'Body aches' Fern Britton shares update on health woes amid 'grim' bed-ridden Covid battle

Good evening and welcome to today's Daily Record headline briefing.

Scottish ministers are facing transparency calls after it was revealed a metal tycoon under investigation for fraud paid just £5 towards the acquisition of a Highlands smelting plant – with taxpayers financing the rest of the £330 million deal.

Prince George celebrated his birthday on Friday and was sent a special message from the Queen to mark the occasion. The eldest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton turned nine on July 22.

It didn’t quite have the glamour of a packed Ibrox Stadium against a star-studded Tottenham Hotspur side 24 hours earlier but Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side played their final pre-season friendly before their big Scottish Premiership kick at Livingston in a closed doors game against a Queen’s Park XI.

Rio Ferdinand waxed lyrical when speaking about Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong — but did offer one tip to the Barcelona playmaker should he touch down in the Premier League.

Kieran McKenna believes his Ipswich Town side are in a 'strong place' ahead of their League One opening fixture against Bolton Wanderers and was confident about the fitness of a few members of his squad for the maiden game of the campaign.

A Lanarkshire gymnast is just one week away from competing at this year's Commonwealth Games.

Little Mix singer Jade Thirwall has shared an inside glimpse into her recent holiday with boyfriend Jordan Stephens as the two jetted off to sunny Ibiza for a much needed break. The 29 year old singer headed off to the Spanish island a few weeks ago, with her Rizzle Kicks boyfriend, Jordan, 30. Despite her excitement for a sun soaked getaway, the trip got off to a bump start as Jade revealed her phone had been stolen at the beginning of the holiday.

Holly Willoughby has revealed she “burst into tears” in the days leading up to her wedding to husband Dan Baldwin. The This Morning host, 41, who earlier this year recalled how she met and fell in love with Dan, has spoken about her wedding as she and Dan, 47, prepare to celebrate their wedding anniversary next month. The Dancing on Ice presenter spoke about her wedding to Dan as she reminisced over the big day 15 years ago.

Victoria Beckham has returned to her former Posh Spice roots as she belted out an iconic song during a karaoke session while on a family getaway in France.The fashion designer,48, was captured on camera by her husband David Beckham, 47, who proudly watched his wife perform the 1997 tune Stop from their album Spiceworld. It seems the glory days are far from over as David shared the clip of the style icon in a figure-hugging black dress to his 74.7 million Instagram followers with the caption: "Karaoke night with the one & only Posh Spice." The video soon received more than 4million views as excited fans and celebrities quickly took to the star's comment session. Gordon Ramsay gave three heart emojis as one fan begged: "Spice Girls 2023 reunion world tour please." Another wrote: "Who said that Posh could not sing.

Gone are the days when chefs and homemakers scrambled to find a tasty dish for vegetarian guests. We Brits have had an education in all things green, graduating from a plate of carrots and broccoli to vibrant dishes full of fragrant herbs and spices.

Princess Beatrice and Kate Middleton share more than just their Royal ties as both share similar fashion styles by wearing the same designer dress. Prince Andrew's daughter, who recently stepped out with her husband for Wimbledon, looked stunning in an outfit she wore while attending the National Service of Thanksgiving on 3 June as part of her grandmother's – Queen Elizabeth II's – Platinum Jubilee celebrations. However, eagle-eyed fans have noticed that her dress of choice was far from original and had a striking resemblance to a less expensive version worn by Kate Middleton.The gown in question is none-other than the Ahana Chambre dress from Beulah London with a current price tag of £775.

The UK is set to face its hottest ever August as the country once again finds itself plunged into an imminent “heat surge” as a result of rising temperatures. With some parts of the country, such as Norwich, expected to see temperatures hit 30 degrees on Sunday, several other cities along the Southern and East of the country have also seen temperatures creeping back up into the high 20s as the summer weather continues.

Love Island could have another wedding in the making as Andrew Le Page tells Tasha Ghouri he will pop the question in four years. The couple, who have vowed to move in together after the show, have had a rocky ride on their Love Island journey, with Casa Amor seeing Andrew getting close to newcomer Coco Lodge, but wedding bells are ringing for their future as Andrew, 27, tells Tasha, 23, he plans to propose in the episode of the ITV2 dating show that will be aired tonight.

THE Love Island baby challenge is one of the show's most popular tasks, pushing its contestants to the limit and delivering some of the show's most memorable moments. Each couple is assigned a baby and automatically become new 'parents', which means they must tend to their baby's every need which includes feeding as well as nappy changes.

This Morning with Phillip Schofield, 60, for ten years from 1999. During her time on the show, Fern faced widespread backlash after being accused of lying about how she lost five stone while fronting a Ryvita Bikini Fit campaign.The TV star has now looked back on the controversy surrounding her 2006 gastric band surgery, which resulted in her being temporarily “taken off air” from the ITV show.Speaking on the Postcards From Midlife podcast, Fern claimed ITV took the decision to suspend her for a few days after the news of her gastric band operation broke.Fern began: “ITV were not really that helpful.

It came after she took a Mensa test, which told her she was in the top two percent of the population for intelligence and high IQ. When Clive discovered she had taken the test, he was furious, and the rift led to the downfall of the marriage. Talking on the Walking The Dog with Emily Dean podcast, she elaborated: "He had this degree and I don’t [so] I secretly went off and did the Mensa."I lied, I said I was going somewhere else, and it took a day to do this test.

"He really disliked me and I had a rather rough time on that programme."It does toughen you up, but it’s amazing what you pull yourself through."Fern and her ex Phil Vickery announced their decision to separate in January 2020.She still misses "talking through" her problems with her ex-husband, so instead, she shares her woes with her beloved cats."I miss the opportunity of talking through a problem with another adult, to get their take on it. "So I talk to the cats, who usually have the answer," the star confessed.

Fern Britton once confessed she preferred having a cup of tea in bed than getting intimate with her then-husband, Phil Vickery.The former This Morning presenter, 64, and the chef were married for 20 years before announcing their separation via social media in 2020.Despite admitting that she had "great sex" with her ex-husband, the former Breakfast Time presenter previously revealed she was easily satisfied in other ways.READ MORE: Fern Britton admits it was the 'last chance saloon' for children with ex Phil VickeryShe told The Mirror: "Sex is great but a cup of tea is great, too.""There’s nothing nicer than getting into bed with a cuppa and having a hug and a chat – that’s love," she added."Lust is great, but when you really love someone and you trust each other, and you’re in bed together drinking tea and chatting, that is a true relationship,” Fern explained.Fern and TV chef Phil, 61, met on the set of BBC Two's Ready Steady Cook and tied the knot in 2000.Two years after they announced their split, Ferne made a candid confession about her sex life on actor Michael Fenton Stevens' My Time Capsule podcast.Speaking about stars Ferne had always admired, host Michael asked: "You must have had experiences through your career then when those people have suddenly turned up in front of you. Did you turn into the young girl you were?”The mum-of-four responded by recalling her meeting with Britain fashion designer Dame Mary Quant, saying: "She had a make-up range called ‘make-up to make love in’ and, of course, I was very young.

Fern Britton has revealed Frank Bough once boasted to her about the size of his manhood and said: “I wonder how long it’ll be before I’m having an affair with you”.The ‘astounded’ television presenter had just joined the BBC’s Breakfast Time team in the early 1980s when co-presenter Bough made the comment.Veteran Frank also told her, ‘I have a very big c*ck’ - which 64-year-old Britton admitted was ‘apparently accurate’ according to what she had heard.She added the comments, though unpleasant, did toughen her up.Speaking on the Postcards From Midlife podcast, mother of four Fern said: “All those men I worked with, some are better than others.“Eamonn Holmes is a dream - Frank Bough was difficult. Shall I tell you a rude story?“When I joined breakfast time in 1982 or 83, I was either the newsreader or presenter with Frank.“I was the stand in, so whenever anyone was off I would stand in.“So I would present the programme with Frank, and he didn’t like me at all, really.

This Morning host previously tested negative for Covid-19 before re-testing today and being confirmed positive.On Twitter, she shared a photo of her positive coronavirus test and typed: “You are all so lovely! Lapping up the sympathy and sending love to everyone who is suffering. “Back to bed xxxxxxxx,” she added.The star had received many messages of support after saying yesterday she was “sore” and “achy” from a mysterious illness.@ShelleyBathy replied: “Hope you feel better soon. Me and my fella have got it too.”@The_Environmunt commented: “Feel for you.