Rebekah Vardy has opened up about the sadness her kids experience every Christmas. And this year isn’t going to be any different.

The former I’m A Celebrity star was in the news a lot amid her nemesis Coleen Rooney’s jungle stint.

In fact, she was appointed as the columnist for the ITV show one paper, allowing her to publicly describe Coleen as “dull” and gush about one of her performances. Yes, you read it right!

As her focus has now shifted from I’m A Celebrity, the WAG is investing all her energy in making the holiday extra special for her children.

Rebekah Vardy shares her festive heartache

Rebekah shares three children with her husband Jamie Vardy. Aside from Olivia, four, Finlay, seven, and Sofia, 10, she’s also mother to Taylor, 14, and Megan, 19, from a previous relationship.

She was speaking to OK! Magazine about her plans for Christmas, when she revealed that her “kids are really sad” because their dad isn’t going to be around.

We go mad on decorations, but not on presents – that’s not what Christmas is about.

As football at Christmas is a very British tradition, Jamie will be away from home most of the holiday. “It’s really hard – and really hard for the kids, but at the end of the day, that’s his job and we’re so proud of him,” she said.

“Control the controllables, I always think. You just have to make do. We’ll have him for a couple of hours on Christmas Day but he won’t make it for Christmas dinner.”

As Rebekah revealed, Jamie will be training on Christmas Day before travelling up to Liverpool that night. He has a game on Boxing Day (December 26), so his family won’t see him until December 27.

Christmas plans

As Jamie is away for the holiday, Rebekah leaves no stone unturned to make the occasion memorable for her children.

Growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, the WAG says she didn’t celebrate Christmas. So, now she ensures the festival is full of joy and celebrations.

“We go mad on decorations, but not on presents – that’s not what Christmas is about. It’s having the kids off school, and making memories and creating traditions that the kids will take into their lives when they have families, too,” she told the magazine.

No matter how extravagant the decorations are, her “kids are really sad” when their dad has to leave them on Christmas day. Of course, Jamie finds it harder to say goodbye because his wife stays home with the kids.

But Rebekah counts on her dad Carlos’ presence as he’ll be with her and her kids on Christmas to “lift everyone up and create absolute carnage”.

Read more: Maura Higgins takes swipe at Rebekha Vardy amid I’m A Celebrity ‘stint’

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As the grand finale of Strictly Come Dancing approaches, former professional dancer Brendan Cole has accused the judges of influencing public opinion against finalist Tasha Ghouri.

In an exclusive interview with ED! on behalf of SkyVegas, Brendan shared his concerns about the judges’ critiques and their ability to sway audience votes in favour of certain contestants.

Strictly Come Dancing judges’ votes won’t count in final

Brendan candidly addressed how much weight the judges’ feedback carries with viewers. And, although their scores won’t influence who wins directly, he admitted that their comments and critiques may play a crucial role in determining the winner.

“The audience will make up their own minds, but a lot of people do listen to what they [the judges] say. Otherwise, what’s the point of them?” Brendan remarked.

“It won’t alter [the results] that much, but they can. They can plant doubts in people’s minds.”

The former Strictly star went on to explain how this season’s judging has seemingly shifted in favour of JB Gill while becoming more critical of Tasha.

“They [the judges] have been really strong on JB Gill because they’ve been championing him for the last few weeks,” Brendan observed.

“They’re not quite as kind about Tasha [Ghouri], which they were in the first few weeks. That can plant a seed in the audience’s minds that JB [Gill] is the best as he’s getting the best marks, so let’s vote for him. That’s essentially what happens.”

“It’s psychological’

Brendan also elaborated on the psychological influence judges can have on audience perceptions.

‘It’s psychological, you tend to be told what is good and what is bad,” he explained.

“I could watch something and think one thing, but someone else could give me their opinion on it, and instantly my opinion could start to change towards their opinion.

“The judges are supposed to know what they are doing. It’s very easy to [change opinions] as people do hold what they say with weight, and it can sway things.”

How the winner is decided

The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 winner is decided solely on the public vote. The judges do give their verdict, with 10 paddles doubtless getting an airing, but those scores won’t count. And, when it comes to picking a winner, that honour is entirely up to the viewers.

A successful season, according to Brendan

Despite his criticism of the judges’ feedback, Brendan praised the overall production level of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.

“The show has been pretty good as a whole, and no one can look at the show and go, that could have been better,” he said.

“They’ve had some great artists coming on, the costume, hair, and make-up are always outstanding – they’ve got that absolutely spot on. As a viewer, people should be quite happy.”

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing winner ‘sealed’ as viewers back Chris McCausland ahead of Saturday’s final

You can catch the final of Strictly Come Dancing 2024 series on Saturday at 6pm on BBC One.

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Who would you like to see win Strictly Come Dancing? Let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix. 

Actress Helen Flanagan responded to online trolls who criticised her appearance with comments about her face in a recent social media post.

The 32-year-old is best known for her role as Rosie Webster on Coronation Street.

However, Helen faced backlash after sharing a video on Instagram where she documented her transformation from casual to glam for a night out in Liverpool.

Helen Flanagan’s face

In the clip shared with her Instagram followers, Helen appeared makeup-free with a towel on her head before unveiling her glam look – bold smokey eye, styled waves, and a strapless black corset ensemble.

While she captioned the post saying she “felt so nice in this outfit” the comments section quickly turned divisive.

Critics slammed her appearance, particularly her overlined lips.

“Did you look in the mirror after doing your lips, looks ridiculous, ” one commenter wrote.

Another criticised her choices by saying: “The lips are absolutely ruining your face, please stop. You’ve daughters that look up to you along with many others – just be yourself.”

“Leave your lips alone, whatever you’ve done don’t do it again, looks silly,” a third added.

Fans react

Meanwhile, Helen didn’t shy away from addressing the negativity. Sharing some of the harsh comments on her Instagram Story, she reminded followers of what truly matters.

“I never understand why people can be so mean,” Helen wrote. “It doesn’t actually matter how someone looks if you’ve got a good heart, you’re beautiful anyway.”

Supporters of Helen were also quick to defend her in the comments.

“To everyone who has made a rude/vile comment… just keep your negative opinions to yourself!” One fan fumed.

“Please just stop with your unwarranted opinions, are you all perfect? I very much doubt it. She hasn’t put this video up to receive ridicule so please stop it. To see women putting down women is awful to read.”

“Who gives a [bleep] what she’s done to herself? She’s beautiful,” another hit back at the critics. “It’s her choice, you don’t need to comment. Get a job, get a life… Concentrate on bettering yourselves.”

“You look beautiful love your outfit and bag,” a third fan gushed.

Read more: Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan reveals why Rosie Webster hasn’t returned

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