James Blunt has looked back on the difficulties of balancing work and raising two children. The “Goodbye My Lover” singer married Sofia Wellesley, the daughter of Lord and Lady John Henry Wellesley, in 2014. While speaking at the Oxford Union in 2016, Blunt confirmed that they’d welcomed a son, and have since had a second. In a new interview, Blunt, 49, spoke about how becoming a father had effected his priorities. “Being hands-on with my kids when I can is important,” he told The Guardian, before going on to note times in his life when he wasn’t able to be as present. “I am away for long periods. With my second child, I left the day after the birth for nine months. Fatherhood changed my priorities. I was selfish. Now these little people are far more important than me.” Elsewhere in the interview, published on Saturday (19 August), the singer-songwriter spoke about his own experiences of having distance from his parents at a young age. Prior to attending Harrow School, a private school founded in the 16th century, Blunt attended Elstree School in Woolhampton, Berkshire. “I boarded at school from the age of seven,” he noted. “My parents dropped me off and walked away. On day three, I asked the matron, ‘When will I see Mum and Dad again?’ I was told Christmas. This was September. “I never really saw them again until I got famous.” Blunt was also close friends with the actor Carrie Fisher, whom he called his “American mother”. Fisher died in December 2016 of sleep apnoea but also had cocaine, morphine and ecstasy in her system at the time of her death. The singer called the Star Wars actor’s passing his “greatest sadness”, adding: “I was with her the day before she died. Knowing how it happened, I wish I’d been able to do something. Have an impact. “It’s taken me a long time to write a song about her. It’s on this album. It’s about what I wish I could’ve said to her when she was alive. What I wish I could say to her now.” James Blunt’s seventh studio album, Who We Used To Be, will be released on 27 October. Read More Stylist comes to bride-to-be’s rescue after hair is ‘destroyed’ just before wedding Britney Spears shares first statement after ‘shock’ Sam Asghari divorce: ‘I couldn’t take the pain anymore’ Man wins lottery after using same numbers every day for seven years Shirlie Kemp says male doctor told her to ‘get over’ endometriosis Chrissy Teigen posts topless photo to remind fans to get mammograms Influencer Caleb Coffee hospitalised after falling off cliff in Hawaii

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Lando Norris described his second-placed finish at the British Grand Prix as “pretty insane” after he held off Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages at Silverstone. Max Verstappen cruised to a sixth win in a row to extend his championship lead to 99 points in his pursuit of a hat-trick of world titles. But the late battle between British pair Norris and Hamilton ignited the home crowd at the Northamptonshire circuit. A safety car put Norris’ runner-up spot in doubt after McLaren elected to put him on the harder, more durable, tyre, rather than the speedier soft compound. But Norris, 23, managed to keep Hamilton, 38, at bay in a tantalising battle between the two countrymen at a sold-out Silverstone. “Pretty insane,” Norris said in his post-race interview. “Thanks to the whole team who have done an amazing job. “To put me on hard tyres, I don’t know why! It was an amazing fight with Lewis to hold him off. “I wanted the softs. I feel like it might make a bit more sense, especially with the safety car coming out but I don’t care, I’m P2 so all good! “Big thanks to all the British fans here supporting us. Oscar (Piastri) did an amazing job and he would have been P3 without the safety car. He deserved it.” Piastri finished fourth in the second McLaren, ahead of Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell in fifth. Hamilton labelled the McLaren as a “rocket ship” on his team radio and admitted he had no answer for Norris’ pace. “Congratulations to Lando and McLaren, my family where I first started,” he said. “To see them back up there looking so strong. That thing was rapid through the high speed corner, wow. I could not keep up! “It’s positive for us as a team to know we are not that far away. We just need to keep pushing and we can catch those guys at the front. “We had a good little battle there. I just didn’t have the grunt on the straights.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen snatching pole ‘ruins everything’ for Lando Norris at Silverstone Max Verstappen pips Lando Norris to pole position at British Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton 15th in practice for British GP as Max Verstappen dominates again

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It appears that Saweetie has taken her latest fashion inspiration from the Stone Age. On 12 September, the “Best Friend” rapper attended the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in a pink, sequin gown featuring a halter neck and her hair pulled back into a sleek pony. However, it was the two oversized bones attached to the dress that seemed to capture everyone’s attention. As she posed for photos on the “pink” carpet outside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, one bone appeared to be tied to her collar, while the other was tied at the waist. The unique dress first debuted in Area’s Fall Winter 2023 collection, which contained several designs full of bones, fur, and animal patterns. While hosting the MTV VMAs pre-show, Saweetie - whose real name is Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper - explained the reasoning behind her eye-catching look. “The inspiration behind this is fashion when it first started: Cavemen,” she said. Saweetie also appeared to be having fun on the red carpet with her caveman-inspired dress, even kissing the bone in one photo. However, it wasn’t just the “ICY GRL” singer who joined in on the fun. In fact, many people took to X - formally known as Twitter - where they cracked jokes about Saweetie’s VMAs look. Unsurprisingly, a number of awards show viewers compared the rapper’s outfit of choice to something from The Flintstones. “Saweetie looks like a Flintstone,” joked one person on X. “Is she wearing the Fred Flintstone collection?” said someone else. “Are the VMAs being held in Bedrock?” a third user wrote. Despite some critics, many fans still complimented Saweetie’s caveman-inspired outfit. “Saweetie look like a Icy Flintstone,” said one user. “I loveeeee her #VMA”. “Saweetie looks soo cute I love her makeup,” another fan wrote. In addition to Saweetie, there were many other memorable fashion moments at this year’s MTV VMAs. Doja Cat wore a barely-there, white Apocene dress that closely resembled spider webs. Her look featured sparse, white fabric draped across her body, with a pair of nude underwear hidden underneath the ensemble. Meanwhile, VMAs host Nicki Minaj took wedding fashion to a whole new level when she arrived in a pink, corset bodysuit with a sheer, lace skirt and a dramatic vail. Taylor Swift leads this year’s nominees with eight nods, followed closely by “Kill Bill” singer SZA, who holds six nominations. Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith are tied at five nominations, and BLACKPINK, Diddy and Shakira each received four. The full list of VMA winners can be found here. Read More 2023 MTV VMAs: The best-dressed stars on the red carpet, from Olivia Rodrigo to Doja Cat 2023 MTV VMA winners list in full – live updates Taylor Swift is channeling her Reputation era in stunning black dress at 2023 MTV VMAs Taylor Swift is channeling her Reputation era in stunning black dress at MTV VMAs 2023 MTV VMAs: The best-dressed stars on the red carpet Cardi B wears dress made entirely of hair clips on 2023 VMAs red carpet

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Apparently lettuce has a use other than being eaten in salads and sandwiches, according to a new TikTok trend. Apparently some people swear that lettuce water can help you fall asleep. TikToker, Shalpa Hoque tried the hack out for herself and documented her process. You can watch her video in full here. “So apparently drinking lettuce water makes you sleepy, sis don’t sleep so imma try it out,” she wrote in the clip. Shalpa then ripped up some of the leafy greens and stuffed them into her mug before pouring in some boiling hot water. She mixed her lettuce water with peppermint tea because she was “scared it was going to taste like sh*t.” After leaving it to soak in the water for 10 minutes, she then takes the lettuce out and takes a sip, “it takes like nothing,” Shalpa says. Later she provides an update on how she’s feeling after the drink. “Update, I do feel slight drowsy, not hella sleepy like knockout, but I do feel sleepy.” Cut to some time later, and in another update the drink seems to have affected Shalpa more. “Another update, lettuce has crack because your sis is gone,” she said in bed with her eyes closed. TikTok users seemed to be intrigued by this so-called sleep hack, as the video now has 7.2m views, and over 1.4m likes. However, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, an associate professor of nutritional medicine and the director of the Sleep Center of Excellence at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told Insider that there is no research to prove that lettuce water helps us fall asleep. However, this has been found to be the case for rats where lettuce has helped them doze off. In a 2017 study, researchers looked at whether low and high doses of red romaine lettuce extract helped mice stay asleep longer. Results show that it worked for the rats, but it’s unclear whether TikTokers were using this particular lettuce to improve their sleep. St-Onge also questioned how effective stewing the lettuce in boiling water would be - even if it was the red romaine TikTokers were using. “How much of those lettuce extracts are you getting from water? I’m not sure,” she said. But those on the app insist they’ve been able to fall asleep quicker from it - so what’s the possible reason for this? This may be caused by the placebo effect, according to St-Onge. It’s when you convince yourself and your body that a treatment is working - even if that is not the case. “If you expect something to work, then you probably feel more sleepy,” St-Onge added. While consuming and getting wrapped up in these bizarre trends, it’s easy to forget the simple steps we can take to improve our sleep that are scientifically proven to work on humans. From reducing our screen time, to reducing light, to mindfulness and physical exercise - soggy lettuce doesn’t seem quite as appealing somehow.

Back to school… those three words mean many things to many people – but it’s safe to say, with a new school year comes the unknown: What will it be like, and will I fit in? “Starting a new school year can stir up an array of emotions in young people,” says Yvonne Kekeliadis, creator of Brightstarz, an organisation which runs workshops to help teens and tweens learn life skills. “The prospect of academic and social pressures, whilst exciting for some, can leave others feeling dread and trepidation as the summer holidays draw to a close.” She says building up a social safety net of peers in whom they can confide is a critical part of ensuring young people feel supported – and enjoy their time in secondary school. This is particularly important for children making the leap from primary school to secondary, says Kekeliadis. “Therefore, it’s imperative young people are equipped with the skills and support to be able to foster healthy, positive friendships.” Principal at Impington Village College, a high-ranking state school, Victoria Hearn says: “The transition to the next stage of their education can be an exciting time for students, but for some, the change of routine, environment, and teachers, coupled with the loss of some of their established network of friends, can be daunting.” Secondary school should be an enjoyable and enriching experience for every student, says Hearn, and building a strong friendship group can play a key role in making this a reality. Key tips which parents should share with their child include… Be proactive and don’t be afraid to reach out to others “The most important thing for students starting secondary school to remember, is that everyone is in the same boat,” says Kekeliadis. “Moving from a small class of 30 to a school year of more than 100 can feel incredibly daunting – and while it takes confidence to put yourself out there and take the first step, it will help to put others at ease who will be feeling shy, too.” Be open-minded Kekeliadis says a part of what makes starting secondary school exciting is being able to take part in new activities and initiatives, such as sports clubs and other extracurriculars. “This also provides a fantastic opportunity for students to meet peers who share similar interests,” encourages Kekeliadis. “Helping them to form a bond and eventually a friendship.” As well as taking advantage of an array of extracurricular activities, Hearn says to encourage them to support local, national, and international volunteering projects. “Which enables them to meet new people and work together to support a cause greater than their own individual needs.” Set healthy boundaries “When young people enter a new social situation, they are likely to feel pressure to fit in, and while having a strong social group is important to a child’s wellbeing, it’s vital young people know how to step away from an unhealthy friendship,” advises Kekeliadis. To encourage the setting of these boundaries, she says parents should ensure their child knows that it’s okay to tell a friend ‘no’ when they are feeling uncomfortable – as well as when it’s best to speak to an adult if they feel they are being pressured. Conversation is key Parents, guardians, and teachers can all have a positive impact on a student’s ability to make friends, says Hearn, but it’s important to remember every child is different and moves at their own pace. “If your child hasn’t made hundreds of new friends within the first week of school, it doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t soon establish a strong friendship group. “At all times, but particularly around periods of change, I encourage parents and guardians to engage in frequent open conversations with their child(ren), to check in with them regularly,” advises Hearn. “And, most importantly, validate their feelings.” Listening to your child’s concerns and providing reassurance is often all students need to approach making friends with confidence, suggests Hearn. Ask for support Hearn says at the heart of every education provision should be a desire to help all children thrive… “For the last four years, we have not grouped students with their friends from previous schools when they join us in Year Seven,” notes Hearn. “Instead, we create mixed ability, balanced groups, where students are able to interact with a wide range of other pupils.” She says this has proved hugely successful in ensuring all students feel they are included – and presented with the best opportunities to make new friends. “Your child(ren)’s school should also have an established pastoral support network to help them through any challenges they are facing,” says Hearn. “Please encourage your child to reach out to their tutor when necessary,” she urges. “Or, if required, contact their school directly with any concerns.” Hearn continues: “The transition to secondary school can be daunting for students, but with the support of families and teachers, we can ensure every child gets the absolute most out of their experience – and establishes friendships that will extend far beyond the school walls.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 9 ways to make dark rooms look lighter Men experience imposter syndrome too – here’s how to overcome it This is how stress affects different parts of the body