Latest news with #MattLucas
9 News
3 days ago
- Politics
- 9 News
Thousands of three-year-olds to get access to kindergarten in SA
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here From next year, thousands of three-year-old children will have access to kindergarten services at more than 200 locations throughout South Australia. The state government announced the locations today, with a phased implementation of the program scheduled to commence in term four of this year, initially focusing on Elizabeth Vale and Port Pirie. These areas have been identified as particularly vulnerable. Thousands of three-year-old children will have access to kindergarten services at more than 200 locations throughout South Australia. (9News) Following the initial phase, the program will extend to include metropolitan, regional, and remote areas of South Australia. "A combination of government-run centres and privately run centres will start providing 15 hours a week of free three-year-old preschool," Premier Peter Malinauskas said. Families are already expressing enthusiasm about the program. "Super excited that this flying start program will get in early and help kids build their confidence and their skills so they can be good little humans," parent Matt Lucas said. These areas have been identified as particularly vulnerable. (9News) Meanwhile, the government has dismissed concerns raised by the state opposition that there aren't enough staff to take on the new kids. "I can tell you we are on target to have the workforce that we need to be able to offer three-year-old preschool next year," Education Minister Blair Boyer said. The government is aiming to provide universal access to kindergarten for all South Australian three-year-olds by 2032. This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress . South Australia national Australia Sydney education children 9ExPress CONTACT US
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Millie Bobby Brown wows in tiny bikini on the beach weeks after hitting back at trolls over red carpet appearance
MILLIE Bobby Brown wowed fans in a skimpy bikini – weeks after hitting back at trolls over her red carpet appearance. The Stranger Things star, 21, looked incredible as she posed on a gorgeous beach with a bright blue sky behind her. 8 8 8 8 Wearing a green and white string bikini, Millie held her hands to her head as she soaked up the sunshine on a white sandy shore. She captioned the snap wit a string of beach-themed emojis. The post quickly racked up 1.3 million likes and over 33,000 comments, with famous pals like Tilly Ramsay showing their support. The sizzling shot comes just weeks after Millie shot down cruel critics after she was mocked online over her appearance at The Electric State premiere in Los Angeles. Some fans accused her of 'looking 40 not 21', with one saying: 'Had to double-check if she turned 21 or 40.' Others cruelly claimed she looked like a 'soccer mum' in her glamorous £8,000 gown and new blonde hair. Comedian Matt Lucas took it a step further by comparing Millie to his Little Britain character Vicky Pollard. He even shared a side-by-side photo and her infamous catchphrase: 'No but yeah but.' Millie didn't take it lying down and fired back on Instagram. She said: 'Disillusioned people can't handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs. Millie Bobby Brown addresses public scrutiny 'I refuse to apologise for growing up… I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself.' She blasted those joining in on the jibes, adding: 'You're amplifying an insult instead of questioning why a grown man is mocking a young woman's appearance.' Millie's emotional video went viral and celebs flooded the comments to praise her. Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker said: 'Enormously proud of you. xxx.' F1 champ Lewis Hamilton wrote: 'So truly proud of you Millie.' Singer Pixie Lott added: 'You are a true class act… always beyond beautiful inside and out.' Matt Lucas later apologised, saying: 'I thought you looked terrific… I realise it upset you and for that, I apologise.' Millie has grown up in front of the cameras since landing her breakout role as Eleven on Stranger Things aged just 10. Now a fully-fledged Hollywood star, she's raking in around £10million for the show's final season – a massive jump from the £8,000 per episode she earned back in season one. Her latest film, The Electric State, dropped on Netflix in March and saw her star opposite Chris Pratt, Woody Harrelson, and Stanley Tucci. She also appeared in the Enola Holmes movies, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and last year's Netflix fantasy flick Damsel. This isn't the first time Millie has clapped back over comments on her looks. After being trolled over her appearance in Enola Holmes, she hit back: 'Women grow!! Not sorry about it!' Fans have previously speculated about cosmetic work – from lip fillers to veneers – but Millie has never confirmed any procedures. As well as shaking up her image, she's also settled down. She secretly married model Jake Bongiovi, 22 – son of rocker Jon Bon Jovi – last year in a low-key ceremony in the US. The pair began dating in 2021, and Jake proposed during a scuba diving trip by hiding the ring inside a shell. Jon Bon Jovi gave the couple his blessing, saying: 'They're going to be great together.' Millie has even expressed interest in playing Britney Spears in a future biopic, saying: 'Her story resonates with me, growing up in the public eye.' 8 8 8 8
The Guardian
04-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Julie Etchingham ends Garrick Club application after drawn-out process
Julie Etchingham has withdrawn her candidacy to join the Garrick Club, uncomfortable with the protracted process of being vetted by the London club's membership of 1,500 men. The broadcast journalist said she would not comment on her decision, but she is understood to have been uneasy at the level of hostility displayed by men opposed to the admission of women during a candidacy lunch at the club, when members have the opportunity to question prospective members. One member said he understood that with 'hardly any women being elected, it is very uncomfortable to walk into a room full of men scrutinising (and ogling) you'. Only three women have been admitted in the year since members decided to drop the club's men-only rule last May, 193 years after the club was founded. The comedian Matt Lucas was one of six men elected last month alongside one woman, Celia Imrie, who joins fellow actors Judi Dench and Siân Phillips, named as members last year. Several women from the first batch of female nominees for membership have expressed frustration at the club's 'half-hearted' steps towards admitting women. After decades of internal wrangling over the issue, 60% of members voted last May to confirm that women could be admitted to the club. But none of the seven women nominated as prospective candidates last year, all of whom occupy senior roles in journalism, law or academia, have yet been voted in as members. One woman whose candidacy is being considered by the club described the vote to admit women as a cynical public relations gambit, designed to allow the club to continue functioning quietly as essentially a men-only club. She said she found the vetting process absurd. 'We're all being made to feel we need to beg to join; most of us don't give a toss whether we join or not and think they should be making every effort to persuade us,' she said, asking not to be named to avoid alienating her sponsors at the club. She said it was clear that men who opposed women's membership were continuing to fight against the swift admission of women. 'It's frankly ridiculous and embarrassing. What are they scared of?' The actor Juliet Stevenson said she had heard nothing further from the club since she received a phone call from a member early in 2024 asking her if she would like to be nominated. She was uncertain about whether her candidacy had been dropped. 'I was asked if my name could be cited as a potential candidate and I agreed, but since then I've heard nothing more,' she said. 'I haven't set foot in the place. It wouldn't surprise me if they've decided they don't want a troublemaker like me in there.' One recent visitor to the club said the vote to admit women had had no impact on the atmosphere there, with just two women in a dining room full of approximately 50 men. A cohort of men who remain opposed to the rule change have set up a WhatsApp group named Status Quo where they continue to protest against the admission of women. The classicist Mary Beard, the former home secretary Amber Rudd, the Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman and the Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika were among the first nominees to join the club, along with Stevenson, Margaret Casely-Hayford, who was chair of Shakespeare's Globe and was chancellor of Coventry University until last year, and Elizabeth Gloster, a former appeal court judge. None of them have yet been approved for membership. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Another female prospective candidate said she understood that there was a 'dead man's shoes' element to the process of becoming a member (new members can only be appointed when old members die) but she hoped that the club would soon vote in some female lawyers, to balance the high concentration of senior barristers, judges and solicitors at the club. The club has consistently said it would not fast-track female members, stressing that women may have to wait three or four years for approval. 'It would be a helpful change if they brought in some female members of the legal profession; it would demonstrate the keenness of members to modernise themselves,' she said. A string of high-profile names resigned from the Garrick last year after the Guardian published a long list of senior figures from the civil service, politics, the arts and the judiciary who were members of a club that had repeatedly blocked the admission of women since the 1960s. Listed alongside the king were the then deputy prime minister, dozens of members of the House of Lords and 10 MPs, as well as heads of influential thinktanks, law firms and private equity companies, academics, senior journalists, the head of the Royal Opera House and the head of the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The head of the MI6, Richard Moore, and the then head of the civil service resigned from the club after deciding that membership was incompatible with their organisations' commitment to improving diversity. Several judges also left the club. The Garrick club did not respond to a request for comment.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Matt Lucas, 51, reveals heartbreaking regret over not becoming a father after divorce tragedy
Matt Lucas has shared his regret over not becoming a father after his divorce from his late ex-husband Kevin McGee. The Little Britain star, 51, married TV producer Kevin in 2006 after four years together, but the pair split up in 2008. Tragically, just one year later, Kevin took his own life aged just 32 in October 2009. Appearing on his Making A Scene podcast on Monday, Matt said he believes he would have had children during his two-year marriage if it hadn't ended in divorce. In a heartbreaking admission, Matt revealed he would only want to have a child now if he was in a committed relationship. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Speaking to co-host David Walliams, he said: 'I think I would have loved to have been a father. I still can, I'm 51. How old was Elton when he had them? 'If things had worked out differently in my marriage then probably we might have done. 'It's not something that I feel I could do on my own. I feel I'd want to be in a relationship if I was gonna have kids. 'I do think about it, sometimes. To me it's part of the package of being in a relationship that's settled and happy and something you both want.' Matt keeps his dating life relatively private, and it is not known whether he is in a new relationship or not. Last year, he appeared to be dating again as he was spotted on the dating app Tinder with a verified profile. The Sun revealed at the time that Matt had decided to try his luck at online dating with the app, which sees users swipe right on those they see as a potential match. Curating his profile with a selfie of him beaming, Matt said he was so far unsure what kind of relationship he was hoping to find. However, last year he was spotted on the dating app Tinder with a verified profile Elsewhere, Matt and David teased an epic Little Britain revival during a live appearance on Lorraine earlier this year. The friends, who created and starred in the BBC comedy series, chatted with Lorraine Kelly, 65, on the ITV show about their new podcast. During their appearance on the morning talk show, Lorraine was desperate to know if the programme would ever make a return, after it was pulled from BBC iPlayer, Netflix and BritBox in June 2020. David said: 'Would you like to see it? We'll do it especially for you.' Matt added: 'If we were to do it again, maybe on stage, or something like that. 'We did a tour 20 years ago, it was great fun, I think that would be a good way to do it again.' Earlier on in the interview, Lorraine told the stars: 'Little Britain has had a new lease of life on TikTok. There is a whole new generation getting it, laughing.' David replied: 'Well my son is 11. Everyone at his school is talking about it. As you rightly said, TikTok, people are sharing on TikTok. 'It's a whole new generation discovering it. I think those social media things are great for one/two minute clips.' Lorraine added: 'Some of it is a bit you'd get into trouble if you did that now. But a hell of a lot of it is still as funny as it ever was. If you don't want to watch it, don't watch it.' While David confessed: 'I don't know about you, but someone says every day is there going to be more Little Britain. 'Every day someone comes up to me in the street.' After teasing that they might be making a return, Lorraine looked over the moon as she said: 'In this day and age we need all the laughs we can get.'
Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Matt Lucas shares sadness at not becoming a father after painful divorce
Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas has revealed he would have 'loved' to become a father if his marriage to TV producer Kevin McGee had worked out Matt Lucas says he regrets not becoming a father. The Little Britain comedian believes he would have had children if his two-year marriage to TV producer Kevin McGee hadn't ended in divorce in 2008. Matt accepts at 51 he still could start a family but he would only want to have a baby if he was in a committed relationship. Speaking on his Making A Scene podcast, he said: 'I think I would have loved to have been a father. I still can, I'm 51. How old was Elton when he had them? 'If things had worked out differently in my marriage then probably we might have not something that I feel I could do on my own. I feel I'd want to be in a relationship if I was gonna have kids. 'I do think about it, sometimes. To me it's part of the package of being in a relationship that's settled and happy and something you both want.' But Matt has one overriding fear about fatherhood. The comic is terrified that if he did have a child they wouldn't support Arsenal like he does. The former Fantasy Football host said: 'I've got this one fear that if I had a child and he or she ended up supporting a different football team to me, I think I would struggle. It would be tough on my mental health. Both my parents after they divorced each other they both re-married. 'For a time my father and stepmother were discussing the option of having a child together. She already had two, he already had two. Me and my brother are Arsenal fans, my stepbrother and stepsister are Spurs fans. The problem is that child would have grown up in that home with the two Tottenham fans. 'I used to say to my dad, when I was a kid, 'I really just don't think you should have a child because what if they were Spurs, I really don't think you should, I'm really worried about it.' 'It genuinely used to play on my mind that I wouldn't get the chance to indoctrinate this child.' As well as making their podcast Lucas and Walliams are expected to have a new series on Netflix. Speaking on Virgin Radio Walliams was asked about working with Matt Lucas again in November and said: 'I saw him today. We just had a meeting with Netflix, which is very exciting… We've got a few ideas that we're developing and it's exciting and so we want to do something on stage. We want to do something as a podcast we've just started working on and we obviously want to do something on TV.' Little Britain was removed from BBC iPlayer in 2020 after criticism of the show including the use of make-up to portray people of other races. It returned in March 2022 but with some sketches from the show edited out.
