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Rubbery pirates, hidden treasure, and ferocious sea monsters... It's all there in One Piece, Netflix's

The Rugby World Cup and new series of Strictly Come Dancing are both set to kick off soon – and one man who knows just how hard both of them are is Ugo Monye. “Strictly is gruelling,” says the former rugby pro-turned-pundit, who played with Harlequins and England before taking part in Strictly in 2021. “At times you’re training for 12 hours a day. So, you could go for a period of three or four days where all you do is wake up, go to the studio, go to sleep, wake up, go to the studio, go to bed.” He recalls recently telling his friend, comedian Eddie Kadi, all about this, the night before he was announced as a contestant for this year’s show. And because of the demanding schedule, taking care of yourself becomes a top priority. “You try and eat right, try and get as much sleep as possible. The biggest initial challenge everyone will find is their feet, because they wouldn’t have been used to dancing for 11 hours a day,” adds Monye, 40, who was partnered with Oti Mabuse on the show. Trading his rugby boots for ballroom shoes came with some challenges, but he still completed five weeks on the show (Monye and Mabuse finished in 11th place that year). “I remember when I did the quickstep, I had my Apple Watch on, which showed that I danced over 45km in five days,” he recalls. “I remember the first week or two, just the nervousness of rolling out of bed and putting my feet on the carpet because you didn’t know how they would feel.” Having played such a physically demanding sport for 13 years at pro level, Monye was not in bad shape. But Strictly was another “type of pressure”. “When I retired in 2015, I never thought that I’d be dancing, dressed in a low cut, electric pink, short sleeve shirt doing the samba. It’s something I’m actually really proud of,” he adds happily. Like lots of people, Monye, who has two daughters – Phoenix Lilly, six, and Ruby, three, with his ex-wife Lucy – recalls how his approach to self-care has evolved over the years. “Going back to the early 2000s, I was living the dream, right? I was 18 and I got a professional contract playing for my boyhood club, and within a year I travelled the world playing for England,” he says. “I was all, what mental health? I’m flying, right?” Things shifted with time, however, and he began to see the importance of having a proactive approach to maintaining his mental wellbeing. “I remember speaking to a friend, who is really interested in mental health, [about how] people often seek [mental health support] after something bad or traumatic has happened to a point where they actually need it. But it’s more like how you have to go and get an MOT on your car and service it,” he explains. “I think towards the end of my career, I became more aware of it. I have now definitely paid more attention to it and I absolutely love psychology, so I love understanding how the mind works.” Since his retirement, Monye – who has teamed up with Samsung ahead of the World Cup, which starts on September 8 – he has been busy being a dad, alongside jumping into a vibrant broadcast career. Having daughters made him reflect on his own upbringing too – going from being raised by a single mother on a London council estate, to a rural boarding school in Hampshire where he had his education funded (Monye secured a sports scholarship when he was 13). He attributes a lot of his success to his schooling. “I think the person I am now was born at age 13. Everything I was surrounded by was slightly different in that world. It was where I first was introduced to rugby, which then has quite clearly gone on to shape my career, the pathway that I have now, but also my personality. “I think I rely upon myself, I back myself. I had to depend on myself and try and get things done,” he reflects. “I think my personality traits, good and bad, were all developed at boarding school.” Having spent large chunks of his childhood away from family, how does he manage his own work-life balance as a parent now? “How do you manage your work-life balance? Well, you stand in the middle of the park taking a phone call,” he jokes (Monye is in the playground with his girls while we talk). “The time I have with them is absolute quality. For the World Cup, I’m going out for like three or four stints. I’d love them to be able to come out, but with school, it is a bit more difficult. “But I have said to Phoenix already that next year is the Olympics, and she loves gymnastics, so she’s going to be getting on the Eurostar with me. She is watching a lot of clips of Simone Biles at the moment on YouTube and she’s obsessed.” He wants to see his daughters inspired by brilliant women. “I love to watch sports with my daughters,” says Monye. “And we loved watching the Women’s World Cup. I had to get them to come and watch incredible women just do it.” Ugo Monye has teamed up with Samsung ahead of the world’s biggest rugby tournament (samsung.com/uk/big-screen-tv) Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Why do we crave brand new clothes and how can we resist the urge to buy them? How can I improve my teenager’s low mood? Drinking alcohol does not make people look more attractive, study suggests

The best thing about Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend is how often the podcast descends

Shopping for second-hand fashion could prevent carbon emissions equivalent to those produced by 261,000 flights to Greece, analysis from Oxfam suggests. The charity has launched its annual campaign Second Hand September, which encourages people to shop second-hand and donate what they no longer need or wear for 30 days from Friday. Releasing new research to mark the annual campaign, Oxfam said that only 10 per cent of wardrobe contents are second-hand. The charity cited figures from the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which estimates that the average adult wardrobe consists of 118 items. Oxfam said that if half of those items were bought second-hand, it would prevent 12.5 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide created by manufacturing new clothes from entering the atmosphere – equivalent to that produced by 261,000 flights from London Heathrow to Athens. It also said that if each adult in the UK donated all the clothes they have not worn in the past year to charity shops, it could remove the need for 4.9 billion kilograms of carbon emissions – equivalent to flying a plane around the world more than 6,600 times. The findings come amid increasing awareness of the negative effects of the fashion industry, which accounts for 10 per cent of global carbon emissions, according to the UN, which is more than international aviation and shipping combined. Money raised from Oxfam fashion goes towards Oxfam’s work with partners fighting poverty and the impact of the climate emergency around the world. The charity said an increasing number of shoppers, activists and people within the fashion industry have been shopping second-hand since the first Second Hand September campaign in 2019. Bay Garnett, stylist, sustainable fashion advocate and senior fashion adviser at Oxfam, said second-hand clothes have become an emerging style and agreed it has become “cool to care”. “I’ve seen a huge change. Kids love to do it now and what’s brilliant is that second-hand now has become a trend. It’s a genuine tipping point for it being a style choice,” she told the PA news agency. “I also think the big difference now is that it’s seen as a point of activism and originality. Kids are proud that they’re going to second-hand because it shows independence and a form of activism and strong decisions.” Ms Garnett, who came up with the idea to do visual campaigns for Second Hand September, collaborating with stars such as Sienna Miller and Felicity Jones, added that second-hand shopping is also an “antidote to the culture of newness, of Instagram and disposability”. She added: “When you shop at second-hand shops, the money that you’re spending raises crucial funds for Oxfam’s work fighting poverty and the impact of the climate emergency. That’s a fantastic place to put your money. “That’s pretty powerful in itself – the fact that it’s not going to make people richer but it’s going to help the people who are poor or the most disenfranchised by this whole situation.” Lorna Fallon, Oxfam’s retail director, said: “As a major emitter of greenhouse gas, much of the fashion industry as it stands is a threat to people and planet.” She added: “Shopping this way sends a clear message to the fashion industry that consumers want, and expect, things to change.” Miquita Oliver, Oxfam’s second-hand clothes ambassador, said: “It’s timely that we’re talking about second-hand clothes and living in a more sustainable way, as awareness of the environmental impact of our shopping choices is growing. “Today’s research from Oxfam shows that something as simple as buying clothes second-hand, and donating what we don’t wear any more, can help change the world for the better. It’s as simple as that.” Read More Woman adopts husband’s ex-wife’s son after growing up in foster care herself Florence Pugh says backlash to her nipple-bearing dress shows people are ‘terrified of the human body’ Woman says she started to wear ‘terrible wigs’ after her job banned her pink hair

True crime is a genre that not only delves into dark tales of murder but

India's teen chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa arrived home to celebration Wednesday, with media jostling to catch a glimpse of the newly minted star who faced international No.1 Magnus...

Soldiers seized power in OPEC member Gabon, four days after the central African nation held presidential elections. Army

It's no secret young South Koreans are increasingly shunning marriage and parenthood -- the country's steeply falling birth rate is clear evidence of that.

By Nate Raymond South Carolina's top court on Tuesday declined to reconsider a recent ruling upholding the state's

Anne Hathaway’s on-screen portrayal of a fashion challenged assistant to an Anna Wintour-inspired magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada led her to become the style muse for several major fashion houses, including Versace. Now, the 40-year-old Hollywood star has begun experimenting with new fashion trends, crafting mod looks, and stunting on every red carpet. While Hathaway’s induction into the fashion world can be traced back to her role in the 2006 film, the actor has revealed that she’s recently been taking style cues from Generation Z. In a conversation with Vogue published on 29 August, the Princess Diaries star opened up about her motivation to take fashion risks in recent years. “I know this sounds like I’m super-pandering, but I’m really switched on by Gen Z,” she confessed. “It’s a fun generation when it comes to fashion.” Hathaway went on to not only credit the group of individuals born between the late 1990s to the early 2000s for her style playfulness, but the artistic direction of standout designers. “I feel like designers are having a lot of fun,” she said. “I feel like people are enjoying it. Maybe it was always the case, and maybe I was the only person in the corner watching everybody else have fun,” Hathaway continued. “But just the ability to enjoy it feels like it’s more available to me now than it ever was before.” The Interstellar actor has been collaborating with stylist Erin Walsh on some of her most sought-after looks, such as her Karl Lagerfeld-inspired Versace number she wore to this year’s Met Gala honouring the late Chanel designer. On her partnership with the stylist, Hathaway said: “She inspires me. Her style has really rubbed off on me, and the way she wears things, whatever it is, she always wears it in the most effortless way possible.” Walsh expressed the same sentiment about Hathaway when speaking to E! News this past May. “What’s more stylish than a woman who is embodying her ultimate essence and dressing the part?” Walsh admitted. “Anne is beautiful inside and out. It’s very inspiring to see someone actually glowing.” Much like her character in The Devil Wears Prada, Hathaway used to feel trapped under one aesthetic when it came to her everyday fashion. She explained how she preferred to play it safe, and didn’t realise that she could assume some of the unique looks that she’d seen others in. “I thought that I could only have one,” the Academy Award-winner proclaimed. “I felt really lost because I didn’t know what that was until I realised I have so many styles. Once I realised that, then I felt like something clicked. But that’s just me. It’s different. Some people are like, ‘Nope, black turtleneck every day.’” Whether she’s sitting front row at a Louis Vuitton runway show wearing a collared mini dress and elevated updo, or donning an all-latex black ensemble with sheer tights for Versace, Hathaway’s style can no longer be categorised under just one uniform. Read More Fans defend Anne Hathaway after she appears to ‘ignore’ Priyanka Chopra at fashion event Vogue divides opinion with controversial job posting for Anna Wintour’s assistant ‘Unproblematic people don’t age’ reflects the stupidest kind of beauty standard

Searching for your next favorite pair of shoes? Well, you may just find them at Express courtesy of Brian Atwood.

Chinese law enforcement may be behind a disinformation operation that’s been trying to spread propaganda