Latest news with #TheCotswolds
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ellen DeGeneres Shows a Rare Moment of Solidarity With Her Hollywood Archenemy
Ellen DeGeneres left the U.S. after the November 2024 election, settling in The Cotswolds in England with her wife, Portia de Rossi. The exit might have given her a new perspective after a long-standing feud with another comedian. It's no secret that there's been no love lost between DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell, but the former Ellen star appears to be extending an olive branch. It's a surprising move, but possibly a welcome one, amid Donald Trump's claim that he was 'giving serious consideration' to revoking O'Donnell's U.S. citizenship. O'Donnell currently lives in Ireland with their child, Clay, 12. More from SheKnows Donald Trump's Granddaughter Kai Reveals Her Grandfather's Most Influential Advice DeGeneres decided to enter the chat with an Instagram post on July 13. She shared the president's initial threat from Truth Social and O'Donnell's response — both were posted on July 12. The former talk show host kept her thoughts rather simple, but she made sure to tag O'Donnell so that she would see the message. 'Good for you @rosie,' wrote DeGeneres in the caption. The comedians' feud goes back to 1998 on Larry King Live when DeGeneres made a surprising comment about O'Donnell. 'I don't know Rosie. We're not friends,' DeGeneres told the late talk show host. O'Donnell was never invited on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and it wasn't until 2023 that she received a text with an apology. '[DeGeneres] wrote, 'I'm really sorry and I don't remember that.' I guess she saw me talk about it on Andy Cohen's show [Watch What Happens Live]. I remembered it so well; I had T-shirts printed and I gave them to my staff that said 'I don't know Rosie. We're not friends.' I have a picture of her holding [my then-infant son] Parker,' O'Donnell told The Hollywood Reporter. 'I know her mother. I could identify her brother without her in the room. I knew her for so many years. It just felt like I don't trust this person to be in my world.' DeGeneres has also been accused of not supporting other female comedians, including Kathy Griffin and Margaret Cho. So, it's not just an O'Donnell-exclusive issue. DeGeneres eventually addressed her damaged reputation in her 2024 Netflix special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval. 'Yeah, the 'be kind' girl wasn't kind, that was the headline,' she said. 'Here's the problem: I'm a comedian who got a talk show, and I ended the show every day by saying, 'Be kind to one another.' Had I ended my show by saying, 'Go f—k yourselves,' people would've been pleasantly surprised to find out I'm kind.'Best of SheKnows 28 Lesbian Couples in Hollywood With Our Favorite Love Stories Every Single Look Kate Middleton Has Worn to Wimbledon Since 2007 Every Single Time Kate Middleton's Royal Fashion Made Us Stop in Our Tracks Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
JD Vance set to spark gridlock hell in The Cotswolds after US Vice President reveals plans for family holiday in 'Britain's answer to The Hamptons'
Donald Trump 's Vice President JD Vance has announced plans to spend his summer family vacation in The Cotswolds in August - adding further woes to the popular tourist spot's traffic woes. America's love affair with the quaint rural region continues, with Vance, 40, the latest in a string of high-profile US names to descend upon The Cotswolds, which have been dubbed 'The English Hamptons'. The US VP joins Ellen DeGeneres, Beyonce and Jay-Z and Taylor Swift as fans of the bucolic area's chocolate-box villages, honeyed-stone, rolling hills and cosy pubs. Donald Trump's number two is said to be keen on bringing wife Usha, 39, and the couple's three young children, Ewan Blaine, Vivek and Mirabel, to enjoy a dose of the English countryside in August. The news of another big name shining a light on the region - in its busiest tourist season - is likely to go down like a lead balloon with the locals who live there. The Cotswolds District, which covers counties including Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, now has around 2,000 Airbnb property listings, yet its infrastructure of slim, snaking backroads has remain unchanged for centuries. The US politician's family breaks have already racked up disharmony during his short time serving in office. Last week, Disneyland visitors were left outraged after Vance shut down rides so he could enjoy them with his children. The Vice President strolled through Disneyland in Los Angeles, California, hand-in-hand with two of his children, Vivek and Mirabel, last Saturday - with a vast Secret Service security detail alongside them. Barricades went up outside popular rides including Pirates of the Caribbean as K9 units stood guard - with an entourage of 50 bodyguards and Disney personnel said to be involved in the visit. The prospect of such a heavy security presence in the winding rural roads of The Cotswolds is likely to spark logjams in an already overly-congested area of the UK. Locals in quiet Cotswolds villages have raged in recent months over their narrow roads becoming rat runs for traffic between TV star Jeremy Clarkson's farm shop and his pub - after four series of his Clarkson's Farm TV show has triggered an influx of tourists. The route between his Diddly Squat Farm Shop in Chadlington and his Farmer's Dog pub which is 12 miles away near Burford in Oxfordshire have been particularly clogged. In the spring, local residents led by parish council leaders in villages nearest the pub urged internet bosses to redirect drivers using their Google Maps app, towards main roads rather than narrow village alternatives. Clarkson himself has also made a plea to motorists on the pub's website to use only main roads and not the smaller single-track lanes through quaint quiet villages which can appear on Google Maps as most direct routes between his farm shop and pub. The Farmer's Dog has attracted many fans of Clarkson, known as previous host of The Grand Tour and Top Gear and pictures taken in the pub car park have shown various high-powered 'muscle cars' parked up since it opened last August, including Aston Martins, Mustangs, Porsches and Ferraris. A message on the pub's website now reads: 'If you're travelling to The Farmer's Dog, especially from Diddly Squat Farm Shop, please use the main roads. Elsewhere, social media and particularly TikTok has paid a part in overtourism in the area - with one tiny village feeling the brunt more than others. Parking restrictions are being introduced on tourist coaches entering what has been dubbed England's 'most beautiful village' which is invaded by a huge number of visitors every weekend. The picturesque Cotswold village of Bibury can sometimes see as many as 20,000 visitors in a weekend, and up to 50 coaches parking there in a day. Gloucestershire County Council has now announced a temporary traffic management trial. Existing coach bays in the village centre temporarily closed and instead bus stops will be installed for safer passenger drop-off and pick-up. The county council said it had worked with local coach operators, businesses, and the community to introduce the trial in the popular village. Elsewhere, the hashtags #CastleCombe and #CastleCombeEngland are among the most searched for when it comes to English tourist spots. Thanks to its starring role in films such as Steven Spielberg's War Horse, Dr Doolittle and The Wolfman, the small Wiltshire village of Castle Combe with bags of charm, thanks to its medieval high street of pretty cottages, is a tourism honeypot year-round. Yet, for those who don't waltz in and out to create content, the crowds have become near unbearable. In 2023, furious residents claimed their privacy was being 'invaded by drones' as TikTokers tried to capture the perfect view of the village, while also saying their local community was also being ruined by the rise of Airbnbs. One resident said: 'In the hotter months people pitch up like it is the beach which can be a bit annoying. 'There are coaches that come and do guided tours of the Cotswolds so we will have those pitch up a few times a day.' TikToker @jedi_explores showed the reality for those descending on 'Britain's prettiest village' - Castle Combe in The Cotswolds, saying it was almost impossible to get a photo of the village's picturesque bridge because there's always people on it Then there is Bourton-on-the-Water, aka the 'Venice of the Cotswolds' with its ornate stone bridges, where a number of residents are trying to convince the parish council to explore the radical solution of banning vehicles and introducing a drop off-point for tourists a 30-minute walk outside the village. The beautiful village, which is 15 miles east of Cheltenham and has a population of 3,000, was given the 'Venice' label because of the number ornate stone bridges over the River Windrush. Tens of thousands of tourists flock to the village every year - which is great for traders - but residents were growing increasingly frustrated with the congestion. Parish and district councillor Jon Wareing last year said Bourton was buckling under the weight of an ever increasing number of daytrippers. 'People can spend an hour in their car, driving around. Some of the 'difficult' behaviour that follows is because they get frustrated. 'One of my neighbours asked this person not to park on his property and got threatened with violence. He said he knew where they lived if they did anything to his car and threatened to throw a brick through their window.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris coming to the Cotswolds
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris is coming to the Cotswolds later this year. The politician, originally from Oakland, was the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 before representing the state in the US Senate until 2021. She served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. Ms Harris was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2024 presidential election in which she eventually lost to current President, Donald Trump. READ MORE: Oxford University students tease Emma Watson with Harry Potter theme The Cotswolds. (Image: Pexels) The 60-year-old left office on January 20, 2025, and was succeeded by the US's 50th Vice President, JD Vance. Ms Harris and her husband moved to Los Angeles before her security clearance was revoked by President Trump in March. She has been mentioned as a possible candidate for both the 2026 California gubernatorial election and the 2028 United States presidential election. Ms Harris is one of the reported names on a wedding guest list in the Cotswolds later this year, according to the Daily Mail. READ MORE: Emma Raducanu takes trip to Oxford University ahead of Wimbledon The stories that shape Oxford deserve to be in your hands. Our flash sale is almost over — just £3 for 3 months or 40 per cent off an annual subscription. Subscribe today before it's too late! 👇 — Oxford Mail (@TheOxfordMail) June 3, 2025 The youngest daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs, Eve, is set to marry Team GB Olympian Harry Charles. After going public last year, the 26-year-old and her gold-medal-winning fiancé are set to tie the knot later this year. Mr Charles is an equestrian and won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics for Team Jumping as Ms Jobs watched on. Details about the exact date and location remain unknown but the ceremony is set to take place in the Cotswolds.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cheltenham Festival retains its magic despite spectator decline
Crowds may have declined in the past two years but for those with runners at jumps racing's most prestigious meeting the atmosphere at the Cheltenham Festival is like being in "the Colosseum" trainer Jamie Snowden told AFP. The deafening 'Cheltenham Roar' from spectators gets its first rendition on Tuesday and brings the curtain up on 28 races over four days -- climaxing with the blue riband of steeplechasing the Cheltenham Gold Cup. With prizemoney of nigh on £5million ($6.5 million) it is an annual battle -- Cheltenham has been its permanent home since 1911 -- between the best the English hosts have in their yards against the formidable array of Irish talent. This for Snowden, who is likely to have five runners this week, is what sets it apart from other festivals, like the three day Grand National meeting. "I suppose it is the best taking on the best in a wonderful cauldron," Snowden told AFP by phone. "It is the equivalent of the Colosseum without the blood." Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead achieved the remarkable treble of sweeping the three most prestigious races, the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2021. The 52-year-old has like Snowden been dazzled by the Festival since they were nippers. "People tune in from all over the world, I know it is a cliche but it is our Olympics, the best competing against each other," he told AFP. "It is when the spotlight is being shone on our great industry." It is not just on the track where rich pickings lie for the winners, but the local area which welcomes tens of thousands of British and Irish racing fans. The most recent estimate of the festival's economic impact on Cheltenham and the surrounding area was £270 million. - 'A massive one' - Nevertheless the rise in the cost of living has played a role in the fall in attendances over the first three days, Gold Cup day the exception in being sold out. A day out at Cheltenham does not come cheap with entrance alone to the enclosure with the best view of the finish line costing £100 (£118 on Gold Cup day) and a pint of Ireland's most famous export Guinness is over £8. Benidorm in Spain has bizarrely become a cheaper option for the week for increasing numbers of Cheltenham fans, who can drink considerably cheaper beer and bet at the same time. They, though, will miss out on the unique atmosphere of the packed stands, the good natured banter between Irish and English spectators and the horses racing with The Cotswolds forming a gorgeous backdrop. "The Festival is made by the spectators," said Snowden. "I mean I go as a fan, not just as a trainer, as I want to watch the best of England and Ireland compete. "The ambience in the racecourse Village with Irish and British spectators alongside each other is very special, it has a real buzz about it." Both Snowden and de Bromhead caught the Festival bug early, the former's first visit for Desert Orchid's Gold Cup win in 1989 and the latter's a memorable day in 1993. "It was a massive one as it was the year Fissure Seal won for my father," said de Bromhead. De Bromhead, who will have 15-20 runners, said starting out and having runners on a rainy night at an unglamorous racecourse the Festival seems a long way away. "You just want to have a winner, then progress from there and maybe once you achieve that get to those festivals, Cheltenham especially is the ultimate goal," he said. Snowden, who has 60 horses and is enjoying a successful season with 45 winners, said winning at the Festival is "wonderful the more you have the more you want." Thusfar he has had two more winners than he did as a talented amateur jockey. "The closest I came to winning was when I fell at the last in the four mile Handicap Chase," he said. "I ended up in the hospital instead of the winners enclosure!!" On Tuesday the unbeaten Constitution Hill will bid to regain his Champion Hurdle crown after missing last year's race while on Friday Galopin des Champs will join a select club if he makes it three in a row in the Gold Cup. pi/nr
