SÉBASTIEN OGIER cemented his name further into the history books by claiming a record-breaking 10th victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship.

Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, Ogier secured an 18.5 second victory over his Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans after a tense final day through the French Alps.

Adrien Fourmaux pushed the top two all the way on Sunday’s decisive final leg, outpacing both Toyotas by 23.9secs and 17.8secs respectively as he opted for a full-slick tyre set-up that suited the drier conditions.

But Fourmaux, making his Hyundai WRC debut after switching from M-Sport Ford, struggled in the icy, rally-ending Wolf Power Stage.

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And local hero Ogier capitalised with another stage win, while Evans held off Fourmaux’s late charge by just 7.5secs despite a close shave with a rock face.

The treacherous conditions saw the drama extend far beyond the podium battle as Toyota’s Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta both slid off the road on SS17 while Grégoire Munster’s M-Sport Ford Puma met a similar fate on the next stage.

Behind Evans, Hyundai’s Ott Tänak ceded fourth position to Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä on the final day due to his own tyre misjudgement.

The pair finished just 4.7secs apart, with both drivers now eager to bounce back at next month’s Rally Sweden as previous winners of the snow-and-ice fixture.

Defending champion Thierry Neuville salvaged sixth place after an eventful rally, where he suffered a combination of broken suspension from an early crash, and a deflated tyre.

Then an unexplained electrical issue, costing him over five minutes and ruining his hopes of defending last year’s win.

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Making his WRC debut was Josh McErlean and on the notes his Cork co-driver Eoin Treacy, who finished Rallye Monte Carlo in a super seventh position overall.

McErlean, 25, from Kilrea in Derry, was driving an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 and put in an impressive performance as he tackled the unforgiving terrain and unpredictable conditions, including ice, snow and mud-strewn asphalt.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “I’ve realised a dream this weekend and it will take a little while to sink in. It was quite daunting standing in Casino Square at the start, knowing what was ahead of us, but we had a plan to follow and it was vital to stick to that throughout.”

“Taking seventh overall is probably better than we had hoped for, and it was mission accomplished for us. This result wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from M-Sport, the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and everyone who has been part of my journey so far.”

They return for Round 2 of the WRC in Umeå, Sweden from February 13–16.

RORY MCILROY scored just the third ace of his career at the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach on Thursday.

The hole-in-one is just his second ever on the PGA Tour, and third in his professional career.

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Rory McIlroy bagged an ace during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2025 at Spyglass Hill golf course[/caption]

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The Down ace was delighted after the hole-in-one on the 15th hole[/caption]

The $20m ‘Signature’ tournament is the Down native’s first start of the American Tour’s season.

45 of the top 50 players in the world are in action at the event which is played over two courses.

The iconic Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill make up the tracks for the tournament which has no cut.

And the Holywood hotshot started out his round in stunning fashion as he sixth hole of the day after starting his opening round on the back-nine.

He aced the short 119-yard, par-3 15th hole with a wedge as the ball slammed into the cup.

Officials stated that he damaged the cup after the ball slammed in the hole.

But a groundskeeper was on hand at Spyglass Hill GC, and was quick to fix the issues as a joyous McIlroy retrieved his ball from the hole.

McIlroy scored his first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour during the opening round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in 2023.

He aced the 214-yard, par-3 8th hole with a 5-iron. This shot was particularly significant as it marked his first ace on the PGA Tour.

Prior to his maiden ace, the world number three bagged one at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in 2015 on the DP World Tour.

The winner of the second ‘Signature’ event of the season will bag $3.8m from the $20m purse.

All the action is live on Sky Sports Golf.

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CHELSEE Healey has bravely opened up about suffering a tragic miscarriage while competing on Dancing On Ice.

The 36-year-old Hollyoaks actress took to social media to reveal the devastating loss and explained that she hadn’t been able to speak about it until now due to the immense grief.

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Chelsee with skating partner Andy Buchanan[/caption]

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Chelsee with her fellow celebs on Dancing On Ice[/caption]

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Chelsee pushed through the pain to continue on the ITV show[/caption]

In an emotional statement, Chelsee thanked Dancing On Ice, ITV, her skate partner Andy Buchanan, and her family for their support.

She shared that while juggling the show’s demanding training schedule, she unexpectedly discovered she was pregnant.

But before she and her family had time to process the news she suffered a miscarriage just weeks later.

She told her fans alongside a photo with her kids: “Understandably, this really did devastate me and hit me deeply.

“Finding out this news and then having it taken away in such a short period of time is an awful lot to deal with.”

Chelsee, who is already a mother to two daughters, said she feels incredibly blessed but the grief of losing her unborn child is still overwhelming.

She added: “I am grieving for the little soul I carried momentarily, who I’ll never get to meet. The sibling that my girls will never have. The child that will forever leave my heart curious with the ‘what ifs.’ And it is painful.”

She admitted that she initially tried to carry on as normal, but those close to her could tell she was struggling.

The star went on: “For any woman going through something similar, I am truly sorry for your loss. I hope you are allowed to express and feel your emotions. Our heavenly children deserve a place in our hearts.”

Chelsee ended her heartfelt message: “We never know what someone else is going through or how their pain may be hurting them.”

Chelsee lost her place in the competition in week one, after bosses scrapped the skate-off and sent the celebrity with the fewest combined votes and judges’ scores home.

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Chelsee and Andy were first to be eliminated[/caption]

IF you are feeling a little chilly this January panic not, as Tesco currently has an incredible saving on a heating device.

The supermarket has slashed the price of its double electric blankets to just £1.88, and people are amazed.

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A shopper shared how they saved £115 on electric blankets, which were reduced to £1.88[/caption]

One shopper showed how they picked up five of the bargain item, due to it being reduced from £25.

The product is the Silent Night So Snuggly blanket which has been reduced to clear.

They wrote on the Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK: “My partner sent me this, whilst he was in Tesco Elgin Scotland this morning , £1.88 each!!!!”

The post has racked up hundreds of likes and comments, and people were impressed at the savings.

One person wrote: “Bargain.”

Another added: “Oooh I’m just heading to Tesco.”

A third commented: “great bargain I have this paid full price and use them so much I replace annually.”

The blanket is made from 100 per cent polyester and features three heat settings.

And the best part is the electric device can help to keep your bills down.

Silentnight said the blanket is “energy efficient”, providing an affordable way to stay warm.

According to research from Uswitch, electric blankets use 80 watts of energy and cost just 2p an hour to run.

If you were to use an electric blanket for one hour a day, every day of the week for a year, it would cost you £7.30 in total.

Using an electric blanket instead of putting the heating up can help you save money on your bill, according to the experts.

Uswitch energy expert Ben Gallizzi said electric blankets are a cost-effective alternative to putting on the heating as you can use them for short periods on a timer.

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The Silent Night blankets are made from 100 per cent polyester and feature three heat settings[/caption]

He said: “Electric blankets and throws are a great way to keep warm without putting on the heating for the whole house.

“Electric blankets that go under your fitted sheet typically use less energy, as they are designed to be used for the whole night. 

“The average device might use between 60W and 100W, while some modern energy-efficient models could use as little as 15W.”

Meanwhile, if you opt for an electric throw then you could end up paying more.

These gadgets cost 4p an hour to run and use 160 watts of energy.

If you used an electric throw every day for a week then it would cost 28p in total.

If you used the throw every day for a year then it would cost you £14.60 – twice as much as the electric blanket.

NEWCASTLE are reportedly considering a “bubble wrap” stadium expansion.

The Magpies are planning to expand St James’ Park to boost the capacity by 8,100 seats.

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Newcastle could have a stadium with a ‘bubble wrap’ look[/caption]

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The club are considering expanding St James’ Park[/caption]

The Mail claim that Newcastle have engaged architects to design plans for a redevelopment of the iconic ground.

It is believed that upgrading St James’ Park would see the capacity jump to 60,300 from 52,000.

There is also an option of building a new stadium at the nearby Leazes Park, which could boast a capacity of 70,000.

The club has met with architects KSS and Ryder with drawings of the two options being produced.

The report claims that some of the drawings have shown the ground to have a “bubble wrap” design around it.

It would, therefore, look similar to Ligue 1 outfit Le Havre’ Stade Oceane.

The French ground has a bubble wrap design, which is a striking blue colour.

If Newcastle were to remain at St James’ Park it is thought the ground would not drastically change its appearance.

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However, it would be expected to undergo major work through the 133-year venue.

The extra seating would be expected to be incorporated into a redeveloped Gallowgate End.

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Plans could increase St James’ Park’s capacity by 8,000[/caption]

The report has claimed that a formal announcement over the stadium’s future could be delayed until the end of the season.

Newcastle’s chief operating officer, Brad Miller insisted that the aim is to remain at St James’ Park.

He said in November: “The first choice is to stay. If we stayed at St. James’, we have 52,000 seats already.

“It comes with significantly more money if we transform it and it will look amazing. That’s option one.

“Option two is if we were to move away, and not too far away as we aren’t going to stretch the elastic band to the point of breaking.

“The second option, we are looking at it seriously as it does have the potential to earn more than twice as much in terms of revenue, compared to a transformation of St. James’ Park. And more seats, a lot more seats potentially.

“The brilliant thing about St. James’ is it is an iconic location, the atmosphere and the competitive edge it gives the team on the pitch – and it has 52,000 seats already.

“A new stadium doesn’t have that, and we’d have to pay for all those seats again.

“But a new stadium has the potential to earn a lot more, both on match days and non-match days.

“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, everything we are doing, do we invest and transform St James’ as we see it today on site where we are? Or do we take that bold move and think about moving?”