Latest news with #ClaireSweeney
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ricky Hatton fan says 'wow wasn't expecting that' after boxer makes major announcement
Ricky Hatton has announced his return to the boxing ring thirteen years after retiring from the sport. Known as the 'Hitman', the boxer had a successful career winning multiple world championships at welterweight and light-welterweight. He will fight in the UAE's Eisa Al Dah in a middleweight bout on December 2 in Dubai. The fight was announced during a show promoted by Al Dah in Dubai on Sunday, with Ricky confirming his return via livestream. On Instagram yesterday, Ricky posted an old clip from his time as a professional. He captioned it: "Just come across this old video. Wow. This is a blast from the past." READ MORE: DWP PIP 'entitlement' warning over holidays abroad READ MORE: Warning as main road closed: 'next week is going to be awful' Hours later RingWalkMedia collaborated on a social media post with the boxer saying: "BREAKING NEWS @rickyhitmanhatton Will fight @eisaaldah in Dubai 2nd December for WBC Middleweight title!!" There has been mixed opinions about the announcement. Dave wrote: "Don't do it Ricky, you've proven yourself in the ring, older and wiser" and Ronnie commented "Go on Ricky lad." Ray posted "Ricky just why? Your a legend! Just leave it alone!!!" While John posted "Wow wasn't expecting that." Coronation Street's Claire Sweeney, who is the ex-partner of Ricky showed her support as she liked the post. On livestream, Ricky explained that he was meant to be in Dubai to announce the comeback himself but was unable to make it. He said: "I wish I was there but I had a little bad injury on my eye. The main thing is the fight will take place and I can't wait, I'm really looking forward to it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ricky Hatton MBE (@rickyhitmanhatton) "It's just one of them freakish things, I caught one of my sunglasses in my eyes and I'm very fortunate it's not done any permanent damage. It's just scraped the surface, so fingers crossed we're good to go." Across his fifteen year career, Ricky won 45 of his 48 professional fights. He last fought professionally in 2012, suffering defeat by Ukraine's Vyacheslav Senchenko. His next opponent Al Dah, 46, has won eight of his 11 bouts, last fought in 2021, suffering defeat by Mexico's Pedro Alejandro Delgado. Ricky was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024. Outside the ring, Ricky is a passionate supporter of Manchester City. His entrance music was the club's song "Blue Moon" and his love the the band is one he shares with Oasis. He was in attendance for the reunion of Noel and Liam Gallagher as they took to the stage together for the first time in over 16 years on Friday. He posted a photo of Liam and Noel walking onto stage with their arms over the others shoulder. Ricky captioned it "You smashed it boys."
Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Claire Sweeney looks super svelte as she leads glam celebs at charity bash
A galaxy of stars descended on Liverpool's Titanic Hotel for the Sedulo Foundation's annual Colour Ball on Thursday night. The event was a gathering of celebrities, supporters and business leaders, all united in their mission to raise crucial funds for children and young people living in poverty. Claire Sweeney, Coronation Street actress and proud Liverpudlian, took on the role of host for the evening. She was joined by a plethora of famous faces including football legend Jamie Carragher and TV favourites such as Linda Robson, Dr Ranj, Real Housewives of Cheshire stars Seema Malhotra and Leanne Brown, and Nermina Pieters-Mekic. Fashion guru and DJ Gok Wan led the entertainment, with UK Garage stars Lisa Maffia and Romeo, of So Solid Crew, delivering a roof-raising performance. The event was orchestrated by national advisory firm Sedulo, which boasts offices in Manchester, Liverpool, London, Leeds and Birmingham. The Colour Ball is a fundraising initiative for the firm's charitable arm, The Sedulo Foundation. Last year's ball raised £200,000. This year's total exceeded that, making it the biggest event yet for the foundation with a huge £223,000 raised on the night. Since its inception in 2022, the Sedulo Foundation has supported over 2,000 young people. Its initiatives include providing school equipment, sanitary products, and Christmas gifts for those in need, as well as creating employment opportunities for young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. This year's event also marked the launch of Fresh Starts, a new initiative providing hygiene kits, everyday wear, and interview-ready outfits for young people entering adulthood.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Coachella costs Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins thousands by insisting he change name of his tiny Welsh pop festival 'Cowchella'
Coachella organisers are thought to have cost Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins thousands of pounds after forcing his tiny Welsh festival into a name change. The 49-year-old had been happily organising his 'Cowchella' festival in Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, when the 250,000-capacity music venue got in touch. The event's social media pages went down last week, and its Eventbrite tickets page had its name disappear amid a complaint which Watkins said was from Coachella Ltd, the US festival in California. On Sunday, new social media accounts were set up for the renamed Moo-La-La Festival, hosted by Watkins, actress Claire Sweeney and BBC Radio 2 radio presenter Owain Wyn Evans. The post explained the 'fab new name' and that tickets would remain valid for the inaugural event in August. Welsh singer and actor Watkins, 49, said they thought at first the social media sites were 'hacked', before finding an email with an 'official complaint from Coachella'. 'I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel like that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine,' Watkins said. 'It's a little bit mindblowing... what we're doing is very, very different to what they do. 'We don't have Beyonce performing. We have a Steps tribute act... and also, they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans, hosting, which in my book, is much better than Beyonce.' He also said he was happy the small Welsh festival is a 'talking point' and people 'love that Coachella has put Cowbridge on the map' as well as admitting that 'luckily, it wasn't like, the week before because that would be the disaster'. Watkins did acknowledge that thousands of pounds spent on 'marketing costs, posters and banners' would be 'a financial impact that we have to absorb'. He said: 'We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. 'So yes, those will have to go in the bin... but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door.' He also said that 'there's lots of festivals' that use this concept including the Welsh event GlastonBarry, with a name inspired by Glastonbury in Somerset, which has not appeared to come up against the same issue. Top performers from across the music scene have participated in Coachella, including the likes of Lady Gaga, Megan Thee Stallion and Grimes. Watkins said the idea of the festival formerly known as Cowchella was to 'make it accessible for families that can't afford to go to Cardiff or London' for music events that can cost hundreds of pounds. 'We wanted... to provide an amazing place where everybody could come have a great time, make it family friendly, accessible,' he said. He said the festival will remain the same, despite the name change, and promised 'great food, great drink' on Saturday, August 2 at Bear Field. Watkins also said 'the number one tribute acts in the country' such as Harry Styled UK, Got to be Taylor Swift, Got to be Steps, Got to be Mamma Mia and Wickedly Hariana would perform. 'Our town is so beautiful, but there's so much untapped potential there, which is why we keep creating events (such as Pride),' he said. 'We do the panto in town, so many amazing things. I decorate the town hall for armistice. I do a lot in the town just to bring a lot of joy, and it's a town that should be celebrated, and that's what Moo-La-La, as it's now called, will be.' Watkins rose to fame in the the dance-pop group, Steps, and has appeared on ITV show Dancing On Ice as well as mystery Dial M For Middlesbrough. His group celebrated 20 years since their formation with a comeback album and UK tour in 2017 and in 2022 they released a Platinum Collection album.
Scottish Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Steps star Ian ‘H' Watkins forced to change name of latest project after he's SUED by festival giant Coachella
Read on to find out the hilarious new name for the star's festival in Wales STEPS TOO FAR Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins forced to change name of latest project after he's SUED by festival giant Coachella FORMER Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins was forced to change the name of his festival Cowchella — because it was too similar to Coachella. Watkins organised a small event including a Harry Styles tribute act and actress Claire Sweeney. Advertisement 3 Cowchella has now been renamed Moo-La-La Festival after the American festival complained Credit: WNS 3 The former Steps star was stunned to get a complaint from Coachella, the famous festival in California with 250,000 fans But he was stunned to get a complaint about the name from Coachella, the famous festival in California with 250,000 fans. Watkins' show at his home town of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan is now called the Moo-La-La Festival. The Welshman, 49, said: 'I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine. 'It's a little bit mindblowing. What we're doing is very, very different to what they do. Advertisement 'We don't have Beyonce performing. "We have a Steps tribute act and also they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans hosting, which in my book is much better than Beyonce.' He added: 'We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. 'So yes, those will have to go in the bin but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door.' Advertisement 3 Former Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins was forced to change the name of his festival Cowchella — because it was too similar to the huge US event Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
The Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Steps star Ian ‘H' Watkins forced to change name of latest project after he's SUED by festival giant Coachella
FORMER Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins was forced to change the name of his festival Cowchella — because it was too similar to Coachella. Watkins organised a small event including a Harry Styles tribute act and actress Claire Sweeney. 3 But he was stunned to get a complaint about the name from Coachella, the famous festival in California with 250,000 fans. Watkins' show at his home town of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan is now called the Moo-La-La Festival. The Welshman, 49, said: 'I'm taking it as a massive compliment that they feel that our little festival is a little bit of a threat to their ginormous, juggernaut of a machine. 'It's a little bit mindblowing. What we're doing is very, very different to what they do. 'We don't have Beyonce performing. "We have a Steps tribute act and also they don't have myself, Claire Sweeney and Owain Wyn Evans hosting, which in my book is much better than Beyonce.' He added: 'We've spent a lot of money on marketing and flyers and posters and banners that are all visible around the town. 'So yes, those will have to go in the bin but let's just do that, rather than have any more people knocking on our door.' 3
