News about Edwina Currie

Ex-Strictly contestant Edwina Currie appeared to take a swipe at Zara McDermott on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, as she described influencers as 'only famous for lounging around'. The former MP, 77, appeared on the daytime show with Reverend Richard Coles, who also danced on Strictly, to discuss the programme's recent controversy. Zara, 27, who rose to fame on Love Island in 2018, was allegedly kicked and hit at by her Strictly Come Dancing partner Graziano Di Prima during her stint on the BBC celebrity competition in late 2023.

Edwina Currie has said that Strictly Come Dancing needs to go back to its roots as 'weekend entertainment' as the show faces a misconduct probe.  Professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, 30, was axed from the show last week after he was accused of 'hitting and kicking' his celebrity partner Zara McDermott, 27, during rehearsals. It came just weeks after Giovanni Pernice, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda Abbington, 50, and two other former celeb partners.  Former Tory MP Edwina, 77, who starred on the BBC competition in 2011, has now weighed in on the debate, claiming they 'need a different kind of teachers.'

Edwina Currie, 77, is an author and one of Westminster's most colourful alumna, writes Angela Epstein. The MP for South Derbyshire from 1983 to 1997, Liverpool-born Currie served as a minister under Margaret Thatcher. But her career came to an abrupt end in 1988 when, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, she issued a warning about salmonella in British eggs and resigned. Married twice - her second husband, John Jones, died of cancer in 2020 - Edwina has two children and two grandchildren and lives in Derbyshire.

Every morning outside court, the 54-year-old tearoom owner - always immaculately dressed - would be at her side as she arrived, usually with an arm around her waist. As their daughter's sexual encounters with 15-year-old boys were spelt out in intimate detail at Manchester Crown Court, Mr Joynes and Mel, his wife of 32 years, would be sitting in the public gallery - just a few feet from members of both her victims' families. Just how close Joynes was to her parents became clear during her evidence. She gave her account of how she first brought a schoolboy to spend the night at her one-bed apartment in a soft but confident voice.

Teaching was her 'dream job', Rebecca Joynes told her trial - but by betraying the trust placed in her by the families of not one but two pupils, she had destroyed her career regardless of today's verdicts. Known as Becky, the 30-year-old enjoyed a stable, supportive upbringing - her parents attended every day of her trial - while her academic achievements ought to have made her an ideal recruit to her profession. Instead, the former cheerleader today joins the soaring numbers of teachers facing a lifetime ban from the classroom over what has been dubbed 'an epidemic of unacceptable behaviour'. Raised in a £500,000 semi-detached house in the upmarket Wirral town of Heswall, which traces its roots back to the Doomsday Book, she attended well-regarded Pensby High School - motto 'Care, respect, inspire'. Her parents, Stuart, now 54, and Mel, 55, set up a successful tea room, Isabelles, over a decade ago, with Joynes and her younger sister also having spells working at the family business.

It emerged last night that former prime minister Harold Wilson (right) had an affair during his second stint in Downing Street with his deputy press secretary, Janet Hewlett-Davies (inset). But he was by no means the first politician to have a romantic liaison whilst climbing the ladders of power. Edwina Currie revealed her four-year affair with Sir John (both pictured left in 1994) in her diaries in 2002. The sexual liaison began when Sir John was a Government whip and Ms Currie - who later became a health minister - was a backbencher. In 1983, Cabinet minister Cecil Parkinson was forced to resign from his position as trade and industry secretary when it emerged that he was having an affair with his secretary Sara Keays (bottom left). Ms Keays was pregnant with his child, Flora, who grew up with severe epilepsy. In 2006, John Prescott, then the deputy prime minister, admitted to a two-year affair with his secretary Tracey Temple (bottom right, with Mr Prescott). In June 2021, then Health Secretary Matt Hancock's career came crashing down when CCTV footage was published showing him passionately kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo (bottom centre with Mr Hancock), inside his office. It emerged that the pair, who were both married and had known each other since meeting at university, had been engaged in an affair.

YOU'VE RESOLVE: In a month, you will lose ten pounds in a month. YOU'D SEEK FOR: Losing five pounds in a month. YOU GET: At your local garage, you will be tempted by the three-for-two offer on family-size Galaxy chocolate bars, and you can put off your New Year's resolution until February. YOU RESOLVE: To run the 2024 London Marathon. VOTE FOR: THE 2024 London Half Marathon is a marathon run by a woman named Daisy. YOU GET: A stitch after 500 yards is whisked away to be wrapped in silver foil.

Junior doctors will stage the longest-ever strike over pay in the NHS's history, which is expected to last six days starting today. It also happens at one of the year's busiest times of the year for the service as it battles with increased demands from winter viruses and a rise in people coming forward who are concerned about the holidays.

Customers with rail tickets for December 31 may use the ticket from today, but they have warned that anyone using the service the day after will cause 'expect disruption.' They say they are operating a reduced service in the North West as traincrews are out of stock, with some services running sooner than anticipated and others not running at all. Cross Country, who operate at 120 stations in England and Scotland, have warned punters that their services will be'subject to last-minute cancellations' as they are "over crowded" on New Years Eve.

After two people were struck by trains, commuters in London Paddington and Euston station were greeted by rail disruption. Three individuals were killed by a train in Harrow, London; a tree fell on overhead wires between Rugby and Lichfield; and heavy rain caused delays between Lockerbie and Carstairs. Edwina Currie, a former Conservative MP, was among those affected by the disruption, posting a snapshot of a cracked windshield from her seat on an Avanti West Coast train. 'Oh my... train from Manchester to London, just south of Euston (and late), has been struck by something that has smashed a window,' she wrote. We're now parked up.' During the incident, London Northwestern Railway services between Euston and Birmingham, London Overground Services between Euston and Birmingham New Streets, London Overground services between Euston and Watford Junction, and Southern services between Clapham Junction and Watford were also affected by the crash. Following major disruption yesterday that culminated in a 'do not travel' warning north of Preston, massive lines emerged outside Glasgow Central in the rain as passengers attempted to board London-bound trains. All Great Western Railway services at London Paddington were suspended this morning after a person was struck by a train outside Slough, resulting in a no service between Hayes and Harlington and Reading. Due to the weather, LNER said there will be no trains between Edinburgh and Aberdeen or Inverness for the remainder of today, with customers advised not to travel until tomorrow.

1. CRAIG BROWN: 1. In March, which one of these people was banned from standing as a Labour candidate at the next general election? Jeremy Corbyn b) Jeremy Clarkson c) Jeremy Clarkson d) Jeremy Clarkson d) Jeremy Paxman e) Jeremy Hunt. 2. Nigel Farage is the most recent celebrity to appear on I'm A Celebrity. Which one of these politicians has not been on it?a) Nadine Dorries b) Edwina Currie c) Matt Hancock d) Robert Kilroy-Silk e) Jacob Rees-Mogg

I'm a Celebrity is a reality television show, but former contestant Edwina Currie has claimed that none of the performances are as natural or authentic as you'd expect. In 2014, the former Conservative MP appeared on the programme again and has said that producers in the log cabin would often give 'unknown missions' to spark discussion or debate. The 77-year-old confessed that, although producers might not trust Nigel Farage with a "unknown mission," she said, "I don't think he's good at keeping secrets."

CRAIG BROWN: I kept going to the Ad Lib club and one night, I was dancing with X.' The Fab Four were the world's biggest thing, and we were full of curiosities on the dance floor. Which is why we ended up in bed together the next morning; the morning Freddy arrived unexpectedly for a reconciliation. If it had been someone else but a Beatle, I suspect he would have screamed out X. As it was, he was so taken aback when he saw it was X in bed with me that he just stood there gawping. X made a run for it, breaking my banister as he went. A week later, he married for the first time.' Christine Keeler's 2001 book included these memories of her one-night encounter with a Beatle while going out with the nephew of one of the Kray Brothers. Which Beatle?

Spitting Image blasted its subjects mercilessly, particularly members of the Royal Family, but it has since been revealed that several minutes were removed from the first episode to avoid offending Prince Philip. Central TV bosses said all royal references must be removed in a panic after learning that the Duke of Edinburgh would open their new state-of-the-art studios days later. As a result, six minutes of material was removed from the opening show on Sunday, February 26, 1984.

ANDREW PIERCE: Not only did Starmer fail to raise any concerns when Ulez was first introduced in Central London, but he was notably silent when it was announced that it would be extended. Despite the fact that this change will impact people driving into Greater London as well as residents, Starmer's Shadow Cabinet has never had a formal discussion about it. This is for one simple reason: Despite Starmer's sophistry, the Shadow Cabinet table is largely in favour of Ulez.

DR MEGAN ROSSI: I make sure I never run out of a single item; yet it doesn't get the praise it deserves. I enjoy my meals a few days but a lot of people still treat them with caution. That's because eggs had a little bit of an image problem for a while - we used to believe they raised cholesterol (more on that later), and then they were knocked harder by salmonella when Edwina Currie (as a health minister) said the majority of egg production was affected by salmonella in 1988. And if this was inaccurate, overnight, sales fell 66%. However, eggs have a nutritional punch above their weight in a handy, portion-controlled shell, rather than being wasteful for us.

ANDREW PIERCE: Sharon Graham, the mighty United Kingdom's foreign minister, is a key architect of the chaos that has sparked discontent throughout the country. Graham, who represents ambulance workers set to join nurses on picket lines next month, has shrieked of the Tories' rule: 'We are witnessing a horror story!' Well, she knows all about them, beginning with her work and its ties to a large building program mired in corruption allegations.

JENNI MURRAY: Our provision is as bad as that in Kazakhstan, worse than China, and it comes out below the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Germany. It confirms what women in the United Kingdom have suspected for decades: the NHS promises healthcare from the cradle to the grave, but not if you're a female. Could this be a hangover from the days before the NHS?

EXCLUSIVE: Edwina Currie's (right) neighbor slammed the former Tory MP's allegations that his German shepherd attacked her so badly that she ended up in hospital for urgent hip surgery. Terry O'Malley, 78, a father of four children with German Sheppard, 68, launched a fiery defense of his pooch Belle, aged 5 in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, where Ms Currie said she was left "completely mashed up" after the dog lunged at her near her house. The I'm A Celebrity veteran (inset) needed an emergency hip replacement, which left her in hospital for ten days.

After being knocked down by the German shepherd while walking her own dog, the former health minister, 76, was left 'completely mashed up.' After the smash, I'm A Celebrity actress Jahra required an emergency hip replacement, which left her in the hospital for ten days (pictured left). Edwina said she was left 'numb with pain' after being mown down by the dog outside her house in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire. The ex-politician, who had a four-year affair with former Prime Minister John Major in the 1980s, said she rambled around for 12 days before heading to hospital, where x-rays revealed her hip had disintegrated (pictured right).

Sir, in the best possible terms at our treatment in the media, I am writing on behalf of my constituents. Thousands of thousands of average, decent, hard-working witchetty grubs have been lured onto the popular ITV show I'm A Celebrity for almost a quarter of a century. . .. Get Me Out of Here! 'Appearing on the telly' was the promise.' Nothing could have been further from the truth.

After her release from I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, Zara Tindall has announced that she would not see her Rugby star husband Mike in Australia. The 76-year-old queen is expected to meet Mike at the show's famous exit bridge because she has to be home for their children. Edwina said in The Mirror, "I don't think she'll come because she'd be there now." My own prediction is that she will not be there, not least because the children need her more than anything.'

1958: CRAIG BROWN: 1958: On the children's show Crackerjack, disgraced fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley appears. 'It's a fine way to get my message of European Unity to the young people of this world of ours,' he says. 'I have every reason to believe that my participation on this prestigious display will bring me to the forefront of the political arena.' However, life takes a sour note when roly-poly host Peter Glaze ushers him into a cage that is already occupied by a crocodile.

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Why did Charles summon Andrew for a dressing down before the Queen died? Andrew was left in no doubt that his return to the royal fold was never going to happen after the Birkhall meeting. According to a source, Charles had been warned by the Queen's senior staff that Andrew's ongoing campaign to return him as a 'working royal' was taking its toll. Andrew knew that if his mother didn't rehabilitate him, no one was safe. A crucial question posed by Charles was, in the event of Andrew's restoration, which charity would want him?