Latest news with #nationaltreasure
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Chloe Kelly branded ‘cocky' by furious Spanish but Lionesses hero lands huge pay day
Her celebrations were branded 'cocky' and 'unnecessary' by a section of the Spanish press bitter at the world champions' shock European Championship final defeat. But Chloe Kelly will be paying scant attention to such critics as her winning penalty secured 'national treasure' status and likely millions in sponsorship deals as one of British sport's most marketable women. Experts anticipate expected earnings to double to £4m a year and an honour from the King appears likely too. After her winning penalty against Spain, Telegraph Sport details how the party has only just begun for the Lionesses' penalty heroine. What was Kelly's message after she struck the deciding penalty? After smashing home the crucial decider, Kelly appeared to initially fix her eyes on goalkeeper Cata Coll with a blank face as she wheeled away before joyous England scenes erupted. Spanish outlet Diario AS claimed Kelly 'unnecessarily' diverted her path after smashing the ball past Coll. 'This is unnecessary,' a video caption said. 'Kelly's cocky gesture to Cata Coll after scoring the decisive penalty. The England specialist changed her run during her penalty celebration to get past the goalkeeper she had just beaten.' Offence taken in Spain at her antics, however, appears to have been misplaced. Rather than rubbing salt into Spanish wounds, she said later she was instead making a point about overcoming her own doubters. The Arsenal forward had been left out of the England squad in January after spending the first half of the 2024-25 season on the bench for Manchester City but she had every reason to be feeling satisfied now. 'Champions League final – won that – and now a Euros final – won that,' she said in a post-match press conference. 'So thank you everyone that wrote me off, I'm very grateful.' 🗣 "I was cool, I was composed and I knew I'd hit the back of the net!" ⚽💥 Chloe Kelly delivered once again for England 😮💨 #WEuro2025 #BBCFootball — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 27, 2025 Kelly's smile later was as wide as anyone's in Switzerland. She had been swaggering throughout the subsequent joyous scenes shouting 'f------ come on' at the camera immediately after being congratulated by the Prince of Wales and handed her medal by Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, and then skipping round the pitch while chanting 'the first time was so nice, we had to do it twice!'. How did others react? Unlike the Spanish, England fans have not been able to get enough of Kelly's self-assured celebrations after her latest super-sub performance, having already chipped in with match-winning goals at the last Euros as well as this summer's semi-final and a match-winning performance in this year's quarter-final. Lisa Parfitt, co-founder of the sports marketing agency the Space Between, described how Kelly's comments on the night showed how the Lionesses 'really embody very relatable roles'. Kelly, she said: 'Had a very clear message, 'this is what's happened to me, and so don't let that happen to you'.' It is the 'authentic' behaviours of 'relatable' figures like Kelly that give the Lionesses such broad brand appeal, Parfitt, a leading women's sport expert, explains. The brands are just as excited as the fans by Kelly's charisma. Google Pixel, Pepsi and M&S are amongst leading partners for the team because of the 'bottom-line impact' of athletes such as Kelly who bring 'visibility and awareness' in 'everything that they really stand for' Parfitt adds. What will this mean for her bank balance? Kelly will be the most in-demand sporting star in British sport this week – and will be soon 'out-sprinting' 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in earnings, other experts say. Like the rest of the England squad, she will each receive £87,000 in bonuses and fees from Uefa prize money. However, extra endorsements will be worth millions. 'Chloe Kelly's management agency will need to be employing extra people to manage the phones this week,' Marcel Knobil, of BrandGuru and founder of Superbrands, told Telegraph Sport. 'Kelly has already managed to earn a top-10 place within sponsorship earnings amongst English female footballers, thanks to partnerships with the likes of Land Rover and Calvin Klein earning her in the region of £2m annually. However, on the back of her magnificent achievements, I can easily see her close to doubling her earnings and matching the likes of Leah Williamson with net earnings of around £4m.' Kelly has some way to match the figure generated by Emma Raducanu following her 2021 US Open tennis triumph. 'She'll probably be out-sprinting Keely Hodgkinson in earnings, but I can't imagine her reaching the huge amounts that popular tennis players earn such as the estimated £9m Emma Raducana will take home this year.' Will she be honoured? Kelly is all-but-certain to receive an honour – either an MBE or OBE – after previously missing out on one after the 2022 triumph, sources say. She will also be certain to be shortlisted along with Hannah Hampton for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year as one of the main rivals to Masters golf winner Rory McIlroy. Kelly is unlikely to be alone amongst Lionesses to receive their gongs at Buckingham Palace. UK Government officials are set to make contact with counterparts in the Netherlands over the coming weeks to secure approval to hand head coach, Sarina Wiegman, an honorary damehood. With some England players receiving MBEs or OBEs after first winning the Euros in 2022 and reaching the 2023 World Cup final, the likes of Kelly, Alessia Russo, Ella Toone, Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter did not. Successive government clampdowns on 'blanket' sporting honours have played a part in some of those star names being kept waiting. Only 41 athletes who took part in Paris 2024 were honoured in the New Year, despite Team GB and Paralympics GB winning 189 medals (63 gold) across both Games. That number is close to half the 78 Olympians and Paralympians awarded an MBE, OBE, CBE, knighthood or damehood three years ago after 188 medals (63 gold) were brought home from Tokyo 2020. There was a previous clampdown when the Conservatives were in power amid concerns too many sporting honours had been issued under the last Labour government, most notably to all members of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup and 2005 Ashes-winning teams. How will the other Lionesses' benefit? A widespread bounce in business for the Lionesses – and for the growth of women's football in England – is guaranteed. Parfitt described how the leading players – Kelly included – are fast reaching 'national treasure' status, but she added that there is also now a 'bottom line' justification for a wider player range than ever attracting big branding deals. 'You're probably looking at not shy of about 20 million women's football fans in the population now – it was 17 million at the last count ... it's representing a really massive audience scale, and that's really where the opportunity lies for the Lionesses.' Players in the squad after back-to-back success are now proven as 'particularly unique' assets for business, added Parfitt, who is in close contact with player agents and figures in the game. 'They have such a broad demographic appeal,' she added. 'When you're talking about, you know, the weekend, you're talking about age bands, people watching from four to 104 – they have this unique cross-generational reach.' Parfitt says the legacy of this tournament for England will be 'a much-broader share of the commercial returns across players and teams'. 'Coming out of 2022, you have people like Jill Scott, Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly,' she said. 'Whereas this time, I think you've got a broader number of players, and that's great for brands. That's more players that you can work with, different people that you can kind of choose to work with as a brand. And I think the reason why they're going to do very well is that it works for the bottom line for these businesses: they sell things.'
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
How Dame Helen Mirren looks so good at 80
The term ' national treasure ' is bandied about a lot these days, but one A-lister who is undoubtedly deserving of the title is Dame Helen Mirren. The 80-year-old actress has been a constant presence on our screens for six decades, earning an Academy Award, four Baftas, a Tony Award and five Emmys in that time, most notably portraying Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2006's The Queen. Outside of her roles on stage and screen, Dame Helen is known for having an undeniable joie de vivre and devil-may-care attitude towards beauty standards and ageing. She wears stripper heels on the red carpet, has co-opted the ' blue rinse ', and refuses to cut her hair just because she's over the age of 60. Her fashion choices are consistently both timeless and bold, and she's shown a love of playing dress-up that many others in her age bracket have long since lost. And perhaps most refreshingly of all, her style has hardly changed in her 50-plus years in the spotlight. With undeniable sex appeal and charisma, here's how Dame Helen is breaking all the rules of ageing appropriately to age amazingly instead. Be confident with your fashion choices According to Dame Helen's stylist of 20 years, Rachel Fanconi, her look has always been informed by confidence. 'Her style is classic but always has a bit of edge – there's always something a little punk or gothic about it,' she explains. 'Often, when I show her a wild-card look, that's the one she'll choose to wear. It's so nice to work with someone who is happy to take risks.' A long term fan of designers including Dolce & Gabbana, Suzannah London and Victoria Beckham, and with a penchant for high street brands such as Me+Em, Dame Helen's style is typified by glamorous dresses on the red carpet and trouser suits for more low-key moments. In terms of her go-tos, Fanconi explains that Dame Helen is unafraid of colour or prints, and there's pretty much nothing she wouldn't wear, though she does stick to a waist-defining silhouette more often than not. In terms of the sartorial lessons we can learn from Dame Helen, Fanconi says: 'Approach fashion with a lack of fear. I think doing things that feel contemporary and modern keep you looking super relevant.' Do wear super-high heels you can walk in Crocs, trainers and Uggs have become a frequent sight on the red carpet in recent years, but one celebrity you're not likely to catch even in flats is Dame Helen. In fact, the 80-year-old has become known for her love of platform heels, and specifically those made by the affordable independent British brand Sole Bliss, which crucially are super comfortable too. 'It's a tremendous privilege to count Dame Helen Mirren as a customer,' says Lisa Kay, the founder and chief executive of Sole Bliss. 'We launched Sole Bliss in 2017 and within a few months, her wonderful stylist Rachel Fanconi had introduced her to our shoes. Eight years later, Sole Bliss has accompanied Helen Mirren around the world at airports in our trainers and red carpets in our platform heels. I couldn't be more thrilled.' Don't be afraid to break beauty rules Unsurprisingly, Dame Helen isn't one to toe the line when it comes to society's beauty standards – particularly where they concern ageing. Case in point: her refusal to cut her long hair short, or to dye her greys. 'I quite like the fact that it was sort of against the rules for women of my age to have long hair,' she told British Vogue in 2023. 'There's an unspoken rule that you're not supposed to have long hair. Or if you do have long hair, you're supposed to have it all neatly up in a bun… Accepting who you are, finding confidence in it and not resisting it is the best beauty advice.' And who could forget that famous blue rinse for the Cannes 2023 red carpet? Dame Helen's hair stylist, Stephane Lancien, used L'Oreal's £10 temporary Colorista Spray in Pastel Blue to create her headline-grabbing look, while her make-up artist, Val Garland, added bright blue contact lenses to amplify the look. Accentuate your best features As with her preference for waist-defining silhouettes, Dame Helen also knows how to enhance her best features – and in particular, her smile. 'I once asked Helen why she always looks so great on the red carpet,' says make-up artist Garland. 'And she told me it's because she always smiles – and it's true. When you smile, it lifts up your whole face and you glow from within.' While the pair used to focus on a red lip, in recent years they have switched to a softer pink shade. One top tip Dame Helen once shared with Garland is to line the lips with a light brow pencil first. 'It not only accentuates the lips but prevents lipstick bleeding,' Garland explains. Meanwhile, for her eyes, Garland focuses on a soft smoky eye, with lots of mascara to boost the slightly sparser lashes associated with getting older. Always focus on glowing skin Ahead of any red carpet appearance, Dame Helen's make-up artist will always prepare her skin, either with a combination of facial massage or an LED mask if there is time. 'I keep my tools in an ice-cold bucket of water, so they are really nice and cool,' says Garland. 'Then I'll mix an illuminator – I love Trinny London BFF for mature skin – with moisturiser. It's got a great, serum-like texture.' For Garland, the key to Dame Helen's look is that she isn't too shiny or too matte, but instead looks lit from within, with a little cream blush and powder on the T-zone. Find an exercise regime you like and stick to it Dame Helen is not one to follow a faddy workout trend or hire a celebrity personal trainer. In fact, she revealed in 2014 that she has more or less stuck to one incredibly simple 12-minute exercise routine for years. Devised by the Royal Canadian Air Force, it involves toe touches, arm circles, chest and leg raises and partial sit-ups, with its beauty being its simplicity. 'It is the exercise I have done off and on my whole life. It just very gently gets you fit,' she has said of it.
The Sun
19-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Mary Berry's ‘no-fuss' chicken & potato traybake ‘takes minutes to put together' & there's only one pan to wash-up
IF you fancy serving up something hearty, wholesome and seriously easy then Mary Berry has you covered. The national treasure has shared her go-to chicken and potato traybake recipe and it's everything you'd expect from the queen of fuss-free family cooking. 2 2 With just one pan, minimal prep, and bags of flavour, it's the perfect midweek winner that looks like you've made an effort (when really, you haven't). Mary says it's a great way to feed the family as the chicken and vegetables are all cooked in one very large tray in the oven. It sits in the oven for under an hour and only minutes to put everything together so it's perfect for a week night dinner. And one tray means one dish to wash so no faff, and barely any mess. The recipe pairs crispy golden potatoes with juicy chicken thighs and drumsticks, roasted in a rich mix of smoky paprika, garlic, red onion, and streaky bacon. It's finished with a citrusy hit of preserved lemons, sweet courgette ribbons, and salty olives, though Mary insists it's totally customisable. She said: 'I love stuffed olives, but plain green or black ones are fine if you prefer." 'And the preserved lemons give a lovely tang, but if you can't find them just slice up a fresh one.' Everything roasts together in a single layer for that irresistible golden finish, and the result is the kind of no-fuss, no-stress meal that still tastes like a Sunday dinner. Mary's only golden rule is not to cram everything into one overcrowded tin. Age-defying nutrionist shares perfect recipe to get fit and improve gut health If you're feeding a crowd, split the mix between two trays so the heat can circulate properly. That way, every bite will be cooked to perfection, it will be crisp, tender and bursting with flavour. And if you're wondering what to do with leftover preserved lemons (if there are any), Mary says they're perfect in tagines, pork dishes and anything that needs a zingy kick. They'll keep in the fridge for a month or freeze for up to three, so you can prep these ahead of a busy week So next time you're staring blankly into the fridge or can't face the thought of another round of washing up, give Mary's traybake a go. It's proof you don't need a dozen pans, pricey ingredients or a chef's degree to whip up something seriously delicious. Here's how to make it It only requires six easy steps. Get your oven hot – about 220°C or 200°C fan. In a large roasting tin, toss the potatoes with olive oil. Add in the onion, garlic, bacon and chicken pieces. Scatter over the lemon slices, season generously and sprinkle with paprika. Pop it in the oven for around 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, nestle in the courgette slices, and scatter the olives on top. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hollywood A-lister is unrecognizable at 77 after reunion with fan favorite co-star... can you guess who he is?
A Hollywood A-lister who has become a national treasure was unrecognizable when he was glimpsed grocery shopping in New York City this week. The 77-year-old shot to fame as a pioneering gay character on a 1970s sitcom, then made his movie debut in a flop directed by a legendary stand-up comic. In the 1980s, he starred on one of the most famous TV shows of all time and established himself as a leading man in a string of beloved big screen comedies. Down the decades, his film roles have ranged from the sidekick in a hit animated children's franchise to a supporting character from Shakespeare. Earlier this year, he enjoyed an onstage reunion with a fan-favorite co-star of his while presenting at an awards show he previously hosted. Can you guess who he is? He is none other than Billy Crystal, who presented best picture at this year's Oscars with Meg Ryan, his leading lady in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally.... Billy got his start as a stand-up comic in 1970s New York and even filmed a sketch for the inaugural episode of what became Saturday Night Live in 1975, though his contribution wound up on the cutting room floor. His ship came in when he landed the role of Jodie Dallas on the sitcom Soap in 1977, playing one of the first openly gay regular characters on an American TV show. One year later, he made his movie debut as a pregnant man in Rabbit Test, a wacky comedy that turned out to be the only film ever directed by Joan Rivers. Although Rabbit Test flopped, his career went from strength to strength as his own stardom grew thanks to his work as a stand-up comic. He hosted Saturday Night Live twice in 1984 and wound up a regular member of the cast that year, but his individual fame soon took him to greater heights that eclipsed his notoriety from the show. In 1987 he had a memorable supporting role in The Princess Bride, and acted with Danny DeVito in the latter's directorial debut Throw Momma from the Train. Two years later he become a bona fide Hollywood leading man by playing opposite Meg Ryan in the blockbuster romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally..., directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Nora Ephron. He is none other than Billy Crystal, who presented best picture at the Oscars this year with Meg Ryan, his leading lady in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally.... His successful movie career continued through the 1990s with comedies like City Slickers and Father's Day, and even a cameo as one of the gravediggers in the Kenneth Branagh film adaptation of Hamlet. During that decade, he also directed himself in the dramedy Mr. Saturday Night about a stand-up comic and the romantic comedy Forget Paris opposite Debra Winger. Also during the 1990s, he began his celebrated run as host of the Oscars, a position he filled nine times between 1990 and his final run in 2012. In the 2000s he reached a new generation of fans as the voice of Mike, the second banana to John Goodman's Sulley in Pixar's Monsters, Inc. franchise. Billy has continued working in recent years, adapting Mr. Saturday Night into a Broadway musical that he starred in himself in 2022. He and Meg delighted fans by appearing side by side at the Oscars this year, presenting best picture to Sean Baker's comedy Anora.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Copy of rare bird book collection worth £127k to stay in the UK
A collection of illustrated bird books worth £127,000 will now remain in the UK after the government intervened to stop the "national treasure" being sold original set of Henry Eeles Dresser's A History of the Birds of Europe was to be sold to a private collector in the US, until a "government export bar" allowed time for a group led by Manchester Museum to buy export ban was granted in 2024 after the Arts Council designated the books as national treasures for their "outstanding significance".Many of the drawings are of birds now believed to be extinct. Henry Eeles Dresser was born in Yorkshire, in 1838, and from a young age had an interest in birds, bird skins, and their trips to mainland Europe culminated in the nine-volume A History of the Birds of Europe, published between 1871 and is considered his most important work, and contains pictures of birds such as the Slender-billed curlew, which was the first-known bird to have disappeared from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia. Manchester Museum worked with The John Rylands Library to raise the money needed for the Fund, and Friends of the Nations' Libraries also contributed anthology will be reunited with Dresser's own bird specimens at the museum from Saturday 28 June until Sunday 25 January museum said the books highlights "the vital role historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time" and understanding the long-term impact of environmental change."Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater," said Esme Ward, director of Manchester Museum. Ms Ward added: "While this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present."These books are breathtakingly beautiful and, by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists."The volumes will be made accessible to researchers, students and the wider public at The John Rylands Library after they have been on display at the museum. "Henry Eeles Dresser was one of the most significant and influential ornithologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries," said Christopher Pressler, Manchester University librarian and the director of The John Rylands Library."He was a producer of beautiful books which combined new scientific information with masterpieces of bird illustration, and a leading figure in scientific society." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
