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LOVE Islander Maura Higgins is in advanced talks to join I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! after boxer Tommy Fury pulled out just weeks before the show started.

His exit helped pave the way for the Irish model and TV host because it meant there wouldn’t be two stars from the ITV2 dating show going into the jungle in the same year.

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I’m A Celeb bosses have their eye on Maura Higgins after Tommy Fury dropped out[/caption]

PA

The boxer’s early exit means their is room for another Islander around the campfire[/caption]

Maura, 33, actually vie for the affections of Tommy, 25, when they were both on Love Island in 2019, but he ended up with Molly-Mae Hague, also 25, and the couple dated up to this summer when they split.

Revelations about the separation – which were surrounded by allegations of cheating – could emerge around the campfire because Maura and Molly are now best friends.

A Jungle insider said: “With Tommy Fury pulling out it gave show bosses the opportunity to look at other Love Island stars and Maura stood out as the perfect candidate.

“She’ll bringing a bit of glamour to the jungle and make a brilliant campmate because she’s got a great sense of humour and is bound to get on with everyone.

“It’s shaping up to be a strong year for woman on I’m A Celebrity this year.”

Other names in the frame for this year include WAG queen Coleen Rooney, Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse and N-Dubz singer Tulisa.

The stars usually jet down under in Mid November, around a week before the show, hosted by Ant & Dec, kicks off its three-week run on ITV1.

The Sun exclusively revealed yesterday how Tommy was pulling out of the jungle before signing a binding contract, despite the fact he’d been in talks with ITV producers for months.

It is understood he had been offered another more lucrative project, which is believed to be a rematch between KSI and Tommy, the younger half-brother of heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.

It was thought he might have given his side of the story on the split with Molly-Mae, but now jungle bosses will be hoping Maura takes on the mantle.

She was back in the headlines this week when she was seen getting up close and personal with Strictly Come Dancing pro Kai Widdrington at the Pride of Britain Awards.

She was previously in a relationship with another Strictly pro, Giovanni Pernice, but they split in 2021.

Maura has long been seen as a rising star with ITV bosses, and she’s appeared on everything from Dancing on Ice to Cooking with the Stars.

Currently she hosts the After Sun spin-off from Love Island US.

A spokesman for I’m A Celebrity declined to comment.

ITV

The Ant and Dec fronted show is expected to kick off in just weeks[/caption]

MARRIED At First Sight star Hannah Norborn has hit out at her co-stars’ ‘double standards’.

Hannah quickly became of this series’ most controversial contestants with her flirty antics and husband swapping – but she thinks she’s been unfairly treated.

The bride made her feelings clear as she shared a video of herself, with the words: “When  you get ambushed for asking someone if their shoe has fluff in but others can actually WRAP their legs around each other. Make I make sense.”

She accompanied the TikTok video with the audio of Gemma Collins on Towie, saying: “It’s tongue in cheek Danielle, it’s funny.”

Despite her antics, Hannah believes others have behaved just as badly and is comparing herself to Adam and Lacey in the TikTok post.

Adam sparked upset with wife Polly when she danced with Lacey, lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him.

And Hannah caused an uproar on the show when she was accused of massaging another groom’s feet.

A huge row erupted when Polly mentioned that she found some of Hannah’s behaviour towards other grooms on the experiment inappropriate.

She told her friends: “Last night after the commitment ceremony she’s gone up to Shannon and Ryan’s room and she was rubbing Ryan’s feet in front of Shannon and going ‘ain’t you got nice blue eyes, your feet are so soft, isn’t it nice and warm in there?’”

Hannah, who was then excluded by the group, later claimed she was just picking some lint off his shoe.

But despite her pleas of innocence, Hannah does end up with Ryan and in a shock move the pair ended up returning to the show together last night.

A WOMAN and two schoolgirls have been stabbed in a horror attack this evening as a man was arrested.

Cops rushed to First Avenue in Dagenham, East London, at around 5.35pm.

Officers, London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance also attended, police said.

A woman and two female children were found suffering stab injuries and have been taken to hospital for treatment.

A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and was also taken to hospital after being taken unwell.

A crime scene remains in place, the Metropolitan Police said.

Enquiries into the circumstances continue, the force added.

COSTCO is selling a “fantastic” £21 gadget that will keep you warm throughout the winter – and is even cheaper than the Aldi version.

And, the simple, budget-friendly item could even save you money on your heating bills.

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The budget-friendly item has popped up on the Costco website[/caption]

costco

The Berkshire Life Heated Throw, a heated blanket, is on sale for as little as £21.58[/caption]

The Berkshire Life Heated Throw, a cosy electric blanket, is on sale on the Hot UK Deals website for a modest £21.58.

On the Costco website, it is listed for a reasonable £23.98.

Electric blankets work by having electrical wires embedded in the fabric.

The Costco version is made from faux fur, with a velvety underside, designed to keep you extra warm in the winter months.

It has four heat settings and a four-hour shut off setting to mitigate overheating or fire risks.

It is available in brown, grey and dark teal colours and is even machine washable.

How does it compare to other electric blankets?

The comforting throw is even cheaper than Aldi’s version, which retails for £29.99.

This Ambiano Heated Throw, which has nine settings, comes in a snowy white, cool grey, and toasty charcoal.

It is also cheaper’s than Asda‘s £30 electric teddy fleece.

However, shoppers looking to cut costs even further could opt for an £18.99 version on Amazon.

On the other end of the spectrum, Lakeland offers an £84.99 electric blanket, with The White Company version coming in at £150.

How much can you save on your electricity bill?

With heating costs being a hot topic of conversation this year, these blankets could be a solution to keeping those bills down.

Many homes are set to be subjected a detrimental change in their energy bill as the cold snap approaches, with some set to rise by £149 each year.

Electric blankets generally run at only a few pence per hour, while opting for cooler settings can further reduce costs.

SEX beast Mohamed Fayed’s ex-head of security has revealed horrific details about him ­­— including his lust for sex workers and attacks on women at his mansion.

He said the late Harrods owner also referred to female staff he wanted to target for sex as “non-typist secretaries” as he moved them close to his office at the West London store.

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Mohamed Fayed’s ex-head of security has revealed horrific details about him[/caption]

Marc Giddings

Andre Steele said he is ‘haunted’ by his time working for him at his mansion and at Harrods[/caption]

SAS-trained Andre Steele — who worked for Fayed from 2004 to 2008 — also said a young female member of staff at Fulham FC had to be shielded from boss Fayed whenever he visited the club.

Police have confirmed they are probing 40 fresh claims of sexual assault against Fayed, bringing the total to 61.

Former soldier Andre, 57, told The Sun he is haunted by his time working for the predator at his mansion and at Harrods.

He eventually left his job after refusing to use his ex-military security teams to carry out surveillance — run by Fayed’s former cop henchman John MacNamara — on young shop girls at weekends.

Andre said Fayed “toured the floors of Harrods twice a day and spotted girls”.

He and head of investigations MacNamara, who died in 2019, used the term “non-typists” as code for ones the boss wanted to be moved close to his office.

He said: “That was code for ones he was grooming. I did not realise at first what he was doing and thought he just liked being surrounded by pretty girls.

“After a few years, I could see in his eyes that he knew that I knew what was going on. But I never had evidence to confront him.”

Model Bianca Gascoigne, daughter of ex-England star Paul Gascoigne, this week told how Fayed molested her after she started working at Harrods, aged 16.

And Fulham women’s ex-captain Ronnie Gibbons, 44, says she was twice lured to Harrods and sexually assaulted by Fayed in 2000-2001.

Andre said: “At Fulham, I was head of security for the close protection teams and the bodyguards.

“We were made aware that there were allegations against Al-Fayed.

“One girl in question was in her mid-20s and she took a complaint to a supervisor or managers there.

“Fulham always made sure a male member of staff was with her when Al-Fayed was there. We knew she was not to be left with him.”

Fayed — who died last year aged 94 — was finally exposed by a BBC documentary last month which focused on his time at Harrods.

Surrey Police is also investigating a report of sex abuse at Barrow Green Court, his mansion in Oxted.

Andre revealed how Fayed told security teams at his home when “masseuses” would be visiting.

Talking of his behaviour at the sprawling pad, Andre said: “I know of at least three women who left their jobs because of his behaviour.

“And he always said he had masseuses coming. They would arrive at eight or nine o’clock and would leave around midnight or 1am.

Alamy

Fulham’s Ronnie Gibbons says she was twice lured to Harrods and sexually assaulted by Fayed in 2000-2001[/caption]

Rex

Bianca Gascoigne told how Fayed molested her after she started working at Harrods, aged 16[/caption]

Rex

“I assume they were high-class prostitutes, usually tall and mainly blonde, which was his type. This even happened when his wife, Heini, was there. It was a high volume of girls. I was also aware of girls groomed or targeted at Harrods and made to go to the estate.

“Al-Fayed would pick them out on the shop floor and ‘reward’ them by moving them to work at Barrow Green Court.”

Andre told of a young female chef who fled the estate after one incident.

He said: “As team leader I went to speak to her. She said, ‘He’s done it again, Andre, touching me and trying to get me to do things I didn’t want.’

“It happened again with another female maid there — and I never saw either of the girls again. There was a nanny the boss accused of taking money and used that to get rid of her. But it boils down to she would not have sex with him.

“I never witnessed any assaults. I would have taken action if I had.”

Andre, of Hereford, who trained with 22 Regiment of the SAS, said: “I am speaking out because the professionalism and integrity of my guys is being called into question.

“I can honestly say the close protection teams, the residential teams and bodyguards had no idea what he was doing. I never saw him seriously assaulting women.

“However, at Harrods, there were four occasions when I witnessed him putting his hands into the girls’ blouses and up their skirts.

“He told me, ‘Andre they are all prostitutes. I give them money and they give me what I want.”

Harrods has said it is “utterly appalled” by the Fayed allegations.

HARVESTER has launched its biggest plate of food yet – a gut-busting mountain of meat for £50.

The restaurant chain has added the enormous dish to its latest menu and it contains a whopping 3,769 calories.

Instagram @harvesteruk

Harvester is selling its biggest ever plate[/caption]

Instagram @harvesteruk

It’s a 3,769-calorie mountain of meat[/caption]

Greedy diners can feast on half a rotisserie chicken, a half rack of BBQ ribs, a short of beef rib and a massive cheddar and jalapeño sausage.

The giant plate is finished with a heap of salsa, pink pickled onions, corn bread, chips and coleslaw.

If that’s not enough, food fans can still top it off with a bowl of Harvester’s famous self-service salad bar.

The Ultimate Rib Roundup is described as a ‘sharer’ dinner on the menu and comes with a price tag of £49.99.

Harvester, however, has told customers: “Perfectly grilled, packed with flavour and made for sharing (or keeping all to yourself).”

Brenda Gliddon visited her local branch in Kent with her grown-up son to try the Ultimate Rib Roundup.

She said: “My son can out eat anyone I know but even he left some.” Other Harvester fans have also been eyeing up the new calorific dish as a meal for one.

One wrote on the restaurant chain’s Facebook official page: “I love sharing but I’d rather keep this all to myself!”

Another added: “That’s a single portion!”

Tagging in a pal, third commented: “You’ve got to try this. You might get more than 4 ribs on your plate!”

The Ultimate Rib Roundup is available in all 165 UK branches of Harvester.

It has been added as a new addition to the eatery’s Grills and Combos section of the menu.

Listed as a ‘Supreme Flavour Fan Sharer’, the description reads: “A hearty feast for true grill lovers: half of our succulent rotisserie chicken, a half rack of BBQ glazed ribs, a tender short beef rib and a Cheddar & jalapeño sausage paired with charred corn & black bean salsa and pink pickled onions.

“Served with sage & onion seasoned chips, our new hot honey drizzled corn bread and hot slaw.”

FOR three months the ­people of Reeves Street have been living a nightmare – in fear of next week’s Halloween Budget.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is this weekend making final preparations for her first Autumn Statement.

Paul Tonge

Dave Sargent, 59, who runs the local pub, believes soaring energy costs & alcohol duties may finally kill off his business[/caption]

Paul Tonge

Taxi driver Mohammed, 53, said taxes are already so high that he has to drive his minicab from early morning until late at night[/caption]

And as seven out of ten ­people say they feel worried about Wednesday’s Budget, we visited a street near Walsall that shares its name with ­Labour’s ­Chancellor.

Bloxwich — one of the ­poorest districts in the West Midlands — has suffered hard times as its traditional ­engineering firms and foundries closed.

Reeves Street boasts 15 houses, a garage, a building firm, two residential care homes, a cab rank, a closed-down Indian restaurant and a local boozer.

Dave Sargent, 59, took over the street’s pub, The Hatherton Arms, three years ago and turned it into a popular ­community hub.

But he believes soaring energy costs, alcohol duties, income tax and business rate rises may finally kill off his business.

‘We’re being screwed’

Landlord Dave’s message to Rachel Reeves is: “Stop killing the pub trade — we’re under enough pressure as it is.

“It seems they want to close every little pub down. They are doing nothing for us — we’re being screwed to the ground.”

The married father-of-four, who packs in punters with karaoke, bingo and live DJ nights, says his energy costs alone are now £1,000 a month.

He also fears rises in alcohol duty will force him to increase his prices beyond the reach of punters, who have already been taxed to the hilt on their income.

Dave says: “You’ve got the cost of fuel and the tax on beers. The cost of electricity and gas is phenomenal.

“I’m paying £1,000 a month here just for electricity and we have to scrimp and scrape to make that £1,000.

“Trying to ban smoking in the pub garden was a ridiculous idea — thank goodness it looks like that is now being delayed or scrapped. It’s bad enough for landlords as it is. It’s bleak for us because we are working on a small ­margin, and if it gets to a stage when what I take at the till is below what is acceptable for the hours I’m putting in, I will have to finish.”

I never expected Labour to be as hard on everyone as they have been

Dave Sargent

On July 4, Labour’s Valerie Vaz won the Walsall and Bloxwich seat, where the Tory vote was split by Reform and an independent, Aftab Nawaz.

Dave says: “I’ve never voted for Labour and I didn’t vote at all this year because I thought they were all as bad as each other.

“But I never expected Labour to be as hard on everyone as they have been.

“It’s promises, promises — and I think it’s going to get worse over the next four years. It’s a nightmare.”

Pensioners Stephen and Julie Barnett, who own their terraced house on Reeves Street, are Tory voters who ignored the last election after becoming disillusioned with the Conservatives.

They are horrified by ­Labour’s first three months in power and fear their £300 Winter Fuel Allowance will be axed because their income takes them over the Pension Credit threshold.

If I had Rachel Reeves here now, I’d say get on to the energy suppliers and start taxing them heavily and subsidising us

Retired mechanic Stephen Barnett

They also worry that the £1,200-a-year tax bill on their combined ­public and private pensions will increase because earnings thresholds are being frozen, possibly past 2028, and the Triple Lock will push them into a higher tax band,

Ex-school worker Julie, 66, says: “I suppose they call us wealthy pensioners, but we’re not really.”

Retired mechanic Stephen, 68, says: “If I had Rachel Reeves here now, I’d say get on to the energy suppliers and start taxing them heavily and subsidising us. I left school at 15 and have worked all my life. I used to do 44 hours a week. You would think that after all those years of paying into the system, they would leave you alone. But they don’t. They still want their pound of flesh. Starmer ain’t a politician — he’s a policeman.”

Jamie Harper and wife Sue run a thriving family building firm, Alvaston Loft Conversions, from a unit in Reeves Street.

Paul Tonge

Care worker Tammy Field, 37, struggles to cover the cost of feeding her four children[/caption]

He wants the Chancellor to stay away from hikes in income tax, VAT, company tax and National Insurance because companies and their workers just cannot afford to pay more.

Jamie, 59, who employs 15 highly skilled staff, fears Angela Rayner’s workers’ rights package will take control away from business leaders.

He continues: “It is the tax that worries me — everyone seems to be working just to pay the tax man.

“Labour always increase tax and spending — that’s what they’re about — and it looks like they are going to increase them again next week.

‘We can’t go on’

“We can’t afford it. We have only just recovered from Covid. There are all sorts of problems in the world and we can’t hope to pay for them all.”

Jamie adds: “You have got to look after your own country’s interests first.”

Taxi driver Mohammed Choudhury, 53, who lives on Reeves Street, said taxes are already so high that he has to drive his minicab from early morning until late at night.

People who work pay too much tax and there are others on benefits who get too much

Care worker Tammy Field

The dad-of-five says: “Business is not good. It’s gone down in the past few years and we’re ­paying too much in tax.

“Sometimes I can do just one job an hour and that will be a £5 fare, but after tax and ­petrol costs, I’ll maybe make £2.60. It is not enough.

“I want to tell Rachel Reeves to cut taxes — we can’t go on like this.”

Care worker Tammy Field, 37, struggles to cover the cost of feeding her four children, aged 12 to 20.

She says: “People who work pay too much tax and there are others on benefits who get too much.

“It’s hard just paying for food in the shops and gas and ­electricity.

“My eldest daughter’s going to have a baby, so we’re going to have another mouth to feed. I’m also worried about my nan and grandad. They’re going to lose their Winter Fuel Payments.

“Labour should be looking after ordinary people like us, not the ones who have all the money.”

• Additional reporting: Cyril Dixon

Reuters

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is this weekend making final preparations for her first Autumn Statement[/caption]

WITH just ten days until the US chooses its next president, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are level in the polls – with just seven “swing” states set to decide the winner.

In the US system instead of votes being counted nationally, the winner in each state is awarded a certain number of “electoral college” votes, partly based on the state’s population.

AP

AFP

There are 538 college votes in all, and the winner is the one who bags the most.

Now the two rivals for the most powerful job on the planet are fighting hardest in the seven states where just a few thousand votes could make the difference.

A Betfair spokesman said: “As things stand, Donald Trump is favourite to win in all but one of those seven key battlegrounds, and if the punters are right, he will win by a significant margin.”

Today we look at which way those seven states may swing.

NEVADA

TRUMP 47.3% | HARRIS 47.3%

EVEN the bravest gambler in Las Vegas might hesitate to bet on who will win the state ­known for its casino city.

Different polls have put either Harris or Trump ahead in Nevada, which has backed every ­Democrat candidate since 2008.

The state has the highest unemployment rate in the US at 5.1 per cent and that could persuade enough undecided voters to pick the Republican.

Campaigning in Nevada this week, Trump praised the state’s “amazing Filipinos”, some of who were at the rally.

He told them: “It’s an honour to have you here. Beautiful clothing – the colours, I want to wear colours like that.”

ARIZONA

TRUMP 48.6% | HARRIS 46.8%

WITH a 370-mile border with Mexico, the big issue in this southern state is illegal immigration.

Trump has made up ground on Harris in the past couple of weeks in Arizona by relentlessly focusing on how unauthor-ised crossings hit record levels under Joe Biden.

Harris tried to counter that by ­visiting a small border town and vowing to make the border between the US and Mexico more secure.

Meanwhile security is being tightened ahead of voting after bullets were fired at the Democrats’ campaign office in Phoenix.

WISCONSIN

TRUMP 47.6% | HARRIS 47.8%

THIS week former US president Barack Obama was out campaigning for Harris in this state, which voted for the Democrat candidate in seven elections prior to Trump emerging victorious in 2016.

On that occasion, his rival Hillary Clinton didn’t campaign hard enough in Wisconsin, but Harris is not making the same mistake.

Trump, though, is hoping his message that immigrants are ­stealing jobs could see him get the northern state back after losing here to Biden in 2020.

MICHIGAN

TRUMP 47% | HARRIS 47.7%

THE state’s long- established car industry has been losing ground to foreign competitors for years.

Another problem for Harris is that Michigan’s 400,000 Muslims are turning against the Democrats due to Biden’s support for Israel in its wars in Gaza and ­Lebanon.

Many back Trump despite his friendship with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

PENNSYLVANIA

TRUMP 47.9% | HARRIS 47.6%

THIS so-called “rust-belt” state in the North East of the US was won by Trump in 2016 and by Biden in 2020.

At the moment it is too close to call, but surging inflation could dent Harris’s hopes in Pennsylvania, which last year saw the highest rise in the cost of grocery shopping anywhere in the country.

Democrat candidate Harris was there on Wednesday trying to win over working-class voters in an area which is still trying to bounce back from decades of industrial decline.

NORTH CAROLINA

TRUMP 48.3% | HARRIS 47.1%

TRUMP won this southern state by a margin of just 1.3 per cent in 2020 and polls suggest it could be even closer this time.

At his first outdoor rally in North Carolina following his attempted assassination in July he said: “This state is a very, very big state to win.”

Voters in the state who are still suffering from the ­aftermath of Hurricane Helene last month, which left 95 people dead and many without running water, could turn away from the Democrats.

GEORGIA

TRUMP 48.5% | HARRIS 47%

AFTER losing the last Presidential election, Trump told Georgia’s ­Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” for him.

That would have given him one more vote than Biden – but that attempt to influence a state official could still land the Republican candidate in court.

As for the 2024 election, two million of the state’s 11 million population have so far voted early.

Most of the recent polls have Trump slightly ahead, but just a few thousand polling cards could make all the difference again on November 5.

It's been three years since the first season of Hellbound premiered.

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