced themselves from Harper after they failed to visit her when they flew into London in May to film an advert for French-Italian clothing brand Moncler just over a mile from the family home in Holland Park. David and Victoria had no idea whether Brooklyn, who Harper has idolised since she was a little girl, would message her privately or publicly on Instagram because they have no communication with him. It comes as tensions have continued to bubble in the past few weeks with a series of digs and jibes from camp Nicola and Brooklyn. Aspiring chef Brooklyn shared a cooking video accompanied by a song which referred to not feeling like he has the confidence to speak up and finally feeling empowered - in a seemingly subtle but defiant message. And on the same day Nicola made a bizarre nod to father-in-law David as she sported a replica pair of the iconic football shorts he wore for his England debut in the 90s while out on her family's superyacht. She was also keen to flaunt her close family bonds during the holiday to St Tropez as she shared gushing Instagram posts about her brothers on Monday. Nicola continued to publicly praise and share admiration for her billionaire family on social media amid her husband's family feud. The actress took to Instagram to share a series of photographs in which she gushed over her billionaire father Nelson Peltz and joked that her Labubu dolls were her family. That came after she and Brooklyn shared photographs of themselves on social media attending Nelson's family birthday celebrations - painfully echoing the very similar celebrations they chose to snub for David's own recent birthday. And amid the escalating feud last week Romeo stepped in as he shared a very pointed statement about 'appreciating people that love you' and insisted 'life was too short' to not tell people you care about them. While Nicola revels in her happy life with her family, Brooklyn risks ruining his 'close bond' with sister Harper by overshadowing her birthday. Friends of the Beckhams predicted that it will be a 'huge moment' in the feud, which escalated when the couple didn't attend any of David's 50th celebrations which took place between the end of March and the beginning of May. One source said: 'Brooklyn and Harper used to be inseparable. He adored her, he hopefully still does, but the problem is that Brooklyn has a track record for ignoring family birthdays now. 'It would be devastating for Harper not to hear from him. She hasn't done anything and she's only 13-years-old, she is the innocent party here. 'Harper's birthday has always been such a happy day, she's the adored little daughter so it's always so joyous but this is a tough situation. 'Brooklyn was 12 when Harper was born, he was so important in her life and it must be terribly sad that she isn't seeing him since the fall out with David and Victoria happened. 'David and Victoria very much blame Nicola for all of this but hopefully Brooklyn will see sense. 'While Harper doesn't have her own Instagram yet, the family thing is to tag her in on their posts as #harperseven.' At the start of her relationship with Brooklyn, Nicola seemed to forge a strong bond with Harper. The actress soon positioned herself as a 'big sister' figure to the little girl, who is aid to have 'adored' her. But now the couple, who married in April 2022 at her family's £76million Florida mansion, no longer speak to Sir David and Lady Beckham, with the couple believing that she controls Brooklyn. Posh and Becks were furious when the couple didn't contact Harper when they visited London just weeks after David's birthday. At the time they were also cross that they didn't get in touch with Cruz, 19, either because at that point he and Brooklyn had never had a crossed word. Since then the singer has very much come out on his parents' side amid the rift. Despite ignoring his father's birthday and his mum Victoria's two weeks before in April, Brooklyn did take to Instagram to wish the footballer's mum Sandra a happy birthday two weeks ago. However, Victoria was devastated when he didn't do the same for her father Tony back in May. Last week, Nicola addressed speculation that she was 'controlling' Brooklyn after posting snaps with her family and Brooklyn celebrating her father Nelson's 83rd birthday on the European getaway. The celebratory photos were the latest blow for David and Victoria, after Brooklyn snubbed his own dad's 50th birthday - with many flooding the comment section to accuse Nicola of being to blame. Yet she hit back by 'liking' a fan's comment that suggested Brooklyn had made his own decision. The comment read: 'The fact people are in this comment section talking bs about someone controlling a GROWN man is absurd. The guy is an adult and can make his own decisions, leave them be and stop blaming women for everything.' Amid his escalating feud with his family, the pair failed to publicly acknowledge David's milestone 50th birthday on May 8. David and Victoria's 26th wedding anniversary also passed without mention, despite the former Manchester United and England footballer referencing Brooklyn in his own post. David previously thanked wife Victoria for their 'beautiful children' as the couple both acknowledged estranged son Brooklyn while celebrating their wedding anniversary on July 4. The former footballer who also shares sons Romeo, 20, and Cruz, 22 with the ex Spice Girl shared a series of throwback snaps of the family in happier times. Declaring his love for Victoria, who he referred to as Lady Beckham following his Knighthood, he wrote: '26 years today you said YES to me Happy Anniversary and thank you for giving me our beautiful children and building the life that we have together.' He went on to tag his children including estranged son Brooklyn. Victoria, 51, also tagged her eldest son, captioning her post: 'Another year, another chapter in our love story. 'I'm so proud of the beautiful family and life we've built together. You and our four incredible children complete me. I love you so much @davidbeckham. Here's to 26 years!!' Despite the apparent olive branch, insiders believe Brooklyn will not be in attendance when Harper turns 14. Rumours of a rift between the eldest son and his parents began when Brooklyn was noticeably silent on his former Spice Girl mother's birthday, a far cry from his usual sweet posts about her. Neither the former photographer nor his wife wished Victoria a happy 51st, while David, Romeo and Cruz posted gushing messages. And as well as snubbing dad David's birthday online, he also was notably absent from all of his 50th birthday celebrations - including a boys' fishing trip. Despite flying to London at the time, Brooklyn and Nicola also didn't attend the big family party at the Beckhams' Cotswolds home or an idyllic trip to France or a meal at Notting Hill restaurant, Core. Brooklyn reportedly 'told his famous family that he wants no contact' with them last month in the latest devastating turn of their ongoing feud. According to reports, the eldest Beckham boy has had no communication with his family following father David's knighthood being announced, and only learned of the news in the media alongside the rest of the world. Denying he'd asked for no contact, a source close to Brooklyn told the publication: 'Everyone's focus should be David Beckham 's great honour'. Meanwhile a source close to Brooklyn also denied the claims as they told MailOnline, 'this seems to be another deliberate attempt to misrepresent the truth, and it only serves to distract from this honor being bestowed on Brooklyn's father.'
