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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Near-death experience as a kid meant I had to battle my biggest fear to take part in celeb shark show, says Helen George
SHE'S best known for playing glamorous nurse Trixie Franklin on hit BBC drama Call The Midwife, but fans are about to see a very different side to Helen George. The actress, 41, will battle her deepest dread of putting her head underwater as she takes part in a radical new ITV reality show, Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters. 4 Helen George will take part in radical new ITV reality show, Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 Helen is best known for playing glamorous nurse Trixie Franklin on hit BBC drama Call The Midwife Credit: BBC Speaking to The Sun on Sunday ahead of the first episode on ITV1 tomorrow night, Helen reveals that she developed the fear, known as aquaphobia, after experiencing a horrendous near-death experience in a swimming pool as a child. Helen said: 'I was terrified of putting my head underwater. I have a real deep-rooted fear. 'I used to love the water when I was really young, but I went to a swimming party when I was six. 'They put those weird Nineties foam mats down. They're massive yoga mats, really. 'I just remember this moment of being stuck underneath one and not being able to get out. There was that fear of being trapped. I finally made my way up to the surface. 'But I remember no one noticing that I'd gone, and no one really believing what I said, because no one had seen it. From then, I got it in my head about not putting my head underwater. 'I have a really strong image of looking up to the top of the swimming pool and the mats were on top and no one knew I was down there.' Helen confronts her fear head-on in the new five-part series, in which celebs plunge into the ocean and learn to swim with man-eating sharks, without a cage, off the island of Bimini in the Bahamas. 'It's not safe' She is thrown in at the deep end with comedian Lenny Henry, Countdown's Rachel Riley, McFly bassist Dougie Poynter, stand-up comic Ross Noble, Amandaland actress Lucy Punch and TV presenter Ade Adepitan. Mum-of-two Helen was spurred to push herself as she realised her kids Wren, seven, and three-year-old Lark were becoming more confident in the water than she was. Call The Midwife actress looks nothing like her character after glam transformation and very sexy dress She also opened up to her property developer boyfriend Dan Innes about her fear, which he had not noticed on their holidays. Helen explained: 'My kids know that I am scared of the water, and my seven-year- old is more confident in the water than I am, and I realised I've got to do something about that as it's not safe. 'I hadn't even told Dan how scared of the water I was, and he was like, 'But you got in the sea on holiday in Cornwall with me. I didn't know you were so scared'.' It's the first reality TV show Helen has been in since BBC's Strictly ten years ago. She is stepping back into the limelight two years after splitting from actor Jack Ashton, the father of her two children, who she met on Call The Midwife when he played Reverend Tom Hereward. Soon after, she grew close to her co-star Olly Rix, who was cast as her businessman husband Matthew Aylward. My kids know that I am scared of the water and my seven-year-old is more confident in the water than I am. I realised I've got to do something about that When the offer to swim with sharks came in, Helen explained that she felt compelled to take part, even if it did leave her feeling exposed. She said: 'I'm an actor, I play other people's vulnerability, so playing my own and being vulnerable on screen without make-up was hard. It's so scary. I play a character known for wearing lots of make-up, and that's her thing — so not having that to hide behind was new. 'There's no hair and make-up. I've not done reality since Strictly, which is obviously a very different beast. So revealing yourself on screen is being vulnerable.' Helen was fortunate that producers at Call The Midwife, where she has worked for 13 years, let her finish filming a week early so she could jet out to the Caribbean last autumn to tackle her fear. Helen said: 'I get asked to do all sorts of things, but no one's ever asked me to do a show with sharks. I realised it was probably never going to happen again. It did sound like an amazing premise for a show, so I couldn't turn it down. 'Hearing how mad an idea it was, I thought I had to do it. 4 The celebrities taking part in new ITV show, from left, Ade, Ross, Helen, Lenny, Lucy, Dougie and Rachel Credit: PA 4 The scary predators will get up close with celebs in new show Credit: Mediadrumimages/KenKieferII 'I had to get some time off from Call The Midwife. They kindly gave me a week off so I could make it out. 'For me, putting my head under- water was the scariest thing I could do, so the idea that sharks would be involved made it even scarier.' Before filming began, Helen confessed she almost pulled out, but she forced herself to conquer her inner critic, revealing: 'I had that feeling you get before a funeral — you know, that something bad is about to happen and you've got to face it. 'I had a few moments before I flew out where I thought, 'Oh my God, am I actually going to do this?'. 'Before our first day filming, I knew that something big was happening, and I didn't know we were going to be cage-diving with sharks on the first day, just to really throw us in at the deep end. 'I did wake that night in a panic thinking, 'What am I doing here?'.' 'I burst into tears' In the first days of the show, Helen struggled so much to immerse herself underwater that bosses almost gave her a separate snorkelling challenge. She said: 'When we were doing the training in the swimming pool, I said to everyone, 'I haven't put my head underwater for 15 to 20 years. I'm really scared of swimming'. 'I hadn't realised how bad it was and I burst into tears. It felt like everyone else was really progressing and I wasn't. So at one point, the producers were going to put me on a junior snorkelling course, instead of the actual deep-sea diving experience. 'And then I thought, 'F**k this, I want to join in with everybody else'. 'It wasn't a big, beautiful moment that I'd imagined, where I saw a beautiful fish and I wanted to swim. 'It was more I felt like I was being left behind and I wouldn't have the same experience as my friends. 'When we were training in the swimming pool, I said to everyone, 'I'm really scared of swimming'. I hadn't realised how bad it was and I burst into tears' 'I had to put my big girl pants on and get on with it, or I was going to miss out on these incredible experiences.' Helen added: 'We kept hearing gossip from the crew that we might swim with dolphins, but I think they were dangling a carrot. We never saw a single dolphin!'
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Near-death experience as a kid meant I had to battle my biggest fear to take part in celeb shark show, says Helen George
SHE'S best known for playing glamorous nurse Trixie Franklin on hit BBC drama Call The Midwife, but fans are about to see a very different side to Helen George. 4 Helen George will take part in radical new ITV reality show, Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 Helen is best known for playing glamorous nurse Trixie Franklin on hit BBC drama Call The Midwife Credit: BBC Speaking to The Sun on Sunday ahead of the first episode on ITV1 tomorrow night, Helen reveals that she developed the fear, known as Helen said: 'I was terrified of putting my head underwater. I have a real deep-rooted fear. 'I used to love the water when I was really young, but I went to a swimming party when I was six. 'They put those weird Nineties foam mats down. They're massive yoga mats, really. READ MORE ON CELEBRITIES 'I just remember this moment of being stuck underneath one and not being able to get out. There was that fear of being trapped. I finally made my way up to the surface. 'But I remember no one noticing that I'd gone, and no one really believing what I said, because no one had seen it. From then, I got it in my head about not putting my head underwater. 'I have a really strong image of looking up to the top of the swimming pool and the mats were on top and no one knew I was down there.' Helen confronts her fear head-on in the new five-part series, in which celebs plunge into the ocean and learn to swim with man-eating sharks, without a cage, off the island of Bimini in the Most read in News TV 'It's not safe' She is thrown in at the deep end with comedian Mum-of-two Helen was spurred to push herself as she realised her kids Wren, seven, and three-year-old Lark were becoming more confident in the water than she was. Call The Midwife actress looks nothing like her character after glam transformation and very sexy dress She also opened up to her property developer boyfriend Dan Innes about her fear, which he had not noticed on their holidays. Helen explained: 'My kids know that I am scared of the water, and my seven-year- old is more confident in the water than I am, and I realised I've got to do something about that as it's not safe. 'I hadn't even told Dan how scared of the water I was, and he was like, 'But you got in the sea on holiday in Cornwall with me. I didn't know you were so scared'.' It's the first reality TV show Helen has been in since BBC's Strictly ten years ago. She is stepping back into the limelight two years after splitting from actor Soon after, she grew close to her co-star My kids know that I am scared of the water and my seven-year-old is more confident in the water than I am. I realised I've got to do something about that When the offer to swim with sharks came in, Helen explained that she felt compelled to take part, even if it did leave her feeling exposed. She said: 'I'm an actor, I play other people's vulnerability, so playing my own and being vulnerable on screen without make-up was hard. It's so scary. I play a character known for wearing lots of make-up, and that's her thing — so not having that to hide behind was new. 'There's no hair and make-up. I've not done reality since Strictly, which is obviously a very different beast. So revealing yourself on screen is being vulnerable.' Helen was fortunate that producers at Call The Midwife, where she has worked for 13 years, let her finish filming a week early so she could jet out to the Caribbean last autumn to tackle her fear. Helen said: 'I get asked to do all sorts of things, but no one's ever asked me to do a show with sharks. I realised it was probably never going to happen again. It did sound like an amazing premise for a show, so I couldn't turn it down. 'Hearing how mad an idea it was, I thought I had to do it. 4 The celebrities taking part in new ITV show, from left, Ade, Ross, Helen, Lenny, Lucy, Dougie and Rachel Credit: PA 4 The scary predators will get up close with celebs in new show Credit: Mediadrumimages/KenKieferII 'I had to get some time off from Call The Midwife. They kindly gave me a week off so I could make it out. 'For me, putting my head under- water was the scariest thing I could do, so the idea that sharks would be involved made it even scarier.' Before filming began, Helen confessed she almost pulled out, but she forced herself to conquer her inner critic, revealing: 'I had that feeling you get before a funeral — you know, that something bad is about to happen and you've got to face it. 'I had a few moments before I flew out where I thought, 'Oh my God, am I actually going to do this?'. 'Before our first day filming, I knew that something big was happening, and I didn't know we were going to be cage-diving with sharks on the first day, just to really throw us in at the deep end. 'I did wake that night in a panic thinking, 'What am I doing here?'.' 'I burst into tears' In the first days of the show, Helen struggled so much to immerse herself underwater that bosses almost gave her a separate snorkelling challenge. She said: 'When we were doing the training in the swimming pool, I said to everyone, 'I haven't put my head underwater for 15 to 20 years. I'm really scared of swimming'. 'I hadn't realised how bad it was and I burst into tears. It felt like everyone else was really progressing and I wasn't. So at one point, the producers were going to put me on a junior snorkelling course, instead of the actual deep-sea diving experience. 'And then I thought, 'F**k this, I want to join in with everybody else'. 'It wasn't a big, beautiful moment that I'd imagined, where I saw a beautiful fish and I wanted to swim. 'It was more I felt like I was being left behind and I wouldn't have the same experience as my friends. 'When we were training in the swimming pool, I said to everyone, 'I'm really scared of swimming'. I hadn't realised how bad it was and I burst into tears' 'I had to put my big girl pants on and get on with it, or I was going to miss out on these incredible experiences.' Helen added: 'We kept hearing gossip from the crew that we might swim with dolphins, but I think they were dangling a carrot. We never saw a single dolphin!' Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters starts tomorrow at 9pm on ITV1.
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Lorraine Kelly films show for ITV rival amid 'opening eyes' to new projects
Lorraine Kelly was away filming last month and it's now been reported that she was working on a 'big budget' travel show for Channel 4 ahead of changes to her ITV talk show TV presenter Lorraine Kelly is said to have filmed a "big budget" project for Channel 4 recently. Ahead of changes to her long-running ITV talk show next year, it's been teased that she's considering other options that she could explore. Lorraine, now 65, has fronted her eponymous show for more than a decade, with it having launched in 2010. It was however announced by ITV earlier this year that, from January next year, episodes will be reduced to 30 minutes. It was also revealed that the show will then only run for 30 weeks each year. Following the news, last month, Lorraine shared that she was away and teased that she was having "big filming adventures" in Norway. She said in a video message on Instagram: "I'm in the land of the midnight sun. It's absolutely glorious. It's a project that I've wanted to do for years and years, and finally it's actually happening. I'm heading really, really far north." It's now been reported by the Sun that Lorraine flew to the country last month to work on a travel show for Channel 4, rather than ITV. A source told the outlet that the broadcaster was "delighted" to have signed up Lorraine for the project. The source said it was "exciting" for her to do "something different" and to be back on location somewhere. They teased that amid the shake-up at ITV daytime shows, her "loyal" fans will support Lorraine "wherever she goes". They said: "Despite the apparent slight in the ITV daytime shake-up, Lorraine's loyal fanbase isn't to be underestimated and they will follow her wherever she goes. She's survived in this business a long time, and she's a master at rolling with the punches." It's also been reported by the outlet that the production role Head of Lorraine is being axed at ITV. It's claimed that her two producers are set to instead report to bosses on This Morning. The source said that it casts doubt on the future of the talk show and claimed that her current contract finishes next year. The source teased: "She's opening her eyes up to the many options available to her." ITV said in a statement: "We have always said that from January 2026, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women will be three editorially distinct shows which will be produced by one team. These changes are not about the performance of the shows or the staff. We can assure our viewers that their favourite daytime shows will remain familiar to them on screen." Although best known for her work on ITV, Lorraine has appeared on other channels over the years too. It includes her having been on Channel 4's the Last Leg on several occasions and she mentioned the show on a podcast recently. She teased last month that she's able to be "a bit naughty" on shows away from ITV's Lorraine. As reported at the time, she said to Tom Kerridge on the Proper Tasty podcast: "40 years in TV last year was incredible. I got a BAFTA. 'Here's a BAFTA for being alive.' I thought, 'Hang on a minute, I'm not done yet'. "I think now I can be a lot cheekier. Because I've always been a bit naughty. Not so much in the morning, but if I do a wee show on Channel 4, or The Last Leg, or something like that." She teased: "You can be unleashed. And I quite like that. You do have to have a self-edit button and I'm finding mine is not operating as much as it should."
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Lorraine Kelly 'signs a major deal with ITV rival Channel 4 for a big-budget travel series' amid fears she could quit her daytime show after brutal cuts
Lorraine Kelly has reportedly signed a major deal with ITV rival Channel 4 for a huge budget travel series after Lorraine was hit by cuts. The Scottish presenter's morning show has also seen her key production role, Head of Lorraine be axed, according to The Sun On Sunday. And this is just the latest in a series of blows for the show, as the year-round hour-long show was reduced to just 30 weeks of 30-minute slots from next year. Lorraine first joined ITV in 1984 and has appeared on many flagship shows including GMB alongside Eamonn Holmes. A source told the publication: 'Channel 4 were delighted to have Lorraine on board. It was exciting for Lorraine to do something different and be on location again. 'Despite the apparent slight in the ITV daytime shake-up, Lorraine's loyal fanbase isn't to be underestimated and they will follow her wherever she goes. The Scottish presenter's morning show has also seen their key production role, Head of Lorraine be axed, according to The Sun On Sunday The source continued and claimed she is 'gutted' over the cuts and is now 'opening her eyes' to upcoming options in the industry. This comes after viewers 'turned off' and swiped 'her days are numbered' after a catty remark about Love Islanders' looks on last month's episode of her ITV show. She returned to our screens for another instalment of the popular early morning programme. Lorraine was joined by Lucie Cave and influencer Emily Clarkson during the show to talk about a segment on the dangers online beauty filters - and they got chatting about ITV2's Love Island. The broadcaster pointed out: 'I'm interested in programmes like Love Island... 'They to me, I have to say I don't watch it necessarily, but I see clips, it's inevitable to see clips. 'I'm like why do you all want to look the same, why do you all want to have that same sort of look about you? 'Children, I mean they are in their 20s, and they're having work done.; 'It's heart breaking. It's crazy.' Love Island returned to our screens on Monday for its 12th series, with Maya Jama, 29, as host. The revived series of the show premiered in 2015 and has gone on to become a fan favourite every summer. During Thursday's instalment of Lorraine, some took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts on the episode. After a chat with rapper AJ Tracey, 31, one said: 'Lorraine is so cringey had to turn it off #lorraine.' Another chimed in: 'This interview is just [vomit emoji] get rid of her ffs!' While others said: 'Two voices on #Lorraine that hurt my ears.' '#lorraine Kelly's days are numbered total fraudster.' MailOnline previously revealed Lorraine was given the chance by ITV bosses to merge her daytime show with GMB to present the last 30 minutes of their broadcast, but she declined. Last month, she was pulled into a meeting prior to the channel's budget cuts announcement where she was offered the new proposal, which was considered an 'easy fix' after the same format was adopted during the pandemic. Sources have revealed that Lorraine was 'insulted' by the suggestion and told bigwigs it wasn't a possibility, resulting in the reduced runtime of her show from an hour to 30 minutes. MailOnline understood that Lorraine, who has presented her show for the past 14 years, was prepared to 'walk away' but agreed to continue hosting the series until the end of 2026. The star is predicted to quit for good next year after a new role titled 'Head of Lorraine' was created to oversee the changes, but the contract is only for a 12-month period. Last month, ITV confirmed that ITN is taking over the output of Good Morning Britain while Lorraine and Loose Women will only air 30 weeks per year and are moving from Television Centre to a central London studio. A show insider revealed: 'Lorraine was pulled into a meeting with bosses where she was told about Good Morning Britain being taken over by ITN ahead of the public announcement. 'It was proposed that her show would merge with GMB so that she presented the last 30 minutes of the broadcast, which is what happened when a reduced team were working during lockdown. 'But she told them no and said it wasn't even a possibility... fast-forwarded two weeks and the channel announced her show would be cut from an hour to 30 minutes... 'The entire thing has been an insult and she's certain to leave when the year-long contract ends.' It was previously reported that staff are fearing Lorraine may decide to throw in the towel after the cuts were announced, with a source telling The Mirror: 'There are genuine fears among staff that Lorraine may decide to walk if the quality of the show they are putting out declines. 'It's hard to see how standards won't fall….and there are questions over whether Lorraine will want to be associated with that. Lorraine and her team are perfectionists - it's why the show is loved by so many.' A second source said morale is now low among employees, adding: 'Staff are beside themselves, and have been in tears constantly. It doesn't make any sense given the trajectory the show is on.' ITV sources told MailOnline that they have decided to cut resources on their daytime schedule so that the network can invest in more drama programmes.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Coronation Street legend returning 26 years after debut – six months on from sudden disappearance
The beloved character suddenly disappeared six months ago in a shock exit plot that saw him leave his partner and children behind SOAP SHOCK Coronation Street legend returning 26 years after debut – six months on from sudden disappearance Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CORONATION Street is set to make a shock comeback next week - 26 years after his first appearance. The beloved character suddenly disappeared six months ago in a shock exit plot that saw him leave his partner and children behind. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Dev Alahan will finally return to Coronation Street next week Credit: ITV 2 But what will he find when he returns from India? Credit: ITV But now it can be revealed that businessman Dev Alahan will be back - and soon. Actor Jimmi Harkishin has resumed filming after his break and he will be back on screen next week. Jimmi, 59, first joined the cobbles in 1999 playing the bumbling corner shopkeeper. Earlier this year Dev received some bad news about his Aunt Gita and rushed off to abroad to help care for her. He told Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove) that his Aunt Gita has had a fall and he needs to go abroad. Leaving son Aadi in control of his businesses, Dev jetted off alone. And while he's been away Aadi has got himself into trouble. Last month Aadi accidentally spiked Lauren Bolton with drugs that led to her suffering horrifying hallucinations of Joel. And things are only set to get worse as next week Aadi shouts as a masked robber dashes out of the corner shop. In the street, Lisa freezes and Carla's puzzled by lack of action. Coronation Street's Dev Alahan leaves son Aadi to burn alive and ignores his pleas for help Later Aadi tells Asha how the lad threatened him with a wrench and forced him to empty the safe. Asha assures him it's not his fault and he's the victim of a crime. As he tells PC Jess what happened, Aadi explains the robber made off with £6k in cash but at least they're insured. But Bernie clocks his shifty demeanour, and worries there's more to this than Aadi's letting on. Suddenly the door flies open and Dev barrels in wondering what he's missed. What is Aadi hiding? And what news will Dev have?
