Latest news with #ALeagueOfTheirOwn
The Sun
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Freddie Flintoff almost joined WWE under brilliant new name after England cricket legend retired from sport
FREDDIE FLINTOFF has revealed that he almost joined the WWE under a brilliant new name. The former England all-rounder could have swapped the wicket for a ring if it had not been for his family. 6 6 6 6 Flintoff, 47, fell out of love with cricket and had his first retirement in 2010 before calling it for a final time in 2014 after spells with Lancashire and the Brisbane Roar. This led to him moving to Dubai with his family in order "hide" away. However, he could have been wowing crowds at WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble if he had accepted an offer from the WWE. Speaking on The Overlap and Betfair's Stick to Cricket show, Flintoff said: 'We moved to Dubai - the plan was, I was going to play in the IPL and I was going to play for Brisbane, basing ourselves in Dubai. "Unashamedly, if I could earn a bit of IPL money tax-free I'm sorted. 'When I had to retire, we decided to go through with it anyway and it was probably a good move getting away, my lifestyle wasn't great at the time. 'I just hid for a bit and started to wonder 'what am I going to do now?'. "Some of the TV offers started to come, which was never the plan - I stumbled into that. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 'I nearly joined the WWE, I didn't want to box, that was never the plan! I would have been called 'Big Fred'!' Flintoff continued to explain that the WWE interest stemmed from his idea while working on Sky's A League Of Their Own. He wanted to take on the Undertaker as a part of the comedy quiz show. The cricket legend took part in a WWE academy trial and was offered a three-year deal on "obscene" money despite leaving with broken ribs. He added: 'What happened was, it got to a point in Dubai where I was unfit, I'd put weight on and I was just not in a good place. 'I wanted to get fit again, but I needed motivation. 'As a kid, I loved WWE, so I came up with this idea, because I was doing League of Their Own with Sky, to fight the Undertaker in Manchester. 6 6 'I wrote this treatment up and presented the idea to Sky, it started gathering momentum and next minute it's being passed onto WWE. I was in contact with the WWE, Vince McMahon! 'Dave Roberts 'Rooster' who was a physiotherapist who lived with us throughout my career, lived with us and looked after us. I asked him to send a trainer over to Dubai for six weeks because I needed to bulk up. 'He sent this fella over, I trained my nuts off, got fit and then the WWE flew me to Tampa. Me and the missus have gone over to Tampa, I've got two weeks at wrestling academy. 'They fly us over business class, next morning we get in the car and go to WWE's academy, two massive units all branded. We're sitting in the car and these things are walking past me, like 6ft 8in monsters. 'My missus asked, are you going to be okay? I said, 'yeah, I'll be fine'. I walked in - on the first day, nobody liked me because it's really competitive with 60 of us all wanting a contract with the WWE - then this English lad walked in. 'So I go in and we do the warm-ups, then they put me in the ring for three hours and I just ran the ropes; I'd run into someone and they'd throw me. 'The second day I went in there, I had lashes all down my back and my missus said 'are you alright with this?'. I was sore and thought something's not right here. 'I said to this physio, 'I think I'm having a back spasm'; so they're all like 'ohh the English lad's got a back spasm'. So they put me on the couch, he's pushing me and I can feel my ribs separating. 'I said 'mate, I think I've broken my ribs'. He said I'd be in so much pain and I was like 'mate, I want to cry but I can't in there'. I went for an X-ray and this fella who puts it up asked 'what do you do' I said 'I'm a wrestler'. He asked, 'how long have you been doing this' and I said 'two days'. 'We did all of that - on the third day you do acting lessons, but I didn't think I was in on it. 'I was just sitting minding my own business and they said 'Fred, you're up'. I got up, and I had the microphone in my hand saying how hard I am; but I didn't like that so said 'can I do another'. 'I looked out and there were all of these weird and wonderful-looking people, so I just tore them all a new one. They were trying to get me to wind up after two minutes but I was not finished. 'Two weeks later, I got an email from WWE, saying 'you can't do your documentary because you'll give the secrets away, we want to put you on a three-year contract'. 'They said 'we'll fast-track you and in 18 months you'll be at WrestleMania and Royal Rumble'. 'The money was obscene, but we wanted to move back from Dubai. 'The kids wanted to play cricket and didn't want to go to America, so I just changed it to boxing and had a fight instead.' Flintoff is now coaching the England Lions cricket team after landing the job in 2024. He has an upcoming tour with the team against South Africa in August. He got the job after recovering from his 2022 horror car crash while working as a presenter for the BBC's Top Gear. The star suffered life-changing injuries and withdrew from public life until he made his return to the England set-up in 2023.
Daily Mirror
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Popstar due to appear on Celebrity Gogglebox in first ever reality TV appearance
Celebrity Gogglebox's cast is set to become even more star studded as a string of new names have been added to the upcoming series line-up including popstar Rag'n'Bone Man A popstar is due to appear on the most recent series of Celebrity Gogglebox in his first ever reality TV appearance. Rag'n'Bone Man has had a successful music career so far but is now giving TV a go. The singer, whose real name is Rory Graham, is appearing on the Channel 4 programme alongside another famous face. The 40-year-old will be sitting alongside TV star and comedian Romesh Ranganathan on the sofa as they watch and review the top television offerings of the week. Romesh, 47, is a well-known face in the world of showbiz and has plenty of TV experience, hosting The Weakest Link as well as A League Of Their Own, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, The Ranganation and much more. Meanwhile, Rag'n'Bone Man's TV experience is slightly more limited – but the Human singer has acting credits in EastEnders, making a cameo appearance when he performed for The Queen Vic's pub-goers. Now, the duo will be appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox together and shared a clip where they confirmed the news. Romesh can be heard saying: "Hello I'm Romesh and this is Rory [Rag'n'Bone Man]. We are gonna be on Celebrity Gogglebox, aren't we?" Rag'n'Bone Man then added: "Yes we are, this Friday at 9pm." Rag'n'Bone Man tied the knot with his long-term partner, Zoe, last year after a difficult road in their relationship. Zoe and the singer got married on Saturday 9 November 2024 in front of their closest friends and family members. Ahead of the big day, a source said: "Rory is really down to earth and he and Zoe love their quiet life out of the spotlight. But the wedding won't be low-key, as they're having all their friends and family involved for a massive celebration, with a huge party afterwards." Zoe and Rag'n'Bone man first got together back in 2020 but split for a time in 2021 due to the star's busy schedule. A source said at the time: "Things have been full-on for Rory around the release of his album and everything, so it has been difficult to spend a lot of time together. It hasn't worked out between them and they have called things off." However, the split only lasted a few months as they rekindled their romance and by June 2024 they were engaged. This is the singer's second marriage as his first didn't work out. The chart topping star was married before his now-wife but it was a short-lived relationship. He was first married to Beth Rouy in 2019 after they were in a relationship with each other for 10 years beforehand. The former couple share a son together but their marriage broke down soon after they said their vows. Just six months after their wedding day was reported, the couple split and went their separate ways.
Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Keely Hodgkinson: I loved Brit Awards but nothing beats rush of winning
For Keely Hodgkinson, a night at the Brit Awards amounted to another memorable experience that has followed her Olympic title in Paris. There was also an appearance on the Jonathan Ross Show sofa, and a slightly more bewildering encounter with Romesh Ranganathan and the gang on A League Of Their Own. 'Those guys are so quick-witted,' Hodgkinson says. 'It was good fun but I honestly had no idea what was going on.' She loved the Brits. 'I'm a big Sabrina Carpenter fan and she was playing live,' Hodgkinson says. And an evening at the O2 arena came as a welcome distraction at a time when she was nursing the torn hamstring that denied her a crack at the world indoor 800m record in Birmingham
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Top comedian leaves customers stunned as he is spotted working at a local Surrey bakery... but would YOU have recognised him?
A famous comedian left his fans stunned when he was spotted working behind the counter at a local bakery. The funnyman was spotted posing for photographs with delighted customers, who were left stunned to enter the bakery and see him working hard behind the till. He drew in the crowds to Coughlans Bakery in Oxted, Surrey, as fans lined up to catch sight of the famous TV presenter and purchase some baked goods. He is well-known for his stand-up comedy career, while he also presents his own TV shows and has a hugely successful BBC Radio 2 programme. The stand-up comic has virtually been on every TV channel, also appearing on popular panel shows including A League Of Their Own and Taskmaster. But do you know who it is? That's right, it's Romesh Ranganathan! Alongside his hugely successful comedy career, many fans do not realise that he has also been a co-owner of Coughlans Bakery since 2024. He delighted fans with his hands-on approach to running the business as he served customers coffees and pastries from behind the counter on Wednesday. The down-to-earth star didn't shy away from pausing his duties to pose for selfies and chat to fans, as well as record video messages for those who missed out. He was fully kitted out in the bakery's branded cap and hoodie, with videos and photographs from his shift showing him collecting orders and processing payments. His fans were quick to take to social media to heap praise on the comedian for taking the time to speak to all his fans during his surprise shift behind the counter. Comments included: 'Haul 10/10 as usual, not sure about the new intern though'; 'Legend, making time for everyone'; 'Romesh drawing in the crowds, couldn't stay to chat thanks to a 2pm meeting but nabbed a delish sausage roll and doughnut.' He delighted fans with his hands-on approach to running the business as he served customers coffees and pastries from behind the counter on Wednesday It is not the first time he has done a stint working in the bakery chain, as he has also thrilled fans with shifts in its branches in Dorking and his hometown Crawley. In February, he told the BBC of his visits: 'It was nice to meet people. I just wanted to get involved. The crowds are better than my tour show.' Romesh, who is a vegan, had initially partnered with the bakery to create a vegan treat, called the Ranga Yum Yum, before going on to become a co-owner. The delicious snack was made a permanent fixture on the menu and Romesh was partly responsible for owner Sean Coughlan setting up a branch in his hometown. Sean previously said of Romesh's involvement: 'Romesh is working behind the counter because he wants to know more about the business. He loves it.' 'He is so down to earth, humble and genuinely one of the nicest guys I ever met,' he added.
News.com.au
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Rosie O'Donnell sells NYC penthouse for nearly half its price after fleeing US over Donald Trump's election
Rosie O'Donnell sold her New York City penthouse at a multimillion-dollar loss after leaving the US when President Trump won the 2024 election. The comedian's Midtown East home, located at 255 E. 49th St., was sold for $US4.75 million ($A7.3 million) last month, the New York Post exclusively revealed on Monday. O'Donnell purchased the triplex unit for $8 million ($A12.3 million) in 2017. The 3,381-square-foot suite features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a glass-enclosed room with a view of the East River, a sauna and a rooftop deck. O'Donnell, 63, originally listed the penthouse for $US8.3 million ($A12.8 million) in early 2023. She later dropped the price. The A League of Their Own star gave up her ritzy home before Trump's inauguration in January. 'I'm here in Ireland. And it's beautiful and warm — not physically. It's actually quite cold,' she said in a TikTok video at the time. 'It's been pretty wonderful, I have to say,' the Sleepless in Seattle star continued. 'The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I'm very grateful.' O'Donnell, whose grandparents are from Ireland, shared that she started the process of getting her Irish citizenship. The actress said she was motivated to move to keep her non-binary child, Clay, safe. 'I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that's what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child. And here we are,' she explained. 'You know, I'm happy. Clay is happy. I miss my other kids. I miss my friends. I miss many things about life there at home and I'm trying to find a home here in this beautiful country and when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that's when we will consider coming back.' O'Donnell later shared that her mental health drastically improved since moving overseas. 'I feel healthier [and] I'm sleeping better without the stress and anxiety over what was happening politically in the country,' she said in another video. The TV personality is also the parent to kids: Parker, 29, Chelsea, 27, Blake, 25, Vivienne, 22.
